Attention: Lucy has a tumblr!

Sometimes I write things. Silly little fragments of things.
and I've decided to start collecting these things together and putting them in a blog.
so, I have a tumblr now, too. If you would like to follow that.
I can't promise much, but there will be some prose and it'll probably be overly-personal.
but if you're into that sort of thing, feel free to check it out!

http://lucyandtheroses.tumblr.com/
http://lucyandtheroses.tumblr.com/
http://lucyandtheroses.tumblr.com/


also, new fashion post coming in the next few days! :)

Review: Black Milk Clothing

So I must admit, I've always been a little bit apprehensive about Black Milk Clothing. I'm not the biggest fan of tights or bodysuits (on myself, anyway... some of you ladies look so freaking perfect in them though and I am forever jealous!), and I was also incredibly apprehensive about the swimsuit-looking material. I've loved the crazy, unique designs for forever though, and once I saw the Game of Thrones Black Milk release, I couldn't help myself.
   Now, I must make it clear that this review is based on my first ever Black Milk purchase and so please don't take my words as gospel... although I doubt anyone would, anyway.

So this was my thought process:

1. EVERYTHING IS SO MAGICAL AND PRETTY AND I NEED IT
2. $95 for a very small piece of material, really?!?
3. ugh it's so pretty though
4. okay I'm just gonna buy it
5. yep. done. sold. 

  So I bought the Westoros Reversible skater dress, and I have to say, I am in love with this dress. I'm a pretty standard size 8 and so I purchased a small, and it fits me perfectly. It's not too short, either. The material isn't actually hideous like I thought it'd be, either. I actually kind of like the material, to be honest. Thin, but not too thin, and it kind of has a shine to it which is nice. It's also a bit stretchy. But yes. I'm glad I took the risk, because the dress is my new favourite thing and I will happily be buying from Black Milk again.

Pros: 

• Super fast shipping. My item came within 48 hours of purchase. Be warned, though, if your item is "made to order", it can take up to several weeks before you receive.
• Wide range of sizes, and true-to-size.
• Super pretty and unique and funky styles and patterns.
• Free shipping Australia wide, yay!

Cons:

• Not everyone is going to like the nylon material. It's not my ideal material of choice, but it does really suit the prints.
• Not a wide range of styles - you can choose from skater dresses, tights, catsuits, bodysuits, swimsuits, skirts... okay so that seems like a wide range, but I'd appreciate maybe some longer skirts and dresses, too.
• Definitely not in everyone's price range. Most items are between $60-$120. Most skater dresses are around $95, which does seem difficult to justify for a skater dress, buuuuut the unique prints are too hard to resist. 

I can honestly say, my first experience purchasing and receiving something from Black Milk was definitely a very good experience. I had no issues or problems, although it would be nice to see some cheaper items or possibly more sale items.

Link? blackmilkclothing.com

Any questions, feel free to ask!
Peace,
Lucy.
xo 

February Beauty Boxes: Bella Box vs Lust Have It

As some of you know, each month I receive beauty box subscriptions from both Bella Box and Lust Have It. Rather than doing individual blog posts for each, I figured I'd combine them into one post, and let you know which one I think is better this month and why.


So this was the February Bella Box - 

It arrived right in the middle of the month, around the 14th. I absolutely loved the red carpet-themed box! It contained:

• Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Body Lotion - Burt's Bees has always been my absolute favourite brand for body lotions and butters. They're thick and creamy, not oily, they smell wonderful and they leave my skin feeling so soft! I definitely recommend Burt's Bees if you've never tried them before.
• OM She Liquid Eyeliner in blue - I love love love liquid eyeliner! I received a liquid eye liner in a dark blue colour. I'd never tried this brand previously. It was quite a nice eyeliner (it does the job nicely, however, I couldn't really find anything amazing or unique about it), but I think I'll be sticking to my usual Maybelline black waterproof liquid eyeliner.
• Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Cleanser - I actually used to use this exact cleanser when I was about 14 or 15. I stopped using it for whatever reason, but it was nice to rediscover it! It's a simple and easy cleanser, especially good on adolescent skin.
• John Frieda After-Colour Conditioner - I haven't been able to use this product yet, as it's designed to be used directly after colouring your hair. I'll have to wait until I re-do my hair. I do love John Frieda products though, so I assume it'll be wonderful.
• OM She Buff Away Face Polish - this product is aimed at refreshing your complexion with a "gentle but potent exfoliator"... I liked this product, but I have to say, it did sting my face quite a bit, even though it claims to be gentle. Did I like this product? yes. Did it work? not really, my complexion didn't change, but my skin did feel perhaps a bit softer. Would I buy this product? probably not, no.

All in all, February's Bella Box was pretty good. I especially liked the Burt's Bees Lotion.


February's Lust Have It Box - 

 I absolutely love love loved everything about the February box I received. It's probably my favourite beauty box I've ever received. First of all, look how many things were in the box! Eight things! Eight! I couldn't believe it. Most boxes only have around six things, so this was quite a nice surprise!
So what was in the box?

• Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive - So I received a deluxe sample size of this product. It exfoliates and refines, to reveal a brighter complexion and reduce fine lines. I have to say, this product really stung my skin. It felt like putting acid on my face, seriously. Even though it's meant to be sensitive, it really was not at all for me. That being said, the next morning I woke up with bright, soft happy skin and my skin looked better than it had in previous weeks. So I'm torn. Yes, it burns like hell, but yes, it also does a wonderful job.
• The Cosmetic Kitchen Eyeshadow - I also received a full size eyeshadow... yes, full size! The retail price is $22.50, and I only paid a total of $20 for this entire box of samples... so that's a pretty good deal if you ask me. The eyeshadow looked white in the container, but it turns out to be a beautiful pearly blue colour when you begin to apply it. I love it so much. It's such a nice, light colour and it's long-lasting and yeah, I was very happy.
• The Cosmetic Kitchen Brush - I never really use brushes to apply makeup, but oh my, this is the most soft and amazing brush I've ever used! I'll definitely be switching to brushes now for good. I really recommend The Cosmetic Kitchen brushes, they spread evenly and don't make the product look too thick on your face. I loved it!
• Anti-Aging Body Lotion by Vaseline - I haven't used this product yet. I don't know if I will, either. It smells nice, but it isn't something I'd generally use.
• Clairol Colour Radiance Shampoo - this shampoo smells so nice and made my hair soft and light and I really liked it! Would I try it again in the future? Yes, definitely.
• Clairol Creative Hair Spray - so, I love my hair spray. really. I over-indulge in hair spray, it's one of my favourite beauty products. I'd never used this product before, but I did really like it! It was easy to use, and kept my hair staying in place and looking exactly how I wanted it to. It's also not too sticky. I will definitely be buying it again in the future.
• Hand Spa Bijoux - This is the only product in the box I didn't really like. It's like a little tissue thing that you wrap around your hands to deeply moisturize them. I tried it out and it didn't really do anything... until I washed my hands later that day and the soap stung my hands, which has never happened before. I found this product really strange. It just kind of made the skin on my hands really sensitive for a day or two... if you've had a positive experience with this product, please let me know!
• So...? - I also received a So...? perfume in "Sinful". Now, I really like So...? perfumes. I have a bit of a history with them. They were the first perfumes I ever used. My mum bought me one of them when I was around 12 years old and I absolutely loved it. So I used these perfumes quite a bit when I was a young teen. It was really nice to re-discover them again. They're cute and fun and very inexpensive, so I definitely recommend trying them out if you haven't before.

All in all, I was really pleased with both the Bella Box and the Lust Have It February box. Both had new and exciting products that I'd never used previously. I have to say, I think the Lust Have It box wins this month. There was more products and more variety. The makeup brush, perfume and eyeshadow were definitely the winners this month for me. Also, the overall value of the products in the Lust Have It box worked out to be of greater value than the products in the Bella Box. I must give an honorable mention to Bella Box though for the Burt's Bees body lotion, as it is my all-time favourite body lotion and it was nice to receive a large sample, otherwise I would've had to buy another one as mine has nearly run out.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Bella Box is a $15 a month subscription via their website (google seach Bella Box), and Lust Have It is $20 a month subscription via their website. Both have the option to cancel anytime, there's no minimum subscription period.

My instagram is: perksofbeinglucyrose

Stay kind and have fun!
Lucy Rose.

Isaac Rose Longboarding

For something a little different, I present to you... a non-fashion or beauty-related blog post. 

Whenever I think of summer and staying active, I always think of three things: swimming, surfing and skateboarding. Since we don't really have any waves in our town, and the ocean is also usually riddled with poisonous jellyfish and things, skateboarding alongside the beach is usually the best thing we can do. and rather than talk to you about skateboarding and how it's a great way to have fun and keep active,  I've decided to give a little shout out to my younger brother. He's a rather talented long boarder/skateboarder. He also films and edits all his own stuff using his GoPro. He's just started his own YouTube channel. It'd be really cool if you could check out some of his stuff and possibly subscribe. I've included links and videos below!

Peace, Lucy. 

Tiger Mist Boutique

Hey Guys, sorry for being a little slack lately.
For this post I've decided to do a review of online fashion retailer, Tiger Mist Boutique. I first discovered Tiger Mist about four or five months ago, after randomly stumbling across one of their sales via instagram.  I have to say, I was a pretty big fan from that point on. Since then, I've purchased a total of five items from them, and not once have I had any issues with the website, delivery or my items. So I will definitely be heading back there soon! Tiger Mist was created by two Australian sisters who own and run pretty much everything. They also design their own clothes under their own label Rise of Dawn, which has items available for purchase via Tiger Mist. If online shopping isn't really your thing, they also have a store located in Victoria (Australia). Both the actual store and online store sell a wide range of items, from party dresses, casual clothes, high-fashion labels, shoes, accessories, swimwear and Limecrime Lipstick. If that's not enough, they also ship worldwide, too!

 The stuff you need to know - 

 Shipping - (within australia) free on orders over $100, otherwise $9.50.  Everything is express-posted and I've always received my items within 2-3 days of purchasing.

Pros: 

• Super quick delivery. I've always received my purchases within 2-3 days of purchasing.
• Lots of unique styles that can't be found on other online boutiques and retailers.
• Really good sales! Every now and then (like on a public holiday or holiday weekend), they'll have big sales off absolutely everything. I managed to score an amazing pair of Windsor Smith shoes at 30% off on the Australia Day weekend... I was incredibly happy about that! 
• Prices are fairly standard (between $40-$100 for a party dress)

Cons: 

• Having to pay for shipping if you spend under $100 
• They only stock sizes 6-12
• Personally, I'm not a fan of the product images they use. The models are amazing, the clothes are amazing... but I just really don't like the super bright images with large "Tiger Mist" watermarks over everything... but hey, that's just me being fussy.

Website: http://www.tigermist.com.au/ 
Instagram: tigermist
 

Here's a few of the items I've purchased from Tiger Mist over the past several months:
 

If you have any further questions or anything, please don't hesitate to send me a question!
Also, please check me out on instagram! Username is: perksofbeinglucyrose



Peace and be kind,
Lucy Rose.

January's Lust Have It Beauty Box

So a few weeks ago, I decided to sign up to receive a monthly subscription to Lust Have It's Beauty Boxes. For those of you who've read my previous post, Lust Have It Beauty Boxes are very similar to Bella Box. Each month, you pay a small fee and in return, receive a parcel containing 5 or so new and popular beauty products to test out. I've heard many mixed things about both Lust Have It and Bella Box, so I decided I'd sign up to both, test both out, and then just keep my subscription to whichever beauty box I prefer.

Now, since I signed up very last-minute to Lust Have It, I only received my January Box today. I figure it'll take me a good week or so to properly test out all the products, so I'm not going to be doing a proper review for this month's box. By the time I do, my February box will have arrived, so I'm just going to do a very quick mini-review of Lust Have It, and then my proper reviews will start in a few weeks, where I'll be comparing Lust Have It against Bella Box at the same time.


Things to Note:

• There's many different Lust Have It boxes to choose from. The one I chose to subscribe to is the classic Women's beauty box. It's $20 a month, cancel anytime. Usually contains over $60 value.
•  The website is very easy to understand, and is also where you sign up! http://www.lusthaveit.com.au/womens-box-page/ 

Personally,

•  I love the packaging! Your beauty items come in this super cute Lust Have It box. It's a decent, sturdy box to. It even has a little magnetic strip to hold it closed.
• This is only my first Lust Have It box so I can't judge it too much, but I must say, the samples appear to be bigger than the samples from Bella Box? I guess we'll have to wait and see how the February boxes compare. 
• It's $20 a month, whereas Bella Box is only $15 a month... but if the samples are bigger (which they appear to be), and I like the products more, it's well worth that extra five dollars... but once again, we'll have to wait and see what February holds!

Super Cute Packaging

January's items - Benefit Mascara, a zinc cream, cleansing wipes, moisturising hair oil, a facial moisturiser/toner, and hair treatment for damaged hair. 

 Overall, I was very pleased with what I received in this box. I'll be giving a detailed review of the February box when I receive it, and will also be comparing it to Bella Box's February Box.

Peace,
Lucy.

January Bella Box Review

In December 2013, I signed up to Bella Box's monthly subscription service on a whim. For those of you unfamiliar with Bella Box, basically what it is, is that you pay $15 a month, and each month you receive a parcel in the mail containing 5-7 different samples of new and popular beauty items. The idea is that if you can try all these new and popular beauty items, so you get a good idea of what's currently available, without having to pay $$$$ to test an item out. Then, if you do really like the item, you can purchase it from the Bella Box website. You tend to get one full-sized product each month, along with five or six sample-sized products. The products range from makeup items (mascara, lip gloss, makeup brushes) to face masks to skin moisturisers and tanning products.
I was going to do a review for my December box, but I was a bit lazy and forgot about it. So I thought I'd start with my January box that I received last week.


Extra Info:

• Your Bella Box will generally arrive closer to the end of the month. I received my December box on December 24, and my January box on January 20.
• There's no subscription contract, so you can sign up or end your subscription whenever you like.
• I have found (and so have other users, according to reviews I've found on social media) that you tend to get a lot of moisturisers. 2 out of your 6 samples will generally be face/skin moisturisers. This might be an issue for some people. I, on the other hand, love moisturisers and I use them daily, so I can never have too many.
• Not everyone will receive the exact same box each month. Your items depend on stock availability, and sometimes they alternate products. So you and your best friend might get 3 or 4 of the same products for the month, but whilst she gets a nail polish, you might get a face mask.

Without further ado, here is my February review: 

February Box

Product One:  ModelCo Fat Lash Volumising Black Mascara

 

 

 

Love love love!

 So this mascara was this month's full-sized product. This is the first ModelCo product I've ever used, and let me just say, I LOVE it! It's a volumising and lengthening non-flaking/non-clumping black mascara, and it is amazing. It really does add a whole lot of length and volume to your lashes, and my favourite part is that it doesn't clump. There's nothing I hate more than mascaras that make you look like you have 3 giant clumpy eyelashes, rather that lots of lovely individual lashes. I definitely recommend this product if you're looking for a mascara that gives you that bigger, bolder look. They're retailed at $20 each, but thanks to Bella Box, I got mine for $15 with a whole lot of other samples, too.
My Rating: 8.5/10. I would've gone for 10/10, but unfortunately the mascara is not waterproof. I never wear non-waterproof mascaras, but I'm willing to make an exception for this one.


Product Two: Tuscan Tan, Wash Off Bronzing Mousse 

So this product is a tanning mousse that is perfect for if you want an instant tan to wear to a party or an event, and it washes off easily with a bit of soap. It was difficult for me to review this product, as I don't ever wear or use any kind of tanning product. Not ever. Honestly, I'm just too pale. It's incredibly difficult for me to use tanning products because of how pale I am, as the product almost always looks too dark and too fake. It doesn't matter how carefully or thoroughly I apply the product, you can always notice the slightest streak or imperfection in the tan against my naturally very very very white skin. So usually, I just don't bother with tanning or tanning products at all. I thought I'd give this product a go, but sadly it was no different. It made my skin look way too dark for my complexion, and honestly, I just look a bit silly with a dark tan. I think this product is more suited for those with bit of a natural tan already, as it would enhance your tan's appearance.
My Rating: 5/10. I couldn't really properly review this tan because tans and me do not mix. I did love the smell of the product though... mmm coconuts!


Product Three:  Aveda Dry Remedy for hair

So this product is a daily moisturising oil for dry and damaged hair. I was a bit cautious with this product, as the word "oil" just instantly made me think "oily and greasy". So I only used the tiniest little bit of product, and applied it mainly to the ends of my hair. It's a leave-in product, and you can use it daily. Now, I'm not trying to be nasty towards this product, but I really, really hated everything about this product. Even though I only used the tiniest amount, it made my hair so greasy and oily, and just left it with a greasy wet look for the entire day. My hair even felt wet to touch, several hours after applying the product. My hair is never greasy or oily, but it was a greasy oily mess thanks to Aveda Dry Remedy. I literally used the smallest spec of oil, too. If you've had a good experience with this product, please let me know. But yeah. Never again.
My Rating: 3/10, and that's being nice.

Product Four: Vaselin Total Moisture 

I really liked this product. It's a light daily skin moisturiser, that also has an SPF 15, which is also really handy. There isn't much else to say about this. It's really light and non-greasy, it smells wonderful, it can be used all over to give your skin a moisture kick and it aids in sun protection. It's that simple.
My Rating: 9/10. Easy, handy, wonderful.

Product Five: Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream

This product is an all-purpose skin cream. It can help dryness, sensitive skin and irritation. It's rather a thick cream, and doesn't have any smell. It claims to be a secret, magical cream... but yeah I'm not entirely convinced. I did really like it, as it wasn't oily, and it made my hands and feet nice and soft. I haven't really used it thoroughly enough or long enough to give you much more help than that, but yeah. It was a nice cream, and it did its job.
My Rating: 6/10. Decent cream, am yet to discover it's magical healing secrets.


Product 6: Sukin Facial Moisturiser

Yes, another moisturising product... see what I mean? I'm not going to write much about this product. It's a facial moisturiser, suitable for all skin types. My face can be quite sensitive sometimes, but I didn't have any issues using this. It was light and lovely and made my face nice and soft and helped ease dryness. Would I use it again? Yes. My only issue is the smell. I really do not like how this product smells at all. It almost has a lavender-type smell to it, and I hate lavender. But apart from the weird smell, it's a good product.
My Rating: 7/10.


There's a seventh product, it's a sensitive skin mask. I am yet to use it, as I'm currently already on a sensitive skin mask regime, and I don't really want to use a different product until I've finished using the one I'm currently on. It smells nice though. I'll probably give it a go next week.

  *  To find out more about Bella Box or to start a subscription, go to their website! www.bellabox.com.au



So until then,
be safe and happy!
Lucy Rose.
xo