Co-written by Nadya and Shriya
Petit Vour is a luxury beauty box service that sells only environmental and social conscious cosmetics items . As a beauty box, it scours the market for the best vegan beauty products and arranges samples into a convenient monthly collection costing $15 (with free US shipping!).
Petit Vour also has an online store where you can custom order its reputed vegan products. Each makeup company or skin care product is certified 100% vegan and cruelty-free. We at the BFIW totally agree – who says beauty has to be painful?!
For all the little bunnies and beagles out there, we (Nadya and Shriya) happily reviewed the Limited Luxury Spring 2014 Collection and compiled our thoughts on each of the products below. We hope you consider investing in this lovely beauty box too!
Mullein & Sparrow French Lavender Body Oil
Nadya: Mmm, this is definitely the one of the most indulgent items in the box (though they’re all pretty luxurious). It goes on smoothly, feels so light, and leaves your skin smelling so good. I love love loved this product! The lavender scent was so strong it drowned out the smell of the coco butter I put on before, so it’s definitely going to leave any room you stand in smelling like flowers. I put it on right after a hot shower and I felt like I was walking through a garden for a bit after. I definitely recommend this body oil!
Shriya: I love lavender – it’s a sweet, subtle set that’s refreshing without being overwhelming. I’m impressed with how large of a sample this bottle is. I usually expect little droplets from beauty samples, but Petit Vour gives you enough of the product to last you a long time!
Lina Hanson Global Face Serum
Nadya: This face serum was so lovely. It went on so smooth and made my skin glow! I’ve never actually used face serum before but I greatly enjoyed the experience of using this one. It seemed to slip into my skin like a silky moisturizer and brought all the highlights of my skin out. I would even say that my skin, which was full of blemishes when I first applied the serum, almost seemed to smoothen under my touch. I definitely recommend trying Lina Hanson’s Global Face Serum.
Shriya: I can’t comment with accuracy on how well this serum would work since face serums are usually meant to target signs of aging (wrinkles/dark spots), and I’m still navigating my 20s. However, the serum provides a light layer of moisture – so it’s not too oily or heavy under makeup.
Kelley Quan Vegan Beauty Brush
Nadya: Makeup brushes always feel so indulgent to me, I’m not sure why, and this Kelly Quan brush, with its faux mink (I didn’t even know they made that!) was so amazing. Just light enough to dust some eye shadow or apply a tiny bit of blush, this multi-purpose brush is perfect with pretty much any type of powder. The brush is a bit small, so it’s well-suited, I think to doing eye makeup. From the bristles to the glue, the Kelly Quan makeup brush is vegan in every way and I love it. It’s definitely an improvement on the brushes I already have.
Shriya: I was pretty pleased with this vegan brush. I used it for liquid foundation and the blush included in the beauty box. While it does tend to poke into my skin a little as I’m blending (a consequence of not being real mink), it does the job well and is a viable substitute for vegans who wouldn’t use mink/animal hair brushes. For the record, I still recommend animal hair brushes for those non-vegans. Synthetic fibers are fine for foundation applications, but they aren’t soft enough for powder applications such as eye shadow.
Gressa Lip Boost BARE
Nadya: Gressa Lip Boost BARE is an ultra sheer pink lip gloss/lip balm combo. It’s a lightly tinted moisturizer that adds a bit of gloss to your lips. I think because of the lip balm component, it doesn’t really leave your lips feeling too sticky or gross, which is a nice change from most of my lip colors. The BARE color is ultra sheer though – so if you’re looking for strong color, try some of Gressa’s other Lip Boosts (‘LAVISH’ is a dark red and ‘BRILLIANT’ is an orange) . I like it because it added a slightly gloss, and a tiny bit of glamour to my look. Since I’ve been schlubbing around in jeans and a t-shirt mostly while I’ve been preparing for exams or running errands, Gressa suits me just fine. It’s an undemanding lip color that is a small joy to reapply.
Shriya: As a fan of bold and bright lip color, this sheer pink tinted lip balm didn’t make its way into the bottom of my purse. However, I loved the light layer of moisture on my lips and the slight shimmer of the color. The lip boost dries out pretty quickly, so I wouldn’t use it as a replacement for chapstick – but it does provide a subtle tint of pink for daily wear.
Gr8ful Couture Stimul8 Mud Mask
Nadya: I don’t use mud masks – I find them messy and too difficult to manage. The idea of washing my face with pond mud doesn’t really appeal to me nor does the idea of looking (temporarily) like the Creature from the Black Lagoon. BUT I loved Stimul8 by Gr8ful! Once it was on it started working immediately – I could feel it tingling all the toxins and whatnot out of my pores. Since this is the closest I’ve ever been to an actual spa day, I don’t know how it rates in truth but to me it felt luxurious and wonderful.
After I washed it off my face (and off the sink), I could still feel it on my skin – my face felt soft and somehow more awake. The whole day after, as well, I felt cleaner and my skin looked brighter.
Shriya: Mud masks are luxurious – and this product is no exception! The mask applies thick, so it permeates your skin to infuse moisture and replenish it. While on, the mask tightened my skin noticeably. After washing it off, I could feel the residual cleanliness and moisture it left behind.
In my opinion, this is a great product to indulge in or treat yourself with – but since many mud masks can be made at home or purchased for much cheaper, I might try some of those first before investing.
GlamNatural Cream Blush
Nadya: Ok, I’m definitely not a fan of cream blushes. They feel heavy and sticky to me and they leave me feeling like a birthday cake. The color is really pretty with the GlamNatural Cream Blush but it just wasn’t for me. I felt like there was no way to spread it evenly and even after trying to salvage my cheeks with another layer of face powder, I had to eventually give up and leave my flat looking like a low-budget clown. Definitely not one of my favorite products, but that may be just because I don’t like creamy makeup.
Shriya: I loved this blush, and it’s already made its way into my daily makeup routine! The color is cheeky (pun intended), bright, but not too over-the-top to wear to work or a serious event. It works very well as a contour under my cheekbones, especially if you use a strong foundation brush (like the Kelly Quan vegan brush included in the box). A cream blush in particular requires a proper face primer, or at least a layer of liquid foundation, in order to blend properly. Once I blended the blush in on top of that and sealed in the look with finishing powder, my cheekbones looked fantastic and natural! I highly recommend this blush in different colors as well – it’s easy to apply and long-lasting so you can wear it all day without worrying about it fading.
The Luxury Limited Spring Box from vegan beauty subscription Petit Vour was completely lovely! Every item would fit the lifestyle of every customer – the colors were neutral, the products were indulgent, and everything felt so so so nice. We both agree that this giftbox is a steal and definitely worth getting your hands on.