DECEMBER GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

The collaboration box with Really Ree was only ROSE GOLD!!! Everyone's current favourite colour, I'm sure.

It was so beautiful! Most definitely my favourite design of all the boxes I have received so far. It was also wonderfully festive with "Let it snow!" written down the front side in the same rose-gold colour.

A little side note: I never throw away my GLOSSYBOX boxes! I simply remove the packaging inside of them and use them as makeup/beauty product containers - I've saw plenty of other uses for them also! They're just too pretty and high-quality to get rid of.

As if the design wasn't brilliant enough, there was 6 products as oppose to 5 in this month's edition which was thrilling! The bonus 6th item included in the box was the STARSKIN Balancing Bio-cellulose Second Skin face mask (the behind the scenes version) which is £8.50 at SELFRIDGES.
It includes a mask which is soaked in a vitamin-packed serum. The one I received claims to be "intensely soothing...deeply purifying...pore refining...sebum balancing...(and provides) breakout prevention"
The mask should be applied onto dry skin and left on for 20-25 minutes (with 10 minutes in the fridge beforehand to enhance its calming and cooling effect). It includes ingredients such as coconut juice, vitamin B, vitamin C and chamomile (and so many more).

I haven't tried this yet; I'm saving it for a pamper day where my skin needs some revitalising! However, I am very excited to try it out, it sounds wonderful.

The next product I came to was the HYLAMIDE pore delete (prismatic liquid) which is £18.00 for the full-sized version. It claims to blur pores and mattify the area; unlike a normal primer, you apply this after your foundation but before your powder (or as the last step in your skincare routine). I've been using it after my foundation and have found it a little hard to use as the consistency is quite thin but as you pat it into the area it becomes very tacky. Nonetheless - it does what it claims to! It definitely makes the area seem "blurry" and minimises your pores and it also mattifies the skin. I'm just not too sure about the consistency of this product but I'm going to continue to use it, it might just need some getting used to!

The third product in the box was the COLLECTION long-lasting nail effects nail polish in the shade "Cosmic stars" (retailing for £2.99). The colour is a gorgeous glittery purple, so perfect for the festive month! Although these nail polishes are relatively cheap, I loved receiving this in my GLOSSYBOX this month; a colour I'm sure I'll be wearing throughout the Christmas period.

It claims to be a chip-free nail varnish which lasts up to 7 days - I very much hope so! Nothing annoys me more than spending an hour painting your nails (whilst trying not to smudge them) for it to chip and break off the very next day!

The fourth product in the box I was very wary of when I first opened it. It was the ESSENCE liquid lipstick in the shade "Show Off" which retails for £2.50. First off, I'm not a huge fan of this brand and I wasn't crazy about the packaging of this product - it felt slightly cheap and I was a little disappointed. Still, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover! (Slightly cliche but its true). The product itself is very pigmented and gives off a wonderful colour and coverage. Also, the shine it gives is beautiful just like a lipgloss but it doesn't feel as if it is going to shift after half an hour like one!
The shade is a slightly red, party-pink tone (not one I'd personally wear on a day-to-day basis). Though I don't think this colour suits me all too well, this may be down to my incline towards the safe, nude colours - boring holl.

To sum up, the packaging could definitely be better but the product itself is surprisingly good - for £2.50 I'd definitely give it a go, I'm considering purchasing an everyday shade for myself too (maybe "almost real" - a very safe, pink nude).

The fifth product in the box was the ETRE BELLE Golden Skin Caviar Eye Roll-on which, for the larger size, retails for just over £30.00! Safe to say, for that price I had very high hopes for this product. The cooling gel-like product is meant to refresh the skin under the eyes and soothe it - reducing the tired, run-down look that many students like myself tend to experience I'm sure! The size of this produce (the smaller version) is such a wonderful, handbag-like size which you can whip out and roll along the skin under your eyes to look instantly revitalised. 

The product is extremely cooling and soothing, I love the feeling of this when I apply it in the morning (when I'm usually struggling to keep my eyes open) and at night before bed. Definitely one of my favourite items in the box - I love feeling like you've received a luxury item when you pay so little for the subscription!

And finally my favourite product in this month's edition... the SO SUSAN Statement Skin Highlighting Pencil (which retails for £15.00) in the shade "Starlight" - such a pretty name! Before subscribing to GLOSSYBOX, I hadn't tried the SO SUSAN brand but I wish I had, I just love the products I've tried out so far. This highlighting pencil is a gorgeous white/champagne gold colour which is extremely pigmented (but with very little/no glitter). The shape of the pencil makes it perfect to highlight smaller areas such as the inner corners of the eyes or the cupids bow or the broader areas like the tops of the cheek bones. I've been using this so much (on it's own and below a powder highlighter). It blends wonderfully and it claims to work well mixed in with your foundation too. Also, its paraben and fragrance free which is always a bonus. 

The full-sized version of the products in the box this month total to £77.00 (considering only one product was travel-sized, in my opinion, and you only pay £10.00 for the whole box, I think thats pretty good value for money!) Very pleased with the December box and the extra item was a wonderful surprise. If you are at all interested in subscribing, I'd appreciate if you did so through my personal link as I receive reward points :) 

Thank you, as always, for reading!

Holly Amber X