Bella Box - March, 2013

 

Some versions of March's Bella Box received a full sized Clinique lipstick.  I was not so lucky.  Instead I got a much cheaper very nude lip gloss.  Not nearly as exciting.  This month's box was OK, not standout special and not horrible either.  If I'd received the lipstick I would have been much more pleased with the offerings, but it was still value for money without.  Here's what was in my box:

Swisse Active Recover Bar in Chocolate Coconut (full size value $3.95)

The product card said that this was supposed to be the "Energy" bar that is for consuming prior to exercise.  Instead I received the "Recover" bar that is for consuming post exercise.  Regardless, I no longer do serious exercise following a knee reconstruction so this isn't the kind of product I'm interested in.  I did try a tiny piece just to see what it tasted like.  It was suprisingly bland, it tasted of coconut but not really sweet at all.  My husband polished off the rest of the bar so it must have not been too bad.  I received the 60g bar which retails for $3.95 per bar, despite Bella Box's product information card saying that bars are $2.39 per bar.  The 30g bar is listed on Swisse's website at $2.95 per bar and the "Energy" bars aren't $2.39 either so it looks like Bella Box really needed to do a bit more proof-reading on their information card this month.  I'm actually happy to receive a food product as a bonus product with Bella Box, but I'd prefer gourmet teas or chocolates/fudges rather than exercise related products.

Simunovich Olive Estate Olive Shower Gel (deluxe sample size)

I love getting shower gel in sample boxes because I know it's a product I will use.  The sample was a decent size and smells lovely and "clean".  It's a man-friendly shower gel if you like to share in the bathroom.  It lathered well and I'd like to try some of the other products by this manufacturer.

Ocean Essence Coconut Body Milk (deluxe sample size)

Something strange is going on with the pricing for this product.  Bella Box is selling 20ml in their shop (the sample I received is 20ml) for $4.95.  There's no way anyone is going to pay that much for just 20ml of product!  The website listed on the rear of the product (www.oceanessenceskincare.com) does not exist and if you add an ".au" to the url you get a site which does not list this product for sale.  It's a very nice product and I love the coconut scent but it's so strange that I can't find it anywhere else on the web and Bella Box is only selling tiny tiny tubes of it. 

Designer Brands Lip Pencil in Nude (full size value $4.99)

I don't use lip pencils.  I have never had trouble with my lipstick bleeding or running so I've never wanted to try one.  In the spirit of experimentation I did try this lip pencil, but I didn't manage to completely line my lips because it was so painful.  There must be a trick to it that I don't know.  Designer Brands website says their lip pencils are "luxuriously soft" but I can say after experience that they are hard and spiky and hurt.  I did like the sharpener included in the lid.  I'd like to see eyeliner pencils come with their own sharpener in the lid too.  That would be quite handy.

Guerlian La Petite Robe Noire Eau De Toilette (vial)

Yummy.  I found the scent to be quite powdery, a real "french lingerie" smell if that makes sense at all.  It smells very "clean" and "pretty".  A full sized bottle of this perfume is very pricy indeed, even for the Eau De Toilette.  I think the bottle would look classier without the picture of the black dress on it, but that's a pretty minor point.

Yes to Carrots Lip Gloss in Playful Nude (full size value $9.95)

I have a tinted lip balm by Yes to Carrots that I love and wear all the time.  It's so pigmented I actually wear it as a lipstick.  This lip gloss was sheer with a tiny hint of sparkle.  It's what you would expect from a shade called "Playful Nude" but it's not the shade I would have chosen.  Yes to Carrots website lists this as available online in the US only and their Australian distributer Priceline doesn't have it listed on their website so this might be slightly tricky to get your hands on.  Bella Box is selling it in their online shop and looking at the available shades I wished I had received "Red Hot" (which isn't available on Bella Box's website by the way, though it is one of the shades in this range).  I will use this, I like it as a sheer gloss, I would have just preferred a brighter colour.

And that's it for Bella Box this month.  As usual it had some hits (the perfume, body milk and shower gel), an OK product (the lip gloss) and some misses (the exercise bar and lip pencil) and the inclusion of two makeup products was greatly appreciated.

Check out other bloggers reviews of this month's box:

Imminent Beauty
Kitsch Snitch
Beauty Behind the Imperfections
Katy's Beauty Secrets