Month: Aug 2016

beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

Glossybox Fifth Birthday Box 

ramblingmads

This month Glossybox turns five and they pushed the boat out…actually no they didn’t. 

 

This box is a pretty mixed bag, with some impressive items and one particularly shit item. 

MUA Eyeshadow Palette Starry Night – this is quite nice but at only £4 in the shops it’s not exactly a luxury brand item. 

 
Mudmasky Facial Detox Purifying Recovery Mask – face masks are nice but this stingy sample won’t get the most use – it also smells a bit funny to me. 

Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion – this is possibly the smallest bottle of body lotion ever. But at least it smells nice. 

Finally, this should have been a bonus item not one of the five – a Rae Feather make up pouch (which they have irritatingly called a pochette – pretentious much). Apparently this brand is huge with bloggers, but not only have I never heard of it but neither have many of the bloggers I follow – some of whom are quite well known. 

To be very honest this doesn’t feel like a special birthday edition box, it’s rather mixed in terms of brands and quality. 

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Powder Beauty Drawer Season Three

ramblingmads

When you order this box (£29.99 with free P&P) you fill out a questionnaire so the 13 products are tailored to your colouring, skin type and hair colour. This means every box is slightly different – as a blonde with pale, sensitive skin, this is what the Powder team selected for me. 

💄Gold Collagen Pure Gold Collagen Mini – this supplement is designed to boost collagen levels – plumping out skin and strengthening nails. 

💄Nude Skincare Rescue Oil – packed with antioxidants, this oil soothes and perfects skin, blurring imperfections, plumping and purifying, ridding you of toxins. (Too good to be true??)

💄Shiseido Ibuki Gentle Cleanser – lathers into a foam, removes impurities without stripping skin of the good stuff. 

💄Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure (fullsize) – with built in base coat this polish is apparently almost impossible to chip – if only it wasn’t such a baby pink shade I’d put it to the test. 

💄Mii Cosmetics Heavenly Bronzing Gel – with SPF15, this gel bronzer blends easily onto skin for a summery glow. 

💄Marc Jacobs Divine Decadence Eau de Parfum – this contains champagne as an ingredient – making quite (to my nose) an alcohol strong smell. 

💄MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder in Iredescent Gold (fullsize) – I keep meaning to pick one of these up, so thanks Powder. 

💄Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler Day Cream for Normal to Combination Skin (fullsize) – with SPF and hylauronic acid to replenish moisture and protect skin. 

💄Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum – oil-free and non-greasy, this brightens skin while soothing and blurring imperfections. 

💄bareMinerals Skinlongevity Vital Power Infusion – made with superfood ingredients to improve skin’s elasticity and bounce.

💄Moroccanoil Treatment Light – formulated for blondes the argan oil nourishes hair and makes it easier to brush (oh and from personal experience means no more split ends) 

💄Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Mirrorsmooth High Gloss Primer – controls flyaways, protects from heat styling and strengthens hair to prevent breakage. For greasy hair – just apply to the ends.

💄Schwarzkopf Live Colour Refresh (fullsize) – apply like a conditioner, let it soak in for a few minutes then rinse to revive coloured hair or boost your natural colour. 

There are discounts and offers included for every brand included in the box  and beauty tips in the booklet. 
Quite a good selection of products – for me the best is the MUA highlighter and the worst the pink nail polish. If the last beauty drawers are anything to go by everything in this box will get used. 

Bring on season 4 in October. 

beauty boxes, lifestyle boxes, my little box, reviews

My Little Friends Box 

ramblingmads

This month’s My Little Box is all about hanging with your pals. 

Inside the box is a copy of the My Little World magazine and a packet of Sweet & Salty Propercorn popcorn, so that’s tomorrow’s commute sorted. 

Lifestyle items in this month’s box are pretty random – there’s a manicure kit, which seems a bit odd and unconnected to the clip-on fish eye lens – attach to your phone for a different way to see things. 

Beauty-wise, inside the cute printed bag are three treats. Caudalie Banana and Mango moisturiser, My Little Beauty Summer Lips balm with SPF 15, Batiste Hold Me Hairspray. 

Although I don’t really get how all these things fit in a ‘Friends are the best’ box, they’re quite nice. None of this is stuff you might share with a pal – maybe the hairspray and lens for selfies, but even the popcorn’s too small to share. 

Thoughts? Got something wildly different? Let me know below. 

life, ramblings, thoughts

Sinister stuff

ramblingmads

The Latin for ‘left’ is ‘sinistere’ making us lefties sound a little more terrifying than we are. 

10% of the global population are lefties – despite attempts to stamp it out over the years. Some cultures still have specific beliefs and attitudes towards left-handedness. 
My Dad is probably a leftie – but at school he was forced to use his right hand and now has the most appalling handwriting. My Nan used to try and make me use my left hand like a right hand, so I wouldn’t smudge the page – however I would have ended up with a deformed wrist if she’d had her way. 

Learning to knit was something I gave up on as a kid, having to reverse what everyone else does is hard, I hate sewing machines for the same reason. My brain wants me to use my dominant hand – just like right-handers always do. 
Tin openers, scissors, vegetable peelers, bread knives, fountain pens, notebooks, doors – all designed to ease the life of a righty. 

When I was about 10, my Mum found out about Anything Left-Handed, which at that time had a physical shop in Brewer Street in Soho – they’re now online only. 

It was a revelation- everything was designed for me to use. While some things, like the left-handed clock, seem a little excessive, essentials like scissors, are available to me as long as they stay in business. 
I have several pairs dotted around thw house, from nail scissors to fabric scissors, about three pairs of all-purpose ones, a tin opener, vegetable peeler, even secateurs for the garden. 

Saturday was International Left-Handers Day – so I celebrated by cutting some things with my scissors! 

A few famous lefties include; Barack Obama, Jimi Hendrix, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill and David Bowie. We get around. 

Are you a lefty? Let me know in the comments below. 🖒

fun stuff, happy mail, lifestyle boxes, mental health, reviews

Buddy Box – Let’s go to the Beach

ramblingmads

This month’s Buddy Box from The Blurt Foundation is beach themed. To be completely honest I wasn’t thrilled on first look. It felt a bit stingy and childish with a pencil, tin cup and stickers. 

But I do like the coconut water face mask and DIY pom pom garland Crafternoon kit. 

There’s also a lovely postcard message from the Blurt team and one to pass on to another person. 

I’ll be adding the postcard to my wall of positvity by my bed, I designed it to bring me cheer every morning and help me manage my bad days better. 

books, lifestyle boxes, reviews

The Bookish Box – Game of Thrones Edition

ramblingmads

This Bookish Box is all about George R.R. Martin’s mega hit series A Song of Ice and Fire. 

Some of the imagery is drawn from the smashing series, but that’s to be expected considering that it has saturated everything – hello a million Jon Snow gifs. 

The box was absolutely packed with stuff so let’s crack it open. 

Firstly there’s a Jon Snow art card from Evieseo, with the now notorious line printed on it. 

Next I dug out this fancy cup complete with straw and snarling Stark direwolf from Knot Knirvana – it might say ‘Winter is Coming’ but it’s perfect for summery drinks. 

This month’s t-shirt from box parent company Appraising Pages says ‘A Reader Lives a Thousand Lives’ which is pretty true if you read enough. 

There’s a tote bag celebrating the women of Westeros, a pretty fiesty, determined bunch, from the brilliantly named Drop and Give Me Nerdy. 

This next item intrigues me but I probably won’t get to use it – a Quote Bomb from Da Bomb Fizzers. I don’t have a bath in my flat but I like the idea of a surprise inside – in this case a famous quote. 

Last but not least is an antler ring so you can represent the beleagured House Baratheon or just jazz up your finger. 

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, reviews

Birchbox – Dive In

ramblingmads

This month’s Birchbox is actually a bag, a little grey scuba bag to be precise – not exactly as jazzy as Birchbox’s usual standard to be frank. 

Luckily what’s inside is better. 

Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Mulberry – this month’s choice was one of these dinky pencils – I went for this black with a tiny hint of purple number. 

Voya Silky by Nature Shampoo – I really hate getting shampoo or conditioner in beauty boxes, it seems a bit of a cheat to me. Still this one claims claims to leave hair healthy and shiny with its organic oils and other super ingredients. 

Amie Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash – this is a really nice face wash, gentle but thorough. Shame the sample is so tiny, but it fits neatly into my washbag for the next weekend away. 
Anatomicals The Buff Stuff Citrus Body Scrub – grapefruit based for a citrus burst with little pumice granules to scrub away dead skin. 

Merci Handy Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel – I had a different scent in last month’s My Little Box, and while this is a handy thing to have, especially when commuting, it feels a bit out of place here – and there could have been a better item here. 

There’s an extra sample this month, a teeny pod of Nude Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly – it turns from a gel to a milk on contact with water and clears away impurities. 

This month wasn’t the most exciting offering from Birchbox, it seems to fluctuate a fair bit. I will be cashing in some points this month to buy a few favourites in the shop, but it won’t be any of these. 

books, lifestyle boxes, reviews

#NationalBookLoversDay & Illumicrate Unboxing

ramblingmads

As a massive book loving geek, today feels like a day all about me! 

I own a silly number of books, between them and the rats, there’s barely enough room for me! But since the answer to the question ‘haven’t you got enough books?’ is always “NO!!’ it’s a bit like living in a library but no one’s saying “shhh!” 

Personally I think a love of books is a vital lifeline – some books have really helped me through tough times, have encouraged me to keep going and pushed me to be a better version of myself. And most of those were fiction. 

It seems apt that today my new Illumicrate arrived- the book lover’s box. It is jam packed with two new books and lots of other literary goodies. Very excited. 

Let’s start with the books. 

The Graces by Laure Eve – the author has written a letter included in each box, which is a really sweet touch. The book isn’t out in paperback yet so this is very exclusive. Growing up I wanted to have magical powers (who doesn’t) and was convinced there was a witch in the woods. In this book, River decides she will make The Graces hers, she will control their magic. Laure says it’s partly inspired by 90s classic movie The Craft, a firm favourite of mine too, so I think I’m going to enjoy this. As well as the book and letter, there’s a signed bookplate and some witchy temporary tattoos. 

One of my favourite TV shows about a book lover is The Gilmore Girls (now, thankfully on Netflix) and this cute tote bag features a quote from the show. 

I don’t drink tea – at least not the standard black kind, but I do love an iced tea that’s sweet and fruity so this summety strawberry tea from Post Tea, will definitely be brewed up then chilled. 

To relax, apart from reading, I like colouring books, and one of my top books so far this year was Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, so these exclusive art cards are perfect for me. 

Sadly this next item isn’t really for me – I’m not a fan of Harry Potter, but I know plenty of people are, so I will rehome these coasters. 

Finally there are some bonus artcards to promote a new book, and some discount vouchers for book related goodies. 

This whole box has been put together with care and I’m really impressed with it. Enjoy the post, I’m off to read my new books! 

Happy Book Lovers’ Day! 

adventures, art, reviews

Tate Modern – Georgia O’Keeffe 

ramblingmads

Today my lovely friend Ben moseyed on down to the Tate Modern to see the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition. 

It doesn’t focus on her iconic flower paintings but rather on other work, starting with some of her earliest work and covering her gorgeous landscapes, from New York and New Mexico. 

It was really fascinating and her work is gorgeous, whether in colour or black and white. 

Obviously as I can read signs I didn’t take any photos in the exhibition but here are some of the postcards I picked up in the shop. 

Autumn Leaves – Lake George, N.Y 1924
Jimson Weed/White Flower No.1 1932
Oriental Poppies 1927

I really recommend going if you get a chance. 

beauty, beauty boxes, my little box, reviews

My Little Box – Coconut

ramblingmads

The theme for July’s MLB is not actually a nut, but a drupe, whatever that is. 

Anyway, onto less scientifically confusing things. 

Inside the box is a cute selection of treats inspired by everyone’s favourite hairy brown not a nut. 

There’s a patterned passport holder, sweetly packaged up in it’s own envelope. 

A Stella & Dot bracelet which speaks to my current love affair for tassels on jewellery. 

In regards to the beauty portion of the box, there are five treats in the little cotton bag. 

From the My Little Beauty range comes a Coconut Spritzer after sun spray – something that will come in handy in the summer sun. 
Mexci Handy Coco Rico Hand Cleansing Gel – popping this in my bag for commuting on the never clean tube. 

Yves Rocher Noix de Coco Eau de Toilette – this is very coconutty, and reminds me of Pina Colada cocktails and summer evenings. 

Ojon Rare Blend Moisture Therapy Oil – intensely moisturing hair oil for those days air con, sun, swimming pools and the sea (if you’re lucky) have done their worst. 

All this and the regular art print by Kanako and the My Little World magazine, which I can be spotted perusing on the Northern line. 

This box is like a slice of summer, a refreshing cocktail of coconut water blended with watermelon and lime.