Love Me Beauty Box January 14

After last month's slight disappointment with my Love Me Beauty box and the options they had on offer, the first box of this year got me excited again with some lovely menus to choose from. Four out of five items are full sized products and there's a nice mix of make-up, haircare and skincare. All the menus featured the Anatomicals shower gel, the Pureology styling mousse, the Cosmetics a la Carte mascara and the NYX eye shadow, albeit in different shades depending on the menu. Lastly, you got to choose between a Weleda body oil sample, a Weleda hand cream sample or a full sized Arran Aromatics soap. The menu I went for was Menu 3, as I liked the eye shadow shade the most out of all of the options.

1) NYX Cosmetics | Single Eyeshadow in "Sahara"

Full size: £5.00

NYX Cosmetics Single Eyeshadow in Sahara swatch in day light

The first item in the box was a full sized eye shadow by NYX - a brand I used to see quite a lot of when I lived in Germany, but that's not overly prevalent over here in the UK. This eyeshadow is the only reason I chose this particular menu, as the other shades on offer were a bright orange which I wouldn't really know how to wear and a dark smoky grey which I have enough of in my collection already. Sahara translates as a light sparkly champagne onto the skin and admittedly I'm not overly impressed with the pigmentation. It might work quite well as a base colour, however, or for adding a bit of sparkle to an everyday make-up look.

2) Arran Aromatics | Apothecary Wheatgerm & Vitamin E Soap

Full size: £2.75

As I chose my box by eye shadow colour this is a product that I was sort of forced to pick. I would have preferred the Weleda body oil sample to be completely honest, as it's difficult to get excited over soap. However, it's something we all need and I have no doubt that I'll use it. I haven't unwrapped it yet, as I want to leave it fresh for when we move into our new home, so I can't really comment on the scent of this product.

3) Anatomicals | Rose & Jasmine Body Cleanser

Full size: £3.00

I know there's quite a few people who don't like getting body wash in their beauty boxes and while I understand completely where they're coming from, I personally don't mind at all, as long as it's not too frequent. Shower gel is something everyone needs, but I usually get mine from the Pound shop or on special offer from the supermarket, so it's nice to have something a tad more special from time to time. Having said that, this one only comes in at £3 anyway, so it's certainly not a splurge product anyway! I really like the smell of roses, so to me this scent is pure bliss. Not to mention I'm a huge fan of Anatomicals' packaging design and cheeky slogans!

4) Pureology | Colour Stylist Silk Bodifier

Full size: £15.00 for 250ml / Sample value: £4.88

Well, admittedly it's been quite a while since I've used mousse on my hair and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this sample. Memories of sticky, crispy hair come to mind, but perhaps mousse formulas have improved over the years and I'll fall in love with this product. I've heard a lot of beauty bloggers rave about Pureology and their sulfate-free products, so it's nice to try something from the brand for myself. This mousse in particular is also made for colour-treated hair, so should be perfect for my bleached tresses.

5) Cosmetics a la Carte | Divine Lash Mascara in "Black"

Full size: £23.00

Even after browsing their website, I can't quite fathom where I've heard of this brand before, but the name does certainly ring a bell. Hailed as this month's star product, I'm certainly excited to try this mascara. Which girl doesn't love mascara after all? This one has quite spiky looking long synthetic bristles - a bit like a hybrid between a traditional mascara wand and a lash comb. I can't wait to give this a trial run on my lashes and see how it performs!

Total value: £38.63

It feels like Love Me Beauty have certainly kicked off the New Year by returning back to form. Out of the five products I received this month, I can say with certainty that I will use each and every single one. I like the nice mix of product types and high-end vs. budget brands featured. Even though two brands have been in boxes before (Arran Aromatics and Anatomicals), they're completely different types of products, so I don't mind like I did with last month's Lord & Berry scenario. Now I can't wait to see what's going to be in next month's box!

Are you subscribed to Love Me Beauty? If so, what did you think of this month's boxes?

Beauteco Box August 13

This month's Beauteco Box offered a little less choice than the previous boxes. The three full sized products were exactly the same in each of the three boxes, while the two sample sizes offered a little more choice depending on skin type or preference. What I loved about this month's box was the bright yellow and blue colour scheme within the packaging - so bright and summery! Anyway, I opted for choice number 3 from the Beauteco boutique.

1) Arran Aromatics | Lavender and Tea Tree Facial Wash

Full size: £12.95 for 100ml

I'd never ever heard of this brand before, but the timing on this one was pretty good, as my beloved Organic Surge cleanser (which I also got in a Beauteco Box) is slowly coming to an end. I'm a bit on the fence about this cleanser containing loofah, as it might be a little bit harsh for a daily cleanser, but we shall see and find out. Now, the smell of this is something else. I'm already not a fan of the scent of tea tree oil, but combined with lavender it seriously packs a punch. Oddly enough, while I don't find it particularly pleasant, it doesn't put me off trying this either. It smells like it means business and I'm quite excited to find out if it can live up to my expectations.

2) Lord and Berry | Intensity Lipstick in Peach Gleam

Full size: £12 for 3.5g

I've heard of Lord and Berry before and seen a few of their products dotted around random blogs, but never really felt the urge to try any of their stuff. This lipstick goes on buttery soft and feels very comfortable, but it's the shade I've got a bit of an issue with. "Peach Gleam" isn't peach at all. I was expecting a light, milky orange, but what you get is a very heavily yellow based nude, which reminds me a lot of Benefit's Lady's Choice. It's not an ugly colour by all means, but it's nothing what it looks like on their website online.

3) Lord and Berry | Kissproof Lip Colour in Blossom

Full size: £7.50 for 1.2g

Another Lord and Berry product and this one is a lot more true to the shade you can see in their online catalogue. I'm really not a fan of lip liners, but this can also be used all over the lips for a long lasting colour, so I think I'll be using it that way instead. The term "kissproof" is not far fetched in this case, as I've been struggling all day to get the swatch off my hand - it really stays and stays and stays! Blossom is a dark, dusky lilac, which I imagine will look gorgeous on dark skin tones.

Left: Lord and Berry Intensity Lipstick in Peach Gleam | Right: Lord and Berry Kissproof Lip Colour in Blossom

4) S5 | Purity Serum

Full size: £44 for 30ml / Sample value: £14.67

I went for the Purity serum out of the choice of three targeted serums, as my skin's been really oily lately (possibly due to the heat). Well, shame on me for not reading properly, as this one's aimed at blemish-prone skin, which is not exactly the same thing. I'll give this a little try, but I do worry that it the salicylic acid it contains might be a little too harsh for my skin. Maybe I'll just save it for really bad skin days.

5) Melvita | Body Milk Rose

Full size: £16 for 200ml / Sample value: £2.40

I've really wanted to try something from Melvita ever since I've heard Jane at British Beauty Blogger rave about pretty much everything they produce. I find the smell of roses incredibly comforting, but I feel that the scent is soft and light enough even for people who aren't quite as enthusiastic about roses. Can't wait to get in the shower and give this one a little go!

Total value: £49.52

With three full sized products in each box, value for money is never really going to be an issue with this beauty box company and once again I feel like I've more than made my money's worth (which wasn't the case with Birchbox and the reason I cancelled my subscription). However, I feel that with the two full sized make-up products it would have been much nicer to have a choice of shades in the three boxes. As nice as it is to try out some new make-up, I don't think either of those colours will be particularly flattering for my skin tone. On the plus side, I've got four new brands which I've never tried before to play around with, which is pretty exciting! I'm still in love with Beauteco Box and my subscription stays until at least the next month.