Glossybox February 2018 – Unboxing and Product Reviews

February is the month of love and as I explained in the Birchbox and Look Fantastic unboxings, that’s a theme that can go really well with makeup and beautiful looks. As a result, I was hoping that the beauty boxes would utilise it, even if they don’t believe in Valentine’s day. It’s a nice excuse and a great theme and I was very disappointed that both Birchbox and Look Fantastic February had nothing to do with it. The items contained were just normal, any month type boxes with the exception of Look Fantastic at least making an effort in their box design.

Glossybox however, rarely disappoints. This month’s Glossybox was “love themed” with both box design and products contained on point.

The box design was very cute. The lid was mainly white with black lines, kisses, lipsticks, lollipops and even rainbows. And if that wasn’t cute enough, box is hot pink coloured with a kiss/lip mark at the bottom! Cute little details go a long way sometimes.

This month’s box contained 5 products as always of which 3 were full size and 2 were mini products were, as seen in the picture, from left to right:

Let’s have a look at the products in more detail. Bear in mind that these are my personal opinions and as beauty is a very personal thing, we all have different skin, requirements and biological build which can influence things. What worked for me might not work for you and vice versa, please leave your comments below!

 

Sleek Makeup i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Colour Vintage Romance

Well who doesn’t love an eye shadow palette and who doesn’t love Sleek. Like all Sleek palettes, this one definitely looks Sleek in it’s matte black outer packaging.

It has a huge mirror inside and contains nine colours of which 4 are matte and the rest 8 are shimmers. The eye shadows have really cute names with places from all around the world which is lovely. Their names came on a transparent extra sheet which is easy to loose but that is literally the only negative about this palette.

The colours in this i-Divine Vintage Romance palette definitely suit the February “love theme” and they are gorgeous. They swatch really beautiful and last for hours if you wear an eye shadow primer.

I wouldn’t say that they are creamy and some have a fair amount of fallout, however, they are all workable and you can easily make them work. They are mostly shimmer colours which are not exactly know to be creamy anyways and they would be the kind of colour that you would put on the main lid and wouldn’t need to blend much either.

This is a very cute full size palette for £8.99 which is good value for money. It even comes with an applicator (not a brush) which is indicative that you wouldn’t really be blending these shadows. All you need for shimmers really is your finger and a good setting spray to make them pop.

This is a beautiful palette that lasts for 12M. SCORE = 8/10

 

Skin Chemists London 24h Aqua Repair Facial Serum

I’ve received this serum before from Glossybox (I think) in March 2017. I’ve also noticed that there were another 2 items in this month’s Glossybox (Rodial Glamolash and OOlution Eye Love) that other people have received this month, that are repeats from last year. This means, that if you are a long term customer you probably received something you already had from Glossybox before. This is not great but at the same time, those items were not bad so perhaps, on the bright side, it’s good to have a backup.

The difference between now and then is mainly in the tube that contains the product. The first one I receive last year was a white matte tube whereas this one is a glossy matter. I have to admit, I liked the matte one better as the glossy one makes it look slightly more mainstream and cheaper.

This serum is meant to soothe, firm and hydrate. According to the brand’s website this serum should make your skin looking brighter, healthier and more radiant and even reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

It feels nice on the skin and gets absorbed quickly without leaving any sticky residues behind. This clear gel has a lovely cosmetic sweet scent that gives you that little extra feminine feeling.

As with any serum you should use a moisturiser right after. It contains rose water and Aloe Vera but in general the formulation is fairly simple. It is paraben free, suitable for all skin types and lasts for 12M.

It’s definitely a nice serum but admittedly is not as nutritious for the skin as some other options in the market. This 30mL tube retails for a whopping £64 which in my opinion is just ridiculous. I am not beyond paying that kind of cash on skin care at all, in fact I do on a monthly basis, however, this product does not have anywhere near enough ingredient goodies to be worth that price for me. SCORE = 7/10

Steve Laurant Nude Pop Lip Gloss

This lip gloss looks very sleek. It came with it’s own outer packaging which looks expensive and of high quality and then the actual lip gloss comes in an even prettier glass container. The lid is rose gold and has a “Live your life in colour” and “Steve Laurant Beauty” writing on it. It feels “heavy” for a lip gloss and looks great.

However, I still don’t like this type of packaging as it is mostly glass a small amount of product. This is not specific to Steve Laurant, a lot of companies use this type of glass pot and it’s disappointing as they could have easily made the glass less deep and made space for more product. If you look at the product from the side with the lid on, you can’t even see the lip gloss anymore. The entirety of product is covered under the lid and the rest of the pot that is visible is just glass.

Anyhow, the product is good. It is called a lip gloss but for me it is more of a tinted lip balm. It’s very light in colour, you can barely see it on the swatch below, but it’s a nice option for a nude lip. This colour is called nude pop and it is definitely what it is. A little bit of colour coverage to even out the colour of your lips but at the same time it doesn’t actually look like you are wearing colour, although I guess this would depend on what colour your lips were to begin with.

It feels nice on the lips and not sticky at all. I’d describe the feeling more like a medium hydrating lipstick than a sticky gloss. It lasts a short amount of time but that’s true with any lip balm or gloss. It has a cosmetic lipstick scent, typical of Urban Decay lipsticks, if you are familiar.

It is cruelty free and I wish it contained some SPF and vitamins. It lasts for 12M.

It’s a sleek product that looks good and works well. It retails for £17 which is on the expensive side, more expensive than an Urban Decay lipstick which would last longer, however, it is of good quality, it looks good and it is a brand. SCORE = 8/10

 

Ciaté London Geology Range Colour What the Shell

This cute little nail varnish is a mini size of 5mL. It photographs as a blue colour but it is actually a nice purple! It lasted me about 3 days before it started chipping, so I’d say it’s better than normal nail varnishes but slightly less as good as the OPI. All of this really depends on your nails though and how harsh your daily activities are for them.

The bottle is super cute and has a bent U shape. Although it is a mini, it doesn’t actually look or feel that small, it will last you for a while nevertheless.

This nail varnish is animal cruelty free and vegan. It retails for £6 which is not a bad price for a branded nail varnish. A full size geology type nail varnish is 13.5mL and retails for £12 which means that, as expected, it is better value for money to buy the bigger one.

This nail varnish lasts for 24M. SCORE = 8/10

 

Studio Beauty Makeup Mist Glow-Complexion

This mini size, 200mL, makeup setting spray looks cute. The bottle is nicely decorated but I wish it was a different colour. They grey seems to just make it blend with the background and not stand out as much.

Either way, this mist works well and makes makeup last a little longer. I can’t say that I love it as much as the Urban Decay All Nighter, but it is nevertheless a good spray. The pump is a little strong and the spray comes out strongly so make sure to hold it from a good distance back.

It has a subtle cosmetic scent that is pleasant. However, when you smell the pump up and closely, it has a rubbery type off-scent that is not so pleasant. I think that is just the plastic the pump is made off and not the actual spray however, it still leaves a slightly negative feeling to it.

I didn’t notice any glow in my complexion after using this but it otherwise worked well. It is paraben free and it can be used to prime, refresh and hydrate the skin too. It doesn’t feel sticky on the skin and it doesn’t ruin the makeup. It’s an overall good product but personally, I can’t say I will be replacing the Urban Decay All Nighter or the Marc Jacobs Setting Spray with it. It lasts 12M and a full size bottle retails for £26. SCORE = 7/10

 

Overall, I thought that Glossybox did an excellent job this month to cater for the February “love theme”. The products contained and the box design were on point. Glossybox is as always very good value for money.

Initial box score, in terms of products and first feelings = 9/10

Overall box score after product testing (a sum of product scores) = 7.6/10

Star product = Sleek Makeup i-Divine Eye Shadow Palette in Colour Vintage Romance

 

 

Did you get this month’s Glossybox? What did your box contain? What did you think of the products? Have you tried any of the products listed? Let me know your experiences!

For all the details on how Cohorted, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Birchbox performed in 2017 and which one is worth your money, check out “Battle of the Beauty Boxes – Conclusions from the 2017 unboxing and reviews on Cohorted, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Birchbox!”

For general Subscription Box reviews see my: Birchbox, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Cohorted general review posts. For help on how to choose the right subscription box for you check out “Which Subscription Beauty Box is right for you?”.

I am not affiliated with any company or brand. These are my views and experiences.

 

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