August’s box popped through my door (sort of) and it’s a bright one.
Decorated in a fabulous floral design, reminiscent of the wonderful fabrics worn by the women I see going to the African church on a Sunday. Which certainly seems to be the inspiration.
West African inspired designs decorate everything inside the box as well as out. The designs are known as Wax and the patterns mean something.
There’s a clever little pattern flipper which explains these designs. It’s a bit addictive to fiddle with.
The art print features the title of one of The Beach Boys most famous songs.
The lifestyle items are all jewellery related. A Nana Benz necklace and a gem catcher (jewellery rack).
There are three beauty products inside the printed bag;
Batiste Hold Me Hairspray (travel size)
Bare Minerals Skinsorials skin longevity (sample size)
My Little Beauty Blush Me Tender cream brush
These are a bit disappointing as the bareminerals is so teeny and I feel like there’s a Batiste product in every other box.
The blusher is a really pale pink and I’m not a huge fan of cream blushers.
I like the necklace, although it’s not something I would probably wear but it certainly will look nice displayed with my other necklaces. Same with the necklace hanger.
This was a bit of a mixed box, and since MLB is still hanging on by a thread with me, that’s not great news. I have decided to give them one more month (as it’s my birthday in September) and then it’s crunch time.
When the Queen of beauty boxes, Jaina from Which Beauty Box UK, releases a beauty box of her own, it’s a must buy.
This summer edit is gorgeous. The box itself is good quality, with a magnetic strip and a ribbon, gold embossing. Just lovely.
Inside is a beautifully scented tissue paper wrapped bundle of gorgeous items from indie brands, most of which are vegan and cruelty free.
Alphabet Bags Stay Wonderful Ombre Make Up Bag – RRP £22. This make up bag is really pretty and a great size for all your holiday bits and bobs.
Danglefoot Nail Polish in Atlantis (exclusive to the box) – RRP £6.50. I love the polishes I already have from Danglefoot, so this gorgeous, sparkly teal polish is perfect.
Saturated Colour Make Me Matte Lipstick Mattifier – RRP £8. I am super intrigued by this nifty little tube. Applied over any lipstick it instantly mattifies it for a completely different look.
Bloomtown Botanicals The Hedgerow Organic Hand & Body Wash – RRP £12. I love Bloomtown’s products and this smells heavenly as will I after using it. Blackberry and honeysuckle – almost good enough to eat.
Make Feet Revive Lime and Lavender Foot Cream – RRP £12. My feet ache after walking all day so this is actually making me super happy. With lots of essential oils and refreshing ingredients, I now have happy feet.
AA Skincare Green Tea and Aloe Vera Cleansing Wipes – RRP £3.30. I’ve used these wipes before, they’re super gentle on skin and lift grease, make up, grime with ease.
PHB Ethical Beauty Refresh Gel with Seaweed & Mint – RRP £13.75. This is really nice, perfect for use on sunburn and bug bites, or just irritated skin. Cools and soothes and smells really good too.
PHB Ethical Beauty Brightening Body Lotion – RRP £3.50. My sensitive skin prefers natural ingredients and this is packed full of them.
Gifts by Little Miss Popsicle Bath Fizzy – RRP £3.25. I was disappointed this wasn’t edible, it looks so delicious. I don’t have a bathtub but will be taking this away with me hopefully to somewhere with one!
Raspberry Sangria Candle Jar by Flamingo Candles – RRP £3.50. This is so yummy, I need to go make a jug of sangria and add raspberries to imitate this.
So it’s pretty safe to say I love this box. Jaina has done a fab job, she really knows her stuff. I think the price (£37) is pretty fair for all the stuff packed into this box. I really hope there’s another. You can buy yours here and get 15% off with the code WBB15.
This blog post is part of the blogging competition organised by CGTrader – find out morehere.
The beauty industry moves at its own entirely mysterious pace – some brands are totally with the times in terms of innovation and design and others lag a bit behind. There is some brilliant technology in place, like colour matching and mixing an exact foundation for your skin. However I think this could be taken further.
We all lead busy lives and not all of us have time to go to a physical shop and be colour matched – one day I reckon you will be able to take a selfie and have a computer work out your perfect shade in seconds and then place your order for same day delivery – making sure you always look spot on and not orange or ashy.
I think more make-up will be intuitive – and could we please create something that doesn’t melt when it gets warm! Foundations that adapt to different textures on your skin and colour corrects without too much faffing.
I can’t for the life of me get the perfect line on my lids, so a smart eyeliner is top of my wish list – one that adapts to your specific eyelid shape, adjusting the brush angle for the perfect flick every time, an even, defined line. A mascara that does this too would be the perfect partner, adapting to your lashes.
I also think more and more brands will become eco aware in ways they haven’t yet – from biodegradable packaging instead of plastic, cruelty free formulas, SPF in everything to reduce the risk of skin cancer, and a shift away from chemical ingredients that actually do harm like preservatives – there are alternatives out there and if there aren’t, well I have just invented jobs for cosmetic scientists – lets have some better formulations that care for us. A mini fridge for all your make up, free with purchase.
Colour changing lipstick
More brands will expand their lines to include the actual spectrum of skin tones in the world instead of assuming everyone fits somewhere in 5 shades, and with the above suggested colour matching app that orders your perfect shade then I don’t see why not.
Or how about an app that measures how often you re-order your products and automatically does it for you, so you don’t even have to remember to stop by the beauty counter.
Brushes and sponges that come with antibacterial microbes infused in them to help stop infections – and that remind you to wash them by changing the colour of their handles or self-destructing!
I think there will be still be a place for physical shops, as people will need to be shown how to use the new technology or want to ask questions that no app can answer. You might also want to keep picking up the basics on your lunchtime stroll.
Then there’s skincare – a section of the beauty market that seems to be always chasing the cutting edge. I can definitely see it becoming more high tech – again with formulas mixed for your exact skin needs – sensitive skin needs different things from oily, teenage skin is very different from older skin and they need specific formulas. But of course skin likes to chuck in the odd curveball, from post-menopausal skin breaking out in acne to sensitive skin that is greasy and dry at the same time!
Being able to scan your face in and have it mapped for you – ah yes, you need SPF 30, lots of vitamin A & E, and something that fades scarring, let me just blend these ingredients together, with a little shea butter and essential oils to combat aging and soften skin.
Scan your skin to check your health
That would be incredible and it’s slowly starting to happen. But one day it could be a reality, and an affordable one – like using your smart phone on the go, beauty on the move, making you feel good and look your best, whatever your skin type, tone or style.
I had a very brief subscription from Pink Parcel a while ago but I am still on their mailing list so when the Summer Edit popped into my inbox I decided to place an order.
A huge box arrived, carried to my door by the invisible postman (I never see him but parcels arrive and someone rings the doorbell and I once heard a man whistling). Inside was a flamingo print canvas bag full of goodies.
I love flamingos – this bag is very me
Scrub Love Coconut Affair Coffee Scrub – I’m not personally a fan of coffee scrubs probably because I don’t like coffee, but my fiance loves coffee in all forms so this will be his to use.
Barnaby Cross Gemmotherapy Face Mask – not exactly sure what gems have to do with face masks but this seems to be a plant based sheet mask.
Figs & Rouge Combat Cream- this is designed to eradicate blemishes, which is handy as my skin can be a bit reactive.
Malibu SPF 30 Lotion – sun cream is an essential in my skincare arsenal.
Spa To You Konjac Sponge – I am really not that keen on these sponges but some people love them.
Your Tea Face Scrub – this has tea in it which is new, and claims to be gentle enough for sensitive skin.
Colorsport 30 Day Brow Tint – dark brown shade so not for me.
Pink Parcel For Now Tampons
Beauty Papier Green Tea Blotting Paper – shiny t-zones be gone with soothing green tea extract.
Stylondon Henna Tattoos – just no.
Bic Soleil Razor
Elegant Touch Nails (Colours vary)
Sass Intimate Purifying Cleanser – there’s a whole rant I could do about this.
Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner
Burt’s Bees Deep Cleansing Cream
Jelly Pong Pong Eye Shadow Duo
Sportfx Sport Stamina Mascara
Amie Deep Pore Exfoliating Polish
Bonnie XO Lipstick
Pink Parcel make up bag
Dr Paw Paw Original Balm (not pictured as it rolled under the bag!)
Candy Kittens sweets – 2 sweets! 2 sweets!
Estella Bartlett bracelet – this is pretty.
Joe & Seph’s Coconut & Chia Popcorn (which was supposed to be Not.Corn made with sorghum) – leave out the chia seeds and this is s nice coconut popcorn.
Yuyo Mint Tea
Yuyo Zing Tea
We Are Tea Soothe for tummy relief
Make up close ups
Bit of a mixed bag (quite literally). Some of these things I will definitely use but others will be going to new homes.
As you may be mildly sick of me mentioning, I went to the Allergy & Free From Show recently.
One of the brands I discovered there is Arbonne – a Swiss beauty company that makes cruelty free, vegan friendly make up and skincare.
After a little test session with friendly make up artist and rep Sarah my lovely mum bought me a foundation and a blush. Sarah kindly threw in a primer for me too.
I love make up but the combination of sensitive skin, eczema and rosacea means I have to be super careful with what I use on my face to avoid breakouts and flare ups.
Sarah explained the ingredients and ethos used by Arbonne – from their website;
Ingredient Policy
Transparency and honesty. For over 35 years, this has been the hallmark of our product integrity. From the beginning, Arbonne has developed products by combining the best of nature with leading science. Our mission is to always improve and evaluate our ingredient policy as an ever-evolving standard of excellence. This means we continuously challenge ourselves to do better and better.
We formulate without
animal products or by-products | artificial flavors | artificial sweeteners | benzene | bisphenol-a | carbon black | formaldehyde-donating preservatives | hydroquinone | mineral oil | parabens | petrolatum | phthalates | sodium laureth sulfates (SLES) | sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) | synthetic dyes | talc | triclosan | triethanolamine (TEA) And so much more …
A lot of the things I avoid are absent from these products which is great for me.
The foundation I chose is in the lightest shade of the range, quelle surprise, Alabaster, a gentle medium coverage liquid foundation that sinks in without looking chalky or leaving a residue.
The blusher is in a light shade called Ballet – it seems a little pale in the pot but once on its peach undertones appear, making my skin look warm.
The primer is quite gel like but blends down smoothly leaving my skin even and ready to apply my make up.
I am definitely going to keep using these products and potentially re-purchase, although I also have my eye on some of the skincare Arbonne produces.
If anything catches your eye – do contact Sarah and check out her Instagram too for some amazing make up looks.
Bloomtown Botanicals is a small firm making beauty products from natural ingredients, 100% palm oil and cruelty free.
I picked up the sampler set as a little treat, but totally forgot to pick my fragrances at the checkout so the team at Bloomtown did it for me!
The sampler set has four products from across the Bloomtown range to give you a good feel for the things they produce.
The box smells amazing.
The Woods Sweet Almond & Shea Sugar Scrub
This scrub smells delicious – but do not eat it! A mix of soothing, skin loving ingredients that didn’t only leave my legs smooth but also feeling soft.
The Hedgerow Pink Himalayan Salt Soak
I don’t have a bath tub unfortunately but I do enjoy a good foot soak of an evening in my DIY foot spa (it’s a bowl) and this made my feet soft and smell delicious, like blackberries and honey (it contains huneysuckle). You only need a little.
The Grove Shea & Coconut Soap Bar
I don’t normally get on with soap as lanolin makes my hands dry and scratchy. But this little beauty contains Shea butter and not lanolin. So it left my hands clean and happy.
The Meadow Infused Oil
With lavender, rose geranium and chamomile this roll on is relaxing and light. I’m using it on pulse points before bed to help calm me and help me sleep.
Now I have a little treat for you all. How do you fancy getting 20% off across Bloomtown’s products? Well here you go! Enter the code RAMBLING20 at checkout and tah-dah!
This is an affiliate program and I will get a tiny something if you use the code while making a purchase.
I’ve not done a post like this before but I see a few on blogs I read so I thought I’d share my favourite products of the moment.
Superdrug Vitamin E Spray On Body Lotion – I am really lazy, and hate mornings, so any shortcut that does the same trick is fine by me. This moisturiser in a can is great – especially for doing the backs of my legs as it sprays upside down too.
Superdrug Vitamin E All Over Body Cream – in the evenings this is perfect for smoothing over tired, dry skin. It’s also really good at soothing my eczema after being irritated all day by clothes.
Soap & Glory Rushover Dry Shampoo – I try not to rely on dry shampoo too much but I’m still lazy so… this was a total bargain at the time, and there’s always offers on S&G. This is also a great dry shampoo, slightly fragranced with the signature scent, no dandruff-like residue, no sticky roots.
Ladival Sun Protection Factor 30 – this is my current go to sunscreen, as a very pale blonde my skin needs all the protection. This spray is super easy to apply, doesn’t smell funny, absorbs quickly and doesn’t leave a tacky residue.
Superdrug Simply Pure Micellar Water – Micellar Water is something I use daily to lift the top layer of grime and make up before a thorough cleanse. This one is inexpensive and doesn’t smell weird or contain alcohol. Plus it’s cruelty free and hypoallergenic.
Bio Oil – my mum swears by this and I’ve started using it on some of the odd scars and marks. It takes a while but it seems to help them fade.
Nip+Fab Kale Fix Make Up Removing Pads – I use these when I’ve got slightly heavier make up on that the Micellar Water alone won’t start to budge.
L’Occitane Vervaine Agrumes Eau de Toilette – this is my favourite summer perfume, a mixture of verbena, orange and lemon essential oils and grapefruit extract. It’s light and fresh, and the essential oils mean it stays on the skin for longer.
So those are my current favourites – any that you love too?
I know, I know, I said I was done with Glossybox but I kept seeing increasingly good boxes on other blogs and I just couldn’t resist. If they kept this gorgeous sunburnt pink as well it would be so good.
Inside are five summery beauty bits, four of which are fullsize.
☉Bellapierre Cosmetics Banana Setting Powder – I am so fascinated by this, the yellow powder is designed to offset redness and discoloration on pale skin and add highlights to darker skins.
☉Spectrum Collections Small Fan Brush – partnered with the setting powder, this brush evenly distributes the powder with cruelty free, synthetic bristles that are super soft.
☉Monu Professional Skincare – Monuspa Soothing After Sun Lotion – a generous 100ml ‘sample’ of this summer essential. Try as I might I always get burnt somewhere.
☉Cute Balms Macaroon Tint Balm in Crushed Berry – a fruity smelling balm for lips and cheeks. This is most likely going to be added to my collection of lipbalms I keep forgetting I have and then I buy more.
☉Papanga Spiral Hairbands (pack of 3) – try as I might I can’t seem to get on board with these, they may not tangle other people’s hair but they snare up might like nobody’s business.
I rather liked this box – but I will only be sticking with this subscription if the quality remains high. I cannot afford more crappy boxes of cheap and unwanted make up.
June’s box was so late I didn’t bother to blog it but July’s arrived on Saturday so I thought I would share it with you.
I’ve been a bit unsure whether to keep subscribing, June’s box was quite disappointing (read about it here) but I quite liked this one.
The summery beach inspired box is rather pretty, utilising the red, white and blue of the French (and UK) flag – a colour scheme MLB have used before.
Inside is the usual sticker and art print, as well as a pair of postcards to send from your spot on a beach somewhere.
I’m loving the beachy vibes – closest I’ll be getting this summer.
This might be the quirkiest thing in a box I’ve come across – the plastic shell contains what is basically a lollipop minus the stick! It tastes rather nice – which since it’s basically flavoured sugar isn’t a surprise. Apparently in France these are known as ‘roudoudou’ although in all the summers I’ve spent there I’ve not come across these before.
Now I love candles, although I’ve switched to electric was melters recently as they’re safer, so this cute kit is very me. I am definitely making use of this at my next barbecue. The little paper bags easily transform into lanterns with the addition of the tea lights. Casting a pretty blue glow.
This is such a fun item – it’s an inflatable beach bag that doubles as a pillow for snoozing in the sun – you can make sure to avoid sunburn by popping your factor 50 in the bag. I do love an item that can multitask. And if the tide comes in (or you get rained on in the park) the bag inflated will float.
The little canvas bag containing this month’s beauty treats is also decorated with seashells, keeping with the box’s theme. Inside are three items for summer skin.
🐚Institut Karitè Paris – Rose Mademoiselle Shea Hand Cream. This shea butter rich hand cream smells gorgeous and it’s handbag size. Normally I roll my eyes ‘not another handcream’ but this has come at a good time, the tube in my bag has just run out!
🐚Garnier SkinActive 3 in 1 – I don’t personally like this particular scrub/mask/wash as my skin is freakishly sensitive but my partner loves it for his spot prone skin, so has already pounced on this bottle for his wash bag.
🐚My Little Beauty Sandy Shore Body Scrub – this lightly fragranced tub of sea salt and white Polynesian sand with essential oils is also a great item in the box. Summer is the skin season- and exfoliation is key to happy skin. A good scrub in the shower is a great way to slough off old skin cells and encourage cell regeneration.
Overall I rather liked this box – definitely an improvement on some of the previous ones. It also seems that this box is identical to the French one, which is nice as sometimes they vary wildly.
This month’s My Little Box comes with the proviso “Do not open before Friday night” well I’ve always been a rebel.
This box is all about your Friday night – whether you’re going out out or staying in.
Party typesGreat nights out – this pamphlet folds out and is full of ideas and tips for throwing a party or finding one.Coasters & hair pinIngenious bra clip covering bow for backless dressesThis month’s beauty picks
Batiste Dry Shampoo – do I even need to say more.
NailMatic Varnish in Biba
My Little Beauty Back to Black Eye Pencil and Smudger – this is pretty long lasting. I tested it on the back of my hand, one tiny smudge as it’s very soft, and it won’t budge.
And finally a cocktail recipe – Dirty Dancing
Did you get this month’s box? What do you think of the contents.
Decorated in a fabulous floral design, reminiscent of the wonderful fabrics worn by the women I see going to the African church on a Sunday. Which certainly seems to be the inspiration. 
There’s a clever little pattern flipper which explains these designs. It’s a bit addictive to fiddle with. 
There are three beauty products inside the printed bag; 
ramblingmads 