I've recently been casting around for a new subscription box to fall in love with. I wanted something a little different, something like Stitch Fix or Wantable, but in the UK our options are a little bit limited. I deliberated for a while and ended up deciding to try out My Little Box, largely based on an unboxing I saw on someone else's site. It contains a mixture of beauty type products and lifestyle items, with some artwork and crafty things thrown in for good meausre. I liked the look of every single item in the box, which is unusual for me, so I went for it.
I ordered late in the month so my first box, the February box, came fairly recently. I've had a chance to try all the things in it so I'll let you know what I thought of each of them.
The box itself is very cute, and decorated nicely. I will definitely be keeping this for storing away useful bits and pieces.
Upon opening, the contents of the box are all wrapped up in printed ribbon. The first item is a beautiful illustration with a pithy quote on it. I really like this and it's definitely the kind of thing I'd be happy to frame and put up on my wall. It's printed on good quality card, too, which is a nice touch. I know a lot of subscription boxes which feel like everything has been cost cut, so it's nice to have a bit of luxury here and there.
Straight into the beauty products, which came in this lovely cotton drawstring bag. I think I'll use this to pack delicate things in when I travel.
By Terry Crayon Khol Terrybly in Bronze Generation ¦¦ This khol pencil is supposed to be waterproof, super soft and ultra-precise and is in a very dark brown flecked with bronze glitter. Well, one out of three aint bad... This is worth a stonking £23.50....! I've never tried anything by By Terry before, mostly due to the crazy price tags of the items. So I'm looking forward to trying something from a brand which people rave about. Also in the box is an offer for a free appointment at the By Terry Counter In Harrods, but as I'm not London based I think I may struggle to take advantage of this.
Verdict: The pencil does apply like a dream because it's so, so soft, and the colour was beautiful. Unfortunately, it didn't last well in my waterline at all and bits of glitter fell down onto my face. I much preferred it as a traditional eyeliner (although it wasn't super waterproof when used this way, either). Because it's so soft, the sharp tip vanishes almost instantly so you'll need to sharpen this frequently, and for the price I'm surprised it's not a twist-up auto-sharpening situation. I'd be disappointed with this if I'd paid full price for it, but I'm pleased I got the chance to try it in my box.
L'Oreal Super Liner Brow Artist Shaper in Dark Brunette ¦¦ This is a 3-in-1 product which has a coloured pencil for filling in, a brush to shape, and a clear wax pencil to fix the brows in place. It's worth £5.49 and is widely available from Boots, etc.
Verdict: In my opinion, brows are tricky to get right and I'm forever hearing people whinge about a lack of decent high street options. I think this does a really good job, for the price, and I'm impressed. The colour is a little bit too dark for me, but I just use it sparingly. Better that than too warm, which is usually what you find. I liked that this did everything in one nifty pencil, and it lasted well throughout the day as well.
DHC Blotting paper ¦¦ This contains 100% natural hemp fibres to absorb excess oil (or 'glow') and keep shiny faces under control. This is a nice portable size and the packaging's cute, too. Worth £4, these only seem to be available online.
Verdict: I don't really suffer from excess shine, but I've put these in my bag-in-a-bag just in case. Having said I don't get very shiny, these do pick up oil when I use them so maybe I'm just oblivious?! I love the packaging which is cute and dispenses the sheets neatly, and I like that they're not powdered, either.
My Little Beauty Complexion Enhancer ¦¦ This is from My Little Box's own beauty product line, which you can't get hold of outside of France (it's €12 on their website). It's a lightweight complexion enhancer with apricot kernel oil and anti-oxidant rich edelweiss extracts. It's got a delicate peach tint designed to bring your skin to life. Sounds like just what I need at this time of year...
Verdict: I'm a little on the fence about this, because I like the idea and the product looks like it's going to be great, but I don't particularly notice a difference on my face and I am suspicious that this may have broken me out a little. That said, I like that it's subtle and I will keep using it. Also, the packaging is adorable.
Here's how they look and/or swatch. You can see how soft the By Terry crayon is by the sharp point I made just by drawing that line!
There are also some bonus lifestyle type products in the box, which are basically the cutest things ever.
Pot of messages ¦¦ This is an adorable glass jar with 28 messages rolled up inside it. I've been reading one a day since I received it and I love the idea, it's very inventive. Messages have ranged from those which I want to frame ("Les vraies Parisiennes sont celles qui ont toujours rêvé de Paris" - true Parisians are those who always dream of Paris) to those which I frankly disagree with ("My aim? To have enough time on my hands to waste!") but regardless, I love the concept. This is allegedly worth £6.50 although it's not for sale anywhere, so I'm not sure how they've worked that out.
Smartphone case ¦¦ A classy mini pouch for me to keep my phone, cards, tickets etc. I've been using this to keep my phone, earphones and travelcard contained and stylish while I travel around, and I think the case is so, so pretty. Again, allegedly worth £16... *Shrugs*
There was also a sticker that says 'Geek is the new sexy' with another cute illustration on it, and a magazine which contained some well researched and interesting articles, which I wasn't expecting!
Overall, even though some of the products in the box didn't fully work out for me, I love my new subscription anyway. It's unusual and the contents are varied, it seems that a lot of thought goes in to the theme, and everything feels very personal. Cute notes, things tied with ribbon... lovely.
You can pick up My Little Box via their website. It's £14.95 including P&P and is usually delivered towards the middle of the month.
-Rachel
-Rachel
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