Glossybox Free Box Offer Review!

This month Glossybox had a promotional code - buy the Valentines box and get a bestselling box from 2012 for free! Too good an offer to pass up so Hubby got me the boxes as part of my Valentines present.  Here is the review of the Valentines Glossybox that I received link.

The free box had the normal baby pink packaging

I was made up when I opened the box!

It's the November 2012 box which as I had already cancelled my Glossybox subscription by then means that all the contents are completely new to me.

Dr Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm

This is a 15ml sample, 50ml retails for £18.00 here making the sample worth £5.40.

I have heard good things about this BB cream so I'm really happy to get this sample, I wore it to work on Friday and was really happy with the coverage and application.  The colour is probably a touch too dark for my pale skin but will be perfect once the snow stops and the sun starts shining!

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

This is a 13g sample, 75g retails for £31.00 here making the sample worth £5.37.

Again I was really happy to get this item, I have also read great reviews on this and I love dermalogica products.  13g is a fab sample size as it is a powder so you actually get quite a lot of product.

Crabtree & Evelyn Himalayan Blue Ultra-Moisturising Hand Therapy

This is a 25g tube and 100g retails for £13.40 here making the sample worth £3.35.

 Nourishing macadamia nut oil, a potent vitamin C & E complex, and soothing tea, ginger and champaca extracts make for gorgeous-looking hands, while myrrh extracts take care of nails.

It smells gorgeous! It sinks in very easily and doesn't leave a greasy residue.  Perfect handbag size too.

Alison Claire Mango Body Butter

This is 50ml sample, 200ml retails for £15.00 here making the sample worth £3.75.

This is a natural product that contains organic ingredients, it smells lovely so I'm looking forward to trying it out.  I'm trying to moisturise a lot at the moment to minimise the dreaded pregnancy stretch marks so this will definitely come in handy!

Nails Inc Caviar Topcoat

A 4ml sample. 10ml retails for £12.00 here making the sample worth £4.80.

I have never tried this topcoat as I usually use Seche Vite but this claims it leaves nails touch dry in 45 seconds so can't wait to try it out.

I absolutely love this Glossybox! It is the best box I have had in ages!

It made up for the Valentines box not being this best and I would have happily paid full price for this free box.

Did you take advantage of this offer?  Did you get the same free box?

Glossybox February 2013

Hi everyone, hope you have all had a good weekend! 

I'm a but late posting this review but I wanted to share with you what I got in my Valentines box.  I don't have any beauty box subscriptions as I cancelled them all after Christmas but Glossybox had a promotional code to buy the February box and get a bestselling box from 2012 for free! Hubby treated me to these boxes for Valentines day along with the Urban decay Glinda palette (I will link the review when I post it). So spending ban is still intact!

I really like the design of this months box

Lovely hot pink ribbon and pink tissue - very pretty!

The new style "magazine"

It contains discount codes, information on the products in the box and a beautiful lip tutorial.

My first impression when I opened the box was one of disappointment, I had seen a lot of reviews on other box and unfortunately this was the box I was least excited about receiving. However that's the risk you take when ordering a Glossybox!

MeMeMe Fat Cat Volumising Mascara

This is a full size product and retails for £7.99 here

The mascara is described as having an extreme volumising formula.  I have quite a few unopened mascaras to get through but I do like to try new mascaras so even though my first impression wasn't great I will actually use this and I am looking forward to see if it really does have an extreme volumising formula!

Helen E Moisturising Lipstick in Caribbean

The second full size product in the box, this is 3.5g and retails for £8.00 here.

I wasn't sure if this would lean a bit brown which I find very unflattering on my skintone but actually it looks quite nice.  I wasn't sure if it would be like an "old lady" lipstick but it applies nicely and the colour got a thumbs up from hubby - although maybe he wasn't the best person to ask!

Micabella Cosmetics Blush Powder in Terracotta 

This is a 0.8g sample, full size is 9g and retails for a whopping £34.95 here, making the sample worth £3.11.

This is a small sample so it was hard to get the product out to swatch for you, hence the messy swatch on the next photo.  It will be nice in the summer but I think I will have to put it into a larger container as it is hard to use in this small pot.

Swatches of the Helen E Lipstick and Micabella Blush Powder

Narciso Rodriguez for her EDT

Sample size of 0.8ml, 30ml retails for £34.50 here making the sample worth 92p.

I have had this sample in a previous beauty box but the perfume smells lovely so I am happy to receive this in my box.

Voulez Vous Warming Body Oil in Bubblegum

This is a 10ml pouch, they are sold in packages of 6 various flavours for £20.  The sample is worth £3.33.

I won't link the website here as it is described as erotic and intimate cosmetics so not to everyones taste so to speak!

This has to be the weirdest item I have ever had in a beauty box!! The English translation on the back of the packet doesn't even make sense which makes the product seem a bit cheap and nasty! 

I definitely wouldn't class this as a beauty sample, maybe if they had included it in all the boxes as a valentines "treat" then I could understand but I wasn't happy to receive this as one of my samples.  Maybe it's because I'm pregnant!

A Glossybox heart lollipop!

I contacted Glossybox about the oil and they kindly sent me another item from this months box, I think they had a number of complaints about it being classed as a beauty sample!

This box is actually better than I thought from my first impressions, it's not very exciting but I will probably use most of the contents. 

Did you get this box? What did you think?

Spending Ban Update Number 2!

I've been on my spending ban since 15th January and I can't believe that I have still not spent anything! I have been avoiding shops though and not browsing online unless it is looking at stuff for the baby.

I have been into Boots a few times and I am so tempted to spend my advantage points (£13) on one of the apocolips glosses/lipstick and some of the new Barry M polishes but I am trying to hold off as long as possible - I'd somehow feel like I was cheating even though it's not "money".

Look what the lovely Emma from Ems Mixed Bag bought me to help with my spending ban!

I love that I can't take the money out unless I smash the pot so hopefully I can fill it right to the top!

Are you doing a spending ban? How are you getting on?

Debenhams and Boots Sale Haul

As you know I am on a 100 day spending ban and so far so good! One of the things I did before I started the ban was to put the goodies I bought in the Christmas sales to one side so that I could use them during the spending ban.  You can see my Lush sales bargains here.  

These bargains I got from Debenhams and Boots are the last of the items I got in the sales!

Prada Candy Gift Set

Contains 50ml EDP

75ml Body Lotion

I fell in love with this perfume when I got it in my Feel Unique beauty box in 2011 when it was first released!

It was reduced to £35.33 and I had £20 on my Debenhams card so a bargain at £15.33!

Next stop Boots!

Champneys Distant Shores Collection

Indulge yourself with this collection of tropical, uplifting blends of grapefruit, lemon and orange fragranced body care treatments.

Half price bargain at £6.

45ml Shower Mousse

50ml Body Butter

50g Body Scrub

50ml Bubble Heaven

Also contained a body polisher which I missed from the pic!

Champneys Oriental Opulence Collection

Indulge yourself with this collection of sandalwood, ylang ylang and patchouli fragranced body care treatments.

Again a half price bargain at £6.

50ml Opulence Shower Cream

50g Opulence Body Glow

50ml Opulence Body Cream

50ml Opulence Bubble Heaven

Also contained a body polisher which I again missed from the pic!

These mum & me products were also half price:

300ml Shampoo £1.74

300ml Conditioner £1.74

300ml Bath Soak £1.74

Sleep Mist £2.49

300ml Body Lotion £2.74

BARGAIN!

I've started using the perfume this week although my son told me I smell like dry ice which was kind of weird! I've been using the sleep mist too - a little goes a long way but it smells lovely and I do find it quite relaxing.

Are you doing the spending ban?  How are you getting on?

Spending Ban Update Number 1

Hi All, can you believe it's February already! The weeks are flying by!

So I have been on my 100 day spending ban since 15th January so today is day number 19 and so far so good.

My spends so far;

We went out for Vicki's birthday, we went to a lovely Italian restaurant last Friday in Chester called La Fattoria.  The food was excellent but we all had to leave after less than two hours because there was a blizzard! I was driving and it took so long to drive home but at least we all got back safely even if my friend did have to walk home in bare feet as my car couldn't get up in the hill and she couldn't walk in her heels!

I have bought Jon Dead Space 3 for his PS3 for Valentines day and he has bought me the Glinda Urban Decay palette - SO excited! He is doing really well on the ban too he hasn't spent any money either!

I had physio this week at the hospital and one of the things they said is no heels, I have to wear flat shoes so I ordered some flat boots from Kurt Geiger using the £25 gift card that came with my Elle magazine subscription as I don't have any flat boots suitable for work.  However they arrived yesterday and they look awful on me so hubby has just been to the post office to send them back.

I am actually really enjoying the spending ban so far.  I have paid some of my credit card off and I am finding products in my stash that I have bought and not used that I am enjoying using up.  I have avoided the shops though so far! I am going to need some flat shoes/boots though over the next few weeks and definitely some maternity clothes as the bump seems to have sprouted over the past week or so and the baby is now kicking me quite a lot!