Glossybox - July 2013

LE GRAND BLEU

Time to add a little gloss to the end of your weekend with the July Glossybox! I do apologize that it's a bit late, there was a little snafu with this month's box. I accidentally received a product that I'd already received in a previous month's box, so I had to contact Glossybox in hopes that they could send me a replacement product. They did in fact do exactly that, but I have not received it yet, nor do I have a tracking number so I'm not sure when I might receive it. I did not want to keep all of my wonderful readers waiting too long for this post though! What I may do though, if anyone is interested, is make a short update post for the replacement product. Just let me know if you'd like for me to do that! 

aaaaaand now, if you're new to The Charming Cheshire or if you might have missed it, here is the post for the Glossybox July Sneak Peeks: 

July REVEAL - Glossybox

For July, Glossybox kept things pretty hush hush with their sneak peeks, spoilers, etc.! All we essentially had was just a silhouette photo to go off of along with the 1st Sneak Peek. Shortly after we had the 2nd Sneak Peek product but that's it! 

Here are the mysterious products that I received! -

I received: a lip balm, hair masque, shampoo/body wash, acne treatment, nail polish and face wipes

Here is what Glossybox had to say about this month's theme:

"Think crystalline skies and cerulean seas - July is about all things beautiful, an homage to the deep blue.  At GLOSSYBOX, we are diving headlong into a summer full of beauty.

In this box, you'll find a complete set of products to accompany you through a glorious day at the beach - from a vibrant splash of color to skin and hair care essentials to repair the oft-forgotten downsides of spending too much time under the sun. Enjoy!"

The GLOSSYBOX Team

So it IS another beach theme! ::dramatic pose:: OH MY! The beach is DETERMINED to come to Cookie, whether or not Cookie goes to the beach! So let's see what I'm taking to the beach today!....

FIGS & ROUGE

CHERRY BLOSSOM TINTED LIP BALM TUBE

"Made with 100% natural ingredients and featuring a light cherry blossom scent, this organic tinted lip balm provides a tinge of color while keeping lips moisturized. Petroleum free." - from Glossybox July 2013 card

Can I just say I looooove this little tube? I mean, how CUTE is THIS?! Beautiful! I really just love the idea of putting this bright tube in my purse and excitingly pulling it out to gloss up my lips! People will ask me with intriguing glances..."What IS that adorable looking product?" and I shall reply: "Why, it's Figs & Rouge of course!". OK, maybe not, but hey...if a product can make a girl feel like that, it's excellent packaging! Also, BONUS, it smells ahhhh-mazing. It does smell like cherry blossom, but it also reminds me strongly of fruit roll-ups! How much would you just love a fruit roll-up scented lip balm? That's what I thought...you're going to buy it now, aren't you? AREN'T YOU? ::knowing smile:: 

Of course, there is a downside to this tube, it's a bit more difficult for application as you need to use your fingertips to apply. Some people might not be too fond of doing that since you may have a bit of the sticky-waxy substance remaining. You could squeeze a bit of the product out, then wipe it onto your lips directly, but even rubbing your lips together might not spread it as nicely as using the fingertips. If you have time, you could use a makeup brush to apply as that would give you the most controlled application. I don't have a problem at all with using my fingertips though, however!

This balm has a deep pink-cherry tint that you can see, but when you apply it, it lightens a bit but it's still visible. It's a bit on the thicker side for a balm, and just a teensy bit sticky when more is applied. It does glide on nicely, and well hydrates the lips. It lasts about 1.5-2 hours when not eating or drinking, which is average for a lip balm. It thins a bit over that time, but still feels like it's giving the lips complete coverage, keeping them soft, smooth and moisturized. This product has a shelf life of 9 months which I think is reasonable for a lip balm. Figs & Rouge also has two other tube balms (that sounds delicious):

• Coco Rose - blush pink color
• Mocha Orange - nude shimmer color

BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT

ACAI DEEP CONDITIONING MASQUE

"The Acai Deep Conditioning Masque is a creamy, rich, intense conditioning masque that hydrates hair by coating each strand with exclusive, nutritive proteins to eliminate frizz, promote shine, and guarantee the longest-lasting smoothing results." - from Glossybox July 2013 card

You know what's funny, I'd been needing a hair masque and I actually went and purchased one RIGHT before I found out that this product was going to be in the box! Swizzlesticks! Oh well, now I have two masques! Can't have too many beauty products, am I right ladies? 

I absolutely ADORE this masque! It's very easy to comb in with your fingers, and spreads nicely through the hair. Some masques I've had a hard time distributing evenly as they can be so thick, but this product has a great consistency. I left it in for about 5 minutes, then rinsed (I didn't want to over-condition since I was going out later and needed to style my hair). As I rinsed what I really noticed was that it didn't weigh my hair down! My hair still felt full of body, but ridiculously soft and hydrated. Hours later, the ends of my hair still feel soft, moisturized and looked plump PLUS I was still able to style my hair with volumizers with the masque not weighing it down! The only thing about this product is that I did not detect any noticeable fragrance or scent at all. To some that's a plus, but I typically prefer delicious smelling hair products. It just adds to the enjoyment of primping for me! 

For those of you curly-haired lasses concerned that since this is a Brazilian Blowout product, will your hair be straightened by it, it really didn't. I did notice that my hair did not want to hold the curl as well as it sometimes can, but I attributed that to just having a deep conditioner in it since my hair can be easily weighed down and I don't condition on a daily basis. I think this masque will only be used on days that I don't have to go anywhere though, that way I can leave it in longer and REALLY get my hair soft, drenched and well taken care of!

BVLGARI

EAU PARFUMEE AU THE BLANC 

SHAMPOO & SHOWER GEL 

"Eau Parfumee au the Blanc is a generous and elegant expression of personal indulgence. Relaxing and calming, this shampoo and shower gel reflects the precious nature of white tea, offering an intimate and luxurious expression of sensory pleasure" - from Glossybox July 2013 card

Glossybox, my love....I mean this with every respect and you KNOW I love you, but....PLEASE, NO MORE BVLGARI AU THE BLANC products! You had the the Bvlgari au the Blanc Bath Tea Bag in April's box and before that you had Bvlgari au the Blanc Soap in February's box! I'm not particularly a fan of the fragrance and I would LOVE to try others! While I much appreciate seeing a fabulous brand like Bvlgari in the boxes, I would like to expand my fragrance horizons. I'm sure you understand!

That said, I think this is the first Bvlgari Eau Perfumee au the blanc that I actually somewhat liked! The soap from February I gave away because it was much too musky for me. The Bath Tea Bag suffered the same fate, but I was actually able to use the Shampoo and Shower Gel and enjoy it! The fragrance notes consists of: 

Artemesia Leaves, Ambrette, White Pepper, White Tea, Musk, Woody Amber

I'm not very fond of it as a shampoo as I don't feel it lathers well or covers much unless you use quite a large amount of product (which I dislike as I feel like a quarter of your palm size should be sufficient, but it wasn't) however, I really like using it as a shower gel! It lathered well on the skin and the fragrance wasn't overwhelming. It was much, much toned down compared to the Soap and Bath Tea Bag. The fragrance did, however, fade off about 40 minutes after showering. The exact strength of this aroma was rich, luxurious, and lightly musky but still refreshing. As a shampoo I did not see or feel any noticeable difference after washing, but it did seem to dry out my hair a bit while washing, almost like a clarifying shampoo. 

EVOLOGIE

INTENSIVE BLEMISH SERUM

"This serum with a patent-pending formulation delivers blemish fighting natural ingredients deep below the skin's surface to prevent and remove unsightly spots caused by acne." - from Glossybox July 2013 card

This was my repeat Glossybox product and on one hand I could have been very, very excited to receive another sample, but unfortunately this product did nothing for my skin. Let me give you a bit of insight on my facial issues and skin type. I'm a combination of oily/dry with most of the oil on my T-zone. I have a small amount of milia on my upper cheekbones. I also get cystic acne on my chin and occassionally a small bump or two of regular acne on my cheeks, forehead or chin. I also get occasional blackheads on my nose, chin or around lips. I'm always on the lookout for good skin care products that treat regular acne and blackheads AS WELL AS adult cystic acne but nice ones are few and far between. 

This serum just didn't see to have any effect on me at all, even though I've heard so many friends and woman rave about it...it's strange but not unusual. Sometimes certain formulas just don't work well with your skin. I certainly think this is aimed more towards regular acne than cystic acne though. It did lightly dry my skin out, which is typical for a blemish treatment, but I saw no difference in inflammation, redness or blemish size/shrinkage. This is probably one of the most disappointing acne treatment products I've tried, unfortunately. Like I said, I've heard a lot of people rave about it, but personally I'm not a fan. If you've tried this product before, let me know what you think of it and what your experience has been! Also, let me know if you'd like me to review the replacement product when it comes in!

NAILS INC. NAIL POLISH 

in Baker Street

"Nails Inc. polishes are professionally formulated for a long lasting, super glossy, flawless finish. This traffic stopping, vibrant cobalt blue nail polish is one of Nails Inc.'s best-selling nail polish shades." - from Glossybox July 2013 card

STOP IT. JUST. STOP. How GORGEOUS is this blue?! UGH! It's so gorgeous, I can't look away! I'm so so in madly in love with it! I thought I had a bright blue in my stash somewhere, but nothing compares to this little bit of azure heaven. 

 LOOK AT THIS BLUE! 

Baker Street is divine, and by the by, I am loving the name! (Sherlock fan here, both Robert Downey Jr. AND Benedict Cumberbatch....that's right, I adored Benedict BEFORE he was Khan! Benedict if you read this, just know that I personally think you are the cat's meow, that is all ::swoon, blush, faint::).....ahem, now back to the product...

 This, as you can tell by my ridiculous large looking hands, is a mini polish bottle but don't let that worry you, the brush, albeit a bit smaller still worked like a charm! The formula was fairly nice, it did need two coats to even out some streaks (two coats shown in picture above) and you might even want to lean towards three, but with two it really made the blue POP! In bright light it looks like a lighter bright vivid azure blue but in natural light with no direct sunlight it leans more towards a bright cobalt. What I positively loved about this formula though was how fast it dried! I was able to apply two coats within a little more than 5 minutes! That is such a huge deal for me in this hot, humid and muggy city that I live in! The consistency was nice, and it smoothed out when applying with no pooling or running. The second coat went on a little thicker but it evened itself out quickly. I think this is perhaps the best blue polish I've tried yet! Love it!

BONUS ITEM:

NICKA K NEW YORK

ABSOLUTE! MAKE-UP CLEANSING TISSUES

"Water based with natural extracts, ABSOLUTE! Make-up Cleansing Tissues gently and effectively remove all makeup - even the most stubborn of waterproof mascaras and eyeliners - while moisturizing and refreshing your skin." - from Glossybox July 2013 card

This is probably one of the prettiest makeup wipe packaging I've ever seen! That bright green is so darn compelling and fresh looking...I want that woman's skin! 

As for the wipes themselves, I wasn't too impressed with them compared to other wipes I've used but they still get the job done. These wipes seem to be a bit rougher and more fibrous with a wider weave. It's not always recommended to use makeup wipes for your eyes as your hands can be rough and can tug on the skin too harshly which can create wrinkles and sagging over time. I typically do use makeup wipes though since I spray a makeup remover on the eye area to soften the makeup's formula that way I can be gentle when wiping the makeup off. With these wipes, however, I did not like the rough feeling on my eye area. They contained a lot of moisture though, which is fantastic, but I'll probably be only using these to freshen up or along with a cotton pad or ball and eye makeup remover for the eye area. They smell delicious though! A fresh light citrus aroma, mmmmmm.

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1) Figs & Rouge Cherry Blossom Tinted Lip Balm Tube

• Full-size is 12.5 ml - $9
• I received a full-size! 

2) Brazilian Blowout Acai Deep Conditioning Masque

• Full-size is 240 ml - $40
• I received a 30 ml sample - $5

3) Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au the Blanc Shampoo & Shower Gel

• Full-size is 6.8 fl oz - $42
• I received a 1 fl oz sample - $6.18

4) Evologie Intensive Blemish Serum

• Full-size is 15 ml - $35
• I received a 5 ml sample - $11.67

5) Nails Inc. Nail Polish in Baker Street

• Full-size is 10 ml - $9.50
• I received a mini polish, 4 ml - $3.80

6) Nicka K New York ABSOLUTE! Make-up Cleansing Tissues

• Full-size is 60 sheets - $6.99
• I received a sample of 10 sheets - $1.17

Total Paid:  $21
Total Worth of Box:  $36.82

While I think anything is going to be ridiculously hard to stand up to last month's box's worth, this box was still nicely over the amount paid and the sample sizes were excellent! I definitely can't complain! 

FINALE

I don't have a finale picture for you today as there really wasn't any makeup (unless you want to see a makeup REMOVED picture....which honestly, no one does....I don't even want to see me in a makeup removed picture! Oh no, no, no.), but all in all I thoroughly enjoyed this month's box! My favorites are definitely the nail polish (cute little bottle!), and the Masque and I think they all looked beautiful together for the theme. I felt this box had a very refreshing, bright and clean vibe and I'll certainly be using up five out of the six products (Evologie is the only dud). I can't wait to see what next month will have in store! In fact...::gasp::....I already have a sneak peek for you. ::wink wink::

Nono,...you'll have to wait till tonight or tomorrow to see it. Oh hush, you know you love me!

    

Happy Makeuping, be it under the deep blue sky or by the reflection of the deep blue sea...(so poetic, I must say!)

   

Love, Cookie