May and June 2013 Lust Have It Review.

Hello lovelies,

I received my June Lust Have It box on Monday, and I wanted to share with you my thoughts on what I received. Before I talk about the June box, though, I'm going to quickly summarise my thoughts on the May 2013 box. I didn't review it as I received it just as I fell sick, and what with all the dramas I've been having lately, I just didn't have time to review it before the June box landed on my doorstep.

In the May box I received:

Nicole by OPI textured polish in Aquamarine (full sized)

Nude by Nature Papaw ointment (full sized)

The Natural Source Camoflage Colour lipgloss in Wild Orange (full sized)

Seacret Body Lotion in Ocean Mist (full sized)

Paula’s Choice Resist Wrinkle Repair Retinol serum (deluxe sample)

Eleven Miracle Treatment (deluxe sample)

That's four full sized items, and two deluxe samples. I was pretty happy with the box as I love polish, happy to try out the gloss (which I was glad to see is an interesting shade), and always wanted to try the NBN papaw ointment. I've heard good things about the serum, and I love hair treatments so was happy to receive the Eleven sample (which, by the way, I absolutely loved). I think most people were pretty excited with the May box (although I'm not sure if it's because of the fact that there were 4 full sized items in there, or if it was for the actual items included in the box).

May 2013 Lust Have It Box.

Now, let's move on to discussing the items in the June box.

As per norm, it arrived in a pretty paisley box (does anyone else find the boxes keep falling apart? I think the manufacturers need to use better glue).

June 2013 Lust Have It Box

I opened it to find an easily identifiable card, and surmised it would be Great Gatsby themed.

June 2013 Lust Have It Box

In my box, I received:

Batiste dry shampoo in Cherry (deluxe sample)

Pure Fiji Hydrating body lotion sample bottle (deluxe sample - the card says Ocean Mist but I received Coconut)

Real purity regal red lipstick (deluxe sample)

Savi Organic Soothing Cream (deluxe sample)

Klara Waterproof eyeliner (full sized)

OPI Pure Lacquer Nail Apps (full sized)

There was also a disposable lip brush from Crown Brush.

June 2013 Lust Have It Box

Click for pricing.

L-R: OPI nail apps, Batiste Cherry dry shampoo, Savi organic soothing
cream, Klara black eyeliner, Real Purity lipstick sample and
Pure Fiji coconut body lotion.

What did I think of this month's box items?

I've been curious about the OPI nail apps, so I'm happy to give them a try to see if they are any different from the ones other brands offer. I've been hunting down that Batiste cherry dry shampoo for what seems like forever (to no luck, can't seem to find it on sale anywhere!), so I was really happy to see it in the box. I can't live without dry shampoo, and Batiste is my favourite dry shampoo brand, so this comes in handy. I also like the look of the lipstick pot, which appears to be more balm-like than lipstick in texture (I'd have preferred a mini lipstick but the streamline pot is perfect for slipping into your purse for a night out). Black eyeliner is the shade I wear the most often, so while it may not be particularly exciting, it's certainly practical and I welcome the chance to try a new brand out that I'd never heard of before.

Frankly, not super excited about the Pure Fiji coconut sample, I've received this in a previous box and only just got around to using it up, but I can live with that. The Savi cream is interesting, it's an organic, medicated cream, and apparently it's meant to be used on problem areas (think Eczema, Psoriasis, Tinea, lesions, etc), so I presume you can use it on your face and body. The inclusion of the Crown disposable lip brush is a bit odd; a retractable brush might have been a better option but I can see how it goes with the lippy pot quite well.

VERDICT? I actually really liked this box. Two full sized items, plus two samples that I'm very keen to try make it excellent value in my book. This box, however, seems to have incurred quite a bit of wrath among LHI subscribers, with some comments that it fails to live up to the standard of the May box, and other comments on the low 'value' of this box.

My line of thinking is as follows: I am signed up to a beauty box subscription for the purpose of trying new things every month. Personally speaking, if I'm interested to try one or two of the items in the box, it fulfils the reason I'm subscribed in the first place. I would also rather receive deluxe samples that I'm happy to try, rather than full-sized ones I'm not interested in. There is also an enjoyable air of suspense when your mystery box arrives each month, not to mention the glee when you find a product inside that you're excited to try.

I can understand how some subscribers feel a bit let down with the June box after the May box, but I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect so many full sized items in each box. I know that paying up $20 a month for a box can really add up, but when you take into account the cost of shipping and the cost of cosmetics in Australia, $20 does not stretch very far in terms of products purchased, so it's not quite reasonable to assess the value of a box in terms of how many full-sized items are in it. 'Value' can be considered in two ways, the retail worth of the product, versus the actual benefit you are to gain from it (benefits from actually using the product against giving it away or letting it collect dust in storage).

If, on the other hand, you have been subscribed for long enough that the samples are piling up faster than you can use them, and/or you are no longer excited at the thought of trying new things, then by all means drop your subscription, and save the money towards something you really want instead (we've all been in that position, *cough*Bellabox*cough*). It can be a loaded dice, particularly with different boxes containing different things (box envy can be a terrible feeling to have), but you must also consider that the items in each box may not always suit your preference; that does not, however, mean that the next box won't be more to your liking. One (wo)man's meat is another (wo)man's poison, and all that.

I hope I haven't put you all to sleep with the last couple of paragraphs. Bottom line, if you have lost interest in your subscription, it's easy enough to drop it and move on with your life. Life's too short to get all wound up over a sample box subscription. :)

What did you think of this month's box? If you're keen to subscribe, you can get $5 off your subscription (yes, that's ANY subscription, including the Men's box and the Eco box) by entering the code MAIDEN. If you're subscribed, let me know what you got, I'd love to hear it. :)

Much love,

MM.

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