Friday 24 May 2013

Glossybox UK May 2013 | Happy Birthday Glossybox!

Hiya dearies!
 
Beauty boxes have been all the rage the past year or so, and I'm definitely late to jump on the bandwagon, but I took that leap and purchased my first ever beauty box. There are quite a few choices in the UK but I settled on Glossybox mainly because I found out they were releasing their birthday box this month, and as we share the same birth month, I thought why not? =D Happy 2nd Birthday Glossybox! I received my box last week but having ended exams then, I've been pretty busy and have only found the time now to show you what I received in my box.
 
 

 
 
 
When I received this, I already had an idea of what I hoped to get and what I hoped not to get in this box, having intentionally seen many spoilers on the blogosphere by those who received their boxes earlier than myself. Admittedly, this may be a joykill to some but I would much rather know the options available and the type of products I may potentially receive compared to it being a surprise (which totally ruins the whole point of purchasing a Glossybox, maybe? Hee!). So I was praying really, really hard that I would not receive certain boxes that I had already seen others receive.
 
 
 
 
The main packaging came in the classic Glossybox pale pink box made of sturdy cardboard (I only know this after having done research on the box designs of Glossybox).
 
 
 
 
I thought this was the prettiest part of the packaging- bright pink ribbon tied around pretty tissue paper with a beauty/birthday theme design on it. The 'No 2' sticker sealing the tissue paper was also a nice touch.
 
 
 
 
I opened my box and was greeted by these little goodies nestled on top of bright orange paper shredding. I like the concept of how the products sit nicely on the paper shredding, but I thought the orange colour was a bit at odds with the rest of the packaging- it did not seem to complement the whole thing and clashed rather garishly IMO. But it did provide good protection for the products so I am not complaining much.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara - Full size £15 (approx. RM75) for 8ml
 I've seen this brand around but was never particularly interested in trying out its' products, mainly due to the price as I am very likely to find cheaper alternatives elsewhere. This is a nice addition to the box though, and as I love trying out different mascaras, this full size baby will sure come in handy when I need a mascara!
 
 
 
 
Caudalie Divine Oil - Full size £4.05 (approx. RM20.25) for 15ml/ £18 for 50ml, £27 for 100ml
This multi-purpose dry oil seems to have received rave reviews from around the blogosphere so I am probably most excited to try this one out. I first heard of Caudalie when reviews about its Beauty Elixir popped up everywhere, but I just never got around to trying them out. The Glossybox product list states that this 15ml oil is full size, but I cannot seem to find it on their website online. Infused with grape, argan, hibiscus and sesame oils, this sounds like it would do great for my dry skin- can't wait to try it out!






Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Prime & Create Mixing Medium - £2.50 (approx. RM12.50) for 2.5grams/ Full size £20 for 20grams
This came in a teeny pot in roughly the size of one of those pots you can find in a travel kit from Primark- so you can imagine when I say tiny! I found this to be the most intriguing product in the whole box as I had never come across a mixing medium in my life. This multi-tasker aloe vera based gel claims to be able to be turned into a cream foundation, blush and eye shadow and is suitable for all skin types. I would like to play around this and see how it goes although I don't think I'll be purchasing this anytime soon as it really pricey for such a small quantity at full size (and I wonder how long this little sample pot will last)!






Headline Colors Nail Polish in Twisted Silk - Full Size £9 (approx. RM45) for 10ml
The nail varnish lover in me squealed in delight when I laid my eyes on this. I love collecting nail polishes like a magpie collects sparkly trinkets, and although I was personally hoping to receive either Poolside Party or Catwalk from Headline Colors' (previously known as Killer Colors) Spring/Summer '13 collection, this pale, muted peach-pink from the Autumn/Winter '12 collection is a nice nude shade to add to my constantly-growing nail polish collection as I don't think I have shade anything like this.




L'Occitane En Provence Angelica Hydration Cream- £9 (approx. RM45) for 15ml/ Full size £30 for 50ml
I've stood a couple of times in L'Occitane staring longingly at this moisturiser- I'm enraptured by its claim that it can plump, smoothe and give my skin a radiant look. However, I put off purchasing the full size because I still have a few moisturisers to get through and did not want to waste product. So this came at a good time as I can sample it before fully making up my mind as to whether I want to purchase it. The small size makes it good for throwing into a travel bag too!




Glossybox Nail Files
These nail files are apparently an extra goodie included into this birthday box as a birthday treat for subscribers. They are small in size, and the whole packet that you see in the picture fits nicely in the middle of my palm. Nothing much to say about them except that extra goodies are always welcomed and this will be handy for travelling or when I'm bored waiting for the bus and want to file my nails. Hee!

Total value of my Glossybox: £39.55 (approx. RM197.75)

Overall thoughts
- For £10, this is a pretty good value box, it's not the worst value box, although it's also not the best value box out there as I've seen boxes this month filled with full sized goodies. This box has 2-3 full size, but the Caudalie one is a tiny full size so I don't really consider it as one. Haha! As a birthday box, I was honestly expecting more and have to say that none of the products here actually blew me off my socks. I just feel indifferent about them. It was fun to give beauty boxes a go and to see what all the hype is about, and it is a good way to sample beauty products before committing to the full sized ones, but sadly I do not think this is for me, as I would rather use the money to purchase products I actually want. I have already cancelled my Glossybox subscription and I don't think I'll be re-subscribing anytime in the near future.

Where can I purchase this?- You can find this on the Glossybox website for £10 (approx. RM50) a month, excluding P&P which costs £2.95.

Did you purchase this month's Glossybox? What did you receive? Did you like it? =D

xx Amanda

10 comments:

  1. I wouldn't be that impressed with this as a birthday box either! The mixing medium looks really cool though, I know there are lots of things you can do with it so it would be nice to get one in a box and play around with it x

    taupeandpearl.blogspot.com

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    1. Yeah, it was a bit of a let-down for me. =( I agree-the mixing medium does look cool although I haven't had a chance to play around with it yet! Thanks for letting me know there's lots to do with it- will definitely experiment with it. =)

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  2. Thanks for the thorough review! Was tempted to subscribe to them recently but its a let down that even though the products look great, they weren't outstanding!

    The nail polish colour is lovely!

    Yinyin xx
    YinyinLoves

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    1. You're welcome! Yup, unfortunately the products were just okay, in my opinion. I do agree that the nail polish colour is pretty! =D

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  3. This one seems like a decent box, I have seen some that are pretty horrendous. I don't blame you for being disappointed.

    I really like the look of caudalie and l'occitane though.

    www.kahfehyen.com

    xx

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    1. I read reviews of previous boxes and have to agree that some boxes are rather horrendous. I have not gotten round to trying the caudalie and l'occitane but will update once I have! =)

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  4. Thanks for visiting my blog!!
    I was always the same when receiving glossyboxes, was never happy so unsubscribed. They have gotten better though was thinking about subscribing again.. unsure.
    Dying to try the caudalie oil though! x
    Rachael - beautypea.com

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    1. You're welcome! I guess it really depends on the box you get- some are winners, and some not so much. The caudalie oil looks great but I haven't tried it yet- hehe!

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  5. Nice Post and a great blog.

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