Violet Box October 2013

 CONTENTS:

• 1x Bodyography Every Finish Powder (Full Size)
• 2x APIVITA Face Mask (Sample)
• 1x Savoir Faire Lipgloss (Full Size)
• 1x John Plunkett Cosmeceuticals Super Wrinkle Cream (Sample)
• 1x Be A Bombshell Eye Shadow (Full Size)
  
  

   

  BODYOGRAPHY EVERY FINISH POWDER ($59.95AUD RRP)

   

 I was super excited to open up this month's Violet Box to three full size makeup products and was especially excited about the Bodyography powder. However, my excitement was short lived as when I opened up the box, powder spilled out everywhere.

I contacted Violetbox via their support team on October 30 (the day I received it) and they advised that they would send out a replacement to me on November 4th. Up until now I still haven't received a replacement, hence why this blog post is so late because I was waiting on them to send a new one before doing this review. 

This is a point where I have to say that Her Fashion Box are far more superior in their Customer Service skills. I find that Her Fashion Box respond to you immediately and send items out to you via Express Mail if you should have a problem with one of the products in your box or if an item is missing. I feel that waiting almost two weeks for a replacement is a little ridiculous.....

 The product itself isn't too bad, pigmented enough but doesn't apply too heavily, but I'd be careful of where you apply this as it is super orange. I'd most likely only use this as a highlight and very minimally. Also, since this did not travel in the post well, I wouldn't chuck this in my hand bag as I could imagine this breaking and spilling everywhere.

I don't think I would ever buy this product as I can get nicer highlight colours for much less than the $59.95 price tag and the fact that it broke so easily is something else to consider. I had such high hopes for this brand so to say that I was disappointed is an understatement.

If you received this from Violetbox in your subscription box I'd love to know your thoughts on the product and the brand itself.

 

APIVITA FACE MASK (TWO DOSE SACHET $7.90RRP)

 

This is the type of face mask I prefer, good old creamy masks that you lather on your face and wash off.

APIVITA is a Greek cult brand of face masks based on ingredients found in a Mediterranean diet. The sample I received was an 'instant lifting' mask with red wine and seaweed extract.

While I couldn't tell much of a difference in my skin appearance I did feel that I was still pampering myself and it felt nice on my skin.

Still, this sample size was not enough to sway me to buy this product again but it's definitely one of the better ones I have received in a sample box thus far.

 

SAVOIR FAIRE LIPGLOSS ($25.00AUD RRP)

Macro shot

The Savoir Faire lipgloss comes in five different shades with a signature scent and flavour for each shade. I received the clear one in Dazzling which has a vanilla scent/flavour.

Upon opening the gloss the smell isn't too overpowering BUT when you apply it you can taste the super sweet vanilla immediately which automatically makes me not like this product as it's just too sweet.

The gloss doesn't appear as shimmery on the lips as it does in the bottle, which was quite disappointing and wasn't worthy of a picture as it looked like I just licked my lips and had slobber all over my mouth.

 For something made in China (listed as Made in PRC), I feel that a $25.00RRP price point is over the top and unwarranted. Combine the fact that this gloss is super sweet and not thick enough, this is definitely one item that I can go without.

Certainly, there are products that are Made in China that are quality items but their pricing point reflects that, for example NYX and Sleek to name a few, and I just feel for $25.00 for this gloss is just too expensive for what you get.

 

 

 

 

 

JOHN PLUNKETT COSMECEUTICALS
SUPER WRINKLE CREAM (50g $28.95AUD RRP)

 

This Super Wrinkle Cream is incompatible with my skin type. I found it was a little too rich for my liking so this definitely wasn't a winner for me. Even though it wasn't good for my face I found it really nice for my legs as they were super dry from being out in the sun. Needless to say, I won't be repurchasing this once I run out.

 

BE A BOMBSHELL EYE SHADOW ($18.00AUD RRP)

 

 Be A Bombshell was started in 2011 by a woman named Tonya Thompson and has garnered 'cult' status with lots of people raving about their products on various forums so it's no surprise that the brand has made its way to Australia.  They stock a full range of cosmetics to do your whole face and also have a beauty club where one of their consultants will create a monthly look based on your profile and will recommend products for you to purchase at special prices.

On first inspection, the packaging of the product is quite nice and looks professional (although I'm really not a fan of their logo and text) and has a similar feel to MAC eyeshadow packaging. Despite the Bodyography powder arriving smashed to pieces, this eyeshadow was still intact which is great as I hate it when you spend money on products and they don't hold well with travel.

Macro shot: Money Money

 The colour I received was Money Money which is a smokey green shimmer eyeshadow with specks of gold throughout. This is a colour that I would DEFINITELY wear especially once I start getting darker in the summer as this shade looks amazing against tanned skin.

On application this shadow is quite pigmented and silky smooth. The eyeshadow also blends really easily and has great longevity but I find the colour holds/appears better with a primer.

This eyeshadow actually exceeded my expectations and I actually really like the product, however, I don't think that I would buy from them as I currently use Inglot Cosmetics Freedom System which has a collection of over 200 colours in various finishes for only $10AUD per eyeshadow pan and that's something that just can't be beat where as Be A Bombshell only has 22 colours available, not to mention that their product price point for something made in China is too high. I'd much rather buy an eyeshadow from NYX/Sleek that is much cheaper and has the same amount of pigmentation in their product.

The other thing I wanted to address was something I came across on the Be A Bombshell About Us section on their website:

"I realized that I could use the same manufacturers that produce high end cosmetics with the same quality and pass fabulous products on to you at a lower cost!" - Tonya Thompson (Founder)

I'd LOVE to know which high end brands manufacture and produce their cosmetics in China. I feel that this is just PR spin to make their cosmetics seem more high end than they really are.

Overall this month's Violet Box was good but I really felt let down by their customer service skills and am really quite disappointed with them. I've seen a preview of December's box (although we haven't received November's box yet) so here's hoping they have better and exciting brands to come!

Preview of what's to arrive in the December Violet Box as posted on their Facebook page.

Violet Box September

 Okay. I'm not going to sugar coat this review. This, by far, is THE WORST box I have received so far. REALLY. I'm not over exaggerating either.

I'll start with the good things for this month's box.

 

NS-5 CUTICLE & NAIL COMPLEX ($9.95) - Full size

 This cuticle cream feels luxurious and is quite emollient. However, as I already have good cuticles I can't comment on whether it does repair the skin. It has no overpowering fragrance and is in an easy to use tube. NS-5 Cuticle gets a tick in my book but I won't be buying this once it runs out (if it ever does) as I don't really need it in my manicure routine.

 

SINFUL NAIL POLISH ($4.95) - Full Size

 I've seen this nail polish range at my local Priceline and Target over the past couple of months and have always been intrigued to try it but as I have quite an extensive range of polishes I hadn't bothered to buy any as they didn't have anything that was unusual or a colour that I didn't already have.

Surprisingly this polish was quite pigmented and also had a nice shine to it. Given that it is a cheap line it really impressed me with this and it wore well with minimal to no chipping. This is one polish that I will definitely use once summer hits us!

Now for the bad.... and I mean REALLY BAD!

 

THE VINTAGE COSMETIC COMPANY
FLORAL SLANTED TWEEZERS ($14.95) & EMERY BOARD ($4.95)

 The emery board has quite a lot of texture and even though in the description it states it's for "soft, weak and fragile nails" it still worked on my strong, hard nails so it wasn't a complete disaster for The Vintage Cosmetic Company. However, the tweezers are a WHOLE OTHER STORY.

 Okay, these tweezers are terrible. I've had cheap tweezers that I have picked up for $2 that do a better job than these and when I saw that they these retail at $14.95 I had to stop myself from laughing so hard.

These tweezers have NO GRIP and are absolutely useless. USELESS. What is the point of a pair of tweezers that do not have any grip? It took 4-5 goes to even feel a tug on the hair and it didn't necessarily guarantee hair removal whereas my Revlon Diamond Grip tweezers that I picked up two years ago for a little more than the RRP of these ones pick the hair and tweeze on the first go. So either I got a pair of dud tweezers or The Vintage Cosmetic Company need to remake this product.

 

ELEVEN AUSTRALIA'S MIRACLE HAIR TREATMENT

 There was not enough of this product to make a proper assessment as there was barely enough for one application. My tube was pretty much empty. On the plus side it smelt nice, but that's pretty much all I can say about it.

 

TIMELESS TRUTH Q10 CAVIAR NOURISHING MASK ($7.00)

I did not notice a change in the feel of my skin, or appearance of my skin after using this product but I didn't think I would considering it was only one mask. To be honest, I felt like I wasted my time even trying this.

Overall this month's Violet Box screamed cheap and nasty. I hope they up their game and give us some thing great in October's box cos otherwise I'll be cancelling my subscription soon enough.

Violet Box August

August's Violet Box was enough to give me hope that I'd continue my subscription. There were three full size products in this box that I absolutely LOVED! <3

 CONTENTS:

• Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 Shadow/Liner (full size)
• Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush (full size)
• Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser (sample)
• ghd Style Heat Protection Spray (full size)
• Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair Cream Shampoo/Anti Breakage Conditioner (sample)

 JELLY PONG PONG 2-IN-1 SHADOW/LINER "BRONZE"

I had seen the brand Jelly Pong Pong on various different makeup websites but have never bought any items as I usually like to test makeup before buying and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised.

Swatch on the back of my hand - look at that coverage!

 The Shadow/Liner is absolutely GORGEOUS! What I liked most about this is that it was so heavily pigmented and the longevity of the product was fabulous. The pencil feels quite rich/dense and it glides on like a dream without being too thin/oily like most 2-in-1 eye products.

This item is definitely a WIN in my books and I'm going to look into buying some more just for myself (maybe for the kit too).

No foundation, liner/mascara and brows only

 JELLY PONG PONG LIP BLUSH

When I saw this item in the box I felt a little disheartened as I really don't like chubby pencils as I find they don't sharpen well but as I opened the packaging and used it I realised that this was a wind up pencil so that made me super happy!

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush in Cranberry is a super moist lip stain that packs a lot of punch. The stain is super pigmented and glides/wears like a lip balm. This lip colour definitely gets a tick in my books as I find when I wear lipstick my lips tend to get dry but this lip blush feels super comfortable and I could wear it all day without feeling like wanting to rub it off.

This is another win for Jelly Pong Pong AND Violet Box! LOVE IT!

 DR BRAGI AGE MANAGEMENT MOISURISER

 This is another product that I am really hesitant to try. As I've mentioned numerous times, I have super sensitive skin (especially when it comes to moisturisers) so the thought of putting this on my skin really had me worried because it states that only a pea size amount is enough to put on the face AND the neck which means it is SUPER POTENT so I didn't try it.

Last time I tried something like this my skin went all leathery and dry so I didn't want to risk it. I would love to hear from anyone who has tried this product with sensitive skin and whether it worked well on you!

ghd STYLE HEAT PROTECTION SPRAY

 I LOVE ghd and all their products so it was awesome to receive a FULL SIZE item of theirs in this month's box.

This spray is designed to protect your hair from all heating elements (flat irons/curlers/dryers) hence the reason it's called Heat Protect Spray. It's pretty self explanatory. lol. This spray also has a nice but not overpowering fragrance to it.

I don't know what differentiates this range from other heat protection sprays that are available on the market but ghd is a brand that I know and trust so this gets thumbs up from me! :)

 GOLDWELL DUALSENSES SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER

 As I'm getting older I'm noticing my hair thinning out more than usual so I have changed over to the Nioxin hair system as it is lightweight and seems to be working well for me so I haven't used any other shampoos/conditioners in a long time.

Unfortunately, the Goldwell Dualsenses sample wasn't big enough for me to draw a conclusion on whether I liked it or not so I can't really comment further.

Violet Box for August was an overall win for me! The August box brought three full sized products that I actually really liked - with a combined retail value of  $65.00 for the price of the subscription this month ($22.95) - it was well and truly worth it!

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.

Violet Box June

The Violet Box launch saw a few hiccups with a few people not receiving theirs in time (me included).

They sent my package with no tracking and after not receiving it after a week they sent me another box through Australia Post (registered).

The first package reached me a week and a half after they had originally sent it. The lovely DHL postman decided that they could just leave my package outside on top of my letterbox. I was FURIOUS as I live in an apartment complex on a busy road. Luckily no one had taken the package but I did let Violet Box know about what happened. They replied straight away, agreed with me and informed me that they will now be posting all boxes through Australia Post so this should never happen again (here's hoping). Funnily enough, the next day my second package arrived so I got double the goodies - yay me!

Here's what the first box contained:

• Avene Gentle Gel Cleanser (Sample)
• CK One Color Cosmetics, Gloss Eyecolor (Full Size)
• Calvin Klein Sheer Beauty (Sample)
• John Plunkett Glyco Peel (Full Size)
• Lash control Clear Coat Control Mascara and Brow Fix (Full Size)
• Argania Hair Oil Travel Cuties (Sample)
  

 AVENE GENTLE GEL CLEANSER

Sample size picture here (200ml $23.95RRP)

  This gel cleanser left my skin feeling nice, clean and soft but I did have trouble removing my makeup with it even after two washes. It was nice enough but nothing can sway me from Dermalogica now (regular readers will know this as I am always comparing all skin care to Dermalogica - lol). For those that don't like to spend too much on skin care I would definitely recommend the Avene range which I have tried before from the other sample boxes that I used to subscribe to.

CK ONE COLOR COSMETICS, GLOSS EYECOLOR

CK One Gloss Eyecolor, RRP $25.00AUD

I have been wanting to try the CK One Cosmetics range for a while but since there is no counter here in my home town I have never gotten the chance. My excitement wore off however when I read that it was a glossy eyeshadow.

Macro shot on the back of my hand

 Glossy eyes tend to crease and I think that irritates the perfectionist in me (well when it comes to eye makeup) BUT these pencils do what they're meant to do so I can't give them bad points for that.

This pencil is highly pigmented, easy to apply and the colour is divine. If this was an eye pencil with a drier consistency I would be in heaven but unfortunately for me it's not. I'm sure this could be set with eyeshadow on top to stop the creasing but then it would lose the glossy effect.

Creasing: after 10 mins of wear. No foundation, only eyeshadow primer underneath.

 Not a total failure but this product is definitely just not for me but it has intrigued me enough to want to look at the rest of the CK One range.

CALVIN KLEIN SHEER BEAUTY

There is nothing that I love more than receiving perfume samples in the subscription boxes! My skin is one of those tricky ones that seems to change all floral/fruity scents into weird chemical smells and I only seem to blend well with spicey/oriental fragrances.

Sample pictured: 50ml $80.00AUD RRP; 100ml $120.00AUD RRP

Sheer Beauty is a floral scent (although I would argue that it's floral/oriental) that definitely lives up to its name. The fragrance lingers and isn't punchy yet it's still strong. I think I'll test this one a little longer and see how I go. So far its starting to become a favourite of mine! 

JOHN LUNKETT GLYCO PEEL

Full size pictured: 15ml $28.95AUD RRP

As I have sensitive skin I did not try this. Even though the packaging says it is suitable for all skin types, the fact that it says only leave on for ONE MINUTE for sensitive skin rings alarm bells for me. I've had my skin burn once after an allergic reaction to makeup and I don't fancy going through that again. That was HORRIBLE. I'll let you know if I ever gather up the courage to try it.

 LASHCONTROL CLEAR COAT CONTROL MASCARA AND BROW FIX

 

The concept of this product intrigued me. In order to control how much product remains on the wand you squeeze the middle section as you pull out the wand.

Full size $25.00AUD RRP

At first I was a bit skeptical but sure enough it worked!

No squeezing of the middle

Squeezed tightly

It's a pretty cool concept and one that I think that some companies should invest in (although I think it has been trademarked to Lash Control).

As a clear mascara this product works well but I wouldn't recommend it for brows as it didn't really hold any hairs in place. It's cute and kitschy but I don't know how well they will sell and if people will swap to their brand. Personally, I wouldn't spend $25.00 on clear mascara.

ARGANIA HAIR OIL TRAVEL CUTIES

Sample size pictured: 100ml $34.99AUD RRP

The top three ingredients in this product are all silicones which for me (someone with thin/fine hair) is not something that will work for me as I find after about a week or so my hair just becomes flat full of product build up.

That aside, I think that this product is a little better than Moroccan Oil that hit our shores years ago as Argania contains more natural oils than the latter (the fourth listed ingredient in Moroccan Oil is a synthetic fragrance butylphenyl methylpropional) and is a little cheaper (Argania: $0.349/ml Moroccan Oil: $0.45/ml).

I think this is one that you will have try for yourself and see if it works well on your own hair.

Overall, not a bad effort Violet Box ! I'm looking forward to seeing what we get in the next box!

Subscription costs $22.95 per month.