November Boudoir Prive Box

Today, the last of my monthly beauty boxes arrived, so I’ll be doing a full comparison shortly.  Included was a fairly decent mix of products covering the majority of the categories (skincare, haircare etc) but what’s really interesting is how the boxes are starting to overlap; in October’s (I think!  Maybe September’s?) Glossy Box there were a couple of samples of Rahua shampoo and conditioner and this month’s BP box features the same, although I think it was a different type as these samples are volumising, whereas the samples in GB were more general.  Secondly, in this month’s GB there was a Dead Sea Spa Magik sample of face wash and in this month’s BP there’s also a Dead Sea Spa Magik product.  There’s some irony in the fact that I said in the review (found here) that I was happy it was a face wash and not a body cream as I’m less interested in such things, and can you guess what sample is in the BP box?  Anyway, here’s the run through of the included samples:

StudioMakeUp Rich Hydration Lipstick

This is a full-sized sample and the one I got was in the shade ‘Shimmering Sands’ which is a golden beige colour.  Most definitely not the sort of colour I would ever wear as it’s immensely unflattering against my skintone and I tend to avoid all beige/brown colours because of this.  The lipstick itself is smart and chic, and you release it from it’s outer casing by pushing the bottom, which then slides it out a little, so you can pull it all the way out.  The texture is nicely moisturising, enough so that when I applied it over dry lips it didn’t show up the flakes.  I’ve had a look on the website and there are some really pretty shades available, it’s just a shame I didn’t get one in my box!  This retails at £12.25.

Vinies Ayurveda’s Soul Luminous Skin Mask

I mentioned in another box review that I tend to lead with my favourite product inclusions, but I’d actually say that this month’s favourite in the BP box is probably these samples.  I really like trying out face masks and I think masks are the sort of thing you can’t go wrong with in a beauty box, as unless you suffer from very sensitive skin, chances are that, regardless of your skintype, you’ll be able to make the most of a mask sample.  I’m not familiar with this brand, but this mask is designed to gently exfoliate and brighten.  It’s also gentle enough to be used daily.  Included were two 15gm samples, and full size (40gm) this retails at $34.95.  I can’t seem to find this in GBP, so using a currency converter this would mean that the RRP would be £22.62 and on that basis, the samples included – which are equal to three quarters of a full sized product –  have a value of around £16 (ish).  That was slightly more complicated than expected!

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Conditioner

So, having done a bit of research online, I’ve established that this is a very expensive brand!  I tried the samples from the GB collection and I did really like them, so I’m excited to see what these are like, especially as they’re designed for my hair type.  Included in this box were 4 samples in total; 2 shampoos and 2 conditioners, and they were housed in a dinky little draw-string bag.  Both these full sized products are 275mls and retail at £26 for the shampoo and £27.50 for the conditioner.  Therefore the 20ml shampoo (2 10ml sachets) samples are worth £1.90 and the 16ml of conditioner (2 8ml sachets) samples are worth £1.60.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Body Lotion

This is fairly nice; it’s quite moisturising (I have a bit of dry skin on my hand that I use as a body lotion testing area) and absorbs quite quickly.  It also smells like a spa, which is good if you’re looking to recreate a pampering, ‘home-salon’ style experience.  I mentioned earlier and in other posts that I’m not a big fan of body lotions, so it’s a shame so many of these beauty boxes like to include them, but I realise I’m in the minority with this and a lot of people love them.  The sample included is 50ml and the full sized product is 350ml which retails for £7.70.  To be honest, having had a nose through the range online, I think these are the sort of products that would do really well at recreating an at home pampering experience as they smell fresh, look ‘spa-like’ and are very affordable.  The sample included is worth £1.10.

Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturiser

I’m a big fan of natural moisturisers, having recently tried some amazing ones, so I’m looking forward to giving this one a go.  As a quick review, this one felt very nourishing yet absorbed quickly.  It also has a teeny, tiny SPF of 6.  This is the second Korres item to be included in a BP box; last month there was a body moisturiser which, truth be told, I haven’t actually tried, but again this is more of a reflection on my lack of interest in body creams rather than issue with the product itself.  This retails at £19 for 40ml and the sample included is 10ml with a value of just under £5.

So there we have it, all the products featured in this month’s BP box.  The total value is about £38.  Not as amazing as the value of previous boxes, but still money well spend if you consider the cost of the box is £12.95 including P+P.  For more information on Boudoir Prive, click here.