Dutch Glossybox Febuary 2013

Glossybox is a term that over the last two years has exploded in beauty land. The concept is very straight forward; You pay €14.95 (incl. shipping) for a one month subscription, which is a single box. There are also other subscriptions for 3 months, 6 months or 12 months. The box contains 5 travelsized products (usually at least 1 fullsized one) which in value will always exceed the cost of the box. It's an amazing way of trying out new products and it's a nice little surprise for yourself at the end of the month! For more information about the concept, check the Glossybox website.

Anyway, after that short explanation let us move on to the actual box! This months Glossybox (The Dutch one) was themed "Go inside the Beautylab!" which was packed with experimental products, which I found nice. Beautyproducts wouldn't be where they are today without science, so I like the mix of the two in this box!

The box came with a coupon for a free Albelli photobook worth €13.95, you'd still have to pay shipping.
A €5 coupon for the online shop of Dr. Van der Hoog if you spend more than €15 and a new edition of GLOSSYmag, the mini Glossybox magazine.

Indola Wonder Treatment, 100 ml fullsize product (€14.95)
This is basically just a very fancy leave in conditioner. It's a two phase product which needs a good shake before use. It promises the following on the bottle:

• Instant shine and smoothness
• Incredible detangling
• Repair and nourishment
• Revitalised bounce and vitality
• UV & colour protection formula
• Static and frizz control
• Reduced split ends
• Easy blow dry
• Active moisture balance
• Feather-light formula

So it promises a whole lot, some of which is just hot air, really. If you're just looking for a light formula leave in conditioner it's good, especially with hair like mine which gets oily easily, but it is by no means a wonder product. It does reduce frizz and adds some shine, but not in the amount you'd expect from reading the packaging. The scent is a very sweet, almost heavy, vanilla which luckily doesn't linger. I don't appreciate this kind of scents in my products, especially hair products as it then wafts into your face all the time.

Biotherm Biomains, 20 ml sample. (100 ml retails for €25, so this tube is about €5 worth of product.)
A very rich hand and nail cream, which dries fairly quickly on the skin and gives instant relief from dryness and itching. If it wasn't for the steep price-tag  this would probably become a go-to product for me. The size of the tube means it went straight into my handbag, and will be staying there over the coming weekend as I will be travelling and air-co on planes always messes up my skin.

Mario Badescu Silver Powder,14 ml sample. (29 ml retails for €14 so this jar is €7 worth of product.)
This is one of those freaky science-y products that you always read about on other blogs and really want to try out, but don't wanna pay the cash for something you might not use. It promises to fight stubborn blackheads and visible pores. I don't know to what extent it did this, but my skin was looking better after use on my T-zone, more matte and such. Sort of on the fence about this, need to test it some more!

Dr. Van der Hoog Hydro Active Mask, 50 ml fullsize (€9.10)
A hydrating, exfoliating and regenerating mask. This brand is very popular in the Netherlands and I am personally a big fan of all their masks. This packaging is great, it comes with an application brush which you can clean just using warm water after you've turned the head to avoid getting water in your product. The product itself is a thin, milky white gel which feels cooling on the skin. I use this on my cheeks and the sides of my forehead as these get very dry in the winter months. It left my skin feeling hydrated and looking radiant. I say it's a keeper!

Bell "Air Flow Lotus Effect" Nail Polish 703,  10 g fullsize (€3.50)
This polish promises strong staying power thanks to a high concentration of polymer. The label also claims that the polish lets air through to the nail and that the polish therefore would be less damaging. I wore this polish for 15 hours without a topcoat until I noticed the first tip wear. at 36 hours it had already chipped, so I don't know about that staying power or the "air flow". Can't stay I'm impressed. The colour is a light, pastel lavender which is cute for spring and all, but the formula leaves a few things to be desired. After 3 coats it still looked patchy, took forever to dry without a fast drying topcoat and wasn't very shiny on it's own. Nope, this hyped up product won't become a staple in my polish stash.

Yours truly wearing the mask in my cheeks and the silver powder on my T-zone!

All in all, a good €15 spent! I love the concept of the Glossybox and it would also make for a great present for any beautyaddicts in your life!

Have you tried Glossybox yet or any other Beauty Box? Do you want to? Have an opinion on the products that I tested in this months box? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you for reading!

xxx