Hello lovelies!
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| February 2013 Glossybox |
Sophie
here, I thought I’d update you on my love affair with Glossybox. This will be a
review of February’s products, I realise we’re in April now but
I wanted to use them for a while first so I can do a properly informed review. If
you want the full story then be sure to check out my previous posts – All AboutGlossybox for everything you need to know and The Big Skincare Review for my
thoughts on my January box!
Last
month’s box was Valentine’s themed, all pretty in pink instead of the usual,
which was really nice as it arrived a few days before Valentine’s day. Here’s
what I got inside:
From
left to right: Rituals Magic Touch Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk body cream;
Figs & Rouge balm in Rambling Rose; a cheeky lolly; MeMeMe Beat The Blues
highlight in Pearl Pink; Miners
Cosmetics lipstick in Dreamer; Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Eye Shadow Shimmer
Powder in Deep Secrets.
I
feel a monster post coming on so feel free to skim or skip to the ones you’re
interested in!
First up: Rituals Magic
Touch Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk body lotion
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| Rituals Magic Touch Cherry Blossom & Rice Milk Body Cream |
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| Rituals body cream swatch |
What does it do? This is a Rituals best seller. Like most body lotions, it promises to
nourish your skin and leave it silky smooth and soft.
What’s in it? This product contains rice milk which is known for its soothing
qualities, cherry extract to make it smell delicious, and antioxidants which
are always invited to the party.
How does it smell? Really rather lovely. Kind of sweet but not in a
sickly way, I’d describe it as quite deep and rich. You can definitely pick up
the cherry but it doesn’t smell at all artificial.
What’s it like? I’ve been using this product after I shower: massaging it into my skin
after I’ve dried off. The texture is creamy, velvety and really soft. The
bottle describes it as ‘rich’ and ‘whipped’ and I’d definitely agree. The
swatch above shows the product just as its come out of the tube, and to the
right of that is where I rubbed it in a little; I doubt you can even see where
I rubbed it in as it sinks straight into the skin like a dream! A little goes a
long way with this product, it spreads across the skin really well and is
almost instantly absorbed, meaning you’re not left feeling sticky or greasy
which is a huuuuge plus for me. You also really pick up the scent as you apply
it which is lovely.
Does it work? I wouldn’t say it’s changed my life but my skin definitely feels
lovely after using it, nice and soft and moisturised. It’s a really gentle
product so I especially like to apply it to my legs after shaving, as the rice
milk seems to soothe them. You do pick up the occasional whiff of the product
throughout the day if you applied it in the morning, which I really like.
How much? £15
for 200ml from rituals.com (click here) or £5 for 70ml (click here) if you want to give it a
little try first. I got the 70ml version in my Glossybox and £5 off a £25 Rituals spend.
All in all: I like it. It’s a thousand times better than the Duck Island
body lotion I received in my January Glossy (reviewed here), mainly due to the
much nicer smell and the way my skin absorbs it so readily. As it spreads so
well, a little goes a long way and I haven’t yet run out of my 70ml tube
despite using it a good few times a week, so I think the price is reasonable
for a 200ml bottle as it should last for a long time. I’m really glad that this
came in my box, it’s a lovely little product and I’ll definitely think about
repurchasing.
Figs and Rouge Balm in Rambling Rose
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| Figs & Rouge Organic Balm in Rambling Rose |
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| Lips: Figs & Rouge Balm in Rambling Rose |
What does it do? This balm will nourish, soothe and hydrate dry areas – put it anywhere
you like!
What’s in it? Seed oil, fruit butter, fruit oil and flower oil seem to be the main
ingredients. The balm is organically produced and petroleum free.
How does it smell? As you’d expect, it’s quite natural smelling due to
the natural ingredients. It smells deliciously of rose and something else I
can’t quite put my finger on but reminds me of my childhood and makes me very
happy.
What’s it like? Fantastic! The consistency is impossible to describe but I really love
it. It feels kind of textured at first, but then when you rub it in it melts
into buttery softness. It sinks into the skin almost immediately without even a
hint of stickiness - it does last
slightly longer on the lips but feels lovely. Sorry about the awful picture, I just took a quick one to show you how it looks on the lips, please ignore the rest
of my face! It’s pretty much invisible, it doesn’t alter the colour of your
lips but just leaves the slightest hint of shine.
Does it work? Yes! I really love this product. You may or may not know how much I
struggle with dry lips, most balms dry them out even further. After struggling
for years to find a balm that doesn’t, Glossybox have given me two in two
months! (This one, and Jason Lips Bee Healthier which I raved about here). This
makes my lips feel soft and lovely, and really hydrated. I’ve used it as a base
for lip sticks and glosses and it really helps prevent them from drying out my
lips, but I also think it looks really pretty just on its own. I’ve had a bit
of a dry nose recently due to blowing it so much in the cold weather, and one
application of this sorted me right out!
How much? £3.49
for 8ml from Lovelula. Some flavours are also available from Boots but are more expensive at £4.99. I got the full sized version in my Glossybox which I’m really
rather chuffed about.
All in all: This is a gorgeous little product and I love it. It’s one of the few
balms ever to not make my lips even drier, it eats dry skin for breakfast and
smells like angels bringing you bouquets of roses. The price is really good as
a little goes a long way so it’ll last, and it’s all pure and natural and
organic and lovely. It also comes in various other flavours – I’m really glad I got Rambling Rose but I'm definitely tempted to try the others too. The packaging is also really pretty and
vintage-esque so it’ll be a nice little addition to your purse or makeup bag. I
will, without shadow of a doubt, be repurchasing this product and definitely
recommend you give it a try (or at least give it a smell, mmmm).
MeMeMe Beat The Blues in Pearl Pink
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| MeMeMe Beat the Blues Highlighter / Illuminator in Pearl Pink |
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| MeMeMe Beat the Blues Pearl Pink swatch |
What does it do? This is designed to illuminate and highlight your complexion, giving
you that lovely healthy dewey glow.
What’s in it? The ingredients list is quite difficult to read against the pale pink
of the product, and even more difficult to understand! However, as it’s makeup
rather than a skincare product and I don’t have sensitive skin, I’m not overly
concerned with what’s in it (obviously do check if you have sensitive skin,
though).
What’s it like? I was over the moon to find this in my Glossybox as I’ve been dying to
try it ever since I discovered and subsequently lusted after Benefit High Beam.
I’ve only ever swatched High Beam and not used it properly, so I can’t do an
in-depth comparison but I do think this is an excellent dupe. It’s the same
pearly, iridescent pink as High Beam and about a quarter of the price at £5.50.
(High Beam will set you back around £20, thumbs down.) The only reason I hadn’t
tried this sooner is that the Plymouth
branches of Superdrug decided to stop selling MeMeMe. The product comes in a
little pot with a brush in the lid like a nail polish, and the consistency is
quite thin so it’s really easy to blend in, but still buildable.
Does it work? Yes it does. It has the most beautiful effect on the skin – it really
makes it look fresh and glowing and lovely. I tend to keep the focus on my skin
for daytime and keep my eyes fairly bare, so I use this product pretty much
every day on my cheekbones, brow bones and bridge of my nose, as highlighters also
have the effect of sculpting the face by bring out areas they are applied to.
The swatch picture shows how it looks straight from the brush, and then how it
looks after being blended in a little. Sometimes I apply to my cheeks straight
from the brush, but I apply it to the back of my hand then take some up on my
fingertip if I want to be a little more precise or use a little less product.
You can use the brush in the lid for application but not blending as it carries
too much product, but it blends so well it doesn’t really matter whether you
use your finger or another brush (I use fingers for quickness). Don’t be put
off by the pink – you can see from the rubbed in swatch that it comes out only
slightly pink toned. Obviously on your face you’d be blending it in a lot more
and it would mix slightly with your foundation – once you’ve done this it gives
a lovely subtle shine that picks up beautifully in the light.
How much? £5.50
for 12ml from mememecosmetics.co.uk (click here!) which is cheaper than I thought. Glossybox / MeMeMe were
kind enough to give me a full sized bottle and 20% off my next one!
All in all: I love this product, it’s become an everyday essential of mine. It has
a gorgeous effect on my skin and is really easy to use. The price was a really
pleasant surprise, I was expecting it to be closer to £10 than £5! I definitely
definitely recommend trying this if you’re after a nice highlighter /
illuminator, it’s brilliant at creating a subtle glow when you blend it into
foundation but is very buildable if you wanted a more dramatic effect for the
evening. I haven’t given its Benefit counterpart a proper try yet, but I’m
thinking about ordering a sample so I can do a proper comparison – let me know
if you’d like to see that!
p.s. If
you like products like this then you’ll love this MeMeMe collection. For £15 you get
this Pearl Pink highlighter, an Oyster Gold highlighter resembling Moon Beam (or
maybe Sun Beam?) by Benefit, and two dupes for Benefit’s Benetint and Posietint
cheek / lip stains, all for less than one of the Benefit alternatives!
Miner’s Cosmetics
Lipstick in Dreamer
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| Miners Cosmetics Lipstick in Dreamer |
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| Miners Cosmetics Lipstick in Dreamer swatch |
What’s it like? This lipstick is much more glittery than the pictures pick up, in both
the stick and the swatches. It’s a very very cool toned pink with purple
undertones, much cooler than it looks in the photos. Swatching it lightly gives
a really pretty sheer colour, and it’s easily buildable and blendable to get a
stronger colour.
Does it work? NO. It looks pretty to swatch but this does not translate onto the
lips at all. It also feels quite creamy and soft on your arm but really
plasticy and horrible on the lips. Everything dries my lips out so that’s to be
expected but this is much worse than other lipsticks – instantly drying even
with a balm underneath. I hate to use the word chavvy but that’s the only way I
can describe it – you know that cool pink, frosted type colour? That’s how it
looks no matter how much or little you use, no matter how much you blend it. Blergh!
How much? £3.99
for 4g supposedly, but I can't seem to find it on the Miners site!? The best I can do is this Amazon link for £4.99 if you REALLY want to try it (you probably don't).
All in all: This was the only product in my Feb Glossy that I really really
disliked. I definitely won’t be using the rest of it let alone repurchasing! I
really can’t describe how horrible the colour is, but even if you’re a fan of
frosty pinks I just think it looks and feels really cheap. Not impressed!
Micabella Cosmetics
Mineral Eyeshadow / Shimmer Powder in Deep Secrets
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| Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Eye Shadow in No. 53, Deep Secrets |
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| Micabella Mineral Eye Shadow, Deep Secrets swatch |
What does it do? It’s a shimmery eyehsadow.
What’s in it? This is made of 100% ‘mica’ which is a natural crystal / mineral.
What’s it like? This really is the most beautiful eyeshadow, and no matter what I do I
don’t think the photos will ever do it justice! It’s a stunning medium
bronzey-gold, I’d describe it as an antique gold colour, and the light picks up
tiny particles of copper, bronze, gold and silver toned shimmer. The powder
itself is soft and velvety to touch, and can be blended out for a subtle shadow
or layered up for a bolder, more solid colour (see swatch). You could apply
this with your finger if you wanted a softer look, or a damp brush to really
bring the colour out (both swatches were applied dry). As it’s a loose pigment,
I definitely recommend tapping off your brush and taking care not to pick up
too much product as it’s more difficult to get an even finish if you start off
by applying a large amount to a concentrated area, especially if you wanted a
softer look. Having said that, it is definitely blendable and if you take a
little care with it, you can achieve a beautiful smokey effect just with this
one product by starting out with a little, blending it out, then gradually
layering closer to the lashline. The colour really is beautiful and very highly
pigmented, and will look stunning against all eye colours.
How much? £14.95
for 2.5g from micabella.co.uk, (click here!) Glossybox gave me 1g in my box, plus a special
discounted price of £8.99 for the full sized eyeshadow for a limited time.
All in all: This really is a beautiful product, I love the fact that it’s made
entirely of a natural mineral and the colour payoff is excellent. There’s a lot
of ways to work with it as it’s a loose powder, and can give a really pretty
subtle look or a more dramatic colour when layered up; I can’t wait to wear it
in the summer as I think it will look amazing with a tan. Unfortunately it is
quite pricey, although I suppose it depends on how much you usually spend on
eyeshadows as it’s probably a similar price to Mac or BareMinerals making £8.99
a really good deal, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted! I think for the quality and fact that its
pure crystal the price is justified – I’m not sure I would use enough of it so
often as to warrant me buying another pot as I’ll probably save it for the odd occasion
rather than use it regularly. I think I’ll see how I get on with my current
pot, though I’ll definitely miss it once it’s gone!
And finally I got a little
Glossybox heart lollypop for Valentines Day! Looking a little worse for wear
now - it still hasn’t been eaten as I don’t like them, but I thought it was cute all
the same!
So that concludes my
February Glossybox products review! Thank you for reading which ever bit you
read, and if you read it all the way through then well done, you’re the best
person ever. Do let me know what you thought of your Glossybox in Feb and what
products you got in there, or what you think of these products if you’ve used
any of them!
Kisses and hugs
Sophie xxx
