Review : December GlossyBox

I received the much anticipated December GlossyBox yesterday before heading off to Bristol for the Xmas Blogger Meet, which was amazing!

I love that the Christmas boxes were red instead of the usual pink - such a nice touch.

The products...

BIONOVA Eye Wrinkle Cream 4g approx £12.13

GlossyBox say : Utilizes the technology based on Life Science Nanotechnology by treating the skin with the same ingredients in the same quantities and ratio naturally produced by a Human Body.

I say : I love a good eye cream so was very pleased to see this in my box. The first thought when I saw this was the complete waste of packaging! Why use such a big box for such a tiny sample? It seems like a very good eye cream, it feels really nice and soft. As for fragrance, it smells a bit too soapy for my liking.

Blink+Go Eyeshadow and Blush Palette 19g (full size) £14.95

GlossyBox say : Blink+Go Eye makeup is the ultimate effect for eyes. Take your eye style to a dizzy height with maximum colour and a perfect silk texture and finish.

I say : This is such a lovely little compact palette and I am so pleased with the colours I received as I will use these. The swatches blew me away, I didn't expect the eyeshadow & blushers to be of very good quality, but, as you can see they are super pigmented. The eyeshadows are a lovely silky texture as described and have a beautiful shimmer.

They have given us 25% off any Blink+Go Eyeshadow & Blush duo or Mascara.

Cargo Classic Lip Gloss in Las Vegas 0.45g approx £0.95 (I think, I could be very wrong here)

GlossyBox say :  Cargo's new Lip Gloss formulation! Perfect shades, great wear and high shine without being sticky.

I say : The colour of this isn't really very me. This is a small sample which makes it ideal for throwing in your handbag for a night out. It applies really well and really isn't sticky. The glitter makes it look extra shiny, if it was in a different shade this would be ideal for the Christmas party season.

Deborah Lippman Razzle Dazzle Mini Nail Varnish approx £10.69 (again, pricing is a bit of a guess as I'm not sure of the sample size, so I could be quite wrong)

Deborah Lippman Stripped To Go Sachet approx £2.34

GlossyBox say : Party glitter nail colour with a sachet of the most amazing polish remover finger nail mitt.

I say : I was so pleased to see a Deborah Lippmann nail polish in my box as I have been dying to try one. I'm not disappointed either, the above photos were taken with two coats and just look gorgeous. I can see me wearing this polish a lot. 

I haven't tried the nail remover mitt yet as I'm wearing nail foils at the moment. I'll let you know how I get on with it, probably in a monthly summary post.

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel 200ml (full size) £6.50

GlossyBox say : This unique foaming shower gel gently cleanses your skin and leaves it silky soft and smooth.

I say : I haven't used this yet but it smells gorgeous. 

GB have given us a barcode which gives us £5 off a £25 purchase in any UK Rituals store, I don't think they have a store in Wales so I won't get to use this.

Overall Verdict:

• My very rough estimate of the total box price is £47.56, which is very impressive. 
• I will use almost every product, the only one that may not get used is the lipgloss, which is the cheapest thing in the box.
• We received two full size products.
• The star item for me is the Blink & Go palette, for me this was an excellent item to receive and really made the box stand out.
• I hate to say this, but I was initially a little disappointed. Even though I love this box GB did build it up quite a bit so I was expecting something to 'wow' me or extra products. Please don't think I'm moaning as I'm not, I just think that GB maybe built the box up a bit too much.

Rumour has it that the January box is also going to be a limited edition box especially for Valetine's Day. If it is as good as this box I will be more than happy.

If you haven't already signed up to GB you can do so here. Existing subscribers may be interested to know that the Beauty Profile appears to be working. I've just filled mine in, it does say that it won't affect the box contents just yet but will be used in the future.

Did you receive this box? What was your star product? Did the box live up to your expectations?

September Boudoir Prive : Review

Hi all, I'm sure by now you've seen a million other reviews on this month's Boudoir Prive box but I still wanted to share my thoughts on the box so I hope you don't mind another post on it!

I got mine a little later than most people, it turned out that it had been left with a neighbour. They hadn't bought it round and the postman did his usual trick of not letting me know that it was there.

My box...

I'm sure by now that you are familiar with the concept of Boudoir Prive. You pay £10 a month and they send you six high end samples in a beautifully packaged box. They categorise their samples into six sections, of which you will receive a product within every month. The sections are Skincare, Lifestyle, Make-up, Bodycare, Fragrance and Haircare.

The theme for this month's box is Les Indispensables, things that are absolutely necessary, essential.

The contents...

Skincare - Colbert MD Nourish Eye Cream

They say : Colbert MD, the skincare used daily by HRH Kate Middleton and Sienna Miller, brings you a new impressive Eye Cream which rehydrates the skin around your eyes and reduces puffiness and dark circles. Apply around and under your eyes morning or night.

I say : I haven't gotten around to trying this yet but if its good enough for her royal highness I'm sure its good enough for common old me! It doesn't really have any smell to it which is good, I personally don't like scented products for use around the eye. No matter how good this is I can say for sure that at £90 a pot I won't be re-purchasing! I'm pleased to have received this little pot of luxury as I would never normally be able to try something so expensive.

The price : £90 for 15ml (!)

Bodycare - Tropic Skin Body Smooth

They say : We love this 100% natural Body Smooth from Tropic Skincare, founded by the Apprentice's Susan Ma. Enriched with nourishing Sea Minerals, Jojoba and Macadamia oil, it smoothes and hydrates skin wonderfully. Rub onto dry hands for 20 seconds, rinse with warm water and pat dry.

I say : The first thing I noticed with this is the scent, it is very overpowering. I'm not really sure I like the idea of using this on my hands because they will probably stink for the rest of the day! Its not an unpleasant smell, its very nice and fruity, but its just so strong that I think it will linger and start to become annoying!

The price : £19.95 for 200ml

Haircare - Macadamia Hair Repair

They say : This oil treatment, suitable for all hair types, will make your hair visibly smooth, frizz-free and shiny. An amazing product to repair your hair after the damage caused over the summer. Apply to either dry or wet hair, focusing on the ends. Use as an overnight treatment for best results.

I say : I was really pleased to receive this as I have heard some rave reviews about it. The smell is nice and subtle and I like the promises that it makes. Its also a full size 10ml bottle which is always good :)

The price : £5.75 for 10ml / £29.95 for 125ml.

Fragrance - Agent Provocateur L'Agent

They say : This seductive scent will turn you into the centre of attention and will make you feel sexy, mysterious and captivating. A new, classic scent for ladies by Agent Provocateur. Apply the perfume to bare skin, focusing on your pressure points.

I say : I really do wish that these perfume samples were a little bigger and in nice miniature bottles, but we can't have it all! This perfume is very strong! When smelling it from the bottle it is too strong for my liking, however a tiny dab of this on the wrist is actually quite pleasant.

The price : £70 for 100ml / £50 for 50ml

Make-up - Cargo Cosmetics Boogie Nights Eye Pencil in shade 02 Blue

They say : Make your eyes pop with this stunningly wild eye pencil from Cargo Cosmetics. A perfect shimmery pencil for day and night wear. Draw across upper eyelids. For extra impact, apply to your lower lids.

I say : This is a lovely colour and I do like the glitter, I'm just not sure if its me. I haven't worn blue eyeliner since I was about 14 and wearing blue eyeshadow, blue eyeliner and blue mascara. It just brings me back to my 'chavy' days!

The price : £13 for a set of five

Lifestyle - Zoya Nail Polish in shade ZP575 Jem

They say : Add a beautiful touch of shimmer to your fingertips with this nail polish from Zoya's new Smoke & Mirrors Collection for Autumn/Winter 2011. Apply a base coat and up to two layers of lacquer before finishing with a top cat.

I say : This nail varnish looks lovely and I like the fact they that provided the swatches of all the other colours in this collection, although I did wonder if Zoya were being very clever and using the knowledge that bloggers write about these boxes as a bit of free advertising...

The price : £9.98

Free gift - Mai Couture Blot & Bronze

This month's boxes were sent out later than expected due to Hurricane Irene, as an apology they said they were going to give us a present, this was it, two blotting papers. I don't mean to sound ungrateful as they didn't have to send anything extra but it would of been nice to have more than two sheets of this!
Anyway, the blot & bronze sheets claim to eliminate excess oil without disturbing your makeup. The pigmeneted paper deposits a hint of golden colour to even out skin tone while the refined shimmer gives the skin a radiant glow. The result is an oil-free sun-kissed complexion. The photo of my hand was taken after rubbing the sheet across my hand, as you can see it does have a nice shimmery bronze to it. When dabbing this onto my face it did remove the oil but strangely didn't deposit any of the bronzer. I'm not sure if this is because my skin is too oily? It certainly didn't leave me with a sun-kissed complexion.

Overall Verdict

Anther thumbs up to Boudoir Prive. I'm pretty sure that I'll be using most of these products.