Unboxing Glossybox UK - March 2019 - The Empowerment Edition*

After the special Valentines Day, heart theme of the February box, the March edition of Glossybox has gone back to basics with a return to the traditional box colour palette of pink and black. The box itself is in the trademark dusky pink, the lining is black and pink, the paper shred is black, and the products inside are wrapped in pink tissue paper tied with a black ribbon. I love the limited editions that Glossybox often have but at the same time there is something quite stylish about their original black and pink design.

Underneath the ribbon, as per usual you find an information card, telling you about the box and the products inside, normally it's just a double side piece of card but in this box it's changed to a four page fold out booklet x

The theme of March's Glossybox is Empowerment and the box contains 5 product that are created by innovative and go getting entrepreneurs, sounds good doesn't it? but what is inside? well let's pull back the ribbon, and see...

Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Creme - Incognito - 3.6ml - Full Size - RRP £20

The first product is a full size item from Bellapierre. I've tried a few products for Bellapierre over the years, and my first product was one of their fabulous multi purpose, mineral pigment stacks. In the early days they were known just as a toxin, paraben and cruelty free, mineral make up brand, but nowadays they offer so much much more than just pigments and powders.

In March's Glossybox every subscriber received a full sized Kiss Proof Lip Creme. These are full coverage, long wear, liquid lipsticks, that go like a cream and have a matte finish. Glossybox customers were randomly sent one of 4 shades and the one I received was Incognito which is officially described as a "muted peach nude".

As you can see from the swatch below the pigmentation is superb, you only need a small amount of product for full coverage. Thanks to the slanted doe foot style sponge, applicator it's really easy to apply and it's easy to accentuate and stay within the lines of your lips. At first it looks quite creamy, but give it a minute or so to dry(the colour darkens slightly as it dries), and you are left with a matte, but not flat finish. Like all matte products it is slightly drying, and it does tend to cling to any dry bits that you have on your lips but it certainly isn't the most moisture sapping product that I've ever used. 

What about wear time, well it's pretty fantastic as it turns out. I've only managed to wear this twice so far but it's survived mashed potato, vegetable stew, and ice cream, and it still stayed put. It's pretty easy to reapply but if you don't bother to touch up it gradually fades and eventually it goes a little bit bitty. When I took my make up off last night there was still a bit colour of coming off my lips so yeah this is pretty long wearing. Obviously the matte look isn't for everyone though so if you wanted to put a gloss on over the top you could change the look and the finish. If you read any of my Glossybox Advent Calendar unboxing posts then you might have seen me mention a product called the Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Finish (You can have a read here if you haven't seen it). That product is specifically designed to be used alongside these lip cremes to add gloss, and prolong the life of your lip colour. I haven't tried the two together yet but it's definitely something that I'm going to be trying soon.

So nice colour, super long wearing, it should be love, and it very nearly is bar one thing! In application it doesn't smell too bad, a slight synthetic fruity scent but nothing too nasty, as it dries though it develops a not very pleasant plastic, newspaper, rubbery scent and taste, which lingers for as long as the colour does. To be honest I'm quite devastated about it, I love the product and I would happily buy more based on my initial impressions if it wasn't for the taste and scent. I'm hoping some flavoured balm or gloss while eradicate it, but only time will tell.

Bellapierre Kiss Proof Lip Cremes retail at £20, and are available from various retailers including Bellapierre direct, Look Fantastic, and Beauty Expert.

BYBI Plumper Lip Balm - 10ml - Full Size - RRP £9 

Next up the product that was trailed in last months box from 100% natural, cruelty free, and vegan company BYBI. Available from both ASOS and their own website, this full size, plumping lip balm is designed to soften, restore and protect the lips. It contains Shea butter, orange and grape seed oil, peppermint, cinnamon and chilli. 

At first glance the tube looks like it's made out of plastic, but it's actually an eco tube made out of sugar cane rather than plastic, so it's 100% biodegradable, and recyclable. The tube itself is quite hard to squeeze, not because of what it's made of but because of the thick consistency of the balm. The yellowish, waxy balm is really thick so you only need a really small amount. Despite it's thickness it melts on contact with the lips and its quite easy to massage in. With a a cinnamon and mint flavour and scent, it leaves a nice sheen on the lips. I did experience a slight tingling sensation, but it definitely wasn't painful or uncomfortable. Unfortunately I didn't manage to take any pictures of it on  but I didn't really notice any real change in their volume, I definitely noticed a change in the smoothness of my lips though and I like how it looked and how it felt so I'm definitely going to keep at and see if makes any difference to the condition of my lips in the long term.

Laritzy Cosmetics Dew Pot - Utopia - 3.5g - Full Size - RRP $20 / £15.30 - £20

Next up another make up item, and this is an item from one of those brands that you only ever seem to see in subscription boxed. I've tried a few bits from this Candian /US based, 100% cruelty free and vegan brand before, and I've always been pretty impressed. In fact I've already tried one of the Dew Pots before after receiving in August 2018's Pink Parcel (click here to watch my unboxing). The colour I received then was Wonder, an icy white, but in this edition of Glossybox I received Utopia, a warm rose gold. I know it looks as though there is more than one colour in the put here but I think it's just a slight separation of the pigment - now that I've swatched it, the whole pot looks the same colour

Dew Pots are basically smooth and creamy blend able highlighters, that suit all skin tones and all skin types. Because they are so creamy, you only need a small amount to add a subtle, dewy glow to the skin, but you can add more for a more dramatic effect. 

I've just applied a bit to my cheekbones here to add a bit of a glow. because it's so smooth and creamy it's really easy to apply it with your fingers, just pot a few dots on and then blend it in. You could use a brush or a sponge, but fingers do the job just fine. You can use it on top of make up or directly onto bare skin but I've used it on top of a face powder here, and it still blends in pretty well without too much caking.

I do love a highlighter so I'm always happy to add new ones to my collection, and this one is super pretty. This isn't the easiest of brand to get in the UK but you can buy this product direct from Laritzy and you can also buy it from the Pink Parcel Shop.

Essence Instant Matte Make Up Setting Spray - 50ml - Full Size - RRP £3

The fourth product in this months Glossybox, is from one of my favourite budget brands, the female founded Essence. I've been lucky enough to have worked with Essence in the past and I've bought products from them for years both Europe and now from Wilko.com in the UK. 

I have to say I'm a tiny bit cynical when it comes to facial sprays, and setting mists, do they actually work or is it just the quality of the make up underneath? I'm not sure but I still continue to buy them and use them. This is a new one to me though, it's oil free, lightweight and non sticky and it aims to mattify the skin, set make up and make it last longer.

I haven't had too much of a chance to use this yet, but based on a couple of squirts, it feels cooling on the skin  and it doesn't really have any scent bar that synthetic scent that fragrance free products often have. It did make my eyes water a little bit but I like the mattifying idea so I'm going to try integrate this product into my make up routine over the next few weeks to see how it performs. This is a full 50ml size which is valued at £3 and it's perfect for both your handbag and you dressing table.

The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter - 50ml - RRP £6

If you've been reading my blog for a while now then you'll know that I'm a bit of a fan of The Body Shop. I've been lucky enough to work with them on several occasions. I love a lot of their products but one of my long term favourites has to be their body butters. 

I've lost count of how many different scents that I've tried over the years, and March's Glossybox contained a 50ml size in either Shea, Coconut or Wild Argan. The one I received was their Coconut Body Butter. I would be the first to admit that coconut isn't my favourite scent but there is something about this particular product that I love. Containing virgin coconut oil from Samoa and Polynesia, this stuff has a real, fresh coconut scent, that a million miles away from the synthetic scent of so many coconut based body products. This is one of their ultra creamy body butters that is designed for dry to extra dry skin. It takes a while to absorb but it's worth the wait.

Because you need so little this 50ml size which retails at £6.00 will last you for ages, and give you that summer feeling even when it's snowing outside!!

So those 5 products made up March's Glossybox, and despite the odd quirk I'm very happy with the contents. I'll use all of the products, and all of the products bar the body butter are full sized, and even that is a decent, retail size. Considering the Bellapierre Lip Creme retails at £20, and the whole box on my plan retails at £13.25, again March's Glossybox is excellent value for money. The sneaky peek for April's Fruity and Floral themed box, is a Pomegranate Superfood Regenerating Sleeping Mask from Dr Botanicals, so if you're interested in getting your own box with a bit of a discount, then click my link to find out more x Let me know your thoughts on this box in the comments below, and if you have any questions please let me know xx