Burt's Bees Grab Bag

So, you may have seen a few blog posts floating around recently regarding the Burt’s Bees Grab Bag. I heard about it through Estée from Essiebutton & I immediately wanted one; I’m like a beauty product magpie, I wan’t anything that anyone says half a good word about! Basically, you paid £20, & in return got sent a big fat bag, full of Burt’s Bees products! Great concept, non? I think so :)

L-R: Exfoliating Body Washes (4), Radiance Body Lotion (2)

L-R: Eye Cream, Nail File, Lip Balm (2), Hand Cream, Cuticle Cream,Lip Shimmer (3), Cute tin!  : 

I have no doubt that some bags were wonderful, but I wasn’t too thrilled with mine. I mean, I was being a bit ‘me, me, me’ when I purchased it; I wanted to try out Burt’s Bees, & thought this was a great way to test some of their products without spending a fortune. & I know, I know, before I moan, I was aware that Burt’s Bees had added a disclaimer advising that duplicates may occur; but I couldn’t help feeling a little upset that I got 4 of the exfoliating body washes and 2 of the body lotions (I didn’t mind so much about the 3 lip shimmers & 2 balms, you can never have enough lip balms right?). That’s a hell of a lot of the same product, don’t you think? But, I’ve decided to take a positive attitude towards the slight disappointment & use the extras for birthdays coming up etc. Every cloud & all that jazz.

I wont just moan for this entire post, promise. I was really, really happy to receive the little pots of their hand cream & cuticle cream; I’m also super excited to try the eye cream :) I’ve heard great things about all of these products, so fingers crossed! I'll definitely be reviewing these at a later date, once I've had a chance to test them out. On another good note, how cute is the little tin? I am a hoarder, of EVERYTHING in life, so I love collecting pretty little tins to put my bits & bobs in.

Overall, I am a bit miffed about the amount of duplicate items, but I still feel like I’ve got great value for money, apparently the bags are worth £55, wowee! I’m getting to try some products I haven’t before, & I’ve got some extra stock for presents. Not bad, eh?

I had a look on their website this morning, & I can see they’ve now sold out; but did any of you purchase a grab bag? Were you happy with what you got?

GLOSSYBOX April 2012

At the beginning of last week, I received my monthly GLOSSYBOX. Exciting times ladies! If you aren’t too familiar with the beauty box concept, let me give you a brief introduction.

Glossybox offer a monthly subscription to a fabulous little box of beauty goodies. You can pay on a monthly basis (or yearly if you are a diehard fan), for a mere £10 p.m, plus £2.95 postage & packaging. Of which you can cancel at any stage, there’s no catch in this one! & in return for your subscription, each month, you’ll receive 5 high-end products from various beauty brands. The idea is that they are all a smaller size than you’d purchase in the shops, just so you can test the water to see if you like them. Try before you buy etc etc. Glossybox are a little different though, they try to theme their boxes each month, i.e. holidays such as xmas, valentines etc. or Harrods. This month it’s themed around Organic products. & this is what I received:

Figs &  Rouge Balm – Rambling Rose:

I think this has to be my favourite product in this month’s box. It’s a teeny tester pot, but you get such a lot of product for the size. It states on the pot that this can be used for lips, face & body; however I’ve only used it on my lips so far. It’s 100% organic, & smells/tastes uh-mazing. I literally want to eat it. It’s super moisturising & leaves your lips silky smooth with a little glisten after application. I suffer quite badly with chapped lips & this has definitely kept them hydrated, so far, there’s not a crack to be seen, woohoo!! Another fab bonus to GlossyBox is that with some of the items you will receive a discount code to purchase a full size of the product. So, no surprises I got straight on to this & purchased another yummy flavour for a mere £3 with my discount included! What a bargain for such a lovely product.

AYUURI Natural Body Wash - Sandalwood:

This was a full sized product, which is always lovely, seeing as these boxes are just meant to be testers for you to try before you buy. My bottle came in the fragrance Sandalwood. I’d never actually smelt sandalwood before, but I absolutely love it! The thick creamy texture lathers up nicely & leaves my skin feeling really soft and hydrated. I wasn’t jumping for joy over the packaging. The letters were half rubbed off, & well I don’t think it’s that nice to look at. But @ £4.95 a pop, I’m not complaining. Too much anyway.

Caudalie Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum:

I’m not too sure on this one. It’s quite a nice product, but I hate the word nice, so that’s not saying much. You’re meant to apply this day and night, bore application of moisturiser or foundation; to restore moisture in the skin. As of yet, I haven’t seen any radical changes, perhaps it’s a gradual improvement. & at £39 per bottle (30ml full size), I’m not sure I’m too convinced.

Inika Cosmetics: Certified Organic Eyeliner – shade 05 Black Caviar:

This. I LOVE. It is so soft & doesn’t drag the eyelid on application. The pigmentation is strong & has super staying power. It does smudge a little too easily I feel, & if you wear it on the bottom lid, you may find it smudges out a little after a few hours – although this is perfect if you’re going for a smokey eye. This was another full size product, @ £11.75 – you’ve already beaten the price of your subscription, which is amazing! I’m definitely going to be purchasing more of these.

KAI Perfume Oil:

Product Description: Our intoxicating signature perfume oil fragrance, which is a light and intoxicating blend of a gardenia top note wrapped in white exotics.

I’m afraid this one isn’t for me. It’s a very heavy floral fragrance, which reminds me of an older ladies perfume. It says that this perfume oil will smell differently on each individual, & on me it smells a bit like popery.

Overall I’m really pleased with this month’s box. To be honest, I don't think I've ever been disappointed with one. If there’s ever been a product I really don’t like, it’s gone as an extra in someone’s Christmas stocking, or just to a friend I know will love it. I’m not sure I’ll ever end my subscription!

What did you lot think of your box this month? & if you haven’t signed up for Glossybox do you think you will now? I’m not sure how you can resist!