The Parcel by Marie Claire: Summer Edit

Not going to lie, I think this may be the best beauty subscription box I have ever received. The Summer Edit of The Parcel by Marie Claire was choc full of cult products and brands that I have wanted to try for a long time and have either been too lazy or poor from spending too much money on pancakes to give them a shot. It is also one of the best value for money boxes I have received, with many of the products being full sized. So go ahead, have a gander:

Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour Cream

Eight Hour cream is one of those cult products that I have heard many things about but never actually tried. So I was pretty chuffed when I opened up The Parcel and found one inside. You can use it on your skin as a moisturiser, for cuticles, to heal cuts and bruises, mix in with your makeup for a dewier finish or dab on top as a highlighter. Sounds promising, and for a formula to remain unchanged for many decades, it must do wonders. Sample size

Philosophy Purity Cleanser

This is a 3-1-makeup cleanser for face and eyes. It smells beautiful and is apparently suitable to rub onto the eye area. I will give this ago tonight, and if you haven't heard from me, I’m probably blind from rubbing cleanser into my eyes and don't know how to log into social media without assistance from my guide dog. Nonetheless, I’m excited to finally try a product from the brand philosophy. Sample size 

Essie 'Fifth Avenue' Nail Polish

It's red, so this will be on regular rotation on my fingers and toes. I love red polish and was so happy to see this in the box when usually in other subscription services you get left with unflattering colours that obviously aren't selling at department stores. Full sized product valued at RRP $16.96

Essie All in One Polish

I am not the best with my nails, this I will admit. For years I was a nail biter, but I was never one of those nippers that bit all the way down to the wick. I occasionally have acrylics on, but if I don't my nails are free range without a hint of polish. Though they could use some extra TLC. I've seen this in Priceline before and have been so tempted to pick it up but in the end decide not too because I’m not that fussy with my nails. But now I have my mitts on the 'All in One’, which is a base, coat, top coat and nail strengthener. Basically it is the Lauren Conrad of polish and does a bit of everything. Full sized product valued at $17.95

Jergens Ultra Healing Body Moisturiser 

If there were anything that could smell like a hug, it would be this. The smell is so pleasant and soothing and absorbs instantly into skin without feeling like a grease monkey. Go pick yourself up a tube.. or just go to a retailer and have a sniff. Full sized product valued at $5.99

Revlon Age Defying CC Cream

Just like a BB cream but one letter higher up the alphabet, the Revlon CC cream is a colour correcting cream designed to be a do it all makeup base that also covers signs of ageing, hyperpigmentation and dehydration. This unfortunately came to me in the shade ‘Medium’, which are about a bazillion (or a few bazillion if you want to be specific) shades dark for me. Will pass onto a lusciously tanned friend. Full sized product valued at $26.95

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye Cream

This is the product I am the most excited to try. I love Estee Lauder and I’ve been eyeing this off at the counter whenever I pick up a new bottle of doublewear. But the cost is just too pricey ($95) to buy incase it is a dud. So hooray for small samples that I will be slathering on my eyes tonight after they are strained from staring at Julian McMahons naked body in Nip/Tuck for hours on end. Sample size

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Shampoo, Conditioner and Blow-out Spray

I have pretty thick hair with plenty of natural volume (thanks to my home dawgs double part and cowlick) but this little trio smell delish and I’m hoping for even higher volume in my hair so I can finally complete my metamorphosis into a hybrid of my heroes Dolly Parton and Fran Fine, so we will see how it plays out. Deluxe sample size

So if you have not already subscribed to The Parcel, do so right now because it features great brands and value for money!

5 Products: 4 Loves, 1 Dislike

ModelCo  - Daily Face

This is a little tube of wonders that I cannot rave enough about. The broad-spectrum wonder is cruelty free and contains no PEGs, sulfates, parabens, chemicals or mineral oils. It is slightly tinted in an extremely flattering shade, is wonderful at stopping the usual oil slick that sunscreen leaves on your face. Oh and it is also SPF50+. ModelCo Daily Face shields against both UVA and UVB rays and is very lightweight, unlike most sunscreens, which means it is also perfect to wear under makeup because it is just a perfect little multitasking gem. If I could pinch $25 out of everyone’s wallets just to buy them a tube of it I would. Great Australian brand with a great product ALL Aussies should be using to protect themselves from the dangerous sun. 

*This is also a friendly reminder to go get your skin checked out by a proper dermatologist with a specialty in skin cancers before these harsh summer rays hit. None of this going to a GP business, they are hopeless and not trained to see early developing melanomas. Go get yourself to a clinic stat! My personal preference is Sun Patrol Skin Cancer Clinic in Berwick, but if that is too far away for you, Google will gladly help you out!

Brazilian Butterfly - Delicate Body Lotion

As a keen waxer this lotion is my saviour against nasties like ingrown hairs. It also soothes dry skin, cuts and is infused with aloe vera and witch hazel to protect against waxing bumps. Personally I also find that it helps with the redness and swelling you experience after an appointment and it only needs to be applied once a day. There is no downside to this lovely lotion as it is non greasy and also able to be used by gals and guys who are undergoing laser hair removal. I haven't looked back since my waxer Steph recommended it to me months ago, she is such a gem!

I've almost used up all of my primer

Stila - One Step Correct

I loved my Napoleon Perdis primers but they betrayed me. After months of figuring out why I’m suddenly breaking out and discovering it must be a product I’m using, unfortunately I narrowed it down to my beloved primer. It’s ok, I rehomed it in a friends makeup bag, as she is one of those crazy witchcraft people who only get one pimple every 3 years. But much like the Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey Newlywed years (#neverforget) I quickly moved on. Oh boy am I glad I did because I stumbled onto this beaut when taking a leisurely stroll through Mecca.

Instead of using multiple primers to address multiple skin concerns this little gem does it all in one go for you. The primer consists of three individual primers, which are Green to reduce redness and conceal blemishes, Lavender to target sallow undertones and Peach to brighten and illuminate. When applied to skin it has a soothing and cooling feeling that feels so divine. It doesn’t feel heavy on your skin, yet it completely smoothes over pores and fine lines giving you a beautiful glowy and smooth complexion.  This does absolute wonders for your skin and even if the Napoleon Perdis primers didn’t make me break out like the before photo of a Proactiv ad, I would still prefer the Stila primer.

Completely used up! That is how much I loved this face cream

Origins - GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser

You know how beauty advertising loves to splash around crazy words and promises in regards to products? I remember one L’Oreal ad where it promised an anti ageing product would change your DNA at some point. Don’t quote me on that though. If there were ever a product to attach crazy life changing advertising claims to, it would be this one. This just does wonders for your skin and is pretty much the best moisturiser I have ever used. For starters, it has the most insanely wonderful, divine, delicious citrus smell! If I could attach a jar of this to my face, like a food bag to a mule, I would. I wouldn’t even care about the looks I’d get in public because that is how much I’m obsessed with the smell of this.  Once applied to your skin it is so lightweight and refreshing and just perks up your skin.  Your complexion looks dewy and healthy and like you just stepped out of bikram yoga. But without the dehydration, tomato faced redness and hint of regret. It is also the perfect moisturiser to layer makeup products over and is just an all round A+.

DeLorenzo – Essential Treatments Oil Balance

DeLorenzo is also one of those excellent brands with a focus on earth friendliness by using natural ingredients, recyclable materials and excluding animal testing. Their ‘Oil Balance’ is marketed as a “pre-shampoo treatment that works to nourish dry and damaged hair” and I was eager to give this a go as my locks had been through the ringer a bit with too much heat styling. With most hair treatments I’ve tried I notice a difference instantly, but with this one I didn’t; and if anything my hair felt heavier and looked lackluster. This is to be sprayed onto dry hair pre shower and left to its own devices. Just a tip; if you do want to try it, spray it in the shower because the first time I used it by entire bathroom was covered in a thin layer of oil. The reasons I did not like this was because it was messy to use (by leaving a crime scene in my bathroom) , the smell was actually super foul and it did not deliver results. Sounded so great on paper but unfortunately like many things did not translate. If this were Tinder, I would definitely be swiping left. 

Hit Refresh: Best Makeup Removers

As much as I love wearing makeup, I equally love the feeling of taking it off and having the ability to rub my eyes without getting liquid liner everywhere. One thing I honestly can’t grasp is how people just wash off their makeup with a normal cleanser and then hit the hay. If I’m taking off my makeup, I do it thoroughly and then follow up with a double cleanse.

So here is my routine to guarantee every single swipe of lipstick and mascara is off that pretty face of yours:

Swisspers Organic Cotton Makeup Pads

100% Australian certified organic these are hypoallergenic, biodegradable and perfume, chlorine and dioxin free. They are the only makeup pads I have found that do not leave little stray fibers all over your face when removing makeup. Even the original Swisspers leave fibers EVERYWHERE, almost to the point where you feel like you need to wash your face again. They used to sell the Swisspers Organic in all supermarkets, but they’ve been taken off the shelves and the only place I can find them now is Chemist Warehouse, so happy hunting.

If taking off stubborn eye makeup, soak these babies in your choice of eye makeup remover, hold against your eye for 20 seconds and then gently wipe away the product. It is a gentle and effective way of removing eye makeup without pulling at the gentle skin under the eye which can lead to fine lines.

Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes

First I use the Simple wipes to wipe off as much product as I can. These are super gentle and do not contain alcohol, oil or perfumes which means that they remove makeup without irritating your skin with nasty ingredients. When I use these wipes on my face they make my skin feel cooled and refreshed, which is exactly what you want from your skin care. I stock up when these are regularly on sale (it is quite an often occurrence) and keep a packet in my bedside table when I’m a bit too lazy, tired or a few too many margaritas in to properly take off my makeup.

Bioderma Sensibo H20 Solution Micellaire

After the Simple facial wipes have taken off the bulk of my makeup, I quickly go over my face again with a cotton pad soaked in Bioderma to grab any left over pesky products like long wear foundation or lipstick. Like Simple, Bioderma Sensibo is soothing, calming and great for sensitive skin. I only started using it this year and the difference I have seen is amazing. I thought my makeup wipes and eye makeup remover took off every single scrap of makeup and looking at my face it did look like it was stripped bare. But a quick wipe of Bioderma and you will see how much sneaky product is actually left over, even when you think you’ve done an incredibly thorough job.

Clinique Take The Day Off

This is a Holy Grail eye makeup remover. It is pricey, but seriously worth it. A product that is allergy and ophthalmologist tested and 100% fragrance free, Take The Day Off is extremely gentle and effective. Even if you’re a klutz like me and get this in your eyes it does not sting at all. It gently removes eye and lip makeup and if you’re stuck in a pickle, can cleanse your whole face as well. What a little multi-tasking gem! It also smells amazing and leaves skin feeling incredibly soft. Just like a big ol' peach. 

Bonus

Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover

This is my backup eye makeup remover as it is cheap (at a quarter of the price of Clinique), easily found at supermarkets and pharmacies and does a pretty great job. The reason it is a back up for me is that I cannot stand the smell or the feel of it on my skin. But like I said, it does the job and is a nice budget buy. What it is amazing at though is cleaning my makeup brushes. It will get every single scrap of foundation, eyeshadow, concealer and powder off all my brushes and keeps them in wonderful shape. Followed with a quick wash in baby shampoo and your makeup brushes will never be cleaner.

Cute Finds at Country Road

As much as I love Country Road, the brand can go through some questionable seasons. Autumn/Winter 2014 for CR was not a good season - filled with ill looking prints and unflattering cuts - but when I went into the store last night I almost passed out in delight. Country Road are absolutely killing it with the Spring/Summer 2014 range, there is not a single item that I dislike. The accessories are especially charming, specifically the cosmetic bags. I picked up the Tropical Print Tri Cosmetic bag but had to stop myself from buying everything else in the print. It is made out of an easy to keep clean material and the perfect size to fit a generous amount of cosmetics.

I also left with a pair of the Italian made black and gold Miah Heels, which were originally priced at $179.00, but I picked up for a sweet $50. Man do I love a great sale. 

You can find the tropical print cosmetic bags from Country Road right here: 

http://www.countryroad.com.au/shop/woman/accessories/cosmetic-bags

The Parcel by Marie Claire

 Like cats, Steve Buscemi and baked goods - my love for beauty subscription services is very well known. I love everything about them, like the samples, the brands featured, the occasional full sized product and the fact that each month you basically get a present delivered to your front door filled with  products that would have been quiet expensive to try individually.

So during my nightly Internet searches, which mostly consist of videos of pet crows (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVZDFYbIHiQ) I stumbled across ‘The Parcel’. A new beauty subscription service, The Parcel teams up with magazines to deliver the picks of your favourite magazine beauty editors seasonally. But because it is seasonally, you only get this genius box four times a year.

The Parcel have only released the Marie Claire: The Spring Edit but have already formed a partnership with Girlfriend magazine and hopefully will team up with every single other Australian magazine, because the idea is the best thing since nipple tint. Not that I’m a nipple tint enthusiast, but without it Benefit Cosmetics would not have existed.

So I signed up and waited very patiently for my Marie Claire parcel to arrive, and when it did, oh boy was it worth the wait because inside I found a wonderful range of high end products:

L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray

Just as I’ve made my way through so many L’Oreal products, especially the hairspray that sometimes haunts my dreams, I am confronted again with another can of the Elnett Satin Hairspray. Like I’ve stated previously this hairspray does amazing things (unfortunately it can not make pan fried toasted cheese sandwiches) and provides great staying power. It came in a 75ml can, which is a great size for my purse and travels.

Benefit They’re Real Mascara and Push-Up Liner

I am already obsessed with everything Benefit, especially the They’re Real mascara, but for a strange reason I have not yet gotten my mitts on the liner of the same name. The gel liner comes in a wind up pen and aims to fit perfectly against the lash line. One of my best friends even asked me to write a blog post on it and said I can borrow the one she keeps in her car, but we kept getting distracted by the good looking waiters at Outback Jacks to remember to retrieve it after dinner.  But there is no need to now because there is a generously sized sample of it in the Marie Claire Spring Edit as well as enough mascara to last me a month. Bonza!

Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo and Conditioner

People like to complain and my days as a waitress can confirm this. Just jump on the Instagram account of fellow beauty subscription service Bellabox and you’ve got some serious whiners complaining about not so serious things, like the fact they always get shampoo and conditioner in their sample box. People should be grateful for what they get because there are bigger problems in the world and BSS is luck of the draw, so suck it up. Me on the other hand? I freaking love getting Shampoo and Conditioner because you get enough to last a week and get to try so many different brands. So people need to stop complaining and wash their hair, which I did with this tonight before I wrote this post and the smell is absolutely divine!

Lancôme Paris Visonnaire Advanced Skin Corrector

With Lancôme being a scary expensive brand with an even scarier and non-approachable counter at David Jones, I was pleased as punch to find one of their serums in the box. With a retail price of over $97 dollars to try the product full sized, I am peachy keen to try its mini and more affordable twin. Visonnaire aims to correct wrinkles, pores and the skins texture within six weeks once applied after cleansing morning and night. I'm always a fan of skincare products and can not wait to pop this one on tonight.

Gwen Stefani by OPI Nail Lacquer in Push and Shove

I love everything about Gwen Stefani. Her hair, her porcelain complexion, her music (both No Doubt and L.A.M.B eras) and the fact she is quite nifty at collaborating with great brands like OPI. This full sized bottle of silver chrome nail polish is worth a sweet $19.95 and the colour is pretty amazing. I’m always a sucker for pretty polish.

As swatched on my hand

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in 015 Barcelona Nights
Marketed as ‘not quite a lipstick nor a gloss’, Revlon Moisture Stain provides a great pop of lip colour without the transfer problems of a lipstick or the stickiness of a gloss. The colour is absolutely beautiful and one I can see myself wearing everyday; and with a RRP of $25.95 which is essentially the cost of The Parcel, I would say that is pretty amazing value.

Overall this BSS is pretty darn amazing. The variety of different products and brands, as well as the inclusion of two full sized products makes it an absolute winner. Marie Claire and The Parcel have done a wonderful job but the only downside I can find to this is that it will only be arriving on my doorstep four times a year. Would be a ten out of ten if it arrived every month/week/day/hour or minute, but they can’t all be winners can they?

You can find the wonderful poppets of The Parcel right here: http://www.theparcel.com.au/