Posts Tagged ‘New Zealand Beauty Subscription’

November’s Sample Bar

Hi all!

So on this busy Wednesday I bring you a quick post sharing what I received in my November Sample Bar Glam Pack. But first:

There are only 28 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!

So this month’s Sample Bar Glam Pack was focused on the transition from Spring in to Summer and some versatile products that may be useful in this time.

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What I Got

1. Organic Rosehip Oil by Essano

I liked the cleanser I received last month so was happy to receive a sample of the rosehip oil from the same brand. This is certified organic and is a gem for reducing wrinkles and uneven skin tone. At the moment I have been loving my Trilogy rosehip oil but this will make a handy handbag spare. It doesn’t have too strong of a scent and sinks into the skin relatively quickly however my favourite thing about this rosehip oil is the affordable price. These can be picked up full size (20mL) from the supermarket for a pretty reasonable $22.99.

2. Model Co Cheek and Lip Tint

Most likely the product I was most excited by at first glance was this cheek and lip tint by Model Co. I love the idea of tints but haven’t tried any out. This one is  a berry pink colour and blends out on the cheeks relatively easy. I didn’t have much success using this on the lips and in future see it more as a quick and easy blush however I love the idea of a multipurpose product. This was a half size of their 10mL product which retails for $24.00.

3. Vital C Hyrdrating Repair Creme

This rather expensive creme ($109.70 for 60mL) is supposed to be great for sensitive skin so I was happy to receive a small sample pot to try out. Apparently its high price tag is due to the level of vitamins ACE but I don’t think I would rush out to buy it. Interested to see if it is any better than my Dream Cream by Lush which I am loving.

4. Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser

Another product suitable for sensitive skin which was great to see. Also good to see a relatively large 20mL sample (those tiny sachets drive me insane). This cleanser is soap free and has a neutral pH to thoroughly cleanse whilst also calming and avoiding irritation. Free of fragrance, perfume and parabens. Definitely happy to try this out and see how well it works. Full size (200mL) is $43.70.

5. Holistic Hair Sea Spray

Another product I was excited to see was this hair spray. For someone who avoids all hair care this was a rare moment but I like the idea of this natural spray, with lime and essential oils (and of course salt!) to add texture to curls and create beachy waves. The scent is pleasant and its another good size sample so I was pretty happy all round. Full size of 250mL comes with a pretty reasonable $22.45 price tag and can be bought online.

6. Daylong Sunscreen

The sixth and bonus product was three sachets of sunscreen. I hate sachets but at least these kind of make sense and are easy to pop into your wallet for those times we forget sunblock. This sunscreen in SPF 50 and is supposed to be light and non-greasy which is always good to hear. It also lasts 8 hours which means one application should last you most of the day. This swiss sunscreen goes for $34.99 (150mL).

The Verdict

Overall I thought the products in the box were all well chosen and none of them were ones I wouldn’t be able to or willing to use. With a lot of sensitive skin care and a couple of season specific products I am excited to try most of these out. My one main negative is that I wish there had been a full size product however the decent sample sizes weren’t as small as usual. Not my favourite box, but not a bad box either. Excited to see what Christmas brings!

What did you think this month?

Xx

 

October Sample Bar Glam Pack

 

Hi all!
So on this Thursday after a day off work due to relentless migraines/headaches I feel a little like the guy below but don’t look quite so cute. The beginning of this week was less grim with the Auckland book launch for Laura’s amazing cookbook. Meeting her was awesome and spending the subsequent evenings pouring over her cookbook was great. If you haven’t checked out her blog or her cookbook, hungry and frozen,  then do!

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 Today I also bring you my October glam pack from Sample Bar and the goodies inside. This month’s box came a week or so ago so I am a little delayed but better late then never. This month’s box was actually pretty great and well worth the $25.

DSC_34991. Rosehip Gentle Foaming Cleanser by Essano. I received two 30mL bottles of this soap-free cleanser which contains rosehip oil and other nice and natural ingredients to both cleanse and moisturize the skin without drying it out. I have high hopes for this and am thinking that due to the oils and the natural ingredients it won’t irritate my sensitive skin but I will have to just wait and see. The smell is strange and sweet but not in an unpleasant way, just not what I expected. A full size 140mL will cost you a pretty reasonable $14.99 and can be found at supermarkets which is pretty handy.

2. Dots Laundry Powder. So before we get annoyed that they sent us a washing powder in a beauty sample pack this was a bonus product, so not a part of the 5 proper makeup/beauty samples. Am I super excited by this….no, but it might come in handy.The price for the normal packs range from $6.99-$13.99 at supermarkets.

3, Youngblood Vixen mini lipstick. I love the idea of mini lipsticks so to get a beautiful red one that I can keep in my purse if I decide to pop on a red lip half way through the day of after work before going out is great! This is a blend of natural oils and vitamins which sounds good and is a beautiful true red that is sort of matte. A great product for a sample box in my opinion. These retail for $43.50 for a full size which is pretty expensive for my little wallet.

4. Matte Eyeshadow by Couleur Caramel. Another awesome product this month was this matte eyeshadow that is a beautiful light natural brown colour that would make a great base shadow. Doesn’t seem super pigmented but is buttery and the colour is one I know I will use often. I don’t know how much these eyeshadows retail for but their range of products ranges from $20-$50 approx. I would love to see what some of their other vegan, cruelty free products are like. All of their makeup is also chemical free (not sure how that works) and fair trade. The recyclable packaging is great too!

5. Angel Orange Flower Shampoo and Hairmask. I have never heard of this hair brand (but that isn’t saying much, hair care is not my strength) but am looking forward to trying out these two products. Only downside is that they are for coloured hair so I may have to wait until I have a colour to try and lock in. I hope they smell good… These are $39 each.

6. Pure Fiji Hydrating Guava Body Lotion. Last up we received a small sample of a body lotion from Pure Fiji which is a brand I adore. The best thing about this is the amazing scent which I love about any of these Fijian products. The guava and coconut are a beautiful combination and this will be great as a moisturizer to keep in my handbag for any dryness. The full size moisturizer is $350mL and will cost you $49 which could potentially be worth it just because it smells divine. Yum.

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So all up one of my favourite boxes and what I wish every month was more like. A great range of different products and most of them well suited for me.

Hope you guys are having a great week! I shall leave you with a photo of Callie who was pretty interested in what we were doing and wanted to do some modelling of her own. Such a beautiful girl and who doesn’t love a little chiaroscuro.

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SampleBar Glam Pack for June

Hi All!

Hope everyone in the southern hemisphere is surviving the freezing weather at the moment!! I am combating the cold weather with slow cooked curries. Last month my Sample bar box may have not been posted….sorry! It was a fine box but I wasn’t super excited and was rather busy. Having said that (spoiler alert) this month wasn’t super amazing either. Having said that let me show you what was included this month.

So this month’s theme was Winter Rescue (and boy do I need it) and fittingly, the first thing that fell out of the box was this recipe for a Gingerbread sticky toffee pudding (which is one of my favorite deserts ever…Pretty keen to try it out!). I kindly included a photo of the recipe so you can all try it! Let me know if you do :)
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On to the actual products, the first TLC product I saw was what looked like another travel tower of skin care. Although the idea is awesome, I don’t go travelling much (I wish) so I wasn’t super excited. Having said that it is still a great way to sample a line of skin care from a brand I have never heard before. This brand is Moreish and the tower includes day cream, night cream, eye cream and salvation balm. Straight up, I have tried all 4 and am rather impressed. This is another New Zealand brand that uses argan oil and local ingredients to create skin care that is perfect for winter. The full size of these products range from $24.99 to 34.99 and can be found at mot pharmacies.

Next up was a 50mL sample of Joico K-PAK Reconstruct for damaged hair. I am not big on hair care, I probably should be but I am not. I don’t get excited about hair samples and have no idea about most haircare brands so hopefully this one is a winner. This sample is a decent size (full size is 150mL, $32.00) so hopefully I can get a good feel for how well this strengthens my hair.

The only full size product was a Natural Glow Luscious Lips Shimmer Gloss in the shade Sugar Rose. First up, this brand feels really outdated to me… I was pretty unimpressed to be honest as I have grown to expect lots of trendy new brands and products whilst this lip gloss feels like they are trying to get rid of stock…The lip gloss itself is pretty average. The colour looks okay, a mid-toned pink however it’s a little frosty and glittery for me. The only positive to this lip gloss is the smell of cake batter which is definitely pleasant. Not a big winner for me sadly and at $25.00 from the Samplebar website I won’t be rushing to buy more.

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Okay last up in terms of “real” products is a set of 4 sachet samples for the DermaLab skin care range. This range is affordable ($14.99-20.99) and another line from a New Zealand brand including nice stuff like Manuka Honey. I received 4 of their 5 products in their rescue regime. This included the cleanser, moituriser, shampoo and conditioner. All of these are great for sensitive and dry skin (which sums up my skin, especially in winter). As happy as I am trying out more skincare I feel like maybe one brand being featured with 4 products would have been enough and maybe something different would have been more interesting. I’m also not a fan of sachet samples as you only get one or two uses and they are a bit of a pain. Oh well.

So the very last “product” was a sample bar eye mask….Not super exciting but I guess il try using it. Apparently retails for $6.00 but to me this felt like an extra and didn’t contribute much to the box.

So that was kind of negative….It wasn’t a terrible box…I liked the skin care sample tower and the Joico hair reconstructor might be good but all in all this is my least favorite SampleBar box so far. Too much skin care, crappy full size lip gloss and just overall pretty meh. Sorry if this sounds a bit whingey! I am still a fan of SampleBar and hopeful that next month brings a more fulfilling box. If you are a subscriber please let me know how you felt about the products you received this month! Check out the SampleBar website to learn more.

See you soon with a hopefully happier post!

Xx

SampleBar Glam Pack March 2013

 

Hi All! Another month, another Glam Pack to share with you all. Last month I said I was probably stopping my subscription…obviously that didn’t happen. I accidentally on purpose missed the date to cancel my subscription by and so was stuck with this month’s box haha but I’m not complaining because I rather like what was provided this month. I do plan on cancelling my subscription however we shall see if I actually make it this month. Anyway, the products this month centered around the theme of pampering oneself now that Summer has supposedly abandoned us. Here’s what I got!

Sample bar march 20131. Spa Ritual Bath Salts: These came in two little 17g sachets, I would assume enough for one relaxing soak each, however I unfortunately lack a bath in my flat and so these may be used for a foot or hand soak instead. They come with frankincense essential oil along with a bunch of sea salt and dead sea salts. They are 70% organic which is 70% great to hear and are made with vegan ingredients. All in all I’m excited to try these out and compare them to my trusty Epsom bath salts. The full size of this (220g) is $47.99 which is pretty steep compared to my $10 tub of epsom bath salts (to which I just add my preferred essential oils) so not sure I will buy this in the full size.

2. Bestow Beauty Powder: Another sachet, this time containing a bunch of flax seed, pumpkin & coconut flour, spirulina, black current extract and other good things that should ” feed your skin from within”. I love the idea of this product and the fact you can sprinkle it onto pretty much anything, from a smoothie to a stir fry, to get a boost of skin enriching ingredients. I doubt one use is at all useful in showing any kind of positive result but I still appreciate the chance to try out the product in terms of taste. The full size (300g) is available for $45 which might be a fair price depending on the nmr of uses one would get out of that size.

3. Carol Priest Almond & LemonBalm Facial Scrub: Another little sample that I was very pleased with is this little glass tub of gentle, creamy exfoliant from a brand I have never heard of. Apparently this can be left on as a rich protein mask for the skin as well which I may try! Smells interesting but in a good way and is full of nice sounding ingredients such as lemongrass (which is the main scent for me), ground almonds and other herbal oils so I am looking forward to trying this out. Also I am thankful for the decent sample size which is important when trying skin products out properly. The full size (50g tub) is $58.60 which seems a little expensive for me but we’ll see how it goes.

4. GeoSkincare Night Repair Cream: A beautiful full size of this was lovely to see when I opened the box. I am a sucker for a good night cream and have to admit I have already slathered some of this on my face! It feels rich and hydrating and a little goes a really long way. This brand, which I haven’t used before, seems to stick to healthy ingredients, steering clear of parabens and artificial fragrances which makes my sensitive skin very happy to hear. One other thing I love is that this is in a pump not a container so you get much more hygienic application! I wish more creams came like this. Full size product (50mL) is on SampleBar for $43.92 and I may consider repurchasing.

5. Model Co Eye Define Black Eyeliner: The other full size product was a black eye liner from Model Co (the same company that provided the excellent lip gloss from last month’s box). I wasn’t dissapointed or excited by this at first, I use black eye liner so nothing wrong with trying another but I wasn’t over happy. Then I tried it on my hand and was much more excited indeed! This pencil eyeliner is the smoothest I have ever tried. Its very pigmented and glides on like butter! Normally I stick to liquid or gel for a wing on my lids but this works so nicely that it turned out perfect for doing a gorgeous winged eye. Very pleased indeed and at $26 for full size I may well repurchase.

Last up were two vouchers included in this month’s box. The first is for a set of accent lashes at Cerise Lash and Makeup with no minimum spend so I will definitely try and make use of this. The second voucher is for 20% off any geocare products purchased on the sample bar website before the end of April which is great if I want to try any of their other items.

Over all I was very happy with the full size products in this month’s box and the samples were pretty good too! Makes it much harder to go through with cancelling my subscription haha (Just FYI I am not cancelling because of the quality of the box but more so because I could use the money each month on one product that I really want and with money being tight this seems like the better option)! If you would like to sign up for next month’s box head over to SampleBar (don’t worry, I don’t get any incentives for sending you there through that link).

Have a great rest of the month!

X

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