Glossybox 2021 Revisited - A Review Of The e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow - Berry Bad, And More Life Lately x*

Well it's safe to say that the few weeks have been pretty horrible. Less than 1 day after I published my last post we received the news that one of my bonus dads, my Uncle George has passed away. Although he had various ailments, it was all very sudden and understandably we were and still are both devastated, my mam's super close to both of her brothers so it's been a huge blow to her both mentally and even physically, so I've been doing my best to support her and take care of her. If that wasn't enough one of my oldest friends Helen, lost her dad just 5 days after my uncle passed. I spent so much time with her and her family when I was younger, going on holiday with them, and having sleepovers, and going over for tea. Her and her family are still very close family friends so it was huge loss, and mentally it really was the straw that broke the camels back for me, so understandably I've had a to take some time out. Whilst there are still tonnes of emotions, thoughts and memories floating around in my head, I've decided that I need a distraction, so I decided to sit down today and get my blog on.

As I mentioned in my last post, after many years I eventually made the decision to cancel my Glossybox subscription, there were a few reasons why I chose to cancel, but one of the main reasons I guess, was that I was starting to feel a bit snowed on by all of the products that I still hadn't touched. I have a huge basket full of bits dating back to 2021, including lots of unopened items, and I just didn't see the point in adding to that pile! In the weeks and months to come I'm going to try and feature as many of these products as I can, either in full review posts like this one, faces of the day posts, or in future empties post, thus giving myself content options without the stresses of proper unboxing's.

So today we're taking a little trip back to November, 2021, to talk about a product from the Beauty Desires edition, and it's something that the eagle eyed readers amongst you might have already seen mentioned in my previous blog post, the e.l.f. Bite Size Eyeshadow Palette in Berry Bad.

Whilst the e.l.f. range is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be, and their £1 products are long gone, it's still one of my go to brands for good quality, affordable make up, with the odd cult or viral favourite thrown in for good measure (Hydrating Core Lip Shine in Ecstatic, I'm talking to you!).

A good test for any brand no matter what the price point though should be the quality of their eyeshadows. In this day and age if a brand can't produce a decent eyeshadow then it's very unlikely that anything else, at least powder wise, will be any good.

Packaged on a fairly basic clear, and white plastic compact, as the name would suggest, this quad contains 4 berry like, autumnal toned powder eyeshadows. The quad contains 2 matte shades, 1in a dark almost, burgundy brown and the other in a light, peachy nude, and 2 almost metallic shimmers, 1 in a warm bronze / copper tone, and the other in a gorgeous deep wine / berry tone.

All of the shadows are lovely and smooth, and the shimmer / metallics in particular have an almost creamy feel. The pigmentation and colour payoff as you can see is superb even on the two matte shades.

They were really easy to apply and to blend out, with only a tiny bit of fallout, which brushed away easily with a fan brush.

This is just a really quick look that I created with 3 of the shades in this quad, and as well as looking not too shabby, the shadows wore well even on my oily lids with only a tiny bit of fading and creasing after around 5-6 hours of wear.

For an eyeshadow palette with an RRP of just £4 this quad really impressed me. The shadows were soft and creamy, the payoff was fantastic and the pigmentation even on the two matte shades was really impressive. I was also really impressed with the wear time, and don't forget all of e.l.f's products are both vegan and cruelty free, and they are also free from phthlates, parabens and several more potentially iffy ingredients - not bad for a 'budget brand"!

If you don't fancy going down the berry route though, there are around 12 quads in the Bite-Size range featuring everything from greens to blues, and purple, to loads of neutral and fashion options. The full  e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow quads including Berry Bad, is available direct from e.l.f. Cosmetics, selected shades are also available from various other retailers including ASOS, Beauty Bay and Superdrug.

Are you a fan of e.l.f. Cosmetics? Let me know your favourite products in the comments x 

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, And Added Affiliate Links

My Last Glossybox Unboxing - A Late Unboxing Of The March 2022 Edition Of Glossybox UK - Glossy Wonderland*

So I guess this post signals an end of an era, I've been subscribed to Glossybox for quite a while now, and over the years, I've regularly shared my unboxings and thoughts on the latest box both on my You Tube channel and latterly, here on my blog. Today's post though will be the last unboxing that I'll be sharing with you. 

As I said in a recent post I'm just too far behind with my Glossybox unboxings to carry on with them, not only that but I've also put my notice in to cancel my box. I've really enjoyed the surprise element and getting to try so many new things, but I just can't justify spending money on beauty bits when I have so many products that are practically untouched. I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed by my beauty stash for a little while now but it feels good to be making some positive moves to get it a bit more under control.

Although I won't be doing any more unboxing posts I will probably still end up sharing my thoughts on some of the items in all of last years boxes, and of course in the 3 boxes that I've received this year, either in separate review posts, faces of the day, or in empties posts so you shouldn't miss out. If you see anything in any of these pics that you'd like to see reviews of though, let me know and I'll get on it ASAP x The same also applies to last years Glossybox advent calendar, I'm not going to do a post on it now but if you are interested in the contents, you can take a look at the relevant tab on my Instagram, and of course if there are any products that you're particularly interested in reading reviews on, then please either leave me a comment on Instagram or here on the the blog x

Why then, after all that, am I bother to share this unboxing with you, well to put it simply it was prepped and ready, and it relates to another review post that I've got prepped and ready to go, so here for your reading pleasure are my thoughts on the March 2022 edition of Glossybox UK.

Can you remember what you were doing back in March of last year? Believe it or not whilst I can't always remember what I was doing yesterday, I can actually remember snippets of March last year. I had a horrid chest and sinus infection that just wouldn't shift. I guess that should have been an early sign that the rest of 2022 would be a bit of a fail but for most of you, I guess you were probably still full of hope that 2022 was going to be a better than the previous 2 years at least - All I'll say is that life comes at you hard sometimes, doesn't it? 

Despite the fact that I was snotting and sniffing, something that probably cheered me up at the time, was the arrival of the March 2022 edition of Glossybox UK.

Packaged in the familiar black and pink packaging, the theme of March's box was "Glossy Wonderland" and according to the online magazine, the box was all about exploring your fun and playful side, and all about learning to love "the person you see through the looking glass".

I have to say that I really loved the online Glossybox magazine that now accompanies every box. As well as saving on paper and resources, the extra articles are all really interesting. March's magazine included several short easy to read articles on new blush trends, as well as an explanation on just how pH changing make up works, and as per usual it also gave subscribers a full breakdown of all of the products in the box, and according to Glossybox, March's box contained "four magical beauty buys, one of two shower essentials, and one of two chocolatey treats". It all sounds good, but what exactly did I get, and what did I think of the contents? Well let's take a look inside and see....

Elikya Beauty Rose Liquid Highlighter - 15ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £12.80

First up, the first of 2 make up items in March's box, and it was a product from a new brand to me, Elikya Beauty. Elikya Beauty are a Parisian based beauty brand who produce a wide range of natural, vegan, organic, cruelty free and eco responsible cosmetics, featuring everything from skincare products, to make up for the eyes, lips and cheeks.

The product that all subscribers received in their March box was a cheek product and more specifically a liquid highlighter or illuminator. Enriched with natural soybean oil, as well as hibiscus extract, which is crammed full of skincare benefits, this product is perfect for creating that pinch your cheeks rosy glow, whilst at the same time leaving the skin with an on trend dewy finish.

.

Packaged in a frosted glass bottle, this illuminator comes with a dropper style dispenser / applicator. Although it's officially described as a rose gold toned highlighter, I think it's actually more of a slightly metallic rose pink. 

Whilst it appears quite dense it actually has quite a lightweight liquidy feel. A small amount goes a very long way and whilst it looks quite scary, and pigmented, it actually blends down to a lovely sheer rose pink

It's definitely one of those products where you should start out with less. and apply a little bit more if you need to. The first time that I tried it, I just applied a few dots here and there and then blended it in, only to end up looking like Aunt Sally (Ask your Mum if you don't know who that is ;) Apply a small amount and build it up, you can alway add more but you can't really tone it down!

I personally think that calling this just a highlighter or an illuminator is a bit of a disservice. Despite how it appears both in the bottle and in the initial swatch, it isn't that sparkly or shimmery, in fact I can barely see any shimmer on my skin. Instead for me I think this works better on my naturally quite rosy cheeks as a lovely, sheer, light bringing, dewy liquid blush. Whatever you use it for, it's super pretty and its something that I will happily use up.

Glossybox placed a value of £12.80 on this unboxed, full 15ml sized product. The only retailer that I can find for Elikya Beauty is their own French based, French language website. I can't find this particular product but their Illuminateur in Pink Glowy which retails at €14.90 looks pretty similar.

KNDR Beauty Mood Stick PH Changing Lipstick - Never Blue - 3.5g - Full Size - Est. RRP £17

Although I don't watch it anywhere near as often as I used to I'm a huge fan of QVC UK, and in particular QCV Beauty. I'be bought so many things from them over the last 30 years or so, and when it comes to beauty they've always been at the head of the queue when it comes to selling new and innovative beauty products.

One of my earliest purchases was a set of lipsticks from a brand that I believe was called Ultraglow. They weren't just any lipsticks though, they were blue, yellow, and green lipsticks that reacted with your own pH to create your own unique, and more conventional lipstick colour.

Once pretty unique colour changing make up products are now fairly easy to find, with brand such as Smashbox, Lipstick Queen, Charlotte Tilbury and Barry M, all producing pH changing lip colours.

From US based vegan and cruelty free brand, KNDR, the next item in March's box was a paraben and mineral oil free, Mood Stick pH Changing Lipstick in the shade, Never Blue.

The lipstick comes boxed and comes in a turquoise / blue, white and gold cardboard tube. Officially described as a sheer, hydrating tint, the lipstick inside is light blue in colour, and for me it has more of a lip balm type appearance and texture.

Whilst it's definitely a blue colour in the bullet, swatch it or apply it to the lips, and the magic happens! Instead of the baby blue shade, at least on me you get a gorgeous cool pink toned lip colour.

For me it definitely has more of a non greasy, hydrating lip balm feel. It feels smooth and moisturising on the lips without feeling too heavy or sticky. It initially has quite a nice sheen to it but once that disappears, you're left with a matte but not flat almost stain that lasts surprisingly well, not unlike those long gone Ultraglow lipsticks of my teens.

Yes, the pH thing is a bit gimmicky but the colour it ended up turning on me was nice, and the lipstick itself texture wise was nice, and the wear time was really impressive. From what I can gather you can only officially buy KNDR products from their own US based website but they do ship worldwide, and there is the odd thing on Amazon. Again I can't find this exact product on their website but they do have a colour shifting lip balm, their Mood Balm, in the same shade, Never Blue, which looks very similar and retails at $16.

James Read - Gradual Tan -  Sleep Mask Tan Body - 100ml - Full Size? - Est. RRP £21

I've got to be honest with you, yet again, when it comes to self tab, I'm pretty lazy. I'm not one of those people that needs to be perma tanned, I only really tan now when I'm going away, going out, or sometimes just on a whim.

When it comes to self tan though I want something quick and easy, so more often than not if I do want to perk myself up a bit I'll reach for a gradual tanner, so when I opened the March 2022 box I was really pleased to get the chance to try a "gradual tan" from celebrity tan expert, James Read's range.

Containing hyaluronic acid, red algae, and 100% naturally derived DHA, this product is designed to work overnight with you own skin tone to give you a subtle golden glow.

Packaged in a flip top bottle, the tanner itself looks milky white in the bottle but it's actually colourless when you come to apply it onto the skin.

As with all self tans, I exfoliated first and I'm a regular moisturiser, so I had a smooth clean canvas to work with and I applied it using my own velour tanning mitt. Seeing as there was no guide colour it was a bit difficult to see where you'd applied it, but thanks to the light gel texture, the product did leave a slight sheen on the skin which lasted for a minute or so. It actually absorbed into the skin quite quickly, leaving a smooth, non sticky finish.

Now I know when it comes to comes to self tan one major question always comes up and no it's not what's the colour like, or how messy is it? It's what does it smell like? Well initially it smells a bit plasticy, and then when your massaging it in you get quite a subtle fresh scent, but I'm sad to say that after an hour or so, that digestive biscuit, traditional fake tan scent comes through, so if you're not a fan sorry guys this product reeks of it!

So what about the colour? Well in theory you would apply this product before you go to bed, but since I wanted to try it out properly and monitor any changes I tried it out during the day. It took a couple of hours before I noticed any difference but after that the colour got deeper and deeper until about 6-8 hours in when it looked to be full developed, and then I realised what a mess I'd made!

2 Applications On My Left Leg

To put it bluntly it was a big fat fail, it was pretty streaky with darker patches on my shin and calf. I'm not going to show you just how bad it was instead in the picture that you can see above I'm doing the one leg challenge  after I'd desperately applied another coat to try and even it out!

With one very tanned leg and one pasty blue one I decided to apply a single coat on my right leg, and this time I took a bit more time over the application, applying less, and buffing more, and it didn't actually turn out too bad, so patience and practise really does make perfect.

2 Applications On My Left Leg, 1 Application On My Right Leg 

Colour wise this actually looked fairly natural on me, all be it at the darker end of the spectrum. It lasted for a good few days before fading, all be it a little bit unevenly in parts.

Although I was initially less than impressed with this product, in all honesty it wasn't actually that bad. In my opinion it's not a gradual tanner in the traditional sense in that you can slap a but of lotion on and leave it, and then do the same the next day to gradually give you a little bit of colour, this is much more like a proper fake tan. It needs careful application, buffing and blending, because the colour is pretty strong or at least it was on my skin tone. On the plus side the colour as I say was decent, and the lack of guide colour meant that it wasn't messy to use, and it also absorbed and dried quickly and it didn't transfer onto bedding, towels or clothing. That being said I probably wouldn't buy the full size of this one but I may be tempted to try another product from the wider James Read tanning range in the future.

Glossybox placed a value of £21 on this 100ml, alleged full size but I personally can't find this size anywhere. All I can find is a 200ml size which retails at around £37 direct from James Read as well as from Look Fantastic, and Sephora.

Magnitone WIPE OUT! Microfibre Cleansing Cloth - 1 x Cloth - Full Size - Est. RRP £8

Next up something that I was convinced that I'd showed you before, all be it in another incarnation, a Magnitone Wipe Out Microfibre Cleansing Cloth. I have quite a few of these cloths now for various advent calendar and beauty boxes but surprisingly I don't think I've ever actual reviewed one of them before. If you haven't came across these before though then where have you been? They really are something special because they can remove even the toughest make up with just warm water.

All you do is just soak one of these super soft and fluffy cloths in warm water, and then gently wipe it over your face melting all of your make up away with just some plain tap water, and the power of microfibre - if you don't believe me check out these picture and take a look for yourself...

Before

What I'm Wearing 

Primark PS..."Skin Balm" Blurring Pore Smoothener Face Primer

Maybelline Fit Me! Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation - 102 Fair Ivory

Mally Beauty Cancellation Concealer - Light / Medium 

Mally Beauty Eye Light Setting Powder - Lighter

AVON MagiX HD Finish Powder

Benefit Brow Zings Total Taming & Shaping Kit For Brows- 4 

PIXI By Petra Brow Tamer 

e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow - Berry Bad

Soap & Glory Thick & Fast High Definition Collagen-Coat Mascara - Film Noir

 Elikya Beauty Rose Liquid Highlighter

KNDR Beauty Mood Stick PH Changing Lipstick - Never Blue

After

Voila! A full face of make up dissolved away in an instant with no product, no residue, and no irritation, just clean skin and very dirty and make up covered cloth.

It sounds crazy but they really do work. Admittedly I don't usually use waterproof mascaras but they've pretty much removed everything I've ever thrown at them. If you can't live without your cleanser though, you can also use them as a conventional cleansing cloth and then all you do is just pop them into the washing machine (remember no fabric conditioner with microfibre type products), leave them to dry and they're good to go again.

These cloths are brilliant for travel, if your trying to be a bit more eco friendly, or if your skin is sensitive and you have issues with skincare products. As I say I have quite a few of these now and they are something that I will continue to use both on their own and with my skincare products.

Glossybox placed a value of £8 on this full sized cloth, but they are available in a wide variety of sizes and colours from various retailers including direct from Magnitone as well as from Sephora, Look Fantastic and Beauty Expert. ,

Bilou Creamy Shower Foam - Coco Cocktail - 200ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £3.99

From cleansing your face to cleansing your body, and the next item in March's box was one of my favourite types of shower product, a shower foam. These products just make showering a more decedent experience, there is just something about slathering my body in deliciously scented foam that I really enjoy :)

From German brand, Bilou, this shower foam contains aloe vera, almond oil, and avocado oil, and has a rich and creamy texture, and as you would expect from a foam a little goes a long way. it's easy to rinse away and it leaves the skin feeling clean and not dry or tight, and it also makes an excellent shaving foam.

The real selling point though of this particular product though has to be the smell. It has a delicious creamy vanilla and coconut scent that just makes your mouth water.

Alas this product isn't that easy to find in the UK anymore, it used to be available in Superdrug, but they no longer stock it, so if you're interested in trying it you'll need to have a little search online or navigate their German website.

Ferrero Raffaello - 4 Pieces - 40g - Est. RRP £1

Sticking with the coconut / vanilla theme, the March 2022 edition of Glossybox also included an extra little sweet treat, subscribers either received a Mallow & Marsh Marshmallow Bar, or a 3 pack of Ferrero Raffaello's, and seeing as the Mallow & Marsh bars aren't suitable for vegetarians, I was delighted to the Raffaello's.

It might be a slightly controversial opinion but I actually prefer Raffaello's to Ferrero Rochers, but then again, I am partial to a Bounty too!

There is something about the white chocolate goo combined with the coconut, the crisp wafer, and the whole blanched almond in the middle that just works, these things are just so easy to eat - I absolutely love them!

They can be pretty pricey, so I would definitely recommend that you shop around a bit especially if you want a big box but 3 and 4 packs are readily available in most major supermarkets as well as Poundland, and selected Boots and Superdrug stores, and newsagents x 

So there you have it my last ever Glossybox unboxing post, and all in all it was a pretty decent box to end on. As I say the March box will be my last one so if you're interested in what I receive in that one, and what I got in my February box then keep an eye on my Instagram account, and again if you so anything in those posts or in the pictures at the start of this post that you'd like to see a review of, then please let me know x I love reading your comments so if you have any questions on anything in this post then please let me know x Thanks as always for reading and I'll see you later in the week with a make up review xx

*This Post Contains Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

A Late Unboxing Of The February 2022 Edition Of Glossybox UK - Timeless Treats*

When it comes to Glossybox unboxings, like so many things,  this year is turning out to be a bit of a fail - so I could do what I did last year and give up, or I could keep plodding on and try to get as many posts up as I can before 2022 comes to a close.

After a lot of thought though I've decided to keep at it, I've photographed products, I've researched them, and in most cases I've already started using them, so there is absolutely no reason why I can't get my finger out and get myself back on track, starting today with my thoughts on the products in the February 2022 edition of you've guessed it, Glossybox UK!

February's boxes are usually little bit special, with several previous boxes featuring Valentines Day appropriate themes such as lips, love, hearts and romance, and whilst this box too was themes, it didn't really scream Valentines Day or even love for that matter.

Every subscriber received either a black box, or like the one I received a white one. Reminding me a little bit of Chanel, or some other high end fashion or beauty brand, the plain white box lid featured a black border, with the word "GLOSSY" printed in the middle in large, bold, block capitals, with the words "timeless treats"in a softer, italic font underneath, and the the Glossybox logo underneath that, also in black.

The inside of the box as per usual features the Glossybox logo design, this time in black and white, but instead of covering the whole of the inside of the lid, the lid also featured a quote from the icon that was and still is Audrey Hepburn. Everything else about the inside of the box was pretty normal with a sheet of pink tissue, black paper shred and a black ribbon, and like in January the box contained a small card with a QR code printed on it, to enable you to access the February edition of the Glossybox digital magazine.

As well as detailing the contents of the box, the February edition also included several other beauty articles, such as a nail tutorial, and Hollywood glamour make up looks, all tied in with the boxes theme, which was 'Timeless Treats'.

According to Glossybox, February's box was all about creating glamorous, iconic looks that will never grow old, by the inclusion of products to create dramatic eye looks, perfect brows, red carpet worthy hair, and a flawless complexion - Sounds good to me, but did the box actually live up to my expectations, and of course Glossybox's aims, and leave me looking like a Hollywood starlet? LOL not the easiest task admittedly, but lets take a look inside and see...

Rituals The Ritual Of Mehr Sparkling Hair & Body Mist - 20ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £5.90

Alongside perfect hair, red lips and a posh frock, nothing screams iconic glamour more than a high end perfume advertisement, so it guess it makes sense that the first item from February's Timeless Treats edit was a fragrance. It wasn't a high end fragrance or even a true perfume though, instead it was a hair and body fragrance mist, from Eastern inspired spa brand, Rituals.

From their energising and mood enhancing The Ritual Of Mehr range (Mehr is the Persian for sun), this sunshiney packaged spray contains sweet orange and cedar wood. For me this could definitely be a unisex scent. You get the warmth and spiciness of the cedar wood followed by a sweet, tangy natural orange scent. You can use this spray the scent and freshen both the hair and the body, and because it's water based, it won't stain or damage clothing. I've got to say that I'm not the hugest fan of woody scent, but since the orange gives this one a bit of freshness, it isn't too bad.

I can't find this particular scent in this size anywhere online, but different scents in the 20ml size seem to retail at around £6.50 direct from Rituals, but Glossybox placed a value of £5.90 on this particular product. The full 50ml size of the Rituals The Ritual Of Mehr Sparkling Hair & Body Mist retails at around £19 and is available direct from Rituals.

Illamasqua Liquid Eyeliner - Black - 1.2ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £10

Next up, one of my most used and loved beauty products, a felt tip / liquid eyeliner! LOL only joking if you're a regular reader then you'll know that's a big fat lie!

I can just about manage to use a pot of cream or gel and a brush, or on a good day a pencil, but I'm sorry although I'll keep trying, I've come to the conclusion that these things are pretty much beyond me, and do you know what? I'm okay with that! I have wobbly hands, and less than perfect eyes, and I'm much more of a shadow girl, than a liner girl anyways! Despite that as I say I'll keep trying, and using my limited skills I thought I'd bite the bullet and review this one for you anyways.

Illamasaqua as a brand are known for their inclusivity, their artistry, and their striking, eye catching make up looks, and one product that nearly always features in their visuals is some sort of eyeliner. There are and have been lots of different liners in their range, but this particular one is by far one of their most popular, and even though I don't get on with this type of liner, it's probably easy to see why.

Boxed, and packaged in a black, plastic pen style applicator, this is a felt tip style liner. The point was firm enough to use without splaying or bending, but it didn't feel hard or scratchy on the skin.

As you can see from the swatches the pigmentation and depth of colour is superb. It's a rich true black, with just a hint of a sheen to it.

The pen as I say was fairly stable, so in theory it was fairly easy to use and apply. One of my biggest gripes with liquid and pen style liners is the fact that they tend to transfer too easily, and they never seem to stay put on my lids but this one honestly dried really quickly, so you had to be quick off the mark when it came to touch ups and correcting mistakes ;) but there was barely any transfer or movement, and even on my oily, twitchy eyelids I got a good 4 hours plus wear.

Although my application skill still leave a lot to be desired, and I still ended up using a few cotton buds, a bit of eye make up remover and some concealer to touch up the odd mistake, and some of my lines weren't as straight and ended up a little bit thicker than I intended, I think that this is probably one of best felt tip style eyeliners that I've used, and I would definitely put it up with the KVD / Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. It wasn't scratchy, the depth of colour was excellent, and even on my lids it dried quickly with minimal transfer, and it stayed put! 

I don't think I'll ever use or wear products like this on a regular basis, but if you're a fan of liners like this, then I 'think' that this is a good one. I can't find this particular pen in this mini / travel size anywhere but Glossybox placed a value of £10 on this 1.2ml size. The full size retails at £21 and is available direct from Ilamasqua.

VEGAN By Happy Skin Original Skin Essence Toner - 100ml - Full Size -  RRP £34.99

From make up to skincare, and the next item in the box was a skin tonic or toner from a new brand to me, VEGAN By Happy Skin. VEGAN By Happy Skin are a UK based, high vitamin, 'natural', cruelty free and obviously vegan friendly skincare brand featuring everything from serums for the face and eyes, to moisturisers for the face and body, and of course toners, or should I say toner. There is only one toner in the VEGAN By Happy Skin range and it's this one.

This alcohol free, anti oxidant skin tonic contains a whole host of good for you ingredients including aloe vera, calendula, and chamomile. It's designed to balance and soothe the skin, and to help it feel calm and nourished.

Like all toners you apply it after cleansing, and you can apply by either using your hands and using it as a splash, or to make it go further, like me you can use it with a reusable cotton pad or a disposable one - your choice x

The toner itself is a translucent, slightly pink tinged water like liquid. VEGAN By Happy Skin pride themselves on their natural fragrances, and this tonic has the most gorgeous perfume, aromatherapy like almost floral, orange blossom type scent.

As you would expect from the ingredients it feels slightly cool on the skin (a must in this weather!). My skin felt fresher and even a touch more hydrated after using, and a big plus for me it didn't leave my skin dry or sticky.

This is a really good everyday toner for all skin types, it soothes the skin and it smells gorgeous. The one drawback is the price, this is the full 100ml size and it retails at £34.99 direct from VEGAN By Happy Skin, and at £39.99 from Feel Unique, but if you are looking for a cruelty free, gentle, alcohol free toner, then I throughly recommend that you go direct and give this one a try. 

The Beauty Crop B.F.F. Brow Friends Forever Grow & Groom Brow Gel - Clear - 4ml - Full Size - RRP £5

...And the award for the product with the longest name ever goes to the next item, and it's a product to help you create that iconic A list brow look from another UK based brand, The Beauty Crop. This brand produce a wide range of affordable make up and cosmetic products that are both cruelty free and vegan friendly, as well as being mineral oil and paraben free.

Containing conditioning and nourishing castor oil and vitamin E, this is basically just a clear brow gel designed to groom your brows and to keep those pesky stray hairs in place, and you can either use it alone or over another tinted brow product.

It comes boxed and packaged in a typical brow product / mascara like tube. The tube contains a short stubby spoolie like applicator. The gel itself is translucent and as you would expect it feels a touch sticky.

It's easy to apply in short, upward strokes, and as you can see in both the before and after pictures (please excuse the white brow hairs, I was overdue both a wax and a tint when I took the pics ;) it really helps to smooth the brows down and to take those unruly hairs.

Before

You can see a little bit of shine or varnish in the after pictures but unlike some products that I've tried, when it dries down it doesn't leave the brows feel stiff or sticky.

That being said though it seem to go a little bit bitty and blobby, and whilst my brows did indeed stay in place, it almost seemed to ball off, look closer in both the after picture below and in all of the eyeliner pictures above, and you can see tiny almost dandruff like, white specks of product in my brows, to be fair not many people will probably look that closely but not an attractive look!

After

I've noticed that a few brow gels do something similar so I think it's general issue but personally I'm not a fan, and whilst I will use this one up, I've used better products in the past so I probably wouldn't repurchase it.

While Superdrug seems to sell a lot of products from The Beauty Crop, this particular item doesn't currently feature in their online inventory, so the only place that I can currently find it is direct from The Beauty Crop, where this full 4ml size retails at £5.

We Are Paradoxx Repair 3-in-1 Conditioner Hair Mask Finishing Cream - 50ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £10.50

For the hair that you do want on your face, to the hair on your head, and again nothing scream glamour like luxurious shiny, conditioned hair, and the final product from February's box promises to give you exactly that. From sustainable, plastic free, 'clean', gluten, PEG, and mineral oil free, cruelty free and vegan haircare brand, We Are Paradoxx, comes a game changing 3 in 1 hair saviour.

Containing coconut oil, matcha green tea, carageen moss, peppermint oil, bergamot, lavender, eucalyptus and ginseng, this product can be used in one of 3 ways - first of all you can use it as a regular hair conditioner, as well as, as an intensive hair mask, and also as a finishing or styling cream, and it's claimed that this product will leave your hair 'soft, repaired, glossy and frizz free'.

This deluxe mini size comes packaged in a metal, paint style tube. It was a bit difficult to squeeze out but it was worth the initial effort, the off white conditioner had a lovely rich and creamy texture, and a gorgeous aromatherapy based scent that reminded me a bit of Philip Kingsley's Geranium And Neroli Elasticizer.

Sine you can use it in 3 ways I tried it out in 3 different ways. First of all I tried using it as a regular conditioner. The tube was a touch awkward to squeeze and manoeuvre with wet hands but I was really pleased with how this product performed as a basic, everyday conditioner. Despite it's creaminess it was pretty easy to spread through the hair, and it was pretty easy to rinse out a few minutes later, leaving the hair clean, smooth and detangled.

Now as you know I do love a hair mask, so when I found out you could use this particular product as a pre wash hair treatment I had high hopes, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed.

You can either apply it to damp or dry hair, and in the photo that you can see below (excuse the roots!) I applied it slightly damp hair. I started off by squeezing out a few blobs onto my hands and then massaging it into my hair. It did feel a touch tacky and stiff in parts but giving it a couple of comb throughs it helped to distribute it more evenly. It dried and seemed to sink in fairly quickly so as We Are Paradoxx suggested I left it on as an overnight treatment. It didn't leave any marks or staining on my pillowcases, and it was pretty easy to shampoo out the next morning, and again it left my hair feeling softer, and looking shinier and slightly less frizzy.

Speaking of frizz and flyways, the final way to use this product is as a finisher or as a styling product. I predominantly use products to smooth my hair and to reduce the frizz and the halo effect, so I used a little bit of this to smooth my ends down and to control a few flyaways, and it worked! I will say that it was a case of working out just how much to use, if you used to much it did tend to feel a touch sticky, but get the amounts right, and you're on to a winner. My hair stayed put and I gave it a bit of TLC and a leave in treatment at the same time.

I've tried a couple of bits from this brand now including a fabulous hair oil (sorry no full review but you can read more about it here) and I've been pretty impressed, and this was another goodie. It smelled nice, my hair felt good after using it, and it's a great multipurpose buy perfect for holidays or if you're trying to economise. The only real awkward or negative aspect was the metal tube but since that's exclusive to the size it's no real issue, and I did to overuse it at first but once you've figured out just how much to use it's fine.

If you fancy trying this product for yourself then you can buy this 50ml size for around £10 direct from We Are Paradoxx, you can also buy the full 250ml size in a metal pump action bottle direct from We Are Paradoxx as well as from Look Fantastic, Cult Beauty, and Feel Unique.

So there you have it, my long awaited thoughts on the February 2022 edition of Glossybox UK, and summing up again it was a decent one, all be it with a few wobbles. Bar the brow product, I liked the other products in the box, fragrances in subscription boxes are always a bit of a risk but this one from Rituals wasn't bad and in my opinion it was unisex to boot. Obviously I had issues with the liner because you know lack of skill, but it was a good one, I loved everything about the toner apart from the RRP, and the versatility of the hair product meant it was another winner!

Again I have to ask though did the products really fit in with the box theme? I guess they did  at least to some degree, but for me they were more basic, everyday products rather than the glamour inducing items that I'd been promised - I don't know - what do you you think? Let me know in the comments and don't forget to use my exclusive link to find out more about Glossybox UK for yourself. Thanks for reading and even though it's thankfully now a bit cooler in the UK don't forget to use SPF and keep hydrated, and I will see you soon with another post x 

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