Beauty Boxes: Spring Edition

Best for: luxury 

Nichola Joss Best of Beauty Box Powered By feelunique.com, £49.50 worth £113

Nichola Joss is one of those people that I’ve heard about countless times but never met. A well respected facialist within the industry, she has an a-list client book and travels far and wide to work with her faces.

For me, this box is brilliant because even though it costs a little more the products inside are of the most amazing quality. First we have my favourite Caudalie Beauty Elixir, the invigorating facial mist to put all others to shame. Next, a Decleor cleanser which was music to my ears because I really love their plant-based skincare line and often find that beauty boxes of this nature don’t often include cleansers. The Skyn Iceland face lift in a bag is a great addition because masks are hugely the skincare saviour of the moment, plus I’ve seen Alessandra Steinherr rave about this brand before and have been desperate to try. We have a Jurlique Moisture Rose Mask which is total heaven; a large 100ml size and a formula that hydrates, soothes and calms. And finally, a luxury hit of Omorovicza body oil, again in a 100ml size and a sumptuous introduction to the brand.

I loved this box because it was clearly carefully curated, unlike some boxes which are slightly less cohesive in line-up. As a great addition, you receive a code for 15% all of the brands inside the box when you buy.

Best for: value

Tili Beauty Box Third Edition from QVC, £20 worth £70

QVC is my total guilty pleasure. I find it so soothing. This little box of treasures from them is brilliant because the brands inside are great and you can try a real mixture of items.

My key picks start with the little Pixi Glow Tonic. Pixi is one of my favourite ever brands and at the core of their range is this Glow Tonic, a toner suitable for twice daily use that gently resurfaces the skin. Decleor makes another appearance in this box, with a miniature Aromessence oil serum. This heady concoction transforms tired, dry skin, plumping and resurrecting it over night. A tiny vial this size will last a surprisingly long time and is perfect for taking on holiday. Finally, my third highlight has to be the Coconut Breeze edition of Philip Kingsley’s legendary Elasticizer. This pre-shampoo treatment was originally formulated for Audrey Hepburn and smoothes out even the frizziest of hair. Everyone should try this.

Full product list is as follows: Essie Mint Candy Apple Nail Polish 12ml, Philip Kingsley Elasticised Coconut Breeze 40ml, Molton Brown Bath & Shower Gel 50ml, Australian Bodycare Skin Wash 50ml, This Works In Transit Camera Close Up 20ml, Elemis Gentle Foaming Face Wash 30ml, Pixi Glow Tonic Exfoliating Toner 15ml, Decleor Aromessence Mandarine Oil Serum 5ml, Doll 10 Lip Velvet 2ml, Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick Extra in either Moonlight or Smoky Quartz.

Best for: make-up enthusiasts 

Cohorted is described as a luxury beauty box comprising a ‘secret’ selection of products every month. The selection included in mine was as follows: Urban Decay Bronzing Beauty Balm, The Vintage Cosmetic Company Eyelash Curlers, Nails Inc nail varnish, Living Proof 5-in-1 Styling Balm, a Bella Pierre lip pencil and a Pur Minerals eyeshadow palette.

Though the surprise element may be appealing to some, the website is a little misleading. Although Cohorted are careful not to mention any products and the selective nature of the box is emphasised, the imagery suggests a certain calibre of products. Some of the brands on the imagery for the Subscription box page, Chanel and Tom Ford for example, would sway me to buy the box because it is especially luxury. But when I delve deeper, they aren’t affiliated with it. A nice concept, but some work to do to ensure that the message behind this subscription is clear.

Where this differs from other beauty boxes is that the product selection for the current month is not featured on the website. Scouring Instagram, I can’t seem to find it either. Some will love this, others will want the stability of something like Birchbox so that they can see exactly what they have in store for them each month.

Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes? Tag me on Instagram @MixedGemsBeauty and tell me your thoughts, I’d love to hear what you think makes a great beauty box. For me, the ultimate always has been and always will be Birchbox.