Girl's Night Out-Alice Through The Looking Glass

Evening Lovelies!!

A few weeks ago my mum and i headed out to the Girl's Night Out screening of Alice Through The Looking Glass.  If you don't know what Girl's Night Out is, it's an advance screening of a movie held by Hoyts and Marie Claire.  For $30 you get to see a movie (and oh, the recliners at hoyts!  Divine!!), plus you get a goodie bag containing the latest issue of Marie Claire, and a girl's night out Parcel.  I thought i'd show you exactly what our Parcels contained.

This was the bag awaiting each of us on our seats!

 As you can see it's a normal Parcel box, with a Girl's Night Out slip cover.

The contents.

Designer Brands Cosmetics Soothing Lavender-soap and body lotion, plus loofah and eye mask

None of this can be purchased as a stand alone product, but DB have it all in a pack for $12.49 (with a body wash).  This smells lovely, and is all usable.

Designer Brands Dry Shampoo-Brunette-$7.99  

OMG, i love this.  It smells heavenly (it has essential oils in it), plus it does a good job, and it isn't visible in my hair!!

Neutrogena Make-up wipes-sample pack

These will be used, and i haven't tried them before

Neutrogena Deep Clean Cleanser-sample size

Perfect for travelling

L'Occitane Rose Handcream-30ml-$14

I LOVE L'Occitane handcreams.  And being winter this is perfect.

Designer Brands Whipped Mineral Eyeshadow-$8.99

Mine's in Ivory, and Mum's was Mushroom (she handed hers on as she won't use it).  They're highly pigmented, are smooth and silky, and are easily blended. 

Designer Brands LashFood Growth Serum-$19.99

Wow!  This is supposed to help thicken your eyelashes, and help them grow.

Eyeshadow swatch

So, not only did we get to see an awesome movie (i adored it!  I'm not a movie person, but it held my interest from start to finish), but we got a box each worth $51 in full sizes alone!  Plus a copy of Marie Claire!

If you live near a Hoyts that hosts Girl's Nights out, treat yourself sometime and go to one.  It was a great experience, and one i'd happily do again.

Lust Have It May 2016

Afternooon all!

If you read my Parcel post yesterday, it'll come as no surprise that i've had my LHI bag for almost 2 weeks.  So it did arrive in May, today's just the first time in a while i've felt up to sitting at the computer.

Another ubiquitous pink bag.  I actually found a use for these the other day, i washed yarn from a jumper i deconstructed in them.  Worked perfectly!

Razzamatazz Perfectly Matte Opaque Leggings-11.95

I've seen other bloggers state they'd have preferred another beauty item over this, but i'm quite happy with the tights.  They fit me!  They're fairly comfortable, and they're perfect for the winter months.  I'd probably be upset if it happened regularly, or the leggings took the place of a beauty item, but as an added bonus, love it!

'Mystery Item' Soak Body Lotion-?

If you search through my LHI or Violet Box reviews you'll find this somewhere.  Others received an Urban Skincare Co body balm.  Both are previous samples, and seem to be a 'holy shit, need to include something else' sample.  Or they're using up leftovers.  This isn't a terrible body lotion, but it's inclusion is just a bit blah.

Lollipops Baume Grenadine-$7.45-full size

This is a tinted ?balm?gloss?oil?.  Smells sugary sweet, gives your lips a lovely hint of colour, and leaves them moisturised.  It feels like an oil on and is non sticky.

Teeez Spectrum of Stars Eye Shadow-$29-full size

The hero product!  I love Teeez products, and this is no different.  Firstly, the packaging is amazing, as i've come to expect from Teeez.  And the product is wonderful, highly pigmented, buttery soft, and easy to blend.  Mine's in the shade Pearly Mist, which is a pewter colour.

Starlooks Luxe Longwear Eyeliner Pen-$20-full size

This is the 3rd? 4th? eyeliner i've received from Starlooks, although the first pen (i think).  This one is brown, it lasts forever (the swatch did, at least), and it seems relatively easy to use.  I just wish LHI would lay off the eyeliners for a bit, the april box had a brown liner too, and there have been more blacks than i can poke a stick at.

PHR Recovery Leave In Moisturiser-$35.95-sample size (LHI are calling this a 'deluxe size'. Deluxe my foot!  A satchet is not deluxe, it's cheap, nasty, and can normally be picked up for free.  Thankfully LHI have stopped sending them out most of the time, but at least call a spade a spade).

I've tried this before thanks to Violet Box.  It worked wonderfully on my hair, but the satchet is single use when you have hair like mine.

Eyeliner, eyeshadow, lip balm

All in all it's a decent box.  A couple of new brands, some new products from previous brands, 1 repeat and leggings :).  The value is certainly there, and i'll use everything in my box.

As it's taken me so long to post this, we're not far off the next LHI!  Can't wait!!

The Parcel Winter Edit

Morning Lovelies!!

Long time no chat!  I do apologise, the headache from hell is now 5 weeks old, 3 lots of antibiotics and 4 drs visits and we're still no closer to knowing WTH is going on!  Next step is an MRI.  To top off the headache, my lovely, beautiful kids have bought home both a cough (no other symptoms, just a cough), and a cold, both of which i've had the pleasure of catching.  Life's been hard.

Yesterday, however, a mystery parcel slip turned up on my doorstep (oh, and my illustrated copy of Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone!  It is gorgeous, and a must have for any HP fans), and i managed to get to the post office to pick it up just before it closed last night.  Sitting outside i saw another woman walk out with her Parcel, and i crossed my fingers hoping the slip was for mine.  Lo and behold, it was!  And so here i am!

I can't believe it's winter!  But the contents of the box are perfect protection against the cold.

10 items in total, 4 full sized!

Garnier BB cream

This is listed as a bonus, so no need to tear strips over the size.  I might get a single use out of it.  I've used this in the past, though, it isn't the best BB cream ever, but it's a decent tinted moisturiser.

Burt's Bees Tinted Lipbalm-$12.95-full size

This is a 100% natural lip balm, with a tint.  I'm not normally a fan of Burt's Bees (their products are ok, but expensive), however i've had this balm on all morning, and i quite like it.  Mine's in the colour Zinnia, which is a peachy pink, it has a faint raspberry-ish scent which disappears quickly, and over 2 hours later my lips still feel moisturised.  The tint is only light, you're not going to end up with brightly coloured lips, but it's the perfect addition to your handbag for dry lips.

The Body Shop Drops of Youth Concentrate-$69.95-sample size

This is an organic potion that supposedly encourages the skin's natural renewal process, leaving you with glowing skin.  Sounds...........interesting.  At least with this size sample you get to trial it for a decent period before forking out for a full size, plus it gives people who can't make it in to a store a chance to give a Body Shop product a go (i used to live in an area that didn't have a Body Shop, i know i can order online or through Body Shop At Home, but the products are expensive, and it's a huge risk to buy something without being able to test it first).

Nivea Sensitive Caring Micellar Water-$9.97-full size

*snore......zzzzzzzzzz*  Wasn't there the Garnier version in the last Parcel?  I think i currently have 5 full bottles of Micellar water here.............................  2 Swisse (it was cheap, i'm a sucker for a bargain), 1 Unani from LHI, and the Garnier and Nivea from The Parcel.  I know people love the stuff, and i think it's ok, but i tend to use a cleansing oil as a makeup remover instead.  Maybe once the Face Shop oil i'm currently using is finished i'll try and get through some of these.

Garnier Wake Up cream-$19.99-full size

Despite the name, this is a sleeping/night cream.  Slather on, leave overnight, 'wake up to more radiant skin'.  It has rice micro peptides, and is supposed to fight dull skin and fatigue.  It has a definite scent, i rubbed some on my hand 30 minutes ago, and i can still smell it, which may prove to be a problem for some.  It almost smells cologne-ish.

Rituals Cosmetics Fortune Oil-$18-sample size

This is a sweet orange and cedar wood shower oil.  On contact with water it becomes a foam, which helps hydrate your skin.  It smells delightful, and is something i'm interested to try, plus it's from a company i haven't tried before.

MOR Rosa Noir Hand and Body Milk-$39.95-sample size

*YAWN*  I am so disappointed to see this product.  This is my 4th parcel, and the second time i've received this (it was in last year's spring edit).  Firstly, i don't think MOR is worth the money (yes, it's lovely, but not for the prices they want), and secondly, there are only 4 women's Parcels a year.  Surely it isn't too much to expect to not get double ups in the same year.  Comes across as lazy, especially when there are so many other awesome products and brands out there.

Colgate Optic White High Impact White-$9.99-sample size

Surprisely i'm happy to receive this.  I have a bit of an issue with toothpaste, and i love being able to try different ones out without buying the full size.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Forever Smooth Anti-Frizz Primer-$16.99-full size

What a mouthful!  But, i so can't wait to try this out (i would have when i washed my hair last night, but i hadn't taken photos.  The things i do for this blog).  Applied to wet hair, this is a leave in treatment, that uses coconut oil and glycerides to help align the structure of your hair.  So, in theory, it should help more with each use.  I hate my hair, it's long, thick, frizzy, with next to no definition.  It looks fantastic when straightened, but with 3 kids i don't have the time nor the inclination to straighten my hair every 2-3 days.  I've had success with John Frieda products in the past, so hopefully this becomes a holy grail product.

Klorane Shampoo with Quinine and B vitamins-$20.95-sample size

This helps hair become everything i just said my hair was.  It helps with thinning, lifeless hair.  Maybe i should run as far away from it as possible.  However, being such a small sample i'll probably give it a go.  Again, this smells quite cologne-y, actually a lot of the products in the box smell quite masculine.

Burt's Bees lip balm

All in all, whilst this isn't the worst box i've ever received (i think that honour still goes to Glossy Box), it isn't the normal standard i've come to expect.  The Parcel normally has a Hero Product, there really isn't one this month.  And there isn't really anything exclusive, nothing that makes it feel overly special.  Add the fact that there is a double up, plus a similar product to the last box, and it makes the whole box slightly disappointing.

Value wise, the value is there.  The full sizes alone are worth $59.90, over double what i paid for the box.  And it fits the winter season.  And i'll use everything.  But, yeah, it's just not what The Parcel team normally come up with, and some of it feels like an after thought.

I'll be interested to see what others think of it.

Redpawpaw-Autumn 2016

Afternoon Lovelies!

Well, this review has been a long time coming.  Redpawpaw was due in March, i emailed them mid march after not hearing anything (i honestly wouldn't have been surprised if i hadn't received an answer), only to be told to expect a box in April.  April rocked around, and still nothing, then finally i received this email:

We have some exciting news!
  Redpawpaw has new owners and will now partner with market leading magazine brands New Idea and that’s life! to deliver your Redpawpaw box even more often.
  What does this mean for me?

• There will be no change to the concept; you will still receive a selection of top brand grocery products delivered to your door.
• We will transfer your contact details and delivery details to the new owners, Pacific Magazines Pty Limited, to fulfil your subscription, and Pacific Magazines Pty Limited will handle your personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

Will the price remain the same?

• The new owners have agreed to retain the current subscription price for existing Quarterly subscribers for as long as you remain a subscriber.
• The price for NEW subscribers is now $20 including free delivery per box.
• However, if you currently pay $10 + delivery and your delivery fee is less than $10, your subscription price will not change - you will continue to pay less than $20.
• If you currently pay $10 + delivery and your delivery fee is $10 or higher, you will only be charged $20 including free delivery from the Autumn box onwards, which means from now on you will pay less than you did for any previous boxes.

When is the next box coming?

• Thank you for your patience while we have been finalising the change of ownership for Redpawpaw. We apologise for the delay this has caused to the delivery of the Autumn box.
• The Autumn box will be delivered in May.
• The new owners intend to send the Redpawpaw box to you more often than before so stay tuned for more announcements. 

The current team at Redpawpaw would like to thank you for your loyalty and support over the last 2 years. We have really appreciated your enthusiasm for trying products and your valuable feedback along the way.

We are excited to pass on the reigns to the new owners, as we know they will work hard to bring lots of new benefits to you as a subscriber over the coming months.

Wishing you and your family all the best.

Happy discovering!

The team at Redpawpaw
 
So, yet another change for Redpawpaw!  Anyways, i paid end of April/early May (and yes, my box price has dropped!), and then on Thursday 12/5, my box was delivered.

 The box has changed slightly (from white on red to red on white), otherwise is exactly the same.  It came packed better, though, with those air pocket thingys to prevent items moving around.

 Peckish Rice Snackers-$2.20-full size  These are a repeat product, but i love them.  Happy to see them again
Ocean Spray Craisins-75c-sample size
Waterthins Mocha Twists-$3.99-full size  These appear to be a new product on the market
Darrell Lea Rocklea Road-$4.39-full size  Omnomnomnomnom!!
Nature Valley Popcorn bar-$1.06-sample size

 Sipahh Straws-$2.19-sample full size  Again, a repeat, but my kids love them so they always come in handy (you can buy this identical pack in woolies, but it's a sampler pack)
Melitta Italian Gourmet-$5.81-full size

 Uncle Toby's Oat Crisp Coconut and Raspberry-92c-sample size  I've tried this before thanks to PinchMe, and enjoyed it.  Happy to have more
Table of Plenty Berry Basket-88c-sample size

 Finish Power and Pure-$3.88-sample size
Organic Care Vanilla and Ylang Ylang body wash-$2.41-sample size  This is actually a third of the full size.  Brilliant sample size!
Natralus Paw Paw Pure Gel-????-sample size

 Well and Good Sponge Swiss Roll Mix-$5.38-full size
Women's Health Magazine-$7.50 After being taken over by a magazine company, it didn't surprise me to find a magazine.  What did surprise me is the fact it's the current issue!

TOTAL-$41.36

Look, there are a few repeats, and those repeats do feel like leftovers that have been thrown in (i'm looking at you Finish tablets), but generally i like what i see.  The box is still worth what was promised in the beginning (and is double what i paid), whilst the brands are mainly all brands we've seen before, they're new products; and there are some fairly new products to the market.

I'm willing to continue with my subscription based on this box, and i kinda can't wait to see what else they bring to the table.

Is anyone else still with Redpawpaw?  Or am i the only one left?  And if so, what do you think of everything?

Lust Have It April 2016

Afternoon Lovelies!

It's the 26/04, and my LHI bag is here. Wonders will never cease!!

No, all jokes aside, this month LHI seemed to have a really fast turn around.  I made a payment on Thursday, my box was sent Friday, and it's been delivered today.

But lets get in to it!

Back to a pink bag this month.  I'm starting to build quite a collection.

Marsk Certified Organic Eyeliner and Browliner-$28.95 each-full size

These were the sneak peek for the month.  But what to tell you about them?  They go on nice and smoothly, they seem fairly well pigmented.  However even on my hand they don't seem to be lasting very well.  I got the colours Morning Coffee (eyeliner) and Marilyn (browliner).  Marilyn is too pale for me, so i'll pass it on, but i'm wondering if i can use the eyeliner on my brows instead.  I'll have to have a play.

Appelles Blackseed Shampoo and Tamanu Conditioner-$47-sample size

I've already tried these thanks to Violet Box.  I adore the smell, they did a decent job on my hair, if i remember rightly, though, i seemed to have to use a lot to get clean hair. 

Manna Kadar Fantasy 3-in-1 Blush/highlighter/eyeshadow-$25-full size

Hmmmm, this is interesting.  It's a gorgeous rosy-gold shade, it's pretty pigmented and is lovely and smooth.  It would make a gorgeous eyeshadow, i think it'll be a pretty highlighter, but i think it's a bit too metallic to be a blush.  It would depend on the person, though.

Personail Nail Polish Wraps-$18-full size

Saved the best for last.  These are just gorgeous!!  They're in the pattern Baby's Breathe, a mint, grey, pink, white set.  There are full sparkly nails, too!!  And each set comes with a little nail file and cuticle stick.  I can't wait to try these out!!

Manna Kadar 3-in-one, Morning Coffee eyeliner, Marilyn browliner

What a great box!  4 full sizes, 2 deluxe samples, and a brand new brand.  Plus a value of just over $100 in full sizes alone.

Has anyone tried the Personail wraps?  What do you think?

BeautyCrew

Afternoon Lovelies!

I'm sure by now everyone (at least in Australia) has heard of The Parcel by Marie Claire, but have you heard of BeautyCrew?  It's a sister website to the box, along the same line as Beauty Heaven and Primped.  So they're doing tutorials, reviews, articles, even some product trials.  I'm actually really excited to see where the site goes, so far i've loved what i've read.

Anyways, when the site first became live, there was a competition where you could win a $250 beauty pack for signing up to the newsletter.  And then, 2 weeks ago, i received an email letting me know i'd won one (there were 16 prizes on offer).  Well today my pack arrived, and i'm surprised you didn't hear my squeals from where ever in the world you are reading this from.  I was kinda excited, and i think you'll see why.

This is how it came (oh well, it was in a packing box with bubble wrap, but this was inside)!  All wrapped, with ribbon and a letter (there is another comp for the 16 winners, for reviewing the products we won).  It felt like Christmas!

Tadah!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OMG, i've wanted to try a Clarisonic forever!  I have an Aldi cheapy, and love it, so this is just amazing!!  It's a Clarisonic Mia, worth around $155.  It's sitting in my bathroom charging as we speak, and i'm hanging out for 24 hours to be up so i can try it out.

And then, to top it off, we have the Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser ($32), a replacement sensitive head ($35) and a Clarisonic Deep Pore Clay Mask ($32).  I love the fact a replacement head was included, and the skincare sounds amazing.

I was expecting a box of dribs and drabs, maybe something higher end, so to receive this is just amazing!

I'll post a more in depth review once i've given everything a decent trial.

Priceline 40% off-April 2016

Afternoon lovelies!

As you probably know, Priceline has had 40% off cosmetics yesterday and today (And it's not too late to visit a store if you haven't already).

I didn't go in looking for anything in particular, i wanted to browse, have a sticky beak at the Essence stand, and just see if anything caught my eye.  I had a $10 voucher from some market research i did, so i took it along, and ended up spending a bit more!

Whoops!

First, lets talk about the Essence.  The All About Matt ($4.29) foundation is a replacement product, my current one is almost empty, and i really like it.  The white Kajal eyeliner is actually to draw embroidery patterns on to my current project, they wash out well and at $1.20 it was cheap.  The other 3 products are much loved products of other bloggers, the Silky Blush ($3.06) gets rave reviews regularly, and the 2 lipliners ($1.20) are really cheap and are the perfect colours for autumn and winter.

As an aside has anyone else noticed empty Essence stands at Priceline?  Both the one i went to today and the other one i frequent regularly seem constantly empty.

Blush, lipliners and eyeliner

 I spotted these as i walked in.  Savvy gel finish nail polishes, these were in a pack together, and with the sale were only $3.  I'm interested to see how they last.

This was a bit of a reckless purchase, i have so many lip products already.  But i've always like Babylips, and this crayon ($4.17) gives my lips a glossy tint, perfect for lazy days.  Plus it smells yummy!!

Finally, some more Savvy products.  I love the look of manicured eyebrows, but i don't really do my own.  I own 2 pencils, so i was interested in see what was around.  These are the Savvy Brow Kit ($4.79) and the Clear Brow Gel ($2.99).  The brow kit has a powder and a wax, plus a mirror, tweezers and a little slanted brush, it's so cute!

Then, whilst wandering around Coles, i found Crop products.  The first time i'd heard of them was in last months Parcel.  The skincare products were on sale, so i picked up the Gentle Cleansing Gel.  OMG, this smells divine!!  It has Eucalyptus, rosemary, lemongrass and peppermint oils, Jojoba, vit e, cocoa butter, rosehip oil, aloe vera etc, and it's paraben and sulphate free.  I can't wait to try this out, and it was relatively inexpensive (i think i paid $8.40).

So there you have it!  Some lovely new products to play with.

Did you get sucked in like i did?  What did you buy?