Her Fashion Box - January 2014 review

I was reaaaalllyyy excited to receive this month's Her Fashion Box. HFB is by far the best beauty subscription box and I've loved every box so far. This month's, i'm happy to say, is no exception:

 

As you can see it is choc-a-block! At $39.95 a month it sounds expensive but you really do get a lot for your money, including fashion, lifestyle and beauty items - a lot of which have been full size. The packaging is fabulous too, so sturdy. They are usually on time with shipping to which makes a big difference and their customer service is brilliant. 5 starts to HFB!! Anyway, onto what I actually received this month, in the classy box:

 

 

HFB Something in the Water Scarf

RRP $24.95

Ohhh what a lovely scarf. At first I thought it was weird to receive a scarf mid-summer however their magazine (also included in the box) shows a girl wearing it as a sarong skirt - excellent idea - and works out well for me as I'm heading down to Mollymook on Sunday. Awesome!!

 

HFB Pebble purse

RRP $7.95

This is such a cute little coin purse. It is of reasonably good quality as well, something you'd see at Collette or Lovisa or places like that. I don't often use coin purses but i've never had one so we'll see. Otherwise i'm sure I can store my earrings or something in there.

 

HFB Ripple necklace

RRP $24.95

This is something I don't think I would ever buy - but I actually like this! I like the perspex and all the jewels. The only thing is that its gold and I don't usually wear gold... however I'm sure once I've got a fake tan on I can rock this one.

 

 

Cantik Palms notebook by Cantik Swimwear

RRP $19.95

What a great addition to this month's box. This notebook is lovely and summery and quite thick too, i'd say about 200 pages? The pages are blank so this will be great for a diary. I'm getting married this year so I might even add this to my wedding planner for notes!

 

Pocket Manicure Kit

RRP $7.95

This is a super cute little manicure kit, this will definately get some use. I'm going to keep it in my car and also take it travelling.

 

 

Urban Rituelle Lip Balm - Mango

RRP $9.95

I love Urban Rituelle. This lip balm smells amazing too. Mango, yum! This lip balm is moiturising and also gives your lips a lovely shine. So happy to have received this!! The HFB magazine gives an offer of 20% off at www.urbanrituelle.com.au/her-fashion-box using the code save20

 

Ultra3 lipstick - Cherry Wine

RRP ?

This must be my bonus for filling in last month's survey as there is no mention of this product in the magazine. It is a red lipstick, which I don't often wear as it makes my teeth look horribly yellow. I think i'll gift this one.

 

Jbronze Face Flawless Tan (RRP $24.95 30ml) received 5ml sample

JBronze shimmer instant illuminiser (RRP $24.95 100ml) received 2 x 5ml sample

I had no idea Jennifer Hawkins had a tan range out so was suprised when I saw these. It will be good to try these out but i'm crazy obsessed with my current fake tan (by Garnier) so would take a lot to sway me. I'm excited to try out the illumiser though! Glad i got two samples of this one. I also got a voucher code HFB20 to use at www.adoretanning.com, to receive $20 off when you spend $50.

 

 

Babe Green Tea Scrub (30g)

RRP $21.95 for 200g

I've never heard of this brand so it was good to see something I haven't heard of before. Apparently this scrub is designed to help fight lumps and bumps in problem areas which is always a good thing.... will be good to try this out.

 

 

Muesli for me HFB mix 45g

Yum, looking forward to trying out this yummy custom made mix!! It has goji berries, coconut, cranberries, seed mix and chia seeds. YUM! We also got a 20% discount on purchases at www.muesliforme.com using the code nomnom. Not sure if I would ever buy this kind of thing, but you never know. I'll jump on the site to see if it is worth it!

 

Green smoothie Co 'Green Is Good' smoothies 2 x 10g sachets

RRP $15 (5 x 10g)

We got these last month so i'm not sure why they are repeating them. My sachets from last month are still sitting in the cupboard.....

 

So there you go! I loved this month's box (with the exception of the smoothie co sachets). HFB do such a fabulous job and i'm super excited to see what they have in the next couple of months!!

 

 

 

 

 



Project Pan - empties 13 - 22

Slowly getting through products.. It is taking longer than I expected but getting there! These are the products that I've recently used up:

 

Garnier Ambre Solaire self tanning milk (150ml)

Loooove this fake tan. It is streak free and gives my skin a lovely natural glow. I am on the pale side and most fake tans make me look orange and oompa-loopa like, horrid! This one however suits my skin to a tee! Most people don't even know it's fake - I often get comments that I've just seen some sun. Repurchase? I'll definately be repurchasing this one (got another 2 in my stocks to get through first though!!)

 

Beauty Care fragrance free facial wipes (pack 30)

I got these as they were like $1.50 from Kmart. Initially I used them to remove eyemakeup but after a while they start to feel a bit rough on the skin around my eyes, so I just used them to remove makeup prior to cleansing. They were a good try but I'd prefer to stick with liquid makeup remover. Repurchase? No.

 

Clinique take the day off makeup remover for lids, lashes and lips (50ml)

This was included in a free gift time offer through Clinique.com, and I wasn't interested in trying it. I put it off for ages and actually got another 2 in other free gifts so I figured I better start using it! It suprised me a lot - I used to be a big makeup remover towelette girl but after using this I realised actually how rough those towelettes are!! This is lush and removes eyemakeup in an instant. It doesn't dry out my skin and in combination with soft cotton pads it isn't rough at all. Repurchase? I'm going to perhaps try some other liquid removers prior to repurchasing, as Clinique can get pretty expensive.

 

Cedel dry shampoo (70g)

I LOVE dry shampoo, literally could not live without it. I picked this on up as my usual brand wasn't available and saw this was for dark hair, and it was cheap (about $3 from memory) so tried it out. It wasn't the best... It smells pretty horrible which is my first complaint (I have to spray it in one part of the house whilst holding my breath then head elsewhere to brush it through!!) and second it gets all stuck around the spray part - so much so that it ends up leaking a liquid mess which drips everywhere. I don't know if that was just the bottle I ended up with or if that happens. Either way I won't try another to find out. It doesn't even do a good job at 'cleaning' my hair, it just leaves it smelling awful and feeling like straw. Repurchase? No.

 

Aveeno daily moisturising lotion (29ml sample)

I got this in a beauty box subscription and was glad to receive it as I've wanted to try this brand for a while (especially as Jennifer Aniston is connected!). This lotion is great. It has little to no smell, moisturises well and doesn't leave any kind of greasy feeling. You do have to use a fair amount though so I can imagine it wouldn't last too long (this sample allowed for 2 uses). The bottle says it protects dry and cracked skin however I used it on my feet (which are unfortunately dry and cracked) and it didn't make any difference. It did feel nice on my arms and legs though. Repurchase? Maybe, but likely no. This was good but there are others that are better.

 

La Roche-Posay lipid replenishing body balm (15ml sample)

Another beauty box sample. Ahhh I absolutely loved this. It was absolute heaven on my skin and I couldn't get enough. It is especially for dry to very dry skin so when I got sunburnt and was using this on it and it was absolutely fabulous - I didn't even peel. Amazing. I've also tried it on my feet and again, they felt amazing. It is quickly absorbed and has little to no fragrance. I've read that this is formulated especially for babies and children but meh, it works for me! Repurchase? Definately. Worth the extra money (i think it is about $40). I wouldn't use it as an everyday lotion however, maybe once or twice a week in summer.

 

Benefit brightening face primer (7.5ml sample)

Ohh this was a divine primer! I'm faithful to clarins however this gave good competition! It is light, non-greasy and my makeup glided on. It is supposedly brightening but I didn't really feel it did that.. I do love Benefit but it is stupidly priced in Australia so I doubt I'd buy a full size. Repurchase? Doubt it, unless I saw it cheap somewhere travelling.

 

Loreal infallible 16H makeup (1ml sample)

I can't even remember where I picked this sample up but I've had it for a while now. I didn't use it as the shade is 'Golden Beige' and it sounded to dark for me. I was actually suprised that it was quite a light shade. It is supposed to last for up to 16 hours but it definately didn't. I caked it on and it was no where to be seen a couple hours later. It also left my skin dry in some areas and it is supposed to 'lock in moisture'. Overall not impressed. Repurchase? No.

 

Maybelline dream pure 8in1 BB cream (1ml sample)

This was an ok BB cream. I've used it before and thought I liked it but after using it again i'm not that happy. It seemed to leave streaks on my face and was hard to blend. Not sure if that had something to do with the primer I was using? I tried both a brush and my fingers but was left with this same result. It didn't tend to conceal anything either. Big fail! Repurchase? No.

 

Clinique turnaround concentrate radiance renewer (30ml)

This is a lovely product. I'm quite pale and have red areas on my face from previous blemishes and this truly made a difference to them. It helps to exfoliate and instantly makes your skin more radiant. The only downside is the price - it is about $60-$70 and doesn't last long enough! Thankfully I have a few more samples to use up. Repurchase? Yes.

Bellabox January 2014 review

So I was expecting big things from this month's Bellabox considering it is a new year, they've talked it up in emails and their website and they've had some poor boxes the last couple of months. I received mine yesterday and to say I was disappointed is an understatement.... Crap ModelCo, more Avene, a crap brush and a nail file.... Yep, a nail file. UGH. Why would they think this is good to send out??? I am hating that I have an annual subscription, regret regret regret. Here is what I got in more detail:

The box was nice and sturdy, much better than previous month's turquoise cardboard thing. The card included was cute too, sort of like a New Year resolution kind of thing, which could potentially have been a great theme for the box.

Vaseline aloe fresh daily body lotion 25ml

RRP $7.68 for 200ml

'This 2in1 lightweight fast absorbing sunblock and moisturiser, is perfect to kick start your New Year and upkeep your skin maintenance with summer'

I like the Vaseline range and this is a great product. It isn't greasy and smells fresh however I would have preferred to see something that hasn't been done before! I have had a Vaseline lotion sample previously (October's box) and instead of trying pretty much the same thing it would be good to try out something different. 

Avene soothing moisture mask 5ml

RRP $41.85 for 50ml

'A moisture mask is always a must especially in summer! This preservative free mask will give you the beauty radiance you need to face 2014 refreshed.'

Again, I've had Avene products in previous boxes - I want to see something new!! Not to mention this month I got two Avene products. I am however interested to see how this mask goes. The sample is minuscule though, but from the the sound of it, this mask is exactly what my skin needs at the moment.

ModelCo fat lash volumising mascara full size

RRP $20

'The word fat usually isn't in NY resolution lists - till now. Get fat lashes with this cult ModelCo mascara. Hydrating, lengthening and creating a deep glossy black shade are its main agendas. We love!'

Ugh, I despise ModelCo and even more so since it keeps popping up in all my subscription boxes. This mascara is no different to the rest of the ModelCo range, a cheap, tacky looking product which for some reason comes with a hugely inflated price. The wand is a good one, however the mascara itself is rubbish. It sticks all around the brush, it is clumpy and doesn't lengthen. It also has a horrific smell... really strong alcohol kind of smell which is the thing that most puts me off it. I don't know why Bellabox was so excited about this. It will end up in my bin.... hmmm, can you tell i'm not impressed? haha.

Avene hydrating optimale rich hydrating cream 5ml

RRP $52.95 for 40ml

'This daily moisturiser is suitable for day and night usage and we suggest using it during both, for smooth summer skin, prime hydration and radiance.'

Hmm, reading the blurb I don't like the sound of a cream which doubles as day and night, as I would hate a rich day cream... the other thing is the word rich is in the title, which totally puts me off. My skin  associates 'rich' with 'oh I'll breakout now'. I'll give it a try but I doubt i'm going to like this one.

 

INM natural manicure/pedicure nail file full size

RRP $1.75

'To keep those natural nails primped and polished, try this file, perfectly chiseled and created specifically for natural nails'.

 

oh. my. god. Why on earth did they include a nail file? Sorry what part of nail file goes with what Bellabox is supposed to be about? I'm appalled at receiving this. If I got a nail treatment or something with it, I could understand but not when it is by itself. WTF!

 

Ebony C Kabuku powder brush full size

RRP $19.90

'The best brush to apply mineral powder foundation or powder bronzer/illuminator. Incredibly soft and made from 100% goats hair.

 

I definately wouldn't pay $19.90 for this. I wouldn't even pay $5. The brush hairs come out when you dust it over your face. Brilliant.

 

Banana Boat everyday sunscreen SPF 30+ 15ml satchet

RRP $21 for 400g

 

This was the 'bonus' in the box. Banana Boat is my favourite sunscreen so I'll definately use this, it is just a pity that it is in a satchet though i'm sure i'll use the whole thing in one use. I'm gobsmacked that my favourite thing in this month's box is a satchet of sunscreen.... another wtf.

 

So there you have it, this month's box. Truly awful in my opinion. I know I probably sound overly negative but after forking out for an annual subscription to receive this crap is just not on. Bellabox annoy me with how different everyone's boxes are as well. I've emailed their customer service re: cancelling and refunding my subscription but i'm sure they won't allow me. I suppose I just have to hope it gets better....

What are your thoughts? Do you receive Bellabox? Was yours better than mine?

 

Project Pan - Empties 3 - 12

Happy New Year! I thought i'd start the year off with an empties post as part of my project pan. I've been good - the only new products I've had in are xmas pressies and my beauty subscription boxes (which I suppose is a little like cheating... hmmm). The project pan has been good and I've been trying to stick to using one product until it's empty - which i'm sure most people do normally, I'm just one of those people that go "ohhh I want to use this one today" and the next day "ohhh I forgot I had this, I'll use this today". Anyway, onto what I've used up:

 

Clinique clarifying lotion (dry combination)

This is all time favourite toner! It is refreshing, feels clean, helps exfoliate, doesn't dry my skin out, doesn't smell too strongly and actually makes a difference on my skin. It is step 2 of the 3-step skin care regime by Clinique. I use to use Clinque religiously for all my skincare but I've recently branched out... I will however stick to this toner most likely forever!! Repurchase? Definately.

 

Apivita express beauty with orange

I received this facemask in one my beauty subscription boxes. I liked the sound of it and the fact it was relatively quick (10 mins to dry). After using it I wasn't 100% impressed though - the orange smell was a bit strong and there is something else in there that I can't put my finger on, but it's something I don't like! It stung my face a little as well. It did dry well and evenly and was easy to wash off. It left my skin feeling clean, but the feeling didn't last long. I didn't notice to much of a difference with this product.

Repurchase? No

 

Vaseline healthy radiance anti-ageing lotion

Another beauty box product, and one that I really loved. My current lotion is by Nivea however after trying this product I'm sold! It feels lush on your skin and hydrates well. My skin dries out very easily and this was just perfect. It smells great too. Not sure about the whole 'anti-aging' part of it, but whatever it still works for me.

Repurchase? Hell yeah! (after I finish my current supply of lotion!)

 

Clinique high impact curling mascara - black

I got this as part of a free gift time with purchase of Clinque. It is a good mascara with a curvy wand, helping to curl your lashes. I used this without an eyelash curler and was impressed by the results. It doesn't clump either which is great. The only problem I found was the mascara would stick all around the bottom of the brush and then spill out around the rim of the bottle. I'd have to wipe A LOT of excess of the brush back into the bottle and this contributed to it sticking all around the opening of the bottle so I couldn't close the product all the way.. not sure if this is just because of the small size though. Not sold on the mascara, I've used other mascaras which are just as good and cheaper.

Repurchase? No

 

Thinking of you by Mary Kay

This perfume sample came in another beauty box. This scent is definately not for me. It is very mature and in my fiance's words "smells like my nan"

Repurchase? No. I have another sample, which I'll give to my fiance's nan!

 

 

Clarins beauty flash balm

This is an amazing product. I was given this as a gift and hadn't tried any Clarins product prior to this one. I use it as a primer, just pat on (don't rub it in) and apply makeup immediately. It helps my makeup glide on perfectly, gives a glow similar to illuminater and makes my makeup last longer. A little goes a long way which is great too. The packaging says to use it ias a 10-15min mask however I didn't get around to trying it. Perhaps I will when I repurchase.

Repurchase? Yes

 

Pure Fiji coconut sugar rub

I adore Pure Fiji and was lucky enough to receive a yummy gift basket for my birthday. This sugar rub smells divine and feels even better. It leaves your skin feeling clean and exfoliated.

Repurchase? Most likely, if I have the extra cash

 

Lush vanishing cream

This facial moisturiser was another sample. The smell alone put me off it is so strong and hangs around after you've applied to your face. It doesn't feel like it moisturises at all, it pretty much just vanishes and does nothing except for smell!

Repurchase? No

 

Clinique moisture surge extended thirst relief

What a divine moisturiser. This is just perfect for my dry skin, especially in winter. I can't say enough good things about this product. It smells good, is lightweight and feels cool and hydrating. I just love it.

Repurchase? Yes

 

So that is it so far for my empties, stay tuned.... soooo many more products to come!!!