The Parcel by Marie Claire - Spring Edition

So moving house and having no internet for a month and a half and just general laziness means no blog posts for a while, sorry! But I'm here with something pretty exciting. The new beauty subscription box my Marie Claire called The Parcel!

It's a quarterly, not monthly box that contains deluxe beauty samples chosen by the Marie Claire editors for $25 per quarter. There were pretty high expectations for the Spring edition as deluxe means products we wouldn't normally find at our local drugstore, which is something most other beauty boxes are filled with. One of the most exciting things is that everyone gets the same products so no one is disappointed or upset with the things they received, except everyone gets different colours.

Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector
Because this retails for $97 there is no way I'll ever purchase the full size but I've still heard good things from those who also got the box.

L'Oreal Paris Purse Size Hairspray
I don't really use hairspray I find that they don't actually work on my hair, I'm not sure why but this has a nice mist spray and you can control how much comes out which I really like and it's a good size. It smells nice so I'll definitely give it a go and see if it works.

Gwen Stefani OPI Nail Lacquer
The colour I got is 4 in the Morning and it's a slightly shimmery dark charcoal/faded black satin matte finish. When it dries it does look black unless you look up close which I think is a shame but the finish is really lovely and it sets pretty hard I don't see it coming off or chipping too easily. I kind of wish I got a different colour.

Revlon ColourStay Moisture Stain
I was excited to get this product as I rarely delve much into Revlon because even though you can get it at the drugstore it's rather expensive in my books and I don't want to take the risk especially when there are much cheaper options I know work great. I got the colour Stockholm Chic(pictured above) which is a darker red/brown which I decided to swap with the fellow member of The Parcel Swap & Sell facebook page for hers which is in Shanghai Sizzle, a red which I'll definitely get a lot more wear out of.

Benefit They're Real Mascara/Liner
This is what I was most excited for! I haven't had the chance to purchase anything from Benefit yet but I love their counters and their products look amazing so I'm so happy to try these out! I've got a few mascaras open already and I definitely don't want to waste these little samples so I think I'll wait a bit before opening these up and giving them a go.

As a bonus we all received a mini shampoo and conditioner from Pantene. While it's nice to add little things like this in, a brand like Pantene shouldn't be in a box like this. BellaBox or VioletBox I'd understand but this is supposed to be more of a high end range. But as that's the only real issue I have with the entire box, I'll let it slide.

Overall, I think this was a great first box, I'm just hoping it wasn't a one off and the Summer edition will be good as well.

40% off Priceline Haul || SKINCARE

Oooh this one was a doozy! There's nothing that brings a mad rush into Priceline like a 40% off sale, especially a two day only sale. I didn't bother to hold back this time as I just wanted to try new things and get a few of the more expensive items. I ended up going both days because after the first I couldn't shake the feeling like I was missing something (after scrolling through everybodys posts of what they bought) So this is what I ended up with.

Only four of the things I got are back ups for things I like which include the Garnier Cleansing Water, which until I tried for myself I didn't believe the hype but I even prefer it over my favourite eye make up remover which says something. Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner, which I actually finished and the main reason I even had to go to this sale. Simple Cleansing facial wipes because I finished the first pack I bought and liked them and lastly Cetaphil oily skin cleanser. I have the cetaphil gentle skin cleanser and liked it a lot, I haven't finished it because I'm using a different cleanser at the moment but I thought this one would be generally the same but would hopefully help my oily skin.

A few great finds and products I'm really excited about is the Sanctuary Brightening Facial Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser. I've always wanted to try the Liz Earl Cleanse and Polish but isn't avaliable in Australia and haven't found anything similar. Next is the Sanctuary 5 Minute Thermal Detox Mask. I've heard good things about this and a lot of people seemed to have purchased this also during the sale so it must be good.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo is something I've seen and heard a lot about. I haven't exactly read many reviews on it but they've all been positive and many people seem to buy this product.. and a lot of it. It's quite expensive retailing for $28 which is something I would lust over but definitely wouldn't buy. See how these sales just rope you in? I should have bought two! Hopefully this works on my problematic skin. Fingers crossed!

I'm soo excited to try these products, I can't wait. I think I'm going to have to have a few pamper nights in a row just so I can try everything asap! What skincare items are a must for you to get at a 40% off sale?

Take care xo

BellaBox: July 2014 Review

BellaBox is an Aussie monthly subscription service where you pay $15 a month including postage and they send you a box of at least 5 samples.

This is my second box so far and it came reasonably fast. July's theme was American Beauty even though it came with a product from Japan and one apparently from Australia so that doesn't really make sense but anyway, here's what came in the box.

ANASTASIA Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat (RRP $39 AUD - 5.3g) Sample size 3.2g 

In my first box I got the Anastasia Clear Brow Gel which is amazing and frankly I'm happy to just own a product that's pretty expensive in my book and has a lot of great reviews. But now I have two from this brand. I honestly have no need for a waterproof topcoat, I don't use waterproof mascara but I'll try it anyway even though it seems like a bit of a gimmick product. Or I'll give it to my sister who has problems with mascara (probably not, I'll end up just hoarding it)

YU-BE Moisturizing Skin Cream (RRP $34.95 AUD - 70ml) Sample size 3ml

This teeny tiny little sample of cream is the Japanese product. It's meant for dry skin on all areas of the body including face and lips (for external use only though) This will definitely be interesting to try but I don't have dry skin so I'll most likely use it for lips.

DESIGNER BRANDS Lip Butter (RRP $4.99 AUD - 10ml) Full size

I've tried this since getting the box and it's okay. It's coconut scented and honestly smells like a cheap lipgloss you'd find in a $2 shop or something. It's also in a pot which I absolutely hate. As far as lip balm (or most things) go, having to stick your finger into anything is just ugh no. So far it's lasted on the lips and is moisturizing.

DESIGNER BRANDS Paw Paw Plus Hand Cream (RRP $4.99 AUD - 30g) Full size

This also smells like something cheap. I'm not the biggest hand cream person, I don't like the feeling of something on my hands. It's not very practical for me because I'm constantly doing something with my hands. I'm sure I'll use it up eventually but it's probably going to be something that ends up at the back of a drawer.

NICOLE BY OPI NAIL LACQUER (RRP $12.95 AUD - 15ml) Full size

I was so happy and relieved when I found this in the box. Not only because it's nail polish and I have an ever growing collection but because I got the colour Razzle Dazzler aka Black! I don't have a black nail polish and this goes opaque in two coats. Other people got some not so nice colours or another not so great product instead so I'm happy I got this.

STRIVECTIN-EV Get Even Brightening Serum (RRP $89 AUD - 50ml) Sample

Other than what it says on the card and the same thing on the packet I don't know much about this. I think it gets rid of dark spots and as the name would suggest, brightens your skin. You're supposed to use it for 8 weeks to see results.. if only the sample size would last that long.

I think BB is pretty good but most other people seem to have a problem with it. It definitely doesn't help that they have seemingly pretty bad customer service and don't respond to emails and questions for ages until you hassle them. They always seem to have delays with shipping and from what I've seen the products they've sent in the past have been very similar month to month.. Not much variety. So far I haven't had a bad experience but I've only received two boxes so keeping my fingers crossed nothing bad happens in the next few months.

If you want to try it, definitely do. Even if it's just for one month. It's fun to receive beauty stuff in the mail, especially if you score some good things like an OPI nail polish :D

x

40% off Drugstore Haul

Earlier this week Priceline, which is the drugstore of Australia, had a two day 40% off cosmetics sale and of course I absolutely jumped at the chance to buy all the things! Although I didn't, I'm actually proud of myself that this time round I didn't exactly go overboard, we all have different definitions of 'overboard', but I did pick up some new things to try! Let me just add that sales are the only times I will actually willingly try something new.

Australis Fresh & Flawless pressed powder

a well known dupe for MAC Studio Fix. The colour I got is Natural, the lightest out of the 3 to choose from. They recently changed the packaging which I'm disappointed about as now it looks a bit cheap but I'm super excited to try this!

Maybelline SuperStay 24HR foundation

you should have seen the swatches on my arms. Once I find a foundation that works for me I stick with it but I just wanted to try something new for a change. I wanted a lighter shade but I think this is more pink toned(I'm yellow toned) I couldn't tell I almost didn't buy it but I just went with it.

Essence Longlasting Lipstick in Coral Calling

sticking with the trying new things theme and considering they didn't have the new shade I actually wanted to try I picked this one up instead. I want to get out of my comfort zone and I don't have anything coral so this is a great start especially with such low prices. -I've actually tried this and it's such a lovely colour on me, perfect for summer, if only it didn't just end haha-

Essence Maximum Definition Volume mascara

I'm not sure why I picked this up, I think the bright orange attracted me. It also has probably my favourite kind of wand, plastic bristles woo! Even though the Essense mascaras dry out quicker I know this will be a good one.

Essence Eyebrow Stylist set

Now I don't fill in my eyebrows, I don't even wax them I've never really felt the need too. They look fine plucked but entering the beauty world I've come to understand that even filling in your eyebrows a little can just make a look so much different and because this was so cheap I thought why the hell not! I have tried this and both shades work well with my colour eyebrows and it's fun.

Essence Lash and Brow gel mascara

Sometimes my eyebrows can be a bit unruly so again sticking with trying new things, why not and I just got it. I had seen other people getting this in the #pricelinehaul tag on instagram (it's an amazing tag, so much make up inspiration) and it was the last one so I felt I had to get it.

This was probably a lot of writing for a haul but I just can't help myself :D
Take care xo