Mecca Beauty Election Beauty Loop Sample Box

I've finally started to take advantage of the generous Mecca Beauty Loop rewards program, which is free to join and gives you access to some lovely samples once you hit the first tier (for which you must have spent $300-$599 in store within the year) After receiving my first sample box and posting about it here, I was surprised to receive another email offering a special edition 'beauty election' sample box - I did vote in the beauty election, and must say it was a lot more fun than the Australian political election! I made it a mission one Sunday with Mister to detour to the shopping centre nearest me that has a Mecca Maxima store and nab myself one of the boxes - and it was definitely worth the detour! Each store had a different range of products in the sample box as chosen by the staff members, and my store nailed it!

Seriously, a mini Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick!? I felt so lucky when I opened my box to see such a neat miniature of it, I've never tried a lip product from Too Faced before despite owning many of their palettes, and the shade received was Chihuahua, a very 'me' colour and one that I am excited to try! The other products in the box were from really interesting brands too...

Yet again my sample box contained a product from Josie Maran, which I'm very pleased about as I'm enjoying trying out such a popular brand. This Whipped Argan Oil Face Butter sounds perfect for this cold snap we are having here in Melbourne, I am looking forward to trying out the whipped consistency on my face!

I've tried some lip products from Korres but that is as far as I've gone with the brand, but I'm quite obsessed with rose products at the moment so this couldn't have arrived at a better time. The Wild Rose Brightening & Line Smoothing Serum will be a nice bedtime treat, and I'm intrigued as to how a serum in sachet is going to work for me.

It seems like Mecca have a few very generous brands who aren't afraid of dishing out samples, claps for that! I once again received a Kate Somerville product from Mecca, after falling in love with the ExfoliKate cleanser in my previous sample box I am very interested to see how this EradiKate To-Go Pre-Treated Swab will go - will it be similar to my Mario Badescu Drying Lotion that I dab on with a cotton bud?! 

Still swooning over this, even if I don't end up loving the formula how wonderful is it to be able to try such an adorable and popular product from Too Faced without dishing out a single dollar?

 

Are you a member of the Mecca Beauty Loop? If not, you should be!
-Emma x

 

My First Mecca Beauty Loop Box

Despite being a diehard beauty addict, in the last few years my budget has leaned towards home wares and house projects over a regular big splurge at the beauty counters. I think that is why I've only just managed to reach the first real tier of Mecca's Beauty Loop program despite having been a member for quite some time. I am now a Level 1 Beauty Discoverer, which means I've spent between $300-599 annually in store. As well as the quarterly sample boxes I receive complimentary makeup application on my birthday, and as you move up the rungs to 'Level Two - Beauty Devotee' and 'Level Three - Beauty Aficionado' you get birthday gifts, makeup applications and lessons as well as special events etc. Here's a link to all of the details if you want to take advantage. The sample box is very cute and I didn't need to make a purchase in order to receive it, they simply scanned my card and were really friendly overall (as they always are at Mecca!) It comes with a card of product details which I think is a nice touch, and very reminiscent of beauty subscription boxes.

 

 

Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer
I've used this before and really liked how it felt on my lids and how it gripped onto my powder eyeshadows to help them last. Experience has told me that I can stretch a sachet like this out for 2, possibly 3 uses if I don't let it dry out.

Josie Maran Cosmetics 100% Pure Argan Oil 4.5ml
This was easily the most exciting product in the L1 box, how dinky is the miniature bottle? I've always wanted to try out something from Josie Maran and I haven't used an oil product in the longest time, so this is a wonderful addition for me!

Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Cleanser 2ml
Another brand I've yet to try, I have heard great things though so I'm looking forward to trying out this foaming exfoliating cleanser for the first time!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer 1ml
I love a good primer, and this is meant to be the bees knees! I know the lovely Vita from Making Up 4 My Age liked this one so fingers crossed it works for my skin.

Have you tried any of these products?
What store cards do you find the most beneficial, and which aren't worth it?
-Emma

Too Faced Haul from Mecca Maxima

I've had a longstanding love affair with Too Faced that has been well documented on the blog, seen in this Boudoir look, St. Tropez look, Summer look and timely Gilded Ganache Chocolate look. The palettes just seem to be getting better and better, and indeed the entire product line is becoming more enticing and highly regarded among beauty bloggers and lovers alike. I was mightily tempted by some of the newly released products and after some generous sample testing (foundation) multiple swatch sessions (palette) and a well-timed Instagram post from a friend (Vita, for the blush wardrobe!) I bit the bullet and in two separate hauls, purchased these beauties.

As soon as I laid eyes on the Too Faced Love Flush Long Lasting 16-Hour Blush Wardrobe I knew that I was going to buy it, and thanked fate that I had missed the festive gift pack in December that contained mini's of the Too Faced blushes. I definitely reach for palettes more than I would petite blush pans, and despite owning a full size of one blush shade within the palette (Baby Love) I knew that the $53 price tag was brilliant for the value within the 'wardrobe'. Having featured in my current favourites I can definitely vouch for this blush palette, and have used all of the colours many times over and adore the formula.

The purchase of a mid-high end foundation is definitely a rarity at Camp Bovary - I trial some but ultimately rely on the drugstore for my base products and prefer to save my cosmetic money for palettes and blushes (real talk, I'm a blushfiend, ok?) I had tried two sample pots of the Too Faced Born This Way Oil-Free Undetectable Medium-Full Coverage Foundation and loved how it made my skin look, so I bit the bullet and added it to my online order when I was buying the blush wardrobe. I love how fast Mecca shipping is and the fact that you get to select which samples you'd like (how very US Sephora of them, love it!) I chose samples from Smashbox, Josie Maran and Malin & Goetz this time around. I adore how damn chic the foundation bottle looks - when you're paying that money, you can expect nice packaging, right? As an aside, I could have sworn I paid $58 AUD for this bottle but online it currently sits at $62...I've heard whispers of prices changing around regularly at Mecca, have you experienced this fluctuation?

Onto the most recent TF release in my haul (because I am holding back on the Peanut Butter & Jelly palette...for now...) the glorious Chocolate Bon Bons Palette! I swatched this and really liked the look of it at Mecca, but I was with my non-makeup loving sister who helped convince me that I didn't need it (don't you hate those kind of shopping pals?!) and I figured that I had enough palettes for now and that the colours were just okay. It seemed to stick in my mind for a few weeks though, and then I watched this Earl Grey tutorial and Café au lait tutorial from Mary at aLoveTart and I just couldn't stop myself any longer. The next time I was in Mecca I swatched the palette again and sighed - meant to be, for sure, how in the world did my sister sway me from this beauty?! It also took me into the first real tier of the Mecca Beauty Loop which was a nice bonus, I haven't really shopped for makeup in quite some time so it was nice to 'join the club' so to speak. I have a full review post and some makeup looks coming up with the palette, but suffice to say it's love.

 

You can purchase the Love Flush Blush Wardrobe ($53) here, Born This Way foundation ($62) here and Chocolate Bon Bons Palette ($78) here.

What is your favourite Too Faced product?
Do you have a weakness for a certain makeup brand?

-Emma