M&S Summer Beauty Box 2016

I happened to stumble upon M&S’s latest beauty box this week – I’ve seen them do this a few times in the past but have never managed to get my hands on one. With this one you had to spend over £40 to qualify to be able to buy this for £10 – I had £9 worth of M&S vouchers that I’d been saving for something beauty since I’m limiting my beauty spends – and over £40 worth of items I was buying anyway that I decided to get this. £120 worth of products, 14 items for £1. No brainer wasn’t it.

Other than the polishes in here, there’s no full size items, however I have a few nights away coming up – both home and abroad so I can see a lot of these being totally travel friendly, especially as I just have carry on luggage for one trip – so there’s not here I thought would be extra handy, being summer themed and all!

Swell Ultimate Protect & Renew Hair Serum 30ml

 

Swell is a brand that’s totally new to me – at over half the size of the full size (50ml @ £20) it’s a really generous sized sample. Designed to banish frizz, hide split ends, keep hair smooth and hydrated, with no silicones either – so for those who like to keep hair their hair free of the plumping effect of silicones it’s a good option. This is reviewed really favorably online so I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

Rodial Dragon’s Blood Hyaluronic Tonic 50ml

The Rodial Dragon’s blood range seems to be getting more and more hype online. At the moment my skin seems to be loving anything acidic to help balance sebum levels in my skin and keep spots at bay, so I’m already expecting that my skin will react well to this!

Philip Kingsley Citrus Sunshine Swimcap 50ml

The only Philip Kingsley product that I’ve tried in the past is Elasticizer – a cult product most rave about but I just do not like. I’ve had 3 tubes of the stuff via beauty boxes and I’ve hated it everytime. I’m trying not to start off on a bad foot with this but I am already a little reserved. Swimcap is designed for post UV and Chlorine to keep hair soft, smooth and protected. Given the hen do I’m going to abroad, this may come in handy for some of the days out we have planned. (Full size 75ml – £12.50)

Pure Instant Radiance Hot Cloth Cleanser 50ml

A quarter sized sample of the full size (100ml with cleansing cloth – £10) but still with plenty of uses inside to really give this product a good go! I’m a big fan of lots of hot cloth cleansers such as Liz Earle’s that I’ve tried in the past and this seems like a good option too – yet another product which is reviewed very well and loved online!

Ren Instant Firming Beauty Shot 10ml

REN is a brand which I never buy or look at myself, with the only products I’ve tried being through beauty boxes, and even then the options have been limited from the premium brand. Full size (30ml – £36). More of an anti-ageing product, but lets face it – I need to start trying these products at the ripe old age of the wrong side of 25, and if I don’t like it I’m sure my Mum will take it off my hands! Described as a gel serum which firms the skin instantly, plumps & lifts to leave it looking smoother, tighter & more youthful. Bold claims ey?

Island Escape Eau de Toilette 25ml

An own brand product from M&S, Island Escape is described as notes of Sea Salt and Bergamot, instantly smelling this it transports me to a tropical beach! Not a normal fragrance that I would go for – but nice none the less, and another handy product to keep in my handbag for touch ups on the go. (Full Size 95ml – £16)

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse 10ml

Euch. I have so many Nuxe Oil Samples that I don’t ever use, maybe another for my giveaway box! I’m pretty sure I already have a sample of this exact one, however might be wrong – I do know as well as a body oil (which I’ve never liked the feeling of) you can also use this as a hair oil, so maybe I’ll try that – but I alreaedy have an abundace of hair oils in my drawer so it’s not really needed either. (100ml £28)

Ultrasun Face SPF30 25ml

I can’t seem to find this exact product on the M&S website so maybe it’s currently out of stock, but the face SPF’s from Ultrasun seem to be priced at around £25-30 for a full size bottle. I’ve  not tried Ultra Sun but I know it’s very well rated, I’m hoping this works well under makeup as I’m in the market for a new SPF.

Pur Correcting Primer Illuminate & Glow 10ml

I’ve tried a few items from Pur in the past and have generally been quite impressed with the quality, I have a lot of mattifying primers in my collection, but no illuminating ones so this is a welcome addition. The full size is priced at £24 for 30ml – and I imagine this will last a fairly long time.

Sun Smart Sun Lotion SPF30 50ml

M&S own brand SPF a budget sized sample from the box (400ml £12.50), but a handy size to keep in your handbag to ensure you’re never caught out if British Summer decides to unexpectedly strike!

Leighton Denny Crystal Finish Quick Dry Top Coat 12ml

I’ve only tried one polish from leighton Denny in the past – this has come at a pretty appropriate time as I know I’m starting to run low on topcoats, my seche is crying for another to be bought, so hopefully this will be as long lasting, glossy looking and quick drying. A full sized item at £12.

Stila Lip Glaze Raspberry 1.5ml

I have a few Stila Lip Glazes from other beauty boxes and have never liked how sticky these have been, however I do really like this Raspberry colour so I am tempted to keep this rather than pop it aside for future giveaways. Not a bad sized sample at over half the size of the full size product (2.4ml – £15)

Nails Inc Gel One Coat Nail Polish 10ml

    

I’m still yet to find a Nails Inc product I actually like, I find most chip within a day within me and seeing the mostly negative reviews of this polish on M&S’s website I’m guessing this might not be the one which swings in my favour! A pretty colour however and a full sized item priced at £13.

Percy and Reed Volumising No Oil Oil 30ml

Last but not least is this No Oil Oil from Percy and Reed. I’ve had a few items from P&R in the past and have found them to be a bit hit and miss. This seemed like a small sample to me, but it’s half sized so a little must go a long way (full size 60ml £14).  Described as being repairing, nourishing, smoothing, rehydrating, conditioning, volumising as well as creating a mirror like shine, it sounds like a total hair swiss army knife product!

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Not bad for a ten quid eh? Considering the box has about 3 times more in then the likes of what normally comes in a Birchbox I think that’s pretty good. The only catch is that you had to spend over £40 to be able to buy it, luckily I was doing anyway and have bought a lovely New York print for our bedroom. Sadly this seems to have only been available over last weekend, but it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled to see if it makes a comeback over the coming weeks. If there’s anything here you’d like to hear my thoughts on first let me know and I’ll bump it up the queue to try first, it’s a bit overwhelming knowing where to start! 

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