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...
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.
From Left To Right - Ecliptic (Cream Formula) and Hemisphere (Baked Powder)
From Left To Right - Subsolar (Silky Shimmer Powder) And Equinox (Baked Powder)
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
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.
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
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
