Look Fantastic February Beauty Box

This is the last box of my three month subscription. I have actually cancelled my boxes now just because Vince is out of work at the moment so spending money on luxuries like this isn't the best thing to be doing at the moment, but I'm hoping once he's working again I can re-subscribe as I've been really enjoying all the boxes I've received so far. You can read my thoughts on the January box here and the December box here.

This month's box is the #LFLoves edition so has a bit of a Valentine's Day theme, which I guess is quite a common and easy theme to go for at this time of year but none the less, it's still a great little box. Inside you will find a mini Monuspa Bali Massage and Body Oil that can be used on a daily basis to leave your skin super soft or it can be massaged into your muscles and even poured into a bubble bath. I love having baths with nice products in and an oil like this is perfect to just soak away in so I'm really looking forward to using this.

Keeping on the soft skin theme, there's also a Bliss Pink Grapefruit and Aloe Body Butter that's perfect for using after your morning shower thanks to the zingy grapefruit tones.

Also in the box is a Pureology colour care spray for dyed hair, which is not something I have much use for unfortunately but I do have a sister with bright red hair who might be interested in giving this a try!

There's also a Hi Impact Brows palette, which can be used on eyes as well, which I'm really glad about because I literally don't do anything to my eyebrows except have them waxed every 4 to 6 weeks. I just don't understand the whole filling in/drawing on eyebrows so I'm totally disinterested in eyebrow products, luckily this can be used as eyeshadow too as I'm a regular brown eyeshadow wearer so this is perfect to add to my collection!

Another thing that I never bother about is lipstick or lip products aside from lip balms so I'm not sure if I'll have much use for the Lord & Berry matte lipstick pencil. It is an absolutely lovely shade though, perfect for Valentine's Day, so I might just give it a little go!

Lastly and probably my favourite product is a mini keyring Denman hairbrush. This is fab and I am putting it on my keys straight away!

Overall I am happy with the box but as I mentioned I'm not a huge lip or eyebrow product fan or user so I'm not sure these items will get much use. I also don't have coloured hair but you can't forget that the point of beauty boxes is to discover new brands and products so you can't always absolutely love everything. I'm sure I'll find a good home for the items I'm not keen on! I'm really sad about potentially missing the March box but I'm hoping to sign back up in April time!

Have you got the Look Fantastic #LFLove beauty box for February? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Look Fantastic January Beauty Box - The Detox Edition

Last month I signed up to Look Fantastic's Beauty Box, mainly because the December box contained a Molton Brown body wash, which I really wanted but it turned out the rest of the box was actually super impressive. You can find out my thoughts on it here.

January was happily sailing by when through my letter box (ok I had to go and pick it up from the delivery office) dropped the January Beauty Box. I had completely forgotten that it is a rolling contract so I'd automatically receive boxes unless I cancelled the subscription but I'm really happy that I ended up receiving this box as it's another hit.

Last month was all about Christmas and the party season but this one is all about the detox, all that New Year New Me stuff and various products to help you on the detoxing journey. I'm not really one for detoxing in January if I'm honest but all of the products really appealed to me so it looks like I'm going to be detoxing whether I want to or not!

What I am loving about my rediscovery of beauty boxes is the discovery of new brands. Possibly ones I've heard of before, such as Darphin, but haven't tried. I am really impressed with the inclusion of the Darphin Micellar Water as it's a generous size and it couldn't have come at a better time as my current one is on its way out.

I'm also super impressed with the Bella Pierre shimmer shadow in the shade Earth. It's a mineral-based shadow and it's the perfect shade for me, I couldn't be happier with it and it's gone straight into my collection.

As I mentioned, the box is all about the detox so I was really interested to give the Lancer The Method: Polish a try as it is a skin resurfacing treatment, which I'm actually going to try out tonight. I'm hoping it won't be too harsh on my sensitive skin. I will report back! I'm also going to be trialling the Nuxe Nuxellence Detox, which is an anti-ageing cream, before bed times as I think it's about time I delved into the world of anti-ageing before it's too late!

So we're going to be detoxing the skin with all these lovely products but there's also a couple of items for detoxing the hair as well. Included in the box is a Kebelo clarifying shampoo and silk conditioner. The shampoo aims to deep clean the hair after the build up of lots of product, which is definitely something I need to do. The conditioner seems to be a little more general and aims to keep your hair soft and smooth and keep frizz under control. I'm really interested to use these two and see how they work out with my locks.

Overall on first impressions I'm really happy with this box. I'm glad I temporarily forgot I was signed up to the service as it was a nice surprise to get a box full of goodies after Christmas. It's also given me the chance to try some new brands I've not heard of before and have a go at a good old detox, just what I need!

Have you received the Look Fantastic January Beauty Box? Let me know your thoughts on it in the comments.

Look Fantastic Christmas Beauty Box

It has been SO long since I got myself a beauty box! I recently saw Look Fantastic's new Christmas box and thought I'd give it a go, mainly because I spotted a Molton Brown product and a Wet Brush in the mix and definitely wanted to get my hands on them. I actually opted for a three month subscription, which works out as £13.33 for each box and I was really impressed with this Christmas box so have high hopes for future boxes.

I was initially mostly intrigued about the Wet Brush as I have seen reviews over many blogs recently and wanted to give it a try myself. I do have a Tangle Teezer, but I've kind of fallen out of love with it. The Wet Brush is much smaller, perfect for your handbag, and has much softer bristles. I will try and dedicate a full post to it soon!

The box also contains a Molton Brown body wash, which I can never have too many of - Water Mint is such a gorgeous scented wash too, very refreshing and zingy and as if that wasn't enough the box also contains an Eve Lom cleanser, which I've been trialling over the course of a week or two. So far I'm enjoying how my skin is feeling but am not really enjoying the scent of it, it's not pleasant at all, however I will soldier on and it leaves my skin feeling lovely and soft afterwards!

The box also includes a sample of Codage serum, some Eyelure eyelashes and a Lord & Berry glittery eyeliner. As you can probably tell I'm mostly impressed by the Molton Brown body wash and Wet Brush but the eyeliner, cleanser and serum are all working out really well for me so far.

I remember when beauty boxes first came out and they were so much fun to unbox and discover all these new products, but then the market got overly saturated and I kind of went off them. It was really nice to receive this box and discover new brands I've never used before such as Eve Lom and Codage as well as find some more familiar brands in there too. I'd definitely recommend signing up if you fancy treating yourself!

Did you receive the Look Fantastic Christmas Beauty Box? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box

Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box - £14.95*




It's been quite a while since I got a beauty box. I used to have a couple of subscriptions but found that the novelty soon wore off, however I was recently sent the info about the new Latest In Beauty box in collaboration with Capital FM and was very kindly sent a box to have a peek at. I have to say I am really impressed.

By now I'm sure you know how beauty boxes work. The Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box is £14.95 and when you look at the products within it and think about how much this would all cost in a single Boots shopping trip, you realise you're probably getting your money's worth here.

I'm really impressed with the products within this and really enjoy the fact there is a good mix of high-street brands such as Collection and Rimmel with the higher priced products like Burts Bees, Stila and Pixi and then you have a touch of luxury as well from the Jimmy Choo perfume sample. I actually put my thoughts on the Collection palette down over here and I've even recently written about the Rimmel nail polishes here. I was a big fan of the new Rita Ora collection so to see a shade I didn't already have in the box was great!

The Stila Eyeliner is an absolutely gorgeous black/purple shade. I actually had one of these eyeliners in green not too long ago and it was my absolute favourite so to add another one to my collection is a real bonus. This is perfect for creating smokey eyes.

The whole point of beauty boxes back in the day was to try new brands and I think that has gotten lost over the years. However, I've never tried Pixi or Burts Bees (ok, stop gasping in horror!) so for me personally, I was really pleased to discover these products in the box. I particularly like the Burts Bees lip shimmer, which is a really natural shade with a hint of shimmer.

I'm not too sure about the gold temporary tattoos if I'm honest but I might give them a try and see if they'll bring back the nostalgia of childhood fake tattoos, haha!

It's really handy to have a proper nail file like the one included too!

Overall you can probably tell that I'm very impressed with the box and definitely would have purchased this myself. I think there's something for everyone in this box and it just so happens that in this particular one, there's nine products that are right up my street!

Have you tried the Latest In Beauty Capital FM Beauty Box? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

You Beauty October Discovery Box

You Beauty October Discovery Box - £6.95




To be honest, I wasn't going to purchase the October box after I cancelled my subscription but I saw Noble Isle was one of the product choices so I just had to go for it.

I chose my two samples, the Noble Isle Bath Gel and Zelens Renewal Mask, and proceeded to check out. Unfortunately I'm not as impressed with the other products as I was with the September box. Obviously I'm pleased with the products I chose but the others, not so much. What sort of beauty blogger/person in general needs a mirror. Really? Find me a girl who doesn't already have a mirror for their handbag.

So, not so impressed with the mirror and even less impressed with the Nakd bar. Something you could buy in the corner shop and a little voucher was included to buy more. These are really not my sort of thing. My niece eats these and I'm sure they taste lovely but if I wanted one I'd go to the shop and get myself one, I wouldn't expect to find it in a beauty box.

I'm looking forward to having a lovely relaxing bath with my new bath gel and giving the face mask a try but I think the other products will probably get passed on. I'm happy to see what goodies the November box brings but if that's also disappointing I think it will be goodbye beauty box!

Did you receive the You Beauty October Discovery Box?

You Beauty Discovery Box

You Beauty Discovery Box - £6.95





It's been quite a while since I received a beauty box. I'm surprised the novelty hasn't worn off yet to be honest. I guess people will always like discovering new products so there will always be a market for them. Recently a lot of blogs were featuring the Limited Edition You Beauty box, which I wasn't about to spend £19.95 on, so instead I opted for the more purse friendly £6.95 version, which allows you to choose two of the samples you receive.

I'd registered a bit late and was unable to chose the Daniel Sandler eye-liner so instead I chose the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer and the Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. Granted they are only sample sizes but I think they're pretty generous samples!

Along with my chosen samples came a nail file in a pretty vintage print and a very interesting Pure Gold Collagen. At first I did wonder what the collagen was, I thought maybe it was some kind of product you applied to your face but I read the little booklet that came with the box and found out you actually drink it! It's an anti-angeing liquid supplement which aims to increase smoothness, softening of fine lines and wrinkles and you should drink one 50ml supplement per day. Now I'm not sure if I need this right at this moment in time as I'm only 24 (25 on Sunday, eek!) and I don't think I'll see much improvement but it's such an interesting product. I feel like it's something out of Alice in Wonderland and if I drink it I'll shrink right down or something, it's very strange.

On first impressions I was pleased with the box. It's teeny tiny and quite reasonable for £6.95. I was actually sent two boxes and I'm not sure why. I'm hoping I didn't accidentally order two or something but the other has gone to a good home with my sister and was also intrigued by the collagen drink.

I'm hoping to review each product individually so I can really give it my full attention so look out for those reviews in the near future!

Did you sign up to the You Beauty Discovery Box? What were your first impressions?

July 'Jet Set' Birchbox

I haven't ordered a beauty box in SO long. I remember when they were really popular and every month every single blog would be reviewing the same box. I'm glad it kind of died down a bit as if you really think about it it's a lot of money to spend every single month.

On a whim I decided to sign up for the Birchbox. I never signed up the first time round so I decided to give it a go as I'd seen the June box reviewed on a couple of blogs and I was semi-impressed so hoped I'd be just as impressed with the July box.

On first opening the box I wasn't impressed but now I've looked deeper and have given the products a try I am quite happy with it. Leave-in conditioner, great. New lightweight moisturiser, even better. More Weleda skin food, a bonus and a new gel eyeliner, bingo!

I probably won't have much use for the blush but it's so tiny and cute I'm sure I can find it a good home. The 'theme' of the box is 'jet set' so these products should come in handy for when your travelling, however I don't ever travel so that's a bit useless for me. I think themed boxes are a little pointless as we all know the company just throw in whatever they can get their hands on that month. These aren't products I would reach for on my travels.

I'll admit I have unsubscribed from the box now as it was just a bit of a one off and I would quite like to try out some other boxes that have made their way onto the market during the lull.

Were you impressed with the July Birchbox?

She Said Beauty Box June 2012

She Said Beauty Box - June 2012
Yardley London Royal Diamond Eau de Toilette
Mischa Barton Whipped Shea Butter: Lemon Zest
Elemis Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir
St Tropez Self Tan Perfect Legs
Let's Go Lashes
Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream

I am really pleased with this month's She Said Beauty Box and I'm really glad I signed up again.

I had seen lots of bloggers posting about it earlier on in the month and when I saw that they were receiving Elemis products, I signed up straight away. I absolutely love Elemis and it's a real staple beauty range and I'm glad I received the box as well!

As well as the Elemis bath elixir I was really happy with the Body Butter, despite it being from Mischa Barton's range (lol!) and the Ginvera BB Cream. They are both great samples and you can never have too many body butters if you ask me.

The Yardley perfume sample is okay I suppose. It's not really a scent I'd usually wear but it's not horrible.

The St Tropez and Lashes are really nice sized products but again, they aren't something I'd use but they are going to a good home!

I'm really happy I signed up to She Said Beauty again and I just hope the boxes stay at this sort of level or better!

She Said Beauty March 2012

She Said Beauty - March 2012 Box - £9 plus £2.95 p&p

Lots of bloggers have been waiting for this box for a while now. At £9 it's one of the cheaper boxes around but there's also £2.95 postage to pay as well, so that makes it just £1 cheaper than Glossybox.

There are just so many beauty boxes out there now that it's getting a bit ridiculous but every now and then I like to sign up to a new one just to compare it to Glossybox as that's the one I receive every month. With Glossybox being particularly disappointing this month, I was keen to receive this one in the hope that it would put a smile on my face.

I love the Green/Turquoise colour of the box. The contents are wrapped in Barbie Pink tissue paper and are surrounded by what looks like straw, but obviously isn't real, and as soon as I opened it I was met with a lovely product smell.

Like most other boxes, there are around 5 products every month, with the odd extra product here and there. This is the first ever SSB box so of course there was an extra product in there in the form of some Jing Flowering Dragon Eye Tea, which was interesting.

Orly Manicure Miniature in Ancient Jade

Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Fairy Cake 

Comfort Zone Renight 'Good Night Kit'
Premae Harmony Face Balm

Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio

Jing Flowering Dragon Eye Tea

So what's everyone's thoughts on the first box? I wasn't impressed to see tea in there but as it wasn't one of the main five products, it's not too bad. It does look pretty cool once the seed has opened but it's kind of a novelty product really. It kind of looked like a weird alien opening inside a cup!






I wasn't too keen on drinking it after seeing that though.

It was interesting to see the Cream Puff in there as it's not something I'd expect in a beauty box. Collection 2000 is a pretty reasonably priced brand but I think it's nice to see it in a box like this. I've reviewed some of the Cream Puffs before HERE. I kind of wish they'd chosen a different Collection 2000 product though, something that's a bit newer and ties in with their Collection Works rebrand. Lipglosses seem to be a pretty easy choice for beauty boxes.

I was really pleased to see the Orly Manicure Miniature in Ancient Jade in there as this is a brand that I've always wanted to try. I've never seen it in any stores before and I don't like buying nail polishes online as I can't see the real shade. 'Ancient Jade' is a bright Turquoise/Jade colour, kind of similar to the colour of the box actually! I think it's a good size for the box and will last quite a while!

There was a lot of panic amongst subscribers when we received the Comfort Zone Renight 'Good Night Kit' as there was a date on the bottom of the product saying 030210, which obviously led people to thinking it was some kind of use by/sell by date. It's supposedly a manufacturing date so there's no need to worry. Both products are nice sizes for the box. I never use any night time products so I really think I should start!

I'm not too sure about the Premae Harmony Face Balm. The tin is half full and I just don't like the look of it. There's no instructions/booklet with it so I'd want to find out more info about it before putting it on my face!

I'm really keen to try the Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio as they're lovely sized products and I love it when my hair is silky and smooth so I'm keen to see if they actually work. I'll definitely write a follow up review!

Overall the box isn't too bad. I like the mix of skincare, haircare and nailcare products but as I said, I'm not keen on the tea. It's good value for the price but I have unsubscribed now as most of these products aren't something I need and I don't want to end up with loads of products cluttering up the place. As I said, I like to subscribe to a different box every now and then just to see what's going on. This is a nice box and I think it will do great things in the future!

Joliebox December 2011

I've been waiting quite a while to get this post up. I decided to order the first Joliebox so I could compare it to the popular Glossybox.




My box was despatched on December 14th but I didn't receive it when everybody else was. After a few days I contacted the company on their Facebook page, as you do, and got blunt, sarcastic and rude replies. For some reason Joliebox/Boudoir Prive don't realise that Facebook is the first port of call for unhappy and even happy customers, even with a customer support email, but to express their unhappiness with people writing on their wall about their boxes is just rude in my opinion.

It took a good few days for me to receive a reply from the customer support email and they kindly sent out another box for me, but by that time it was too late as I'd already unsubscribed.

I decided to still go ahead and review the products as they were very generous with a staggering 7 items, but I still have mixed feelings about some of them.


What was in the box?

OPI Gold Shatter Nail Lacquer
Apply over any dry nail lacquer to create a stunning 'shattered' effect.

Mitchell and Peach Shower Wash
An invigorating shower wash containing natural English honey, Vitamin E and wheat proteins.

New CID Cosmetics i-gloss
Light up lip gloss with mirror for a non-sticky, long-lasting and high glam shine.

Jane Iredale 24 Karat Gold Dust
A multi-use shimmer powder in shade Rose Gold to apply to cheeks, eyes, lips, body and even hair.

Yon-Ka Vital Defense
Anti-ageing prevention, antioxidant and anti-pollution cream to help the skin to preserve its youthfulness.

Kusmi Detox Tea
A delicious blend of Matè, chinese Green Tea and lemon grass full flavoured with lemon.

Joliebox Concealer Brush
Designed for blending concealer, the pointed tip provides precision for small imperfections whilst the flat side smooths coverage across larger areas such as under the eye.












I love the full size OPI Gold Shatter and the Jane Iredale 24 Karat Gold Dust is really pretty and could add a nice bit of sparkle to eyeshadow, but as for the rest of the products, I'm not too keen.

The light-up lipgloss is a great, well known brand but the light on it is pretty blinding and I'm not a fan of lipgloss at all and The Yon-Ka Vital Defense is a nice little product that I'll probably give to someone else. As for the shower wash, I think it will end up in the bathroom cabinet collecting dust. It reminds me a bit of the shower gels you steal from hotel rooms and the scent isn't very nice.

I don't like the idea of putting a detox tea in a beauty box and I know that Boudoir Prive have done that before. Again, this will probably just sit in the cupboard. The concealer brush is another nice product that I might pass on to my sister!

Overall, I'm a bit disappointed in the box. I understand that the delivery was held up by Christmas, but I think if it was shipped on the 14th, it should have reached me in time. I much prefer the Glossybox, I guess because the Boudoir Prive/Joliebox is a bit more upmarket and that's just not me. Sorry. I've unsubscribed from the box now but it was nice to compare the two.

What did everyone else think of their boxes?