May 2012 GlossyBox: The Anniversary Box.

This month the May GlossyBox ♦ is all about celebrating the company turning one year old *cue the singing of happy birthday!* & they've been celebrating by holding lots of competitions over on their facebook page! They also popped a few extras into this months box! Now product wise, this isn't my favourite box at all. As with each month there are slight product variations within each box and it's just the luck of the draw as to which you will receive & this month I got one of the boxes that's nice but not the one I would have picked out myself had I been given the choice. That's not to say I'm not unhappy with the products I did receive, because I'm not and I'm excited to give them a whirl!

The first thing I spotted was a pink Happy Birthday GlossyBox balloon and naturally I had to blow it up immediately. Who doesn't love balloons, eh? Ralphie has been nudging and chasing it around the room all evening. That is one very happy bunny right there, ta very much GlossyBox! The second little extra is a super cute compact mirror which I shall be popping straight into my bag because I'm always the one that ends up with food around my mouth or something stuck in my teeth so I always have a little mirror on hand just to check that I'm not walking around completely embarrassing myself! I thought it was a nice little extra touch.

I shall start with the two perfume samples I received in my box, and I've mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of perfume samples. I know they're handy to keep in your bag for a little freshen up every now and then but I'm extremely picky when it comes to scents, there are only about 4 or 5 fragrances that I really like but not everyone is as ridiculous as me when it comes to perfume. As perfumes go both the Lolita Lempicka L'Eau en Blane and the Lolita Lempicka Si Lolita are actually quite nice so I shall be popping these into my bag too, along with the mirror. My only real little complaint here is that one of my samples was less than half full, but that's okay, I think I would have minded more had I absolutely loved the scent.

The Osmo Berber Hair Treatment is another product that doesn't really excite me but I have already passed this on to my mama who I think will really enjoy using it. It smells like sweeties, like those super cheap candy lollies to be precise, which is always a winner in my eyes and it promises to give a sleek finish with added body and movement. It says it's for all hair types, but my hair is so oily I can't really use any product at all in it. My mama however is looking forward to giving it a go.

The two sachets of Apivita Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Mask with grape were something I was initially disappointed with. I always find sachets to be a bit of a faff and had they have been sachets of moisturiser or body lotion I probably would have put them in my little stash of samples and forgotten about them. But at the moment I'm really into face masks and I have really been enjoying testing some out to see if they actually make any difference to my skin. This mask has lots of good ingredients to moisturise and soften the skin, so it just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover because I'm actually really looking forward to trying these out.

The next product I received is a shower gel & I've mentioned before that I really love getting these kinds of samples because I like trying out new scents. Summer Rising bath & shower gel from a new luxury brand called Noble Isle smells absolutely beautiful. This is a brand that really appeals to me because they are very much inspired by the British Isles and the natural beauty that it has to offer. I've just spent a good half an hour getting lost in their beautiful website and have come out with a list as long as my arm of products that I would love to try! The Perry Pear Shampoo & Conditioner sound especially gorgeous as does the Willow Song Candle and the Whisky & Water Hand Wash & Hand Lotion. If their wonderful website is anything to go by, I imagine their packaging is stunning to match!

The last product in my box this month is the Eye Smoothing Serum from HD Brows. This seems like a nice little product, it comes with a sponge applicator wand so it's quick and easy to apply and it seems to sink into the skin super quickly and nicely so you're not left with any greasy or heavy feeling residue around your eyes. I'm not super excited or wowed by it but again, I'm looking forward to giving it a try. Who knows? I might fall in love with it and think it's the best thing ever, I'll never know unless I give it a go & that's the beauty of these boxes. You really do get to try out products you never would have otherwise given a go & surely that's the whole point of subscribing!

I know that GlossyBox seem to get a lot of stick, especially over on their facebook page, whoever runs that has the patience of a saint and I tip my hat to them, but it's important to keep in mind that it is a sample service. They can't include super-duper-amazingly-wow products from huge brands every month, and in a way I wouldn't want them to because it's really nice discovering new brands that perhaps you've never heard of before and having a little look at what they have to offer. For me the stand out brand this month is Noble Isle and their fabulously luxurious looking products & I'm looking forward to dabbling in the brand a little more very soon! And I'm not saying all of this because I was gifted this box, I just think that sometimes it's so easy to lose sight of what things actually are and to get caught up in all the hype & it's impossible to please everyone all of the time. You're unlikely ever to receive a box stuffed full of make up, although I really wish someone would make a box like that because I'd sign up for sure! GlossyBox is about variety and I think they're very good at that.

So, overall this month wasn't my favourite, but there are some lovely products nestled inside that I'm excited to try! Are you subscribed to GlossyBox, or any other beauty subscription service? What did you think of the May box? Did you receive different products to me?

xoxo