Bellabox July 2012

I received my second Bellabox this month. I'm really enjoying the samples and products I get. Plus, even though it's a paid subscription and I roughly know the date it'll be arriving, it's nice to get something in the mail that isn't a bill or a takeaway menu.

This month I wanted the contents to be a surprise so I was careful not to read any blogs or look for bellabox hashtags on instagram or twitter. I did hear that it wouldn't be in a little compact box like last month but would be in a little make up bag instead, I was a bit disappointed in that. But once I got my box I was not disappointed at all!

That's four full size products there! Plus a make up brush and a trial size sample which is of a decent size. As well as the expected sample size products and a bonus sample which wasn't listed on the info card. Hiding underneath the sachet samples is a small blue zip makeup case.

I loved some of these products, but I couldn't stand some of them. But that's the fun in the sample boxes! You never know which products will impress you and which will disappoint. This months theme was Essential Beauty Buys.

• You, Me & Everybody Shady Lady Daily Face Milk (75ml RRP $9.99) I love this. I've been looking for a new moisturiser with sunscreen as I just wasn't happy with the tinted sunscreen I'd been using. I'd also tried a few moisturisers with sunscreen but I just couldn't find one I'd like. This one is 30+ and is still light without being overly heavy or greasy. I find a lot of sunscreens make me breakout but this one hasn't. Will I buy it? Yes.

• Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm (10g tube RRP $5.99) I hated this. It has camphor and menthol in it, which is a bit like rubbing a mothball on your lips. It made my lips burn and tingle plus the taste of the camphor and menthol lasts for ages. So if you have a drink of water that's what you taste. I'm sure my grandmother used to use this because while the taste was unpleasant it was familiar too. I've used it twice and was bad. The taste and smell just does not work for me. Will I buy it? No. Just no.

• Neutrogena Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser. (175g RRP $13.99) I was a bit sceptical as I remember trying neugtrogena products as a teenager and my skin reacting badly to them. But I gave it ago and I love this. I've been looking for a new cleanser for a while. I had been using L'Oreal Perfect Clean for sensitive skin. But there is something in it that makes my skin flush and burn. Not an attractive look. But I loved this Neutrogena Foaming Cleanser, it works well, it doesn't make me break out or react and the pump pack is awesome. I think all shower products should come in a pump pack. Will I buy? Yes.

• Nutri-Synergy Sensitive Skin Cleanser 100ml (500ml RRP $15.95) This product is not for me. What annoys me is when companies automatically assume sensitive = dry. I have sensitive skin but it's not dry, it's combination. This product was like trying to wash my face with sorbolene (or a thick heavy moisturiser). It also made my face flush bright red and feel like it was burning. I hated the feeling of this product on my skin and it left my skin greasy. Will I buy it? No.

• Ulta3 Nail Polish in Mulberry (13ml RRP $2.00) I've seen Ulta3 products at Woolworths and at pharmacies but I'd never tried them. The colour was a bit dark for me, I used to wear a colour very similar to this when I was in high school, these days I prefer lighter colours. But I gave it a go. It was easy to apply and dried quickly too. Will I buy this? Yes, in fact I picked up a bright green when I was at Woolworths just a few days ago.

• ELF Essentials Smudge Eye Sponge Brush (RRP $3.99) One of my friends has been raving about ELF products for the last couple of years. I've never tried them because I'm a bit wary about buying make up online and the colour not suiting me. But I didn't realise how cheap it was! I love cheap! I don't wear a lot of eye make up, so I haven't tried out the brush yet. Will I buy this? Probably not this exact brush, but I am planning on making an order from ELF in the next few weeks.

• Royal Moroccan Hair Repair Shampoo, Conditioner & Serum. Sachet samples (Shampoo & Conditioner 300ml RRP $17.95, Serum 100ml RRP $29.95) The scent of these products was strong. It took me by surprise at first. I got two washes out of the samples and the product worked well. But by the second use I noticed my hair was getting greasier a lot quicker than normal. I do have dyed dark reddish brown hair which frizzes easier and this product took care of the frizz well. I tried the serum once, but I'm not a fan of serums as they weigh my hair down. Will I buy this? I'm not sure, I'm on the fence about this product. 

• Givenchy Pi Neo (For your Mr. BB.) Sachet sample (50ml RRP $80) First of all, I hate getting perfume or cologne samples in sachets. What is with that? If you tear open the sachet how do you apply it without it getting everywhere? I carefully cut this sachet open with scissors and sniffed it (and got my husband to smell it who said it smelt like hand sanitiser) but I still managed to get it on my hand which I then managed to get on my face leaving me smelling this for hours. Oh, and this was the only way I could smell it. From sachet you can't smell anything! Will I buy this? No. 

• Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub 15ml. This product wasn't listed on the info card, so I'm not sure if Bellabox ran out of room or if it's bonus sample. I really loved this scrub. I've been using a scrub by Biore but it just wasn't scrubby enough. This Deep Clean scrub is perfect, it has a nice fresh citrus smell and has enough little scrubby beads in it to feel as if it's really working, without feeling like you're sandblasting your face. Will I buy this? Yes!

Overall I was really impressed by this months Bellabox. There were so many products and so many full size ones at that! The little make up case is perfect, it holds just enough and is small enough to easily throw in your handbag. I can't wait to see what Augusts BB will have!

Tux the Penguin Cake

We're in the middle of birthday season for my family. My mother's birthday was last month and my husbands is next month. But this month it was my brother's 28th birthday. He doesn't like a lot of fuss so we usually just celebrate with a low key barbecue, but this year he suggested going out for lunch and chose a Ribs and Burger place close to where I live. After lunch my family came back to my place for cake, coffee and presents!

I'd bought my brother some Bucky Balls and a gift card. I also made him a cake. I make most of the cakes for family get togethers and birthdays. I usually stick with cupcakes, but to be honest, I'm getting sick of making cupcakes. I also couldn't find a way to decorate the cupcakes that would suit my brother. Everything thing seemed to cutesy and I didn't just want to stick with chocolate ganache as that's my usual icing.

I searched through my recipe books for a cake and saw the penguin cake in one of my Australian Women's Weekly party cake books (I think it's the Party Animals? book) They call it the Penguin Prince cake and in the book they also put a red bow on the cake. I was a bit reluctant to do this cake, it involved cutting out the penguin shape from a pattern in the book and it just seemed like a lot of bother. I haven't made a carved cake since year ten home ec! But nothing else seemed to fit, so I bit the bullet and made the penguin cake.

My brother has always liked Tux, the linux mascot. He used to have a tiny little Tux keyring. He's been a linux user since high school so a Tux Penguin cake seemed appropriate.

This cake was a challenge. I didn't have the right sized cake pan, it was just a smidge too small, but I knew that once I carved the cake I'd have tonnes of scraps left over. So I used one of the larger off cuts to build up the sides Tux's feet.

I'd also never worked with black icing before, or iced a cake like this where you have multiple colours of icing. I bought black americolour icing which didn't actually go black, but more of a deep grey. I think instead of starting with a white buttercream, I should've started with a chocolate to get a deeper colour. I also got black icing everywhere! Thank goodness my bench top is black granite so doesn't show stains!

I put the cake in the freezer for 20mins before carving it, then crumb coated the cut edges before putting it back in the freezer. I transferred it onto the cake board and started icing! Starting with the white, then the yellow and finally the black. I piped the icing on before smoothing it down with a heated spatula. The eyes were the trickiest part! I messed them up twice! The second time I got them right, then went to pat down a small peak in the icing with my finger only to transfer food dye onto the white icing.

It took me hours to ice this cake. Luckily I had a few tv shows I wanted to catch up on, so played those in the background while working on it. This was also the first time I'd made buttercream since I got my Kitchen Aid for my 30th birthday in March. Holy cow is it easy to make buttercream now! I loved my pink mixer before, but after making buttercream in it, I love it even more!

The cake turned out pretty good, I see a few flaws in it. I'm still not happy with the eyes and I couldn't get the icing as smooth as I would've liked. But it's not bad!

Next to book. And before I'd smoothed down the icing and messed with the eyes.

My brother was really impressed! He didn't want to cut into it for ages, and in the end would up taking the head and feet home. (I held my breath when he cut it, as he decapitated Tux!) 

The only thing is, is how do I top this for his birthday next year? Or the year after for his 30th? I think I've set the bar a little high now! 

Bellabox June 2012 Review

Last month I received my very first Bellabox. Bellabox is a monthly subscription sample box where for $15 a month you receive samples consisting of beauty products and other goodies. I wasn't expecting to get a June box as I signed up pretty late in the month, but I was pleasantly surprised when it turned up. I had a pretty good idea what would be in the box, as I'd already seen a few reviews on youtube. It was a pretty good mix of products. Some products were a hit, some were a miss and some were things I'd never try if they hadn't been in my Bellabox.

(Please forgive the iphone and instagram pic!)

Inside the cute little box is a card with an introduction and it talks about the theme of the box, June being a Winter Escape theme. On the reverse is a list of the products you receive, their use and their recommended retail price. I should also add that when you sign you for Bellabox you fill out a small survey so each month the box is tailored to suit your skin tone and type plus your personality and preferences.

In my June box I received - 

• Benefit Porefessional Pro Balm 7.5ml sample (full size - 22ml, RRP $58). - For me, this was a meh. Yes it covered up my pores and helped disguise them. But would I buy this? Probably not. The price is just a bit too steep for me. (I'm cheap and I love my pharmacy/drug store make up and beauty products)

• Pure Fiji Body Butter in passonflower sample pot I'd say around 30ml or 40ml (full size 235ml - RRP $29.95) - I really liked this. It surprised me as at first sniff, the scent was not what I was expecting. I was expecting a heavily floral nearly sweet scent but this was a clean, fresh scent. And I loved the way it sank into my skin. I'm not normally a fan of body butters. I find them heavy and greasy but this was perfect. Will I buy this? Yes!

• Kiss Dress Nails (I recieved the full size product RRP $13.99) - This is a product that I'd never buy for myself. When I see nail stickers I think of the press and stick nails I had as a child. I'm not really into nail art and it's only in the last few months that I've started wearing nail polish for the first time since my wedding which was four years ago! But I gave them ago, I was surprised at how easy they were to put on. They were a little fiddly when it came to trimming the excess sticker but if I can do it, anyone can! I'm not sure how long they'll last. So far they've made it 24hrs without any peeling and the package states they'll last up to 10 days. I usually get about 4 days out of my nail polish so we'll see if they last that long. Will I buy this? Yes. It seems like something fun I might do for a party or over summer as a lot of the prints seem summery to me.

• Gatineau Aqua Memory Moisture Replenish Cream 15ml sample (full size 50ml RRP $104) - I didn't like this product. It left a film on my fingers and face. It was odd and hard to explain. It made my fingers feel slimy but super dry all at the same time, they nearly squeaked when I rubbed my fingers and thumb together. I tried it twice before giving up on it. My husband tried it once and while it was moisturising he didn't like it either. Will I buy this? No.

• Phyotocare Pure Papaya Ointment (I received the full size product 25g RRP $6.60) I really wanted to like this product as a lip balm, I've used and loved other pawpaw ointments as lip blams. But this just didn't feel right on my lips. The minute I licked my lips or got some in my mouth the texture changed and it went grainy. I have been using it on my cuticles at night before bed and it's working well as a cuticle treatment. Will I buy this? Probably not. I do like that it has no petrochemicals but the texture isn't right for me.

• Olea Olive Leaf Drops 6 drops (12 drops RRP $6) I've taken Olive Leaf Extract before so knew to expect that bitter after taste. These drops had Manuka honey as an ingredient so I thought that the honey might lesson the after taste but it didn't. Will I buy this? Probably not. I did eat all the drops as I came down with a cold but I wouldn't go out of my way to buy them.

• Fan Di Fendi Fragance Fun Loving. (30ml RRP $95) I hated this sample. First of all the packaging. It was in a little square sample which you tear open. The way you sometimes get moisturiser samples. But perfume is a lot thinner than moisturiser so once you open it the product just drips and runs everywhere. It's meant to have warm floral notes but all I could smell was the leather and patchouli which reminds me of my uni days in Far North NSW. Will I buy this? Definitely not. 

Over all I was impressed with my first Bellabox. Two full sized products and five sample sized products. I definitely received products worth more than the subscription fee of $15 a month. I got to try a few products that I would otherwise have never tried. The main reason I subscribed to Bellabox was exactly that, to try and find new products I love, or workout what products I don't like without having to buy the full size versions.

Now that I'm 30 I've found my skin has changed, it's a lot dryer (especially in the cooler months) and it's more sensitive than when I was a teenager. Cleansers that I've used in the past now many my skin react flushing red or with breakouts where in the past if I ran out of cleanser could use soap and water without a breakout or bump. I can't even think of doing that now! Nor would I!

I'm going to stick with my monthly subscription Bellabox for a few more months and see what other products turn up for me to try. My July box came in the mail a few days ago and I've already started trying a whole new batch of samples!

Pink Strawberry Mousse

My husband Tony had a combined bucks night/ Lan weekend to go to this past weekend. While I was picking up all the necessities (beer, coke, chips, lollies, chocolate) for him, I saw strawberries for sale. I haven't bought strawberries for ages! I've been burned buy the ones that look ripe in the store, but once home are a pale pinkish green colour and are tasteless. But I could smell these strawberries the minute I stepped into the supermarket so I just had to buy some. And seeing Tony wouldn't be home all weekend, I knew I wouldn't have to share!

After I'd dropped Tony off for the weekend (owning one car has benefits of being a lot cheaper, but also means occasionally we have to juggle if we both need the car on the weekend) I got home and was watching some trashy tv while googling recipes for this weeks meal plan. Those strawberries in the fridge were bugging me, I wanted them but I also wanted something sweet. Strawberry muffins or some kind of baked goods with strawberries just wasn't appealing. Then while browsing Best Recipes stumbled upon a recipe for strawberry mousse.

Years ago, in my first year at uni, one of my house mates had made this very recipe. I'd made it a few times before losing the recipes in one of my many moves. I'd forgotten about it until now. Oh my goodness, the taste is delicious. Light, creamy, sweet but not too sweet and nothing overpowers the taste of the strawberries. Delicious!

It is a bit fiddly, you have to mash the strawberries, whip egg whites, whip cream, and melt gelatine. But it's worth it. I dare you not to eat spoonfuls of the mix before it goes into the fridge to cool, it's just that good!



Strawberry Mousse
Ingredients
1 punnet of strawberries
1 teaspoon gelatine
2 teaspoons water
2 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method
1. Wash and hull strawberries, mash well (I blitzed mine in my mini food processor for a few seconds until roughly chopped into small pieces)
2. Combine gelatine and water in small heatproof bowl or mug. Stand mix over hot water. (I put the gelatine and water into a coffee cup and sat that in a saucepan with small amount of simmering water.)
3. Whip egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually add in sugar, mixing until sugar dissolves.
4. Whip cream until soft peaks form.
5. Fold egg mixture into cream.
6. Combine strawberries, gelatine and lemon juice. Fold gently into cream and egg mixture.
7. Pour into mould or serving glass. Refrigerate until set. (I served mine in a glass with some grated chocolate on top. Then I ate the rest the next night straight from the container.)