Glossybox June 2012

Good day one and all! Now that the formalities are over, how've you been? I've been away at a wedding and my phone was being an IDIOT, and I've not been able to post or read blogs. I literally felt like I'd lost a limb. No joke. So anyway I'm baaaack, and ready to ramble at will. The only picture of Richard and I from the wedding isn't massively flattering but here it is anyway! For the record I am not that wide!!

As you can see we have our priorities right and are next to the bar, the cake, and the sweet table. Yes there was a big pic and mix table with paper bags to take away goodies with you! I stole all the Haribo eggs and hearts at the end of the night mmmm. ANYWAY, I got back to find my June Glossybox outside the flat door. Naughty postman, anyone could have stolen it!

Richard thought I said it was for him, I said the word "review" and he thought I said "for you", he was so disappointed when he realised otherwise. I was like REALLY? It's a big PINK box! Come on now. Last month's Glossybox was a massive hit with me, if you haven't read it you can do so here. I always knew it would be a hard act to follow, but to be honest I'm a little underwhelmed by this month's box. Let's see what I got:

It looks a little bare doesn't it :(

I have seen these Dermablend concealers before, I have a birthmark on my neck which looks a lot like a lovebite, when I was a teenager I was pretty embarrassed by it so tried everything to cover it up. A friend has this to cover her acne scarring and I used it, it is brilliant but just so thick. I'll use it for stubborn spots maybe but I don't really have a use for this anymore, might try to cover my birthmark and do a post for interest's sake.

We also got a brush, which is meant to be £15.00 full price. I hate to be cynical, but as it's made for Glossybox, they could really say it costs anything. I have a lot of high quality brushes and whilst not cheap looking, it doesn't strike me as a high end product.

If I didn't know these were made of 100% goat hair I would say they were synthetic, something about the plasticy gleam or the splaying of the brushes just shouts fake to me. It could be the way the hair has been treated as my MAC and Bobbi Brown brushes don't look so messy when they are brand new. I do like the fact that Glossybox are giving us products we can use and keep, this and the mirror from last month will be used, but I'd rather have quality over quantity.

I have wanted to try the Agent Provocateur perfumes for  a while so for me this set was a good additon. I do however think perfumes aren't the best thing to include as everyone's taste is so different! I have the original one on just now and I really like it. It smells very flowery and sensual, although (please bear with me) it does smell like a grown-up version of the "perfume" you used to get free with Barbies. Does anyone remember that? Nevermind, that's what it smells like and you get three fragrances, each 1.5ml.

Next up, a mineral bronzer from new cosmetics company BM Beauty, one of the founders of which is Pussycat Doll Kimberley Wyatt! Like her or not, she is a bit of a glamourpuss, and I am a latecomer to the world of mineral makeup so I am quite excited to give this a shot. The only thing is it does look a bit muddy! I'm very worried I will look awfully dark, will need to update you once I've tried it.

Last but not least, we have a Yves Rocher "Sexy Pulp" mascara which has a huuuuge curvaceous, sexy looking brush to match its name. I would have hoped for a full size one of these as this is a very small sample, but it's currently half price on their website here, so if I like it I might purchase the large one. The large one is normally over sixteen pounds so this should be a good product (totally on the you-get-what-you-pay-for premise).

Now I've written this review, I'm slightly more excited about the products I received but it still feels a little sparse, if you know what I mean. The only full size item was Glossybox branded so it seems like a bit of a cop-out and while the other items look good, they are all little testers. I don't feel like this box is particularly good value for money. I've just seen that Top Cashback are offering 15% discount on the monthly subscription, and I got £7.00 back on my first box, so I might need to cancel then resubscribe to get the best deal.

Sorry Glossybox this month you'd get a score of 5/10. What did you get in your box? Were you happy with it? xxx

Apivita Express Mask with Honey

Hello chicas! I have a morning off today (yay) and as well as studying, I decided a bit of pampering was in order. I received two of these lovely face masks in my first ever Glossybox, and have been waiting for a suitable day to use them. I'm really not a fan of honey usually, it makes me feel a bit sick, so I wasn't really looking forward to using this, also I have oily skin so don't really need extra moisturisation.

I like the packaging, I think it's cute and neat looking. Also, silly thing but the package was easy to tear open, I'm hoping I'm not alone in this but I find it endlessly annoying when you cannot *for the life of you* get a sachet of something open and have to revert to using scissors. I wasn't too sure what to expect of the consistency, but it's a lot lighter than I expected and less viscous.

The texture is more like a rich night cream than a face mask. I have to say, the smell is gorgeous. As mentioned honey doesn't sit well with me, but this is very subtle and actually smells more fruity than sweet. The product smooths on nicely, and I found I only needed half a sachet to cover my whole face. My only problem is because it isn't that thick it doesn't feel like other face masks, rather like I've put too much moisturiser on.

I just felt a bit slippery and greasy to be honest, the mask does feel soothing but doesn't tighten or tingle. I had to answer the door like this and felt a bit gross!

After washing this off, my skin did feel super soft. I'm off out to work now so I'll need to see if I get oilier than usual as a result of using this. I think if you have dry skin this would be amazing for you, but not so much for me. I'll be sticking to my favourite White Chocolate Montagne Jeunesse!! These are about £4.30 for two sachets which I think is pretty steep.

7.5/10 but I will not be repurchasing unfortunately.

SheSaid Beauty Box June 2012

It's Beauty Box time again! My friend Claire at work, who sometimes reads this so hi Claire if you're reading, alerted me to the fact that this was due to arrive today, and we both got rather excited about the contents. I quite like the fact that SheSaid give you the chance to have a sneak peek at what you're getting before it arrives, if anything it makes the anticipation greater. So my lovely box arrived today:

I'm really happy with its contents, I've read loads of blogs bitching moaning about the fact that there have been lashes in quite a few of the SheSaid boxes but I love lashes so this makes me happy, I have a nice little collection which I intend to grow! Plus they're usually at least £6 for each set to buy so it makes the box worthwhile.

These are Let's Go Lashes in "Tease" which to be honest might not have been my first choice of  the lashes which were available, but this is a good thing as a lot of my lashes look similar. I'm really looking forward to trying these out. These are £8.95 normally.

Next up is an Elemis Spa@Home Bath Elixir. I love Elemis, I use their lip balm so was glad to see this. Tranquil Touch is a very warming scent, almost spicy and comforting. I can imagine soaking into this with aching muscles to relax. We got 50ml and it is £19.00 for 300ml.

Now isn't this a sight for sore eyes (and pasty skin)? This is the ideal time of year for us to get a tanning product, it was either this or the Perfect Legs spray which I believe washes off so for me this was preferable. I've thought about buying the full size product before, but for £14.30 I've always ended up getting full fake tan or another cheaper gradual tanner so this is great to be able to give it a try.

We then got a couple of smaller samples, Yardley seems a bit of an old-lady brand to me but this is a special perfume for the Jubilee, and I actually really like the smell, it's floral without smelling like a granny, and quite zesty too. Also, it's ony  £9.99 for100ml which is a massive bargain. Then a sample of Ginvera Green Tea BB Cream. From what I can find online, Ginvera is a company founded in Singapore, which will make this the first authentic eastern BB cream I will have used which is very exciting. Look at the cute packaging and instructions inside! Tap tap tap! (if you can't see it that's the writing around the girl's face)

I'll let you know how I get on with this! Last but not least Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream, which is worth £6.00 for this size. I don't like this at all, despite it being a multi-award winning product. It works fairly well as a hand cream, is very thick and does what it says on the tin. But my hands don't feel very soothed. My main problem, though, is that I DETEST the smell. It's a bit like the Neals Yard products, most of which I also hate, as they smell too strongly of essential oils. This has Lavender in, which I really like but the patchouli comes through far too strongly and it reeks!! I will be donating this to my mother.

Generally speaking, this was a really good box, even the hand cream works well just smells horrid! My 3 month subscription just ran out, and I think I will re-subscribe!

What did you get in your box and were you happy with it? xxx

First ever Glossybox!

If you read my blog regularly, you may know I have been getting the SheSaid Beauty Box, and was considering trying some others. Well, Top Cashback had a great offer for £7.00 back for a single Glossybox to try, so I figured what the heck that's a bargain! I thought I would get next month's box but ended up getting this month's anniversary edition which is great.

These boxes are just so pretty aren't they? I love the ribbon and the printed tissue paper, so cute. I'd seen a few reviews of this box online and was a wee bit disappointed I didn't get any of the fake lashes as I love falsies! So here's what I got:

I got the Glossybox mirror and the balloon which was a nice touch for the anniversary edition. I got two perfume samples from Lolita Lempicka, a couple of Face masks, Osmo hair treatment, Noble Isle shower gel and HD Brows Grow Baby Grow! Quite a nice little stash eh?

I think this is my favourite product, it seems as though this new company is going to be a competitor for Molton Brown, Jo Malone and the likes. It smells absolutely divine, the packaging is so well made, and feels luxurious. I just had a little look on their website and the whole range looks fab. I cannot wait to use this.

Next favourite is the HD Brows Grow Baby Grow, it is a serum meant to boost eyebrow growth for those who have over plucked their brows. Whilst I don't have that problem thicker eyebrows are easier to style so I will be giving this a try and will tell you the results! This stuff is £29.99 so was a great product to get in this box.

I have been wanting to try a hair oil for a little while now, but current finances have forced me to pick what I REALLY want first. Needless to say, I was delighted to see this in my box, I have used a couple of Osmo products before in the past and always been happy with them so this is going to be good hopefully. Looking forward to silky-smooth locks!

Now, I haven't done a post on face masks yet, but I love them and have even been known to pin down Richard and smother the leftovers on him while he pretends to hate it. Then catch him admiring his smooth skin the next day, busted! I'm a bit funny with honey fragrances but after a little research this company seem to have a bit of a following so I have high hopes for this. I might review it seperately with it on, such a good look huh?

Lastly, we got some pretty perfume samples, the packaging is so feminine and I love the swirly writing! It's always good to try before you by, and I like having samples to chuck in my handbag rather than carting about a full size perfume. I have the L'Eau en Blanc on currently, I like it once it has settled on my skin, probably because it has rasperry in it! When it first went on the violet scent reminded me a bit of Parma Violets (they are little purple sweets that smell flowery, for my international readers) and I detest those, but it does smell nice after that dies away.

For my first ever Glossybox I am very impressed! The fact I got one product worth nearly £30 would have been worth it in itself, but I also happen to really like and use all the other type of products also.

Happy Birthday Glossybox! Thanks for keeping me glossy :)

She Said Beauty Box May 2012

Is there anything more satisfying that the doorbell ringing and seeing the postie there with a spanking new beauty box for you? If there is then I don't know it. How cute is the little note on the packaging?

I'm such a sucker for sweet things like that, it really made me smile :) So, onto the goodies inside! This is the box with all the samples laid out, there were three full size products, which I thought was great this time round. I'll just feature pics of my favourites.

I am in LOVE with the eyelashes, from the Vintage Cosmetic Company, a brand I had never heard of which you can find here. The site and design is super cute and girly, very glam and 50s which is adorable. I got the Gracie lashes, which come with enough glue to wear them a couple of times and I am saving them for a night out with the girls. Check them out:

There was also this cute soap, it's meant as a relaxing soap based on yoga scents and beliefs, the packaging is nice and well designed. Not what I would normally buy but I reckon it will be nice to use in the bath, maybe with my Umi bath soak.

Last pic is of an Inika Lip Whip in "Apricot", these retail for around £14.00 so I was very impressed to get a full size one in my box! I have heard alot about Inika, specifically the eyeliners, but never tried anything by them. The product is billed as being vegan, cruelty free and halal, amongst other things which is great. The gold and black box is timeless and very classy, and I always love being able to see how much product is left in the tube. This shade is almost bronze in colour and has a stunning metallic shimmer, it is smooth but not sticky and looks fab on. I'm a massive fan already.

We also got some samples from Snowberry, another brand new to me, which I have not tried yet, a sun lotion (the weather won't permit use of this for some time yet!) and a Kim Kardashian perfume rollerball. Firstly the rollerball would not work, the packaging is very TOWIE and the perfume smells like you are being smothered with pot pourri. AVOID. So, have any of you received this box and if so what is your take on it?

She Said Beauty Box April 2012

Beauty boxes are something I have been very cynical about, especially after reading many people's disappointed reviews of particular months where they have felt a little cheated. So I did my research and stumbled upon a good deal for She Said Beauty Box, where I'm pretty sure I got a three month subscription for about £27.00 including postage.

My first box arrived recently and I must say I'm quite impressed! A gorgeous turquoise box with magenta paper hid away goodies nestled on straw. They even sent us all a Lindor egg for Easter (shameless chocolate bribery). There's a handy little guide included, and if you review the products on their website you get points towards a free box!

In this months box we all got a Mischa Barton lipgloss which was about as memorable as the actress herself (I've lost it already), a Filthy Gorgeous nail varnish which looks good but is a sort-of blood red colour so I will be keeping for Autumn, a selection of Comfort Zone products, a face scrub which smelled ODD, an Erno Laszlo selection and an AMAZING Bellapierre shimmer powder.

It really is gorgeous, and worth £12.99 new so really paid for itself. The shade "Champagne" would suit any complexion, the powder is really finely milled but still highly pigmented. There is nothing worse than chunky bits of glitter all over your eyes, and this just gives a beautiful glowy finish.

Comfort Zone- meh. Nice packaging but I broke out in reaction to the scrub and one of the creams, as did another reviewer on their site. Avoid.

Erno Laszlo: I very nearly fell in love with all these products, which are named after Hollywood screen sirens, especially the Ava Gardner eye cream, but the samples were a little too small and the RRP extortionate (from £85.00)! But hey, Erno, if you have any spares kicking about, sling them my way.

All in all a great box, I will probably do a full review of the BellaPierre shimmer powder at some point. For more info on SheSaid Beauty Boxes, and what's in this box, click here.
7/10