June 2013 Glossybox Review

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 June Glossybox theme is 'Summer Looks' - the ultimate staples for any summer make up bag.  

The first product I received was a Helen E Shimmer Eye Powder - in Shade 22 - silver.  I've always associated silver with winter, what with it being not at all warm or fun.  It is very sparkly and shimmery etc, but I can't see myself using it until at least October.  It's a good sized pot (1.5g) of loose pigment, and can be used wet or dry.  But I can't help being disappointed that I didn't get a bronze/copper or even the olive green colour they have (Shade 25).  They have at least 14 shades I would use and rave about, but I got silver.  Sad face.

The packaging is really cute, a clear hexagonal pot with a silver lid, and a pepper shaker style dispenser.  I guess that contributes to the price - £5 for 1.5g.  I always find it hard to understand the price difference between products like these, am I paying for the quality or the name? MUA do a range of eye dusts that are very similar, and cost £1 each.  Barry M Dazzle Dusts are £4.59 and Makeup Geek pigments are about £4.50.  I don't see the justification and I can't compare the pigmentation as the silver seems quite sheer, but it doesn't really show up well on my skin tone - is it bad quality or is it my skin colour?

The range is available from Helen-E.com for £5 (Use the discount code PR13 for £10 off orders over £25 until 31/07/13)

The next product in the box was a lip tint from Figs & Rouge in Cherry Blossom.  It's by far my favourite item in this month's box, as it is

- 100% Natural Ingredients

- Petroleum Free
- Paraben Free
- Mineral Oil Free
- Free of Synthetic Colours & Aromas

It comes in really nice bright packaging, which looks like a paint tube, with a screw cap.  The product itself doesn't have a strong smell or that nasty plastic feel to it like some lip products do.  It's moisturising and has a nice colour - kind of a deep dusty pink.  

It lasts quite a long time on the lips and doesn't transfer too much.  It keeps my lips soft and doesn't look too shiny or sticky (and my hair doesn't get stuck in it either, #1 trait of a good lip product)

It can be applied either straight from the tube, with fingers or with a brush.  I keep mine in my bag and use it multiple times throughout the day when I feel it's wearing off a bit - and it's great for summer when my lips are getting dehydrated faster than usual due to the heat we're actually getting for once in the UK.

It retails at £4.95 for 12.5ml and can be bought from FeelUnique.com with free delivery.

Third in the June box was a Long Lasting Nail Gloss from MeMeMe - a brand that keeps popping up in my Glossybox, and to be honest, I wish it wouldn't.  

It claims to be a 'premium, long-lasting, high-shine nail gloss complete with maxi-brush for one-stroke application.'  What I've found it to actually be is an almost clear, very watery nail polish that lasted just long enough for me to see the result and wipe it straight off again.  There was no opacity except at the edges of my nail where the product actually ran to.  I've never had a nail polish that was so watery that it could run before, so that's unique I guess.

Maybe it's that I got the colour Ambitious, which is a dusty pink, but I'm leaning more towards it being a bad product.  

I definitely wouldn't pay £5 for this, but if you want to give it a try, you can use the discount code GBUK15 for 15% off from MeMeMeCosmetics.co.uk

Next up is a Hydrating Moisturiser SPF15 from Monu.

'Soft focus technology helps to blur imperfections and to correct skin tone. We use Zinc Oxide to provide a physical barrier against the sun’s harmful rays. This provides broad spectrum UV protection with good UVA to UVB ratio. Includes Vitamin E, an antioxidant, to fight free radicals. The best way to stop your face from ageing is to protect it from the sun.'

My general rule with moisturisers is that if I can't pronounce at least 50% of the ingredients, it probably isn't good for my skin, and the ingredients on this bottle read like a Swahili tongue twister.

'Aqua (Water), Zinc Oxide, C12- C15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ribes Nigrum (Blackcurrant) Seed Oil, Isostearic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopherol, Silica, C13-14 isoparaffin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Lactic Acid, Linallol, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-7, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Isoceteth-10, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Citronellol, Benzyl Salicylate, Farnesol, Limonene'

I've tried it, and it does moisturise quite well, doesn't smell, and extra SPF is great any time of year.  Again, the price isn't very budget friendly at £29.95/50ml, so I wouldn't recommend it purely based on that if nothing else, but if you want to give it a try you can use the discount code Glossy1 until 01/10/13 on monushop.co.uk

Last in the box was Huile Prodigieuse (R) OR from NUXE, a 'multi-talking desert-island dry oil... forumlated to be easily absorbed and illuminate all skin and hair types with a subtle golden shimmer that looks like it comes from within'.  I'll admit, it is subtle, as I didn't notice any difference at all really.  

The ingredients say to spray the oil into your palms and rub onto the face/hair.  However the sample I got didn't have a spray dispenser, so maybe that affected the application.  It can be used all over the body, face and hair but again, I don't feel that I can comment because the sample wasn't packaged correctly and I can't really use it as it's meant to be used.

At £34/100ml, I won't try to recommend it as that's a lot of money to spend on a product that may or may not work.  However, if you have tried it, please comment below to let me know the best way to use it!  

I also have a 15% off discount code for Nuxe.co.uk - Just enter GLOSSYBOXDISC before 30/6/13.

***Bonus Item***

I would like to mention that in this box there was a bonus item, a sachet of John Frieda Sheer Blonde Everlasting Blonde Shampoo and conditioner - however, being a full on ginge, I won't be using it.  

I do complete my beauty profile on Glossybox regularly, to make sure I get the products that suit me best, but I'm getting the feeling that the information gets lost somewhere.

Overall, the June Glossybox was a bit of a let down - some of the other products available would have been PERFECT for me - Frizz Ease Original Serum, Helen E Waterproof Lip Liner, Monu Soap-Free Facial Wash, Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster/Skin Tone Perfecting Booster, Gosh Growth Mascara, ANY of those would have been great, and all 5 would have been a great box.  Maybe next month will be better... maybe.

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