Several weeks ago, I received an email from Vanity Trove asking me if I would be interested to check out the March Edition of their beauty box. Well, I’m a not-so-closet beauty addict and love trying out new products without having to buy the full-sized items straightaway. Of course, I had to say yes!

The theme for the March Edition of Vanity Trove was “Temptress”. The way I see it, the products are meant to make us feel ‘sexy’ from within, as we received mostly skincare products with one makeup item (foundation). A far cry from what I’ve imagined actually. Well, let’s take a look at the individual products then.

Judging by the reviews available, the Timeless Truth Orchid Extract Whitening Mask is a clear favourite. It promises 7 Benefits: Whitening, Brightening, Moisturizing, Anti-aging, Clarity, Prevents Dark Spots, Reduce Uneven Skin Tone. Sounds too good to be true? I put it to the test last night and although the result is not quite as dramatic as described, my skin looks well hydrated and radiant after just a single application. The subtle floral scent is lovely. The most unique part about this product are the ear flaps for extra firming effect, it also covers the neck area too. For RRP of RM10, this is something worth investing in.

I also managed to scare the beejeezus out of Frank by posing at the doorway with the mask on. Cheap thrill!

Prior to this I’ve never heard of Etre Belle before. I do like the Sensiplus Hydrasilk Day & Night Cream though, armed with silk proteins, white tea and pure vegetarian ingredients, my skin feels quite silkier (for a lack of a better word) after application and the bonus SPF10 makes it more suitable for day time before applying my makeup base (which also contain SPF), the Gel tonic is meant to be applied before the cream and it also hydrates the skin. The full size products are of RM138 (140ml) and RM188 (50ml) respectively.

This is made from natural flowers, fruits and plant essences, and promise to moisturise the skin and improve firmness. I love the scent of the ginger flowers. But for a body lotion, this size is quite ridiculously small! It’s only enough for half my body. Points deducted just because of this hmph. The full size product is RM89 for 250ml by the way.

My make up base usually consists of only 2 products: BB Cream and a Mineral Powder foundation. So this Skin Fusing Powder Foundation seems like a pretty good product to try out. I’ve only tested the Powder foundation on small area of my face and it’s seems a tad too light for my skin. I will have to mix it with my other powder. The coverage is medium (I don’t need much usually anyway) and it has a matte finish. The Makeup base will be perfect for days when I have to wear makeup for longer hours, so I’ll try it this weekend.

This is probably a bonus product as it wasn’t listed in the little booklet. I use the same Bio-essence Cleanser at the moment so I know their products are pretty decent. This eye cream is great for daytime use with the SPF15. My under eye areas are a little beyond repair though so I might have to use something a bit more miraculous save them. Heh.

Another bonus product: ORIKS Twister Essense with Wild Ginseng. Another gentle hydrating product to give your skin a velvety texture. It also claims to help tighten pores (don’t really have a problem with this but hydration is always welcomed). This is a combination toner, lotion and essence, which is great for those are can’t be bothered putting a few layers of products daily. Unfortunately the product I received was only half filled.

To summarize my thoughts about the Vanity Trove Temptress Box: I don’t think the products match the theme. And even though Vanity Trove are supposed to send us a range of samples, I feel that they could have sent us at least Travel size/Deluxe sample size to justify the price. Beauty boxes are incredibly competitive locally and they will have to do much more to win the hearts of Malaysians. But a little birdy told me that the April edition is going to be much better, so let’s hope this is true.

To order the May Edition of Vanity Trove, all you need to do is sign up and subscribe at www.VanityTrove.com/my for the newly-revised monthly subscription fee of RM50 or choose the 3, 6, 12 months subscription options, before 14 April 2013.

You’ll also be able to find reviews on the website itself, post your own reviews and have the opportunity to update your beauty table with all the products you are currently using. Be careful as it can get a little addictive doing so.