Tag: reviews

beauty, beauty boxes, look fantastic, reviews, skincare

#LFJetsetter

ramblingmads

June’s Look Fantastic box dropped on my doorstep at the weekend and it’s all about getting away from it – jetting off somewhere glam.

Sadly I don’t have anything planned yet, but I could definitely do with a dose of doing nothing somewhere sunny and interesting.

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The box is full of summer boosters to help you look good and feel even better in the summer.

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Caudalie Premier Cru Eye Cream – infused with Copper, Silver and Iridescent Pearlisers this luxury French eye cream is designed to illuminate the skin and eliminate dark circles.

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturiser – this moisturiser is specially designed to keep skin happy and healthy during the summer sun, it’s recommended for evenings after you’ve been out soaking up the vitamin D.

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Korres Shower Gel – I love the Bergamot Pear scent but the Basil Lemon was new to me, hopefully I’ll love it just as much.

Mr Blanc Teeth Whitening Strips – peroxide free strips designed to whiten teeth and leave you with a shiny smile (hopefully not too Ross from Friends after the bleach incident).

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Cowshed Moisturising Cream – beauty box lovers seem divided on the question of whether hand cream in a box is a good or bad thing. Personally I love it, always in need of more – haven’t paid for hand cream in ages, and this is one of my favourites.

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Dead Sea Spa Magik Beauty Balm BB Cream – infused with Dead Sea Minerals and Vitamin E, this works with your natural skin tone so you don’t look too orange. But we’ll see, few ‘suitable for all skin tones’ can cope with my ghost white skin.

Tan Organic Tanning Oil – self-tan and I have a complicated history but I always try them out. Knowing my luck this won’t affect the milk bottles (semi skimmed) I have for legs.

As always there’s the in-box magazine and a free copy of Elle, although without the Benefit goodies attached to the copies in stores.

beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, you beauty

Box cancelling – You Beauty

ramblingmads

Yes this box is a bargain at £6.95, yes it’s nice to have some say over the contents, but honestly after a seriously of increasingly ‘meh’ months, I’m done with You Beauty’s box.

From June’s frankly underwhelming shortlist I picked a lip balm and some shampoo. Shampoo, like I can’t just go out and get some on the high street and another lip balm for my collection/addiction.

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The bonus items were pretty pathetic again, the world’s smallest sachet of suncream, which I almost missed, thinking it was just advertising, and another sample of bath oil, which we had only a few months ago. I don’t have a bath in my flat and a quick straw poll of friends reveals that a lot of them don’t either, so it’s a wasted product.

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Time to cancel this particular subscription in the hope that other boxes deserve my hard earned money just a wee bit more. 

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A sachet of suncream that might just cover my nose!?!
fun stuff, happy mail, lifestyle boxes, reviews

#happymail Spring box

ramblingmads

This month’s #happymail box popped through my letterbox this weekend, bringing a dose of Spring magic with it.

It’s packed full of sweet things to make your home bright.

As well as a cute art print, there’s a gorgeous scarf printed with swallows, which I will be wearing with my Spring outfits. There’s also a flower print coaster, which will be jollying up my desk at my new job, a ceramic butterfly, cute necklace with dinky silver hearts and a little gift for my mum.

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It’s a really gorgeous selection of goodies Katie at ihearthomes has curated. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next month.

fun stuff, happy mail, lifestyle boxes, reviews

Lucky Dip Club

ramblingmads

I’ve been curious about the Lucky Dip Club sub box for ages, but since I either sleep through the 7am subscription window or am travelling to work at that time, I always fail to score a box on the first of every month.

So I added myself to the reserves list and was lucky enough to score a spare box that way.

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May’s box is essentially Spring in a box.

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There’s seeds to attract bees and butterflies to your garden, a copy of Girl Planet zine, a patch to sew onto your bag or jacket, a funky cactus pin, a tote bag (essential hand bag kit or pay 5p every time you shop!) and a Super Sunflower, which I will use to jazz up my plant pots, all in a cute box that was delivered by a unicorn.

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Are you a Lucky Dip Box subscriber? What are your thoughts? Let me know what you think below. 🌷🌸🌹🌺🌻🌼

beauty, beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

Little Known Box

ramblingmads

This is a new subscription beauty box aiming to showcase (as the name suggests) lesser known brands.

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Just launched, their first box contains five products, four of which are fullsize.

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Flint + Flint Moisturiser 3x – this is a rich cream filled with good things for your skin to repair and regenerate your skin.

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The Vintage Cosmetic Company rose gold eyelash curlers – these are pretty self explanatory, they’re eyelash curlers!

Medusa’s Make-up lip gloss in Space Invader – this cruelty-free US import is a pinky red with a hint of glitter.

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Dirtea Exfoliating Coconut Scrub – this is the only sample sized product in the box, and at first I thought it was a teabag! It’s a body scrub made with black tea extract, coconut oil and and Himalayan pink salt. It also comes in Peppermint and Diamond, all designed to target different skin complaints.

Thumbs Up Nail Wraps – marble accented wraps designed to decorate your nails without damaging them. 

There are discounts available for every brand in the box, perfect if you find something you love and want more of.

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#paperhaul, adventures in post, art, fun stuff, lifestyle boxes, reviews, stationery

#paperhaul May – weather

ramblingmads

This month’s #paperhaul box of beautiful stationery comes illustrated by Canadian Chad Geran.

As always a percentage from each box goes to the charity Postpals, sending letters and cards to sick children .

As suits May’s (mostly) sunny days the contents are themed around Spring and weather.

There are sweet note cards, stickers, washi tape and a notebook. Perfect for brightening up someone’s day.

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books, lifestyle boxes, reviews

The Bookish Box – Special Edition Outlander box

ramblingmads

Earlier this year I read the first Outlander book and became hooked, devouring all the currently available books in the series.

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While I haven’t quite got round to watching the TV series on Amazon Prime, I can tell you that I will definitely be reading the next book the moment it becomes available.

When The Bookish Box announced a one-off special edition no subscription required Outlander theme box, I had to jump right in.

All of the items in this box are themed around Outlander, which is set partly in 18th Century Scotland, so there’s a strong Scottish feel to the box, from the use of Gaelic words like ‘Sassenach’ meaning ‘Southerner’ but usually used to indicate someone English, to the thistle, Scotland’s national flower.

This all appeals to me as my family’s roots on my mum’s side extend into Scotland, we even have clan tartan.

Let’s dive in and have a proper look at the box.

I love the watercolour inspired finish on the box itself, with tartan print on the side.

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As always with the Bookish Box there’s an Appraising Pages printed T-shirt, this one in a royal blue and gold, quoting the series’ hero Jamie when he tells his beloved Claire this.

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The Sassenach bookmark from artist Lexy Olivia made me smile, technically I’m a Sassenach, but in the context of the book it’s Jamie’s nickname for Claire.

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Next up there’s a mug from Coffee Reading Writing, printed with the Scottish thistle and a quote from one of the books.

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The scent of the Highlands is encapsulated in Novelly Yours’ candle with heather, herbs and firewood evoking the land Jamie loves.

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Finally, and I almost missed this hidden in the box, is a simple silver thistle necklace from Eliza Jane K Jewellery, which I will wear with pride, promoting my heritage.

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The box has clearly been compiled with love and definitely connects with the Outlander series. I am really pleased I got my hands on this box as they were limited, but the regular monthly box can be subscribed anytime.

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Are you a fan of Outlander (the books or the show)? Let me know in the comments.

beauty boxes, make up, reviews

Look Incredible box – May

ramblingmads

To be honest I’m not 100% excited by this box, and I’m not entirely sure whether it’s worth the £35 price tag, it’s a bit mixed. Look Incredible, much like Cohorted boxes, specialise in high end make up and skincare, and although this isn’t the Deluxe box (at the same price) you expect things you wouldn’t necessarily pick up because of their price or availability.

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Let’s start with the most disappointing item – three sparkly nail polishes from Claire’s Accessories – somewhere I don’t think I’ve shopped since I was a teenager and moved away from their cheap glittery hair bands. These nail polishes don’t seem particularly great to use – the multi colour glitter in particular went on poorly.

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Korres Anti-aging Eye Primer – a light peachy toned primer with a doe foot applicator, designed to slick on your lids before adding colour. I can see this being really good if you were wearing loose powder shadow or something like Barry M’s Dazzle Dust, which needs a bit of help staying put.

Bare Minerals Ready Blush in French Kiss – in the pot this is a really bright pink, and would probably look amazing on darker skin, luckily if you apply it gently enough and only with one swipe, even ghost skinned girls like me can wear it. Just remember to blend.

MAC Lipstick Crayon in Clever – I’m pretty sure I’ve had this in a previous box, but it’s a nice pinky coloured crayon, although you need to layer it up slightly to get much colour going.

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Swatches – Top: Eye Primer, Middle: MAC crayon, Bottom: Blush

Bellapierre Kabuki Brush – super soft brush (something I think I already have), perfect for blending or applying powder.

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Blush, lip crayon, primer, brush

Bit of a mixed bag this month, the MAC crayon and brush are definitely heading into the stash but the nail polishes, not so much.

beauty, beauty boxes, look fantastic, reviews, skincare

Look Fantastic #LFHelloBeautiful

ramblingmads

A new month means new beauty boxes, and I’m kicking May off with Look Fantastic’s Hello Beautiful Box. Packed full of skincare and hair products to get you looking fabulous in the Spring sunshine. There’s also a free copy of June’s Elle magazine, almost half the price of the box alone.

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Ren Wake Wonderful Night Time Facial – a sample size bottle of Ren’s overnight treatment, combining Glycolic and Lactic acids with Cranberry Seed Oil and Arctic Blackcurrant Seed Oil. Apply after your night time moisturiser to wake up with youthful and plumped skin. Probably not a product I’ll use much as I’m quite happy with my night time skincare regime, but should I feel my skin needs a boost, this might be quite handy.

Ioma Youthful Moisture Cream – seven little pods of rich moisture, infused with Soya and Cotton Oil, to increase the production of collagen and regenerate cells. These are single use pods, and will most likely make their way onto my face on those when my skin feels tight and in need of extra moisture.

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Revlon Uniq One Coconut hair treatment – designed to repair damaged hair and improve shine as well as containing UVA and UVB filters for the summer sun. Most likely this will be popped in my bag for use after swimming, chlorine plays havoc with blonde hair, turning it a delightful shade of green.

Wet Brush – designed especially to comb out wet hair without breaking, this is another for the swim bag, to quickly and gently tidy my hair post-swim.

Vichy Lift Activ – from French pharmacy brand comes this intensely hydrating moisturiser, suitable for sensitive skin. Handy pocket sized pot, perfect for popping in a bag for overnight or weekend breaks.

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Decleor Hydra Floral Gel Cream – 70% water based cream to deliver hydration without feeling heavy. My main bugbear with this is the teeny tube of product, barely enough to check whether it’s something you’d want to invest in.

A bit of a mixed box, with some products I know I’ll make use of and some I’m not that sure about. Part of the problem is so many products are very similar – essentially four different moisturisers, plus a hair brush and hair treatment spray.

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

M&S Best of British Beauty Box

ramblingmads

Good ol’ M&S jumping on the beauty box wagon with their Best of British box. It’s priced at £120, which is a lot but Sparks card holders can get it for £25 delivered free to your nearest store. Check out the Sparks app or the website for details.

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I had a gift voucher to use and since I only really buy underwear and Club sandwiches (except when my local shop stops stocking them :'() in M&S it seemed worth spending it on this box rather than more pants.

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The box has 13 products from British brands, and seems to have been launched to celebrate the new M&S beauty halls, stocking brands like Pixi, REN and Nuxe.

🌹M&S Pure Super Grape Day Cream

🌹Leighton Denny Britz & Glitz Nail Colour

🌹Pixi LipLift Glossy Lip Plumper

🌹Eyeko Black Magic Mini Mascara

🌹REN Wake Wonderful Night time Facial

🌹Percy & Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Balm

🌹M&S Rosie for Autograph Amazing Radiance Cream

🌹M&S Rosie for Autograph Nuit Parfum Eau de Parfum

🌹Joan Collins Timeless Beauty Class Act Lash Growth Treatment

🌹Rodial Stemcell Super Food Cleanser

🌹Look Good Feel Better Eye Shading Brush

🌹Nails Inc 45 Second Top Coat with Kensington Caviar

🌹Studio 10 Age Reverse Perfecting Lipliner

There’s a great assortment of products from haircare to nails, skincare to make up. It’s a rather packed box, but I don’t know if it’s worth the full £120. Most of the products are full size, which is nice as so many boxes have the tiniest possible sachets, which aren’t exactly worth getting a lot of the time.

Will you be indulging yourself in M&S Best of British beauty box?