Going for Gloss: First Glossybox Review

So, I recently ditched my Birchbox subscription after being a bit underwhelmed, and signed up to its (slightly more famous) rival, Glossybox.

I follow bloggers that get both -  and a few others - so each month I see what comes in them, and I've been quite envious of some of the Glossybox stuff! I chose Birchbox originally because it had more high-end brands, but I've been disappointed with some of the stuff, and the sample sizes aren't always the most generous.

It was time to switch. I ordered at the end of the month (payday for me...) so that meant that they sent me the April box, with May's still to come- which I'm already excited about, after receiving an email from them saying that May is a brand collaboration and will feature no less that four full-sized products....who do you think it will be?

April Glossybox contents have already been all over the blogosphere, but I don't care, it was all new to me! Here's what I got:

First impressions- wow. I'm a typical girl in some respects and the sight of the (literally) glossy pink box with its tissue and ribbon-wrapped contents was enough to make me sigh with delight. In presentation terms, G box wins hands down - Birchbox is a lot more austere with its packaging, although it did furnish me with several rather useful drawstring bags....

This felt so much more like a gift and so exciting to have something lovely like this come through the post.

Emite Make Up Lip Brush - L312

This was a really cool thing to get in the box - unexpected, and appreciated! A lip brush is not a tool I use an awful lot, but with all the darker and brighter shades I purchase, perhaps it should be. I use a small, retractable one if I need it, but now that can live in my travel make-up bag and I can keep this one for home use.

It's a matte black handle with a silver ferrule -  quite slimline and elegant. The brush is slanted, which would be looks really useful for getting a nice clean line. The bristles are made of Taklon, which is a synthetic material that's also used in Real Techniques brushes, so I already know its great quality. I'm very pleased with this because it seems like great value to get this in the box- this normally retails at £17.

MONU Spa Warming Ginger Massage & Body Oil

I'm such a fan of oils in general, because they really are the best multi-taskers, so I was really pleased to get this. It smells true to its word, of fresh ginger, which is such a cosy and uplifting scent.

MONU Spa is a new brand to me, but its a British brand and I think its great that G.box are making an effort to include UK companies. It contains Calendula, Jojoba Seed Oil and Vitamins A and E, so its packed full of skin-softening goodies.

As well as all the traditional uses for oils -  as a moisturiser, a shaving aid, mixed with brown sugar to make a body scrub, to remove stubborn eye make-up- this works really well in the bath. A few drops transform into a milk, which is great because some oils just sit on the bath water - although they still soften your skin. I quite often pop baby oil into my baths, so this will really work for me. And the gorgeous ginger soothes aching muscles, so this will be great post-work or gym for a pick me up.

Normally £25 for 100ml, so by no means a cheap brand - perhaps G.box are going a bit higher-end than I thought!

MeMeMe Cosmetics - Beat The Blues - Pearl Pink

Really delighted to get this, because MeMeMe is a brand that I really like. They have a history as a cheap brand that only sold in Superdrug, but they got bought out a few years ago, had a major reformulation and an overhaul, and came back with some gorgeous, high-performance products in stunning packaging. I discovered them when I bought a Groupon deal ages ago to get £25 worth of make-up for £6 or something like that, and I was so pleased with what I bought.

I haven't repurchased from them yet- must just have gotten distracted - but I totally would, so a full-size of one of their products was very exciting.

This highlighting liquid is a total dupe for Benefit's High Beam. I actually bought the golden version of this in my order from them, so its good that the 'Pearly Pink' shade came in this one, although I tend to find this, and High Beam, is a bit 'silver' for my warm skintone. But it could be good to mix a few drops with my body lotion to get an all over glow!

This is normally £5.50 and its a really nice product and beautifully packaged - if you like High Beam you really can't go wrong with this at around £10 cheaper and just as nice to keep on your dressing table!

Tresemme Instant Refresh Cleansing Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is definitely something I always use, so this was appreciated. I only wet wash my hair twice a week, and although it doesn't look dirty in between, I like to use dry shampoo to give it more body and make sure its smelling fresh.

I have never bought anything from Tresemme before - I remember when it launched as a 'salon brand', my hairdresser scornfully saying that it had been kicked out of salons because it was dreadful. Since that day, I haven't touched them, but perhaps things have changed - plenty of people seem to like them. Dry shampoo is a good place to start with trying the brand!

The first thing I notice about this is that it smells really good - very fresh and fruity. I usually use Batiste but some of their fragrances are actually awful, it has to be said. This one I can imagine feeling really fresh after using. It absorbs oil well and this can is a useful size- really generous amount but perfect for stashing in my gym bag.

This gives a lovely clean, freshened effect and at only £4.99 for 200ml, I will definitely consider this next time I run out of dry shampoo, so its really opened me up to the brand.

SunSense Daily Face SPF 50+ Invisible Tint Finish

Glossybox really covered all my essentials this time - if there's another thing other than dry shampoo that I'll always use, its a high factor SPF on my face. Absolute must-have. This stuff is another good size for a sample.

It's oil-free, which is very important for my skin in the summer, and it gives UVA and UVB protection, which is key (remember -  UVBurns you and UVAges you!). This sinks in very quickly and invisibly, so its ideal for when you're going to be putting make-up on top. It's ever so slightly tinted, so if you don't need much coverage, you might be okay just using this.

This is the perfect size for taking on holiday and its a beauty essential!

Overall, I'm so pleased I switched. I really rated my Glossybox this month - I thought the products and sizes were very generous, I really liked everything that I got and with two (nearly three - the dry shampoo is a 100ml can, so its hardly stingy!) full sized products, I definitely felt like I got my money's worth. Plus I can't wait to see what the May box brings, and I won't have to wait long!