My Little Dream Box April Review!

I've featured a few reviews of My Little Box before, simply because it's a subscription box that makes me happy. It arrived at my office this morning (I purposefully have it delivered there because I know it will cheer me up) and basically just completely brightened my day. MLB costs £12 a month with postage, and you get a great deal of value in the products that you receive for that money, all curated with so much love and imagination.

The first thing I received when I opened it was this rather cheery message to stick on my wall, and despite not actually really being a Disney fan (which is a bit like admitting that you do not like fluffy bunnies, I do know) I have put it up there for a bit of motivation. It has an invitation on the back to a website link, where you write your biggest dream. The idea is that one year from today, I will get an email reminding me of that dream. I need deadlines to work to, and I thought this was actually a lovely idea!

Now to the box itself!

1. Loved by Lou Lesage Lip Balm - I love this 'rouge in a balm!' It is a collaboration item between 'Loved by' and Lou Lesage, a french actress who I'd never heard of until now, but who's style is a bit of 'babydoll meets rockstar'. Apparently she described the one thing that was missing in her beauty bag, and the Loved By team rushed off and created this very item! Despite me initially getting the items mixed up whilst reading the cards and thinking item 2 below was the lip balm (big mistake, very drying) this little pot has since helped me to recover, and moisturised my lips back to a good state again. Oops!

2. Sabe Mason Copacabana Perfume Stick - This smells like I'm dancing on a beach and I love it for that reason, although it also makes me feel jealous of whoever is currently dancing on a beach all at the same time. I don't really know how best to describe it, but all I know is that it looks pretty funky in my handbag and smells spicy and sassy all at the same time. Plus it's full sized!

3. My Little Beauty Hair Masque Reparateur - Another full sized wonder, my only downside to this is that all the instructions on the back are in french (but being a french company, I don't blame them.) My french is limited. But these kind of things all work the same, so we're probably okay. All the My Little Beauty products I've received so far have been great quality, so I'm looking forward to a hot shower later where I will put this to the test.

4. Dream Big Stamp Kit - This is actually the reason why I love 'My Little Box' so much, because I only give them £12 each month and each box feels like it's been put together really carefully and with so much care and attention. They always send a cute, useful 'novelty' item with each box. The other month I got a little pot full of scrolled up messages with inspiring notes on them, that I still reach for when I feel a bit down. This month they've sent a little stamp, with messages like 'made with love' and 'today I..' plus a few french phrases (you never know when you might need to stamp a thank you in french) and my personal favourite, what I can only assume is a quote from Queen, 'Don't Stop Me Now!'

I am going to stamp these all over my work notebooks like a 12 year old girl and I'm not going to even feel remotely ashamed about it.

5. A Little Surprise - As a lovely bonus, this month I also received a sewn up cloud, which I had to cut through into in order to get my surprise, a little golden pendant with the message 'Bonne Etoile' (Lucky Star) engraved on it. How sweet :)

As always, every month you also receive a little magazine with interviews with featured brands and celebrities, as well as beauty tips and tricks.

Thank you 'My Little Box' for brightening up my Monday morning once again! x

Wantable - My New Favourite Beauty Box

Beauty boxes are still a relatively new thing for me - I am a convert since subscribing to Glossybox and Birchbox three months ago. For those unfamiliar with the concept, you pay a monthly fee (usually around £12 including postage and packing) and the box arrives packed with sample goodies of high end to high street brands. Usually the value of the boxes far exceed the price tag, which is great, its like playing the lucky dip every month and receiving a present in the post all at the same time. But what I love most about these boxes is the discovery of new products that I'd never otherwise try, some of which are absolute staples in my makeup bag or skincare routines now.

I discovered Wantable over a month ago and, like an addict moving onto the harder stuff, decided to take the plunge and subscribe $36 (about £21) a month to their boxes. This seems excessive and had I not had the positive experience of the others, I probably wouldn't have done it. But I am like a magpie to shiny things, or products, and the curiosity got the better of me. Wantable allow you to opt out at any time, so its not too much of a commitment. They charge more than all the others but the process is very personalised, they ask you an in depth series of questions about the types of things you like and the products you'd like to receive, so you know that you're most likely to get the things you like. They also send full sized products rather then samples, so you really do get more bang for your buck.

I received my first box in the post the other day, after some anticipation (Wantable is based in the US and text you to keep you up to date with the shipping process). I can't remember the last time I was so excited for the postman to visit, I really need to get a life! Anyway, I was very pleasantly surprised by the contents and wanted to share a little review of my box here.


I received 4 full sized items for my April box (which I received at the end of April due to joining late), though the website states you'll receive 4/5 products so I guess it varies month to month.

1. Eddie Funkhouser Hyperreal Eye Colour Palette Ultimate Smoky Eye - $14.99

I've not come across Eddie Funkhouser before, but I do love eyeshadow quads for experimenting with more shades. I've used this once and was very impressed with the outcome. The shadow stayed put for a long while, too! You get a good deal of eyeshadow in one swatch, which suggests that its of some quality, and the blend of colours means you can tone it down for daytime quite easily or create a dramatic look for the evening, depending on what you're up to.

2. Eyetini Eye Cordial Cream Shadow Tint & Base in Black Stripe – Value $18

I was so impressed with the packaging on this and thought it was a really cool idea - you swizzle the eyeshadow and it pushes up the eyeliner like a lipstick. However - to be honest, I wasn't too impressed with the product. It was a bit too dry and refused to glide on without quite a bit of encouragement, and the shade seems to come out a dark grey colour, which is contradictory to the name 'Black Stripe'. Mine also seemed a bit broken with the swivel bit sometimes, and refused to work properly. It was disappointing really, because this was one of the things that caught my eye initially when I opened the box due to its clever packaging. I would have been annoyed if I'd paid for this item. Wantable are one of the few beauty boxes that actually allow you to return your box and get a refund if you're not happy with the products, which is pretty great, but despite not liking this item much, I decided to keep it because I was so happy with the others.

3. Cailyn Deluxe Raw Natural Blush Powder - Peach Pink - $35


This is by far my favourite item from my box and completely makes up for the eyeliner above. I'm not actually a fan of mineral based makeup usually, which is odd being as I'm a pale redhead, and you'd think with the wider range of tones and opportunities for blending it would appeal to me, but it doesn't. However this peach shade is absolutely beautiful, and I was instantly impressed after applying it. It leaves a pop of colour on the cheeks and has a silky texture which blends easily. It's a bit cumbersome, I've had a few instances with blush escaping the pot and going onto the floor whilst trying to remove the sponge, but that's alright, because this one is a makeup life changer and I'm currently wearing it on a daily basis! I still used a makeup brush to apply it, but I can't work out if they are for some reason expecting you to use the sponge as some sort of applicator? There's far too much product on it and it would most definitely make you look like you were attempting clown college if you did. But this is forgivable due to its greatness otherwise. I'd happily buy this one again.





 4. Face Stockholm Lip Liner - Lauren $17

I actually generally don't use lip liners, and I would have thought I'd put this down when answering my questions to personalise my boxes, but I must not have done in the fear of ruling something great out that I don't already use. That's one of the reasons I subscribe to these things, yes I want the products I like, but I'm also open to trying new things. That's what was so great about this liner - the shade is lovely, and the staying power also very good, but I'd otherwise not have tried it because lip liner isn't a general part of my makeup routine. I've been subsequently using it not just to line my lips, but as a lip colour as well. It's perfect for daytime wear, and stays put even after my morning cup of coffee (which is when the lipstick usually vanishes), even though they don't market this as a long lasting colour product!




So as a newbie Wantable subscriber - I think I'm going to stick with them for the time being - though my monthly costs on beauty boxes are starting to mount up! I may need someone to stage an intervention soon, or I might drop my other subscriptions and stick with this one. What's worse, or great, depending on how you look at it, is that Wantable also do an intimates box, and an accessories box, so today after leaving reviews of the products I received on their website, I stumbled across this and signed up for their May accessories after being wowed by this. Oops! Fingers crossed.. However, the box value for these full sized products above weighed in at $84.99, so for a $36 box, you could almost call it saving money... (that's what I'm telling myself anyway).

Do you subscribe to beauty boxes? I'm always keen to hear about other bloggers experiences with them!

Alice xx