Category: skincare

beauty, beauty boxes, fun stuff, lifestyle boxes, my little box, reviews, skincare

My Little Box – Fresh Start

ramblingmads

This is January’s MLB, better late than never! 

Instead of the standard box, this month is a canvas bag, designed to be reusable. 

Inside are a variety of things designed to help you start afresh in a new year. 

There’s a cute little journal, without dates, so you can start it whenever. 

There’s a cute printed infinity scarf or snood. 

The final lifestyle item is a set of inspirational postcards, suggesting ways to get fresh starts in the different aspects of your life. 

Then there’s the selection of beauty treats. 

Merci Handy Holy Mint Toothpaste – I’ve only had antibacterial hand gel from this brand before and I’m really particular about toothpaste so I don’t know whether I’ll use this. 

Garnier Ultimate Blends Strength Restorer Balm – this is a tiny sample of hair mask containing royal jelly and honey.  I’ll hang on to it for a really bad hair day. 

My Little Beauty Boost Yourself Body Cream & Sweet Hand Cream – two items from MLB’s own beauty range. These both snell inoffensive and having had several other skincare items from this range I know they’re pretty standard stuff. 

MLB has decided to scrap their My Little World magazine for good, in favour of things like the inspiration postcards and journal. 

The box is back next month, which is good as the bag is all well and good but required extra packaging to keep it safe.

 

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

Glossybox Edible Edit

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For a box called the Edible Edit in conjunction with comedian Bella Younger’s Instagram alter ego Deliciously Stella, there’s not even a tube of fruit pastilles inside. 

Instead there’s a range of beauty products (mostly skincare) which contain Edible ingredients, just don’t take a nibble.  

Nip & Fab Kale Fix Moisturiser – with kale, watercress and almond oil to enrich and protect skin and aloe vera and shea butter to soothe and smooth. 

The Balm Meet Matt (e) Trimony Single Eyeshadow – in an aubergine (eggplant for my US readers) shade this teeny, tiny sample shadow is velvety soft. 

Vitamasques Manuka Honey Face Mask – Korean sheet masks were a big thing in beauty last year and it looks set to continue as a trend. This one is infused with the most expensive honey you can buy to nourish and love your skin.  

Unani Illuminate Milk Cleanser – full of natural skin loving oils to purify and protect your skin as they remove make up. 

Hairon Zero Crease Hair Tie – not entirely sure how these fit the theme but there you go.  I actually hate these hair ties, for some reason they get snared and tangled in my hair, so my sister will be getting these.  

This will be my last Glossybox for a while as I need to save a little money and use up my stash, which is getting out of control. 

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

Birchbox Merry & Bright 

ramblingmads

This month’s Birchbox has arrived. Instead of the classic box they’ve sent a pop top style box, which they claim can be used as a keepsake box. However it is smaller than the usual box and I can’t really work out what I’d keep in it. 

Inside are five beauty items – they tie into the colour scheme rather neatly. 
💋Ciatè London Fierce Flicks Eyeliner (fullsize RRP  £15) – felt tip style eyeliners are my preferred kind, mostly because I can’t quite handle gel and I have never managed to get a decent line from a kohl pencil. 

💋Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara (RRP £23) – I’m not entirely sure what makes this specifically a smokey eye mascara but there you go. 

💋Benefit Cosmetics Benetint  (RRP £24.50) – teeny tiny Benefit samples I’ve had a few. I used to love benetint but I haven’t used it in years. 

💋Leighton Denny Nail Polish in Just Perfect (fullsize RRP  £12) – this is a really baby pink polish which I really don’t see getting used. Which is a shame as these are good quality polishes. 

💋Amie Skincare New Leaf Deep Pore Exfoliating Polish (RRP £5.95) – this uses rice proteins to exfoliate away dead skin cells rather than nasty plastic beads so yay. Plus this range gets on well with sensitive skin – I just wish it was a bigger bottle. 

This box was a bit mixed, it’s nice that the colours all tie together and I will definitely get some use out of most of the contents which is nice, especially considering the very hit and miss year Birchbox has had. 

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

Glossybox December 

ramblingmads

The seasonal Glossybox has arrived all white and gold. 

Inside are five fullsize products. 

MDMFLOW Semi-matte lipstick in Vamp – subscribers were invited to pick their choice between two shades for this month’s box. I went for this plum shade over the nude option as I quite like a statement lip. Wearing glasses means no matter what I do with my eye makeup it doesn’t really show but a bold lip pops  every time. 

Essence Light Up Your Face Luminizer Palette – other bloggers have said that Glossybox used to be packed full of high end cosmetics – well now it’s full of budget options like this. Essence is stocked in Wilko and this is £3. It’s also really too dark for my skin. If I used this, my face would just look dirty. 

Collection Cosmetics Define & Perfect Eyebrow Powder – another budget choice and another that seems aimed at someone else. This is just frustrating. I’ve told them I’m blonde and that includes my eyebrows but no – more brunette products. Having said that this is a nice slim brush but the rattling noise it makes worries me. 

Lipcote – my mum uses this to secure her lipstick but I found it unpleasantly tacky last time I used it. But I am going to try it again as I think I eat an awful lot of lipstick. 

Revlon Nail Enamel in Valentine – an old school vampy red polish in Revlon’s iconic bottle. 
This box was a bit hit and miss. All the products are fullsize and I like the colours of the polish and lipstick but the rest is a bit ‘meh’. Hopefully next year there will be a better mix of items, and not just the cheap end of the range. 

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

#LFXmas 

ramblingmads

Look Fantastic’s December box has arrived and it’s rose gold decor lines up with one of the big trends for 2016. 

The new issue of Elle was also included – The feminist issue – because feminism only matters once a year *eyeroll* 


Inside are six beauty products collated for the party season. 

💋Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer – part primer, part hydrating moisturiser, this is designed to create a flawless base for your make up. While I am pretty wedded to my Soap & Glory primer at the moment, I might just try this out – just a shame it’s such a tiny pot. 👎

💋Philip Kingsley Elasticizer – this has been in dozens of beauty boxes this year and has never made any difference to my hair. 🙁 It’s supposed to give my hair a boost and make it shiny. But no. 👱

💋Balance Me Pure Skin Face Wash – with grapefruit oil to gently cleanse the skin and keep skin happy. 🍑

💋Bubble T Bath Bomb – why don’t I have a bath tub? Why? Sadly this is completely wasted on me. With Hibiscus and Acai Berry, Goji Berry, vitamins A and C, this is a super soak for party weary body and soul. 🍒

💋Skin Republic Caviar and CoQ10 Face Mask – yes this contains fish eggs but 2016 beauty trends have included some weird things (like snail gel). It also contains Vitamin E, Witch Hazel and CoQ10 to fight blemishes and boost skin health. If you can get your head around smearing fish eggs on your face. 🐟

💋Mellow Cosmetics Lipstick in Madness – a matte formula in a rather nice red, although not as deep red as I’d like. Long lasting with smooth application full of pigment and polish. 💄

All in all I quite like this box even if the elasticizer and bath bomb are more miss than hit. 
 

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Bow’s Beauty Box 

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“Brown paper packaging tied up with string – these are a few of my favourite things” so sang Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. 

This new beauty box, curated by two bloggers, just launched on etsy, is very well wrapped in brown paper and string with a candy cane as well. 

Inside this neat little package are five beauty items.

– technic Colour Mix Cream Corrector Palette  – I’m never sure what colour corrector to buy in the shops but this palette has eight different colours to correct a multitude of sins.  

Pure Potions Skin Salvation Intensely Moisturising Ointment – suitable for sensitive and stressed out skin (conditions including eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis etc). My angry skin might just have found a new friend. 

Earth Conscious Natural Deodorant in Spice – this coconut oil based, cruelty free, organic deodorant smells like Christmas and is a bit too strong for me. But if you’re allergic or irritated by conventional products, this might work for you. 

Dr Botanical Japanese Orange Superfood Facial Oil – a vegan oil for your face, designed to renew and refresh tired skin. Smells fairly nice too. 

 Mitimo Natural 512 Avocado Seed Facial Essence Mask – Korean skincare has blown up in 2016 and sheet masks like this are everywhere. Infused with Avocado seed, aloe vera extract and other skin loving ingredients, this mask is designed to deep cleaning skin and leave you looking all fresh faced and shiny. 

For a brand new beauty box put together without the backing of a big firm this is a great start. At the moment they don’t have a subscription plan but considering they’re all sold out, that’s presumably in the plans. 

beauty, beauty boxes, ethics, reviews, skincare, vegan kind

TVK Beauty Box Nov ’16

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The box costs £18.95 from The Vegan Kind and comes every three months. There is also a monthly snack box with one beauty/body treat. As always 20p from each box sold goes to the Dr Hadwen Trust – the UK’s leading non-animal medical research charity. 

Inside this box are 7 items. Several are fullsize and I have a serious issue with the size of one of them…

Maggie Anne Gel Effect Nail Varnish (RRP £10.50) – fullsize. When will ‘nude’ nail varnish die? I would love to have received a fun, seasonal colour one, but no, another nude. Having said that it seems OK – goes on smoothly, with a nice finish. 

Human+Kind Body Scrub (RRP £13.50) – fullsize. This is a big bottle of body scrub and one I will be putting aside for the Mr as I really don’t like the scent. But I do like the natural ingredients and lack of evil microbeads. 

Inecto Naturals Little Saviour Coconut Hand and Nail Cream  (RRP £1.00) – fullsize. I like coconut and I like handcream. So I like this. 

PHB Ethical Beauty Peach Lip Liner (RRP £8.95) – fullsize. Matte lip liner in a slightly weird Peach colour. Hello the 90s. Really not sure about this. 

Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil Body Wash (RRP £2.99) – fullsize. I generally use argan oil on my hair after I wash it – it got rid of all my stress induced split ends like magic. So I will give this a go even though I’ve found other oil based body washes don’t leave me feeling clean or fresh as much as the bubbly ones. 

Amie Naturally Kind Morning Dew Matte Finish Moisturiser 10ml (RRP of fullsize item £4.95) – what is with the teeny tiny bottle? I don’t think you get much of a test run from something this small and at just under a fiver it’s hardly an exclusive premium product. That said, it’s a decent moisturiser for the price but nothing particularly fancy and no SPF.

Faith in Nature Watermelon Shampoo Sample  (fullsize RRP £5.50) – this is even more of a joke, have the Glossybox team taken over TVK? This is a tiny sachet of shampoo, good for one wash. Which isn’t a great way to test out whether this is for you. And again this is about average for a high street product.  What made me laugh the most was the fact that on the box insert card it raves about the gorgeous packaging – I wouldn’t know from this 7ml sample. 

All in all this was an ok box. Nothing too special- obviously the USP is that this is a cruelty free, vegan friendly collection, and in that sense it fulfils its brief. However all of these brands have been in the box before and some of the products are on the basic side. It would have been nice to see some little known and indie brands included.  

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

Glossybox November 

ramblingmads

There’s a lot of gold in this box. 

Ruby Professional Large Tapered Blending Brush – cruelty free and soft, this brush is a versatile eye make up tool. A new brush is always handy. 

Nuskin Bio Cellulose Facial Treatment Mask – a sheet mask full of skin loving, cell stimulating ingredients. 20 minutes to happier skin. 

Wilkinson Sword Quattro for Women  Raspberry Rain Disposable Razors – as when they include a razor every February – why?? 

Nanogen Root Boost Hair Thickening Spray – I’ve had this before and wasn’t too impressed  with its ability to make my hair a bit more volumnised. However this does contain keratin and other ingredients that look after hair. 

De Bruyere Beaute Jumbo Eye Pencil in Bubble 07 – this is a chunky gold eye pencil and my favourite thing in the box. It goes on smooth and soft, with lovely coverage. 

Shiny

Raffaello- a little coconut coated and almond chocolate treat from the people who provide ambassadors with their Ferraro Rocher. 

Nom



 

hygge, lifestyle boxes, reviews, skincare

Moi-Meme – Hygge box

ramblingmads

The Danish concept of ‘hygge‘ is everywhere this winter, pronounced ‘hoo-gah’ it’s a sort of cosiness that’s pretty hard to describe but it’s meant to be the reason Danes are so happy. 

Moi-Meme is one of the pricier subscription boxes out there and only arrives every few months. The last one was a summer adventure box and this one is all about cosy comfort. 

The box smells delicious because of some of the treats inside. 

I get very cold feet in the winter – poor circulation is a pest, so these snuggly bed socks are perfect – although I can’t wear socks in bed, but hey they’ll be great inside boots or slippers. With a little dash of cashmere they’re so soft. 

From the same people as the socks is a little lavender bag, which can be popped under your pillow or tucked in a drawer to keep things fresh. Mine is heading for my knicker drawer – so I get a whiff when I open it in the morning. 

Two skincare products from Danish brand Nuori next – one of which is fullsize (thank you luxury box gods). 

First up the Vital Foaming Cleanser – made with Pomegranate enzyme and radish root extract this gentle cleanser stripy dirt and make up but leaves skin’s natural oils so it’s not drying. Perfect as I am literally scraping cleanser out of the bottle. 

Vital Eye Cream is lightweight and full of skin loving ingredients including shea butter, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. 

I like that Moi-Meme always includes an accessory of some sort. This time it’s a bracelet from Swedish brand Edblad. I got the yellow gold one, which isn’t really my style so I might take advantage of the Moi-Meme swap service and exchange it for either the rose gold or stainless steel. 

Finally there’s the candle for that all important hygge atmosphere. This one is from The Bath Candle Company and is available in a range of scents. Mine is Dark Pomegranate and despite normally preferring lighter scents, this is delicious. 

As always the box items will soon be available in the Moi-Meme shop along with others from the brands included. Subscribers get a discount on all items, which is great if you want to top up your box items or buy gifts. I’ll definitely be taking advantage of this as I have seen some gorgeous things in their shop that are perfect as Christmas gifts. 
As with the first box I love this, it feels really thoughtfully curated based on the questionnaire I filled in when signing up. The box might be a pricier one than many but the items cost massively outweighs it. 

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

Glossybox October Unboxing

ramblingmads

This box has been put together with blogger Estee Lalonde as part of the promotion for her new book, which features heavily in the box card insert. Beyond that I don’t really see the connection as it’s the usual pink and black packaging, unlike previous collaboration boxes. 

Inside are five products and a bonus mystery item.  

Trifle Cosmetics Lip Parfait – the packaging on this is very cute but the actual lipstick is a really pale, almost translucent pink. To be honest I don’t know if I’ll get much use out of it as it’s several shades lighter than my actual lip colour so wouldn’t even work as a nude tone. 
Nuxe Shimmering Dry Oil Huile Prodigeuese- I’ve had this in so many boxes now it’s getting a bit silly. However as Christmas party season looms and I like glitter, the shimmer in this oil is a good look in my blonde hair or on my pale skin. 

Top – lip parfait, bottom – cheek/lip stain

Universal Beauty Cosmetics Secret Flush Soothing Cream Blusher and Lip Stain Duo – I used to be very into these two-in- one products and the pink on this would work better as a nude lip colour than the Parfait.  But there’s probably too much shimmer in there for a blusher. 

Bee Good Honey & Camomile Facial Exfoliator – I really like the lipbalms and moisturisers I’ve had from Bee Good so this gentle exfoliating mask, made with honey from British bees (and the company helps keep bees going – which is vitally important) is definitely being added to my bathroom stash of masks.

 

PS…Pro Illuminating Primer – so Glossybox supposedly is always full of premium brands right. Well this primer is from Primark’s own range. It just seems an odd addition. 

The bonus secret item – mystery shampoo. Possibly a Head & Shoulders number  (due to bottle design) this will be revealed on Estee’s blog at some point. It seems a pointless exercise for a travel bottle of shampoo. 
To be quite frank this was supposed to be my last Glossybox, I was cashing in the points for a freebie but due to a glitch in the system, that will now be November’s box. While this box wasn’t as bad as some have been, it wasn’t the best ever.