Violet Box - December 2013

The December Violet Box arrived a couple of days before Christmas, but I have kept with my recent tradition of being late with everything. Anyway onto the December edition - I was pretty happy to see a candy cane in my box. Besides loving candy canes, I thought it was good that Violet Box acknowledged it is Christmas time. I also like the little note on the information card wishing customers a fabulous Christmas and beautiful start to 2014 (even though the card actually says 2013 - proofreading is important!). 

The December Violet Box contains: 

Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate Hand Therapy - 25g $10.00

This hand cream smells really nice. I never knew I was a fan of pomegranate scents! From my quick try (about 2 minutes ago) it feels nicely moisturising without feeling heavy on my hands. It has been quickly absorbed without heavy a greasy film. Thanks to subscription boxes I have enough hand creams to last me about 3 lifetimes so it is a little bit of a boring product. 

Sweetpea & Fay J'Adore Les Levres - 10g $12.99

This is a liquid lipstick that on first impression reminds me a lot of the OCC Lip Tars, just thicker. I received the shade 'Mermaid Kiss' which is a very pretty baby pink (not a 'hot neon pink' as described on the information sheet). Really happy to receive this product. I LOVE pink lip products!

Jelly Pong Pong Wide Awake Palette - $32.00

This palette contains a highlighter, concealer and 'eyebrow sculpting kit'. The highlighter and concealer look good. The highlighter is a peachy colour perfect for under the eyes and the concealer is actually light enough for me to be able to use. The brow kit on the other hand... The shades have a satin/slightly shimmery finish. Not what I would use for my brows and there is only one brush not the 'tools' the palette describes or is shown on the website here. Is it just mine like this or is everyones?

Evo The Therapist Calming Shampoo & Conditioner - 300ml $29.95

Evo is one of my favourite haircare brands and The Therapist is a fantastic product. Really good for dry and weak hair. Really happy to have a 50ml travel sized set. A little annoyed though that the shampoo is considered one product and the conditioner another though. 

Also included in the box (besides the candy cane) was a $30 voucher for Hello Fresh which is a company that creates recipes and delivers all the ingredients (along with the recipes) direct to your door. I actually looked at using this and firstly everything is very much over the thirty bucks and they don't deliver to my postcode. Useless. 

Another great effort from Violet Box! Great variety of products and brands (from known and unheard of brands). I love that Violet Box includes lots of full size or at minimum deluxe sized products and they don't just focus on skincare. 

Thoughts on the December Violet Box?

Happy Holidays & Christmas FOTD

Source

I know I am a day late to the party but MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing day with your families, lots of good food and some great presents. I know I did, even though I was in a bit of a Grinchy mood for a while. I hoped to get this post up earlier but I had a very lazy Boxing Day and then had to work all day on Friday. Which was horrible, my colleagues and I seriously counted down the minutes until we could go home. 

I started by applying the Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base to help my makeup last the day and give an even, glowy base. I then used my favourite special occasion foundation - the Dior Airflash Spray Foundation. This is foundation in a can that you spray onto the face. It gives such a lovely finish but is unavailable to purchase in Australia (I purchased from Harrods) so I reserve it for special occasions.

I then moved onto the eyes before finishing off my face. I primed my lids with Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base because as with my base, I wanted my eyeshadow to last all day. For my eyes I used one palette - the Chanel Charming Eyeshadow Palette from the holiday collection. I started by blending the second lightest shade into my crease, I then applied the middle shade which is slightly sparkly to the rest of the lid and the lower lash line. I wanted to darken it up a little so I lightly blended the second darkest shade to the outer v. I used the lightest shade as a inner corner and brow highlight. 

To line the upper lash line, lower lash line and water line, I used the Kevyn Aucoin Eye Pencil in Basic Black. I then applied two generous quotes of my current favourite mascara - Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes 5 Star Mascara. For my brows I used the Kevyn Aucoin Precision Brow Pencil in Ash Blonde. I lightly applied the Benefit Gimme Brow in Light/Medium to add a little volume and keep my brows in place. 

To finish off my base I applied Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer under to the eyes to clean up any fall out and to cover up my dark circles. I then set my make up by lightly applying Clinique Blended Face Powder. For blush I used a soft fluffy brush and applied the Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Coral Pink. To the top of my cheekbones I applied the Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Highlighting Powder in Nude Radiance as it is Christmas and all that!

For lips I applied a smidgen of the MAC Lustre Lipstick in Flair for Finery. With the eyes being quite strong I didn't want too much on the lips. Also I didn't want anything high maintenance that would require touchups. 

Wow! This post ended up being a lot longer than I planned but I hope you enjoyed a more detailed run down of my make up for the day. This was quite elaborate for me - I don't usually use this many products but Christmas is a special occasion so a little more effort is always welcome. 

I hope you are all having a fantastic holiday time and enjoying some time off (if you were lucky enough to get some). Less than a week until 2013 is farewelled and 2014 is welcomed in! Exciting and scary - where does the time go?

What did you do for Christmas? 

Plans for New Years made?

BellaBox - December 2013

The December BellaBox arrived late last week. Unlike previous months, it arrived in a plain cardboard box with a 'bb' sticker slapped on the front. I don't really care what the box looks like though. At least I won't feel bad about throwing this box into the recycle. No idea if this is the new packaging. 

I was expecting a Christmas themed box but it appears to be a themed around celebrating Summer. Not sure how well the items fit the theme but then I never seem to. 

The December Bella Box contains:

Limited Edition BellaBox Tote Bag - $19.95

This is listed on the card as a gift. It is just a calico bag with a chevron print on one side. It is cute (and will probably be useful) but I would not pay 20 bucks for it.

Romy Hand & Nail Cream - 100ml $33.50

I seem to be accumulating a lot of hand creams, pretty much all from sample boxes. This one is scented with cinnamon and cocoa which actually smells really nice. It seems fast absorbing too (from my quick test). I can't say I would pay over $30 for a hand cream though - it is not essential enough for me to justify the higher price.

Kosmea Skin Clinic Rescue Balm - 50ml $24.95

I have been using this on and off for the last couple of days as a lip balm and I am really impressed. It contains rose hip oil which my skin loves so I suppose it is no surprise my lips love it too. This is a little 5g pot but I think it will last some time.

Eslor Sample Pack - from $36.95 to $84.50

This has four 5ml samples of different products from a mask to cleanser. You could probably get a couple of uses from these sachets. BTW I hate sachets. 

Avene Cleanance K Cream-Gel - 40ml $24.95

This moisturiser is designed for oily blemish-prone skin. Not my skin. A decent 5ml sample size but who else is sick of Avene samples?

Simple Kind to Eyes Eye Makeup Remover - 125ml $9.99

I have never tried this before (I have used other Simple products). This is a good sized (50ml) sample. Will definetly give it a try, hopefully it is as gentle as it promises.

Mary Kay Fluid Eye Colour - $20.00

I received this in the shade Pearl which is a very pretty champagne colour. I have never used Mary Kay products before (the pushy saleswoman put me off) but I look forward to giving this a shot. 

BONUS Palmer's Cocoa Butter Daily Cleansing Gel & Daily Calming Lotion - $9.99-$12.99

A sachet of each as a bonus product. Meh. 

Overall for me this box is pretty average. There is a couple of items I look forward to using but the rest will be thrown into a drawer to be used at a later unknown date. I was expecting a bit more of a 'wow' box for Christmas, especially after lasts years effort (see here). 

What do you think of this months Bella Box? 

Expecting more for Christmas month edition?

Stila - Portrait of a Perfect Eye Palette REVIEW

I purchased this last month and wasn't going to post about it because it sold out online pretty fast but Mecca Cosmetica recently restocked it. I took it as a sign to write up a quick post about it. 

Lately, I have been loving eyeshadows, especially neutrals. Therefore when I saw this palette, I couldn't resist. The Portrait of a Perfect Eye palette contains six eyeshadows housed in a small but fairly sturdy cardboard palette. The palette is quite basic but does have a magnetic closure and doesn't feel too cheap. 

The shadows include mattes, satins and metallics. The pigmentation of all is really good though the matte dark brown at the end is a little patchy. I like to use this shade as a liner though so it doesn't matter. My absolute favourite shade would have to be the one second from the right. It is such a gorgeous metallic shadow. 

I am impressed by how soft and smooth the shadows are. They are really easy to pick up on the brush and apply to the lid. The soft texture makes them easy to blend out over the lid. I haven't found any problems with creasing or fading but then I rarely do with powder shadows. The shadows are swatched below in the same order as they are in the palette. 

Sounds great? Yup, but I haven't even told you the best part yet! It is only $24.00!! Personally I think that is a bargain. It works out to $4 a shadow! For shadows this lovely that is awesome.

I think this is a great gift idea for pretty much anyone. Who doesn't love some neutral eyeshadows?! 

The Stila Portrait of a Perfect Eye Palette can be purchased from Mecca Cosmetica for $24.00 HERE. It is limited edition, so make that purchase quickly!

November Favourites

I am finally writing my favourites post! Better late than never, right? Haha!

Eve Lom - Cleanser

I don't normally fall in love with skincare products. I either like them or I don't. However I have fallen head over heels for the Eve Lom Cleanser. It is so luxurious to use and leaves my skin clean and soft. This cleansing balm just melts my makeup (even eye makeup) and then gently wipes away using a muslin cloth. This also smells amazing - its has clove and eucalyptus oil in it. 

Nars - Guy Bourdin Blush in Day Dream

This like all Nars blushes is highly pigmented, smooth and long wearing. The colour is showing up more red in the photo than it is in real life. It is more of a peachy pink with a satin finish. Love this for a flush of colour on the cheeks. 

Nars - Radiant Creamy Concealer

This has become my go to concealer for my under eye area. It is covers my dark circles well and it hydrating without creasing. It also works well on blemishes or any redness. 

Chanel - Illusion D'Ombre in 827 Initiation

I love this cream shadow for a pretty and oh so sparkly eye look. I just apply all over the lid and then blend out. It lasts all day and looks so lovely. I have even had compliments on this when I have been wearing it - "Oh I love your eyeshadow, it is so sparkly!"

Tarte - LipSurgence Skintuitive Lip Tint in Energy

I didn't expect to like this product as much as I do! It is one of those lip products that react with your lips to create a shade that is meant to suit you. On me this turns into a lovely rosy pink. I find this long wearing and non-drying on my lips. 

So there is my November favourites, hopefully they were worth the wait! I am hoping to get some posts written over the weekend but what I plan to do, doesn't always get done. I have some Christmas product/collection posts I want to get done so hopefully I will find the time between sleeping and TV bingeing. 

What did you love in November? 

Or are currently loving (since November now feels so long ago)?

November Empties

How is it already a week into December? I haven't even had a chance to blog about my November empties yet! It's been a busy week with work, buying a new car, starting to get ready for Christmas and season eight of Criminal Minds being released on DVD. 

I love December! It means Christmas and warmer weather and it is so good. Really looking forward to Christmas and spending time with family, stuffing myself with good food and relaxing. 

I have had a bit of a mini break from blogging and social media over the last week and it has been good. Detaching oneself from technology for a while never hurts. I feel it has given me the time to really relax and spend time with family and just have some quiet time. Everyone should do it occasionally!

O&M Hydrate & Conquer Shampoo and Conditioner*

I reviewed these back here. Liked them but won't repurchase at the moment, maybe in the future.

O&M Seven Day Miracle Moisture Mask*

I know this product has heaps of rave reviews but unfortunately it just didn't work for my hair. It didn't leaving my hair feeling moisturised, smooth or healthy. Won't purchase. 

John Frieda Precision Foam After Colour Conditioner

I didn't have high expectations of this product, but OMG! It is amazing. It left my hair feeling so silky smooth and soft. Any knots just seemed to slip out instantly. I have added this to my shopping list. 

Cottage Violet Sugar Gentle Exfoliating Shower Gel

I purchased this from Sasa online a couple of months ago. I love anything violet scented and this is no exception. Really enjoyed using this and I already have a backup (I purchased two at the same time).

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel

I love this shower gel. It is really like bathing in sugar. LOVE! Already repurchased, considering stockpiling this. 

Rexona Clinical Protection Anti-Perspirant Deodorant 

A regular in my empties. Already repurchased.

Happy Skincare Cloud 9 Deep Cleansing Balm

I really wanted to like this but sadly it is not as good as the Eve Lom Cleanser. It didn't fully remove makeup and was actually quite hard to get off the skin (even using a muslin cloth). 

I had a bit of a clean out of my mascaras again and these were the ones that it was time to bin. I don't strictly stick to the three month rule. I chuck them when the texture gets clumpy or the scent changes. 

Chanel Inimitable Intense

Really liked this mascara, it gives me heaps of long, black lashes. I would repurchase but I have about 3 sample tubes already.

Guerlain Exceptional Complete Mascara

I really, really liked this mascara. It made my lashes look big, thick and long. I probably wouldn't purchase as, if I remember correctly is really expensive. $60+ is too much for a mascara, even for me!

Lancome Hypnose Mascara

Sadly I didn't use this a lot before it went bad. It was good mascara. Though all Lancome mascaras are in my experience. 

So there are my empties for November! Hopefully my favourites will be up within the next day or two. Work is really busy at this time of the year so I am not sure how much time I'll have to post but I have a few posts I do want to write especially around Christmas releases and such.

What did you finish up in November?

* Denotes products that were provided for consideration for review in accordance with my Disclosure Policy. This has not affected my opinion in any way, honesty as always.