November Empties

Yeah, this post is a little late but we have had almost a week without internet at home and I am only just catching up on everything that fell behind because of that.

This month has been a huge month for using up products, mainly because of the amount of samples I receive now because of the monthly beauty sample boxes.

See below:

1) Marc Jacobs 'Oh Lola' Sample - I really loved this perfume and have been using it quite a bit. It's surprising how much use you get out of those little spray bottles.

2) Palmolive Naturals Shower Gel with Almond Oil & Vanilla - I can't even remember when I bought this shower gel as it literally lasted forever. I swear there were some little Palmolive elves coming into my shower every week and refilling this bottle. Talk about a good value shower gel. This is maybe one to keep as a backup in your bunker for when the world ends and you won't be able to make it to the shops for a while :-)

3) John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo & Conditioner samples - These were nice products to use but nothing to really rave about. I think I only got about three uses out of each one so not really enough time to come to any real conclusion.

4) Sunsilk Super Shine Shampoo & Conditioner travel sizes - I originally purchased these to put in my hospital bag when I was going in to give birth to my son and then completely forgot about them when I got home. I eventually found them again when looking through my bathroom cabinet and decided to just use them up. This is a nice no frills shampoo and conditioner.

5) QV Bath Oil - I love this stuff and put a little into every bath no matter what else I've put in there too. I've also put a small amount into my son's bath now and then if he had any skin flare ups. It leaves you feeling so soft and really helps with any eczema or dry patches you might have.

6) MOR Body Butter samples in Belladonna and Italian Blood Orange - It is no secret that I have a MOR fetish and I received these samples with my last full size body butter order. The Italian Blood Orange is just delicious.

7) Clinique Clarifying Lotion - This was a great toner and made my skin feel super clean and seemed to really help my moisturiser sink in. I think I received this as a gift with purchase many moons ago and was another product I found in my bathroom a while ago and decided to finally use up.

8) Kerastase Shampoo & Treatment samples - These sachets just didn't contain enough product to adequately cover my hair. I could manage to work in the shampoo all over but the treatment was nowhere near enough. I don't even have very long hair (it's only a few centimetres past my shoulders) and it's very fine so there's no way these would be enough for anyone with normal hair.

9) Erborian BB Creme and Elixir Au Ginseng samples - I was surprised at how many uses I got out of each of these samples. I think I got about 3-4 days out of the BB Creme because it was so thick and about 3 uses out of the Elixir. This BB Creme was thicker than most foundations I have used and was a little hard to rub into my face at times. A little really goes a long way and it covered everything! The Elixir was a gorgeous consistency and made my skin feel so super soft after use. I also liked the way it didn't make my face feel sticky after applying like some of these creams have a tendency to do.

10) ROC Complete Lift samples - I am in love with this cream and have been using it every day in the mornings before applying my makeup. It makes my skin look awake and feel super soft. I had a bit of raw red skin around my nose a week or so ago after having a cold that just wouldn't go away and this cream has healed this skin perfectly without any stinging or irritation.

11) Gatineau Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate sample - This sample was teeny weeny tiny and I think I only got 2-3 uses out of it so really not enough to tell whether it was much good or not. I did like the smell, I can at least say that much.

So that's it for November.

I hope everyone is looking forward to Xmas this year? This will be our first Xmas with our little man as a family so it should be super fun!

November BellaBox - A Tad Disappointed.....

I was eagerly awaiting the November BellaBox this month as I sneaked a peek at some blog posts from others who received their boxes a couple of days ago. I was mainly excited to try the OCC Lip Tar which was one of this month's contents as I've heard such good things about these and have been wanting to try them for ages. Unfortunately, when mine arrived I felt a little deflated :-( The Lip Tar that I received was in the colour of Strumpet which is an extremely dark bright plum colour which is just way too dark for me to ever wear anywhere out in public! I would have been over the moon with any other one of the lighter shades these come in. Boooo, way to disappoint!

Oh well, here is a complete list of the contents of this month's BellaBox:

1) Lancome Visionnaire (5 ml) - Visionnaire is the first skin care with LR 2412, a molecule designed to penetrate throughout all the layers of the skin's epidermis, triggering a range of micro transformations.

2) Erborian BB Creme, Elixir Au Ginseng & Yuza Sorbet (3 x 1.5ml sachets) - This is a Korean product which has selected priority energising and detoxifying herbs to stimulate the metabolism and speed up microcirculation. The result: natural anti-fatigue and strong anti-ageing properties.

3) Gatineau Melatogenine Force Collagene Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate - Helps stimulate the strength, vitality and longevity of collagen fibres.

4) Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC) Lip Tar in Strumpet (8 ml) - A stunning new innovation in lip colour. OCC Lip Tar combines the longevity of a lipstick with the ease of application of a gloss.

5) Orofluido Beauty Elixir for Hair (5 ml) - A heavenly indulgence for hair containing Argan Oil, Cyperus Oil and Linseed Oil, each producing its own beautifying properties to give remarkable silkiness, lightness and shine.

6) Twistband - A hair tie from California to keep hair secure without snagging or leaving ugly creases.

Personally, I'm a bit disappointed in this month's box and not only because the Lip Tar is practically useless to me. I think all the samples are too small to really give a good indication of any of the skin/hair products and the Twistband is something I could have made myself from some elastic in my sewing kit.

If this had been the first box I definitely would not have stayed subscribing. I know the Lip Tar is most likely supposed to be the spotlight item for this month so because I'm not happy with the one I received that's probably put a dampener on the rest of the contents for me.

Did anyone else receive the November BellaBox? If so, what did you think of it?

Michelle..