Violet Box July 2015

A collective cry was heard around the country when we all received THAT email. The email saying that the best and most reliable beauty box was shutting down due to the rising price of getting products to our country. I've only been subscribed to Violetbox for just over a year and it has easily become my favourite. They have introduced me to so many unknown brands and have included amazing cruelty free items, so it is very hard to say goodbye. I purchased a twelve-month subscription at the start of the year so there are still quite a few months left before it runs out. In the goodbye email Violetbox stated that we would be receiving the remainder of our subscription value via products in a MEGABOX. I assumed that would mean that the July box would be jam-packed full of goodies, but it wasn't. So maybe that will arrive separately, but I’m not too sure at this stage. My lovely friend Hayley texted me when she received this box saying that she thought Violetbox are trying to hint to us all that we smell, because it is full of things to scrub a dub dub until you are squeaky clean. So because of most of these being so shower friendly (besides from the lip pencil and perfume) I trialled them all in one very long and hilarious shower. So with that lets jump into what will be the last official box of Violetbox Australia.

Mr.Bean Coffee Bean Scrub in Mandarin

I've never tried any of the popular Instagram famous coffee scrubs before, so I was actually a bit excited to receive this. Previously I have used the Cosmetic Kitchen dry body scrub that was completely useless because it’s on dry skin. Mr Bean aren't tested on animals and are vegan, which is a really great start. They are packed full of all natural ingredients including caffeine (duh) to stimulate blood flow and assist with cellulite, eczema and other skin conditions; sugar and salt to exfoliate and assist with breakouts, coconut oil to hydrate and cocoa and vitamin e to nourish the skin. One of the claims that I read on the website was that caffeine can assist with varicose veins. At the ripe old age of 23 I have a patch of varicose veins that have popped up on the side of my leg. It's one of the perks of being a bartender and standing on hard concrete floors for long periods of time. Mine aren't too bad and are only sore on and off, so it will be interesting to see if this scrub can do anything. But my hopes aren't high. I’ll admit straight up that I didn’t read the instructions before using it, but it’s a coffee scrub so how difficult could it be? I’m also kind of glad that I didn’t. While I was waiting for my conditioner to soak in I tied back my hair and decided to give it a go. I think I went a bit over the top at first and grabbed too much because I had waaaay too much fallout. So I start scrubbing and it felt really nice, my hands got a bit sore after a while but the exfoliant was really gentle. I didn’t use it on my face because I wanted to see how it went on my body first, so I just did from my neck all the way down to my toes and then rinsed as soon as I was done. After rinsing my skin felt softer than it had ever been. So incredibly soft. What I didn’t expect to see after rinsing though was that my skin colour had increased colour by 50 shades of brown. I was so brown it looked hilarious and started bursting out laughing in the shower. It had stained my skin so incredibly dark that I went from vampire pale to bahama mama. The instructions actually said to leave the scrub on for five minutes before rinsing, so I can't imagine how stained I would be if I actually followed the instructions! Rinsing with water alone didn’t really do anything so I decided to go in with the Tarocco body wash and loofah and it came straight off like a bad fake tan. My shower also looked like a Starbucks exploded inside it but the smell was incredible. Besides from the temporary tan and the mess, I would totally repurchase this product again. It worked amazingly, left my skin incredibly soft and smells wonderful. Full Size. Vegan and Cruelty Free. $17.95

Tarocco Sicilian Blood Oranges Cleansing Body Wash

I am OBSESSED with the smell of this. It is so fresh and beautiful and just the most delicious citrus scent. I find the smell of blood oranges divine and this is no exception. It’s really soapy and leaves you feeling so clean and just wonderfully fresh. The cleanliness factor after using this is through the roof and it also works great at getting coffee stains off very pale skin. I can really see myself repurchasing this in the future. Sample Size. Cruelty Free.

Urban Skincare Co. Resurrect Hair Wash

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed to see more products from Urban Skincare Co. in the last ever official Violetbox. I was hoping since it was the last one that there would be a little more variety and it would be full of lots of unknown and less featured brands. But oh well. This shampoo smelt very herbal but it was incredibly pleasant at the same time. I didn’t need much to lather up my really thick and heavy hair and it worked wonderfully. It left my hair feeling clean and fresh without feeling too stripped. I really enjoyed this one, it's a great shampoo. Deluxe Sample. Cruelty Free.

Urban Skincare Co. Recovery Conditioner

This product though I had mixed feelings for. While it smelt delicious I needed the entire tube to conditioner to get through my hair and comb through it with the wide toothcomb I keep in my shower. Even though I had to use quite a lot of product, once it was rinsed out my hair felt incredibly soft and conditioned. So while it leaves your hair feeling quite wonderful and smelling like a dream, it does take a lot of product to get to that point. Deluxe Sample. Cruelty Free.

Etat Libre D'Orange Putain Des Palaces Perfume

When I was reading the card that always comes with a beauty box, I saw that this tiny vial sample of perfume retails at almost $200 full size.Then I saw the word orange on the packaging and got really excited that this would be a light and fresh citrus scent. So I unplugged it and wacked it all over my wrists without smelling it. Big. Mistake. This is a very strong and overwhelming scent that I can only describe as smelling like old-fashioned powder compacts. It’s a rich powdery smell. Very Chanel No 5. Very Intense. I couldn't really smell the roses or violets in it at all, which is disappointing because I LOVE the smell of violets especially. After coating my wrists in a splash of the product I went out to the Pancake Parlour with my gorge friend Nicola before we went to see Magic Mike 2 which is a classic movie for all ages and perfect for kids. Just kidding. But can we all take a moment to pause and remember Joe Manganiello at the Gas Station? Dayum dat bod.  Lets carry on. When I sat down to order the lemon iced tea and deluxe fries I apologised if I smelt 'over the top'. Nic said she loved how the perfume smelt and asked what it was and when i told her it retailed for nearly $200 we laughed and laughed and laughed. But that goes to show how dividing a perfume like this can be. No middle ground, people either love it or despise it. I despised it and my best friend loved it, so I will be passing the sample on to her to use the rest of it up. Sample Size. Animal Testing Unknown.

Starlooks Lip Pencil in Peony

With the name alone I knew we had a winner here. This is the third Starlooks product I've received and they have all been absolutely AMAZING. This tiny little lip pencil seriously packs a punch and for $6 you really can't go wrong. The colour is so pigmented without being in your face and is part of their 'Perfect Size' range of cosmetics which is for people who can never seem to get through a full size product or are swimming in kilos of big products in their bathroom. They are also incredibly purse and car friendly and my Perfect Size lip-gloss in 'Cuddle' lives in the ash tray of my car #smokersarejokers. The colour is a beautiful rosy pink that is perfect on its own or layered with other lip products as a base and is incredibly soft and won't dry out your lips. Full Size. Cruelty Free. $6