February Bellabox

I'll start this post by saying I wanted to cancel my membership last month. I thought, before I cancel I'll find out if I can use my rewards points after I cancel my membership. I sent an email asking about it and if a few products were going to be stocked in the near future and never received a reply, and I'm too lazy to send the email again and I'm not one to write about it on their facebook. Since then I decided it's not worth the minimum $20 spend after points and there's nothing I would buy from this box to get free shipping.

This months box arrived pretty quickly, I think it was sent on Tuesday and I would have received it yesterday except the postman decided to send it to the post office instead of leaving it in my letterbox like they always do. There was a part of me that was hoping that because they didn't leave it meant that I was one of the lucky people to receive a Tiffany necklace in the box. I wasn't, and I'm not really too bummed about it because a Tiffany's necklace isn't something that I wanted anyway.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - (50ml Sample, RRP $9.95 for 150ml)

I've actually been wanting to grab another bottle of this after I ran out of my last sample of this from a Priceline goody bag, but I've been putting it off.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Dream Curls Curl Perfecting Spray (30ml sample, RRP $16.95 for 198ml)

Yay!!! I have super curly hair so I'll be one of the lucky people who actually get to use this! I got my hair cut yesterday and almost bought one of the De Lorenzo products the my hairdresser put in my hair (instant satur8 by the way, it made my hair feel so lovely!!) so I'm happy I have a product now I can use while I'm poor and can't afford to buy it (I know it's only $20, but I'm walking to work this week because I can't afford petrol!)

Banana Boat Sports SPF 30+ (15ml Sample RRP $14.95 for 200g)

I was going to hate on this product because it's in a stupid sachet, but this is actually going to be pretty handy when I got to Soundwave next week! I'll need sunscreen but I don't want to have to carry a whole bottle (especially incase it gets confiscated - festivals have gotten so anal about liquids it's ridiculous, but I did hear a story about some girls sneaking alcohol into a festival in a sunscreen tube)  so this will be perfect to reapply during the day! This seems like it would be enough for one person.

Fing'rs Nail Makeup (full size RRP $9.95)

I haven't actually heard of this brand before, nor have I used nail polish strips before. I'm willing to give these a go, but I'm not too sure abut the colour. I'm usually a fan of bright nails (I even have bright pink polish on at the moment) but the pattern on these just seems a little tacky.

U Skin Solutions Clean and Go Exfoliating Gel Cleanser (small sample, RRP $30.95 for 125ml)

I don't know how I feel about this one. It smells like a mix of lavender and tea tree oil and is really strong! It's not a scent that I would want to use on my face. I'll give it a go though and hopefully it doesn't irritate my skin.

Eye of Horus Eyeliner in Charcoal Obsidian Goddess pencil (full size RRP $30.00)

This eyeliner claims to be waterproof, smudge-proof and long lasting. I put a swatch on my hand before I had a shower, and was able to smudge the remaining pencil (some had come off in the shower already) off easily. You can get much better quality eye pencils for way less than $30. This is a black pencil with a bit of shimmer and a smudging bit at the end and I might get use out of it but I don't use pencil eyeliners much anyway.

top: swatched once, bottom: smudged with smudger.

Overall, I really could have done without this box (an extra $15 in my account this month actually would have been a great help!) and I wish I had just cancelled last month. I will probably use most of these products anyway, but it's nothing I needed or am super excited about. I have already cancelled my subscription so this is the last box (for now, I may subscribe again when I come back from England).

Did you receive a Bellabox this month? What did you think?

January Bellabox

Yep, it's Bellabox time. I'm a little late this month, I got my box last Friday, but I just didn't care that much about what was in this months box and I wanted to use the products first (well that never happened!). This month the box is full of Australian products.

Everything that was in my box. Including a card about their bellababy box (did anyone else get this?)

What I got:

NatioPure Minerals Skin Perfecting BB cream in Medium (Sample RRP $14.95 for 50g)

 This cream is useless for me. I'm so pale that even in the middle of summer I'm still way too light for anything labeled medium. I haven't actually tried it, I doubt there would be any point. Ok, I will use this to see how the formula is, because I haven't had much luck with BB creams yet, and this one is Australian and not too expensive.

Swisse Body wash with Vitamin B3 and Macrobiotic Sea Minerals (30ml Sample, RRP $14.95 for 250ml)

I haven't tried this either, but I really liked the Swisse hand cream I got in my November box so I should like this. It has the same scent as the hand cream, which I quite like. I'm going to use this for traveling.

You Me and Everybody Cool it Aloe Vera Gel (100ml fullsize, RRP $8.95)

So far this summer I've managed to stay sun-safe and not get burned (Ok, I got burned a little once, and that was only from driving around town so it doesn't count!) and I plan to keep smothering myself in sunscreen so I don't get burnt. It's actually pretty impressive I've only been burnt once, especially because I spent a whole, really hot day at a water park without shade and didn't get burnt then. Anyway, I guess that means I'll be using it as an after shower moisturiser like it says on the bottle. It's not sticky and is pretty cooling.

Mode Nail Polish in Rave'n (15ml fullsize, RRP $2.45)

I haven't tried Mode before, and seeing as I'm not allowed to buy nail polish anymore I'm happy with receiving ANY nail polish! I do actually like this colour. However, it does seem a little similar to one I already own, Essie Fear or Desire, but maybe a tad more fluro. See swatches below. I do love the other colour (hot stuff) a little more and wanted to buy it off their website to make shipping free for some new  4me polish remover pads, but neither product was there.

Essie Fear or Desire on first 3 fingers, Mode Rave'n on pinky. Sorry about the chipped polish.

Face of Australia Makeup Purifying Cleansing Wipes (24 pack fullsized, RRP $4.95)

I haven't used these yet because I want to use up my other face wipes before I open another packet. I'm happy to try these as I'm not impressed with my current wipes (Swisspers Aloe wipes).

Overall, although I can use almost everything from this box (except the BB cream sample), it hasn't impressed me. These are all pretty boring products, except the cheap as chips nail polish. I'm also a bit peeved that some people who got the same box as me got a decal included. Although that's not something I would use, it's a bit unfair that they received more products. I am contemplating my subscription, as I'm trying to save money to go live in England for 6 months, and spending $15 a month, regardless of how insignificant that amount is, on products I don't need and am not wowed by is a waste of money.

What did you get this month? How happy are you with how the Aussie beauty box subscription companies are running at the moment?

Lust Have it! October

I wasn't impressed with this months box. I've come to the realisation that I probably only need to get one subscription box (I don't use that much skincare other than moisturisers, and skincare I can't use seems to be what both brands boxes are filled with) and I've been far more happy with Bellabox than Lust Have It!, so this month is my last LHI (unless they really get it together and start giving great boxes).

Here's what I got. I wanted to use all of the products before I did this post, but I just didn't want to use them, which is surely a bad sign.

Mask in a Cup facial mask for sensitive skin. I'm not really a mask person, but I have dry sensitive skin so I will use this.

NYX nail polish in clear. This would have made me like the box, but I never use clear nail polish. Unless it's a top or base coat. And I already have a great top coat. I did use this as a top coat though and it's pretty thick and fast drying.

Avéne cleanance skin. I'm not quite sure what cleanance is supposed to mean... but this stuff is for oily skin, so it's going to dry out my already dry skin. I might use the gel, but I already have a good cleanser.

Caron Waxaway ready to use sensitive wax strips. I don't wax, so I probably wont end up using these.

Star & Rose white bath fizzer. I have a bath bomb from lush I haven't used, so I doubt this one will be used any time soon. Especially since we're heading into summer.

As you can see, a pretty disappointing box. Can't win 'em all.

October Bellabox

I am SO happy with this bellabox. Maybe it's because the last subscription box I received was just awful, but I think it's mostly because this box is great. There isn't a single thing here that will be tossed aside, which is great.

Box contents (minus the choccie, I ate that straight away)

In the box:

DKNY Fresh Blossom Eau So Intense: I'm always happy to receive perfume samples in these boxes. It's something I would usually never be able to afford to buy, and now I've got a few of theses sample vials around if I ever want to smell pretty. And this one smells VERY pretty! 

Carmex moisture plus extra hydrating lip balm - sheer pink tint: Yes lip balms! And tinted! And full size! This does leave a lovely pink tint on the lips, and is super moisturising. ++.

Clinique extra turnaround concentrate radiance renewer: Ok, so I'm not quite sure what this is supposed to be, but from the product card it looks like an exfoliator. But you don't have to use water? It's very gentle for an exfoliator, and I'll use it anyway to see what it does.

Estee Lauder Resilience Lift: This wasn't on my product list, but a friend got the exact same products as me and got this, so I don't think that was an accident. I'm not sure if I need something like this but I'll use it anyway.

Bobbi Brown extra repair eye cream: Everyone seems to be really excited over Bobbi Brown, so I expect good things from this. Extra moisture on the super dry skin around my eyes can never hurt.

Prestige total intensity eyeshadow in Spellbound: This is great! In the pot it looks pink with a gold sparkle, but it's mostly just gold when applied. It's super creamy and is really long lasting. I've worn it for 6+ hours now without any fading.

Organic rose hip skincare seed oil: I haven't used an oil before, but I'll try this on my hands with my body shop gloves at night.

Adorn mineral eye create intensive eyeshadow in Obsidian: This is a browny gold colour. It looks nice and I will definitely use it. I haven't yet so I have no idea how long it lasts.

L-R: carmex lip balm, Prestige eyeshadow, Adorn eyeshadow

Prestige and Adorn

I'm looking forward to see what Lust have it! give us this month. I wasn't happy with last months box and I'm giving it another month to redeem itself. Not sure if I need 2 boxes a month and so far Bellabox is far better.