Unboxing Glossybox UK - August 2019 - The Birthday Edition*

No matter what kind of subscription box you subscribe to, I think it goes without saying the Christmas box is probably the most eagerly anticipated box of the year. I always look forward to the Christmas editions of all of the boxes that I subscribe to, I love the limited edition box designs and the special, and often higher priced items, that brands often include in their December boxes. If you are a Glossybox subscriber though you don't have to wait until December for a bit of sparkle, and a bit of excitement, you can get it all now courtesy of the August edition of Glossybox UK, otherwise known as "The Birthday Edition".

Yes, August is Glossybox's birthday month and they're celebrating the only way they know how, with a limited edition box adorned with sparkles. I am a huge fan of holographic and foil sparkles and the special limited edition birthday box, features the usual pink box with a fabulous holographic, pink sparkle drip design on the lid.

The sparkle themes carries on inside the box with pink tissue, white ribbon, and silver foil shred. I'm definitely going to be keeping both the box and the shred and the ribbon, for storage, and also for wrapping gifts later in the year.

Now as I've mentioned in several previous unboxing posts, I don't really take a lot of notice of the bits of paper that come both in the box itself, and in the outer box or bag, but I'm starting to because you never know what you might find. As per usual you get a booklet from Glossybox telling you about the theme of the box and a bit more about the items in the box, but in this particular box I also received two other pieces of paper both of which made for interesting reading.

One of which was a leaflet from Bodyform advertising their Pure Sensitive intimate care range. As well as containing a 50p off coupon for any pack of Bodyform sanitary towels or panty liner, it also included another two coupons, one for a full size bottle of the Pure Sensitive Wash and one for a pack of the Pure Sensitive intimate wipes. Now as you know I can take or leave "intimate products" but I'm definitely going to use the coupons if I can and give the range a try. I think these coupons must be doing the rounds as I also received some in a recent Feel Unique Pick 'n' Mix order, so if you can get your hands on a leaflet it's a good offer.

I'm so sorry for mentioning Christmas again, but lets be honest we're nearly in September now, and the way that this year is flying buying, Santa will be here before we know it! Now I normally wouldn't talk about Christmas just yet, but the August edition of Glossybox included a sneak peek of the 2019 Glossybox advent calendar. Now I haven't been lucky enough to receive any press releases on this years calendar, but according to this leaflet, it's going to be bigger and better than ever, and the contents which includes items from the likes of Chloe, Dermalogica, Tarte Cosmetics, and NYX, is worth over £370!

If you're interested then it really pays to be a Glossybox subscriber. Priority access for subscribers begins on the 6th September, and subscribers can buy the calendar for a special price of just £70.I know it's a little bit early to be thinking about Christmas and advent calendars but I was really impressed with last years offering (read my unboxing posts here and here) so I think I'm either going to treat myself to this years calendar, or I'm going to try and persuade someone else to buy me it ;)

Now as excited as I am about the advent calendar, and about the December edition of Glossybox, I was also pretty excited about the August, birthday edition.

HUDA Beauty Lip Strobe - Ritzy - 4ml - Full Size - RRP £17

First we have the biggie, the sneak peek for July's box, and probably the one reason why this box has now sold out. It's another product from the much loved and much hyped brand, HUDA Beauty. As much as I'd like to try every product from the brand it's quite price prohibitive so the only HUDA Beauty items that I own are a the Winter Solstice Winter Highlighter Palette from last years Glossybox advent calendar, and a lip pencil, and a matte lip colour, both of which came in previous editions of Glossybox. Whilst I would have loved to try an eye or another cheek product, the HUDA Beauty product in August's box was another lip product.

The August edition of Glossybox, contained one of four shades of the HUDA Beauty Lip Strobe. Lip Strobe's are basically metallic lip glosses that you can wear alone, or on top of other lip colours. Designed to have a comfortable, non sticky cushion like feel, they are designed to add volume and to sculpt the lips.

Packaged in a chunky tube, they have a slanted, almost heart shaped foam applicator for easy application whether you're applying the colour all over the lips, or just in the areas that you want to emphasise or draw attention to. 

As I say every subscriber received one of 4 shades, and I've got to be honest my heart sank a little bit when I saw this one. I got Ritzy, which is officially described as a champagne or a rose champagne, which is a pretty accurate description, it's a very pale almost golden, nude shade.

It looks gorgeous swatched, I love the vanilla scent and taste, and it felt really comfortable on the lips, but and here's the big but I don't think the colour works on me at all. Applied on its own it looked slightly patchy, and way too pale and sparkly, so I've mainly been wearing it over the top of other colours. In these pictures I'm wearing it over the HUDA Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick in Girlfriend, which is a nude shade, that I received in the November 2018 edition of Glossybox (You can watch my unboxing video here).

I don't think it looks horrible by any means, there is no chunky glitter just a gold, champagne gloss, I'm just not convinced that it does anything for me, it just looks to pale, more so in real life.

I can't fault the texture, the longevity or the taste, I just think I would have got more use out of one of the pink shades. Never mind even though it didn't come with an outer box it's still a full size that retails at £17 from various retailers including Selfridges, Cult Beauty and Feel Unique.

Furr Rose Gold Lash Curler - RRP £15

As you know I love trying new brands and the next product is from a new brand to me, Furr Lashes, who are a vegan friendly beauty brand who specialise in false lashes, and lash accessories.

I'm pretty useless with false lashes so you'd think that I'd be happier with a set of eyelash colours, well I guess I am but I've got to admit it that I don't use lash curlers that often. I own enough of them but it's a step that I always seem to forget about, I use a lot of lengthening and curling mascaras, so it's normally a step that I can do without. 

These are pretty nice curlers though, they're made of rose gold tone metal, and they have a nice soft, but secure rubber pad. Since I got these I've made a real effort to try and use them, and I have to say I've been pretty happy with the results. I have quite hooded eyes so it's sometimes difficult to see any real difference on my bare lashes, but when I've used these alongside a decent mascara I looked more wide eyed and as a result more awake!

These are decent curlers, and I'm definitely going to try and slot them into my regular lash routine. These retail at £15 and are available direct from Furr Lashes.

Wilkinson Sword Quattro For Women Razor - RRP £6 - £7.99

When it comes to hair removal, I'm not a huge razor user, I prefer longer lasting methods, but I do usually keep a packet of disposables on stand by in case of hair removal emergencies. 

I know we're all thinking about the environment at the moment, and if you think about it razors aren't really the best things to use if you're thinking about plastic waste, but if you're going to use them, then replacing blades is probably a slightly better option, so I was pretty happy to receive this one in August's box.

Wilkinson Sword are probably one of the biggest brands and names when it comes to razors, and this one has been specially designed with a pivoting head, and four wire wrapped blades infused with aloe, and vitamin E, for a smooth, contoured, and nick free shave. This particular razor comes with one head and it includes a shower hanger.

I am currently testing out another hair removal product so I haven't had an opportunity to try this out yet, but I'm sure I'll give it a try at some point. Prices vary quite a bit with this one so I would definitely shop around but you buy it at a number of retailers including Boots and Superdrug for between £6 - £7.99, and a pack of 6 replacement blades retails at around £12.29

Bang Beauty Felt Tip Eyeliner - 1.8g - Full Size - RRP £15.75 / $20

My name is Louise, and I'm useless at applying eyeliner. I can just about cope with creams and gels, and brushes, but give me a liquid or a pen, and I look like a cross between a three year old playing with their mothers make up, and a member of Kiss!

My hands just aren't steady enough, I have hooded, oily lids, oh, and I have facial nerve paralysis, forget a flick or a cat eye, I just want a straight line!

I guess the only way to improve though is to practise, and even though you aren't going to see any of my fails in this post I've practising with this product from subscription box favourite brand, Bang Beauty.

I own a couple of Bang Beauty bits already but this is my first eyeliner. With a super slim tip, Bang Beauty claim that this is a waterproof, quick drying, non smudging, non pulling felt tip eyeliner.

It's not the blackest, black that I've ever seen but it is definitely black, and although the tip is quite fine it's easy enough to create both thick and thin lines. I have tried this on my eyes, and it does seem to do what they say, you have a little while to clear up mistakes before it sets, and it actually lasted pretty well all be it on some dry eye days.

This wasn't actually bad, I'm just useless at applying it, I'm going to persevere though, and fingers crossed one day I might create an eyeliner look worth photographing. This is a full size product and it's available exclusively from Bang Beauty.

Beauty Pro Eye Therapy Under Eye Mask - 3.5g - 1 x Pair

Finally another brand that you see a lot in subscription boxes, Beauty Pro, but this time it isn't a face mask, instead it's an under eye mask.

The pack contains 1 pair of hydro gel under eye patches, which contain collagen and green tea. They are designed to diminish fine line, and improve skin clarity, tone and elasticity, and like all eye masks they are also designed to be relaxing and cooling. They are free from mineral oil, lanolin, petroleum, and parabens. I haven't managed to try these yet but I'm sure that I will fairly soon if this heat keeps up. This 3.5g, single pair pack is described as by Glossybox as a deluxe mini with an estimated RRP of £1.65. I can't this single pack online but various retailers including direct from Beauty Pro, NEXT and Fragrance Direct all sell a pack of 3 pairs which retails between £4.50 and £5.

Okay, so did this box live up to the hype? Well the despite the fact that the colour didn't really work on me the standout product was definitely the HUDA Beauty Lip Strobe. I would have preferred one of the pink shades, but even though this product was unboxed, it was still worth more than the value of the box. Whilst the other items in the box are all decent value useful items, and things that I will use, I can't help but feel a touch disappointed that they didn't really seem to fit in with the fun, celebratory and sparkly theme. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and if you fancy getting your hands on September's Delicious Beauty edit, which contains a black tea based body scrub, and of course priority access on the advent calendar, then please use my link to sign up for yourself.

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Link

Quick And Easy Hair Removal With The Dorco Eve 6 Razor*

So the sun is out and it's fair to say that over the last few days in the UK, it's been a scorcher! As well as throwing stuff on the barbecue, and eating our body weight in ice cream, what else does a bit of warm weather mean? Well for some of us it means getting those bits of our bodies out that we've have hiding under our clothes since last summer!

As far as I'm concerned hair removal should always be down to personal choice, I think that there are way too many expectations on both men and women to be smooth and groomed at all times. If you want to get rid of your body hair that's fine, and if you don't want to, that's fine too, it's your body, and you can do whatever you want with it.

I've got to be honest when it comes to hair removal I am pretty lazy for most of the year, and I'll happily let my leg hair reproduce in the winter months, come summer time, though I crave a suntan, be it real or fake, and if you want a smooth, and even tan, then the hair needs to go

By far the quickest and easiest way to remove any excess body hair is to shave it off, personally I'm not a big fan of shaving my legs and it's something that I very rarely do, I prefer to wax it off or use an epilator instead, but I do use a razors occasionally on both my underarms and my bikini line, and they are always something that I have in the house on standby.

You can buy razors pretty much anywhere now, I've even seem them in vending machines in toilets, but did you now that you can buy your razors online? Well you can and I don't just mean from any of the online chemists and supermarkets. you can also buy razors from specialist companies such as Dorco. Dorco have been one of the leading manufacturers of high quality, low cost, razors and shaving equipment for around 60 years now and you can now buy their products exclusively from their own website.

They offer a wide range of men's shaving products including both disposable, and replaceable razors, and blades, and for nearly all of their history that has been their primary focus but recently they have branched out into female personal care, and one of their most recent introductions is the Dorco Eve range which as the name suggests is a line created specifically for women.

Again it's horses for courses and you can buy products to suit you and your lifestyle they offer two different types of disposable razor, the Eve 4 and the Eve 6, which have different types of blades so you can choose what ever suits you best. These particular razors are available in multi packs of 3, 5, and 10 so it's easy to stock up from the comfort of your own home.

A lot of people nowadays though are more environmentally conscious and they are trying to cut down on the amount of waste that they create, if that sounds like you, than the Dorco Eve 6 with replaceable blades might be right up your street.

Using over 60 years of experience, Dorco have used world class technology, to create a high quality and safe razor. The wide head of the razor is specially designed to flex, move and pivot, it's hinged head contours to the curves of your body perfectly equalling a safe and easy shave.

With a flatter and wider head than what you might expect, this razor unusually has 6 blades, and features a double 3 blade design to make hair removal faster and safer. The razor head also features two moisturising bands (the blue stripes) that contain Lavender, Vitamin E, and Aloe Vera, that are designed to both hydrate and protect the skin. The head also contains revolutionary brush fingers, which are tiny flexible rubber nodules (the white strip are on the top of the head) that are specifically designed to help lift up the hairs to make them easier to remove.

These high quality razor blades are replaceable but they're nothing without a handle, and again years and years of razor making technology means that this one is spot on. It has an ergonomically designed and weighted handle, that features rubber grips, to make it easy to hold and to manoeuvre across the body.

As I say I'm not a frequent body shaver but I was kindly sent one of the Dorco Eve 6 razors to try, and I have to say that it was one of the easiest razors that I've ever used. I'd never really used a razor with a head as wide as this one before but it really was a revelation. I tried this razor on both my legs (see below) and on my underarms, and I tried it with both a specialist shaving foam, and a regular shower mousse, and it worked equally well.

The 6 blade system meant that every stroke removed more hairs than what I was used to, making the whole process much quicker and way easier. Thanks to the pivoting and flexible head it was super easy to manoeuvre the razor across those normally awkward lump, bumpy areas like my underarms, and my knee caps. For me it felt a lot safer than some of the razors that I've used, and the results spoke for themselves, I haven't shaved my legs properly for more than 10 years, and despite the fact that I was hopelessly out of practise shaving wise, and that it was the first time that i'd used the razor I only managed one teeny little nick.

Before 

After

Dorco claim that this razor is easy to clean, and I'm going to be honest and say that i don't think any razor is easy to clean, the Dorco razor head has an open back, and whilst I do think it helped, I did find that the razor clogged up quite quickly with both foam and hair! Now that could be down to the shaving cream and products that I used but I found that I not only had to rinse but that I also had to give a quick wipe with a tissue every stroke or so.

Despite that though I do think that this is one of the safest and easiest razors that I've ever used. Don't get me wrong I still prefer waxing and epilating for longer lasting hair removal but the Dorco Eve 6 is ideal for when you want to be hair free in a hurry, and by buying your razors and blades online, you can either stock up in one order or you can get your shaving equipment delivered to you when you need it.

What do I mean by that? well Dorco are one of the first, if not the only, site to offer a razor subscription service for both men and women Sign up to the service, and for just £1 in your first shipment you will receive the Dorco Eve 6 handle, and 4 razor blades, your next and subsequent deliveries will each contain another 4 blades, which you can have delivered anytime from just 1 month later right the way up to 6 months later for just £5.45 per delivery. If you're a regular razor user I think that this an amazing idea, you'll never get caught short again when the sun is shining and you want to get your tan on.

If the subscription service isn't for you, then you can buy the Dorco Eve 6 in a variety of different value packs which start at around £5.09 for the handle and two blades, and once you have your handle you can also buy replacement blades which start at around £3.40 for a pack of two.

You find about more about the full Dorco range and purchase options on their official UK website.

If you remove your body hair, what is your preferred method ? Are you a shaver, or a waxer, or do you use a combination of methods? Let me know in the comments and if you're a waxer stick around I might be reviewing something that you might find interesting soon x

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