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 - April 2021 Edition - Woke Up In Spring*

So, I'm back after another unplanned blogging break. I've been struggling a lot health wise over the last month or so, but some how I've managed to accumulate some energy from somewhere that's allowed me to be a little bit more productive, so I'm back today with another catch up post x 

My Glossybox posts in particular seem to have gone right up the spout this year, and I'm now so behind with them that it's actually untrue, but I'm plodding on, and my aim is to try and get completely up to date by the beginning of January, but you know what usually happens when I make plans, so we'll have to wait and see.

So today I'm taking you on a journey, we're going to leave the dark night, and dull days of autumn, and we're going to take a trip back to the height of spring, and the freshness and newness of the April 2021 edition of Glossybox UK.

As with March's box, the April edition also comes in the classic pink and black colour way, with the pink box, the pink tissue paper, and the black ribbon and paper shred.

As always the first thing in the box was the information leaflet which talked about the products and the theme of the box, which in April's case was "Woke Up In Spring" and according all to Glossybox all of the products in the box were specially chosen to brighten up your day! but did they actually achieve that? Let's find out..

- 417 Serenity Legend Hydrating Dead Sea Bath Salts - 100g - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £2.17

Where possible I always like to try every product that I talk about in these unboxing posts, but every now and then there are products that I either can't use, or there are products that for whatever reason I've chosen not to use, and unfortunately for you there were two such products in April's box.

This first item was a sachet of bath salts from Dead Sea Salt based brand -417 (Minus 417). I've already tried a few skincare products from them  (You can read my reviews here and here), but this was the first body product that I'd had from the brand and unfortunately I couldn't use it.

Yes, as you should know by now, I don't have a bath, and to just use it as a foot soak, in my opinion, would be a bit of a waste, so I'm passing this on to a friend to try, and hopefully she can experience some of the relaxing, soothing and nourishing properties of these vegan friendly, spa like scented bath salts.

Glossybox placed a value of £2.17 on this 100g sachet - according to -417 you need around 50g per bath so this should be enough for two baths. The only retailer that I can find is direct from -417, but they don't sell this specific size, they only sell a 500g sachet which retails at £14.

Sophia + Mabelle Eyeshadow Quad - The Aphrodite Palette - Full Size - Est. RRP £25 / $18

Next up the first of two make up products that featured in the box, and the first one was a an eyeshadow quad, from new brand to me, Sophia + Mabelle. Sophia + Mabelle are a Florida based, Peta certified, cruelty free make up brand that is designed to fit into the live of any person, no matter what stage of life they're at.

Packaged in a gorgeous floral designed cardboard box, the palette itself is really simple and basic, with its small square shape, and basic pink, and translucent pink plastic construction. Although it looks quite inexpensive the packaging quality wise, actually feels pretty decent, and it reminds me a little bit of the Colourpop quads.

The palette that I received was 'The Aphrodite Palette'. This pink themed palette contains a pale matte pink, 2 shimmery pink shades, and a matte almost charcoal, black, grey, brown shade.

As you can see from these pictures, the colour payoff, even on the palest, and the matte shades in really good. All of the shadows were really soft and smooth, and they were pretty easy to apply. There was a tiny bit of fallout which is understandable given the softness of the shadows. The dark shade was so pigmented that it did show a tiny bit of resistance to blending , but that was only because it was so pigmented and it was really easy to overuse, but it was nothing that a lighter application, and a bit more blending wouldn't fix.

This is the most perfectly applied or blended eye look that you will ever see, but I hope you can see just how pretty and wearable this palette is.

The shadows are of a really nice quality. They were nicely pigmented, fairly easy to apply and blend, and they wore surprisingly well, so all in all I was pretty impressed.

What I wasn't so impressed with though was the £25 price tag that Glossybox put on this palette. I've had a look at the Sophia + Mabelle website, and whilst they don't have this particular quad, they have a similar quad, in a plainer outer box, which retails at $18. Whilst the shadows are good, the palette is pretty small and fairly basic (For comparison the similar Colourpop quads are around $9), so I personally don't think that I could justify spending that sort of money on an eyeshadow quad like this one.

Feel Free Antioxidant Eye Contour Cream - 20ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £4.77

I know I've mentioned it in a few posts, but I'm pretty much reaching saturation point when it comes to certain beauty products in my stash, and one of those products in eye cream. So late last year, or was it early this year, who knows I decided to stop opening any of the new eye creams or gels that I acquired, and instead I vowed to try and use up all of the eye products that I've already opened - A good idea in theory but to be honest it's pretty slow going, and I now have another one to add to my 'to use' pile.

From Spanish natural and organic skincare company Feel Free, this antioxidant eye contour cream, contains hyaluronic acid, rice extract, aloe vera, and coffee extract, as well as lemon, mint and apple, and is designed to balance, moisturise, and reduce expression lines.

Obviously I haven't tried it yet, but I'll let you know my thoughts when I do. Although Feel Free do have an English website, in the UK we can't shop from it, and despite a little search online, I can't find this particular product anywhere but according to Glossybox it retails at around £4.77 for a 20ml tube.

dwtn Paris Liquid Blusher - 15ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £19.58 / €18

Next up another make up product, and this time it something for the cheeks. From Parisian based beauty brand dwtn Paris, this liquid blush cheek colour is made from 99% natural and vegan ingredients, including white marrube (white horehound) which protects the skin against pollution and blue light, as well as acacia gum, organic corn and black radish.

Packaged in a black and white, modernist design tube, this blush had a slightly thick, creamy texture and no discernible scent. At first glance the colour looks quite scary, its quite dark and very pigmented. It's a terracotta, dark brick red like shade, but it quickly and easily blends down to a more natural peach / bronze shade.

All you do is apply a few dots to your cheeks, it is pretty pigmented so it's probably best to start out with less and build it up. It was actually fairly easy to blend, I used a brush but I think I would have had a bit more control with my fingers.

I wore on top of both foundation and loose powder, and as you can see it did slightly disturb my base, exposing some of the natural redness of my cheeks, but there was no change in the texture, and they was no pilling, just a smooth natural finish.

I subsequently had a little bit of a play around and tried blending it with my fingers and a more tapping motion (not photographed) and my base pretty much stayed put, but I don't think there is a right or a wrong way to use this product, I think it depends on your base, your skin type and what type of look you're going for, so play around and have some fun, that's what make up is all about after all.

I have to say that I was a little bit scared of this at first, the dark brick shade was so dark, but by applying a small amount at once, blending it out and building up the colour, the resulting colour was actually really pretty and wearable, and even on my more oil prone skin it lasted nearly all day, without any of the clumping or balling, that I often experience with cream and liquid cheek colours.

All in all despite my initial argh! reaction I was actually really pleased with this product. If you fancy trying it for yourself, I believe it is only available directly from dwtn Paris French website, where is retails at around €18, Glossybox place a value of £19.58 on this full size tube.

Skin & Co Roma Truffle Therapy Morning Dew Ultra Gentle Botanical Face Cleansing Gel - 20ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £1.98

Finally, a skincare item and it's a specialist morning cleanser from a brand called Skin & Co Roma. Now i was convinced that I'd tried something from this brand before but I've had a little look, and it looks as though this is my first product.

Both vegan, and again Peta certified, this Italian founded brand is a botanical based, Mediterranean skincare and body care brand, that is based on the antioxidant properties of the Black Winter Truffle.

Truffle Therapy Morning Dew is a daily (morning) cleansing gel, that is designed to cleanse, uplift and brighten the complexion and protect it from environmental damage.

This sulphate free cleanser contains Umbrian Black Winter Truffle, as well as papaya extract, an AHA to minimise blemishes and improve the appearance and texture of the skin, as well as other botanicals including olive leaf, orange flower extract, lavender, cucumber, and calendula.

Packaged in a white and gold tube, the cleanser has a slightly runny, gel like texture, which is translucent yellow / light amber in colour. If you are a regular reader you'll probably already know that I'm pretty useless at describing scents but this one has me well and truly beat! At first it has quite a warm, nutty, almost coconut like scent, but add water and it seems to bring out more herbal, green and fruity notes.

You basically use this one like any other face wash, I usually wet my face and pop a small amount of cleanser into my palm before adding a little bit of water and working it into a lather on my face

The lather as you can see is really light and creamy. The instructions say to massage the cleanser onto the face in circular motions for around 1 minute to get the full antioxidant and AHA benefits, before rinsing.

It was really easy to rinse away, and my skin immediately felt and looked cleaner, brighter and fresher. It felt really soft and smooth, and it was left with almost a matte finish. My skin did feel a tiny bit tight, but it quickly subsided and there was no redness or dryness.

This was actually a really nice morning cleanser, the smell was actually really nice, if a tad confusing! It  also left my skin feeling very clean and soft, and ready for the rest of my skincare and make up. I would definitely consider buying this cleanser again in the future and I'm also interested in trying some more products from the range.

Glossybox placed a value of £1.98 on this 20ml tube, unfortunately I can't find this particular size anywhere online, but the full 200ml size is available for around £22 direct from Skin & Co Roma.

A little late I know, but that was my unboxing of the April 2021 edition of Glossybox UK. Despite another eye cream and a bath product that I couldn't use, I still think that this was another decent box, despite my initial hesitation about the blush, I liked both of the make up items but the stand out product for me was actually the Skin & Co Roma cleanser. It left my skin feeling super soft, and looking brighter and more awake.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this box, so please let me know if you think it was a hit or a miss in the comments section below x Don't forget to to check out Glossybox for yourself and I'll see you later in the week with an empties post x 

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