little white truths

Since there's as yet no sign of my June LHI women's box, I thought I'd sneak in a review of the May 2014 one. This was the box that won so many of us over and gave us hope that LHI was improving on both quality and timeliness.

All five items were full-sized (wuhoo!) and there was a good mix of products.

In no particular order...

LHI has started letting us choose a particular product that will appear in our boxes (GENIUS idea). This month, we had a choice of colours between Pink Pagoda and Chai Latte. I went for the nude Chai Latte because I've got enough in the pink department for the time being.

I like the design, packaging and how it comes with a retractable lip brush (to keep the brush up when you're using it, stick the lid on the other end). It's a pretty colour in the container, but for me there wasn't a good colour pay-off on my lips (as in, it may as well be clear). Also, I wouldn't be calling this a lacquer - to me, 'lacquer' implies staying power, and this doesn't have it. It's more of a gloss, and it comes off the moment you sip your coffee (or your chai latte, as it were...).

I was pleasantly surprised by the pencil. It's super creamy and glides on smoothly, and the staying power is good (well, it mightn't be - but you don't use your eyebrows throughout the day like you do your lips, so who knows? ; ) ). I can sometimes be a bit of a makeup snob, but I don't mind using a cheap brow pencil so long as it gets the job done.

The eyeshadow, however, is another story (which of course makes no sense whatsoever) - I'm a little suspicious of a quartet that retails for this price. The colours are usable though; we received the 'vibrant forest' quartet and most of the colours will suit everyone. An idea for eyeshadows that you don't like or that are getting old: you can use the ones close to your hair colour as dry shampoo. Just crush 'em up, brush 'em on and you're good to go.

This box is starting to look like smashing value, isn't it? Initially I wasn't happy about the pink colour (pink blushes don't suit me at all for some reason), but it doesn't look too pink on so it's wearable. Hopefully you can see the swatch well enough on my wrist. Be careful using it - it's so pigmented that you need a light touch or you'll end up looking like a clown. It's not the most blend-able blush I've used, but you can work with it if you have a good, big, fluffy brush.

My issue with this product (and I've seen that many feel the same) is the design. While it's quite cute, it's not functional. There are too many holes in the container and they're too large, meaning that product comes out way too easily; hence it's not good for travel and it's easy to make a mess with it.

I'm saving this one to use as a body mask since I have quite a few open face masks at the moment that I need to get through. Trouble is, it's bl*ody cold in Melbourne right now and I don't fancy covering myself in this and waiting for it to dry and do its work (what a lightweight hehe). Bring on summer! It contains organic rosehip and chamomile, and Australian kaolin clay and sandalwood. Looking forward to giving it a go.

In sum

Not a bad box! I hope LHI can keep up the good work. Let me know if you've used any of these products and what you think of them if so.