Month: Oct 2015

beauty, beauty boxes, love me beauty, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Love Me Beauty – are you alright?

ramblingmads

I don’t know what is going on at the LMB offices but I received a second box in as many weeks and it’s not October’s.

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The items come from the September boutique and some of them I’ve received before. That’s not to say it isn’t a nice surprise.

Inside the far too big box are two Lottie London nail polishes, a Lord & Berry Twistick lipstick, MonuSpa facial primer and Reviving Mist.

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I wonder why they sent me a second selection – maybe their new system is struggling a bit.

Anyone else had weird experiences with Love Me Beauty?

ramblingmads

lifestyle boxes, reviews, waxbox

Waxbox October – Halloween scents

ramblingmads

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Waxbox doesn’t normally theme their boxes but according to the packing slip, they couldnt resist Halloween.

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The scents are all autumnal and there’s a lot of pumpkin. Which sadly, I’m not keen on. The cinnamon chai smells warm and a little Christmassy, the pink in the middle is melting right now – it’s a marshmallow scent with a little glitter.

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The two pumpkin scented ones made me gag when I stiffed them – I prefer to eat my squash instead of smelling it apparently.

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The little black candle – which is labelled as scented but I can’t detect any is the most Halloween related item.

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happy mail, lifestyle boxes, paris, reviews

September Happy Mail – Paris

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Although this arrived as October started, September’s Happy Mail is all about one of my favourite places – Paris.

I am definitely a Francophile, a love spawned from childhood holidays in the sunny south, tales of my French ancestors (my great-great-grandmother was called Salome) and the food. I am also quite fond of French literature and of course, the capital.

From the Eiffel Tower to the Sacre Coeur, the patisseries and the madeleines (of which I, a Madeleine, am particularly fond), the metro and the tiny alleyways everywhere.

Katie of ihearthomes has assembled another great little box of goodies referencing the City of Lights.

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There’s a notebook for all your Parisian dreaming, with a cute pencil to get them all down.

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Stickers for the postcards ‘wish you were here’ that you’ll send, and gift tags for those all important holiday presents.

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Eiffel’s tower is well represented, in a cute necklace and also a 3D model you assemble yourself, perfect for your office desk to keep you reminded of your trip!

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There’s also a hanging heart, an iron on Bambi patch a lollipop (heart-shaped), a cute poster and a little sign that says ‘Salle de Bain’ (bathroom) to decorate yourself and your home. Except the lollipop, I recommend you eat that, not hang it up!

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To subscribe to October’s box or buy other goodies, visit ihearthomes website or Facebook for photos.

ramblingmads

beauty

Lip balm – essentials

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An essential in my make up armoury and something I take everywhere with me is lipbalm. I get really dry, cracked lips, which drive me nuts.

I have a ridiculous number of lip balms stashed in various places around my flat and at last count about four in my bag.

I tend to stick to the roll up/push up kind that don’t require dipping your finger into the pot to get the balm out. More hygienic. Apart from the obligatory tub of vaseline – useful for so many things.

Here’s a selection of my favourites –

Balmi – I have this in cherry and strawberry, I love the cube design, and they’re long lasting and full of goodness – vitamin E, Shea butter, jojoba oil and SPF 15.

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Dr Organic – bit obsessed with the avocado and argan oil one but I can’t find it anywhere. The others are good too, quite like the coconut oil one too.

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Nivea – repair and protect is my favourite one, loaded with SPF and nourishes deep, perfect for sealing up cracks from the cold.

Korres – this is a new lip butter in my arsenal, made with natural ingredients, free of nasty chemicals, it has kept my lips soft all day.

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Burt’s Bees – the Coconut and Pear has been my go to this summer, hydrating and smells good too.

A product I have mad love for is Anatomicals Stop Cracking Up. This used to be available in Boots but now seems to be online only, I get mine from Amazon. This is magic stuff. My lower lip is prone to splitting in cold weather, leaving a painful crack in the skin, this gummy lip balm seals up the split and helps it heal up really fast – a must for winter’s bitter weather. I use it in conjunction with various other balms, keeping my lips soft and happy.

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netflix, reviews, tv

Orphan Black is Back

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This past weekend one of the cleverest shows on TV returned to British screens. Orphan Black starring the incredibly talented Tatiana Maslany as most of the characters (they’re clones, it’s pretty vital to the plot) and weaving a story of intrigue, science gone awry, conflict and family.

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I caught up with the first two seasons on Netflix and season three was dumped almost whole on BBC Three, showing in blocks of episodes (catch up over on the iPlayer) over the week.

This show is not as well known or loved as it should be, it’s well written, the acting is fantastic, the storyline’s gripping and it is easy to devour in chunks.

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Without giving away any spoilers, the third series is revealing itself to be even more brilliantly labyrinthine, as Sarah and her ‘sestras’ try to find out where they come from and what was set in motion before they were ever born.

Are you a fan? Or do you have recommendations for me?

ramblingmads