The Selfridges Festival Beauty Box

You may remember me mentioning a rather naughty Selfridges haul and all of the lovely goodies it contained.

As promised I am going to show you the contents of the Festival Beauty Box and give you my first impressions of each of the items.

Here you can see all of the things that I found within the box, a bit of a bargain at £25 I think, especially as the value of all of the items is £110.  Also as a slight aside the background for each of these photos is in fact my favourite dress of the moment, I bought it when Dorothy Perkins started their sale and I have been loving wearing since the sun has come out.  You can find it here for only £15, it really is quite beautiful.  Anyway, back to the beauty...

First up a definite essential at festivals, wipes! These do smell good but I'm not totally sure I would chose these over any other brand.  I am a big believer in massive packs of Johnson's baby wipes, I use them all the time.

Next up we have a stunningly beautiful glitter nail polish in 'Champagne'.  Azature made headlines last year with their extortionate ($250,000) real diamond nail varnish.  This bottle apparently also contains a diamond which is super fancy, if a little pointless, if you ask me.  However this colour is has completely sold it to me.  It reminds me of China Glaze's 'I herd that' - I'll have to do a comparison post for you all.

Next up is a massive disappointment, I have always had Topshop makeup on my wishlist but never got around to purchasing anything.  I was really excited for this as I love matte lips at the moment and this looked like a nice natural lip colour.  However...this is horribly drying on my lips, it exaggerates every tiny flaw.  I could live with that if I loved the colour but I don't I hate it.  Instead of a nice natural colour it comes out as a garish barbie pink which looks horrendous on me.  It reminds me of bad lipstick from the 80's - not good.  I'm going to try to find a loving home for this but honestly I think I might struggle.

This lipgloss has a similar colour and as such is equally unsuitable for my colouring and my tastes.  However the formula on this is much nicer.  I would look in to other colours in the range but if I'm honest I'm not a massive lipgloss fan.

These look fab, I cannot wait to have an occasion to wear these.  If only my uni days weren't behind me.  Ah well only a few months until Halloween.  Ideas on how I can incorporate these into an outfit will be much appreciated.  

Antibacterial hand gels are always handy (no pun intended) so this will happily live in by bag.  I usually swear by the Soap and Glory 'Hand Maid' but this smells just as good and claims to be hydrating.  I have high hopes so hopefully it can live up to the claims.

I was very excited for this, I have been loving the trend for pastel hair.  Unfortunately I have very dark brown hair so I'm not sure if this will show up, I'll do a full review soon.  I really do hope that it does work as I would love to rock some pink streaks this summer, or maybe pink dip dyed tips...the possibilities are endless.

This is an item I have used and loved previously.  The Eyeko skinny liners are fab, go on easily and last for ages.  I bought one years ago and loved it however when I went to repurchase I saw that the prices had been hiked up by quite a bit alongside their re-brand.  Feeling stubborn I decided to resist but I am happy to have it back in my life (and makeup bag).  On the other hand there are lots of liners of the high street that are equally nice so I would never buy this at retail price.

This is an item that helped sell the box to me.  It is a beautiful Illamasqua cream shadow in 'Surge'.  This is stunning, I will definitely be using this a lot this summer.  A beautiful smokey silver colour.  If this is the standard of Illamasqua products I will definitely be invested in some other pieces.

I can imagine this glitter stick being really fun to use at a festival, but for me I think it might be one of the dressing up box.  I really wish it was more acceptable to wear large amounts of glitter on a daily basis...maybe I'll try to spear head the campaign.

This coconut cooling spray may become my new best friend this summer.  I love coconut and I like the idea of it contains lots of nice natural things.  I'll be spritz, spritz, spritzing away.

Overall I am really happy with this box, although some things aren't for me I have also discovered lots of brands and items that I had't tried before.  My favourite items are the Illamasqua cream eyeshadow, the coconut cooling spray and the Azature nail polish.  A lovely treat...now to plan a festival trip for next summer.

You can find the Selfridges Festival Box here for only £25.  But you'd better hurry if you're interested its limited edition and with gems like these inside I cannot believe it will be around for long.

Glossybox July 2013 - Seaside Splash

I have received quite a few Glossyboxes now and I'll admit I go from being thrilled one month to being very underwhelmed (Can you ever just be whelmed? - name that film) the next.  I suppose that is the gamble you take with boxes like these.

So boring details first.  Glossyboxes cost £10 plus £2.95 for postage and packaging.  However you can make savings if you pay for more than a month at a time.  If you do want to look at the different subscription options you can find them here.

To go with the recent heatwave that England has been enjoying Glossybox is beach themed.

 Can we all just take a minute to appreciate how freaking gorgeous this box is!  Even the tissue paper is beautiful!  I wish every month looked like this.  I'm not a massive fan of pink but bright colour like this totally float my boat.  Also fact of the day I actually lived in the Caribbean for a while as child so I have a massive love of the ocean and coral reefs in particular.  To the point that, as part of my undergraduate degree, I gave a presentation about saving the coral reefs.  The poster I made to go along with it had a colour scheme freakishly similar to this.  Anyway I digress.  Onto the products...

Ila Spa's Face Oil for Glowing Radiance.  This is a tiny 1.75ml vial of a sample so I'm not sure how I am meant to know if it works or not.  It will probably end up in my draw of minis waiting for my next holiday. The full size retails for an amazing £75.00 for only 30ml.  It does mean that the poultry amount I received is worth £4.40.  Mental.   I'd give this a 2/5

Alterna Haircare's Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist.  Now this I was very excited to see I have naturally curly hair and a naturally lazy mentally when it comes to styling my hair.  I've always been intrigued by the idea of salt sprays but never got round to invested in one  (laziness strikes again).  I will definitely be trying this out this summer and report back.  This is a decent 25ml sample, the full size costs £23.00 for 125ml making this bottle worth £4.60.  This one gets a 4/5

Inecto Pure Coconut Refreshing Dry Shampoo.  I nice addition to a box.  I'm not a massive user of dry shampoo but it will probably come in handy over summer.  Plus this one smells amazing.  Coconut is one of favourite scents so I will happily use this just to give my hair a spritz of coconutty goodness.  This is a full size item at 150ml and retails for £2.49, so if I do like it I can repurchase as a bargain price.  A middle of the road 3/5.

Coola Mineral Face SPF 20 Unscented.  I was glad to see this, I like the idea of a tinted sun tan lotion, I am very naughty when it comes to sun protection and I need to develop better habits before I wake up and look 50 when I'm only 23.  That is my vow for this summer - I will not forget about SPFs.  I will be letting you know how I get on with this, if it's nice it could become a summer staple for me.  The only downside is taht the sample size is a bit on the stingy side it's only 7mls.  The full size is an eye watering £29.99 for 50ml making this tiny tube worth £4.20.  A potentially good 3/5.

Last but certainly not least is a Ciate Paint Pot in Island Hopping.  First - Awesome name, Second - is this not the most beautiful summer colour?  This is actually my first Ciate nail polish and I am thinking I may become a convert.  It is so lovely,  a beautiful pink/ orange colour with gorgeous sparkles of orange and gold.  It's like a sunset on my nails.  Amazing.  A stunning 5/5.

Overall I would say that this box has knocked my socks off (or would have it I was wearing some and it wasn't so freakishly hot).  Its for boxes like these that I stay subscribed.  Overall I would give it a 4/5

Did you get this months glossybox?  What was your favourite item?

Battle of the Beauty Boxes - January 2013

Welcome to my comparison of January's Glossybox and Birchbox (previously known as Joliebox).  I have done full reviews of each box but I thought it would be interesting to see which box deem to be better each month.

Let us begin...

In all photos Glossybox is on the left and Birchbox is on the right.  Here you can the full contents and packaging   I prefer the packaging of Birchbox, the drawstring bag and magazine mean they get the point for this round.  

Glossybox: 0

Birchbox: 1

They both came with rubbishy freebies this month.  On the basis that I may be able to give away the teabags whereas I don't think anyone would want a polyester eye mask Birchbox wins the points yet again.

Glossybox: 0

Birchbox: 2

The worst products in both boxes were body lotions.  However the sample in the Glossybox is bigger so I feel I will get more use out of it.  Therefore Glossybox wins the point.

Glossybox: 1

Birchbox: 2

The best products were a Monu Mask in Glossybox and a Fresh lip treatment   Although I am really happy to receive both of these I almost squealed with delight when I saw a Fresh product.  Therefore I have to give the point to Birchbox.  

Glossybox: 1

Birchbox: 3

This month Birchbox wins happily.  Having said that I am happy with the contents of both boxes.

I can't wait to see what next month's beauty boxes bring.

Birchbox/Joliebox - January 2013

This is the third Joliebox that I have received, however this month Joliebox became Birchbox.  I liked the first two boxes but this month's has blown them both out of the water.

So boring details first.  Birchboxes cost £10 plus £2.95 for postage and packaging.  However you can make savings if you pay for more than a month at a time.  If you do want to look at the different subscription options you can find them here.

So what was in this months box?

For the first ever Birchbox they decided upon the theme of 'fresh starts' which obviously goes perfectly with the start of the new year as well.

I am really glad that Birchbox decided to continue with the drawstring bags and the magazine.  These are the things that set them apart of other beauty boxes in my humble opinion.

Chamomile Flower Tea from Teapigs: I'm not a fan of 'lifestyle extras' because lets be honest - this is a teabag.  its not exciting or glamourous, its just a teabag.  Plus to add insult to injury I don't even drink tea and neither do anyone in my family so I fear this may end up either in a cupboard for years or in the bin.  I really hate wasting things so I'd rather just not receive things like this.

Deep Massage Body Cream with Myrrh from I Coloniali: I always feel a bit miffed when I get sachets of things like body cream.  I don't know about anyone else but this tiny sachet is not enough to cover my body let alone make a decision about whether or not I would repurchase this.  The packaging is lovely though.  A 1/5 on first impressions.

Taaj Crème Mains Delhicates Hand Cream from Taaj:  I was really pleased to see this.  I love getting hand cream samples as they are perfect to have in my handbags.  Plus Taaj is a brand that makes me happy - products that work, natural ingredients and packaging that is simplistically beautiful.  A 3/5 for this one.

KMS California Free Shape Quick Blow Dry from KMS California:   I am ashamed to say that I have never tried KMS products before.  This smells lovely, like when you go into the hairdressers.  This is meant to make your hair dry faster whilst you are blow drying it.  Unfortunately I don't blow dry my hair so I'm not sure how much use I will get out of this for that reason it gets a 2/5 from me.

 

WEI Jujube Age Control Serum from WEI: I have always been curious about WEI as a brand so I was happy to see this.  I do like using serums but at 22 I'm not sure if I need one with 'age control'.  At least I hope I don't.  I'm still excited to try this out though.  I'd give it a 3/5.
 

Sugar Rosé Lip Treatment from Fresh:  This is the absolute stand out in my opinion.  I have wanted to try Fresh lip treatments for ages but they always seemed very pricey.  I was glad to get a tinted version as it makes it that bit more useful than usual lip balm.  The packaging on this is divine and I personally like the scent.  I think I would almost have been happy to receive this alone.  A massive 4/5 for this little gem.

Overall I'd give this box a 4/5.  If this is a sign of things to come from Birchbox I am very excited.

You can see all the things that could have been in the box here.

Glossybox - January 2013

This is the second Glossybox I have received, if I'm honest the reason I first subscribed was because I was hoping for a really fab Christmas box.  I liked the December box but I wasn't blown away.  I definitely like this months box more.

So boring details first.  Glossyboxes cost £10 plus £2.95 for postage and packaging.  However you can make savings if you pay for more than a month at a time.  If you do want to look at the different subscription options you can find them here.

So what was in this months box?

This month, to go with January promises, Glossybox was Detox themed.  I thought this was a really nice theme to have at this time of the year.

So these are the contents of the box, as always the box is beautifully packaged.

First I am going to start with a bit of a moan.  I really don't like it when beauty boxes put in 'extras'.  I don't like wasting things but I really don't see when I will want a polyester eye mask.  If the things they included were better quality I would love it but I don't want to receive cheap extras that will just end up in the bin.  Rant over.

Super Strong Daily Conditioner from Paul Mitchell: On a more positive note I was pleased to receive this conditioner.  I am always happy to try new conditioners especially if they promise to sort out my damaged hair.  I'd give it a 3/5 on first impressions.

Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash from Elemis: This was another product I was excited to see.  I like Elemis as a brand and am always happy to try their products.  On first impressions i would give this a 4/5.

Body lotion from Duck Island: This was a strange one as I had never heard of the brand before.  Plus I am terribly lazy when it comes to body lotions so this didn't blow me away.  It does smells quite nice though, I just couldn't decide if it looked a little too much like the toiletries you find in hotel bathrooms.  For me this was a 2/5 on first impressions and probably the weakest item in the box.

Lip Balm from Jason: Another brand I had never heard of. I am always happy to have extra lip balms especially if they involve natural ingredients.  It wasn't an exciting product but it will get used.  A 2/5 from me for this one.

Aromatic Mask from Monu: This was my favourite item in the box.  I have wanted to try Monu products for ages and I love face masks so this was a winner for me.  This will hopefully help my poor winter skin recover.  A strong 4/5 

Overall a fairly good box, I would give it a 3/5.

If you want to see what else could have been in the January box you can have a sneaky peak here.

Project Pan #8 and #9 - Soft and Gentle Deodorant

So here we have a rather sexy item - deodorant.  Oh yes, its an exciting post this time.  To try and make up for the less than thrilling item I thought I would do two at once to save your suffering   The items in question are Soft and Gentle's Linen and Wild Cornflower Extra Dry deodorant and Soft and Gentle's Gerbena and Waterlily Anti-White Marks.  

This is one of my favourite deodorant brands, mainly because it is often on special offer and it works well for me.  I always seem to go back to this brand but I don't have huge favourites when it comes to scent.

Would I repurchase?  Yes, I would, when I am totally out of supplies and it is on special offer I will be picking some more up.

Have you ever tried this deodorant?

Project Pan #7 - Lush Ickle Baby Bot Bath Bomb

This was an easy win for my Project Pan list but I do have a ridiculous amount of Lush things that I always keep for 'special occasions'.  It is the Ickle Baby Bot bath bomb from Lush.  This is a soothing calming bath bomb designed for babies but the size and robot design (plus the good price of £1.90) enchant me too much for me to not pick one up when I go into the store.

This isn't my favourite Lush bath bomb but it is definitely in the top 5.  I have picked them up quite a few times in the past and I'm sure once project pan is over a few might sneak into my shopping bag.

Would I repurchase?  Yes, I would, however I have a bit of a stash of other bath bombs and I really want to decide on my favourites so that I can stock up for 'special occasions'.   

Have you ever tried this bath bomb?

The Best of 2012

This is going to be a round up of my favourite products of 2012.  Some of these will have been in my monthly favourites but some I haven't mentioned before and are just part of my regular routine.  I have included all of the things that I discovered (or rediscovered) in 2012.

Face Products:

• Nivea Visage's Tinted Moisturising day cream
• Rimmel Recover concealer (in 002)
• Benefit's It Stick
• Benefit's Eye bright
• Benefit's Hello Flawless (in Shell)
• Collection 2000's Shimmer and Shade

Eye Products:

• Urban Decay's Naked Palette (especially Naked, Smog and Toasted)
• Urban Decay's Primer Potion (in Original)
• Rimmel's Glam eyes liquid eyeliner
• Barry M's 
• Urban Decay's 24/7 liner (in Perversion)
• Rimmel's Scandaleyes liner (in Nude)

Lip Products

• Revlon's Lip Butter (in Berry Smoothie and Raspberry Pie)
• Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (in Honey, Romantic and Crush)
• The Body Shop's Lip Stain (in )

Brushes and Tools:

• Real Techniques' Buffing Brush (from Core Collection)
• Real Techniques' Contour Brush (from Core Collection)
• Real Techniques' Deluxe Crease Brush (from Starter Collection)
• The Body Shop's Kabuki Brush
• Tweezerman Tweezers
• Ardell Brow and Lash Growth Accelerator
• Kleenex Facial Cloths

Nail Products:

• Sally Hansen Continuous Treatment Base Coat
• Barry M's Grey
• Barry M's Mushroom
• China Glaze's Lush and Luxe
• China Glaze's For Audrey
• OPI's Thanks a Windmillion
• Seche Vite Top Coat

Hair Products:

• Herbal Essences' Herbal Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner
• Tigi's Urban Antidotes Shampoo and Conditioner (in #2)
• Macadamia's Hair Mask
• Macadamia's Leave in Cream

Perfumes:

• Benefit's Garden of Good and Eva
• The Body Shop's Love Etc
• The Body Shop's Vanilla Body Mist

Project Pan #6 - Beauty Formulas Cooling Mist

Another item that I have managed to use up and will be on my Project Pan list.  It is the Beauty Formulas Cooling Mist from Poundland.  

This bargain is one of my all time favourites and I have got through a few cans of it since first discovering how lovely and cooling it is.  Its not a neccessity but it is something that I like to have on hand, especially on my bedside table.  You can see my full review of it here.

Would I repurchase?  Yes, I would, I am working through another at the moment but will be picking another one up next time I am in town.

Have you ever tried this?

Beauty Chart - December 2012

Sorry for the lack of November Favourites, life got in the way ever so slightly but I am back now with my December Favourites.

My December Favourites are:

At number 10 it is Snapfish.  I have been having lots of pictures printed up recently.  As much as I love digital photography I often miss the feel of flicking through photographs.  Snapfish often have really good deals and I have always been happy with the quality.  As I type this they have another cheap deal on and I am sorely tempted to get even more printed out even though I don't really need them, I'll see if I can stay strong.

At number 9 it is the Korres Abyssinia Oil Mascara.  I have really been liking this, it came in a set that I got a while ago but when I needed a new mascara I pulled this out.  I feel as if it is a really nice daytime mascara as it is very understated.  Another bonus is the fact that It has been nice and nourishing for my lashes and they seem to be stronger than they used to be.  I'm not sure if I would repurchase but I am really enjoying it in the meantime.

At number 8 is Fairy Lights.  Being that it is the festive season my living room and bedroom have been decorated with lots of lovely sparkly fairy lights.  They shouldn't make me as happy as they do but I can honestly say it is a lot harder to be sad when the tree is twinkling away reminding me of what a wonderful time of year it is.

At number 7 is Scream and Shout by Will.I.Am and Britney Spears.  I am in love with this song.  I shouldn't be but I am.  I think it is the 90's child in me that is still drawn to anything done by Britney.  Have a listen here.

At number 6 is 17's Holo Nail Varnish. This is my first holographic nail polish and I am really enjoying it.  It does chip fairly quickly but for the price and effect I don't think I can hold that against it.  Much easier to find than others such as the GOSH ones and from swatches I have seen online like not hugely different. Definitely worth picking up if you are looking for a silver holographic polish.

At number 5 is the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration range.  I have really been liking these this month, they have become my favourite drugstore shampoo and conditioner sets.  They have made my unruly hair seem softer and slightly easier to mange.

At number 4 is my wonderfully warm Dorothy Perkins Boots. These are amazing, I have had them for a while now but never really put them on for some reason.  However this winter they have been snuggled on my feet for the majority of the time.

At number 3 is the Nails Inc in Chelsea Embankment.  This is a wonderfully opaque gold glitter nail varnish.  It make your nails look instantly special.  I have been particularly fond of the glitter gradient this month.

At number 2 is the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette.  I love this, lovely matte shades and it is in a wonderfully transportable palette.  It is on its way to be coming a Holy Grail item. (swatches and full review coming soon)

and at number 1 is... Revlon Kissable Lip balm Stains.  These have barely been off my lips this month.  I am definitely obsessed.  I have 5 different colours but I do have favourites, Romantic is the one that has been worn most this month.  The colours are beyond lovely, they have a slight flavour to them and I personally find them to be very moisturizing.

Project Pan #5 - The Body Shop's Love Etc Perfume

So here we have another item that will be making its way onto my Project Pan list.  It is the Love Etc eau de parfum from The Body Shop.  This is available in various sizes but this was a 30ml which can be found here for £14.00.  

This reasonably price perfume is one of my all time favourites and I have got through a few bottles of it since first discovering how lovely it is.  I am absolutely rubbish at describing fragrances other than 'really nice' but fragrantica describes it as being made up of the following notes.

Top Notes: neroli, pear and bergamot

Heart Notes: jasmine, helitrope and lily of the valley

Base Notes: vanilla, sandalwood and creamy musk

The majority of perfumes in my collection feature vanilla and/or sandalwood as base notes so it was practically predestined that I would love this scent.

Would I repurchase?  Yes, I would, however I have a bit of a stash of this scent in various sized bottles so I will work through those before I pick up another one.  

Have you ever tried this perfume?

Beauty Chart - October 2012

My October Favourites are:

At number 10 it is Dr Bronner Soap.   I have the almond scent and it makes me crave marzipan because it smells so good.  This stuff is lovely for washing brushes, it gets them squeaky clean but doesn't dry them out.  It can be used for loads of different thing as well.  Another plus is the fact that it is crazy concentrated, so a little goes a looooooong way.  I cannot see myself having to buy another bottle for years.

At number 9 it is the new Walkers Deep Ridge Crisps.  I have really been liking these, especially the mature cheddar and onion ones.  They have been my snack of choice this month. Num Num.

At number 8 is the Real Techniques Crease Brush from the Starter Set.  I have been loving getting back into smokey eyes now that it is more autumnal and this has been making them easy-peasy to do.

At number 7 is the Macadamia Leave-in Cream.  This has been stopping my hair from frizzing out in the horrible rainy weather. It has also been helping to repair the dryness that came from repeatedly dying my hair over summer.

At number 6 is China Glaze's Fast Track from the Hunger Games collection.  I was never a big fan of this colour but it is now one of my favourites.  A sneaky stunner (You can see it in all its glory here in a recent NOTD).

At number 5 is Red by Taylor Swift.  This is her newest album and I have been loving it so far.  My favourite songs are We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Begin Again, 22 and I Knew You Were Trouble.

At number 4 is my recently purchased Tweezerman tweezers. These are amazing, I never knew that tweezers could be this good.  Plus as shallow as it is I love all the different patterns you can chose from.

At number 3 is the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pink Gold.  This is a wonderfully easy product to use to look like you have spent much longer getting ready than you have. It is a beautiful pale pink shimmer (swatches soon I promise)  Makeup for cheats :)

At number 2 is the Perversion Urban Decay 24/7 Liner.  Incredible liner - super black and it stays put all day.  It is on its way to be coming a Holy Grail item.

and at number 1 is... Korres Lip Butter in Plum.  Smells amazing, tastes amazing (not that I eat it), moisturizes my lips like mad and gives them a gorgeous deep wine colour.  I cannot say enough nice things about this product (all the other lip butters are equally amazing).  Korres and I are having a bit of a moment, they are definitely my favourite brand this month.