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.

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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 Glossybox UK - March 2020 Edition - All Eyes On Me And A Giveaway* - CLOSED

Right it's time for another Glossybox unboxing catch up, and get comfy because is a pretty long and photo heavy one, so apologies for the lockdown hair and eyebrows and welcome to my my thoughts on the March 2020 edition of Glossybox UK.

After the special 'Love' design of the February box, March saw a return to the traditional black and pink box design, with pink tissue, and black ribbon, and black paper shred.

The first thing in the box as per usual was the information leaflet which tells you a little bit more about the products in the box, and it talks a little bit about the theme of the box which in March was "All Eyes On Me'. According to Glossybox the box contained 5 items including 4 make up items that were designed to create show stopping eyes, to give the skin healthy radiant finish. Did they achieve what they set out to do though? Let's take a look inside the box and see...

Eyeko London Black Magic Mascara - Drama & Curl - Black - 4ml - Travel Size - RRP £10

The first product in the box was the item was that teased in February's box, a 4ml travel sized version of the Eyeko Black Magic Mascara.

I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with Eyeko. They've actually being around since 1999 and I used to be a huge fan of the brand in their early days with their manga / kawaii style cartoon like, packaging, and products like shimmer creams and great little nail polishes but almost overnight all of their originally products were discontinued and the brand introduced a new range of eye products in sleeker packaging and at a much high price point.

At that point I drifted away from the brand and I've never really bought anything from them since. I have acquired a few bits from subscription boxes, and even as magazine freebies, including another one of these mascaras but I've got to say that I haven't tried and it's all sat there unloved.

Eyeko are a paraben and cruelty free brand, but because this particular product contains Beeswax it isn't suitable for vegans. Also containing conditioning shea butter, and keratin, this mascara has a fibre free formulation and a deep carbon black colour. Its tube like formulation is designed to create defined lashes with volume and curl that lasts. It's apparently water resistant, easy to remove, and it apparently doesn't crumble, fade or flake.

This mascara comes boxed, and it's packaged in a pretty innovative squeezy, paint style tube. I know a few brands have have packaged their mascaras like this, but even in their early days Eyeko used this type of packaging so they were definitely one of the first. The tube style packaging can be a touch messy, especially if you squeeze it too hard, but it definitely has it's benefits, it doesn't dry out as much and you can also ultimately get less product wastage because all you need to do is give at a squeeze and your brush will be coated. The brush itself I think makes all of the difference, the fibres are in a helix design and the brush is slightly curved which lifts the lashes up and aids curling.

Bare Lashes

The first coat applied nicely, you can see the curl and uplift straight way. There was the odd little clump but by and large it separated, and defined the lashes pretty well.

One Coat 

To be honest for everyday wear, one coat would probably be enough, but to really see how well it performed I added a second coat. The second felt a little bit draggy, it definitely added more, curl, and a lot more thickness and volume, but at the same time it made the lashes feel drier, and I definitely noticed some more clumps and a bit of clogging, so if I was actually wearing this to go out, I would give it a comb though

Two Coats

I really don't you would need any more than two coats but I did add another, even though I didn't photograph it, and predictably there were more clump, the the lashes went very spidery, and heavy looking, and they literally cried out for a lash comb!

I did experience the odd dot and smudge on application but by and large the application especially on the first coat was pretty decent, and the mascara dried down quite quickly. I did notice a tiny bit of smudging and flaking after around 3 hours but other than that it lasted really well, and it was also unusually for a long wear mascara pretty easy to remove with eye make up remover, and weirdly enough, even with it being water resistant, it came off really well with just a reusable cotton pad and warm water.

I'll admit it, I actually liked this mascara way more than I thought I would, although it's a touch messy I love the idea of the squeezy tube and the lack of waste element really appeals. I also loved the curl and the uplift that it gave my lashes, and the overall finish. I definitely wouldn't apply more than one or two coats though, because I did find that that with every additional coat it got clumpier and my lashes seemed to dry out but other than that it wore well and the overall effect lasted. This is a decent mascara that I been wearing for the last month or so now (I'm also wearing it in all of the photos in this post), and I am definitely going to finish this tube, and then I might dig out the spare one that I have somewhere in my mascara stash as well. I've got quite a few mascaras in my to use pile so I won't be going out of my way to buy one in the near future, but I would definitely consider buying this one again.

This 4ml size travel size is half the normal size and retail at £10 direct from Eyeko and from Look Fantastic, the full 8ml size retails at £19 and is also available from John Lewis and Marks and Spencer.

Ciate London Stamp & Drag Liner Duo - 3.56ml - Full Size - RRP £15 

Now the next item in the box filled me with both excitement and horror in equal measure. My experience with Ciate, like most peoples, began with their nail polishes, but now the nail polish range, is more of an afterthought, as the brand seems to now concentrate primarily on make up. I'm a huge, huge fan of their Glow To Illuminating Blushers but despite acquiring a few other bits, I haven't really tried a their eye products.

You should now by now that I'm pretty useless when it comes to eyeliner but the fact that this one is designed to be easy to use really appealed to me.

This eyeliner is suitable for vegans and it's also gluten free and PETA certified. It comes boxed and inside the box is basically a chunky looking double ended black marker pen. One end features a conventional felt tip style eyeliner nib, and the other end features a triangle shaped stamp which is designed to create the perfect wing.

This product in theory is basically a tool to create winged eyeliner for dummies - All you do is press the triangle wing shaped stamp onto the corner of your eye and then using the pen end you draw a line and join it up creating the perfect cat eye or flick.

Does it really work like that though? Well for someone who is severely lacking in eyeliner skills, unfortunately I don't think it's quite as easy as it sounds. The stamp itself is easy enough to use, all you need to do is to apply an even pressure, and make sure that you've put in in the right place for the look that you're trying to create. You can see two different ways that I used in the pictures below, flicked up and flicked down.

So the stamp itself was fairly easy to use, but the problems started when I came to draw the line, I found the chunky pen very thick and unwieldy - I found it really really difficult to create a thin or precise line, it was much to easier to go all out and create a thick and chunky line. Apologies that some of the photo's aren't the best but I hope it gives you just some idea of how this pen works.

Flicked Up

Flicked Down

Whilst they definitely aren't editorial standard, I'm still pretty proud of my efforts here, but look carefully and despite my best clean and concealer attempts, you can probably see a few smudges and smears. I found it hard enough to apply it cleanly and neatly as it was, but for me I just didn't find the formulation that long lasting. Within an hour or so my decentish lines were nothing more than smears, and my both my eyelids and underneath my eyes were a delightful greasy grey!

I really wanted to love this but I just can't. There is not doubt that the stamp makes drawing a even wing a doddle, but for me the pen itself was just too chunky, you need a really steady hand, and I found it hard to draw a neat, precise line. Throw in the fact that the wear time was also awful on me and this liner was a bit of an all round fail. If the barrel was a little bit thinner, and the formulation was as good as say the KVD Vegan Beauty Tattoo Liner, then this would be perfect, but for me in it's current state this a long way off being something that I would repurchase.

I can only find the Ciate Stamp & Drag Liner Duo on a couple of sites including Ciate direct, and ASOS for around £15 but the packaging is slightly different and the barrel itself is gold rather than black.

Sebamed Anti-Ageing Q10 Lifting Eye Cream - 15ml - Full Size - RRP £7.29 

Next up, the only non make up item box, and it's a skincare item from specialist medicinal skincare company, Sebamed. Using the tagline 'Science For Healthy Skin' the brand has developed in conjunction with dermatologists, pharmacists, and hospitals, to create skin care products that actually work.

All of their products are dermatologically, and clinically tested, and they all have a pH of 5.5 which is the same pH as healthy skin.

Part of their anti-aging range this Q10 lifting eye cream is especially designed for sensitive skin, and contains natural lipids including shea butter, avocado, and almond oils to smooth the skin, as well as natural bisabolol to soothe and prevent irritation, as well as phyto peptides, and hyaluron for intense moisture.

The words Q10 is used a lot in skincare but what does it mean, well coenzyme Q10 is something that occurs naturally in the skin, and it gradually starts to decrease for around the age of 30. It prevents damage to collagen and elastin in the skin and helps cell rejuvenation. The ingredients in this cream help to increase those Q10 levels by maintaining energy production in the skin cells to help main smoothness and elasticity. I hope I haven't lost you off their but in it simplest terms this cream aims to protect the eye area, and smooth and hydrate the skin, and prevent ageing, and according to research by Sebamed daily use of this cream will reduce visible wrinkles around the eyes in just 28 days.

The cream itself comes boxed, and the box also contains an instruction and information leaflet. The packaging isn't too exciting, just a white squeezy tube with a long nozzle like tip.  The white cream inside has a fresh, almost floral scent. It isn't the thickest of creams but it does have a bit of substance.

It's pretty simple to use, just pat a few drops into the skin until it absorbs. I've probably used a too much in the pictures below, it doesn't actually tell you how much to use, but a couple of dots on each eye would probably be enough. It pats into the skin quite easily, and initially it does feel a little bit tacky, but it's not heavy or uncomfortable, and it doesn't pill or roll off.

On Application

Gently Patted In 

After Application 

I don't have a huge problem with dryness or with deep lines under my eyes, but I am starting to see a few fine lines here and there, which isn't too bad for someone in their early 40's! The fact that I am starting to see the odd line though, shows that I probably need to get better with the whole eye cream thing! 

I haven't been using this long enough to see any real difference but I like scent, and the creamy but not heavy texture, so I'm going to keep using it and hopefully it might stop those fine lines in their tracks, so make sure you keep an eye out for this one in a future empties post.

I've had a little look online and whilst a few online chemists and pharmacies seem to stock some products from the Sebamed, the only place that I can find that sells this particular product is direct from Sebamed where it retails at around £7.29 for a 15ml tube.

Sleek Make Up Highlighting Palette - Solstice - 9g - Full Size - RRP £9.99

The next item is another make up item, and for me it's probably the most exciting product in March's box.

Depending on their beauty profile, Glossybox subscribers received one of two beautiful highlighting palettes from Sleek - Copperplate, which is designed for slightly darker skins, and Solstice which contains slightly paler tones.

Having a paler skin tone, I received Solstice, the only trouble is I already own it, so I photographed the box, and all of the other photographs that I've taken in this post are taken using my own, lightly used palette so I'm sorry it doesn't look quite as pristine as it should.

The palette comes boxed, and the colours are contained in a gorgeous chunky, good quality, gold tone plastic compact, with a magnetic fastening. The compact contains an built in mirror, a small cheek / blusher brush, and 4 beautiful highlighter shades in 3 different formulations - you get two baked powders, one silk shimmer powder, and 1 cream highlighter in pale nude, golden yellow, ice pink, and light copper / bronze shades.

From Left To Right - Ecliptic (Cream Formula) and Hemisphere (Baked Powder)

From Left To Right - Subsolar (Silky Shimmer Powder) And Equinox (Baked Powder)

The powders are lovely and smooth, and pigmented, Subsolar in particular has a very buttery almost creamy feel. Ecliptic the only cream product in the palette, has a nice creamy but not too soft feel, it does feel a tiny bit greasy to the touch but it doesn't look oily on the skin.All of the shades are nice to apply and very blendable, even Ecliptic blends and applies beautifully into the skin, even on top of face powder, without pilling or becoming bitty. 

The palette really is a multi use product, you can use it on the cheeks or on other areas of the face as a highlighter, and you can also use all of the shades as a brow bone highlight or even as a full on shimmery eye colour, which you can see in all of the eye pictures in this post.

Equinox On Cheeks 

Hemisphere On Cheeks 

Ecliptic On Cheeks

Ecliptic And Subsolar On Eyes

Equinox And Subsolar On Eyes

When it comes to wear time, both the powders and the cream wear really nicely on the cheeks with a gradual fade down. Understandably being a cream, Ecliptic doesn't wear quite as well on the eyes but it still lasted pretty well in comparison to a lot of cream based products.

Despite the fact that the colours are pale, some of the shades don't look that natural but they are still really pretty on paler skin tones like mine, if your skin is any darker then they could potentially look a bit too ashy or obvious, compared to Copperplate that has a lot of deeper bronzes, golds and copper, but I guess it's down to personal taste and the look you're going for.

I really, really like this palette, and it's slightly cult reputation amongst a lot of bloggers and You Tubers is entirely justified! The only complaint that I really have is the brush! Whilst you could maybe use it on the brow bone, or on the nose, for me it too small to really use anywhere else, the quality also isn't that great, so take my advice and bin it and use this palette with some decent brushes, or even your fingers instead.

The Sleek Highlighting Palette in Solstice retails at £9.99 from various retailers including Boots, Feel Unique and Look Fantastic.

As I said though I already own this palette, and whilst I'm so pleased this box has given me the chance to rediscover something that was lying there unloved, it does mean that I now have a spare palette, so instead of having to buy one, I'm going to give one of you guys the chance to win a new and unopened Solstice palette, and a few other new and unopened beauty bits from my stash, in a bit of a belated birthday giveaway.

It's really simple to enter all you need to do is fill in the form below x This giveaway is open worldwide, I'm going to leave it open for around month to allow the postal service, and life to get a bit more back to normal so it will close on the 6th July. You must be a Bloglovin follower to enter  and you must fulfil all of the entry conditions - I will be checking! If you are under 18 please ask your parent or guardians permission before entering and please read both my and Rafflecopter's privacy policies, regarding giveaway entries, as I will need your address details if you win. So get filling in the form and get entering x Good Luck

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MCo Beauty Long Lasting Lipstick - Flawless - 3.6g - Full Size - Est. RRP £15

The final item in the March 2020 edition of Glossybox, was unsurprisingly a make up item, and whilst it didn't really go very well with the skin and eyes theme, for me it was a welcome addition, and it was something that helped complete the look that the box was trying to create.

This is the second product that I've tried now from cruelty and gluten free, Australian beauty brand MCo after the MCo Beauty Eye Definite Crayon Liner in Black that I received in the October 2019 edition of Glossybox UK.

Although MCo and sister brand Model Co have their own websites unfortunately I can't find anything else out about this particular product apart from what I can glean from the box, and the Glossybox information leaflet, as this doesn't appear to be a current, retail product.

According the box, this is a long lasting lipstick, ultra creamy and hydrating formula. It comes in a MAC Cosmetics esq, bullet shaped tube, which has a matte look and is a similar colour to the lipstick inside, with the brand logo printed on the cap.

The lipstick inside is a lovely peach / nude in colour and it has a lovely almost peachy / apricot scent and flavour. The pigmentation is excellent, and it's nice and creamy and easy to apply. It feels comfortable and non drying on the lips but it does seem to emphasise the lines on the lips slightly. The wear time was decent and it gradually faded down to nothing.

I really liked this lipstick, I found the shade really wearable, and I loved the taste and the scent. The only official retailer for this range is MCo Beauty themselves, but as I say I can't find this particular product or range on their website. Glossybox quote a retail price of £15 for this particular lipstick, which does seem slightly steep when you consider that other lipsticks on the website seem to retail at around £8.

If you aren't a big make up wearer, then the March edition of Glossybox definitely wasn't for you - it was a very make up heavy but with four of the five items being make up items. Thankfully though I love make up so it was right up my street. Despite my less than positive opinion on the Ciate liner and the fact that I already owned the Sleek palette, I was still pretty pleased with this box, and the mascara in particular really surprised me in a good way, so I really don't have too much to complain about. If you fancy trying Glossybox for yourself then you can find out more via my link here. If you have any questions then please leave me a comment below and of course don't forget to enter my Sleek giveaway x Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon with another post x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links