Glossybox - December 2013

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Well, OK, so this post is a TAD late, the Holidays are over, but I promised I'd post my December boxes! So VOILA! Plus, it just FEELS right, it's absolutely freezing so posting a Holiday box review while I clutch a warm latte (which is SO not on my diet...hush...don't judge me, it's cold outside) seems perfect. 

I feel like December and the Holidays just FLEW by....what about you? Now I know exactly what my parents meant, you just totally lose track of days, haha! I had an absolutely FANTASTIC New Years. My Hubby and I got all dressed up and went out for a nice dinner, then came home and just snuggled on our living room couch, drinking some sparkling red wine and nibbling on some chocolate while we watched the movie New Years Eve and looked out the window at fireworks. It was LOVELY. A perfect start to an awesome year! What did ya'll do? Do you prefer a quiet evening at home, or perhaps friends over for a relaxed party? Or do you go all-out and go to crazy fun parties!

I don't have a Sneak Peeks and Reveals post for this month since I didn't write one, so let's just jump straight into what I received!.....

 I received: a body wash, a face mask, a nail polish, a face cream and an eyeliner

Here's what Glossybox had to say about this month's box:....

"Didn't the year go by really, really quickly? We barely noticed the passing months because we've had such a blast at the GLOSSYBOX office—it has been a fun year of sourcing exciting new beauty brands and creating custom, limited edition boxes, and hearing your amazing feedback gives us motivation to do it all again. We are celebrating this holiday with gloss and glamour, and the December GLOSSYBOX features the perfect set of products to get you party-ready in no time." - from glossybox.com

Haha, I feel like Glossybox totally read my mind about time flying by! Well, QUICK, before time flies by some more, let's jump into the review!.....

MICHAEL TODD TRUE ORGANICS

PUMPKIN MASK

   

"This mask contains pumpkin enzyme and glycolic acid that dissolves impurities like dead skin and clogged pores, which significantly improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, even after a single use! Not suitable for sensitive skin types." - from December 2013 Glossybox card

For those of you who have been following my blog for quite some time now you may already recognize this particular product as I have already reviewed it from a different beauty subscription months back! One of the hazards of having beauty subscriptions to different companies is getting duplicate products, which isn't always a bad thing! If it's a product you love, then you get a back up! If not, then you have a product you can re-gift to someone whom you know will love it and it hasn't been opened yet! The particular product I received this past August in my Ipsy Glam Bag. Here is the link for the review:

The Charming Cheshire's Ipsy Glam Bag Review - August 2013

I'm very happy to receive another Pumpkin Mask as I actually loved it. I haven't decided whether or not I want to keep it just yet, though, since I do still have some left of the first one and I know quite a few people who would absolutely LOVE it if I gifted it to them. We shall see! It may make it's way into a gift basket for a friend ::wink wink::. Or I may KEEP ALL THE PRETTIES FOR MYSELF! ::clutches mask:: Teehee. 

ANATOMICALS

YOU NEED A BLOOMING SHOWER!

YOUR NOSE SMELLS ROSE BODY CLEANSER

"Featuring a soothing mix of aloe vera and witch hazel and rose and jasmine scents, this relaxing shower gel leaves the skin feeling cleansed and refreshed." - from December 2013 Glossybox card

Typically I DO NOT like floral scents. I never really have. I do love the smell of real flowers though! That being said, this body cleanser is AMAZING. Seriously, if I didn't know better, I could close my eyes, put this under my nose and sweeeear that there was a big bouquet of roses and baby's breath right underneath it. It is absolutely divine! It's light, refreshing but with that sweet decadence of a big bouquet of roses MINUS the hay fever and allergies! Haha, what's hilarious is that Hubby actually DOESN'T like this body wash because he keeps getting this sensation of being scared that he's going to start sneezing or getting a itchy nose since his allergies go bananacakes around real roses. THAT is how realistic is smells!

As a wash, it's fantastic, it's perfect for application with a loofah or towel, it lathers quite well without being overly sudsy and just a little bit of product goes a long way so you know this product will last you quite some time. It's a somewhat light gel, not quite clear, it has a slight pink tint to it that you can only see if it's layered thick, but not if it's spread. My skin did feel smooth and soft after use, didn't QUITE feel like I needed a moisturizer after I showered but because it's so dry in my house from the heater, I went ahead and used one anyhow some nights. It did leave me feeling refreshed and positively girly, though!

This is my second Anatomicals product to review and I've absolutely loved both. Glossybox sent out a face mist from them a few months back and because I've come to enjoy the brand, I've definitely decided to start buying Anatomicals! I'd certainly recommend giving them a try! 

NAOBAY

OXYGENATING CREAM MOISTURIZER

"This cream keeps the surface of your skin balanced, fresh and hydrated. With it's special composition based on essential oils, such as rosehip oil and sweet almond oil, the surface of the skin is kept balanced and fresh." - from December 2013 Glossybox card

A new brand for me to try! Naobay is a natural and organic skincare line. This particular they say is 99% natural origin ingredients. There are many different oils in it including those listed above as well ingredients such as aloe vera leaf extract, shea butter, avocado oil, and chamomile extract. With these ingredients I expected to absolutely love it, but I really wasn't completely blown away by it.

It's on the slightly lighter side for a face cream, but not to where I'd consider it to be super light. You do need a bit more product than the usual to completely cover the face, so it might not last as long as other creams. It does say on the packaging that good for not only being used as a moisturizer but as a makeup primer as well. It does dry slightly tacky which is good for a makeup primer, so the foundation or BB Cream has something to adhere to and not just slide right off, but I will say my makeup didn't last QUITE as long as it normally does compared to my favorite primers. It's still not too bad, though, in a pinch. If you'd care to condense your morning makeup routine and combine your moisturizer and primer into one product, you may be interested in this! It also doesn't have much of a fragrance, so if you like face lotions that don't have strong scents that you may like this as well.

As a moisturizer it's fairly decent. As I said, it's slightly on the lighter side for a moisturizer so I don't really like using this at night since I prefer a richer, more hydrating cream at night but I also don't like using this during the day since I don't want to put a makeup primer OVER this cream do to my makeup. On slightly warmer days I don't mind using this at night, though, if my face is feeling very dry. It does leave my skin feeling a bit softer by morning. I will probably use it on days that I'm just staying home, though, sans-makeup. Because of it's slightly tacky finish it's not my absolute favorite cream to use but since it does provide decent moisturization, I will be continuing use unless any friend or family member would like to have it. 

It is gentle on the skin and did not cause any irritation or redness. The aloe and chamomile are great for sensitive skin users so if you're looking for a lighter moisturizer that could also passably double as a primer, then I would recommend this for you to try out!

NAILS INC

NAIL POLISH

in Victoria

 

"Nails Inc. polishes are professionally formulated for a long-lasting, super glossy, flawless finish. This deep cherry red shade is a great way to add a dash of chic to your holiday look." - from December 2013 Glossybox card

This is my third Nails Inc polish, and so far I do fairly much like the brand, although I don't particular like the handle for the brush since the large round cylinder can be a teensy bit uncomfortable to handle with a smaller brush head below it. I am quite excited, though, to be receiving a full-size polish!

It is QUITE a dark shade of red as you can see. It's a deep cherry jelly formula that goes fairly opaque with two coats but if you want a vampier, richer shade you could go with three coats since it is a jelly. The formula is a bit tricky to use as it's slightly watery. You have to work quick and with as few brushstrokes as possibly but even then I did have a little pooling. It is easy to clean up though if it doesn't apply as cleanly as you want. 

You can also see how beautifully glossy of a finish it has. You barely need a top coat, but of course I always recommend one, especially to keep your polish from chipping and wear and tear. All in all I like the shade, I like the finish and I do like the polish but I wish the formula wasn't quite as runny. 

ARDENCY INN

PUNKER 

WORLD'S BADDEST EYELINER

"A rock-star liquid liner that makes it easy to draw any shape of cat eye precisely and instantly, from the most subtle to the most dramatic." - from December 2013 Glossybox card

I LIKE the way this liner thinks! A super precise rock-star liquid liner for cat eyes? YES PLEASE! Look at the badass appearance of this liner? Doesn't it just scream supercoolity to you? 

It's a finely pointed felt-tip that makes it super easy for application, however you can also easily angle it for a thicker line or to perfect that cat eye wing. I love how long the actual felt-tip is that way if I do angle it I'm not hitting the edge of the plastic on my skin! 

All of these are done with just one stroke (or dot), I did not go over any of them multiple times. As you can see it's fairly black just with one swipe or mark. It can be layered for a darker black appearance, though. It won't wipe off with multiple layers. Notice how FINE and PRECISE the single line and dots are and how straight the edges are for the single and thick line from the point of the tip. For a felt-tip liquid liner this provides a great amount of product with simple application! 

It doesn't rub off easily, so once applied you know it will last at least 6 hours before needing touch-ups and that is WITHOUT a setting spray. With a setting spray it can last up to 12+ hours! 

I'll certainly be using this as my new favorite daily black eyeliner from now on! Love it!

WORTH AND PURCHASE:

1) Michael Todd True Organics Pumpkin Mask:

• Full-size (3.4 fl oz) - $34
• I received a 1 fl oz sample tube - $10

2) Anatomicals You Need A Blooming Shower! Your Nose Smells Rose Body Cleanser:

• Full-size (10 fl oz) - $5.50
• I received a 5 fl oz sample tube - $2.75

3) Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer:

• Full-size (1.7 fl oz) - $44
• I received a 1.01 fl oz sample tube - $26.14

4) Nails Inc. Nail Polish in Victoria:

• Full-size (10 ml) - $9.50
• I received a full-size!

5) Ardency Inn PUNKER World's Baddest Eyeliner:

• Full-size (.085 oz) - $19
• I received a full-size!

TOTAL PAID FOR BOX:  $21

TOTAL WORTH OF BOX:  $67.39


A good month's worth for this box! Not the lowest nor the highest I've had, but it's a little over 3 times what I paid so I'm happy! I'm also a little bewildered at how Anatomicals is only worth $2.75 because I'd definitely pay so much more than that for the amount I received and then we have the Naobay at $26.14 which I wouldn't quite pay. Everything else seems priced at what I'd expect though! 

FINALE

 GUESS WHAT TYPE OF MAKEUP I'M DOING! Seeing as how there is only ONE makeup product in this box, you should easily be able to guess what I'm going to do.....did you guess it?

If you guessed cat eye, YOU WERE SO RIGHT! Hahaha, how could I not?! With that awesome precision liner, it was just begging for it! So this was actually my New Years Eve look! Hubby and I went out to dinner and this was my makeup done up that night. I really wanted to go for a dramatic cat eye but add some party and flair to it.

I went for a bright silver and dull gold eye, then a heavy cat eye black liner, black mascara, etc. I finished the party look with bright pink lips and there ya go!

I hope you enjoyed the review! I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and a fantastic 2014! I hope your new year started off phenomenally!

Much Love! ::wink wink::

Happy Makeuping!