December 2015 Glossybox

I was really looking forward to this month’s box, especially as it’s the rose gold edit and I love rose gold. The box is beautiful and Christmassy and in collaboration with Really Ree - a blogger I have only recently had the pleasure in discovering! This month we got 6 items which impressed me and was a nice little Christmas bonus.

Etre Belle – Golden Skin Caviar eye Roll on – Full Size £30.66
This product aims to sooth and hydrate the delicate skin around the eyes. It is quite an expensive product, not one I would go out and buy myself. I really like the feeling that this produces, it really does make my eyes feel fresh and I am loving putting this on in the morning just to wake my eyes up. The roll on contains a cooling gel which is so nice and great for the party season to widen tired eyes! Lovely product but a little bit too expensive for me to repurchase.

So Susan – Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil – Full Size £15
I own a few So Susan products now and one thing I love is the exciting fun packaging. This pencil is a lovely colour and perfect for adding a bit of highlight around your cheekbones and along the bridge of your nose. I love that this product glides on smoothly and doesn’t drag on the skin. It is easy to bled out with your finger or a beauty blender to achieve a natural glow. I don’t own any other product like this so it was a welcome addition to this month’s box.

Cheeky – Chat Me Up Nail Paint – Crush On You – Full Size £7
I love the name of this nail varnish, it’s fun and flirty. The colour I received is called Crush On You and is a baby pink colour. This isn’t a colour I own and is probably a little bit too light for me but I love the formula. You only need to apply 2 coats to get a nice even coverage and the finish is glossy and smooth. I think I’ll save this one for the summer, it would look great with a nice tan.

Philosophy – Purity Made Simple 3 in 1 Cleanser – Full Size £18
I do love trying new cleansers but nothing beats my Liz Earle. I haven’t tried this cleanser before so I was interested to see how it worked. Massage the product into damp skin and it removes all signs of any makeup that may have been on the skin. This deep cleans! Even after wiping my makeup off with a face wipe this continued to get rid of excess grime that I couldn’t even see. I really like this, I will consider buying the full sized product when I ran out.

Essence – Liquid Lipstick – Show off – Full Size £2.50
For £2.50 I didn’t have high hopes for this product. I do own some items from the essence range and I often find that you do get what you pay for. The packaging was lost on me, it’s a gloss but the bottle is made to look like it’s a lipstick. I didn’t even notice this, my boyfriend actually noticed when I was taking the photos for it. The applicator is good for applying this precisely but for me this product simply didn’t deliver how I wanted it to. I found the formula quite sticky and could see myself getting my hair stuck in it if I went outside. It’s a lovely colour that can be worn by everyone and I think some people would really benefit from this but it’s not one I’ll be using religiously.

Starskin – Bio-Celluloise Second Skin Mask – Full Size £8.50
This was our bonus item for this month and I couldn’t wait to relax and try this out. I was a bit cautious as my skin has been reacting to products lately but this was fine. The serum was really lovely and left my skin feeling so hydrated afterwards. I want to try out all of the different masks now! It’s a shame I don’t live near a Selfridges to pick some up.

Coloristiq Monthly Manicure Box*

Some of you may be able to remember my review back in may of Coloristiq's Nail Varnish Rental Service which I thought was a really good idea. Well if you thought that was good, you should see what Coloristiq have pulled out of the bag this time.

Coloristiq have started a monthly manicure box that has a theme each month. It is similar to other subscription boxes available but especially for nail varnish lovers. This is not a subscription service, if you like the look of one box you can simply buy it as a one-off. Unlike the original Coloristiq box, you don't have to send this one back, I think it would make a lovely gift for someone this Christmas.

I received the November manicure box which was created to celebrate the release of the new James Bond film, Spectre. The box contained 4 nail varnishes in some beautiful colours - shaken not stirred.

The first colour I opened was this gorgeous white shade called Int'l Crime Caper from OPI. This retails at around £13.95. The colour is sheer white with tiny pink and blue glitter flecks which appear subtle but almost makes the colour look pearlescent. The colour is buildable and after a few layers looks lovely and would be perfect for winter.

The second shade in the box was this Essie shade in the colour Partner in Crime, retailing at £7.99. This is a rich deep brown colour which went on my nails really well. It was almost difficult to see what colour this was at first, but in the light you can see the deep shade of brown. I love Essie nail polishes because the formula is great and you often only need one layer to get full opacity.

The third shade in the box was one of the Starlight 2015 Mini Nail Polish Collection – All Stars which retails at £4.99. It's a silver colour with little multi-coloured strands that reflect in the light. It's beautiful and goes on really smooth despite the added glitter. A few coats gives you full coverage.

The final nail polish in my manicure box was this Calvin Klein Splendid Colour in Silver, worth £12.95. This is such a nice metallic shade and really catches your eye in the light. I am really impressed with the staying power of this nail polish, I received minimal chipping with this.

I love the whole concept of Coloristiq boxes because you get to try items from popular brands without breaking the bank. You get to try a range of colours too and you can slowly build up a really versatile collection. It also encourages you to discover lesser known brands whilst keeping up to date with the latest nail trends.

I love how the box came packaged. The tuxedo style boxes really fit in with the James Bond theme. For only £15 (excluding p&p) I received over £40 worth of products which is absolutely amazing value if you ask me. No two months are the same and you are always guaranteed that the minimum value of the box will be £30.

If you'd like to check out this month's themed manicure box, head on over to Coloristiq and put your order in now to have it delivered straight to your door in 2-3 working days. 

*I received this manicure box free of charge from Coloristiq in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

Coloristiq* - Nail Polish Rental Service.

If you're like me and you like painting your nails from the comfort of your own home, but end up with so many different colours that you use once then leave them to dry up, then you'll love Coloristiq. When I heard about Coloristiq - a nail polish renting service I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try it out.

Coloristiq works by allowing you to create a wishlist on their website across over 160 nail polishes from well known salon brands such as Essie, OPI and China Glaze. You will be sent 3 nail polishes which you can use for 9 nail paintings (3 per bottle) for the whole month. You then return the bottles for free using the provided return postage labels, and the next 3 shades will be on their way.

The three shades I received were all from China Glaze and came well protected inside a small box which is then re-used to post the nail polishes back. The great thing about this box is that it fits into a letterbox, so you'll never miss your parcel and it's all securely packaged to avoid breakages.

The first shade I opened up was called 'More To Explore' which is part of the China Glaze 2015 Road Trip collection and is the perfect peachy coral colour to wear during the transition from Spring to Summer. The formula was slightly thick but evened out nicely after 2-3 coats.

The second shade is called 'Out like a light'. This is a gorgeous deep charcoal grey from China Glaze Twinkle Collection. This applies to the nail really smoothly and creates a fantastic shine that you only really get with a high quality nail polish like China Glaze.

The final nail varnish I received is also from the Twinkle collection and is perfect for using as a top coat over any other coloured nail varnish you may have. This colour is 'Feeling Twinkly' and is a clear polish with small blue glitter flecks. This alone will not create an opaque coating but will look great layered on many different colours.

I loved the freedom of being able to try the shades out and knowing that they won't go to waste or be shoved in the bottom of a drawer never to be seen again. And if you don't like one of the shades you receive, it's great that you haven't committed to buying it. If you visit the Coloristiq website you can even add different polishes to your wishlist if you like the look of them and want to trial them. 

If like me, you're sold on this idea - why not try it out for a month completely free? If you sign up now and email info@coloristiq.com  using the code: ChristiesLifestyle1 your first month of £14.49 will be refunded. What are you waiting for? Sign up to Coloristiq today!

*I was sent these nail varnishes from Coloristiq for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Please see my disclaimer for more details.