beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

April Glossybox

For me this box is make or break. I’ve been fairly disappointed with Glossybox recently so I needed April’s to knock it out the park.

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Let’s delve in and see whether this box has done enough.

This month sees an impressive four out of five products full size – a return to some of the most pleasing boxes.

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Next Make Me Beautiful Lip Chubby in Cherry Red – RRP £8. I didn’t even know Next did make up and I am impressed with the quality of this lipstick crayon. It’s packed with natural plant oils and waxes to keep your lips glossy. It’s a gorgeous red colour, only needing one swipe to deliver a pop.

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Swatches

Leighton Denny Expert Nails Miracle Mist – RRP £12. This spray promises to dry your nail polish in seconds. Less time waving your hands around like an idiot while waiting for it to dry.

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Studio 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner – RRP £22. A double ended brow pencil, one side brow definition, the other a highlighter. Once again I wonder what the point of filling out a beauty profile was, as this pencil is great for brunettes, but less us for blondes.

Swiss Smile Whitening Toothpaste – RRP £28.95. A tube of toothpaste that costs almost thirty quid!?!? What!! Unless it delivers a Hollywood smile in a few days, why would you bother.

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The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil – RRP £28. This is the only sample sized item in the box. It’s a bestseller, infused with three restorative oils to leave you with a radiant and nourished complexion.

I am impressed with one, possibly two of the items but the rest is a bit of a miss – toothpaste really!?!?
 

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If you want to sign up to Glossybox – click here.

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, haircare, make up, reviews, skincare

Birchbox x Rifle Paper Co.

This month subscribers could pick their preference for the box design – a collaboration with stationary firm Rifle Paper Co.

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There is a Benefit product in every box, one guess what I got? Yes, mascara, again. Very disappointing considering all the options out there.

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Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara in Beyond Black – RRP £19.50.

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So Susan Lip Dome in Melon – RRP £10. This is a full size lipstick crayon in a pinky red, packed with hyaluronic acid and goji berries to nourish and protect.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse facial oil – RRP £17. Six essential oils, plant oils and vitamin E to add hydration and a glow to skin.

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Parlor by Jeff Chastain Detangling Leave-in Conditioner – RRP £17. Spray evenly onto damp hair, comb through to give hair an extra layer of shine and heat protection.

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Kueshi Foot Care Cream – RRP £12. Sweet almond oil, royal jelly, tea tree oil, a luxurious mix for dry, tired feet.

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As annoying as getting another mascara is, this box has a nice mix of products, and a bonus discount from Rifle Paper Co.

If you want to sign up – click here and get £5 of points for the Birchbox shop.

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, perfume, reviews, skincare

Cohorted April – Beauty Powered by You

I decided to give Cohorted’s new beauty box a go, having been massively disappointed the last time.

Worth £93, this box is £35 including postage, making it one of the more expensive beauty boxes around.

The postman dropped it off bright and early, it’s a big box so I hope he has his van, he’s normally on foot.

Inside are fullsize products from five brands, some more familiar than others.

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First up MAC’s Patent Polish Lip Pencil – RRP £17.50. I received the shade ‘Clever’ which is rather nice light red, happily not orangey, but with pink undertones. It feels like lipbalm and is super easy to apply. Available in 14 shades.

Gold Elements Nail Care Kit – RRP £29.49. Four products make up this kit;

Hand & Nail Cream
Cuticle Oil
Nail File
Buffing Block

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These are all useful things and caring for your hands and nails is important as they get pretty battered throughout the day.

Miss Patisserie Bath Melt – RRP £3.99 for one. These little cupcakes are not for eating, made with Shea and coconut butter, each one contains antioxidants and minerals, decorated with detoxifying salts and cosmetic grade glitter.

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Body Shop White Musk Libertine EDT Perfume 100ml – RRP £24. Containing cruelty free musk, this is a modern twist on a Body Shop classic, sweet and classic.

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MDM Flow lipstick in Panther – RRP £18. Bizarrely, inside the box guide the whole article is about a shade called Milkshake but I’ve got a completely different one, which is a horrid neon pink.

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Not the best box in the world – who needs two lipsticks in one box, and the bath bomb won’t get any use, although it would make a nice addition to a birthday gift. The nail kit seems quite an impressive inclusion, most boxes would only put one item in, not the whole kit.

Might give this another go at some point – bit too pricey for every month.

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, latest in beauty, make up, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty Build Your Own Box

I rather love Latest in Beauty’s fabulous curated boxes and they have these build your own boxes you can put together yourself – perfect for presents or pampering yourself.

You can choose a number of different products ranging from skincare to candles from their shortlist, picking either 3, 6 or 9 items. There’s a mix of full and sample sized items for your box and new items are regularly added.

Here’s my pick.

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In no particular order;

💋Beauty UK High Brow All in One Brow Definition Kit – permanently on a mission for the best brow products for blondes, so I thought I’d give this a go. It’s designed for a variety of brow colours, and hopefully the blonde will be blonde enough.

💋teeez Head Over Heels Nail Lacquer in Frosted Gleam – super sparkly nail polish is one of my secret pleasures and this fits the bill. Cruelty free and promises to be chip free for three days.

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Sparkly

💋Burt’s Bees Lip Gloss in Spring Splendour – one of the downsides of buying online is it can be hard to tell exactly what shade you’re choosing. This is a bit pinker than I thought but my sister will love it.

💋Korres Bergamot and Pear Body Milk – this is more or less my favourite body lotion going so any time I can get some more, I will.

💋balmi Super Cube Lip Balm in Roseberry SPF 15 – talking of favourites, this lip balm ranks all time high in my book. Not too scented/flavoured, with SPF and in a clever little pot, keeps my lips happy.

💋Paul Mitchell Dry Wash – waterless shampoo or dry shampoo is big business these days, and I’m always looking for a good one.

💋Manuka Doctor Purified Bee Venom & Manuka Honey Skincare – three sachets of skin care – a mask, serum and filler with manuka honey and bee venom.

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Don't let the bees get you!

💋Sanctuary Spa Luxurious Body Butter – my dry, thirsty skin laps up moisture all day long, this is the perfect size to pop in my bag for moisture on the go.

💋Puriskin Therapy Resurfacing Formula – a super lotion for sensitive skin, targeting blemishes, bruises, burns and other damage. As queen of the mystery bruise and with skin so sensitive that a change in washing liquid brings me out in a rash, this seemed like it might be worth a try.

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What are your thoughts? Will you build your own box? Let me know in the comments below.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, reviews, skincare

March Blogger Beauty Box

Arriving just as March winds give way to April showers the Blogger Beauty Box was delivered by my rather chirpy postman.

Packed full to the brim and for the insane bargain price of £10 this is a box designed by a blogger for other bloggers.

Inside is a whole range of beauty goodies.

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March goodies

Top row L-R
❤Faust’s Potions Limited Edition Travels to my Elephant vitamin and herbal supplement drinks for day and night.
❤New Zealand BeeBio Active Manuka Honey Eye Crème with Bee Venom
❤Sass intimate Perfect Skin Concentrate
❤MOA Aphrodite Facial Oil
Miniatures L-R
❤Jr naturorganics Mandarin & Chamomile Balancing Moisturiser
❤Maya Black Gold of the Sun Confident Styling & Curling Crème
❤Merumaya Mud Marvels Mask

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There’s such a mix of products here, from full size to samples, haircare, skincare and the supplement drink (money from which benefits The Elephant Family charity).

There’s a focus on natural products which is always good, being able to pronounce the ingredients makes me more confident about what I’m using.

While I have a bit of a problem with Sass’ range of intimate body washes (your vagina is self-cleaning and doesn’t need douches or other PH unbalancing products), this is probably quite useful for relieving ingrown hairs anywhere.

Then there’s the bee venom – I actually read about this the other day. A popular product in the Antipodes, this encourages collagen production by mimicking the effects of a bee sting – minus the actual sting and a dead bee on your conscience.

I think I’ll be having a play with everything here, and definitely signing up for next month’s box here.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, love me beauty, reviews, skincare

Love Me Beauty – March

This month’s Love Me Beauty ‘box’ arrived – it’s not a box as such. But here’s what I picked from the Boutique.

For £13.95 a month you get 60 credits, which you can top up if you want more products.

🍓Tangle Teezer Blow-Styling Full Paddle Brush (20 credits)

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🍓Caudalie Make-Up Removing Cleansing Oil (15 credits)
🍓Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips (20 credits)
🍓Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream (5 credits)

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I needed a new hairbrush and this was an excellent way to get one without breaking the bank.

The Dr Lipp balm is an essential item, use it on dry lips, dry corners of your nose, elbows, hands, and anywhere else that needs some TLC.

Do you subscribe to Love Me Beauty? Thoughts? Drop me a note in the comments.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, my little box, reviews

My Little Bubble Box

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This month’s My Little Box has arrived and it’s already causing a stir online – some subscribers aren’t very impressed.

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The problem with theming every box you send out is that sometimes the contents only seem related very tenuously. And that seems to be the crux of the complaints I’ve spotted on social media.

For a box themed around bubbles this is curiously lacking in them. There’s a rather sad looking deflated balloon – think ‘Eeyore has a birthday’ where a mini bottle of bubbles would have made more sense.

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Anyway, on to the box contents we’re really interested in – the beauty bits.

Firstly there’s a mini make up sponge and a little blue hairbrush.

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Always nice to have some tools, I use a very similar sponge daily so spares are more than welcome and with my mind-of-its-own hair I can never have too many hair brushes.

Inside the little cloth bag are three beauty products designed to help you glow.

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🎈Givenchy Noir Couture Volume Mascara – hand bag sized, perfect for touch ups on the go.

🎈My Little Beauty Bubble Blush Lips and Cheek stain – I thought this was nail polish at first but it’s a lip and cheek stain in a matt pink.

🎈Huygens Paris Body Scrub – citrus scented mini tube of scrub to help ready your skin for the post-tights spring we keep hearing rumours about.

As always there’s the in-house magazine My Little World, which not only profiles the box contents but also features articles on Creme Eggs, emojis, Pop Art and a cute fashion spread.

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Did you get a Little Bubble Box? What did you think? Let me know in the comments. 🎈🎈

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, look fantastic, make up, reviews, skincare

Look Fantastic – Destination Beauty #LFExplorer

This month’s Look Fantastic box’s theme is Destination Beauty.

The box looks amazing with its world map in eyeshadow powder, well done to that artist.

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There are six products in the box –

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Lottie London Blend in Brush (from a selection – one per box). This super-soft brush makes blending a breeze.

Codage Masque Hydratant Moisturising Mask – French brand Codage formulated this revitalising mask without parabens, but with essential oils and is suitable for even the most sensitive skin (you may receive an alternative from the same brand.)

Revlon Colourburst Lip Balm – infused with mango, shea and coconut butter, this moisturising lip balm gives you a pop of colour and hydration – you can use it as a blush on your cheeks too.

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First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – a head to toe moisturiser, packed full of goodness, including liquorice root, white tea and shea butter.

Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse – apply to your face and neck after cleansing in the morning, massaging to penetrate this lightweight moisturiser deep into your cells.

Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water – gently cleanse and remove make up with this soap free and hypoallergenic cleanser.

Inside the mini magazine are the Look Fantastic team’s pick of Paris Fashion Week beauty faves, world beauty trends, recipes and other beauty insider news.

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There’s a few too many moisturisers in this box, a bit more variety would be nice but overall I quite like this month’s box.

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Are you a Look Fantastic subscriber? What are your thoughts on this month’s box?

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, my little box, reviews

My Little Home Box

February’s My Little Box arrived on the bonus day of the month.

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The box is all about home, cosying up in the warm, because, well, baby, it’s cold outside.

Inside the box are some sweet little touches for your home and some goodies for your face.

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There’s a sweet blue picture frame with this month’s illustrated card tucked inside, an excellent holding place while you find your own or not.

There’s also a patterned cushion case to jazz up your sofa, chair or bed. Just add cushion.

There’s also the regular My Little World magazine.

Then there’s the little bag of beauty goodies. This month three items to treat your skin.

My Little Beauty Easy Morning Skin Perfecting cream – apply on its own or under your make up to give skin a healthy glow.

Polaar Genuine Lapland Hand Cream – made with antioxidant rich berries from the Arctic this non-greasy cream soothes frozen fingers and dry winter skin.

Noxidoxi Mask & Peel Perfection Éclat – a skin mask to reveal fresh spring skin  and slough off dead and tired cells.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, latest in beauty, reviews

Glamour Spring Edit

I think the Glamour collaborations with Latest in Beauty are among the best beauty boxes out there.

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This one is jammed full of great products to play with as it hopefully warms up outside.

MUA Luxe 10 shade palette (1 of 2 variations) – this palette is gorgeous and MUA is a brand I love.

Morocanoil Treatment Light – I love argan oil, it healed my split ends and adds shine to my hair post wash. So this bottle is a bonus.

Rosie for Autograph Nuit Parfum EDP – funnily enough I just bought this M&S exclusive perfume a week ago. This little bottle will be in my bag to refresh my scent on the go.

Bareminerals Bare skin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation SPF20 – I’ve been hearing good things about this product so I’m looking forward to testing this out.

Illamasqua Precision Ink Eyeliner – I can’t do a perfect cat’s eye flick to save my life but it doesn’t stop me trying and this liquid liner is supposed to be the bees knees.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser – a 3-in-1 cleanser to leave skin hydrated and happy – will definitely try this out, my skin needs to glow in this gloom.

Malin+Goetz Vitamin E Face Moisturiser – vitamin E is a skin friendly vitamin, and it boosts sensitive skin too.

There’s also discount vouchers in the box for some of the featured brands.

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ramblingmads