The second month of my Powder Beauty Drawer monthly box landed at my door today, and fortunately, it's much better than the major disappointment that was the Lookfantastic July beauty box.
This month's lineup includes:
Elemis British Botanical Body Cream, 50ml, worth £5 (RRP £25 for 200ml)
I already have a tube of this from another beauty box, so I wasn't too thrilled to see another. As far as body creams go, consistency wise it's certainly decent - light, hydrating and quickly absorbed. However, the strong, lingering, lavender scent puts me off. Won't be buying the full size.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, 5ml, worth £2.60 (RRP £26 for 50ml)
Years ago I bought a full size tube based on the hype, and although it did wonders for dry cuticles, the medicinal scent offended my nose so I've never purchased it since. I'll probably keep this small tube in my bag for emergencies (aka as a last resort).
Gold Collagen Hydrogel Mask, 1 pack, worth £5 (RRP £19.99 for 4 packs)
This mask had an immediate cooling effect on my face, which was especially welcome in the current warm weather. Unlike most masks, it comes in two halves for a better fit, but I found it a bit fiddly because the slippery hydrogel was difficult to grab hold of. According to instructions, this should be left on for 20 - 40 minutes. After the mask was removed, I liked how my skin looked more hydrated and glowy. However, over an hour later, I can still feel the slightly stickiness left behind. I this mask but I won't be purchasing more; I'll think I'll stick to my trusted Innisfree sheet masks!
Lancaster Sublime Tan Velvet Milk SPF30, 15ml, worth £2.05 (RRP £24 for 175ml)
It seems that summer beauty boxes tend to include fake tans/tan boosting creams. Not a product for me!
Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, 30ml, worth £5.25 (RRP £35 for 200ml)
A cleanser with 5* glowing reviews on their official website, it uses salicylic, lactic and glycolic acids to "provide clarity, brightness and improve cell turnover by dissolving dead skin cell build-up and revealing a radiant complexion."
Skyn Iceland Glacial Face Wash, 20ml, worth £2.60 (RRP £19.50 for 200ml)
This foamy cleanser felt gentle on my skin, but I didn't feel that it offers anything spectacular and I certainly won't be switching over from Sulwhasoo Snowise (my favourite cleanser for almost 2 years, which is a record for me!) I also found that it didn't wash off as easily as expected. If you're in need of a new cleanser though, there's no harm in trying this.
Skyn Iceland Icelandic Relief Eye Cream, 5ml, worth £13.57 (RRP £38 for 14ml)
If this eye cream wasn't also included in the June Powder box, I wouldn't have minded it. Product repetition is a huge part of the reason why I stopped subscribing to beauty boxes for a while.
Update: It appears that the eye cream has already dried up in its sealed pot and is therefore unusable. The texture resembles expired yoghurt, with an odd smell - not cool. This won't be the first time I've had a dodgy product in a Powder box.
The Organic Pharmacy Double Rose Rejuvenating Face Cream, 15ml, worth £11.99 (RRP £39.95 for 50ml)
For a company who claims that their products are made in the UK, I was surprised to see "Made in PRC" (People's Republic of China) on the back of the tube. Granted, it isn't full size, but that shouldn't affect the location of manufacture. It does makes one wonder whether different quantities/qualities of ingredients are used for sample sizes.
The booklet in the box comes with discount codes/offers for Gold Collagen, Murad and Elizabeth Arden. If you were planning to buy something from Murad anyway, the free full size cleanser is a nice bonus.
Total value of this month's box is £48.06 - not as good as the June Powder box but still decent in terms of value vs monthly fee of £13.50 (£10 + £3.50 postage). However, there are simply too many products I feel lukewarm towards. I will most likely be cancelling the subscription (as well as Lookfantastic) before the end of the month and going back to buying full size products. At least this way, I can avoid items I really don't want.
No comments