So, here is the February LustHaveIt box:
It contains:
Lancome Juicy Tubes {colour not specified}, half-size sample.
Lancome is a luxury brand, and Juicy Tubes are an iconic product, so this is is the kind of thing you'd want from your beauty box! However, I think they're overpriced, and the company will not confirm its animal testing status, so I've already decided not to purchase anything from this brand. This half-size sample is worth $23.
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here] : the Juicy Tubes get a smily face (very good) rating.
Conscience time: Lancome is owned by L'Oreal, a French brand. It does not divulge its animal testing status.
Davroe Tame Lemongrass Detangler Spray, 50ml sample bottle.
I do love hair products! I haven't tried a de-tangler before, so it should be interesting. I don't really have a problem with tangled hair, but it does get very frizzy, so it might help with that. I'm a bit confused though, because the bottle mentions lemongrass, jasmine, passionflower and ylang ylang, and it doesn't smell like any of these at all! However, it's always good to try an independent Australian product.
Conscience time: Davroe is Australian made and owned. It does not test on animals.
21-MAR-12 edit: This stuff really works! I've been using it regularly.
Sasy n Savy Rose Lavender Hand n Nail Repair Creme, 5ml sample tube.
A 5ml sample ... not much! And from an unknown brand ... not very generous. (An unknown brand with such a dorky name, too. What the?)
But! It's not too greasy and it smells divine. A good product shines through every time. I'd consider buying this if I wanted to splash out.
Conscience time: Sasy n Savy is Australian made and owned. It is not tested on animals.
Lush Sugar Scrub, full-size.
In the past I had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Lush. But about a year ago, when I decided to be a bit more savvy about my beauty products and delved a bit deeper, I became unhappy with the ingredients they use. They choose to use problematic ingredients. There's no need for sodium laureth sulfate. There's no need for parabens. There's no need for so many colours and fragrances. They make a lot of claims about being natural and chemical-free which are, in my opinion, quite iffy. Anyway, back to what's in the box:
I've used this product before and I found it too scratchy on my skin. At the time I'd thought that, if I ever bought it again, I'd grind it up and mix it with some olive oil before I used it. So yeah, I'll use it. This is the only full-sized product in the box.
Conscience time: Lush is a U.K. company. It is not tested on animals.
Lac Taut Collagen Infusion Mask, 1pc sample (usually 5pc).
I was excited to see this, despite myself. I'm completely obsessed with Asian beauty products at the moment, and it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. It's very difficult to find out much about them - whether they test on animals or even a complete ingredient list. But I just can't help myself! I can't wait to try out this mask. I've been wanting to try out cloth face masks since I first heard about them. The only issue is - it's such a luxury product that I feel like I need a 'special occasion' to use it!
Conscience time: Taut is owned by AMS Life Science, a Japanese company. I couldn't find any information about its animal testing status.
Summary: I was terribly excited when I first opened this box. It has it all! - independent brands, Australian brands, Asian brands, hair, skin, yay! Only one of the products is full-sized, but still the value is good and the excitement factor is there. My only gripe (and it's really a small one) is that the box could have reflected the Valentine's day theme a bit better. Just some pink tissue paper would have done the trick, or a paper flower. Overall though, I'm very happy with the box.
Total Value: $67.90. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $52.95
Rating: 8/10
