Firstly, I'm not that impressed with their customer service and will talk about why after the unboxing and review so you can ignore it if you wish.
Ok, here's what I got:
Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector. RRP: $97 for 30ml (Holy Shit Son!) Sample Size
This is nice, absorbs well and smells great but no frickin way would I ever pay this amount of money for this. It also says it takes 6 weeks to see results. I have been using this on and off for 2 weeks and I'm already half way through it. I feel that if you are asking people to pay this much for a product, you should at least provide them with enough of a sample to see if it actually does what it claims to (correct wrinkles, pores and the skins texture).
Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain. RRP $25.95. Full size
I got an orange one which I'm not hugely chuffed about. My heart actually sank when I saw it but if I use it sparingly it looks sort of natural so that's ok. I'm just using it for work when I don't want to have too much colour on my lips. It applies nicely and doesn't smell which is great. I also love the packaging, I honestly think it's beautiful. It almost makes it look as though the product is actually luminous. I don't think I would ever be able to pay this much for a lip product, but I might consider another colour if I see it reduced (heavily) some day.
Gwen Stefani by O.P.I. Nail Laquer. RRP $19.95. Full size
I got the shade I Sao Paulo Over There and it is a whopping 15ml product. I love this. It's hands down my favourite product in the box. It is a really nice browny, mauvy, grayey colour and changes depending on the lighting. It wears really well and dries really quickly. I have nothing negative to say about this. When I heard they were based on Gwen Stefani I didn't think there'd be a shade I'd wear but this has been on my toes (can't wear nail polish at work) since I got the box.
Benefit They're Real Push-up Liner (RRP $35) and Mascara (RRP $38) Sample sizes
I actually found the liner really difficult to use and made a real mess. Because it is no-budge, said mess was difficult to clean up and I ended up having to take off all my make-up and start again. In order to remove it fully, I also had to rub my eye raw. I have the Rimmel waterproof gel liner and I did a swatch of each of these side-by-side, left them to dry and then tried to smudge them. They both performed the same way and the Rimmel one is easier to use and about a third of the price. I'll be sticking with the Rimmel. Not saying this is a bad product, just that I'm a tight-arse and don't really see the point in spending heaps on one thing when I can get a product that's just as good for much cheaper.
The mascara I'm a little upset about. I tried it, loved the formula and the brush (it went on beautifully, no clumps), but it stuck terribly to my eyelash curler. I know, I know. You curl before you put on mascara and I do. Unfortunately, my ridiculous eyelashes are so stubbornly straight that I have to curl afterwards. . .several times. It just made the curl come out and pulled out some of my lashes as well. I really liked it otherwise so for those of you who have normal eyelashes, this is a winner. I can honestly say that, prior to the curling catastrophe, this is the best mascara I have ever used.
L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Purse-Size Hairspray. RRP $4.95
I have to say I'm a bit annoyed about this one. I've used it before and you can get it anywhere. It's not new, hard to get or expensive. I would expect this in some of the other subscription boxes but they don't pretend to be high end. I expected something other than run of the mill hairspray from Marie Claire. Having said that, it is a good hairspray and I will use it, I'm just not excited about it.
Bonus Product: Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner. RRP $4.99 for 200ml. Sample sizes
If you are subscribed to any Australian beauty box, you will have (or will soon) received this. I'm not a huge fan of Pantene given their careless attitude towards the health of the hair of their customers. I used this because I had them and they were only small. I thought I'd only get three days out of them but they actually lasted me a week. They smell great (I've had the empty box sitting on my desk so my study smells nice) and they do make your hair feel lovely. Unfortunately, Pantene is not a brand that I want to support, or even trust, so I won't be buying these products.
Anyway, that's the box. There were a few misses but in all I like most of the products and will use all of them except the liner - which I will give to my very excited sister - so I'd say that's a win. The other thing I thought was great was that any info/ingredients lists not included on the product packaging were listed inside the sleeve the box came in. Both the sleeve and the product card also had my name printed on them, which was also a nice, personalised touch.
I'll be unsubscribing after I receive the Summer Edit purely because of my experience with their customer service. They debited payment for the Summer Edit 2 months early and without notice. It took 3 emails and eventually 1 phone call before I even knew why this had happened. I was already annoyed that they failed to respond to my emails, then had to wait on hold for 30 minutes (wasting my credit for their mistake), and was not apologised to and was not even asked if I wanted my money returned to me and then debited again on the correct date. I was told that this had happened to other customers, so I don't understand why they didn't contact people to let them know what had happened. For me, someone taking money unannounced is just not on. Then to receive no apology and no offer to remedy the situation has really rubbed me the wrong way. I was going to unsubscribe for the Summer Edit and see what was in it before I bought it so I am pissed off that that option was taken from me. Their failure to contact customers despite knowing that this occurred was the last straw for me i'm afraid.
Have you received this box?
Did you like it?
What was your favourite product?
Have you experienced any similar problems?
Note: I paid for this product myself and have not been contacted by the company or asked to conduct this review. All opinions are my own and should not be regarded as anything else.
