I have to admit, it was tempting to just crank out three separate posts, but it also felt a bit like cheating, because it could have given the impression that I received the last three boxes in June, which simply wasn't the case. I've been so busy with life that two of these boxes have lain dormant in my room for ages -- but as I seem to say increasingly often, better late than never, right?
April 2015: Mindful Beauty
The March Bellabox was so late that we were told that we'd get the opportunity to select a bonus product for our April box -- we were then later told that we were being given a pre-selected bonus product, so... I wasn't too sure what to make of it. What I did know was that box was supposed to have products within that contained natural ingredients, and who can say no to that?
Swisse Bioactive Nature Oil || This was the bonus full-sized item given to us by Bellabox, and I have to say, although I (still) haven't used it, I was pretty ecstatic to receive it. I really like the idea of receiving items that I wouldn't think to buy for myself, and this is one of them. This oil is free from parabens, synthetic colours and fragrances, and animal products -- and neither is it tested on animals. It is meant to help improve the appearance of scars, ageing skin, stretch marks, dehydrated skin, uneven skin tone and sun damaged skin. I'm lucky in that I don't really suffer from too many skin ailments -- but stretchies? I'm sure that every woman over the age of 20 has them, so I'm interested to try this out on them. I received a full-size 60ml bottle, worth $15.95.
Nivea Lip Butter - Vanilla & Macadamia || I've used these before and really enjoyed them, although the last one I had for so long that when I found it in an old handbag, it had turned rancid. I love the scent found in the lip butters, and I love how soft and smooth it can make my dragon-scaly lips. The lid stays on nice and tight, and it's slim enough to fit into your pocket with ease, so if you're popping out for a quick, short while, you don't need to worry about cramming your Chapstick into your pocket. This is a full-size product worth $5.69.
Dr Roebuck's Face Cream || Even though I've received a moisturiser in pretty much every Bellabox I've ever received, I was really excited to get this! I'm still going through a couple of samples, so I want to finish this before I start on this, but I like that it's in a pot instead of a tube. It means that I can control the amount that I use with a little more ease, especially when I start to use it up -- has anybody else ever tried to see if there was anything left in a tube and accidentally squeezed out enough moisturiser for half the country? This cream contains Vitamin E, Macadamia Oil and Rosehip Oil (which is what I think the scent comes from), and is supposed to minimise and reduce wrinkles. I got a 25ml sample pot worth about $12.50.
Coral Colours Lip Definer - "Kungura Berry" || I rarely use lip pencils, but the few that I have are red, so it was pretty cool to get another colour. I haven't use this yet, but it does look like a kind of red/plum wine colour. I don't know if I have any lipsticks like it, but I'll have to have a proper look through my collection to see. Although Bellabox lists the price for this pencil as $5.95, the Coral Colours website lists it as $7.95, which is what I'll go with.
Al'chemy Unscented Shampoo and Unscented Conditioner || I have plenty of shampoo/conditioner samples that I have tucked away in my bathroom, and these will be joining them. They're made in Australia and cruelty-free, which I think is fantastic -- but the name does kind of drive me nuts. I can't explain it any more than to say that the diacritics on the letters change their pronunciation -- but I'd have to write a series of posts on how -- but I don't know if I'm meant to pronounce it the way I do pronounce it, with full-fledged diacritical force, or the way as I think others might, which is just 'alchemy'. Either way, at the end of the day, the pronunciation is unimportant. The samples I received are for sensitive skin -- maybe better for my brother than me -- and there is 10ml in each, putting them at a value of 66c each.
Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Body Wash || I love Original Source products -- back when they first came out, they only had three varieties, and I bought them all for my brother as a gift and then proceeded to steal them whenever I got sick of my own body washes. I know from, er, experience that this one smells absolutely awesome, and I know that I'll probably use up the whole sample at once! This 7ml pouch contains 11c of product.
Price: $15 + $2.95 P&H
Bellabox Product Value: $43.52
Overall, I was very, very excited by this box. It was full of products that I'd never used before, and some that I'd used a long time ago. I'd never before opened a box that made me so happy!
May 2015: Bellabox + PopSugar = Sugar Fix
This box was well on time, and although it felt rather light, a lot of fuss was made over the fact that we'd be receiving a highlighter pencil -- and that, I knew I was looking forward to. In a collaboration with PopSugar -- a female-oriented website featuring celebrity news, diet tips, fashion things, etc. -- we were meant to receive some of the hottest items used by people around the world.
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisture Rich Night Cream || Ahh, Palmer's. Just when I thought I'd finished my day cream sample, we all received a night cream sample. (And I haven't finished it, it's still sitting on my bedside, being avoided). It's not that I hate Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula, it's just that their products don't do it for me. I'm not keen on the cocoa butter scent, and the day cream didn't do very much for my skin, but I'll give the night cream a go nonetheless. Who knows, I might love it! I received a 15ml tube worth $3.
Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil || This was one of the items being raved about for this box! I've tried it out a couple of times, and I think that it might be too dark for very, very pale-faced girls. Highlighting is something that I'm a definite Padawan at, so that's likely the reason why I'm hesitant to rave about this product as much as everyone else. That being said, I really do like it for my browbone -- can't go wrong there! This retails for $24.95.
Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil - "Emerald Tabula" || Now I know that my face lit up when I saw this, because I love Eye of Horus! The PopSugar did say that we'd be getting a precision liquid liner -- and this is definitely a pencil, so I'm not sure if anyone got the liquid liner at all. I actually have this shade already, but I honestly don't even mind, because I know I'll use it regardless. If you'd like to read my review about these pencils, which I purchased at the Beautiful You convention last year, you can clickity-click here. This pencil retails for $30.
Sunescape Gradual Tan Extender || I can't really comment too much on this, because I don't tan. It's meant to be a self-tanner, tan extender and moisturiser all in one, so it really does sound like a fantastic item for those guys and girls who do. Apparently my mother uses tanning cream sometimes (I don't really believe her), so if she wants it then I'll pass it along to her. I received a 10ml sample pouch worth about $1.65.
Real-U Control+ Face Gel || I think this will be interesting to use, because it's meant to help control acne without benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. The directions lead me to believe that you use this similar to a moisturiser -- you apply it all over your face after you cleans, morning and night, every day. My skin isn't completely terrible at the moment, so I might try and commandeer one of my brothers and see how well it works on him. I received a 10ml tube with $5.
Impulse Perfume in a Spray - "Romantic Spark" || Impulse is the brand of tweens and teens everywhere. I'm sure there are loads of grown-up ladies use it too, but I remember that, back in the day, you weren't anything if you didn't have at least one can of Impulse spray in your possession. The more you had, the better -- though at $5 each, I tended to ask my mother to buy me the $2 imitation brands unless I saw them on sale. I really like these little perfume samples because they are fantastic for the handbag. I found myself relying on them all throughout May when I was on placement, especially as a bottle of perfume was too big and fragile to carry around with me all the time! My little 1.5ml bottle is worth 13c.
Price: $15 + $2.95 P&H
Bellabox Product Value: $64.73
Overall, although this box didn't send me into quite the same frenzy as the one before, I know that I'm really going to enjoy a lot of the products inside -- they're all things that I'll get use from. The value was absolutely astounding as well; I'm quite certain that this has been the most 'expensive' Bellabox that I've received to date, so it looks as though that additional postage charge is doing some good!
June 2015: Winter Warrior
The first thing I noticed when I collected this from my letterbox was that it was heavy -- and that, in turn, made me excited. After all, only good things can come from a heavy subscription box, right? The second thing I realised was that there was no spotty blue Bellabox box inside the cardboard shipping container, which confused me for a moment until I worked out why. No way would these things have all fit.
Palmolive Naturals Active Nourishment Shampoo and Conditioner || Another shampoo/conditioner sample again, but hey, you can never have too many, right? While this isn't a new line from Palmolive, they have recently revamped the formula, claiming to "combine the best of science and nature to enhance hair's natural beauty". These particular samples contain aloe vera and fruit extracts, for normal hair -- which really is the safest option -- and it also came with a handy 50% off voucher to use on the Palmolive Naturals line at Woolworths (and I may well use it). I received two samples that were 14ml each, making them worth 20c each.
Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm || As the crazy fangirls say, "YAAAAS." I know that I've said that I could be happy if I never received another lip balm in a Bellabox again, but apparently I really only meant Chapsticks, because I was really excited to get this. Burt's Bees is a brand that I don't buy because of the price tag (plus, I now have all the Chapsticks I could ever want) but I've always wanted more of their items -- and this won me over the moment I smelled it's delicious pepperminty scent. I love it. This retails for $6.95.
Universal Beauty Cosmetics Tint Stick - "Nude Pink" || This claims to be an anti-feathering, transfer-proof lip tint that can last for ten hours. I've only used it once, but I have to say, I'm sold! You can use it sheer or build it up for a more intense colour, but I don't know that I'd describe the pink as being 'nude'. That being said, I don't do the 'sheer' thing unless a lip product refuses to build colour, so that's probably why. The thing I love most is its applicator -- it's kind of like a pen or highlighter! It feels kind of wet to go on -- as most lip tints do -- but after a short space of time, it dries and you've got a gorgeous colour that is indeed anti-feathering (hallelujah!) and transfer-proof, for the most part. I used it on a day when I was meeting a friend for coffee, and I after a few sips, I did notice some colour transfer on the mug as my lips got wet, however the colour overall seemed pretty good, and I wasn't left feeling as though I immediately needed to reapply. My only concern might be how long it lasts before drying out -- hopefully it isn't a one-hit wonder. This retails for $19.99.
Ivadore Tanning Treament || I thought this was a moisturiser at first, but then I actually read the writing on the tube. It's a self-tanning lotion that is meant to develop naturally and fade slowly -- but as I don't tan, I'm not going to use it. As I mentioned earlier, my mother has expressed interest in it, so I'll likely pass it along to her. I received a 20ml tube worth $9.17.
ModelCo Double-Sided Facial Wipes || This is something that I will definitely use, as facial wipes are often (sadly) my go-to at night -- I'm still very lazy about taking my makeup off. These wipes are double-sided in that one side is for exfoliating and the other for cleansing, and they're meant to effectively remove makeup, so I'll be interested to see how well it works. I have a wedding to go to in December, and I'll be travelling to attend, so I think I'll take these with me to see how well they fare. My packet contains 1 wipe, which is worth about 32c.
Original Source Skin Quench Watermelon & Jojoba Oil Body Wash || And this was the reason we didn't get the Bellabox box! I thought it was brilliant to get a full-sized one of these, especially in such a summery scent, which I know a lot of people with love this winter. Unfortunately for me, watermelon is one of my no-no's -- I absolutely detest it, taste and scent -- and it absolutely definitely smells strongly of watermelon, so I won't be able to bring myself to use it. Onto another family member it is! This is a full-sized bottle worth $4.99.
Price: $15 + $2.95 P&H
Bellabox Product Value: $41.82
Overall, this definitely wasn't a bad box. There are some items that I won't be able to use, but they're not total right-offs, either. If you're interested in the Pokémon art that I've got in the picture, Overall, I was very, very excited by this box. It was full of products that I'd never used before, and some that I'd used a long time ago. I'd never before opened a box that made me so happy!
If you're interested in the Pokémon art, I'm unfortunately unsure about who drew the greyscale sketch of Mew (the stamp in corner is the girl's signature), and the two Eevee cards were drawn by a girl who's signed it as Hologram World. Unfortunately, I've not been able to locate a website, but they usually show up at cons such as Supanova, so when I find out who they are, I'll update this post!
What do you think of the things I received from Bellanox? Have you used any of these items before?
Shae xo
i love these beauty boxes as they have all essentials of skin care routine and you can get it in very ecnomical price i love sale season :P pore minimizer serum in pakistan
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