Glossybox: June 2012

June Glossybox contains: Pro Beauty Brush, Yves Rocher Mascara, BM Beauty summer warmth bronzer, Agent Provocateur perfume samples & Vichy Dermablend Concealer sample kit.


 Good job Glossybox! Loving the contents! The theme this month was 'sexy summer style' (bit cringe if you ask me), with products you could take on holiday easily without over-cramming your suitcase.

 The stand out product for me is the Dermablend test kit, I tried this out today and I'm very impressed, when my mac concealer dies I'll be investing in some of this, maybe even the Vichy Dermablend foundation too. The concealer has great staying power and coverage, although I found I needed to set it with some mac MSF. I also like how you have the option of creating your own custom blend with the colours, although I was a bit surprised at how few colour options there were- darker skin tones might find these too light to wear I fear.

 The brush was a nice feature, although no way would I pay £15 full price for this, Sigma offer cheaper and better brushes than this, as do Real Techniques, sorry Glossybox. The mascara is something I'm looking forward to trying, as I prefer bristle brushes as opposed to the plastic wand applicators.

The BM Beauty bronzer is very very lovely, just apply with a light hand as a word of caution, or the side of your face will turn orange (this might have happened this morning...) ahem. It's very finely milled, creating a very soft product. The full 4g size is only £8, sounds very reasonable to me. If it was a pressed powder it might easier to apply though, as I tend to waste this as it's awkward to tap the excess back into such a small pot.

 And finally the perfume samples, cannot complain this month as I adore Agent Provocateur! I'm lucky enough to own quite a few pieces of their lingerie courtesy of Adam and I have gone through a few bottles of their perfume too. Beautiful scents! Although I have read you can get this little sample box free from the official website, so it's a bit cheeky of Glossybox but I do love all the perfumes so I won't gripe too much ;)

 Do you subscribe to Glossybox or any of the other beauty box services? Let me know :)

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what I bought today

Shorts: Levi's via Urban Outfitters, Initial Necklace Pendant: as before, Barry M Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Essie polishes in Watermelon, Turquoise & Calicos, Mink Muffs (haha, as shown above), Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes toning shampoo & conditioner, Maybelline Super Stay 10 hour tint gloss in Endless Ruby.

 Didn't find any shoes today so I've ordered the Topshop ones I liked online as I tried another version on in a different colour, so fit wise they should be fine :) I have wanted some black cut offs for ages, but after no success in finding some old Levis to customise in any charity shops, I caved and bought some from UO. I'll be hunting down some studs to put on the side/back pockets, as ready studded ones are so expensive, there were some for £85 in UO, who is going to pay that amount??? Crazy. 

 I also popped into Boots and got a few things, my old eyeliner is nearly dead so a backup one was a must have and I wanted another Essie polish (I sense a little addiction developing here...) I went for a weird shade, I seem to gravitate towards ugly, sort of natural shades, but I love 'em! This one's name made me chuckle too...it looks a little like a plummy chocolate on the nails and took two coats. I rather like it, it gives my nails quite a sophisticated look ;)

 I also picked up a lip stain product, I am loving stuff like this at the moment, so much easier to wear and apply than a normal lipstick, plus it's nice to layer under lipsticks and helps them wear off so much better, this one is lovely and I may do a little post on my lip stain collection.

 My mum bought me the initial pendant, I spotted it ages ago and it was originally £16 (UO WHY YOU SO PRICEY??) every time I went in I would check if it was still there or if it was discounted, but no luck. Today however I didn't bother checking, paid for my shorts and my mum appeared with the necklace and insisted on treating me, what a lovely person!

Hoping my shoes and hair dye arrive soon! I'm also waiting for a book on vintage hair styles so I can practice for when Goodwood Revival comes around, should be a pro by then ;)

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Glossybox: One Year Anniversary!

Featuring: Noble Isle Summer Rising bath & shower gel in Cornish Hedgerows, Lolita Lempicka L'Eau en Blanc & Eau de Parfum, Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisturiser, Collection (2000) Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner in Gold, Eldora false eyelashes, plus a Glossybox compact mirror and a birthday balloon!

 How lovely is the wrapping paper?! Considering putting in a frame for my wall. This is Glossybox's One year anniversary box and for me, it contained some lovely items! The stand out products for me are the lashes (amazing!!), shower gel (which smells divine), the added extra in the form of a compact mirror and the rose scented moisturiser. I can see myself getting a lot of use out of those particular items :)

The eyeliner is a little bit odd, it's not quite gold enough for my personal preference, but I can see it working as an eyeshadow or even a highlighter if used sparingly and blended well. It was so nice to receive a makeup item! The perfume samples were also rather nice, but neither of mine were full, one was only a quarter full, so I will have to use it sparingly which is a little annoying. But that's the only gripe I really have with this box, I felt I got my money's worth this month and I love the new products I've discovered through it! I have never tried a Neal's Yard Remedy before, so I'm looking forward to using this one and seeing if it's for me.

Isn't this weather amazing, although I have to say I don't really cope well in the heat, I'm much more of a winter person! I'm off to Dorset this weekend to hopefully have some sunny adventures with Adam, plus I might have bought a few cheeky purchases to show on here... ;) and I get paid on Saturday! Trip to Topshop maybe? Or do I investigate the possibility of the AA Disco pants a little more...hmmm decisions!

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April Glossybox: The 'Natural' Box

Contents: Kai fragrance sample, Figs & Rouge Rambling Rose Balm, Inkia Organic Eye Liner in 07 Graphite, Caudalie Thirst Quenching Serum, Ayuuri natural Coconut body wash.

 The theme this month was 'natural beauty' and eco-friendly products, all packaged within a bio-degradable box (personally my favorite box in terms of colour and texture, I really like neutral colours like that), complete with a cotton ribbon. This has to be one of the best boxes in terms of contents for a very long time, I was very pleased with every item and I think we definitely got our money's worth this month. Onto the products...

I. Kai fragrance sample. Ok, so another perfume sample! But this is meant to be used on pulse points to calm and soothe the senses and mind (well that's the jist I got from the small description card), a very nice scent, but was it calming? I put it onto my wrist and inhaled, cue a bit of coughing and not a lot of calming! However, I can't say I use stress relieving scents to chill me out, but I would use this as a perfume- apparently it's meant to smell different on everyone, for me it smelt woody and also floral, a nice combination.

II. Figs & Rouge balm. An all purpose balm designed to be used on the whole body on dry and stressed skin. I use this as an intensive overnight lip treatment, the texture of this is a little harsh, but it really exfoliates my lips and leaves them feeling nourished. Just don't eat anything while you have this on, as it gives food a very nasty taste! This is also very powerfully scented, so those of you who dislike strong scents then beware.

III. Inkia organic eye liner. Hmm, perhaps my least favorite item in this box, I don't really wear pencil liner as I find it smudges very easily compared to liquid liner, and tends to look awful on me after a few hours, I'm thinking this might be rehomed somewhere.

IIII. Caudalie serum. LOVE THIS! I was never that bothered about serums as I have to be careful when introducing anything new to my skincare routine in case it causes more spots, but this is lovely stuff! Even though I luckily don't suffer with dry skin (which is what this is meant to combat), I apply this morning and night before moisturiser and it makes my skin look instantly better, it feels lovely to apply and if I could afford the hefty price tag for the full amount then I would consider buying it, might have to use my YSL one from last month's box up now, perhaps a serum addiction is developing...!?

V. Ayuuri Coconut body wash. Again, I really really like this, my Rituals shower gel is nearly empty and it's nice to get a good size backup product! Even though I'm intolerant to coconut I love using beauty products with it in, it smells amazing and this bodywash leaves my skin feeling moisturised and fresh.

Overall, well done Glossybox! I'm looking forward to next month as it's the first year anniversary box- after that then we'll see, I keep meaning to unsub from this beauty box thing, but they keep pulling me back haha!

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Glossybox: Feb 2012 LFW Edition

Duwop venom gloss (full size), Impress press on manicure (full size), Paul Mitchell quick slip (sample), BM Beauty pure mineral eyeshadow (sample), Como Shambhala invigorate shower gel (sample).

 Normally I wait a week to test everything etc, but today I was really bored and tried everything out today instead. To be really honest, this is another 'meh' box, and I am really considering terminating my subscription when I get to my free box. The venom gloss is surprisingly nice, not too gloopy on the lips- for me it feels like a heavy lip balm, it really tingles though so be warned!! The press-on nails are not really my thing or colour (neon pink, yuk), but I will try one out and see how it fares- can always give them to someone else ;) The eyeshadow is ok, it fades well, leaving a nice sparkle (reminds me of Beautymarked by MAC), but again, not such a friendly colour, as I'm into my neutral shades (can't win all the time though). The shower gel smells lovely, I'm coming to the end of my Rituals one, so it's nice to receive another brand to try. The Paul Mitchell quick slip is a little strange, it smells nice when you squirt a little onto your hand, but when using it after a while it develops a really odd after-smell, still, it left my hair feeling soft and in no way greasy, so I'm pleased with it.

I wish Glossybox would do a little q&a thing for everyone, where you could specify what you like, in terms of makeup shades and skin tone etc- their Beauty profile is a little bit crap in my opinion, and I don't think I've ever received any products that suit my skin or hair type/tone based on the answers I gave them. Considering their service is very popular I think they could bother to get it right more often and listen to what their customers want...

 Overall, this box is ok- nothing really grabs me, but it's nice to get some new products I haven't heard of before. I just don't know how much longer I'm going to carry on with this- £12 a month soon adds up, and to be really honest, I don't need endless pots of samples (however good) just lying around, especially the ones I can't/don't like using. I would honestly rather save up and buy more expensive products that I am actually going to use regularly and that I really want. Once I have collected enough Glossydots to get a free box then I think I will be unsubbing as I've said. This did brighten up my day though, and I enjoyed testing everything out :)

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Little things

Primark cardigan, ASOS dress, Barry M Mint green nail polish

Dorothy Perkins jumper & dress

Eylure 107 lashes, Barry M silver foil nail polish and Nails Inc. Basil Street polish (free)

Duac Skin lotion (prescription only), Garnier BB cream in Light

Just a few new things I've accumulated over the past weeks, also got some more new stuff coming from ASOS haha... Work has been busy this week, and so has my life to some extent, with doctors appointments and family arguments over moving house, but I still feel quite dissatisfied with my situation at the moment, everyone else seems to be moving out/away from here, doing interesting stuff and getting interesting jobs. I just seem to be floating around with no real purpose or direction, I think I'm missing the freedom and independence of University. Anyway, enough moping, I just hope that this time next year I'll be somewhere different and more exciting...
I finally got somewhere to sorting out my 'problem skin'. Apparently my hormones are faulty, so they can't really do much about that but I now have some seriously strong antibiotic gel (Duac Once Daily- on prescription only) to help keep spots at bay. It really dries the skin out, making it tight, flaky and itchy- I feel so sorry for people who have this all the time. These symptoms should disappear in 2 weeks though as my skin should get used to the peroxide (bit scary). To help my skin along (you can't use oily makeup while using the gel), I invested in the BB cream from Garnier, it's very moisturising and smells lovely. It doesn't really cover up blemishes but gives light coverage to the skin without any 'cakey' feeling. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a good tinted moisturiser, or a light foundation that helps counteract dry skin. I apply it using a foundation kabuki brush, but you can use your hands if you prefer.
I also got some new eyelashes today, 107s from Eylure. I accidently hoovered my old ones up! I also picked up the Barry M silver foil nail varnish, to be honest I wanted a silver and this happened to be on the shelf, can't say it resembles tin foil, but it is a lovely silver shade. If you get Glamour this month there's a free full size Nails Inc. varnish included, I already had the red shade from a previous collaboration, so I opted for a nice nude/brown (actually nicer than how I've described it...). I'm also contemplating on going back to blonde now I have money. Decisions, decisions!

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