Treat yo self: Lust Have It Beauty Box

Lust Have It Beauty Box

I love getting mail, especially packages. It's a psychological thing -- the wondering, who's it from, what's it for and is it for me?

I hope it is!

Bet your bottom dollar you can relive that excitement month after month by signing up for a beauty box subscription. Thing is, you need to sift through the sand and find what works for you, because one size doesn't fit all. Case in point: a few Christmases ago Scott signed me up for GlossyBox, but they've since gone the way of the dinosaur and opted to jump ship for the States, pfft. All hope was not lost as Lust Have It stepped in and grabbed the baton from GlossyBox.

Then tragedy struck (insert dramatisation here), my nifty boxes were traded down for shiny rayon bags filled with "goodies" one might pinch from say, the inside of a magazine at their local doctor's office. Wrestle with this for a moment and while you're at it, try to pull that glue from your palms you ol' sticky fingers ;)

To say I was disappointed was an understatement. Subscription services have a a way of putting their best foot forward by enticing the consumer -- "we'll give you everything, promise!" Or, "hey look, we do business with all these brands!" Do you really? Really?

After a couple of months of receiving my Lust Have It subscription, I asked Scott to cancel it. And I never looked back.

Ironically, Lust Have It were kind enough to send me a Lust Have It Beauty Box for the month of June to trial. It's been over a year, so I figured why not?

Lust Have It have since traded in their chintzy bags for sturdy cardboard boxes, off to a good start. And the contents? A major improvement. While I've only heard of a couple of the brands, namely Nude by Nature and TIGI Bed Head -- I managed to not get offended by this month's offering. I just might tuck that tube of Seacret Body Lotion in my gym bag.

Orange scented lip gloss

Nude by Nature Papaw Ointment

TIGI Bed Head

Paula's Choice

So what do you think? If you like what you see, Lust Have It is giving Bagful readers an opportunity to sign up for their beauty box on the cheap(er). Simply click the banner below in order to subscribe and don't forget to enter BAGFUL when you checkout :)

affiliate-blogger-banners_05B_BAGFUL

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Lust Have It:

• $19.95 AUS per month

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

•  7 out of 10 bags – There's still room for improvement, but I'm coming around the bend.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• With over 100 brands to experience, Lust Have It could happen on the regular.

*PR sample provided –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own. This post also includes an affiliate link.

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NARS Cruising: Cruisin' is made for love..

NARS Cruising

I could just pinch myself for finding NARS Cruising, it's a total stumble upon and perhaps fulfilled my need for impeccable nude lips on the cheap(er).

Swatch of Cruising

Cruising comes from my favourite lipstick range within the NARS world of colour -- think Autumn Leaves, Flamenco or Damage. NARS sheer lipstick delivers colour and moisturises* at the very same time. So, why Cruising? This nude pink lippie simply whispered my name and the rest was history :)

Comparison swatches working from left to right: NARS Cruising, Armani's Brown 202 and YSL's

If you're after something that's easier on the wallet, Maybelline's Born With It is a slightly pinker version of Cruising; I'm just not a fan of the larger than life shimmer particles. If you can get past that, then you're in like Flint!

Wearing Cruising

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for NARS Cruising:

• $26.00 USD / $38.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

•  7 out of 10 bags – while I do love the colour, Cruising isn't as nearly as moisturising as I would like it to be.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Schiap or Funny Face could be coming home with me ;)

Beauty recycle: dusting off a few old and new favourites

On the regular

On a typical day you'll catch me wearing a basic makeup look which I'm able to complete in less than five minutes.

On Saturday night I upped the ante by experimenting with a slightly smoky purple eye.

Recycle, reduce, reuse.

Shop my stash..

• NARS' Eyeliner Stylo in Koala
• YSL's Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara
• Giorgio Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524
• Burberry's Trench
• Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill in shade 3
• Estee Lauder's Pure Color in Electric Orchid

To get the look above, pick a deep purple, a slightly brighter and lighter purple and a neutral colour to be used all over. Also make sure you grab your favourite liner, mascara and lippie.

• Start by applying a neutral eyeshadow from your lash line and stop at your brow bone. Burberry's Trench, MAC's Shroom or Maybelline's Silken Taupe are your best bets.
• Next grab an angled eyeshadow brush and focus on applying the deepest shade of purple at the outer corners of your eyes. Sweep and blend any excess colour along your crease and stop about half way in.
• Then grab a stubby eyeshadow brush (MAC's 239 is quite simply the best) and pat the lighter shade of purple on the centre of your lid. Repeat the sweeping and blending method in your crease and stop just shy of the inner corners of your eyes. Want more colour? Line your lower lids too.
• To illuminate the inner corners of your eyes, blend in a small amount of your base shade.
• To finish line your upper lash line, paint those lashes and dab on a neutral gloss :)

The final look

When was the last time you shopped your own makeup stash?

A glimpse at the lips: Giorgio Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524

Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524

A gloss it is, but amped up -- even after the lip slick dies down after an hour or so, you're still left with a sheen without the tackiness. Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524 is a muted, translucent pink with purple and grey undertones. The inspiration behind Flash Lacquer stems from stained glass; personally, Flash Lacquer conjures up thoughts of ice -- a smooth sheet that won't allow you to fall through.

Pink 524

Wearing Pink 524

The doe foot applicator is generous with its application as it flexes around the curves of my lips; it also lays down enough product during the first pass. The few times I've worn Flash Lacquer I've noticed total wear time hovers somewhere between three and four hours -- not the best, but not the worst either.

Pink 524 would probably be the most universally flattering shade from this particular Armani lip range, because it is a near dupe of the colour of my lips and yours too (potentially). A "my lips, but better" scenario.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Giorgio Armani's Flash Lacquer in Pink 524:

• $29.00 USD / $49.00 AUS

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

•  7 out of 10 bags – wish it stuck around (literally) for a little while longer.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• The Bronze All-Over palette sure is pretty.