Glossybox - Limited Edition Holiday Box 2013

LIMITED EDITION
2013 HOLIDAY GOLD BOX

How absolutely STUNNING is this box! There's just something special about all of the boxes, bags, etc. for the holidays that frankly....makes me say: "Gimme, gimme, gimme!". Haha, I swear, I will control the little five year old Cookie inside of me who's super excited about the Holiday Season.

 Every so often, Glossybox features a special Limited Edition box with a special theme. These LE boxes are purchased separately from your monthly subscription and do cost a bit more, HOWEVER, they're also FILLED with more goodies! Well who was I to turn down a golden box? Take a look!....

   

Sparkly ribbon bow? YES PLEASE! I usually give the Glossybox ribbon that comes inside each box to my kitties since they love to play with ribbons....but this glittery ribbon was too darn pretty! I have hidden it away from sneaky little paws.

The elegance of the box is absolutely gorgeous, and as you might be able to see, the way it opens is different as well. Instead of just a lid that pops right off, it's a magnetic flap that opens up. The sad thing is, the glue lost it's tackiness on my box and it fell apart after I opened it. ::tear:: I can probably glue the pretty thing back together though! Heaven knows I must!

Here's what I received in this little golden box of wonder!....

A body scrub, a body wash, a face mask, a lip liner, a nail polish, a highlighter and a lipgloss

As you can see, quite a lot! Everyone who ordered this box received the same body scrub, the same face mask, the same luminizer and the same lip liner, but a variation in color for the nail polish and lip gloss. 

On to the review!...

NUXE

FONDANT BODY SCRUB

   

"With 100% plant exfoliants in various grain sizes, this creamy fondant scrub is your key to soft, smooth skin." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

What's funny is I'm currently reviewing two products from the Nuxe brand without ever having tried it before and ohhhhhhhhhh my goodness....j'adore! The quality of the brand is fantastic from the two that I'm using. I won't spoil the surprise of the 2nd product, so I'll just stick to the current...

   

I just love having a good exfoliating body scrub and this one is fantastic. Notice the size of the different grains and how packed they are! Listen to how delicious and fabulous this sounds...the active ingredients:

100% plant exfoliants (Orange, Lychee and Walnut Extracts), and Almond and Orange Flower Petals in a rich cream for smooth, soft skin. - from us.nuxe.com

Couldn't you just die? It smells SO good to me. Very light, fragrant but natural with a softly sweet aroma. I think this is the perfect mix for those people who love natural earthy scents and those that love floral. 

For use, it works great with a loofah, but I do prefer just using my hands since I get fully control the exfoliation in circular motions. It isn't rough on the skin, even with the grains, the richness of the cream helps moisturize and soften the skin during exfoliation. On warmer days you may not even need to moisturize with lotion after you finish showering (which I typically recommend after heavy exfoliating) but on colder days a light moisturizer would work fine since this body scrub doesn't irritate the skin. As far as the product lasting, as with most exfoliators that have grains or beads in them, you do end up going through the product a tad faster than usual since you need more grains/beads to scrub with, but this still seems to be lasting me quite some time! I still have most of the bottle left after a few weeks of use.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this product out if you need a good exfoliator! It's probably one of the best I've ever tried.

PHILLIP B

BODY WASH

in Chocolate Milk

  

"A warming, energizing body wash that revives your senses and leaves skin silky and glowing." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

THIS RIGHT HERE was pretty much the whole reason I wanted this box. What? You didn't know I am a chocoholic? Psh....let me put it this way...if a dessert isn't at least 78% chocolate, I won't eat it. My that sounds so snobby ::giggle:: but it's quite true. That also goes for chocolate smells! I love, love, LOVE the smell of chocolate. I'm super excited to say that Philip B got it absolutely right! I've smelled chocolate scents/fragrances before that don't smell like chocolate at all, but the moment I smelled this body wash I was taken back to my childhood. My sweet Mom used to bring me a glass of chocolate milk every morning when she woke me up (a tradition I will definitely be carrying on when I have a little girl of my own) and it smells JUST like the chocolate milk Mom used to make. If I remember correctly it was milk and Hersheys syrup but she mixed it JUST right so it wasn't overly sweet but it was good and chocolatey. 

The body wash is scrumptious! It's that perfect mix of sweet chocolate with a light milky air. It's not overly lathery, but it gives great body coverage when washing with a loofah, towel or hands and although the smell doesn't linger as long as I'd like it too, it gives me just enough yummy goodness throughout the shower and a little after. It's infused with  pure chocolate and vanilla extracts that give it that tasty fragrance and also has milk proteins, cocoa butter and aloe to keep your skin soft and smooth.

You'd better believe I'm going to be buying more of this when I run out! It's the most realistic chocolate scented beauty product I've ever smelled!

BODYOGRAPHY

LIP LINER

in Crimson

   

"Create the perfect pout for any holiday party with this amazing lip liner. It contains chamomile oil for effortless application and ultra smooth texture." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

This girl apparently can't get away from red lip products. I know, I know, it's the Holidays, I should have expected a rid lippy or two...but a girl can dream, right? 

I definitely do like this lip liner, though! As far as lip liners go, it's very creamy, glides on super smooth and doesn't pull or tug the skin at all.

It's a typical lip liner pencil that needs a beauty pencil sharpener to get to a fine point. The shade Crimson is a slightly pink-toned red so it's not quite as vivid and rich as a true red is.

   

The color is lovely and very vibrant. Because of it's creaminess, it doesn't make a very crisp, thin single line, but I'd rather have that than have a pencil that pulls and tugs the skin. As you can see from the swirly line it glides so easily. 

I wore this liner under a red lipstick for a day and it did help with no feathering but because it's so soft, it did smudge a TEENSY bit after a few hours. However, it didn't dry my lips out like some liners tend to do and the color stayed nice and vibrant for at least 4 hours before needing major touch-ups.

I will be continuing use of this liner since I do think the color is lovely if I don't want a heavy rich red and I love the softness of the formula. I have another red lip liner that's somewhat similar in color, but it's formula is a bit harder and dries out my lips somewhat. 

KORA ORGANICS

CLAY PURIFYING MASK

   

"A purifying and cleansing mask especially formulated to gently detox, purify and refine the texture of the skin." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

A face mask! This box is just full of all sorts of happiness for me. I can NEVER get enough face masks. Be it charcoal, pumpkin, mud, clay, chocolate, snail slime, you name it...I want to try it! 

The KORA Organics line states it's dedication to using only the highest quality certified organic and natural ingredients. This mask itself is listed as being free from sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colours, T.E.A., D.E.A., glycols, silicones, PEGS, ethoxylate and formaldehyde.

The formula contains lavender and noni extracts - which is great for anti-aging. It also contains aloe vera, kaolin (a white clay used in some skincare for exfoliating dead skin cells and dirt from the surface and cleansing the skin), cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl oleate, glyceryl stearate (emulsifiers typically), sunflower oil, silica, glycerine (a great emollient) natural vitamin E, avocado oil, lemon myrtle oil, bergamot oil and rose hip oil,  just to name a few.

The product itself is a teensy bit on the watery side for a clay mask, but not messy at all once applied to the face. You just have to be a bit careful when squeezing it from the bottle into your hands. It doesn't completely become opaque on the skin once spread, but it does give full coverage that is visible. The tube suggests a 5 minute waiting period before rinsing off for sensitive skin and up to 10 minutes for normal skin. I do have rosacea, but I usually don't have to worry about a product irritating my skin. With a 10 minute waiting period, it does sliiiiiightly sting, but really it's not much at all. It's not even to the point of tingling, you can just feel the alcohol. I would recommend trying this on the back of your hand, though, if you tend to have sensitive skin, then test a small amount on a small spot on your jawline before doing a full face mask.

It has a very light natural clay aroma, nothing too overpowering, though, really once it's all over your face and you let it dry, you can hardly smell it. It does begin to dry fairly quickly after application and it rinses off very easily with tepid water. It did very lightly aggravate my rosacea as my cheeks were a bit pink after I rinsed it off, but it quickly subsided. If you can take the time, you can easily use a wet hand towel to light dab off the mask if you have severe rosacea that becomes easily inflamed. 

For results, I must say, looking at my skin after I removed the mask was awesome. My skin had that taunt, squeaky-clean look to it that a good cleansing can provide. It was smooth, tight and bright. I'm not entirely sure how much assistance this product provided, but I will say this, I used it again last night and I noticed that I had a pimple forming on my chin so after I used the mask I applied a hot damp towel to the area and the next morning the pimple had come to a perfect head! Mine typically never come to a head that fast. It could be that the clay mask assisting in drawing the impurities out and helped speed up the healing process. Hard to say, but as I said, that rarely happens so quickly for me. 

The mask, in my opinion, gives great results. It's not entirely moisturizing so you will need a good moisturizer after use, but the great clean feeling after use is worth it and from what I've seen, it does a fabulous job of pulling impurities out and getting deep into the epidermis. I would definitely recommend trying this out if you have oily to normal skin! If you have slightly sensitive skin you may want to see if you can try a sample of it first as it is not cheap. 

BUTTER LONDON

NAIL LACQUER

in Henley Regatta

   

"Long lasting and rich in color, this high-performing nail polish leaves a smooth and glossy finish. It will be the perfect glamorous accessory on your fingertips this holiday season." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

Hooray, nail polish! and what a GORGEOUS one at that! I seriously have nothing in my stash that looks like this, it's so darling. The name absolutely cracks me up (as most Butter London names do) as it's name is referring to a rowing event held annually on the River Thames in England. Haha, it puts a WHOLE different perspective on the polish, doesn't it? Before you were thinking: "Oh! What an absolutely lovely Christmas polish! So glittery green and festive!" and now..."Oh yes, indeed, that IS reminiscent of a river, how unusual and adorable!". Isn't is fantastic what a naming of a polish can do?

Here we have a swatch with two coats of polish and no topcoat. It's made up of very fine teal-green microglitters. It's ALMOST opaque with two coats, but not quite. You may need three or four for full opacity, but really it's quite lovely on it's own even with two. It makes a gorgeous shimmery topper with a single coat over a color. Over a really dark teal it is absolutely STUNNING. Because of the decently packed glitters it applies very easily and spreads nicely. You really don't have to work hard to get the glitter to evenly spread at all, just brush it right on in a few strokes. It's fairly shiny without a topcoat but, of course, I would recommend a nice glossy one to really get this glitter to pop!

SO SUSAN

LUMINIZER

   

"Look radiant for your end of the year soirees with this water-based luminizer - apply on cheekbones, along the brow bone, and above the cupid's bow for a lit-from-within glow." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

I've never been a huge fan of luminizers or highlighters since my face tends to get oily in the day and I'm so ridiculously pale, they never look quite right on me...I just end up looking too dewy and have on occasion blinded someone when I walked past them outside....OK, maybe that part isn't exactly true...but my Hubby would say so, too ::giggles::. 

 HOWEVER, with that in mind, I actually quite like this product! I was very surprised at how pretty it really is.

  

I think what does it for me is the pink tone. The pink tone makes a world of difference on my skin tone. It's just beautifully luminescent. As you can see it spread excellently with use of fingertips, with no smudging or smearing, but I typically prefer to dab on with fingers, then blend with a brush for a more natural finish. 

I've used this product both as a simple highlighter on my cheeks, top of nose, cupid's bow, etc. as well as mixing it with my foundation for a soft all-over glow and I do love both applications. If you're adding this to a foundation it's best to add very little in, blend it on the back of your hand and add more luminizer as needed. It gets glow-y pretty fast, so very little is needed. TIP! - I prefer to lightly pull it down onto the neck and then blend over the collar bone so it's not just your face that's all aglow! 

BEAUTY ADDICTS

LIP ADDICTION

in Tease

   

"A luxurious, high-shine lip glaze that provides intense, opulent color while nourishing lips with vitamins and plumping lips with peptides." - from 2013 Holiday Gold Box card

If there's one thing I don't need any more than a red lippy, it's probably a pink lip gloss, but I absolutely ADORE the design of the tube! It's got a modern 80's vibe to it that I'm totally digging. 

The gloss is in the shade Tease, which as you can see is a slightly muted babydoll pink.

The applicator is a standard flocked wand brush, which isn't usually my favorite, but I do like that the neck of the bottle does catch most of the gloss on the outside of the brush and pulls it off as it's being drawn out, leaving just product on the tip.

  

The formula is a TEENSY bit sticky, but not overly so. It is a little thick but it gets slightly tacky once applied which is nice for longevity. It's also nicely pigmented for a gloss, and even blended (as you can see), it still provides a gorgeous color. On the lips, the color does last quite some time compared to other glosses, about 3-4 hours before needing major touch-ups with color still lasting on the lips. It looks absolutely gorgeous both normally applied for full color opacity or blended out with the fingers. I really didn't feel like the product was too heavy on my lips or was so sticky that my lips stuck together when closed. It was also heavy enough to not get that wet gloss look that rubs off so easily.

Amazingly enough, I'm very tempted to try out their others shades and I really am not a huge fan of lip glosses! Well done Beauty Addicts!

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1) Nuxe Fondant Body Scrub:

• Full-size (6.7 oz) - $28
• I received a 1.6 oz sample tube - $6.69 

2) Philip B Body Wash in Chocolate Milk:

• Travel Size (2 fl oz) - $8
• I received a travel size!

3) Bodyography Lip Liner in Crimson:

• Full-size (.04 oz) - $13
• I received a full-size!

4) Kora Organics Clay Purifying Mask:

• Full-size (3.38 fl oz) - $53
• I received a 3.30 fl oz sample tube - $51.75

5) Butter London Nail Lacquer in Henley Regatta:

• Full-size (0.4 fl oz) - $15
• I received a full-size! 

6) So Susan Luminizer:

• Full-size (0.53 oz) - $40
• I received a full-size!

7) Beauty Addicts Lip Addiction in Tease:

• Full-size (0.19 oz) - $17
• I received a full-size!

TOTAL PAID FOR BOX:  $30*

TOTAL WORTH OF BOX:  $151.44


WOW! What a high worth Limited Edition box! I'm definitely QUITE pleased with this purchase, especially since 5 items were full-sized (almost 6!) and two of the items each were well worth over what I paid. The normal price for this particular box was $50 but I found a promotion code that took 40% off, making the total $30! I do apologize that I did not share this deal with everyone, at the time I was unable to write any posts, and I may not be able to write full posts for all limited edition boxes but I probably CAN share the deals quickly on The Charming Cheshire Facebook Page, so be sure to follow on that platform! 

FINALE

Not TOO many makeup products in this box, but enough to where I wanted to go ahead and do a look anyhow, I went for a lip showcase. 

I know ombre has begun to go soooooo out of Vogue, but since I've never really done one for my Finales, I decided to go for it! I used the lip liner in Crimson and drew in from the outer corners of my mouth (both top and bottom) and faded it just below the edge of where my cupid's bow begins. I then brushed Beauty Addicts Tease over the entire lip focusing it more heavily on the center of my lips where I had no lip liner. I also used the Luminizer on my upper cheekbones, nose and center of my bottom lip. I SWEAR I used the Luminizer. Upon reviewing these photos and selecting which to use I really could not SEE the Luminizer as I'm sure neither can you. If you had seen my face in real life you would have definitely seen it! I really could not have added any more since I was going out that day and I didn't want to look like the goddess of the glowing sun (in a really, really bad way, not a gorgeous way). You can see it on my nose more than my cheeks, but at least you can see it there!

After adding these photos I realized...I totally could have done a Gold look to go with the gold box! I was actually on my way to pick up my Hubby from the airport so I went for a more girly, romantic daytime look. Let me know if ya'll would prefer to see a golden holiday look and I can add it in!

Happy Makeuping and Happy Holidays!