Review: LaylaD Natural Beauty Honey Moisturiser

In my last post I mentioned my slight annoyance at the fact beauty boxes often send out cards within them detailing products that aren't actually in the box. I was quite sad this month when I discovered that She Said Beauty had teamed up with LaylaD and were including their Honey Moisturiser in the boxes. It was however missing from my box :( I'd heard some good things about their products and I expressed my (lighthearted) distress in a simple tweet. Before I knew it they had tweeted back offering to send me out a sample themselves and of course I said yes. Hooray!

I'm @lucicouture on Twitter if you'd like to follow! :)

So this cute little pot very quickly found it's way into my life:

I tried it straight away and adore it. As a general rule I love honey based products (I'm still upset that MAC discontinued their Naked Honey Skin Salve), but this seems perfectly suited to my skin type and leaves it feeling soft, but not greasy despite the seemingly rich consistency. It has a very gentle fragrance and as the cream glides on so well I found that a little goes a long way.

From my experience of the company so far I'd highly recommend them. I really like that their products are organic, paraben-free and not tested on animals. They are also a family-based company and source all of the ingredients for their products locally in the UK.

A full size pot of this moisturiser costs £12.99 and can be ordered online. Check them out at their website www.layladnaturalbeauty.co.uk to browse their full product range and I'm sure they'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. You can also follow them on Twitter (@layladbeauty) for updates!

Let me know what you think if you have tried it!

She Said Beauty Box - July

It's that time of the month again! This week I found my second She Said Beauty box on my doorstep (well not actually, I had to go and pick it up from the Post Office).

I do love the colour of the boxes...

Anyway this month I opened it to discover the following awaiting me:

1. Miners Cosmetics Sunblushed Bronzer and Blush Blend - At last a make up product in a beauty box that I feel I could actually make use of. It's not too browny or orangy as some blushes can be, this seems like a nice mixture of a pale rose pink and a light shimmering brown. I can definitely see myself using this seeing as I have a rather pale complexion. Lovely.

2. Murad Time Release Blemish Cleanser - This looks familiar! I received an identical sample of this in one of my previous Glossyboxes. I've heard great things about Murad skincare products and I'm slightly gutted that I won't be able to use this. I have normal skin that's prone to dry patches and have never suffered greatly from blemishes or acne so I don't really have any use for this. I'll probably pass this on to a friend!

3. Stylefile - No doubt familiar to those of you who watch The Apprentice (UK). This is a product that has been invented by a previous winner of the series, Tom Pellereau. The S-shape of the file is designed to follow the natural contour of the nail, making filing easier. Apparently he got the idea from watching his sister filing her nails...aww.

4. Freeze 24-7 Ice Crystals Anti-Aging Prep & Polish - This is a mini-sample of an exfoliator. That's about it really! I'll give it a go when I'm having a dry face day. A full size tube of this retails for £33 so I have high expectations.

5. The Vintage Cosmetic Company Eyelash Curler - Well this is an eyelash curler. It came at just the right time as my MAC ones decided to ping apart the other day :(

6. Debenhams Beauty Club Reward Card - Basically a card like the Boots Advantage Card/Tesco Clubcard, but for Debenhams. Not something I'd thought about getting previously, but  I'll put this in my purse and no doubt it'll come in handy next time I make a purchase from there (if I remember I have it in there!)

Overall I'm pleased with this box and am looking forward to trying the products. I do however have a slight niggle. That is the fact that these beauty box companies obviously send out a variety of products to their subscribers and sometimes the cards in the boxes don't exactly match up to what's actually in the box. It'd be nice if they could do this so a little blurb of all the possible products is there to prevent the need for uneccesary Googling!

More on this in my next post... :)

New Running Shoes: Brooks Vapor 10

I guess this is where I tell you all about my relationship with running! I'll summarise it into a few bullet points so I don't end up writing an oververbose boring essay (is oververbose a word?)

• I first discovered running when I found myself signed up to do the 2008 Great North Run half marathon (13.1 miles). I ran this mainly for charitable reasons and didn't train anywhere as near as hard as I should have done. I ran cross country in high school so knew I was capable of long distance running to some extent.
• I then ran the same race in 2010 again for charitable reasons and improved my time slightly. This time around there were moments where I felt like Forrest Gump where I could have run and run until someone told me to stop - a great feeling!
• Over the months of training (and the fact I went back to do the second race) I realised that running really helped me de-stress, kept me fit and active and generally was something that I could DO.
• One 10K later and I am again signed up to do the Great North Run! (It's an addictve race, the crowds are wonderful and the area is very close to where I went to university, a home from home).
• Last week I realised I needed new running shoes and was potentially using some that were half a size too small...(numb toes anyone?)

...so here we are!

I went to my local specialist running store Runners Need, where I astounded the assistant by telling her I'd done two long distance runs in substandard regular trainers. Oops. I swiftly got my gait analysed on a treadmill, was told and shown on a video of myself running that I am a slight overpronator (where the feet roll slightly inwards as you stride) and ended up with these beautys:

 

Brooks Vapor 10 - £79.99

They look like they mean business don't they? These have a patented diagonal rollbar which will help support my running motion so that I run with as neutral a gait as possible, so not putting any undue stress on my joints.

I could tell the difference as soon as I hit the treadmill in the shop. I was literally bouncing and can honestly say that no other trainers I have owned have fit me so well. I can't wait to see what difference they make to my comfort when I break them in and start training in them!

Speaking of training, I have based my half marathon plan loosely on the Hal Higdon Novice Program and the Jeff Galloway training plan. I created my own purely so that I could fit it around my weekly schedule and cheeky holiday to Spain in August. Shhh...

I shall leave you with another picture of one of my lovely trainers. It looks really small doesn't it? I promise I'm a UK size 5.5!

I'd love to hear if you are a keen (or not so keen) runner. If you have any tips or tricks or have any questions for me, just leave me a comment :)

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.

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 :)

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 :)