I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I'm never going to get these Glossybox unboxing posts back on track! No sooner do I get one post up then I either get a despatch email or the next box turns up on my doorstep.
As I said in my last Glossybox unboxing post, the make up heavy nature of some recent boxes, and the fact that I like to write such thorough reviews has meant that they are taking a little bit longer to prepare at the moment. As well as that, I'm also struggling a little bit with both my physical and my mental health right now, so blogging has definitely taken even more of a back seat than usual, but don't worry I'm trying to press on regardless, and keep on posting the best content that I can, all be it sporadically.
So unless I've majorly messed up somewhere down the line, I think we're now up to June, so after a lot of research, editing, and playing with make up, let's take a look back and see exactly what was inside the June 2020 edition of Glossybox UK.
After all the animal passions of May's Safari themed box, June's box saw a return to the traditional pink and black colour way but with a slight twist!
Pink cardboard box with a black lining? Check! Black ribbon? Check! Black paper shred? Check, Pink tissue paper? Well yes, as per usual the contents did come wrapped in a sheet of pink tissue paper but it wasn't the usual sheet of plain pale pink tissue paper, instead the tissue paper was covered in line drawings of maps, compasses, hats, ice creams, and landmarks from all around the world, including both the Eiffel Tower and Big Ben.
The specially designed tissue paper perfectly reflected the theme of the box which was "World Of Beauty". According to the enclosed information leaflet the June edit featured a range of beauty products from all corners of the globe, so you could explore the world without leaving your own home.
HUDA Beauty Life-Liner - Very Vanta (Extreme Black) - Duo Eyeliner Pencil & Liquid - 0.25g & 1.5ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £22
The first item in the box was the product that was teased in May's box, and it was a product from much loved beauty influencer Huda Kattan's HUDA Beauty line. Thanks to various editions of Glossybox, and a Glossybox advent calendar, I've been able to try a few bits from the range now (check out my Beauty Product Directory to read some reviews) and whilst I've had the odd issue I've been fairly happy with most of the things that I've tried, so much so in fact that I've now gone to purchase a few bits off my own back - so, so far so good, alas this is where the positivity ends - I hate writing negative reviews but as needs must.
When it comes to eyeliner, I'll say it again for those at the back, I'm a total amateur, I'm useless at applying it, and I can't make it stay on! Throw in the fact that I've had several eyeliners so far in 2020 from Glossybox, then you would think that I would have been a bit disappointed to receive another one, but seeing as this one was from a brand like HUDA Beauty I was still quite keen to try it.
Unlike some previous Glossybox and HUDA Beauty collaborations, this HUDA Beauty Life-Liner in Very Vanta came boxed. The packaging itself is quite futuristic, a long chunky, angular barrel, that looks exactly like the famous HUDA Beauty diamond when it's standing on one end.
This is a dual ended eyeliner one end contains a long wearing, smooth, and crease free, matte black liquid liner and the other contains a twist up long wear, easy glide black pencil eyeliner. Both liners are apparently long lasting, waterproof, smudge proof. The tube of liquid liner twists off leaving a long, thin liner brush attached to the main barrel, and the twist up pencil is also embedded in the main barrel and has a pull off lid.
First up swatches - the liquid which you can see on the left is a lovely, well pigmented, deep, black. It looks quite shiny here but this picture was taken when it was still wet, it took a little while to dry but when it was dry it definitely had more of a matte finish. I did find the tube a little bit awkward to hold but it was fairy easy to draw a passable line on my hand. In theory a pencil should be easier to swatch, but not in this case, every time I tried to put any pressure on it, it snapped. It felt quite soft and it snapped twice while I was trying to swatch it. The colour was fine, more of a matte smokey black, but it was pretty much impossible to create a precise line after all of the snappage!
Left - Liquid - Right - Pencil
So after swatching both liners the pigmentation was excellent but I had questions over the drying time, and precision of the liquid, and the softness of the pencil, but the swatches look okay, but how do they perform on the actual face?
I'm going to be honest and say that the liquid was a bit of a disaster all round. You need a steady hand for liquid at the best of times, and that's something I just don't have. After a lot of practise and touching up I eventually managed a vaguely passable line which you can see below and then I did that thing that human beings do, you know that blinking thing and that's when disaster struck! Even after all of the fiddling the liner was still wet, and ended up all over my upper eyelid and pretty much all over my eye area, I should have took a picture really but it was just too hideous!
Do you know what the real kicker is though? When this stuff eventually does dry, it really doesn't come off, and despite using oil based cleansers, balms and eye make up removers, the swatch on my hand remained in place for nearly 24 hours, and what about the vaguely decent and ultimately smeared to hell lines on my eyes? well they stayed put as well until I removed them nearly 6 hours later, and even then they fought against every attempt I made to remove them before finally succumbing to an oil based, slightly stingy eye make up remover.
Liquid
So what about the pencil side? well it was no where near as dramatic in any sense of the word. I did feel as though I had to press quite hard, and since the pencil had snapped so many times, there was no real point on it so my lines weren't as clear or as precise, so I did have to keep going over my lines to get any depth of colour, hence why it probably looks much deeper than the original swatch.
I also didn't find it anywhere near as creamy and blendable as HUDA Beauty claim, thankfully it didn't transfer as much as the liquid but look closely at the pictures below and you can see a little bit of transfer onto my upper lid. The wear also wasn't that great I only about 1 or 2 hours before it smudged and then faded into pretty much nothing.
Pencil
I'll always be the first to admit that my eyeliner skill, are shall we say lacking, but even if they weren't I'm still not sure that I'd be able to recommend this product. Despite my initial hope that all of the ridges and angles would make the brush and the pencil easier to hold, for me it actually made it slightly unwieldy and unbalanced which from the off made any form of precision more difficult.
There is no question that the liquid in particular is very long wearing, in fact it's arguably too long wearing, but if you have oily lids, twitchy eyes, or if you are time poor, then this stuff for me just took too long to try dry. In fact I spent more time clearing up the mess that a single blink made, then I did putting the entire rest of my face on.
The pencil on the other hand was just a bit mehh, it was so soft that I'd probably snapped a good 1/3 of it off before I'd even used it on my eyes. It wasn't awful but if you're after a pencil liner then for me there are much better ones out there than this.
Sorry HUDA unfortunately this wasn't for me, but if you fancy trying it for yourself and maybe proving me wrong, it's available from various retailers including direct from HUDA Beauty, Boots, Feel Unique, Cult Beauty, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. Glossybox quote a price of £18 for this particular liner but most retailers seem to sell it for £22.
The Vintage Cosmetic Company Make-Up Removing Cloths x 2 - Zebra Print - Est. RRP £7.99
Next up an item that I personally think might have been better suited to May's Wild Things box.
Famed for their practical ideas, and cute retro packaging and product designs, British company The Vintage Cosmetic Company, produce a range of super girly beauty tools and accessories, including these gorgeous animal print make up remover cloths.
Every subscriber received 2 cloths in either a leopard print or a zebra design print. Like with May's box I received the zebra design. The box contained 2 square cloths made from a super soft, and fluffy, 100% polyester microfibre type fabric.
The idea is fairly simply, the unique fabric design means that it just sucks up the dirt on your skin so in theory you can remove your make up with just one of these cloths and some warm water. One side of the cloth has slightly shorter fibres, you use that side for general cleansing and make up removal, and you use the other side which had slightly longer fibres for gentle exfoliation.
The instructions say to machine wash the cloths before you use them, so after a quick spin in the washing machine, I left them to dry naturally and then it was time to take some make off. I'm not sure how well it's showing up in the picture that you can see below but I'm actually wearing quite a bit of make up here, bar the mascara though nothing was too long wearing, just an average face of the day, and something that you may be seeing a little bit more of later in this post.
Before
What I'm Wearing
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - Blemish Less
Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation - 102 Fair Ivory
Mally Beauty Cancellation Concealer - Light / Medium
Benefit Cosmetics Sugarbomb (All Shades Swirled Together)
AVON Magi X HD Finish Powder
Model Co Liquid Metal Eyeshadow - Champagne
Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow - Brow Volumizing Fibre Gel - 03 Medium
MAC Cosmetics Cremesheen Lipstick - Modesty
Essence Instant Matte Make Up Setting Spray
So after a few hours wear it was time to put these babies through their paces, so I just soaked the cloth in warm water for a few seconds and then got to work,
Damp Cloth
After
So did it work? well at first glance yes it did, although the cloth was rinsed a few times there is still definitely make up on it. My face looks clean enough, and it certainly felt clean but look closely at the cloth and there doesn't appear to be any black residue on it. It didn't really remove any of my mascara, the Eyeko mascara is quite long wearing, and alas it refused to budge without a bit of eye make up remover.
If you only wear a little bit of make up, or if you don't wear any at all, then these cloths are probably ideal for you. There eco friendly, potentially money saving, and they're great for travel. If you wear a lot of make up though, you probably do need that little bit extra that you get from a cleanser, not to worry though, I've used both these and similar cloths with cream, oil and balm cleansers, and after a fabric conditioner free, machine wash, they come out as good as new.
As I say they are great for travel, and they are a good alternative, to muslin cloths and flannels. This particular pack of two cloths retails at £7.99 direct from The Vintage Cosmetic Company, and you can also pick up a pack of 3 from Look Fantastic from around £9.99.
LA Splash Cosmetics Eyeshadow Brush Set - Full Size - Est. RRP £15
The next item are should I say items, are from another one of those brands that I would never have heard of if it wasn't for Glossybox, US based cosmetic brand LA Splash. Although I've received a few of their products now, the only one I've actually tried is the glittery eyeliner that came in the 2019 Glossybox advent calendar, so it was nice to have the opportunity to try something else from the brand, and it was particularly nice to be able to add some more make up brushes to my collection.
The June edition of Glossybox included a cardboard and clear plastic pouch which contained 2 full sized eyeshadow brushes from LA Splash.
In a classic design with a black handle, and a silver ferrule, both of the brushes feature the LA Splash Cosmetics logo printed on the handle as well as the brush name.
The first brush is the Setting Brush - it's a basic, slightly fluffy shadow brush. The brush hairs feel nice and soft and it's perfect for applying shadow, and for blending.
The second brush is the Defining Brush, it has a slightly squared off shape, and a slanted tip. Again it feels soft but it's also quite dense. This brush is a real multi tasker, as well as using as a precise shadow brush, you could also use it as a liner brush, or as a brow brush, and even as a lip brush.
Although I'm not that familiar with the brand I was really pleased with both the quality and the versatility of these brushes, and I'm really pleased to have them in my brush collection. Although Beauty Bay do sell a selection of LA Splash Cosmetics, they don't stock these or any other brushes. The only stockist I can find for these appears to be direct from LA Splash Cosmetics themselves, unfortunately they are currently out of stock so I can't do a price comparison. Glossybox though put a price of £15 on this brush duo.
Now, I've tried a few things from cruelty, and gluten free Australian brand Model Co now (check out my Beauty Product Directory to see some reviews) but I think that this is my first eyeshadow product.
Like most people I have a love / hate relationship with cream and liquid eyeshadows but if you find a good one then applying eyeshadow becomes a breeze, just a dab, a tiny bit of blending and you're good to go. My most recent experience with liquid eyeshadow though wasn't a good one, so my expectations for this product to be honest weren't that high, but I can safely say that this Model Co shadow well and truly proved me wrong.
Boxed in a packaged in a lipgloss like tube with a lipgloss like sponge applicator, Model Co claim that this is a highly pigmented shadow that "saturates the lids with an unparalleled sparkly glow"
The shade that I got was Champagne, I'm not really that Champagne describes the colour that well though, champagne shades are normally a bit more neutral where as this is a gorgeous metallic, golden copper shade.
The pigmentation as you can see is excellent, it feels really creamy, and smooth, and the application is very even and not at all bitty. I've applied it quite thickly in the pictures below but it was very easy to blend out, and unlike a certain other that I've already mentioned in this post, it dried really quickly. As much as I love cream and liquid shadows, the majority of them just don't wear that well on my oily lids but shock of horrors this one stayed put. There was a tiny bit of creasing and fading especially in the crease of my eye but by and large it didn't budge and stayed on until I removed it.
I personally love this shade on it's own but you could also use it as part of a full on eyeshadow look or even as shadow base. It's pretty, it wears well and it's super quick to apply, in other words it's everything that I wanted the Bellapierre Liquid Shadow Eye Candy in Vanity to be, well done Model Co.
The one issue that I have with this shadow is that it's pretty difficult to find, I don't know whether of Glossybox have acquired a job lot of Model Co and their sister brand MCo make up, but the last few bits that I've had from both brands appear to have been discontinued. I've searched the web for this particular eyeshadow and the only place that I can find unsurprisingly is eBay. Glossybox quote a retail price of £15 for this product but who really knows.
Beautaniq Beauty Guardian Angel Revitalising Eye Gels - 1 x Pair - 3g - Est. RRP £4.71
Like the hair mask in April's box, the final item in June's box also appeared to be a replacement or a substitution. According to the accompanying leaflet I should have received the Beauty Pro Natura Potato & Parsley Under Eye Mask but instead I received a similar gel under eye mask from anew brand to me, Beautaniq Beauty.
Beautaniq Beauty are a plant based skincare and make up brand, who have produce an uncomplicated and effective range of products that contain no parabens, PEGS, phthalates, sulphates, DEA, TEA, or mineral oils. The range is cruelty free and 100% vegan and it's specially designed for sensitive skin.
These eye patches are designed to hydrate, brighten and de-puff the eyes , they are perfect for tired eyes and overworked eyes, for jet lag and for party prep, they contain aloe vera, green tea, rose extract, seaweed, cucumber, and hyaluronic acid.
The packet contained a small plastic tray that contained 2 translucent blue, sparkle filled, gel patches that were shaped like angel wings. They didn't have any real scent, and there was barely any excess liquid.
As well as looking adorable the angel wing design is also functional, you can actually use these patches in two ways depending on your skin concerns, you can either apply them with the pointier end nearest your nose if you major concern is crows feet, or you can apply them the way I did with pointy end furthest away from your nose if you're more concerned with under eye puffiness or wrinkles.
The patches are quite simple to use you just apply them to clean, dry skin. Although they didn't feel that tight or sticky on the skin they definitely felt quite secure on the skin and they didn't feel as though they were going to fall off. They initially felt quite cool on the skin but like most hydro gel type product they gradually warm up to body temperature on contact with the skin. You can leave them for anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes - so I just lay back and attempted to chill out but Max clearly had other ideas!
I left my patches on for about 15 minutes before peeling them off. They were really easy to peel off, and unlike a lot of masks, they left virtually no excess liquid. I nearly always forget to take before pictures when I test a mask out so you'll just have to believe me when I say that my eyes definitely looked more hydrated, less tired, and even a little bit plumper, alas the wrinkles are still there but you can't have everything.
After
I actually really loved these patches and how refreshed they made my eye area look and feel. It's such a shame that so many eye patches on the market contain gelatine and animal collagen so I'm really thankful that there ones are vegan and animal friendly, and I will definitely consider purchasing these particular ones again in the future. I can only find these particular masks on the Beautaniq Beauty website but they do ship worldwide. This single pack of gels retails at around £4.59, and they also sell a box of 5 packs for £19.11.
Despite the fact that I didn't get on with the star product in June's box, I'm still pretty pleased with the bits that I got. The box gave me a way to try a product that I would have been disappointed with if I'd bought it separately - The price of the entire box was less than the retail price of the HUDA Beauty liner so all of the other items were really a bonus, and they were all decent products in their own right. There wasn't a real standout product this time round just 4 items that were all nice products and that all did what they promised.
Let me know your thoughts on this box in the comments section below and don't forget that you can find out more about Glossybox by clicking my link, I really do appreciate all click throughs x Thanks for reading and I'll see you over the weekend with a quick nails of the day post x
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