little white truths

I cannot tell you how excited I was when this arrived on Thursday afternoon, and I was also glad to discover that Fastway knocked this time so I got my box as soon as it was delivered. Huzzah!

It's a good box. Indeed, it's my favourite since the NZ edit - partly because it's skincare-heavy and I've hit saturation point with my makeup collection so I'd much rather receive other things, and also because receiving skincare is my personal preference.

There are the contents below. It's one of those boxes that just looked promising from the moment I took off the lid.

Look at all that pretty goodness!

I must say that when I opened it, my heart was in my throat for a moment because I could smell something lovely as soon as I removed the outer box. I was worried that something had burst or leaked in transit, but thankfully it hadn't and that little green soap was responsible for the fragrance.

What I'll do now is go through each item in turn, and later I'll write individual reviews of any product that's large enough to warrant a full review. 

  

Maven Gift: Apsu Travel Candle in Varanasi (RRP $19 AUD each)

First up, the Maven Gift for this month. These are gorgeous little travel candles that come in pretty tins. I received the one in Varanasi, which is fragranced with rose, jasmine and a citrus top note. 

I'm fresh out of candles so I'm happy with this inclusion and I plan to fire it up straight away. I also really like the tin so I'll keep that for display purposes once I've finished the candle.

Institut Karite Paris Macaron Hand Soap (RRP $7 AUD for one)

These are petite hand soaps shaped in the style of a macaron. They're apparently rich in vitamins a, e and f, and contain shea butter to help nourish and regenerate skin. They're designed to add moisture and nutrients back into skin where other soaps normally strip them away, and they should target dry, chapped and ageing hands.

Four colours are available and I received a green one, which smells citrus-y and lovely. While I personally would never spend seven bucks on a soap this small, that's why I love sub boxes: you get the opportunity to try luxurious things that might normally be off your radar or out of your budget.

Institut Karite Paris Verbena & Shea Hand Cream (RRP $14 AUD for 30ml)

La Roche-Posay LIPIKAR Cleansing Oil (RRP $32.95 AUD for 400ml; received 100ml valued at $12.95)

Bioderma Sensibio H2O (Micellar Water) (RRP $42.99 AUD for 500ml full-size; received 100ml sample valued at $20.99 AUD)

I thought I'd reviewed this product before but looks like I haven't so I'll do a separate post on this one. You may have heard me say before that I'm one of the few people on the planet who doesn't love this product - for some reason it doesn't work well for me at all, even though it's often called the original and best when it comes to micellars. Who knows, maybe it'll suddenly start working for me this time around. At least I'll be able to compare it to the Garnier one I've currently got open (which I prefer), so that will help my review.

Laboratoires Surface-Paris Bright Now Gentle Exfoliating Clarifying Soap (RRP $21.95 AUD; received full size)

Used on the face and body, this gentle exfoliating bar is part of the Bright Now collection to help diminish dark spots for a flawless, luminous complexion. Enriched with apricot kernels (known for their exfoliating properties), skin is gently cleansed, exfoliated and moisturised.

I quite like body exfoliants that come in soap form because I don't need to dip my wet hands into a tub in the shower or faff around with a screw-top lid, but I do prefer my facial exfoliants to be in tubes so we'll see whether I end up using this on the face or body. I'll try both for the purposes of reviewing it and let you know how I go.

In sum

This is a fantastic box and I'm thrilled with it. There's not a product in here that I won't use and the only one I can take or leave is the Bioderma micellar water, although I'm aware that puts me in the minority because most people love it. The item I'm most excited about is the overnight mask.

Overall it's a good-value box with the total value of the contents clocking it at just over $140 AUD without the Maven Gift, or around $160 AUD with it. If you times that by six to get the value of a year-long subscription, it's not a far cry from $1,000 AUD - with a yearly subscription costing around $320 AUD. So even if you only use and enjoy half of the products you receive in a subscription year, you're still ahead.

Did you receive this box? Let me know what you think of it if so.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x