little white truths

This month was Violetbox's first birthday and have they ever impressed us with a special birthday 'box'!

I've mentioned before that Violetbox is my favourite of all the boxes I receive and this month's is no exception.

In no particular order...

Like most lasses I've a bundle of cosmetics cases - including back ups that have been given to me and I haven't used yet (because I tend to use them until they literally fall apart). But I HAD to use this one straight away! Love it. 

You can probably tell from the photo that it's already been packed. It doesn't look or feel cheap, unlike pouches I've received from other subscriptions in the past, and it's got plenty of little compartments, making for easy location and storage of your goodies. Woot woot!

Appelles Shampoo and Conditioner (both RRP $18.95 150ml and $44.95 500ml)

The description card says the shampoo is effective, lightweight and suitable for daily use; it cleans and nourishes. The conditioner is enriched with Tamanu nut oil and repairs/protects hair from UV and chemical damage by maintaining hydration, manageability and softness. It's especially suited to permed, treated or sun damaged hair.

I love the packaging for these and can't wait to try them. Next time I wash my hair I'll do so and let you know the results. They're good-sized samples too (60 ml each) and handy for travel.

UPDATE: 

I have now used these products and can review them properly. I like the smell of each: herbal and refreshing. Despite how lovely they look sitting there in the shower, I don't think these are great products - at least, not for my hair (keeping in mind that my hair's a bit of a nightmare, dry and tending towards knots and frizz if I give it half a chance).

Note: No directions for use are on the bottles. Of course we all know how to wash our hair, but I needed to know how long to leave the conditioner in. (According to Appelles' website: apply a small amount of Tamanu Conditioner to damp hair and gently massage into scalp using fingertips. Wait a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly.)

The shampoo doesn't seem to clean well. It wasn't lathering much, even after three washes. The conditioner wasn't heavy/moisturising enough for my hair, but it may suit those with normal hair.

After washing, my still-wet hair feels a little greasy at the scalp (so didn't wash properly), and wet chunks of knots are all through it. Not looking forward to the brushing process!

gdh Straight & Tame Cream (RRP $24 120ml)

Gotta love a full sized product ; ). This was the sneak peak item, and while hair products generally don't excite me as much as make up and skincare products, I'm excited about this one and I've already used it.

It's designed to tame and transform unruly hair (that's me!) with ease. Ease is good. Ha. It also contains various goodies (like vitamins and aloe) to help with moisture retention. It's best used on towel dried hair before blow drying.

This just feels like a quality product. The container is well designed and looks fancy. I needed quite a few pumps for the first use in order to get the product out, so be aware of that. The directions suggest using 3-5 pumps each go but I personally think that's too much (and I have long hair) - otherwise it can weigh your hair down a bit. Go easy to start with and build if needed.

It's not the best product I've ever used of this nature (I still can't go past John Frieda's Frizz Ease) but it's a good product.

Bioderma Sébium Pore Refiner (RRP $30.95 30 ml)

A good-sized sample (15 ml). I've received a bundle of Bioderma products in different boxes and haven't been impressed thus far, though I haven't received this one before and I liked the sound of it from the product description: it aims to mattify, refine and smooth the skin texture and its powdery finish apparently makes it a good makeup base.

I've just given it a crack and it does do what it says, but not to a great degree. If you're after some serious mattifying and pore-plugging/refining, you really can't go past L'Oreal Base Magique.

Strange Beautiful Nail Polish (RRP $22)

I'm assuming this is a full size item. I've never heard of this company and am looking forward to trialling it (I'm not thrilled about the colours, but of course you can't have everything). The description card says the colours are 'super saturated' and 'compelling', and 'encompass a lush depth and dimension'. Rightio. Don't think I've ever worn 'compelling' nail polish before, so that'll be a new experience ; ).

*After one day of wear - no chipping

I have now used these and can say that the polish is quite thick, so be careful not to apply too much (you may need to scrape some off on the side of the jar, otherwise you'll wind up with too much product on your nail).

The colours are pigmented and you may only need to apply one coat (I did). They also dry very quickly - bonus. It's all personal opinion of course, but I don't like the nude colour (and have a similar one I like better); and while I prefer the brighter colour, I also have a similar one that I like better so I may pass these on to a friend.

As you'll see I've put the bright, reddy orange on three nails and the nude-brown pink on two. I applied no base coat to any nail, but I did apply Sally Hansen's Diamond Flash (fast dry top coat) to my ring and index fingers, just to see how the products lasted on their own and how they lasted with some help.

After only two days' wear, you can see from the above photo that there's very little chipping to the brighter colour (just some on the middle finger) but the nude one is in all-sorts.

My index finger has only about two thirds of product left - and this is the one with a top coat. The thumb polish has started to creep off too. Granted, I did get out in the garden yesterday (plus did a lot of typing), but even I don't normally wind up with polish chipped that much after only two days. Foo. Hoh well.

Chella Brow Pencil (RRP $21.50)

Another full size item! These guys have really outdone themselves this month. We received a Chella Highlighter Pencil last month which I loved, so happy to give another product of theirs a go.

I probably don't need to tell you that bold brows are in. This is the third brow product I've received in the last two months from subscription boxes, and I hadn't received any before that. Brow pencils are one of those items that I use if I have but otherwise don't purchase, and I'm not precious about quality as I am with other face products.

I've used this a few times - I like that it's skinny and doesn't need to be sharpened. The colour is good for me (and stays on well throughout the day), although I'm not sure if it's suitable for those lasses with fair brows.

More than happy with the product, though let's see how often I use it; brow products aren't a staple for me.

What an amazing box. I've yet to be disappointed by Violetbox and I highly recommend signing up. Let me know if you've received the box and how you feel about the products : )

To join Violet Box, click the ad on the right of my blog or visit here. Use the code 'VIOLETBOX10' for $10 off your first box.