Tuesday 31 May 2016

Glossybox May 2016

Reminder: this box is £10 a month + £3.25 P+P.

First Impressions:
The box is the same size as the starter box but it has a different design: there were four in circulation I believe and I got the New York box design. Pen and ink style cityscape. I do like this design, but I prefer the usual pink. I suppose if you've been subscribed for longer than I have, it's nice to have a change. Again, it does seem a little bigger than is necessary, but maybe there are some months where the products are larger and I suppose this size means they aren't automatically restricted with what they can include. The addition of the Proper Corn filled the box that much more, for instance.

Inside, the box has more of a makeup lean to it than Birchbox seems to. I like that the two boxes are different though, or there's not much point in having both, and it's still a good range of products. It has a very summer holiday theme which is great right now. Two skincare products, two makeup products and a hair product certainly makes for a more balanced box than the starter kit. As far as brands go, I've only heard of Revlon and Proper Corn. I've never tried the latter, and for Revlon I think I have one emerald green nail varnish or something like that. I've never tried anything else from that brand. I know that the Revlon mascara was a choice, but it was only a choice if you were subscribed before the first few days of April I think. Because I subscribed in the middle of April, I didn't get to choose which one I got. I was happy to get a lengthening mascara as I trust that they aren't going to clump all over my face. I was a little disappointed to get another moisturiser though. I know that Glossybox can't help that I got one in my Birchbox as well, but I got a moisturiser from Glossybox last time and I still want to build a shrine to it. It made it take longer to do these reviews because I couldn't use the one in this box at the same time as the one in the Birchbox and I was a little sad that I had to hold off on the Être Belle for the time being. I'm not sure if that's more of a mark against this box or praise for the last one though! I'm going to guess that the mascara, lip product and hair ties are full size, and that the sunscreen and moisturiser are travel sizes. The card this month doesn't actually say which is which, it just gives the full size price, which was a little annoying.

Here's what I got this month!



1) Hairon Zero Crease Hair Tie pack of 3 - full size RRP £3.99


4/5
I wasn't remotely fussed about these when I saw them in the box. They're a fun colour but I don't really put my hair up. It's too long and too heavy to do things that would call for something like this. I tried them after letting my hair dry naturally while leaving it loose. It was still a bit damp from being washed and after a while it did have a barely there kink in it when I took the hair tie out, but since my hair wasn't fully dry I will give them the benefit of the doubt on that score. It felt weird because of the design and I have no idea what it looks like while it's in my hair. The design and the material used for these ties are great for a major pet peeve of mine when it comes to hair ties though. You know when you put your hair in a ponytail and over time the hair tie just slides off your hair and the ponytail gets loose? These don't do that. It stayed put. I was pretty impressed with that, considering how much hair it was having to hold together. I did put the ponytail at the base of my neck and not higher up because I didn't want to die of a headache, but usually even like this hair ties still get loose and these didn't at all. When I took the tie out of my hair I was disappointed at how stretched out it was. The one I'd used was double the size of the other two and barely fit back in the little box they come in (which is super cute). But as you can see from the photo, it does shrink back to size: the one I used is at the top of the triangle. I have no idea if that's something that will change with time and use or not. At the moment though, if for whatever reason my hair isn't already braided out of my way and I want to tie it back, these are great. 


2) Absolute New York Velvet Lippie in Rumba 6g/0.2 fl. oz - full size RRP £4.93


0/5
Where do I even start with this. I really, really wanted to like it. It smells exactly like the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream. I have that in the shade London and I really like it, so I expected to like this as it's basically the same thing. The tube colour looks a bit out of my usual zone, but it's still nice and after the MUA gloss from the starter kit box, I had high hopes. But inside, it's just orange, not coral. The picture doesn't really do the orange justice. It doesn't suit me at all and it makes my teeth look very yellow (they aren't). Normally I could forgive this. I'd hate the colour, but I'd be curious about the other available colours and go hunting to see if there was another that I liked. But the formula is horrible too. It feels the same as the Nyx one in that it's more of a mousse but unlike the Nyx one, this looks awful. It manages to be streaky and patchy at the same time. It just looked worse the drier it got and it dried my lips out too. No matter how many layers I tried to get the colour looking even, it wouldn't cooperate. It settled into every line on my lips and made them look instantly really dry and about 50 years older even though they were really hydrated before I put this on. I put up with it for about ten minutes before I removed it. Then I thought it couldn't be that bad, and really since I was going to review it I should give it another try. The second time, I had it on for around fifteen minutes before I couldn't stand it anymore. There's nothing I could ever do to make it look good, so I can't say how long it would last. There's no way I'm wearing it long enough to find out. I've heard some bad things about some of the Nyx shades and that the formula isn't the same for every shade, so maybe this product suffers from the same issues and other colours are nicer, but I'm not really inclined to spend any money on finding that out after trying this one. It's unusable.


3) Hawaiian Tropic Protective Dry Oil SPF 15 100ml - full size RRP £13.99


3/5
I was worried about using this when I saw the word "oil" and saw the cap because I just assumed it would spill everywhere and be super messy, but it's actually more of a gel that turns to oil when you rub it into your skin, which I really liked. I don't generally get burnt from the sun. It takes a whole day on the beach with little to no sunscreen for my skin to care about the injustice that's being done to it, so I'm not sure how well this works to guard against actual sunburn. I wore it when I walked to work and walked around the shops and to and from the supermarket and yes it was warm and sunny, but I wouldn't ordinarily get burnt from doing that. It's nice to know that there's some protection there, though, and I was impressed with the application. The only reason this isn't a full five stars is because of the scent. It's not a bad scent in small doses, but it's a bit overpowering for something that's designed to be all over your skin. I only applied it to the tops of my shoulders because that's where I get burnt if it happens at all, and the scent completely covered the perfume on my neck. I didn't even use a lot of this, but I could smell it the entire way to work and for quite a while after I arrived. It would really benefit from having the strong scent removed (yes it contains parfum in case that's not obvious) as I don't think it's particularly necessary. Scented skin is what perfume is for! Something to neutralise a chemical smell I could understand, but this is clearly way beyond that. My usual sunscreen is an invisible waterproof spray by Soltan and that is fantastic. It's also not got a strong smell, so I'm not sure that I'd use this over that. But I do really like the formula of this. I'd never heard of the brand before - my Soltan spray works well enough that I don't go browsing for anything else - but this is actually available locally, and in little travel sizes as well. I think that's perfect, as my spray is huge and if you were going away for a week, perhaps a little unnecessary unless you have a whole family to use it on. I'm not even sure if my spray is still sold. But even if it isn't and I run out of the spray, I don't think I'd be turning to this brand with a scent that strong. It's a shame but it really is off-putting.


4) Bee Good Youth Enhancing Plump and Firm Moisturiser 15ml - full size RRP £23.50


4/5
This is sold at this size on the brand's website as a travel size for £9, so this was actually a really good deal for this box (the full size is 50ml, for comparison). It also has the cruelty free bunny on the packaging, which I appreciate and wish companies were more transparent about. It was tough to get a moisturiser in each box and did push these reviews back somewhat, but this is a nice one. It's a really good size, has a fresh citrus-y scent, and it definitely does do what it says it does. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same issue that the Caudalie one does: it's not for oily skin. It does address other things that I ticked boxes for, but it kinda seems like the number one priority is ignored when it comes to these products and that's my skin type. It can do all the plumping in the world but if it's not suitable for my skin type then it's not really all that suitable, is it? It gives the skin a beautiful dewy finish that initially looks great, but for oily skin that really doesn't last very long. I'm really curious now about the serum and eye cream from this brand, just because for plumping and firming the skin this does a really good job. Same as the Caudalie one, it's been a night cream for me and I obviously couldn't use them at the same time, so that was a bit of an issue. But when I wake up after using this, there's a noticeable difference to my skin. It looks fantastic. I'm assuming there's no law on using it at night only, because it's been doing a great job so far and it's definitely got me wondering about the rest of the brand.


5) Revlon Super Length Mascara 8.5ml/0.28 fl. oz - RRP £9.99


4/5
It was a little exciting to be getting a newly released product in a full size like this. As I said at the top, I didn't get to choose which one I got, but I was happy to get a lengthening mascara as it usually means it's going to be more suitable for a "your lashes but better" kind of look. I was really weirded out by this mascara at first. I've never used a mascara with a fibre formula before and it just looks like the brush is falling apart. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about putting it near my eyes! But this mascara really, really works. Perhaps a little too much for me. I naturally have quite long lashes, and this mascara makes my eyelashes travel into eyebrow territory. It's also really hard to wear with my glasses, because my eyelashes touch the lenses. Several times, I've taken my glasses off to clean them and there's been streaks of mascara on them. It's also not the most comfortable feeling in the world when it happens. I wonder if I might have gotten along better with one of the other new releases instead. But if I had shorter eyelashes I would be singing the praises of this mascara. It doesn't add much (if at all) by way of volume, so the effect is quite natural but it also means that it's nice for more than one coat too if you wanted to build it up. The only real downside is that I have had some fibre-related fallout after using this, both after a while of wear (probably scraped off on my glasses, in fairness) and immediately after applying. It's maybe not as big a deal as eyeshadow fallout, which can lead to sparkle and colour in places where neither particularly belongs, but it's still a thing that can happen. It also isn't as black as I'd like it to be. It's more of a natural black, which I suppose does suit the overall natural look of the mascara, but I like black-black mascara better. Maybe I'm just being picky though. It's definitely a "super length" mascara.


6) Proper Corn Lightly Sea Salted Popcorn 10g
5/5
I haven't added a price for this one because there's nothing about it at all on the products card. It was just in my box. But this added bonus was delicious. There's no solo photo of it because it didn't live long enough. It was the size of your average bag of crisps, so a nice amount, but I wish the bag had been bottomless. I've never had salted popcorn before. The idea of savoury popcorn just seemed weird: in my head it's a sweet snack. But this was really nice. Not too salty but still flavoured enough. And sometimes I just feel like eating something savoury. I'd definitely pick this up if I saw it in shops. Yum.


Overall Impression:
I was most excited for the lip product when I first opened this box and that turned out to be a huge disappointment so it let this month down. The rest of the box had to try and make up for it, since I tried the lip product first. However, I'm going to cut the box some slack. With boxes that contain more makeup I think I'm going to find more things that I don't like, unlike skincare and haircare, since those products are rarely completely awful. With those, I feel like even if I didn't completely love it, it's still usable somehow. It's easier to be on the fence about those products. I don't remember trying many skincare or haircare products ever in my lifetime that I absolutely hated and would never use again. But with makeup, it either works and I like it or it doesn't. There's not a whole lot of middle ground for me. I'm either going to use it or I'm not. If Glossybox continues to have more makeup items in it, there's going to be more room potentially for products that I can't stand to be included.

On the other side of that, though, I felt that this lip product was so bad that it was hard to understand how it ended up in the box at all. It's like nobody at Glossybox's HQ tried it before they thought it was a good idea to send it to everyone. I have no idea how products get selected for boxes, but it seems hard to believe that nobody noticed that this one wasn't very good. Ignoring the lip product, the rest of the box wasn't bad. If I don't count it in the box average score, then this box would get a 4, which is much better. It's just a shame that I've had one dud product for both boxes now. Since this month's box has a different design to the rest, if my other boxes stick to the usual pink, then this box will be used as a Glossybox Sin Bin and will just serve as a home to the worst products I get from this subscription. As I said, it's easier for Glossybox to send me something I hate with the kind of products that they're sending, but it's also hard to ignore that I haven't completely hated anything from my Birchbox subscription yet. I'm hoping the dud-per-box trend stops, but I also feel that even with it, both times I've still had my money's worth, so it's hard to take a stance on.

To prove the point about skincare and haircare, the sunscreen isn't amazing when it has that scent, but it's still usable, and I will still in all likelihood use it up eventually. It's much better suited to my bag for use on the go than my current one is, if nothing else. The moisturiser didn't suit my skin type, but it's great at night and I am still using it. I don't wear my hair in anything but a braid very much because of the length, but if I do feel like having it down and then for whatever reason I need to tie it back quickly, the Hairon ties are great. Makeup isn't like that.

The star of the box, if the popcorn doesn't count (although that was a really nice surprise, I wasn't expecting to get anything like that) has got to be the mascara. I've never been a giant fan of Revlon as a brand, but I do find myself still using that mascara almost every day, even with the lashes-on-glasses issue, just because it really opens my eyes up and looks great with any eyeshadow look. That alone is £9.99, so really that's paid for the box. Even with the dud the box has still managed to offer good value for the subscription cost, and I've got to hand it to Glossybox for managing that.

Box average: 3.3
Cumulative box average: 3.6

I actually do know something about the next box and I am really excited to try it - everyone will be getting a lip and cheek tint from Emite in their June box. I only have one lip and cheek tint already and it's a red Bodyshop one that was in a members promotional freebie bag, but it's a sparkly red and I've only used it once or twice. I did like it, though, so that's caused the excitement over this one. I've never heard of Emite - the sneak peek info says they're a Swedish mineral makeup brand and I'm really curious about this product. There was an email sent mentioning this at the end of the month as well as a small section on the products leaflet about it too, which I thought was nice for anyone who got a starter box in May (and therefore maybe not the information on their leaflet) as they'll still get the email letting them know. I only own one blush (yeah I know - new thing for me) so I'm hoping that the colour is nice for cheeks. There's going to be four full size products in June's box, which is also exciting. Now I'll get to play Guess the Sample. I have no idea what the other products are going to be but the lip and cheek tint combined with the guarantee of four full size products seems promising, so fingers crossed!

Birchbox May 2016

Reminder: this box is £10 a month + £2.95 P+P.

First impressions:
I hated this box design. I mean, I like the pattern, but scratching the box off was incredibly messy. I store my boxes stacked one on top of the other so scratching it off into a pattern wasn't really an option (although I've seen some cool designs on Instagram!), since it would be scraped when I moved the boxes around. Scratching the whole thing off took a really long time and the silver dust went everywhere. Not a patch on the Rifle Paper Co. box from last month! And once again, this box is too small for the contents. The lid doesn't go on properly, which isn't great for my box stack as the Birchboxes are wobbly. I like the size of the boxes, but I do wish they were very slightly larger. I think the products fit without the drawstring bag, but I'd also rather have a wobbly box than lose the drawstring bag. It's great for keeping the box lining nice as I've said before, and it's also nice for taking products out and using the box as something else.
Inside, this box has a good range of products again: as this is the second box I've had now, this might just be a Birchbox thing. And it's a nice thing. There's a makeup tool, hair care, skin care and a makeup item. I love the variety as it means I'm not struggling to use products: I don't like using lots of new things in the same area. If I have a new primer I'll keep my base the same, if I have a new mascara I'll use an eyeshadow I've already used a lot, etc. If something new irritates my skin, I want to know what it is. Having a wide range of products is great for testing everything at once. As for brands, I've heard of LOC and Caudalie but never tried anything, so this is all new to me. Another reason I like this box! I assume that the Spectrum Collections sponge and the LOC stick are full size and everything else is a travel/sample size product. 

Here's what I got this month! Shiny box surface is shiny.



1) Spectrum Collections Unicorn Tears Wonder Sponge - RRP £4.99


4/5
I'm not the best at reviewing things like this, because these sponges get compared across the board to each other and I've only ever tried one other sponge before. I have the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and I think I've used it maybe twice so far. I also only own four foundations. Nevertheless, when I tried this sponge with a foundation, I was impressed with it. It gave me really even and good coverage. No harsh lines, no dry cakey patches, just smooth coverage. I did think that maybe it was... wetter than the Real Techniques sponge? Even though I use both when dampened, the Real Techniques one seemed to handle the water better and my face didn't end up as damp. Still, I really liked this sponge. I also love that it comes in its own little pouch, as I have somewhere to store it. I have nowhere to store the Real Techniques one and it's really inconvenient. I'm not sure if it's obvious in the picture, but there's a cruelty free bunny on the back of the packaging too, which is a plus. I'm curious how this would work with concealer as I haven't tried that, but I will definitely be using this again (after it's had a bath, obviously).


2) LOC One and Done Shadow Stick in Empress Me 1.35g - RRP £8


3/5
I was super excited to see this in my box as I've heard of LOC shadow sticks and heard nothing but great things. It's also a completely new thing to me as I don't own anything but powder eyeshadows, so I couldn't wait to try it out. I would perhaps have preferred the other colour as that was lighter and more suitable for everyday wear, but this is a really nice colour (a bit dirty in the photo, as I photographed everything after I'd already used it). The pencil makes it very easy to apply, it was very easy to smooth out the edges and it looked really nice. But it didn't cope with oily skin. It's definitely not "one and done" for me: it creased after only about half an hour. This is why I don't use cream shadows. They don't last. I was expecting this to be different after hearing so many great things about it, but it isn't. I haven't tried it with a primer yet as primer is still a new thing to me, so I'm still testing the ones I have to find something that definitely works, but if I use a primer and then a powder to set the primer and then this shadow stick, it's a much longer process. Three and done. When I use Urban Decay or Too Faced eyeshadow palettes, unless it's very hot outside and I'm going to be outside for a while, I don't usually need a primer. My favourite Urban Decay eyeshadow goes on smoothly with just my finger and lasts for so long without creasing I don't even know how long it would last without creasing. It's over twelve hours on me. This was less than one hour. I couldn't justify buying these shadow sticks when I already have things that work better for my skin type. That said though, this was a really pretty colour. I can imagine it's very nice on people who don't have oily skin. I will keep trying with primers until I have something I can test it out with to see if I can make it work for me. When I used it I wanted to see what it was like on its own, so I didn't even use powder beforehand. It's pretty and looks nice even as a liner, so hopefully I can figure something out.


3) Philip Kingsley PK Prep Polishing Balm 20ml/0.67 fl. oz - full size RRP £18.50


5/5
This is one of those products that just smells expensive. Similar to the hair products from Beaver in the last box. They smelled expensive too. The scent for this one isn't the same as the Beaver products, but it's another that I really, really like. I wish these brands were more readily available here. This time, the sample is a good size for what it is - you don't really need a huge amount of it, even if you can sit on your hair - and my hair loves it. When I want a good hair day, I've been using this. It feels really nice on my hair, it smoothes everything out and my hair is like silk. But unlike other products, my hair is still workable. It's so smooth and so soft but it isn't going to fall apart if I try to do anything with it. I found with this on the ends of my hair, my braid stayed much neater than it usually does. As well as being able to brush through the ends of my hair like it's just been cut (it hasn't, for a long time), I can still do things with it without it being so silky that it's very unruly and doesn't last. For me, this does exactly what it says it does. My hair feels great, it looks great, and it's much easier to work with for styling. I'll be gutted when I run out of this.


4) Caudalie Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet 10ml/0.33 fl. oz - full size RRP £23


3/5
I was really on the fence about this one. Getting moisturisers in my boxes after that Être Belle one is always going to seem a little unfair on whatever I get. This is nice, but it's not the Être Belle one. I ticked a variety of boxes for the skin concerns part of the beauty survey, and this fits what I asked for, but it doesn't suit the most important part of my skin like the Être Belle one does, so it can't compete with that. It has a lovely fresh scent to it and you don't need a lot to moisturise your whole face. It's supposed to reduce redness, and I don't have a whole lot of redness, but it did seem to eliminate what I had. What it didn't do, however, was suit my skin type. It's not for oily skin. It was very good for the areas of my skin that get dry and flaky, but I couldn't use this during the day. It's definitely suitable for sensitive skin and my skin liked it in that sense, but it really added to the shine on my face. I've been using it at night to try and alleviate the effect. It's a lovely moisturiser but with my skin type, it's no good to me compared to the Être Belle one. However, because it's good and it does do what it says it does, I was torn on what score to give it. I know there's something for oily skin by this brand and I am now super curious about that. It was mentioned in a recent video by Jordan Liberty and after seeing how much my skin likes this one as far as sensitivity and dry patches are concerned, I'd love to try the one that's more geared to my skin type.


5) Rituals Tao Wai Wang Mild Exfoliating Body Scrub 70ml/2.3 fl. oz - full size RRP £19.50


5/5
This is another winner from this box. It smells amazing and the scent fills the bathroom when I use it. It's nice and fresh, not heady, so it's really nice for the shower. It's also a really good exfoliating scrub. It can be a bit resistant to wet skin at first, so I'd advise mashing it into more of a paste in the palm of the hand before applying. A little went a lot further than I thought that it would. It's not too harsh, it didn't hurt or irritate my skin, and my skin was super soft afterwards. Even using it where I wouldn't think I'd need it (feet are a given, for example, but I've never used body scrubs), it did make a difference. Soft skin on my legs, soft skin on my arms. It creates a nice canvas for moisturising creams to get to work. I imagine this with the foot cream from last month would work very well together. One for the list!


6) Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream 3ml/0.10 fl. oz - full size RRP £19.50


5/5
This is a tiny little tube and there's precious little information about it, but after trying it I love it. I have a problem area on my chin where the skin can get very dry and irritated, and this week I used something that that area did not like. It was the worst it's been for a long time: huge dry and flaky area with angry little bumps of irritation and general redness. I put this on at night in just that area and a little on my lips as a balm and the next day the patch of dry skin was completely gone and my lips were super smooth. I hadn't needed a lot of it, so even though the sample is tiny it's enough to give an idea of how well the product works. For dry skin anywhere, this is great. It didn't add to the problem and irritate my skin some more and now that area has basically healed. If it happens again (it will), I know what to turn to for an emergency fix. Another one to consider for the wishlist!

Overall Impression:
This was a really nice box to get overall. The products didn't interfere with each other and I didn't have allergies or reactions to anything. There's a lot of new favourites in this box with the hair styling balm, the scrub and the Yu-Be moisturiser, however tiny it may be. The only real problem product is the LOC stick just because my skin is too oily for it, but I imagine that would be helped by a decent primer (when I can find one that works). As I said, it's a shame that this isn't a more wearable shade for me because then I probably would have had chance to test this out already by now. I have used it a few times and I'm disappointed by how it copes on my skin but hopeful that I can get it to work with a primer. I have several that I can try with it. One manages to crease on its own, though, so I've got a bit of experimenting to do. Plenty of powder eyeshadows crease on my skin, so it's no surprise to me that a cream shadow does as well.

The rest of the box is fine: either things I outright loved or could use for something or other. The Caudalie moisturiser does make me too oily for day use but it also does a very good job of soothing my skin after a shower before bed, when it's at its driest. The sponge was nice to get as now I have something to use while the Real Techniques one is drying and vice versa. I didn't get any products that I thought were complete garbage and definitely got my money's worth. So far these boxes have been very consistent.

Box average: 4.2/5
Cumulative box average: 4.2/5

No sneak peeks of the next box yet, so I have no idea what's in store for June! There was an option to upgrade the box to add a pair of sunglasses for an extra £18 but I didn't really like either of the styles available, so I didn't. Apart from that I've heard nothing. There's been no email sent around to choose something like there was for the colour of the Spectrum Collections sponge last time. I can't decide whether I like spoilers for these boxes or not. If it's an item that's really exciting then it makes me excited to see the rest of the box when it arrives, but there's always the potential that it's something I know I won't care about. It's also nice to get a box that's a complete surprise as I can't form any opinions on it before I open it. I did see on their Twitter that there would be a sneak peek though, so fingers crossed it's something nice!