Lust Have It - March, 2013

 

Lust Have It for March comes once again in their new presentation boxes which I find quite useful for makeup storage.  The missing product from last month arrived, there was more than one full sized product and there was a good range of products too, including more than one make-up item.  All in all, a very good month indeed.  Here's what was inside:

The Natural Source Camouflage Colour Crayons in Metal Green and Purple Plum (full size value $9.99/ea)

The sticker on the red crayon didn't come off cleanly, leaving residue all over my crayon.  Don't you just hate it when that happens!  These crayons come in an amazing range of shades and they say can be used "on the face or body to create that sense of fun, theatre, class or individuality".  While I'm quite happy to leave the house wearing a petticoat my makeup choices are a little more on the mainstream side, so the only use I can find for these are as an eye liner. Both crayons were lovely and soft, perhaps even slightly too soft as I did find little extra bits of colour balled off when I used them.  Metal Green did make a very cool unusual looking eyeliner and because it was so soft it was comfortable to apply.  I did find something really odd on their web-site.  They have in their faq "It is bovine free. Bovine ailments affect the central system and is related to the “Mad Cow’s Disease"."  Slightly awkward sentence structure aside, bovine just means cow.  I don't know what they mean by "central system", but mad cow's disease is transmitted to humans by EATING contaminated cow products.  No-one's going to be eating their makeup so I'm at a loss why they feel the need to advertise their product in this way. 

Orly Flash Dry Drops (deluxe sample size)

I'm very happy to try this as an alternative to my Seche Vite.

Bioderma Atoderm Nourishing Cream (sachet)

This was the product that was missing from last month's box.  Points off for being a sachet - they're so hard to dispense and I always end up wasting product because I can't re-seal it.  I do love that this is intended for sensitive skin and can be used on the face and body, though it's really a bit expensive to use as a body cream.

Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair Hair Treatment (deluxe sample size)

I'm always happy to get a new hair treatment.  My hair seems to respond well to mixing up a lot of different treatments rather than always sticking to the same thing.

Ocean Essences Gold & Pearl Rubber Mask (full size $9.95)

This product isn't listed on Ocean Essences website (much like their offering in March's Bellabox) so finding out more information about it was tricky.  The value I'm taking from Lust Have It's product information card because I can't find anywhere to purchase this mask.  I also couldn't use it, though I did try.  No matter how hard I mixed it I just couldn't get it to mix properly.  It ended up really lumpy and made a huge mess.  I just wasn't comfortable putting it on my face.

Bio Elixia Body Shaper Cellulite Contour Cream (full size $59)

I've never really believed that cellulite creams do anything.  Now I'm going to have the opportunity to find out for myself.  I'm very impressed that Lust Have It managed to include a full sized product worth $59 and if it ends up working (I'm going to give it a try over the suggested 4 weeks) then I'll admit I was wrong about cellulite creams.

So this was a pretty solid month from Lust Have It.  My only grumble is that other bloggers seem to be getting a lollipop.  I want my lollipop darn it :-)

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

See It, Love It, Swatch It
Shrinking Wallet
Katy's Beauty Secrets
Sweetaholic Beauty
Matilly Rose's
Kitsch Snitch

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 - March, 2013

 

 

The first Her Fashion Box is here. I got the classic box and here's what was inside:

 

 

Circa Home Everyday Soap in Lilac and Orchid (full size, value $9.95)

Mmmmmmm.  This made the whole box smell great and it's so smooth.  I have a few soaps and body washes to go through before I get to using this one, so I stored it in my lingerie drawer to take advantage of the amazing scent.

Gold Ponytail Holder (full size, value $2.60)

There's been some controversy on the web about where Her Fashion Box are sourcing their fashion items and what they are worth.  I found this which looks identical at $2.60 each.  I do quite like the product.  It's tricky to get in without pinching bits of hair but it holds well and looks good.  Luckily I have long hair though!

Moxi Sample Collection (deluxe sample size)

Quite a few Her Fashion Box customers weren't too happy to receive "time of the month" products in their box.  Some felt it was inappropriate and others had no use for them.  Unlike some I was happy to see Moxi included here as I can use their products and they're the most premium brand out there that I know of.  I can't imagine any other brand being included in a fashion box though, so I expect this is a once-off partnership.  The cute little box contained two tampons, two pad and one liner.

Master Makeup Blending Brush (full size, value $30)

Great!  I'll get lots of use out of this.  It's a really nice brush too.  The bristles are held firmly in place, they're nice and soft, and it's the perfect size for blending.  There was a special offer for 20% off the rest of the collection, but I've just purchased two sets of Real Techniques brushes so I'm set for the foreseeable future.

Redken Diamond Oil Shampoo, Conditioner and Treatment (deluxe sample size)

I'm happy with the size of these as there's enough to try over a few washes.  This is a new product that's going to be released in May so we get to try it early which is pretty cool.

Maybelline Colour Sensational High Shine Lip Gloss in Gleaming Grenadine (full size, value $15.95)

Another hit.  This gloss was very pigmented, a lovely colour, not sticky at all and to top it off it had amazing staying power and a quality glass container.  I ate two meals while wearing it and it didn't budge at all.  This may be the best lip gloss I've ever tried!

Classic black and gold necklace (full size, value $2.99)

I'm guessing at the value of this necklace.  The necklace from the feminine box was worth $2.99 so I'm assuming the classic necklace has a similar value.  It's reasonably nice looking, but on the back side the pieces are hollow and look a little cheaply made and two of the gold pieces fell off when I took it out of the bag.  Hopefully I can get a replacement from them.

So am I happy with the first box?  Yes.  I make the total value to be $61.50 from the value of the full sized products alone.  It was especially good value at the first month's reduced price (even given the suprisingly low value/quality of the jewellery items) and it was good enough that I think they can sustain next month's higher price, especially if they take a little more care with the quality of their fashion items.  I liked that a brochure came with the box that showed what products were in the feminine and trendy boxes as well.  It was interesting to have a sticky beak at what else was sent out.  I was not pleased, however, that Her Fashion Box did not reply to an email I sent them about the quality of the jewellery.

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

Matilly Rose's
Kitsch Snitch
Shrinking Wallet
The Made Up Maiden

Lust Have It Price Increase

Lust Have It have increased their price to $19.95 per month.  Current members will stay at the $14.95 price point for the next 6 months before having to pay the new higher price.  They also have a coupon code "ANNUAL" to get an annual subscription for $160 which works out at $13.33 per box, though there's no details how long this code is valid for.  This is a pretty big discount from $220 if you're looking to stay with them for some time.  I tested it today and the code is working at the moment.

Native Box - March, 2013

 

Loved this month's Native Box which had some products I was pretty excited about trying in it, and again there were lots of products included which I love.  My dog couldn't leave this box alone, he kept sticking his head into it while I was trying to photograph.  I think the gingerbread smelled just too delicious for him to keep away.  The box was Easter themed including chocolates and lettuce seeds (for the bunnies to eat).  Here's what was inside:

Ecocern Mini Carry Bag (full size value $0 as this bag isn't listed on their website)

Well, this is just a throw away product (into the recycling bin of course).  I have no use for a plain paper bag at all.  I almost didn't bother photographing it but they listed it as an item on the product card (and marked it as vegan!) so here it is.  This exact bag isn't listed on Ecocern's website if I even wanted to purchase it.  Bit of wasted space really and my time wasted dealing with it.  Don't worry though, this was the only dud product in the whole box!

Bondi Chai Latte Stick in Vanilla Honey Chai Latte (full size, one serving, value $0.53)

I frothed my milk in my coffee machine, tipped in the contents of this stick and stirred.  Delicious!  The powder disolved completely without too much effort, it tasted great, and the hot milk made it lovely and creamy.  I really want to try their other flavour "Club Cinnamon" as well.

The Chia Co Chia Shots (full size, one serving, value $0.74)

Instructions say to "sprinkle onto breakfast cereal".  Will do.  They added a bit of crunch to my puffed corn and milk this morning.

Laviol Organic Shea Butter Cleanser (sachet)

One application of cleanser is not enough to successfully trial a product.  To see what effect something is going to have on my skin I really need enough to use for a week or so.  Native Box - slightly larger sample sizes on the skincare please!  The ingredients of this product looked really good and I've never seen a cleanser contain shea butter before, they're usually in body butters, so I was quite interested to try this product.  I'm also very pleased to receive a product for sensitive skin, which I have.

Rainforest Remedies Lemon Myrtle Soap (full size, value $3)

Lemon Myrtle is my favourite fragrance ever.  Yum.  This soap smells amazing, I almost want to eat it!  I can't stop smelling it.  Love this.  I want to try EVERYTHING this company makes.  More please!

Ashmore's Strawberries and Milk Chocolate (full size, one serving, value $2.20)

Mmmm.  The weather has finally turned cooler and chocolates arriving in monthly boxes through the post is viable again.  This was the yummy bonus product this month.

Gingerbread Folk Easter Bunny (full size, one serving, value $1.60)

Perfect ingredients, exactly the same as homemade, this cute little chocolate gingerbread bunny hit the spot.  The wrapper was even compostable.  Loved this too.

Greenpatch Lettuce Seeds "Loose Leaf" (full size, value $3.50)

I have a huge vegetable garden filled with heirloom fruits and vegetables so the inclusion of seeds was perfect for me.  Lettuce is a good choice too as it's easy to grow for beginner gardeners, is ready to plant now, and fits the Easter theme (bunny food).

Your Inspiration at Home Guacamole Dip Mix (one serving)

This had good ingredients and there was enough to make a pretty big bowl of dip, adding avocado and sour cream.  We made another one without the dip mix for the kids as it had chilli flakes in it.

That's it for this month.  I'm off to smell my Lemon Myrtle soap again!  As always with Native Box, if you sign up and put "Katherine Kelly" in the delivery instructions I'll get credit towards a free box. That would be lovely :-)

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

I can't find any other bloggers reviewing this box yet, so I'm claiming it as an exclusive (!) until proven otherwise.  Let me know if you've blogged it and I'll link to you.

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

Native Box - February, 2013

 

This is my first Native Box and due to their shipping schedule I've just received the February box in their second shipping, though I'll be getting their March box very soon.  I was super impressed with the sheer volume of products I received, easily the most from any sample box I've tried so far - 11 of them!  There were some duds and some winners with a good range of makeup, skincare, food and eco friendly products.  Here's what was in the box:

Native Box Recycled Eco Friendly Pen (full size)

Not much to say about this really.  It's a pen and it writes.  A nice little extra to round out the box, though they included so many products they really didn't need to (not that I'm complaining).

Essenza Pura Mystical Oil (deluxe sample size)

Wow.  This is a really high quality massage oil, it even has frankincense in it.  It smells lovely, distinctive without being overpowering.  I tried a tiny bit as a body oil and it was amazing.  A tiny bit goes a very very long way so the generous 20ml sample will last a really long time.  I have it on good authority from my husband that the scent is "man friendly" too.

La Mav Bio VA5 Daily Wrinkle Smoothing Creme (tiny amount, not enough for even one application)

The name of this product is bigger than the amount they sent.  It came in one of those tiny sample pots, but it wasn't even half full.  I didn't have enough for even one full application of this product.  So I have no idea if it's any good or not.  I literally only got a pea sized amount of creme.  I did like that it wasn't highly fragranced, so it doesn't clash with my perfume but I really need a bigger sample of this to form any opinion at all about it.

La Mav Wrinkle Smoothing Antioxidant Rich Nightly Repair Nectar (small sample size)

Another huge name, but at least this product had enough for two applications.  It smelled oddly like a flower, fitting their "nectar" name.  I quite liked this, but there wasn't enough for a good try of it.  I prefer to try a product for a week or so to get a better idea of how it works as you can't really see much change with only two applications.  This retails for $69.95 for 30ml so it's a pretty premium product.  I'd actually be really keen to try some more of their other products, as wrinkles aren't a skin concern of mine, but I did think this product had promise.  I wonder if they have anything suitable for reducing redness in sensitive skin?  I'd be all over that.

Bounce Foods Bounce Natural Energy Ball in Coconut and Macadamia (full size)

I was pleasantly suprised by this.  It actually tasted really good.  The macadamia gave it a bit of crunch and it was quite filling for its size.  I think I'd like to try some of their other flavours.

Natralus Aloe Vera (sachet)

I've tried this before.  It's especially great if you've managed to get sunburned as it's really soothing.  I have been good this summer and not damaged my skin so I used it on my legs after shaving.  Lovely and cool.

Ajitas Vege Chips (full size)

Yay!  I love Vege chips.  I actually hid this one from the kids when I was opening the box so I could have them all to myself.  This packet dissapeared very shortly after the photograph was taken.  Yummo.

Ecocern Pet Litter Scoop and Bag (one bag)

I only got the bag (no scoop) but I'm not going to follow it up because I really don't want it.  I do have a dog but we live on the edge of a small rural town and he gets walked out along the cow paddocks so there's no need to "clean up" after anything he might leave behind.  If I lived in a city this probably would have been more useful.

Byron Bay Ear Candles (full size)

My first ever dangerous product in a monthly box.  Ear candles are a dangerous scam product.  Mine went straight in the bin, after I posted on the Facebook page warning people not to use them.  There weren't any instructions for use in the box either, not that I was going to try them even with instructions.  Wikipedia describes ear candling as "both dangerous and ineffective" and lists quite a few other sources to back this up.

Adorn Eye Shadow in Base/Nude (deluxe sample size)

I've received a few of these Adorn eye shadow samples from various boxes now and I've been pretty impressed with them.  They've been long lasting and some of the colours have been very pretty.  A nude base colour isn't very exciting though, I would have preferred an actual colour.  However, like all the Adorn Eye Shadows it lasts all day even without a primer so if you want a "nude" shade this would be a good pick.

Cadbury Chocolate Heart (one serving)

This also dissapeared shortly after I took the picture.  I like a nice piece of chocolate every now and then.  A nice little Valentine's day extra that would have been more timely for me if I'd received the box in the first shipment (though this was due to the timing of my subscription rather than any delay by Native Box).

Madura Tea Chamomile (one serving)

Chamomile tea is nice, although I prefer peppermint.  I teamed this up with the bounce ball for afternoon tea.

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

I can't find any other reviews of this box.  Comment below if you've reviewed it and I'll link to you.