THE PARCEL by marie claire | Spring Edit | Review

Holla beauty babes! There's a new kid on the 'beauty box' block! 

The Parcel by marie claire has launched this month, offering beauty lovers a luxe sample box of seasonal beauty bits to keep you looking gorgeous this Spring. 

Containing products hand picked by the Beauty Editors of marie claire magazine, The Parcel is not your typical beauty subscription service, allowing the customer several different payment options. The Parcel will be released quarterly, with each box representative of the beauty must haves for each particular season. 

The first box, and the one I have to share with you today, is the Spring Edit. I was gifted this box for the purpose of reviewing and sharing the contents with you, my readers.

You may choose to purchase each parcel as they are released, which will set you back $25.00 AU each. Alternatively, you can subscribe to all four parcels for $90.00 AU, giving you a $10 saving. There is also an offer on the website to combine a yearly subscription to marie claire magazine, along with a yearly The Parcel subscription.

Let's have a look inside!

marie claire The Parcel - Spring Edit

A nice personal touch, the outer packaging of The Parcel has your name and address printed on it. I have just covered mine with the wee purple flower for privacy reasons.

marie claire The Parcel - Spring Edit

marie claire The Parcel - Spring Edit

The goods...

Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector 7ml ( Full size 30ml $97.00 AU ).

Being the skincare obsessive that I am, I was very chuffed to see some skincare included in the box, and from a luxury brand as well! This is the newly released Skin Perfecting Serum from Lancome. I shall be happily throwing this into my serum rotation, however this deluxe sample size would also be perfect for travel. Nice.

Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner deluxe mini ( full size RRP $35.00 AU ) and They're Real Mascara deluxe mini ( full size RRP $38.00 AU ).

Not one but two Benefit products! One with a cult following, and the other a new release this year. I have heard quite mixed reviews of Benefit's Push-Up liner, so am very interested to form my own opinion. If you can see in the photograph above, they have managed to design the mini with the same silicone tip that you see on the full size product. I have tried They're Real mascara before, and while I love the intensely black, volumised, gorgeous lashes that it gives you, I also find that it transfers to my upper eyelid. I do know of many people that really love this mascara, and I think both of these products are really exciting inclusions.

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain 005 Parisian ( RRP $25.95 ).

We have just seen these launch in Australia in the last month, and I had not yet purchased any shades, so I was excited to see this full size product! My shade, Parisian, is right up my alley!! 

There are 12 shades available in the range, and there will be varying shades throughout the boxes. This can be a bit pot-luck, however sometimes you find yourself challenged to move out of your comfort zone, and try something you may not have chosen for yourself.

L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Purse-size Hairspray ( RRP $4.95 ).

Personally, I am a fan of L'Oreal Elnett Hairspray, so this purse-size will definitely come in handy! It is a great formula, never feels crunchy or sticky in your hair, and brushes out easily. I have re-purchased many times, and happy to have a little baby one! 

Pantene Pro-V Daily Moisture Renewal Shampoo & Conditioner 40ml ( RRP 200ml $4.99 ).

The Parcel states that this is Pantene's new formulation, which I don't believe has been released in-store yet? I believe these are a bonus inclusion in this Spring Edit. Perfect travel size bottles, these will accompany me on my next holiday. I am fairly consistently switching up my hair care, and love trying new products, and testing out new formulations.

Gwen Stefani by OPI Nail Laquer  - Love. Angel. Music. Baby.  - $19.95 AU each 

(six shades available). 

Oh a full size OPI nail polish! Be still my beating heart! One of the more expensive polishes for us Aussie girls, I know many people just can't justify paying full price for OPI.  Now I admit, I have quite the collection of OPI polishes, but I had not purchased any shades from the Gwen Stefani collection. I am happy to have this pretty, almost matte finish pale gold. I have applied two coats, and no top coat in the photograph above. I believe that most of the shades in the collection are fairly universal, and would appeal to most people.

I am very impressed with The Parcel's Spring Edit. I think that it represents excellent value for money, and I feel that the $25.00 price tag is very reasonable. 

I really like that it is quarterly. I have found with beauty subscription boxes in the past, ( and I have tried quite a few! ) that the monthly box can become a little tiresome. Some boxes are great, others leave a lot to be desired. There is nothing worse than opening up your box and being disappointed.

I will admit, with previous companies, I have ended up with a large variety of little samples, and products that I just don't reach for, and have given many away to friends and family. I can honestly say that I will enjoy trying all of these new products ( yep, I'll even give the mascara another go! ).

I like the included brands. There is a good mix of both high end and less expensive brands. I think that it is important to have a good balance where that is concerned. We all know, that a higher price point does not always mean a better, or more effective product. However, the inclusion of the more luxe brands gives you an opportunity to try products that you might not wish to otherwise part with your hard earned money for.

I think there is a nice balance between the different products. This Parcel included skincare, makeup, nail polish and hair care. I like having a little bit of everything to try, and I think a lot of people would appreciate this as well.

You can find The Parcel here

You can sign up for this Spring Edit box now! I have just now checked the website, and they are still accepting orders, so be quick lovelies!! Your Spring Edit will be delivered to your door between the 6-10th October.

The Parcel is currently only available in Australia.

Have you signed up for The Parcel? What are you thoughts on the products included? Do you feel that it represents good value? Let me know in the comments below! I have tried lots of beauty boxes in the past, I would love to know what you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lou xo

Disclaimer: My review and thoughts are always honest, whether I have purchased a product, or it has been provided for my review. I have purposely not viewed, or read any other reviews prior to publishing my own. I will be signing up myself for The Parcel, and will continue to provide reviews of each of the boxes as they are released. Cheers xx