Violet Box July

 So yeah I know I'm REALLY REALLY behind in blogging on my subscription boxes but being in Hawaii and then working through some personal issues really put a hamper on my blogging but I AM BACK!

So, to kick off this mega blog update I bring you the Violet Box July edition.

CONTENTS:

• ModelCo Shine Ultra Lip Gloss (full size)
• Aphelia Peony 9+5 Advanced Beautifying Eye Creme (sample)
• Catalina Geo Long and Deep Mascara (full size plus refill)
• Adorn Cosmetics Eye Create Intensive Shadow x 2 (sample)
• St Tropz Bronzing Mousse (travel size) 

MODELCO SHINE ULTRA LIP GLOSS "STRIP TEASE" RRP $18.00

I have previously tried a ModelCo gloss when it was sent in the April Her Fashion Box and my thoughts about this brand still haven't changed. The product itself is nice but paying $18.00 for a gloss that is made in China just doesn't sit right for me.

Strip Tease has a nice fruity scent but the smell is not over powering. The gloss is also not too sticky, does not have much colour but has a lot of shimmer.

 If this product was in the $5 - $10 I would probably recommend it but I really feel like this is over priced at it's current retail price.

 APHELIA PEONY 9+5 ADVANCED BEAUTIFYING EYE CREME

 I have never heard of the Aphelia Peony brand before and to be honest the way this was packaged didn't make me feel confident enough to trial the cream. As I have sensitive skin I am always super cautious as to what I introduce in to my skin care routine so I passed on this and didn't try it.

CATALINA GEO LONG AND DEEP MASCARA

 

I had never heard of Catalina Geo before but was actually quite surprised once I actually tried the product.

When you first open the bottle you really notice the smell but after a while it subsides. The mascara itself is of a medium consistency and quite wet and malleable. This mascara does not flake and once dry the lashes can still be bent/touched without feeling like it is going to crumble and is still soft to the touch.

I feel like this mascara really helped with the volume and length of my lashes and I would consider buying this product again. Even though this product is $31.50 (which is quite pricey) this mascara averages out to $15.75ea as you get a free refill.

(L) No mascara (R) Catalina Geo Long & Deep Mascara applied

 ADORN COSMETICS EYE CREATE INTENSIVE SHADOW

At first glance I thought that the eye shadows I received were quite pretty and the sample sizes were also quite generous.

Quartz

Jasper

I had high hopes for these eye shadows but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. The staying power of these eye shadows was terrible as the colour basically just wipes off with the lightest touch.

Another thing that concerned me was how much more different the Quartz eyeshadow looked with primer underneath it. Quartz goes from a nice chocolatey brown to an ashy brown/black.

I'd love to see what the rest of the Adorn Cosmetics eye shadow range looks like before I completely write off this brand but based on these two samples I wouldn't be buying this range at this stage.

Photo taken with flash

ST TROPEZ BRONZING MOUSSE

 As I'm still so brown from Hawaii I couldn't find a white enough spot to try this St Tropez tanning mousse but from my days working at David Jones I remember this brand being the nicest self tan that I had used. Having said that though, that was over 10 years ago so I'm hoping that the formula has not changed since then. Will definitely be using this once I start going white again (which won't be until Winter next year).

Overall this month's box didn't really have that much in it that I liked as I only really liked 1/5 products within it. Although, the monetary value of the box itself was worth it, I seem to be feeling more disappointed in Violet Box as each month passes. I think I'll give it to the end of the year as to whether I'll continue my subscription.