Glossybox Reviews and Thoughts

I promised a full review of the products contained in my July Glossybox. This might seem a little late but I didn’t want to let my initial disappointment about what I received cloud my judgement of the products, plus you need a couple weeks to break them in before drawing any conclusions. If you’d like to read more about the service and my first thoughts on July’s Glossy box, click here.

So this is what I got and this is what I think of it…

Weleda P0megranate Body Oil (100ml RRP £19.50)

Despite looking like a bottle of cough medicine, this is undoubtedly the jewel in this Glossyboxes crown, and probably the product that’s saved my subscription. Glossybox promises luxury products and this is certainly LUXURIOUS. The rich body oil smells divine! It’s best used straight out of the bath/shower and applied to moist skin. I’ve been using it twice a week for three weeks now and I really think my skin’s softer, plus a little goes a long way. It’s not sticky either and it absorbs well, although I wouldn’t recommend wearing good clothes after application. I normally use it before bed or on a duvet day (which there’s been a lot of lately). Body oils have never been a product that feature in my beauty routine, until now! And that’s the whole point of Glossybox, to allow you to try products you wouldn’t necessarily choose. Yes this one is expensive, but depending how long it lasts, I’d probably buy it.

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether (15g RRP £22)

Ok, this multi use powder is very nice BUT it’s not for me. The loose powder is a shimmering yellowy gold and can be used on the face and body as an all over highlighter, or concentrated to smaller areas such as the eyes and used as a shadow. The intensity is buildible and the colour is flattering but I have many products that already do that job, but better, such as Mac’s Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle.

Ciate Nail Enamel in Mohito (13.5ml RRP £9)

I tried, I really did, but SHREK green isn’t very wearable. I’ll probably give this to my teenage sister.

Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum (5ml sample)

It’s not offensive, nice to try but not a fragrance for me.

Ultra Sun Face SPF (15ml sample)

I haven’t used this yet, I’m saving it for my holidays in two weeks (can’t wait) but I expect it’ll be good and the 15ml size is a pretty handy handbag size.

Glossybox thoughts

So much has already been said about the service, so I won’t got on… too much. The question of whether or not this service is a good one and value for money is completely up to the individual. At face value this is a lot of products for ten pounds, but it’s only good value if they’re products you’ll actually use. In my glossybox this month I will use both the Weleda body oil and the suncream, so I’d say it’s worth it, still I’m left with three products I’ll not use. My main problem with Glossybox is the randomness of the products you receive. Each month there’s a pool of around ten products, of which you’ll get five. These five are apparently based on your preferences, although to me, it appears to be random. A lot of other Glossybox recipient got a Xen tan product and false eyelashes this monthly, which I would have been really happy with – GLOSSYBOX ENVY! Another huge problem I have with the service is that the price has gone up. When I signed up in May, the service was £10 per month the FREE delivery. Glossybox quickly realised that wasn’t viable and therefore increased the cost by £2.95 to include postage costs. To me this was a BIG mistake, I signed up to a “ten pounds all in” service!

I guess the best thing to do is balance up the pros and cons.

Positives

• You get five “luxury” products for £10 per month, plus postage costs
• Try before you buy and discover new products you wouldn’t necessarily choose
• GORGEOUS packaging and handy, reusable box
• It’s like a surprise present being delivered to the door
• No minimum subscription

Negatives

• You don’t know what you’re going to get
• GLOSSYBOX ENVY – from the pool of monthly products, you might not receive the products you’d have liked
• You might not like or use the products you receive
• The monthly price has increased from £10 to £12.95

I think I’m still undecided on this one, so I’m planning to keep my subscription on for another month or so. On the one hand, I’m obsessed by all things beauty and this is a new and innovative way to satisfy that need, but I also like control over what I buy and £13 per month might be better spent on products I know I want, rather than gambling on ones I might not???

Glossybox lives on, for now at least.

I’d love to hear you thoughts?

July’s GlossyBox has arrived…..

And I’m initially disappointed!

The concept I love (read more about GlossyBox)

The excitement and anticipation I love

The packaging I love

 

 

But the products…

 

 

Not so much?!?!

Ciate Nail Enamel (13.5ml RRP £9)

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether (15g RRP £22)

Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum (5ml sample)

Ultra Sun Face SPF (15ml sample)

Weleda Pmegranate Body Oil (100ml RRP £19.50)

I’m not going to let my initial disappointment cloud my judgement. A full review of the products and service will follow, let’s just say my expectations haven’t been fulfilled.

I would have been really happy with the Ciate nail enamel – but Shrek green aint my style

I realise at face value this looks like a lot of products for £10 – but it’s only worth it if they’re products you’ll actually use.

Whatsmore – such is the power of the beauty blog, a quick search and you can find out what other people received in their box = GlossyBox envy. Variations on the products this month includes Xen-Tan self tanning product, False Eyelashes and Illamasqua Lipgloss – all of which I would have been very happy with, oh and Ciate Nail colours that are much more wearable than SHREK GREEN!

Perhaps we can start a GlossyBox swap service?

REVIEW: Benefit Posietint

Judging by the depleted shelves at newsagents and supermarkets I’m guessing everyone and their dog got their mits on July’s much coveted edition of Glamour Magazine with its Benefit freebies. Here are my thoughts on Posietint…

First of, it’s small. Be warned, I knew it was a 4ml edition, but was still surprised by how small it is. A little does go a long way and this size it really handy for handbags and holidays. Here it is compared to a 35 ml perfume bottle…

Cheek stains don’t really feature in my make up collection. I love cream blushers and liquid highlighters, but I find cheek stains a little odd – they’re not a cream, not a powder and normally very sheer. I tried Benetint years ago, but found the consistency very running and wasn’t wowed by the rosie shade.

Posietint is a much lighter shade than its older sister Benetint. Straight from the jar it looks like a bright bubble-gum pink, but don’t be scared off, once applied it’s a suibtle petal pink.

The fluid has a thicker texture than Benetint, almost gel-like, and spreads easily over cheeks, simply dab on a few spots or small lines on on the cheeks, blend in quickly. It leaves a lovely glow on the cheeks, but it’s not dewy like a cream blush. For a more intense colour, allow to dry and apply another layer. It also works well with Benefit’s high beam, which can be dabbed on the cheek bones to further highlight the cheeks.

It’s advertised as a lip and cheek stain, but I’m not entertaining it on the lips – it’s too thin and runny. So, am I sold on cheek stains, not really, but this one deserves it’s place in my collection and is a welcome break from my usual routine and gives me a pretty, pink glow.

More Magazine Loot….

Anyone that follows me on Twitter will know that I was on a mission yesterday to snap up a glamour mag, or two. Eight shops, two supermarkets and a shopping centre (and a little help from my friends) later I finally managed to get my hands on the much coverted July edition of Glamour magazine, well three editions to be precise.

 

I blogged earlier in the week about the Benefit freebies available – High Beam, Benetint and Posietint. I like high beam, it’s a great liquid highlighter and really wanted to try Posietint, BUT I’m not a fan of Benetint, it’s just not my colour. So, when my subscription copy landed on the door mat, which one did they send me? You guessed it….Benetint.

I’m happy that I now have the full set and will be doing a review of all of them, just as soon as I get through some of these magazines.

Let me know if you managed to get one and what you think of the products.

Something for the weekend: Jemma Kidd Coral Lipgloss

I blogged earlier in the week about all the fab mag freebies on offer this month. I hadn’t intended to purchase this one, I tried to abstain (honest), but my addiction got the better of me and I couldn’t resist the free Jemma Kidd lipgloss with Red MaGAZINE. I had a good excuse though, I’m planning on hitting the town at the weekend in a coral dress, and wanted a lipgloss to match.

It’s my first Jemma Kidd lipgloss and I’m happy to report I’m very impressed. The colour is a PERFECT match to the dress. A true coral, not too red, not too pink.

The texture is very nice too. A little balmy, but not too sticky and not at all glupey or tacky. Glides on like a dream and smells great too. My only criticism, it’s a bit too transparent, I’d have preferred more pigmentation. This one will need teaming with a lipstick if you want maximum impact. Here’s how it looks on the lips…

Hey, for £3.80 including the magazine, I ain’t complaining.

Magazine Freebies GALORE

I do love a good magazine. I’d say I’m a habitual glossy mag buyer, even if  I don’t have time to  read them, I still can’t resist tearing them off the shelves. That said I’ve been a little better recently, weaning myself off the weekly’s and sticking mainly to my top monthly’s (Glamour, Instyle and Elle).

All that, of course, goes out of the window in the summer months when our wonderful magazines are throwing freebies at us.  We’ve all been there, in the airport stockpiling canvas bags, sunglasses, lotions and potions. Clearly I don’t need much of an incentive to buy a mag, so stick a free REISS top on the front and I’m sold….

Yep, you heard me, buy July’s edition of Elle Magazine (in shops now £3.80) with the super-hot Rosie Huntington-Whiteley on the cover and receive a free limited edition Reiss vest top. Designed exclusively by Garance Doré with 4 colours to choose from. I picked up the beige.

 

Of course it’s made on the cheap and it’s quite thin but it’s not a bad effort and will look great layered under or over another top. It is however quite small, beware they market these tops as one size fits all but I’d say this is an 8.

Here’s just some of my magazine loot I’ve picked up in the last year…

 

As the freebie season is upon us, keep your eyes peeled on the news stands, here are some worth watching out for.

Jemma Kidd Lipglosses with Red

This one’s already out and flying off the shelves fast. Red Magazine (Cat Deeley on the front) are giving away full size Jemma Kidd glosses, worth £14, available in three colours a coral, light pink and a red.

Benefit Make up in Glamour

Watch out for Glamour magazine, out  June 9th for some free benefit  High Beam, Benetint and Posietint. Beware, unlike previous Glamour/Benefit collaborations, these are not full size products. The free samples are Approx. 4 mls, around a third of the regular size. Still, not a bad deal considering they retail between £18.50 and £23.50 for 12-13mls.

Body Shop gift voucher with Instyle

Pick up July’s edition of Instyle magazine for a free £5 Body Shop voucher. Out June 9th.

Also this month you can pick up a free full size Inika Mineral Eye liner or Inika Mineral Eyeshadow with Marie Claire Magazine and an £11 Leighton Denny Nail Polish with Harpers Bazaar magazine (£4.20).

Cue a rush to the newsagents.