Which beautybox is best for me?

Hi everyone, I received a few emails asking for advice on which box would I recomend for them so I thought I would do a quick overview of a few boxes and hope some of you may find it useful. (Please excuse the photography, I have finally ordered my new camara so higher quality coming soon!)

There are so many boxes out there now and sadly a couple of really good ones have stopped.
I am currently subscribed to three plus an extra optional one (more on that later) but most boxes are a monthly subscribtion so it's a great way to try the boxes and see if they are for you.

The first box I will be looking at is the Amarya box which is a monthly box and not one I see on blogs very often.

This is an organic and natural box every month and so far has been bang on time each month with no hassle.  It comes in the actual delivery box, there is no box inside however it does have lovely pink shredded paper!

Amary beauty box

Cost:  £10pm plus £2.50 p&p

Last months box contents:

AD Nourishing night treatment

Lavera all round cream

Terre de oc lip gloss

Tous H2O Eau de toilette

Pros of the Amarya box

Very reliable

All natural and organic products

The samples are fairly high quality and useable

Cons

They may not send as many samples as some boxes

Is this box for me?

If you like organic and natural products then yes!  This box would best be suited to someone who likes discovering new products and likes a good reliable beauty box service (as Amarya have never delivered late to me yet!).

The next box is the one which started my obsession with beauty boxes and probably the most famous of them all!

Glossybox

Cost: £10p/m + £2.95 p&p

Last months box contents:

Baloon and travel mirror (bonus birthday items)

Collection (2000) liquid eyeliner in gold

Eldora false lashes

Noble Isle summer rising bath and shower gel

2 x Lola Lempicka perfume samples

Neal's Yard daily rose moisturiser

Pros of Glossybox

Sometimes you get a nice full size product

Cons of Glossybox

Different people get different boxes and the value difference can be substantial

Have been known to be a little unreliable with the delivery dates

Samples can be pretty rubbish and my last perfume samples were empty!

Is Glossybox for me?

I feel that Glossybox is great for a younger market who like makeup and more heard of brands.  As mentioned above I have found the box to be unreliable with content and delivery at times and have since cancelled my subscription.  Having said that I feel that if Glossybox pull up their socks and send out some amazing boxes like they have done previously (i.e. Harrods themed box) then they could regain the love and I think they may well do that so maybe worth while keeping your eye on them!

This next box is a really nice box that each month comes with a little bag for the products and I have used them in my handbag, very handy!  Since being renamed and taken over from bourdior prive this box has got better I feel.

Joliebox

Cost:  £10p/m + £2.95 p&p

Last months box contents

Full size China Glaze nail polish

Essential care rose moisturiser

Talika eye serum

RMK Primer

Cons of Joliebox

I'm struggling!

Maybe sometimes they have changed the delivery date!

Pros of Joliebox

Samples are normally reliable

Good customer service

Good for discovering new brands

Is Joliebox for me?

Joliebox for me has been one of the most consistent in terms of sample quality and I have really had some wonderful samples from them.  This maybe isn't for you if you don't like trying new brands, but I feel this brands caters for those who like to mix high end with high street.

The final box I have only ever had twice but it is a really interesting box and one I feel slips under the radar a little at times but is getting a bigger name for itself.

Latest in beauty

Cost:  They have different pricing for different boxes

Last months box contents

Liz Earle cleanse and polish

Percy and reed dry conditioner

Mont Blanc and Elie Saab aftershave and perfume samples

L'Occitane hand cream

Full size nails inc polish

Elemis pro-collagen body cream

Weleda firming day cream

Cons of Latest in beauty box

They can often sell out fast

Pros of Latest in beauty box

You can see the box before you buy so no more getting a box full of useless samples!

Customer service is great

You have so many options for the type of box you want including build your own mini box anytime!

Is Latest in beauty box for me

I feel this box would suit everyone and although the box I showed the contents for was a special box is was priced the same and the quality of samples is usually similar!  You can buy Editors pick boxes, themed boxes and build your own where you choose 3 out of 9 samples anytime and get them delivered (dangerous!).  Although some may say the element of surpirse is gone I would agree but having had some boxes where I have only used one thing from this is a great option to have if you don't have the money for a box a month or don't want to waste it until you're sure you will use them!

Final word!

I tried ranking these boxes but couldn't decide my top one but I hope you have found my guide useful if you are trying to decide.  I have not had any Shesaid beauty boxes so that is why they aren''t included but that's another box that maybe worth looking at too.

What are your favorite boxes and why?

March Glossybox The Harrods edition

Hi everyone, well better late than never right!  I missed the postman and then had to collect this from the post office so it took a few days longer than expected to post but here is this months Glossybox!

This month was the Harrods edition and there had been a lot of hype surrounding this box.

The box was white this month and was tied with the signature green Harrods ribbon, it looked lovely!

I felt the contents of this months box were nice and are all things that I will get use out of.

Ojon-Damage repair reserve instant restorative hair serum

I was excited to see this product as I am very familiar with Ojon and it was a great size sample and will be a perfect treat for my hair.  To use you warm one or two drops of this serum in your hands and apply to damp or dry hair before heat styling or as a finishing touch.  I'm really looking forward to trying this as my hair goes dull very easily and this will hopefully pick it back up.

Fendi-Fan di Fendi eau de toilette

As with most people I am not great at describing fragrances but this one says on the information sheet that it is a luminous floral fragrance, radiant with sunlight and leaving a lasting impression of light roman leather on the skin.  To me this is one of the nicer smelling perfume samples and I was really glad I received this sample as I'm on the hunt for a new fragrance.

Clarins-Extra firming body cream

I like trying Clarins creams and cleansers as it is not a brand I purchase that often but always enjoy the brand when I do.  I have a few various Clarins samples at the moment and as I'm going on a trip shortly I will be packing them and giving them a try together so this one is a great sample to take away for a few days and I'm looking forward to trying it.

Erno Laszlo-The Hollywood collection: 5 piece cream gift set

This was the first time I'd seen a sample gift set of more than two items and as I am not familiar with this brand it's very exciting as I live skin care and love finding out about new brands.

This comes with sachets of morning beauty rescue, refresh moisture infusion, instant eye repair, intensive porcelain veil and velvet night cream.

This to me is a great idea and when I go away for a weekend it's going to be a great product to pack as it has all you need to give the products a real try and see how they work together, I love this sample.

Burberry beauty-miniture lip cover rosewood no.4

This product from what I have read caused the most hype as it is such a nice sample and I know a lot of people were excited to receive this.  The colour is a fairly universal colour.

The lipstick itself is quite moisturising and comes out well and it looks pretty and will fit in your clutch bag!  A really nice sample and one that I am glad I got and will 100% use and probably use it all!

Verdict

I really enjoyed the Harrods Glossybox, it had a bit of everything in and the perfume sample was a generous one!  I have read that some people got slight variations of the box but the one I received I really enjoyed and once again I will get use out of all the products inside.  I can't work out which product is my favourite this month, but my top three are the Ojon serum, the Erno Laszo samples and not forgetting the Burberry lip cover, it's adorable!

Thanks for reading















Febuary 2012 Glossybox

Hi everyone, sorry it's been such a long time, we have been away this last week and I've had a mad busy time, but I am back now and so here is this months Glossybox!
It is the London fashion week edition with products that will keep you looking your best and invigorated, I love fashion week so this box excited me!

DuWop Venom Gloss
This was in the shade buttercup and it is a very pretty pink with shimmer.  I have used venom gloss before and can honestly say it is fab!  This will be perfect for my clutch on my next night out, thanks Glossybox!

Dr Bronner Magic Liquid Soap
This says it is a mixture of organic extra virgin coconut, olive, jojoba and hemp oils with essential oils.  This is a pretty odurless soap and I have recently been buying lots more organic and natural products so this was a lovely product to try.

BM Pure Mineral Eyeshadow
This is in the shade platinum Tiara and is quite simply beautiful!  I really love the pigmentation of this product and the shdae is really nice too, also an added bonus for me is that it is minerals which I'm loving lately!

Paul Mitchell Round Trip
This is a fast drying curl definer which will be nice for next time I curl my hair.  It smells gorgeous, I know this because sadly mine had leaked all in my box!  Still there is enough product left in the bottle to give it a fair try.

Como Shambhala Invigorate body lotion
I have saved the best til last!  This body lotion smells incredible!  It says it has Eucalyptus, Geranium, lavender and peppermint essential oils and my goodness do they smell amazing together!  I am a sucker for any product that promises lavender essential oils as recently I've become quite partial to the smell and this product is right up my street and I will be using this tonight!

January Glossybox 2012

Hi everyone, so finally this months Glossybox came and for those who aren't sure what it is, it's a monthly box that gets delivered to you with samples and normally a full size product for you to try.  You do have to pay a monthly fee for this but what I love about it is you aren't tied in for 12 months or anything, it's just a month by month contract!
Anyway here's this months valentine's day box and it's contents.

This month it was a very pretty pink box that even had a sweet inside but unfortunately I ate the sweet before I pictured it, ooops!

Four luxury size samples and one full size product were inside this months box.

FAB Gentle body moisturizer
The card I got in my box said body wash but it was moisterizer I got and this is scent free, parabin free and has no badies in!  It wasn't a thick moisterizer and sunk in nicely (although I have only tried it once)!

Clarins Extra firming day cream and extra firming night cream
I was surprised to see these in the box, I don't know why but it was a pleasent surprise.  They smell lovely and I have tried a couple of Clarins products but as I am still searching for a great night cream these will certainly be used.

EYEKO Skinny eyeliner
This was this months full size product and I love trying new eyeliners.  This was lovely to apply and although I only had yesterday evening to play with it I like it so far, a party I'm at this weekend may give it a true test run!

MURAD Hybrids skin perfecting orimer-dewy finish
This was the product I fell in love with first in this months box!  I have been wanting to try more Murad products and this made me eek with delight!  I love trying primers and am quite hard to please when it comes to them but I have to say so far I am loving this!  Again I have only used it last night to see how it felt on my skin then again I have it under my makeup and oh my goodness, it is so far one of the best primers I have used.  I know I can't really judge it fully yet but I am excited about this product soooo much!

Thanks for reading, what was your favourite product this month and what products would you like to see in the Glossybox in the future?

October Glossybox, Yey!

Hi everyone, I have to confess I get really excited about my Glossybox each month and this month was no exception, so I will get to it and show you this months!

Sorry the pictures upside down, I appreciate you bearing with me while I get the hang of all the settings!

Again really well presented and a birthday like feeling when I opened it. 

The first two products were Dermalogica Age Smart Multivitamin Thermofoliant and Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque.

They smell very spa like and I am so excited about trying these two products as my skin needs a good pick me up lately and I feel these may help!  I will post a review as soon as I ahve given them a good try.

I then had Leighton Denny Expert Nails colour and care in Babydoll.  This is a fairly pale pink but not particually nude pink, it's a bit deeper.

I have wanted to try Leighton Denny nail polishes for a while as I keep hearing good things about them lately and saw him on QVC!  It really is spring/summer shade but I will give it a go very soon and let you know.

The next product again I was super excited about was the Stila smudge stick in Moray.

Stila is a brand I have been wanting to use and is about to make a comeback so I am really looking forward to using this and it says it's highly pigmented and delivers intense, vibrant colour with staying power and so this is going to be a hit with me if it delivers (and I'm pretty sure it will!).  I will keep you postedon how I get on.

Then I had a few sample frangrences from Robert Piguet, they were Fracas de Robert Piguet, Visa de Robert Piguet and Calypso de Robert Piguet.

To be honest from the bottle these smelt like not my sort of perfume, however I am going to try them on my skin for a day and pop the little bottle in my handbag and see how I go as I know perfumes smell very different on different skin so another exciting product as I love finding new fragrences.

The final product was a bonus product, again I was so happy with the product and it was Dermalogica Age Smart Renewal Lip Complex and this came within a little black beauty bag.

I am ALWAYS applying lipbalms and butters and anything to keep my lips nice and moist so when I first tried this I loved how think and rich it was, it had real staying power and my lips felt lovely with it on.  I'm going to keep this by my bed and put it on every night as it was a real treat for my lips and when it's gone I may well be tempted to buy the full size product.

That was it for this months glossybox and I'm already excited about my next one!  Speak to you soon.