TALKING POINT: Liz Earle’s reformulation of Sheer Skin Tints

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^^Reformulated product packaging

We need to talk about Liz Earle and their new tinted moisturiser. We received a PR sample of their Sheer Skin Tints a few years back and we were astonished at just how good it was. A highly pigmented tinted moisturiser with a natural finish and great coverage. It was easy to apply and easy to wear. It was lightweight and your skin felt totally natural wearing it. It was in a class of its own, somewhere between foundation and tinted moisturiser. The real miracle was for combination skin types…it continued to give good coverage throughout the day without provoking more oil production or settling into pores, which frankly is a miracle.

It immediately became our Holy Grail base product and we used it every day, extolling its virtues to everyone who would listen. Then the worst happened…we began to hear news of a reformulation. And the feedback wasn’t good. No, surely this couldn’t be! We went straight to Liz Earle to ask them about it and they confirmed this.

This is what Liz Earle had to say “The new formula visibly smooths, brightens and hydrates. It is lightweight and silicone-free,helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and imperfections, which also visibly evens skin tone.”

We went straight to our local Liz Earle counter to try it for ourselves. And we will say this. It is a totally different product, even the shades are different (even though they have the same name). It is now a very dewy finish and light coverage. Some people may like it better, but it didn’t work at all for us. It didn’t even our skin tone and separated and collected in our pores super fast. We’ll post some photos of this soon.

We’re so disappointed by this. It definitely shouldn’t be sold under the same name as it’s nothing like the original sheer skin tints. If you’re in any doubt, don’t make a £24.50 mistake and go try it out first. If you have purchased it, Liz Earle have advised that you can return it for a refund at one of their counters.

And us? We’ve tracked down all the old product we can find and bought it all. Sniff.

REVIEW: The Body Shop – Drops of Light Eye Cream 15ml, £20

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THE CLAIMS: “This quick fix brightening essential will visibly brighten appearance after first use. With daily use, it helps visibly brighten the appearance of the eye contour. Massage with the cooling applicator to help stimulate blood circulation around eyes and reduce puffiness for a refreshed appearance.”

THE TRUTH:  We tend to find creams too rich for the eye area when it comes to combination complexions, gels usually work much better. However, we went ahead and gave this product a go especially as our skin is a little dryer than usual at the moment.

We’re glad we gave this a go as the formulation was lightweight enough not to clog up our skin, leaving it soft and moisturised. We don’t suffer with dark circles but definitely plenty of puffiness in the mornings. The cold metal tip to the applicator helped with this and felt a little tightened, almost as much as using an eye gel.

We didn’t notice much in the way of brightening benefits – the blurb went on about red algae extract harvested from the North Atlantic but this product didn’t seem particularly natural.

We would recommend this for anyone looking for a good quality, medium weight eye cream with a refreshing application method. The price is on the steep side, but that’s the Body Shop for you.

Pros:  Lightweight cream, moisturises well, refreshing applicator tip
Cons:  Price
Score:  4 out of 5

Full disclosure: We received this as a PR sample

UNBOXING: Birchbox May 2018 – Palm Leaves and Warm Breeze

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This month’s theme was Palm Leaves & Warm Breeze, saying ‘aloha’ to the first signs of summer.

No full-size products this month. We will use everything in the box. Well-curated but nothing particularly exciting other than the box, which is beautiful and definitely worthy of staying out on show.

DOUCCE: Luscious Lip Stain in Amber Rose, unknown size
Value: Approx £10 (not sure of sample size), full size 6g is £21

Image result for doucce lip stain amber rose

“This pigmented liquid formula applies matt, dries fast (so it won’t transfer onto anything and lasts for hours. Unlike other matte lip products, this long-lasting formula glides on smoothly for comfortable all-day wear”

BT INITIAL OPINION: A super flattering, fresh colour for oriental skintones. Formula is a little watery but the pay off is that is doesn’t ‘crack’ or dry too much like most matte lip paints. Tried the kiss test and it passed with flying colours 😀

GREENFROG BOTANIC: Geranium & Peppermint Botanical Bodywash, 50ml
Value: £1.49

Greenfrog Botanic Geranium and Peppermint Award Winning Soapberry Body Wash

“This organic formula is cruelty-free, vegan and completely free from chemical nasties! Brimming with moisturising alow vera and Saponin-rich soapberries, this gentle wash cleanses your skin whilst maintaining pH levels.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – The fresh scent is nice and the size will be great for a weekend away. This claims to be great for sensitive skin, eczema and psoriasis which would be the main plus point for us, but the sample is too small to verify these claims.

NATIVE UNEARTHED: Activated Charcoal Natural Deodorant Balm, 15g
Value: £1.99

Native Unearthed Activated Charcoal Natural Deodorant Balm

“This all-natural cream forgoes chemicals in favour of sweat-absorbing arrowroot, antibacterial coconut oil and soothing shea butter. Just smooth a pea-sized amount onto clean underarms to form an invisible shield.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Small sample but happy to try alternative product like this although it’s not that different to a pushup stick or roll on once applied.

CAUDALIE: Make-up Removing Cleansing Oil, 30ml
Value: £5.40

Caudalie

“This 100% natural blend of sunflower, sweet almond and grape oils is a must have afor all skin types. Just massage onto dry skin to dissolve make-up, add water and rinse away to leave your skin clean and soft.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – We love cleansing oils! Will be interesting to see how this compares with our enduring classic Shu Uemura cleansing oil (which actually works out cheaper).

EYEKO: Skinny Liquid Eyeliner, 1.2g
Value: £9.60

Skinny Liquid Eyeliner

“This easy-to-use pen-style applicator will have you lining and defining your eyes in a flash. This fade-resistant formula will last all day and night.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Black eyeliners will always get used and this one has a great reputation. Really surprised that the full size product is only 2g – super expensivo at £16. Let’s see if its performance justifies the high price tag when plenty perform well around the £5 mark.

OVERALL VERDICT:

We feel a bit conflicted with Birchbox at the moment. First of all, they got rid of Birch points and lifestyle extras and beauty tips. The quality of the boxes is very samey…on the one hand, they are mainly products we will use and are happy with. On the other hand, they are featuring high end brands less and being less exciting in general. Caudalie and Eyeko are solid brands but feature in boxes so often. In addition to this, there were no full size products. This was not so much the issue as some samples being too small as well (meaning that you can’t really tell if a product is worth buying). Whilst we’re not unhappy and have some great items to go in our travel washbags, Birchbox need to try harder.

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Total value: £28.48

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox April 2018 – Cath Kidston

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A Cath Kidston box? Well the box was pretty enough. At best, we could have hoped for some classic British brands with English garden scents, but what we got was a small handcream and some Cath Kidston advertising. Ho hum.

MODEL CO: Baked Highlighter in Frose, 1.5g
Value: £10.29

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“This baked treat is an instant complexion illuminator. Just swirl a fluffy brush across the marbled powder and sweep over cheekbones for that lit-from-within glow.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: After preselecting which shade we wanted, we were looking forward to trying out this highlighter, however it is the most ridiculously tiny sample…about 1.5 cm across. We find it hard to believe that it is worth the quoted price or that anyone can use this tiny sample. Cunningly photographed. Can’t find this for sale anywhere other than Birchbox. Crazily overpriced. Just ridiculous.

BEAUTANIQ BEAUTY: Fill + Tame Brow Gel in Brunette, 4g
Value: £8.60

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“Show unruly brow hairs who’s boss with this easy-to-use formula. The vegan formula is enriched with nourishing aloe leaf extract and glycerin so there’s not risk of crunch or sticky brow hairs.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Small for a full size product. Another product that is hard to track down anywhere other than Birchbox. A bit of a gamble depending on the brunette shade (might be too warm) but happy to try a new product out.

CATH KIDSTON: Hand Cream, 30ml
Value: £2.50

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“Not only is the exclusive Birthday Rose packaging as pretty as a picture but the floral lotion inside will leave your skin feeling silky-soft and smooth.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Not exactly groundbreaking, but nice enough to put in a handbag or take for a trip away. Scent is quite strongly floral (not natural smelling). The formulation is easily absorbed. Is this really enough to warrant the Cath Kidston collaboration headline though?! We don’t think so.

PERCY & REED:  Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm, 30ml
Value: £7.20

“The haircare step you didn’t know you were missing?  A primer!  This multi-tasking balm boasts a  whole host of benefits;  adds moisture, boosts shine, aids smoothness, defines, softens, protects against humidity, and speeds up styling.  Phew!”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This was our favourite product in the box. A little goes a long way. We tended to use it on the ends of our hair to keep it sleek and stop flyaway hairs. Decent deluxe sample size too.

AFTER SPA:  Magic Make Up Remover Cloth
Value: £8.95

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“With this cloth there’s only one thing that you need – water!  Wet the cloth and massage it over your face to break down impurities and remove all types of make-up.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This just looks like a microfibre cloth and a small one at that. But this was the most exciting product in the box for us.  We’re not sure it will be as gentle as our oil cleanser especially on waterproof mascara, but if it works well without too much rubbing or scrubbing, this will be a boone as no products are required. We’ll definitely report back.

This is a dupe for the Magic Eraser and a review from Labmuffin is here https://labmuffin.com/how-make-up-remover-cloths-work-and-review/

OVERALL VERDICT:

Pretty disappointed with the overall theming of this box and the ridiculously small highlighter. Other than that, it’s an OK box, buoyed up by the magic cleansing cloth and the wonder balm. This SEEMS like a good value box, however a couple of items seem to have a massively inflated RRP and only for sale via Birchbox…hope this is not a trend we’ll be seeing more of.

Total value: £37.54

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

UNBOXING: Birchbox March 2018 – Mindfulness

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This box is absolutely gorgeous with a mandala design that’s too good not to be seen. The theming didn’t carry through in the contents though, which was meant to champion the importance of self-care.

BLAQ:  Peel Off Mask, 15ml
Value: £3.50

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“This charcoal mask will draw out toxins and purify.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: We’re lucky and our skin isn’t really congested but would still like to try this charcoal mask especially across the T zone to see if black masks really live up to their hype. The sample size is big enough for one full face application. It’ll have to be pretty amazing for us to pay full price for it. Watch this space.

BENEFIT: BADgal BANG! Volumising Mascara, 3g
Value: £7.59
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“Prepare for lash lift off wit this new, thickening mascara. It’s gravity-defying formula contains aero-particles, commonly found in astronauts’ spacesuits, to deliver volume with lightweight life in every swipe. The special slimpact! brush is moulded to catch every single last from corner to corner.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – What a lot of marketing garbage! We generally dislike Benefit – drugstore quality at midrange price. However, the one product we really love is BadGal mascara, so kinda curious as to whether this improves upon it. Regardless, both mascaras are super pricey (big tubes but little product), so we opt for Lancome Hypnose as our Holy Grail mascara 😀 Can this one topple it?

LUMENE: Valo Glow Boost Essence, 15ml
Value: £15.45

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“A blend of refreshing arctic spring water, vitamin C and brightening technology works to revive fatigued skin and restore luminosity. ”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This is the type of product we want to see more of in Birchbox. Deluxe samples of non-mainstream but quality brands. We cannot get enough of serums, essences and acids so this is bang on target for us. Lovely glass dropper bottle. Just hope it performs! Excite!

R + CO:  Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste, 7.1g
Value: £2.52
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“This paste is formulated with Hawaiian volcanic ash to keep your scalp clean and balanced, with coconut and sunflower seed oils to add shine.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Uhhm, well like the innovative medium but dry shampoo is dry shampoo right? You can use it to help style too but we don’t appreciate this much more than a can of batiste. Since subscription boxes, we have dry shampoo coming out of our ears. Maybe we just wash our hair too much 😛

BAIJA:  Gommage Festin Royal Body Scrub (Caramelised Honey, 50g)
Value: £3.52

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“Packed full of honey and soothing shea, this exfoliator is a great solution for sloughing away dry patches and brightening”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Mmm. This smells great and we love a body scrub. So yummy, it’s almost somewhere between food and bath product! Everything about this feels luxe. Not expecting miracles (it’s a scrub!), but a welcome inclusion even if it doesn’t really fit in the box!

OVERALL VERDICT: Another tenuous theming with yet another Benefit sample, but it’s a good product so Birchbox are forgiven. Without the Lumene essence, this would have been a pretty poor box, but a nice balance has been struck between known and more niche mid-range brands.

Total value: £32.58

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

REVIEW: Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Pixi Pink, £8

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THE TRUTH:  Smells of your childhood, more specifically Swizzels Lip Sticks (now sold as Loveheart Lipsticks) and candy necklaces. The bright bubblegum pink colour comes from a similar childhood past.

The balm is fairly pigmented and the colour isn’t natural, so you can only really put a light sweep on unless you want bright pink lips. The colour is also a bit light for Oriental skintones, but if you do apply the lightest sweep, it gives a pleasant matte pastel flush when combined with the right makeup can make for a pleasingly fresh look. It’s just about passably moisturisingly but we’d expect more from £8 especially Pixi.

Pros: Overall usable
Cons:  Not conditioning, price

SCORE:  2.5 out of 5

This came in February 2018 Birchbox.

REVIEW: Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner Black, £4

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Picked this up last minute in an airport. What a great find. The highly pigmented formula applied really easily and smudged well and stayed put relatively well. For oriental eyes, this is no mean feat where there pigment often creases up and collects in the corner. The waterproof formula makes it perfect for humid climates and beach-based holidays. The automatic pencil comes with a little smudger on the end although we didn’t use this.

Due to the easy application and soft ‘lead’, the eyeliner won’t last that long. But the pricepoint is fair. You also can’t get as fine a line as with a hard formula pencil or ink. Perfect for smokey eyes.

We now use this daily. An excellent waterproof eyeliner that works hard for its money.

Pros:  High performance eyeliner, smudgeable, waterproof, true black, good price
Cons:  Wasteful due to soft formula (have to throw plastic barrels away)

SCORE: 4.5 out of 5

We bought this without our hard-earnt pennies

UNBOXING: Birchbox Feb 2018 – Beauty through the decades

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Birchbox have been giving us the option to choose our box design or a product each month. Whilst we’re glad not to get the 80s box, we would prefer to have a choice of product than box design. The idea behind this month’s box was to celebrate timeless trends and experimental looks of their time.

THE BEAUTY CROP:  Eyeshadow Trio in Love You So Latte, 3g (full size)
Value: £7

Image result for THE BEAUTY CROP: Eyeshadow Trio in Love You So Latte

“This coffee-inspired collection contains three earthy tones. They’re packed with coffee extracts to reduce puffiness and brighten the eye area.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: First of all, what does this have to do with beauty through the decades? It’s totally contemporary! Having said that, these shades are really wearable and will suit everyone. Had never heard of the company before – not sure how Birchbox come up with the RRPs when they are exclusive to Birchbox…

MODELCO: Green conceal & correct, 2.1g (full size)
Value: £14

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“A green concealer counteracts redness for a more even complexion.”

BT INITIAL OPINION: A crayon is a great format for application, we do feel a bit divided about plastic pencils though as you get so little product and so much waste. We don’t use green concealer daily as we tend not to go for full coverage base, but do have slightly flushed cheeks so will probably give this a whirl when we want to go for a fully made up look.

PERCY & REED: Quite Frankly Flawless Finishing Polish, 30ml
Value: £2.40

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“This lightweight styler is packed with horse chestnut to keep your do in place without leaving it stiff or greasy, and sunflower wax for a gentle injection of moisture. ”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This brand is one our beauty box discoveries…we’ve come to love it for performing well at a reasonable price. Not a high value product, but we appreciate the good-sized sample and look forward to trying this product out.

LUSETA:  Coconut Milk Hair Mask, 30ml
Value: £3.84

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“A nourishing treament designed to repair and restructure.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Yesss, more luxe products like this (hair masks, pamper items) to test please. Can’t really track this down anywhere other than Birchbox though. Hope it performs.

PIXI:  Shea Butter Lip Balm in Pixi Pink, 4g (full size)
Value: £8
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“With nourshing ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E treating lips to a healthy sheen.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Pixi! This had to be good right? We were pretty disappointed at first use – it has a strange opaque, yet not opaque pigmentation that is on the pale side (it looked chalky on our lips and definitely wouldn’t look good on dry lips). After a little more use, taking care to apply enough colour, we came to like the fresh bright candy pink colour. It’s quite flat and not very moisturising though.

OVERALL VERDICT:

Three full-size products, you’re spoiling us Birchbox! This was quite a strong if not-exciting box. However, quite suspicious and fed up of the trend of featuring brands that are only available through the Birchbox shop (with inflated prices to boot).

Total value: £35.24

Box price: £10.00 plus £2.95 shipping (rolling month by month subscription) – although we got this on a discount offer

Note: We paid for this Birchbox with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of Birchbox? Subscribe at www.birchbox.co.uk and you’ll get £5 off your first box! You’re welcome 😉

SAMPLE: Olay Total Effects Day, 50ml £14.99

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My mum has only ever worn makeup on her wedding day. But what she did do was apply Oil of Olay (then Oil of Ulay) morning and night. She is in her 70s now and still doesn’t have any wrinkles! (she should actually be an advert for Olay!

I remembered her smoothing it on her skin, the iconic pink lotion (vs the heavier creams that were common back then) that worked well for Oriental skin. I remember it absorbed so well without residue or stickiness. It’s been interesting to see how Olay have developed their brand over the decades since then – building upon their classic reputation, even into cosmetics, without being banished to the more ‘fuddy duddy’ realms of their contemporaries such as Astral and Ponds.

Unsurprisingly, some nostalgic charm presented itself when we had the opportunity to test Oil of Olay’s modern day counterpart – Olay Total Effects Day.  We had the opportunity to test this ourselves as well as pass samples to friends and family.

What does it suceed at? True to its origins, it is a univerally effective product that can be a great addition to your skincare routine whatever your age or skin type. It is on the richer side than the old product, so normal to dry skin types would probably benefit most. It didn’t aggravate oil production in our combination skin type though. It absorbed well – we think it would be great layered with a moisturising lotion/toner…K-beauty style or with a moisturising spray for a refresh during the day.

Overall, we actually preferred the feel of the old product for combination skin, but Olay Total Effects works so much harder for you – brightening, refining pores, evening skin tone with built in SPF, as well as the usual moisturising properties. It’s a hard working product for modern, busy lifestyles.

Verdict:
A great allrounder.  The pump is easy to use, but leaves some product wasted at the end. We would love to try to the full skincare range to see how it works as a regime.

RRP £14.99 for 50ml

 

UNBOXING: You Beauty Sep 2017 – CEW Award [Goodbye to You Beauty Box]

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We liked the shortlist this month so much that we upgraded to a gold box containing 4 products and the usual freebies. These are extra good value at £10.95 (usually £6.95 for 2 items), but they rarely have 4 products we really want to get. Unfortunately it was a double-edged blade as it came with the news that You Beauty Box were coming to a somewhat abrupt end, handing over to Latest in Beauty which used to provide a good beauty box service, but was always at a different price point and increasingly poor value.

We would like to take the time to reminisce on the great service that You Beauty Box has provided over the years. They have always been the BEST VALUE subscription beauty box at £6.95 including delivery. They often had fantastic brands and products to choose from, frequently offering products that were valued in excess of £30 individually (sometimes in excess of £60!) and you were able to subscribe or unsubscribe at any time. Each box came with discount offers from the shortlisted brands. This was a highly underrated box. Whilst you knew what you were getting each month (no surprised), we all enjoyed researching the shortlist and getting up at 7am to make our selections 😀

It was apt for this final month that all brands in the shortlist were either finalists or winners of as 2017 CEW Beauty Award.

MAX FACTOR:  False Lash Effect Epic Mascara, 13.1ml
Value: £11.99 (full size)

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“Zoom-action tip captures and magnifies every detail of every lash for an epic lash fan.”

BT INITIAL THOUGHTS: We went for this one purely due to economic reasons as decent mascaras never come cheap and it’s one of the two items we definitely would use every day (that and brows) before going out. A decent black mascara is never going to be unused. We started with Max Factor 2000 calorie mascara (which was a classic back then) way back when we were teenagers and have been tempted away by the likes of Lancome Hypnose and Rimmel Exaggerate, so it will be nice to revisit Max Factor and check out how they are doing with their mascaras these days.

BEAUTY KITCHEN:  Seahorse Plankton 5 Minute Miracle Mask, 60ml
Value: £10.00 (full size)

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“Get glowing with a 5-minute micro-facial with this 100% natural multi-action miracle mask.  Kaolin Clay gives an instant detox, while seahorse plankton delivers some serious plumping and firming.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This was a quirky inclusion that we had never heard of it before. Happy to see if it can compete with other natural masks like Lush. It’s this kind of product that we buy beauty boxes for…to discover quality brands we don’t usually come across with cult products that might work well for us. Seahorse Plankton is Beauty Kitchen’s top secret ingredient, we need to examined the ingredients list to see if we can figure out what it might be.

NEAL’S YARD REMEDIES:  Wild Rose Beauty Balm, 15g
Value: £12.00

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“This bestselling beauty balm nurtures all skin types for a glowing, radiant complexion. With vitamin and antioxidant-rich wild rosehip seed oil, a true multi-purpose beauty must have.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – You Beauty have delivered again with a cult classic. We’re not fond of rose, but this multi-purpose product has such a great reputation, as does Neal’s Yard in general, we’re happy to give it a try. It’s risk-free at this price.

Here’s a quick article on 15 different uses for this balm 🙂 http://thechalkboardmag.com/15-ways-with-wild-rose-beauty-balm

DR ORGANIC:  Moroccan Glow Body Polish, 200ml
Value: £8.99 (full size)

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“This exotic organic oil is blended with a proprietary selection of bioactive and organic ingredients and natural microparticles of volcanic lava to create and all over body polish, designed to prepare the skin for a flawless, even tan.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This product is meant to be used in preparation for self-tanning treatments, but it’s basically an exfoliator. We don’t actually use self-tan but we do suffer with skin that doesn’t shed itself that well, leaving cracked or flaky skin even though our skin isn’t dry. This means we need to exfoliate well, extensively and regularly to keep our skin loooking good. Dr Organic is a good brand and this exfoliator was an amazing deal at full size so we picked it up to see if it could compete as a natural equivalent to microdermabrasion (which contains marine-polluting microbeads).

EXTRA TREATS:

Image result for WELEDA: Jardin de Vie 'Grenade' Sensuality perfume sample

 

WELEDA:  Jardin de Vie ‘Grenade’ Sensuality perfume, 1.5ml
Value: £0.66

“‘Grenade’ (French for Pomegranate) is authentically natural, free from parabens and phthalates and made with sustainably sourced essential oils to awaken all senses. This fragrance transports us to an exotic Persian garden. Orange provides an intense fruity top note, whilst oriental davana adds a layers of sophistication and mystery, complimented by the soft, warm balmy aroma of vanilla.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – When you think of Weleda, you don’t think of perfumes so we were surprised to find this in the box. The fragrance smells a bit confused, it is very fruity – like a scent for a body lotion, but with heavier notes to in. On first application we actively don’t like it, but will wear it for a while and whether it ages a bit better.

 

AUSSIE:  3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor Deep Treatment Sachet, 20ml
Value: £0.40

“The much loved reconstructor has miraculous conditioning properties. It’s hair rehab that repairs, soothes, nourishes, untangles and restores silkiness to locks that are in need of a little love.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – What’s with the reconstructor talk? Here comes the science…we do all know by now that damaged hair doesn’t ACTUALLY get repaired don’t we? Having said that, we’ve used this before and it is a good deep conditioner. Hair rehab indeed.

OTHER OPTIONS:

The shortlist this month was:

  • Yes To – Coconut Ultra Moisture Conditioner 280ml
  • St.Tropez – Gradual Tan Tinted Lotion 50ml
  • Dr Organic – Moroccan Glow Body Polish 200ml
  • Benefit – gimme brow volumizing eyebrow gel (in shades Light – 01 or Deep – 05) 1g
  • Beauty Kitchen – Seahorse Plankton 5 Minute Miracle Mask 60ml
  • Neal’s Yard Remedies – Wild Rose Beauty Balm 15g
  • Max Factor – False Lash Epic Mascara 13.1ml
  • Bioderma – Hydrabio Cream 2x5ml
  • This Works® – sleep plus+™ hair elixir 5ml

OVERALL VERDICT:

This was a good value box, not because the items are hugely expensive but because several of the items we will use as staple products, not just nice-to-haves to try out. We are SO sad this is our last You Beauty box, it has been a steady favourite of ours and we have been active ambassadors for this box. We love researching all the products on the shortlist every month to figure out what we wanted to pick. There will certainly be a You Beauty Box-sized gap in our lives now…

Box price: £10.95 inc shipping
Total value: £44.04

Note: We paid for this You Beauty Box with our own hard-earnt pennies

Like the look of You Beauty Discovery? Sadly they have ceased to offer this service, it held top spot for Best Value beauty box for the entire time it was running, next best value box that we recommend is Pink Parcel www.pinkparcel.co.uk