Next, along with the likes of Look Fantastic, Marks and Spencer and Boots, has released its beauty box for Mother’s Day (which falls on March 30 this year).
Beauty boxes have been around for a while, delivering anything from skincare and hair stuff to makeup and perfume to your door. They’re a great way to sample a bunch of new products and test out things you might not usually buy.
Of course, the purpose of the Next Mother’s Day beauty box is to gift to the mum figure in your life (whether that’s your mum, grandma, auntie, best friend, partner or, indeed, yourself). The box contains a selection of beauty and wellness products worth over £123, primarily focused on skincare and scents, along with some everyday makeup items that most people will use.
If your mum is a beauty fanatic or you simply think she deserves to pamper herself, a beauty box is a good choice. But with so many out there, deciding the best fit can be tricky. That’s why I opened Next’s Mother’s Day Beauty Box to determine whether it’s worth the money.
When testing the Next Beauty Box, I took into account the cost and delivery time, presentation on arrival and the number of products inside. I considered the quality of the packaging and whether it looked good enough to be given as a gift.
Then, tried out each product individually, making them a part of my usual routine where possible.
Finally, I assessed the overall value for money, considering the size of the products, the overall cost of products inside versus the price of the box, and the size of the products included.
Next’s Mother’s Day Beauty Box is available for in-store pick-up for free, or if you want it delivered to your home, it’ll cost £4.95. It’s a hefty delivery free, but it does promise next-day delivery. Mine arrived promptly, and once unpackaged, I was greeted with a colourful box emblazoned with yellow flowers (perfect for the occasion) and a pink postage stamp-style border.
The pastel-coloured sleeve can be removed to reveal a cardboard shoe box underneath. Compared with other Mother’s Day beauty boxes, the cardboard feels dull. The Lookfantastic beauty box, for example, comes in a lilac gift box filled with purple tissue paper. That said, the addition of the colourful sleeve does mean you can present this as a gift without the need for gift wrap.
All seven items are packaged inside: three full-size items (arguably offering the best value for money) and four smaller travel-sized products. There are three skincare products, one makeup product, a pampering foot spray, and a scent – all of which are primarily universal beauty products.
First up, one of the most universal products in the box: the Enrich and Elevate Mascara from Iconic London. Black mascara is a basic makeup essential, even if you’re not one for a full face.
The mascara is packaged in a sleek, rose gold bottle and has a fine rubber wand. Typically, I prefer a wand with bushier bristles, but I was pleasantly surprised by the application. The curved wand and spaced bristles helped fan out my lashes and avoid clumps for a natural look. Iconic London is a beauty brand that veers into luxury territory, with the full-size mascara retailing for £22 when bought separately – just £3 off the cost of the entire box. It scores high points for value for money on that figure alone.
On the topic of luxury, the box also features a travel-size Eve Lom cleanser. The cleansing balm has become a cult icon in the beauty space, offering something a little different to your usual cleansing gel or face wash. Given that a full-size product retails for upwards of £50, it’s an excellent way for the mum in your life to test it out and see if it’s something they can incorporate into their usual routine.
Presented in a white screw-cap tub featuring the Eve Lom logo, the cleanser comes with a muslin cloth, which plays a role in the overall cleansing process. As it’s a balm, you must scoop it out with your fingers (the muslin cloth comes in handy for massaging it into the skin), but the product feels much more luxurious than your everyday cleanser. There’s also a natural herbal scent reminiscent of spa days. Using it feels a bit like a treat and, for this reason, I know my own mum would appreciate the product.
It works well to remove makeup with warm water, but even on days I didn’t wear makeup, I enjoyed using it as a cleanser to wash my face at the end of the day. The balm melts into the skin easily, without feeling greasy. Though I don’t have sensitive skin, Eve Lom says the product is made with sensitive skin in mind.
Now onto The Stars bodyspray from Bath and Bodyworks, which is perhaps one of the least universal products in the box, but one of the best value for money. The scent is potentially divisive: it’s described as a blend of starflower, sandalwood musk, sugared citrus fruit, white agarwood and amber. Personally, I like it, but it’s best suited to people who like sweeter smells.
It’s an excellent gift for someone who likes a touch of sparkle, with a gold, glittery bottle adorned with twinkling stars. The rose-gold spray pump adds some extra glamour. On the issue of value for money, Bath and Bodyworks is an American company and its products are notably more expensive in the UK, which is why I think the addition of the full-size bodyspray is such a steal. The product is worth £18 when bought individually, so given the box is only £7 more and comes with six additional products, you are getting your money’s worth.
The Clarins Lip Perfector Glow is the one lip product in the box, sitting somewhere between a gloss and a balm. It comes in nostalgic squeezy tube packaging, which harkens back to the mid-2000s. I remember my mum always carried a Lancôme Juicy Tube in her handbag, so I knew instantly she would love this Clarins alternative. The product’s exterior matches the lip glow’s shade – in this case, it’s Fuschia Glow. Luckily, my mum loves a pink lip, but the deep shade might not be for everyone. Though the colour is not as intense as lipstick, it does leave a hue on the lips.
Shea butter is high on the ingredients list, so it’s no surprise the product feels moisturising on the lip. But it also leaves a glossy reflection, which I love. As it’s travel-size, it’s a great way to test out a new shade and can be popped easily into even the smallest handbags.
Emma Hardie is another big name in the beauty world that your mum can enjoy trying out as part of the beauty box. There’s a travel-sized version of the Midas Touch Revitalising Cream worth £18. The full-size product is £50, so it’s a great way to test out a luxury brand before splurging.
One of the main things that stood out to me was the strong scent, which is unusual for a face cream. That’s not to say it’s bad, but given the herb-infused aroma, it wouldn’t suit people who prefer unscented products as the smell lingers on the skin. I used it in place of my usual evening moisturiser. The product melted quickly into the skin, leaving it feeling soft and hydrated without a sticky or shiny residue.
You also get a travel-sized version of Ritual’s Sakura body cream, which can be used anywhere on the body, including the hands. The moisturising cream has a sweet, light, floral perfume that isn’t too overwhelming and rubs into the skin without feeling greasy.
The final item in the box is the Bloom and Blossom leg and foot spray, which claims to instantly cool and refresh the skin with the help of aloe vera leaf juice and lime oil. On the first spritz, you can feel the cooling effect, and there’s a natural, herbal scent comes from the blend of amber, jasmine, lavender, and ylang-ylang. It’s a nice spa-like treat for a mum who (much like mine) has a busy job that requires her to spend a lot of time on her feet.
Given that some of the full-size and luxury branded products included in the Next Mother’s Day Beauty Box retail for close to the price of the box itself, the box scores highly for value for money. It’s arguably worth buying it for these products alone, even if there are one or two things in there that might not be suited to everyone.
Three items stood out to me in particular. The Eve Lom cleansing balm and Iconic London Mascara are two of the most universal products and are both from luxury brands. While the Bath and Bodyworks spray might not be for everyone, if your mum loves a sweet scent, I think it’s a fantastic full-size addition, especially when you consider its retail value.
For £25, the box offers a good selection of products to test out and might even help the recipient find a new product they’ll return to in the future. Perhaps one of the only things that knocks points off is Next’s delivery fee. If you live within reach of a Next store, you can pick up the beauty box for free (as early as the next day if you order in time). But, if not, you’ll be charged a rather hefty delivery fee of almost £5.
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