little white truths

Man was I excited to get home late yesterday arvo after six hours (six!) of childbirth education classes. My golly was I tired. So tired that I couldn't do my unboxing post then, or even rustle up too much excitement about the contents of this box.

So I wrapped everything back up and reopened it this morning, and I was much more excited then : )

Violet Box hasn't impressed me as much as it traditionally has over the last few months, but this month is much better and I'll use four out of the five items in the box. Any box where I'm keeping at least three of the items is generally a good one.

There's a nice mix of stuff with a focus on eyes (lashes, eyeshadow and an eye gel) and I'm always happy to receive something from at least one brand I've never heard of (Mellow Cosmetics, in this instance).

I probably wouldn't have heard of Naobay either, except that I received a full-sized cleanser in one of my Glossyboxes when we were living in Berlin. I liked that well enough so I'm glad to try more from the brand.

Let's have a look at each item in turn. As usual I'll update this post in future once I've used anything I plan on using. 

For now I'll just give you some info on the contents and let you know my first thoughts.

Coastal Scents Go Palette (RRP $16.95; received full size)

This was the sneak peek item and it caused a lot of anticipation on Facebook. You could have received either Cairo or Beijing: I got Cairo, which contains more neutral colours, and I'm definitely happy about that - I have enough eyeshadows in bright colours and need more muted ones. Plus I only own one other palette, so I'm pleased about this.

You can't tell this from the photo, but unfortunately my palette arrived a little damaged: half the silver colour (first pot, second row) has actually fallen out of its tub and there was quite a bit of mess that I've cleaned up. I've put the shadow back in for the photo, but I may need to remove it and put it in a separate container if I plan to travel with this, otherwise it'll go everywhere. I probably won't ask for a replacement from Violet Box - it's just one shadow out of twelve after all. Hopefully most people's palettes arrived in good shape.

What I like about this compact is that it's smaller than I'd thought it would be and there's not a massive amount of each colour - which means that it's handy for travel and there's actually a chance I'll get through the palette before it expires!

Looking forward to trying this. Might just do that today.

Designer Brands Lashes (RRP $8.99 for one set)

Ach, DB. I'd really hoped we'd seen the last of this brand in Violet Box after we received a lippie and eyeliner in a box two months back and most of us weren't happy about that (a brand like DB really doesn't belong in a $22.95 per month sub box).

At least in this instance, I wouldn't have kept the eyelashes anyway - I just don't use them (I'm far too lazy ; )). I'll be interested to hear what others think of this inclusion.

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturiser (RRP $69 for 50ml; received decent 30ml sample)

I'm glad this brand has appeared in Oz - it's one I'm happy to explore. The cream aims to moisturise, protect and soften, and contains goodies like rosehip oil and sweet almond oil. Apparently it can also be used as a makeup base, so I'll definitely see how it fares in that sense.

Very happy about this inclusion. I do have a truckload of moisturisers to try (received from various boxes), but this is one of the more interesting ones in the bunch.

Lonvitalite 24K Active Gold Yulan Oil Face Mask (RRP $9.95 for one mask)

Ah, sheet masks. Where would a sub box be these days without one of these?! As you may know, I'm not a massive fan of sheet masks (and I'm kind of sick of receiving them), but I'm definitely in the minority there.

Still, I will use this product. According to the card, it provides immediate, intense cooling and soothing relief, is highly moisturising and nourishing, and smooths out wrinkles. Hopefully those things are true - I haven't had the best luck with sheet masks and their claims.

Note this product is apparently not suitable for extremely sensitive skin, so do be aware of that.

Verdict

This is a great box. Its RRP value is over $87, so it's worth the $22.95 outlay - particularly because I'll use everything in there. I'm most excited about the Coastal Scents palette, so I'll definitely check back in and let you know how I go with that one.

What did others think of this box? Hopefully you liked it too : )