Discover Darphin

As well as the regular monthly beauty boxes, Glossybox also offer the occasional 'Flash Box', a box that introduces you to the products of a particular brand, and is available for a limited time only.

In February the Flash Box feautred the French brand Darphin. There were actually two different boxes to choose from, each dealing with a different skincare issue: one contained products from the Expert Hydration Programme, and the other products from the Sensitive Skin Expert Programme. I was tempted to get both, as dryness and sensitivity are both problems I have with my skin. But I thought getting three beauty boxes in one month (including the regular glossybox) seemed a little excessive (!) so I settled on just the sensitive skin one. And actually, I tend to steer towards trying products for dry rather than sensitive skin so I thought I'd try something different this time.

The products really appealed to me from their description alone, even before they arrived - I like the fact that they are specifically designed to deal with a particular issue; and the fact that they try to solve this problem using the power of botanics - plants and essential oils.

The box was £10 + P&P for subscribers, which I thought was really good value, as you get very generous samples of this high-end brand; I've put the full size prices next to each:

• Intral Cleansing Milk (50ml) *£27/200ml
• Intral Toner (50ml) *£27/200ml
• Intral Redness Relief Soothing Serum (5ml) *£50/30ml
• Intral Soothing Cream (15ml) *£40/50ml

As you can see, all these products are from the same Intral range, and so are designed to complement each other - I've been using all four products together. The Intral range is 'ideal for sensitive skin prone to redness and irritations' and helps to 'repair and strengthen skin's natural barrier'.

Both the cleanser and toner contain chamomile and hawthorn extracts - and both smell wonderful. The cleanser feels really soothing to use, although I didn't find it great for removing make up as I had to rub it in quite a bit, which seems to somewhat defeat the object of using something for sensitive skin! But it works great on days when I don't have lashings of eye make up etc. Followed by the toner my skin feels soothed but also really clean, which is not always a sensation I get when using cream cleansers. I've then been using a few pumps of the serum, followed by some of the soothing cream on top. The whole regime makes my skin feel really hydrated and calm, and it still feels that way the morning after.

I have really enjoyed using these products; they're very pleasant to use, which isn't always the case with products geared towards sensitive skin. I also liked the fact that they don't just prevent irritation, they positively make the skin feel less sensitive.

Although these products really suit my skin, in reality the prices of the regular sizes are a barrier to me ever buying these again, because I don't have a huge disposable income. And think of how many lipsticks you could buy for £40 instead, haha! In all seriousness though, I think the products work so well together that it won't really be worth just buying one of the items to use. Apart from the serum perhaps.

So I will savour these samples until the last drop - mourn their loss for a little while - and then move on to something else!

Glossybox: March 2013

It's not even been a month since the last one arrived on my doorstep, but the March Glossybox already landed on Monday this week. I'm not complaining, I'd rather not wait any longer than I have to for my monthly box of surprises!

This month's theme is City Chic. The box comes with this cute little travel book, which includes mini guides for a number of international cities. I love to travel and I'm actually going to a few of the destinations in the book over the next year or so (Berlin, Vienna, Tokyo) so gladly the book won't be purely theoretical. It's scrap-book style with lots of snapshots and little scribbled facts - also space to write your own notes and a set of stickers in the center. A very well-designed, nice little extra to go with the products in my opinion. As always the box also came with a leaflet explaining the products within.

Top: My little travelling book; Bottom: Product Guide leaflet

A peek inside My little travelling book - Amsterdam!

Unsurprisingly London, my home town, is also featured in the guide; so apparently I am already in the perfect location to go for the city chic look the products have been chosen for! The products in my box are:

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant Fragrance Free (7ml)

Nails Inc in St. James (4ml)

Couture La La Eau de Parfum by Juicy Couture (1.5ml)

Tresemme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray (100ml)

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Blush (full size)

On the whole I feel much more enthusiastic about this box than last month's. I'm glad there are fewer makeup products because colour is such a personal thing, it's easy to end up with something that's not very 'you'. I've not used any of these products before, which is perfect - one of the reasons I subscribed was to try new things after all.

I've never used anything by Elizabeth Arden before, but this cream is a bit of a classic. I like the fact that it is multi-functional, and can be used for dry lips, hands or the face. It is a pretty small sample but apparently a little bit goes a long way. I just hope the sample is big enough to give me a sense of whether I really like the product or not. This will probably go in my overnight bag as it's the perfect size for that (ie. tiny!)

Shockingly I've never tried any Nails Inc. polishes before! But of course I've heard good things so I was excited to try this one. St. James looks like a classic red - nothing too exciting but equally not something you can ever really go wrong with either. I tried it last night and you can see the results on the thumb nail that crept into the middle picture above!

Couture La La "blends sparkling mandarin with bold white florals". I'm not really a huge fan of perfume samples because if I want to try a fragrance I can just go to a counter, get a spritz, wear it to see how the fragrance develops and then decide whether I like it or not. I don't need a 1.5ml vial to decide if I want to buy the full size. The only time I see the value of samples is if a fragrance is not readily available to try in a shop and all you've got to go on is a written description online. I'm generally quite particular about my fragrances and I'm afraid this one from Juicy Couture just doesn't do it for me.

The Tresemme hairspray I think I'll get on with but, and I know I've said this before about Glossybox, it's hardly high-end is it?! I don't mind too much as I've always found Tresemme products really effective and do buy them from time to time, but still.

Continuing on the theme of not-exactly-high-end: The Jelly Pong Pong lip blush looks like a knock-down version of a Clinique Chubby Stick. It retails at £12 so not exactly cheap but the packaging sure feels it. I'll try not to knock it too much before I've tried it (literally not knock it for fear of breaking the packaging!); it claims to be moisturising and sheer so I think I'll probably really enjoy using it actually despite not having the best first impression of it.

Ending on a positive note: I am feeling relatively low-levels of 'glossybox-envy' this month, so I think that's definitely an indication of a good choice of products this time.

I actually purchased a Darphin flash box from Glossybox recently as well and have been using those skincare products, so a review of that is on it's way soon.

Glossybox: February 2013

I recently treated myself to a subscription to Glossybox. I just love the idea of getting a surprise box of goodies every month; and thought it would be a great way to try new products. I think £10 plus P&P per month is pretty reasonable. I mean, I used to regularly have Graze boxes delivered to work, and they cost nearly £4 each - and all you get is a selection of snacks that probably last five minutes! From that point of view, I think Glossybox is definitely value for money.

The box was lying on my desk waiting for me when I got into work this morning. What a great way to start a cold, grey Monday! Even the exterior packaging is very nicely designed - and once you open that you get to the pink Valentine's themed box inside, which is lovely: definitely one I'll keep and store things in. The box comes with a leaflet (pictured below), which tells you a little bit about the products and what their full size equivalents cost.

The products inside the box are:

You Need A Blooming Shower! by Anatomicals (150ml)

Moisturising Lipstick in Sienna by Helen É 

Eyeshadow Duo: Eyeshadow Palette in Bronzed Goddess by Modelco

A heart-shaped lollipop - CUTE!

Mineral Blush Powder in Terra Cotta by Micabella Cosmetics

Raspberry Soft Cream by Docteur Renaud (30ml)

I'm particularly looking forward to trying the Anatomicals body cleanser - it smells of rose and jasmine apparently, which are two of my favorite floral scents. 

I'm also excited to try the Docteur Renaud cream. It sounds quite unusual, and I'm not entirely sure what to expect. It's supposed to be good for dry skin, and for sensitive skin as it 'steers clear of harsh chemicals and additives'. My skin is both dry and sensitive, so I'm glad that Glossybox sent me a product that actually fits the 'beauty profile' they ask you to fill out on the website. The cream is a generous 30ml size - a full size of 50ml retails at £25.

I'm also intrigued by the Helen É lipstick - although not a shade I would usually be attracted to I'm interested to see whether it really is as moisturising as it claims.

I think that the product selection this month is a good mix. In terms of the makeup, if I'd had a choice I would have gone for different colours - but the products themselves are pretty high quality so I don't mind too much. Also, one of the joys of getting a box like this is that you get to experiment with things that are outside your regular routine.

I'll post mini-reviews of some of the products once I've tried them.