Battle of the Beauty Boxes

Glossybox December 2012 VS Latest in Beauty Party Prep Box

Hi guys! I hope everyone isn't stressing too much about their christmas shopping, i thought i would do a beauty box review as i haven't done one so far and i have been a frequent subscriber up until recently.

Ok so just a bit about my beauty box experience so far, i started off with Glossybox but i recently cancelled my subscription in favour of the She Said Beauty box. However i recently heard that this December will be the last of the She Said Beauty boxes! Noo! *dabs eyes* So i decided to find a new box which is when i stumbled across Latest in Beauty. 

So, i decided to purchase the Glossybox again as with it being the Christmas box i anticipated it would be amazeballs. I decided to be greedy and also give Latest in Beauty a whirl too as i had heard a lot of good things about them :)

Ok so, first of all i will start with my review of the Glossybox for December 2012.

In round 1...

This months box is silver which was a very festive feel!

The box is very well presented with a silver bow inside and lovely starry wrapping paper. Me likey!

Inside the box are five products and one bonus product, so six altogether.

As you can see the box is also filled with silver shredded paper.. can't help but think at this point that the box would be pretty empty if it didn't have all that paper inside..

The first product i am going to talk about is the ARgENTUM anti-aging cream. Two sachets are included in this box which are described as giving a tightening and firming effect on the skin whilst also moisturising the skin as the cream carries 10,000 times its weight in water (sounds a bit like hydraluron cream) however this product normally retails at £147.00

Next up i am absolutely loving the look of the red lipstick which is by Sleek Makeup and is a Matte True Colour Lipstick in shade 'Stiletto'.

I am very pleased with this product as i have been dying to try a matte lipstick for ages as i'm a matte lippy virgin. Red is always a great bold choice too especially for christmas!

A nail polish by Seche Nail Lacquer is included (I do like it when they call it lacquer, very OPI glitz and glamour) and this is a pearlescent pink with purple undertones i would say! Not totally enamoured by the colour at this point but it is full size at £9.95 and is described as giving a one coat coverage, this should be interesting!

Next is a product by Rituals, which is a brand i have tried before. I saw them in a German department store and i also received a rituals box for christmas from my Dutch aunty so this brand must be very popular abroad too! I'm not totally enamoured as i never find myself in desperate need of a body cream as i seem to have about a million, but apparantly this is a bestseller which combines rice milk, antioxidants and cherry blossom! Oooh!

The next product is a perfume sample, whether or not this should count as one item is debated by many as you can normally get perfume testers for free. I can't say I'm loving this inclusion as the scent is quite mature for me. That's not to say this doesn't smell good but i don't think i would rush out to buy it, as i'm not overly enthralled by the name either, it's a bit 'does what it says on the tin' for me and if i really wanted to smell like lemon i'm sure i could do so at a cheaper price, as this perfume retails at £60 for 50ml and at the lowest £30 for a purse spray.

Finally Glossybox have included an 'intensive powder blush' in shade 'Glossy Rosewood', which is a pale pink. The initial swatch i tried on my hand doesn't fill me with hope as it doesn't appear too vibrant but i am looking forward to giving this a go in better lighting.

My thoughts...

In all honesty, i can't say i am completely enamoured with this box, but then again this is probably testament as to why i cancelled my subscription, i wasn't totally loving the products i was receiving and also felt i didn't always get value for money.

However in order to balance my view, i am loving the red lipstick and i would really like to give it a try. I also like the face cream sachets and will enjoy them thoroughly, the pink blusher is also a staple of mine so i am willing to experiment with that!

Score: 6/10
Price: £12.95

Latest in Beauty Party Prep Box

I have been following this website for a while and when i saw that they were offering different themed boxes i jumped at the party prep box. Before you buy you can see what's included, so there are no disappointing surprises.

Contents

1 x Filosofille Tweezers (full size) 
1 x Cosmopolitan Beauty Expert Perfect Finish Blush Brush (full size) 
1 x Mirenesse Lip Lift Moisture Shine (1.5g) 
1 x YARDLEY Refreshing Body Spray (75ml) 
1 x Batiste Dry Shampoo (50ml) 
1 x Dermalogica Favourites Pack (various sizes) 
1 x Benefit - they're Real! Mascara (3g) 
1 x ST. TROPEZ Instant Glow Body Lotion (50ml) 
1 x The Vintage Cosmetics Company Lash Curler (full size) 
1 x The Vintage Cosmetics Company Strip Lashes (full size) 
1 x STEAMCREAM All In One Natural Moisturiser - (full size - 75g) 

All i can say is WOWZERS! 

When i opened this up i was so happy, like a child in a sweet shop, plus there was no messy inside packaging to fill space as each product in this box was crammed in as it was so full to the brim! Yay that's what we like! 

Steam Cream Moisturiser for face, body and hands!

Some lovely false eyelashes perfect for either day or evening wear IMO! Can't wait to try them. 

A girl always needs an eyelash curler..

Filosofille tweezers, very funky i am loving the look of these and they look very good quality. 

Ahhh St Tropez!! Fake tan staple!! Love love love great for the party season

This lip gloss looks lovely and is a sort of sugar plum colour. Lovely!

I've never tried Dermalogica as a brand, i did get the Fresh Start box with a Glossybox previously but i've never tried it! This set includes a special cleansing gel, daily microfoliant, skin smoothing cream and a multivitamin power firm. 

A blusher brush is next, actually really need one of these!!

A self tan mitt which i am also without, but not anymore!

I recently ran out of my Benefit 'They're real!' Mascara, therefore i am super super pleased to receive this dinky travel size version.

Yardley English Rose body spray, you can never have too many body sprays!

Birch cellulite oil, helps to improve skin tone and appearance. I won't tell you where this is going! Ok i will, my thighs! Shhh!

Dry shampoo.. yay not tried this one but i do have the cherry one! Can't go wrong with dry shampoo!

I am literally loving every single product in this box. Everything i bought i am 100% happy with and i will use every single item, i'm so glad i got this box because the products also combine with each other in terms of use, e.g self tan mitt + fake tan, Mascara + eyelash curler + false eyelashes etc! 

The total of this box combined is worth over £120, but costs £19.95 plus £4.95 p+p from Latest in Beauty. I know this seems a lot but when you look at the products you receive, all well known established brands which normally aren't cheap, you really can't go wrong in my opinion. I know it's an investment but it really is a lovely treat and when i think of how much money i have spent on beauty boxes and how many have left me disappointed.. i really think this is the way forward.

Score: 10/10.
Price: £19.95 plus £4.95 p+p.

Who wins? I will let you decide what you think about both boxes as i have highlighted my pro's and con's but i know there are a lot of Glossybox lovers out there. I would love to hear your views!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and thanks for reading!

XOXO