carmine february 2012

My February Carmine box came today so of course here is the excitable blog post. Carmine, in my opinion always do a great job of being steady and dependable and this months box is no exception. I often think people have unrealistic expectations of sampling services, probably because they are always hyped up and they come in such beautiful boxes its easy to expect the world and forget that you signed up for surprise samples. I've never been disappointed by the contents of a Carmine box, which speaks volumes!

Here is what's in the box this month:

Andrea Fullerton Nail Varnish

The first full size product this month looks lovely. I love rich, creamy colours so this is right up my street and it's a brand I have been meaning to try for months. I got the shade Julia, which is a lovely pinky nude colour, just the kind of thing I like to wear on my nails for a neutral polished look and perfect for professional settings and a clean springtime put together look. Thumbs up.

Balance Me Body Wash

Another full size product. I got the 'super moisturising' version of this, and am looking forward to using it after trying and loving the face oil by this brand I got in a previous box. A lot of people groan at shower gels and moisturisers in beauty boxes but I live for skincare and personally never buy more 'special' shower gels for myself so these make me happy either full size for a treat at home or in travel size for when I'm jetting about.

Yardley London Peony Fragrance

Like body washes, people seem to hate fragrance samples, myself included, mainly because I think scent is so polarising and to take up a whole product's space in a box with something only certain people will enjoy is a big gamble. I do love however, getting fragrance samples as a bonus, like Carmine do. This is a nice little extra and if you like it, great, if not you can pass it on and not feel cheated out of a product. I think this is the best way to do it, so well done Carmine! This is a very clean smell that I personally like, but again, fragrance is so personal!

SteamCream

Yet ANOTHER full size product, really being spoiled this month. I have heard so much hype about Steam Cream and being a skincare junkie I'm a bit embarrassed that I hadn't tried it earlier to be honest. They come out with tonnes of different tin designs but the product inside always stays the same, a lightweight moisturiser that you can use head to toe. Looking forward to trying this and absolutely love the tin I got, a galaxy print, my favourite.

Diego Dalla Palma Lipstick

Again, this a product I have read several reviews on and wanted to try, I've heard a lot about these Italian lipsticks and this sample is so cute, a tiny miniature lipstick. I got the shade 47 which is coral - one of my favourite colours and something perfect for this time of year. Looking forward to trying this formulation, lipstick is a major love of mine!

White Glo Whitening Toothpaste

I personally like the idea of including something like this in the box. I've never seen a beauty box with a tooth whitening product in it yet, so this is something different. Anything promising me a brighter, whiter smile is good in my book so I'll look forward to testing this.

Overall, a fabulous box. I have nothing bad to say about this, the perfume is an added bonus, there are three full size products in there and a good mixture of skincare, makeup and nail polish. Thumbs up. I was mourning the loss of the Feel Unique box since they decided to cancel it, but I'd definitely say Carmine is just as steady and I've never seen a bad box, so might be one to consider for all the Feel Unique lovers.

Posted in: beauty