This month’s Glossybox is a summer special, complete with a fancy box design. I do love a fancy box design, by the way, and these days I only keep a box if it’s a special one-off. Anyway, I digress, let’s see what treats arrived!
Bellapierre Cosmetics Banana Setting Powder, rrp. £20
I won’t lie; this setting power set off alarm bells. I hate banana. I hate the taste and the texture. I hate banana bread. I hate banoffi pie. I hate banana flavoured sweets. I hate it I hate it I hate it. If this powder smelled of banana there was no way I was even testing it.
As it turns out, it does smell vaguely sweet but not banana-y. I’m still suspicious, but not so much that I wasn’t willing to give it a go. The Glossybox card informed me it was ideal for “baking” which I’d never heard of because I’m not down with the kids, but apparently you dust it on and allow the heat from your face to set it over 5-10 minutes before dusting off any excess. I don’t know how the heat from you face knows to stop setting it after 10 minutes, but I had a go. I have no idea whether this is mumbo jumbo or not, but along with my usual tinted primer it gave me a good base for my make up, so I’m happy enough.
Would I buy it? Maaaaaaybe. £25 seems a bit steep and I’m still suspicious of the banana element. Bellapierre is a nice brand, though, so I’d check out their less fruity options.
Spectrum collections Small fan brush (A10), rrp. £4.99
Oh, it’s just so pretty! I almost don’t want to use it. I’m very impressed with how cute it is and how soft and fine the bristles are, especially given that they’re synthetic and cruelty-free. I used it with the loose powder above and it’s the perfect tool for this, and probably would be for any loose highlighters as well, or loose blushers or bronzers that you just wanted to sweep lightly across your cheekbones.
Would I buy it? I think one is enough, but at £4.99 this is a very well priced brush and I’d definitely check out the rest of the range.
MONU Professional Skincare MONUSpa Soothing After Sun Lotion, rrp. £19.95
Why couldn’t I have been sent this in May when I was actually going on holiday somewhere sunny? I get the Glossybox wants to make this a summer box but this is actually the only summer item and it would have been better to send this kind of thing maybe a month before summer hits. Ah well, I tried a dab just to see and it seems nice enough. It’s packed with aloe vera and shea butter and smells absolutely amazing. I’ll han onto it in case I manage to catch the sun in Scotland somehow.
Would I buy it? I’ll never understand why sunscreen and aftersun is so expensive but £19.95 really takes the cake. No. I’d buy a supermarket brand of aftersun for £2.50 and a bottle of aloe vera gel for £1.99 and then I’d be sensible enough to avoid getting burned in the first place. Sorry, MONUSpa
Cutebalms Macaroon Tint Balm in Crushed Berry, rrp. £5.99
I’m sorry, I know this is supposed to be whimsical and fun, but I just don’t like it. The pot is supposed to look like a macaroon but it’s just dayglow hard plastic and it doesn’t convincing close properly. The balm smells like refined sugar and the sort of artificial strawberry scent you get in cheap kids’ bubble bath. The forumla is fine and the pigmentation is actually quite impressive for a balm but I could never wear it because the smell would annoy me. No.
Would I buy it? Not a chance.
Papanga Spiral Hairbands, rrp. £4.99
On the other hand, these I do like! The May 2016 box had a similar product by hairon. The idea is that the spirals don’t snag your hair and prevent kinks forming in hair that’s held back, as well as being kinder to curlier hair. Plus, they look quite nice and. This time we were sent a black one and a clear one and while I’m not 100% sure they do all that they claim, they ain’t bad. My one complaint is that they’re a little stiff, so while I want to wrap them around my hair three times, I can only manage twice, and it feels a bit looser than I’d like. That said, they might stretch and loosen with repeated use.
Would I buy it? I don’t know. The May 2016 Hairon version gave us a box of three for £3.99, so I don’t quite understand why this box of two is worth a pound more. I’d buy the Hairon version. But there’s nothing wrong with these otherwise.
Well my favourite in this box is clearly the brush but I can tell that the aftersun lotion is really great quality even if it is overpriced and I’m unlikely to get much immediate use out of it. Apparently next month’s box is another summer-themed one so I’m already looking forward to seeing what’s in store.
In Becky's Head 