Tuesday 30 September 2014

Violet Box New Zealand - September 2014

Kia Ora!

Woohoo Violet Box is here. I'm really intrigued to see what's inside, especially as there were no spoilers in August's box

Also, sorry that this is a day late. I've been really sick for the last 10 days, and didn't quite make it to blog posting yesterday. 

Onwards, to the box!


There are little tiny bits of glass or plastic everywhere, and the tray was difficult to slide out. I hope nothing is broken!



The lighting for this photo was shocking, and I'm really sorry it is so bad. The sun wasn't really co-operating with what I wanted to do.


Girlactik Eyshadow

I received this in VIP, which is a black eyeshadow. I tend to wear nude coloured eyeshadow if I do wear makeup (on those rare occasions), so I know I won't wear this. I haven't swatched it because I know I'm going to give it away, and nobody wants a dirty great fingerprint in the middle of their nice new eyeshadow. There looked to be some other colours (blue, pink, purple) but this was a fail for me.

RRP: $23
Full size.


ModelCo Lip Luxe Duo

I haven't been very impressed with ModelCo when I've received their products in the past, but I'm always willing to give second chances. I'm so glad I did because the lipstick in this duo is fantastic! It is creamy and non-drying, and the perfect colour for me! I love nudes on my lips too, and this lipstick is perfect for me. The lipgloss is ok, it smells sweet and wears fine, but is quite sticky. I probably won't get much use out of it, but the lippy makes me a happy camper!

RRP: $14.95
Full size.


Swatches of the lipstick and the gloss. The gloss is barely visible on the left of the lipstick, it is very sheer.


Polished London Dry Shampoo

I've been dying to try a dry shampoo. Nearly a year into subscription boxes and this is my first one. It is in the flavour Bristol Bloom, and smells a little sweet. I am excited to have this to try out.

RRP: 5.99
Full size.

Starlooks Ultra Olive Gem Pencil

I really like that this isn't black. I think that there is an overabundance of black eye liners in subscription boxes and it is lovely to see a pencil in a different colour. That being said, I'm not going to use this colour. I'm not that adventurous with my makeup (see the above comments about nude colours being my favourite), but I know of a couple of people who might enjoy this. A good product to include, but not right for me personally.

RRP: $21.50
Full size.


Foltene Nail Treatment

Once again, not an ideal product for me (I couldn't give two hoots about my nails) but a good looking product. I really like how there is a doe foot applicator on this as it makes it really easy to swipe in the vague direction of your fingernails and it still applies correctly. I have a nail crazy friend who will love this.

RRP: $29.95
Full size.

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Total value of the box: $95.39

This box has a decent mix of items, and a good value, however I felt really disappointed with it. There were only a couple of items in there that interested me, and even then I'm not overly excited about them. I suppose this is just a box that isn't well-suited to me, but I can see the value for other people. I also couldn't find anything that was broken, so I'm not sure where the little glass/plastic shards came from.

I'm in the process of eliminating a monthly subscription box at the moment, and this isn't a great start for Violet Box. I have really like all their boxes in the past, but with Memebox being so spectacular, I can't see it comparing. It is only the first of  three September boxes, so we'll see what happens.

What do you think of this box?

Until next time ...

Thursday 25 September 2014

Shopping Haul - Farmers, T2, The Body Shop, Dotti

Kia Ora!

After grappling with my self-control in August and attempting a no-spend, I went a little crazy with shopping this month. Some of this haul is justified, but most of it isn't or has very tenuous justifications. I'm gonna roll with it, and embrace the new things. I love new things, who doesn't!

First off: FARMERS


Freeman face masks

I love masks, and I've been eyeing these ones up for a while. I can't wait to try them out, and since there seems to be enough product for two uses I've convinced my SO to try them out with me! Perfect bonding time (just don't tell him I told the internet or I'll get in trouble).

RRP: $3.50


Formula 10.0.6 (?)

I think that's the right brand name. This was on a 'buy two get one free' sale, so I thought I would grab a few different ones. These do have two seperate sachets in each pack so there are 6 masks here. One guess what my latest obsession is? 

RRP: $3.99 each (not on sale)


Can't remember what brand sweatshirt this is

This was on the sale rack for $10 and I couldn't resist. It is really comfy, and I love the colour! The sleeves are 3/4 and the sequins make it seem like I know something about fashion (total lie). I really like this sweatshirt, and it is the perfect one for spring, as it isn't super warm but will be great for slightly cooler weather. I've worn it a few times already, and other than my hair getting caught in the sequins, it is great!

RRP: $10 - down from $70

Moving on to T2.


I had tried a sample of the Chai Black Tea is my Allsorts box, and I loved it. I absolutely had to have the full size, and now it is a part of my collection. It is a delicious tea, with the perfect blend of spices. It tastes exactly like a good chai latte from a cafe, and I can make it at home! Win!

I also bought Irish Breakfast tea. This was a bit of an impulse buy because there was a promotion going on, where if you bought a breakfast tea you got a free tin and magnet. So now I have a wonderfully dark and stout breakfast tea, perfect for waking up to in the morning, and a tin to keep it fresh. 

I was also given a sample of the Spi Chai as a decaffeinated alternative. I have been enjoying black tea throughout the day, but an entire pot late at night isn't a great idea if I plan on sleeping. I ended up staying up until 4am one night before I learnt this lesson. The next investments will be some herbal teas for nighttime. 

The next shop on the list was The Body Shop.


Vanilla Body Spray

I love smelling good (who doesn't), and the Body Shop caters for exactly this. I wasn't aware of their body spray range, and vanilla seemed like an innocuous way to begin a [potential] collection. I really like this spray, as it wafts the subtle scent of vanilla. It isn't strong smelling for very long, and needs reapplication, but I really love the scent!

Pomegranate and Raspberry Room, Linen, and Body Spray

Berries are some of my favourite fruits, and if I can't eat them then I want to smell like them. This is such a great spray, and perfect for every situation. It has a strong raspberry scent that permeates a room, or smells great on the skin. I have been wearing this every day and ignoring any other scent. I just can't get enough. I know that liking a scent is an individualised process, but everyone should go and check this one out!


Since I went in on a sale/promotion day I got a free gift. You had to spend $85 to get it. I know that the two sprays aren't $85 worth but the other items I got are for Christmas presents so I'm not going to put them on the blog (just in case Mum reads this). The gift I  got was this beautiful tin, which has the Honey Body Butter and Wild Rose Hand Cream  in it. I haven't opened either yet as I don't need to use them right now, and I haven't decided if they will be presents or for me. But what a great gift!

The last shop I hit was Dotti. Both shirts were $10 because I like cheap if I can  get it.




I can't really say much about these, they are fairly basic t-shirts. As we are headed into summer they seem like a good investement, particularly as my go-to outfit is a variation of t-shirt and jeans. They are lightweight, and very comfy. There were a whole lot of patterns but these two appealed to me. They are very light, and I'm going to have to invest in a nude bra for the dotted one, but I love the shirt otherwise.

Right, so there's my most recent haul. I hope you enjoyed it! I love seeing other people's hauls, as I have ideas of what new products or exciting things are out there. What do you guys think of haul posts?

Until next time ...

Monday 22 September 2014

Masked Madness #1

Kia Ora!

Here it is, the first installment of a brand new blog series. It's all about different masks I've been using, how they work, and if they do any good at all. 

I've recently become quite enamoured with masks in the last month or so. Sheet, mud, or anything else I can smear on my face. I'll post up these mask posts every so often, pretty much every time I accumulate enough. I'm not going to commit to monthly, but these will pop up every so often. 

On to the masks!


Thursday 18 September 2014

iHerb Haul

Kia Ora!

I received this haul ages ago, but haven't had a chance to blog about it yet. The sad thing is I haven't even had a chance to use most of these products yet either. I'm not sure if I should be sad since I haven't tried these yet, or happy that I'm not creating rubbish or needing to re-buy these things. I'm so conflicted!!! :P


Clarifying Tea Tree Pore Cleansing Strips

I'm really getting into Pore Cleansing strips and these were cheap so I picked them up. I got a pack in my Cacao box as well, and I love the chocolate scent to those and haven't used any other ones as yet. So these are still to be used and reviewed.

RRP: $4.61
Link for product.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Memebox Special #31 Earth & Sea Cosmetics

Kia Ora!!

Another Memebox arrived. Earth and Sea cosmetics. I've been dying for this one to arrive, especially after the spoiler (a volcanic ash mask) was released. I'm so excited to see what's inside!!!



It looks so full of stuff! And there is a sheet mask. There's a sheet mask guys!! If you've been reading my blog for awhile you know I'm obsessed with anything mask related. Excitement levels just went off the charts!

Thursday 11 September 2014

Lust Have It - August 2014

Kia Ora!

My Lust Have It bag finally arrived. I have spent the last couple of weeks avoiding any mention of other people's unboxings, and any mention on Facebook. 

It's the birthday box! Yay, those are usually pretty decent so I'm pretty excited to get into this one :)


Card for those who want to have all the details. 


There was one thing outside of the bag, which is a great sign. I am surprised to see the same bag as last month. I had thought they were changing it up each month (like Ipsy in the US), but maybe not. I'm happy though since it's a good bag, and good quality.


 Bioderma Crealine H2O

This cleanser seems to be all the rage with beauty bloggers these days. Lots of people rave about it, and I've been interested in trying it out. This is a pretty tiny sample. I don't really wear makeup very often, but since this is the vaunted product to take anything off, I'm going to wait till next time I'm wearing makeup to use it.

RRP: $29.99 (full size 250ml)
Sample size (20ml): $2.40


BioElixia Body Shaper Stretch Mark Diminishing Cream

I've never heard of a cream like this before. I have a couple of stretch marks so I'm happy to give it a go. It claims results in 4-8 weeks. The cream is a yellow and smells a bit medicine-y. I used it once, and it was a lot more spreadable than I first thought, so a little goes a long way. It felt a bit tingly as it sunk in, which I'm taking as a good sign that this cream actually works.

RRP: $39
Full size


Eleven Miracle Hair Treatment

I've had a small sample in a Goodiebox, and it was on the nice side of average. It was in my first empties post, and while I wouldn't have gone out and bought this myself, I'm pretty happy to have a full size of this, and the coconut smell is pretty fantastic! At least now I get to properly try out this product, as the sample was really tiny. 

RRP: $24.95
Full size


Marsk Eyeshadow Brush Pro-line

I don't have many brushes, and have quickly realised that if I want to play with a variety of colours, I need more. MOAR! This feels really sturdy and the bristles are very soft. I am excited to use it.

RRP: $28.95
Full size


Essenzza Fuss Free Naturals

Cleansing wipes!! I have been lusting after getting some in my subscription boxes for ages and then I get two in one month! This is a brand we can't get in New Zealand, and I'm really excited to try them out. I am also really impressed that a little mini pack is included. It is the perfect size for travelling. I'm doing a bit of that this summer, so I'm really happy to have these.

RRP: $6.95
Full size
Mini-size $2.50


There were also a whole bunch of pamphlets with discount codes. Most of these are Australia in origin so I don't think I can use any of them, but I'll list them below for anyone else to check out if they are interested.

Style Tread: 20% off a full price shoe until 31 October - OMGSHOES
Zodee: $20 off on orders over $70 until 30 November - LUST20
Missguided: 20% off until 6 October - LUSTHAVEIT
BioElixia: 20% off until 31 October - LH20
Quickflix: 6 weeks free trial (value $41.50) - get in contact for the code, first in first served.

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Total value of this bag (not including voucher codes): $104.75

 I'm really happy with this bag. I like everything in it, and I'm pretty excited to start using all of the things. Seems like August was a good month for subscription boxes. I think my SO is getting a bit annoyed at his dwindling portion of space in the bathroom, but I love having lots of different products. I know that this is the birthday bag (Happy Birthday LHI), which are usually better than regular bags. So we'll have to see what's next with LHI, but I'm looking forward to it.

Until next time ...

Monday 8 September 2014

Empties - August 2014

Kia Ora!

I love reading everyone else's empties posts, and I'm really happy to finally throw all this rubbish out! 


Dial Body Wash - Cranberry and AntiOxidant Pearls

I got this body wash in my Black Box awhile ago. It was a nice body wash. It did all the things it was supposed to do; lather up, be all soapy, clean me, smell delicious. The pearls were a bit gimmicky, I didn't notice any real effect from them. It is a decent body wash, but I was really sick of it by the end of the bottle. This is probably just because I've received some exciting products in recent Memeboxes though.

7/10
Repurchase: No, but only because I have others to use up.

Friday 5 September 2014

Care Pack - September 2014

Kia Ora!

The September edition of Care Pack is here. This is slightly different from all the other beauty subscription boxes; it concentrates on NZ made, eco-friendly products, and they can be food, beauty, cleaning or anything else. I have gotten the July and August boxes so far.


Oooh, looks like a Spring themed box. That's a great theme for September!

Monday 1 September 2014

Goodiebox - August 2014

Kia Ora!

This month's Goodiebox arrived bright and early this morning, making the gross weather seem insignificant. 


Phew, I'm glad to see they have gone back to the normal packaging. I know lots of people liked the pink, but I'm just not a fan. Plain brown I can work with!


Red tissue paper this month, and adorable felt butterflies on the card. The theme is Be ready, be beautiful!