A Very Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - January 2020 Edition - Sleep & Refresh*

Can you remember what you were doing in January? To be honest I can barely remember what I did yesterday let alone 4 months ago! but at some point in January, exactly when I'm not sure, I know I must have opened and photographed the January edition of Glossybox UK.

After all the glamour and sparkle of December's box (read my thoughts here), the January edition of Glossybox reverted back to the traditional pink and black colour palette, with the familiar pink and black cardboard box, pink tissue paper, and black shredded paper all neatly brought together with a black ribbon.

As per usual the first item in the box was a little booklet which as well as including more information on the contents, also revealed the theme of the box. The theme of January's Glossybox was "Sleep & Refresh" and the products inside were specially selected to leave subscribers feeling revitalised for the year ahead, with a mixture of complexion boosting products, and products that were perfect for a no make up look.

BYBI Strawberry Booster - 15ml - Full Size - RRP £12

The first item in the box was a product from a brand called BYBI. I've only tried one other item from the brand and that was a lip balm that I received in the March 2019 edition of Glossybox (You can read my thoughts on it here if you haven't already).

Founded in 2017, BYBI, which stands for By Beauty Insiders, produce a range of clean, and affordable beauty products. All of their products are certified vegan and cruelty free, and they are made of only 100% eco friendly, natural ingredients.

This particular product contains only 1 ingredient, 100% cold pressed strawberry seed oil, which is actually a byproduct of the juicing industry. Strawberry seed oil contains both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids and allagic acids which are smoothing, nourishing, and calming especially on dry, dehydrated or irritated skin.

This skin boosting facial oil is designed to be integrated into to any daily skin care routine, you can add few drops to any existing balm, moisturiser, or serums, to give the skin on your face and neck an extra boost of hydration, or you can use it alone as a moisturiser or as a moisture boost.

The oil itself is quite runny, and in the bottle it has a yellow, green tinge. Despite claims that it has a subtle strawberry scent, all I got was a slightly green, oily scent which was a bit disappointing. 

Although my skin has been a bit traumatised over the last few months with the cold weather, central heating, and of course illness, it's still a little bit on the oily side, so I've mainly been using this on it's own as part of my morning skin care routine.

The bottle isn't very big but you only need a couple of drops. It glides easily over the skin and whilst it initially felt quite slick and oily, it absorbed quite quickly leaving the skin nourished, and smooth.

Although BYBI claim that it makes an ideal base for make up, it didn't really work that well for me, and my make up just didn't last especially on my oilier t-zone. I did noticed that even when I wasn't wearing make up my skin looked a lot shinier than normal but despite that I still liked the feel of it on my skin. It left my skin feeling comfortable, even when it was being severely tested by illness and central heating, and in fact it even kept the dry, flakey patches that I often get on my brows and forehead in the winter months at bay.

If you have an oilier skin, then this would probably be more of a seasonal product for you but if your skin is drier, or more sensitive or irritated especially at the moment with so little fresh air then this could be something worth trying that won't break the bank. This full 15ml size retails at £12 from a variety of retailers including BYBI direct, Boots, ASOS, and Feel Unique.

Basic Beauty Tweezers - Full Size - Est. RRP £15.10

Now I don't know about you but my eyebrows need some serious dye and wax action! The hair are getting longer, the greys are increasing, and I can see the perfectly trained shape disappearing before my eyes. 

It's for the best and we're all in this together, but what do I do? The sensible option would be to leave well alone, but surely it wouldn't hurt just to tweeze out the odd stray hair? No of course it wouldn't but we all know what would happen, I'd get carried away and before you know it I'd have no brows left. That said though if you have a good pair of tweezers then surely you should be able to just pull the odd super long one without destroying years of hard work, and thankfully I have a few pairs of decent tweezers that may save my brow sanity.

The next item in the box was of course a pair of tweezers from a company called Basic Beauty. From what I can gather Basic Beauty is a US based Indie beauty and fashion brand. The website features a few clothing items, some cruelty and paraben free make up items, and various different beauty tools.

These slim, baby pink, metal tweezers come boxed. They have a textured section to help with grip and a slim / slanted tip. One of the signs of a good pair of tweezers is to have a tip where the sides meet perfectly with no gap, and these ones do exactly that.

I normally prefer a sturdier set of tweezers with a wider slanted tip like my beloved Tweezerman but these aren't too bad. Since the tip is a bit smaller you do really need a good mirror to see what you're doing, even for those little stray chin hairs that you can sometimes grab blindly (admit we all get those little wires growing in places where we don't want them to!) but with a mirror these tweezers are great for smaller, more precise work. 

Tweezers are a real must have and whilst I probably will end up leaving  the majority of my brows alone, I will definitely find a use for a use for them in the future.

Glossybox quote a price of £15.10 for these tweezers, and from what I can gather they are only available direct from Basic Beauty who ship worldwide for around $20 / £15.84

Model Co Clear Brow Gel - 3.5ml - Full Size - RRP £14

Thanks to various subscription boxes and magazine freebies, I managed to try quite a few products now from Australian brand Model Co including a Matte Lip Cream in Peachy Nude, the Instant Brows In Light / Medium and a Lip Gloss in Berry Pink, and whilst I haven't loved everything I've tried I do have a fairly favourable view of the brand, and it was nice to have the opportunity to try something new and especially something that would work so nicely with the previous item.

Packaged in a hot pink mascara like tube with a clear bristle like wand, this is basically a cruelty free, and vegan clear brow gel. Unlike a lot of brow products that can look cloudy this is completely clear. It actually feels quite dry to the touch, and it doesn't feel sticky or gloopy.

I've included some before and afters here but apart from highlighting my long straggly brows, and some grey hairs, there actually doesn't appear to be any difference at all between the two pictures but I guess that's the point. Fitting in perfectly with the bare faced, no make up theme, all this product is supposed to do is tame the unruly hairs, and maybe add a little bit of thickness. It doesn't add colour or look obvious, it just makes your eyebrows look tidier and it calms down the off uncooperative hair, all without the tackiness and stiffness that you can often get with similar product or through using clear mascara. If you need a bit of colour on your brows you can also use this gel to set any other brow product.

Before

After

If you like the idea of brow setting products but you dislike the often sticky feel then this particular one is worth trying, you don't get a lot of product for your money but it works. Despite the fact that retailers such as Look Fantastic and Amazon stock a range of Model Co products I can't find this particular product on any other website bar Model Co direct where it retails at £14.

Beauty Pro CBD Oil Infused Mask - 1 x 22ml Mask - Full Size - RRP £5.95

I've tried a few products from mask specialist Beauty Pro now, but the next product is the first that I've tried from their Plant Based Range. All of the products in this range are 100% plant based in origin, they are also water free, vegan and cruelty free.

Suitable for all skin types, this sheet mask is made of 100% biodegradable bamboo fibre, this face mask contains the super ingredient of the moment CBD Oil. It contains Cannabis Sativa Seed oil and extract, as well as arnica, hibiscus, rosemary, lavender and rosehip. This mask is rich in anti oxidants, and Beauty Pro claim it is anti-aging, and will nourish and soothe stressed skin.

The first thing I noticed about this mask, is just how wet it. The mask was absolutely soaked in a cool, almost gel like solution. It was a little bit fiddly to unfold but it was strong enough not to tear. It had a lovely green scent, with just a hint of lavender. I applied it to clean, dry, skin where it felt immediately cooling and refreshing on the skin.

Mask On Face 

After Removal

When I removed it after about 15 - 20 minutes my face felt very wet and there was still quite a lot of liquid both on my skin and in the mask itself, so I massaged as much of the excess liquid into my face, chest and neck - waste not want not! It took about 5 minutes to completely absorb into my skin. and even then my skin still felt slightly tacky but it felt and looked clean, cool, and refreshed, and hydrated for a good few hours after removal.

I have to say that this is one of the nicest products that I've tried from Beauty Pro so far. I loved the subtle fresh lavender scent and I loved how fresh it made my skin look and feel. The mask seems to be quite new so it isn't that easy to find, the only retailers that I can find are Beauty Pro website where it retails at £4.95 and Look Fantastic where it retails at £5.95.

Naobay Detox Illuminating Micellar Water - 200ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £10.30

The final official item in the box was from Spanish skin and body care brand Naobay. I've had a few things from them in previous boxes but this is the first time that I've had the chance to try anything properly.

The range is paraben free, certified organic, cruelty free and over 98% of the ingredients in this particular product are of natural origin. This particular product contains aloe vera, lemon, sage, raspberry, and green tea. In simple terms it's a micellar water but according to Naobay it's a multi functional cleanser, that purifies the skin and prepares it for moisturiser, and it also protects the skin again environmental pollution whilst balancing, hydrating and soothing the skin.

I love micellar waters when I'm tired or when I'm in a rush, and I although I'm trying to get out of the habit or it, I usually end using a micellar for my morning cleanse. I normally use an oil, a balm or a cream cleanser to remove my make up but I decided to really put this product to the test and to remove a full face of the stuff.

Like the name would suggest, it has an almost water like feel, and a green slightly sweet scent. Like all micellar waters it was really simple to use, just apply it to a cotton pad or if your being eco friendly like me, a reusable cotton pad, and then gently wipe it over the face and eyes.

Before

After 

It felt cool on the skin, and almost exactly like water, there was no tingling or stinging on my face and even on my eyes. It took a few pads but as you can see it all came off, leaving my skin clean and fresh, it was a touch pink but it certainly didn't feel dry, tight or stripped.

Naobay isn't the easiest of brands to get a hold of in the UK and whilst Beauty Expert, Look Fantastic, and Waitrose do stock a small range of their products, the only place I've actually seen this is on a website called Ecco Verde where at retails at around £9.

Nakd Cocoa Orange Raw Fruit & Nut Bar - 35g - Full Size - Est. RRP 75p

Although there were officially only 5 items in the box, I actually received a 6th item - a Nakd bar! Eating a predominantly gluten and wheat free diet, I love Nakd bars and Cocoa Orange just so happens to be my favourite flavour. They don't look very appetising but they are really tasty and unusually for a lot of snack bars they are really filling.

Containing dates, cashews, raisins, cocoa and just a touch of natural flavouring, it tastes like an amped up fruitier, nuttier, and healthier chocolate orange, not only that but it's gluten, wheat and dairy free. The box also included a money off coupon so I may have gone out before lockdown and bought myself a few more bars.

A pack of 4 x 35g bars retail at around £2 - £2.50, where as individual bars such as this retail at around 75p from most major supermarkets, Boots, and health food stores such as Holland and Barrett.

After all of the glamour of December's box, January's was always going to feel a little flat, and a bit mehh in comparison, but whilst it lacks the glitz and sparkle it makes up for it in practicality. It contained things that people will use - tweezers, brow gel, and things to revive and pamper tired winter skin, and of course something a little bit healthier to eat after all the festive excesses. Let me know your thoughts on this box in the comments and of course don't forget to check out Glossybox for yourself, and I will see you soon with an epic combined empties post x 

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