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

Birchbox Heroes

It’s a Birch-drawer this month, which I prefer to the boxes – they’re really reusable too. The top is decorated with a pastel geometric design which I like. 

Inside is possibly my favourite Birchbox collection ever. 

Starskin Eye Catcher mask – a bio-cellulose mask with coconut juice and liquorice root to brighten, smooth and de-puff. My eyes often need a little love by the end of the evening so these little pads will come in a treat. 

Nuxe Prodigieux Shower Oil – this is very nice, I’ve had it before, it’s fab on freshly shaved legs in the shower. 
Nailtiques Protein Formula 2 – keratin, protein and calcium to bond the layers of nails to stop them splitting and peeling. Which is something that happens to my stressed out nails desperately need. 

Model Co Highlighting Trio – slightly sparkly, this cream highlighter gives you a glittery glow on cheekbones, brow bones and eyelids. 
Amika Bombshell Blowout Spray – volumizing, smoothing and texturising in one, with sea Buckthorn Berry oil antioxidants to strengthen and repair. My hair is a law unto itself – but maybe this can tame it. I’d like some volume and less madness please. 

As a bonus for introducing a friend to Birchbox  (not 100% sure who) I got a dinky little bracelet, embossed with ‘Imagine’ 

There was also a voucher for a photo box from Lalabox – a photo printing app which sends out your snaps in a gift box.  

The drawer/box will be reused too, like previous ones, to store various bits and pieces, and I wish they did it every month, they’re much nicer than the boxes. 

After a few slightly lacking months which have seriously had me thinking of cancelling the box, this was a really good selection of bits. So Birchbox is on notice – next month’s will make or break it. 

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

Happy #LFBday #LFBeautyBox 

Look Fantastic is celebrating its second birthday, conveniently in the same month as I celebrate my 30th. 

Inside the box are six mini treats to celebrate. 

Argan Liquid Gold BB Cream – infused with argan oil and 24 carat gold this has a clever formula designed to adapt to your skin tone for a healthy glow. 
BareMinerals Mini Moxie Lipstick – packed with Vitamins A, C and E, Omega Fatty Acids and Abyssinian Oil to nourish your lips while delivering a hint of colour.  

Lord & Berry Mini Luminizer Stick – doubling as a concealer, this super silky formula blends into skin to leave a radiant look. 
Bliss Lemon and Sage Maximum Moisture Cream – Coconut oil and Vitamin E improve skin tone and Sodium Hyaluronate locks in moisture. Plus it smells nice. 

Christophe Robin Purifying Shampoo – chemical free with Jujube Bark and Cherry Flower Extracts to remove dry skin and flaking. 

Gatineau Collagene Expert Eye Pads – designed to refresh and revive tired eyes with Collagen, Glycerin and Allantoin.

Not a bad bunch really.  A bit of everything in a box. And after the week I’ve had this is a real treat. Now I’m off to pamper myself. 

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews

Little Known Box – Summer Nights 

Five new products this month and I’ve only seen one before. 

Glittereyes Pressed Glitter – new to the UK Glitter Eyes is a range of glitter in 30 colours, nontoxic, waterproof and easily removed even though it’s designed to stay put once applied. I am a glitter fiend and must have gone through a hundred pots of the old school Barry M Dazzle Dusts so this is right up my street. 

Amygdala Beauty have a range of single note solid perfumes which can be blended together or worn alone. Solid perfume is such a brilliant idea and I have a dozen kicking around. 

Fairypants Vegan Lip Balm in Peach Bellini bring on the lipbalms! This one is yummy. 

Bardou Immaculate Spray Dry Shampoo. Right confession time, I am on the hunt for the perfect dry shampoo – one that isn’t too scented, doesn’t leave a weird dust and actually makes my hair matte and not in need of a wash. So I will try this and then throw it across a room in fury if it’s not the one. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Natural & Organic Black Eyeliner. I must be in a confessing mood today – I can’t line my eyes to match to save my life. One always looks great and the other just a sad mess. But I persevere. 

Quite happy with the range of items this month, a little bit of everything, and all of it that will get at least one use (I’m looking at you dry shampoo). 

Do you subscribe to Little Known Box? Would you like to? Tell me about your beauty confessions.  

 

beauty, blogging, make up, tag posts

Seven Deadly Sins Tag 

The lovely Karen of Confetti and Curls shared this tag post and I thought ‘why not’. Feel free to join in on your blog too.

GREED: What is your most inexpensive beauty item? What is your most expensive?

Cheapest – my MUA blusher in Cupcake – it’s only a squid! 

Most expensive – my current Lush moisturiser – over thirty quid but it is gorgeous. 

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WRATH: What beauty products do you have a love/hate relationship with? What product has been the hardest to get?

Eye liner – it never looks even, just utterly awful. 

I have pale, fussy skin and getting the right foundation is hard, too many are orange or too dark. I found a perfect one, it’s no longer produced. 

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GLUTTONY: What are your most delicious beauty products?

Lush Cupcake facemask or Bubblegum lip scrub. 

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SLOTH: What beauty product do you neglect, due to laziness?

Toner – I can’t work out if it’s still a thing or if I need it. 

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PRIDE: What beauty product gives you the most self confidence?

A good highlighter that makes me look all glowy and healthy. 

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LUST: What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

Relevance to make up? Anyway, humour, a good smile and excellent personal hygiene. 

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ENVY: What items would you most like to receive as a gift?

One of those slightly too pricey Urban Decay palettes – I won’t buy them for myself. 

beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

Glossybox Fifth Birthday Box 

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

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, fun stuff, make up, questions

The Beauty Knowledge Tag

I’ve seen this popping up on lots of different blogs and Twitter feeds. The answers are often pretty hilarious. 

For this tag you need a partner or friend who doesn’t use make up or know much about it. I am using the Mr as my guinea pig. He doesn’t get my interest in make up at all. Let’s see what knowledge he has absorbed. 
💋What are these different beauty products and techniques? 

💋Bronzer – giving a tanned appearance 

💋Blusher – making your cheeks pink like a doll

💋Mascara – making eyelashes black and curly 

💋Eyeliner – making your eyes look more Egyptian 

💋Strobing – something to do with disco

💋Eyeshadow – colouring your eyes in 

💋Powder – do you put that on your face? Is it like manual photoshop?

💋Foundation – like a base coat 

💋Concealer – covers spots and blemishes

💋Setting Spray – like varnish or hairspray for your face?

💋Contouring – using your make up to give your face different shapes?

💋Primer – another base coat

💋Lip liner – makes lips look happy 

💋Brow pencil – drawing on your eyebrows after you stupidly shaved them off. 

💋Serum – watering down make up to apply an even coat

💋Cleanser – taking your make up off

💋Micellar Water – no idea, is it for cleaning your face?

💋Toner- matching your make up to your skin tone

💋Was this test hard? Not really, I think I knew a lot. 

💋Why? You didn’t ask for an essay and I had no idea about some of them. Did I win something? Is there a prize? 

I then had to explain what everything was, he still doesn’t get the point of most of these products. He still wants a prize. Bless him. 

If you want to do this tag, go for it. Let me know in the comments, I’d love to see if your partners and friends do any better. 

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Blogger Beauty Box 

As always this box is a great mix of items curated by bloggers for bloggers (it’s £10 too – hello bargain!)

There are five items in this month’s box, three are full size. 

I love to smell nice, and a fruity shower gel certainly gets me ready for the day. This little bottle of I Love…Mango & Papaya Bubble Bath & Shower Gel is right up my street. 

One of the things that frustrates me the most is my lack of volume – in my hair, I’m certainly loud enough! So hopefully this Nanogen Root Boost Hair Thickening Spray does exactly what it says on the bottle. 

One of the more unusual items is the tub of Derma Babies Full of Hope Heavenly Mummy Nipple Cream. Now, I am not currently a nursing mother so you might think I’d have no use for this but because it’s designed for sensitive, damaged skin, it’s actually incredibly useful if you have dry skin, or even ezcema like me. Plus this is full of skin loving ingredients including aloe vera and olive oil. 

The next is a useful addition to your handbag – fab little bag is a clever and discreet way of disposing of used sanitary products. It’s designed to be opened with one hand, made from biodegradable materials and provides a better way of disposing of tampons than flushing. 

Finally there’s a lipstick from new US brand 4U2 Cosmetics, weirdly the shade I have isn’t listed as one of their Lipaholoc shades. They’ve just launched in the UK with their range of PETA certified cruelty free make up. 

 
Really quite happy with this box, should get a use out of each, unlike some other boxes. 

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Little Known Box – Summer Starts Here

Five products, three fullsize plus one bonus treat – June’s Little Known Box is crammed with great beauty products to get your summer going. 

Oxynergy Paris Power Infuse Cushion Foam cleanser from France, a country that loves great skincare. Wash your face with this lightly scented foaming cleanser containing amino acids, copper, zinc, calcium and magnesium. 

Manna Kadar is a cruelty and paraben free brand from the US. Fantasy 3-in-1 is a powder blush, highlighter and eyeshadow in a nude blush pink suitable for all skin types. 

PHB’s Anti-aging Serum with Rose & Sea Buckthorn is vegan, cruelty free and Halal as well as being suitable for all skin types. It smells pretty good too. 

Lucy Annabella travel sized treatment oil for skin, face and hair. This has Orange and Marjoram oils for a restful mood. 

In the Buff Mineral Highlighter in Sunshine Glitz is a golden hued 100% natural ingredients and vegan glow.

Bonus: Creme of Nature 100% Pure Argan Oil & Leave in Conditioner samples.  

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

Never-ending Summer with Birchbox 

This month’s  Birchbox arrived today, all pink and purple, in collaboration with Millie Mackintosh (one of those famous for being famous types it seems). 

This month’s selection contains five items, three full-size. 

LOC x Millie Ultra Gloss Lip Pencil in Bohemian Rose – Birchbox in-house brand Love of Colour lip pencil in a glossy soft pink. 

John Frieda 7 Days Luxurious Volume – this was my pick between two products from John Freida. This is designed to boost volume from the next time you wash your hair with this in-shower treatment. 

Nails Inc in Abbey Road – a teeny bottle of baby pink polish.

High Definition Brow Define in Bombshell – enriched with waxes to boost the long-lasting brow pencil. 
Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Boosting Mask – sheet masks are a big thing at the moment and this one promises intense moisture for dry, tired skin. 

It’s an ok box, not the most exciting to come out of Birchbox and really the Nails Inc polish could be in a bigger size, I will probably lose this bottle at some point. It doesn’t feel hugely summery either – last month’s pineapple print was more so, some summer specific goodies like suncream would be more appreciated, all this pink feels Spring not Summer. 

Thoughts? Are you a Birchbox subscriber? What did you think about this month’s box? Let me know in the comments.