Glossybox: October 2012 edition.

 I sort of forgot to review last month's box, whoops! Oh well, I figured I'd just move on and chat about this one, which is one of the best one's I've received to be honest :)

 All of the products for once are things I will definitely use, some I already have and others I am saving for when I go away and need to take smaller products. The 'theme' of this months box is DIY beauty, aimed at having pampering nights in and creating "the ultimate 'home spa' experience". Onto the contents:

• Dermalogica 3 step day & night skincare kit. I am saving this for when I go away and need to pack light, plus I already have skincare products on the go and want to use them up first. I think this is a handy little kit, the products smell very fresh and lemony. There is a foaming cleanser, and toning spritz and a mattifying moisturiser. It would cost £12 originally so I think it's a great addition to this box. Looking forward to trying it out!
• Anatomicals body scrub in grapefruit. I was thinking about purchasing the Soap & Glory body scrub a while ago, but it's pricey and I'm glad I waited as this came through the door. There are fine sand particles in this scrub, and they certainly give your skin a good buffing! The product smells lovely and fresh and really makes you feel clean- just clean out your bath/shower after using this as it looks like you've just got back from the seaside! A welcome addition to my shower and I think I'll be repurchasing it again, as the full size is only £3.49.
• Skinetica anti-blemish solution. Again, anything that might help my skin I look forward to trying out. This is a clear treatment solution you apply every 12 hours to clean skin before moisturiser. It claims that you can see results within 2-3 days, I'll be using this for a week or until it runs out so I'll see how it goes. The ingredients list water and alcohol though, so we'll see. Retails for £6.99 for 100ml.
• Yves Rocher moisturising lipstick in Mauve. Lovely lipstick, but it doesn't suit me :( If this was slightly more red, it would be perfect! I liked their mascara, so this was a nice product to get.

 So, Glossybox have surprised me this month, I like it all! The only little grump I have is that there were only 4 products, despite them advertising 5 per box. Oh well, they are useful products and I'm enjoying using them :) I also used my Glossydots for this box so it was free!

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Glossybox: July 2012

 Festivals was the theme for this month's Glossybox, with a nice mixture of products, although the Nuxe oil was a recurrence for me, as was the Monu product. Would I have taken any of these to a festival? Some of them for sure, but maybe not the Elizabeth Arden facial products- I have never washed my face at a festival and prefer to rely on good old make up wipes for a few days! I would however, take the perfume to keep me smelling lovely, the Paul Mitchell moisture spray to keep my hair refreshed, and also the lip gloss which smells amazing.
 Overall, a good box, but if I have to be picky then I would comment on the reappearance of a few brands/products. Luckily I can swap some with a lady I work with as she received different products, so I can't really complain, but I still wonder if we really get our money's worth every month. I would love to see some new, different products from other brands in the future, and also the opportunity to review previous box's contents, as these haven't been updated online for months. Anyway, little grump over, here are the products I got this month:

 Elizabeth Arden Cleanser, Serum and Skin Balance Lotion.
This will be a product I will be swapping with my friend, this brand has never really appealed to me in skin care terms and I don't really need it as I have lots of cleansers at the moment. Still, it was a nice product to get and would be really handy for taking on holiday and maximising your luggage space for more clothes haha!

Londoner N6 Urban Fragrance sample by Bex Londoner.
I love discovering new scents and this one is lovely- quite strong and musky for an EDT and it has good staying power. These scents are based on areas of London, N6 is inspired by Highgate Village and Hampstead Heath, and smells very herbal in a good way. I really enjoy getting the perfume samples, I take them when I travel so my perfume bottles are out of danger from being dropped, plus I can take a few and have them on rotation.

Nuxe Multi-Usage Dry Oil.
Another product I will be swapping as I already have an unused one from a previous box, and I have my Vo5 hair oil to use up first before I try this one out, although I have read very positive reviews! You can use this on hair, face, body etc, although I have also heard it can cause breakouts, so maybe approach with caution? I think I will stick to using this on my hair when I finally get round to using it.

Monu Night Renewal Complex cream.
I'm really enjoying this overnight moisturiser, I got a daytime one in a previous box and didn't really like it, but this one is much better. It's very heavily scented, very herbal, but I like that. So far nothing bad has happened to my skin, but no real improvements either, so maybe this will happen over time, but this is a nice cream and makes my skin feel soft and nourished. It's not tested on animals either, win.

Jelly Pong Pong Lip Gloss in Irish Cream Pavlova.
The scent of this reminds me of something from my childhood, but I cannot think of what! Maybe if I keep sniffing it then I will remember, and as it smells so good I don't mind doing that haha ;) This is a thick, bright pink lip gloss which does indeed smell like sweet pavlova. It's lovely worn alone or over my Collection 2000 matte lip creme, and feels very nourishing on my lips. The tube is quite big so will be lasting me for ages, this is my favourite product this month.

Paul Mitchell Moisture Hydrating Spray for face and hair.
Kind of like Fix Plus, but by Paul Mitchell. This is quite a nice product, ideal for the recent hot weather we've had in the UK. This did react with my hair spray, making my hair crispy, so it's best applied to clean/un-styled hair I think. It is refreshing, but I do avoid my face with it as I'm paranoid about products which could potentially cause spots. Nice hair product though and I will be taking this with me when I go on holiday.

 So, there are July's offerings! Did you get the same ones, or something a little different? What do you think of the products?

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July Faves

 Flora by Gucci 50ml EDT, Noble Isle Summer Rising Cornish Hedgerows shower gel, Maybelline Super Stay 10 hour tint gloss in Endless Ruby, Burts Bees Mango lip balm, Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover foundation.

 Just some products I cannot put down this month, highly recommend the Double Wear foundation, plus the Noble Isle shower gel. It smells divine and was a feature in a Glossybox a while back. For a long lasting red lip/stain, check out the 10 hour tint- this stuff does not budge. I swear.


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June Favourites/ Items of the Month

I really enjoy reading 'favourites' posts and watching ones on Youtube, so I thought it was about time I shared my favourite products of the month with you! I might have had a few of these for over a month, but only just really used them properly, and I can't seem to get enough of them :)

Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask, Boots Coconut & Almond Hair Mask, Mac Melba blusher, Natural Collection lipstick in Raspberry, Mac Strobe Cream, Essie Sand Tropez, Benefit The Porefessional.

 This is the sample of the Porefessional I got in last months Glamour magazine, I had wanted to try out this for ages, so I was happy to see it in the miniatures offered by Benefit to Glamour readers. This is a flesh-coloured primer which blends into your skintone (I don't think it really gives any coverage), leaving my skin feeling smoother and ready for my foundation. Since using this my makeup has lasted longer and my skin has felt less oily throughout the day. I like everything about this primer, including the light fruity scent, and I can see myself buying the full size of this when this little one has run out. Thumbs up!

I'm a sucker for a mac product, I'll happily jump on any mac product bandwagon if I see it raved about enough. So when I saw this talked about on blog posts/videos, I knew I had to try it. I got the smaller 30ml version to see if I liked it. And I do! It's lovely to mix in with my foundation and it gives the skin a glow. You also don't need much, this little tube will last a long time. It's full of nice stuff like antioxidants and green tea, so it's good for your skin and I can confirm it hasn't made my acne any worse. It also makes my skin feel soft and moisturised, dry skin sufferers would benefit from this I feel. I can see this becoming a staple in my makeup bag and routine. Well worth parting with some cash for this if you haven't tried it.

 Loving this treatment mask at the moment, another great product from Liz Earle (yes, I am obsessed!). I got this as the free product when I bought the monthly skin care offer a while ago. It's a rich cream that you slather on and take off with a muslin cloth run under warm water. I apply this before showering and leave it on until just before I get out. It makes my face soft and feeling smoother, and also helps with any redness from my spots. I only use this once or twice a week, but my skin thanks me for it. Worth investing in, and I believe any skin type can use and benefit from this.

 Yay for Essie! I've got a little collection of this brand going on, but so far this shade is my favourite- a light nude that can be built up into a sophisticated shade. It's similar to Models Own Utopia, but less purple. The longevity of this is fantastic (a week with no chips and without a top coat) and I am hooked. It also looks good under some nail art. Love it.

 When I bought this I was initially disappointed, but then I discovered I was using the wrong brush to apply it, and now I adore this shade. Melba is a popular one, and for good reasons. It warms the face up without being orange and lasts very very well, even without powder on my skin. I love it and really recommend it! I'm keen to invest in some more mac powder blushes (purchased Posey cream blusher last week, which is lovely), so I'll keep my eyes out for some shade inspiration.

 This smells amazing! I can't eat coconut due to some weird intolerance, but I love the smell and also using products with it in as it really makes my skin/hair feel lovely. This is a great hair mask and helps with my dry ends where any bleaching and heat appliances fry them. You get a huge tub for... £1.89! Bargain! Find this in Boots.

 A lipstick for £1.99?! It must be crap! Umm nope, it's actually very nice, moisturising and sheer, but buildable! And in quite a few different shades too, thanks Natural Collection (Boots). This was the last Raspberry shade left in store so I snapped it up, and I'm very glad I did. I like finding cheap-but-good products that work and don't cause too much damage to my bank balance ;)

 What are your monthly favourites? Found anything worth trying out?

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Glossybox: June 2012

June Glossybox contains: Pro Beauty Brush, Yves Rocher Mascara, BM Beauty summer warmth bronzer, Agent Provocateur perfume samples & Vichy Dermablend Concealer sample kit.


 Good job Glossybox! Loving the contents! The theme this month was 'sexy summer style' (bit cringe if you ask me), with products you could take on holiday easily without over-cramming your suitcase.

 The stand out product for me is the Dermablend test kit, I tried this out today and I'm very impressed, when my mac concealer dies I'll be investing in some of this, maybe even the Vichy Dermablend foundation too. The concealer has great staying power and coverage, although I found I needed to set it with some mac MSF. I also like how you have the option of creating your own custom blend with the colours, although I was a bit surprised at how few colour options there were- darker skin tones might find these too light to wear I fear.

 The brush was a nice feature, although no way would I pay £15 full price for this, Sigma offer cheaper and better brushes than this, as do Real Techniques, sorry Glossybox. The mascara is something I'm looking forward to trying, as I prefer bristle brushes as opposed to the plastic wand applicators.

The BM Beauty bronzer is very very lovely, just apply with a light hand as a word of caution, or the side of your face will turn orange (this might have happened this morning...) ahem. It's very finely milled, creating a very soft product. The full 4g size is only £8, sounds very reasonable to me. If it was a pressed powder it might easier to apply though, as I tend to waste this as it's awkward to tap the excess back into such a small pot.

 And finally the perfume samples, cannot complain this month as I adore Agent Provocateur! I'm lucky enough to own quite a few pieces of their lingerie courtesy of Adam and I have gone through a few bottles of their perfume too. Beautiful scents! Although I have read you can get this little sample box free from the official website, so it's a bit cheeky of Glossybox but I do love all the perfumes so I won't gripe too much ;)

 Do you subscribe to Glossybox or any of the other beauty box services? Let me know :)

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