Unboxing Pink Parcel UK - August 2019 Edition - Midnight Garden Edit*

I know this post is a little bit late but I'm not going to apologise for that - I took a bit of time out for some family and friend time - I helped my mam celebrate her birthday and I spent a lovely day with my bestie, that unfortunately I'm still recovering from, walking along the sea front, eating ice cream, playing mini golf, and shopping.

Even though I haven't managed to get a post up, I've still being posting on Instagram and I've been photographing products, and make up looks for some upcoming posts. The first few posts that I've got coming up are quite long and in depth so I'm going to get down to it straight away, and do some catch ups starting with August's Pink Parcel unboxing x

After a few up and down months with Pink Parcel, like July's box , August's arrived bang on time and its arrival coincided perfectly with the arrival of my period. My August box was packaged in the old style grey and pink outer box, and inside it contained the familiar pouch and a mixture of Pink Parcel, and Betty Box cardboard boxes.

Again I chose a pads only box, and this time round I received 24 items, which was one more than last month. Like last month, and the month before, and the month before that I got a mixture of different brands rather than the brand and product type that I requested. As I've said before I don't really mind a mixture of brands but I actually received an email from Pink Parcel last month telling me that the items I'd selected were being discontinued, so maybe that's why I've been getting a mixture of different products. I've selected another product now so it should be interesting to see what I get in September's box.

Now on to the fun stuff and the theme of August's box was Midnight Garden, and the theory behind the box was products that would take from day to night. It contains products that would be great for festivals and summer days, and pampering products that would help you wind down at the end of the day.

Floss My New Favourite Lip Gloss - Yul - 15g - Full Size - RRP £16 / $16

The first item in the 'Wants' box is from a new brand to me, Floss. Hailing from Canada, their products are cruelty and paraben free, are specifically designed to enhance your natural beauty.

Packaged in a squeezy plastic tube, with a doe foot applicator, Floss claim that this gloss is smooth, hydrating and long lasting, and that it will quickly become your new favourite lip gloss, a big claim indeed!

I received the shade Yul, which I believe is the code name for Montreal International Airport. It looks translucent pink in the tube but as you can see from the swatch below it actually comes out clear.

It's not the thickest gloss that I've ever used but it feels comfortable on the lips, and it doesn't feel too sticky or tacky. I used to be a real lip gloss fiend when I was younger, but now I'm not a huge fan of the gloopy or tacky feel. This isn't bad though it adds a nice subtle gloss to the lips, without too much of the goo. Obviously you can wear it over another lip colour but I like the slightly glossy, natural look that you get from wearing it alone. 

If you're not a huge fan of full on thick, sticky glosses then this one might be worth trying. It looks nice and wears well, but personally I'm not a huge fan of the taste or scent which more often than not is a pretty big deal for me. It has a slightly synthetic, and dare I say it plastic like vanilla / coconut scent. It's not crazily strong so I will probably use this up but I can't see myself repurchasing it. If you fancy trying it for yourself though, then you can buy it directly from Floss.

Minus -417 Time Control Firming Radiant Mud Mask - 20ml -Est. RRP £8

Next up another brand that you may not have heard of Minus -417. Apart from featuring occasionally as potential prizes on the Clawee app (my invite code code is WCLLZER if you fancy playing), the first time I heard about the range was when I received a face wash in the January edition of Glossybox UK.

You can read my thoughts on it here, but I really enjoyed using it so I was really pleased to receive another product from this Dead Sea based skincare range in August's Pink Parcel. 

Pink Parcel are famous for including face masks, and this one is a 2 in 1 exfoliating and nourishing mud mask, that is designed to deeply cleanse, exfoliate, and nourish the skin, whilst at the same time drawing out impurities and absorbing excess oil. It contains Dead Sea mud, red and white clay, avocado, and olive oils, verbena extract, honey, titanium dioxide, and vitamins A, B, E, and F.

With a mild, slightly earthy, aquatic scent, it has a creamy clay mask type consistency, and it contains small exfoliating particles. -417 recommend that you apply it to cleansed skin, avoiding the eye area. It was nice and easy to spread, and to apply evenly. On application there was a slightly warming sensation that gradually disappeared after a few minutes. 

On Application

The advice was that it should dry in about 7-10 minutes, but given the humidity when I tried it out, it probably took around 10 or 11 minutes to dry completely. It dries like any other clay mask, and you do experience a slightly tightening sensation as it sets but it wasn't uncomfortable.

After Around 10 Minutes 

Clay masks can often be quite stubborn and quite difficult to remove, but this particular one was quite easy to remove with warm water, and a muslin cloth. My skin was a little bit pink after removal but that quickly disappeared. Unusually for a clay mask my skin didn't feel tight, it felt comfortable and supple, and it looked clearer, cleaner and smoother.

After Removal

I am a bit of a maskaholic and this was a nice one, I liked the warming sensation, and the exfoliating aspect and I liked how supple my skin felt when I'd removed it. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to repurchase it but I'll happily use it up. Pink Parcel value this 20ml size at £8, the full 10ml size retails at around $39 direct from Minus -417.

Mudmasky Hair Mask, Scalp Treatment & Miracle Shampoo - Full Size - RRP £26-£29

The next item is a product from Pink Parcel favourite brand Mudmasky. Over the years I've recieved quite a few products from Mudmasky but this time it isn't a face mask, it's a hair product.

Now I haven't had a chance to try this yet but it sounds really interesting. It's basically a paraben and sulfate free, 3 in 1 hair mask, scalp treatment, and shampoo. Like all of the Mudmasky products it isn't tested on animals and based on the theory that healthy hair starts from the scalp, it's designed to repair and strengthen the hair,  and to moisturise and to prevent an itchy scalp and to control dandruff. It's suitable for all hair types but it's especially good for damaged hair.

As I say I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds like it could be a real time saver, you need to leave it on the hair for 1 minute, and it could replace up to at least 3 products, so I can't wait to give it a try. As per usual I'll let you know what I think in a future empties post x This is a full size tube and retails at around £29 / €29 direct from Mudmasky x 

Anatomicals Tanatomicals The Stick It Where The Sun Does Shine Stick SPF 30 Lip Protector - 5.5g - Full Size - RRP £3

It's been a little while since I've had an Anatomicals product in a subscription box, so it's nice to see them again and it's nice to receive a product that I haven't tried before x 

From their sun care, and fake tanning diffusion line Tanatomicals, this is basically a twist up, stick lip balm that contains an SPF 30. 

I'm not a huge fan of the slightly cardboard, synthetic plastic taste but it's actually a pretty decent lip balm. It has a nice moisturising feel, it adds a nice bit of gloss to the lips, and it actually absorbs into the lips, rather than just sitting on the top.

The addition of the SPF also means that you could also use it on the tops of the ears, on the nose, and on other exposed bits that catch the sun in an emergency. 

Even though the Anatomicals range still seems pretty widely available, the Tanatomicals website doesn't seem to exist any more, and I can't seem to find this product anywhere online, so it may have been discontinued. 

Moonface Fan Brush - Full Size - RRP £8

I do love a make up brush, as I'm sure my rather crowded dressing table would testify to, if it could talk that is, so I'm always pleased to see a brush in a subscription box, and in particular I'm always pleased to see a fan brush.

My first ever fan brush was from Ruby and Millie and would you believe that I still have it x Look after your brushes and they really will last a lifetime. Fan brushes are just so useful, you can use them for removing eye shadow fall out from under the eyes or on the cheeks, or to apply loose powder to the t-zone, or even to apply a bit of highlighter or cheek colour. 

This is a particular nice example, I love the pink and purple ombre handle, and the pink hairs are super soft.

I can't actually find out anything about this brand though, the website that Pink Parcel gave doesn't seem to exist and a web search proved equally fruitless. So if you know anything about Moonface then I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a comment below, or contact me via my email louloulanduk@gmail.com or via my other social media channels x 

Cocoba Milk Hot Chocolate Spoon - 33g - Est. RRP £2.75

I'm going to start off by saying that technically this is a stick not a spoon, but that in no way affected my enjoyment of this product ;) Why would it, gorgeous Belgian milk chocolate, that you melt into a mug of warm milk, or if you're greedy you can just eat it as it is.

I'm not going to lie that's what I did, when I got my Pink Parcel it was way too warm for hot chocolate, so I just ate it off the stick like a yummy chocolate lollipop. A huge chunk of good quality chocolate, what is not to love about that! 

I can't put an exact price on this product because all of the similar products on Cocoba actually contained a wooden spoon, but they looked almost identical so I would imagine that this product would retail at around £2.75. 

Lyons No3 Rich & Full Bodied 100% Fresh Ground Coffee In A Bag - 1 x Bag 

I honestly don't know why these bags aren't everywhere - the whole idea of ground coffee in a bag is just such an amazing, time saving concept. I've received a few of these in the past, most recently in March's Pink Parcel, and as yet I still haven't managed to try one - Mummy Lou drinks a lot more coffee than I do, and she always manages to get there first, so fingers crossed I get a chance to try one of these at some point in the future x 

I don't think was the most exciting box that I've ever received but as per usual there was a decent range of products, and most probably products that I'll use - the standouts for me was definitely the mask, and the chocolate spoon but I'm also excited to try the Mudmasky hair product. Let me know your thoughts on this box, and don't forget to check out the Pink Parcel website if you're interested in signing up for your own box x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Unboxing Pink Parcel - March 2019 Edition - Spring Clean Edit*

Well it's that time of the month again, you know the one, sleepy, pained, and craving chocolate time - great just what I needed, but since I'm trying to have a more positive outlook on life, that time of the month also mean that it's Pink Parcel time.

Maybe it's because I'm a bit down and a bit grouchy at the moment but this box didn't bring the joy that I'd hoped. I've never done this before but after receiving the box I had a few, not exactly complaints but a few concerns that I needed addressing. When you've sung the praises of something and recommended it to as many people as what I have, you feel responsible I guess, and I felt that I needed to share a few of my concerns with Pink Parcel - They responded and they've apologised and they've taken my comments on board and promised changes. I'm pleased with their response and we'll just have to see what if anything changes in the months to come.

Like February's box , March's box is the new compact, brighter and fresher version, the box is noticeably smaller than it used to be and as a result the contents has changed, instead of the 3 boxes and one pouch, you know only get two boxes and one pouch. I know I mentioned last month that I'd received a mixture of brands and a few less pads than I had done in previous months, and this was something that unfortunately continued on in to March's box. Last month I received 25 pads of varying absorbency's, and 5 pantie liners, but this month I only got 23 items in total, and I only received 5 "normal" pads! Now Pink Parcel have apologised and offered to send me some more products if I needed them, thankfully I have plenty spare, so I didn't take them up on their offer. Apparently the new compact box is to blame, and we should be receiving slightly fewer items than normal but there should still be enough. They are going to look into this though and hopefully brands and amounts should be sorted in the next month or so.

As I said last month I don't mind the mixture of brands but if you're not receiving enough products to last your period then it kind of makes the whole box a bit pointless. Fingers crossed that this issue get sorted out sooner rather than later.

Anyway as much as I love Pink Parcel, for the convenience of having sanitary products delivered to my door, it's the the little "Wants" box that I really look forward to. This month it's the Spring Clean Edit, and it's all about cleaning out the beauty cupboard, and introducing some cleaner ingredients into our beauty routines. Sounds good? and by and large it's a good one this month but I again I was left feeling a little bit disappointed. Why? well out of the 8 items in the "Wants' box I've had 5 of them before in previous Pink Parcels. I can't complain about the quality of the products but like January's box most it all felt like a bit of an afterthought, Am I being too harsh? Let's see...

Dr. Botanicals Cr Charcoal Superfood Mattifying Face Mask - 30ml - Travel Size - £12

Now the first item in the box, thankfully was one that I hadn't tried before. Each box contained 1 of 3 products from Dr Botanicals, Since I already tried the other options of the exfoliating body bar, and the rose facial oil, I was really pleased to receive something different.

Dr. Botanicals are a UK based natural skincare brand, that are PETA certified, and are vegan, and toxin and paraben free. Containing active charcoal powder to buff away the dead skin cells, this mask also contains shea butter, sweet almond and grape seed oil, jojoba and sunflower seed wax to nourish, and hydrate the skin, and to leave a smoother, even, and more mattified complexion. 

I do love a face mask and since my skin is pretty oily, I thought I'd give this a go straight away. Now given my all be it limited experience of the brand I thought that this would smell amazing, unfortunately it didn't - it had quite an oily scent, you could definitely smell the sunflower oil! I also expected it to have a thick clay mask type texture, but it actually felt more like a cream mask feel. It was pretty easy to apply but the key is to apply a thin even layer. After applying it to cleansed skin you then left it for 5 -10 minute, there was a slight warming sensation but it wasn't uncomfortable or irritating. If you aren't a fan of masks that dry hard, and crack then this one might be worth a try, it didn't crack, set solid or feel uncomfortable, it just seemed to set particularly in areas where it was applied more thinly. I used a muslin cloth and warm water, and washed it off in circular motions, at this point I could feel a slight grittiness to the mask but it was easy to remove and it didn't cause any irritation. My skin was left looking slightly pink but it felt very clean and hydrated. As time progressed my skin just got softer, and softer, it looked and felt moisturised, and my skin looked fresher and more even. Did my oiliness disappear? Well no not really but my skin definitely felt and looked better. I've used this mask about 3 times now and my skin definitely looks a lot clearer.

Despite the creature from the black lagoon impression, the first item in the box was a huge win as far as I'm concerned. I'm not the biggest fan of the scent, and I'm not sure my flannels or muslin cloths will ever full recover, but I can see a definite improvement in my skin so I'm going to keep using, and then "I may" even consider repurchasing - high praise indeed! This is a generous travel size which retails at £12 from various retailers including Beauty Expert, and Look Fantastic.

Phase Zero Make Up Shimmer Eye Shadow - Mush-a-boom - 1.8g - Full Size - RRP £3.50

Next up another new item, and it was a make item. I'm always pleased to see a make up item in a subscription box, and especially an item from a new to me brand. I don't know too much about Phase Zero but from what I can gather they are cruelty free seem to be associated with former subscription box site Love Me Beauty. I've had a little look at the range online and it seems to be pretty affordable and they seem to have some nice looking products.

March's Pink Parcel contained an eyeshadow from the range in one of two formulations, and the one I received was one of their shimmer eye shadows in the shade Mush-a-boom.

It's a loose pan shadow, and the Love Me Beauty site sell palettes to store your shadows in but if you have a MAC palette with a spare slot like I have, stick a magnet on the back and you're good to go, if not it should be safe enough in the moulded plastic packaging.

The colour I received is the fabulously names Mush-a-boom, which describes it perfectly. It's one of those gorgeous mushroomy, silvery taupe shades. If you love shades like MAC Satin Taupe or even  Smoke And Diamonds, then you'll love this, and I love this! The shade is so, so wearable, and it feels absolutely gorgeous, smooth, creamy, velvety and very pigmented.

Not the best picture of it on my face as per usual, but it's a dream shadow to work with it applies really easily and it's easy to blend, a touch of fall out but nothing to serious. Obviously you can team this up with other shades but I've been wearing it on it's own for the last week and for the price I am so impressed with the feel and the wear time. I'm definitely going to be having a closer look at this brand in the near future. If you fancy trying this shadow out (seriously why wouldn't you), then you can buy it directly from the Love Me Beauty website.

Skin Chemists London Rose Quartz Youth Defence Lip Plump - 8ml - Full Size - RRP £29.99

Next an item that appeared in the September 2018 edition of Pink Parcel (watch my unboxing here), and I'm not going to lie it's something that I'd completely forgotten about!

From a UK based brand with over 50 years of skincare research and knowledge, this product promises a fuller lip, without the pain. Designed to hydrate the lips and boost fullness, it's a lip gloss, a lip plumper, and a balm all in one. 

It contains Volulip a unique ingredients that is designed to stimulate the production of Hyaluronic Acid, which has a plumping effect and peppermint oil to boost circulation.

With a sponge, doe foot applicator, it has an almost liquidy, balm like, gloss texture. The first thing you notice though when you open the tube is the scent, and ultimately the taste, it has really distinctive smell and taste that reminds me a bit of peppermint mixed with Germolene or any other antiseptic - not great but it would certainly hide it if your breath didn't smell too sweet!

As you would expect from a lip plumper you do experience a little bit of a tingling sensation but it isn't too much and unlike some products it certainly isn't painful. It looks like a translucent pink in the tube but it hardly adds any colour to the lips themselves. 

I don't know if I can see too much change in the volume of my lips but what I can see if a really pretty slightly glossy. my lips but better look. It has the look of a gloss but with a bit more hydration and hardly any stickiness. Obviously you could wear this over a lip colour but personally I like it on it's own, and even though I already owned this, I am pretty pleased to have rediscovered it thanks to March's Pink Parcel

What's In It For Me Body Cleanser - 50ml

From September to October and an item that I received in October's Pink Parcel (click here to watch my unboxing) x Again I don't know too much about this brand but from what I'm managed to find out, What's In It For Me is part of the Anatomicals stable.

This shower gel promises to enliven and invigorate and contains aloe Vera, witch hazel, grapefruit, peppermint and rosemary. 

I'm not big on morning shower, so I normally stay away from invigorating scents but I thought I give this ago and have a nice shower to try and wake myself up a bit! If you love citrus scents but you want something a little bit different I'd definitely recommend that you give this a go. There is no orange or lemon in it, instead you get a huge hit of citrusy, tangy grapefruit! I'm not a fan of eating grapefruit, and a bit of the juice mixed up with a bit of vodka is about all that I can manage but I do love the smell of it, and this stuff smelled pretty good! I can't find this particular size anywhere online but you can buy the full 250ml size from various retailers including Fragrance Direct. 

Magnitone Wipe Out The Amazing Microfibre Cleansing Cloth - Est. RRP £7.50

Next up something that I've tried quite a few times already, from July 2018's Pink Parcel, and from the 2017 Look Fantastic advent calendar, the pretty fabulous Magnitone cleansing cloth.

The idea is pretty simple, but very clever, these cloths remove make up with just water, no cleanser, no balms or creams, just warm water! I have no idea how they work but they do, and if you want to remove your make up in a greener way then these cloths could be something to try. They are machine washable, and reusable. These cloths retail at around £14.99 for a pack of 2, so I would estimate the price of this cloth at around £7.50,

Bandzee Suffragettes Edition Hair Bands - Full Size - £6.95

Now apparently this is a bonus item,  read into that what you will,  did they have some leftover from June's box when they first appeared? Who knows but the product is decent and their message is an important one.

Basically Bandzees are gentle, no snag, no break, elastic hair ties, made from the same type of elastic that goes in your undies! I've had a few sets of these now and whilst I prefer a tighter ponytail for daytime, I love these for sleeping in they are really comfortable to wear, they don't knot the hair, and you can also use them as wristbands.

This was a limited edition set that celebrated the anniversary of Women's suffrage in the UK. I can't find this particular set online anymore but the Pink Shop sells sets of plain Bandzee's for £6.95

Squirrel Sisters Natural Energy Bar - Raspberry Ripple - 2 x 20g - Full Size - Est. RRP £1.20 - £2.49

You always get something to eat in every Pink Parcel, and whilst I was initially disappointed at the lack of chocolate, these certainly hit the spot.

Founded by two sisters, Squirrel Sisters is a health and wellness company that produces yummy treats like this. Containing dates, sultanas, cashew nuts, almonds, goji berries, and raspberry powder, the packets contains two chewy, nutty and fruity bars, that are raw, vegan, gluten free, and contain no added sugar.

Bars like this are never the most appetising things to look at but the taste more than made for it. Packed in a squirrel designed, cardboard tray, the packet contained 2 soft yet dense fruit and nut bars. They weren't too sweet and they just tasted really natural, you could taste the nuts and the sweetness and tartness of the fruit. They were really good and unlike a lot of snacks they were really filling. You can buy these in packs of 16 from the Squirrel Sisters website, and you also buy individual bars from various retailers including Morrisons, Ocado, Amazon, and Holland and Barrett x My advice though would be to shop around I've a found a huge variation on prices on these x They are currently on offer in Morrisons for just £1 if you fancy giving them a try.

Lyons No.3 Rich & Full Bodied - 100% Fresh Ground Coffee In A Bag - 1 x Bag

Finally the tea bag or in this case the coffee bag. Now I've definitely had one of these in a box before but surprise, surprise it wasn't me that used it! The idea is brilliant though instead of tea, your bag contains ground coffee, simply brew as normal and you get a steaming cup of fresh coffee. If I put this in the kitchen I may never see it again, so I think I'll keep it safe so I can give it a go. I've had a look online and I can only find these on Amazon where 18 bags retails at around £7.97.

Okay, on reflection I probably was a touch harsh, yes I received fewer sanitary products, and a lot of the products were repeats but the value was certainly there and the products inside were decent and I've definitely discover a few new loves. People and companies make mistakes, but it's how they put them right that matters, I've brought up a few concerns with Pink Parcel, and hopefully they'll take those concerns on board and make things better, they've already told me that April's box will be their best ever so I guess we'll have to wait and see x Let me know your thoughts on this box in the comments and don't forget to check the Pink Parcel website for more information x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links