Glossybox: April 2012

A while ago I had to give up on beauty box subscriptions as my funds weren’t allowing me to keep them up (I had to embrace being a poor student fully) but recently, the makers of Glossybox got in touch and kindly offered me a complimentary subscription, which means from now on I’ll be able to share the Glossybox contents and my thoughts on them, which is fab.

April’s Glossybox was the natural edition (it appears Glossybox have recently started theming their boxes which I personally think is a great idea; I like the idea of receiving a collection of complimentary products rather than a few, various random ones) and this month, all products in the box were completely natural in keeping with Earth month.  On top of the products being natural, the box was also made of biodegradable materials so pretty much everything received was good for the environment, although I’m unsure as to the inclusion of the strips of paper that the products sit on; maybe it would’ve been a good idea to use strips of newspaper or something equally recycled…just a thought!

As I used to list the products in order of favourites, I think I’ll stick to the same approach.  So I’ll start with:

Inika Certified Organic Eyeliner

I was most excited about this item for two reasons; firstly, I much prefer getting make-up items rather than skincare as I like the idea of subscription services such as these allowing me to become more experimental with different shades, colours and products.  Secondly, the shade I received was Sapphire and I’ve recently been looking into purchasing a Navy blue eyeliner, and this shade is Navy blue!  It’s got a really lovely consistency, doesn’t drag and is nicely pigmented, so this will be appearing in either an EOTD or FOTD soon.  This eyeliner can be purchased for £11.75 from here.

Figs & Rouge 100% Organic Balm

This is a multi-use balm that can be used to add moisture to the lips, face and body.  I’ve used it on my lips and it absorbs really quickly leaving them feeling really nourished, and because it absorbs so quickly it works as a great base for lipstick.  However, the only thing I don’t like about it is the flavour; I received Peppermint and Tea Tree – neither of which are tastes I particularly like on the lips – so whilst the taste is tolerable, it isn’t my favourite flavour for lip products.  I will continue to use this though as I like the fact that it sinks in so quickly.  I also think this’ll prove really handy for dry skin on my hands and feet and I’ll be using this for my cuticles too.  There are loads of gorgeous flavours available, each of which perform slightly different tasks (the Peppermint and Tea Tree is soothing and antibacterial) so this is definitely a brand I’ll be investigating further.  The price seems to vary depending on what retailer you visit, but you can purchase it here for £3.49.

Caudalie SOS Thirst Quenching Serum

Caudalie are one of those brands that I hear lots of good things about, seem to have various samples of, but never actually use.  However, this serum couldn’t be better timed as my combination skin is playing up a bit, so whilst I’m definitely much less spot-prone than I used to be, my cheeks are starting to dry out more and I’m painfully aware of the fine lines appearing on my forehead.  I’ve given this serum a couple of goes and it feels really light yet still nicely moisturising.  This would definitely need to be used in conjunction with a moisturiser but so far I really like it.  The sample included was 10ml and this retails for £29 for 30ml here.

Philip B Drop Dead Straightening Baume

Whilst this isn’t going to prove hugely useful to me (I never like hair to be poker straight and prefer a bit of texture and movement), the fact that it defrizzes means I should be able to put it to use as I get really bad flyaway hair, so hopefully this will help with that.  Whilst this isn’t a great inclusion for me, I can see that I’d probably be in the minority as a lot of people like hair to be as straight as possible so if this turns out to be an effective product for aiding straightening then this isn’t a bad box addition.  Add to that the fact that, as it’s quite concentrated, you only need a small amount and this 15ml sample should last a while.  Available here at £17 for 178ml.

MonuSpa Enriched Body Cream

Obviously this was going to be last in my list as I am not a fan of body creams being included in beauty boxes.  I’m sure it’s a personal choice but I cannot ever get excited about a body cream, not unless it smells absolutely dreamy, which very few do!  This one has quite a herby/florally smell which thankfully isn’t too intrusive.  It does soak in quickly and seems to moisturise the dry parts of my hands well.  I’ll probably use this as a hand cream as it doesn’t leave a greasy feel and the sample is dinky enough to travel with.  The sample included was 30ml and 200ml is £23 and available here.

All in all, not a bad box for April that had a good mix of products and a couple of things that I’m really happy with.  What I find most interesting about these boxes is the fact that we all have such a different idea of what constitutes a good box; I’ve read reviews saying that they prefer make-up heavy boxes (like I do) and others saying that they hate the inclusion of make-up and prefer skincare, so the people at Glossybox have quite a task on their hands trying to keep everyone happy!  Next month is the birthday edition, so I’m looking forward to seeing what products will be included in that.

Glossybox (S) is available here for a monthly subscription fee of £10 per month plus £2.95 postage and packaging.