The August 2013 Brand Manager's Letter

Happy Get Active August bellas!

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Sam and I am the Global Brand Director at bellabox. Which means I oversee the products that go into your box each month. Vanessa and Natalie (our other Brand Managers) and I all work together to pack your little blue box full of goodies each month.

Speaking of Natalie - our Sydney-based bella - we have some exciting news to share! She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl called Sofia on Monday. Congratulations Natalie and welcome to the bb family Sofia!

I love this time of year, it feels like winter is waning, and we are having some lovely unseasonably warm days here in Melbourne. I walk to the office every day, and even the trees are confused by this weather! The Cherry Blossom tree is blooming, the Magnolias are peeping out and the Star Jasmine in my courtyard has a couple of flowers emerging. This also means it’s time to come out of winter hibernation and start getting active. My trainer will no longer accept “it’s too cold” as an excuse, so it’s time to get off my bum!

This month, to help you get off yours, we bought you some beautiful super luxe brands new to bellabox such as Pevonia, Dermalogica, Ultraceauticals, Aphelia, ASAP and Synthesis. We also have Wotnot Facial Wipes, a bellabox fave, and Nivea have sampled a product from their bestselling new range, Pure and Natural.

For the colour product this month, you will have received either Talavou Naturals Glo bronzer or illuminisor, (Vanessa is the Queen of Illuminator and she loves this brand), Sanctuary Spa BB Cream or Maybelline New York Dream Pure BB Cream. Being total BB Cream addicts here at bellabox, we feel that we are well placed to recommend BB creams, Vanessa is a fan of Sanctuary Spa and I like Maybelline, as I seem to be getting a few spots on my chin and the Salicylic acid helps clear breakouts . If you feel like the colour is too dark, mix with your moisturiser to lighten it up, or hang on to it to use in the summer months when you have a little more colour on your face. Alternatively, you can try mixing in a liquid highlighter for a gorgeous glow!

Did you know that Base Magique Primer is one of L’Oreal’s bestselling products? You all received one in your box, so there is no excuse not to prime up this month! A little goes a long way, so you only need a tiny bit. Remember to warm it between your fingertips first to make application even easier.

Banana Boat Mineral Protect Sensitive Sunscreen is great for sensitive skin - and also to use on your little ones - and is the perfect product to keep handy while getting active outdoors as the sun starts to come out again. Soon Banana Boat will be launching their new 50+ range, just in time for summer, and we can't wait!

We always like to include a little extra product in your box when we can, but don’t worry; it doesn’t take the place of a beauty product! It’s just a little something that fits with the theme and is a product we like enough to want to share with you all. Take TOM Organic for example. It’s not often we talk about, ahem, down there, and I always said that tampons would never go in our box, but after doing a little research on their ethos, we decided to include them. If you didn’t receive TOM, you would have received a delicious YUMM salad dressing, (Lauren had to go out yesterday to buy things for saladfor lunch, as she was craving the 'Original' dressing!) or a Swisse Recover Protein Bar in Choc Banana Cinnamon. When they landed in the bellabox office, they were demolished in 10 seconds flat!

We hope you are loving your August products as much as we loved trying them. Everyone received 6 products and one bonus this month, and even though some of them are small, they are high value products. As a sample box, our promise to you is to deliver 5 or more samples, and we are lucky enough to be able to include a full size product from time to time. For only $15 a month, the cost of a couple of glasses of wine (or ¾ of a cocktail - at least at Melbourne prices!) you get to experience a range of products carefully edited by the brand management  team who have nearly 40 years+ experience in the beauty industry between us. Believe me, we do say no to products because we don’t think they live up to the hype, but we have to keep in mind that we have lots of members who might completely disagree with us and think it is their Holy Grail beauty product! Your beloved moisturiser might be someones ticket to pimples, and your most hated perfume might be their golden elixir!

Which products have you discovered through bellabox that are now staples in your routine? - Sam