Glossybox December 2012 Review

If you read my blog you will know that I have a love/hate relationship with Glossybox and I haven't bought a box in months, when I got an email for 20% off the December box I couldn't resist and bought myself a Christmas box.

Last years box was amazing and so I couldn't wait to see what they put in this years.......

A silver box with black tissue paper with black stars - very pretty!

The contents are listed in a little booklet, along with discount codes for numerous brands that have been featured in previous boxes.

 Packed full of goodies! 

 Ayuuri Moisturising Sandalwood Face Wash

This is a full size product 200ml and retails for £3.49 here.

This is quite heavily scented and at first I wasn't sure about using it on my face but sandalwood is both anti-bacterial and moisturising so I'm going to give it a go.  I can always use it as a shower gel if my skin doesn't agree with it as a face wash. 

 Sleek True Colour Lipstick in Cherry

Again another full size item, this retails for £4.99 here.

Cherry is a lovely berry vampy shade, perfect for this time of year! It looks quite pink toned on me which is good as I am very pale so dark lippys can make me look washed out.

Mary Greenwell Lemon EDP

This is a 1.5ml sample, 50ml retails for £84.00 here making the sample worth £2.52.

I know a lot of people don't like getting perfume samples in their beauty boxes but I actually really like perfume samples! 

This is gorgeous!! I thought it might be too summery to wear now but it smells of lemons and spices - so hard to describe! I will definitely be using this up over the next week.

Rituals Cherry Blosson & Rice Milk Body Cream

This is a good size travel tube which contains 70ml, it retails for £5.00 here.

I love rituals products after last Decembers Glossybox which contained the foaming shower gel, so I was pleased to find this product in the box.  It smells divine!

Seche Nail Polish in Bella.

Another full size product! This retails for £9.95 here.

Bella is described as a deep shimmery red, it is so pretty.

I put it on as soon as my Glossybox arrived (in the evening!) so excuse the dark pic.

This is only one coat! It applied beautifully and dried really quickly.  I will  definitely be buying more Seche polishes.

 Glossybox Blusher in Glossy Rosewood

This is a bonus item, it was made by Kryolan and is a very pretty pink colour.

Definitely the best own brand product that Glossybox have sent us!

So this month is a big thumbs up and I am glad I bought the box, some lovely products that I can't wait to try and there is nothing that I dislike! A winner this month Glossybox.

Did you get a Glossybox this month? Did you get the same contents as me?

July & August Empties

Hi everyone! Well can you believe it is the 1st September already, the year is flying by!

I forgot to do my empties at the end of July and only remembered when I went to put another empty bottle in the bag I keep my empties in so I thought I would do a combined post.  I still have £40 saved up from my empties to the end of June.

Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo and Conditioner - You can read my initial review here. After using this shampoo and conditioner for a few months I do still really like it but I wouldn't pay full price of £41.50 now.  I have found some other products recently that I really like.

L'Oreal Elvive Full Restore 60 Second Saviour - This makes my hair lovely and soft and is very moisturising. This retails for £4.99 in Boots. I would repurchase.

Percy & Reed Moisturising Shampoo - This is nice but at £14.00 for 250ml I wouldn't repurchase as there are cheaper products that I prefer.

All full size items so £4 in the pot.

Essential Care Organic Rose Moisturiser - I got this in my May Joliebox, it is a lovely moisturiser doesn't break me out and I can actually feel it tightening my skin when I use it. 50ml retails at £19 here.  I wouldn't repurchase though as I am loving the next product!

Layla D Honey Moisturiser - You can read my review here.  I really struggle to find moisturisers that agree with my skin but this is fabulous. Would definitely repurchase.

Elemis Pro Collagen Body Cream - this retails at £9.99 here for 50ml, the full size is a whopping £49 for 200ml on the Elemis UK website! This smells lovely but I don't notice any firming or lifting effects when I use it. I have a couple of these body creams through beauty boxes/swaps as it smells lovely but I wouldn't repurchase it.

Apivita Express Beauty with Honey Face Mask - You can buy a two pack for £5.72 here. This left my skin lovely and soft and plumped up! Would repurchase.

4 Sample Sizes thats £2 in the pot.

FAB Cleanser - Think I have had this in every single empties post! Nice product and I'm on my last tube of it now.  Full size retails at £13 in Boots. I would repurchase.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser - Full size of 200ml retails for £34 on the Murad website.  I loved using this! It made my skin squeaky clean! But I didn't realise how much it cost :( I would definitely repurchase if I could find it cheaper! 

Clarins Water Purify One Step Cleanser with Mint Essential Water- Full size retails for £13.88 here.  I like this, it removed my make up including my eye make up without stinging or causing breakouts and it smells lovely! I would repurchase.

Lancome Bi-Facil Sensitive Eyes Instant Cleanser - Full size of 125ml retails for £17.85 here.   I find it does take a bit of rubbing to remove my mascara with this, I have a full size that I am using but I wouldn't repurchase this.  Happy if it comes in a GWP set though!

4 Sample sizes another £2 in the pot.

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in Sunrise - Retails for £6.90 here.  This is my last Rituals shower gel and I will definitely be picking more up! They smell gorgeous and are very moisturising.

Molton Brown Vitalising Vitamin A, B + C Bath and Shower - 300ml retails for £15.60 here.  This smells nice but personally I wouldn't spend that amount on bath and shower gel so I wouldn't repurchase.

Gorgeous by Gok Body Wash - This reminds me of Christmas as Ialways pick up a set when it's on offer! It smells so good and doesn't dry out my skin.  I think you can only buy this at Christmas as I can't find it on Boots website.  Will be repurchasing.

Champneys Watermint Body Scrub - This retails for £6 here.  Wow this is fab! The smell is a real pick me up and the scrub is great, not drying and just the right amount and size of beads. Definitely repurchasing.

3 full size and a sample is £3.50 in the pot.

Total of £11.50 added this month making £51.50!!

June Empties

I can't believe June is over already, this month has gone so fast!! Hopefully July will bring some summer weather and less of this awful rain that we have been having.

I had saved up £31 at the end of May, and this is everything I used this month.

Full size Ojon volume shampoo and conditioner.

These retail at nearly £40 for the pair, I do really like Ojon products but for volume I prefer John Freida volume range for a quarter of the price so I wouldn't repurchase these.

Both full size so £2 in the pot.

The Body Shop dreams unlimited shower gel - I got this in a set with body lotion and a perfume. I love the scent, its very fresh and floral. This is on special offer at the moment for £3.90 on the Body Shop website. 

Rituals foaming shower gel in Mandarin & Mint. I do love these shower gels, they smell divine and are so moisturising. I have one I am using at the moment and one in the cupboard  so I need to stock up! They retail for £6.90 at John Lewis but I always keep an eye out in TK Maxx as they have them now and again on special offer. 

I would repurchase both of these, but the Rituals is definitely my favourite.

Both full size so another £2. 

These are all the products I used up on holiday! 

You can read about them on my holiday post

L-R

Sample size Vanitas Versace Perfume

2 x Sample size Lolilta Lempicka Perfumes

Full size Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash

Travel Size Ojon Shampoo

Travel size Ojon Conditioner

Sample size Green People Suncream

Sample size Bharti Vyas Face & Neck Polisher

Full size Champneys Body Butter

I would repurchase the body butter and the perfumes but nothing else.

Thats another £5, so total of £9 this month making the total £40!

I'm in the middle of using up quite a few products so I think July is going to have a lot of empties!

Aprils Empties!

Yay its bank holiday weekend! Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine :)

Used up quite a few items this month, I am putting £1 for every full size item and 50p for every sample size item in my money box.  I started in March and have £9.50 so far.

Full size Rituals foaming shower gel in Zensation - organic rice milk & cherry blossom, I love the Rituals foaming gels and this is my favourite scent.  Will absolutely definitely be repurchasing (once I use up the other three bottles I have!)

Full size Balance Me super moisturising body wash - this left my skin lovely and soft but I really don't like the smell it has patchouli in and the scent is very heavy.  I got this in one of my Carmine boxes, I wouldn't repurchase it in this scent but I have one in Rose Otto and that smells much nicer, like turkish delight! 

Sample size Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily bath and shower gel.  I got this in my Harrods Glossybox and I love it! A little goes a long way and the smell is divine. 

So thats £2.50 into the pot.

Sample size Decleor Phytopeel, natural exfoliating cream.  I received this in my last Feel Unique box, I really like this product.  You spread it over your face wait for it to dry then rub it off! It leaves my skin super soft.  The full size retails at around £25 so its not cheap, but my skin looks much better after using it and I have a few on the shelf that I have received in swaps so don't have to splash the cash just yet!

Two sample size FAB cleansers - my skin loves these cleansers which means I do too! I have a stash of these that I have received in swaps, I am down to my last three tubes now and will be purchasing the full size when I'm down to my last tube.

Full size Soap & Glory scrub your nose in it - I love the smell of this, I leave it on for a few minutes as a face mask and it leaves my skin lovely and soft.

That's another £2.50 in the pot.

Sample size Soap & Glory flake away - this smells good enough to eat! I think this is my favourite body exfoliator.

Sample size Dead Sea Spa Magik silky smooth body lotion - I received this in one of my beauty boxes, I use it on my shins and it doesn't irritate them.

£1 in the pot.

Sample size Lulu Timebomb flashback night cream - I received this in one of my Carmine boxes. Its quite light for a night cream which I quite like, it doesn't irritate or clog my sensitive skin. I was actually quite surprised by how much I like this product!

Sample size Yon-Ka Anti-Pollution Vital Defense cream - I received this in my December Joliebox, its a very small sample which makes it hard to judge whether or not you like a product.

Sample size Sisley Sisleya global anti-age cream - Received this in a Latest in Beauty box, a little goes a long way which is good as the full size product retails at a whopping £260 for 50ml! I liked it but I didn't like it £260 worth!

Thats £1.50 in the pot.

I wouldn't normally include toothpaste in my empties, but I got these in my Carmine box.  I have used this brand before and I wasn't too impressed with the whitening power BUT these toothpastes are brilliant, my teeth were much whiter after using and I'll be buying the full size.

Another £1 in the pot.

Sample size Ginvera green tea BB cream - I got this in a Latest in Beauty Little box. I have tried a few BB creams and not been too impressed with the coverage, but I like this one! The smell is awful but the coverage and colour is really good.  Its probably just a touch too dark for my pale skin but would be fine in summer.

50p in the pot.

Full size Prada Candy - My lovely hubby got me this for Christmas after I loved the sample in my first ever Feel Unique box.

Sample size Thierry Mugler Womanity - love the tester packaging! 

Sample size Yardley Peony - got this in a Carmine box, its actually really nice a lovely spring scent

Sample size CK Euphoria 

Sample size CK Shock

Another £3.00 in the pot.

Thats £12 in the pot for April.  Must moisturise more in May!

What I've used in March

I love reading posts showing what people have used up in a month. Its great to see new products or what other people think of items that I like, so since I started my blog in March I've been keeping a box to one side then putting in my empties.

It's great to see items being used up!


I've also been inspired by a few blogs to put money away for each item I use up - i'm putting £1 per full size item and 50p per sample/sachet in a money box and I'm going to save it until Christmas then treat myself to loads of beauty related goodies in the sales, well that's the plan anyway!

Full size products

Rituals foaming shower gel 200ml in yogi flow - Indian rose and sweet almond oil
Rituals foaming shower gel 200ml in t'ai chi - white lotus and green tea

I got the yogi flow in my December Glossybox and really liked it so I purchased a few more from the range, they retail at around £6.50 online but I managed to pick a few up for £3 from my local TK Maxx. I prefer the white lotus and green tea scent, its really fresh and perfect for spring the yogi flow is really nice too but is more heavily scented.  The gel foams up really nicely and a little goes a long way.  They don't dry my skin so if I don't have time to moisturise after my shower these keep my skin nice and soft.  Would definitely repurchase.

Macadamia Deep Repair Mask 30ml

Personally I wouldn't class this as a full size product, but I got it in my February Joliebox and thats how they described it so I'm going with their description! This retails at around £2.50 online and as I have shortish hair I managed to get three uses from this sachet.  It smells gorgeous! Has a really nice thick consistency but spread easily through my hair and was easily rinsed out.  My hair was nice and shiny after using this and my frizz was definitely reduced. Would repurchase, its one of the nicest masks I have used - although I haven't tried my Ojon masks yet!

Perfume Samples

Clinique Happy 7ml - received this in a swap from Beauty Box Swaps 30ml retails at around £20 online.  I like this perfume, I think the name is perfect! The smell reminds me of my teenage years - it must smell like a perfume I used to wear.... I wouldn't repurchase though as there are other perfumes that I prefer.

Benefit Laugh with me Lee Lee - again received this in a swap! It doesn't say how much the vial contains but I'd say about 1ml.  I love this perfume! Its described as fruity-floral and for me its a great everyday scent.  At around £30 for 30ml I would repurchase this.

Memo Paris Les Echappees Jannat - again doesn't say how much is in the vial.  I got this in my December Best of Boudoir Prive box. I can't find this for sale in the UK, but you can find it on their website where 30ml retails for 69 euros (approx £58). I don't really like this scent, it was nice to try but to me it smells too spicy verging on the masculine. So I wouldn't repurchase this. 

Cleansers

Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil 4ml - received this in my Harrods Glossybox. 150ml is £28 on their website. I got two uses out of this sachet and I was really disappointed with it! I didn't like it at all! The oil was very thick, didn't seem to emulsify properly, didn't take all my make up off and no matter how much I rinsed it felt like it left a layer on my skin so I ended up using another cleanser to get it off! Would definitely not repurchase.

RMK Cleansing Oil 3ml - received this in my February Joliebox.  175ml is £23.25 on beautybay. I loved this oil! Was completely the opposite to the Shu Uemura oil, the oil is a much thinner consistency, spread easily, took all my make up off, emulsified nicely and washed off easily.  Really like this and 175ml would last for ages, I got three uses out of the sachet, so this is on my repurchase list.

Green People Gentle Cleanse 10ml -received this in one of my Feel Unique boxes.  Its organic and suitable for all skin types. 200ml retails at £16.95 on their website. This is a nice gentle cleanser, left my skin nice and soft didn't break me out at all but didn't remove all my eye make up.  It says it moisturises but I did need an additional moisturiser.  Its a nice thick consistency and smells really nice, although its quite a strong smell so may be overpowering for some people. I'm undecided on repurchasing this, my skin likes it but I don't like the fact it doesn't remove my mascara very well.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser 28.3g - I first received this in my December Glossybox.  I had just had a disastrous experience with Clinique three step that ruined my skin and this cleanser was my saviour! Soothed my sore skin, cleared up my spots, removes all my make up.  I love it! I still get the occasional spot but no big breakouts anymore. It is unscented and a little goes a long way. You can buy the essentials kit from Boots for £10.  This is my favourite cleanser and I have stocked up from Beauty Box Swaps (think I have 5 tubes left) and will be repurchasing when they run out!

Body and Face Moisturisers

Clarins Extra-Firming Body Cream 30ml - Received in my Harrods Glossybox, the cheapest I could find it online is £31.60 for 200ml on Escentual.  The cream smells really nice to me, like bubble gum! Its easily absorbed and makes my skin nice and soft, not sure about the firming effect! At over £30 I wouldn't repurchase this.

Caudalie Nourishing Body Lotion 30ml - Received in the same Feel Unique box as the Green People cleanser (oh how I miss Feel Unique beauty boxes) 250ml is £14.40 on lookfantastic, really like this it smells fresh, easily absorbed and doesn't irritate the lovely dry patches on my shins! Undecided on whether I would repurchase £14 to me is a lot to spend on a body cream.

Clarins HydraQuench Cream 15ml - got this in a swap with the Clinique Happy perfume, its £26.40 for 50ml on Escentual. This product is described as ultra-moisturising, it didn't live up to my expectations - still had dry patches that it didn't seem to improve.  Wouldn't repurchase.

Korres Wild Rose 24 Hour Moisturiser SPF 6 10ml - got this from the Best of Boudoir Prive box, wasn't sure if I would use it at first but I'm glad I did! The smell of rose is really subtle, the cream sinks in easily and gave my complexion a nice glow! Looked really nice under my foundation. I don't know if it does moisturise for 24 hours as obviously I wash in this time! but I really liked it for the daytime a little goes a very long way and I'm suprised how long this little tube has lasted me.  40ml is £15.20 on Lookfantastic. Would repurchase.

Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo and Conditioner, both 10ml.  Got these both in a little set from the first She Said Beauty box, along with a Style-Prep Smoother (not used this yet).  Only got one wash from these samples so its hard to judge the product, my hair was nice and soft but I wouldn't say it was any smoother than usual. The shampoo is £15.50 for 250ml and the conditioner is £17.50 for 200ml from John Lewis. I wouldn't repurchase these products. 



This is my little money box! How cute is it! I got it in a set from Lush at Christmas.

So thats £9.50 saved up so far!

Just realised there is not one make-up item that I've used in full this month! Thats awful when I think of what I have bought....which leads me onto my first April post - Budget Challenge!

Oh and just a quick one - I am in no way paid/affiliated/bribed by any of the companys I have linked to, this is purely so you can see the product in full and get an idea of price.  I have tried to pick the websites with the lowest prices x