Joliebox June - The 1st Birthday Box (and a mini rant)

There doesn't seem to be a month that goes by without some drama surrounding a beauty box.  I don't know what it is about these subscription services and whether it's a UK thing or not, but my oh my!

The June Joliebox was delayed due to an apparent mix up with delivery labels, which has also led to some subscribers this month receiving boxes that aren't customised to their beauty profile (unfortunately I'm one of them, but after emailing Joliebox today, they have responded saying "Please know that aside from the June box, we have not and will not yet be offering customized boxes.")

This drama seems to be very reminiscent of what has happened in the past with Glossybox, and I just can't comprehend why it so difficult for a company of this size, to deliver such a poor service to its customers.

When you pay for something, you don't expect to be waiting around to receive the goods for such a long time.  I know that random, unplanned for things can happen, but it seems to be all the time with these boxes!  Why?!?!

Anyway, mini rant aside, the June Joliebox actually seems quite promising contents wise.  It's packaged in a wonderfully bright orange special edition box to mark their first birthday, and is filled with French goodies.

In my box I received:-

•  a full size Elysambre Eye & Lip Pencil in 10, which is a pink-toned brown shade.  The pencil is soft and smooth, and it's 100% natural, plus features 50% vegetal active ingredients.  You all know that I love trying out natural make-up so I'll look forward to using this as a lip liner.
• 20ml sample tube of Institut Esthederm Bronz Repair Anti-Wrinkle Tanning Cream.  This seems to be like a top up that you can use for extra protection over your regular SPF cream (as it doesn't contain any SPF).  I generally don't like putting too many products on my face when I'm out in the sun because I find my pores get clogged very easily, but I'll try this out and see what's it like.
• 15ml sample tub of L'Occitane Hydration Cream from their new Angelica range.  I love, love, love anything by L'Occitane so I'm excited to try this out, but have a feeling it may be too rich for my skin, so I'll give it a go first as a night cream.  For the eagle eyed among you, yes, this was given out free with Glamour magazine recently, but was packaged in a tube instead of a little tub.
• 50ml Yon-Ka Pamplemousse Protective and Vitalizing Cream for Normal to Dry Skin.  Unfortunately not for my skin type, so I'll probably pass this on to a friend or try it later in the year.
• Joliebox nail file, always handy to have one of these in your bag.

There was also some promo flyers with discount offers and a special 'Jolieticket' in which I won £5 off voucher to use in the Joliebox shop.  Whilst this is a nice freebie to have, does anyone actually buy anything from the Joliebox shop?  They have a flat rate shipping which is £5.95, ouch!  So the voucher is more like an almost free shipping thing really.  If anyone can make use of it, let me know and I'll happily forward you my code to use.

What are your thoughts on the birthday Joliebox and the drama?

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Guest Post: Amanda's thoughts on anti-aging/dry/sensitive skincare samples

I asked my friend Amanda to test out some skincare samples for We Were Raised By Wolves, that weren't suitable for my own skin type.  Amanda is in her early thirties and has dry-to very dry skin, which is also sensitive.  Her favourite skincare brands are Clinique, Dermalogica, Caudalie and La Roche Posay.  She is also interested in brands that use organic and natural ingredients.  Here are her thoughts on the samples that she tried out:-

Yon Ka Vital Defense - I enjoy looking into French skincare brands and Yon Ka is a brand I have heard many good things about.  The Vital Defense cream is a light and hydrating moisturiser which acts as a 'shield' against pollution and free-radicals.  It was pleasant to use and is something I would consider purchasing as a full size product.

REN Bio Retinoid Anti-Aging Concentrate - I'm nearly 32 and have recently started to notice some minor signs of aging on my face.  I have tried some Retinol products in the past but always have to stop using them because they are too irritating for my sensitive skin.  This night concentrate from REN is  a 100% natural alternative to Retinol, and I found it very effective.  It has a sweet fruity scent and I only needed to use a few drops each night.  My skin looked visibly smoother, brighter and more toned, so this is something I will be certainly purchasing a full size of.

Oskia Get Up & Glow - Unfortunately this serum did nothing for my skin in terms of brightening it and making it look more energised, as it promised to do.  It did provide a smooth base for my make-up, but priced at £65 for the full size product, I would expect it to do much more.

Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector - The sample size is too small to judge its effective on wrinkles, but I did notice a tightening effect on my skin when I used this and it visibly reduced the size of my pores as well.  This is something I would look into getting a full size version of, to see if it would have any effect on some of the lines that have started to appear on my forehead.

Lavera Lifting Serum - This serum from Lavera produced a tightening effect on my skin for five minutes or so which seemed promising, and then the feeling disappeared and with it, my skin looked a lot less taunt.  Like the Oskia Get Up & Glow, the Lavera Lifting Serum provided a smooth base for my make-up but didn't do anything else for me.

Institut Esthederm Time Technology Cream - I have seen this many times when browsing Cult Beauty and had always wanted to try it.  Sadly, I was very disappointed by this sample.  The cream has light reflecting properties which is supposed to make your skin look more awake and younger, but I personally didn't notice any difference.  Priced at £69 for a full size, I would expect to.

Caudalie Radiance Day Fluid with SPF 10 -  A light non-greasy cream that hydrated my skin nicely and made it look refreshed.  This is something I would purchase a full size of and use in summer.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion - I use a great deal of Clinique products in my everyday skincare routine so my thoughts are probably biased towards them.  I enjoyed using their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion and immediately purchased a full size after finishing the sample.  It's much lighter than their Moisture Surge so I will use it in summer when my skin is less dry.

Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturiser with SPF6 - This was the surprise out of the samples that Evelyn gave me.  I didn't expect to like it because I personally don't like rose scented products, but the scent of this was more subtle than I originally thought it would be.  The moisturiser is very rich and very hydrating, a perfect drink for my dry and thirsty skin.  I would certainly purchase a full size of this.

Patyka Biokaliftin Radiant Exfoliating Mask -  Unfortunately my sensitive skin didn't like this mask and I personally found it too harsh for me.

Do you have any skincare recommendations for Amanda?  Comment below and I'll pass them on to her!

 

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