Stain, Scrub and Salve: Top 5 Lip Products Tag

My lovely friend Renu from My Beauty Junction who never forgets me and I love her for it has tagged me, you can read her blog here.

Apparently this tag has been going around for a while and what you need to do is list and talk about your top 5 Holy Grail lip products.

I am all about moisture moisture moisture on my lips so most of my choices are going to reflect this.  I don't scrub my lips or have any favourite lip stains and  I also tend to stick to nudes or pinks for colour making my choices boring here if you like colour.  I prefer to doll up my eyes and keep to a natural looking lip.

Also sticking to 5 products is IMPOSSIBLE!!  This is going to be really hard.  So I am going to pick a lip moisturiser/salve, lipstick, lip balm, lip crayon and a lip gloss.

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1.  Clarins ~ Extra-Firming Lip and Contour Balm ~ Contains Raspberry Seed Oil and Shea Butter. Repairs, replenishes, softens, plumps and defines lips while smoothing away vertical lines around the lip area. All I can say about this balm is that it works!!  My lips have improved greatly in the two months I have been using this.  I recommend everyone give it a go.  I keep this on my bedside table and use it first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  I am very impressed with the results.

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2.  Couleur Caramel ~ Beti Pink Pearly Lipstick ~ Organic, plant derived, contains castor, jojoba, apricot, grape and olive oils, red tea, shea butter and olive wax.  Long lasting, super moisturising, protects and conditions your lips and the shade is gorgeous.  I am not normally a fan of lipstick as I find them too drying but I love this one, doesn't dry my lips out at all.  This is a pinky/peach colour with flecks of gold.

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3.  NYX ~ Color Lip Balm ~ Tack ~ I love this lip balm from NYX, dusky berry pink, great opaque colour, moisturising and smells just like raspberry jam.

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4.  Face of Australia ~ Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon ~ Sundae ~ opaque brown/berry glossy lip which doesn't feather, very moisturising and lasts.  I have a few of these in the three available colours tossed through all my handbags (you can read my review here), when my lips feel dry but I want some colour this is the crayon I reach for.

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5.  MUA  ~  Intense Kisses  ~  Sealed with a Kiss  ~  this would have to be my all time favourite lip gloss, I have about four of these floating around in various hand bags so I always have it with me.  Non-sticky moisturising formula, opaque glossy colour and this would have to be my favourite shade of pink.

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Ok this is by no means ALL my favourite lip products but they would have to be my faithful HG stand-bys which I reach for the most.

I tag anyone who reads this and please don't forget to leave a comment and a link to your blog so I can come visit you!

Jac x0x

Colours of the Rainbow Tag

I have been seeing the  ~   Colours of the Rainbow Tag  ~  popping up everywhere and I have really enjoyed reading everyone's replies and seeing a few of their favourites.  I have just read the beautiful Abigail from Shrinking Wallet's tag and thought YES I am going to do this!!

The rules are easy;  basically you just pick some of your favourite products that match the colours of the rainbow and talk about them.

This rainbow was photographed in our backyard on the weekend, we all stood on the verandah oohing and aahing, it lit up the darkened sky and turned everything brilliant!

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RED

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Face of Australia  ~  Macaron  ~  Sheer Gloss lip crayon.  I don't wear a lot of red so this was a really hard one to come up with but I love this gloss on my lips.  It's the first red that looks good on me, stays put a long time and doesn't dry my lips out.

ORANGE

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This is elf's  ~   Coral   ~   a peachy orange mineral blush.  I usually wear pink but have discovered a coral tone suits me well,  I have really enjoyed this blush and reach for it quite a bit.  Comes in a sifter jar, you just tap a bit in the lid and swirl your blush brush through to apply.

YELLOW

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Mmmm yellow was a hard one but I finally found napoleon PERDIS ~ Gleamer.  I use it all the time to highlight around my eyes and face.  Has a lovely sheen to it with no glitter.

GREEN

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My favourite green would have to be this Guess bag, I get compliments on it whenever I use it.  Green on one side and Blue on the other.

BLUE

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My favourite blue would have to be  ~  Chocolate Frog  ~  from Indie Polish Maker Alanna Renee.  This is from her Magical World Collection and is inspired by the colours on the Harry Potter Chocolate Frog packaging.  You can find out more about Alanna's gorgeous polishes here.

INDIGO

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Indigo is a cross between violet & blue so I thought I would show you one of my favourite Urban Decay Palettes  ~  beauty with an edge  ~  this palette contains two gorgeous metallic shades

Gravity (violet)  ~  Evidence (blue)

PURPLE

STELLA ~  Captures the scent of a Rose in full bloom with a sensual base of Amber.   I once read that this first fragrance released by Stella McCartney was inspired by her mother's love of roses.   If I ask my boys to go choose a perfume for me to wear they invariably come back with this one, it's their favourite.  Smell plays such an important part in our memories, just the sniff of a sweet shop transports me back to my childhood, if there was ever a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for me, it would have been a sweet shop.  That heady lush aroma of sugar, big ole glass counters filled with colourful rows of bullseyes, liquorice, jubes and choc caramel cobbers and my favourites all day suckers (the ones that changed colours).  Just as the smell of Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden will always remind me of my Nan, I think my boys will remember me too .  

PINK

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Pink isn't in the rainbow but it should be!!  It is my favourite colour and I thought it would be the easiest to choose but it's NOT because I have tons of Pink favourites.  Instead I thought I would show you the cute pink bunny makeup bag I like to keep in my handbag.

MULTICOLOURED

Top ~ normal light         Bottom ~  Day Lamp
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There is nothing more multi-coloured than a Palette and so I thought I would show you one of my favourites the  ~   pixi Early Bird  ~  this is a fantastic palette that contains just about everything you need to do your eyes and face  ~  blush, bronzer, highlighter and eye shadows.  It is really handy to take travelling because it folds up and packs flat, so no rattling around and no broken pans!

That's my Rainbow Tag, if you would like to do this consider yourself tagged!

Don't forget to leave a comment and a link so I can come read yours.

Jac x0x

Face of Australia glitterati review ~ Boogie Wonderland

(l-r)
Boogie Wonderland - Heart of Glass - Funky Town
Dancing Queen - Studio54 - Saturday Night Fever - Lookin for Some Hot Stuff - Disco Inferno

You can find out more about these Limited Edition Polishes at the Face of Australia Website here.

Heart of Glass

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In my comments for the review of  FOA's Heart of Glass, the lovely Madeleine Lee of Madeleine in Wonderland commented that she would really like to try Boogie Wonderland, so I thought  I would do a little review and show some swatches for you all.

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BOOGIE WONDERLAND

Boogie Wonderland ~ The best way I can describe this polish is An Exploding Lavender Pinata Bomb!  There is so much glitter in there it just explodes on your nails and you can't help but get a thick helping of glitter on every nail.  Has the same tinted milky gel base as Heart of Glass but I found my base was slightly thicker than HoG and I had trouble applying thin coats to my nails. Where'is with  Heart of Glass  I felt I needed 3 coats for good coverage I was happy with 2 coats of  Boogie Wonderland.

Boogie Wonderland has a wonderful mix of glitter, the ones I could pick out were, Green, Blue and White Bars.  Small Orange, Blue, Pink, Purple and Red Hexes and larger White Hexes.  I did find I needed to roll the bottle between application or the heavier glitters tended to sink to the bottom, I had no trouble getting an even coat of glitter all over the nail because there is SO much glitter!

1 coat  ~  2 coats  ~  3 coats
Boogie Wonderland
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I experienced curling with the bar glitter and you need a few layers of top coat to seal them.  This was a bit tedious for me as I don't have time to sit there applying layer after layer of top coat and waiting for it all to dry.  This is not a nail polish I would wear if I was in a hurry.

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I had applied 4 layers of topcoat for this photo and STILL had not managed to seal the curly bars sticking up.  Anymore coats and the whole lot is just going to peel off, I think FOA should have left the bars out of this one, what do you think?

Now for some swatches.  I chose four base coats picking out the shades to match the glitter in the bottle.  I chose strong shades because the milky base makes everything turn pastel except for the last one Revlon Lily which is such a gorgeous creamy pastel I thought it would look good with a layer of glitter.

Let's Talk   ~  Sapphire Dream  ~  A Roll in the Hague  ~  Lily
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SINFUL COLORS ~ LET'S TALK ~ liked this one better with only one coat of Boogie.

MINERAL FUSION ~ SAPPHIRE DREAM ~ This is a new polish I picked up from iherb, you can find out more about the range here.

OPI ~ A ROLL IN THE HAGUE ~ I did not like this combination, too milky and ruined the gorgeous vibrancy of Hague.

REVLON ~ LILY ~ This would probably be my favourite combination.

Let's Talk  ~  Sapphire Dream  ~  A Roll in the Hague  ~  Lily
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All of the swatches above are with two coats of Boogie Wonderland, personally I didn't feel that two coats of Boogie looked too good on a different shade base except for Sapphire Dream.

In the photo below I did like Boogie as a one layer topcoat on Let's Talk (middle) it's not too busy and Lily (R) but I prefer two coats on Sapphire dream (see above) but I don't think Boogie did anything at all for OPI A Roll in the Hague (see above).

Sapphire Dream  ~  Let's Talk  ~  Lily
One coat Boogie Wonderland
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My final verdict:  I don't like this polish as much as Heart of Glass, what ruins it for me is the curly bars of glitter.  I think they detract from an otherwise gorgeous glitter and look like loose strands of eye lash or broken bits from the brush.  I felt two coats of Boogie on my nails without a base colour looked the best but I am not in love with this polish.

I picked up the complete set for $4.95 per bottle online at Makeup Express and they are also available at Fashion Addict and Priceline.  Love to know what you think,  please leave a comment below I would love to hear from you.

Jac x0x

Face of Australia glitterati review ~ Heart of Glass

(l-r)
Boogie Wonderland - Heart of Glass - Funky Town
Dancing Queen - Studio54 - Saturday Night Fever - Lookin for Some Hot Stuff - Disco Inferno

You can find out more about these Limited Edition Polishes at the Face of Australia Website here.

I haven't reviewed a nail polish in an age and I have had the entire new Limited Edition Face of Australia glitterati range for a while now so I thought I would share with you my thoughts on the nail polish I am wearing this week.

Heart of Glass

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Heart of Glass is part of FOA's disco themed glitter polishes and I have to admit I remember when this was a  Number 1 hit for Blondie back in 1979.  I didn't really like that song but I loved Hanging on the Telephone and Sunday Girl.

Heart of Glass is a milky pale pink polish with Red, Purple, Pink, Hot Pink, Holo Bars, White Glitter and Pink Hearts in varying glitter sizes.

It applies pretty easily and doesn't take too long to dry between coats.  I did have to fish for the Pink Hearts because they tend to sink and found the easiest thing to do what hold the bottle upside down between coats to bring the hearts to the top.  I found personally I needed three thin coats to reach desired opacity on it's own but only two thin coats as a top coat.

(l-r) 3 coats  ~  2 coats  ~  1 coat
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The above swatches give you a good idea of what glitter is in there and the difference between coats.  I found I was having to dab at some of the glitter to move it around.  You can also see the larger red squared and the pink hearts tend to curl but if you apply a good top coat they sit nicely.  The gel base builds up to a nice pale pink which doesn't show too well in my photo.

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This was a Limited Edition Pack I picked up from Priceline a few months ago and I thought I would use these as bases for the Heart of Glass polish.

Flirt  ~  Dreamer  ~  Elegant
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These three gorgeous shades from Revlon were the winners from a Revlon Inspires Competition where 5 Australian bloggers were invited to get inspired by their 3 favourite shades out of a collection of 24.  

Drop Dead Gorgeous Daily was the lucky winner and these were her three choices above.

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I applied two coats of Heart of Glass over the top of the three shades, I was quite happy with the results, I love pastel milky nail polish.  I haven't sealed these with a top coat but would do so on my nails to keep the glitter from curling.

When I took the photo below of my poor little nails I had been wearing this polish for two days.  In that time I had scrubbed and seasoned our campfire cast iron pots in preparation for our camping trip next week and I had just hand fed our cattle before coming in and taking this photo.  The point is, NO CHIPPING!  The nail polish has held up better than my poor skin.

Base coat - 2 coats Heart of Glass - Top coat
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I picked up the complete set for $4.95 per bottle online at Makeup Express and they are also available at Fashion Addict and Priceline.   I hope you like these swatches.  Have you picked up any of the Glitterati Range, what do you think?  Please let me know in the comments below.

Jac x0x

Favourite Bellabox items repurchased

When I went to leave feedback for the items I received in June's BB box (you can read my review here).  I noticed that I had now been subscribed to BB for over 13 months and I was looking through all the items I had received in the past year (which is listed in your BB account) and I thought it would be nice to do a blog on all my favourite products that were introduced to me through Bellabox.

These are all products that I have gone on to re-purchase full-size and are now a part of my beauty routine.

www.purefiji.com

1.   PURE FIJI HYDRATING BODY LOTION ~  MAY 2012 ~ Coconut ~ this is a luxurious body lotion made with coconut milk which smells divine, if you can't go to a tropical island you can at least bring a little of it home with you.  I have since visited the Pure Fiji website  (they do ship internationally) and purchased several more of their wonderful products.   I love ALL their infusions but my favourites would have to be Coconut, Island Bliss and Coconut Milk & Honey.

2.   NEUTROGENA AGELESS INTENSIVES DEEP WRINKLE EYE CREAM ~ JULY 2012 ~ this is my all time favourite eye cream and I am about to open my second tube.  One tube will last you approx. a year with constant daily use, you can read my mini reviews here and here.

3.   ALMAY GET UP AND GROW MASCARA ~ JULY 2012 ~ definitely one of my favourite mascaras of all time, I have purchased this mascara in black and brown shades about four times now, you can read my mini review here.

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4.   emerginC SCIENTIFIC ORGANICS phytocell cream ~ AUGUST 2012 ~ this is quite an expensive facial moisturiser, $105 for 50ml but if you can purchase it on sale or use your BB points like I did, it is worth the extra money.  Shop around you can usually find it reduced, on sale or comes with a GWP.  Contains concentrated Grape Stem Cells designed to revitalise, renew and protect skin.  Seaweed extract promotes cellular metabolism to re-balance and re-mineralise your skin.  Improves skin tone and texture and is extremely hydrating.  I love the smell (slightly orange citrus) and the thickness of this cream, my skin just drinks it up and it leaves my face looking hydrated and plump, my skin looks and feels great after using this cream.

5.   4ME NAIL POLISH REMOVER PADS ~ NOVEMBER 2012 ~ these are the greatest little nail polish removers, very convenient for travelling.   Acetone and alcohol free, conditions your nails and cuticles as it removes your polish.   They are great for wrapping around an orange stick and cleaning up around your cuticles.  I have repurchased these several times, you get 30 pre-soaked pads for $3.49 and they are available here.

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6.   AURORA SPA ULTRA RICH BODY CREAM ~ JANUARY 2013 ~ this is a more expensive body moisturiser but so worth it.  It is just as the name suggest ULTRA RICH and if your skin is thirsty and dry it's gonna love it, I know mine does.  It is available at the Aurora Spa website and I think if you suffer from very dry skin like I do especially in winter you need to treat yourself to some.  Contains Shea Butter, Macadamia,  Lavender, Sandalwood, Geranium, Grape, Carrot and Olive oils.  Has a wonderful botanical smell and just makes you feel good.  Available in 200ml and 500ml.

7.   FACE OF AUSTRALIA COLOUR MAX EYESHADOW PALETTE ~ JANUARY 2013 ~ Gold Mine ~  I really like Face of Australia Cosmetics, their products are all very reasonably priced and they are good quality cosmetics that last.  I received Gold Mine which is a palette of four brown/gold/nude highly pigmented shades with a choice of matte, satin and shimmer finishes making this palette great for day and night.  Comes with a very useful HOW TO on the back of the palette.

Gold Mine

I went to Priceline and purchased the remaining two palette variations,  - Mercury Rising - Smoky Eye & Northern Lights - Purple.

Mercury Rising  &  Northern Lights

8.   NATIO PURE MINERAL SKIN PERFECTING BB CREAM ~ JANUARY 2013 ~ of all the western BB creams this would have to be my favourite, I have repurchased for myself and my Mum.  Has that great NATIO botancial aroma, leaves my skin looking great, doesn't break me out and the colour doesn't fade or melt off my face in summer.  I tend to steering away from foundation and sticking to BB cream these days, less is more, and this cream looks more natural.  Available in 3 shades, Fair, Medium and Tan.  You can read more of my mini review and see a swatch of fair here.  If you would like to read more visit Natio here.

9.   NUXE HUILE PRODIGIEUSE ~ Multi-purpose oil ~ FEBRUARY 2013 ~ If I was only allowed to bring one product to a desert island this would be it.  This multi-purpose dry oil can be used to moisturise your face, body and hair.  Makes a very relaxing massage oil or add some salt to the oil and use it to exfoliate your body.  Great for travelling if you can only take a minimum amount of skincare with you, because it replaces the need for several products.  With its wonderful aroma of orange blossom, plum, white lily, amber, vanilla and cedar wood this oil  can be used as an all over body perfume or just a hint of scent on your pulse points.

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10.  SALLY HANSEN COMPLETE SALON MANICURE  ~ FEBRUARY 2013 ~ I received the shade  GOLDEN RULE and you can read my full review and see photos here.  I have gone on to purchase several different shades from the range at Priceline, I find the formula is easy to apply,  long lasting and with some of the polishes you can get away with one coat.

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11.   YES TO CARROTS C ME SHINE LIP GLOSS ~ MARCH 2013 ~ Rose Bliss ~ Almost a clear frosty thick peppermint gloss, what I like about the YES TO range is they are 95% organic.  I have since purchased another tube in the shade Carrot's Kiss which is more of a pink shade, doesn't add a lot of colour but I prefer a nude glossy lip anyway.  It is the moisturising qualities of this gloss I like the most, no dryness and it stays on your lips for a long time, looks great over lipstick.  I love YES TO lip products and own quite a few you can read my mini review on the C ME BLUSH Lip Tints here.

12.   INDIO FACIAL SCRUB ~ APRIL 2013 ~ this would have to be my all time favourite exfoliant.  Very gentle and leaves my skin soft with no dryness or irritation.   If you have sensitive skin prone to redness and irritation I highly recommend you try this scrub.  You can read my mini review here.

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13.  CEDEL DRY CONDITIONER ~  APRIL 2013 ~ I was expecting this to be like the Dry Shampoo,  a spray formula which moisturised your hair.  Now while I am NOT a big fan of dry shampoo this is just a moisturising mousse cream which is surprisingly good. Can be applied to wet or dry hair, helps untangle and de-frizz and doesn't make your hair greasy or weigh it down.

14.  NATIO NAIL COLOUR ~ JUNE 2013 ~ Valentine ~ Natio Nail Colour is free of formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate, fast drying and chip resistant. Gorgeous shade that needs two coats as it is a little sheer, I went out and purchased a couple more shades today, I really like the formula and the brush.

Valentine  -  one coat  -  two coats
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Described as a classic red,  the first coat has a real pink tinge to it and then the second coat brings out the red.  You can find all the shades available on the NATIO website, or you can purchase them from Priceline. I went and purchased ADORE & EXCITE today at Priceline.

ADORE  &  EXCITE

So that is what Bellabox has introduced me too, which I have loved enough to go out and repurchase.  I would love to know what products Bellabox has introduced you too and you have repurchased in the last year, please leave a comment below or better yet I would love to see you blog about it.

If you would love to try Bellabox for yourself please visit their website here and purchase a monthly subscription for $15 per month.

Jac x0x

Face of Australia Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons

Some time ago on one of my Priceline excursions I picked up a box of Lip Crayons by Face of Australia.

I have to tell you I LOVE these crayons and to anyone who hasn't tried them you really need to go and pick up some.

This collection is a Limited Edition so I guess that means they will be around as long as stocks last, if you can find them I really recommend you pick them up.  I did see the boxed collection in Priceline the other day for $14.95 and you can purchase them individually online here. For $4.95 each.

There are three shades available,

CUPCAKE     SUNDAE     MACARON 

They are all very moisturising and don't dry your lips, the shades are very wearable, non-sticky, smells like vanilla and they stay on your lips a long time.  Wind up pen applicator that you never need to sharpen, the lids stay on tightly so you can just throw them in your bag and your good to go.

There is nothing about these crayons that I don't like.

Cupcake   ~   Sundae   ~   Macaron

Have you tried these lip crayons?  Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Jac x0x

bellabox January 2013

We Love Australia!

This month it's all about celebrating Australian Beauty Brands and this amazing place we call home!

YOU ME AND EVERYBODY COOL IT ALOE VERA GEL 100ml full-size RRP $8.95.  This is not something I would normally purchase as I don't need it.  I did try a little on the back of my hands and it was lovely and hydrating.  I have passed it on to my husband to use on his face after he shaves.

AURORA SPA ROSE AND ALOE BODY CLEANSER 50ml sample, RRP $28 275ml.  I love Aurora Spa, their products smell divine.  This is a generous travel size 50ml sample, I am going to enjoy trying this.  UPDATE:  This is low lathering, I applied with a sponge and found I was using twice as much to wash myself.  Smelt great while I was washing but fades pretty quickly, lovely botanical rose aroma.

AURORA SPA ULTRA RICH BODY CREAM 50ml sample, RRP $52 200ml.  Another great Aurora Spa product, I think it's pretty expensive for a body lotion, but it smells soooo good I just might treat myself. UPDATE:  Lovely and moisturising, this is a very rich cream,  has a lovely botanical aroma but fades pretty quickly.   I like that as it doesn't compete with any perfume you might want to wear during the day.  I still think its very expensive for 200ml of body moisutriser.

NATIO PURE MINERAL SKIN PERFECTING BB CREAM SPF 15 5g sample, RRP $14.95 50g.  Natio have been around since I was a teenager and I really like their products,  their lip gloss is great.   I am a big fan of Korean BB Creams and I usually find that western BB creams are no more than a glorified tinted moisturiser.  I will update when I try this.  UPDATE;  I tried this today, lovely and creamy, pleasant botanical aroma, moisturising, easy to apply.  Wrong skin tone I am fair NOT medium, I can wear this but it is just a little dark for my liking.   FURTHER UPDATE.  I did purchase this in Fair and I love it.  Great coverage and last all day even in hot weather.  All you need do is set with some powder.

FACE OF AUSTRALIA COLOUR MAX EYE SHADOW PALETTE full-size RRP $10.95.  This is a 4 shadow palette called GOLDMINE, From top left,  Silver/grey sparkle, Matte Brown , Gold Shimmer and Darker Brown Sparkle.  I haven't opened this yet but when I do I will provide swatches. I love the colour selection.   I am really happy to see this in my BB box as I rarely receive eye shadows, mascaras etc......... and  I love eye shadow!

As long as I get at least one product I like in a box I am fairly happy and I was really happy to receive the eye shadow and the Aurora Spa products.  For some reason the second shipment later in the month seems to get the luxe products and I really wanted to try The Little Alchemist and Jurlique samples  but this was an OK box for me.

If you would like to try BB for yourself go here.