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!

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!