Violetbox August 2014 Review.

Violetbox is an Australian beauty sample subscription box that costs $22.95 AUD per month for 5-6 samples. Violetbox is a bit more expensive than other Australian monthly beauty sample services, but I do find that they tend to have more full sized products.

What was in the box:

APPELLES Rosemary Body Bar Soap (RRP $5.95 AUD) Full size
I have received this product before in one of my Bellaboxes, but I don't mind getting it again because I really liked it. It smells so nice.

CAMILLE BECKMAN Glycerine Hand Therapy (RRP $21.95 AUD for 8oz) Sample size
The only sample that we received this month, since all the other products are full sized ones. My hand cream came in the scent Tuscan Honey, which smells delicious. I think it is a pretty decent hand cream and I just adore the addition of a rose on the sample container. I like it but I don't think I would pay the full price for this product.

BE A BOMBSHELL Eyeshadow Quad (RRP $22 AUD) Full size product
This was the sneak peek for the month, but sadly my quad 'New York' which is black, silver, grey and white are just not colours I like to use for eye shadows. I think it would be great for someone who likes to do a smoky eye look. However I am not really much of an eye shadow person and if I do I normally go for neutral shades. I will be passing this on to someone else to use.

EVELYN Iona Lipgloss(RRP $20.50) Full sized product
I love lip products of I happy to get a new lipgloss. Mine came in the colour Val which is dusty pink shade. The colour looks quite natural on my lips and it doesn't feel sticky. This lipgloss actually feels quite nice to wear and is preservative and gluten free.

Swatch of Val lipgloss in natural light

FOLTENE Eyelash Treatment (RRP $20.95 AUD) Full sized product
I think this eyelash treatment is the most interesting product in our box this month. Unlike my partner and my daughter who both have lovely long eyelashes, my eye lashes are thin and short. I will be trying this out and seeing if it makes my eyelashes more fuller and longer like it claims that it does.

Verdict:
I am really impressed with the August Violetbox, apart from the eye shadow not been shades that I like to use I love everything in this box. This box is great value to with 4 out of 5 of the products been full sized products with the combined retail price of $69.40.

Honestly I had every intention of cancelling my subscription to Violetbox after this month because I felt a bit over all the subscription boxes I have been receiving but this box has convinced me to stay on. I do feel that out of the monthly Australian beauty sample subscription boxes Violetbox overall does the best.

Card from Violetbox

Disclaimer: I paid for the box with my own money, my opinions are my own.

Bellabox August 2014 review

Bellabox is an Australian beauty sample subscription box that costs $15 AUD a month. I have been with them for almost a year and I really enjoy getting my monthly surprise from them. The theme for this month's box is 'Sport your style' but to be honest I am just not feeling the connection between the theme and the items.

Unlike some other Australian subscription boxes Bellabox seem to have a huge variation between what some subscribers receive, and I am pretty sure that this month I have the 'awesome' box.

What was in my August box:

SALLY HANSEN Complete Salon Manicure Nail polish (RRP $14.95 AUD) Full size product
This nail polish is suppose to be a base coat, straightener, growth treatment and nail polish all in the one product. Mine came in the shade 'Ivory Coat 131' which to be honest I am not totally thrilled with, but I guess I can use it on my toe nail or as french polish tips so it will not go to waste.

AVEENO Daily Moisturising Lotion (RRP $12.99 for 354ml) Sample size 29ml
I have tried this sample before and I thought it was okay but nothing special as far as moisturising lotions go.

SAVOIR FAIRE Eyeshadow (RRP $24 AUD) Full size product
I was pretty impressed to receive a $24 eyeshadow this month. My product is a purple eyeshadow called 'Acid 011' which I like the look of. The packaging is a little bit fancy with it's pop up function and an imprint of the brand's logo on the eyeshadow. I am looking forward to giving this a go.

BURT'S BEE Radiance Day Cream (RRP $39.95 AUD for 55g) Sample size 7g
I like Burt's Bee product so I am happy to get a sample of this new day cream, it smells lovely.

OGX Nourishing Coconut Milk Shampoo & Conditioner ($17.99 AUD for 385ml each) Sample Sample size 60 ml each
These shampoo and conditioner samples smell great, I just love the scent of coconut. I have heard good things about this brand so I am looking forward to seeing what this will do for my hair.

PALMER"S Cocoa Body Butter (RRP $9.99 AUD for 400ml) Sample size 
I haven't used this body butter in ages. This was something I used all the time in my high school / early uni days, so it is a bit of an old favourite of mine. Love the chocolately smell.

Verdict:
I am pretty happy with my box from Bellabox this month. I received two full sized products the nail polish and eyeshadow, which combined together come to a retail price of $38.95. Considering I paid $15 for this box including shipping I am pretty happy. In saying that I do think I have the better version of the boxes this month, there are some subscribers who feel a bit duded this month but I guess that is just how subscription boxes are sometimes.

Disclaimer: I brought this box with my own money, my opinions are my own.

Priceline half price Maybelline haul

 
Priceline have Maybelline products at half price (sale ends tomorrow 25/8/14) so I just got not resist buying some products.

I brought two Baby Lip balms at $1.97 AUD each. I have used these before and I thought they were good.

I also got a Great Lash waterproof mascara for $6.47 AUD. This use to be my to go to mascara when I was in highschool/ early uni days, and I haven't used it in years. I wonder what I will think about this one now that I have used a lot of different mascaras.

This Matte Maker Mattifying Powder in Sun Beige costed $5.97 AUD. I actually have two brand new Rimmel powders so I probably shouldn't have brought this but it was cheap and my will power was weak.

The new Superstay Better Skin Foundation was the one item that I really wanted to get in this sale, since was only $10.97 AUD rather than $21.95. I brought mine in the shade Golden. I actually had to go to a second Priceline store since the first one didn't have the particular shade I needed. This foundation is suppose to help improve the condition of your skin over time (eg. even discolouration), so I am interested in seeing what affect it might have on my skin.

I love lip products so of course I just had to buy a Color Elixir in 015 Mandarin Rapture which was $8.97 AUD. I like how this packaging makes it look like a lipstick but it is actually a lip
lacquer. I tend to buy dark pink and red lip colours so I made the effort to change it up a bit and get this in an orange colour. I'll tried this and I was really impressed with how long it lasted and how moist it made my lips feel.

Violetbox July 2014 review

Violetbox is an Australian beauty sample subscription box which is priced at $22.95 AUD a month. It is a bit more expensive than some of the other beauty subscription boxes but I have found their standard of boxes to be generally better overall, and every one gets the same items most of the time.

There was a delay with some of the July Violetboxes, so I didn't receive my box until last week. This probably would not have bothered me that much if they had let me know in an email, instead I only found out by reading Violetbox's response to posts on facebook from other people wondering where their box was. I just think it is poor form on the company's behalf, but I guess it has been the only negative experience I have had with them so I will let it pass.

What was in my box:

LAQA & CO Sheer Lip Lube Pencil (RRP $20 AUD) Full size product.
This lip gloss crayon was in the sneak peak and was something I was quite excited about. Mine came in the shade Bees Knees which is a peach colour. Sadly this shade is not very flattering on me, I have olive skin and this lip colour just washes me out. Oh well it is just one of the down falls of getting subscription boxes that you just have to accept, that products you receive will not always suit you or be to your liking.

SO SUSAN Fluttter Mascara (RRP $32 AUD) Full size product.
A black mascara never goes astray for me so this will come in handy. I have a few opened mascaras at the moment so at first I didn't want to open this one, but on facebook a few people said that their mascaras 'exploded' and they were getting replacements. I wanted to make sure that my one wasn't faulty so I opened it, and it hasn't 'exploded'.

DR. HAUSCHAKA Lavender Sandalwood Calming body wash (RRP $26 AUD for 200ml) sample size 10ml.
I love lavender so I really love the scent of this body wash. It was a very small sample, but from what I could tell it wasn't anything special and I personally would not pay the retail price for this.

BIODERMA Sebium Pore Refiner (RRP $30.95 AUD for 30ml) Sample size 15ml
I have actually received two samples of this product from other boxes before and I haven't got around to using them yet. I have heard good things about this pore refiner so hopefully I will give it a try soon.

KMS CALIFORNIA Hair Play Moulding Paste (RRP $40 AUD for 150ml) Sample size 20ml
I don't use moulding products on my hair so I think I will pass this onto my partner. It does smell very nice though.

SUKIN Protein Hair Treatment (RRP $2.95 AUD for 2 x 8ml) Full size
I am a huge fan of Sukin products because they are organic and are still very affordable. I haven't tried this product from them but I am looking forward to it since I tend not to buy hair treatments.

KATY PERRY Killer Queen Perfume Sample
It smelt okay but I don't think I will be purchasing this fragrance, there are other perfumes I prefer.

Verdict:
I am a bit indifferent to the July Violetbox, it was okay but nothing really excited me. It probably had a lot to do with the lateness of the box, and lip product's colour not suiting me since that was the product I was looking forward to. I will be using everything except for the moulding paste so I guess it is still a useful box of samples/products.

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

Lip Factory June 2014 review

Lip Factory is a USA based beauty subscription box that costs $22 USD and for international shipping it is an extra $4 USD to $10 USD depending on which country you live.

It is an expensive box when I factor in the international shipping but since they are mainly full sized products or products that are either more expenisve in Australia or harder to find here, I think Lip Factory is good value.

I've had two boxes from Lip Factory earlier in the year and I have always been impressed with them, so when I knew that June was their birthday month I signed up again. Normally subscription boxes do something special for their birthday boxes so I tend to subscribe to them. For June Lip Factory subscribers received 8 full sized products, yay.

What was in my box:

JCAT Wonder Lip Paint (RRP $4.99 USD)
This was a bonus product in the July box since not information about this lip paint is included in the box's product card. Mine came in the purple shade 'Always Late Rabbit'. These wonder paints look similar to OCC Lip Tars. I really love this shade but sadly I don't think it is practical to wear. I do sometimes wear purple lip colours but never ones that are this bright, a part from dress up parties I don't really see myself having much of an opportunity to wear this. I might buy a OCC lip tar that I can mix with this lip paint so that I can create a more wearable colour.

ECO-LIPS Eco-Tints Lip Balm (RRP $4.50 USD)
My lip balm came in the tint sugar plum which is a purple shade. I've used this a bit and I like it, this keeps my lip moisturised. 

BEAUTY ADDICTS Sweet Lips Gloss (RRP $17 USD) x2
Subscribers received two of these lip glosses in the colours lilac and ginger. They are a bit of shimmer in them and are slightly sticky.

PARI BEAUTY Eye Shadow (RRP $11 USD)
I received this in a green shade. To be completely honest I don't really wear eye shadow, or if I do it tend to be a neutral shade. I might try and be adventurous and give this eyeshadow a go.

PALLADIO Shadow and Liner Crayon (RRP $6 USD)
My eyeshadow/eye liner was in the shade raspberry which I would describe as a dark dusty pink. I've given this a try and it is okay but not really to my taste since I prefer neutral eye shadow colours.

OFRA Lip Liner (RRP $13 USD)
When I was removing this lip liner after swatching it I found it a bit difficult to remove (I needed to really scrub it off) which is making me think that this lip liner will be very long lasting. I tend not to use lip liners unless I'm going out somewhere special but I'll probably use this in the future.

PALLADIO Brow Fix (RRP $6 USD)
This is a clear wax pencil that tames your brows. I don't really use brow products, but I have been trying this out for the last two days and it is okay. My brows aren't too bad normally so I don't see a huge difference in their appearance. I'll probably just use this since I have it.

Swatches of products in natural light

 Left to Right: Jcat Wonder Lip Paint in Always Late Rabbit, Eco-Lips Eco-Tint lip balm in Sugar Plum, Beauty Addicts lip gloss in Lilac and Beauty Addicts lip gloss in Ginger.

 Left to Right: Pari Beauty eyeshadow in Eco-friendly, Palladio shadow and liner in Raspberry, OFRA lip liner in Cherish.

Strange Beautiful nail polish Bandaid/Knoll review

I received this full sized Strange Beautiful nail polish in the June edition of my Violetbox subscription box. This nail polish set contains two 4 ml nail polishes in the colours bandaid (a nude, dusty pink) and knoll (a tomato red). This twin set nail polish retails for $20 and in Australia you can purchase this on the Violetbox website.

I thought the packaging was cute and had an interesting design with the white lid covering both of the lids of the mini nail polishes. However I found the brand name on the product smudged when I rubbed my fingers against it, which I was not impressed by.

The first nail polish colour I tried was Bandaid. Frankly I do not find this colour to be that appealing to me (I preferred the knoll colour0.  I applied two coats of nail polish and then a top coat. I was very disappointed with the band aid nail polish because on the first day I wore it there was major chipping. The first one was a huge chip on my middle finger and I had not even done the dishes or any other activity that might have ruined my nail polish. When I noticed it I told my partner and he asked me if I just applied it the night before to which I said yes, he replied with ' well that's not very good nail polish.' I tend to agree with him as the day went on more nail polish chipped off. This is a photograph of what my nails looked like after the first night.

When I applied the knoll polish I only applied two coats. I really liked this colour, because I am a big fan of red nail polish. I found the knoll nail polish to be last much better that bandaid, since it did not chip at all until day 3 which was a big improvement.

Verdict:
I liked the colour of knoll and thought it performed well. However in my opinion the bandaid colour was dreadful due to chipping a lot on the first day. Considering the retail price I was very disappointed with the bandaid part of this product, since I have used really cheap nail polish ($2-$4) that manage not to chip in the first 24 hours. Whilst I liked the bottle design, I was not happy with how much the lettering smudged.

Honestly I wouldn't recommend to people to buy this product. For $20 you could probably buy a  bigger bottle (or two) of nail polish that doesn't chip in the first day.