BEAUTY BOX: Look Fantastic June 2019 Review

Man, it's so weird to be doing an unboxings again, it's been almost a year. Anyway, I did a video if you prefer to watch those instead or keep on scrolling for the text version!

I will update this post later on in the month as well, detailing how I got on with the products. So make sure to check the 'Recently Updated' tab at the top of the page. 

Anyway, I think my attitude towards boxes have definitely changed since I was last blogging them as I'm no longer mad at Look Fantastic. They used to inflate their box prices and always include the same type of products but all this year I've been super happy with every box. June's is no exception. I know some may be angry at the tiny samples, however when you have 6 box subscriptions, I'm quite grateful for the samples because I get through them quicker, I get to try more items faster and it's fun. Plus this months box has a pretty decent value for only £13 with most products being on the more expensive side as well. 

Dry & Sensitive Eyelid Cream // SVR
15ml Full Size - RRP £15

Described as an eye cream for those with sensitive itchy eyes, I'm looking forward to using this now the hayfever season is well underway. Right now I can't live without my Piriton and my eyes are always the most affected so this was actually a really good inclusion for this month considering so many of us suffer from hayfever. It also gives 24 hour hydration and eases redness and discomfort; just what the doctor ordered.

Peeling Mask // Ecooking
15ml Sample - RRP £11.10 (0.74 per ml based on 50ml for £37)

Oh man I love this brand. I've tried so many other sample products from them before and I've loved every one. The packaging is also really cute and I love the glass jars; I'll probably recycle them into glitter/rhinestone jars. Anyway, this mask actually has a really low pH value of 3.5 (so it's super acidic), therefore your face will probably feel like it's burning and go red but they say this is supposed to happen so it's all good. I would recommend a patch test though if your skin is sensitive. Ecooking say to use this for only 4-6 minutes at first and then gradually increase it up to 10 as you use it more. It smells a little like PVA glue but I can't wait to give it a try.

EGF Serum // Bioeffect
3ml Sample - RRP £25 (8.30 per ml based on 15ml for £125...)

Such a tiny sample, however, at £125 for 15ml I'm not really mad because that's a great sample size for the price of the product. Bioeffect also only recommend using 2-4 drops so this will last quite a while. They have some bold claims about what this can do for anti-ageing properties so I'll be keeping an eye on my skin over the month. 

Surf Spray // Bumble & Bumble
15ml Sample - RRP £2.40 (0.16 per ml based on 125ml for £20)

You could've received a volumising spray instead but I'm glad I got this one as my hair doesn't need anymore volume. I'm worried about how much this may dry my hair out however it feels soft and isn't too sticky. They only problem is that it isn't very inclusive as B&B state its for those with straight/wavy fine/medium hair and I have thick, course semi-afro hair. I'll give it a try though.

Chamomile Softening Soap // Korres
125g Full Size - RRP £5.50

Soap has come a long way since ye olden days and I'm looking forward to giving this one a go. It has a light, pleasant and calming scent and feels very waxy. Korres says it's glycerin based so it should be ultra moisturising. It can be used for both face and the body so we'll see how it goes.

Lift-Structure Ultra Lifting Cream // Filorga
7ml Sample - RRP £9.10 (1.30 per ml based on 50ml for £65)

And then last but not least is a tiny sample from Filorga. I'd say this is my least favourite item in the box mainly because I'm not a fan of Filorga. Look Fantastic love including them in the box but they just don't do anything, to me they're just overpriced creams. Filorga say this can either be a day or night cream and has anti-ageing properties to tone and firm but most products from them all look the same and are pretty vague about what they do. This will be used in a few days though so I'll report back soon.

// Box Value
// 6 Items // 2 Full Size // 4 Samples
// £68.10 Estimated Worth

Overall, not a bad box, the serum is heavily appreciated, it's not everyday you get to try skincare that costs over £100 and the Ecooking mask and eye creams will be used immediatly. I think Look Fantastic should reduce their box size though to maybe that of the Birchbox size, it seems they're going more down the sample route and whereas that doesn't bother me (it is only £13 a month after all) the size of the box and all the waste packaging does bother me. Anyway, I'm looking forward to next months as I love Elemis! The sneak peak for July is their hydro-balance day cream.

Look Fantastic Beauty Box

Monthly - £15

3 Months - £14.50

6 Months - £13.75

12 Months - £13

All options are billed monthly and include P&P

Beauty Box Review // FabFitFun Spring 2019 (UK Reviewer)

Ok, I know I'm a nail polish blog but I just can't help myself anymore. I'm obsessed with subscription boxes (I have 6 now, send help) but, I rarely drink, I don't smoke and my idea of a crazy night out involves buying a large popcorn at the cinema...so I guess it's ok then. Before this I had a beauty blog and I think it was reviewing make-up that really made me start to hate it mainly because I prefer skincare. So, with my degree wrapped up now and a little more time on my hands I'm gonna start adding beauty box and skincare to the blog; but mainly nails lol.

ANYWAY, FabFitFun ships to the UK now!! I had heard of this box but dismissed it as it's one of those big American boxes that you could never get over here, but now you can. Recently Jaina over at WhichBeautyBoxUK (one of my favourite blogs) posted her Spring Box haul and holy moly my eyes lit up. The customisation, the full sizes, the mixture of skincare and homeware; it's just the perfect box for me. Did I mention that they only send full size or travel sizes? No samples in sight and there is around 8 products per box.

Now the price may put you off a little, but it's only 4 boxes a year. You can pay $49.99 a box and skip seasons if you don't want to be tied down or pay $179.99 for the year. Now for the UK you have to pay taxes and extra shipping ($10 per box for shipping which is shockingly low for the US). I took out the yearly sub as you get early access to the legendary 'add-ons sale' as well as extra customisation options that you don't get a seasonal member.

Here is a full price breakdown for the UK yearly membership:

-FabFitFun VIP Annual $179.99

-UK P&P $40

-VAT $44

- Total = $263.99 

After conversion I got charged exactly £202.56 meaning each box costs £50.64. That sounds a lot for the box but just wait till you see what's in them. 

I took out my subscription on May 1st and on the 2nd they started selling the summer box only so I got in there just in time to get this amazing box. And yes, that total value says $271.95 (£208.20). I've already re-couped the cost of the subscription in one box.

Now it's bit strange how it works but they seem to have 5 catagories that you can pick one item from and then 3 items that everyone receives in the box. All members get to pick an item from the first 3 catagories, but then only annual members can choose in the next 2 (seasonal members get a random pick). Also, annual members get early access to customisation so some items may have sold out by the time seasonal members get to pick.

Show Me Your MuMu Brie Robe // RRP $84 (£64.31 - converted, no UK price)

I had never heard of this brand before but after taking a peak on their website they sell beautiful but hella expensive clothes. This robe is stunning though and was my top pick out of the first catagory. There was also an aromatherapy diffuser (but it had sold out by the time I subbed) or a bag (which had also sold out). It's a good thing I really wanted this robe out of the two anyway lol. It appears to be an item created specifically for the box and that would make me side-eye it a little however, it appears to be one of the cheaper items on their own website as similar robes are $130+ so I feel that they haven't over inflated the value.

I love this robe though, I wear in inside, outside; anywhere. It's light and soft and I have to do nails of the print. I'm obsessed with it.

Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Facial // RRP $48 (£36.75 - converted, no UK price)

Now, on their US website this is listed as $48 however on their EU website it's 34.80€ which would make it £7 cheaper for us UK'ers. Either way, in this category you could choose between 2 designs of Quay sunglasses (they had sold out but I wasn't bothered, I'm not buying over-priced sunglasses from Morphe), a picnic set or this cream. Since I am obsessed with skincare, I chose this cream. Brightening is definitely something I need and I'll post a review on it once I finish the jar entirely. First impressions; it smells wonderful and not particularly like roses but sweet and it's quite thick which I love for night creams. I have a few to use up though first so this won't get used for a while.

Giadzy Copper Plated Measuring Spoons // RRP $16 (£12.25 - converted, no UK price)

These are so me. I wanted them the second I laid eyes on them as my entire kitchen is a basic white marble and copper kitchen. This category was the spoons, a body lotion or a mystery item and it was a no brainer for me. I love these spoons and will get a lot of use out of them as I'm constantly baking.

Ciaté London Extraordinary Translucent Setting Powder // RRP £18 ($22 in US)

They sell this in the UK for £18 which is £2 dearer than the US once converted but oh well. This was the one item that I was like "I guess I'll have that then". In this catagory there was a silver necklace, the powder or a stainless steel water bottle. I really wanted the water bottle but it had sold out. I don't wear jewellery so I chose this as at least I can sell it on if I don't like it. 

Daily Concepts Daily Detox Brush // RRP $18 (£13.78 - converted, no UK price)

This category was either this brush, a cleanser or a skipping rope (I guess they're called fabfitfun for a reason) and I chose this as I have far too many cleansers to get through already and I go to the gym instead of working out at home. I've been receiving this brand a lot in my Pink Parcel (I got a facial scrubber this month) but not all their products seem to be sold in the UK yet.

The following items were sent out in all boxes:

Manna Kadar Champagne Charcoal Body Scrub // RRP $24 (£18.37 - converted, no UK price)

I've had a few Manna Kadar items in my Birchbox but always from their make-up range so I'm excited to try this. It's also rose gold. I just love that I'm getting to try all these products that you would never get over here in boxes; and it's full size. My friend also eyed this one up instantly when I showed her the box so I may scoop out of the tub for her as there's no way I'll get through this thing all by myself; it'd take me a year.

Ouai Leave In Conditioner // RRP £22 ($26 US price)

Yes! Finally, a conditioner! All I get in boxes are shampoos or smoothing serums and I'm sick of it. I also love Ouai so I'm so happy to have a full size leave-in spray. My current favourite is the Aussie Miracle Moisture Spray and I was just about to run out so it's good timing. This looks like a thick cream in the bottle but actually is a lightweight spray that leaves my hair feeling soft. So far so good.

Dr. Brandt Skincare Needles No More No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel // RRP  £27.50 ($42 in US)

Holy moly, that's a name and a half for an eye cream. The US version also has quite the price mark-up and is £5 dearer when converted. Either way, I'm very happy to have this as I've been wanting to try out Dr. Brandt for so long. The Pores No More seems to be quite a cult product but I'll take this full size eye cream thank you very much. You would never see this in a UK beauty box and I can't believe it's in here. Thank you US beauty boxes!!

// Product Totals - 8 Items All Full Size

// US Price - $280

// UK Prices - £212.96

// Verdict

I've used RRPs specifically from the each companies own website and by doing that the box total has risen slightly! Either way, what an unbelievable box. I love the mix between home and skincare as well as finally getting access to brands that are normally difficult to get hold of here in the UK (and for only $10 shipping on the box). 

I bought the box on the May 1st, received a shipping notification on the 3rd and it arrived on the 8th with no import charges. That's probably the fastest shipping I've ever had from the US.

For the next box I was able to shop the 'add-ons' sale and I managed to control myself and only spent around £15 but got some fantastic goodies from brands I've never heard of but seem to be sold only in the US. They had around 300 items to choose from and whereas I would have loved to add more; I'm moving soon for my new job (as a real software engineer, looks like my degree paid off) so I need to pay for deposits and other things. Come August though, I'll be shopping that add-ons sale like no ones business. I mean, it does only happen 4 times a year and there are some crazy discounts going on (like Sol De Janiero for £10!!!) But I'll write about that specific haul when I get it. 

I'm currently waiting for the Summer box but I'll do a video on that and try and make this post a little more concise for next time (as well as take more photos....).