Category: beauty

beauty, beauty boxes, fun stuff, gardening, healthy, lifestyle boxes, my little box, reviews, skincare

My Little Garden Box 

ramblingmads

This is April’s box, the reason for the delay was because I wanted to take photos of my box in the wild – I don’t have a garden but the bonkers weather meant I couldn’t get a break to find some grass and take some snaps. Let’s dive in. 

This garden to table lists the vegetables and fruit in season for every month. Eating seasonally is something I try to do – it works out cheaper when there’s an abundance and you get the best of the crop, sweeter strawberries in June for example. 

I have a larger version of this infuser bottle somewhere, pop your favourite fruits in the infuser core and fill the bottle with water. My favourite fruit combo is lime and watermelon – so refreshing. 

Recipe cards/magnetic shopping list – this has some of the MLB team’s favourite fruit based recipes and then pages to pop your shopping list on with a magnetic backing to stick neatly on the fridge. 

Ape Crunchy Coconut Bites – tasty little discs of crunchy coconut – yummy. 

A floral patterned green and blue square scarf which can be worn in a variety of ways – the last scarf MLB sent out is a firm favourite so this one will be too. 

This month’s beauty treats are all skincare savers. Mixa is a French skincare brand now available in Superdrug (home of many a beauty bargain). Suitable for sensitive skin (yay) this dermatologist tested paraben free moisturiser can be used all over – giving you soft summer skin. 

My Little Beauty Vitamin Shot Facial Scrub – made with bamboo extract, apricot seed powder and argan oil this twice weekly scrub will buff skin and leave you all shiny. 

My Little Beauty Easy Morning Skin Perfector – once you’ve rinsed off the scrub this moisturiser softens and smoothes skin with a subtle shimmer. Just remember to top with SPF! 

beauty, beauty boxes, ethics, make up, reviews

The Pip Beauty Box

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This new beauty box, named after the founder’s canine chum, is all about championing cruelty free beauty. 50p from each box has been donated to Cruelty Free International. 

Inside are five cruelty free and vegan friendly beauty treats. 

Bloomtown Botanicals Nourishing Mini Soap (RRP £1.40) – made in small batches with plant oils and butters, this vegan friendly Soap comes in a whole range of scents. 

Akamuti Green Clay Face Mask (RRP £2) – sundries green clay that you mix yourself to make a purifying face mask that is suitable for sensitive and problem skin. 

Saturated Colour Lip Vinyl Liquid Lipstick in Frisky Fuchsia (RRP  £7) – a deep pink shade in a liquid lipstick – something of a recent beauty trend. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Black Mascara & Nearly Black Eyeliner (RRP £24.70) – both award winning formulas that complement each other. Made with botanical oils and water resistant, suitable for sensitive eyes. 

There are discount codes in the box for PHB and Saturated Colour. 

For a first beauty box this is well balanced in terms of skincare and make up – and fullsize items to boot. 

beauty, beauty boxes, fun stuff, lifestyle boxes, my little box, reviews, skincare

My Little Box – Fresh Start

ramblingmads

This is January’s MLB, better late than never! 

Instead of the standard box, this month is a canvas bag, designed to be reusable. 

Inside are a variety of things designed to help you start afresh in a new year. 

There’s a cute little journal, without dates, so you can start it whenever. 

There’s a cute printed infinity scarf or snood. 

The final lifestyle item is a set of inspirational postcards, suggesting ways to get fresh starts in the different aspects of your life. 

Then there’s the selection of beauty treats. 

Merci Handy Holy Mint Toothpaste – I’ve only had antibacterial hand gel from this brand before and I’m really particular about toothpaste so I don’t know whether I’ll use this. 

Garnier Ultimate Blends Strength Restorer Balm – this is a tiny sample of hair mask containing royal jelly and honey.  I’ll hang on to it for a really bad hair day. 

My Little Beauty Boost Yourself Body Cream & Sweet Hand Cream – two items from MLB’s own beauty range. These both snell inoffensive and having had several other skincare items from this range I know they’re pretty standard stuff. 

MLB has decided to scrap their My Little World magazine for good, in favour of things like the inspiration postcards and journal. 

The box is back next month, which is good as the bag is all well and good but required extra packaging to keep it safe.

 

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

Glossybox Edible Edit

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For a box called the Edible Edit in conjunction with comedian Bella Younger’s Instagram alter ego Deliciously Stella, there’s not even a tube of fruit pastilles inside. 

Instead there’s a range of beauty products (mostly skincare) which contain Edible ingredients, just don’t take a nibble.  

Nip & Fab Kale Fix Moisturiser – with kale, watercress and almond oil to enrich and protect skin and aloe vera and shea butter to soothe and smooth. 

The Balm Meet Matt (e) Trimony Single Eyeshadow – in an aubergine (eggplant for my US readers) shade this teeny, tiny sample shadow is velvety soft. 

Vitamasques Manuka Honey Face Mask – Korean sheet masks were a big thing in beauty last year and it looks set to continue as a trend. This one is infused with the most expensive honey you can buy to nourish and love your skin.  

Unani Illuminate Milk Cleanser – full of natural skin loving oils to purify and protect your skin as they remove make up. 

Hairon Zero Crease Hair Tie – not entirely sure how these fit the theme but there you go.  I actually hate these hair ties, for some reason they get snared and tangled in my hair, so my sister will be getting these.  

This will be my last Glossybox for a while as I need to save a little money and use up my stash, which is getting out of control. 

beauty, beauty boxes, lifestyle boxes, make up, my little box, reviews

My Little Christmas Box 

ramblingmads

Look how festive this box is. With its green ribbon and candy cane. And it’s jam packed. 

There’s a Kanako art print with a message from the artist, My Little World magazine and loads of lovely treats. 

My Little Beauty Smokey Eye Duo – smokey eye make up has moved away from the greys and deep colours to these softer tones. Haven’t really had a play with these yet but I do quite like them together. 

Gingerbread candle – cinnamon and ginger are some of the smells of Christmas so this ties perfectly into the season. 

Cuff bracelet – gold tones with a hint of festive forest green.  I quite like this, it looks good next to my new velvet dress. 

Courrèges Hyperbole perfume – This perfume shares it’s name with one of my favourite words. It’s not a particularly heavy scent (although that might just be because I have a cold and can’t smell anything properly!) 

Kusmi Tea Tsarevna blend tea – this Russian blended black tea with orange peel, liquorice, vanilla and spice to give a whiff of Christmas. 

Tiptree Salted Caramel sauce – hands off! This is mine! I think this will be the perfect addition to my Christmas Day dessert. I love the mix of sweet and salt in this sauce and since I’m not having Christmas pudding (yuk!) I will add this to my sticky toffee pud instead. 

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Flipbalm Juicy Watermelon – I love lipbalm, especially in the winter months when my lips feel very dry and prone to cracking.  Plus this is a really cute pot. 

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

Birchbox Merry & Bright 

ramblingmads

This month’s Birchbox has arrived. Instead of the classic box they’ve sent a pop top style box, which they claim can be used as a keepsake box. However it is smaller than the usual box and I can’t really work out what I’d keep in it. 

Inside are five beauty items – they tie into the colour scheme rather neatly. 
💋Ciatè London Fierce Flicks Eyeliner (fullsize RRP  £15) – felt tip style eyeliners are my preferred kind, mostly because I can’t quite handle gel and I have never managed to get a decent line from a kohl pencil. 

💋Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara (RRP £23) – I’m not entirely sure what makes this specifically a smokey eye mascara but there you go. 

💋Benefit Cosmetics Benetint  (RRP £24.50) – teeny tiny Benefit samples I’ve had a few. I used to love benetint but I haven’t used it in years. 

💋Leighton Denny Nail Polish in Just Perfect (fullsize RRP  £12) – this is a really baby pink polish which I really don’t see getting used. Which is a shame as these are good quality polishes. 

💋Amie Skincare New Leaf Deep Pore Exfoliating Polish (RRP £5.95) – this uses rice proteins to exfoliate away dead skin cells rather than nasty plastic beads so yay. Plus this range gets on well with sensitive skin – I just wish it was a bigger bottle. 

This box was a bit mixed, it’s nice that the colours all tie together and I will definitely get some use out of most of the contents which is nice, especially considering the very hit and miss year Birchbox has had. 

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

Glossybox December 

ramblingmads

The seasonal Glossybox has arrived all white and gold. 

Inside are five fullsize products. 

MDMFLOW Semi-matte lipstick in Vamp – subscribers were invited to pick their choice between two shades for this month’s box. I went for this plum shade over the nude option as I quite like a statement lip. Wearing glasses means no matter what I do with my eye makeup it doesn’t really show but a bold lip pops  every time. 

Essence Light Up Your Face Luminizer Palette – other bloggers have said that Glossybox used to be packed full of high end cosmetics – well now it’s full of budget options like this. Essence is stocked in Wilko and this is £3. It’s also really too dark for my skin. If I used this, my face would just look dirty. 

Collection Cosmetics Define & Perfect Eyebrow Powder – another budget choice and another that seems aimed at someone else. This is just frustrating. I’ve told them I’m blonde and that includes my eyebrows but no – more brunette products. Having said that this is a nice slim brush but the rattling noise it makes worries me. 

Lipcote – my mum uses this to secure her lipstick but I found it unpleasantly tacky last time I used it. But I am going to try it again as I think I eat an awful lot of lipstick. 

Revlon Nail Enamel in Valentine – an old school vampy red polish in Revlon’s iconic bottle. 
This box was a bit hit and miss. All the products are fullsize and I like the colours of the polish and lipstick but the rest is a bit ‘meh’. Hopefully next year there will be a better mix of items, and not just the cheap end of the range. 

beauty, beauty boxes, look fantastic, make up, reviews, skincare

#LFXmas 

ramblingmads

Look Fantastic’s December box has arrived and it’s rose gold decor lines up with one of the big trends for 2016. 

The new issue of Elle was also included – The feminist issue – because feminism only matters once a year *eyeroll* 


Inside are six beauty products collated for the party season. 

💋Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer – part primer, part hydrating moisturiser, this is designed to create a flawless base for your make up. While I am pretty wedded to my Soap & Glory primer at the moment, I might just try this out – just a shame it’s such a tiny pot. 👎

💋Philip Kingsley Elasticizer – this has been in dozens of beauty boxes this year and has never made any difference to my hair. 🙁 It’s supposed to give my hair a boost and make it shiny. But no. 👱

💋Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash – with grapefruit oil to gently cleanse the skin and keep skin happy. 🍑

💋Bubble T Bath Bomb – why don’t I have a bath tub? Why? Sadly this is completely wasted on me. With Hibiscus and Acai Berry, Goji Berry, vitamins A and C, this is a super soak for party weary body and soul. 🍒

💋Skin Republic Caviar and CoQ10 Face Mask – yes this contains fish eggs but 2016 beauty trends have included some weird things (like snail gel). It also contains Vitamin E, Witch Hazel and CoQ10 to fight blemishes and boost skin health. If you can get your head around smearing fish eggs on your face. 🐟

💋Mellow Cosmetics Lipstick in Madness – a matte formula in a rather nice red, although not as deep red as I’d like. Long lasting with smooth application full of pigment and polish. 💄

All in all I quite like this box even if the elasticizer and bath bomb are more miss than hit. 
 

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Bow’s Beauty Box 

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“Brown paper packaging tied up with string – these are a few of my favourite things” so sang Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. 

This new beauty box, curated by two bloggers, just launched on etsy, is very well wrapped in brown paper and string with a candy cane as well. 

Inside this neat little package are five beauty items.

– technic Colour Mix Cream Corrector Palette  – I’m never sure what colour corrector to buy in the shops but this palette has eight different colours to correct a multitude of sins.  

Pure Potions Skin Salvation Intensely Moisturising Ointment – suitable for sensitive and stressed out skin (conditions including eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis etc). My angry skin might just have found a new friend. 

Earth Conscious Natural Deodorant in Spice – this coconut oil based, cruelty free, organic deodorant smells like Christmas and is a bit too strong for me. But if you’re allergic or irritated by conventional products, this might work for you. 

Dr Botanical Japanese Orange Superfood Facial Oil – a vegan oil for your face, designed to renew and refresh tired skin. Smells fairly nice too. 

 Mitimo Natural 512 Avocado Seed Facial Essence Mask – Korean skincare has blown up in 2016 and sheet masks like this are everywhere. Infused with Avocado seed, aloe vera extract and other skin loving ingredients, this mask is designed to deep cleaning skin and leave you looking all fresh faced and shiny. 

For a brand new beauty box put together without the backing of a big firm this is a great start. At the moment they don’t have a subscription plan but considering they’re all sold out, that’s presumably in the plans. 

beauty, beauty boxes, look fantastic, make up, reviews

#LFSparkle Look Fantastic Party Edit

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This festive looking box of beauty treats landed on my doorstep on a very dreary day to sparkle things up. 

As well as the 5 listed beauty items, there was a nail file and a copy of this month’s Elle. 

Look Good Feel Better Angled Blending Brush – LGFB looks after women who have been diagnosed with cancer and helps them feel better about their changing appearance. This brush is super soft and angled enough to get eyeshadow into the crease. 

Model Co Blush Cheek Powder – a peachy toned blusher that once blended leaves you with a gentle flush. 

Sebastian Professional Volupt Spray – a non sticky formula designed to boost your hair’s volume without making it greasy or stiff. 

Bloom and Blossom Revitalising Foot and Leg Spray – perfect for those days when you’ve been clomping around all day in heavy winter boots. This spray refreshes tired feet and alleviates water tension with a blend of Horse Chestnut Seed and Yellow Sweet Clover. 

L’Oréal Professionnel Mythic Oil – with Avocado and Grape Seed Oils, this nourishes hair and protects against the environments stresses and damage. Essential for winter and pollution. 

Monu Recovery Balm – lots of lovely skin friendly oils and peptides in this cold weather fighter. Refreshing and reviving cold nibbled skin and leave it healthy and hydrated. 

This is a lovely mix of items, I can definitely see them getting used every day more or less. Just a shame  so much is teeny sample size.