Europe in a Box

Photograph from www.europeinabox.com.au.  Used with permission.

Here's a new Australian box to appeal to the gourmet foodie.  Europe in a Box is a monthly box of European food and drink that costs $53 per month (including shipping).  They say that "each box contains four gourmet products each originating from a different culinary destination in Europe, including an authentic imported drink, additional samples and a keepsake." I think this could make a great gift for the hard to buy for person in your life.  I know my husband would be pretty happy to receive one of these boxes.

I wish I had a slot available in my box budget at the moment as the products really appeal to me.  Looking at the March box (links and photograph below) I would like every single one of those products!  I do know that my husband would really enjoy this one, so I might try one for his birthday in August.  I can tell you that I've emailed the owner and their customer service is very good, I received a very quick reply to my email with the extra information I was looking for.



Photograph from www.europeinabox.com.au. Used with permission.  This was their March 2013 box.

There are a couple of discounts available at the moment.  If you want to sign up you can try:

$5 off 1 month subscription (one off fee, not a recurring transaction) - SPREADTHELOVE

$10 off 3 month subscription - DISCOVEREUROPE

 

There are a few reviews out there already for the first box.  Check out:

 

Vanisha's Life

Gourmet Getaways

Matilly Rose's

 

 

 

 

Her Fashion Box

Photograph from www.herfashionbox.com.  Thanks.

Her Fashion Box is a brand new box that will ship its first box in March, 2013.  It costs $39.95 per month (reduced from $49.95 in response to consumer feedback).  You can use the code "FASHION" to receive your first box for $24.95.

There will be three box themes: trendy, classic and feminine.  Here's what they have to say about their new box:

"Every month, you’ll receive a beautifully packaged Her Fashion Box to your home or office! Inside will be an on-trend fashion accessory tailored to your style profile, as well as a number of carefully selected beauty products or deluxe size samples from high-end, boutique and cult brands from around the world. Each month will be a different mix of beauty products, ranging from makeup, skincare, fragrances, body, hair, and nail. In addition to your fashion accessory and beauty products or samples, Her Fashion Box will bring you products, samples or offers from premium lifestyle brands that could include things such as gorgeous stationery, luxury candles, beauty or spa services, hair and make-up tools, gourmet food or wine tasters, cute home wares, online products, entertainment and more. "

I'm going to be getting the classic box in March, so stay tuned to find out what's inside.

Native Box

Photograph from www.nativebox.com.au.

Native Box is a monthly subscription box with a unique theme - they concentrate on Australian products that are also eco friendly.  It costs $20.95 per month and some of their brands include the hard to find Method cleaning products, Sanctum, Adorn Mineral Cosmetics and one of my favourite snacks: Vege chips.

They don't say how many products you will receive each month.  Their December 2012 box contained nine different products with the usual range of full size and sample size to try including the aforementioned Vege chips.  State of Green received that box and has photographs of the contents. My impression from reading around the web is that the contents are quite generous, and offer a good broad scope of products. 

I will be receiving the next Native Box so stay tuned for photographs and a review of the contents.

Eco Box

Photograph from www.lusthaveit.com.au. This was their Summer 2012 box, but not a photograph of the actual sizes included, this photograph is of the full sized products.

Eco Box is Lust Have It's quarterly eco friendly version of their beauty box.  Being a little more expensive and coming out quarterly it contains more products than the monthly Lust Have It box.  Boxes cost $29.95 and include 6 or more premium samples and they say each box will have a value in excess of $100.  Brands include Burt's Bees and my favourite Everyday Minerals.



Photograph from www.lusthaveit.com.au.  This was their September 2012 box, but not a photograph of the actual sizes included, this photograph is of the full sized products.

You can see what other bloggers thought of the summer box here including photographs of the actual products they received:

Sweetaholic Beauty
Kitsch Snitch
Matilly's This n That

Notoxbox

Photograph from www.notoxbox.com.au.  Used with permission.

Notoxbox is a monthly box dedicated to natural, organic and eco friendly products including makeup, skincare, fragrance, body, hair and food products. 

They publish the contents of previous boxes on their website and they can be purchased as a one-off buy while they are still in stock.  They do sell out though.  A box costs $25 per month and you can also subscribe for three or six months which includes a store credit of $15 and $30 respectively.

Photograph from www.notoxbox.com.au.  Used with permission.

This was their January box, which included a full size Maeve mineral eye shadow, full size Hurraw lip balm, full size Chi coconut water, full size Biologika hand and body wash in Coconut and sample size Maqui berry powder.  3 and 6 month subscribers also received a full size pack of red kale chips.

Spicy Subscriptions

Photograph from www.spicysubscriptions.com.  Used with permission.

Spicy Subscriptions is a monthly "spice up your love life" subscription box.  It's very female/couples friendly and comes in a plain package with the pretty box inside so your postie is none the wiser.  The products are very much on the "classy" side of adult products, you won't be embarrassed to keep some of them out on your dressing table (with the others tucked neatly into the drawer for easy access).

Photograph from www.spicysubscriptions.com.  Used with permission.

There are two variants - the Premium Box and the Deluxe Box. The Premium Box contains one flirty item, 1-2 full sized products and 3-6 trial sized products.  The Deluxe Box contains one deluxe item, 1-2 full sized products, one deluxe accessory and 3-6 trial sized products.  They say you can expect to receive "sexy lubricants, condoms, massage oils, massage candles, fragrances, sexual educational books, costumes, sex games, sex toys, panties, bustiers".

This is the kind of box that would be really fun to get for Valentine's Day, or as a monthly treat to inspire some new tricks in the bedroom.

Photograph from www.spicysubscriptions.com.  Used with permission.

The boxes cost $24.95 for the Premium box and $34.95 for the Deluxe box, with an extra $6 per box for shipping to Australia.  Their customer service is very quick, considering the time difference.  I've received faster replies to my emails than from many Australian companies.  International orders will be available on their sign-up page from April, but until then you can sign up by sending them an email.  They'll send you a PayPal payment link.  As a little bonus, to get 5% off just enter the coupon code "spicyaustralia".

Bella Box

Photograph from www.bellabox.com.au.  Thanks.

Bella Box is Australia's other major beauty sampling subscription box.  They do a monthly box of 5 samples which are a mix of deluxe sample sizes and sachets with a full sized product every so often.  Boxes are a mixture of hair care, skin care and makeup products.

The boxes are quite well packaged in a sturdy brown box which looks quite classy, and inside the products are wrapped in tissue paper and a pretty ribbon.  Boxes are usually themed (i.e. Australia Day, Christmas) and decorated accordingly.  They make a pretty good gift actually.


Photograph from www.bellabox.com.au.  Thanks.  This photograph shows the range of full sized products that were in their January, 2013 box.  The actual boxes contained sample sizes of a selection of these products.

Bella Box do use a beauty profile to customize products to people's skin tone, etc, though in my experience it is not always used.  My profile shows that I have sensitive skin but I received a facial cleanser that reacted badly with my skin and left me with a red sore face for three weeks.  I'm a little more cautious about trying new cleansers now and do a patch test before trying anything new.

On the positive side their December 2012 box contained a full sized Savoir Faire Limited Edition Kit valued at $110 which was an amazing Christmas bonus and was very well received around the web as you can imagine.

The boxes cost $15 a month, and they currently offer one box free if you purchase a year's subscription at $165.  Bella Box also offer a men's box and baby box and are currently the only Australian company to offer a men's box.  They also have an extensive and impressive list of brands available including my favourites A'kin, Bobbi Brown, Bourjois, Glamourflage, Lush, Mor and Natio.

David Jones Beauty Tote

Picture from www.davidjones.com.au.  Thanks.

This one is a bit different from usual as it's a sample bag instead of a box and it only comes out once a year, but it's such good value I'm including it as well as I get this every single time it's released. 

The David Jones Beauty Tote is a yearly sample bag that's available in-store and online.  It costs $20 and to be able to purchase it you need to purchase any product from their beauty department.  There's no minimum spend though, so even a little nail file is a big enough purchase to be able to buy the tote if there's nothing you want/need at the time.

The tote is amazing value, it's jam packed full of deluxe sample and full sized products with a mix of makeup, skincare and haircare items.  The tote itself is pretty good quality too, though the main event is inside.

There are two varieties, and the products are in a clear plastic bag attached to the outside so it's easy to take a look and pick the version you want.  David Jones also releases a beauty book at the same time which has lots of gift with purchase offers from their major beauty brands.  I usually chain together both offers and buy just enough to get a gift with purchase and a beauty tote at the same time.  Some girls have even been known to visit two different David Jones stores to get both versions of the tote, it's that good!

Lust Have It

Photograph from www.lusthaveit.com.au. Thanks.

Lust Have It are a monthly box which contains 5-6 beauty samples, usually a mix of skincare, makeup, nails, haircare and fragrance for $14.95 per month.  The samples range in size from single application sachets, deluxe sample sizes and some full sized products.

They have an impressive range of affiliated brands, including some of my favourites Nude by Nature, Mirenesse, Nyx, Everyday Minerals and Lush.

At the moment the boxes are gorgeous solid cardboard with a pink pattern that closes securely with a magnet.  They are beautiful and reuseable, especially useful for storing small items.  Last year they did a range of zip-up coloured make-up bags.



Photograph from www.lusthaveit.com.au.  Thanks.  This photograph is of the range of full sized products that spanned all three box types, not the sample sizes actually included in the boxes.

The only negative I've found is that the box contents are selected by age bracket (there are three different boxes each month) and they don't use a beauty profile so shades of foundation and skincare products are not customized for your skin type.  There is an active swapping community on the facebook page for people looking to trade foundations that were in the wrong colour for them.  Having said that, the last foundation I received was full size and the perfect shade for me so I was completely happy with it.

I really enjoy my Lust Have It subscription and I'm not going to be giving it up anytime soon.  There's always something I love in each box, and some boxes every item has been a hit.  There are often full sized products included, and makeup items which I especially enjoy sampling.

Lust Have It is highly recommended.  If you're only going to subscribe to one box (and you're interested in beauty/makeup) then this is the one.