(a late) January Glossybox

by Catriona Stokes

Earlier this month I decided I'd subscribe to Glossybox for a few months as I'm trying to budget and I thought it would stop me spending so much on makeup and skincare! I have yet to see if that will actually happen...

In any case, I only just received my January box yesterday as I subscribed halfway through the month. I know a lot of people were disappointed with this month's box, and I have to admit it probably isn't the most exciting of boxes (after seeing those of previous months'). Nevertheless, I was reasonably happy with what I got considering what could've been in there!

I do really like the packaging! The box is very sturdy and I'll definitely be re-using it. The inside of the box feels equally luxurious, but I can't help feel a little bad about the amount of paper that's been used, because it just gets thrown away almost instantly.

Anyway, on to the contents.

I got the Sanctuary Spa Active Reverse Thermal Transformation Mask, Paul Mitchell Lavender Moisturising Conditioner, Monu Micro Exfoliant, Premae Balance Rescue Face Tonique, and Jason Lips Bee Healthier lip balm.

First up, the Sanctuary Mask. I tried this last night and was seriously unimpressed. It had some really great reviews, but it didn't live up to them for me. I think the mask is meant for more mature skin, and I don't think me with my combination/acne prone skin was really who it was meant for. Anyway, the ingredients seem to consist mainly of those which I have so far only seen in John Freida Frizz-Ease and conditioners! Namely Cyclopentasiloxane and Cyclohexasiloxane (silicones) in the "step 1" serum, and Dimethicone in the "step 2" clay mask. I don't even use Dimethicone on my hair anymore, let alone my face! There are also loads of other hard-to-pronounce ingredients which generally I try to stay away from.

I thought I'd at least give it a try, and the approximately 15-minute long warming effect which was promised lasted all of about 10 seconds before reaching the same temperature as my face. I left it on for the full 15 minutes, washed it off with warm water, and used my normal nighttime moisturiser, Jojoba oil. Patches of acne that I wasn't even aware of instantly felt really prominent, and I was desperate to wash my face again! I held off as I didn't want to cause extra irritation, but I didn't feel at all comfortable. It felt like my skin was being suffocated and as if it was covered by a greasy film.

People said this made their face feel very smooth, and as a glorified hair conditioner I'm not surprised! The full-size product retails for £27.50 for 50ml/75ml at Boots and needless to say, I will not be buying it.

Next up, the Paul Mitchell Conditioner. I must admit I haven't tried this yet, but it does smell lovely. Lately I've stopped using SLS and Dimethicone on my hair, and it has made a huge difference to the texture. It's now much softer and less dry-feeling, but this unfortunately means that I no longer want to use the large majority of conditioners out there! Pretty much all conditioners from high-street brands contain Dimethicone and this Paul Mitchell one is no exception. I will probably try it at some point when I run out of my current conditioner, but even when I do I won't be purchasing the full-size version due to the ingredients (and the £11.50 for 300ml price tag!). This can be bought from the Paul Mitchell website.

The Monu Micro Exfoliant looks really promising. I didn't want to use it last night as it suggests only using it a couple times a week and I wanted to use it tonight before work! I always love using some sort of exfoliant before applying makeup for a night out. I don't find this to be a necessary step for a normal weekday. I took a little bit out of the container to see what the texture was like. The exfoliating beads are really fine and it feels lovely and creamy. I think it should be fairly gentle, but I will report back! The full price is £14.50 for 100ml from their website. The sample size is 30ml.

The Premae Face Tonique was next. I have to admit I was really hoping this would arrive in my box! I was really happy it did. It's an alcohol- and fragrance-free toner promising to "close pores without stripping skin of its natural oils". It's meant to "mattify and rejuvenate congested skin", i.e. it sounds absolutely perfect for me! Unfortunately, the packaging doesn't shout 'high quality', there are some mis-spellings and it feels very home-made. I tried this today and I have to say, it's absolutely amazing. It definitely mattified my skin and felt really soothing at the same time! My skin feels amazingly soft and I hope I don't go through it too quickly. This is £27.50 for 50ml at their website. The sample was a reasonably generous 30ml.

The final product is Jason's lip balm. I love Jason as a brand, and I currently use their Dimethicone-free (man, do I keep ranting on about it!) conditioners with really great results. I'll review these another time. This lip balm certainly impressed me. Not only does it contain 70% Organic, all-natural ingredients like vitamin E and aloe, but I applied it last night before bed and woke up with really soft, moisturised lips. It smells like mint-chocolate and has a lovely smooth, non-sticky texture which stays on the lips for ages! I'll definitely buy this again. This was a full-size product which costs an astonishing £1.99 for 4.6g on their website.

I was generally pretty happy with the things I liked in this box, but I'm a little disappointed that two of the products won't even be used properly! I wish Glossybox considered your stance on certain widely not-used substances like SLS, Silicones, and Dimethicones, but I appreciate that this isn't the easiest of things to do.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's in February's box! I'm wondering what combinations of things other people got, and how they found them... Any loves/hates?

Paul & Joe Eye Makeup Remover

by Catriona Stokes

It's really grim outside today in Bristol. Just as rainy and horrible as yesterday, so I thought I'd cheer it up with something pretty! I bought this Paul & Joe Eye Makeup Remover recently along with the Stila waterproof liquid eyeliner from the last post as I normally don't wear waterproof makeup and usually I just cleanse twice to remove all of it.

It claims to be "a dual layered design with oil and water based ingredients, the formula effectively removes all eye make-up and impurities including waterproof mascara." You can see the "dual layer" in the photo below, and after shaking to the right.

before shaking

before shaking

Because the formula doesn't contain alcohol, it isn't drying and it doesn't sting at all. It also doesn't contain any fragrance or colouring, making it feel very gentle and soothing.

Additionally it contains moisturising oils, apricot kernel oil and jojoba seed oil as well as a few other botanical ingredients like rosemary leaf extract and orange flower water.

There are a few ingredients which I'm not keen on, though. The formula contains mineral oil and methylparaben which I'm not worrying about too much at the moment as I cleanse straight afterwards so these aren't sitting on my skin for any length of time, but I probably won't repurchase. I will look around to find some other alcolhol-free and hopefully paraben and mineral oil-free removers instead.

Paul & Joe Eye Makeup Remover is available from ASOS at £13 for 100ml.

after shaking

after shaking

Having not used much makeup remover in the past, I can say that I will probably start to use it daily as I don't need to scrub away at my eyes so much while cleansing!

Firstly, the bottle itself is absolutely gorgeous. It's got a matte, frosty finish which feels lovely, and it's nice and heavy. It feels really high quality. It also has a cute vintage-y pearlescent pink top. It looks beautiful next to my perfumes and brushes and things!

To use it you have to first give it a good shake and decant it onto a cotton pad. It has a lovely gel consistency which removed my makeup really thoroughly after a few wipes.

I will, however, be keeping the bottle to refill with whatever remover I buy next! It is far too nice to throw away.

I have also kept the box it came in to store plasters and pore strips as it is the perfect size!

Exploits in liquid eyeliner

by Catriona Stokes

I have been a bit of a liquid eyeliner obsessive for the last year or two. On a night out I will, pretty much without fail, go for winged eyeliner. I suppose it's a little boring, but I like how it looks, what can I say!

Anyway, I've used L'Oréal Super Liner almost exclusively since I've been using eyeliner, but I've branched out recently to see what else is around. I like a really precise winged eye, and although I love Super Liner, the tip just isn't quite fine enough to use exclusively.

L'Oréal Super Liner Ultra Precision in Black

L'Oréal Super Liner Ultra Precision in Black

So here it is, probably my 5th tube, nearing it's end. It's obviously really worn out. I do love this eyeliner, but as I said the end just isn't quite fine enough to use by itself. That said, it's highly pigmented and goes on smoothly, drying to a shiny finish. It's reasonably long-lasting for a non-waterproof liner, and it doesn't tend to flake too much. I will probably continue to buy it as it lasts me a long time, and I haven't found anything else better for the price! It's relatively inexpensive at around £6.50. I bought mine at Boots.

Rimmel Glam'eyes Professional Liquid Liner

Rimmel Glam'eyes Professional Liquid Liner

I picked up this Rimmel Glam'eyes eyeliner a few months ago as I was looking for a liquid eyeliner with a very fine tip to get a really sharp wing. The tip is actually a brush, like a tiny nail varnish brush, not a felt tip. Unlike most other eyeliners I've tried, it dries with a very matte finish. The formula is quite thick and paint-like which isn't ideal if you are using it by itself, but as I only use it to sharpen up the inner and outer corners of the eye, I don't find this to be a problem! It works very well for what I use it for, but unfortunately my skin doesn't enjoy it much. It tends to sting slightly when I put it on, but it stops as soon as it has dried. I'm not sure whether I will buy it again as although I really like it, the stinging makes me wonder what's in it! It shows no signs of running out, and cost me £5.29 at Boots, so it's pretty good value.

Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black

Eyeko London Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black

I bought this Eyeko Skinny Liquid eyeliner slightly impulsively after reading some good reviews about it. I got about 4 decent uses out of it before it got so dry that it was basically impossible to use! It wasn't particularly pigmented and the felt tip started to fray at the end, so the fairly wide tip got even wider. I have stopped using this completely, which is a shame as I spent £10 on it! It is occasionally on sale on ASOS and you may have better luck with it than I did, but I certainly won't repurchase.

Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner

Stila stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner

My latest purchase is Stila's stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner. I haven't used a waterproof liner before, but this had some great reviews and the felt tip looked very fine, just what I like. I have only used it once so far, but it went on very smoothly and precisely, and lasted all night without flaking. It dries to a fairly shiny finish, which doesn't bother me, and is reasonably highly pigmented. It doesn't seem to be quite as black as the L'Oréal and Rimmel liners, though, which for £13 disappointed me slightly! I will buy this again if it happens to be on sale, but I will probably move on to a   different liner if not. You can find it at Boots.

left to right: L'Oréal, Rimmel, Eyeko, Stila

left to right: L'Oréal, Rimmel, Eyeko, Stila

I have yet to find the perfect eyeliner... Sometime soon I'd like to try Pixi's Lash Line Ink (£12) and NYX's Super Skinny Eye Marker (£7.50). They both look promising.