little white truths

When you're only subscribed to one monthly subscription box (I've had as many as three before, plus the occasional quarterly), you're extra thrilled when it arrives because it's your one chance at being excited by new products and things to play with.


That of course means that when it's a bad box, you're more annoyed; and you're extra thrilled when it's a good one.


I knew shortly after opening March 2015's Violet Box that it was the best one for quite a while.

It contains a good mix of products: two for the lips from a brand I hadn't heard of before I saw the sneak peek of the Doucce Lip Definer on VB's Facebook page, something for the face, for the body, and a mask for the eyes. It also contains a 20% off voucher for Suki, which I imagine a few people will be happy with because - judging from Facebook comments - the cleanser we received in a recent box was popular.

As always I'll go through each product and give you my initial thoughts, then I'll update this post once I've used everything and can comment on it properly.


Biology Equilibrium Body Lotion No. 304 (RRP $29 for 100ml; received 30ml sample)

I haven't heard of this brand (it's Australian) so that's a win. I do love discovering new brands and this is one of the reasons why I sign up to subscription boxes.

This body lotion apparently fights free radical damage with powerful antioxidant activity. It also boosts skin's hyaluronic acid levels, balancing moisture to rejuvenate and restore radiance.

Looking forward to giving it a crack. I have a few sample body lotions on the go so I might try at least to get through those first (I can't help myself sometimes - I do love opening new products).


UPDATE: I love this product. Full review here. It smells like lemonade icy-poles (yum) and is super nourishing and hydrating without weighing the skin down. Plus Biology is an Australian brand (gotta love home-grown) and one that looks very good (see its website here). I do think this cream lives up to its claims and it's definitely one I'll look at purchasing in future. Yay to that!

Bioderma Sébium Foaming Gel (RRP $24.95 for 250ml; received 15ml sample)

This is apparently a daily cleansing gel that thoroughly cleanses combination to oily, acne-prone skin. It's suitable for even the most sensitive skin, and it purifies skin with a mix of zinc and copper sulphates that give a natural blue colour to the product.

It can also be used by men as a shaving cream apparently; and is free of soap, alcohol and parabens, plus it's hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic.

I've tried two Bioderma products before and haven't liked them, but I may well like this one because I know many lasses like this brand.

UPDATE: Full review here. I quite like this little cleanser. It's a light blue gel that smells soapy clean, masculine and pleasant. It doesn't foam well on the first cleanse but does on the second, and you can tell it's super gentle and good for sensitive skin. I wouldn't buy this, but I'm glad I've tried it and I'll put the rest away for the short holiday we're taking at the end of next month.


Doucce Mineral Matte Lipstick in 903 'Champagne'  (RRP $29.95; received full sized item)

This is a pure colour lipstick (according to the product card) with incredible pigmentation that glides on effortlessly and gives you a rich, velvet matte finish. Infused with SPF 10 and vitamin E, application gives a soft texture, leaving your lips hydrated all day with a non-drying effect.

I've swatched it and I've got in on (see two photos below - the stripe on the left is the lip pencil):


I can confirm that it's not drying and lasts well. My initial view is: I reckon it's not quite as good as Shanghai Suzy and Lime Crime lipsticks but it's a close second (and it's better than a MAC lipstick, which would rank third after those, but of course, it's all personal opinion).

As an aside, I think a one-third mark up from US prices to AUD is pretty steep, so that's not a good thing - but at least the products are still cheaper than MAC and you could probably find better prices for them online.

The colour is ok - for my lips, it's a 'my lips but better' kind of product because they're around the same shade, the lipstick is just a bit darker.

I'll write a full review of this product in future when I've had more of a play with it, but I like it and I'll use it: it's the kind of 'office friendly' shade that I don't have enough of in my collection so that's a win ; )

Another win is the packaging - I love it!

UPDATE: I'm loving this lipstick and plan to write a full review in the next couple of days, but for now I'll say that I do think it's one of the best lipsticks I've tried in terms of lasting power. It's not as good as my beloved Shanghai Suzy lipsticks because I prefer the texture and feel of those - they're more creamy and comfortable to wear, while this is quite hard in texture and dry in feel.

Having said this, I don't feel the need to wear a gloss with this (as I do with some drier lipsticks) so that's a plus. I may just save up some points and grab another one of these in the VB shop in future - I just wish I could find swatches of the available colours online (maybe they'll be available soon - I think Doucce is a relatively new brand).


Doucce Lip Definer in 463 'Fresh Paprika' (RRP $29.95; received full sized item)

According to the card, this is designed to enhance the shape of your lips and give them perfect definition. It apparently delivers a velvet matte finish and is lightweight, creamy and helps extend the wear of your lipstick. The pencils are designed to match the colours in the lipstick collection and you can see from the above swatch that they're not a bad match.

I don't use lip pencils because I'm lazy. I've tried to use them of course but much prefer to just have a decent lipstick that lasts and doesn't bleed. But I'll give this pencil a go and let you know what I think of it when I update this post.

UPDATE: Full review here. In sum, I didn't like this pencil - it's way too hard and for this reason I found it difficult to apply. It applies well enough on my arm but I really have to rub hard to get it to work on my lips. Annoying! I'm assuming this is a formula issue and I didn't just receive a bung product.

Lonvitalite C8 Collagen Crystal Eye Mask (RRP $32 for 6 pairs; received one pair)

You know how I feel about sheet masks (I'm seriously over them) but at least this one's for the eyes and looks a bit different and fancier.

It apparently eliminates dark circles and fine lines that appear under the eyes as a result of age; and promotes an evenly toned luminosity to the delicate skin around the eye area.

We'll see... ; )


UPDATE: Meh and more meh. I used this and noticed no difference afterwards. If anything, it wasn't as good as other similar products that I've tried. I'm really hoping we stop receiving so many of these masks in subscription boxes!

Verdict

This is a great box with a good collection of products - I think there's something here for everyone to like. I also love a box where I plan to keep and use everything in it (unless I can't un-lazify myself when it comes to lip liners). I'm pleased with the lipstick and can't wait to try the two skincare products.

The box's value is around $80 so it was definitely worth the outlay for me this month.

Thanks Violet Box for another good month. If you'd like to join VB, click on the photo in the top right corner of this blog and use the code 'VIOLETBOX10' for $10 off your first box.