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, body positive, reviews

TV – Plus Sized Wars – my thoughts

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Last night Channel 4 aired the one-off documentary Plus Sized Wars about the growth in plus size fashion and the role of bloggers in promoting body positivity.

As someone who has been both much larger than I am now and much smaller, I know how frustrating it can be to buy clothes that suit your figure and are nice.

The documentary follows the teams behind Evans, the UK’s biggest plus size brand and newcomers Yours and Taking Shape (an Aussie company recently launched in the UK).

For me Evans = frump. Which is an image they are trying to shake off with their Shape fitting service and hiring younger women to model their clothes. I have tried to shop in Evans, but the emphasis on baggy, shapeless clothes frustrates me. I tend to buy things from their sister shop Dorothy Perkins instead (they go up to a UK 22).

I wear somewhere between 16/18/20 depending on the item, cut and fit on the high street.  No two shops offer the exact same fit in the size.

The average UK woman wears a 16. So for most shops to not cater for larger sizes means they’re missing out and the plus size stores are racking in a fortune.

The bloggers and models they featured range from Georgina Horne of Fuller Figure Fuller Bust who is a curvy 16, to Tess Holliday (professional model not blogger) size 24, Callie Thorne of From the Edges of the Curve to several other girls I follow on Instagram (just go raid my feed for more) and for some truly gorgeous pictures follow these women.

I tend to shop online, I know I can always send things back, can try them on at home without the awkwardness of the changing room where the curtain is slightly too small.

Online is where plus size brands have found their market. From ASOS Curve to Boohoo Plus, Simply Be to Lady Voluptuous (I own two of the dresses in this range) and beyond. Without physical shops, overheads are low, so prices can be too. Many of these ranges are determined to avoid frumpy, poorly fitting, sacks for the larger body, and aim to deliver stylish, well fitted, trendy clothes. Which is what is wanted.

The show aired on the same day that former popstar Jamelia said on another TV show that shops shouldn’t sell larger sizes and fat women should be uncomfortable shopping. Presumably she has never had a friend, sister, daughter or mother with her who was above a size 12.

Leaving aside the fact that she’s not a doctor, many weight gains are caused by medical conditions and fat doesn’t equal unhealthy in every case, she has been lambasted for her comments. As a mother of two teenagers I hope her daughters don’t worry about their weight, or take onboard her comments. Enough teenage girls (and boys) harm themselves or even commit suicide because they don’t fit into a narrow body stereotype.

What we say hurts. One of the bloggers interviewed for the show last night spoke of how she had been badly bullied about her size and how it had taken her a long time to regain self-confidence.

I would love to see more examples of varying body types on TV and in print. Just to reassure those teenagers that they’re ok, they’re normal. That as long as you’re healthy it doesn’t matter what the number in your clothes is.

Overall I thought it was a balanced look at the plus size fashion world (although the woman from Milk modelling agency was pretty repellent) that tried to show a range of bodies like you might see every day, rather than the TV idea of fat – a size 12 to 14 rather than a 10.

Did you want Plus Sized Wars? What did you think? And what about Jamelia’s comments? Let me know below. 🙂

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

Birchbox – A Royally Good Box

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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 🙂

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beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, skincare

Glossybox – Hollywood Glamour

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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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books, lifestyle boxes

Prudence & the Crow book lover’s box

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I don’t think I’ve written about this before, but Prudence and the Crow is a monthly box for book lovers.

Each month you get a secondhand book in a handmade bag with a selection of little treats. This month I got Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye in a little red bag and my treats included stickers, sweeties, a bookmark, tea and a gorgeous Penguin Books necklace, which I wore all day till haircut time.

The box is slim enough to go through the letterbox and is in itself rather lovely, stamped with the logo.

Check out the website to register for a box.

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beauty, body positive, healthy, lifestyle

Cover girls – what’s wrong with a fuller figure?

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Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson are starring in the upcoming Pitch Perfect 2, and popping up on magazine covers all over the place to promote it.

I rarely bother buying glossy ‘fashion’ magazines full of pictures of hungry looking models in ridiculous, over-priced clothes.  If I do it’s usually just Glamour, which I grew up with – picked up a copy from my cousin’s bedroom floor aged 12, read it pretty much ever since.

Very occasionally if a cover star or strap line intrigues me I will buy another. I think some of them are wildly over-priced for a thick bundle of shiny adverts.

This month I got Glamour and Elle, both of which claim feminist credentials.
Glamour’s cover depicts Kendrick, a slim brunette, full figure in a dress, Elle has her co-star Wilson but a close up of her face framed by blonde curls.

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A quick flick through Instagram or Facebook shows that this is common. Slim actresses and models are most often photographed in full, while curvier women are cropped to just their face.

Inside Elle Wilson is shown in lovely dresses, but never a close up of her body, either just her face or from a distance and we know these magazines love their photoshop.

Apparently the subscriber’s edition featured a full figure shot but the one on display in supermarkets and newsagents isn’t the same and that’s where they have the most impact and influence.

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As a child I was all legs, they’re still pretty long but a cruel combination of genetics, medical issues and mental health in my teens caused me to put on a lot of weight.

I’m lighter now than I was but still have a way to go to be fully happy in my skin, although I will always be curvy, my bone structure dictates that (broad shoulders, wide hips).

But if I were growing up in today’s culture, with the focus on image and appearance, I would struggle to find anyone who looks like me on the covers of the magazines, arranged as they are at eye level and often above or next to ones aimed at  younger girls and teens.

Rebel’s pretty, and her weight has clearly not been an issue in her career as she’s going from strength to strength. So why not put her whole body on the cover and celebrate some body diversity (and yes I’d like a range of ages and ethnicities on covers too).

I’ve been trying to gain some confidence in my body, hence the healthy eating and exercising. I’ve also been following some body positive bloggers and Instagram accounts (check out @fullerfigurefullerbust @curvesandcurlsuk #effyourbeautystandards @tessholliday @toodalookatie @ladyvoluptuous @biggalyoga) for some of women I’ve been taking inspiration from.

I’m also addressing the medical issues that affect my weight, i’ve been diagnosed with an under-active thyroid and started treatment but what I’ve mostly been learning is that confidence doesn’t rely on the number on the label of your clothes (much of which varies widely anyway) but on your embracing your body, personality and comes at any size.

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So let’s celebrate ourselves, whatever size or shape you are. You are good enough, beautiful enough, cool enough, strong enough #effyourbeautystandards society and let us feel good about who we are.

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reviews, steampunk

Review: The Time Traveller Times

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These slim volumes pictured above are the first four issues of The Time Traveller Times.

I discovered the existence of this indie periodical in the Facebook group British Steampunk Community. Steampunk is something I’ve been interested in for a while, even dressing up and attending an event at a steam museum.

For those who don’t know – Steampunk is a literary movement writ large. Most books and films that fall into this genre are Victorian in period but with steam-powered modern technology.

Examples range from Jules Verne to Cherie Priest’s Clockwork Century series. Films like Wild Wild West and The Adventures of Adele Blanc-sec feature traits too. Musically there are lots of bands but my recommendation is Steam-powered Giraffe.

Back to the TTT. Time travel is a popular SP theme – and the chap behind these fun and clever booklets has clearly done his research.

They feature the ongoing story of time travelling adventurer Captain Nik Ve and his crew aboard the ♎. As well as reports from both the past, issue one features Charles Darwin and the terrifying future epidemic Kangaroo Flu! Others will cover events ranging from the Black Death to the Space Race and beyond.

Currently they’re only available from the author via Facebook. As it’s a new venture he is currently testing the waters before exploring the best outlet. His name is Charles Samuel Watson and can be found on the British Steampunk Community page or at many Steampunk events taking place over the summer.

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fashion friday, wardrobe

Fashion Friday – a weekly wardrobe wander

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This is a new feature for the blog. Let me know what you think in the comments.

OK, I’m not Little Miss Fashion Plate, but I think I have decent taste in clothes, even if my day to day outfits are pretty repetitive.

I quite like vintage style dresses and skirts, especially if they flare out a little and flatter my big hips.

I’ve bought a few things from Vinted.co.uk which is an online marketplace for clothes, shoes and accessories. Something caught my eye, one vintee was posting lovely 50s style circle skirts in really fun prints.

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My photography skills leave a lot to be desired

Sadly I didn’t spot one in my size, but as they appeared to be made by this seller, I sent a message asking whether one could be custom made for me. The answer was yes!

Isn’t it lovely? I haven’t worn it yet as I’m saving it for my Grandad’s birthday lunch next week. Going to team it with a little black cardi, vest top, tights and cute stripy ballet pumps.

If you want a cute summer skirt, search Vinted for user Dolly Diva, and this skirt can be found here on Lesley’s folksy shop. She’s a sweetie and a whizz with the sewing machine. I will definitely be going back for another – probably the flamingo print!

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Close up of the print

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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.

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