One question: Who loves beauty boxes?
Answer: EVERYONE. (Even men)
Beauty boxes are basically Christmas in a box except you get them once a month. BRILLIANT.
You can expect to be surprised with full and sample sized make up, skin care and hair care products each month. When you sign up you are asked to fill in questionnaires about what products you are interested in and answer questions about yourself such as hair type, skin type and skin tone etc.
Before I signed up to receive these beautiful boxes it took me quite a long time to make a decision on which to choose because let's face it, there are so many choices out there
these days and they are all super tempting. So after spending quite a few hours scrolling through other lovely bloggers sites to read reviews and make my decision, I ended up choosing LOVE ME BEAUTY, GLOSSY BOX and BIRCHBOX.
Now I do realise that most normal people would choose one box but I chose three (partly because I am not completely same and I have a spending problem). So I thought it would be a fantastic idea to review each box every month and rank them in first, second and third
place. If I can help one more lady make that super important decision easier, well my job
here is done and I can sleep easy.
THIRD PLACE
Ok guys. Unfortunately this months Love Me Beauty box did overall disappoint me and so has won third place this month.
One of the main selling points this box does have to offer is that each month you can choose online from three options what you would like in your box and this was one of the reasons I chose to sign up. But I was really shocked to see that the only difference between the products in each box option were the flavours and colours of the products. I was led to believe that you would have had three options of completely different products. Maybe this is was a one off and they do usually offer different products. I shall find out in June and report back.
Box design
The box itself is very basic with Love Me Beauty's logo printed outside and internally.
Inside, the box is filled with baby pink crinkled paper and baby blue paper underneath. I quite like this. Simplicity is not always a bad thing. You also get a little card with the product prices and product information inside.
Now onto the important stuff...
Products
1. Three 'Tea Pigs' Chocolate flavoured flake tea envelopes RRP £1.95- Sample sized
Unfortunately this was super disappointing for me. The tea was quite bitter in taste so could have been sweeter and did need a heck of a lot more chocolate flavour in their for my liking. But the main point is this....it's tea. This is a beauty box and I can't put the tea on my face to make me look pretty. If I want tea I will pop to Asda thank you.
2. Raw Skincare 'Hint of Mint' natural lip balm RRP £1.98- Full Sized
This was also a major flop from Love Me Beauty. I am all for natural products and I do love
a good lip balm but this is not something I will be using again. The mint flavour is very strong and initially quite refreshing on the lips but the actual balm itself has quite a sticky
texture that I had to wipe off almost straight away. The lip balm itself says it is a 'protecting
and moisturising' lip balm but I cannot see any mention of an SPF in this and it certainly doesn't feel moisturising. I shall be sticking to my pot of Vaseline for now.
3. GO Stationary- Three pocket notebooks in 'Vintage Ditsy' RRP £5 - Full sized
WHY OH WHY OH WHY. I have nothing else to say. I also cannot put three mini pads on
my face to make me look pretty. And where's my tiny pen for these tiny notebooks? There aren't even any lines in the pads and I need those to write in a straight line. I would be doomed.
Moving on.
4. Suti- Cleanse balm, purity balm and fabulous foot balm RRP £6.50- Sample sized
Now these gave me something to smile about! They come in small trial pots but there is plenty of product to use for a sample. Basically you have a cleansing balm that you apply
to damp skin that removes make up and dirt. There is a purity balm to sooth and strengthen the skin after this and then there is a foot balm for reviving tired, in need of TLC tootsies. They don't smell anything special but these are completely organic, suitable for all skin types including my super oily skin and really do leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed. Well done Love Me Beauty.
And the last product is...
5. Nail Girls polish in Nude Pink RRP £13.50- Full sized
This I was pleasantly surprised with. I thought I would despise it due to the colour being a
bright baby pink and being into rock music myself this seemed like a recipe for disaster. Maybe it's because the sun is shining and Summer is on it's way. I don't know but I liked it.
I found it only took me two coats to be happy with what I had applied even though the product card said 3 coats may be needed. It took a couple of minutes to dry and my nails looked lovely and shiny all week but did chip a little after 5 days. Overall a nice product and I shall be wearing again.
Overall I don't feel like I have been robbed by Love Me Beauty as there are a couple of really good products however this is a beauty box at the end of the day and I really feel they should focus less on tea and pads and more on the beauty side of things. I am keeping my fingers crossed for a great box next month since they have had such wonderful previous reviews!
Cost of box: £10.00 (+ £2.95 p&p)
Total value inside: £28.90
SECOND PLACE
Even though Glossy Box has taken second place don't be fooled. This month was a great box and I am very very pleased. You get a real Summer vibe from the products inside and it contains lots of full sized items plus two bonus products! You can't complain.
Box Design
This months box had a Superdrug theme to celebrate their 50th birthday. HAPPY BURTHDAY HUNNAY. The outside of the box is smooth and shiny with Superdrug printed on it. Inside there is yellow crinkled paper and pink paper underneath just like Love Me Beauty's box. Alongside the product card you also get a small magazine which was a lovely read.
Now onto the nitty gritty...
Products
1. Solait- Illuminating Facial Bronzing Cream- RRP £2.99- Full sized
This product is great. The smell is lovely. In fact that lovely that when I close my eyes I imagine myself lying on a beach in Barbados (not that I can even been able to afford to go there but a gal can dream right???) The reason I love it is because it does exactly what it says on the tin. It's glides on your skin so easily and evenly and gives you a healthy glow within a couple of hours. It also contains Aloe Vera, sweet almond oil and Vitamin E which makes your skin as smooth as a new born baby's bum. I also haven't broken out in spots. Great summer product.
2. John Friedan Frizz Ease- Original 6 Effects Serum - RRP £3.99- Full sized
Now this product I initially thought I wouldn't be able to review because I have never had frizzy hair in my life. My hair is very thin and I have no problems with humidity. Lucky me hey. But when inspecting closer this product is actually a real keeper! It made my hair glossy and silky smooth and it also protects your hair from the heat of the dreaded straighteners. You only also need to use a tiny bit each time. It's a product FOR ALL HAIR TYPES. Another thumbs up Glossybox.
3. Scholl- Velvet Smooth Original Mask- RRP £7.99- Full sized
Unfortunately this product in my opinion was AWFUL (yes awful in capitals because it was that bad). This is a night mask for your feet that is meant to stimulate cell regrowth and soften feet within 24 hours. It also states that it works and absorbs like a cream. This is all a load of poppy cock. When applying this cream the texture was very very thick and sticky and did not rub in easily. It made my feet stick to the duvet (such a terrible feeling) so I had to stick my feet out of the bed which made me cold. I hate being cold. It also didn't do the most important thing- make any difference to the softness within 24 hours. Therefore this product shall be passed on to my lovely fiancée as a 'present'.
4. Vaseline Spray & Go Coco- RRP £4.99- Full sized
THIS IS A DREAM. So so happy with this full sized item. This is my favourite out of the whole box. With this moisturiser you literally do spray and go. Once sprayed onto the skin you rub in and voila it has absorbed. The texture is lovely- no horrible sticky feeling. You are instantly moisturised and get this, it smells like cocoa butter! My favourite smell in the
whole wide world. To be honest I didn't expect anything less from Vaseline. I never have a bad word to say about this brand. Thank you very much Glossy Box.
5. B- Sheer Conditioning Lipstick- RRP £6.99
I have never heard of this brand before so I was very intrigued to try this out. It is wonderful and is my second favourite item to come out of this box. The last two items make this box very worthwhile in fact. This came in the shade 'coral' which came out like a warm pink. I find that with lipsticks they can dry out very very easily within a couple of hours and can leave unattractive prints on the inside of your lips. I tend to have to add Vaseline lip balm to the mix to keep them hydrated. But with this little beauty I didn't need to once. It was a beautiful shade which can be worn day or night and so smooth to glide on, non sticky and super conditioning. This is now a handbag essential. See it applied below.
6. BONUS PRODUCT- Garnier- Oil Beauty Lotion- RRP £0.30p - Sample size
I love the fact that you also get bonus products with Glossy Box. You really do feel like your getting value for money here. This is another lovely sample. I got two uses out of this for all over body cover (but that is most likely because I am 5 foot tall). It is described as a nourishing body lotion that is oil infused. I didn't have enough of the product to really see how 'radiant' this was meant to make my skin but it absorbed really easily, was non sticky, smelt lovely jubbly and left me silky smooth. Really nice for a summer day on those naked pins.
7. BONUS PRODUCT- Ghost Fragrance- Eclipse- RRP £1.50- Sample size
This is also another wonderful bonus product. I love it when perfume samples come in these little bottles instead of the peel back paper types. These little bottles last me a good couple of weeks in fact so I think they are brilliant. The fragrance was by Ghost and lasted all day. Perfect. You can't go wrong with Ghost. Ever. Another lovely fragrance for the summer nights.
So as you can see, overall, I am super pleased with Glossy Box/Superdrug this month. So many full sized products that are of great quality and a great mix between beauty, hair and skin products. They have really hit the nail on the head by having a summer theme present in this box. All we need now is some sun! COME ON ENGLAND.
Cost of box: £13.25 (including P +P)
Total value inside: £28.75
WHAT A BARGAIN.
AND FIRST PLACE
Now despite the fact that Glossy Box provided me with much more product, what products Birchbox gave me blew me away. Quality not quantity. There was not one I did not like. And on top of this, the reason why this box won first place is because I have ordered a full sized product from their site since I LOVED IT that much. Obviously I am going to leave this wonder product right to the end to keep the suspense alive. Read on and enjoy.
Box Design
This box had the best design this month by far and as soon as I opened it I got a huge waft of some glorious smell. The theme of the box was Harper's Bazaar so there was a super sexy floral/tribal pattern across the box. This I found simple yet chic. The contents of the
box inside were found in a drawstring bag which I thought was an absolute genius idea because I don't want to keep my products in a cardboard box. It would drive my fiancé insane! It's much easier to store your products away in this bag. Big thumbs up from me.
Inside there is also a welcome card since this is my first box which was lovely, a small magazine and a £1 an issue subscription card for Harper's Bazaar. Now I shall run through the winning items....
Products.
1. Benefit Cosmetics- They're Real! Mascara - RRP £6.80- Sample size
Benefit and MAC are my favourite beauty brands at the moment and have been for years. However over the past year I have been swaying over to the side of Benefit more. Their products are amazing. And this is my favourite product so far. I am no stranger to this mascara so when I found it in my box I was quite simply BUZZIN. It does not surprise me at all that apparently one is sold every 20 seconds across the world because it's the best mascara for the false lash effect I have found so far.
Nothing compares. An average person would only need to use a couple of coats of this
mascara to get the false lash look and it isn't clumpy if you use it this way. However, I actually like thick clumpy lashes. I don't know why. I just do. Maybe I have been watching too much Essex. So I do apply about 5 coats. It lasts all day with no smudging and no little black bits falling on your face. I know from experience that the full sized product doesn't dry out quickly either and lasts me about a month because I use it everyday. I definitely recommend.
Without this mascara I don't feel I look human. See look how happy it makes me.
2. Soigné- Nail Lacquer- RRP £11- Full sized
Well well well, what a little gem this is! Love love love the colour. It's a lovely bright red perfect for the day and night to glam up any outfit. It came in a lovely white classy box I couldn't wait to get inside to discover it! This nail varnish puts the Love Me Beauty varnish to shame and I think is a bargain buy at £11. It glides on so easily and you only need one or two coats despite the instructions saying you will need 4. It's lasted me a whole week of
showering without chipping or fading and what makes this an even nicer product is that it
is non toxic for all you eco friendly chicks out there. It also had the thumbs up from the fiancé being a lovely shade of Man United. Thank you BIRCH BOX !
3. Aromatherapy Associates- Revive Morning Bath and Shower Oil- RRP £1.32- Sample size
This is a nice little sample especially for those who aren't morning people such as myself. I used this in the shower as I am not as fortunate enough to have a bath in my house yet but that was fine. I rubbed this all over my body and I did feel slightly awakened but nothing major. I think it would take much more than this to wake me up I'm afraid. It does however have a lovely scent of pink grapefruit, rosemary and juniper berry so all in all I was happy with this little product as I smelt like a flower but I wouldn't buy this again.
4. Beauty Protector- Protect and Shampoo/ Protect and Condition- RRP £2.50- Sample size
I love sulphate free shampoo so I was pleased with these samples. I put my hair through that much stress with bleach and heat that I struggle to find a shampoo and conditioner that really leaves my hair feeling fresh and clean. I wasn't disappointed with these. I got three uses out of the little bottles but I do have a bob. My hair felt clean, refreshed and smooth when dry. It is also suitable for Vegans which is a plus. My mother in law to be is a Vegan so I may purchase these for her as a present. Let's hope she doesn't read this blog. ☺️ Nice sample.
And now for the product that I purchased from BIRCHBOX after use...
5. Liz Earle Beauty and Co- Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser- RRP £4.42 - Sample size
This completely won me over after one use and as I said, I have now purchased both the cleanse and toner from Birchbox because I loved it that much. I am fairly new to cleansing and toning twice a day. I used to be a face wipe and be done with it kinda girl. However I have recently been using a Boots No7 cleanse and toner which is a brilliant product also.
Cleansing and toning is vital. It has made my skin glow, has stopped acne breakouts and my make up looks fresh as a daisy everyday. However, I'm sorry Boots, but move out the way, Liz Earle coming through! You apply the cream in a circular motion over your face full of make up first of all. You then run the cloth under hot water and squeeze the excess water out. You then use this to wipe the cream off. BRILLIANT.
So much easier than wiping make up off with cotton wool. Takes forever for me. This just slides off and you feel so clean and refreshed instantly. It also smells like a spa. Blew me away. Go buy this now.
I love you Birchbox.
Cost of box: £10.00 (+ £2.95 p&p)
Total value inside: £26.04
I hope you all enjoyed reading my reviews of this Mays beauty boxes. I thoroughly enjoyed writing them and hopefully this will make someone's decision much easier if you are thinking of signing up to one. Speak soon and take care😍
