Bellabox January 2017 – Unboxing and Review

I feel like I start all of these reviews with disappointment. Sad trombone noises, womp womp womp, you know the drill. I thought I’d give Lust Have It the axe, especially if Bellabox had themselves together this month, but I’m thoroughly underwhelmed. Let’s discuss.

Maybe I was being too harsh in my opening statement. There’s dollops of potential here, and my sighs don’t necessarily indicate that. Sadly, potential doesn’t always equate to a good box.

BB Summer Shimmer Trio (I got the Unicorn trio, RRP $9.95) – I love highlighters, especially pastel tones, so this is a nice item in theory. I did get the shade I would prefer as opposed to the golden trio, not that the name is mentioned anywhere on the actual packaging.  Where the theory falls down is that in Bellabox’s foray into cosmetic manufacturing, they’ve entirely prioritised hitting a trend over creating a usable, quality product. They have that distinct kiddy makeup texture, really greasy with lots of glitter, not to mention the accompanying toy makeup smell. The lightest shade, a pearl, is all glitter and has no base in pigment (the other two are slightly better). They blend out to indistinct glitter and disrupt base makeup so really only work on bare skin. I wish this had been a powder formula, where even the worst are easier to repurpose, or a little more thought had been given to the actual texture and workability of the product.

Cetaphil Suntivity SPF50+ Liposomal Lotion (100mL retails for $19.05 and this is 10mL so around $1.90) – I love getting sunscreen in boxes. I like how this is packaged – it’s got a proper lid for multiple uses – and I appreciate that it’s SPF50. The only dampener on it is that I’ve actually received this sunscreen in a Bellabox before, and that one was a full size. I imagine this is a convenient size for short term travel – I might take it away with me at the end of the month – but I have a lot of sunscreen, because I live in Australia.

Skinny Tan Gradual Tanner (Full size 150mL; RRP $29.95) – This is a high value item, but I’m always automatically irritated by things that use “skinny” in their marketing. Like…this is a gradual tanner. All that’s “skinny” about it is the inclusion of guarana, so you’ve got a bit of caffeine I guess, and that a tan does help to smooth over the appearance of cellulite. As someone with plenty of cellulite, I don’t care, and I’m not won over by marketing that targets a fear of being overweight to make money (see: skinny teas) or the implications of my my body being awful and wrong. I have, however, been looking for a gradual tanner to help even out all the pigmentation on my legs, and this one smells like coconut. Hopefully it won’t work out a streaky mess on me the way the Jergens did.

Klorane Shampoo with Camomile (I am no longer placing values on these but they are 25mL and the full size is 200mL for $13.95) – You lose value with omnipresence. The more of these I acquire, the less likely I am to use them. A shampoo without a conditioner is a weird thing to send, they’re too small for travel, and they’re basically just things that overrun my drawers.

EyePro Eye Makeup Pad (a ten pack is $14.95; this is one set so around $1.50) – I’m vaguely interested in the idea of a product that gets me a straight wing without me having to hold something to my face, but also protects from fallout. Would I pay for it? Absolutely not.

Maybe I was too harsh. I feel like it was better than I made out initially. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just cancel them both? One more month? Why am I doing this to myself?

Lust Have It January 2017 – Unboxing and Review

I don’t really know how to feel.

I mean, the elements are all there, but now I’ve been receiving subscriptions for over a year, I’ve just become a little jaded. Now I’m at a point where I’ve reached saturation for bits and bobs, and the money I feel I could put elsewhere. It’s not just Lust Have It, it’s just bits-and-bobs in general. I want the fun of choice back with my money, especially when I’m consistently ending up with things that I’m using to use. My usual whining will commence below. Colour swatches at the bottom of the list of products.

Your Tea Her Tea – We only got one bag last month, and so they compensated with…a plastic bag full of tea. I don’t drink tea, so I don’t care, but I’m glad they went through with it.

Burt’s Bees Lipstick in Blush (RRP $19.95) – This was the big spoiler item, and I love getting lipsticks, so I was tentatively keen to get this. Sadly, I have swatched most of these, and none have great pigmentation, nor do they wear particularly well. This shade is a peachy my-lips-but-better colour, which is not my thing at all. At least it feels nice on the lips.

Ofra Pressed Eyeshadow Pan in Bohemian (4g full size; RRP $12USD so approx $16AUD) – This is a very pretty shimmer shade, an antique gold with a bit of bronze to it. I don’t have a palette to store it in, which is annoying, but I have been considering getting one. I don’t reach for single shadows often, but this does have nice payoff and applies smoothly.

Unani Dermo Defense Face Mask (100mL, roughly $24AUD) – Naturally, this has changed packaging (I frequently ding Lust Have It for their inclusion of old stock, like a sample of a foundation that changed packaging more than 2 years prior), but it seems like an interesting mask and I like receiving this kind of thing. It’s a gel mask – I’ll give it a go at some point.

OPI Shatter Nail Lacquer in Super Bass Shatter (RRP $13.85) – although, let’s be honest, shatter nail polish hasn’t been a thing for years and they’re just trying to get rid of this however they can. This colour is beautiful and I wish it was solid rather than – cringe – shatter.

ETC Eye Liner Pencil in Silver (RRP “$15” but really who knows) – I don’t think too  much of this international drugstore brand, but I will say that this at least had a decent amount of pigment and felt soft enough to use around the lower lash line.

If this gets another month, it’s because I’m lazy and haven’t cancelled it in time. It’s not so much a problem with the bag, but a problem with disillusionment and subscription boxes in general. I suspect the case will be similar with Bellabox. I am intending on keeping around the Marie Claire box for a little while, though.