I opted for another last minute order for LoveLula’s monthly beauty box, and this month has a general selection of beauty products suitable for all ages and skin types. LoveLula is a company that specializes in organic and vegan beauty products, and offer a monthly surprise beauty box for £12.50 that contains at least five items that are a mixture of full sized items, and travel or sample sized items. This month there were two travel sized items and three full sized items to try. In addition, there is 20% off all the featured brands for the month, with free shipping on orders over £10. Here are the contents of the May box, that all subscribers get (so there is no profile to fill out, and no surprises).
- John Masters Lavender and Rosemary Shampoo ~ 30 ml travel size
- John Masters Citrus and Neroli Detangler ~ 30 ml travel size
- PHB Ethical Beauty Gentle Moisturiser with Shea Butter & Apricot ~ Full size 50 ml (£16.95)
- Laidbare DIY! Two In One Cleanser & Toner ~ Full size 125 ml (£6.99)
- Ogario London Styling Mist for Natural Hold and Volume ~ Full size 60 ml (£16.00)
Rating and verdict
4.5/5
[yasr_overall_rating]
As you can see, the box was excellent value and also catered for just about everyone, with skincare, and haircare products as the previous couple of months featured body care products. LoveLula gets top marks for delivery, ease of ordering, and also the selection of items. Even though I don’t use styling mists or leave in conditioners, I realize that they are useful items for many people who do use hair styling aids, and are good products to sample or to use in an emergency.
I was looking forward to trying the John Masters shampoo as I had read good things about the brand, however it didn’t lather up well and I had to apply a couple of applications as I have long and thick hair. It did smell nice, but I didn’t feel my hair was as clean as it usually is. The handy refillable 30 ml container is very useful though in any case!
Next I tried the PHB Ethical Beauty Gentle Moisturiser with Shea Butter & Apricot, which was a generous full sized pot. Now, I had tried their hand cream from a previous box and wasn’t impressed, so I was willing to give the brand another chance. As much as I love shea butter, this moisturiser felt greasy and cheap on my skin. Now I know it’s fragrance free and is ethically produced and is suitable for vegans, but for me a product needs to work effectively too. In testing the product I tried it on my cheek with serum and on the other after a softening lotion. Eventually the product absorbed into the skin after two to three hours, and I have normal to combination skin. To be honest the oily film for the first hour was uncomfortable, and so for those with oily skin they may not like the feel of this product.
The final product I tried was the Laidbare DIY! Two In One Cleanser & Toner, which was full sized, and priced at £6.95 is affordable as a regular cleanser. First of all ignore the toner part of the description, because it doesn’t tone. A decade or so ago in an attempt to get people to buy 2 in 1 products some items were marketed as cleaners and toners, and a cleanser can never tone the skin in the traditional sense of rebalancing the pH of the skin. This is a foaming cleanser that is suitable for all skin types, and contains no sulfates, but still lathers up quickly. A great product to use morning and night, and also smells refreshing with extracts of apple and brazil nuts.
Overall, the box was excellent value for £12.50, with speedy delivery. You can’t buy the May box as you have to order boxes by the last day of the preceding month, but you can get if free with orders over £60 until 25 May or while stocks last. Otherwise if you want to subscribe, order by 31 May for the June box here.
