Monday 9 December 2013

Beauty Box Subscriptions!

Before I started to learn about all this here beauty stuff I knew nothing about these great little subscriptions which showcase new or existing products by sending a small batch of sample (or full-sized!!) products to your door each month.

Wow what a great idea!  So I subscribed to two Australian ones.

Bellabox and Lust Have It.

November was when I received my first boxes.  LHI managed to squeak in on the 28th November and Bellabox got to me on I think the 3rd December.  Anyway here's what I got!

Bellabox



So BB came in a blue outer box (I threw it out before these pics) and inside had the items in a yellow pillow style box.   The packaging was kind of flimsy and feedback on their Facebook page indicated a lot of people had missing items as they fell out of the packaging (or the packaging was ripped open easily).  Fortunately my package arrived unscathed and in good condition.

I put a picture of the insert card above for you all to have a read.  So far I have only used the eye makeup mistake eraser pen from this box, it works SO well.  I will use the other items and feedback as I go along.

This box is AU$15 per month including postage and handling.  I think it was a reasonable effort for products, I never would have bought any of the included items on my own.

Lust Have It







So the LHI box came in a plastic Australia Post satchel.  The box itself is beautiful.  Reusable with magnetic closure and thick cardboard construction.  Very nice!

When I opened it there was black tissue paper wrapping!  Nice touch!  The box was stacked FULL of items.  A lot of them from Mary Kay, they must have been the main contributor this month.  The Toiletry/Makeup bag is pretty.  There also was a pumice stone/scrub brush for feet, mascara, perfume samples etc etc.  You can read the card.   :)  I haven't used any of these items yet but will feedback when I do.  This box is AU$25 per month including postage and handling.

I think that I will get use out of all of these items, and for a first box I am happy with what I received.  Do you subscribe to beauty boxes?  How does LHI and BB compare to yours?

Sunday 24 November 2013

Makeup Haul

Recent Beauty Haul




This has 2 layers, you shake the bottle to mix the fluids and then apply it to a cotton pad/ball to clean your eyes.  Works well but was slightly irritating to my eyes if I rub them afterwards.



All day eyeliner?  Not really, seemed to wear off within an hour!!!





Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Liner in "Wine".  Lasted less time than my Avon Glimmersticks for lips liner.  Meh great colour, crap wear time!




Miki is a cheap drugstore brand aimed at the tween/teen set.  I got Navy eye liner and Black Mascara 2 for AU$5, pretty good.  The eyeliner I haven't been able to use properly, it's a liquid one and I end up looking awful, I need to practice more!!  The mascara is nice and works well!






Maybelline EyeStudio Palette in Taupe Temptress.  Great palette, good colours!!




Avon Simply Pretty eyeliner.  Looks great on, nice soft look for day or night!








Models Prefer Ready Set Gorgeous mega palette from Priceline AU$40 (RRP AU$50)
So far with the small experiments I have done, this is a winner.  Great pigmentation of shadows, lip gloss was pretty and it even has pencil eye liners, blushes and eye gels!  Here is a look I tried recently using this palette for the lips, cheeks and eyes!





Tuesday 19 November 2013

Nutrimetics Haul

Nutrimetics Haul


Howdy doody readers!

I finally crumbled and have jumped on the Nutrimetics Bandwagon and ordered some items :)

I ordered 3 items, which came in a silver tote bag complete with big red bow and the brand name on it.  Very festive!






Here is a group photo of all the items!



#1  Ultracare+ Microdermabrasion Kit

AU$85.00


I had read really good reviews about this product from independent sites so I thought I would give it a go.  The kit contains a Resurfacer in a toothpaste-like tube (60mL).  The Resurfacer contains quartz crystals and lavender flower extract.  The Resurfacer  is a white paste with little grey flecks in it (quartz particles).  It has a very faint lavender fragrance which is rather pleasant.

The box contains instructions on how to rub it on your face.  It feels very gritty and ex-foliates really well.  You do have to be careful you don't rub too hard or in one spot for too long as you will injure your skin!

The second bottle is a pump (yay) canister of the Rehydrator SPF25 (40mL).  This is nice and soothing and is highly recommended as the skin will be sensitive to sunlight after your treatment.

Recommended treatment is once or twice a week.  This kit is NOT recommended for sensitive skin types.

I found it did a good job ex-foliating my skin and I had a lovely tingly feeling for a short while after my treatment.  I think it does a good job, but for the price tag of $85 I won't be repurchasing when I can get cheaper ex-foliators which do the same job.


Ultracare+ Moisturising System Duo

AU$59.00







Nutrimetics Blurb says "This light oil-free serum provides continuous hydration to the skin, and locks it in to prevent moisture loss, smoothing the appearance of skin and keeping it looking fresh and soft. Buy one and get one free."

So this serum came in two boxes tied together with a red chiffon ribbon for the festive season.

The bottles are silver with red writing on them.  They have a giant dropper to draw up the serum which I found awkward and clumsy to use.

The serum is clear and of a thin gel consistency which spreads really easily.  It is quickly absorbed and dries leaving a very thin layer on the skin, hard to describe, it's not an unpleasant feeling by any means.

However, I find that when I use my Nivea Pure & Natural Day Cream or my Avon Anew Reversalist Night cream (I use the serum twice a day after cleansing) the creams I put on top seem to flake and ball up a bit.  This is really disappointing as I was hoping it would perform better.  I recently finished off my Avon A-F33 serum which was pricey (AU$65) but did a great job of moisturising and didn't make my creams flake and ball-up.

I will persist with this for another few days.  However I'm not really impressed by this item at all so far.


nc Sheer Tint Make-Up SPF 15  (On special AU$13.90 - usual RRP $20)




This item I bought thinking it would be like a BB cream.  It appears to be on paper.  But when they said sheer they weren't lying.  It's sheer alright, so sheer its literally like putting an un-tinted moisturiser on.  As you can see from the swatch on my hand above - I did spread it on my skin on the left of the photo, and it disappeared!!!!!  Another dud.  On the plus side, it does feel nice on my skin and makes it feel soft.

So in summary, 2 items aren't good. One product is good - but over-priced for what it does.  I really expected more than this from Nutrimetics!  Have you used Nutrimetics products?  I hope your experience was better than mine!  Comment below!