As a beauty box addict, I decided to try beauty boxes from other countries. I visit friends in Italy every year, so this time I thought to look for Italian beauty boxes! So here it is, my first My Beauty Box! The box I received was the July box, but I only got it late in August when I met my friends. The boxes are not currently shipped in UK, but I thought to share with you the review to get an idea of what other beauty boxes offer.
Each box costs 14 € (£11.20 ) including shipping The July theme of the box was Summer Essentials, The travel Kit.
I received:
I follow their facebook page for 3 months now and they always post codes for you to use when you order a box. If you are patient, you cancel/restart your subscription every month, and use their codes, you will always get something extra! I think that this is a fabulous idea to keep customers interested in their facebook page and a great way to reward them!
This is what I received in my box, in order of preference.
Each box costs 14 € (£11.20 ) including shipping The July theme of the box was Summer Essentials, The travel Kit.
I received:
- 2 full size products
- 3 samples
- 1 book (And yes, when I say a book, I mean the whole book, and not only one chapter (see Birchbox August 2014).)
- 1 extra sample and a discount code as this was my first box!
- 3 NUXE products as extra using a code from My Beauty Box facebook page!!! (see image above - the three products on the right)
I follow their facebook page for 3 months now and they always post codes for you to use when you order a box. If you are patient, you cancel/restart your subscription every month, and use their codes, you will always get something extra! I think that this is a fabulous idea to keep customers interested in their facebook page and a great way to reward them!
This is what I received in my box, in order of preference.
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse
This 30ml sample of Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse dry oil is one of the 3 Nuxe products I received by using a code at checkout when I ordered the box. This is such a great product! It is a dry oil that you can use to body, face and hair! I love such multi-use products, very handy when traveling, this all you need! It's suitable for all skin types. You can mix it with your moisturiser for softer skin, apply it directly on your body to nourish it or apply it on your hair for shinny hair. The oil has a light scent. It may sound strange but it is an oil that it is not oily! That's why it is called a dry oil. I have oily skin and I have used it without a problem.
price: £8.40 30ml sample (full size product 100 ml for £28 sold in Nuxe official webpage)
value to me: £6 Dry oils are expensive but you can use them in so many ways!
price: £8.40 30ml sample (full size product 100 ml for £28 sold in Nuxe official webpage)
value to me: £6 Dry oils are expensive but you can use them in so many ways!
Nuxe Nuxellence Jeunesse
This is the second Nuxe sample (15 ml) I received using a code, Nuxellence Jeunesse. Wow! This is a 15ml sample, the full size product is only 50 ml and costs £47!!! According to the Nuxe webpage, this product has 10 patents! I am not impressed by high prices or any claims the company is making. However, this cream is nice. According to Nuxe you can use it either as a moisturiser if you have oily or combination skin, or before your moisturiser if you have normal to dry skin, morning and evening. I have oily/combination skin so I used it by itself. It's light and a small amount goes a long way. I would consider buying but not at this price... It's too expensive for me and it's hard to see the anti-ageing properties after using it for 2 weeks.
price: £14.10 (!!!) 15ml sample (full size product 50 ml for £47 sold in Nuxe official webpage)
value to me: £6 It's something that I would love to have but I am not convinced that the price is right.
price: £14.10 (!!!) 15ml sample (full size product 50 ml for £47 sold in Nuxe official webpage)
value to me: £6 It's something that I would love to have but I am not convinced that the price is right.
Nuxe Nirvanesque Light
My third favourite product is the third and last Nuxe product I received! Nirvanesque Light! I was surprised not to find it in the Nuxe official webpage, but you can find it in M&S and amazon. This is a moisturiser targeting the first lines for combination skin. This is exactly what I need! It leaves my skin soft but I can feel that I have used a cream. Maybe it is just a bit heavier than what I would have preferred.
price: £9.90 15ml sample (full size product 50 ml for £33 sold in M&S webpage)
value to me: £5 This is a nice moisturiser that leaves the skin soft but leaves my skin just a bit oily.
price: £9.90 15ml sample (full size product 50 ml for £33 sold in M&S webpage)
value to me: £5 This is a nice moisturiser that leaves the skin soft but leaves my skin just a bit oily.
Murad - Oil Free Sun Block SPF 30
A suncream is always handy! And I was very pleased to see that I received a MURAD product. I haven't tried this brand before but it has a good reputation (and it is a bit expensive!). My initial excitement turned into suspicion when I read these two sentences at the back of the box: "Warning: Avoid contact with eyes. Contains benzophenone-3" and "For export only". I looked up what benzophenone-3 is and I got mixed results. I kind of start thinking not to use any suncream again and stay in when it is sunny! Benzophenone-3 is used in suncreams and there is ongoing research to understand the risks of benzophenone-3 on humans. I guess that as long as the amount of it is within the EU limits, it should be fine. Regarding the second sentence, that this sample is only for export... it makes me wonder what is really the difference between the cream they send to Italy and the one in UK! If anyone has any idea, please share with me!
I don't think I would pay £27 for the 50 ml full size of this cream. However, this 10 ml sample will give me an idea of how good the cream is. The cream is also oil free, ideal for my combination skin! It's a pity that I will have to wait till next summer to try it... I don't see much the sun around these days! It feels already like autumn!
price: £5.40 10ml sample (full size product 50 ml for £27 sold in Murad official webpage)
value to me: £3 Even if it is the best sun cream in the market, I can find good ones in less than half its price...
I don't think I would pay £27 for the 50 ml full size of this cream. However, this 10 ml sample will give me an idea of how good the cream is. The cream is also oil free, ideal for my combination skin! It's a pity that I will have to wait till next summer to try it... I don't see much the sun around these days! It feels already like autumn!
price: £5.40 10ml sample (full size product 50 ml for £27 sold in Murad official webpage)
value to me: £3 Even if it is the best sun cream in the market, I can find good ones in less than half its price...
Skin&Co - Sicilian Light Serum
This is a 5ml sample of Skin&Co Sicilian Light Serum. I was happy to receive a serum, and especially one that I can find also in UK. I haven't tried this one yet as I have already a couple of serums open, but the product description in Amazon is promising:
"Sicilian Light Serum has been formulated to offer a triple action: brighten, soften and tighten you skin while providing active ingredients to boost Collagen, minimize the appearance of wrinkle and fine lines as well as even skin tone. "
price: £4.36 5ml sample (full size product 30 ml for £26.17 sold in Amazon)
value to me: £4 That number is not really representative to the value of the product as I haven't tried it, but I do look forward to trying it.
"Sicilian Light Serum has been formulated to offer a triple action: brighten, soften and tighten you skin while providing active ingredients to boost Collagen, minimize the appearance of wrinkle and fine lines as well as even skin tone. "
price: £4.36 5ml sample (full size product 30 ml for £26.17 sold in Amazon)
value to me: £4 That number is not really representative to the value of the product as I haven't tried it, but I do look forward to trying it.
Postquam - Eye pencil
I kept changing my opinion regarding this Postquam eye pencil. When I first saw the eye pencil, I thought that this would be my least favourite product... Although full size, the colour chosen for me was gold, and is definitely something I would choose. But when I tried it on my tanned hand, it looked amazing! The pencil is very soft and the shade of gold is warm. I got really excited and I thought that I could use it as summer eye shadow. But no... this idea was a disaster... The colour didn't stick on my eye lid and I ended up with having gold lines on my eye lids, just on the folds of the skin. It's a shame that I can't use it as an eye shadow, but it still looks really good as a normal eye pencil. It is easy to apply and is perfect for summer!
price: £5.59 (7 €) full size product
value to me: £3 A lovely pencil but you need to be careful with application, it can be removed easily.
price: £5.59 (7 €) full size product
value to me: £3 A lovely pencil but you need to be careful with application, it can be removed easily.
Viva La Juicy La Fleur by Juicy Couture
Such a cute bottle and packaging! This is a 5ml Viva La Juicy La Fleur by Juicy Couture sample. I usually don't like receiving perfume samples in boxes but I won't complain about this one as it is an extra, to say thank you for being part of the My Beauty Box world! How sweet! The perfume came with a card welcoming me and giving me a discount code. If anyone wants to use it, it is for a 6 month subscription.
Use the code MBB11 and pay 11 € for each box instead of 14 €. Visit the My Beauty Box webpage to subscribe.
DON'T FORGET: boxes are delivered only in Italy, so you need someone living in Italy to receive it for you.
price: 63p 5ml sample (150 ml full size product £18.99 in Amazon)
value to me: £1 I like the smell and the bottle is very cute. I will definitely use it.
Use the code MBB11 and pay 11 € for each box instead of 14 €. Visit the My Beauty Box webpage to subscribe.
DON'T FORGET: boxes are delivered only in Italy, so you need someone living in Italy to receive it for you.
price: 63p 5ml sample (150 ml full size product £18.99 in Amazon)
value to me: £1 I like the smell and the bottle is very cute. I will definitely use it.
Helan - Shampoo and Shower Gel
Helan Shampoo and Shower Gel is one product and not two as you may think. In Italy you can find a lot of products that are suitable for both hair and body. I find this strange and I remember visiting once a small supermarket to buy shampoo and not finding one! All the available products were shampoo/shower gel! I find this a bit strange, although convenient if you don't want to carry a lot of bottles with you when travelling. I still prefer to have a seperate shampoo suitable for my oily hair. I used this product as a shower gel. Nothing impressive, the scent was not really great, but it did its job!
price: £1.20 30ml sample (£8/10€ full size product 200 ml)
value to me: £1 It lasted for three times. It was just ok.
price: £1.20 30ml sample (£8/10€ full size product 200 ml)
value to me: £1 It lasted for three times. It was just ok.
Helan - Rossetto Matt (lipstick)
This is a full size product. This Helan lipstick is in dark brown colour and gives a matte effect. It contains Vitamin E and sunscreen to protect your lips. I am not very happy with the choice of colour. This is not a summery colour and the the theme of the box is summer essentials! I like matte lipsticks but I am not sure if this one would fit me. At least not now, maybe I will change my mind when I lose my tan by December! The lipstick is soft and creamy. It's not one of the lipsticks that will stay long on your lips and I hate having to reapply my lipstick. This is why I go for superstay lipsticks or colour tints.
price: £10.79 (13.50 €) full size product
value to me: £2 I don't see myself using it anytime soon and it doesn't stay long on my lips.
price: £10.79 (13.50 €) full size product
value to me: £2 I don't see myself using it anytime soon and it doesn't stay long on my lips.
Book - Irene Cao, Io ti guardo
This is a 350 pages book by Irene Cao. It is not my least favourite item in the box, but as an extra I put it at the end. I like reading and I am happy to receive a book! (even if I am not going to understand everything - the book is in Italian of course)! It fits very well the theme of the box! A light reading for the beach!
price: £4 (5 €) full size product (£5.40 in Amazon - the RPR on the book is 5€)
value to me: £5 This is a brand new book and most of the books in UK start at £5.99.
price: £4 (5 €) full size product (£5.40 in Amazon - the RPR on the book is 5€)
value to me: £5 This is a brand new book and most of the books in UK start at £5.99.
My Conclusion
The box costs £11.20.
Total value of the box: with the Nuxe products and the perfume £64.37
without extras £31.34
Value to me: with the Nuxe products and the perfume £36
without extras £18
This box in total contained items 6 times the price I payed! That it is very impressive! It contained a variety of products, from make-up to shower gel and face serum. However, half of its value comes from the extra Nuxe products I received. I would probably order this box again but only if I could use an extra code for free goodies (like the Nuxe products) to increase its value!
If you would like to subscribe to My Beauty Box visit the My Beauty Box webpage. !!! You need an italian address, the boxes are not shipped in UK. I used a friends address.
You can use the code I received and I won't use. I don't know for how long it will be valid, but here it is: Use the code MBB11 and pay 11 € for each box instead of 14 €, when you subscribe for a 6-month subscription.
What do you think of this box compared to the UK ones?
Total value of the box: with the Nuxe products and the perfume £64.37
without extras £31.34
Value to me: with the Nuxe products and the perfume £36
without extras £18
This box in total contained items 6 times the price I payed! That it is very impressive! It contained a variety of products, from make-up to shower gel and face serum. However, half of its value comes from the extra Nuxe products I received. I would probably order this box again but only if I could use an extra code for free goodies (like the Nuxe products) to increase its value!
If you would like to subscribe to My Beauty Box visit the My Beauty Box webpage. !!! You need an italian address, the boxes are not shipped in UK. I used a friends address.
You can use the code I received and I won't use. I don't know for how long it will be valid, but here it is: Use the code MBB11 and pay 11 € for each box instead of 14 €, when you subscribe for a 6-month subscription.
What do you think of this box compared to the UK ones?