June Empties

I now this post is a bit late since tomorrow will be August, but better late than never I suppose.
So let's have a look at what products I used in June and my thoughts about them.

NATURES ORGANICS Wild Lavender Shower Milk - 400ml
I love the scent of lavender  so I was pretty happy with this shower milk. I am a big  fan of Natures Organics products because they are organic, Australia and are very affordable too.
Would I repurchase? Probably, I liked it.

NUDE BY NATURE Nature's Super Anti-Oxidant Foaming Cleanser - 60ml
I really did not like the lid on this bottle because it made things difficult to get the product out. The cleanser worked fine, but it was nothing special.
Would I repurchase? Maybe if it was on sale.

REXONA Passion All Day Dryness Deodorant
I don't really like the scent that this deodorant had when it was working.
Would I repurchase? No

BURT'S BEES Milk and Honey Body Lotion - 25g
I liked this but I thought it smelt a bit weird. I think some people might find the smell to be off putting, I've seen some one describe it as 'off milk'. Best to smell it before you buy it.
Would I repurchase? No, I think I prefer other body lotions over this one.

SHE Wash Away Milk Cleanser - 30 ml sample
I had never used a milk cleanser before but I loved this cleanser. It smelt amazing and I enjoyed the way that it made my skin afterwards.
Would I repurchase? Yes, I would probably get it if I saw it on special. Personally don't like to spend too much on my cleanser products.

CLEAR Total Nourishing Care Conditioner - 50ml sample
I thought that this was okay and it smelt nice.
Would I repurchase? No I prefer other conditioners over this one.

VASELINE Anti-ageing Body Lotion- 25ml sample
This smells really nice, however I don't think I my body needs an anti-ageing lotion (I'm only 26).
Would I repurchase? No, I don't think I need a product like this yet.

 ROMY Eucalyptus Lemongrass Shampoo and Conditioner samples
I took these from a hotel room I stayed at, and they smell lovely.
Would I repurchase? No, I think they are too expensive for what they are.

BURT'S BEES Hand Salve 8.5g
I didn't like the packaging because it was difficult to open, and I thought it left my hands feeling greasy afterwards leaving me to put marks on things.
Would I repurchase? No

SCHWARZKOPF Omega Repair BB Beauty Balm- sample
This is a beauty balm for your hair, I guess it is the bb cream version for hair. I didn't like using this I felt like it weighed down my hair (I might have used too much at once though).
Would I repurchase? No

RIMMEL LONDON BB cream Matte Medium- 1.5 ml sample
When I first put this on I thought it made me look a bit orange, it looked better afterwards. I think I might need to wear it more than once to decide if I like it or not.
Would I repurchase? I think I would like to give it a decent try so I would for that purpose, since I normally really enjoy Rimmel products.

L'OREAL Everpure Shampoo and Conditioner- sample
These smelt nice but the thing I remember the most about using this is that the shampoo foamed a lot. I don't think I've ever used anything that foamed as much.
Would I repurchase? No.

SIMPLE Cleansing Facial Wipes - Sample 7 wipes
I thought these were okay. I would be happy to use them again
Would I repurchase? I would but I prefer wot not facial wipes.

Lust Have It July 2014 Beauty Box Review

Lust Have It is a Australian beauty sample subscription box service. For the last year I have been subscribing on and off to their Women’s beauty box. For the price of $19.95 a month including delivery subscribers receive 5-7 deluxe samples.  

WHAT WAS IN MY BOX:

CATWALK BY TIGI Session Series Styling Cream (RRP $29 AUD for 150ml) Full size product

To be honest I don’t really use styling products in my hair, since I am a stay at home parent I don’t often feel the need to. I’m not that excited to see this product but since I have it now I’m sure I will make use of it. I do think it smells wonderful, so that is a plus.

MARSK Mineral Eye Shadow (RRP $24.95 AUD for 1.2g) Full size product

The was the item that Lust Have It allowed their subscribers to choose the colour of, and I chose the golden shade ‘Rich List’. I really like the change that Lust Have It has made to allow people to choose which item they would prefer. I have to admit I am not a big wearer of eye shadow, so I am not sure if I will wear this or pass it on to someone else. I just chose ‘Rich List’ because I thought that if I did happen to use this eye shadow I would be more likely to use the golden shade than the black one. 

AVEDA Intensive Hydrating Masque (RRP $79.95 AUD for 150ml) Sample size

I’ve had this sample before and I think I liked it. I do remember liking that it was a clear mask treatment so that my partner and daughter didn’t tease me for wearing it around the house. I wished the sample was a bit larger so you could give it a decent try.

ARDELL Self-adhesive fake eyelashes (RRP $9.99 for one pair) Full size product

I am not that into fake eyelashes, and whenever I try them after getting them in a subscription box I can never get them on properly. Maybe I will have better luck with these ones because there is no need to add glue to them since they are self-adhesive. I will have to check at a tutorial on you tube, so fingers crossed that I might be successful this time.

DESIGNER BRANDS Nail Polish (RRP $6.99 AUD for 12ml) Full size product

My nail polish is a silver glitter one which I quite like, except I just brought a silver glitter nail polish a month ago ha ha. Oh well I guess I will probably pass this on since it takes me a very long time to get through a bottle of nail polish.

VERDICT

For me this month was a bit disappointing mainly due to my taste in products, which is a shame since the July box had 4 full size products and normally I would probably be very excited with that prospect. The full sized products only were worth $70.93 so for the $19.95 it is great value. However I’m just not that into eye shadows, hair styling products, or fake eyelashes and I already had a nail polish that exact colour.  I am sure other people would be thrilled with this month’s selection but it was a miss for me. I do like the makeup bag this month; it was a hot pink mesh bag which I think I will be using a lot (much better than last month’s make up bag). 

Next month is Lust Have It’s birthday box so hopefully it will be a great box. I think after the August box I will probably unsubscribe from Lust Have It for a little while, since I have not been impressed with the boxes for June or July.

Disclaimer: This box was purchased with my own money, my opinions are my own.

P.S Sorry I am not sure why some of my photos are rotated the wrong way. 

Native Box - Beauty Winter 2014 review

Native Box is an Australian subscription box which offers a variety of boxes that show case Australian and eco friendly products. The theme boxes they offer are; classic, vegan, super sized, beauty, men's and mum and bub.

I have ordered their beauty box because I prefer to use environmentally friendly and Australian products when I can. The Native Box beauty box is a quarterly subscription box that costs $24.95. It is possible to just order a gift box to yourself so that you don't have to actually subscribe to their service.

WHAT WAS IS MY WINTER BEAUTY BOX

SERAPHINA Happy Go Lovely- Body Custard (RRP $50 AUD for 250ml) Full sized product.

This was the first thing that caught my eye when I opened my box, mainly because it was that a large size. When I went on line and discovered that this was worth $50 I was thrilled, my investment in this month's box has already paid off.

Seraphina is an Australian certified organic and cruelty free brand. This smells amazing like roses with a bit of candy, and is a very rich cream. The only problem with this body cream is that it is a bit hard to squeeze the cream out, which is not much of an issue now since it is full but when there is not much left it could get a bit difficult.

ESSENTIALLY NATURAL Therapeutic Rose Bath Salts (RRP $10 AUD for 100g) Full sized product.

Another full sized product yay, and it smells lovely. To be honest I don't really have the opportunity to take a bath these days so I am doubtful that I will be using this product. I might just put it away to add to a present for someone else.

MY ECO SPONGE Bamboo Charcoal Sponge (RRP $9.95 AUD) Full sized product

This Eco sponge is the most interesting item in the box for me, I have been wanting to try out one of these sponges for a little while. The bamboo and charcoal sponge is suppose to be great for acne prone skin which is what I have. The directions stay that I am simply suppose to wet it with water, wipe my skin with it and then let it dry out until my next use. I will probably do a review of this after I have tried it out.

REFRESH Lemon Myrtle Exfoliating Soap  (RRP $3.85 AUD for 100g) Sample size 40g
This smells really nice and I do like exfoliating soaps so I will probably use this.

RAINFOREST REMEDIES Lemon Myrtle Lip balm (RRP $6.50 AUD for 5g) Full size product

I love lip balms and can never have enough of them so I happy to get this. I have used this today and I thought that it kept my lips nice and moisturised. There only has a slight scent of lemon to it.

LA MUV Organic Skin Science Antioxidant Rich Nightly Repair Nectar (RRP $49.95 AUD for 30ml) Sample size x 2

This nectar is designed to prevent the sign of anti ageing and to even out skin tone. They are very small samples but hopeful with these there will enough to give this a decent try. I have never heard of La Muv before so I am interesting in seeing what this serum is like. It is one of the reasons why I love subscription boxes, so I can be introduced to new brands and products.

CARE YOU LOVE Face Moisturiser (RRP $21.95 AUD for 80g) Sample size

I like trying out different face moisturiser creams but for the price of $21.95 even if I liked this sample I would probably just stick to one of the cheaper organic moisturisers (like Sukin).



SANCTUM Hydrating Gel Mask (RRP $22.95 AUD for 75g) Sample size 2 x 5g

I enjoy getting mask samples because I try to give myself a facial treatment at least once a week. This is suppose to be hydrating, deep cleansing and toning.

BYRON BAY TEA Skin and detox tea samples

I do like tea so I welcome the addition of these tea samples here. One of them is a tea that is suppose to help your skin so I guess they do fit in the beauty box.

OVERALL

I am very pleased with my first purchase with Native Box. I think I got great value for money and the full sized alone added up to $76.50. Well worth the $24.95 in my opinion. I like that the boxes are only quarterly as well. This is the first beauty box and normally the first boxes tend to be really good, however I am hoping that this standard will continue in next season's box.

Disclaimer: I purchased this box with my own money. My opinions are my own.  

Bellabox July 2014 Review

Bellabox is an Australian beauty sample subscription service, that for the price of $15 a month will send subscribers at least 5 samples. 

First off I got my box in a very timely manner this month, unlike the June box so that made me really happy. The theme for the July box was American beauty, but when I opened my box I could see a product from Japan and another one from Australia which does not really fit in with the theme. 

What was in my July Bellabox:

 

 

ANASTASIA Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat (RRP $39 AUD for 5.3g) Sample size 3.2g

This is a decent sized sample of a product which I am not sure if I would have gone out and brought for myself. I try to purchase waterproof mascaras because I really dislike having smudged mascara. However I do have a couple of non-waterproof mascaras mainly from other beauty subscription boxes, so I think this will encourage me to use those mascaras up. I think the concept behind this product is a good one, so hopefully it will work well. 

URBAN RITUELLE Body Soap (RRP $4.95 AUD for 100g) Full size product

I mainly use shower gels but I do use body soaps occasionally. This soap is made in Australia which I think is great. This particular soap does not have of a scent to it. 

ORLY Nail Lacquer (RRP $18.95 AUD for 18ml) Sample size 5.3ml

My nail polish came in the colour ‘Beach Cruiser’ which is a bright neon pink, which I quite like the look of.  I am starting to get back into wearing nail polishes so I am happy that I got a nail polish. 

YU-BE Moisturizing Skin Cream (RRP $34.95 AUD for 70ml) Sample size 3ml

This is a multi-use cream from Japan which is perhaps a bit strange to get in an American themed box. The information that came with this sample and Bellabox’s description of it makes the Yu-Be cream sounds very promising, since it is a cult favourite in Japan. 

DESIGNER BRANDS Lip Butter (RRP $4.99 AUD for 10ml) Full sized product

I love lip products so I am definitely going to try this product out and use it. I am a bit obsessed with lip balms and a have a few on the go at any one time. This one is in the coconut flavour, and I think it smells quite nice.  

MARY KAY Botanical Effects Mask (RRP $37 AUD for 113g) Sample size 3g

I try to give myself a facial mask treatment two times a week, so I like getting these types of samples. I do think this is a small sample for what it is, but hopefully there will be enough for me to fully cover my face with it. 

I also received a discount code to get 10% off online orders with Designer Brands. I might have a look on their site and see if anything takes my fancy.

Overall I am pleased with the July Bellabox, and for $15 I feel like I got my money’s worth. I think I will use everything in the box and it has exposed me to a couple of products that I had never been exposed to before like the Yu-Be cream and the waterproof topcoat for mascaras. 

Disclaimer: I brought this box with my own money and therefore my opinions are my own