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)

Image result for MAX FACTOR: False Lash Effect Epic Mascara

“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)

Image result for BEAUTY KITCHEN: Seahorse Plankton 5 Minute Miracle Mask

“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

Image result for wild rose beauty balm

“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)

Image result for DR ORGANIC: Moroccan Glow Body Polish

“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

UNBOXING: You Beauty Box August 2017 – Sumptuous spa edit

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“A series of calming and restorative products to leave you relaxed, refresh and raring to go.”

We love You Beauty Box for sourcing good quality brands that are less known but not trash. This box had a strong focus on skincare and relaxation…right up our street. There was a stand out item but the overall offering was a strong shortlist of relaxation products. Love Philosophy too, although we all moan about sachet samples. Still nice for free.


[Comfort Zone]: Sublime Skin Essence, 5ml
Value: £2.20

“Intensive concentrated solution that stimulates skin regneration and bestows an even, compact and youthful appearance to the skin.  Rebalances the hydrating factors of the skin (NMF) and encourages the synthesis of structural proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Immediate hydrating action, maximising the efficacy of the anti-age products which are applied thereafter. Science-based conscious formulas.”

BT INITIAL THOUGHTS: Well that is an awful lots of pseudo-scientific babble isn’t it?  A lot for a 5ml sample to live up to, but we do love trying out nutrient-rich essences and this one is silicone free.


111Skin: Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask, 23ml
Value: £17.00

Image result for 111 bio cellulose mask

“Utilises the most advanced technology on the market to deliver beneficial nutrients into the dermis. The mask adheres to your skin like a second skin. The gel like structure of the mask will instantly cool and regulate body temperature.  Since the fibres of the mask are 500x finer than tissue masks, the bio cellulose instantly locks moisture into your skin.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – This was the star product of the box for us. Despite it’s suspect claims to regulate body temperature (!!!), can a face mask possibly be worth the £17 it costs? It’s our once chance to find out!  We love hydrogel masks (which we assume this is from the description) – they are sooo moisturising and it’s normal for them to cost more than normal sheet masks.


EXTRA TREATS:

Philosophy: Purity made simple 3-in-1 cleanser, 6ml
Value: £1.74

Philosophy Purity 3-in-1 Cleanser - 240ml.

“An award-winning, one-step daily cleanser for face and eyes. It rapidly dissolves dirt, oil and makeup to deep clean pores while maintaining moisture levels.”

BT INITIAL OPINION – Great that this is suitable for both face and eyes and love this brand, but well, y’all know how we feel about sachet samples…


OTHER OPTIONS:

The shortlist this month was:

  • L’Occitane Jasmin & Bergamot Shower Gel 30ml
  • Roger & Gallet Sobert Dynamisant Gingembre Rouge & Fresh Fragrant Water Gingembre Rouge Duo 50ml & 1.5ml
  • Aromatherapy Associates Renewing Rose Body Cream 40ml
  • SenSpa Sleep Therapy Bath Soak 50ml
  • Sanctuary Ultimate Cleansing Oil 50ml
  • Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator 15ml
  • [Comfort Zone] Sublime Skin Essence 5ml
  • Kneipp Devil’s Claw Back Comfort 20ml
  • The Vintage Cosmetic Company Duo Pencil Sharpener
  • 111SKIN Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask 23ml
  • Sancturary Ultimate Salt Scrub Sachet 60g

OVERALL VERDICT:

A mainly nice selection of items this month, other than the rather random pencil sharpener. It was great to have such a premium item as the 111Skin face mask in the shortlist. We took a while choosing between all the pamper items but decided to take a gamble on the skin essence as we hadn’t heard of [comfort zone] before. There were some good size samples on offer (other than the sample sachet) – all in all a good month for You Beauty.

Box price: £6.95 inc shipping
Total value: £20.94


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

Like the look of You Beauty Discovery? Sign up here http://www.youbeautydiscovery.co.uk