As we are getting closer and closer to the summer months, these subscription beauty boxes are becoming more and more exciting. I am expecting a good balance between skin care and makeup and lots and lots of colours!

Glossybox May 2018 didn’t come in the iconic pink Glossybox. Instead, it came in a rare, one-off, design with colourful clouds and the word day dreamer on the top lid. It certainly fits the May month, where a lot of us are starting to day dream of holidays. The box was gorgeous and it’s really nice that Glossybox does beautiful designs every now and again. It gives that month a special note and excitement to the unboxer.

Other than the daydreamer box design, the theme this month was “products that will help you transport to a relaxing paradise”. The products contained though, weren’t what I would imagine for this theme, I was more thinking of face masks etc, but nevertheless, the products were interesting.

This month’s box contained 5 unique products as always, of which 3 were full size, one was travel size and the other was sample size! The products were, as seen in the picture, from left to right: a foot soak, an eye shadow palette, a makeup remover and a shampoo and conditioner duo.

Let’s have a look at the products in more detail. Bear in mind that these are my personal opinions and as beauty is a very personal thing, we all have different skin, requirements and biological build which can influence things. What worked for me might not work for you and vice versa, please leave your comments below!

 

Gelspa Just for Feet Luxury Jelly Foot Soak

This product is a gel treatment for feet moisturisation and general relaxation. It comes with two satchels that you have to use in different steps. Firstly, you mix the Jelly Foot Soak satchel 1 with water and it turns into a gel that smells like lavender and lemongrass. After you had enough of a soak you add Satchel 2 which turns the gel back into water.

According to the Glossybox leaftlet, this is a “specially developed powder which turns water into gel – yes miracles do exist”. There is nothing miraculous about this, this product is almost A-level chemistry, all you are doing is forming a gel by mixing a polymer, sodium polyacrylate to be exact, with water. This polymer, also known as waterlock, loves water and picks it up forming this gel. It is similar to hualyronic acid, in terms of, it absorbs many times it’s weight in water, but very different in structure and function. The smell comes from the added fragrances of lavender and lemongrass and the colour comes from the added colouring. And that’s it!

When you add the second satchel, which is sodium chloride also known as table salt, the gel breaks apart going back to the watery structure.

In terms of ingredients, I can’t say that I am impressed, this is a very cheap A-level type chemistry experiment with not much “nutritious” content for your skin. There is nothing really luxury about this as the name of the product suggests. However, sometimes simple things can do the trick and if you feel that this might relax you give it a go. After I managed to ignore the scientist in me, I definitely found it relaxing but then again even if you soak your feet into a bowl of water it might be relaxing too.

Nevertheless, this product is meant to soothe tired, aching feet, help with Athlete’s foot, combat fungal issues, eases foot odour and act as a natural eczema treatment. So many claims that are probably just helped by the act of washing and moisturising. I’m not sure that the ingredients contained actually actively help with the mentioned conditions. This product is also vegan friendly and safe for diabetics. However, it is not safe for pregnant women.

This one use box of two step satchels (40g) retails for £4.99 which is not worth it, beauty-wise. If you are interested in having a little science experiment with yourself or the younger ones then this might be a good idea. However, beauty speaking, this product is not particularly nutritious for the skin and there are other foot masks, foot creams and even body butters with more and better ingredients that will moisturise, nourish and possibly calm you even more. SCORE = 6/10

 

 

Trifle Cosmetics Praline Palette

This cute little palette definitely conjures up excitement. The colours contained are very wearable and it even comes with an applicator and mirror.

The outer design of both palette and packaging is super cute however, the actual palette is made of cheap plastic which feels fragile and it almost gives it the “makeup for kids or teenagers” feeling.

The actual eye shadows are more pigmented than I expected, especially the last golden colour, it is absolutely gorgeous. They are not fully powdery, some of them have a little creaminess to them, but at the same time they are not top notch eye shadow quality. They are easily workable though and they last for hours if you use an eye shadow primer.

All 6 colours are more on the metallic side and although you cannot easily create a full look with this one, you can definitely use this little palette to add some interest to your look.

This eye shadow palette is 100% cruelty free, vegan, contains no mineral oil, no parabens, no phthalates, no gluten, is hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and lasts for 12M. Don’t be too hyped up about all the “paraben, phthalate etc free” labels, most eye shadows are free of those anyways.

This palette is full size and retails for £15.55. Considering the quality of the packaging and eye shadows as well as the size, this is overpriced. SCORE = 7/10

 

Kueshi Facial Makeup Remover

This is a makeup remover with two layers or phases. The top is clear and the bottom is blue and of course you are meant to shake the product well to mix before using.

It is a gentle makeup remover that can also remove waterproof makeup. It works well and smells of nothing. It is not tested on animals and lasts 12M. It feels like any other gentle makeup remover and although I don’t really have any negatives to say about it I also don’t have many positives.

This is a travel size bottle (100mL) which retails for £10.50 which is expensive for what it is. If you are looking for a gentle liquid cleanser try the Garnier Micellar Water Sensitive Skin which is also much cheaper (£0.83 per 100mL). It’s not specifically designed for waterproof makeup but it is still a fairly good remover.

Unfortunately, the Kueshi Facial Makeup Remover is a product that is very forgettable and too expensive for what it is. SCORE = 7/10

 

 

Maria Nila True Soft Shampoo and Conditioner

Even though it might seem annoying at first, it is really exciting to get travel size items in beauty boxes, especially shampoos and conditioners and especially during the summer holiday season. So useful!

This little duo is 100% vegan and cruelty free, contains softening argan oil, is sulphate and paraben free and has a colour guard complex to reduce colour loss associated with washing and heat styling. These products are also meant to reduce frizz.

Interestingly though, the shampoo contains sodium lauryl sulfoacetate which is “SLS’s sister” compound. It’s essentially a version of SLS and although there is no solid evidence against SLS, I do find it slightly sneaky that they are advertising this product as sulphate free by including the sister, just slightly modified compound. This is a great example to show you that the entire SLS fear and “sulfate free” labels are marketing related not science based. Nothing against this particular shampoo or brand though, many others do the same – just a note.

Although the bottles are not particularly beautiful, they are simple in design and actually stand out. They are also very sturdy which makes them good travel companions.

Both shampoo and conditioner smell nice and fresh with the shampoo having a more fruity scent and the conditioner a traditional conditioner smell. Both products worked well and have some good ingredients but I can’t say that these are the best I’ve ever used.

Both products last 12M and retail between £3.98 – £13.99 depending on size. Definitely not the cheapest hair products but they do give nice and smooth hair. SCORE 7/10

 

 

We Are Tea Early Grey Supreme

Glossybox also included a sample of the We Are Tea in flavour Early Grey Black Tea. It’s definitely a cute little addition and something that is always good to try out. I thoroughly enjoyed this tea but I will not be scoring it here as it is not a beauty item.

Although, according to the Glossybox leaflet, you can use this tea on your pillow to let the herbal infusion relax you. Anything in the name of relaxation right?

 

Overall, I loved this month’s box design and theme but I felt that there was a slight disconnect between the two. The products contained were not as exciting or fitting for the theme but nevertheless, they were all worth a try. Not my favourite Glossybox and not as exciting as Glossybox usually is, but I guess it’s ok to get a mediocre box every now and again. 

Initial box score, in terms of products and first feelings = 7/10

Overall box score after product testing (a sum of product scores) = 6.8/10

Star product = Maria Nila True Soft Shampoo and Conditioner

 

 

Did you get this month’s Glossybox? What did your box contain? What did you think of the products? Have you tried any of the products listed? Let me know your experiences!

For all the details on how Cohorted, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Birchbox performed in 2017 and which one is worth your money, check out “Battle of the Beauty Boxes – Conclusions from the 2017 unboxing and reviews on Cohorted, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Birchbox!”

For general Subscription Box reviews see my: Birchbox, Glossybox, Look Fantastic and Cohorted general review posts. For help on how to choose the right subscription box for you check out “Which Subscription Beauty Box is right for you?”.

I am not affiliated with any company or brand. These are my views and experiences.

 

This article is from www.bonds-of-beauty.com but you can also find me on:

Instagram: @bondsofbeauty

Twitter: @bondsofbeauty1

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/bondsofbeauty/

Bloglovin: https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/bonds-beautycom-18959593

Blogorama: https://www.blogarama.com/blogging-blogs/1287212-bonds-beauty-blog/ 

WordPress: https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/64442128

Influenster: Bonds B