What Did She Say?

SHE SAID BEAUTY!

I haven't heard much about SheSaidBeauty thus far so thought I would share this as it may be new to you. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to make the debut box but if you want to see what was in it you can check out the Fee from makeupsavvy's post here

I have to admit the duck egg, Tiffany blue box was what sold it to me initially but I am actually really pleased with what I received. Lifting the lid you'll find pretty pink paper and ribbon, all very glossybox-esque but I very much liked the straw touch which I assumed was a nod to the Easter Holidays but turns out is just a coincidence - slightly disappointing. You will be familiar with the overall idea of a beauty box by now so I wont bore you with an explanation but these are the basics.

The service is £9.00 + £2.95 P+P monthly for 5 beauty samples from 'top brands'

You have the opportunity to save money when subscribing for multiple months at a time - nice touch - but otherwise it's a rolling month by month subscription that you can cancel at any time.

I know for some the random direct debit dates are an issue and most Beauty Boxes seem to take money (and deliver) whenever they feel like it, I'm not sure about this point yet but will report my experience in a couple of months.

So here's what I got...

Mischa Barton Luscious Lips in Pink Pop

(full size) £12.00 for 8g here

First of all who know Mischa Barton had branched out in to cosmetics? Not me! I love her bags but this seems like such a random step, anyway.. There's zero colour to this product but it is supposedly a 'hydrating lip protector' and has SP15 so I can forgive them and toss it in my handbag for a balm.

Bellapierre Shimmer Powder in Champagne

(full size) £12.99 for 2.35g here

Now this is really really lovely. I know I will likely never use it as loose pigments are just a bitch for me but it's a very beautiful shade, really flattering and a lovely product all the same.

Bharti Vyas Face & Neck Polisher

(sample size) £22.50 for 125ml here

Quite possibly the least interesting packaging I've ever laid eyes on. The product might be fantastic but nothing about it makes me want to try it. Am I being overly mean here? Another thing.. I don't like that the sample is in a little screw top pot. It should have been a tube or a sachet, it just doesn't make sense and screams cheap to me when it's really not. Had the product been £5.00 full price I think my standards would have been lower but it's £22.50!!

Filthy Gorgeous Nail Polish in Vampish

(full size) £9.00 for 10ml here

I hate to dis the packaging again.. this stuff looks cheap! I remember when I first saw it in Debenhams I thought it was their own generic brand only to discover the whopping £9.00 price tag. People tend to review this stuff well though so I will hold my judgement 'til I've tried it myself. I like the colour, though it's not entirely season appropriate.

Erno Laszlo

The Hollywood Collection available here from £85.00

Now this was an interesting one. The prices are sky high so it's unlikely I'd purchase from the range myself but this is for me what beauty boxes should be about. I want to try lots of samples of products that I wouldn't want to shell out big money for before trying them at home first. Ok so this is a little extreme - The Velvet Night Cream retails at £175! - but they don't know my budget and even if I had that kind of money to spend I'd still want to give it a spin before I made the commitment!

 

Comfort Zone - Body Expert Kit

 available here from £19.95

I don't believe you can buy this bunch of samples but having done a little digging it would seem that certain online retailers have had them as gift with purchase etc so chances are you could bag one on eBay. Comfort Zone featured in the first box so my guess is that they're gonna be popping up as frequently as Murad in Glossyboxes but I'd prefer lots of mini sample to just one. I got 6 sachets and chances are I'm going to like one of them.. it just makes so much more sense to do it this way than send one big sample which you might hate. This isn't a budget brand but it's affordable if there as something I really love.

Don't let my intermittent negativity fool you, I loved this box! I thought it was a good mix of products and really liked the sachets. There were 3 full sized products which though unnecessary is always nice and I more than got my moneys worth. Above all that this is their tricky second box.. the one that everyone expects to be a let down and they totally knocked it out of the park in my opinion. Maybe it's not for you but SheSaidBeauty is definitely for me!

For more info on what was in the box and lots more reviews check out

SheSaidBeauty.com

Miss BB

Not So GLOSSY Box?

It seems the entire beauty community were out in force last month to celebrate the launch of the new Glossy Box. Every review you read or watched was a rave and the Full Sized Nars product they included in their debut package seemed to set the free advertising ball rolling. I joined before the first boxes were sent out but unfortunately missed the deadline so never received that all important starter box and was understandably disappointed. I suspected that the fantastic freebie would be a one off to hook in new subscribers to the service but I thought of it as a bonus for those who'd been lucky enough to sign up in time, not something you should expect monthly. However... when I did receive my first box last week I was still very much underwhelmed by its contents. Shower gel, a miniature OPI, a face serum (which I've since discovered you can request a free sample of online), a Lalique perfume (which I doubt would appeal to my beauty generation) and a travel sized can of Batiste. If I'm honest I think it was the Batiste that really got me.. It's a luxury sample service, I understand we shouldn't be expecting anything major but.. Batiste? It's quite possibly the least luxury brand out there! I could have purchase 4 full sized cans for the price I paid for the Glossy Box service! The only item I was pleased with was the OPI. Unfortunately by the time I'd decided it was a decent sample to receive  the whole experience was tarnished by the can of dry shampoo which seemed to be mocking me. I will say this.. The packaging of the products is fantastic and this one month hasn't put me off altogether I think it has just lowered my expectations to a level that next month a sample of Frizz Ease will be like a Chanel lipgloss. I think that they ruined it with the first month. If the first month hadn't have been so noteworthy we would have allowed them time to get it right... it's a new business after all but for those of us that weren't sent our first box for free or didn't sign up in time month two seemed like a bit of a slap in the face. They obviously know how the community works. People talk about the product, that's what they are counting on, that's how people heard about it, YouTube and Blogs are a hugely powerful marketing tool but then when they came to following up that massive launch it was like they chose to forget that we would all discuss and compare once again. I don't want to harsh too much on this company and I will not be unsubscribing just yet.. at very least I think they will have to make July's box great before the £2.95 P+P kicks in and people decide it's not good value for money. There's also a new service on the horizon which is currently taking a waiting list and will be Glossy Box's direct UK competition! Boudoir Prive. I have already signed myself up of course and I don't intend to subscribe to two such similar services so Glossy Box could be over before it begun if it doesn't pull something fantastic out of the bag very soon.