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

Glossybox – The Festival Edit

Sadly I think my days of sleeping badly in a collapsing tent in the muddiest field, trying to avoid needing the look and craning my neck to watch tiny figures on a distant stage may be behind me. I like a hot shower and a proper bed too much.

Glossybox is getting into the festival spirit in this month’s box. Which *spoiler* is a bit disappointing to me.

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There’s no special box or paper, just the standard pink and black.

Inside is a Hello Fresh voucher worth £25 – something that I probably won’t use as I can cook confidently enough and know how to shop on a budget.

The products themselves are a little disappointing.

Kueshi Anticellular Booster – what every woman needs, a reminder that you, like most of the population, might have cellulite. It’s a full size bottle too. Might use it just as leg lotion but I never believe the magically rids you of cellulite claims!

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Next up is Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes – these are quite useful as they’re handbag sized and claim to be suitable for sensitive skin.

Monuspa Rosewood Reviving Spray – I’ve never really been a fan of spray on face mists – I find they leave your skin a little greasy, although I like the concept. Will probably give this a try and see what happens.

Essence the gel nail polish – I wouldn’t have minded the mint one but I got a red/coral colour that won’t get much use. Essence is a bargain beauty brand found in Wilkinson’s, a lot of bloggers have been raving about it, but I’ve yet to test out their products myself.

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Finally, oh yes, more temporary tattoos – including the Glossybox logo should you want to brand yourself. I now have quite the collection of these, destined to never be used, as most beauty boxes seem to be flogging them this summer.

I’m fairly disappointed, Glossybox for me started out so promising but the last few have been pretty mediocre. Unless this improves, it may well be adios Glossybox.

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ramblingmads

adventures, life, music, reviews, theatre

Amanda Palmer at Union Chapel

I love music, I believe the right song at the right time can change your entire perspective. As someone with partial hearing loss (it’s genetic and will get worse) I try to make the most of the music I can still hear.

Tonight I went to Union Chapel in Islington, a beautiful church that also hosts concerts, to see Amanda Palmer perform on her last tour before she becomes someone’s mother (she’s 6 months pregnant).

I saw Amanda there about 4 or 5 years ago and that was amazing, tonight was even better. The acoustics and ambience of the building add a certain something to the proceedings.

Amanda’s shows don’t feel like a gig, more like An Evening With , as she introduces acts and brings her friend on stage to sing with her.

Kicking off proceedings is the joyful noise of London band Perhaps Contraption – a combination of a brass band with a punk aesthetic. They are tremendous fun.

Then comedian Andrew O’Neill comes on and does some very funny one liners, reads out some hilarious rejection letters and introduces Amanda.

She stands in the pulpit and sings ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’ unaccompanied, it is beautiful.

Then she descends to the piano to kick things off with ‘Astronaut’ and ‘Ampersand’ from her ‘Who Killed Amanda Palmer?’ album.

She talks about the previous night’s show – webcast live to Patreon subscribers, soon to be free to stream to everyone. She tells us tonight will be better as she can relax more. She takes requests from the audience, I ask for ‘I Google You’, but sadly there isn’t enough time to do them all. She performs some of them with her ukelele.

She reads a random extract from her book ‘The Art of Asking’, selected by an audience member, she talks about writing and her infamous Kickstarter.

Her special guest is drag performer and cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat, who is magnificent, funny, clever, joyous.

Then she brings her friend Whitney on and they do a Garfunkel and Oates song about how smug pregnant women are and a few Ask Amanda questions.

Then they do a Dresden Dolls classic – Delilah – I think I last heard her do this with Georgia from Bitter Ruin, it’s a great song.

There’s time for a Ben Folds cover and a riotous Leeds United featuring Perhaps Contraption, before the standing ovation.

The encore is a Kimya Dawson song and Ukelele Anthem.

Normally she stays and signs anything you like, but she’s pregnant, her feet are swollen and she hasn’t been off stage to pee once.

So, as this is technically a book tour, there’s a signing tomorrow evening in Waterstones.

I think it’s the relationship she has with her fans, old and new, that makes her shows feel more intimate, she’s joking and waving, knowing we’ll sing along, that we’re in on it, whatever it is.

I leave buzzing, music always seems to bring me alive a little more.

We walk to Kings Cross, down Pentonville Road, past the park where clown Joseph Grimaldi’s grave is sited, the evening faded and the wind picking up, talking about the show, about ideas it’s given us – things we’re mulling over.

The way you should be, electric from the crowd, from the rhythm. Not bad for a Tuesday.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, skincare

You Beauty Discover Box – June

My May box went AWOL in the post so skip forward to this month’s box.

This is one of the cheaper beauty boxes at £6.95 a month, so it doesn’t contain as much as others.

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You pick two of the items to be included.

I chose Sanctuary Spa’s Luxurious Body Butter and Amie’s Morning facial wash & moisturiser.

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The other items I received are ;

Urban Fruit Smashing Strawberry snack pack – this is something I buy quite a lot, dried strawberries, that taste yummy.

Clipper tea – red berries and green tea bags. Clipper teas are very nice but this is supposed to be a beauty box.

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Good to go anywhere wipes – sanitizing wet wipe, absorbent dry tissue, cleansing wet wipe trio.

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Inside their guide to your box are discount vouchers for each of the brands I could have picked from.

To be honest this wasn’t a great box – the items were a bit scatter shot and confused. Hopefully if my May box ever arrives it’ll be better!

ramblingmads

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

My Little Provence Box

After a delay in posting (don’t ask) my May MLB is finally here. Here’s my thoughts.

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Provence in France is supposed to be a beautiful place. Blue skies, fields of lavender, so it’s no surprise that My Little Box has taken inspiration from it.

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However I have my reservations about this box.

Provence is the home of cult beauty brand L’Occitane and this box feels like an homage to that company, and having recently had a sample box from L’Occitane, this felt a little repetitive (although not everyone will feel this way).

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As always the box is beautifully presented (above are my unboxing pics). Inside is a slightly confused selection.

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There have been a lot of blogger and Facebook complaints about this box, and how MLB seem to be a bit muddled about who their box is aimed up – not for the first time.

The stickers in the My Little Super Box caused the same moans, this time it’s magnets. I will most likely give them to my friend’s little girls to play with, although they are very nice, I don’t need more fridge magnets.

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Most of the actual beauty items are L’Occitane, Verbena soap, Verbena body lotion, Mer & Mistral body wash, Rose hand cream. They also included a My Little Beauty eye shadow crayon. They come in a themed mini canvas bag.

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Eye crayon - a brown with a little shimmer

The lifestyle item is a gold cuff bracelet with two shades of blue thread so you can personalise it (check out their Instagram for ideas).

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MLB are always pretty generous with the box contents – for £10 this box is worth about £40. There is also a L’Occitane voucher (that ran out on May 31st).

There is, as always, a copy of their My Little World magazine. However they’ve changed the format and now it opens out like a poster, which makes it harder to look through. There’s also a cute illustrated quote card, which will find a home on my wardrobe inspiration wall.

All in all, not thrilled with this box, I prefer a wider selection of products, not an advert for one company. Hopefully June’s box will do better. Still fancy a trip to Provence though!

ramblingmads

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

June’s Birchbox – Step Outside with French Sole

This month’s gimmick was select your box design. I went with the pick ‘n’ mix pattern.

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To be completely honest I am not impressed with this month’s selection.

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Temporary tattoos! I last wore these age 6 or 7. I am far too old and more likely to get a real one than wear these.

Another mascara – I think I get one of these every other month. I can’t even use them. There were other make up items hinted at, but no, another mascara.

Oil is an ingredient in much of the rest of the box.
Nude ProGenius treatment oil – applied after cleansing to boost skin’s hydration.
Beauty Protector Protect & Oil – hair oil that claims to protect against UV and heat damage.

English Laundry No. 7 For Her – perfume sample – adapted from a men’s fragrance, this is quite musky and a little too heavy for me.

Cowshed Body Lotion in Knackered Cow – contains essential oils of lavender and eucalyptus.

ModelCo Powerlash Black Mascara – another mascara, hot on the heels of the last one.

STYLondon Temporary Metallic Tattoos – nope, not even going there.

Bonus lifestyle item – a shoe bag designed by French Sole in matching design to the box. What a disappointing item – don’t see it getting much use.

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Not shown - temporary tattoos - they seem to have run away!

Birchbox seems to vacillate between good and pretty poor. This wasn’t my favourite by a long shot. I think they’re not entirely sure who their customers are – which is weird considering you do a questionnaire on the site.

ramblingmads

adventures, life, reviews, theatre

Fat Sam’s Grand Slam…

One of my greatest loves in life is the theatre, I wanted to be an actress but have crippling stage fright so I have to settle for a seat in the audience.

Last night we went to the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith to see their fabulous production of Alan Parker’s Bugsy Malone.

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Previously thought to be un-stageable, the Lyric’s talented director Sean Hughes and his cast of future megastars proved that completely wrong.

As in the film that introduced Jodie Foster to the world, all the roles are played by child actors, and let me tell you, I highly expect these insanely talented kids to go far.

From their breathtaking dance routines, to the (mostly) flawless American accents, to the beautiful singing voices (the girl playing Blousey Brown stood out in particular) and the brilliant comic asides from Fat Sam himself, this was one hell of a show and they deserved every second of the standing ovation.

I wasn’t applauding because ‘Aww look at how cute they are’, I was applauding incredible talent, which comes in all shapes and sizes(and ages).

Yes, most of them attend drama classes or stage school (as I did for a bit) but so do dozens of other young performers, and sadly some of them will never stand on a professional stage.

So hats off to the cast of Bugsy, and if you’re in or near London, go, it’s a great theatre, a fantastic show, and the tickets are £15. What more could you want?

ramblingmads

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

Glossybox – Summer’s Calling

May’s Glossybox finally arrived and it’s themed with some of this summer’s biggest trends and products.

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MeMeMe Enchanted Eyes Dual Ended Eye Wand – blue eyeliner is a big trend for this summer and this full size features two shades. Both have a slight glittery shimmer to them and being a crayon are soft and easy to apply.

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Etre Belle Aloe Vera Ultra Moisturizing Gel – 40ml full size product. Aloe Vera is so skin friendly and soothes all manner of irritations from sun burn to nettle stings. This fits perfectly into a beach bag or picnic box so you can refresh and calm your skin on the go.

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Zerreau Towel Off Shampoo Foam – new generation of dry shampoo. Wash your hair without water. Apply to scalp, massage in, towel dry and voila! Great idea for camping, festivals or staying somewhere with iffy showers!

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Sass Intimate Perfect Skin Concentrate – this post-shave concentrate has been formulated to soothe the skin and reduce the chances of ingrown hairs, getting your legs summer ready, even if like me, they don’t get much sun (way too pale!)

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Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Refreshing & Refining Moisturiser – philosophy is a brand I’ve always liked, except for its prices. The full size of this moisturiser is £35.50 which is just too much to justify. However a great sample to play with. This claims to reduce the appearance of lines, discoloration and uneven texture. I will certainly be testing its claims.

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ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, skincare

L’Occitane Taste of Provence box

There’s a group on Facebook called Battle of the Boxes, full of women who buy and review beauty boxes and they are a sweet, funny, generous bunch. Frequently offering make up goodies or other treats to one another.
Recently I took advance of such an offer and got myself a free box of mini L’Occitane goodies.

If you don’t know what L’Occitane is, it’s a French beauty company based in Provence that focuses on quality and natural ingredients.

I’ve never bought any of their products, due to price mostly, but love when magazines give away free handcreams from them.

However, their new eau de parfum launching in June is so nice I may have to treat myself.

Onto the box. This is a sample box, but even though everything’s mini, there’s a lot to play with.

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The almond hand cream smells delicious, and is rich and creamy but not greasy on.

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The foot cream, currently soaking into my toes, is also rich and smooth, smells good and hasn’t left a greasy residue on my hands.

There’s a Verbena leaf soap, which I haven’t opened, as well as Verbena shower gel and body lotion, both of which are delicately scented.

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Also in this little box is a voucher for £10 off a £25 spend in store or online, which I may well take advantage of (hand cream and perfume most likely).

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Finally a tiny sachet of lavender seeds, which you plant as it is, in the hope that lavender, a fairly stubborn plant to grow (I have 2 and they hate me) will bloom under London’s grey skies not Provence’s blue, sun-filled ones.

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ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, nails inc, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – Heart Beauty Essentials

Latest in Beauty’s latest collaboration is with radio station Heart FM.

The box contains a mix of 13 full and sample size products. £18.95 + P&P.

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Nails Inc. Gel Effect Hyde Park Place

Kneipp Devil’s Claw Herbal Bath

Green People Sun Lotion SPF15 with Tan Accelerator

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bareMinerals Complexion Rescue

philosophy 3 in 1 cleanser

Wild About Beauty Eye Shadow in 08 Polly

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Vichy Idealia Life Serum

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels

Dove Youthful Vitality Shampoo & Conditioner

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Balance Me Radiance Face Mask

Le Couvent des Minimes Cloisters Hand Cream

Amie Hydrating Daily Moisturiser

Face Cloth

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And if you enter the coupon code HAIRSPRAY you get this free.

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The only link to Heart (which my dad listens to!) is the heart shaped face cloth (which expands in water -haven’t seen one of these since I was a kid).

Overall it’s a nice selection of things, and definitely worth the money as some of these items on their own are quite pricey (Nails Inc I’m looking at you!)

Next up from LiB is the Glamour Beauty Edit box for Summer. Will you be buying it? Or the Heart box?

Are you a member of the Libbie Club? (I’ve applied).

Let me know in the comments.

ramblingmads

books, reviews

Book Review – Saving Grace by Jane Green

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Grace seems to have a charmed life, married to a successful writer, a beautiful daughter, a career of her own, a wonderful house, good looks and great friends.

Her husband’s assistant has left, and she hires a replacement, slowly Grace’s perfect life begins to unravel.

Can she find her happiness again?

I really liked this book, Grace is a Brit in America, much like the author, and has a wry take on Americans.

The book covers a lot more complexities than the cover suggests, which is something that often happens with fiction written by women.

Grace’s story encompasses mental illness, cuckoos in the nest, love, trust, friendship, going home and the quest for real happiness.

I don’t want to give too much away, because I want people to read it, but it’s a really good read, just ignore the girlie, simplified cover and enjoy.

ramblingmads