Last Month's Beauty Boxes: Looking Back on March 2012

Hi all! This is a new feature where I look back on my beauty boxes for the previous month and see whether I really did use the products in them. Previously I would edit my old posts and make notes on what I thought of the products, but I became dissatisfied with this way of doing it. I mean, aside from the blogger who wrote them, who goes back and reads old blog posts anyway? シ

So here we go with the March 2012 boxes (click on headings to see original reviews):

Lust Have It
Davroe Moisture Senses Argan Oil - haven't opened this yet, but very much looking forward to using it once I've finished my Garnier Smooth n Shine Serum (I'm phasing out Garner products due to their animal testing status).
Karpati DITO nail lacquer in Midnight Romance - used this on my toenails. Normally polish on my toenails lasts a couple of weeks, but this started to chip after only a few days. Unfortunately seems to be quite bad quality.
1Skin Solutions Lip Balm in Vanilla - in my lipbalm stash and next in the queue!
Kosmea Replenishing Moisture Cream - haven't opened this yet, but I just adored the exfoliant so very much looking forward to using it once my Jurlique Night Cream is finished. P.S. I was excited to see Kosmea products at Priceline and Chemist Warehouse recently!
Mirenesse Pearl Crush Creaseless Eyeshadow in Tahitian Pearls - love, love, love this! I use it all the time. The shadow is extremely pigmented and stays on all day.


Mirenesse Pearl Crush Creaseless Eyeshadow.
(Mine was a different colourway to this.)
From Pinterest.

I Love This Box
Essie Nail Polish 'Carry On' Autumn Collection in Lady Like - have only used this once, soon after I got it, but I adore it and will definitely use again. It was very long-wearing.
Maybelline New York XXL Pro Curl Mascara - have not opened yet, but will use when my current Maybelline mascara goes manky.
Sunsilk Co-Creations Frizz & Weather Defence, Weather Protection & Shine Serum - haven't opened yet. I've received a lot of hair products lately, so I'm not sure when I'll get around to it.
Thalgo Soft Hydrating Emulsion - I've been using this regularly. I like the sea salt smell and it makes my skin soft.
Glitter Puff Wand - not a product that you use, really. It's currently decorating my makeup station.


Thalgo range.

GlossyBox
Proactiv Cleansing Body Bar - Husband and I both used this bar, but after only a few days, we threw it away because it was giving us pimples and his back became very oily.
Eau Thermale Avene Thermal Spring Water - put this aside, may or may not use it. I do use a facial spritzer at work, but it has calming essential oils in it. This has nothing. Hm.
Nougat London Tuberose & Jasmine Nurturing Hand Cream - currently using. However, it sets off my eczema. (I'm bad like that: I'd rather use something up than throw it away, even if it's bad for my eczema.)
KMS California Free Shape Hot Flex Spray - currently using. I occasionally need to straighten my fringe, so I use it then.
Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream - currently using. Love the smell (very similar to Jurlique's exfoliating cream, actually) and makes my skin smooth. Not sure if it truly cleanses well, though.

GlossyBox : The Verdict

I've received 4 GlossyBox boxes now, and I've decided to cancel my subscription. All of the boxes were pretty average, and the last one was just plain poor. But let me back up my decision with some statistics:

These are the affiliate brands promised on the GlossyBox website, which I've received products from over the course of 4 months:

Auscreen ; Avene ; Bobbi Brown ; Carmex ; Clinique ; Dr. Hauschka ; Estee Lauder ; Jane Iredale ; John Frieda ; KMS California ; Nivea ; Nougat London ; Polished London ; Proactiv (2) ; Sally Hansen ; Sheer Cover (2) ; Star & Rose ; Tigi

These are the brands that I never received products from:

Absolutely Gorgeous ; Adorn ; Australis ; Babor ; Beyond ; Bio-Oil ; Biotherm ; Blush Amour ; The Body Shop ; Bourjois ; Calvin Klein Fragrance ; De-Coy ; Dencorub ; E.L.F. ; Essie ; Face of Australia ; Garnier ; Gorgeous ; Jurlique ; Klorane ; Kosmea ; Olive by Langlois ; Laviol Organic ; Lethal Lips ; Lily Loves Pearl ; Marc Jacobs Fragrances ; Mirenesse ; Nude by Nature ; Silk Oil of Morocco ; Palmer's ; Playboy Fragrances ; Shiseido ; Shu Uemura ; Spongeables ; Tabu ; Thin Lizzy ; Voules-Vous ; Wine Wipes ; Yves Saint Laurent

Of course, over 4 months I would have received 20 items, and with the number of brands listed on the website, I was only ever going to receive a selection. Perhaps some statistics will help clarify things:

Standard of Product
Luxury	1	5%
Top Shelf	4	20%
Middle Shelf	8	40%
Bottom Shelf	5	25%
Bargain Bin	2	10%

Please bear in mind that everyone's opinion is different! My evaluation of a valuable product/brand name might be different from others. In case anyone's interested, the luxury product was the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex. Though the fact that I only received it because I'm 'old' mitigates the excitement factor a bit. (Subscribers over 28 years received this product, those under recieved a blue eyeliner.)

This second table is based on the out-of-10 rating I gave to each box. Here is how it works:
* a product scored a 2 if I was very excited by it; and/or it was something I needed and will definitely use ; and/or it's a type of product I love (e.g. eyeshadow) and also a brand I had been wanting to try.
* a product scored a 1 if it was a product I hadn't really needed but will use ; and/or it was a brand I had been wanting to try but a product in that brand I wasn't particularly interested in (but will still probably use)
* a product scored 0 if it was a disappointing cheap-o brand ; and/or a product I definitely won't use.
Now, I didn't record the actual scores for each product at the time, so I'm sort of re-creating the score, but here we go:

Wanted Factor
Scored High (2)	4	20%
Scored Medium (1)	8	40%
Scored Low (0)	8	40%

I used the above factors to give my box a rating out of 10. If I was particularly pleased with the box overall, I added 1, if there was anything that made me particularly disappointed overall, I subtracted 1. Here are the box ratings for the last 4 months, and the average rating overall (links to the individual reviews are in the table):

Overall Box Rating
December 2011	5/10
January 2012	7/10
February 2012	6/10
March 2012	2/10
Average Rating:	5/10

5 out of 10 is not enough to keep my patronage, sorry. I could have been vindictive and taken off a few points for adding the exposed-as-a-sham Power Balance Bracelet, but I'm very sure I would have cancelled anyway, even if it weren't for that.

So bye bye GlossyBox! Now I'll just have to decide if I'll subscribe to the fourth beauty box company in Australia, Bella Box. It's only fair, no?

Review of GlossyBox March Beauty Box

Hot on the heels of the last Beauty Box comes the March Glossy Box. To be honest, I had been disappointed by their last few boxes, so I was coming into it a little biased. Sorry to say, but true to expectations, I was highly disappointed.



Here's why:

First off, I opened up the box and it smelled strongly of perfume. Not a bad smell at all, and I was excited that maybe there was a perfume or nice smelling item in the box. But none of the products smelled like that scent. Obviously GB have sprayed some kind of perfume on the inside of the box, for some unknown reason. It was confusing and disappointing. Next off, I was disappointed when I saw the products themselves, and I'll explain why below.

Proactiv Cleansing Body Bar, 150g bar
I received the Proactive Deep Cleansing (Facial) Wash in last month's GlossyBox and hated it. It irritated my skin and the menthol in it made my eyes water. Judging by the Beautypedia review of this product (see below), this product is no better. There were quite a few complaints about last month's products among beauty reviewers, so why did GlossyBox include another Proactiv product in this month's box? I was really annoyed by this. Not only that, but it says on the packaging itself: "If dryness occurs, reduce application use." If dryness occurs, shouldn't you be stopping it altogether??
I'll give the soap a go, but I'm going to chuck it at the first sign of any problems. So mad.
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here]: Frowny face rating: product drying and is highly fragranced, which is irritating to the skin as well.
Conscience time: ProActiv is a U.S. company founded by two dermatologists. It does not test on animals.

Eau Thermale Avene Thermal Spring Water, 50ml can
I have heard of this product before and was pretty unimpressed. It's basically just spring water in a can that you spray on your face. I'm sorry, but is their spring water so much better than any other spring water? I'll give this a go, but I'm highly dubious. I would have much preferred to receive the Avene Cleanser and Toner set that other subscribers received. At least that's actual product, not just water in a can. Next!
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here]: Frowny face rating: it's just water, surely something with actual soothing ingredients in it would work better?
Conscience time: Avene is a French company. Its animal testing status is not divulged.

Nougat London Tuberose & Jasmine Nurturing Hand Cream, sample size 10 ml (estimated)
Nougat London is a U.K. fashion brand who seem to have branched out into bath and body products. There's a slight thrill in knowing that they're sold in Harrod's and shops throughout Europe. But are they available in Australia? Who knows? This small hand cream sample smells quite nice, but you know how I feel about tiny samples!
Conscience time: Nougat London is a U.K. company. I couldn't find information about their animal testing status.

KMS California Free Shape Hot Flex Spray, 30ml bottle
This is a heat protectant spray for the hair. I very rarely use heat styling on my hair, so this product isn't much use to me. It smells really good though, like berries, so I may give it a go just for that!
Conscience time: KMS California is a U.S. company. Their website was so annoying I couldn't be bothered trying to find out any further information about them.

Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream, 10ml tube
This is the one product in the box that I was unreservedly happy to receive. I'd been wanting to try Dr. Hauschka for a while, but I can't afford their products. Even though I've already received a few cleansers lately, I'll put this to the front of the queue. Although, the Beautypedia verdict for this product is not so good, so now I'm in two minds about it!
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here]: stern face rating: contains nut shells which can be abrasive, and is overpriced.
Conscience time: Dr. Hauschka is a German company, it does not test on animals.

Bonus Product: Power Balance Bracelet
Really?
Don't we all remember about a year back when the Power Balance Bracelet was exposed as a sham? And now here it appears in my GlossyBox? WTF? It's like someone had a warehouse full of these things taking up space and wanted to get rid of them. Unbelievable. I am so mad.


That's it for the products. But wait, I have more to whinge about.
The product card was enormous, about 3 times the normal size. Here's a photo of it:



Then I realised why this was. There are 18 products listed on the card! Ever since GlossyBox started, they've had a reputation for distributing different products to different subscribers, with some inevitably feeling left out. This time they haven't even bothered to try and disguise this, and just published one card with all the products on it. Plus discount cards to purchase the items you didn't get in your box. I'm sorry, but that's an insult. There are certainly some products that I would have much rather received than my selection (the De-Coy Panda Eyes Pen; the Body Shop Chocomania Body Butter; the Thin Lizzy Concealer; the Pome Wonder Serum). Then again, there were some I was glad I didn't receive (the Coconut Water; the Dencorub Heat Gel - yes, Dencorub! It's supposed to be beauty products, for eff's sake! I can't imagine how I'd feel if I'd received those.)

Not to mention the added disappointment when you see what amazing luxury products the U.K. subscribers received in their special Harrod's sponsored boxes this month. (Here's one example; subscribers received different products, but all the ones I saw seemed to have several luxury brands in them.)

But the straw that broke the camel's back was this -

no pricing! Normally the full product size and price are listed on the card, so you know how much the box is worth, and how much you'd expect to pay if you wanted to buy the product again. But not here. So I have no idea how much this box was worth. Sure, I could probably google all those details, but I just can't be bothered. I shouldn't have to, anyway.

Summary: I've received 4 Glossy Boxes now, and that's the probation period over.I'll write up an overall evaluation of all the boxes in the next few days, but I'm sure you can already guess what my verdict is.

Total Value: $??.??. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $??!.??!
Rating: 2/10

Review of February GlossyBox Beauty Box

As promised, here's February's GlossyBox!

This month was all about the V-word. That's right, Valentine's Day! The box itself is a hot pink colour, and the packing paper inside is pink and white. A little packet of love heart lollies was inside. Aww! Here's the visual:



It contained:

Bobbi Brown Lash Glamour Extreme Lengthening Mascara in Black, no size listed but estimate 3g.
I was happy to receive this product. My mascara's getting pretty old, and it'll be interesting to try a more 'middle shelf' brand. Specifically, whether the bristles really "interlock with lashes like a zipper"!
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here]: Product receives a 'straight face' (OK) rating. Does not lengthen or darken any more than other, similar products.
Conscience time: Bobbi Brown do not test on animals but are owned by Estee Lauder, who do conduct animal testing.
21-MAR-12 edit: I've been using this nearly every day and it's actually pretty good. It separates my lashes well (compared to the mascaras I already had, anyway).

Jane Iredale Tantasia Self Tanner, no size listed, but estimate 15ml.
Jane Iredale was one of the first dedicated brands for mineral cosmetics, and I've been curious to try it - the price always put me off! I would much rather have tried a different product than a tanner, but that's the beauty box lucky dip for you! I sometimes use a gradual self tanner on my legs. This may or may not be enough for one application on my legs - we'll see!
Conscience time: Jane Iredale is a U.S. company (as far as I can tell), founded by an individual. It does not test on animals.
21-MAR-12 edit: I've used this a couple of times, and it's reminded me why I don't like instant tanners. It pongs badly! I certainly won't be buying it.

Proactiv Deep Cleansing Wash, 60ml sample bottle.
I was very glad to receive this as I'm currently suffering from a bad rash of pimples. It'll definitely be used up quicksticks!
Beautypedia Rating Summary [see full here]: This product receives a frowny face (bad) rating for two reasons: the AHA is not effective in a wash-off product, and it contains menthol, which can be irritating. Hmmm!
Conscience time: ProActiv is a U.S. company founded by two dermatologists. It does not test on animals.
21-MAR-12 edit: The menthol in this makes my eyes water and my skin sting. I diluted it heavily with another product before use.

Star & Rose Floral Wonderland Emergency Nail Files.
I was pretty underwhelmed by this product. Even though the design is pretty cute, it's not really a 'wow-factor' product. I'll take them to work, though, I'm sure they'll come in handy. I had a look at the company's website. They are a wholesaler of all sorts of beauty-related products in thoughtfully-designed packaging.
Conscience time: Star & Rose is an Australian company founded by a designer. I could not ascertain whether they test on animals.

Polished London Nail Enamel in Waitress, full size.
Normally I would be like, 'nail polish, yay'! But I already have an Anna Sui nail polish in almost exactly the same blood red colour as this. And you know which of the two brands are going to win out! So I'll probably end up using this in my art journal.
Conscience time: Polished London is an Australian company (so gosh-knows why it's called that!). I could not find out whether they test on animals.

Summary: I'm in two minds about this box. It was great to receive products from semi-luxury brands like Bobbi Brown and Jane Iredale, but on the other hand, I feel that something like a nail file should be a bonus extra rather than a core product. And, for a second, I thought the heart lollies were a bonus product, and was disappointed when they weren't. It's a little thing, but it all adds up!
The value is middling compared to other boxes I've received, but not terrible.
Other subscribers received an ELF black eyeliner, ELF glitter lip gloss, Adorn mineral blush, Carmex SPF lip balm (which I got a few months ago), Spongeables shower gel-embedded sponge, or temporary lip tattoos (what the??) in their boxes. I wouldn't have minded trying the Spongeable, but otherwise I think I got a pretty good deal! I don't know why GlossyBox have this practice of divvying up vastly different products to different subscribers - in my opinion it only leads to envy and disappointment.
21-FEB-12 edit: Today I received an email from GB titled "Tip of the Month", all about how great the Proactiv product is. At the bottom in smallish letters it advises that the full-size product is 375ml, not 475ml. Typos are forgivable, but what a completely lame way to inform the subscribers!

Total Value: $49.586. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $34.91
Rating: 6/10

Review of January GlossyBox Beauty Box

I was pleasantly surprised to find my GlossyBox waiting for me when I arrived home tonight, so I can enjoy it (especially the Aussie-themed temporary tattoos!) over the public holiday.

Here it is:


Nivea Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser, 30ml sample size bottle.
I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed on first seeing this item. I calculated the cost of the sample size at approx. 65 cents, so it's hardly a luxury product! It seems like filler to me. Plus I already have so many body moisturisers to get through! But I gave it a go, and Man agrees that my shins feel very smooth! The almond oil makes it very rich, though it does take a little while to sink in. The scent has that typical Nivea perfumy smell which isn't too disagreeable.
Conscience time: Nivea is owned by Beiersdorf, a German company. Nivea is not tested on animals.

Sheer Cover SPF 15 Nourishing Moisturiser, sample-size 30ml bottle.
Just the other day I was thinking that I should get a plain SPF moisturiser (the only one I have currently is tinted). Now that I sit next to the window in my new job instead of in a basement, it's time to start using SPF products! So I can use this untinted moisturiser in conjunction with my BB creams in the morning.
10-FEB-12 edit: I later found out on Beautypedia that this product does not contain both UVA and UBA blocking ingredients. Highly disappointed! Not only that, but something I've been using has been giving me pimples, and considering how waxy the formula is, this is probably it. There's no way I would buy this product!

Sheer Cover Lip Gloss, full-size pot.
I prefer lip glosses and lip balms in a tube as they are a lot less messy and I don't feel like I'm contaminating the product. It's a pretty shade of pink though (Praline Pink), so perhaps I'll use it in the mornings and apply it with a lip brush.
Conscience time: I couldn't find out where Sheer Cover is made but it's distributed by Guthy Renker, a U.S. company. Sheer Cover is not tested on animals.
10-FEB-12 edit: I've been using this every morning and ... I don't like it. It tastes like wax and rubs off very quickly.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronised Recovery Complex, 7ml sample bottle.
Now this is the fancy stuff! A full-size bottle of this (30ml) costs over $100, so we're looking at the big guns here! This is where beauty boxes get exciting. I could never afford to use a product this expensive on a regular basis, so it's fantastic to get to try it out. The gel has a nice cooling effect on my face and has a faint, pleasant citrus scent. It doesn't make my skin feel instantly smooth like the Clinique Turnaround Moisturiser from last month's box, but I'll keep using it and see how it goes.
Conscience time: Estee Lauder is a U.S. company. It tests on animals where required by law.
Beautypedia Verdict summary [full verdict here]:

This serum contains 3 up-to-date anti-ageing ingredients. However, their effect is purely theoretical - none have been actually proven to work. Therefore this product scores a Very Good rating, but not a Paula's Pick tick.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Fast Dry Nail Colour, full-size bottle.
Yes, I was excited to see this! It helps to make up for not getting one in last month's GlossyBox. The colour is a light pink called Petal Pusher - much better than the black I got in the ILoveThisBox. I can certainly wear this one to work. Handy!
Conscience time: Sally Hansen a U.S. company. It is not tested on animals.

Summary:
Some subscribers received a Kosmea exfoliant and/or an eyeliner instead of the nail polish and Estee Lauder product. Isn't it interesting that both GlossyBox and LustHaveIt are sampling Kosmea products?? Hmm! I'm glad I didn't get those - as much as I loved the Kosmea cleanser, the exfoliant is too similar; and I'm so not into blue eyeliner! Apparently I received the Estee Lauder because I'm over 26 years old in my profile. One time when being old is good, I guess!
It's getting harder to find other reviews of GlossyBox to compare to, as many people seem to have cancelled their subscriptions. To each his own, I say! There were a lot of complaints about the delivery, and I have to add my voice to them. It took 9 days for the box to arrive to me. All of this time, the tracking details showed it as sitting in the Australia Post Sydney despatch centre. It made me quite pouty to think that it wouldn't arrive by Australia Day. But AusPost came through in the end and there it was at the last minute.
The inclusion of the Estee Lauder really plumped up the value of the box - it's very much better than last month's GlossyBox; about on par with the other boxes.
Overall, I'm pleased with this month's box ... though GlossyBox is still on probation!

Total Value: $74.02. Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $59.07
Rating: 7/10
17-FEB-12 edit: I am down-grading the score from 8 to 7 due to the disappointing Sheer Cover products.

December Glossybox Beauty Box

A couple of days ago, I received my December Glossybox Beauty Box. I was pleasantly surprised, as I wasn't expecting it to come before Christmas. The cat seemed intriged by it, too!:



Source: Uploaded by user via ApartmentCat on Pinterest.

Here it is:


Source: Uploaded by user via ApartmentCat on Pinterest.


It was packaged in an impressively sturdy cardboard box. There was a candy cane, just like the Lust Have It box, but a full-size one this time! It contained:

Tigi Bed Head Manipulator, full size jar.
I was thinking of getting a new hair product, but this gloopy stuff isn't it. I touched my finger to it and got sticky stuff everywhere - and it was also hard to wash off! I can't imagine using this, and I don't know anyone that might use it, so it's pretty much useless.

Clinique Turnaround Overnight Radiance Moisturiser, 7ml jar.
Clinique is a brand I've wanted to try, but haven't due to the exhorbitant price tag. A quick sniff revealed practically no smell .... boring! I don't think 7mls is really enough to determine whether it has a beneficial effect. I have so many face creams now that I don't know when I'll get around to using it. So it's interesting, but not thrilling.
Beautypedia Verdict Summary: Does what it says on the box to some extent, however is unnecessarily expensive and the jar packaging results in contamination and lessening of effects.
28-JAN-12 edit: I've been using this every night for the last couple of weeks, and I think my skin feels noticeably smoother. I'm still aware that the jar packaging is not good for the product though, so I wouldn't buy a full-size jar.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Secret Weapon Flawless Finishing Creme, 50ml tube.
Yes, now this is something I really want! I love John Frieda products, and I've been thinking of buying an anti-frizz serum as my hair's been particularly crazy lately. I'm looking forward to trying it.
28-JAN-12 edit: I used this a few times on humid days and I have noticed the difference. It's not perfect, but much better. It smells good, too.

Carmex Moisture Plus Lip Balm full size tube.
A lip balm, little bit boring. I already have so many, I don't need more! But this is the first SPF lip product I've tried which didn't smell or taste disgusting. In fact, it smells lovely and made my lips lovely and soft. So I may well get it again.

Auscreen Sunscreen Lotion, 30ml tube.
Sunscreen? Hardly a luxury item! I already use this brand. I guess it's good to have a small size tube to carry in my handbag.

Summary: Although I was excited by the Frizz-Ease, overall I was pretty disappointed. The sun protection products will come in handy, but they're hardly exciting. Apparently some of the other subscribers received a perfume sample or a full-size Sally Hansen nail polish in their boxes. Also disappointing was the value of the products - a benefit of only $35 compared to $45 and $54 for the Lust Have It boxes I've received. I've decided to give the boxes a 4-month probation period, so hopefully it'll improve next month. According to recent reviews, the I Love This Box box is pretty good.

Total Value: $50.87 Cost of Box: $14.95. Benefit: $35.92
Rating: 5/10