Yesterday I reached home and found a spanking new package waiting for me.
This month's packaging is much more space friendly as it's no longer a pink box but a cardboard that wraps around the Bellabox inside. Thumbs up for saving space! When I first saw it, I thought that maybe the company is downsizing, because it looks so small compared to last month's box! Thankfully, that was not the case...
The trademark box
This month's box had an extra note from BellaBox, assuring customers the quality, reliability and freshness of the products. I wouldn't want to put old products on my face while testing them out! They also gave a $50 dermalogica voucher that I passed to my sister since I'm over the phase of facials and I'm seeing a real dermatologist. It sounds like I'm boasting, but its really more of a confession on how bad my skin condition is :(
This month's items are all packaged and nicely wrapped together compared to last month's items. There are also brochures about A'kin and Caudalie inside = there are definitely items from these 2 brands!
The theme for this month's BellaBox was "Get Ready To Glow", so I expected at least a highlighter and maybe an illuminating moisturizer. However, it seems like what they meant was the dominance of skincare products this month.
1. Dermalogica Multi Active Toner (deluxe sample size): The Dermalogica brand is supposedly pretty good though I've never found it to work miracles on me, so not a favourite of mine in lieu of the value vs cost proposition. However, I've never tried the toner before and I am fond of refreshing toners lately, so I'll give it a whirl soon.
2. Royal Cosmetics Royal Herb Ex Cream (sample): It's the small pot with the R above. There was a whole write up on how it is infused with gold to nourish and bring radiance back to the skin. Definitely sounds like something for dry/mature skin, which now includes me, thanks to my prescribed Retin A/tretinoin.
3. A'kin Hand, Nail and Cuticle Creme (deluxe sample size? quite big though): This is the lavender, geranium and jojoba version. It goes on a little tacky but after 5-10 minutes, dries down, and I can't feel anything on my hands. Keeping it at home for me to use when I go back on the weekends. Love that a hand cream was given since I was running out of my other hand cream.
4. Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminee Eye and Lip Cream (seems like a full size, considering that the full size is 1.5ml): $75 value if it is indeed a full size product! Have not tried it yet, but nice to have another eye cream considering that of my skincare stash, eye creams are in the smallest abudance of only 3 products at hand*cringes*
5. Lus Illuminated Lip Gloss in Plum (full size): $12.90 for a full size from bellabox.sg. I love love the colour that I was sent, the plummy colour just fits my taste oh so well and I don't have any plummy lipgloss, that I can remember. It contains multi coloured shimmers in the gloss, so I'll need to try it a few more times to see how it wears. The formulation is not tacky, and sort of smooth, which is great especially since I hate tacky lipglosses. The packaging is horrid though, when you remove the applicator, there is this LED blue light that comes on and blinds my eyes when I try to look into a mirror and apply the lipgloss. I can't even see my lips because the glaring light blocks them out! Perhaps they are meant to be applied in the dark, but I think the glare is so terrible, it would be redudant. Yes, you can see your lips, but you can't see when you make the mistakes of going over the lipline! Love the lipgloss, hate HATE the packaging.
View of the lipgloss and Royal Cream
Seems like there are gold particles suspended in the gel like texture. Quite interested to try it, but I'm currently trying to finish up as much of my samples as possible, so this is going to the back.
So far, Bellabox has not disappointed me for the February and March boxes. February had a strong makeup slant so it is nice that March is more focused on skincare (though I prefer makeup!). The items are great for this month, because it focuses on the small luxuries like creams made of gold (does this even help in skincare?!), hand creams (which not everyone uses, but I'm getting more and more into it), toners (which I don't really use, apart from refreshing ones like these) and lip & eye cream (some people don't use eye creams though they should!). A nice mix of products to increase lemmings, the point of beauty boxes, and great deluxe samples for someone who loves sampling new products to try :) For $15 a month, I think Bellabox beats out VanityTrove, which is the other beauty box I subscribe to, hands down!
