Marie Claire The Parcel: Autumn Edit Unboxing and First Impressions

Unfortunately Marie Claire have pissed me off yet again. Again, I won't go into why until the end of the post so people who aren't interested aren't forced to read it. 

Once again, this box came in very good time considering all other boxes take at least a week to get to me(just 4 days after receiving the shipping confirmation). It was also chockers again, albeit a little less exciting that the summer edit. 

Here is what was inside:

Lancome Advanced Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate: RRP $95 for full size. 
We received a sample size of this one which is a cute mini version of the full size. It is 7ml which is a very generous sample size for a serum. It claims to repair skin and 'activate; the 10 visible signs of youthful-looking skin. You use 3 drops morning and night. I haven't had a chance to use this yet but I did try a little on my hand and it did leave my skin feeling nice and smooth so I think it might be a nice hydrating serum. As for the 'youth activation' side of it, we shall wait and see. I am naturally skeptical but am happy to be converted. I have a few serums to get through before I can try this one, so I'll probably do an individual review of this one down the track.

Schick Hydro Silk: RRP $14.25
Obviously we received the full size of this product. I have fallen into the habit of using my husbands disposable razors so I haven't had my own razor for about a year now. This is probably going to do wonders for me given what I'm used to but I'll have to see. This is also one of those razors that you can buy replacement heads for so that's great as I struggle to fork out that much money for one razor (I know that's really tight but I'd rather put that money towards taking my daughter to a coffee shop or something like that). I am very appreciative of the fact that it's blue and not pink as I'm just not a pink, bling, glitz kind of girl. 


Max Facter Masterpiece Transform Mascara-black: RRP $23.95

We recieved the full size of this mascara. I haven't opened it as I don't use black mascara as I find it makes my small eyes look even smaller. I have seen the wand on some unboxing videos on youtube (Messy Downunder and Vicki Seymour) so check them out if you want to see. It does look like a really good applicator shape and the bristles are plastic/silicone so I'm disappointed I won't be trying this one. 



Mor Emporium Classics Snow Gardenia Triple Milled Soap: RRP $19.95
The card states that this is a sample size, however it looks pretty full-sized to me. I really can't imagine how it would be bigger and still fit in your hand so I think we must have recieved the full size. I really like Mor products and I'm due for a new soap, however the smell of this soap is just too strong and floral for me. The packaging of this product is just beautiful.

L'Occitane Dry Skin Hand Cream: RRP $42
We received a very generous sample size of this. It doesn't say how much it is but I would guess that it is at least 20ml. The packaging is lovely and I'm always using handcreams so this is a good addition to me. I got it in the scent Rose Heart, which is the scent I was hoping I wouldn't get. I was a little disappointed as soon as I saw the colour of the tube, however it isn't as potent or 'old' as I thought it would be so I think I'll still be able to get good use out of this. It has an almost fruity undertone, although it is subtle, which might be what saves it from being too much. It absorbs very easily and doesn't appear to be too greasy either, as long as you don't use too much. 


Rimmel BB Cream Radiance: RRP $12.95
We recieved the full size of this very nice BB cream. This is a brand new product, due to hit the shelves next month. I was actually after a new BB cream so I'm very excited to receive this product. I recieved this product in 'light', even though the card indicates it should be 'medium'. I don't mind at all as it is on the lighter side of the right shade for me now and I will be getting all pale and whatnot as soon as winter sets in so it's perfect for me. It contains 'skin-brightening' vitamin C complex and shae butter. I have tried this on my face and it does give you a healthy glow so I'm really happy with this. I'll do a full review once I've used it a few times, however my first impression is a very positive one. I don't like to wear heavy foundation so this product is a great addition to the box.

Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Skin Cream: RRP $19.95
We received the full size of this product. It doesn't say so but I think this may be a moituriser. It claims to reduce wrinkles, dark spots and dehydration and to illuminate. It looks like a cream when you put it on but turns into a skin colour once you start to rub it in (see swatches at the end of the post). This is apparantly due to the 'micro pigments' which adjust to match your skin colour. The skeptic in me says yeah right, however whatever the cause of the colour, it is a great match for me so I'm very pleased to have this. I was just about to go on the hunt for a tinted moisturiser so this is great timing. It is also affordable as you don't need to use much and it's a 50ml tube. Unlike the Lancome serum, this is a product I could see myself purchasing. I plan on trying to source another one in a facebook swap, sell, buy group.


Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes: RRP $3.99 (7 towelettes)
Recieved full size. Who doesn't use makeup wipes? I have to use water proof mascara to help hold a 100% artificial curl (no natural curl for me I'm afraid) and it is always difficult to remove so I am always happy to receive makeup wipes. I have also heard these ones being toted as the best so I'm glad to give them a go. Having said that, this item (along with the razor) are not items I would expect to see in a self-proclaimed high end service. 


The swatches

top: garnier skin miracle cream, bottom: rimmel BB cream. Both are blended out to the right hand side.

My thoughts. . . . 
We have again received a great value box. While not their most exciting box, it is probably the most practical box I have recieved from them to date. I will use most of the items in the box, and the ones I don't use I am hoping to swap for more of the ones I will (fingers crossed). The fact there is only 1 actual high end product in the box is a bit disappointing. I live in a small town in Tasmania, therefore I don't have access to high end samples as a matter of course and I do enjoy the feeling of 'luxury' you get when you use more expensive products. Having said that, I am still very happy with this box. It contained a few items I was actually going to source so it has saved me that hassle (not to mention the extra cash). I'm excited to get into it. 

If you got the box, let me know what you thought of it. I'd love to hear other people's opinions/experiences.

 Would you like to read my unboxing of the Spring and Summer edits?





The Rant

They have taken the payment for this box on the 1st of February. They indicate on the website that they will take payment on the first of the period (I assumed season), which would mean the first of March. When I emailed them about this, they sent me an email saying that this matter had already been resolved following my phone call. There was no phone call, I assume they meant my last issue with them (also taking money unexpectedly for the summer edit). I emailed back and received a patronising explanation of what a subscription service is, and that was it. No offer to return my money to me and no mention of my request for confirmation of the exact date the next payment would be taken. This is ridiculous and, aside from LHI, I believe they have the least helpful customer service of all the Australian subscription services. I have been a member of all except Flora and Fauna and consequently understand what a subscription service is. Also, I'm not an idiot and really don't appreciate being treated as such. Pull your socks up Marie Claire and stop being so condescending, you are not doing your company any favours here.

Marie Claire The Parcel: Summer Edit Unboxing

Early last week I was very surprised to receive this lovely little Parcel! If you would like more information and links for this product, please see the The Parcel tab.

If you read my post on the the Spring Edit you would know that I wasn't that impressed with the customer service and was going to unsubscribe as soon as I received tracking for this parcel. I didn't and I'm quite glad as I was really impressed with this season's offering. 

The little black box was so packed full of stuff it sent butterflies swirling around in my stomach the second I opened it. 

This season's offering was very skincare based, which is fine by me as I've just signed up for a 12month Violet Box sub so I'm sure I'll have makeup samples coming out the wazoo very soon. 

Nuf chitchat, lets dig in. . .
 

Essie Nail Polish ($16.95) and Top Coat ($17.95). Full Sizes
I received the nail polish in a very very baby pink colour (can't remember the name of the shade and I've already given it away. . .oops). It is absolutely not a shade I would wear but I did try it on one finger and found it to be really really runny. The recipient also said the same thing. I will be keeping the top coat though because I don't have one and no way would I pay close to $20 for a top coat so I'm very grateful to receive it. 
  
Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye, RRP: $94. Sample

please excuse the atrocious photo

This is a really nice eye treatment and I will probably do a full review on it once I've finished it to see if it fulfills all its claims. It is supposed to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, puffiness, dark circles, dryness and uneven skin tone - most of which I have in abundance. It is described as a gel serum. I'd call it more of a gel/cream hybrid. The texture is lovely and it feels really luxurious on the skin. I have only used it a couple of times so I can't really go into more detail than that. It does look really nice on my makeup table though, sorry the photo isn't doing it justice. I would also add that at 5ml this is a very generous sample size. 



John Frieda Luxurious Volume Touchably Full Shampoo and Conditioner ($15.99 ea) and Fine to Full Blow-Out Spray ($16.99)

This is a great little set and we received 44ml each of the shampoo and conditioner and 29ml of the spray. I don't really blow dry my hair but I do straighten it sometimes so I will see how it goes for that. All these products share the same light, clean smell. I've never tried any products from this brand so am very interested to see how they work. 


 
Jergens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser $5.99 for 100ml, full size
This is a really thick, intense moisturiser. I used it two nights ago after my shower and it was really moisturising. I didn't use moisturiser the next day (even after my shower) and my skin still felt smooth. I really like this, however I do think it's a bit heavy for an all-over moisturiser in summer. I will probably just use it on dry patches, but I would certainly use it in summer. It's also readily available and inexpensive. 
Revlon Age Defying CC Cream $26.95
Correct me if I'm wrong but this looks like a full size item. It is supposed to be a colour correcting cream offering light but buildable coverage. It is in the shade medium which is way too dark for me but I mixed it with my whitening BB cream from the makeup edition memebox which is way too light. The result was a light-medium coverage BC cream that matched my skin and left a dewy, fresh finish. I am really happy with this mixture and it means I can now make use of two products I wouldn't otherwise be able to use. More specifically, I don't really have too much to say about this product. It's a light-coverage cream, just like the others as far as I can tell. It claims to have anti-wrinkle, dehydration and uneven skintone properties so I will let you know if I agree with that when I've been using it for a bit longer. 



Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 face and eyes cleanser, $15 for 90ml.
I received a 30ml sample of this product which is very generous for a facial cleaner. This product claims to remove dirt, tone and lightly hydrate and is safe for use around the eyes. It has a very faint, slightly musky smell. I have used it a few times and it removed my makeup very well, granted it was not waterproof makeup (note however that it isn't a makeup remover). I also rubbed my eyes with it to get mascara off and it didn't sting or feel uncomfortable at all. While I still moisturised after using it, it didn't leave my skin feeling tight or dry after use.  I really like this stuff so far and would consider purchasing the full size if I still like it after further use. 
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, $25 for 50ml
I'm not sure how much this sample is but I'd say it'd be around 15-20ml maybe. I was really excited to try this as I've heard a lot about it. It claims to be a do-it-all balm which soothes, moisturises and protects dry or mildly irritated skin. The description also suggests using it with your foundation to create a dewy glow. This is interesting and I will definitely try it. I did use some over my makeup a couple of days ago on my cheekbones to give them some sheen. It did, ut I'm not sure how long it lasted for. This isn't a 'cream' as such, it has more of a milky, gel-like consistency. It also has a very strong smell that I can't quite place my finger on. On the packaging it states that its fragrance free so whatever the smell is, it must come from the active ingredients themselves. I would believe that as it is almost medical in scent, its not unpleasant, just not a nice or clean kind of smell. Again, with this product I will do a full review once I have a more coherent opinion on it. 

The Verdict
I am so happy with the box. I was beginning to think over the last few days that I wasn't, but having gone through it again for this review I'm back to happy. This has a great range of products in it, most of which I am excited to try and all of which I will use (minus the nail polish but that's just due to the colour). We got 4 full size products and all the samples are a what I would call deluxe sizes. No sachets in sight either. The last box was very makeup heavy so I'm glad to see more skincare in this box, although I'm sure others would disagree. Again, I was happy to see a hair care product (3 really) thrown in as well. I also think that the price range in this box is great, most of the items I would say that I can afford to purchase if I like them. 
Even though I was adamant about ending my subscription to this box, I will be keeping it for at least one more box.   

Did you receive this box?

What did you think?

What's your favourite item?

Note: I have paid for this box with my own money and am not being paid to conduct this review. The opinions stated are my own and should not be taken for anything else.

Marie Claire's The Parcel: Spring Edit unboxed and reviewed

I know this is a bit late but I've been busy with exams and work so I'm just going to go ahead and review the products as I describe them as I've already tried them all. 
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.