June 2015 Beauty Box Five

The June 2015 Beauty Box Five* features products to help us look our best while travelling. If you are unfamiliar with Beauty Box Five, it is a subscription service that sends its members five cosmetic samples each month. The service is available to those in Canada and the USA, and subscriptions start at $12 per month. The best part is that shipping is free! The brands that Beauty Box Five works with are very impressive (see them all HERE).
Now let’s talk about the June items...

1. LOL Rotational Eye Shadow | Retail: $3 - This palette, created by a French and Australian cosmetics brand, includes six pretty shadows. I received a palette with shadows of green and gold called Splash That Cash. While it is very pretty, I don’t think these shades will be very flattering on me, so I will pass it on to someone else.
2. Nails Inc. Nail Polish | Retail: $9.50 for 0.33 oz - This nail polish is my favourite item in this month’s box since I have been wanting to try this UK brand for a while. I received the shade Bruton Street which is a pretty mauve pink.
3. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara | Retail: $22 for 0.4 oz - This pigmented mascara volumizes lashes with its creamy formula. I’m excited to try my first Urban Decay mascara.

4. Simple Skincare Micellar Cleansing Water | Retail: $7.99 for 7 oz - This on-the-go hydrator is perfect for travelling because it does not require a sink, it is no-rinse, and it hydrates skin. I am a bit disappointed by how small this sample is. I don’t think there is enough product in here for me to truly evaluate if I like this product or not.
5. Herbal Essences Body Wash | Retail: $2.49 for 11.1 oz - This travel-size bottle of body wash has an amazing citrus scent. I have always loved Herbal Essences hair products because of their delicious scents, so I’m looking forward to trying a body wash from this brand.
Overall, I’m very happy with the mascara, nail polish, and body wash in this month’s box. I did find the eyeshadow palette and cleansing water to be less impressive. I’m looking forward to next month’s box and can’t wait to see what Beauty Box Five has in store for July.

June 2015 Birchbox

This month’s Birchbox encompasses the excitement of summer with its adventure theme. This is the second month in a row that the box has had a custom design (check out the May box HERE) which is a nice surprise.

The first four items focus on skin and hair.

I love the scent of the Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer. It smells like a decadent lemon dessert. This product hydrates the skin with avocado and olive oils and 98% natural ingredients. It can be used on the face as a makeup base as well, but I plan to use it on my hands.

The product in this month’s box that I find most exciting is the Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo because it deeply cleanses hair without stripping moisture or colour. I think it’s important to use a good clarifying shampoo at least once a month to rejuvenate hair.

Also for hair is the PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray. This product provides soft, beachy waves without drying out the hair. I’m looking forward to seeing what this product can do for my naturally straight hair.

The last hair item is a bonus gift included in this month’s box. This Emi-Jay Hair Tie is cute and also part of a good cause since 20% of this company's profits are donated to charity.



The last two items are for the eyes.

First, The Skyn Iecland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels cool, hydrate, and refresh stressed skin under the eyes. I think these would be a nice treat for the eyes after a hot summer day.

To add a bit of colour, the Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Eyeshadow Quad features a versatile range of satiny-smooth shadows. I was a bit disappointed with this product because I know that these colours would look horrible with my colouring and would make my eyes look tired and irritated. I will pass them on to someone else.



Overall, while I am very happy with some of the items that I received, I found this month’s box to be less exciting than the April and May boxes. Hopefully the July box will be more impressive and will help me decide whether or not I should continue my subscription.

What did you receive in the June 2015 Birchbox?

*referral links present

June 2015 Glossybox

With summer less than a week away, the June Glossybox* arrived at the perfect time. The box, inspired by the colourful streets of Miami, features products to create lush lashes, bold nails, and hydrated skin for sunny days and late nights.

Aside from wearing sunscreen (everyday!) to protect skin from harmful rays, it’s important to replenish moisture after exposure to sun, chlorine, salt water, wind, etc. My favourite product for moisturizing and treating skin in the summer is aloe vera, which is why I’m so excited that Glossybox included two aloe products in this month’s box. The first is Etre Belle Cosmetics Aloe Vera Ultra Moisturizing Gel, an oil-free hydrator with liposomes to hydrate, improve elasticity, and prime skin. Aloe also helps cure sunburn, frostbite, and bruises.

Another skincare product is the The Aloe Source Luminosity Masque, a luxurious gel masque that exfoliates and soothes skin to restore youth and radiance with ingredients such as pineapple extract, papaya extract, aloe vera, and willow herb extract.



As for beauty items, this month’s box includes mini, yet generous sized products that enhance lashes as nails. Too Faced Cosmetics Better than Sex Mascara volumizes and lifts lashes with its hourglass-shaped brush. The collagen-fueler formula is buildable for a customized effect. Based on the beautiful lashes pictured on the box, I can’t wait to try this mascara.

Aside from defined lashes, a summer look wouldn’t be complete without glowy skin. The Doucce Blush Brush in this month’s box seamlessly applies powder blush and bronzer with its dome-shaped head and natural hair fibers. I really like the size of the brush since it’s perfect for travel and quick touch-ups on the go.

The last item of the month is an Orly Nail Lacquer in the shade Oh Cabana Boy. Not only is it the perfect shade of hot pink for summer, this polish is also free of DBP, formaldehyde, and toluene. I can’t wait to paint my toes with this pink and slip on some colourful sandals.



Overall, I really love the June 2015 Glossybox. It may even be my favourite box so far! I will use every single product sent this month and I really like how all the items are summer-friendly. Also, the value of the box is very high this month since the aloe vera gel and brush are full size and the other three products are deluxe samples.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Glossybox has in store for July!