(Last video I mentioned my lack of working camera other than my webcam - so sorry for quality of these images, lol.)
The Items
Your Tea Her Tea + Marsk Eyeliner in Snowflake || Burt's Bees Lipstick + OPI in Shattered Super Bass
OFRA Eyeshadow/Highlighting Powder in Bohemian + Unani Dermo Defense Face Mask || The Bag
I appreciate the ease of flatlays a lot more after this post.
I assume that most people come to my blog to avoid my face, but this time was impossible. Sorry. :P
Swatches
Those nice swatches I did during the video smudged not 5 minutes later while I was taking these photos.
I'm not sure what they smudged on, but surprisingly this hasn't happened before. Not looking too good for either of these products.
Fresh swatches. It is really hard to capture the true colour of the Burt's Bees Lipstick, so I spent some time on the MS paint colour picker, and here is the colour I think it's closest to when swatched.
Overall
A very meh box.
Sure, the items "exceeded" the amount I paid for it in value ($22 vs $90.50.)
And I'm also really happy to see LustHaveIt fixing that mistake from last month where they forgot the Her Tea. That was great of them to include, (although I'm wondering if I would have gotten the extra Tea if I didn't remain subbed?)
But... They keep repeating the same brands over and over. Unani, Marsk, Ofra, Your Tea - we're all sick of seeing the same brands over and over again. At least, I am. These brands are grossly overvalued for what I believe is drugstore/pharmacy quality cosmetics.
There's no longer a real discovery aspect to these bags and thus my decision to not subscribe to Lust Have It anymore. For sheer value, Marie Claire The Parcel is a better choice for Australians.
Thanks for reading!
This is obviously not one of my best posts, but hey! I improvised. :P
Hope you guys enjoyed despite the shoddy camera xx
And to my fellow Aussies - hope you're remembering to wear sunscreen and a hat :) Stay hydrated!
"Bath bombs, soaps, body scrubs, face masks, body and face wash, massage oils, bath oils, hair and facial treatments, beauty tools and so much more! What will your mystery box contain? Boxes are only $25 each per month. Free postage, contains 6-10 amazing full sized or sample products which exceed that value."
The theme was this month was candy - I love candy so much! I have a huge sweet tooth, so I was very excited for this box!
They ship out on the first Friday of each month, and lucky April - Friday was the 1st! The box arrived on the 6th, which was decently quick for Australia post!
The contents!
Cute newsletter enclosed! A different take on the info card :D
♥ Guys, I seriously can't get over this huge Birthday Cake Scented Bath Bomb Lollipop. (RRP $8)
IT SMELLS AMAZING, AND LOOKS SO CUTE!
Pardon my demonic -looking face in this mask - I always send a Snapchat when I'm masking, and I just had to feature the lollipop! It made a few reply back with a great deal of envy until I told them it was a bath bomb ;D
I think it's too cute to use - I'm going to stick them in a vase with my fake flowers I got for my birthday because I think it would fit in, haha!
♥ Bath Milk Powder with Sweet Almond Oils and Epsom Salts, rainbow sherbet scented (RRP $16)
Can we just appreciate how pretty the colours are of this?
It looks like something that belongs to one of those cute pastel blogs on tumblr. Or a phone background. So ~aesthetic~
How interesting of an idea is /smooth/ bath salt is?
I have a confession to make. I give away some of the soaps I get because I receive too many and I only have one body to use them on. shock, horror!
Most of them goes to my best friend (you guys might have seen her on my channel before, in this Bellabox unboxing for example). She for some reasons uses COPIOUS amounts of soap. I don't understand how, she seems to go through them by the truckload.
BUT THESE GUMMY BEAR ONES - I'M KEEPING THEM FOR SMELLING PURPOSES.
The experience of smelling them - I might as well be eating gummy bears to be honest. They honestly make me feel like I'm eating gummy bears.
I know, sounds crazy, but I can't get over how much they smell like real gummy bears!
♥ Sample Pot, Whipped Body Butter, Caramel Butterscotch Scented
This did leak, but it was covered in glad wrap so it only leaked into the glad wrap and not the rest of the box. So someone obviously does some testing in the Little Soapery :P
Smells delicious! I find it interesting that the formula is so runny for a body butter - I think viscosity-wise it's closer to a moisturier? But the ingredient composition is probably what would make it closer to a body butter.
I like this product the least in this box since after I applied it on my body it had a bit of a sticky finish, which I did not particularly enjoy.
♥ Sample Soaps, 2x Mini Men in Grandmas Apple Pie Scent, slice of Shea Butter enriched milk soap, scented in milk and honey.
The card description did confuse me a little bit, but I believe both the gingerbread men are Grandmas Apple Pie Scented, whilst the slice backing them keeping them from breaking is the Milk and Honey Soap bar. Clever!
These scented are quite a bit milder than everything else that had been mentioned so far, but still absolutely delicious smelling! And makes sense considering the smells they are named after =)
♥ White Rose Nail Buffer (RRP $2)
I know this item shouldn't be too exciting...
But it's just so cute and chic!
The design of it is really good, and the flower on top just really makes it 10x cuter!
I'm really just a sucker for flowers and good design, huh....
Also the file is CANDY COLOURED one of my viewers pointed out :D Fit the theme, yay~
♥ Overall, the items and the value in this box is great! It's definitely a good selection of items that are unique, fun, and fit the theme!
Of course, with all boxes that are up and starting, there are a few things that (in my humble opinion) could be improved on :3
* The little pot that leaked. Probably won't be using those pots again :P
* A few typos in the newsletter. I know this isn't a big deal, just something I noticed (especially given that I'm technically an English major), and just a little thing to do that improves the overall quality of the box!
* More different kinds of boxes! I know that with certain other soap box brands, they offer different types of boxes. A mystery box is great, but if someone were buying this expected a lot of bar soaps, they would be disappointed. Luckily, I'm not one of those people ;D
Of course, the quality of the items are what matters! And that's something Liana really nailed!
♥ Video as always~
Alright this should be the end of the post, but while we're talking about the Little Fairy Soapery I just want to take the chance to gush at a few of her retail items because they're SO CUTE
Today I have a The Vegan Box unboxing! This is a monthly box that costs $30 a month including shipping.
This is an Australian company. Reviews of this box seem really hard to find online.
You can buy one of your own here. They also have a bi-monthly beauty box which is pricier at $50/month!
The contents
The information card
My overall thoughts:
I'm very happy to find a vegan alternative to chocolate and parmesan sauce in here. I will use both (I'm still munching on the Cacao crunch as I blog right now - the taste is really growing on me and it's pretty delicious!)
I will also use the Konjac sponge, and I'm happy to try a different brand to the one I currently have, which is from Sasa. I really love my Konjac sponge, and they do need to be replaced regularly!
If I had to complain about something, it would be the small sizes of some of the other items. One Ginger Chew and one 4g Coconut sugar sachet seems hardly enough to make a real impression of the product.
I appreciate that they prefer to give us a lot of different products to try rather than a large quantity of one product, but I think it really is difficult to know from one candy if you want more of it!
I think for a box like this, paying $30 for $36 in value is reasonable, even though with a beauty box that would upset me more. This company seems like it's still growing, and the money goes into brand research which would be a lot more difficult in this area. + They're setting us up for the realistic expectation that becoming vegan is expensive :P
One more thing... I wish they replied to my email asking if I was getting the January or February box. Maybe they missed it? Or maybe their customer service is lacking. Either way, I got the February box, and not the January one, and no suspicious/dodgy double-charging happened, which is great!
I think there are definitely improvements that can be made, but my experience with this box is still overall a positive one! I would not mind ordering from them again when my budget allows - perhaps in April. =)
Today I have a Jolse random box unboxing!
This box was $29.98USD~
You could choose from a bunch of boxes named after the spoiler item, and I chose the Vitamin C OST that I had been wanting to try out for so long! here
To see what boxes are available, click here! Notable items are some of the COSRX items and the Skinfood Black Sugar Wash Off Mask :)
The box promised a free COSRX diary to the first 300 customers and a higher value than the paid price,
apologies for shoddy lighting, I was excited to show you guys :P
Let's do the breakdown!
COSRX Diary (Priceless? LOL)
The stickers are so cute! The diary itself is a bit disappointing though, since there is definitely not 365 days in here... But it's still very cute! Just not practical :P
1. Etude House Moistfull Aloe Soothing Gel (12,22USD) [x]
2. Milky Dress Anti Trouble Refresh Moisturiser (13.18UD) [x]
3. Vitamin C OST (14.44USD) [x]
4. Milky Dress Oasis Peeling Gel (12.30USD) [x]
Total so far: 51.70USD
And these are their sale prices, not their full prices from Jolse :)
5. Etude House Real Art Cleansing Oil Moisture Sample 25ml (1.90 on RRS) (couldn't find on Jolse)
6. Etude House Look at My Eyes Eyeshadow in Jungle Red (4.96USD) [x]
This arrived so fast and I'm very happy with the contents! Definitely worth it and would purchase again! So many samples and they didn't disappoint in making the value worth it =)
I was worried it wouldn't be because Jolse's prices are a little (-cough-inflated-cough-) SOMETIMES but it turned out fine! =D
Swatch:
Etude House Look At My Eyes in (Jungle Red?)
My unboxing video as always:
With love,
Athy
(Disclaimer: I paid for this with my money, opinions are my own, etc etc :P)
You've all heard of Bellabox by now, and maybe if you've been following my blog for a while, you know about my very tumultuous relationship with Bellabox :P (read: love-hate)
So without further ado, the contents of this month's box...
The contents
It was hard to make this box look good. Like, really hard. xD
Give me some credit guys!
Total value of this box:
1. Coastal Scents Eyeshadow (? no value given) 2. Ardell Strip Lashes RRP $10 (read as: $5, because noone buys from Priceline full price) 3. Aspar Hand Cream 10ml ($2.80 value) 4. Avene Skin Recovery Cream 5ml ($4.50 value) 5. QVS Eyeshadow APplicator ($6.99 value) Bonus Macadamia Natural Oil ($1 value)
Total value:"$25.30",
(which is really more like $10 if you consider how much I'm willing to pay for everything in this box.)
People pay $17.99 for these boxes Bellabox. Step it up.
$25.30 of value of $18 is still atrocious considering the quality of the products.
Final verdict:
"Wtf this box sucks lmao why did I resubscribe" - me literally everytime I receive a Bellabox. Why do I never learn? :P
Unboxing video as usual:
How were your October boxes? As bad as mine? Let me know!
I received my first Native Box today! I chose the Lifestyle box instead of the beauty box because:
a) Lifestyle box is monthly
b) I currently have WAY too many beauty products to try... and I like trying new food :K
Anyway, let's get on with it!
My picture is missing the crickets, because I didn't want to touch the container. So I kept it in the box and held it by the cardboard box and threw it all out. I'm a huge wuss, I know. :K
I did take a photo but I didn't want to upset anyone who was easily upset at photos of dead insects like me, so yeah. Take my word for it, if you don't like dead insects in any way, it's a pretty horrifying surprise...
1. Food for Health - Muesli Pod (in Coconut, Cacao and Chia flavour) $3.30 at Coles
2. Qi Teas - Organic Green Tea (Wellness) (25 tea bags) $5 at Woolworths
3. Power Super Foods - Organic Chocolate Lip Balm ~ $6 at PowerSuperFoods
4. Edible Bug Shop - Roasted Crickets (Chilli and Garlic) ~ 15USD at Edible Bug Shop
5. Wendy Christina - Kakada Plum and Coconut Cleansing Milk $25 at Wendy Christina
6. Alter Eco - Organic Dark Blackout Chocolate ~ $4 at Alter Eco
Total value? $59.30
My thoughts:~
Paying $20 for this box is excellent, and even better for me because I paid 15 =)
Although it is very disappointing that the item second biggest in value is something that (in my opinion) is quite niche / wouldn't appeal to most people, the value of the rest of the box really makes up for it.
Organic foods really aren't cheap, so discovering options through a box like this is great I think!
I'm very excited to try the tea as well as the muesli, and I'm actually eating more of the chocolate now... my tastebuds are adjusting :P
My unboxing as always:~
Thanks for reading guys!
Let me know what you thought about including "edible crickets" into this month's box? Am I overreacting?
Today I'm here with a BRAND NEW unboxing of a BRAND NEW company! This is the first ever box from PoP box :D
Here's what was inside!
The Contents ♥
1. Candle from Candle Jewels, with a range of many delicious scents ♥ (RRP $12 for six sample cups, so $2. here)
Silly me thought it was a full sized jewellery candle from the spoiler post! I actually didn't see the post from the sneak peek on their official page, but on a different subscription box group. I've since tried to find the post and I cannot. So I can't tell if they actually originally guaranteed a full size candle and deleted the post, or if I didnt read it properly. Oh well.
I also struggled to find the website to the "Candle Jewels", as the information card didn't provide any links to their social media. Would probably be a good idea in future!
Arghhh. Sorry, I'm not at all a fan of these eBay beauty blenders. I tried to like the one I already have but I don't - it absorbs so much product and although the application looks okay, they're just not gentle on the skin and I'd prefer to use a brush or my hands over one of these. + the gross bug video...
YESSSSS! Give me all the masks! Innisfree! It's really nice to see a Korean Beauty item in here! I didn't expect it at all :D I'll definitely use this - everyone loves a mask :D
4. Assortment of Rings ♥ (RRP $1.10 for all five in a set here)
Ahh, they're nice rings, I'm just disappointed because I have so many of these kinds of rings from eBay. I most likely won't wear them, but they're nice to have.
5. Me Now - Brow Pencil and Brush ♥ (RRP $0.70 here )
After being unable to find this item on eBay, my next thought was AliExpress. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against buying off eBay and Aliexpress at all - the product seems nice and very pigmented, and my current eyebrow pencil was $1 from ebay and looks extremely adorable too! Just very disappointing value in a $30 box I suppose.
6. Handmade Soap - Lil Creations by Rach ♥ (RRP $6 for 150g... so $3? here )
Not sure how to price this one! I don't have a scale to weigh this soap, but it does look thinner than the one that retails for $6. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and say it's about half that, so $3.
This soap smells AMAZING! Watermelon lemonade, just my cup of tea. It's a beautiful soap and I think this is more what subscrption boxes should be about - finding and discovering new brands and stores to fall in love with :D
7. Maybelline - Colour Show Nail Polish♥ (RRP $5.95 here)
The colour is so beautiful! I can't wait to try it out on my nails. I haven't had a go with Maybelline's Color Show Formula despite owning a few already.
8. ELF - All over colour stick (colour selected at random) (RRP $3 here )
I love ELF! I got a shade pretty close to my skin tone (thank gosh), so I'm glad to be able to use this. I guess for a small company I would have expected them to ask for shade information or allow a colour choice, since it's not like it's too much of a hassle to order specific colours for a few people as opposed to a large customer base.
Value in TOTAL?
$18.54. Shipping would have been another $8.
My Overall Thoughts?
I do think it's quite disappointing that for $35, the most expensive item in the box was a Maybelline nail polish worth $6. I do have a high standard for my boxes though, but I don't think I'll be buying a PoP box again any time soon unless I see some improvements from other people's unboxings.
PoP box in general seems to lack a general aim or focus - looking at their website, I don't see any particular aim like other boxes. Most subscription boxes do aim to allow their customers to discover new brands and products they would not have tried otherwise, which I don't feel like is really the aim of this particular box.
HOWEVER, it still is a decent selection of items, and it is only the launch box - there is definitely room for improvement but the box did ship out when it was supposed to, there was tracking provided, and I know that there will people who will still be genuinely happy with this box and happy to discover these items they would not have been able to try otherwise.
I think the box would also be well-presented with the cute purple thingies and the nice box with window idea.
