Mani & Lola December 2018 // Nail Subscription Box

Three months of Mani & Lola already??? Also, I'm super sorry about how late this is!!! They actually dispatched it earlier but when I received it on the 12th, I had a quick look at the contents then set it aside to be photographed and now it's almost January...That said, I like this month but it's not as good as the last two months. I think it was the two tiny travel sizes and sheet mask that did it. I'm already subbed to four beauty boxes; I don't need any face products from my nail box thank you.

Inc.Redible // Be Shore to Shine Mask (20ml Full Size Sheet Mask - No Retail Price)

Mani & Lola have given this an RRP of £10.95 which is ridiculous because these masks are only £5 full price so I have no idea where they got that price from. Also, this mask is not available outside of their Christmas gift sets so, really it has no retail price. I don't mind these masks, I do two sheet masks a week so it will get used but I would've preferred something nail related given than this is a nail box. The beauty boxes I'm subbed to rarely feature nail polish so it's kind of annoying to get skincare in a specialist box.

If you haven't tried these masks before though they have designs printed on them and they make you look like a serial killer. The cat one is particularly terrifying. You'll never need a Halloween costume as long as you have one of these on you.

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ //

Mavala // Pure Diamond Bauble (5ml size - £4.95)

I can no longer find the bauble set for sale however the mini is still being sold. I was a little upset to see a mini size after receiving all full sizes the past couple of months but this is a beautiful shade. It's a linear holo that can achieve full opacity if sponged on or needs 3 coats. The shine is unreal and even though there is silver glitter padding the holo pieces out, they really shine in the light.

Will it Stamp? No.

EDIT 06/01/2018 - This box still hasn't been my favourite however, having done some research I found out that this is a full size polish, so every polish once again is full size. It's actually mental. Apparently Mavala only sell in a 5ml size. I'm sorry but these retail around £5 each. With that I can buy 10-15ml sized polishes. Now I know stamping polishes come in 5mls sizes however they are always much cheaper around the £1-£3 (depending on how much you trust eBay).

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ //

Zoya // Alegra (15ml full size- £9.95)

A third Zoya polish and this one is the weakest out of the bunch. It needs a good 4 coats and the beautiful gold shift you see in the bottle is non-existent on the nails. It's a nice shimmery raspberry shade but not one that I would've picked out myself.

Will it Stamp? Yes, but extremely weak with little colour pay-off.

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ //

China Glaze // Merry Whatever (14ml full size - £5.95)

Now this is more like it! This is a brand new shade from China Glaze's 2018 holiday collection. This is chunky gold glitter with bits of holo scattered around; it's stunning. When I think of Christmas polishes; this type of shade comes to mind. I like how it looks next to the blue Jessica shade and I'm cooking something up with those two.

Will it Stamp? No.

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ //

Essie // Good as Gone Remover (25ml Sample Size - No Retail Price)

Another product which is no longer sold. It makes me wonder how long they've had these samples lying around? Also, mine isn't even filled to the top; it's missing a quarter. I've only used this once to remove a creme polish and it did ok. The scent wasn't overpowering given that it's mainly acetone with only 4 ingredients. My nails didn't look white or dry afterwards and there was no cold sensation. It does say salon performance on the front so I'll be testing it on it's clean-up ability but seeing as how you can't buy it, I don't see why it was included.

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ //

Jessica // Bohemian Rhapsody (14.8ml Full size - £8.95)

This is a true dark denim blue shade and I love it. I don't have many blue shades in my collection (I'm trying to correct that...) and so I was happy to see this. I'd say you need a maximum of two coats. If applied slowly and precisely you can get away with one. I found it easy to remove as well, with minimal staining around the skin.

Will it Stamp? Yes, but only on large designs. Colour pay off is weak and can't handle small intricate designs.

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ //

Price of Box - £22.95

Number of Items - 6 

Estimated Worth - £29.80

For a box that cost me £23, I don't think a £30 estimated worth is great...even Birchbox manages to double how much it costs in value. I could've bought most of these cheaper individually or using sales/discount codes, plus two items aren't even sold. The shades were nice this month but I am a little disappointed in the box. I'm hoping that next months will be much better as this is an expensive subscription but cheaper than the other nail box company; Meebox. 

EDIT: Looks done using these polishes -
- The Royal Splits (NYE 2018)