Bellabox August 2015

Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara

This did bloody amazing magical things to my lashes. I wasn’t expecting great things from this because the brush itself just looked like the basic rubber mascara wand, but once I swiped it on I ate my terrible words. This makes your lashes the deepest and darkest shade of black and coats them without a single sign of clumping. They just look luscious and full and healthy and beautiful. Though it does take a bit longer than usual for the formula to dry, as it is a bit wet. I applied this without curling my lashes beforehand, which I never do, and they turned out so dreamy, so I can’t wait to see the effect with a lash curler. I would love to repurchase this once I run out but since MaxFactor test on animals I will stick with my cruelty free alternatives. TESTS ON ANIMALS. Full Size $23.95

Pilaten Collagen Lip Mask

If my Bellabox arrives a bit later than usual I always like to hop on Instagram and have a little snoop to see what I can expect. Well um, I got this. An Asian collagen lip mask that makes people look like they’ve peeled the skin off their victims to wear on their own faces. This thing is hella creepy but is apparently a favourite with Lady Gaga (no surprise) and Jessica Alba. I haven’t given this a try yet but I might save it for one dark night when I’m home alone and no one can see my appearance. The collagen mask, which is left on for 30 minutes, claims to leave your lips looking plump and packed with moisture to keep them hydrated. I’m not sure of the animal testing policies with Pilaten as they are a Chinese company but they do claim to be cruelty free and against animal testing. So I’m not sure how that would work? Full Size $4.95. Animal Testing Policies Unknown.

Batiste Blonde Dry Shampoo

Eeek I was so excited to see this. I love Batiste and their cruelty free and vegan hair products. I haven’t tried any of the tinted formulas so I was happy to receive the travel size can of the Light/Blonde. Like other Batiste dry shampoos it left my hair with heaps of volume and smelling amazing. When I first sprayed it on I freak out a bit because it looked a bit yellowish but once I rubbed it in it blended into my blonde highlights and left my hair looking bright and squeaky-clean. Cruelty Free. Vegan. Full Size. $12.99. Okay so I just wanted to provide an update on this product. When spraying this onto my hair in the daylight it is yellow and makes hair look incredibly brassy. While this is a great concept it would work more for brown and black hair as blonde is quite tricky to master. While I love Batiste, I hated what this did to the colour of my hair, so I binned it.

TandHK Prestige

I’m really intrigued by this and it will be an interesting one to try as I’m always up for trying new pimple fighting formulas and this Aussie one even claims to help reduce redness. Full sized this is quite pricey and comes in at $50. It is meant to work within 12 hours and you can just incorporate it into your regular skincare routine. After having a chat with the wonderful people at TandHK on their instagram, they informed me that it was cruelty free. Customer service is A+, so keep a look out for an empties review of this. Sample Size. Cruelty Free. 

Chapstick Night Repair

This night repair Chapstick is meant to be left on the lips overnight to give you incredibly hydrated lips. Though this isn’t really anything special. It feels quite nice on the lips without being too heavy but there are other lip products that do just a great job as Chapstick, if not better, that are cruelty free and from much more ethical companies. Go-To Skincare, Lanolips, Kora and Burt’s Bees are great alternatives that use all natural products and are cruelty free. Do yourself a favour and support a better brand. TESTS ON ANIMALS. Full Size $6.99

Bonus

Dermal Therapy Heel Balm

This small sachet of heel balm isn’t really the most exciting thing in the world but I’ll keep it in the bathroom cupboard the next time I give myself a pedicure. It is meant to be a highly concentrated formula to help heal extremely dry and cracked feet and leave them nice and soft. Sample Size. Animal Testing Policies Unknown.

Extra

ModelCo Shadow Stick in Costa Rica

I received this after my Shadow Stick from the July box arrived broken in half. Bellabox are really great at dealing with broken and damaged products and I’ve never had a problem with their customer service. I originally received the shade Purple Haze that was a really dark deep purple which was quite gorgeous but something that I wouldn’t really be able to wear on the daily. When I opened up the replacement I was so chuffed with the shade I was given. Costa Rica is a beautiful light champagne shade that just glides on with ease. I’m incredibly pale so this blended right into my skin and left a slight shimmer, so it could also double as a beautiful highlighter on cheek or brow bones. I will get a lot more use out of this one than the first one I received. What I love about this is that it isn’t too gold and is really easy to build and smudge out. Full Size. Cruelty Free. Available in a set of four.