Bellabox January: Lots of Skincare and Haircare Goodies!

After my last Bellabox review for the December box, where I mentioned that the box was slightly disappointing to me, it looks like Bellabox has rebounded for January! It is full of samples, and a few cute little freebies to boot!

Bellabox January: Look ma, so much stuff!

This January's Bellabox has a mix of better-known drugstore brands (like Biore), as well as some niche brands (like Medavita), and some popular-overseas-but-not-so-much-here things (like Mane 'n Tail). And while the products in the box are mostly skincare and haircare, I didn't feel like it was overly repetitive. Apparently some other boxes got fragrance samples too, but mine had no fragrance at all. Some boxes also had Inglot makeup samples (I'm so jealous!), so I guess I got the box for the skincare junkies!


Bellabox January: My box was primarily focused on skincare and haircare
Without further ado, let's move on to see what's in the box!

Bellabox December: Skincare and Haircare From Lesser-Known Niche Brands

So my Bellabox December review is totally going up after Christmas rather than before, but man, the holidays have seem to fly by so fast! Oh well, better late than never! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and are all ready for the new year!

Bellabox December: Skincare and Haircare from a range of lesser-known niche brands

Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering how December's Bellabox was, well here we are! It's mostly skincare and haircare from lesser-known brands this time, so if you're into these types of products, then that's great. Perhaps I've been living under a rock or something, but only two of these brands are brands I've actually heard of before, and I've actually only reviewed products from one of them! So this month's box is really all about exploring new, niche brands for me.


Bellabox December: If you're into finding out and trying new brands for yourself, the range of brands here might just pique your interest
Well, without further ado, let's get this review started!

Bellabox November: Sleek Makeup, Nuxe, Coastal Scents, and More

It's been awhile since I reviewed a beauty box, so it was with some interest that I rediscovered the beauty box! I've almost forgotten what it was like to receive these little cute boxes with tiny samples and miniature products to discover. This month's box had mostly skincare, but fortunately also had a good mix of popular and niche brands, with some fairly well known names like Sleek Makeup and Coastal Scents, as well as some niche brands like Skeyndor and Intercosmo.

Bellabox November: Features some well-known brands like Sleek, Nuxe, and Coastal Scents

Like most beauty boxes, Bellabox has a theme for every month, and this month's theme is Insta-Glam, although that has more to do with the contest that Bellabox is running with this one. Simply put, you snap a photo of your favourite product in this month's box, and upload it to instagram (with the hashtag #bellaboxasia) and you stand to win a bunch of prizes. So that'


Bellabox November: What's inside my box this month!
Anyway, chances of winning prizes aside, you're probably wondering what's in the boxes? Well, let's start now!

Singapore Giveaway: 4 Winners Will WIn the StyleXStyle The Little Black Box!

Yes, it's a giveaway! Four winners can each win a StyleXStyle Little Black Beauty Box for themselves! If you've read my review of the StyleXStyle Little Black Beauty Box, then you'll know that this month's beauty box is a pretty good one - with high end brands from SK-II, Sulwhasoo, Shiseido, and Kiehl's! So you'll enjoy this box!

StyleXStyle Little Black Beauty Box August: Yes, you can win this!

This giveaway will run for a shorter period of time than my usual giveaways, because this is the August box, and I don't want anyone to get their box too late! So fill out the giveaway widget below with your entries, and good luck - although with 4 winners, your chances of winning have just been quadrupled!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

(Giveaway prizes provided by company. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

StyleXStyle Little Black Beauty Box August Jetsetter Edition Review

StyleXStyle (pronounced "Style by Style") has a beauty box that you can purchase every month called The Little Black Beauty Box, and this August, the theme is Jetsetter! These are supposed to contain sample products that are good travel buddies, beauty-wise, and comprise mostly skincare, from sunscreens to moisturizers, as well as other miscellaneous products, like perfume.

StyleXStyle Little Black Beauty Box August: Jetsetter-friendly products!

Let's take a look at what this month's Little Black Beauty Box has in store! Look at all those cute little miniature goodies!


StyleXStyle Little Black Beauty Box: As you might guess, it's black!

Vanity Trove September: Just What My Skin Needed (in Full Size, too!)

I'm sure you know by now that you can choose your own samples for Vanity Trove. So let me cut to the chase and show you what I picked this month! There was this awesome serum that I just had to have! As always, I tend to choose my Vanity Trove items during my lunch on Mondays (because that's when they restock), for best results. Don't say I never share my tips with you! ;P

Vanity Trove for September

Vanity Trove August: A Bounty of Beauty Goodies

My most recent Vanity Trove is a really good one - I got everything I ordered in this Trove, and that includes some really great stuff! If you guys don't know yet, Vanity Trove lets you pick your own samples, and samples are refreshed weekly. Here's a little tip - the website is re-stocked every Monday, so if you check in early on a Monday, you are more likely to find a greater variety of goods :) Now you know! I happened to order on Monday lunchtime, and I was lucky to get a bunch of goodies.

Bellabox August Review: National Day Box

Bellabox's August box has arrived, together with the National Day holidays. Of course, the box itself is themed for the occasion as well, and the tiny box itself is packed with beauty goodies!

August's Bellabox: makeup, skincare, handc cream, and tea. Yes, tea.

The first thing I noticed about the box was the very pretty Peranakan-inspired packaging. It is such a nice touch. Although, we're not just looking at the exterior of the box - we really also want the interior to have goodies, don't we? :)


The box is so pretty! Love the Peranakan-inspired print!
Inside is a good mix of products - there's makeup, skincare, hand cream, and tea! That's right, there's tea, too.

Vanity Trove August: Officially the Most Popular Beauty Box in Singapore

Vanity Trove now allows you to choose your own samples. The idea is that you fill out your beauty profile, they offer you a range of samples to suit your profile, and you pick the ones you want. If you get lucky with your timing there will be some fill-sized products, too. I've found this eliminates a lot of the damn-I-got-another-shampoo-but-I'm-not-into-haircare syndrome that most beauty boxes end up producing, but of course, the system is not perfect. Still, it's probably the best system available right now.

Vanity Trove now allows you to select your own samples! These are my August samples.

Case in point is this month's Vanity Trove. I selected four (yes, four, woohoo!)! full-sized products that were the bulk of my Trove: the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes, a Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm, a D'Glamouric M'ASQUE, and a Bifesta Make-Up Remover. The rest were sample-sized products.

August's Vanity Trove: I actually have full-sized samples! Yay!

I think less than three days later, I got my Trove. Man, they really do deliver fast! And then I realized there was a shampoo sample peeking out at me. I paused. Did I get the wrong Trove? I'm pretty sure I didn't pick a shampoo sample.

Vanity Trove July: The Best Beauty Box Yet!

Ever since Vanity Trove revamped their business model to allow customers to pick samples, I've been a lot more psyched about receiving a Trove every month. This is because firstly, I know what I'm receiving, and I get to pick it (so no strange items I wouldn't use - yay!) and secondly, they now include full-sized items too, which you can pick and add to your Trove, depending on the selection they have. Best part is, the price is still the same.

Vanity Trove July: Seriously the best beauty box yet!

As a demonstration let me show you my latest Vanity Trove. Yes, Vanity Trove has also revamped their packaging - I really like this more than the hot-pink-and-white design previously. And because I was awesome and had fast fingers, I managed to pick some full-sized products. In fact, the majority of my products are full-sized this month. For $25, this is pretty worth it!

Vanity Trove April: Elizabeth Arden and Dr Ci:Labo

My monthly Vanity Trove has arrived, and although I'm a little late to the party, better late than never, right? Let's jump right into it - this month's trove is rather uncomplicated, and really only has two brands - Elizabeth Arden, and Dr Ci Labo. Of course, this can either be a good or bad thing depending on your preferences, so let's take a look, shall we?

Vanity Trove March: Focus on the Body

March's Vanity Trove has landed, and it's definitely a little different from your typical beauty box. Not to say that it isn't great, but rather, the emphasis this time is more on healthcare than on beauty - perfect after all the Chinese New Year gluttony. Let's take a quick run-through!



Let's look at the makeup items first. Not too much colour here, more of base products. You get a Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Creme Compact sample in Nude (with sponge, which is a nice touch), and also a Zao Essence of Nature Powder Compact in 302 Beige Orange. I think both are great shades that match with my skin, so that's a plus! Although I know a lot of bloggers were raving about the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Creme Compact sample, for me it was the Zao Essence of Nature Powder Compact that really wowed me. You get a full-sized product (you just need to find your own case). The ingredients list looked pretty good for a compact powder - the main ingredients are mica, zea mays (corn) starch, zinc stearate, squalane, silica, which are not clogging an are usually good ingredients in a powder. For those that like their products natural, there are some plant-derived ingredients too, the main ones being europaea (olive) leaf extract, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed extract, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, and macadamia ternifolia seed oil.


Next, the skincare and perfume stuff. The perfume is a carded sample of Paul Smith's Optimism. The skincare is all from Asian brands - there's a My Beauty Diary Southern France Apricot Mask, and a Skin Food Goldkiwi Gift Set, comprising of sample sizes of the Goldkiwi Toner and Goldkiwi Emulsion.


Now, the edible body care. I guess the Vanity Trove team somehow knew I'd spend Chinese New Year stuffing my face with all the seasonal goodies (my favourites are the bakkwa and pineapple tarts, but I'm also really partial to the round crumbly peanut and almond powder cookies), because they put in not one, but two types of slimming tea. LOL! We have an three sachets of FruityLite weighted from an Asian brand, Huiji, and a couple of tea bags from a Western brand, Kilo Off. I guess this comes in useful after all my seasonal binging, although I've never been a believer in such slimming foods - my personal belief is that nothing beats exercise and healthy eating. (The hard part, of course, is practicing what I preach. Hah.)


Of course, Vanity Troves now come with a Vanity Mag - there's an article with inputs and quotes from a few bloggers, so do take a look! I always love reading the views of other bloggers.


So that's March's Vanity Trove for you! If you want to try out a variety of healthcare products, this is a good time to get your Vanity Trove.

Vanity Trove February (And How You Can Get a Free Gift for March!)

So I'm a little slow on this due to Chinese New Year's celebrations, but Feburary's Vanity Trove is here! Let's get to the reveal - and then on to how to get a little free something with your March Trove!

Like most beauty boxes, Vanity Trove has sample-sized and mini products. The theme for this month is Valentine's, of course! Hence the appearance of a carded sample of Pure DKNY Rose. A rose perfume for February - so romantic, right? I also got samples of Skin 79 BB Cream, Origins Plantscription Anti Aging Serum, and Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution. All established brands that don't come cheap (except the Skin79, which isn't as pricey).


One of the other things I like about Vanity Trove is their inclusion of niche brands that you don't always hear of. In February's Trove, I got samples of Yuan Soap, Iderm Placenta Serum, and Phytomer Souffle Marin. I've never heard of any of these brands before, and a placenta serum? OMG. To be honest, I'm a little freaked out by this, but it looks/smells just like any other serum, so I guess actually using it won't be so bad, haha. And, this is only marginally weirder than the snail secretion-infused skincare I previously came across.


And a full-sizes item! I got a Lovemore Facial Mask as well. I've noticed that Vanity Trove seems to be really good at including face masks (particularly sheet masks) in their Troves. It's a good thing if you like face masks!


Lastly, this month's Trove also has a Vanity Mag, which has a small contributed article from yours truly! It's the first non-blog article I've ever written, so if it's not that great, bear with me - the next one will be better :) The idea behind the article was that I would highlight past Trove items that could come in helpful for Valentine's!


Aand, if you haven't heard yet, you can use code "musicalhouses" when you purchase your March Vanity Trove, and get a free My Beauty Diary face mask with Your March Vanity Trove!


Code is valid til 14/3/2013, so don't forget to use it!

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. There is a sign-up link in the post, but I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Use Code musicalhouses for a Free Face Mask with Your March VanityTrove!

Heads-up, guys! I know everyone loves free stuff, so I'm sharing this deal with you. Simply use code "musicalhouses" when you purchase your March Vanity Trove, and get a free My Beauty Diary face mask with Your March Vanity Trove!

I am a horrible blogger and have not yet posted my reveal of the Feb Vanity Trove, nor have I tried out the mask yet (you can see a bigger photo of it below), so I thought I'd just give everyone who wants to know the code first!


Code is valid til 14/3/2013, so get cracking while you still can!

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Vanity Trove January 2013: Variety is the Spice of Life

Merry Christmas everyone, and hope you had a great and peaceful holiday season! Here's a look at January 2012's Vanity Trove! It's not a big Trove this time round, but there's a mix of all sorts of things - makeup, makeup remover, skincare, and food! Let's take a look.

First up, we have a full-sizes Essence Eye Shadow and a small sample of Albion Skin Conditioner. The Albion Skin Conditioner is quite small, so it's more of a "filler" item to me than anything else, but man, I'm so excited by the Essence eyeshadow! I didn't even know Essence had made it to Singapore! Now I know, and I also know that it's actually quite fairly priced here too! The eyeshadow was smooth and well-pigmented, and worth the price. In fact, I totally plan to make a trip down to buy myself more Essence products. Thanks Vanity Trove for the introduction!


Next, we have another product that gets lots of raves, the Bifesta Make-Up Remover. It's a micellar makeup remover, which has been quite popular lately (other brands I've written about are the Enavose FloraComfort Cleanser and the Bioderma Sensibio H2O). Although this is a sample, it's decently sized, and will give you quite a few uses. It also comes with their Japanese cotton pads, so that's a nice touch too. It is really great for those who want a makeup remover with the cleansing power of oil, but the feel of water.


The next thing - skincare products! This month I got a My Beauty Diary Mask, and a small sample pot of Yuskin Family Medical Cream. The mask is good for one-time application, and is not bad. The Yuskin Family Medical Cream is useful on body, hands and dry spots like elbows, but I find it less useful on the face.


Lastly, munchies! Here we have a TruLife Lingzhi Immunity Drink and a Slim Secrets Bar. The TruLife Lingzhi Immunity Drink is more of a general health product, and is suitable for the guys as well. The Slim Secrets Bar is meant to help as a weight loss aid by helping to provide a tasty outlet for your snack cravings.


There's also a small mini-magazine-cum-catalogue in there (accessible online here) that has writeups of the products as well as other tips and tricks.

Overall, this month's Vanity Trove lets you try out some highly-raved brands, and has a good mix of items. Most samples are also of a decent size, so that's great too. If you didn't like this Trove, there are others you can buy as well: a Superberry Trove, and a Mangoesteen Trove. For men, you can also get a Sasa Men Trove, a LAB SERIES Men Trove. Lastly, Vanity Trove is also having a giveaway: for people who subscribe to 3,6 or 12 months before 31 Dec, they stand a chance to win awesome goodies from Goldheart, Ujene and VanityTrove. So if you want to suscribe, better do soon to increase your chances of winning!

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company. A member's link appears )

Vanity Trove November: Skincare Focus

Oops I'm rather late on this (if you want to know why, here's your explanation). But I've been enjoying my November Vanity Trove, so I thought I'd blog about it nevetherless - and I hope December's one is good too.

First up, we have a Skin Inc Happy Hand Dew. This is a full-sized product, so that makes me happy. The Skin Inc Hand Dew sells for $29, so I guess if this is a product you've been eyeing, this box is a great deal.


Next, we also have other skincare samples - a ZA Amino Refreshing Gel, and other quite new releases. So yup, you do get some of the latest and greatest in this box too.


Lastly, a whole bunch of BB cream and other skincare samples. These are in tiny sachets, so they are not that interesting to me, but I guess they are useful for trying a few times before a buy decision.



Okay, that's it! I think for me, the attraction was the full-sized product. While I don't expect it by any means, I love it when I get full-sized stuff in my beauty boxes, it makes me feel like the box was worth its monetary value :)

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

BellaBox October: Happy Birthday to Bella Box!

Happy Birthday Bellabox! October is the anniversary of Bellabox, and so I was holding my breath for this month's Bellabox - after all, a birthday beauty box should be a good one right? Well, let's get to it without further ado, and find out!

This month's Bellabox is perhaps smaller than what I'm used to (for the price, you seriously get some quite awesome products and samples with Bellabox), but given the price, I still think it's not too bad. I got a lot of Nuxe Skincare samples, so let's start with those:


I got sample sizes of the Nuxe Body 24hr Moisturizing Body Lotion, Nuxe Reve de Miela Face and Body Ultra-Rich Cleansing Gel, and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse® Multi-Usage Dry Oil. Not too bad, right? THese are not packet samples (thank goodness), so although they are small tubes they are decent. I'm interested to see how the Dry Oil will work out, as I've never ever thought I'd need such a product (it is really hot, humid, and wet out here!), but I'd love to see what it can do.

Now, for the non-Nuxe stuff:


I got a sample of Bioderma Sensibio H2O, a micellar cleanser (these seem to be the all the rage recently), which really isn't too bad - I actually quite like it when I tried it. I also got a sample of Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noire, a very floral fragrance that is quite girly. For a Guerlain perfume (we're talking the makers of Jicky, Chamade, Shalimar and Samsara here), it's very sweet, and young-smelling, and a tad less of a classic compared to some of its forebears. It's still nice, though, and in my opinion Guerlain tends to be one of the better mainstream department store perfume brands. Man, I could go on about perfume and perfume notes all day. But you guys probably don't want to know about my perfume obsession that lasted for a few years until I found my signature scent. So let's move on.

Lastly, I also got the cute little Bellabox compact mirror. I like it - it's more useful than the previous Bellabox gift (a pen), and definitely something I could use while travelling or on the move.

So this month's Bellabox to me? Not its greatest, but it's not too shabby either. For the price, you could get worse.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Vanity Trove October: The Latest and Greatest

Vanity Trove has been advertising it's October Trove as a big and bold one, and here it finally is! Although for some reason I had the impression that it would contain more makeup than skincare items, you actually get both.

First, let's look at the makeup. Some people got a lipstick, I got this Bourjois Queen Atitude Kajal Kohl. It's a full-sized product, so I'm happy about getting this! It's also a new launch by Bourjois for October, so you really are getting a hot new product in this month's Trove.


The next item is also a standout - you get a full-sized tube of Audrey Christian Venetrim. This is a cream for those who suffer from tired, sore legs or who have vein concerns. I guess this one really targets ladies who've had to walk a little farther in life than I have, since vein issues aren't my concern right now. (I'm still battling my teenage pimples well into my twenties, for crying out loud - life is so unfair!) I've never heard of the brand up to this point, so this is a great "try me" introduction to the brand.


I also got a set of VMV Hypoallergenics Hydra Balance Cleanser & Moisturizer for Combination Skin Type. Also another new brand to me, but this brand is looking good. The tubes are travel-sized but not too small, so I'm happy.


Lastly, we have smaller samples and other things. I got tiny trial sizes of DHC Olive Skincare samples, which is a sachet of olive and a small bar of soap, as well as an Bamboo Essence of Nature Sap Patch, which is a weight-loss product. Weight loss products aren't really of interest to me, not because I don't think I need to lose weight (trust me, one of my life goals is to get back to my weight UN my University days), but because I'm a firm believer in losing weight by exercise and healthy eating (or in my case, healthier eating, but whatever, any improvement is a good thing right?). But no harm done with these products either, really.


So there you have it - this month's upcoming Vanity Trove! Looking around at other blogs, the product mix is similar. You get two full-sized products in this Trove, so if the mix of products interests you, this is worth checking out.

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)

Bellabox Event: I Made My Own BellaBox!

Edited to Add: Originally when I made the post below, I thought this was going to be the upcoming October Bellabox. Turns out it's not, and the October Bellabox is still a surprise. Nevertheless, I think it'll be great!

This month's Bellabox is going to be great, and all for a number of reasons - it's value for money (meaning you're not just going to get a bunch of teeny samples in packets), it's got some big brand names, and it's got a good mix of items! I was at the Bellabox blogger's event earlier last week, and I got a sneek peek at the upcoming box.

I know it looks a little puny like this, but that's because the box given to us at the event didn't have the usual packaging material (makes sense, right, since it wasn't being mailed over).

First up, I got a full-sized Savoir Faire Lipstick in Miss You, along with a small OPI mini (I'm not sure what colour this is - light sheer-looking pink with no shimmer whatsoever - anyone want to suggest a name?). I love this. I love makeup and nail polish, so I'm happy.


But what really impressed me was the addition of the Savoir Faire Lipstick. These things are S$64 a pop, so I guess if you get a colour you like, this box will be more than worth it for you! Miss You, the colour the bloggers got, is a light peachy pink with shimmer. I imagine it would be a great nude lip look on fair-to-medium skins. And man, look at the packaging! Sleek and very luxe-feeling.


Also, haircare. I also got an Aveda sample of some of their new ranges, the Invati, which is meant to help thinning hair. This isn't a large-sized sample - it's probably good for one or two uses. Not sure how helpful that is because I imagine you'd need to try shampoo/haircare for at least a week or two to determine how effective it is, right? So it's the least favourite of my samples, but I guess I can't complain, after the Savoir Faire lipstick.


Lastly, skincare. I got some Caudalie skincare samples, also from their latest Vinosource range. I got a Caudalie Vinosource serum and hydrating cream. I also got Lemongrass House Liquid Hand Soap. Lemongrass House has very aromatic products, so if you're into nice-smelling stuff (e.g. if you're a Lush fan), you should check out their stuff.


All in all, this box is really mostly samples, offset by the inclusion of the seriously awesome Savoir Faire lipstick. My verdict? If you want the lipstick, this is going to be a stellar buy. Else, it might not be your cup of tea (but seriously, getting a $64 lipstick for $20? Who wouldn't want that?).

(Product was sent for review. Review is my complete and honest opinion. I am not affiliated with/compensated by the company.)