Glossybox - December 2016

It's Glossybox time again! But this time, it's special... a Christmas edition one! The box has been designed in white and gold with a beautiful gold reef on the lid which I absolutely adore! (I'm such a sucker for packaging!) 

Along with the usual glossy-cards, we have a really cool charity leaflet that I want to mention. The charity is called Give and Makeup, who accept nearly new (tried once) or brand new beauty products (except mascara and lipgloss) and toiletries for women who have fled domestic violence. This is a great way to help out some very brave women who arrive in shelters with very little with them. For more information visit their website by clicking here.

This month's Glossybox has come with "taupe nudes" as it's theme, with the following bits!

Browcote Waterproof Brow Sealer

First off I pulled out this new full sized product called Browcote by Lipcote, an eyebrow sealer or setter which is supposed to lock your brows into place to stop the hairs moving about. I was really pleased to find this little tube in the box since I don't currently use a specific brow setting product and I really needed one since my brows can have a mind of their own at times! For a full sized product it isn't very big but then again the product itself might not need to be generously applied so it could last a while. I'm excited to try it out and see! [RRP £6.99]

Lavera Naturkosmetik basis sensitiv All-Round Cream

Before the spelling police step in, no I haven't misspelt the name of the product; that's just how it's spelt! So the product itself is a handbag sized tin of cream suitable for face and body. It has an ultra-rich formulation with organic shea butter and almond oil, making it great for dry skin during the winter months. During the winter months, I tend to get dry skin around my hands but that's about it so this isn't a product that I would usually reach for, especially at the price. [RRP £6.95]

MDMFlow Semi-matte Lipstick in Bossy

First off, I've got to shout out the packaging of this lipstick; a really nice shiny gold bullet shaped case with the branding in black on the side. Liking it a lot! The lipstick itself is a cool-toned brown colour in a semi-matte finish, which ticks all the "on-trend" boxes right now since everyone is currently obsessed with matte browns and nudes. It's not scented which might work for those who don't like scents to their makeup. 

Since it's quite a cool-toned brown, I was skeptical about whether it would suit my yellowy-warm skin tone but it's actually not so bad! It's very close to the colour of my skin when on, giving my lips a foundation-nude sort of look. I don't usually go for that look but I reckon I could layer it on top of a pink lip liner to create a more useable colour. The formulation feels really nice and moisturising on the lips, comparable to MAC's satin finish lipsticks, but the colour isn't very pigmented. It doesn't state whether this is a full sized product or not (I'm going to assume it is) but it's smaller than a MAC lipstick and £2.50 more in price! All things considered, I wouldn't shell out for this lipstick mainly due to the size and colour payoff. [RRP £18]

Essence Light Up Your Face Luminizer Palette

A "strobing trio" meant for highlighting areas of the face, which can be used individually or together. I believe Essence is Wilko's makeup line which I've not used before. Just by looking at this product's packaging I wasn't thrilled. It feels really cheap and toy-like, and the back even has a picture of what looks like a Barbie doll on it to demonstrate where the product should be used. 

Top swatches in daylight and bottom swatches with flash

The powder on the far left looks a bit chalky on my skintone since it's matte so I wouldn't use it as a highlight. The middle shade is quite bright and glittery, which is not my kind of thing at all for a highlight. The final shade is more shimmery than glittery which is a positive, and it's a warmer peachy tone which will probably work better with my skintone. First impressions of this product aren't great, but will try it out with a full makeup look to see if it surprises me. [RRP £3]

Revlon Nail Enamel in 705 Gray Suede

A beautiful "greige" coloured nail polish, which doesn't look at all grey to me but sure, we'll just go with it! It claims to be chip resistant for 10 days! That's a long time for a normal nail polish so I'll be intrigued to test this claim out. The applicator brush is a bit thinner than I prefer but overall a great product to have received and definitely my kinda colour! [RRP 6.49]

Overall, I can't say that I'm hugely impressed with this month's box since a few of the products aren't ones I would generally reach for. I'm hoping that next month's box will have a better bunch!

Hoping you've all had a food-filled, sparkly Christmas!

Swapna x