Violetbox December 2014 Unboxing

Violetbox is an Australian beauty sample subscription which for $22.95 per month provides 5-6 samples. In my humble opinion I think Violetbox is one of the better beauty subscription boxes in Australia, and I also like that they tend to have a fair bit of full size products included in their boxes.

What was in my December Violetbox:
COASTAL SCENTS Go Palette (RRP $16.95 AUD) Full size
This was an exciting addition to this month's box, a full size palette of 12 eye shadows. I received the Cairo palette which had neutral shades, which just happen to be  my preferences for eye shadows so I am pretty happy with that. I am not a big eye shadow person (I am more about the lips) but I think I will have a bit of a play around with this palette. 

NAOBAY Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer (RRP $69 AUD for 50ml) Sample size 30 ml
A moisturiser is always useful so I don't mind getting this. I haven't heard of this brand before, and the product is a bit on the expensive side so I look forward to seeing what this is like. 

DESIGNER BRANDS Lashes (RRP $8.99 AUD) Full size
I don't like using fake lashes, in a large part because I do not know how to put them on properly but also because they look too fake for my personal taste. I will probably pass this on to a friend or otherwise let my daughter decorate her dolls with them (that is what we did to the last fake eye lashes I received).

MELLOW COSEMETICS Gel Liner (RRP $10 AUD) Full size
I am really interested in trying this gel liner out, I've only tried this type of eye liner out once and my application was terrible. Hopefully this full sized product which also includes a brush, will let allow me to have some practise because I do love the look of gel eyeliners.

LONVITALITE 24K Active Gold Yulan Oil Face Mask (RRP $9.95 AUD) Full size
This is a sheet face mask that has particles of gold it in which sounds very fancy. I have used this before, and from what I recall I was not that impressed. I think it smelt odd, and made my face tingle a lot which was a bit concerning at the time. Violetbox have written that on the information sheet that it does give you a slight tingle, and to avoid this if you have 'extreme sensitive skin.' I think I am going to pass this on to my mother, she would probably be excited about trying something with gold in it.

VERDICT:
 I am really loving this month's box, like most months Violetbox has impressed me compared to other Australian subscription boxes (my Bellabox for December was very disappointing). It has 4 out of 5 product being full sized items which makes for great value, and I will be using most of these items.
I also like that with the inclusion of the Coastal Scent palette that this box feels a little bit special, which in my option the subscription boxes should be doing for their December/Christmas boxes.

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

Bellabox December 2014 Unboxing

Bellabox is an Australian beauty sample subscription box, which for $15 AUD per month provides at least 5 samples and occasionally a full size product. I personally find that Bellabox is a bit hit and miss at times, especially with the vast variation of boxes among subscribers.

WHAT WAS IN MY DECEMBER BELLABOX:
NEUTROGENA Oil-Free Acne Wash (RRP $13.99 AUD for 175ml) sample size 14ml
I have used a sample of this before and I found that it was too harsh for my skin. I did use it daily for a little bit and it ended up burning my skin, I then just started to use it twice a week. I can't remember if it helped treat my acne or not, but I am willing to try it again.

ENBACCI Vitis Vinifera Rejuvenating Essential Creme (RRP $103 AUD for 100ml) sample size 10ml
This is an expensive moisturiser ($103 for 100ml) that uses grape stem cells, so I am interested in trying this out. I would not normally buy a moisturiser that is that expensive so even if I like it I would most likely not buy the full size product.

KERASTASE Paris Nutritive Nactar Thermique (RRP $45 AUD for 150ml) sample size 10ml
This is a leave in treatment that also works as a heat style protector, I'm not that excited about this sample but I will try this eventually.

ELIZABETH MOTT It's So Big Mascara (RRP $25 AUD for 10ml) sample size 4ml
Appartently this mascara is a top seller on Amazon and I have heard good things about this mascara. I have a couple of mascaras open at the moment, so I will try this out later on. I actually really like getting sample mascaras because I never finish a full size mascara before I need to toss it out.

AVEDA Tourmaline Charge Radiance Masque (RRP $79.95 for 125ml) sample size 7ml
I have tried this sample a couple of times before and I think it is okay. The thing that I like the most is that this mask treatment is clear, so that I don't look silly around the house while I am using it.

ENBACCI Hand and Nail Cream (RRP $23 AUD for 40ml) sample size 10ml
I have tried this hand cream and it was okay but nothing special. I probably would not buy the full size due to the price.  

SKIN DOCTORS COSMECEUTICALS Gamma Hydroxy Skin Resurfacing Cream (RRP $49.95 AUD for 50ml) sample size 3ml
This sachet was a bonus product and it does sound interesting. The package say that this resurfacing cream helps reduce the appearance of acne scars, wrinkles and signs of ageing. I have acne scars so I wonder if this cream would help reduce those. However it does state that it would take 2 to 6 weeks to see results, which I doubt that this 3ml sample will last for that long to see any difference.

VERDICT:
I will probably use everything in my December Bellabox, however I find this month to be a bit disappointing since nothing about it really excites me. I also think for a December/Christmas box Bellabox could have been a bit more special. There have been other subscribers who did receive some more exciting products like nail gel kits or full size Kora (Miranda Kerr's brand) organic products. 

November favourites

My favourite 3 products for November are all items that I have obtained from Memebox, a Korean beauty box company. I really love trying out all these Korean beauty products, but the downside is that if I fall in love with a product I might have a difficult time repurchasing it.

1. HOLIKA HOLIKA Soda Pore Cleansing BB Oil
I had been wanting to try a cleansing oil for ages, so I was super excited to receive this in my Holika Holika Memebox. I have been using this and it does a good job at removing make up apart from waterproof mascara, my face feels nice and clean afterwards.

2. SKINFOOD Black Sugar Wash Off Mask
This is suppose to one of Skinfood's most popular products and I can see why. It smells like sugar (well it is made from sugar) and I think it is a lovely gentle scrub that is also a mask treatment.

Skinfood's Black Sugar Wash Off Mask

3. SKINFOOD Tomato Whitening Toner
I was a bit wary to try this out because of the 'whitening' part of the name. However people have told me that it does not really whiten your skin but rather brightens it instead. I am normally indifferent to toners because I tend to not see/feel a difference in my skin when I use them. This one might be the toner that makes me like toners, I could feel a difference using this with some light tingling. I haven't been using this everyday since I still have 2 thirds of a toner that I should finish up first, but I am pretty excited about adding it my beauty routine soon.

Violetbox November 2014

Violetbox is an Australian beauty subscription box that costs $22.95 AUD per month.
The November Violetbox was late and arrived at the start of December, but unlike some subscription companies they let subscribers know that there was an issue with one of the products arriving.

WHAT WAS IN MY BOX

BLOOM Boost Lip Balm Stick (RRP $6.95 AUD) Full size
I love my lip products so I always welcome getting new lip balms. Mine came in the flavour 'berry bang' which smells nice. I've had a quick trail and it seems okay.

CLARISEA Rapid Detox Charcoal Exfoliant (RRP $18 AUD) Sample size
I've heard charcoal is suppose to be really good for getting rid of impurities in the skin so I am excited about trying out this exfoliant. The description states that this is helps attack acne causing bacteria, as a result I might wait until I have a break out before I use this.

TINI BEAUTY Eyetini Eye Cordial Eyeshadow + Base (RRP $23 AUD) Full size
I have tried this and I am impressed. I had it on my arm and then had a shower and there was great staying power, it only really started coming off when I started to scrub it. I also wore one night and it looked fine after a hot sweaty night out. I'm not that into eye shadows to be honest but since mine came in 'spiced rum' a brown colour, and I like nude/neutral colours so this is right up my alley. It has also stayed on all day long with no fall out.

TINI BEAUTY Swizzle Stick Eyeliner (RRP $23 AUD) Full size
A black eyeliner is always a staple so I will be using this in the future. I think my eyeliner is broken since I have trouble winding it up, which make applying it a little bit difficult.

COLOUR BY TBN 3D Magnetic Nail Polish (RRP $7.99 AUD) Full size
This was a bit exciting receiving a magnetic nail polish. I do have one but I haven't tried it because the nail polish was brown so I didn't find it very appealing. This however is a nice blue colour which I am sure I play around with soon. It is also really handy having the magnetic wand since you can use it with other magnetic nail polishes. 

Z'KIN ORGANICS Sample pack
I try and use a lot of organic beauty products, so I do like getting samples to try out. In the pack were samples of line smoothing serum, purifying cleansing gel and re balancing lotion.

VERDICT:
I am pretty impressed with Violetbox's November box, and I am planning to use everything in this. box. There are 4 full sized products with one the eyeliner being worth more than what I paid for the whole box.

Swatch: Tini Beauty eye cordial eye shadow + base and swizzle stick eyeliner

October Empties

DR HAUSCHKA Rose Nurturing Body Wash
Smelt lovely but it is a very expensive body wash.
Repurchase? Due to the price no, unless it was on sale at a very discounted price.

ARBONNE FC5 Nourishing Daily Shampoo and Conditioner
I love these hair products and plan on buying them again soon. I have eczema that spreads onto my scalp so I have issues with shampoo and conditioners burning my scalp, having a itchy an flaky scalp.  These literally fixed my scalp issues and I will be writing a full review soon.
Repurchase? YES, this is the best shampoo and conditioner that I have ever used on my scalp. I will be buying this again in the future.

SERAPHINA Happy Go Lovely Body Custard
I loved the smell and it was a nice rich cream.
Repurchase? I like it but no, at $50 it is way too expensive for a body cream

PAULA'S CHOICE Skin Perfecting 8% AHA Gel Glycolic Acid Exfoliant (sample)
Before I used this I had a break out of pimples and after a couple of days my skin cleared up. I think this works well since I hardly had any pimples during the time I was using this once a day. However the AHA in this exfoliant makes you more sensitive to the sun and I did manage to get sun burnt once where I missed putting sunscreen on. I will be writing a full review of this product soon.
Repurchase? Maybe, but I would only use it during winter.

GAIA Rose Otto & Lavender Refreshing Toner
To be honest I am a bit indifferent to toners, I mainly just use them because I know that I am suppose to. This one seem okay, it is nice and refreshing. 
Repurchase? Maybe.

SECRET KEY Petit No. 4 Hand Cream
This was okay but I was a bit disappointed because I was expecting it to be a heavily scented hand cream (since I received this in a scent themed beauty box).
Repurchase? No.

PELACTIV Gentle Foaming Cleanser (sample)
I thought this was okay but nothing special.
Repurchase? No.

GAIA Pink Grapefruit and Jasmine Foaming Cleanser
I have used several of these bottles and am quite happy with this cleanser, it feels very refreshing.
Repurchase? Yes.

OLAY Regenerist Hydrating Moisturiser SPF 15 (sample)
It felt very rich which was expected since it is an anti ageing cream. I liked that this came in small sample pot, it meant that I had jar of SPF 15 sunscreen that was easy to carry around in my hand bag
Repurchase? I don't really need anti ageing creams yet, but it the future I might buy this. 

SO SUSAN Flutter Mascara
I did not like this mascara it took a long time to dry. I only used this a couple of times before throwing it out, since there are just so many decent mascara out there that I don't want to waste my time with this one.
Repurchase? No.

BEAUTY CARE Makeup remover pads
These were very cheap and came from Kmart. I am using a brand from Big W at the moment and in comparison I prefer the Kmart one.
Repurchase? Yes, and I have already a couple of back ups. 

Sally's Box Friendly Cherry Blossom Hand Mask review

I received this Sally's Box hand mask in a Meme Box (a Korean Beauty Box Service). I have never tried a hand mask product before and I was interested in seeing if it would make my hands nice and soft. After many years of hand washing dishes and having a child (lots of hand washing involved) my hands are not in the best of shape, and lately I have needed to use a fair bit of hand cream.

Sally's Box is a Korean skin care brand, and luckily for me they had both Korean and English  instructions and ingredients on the back. The process of using this hand mask involved; washing and drying your hands, taking the mask out of the packaging and cutting along the dotted lines. After placing your hands in the mask you are suppose to rub your hands together to help absorb the treatment, after 10 to 15 minutes you can remove mask and lightly pat until all the treatment is absorbed.

 My hand inside the hand mask glove

I had been putting off using this hand mask because I wasn't sure I could go 10 to 15 minutes without using my hands ha ha. It did feel a bit strange having my hands in those big gloves, but I was somewhat able to continue with normal activities. While wearing the hand mask I was able to eat cheesecake and used my laptop, however typing with those gloves is not an easy task. 

After I used this product and had rubbed the rest of the treatment into my hands, my hands felt nice and soft. However in saying that I don't think it was any different than using a regular hand cream. The day after my hands feel pretty much the same, perhaps I would see more of an affect if I regularly used hand masks. As a result I am a little bit undecided on whether hand masks are worth buying or not.

My October favourites

Sorry I realise that I am pretty behind with some of my posts (had a death in the family a month ago) but hopefully I will be able to get back on track soon.

My top 3 favourite products were;  Ingobeau Ultra Skin Power Z Cream, J Cat Wonder Lip Paint, and Lailly +36.5 Steam Pore Pack. Oddly enough these are all items I have received from oversea make up box services, and probably won't be able to repurchase without some difficult in Australia.

INGOBEAU Ultra Skin Power Z Cream
This is a lovely rich moisturiser cream which I have been using as a night cream. It is also an anti wrinkle cream, which normally break me out a bit but has not. I have really enjoyed using this but sadly when I received this product it had a short shelf life remaining. As a result I have been very liberal with my use of this cream (I've even been using it on my knees occasionally), it is a bit of a shame that I have to get through this item quickly.

J CAT Wonder Lip Paint in 'Always Late, Rabbit'
I love this purple colour and received some lovely comments when I wore it which is always nice. I tried this on for Halloween because I thought if there was any day I could get away with wearing bright purple it would be Halloween. I thought that this wore well, and loved the colour. I am pretty sure that this is a cheaper version of the OCC lip tars, which I haven't used so I can't compare them to each other.

LAILLY +36.5 Steam Pore Pack
This is an amazing facial mask, which gives a hot steam effect to open up your pores and clean them out.When I use this product my face feels tingly and warm, not something that I have ever experience with any other face mask treatment and afterwards my face feels so clean. I received this in a Memebox (Korean makeup box service) and love it, however I don't know how I am going to find another one these to purchase since I live in Australia and Korean beauty products can be a bit tricky to find over here.