From the minute that the postman handed me the box I could see that whole box had been given a fresh, new look. Instead of coming in a black plastic mailing bag February's box came in bright and clean cream / white patterned plastic mailing bag. The box itself as promised had also changed, it was smaller and slightly sturdier (although still not really reusable), and instead of the dark grey and pink design of the old box, it was now white with a pink swirl design. It was also printed with the Cosmopolitan logo, I can't find anything that says that this was a collaboration box so it could just be promotional, advertising or sponsorship.
The box opens with the familiar tear off strip, and immediately on opening it I noticed a few differences. Again there was no product information leaflet, but from what I gather out of environmental concerns, and to prevent paper waste, the Pink Parcel Post leaflet will be now be sent via email. I received my email a couple of days after I'd received the box and it contained information on the box theme, Backstage Favourites, and information on all of the products in the box.
The biggest and most visible change though, is in the contents and layout of the box again down to environmental concerns, there are now just 2 boxes instead of the usual 3. So you now get one box which says "MUSTS" which contains sanitary protection, the familiar fabric pouch, and a box which has the words "WANTS" on it.
Again, this month I chose a box that just contained sanitary pads. The fabric pouch, this time in a Valentines themed, red and pink heart design, and the MUSTS box both contained a variety of sanitary pads, including night time pads and panty liners. Like last month rather than the products I'd requested I received a mixture of brands, and compared to last month I did receive slightly fewer items, but I still received more than enough branded sanitary products to last the duration of my period.
Now as much as I love the convenience of getting sanitary protection delivered directly to my home every month, that isn't really the reason why I look forward to my Pink Parcel delivery, for me it's all about the extras. The old style "For You" box has now been replaced with a similar sized white box, with the word "WANTS" printed on it, which contains a mixture of items to make that time of the month just that little bit easier.
Soaper Duper Fruity Green Tuberose Body Lotion - 250ml - Full Size - RRP £7.50
One of the reasons why I love subscription boxes so much is that they give you the opportunity to try new brands, and the first item in February's Pink Parcel is from a new brand to me Soaper Duper. Based in the UK Soaper Duper, is a naturally derived, affordable bath and body care range, that contains no parabens, microbeads, SLS or any other nasties. The range is vegan and cruelty free, and all of the packaging is made from 100% PCR (post consumer recycled plastic). They are also supporters of the charity Water Aid.
In February's Pink Parcel we received one of two body lotions and the one I received was Fruity Green Tuberose. Made from 98% naturally derived ingredients, the full list of natural ingredients is way too long to mention but this body lotion includes smoothing fruit acids of pineapple, grape and passion fruit, hydrating aloe vera, nourishing shea nut butter, sweet almond oil, borage oil, coconut water and vitamin E.
At first sniff I wasn't sure about the smell at all, it's very unusual, it's very green with a touch of fruitiness. Once you've applied it to the skin though like an expensive fragrance it comes to life, and the different fragrance notes start to come through, and you can really smell the headiness of the tuberose. It's definitely an acquired scent but it's really grown on me.
It's quite a runny textured lotion, and as a result a small amount goes a long way. It soaks in quickly and despite the liquidy texture it is actually quite moisturising. I've used this a few times now and I have to say that I'm really impressed with it, it's absorbs into the skin really easily, and it's very hydrating so it's an ideal product for when you're in a rush. As I say the scent is an acquired one in my opinion, and it definitely won't be to every ones taste, but I love tuberose, and this is definitely a scent that's grown on me.
I've got to say I love the whole concept of the brand and I'm definitely going to try and pick up a few more products from the range in the future. You can buy this product directly from Soaper Duper and from various other selected retailers including Tesco.
ORYZA Beauty Velvet Ribbon Lipstick - Lido - 3.8g - Full Size - RRP £15.95
Next up a full size lipstick from a brand called ORYZA. I've had a few ORYZA products from various subscription boxes including another one of these lipsticks in the shade Arwa, and even though I don't know a lot about the brand I've been pretty impressed so I was pleased to see another product in this months Pink Parcel. I've done a bit of research and ORYZA are a 100% cruelty free, UK brand that focuses on natural ingredients. Their key ingredient and the ingredient from which they take their name is Oryza Sativa aka rice germ oil, their products also include safflower seed, sunflower seed, and jojoba oils, and shea butter.
Containing rice germ oil, shea butter, vitamin E, and pomegranate fruit extract, their velvet ribbon lipsticks, are nourishing and hydrating, and have a long wear, weightless satin finish.
This particular shade Lido is described as a dusky pink, nude, it has a lot of warmth to it, and slight peach and coral tones. It's a nice wearable shade that would suit a lot of ages and lot of different skin tones. If you aren't a fan of matte's then this may be the finish for you, it isn't too shiny, but at the same time it isn't an out and out dry, flat matte. It applies easily with dragging and it does seem to add a little bit of moisture to the lips.
Because it isn't too shiny or too moisturising it wears well, and fades down evenly leaving a slight stain on the lips. I don't think this is the cheapest lipstick out there but if you're looking for something a bit different brand wise, and for a cruelty free brand with good quality ingredients than ORYZA is probably a brand worth looking at. I've worn this and the other shade that I have a few times already and I've been pretty impressed with the finish, the shades and the wear time. You can buy ORYZA products from their own website and from the Pink Parcel Shop.
Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm - 4ml
The next item in the box is a product that has almost cult status and with good reason. This little tube of magic only contains one ingredient, the highest grade, purest lanolin, from Australian free roaming sheep. It really is a multi purpose product, and you can use it on dry skin literally anywhere on the body, from your cuticles, to cold ravaged noses, lips and nipples, and you can even use it to shine your shoes.
I've had a couple of tubes of this in the past from various boxes and I predominantly use it as a lip balm. Yellow in colour it has a thick balm like texture, which melts on contact with the skin. With no real scent or taste, a little goes a long way, a small amount adds a nice gloss to the lips, whilst a larger amount moisturises and protects, it takes a little while to soak in, but it definitely helps with hydration and it's a must if like me you have sore and cracked lips at the moment due to the weird hot, cold weather we're having at the moment.
Obviously this product isn't suitable for vegans, or anyone who suffers from an allergy to lanolin, but if you don't fall into either of those categories, then I would thoroughly recommend this product if you have any areas of dry skin on your face or body. I can't find an RRP for this exact size tube but an 8ml size tube retails at £5.99, and a pack of 6 of these 4ml tubes retails at £25, so if you do the maths then the cheapest estimate for this 4ml tube is around £2.99.
Marvis Cinnamon Mint Toothpaste - 10ml
Like February's Glossybox, February's Pink Parcel also contains a tube of toothpaste. This one though is from Italian toothpaste brand, Marvis. With a xylitol and sorbitan based formula, all of their toothpastes are designed to whiten and protect the teeth and freshen the breath. When it comes to toothpastes though Marvis have always pushed the boundaries with their exotic toothpaste flavours, and this tube is in one their most popular flavours Cinnamon Mint. I haven't opened it or broken the seal yet but I can already smell an almost astringent, cinnamon, aniseed ball scent. You do get a little bit sick of mint flavoured toothpastes so I can't wait to give this a try. The full 85ml size retails at around £7 from various retailers including lookfantastic. I can only find this particular size on a US website where is retails at around $1.95.
Vitamasques Diamond Gold Mask - Brightening - 1 x 20ml Sheet Mask - Full Size - £5.99
Another sheet mask, and another mask from Vitamasques! I think I've just about tried most of their masks now but I don't think I've tried this one yet. This mask is from their Gold range, and it's infused with real gold flakes, as well as real diamond and pearl powders. It's cruelty free, vegan,and paraben, mineral oil and sulphate free. Suitable for all skin types it's designed to promote a healthy, and natural glow and to increase the skins moisture content. I'll add this one to my to use pile, so keep an eye on my monthly empties posts to find out what I think about it x In the meantime you can buy it directly from Vitamasques, from HQ Hair, Amazon and the Pink Shop.
Chocolate And Love Napolitan - Madagascar - 5.5g
Chocolate And Love Napolitan - Panama - 5.5g
One of the highlights of every Pink Parcel, is the sweetie component, I have a crazy sweet tooth, and chocolate really is my vice, so I was delighted to find two all be it tiny chocolate bars from award winning UK based organic, fair trade, ethical chocolate company, Chocolate and Love.
Both of these tiny bars are suitable for vegans. The Madagascar bar is a single origin dark chocolate with 70% cocoa. It has a rich almost coffee like bitterness to but it had a very smooth mouth feel. The Panama on the other hand is dark chocolate with 80% cocoa, again it was smooth and rich but it had a much fruitier flavour.
Although the pieces were quite small, it was a nice quality chocolate that really helped satisfy some of this months cravings. Obviously it's almost impossible to put a true price on two small pieces but you can buy a Rich Dark Tin directly from Love And Chocolate that contains 30 pieces like this including these two varieties for £11.99.
Pure Chimp Turmeric Matcha Green Tea - 2 x 1g Servings
Finally something else that you always get in Pink Parcel, something to drink. Normally you get a tea bag but this month we got something a little bit different. This sachet contains two servings of 100% natural and vegan turmeric matcha green tea. All you do is mix the contents of the sachet, which contains powdered green tea leaves, turmeric, cinnamon and ginger, with hot or cold milk. I've never tried anything like this before so I'm definitely going to try this out sooner rather than later. Again it's impossible to give an accurate price comparison but a 50g jar retails at £9.95 directly from Pure Chimp.
So that was February's Pink Parcel, and I have to say I'm a lot happier with this months than I was with January's. The contents was definitely more thought out, the value was most definitely there and the new packaging is definitely a step in the right direction. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and if you are interested in trying out Pink Parcel for yourself you can find out more via their website
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I think I may give this a go, the new overhaul seems to be quite promising and I was impressed with what you received.x
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