July 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 'Seaside Splash' - the all-in-one pamper package that won't leave you high and dry.  The box is bright blue with seashells etc, and makes a nice change from the usual pink.


The first product in the box was Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist by Alterna Haircare.  It claims to add texture, volume and healthy shine to all hair types to create that 'just back from the beach' look.  

The bottle says that it can be applied to either damp or dry hair, and should be sprayed from roots to tips then shaped with fingers to create a loose, tousled style.  It basically works like any other sea salt type stray, and gives a really nice end result.  I used it when I was going out for a long day and didn't have time to dry my hair before I left, it ended up really nice and thick and shiny and didn't get too matted or tangled.

It contains Organic Bamboo Extract - to boost hair's strength, flexability and sustainability for stronger, healthier hair and also Blue Yucca Root, a natural fixative which is high in starch to create long-lasting style and hold.  The organic ingredients are grown responsibly and traded ethically, with their production and sales helping to support local communities whilst remaining ethically friendly.

It is also free from Sulphates, Sodium Chloride, Parabens, Gluten, TEA and Phthalates.

Although I enjoy using the product, I think that at £23/125ml, it is way overpriced, however, if they brought out say, a 50ml bottle for £5, I would definitely buy it.

Available to buy from GorgeousShop.co.uk for £18.40 with free shipping.

The second product in the box was Coola Mineral face SPF20 Unscented, a mineral sunscreen with a Titanium Dioxide formula for those who are Zinc sensitive.  it contains 98% natural ingredients, including:

Organic Acai Oil - high in Omegas 3, 6 & 9, Vitamins B1,2&3 plus antioxidant Vitamins C and E.

Organic Sunflower Seed Extract - promotes elasticity.

Organic Linseed Oil - contains Alpha-Linolenic Acids, which reduce redness and irritation.

Plankton Extract - rejuvinating phyto-protector.

Organic Cucumber Extract - calms skin.

It is also hypoallergenic, paraben free, ultra sheer, anti-aging, water resistant for upto 40 minutes, and contains no nano-sized particles, which aren't absorbed properly by the skin.

The directions say to apply evenly over the face in upwards strokes, and you'll have SPF protection in 30 minutes.  It also says to reapply every 2 hours (sooner if in water).

I used this on my long day in the sun, and only caught a bit of colour on my nose, but to be fair, I didn't reapply at all because I had it on underneath my makeup (which also had SPF).

Although I like the idea of this sunscreen being organic and mainly natural, I don;t feel that the price accurately reflects the value of the product.  You can buy face sunscreens from Boots or superdrug or Tesco etc for about £6/75ml, but this costs a whopping £29.99/50ml.  And it's only SPF 20!



Next up is Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz - for normal, dry or sensitive skin.  It is a mix of lavander and peppermint extracts to refresh and rehydrate skin.  It can be used after cleansing to refresh the face, or after makeup to set your look.

This will definitely be a summer staple as it does exactly what it says on the tin (or bottle...) and is perfect for this sticky, humid, freak of nature weather we're having in the UK at the moment.

The packaging is pretty cute, with a lilac bottle and yellow spray pump, complete with Clint Eastwood on the back (Play Misty For Me), and it is a pretty decent size for the price, as with most Anatomicals Products - £6/100ml.

Unfortunately, I can't find this product available to buy ANYWHERE.  If you know where I can find it, please leave a comment below!





Number 4 in the July box is Pout Paint from Sleek - A range of intensive, long-lasting lip pigments that are made to be mixed to create your perfect shade.  I received 2 shades - Milkshake - a coral pink, and Peek a Bloo, a bright blue used to darken/cool the other shades.

I'm not going to lie, I wish I'd received a red and a blue, or a red and a pink, because mixing these two together gives you a lilac colour similar to the Anatomicals bottle, and that doesn't look at all good on my skin tone.  The pink on its own looks fine, though.

They last a good amount of time and don't dry your lips, which is great when you're super dehydrated from this heat.  I found the best way to apply them was to put a TINY dot on the back of my hand and use a lip brush to get it exactly where I want it and not let it feather outside my lips etc.

The colours are super pigmented, and I've read a lot of reviews comparing them to OCC Lip Tars, they seem pretty similar from swatches, and are half the price at £4.99/8ml

Available to buy from SleekMakeup.com and Superdrug

The final product in the box was a pack of Sleek Sticks Nail Stickers from Essie.  I haven't had chance to try them myself yet, as I have been doing way too much stuff with my hands and don't want to risk ruining them!

'Discover a whole new way to essie with our sleek stick nail wraps.  Now you can re-create chic looks fresh from the runway without picking up a brush. Essie’s UV-cured nail wraps mimic the feel of handcrafted nail art and last up to 10 days.'

I got a pack in crocodile print, although I prefer to think of it as giraffe print because I have a slight obsession.  They look great and very high quality.

The instructions say to make sure your nails are clean, pick a strip closest to the size of your nail, apply and buff off the excess with a nail file - simple!


One pack costs £9.99, and is enough for one application - quite expensive, but I'll write another blog when I have tried them to let you know if they're worth it!

Overall, the July 2013 box was a vast improvement on the past few boxes, but there were still a couple of the other items that I quite liked the look of - Ciaté Paint Pots and the other colours of Pout Paints.  Let's hope the August box is just as good!

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Review: Glossybox April 2013

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 April Glossybox, 'Spring Fever' was designed by Pearl Lowe, and it is a beautifully designed box, with a spring theme.  I would assume a spring themed box to be full of light, fresh products, pastel colours, floral scents etc.  Honestly I don't think they really considered the theme on all of the products they offered - some that I didn't receive have just been recycled from past boxes, such as the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (which is a miracle product, but has appeared in multiple boxes now) and Lipcote.The first product I received, I was super excited about - an Essie nail polish.  I have been dying to try Essie since forever, but haven't been able to justify spending £7.99 on a nail polish.  The shade I got was We're in it together, a beautiful pastel pink with teeny tiny shimmery bits.  I usually avoid pinks, but this is beautiful.  

The brush is a good size and it applies pretty evenly.  The formula is a bit runnier than most polishes I currently own, it took me 2 coats to get good coverage and 3 to get it completely opaque.  Without a top coat it lasted a good few days without chipping, which is excellent for me.  

And then I peeled it all off because I can't have nice things apparently.

I was actually very surprised that it was a full size 13.5ml bottle in the box, and I can see it lasting a long time.  At £7.99/13.5ml it is a bit on the pricier side (I mean it's not super ridiculous, Chanel nail polish is like £18/13ml).  The cheapest place I've found Essie polishes is CheapSmells.com, and they have this shade for £4.95, and others starting at £2.95, all in very spring/summer colours).

The second product in the box got me VERY excited as soon as I saw the Illamasqua packaging.  I got a medium pencil, which can be used on the eyelids, waterline or lips.  Except once I opened it, I saw that it's in red, so unless I want  to look like I'm stoned every day, I won't be applying that anywhere near my eyes.  

I have no doubt that the pencil in brown would make a great eye liner, but then it wouldn't be great for lip liner.  Catch 22.

It has a lovely, soft texture and blends really easily, and I used it as a base under Elf Mineral Lipstick in Barely Bitten, with Lipcote to seal, which looked really nice.  Until I got out of the cinema 2 hours later to completely clean lips - I mean there was no trace of any lip colour left.  I think the texture of the pencil just made it slide off my lips somehow.  Weird.

It is a really nice colour and not too drying like some lip pencils, but at £13/1g, I'd prefer it if it lasted say, more than 2 hours.

Next was YET ANOTHER body butter. I don't know why the people at Glossybox assume I have skin like a lizard, but I do not need yet another cream for my skin.  I still have the others you sent me.  Please stop.

Aside from it being superfluous to my needs, the body butter is really nice, Nip + Fab Dry Skin Fix Pistachio Sundae Body Butter.  It smells just like pistachio ice cream and I considered eating my own arm after I'd put it on.  It's as moisturising as any of the others I've got, but it is the best smelling in my opinion.

The really good thing about this body butter is that it contains absolutely no preservatives.  Instead, it has Aquaxyl, a combination of glucose derivatives that moisturises and prevents further dehydration by increasing the body's water reserves.

At £9.95/200ml I think it is pretty good value, you can get cheaper ones but they probably won't work as well as this one does.  And they definitely won't smell as good.  You can buy it from the Nip + Fab website for 50% off at the moment.  For £4.95, I'd definitely recommend you pick some up. (Other flavours available)

The Fourth product in the April box was Somerset Meadow Hand Therapy from Crabtree & Evelyn.  The packaging is cute but a bit old lady ish for my taste.  I can't really tell what the smell is, it's very very very light.  It moisturises quite well, but my hands don't really get dry in spring, so I don't know how it fits the theme of the box (although I do know that it is released on the 29th April so it's probably just in there for the excellent reviews as adverts).  It's okay but not exactly a spring product.

The ingredients aren't exactly natural, either - the website says it is a 'superior moisturising and conditioning blend of macadamia nut oil, shea butter, antioxidant-rich vitamins C and E, and water lily and ivy extracts.' The ingredients, however, aren't as natural as they're made to sound - 

Water (Aqua)(Eau). Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil. Zea Mays (Corn) Starch. Hydroxyethyl Urea. Emulsifying Wax NF. Stearic Acid. Cetyl Alcohol. Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter. Isopropyl Myristate. Saccharide Isomerate. Fragrance (Parfum). Hedera Helix (Ivy) Extract. Nymphaea Odorata Root Extract. Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. Cetearyl Alcohol. Sucrose Distearate. Arginine. Glycerin. Dimethicone. Sucrose Stearate. Behentrimonium Methosulfate. Caprylyl Methicone. Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate. Polysorbate 20. Commiphora Myrrha Resin Extract. Ceramide 6 II. Ceramide 3. Butylene Glycol. Phytosphingosine. Cholesterol. Carbomer. Xanthan Gum. Lecithin. Hydrolyzed Soy Protein. Hyaluronic Acid. Caprylyl Glycol. Hexylene Glycol. Ascorbyl Glucoside. Tocotrienols. Tocopherol. Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil. Ceramide 1. Squalane. Disodium EDTA. Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate. Citric Acid. Limonene. Linalool. Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde. Geraniol. Benzyl Salicylate. Butylphenyl Methylpropional. Citronellol. Phenoxyethanol. Polyaminopropyl Biguanide. Methylisothiazolinone. Potassium Sorbate. Sodium Benzoate.

No Thank you.
RRP £5/25g.


The final product in the box was a Yves Rocher perfume sample.  I detest perfume samples, usually because they come in teeny tiny 1ml spray bottles or phials that you open and lose half the product instantly.  This one, however, came in a pretty decent sized (still small, it's a sample after all) little bottle.

It's a very light, floral smell, perfect for daytime or evening wear.  It smells sweet and fresh and lasts a relatively long time.  It reminds me slightly of Lady Gaga's Fame, it's not at all what you would expect it to be, but it's lovely.

At £44/50ml, the standard for most perfumes now, I won't recommend you buy it, but I will recommend you definitely should test it out if you see it in a shop.


Overall, the April Glossybox was better than the March one, but I would have preferred it if I could swap my hand cream for the Sleek Blush, I really want to try one of those!

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