Marie Claire The Parcel Summer Edit 2016 – Unboxing/Review

I’m officially back from vacation! I have three subscription boxes to unpack and chat about and I will be doing a big post with all of the stuff I bought abroad, or the dangers of consumerism. Lots of lipsticks in that to chat about, not to mention way too much other junk, and a whole lot of telling myself off.

Still, let’s talk about the Parcel, which just got delivered this morning! It’s always a fun box to talk about (I have done so here and here as well as many times on my old blog) because it’s a higher cost/value box with a lower frequency, so anticipation is higher and items tend to be slightly easier to form thoughts on. Whether those thoughts are good or bad is another issue – my last parcel really just ticked me off. For something that costs a bit and builds quite a bit of prestige, I’ve ended up using and getting value from one thing (the coffee scrub). Everything else, so far, has fulfilled my initial impression of being very disappointing and not worth my time. Thankfully even just opening this box, I can tell I’m going to have more positive feelings here.

Lots of great sized items, nice curation to a summer theme, good heft. As to value, I’ll be doing my usual blend of estimation, rounding and Bad Maths.

Let’s discuss the contents.

Nude By Nature Sheer Glow BB Cream (15mL deluxe sample size approx $15 value) – Base products are tough to include, and last box contained a Nude By Nature foundation powder that was cakey, the wrong shade and broke me out. I’m hoping for better things from this nice sized BB cream, but the fact that it’s on 04 Natural Tan (this might differ from box to box or it might not) is not encouraging. That said, having swatched it, it is incredibly sheer – as per the name – so while it will not give me the coverage I go for in a base, but I can see people going for it in summer. Let’s push limits, right? It has a glowy, almost greasy sort of look to it. Not my thing generally, but hey, it’s a nice inclusion, and it’s a good size. I hope this one doesn’t break me out.

Moroccanoil Treatment (10mL which they say is $59.95, but the internet would indicate that 100mL is $59.95, so let’s call it a generous $6) – I don’t usually do the oil thing, but I’ve been treating my hair pretty nicely recently and I know this is a bit of a cult thing. I’ll give it a go but it might not be my type. My sister loves all this stuff, though, so it’s probably more her thing.

Banana Boat New Suncomfort Lotion SPF50+ (59mL and I can’t handle computer calculators so I’m coming up with like $5.50 and that could be totally off base) – I love getting sunscreen, especially when it’s in packaging I can travel with and reuse. This is a really good size to take to the beach for reapplication during the day, that sort of thing. I needed something like that when I was in Hawaii.

Nip+Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads (5 pads worth about $2.50) – I’m discovering that I’m more into BHA exfoliation than AHA, but I am super keen to try these pads which get loads of hype online. I had been looking at them in the US where they were cheaper, but it’s not something I wanted to try badly enough. Now I get to try it, but I didn’t have to pay for it individually.

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturiser, Fair-Medium (221mL, $10.99) – Jergens are decently priced and though I have tried their body “BB” cream, that wasn’t for me at all. Given that I am quite tan at the moment purely by virtue of having been in Hawaii and my skin being delicate enough for SPF 50 to not do enough work, something like this might be a thing I use at this time of year to keep everything even. Until my face goes back to its fair autumn self, at which point I cannot ever be bothered. I am quite sensitive with body moisturiser, though, so hopefully it doesn’t set off anything.

Avene Micellar Lotion (200mL, $30.95) – I like receiving micellar waters so that unless I’m buying bioderma, I don’t have to buy any others. I’m always looking for a cheaper one I can use on my eyes – at the moment bioderma is the only one that doesn’t sting them – but this isn’t more affordable, so it doesn’t fulfill that. It’s quite heavily perfumed, which does give me cause for alarm, but I’ll give it a shot and worst comes to worst, use it for swatches or pass it on.

Palmer’s Coconut Oil Formula Coconut Oil Body Lotion (50mL worth about $1.50) – I like Palmer’s lotions, so I’ll give this a go. It’s a nice size for travel – I’m going on a short trip with my grandmother later in the summer, so it might be nice for that.

Swisse Manuka Honey Detoxifying Facial Mask (foil sachet which I won’t price) – I’ve used this mask before, and it’s nice enough but not my favourite. It’s not overly drying or overly hydrating, but I found it didn’t really do much of anything for my skin.

Schick Hydro Silk Razor ($14.25) – I’m one of those people who gets weirdly excited by the inclusions of razors, because it means one less razor I have to buy. I usually use these ones to take away with me.

Klorane Conditioner with Quinine and B Vitamins (150mL for $13.95) – A full sized conditioner with no shampoo, but I’ll take it, because it’s another thing I’m too lazy to buy and I go through shampoo and conditioner incredibly quickly because I have ridiculously thick hair.

I’m really into this month’s box. It’s a bunch of exciting or at least incredibly useful products that I’ll get actual use from, unlike last time.

I’d give it a solid 4.5/5. Nice one, Marie Claire. You can stick around.