Review: Glossybox November 2012

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 sent to you in a quick survey, and redeem points for a free box. (1000 GlossyDots = 1 free box)

 'Tried and tested by the Glossybox Pros, Glossybox does the hard work for you'

The November 2012 box was themed around 'Stocking Fillers' - for all your Christmas shopping needs.  I did like all the products in this box, for once!  Well, except one ;)



The first product was Mango Body Butter by Alison Claire, made with organic mango and cocoa butters.  It has both anti-ageing properties from the Retinol, anti-oxidant properties from the Mango, Green Tea and Vitamin E, antimicrobial properties from White Willow and Citric Acid and calming properties from the Aloe Vera and Comfrey.  It has over 70% organic ingredients and is not tested on animals.

The body butter is available in both a tub and an airless pump bottle.  I have the pump bottle, and I think it's the future of body butter application, it makes it so easy - you get less out, so you don't make a mess or over-apply, and there's no dropping lids on the floor and stepping in a gloopy mango puddle.

The best thing about it is that it smells like mango ice cream - not a harsh, super fruity smell, it's more creamy and smooth, and it lasts ages on your skin.  The texture is light and silky, and it doesn't make you greasy if you apply it properly (massage into skin well).

I love it, and I would recommend buying it.  The only problem is that the pump is only available in 50ml (would be £31.96/200ml), and you get effectively twice as much for your money if you get the 200ml tub.

(RRP. £7.99/50ml or £15/200ml, available from AlisonClaireNaturalBeauty.com)



The second product in the box was an Indian Rose Face Cream by Ayuuri.  It has Indian Rose, Jasmine, Aloe Vera, and 5 different parabens, so I won't use it.

For my blog on parabens and their harmful effects, click here.

The next product was a sample bottle of Body Perfume from Burberry, and unlike the regular samples, this one came in a cute little glass bottle with a screw top lid.

It has topnotes of Absinthe, Peach and Freesia, with a heart of Rose and Sandalwood, and basenotes of Vanilla, Amber and Musk.  The smell is a bit powerful for my everyday wear, but for special occasions I will dab a bit of this on my neck.  

The smell fades off after a few hours, but a creamy vanilla smell lingers for a while longer.  It's really nice and not what I'd typically expect from the Burberry brand, so if you want to try something a bit more sophisticated smelling, go for this.

(RRP. £75/85ml, available from FragranceShop.com for £40.55/85ml)

Fourth in the box was the Kensington Caviar Top Coat from Nails Inc - 'a must have product' that will 'give your nails a wet shine whilst nourishing the nails with added caviar extract'.  I got a tiny sample bottle, but it's lasted me well so far.  The bottle is exactly the same as the other Nails Inc products, with its large lid making application a bit harder as you can't get a grip around it.

The colour is slightly pink in-bottle, but dries perfectly clear, and actually does make my nail colour last a lot longer.  I've used it over normal nail colours along with glitter polish and nail wraps.  It held up well with all of them, and didn't smudge the colour underneath, which was great.  It claims to dry in 45 seconds, but mine usually dries in 30 - even better.

With an RRP of £11/10ml, it's quite pricey, but it can be bought in a duo with the Kensington Caviar Base Coat from QVCuk.com for £14.95, or alone from WantTheLook.com for £10.80/10ml

The final product in the box deserves its own review - and will get one very soon! It was already mentioned in my Skincare Routine blog, and is the Daily Microfoliant from Dermalogica.

I currently own 3 travel size and one full size of this as I received the full size for Christmas, and then bought 2 more travel size with my Christmas money.  I love it. It's my hero product and it's helped clear my skin so well over the past 2 months.  

It's a very fine rice bran based exfoliating powder, it's so gentle that you can't feel its effects until you dry your face and it feels brand new.  You use 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon a day, mixed into a paste on very wet hands and applied to a dry face, making the 13g travel size last a couple of months (my first 13g is still 1/2 full after 2 months), and the 75g a lot longer. 

I would recommend this product to everyone, it's great for all skin types and cleans your face to perfection.

(RRP. £38.50/75g, available from many websites at a very reduced price - details in my Dermalogica Deals blog post)


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Skincare Routine

Like I said in my last post, I have sensitive skin with hormonal acne.  Pretty sexy.  So I do what I can to disguise the mess it gets into and that involves mainly washing, exfoliating and camouflaging.  The first two, I will talk about now.  Camouflage later.

I received this gift set for Christmas, after trying Daily Microfoliant from my Glossybox a couple of months ago and falling in love.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 75g with two free gifts
RRP £30.80




When I wake up I wash my face with Dermalogica Pre-cleanse - I massage a few drops into my (dry) face and then add a bit of water and massage some more, in small circles.  Then rinse.

'This plant-based cleansing oil, fortified with Olive and Kukui oils, thoroughly melts layers of excess sebum (oil), sunscreen, waterproof make-up, environmental pollutants and residual skin products that build-up during the day.' 


Dermalogica Precleanse
RRP £31.50/150ml

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 

RRP £38.50/75g

Next, I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, 1/2 a tsp onto very wet hands, rub into a thick paste and then rub onto a dry face, again in small circles.  I do this for about 2 minutes, making sure I get every single mm of my face and neck scrubbed, and then rinse it off.

'A unique, Rice-based enzyme powder that activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes to smooth the skin and accelerate cell renewal.  The unique Skin Brightening Complex of Bearberry, Aspergillus, Grapefruit and Liquorice helps to balance uneven skin pigmentation.  A super-soothing blend of Green Tea, Ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal calms inflammation, leaving the skin extraordinarily clear and refreshed. Gentle enough to use on a daily basis.'

My face now feels squeaky clean and lovely but very very dry - moisturiser.  I have tried SO MANY moisturisers - from cheap own-brands to chemist brands to more commonly recommended ones to high-end ones - and the only one I've found that doesn't make my skin greasy or dry it out more or break me out is this one, from ASDA's Skin System range - the Day Cream with SPF 15 and Co-enzyme Q10.

Asda Skin System Day Cream SPF15 

RRP £3.00/50ml

'Specially developed for 20 skin. Anti-oxidant youth blend. Fights first signs of ageing. Collagen damage protection. Dermatologically tested. Suitable for vegetarians. Q10 day cream SPF15 About this Product: Q10 Day Cream with SPF15 has been formulated to help prevent the first signs of ageing. Coenzyme Q10 protects against collagen damage and works to keep the skin firm. An anti-oxidant blend of pomegranate, cranberry and green tea helps to protect skin from free radicals, while rosehip oil moisturises and nourishes the skin. Asda is against animal testing & funds research into alternatives.'

It is my miracle cream.  I use a small amount every morning (and night, I'm not keen on the night cream they have) and it keeps me perfectly moisturised ALL day.  Looks like they've changed the packaging now, but the ingredients are the same.  And it only costs £3 so that makes me happy.

At night I pretty much repeat this step by step, the only difference being that I remove my makeup first with Witch Cleansing and Toning Makeup Remover Wipes.  I feel like they just give an added protection against overnight spots and they do a pretty good job of removing my eye makeup, too - so that's a bonus.  I got them from Tesco on a whim as they were the same price as Tesco own-brand sensitive wipes which I used previously.

'Witch Cleansing and Toning Wipes quickly remove make up and dirt to reveal cleansed, tingling skin that feels soft and supple.  Cleans skin and helps tighten pores.  For more than 40 years, Witch has used nature's clever ingredient Witch Hazel. It naturally cleanses, tones and soothes, leaving your skin perfectly balanced, soft and healthy looking.'

Witch Cleansing and Toning WipesRRP £1.99

This pretty much keeps my skin in check, every now and again I'll mix it up - I just got Dermalogica's Bedtime for Breakouts, so I'll start using that tonight and see if that makes any difference, whack a review on here when I see any change.

So that's my skincare routine as of the start of Jan 2012 :)

Please leave comments below to let me know anything you'd like to see!

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