A Very Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - January 2021 Edition - The Power Of Beauty*

I hope you'll excuse the mini absence but summer appears to have arrived quite early in my little corner of County Durham, and I've been taking full advantage of the sunshine! Today though as rain is forecast, I'm going to take a little bit of a step back to one of the coldest months of the year, January, to share my thoughts on the products inside the January edition of Glossybox UK.

Packaged in the familiar black and pink colour way and style, the theme of January's box was 'The Power Of Beauty', and it was specially curated to help us start 2021 by bringing us range of powerful yet gentle products.

Daily Concepts Daily Reusable Rounds - 2 Pack - Full Size - Est. RRP £6.80

The first item in the box was I guess, a beauty tool. that perfectly sums up the gentle, yet powerful theme. I've had a couple of things from cruelty free beauty care brand Daily Concepts now (you can read my thoughts here and here), and so far so good, I've been impressed with both the brands innovation and the product quality.

I'm already a big fan of reusable cotton / make up remover pads, so I was really pleased to have the opportunity to add to my collection with this pack of 2 pads.

The majority of the pads that I already own are made of either towelling, or a short pile microfibre, these Daily Concepts pads however are made of 100% polyester, and are a little bit bigger, softer and fluffier then any of the other pads that I'd previously used.

I usually find that I use less product with reusable pads and these ones were no different. As they aren't quite as absorbent as regular cotton wool I tend to fold the pads in half to stop either my toner or my eye make up remover dripping everywhere.

I've used these particular pads with toner, eye make up remover, and micellar water, and they work exactly how you'd expect them too. Given the softness and fluffiness of these pads they are particularly good for removing eye make up.

I know it isn't that clear in the picture what I'm wearing on my eyes, but here I've used these pads and a micellar water to remove a combination of foundation, concealer, face powder, eye shadow, mascara and a brow product. I used one pad per eye and whilst the micellar water did its thing the rounds really played their part.

Obviously their big selling point is that they are reusable so what I tend to do is give them an initial rinse through under the tap, before leaving them to dry before popping them into a lingerie bag. Then when I have enough pads to wash I stick them into the washing machine (don't use fabric conditioner if you're washing anything made of microfibre!), and then I leave them to air dry, before popping them into a glass jar, until I'm ready to use them again.

There are lots of different textures of reusable rounds out there, but the softness of these ones in particular makes them ideal for the eye area or for more sensitive skins. Yes they are a little bit more expensive than a bog standard pack of cotton wool, but they are so much more eco friendly, and they last for ages and ages and just get softer, the more you use and wash them.

Alas these particular rounds aren't that widely available; Glossybox place a price of around £6.80 on this 2 pack. You can be them direct from the Daily Concepts EU store for around €5.95, and from a website called Time For Beauty for around £9.99.

Ecooking Moisturizing Serum - 10ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £22.50

From cleansing and toning to moisturiser, and the next product in this New Years edition was a skincare product from a relatively new brand to me Ecooking. Founded in Denmark in 2015, Ecooking have a range of around 40 products, that have been specifically designed to simplify skincare, and to tackle a large range of real concerns.

All of the products are ethical and transparent, the packaging is recyclable and the products are all cruelty free, and a lot of them are also suitable for vegans. They are also paraben free and they are made of 100% organic oils.

The product that Glossybox subscribers received was a half, 10ml size of their Moisturizing Serum, which was useful in the cold of January as it is now!

Both vegan and dermatologically tested, this hyaluronic acid based serum is designed for all ages, and all skin types, and it has been created to give the skin a huge moisture boost without leaving it feeling greasy.

Packaged in a brown glass, pump action bottle, the serum itself is clear in colour, and it has a thin, slightly sticky, gel like texture. It is labelled as fragrance free, but it has a slight 'product' scent.

Like with most hyaluronic acid based products I've been applying this onto damp skin, straight after cleansing and toning. It spreads quite easily onto the skin, and it absorbs quite quickly. I did find that it felt quite sticky at first, but I quickly realised that I was actually applying too much product -Applying it to damp skin means that you really don't need to be quite as generous with it. 

I think with central heating and just being indoors more, my skin has been a bit drier than usual, and the skin on my cheeks and forehead especially just seemed to suck this serum in.

As tempting as it is just to apply a serum if your skin is more oily, or if you're pushed for time, serums are really designed to be used as booster underneath your moisturiser, so I tried using this during the day and at the night, underneath various different moisturisers and overall it performed pretty well. There was no pulling or pilling, and more skin didn't feel overloaded or greasy. 

There wasn't a huge difference visually after adding this serum into my skincare regime but my skin felt a bit smoother, and plumper and it didn't feel quite as tight, and strangely enough it doesn't seem quite oily, which I guess feeds into the belief that oily skin can actually be caused by dehydration.

Over the last 12 months or so, I've tried to tackle my oiliness by adding more hydration to my skin, both through drinking more water, and by embracing hyaluronic acid based skincare products, and I've really seen a difference, so I'm definitely going to keep doing what I'm doing. Whilst this was a little bit stickier that some of the other hyaluronic acid based products that I've used, once I worked out the right amount to use, I did end up really liking it and I'll definitely use it up, that said though, The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5, is my current lover, and it's going to take a lot to drag me away from it.

Glossybox place a value of around £22.50 on this 10ml Deluxe Mini 1/2 size. The full 20ml size is available for around €52 direct from Ecooking, and for around £43 from Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, The Fragrance Shop and Beauty Expert.

Saint Luxe Beauty Brow Gel - 5.8ml - Full Size - RRP £16/  $16

Whilst all of the other products in the box were skin and I guess body care related, this next item is more of make up / cosmetic product.

Although my first experience of black female owned, luxury beauty brand Saint Luxe was a little bit hit and miss (read my thoughts here), I was really pleased to get the opportunity to try something else from the range.

Known for their sleek packaging, and catering for all skin types, and tones, this cruelty free brow gel is designed to leave brows looking fuller, and perfect without leaving any residue.

The gel comes boxed and is packaged in a sleek, black, mascara style, tube with clear white text.

The wand inside is quite short and stubby but that makes application precise and easy. It took a few pumps and wiggles to actually see any gel on the brush. It was clear, and it didn't feel too wet, or sticky. It was really easy to brush through my very fluffy lockdown brows, and unlike a lot of thicker brow gels there was no pilling, or gel or white residue, and they didn't feel sticky or stiff.

Before

After 

In a way though the soft feel was a little bit of a double edged sword, if your brow hairs are relatively tame, and tend to stay put, then this product is great for you for just a little bit of grooming and extra security, if you have wild brows though with a lot of flyaways, and thicker hairs, or if you haven't had a brow was for around 4 months then this may not have quite the hold that you need.

Glossybox placed a value of around £16 on this full sized tube. If you fancy trying it for yourself the only stockist that I can find is direct from Saint Luxe, who ship worldwide, where it retails at around $16.

Mudmasky Serum-Infused Eye Mask - 30ml - Full Size - RRP £42

Now, according to the information booklet that came in January's box, I should now be sharing my thoughts on the Glow On 5th Rose Gua Sha facial tool with you, but apparently thanks to COVID and Brexit, the stock hadn't arrived with Glossybox in time for January's box, so instead subscription box favourite brand Mudmasky stepped in with one of their newest products.

Given my recent complaints over the amount of eye products in recent editions of Glossybox, you would think that I wouldn't have been that excited over this particular product - well you'd be wrong because this particular product was quite unlike anything that I'd used before. Famous for their face masks, this particular mask from Mudmasky as you may have guess is specially designed for the eye area.

Cruelty free, PETA certified, paraben and sulfate free, this mask contains golden kiwi seeds, premium Japanese Matcha tea, blueberries, carrot root, fig extract and goji berries, and is designed to to firm the skin, as well as reducing dark circles, puffiness, swelling, dry skin and fine lines.

When I first squeezed a little bit out I was pretty apprehensive, this khaki, brown gel filled with various sizes of brown and black particles, looked a little bit scary for something that is meant to go so close to the eyes, but in for a penny in for a pound, I gave it a go and do you know what? I'm glad that I did.

    

All you do is apply a thin layer on to clean, dry skin, on your under eye area. It felt a little bit gloopy but it was fairly easy to spread out. It felt slightly cool at first and I experienced a slight, very subtle tingling sensation, but that quickly disappeared as the mask warmed up to body temperature.

Before

Although I'd expected the mask to feel tighter the longer it was on, it just themed to thicken up slightly but it didn't really set or feel tight.

On Application

After about 7 to 8 minutes you wash off the mask with cool water before gently patting the skin dry. My under eye are initially felt a little bit tacky but that quickly disappeared leaving my skin feeling a touch smoother, brighter and more refreshed, and some of the finer lines under my eyes didn't look quite as obvious.

After 

You can used this mask once or twice a week, leaving at least 2 days between each application, and in my experience with every use the results just keep getting better.

Despite all of the eye creams, gels and serums that I own, I'm still pretty lazy when it comes to eye products, luckily I don't have a lot of issues at the moment with my eye area, but this mask really is a quick fix and leaves my eyes like more hydrated and alive with just 1 use.

It isn't cheap but at this moment in time I would definitely consider buying this again. Oh and don't listen to Mudmasky's warning that this doesn't smell great, I got slight hints of greenness, and milk, but I could barely smell a thing.

The Mudmasky Serum - Infused Eye Mask comes in a 30ml tube and retails at around £42 direct from Mudmasky.

Beauty Pro Avocado Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x 22ml Sheet Mask - Full Size - RRP £4.95

From an eye mask to a face mask, and the next product in January's box was a sheet mask from one of my favourite mask brands Beauty Pro. I've tried quite a few of their masks now (check out which ones via my Beauty Product Directory) but this one was a new one.

Perfect for combating the effects of the January cold, and for drier skin types, this mask is from their Plant Based Range, which is vegan, 100% plant based and water free. Containing New Zealand avocado, chia and wild yam, this mask is designed to hydrate and nourish the skin, leaving a healthy and glowing complexion.

Before

Made of biodegradable bamboo fibre, this was a very wet mask that was a little bit awkward to unfold. It was saturated in a fresh smelling, slightly oily serum like liquid. Like most sheet masks it initially felt cool on the skin, but it quickly warmed up to body temperature

On Application

I removed it after around 15 minutes and it was still very wet, and there was still a lot of the serum left upon my skin, so alongside the excess liquid that was in the packet I massaged it into my face, neck and chest.

Obviously my face felt a little bit tacky at first but the excess liquid quickly absorbed into my skin leaving it noticeably softer, smoother and more hydrated. I'm not sure how well it's showing up on screen but in the before picture my skin was actually pretty red, where as in the after picture and more so in real life, the redness had definitely subsided slightly after using this mask. I also felt that my skin looked a little bit plumper.

After 

I'm a huge fan of all of the Beauty Pro masks that I've tried and this one is no exception, I would definitely consider buying it again and in fact I've just bought one for a friend.

The price can vary but these masks usually retail at around £4.95 from various retailers including Look Fantastic, NEXT Beauty, Feel Unique, Fragrance Direct, Superdrug and of course direct from Beauty Pro.

Your Sanitiser Hand Sanitiser Gel - 60ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £2.72

Now, normally this would be where I would sum up my thoughts on this box, well that's coming , but whether it was because this was the first box of 2021 or because of the pandemic, instead of the usual 5 items all subscribers in January received a 6th product.

Like most of us I can safely say that over the last 15 months or so I've probably used more hand sanitiser than I've ever used before, I was already a regular used but thanks to COVID I literally have tubes and bottles everywhere!

From a specialist company called Your Sanitiser, this is a luxurious, moisturising hand sanitiser that's dermatologically tested, and suitable for sensitive skin. Containing 75% ethanol, aloe vera, vitamin E, and natural chamomile fragrance, as well as eliminating viruses and bacteria, it also apparently improves hands moisturiser by 34%.

Taking the form of a clear, translucent, gel, it quickly melts on contact with the skin, and turns into a cooling water like like that disappears quite quickly without the leaving the skin sticky, dry or sore.

When it comes to scent, hand sanitisers seem to go one of 2 ways - they either leave your skin reeking of alcohol, or they have a really strong lingering scent to try and hide the alcohol, but here Your Sanitiser have got it pretty much spot on, at first you get the strong alcohol hit but that quickly evaporates leaving  gentle, clean, green, bearable floral scent.

As I say I have so many bottle of sanitiser floating around but I have to say that this is one of the best that I've used. It's effective without being too strong, harsh, drying or overpowering.

Glossybox place a value of around £2.72 on this full 60ml sized tube, however it only appears to be available in a bulk 12 tube pack direct from Your Sanitiser that retails at around £24, that makes it around £2 a tube.

Whilst on paper, the January 2021 edition of Glossybox wasn't the most exciting box that you'll ever see, it actually ended up being one of the most useful boxes that I've had. All of the products were really hard workers, and they all did exactly what they promised. The stand out for me was a product that really surprised me, the Mudmasky Serum-Infused Eye Mask - it looked scary but I was really impressed with the results.

Don't forget to let me know your thoughts on the products that I've talked about in the comments, and don't forget to check out Glossybox for yourself x Thanks as always for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post x 

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