I warned you there would be beauty posts (don’t say I didn’t) so you still have time to turn back now if you’re not at all interested in anything beauty related. In a moment of procrastination and intrigue, a few weeks back I signed up to two monthly subscription beauty boxes.
For those who have never encountered the beauty box phenomena before they are monthly subscription boxes that cost about $15 AUD a month including delivery and have only been available in Australia for about a year. There are various subscription offers available, but I decided to go with the monthly option, which I can cancel any time, commitment issues? Absolutely. 😉
What’s in these boxes I hear you say? Well the sites proclaim that on average there will be about five deluxe samples included each month, from a variety of beauty partners. Some of the beauty partners that caught my eye? Why Lush, Benefit, O.P.I, Napoleon, and pure fiji to name just a few. And I really mean just a few. The list of brand partners is quite extensive.
Often these samples can be scouted out at beauty counters for free, however I am somewhat time poor, and to be honest I love the idea of a random box of goodies turning up each month which will have in it things I may not have thought to try before. I have to admit, I tend to seek the same brands out so I think this will give me a good opportunity to scout out brands I haven’t thought to try before. At least that’s was part of the plan when I joined up.
The whole idea of beauty exploration and adventure without leaving my home is definitely a win for me. So the two I joined? Bellabox and Lust Have It! (Note, I have no affiliation with either of these websites and have added the links for anyone interested in finding out more).
Bellabox proclaim:
We’ve boxed up cult, classic & covetable beauty and skincare: Personalised to your profile, at least 5 sensational samples a month delivered to your door, the lowdown on all that is luxe & luscious.
While Lust Have It! say
Lust have it! delivers a hand-picked selection of 5-6 professional, premium and boutique beauty products delivered free to your door every month!
Both sounded pretty good, and as I was attracted by the different brands both had (as well as the good old “google” a few reviews trick) I decided to join both and see how they went. My first beauty sample box was waiting on my doorstep when I returned home from work on Friday and to say I was excited to see the bright turquoise box is definitely an understatement. That box was the July 2012 Bellabox.
So today I thought I’d share with you my first ever Bellabox, and my thoughts on it. First off, it was decidedly heavier than I was expecting. I mean, five samples should not weight 0.35kg! (I know how much it weighs because the label on the front tells me so, I did not go and weight the box – my OCD does not extend that far!). The theme for the month was essential beauty buys. It came with this nifty little card with information on all the products including RRPs for full size, and where I can find the products themselves should I wish to buy any of them.
Looking at the card, I can see that none of these products are what I would personally classify as luxe or luscious, with the exception of the hair care samples. That said, most of the products are decent sizes if not full size which I would hardly classify as samples so it seems to be a fair trade off. And since the theme of the month was “essential beauty buys” I must admit I like that the products included are definitely affordable should you wish to add them to your beauty routine. I know you’re just dying to see what I got, so when I first opened the box this is what I saw:
I was excited to see a couple of cleansers in the mix. For quite a while now I’ve been using the clinique 3-step system but have decided that if I were to go back to being a student I would need a more student budget friendly option. Opening the cute little blue bag revealed the following:
I was excited to see a nail polish in the mix and of course have tried it already. The colour “Mulberry” was gorgeous and definitely a winter shade. However it took four coats for a decent non-streaky application, and the formula was a little thick and hard to work with. Hardly surprising for a cheap polish – you can pick up Ulta3 polishes at your local pharmacy for about $2 AUD. I do think I might try this colour again, because it really is gorgeous.
Being quite keen to try out a new skincare range, I have used the Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser a couple of times. Although I’ve never used this product before, the smell was quite familiar and I had to stop and think where I’d become familiar with it. I have put it down to the clean and clear I used as a teenager! Crazy. Sadly, this product shall not be replacing my clinique facial soap as it is far too harsh for my delicate, dry skin. I shall be passing this along to my sister though, who is combination-oily and hopefully she’ll find some use for it!
Next up on my “to try” list was the carmex lip balm. I have loved the stuff for ages, but honestly I hated the little tub it used to only be available in. It would get under my nails and such and I hated it so much I never went back and moved onto pawpaw ointment instead. I must say though, this little tube is super handy, applies perfectly and doesn’t get stuck under my nails! I’ll definitely be repurchasing this one when it runs out!
All my goodies together! As you can see, I’ve still got a few to try out! I’m quite keen to try the shady lady daily face milk with SPF 30+ tomorrow (I spent most of the weekend indoors as the weather has been pretty miserable this weekend), the sensitive skin cleanser and I’m especially looking forward to the Royal Moroccan hair products. So the complete list of products received?
- You, Me & Everybody Shady Lady Daily Face Milk, 75mL Full Size, RRP $9.99 AUD
- Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm, 10g Full Size, RRP $5.99 AUD
- Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser, 175g Full Size, RRP $13.99 AUD
- Nutri-Synergy Sensitive Skin Cleanser, 100mL Sample! (full size is 500mL), RRP $15.95 AUD (value of 100mL = $3.20).
- Ulta3 Nail Polish, 13mL Full size, RRP $2 AUD
- E.L.F. Essentials Range Lip Defining Brush, RRP $3.99 AUD
- Royal Morrocan Hair Products:
- Repair Shampoo, 15mL Sample size, RRP $17.95 AUD for 300mL (value of 15mL = $0.90)
- Hair Repair Condition, 15mL Sample size, RRP $17.95 AUD for 300mL (value of 15mL = $0.90)
- Serum Treatment, 5mL Sample size, RRP $ 29.95 AUD for 100mL (value of 5mL = $1.35)
- Givenchy Pi Neo cologne sample for the Mr. in my life, RRP $80 for 50mL
And THAT is the list. Far more than the five samples I was expecting! And packed full of full size products. The total value of the box was $42. 30 AUD (not including the sample for the elusive “Mr.”). Also, I just realised I received a sample not on my card! The Neutrogena sample sized Deep Clean Gentle Scrub. Since I can’t be bothered calculating the cost on this sample, and it’s not on my fact sheet, I shall leave it out of the calculated value. Neither is the cute little blue bag all the small stuff came packaged in – not the best quality but the perfect size for the storage of all my mani “tools”.
Not bad really for $15 including postage. I think I’ll stay signed up to this particular box for another couple of months to see what other goodies I may get. Bellabox, I think you and I will have a beautiful relationship if you keep this up!
Musings of an inquisitive mind 