Glossybox UK June Box - Me Me Me polish

My Glossybox arrived yesterday at my parents. I used to get it delivered to me but due to them changing from Royal Mail to courier I've had to change my delivery.

In the box was a MeMeMe Nail Collection Lasting Polish. I've not tried this brand before as I usually use OPI or Nails Inc. The colour is Sensuous which I originally thought was a nude but is more like an apricot. On first coat it looked like smokers nails buy got peachier after the second coat but still not sure on it.

I found the brush really thin and also the polish was very runny. I'm not sure if I'd buy this brand myself but will see how it lasts.

My First Makes on my Sizzix Big Shot

I received my Sizzix Big Shot on Wednesday morning, but unfortunately had lots to do so didn't get to play with it until later in the day for a short while, but had a proper play with it yesterday morning.

I brought a second hand Big Shot on eBay with some die cutters included. The one thing I would say is to be careful when buying Sizzlets second hand, or as part of a bundle as the ones I got were not smooth on the spongey background so left a pattern on the pieces I cut so they weren't smooth. This isn't a biggy though as the Sizzlets were a nappy pin and a bouquet of flowers (which are a bit abstract....you can't really tell what they are).

At the same time as buying the Big Shot I brought 2 Marianne Designs die cutter sets, a cupcake and a flower (shown above). With these I made the below cutouts.

It was only while showing my husband these that he said he thought that the cupcake would have the patterns on as shown on the dies. I was a bit confused to but after looking online found that I needed an embossing mat for these type of dies and purchased one from ebay. It came yesterday and I'm getting much better results now! Just have to remember to cut first and THEN emboss as I did it the other way, forgetting it wouldn't cut it out and had to then fiddle getting the paper and die to line up. The embossing mat I purchased was £8 and does not need extra card to thicken the 'sandwich' up so it's much easier to use.

You may notice in the background of the photo a very heavily used cutting mat. The Big Shot I purchased came with 3 cutting mats, 2 heavily used and 1 new mat. This was due to one of the ladies original mats shattering so she brought a new set and just used one new one and an old one. I have purchased another set of mats as the old ones look like they're going to break at any moment, but I did pick up a great tip online. I found that it was hard to lay the dies and card easily on the mats before cutting as both plates were warped, but a video online said to use a new mat on the bottom and never to use it on the top as the bottom plate will then not warp and also not get scratched! This means the mats/plates will last much longer.

I also received my GlossyBox yesterday and after packing away my items, I used the packaging to make the below flower!

The pale pink back petals are from the information card, the smaller petals are from the tissue paper the items are wrapped in, and the GlossyBox logo button was from the information card. (I was still using two warped plates/cutting mats, so the card slipped while going through the Big Shot so it wasn't perfectly in line).

I am going to have a massive Big Shot day over the Jubilee Bank Holiday I think! I purchased another die yesterday of a hedgehog, and holographic and glitter card from Home Bargains (79p for 16 holographic sheets and 79p for 6 glitter sheets!).

Now off to make Sunday dinner! Not sure I really want to in this heat but it'll be nice once cooked.

February Glossy Box

Normally I don't moan about what I get in my Glossy Box... and I won't but I am a bit disappointed which is the only time I have been since subscribing to the box.

I wasn't very well today as was in when the postman brought my box. It seemed light and I really didn't feel well so left the box on the bed and went back to sleep.

This afternoon I opened the box and was a bit hmmmm.... on seeing the first product... liquid soap but then it did say 'magic' liquid soap so thought it sounded interesting.

I think GB knew that this was going to be a bit of a 'hit or miss' box and had put a card in saying 'expect the unexpected' and tells you to go to the website on 24th Feb to find out about a mystery box... so I think this was put in to keep being subscribed.

The items I go were:

Duwop Venom Gloss - It comes with a warning that it may cause a tingling sensation... which I love! I've had lots of plumping glosses and the tingles show its working. I've not tried this yet but will be tomorrow. The worst 'tingle' I had was from an a Sally Hansen extreme plump which felt like I had carpet burn on my face! Its a nice colour too so can't wait to try this.

Dr Bronner Magic Liquid Soap - Worth £1.99.... hmmm high end I don't think so but I will try this if I can swap it for another smell as I have a migraine and this is Rose scented which usually gives me migraines (florists looked at me oddly when I kept saying I didn't want roses in my wedding bouquet as they gave me a migraine). So I've put a post on Beauty Box Swaps - http://www.facebook.com/GlossySwaps to ask to see if anyone is willing to swap for another smell (not citrus as that also causes migraines, and not lavender as my fiance isn't keen) so I will wait and see. I really want to try this out though so hope that someone is willing to swap. It has so many uses so really would like to give this a go.

Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Relaxing Balm - Intense hydrating treatment for my hair.... can't wait! Want to keep my hair in tip top condition for my wedding in April so will definately be trying this out!

BM Beauty Pure Mineral Eyeshadow - I have the grey colour and it looks really good and I quite like mineral makeup so can't wait to try this (with my Bare Minerals brush hehe) I don't have any eye like colours so this will be great for a smokey eye.

Como Shambhala Invigorating Body Lotion - Not tried this yet... mostly because of the smell as it sounds like a clash of smells to me and worried it'll push my migraine over the limit! I also don't need any body lotions at the moment as Waitrose mistakinly gave me 2 full size Nivea lotions in my weekly shop (which I have told them about) but they're not wishing to collect them (I'm too honest so had to tell them!)

I will try out the products this week and report back on my blog.

I haven't taken any photos as not feeling great but will hopefully post pictures of the products soon.

Some people got false nails instead of the BM eyeshadow which I was a bit annoyed about but then my nails are long (thanks to OPI) and they're probably longer than the false nails! Also I'll get more use from the eyeshadow.

I'm not sure what else other people go but will have a look once more blogs are posted.

If you want to swap my rose Dr Bronner soap for either Peppermint, Eucalyptus or Almond please leave a comment or get in touch via twitter @saraleighuk

December's Glossy Box

After waiting very patiently and not sneaking a peek at any other blogs, I finally got my December Glossy Box on Thursday.

I even drove home from work before going to my parents to see if the postman had been as I really wanted to get my Glossy Box.

I wasn't disappointed at all! It was a great box and was red and Christmasy!

Unfortunately I haven't taken any photos as I opened the box round my parents and took the products out to use and forgot until today that I was going to review them.

In the box I received:

Cargo Cosmetics Classic Lip Gloss
This is described as a non sticky, high-shine, great wearing lip gloss. It felt nice to wear and wasn't sticky, although I still kept putting my lips together and pressing them as I always do with lip gloss. You can still feel it's there but it's not sticky, although other lip glossy I have aren't sticky either (although hair still manages to stick to my lips whether lip gloss is sticky or not!). I liked this product but wouldn't go out of my way to buy it as it's similar to others on the market but was a nice size to carry around. I don't wear much lip gloss or lip sticks but with the current weather I have been wearing lip balm (an Avon one that I have on my desk at work) or my new Elizabeth Arden tinted 8 Hour Cream stick. I don't drink enough so my lips are always dry but especially now with the heating on all the time and the cold wind outside.

Deborah Lippmann - Razzle Dazzle Nail Varnish with Stripped to Go Sachet
This was a lovely reddy/purply/pink glitter nail varnish with a nail varnish remover mitt. I gave the varnish to my sister as she likes nail varnish, especially glittery ones and she didn't feel well so cheered her up with this (I did open my box round her house too lol). I gave the nail varnish removed sachet to my Mum as she could keep it on her to take off her polish if it chipped, but also because it was lavender scented (my fiance hates the smell of lavender...even though he loves the smell of the Molton Brown pillow spray which has base notes of lavender lol).

FAB Face Cleanser
This came out of the tube a bit like toothpaste as it was stripped (white and clear) and is described as a mild, nourishing cleanser that's ideal for all type. Calms redness and reduces skin reactivity with regular use. I found this to be very mild and didn't dry my skin out at all and felt very gentle to use. I would definitely think about buying this again (apparently Boots sell it) as it's a nice night time face cleanser that won't wake you up as it doesn't have any tingling or strong smell, it's just nice and gentle. 

Nouveau Lashes - Noir Mascara
My favourite item in the box so far. When I opened it the box was very expensive looking and more like opening an expensive pen than mascara. The tube is very esthetically pleasing although I got a greasy fingerprint on it straight away than I rubbed off (funnily enough from having the lipgloss on my finger... as you do). My favourite mascara is L'Oreal Volume Million Lash as it makes lashes thicker and really opens your eyes. I've tried other mascaras but nothing has made me stop buying my L'Oreal mascara...but then this came along....and it will share the top spot along with my L'Oreal masara.

The reason I like this mascara is that it gives great length and curl, rather than thickness, so is a great daytime look or when you want a more natural look. It isn't clumpy or flaky and doesn't make my lashes hard at all and is great like contact wearers like myself. I am even thinking of wearing this for my wedding as it didn't irritate my eyes at all.

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel
This is what made my box to heavy and is a full size shower gel that comes out as a mouse, a bit like shaving foam. Radox use to do something similar which I loved, but not sure they still do it (I usually use Boux Avenue, Molton Brown or baby shower gel now).

The scent I received was T'ai Chi (White Lotus and Green Tea) which is nice and clean smelling and reminded me of L'Occitane products (due to the smell). I've not used this in the shower yet as I have a head cold so have been using my Molton Brown Warming Eucalyptus to clear my nose and head, but my Mum tried this on her hands and it made them really soft so I'm really looking forward to trying this out.

Overall this has been a great box and I'm pleased with the products I've received and the scents. I saw that some people got Blink & Go mascara or eye shadows instead of the Nouveau Lashes mascara, and a range of different creams instead of the cleanser but I'm so so so pleased I got what I did.

It was definitely worth £12.99, especially since the mascara on its own was worth £14.99!

Can't wait for the January box now!

Glossy Box ... hurry up December box!

Really want to see what's in the December box and this time I am going to try and not to search online to spoil the surprise.

If you would like to try Glossy Box for yourself click here: Glossy Box


It costs £12.95 at the moment and that includes postage via Royal Mail and you get on average 5 times each month. You can also cancel at any time so if you only want to try it the once, you can!

I really think it's worth it as I've been able to try lots of different products over the last 2 months and I've been able to share them with my family.

GlossyBox also give you discount codes for some of their products if you want to buy the full items.

Some people don't like the fact that most boxes come with a fragrance as one of the products. I only had one in the last box and although it was a bit heady for me (I did like it but bit migraine inducing) I was able to give it to my Mum who really liked it. Most of these fragrances are not readily available on the High Street, only online/high end stores, Harrod etc so it's a great way to try new fragrances

November Glossy Box

I had a sneaky look at some blogs to see what people were getting this month and many (of the blogs I'd seen) seemed disappointed with the products.
I had decided if I got the bath salts I'd give them to my mum as I don't have a bath but they didn't out me off the box.

I then saw the different products people were getting and saw the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer which I'd heard about before and really hoped I would get it.

My box was delivered yesterday while I was out so this morning (in my day off) I got out of bed, put the kettle on, pulled my sheepskin boots on over my PJs and walked next door to the post office...still half asleep.

I hoped the box and was really happy as had no foot cream and no bath salts! (hope on the preferences soon Glossy Box have a 'do you have a bath or shower' question so we don't end up getting things we can't use)

 So was really happy when I opened the box and found this:

 Arbonne Ultra Hydrating Hand Creme - I've not tried this yet, only smelt it but it does have quite a strong smell which is quite an odd smell and as I have a headache I thought I would wait to try this.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Delicate Boosting Mask - Tried this within 10 minutes of opening the box! It has a lovely delicate smell and is very gentle. I have a scar on my nose which can get irritated but this is great on all of my face. You put this on and leave it for about 10 minutes before washing it off and you are left with a lovely feeling on your face.

Illamasque Freak Eau De Parfum - I was a bit wary of this due to the name as sounded really heady however when I saw it contained frankincense I gave it a try and it was really nice. I actually gave this to my mum as she loves the smell of frankincense and opium (which is also one of the smells in this).

Nail Rock - Designer Nail Wraps - I received the red with black lace and wasn't to sure of these as I've had nail wraps before (Nails Inc) and really didn't like them as they were fiddly to apply with the hairdryer and didn't last, however these don't need a hairdryer and are so much better! I have them on my toes (kindly applied by my mum) and then a wrap on each thumb with the rest of my nails painted red (Revlon Red). The only problem with these wraps are that they are very round at the base and my nails are more square at the base so there are a few gaps.

The final product I got was the Philip Kingsley Elasticizer. I really wanted to try this so was glad I got it. It said to put on wet hair and leave on for 10 - 20 minutes before rinsing out then shampooing and conditioning so I chucked my head over the sink and wet my hair then put the elasticizer on, placed a shower cap on over it (then I put my Dead Sea Salt mask on too) then after 20 minutes washed it out in the shower. I wasn't really sure what to expect but after washing and straightening my hair my head seems much stronger and straighter and then this morning (I washed it yesterday) I didn't need to straighten my hair! Great! As my hair is thick it suggests to use it once a week so I'll be using this weekly and see how my hair improves.

Overall I am very happy with the products this month and can't wait until next months box!