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.

Her Fashion Box April 2013

Sorry I'm so behind in posting this!!! Between organizing/sponsoring the Face of Alice Be Curious Competition, my holiday overseas and everyday life, I've been struggling to find time to blog but things are now back to being manageable.

The first of my many many posts to come is the review of the second ever Her Fashion Box.

This is what subscribers received this month:

• 1x Her Fashion Magazine
• 1x Fashion Cuff
• 1x Bondi Sands Self Tanning Foam
• 1x Bondi Sands Tanning Mitt
• 1x Schick Hydro Silk Razor
• 1x ModelCo Lip Duo (Nude Lipstick/Watermelon Gloss)
• 1x Eyedefine Eye Pencil

Now, I just need to add a comment here about HFB's AMAZING customer service!

After reading other subscriber's comments on the HFB facebook page I realized that I didn't receive the ModelCo Lip Duo. I thought, like many other subscription boxes, that you don't receive everything on the list so I sent them a quick message and I instantly got a response from them with an apology. They then advised me that a replacement was on its way to me in the mail and it arrived the next day. Now that's what you call customer service! BIG BROWNIE POINTS FOR HFB! ^_^

As an additional Thank You to those who replied to the survey I also received a deluxe sample of Redken's All Soft Argan-6 Oil. I ADORE this product. It smells divine and makes my hair feel luxurious. Another thing I liked about it was that a little product went a long way (especially when I compare it to the Moroccan Oil). Definitely one to repurchase! 

 CUFF LOVE

Trendy Cuff $39.95

Ear cuffs, hair cuffs, ankle cuffs - cuffs everywhere! So it's fitting that the accessory for the April box is a wrist cuff. Once again I found myself wanting the other style accessories (LOVING the feminine one - floral lace inspired).

The Trendy jewellery piece is once again a spike studded piece (March box Trendy subscribers received a spike hair cuff and a neon/spike necklace...). The cuff is solid and is well made and I was surprised that it fit over my wrists (I'm a big girl).

While I wasn't IN LOVE with it, I didn't hate it. I think I'll see what the next box brings me in terms of accessories and then decide whether or not I switch over to a Feminine or Classic subscription.

 (Cuffs pictured on the right, top to bottom: Classic, Trendy, Feminine)

 BONDI SANDS SELF TANNER

 (Self Tanning Foam 200ml $19.95 * Tanning Mitt $9.95)

 I didn't try this product as I just can't bring myself to put on fake tan. I'm actually quite dark already (being of Filipino descent, and also just returning from a week on the beach in the Philippines) so I just didn't see that there was a need to try this either. What I CAN say though it that it is the nicest smelling tanner I have come across. After working with Comptan.com.au for the FitX Competition I can say that I have smelt my fair share of fake tanning products and nothing smelt as nice as this! ^_^. If you were interested to see people's reviews of this product head on over to HFB review section to have a read.

 SCHICK HYDRO SILK RAZOR

Schick Hydro Silk Razor $10.00

 This was another miss for me. To be honest, I find the Schick/Gilette razors to be overpriced and underachieving. I find that they don't stay sharp for very long and the cartridge refills are just too pricey. As something that comes in a package it's great but I won't be going out to buy one in a hurry.

MODELCO LIP DUO & EYEDEFINE EYE PENCIL

 (Eyedefine Eye Pencil BLACK01 $26.00 * Lip Duo Nude Lipstick / Watermelon Gloss $24.00)

 I didn't know what to expect of the ModelCo makeup range when I opened it but boy did it sure surprise me! The end result - good AND bad.

Here's the good: The Eyedefine Eye Pencil in BLACK01 is extremely pigmented and soft. There is nothing that I hate more than when you buy an eye pencil and no matter how hard you press the pencil won't draw. This pencil is just AMAZING! It is a true black pencil that is so nice and smooth and smudges so nicely.

Eyedefine Black01 swatch on the back of my hand (macro shot - no filter)

No filter/edit - look at how black that liner is!! Excuse my face -there's no makeup on besides the pencil ;p

AND NOW.... for the BAD:

The attached sharpener that is on the lid, while it is a good sharpener, is SOOOOO hard to clean! I sharpened the pencil after testing this out and look at the mess it left (below). I even took out the little pencil sharpener cleaner at the very tip of the lid and no luck. I also tried a cotton bud but still nothing. If anything I think it made it worse.

Macro shot - soOOOooOo much to clean with no way of being able to!

BUT - it sharpened it very nicely! ^_^

The final thing that has thrown me off repurchasing this pencil is the fact that it is made in China (Made in PRC = People's Republic of China) and retails for $26.00! To give you some idea, other brands that have products made in China such as NYX, e.l.f, LA Colours etc sell their pencils at $4-6 each.

Now I'm not saying that you need to be a makeup brand snob ( I LOVE NYX) but I think that this pencil is well overpriced for the size as well as from a manufacturing stand point. Even though this pencil was great, I know of other branded pencils that are much larger with great payoff that are cheaper and do a better job.

I really wanted to look past the fact that it was made in China but I just can't. However, if it retailed for say $10.00 I would have definitely bought this again. Who knows? I may fall in love with it the more that I use it but for that price I highly doubt it.... it's disappointing.
.

I have the same problem in liking this lipstick..... $24.00 for a cosmetic product made in China. Once again there were good things about this product and bad.

Watermelon Gloss Only

 Watermelon Lip Gloss - the smell/taste of this gloss is so YUMMY! I just want to eat it all - lol! The gloss is very thin and didn't really last long on my lips. It was nice but I wouldn't rush out to buy it. I used to be a HUGE fan of their lip plumping gloss but I think they've changed their recipe for it because it's not as good as it used to be (I'm talking about 10 years ago when it first launched).

Nude Lipstick

The consistency of this lipstick was very creamy and quite messy. You'll definitely need a primer under this one as it moved quite a lot. I'm a huge fan of this colour but I found myself needing to have to reapply this one constantly and that's just irritating! So it would be a pass on this product!

Nude Lipstick & Watermelon Gloss together

Adding the gloss to the already creamy lipstick is a definite NO! The lipstick moved even more with the gloss on top and it also started to look patchy and uneven.... not a fan!

I really wanted to like this, I really did, especially after HFB went to the extra trouble of resending one to me but I just couldn't.

Here's hoping that the next makeup products they send me end up being good ones! ^_^

Jolz xxx