Glossybox rivals M&S with £40 summer beauty bag that contains £55 Medik8 serum

After the sell-out success of the Marks and Spencer Summer Beauty Bag, which sold out mere weeks after it launched, beauty subscription company Glossybox has thrown their own hat into the ring with its take on a limited-edition haul. The online retailer's Summer Beauty Bag has returned for another year, and if previous editions are anything to go by, it won’t be around for long.

Worth over £150, this limited edition holds five full-size and five deluxe size beauty heroes, but shoppers can get their hands on it for £40, or £30 if they are a subscriber. The edit features a selection of bestselling brands such as Medik8, Clarins and Weleda, with one product worth more than the price you pay for the entire kit.

The hero product of the Glossybox Summer Beauty Bag is undoubtedly the Medik8 Crystal Retinal Eye Cream, valued at £55. Not to be confused with retinol, this nighttime eye cream contains ‘next-generation’ retinal, which is said to work ‘11 times faster’ and ‘deliver remarkable visible results in one use’.

The potent formula offers powerful results without causing irritation to the delicate eye area so users can wake up to a more youthful-looking eye area with ‘fewer crow's feet, reduced puffiness and visibly brightened dark circles’. Shoppers have hailed the treatment as 'magic in a tube' boasting more than 800 five-star reviews from skincare enthusiasts.

But that’s not the only exciting product featured, with a sample version of the viral Clarins lip oil also present, alongside a Natasha Denona Mini Bronze Palette, e.l.f. Suntouchable! Invisible Sunscreen SPF 30 and more. Plus, this year, customers have the choice of two haircare selections, the Cleanse & Nourish Selection or the Style & Perfect Selection, meaning you can customise your bag to a degree.

Everything inside the Glossybox summer beauty bag for £40

Here’s everything inside the Glossybox Summer Beauty Bag:

• Clarins Lip Oil / deluxe size / worth £5
• Hawaiian Tropic (Sunset Serenity Cooling Edition) / full-size / worth £12
• Schwarzkopf Professional Bonacure Hair Treatment / deluxe size / worth £4.99
• Medik8 Crystal Retinal Ceramide Eye 6 / deluxe size / worth £54
• e.l.f. Suntouchable! Invisible Sunscreen SPF 30 / deluxe size / worth £5
• Brushworks Heatless Curlers, x2 Scrunchies & Clip / full-size / worth £14.99
• Weleda Regenerating Body Butter / full-size / worth £21.95
• Natasha Denona Mini Bronze Palette / full-size / worth £26

Cleanse & Nourish Selection (Option 1)

• Redken Spray One United Multi Benefit Leave in Shampoo / deluxe size / worth £4.72
• Maria Nila Dry Shampoo / deluxe size / worth £17.81

Style & Perfect Selection (Option 2)

• Matrix Food for Soft Shampoo / deluxe size / £6.47
• Matrix Food for Soft Conditioner / deluxe size / £6.47

But as is often the case with curated edits like this, with so much packed inside, it’s unlikely that shoppers will love every single item inside, so be sure to check out the contents and weigh up if it’s worth it.

Elsewhere, Boots has released a Limited Edition Buyers Picks Beauty Box, which saves shoppers over £100 on the contents. The £45 haul features a selection of products picked by shopping experts at Boots, including some seriously impressive brands like Fenty Beauty, Sol De Janeiro, Liz Earle, r.e.m beauty and more. The retailer suggests the box is worth £156.95, meaning shoppers save around £110 on the RRP.

Meanwhile, for something a little more luxurious, there’s the limited edition Sun Set Glow beauty kit from Liberty. Worth more than £377, beauty fans can snap it up for less than a third of the price at £115, with a number of the products inside being worth between £30-45 each. Housed in a Liberty print wash bag, inside there are 11 products from the Liberty Beauty Hall - eight of which are full-sized - including brands like Ultra Violette, Sunday Riley and Dermalogica.

But if it’s the Glossybox Summer Beauty Bag, worth £150, you can get it here from £30.