Glossybox is a monthly subscription of 5 high-end beauty product samples (with some full-size products sometimes, too) for £10 + £2.95 p+p)
You can earn Glossydots by reviewing the products in a quick survey, or by inviting friends, and redeem points for a free box. Each survey is worth 50 points, so if you review 5 products a month, every 5th Glossybox should be free. You get 200 Glossydots for every friend that signs up and places an order (1000 Glossydots = 1 free box)
The May Glossybox was the 2nd Birthday edition, featuring some of Glossybox's 'trusted and most beloved brands'. I was really excited for the box, knowing what the previous more impressive brands have been - Givenchy, Yves-Rocher, Dermalogica, Rodial, Essie etc. And I figured as a birthday edition, they would be featuring some of the aboce. They did include two Givenchy items, a mascara and a perfume, however I didn't receive either of those (not that I'm disappointed about not receiving yet another perfume sample! But the Noir Couture mascara would have been nice!)
The first product I received was a mascara, however it wasn't the Givenchy one, it was from Jelly Pong Pong - a brand that I've become very familiar with since subscribing to Glossybox.
The packaging is super cute as always, but the product itself I'm not too keen on. The brush has bristles rather than the plastic wands I'm more partial to, so I find it barely picks up any product at all. It has a better result than the MeMeMe Fat Cat mascara I got in the February box - which I tried once and put in my 'do not use' make up box - it is volumising and lengthening and does everything you'd like it to after a couple of coats, but the formula dries to such a strange finish I don't even understand how they could think it was a good idea to put it on the market.
It dries to a plastic finish - the best way I can describe it is as melted plastic honestly. Rather than flaking off like a bad mascara normally does, it comes off in clumpy strips, and because it's so light it travels to weird places on my face. I looked in the mirror a couple of hours after applying it and, no word of a lie, I had mascara on my forehead. It fell upwards. How does that even happen? It wasn't a one-off either, it's happened multiple times since.
At £15 for 8ml, I wouldn't recommend it. Cheaper mascaras from Rimmel have less flaking (melting) than this one, or for £19 you could get Benefit They're Real (holy grail mascara).
The second product in the box was a liquid eyeliner from Collection (previously Collection 2000). I really do like it, the handle is a great shape and weight for precision lines and the nib is neither too soft that it won't put down product nor too hard that it will cut you up.
The formula is pretty great, it dries relatively quickly (10 seconds ish) and has quite good colour payoff. I prefer using it as a base and filling in with a black eyeshadow on a small brush, to give it a richer finish, but it could definitely work on it's own too.
I've done a few different looks with this, from very thin, close to the lash line, simple liner to slightly winged to a more dramatic 60's style wing. I haven't had any problems with control - I can get a sharp point at the end of the flick, or get a really tiny subtle line - thanks to the pointed nib.
Retailing at £2.99/6ml it's very cheap and I would definitely recommend it. I obviously can't comment on the product life as I've only had it for about a week so far, but for £2.99 you really can't complain if it dries out after 3 months.
Available from Collection Cosmetics, Boots, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Wilkinson, Lloyds Pharmacy, Gordons Chemists and Superdrug.
Next up is a brand I was hoping I wouldn't see again in my Glossybox - BM Beauty which has now been renamed as Beautiful Movements Cosmetics. I was pretty surprised to read that it's actually former Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt's make up line. She usually has lovely make up. Obviously she isn't using her own products.
With the entire range being paraben free, naturally coloured and BUAV approved, I would LOVE to love the products but the ones I've tried, I just don't like at all.
This one is the Prime and Create Mixing Medium - a silicone based primer which can be used as a makeup base or mixed with mineral makeup to create a more full-coverage, airbrushed finish.
As a primer it hasn't worked for me, and it hasn't really worked when I've mixed it with other products, but I understand how technically it SHOULD work. Maybe it would work better with other BM products, but honestly I just don't want to waste money on products from a range I have actively disliked in the past.
I do love the velvety feel of silicone primers on my skin and I will save it for when I inevitably get another BM product in a future Glossybox and update this if I see any difference.
It retails at £20/20g which, even if it did work, I probably wouldn't pay.
Fourth is a nail polish from Headline Colours - a brand I hadn't previously heard of. It's a gunmetal polish which excites me, and I'm currently wearing it on my fingers and toes. It hasn't chipped so far and it's been a good few days (with a top coat), so I'm suitably impressed!
It has a nice small brush so the edges of my nails aren't left naked, and two coats gives a perfect opaque colour, although it isn't streaky at all with just one coat, just a bit transparent for me.
Most of the colours are limited edition and created to match the very latest trends - according to the website, 'once they're gone, they're gone' - which is an interesting concept!
The formula is free from toluene, BDP and formaldehyde and is made in the UK. It contains four plasticisers to allow for flex without cracking or chipping, and is water resistant for durability.
It retails at £9/10ml, which, for the quality, I would pay if I saw a colour I loved.
Available from Headline Colours
Last up is a can of shine Spray from Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi Wild Ginger range.
There isn't really much I can say about this product, it does what it says on the tin really. It adds a really nice shine to any hairstyle, without weighing your hair down. It smells clean and fresh, and has a really soft finish - no crunchy/dry texture.
The RRP is £18.95/125ml, which is expensive by anyone's standards - and it's only available to buy in Awapuhi salons.
A list of Awapuhi salons can be found on the Paul Mitchell website.
You can earn Glossydots by reviewing the products in a quick survey, or by inviting friends, and redeem points for a free box. Each survey is worth 50 points, so if you review 5 products a month, every 5th Glossybox should be free. You get 200 Glossydots for every friend that signs up and places an order (1000 Glossydots = 1 free box)
The May Glossybox was the 2nd Birthday edition, featuring some of Glossybox's 'trusted and most beloved brands'. I was really excited for the box, knowing what the previous more impressive brands have been - Givenchy, Yves-Rocher, Dermalogica, Rodial, Essie etc. And I figured as a birthday edition, they would be featuring some of the aboce. They did include two Givenchy items, a mascara and a perfume, however I didn't receive either of those (not that I'm disappointed about not receiving yet another perfume sample! But the Noir Couture mascara would have been nice!)
The first product I received was a mascara, however it wasn't the Givenchy one, it was from Jelly Pong Pong - a brand that I've become very familiar with since subscribing to Glossybox.
The packaging is super cute as always, but the product itself I'm not too keen on. The brush has bristles rather than the plastic wands I'm more partial to, so I find it barely picks up any product at all. It has a better result than the MeMeMe Fat Cat mascara I got in the February box - which I tried once and put in my 'do not use' make up box - it is volumising and lengthening and does everything you'd like it to after a couple of coats, but the formula dries to such a strange finish I don't even understand how they could think it was a good idea to put it on the market.It dries to a plastic finish - the best way I can describe it is as melted plastic honestly. Rather than flaking off like a bad mascara normally does, it comes off in clumpy strips, and because it's so light it travels to weird places on my face. I looked in the mirror a couple of hours after applying it and, no word of a lie, I had mascara on my forehead. It fell upwards. How does that even happen? It wasn't a one-off either, it's happened multiple times since.
At £15 for 8ml, I wouldn't recommend it. Cheaper mascaras from Rimmel have less flaking (melting) than this one, or for £19 you could get Benefit They're Real (holy grail mascara).
The second product in the box was a liquid eyeliner from Collection (previously Collection 2000). I really do like it, the handle is a great shape and weight for precision lines and the nib is neither too soft that it won't put down product nor too hard that it will cut you up. The formula is pretty great, it dries relatively quickly (10 seconds ish) and has quite good colour payoff. I prefer using it as a base and filling in with a black eyeshadow on a small brush, to give it a richer finish, but it could definitely work on it's own too.
I've done a few different looks with this, from very thin, close to the lash line, simple liner to slightly winged to a more dramatic 60's style wing. I haven't had any problems with control - I can get a sharp point at the end of the flick, or get a really tiny subtle line - thanks to the pointed nib.
Retailing at £2.99/6ml it's very cheap and I would definitely recommend it. I obviously can't comment on the product life as I've only had it for about a week so far, but for £2.99 you really can't complain if it dries out after 3 months.
Available from Collection Cosmetics, Boots, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Wilkinson, Lloyds Pharmacy, Gordons Chemists and Superdrug.
Next up is a brand I was hoping I wouldn't see again in my Glossybox - BM Beauty which has now been renamed as Beautiful Movements Cosmetics. I was pretty surprised to read that it's actually former Pussycat Dolls member Kimberly Wyatt's make up line. She usually has lovely make up. Obviously she isn't using her own products.
With the entire range being paraben free, naturally coloured and BUAV approved, I would LOVE to love the products but the ones I've tried, I just don't like at all.
This one is the Prime and Create Mixing Medium - a silicone based primer which can be used as a makeup base or mixed with mineral makeup to create a more full-coverage, airbrushed finish. As a primer it hasn't worked for me, and it hasn't really worked when I've mixed it with other products, but I understand how technically it SHOULD work. Maybe it would work better with other BM products, but honestly I just don't want to waste money on products from a range I have actively disliked in the past.
I do love the velvety feel of silicone primers on my skin and I will save it for when I inevitably get another BM product in a future Glossybox and update this if I see any difference.
It retails at £20/20g which, even if it did work, I probably wouldn't pay.
Fourth is a nail polish from Headline Colours - a brand I hadn't previously heard of. It's a gunmetal polish which excites me, and I'm currently wearing it on my fingers and toes. It hasn't chipped so far and it's been a good few days (with a top coat), so I'm suitably impressed!It has a nice small brush so the edges of my nails aren't left naked, and two coats gives a perfect opaque colour, although it isn't streaky at all with just one coat, just a bit transparent for me.
Most of the colours are limited edition and created to match the very latest trends - according to the website, 'once they're gone, they're gone' - which is an interesting concept!
The formula is free from toluene, BDP and formaldehyde and is made in the UK. It contains four plasticisers to allow for flex without cracking or chipping, and is water resistant for durability.
It retails at £9/10ml, which, for the quality, I would pay if I saw a colour I loved.
Available from Headline Colours
Last up is a can of shine Spray from Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi Wild Ginger range.
There isn't really much I can say about this product, it does what it says on the tin really. It adds a really nice shine to any hairstyle, without weighing your hair down. It smells clean and fresh, and has a really soft finish - no crunchy/dry texture.
The RRP is £18.95/125ml, which is expensive by anyone's standards - and it's only available to buy in Awapuhi salons.
A list of Awapuhi salons can be found on the Paul Mitchell website.
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