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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before

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

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

After

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Very Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - October 2020 Edition - The Beauty Tales - Midnight Fantasy*

Hi guys, and welcome to operation catch up part 1 zillion! Today I want to take you back to October, a time of falling leaves, Halloween,  pumpkin spice lattes, and The Beauty Tales edition of Glossybox UK.

There were two different versions of October's box, Enchanted Spirit and the version that I received, Midnight Fantasy. Glossybox are well know for their beautiful limited edition boxes, but I think that October's box is by far one of the best designs that I've ever seen from them.

In keeping with the whole mystical, fairytale, Beauty Tales theme, the Midnight Fantasy box was designed to look exactly like an old fashion book. Made of a gorgeous old book cover like, dark blue textured cardboard, the box lid features gold  foil embossed lettering, and a fairytale like illustration of a wolf howling at the moon, an owl, a fox, a tree, and mystical floral design.  The design carries on, onto the side of the lid which was designed to look like the spine of a book with the title "A Very Glossy Fairytale" embossed in gold.

The blue and gold theme carried on inside the box with a blue and gold interior, navy blue paper shred, a blue ribbon, and gold tissue paper.

As per usual the first thing in the box is the product information leaflet with contains a list of the box contents and a little bit about each of the products. It also tells you a little bit about the theme and the ideas behind the box, which in this case is all about the beauty tales, and the mystical ideas of eternal beauty, and as a result the box contains a mixture of products that were chosen to help relax and soothe the mind, and to transform the look and feel of the skin. 

AHC Essential Real Eye Cream For Face - 10ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £8.66

Now I'm going to be honest here, although I've had several months to try this product, I haven't actually opened it yet! To be fair this is something that is going to pop up more and more in these posts as time goes on. The plain and simple fact is that I have way too many skincare products to justify opening any more, so in future, if I don't need to open something skincare related, I won't. I currently have 3 eye products on the go as it is, so I'm adding this one to my to try pile

Just a bit of background on this one though, it's from Koreas's number 1 aesthetic skincare brand AHC. This is an eye cream but it can also be used all over the face as a hydrating and rejuvenating, vitamin and peptide filled facial moisturiser. 

I'm actually quite curious about this one because I love 2 in 1 products, and anything that can save a bit of time. I'm also pretty lazy when it comes to eye products, so applying 1 product rather than 2 sounds perfect. I'll definitely let you know how I get on with this in a future empties post. Glossybox quote a price of £8.66 for this 10ml deluxe mini size, the full 30ml size though is available for £26 exclusively from Look Fantastic.

Bubble T Bath & Body Star Dust Foaming Bath Powder In Rose - 100g - Full Size - RRP £5.99

Next up another product that I didn't / couldn't use. If you're a regular reader you should know by now that I don't have a bath tub in my house, so unfortunately I couldn't use this gorgeous rose scented foaming bath powder :( Don't worry though it didn't go to waste, I passed it on to one of my friends as a little extra in their Christmas pressie.

I think this scent may have been exclusive to Glossybox because I can't find it anywhere online. if you like the idea of a foaming bath powder though, you can buy the Fairy Dust Foaming Bath Powder In Lavender on various websites including Urban Outfitters, and direct from Bubble T where 100g pouch retails between £5 - £5.99.

Luna By Luna Lipstick - Pixie - 3.5g - Full Size - RRP $15 / £15

From something that I couldn't use to something that I most definitely can (at least when I'm not wearing a mask - wear a mask!), a lipstick! From New Jersey based company Luna By Luna, this is one of their bullet lipsticks in the shade Pixie.

The lipstick comes boxed and is packaged in a plain, navy blue, plastic tube with the brand name printed on the outside in gold.

The shade Pixie is a lovely bright coral shade, that to be honest if much more of a summer colour, then something that you would wear in October, but if you need cheering up no what time of year, it's a perfect happy colour.

With a slight vanilla scent and taste, this lipstick is super creamy and moisturising, and as you can it's very pigmented.

Being so creamy it did transfer slightly but the wear time wasn't bad, and it did leave a slight stain on my all be it very dry lips, when the initial glossy, creamy finish disappeared.

After having a look at the Luna By Luna website I'm pretty sure that I've tried something from the brand before (maybe a loose powder?, but I can't find anything in my stash or even a reference to the the brand on my blog, so if this "was" my first impression of the brand, then it was a good one. Pigmented, and super creamy, and moisturising,  and okay wear time, you can't really ask for more in a lipstick.

The only stockist that I can find for this lipstick is direct from Luna By Luna, where this full sized lipstick retails at $15 / around £15.

Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer - 7ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £10

The next item is another make up item, or is it a skincare product? I'm never sure but I guess that depends on the primer itself. This is one of several primers that are available from cruelty free, top end cosmetic brand Illamasqua.

This is their iconic Hydra Veil Primer which is part hydrator, part primer. It contains micro algae, and vitamins C and B3, and it is designed to calm sensitive skin and reduce redness, in order to produce a calm and refreshed complexion, and a smooth and balanced base for make up.

Boxed and packaged in a small, plastic pot, this primer was quite unlike any other primer that I'd ever tried. Translucent in appearance it has a fresh clean scent, and it has a texture that very similar to jelly, that melts on contact with the skin.

On Application

Immediately After Application

After A Few Minutes

It immediately felt quite cooling on the skin but it quickly warms up to body temperature on application. It takes a minute or two to absorb into the skin, but when it does it almost feels as though there is nothing on your skin. My skin was left looking smoother, and more event, and unlike a lot of other cream and silicone based primers, it didn't leave me skin feeling greasy, heavy or sticky, it was just smooth and even.

Before

On Application

After

I have to say that over the last month or so I've really enjoyed using this little pot of brilliance. Thanks to the cold weather, central heating, and the obligatory face mask, my skin has felt a little bit drier lately, and this has definitely helped add a much wanted burst of hydration to my skin. I haven't worn a lot of make up lately but I've been using a little bit of this without foundation too, and when I have worn make up alongside this primer, I've noticed a more even finish and less patchiness of my drier areas such as the edge of my cheeks, and above my eyebrows.

I usually shy away from hydrating primers, preferring products with pore minimising and mattifying properties, but I was actually really impressed with this primer, and how well it actually worked on my skin, and I will definitely consider using this again, and trying out some of their other primers in the wider Illamasqua range.

Glossybox place a value of £10 on this 7ml deluxe mini size. I can't find this specific size anywhere online but both Look Fantastic and Illamasqua sell a 6ml size for £10, and NEXT Beauty also sell a mini pot with no size given for £8. The full 30ml size is available from various retailers for £34.

The Beauty Crop Stargazing Blush Duo - Orion Glow - 4g - Full Size - RRP £18

The final official item in the October's box was another make up item, and it was a product from another one of Glossybox's favourite make up brands, The Beauty Crop. I've already tried a few bits from this clean and animal friendly beauty brand including The Palm Balm Lip & Cheek Balm & Color in Mauve Wave, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to try another type of product.

Packaged in a beautiful celestial design, blue and gold cardboard box, this product is a powder blush duo that comes in pretty, but not very expensive feeling, star patterned octagon shaped compact.

The compact contains 2 talc and paraben free, cruelty free and vegan, star embossed shades of powder blush. You get a more matte warm, champagne, bronze peach shade, and a lovely, shimmery peach, coral shade.

Both of the shades are super soft, and silky, and as you can see the colour pay off is superb.

I'm wearing the shade on the right, the more coral shade (alongside the Luna By Luna lipstick) in the picture below x 

It blended really nicely into the skin and it wore well, it was a touch powdery and there was a little bit of fallout but for such a pretty and wearable colour, I can deal with that x 

Although selected items from The Beauty Crop are now available in Superdrug, the Stargazing Blush Duo only seems to be available direct from The Beauty Crop where it retails at £18.

Now normally that would be it, but like in the September box, the October edition of Glossybox also included a very welcome sweet treat.

Cadbury Darkmilk - 13.5g

Yes, the October box contained chocolate, and it was a 13.5g, not for resale sized bar of Cadbury Darkmilk.

All chocolate to me is good chocolate, but I must admit that I'm much more of a milk chocolate girl, but every now and then I do want something that little bit more grown up, but I don't quite want the full richness and bitterness of a bar of dark chocolate. If you feel like that too then Darkmilk is for you, you still get the creaminess that you would expect from a bar of Dairy Milk, but you also get more of that rich chocolatey taste due to the higher cocoa content - perfection!

This size of bar was marked not for resale which is a bit of shame because I do love mini bars of chocolate, but the normal 35g sized bar retails at around 60p

So that was a very, late unboxing of the October box. I loved the fairy tale, book style packaging, and whilst I'm not sure all of the contents stuck to the whole beauty tales ethic I was pretty happy with everything in the box. I was a tiny bit disappointed to receive yet another eye cream, but that was tempered slightly by that you can use it all over your face, and again I was a little bit disappointed to get a bath product that I couldn't use, but the primer was a real revelation, and I was really impressed with both the lipstick and the blush duo, and of course the chocolate! All in all for me it was a pretty decent box x 

If you're interested in trying Glossybox for yourself, then you find out more via my link x Please let me know if you have any questions on any of the items in this box, and I will see you soon with probably another catch up post x Thanks for reading x 

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