Category: beauty boxes

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, make up, reviews, skincare

Birchbox x Pinterest

ramblingmads

Captioned “Best. Year. Ever” Birchbox kicks off 2016 with a collaboration with online scrapbook site Pinterest.

image

Pinning has become a huge trend, with people compiling their dream weddings, cars, cakes, shoes and other things onto Pinterest’s digital mood boards. I do it too. Much handier than covering my walls in magazine cuttings like we did pre-internet. (Yes, there was such a time).

So how does a collab between a beauty box and a website work exactly? Well, inside the beauty booklet are suggestions for boards to create on Pinterest for the upcoming year. There are also five cute cards designed by illustrator Viktorija Semjonova in keeping with the theme. The Birchbox blog will have more throughout the year.

image

Onto the beauty samples.

image

There are five products in the box, and annoyingly some of them have been here before.

image

Left to Right.

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle – I’ve had this little chap several times in the past. While it does work quite well as a dentangler, so does my conditioner.

Absolution L’Eau Soir et Martin – basically a micellar water, 2015’s big product. Containing aloe vera and hazelnut oil, a no rinse required make up remover.

Benefit They’re Real! Tinted Primer – apparently this coats and seperates lashes before your mascara. Or on its own.

Birchbox pocket mirror.

Jelly Pong Pong Lighten Up Brightener + Waterliner – I definitely have one of these, I used it the other day. Suppose it saves me buying a new one. It’s a great highlighter pencil, scribble it on!

Whish Three Whishes Almond Body Butter – I am all about almonds, I eat them, drink them (almond milk hot chocolate anyone?) and smother them on my skin and hair so this’ll be a little treat for my skin.

image

Are you a Birchbox subscriber? What did you think about this box? Let me know below.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, make up, reviews, skincare

Dollibox December

ramblingmads

Following the lovely Which Beauty Box UK is lethal to my bank account! Showcasing the best boxes around,  and inspiring other beauty lovers. And so it is with Dollibox.

image

A fairly new box, it contains five cult and premium beauty products, full size and sample size.

image

I’m not madly keen on how pink the packaging is, but since that gets recycled, it doesn’t really matter.

What’s inside counts. The box is £10 plus postage, and this month’s is worth over £30.

Anubis Polivitamic Cleansing Mousse – containing the essential vitamin C, this gentle mousse promises to soothe and cleanse your skin.

image

Bare Naturals Pomegranate & Pink Grapefruit soap – made with 100% natural ingredients, this delicately scented soap is designed to leave hands clean and soft.

image

Model Co Highlighting Trio – featuring a luminizer, blush and bronzer, this little pot is designed to suit any skin tone and leave you with glowing skin.

image

Osmo Intensive Deep Repair Mask – containing jojoba oil, patchouli and ylang ylang to nourish and repair stressed out hair.

image

Barefoot Lavender & Mint Foot Cream – with tea tree oil and other natural ingredients, no parabens, this soothes tired feet, reviving them and softening the skin.

All in all, this is a nicely curated box, perfect for the party season, and for spoiling yourself in the cold, wet winter.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, nail polish, nails inc, reviews

Nailbox December

ramblingmads

Nailbox’s latest dropped into my lap this Christmas Eve with Spring shades for 2016.

image

Lilacs, and Nails Inc’s Blossom polish.

Plus a nail art pen, and randomly, a set of tweezers, for brows, not nails! It’s called Nailbox chaps, don’t dilute the brand!

I like the shades of purple and the Blossom (aka Bloomsbury Way) would look great over the top or even on naked nails!

Won’t be rocking these shades till after the sun comes back, spring flourishes don’t really match with the almost constant deluge outside.

If you want to see my Christmas nails, you’ll have to pop over to Instagram to find out!

Merry Christmas.💅⛄🎁❄🎀🎅🎄🌞

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Birchbag – All That Glimmers

ramblingmads

For their December edition Birchbox has set out a jazzy festive clutch bag full of products designed to help you through the party season.

image

image

Benefit Puff Off! & They’re Real Push Up Liner Duo – exclusive to Birchbox, this liner and eye cream work together – the liner to complete your look and the cream to de-puff those under eye bags.

Model Co Ultra Long Lasting Lipstick in Kitty – this is a full size lipstick in a pretty pink shade, which sadly isn’t mine.

image

Ciate London Mini Paint Pot – I received the shade Iced Frappé – which I wouldn’t  say is particularly festive but colours vary.

image

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream – this moisturiser features Mediterranean algae to fight aging. Apparently it reduces wrinkles, firm skin and boost radiance in 15 days, but I don’t think there’s enough in this sample sized tube to test that theory.

Skin & Co Sicilian Body Gel – with Sicilian orange and olive extracts, this little bottle packs a sweet smelling punch. Perfect for waking you up in the morning after the night before.

image

Bonus – Roloxin Lift Instant Skin Smoothing Masque – a 10 minute face mask to smooth wrinkles and hide party fatigue. Saving this for New Year’s Day recovery!

image

The bag itself is very festive, in dark green velvet like the dresses I wore at Christmas as a child, with lots of gold sparkles. It’s a good size for all your bits and bobs too.

image

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

Glossybox Let’s Celebrate!

ramblingmads

The festive Glossybox was waiting for me on the doorstep today, all rose gold and sparkly.

image

image

image

Inside are a selection of products to help polish your festive look.

image

Etre Belle Golden Skin Caviar Eye Roll On – this cooling gel is designed to leave you looking refreshed and radiant, great if you’re partying and brilliant for insomniacs like me.

So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil – pretty sure this was in a recent box, but since I like to try and get a little glow in my skin, bound to come in handy.

Cheeky Chat Me Up Nail Paint – wish I had received the polish in the booklet instead of this very pale pink, which I got.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser – definitely had this a while ago. It’s a nice, gentle cleanser, helping to remove your party face.

Essence Liquid Lipstick in Show Off – not a fan of this at all. Runny, gooey. Just no thanks.

image

Bonus product: Starskin Bio-cellulose Second Skin Mask – I am a bit unsure about sheet masks, but as my skin hates cold weather and cries out for moisture, I think I might just pop one of these on.

image

Are you a Glossybox subscriber? What did you think about this month’s box?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, perfume, reviews, skincare, you beauty

You Beauty Discovery Box

ramblingmads

I have become increasingly disappointed by YBD, this month is no different and I think it might be my last box from them.

I like the idea of picking some of your samples but the selection is often quite poor and you get little bang for your buck.

Yes, it’s possibly the cheapest beauty box out there but does that mean it should be lacking?

image

From the shortlist I picked;

Philosophy renewed hope in a jar eye cream – or rather a tiny tube. My under eye shadows are rather dark and tired looking at the moment, insomnia does that, and I thought I might road test an eye cream or two. I’ve heard good things about this one. Just a shame it’s such a teeny sample.

image
Not the best swatching but hopefully you can see the golden shimmer

Kilo Long Lasting Stick 8 Hour No-Transfer Eye shadow in 05 – a gold shimmer eye shadow crayon, and you know I love an easy to apply make up item.

The extra samples they threw into the box are a tiny sachet of Studio 10 Miracle Effect Priming Serum and Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Eau de Toilette spritz sample bottle.

image

I dont think there’s enough primer in the sachet for one human sized face, except if you were for some insane reason, making up a baby (they have little faces mostly) but not for an adult.

I have a problem with sending out perfume samples – scent is highly selective, what one person loves and smells amazing on their skin, may not work with anyone else. This mostly smells of alcohol to me. Not nice.

Overall a bit underwhelming. Time to bid adios to this box I think and move on.

Anyone else cancelling beauty boxes they’ve been disappointed by? 

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, love me beauty, nail polish, nails inc, reviews, skincare

Love Me Beauty – those bonus points…

ramblingmads

So as you know, LMB has been revamping their site, store and packaging. One of the things they’ve changed is the boutique points – you get 60 a month, the problem being most things are 20 points, meaning you might only get three products, which is a lot less than most beauty boxes, and they’re not all full size.

image

To compensate for this, LMB offers bonus points you can buy to add on. This month I decided to splurge a little and get some extra goodies in my box.

As it’s cold and miserable outside I picked a range of products to give my skin, hair and look a boost in the winter.

image

Top row L-R:

Roques O’Neil Therapie Boost Hair & Body Wash – aromatherapy shampoo that can also be used as a body wash.

Nails Inc Gel Effect in Old Burlington Street and Porchester Square – gorgeous pairing for winter nails.

Percy & Reed Dry Instant Volumising Spray – the winter weather seems to just leave my hair completely flat, this should give it a boost.

Bottom row, L-R:

Monu Spa Fiji Facial Treatment Oil – formulated for sensitive skin, this oil might just be the one to change my mind about facial oils.

Nuxe Gentle Exfoliating Gel for Sensitive Skin – winter seems to leave my skin dry and flaky, this should shift that and boost my skin’s health.

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips – my lips are very prone to drying and cracking, and you guessed it, it gets worse in winter. I’ve heard good things about this, so despite my concerns about lanolin (my skin reacts poorly to it), I thought I’d see if this helps heal up my dry, cracked, sad smile.

Any of you LMB subscribers? What are your thoughts of the changes to the box? Let me know in the comments.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, instagram, lifestyle boxes, make up, perfume, skincare

Advent Calendar Opening

ramblingmads

Hello lovely blog readers,

Today is December 1st, aka the first day of Advent. You may now put up your tree and hang your stockings.

This year I bought a beauty advent calendar as opposed to the chocolate ones I seem to have every year!

image

I went with L’Occitane’s rather sweet one as I love their products and thought a mini treat from them every day would brighten up a cold, damp December.

image

So, let’s see what’s behind door number one!

image
Ultra rich face cream!

I will most likely be posting these on Instagram so come follow me there, as well as all sorts of Christmas fun and games as we head further into the festive season.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, nail polish, reviews

Nailbox – Christmas is coming…

ramblingmads

November’s Nailbox has arrived, bringing with it a hint of Christmas in its red, green and glitter.

image

image

Also in the box, Elegant Touch stick on tips, a file, and a great little booklet of festive patterns for your nails.

image

And the colour coordinated candy cane is a nice touch. I’ve got a few Christmas dos to attend and now festive nail designs!

ramblingmads