Celebrate CNY with the January Bellabox...

Gee, January is just flying by isn’t it? It wasn’t long ago we were celebrating the New Year - now it’s already the 18th, and it won't be long before we’re celebrating Chinese New Year.

The January box for Bellabox is actually quite cute in this aspect – themed “Celebrate CNY with Bellabox”, they’ve included items this month that are meant to help you look good ahead of your CNY celebrations. Even the wrapping in the box this month reflects this, detracting from the usual Bellabox logo sticker and bright pink tissue paper.

First up is a b.liv Feel No Sluggish Mask that is meant to help prevent the signs of aging by invigorating the skin with fruity essences – it’s supposed to be apple-derived too, which I happen to like. :D

Next up is something I’ve heard interesting things about – Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Infused Comb – a comb that is supposedly infused with the Healing Oil treatment so it gets distributed evenly on hair without leaving a residue on hands. Will let you know once I try it out! Below it is a small “to be hung on your handphone” size of Sleek High Shine Lip Gloss in a pretty (if not bright) pink shade – as if I needed any more lip products, but it’s cute nevertheless.

There was also a trial size set of Skin Food’s Gold Caviar Toner and Emulsion, both of which I’ve briefly tried before and been ok with. The interesting part is that the toner and emulsion are infused with tiny flakes of pure gold. Go check it out – you’ll see what I mean. ;) There was also a small tube of Natura Bisse NB Ceutical Tolerance Cleanser which I’m looking forward to trying out. Skin Food also threw in a few sachets of their eye cream as a bonus together with a card for a personal consultation and sampling at their stores.

To be honest, this month’s box was a little bit disappointing apart from the mask and comb, but it’s still not too bad since there were items I was looking forward to trying out. Does anyone else share the same sentiment?

August Bellabox – Happy Birthday, Singapore…

Ah, has it been a month already since my last Bellabox? Apparently so! August is a pretty special month for both Malaysia and Singapore since they both celebrate their ‘birthdays’ then, though Singapore pips Malaysia by a couple of weeks. But I digress…let’s get stuck into my August box, shall we?

As always, Bellabox doesn’t disappoint…this month instead of a box, my items came in a cute “I *heart* SG” cotton bag (no doubt to commemorate Singapore's birthday!!) which can be reused at the beach or whatever other reason you can think of. As for the contents…oh my…

• Enavose Probiotics Exfoliance Gommage (15ml)
• Philosophy Hope in a Jar Oil Free Gel Moisturiser (7ml)
• L’Oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise Youth Code Boosting Essence (5ml) – I’ve actually been using this for quite some time already, so this just supplements my existing supply and makes a good travel buddy. I have a couple of uses for this, which I’ll explain in a separate post!
• China Glaze Nail Polish in Pool Party (full size) – Holy cow, it’s a matte neon pink! I just tried this on a couple of fingers when I got it, and I swear, I’m now visible at 50 metres on a dark night. :O Awesome shade!
• Anna Sui Eye Color in #201 (full size) – Love, love, LOVE!!
• Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser for Face and Eyes (6ml sachet) – this is the only sachet in this month’s box (or rather, bag!), but that’s fine since it wasn’t listed in the number of items in the box anyway. A nice bonus, as it were.

Vouchers included in this month included Philosophy, Anna Sui and Enavose. A couple of the deals are quite good, so let’s see if I succumb to picking up anything this month or not! :P

This would have to be my favourite out of this month’s box – the Anna Sui Eye Color in #201. Thanks to the gorgeous packaging with the mother-of-pearl cover and the purple hue (I swear, Bellabox wins me over more and more with their spot-on selections!), I can’t wait to try this out!

And there you have it, a quick look at my August box…and I’m as pleased as punch with it! What’s your favourite pick out of this month’s box, and if you got something different in your August Bellabox, I’d love to hear about it too. :D

Get a Vanity Trove box with Watsons Singapore…

Beauty boxes, sample subscription boxes…whatever you call them, they seem to be here to stay. However, if you’ve been wondering about them and wanted to try it before you subscribe, Vanity Trove has made it easy for you by simply shopping at Watsons.

This is the promotion that just started – if you purchase above SG$80 at selected Watsons stores (list of participating outlets at the end of this post!) from 2-29 August, you’ll get a special Vanity Trove box. And if you’re a Watsons card member, the spending amount required goes down to SG$60.

Since I had a couple of items to pick up for some friends yesterday, I managed to pick up a box from the outlet at Raffles City. So here’s a look at what’s inside, together with my thoughts.

The box looks to be pretty much the standard Vanity Trove size and packaging – can’t comment on this since I don’t subscribe to Vanity Trove. Perhaps someone who does can shed some light on this? Nevertheless, I’m sure it’s the contents you’re more interested in, right? :)

Ta-daahhh!! This is just part one though – suffice to say, the box was packed to the brim!

And here’s part two…basically whatever couldn’t be fit into the first pic.

The contents of the box are arranged as clearly as I can manage given that there are a LOT of items in the box, so I’ve broken it down in the list below to trial sizes and sample sachets in the box I got:

Trial/ Full Size Items:

• Beauty Buffet White Tea & Gingko Facial Mask (full size)
• Beauty Buffet Vitamin C & Neroli Facial Mask (full size)
• Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets (2pcs)
• Biore Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover
• Cristalle21 Skin Solace
• Garnier Men TurboLight Oil Control Charcoal Foam
• Montagne Jeunesse Pressed Aloe Blemish Mud
• Pure Beauty Youth Restore Essence with Black Pearl
• L'Oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise White Perfect Laser Anti-Spot Brightening Essence

Sample Sachets:

• Bio-essence Bio Platinum BB Cream
• Watsons Bird's Nest Whitening & Firming Facial Cream
• L'Oreal Youth Code
• Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
• DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
• DHC Mild Soap
• DHC Mild Lotion
• DHC Olive Virgin Oil
• Pure Papaya Ointment with Calendula
• La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+
• Vichy Normaderm Tri-Activ Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care
• The Nature Lab Collagen Makeup Removing Serum
• Rachel K Mineral Colour Control CC Cream
• Bio-Oil
• Skin79 Super+ BB Cream
• Banana Boat Ultra Protect Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 PA+++

There’s also a voucher for 15% off storewide on Zalora, which is quite common nowadays. So there you have it – definitely a LOT in one box for you!

Personal Thoughts:

As a GWP for Watsons, this is fantastic – it’s a decent size, and there are plenty of trial sizes and sample sachets of new products which will please any beauty fan. There’s also a promotion for Watsons card members where they can get a 20% discount off a 3-month subscription to Vanity Trove, although taking into consideration that Vanity Trove retails at a SG$25 subscription per month I’m not sure this would make me want to subscribe to Vanity Trove. I might be the only one thinking this though…any differing opinions out there? :)

If you want to get your hands on one of the Watsons Vanity Trove boxes, you can hit up the following Watsons outlets in Singapore:

Ang Mo Kio Hub, Bugis Junction, Causeway Point, Compass Point, East Point, IMM, International Plaza, ION, Jurong Point, Lot 1, North Point, Parkway Parade, Raffles City, Serangoon NEX, Suntec City, Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Tampines Mall, Tiong Bahru Plaza, Toa Payoh HDB Hub (Blk 190) and VivoCity.

** One box per receipt per customer and while stocks last.

Happy Friday! :D

July Bellabox – Taking you around the world…

If you follow me on Instagram, you’d have seen this photo I posted of the July Bellabox below…

Just check out the brands included this month!

Bellabox’s theme this month is “Around the world”, which is bringing some of the best beauty brands from across the globe into the box’s contents. This month, which also marks the increase of Bellabox’s subscription to SG$19.95, Bellabox also has a super treat in store for three lucky members – a gift from Tiffany’s!!

Alas, I didn’t get one in my box, but the contents are gorgeous all the same – let’s have a look, shall we?

From Korea, I got the L’egere Healthy Facial Treatment Skin Conditioner and Platinum Hologram Illuminating Hydro Cream Base.

There’s also a Pore Beauty Nose Pack from another Korean brand, Skinmiso (begone, blackheads and whiteheads!), as well as a hot pink Twistband from California – part of their new neon colours for summer!

From London, we have none other than the Jimmy Choo fragrance – rather than the usual sample vials, this is actually a lovely miniature of the actual fragrance bottle and looks amazing. It’s quite a strong fragrance to be sure, but from what I’ve smelt so far it should be quite nice.

And of course, from Japan…*drumroll*…SKII! The SKII samples came in a small organza bag, and includes the Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser, Cellumination Mask-In Lotion, Facial Treatment Essence and Cellumination Deep Surge EX samples.

I reckon they counted all the 4 samples as “one item” in the box, so you can imagine the box is quite packed this month!

The box also typically comes with a stack of flyers from the participating brands, and this month is no exception, but a cute touch would be the Bellabox lipstick pen that was thrown in for a bit of fun. :D

So there you have it – a more-than-decent six items in this month’s Bellabox…seven if you count the lipstick pen, and a whopping EIGHT if you happen to be one of the lucky three that got the Tiffany’s box!

Now, which one do I try first….??

Fabulous Finds – Malaysia’s first beauty box that will have you looking AND feeling good…

In the past year, I’ve probably written a fair bit about beauty boxes since I subscribed to Bella Box and had that fun group post about what I’d put into my beauty box. The sentiment among most were lamenting the lack of a beauty box service in Malaysia, but today I’m happy to let you know Fabulous Finds has launched Malaysia’s first beauty box service!

For RM35 a month, you’ll get a pretty box containing 4 – 5 deluxe beauty samples from high-end and niche brands delivered to your doorstep. Items in the box are varied and can range from skincare, bodycare, nailcare, fragrances, cosmetics to haircare.

A couple of weeks back, a group of us were invited to a preview of the first box, which will be sent out in July. The contents of each melon-pink box is wrapped with silver paper, a ribbon and sticker – very pretty, and I’d love getting it as a gift. The box is also great for storing other knickknacks, although I’m not sure what I’d do when they start piling up! (get more stuff to fill them? oops…)

Here’s a peek into what you can expect for the July box:

• Beaubelle CLARITY Brightening Cleansing Exfoliator
• Beaubelle GORGEOUS Multi Defence Protection Cream
• Burt’s Bees Cranberry & Pomegranate Scrub
• Burt’s Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion
• Burt’s Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturising Cream
• Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional
• Crabtree & Evelyn Iris Ultra-moisturising Hand Therapy
• Lunasol Skin Fusing Powder Foundation
• Shu Uemura Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil

On the whole, I’d say it’s not bad for a first box – the full-size Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy is a firm favourite of mine, and I’m looking forward to trying the Lunasol foundation. :D

The feel good part? Beyond just enjoying the products in the box, Fabulous Finds is also giving back to the community with their boxes. Each box is packed by women who come from disadvantaged backgrounds (single mothers, widows) which help to supplement their often meagre incomes. This is a big plus in my book as I think it's a nice gesture.

The Fabulous Finds boxes are now available for subscription from www.fabulousfinds.com.my and can be purchased up to 14 July 2012, as the boxes will be shipped out to subscribers on 15 July. There are a total of 180 boxes available for July, and subsequently 200 boxes per month on a first come, first served basis.

There are 2 options for subscription:

Monthly – RM35 per month recurring payment

Annual – RM420 one-time payment (you’ll get a free box ie. 13 in total, and it’s transferable)

You can also opt to gift a friend or family member a Fabulous Finds subscription in denominations of three, six or twelve months.

What are your thoughts about Malaysia’s first beauty box service?

Bellabox June box – the best so far (and an important announcement)…

It’s a bit late in the month, but I thought I’d keep up with sharing what I’ve gotten in my Bellabox this month – simply because it’s been one of the absolute best so far! Themed the “Summer Upgrade” box, I ended up with not the usual 5, but 8 items in the box. Granted, there’s no full-sized item in this box as with some of the previous ones, but they’re pretty nifty all the same – have a look! :D

And this is what I got in my box (clockwise from top left):

• Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate (4ml)
• Lancome Genefique Youth Activator (5ml)
• Ralph Lauren Romance (vial)
• Biotherm White D-Tox BB Cream (5ml)
• Kiehl’s Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner (40ml)
• Shu Uemura White Efficient Gentle Cleansing Oil (20ml)
• Lancome Blanc Expert Derm-Crystal (5ml)
• Biotherm Lait Corporel Body Moisturiser (30ml)

There was also a host of discount vouchers which is to be expected, but I liked that they’re not considered as part of the box but rather supplementary  in case you really like the items and want to purchase the full-size.

Out of the whole box, these two were my personal favourites, both coincidentally from Kiehl’s – the Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner and the Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

The Calendula toner is an awesome travel size, and is an exact replica of the full-sized version, down to the marigold petals in the bottle (yes, being very superficial here but I love touches like that!). The Midnight Recovery Concentrate also comes in a sturdy glass bottle with the dropper, which makes it easy to dispense, as well as to refill when I go travelling since I already have the full-size bottle. By comparison, the previous sample of MRC I’d tried from Kiehl’s came in a blister pack where you snapped off the top so definitely no reusing! :D

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Bellabox will be increasing their monthly subscription to SG$19.95 from 21 June onwards (the box previously cost SG$15). New members who sign up on or after 21 June will pay the new rate, while existing members will enjoy the current rate of SG$15 for the July box before paying the new rate from August onwards.

Personally, if Bellabox continues to deliver boxes such as you see this month, I’m more than happy to continue with them. I haven’t gotten a dud box yet, and the folks at Bellabox have been nothing but open to feedback and honest about their shortcomings.

Anyone else have feedback on their Bellabox, or thoughts on the price increase?

Random Conversations: What would you put in your beauty box?

A few weeks back, I was chatting online with Paris about random things and the topic switched to beauty boxes, also known as sample subscription boxes (Don’t you just love random conversations? Never know where they’re going to lead!) and what we would have put into our own if we could make one. Which leads me to today’s topic…

Of course, normal beauty boxes have to take into consideration factors such as cost, packaging, or even sponsors but in this case I ignored everything else, so take it as a box with some of my favourite items that I’d want to share with you.

These would be the 5 items that I would have put into my beauty box (if I did one, that is!)

• Garnier Intensive 7-days Nourishing Hand Cream with Mango Oil – I first came across this when Tine wrote about it, and after getting a few tubes in Melbourne, I’m hooked! Everyone should have a tube of this on their person at all times, ‘nuff said.
• Kiehl’s Ultimate White Surface Brightening Exfoliator – I used to think this was good, and then my tube mysteriously disappeared one day. I found out many months later that my gran had inadvertently nicked it to use, and we were wondering why her skin was so fair! Sold!
• LAQA & Co Nail Polish Pen – I got one of these from Bella Box, and this is fun to use. I love that the brush tip is nice and thick so the polish goes on really easily even for nail polish noobs like me. :D
• L’Oreal Dermo-Expertise Gentle Lip and Eye Makeup Remover – I’ve been using this for quite some time now, and it works wonders on waterproof makeup (especially mascara, the little buggers stick to everything!)
• LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub – Let’s just say scrubbing my lips has never been so much fun or tasty! With a sugar lip scrub, the biggest problem I have is stopping myself from eating it while I’m scrubbing my lips!

And there you have it! Come to think of it, apart from the LAQA and Kiehl’s, the rest of the other items are actually quite affordable (under SG$10 each) so who knows, it might be possible! :D

Just have a look at what the other ladies would put in their beauty boxes:

• Beautyholics Anonymous
• Beautycabby
• Beauty up my life
• Beetrice's Reviews
• Belle Demoiselle
• My Women Stuff
• My Views My Reviews
• Pretty Beautiful
• Red Luscious Lips
• So Loverly
• Rinnah’s Consumer Reviews
• Skin Deco
• Unconventional Geek

So now it’s your turn…what would you put in your beauty box? :D

Say hello to Flawless Beauty with the April Bellabox…

This month’s Bellabox just reached me earlier this week due to delays, but I’m glad to report that the wait wasn’t in vain – and wondered why the box was so unusually heavy when I received it! (to be explained later)

Keeping in line with the month’s theme of Flawless Beauty, the products in the April Bellabox are all about giving you a flawless complexion. Let’s have a look!

The box contained the following items:

• Enavose H2Osis Black Tea Quench Mask (15ml) – I’ve tried this before, you can go here if you’d like to read my thoughts on this.
• Benefit Cosmetics Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Liquid Foundation (5ml sample) – LOVED the packaging of this sample as it’s similar to the full-sized bottle, can’t wait to try it out!
• Lemongrass House Lavender Shower Gel (30ml bottle) – I’m a big fan of Lemongrass House products (particularly their room sprays), and this was a nice size I can take on holidays.
• AHAVA Hydrate essential day moisturiser (15ml) – haven’t tried any AHAVA products yet but have heard some nice things, so I’m looking forward to trying it.
• Kinohimitsu Collagen Drink (2 bottles) – this was the reason the box was so heavy! These are supposed to be immensely popular, and a friend’s mother swears by these…worth giving it a go right?

The box also came with a number of vouchers, including a SG$5 voucher for Lemongrass House (I’ll definitely be using this!), a 1-for-1 special on brow arch service at Benefit (usually SG$22 per person), and a 1+1 treat on a Mineral Oxygen-Infusion facial from AHAVA (NP: SG$88).

What did you think of the contents, and are there any products in this box you’d like to try in particular? :D

April’s Bellabox has exciting things in store! :D

Remember I mentioned attending a Bellabox event a couple of weeks back? It’s no surprise I’ve been a fan of their boxes, considering they have not failed to impress me so far (it’s been 6 months and counting!)

Personally, the highlights so far have been Akin, Caudalie, OCC, Aveda, Savoir Faire, Dermalogica and Pangea Organics – I’ve been very happy with the boxes so far, and certainly happy to continue.

Just a little taste into what’s in store for the April Bellabox (which will be out very soon!) – the theme for this month is Flawless Beauty, which means the contents will be aimed at helping you achieve flawless skin *wink*

Bellabox has also signed up with several new brand partners that include Benefit Cosmetics, Laura Mercier, Ahava, Elizabeth Arden, High Tech Cosmetics and Annick Goutal amongst many others.

So, who has signed up for Bellabox, and what have you particularly liked from your boxes so far? Or is there a particular brand from the list of new partners above that you’re really looking forward to? (I’ve got my eye on Annick Goutal!)

It’s finally here - Bellabox December 2011…

After waiting (im)patiently and reading the tweets and posts from other people who had gotten their Bellabox earlier in the month, mine finally arrived, waiting for me when I got back to work earlier this week.

I’m most impressed by this month’s box – they definitely outdid themselves!

The contents included samples of Sothys [W]™+ Brightening Fluid and Mask, a SG$50 Sothys Gift Certificate, a vial of Faust’s Potion, a mini OPI nail polish (Not Like the Movies), a set of Eylure falsies…and a full size Savoir Faire lipstick! There was also a small pack of strawberry jellybeans in lieu of Christmas.

Well done Bellabox! This was a lovely touch going into the festive season, and I’m definitely a very happy customer so far. :D

November’s Bellabox is here!

Last month, I wrote about unboxing the first Bellabox in Singapore – well, a month has already flown by (where the heck did it go?) and November’s box is already here! So, for those who are curious…here are the contents:

A tube of Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) Lip Tar in Memento, Duchess Marden Damascena Anti-Wrinkle Serum (1.8ml sample in a organza pouch), Korres Guava Body Butter (9ml sachet), Skin Factory Eye Dream Honey Patch (1 pack), and Davines Melu Mellow Anti-Breakage Lustrous Shampoo and Conditioner (75ml each).

The highlight would have to be the OCC Lip Tar for sure – I’m not thrilled about the Korres Guava Body Butter sample as it looks quite sad compared to the rest of the items, but I’d say it’s a case of so far so good! :D

Is there anything in particular you like or don’t like about this month’s Bellabox, and what do you think of their offerings so far?

Sample Subscription Boxes - Unboxing the BellaBox…

Sample subscription boxes – there has been plenty written about these kind of programs in the US and the UK which sends people a selection of items to try based on their preferences and type for a monthly subscription fee. This has since spread to Australia (Tine has written about her experience with Beauty Box), and more recently, it has reached Singapore in the form of BellaBox.

BellaBox delivers the latest deluxe beauty products to your door, brand new and exclusive for you at SG$15 a month. We handpick and deliver 5 of the most luxurious beauty products to hit the market. Discover new products you will love, and make new purchases with confidence.

Back in August, I signed up for the Singapore version of BellaBox ahead of its official launch, and a couple of weeks after the website officially launched in October for orders and making my payment, this pink box arrived for me.

Inside was a glossy beige and brown striped box – I must say I really did like how they packaged the box along with the little touches that made it a joy to open.

Once I opened the box, there was a welcome introductory note on the top, along with a list of the box’s contents and full size pricing at the back. The contents of the box were also wrapped up in tissue paper with a small sticker.

And ta-daahh! Here are the contents of the first BellaBox – 50ml bottles of Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner each, miniature vial of Oscar de la Renta Esprit d’Oscar, 30ml OPI Avojuice Skin Quenchers, and the brown twisty thingies in the picture are actually hair-ties called Twistbands.

For the monthly subscription fee of SG$15 I reckon they could have done a bit better with the first BellaBox, but all things considered it wasn’t too shabby, and included useful products. Will be sticking with them a while longer to see what else they come up with before forming my opinion about the sample subscription box hype.

Some of the brands BellaBox is working with include Aveda, Davines, OPI, Twistbands, Oscar de la Renta, Korres, OCC, Pangea Organics and Pearly Wipes. 

Has anyone else signed up with BellaBox or similar sample subscription box programs, and what do you think of them?