October You Beauty Box

Right - decided to try and get the review of this box opening done earlier than last time!  This box turned up really early in the month again which is great as it spaces out the boxes I receive.

As you can see, it's the usual looking You Beauty Discovery Box.

The usual booklet that I've brilliantly cut off the corner of which states that this is the Handbag Heroes box.

The two products I selected this month are in the middle and the extras are either side.

I'll start with the first selection of mine:

This is the Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser.

I've not tried this yet but I am slowly collecting various Murad products as they always seem to get good reviews.  The UK seem to be a bit late to the party when it comes to Murad but I'm starting to see it in various shops now so they're much more available.

They have numbers in the top left corner which relate to the different stages of your facial routine.  Ideally, you would have at least a 1, a 2 and a 3 product to get the full benefit.

This is a cleanser that promises to dissolve surface oils and impurities to leave skin clear and bright.  It is recommended to only use this product once or twice a week and rub onto the skin, leave for a minute or so before rinsing.

The Murad site has lots of rave reviews for this product and state that they are so sure you'll love it yourself that you can return it after 30 days if you are unhappy, even if the tube is empty!  They're also offering a free gift worth £35 if you spend £60.  You can buy the full size 200ml tube for £35 from the Murad site here.

The second product I chose was the Crystal Clear Intense Anti-Ageing Serum.

This claims to be a powerful anti-ageing product that gives intense moisturising, smooths lines, restores and repairs dry, tired skin, firms skin and even states that it is 'frown-freezing'!!! 

I won't attempt to go into the full range of ingredients but one in particular pops out to me - 'Sy-Nake' is a synthetic mimic of Temple Viper venom which is apparently great at smoothing out wrinkles and expression lines.

I did take a photo of the back of the tube but it's ever so slightly out of focus and I don't want to weird anyones eyes out so I'll describe what it says.  It's a 30ml tube and the instructions for use are to unscrew the rollerball head, squeeze the tube to fill the cavity 3/4 full, re-attach the rollerball and then apply to the face.

I admit that I am very intrigued to try this out as I a) love any anti-ageing product and b) want to see what synthetic snake venom does to my face.  The full size tube is 50ml and is £60 from the company website.  I think you can see that this 30ml tube is a great inclusion in this incredibly good-value box.  You can buy it here.

The first of the 'Extra Treats' from You Beauty is the Gold Collagen® Forte.

I stupidly thought that this was a bottle of skincare products but it's actually a drink!

Well, actually it's an anti-ageing supplement that contains collagen and antioxidants which help fight the appearance of the signs of ageing and is aimed specifically at the 40+ age range.  This is when the skin is supposed to start having the effects of life and lifestyle take its toll.  The collagen, elastin and natural defences start to weaken (great!) and this supplement helps to restore some of those lost anti-ageing thingamajigs.

This is a daily supplement which can not only restore the anti-ageing defences but can also help hair and nail health too.  The website has a long list of ingredients and helpfully puts their properties and benefits right next to each.  There is also a really useful FAQ section which I recommend reading before purchase.  It states that the collagen is taken from fish skin which, although certified by veterinarians as being fit for human consumption, presumably makes it unsuitable for vegetarians and vegans.

The website suggests taking the supplement on an empty stomach but suggests taking it after food if you experience gastrointestinal upset.  There is also some interesting information that explains how the supplement is specifically designed to allow collagen to be absorbed from the stomach.

I'm not sure how I feel about this product.  While I like the idea of the product being aimed at my age group and the promises it makes, I am always leery of anything that states there may be any kind of stomach issue and I also imaging that you probably need to take a lot of supplements like this to see any effect.  The FAQ section says that you should use daily for at least a month to see any effect.  At around £40 for 10 bottles that makes £120-ish for a month although you can buy 90 days and 120 days worth that come at a discounted price.  It's still around £80 though.

You can buy this, as well as Pure Gold Collagen and Active Gold Collagen supplements either from the Gold Collagen website here or from Boots (who have a 3 for 2 offer at the mo) here.  The detailed info and FAQ stuff can be found here.

Lastly is the Cowshed Perfecting Night Serum.

The list of properties to this serum is very long but highlights of it are that it increases cell renewal, plumps and hydrates skin, improves skin tone and elasticity and reduces fine lines and hyper-pigmentation.

You can see a lot of the list of benefits here and also see that it retails for £48 but there doesn't seem to be anything on their site that says what size this is for.

The usage is straight-forward - apply to skin and neck after your cleansing routine at night and let the serum work on you while you sleep. 

This seems like a decent product and I look forward to trying it out.  I've heard of Cowshed but not tried any of their products and haven't heard what their reviews are like.  Unlike the drink supplement, this is a bit of an easy product to try out but the size of the sample means you're unlikely to see results.  However, things like absorption and the general feel of skin can be enough to give a rough idea but you may want to seek out reviews before splashing your hard-earned cash.  The serum can be purchased directly from their website with free standard delivery here.

I have to say that You Beauty have really surpassed themselves here and the products that I've got seem great, even counting the strange supplement drink.  I continue to be impressed by this little box that packs a big punch and is worth every penny in my opinion.

You Beauty subscriptions start at £6.95 and you can get them here.

September You Beauty Box

I received the September You Beauty box early on in the month which was weird as it seemed like I'd only just received the last box.

The You Beauty boxes are small but for only £6.95 they are always good value.

As usual, I got to pick two products from a list and then You Beauty do the rest.

In this instance I chose the Germaine de Capuccini Excel Therapy 02 which promises to revitalise and nourish your skin and give a healthy and more youthful appearance.

This is an intriguing product and I'm always willing to try anything that claims to treat signs of ageing so I'm looking forward to giving this a go.  I'm in the middle of using something else at the moment and I don't want different tubes on the go but I'll put this next on my list to see how it works.  It retails for £51.50 on the website here.

This cream was twinned with the Multi-Regenerating Rosehip Oil.

This oil can be used to hydrate dry, mature and ageing skin but can also be used on stretch marks and scars in the manner of Bio Oil.  The site also mentions that it can sooth skin after chemical peels and skin undergoing surgery.

I like oils like these as I do have a few scars on my skin and I certainly have areas of very dry skin so I'm keen to see how this helps.  This oil is available from the website for £34.95 here.

The other product I chose was the Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen.

I use eyeliner most days so I thought I stood a good chance of putting this to good use.

This is a waterproof, smooth eye pen that states that it doesn't budge or smudge!  Quite a statement methinks.

The colour I received was DeepPlum which I'm excited about as it's dark enough for me to feel comfortable wearing but not a colour I currently own.  As a green eyed person this colour should work well I hope.

I tried to quickly smudge this to give a better idea of the browny colour of this pencil and you can certainly see that it didn't want to smudge very much.

I like this pencil as it was beautiful to use, even if it was only onto paper, and I look forward to trying this out with different eye looks.

It retails for £11 and there are a lot of colours available to choose from here. 

The rest of the box included the following:

The Toni & Guy Volume Plumping Whip is something I'm sure I've had in a Latest In Beauty box but still not tried.  This is used on damp hair and blow dried as desired to give volume without being sticky.

To be honest, I tend to just put my hair up most days as I work in an office, don't take lunch breaks and don't meet the public so I don't really care about what my hair looks like.  However, when I next want to go the trouble of doing my hair I'll give this a go and see what it does.  My hair is quite thin so I'd like to see how much volume this offers.  I won't bother linking a website to this as it's pretty widely available from places like Boots and Superdrug for around £7.20.

Then there were two sachet samples of Crabtree and Evelyn tea.

As you can see, the flavours are Blackberry Green Tea and Afternoon Tea. 

I'll probably use this one more as it's like the type of tea I already drink several times a day already but I've never tried this one so I'll definitely be giving this a go soon.

I'm not sure about this one but only because I was put off blackcurrant/blackberry teas by a friend who once commented that they smelled like cats wee!  I think I'll give this one a tentative sniff before using it.  It won't go to waste however, as my Mum like to make a low fat fruit cake that steeps the fruit in tea before using.  I have given her various different teas to try using over the years so this one will certainly get used if I don't use it.

Lastly, the one that made me smile:

A sponge! 

Actually, I was recently watching Wayne Goss on his YouTube channel Gossmakeupartist (watch him if you don't already - he's brilliant!) and he said that face powder brushes were originally invented for using after you had put your powder on with a sponge like this to brush off the excess.  It got me thinking about giving this a try to see if it helps to keep my skin more mattified as you use it to press the powder into/onto your skin before using the brush.  It's apparently a good way of powdering your face if you have dry skin or are worried about your make-up being displaced with brush strokes.

You can watch that video here.  And watch a few more while you're there!

Well that wraps up the You Beauty box this month.  I love the weirdness of the things they send and the items you choose are usually good value, especially given the price and that it includes postage.  You Beauty boxes can be subscribed to here.

September Glossybox

I received this box a couple of weeks ago but various incidences cropped up that have delayed my posting.  Apologies.

The box itself is different from the usual light pink colour as this one is a Karen Millen inspired box and there was an accompanying event that Glossybox subscribers were invited to.  I'd love to have gone but I'm not the biggest fan of travelling to London and I'd not long previously been up there for a injection through my tailbone (yummy!) so wasn't feeling up to it which is a shame.

This is certainly a striking looking box and, even though I like to keep my Glossybox boxes anyway, this one will certainly be kept to use to store things in.

An offer of £25 off, presumably when you spend £150 in store.

The usual, helpful card of product info inside.

First up on the list is the ModelCo More Brows Fibre Gel.

This is basically a mascara style eyebrow gel that you apply by brushing it through your brows.  It's very useful as it applies colour and allows you to shape your brows at the same time rather than having to apply gel or wax, brow powder or pencil and brush your brows into shape.  The colour is Light to Medium and you can also get it in Medium to Dark so the colour I got was the lightest available.  It is a very versatile colour though and I had no problem in getting it to blend in on my brows.

It applies as a gel-type formula and dries in around a minute.

As you can see, the colour looks like a greyish brown but is certainly not too dark for lighter brows.  For a brow-phobe I found this to be a really good product to use as it was easy, gave great coverage and was really effective.  It certainly takes the stress away from using powders, gels, waxes and pencils.  It was easy to get a light coverage too in case, like me, you're worried about having fake looking eyebrows.

The card says that this retails for £14.95 for 3.5ml from the ModelCo site but the site says that it's £9.95.  I would definitely think about getting this again and there were quite a few mid price range cosmetics and more on their website so worth a look.

Next on the list is the L'Oreal Professional Mythic Masque.

This masque is designed to replenish and nourish your hair and leave it looking glossy.  It certainly seems to contain some very good ingredients like avocado, argan, grapeseed and cottonseed oils which is encouraging.

This is to be used after shampooing and applied to towel-dried hair, left for three minutes and then rinsed.  If your hair is very damaged, like mine, then you can cover your hair with a shower cap or clingfilm and even wrap a towel over the top of these to create some warmth and allow the masque to really sink into the hair.

I haven't had a chance to use this yet but, as I've said before, with damaged hair like mine, I'm always keen to try different products out to see if they live up to their claims. 

The card says that this retails for £15.50 and I'm not even going to attempt to link the site they give (a where2getit site with a looooong link) but I Googled it and found several hits.  Feelunique.com have it for £15.30 and offer free postage for orders over £10 here.

Third on the list is the SkinPep Enzyme and Acid Peel.

This comprises of 2 sachets of Brightening Enzyme and Acid Peel and a Dark Circle Eraser.

The first is used on wet skin and the company recommend that 3.5ml is the perfect amount to use which is the full amount of the sachet provided.  Massage the gel over your damp face and neck for 1-2 minutes, leave for a further 1-2 minutes and the rinse thoroughly.  The gel can be used up to twice a week and continued use can enable you to leave the gel on for over 5 minutes.  Skin should feel smoother during massaging but a deeper effect can be obtained with longer usage. 

The gel retails for £89.99 for 180ml, £29.99 or 30ml, £14.99 for 15ml and £3.99 for the 3.5ml sachet and can be purchased here and there is a useful instructional video on the page.  For anyone put off at the idea of chemical peel type products, the site also offers a sensitive skin version.

The second is the eye gel, applied to the under eye area much like most eye creams and gels.  The regular size of this product comes with a strange plastic applicator thing which you use to massage the gel into the under eye area.  The site recommends that you keep it in the fridge which is always a good idea for eye gels as it adds to the soothing feeling. 

There is a huge amount of information on this product on the site which includes stating that the gel reduces dark circles and supports collagen and encourages blood circulation. 
This comes in two sizes, 15ml for £49.99 and the 2ml sachet for £6.49 here.

I haven't used these yet as I like to use sachets of products on occasions when I can make the most of the results.  I'm not sure how I feel about these and the prices are quite high but the reviews on the website seem to be very good.  I think the proof will be in the testing and then I'll think about the prices.  Maybe.

The Nails Inc Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat is next up.

These isn't much to say about this as it speaks for itself.  A matte topcoat instead of using a glossy topcoat or having glossy nail polish on.

 

I like matte topcoats and already have one that I bought from a clothes shop as there was a display near the till.  I like the idea of the different effects you can create with matte topcoat and sometimes the effect can be amazing, especially with polishes with micro glitters in.  I've often found myself adding glossy topcoat to matte polishes but I often forget to try mattifying a glossy polish.  

One great effect I used matte topcoat for was with the Models Own Speckled Egg range that I'm wearing in my header photo.  I loved that the colours reflected the colours you get with Cadbury's Mini Eggs but the shells of those are matte.  I broke out the matte topcoat I already had and applied it over the polish and was really happy with the results.

 The picture quality isn't great in the second photo but hopefully you can see how cool the matte effect was here (eew, my cuticles!!! - sorry!).

 

Getting this polish in my Glossybox has inspired me to try more matte effects over my regular polishes to achieve different looks and I've got a few new polishes that this would work well with.  I like Nails Inc too but I admit that I don't always reach for them when choosing my next polish.  I recently swatched all my polishes and the Nails Inc wheels had some great colours so I'll try to make sure I wear them more.  You can get this for £12 from the Nails Inc website here.

Lastly is the Ultrasun UK Extreme SPF 50+.

This product is a SPF 50 sun protection cream that you apply once a day, 15 minutes before going out into the sun and is water-resistant which means that you have excellent sun protection for the whole day.

The website states that this is perfume and preservative free, with no mineral oils or emulsifiers.

This is only a 15ml tube so it won't go that far on me but I look forward to trying this product out as I am always worried about sunburn and the damaging effects it has on the skin.

You can get the full size 200ml of this for £20.00 from ultrasun.co.uk here.  The company also offer a SPF30 cream and a face cream with a SPF of 50 and other variations of these creams.

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with this box but not overwhelmed by it.  The Glossybox site shows a great range of September products and ones I would have found really great to try.  I like the brow gel and the hair masque, sun cream and matte top coat are very useful.  The skin peel makes me slightly nervous but I'm willing to give it a go, as long as I have a basin of water ready in case my skin gets irritated.  You can subscribe to Glossybox here.