Category: make up

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

April Glossybox

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For me this box is make or break. I’ve been fairly disappointed with Glossybox recently so I needed April’s to knock it out the park.

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Let’s delve in and see whether this box has done enough.

This month sees an impressive four out of five products full size – a return to some of the most pleasing boxes.

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Next Make Me Beautiful Lip Chubby in Cherry Red – RRP £8. I didn’t even know Next did make up and I am impressed with the quality of this lipstick crayon. It’s packed with natural plant oils and waxes to keep your lips glossy. It’s a gorgeous red colour, only needing one swipe to deliver a pop.

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Swatches

Leighton Denny Expert Nails Miracle Mist – RRP £12. This spray promises to dry your nail polish in seconds. Less time waving your hands around like an idiot while waiting for it to dry.

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Studio 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner – RRP £22. A double ended brow pencil, one side brow definition, the other a highlighter. Once again I wonder what the point of filling out a beauty profile was, as this pencil is great for brunettes, but less us for blondes.

Swiss Smile Whitening Toothpaste – RRP £28.95. A tube of toothpaste that costs almost thirty quid!?!? What!! Unless it delivers a Hollywood smile in a few days, why would you bother.

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The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalising Facial Oil – RRP £28. This is the only sample sized item in the box. It’s a bestseller, infused with three restorative oils to leave you with a radiant and nourished complexion.

I am impressed with one, possibly two of the items but the rest is a bit of a miss – toothpaste really!?!?
 

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If you want to sign up to Glossybox – click here.

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

Birchbox x Rifle Paper Co.

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This month subscribers could pick their preference for the box design – a collaboration with stationary firm Rifle Paper Co.

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There is a Benefit product in every box, one guess what I got? Yes, mascara, again. Very disappointing considering all the options out there.

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Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara in Beyond Black – RRP £19.50.

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So Susan Lip Dome in Melon – RRP £10. This is a full size lipstick crayon in a pinky red, packed with hyaluronic acid and goji berries to nourish and protect.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse facial oil – RRP £17. Six essential oils, plant oils and vitamin E to add hydration and a glow to skin.

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Parlor by Jeff Chastain Detangling Leave-in Conditioner – RRP £17. Spray evenly onto damp hair, comb through to give hair an extra layer of shine and heat protection.

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Kueshi Foot Care Cream – RRP £12. Sweet almond oil, royal jelly, tea tree oil, a luxurious mix for dry, tired feet.

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As annoying as getting another mascara is, this box has a nice mix of products, and a bonus discount from Rifle Paper Co.

If you want to sign up – click here and get £5 of points for the Birchbox shop.

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

Cohorted April – Beauty Powered by You

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I decided to give Cohorted’s new beauty box a go, having been massively disappointed the last time.

Worth £93, this box is £35 including postage, making it one of the more expensive beauty boxes around.

The postman dropped it off bright and early, it’s a big box so I hope he has his van, he’s normally on foot.

Inside are fullsize products from five brands, some more familiar than others.

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First up MAC’s Patent Polish Lip Pencil – RRP £17.50. I received the shade ‘Clever’ which is rather nice light red, happily not orangey, but with pink undertones. It feels like lipbalm and is super easy to apply. Available in 14 shades.

Gold Elements Nail Care Kit – RRP £29.49. Four products make up this kit;

Hand & Nail Cream
Cuticle Oil
Nail File
Buffing Block

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These are all useful things and caring for your hands and nails is important as they get pretty battered throughout the day.

Miss Patisserie Bath Melt – RRP £3.99 for one. These little cupcakes are not for eating, made with Shea and coconut butter, each one contains antioxidants and minerals, decorated with detoxifying salts and cosmetic grade glitter.

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Body Shop White Musk Libertine EDT Perfume 100ml – RRP £24. Containing cruelty free musk, this is a modern twist on a Body Shop classic, sweet and classic.

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MDM Flow lipstick in Panther – RRP £18. Bizarrely, inside the box guide the whole article is about a shade called Milkshake but I’ve got a completely different one, which is a horrid neon pink.

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Not the best box in the world – who needs two lipsticks in one box, and the bath bomb won’t get any use, although it would make a nice addition to a birthday gift. The nail kit seems quite an impressive inclusion, most boxes would only put one item in, not the whole kit.

Might give this another go at some point – bit too pricey for every month.

beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Look Incredible April Beauty Box

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This beauty box is one of the pricier ones on the market but having seen Which Beauty Box UK‘s reviews of some of the older boxes I thought I’d have a look.

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For £35 you get £81.99 worth of full size beauty products – five items in this box.

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Laura Geller Spackle Undereye Eye Primer – RRP £20. Specially formulated for the under eye area this primer is infused with antioxidants to keep skin smooth and youthful. I don’t tend to use a separate primer for different bits of my face but I will definitely see if this makes a difference.

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SmashBox Blush/Soft Lights Duo in Super/Model – RRP £15. A blusher/highlighter duo in a rather nice soft pink and tawn. For some reason my pot is sticky but the product inside is fine. It’s suggested that it can be used as eyeshadow or even lip colour, but I’m not so sure about that.

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L’Oreal Nutri Gold Silky Day Cream – RRP £13. With White Jasmine and Calcium to improve your skin this cream is rich and designed to moisturise deep within the skin. Frustratingly all the product info on the box is in every language except English (there’s not even any French or German, which I can read) so I can’t really work out what’s in it.

Urban Decay Super Saturated Lip Colour in Naked – RRP £14. A lip crayon that’s super soft, glossy and richly pigmented. The only downside for me is the colour – a red/brown that’s way too dark for me.

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Velvet 59 My Fair Lashes Mascara – RRP £19.99. This mascara has a rather unusual looking brush designed to reach all the lashes. Will have to test it out and see for myself.

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While it is a pricier box, it seems incredibly generous, £35 would only get you maybe two of these products in the shops. I don’t know if I’d have this box every month but as a treat every now and then, I don’t see why not.

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

Latest in Beauty Build Your Own Box

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I rather love Latest in Beauty’s fabulous curated boxes and they have these build your own boxes you can put together yourself – perfect for presents or pampering yourself.

You can choose a number of different products ranging from skincare to candles from their shortlist, picking either 3, 6 or 9 items. There’s a mix of full and sample sized items for your box and new items are regularly added.

Here’s my pick.

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In no particular order;

💋Beauty UK High Brow All in One Brow Definition Kit – permanently on a mission for the best brow products for blondes, so I thought I’d give this a go. It’s designed for a variety of brow colours, and hopefully the blonde will be blonde enough.

💋teeez Head Over Heels Nail Lacquer in Frosted Gleam – super sparkly nail polish is one of my secret pleasures and this fits the bill. Cruelty free and promises to be chip free for three days.

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Sparkly

💋Burt’s Bees Lip Gloss in Spring Splendour – one of the downsides of buying online is it can be hard to tell exactly what shade you’re choosing. This is a bit pinker than I thought but my sister will love it.

💋Korres Bergamot and Pear Body Milk – this is more or less my favourite body lotion going so any time I can get some more, I will.

💋balmi Super Cube Lip Balm in Roseberry SPF 15 – talking of favourites, this lip balm ranks all time high in my book. Not too scented/flavoured, with SPF and in a clever little pot, keeps my lips happy.

💋Paul Mitchell Dry Wash – waterless shampoo or dry shampoo is big business these days, and I’m always looking for a good one.

💋Manuka Doctor Purified Bee Venom & Manuka Honey Skincare – three sachets of skin care – a mask, serum and filler with manuka honey and bee venom.

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Don't let the bees get you!

💋Sanctuary Spa Luxurious Body Butter – my dry, thirsty skin laps up moisture all day long, this is the perfect size to pop in my bag for moisture on the go.

💋Puriskin Therapy Resurfacing Formula – a super lotion for sensitive skin, targeting blemishes, bruises, burns and other damage. As queen of the mystery bruise and with skin so sensitive that a change in washing liquid brings me out in a rash, this seemed like it might be worth a try.

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What are your thoughts? Will you build your own box? Let me know in the comments below.

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

My Little Bubble Box

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This month’s My Little Box has arrived and it’s already causing a stir online – some subscribers aren’t very impressed.

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The problem with theming every box you send out is that sometimes the contents only seem related very tenuously. And that seems to be the crux of the complaints I’ve spotted on social media.

For a box themed around bubbles this is curiously lacking in them. There’s a rather sad looking deflated balloon – think ‘Eeyore has a birthday’ where a mini bottle of bubbles would have made more sense.

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Anyway, on to the box contents we’re really interested in – the beauty bits.

Firstly there’s a mini make up sponge and a little blue hairbrush.

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Always nice to have some tools, I use a very similar sponge daily so spares are more than welcome and with my mind-of-its-own hair I can never have too many hair brushes.

Inside the little cloth bag are three beauty products designed to help you glow.

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🎈Givenchy Noir Couture Volume Mascara – hand bag sized, perfect for touch ups on the go.

🎈My Little Beauty Bubble Blush Lips and Cheek stain – I thought this was nail polish at first but it’s a lip and cheek stain in a matt pink.

🎈Huygens Paris Body Scrub – citrus scented mini tube of scrub to help ready your skin for the post-tights spring we keep hearing rumours about.

As always there’s the in-house magazine My Little World, which not only profiles the box contents but also features articles on Creme Eggs, emojis, Pop Art and a cute fashion spread.

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Did you get a Little Bubble Box? What did you think? Let me know in the comments. 🎈🎈

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

Look Fantastic – Destination Beauty #LFExplorer

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This month’s Look Fantastic box’s theme is Destination Beauty.

The box looks amazing with its world map in eyeshadow powder, well done to that artist.

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There are six products in the box –

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Lottie London Blend in Brush (from a selection – one per box). This super-soft brush makes blending a breeze.

Codage Masque Hydratant Moisturising Mask – French brand Codage formulated this revitalising mask without parabens, but with essential oils and is suitable for even the most sensitive skin (you may receive an alternative from the same brand.)

Revlon Colourburst Lip Balm – infused with mango, shea and coconut butter, this moisturising lip balm gives you a pop of colour and hydration – you can use it as a blush on your cheeks too.

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First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – a head to toe moisturiser, packed full of goodness, including liquorice root, white tea and shea butter.

Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse – apply to your face and neck after cleansing in the morning, massaging to penetrate this lightweight moisturiser deep into your cells.

Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water – gently cleanse and remove make up with this soap free and hypoallergenic cleanser.

Inside the mini magazine are the Look Fantastic team’s pick of Paris Fashion Week beauty faves, world beauty trends, recipes and other beauty insider news.

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There’s a few too many moisturisers in this box, a bit more variety would be nice but overall I quite like this month’s box.

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Are you a Look Fantastic subscriber? What are your thoughts on this month’s box?

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beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Blogger Beauty Box

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This is a beauty box designed by a blogger for bloggers and all for only £10 a month.

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It’s a pretty new venture and doesn’t yet have a whole slick website set up, and in a way, I prefer that. It feels more friendly and hands on.

It’s a really packed box, full of fab products. Many of them full size, which is always a plus in my book.

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Merumaya Eye Make-Up Remover – this skin kind remover says it removes even stubborn mascara, while not causing upset to your skin.

DHC Mineral Mask – mud mask that only takes 10 minutes to deep clean skin and brighten complexion.

Threads Sex Kitten Lashes – while I don’t wear false lashes (I don’t have the knack and have ended up with lashes on my cheeks) these feathery, soft lashes come with adhesive and would look amazing.

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Madame La La Tan – instant bronzing for your face, already swiped by my bestie for her winter glow. Not tested on animals, paraben free this builds up a bronzed finish.

Puriskin Lip Treat – a clear balm that is suitable for vegans, gluten-free, and contains lots of lovely ingredients to keep lips moisturised and soft.

Jrnaturorganics Mandarin & Chamomile Hydrating Mist and Balancing Moisturiser – designed for sensitive skin, choc full of essential oils and skin friendly natural ingredients, these tiny pots smell gorgeous too.

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beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare, vegan kind

The Vegan Kind Beauty Box Spring 2016

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Every three months TVK dispatch a beauty box of cruelty free goodies. And they’re usually all full size.

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Let’s dive in to the first box of the year.

Amie Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash – no harsh chemicals, great for sensitive skin, pH balanced, not tested on animals, smells fairly pleasant. Not sure what else you need – oh and there’s a 25% off voucher in the box.

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Saturated Colour KISStick in First Kiss (different colours in different boxes) – unfortunately this isn’t my colour, but bright colours and moisture aren’t bad.

Barry M Radiant Rod Highlighter – I use this every day, basically a gold crayon that makes me look bright and healthy. I love that Barry M is cruelty free when so many high street brands aren’t. It doesn’t cost more to be kind.

Floral Engraved Wooden Incense Holder and Sacred Elephant Sandalwood Incense – something a bit different, sandalwood is a delicious, woody scent, used all over the world.

A donation from each box sold goes to the Dr Hadwen Trust – the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity.

I really like this box, even though the lipstick isn’t my colour, and it saves me a trip to Boots for a new highlighter!

Do you subscribe to this box? Share your thoughts below.

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

Glossybox: Love is in the air

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So Glossybox loves Valentine’s Day, with a special edition, themed box.

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Five beauty products that are apparently designed to be our beauty soulmates. Randomly this may be the cheapest item selection I’ve seen – only one item tops £10.

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Nicka K New York 24hr Waterproof Eyeliner in Dark Brown – I rarely, if ever, wear eyeliner, but when I do I go for black, so this pencil won’t get much use.

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MUA Power Pout Glaze Low Voltage Gloss – there’s already been several complaints I’ve seen about this item, ranging from the low cost of it, people want items in their beauty boxes they otherwise couldn’t get, and also the rather bizarre way it’s been promoted. In the January box GB said you’d receive an email soon to select your shade, but it turns out that the email was supposedly sent in December, and not everyone (including me) received one.
Now as I don’t have a flux capacitor handy I don’t know how I’m supposed to pick a shade, but never fear, the intern will pick one not remotely based on your beauty profile – so I received a brown gloss. I’m a pale skinned, natural blonde, what use is this to me.

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers – because you can’t possibly already have tweezers.

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Naobay Protective Hair Mask Volume Conditioner – I don’t know about you but I usually do a hair mask before washing my hair, but this apparently goes on after and rinse off. I don’t have time to faff about, so this probably won’t get used much.

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Wilkinson Sword Intuition Razor – last February I got a razor in Glossybox, and look, the same thing a year later. Never mind how rude it is to assume we need to shave our legs (FYI you don’t, it’s a personal choice and I have friends who don’t), but a £7 razor doesn’t scream beauty treat to me.

Wow, is this box underwhelming. What is happening to Glossybox? Is this just stuff cluttering up the stockroom?

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