BELLABOX NOVEMBER 2013 REVIEW - I'M SO OVER IT

This month, I was annoyed with Bellabox before it even got here. On the 11th of this month, they told everyone that shipment had started, and by the 20th, there were still no posts by anyone saying that they had received a box. I had a decent bitch about it on their facebook page, telling them that we would all prefer to have an answer for the delay, rather than every day saying that the boxes were on their way. We never got a proper answer. This is the third month of delays.

If you've been watching my unboxing videos, you'll know that it's also the third month in a row that I have received my bella "box" not in a box. This month, they unveiled their "exciting new packaging", and it's a complete joke. A thin cardboard pillow box, which didn't hold all of the products, even though most of them were tiny. The worst part was the condition that my parcel arrived in, due to the insufficient packaging. I'm really glad there were no powder products in there, because they would have been destroyed.
So what's in the actual "box"?
Bellabox Pout Pencil in Pinky Promise. RRP $14.99
Very, very similar to the Boe Beauty lipstick pencils that I got for $2 at BigW.

Simple Kind to eyes Makeup Corrector pen RRP $11.99
A makeup corrector pen for your eyes. Fine felt tip. I think it'll be useful.

ASAP Daily facial cleanser and Anti Ageing night cream
I'll try these out, but the samples are tiny, and it's hard to get a decent review out of just a couple of uses.

La Roche Posay BB cream SPF 50
This is one I've been wanting to try, but I can't see myself paying $28.95 for a BB cream, to be honest.

Aveeno Daily Body Moisturiser
A little body lotion sample. Will come in handy for my legs as summer approaches

BONUS PRODUCT! (This is a massive pet peeve of mine. They say "BONUS!" like it's an amazing addition to the box, then shove in a freakin' sachet) Bump Eraiser Medi Paste.
I know that this product is good. It helps out with ingrown hairs.

Overall, I'm so unhappy with my bellabox experience this month (in combination with the last 2 months) that I unsubscribed. I would have to see some significant changes to consider starting again with them.

I may try out the fortune cookie soap box, or even something else instead now. Any suggestions?

Below is my unboxing video. (Language alert: I use some low-grade swear words in this video)


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BELLABOX SEPTEMBER 2013 REVIEW

This month, my Bellabox was so huge, it didn't even come in a box! 8 products (including the Cleo Magazine), and 7 of them are full size! With a massive $85 value for an outlay of $14.95, everyone should be more than happy with Bellabox this month, despite the delay, which was due to the Cleo magazine release date. My two favourite items in the box are the asap lip pencil, and the elegant touch nail wraps.


Cleo sponsored the box this month and decided on what should go into the box, a treat for us all, including everyday items most women need/want. I think they got it right. Check out my unboxing video for more!

LUST HAVE IT, SEPTEMBER 2013 - REVIEW

The lovely people at Lust Have It have sent me their box again this month, to have a look at and share with you guys.

With only 2 of the products giving this box a value of $54, and then a massive 7 "filler" items, 4 of which are very good sized samples, I'm really impressed by the box.

Baji are aussie, friendly to all the creatures, and keep all the good stuff in their products by not using big chemicals to make it look and smell pretty, and their full sized Rescue Eye serum is my big ticket item in this box at $39. Along with that, I'm really excited about the Lust Have It synthetic precision pencil brush, which will be an awesome addition to my ever-expanding brush collection. I love my Lust Have It Kabuki, and I use it every single day.

Check out my unboxing video to see the rest of the items, including a brand I haven't seen in a long time, and I'm really happy to see in the box!
Fair and full disclosure: I was sent this box free of charge by Lust Have It for my consideration, and was under no obligation to review it. I always endeavour to bring you open and honest reviews, stating my own opinions.

VIOLET BOX SEPTEMBER 2013 REVIEW

I'm not gonna lie. I'm disappointed in this month's Violet Box. Considering this is the most expensive of the monthly beauty subscription boxes at $22.95, I expect more from it. This month, it was a real let-down.

There is $42 of value in the box, so I did technically get more than my money's worth, but it feels like a box full of fillers. There's no standout product in a box that is usually full of standout products. Stay tuned over the next month and see if they pick up their game, or if Violet Box ran out of steam in their first 3 boxes.

Watch my unboxing video below for more details about exactly what's in here, as well as a massive WTF moment when advertising material from an unrelated brand had me totally confused.

LUST HAVE IT AUGUST 2013 - sorry it's late

This  month, the awesome team at Lust Have It sent me their box for me to have a look at and review. It was sent to me free of charge, and I was under no obligation to give it a great review, but I have to say after unsubscribing to their box several months ago I was really pleasantly surprised.

The review is out a little late because my mail was held while I was away, but as soon as I got it all sorted and had a chance to look over the contents, I filmed an unboxing so that you guys can have a look at what I got.

Lust have it have also given me a unique code that you can use to get $5 off your first Lust Have It box. Use the code KATY at check out when you subscribe and get that discount automatically!

Here's the video:

BELLABOX AUGUST 2013

I received my Bellabox this morning, and quickly rushed home to make the unboxing video for you guys.
I'm semi-disappointed because one of the products is very misleading in its size, but overall quite happy with the products that I received, even though they are all sample-sized and we received no full size products. I'll be really interested to see what others get in their boxes before I decide if I got the dud box this month. The Talavou Naturals product is inside a full sized container, but here's what's inside it:

Check out my video for the full scoop on what I got in my Bellabox this month:

VIOLET BOX JULY 2013 REVIEW AND UNBOXING

My Violet box finally arrived! Below is a video of my thoughts as I unboxed it and looked at what is inside. I really think that Violet Box have stepped up and are producing a really great, value for money subscription box. I'll be keeping my subscription for sure!

Violet box review June 2013

LUST HAVE IT JUNE 2013

I received my Lust Have It June box, and I'm suitably impressed, which puts me in a tough position, because I have one more box subscription than I can realistically afford.

Over the next few days, I'll review bellabox and violet box for this month, and y'all can tell me which ones you think I should keep and which one I should get rid of.

Here's a video review of the LHI box for June:

Lust Have It May 2013!

It's Lust have It time again! I was certainly more pleased with my box this month than I was last month. There are some great products in there, and plenty of value for money.


Here's my unboxing video!

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BELLABOX MAY 2013 - WOW, It's a big one!

The theme of this month's Bellabox is Beauty SOS, and oh my, they have jam packed the box this month with awesome products!

Let's get right into it because I know you're all dying to know what's in there!

Lonvitalite C4 - coconut milk hydrating and nourishing facial mask (5 masks for $29 - this is a single sample)
Those of you who have been reading for a while will already know how awesome I think Lonvitalite are. Their masks are amazing for  bit of a pamper, and this one in particular is a favourite of mine for refreshing and rehydrating my skin.

Suigo Absolute Volume Keratin Treatment (500ml is $40, this is a 100ml sample)
I had my hair coloured yesterday, and I promised my stylist that I would treat my hair twice a week, so this came at the perfect time! It's a really decent sized sample and it smells awesome!

Bloom Shadow Liner - Emerald Green (full sized product $15)
This is a nifty idea, a pencil that can serve as a shadow or a liner. I personally LOVE the colour, and I cant wait to try it out. Swatch below.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel (200 ml is $19.95, this is a 15ml sample)
Fancy looking gel cleanser. I'll have to try this one out and give you my verdict. I always love getting skin care samples.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo ( 40ml is $25.95, this is a 3 ml sample)
Same deal as above, but this is their corrective and unclogging anti-imperfection creme.

Manicare Duo Mascara Brushes (full sized product $4.99)
These are really, really handy to have around, either as lash tools or for smoothing unruly brows! Really pleased to see such a practical tool in the box.

Sanctuary Spa Brightening Facial Illuminating Moisture Lotion SPF 15 (full sized product $19.95)
A gorgeous-scented spa facial moisturiser that is super-light. It contains mica partices to give you a lit-from-within glow. I'm really keen to give this a go.

Nanoblur (30ml is $29.99, this is a 2ml sample)
This product claims to give an airbrushed finish, wiping up to 10 years off your face in 40 seconds.
It's a huge claim. Let's give it a go and see how it performs. Stay tuned for a review of this product really soon.

Lust Have It March 2013! Spoiler alert: It's massive in value!

This morning, I received my Lust have It box in the mail, and I knew that they were making some changes in preparation for their increase in price from $14.95/mth to $19.95/mth...but I tend not to take these things too seriously when they say "Yeah, we're going to give you 100 bucks' worth of stuff for 20 bucks".

Oh boy, was I surprised!

First, when I add all of this up, and don't include the sample-sized products, the value here is  $136!!!

Then, the sample sized products are really generous. The face mask is enough for a really decent mask, or two if you're a bit more savvy with it. The hair treatment is easily enough for 5 goes on my fine, shoulder-length hair.
Let's have a look at the products, shall we?

First, we have Bio Elixia Body Shaper Cellulite Contour Creme. RRP $59, 150ml FULL SIZED PRODUCT
I'm always a bit dubious about these kinds of products, so at the very least, I have a really nice, high end body moisturiser that smells great and just might help out with my bumpy thighs and tummy. I'm very pleased with this.

Gosh eyeshadow - light brown

Next up is Gosh Cosmetics Mono Eye shadow RRP $16, FULL SIZED PRODUCT
I got this one in colour "light brown" and it's a really gorgeous nude colour with a slight shimmer. It will definitely be a regularly used product in my house, as I do so love to wear nude colours.

Then there's The Natural Source Camouflage Colour Crayons RRP $9.95 each (I got 2!) FULL SIZED PRODUCT
I got a nail polish last month from this company, and I really liked it (except the way it smelled), so I was pleased to see colour products here again from the same company. I got 2 green colours, a lime and a more army-ish camo-type colour, so they'll be really awesome for any green-ish makeup looks I'm doing. They would have come in really handy for St. Patrick's Day yesterday! Very pleased with the creamy consistency.

Next, I got 2 sample sized products, Goldwell Dual Senses Rich Repair hair treatment (RRP $20.99 for the 200ml bottle) This is a really decent sized sample. Like I said, it'll do my hair probably 5 times, so I'll be able to really get a sense of how it works with my hair and skin and get a decent review out for you guys.

Last of all, there's Advance Natural Calming and Soothing Mask ($39.50 for the 50ml product)
This is a gorgeous face mask. I seem to be amassing a huge collection of mask products at the moment, so I might need to have some girls over for a bit of a pamper session! It has chamomile and chickweed to calm the skin, which is great for me, because every time I come home from a big workout session, my poor skin is all angry and red and sweaty. This will be a lovely treat.

On that, I've found that treating my body from the outside can often feel as good as filling myself with sugar and fat. A lovely face mask, a nice relaxing bath, all go a long way to rewarding myself for a job well done, and although I know there's a long way to go, I'm staying really motivated with these little things.

Now, there's some extra value in the box.

A $15 voucher for The Iconic.(min. spend $59)
A 25% off voucher for Bio Elixia (So, if you bought the same product again, you can save $15 there.)
A free first month voucher for Dollar Shave Club (If you choose the executive razor, you can save $10)

Oh, and a lollipop! It was very quickly claimed by Max, but I didn't mind, since I'm not having sweet things anyway.

All in all, an amazing box! Check it out for yourself at www.lusthaveit.com.au


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Lust Have it February 2013

 I'm a little bit late to the party with this one, because my box arrived so late in the months, and I was off taking my week of relaxation.

Nevertheless, here is my Lust Have It box for February, 2013.

I do hope to do more unboxing videos for you guys, but at the moment, my studio is sharing space with my workout equipment, so it's a bit of an ordeal to move everything.

Anyway, just a brief rundown of what i got in my box and what I thought of it this time.

1. Lon Vitalite crystal whitening and moisturising hand mask (pair) - full size product. I really liked this. I'll do a review for you on Thursday so that you can see more about them.

2. Camoflage Colour nail polish - full size product. This is a great little nail polish, and it's in a colour I don't actually have (and came in handy because it's the perfect "cookie" shade for my cookie monster pedicure). The one drawback with this posich is that it STINKS.The smell of it is really rank. I think it's because they use as many natural products as possible, and the kinds of natural products that would make good nail polish are stinky plants and animal byproducts.

3. Kevin Murphy Born Again Hair Treatment - sachet sample. I lovelovelove Kevin Murphy hair products. As a mum of 2 little boys, I can't really justify the price of it to myself, but when I get a nice little sample in my beauty box, it's a very welcome treat. The product is beautiful, and really picked my hair back up after the sweaty beating it's been getting with my workouts. The only problem with the sample was the size of it. If someone with longer or thicker hair than my babyfine shoulder length mop got this sample, it wouldn't have gone very far. It was barely enough for me.

4. Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara - sample size. I actually really like this little sample. I don't use mascara very often, as I try to stay makeup free as often as possible for good skin health, so the little sample means I'll get through my 3 months of recommended time to use mascara and not feel guilty about throwing away half a tube of product. The product itself is absolutely gorgeous. It has a special shaped brush which gives you an automatically lined look to your lashes, negating the need for eyeliner if you're playing it casual. A big time saver. It lifts, separates, elongates and volumises the lashes for a lovely full look. This is definitely worth a look.

5. Summer Tan dark self action tan - full size product. We all know how I feel about self-tanners, so I immediately handballed this off to my little guy's godmother, who is 19. I'm sure she'll let me know what she thought of it when I see her next.

So that's it. Lots of full sized products and a hefty value tag, I'm very happy with my $15 well spent.

Review Thursday! January 2013 Lust Have It box!

Today, I received my first ever Lust Have It sample box, and boy, am I impressed!
With three full sized items (total value of $59.85) making this box worth 4 times what I paid for it, PLUS 3 skincare samples of a decent size, PLUS a high end, relevant sample of a decent size (sunblock), PLUS shampoo and conditioner samples (how did they know I'm completely out of shampoo and didn't get to the shops today???), I am very, very happy with it.

So, what's inside?

First, I should mention that it arrived in an absolutely gorgeous pink box, which I'll definitely repurpose for little knick-knacks in my bedroom. So cute.

1. Silk Oil of Morocco Moroccan Lip Gloss in "Bliss" (full size product) RRP $19.95
It's gorgeous. I can't say anything more fitting than that. More like a liquid lipstick than a gloss, it's pigmented, creamy, not sticky at all, and long-wearing. A winner for sure, and it arrived in my exact perfect pink shade.

2. Nude by nature BB 5 in 1 miracle cream.(full size product) RRP $19.95
Unfortunately, this came in "dark", so I'm not able to make it work for me, but my mum was -just- lamenting that the sample of BB cream that I gave her last month was a touch too light (it was "medium") so she is absolutely thrilled to try out this gorgeous product. I did swatch it on my arm and it felt lovely, providing a great coverage.

3. Lust Have It! Kabuki brush (full size product) RRP $19.95
This is the nicest kabuki brush I've seen, and I've seen a few. It's so lovely and soft, dense and so charming to look at. I can't wait to use it.

4. Ella Bache Great 50+ sportsbloc (sachet sample) Regular product 130ml RRP $44.00
It's great to see a sample of sunblock thrown in there in the middle of summer. I'm always on the lookout for a great new way to keep my skin nice and safe from the sun's harmful rays, and I felt this was a really well timed, relevant sample.

5. Klorane Shampoo and Conditioner (sachet samples) Regular products 200/150ml RRP $9.95
The fact that these are hypoallergenic is a big deal for me. My #1 trouble spot for eczema is behind my ears, so I do need to be careful what sort of products I use on my hair. Pomegranate, Mango butter, need i say more? Yum. can't wait to try these.

6. Avene Cleanance skin care range (decent sized bottle samples) Regular products from RRP $24.95
I've used Avene products before and they're gorgeous, so I'm really looking forward to trying this gel cleanser, cream exfoliant and anti-shine moisturiser.

All in all, very pleased with this month's offering from Lust Have It, and I've definitely got value for my $15.