Origins Hit Refresh New Year Beauty Box - Product Review

Origins Hit Refresh New Year Beauty Box

Product Review

I came across this beauty box a while ago and decided to order it and give the products a go. I love the idea of purchasing a selection of sample sized beauty/skincare products to try. It gives you an opportunity to test out certain brands or specific products that aren't necessarily high-street prices and see whether they're worth the investment in the long run. A family member got me into this style of product purchasing with a collection of Clinique minis for my birthday last year, of which I now regularly buy the full sizes of 2 of the products!

This particular beauty box includes 9 products, from brands such as Smashbox, Bobbi Brown, Aveda and of course, Origins. The products are all facial skincare related, both pre-makeup - including the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - and general skincare products such as the Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate and the GlamGlow Supercleanse Clearing Cream-to-Foam Cleanser. The only product that is slightly unrelated to the rest is the Bumble & Bumble Prêt-à-powder Dry Shampoo. All the products are 50ml or smaller and there is enough of each product to really get an idea of whether they work for your skin or not. 

The box cost £25 which is a BARGAIN considering the Full Size M.A.C Lip Scrubtious included in the box is worth £13 on its own!

This blog post is essentially a review of each product in the Origins Hit Refresh New Year Beauty Box. I'll give my honest opinions, try to give pros and cons for all products and decide whether I will be repurchasing the full size versions of any of the products in the future. 

The opinions are my own and of course, products that might work for my skin may not work for yours and vice versa! For reference, my skin type is acne/blemish prone but essentially combination skin, with dry and oily area. 

(All products are linked to their corresponding websites in pink!)

First product I wanted to talk about is the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water. In the beauty box it came as a 30ml travel size sample. The full size is 116ml and costs £22. The 30ml product I received costs £12. 

Well, WOW. What a product. First off, it smells divine. So fresh and lovely! It's also super easy to apply and the spray isn't aggressive like other face mists/sprays can be. It dries/sets really quickly so you can get on with makeup application almost straight away. Talking about makeup application, it was SO easy to apply my foundation and it blended out effortlessly (I use Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation). 

I did a little wear test: I applied the primer at 11:15AM. I had a long busy day which included a concert under very hot stage lighting. Even so, my makeup was completely flawless until 11:45PM when I took my makeup off. I used the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray on top BUT regardless, my makeup has never lasted THAT long before.

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE? 

Er, YES. However, I have just ordered the Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer to see how the two compare. Everyone seems to talk about this product over the Primer Water so it will be interested to see the difference and then decide which one to repurchase.

Next up is the M.A.C Lip Scrubtious in Candied Nectar. This was the only full size product included in the box, worth £13. 

It smells great for a start, so sweet, making you want to smother your lips in it, just to taste it! I'd be intrigued to find out if the other 4 'flavours' smell as good...

My lips did feel soft and conditioned after use.

However... I didn't really like the application of the product. It was very sticky and messy to apply and my fingers were left greasy. It's definitely not a product to take around with you and apply on the go, unless you do infact carry around everything in your handbag INCLUDING the kitchen sink lol.

Also, although my lips did feel softer after use, they didn't feel any better than after using any regular lipbalm without the exfoliating scrub. 

I would say though, that because it is a wipe off product, your lips don't stay tacky or sticky like with regular lip balm use. Being a trumpeter, this is a massive pro as it means I can quickly get rid of dry lips and continue playing straight away without having to wait for lipbalm to soak in. I will continue to use the product for that reason alone- just to convenience in that situation. 

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?

No, probably not. I don't think I can justify spending £13 on a product that I don't REALLY like, even if one of the pros is particularly helpful to me and my career. I'm more likely to try and find a similar product elsewhere that I prefer applying to my lips. Having said this, the full size version will last me forever it seems so even if I was obsessed with the product, it would be ages until I'd need to repurchase it!

The Estée Lauder Little Black Primer came as a 2.8ml sample size. The full size, 6ml product retails for £21 making the sample worth £7.28.

The concept of this product is great: Tint, Amplify and Set. 3 uses in one product.

I liked that it is black rather than white or clear like similar products, meaning that it can be used on its own rather than simply as a primer.

However, it took forever to apply as a tint/stand alone lash product. It was probably the wand that was the least helpful in this situation. The bristles are so stubby that I found it hard to get to most of my lashes and the more I tried to get the product on all my lashes, the more clumpy my lashes became. I would have thought with a primer, the product would separate the lashes in preparation for mascara application but I found it did the complete opposite... maybe that's just my lashes though? 

I've tried the product for all 3 of its uses and I can confirm that it is best as a primer for mascara rather than a stand alone product or setter. However, I just don't see the point in getting a separate product to use alongside a mascara to help the mascara work better when you could just invest in a better mascara that does the job it is meant to do by itself...

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?

Definitely not. I really didn't like this product and think it is way overpriced for what it is essentially a sh*t mascara branded as something else. 

The Origins Ginzing Ultra-Hydrating Enery-Boosting Cream as a full size, 50ml product costs £25, meaning the 5ml sample I received was worth £2.50.

There seems to be a trend with these products smelling great but honestly, this smells INCREDIBLE. It's so fresh and orangey!

Immediately after application at around 11AM my skin felt SO soft and hydrated. I didn't apply makeup all day and my skin didn't feel dry or in need of more hydration until around 6:00PM. 

My skin genuinely felt plump and "energised" all day!

I thought the product would sting upon application to my face as I have sensitive skin and the smell or oranges might make you believe the product is acidic but absolutely not, it didn't sting at all.

The product contains coffee as its active ingredient so now I can literally smother my face in coffee as well as drink it and I am VERY happy about that... the more the merrier lol. 

With my skin being pretty damn problematic, I try to stick to a skincare routine and stay loyal to products that I know my skin doesn't react to in a negative way, i.e. cause more breakouts. After the first use of this product I don't feel as though it had any negative effects on my skin. The only problem I had it that I may have given myself more breakouts from using this product because I was so in love with how soft my face was that it was difficult to restrain myself from constantly touching my face...

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?

I would LOVE to get this product in full size and would also be interested in trying out the other products in the Origins GinZing Collection, particularly the Eye Cream and Peel-Off Mask. I always tend to go for products that are tailored for acne/blemish prone skin and seem to forget that my skin needs more than just strong "spot zapper" to look good and feel great. 

This Bumble and bumble Prêt-à-powder Très Invisible Dry Shampoo retails for £24 for 150g making this sample of 23g worth £3.68.

It does smell nicer and more natural than a lot of other dry shampoos which is really nice and it also didn't leave any white powdery marks on my hair so it definitely lives up to the product name - Très Invisible!

HOWEVER. For the price you would pay for the full size and the cost of this sample/travel size as well, the product was also très invisible in terms of results... like, literally I had to use half the can before I thought, hang on, this is doing nothing to my hair. I used it on both day-old hair for a little degreasing and refreshing but I also used it as I do with my regular dry shampoo to apply volume to clean hair. In both cases I felt like it simply didn't do anything. If anything my hair actually felt greasier and less volumised after use, as if it has just weighed my hair down. 

Très disappointed.

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?

Nah. Honestly a can of fragranced air in my opinion. Smells lovely but does nothing. It has made me realise how sickly sweet and obnoxious the standard Batiste Dry Shampoo scents are though so I went out and did some dry shampoo research and found that Batiste do a different dry shampoo called "Natural and Bare" and it actually smells nice. So I've been using that to replace my old "fruity and floral Blush" scent. So if anything this product made me realised how much I love Batiste dry shampoo as a product that does the job really effectively and for a fraction of the price! I would like to try out other high-end dry shampoos though just out of curiosity- such as from brands like Oribe and IGK. 

The GLAMGLOW Supercleanse Clearing Cream-to-Foam Cleanser costs £24 for 150ml making this 15ml sample worth £2.40.

First off, I wasn't expecting this product to be deep purple-grey in colour but when I looked at the product ingredients, it was packed full of charcoal which is FAB.

Surprise, surprise is smells great. Fresh and clean. The main ingredients that you can smell are liquorice and peppermint. 

For a product that states that it goes from a cream to a foam, I wouldn't say it foamed up much, if at all. Maybe if I used more product with every use it would foam up more but then again, why waste product just to get more foaming action when using half the amount of product still does the job?

It was very easy to apply. At first I thought it would be messy simply because of the colour and the consistency when I mixed it with water in my hands before applying. Once you've actually applied it to the skin though, it seems to dry on really quickly so any messiness has disappeared almost immediately. I tend to keep it on my skin for a few minutes, almost like a mask, as I feel it helps to really draw out any dirt and impurities from my pores. It comes off effortlessly with a wet flannel and leaves no residue behind.

The results were:

- My skin felt ridiculously clean and soft. I followed this product with my usually Clinique skincare routine and usually during this process I'll get a lot of excess makeup coming off on my flannel after taking my makeup off, however there was literally no excess makeup to take off after using this product!

- My skin felt really soft.

- My skin felt really tight and in desperate need of moisture/hydration. I guess it's meant to tighten my pores and is probably a good thing personally for me as it may well help the excess oils causing my acne. However, it was quite uncomfortable for the time between taking this product off my face and applying my moisturiser. 

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?

I think I actually might get the full size of this product. Simply because I felt like I noticed a positive difference in my skin straight after the first use and has really helped me get rid of excess makeup, and impurities from my skin like no other product I've used seems to have been able to do. Particularly with me living and communting in and around London, I think it's important for me to use a product like this that will leave no dirt and impurities behind on my skin if I want to help improve my acne!

A litre of this Aveda Rosemary Mint Hand and Body Wash costs £57 and this 50ml travel size retails for £9. 

For a start can I just bring up the price? Like, seriously, £57 for a litre? and more surprising, £9 for 50ml! Insanely expensive for a body wash...

Cost aside, the product is actually really lovely. With some body washes, both in liquid and soap bar forms, your skin can feel quite stripped of moisture and natural oils. This product however gives you that squeaky clean feeling but without feeling tight or dry. 

The scent is very relaxing and calming so great for an evening shower or bath if you want to wind down! However the mint, although it smelt fresh and calming, it did have the standard cooling sensation that any minty body washes do, but nowhere near as intense as say Tea Tree!

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?

As much as I love the product, I could not fathom spending £57 on a body wash, that is just insanely expensive. I don't see the need to invest in high end brands for this sort of product because essentially body washes all do the same thing whether you spend £3 of £57! I am however trying to cut down on plastic usage when it comes to in shower products and that's another reason I won't be buying this in full size. I have been using a The White Company Lime and Bay soap bar and it has the same sort of squeaky clean feeling as this Aveda body wash and doesn't feel drying or tightening on the skin AND it has no plastic in its packaging. It's a higher priced soap bar at £7 but I've literally had it since November 2018 and I'm only about 2/3 of the way through the bar!

Clinique's Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate retails at £36 for 48ml making this little £7ml sample worth £5.25.

I've used this product in the past as another sample in a gift set and loved it so much so I was excited to have another sample of it in this beauty box!

ALL THE PROS:
- SO refreshing on the skin to use a gel rather than a cream. I use it as a pre-moisturising step as I find it really helps to lock in the moisture more effectively and for longer. It also feels so much nicer using a gel hydrator directly on the skin as the first step of my skincare after cleansing than using a cream on dry skin. It just seems to plump the skin weightlessly in a way a cream moisturiser doesn't. 
- It isn't sticky or tacky at all, it just soaks into the skin effortlessly.
- Fragrance free like with all Clinique skincare products.
- It is suuuuuper hydrating even with the tiniest pea-sized amount over the face and eye area. It feels the same as when you spray a hydrating mist over your face, but with this product, that refreshing sensation lasts for so much longer.

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?
I adore this product, as which pretty much anything else Clinique produces. As I mentioned I have now tried 2 separate samples of this product and both times it has been a game changer in my skincare routine, simply because it seems to benefit that effectiveness of all the other products I use on my face after I've applied this one. I just can't get the price out of my mind. £36 for 48ml seems extortionate but, if the product works...
I would definitely recommend this product, and anything else from Clinique's Moisture Surge range for that matter, if you suffer from dehydrated or dry skin. Just read the reviews for every single product and you'll see that Clinique just got it right!

Last but not least is the Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil. The 200ml full size product costs £34 making the 15ml sample size worth £2.55.

I don't usually use oils on my face because I already have quite oily patches on my skin, particularly around my nose and chin and don't every want to add MORE oil to these areas!

I can honestly say though that this is a gorgeous product. It feels so luxurious to use because of the fragrance and consistency. 

Its makeup removing powers are really good and is all done with very minimal effort. You just apply the oil to the skin in circular motions, then add some water, foam it up and then rinse it off and voila, all your makeup has vanished. 

Being an oil, I thought it might be quite a messy process to apply but I couldn't have been more wrong. Even though the oil seems very watery, as soon as it is applied to the face, it does not feel this way at all. 

My main worry with using an oil on my face was that it would cause me to breakout more than I already do but this didn't seem to be the case. If anything, my skin felt healthier after using it- softer, plumper, more hydrated and a visible reduction in the number of active blemishes on my skin. Of course I would have to use it exclusively for a longer period of time to really understand its effects on my skin type but from first impressions it is a lovely product.

WILL I REPURCHASE FULL SIZE?
Quite possibly yes. I have so many different facial cleansers and makeup removers on the go at the moment that I wont be purchasing it straight away but I would love to use this product more regularly in the future as it was just such a luxurious thing to use! I don't understand why it isn't a more widely spoken about or used product. 

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Well that wraps up my review of the products in the Origins Hit Refresh Beauty Box. I hope you've been able to get inspiration to try some new products out if you have a similar skin type to me! 
Let me know in the comments or over on my instagram if you've tried any of these products yourself and what you thought of them or if you have any questions related to this beauty box or skincare in general. 

Photography by Alex Hill