Tag: reviews

beauty boxes, nail polish, nails inc, reviews

Nailbox – Spooky September

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I skipped August’s nailbox while I tried to use up some of my existing nail polishes, and September’s box arrived today.

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Slightly confusingly it’s Halloween themed, despite it being September, but I suppose if you’re planning an All Hallows’ party, this would give you plenty of time to practise your designs.

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As well as three polishes, there’s a set of nail design brushes, and a base coat from Nail Apothecary.

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The polishes come from a range of brands, including my fave Nails Inc, and they’re all full size. For £15 this is a good range of nail items.

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beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, latest in beauty, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – Heart Beauty Essentials

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Latest in Beauty loves the radio as it’s collaborations with Capital FM and Heart demonstrate.

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This beauty box in conjunction with my Dad’s favourite station (he always has it blaring away in the van) is jam packed.

Bloom & Blossom Bath and Shower Gel

Dirty Works 4-in-1 Face Wipes

Kitsch Prima Ballerina Hair Ties

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Lola Electric Purple Nail Polish

Nuxe Creme Moisturizing Cream

Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Mask

Roger & Gallet Lait Sorbet Bois d’Orange Body Lotion

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Rimmel London Provocalips

Philosophy the microdelivery peel

Urban Veda Hydrating Toner

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Also included are discount vouchers for some of the brands included.

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I think I will be making use of all of these goodies, most of the brands are already in my beautifying arsenal.

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happy mail, lifestyle boxes, reviews

Happy Mail – the alternative to all those bills

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Every month the lovely Katie at I Heart Homes ships out little bundles of joy, or Happy Mail.

There are three price tiers, including postage, £10, £15, £25.

I subscribe to the lowest tier, as it fits through my letterbox and that matters when your post gets delivered in the rain and parcels left outside the door get soggy.

Each month the boxes are themed, and all the little treats are associated with the theme. For example August’s was ‘Time for Tea’.

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June's Birds & Bees box
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July's day at the beach

September’s upcoming box is ‘A Trip to Paris’, and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

To subscribe, or buy past boxes or any of the lovely things in the shop, visit the website.

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beauty, beauty boxes, fashion, glossybox, haircare, make up, reviews

Glossybox Style Edition

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September is a month of Fashion Weeks all over the globe in glamorous locations (New York, London, Milan, Paris…) and Glossybox have themed this month’s box for the most stylish month in the fashion calendar.

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The box is beautifully decorated, and features five full size items to get you ready for the new fashion season.

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Pink and khaki grey are the colours for this autumn and the whole box, including the wrapping, is on this trend.

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Maria Nila Luminous Colour Hair Masque – sulphate and paraben free, 100% vegan, doesn’t smell too bad, suitable for coloured and natural hair, a treat from Sweden. I currently have this soaking into my newly cut hair, which needs a boost to look its best. This also comes with a 20% off voucher for the whole range.

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Invisibobble traceless hair ring – I’ve had long hair, short hair and am the queen of the ponytail at any length. In the last few years more and more companies have produced metal-free, hair friendly bands. These claim to leave no kinks in the hair, or cause any breakage. Definitely something my hair can appreciate. There are three in the box.

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Nails Inc polish in Uptown, there is another colour in some boxes. This is a dusky pink shade, though pink always seems like more of a spring colour. I am however a massive Nails Inc fan so this will be added to the mix.

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Bellapierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Whesek. This greyish powder, with its hint of glitter, is perfect for autumnal smoky eyes.

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Marsk Eyeshadow Brush Pro to complement the shimmer powder, I like the wide, fan shape of this brush for sweeping colour over my lids, plus the brush is super soft.

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This box is incredible value – approximately £60 worth of products for £12.95.

There’s also a £15 voucher for invite only fashion brand Best Secret and a sneak peek of one of next month’s products.

really like this box – it’s very generous and features several brands I already use. The box itself is gorgeous and as sturdy as always – making it perfect for storing your make up or wrapping up for a friend’s present (obviously not an empty box!)

Will you be donning this season’s shades and looking totally on point?

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beauty, beauty boxes, haircare, reviews, skincare

Look Fantastic 1st Birthday Edition

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Look Fantastic’s beauty box keeps popping up in my news feed on Facebook – so I thought I’d have a look.

They’re celebrating a birthday and the box is decorated with hundreds of thousands.

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Inside there are eight beauty samples, from a range of brands.

TanWorx Tan Maintainer

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

Caudalie Moisturizing Sorbet

Codage Paris Scrubbing Cream

Sebastian Penetraitt Shampoo & Conditioner

Caudalie SOS Serum

Phyto Hair Mask

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There are also lots of discount vouchers for the brands in the box and also partner brands, brilliant if like me you’re a shopaholic and love a bargain!

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The box is £15 and is available now.

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

September Birchbox

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A fellow September birthday, Birchbox is now five!

And to celebrate there’s a box full of birthday treats. All of which hail from the US – where Birchbox was born. Subscribers can also pick their beauty box design.

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Bliss Lemon and Sage Body Butter – this smells quite light and pleasant, contains coconut oil and vitamin E.

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Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Humble Brag – a 2-in-1 item in quite a hot pink, probably more likely to be on my lips than my cheeks.

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John Masters Organics Citrus Neroli Detangler – this smells almost good enough to eat – but teamed with the next item should leave your hair shiny and tangle free.

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The Birchbrush – a handbag sized tangle teezer style brush

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash – this very cute body wash will be useful in my washbag.

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Benefit the Porefessional: License to Blot – one of Benefit’s newest products this little blotting stick promises to keep your complexion shine free for up to 6 hours.

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Birchbox have also launched an app – on Apple and Android, and entered all subscribers in a draw for a trip to New York City. Finally, if you can get to Selfridges in Oxford Street, you can build your own Birchbox for £15 up till the 27th September.

This is a nice selection of items, in the last few months Birchbox has definitely upped its game.

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beauty, beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, reviews, skincare

The Glamour Beauty Power List 2015

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Once again Latest in Beauty has teamed up with Glamour magazine for a beauty box featuring a selection of great skincare and beauty items. And this box is enormous.

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Curated by Glamour’s Beauty Director, Alessandra Steinherr, this box combines a selection of this year’s hottest brands and products.

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Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream – I had this in another beauty box earlier this year and it’s rich, smells nice and leaves skin soft and hydrated.

Nails Inc Nailkale Super food Base Coat – I have incredibly brittle finger nails, they crack and peel all the time, meaning despite my love of nail polish I am reluctant to paint them too often. Hopefully this new strengthener from one of my favourite brands should help.

Rimmel London 60 Seconds Super Shine Nail Polish – you get 1 of 3 colours, which annoyingly, you can’t choose yourself. I got a pinky-red called Glaston-berry from the Rita Ora range.

Philip Kingsley Geranium & Neroli Elasticizer – I’ve used the original, which is unperfumed, this one smells yum. This pre-shampoo mask was originally created for Audrey Hepburn and leaves your hair soft and shiny.

Kiko Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blush – I like Kiko’s eye pencils, and while I usually use powder blush, this is very light and soft. Again you can’t select the shade you’re sent, and I have a peachy tone, which I quite like as anything too pink doesn’t suit me.

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Top - Revlon lipstick. Bottom - Kiko blush

Eyeko Mascara – I’m really fussy about mascara and haven’t tried this one before. It’s in a squeezy tube, which is a bit different, and comes in two shades (you can’t select!)

Vita Liberata Self Tanning Moisture Mask – as summer draws to a soggy close the pale and interesting among us (including me) heave a sigh of relief at the end of the golden bronzed tanned Instagram snaps. This facial tanner could help you extend the glow you picked up on your summer hols or in the park, but probably won’t make a difference for me.

Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick – I’m not a massive lipstick fan, the colours never quite look the same on, or last long, but this is a very red shade, (one of three you could receive) which I quite like. Might hold onto it for party season.

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beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, skincare

September You Beauty Discovery

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This month is the skincare edition and all of the items are skin friendly.

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As always you can select two items for your box and this month they’re full size.

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I picked AA Skincare Professionals Seaweed & Aloe Refreshing Eye Gel. This multi use product is suitable for all skin types, removes make up, soothes and cools tired eyes. I rarely buy eye cream or gel as I’ve had some bad reactions but my recent bout of insomnia has left me looking like a sad panda so hopefully this will help make me look less like I have black eyes.

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The other item I picked is Urban Veda Sandalwood + Botanics Soothing Day Cream. I’ve been trying different moisturisers on the days when I’m going make up free – my favourites are still currently Lush’s Celestial and Garnier’s Rose Water day cream, but I like the sound of this one and it smells nice.

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Also included in the box is a sample of Linwoods Milled Chia Seed, a soft make up sponge and a sample of Body Shop’s new Oils of Life facial oil. There is also a Body Shop Love Your Body Club membership card and as always discounts on all the brands available to select from. All this for £6.95.

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This is a better box than some have been in the last few months so I’m quite impressed. It’s nice to see full size items and a focus on a particular theme.

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beauty, beauty boxes, latest in beauty, perfume, reviews

Latest in Beauty – The Perfume Society

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LiB has teamed up with the Perfume Society to bring you three curated boxes of scent. I picked the Little Treasures box but you can also get Florals and Florientals and Designer Discoveries, depending on your preferences. The boxes are £12.95 each.

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The scent that caught my eye and swayed me to pick this one was L’Occitane’s new The Vert Bigarade, which I tested in their store. The full size bottle is £45 and as it’s my birthday next month, is on my splurge list.

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There are some scents I’ve never heard of tucked in here as well as brands like Yardley and Liz Earle.

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The Perfume Society has included postcard guides to the included scents, of which there are ten.

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This is a really good way to sample new scents and there’s also a discount voucher to join the Perfume Society. 

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beauty, beauty boxes, birchbox, make up, reviews

Birchbox for Brides

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Wedding season is almost over but I know at least two brides who still have a bouquet to toss before Christmas, and these make fab gifts.

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Birchbox has teamed up with Benefit cosmetics for three boxes – for the hen do, the wedding day and the honeymoon.

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Each box features a range of samples from Benefit’s glamorous range of make up and a little bonus gift.

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To be honest, even if you aren’t getting hitched anytime soon these are great, especially if you’re a Benefit fan.

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