beauty, beauty boxes, nail polish, nails inc, reviews

Nailbox October

ramblingmads

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Another month, another addition to my nail polish obsession.

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This month’s box features three wintery shades of polish from Rommel, Essie and Nails Inc. I can definitely see some funky nail art with these three shades.

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Left: Rimmel 60 Seconds in Caramel Cupcake, Middle: Essie multi dimensional top coat, Right: Nails Inc Gel Effect in Kensington High Street

Also in the box is Nicole by Opi Drying Drops – which is a new product to me. According to the blurb you add a drop or two after applying your colour and top coat to speed up the drying process.

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Lastly, there’s a pair of nail scissors from Elegant Touch. I prefer filing my nails to cutting them, and I can’t use them anyway, being a leftie (I have special ones for emergencies from Anything Left-Handed) but for anyone else these might come in useful.

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Overall a great little treat for nail polish nuts like me. A great way to get more polish for less than if I went and bought them separately (£15 for the box including P&P).

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beauty, beauty boxes, my little box, reviews, skincare

My Little Creative Box

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Another month, another delivery delay from My Little Box. They insist there’s no problems, but Facebook is full of disgruntled customers. If you’re one of them and don’t want any spoilers, look away now.

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This month’s box has been created in partnership with Pinterest, the online scrapbook. To be honest I don’t really know what’s so creative about the contents of this box.

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Inside is a selection of beauty products and lifestyle items, along with the fold-out My Little World magazine and illustrated card.

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The beauty products come in their usual dinky drawstring cloth bag (really good for keeping your beauty products tidy when travelling)

This month’s selection are;

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Left: Un Songe d’Or beauty oil from Aimy, full size, worth £29.
Centre: Talika’s Photo-Hydra Day, full size, worth £43.50
Right: Crème de Minuit, My Little Beauty, full size, worth £15

I’m not really a fan of beauty oils, but a friend of mine loves them, so I shall be passing this one on. I’ve tried the Talika cream in another box and it does what it says, hydrates the skin, something my skin needs as the cold weather sets in. The Crème de Minuit is a night cream, which I might try out, although I’m pretty happy with my current nightly skincare routine.

The lifestyle items this month are a little lacking, and I can’t quite see how they fit with the theme of the box.

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Wire-wrap beads, MLB, £16 – little plastic beads which wrap round things like headphone wires, which would be fine if I was a teenager still, but I don’t really think they quite work for the twenty and thirty something women who subscribe to the box.

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Canvas tote bag, MLB, £15 – this might not be the most ‘creative’ item but as the new 5p charge has come in for plastic bags, it will be useful. It folds up quite small, so you can pop in your handbag when you head to the shops.

Overall, not the greatest box and not really worth the wait for it. It’s nice to have full size products but a bit of variety would have been nice, and I think if you’re going to have a theme then you really need to make sure the items fit the theme.

Are you a MLB subscriber? What did you think of this month’s box?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, upcoming

Advent Calendars for beauty junkies

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As a kid all I ever wanted was a chocolate Advent calendar, but my mum, super healthy, no junk food, always said no. That’s not to say we didn’t have nice ones, there was the year my godmother sent beautiful chimney calendars, with little presents in the drawers every day. I still have my beautiful Maria Angel illustrated story calendar – which I use every year.

Last year my Mr brought home a wooden countdown calendar, which is very sweet and will be on display this year too.

But, beauty firms have started releasing advent calendars full of treats that any beauty junkie would be pleased to find every morning.

The ones I most have my eye on are L’Occitane’s (£39 with free delivery) and You Beauty Discovery (£59 with free delivery). I also quite want Lush’s 12 Days of Christmas (not an Advent calendar as such, but definitely on my Christmas list).

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You Beauty Discovery Advent Calendar

There are a lot of others, including a Jo Malone one(£250), but some are incredibly expensive. I suppose, depending on budget, you could ask for one as a Christmas gift, that you open on the run up.

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L'Occitane's Advent Calendar

Now I know Christmas isn’t about stuff, or presents, and that for people who follow Christian beliefs, sacred and holy. I was raised going to church, I still love the ceremony and go to Midnight Mass every year, but I think that after a year of working hard, doing our bit for the people we love, it’s OK to have a few treats. Especially in the middle of winter when it’s cold and miserable.

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Lush's 12 Days of Christmas

Which Advent calendars have you spotted? Will you be buying a beauty packed one?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, haircare

Repurchase!

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I very rarely repurchase anything from a beauty box unless it’s something I already use. However one item from September’s Glossybox caught my eye.

Maria Nila Luminous Colour Masque

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This hair mask is amazing, it smells fairly pleasant, and leaves my hair extra shiny and glossy.

There was an offer of 20% off purchases from the brand at Sally Beauty Supplies, which I took advantage of.

I also added a second item to my basket – Golden Blonde Colour Refresh. My hair often goes a bit dull during the winter months and I thought I’d give this a try, natural blondes need a boost too! It came with a little box of gloves to help me avoid dyeing my hands.

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I really like this brand – vegan, cruelty free, paraben and sulphate free, with ingredients like argan oil and pomegranate extract.

I will be back for more!

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fashion, fashion friday, lifestyle, shoes

Fashion Friday – Converse Obsessed

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I love shoes, there are a lot of them in my wardrobe but whatever shoes I buy I always come back to my beloved Converse.

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Photo from Converse Facebook page

I have had so many pairs over the years, in a rainbow of colours and styles.
My first pair were hot pink high tops, and discovering how comfy they were – started an obsession.

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Photo from Converse Facebook page

My idea of Heaven is the Converse Gallery above Size? on Carnaby Street, every colour, style, fabric imaginable. Oh yes, please. They had rainbow sequin ones last time I went, I wanted to stroke them, they were so beautiful.

Even when I go shoe shopping for work shoes or a particular thing, like winter boots, I am drawn to the Converse display, I won’t show you a picture of my many beat up pairs, but at last count, one pair of boots, two high tops, three low rise (including Wonder Woman ones) and four pairs of the pump style ones I live in all summer.

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Photo from Converse Facebook page

I’m started to crave a new pair, roll on the sales, I might even get two!

What are your favourite shoes? Do you have a pair or brand you wear all the time? Let me know in the comments.

ramblingmads

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

October Glossybox

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Glossybox has really upped their game in the last few months, their boxes are all full size products, making it a total bargain.

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Inside this month’s box –

Nicka K Airbrush Blending Sponge – I’ve heard a lot about these magic blending sponge, which claim to create a flawless look with any liquid make up product.

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Talika Photo-Hydra Dry – hydrating moisturiser from French brand Talika, claims to leave your complexion hydrated and primed.

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Lanolips Golden Ointment Dry Skin Salve – lanolin, Manuka honey and vitamin E combined to tackle super dry skin, just a shame I’m allergic to lanolin.

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So Susan Haute Light Highlighting Pencil – blend over brow or cheek bones to boost radiance or along the inner rim of your eyes to make the whites pop.

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Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Curl Mascara – cruelty-free with a unique brush to boost the curl in your lashes with dramatic volume and definition.

A nice selection, with the obligatory mascara, perfect for some skin TLC and added glow in the coming cold weather.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, latest in beauty, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty Get the Gloss – The Cult Collection

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Another season, another great box from LiB, the second this year in collaboration with Get the Gloss.

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Inside there’s a nicely curated selection of products that have been everywhere this year.

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St Tropez Gradual Tan in Shower Lotion – I remember the old days of St Tropez, orange streaks and that weird biscuity smell. This in shower self tan has been raved about by bloggers and journalists alike. My own tan tester (and best friend) reported success. Might have to give my pasty legs a treat!

Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner Black – I love eyeko’s chubby colour sticks, but eyeliner is something I never quite get right. This is basically a felt tip and I have some success with similar liners before.

Ciate nail polish in mistress – as you know I’m a polish addict. Red isn’t really my preference so I’ll probably be passing this along to my mum (who used to pinch mine, but now can’t).

Dr Lipp Miracle Balm – this multi use balm (lips, dry bits) claims to last for hours with no sticky residue. We’ll see about that, nothing has yet kept my cracked lips moisturised for long!

Bee Good Youth Enhancing Lift and Brighten Eye Cream – I don’t really use eye creams – but before you gasp in horror, there’s a reason. I have had allergic reactions to eye creams in the past, which were extremely painful so now I stick to multi use moisturisers. But as this seems to be mostly natural ingredients maybe my skin will be ok with it.

Nude Skincare ProGenius Rescue Oil – this oil has been in so many beauty boxes this year, but I didn’t get on with it. I don’t think skin oils are for me.

Prismologie Pink O’Clock Hand & Cuticle Cream and Indigo Interlude Foot Cream – the tiniest tubes ever of hand and foot creams. However they do smell nice and I like to treat my hands and feet, they work rather hard.

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Are there any favourites in this box or something you’d like to try?

What are your cult favourites?

ramblingmads

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

Look Fantastic Beauty Box No. 1

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White and gold shiny box – wonder what’s inside!?!?
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Look Fantastic has curated a nice little selection for their subscriber box.

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Balance Me Radiance Face Mask

Monu Spa Firming Moisturiser

Percy & Reed Volumising No Oil Oil

Nuxe Hand and Nail Cream

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream

Look Good Feel Better Eye Shading Brush

Some great brands included here, just a shame that none of them are full size.

Look Good Feel Better is a charity that supports women and teenagers struggling with the effects of their treatment, and its product range helps them do their valuable work.

Nuxe Paris is a brand I’ve become quite familiar with over the last few months so it’s nice to see a product from them, and a handbag sized hand cream is never a bad thing.

Your entire skincare routine in a box from cleansing to moisturizing, plus hair oil that doesn’t leave a sticky film.

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ramblingmads

baking, life, tv

Great British Bake Off

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Can we just talk a minute about how fabulous Nadiya from GBBO is?

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From her incredible bakes (soda pop cake) to her wonderfully expressive face, Nadiya is just marvellous. And she won. The only woman in the final, where she made a wedding cake (her own in fact, as she didn’t have one on the big day), she was funny (chocolate souffles are worse than childbirth) and sweet (that star baker phone call home to her hubby).

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Nadiya, giving good 'brow

She is also a British Muslim woman wearing a hijab, before the watershed, not playing the wife of a terrorist (note to writers, this trope is tired and boring, come up with new material), nor was she silent or unable to speak English (in fact she’s probably bilingual).

The media are of course on the hunt for terrible things to say about her, her husband, family and why she won. This is just, quite frankly, disgusting behaviour. Nadiya seems like a sweet person, who loves her husband and her kids, practices her faith publicly, and is also funny, an excellent baker and made Mary Berry cry (and almost me too).

We should be celebrating her success, why shouldn’t she win? In the multiethnic, multifaith society we live in, I’m proud that Nadiya won, she’s got every right, she is British after all and that’s what the show’s called The Great BRITISH Bake Off, not The Great White Men Only Bake Off (they were well represented throughout as in life).

As ridiculous as it might sound – it does show, in a somewhat silly way (through the medium of cake) what Britain is – a place where anyone can achieve, regardless of what the media says, despite the things that could set us apart from one another.

So, well done Nadiya, oh and can I have the recipe for your lemon cake please.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, reviews, skincare

Birchbox – Stylist edit

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This month you can choose between two different boxes – the one curated by Stylist’s Beauty Editor or a Back to Basics box.

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I chose the Stylist box – I like reading the free magazine handed out at tube stations and I wanted to see what their beauty editor would come up with.

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Inside the box are six items, 3 exclusive to Birchbox and one that’s full size.

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100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Lip Glaze – with avocado and cocoa butters, this is a matte finish lip glaze and it’s 100% vegan too.

Bioderma Sensibio H20 – teeny little bottle of micellar water.

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Parlor by Jeff Chastain Smoothing Blowout Spray – frizz reducing, protecting against heat damage, this little bottle packs a punch.

Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel – rose scented gel that becomes foam in hot water.

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When Travelmate Sheet Mask – these are really big in Korea and Japan and have been making their way over to the UK this year.

English Laundry No. 7 Signature For Her – rose geranium, white flowers and musk perfume. It reminds me of the famous Body Shop White Musk scent of my teens.

If you would like to subscribe to Birchbox and would like £5 of Birchbox points to spend, click here to start your subscription.

ramblingmads