beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

You Beauty Discovery Box

You Beauty is an off-shoot from the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine.

The box is £6.95, significantly cheaper than most beauty boxes. You only get four sample size products however.

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Yours Truly Organics Fix Me! Repairing Serum sachet, Tisserand Aromatherapy Bath Oil, Deborah Mitchell Heaven Chamomile Desensitizing Hydrogel & Linwood’s Milled Flaxseed, cocoa & berries sachet.

There’s also a card offering you an opportunity to win a luxury spa day and a booklet about all the products you could have had in your box.

Their USP is that you can select two of the items, however things go very fast and I didn’t have a huge selection to choose from.

I think this is an OK starter beauty box and not all of the brands were familiar to me. If you’re interested, check out May’s options here.

ramblingmads

make up, reviews, skincare

Beauty Boxes: Naturisimo

This is a one off box of organic make up and skincare, I ordered it after seeing it on Which Beauty Box UK a really good blog all about beauty boxes.

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It’s a small box, should fit through most letterboxes.

Inside is a selection of sample sized items.

Jane Iredale Mascara

Inti Ultimate Lip Tint in candy

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Tint

Bella Pierre Cosmetics Kabuki brush

Madara Moon Flower Rose Beige & Golden Beige tintinflg fluid sachets.

The Green People Tinted SPF15 Moisturiser sachet

The mascara is really hard to open, the cheek tint so pale I can’t see it on my skin, the lip tint is sheer but very soft.

Haven’t tried any of the sachets yet, and I already have 3 kabuki brushes (not sure how!) but will keep it in case any of my others start moulting.

I think that it is a nice little introduction to see organic skincare and beauty brands, I had only heard of the Green People before, and if that is important to you, then this a good box.

The products are small but would do well in a handbag for touch-ups although I don’t think the sachets are good as there’s probably only one use in each of them.

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If you’re interested the box is available here .

ramblingmads

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

Latest in Beauty Clinique British Beauty Blogger Edit

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Contains: Liquid Facial Soap, Moisture Surge, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, Take the Day Off Make-up Remover, High Impact Mascara, Happy perfume & Chubby Stick in Plumped Up Pink.

Bonus; £10 voucher for Clinique.co.uk
Free make up/skincare test and free gift.

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I really like Clinique products but the price tag puts me off splashing out too often. I like the fact that they’re allergen free, contain no perfumes or any other nasties that set off my sensitive skin.

This box, curated by the British Beauty Blogger, has a nice mixture of sample sized skincare plus a full size mascara and chubby stick.

I love a chubby stick, but this one is very pink so might not get used as much as some of the others I’ve acquired.

At the moment this box is sold out on Latest in Beauty as it is hugely popular. But if you’re interested in it, keep an eye on the website for a re-stock.

The £10 voucher is a nice touch, allowing you to buy your favourite product at a discount, direct from Clinique. The other bonus item is a free skincare or make up session at a Clinique counter plus a mystery free gift. Again, this is nice, it means you can test out more products and see how they work in combination.

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The box was £19.95 but contents value is about £45 according to my very quick research.

If you’re a fan of Clinique or looking to test the products this is a nice, easy way to do it.

ramblingmads

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

My Little Dream Box

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This month’s My Little Box finally put in an appearance (thanks Mr Postie) and it’s a good un. The theme is dreams and they’ve curated a really lovely box.

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The packaging is gorgeous, they pay a lot of attention to details.

Inside is a selection of lifestyle and beauty products.

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As well as the usual My Little Magazine, there’s a cute cotton bag containing a My Little Beauty branded hair mask, Lip Balm Loved By Lou Lesage in a creamy rouge, Soft Perfumes by Sabe Masson in Copacabana (a solid perfume stick).

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It also includes two lifestyle items. A necklace in a cloud, which when opened is a charm necklace with ‘Bonne Etoile’ engraved on it. Another cute packet contains a stamp pad and rotating stamp with 12 different designs.

In total the box is worth £58 but I only paid £13 including P&P.

At the moment this is far and away my favourite beauty box. They are always beautifully put together and a good mix of beauty and lifestyle items. The box itself is sweet and reusable, so less rubbish is generated. It doesn’t have the largest selection of beauty products but they’re all fullsize this month.

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

Birchbox – A Royally Good Box

This month Birchbox is celebrating the fact that a woman who married into a dynasty full of cousin marriages, dodgy relatives and scandals is fertile enough to get pregnant with a ‘spare’ heir to the throne.

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As you can probably guess I’m a bit cynical about the Royal Family and think the obsessing over them is a bit insane.

Anyway, back to the beauty box.

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I got the blue box but some were pink. Presumably they contained the same stuff, which didn’t include a mascara (thank heavens – every other one seemed to). Instead there was a little cloth bag containing:

Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleansing sample – I’ve got a couple of these now – not tried it yet.

Percy & Reed No Oil Hair Oil sample – I’ve used this before and it’s OK, but I prefer my Argan Oil.

Laura Mercier primer sample size, this month you could choose a Laura Mercier product and as the others were mascara and eyeliner I picked this.

Exclusive to Birchbox Lola nail polish in the ubiquitous nude shade (it’s everywhere at the moment)

Korres Bergamot Pear Bodymilk – sample size. The packaging is quite sweet, couldn’t get the foil seal off for that all important sniff test!

And a Befine warming clay face mask instead of the slightly rubbish ‘lifestyle item’ (last month it was a chapter sample of a novel & a teeny tiny note pad).

To be honest I was pretty sure it was all over for Birchbox as last month’s was really disappointing, but this one is a lot better. I can see myself using the products and the box is a good size for reuse. This was the standard size box but a letterbox size is also available.

P.S use this link to get yours 🙂

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, skincare

Glossybox – Hollywood Glamour

This month’s Glossybox is themed around Old School Hollywood Glamour, from Marilyn Monroe to the Hepburns, via Elizabeth Taylor and other fabulous women.

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The box is quite pretty with Monroe pouting on the front, inside is a quote from Taylor, the presentation is all very pretty but unfortunately the contents had shifted in transit and escaped from the tissue paper and ribbon.

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There are five products inside, again inspired by the glamour of Hollywood’s hey day.

Lord & Berry lipstick crayon in Kiss – meant to be the red of Monroe’s perfect pout. I like an eye crayon and adore Clinique’s chubby sticks for lips so certainly will give this a try.

Astral Original face and body moisturiser – a classic product, still made to the same formula since the 50s. I am very fussy about my moisturiser, and this is not one I’ve tried, although I’m sure my mum used to.

POP Beauty Kajal Eyeliner Pen – kohl pencil in sooty black with a sponge at one end to smudge your line. As frequent readers will know I am not very confident about eyeliner, and there are hundreds of unused eyeliners in my make up past.

Colour Club barely there nail polish – another nude polish – they are literally everywhere. The decal on the bottle is a mess, and the colour is one I have several variations of at the moment.

Nougat London Soothing Bath Pearls – baths don’t happen in my flat – there isn’t one. This smells quite nice and will probably work well as a foot soak too.

Not overly enamoured with this box to be honest, feels a bit repetitive, would be nice to see unusual brands and colours, I think the first Glossybox I had was the best.

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ramblingmads

beauty boxes, healthy, lifestyle, mindfulness, reviews, skincare, yoga

BuddhiBox – review

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BuddhiBox is a yoga lover’s beauty and lifestyle box from the US.

They don’t currently ship to the UK as a subscription but you can buy the boxes through Etsy. Which doesn’t make a huge amount of sense and costs a lot more than the equivalent on their website, before shipping.

I also had to pay a hefty customs charge, which means until there’s an easier way to order this box, I probably won’t again. Which is a shame because their Instagram is full of lovely things included in their monthly boxes.

Anyway, back to this one.

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It’s not a huge box but it is quite full. I said I didn’t mind which box I got, this is March’s. April’s is curated by a yogi called Jo and contains different items.

I received a small pot of rosewater ghee face & skin cream, which intrigues me as ghee is more commonly used in Indian cooking.

An organic sanitizer spray for use after yoga to kill any bacteria that transfers from the mat to your hands. I recommend giving your yoga mat a spritz of anti-bac every now and then and hanging it outside every now and then to air it so that feet smell doesn’t linger. This will probably end up in my bag, I like to carry hand sanitizer when commuting.

A fancy bottle of nail polish in Namaste, this has no formaldehyde and other not very pleasant chemicals and is a nude shade.

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There was also a small yoga strap, which is used to assist with poses.

A small malas or Buddhist prayer bead bracelet to aid in meditation.

A recipe card for a dish called kitchari, which seems to be a bit like dhal with mung beans and rice.

A yoga pose card – tree pose, which is one of my favourite poses as it’s a big stretch to the sky and you have to focus to maintain your balance.

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The card listing the box’s contents has a great quote on it “you are the sky. Everything else is just weather” – Pema Chodron. 

Loose leaf oolong tea, custom blended for BuddhiBox. It also has a reusable muslin tea bag, which is a clever idea. I don’t drink black tea or coffee, mostly just water and herbal teas so this will come in useful.

There are a couple of business cards from the different companies involved – some with discounts and then the randomest item. A temporary tattoo.

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I don’t really get the need for this item and would have preferred something else. This seems to be a bit of a trend because I’ve had at least one beauty box recently with temporary tattoos in them. I remember they were all the rage the summer I was 9, I think a cereal company were giving them away, but I don’t see many grown women feeling the need.

All in all it’s a bit mixed and not all of the items seem connected to yoga or meditation. As I said at the start this was pretty expensive so I’m a little disappointed at the contents. Hopefully they’ll start shipping internationally through their website soon and the prices will be comparative to the US.

ramblingmads

beauty, make up, reviews, skincare

Gaya Cosmetics Review

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Gaya is an Italian vegan (no animals were tested upon) cosmetics firm newly launched in the UK. At the moment their products are only available on Amazon. Their range includes skincare, make up and those all important brushes. 

Quick disclaimer: I was lucky enough to be invited to test two of their products in the run up to their full UK launch but my review here will be unbiased and my honest opinion of the products I tested.

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Primer  (£32.99) – this is not something I regularly use so I was interested in seeing what difference this would make to my make up routine and application.
The bottle is rather pleasing to look at, not too fussy a design – simple and elegant. A lot of my make up lots like either a kid’s colouring set (I do love an eye crayon or a chubby stick) or incredibly plain and boring, except all the glitter. This looks grown up and makes a nice addition to the dressing table (in my case, shelf).

I had to pump the nozzle a few times before anything came out, but as this was the first use I actually rather preferred that to it all oozing out.

You only need a really tiny amount so this will last ages, I applied it with my fingers, but you could use a sponge if you prefer.

It went on very easily, and left a smooth, soft finish. I applied it as per the directions, over my moisturiser, and it added another layer of moisture to my dry skin.

It did make applying my CC cream and foundation smoother, my moisturiser soaks in fast so this left a smooth, silky surface to work with.

I have really sensitive skin and this did not cause any upset, which was definitely a bonus to me. I will probably use it again and may even decide to buy it once I run out.

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The other item I was given to try was an eyeshadow powder in shade F23 (£12.99 currently discounted  – normally £18). This is a light gold/bronze shade, there is a wide range of other colours to choose from.

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As I like to layer my eyeshadow up, this was a great colour to work with.

Again the packaging is rather elegant with a wooden lid embossed in gold. This will also look grown up and rather attractive on the dressing table or shelf.

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The only problem I had was that as the pot was super packed with powder I had trouble getting it out of the tiny holes. I usually use eyeshadows in cake form, either in a palette or solo, whereas this was a very fine powder.

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Using a soft eyeshadow brush, not a sponge applicator, I swept it over my lids, building up the colour in layers. Finished with gold glitter liner and mascara, my eyes looked bright but not overdone or too heavy for daytime.

The pot is very generously filled, so you definitely get your money’s worth. Again I will most probably continue to use it, but may not purchase it as I own other eyeshadows in similar shades.

These are not cheap products but I feel you get value for money. From a quick google of their ingredients it looks like they go for quality and as they are vegan, not tested on animals and in good quality packaging, it’s understandable. I don’t know if I would willingly spend the money but you get what you pay for.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, clean eating, food, healthy, lifestyle, recipes, skincare

The Vegan Kind Mystery Box

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So a little box of treats winged its wayt to me from Glasgow.

I am trying to eat better and stay away from chemical heavy cosmetics and beauty products so I thought The Vegan Kind’s boxes would be worth a look.

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This is apparently a mystery box, presumably they are themed. This one contained several edible things and a body wash.

There was a pouch of pear puree which went into my herbalife shake along with a banana.

The red banana powder is something I already use and like, so this was a bonus as it’s not particularly cheap.

The gingerbread topper mix – designed for I think granola or muesli will either end up in a shake or on a fruit salad.

Quinoa crisps which I will try during the week with some quark dip.

Teabags – I like a herbal tea every now and then – so these will be drunk at some point.

Recipe card – what a lovely idea, including a recipe card so you can make something tasty – this one’s for a super green smoothie.

Finally the Organic Surge shower gel – started using this yesterday – smells amazing and really cleansing. And it’s a generous full-size bottle not a dinky sample.

I’ve also ordered their vegan beauty box to test out, will review once it’s delivered.

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ramblingmads

beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

March Glossybox Review

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March’s Glossybox arrived today, so let’s take a look inside. The theme seems to be pink and black.

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NCLA nail polish in Like…Totally Valley Girl. This is very pink and I don’t really feel I will get much use from it.

Sleek Make Up Pout Paint in Rosette – another really pink product. Although giving it an experimental squeeze produced clear, very sticky, goop.

Essence Lash Princess Volume Mascara – clearly beauty box companies think we can never have enough mascara. The bottle’s pretty but due to the extreme sensitivity of my eyes I doubt this will be for me – one for the Give and Make Up box I’m putting together.

Naobay Moisturizing Peeling milk – apparently this is designed for removing dead skin from your face. Will have to give it a go.

Dove Youthful Vitality Shampoo and Conditioner for ageing hair – I am 28, as is my hair (I was born with a full head of dark curls that gradually went blonde) I am not ageing. My mum will be getting these – she’s almost 60 and was complaining about her thin hair the other day!

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All in all a mixed box. Next month is crunch time, which box will I keep and which will be cancelled?

Apparently next month’s Glossybox is inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood. As my profile pic is Rita Hayworth, that should be (hopefully) right up my street.

ramblingmads