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

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Cohorted October Box

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Having seen these boxes raved about all over the beauty blogosphere and social media I was really excited to get my hands on a Cohorted box. You cannot subscribe to them and they sell out super fast, so I felt rather pleased when I got the confirmation email.

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Then it turned up and wow am I not impressed. Previous boxes have contained some amazing products – including palettes and exclusive brands.

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The five items in this box really aren’t that exciting. All are however full size and the box has a value of £65.99 for £25.

Bare Minerals Purifying Facial Cleanser (RRP £15 for 60ml)

Bare Minerals Purely Nourishing Cream (£10 for 30ml)

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip gloss in Hypnotist (£16.99)

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Ciate Nail Polish in Serendipity (£9)

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Peter Thomas Roth Lashes to Die For Mascara – Black (£15)

I’m not a huge fan of Bare Minerals – the products I’ve tried before haven’t been anything special. I also think they’re a bit overpriced.

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Sparkly nail polish – no thanks. I went off this when I reached my teens. Then there’s yet another mascara, every beauty box seems to have one of these – obviously a cheap and easy option.

Overall really not impressed – I don’t see quite what the fuss is about Cohorted if this is what is on offer.

Anyone had a Cohorted box before?

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, perfume, reviews, skincare, you beauty

You Beauty Discovery Box – October

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Every month I um and ah about whether to cancel this box. Then there’s a really good one (like September’s skin care special) and I stay. When it’s good, the £6.95 is totally worth it, a bargain in fact but then there’s month’s like this.

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I really struggled to pick my two samples, as I didn’t really like any of them. Nothing jumped out at me, waving and shouting. It was all a bit meh.

In the end I went with a product I will inevitably use and one I will try.

Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge body lotion and perfume samples – I slather body lotion on my dry legs every morning after a shower and I tend to be fairly indiscriminate about what I use. The scent is inspired by Zanzibar and has hints of ginger – though it smells very floral to me.

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The other item I picked was Kore’s Foaming Cleanser, Pearl Revitalising Toner and Pearl Gentle Exfoliator Trio. Kore is not a brand I’ve come across before – from Australia, free from animal testing and parabens.

Also in the box:  The White Company’s Day and Night perfume samples and Vichy Dermablend corrective foundation samples in shades 15 (opal) and 25 (nude).

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Not overwhelmed by this month’s box. If November’s is as naff, I think I’ll be speaking with my purse and saying sayonara to You Beauty. 

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fashion, fashion friday, reviews, wardrobe

Dorothy Perkins Curve collection – first impressions

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So with much fuss and fanfare Dorothy Perkins has launched its Curve collection for UK sizes 18 – 28.

Rather than expanding their main range to cater for more sizes they’ve released a capsule collection and it’s really underwhelming.

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The models in the promotional shots (see above) are slim and don’t exactly give you an idea what the clothes would really look like on the larger sizes.

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Then there are the clothes themselves, a mix of bodycon skirts and dresses and shapeless, bland tent tops. Nothing is in the season’s colours or trends. There’s only about 10 items to choose from and it’s online only, you can’t even return things in store.

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It’s a big disappointment – Dorothy Perkins can be a bit hit and miss in general but you would hope a targeted range would be designed with a little more effort and research, giving women on the above side of the UK average 16 more to choose from not merely reproducing the rather stale offerings already out there.

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beauty, challenges, exercise, refuge

I love a goodie bag

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I realise I never shared my 10k goodie bag with you. As well as a medal, everyone who completed the Walk4 Refuge 10k got a bag full of gifts from their sponsors and doners.

It came in a handy canvas bag – perfect now that shops are charging 5p a bag – save the planet people, reuse your bags.

I felt a bit sorry for the men and children who did the walk as these goodies were definitely for women.

As well as a Refuge keyring to match the bag, there’s a hot pink water bottle – which I am clipping to my bike, as I don’t have a cycling one.

Then there’s the beauty spoils – Benefit have a long running sponsor relationship with Refuge and there’s a little They’re Real! Push Up Liner from them in the bag.

Then there’s exciting corporate pens and mints from Shearman & Sterling – which I gather is a law firm.

Other brands that donated are John Freida (Style Creator Styling Spray), Avon (Magic Effects Mineral Crush nail polish in Diamond, a glittery polish), L’Oreal (super liner) and Max Factor (sheer gloss balm).

It’s great to see so many big name brands, brands we probably all own a fee bits and pieces from, contributing to a good cause.

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Also featured, mini bubble mix, not featured – the Haribo we were given at the start, they didn’t make it to the finish!

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tv

Box set Binge: Bones

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You may have noticed that I like a binge – TV show binge that is!

The one the Mr and I are constantly returning to is Bones, starring David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel as FBI agent Seeley Booth and his forensic anthropologist partner Dr. Temperance Brennan.

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I watched it years ago, when it first started airing in the UK, then lost track of it. I introduced the Mr to it a while ago and we are working our way through the series – currently on season six.

Based on Kathy Reichs’ books – although having read a few of them, completely different at the same time.

The characters grow on you, somebody was very upset when Booth and Brennan (aka Bones) didn’t get together at the end of season five, and it wasn’t me. And not just the central pair – the other members of the team (Hodgins, Angela, Cam, Sweets and even the squinterns).

We’ve got a way to go, season 11 has started in the States – no spoilers please.

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If you like crime dramas with heart – this is definitely one for you.

ramblingmads

beauty, beauty boxes, love me beauty, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Love Me Beauty – are you alright?

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I don’t know what is going on at the LMB offices but I received a second box in as many weeks and it’s not October’s.

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The items come from the September boutique and some of them I’ve received before. That’s not to say it isn’t a nice surprise.

Inside the far too big box are two Lottie London nail polishes, a Lord & Berry Twistick lipstick, MonuSpa facial primer and Reviving Mist.

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I wonder why they sent me a second selection – maybe their new system is struggling a bit.

Anyone else had weird experiences with Love Me Beauty?

ramblingmads

lifestyle boxes, reviews, waxbox

Waxbox October – Halloween scents

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Waxbox doesn’t normally theme their boxes but according to the packing slip, they couldnt resist Halloween.

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The scents are all autumnal and there’s a lot of pumpkin. Which sadly, I’m not keen on. The cinnamon chai smells warm and a little Christmassy, the pink in the middle is melting right now – it’s a marshmallow scent with a little glitter.

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The two pumpkin scented ones made me gag when I stiffed them – I prefer to eat my squash instead of smelling it apparently.

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The little black candle – which is labelled as scented but I can’t detect any is the most Halloween related item.

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happy mail, lifestyle boxes, paris, reviews

September Happy Mail – Paris

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Although this arrived as October started, September’s Happy Mail is all about one of my favourite places – Paris.

I am definitely a Francophile, a love spawned from childhood holidays in the sunny south, tales of my French ancestors (my great-great-grandmother was called Salome) and the food. I am also quite fond of French literature and of course, the capital.

From the Eiffel Tower to the Sacre Coeur, the patisseries and the madeleines (of which I, a Madeleine, am particularly fond), the metro and the tiny alleyways everywhere.

Katie of ihearthomes has assembled another great little box of goodies referencing the City of Lights.

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There’s a notebook for all your Parisian dreaming, with a cute pencil to get them all down.

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Stickers for the postcards ‘wish you were here’ that you’ll send, and gift tags for those all important holiday presents.

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Eiffel’s tower is well represented, in a cute necklace and also a 3D model you assemble yourself, perfect for your office desk to keep you reminded of your trip!

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There’s also a hanging heart, an iron on Bambi patch a lollipop (heart-shaped), a cute poster and a little sign that says ‘Salle de Bain’ (bathroom) to decorate yourself and your home. Except the lollipop, I recommend you eat that, not hang it up!

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To subscribe to October’s box or buy other goodies, visit ihearthomes website or Facebook for photos.

ramblingmads