April I Love This Box Review!

Hello lovelies!

Did everyone have a lovely Anzac Day? I really enjoyed my day off, it was quite productive as I managed to get quite a few things done!

I also received my April ILTB yesterday, so I thought I'd best do my review before time got away from me. The theme of this box was Easter surprise and focuses mainly on natural ingredients, so it contains a lot of organic and mineral products. They're also making it more sustainable by including dividers to turn your box into a container with little compartments!

Here's what I received in my April box!

Avado Sensitives certified organic gel exfoliant (full sized)

Chikii natural salon quality mineral cosmetics mineral blush in 'embrace' (sample)

Haf mineral make up mineral eyeshadow (sample, I received 'rainforest', a gorgeous shimmery green)

Maybelline color sensational lipstick (full sized, I received blushing brunette, a brown-pink)

Just D'lish 15 hour burn time soy wax candle (full sized, I received 'pina colada')

And also, a Priceline voucher for $5 off Avado products and two little chocolate eggs!

On to the photos:

Chikii blush sample in 'embrace' and Haf shadow in 'rainforest'.

Maybelline lipstick in Blushing Brunette.

Blushing Brunette.

Swatches of the blush and eyeshadow.

We received three full sized products in this months box, which is great value! I've never tried Avado products, so I'm interested to see how this performs to my Dermalogica microfoliant. I'll probably wait a while before opening it as I have a few others open at the moment.

As many others found, the Chikii blush had leaked all over my box, resulting in pink powder pretty much everywhere! But I don't think the blame lies with ILTB for this, ultimately all they can do is use what the suppliers provide them with, and so it's not realistic to be upset at them. I do think that ILTB should make a mental note that this sort of packaging is really inconvenient, and perhaps stipulate that packaging should be in tiny little pots for future reference. Fortunately there was still ample product in my little sachet left for me to trial, so I'll depot it into some spare little pots I have for that purpose.

I don't really like mineral eyeshadows overly much as they tend to spill all over the place when used, but I'm happy to give this a go. I love the colour I received as greens are right up my alley. Look out for an EOTD coming soon! As you can see from the last photo, both the blush and the shadow appear quite sheer when just swatched on my hand, so I'm keen to see how it performs when layered over my UDPP or when worn wet. I also really love the colour of the Maybelline lipstick I got, although I do think I really lucked out here. This colour is gorgeous and suits me perfectly. I've already worn it twice since I received it! I do love the pigmentation but my only complaint is it tends to get a bit drying after wearing it for several hours. Easily remedied by putting a lipbalm underneath or on top, though!

Last but not least, I love candles, so it's lovely to receive a new brand of soy candle that I haven't tried before. I know several people received soaps instead of the candle, I think I'd have been happy with both options! My candle smells really lovely, I can't wait to burn it on the weekend while giving myself a little pamper session!

VERDICT? I loved this box! It's the only one of the beauty box brands that regularly does make up, which I think is fabulous as there are only so many skincare samples you can play with each month. I really think make up is more interesting! I loved that there were 3 make up items in this box, including a full sized lipstick (you can never have too many lip products in my book). ILTB also did a little easter egg hunt surprise, where ten lucky subscribers received a 'golden egg' and mystery goodies, and if they posted it to the ILTB Facebook wall, ILTB released some mystery deals for all their customers! I really think that adds an element of fun to the April box and also seems like a lovely way of showing appreciation for your customers, (although I wasn't fortunate enough to score a golden egg in my box, unfortunately). I will definitely be trying/using all of these products, so this box is a definite winner for me!

What did you think of this box? If you received one, what did you get in it? Were you lucky enough to score a 'golden egg'?
Much love,
MM.
x

March I Love This Box Review!

Hello lovelies!

It was truly a case of deliveries overload this morning when I received my March Bellabox, March ILTB, and my Essie polish shipment from OzSales (which I had purchased about a month ago, but with free shipping I'm not at all bothered about the delay)! Very exciting indeed, what is that they say...when it rains, it pours?

Anyhow, I was quite excited to dig into each of my little shipments, but then I had to chuck it all aside and dash out of the office for a site inspection. So I only actually got the chance to sit down and digest what was inside each box just a couple of minutes ago. As it's been a terribly long day and tomorrow will also be a long day, I'm only going to be able to do one review today, so I've chosen the ILTB as I'm far more excited about its contents. :)

So here's what I received in my gorgeous, autumn themed ILTB:

Essie nail polish mini in 'Ladylike' (this is a gorgeous beige/taupe polish that I'm totally loving, from their autumn collection)

Maybelline XXL ProCurl (full sized)

Sunsilk Co-creations straight, detangling mist (full-sized, you might have received the weather protection and shine serum instead of this)

Thalgo soft hydrating emulsion sample

Glitter puff wand

Here are some photos: 

LOVE the purple theme! :)

(Click to see pricing)

March ILTB goodies.

L-R: Glitter puff, Thalgo moisturiser, Maybelline XXL ProCurl mascara,
Sunsilk detangling mist, and Essie 'Ladylike' nail polish.

With three of the samples being full sized, I think ILTB has spoilt us terribly yet again!

When I first read the card, my first thought was, 'I hope I get the detangling spray', and sure enough, that's what I got! I'm really excited to try it. At the moment, I'm using the detangling spray I got in my February Lust Have It box, so I'd really like to have something to compare it to. I'm also really keen to try the mascara as I'm currently having a love-hate relationship with my extremely stiff lashes, and curling is JUST the thing I am looking for! Love Maybelline mascaras and I was just wishing I had a 'cheap' primer for every day use just the other day (instead of using my Lancome oscillation booster all the time).

Being the polish addict that I am, I was thrilled to see another Essie polish in the box (we've also received one previously) but this one is really apt as it's from the autumn collection, and I LOVE it! It's a pretty, pale taupe/beige colour and I've already swatched it on my hand..it's love at first sight. Look out for a NOTD coming soon!

Last but not least, I will be quite happy to use the glitter wand the next time I go out somewhere nice, it looks so cute and dainty. The product I'm probably least excited about is the Thalgo moisturiser, but that's because my skin can be quite sensitive, particularly to moisturiser, and I don't want to break out. But I think I might actually give this a go on my decolletage or something as it looks pretty good!

VERDICT? Another box that I absolutely adored, and I think this one is fabulous as I really liked four of the five products in it! Cannot stress how lovely it is to have a box that consistently delivers lovely new goodies to tuck into, unlike some competitor boxes which have fluctuated from month to month. They have also launched their online store now, which means it will be even easier to get the goodies they bring to us (particularly the imported ones which are only available overseas, like the Rimmel gloss duo from the February box). I have been asked many times which box I recommend, and ILTB is definitely one of my top recommendations, as they are reliable, trustworthy, pleasant (every time I've emailed with a customer service inquiry) and they deliver top notch goodies every month without issues. I also love that every subscriber receives the same goodies for the most part, so no one ever has to suffer box envy unduly.

Did you get this box? If so, what colour and which Sunsilk item did you receive?

I leave you with a quick photo of the Essie polishes I ordered. They were on sale for $5 each, with free shipping, so I couldn't resist! Clearly I was in a pink mood that day? I've already put 'Flawless' (the one on the left) on, and I'll be posting some EOTD photos tomorrow. It's so pretty!

L-R: Flawless, Fiesta and Luscious Lips.

Much love,

MM.

x

February I Love This Box Review!

Hello lovelies!

I'm completely behind on my blogging, I actually received this last week but things have been so crazy, I haven't had time to blog about it! I've been trying to declutter my flat, I haven't been home for the past couple of weekends, so I ended up taking an extra day off to spring clean and also just to catch up on my rest/chores. It was great! I think I should definitely take more 3 day weekends, the only downside is I'm now swamped at work!

So on to the February ILTB, my first impression when I lifted this box, was a bit of surprise at how heavy it was. I was also really impressed to peel back the lid and find some gorgeous red wrapping paper/padding, it was such a lovely touch for the love themed box! Almost all the items in the box were either red/pink, which I think went really well with the whole theme, too. :)

Anyway, without too much ado, here is what I received:

Keratinology overnight treatment (full sized)

Elizabeth Arden Red Door perfume sample (this is a deluxe sample but it's the prettiest I've seen!)

Nail file (with pretty pink hearts on it - full sized)

Rimmel Lasting Finish Kiss and Stay lip gloss in Colours of Love (full sized)

The Aromatherapy Co - Rose and Patchouli Sensual/Soothing Bath and Shower Gel (full sized)

A bag of little red jelly beans

Here are some photos:

Gorgeous red packaging to fit this month's theme.

Everything was packed/padded nicely.

L-R: Rimmel lipgloss, nail file, jelly beans, Red Door sample,
Keratinology overnight treatment and Aromatherapy Co
shower gel.

Click on the photo to see pricing/size details for each item.

With four of the samples being full sized, I think ILTB totally spoilt us this month! I love how beautifully packaged and coordinated this month's samples were in relation to the Valentine Day theme, so once again, I think ILTB have done brilliantly well!

I've heard great things about the Keratinology range, and I've actually been dying to try the shampoo/conditioner I received in my first box, except I have the keratin treatment in my hair and I'm not allowed to use shampoos containing SLS (I have a feeling I'm going to wait a month and then give in, though), so I was happy to receive a Keratinology product I could use now! I was quite happy to receive the overnight treatment as I'm really fond of leave in treatments and will be alternating this one with my Pantene overnight treatment. I've always thought Red Door was a classic, if somehow suited for an older target audience, but I don't mind giving this a shot...who knows, I might find a new favourite! :) The sample is really quite unique as it's got a spray mechanism, so this makes it super handy for travelling with.

As for the Rimmel lip gloss, I'm always happy to receive any makeup product, and I'm especially keen to try this one as it's not available in stores locally. I actually really like the Aromatherapy Co Rose and Patchouli products, I was using their body lotion for a while but unfortunately left it behind the last time I travelled overseas. As we all know, I am a big nail polish fan, and often do my own nails, so a nail file will always come in handy. Particularly a girly, pretty pink file with hearts on it! And last but not least, jelly beans will never go astray!

VERDICT? I loved this box and think it's really great value! I love that ILTB deliver great samples to our door for us to try every month, without any delays/packaging/shipping issues, and there are always some great full sized samples in there! I will use each and every item in here, and I'm even excited to try the ones that I wouldn't normally have picked out for myself (like the lipgloss and the perfume), which is the whole point of subscribing to a sample box, if you ask me! I also love the effort they put into each themed box, and how they tie it all up nicely (like matching all red samples to the inner packaging)...it really is a lovely touch! I also think that it's great that all subscribers receive the same items, it's a lot fairer that way and so no one has to suffer from 'box envy'.

What did you think of this month's ILTB? Did you like what you got, if you subscribe to it?

Much love,
MM.
x

November I Love This Box Review!

Hello lovelies,

I'm back again, but this will be a quickie post as I'm really tired and battling a bad headache to boot.

So, it was like Christmas coming early today as I received both my Bellabox and my I Love This Box (ILTB)
today! In case you haven't already checked it out, my Bellabox review can be found here.

Now, this is the first ever ILTB sent out here in Australia, and man, does it live up to the hype! I'll be completely honest, I had a few doubts as the company did not disclose where they were based, which brands were specifically associated with them or any other information, but as they seemed really great with customer feedback (answering questions through Facebook and email), and as payment was taken through Paypal, I decided to go ahead with it and boy, was I rewarded!

First of all, I was pleasantly surprised by how heavy the box was when I picked it up...Naturally, I couldn't wait to tear into it, so let's have a look at some photos before we look at the contents. The box arrived in a gorgeous lilac coloured outer box, which you then peel back to reveal the off-white ILTB inside. The first thing that struck me as I opened the box was a gorgeous scent that wafted out as soon as I lifted the lid. I'm not sure if it was due to scented padding paper or merely the box contents, but trust me when I say it just added to the experience.

On to the contents, which are:

Caudalie Paris: Set of 3 facial care samples (moisturiser, anti-wrinkle ultra mourishing cream, and anti-wrinkle ultra serum).

Certified organic by nature, Nvey Eco's Taupe Eyeshadow: a really pretty, shimmery brown (this should look beautiful applied wet and blended with some other neutral shadows I own).

Essie French Affair's Spring 2011 Nail Polish Collection: Topless and Barefoot.

Keratinology by Sunsilk Salon Perfection Hair Collection: Detoxifying Shampoo and Conditioner.

POD - Liquid Tan Gradual Tanning Face Serum

Verdict? Loved it, I think this box was excellent value for money and cannot get past the amazing scent! I can't say I'm a fan of the POD serum and will possibly pass this on to someone else (or do a giveaway here at some point), but otherwise, I quite loved this box! Can't wait to see what they come up with for December!


Much love,
MM.
x