Glossybox – The London Edition

Okay this will be a monthly feature when each new box arrives partly because I am like a big kid in toy shop opening these boxes. I recognised that having got to a certain age and coming out of a long term relationship I have got a little stuck in my ways.  My make-up is normally the same two style one for day and one for night which I can actually apply in 10 – 15 minutes and without even really needing a mirror, I was stuck in the proverbial rut.  So inspired by a fellow blogger I decided to try one of the many subscription boxes available, this one from Glossybox costs a tenner a month plus postage and you receive 5 travel/trial size items per month.  Now there are so many products out there today that make the most amazing claims and cost the earth finding the right one can be a nightmare so for me this seems like a good way to try things and you never know I may find some new beauty tips along the way, as you will see the first box had me trying something new.  I thought you would enjoy taking a peek and watching me experiment, gents I apologise now but you never know you might decide to try the hair products or skin care stuff…

So I open up the outer packaging and see…..The first thing I am struck by is the packaging, it looks expensive, in a card shop you would probably pay about £5 just for a similar quality gift box, so time to open it up…

Inside the quality continues with the packing the tissue paper not only colour co-ordinates but also features images reflecting the them of the box and has a matching ribbon.  Also included was a magazine telling you a little about the people choosing and influencing the choices for the month plus a card giving you full product and price details for each item included.

My five products all arrived intact only the lid had come off the hair product but as it was one where you twist to allow the pump action to function it made no difference.  First impression was I was really happy with what I saw so then it was time to look a little closer and over the next couple of days to try them out.

First up the perfume Untold by Elizabeth Arden.  Not one I would have picked up to try normally in a shop knowing how expensive these fragrances are but I loved it.  The one they sent is a 5ml sample bottle and will last a while as the smell lasts quite well.  Normal retail price is £48 for 50ml and £69 for 100ml not the most expensive perfume but certainly not the cheapest.  I guess the real question is would I buy this and based on the smell the answer is yes but based on price although I might buy it I would certainly not wear it on a daily basis it would be saved for special occasions.

Next up Nipple Balm for Lips by Dr Lipp…

Okay this sounds a very strange product if you read the description of the product the mind boggles even more…

A cult make-up kit essential! A true 100% natural SOS balm with multipurpose properties for use on dry, sensitive skin, eczema, cuticles, burns and abrasions, sore nipples and even baby’s bottoms!

As you can see it makes lots of claims now as my nipples are fine and I had no intention of burning myself of grazing my knees just to test it, there were only two testing options left the lips and dry skin so first to get it out of the tube…

It is incredibly thick and quite hard to squeeze out, I was given a 3ml tube but I doubt it would be much easier on the full size one.  A little goes a very long way and it is like incredibly thick Vaseline.  Both I and a friend tried it on lips and dry skin and found it did match its claims, on lips it stays put when drinking though I would not recommend eating directly after applying or you will have crumbs stuck to your lips, The dry skin test worked very well though for me where I have dry flakes on my nose despite the skin being quite oily it was something I would only apply weekly and over night.  The full size retails at £11.50 for 15ml and as I say a little goes a long way, would I buy it no, I don;t really suffer enough with chapped lips to justify the expense but if you do then it is worth the money.

Next up…

Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Onyx Eye Liner when you open the box you find what looks like a magic marker and can be used pretty much the same way but on your eyes obviously

Of course the real test is putting it on your eyes…

now as you can see one eye lovely and perfect the other is the reason you should never put on make up with small children and animals running round you.  The plus side is it allows me to tell you that this eyeliner is very unforgiving, if you go wrong it is quite difficult to clear up the smudge without needing to remove the lot. The full size product is $14 for 3g and would need to be bought on line I would definitely buy this if I could get it in a shop but it would depend on postage charges to whether I would buy it online.

So next up was…

Okay confession time I was a lash virgin I have always had nice long thick lashes and never bothered with fake ones.  Don’t get me wrong I had been tempted just never enough to take the plunge so I was totally in experienced to handle these lol.

As you can see from the outer corners of my eyes the first attempt was rather unsuccessful they were incredibly sticky and positioning them was hard, and I have to say at first I blamed the edges coming unstuck on my having to reposition it numerous times, the second one went on a little easier with the aid of a hoof stick from my manicure set.  I stuck down the loose corner with some eye lash glue I had bought to go with the purple lashes I had bought for Halloween but not used yet, after about and hour and a half the other started coming loose and needed extra glue to secure it.  I would say once you get the hang of them these are great they look fairly natural still…

once you notice them you do of course know they are false but they are not silly ones and once you are confident they are secure you forget you are wearing them as they are so light.  The self adhesive bit I think it fails on but you can pick up lash glue cheaply enough to compensate for that.  The lashes cost £5.06 and are on sale on line I don’t think I would buy these if there was postage to pay on top of the price as there are many other options in the shops.

The final item for this first box is…now I have to confess this one probably hasn’t had the testing it fully requires but so far it is looking good.  I smoothed some over my hair before tying it up

When you first apply it it feels quite greasy, my daughter claimed it was like putting baby oil on your hair but it quickly dries out leaving the hair feeling incredibly soft and smooth with a nice shine.  I did not use it with any other products though in this test so how much shine remains then remains to be seen,  I received a 30ml full size bottle which retails at £7.19 which will probably last me quite a while as I don’t need to do my hair much at the minute as I am between styles but if I choose to keep my hair longer i can certainly see myself buying this.

So that’s this months box and it has been good enough for me to decide to keep the subscription roll on October’s box.