I'm a little late to the party, but monthly beauty boxes exploded in popularity / existence last year. Wanting to take much more of an interest in beauty I decided to investigate two beauty box brands myself and see what all the fuss was about.
With each site boasting a box of 5 individual products ranging from sample to full size each month by a variety of brands I thought it would be a fantastic way to try out new things and really push my boundaries. After all, the entirety of Boots is basically one big beauty section... the navigation is mind-boggling to say the least when you just fancy trying something new, and could result in a costly mistake! For around £10 a month a beauty box seemed a great way to go.
Both sites asked me to fill in a quick beauty survey about my needs, hair colour, skin type... etc... to try to tailor the boxes to me, and then all I had to do was wait!
Birchbox - £12.95 per month including UK postage
Arriving with a courier the box was safely transported inside another cardboard box to limit damage and I liked the idea of the little bag holding the products inside... easily re-used as a make-up or product bag for trips away!
Birchbox magazine has a new issue every month which arrives with the box and I thought it was great that it explained each of the products with some articles introducing the brands, particularly as I had not really heard of them before. Interviews, 'make-up bag essentials', a nail art tutorial and article on the boosting effects of Edelweiss... a really great magazine to accompany the box so getting a little more for your money.
What was in the box?
1. Green & Spring Relaxing Conditioner
Lovely fragrance with relaxing undertones and a decent sample size bottle which would be great for a weekend away. My only criticism would be that I like to try shampoo and conditioner as a pair so definitely felt that the other half of the duo was missed.
2. Thridace Bar of Soap
I really loved the vintage look to this full sized bar which was wrapped up in paper and has a natural colour with a delicate clean fresh scent which isn't overpowering and definitely scored points with me as a result... a scent which i'm sure would have worked for most people which is great in a box like this which goes out to hundreds.
3. Gerda Spillmann Renaissance Age Serum
I must admit, I don't really even look twice at anti-ageing products. I'm only 22! I know we're meant to look after our skin from early on but in my opinion i'd rather just have a good cleanse and moisturise ritual and skip the paranoia about old age for another 20 years. I also think the sample size was particularly small, and felt that anyone who would have liked to test this out properly may have been slightly annoyed at the lack of longevity in the trial period.
4. Weleda Skin Food
With prominent fans including Victoria Beckham, this product has a little bit of a reputation behind it and I had heard of it before so was excited to try it out. For some strangely psychological reason I like that it comes in a medicinal-looking tube (think Bonjela) with very simple packaging which somehow makes it seem all about the product rather than fluff. I was definitely impressed. Suggested for cracked elbows and heels I tested it out on my poor poor feet and liked the thickness of the cream which instantly moisturises with only a small amount and leaves the skin noticeably softer. Definitely something I will be sticking with!
5. Mirenesse Glossy Kiss
I'm not really a huge lip stick fan, so when a lip pencil or gloss-stick hybrid comes to my attention i'm usually pretty interested. A ghostly white face like mine needs a little accent now and then. I love the colour of the pencil which came with the box (14. Perfect Kiss) and application was very smooth. I'm not yet sure about how long-lasting it is as a product as I haven't yet worn it out but it seemed pretty hardy in my first testing. Criticism? The pencil is made of plastic. Although Birchbox advertise this as a pencil you can sharpen, I was very sceptical about plastic being up for the idea... and I was right. As soon as the tip of this is worn down it will be pretty much useless which is a real shame!
(6. Hand held mirror as an extra to the box)
Favourite Product
Weleda Skin Food
I think my description speaks for itself.
Overall verdict
Great presentation and magazine but personally I felt a little disappointed by the array of products... I love the skin food and liked the pencil (minus sharpening incident) but felt it was a little pricey for ultimately two products which I would use and then buy in future.
Glossybox - £12.95 per month including UK postage
Also arriving with a courier and places inside a cardboard box for protection I was instantly in love with the design of the box which was done by Pearl Lowe in a collaboration with Glossybox for the month.
A newsletter came with the box and included interviews with Pearl Lowe and the CEO of Glossybox, Kate Cornell featuring aspects of both beauty and fashion. The newsletter folder out to an A3 page featuring the 5 products and detailed descriptions about each, what their full size is and how much that would be to buy.
What was in the box?
1. Crabtree & Evelyn Ultra Moisturising Hand Therapy
I'm a sucker for hand creams which come in metallic tubes like this. I have one from L'Occitane already and think they just look lovely a traditional and are a great size for carrying around in a bag! This Somerset Meadow one has a lovely fresh delicate scent which instantly leaves the skin feeling soft and replenished after even a small amount.
2. Nip & Fab Pistachio Sundae Dry Skin Fix Body Butter
I do love a good body butter, and have always been a Body Shop girl when it comes to getting my fix. I may well have been swayed to the Nip & Fab camp by this pot though. A great nutty, creamy fragrance which smells extremely tasty (obviously unwise to actually consume....) and extremely easy to rub in. Despite being for dry skin and showing results straight away I liked that there was no sticky residue and it absorbed into the skin extremely quickly and without hassle. A winner for mornings when i'm in a hurry but need to moisturise before getting dressed!
3. Essie 'We're all in it together' Nail Polish
I was very pleased to see a full sized bottle of nail polish inside the box, justifying a large percentage of the price of the box and in a shade which I really love and will use again and again. This colour is a soft pink with slight sparkly sheen to it. I have wanted to try Essie for such a long time and this was a brilliant opportunity to get to do so without um-ing and ah-ing over colours! It dries extremely quickly and although I would do two coats for a stronger colour looks great after just one. Essie convert!
4.Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple
I was impressed with this bottle as despite being a sample size, it has a decent amount of perfume inside and is actually just a miniature of the actual bottle rather than one of those tiny stick samples you often get which give you barely one application. Beauty powerful floral scent which I got complimented on when I wore it for the first time and I will definitely consider buying in full size!
5. Illamasqua Medium Pencil in 'Manic'
Illamasqua seems to be everywhere at the moment and I was so thrilled to be able to try out one of the products. My pencil is a pale pink and glides on very easily creating a lovely build up of the shade. My disappointment from the product despite it being full sized was that in the description in the newsletter it was described as very versatile for eyes, eyebrows and lips, but as mine is pink it can only really be used as a lip pencil. I would have much preferred a darker colour as I would have used it as a regular eye-liner thanks to its easy application. May however experiment with some pink eyeshadow with a touch of this liner!
Favourite Product
Very, very difficult to choose as I was really impressed with absolutely all of these products, but probably the Nip & Fab body butter simply because I have now found a new brand I will feel very happy buying and using on a regular basis (i've already found them stocked in Boots!)
Overall verdict
Very impressed. Loved all of the products and thought it was an extremely good value for money. Having looked at their list of brands on the site I am also slightly more impressed with the scope there and the standard of brands, many of which I would really like to test out. Looking forward to the next box to see if it's up to standard!
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So there you have it. You can probably gather than overall
Glossybox win my vote, and having originally decided I would only continue one subscription I have now cancelled my Birchbox order and really hope Glossybox is just as good this month. I would thoroughly recommend taking a look at Beauty Boxes yourself, and think that they'd be a great option as a birthday gift to someone too... beautifully packages and like a little treasure trove of discovery!
Do you agree with my decision to stick with Glossybox? What are your thoughts on the range of products?
Gem xx
