A Late Unboxing Of Glossybox UK - November 2020 Edition - Makeup & Magic*

 

Right, after a more up to date post, it's time to play catch up again with another belated Glossybox unboxing, and this time we're going back to November 2020.

Although the theme of November's box was all about 'Make Up & Magic', compared to the vintage fairy tale style, book, design of October's box, Novembers box at least design wise, was a little bit underwhelming.

There was so much scope to make another sparkly, or mystical designed box, but in some what of a missed opportunity. November's box saw a return to the traditional pink and black design, and colour way.

Instead, in November Glossybox, seemed to focus purely on the contents, producing a box containing glitter, shimmer, and glow, to get us ready for the, all be it Covid affected, festive season.

LA Splash Cosmetics Magic Eyeshadow Palette - Full Size - RRP £29 / $38

First, up the biggie, and the 'star' product in November's box; An eyeshadow palette from cruelty free US based brand, LA Splash.

I've tried a couple of things from the brand now, thanks to Glossybox, including a glitter eyeliner, and some make up brushes , but this was my first opportunity to try one of their powder products.

Packaged in a matter black and gold cardboard, magnetic fastening palette, with a shiny gold cardboard outer sleeve, their Magic Eyeshadow Palette contains 8, 10p ish sized shades, in a variety of matte, shimmer and almost metallic finishes. 

Perfect for the traditional Autumnal colour palette, the compact contains a nice mixture of neutral tones, and fall inspired, leaf and pumpkin inspired, orange, gold, and bronzes.

From Left To Right - Selenite, Sunstone, Aragonite & Tigers Eye

From Left To Right - Rose Quartz, Citrine, Amber & Onyx

As you can see all of the shades, are soft, creamy and really pigmented. I did find that the darker matte shades, such as Tiger's Eye, and Onyx especially were a touch powdery and prone to a little bit of fallout, but otherwise they were pretty easy to apply and they blended into the skin, and into each other really nicely.

What I really liked about this palette is that you could use it to create both bright, show stopping looks, and more neutral, smokey looks, like I've created here by using Sunstone, Rose Quartz, and Tigers Eye.

This is actually a really wearable palette but with a fashion, seasonal twist. I love all of the shades (especially Rose Quartz), and the quality, including the colour pay off, and the wear time was excellent. I do think that there are definitely cheaper palettes of equal quality on the market but I'm really pleased to have this one in my collection.

Whilst Beauty Bay do sell a small selection of LA Splash products, this particular palette is only available directly from LA Splash where it retails at £29 / $38.

Spectrum Collections Limited Edition Zodiac B07 Tall Crease Blender - Full Size - Est. RRP £7.99

Included to be used alongside your eyeshadow palette, the next item in November's box, was an eyeshadow brush from Spectrum Collections.

I own a few brushes from Spectrum now and I've always been really impressed with both the quality of the products and the brands ethos. All of their products are both vegan and cruelty free and this particular brush is no exception.

In one of their limited edition colour ways, this B07 Tall Crease Blender features a glossy black handle, a shiny gold ferrule, and super soft, and fluffy synthetic hairs.

This isn't really the best all rounder brush for precise application because it's a bit too fluffy, but it's perfect for blending shadow into the crease and even for applying shadow to the brow bone or all over the lid - really useful and another winner from Spectrum!

This particular brush in this colour way doesn't appear to be available to buy, but the B07 does seem to be available in both white and pink for £5.99 direct from Spectrum Collections, and it's also available in various colours, in various sets and kits both direct from Spectrum and from various other retailers including Beauty Bay, Boots, ASOS and NEXT Beauty.

Que Bella Professional Recharge & Restore Purple Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask - 15g - Full Size - RRP £2.49

The next item in the box was the first of two face masks, and this one was a single use sachet from a brand called Que Bella. I've only had one other product from Que Bella but that one is still in my to try pile, this was my first real experience with the brand.

Whilst they're quite new to the UK, Que Bella is currently the best selling face mask brand in the US, and they currently have over 25 different products in their range, catering for all ages and all different skin types.

The mask that I received this time round was the Que Bella Professional Recharge & Restore Moonstone Glitter Gel Mask. Vegan friendly and dermatologically tested, this mask is specifically designed for dull skin that needs a bit of glow. It's both hydrating, rejuvenating, plumping, firming and detoxifying, and it contains a mixture of caffeine, sodium hyaluronate, dead sea mud, charcoal powder, and moonstone extract.

At first glance I actually though that this was a peel off mask, but it's actually a gel textured wash off mask. It did feel a lot like a peel off mask though with a sticky, gel like texture. It was black in colour and full of fabulous iridescent, blue, purple, glittery sparkles.

Before

With a sweet parma violet esq scent, it was really easy to spread out, and to apply to the skin. There was a slight warming, and tingling on application but it subsided fairly quickly. The mask didn't really seem to dry or set, it just needed to be washed off with warm water after around 15 minutes.

On Face

It was a little bit difficult and messy to wash off, but it left my skin looking and feeling refreshed, clean and clear. My skin was a touch pink and there was no real difference in the texture of my skin, but the mask looked fantastic when it was on my skin, it smelled lovely, and my skin definitely looked better after using it, so I would definitely consider using this one again.

After Removal

Face masks from Que Bella are available exclusively from Amazon in the UK, and this particular mask retails at around £2.49.

Generation Clay Ultra Violet Brightening Purple Clay Mask - 50ml -  Est. RRP £19.50

The next item in the box was a bit of an unexpected one. The product listed in the information booklet was the Mudmasky Leave-Me-On Autumn Mask, but instead some Glossybox subscribers, including myself, received another face mask, the Generation Clay Ultra-Violet Brightening Purple Clay Mask.

From cruelty free, Australian based company Generation Clay / Generation Skin, this is another mask that is designed to add radiance to the skin, and to even out the complexion, as well as lightening dark circles and pigmentation.

It contains clay, and a mixture of botanicals and superfoods, including the Australian Davidson Plum, which contains AHA's, Desert Lime to stimulate collagen, Bilberry, a natural enzymic exfoliator, and Aloe Vera to soothe and reduce redness, as well as witch hazel, vitamin E, ylang ylang, and hibiscus extract.

Before 

The mask has a slightly runny, but creamy and easy to apply texture. Lilac, grey in colour is has quite a strange scent, with almost bitter almond notes, mixed with plastic and an old fashioned floral scent.

On application, as stated it did feel quite warm and tingly at least for a few minutes before it gradually subsided as the mask started to dry. It took around 15 minutes to set completely, changing to an almost white colour, whilst at the same time feeling quite solid, and tight. 

On Application

After 15 Minutes 

Like all clay masks it took a bit of getting off, but I found the best way to do it was to soak my entire, mask covered face in warm water to soften it a little bit before wiping it off  in circular motions with warm water and a muslin cloth.

My skin did look a little bit red after removal, but it felt super smooth, and looked fresher, brighter, and it had an almost smooth, matte finish.

After Removal

I was a little bit worried about the tingling feeling, and I wasn't a huge fan of the scent. but my skin actually seemed to love this mask. My skin tone looked more radiant and even, and it seemed to improve the texture, leaving it feeling smoother, and it also seemed to help control my oily t-zone as well as drying up the odd blemish more quickly. I probably wouldn't recommend it if your skin was drier or more sensitive but for me it worked.

This particular mask isn't that easy to find. Glossybox place a value of £19.50 on this 50ml half sized tube, but I can't find this size anywhere. Strangely though Beauty Bay sell a 75ml / 100g tube for £19, although it's currently out of stock. Otherwise you can find a 100g tube for around £29.99 on Amazon or for around £49.99 direct from Generation Skin / Clay, so if you do fancy trying this one for yourself then the key is to shop around x 

HASK Argan Oil From Morocco Repairing Deep Conditioner - 50g / 50ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £2

The fifth and final item in November's box is something that as of yet I still haven't managed to try. Yes, I know that November was nearly 5 months ago now, but I've been trying out a few other different hair products, so I haven't managed to slip this one into my routine yet, and scarier still I haven't tried the exact same one that I also received in the January 2019 edition of Glossybox UK - eek!

This is the original Argan oil based deep conditioning mask from American brand, Hask, which is specially designed to strengthen, and hydrate, dry, damaged, colour treated, and processed hair. I promise I will use it and I will definitely talk about it in an upcoming empties post.

This full sized  50g sachet retails at anywhere between £2.49 - £3, and is available from various retailers including Boots, Superdrug, Tesco and Waitrose. 

So that was my very late review of the November 2020 edition of Glossybox UK, and for me it was a good one; The quality of the eyeshadow palette was excellent, the brush was great quality and really useful, and I loved all of the masks, including the hair one that I haven't tried yet ;)

Let me know your thoughts on this box in the comments, and don't forget to check out Glossybox for yourself, and I will see you soon with a mixture of catch up's and more up to date posts x 

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