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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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

beauty, giveaway, make up, nail polish, skincare

Mystery Make Up Giveaway

So, thought I’d have a little giveaway. All you have to do to enter is guess how many items are in this bag and then you could win the lot!

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The winner will be picked entirely at random, name quite literally out of a hat, on Friday.

The boring bit: this giveaway is not associated with any of the featured items or brands. It is not in relation to Instagram or WordPress. The decision of the winner is up to fate and cannot be bribed. The winner has a week from the draw to get in touch and claim their prize. The results will be posted separately. Only people who follow my blog can enter. Entries on Instagram do not count. You can only enter once. International. Thank you.

So look really hard at this picture (the same one is on Instagram as well). Make a guess and it could be you!

ramblingmads

beauty, make up, skincare

Splashing Out!

Not really.

Popped into town to pick up a few bits and post some things. Haven’t been into Superdrug in a while. Having seen lovely ladies like Rachel & Tifa talk about MUA make up on their blogs and IG made me want to check it out and having binned a load of slightly tragic looking eye shadows recently I was keen to pick up some new ones.

Superpdrug has had a bit of a face lift and expanded their selection of make up brands, so I had a quick browse.

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MUA is currently on an offer – spend £8 get a free 5th birthday palette so I picked up a couple of things.

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I really like this marble effect palette, it jumped out at me on the shelf. It’s not something I’ve picked up before.

I usually go for quite pinky blusher, but this peachy toned one appealed as a summer change, put a bit of sun into my pale skin.

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Previous eye palettes have been full of colours I never wear, my attraction to rainbows is a growing problem, so going for a neutral toned palette is very un-me. But probably a lot more practical for every day.

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This is the birthday palette, which I think is a nice mix of colours and will probably get used a fair bit.

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Annoyingly Superdrug didn’t have the Barry M product I wanted or the Bourjois one either, so I also went to Boots.

Boots have got a 3 for 2 offer on all skincare so I picked up some must-have items.

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Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Night Treatment Gel is essentially a miracle worker. Smear it on before bed, it absorbs quickly and stops any spots from sneaking through, especially useful around my period when my skin decides it belongs to a greasy teenage boy.

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Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Anti-Aging Smoothing Lotion is a mouthful of a product name but a magic product for less than a fiver. I smooth it on my arms before bed (I am very slippery at night with all my lotions and potions) and it has reduced the existence of those horrid ‘chicken skin’ bumps also known as keratosis pilaris or kp. While it doesn’t treat it completely, my arms are less red, lumpy and smoother than before. I tried it after Sali Hughes recommended it in her column.

Boots did have the Barry M product I wanted – a recent addition to the range. This highlighter crayon, which comes highly recommended and as I’ve not really bothered too much with highlighters in the past, I thought it might be worth a go. There’s an offer on Barry M nail polish, but I managed to resist.

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I also grabbed a miniature Palmer’s Original Cocoa Butter for my handbag to dab on those dry patches when out and about.

However I managed to forget conditioner, which is annoying as I’ll have to go back.

The one product nowhere seems to stock is Bourjois Magic Nail Care, a pot you dip your fingers in which contains a nail strengthener and cuticle oil. My nails are very brittle and nothing I’ve tried has stopped them splitting and tearing. If anyone spots this in a high street shop or department store, please let me know. I’ve only found it on Beauty Mart but would rather not have to pay shipping for a £6 item.

I can’t really splurge too much at the moment as I’ve ordered another cheeky beauty box, and bought a made to order skirt. But hopefully I’ll be able to get to the new Lush on Oxford Street to see all their unique items and treat myself at some point in June so stay tuned.  

ramblingmads

buddhibox, lifestyle boxes, reviews, skincare, yoga

BuddhiBox – May + socks!

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I ordered this through Etsy as international subscriptions are not currently available. It cost £20 but contents comes to approx £60.

I wanted April’s Goddess Yoga box but sadly so many of the items were out of stock so I got May’s instead.

– Sweat house Brands yoga towel and saucha spray – keeps your yoga mat fresh.

– Frisky Fish essential oil blend with lemon & lavender. Smells amazing.

– Below the Oak solid perfume in Vixen. I do like solid perfume and this one is subtle and warm.

– Lasting Smiles Peppermint Creme lip balm. I can’t get the lid off! But an organic, cruelty free lip balm is a win in my book.

– Poppy & Elle set of 3 headbands.

– Amazing Grass shake mix – super healthy blend of fruit, veg, greens and plant proteins.

– Go Macro cashew caramel snack bar – gluten free, vegan, macrobiotic. Not 90% dates ( which is brilliant as I’m sick of all the dates in health bars).

– Yokibics four AM meditation downloads.

– Recipe card – date and almond chocolates

– yoga pose card – bird of paradise

– inspirational quote card

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I also got the toe socks from the April box as an apology for not being able to send me the box I asked for, which is very sweet and unexpected.

I do think this box is very good value for money, and you don’t have to be a yoga bunny to appreciate it. I just hope they start offering international subscriptions soon and then I won’t miss out. 

ramblingmads

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

The Vegan Kind – Beauty Boxes

Shipped every 3 months, price £18.95 inc. P&P.

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This month’s box contains;

– Sophyto Total Protection Serum. This is apparently step 4 of 5 in the skincare routine recommended by this firm. So that’s confusing.

– Greenfrog Botanic Geranium & Peppermint body wash. This smells nice and has been added to my shower gel line up in the bathroom.

– Zkin sensitive skin sample pack.

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Four samples of the products in this range. Cream Cleanser, Smoothing Serum, Relief Moisturiser, Brightening & Hydrating Masque.

– Lunar Lights Harvest Moon highlighter. A very pale, irredescent gold highlighter. Perfect on my very pale skin.

– Crazy Rumors HibisKiss lip gloss in Sunset. An orangey red colour that smells nice too.

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Highlighter & gloss swatches

I also get The Vegan Kind monthly snack box as part of my eating better plan (I’m not vegan but I don’t eat red meat and pork makes me nauseous).

In those boxes you receive a selection of food items and a lifestyle one (I’ve had body wash, hand wash and a bamboo toothbrush).

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This month's snack box

Check out their website or social media for more info.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, latest in beauty, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – Little Bath Box

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This was a random purchase (especially as I don’t have a bath tub) but would make a great present.

It contains several products that I will definitely make some use of.

– 3 sachets of Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask.

– Roques Oneil Therapie Himalayan Detox Salts.

– Kneippe Herbal Bath Balancing in Lavender.

– Orange and Clove 100% Plant Wax candle.

– Sanctuary Spa White Lily & Damask Rose Body Lotion.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, birchbox, make up, reviews, skincare

May Birchbox – Free Your Mind

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This month’s theme is Free Your Mind and so Birchbox have sent out a colour-it-yourself box.

Personally I think they’re just jumping on the adult colouring book fad, which I do as part of treating my anxiety but isn’t for everyone. This box feels both try-hard and lazy at the same time.

On to the contents.

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As well as your booklet on the items this month’s cloth bag features;

– Mirenesse Mattfinity Lip Rouge in a deep pink. Weirdly it seems to have dried up despite never having been opened so I’m not really impressed.

– Lumiere d’hiver reconstructing face masque in a sachet. It says it’s 100% vegan but worryingly for me the second ingredient is a form of alcohol, which I try to avoid in skin products as it has drying properties that inflame eczema and sensitive skin.

– Parlor Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray – this has been discussed on a lot of blogs and there seems to be a concern about whether this will wreck your hair or give you the tousled surfer babe waves it promises. Sea water is not your hair’s best friend and neither is salt so I totally get the questions. I have to quite naturally wavy hair so it’s hard to tell if it had any effect. My furry assistants thought the noise it made was interesting but less so than their dinner. So the jury’s still out.

-RMK Point Make Up Remover. This is a Japanese brand and helpfully no one translated the information on the bottle and my kanji reading skills are non-existent. It’s an oil remover, which have become increasingly popular but I’m still not sure about. The last one I tried made no difference to my skin and still needed a cream cleanser to actually take my make up off! However after the hand incident (see next product) I used this to remove the make up with just a tissue so maybe oils need another go round!

– Caudalie Vinoperfect Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 in 01 Light. I am very pale and this is way too dark for me. As you can see in the below photo of my hand. I squeezed a blob out that could coat my entire hand but be way too obvious, not something I want for a product designed to be subtle.

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This month’s ‘choose your own’ product was from a line up of WAH nails items. I chose a nail art pen as I have so many polishes and don’t wear stick on nails. I haven’t had a chance to play with it yet but it is a very deep blue so I’m not 100% sure which nail polishes it would work well with.

– Finally the lifestyle item. A pack of 6 mini colouring pencils to decorate your box with. Needless to say I think that’s pretty pants. None of the decorated boxes on their Instagram were done using just the six colours and some were done with pens and paints. Pencils cost pennies. It would have been nice to have something that spoke a little more to the theme.

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Do you subscribe to Birchbox? What did you think of this month’s products?

  

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

You Beauty Limited Edition CEW Awards

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This is a limited edition box in conjunction with the CEW Beauty Awards.

At £19.95, it’s not a bad price considering how packed it is.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer sample size

Benefit They’re Real! Push-up Liner sample

Vita Liberta Luxury Tan sample and applicator mitt

Aurelia Miracle Cleanser sachet

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara sample

Encore Noire Sport pour homme sample (men’s smellies in a women’s box?!?!)

Bee Good Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser sample bottle with face cloth and 20% off voucher.

Elemis pro-collagen marine cream full size (30 ml)

Dr Organic Bioactive Skincare Organic Snail Cream full size (50ml) – not suitable for vegans, contains snail secretions but no snails are harmed.

20% voucher for M&S selected beauty and fragrance

Booklet about the products.

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Plenty of things to try, including two full size products. Definitely worth the cost, as long as you make use of them!

Get yours here and remember it’s limited edition so they won’t last.

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