I am in hospital! It is shit, but at least finally my whopping eight day migraine has settled to the point where I can sort of compose sentences and look at lights and slowly type messages. My Bellabox came in the mail and my sister brought it in, so let’s have an extremely low quality look through this month’s goodies.
Being in hospital has the pleasant side effect of making ordinarily boring things much more desirable, so there’s a few things here that made me happier than they usually would.
Em Cosmetics The Great Cover Up Concealer (Full size 9mL $17.00USD; we got a choice of shades if we responded to an email so I believe I got the light neutral option) – Makeup is always my favourite thing to receive, and I’m always on the hunt for good concealers. Em Cosmetics is a bizarre brand to me in the same way I am fascinated by Michelle Pham and her whole deal. On first impression, I actually really like this concealer on first play – haven’t tried it on my face, obviously, due to being in hospital and all – it’s creamy and blends nicely but doesn’t seem to overly sink into the lines on my hand. Will definitely give this a go. You also get $10 off when you buy Em cosmetics in the Bellabox store, which is nice.
Avene Tolerance Extreme Cream and Cleansing Lotion (full sizes are 50mL for $58.95, whoa nelly – these are worth about $6? And they aren’t resealable?) – these two little guys are undeniably very boring, but Avene is lovely for sensitive skin and my skin turns to crap the moment I get sick. I was using a little Origins travel size cleanser that’s been drying my skin, so these are welcome.
Nivea Creme Fairytales Edition (Full size 150mL RRP $7.88) – I remember little tins of this stuff appearing as freebies throughout my life as a young’un. I don’t think I’ve ever bought it. It’s a very boring, traditional, simple, rich cream, and I am so grateful for it right now because my arms are so dry that they’re flaking all over the place.
Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo (RRP $13.95) – while I’m glad to see Lush sticking their beaks into the subscription box game, I’m kind of disappointed that this was the outcome for me knowing the products other people got. One of my absolute favourite Youtubers got a lime green eyeliner so dry shampoo lacks pizazz for me, but I’m sure most people would feel the opposite way. I’ve tried this product before – I find the method of dispensing to be a pain in the ass and far too concentrated in one area, or if you dispense into your hands first it’s just a downright mess. It’s not the most effective dry shampoo or the most volumising, but it does smell nice, so it’s okay for a pick me up when you don’t need anything heavy duty.
Alpha Keri Bust Lift and Firm Cream and Heat Activated Body Slimming and Firming Serum (AKA the free bonus bullshit item) – I’m not as angry at this as I was at the ridiculous tea from a couple of months back, especially because this isn’t assigned any value, but I think we can all agree that this stuff is bullshit, right? Get fucked, Alpha Keri, and take your $10 voucher with you. I’m sure you’ve got other good products, but I have trouble abiding by this level of pseudo-science prey-on-internalised-misogyny rubbish.
Overall, I’d give this box a 2.5/5. Solidly functional, occasional spots of interest, and one kind of bullshit bonus item that I’ve come to expect.
Lipstick for Losers 