September Empties

Sorry again I have been a bit slack with my blog posts lately, life just gets in the way sometimes.

I'm going to share my my thoughts about the beauty products that I finished using during the month of September.

CUSSONS PURE Sensitive cucumber and aloe Body wash
I brought this on special and it worked like other body washes. It smells like cucumber, which was okay but not super appealing to me. 
Repurchase? I wouldn't mind buying this again in the future.

GARNIER BB CREAM Miracle Skin Perfector in Medium (Sensitive Skin)
When I first tried this product I was a bit disappointed because I had tried a sample of another BB cream and had loved that product. I later realised that that the other BB cream was designed for oily skin so that was probably why it worked a lot better for me. Apart from making me a bit shiny (nothing a little bit of powder can't fix) this is a decent BB cream.
Repurchase? Maybe I would buy a version for oily skin next time.

DOVE Beauty Moisture Facial Cleanser
I brought this on sale, but I think normally this is very cheap anyway. I don't like to use soap on my face, so I used this as my cleanser in the shower. For that purpose this worked fine, I never tried to take make up off with it so I can't vouch for it's effectiveness in that area.
Repurchase? Maybe.

LA Splash Mineral Blush in #22025 ring of fire
I am not a big blush fan, so when I received this blush in a beauty subscription box I was not happy with getting a dark red colour. Then when I saw that it had lots of shimmer I knew I was just going to end up throwing this in the bin, since I really dislike shimmer/glitter in most make up products.
Repurchase? No way, it is just not my sort of blush.

 BIODERMA Crealine H20 solution Micellaire
This is the first micellar cleansing water product that I have used, and I was so impressed  with it that I brought a full size version (by a different brand that was cheaper).
Repurchase? This particular brand is expensive, but I have brought a similar product.

MODELS PREFER BB Cream all in one skin perfector with MP aquaflex, in Light
I brought this when it was clearance for a couple of dollars, knowing that it would probably be too light for my skin since it was in the shade light. After trying it out even during the winter this just too light for me, so I can't really judge how it performs as a product.
Repurchase? I would consider buying this in a darker shade, just so I could at least give it a proper try.

 OGX Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner
These were little 60ml samples that I really loved the smell of. I think it made my hair feel slightly more softer.
Repurchase? Maybe but I think they are a bit for pricey for what they are.

REVLON ColorStay Ultimate Lipcolor 095 Royal Rasin
I brought this at a Revlon Factory sale before I had really got into make up, and this with the lipstick that made me like lipsticks. I use to be a lip balm/gloss person but after trying this and seeing how long it stayed on, I started buying lipsticks. I am not a big fan of this particular colour since I think it is a bit too dark for me. This is been thrown out because it is getting too old.
Repurchase? I would probably buy a different shade

NUDE BY NATURE Nude Oil with Tamanu Oil
I think this is the first oil that I used regularly on my face so I can't really compare it to other facial oils. I thought it was fine, and over time my skin did improved but that might have also been because I was getting into a better skin care routine at the time.
Repurchase? Maybe, but I would like to try other facial oils first. 

RIMMEL LONDON Lasting Finish Nail Polish 061 Exotica
This was an alright nail polish. I am only throwing this out because I have had it for so long that it starting to go clumpy.
Repurchase? Yes, if there was a shade that I liked. 

MAYBELLINE Colossal Volume Express Mascara
I thought this was okay but nothing special.
Repurchase? No, I prefer other mascaras.

SUKIN Protein Hair Treatment
I am a big fan of Sukin skin care products so I was excited about using one of their hair products for the first time. I thought this worked okay, but I couldn't see much difference in my hair. However to be honest I do have pretty nice hair at the moment and I don't see much of a change with using any kind of hair treatments.
Repurchase? Possibly, if I was inclined to buy a hair treatment product I might lean towards this because it is organic.

Lust Have It August Box Review

Lust Have It are an Australian beauty sample subscription company. I subscribed on and off to their Women's Beauty Box which costs $19.95 AUD per month, for at least 5 beauty samples.

August was Lust Have It's birthday box so I have been looking forward to seeing what I was going to get, since usually companies do something more special for their anniversary editions. Sadly I didn't get my box until the 1st of September but I guess it was only a day late.

What was is my box:

BIO ELIXIA Body Shaper Stretch Mark Diminishing Cream (RRP $39 AUD for 125ml) Full sized product
I do have a few stretch marks (I've had a baby) so I will be using this product. To be honest I don't think my stretch marks are that noticeable (my partner told me that he didn't even think I had any). I wonder if this cream will do anything to reduce scars which is something I am a bit more concerned about since I have recently had surgery.

ELEVEN AUSTRALIA Miracle Hair Treatment (RRP $24.95 AUD for 125ml) Full sized product
This was the sneak peek product for the birthday box, and lots were subscribers were excited about this treatment. I do not buy many many hair products, so the only time I use hair treatments is if I have received one in a subscription box. I am kind of interested in seeing what this product like to see what all the fuss it about.

ESSENZZA FUSS FREE NATURALS Facial Cleansing Wipes (RRP $6.95 AUD for 25 wipes, RRP $2.50 AUD for mini wipe packs) Full sized pack and mini wipe pack
I like getting facial cleansing wipes for those moments when I can not be bothered doing a full cleansing routine, or when I am wearing waterproof make up.Essenzza's wipes are parabens or sulphates free, which is appealing to me. These wipes are textured on one side so these sound different to most other wipes in the market.

BIODERMA Crealine H20 (RRP $29.99 AUD for 250ml) Sample size
This cleaning solution seems to be very popular among beauty bloggers so I am glad that I have finally received a sample of this product. I am looking forward to trying this out.  


MARSK Eyeshadow Brush Pro-Line (RRP $28.95 AUD) Full sized product
I always get excited about receiving make up brushes in subscription boxes, especially since I don't have much of a collection at the moment. This brush feels a bit light, but I am sure I will be using this a lot in the future.

There were also bonus discount vouchers that were included in the August box. 

Verdict:
I think the the August box was great value and I will be using every item that was included except for the vouchers. Most of the items are full sized products and in turn I think I got great value for the $19.95 that I paid for this box. This is not an outstanding box to me but I think it is a good box.

I have unsubscribe to Lust Have It at the moment. I just feel like I have so many products and samples that I need to get through.

Disclaimer:
I brought this box with my own money and therefore my opinion is my own. 

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