A Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - February 2020 Edition - Love Crosses Borders*

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last week but I took some much needed time out to celebrate my birthday on Friday. It was a little bit weird not seeing anyone bar my mam, but everyone made a real effort to make it special for my anyways, sending my messages, sending cards, and dropping off cards and pressies, and it's funny even seeing people through panes of glass and at a safe distance made me feel a little brighter. I mainly got money and vouchers, so I may be doing, and have already maybe done a little bit of online shopping, so if you want to see the results of that make sure you're following my blog and my other social media channels x 

In the meantime though let's take a trip back to February, the month of love or in my case this year the month of illness! I was so poorly throughout February and March (with what we now believe thanks to a few emergency hospital trips for Mummy Lou in the last month, was more than likely Covid 19!),  that Valentines Day was nothing more than just another day, where I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't stop coughing.  My memories of February are pretty vague but I'm sure that Newcastle United's FA Cup run and the arrival of the Valentines Day edition of Glossybox must have lifted my spirits slightly.

With a "Love Crosses Borders" theme, February's box was pink in colour, with an almost ombre variation from light pin to a deeper more coral toned pink, with the word "Love" embossed in white on the lid in several different languages, and in several different fonts.

The pink theme was followed on inside the box, with pale pink tissue paper, and red shred to protect the contents, which was secured with a pink / red ribbon with printed with hearts and the words "Love Crosses Borders" in white.

The first item in the box as per usual was the information booklet which talked about the products in the box, and explained the box theme. The "Love Crosses Borders" theme was all about sharing things that bring us to together and the universal language of love, and as a result the box contained a range of products from across the globe to create a kissable pout and soft dewy skin, perfect for Valentines Day!

Figs & Rouge Wonder Love Charm Glow Elixir - 30ml - Full Size - RRP £35

The first item in the box was the item that was teased in January's box, and it was a product a British based brand, Figs and Rouge, whose vegan and animal friendly products, and both made and formulated in the UK.

One of the most recent additions to their line this products is a brightening elixir that is designed to give the skin a healthy glow, whilst perfecting, soothing and reenergising the complexion. It contains hydrating hyaluronic acid, vitamins A, C, and E, minerals including rose quartz, and rosewater to perfect and add radiance.

Keeping in with the pink theme, this product comes in a beautiful pink box. The product itself comes in a glass bottle, with a pale pink rubber, and plastic dropper.

Squeeze out a few drops and you're met with a slightly cool feeling, pale pink shimmery liquid, which a fresh, clean almost floral scent.

On Application

Lightly Blended

Completely Blended Out 

You can use this product in a few ways, one of the ways is apply a few drops onto cleansed skin, either before or after, or even instead of moisturiser, and then blend it out, before applying foundation, or you can do what I've done below and just wear it on its own.

Bare Skin - Before

Bare Skin - Application 

Bare Skin - After

To be honest there isn't a huge amount of difference between the before and after pictures but in real life my skin definitely looked a little bit more radiant, and hydrated.

As well as using it alone or under your make up you can also use it on certain areas of the face either on it's own or as I've done here, on top of make up as a liquid highlighter / illuminator.

Applied As Highlighter On Top Of Foundation And Under Foundation 

The funny thing is if I'd reviewed this product back in February, March or even in early April, I would have been at best indifferent to it, but that extra month has made all of the difference - I get it now! 

It's subtle, it doesn't add a ton of pigment or shimmer, whether you wear on it under make up or even on it's own, it just makes you look a little bit healthier, and it takes away some of that dullness and flatness, that we're probably all suffering from at the moment. You can use it in a few ways, and I think it's all about finding out what works best for you and your skin, and what type of finish that you want to achieve.

The full size retails at £35 and despite the fact that Feel Unique seem to sell a small selection of Figs & Rouge items, the only place I can find this product is direct from Amazon via Figs & Rouge.

Starskin Dreamkiss Plumping & Hydrating Bio - Cellulose Lip Mask - 1 x 5g Mask - Est. RRP £4.25

The next product was something from face mask specialist Starskin. Launched in 2015 Starskin's range of high performance, instant results skincare, is PETA certified, and is free from parabens, phthalates, mineral oils, sulphates and synthetic dyes.

Whilst they are probably most well known for their face and eye masks, this is actually a lip mask that aims to hydrate and plump the lips, and improve the appearance of fine lines, and wrinkles. It contains vitamin rich fermented coconut juice, sea fern collagen, hyaluronic acid, jojoba, linseed oil, sunflower seed oil, shea butter, safflower oil and honey.

The first thing you notice when you open the packet is just how much liquid there is in inside. The lip shaped patch itself has a thin gel, like appearance, and it doesn't feel that thick or substantial so it isn't that easy to peel it off the 2 sheets of clear film that cover it.

The patch itself had a pleasant fruity scent and taste and it adhered really securely to the lip area, so you can stand up and do other things, without it falling off. It feels quite cool on application but it warms up to body temperature quite quickly.

Starskin advise that you leave the mask on for around 10-15 minutes. It feels off really easily and whilst the instructions tell you to rub the excess serum into your lip are, I was actually surprised at just how dry the patch felt. My lips and skin must have sucked up every little drop of moisture that this mask had to offer.

I couldn't see any real difference in the plumpness or volume of my lips, but they definitely felt softer, and less flaky. Although I didn't experience any major miracles with this product I think it's a really nice treat for dry lips and I would definitely consider using it again.

The packet contained 1 mask, which Glossybox valued at around £4.25. The masks usually come in a pack of 2 and retail at around £8.50 from various retailers including Look Fantastic, Debenhams, and Feel Unique.

Saint Luxe Lip Liner Duo - Crush and Cupid - 2 x 1g - Full Size - RRP $40 / £23

One of the things that I love most about beauty and subscription boxes is the fact that they give you the chance to try something new. I can't find too much out about this next brand, other than the fact that they are a US based brand, that pride themselves on their sleek packaging and their luxury ingredients.

The only products that are actually on their website appear to be pencils, and the pretty pink box in February's Glossybox contained two lip pencils, that Saint Luxe claim and both creamy and long lasting.

In a true, wooden pencil format these pencil are pale pink and colour, and they come with a pink plastic lid. You get two different contrasting colours, Crush - a deep cool toned red, and Cupid - a neutral, nude pink shade.

Top - Crush - Bottom - Cupid

 Crush And Cupid 

The pigmentation is superb, but in my opinion they aren't that soft or creamy. The obvious way to use a lip pencil is to use it to line your lips, but I think that a good test of a lip pencil is to use it to fill in your lips so that's exactly what I did.

Crush 

Cupid 

On the whole I think they did a fairly decent job, they did drag a bit on application, and they weren't that hydrating, but they lasted well, and they looked okay on. When it came to sharpening them though, it all went a bit wrong. I tried to sharpen Crush, and I found the coloured section very, very crumbly, and the wood was really brittle, so it was pretty much impossible to achieve a decent point.

Apart from the sharpening and the lack of moisture these pencils weren't actually that bad. They wore well and Cupid especially is a very Louise colour but a high end product? not in my opinion! The only retailer I've found for these pencils is direct from Saint Luxe, who ship worldwide, where the duo retails at $40! Glossybox quote a slightly less eye watering £23 but I think that even that is overpriced when brands like Revolution, Rimmel and even Primark, produce lip liners that are equally as good if not better and more purse friendly.

Floss Beauty My New Favourite Lip Gloss - Ath - 15g - Full Size - RRP $16 / £12.30

Next up another lip product, and this time something from Canadian brand Floss Beauty. I first came across Floss Beauty in the August 2019 edition of Pink Parcel, when I received a My New Favourite Lip Gloss in the shade Yul - You can read my review here x 

Since Yul was almost a translucent shade, I'm really pleased to have the opportunity to try a coloured gloss this time around.

Both cruelty and paraben free like Yul, the shade that I received this time around was Ath, which is also named after an airport only this time Athens.

Although it look a little bit more coral here, Ath is a lovely neutral pink shade, that works perfectly with the Cupid lip liner. Again it comes in a squeezy plastic tube with a doe foot applicator and again it has a slightly synthetic coconut / vanilla scent.

As you can see the pigmentation is excellent, it applies easily, and it feels smooth, creamy and comfortable on the lips. One of the biggest deal breakers with gloss is stickiness, and thankfully this one doesn't feel too tacky, it wears well, and even when the gloss fades it leaves a small amount of colour on the lips. 

This is a really nice wearable shade that I will definitely use. It's non drying, and perfect if you aren't a fan of of sticky or gloopy lip glosses. The only retailer that I can find for this gloss is direct from Floss Beauty where this lip gloss retails at around $16, Glossybox quote a price of around £12.30.

Glossybox Slanted Lip Brush - Full Size - Est. RRP £5.10

The final official item in February's box was a Glossybox branded lip brush. With a pale pink handle with the Glossybox logo printed on the side, this brush has rose gold tone ferrule, and a slanted brush head, with soft but densely packed hairs.

The pointed end is perfect for outlining the lips and defining the lip line, and the large, flat side is perfect for filling in the lips.

This is a nice quality brush, that doesn't just have to be for lips, you could also use it as an eye brush or even as a brow brush. This brush is Glossybox branded and is exclusive to this box, and it has a recommended retail price of £5.10.

Now as well as the usual 5 items some subscribers also received a 6th item, and do you know what that means - controversy! Not everyone received this extra item and to say that some people weren't happy was an understatement! I was apparently one of the lucky ones and I did receive an extra 'treat'.

Glossier You Eau De Parfum - 1.5ml 

Yes, after all of that it was a fragrance sample from one of the brands of the moment, Glossier. As I've said before the inclusion of fragrances in a subscription boxes is always a bit of a funny one, so I'm not quite sure why so many people seemed so desperate to get their hands on this one, especially after smelling it!

Based on a lot of online reviews Glossier You appears to be a pretty popular scent but personally I'm not a fan. It contains warm and creamy base notes of amberette, ambrox and musk, and top notes of earthy green iris root, and pink pepper.

To me it smells very musky and dare I say it old fashioned, if you like this I'm sorry to say this but it reminds me of perfume mixed with stale cigarette smoke! The only positive thing that I can possible say about it is that it wears incredibly well, and that unlike a lot of fragrances, the smell stays pretty much the same as it does when you first spray it.

I've worn it a few times now, and it hasn't grown on me at all, it's a world away from the sweet floral tones that I normally wear, and there is something about it that I just don't like!

The full 50ml size of Glossier You retails at £45 and is available direct from Glossier. The box also included a coupon for 10% off your first order from Glossier but guess what? I forgot about it and it expired on the 5th May - wahhhhh!

Although the February 2020 edition of Glossybox ended on a bit of a damp squib, overall I was pretty pleased with February's offering. It was pretty make up heavy but it contained some nice wearable products. There were no real standouts but everything was decent even I wouldn't necessarily pay full price for the lip pencils

Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and if you fancy subscribing to Glossybox, you can find out more via this link x Thanks for reading as per usual and I'll see you soon with a quick make up review before resuming my Glossybox catch ups x 

*The Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

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