Tag: reviews

beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, nail polish, nails inc, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – Capital Beauty Box

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This is absolutely jam packed with goodies, seriously, look at it!

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There are 10 items in the box, full and sample sized.

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Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Mask – this has popped up in several different boxes over the last few months, and according to my guinea pig/mother (she loves getting freebies from me) it’s lovely stuff. Will have to give this a go myself.

Colab dry shampoo in Paris – beauty writer and my guru in all things skin, Sali Hughes (buy her book – it’s fab) recommended the Colab dry shampoo ages ago and I picked up London in Superdrug, which is practically scent-free. Paris has a floral fragrance that reminds me of those So… and Impulse body sprays that were all the rage as teenagers. Still I’m sure my perfume will mask it.

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Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection SPF 30 – I am a sunscreen obsessive, I have Northern European ancestry which means I am so white I’m practically translucent, and slather myself in sunscreen daily. I’ve used this one before and find it works quite well.

Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm in Berry. This has SPF 15, vitamin E and aloe vera. Carmex do make good products, so I reckon this will do the job.

Malin + Goetz trio – a travel sized cleanser, moisturizer and lip moisturizer, all in a handy travel bag. This brand is new to me, but the lip moisturizer in particular attracts me. I have very dry, prone to cracking lips and hopefully this will do the trick.

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I love perfectly peachy bath & shower gel – possibly the most disappointing item – a sachet of shower gel from a brand that I’ve seen for sale in Poundland –  not exactly too pricey to be more generous. It’s a special packet with advice from Coppafeel about breast cancer awareness – something I doubt most people would read as they shower.

Fudge Urban Hair Art Sprays – spray in hair colour that washes out. I remember having something similar in the 90s. I got Violet Haze, which I don’t see myself using (not exactly office appropriate) but it could be fun for a party.

MUA Mega Volume Mascara – I like MUA but I am very fussy about mascaras so this probably won’t get used by me (my mum hasn’t bought one in years, I keep her supplied).

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Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish in Soho Place – a turquoise polish from my favourite nail brand, named after one of my favourite areas of London – it’s a win!

And finally, possibly the box’s star item.

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MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Poptastic – 12 different coloured shadows, which considering I promised to stop wearing the same colour every day is going to come in handy (I am that lazy, making complex make up decisions first thing is too much).

What did you think? Have you bought this box? Do you think you will? Comments please.

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lifestyle boxes, reviews

Happy Mail box

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A box full of adorable goodies was waiting for me in the letterbox today. It comes from I Heart Homes, a shop I discovered on Facebook.

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The items in the box are lovely and worth a lot more than the £10 the box cost.

I got a sweet butterfly bookmark, Sass & Belle bird brooch, a poster, bird pegs, a keyring, flower pen and a little plaque with a bee on it.

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reviews, theatre

Easily Offended?

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Took my boyfriend to the theatre tonight for his birthday. We went to see The Book of Mormon.

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We saw Avenue Q a few years ago, and this is by the same team (who also wrote South Park – which I can’t stand).

BoM is very, very funny but not for anyone who doesn’t like swearing, or sexual references. Basically, if you’re easily offended, skip this and see something else (Les Mis, Cats, Phantom, all good).

The story is that of two Mormon missionaries from Utah who are dispatched to northern Uganda for their two year mission – to convert and baptize the natives.

A lot of the jokes revolve around the fish out of water scenario these 19 year olds find themselves in. However, others are very crude and based on American stereotypes of Africans. There are jokes about Aids, poverty, FGM (I didn’t find these funny), warlords, rape (again, not so funny) and dysentery.

Fans of South Park will know this crudity, and find it amusing, and while I laughed at some of the jokes, others really grated. South Park has never been something I would choose to watch, I really don’t think it’s funny or clever.

I think it depends on your comedic taste and level of sensitivity to near-knuckle humour, as to whether this show would be for you.

The man sat in front of me laughed so hard at times, I was a bit concerned as he was bright red.

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beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

You Beauty Burt’s Bees Limited Edition

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Came home from the office to find this beaut waiting for me. The You Beauty Burt’s Bees Limited Edition box and it’s a good ‘un.

Seven products and all but two are full size – only £19.95!

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Peach & Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub

Orange Essence Facial Cleanser

Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

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Lip Crayon in Hawaiian Smolder

Hydrating Lip Balm with Coconut & Pear

The two sample size products are;

Facial Cleansing Towelettes

Intense Hydration Night Cream

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There’s also a £10 coupon for the Burt’s Bees website.

I’m a fan of the natural ingredients Burt’s uses, and have been eyeing up their website for a while. Looking forward to ordering some more goodies with my voucher and treating my skin with these lovely products.

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

Latest in Beauty – The Glamour Summer Edit

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As you may have noticed I’m a LiB fan, and especially of their Glamour collaboration boxes. This took a while to get here, but it’s packed with great brands for the summer.

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Nails Inc is one of my absolute faves, and a full size gel effect polish is a huge yes, there are three shades and I got Kensington Passage – a vivid pink that’ll really pop on my toes in the sandals I haven’t bought yet!

Vita Liberata is a brand that seems to be everywhere this summer – I don’t normally bother with fake tan as I just go orange but this bronzer powder and brush set are a great idea and claims to leave you with a natural looking glow for up to a week.

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L’Occitane shampoo & conditioner with essential oils. I’ve had these before and they’re great travel size products. Lightly scented and leaves hair shiny.

Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon in Fuchsia Libre (3 varieties available). Has SPF 15, says it’s waterproof and hydrating. Might be a dupe for my beloved, but pricey Clinique chubby sticks. I haven’t road tested it yet.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish – if I’m honest body polish sounds like a fancy way of saying body lotion that you wash off. My legs need a boost before I expose them so I’ll give this a go as other products from this range have been quite pleasant.

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Pixi Glow Tonic – I rarely use toner, still not entirely convinced it has a point. This is alcohol free and hypoallergenic, both are a bonus in my book.

Caudalie Divine Oil for body, face & hair. I’ve tried to like face oils but my skin breaks out, however my hair adores them (my hairdresser was impressed at how healthy my hair has become after using argan oil while it’s wet), so this will end up on my hair not my skin.

Eucerin SPF 50+ Sun Fluid Mattifying for face. Suitable for sensitive skin. I am very keen on good sunscreen, but apparently anything over SPF 30 is the same. Also most SPFs are tested on animals and until I can determine whether this was, I might just stick to the ones I know are not.

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Seekers of the Sun temporary tattoos – another box that thinks we’re all still six and want to adorn ourselves with these ridiculous things! They look good for about five seconds. However I did see on Instagram that someone has used some to make nail art and that sounds intriguing.

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All in all a good mix of full and sample sized items, they’re are also discounts available for all the brands included. Will definitely be having a play with most of this box.

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movie night, reviews

Movie night – The Book of Life

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Sunday night is movie night and last night we watched animated film The Book of Life (rated U).

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Technically it’s a kids’ film but there was plenty for us big kids to enjoy. The film didn’t perform well in US cinemas and I don’t remember much publicity for it here, which is a real shame as it’s a funny, sweet and clever film.

It centres on Manolo and Maria – love struck heroes in a tiny Mexican town under threat from bandits.

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They are the unwitting pawns in a bet between two supernatural beings who rule The Land of the Remembered and The Land of the Forgotten.

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Mexico’s Day of the Dead is a time when families gather to remember their loved ones and celebrate life, and it is on this day that our story is set.

With echoes of Romeo & Juliet as well as the Orpheus & Eurydice myth, this is a sweet story about love triumphing over all.

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It’s also incredibly funny, the Mariachi band and the ancestors are particularly giggle-worthy.

The animation is beautiful, colours burst off the screen and it’s voiced by some big names (Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum and many more).

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I highly recommend getting hold of a copy (amazon has it for about £5) for watching with the family or just when you need some levity. The soundtrack is pretty cracking too.

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beauty, beauty boxes, glossybox, make up, reviews, skincare

Glossybox – The Festival Edit

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Sadly I think my days of sleeping badly in a collapsing tent in the muddiest field, trying to avoid needing the look and craning my neck to watch tiny figures on a distant stage may be behind me. I like a hot shower and a proper bed too much.

Glossybox is getting into the festival spirit in this month’s box. Which *spoiler* is a bit disappointing to me.

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There’s no special box or paper, just the standard pink and black.

Inside is a Hello Fresh voucher worth £25 – something that I probably won’t use as I can cook confidently enough and know how to shop on a budget.

The products themselves are a little disappointing.

Kueshi Anticellular Booster – what every woman needs, a reminder that you, like most of the population, might have cellulite. It’s a full size bottle too. Might use it just as leg lotion but I never believe the magically rids you of cellulite claims!

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Next up is Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes – these are quite useful as they’re handbag sized and claim to be suitable for sensitive skin.

Monuspa Rosewood Reviving Spray – I’ve never really been a fan of spray on face mists – I find they leave your skin a little greasy, although I like the concept. Will probably give this a try and see what happens.

Essence the gel nail polish – I wouldn’t have minded the mint one but I got a red/coral colour that won’t get much use. Essence is a bargain beauty brand found in Wilkinson’s, a lot of bloggers have been raving about it, but I’ve yet to test out their products myself.

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Finally, oh yes, more temporary tattoos – including the Glossybox logo should you want to brand yourself. I now have quite the collection of these, destined to never be used, as most beauty boxes seem to be flogging them this summer.

I’m fairly disappointed, Glossybox for me started out so promising but the last few have been pretty mediocre. Unless this improves, it may well be adios Glossybox.

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adventures, life, music, reviews, theatre

Amanda Palmer at Union Chapel

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I love music, I believe the right song at the right time can change your entire perspective. As someone with partial hearing loss (it’s genetic and will get worse) I try to make the most of the music I can still hear.

Tonight I went to Union Chapel in Islington, a beautiful church that also hosts concerts, to see Amanda Palmer perform on her last tour before she becomes someone’s mother (she’s 6 months pregnant).

I saw Amanda there about 4 or 5 years ago and that was amazing, tonight was even better. The acoustics and ambience of the building add a certain something to the proceedings.

Amanda’s shows don’t feel like a gig, more like An Evening With , as she introduces acts and brings her friend on stage to sing with her.

Kicking off proceedings is the joyful noise of London band Perhaps Contraption – a combination of a brass band with a punk aesthetic. They are tremendous fun.

Then comedian Andrew O’Neill comes on and does some very funny one liners, reads out some hilarious rejection letters and introduces Amanda.

She stands in the pulpit and sings ‘The Wind That Shakes The Barley’ unaccompanied, it is beautiful.

Then she descends to the piano to kick things off with ‘Astronaut’ and ‘Ampersand’ from her ‘Who Killed Amanda Palmer?’ album.

She talks about the previous night’s show – webcast live to Patreon subscribers, soon to be free to stream to everyone. She tells us tonight will be better as she can relax more. She takes requests from the audience, I ask for ‘I Google You’, but sadly there isn’t enough time to do them all. She performs some of them with her ukelele.

She reads a random extract from her book ‘The Art of Asking’, selected by an audience member, she talks about writing and her infamous Kickstarter.

Her special guest is drag performer and cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat, who is magnificent, funny, clever, joyous.

Then she brings her friend Whitney on and they do a Garfunkel and Oates song about how smug pregnant women are and a few Ask Amanda questions.

Then they do a Dresden Dolls classic – Delilah – I think I last heard her do this with Georgia from Bitter Ruin, it’s a great song.

There’s time for a Ben Folds cover and a riotous Leeds United featuring Perhaps Contraption, before the standing ovation.

The encore is a Kimya Dawson song and Ukelele Anthem.

Normally she stays and signs anything you like, but she’s pregnant, her feet are swollen and she hasn’t been off stage to pee once.

So, as this is technically a book tour, there’s a signing tomorrow evening in Waterstones.

I think it’s the relationship she has with her fans, old and new, that makes her shows feel more intimate, she’s joking and waving, knowing we’ll sing along, that we’re in on it, whatever it is.

I leave buzzing, music always seems to bring me alive a little more.

We walk to Kings Cross, down Pentonville Road, past the park where clown Joseph Grimaldi’s grave is sited, the evening faded and the wind picking up, talking about the show, about ideas it’s given us – things we’re mulling over.

The way you should be, electric from the crowd, from the rhythm. Not bad for a Tuesday.

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beauty, beauty boxes, reviews, skincare

You Beauty Discover Box – June

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My May box went AWOL in the post so skip forward to this month’s box.

This is one of the cheaper beauty boxes at £6.95 a month, so it doesn’t contain as much as others.

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You pick two of the items to be included.

I chose Sanctuary Spa’s Luxurious Body Butter and Amie’s Morning facial wash & moisturiser.

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The other items I received are ;

Urban Fruit Smashing Strawberry snack pack – this is something I buy quite a lot, dried strawberries, that taste yummy.

Clipper tea – red berries and green tea bags. Clipper teas are very nice but this is supposed to be a beauty box.

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Good to go anywhere wipes – sanitizing wet wipe, absorbent dry tissue, cleansing wet wipe trio.

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Inside their guide to your box are discount vouchers for each of the brands I could have picked from.

To be honest this wasn’t a great box – the items were a bit scatter shot and confused. Hopefully if my May box ever arrives it’ll be better!

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beauty, beauty boxes, lifestyle, make up, my little box, reviews, skincare

My Little Provence Box

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After a delay in posting (don’t ask) my May MLB is finally here. Here’s my thoughts.

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Provence in France is supposed to be a beautiful place. Blue skies, fields of lavender, so it’s no surprise that My Little Box has taken inspiration from it.

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However I have my reservations about this box.

Provence is the home of cult beauty brand L’Occitane and this box feels like an homage to that company, and having recently had a sample box from L’Occitane, this felt a little repetitive (although not everyone will feel this way).

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As always the box is beautifully presented (above are my unboxing pics). Inside is a slightly confused selection.

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There have been a lot of blogger and Facebook complaints about this box, and how MLB seem to be a bit muddled about who their box is aimed up – not for the first time.

The stickers in the My Little Super Box caused the same moans, this time it’s magnets. I will most likely give them to my friend’s little girls to play with, although they are very nice, I don’t need more fridge magnets.

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Most of the actual beauty items are L’Occitane, Verbena soap, Verbena body lotion, Mer & Mistral body wash, Rose hand cream. They also included a My Little Beauty eye shadow crayon. They come in a themed mini canvas bag.

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Eye crayon - a brown with a little shimmer

The lifestyle item is a gold cuff bracelet with two shades of blue thread so you can personalise it (check out their Instagram for ideas).

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MLB are always pretty generous with the box contents – for £10 this box is worth about £40. There is also a L’Occitane voucher (that ran out on May 31st).

There is, as always, a copy of their My Little World magazine. However they’ve changed the format and now it opens out like a poster, which makes it harder to look through. There’s also a cute illustrated quote card, which will find a home on my wardrobe inspiration wall.

All in all, not thrilled with this box, I prefer a wider selection of products, not an advert for one company. Hopefully June’s box will do better. Still fancy a trip to Provence though!

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