Friday 25 July 2014

July Violet Box

Happy Friday ladies!

I came from work today with a bunch of parcels on my doorstep including Julys Violet box which I thought I would share with you including a quick run down of the products.

First things first - Violet Box is a monthly subscription box jam packed full of sample sized and full sized beauty products.  It costs $25 + $4.50 postage per month. 

For more details visit their website www.violetbox.co.nz


Appelles Shampoo & Conditioner | Sample Size 2 x 60ml | Value $12.97

Full Size Shampoo - 150ml - rrp $18.95
Full Size Conditioner - 500ml - RRP $44.95

Massive high fives to this company who have actually figured out that the average person uses more conditioner than shampoo and provide bottle sizes based on usage.  Appelles is an Australian based company producing organic and cruelty free products.  The shampoo and conditioner both have a strong Rosemary and Ylang Ylang scent which is a little overpowering, I will be interested to see if the scent lingers on the hair.

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil | Full Sized Product | Value $22.00

This product promises to be the perfect all-in-one make up product for highlighting, concealing and brightening the brow and eye area.  I am looking forward to trying this out, the colour is very neutral and when swatched blends out well, fingers crossed this product is long wearing as the colour is perfect for my skin tone.

Skin & Co Truffle Therapy Serum | Sample Size 5ml | RRP $75.00 - 30ml |  Value $12.50

This serum is designed to be worn under your moisturiser plumping the skin with hydration and fighting off damaging free radicals.  It also promises to reduce fine lines and wrinkles.  It has a light milky consistency and smells amazing!  At first I thought is smelt of coconuts but then a slightly floral scent came through.  I have applied this to the back of my hand and my skin feels so soft and supple.  I can't wait to use this after my Sukin Face Masque!

Sukin Skin Purifying Facial Masque | Sample Size 2 x 8ml | RRP $15.00 - 100ml | Value $2.40

Formulated with a clay base of kaolin and bentonite and infused with a blend of aloe vera, rosehip and jojoba oils it claims to effectively draw out the dirt and grime from deep within your pores while nourishing the skin.  I am a huge fan of clay based face masques as I find they are the best at cleaning our your pores so will definitely be giving this a go!

LAQA & Co Sheer Lip Lube Pencil | Full Sized Product | Value $20.00

Out of all the products in the box this was the one I was a little hesitant on, I thought it looked a little cheap but boy was I wrong.  I received the plum coloured lip crayon which is quite similar to MAC Rebel but perhaps a little brighter if that makes any sense.  It is beautifully creamy and not as sheer as I first thought it would be and applied like a dream.  The crayon does not need sharpening as it has a wind up mechanism at the bottom of the tube and it is generously sized.  As if all that wasn't enough it smells like mint chocolate chip ice cream.

So Susan Flutter Mascara | Full Sized Product | Value $32.00

I was so excited to try this out not knowing the brand but unfortunately I received a faulty product, the part inside the tube that is designed to take away excess product was missing or broken so when I pulled out the wand it was saturated in product to the point that I could not even see what type of applicator it had - check out my Instagram for a pic!  I contacted Violet Box who responded within 10 minutes and are replacing my mascara, awesome customer service!

Overall I am really pleased with this months box, the total value worked out to be $101.87 which is amazing!

Three full sized make up products is really good to receive in a beauty box and honestly I am looking forward to trying out everything I received.  If you are a little hesitant on beauty subscription boxes I highly recommend you try out Violet Box, this is the 3rd box I have received and I have been happy with every box so far.

Violet box have changed their packaging from a magnetic flip top box to a pull out draw box which I love, you could totally get crafty and glue a few of these together to make a make up storage system, hmmm... watch this space!

Have a great weekend everyone.




Thursday 24 July 2014

Giving back

Happy Thursday everyone!

You may have noticed I took a little break from blogging for a few weeks as our little family was super busy during school holidays, now that the little ones are back to school and pre-school and things are back to normal (well as normal as they can be!) the blog is up and running again and I have some exciting projects on the horizon that I can't wait to get started on.

First on the agenda is a fundraising project for our local Preschool and it's a biggie. Each year we hold a fundraising Golf Tournament which includes a silent auction.

Over the past 3 years we have been fundraising to build an extension to our current building which will allow us to care for more children in our growing community, thanks to the generosity of our many supporters we now only have $20,000 to raise out of the $60,000 needed to complete this project! With continued fundraising we hope to make this dream a reality in 2016! This is the fourth year we have run our annual Golf Tournament which is our biggest fundraiser for the year, last year we raised over $7000 and we would love to reach our target of $8000+ this year.

So now begins the mammoth task of sourcing items for the silent auction, prizes for the winners and also items for our goody bags that are given out to each player.   Each year I send out thousands of emails to New Zealand companies asking for donations, last year the support was overwhelming and the generosity we received was really humbling.  This year I am planning on sharing this experience with you and showcasing all the wonderful brands that have supported us year after year.

I truly believe that giving back by volunteering or donating is such an important part of life and I personally gain so much happiness from it.  It is so rewarding and I strongly encourage everyone to get amongst it and find something you can do to help those who really need it, be it a charity, a school, your neighbour or a complete stranger.

If you are interested in supporting this fundraising project by donating products that can be used for prizes or to auction off for the silent auction please contact me via email:  thewhiteroomnz@gmail.com