Tuesday 19 June 2012

Glossybox - June 2012

So here it is, my final Glossybox. I've just had a quick browse around and I'm pretty sure that you're slightly sick of seeing these posts popping up by now! I wasn't overly impressed by the last box I received and knew that although I'd cancelled my subscription that I'd be getting this box anyway and hoped it'd at least contain some products I could use!

Aren't I clever? I managed to restrain myself long enough to take a picture of the box before I opened it:

(not sure why my photos are looking a little blurry tonight!)

On opening it I was faced by this little array of products:


1. BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer - just the thing I need at the moment! Since trying the Bare Minerals range I have always loved the finish that mineral makeup leaves. I'm always open to trying new brands so once I've made this slightly more accessible and have removed it from the little pot it has come in I'll be happily trying this.

2. Vichy Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Foundation Cream Stick - I'll be honest with you, I don't know all that much about this brand. However isn't the point of these boxes to introduce new up and coming brands/products? I think so. Anyway, in this little sample set there are a range of colours to suit several skin tones and I'm sure that this is worth a go at covering up my lovely imperfections.

3. Mememe Cosmetics Sensuous Nail Gloss - now I do like my nude nail polishes and what a cute little bottle! I think I'll be trying it when/if I have a bit of a tan this summer.

4. Caudalie Eaux Fraiches - no Glossybox would be complete without a fragrance sample! This one is slightly more impressive than the standard tiny tube with a top that's impossible to get off. It is a sleek, metal-topped cylinder that does look rather classy. The smell isn't bad either - a light zesty fragrance that makes me smell reminiscently of lemons.

5. Glossybox Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Brush - basically a synthetic makeup brush with no bells or whistles. A good size for makeup bags and on the go touch ups!

Although this box is significantly better than the last one I received, it will take a couple more months of being nosy and reading other blogger's reviews before I consider resubscribing. For now my beauty box allegiance has changed - watch this space.




Saturday 16 June 2012

She Said Beauty Box - June

If any of you have been reading my tweets, you may have noticed that I got rather frustrated at last month's Glossybox. The yellow eyeliner was the last straw for me and unfortunately I felt I had to unsuscribe. Too many perfume samples and products that I just wouldn't use made me wonder if my money could be better spent elsewhere. Introducing my first She Said Beauty Box:


Ok, that's not a terribly exciting or informative picture, but I like the colour of the box for starters. I failed at taking a picture of the Glossybox-esque presentation on opening the box (tissue paper tied with a ribbon and sticker).



First impressions were excellent. I actually said "oooh" when I saw that the box contained products from both Elemis AND St Tropez. Yes please! Here's a closer look at exactly what I received:



1. Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream - another hand cream to add to the collection, but a great size for popping in your handbag. The little sticker on the tube states that this cream was a Beauty Insider's Choice winner.

2. St Tropez Gradual Tan Everyday Body Moisturiser - now this couldn't have come at a better time! I have a wedding to go to next Saturday and this (if it works) will make me look less like a Cullen in the photos. I'm very impressed with the size of this sample.

3. Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream - a little magazine sized sample but one I'll be trying. This claims to do so many things; if it does them all it really will be a wonderful product.

4. Let's Go lashes - finally some lashes that look vaguely wearable. I'm really not a fan of those thick lashes that make you look like a giraffe so given the right occassion these shall definitely be gracing my eyelids.

5. Yardley London Royal Diamond Eau de Toilette - a perfume sample yes, but from a brand I recognise and one with a Royal endorsement no less. This fragrance has been created in celebration of the Queen's jubilee and on first smell seems to be a light, pretty scent which could be perfect for summer.

6. Elemis Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir - although this is essentially bubble bath, I will always be very keen to use products by Elemis. My local spa uses and sells this brand and I haven't been disappointed yet. This is something that'll make a bathroom look more sophisticated as well - a bonus!

On first glance the St Tropez gradual tanner seems to be the stand-out product of this box (in my opinion anyway):


Overall, I am really impressed with this box and I look forward to seeing what's inside next month. I'll be sure to review these products as I use them!

If you'd like to subscribe to the She Said Beauty box, just click on the link below, sign up and I'll give you a hug :)

https://www.shesaidbeauty.com/invite/XONWT

It is currently £9.00 plus postage and packaging and there are subscription packages for one month at a time, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year.

Let me know what you think of the products if you have received this box :)

Thursday 7 June 2012

Free Mini Benefit Products with Glamour Magazine

I may be a little slow off the mark here but I got rather excited earlier when I went to my local store and saw that Glamour magazine currently have one of their team-ups with Benefit on the shelves with their latest issue. For just £2 you can pick up a mini Porefessional, That Gal primer or Bad Gal Lash mascara - not bad at all!


This picture is slightly deceptive. I did look silly at the checkout by buying two identical magazines to get the two samples I wanted, but I left one out of the picture. I'd have got a third if one containing the mascara was there, but sadly it wasn't...ho hum.

I do love it when cosmetics companies do collaborations like this. Do you remember the past two Glamour/Benefit offers? Bad Gal liners, It Sticks, Eye Brights and Her Glossiness lip glosses spring to mind...brilliant.

Recent Empties: June 2012

Righty, I had the idea of keeping a log of the products I am using up for two reasons: so you guys can see what I've been loving/hating and also so that I can reassure myself that I'm making use of some of the many delightful things I find myself 'accidentally' purchasing.

Here are the products that are starring in my first post of this kind:


1. Soap and Glory Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths - I believe I bought these from Boots for around £4.50 for 25 cloths. I'm quite the fan of this range in general and I do love the smell of their lotions and potions, but something about these struck me as decidedly average. I tend to use face wipes for when I'm travelling or staying somewhere other than home for convenience. These do the job and left my skin feeling clean, but I found myself having to rub my eyes harder than I really should to get my makeup off (naughty) and they left my eyes a tad stingy too. It's a shame really as I really wanted to like these!

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - again from Boots and purchased for a bargainly £3.99. I do love my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural but occasionally I don't feel like splurging and when this happens, this is what I get. I usually get the transparent powder to set my foundation and concealer and find that I barely have to touch it up during the day (unless I rub my face excessively). A product I'll always recommend people try.

3. Nivea Invisible 48hr Deoderant - let's say I got this from Superdrug (I think I did!). That link takes you to the one with the blue lid which I really don't rate as it smells of old ladies. Get the one above :) This tends to be on a BOGOF offer quite a lot in several high street shops and I try to pick some up whenever this is the case. No marks, no stickiness, no overpowering smell, lovely.

4. Johnson's Daily Essentials Gently Eye Make-up Removal Pads - £3.29 from Boots. I actually went and bought these to use with the Soap and Glory wipes and I'm glad I did! These work wonderfully at getting stubborn mascara off and don't leave any oily residue on the skin after use. You get 30 in the tub which lasted me just over two weeks (1 per eye) and considering such a good job they do I'd say they're very good value for money. 

5. Boots Therapy Tropical Indulgence Smooth Me shower gel - good old Boots! To be honest I picked this up last year after I'd got back from my holiday in Corfu and wanted to hang on to the coconutty exoticness for a little longer (I should write my own dictionary shouldn't I?) This is a fairly bog standard shower gel, but smells absolutely wonderful.


That's all for now, if you're interested in any of the products mentioned just click the links above to be taken to their respective websites (or where I got them from anyway).

Let me know if you've finished any products recently that deserve a try :)