The Cosmic Watchdog

If you’re after a Mother’s Day beauty box in time for March 30, then now is the time to buy, as these tend to sell out. We got our hands on a number of boxes this year to give you our honest opinion on whether they are worth your money – and, of course, consider whether they are a genuinely useful and covetable gift for the mum figure in your life. Next, Lookfantastic, and Marks and Spencer all offer curated collections, as does another high-street stalwart: Boots.

We all know and love Boots for its huge selection of affordable and high-end beauty brands. The contents of its Mother’s Day offering are worth £221.50, but the box only costs £55 – a saving of £166.50, more than both Next and Lookfantastic’s boxes. 

The Boots box contains skincare, fragrance, hair treatments, and makeup. For my review, I opened the box, tested the products, and considered the whole package gift-worthy for Mother’s Day.

I took into consideration the appearance of the box when it first arrived, the contents and how the packaging looked and felt – to decide if it would be well-received as a gift.

I opened up and tested each product individually, to assess who they’d work for, whether they’re good additions to the box, and to experience the quality of each.

To assess overall value for money I noted the quality of the box itself and weighed it up the cost against the size and value of the products inside.

As with all Boots orders, you can get free delivery when you spend £25 or more, which means you can get it delivered to your door for wrapping, or directly to your mum’s house without spending any extra money. Note that free standard delivery takes up to five working days, so the last order date in time for Mother’s Day would be March 21. There is a next-day delivery option for £4.95

Mine came in good condition, in a sturdy pink box with a floral sleeve reading ‘with love’. The design is pretty and looks worthy of giving as a gift.

Although I already knew the Mother’s Day box contained 15 products before it arrived, it did look very well-filled and was exciting to open, as there’s so much to look at.

Nine of the products are full-sized, which instantly looks impressive, and even more so when you start to look at the brands. Ren, No7 and Liz Earle caught my attention; they are brands my mum would use, plus the products from all three would work for most people.

On the skincare side, from No7 there’s the Youthful Replenishing Facial Oil, which contains naturally moisturising ingredients and it’s also hypoallergenic. I think it would work for anyone who feels their face needs a hydration hit, plus it’s suitable for those, like my mum, who have sensitive skin. 

One of the most expensive items in the box is the Ren Clean Skincare Everhydrate Marine Moisture-Restore Serum worth £40. I’m a fan of the brand and like that this one contains hyaluronic acid, which is something I look for in moisturising products as it’s hydrating for dry skin. This has an instantly refreshing feel, and I like that the pump bottle avoids wasting any product. 

The Liz Earle Eyebright™ Soothing Eye Lotion is an effective, gentle option for those who have sensitive skin around their eyes and would work for anyone, including my mum, who uses eye make-up remover as part of her cleansing routine. 

There’s also the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, which I’d say anyone would like even whatever existing cleanser they use. I found I liked using this mostly in the mornings, when I wanted my skin to be smooth and ready for make-up application. I like the fact it’s made mostly from naturally derived ingredients, too.

The final full-sized skincare item is the Grown Alchemist Hydra Repair Day Cream, worth £35. It has a rich. luxurious texture. Most women probably use a moisturiser in their day-to-day routine, so this one has mass appeal.

Of the two make-up products, I’d say the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick is the most useful. The subtle bronze shade is pretty universal, plus it’s not fiddly to apply; you simply glide the pencil on and blend it in with your finger.

Coloured lip products are always going to be subjective and I’d say the No7 Soft Blur Lip Crème might not work for everyone. I found the ‘Peach Nude’ (a dark-toned purpley pink shade) slightly too pink for me, but it would probably suit those with fairer skin tones. Plus, I did like the texture; it has a matte finish without feeling drying on the lips.

It’s nice to see that there are some pampering products in here too, including the Neom Wellbeing London Perfect Night’s Sleep Pillow Mist. The brand is known for its spa-like scents, and this one blends lavender, patchouli and camomile, which does genuinely feel calming at the end of a long day. 

The Patchology eye masks are another nice addition. They’re designed to depuff and refresh the under-eye area. I like to use these first thing in the morning, but they’re also an excuse for some evening self-care (or a home-spa night in with mum!).

Some of the sample-sized products are very small, including the Elizabeth Arden Renewing Water Cream and Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, and while they are premium brands, you would only get one or two uses out of them.

The travel-sized products are much more useful, including the Origins Overnight Hydrating Mask which I think would be lovely for popping in your hand luggage and using to avoid skin dryness on long-haul flights. As a mask is not something you use every day and I think the size of this is actually quite decent and would probably stretch to five or more uses.

From the cult brand Sol de Janeiro, there’s the Beija Flor Cream. It has a sweet, nutty scent, which I personally like, but if your loved one prefers unscented body products, this may not be for them. 

For anyone whose hair is chemically treated, coloured or heat-damaged, the Philip Kingsley Bond Builder Restructuring Treatment is a great addition. It can easily be incorporated into a hair routine for days when some extra TLC is needed. 

Finally, there’s the Ghost perfume. I received the One unisex eau de toilette but you could also be randomly allocated the Calvin Klein CK One Essence unisex parfum Intense. I think a mini fragrance is always hand to pop in your bag, and it’s a very fresh scent that I think works well for the warmer months.

The Boots Mother’s Day box is worth the price for the sheer fact that it contains 15 products, especially because of the premium brands included. You would be hard-pushed to buy that many items individually from Boots on a £55 budget, even from affordable brands.

My top picks from the box are the Ren Moisture-Restore Serum, as this is something universal for every day use, and I also love the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick as it’s such an easy product that anyone should be able to create an eyeshadow look with. I also liked that the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep Pillow Mist was included, because for £25 it’s not something someone would necessarily treat themselves to, but the scent is very relaxing and feels like a luxury to use.

Yes, there were a few very small minis inside, but I think these were outweighed by the fact that nine products were full-sized, so I would view these as fun extras to try out rather than bringing the value down. The box has actually already sold out once, so if you want to get your hands on it for your mum or a mother figure in your life, you may want to hurry.