GlossyBox UK - Limited Edition NARS

GlossyBox UK - Limited Edition NARS

I feel like in my January GlossyBox post I was a little harsh on GlossyBox and their selection of products. It's just when they can do something as spectacular as the NARS GlossyBox you expect big things.

This box was the reason I subscribed to GlossyBox to join the waitlist and to be let in on the pre-release, and boy am I glad I did. The pre-release opened at 9am on 16th November and by 9.27am ALL 3,000 boxes has sold out. Many Glossies frustrated that the site had crashed, links weren’t working and chaos ensued on twitter. Sadly there were only 3,000 boxes so it never made general release scheduled for 12noon the same day. But this was what beauty boxes (to me) are supposed to be. Subscribers could for £30 receive 5 deluxe samples of NARS products. A fraction of the full price as compared below.

Product	Full Size	Full Price	Sample Size	% of full size	Value
Multiple	14g	£29	4g	28%	£8.28
Blush	4.8g	£23	3.5g	72%	£16.71
Lip Pencil	2.2g	£19	1.7g	77%	£14.68
Eye Liner	0.58g	£19	0.3g	51%	£9.82
Mascara	8ml	£21	3ml	37%	£7.87
Total		£111			£57.42

This makes the value of the products you got in the box nearly double what you paid and as NARS never (or rarely) do sample sizes this is pretty cool to have to try. I love makeup but would have never dropped £111 on products to see if they lived up to the reputation.

Oh, a side note on the packaging... A black matte box with the NARS logo on the side, black tissue tied with a NARS branded ribbon this just oozed NARS gorgeousness!! The little details made this feel extra special!

So what did you get in the box:

Blush in 'Orgasm'

This is NARS most iconic blush a peachy pink with golden shimmer, it gives the most gorgeous natural flush. Need I say more?

Larger Than Life Eyeliner in ‘Via Veneto’

Via Veneto is NARS black in this range. Promising to be “a completely budge proof finish. Incomparable 12-hour wear with no smearing and no caking.” This is a good eyeliner and as a contact lens wearer it didn’t bother my eyes one bit. But budge proof, unfortunately not on me. If only there was a waterproof version.

The Multiple in 'Orgasm'

Again this is in the iconic NARS shade. Marketed as “Mistake-proof color; quick and easy to apply. Sheer, natural finish for eyes, cheeks and lips.” This is the smallest sample you get at just over 25% of the full size (that picture is it fully wound up) Of all the products in the box this was my least favourite. The formula seems to be drying out already, I think I would stick to the blush, but isn't that the whole point of these boxes I didn't splurge £29 on this to find out it's not my cup of tea! Yay!

Satin Lip Pencil in ‘Rikugien’

A long wearing, hydrating lip pencil in this gorgeously flattering rose pink shade, what's not to like? GlossyBox this is a universally flattering shade unlike a certain brown blush...

Audacious Mascara

This was a brand new addition to the NARS line so to get to try a new. According to NARS “Designed with over 200 molded bristles and lengthening hooks.. Simultaneously separates, lengthens, and amplifies. Its tapered tip finishes off the inner and outer reaches of your imagination, while enhancing lower lashes.” A great claim that it easily lives up to!

When GlossyBox get it right they really get it right! I wish they could have restocked this as I would certainly get this as a gift for at least one makeup junkie I know.

Did you manage to get your hands on this box, if so let me know your thoughts below and if there are any better NARS products I should try and review.

If you are interested in joining GlossyBox to be ahead when they release another limited edition box please feel free to use my referral link:

GlossyBox Refer a Friend

Until next post,

xoxo Lindsay

GlossyBox UK January 2016

GlossyBox January 2016: Glossy or Not?

This is my third month as a GlossyBox subscriber and with my first two months being pretty good and the Nars Limited Edition box being Holy Grail level, these things sold out within 27 minutes of the pre release and then proceeded to be sold on ebay for £80+. I was expecting them to start the new year with great things.

January 2016: The Year of MORE box.

So what’s in the box (according to the contents card):

• Unani Dermo Defence Face Mask
• Teeez Cosmetics Oasis Gem Lipstick
• Madara Cellular Repair Serum
• Emite Micronized Powder Blush
• GlossyBox Eyeshadow

So this box is £10 per month plus £2.95 and, according to the contents card the value of this month's box is £50.98 for the four full sized products, half the price for half the product. for the “luxury size” brings in to £69.96 in value according to GlossyBox.

Product	Full sized Value (according to glossy box)	Full Size	Size included	Online Value	My Value
Face Mask	£11.36	100ml	100ml	€15.99	£11.97
Lipstick	£11.93	2g	2g	N/A
Serum	£38	15ml	30ml	€47.00	£16.15
Blush	£20.59	10g	10g	$22.00	£15.12
Eyeshadow	£7.10	3g	3g	N/A
Total	£69.96				£43.24

But sadly after spending a few hours looking for these products none of them you can actually buy in Pounds Sterling and two you cannot buy at all! This is a little disappointing to me as the whole point of these boxes is trying new products with the hope of finding something you want to keep using and will actually buy but sadly none of these are easily available. At least in December's box, the 5 of the products were from brands I had heard of and Essence, Collection and Starskin you can actually buy in shops here in the UK, Talika is always on sales in TKMaxx and So Susan is available from their UK website.

So in to the actual products:

Unani Dermo Defence Face Mask

This time I am always up for a face mask so even though I have never heard of this brand my skin has been craving some extra moisture. The bottle says “The Dermo Defence Face Mask provides skincare, protection, nutrition and hydration while removing impurities. Sounds pretty good to me and the main ingredient (even before aqua) is Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice a fancy name for Aloe Vera.  I am looking forward to giving this a try but when I opened it… No security seal and product was all over the end and in the cap. Not impressed with something I want to put on my face.

Teeez Cosmetics Oasis Gem Lipstick

Like most girls I am a total lipstick addict and was quite happy to see another in the box (previously I have been sent two reds from Revlon and Essence) This time in Coral Onyx, not bad. I wouldn’t normally buy this shade so something to push me out of my comfort zone. Again this is a brand I have never heard of but the packaging is so pretty, it;s a little plasticy but I can get over that. The lipstick does have a light fragrance a sweet almost vanilla scent which is not bad. Can't wait to wear test this one to see what the texture is on the lips, the contents card calls it “a unique satin finish” but the box says “Satin Matte” so for a lip product that contains Shea Butter I am eager to see if it holds up to the promised long lasting 8 hours! Sadly if I do like this lipstick I am out of luck as either it hasn't been released yet or has been discontinued as I cannot find it on the Teeez site.

Madara Cellular Repair Serum

At 15ml this is a pretty decent sized serum GlossyBox says “A cell repairing complex alongside revitalising birch juice (the wonder ingredient the beauty world and buzzing about) to plump skin” Another product with a juice… For all the buzz I haven’t heard about it! So I did a quick google and the beauty world must now be the Daily Mail and Evening Standard reporting on Gwyneth Paltrow's latest drinking fad. Apparently birch sap is the next coconut water, I think I’ll stick to my 2 litres of tap water just as healthy and better for the purse too. But nothing about this being a must have skin care ingredient. Well this Latvian made product replaced water with Northern Birch Juice in this natural and organic face serum. Looking at the stats on the side of the box I am a little dubious 86% of users reported an instant lifting effect (a whopping 26 out of 30, can we have a better consumer sample?) Again this product has no safety seal and product was smeared around the tip. I really think GlossyBox need to pick up their game in this area now. But I’ll give it ago and report back if Miracles happen with this.

Emite Micronized Powder Blush

On opening by box and seeing this wrapped in bubble wrap I was first happy it hadn’t smashed in transit. Slightly confused by very basic plain packaging I would have expected this to be one of the cheaper product (it's reminiscent to me of the makeup you get in Poundland) but lo and behold this blush retails for £20.59 according to GlossyBox. But wait… The contents card calls this a Micronized Powder Blush on the back of this product I have some called an Artist Colour Powder Blush. I checked the Emite website and they are infact two completely different products, come on GlossyBox get it right!! I have shade 108 which is a red based brown. Glossybox calls this “a blush/bronzer hybrid (we’ve coined it a ‘blunzer’)” Well you may have GlossyBox but the manufacturer has not! Blusher does not go all over the face this is far to dark red toned and would only suite a darker skin tone than mine as a blush. Now I will say I tweeted GlossyBox about this unfortunate shade choice for my ridiculously pale complexion (and I will say now I have completed their survey so the send me relevant products) and they replied “We have tried this on all skin types and we recommend using inn with a little goes a long way in mind” I will say here one brown blusher does not suit all! It's not good on my skin tone (MAC NC15). But for those of you with a warm medium to deep skin tone it could work. Just be warned it is very highly pigmented (you really can’t use a little) and it is so powdery kickback goes everywhere even with you finger (hopefully you can get an idea with the swatch below) and it has a musty stale smell and was not sealed on arrival This is a total fail for me.

GlossyBox Eyeshadow

How do you put a price on an own brand item you cannot buy? GlossyBox did and for a powder eyeshadow I think £7.10 is a little steep. Especially as a lot of Glossies are trying to sell theirs on ebay! Now i do like this colour it is quite pretty, it is more mauve brown in person but seems to photograph more silver. This is because there is a lot of pink / blue glitter shimmer in here, hopefully I caught that in my photo. It swatches really well, very pigmented and smooth but on the eye it's quite sheer, transfers and fades, you will need to use this wet (I would suggest MACs Fix+) to get a good payoff and staying power. Again this product's safety seal wasn’t on when I received it and the product was actually open. A tad disappointing but some make up sanitiser and I will get over it.

All in all this has been a bit of a disappointing month from GlossyBox.

Are you subscribed to GlossyBox, what products did you get and what did you think of January’s “Year of MORE”?

If you aren't subscribed and would like to please feel free to use my referral link:
GlossyBox Refer A Friend

xoxo Lindsay

Origins: Just The Essential Ginzing Set - Review

Ginzing, Origins: Just The Essential Ginzing Set

What you get:

• Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash (30ml)
• Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores (15ml)
• Origins Modern Friction Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion (15ml)
• Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser (30ml)

This attracted me as I have heard so many good things about Origins and have ummed and ahhed over the Clear Improvement Mask for months but at £23 it was a high price when there are other charcoal masks on the market for a much more reasonable price. So the whole set to try for £15 seemed like a bargain especially as it boasts it is worth £24.50 but is it?

Well I have done the math:

Product	Price (From origins.co.uk)	Size (ml)	Price (Per ml)	Value
Checks and Balances	£18.50	150	0.123	£3.70
Clear Improvement	£23	75	0.306	£4.60
Modern Friction	£24	50	0.48	£14.40
GinZing	£23	100	0.23	£3.45
			Total:	£26.15

By my calculations it's about a £11 saving so happy there, now on to the products!

Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores

According to the Origins website this was picked by Zoella in her Festive Pamper Routine and while I like this mask I wouldn’t say it's worth all the hype. It's not the thickest consistency so I found I had to use quite a bit to build up a mask. It dried pretty quickly (10 - 15 minutes), it rinsed off easily and did leave my skin soft but I would not say it caused my skin to "breathes a sigh of relief." as promised on the site.

Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash

For a second I though having taken my glasses off I had mixed up the tubes and had started to clean with my Sensodyne. Fortunately I hadn’t but this cleanser, boy does it smell of mint, I mean really spearmint toothpastey smell and it's a pearly white colour, it almost had me confused if it hadn’t had a foamy lather! After I got over the odd choice of scent for this cleanser I actually quite like this. It is very gentle and refreshing. Origins claims “Skin feels comfortably refreshed after cleansing, never tight, pulled or parched.” I have to agree, no tightness, my combination skin feels soft, all traces of oil are gone but my drier patches have not been aggravated.

Origins Modern Friction Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion

I am not sure on what makes this face scrub “Dermabrasion” as i don't think it removed the upper layers of my skin rather than just exfoliated. But as a face scrub it works really well, it is a gritty scrub rather than beads and the texture lasts long enough before dissolving and apposed to the cleanser this doesn't have a particular smell which is great.

Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturiser

 

Origins says this is “This lightweight, oil-free, skin energy drink, fortified with legendary skin-boosters” This is a lovely light moisturiser, it sank into the skin quickly, didn’t leave any tackiness and smells lovely! The warm orange scent smells great on application and fades away after 5 - 10 minutes. This is a great product for oily or dry skin as it did not leave any dewiness to my skin could easily be work during the day under makeup and wouldn’t cause makeup to slip or slide like some heavier, thicker creams.

I hope you find this review helpful and feel free to leave any suggestions for future product reviews in the comments.

xoxo Lindsay