A new year a new box from My Little Box. Illustrated by regular artist Kamako the box edge offers us the MLB team’s wishes for the upcoming box, which is rather lovely.
Inside the colour theme of mint green and soft yellow/orange. As well as a lovely quote card for your wall, there’s a copy of the in-house magazine (and it’s staying a magazine, woohoo!)
Then there are the treats, and what a selection they’ve picked.
There’s a green and gold diary, perfect if you haven’t already got one, full of little messages and illustrations.
The little cloth bag holds three treats, a full size tub of Garnier Miracle Wake Up Cream, a little bottle of Ren 3 – in – 1 micellar cleansing water and a My Little Beauty lip balm.
There’s one final treat in the box. A set of message bracelets to wear yourself or give to friends.
I’m really happy with this box, MLB had a few weak ones last year but are starting strong in 2016.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.
The You Beauty Box has had a bit of a facelift, is moving website and is apparently going to be even better come February. Hope it stays at the same price of £6.95 inc p&p, and with the select your samples idea.
This month’s samples were from a wide range of brands and types.
If you follow me on Instagram then you’ll be aware of my love for lipbalms and especially the little cubes from balmi.
So it was pretty obvious I’d be popping their rose gold roseberry flavour in my box. With SPF 15, Shea butter, vitamin E and other skin loving ingredients, these little pots are a firm favourite.
My other pick was Korres Bergamot & Pear Body Milk (body lotion to you and me). I love the smell of this, having had it in a box sometime last year. Might have to treat myself to a full size tub at some point.
Also in the box are sample sachets of Dr Organic Snail Gel – something I’m not entirely convinced by, and Perfection Gel Cushions for those slightly uncomfy shoes.
It was Christmas Day, I was digesting an enormous lunch watching The Second Best Marigold Hotel (it was OK) from around the Christmas Tree at the out-laws, when my phone alerted me to the renewal of my LMB points and so off I went to see what the boutique could offer me.
While they have added lots of new products to the line up, you still need to get those bonus points (££) to get much.
And as it was Christmas, I thought, oh I’ll get some bonus points, they’ll last me. They did not. I spent them all.
This is not the cautionary tale – this is – do not shop online while under the influence of vast quantities of turkey, just don’t. I could not for the life of me remember what I’d bought so this box was a bit of a surprise when I opened it.
LMB have returned to their silver boxes, I preferred the rather fancier cream and black they sent out a few months back. But I digress. “What was in the box?” I hear you cry. Well here’s what my roast potato enduced memory wipe kept from me.
A handbag sized make up bag – I actually need this, daft as it sounds, woman of a million make up bags.
More like a few bits of make up, plasters and paracetamol
Lord & Berry Fluid Delicate Make Up Remover – did I mean to pick this? I have no idea. Blame the parsnips. But make up remover is always useful.
Percy & Reed Foaming Treatment Mask – I like P&R but they are not cheap so getting their products this way is a bargain. I probably did indeed select this.
Cailyn Mineral Eye Polish in Snow – I have no idea, probably picked out by the stuffing. This is very light, almost invisible eye shadow. My sister would like it, but it’s not very me.
Dr PawPaw Balm – I read an article raving about this Aussie lip balm/chafe balm/grumpy skin balm. The gravy remembered that and put this in my box. I’ll add it to the thousands of lip balms in my life.
Nails Inc in Colville Mews – I love Nails Inc, I love nail polish. Can I blame the fact that I picked a colour I already have on the cranberry sauce?
Roques ONeil Therapie Restore Aura Spray – something I definitely need I think. Spray onto face when frazzled, or opening boxes you have no memory of buying.
LMB have also added a range of jewellery items to their shop, and yep, you guessed it, my Christmas dinner coma picked out a few bits there too.
Pink quartz earrings – these look like upside down traffic cones. Therefore I love them. Also could probably stab someone with them. Pink quartz is a healing crystal and there’s me with my unicorn horn stabbing people earrings…
Gold necklace with green stone. Pretty self explanatory.
Pointy silver bracelet – again, says exactly what it is. Although when I first looked at it I wasn’t sure if I wore it on my wrist or my neck.
Green thread bracelet with bobbly silver charm – it’s a really good thing I don’t write the descriptions on the website.
Did your food coma induce you to buy anything you don’t remember this Christmas? Or is it just me?
My Little Beauty’s My Little Magic Box has been off on its adventures. The December party season themed box has only just made it into my hands.
I’m rather glad it turned up and to be honest I was so busy over Christmas I barely noticed. Hope you a great time box.
Inside the box, the boat has been well and truly pushed out for the festive season.
My Little World – the in-box magazine is magazine format once more, thank goodness, and I hope it stays that way.
On to the goodies.
The very chic make up bag inside the box, not the usual cloth drawstring, but one you might pop in an overnight bag.
Heat retaining mittens – the funny thing is I was walking to the bus stop in minus 2 the other day and I wished I had some gloves. How funny that these then arrive! I love the navy blue and gold, a theme throughout the box, and they’re really cosy. As someone who’s always tapping away on her phone, mittens are more use the full gloves and as we’re having a bit of a cold snap, these will see a lot of use.
The other mitten has bonded with my hand
Kusmi Tea – Anastasia blend. Made in France, these teas definitely have a Russian bent, this one is named after the famous Romanov princess, and is a blend of China and Ceylon teas.
Rituals Honey Touch Body Cream – rich and nourishing, with honey and rose.
Vice-Versa nail polishes – continuing the blue and gold colour scheme.
Nars blush in Orgasm – naughty Nars with your cheeky names.
It would have been nice to have had this box in December but it will all come in use in this bitter January. I’m actually wearing the mittens as I type this!
Captioned “Best. Year. Ever” Birchbox kicks off 2016 with a collaboration with online scrapbook site Pinterest.
Pinning has become a huge trend, with people compiling their dream weddings, cars, cakes, shoes and other things onto Pinterest’s digital mood boards. I do it too. Much handier than covering my walls in magazine cuttings like we did pre-internet. (Yes, there was such a time).
So how does a collab between a beauty box and a website work exactly? Well, inside the beauty booklet are suggestions for boards to create on Pinterest for the upcoming year. There are also five cute cards designed by illustrator Viktorija Semjonova in keeping with the theme. The Birchbox blog will have more throughout the year.
Onto the beauty samples.
There are five products in the box, and annoyingly some of them have been here before.
Left to Right.
Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle – I’ve had this little chap several times in the past. While it does work quite well as a dentangler, so does my conditioner.
Absolution L’Eau Soir et Martin – basically a micellar water, 2015’s big product. Containing aloe vera and hazelnut oil, a no rinse required make up remover.
Benefit They’re Real! Tinted Primer – apparently this coats and seperates lashes before your mascara. Or on its own.
Birchbox pocket mirror.
Jelly Pong Pong Lighten Up Brightener + Waterliner – I definitely have one of these, I used it the other day. Suppose it saves me buying a new one. It’s a great highlighter pencil, scribble it on!
Whish Three Whishes Almond Body Butter – I am all about almonds, I eat them, drink them (almond milk hot chocolate anyone?) and smother them on my skin and hair so this’ll be a little treat for my skin.
Are you a Birchbox subscriber? What did you think about this box? Let me know below.
January is finally here and with it more drizzly, wet, cold, miserable weather. Which is hell on skin, even if it’s not as ridiculously sensitive as mine!
Here are my tips and tricks for happy skin in the New Year.
💜 Drink water. An obvious one – what you put in your body is what you get out. We’re 75% water, and without it your skin struggles. It helps keep skin soft and plump, slows down wrinkles, and cleans up the gunk that becomes spots.
💜 Moisturise! water inside – moisture outside. Find one that works for you and slap it on, even if you’re just sitting around the house without make up – feed your skin. Central heating doesn’t help.
Current favourite moisturiser
💜 Cleanse – personally I think washing my face is a brilliant way to perk up. I always feel a bit more awake and alive with a clean face. Since I got a sonic brush (use once a week) I definitely see a difference.
💜 Don’t neglect your smile. Lips have thinner skin than the rest of your face. Skin that is more prone to cracking and peeling. Invest in a good lip balm. I have dozens, and top up throughout the day.
The best lip balm ever!
💜 But I can’t see my own nose! With winter comes colds, flu and other nasty bugs. Constant nose blowing leaves the skin around your nostrils damaged, dry and unhappy. A bit of extra moisture never goes awry – a dab of good ol’ Vaseline should do the trick.
Vaseline & Dr Lipp - dry skin beware!
💜 Don’t sleep in your make up. Seriously. This is horrid. I admit I have done this in the past (I blame the booze) but that way lies breakouts and blocked pores. Invest in a decent make up remover/cleanser and take the face off before you crash.
Loving these at the moment.
💜 Show your hair some love too. Don a hair turban and let a mask soak in, wash out the pollution and rub in some argan oil. I swear by it – no more split ends and happier hair – brilliant!
Following the lovely Which Beauty Box UK is lethal to my bank account! Showcasing the best boxes around, and inspiring other beauty lovers. And so it is with Dollibox.
A fairly new box, it contains five cult and premium beauty products, full size and sample size.
I’m not madly keen on how pink the packaging is, but since that gets recycled, it doesn’t really matter.
What’s inside counts. The box is £10 plus postage, and this month’s is worth over £30.
Anubis Polivitamic Cleansing Mousse – containing the essential vitamin C, this gentle mousse promises to soothe and cleanse your skin.
Bare Naturals Pomegranate & Pink Grapefruit soap – made with 100% natural ingredients, this delicately scented soap is designed to leave hands clean and soft.
Model Co Highlighting Trio – featuring a luminizer, blush and bronzer, this little pot is designed to suit any skin tone and leave you with glowing skin.
Osmo Intensive Deep Repair Mask – containing jojoba oil, patchouli and ylang ylang to nourish and repair stressed out hair.
Barefoot Lavender & Mint Foot Cream – with tea tree oil and other natural ingredients, no parabens, this soothes tired feet, reviving them and softening the skin.
All in all, this is a nicely curated box, perfect for the party season, and for spoiling yourself in the cold, wet winter.
For their December edition Birchbox has set out a jazzy festive clutch bag full of products designed to help you through the party season.
Benefit Puff Off! & They’re Real Push Up Liner Duo – exclusive to Birchbox, this liner and eye cream work together – the liner to complete your look and the cream to de-puff those under eye bags.
Model Co Ultra Long Lasting Lipstick in Kitty – this is a full size lipstick in a pretty pink shade, which sadly isn’t mine.
Ciate London Mini Paint Pot – I received the shade Iced Frappé – which I wouldn’t say is particularly festive but colours vary.
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream – this moisturiser features Mediterranean algae to fight aging. Apparently it reduces wrinkles, firm skin and boost radiance in 15 days, but I don’t think there’s enough in this sample sized tube to test that theory.
Skin & Co Sicilian Body Gel – with Sicilian orange and olive extracts, this little bottle packs a sweet smelling punch. Perfect for waking you up in the morning after the night before.
Bonus – Roloxin Lift Instant Skin Smoothing Masque – a 10 minute face mask to smooth wrinkles and hide party fatigue. Saving this for New Year’s Day recovery!
The bag itself is very festive, in dark green velvet like the dresses I wore at Christmas as a child, with lots of gold sparkles. It’s a good size for all your bits and bobs too.
The festive Glossybox was waiting for me on the doorstep today, all rose gold and sparkly.
Inside are a selection of products to help polish your festive look.
Etre Belle Golden Skin Caviar Eye Roll On – this cooling gel is designed to leave you looking refreshed and radiant, great if you’re partying and brilliant for insomniacs like me.
So Susan Statement Skin Highlighter Pencil – pretty sure this was in a recent box, but since I like to try and get a little glow in my skin, bound to come in handy.
Cheeky Chat Me Up Nail Paint – wish I had received the polish in the booklet instead of this very pale pink, which I got.
Philosophy Purity Made Simple 3-in-1 Cleanser – definitely had this a while ago. It’s a nice, gentle cleanser, helping to remove your party face.
Essence Liquid Lipstick in Show Off – not a fan of this at all. Runny, gooey. Just no thanks.
Bonus product: Starskin Bio-cellulose Second Skin Mask – I am a bit unsure about sheet masks, but as my skin hates cold weather and cries out for moisture, I think I might just pop one of these on.
Are you a Glossybox subscriber? What did you think about this month’s box?
ramblingmads 