Budget Friendly Christmas Ideas - Fragrance

Just an idea for those of you on a strict budget this year.

Often around Christmas a lot of fragrance brands package their products into gift sets which cost very little if not the same as the original product, so you effectively get a shower gel or body lotion for example, for just a few pounds or even free. 

If you are on a tight budget why not split the set up and give it to a few different people. Your boyfriend/husband might want a particular aftershave this year but in reality probably isn't overly fussed about paring up his shower gel to match. Find a nice box for the aftershave then wrap the shower gel up and use as a stocking filler for your teenage son or brother etc. Or save until a post-Christmas birthday gift when money is even harder to come by. Your mum might have asked for a perfume, save the body lotion for her birthday if it's in the following few months.

You get the idea. It's just a small way to make your money stretch that little bit further. Yes the perfume won't come boxed but most people, particularly immediate family who will understand your financial situation, probably aren't that bothered and if you wrap it well enough probably won't even notice. If you are buying a higher end product most of them may even offer to wrap the gift box in branded tissue or paper. Accept this then you can always carefully unwrap and there will be enough to re-wrap the smaller perfume bottle.

Time To Get Back Up & Running

I feel now is finally the right time to get back on my blogging feet. Looking back, I started this blog and making videos at a time where I couldn't commit to it and, while it gave me something to aim for back then, my own expectations of what I could manage to do were unrealistic.

Things are slowly getting back to normal. While this still isn't my top priority I can now put more into it than I was able to do a few months ago and so blogging service shall be resumed very soon.

I originally wanted to get back to blogging and making videos before Halloween as this is the time of year I usually enjoy being more creative. However this year I had quite a busy few weeks, catching up with friends I hadn't been able to see for a while due to being ill and doing another friend's wedding makeup, as well as keeping my own life balanced. I'm hoping to be able to do a few things coming upto Christmas, blogging is something I'm definitely going to aim for, making videos will perhaps be a little more tricky.

I'm currently in the process of re-arranging and re-decorating my room, it has been a slow process over the last few months and will continue to be as with it being my parent's house my dad wants to do the decorating, but we have just found out that he has a torn tendon in his shoulder so needs surgery. Everything is on hold right now but once I get my room organised a little better with my new furniture I should be able to crack on with the videos.

I'm super excited to get back to doing this as it was good fun and I got some good feedback from people. I'm off now to jot down some ideas for upcoming posts so hopefully I will have something for you soon.

TTFN

xx

I Finally Got My Hands On This Beauty...

 

The Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.

I have been wanting to try a Naked Palette for years, since the first one came out, I just couldn't justify paying so much money in one go. Finally I decided to go out and buy one after getting my hands on some Debenhams vouchers.

I went for the Naked 2 over the original Naked Palette because the shades were generally a lot cooler, which I feel will suit my skin tone better. The packaging also seemed much more sturdy, the Naked 2 being a tin that closes securely, the original being of the older style Urban Decay Palettes with a fabric finish that would tend to get dirty rather quickly and a magnetic lid which is a less secure.

In the palette you get 12 eye shadows, a double ended synthetic brush and a mini lip gloss. I expected to get a mini Primer Potion as in the original palette, being an eye palette and all, so the lip gloss was a surprise, but it's actually a really nice gloss. It's a natural shade that would suit any skin tone, not sticky and has a gorgeous mint choc vanilla scent/taste. It's marketed as a plumping formula and it does have a light tingling sensation but I can't say I noticed any difference in the appearance of my lips. But I didn't buy this for the gloss...

The eye shadows themselves are very soft and highly pigmented. As with all Urban Decay eye shadows there is some fall down so the best way to apply these is to press them onto the lid rather than sweep them on, then blend as needed. There are three matte shades in the palette including a matte black which is always a good thing to have.

I will hopefully get around to doing a full review and maybe even include some looks I create using the palette once I've worked with it a little more. I'm super excited to have a play about with this and find what combinations of the colours work best.

xx

A Bit Of A Blip

I'm not going to make this a long post, to put it bluntly I've been pretty crap and non committal with the whole blogging and vlogging thing. It's something I do enjoy but my head just hasn't been in the right place to be doing this lately.

For those of you who don't know, I have a health type blog too, although I don't really update that either. I may start to work on that more now though, maybe just a daily diary type thing as I feel it may help my current situation. Without going into masses of detail I have so much going on health wise right now this blog is really low on the list of priorities. If you want to check out my other blog click here.

I am going to have another crack at beauty blogging and videos. Make-up is my passion but I have lost my way a little. It was probably a bad time to start up something like this and I really hope those of you that do read this haven't lost interest. I promise things will improve :)

Thanks for all of your support. I'm approaching 2000 page views and although that doesn't sound like much it means a lot to me that people do read my posts.

xx

Love of the Week #2 - Seche Vite Top Coat

So I was meant to be doing these every Sunday but yesterday I uploaded my July Favourites video (click here to be taken to that video) so I missed out on it. So you are going to have to have it today instead.

It isn't quite as exciting as a car this week but it's damn good in its own right.

I have been searching for a good top coat for a long time now. I've tried many in the past, most recently a China Glaze and a Sally Hansen one. Both did the job but neither impressed me. 

I had heard the hype around the Seche Vite top coat for some time, but hyped up products usually disappoint me and I couldn't see what difference there would be between this and something like China Glaze.

Nail polish takes forever to dry on me and I have zero patience. I have been known to spend a whole three hours attempting to paint my nails only to smudge them and redo them and then after the whole ordeal is over I hate them and remove the lot or smudge them some more. Or they just never dry. Painting my nails was becoming a chore I had to set aside a whole evening to do, and even then the next morning I would wake up with finger prints in them.

I gave in and bought the Seche Vite top coat from Sally's as a trade customer as it was cheaper than Boots. I almost bought it from Boots a few days before but luckily I held off. That said, I would be more than happy to pay the £9 Boots are charging for this product. The first time I tried it I couldn't believe it. By the time I had finished painting top coat on just one hand the first finger I had painted was touchable. I even pressed very gently into the polish and no finger print or smudge appeared. Within 5-10 minutes I could fully press on the nails and they were completely dry. With my other top coats I couldn't have done that until the next day.

Amazing!

Tonight I re-painted my nails. This time I didn't wait in between coats for them to dry. I layered on three (yes three!) coats of nail strengthener (two of O.P.I Nail Envy, one of Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails - I have the most brittle and weak nails currently and I'm desperate to change that), then two coats of Maybelline Colour Show nail polish in Nebline, a lovely pale pink shade, then a thickly applied coat of the Seche Vite. Almost instantly they were touch dry and within 10 minutes I have completely dry nails. Painting my nails will never be a chore again.

I can't comment too much on how the top coat prevents chipping and if it makes the polish last longer. As I have said before, polish doesn't seem to last well on me and often peels away from the nail rather than chipping, but with it being this easy to paint my nails now I will probably just re-paint them a different shade every couple of days anyway.

If you hate waiting for your nails to dry invest in this stuff. I've never known anything like it. It leaves the most smooth and glossy finish to the nails and the speed in which it dries them is beyond belief. It really is a stand out product and I totally and utterly agree with the hype surrounding this product. I would love to try some of their nail treatments to repair my damaged nails.

Seche Vite top coat is available in Boots for £9.00 

xx

July Favourites

Today's post is just a very short one to say that my July Favourites video is now up here. Please click the link and go and check it out.

Admittedly it isn't the best quality video, I did actually end up filming this and my ELF haul three times, the first the light was far too bright on one side, there was too much noise filtering in from my loud mouth neighbour who spends all day shouting at her dog and I was so unused to filming after leaving it so long I was failing at speaking the English language successfully.

The second time I was so flustered from failing the first time that it was just an immediate fail.

The third and final time I just decided to film one evening, but unfortunately the lighting was terrible. I was aware that this would be the case but I was feeling much more confident about filming and I felt like if I didn't just take the plunge I would give up and never pick it back up again. Yes, the video quality is pretty shocking, but it's up, it's done, and the ELF haul will be just as bad, but I don't feel as daunted about filming another video in better conditions because I feel a little bit more comfortable being back in front of the camera again.

With that in mind please do take a look at the video as it would mean a lot to me.

xx

ELF Matte Nail Polish Top Coat: First Impressions

I have taken a day or two off posting to film videos and also because I haven't been feeling too well. But here is today's offerings.

I ordered a few products from ELF last week (full video and blog post will be up next week) but I thought I would give you my first impressions on the ELF matte nail polish top coat, because in all honesty it was a disappointment.

Firstly I will say I could be using this wrongly. I tested it out over a Maybelline Colour Show nail polish, maybe it is only compatible with a matte polish or even only ELF's own nail polishes. However, I would have expected this to be suitable for use over any nail polish to create a matte rather than glossy finish.

The results were not good, in fact they were so bad I had to immediately remove the nail polish. I applied the polish then used the top coat and it instantly cracked the Maybelline nail polish as shown in the photograph. Such a disappointment. 

I will, of course, try this over different polishes, including ELF's own and let you know whether I have a more successful result.

On a side note, I have discovered the most amazing glossy top coat EVER and I will blog about this very soon. I say discovered, it's well known in the beauty community as an amazing top coat but it's taken me a long time to try it as I never understood the hype around it. Afterall, a top coat is a top coat right, and I have a few including Sally Hansen and China Glaze, both respected polish brands. No, not at all. But that is another blog post...

xx

Seven Sins of Beauty - TAG

Welcome to day six of my attempt to blog everyday in August. If you want to be picky about things it is actually day seven right now, we've passed midnight so it's now the 7th August. But I haven't been to bed yet so to me we are still on day six, albeit very late.

I'm not sure what to blog about right now, I said I'd be back to beauty posts today but I get the feeling most people will miss this post with it going up so late on a Tuesday night and will probably just pick up from tomorrow's post.

I do have plans for tomorrow. I have physio in the morning but in the afternoon I am going to be filming my July Favourites video and also I received some E.L.F goodies in the post so I may film a video haul, or blog it, or both.

But for tonight I think I might do a TAG. It's quick, easy and fun.

Seven Deadly Sins of Beauty - TAG

Greed - What is your most inexpensive and most expensive beauty product?

The most inexpensive beauty items I own are probably some of my MUA products, I have a few eyeshadows and lipsticks by them and they only cost £1 each. I also have two eyeshadow brushes I picked up in Matalan for about 50p or £1 each in the sale after Christmas and they are surprisingly good for what I paid for them. The most expensive is probably a perfume, perhaps my bottle of Valentino's Rock n Rose Couture which is almost empty and has been discontinued now, how annoying. Following that it might be my Laura Mercier loose setting powder which was £29 and well worth the money I might add.  

Wrath - What beauty product do you have a love/hate relationship with? What has been hardest to find?

Love/hate would probably be liquid eyeliner in general. I love the product and the effect it can give but I never seem to like it on myself these days. I think it's because in the past I would just put it on and didn't know about eye shapes and corrective techniques etc. Now I can never seem to get it right. I have hooded eyes so I am fully aware that unless I take my eyeshadow a lot higher I can end up looking like all I am wearing is black eyeliner all over the lid. I am also aware of where flicks should be added and that I can only add flicks in a way that makes my eyes look too long as my hooded lid will distort the line otherwise. I'm also aware that one eye is more hooded than the other so it is almost impossible to get even eyes with liquid liner when trying to create flicks. So I have to settle for not doing the flicks. Which is the one thing I love most about liquid liner. Rant over and onto the next part of the question. 

I have two hard to find items. One is the recently discontinued L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara. I found it hard to get hold of the first time I bought it and now I know why, I have found it on eBay so will be stocking up as it's the only mascara that has ever worked well enough for me. Secondly is something I managed to find today, the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in the shade fair. I can find it in every colour but this, I've had the shade light for ages now but it has always been way too dark for my natural skin tone. I've been searching for about six months and today I finally found the fair shade, so once I am back to not tanning again in winter I will be able to give it a go.

Gluttony - What are your most delicious beauty products?

I don't think I have any really nice flavoured lip products (I almost bought some Soap & Glory lip crayons today and the scent was incredible and I will have to get one someday soon). I think with this one I'm going to run with Soap & Glory's The Breakfast Scrub. It's sooooo good.

Sloth - What beauty products do you neglect due to laziness?

Usually if I'm going to skip anything it's eyeshadow. I usually just pop a bit of primer on to stop my oily lids or use a cream eyeshadow instead. I can't always be bothered to do full on eyes. I also don't bother with highlighter but that's because I haven't found one I really like (again I was eyeing up the S&G one today but I left it). I've also lapsed on my night time moisturising routine since my surgeries, I got out of the habit and never got back into it. I have really gone off my night cream lately and just haven't found anything to replace it with as yet, and also I'm still on the hunt for an eye cream to use at night.

Pride - What beauty product gives you more confidence?

Deodorant? Lol. No one ever answers with that but it's so true. There's nothing worse than being around people and worrying that you don't smell too good. Aside from that I would say mascara or a bright lip. Mascara simply because I have blonde lashes and so a coat of mascara does wonders for making me look less tired as it opens up my eyes and I think a bright lip is just good for a bit of fun. Under eye concealer is always a winner on a tired day.

Lust - What attributes do you find most attractive in the opposite sex?

Not sure why this is one of the questions as it has no relevance to anything. Regardless, what I want from someone of the opposite sex is someone who is supportive, understanding (particularly of my medical issues), fun to be with and most importantly, someone who I can trust.

Envy - What item would you most like to receive as a gift?

There are loads of products out there that I would love to try and gifts are always lovely, but certainly not necessary, and in truth I much prefer to go out buying for other people when I have the money.

xx

Current TV Loves

So for the last month I have been addicted, and I mean addicted, to the TV show Sons of Anarchy. I watched all five seasons in about two weeks and now I am awaiting the release of season six which I believe will be out around September. 

If you haven't watched it already it's something you must check out. Without giving too much away, it's about a group of outlaw bikers from a small town called Charming, and their illegal dealings, turf wars and battling with morality and family values. My description probably doesn't sell it for you but I can't say much more without giving too much away.

I'm now really hoping to go and see Pacific Rim at the cinema, which stars both Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman from Sons of Anarchy. Unfortunately I think I may have left it a little too late. The film has been out a few weeks now and is starting to phase out at all of my local cinemas, which means travelling further afield or waiting for DVD. Now I've finished my SOA marathon I don't think I can wait for both the TV series and the film.

I do however have many other TV series to keep me occupied.

I'm currently re-watching Prison Break with my boyfriend. He hasn't seen it but I have, and it's actually really interesting second time round as you get to piece together stuff a little more and see how and why things worked out the way that they did. I'm on season three now, probably the weakest of the series but I can't wait for the other half to see all the twists and turns of the final season. If you only ever watch one TV show make it this one, I guarantee you'll be on the edge of your seat at the end of every episode.

I'm also watching Dexter, I think everyone loves Dexter. And if you don't, get on it! Be warned, the first episode is really annoying and you will want to Dexter to strangle Deb almost every episode. But it gets so addictive. The general synopsis is of a guy called Dexter who is a blood spatter analysis in the forensics team of Miami Metro Police by day, and serial killer by night, his targets being those who have escaped justice for various crimes.

I just started watching 24. I'm not really sure it's got me as hooked as some of the other shows but I'm going to keep going with it anyway as it seems pretty interesting. Basic plot line being that a government agent has been assigned to investigate and stop an assassination threat on one of the US presidential candidates, whilst also trying to track down his runaway teenage daughter who may have got in way over her head. The series is filmed in real time, which I find a really interesting concept.

Pretty Little Liars is another one I have been watching for some time, this is definitely more for the girls. Four friends are up against an anonymous enemy known only as A, who threatens to expose their darkest secrets in the wake of the mysterious murder of their friend. As the show progresses the threats and happenings get a lot darker, and the plot thickens as more people become involved.

Breaking Bad returns in just six days! A brilliantly scripted and at many times a funny show about a science teacher who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, his reunion with an old student and their plan to raise money by cooking and selling crystal meth. Science, bitch!

There are some fantastic TV shows out there, much better than the crap they air on a day to day basis, you just have to look for it. I've also watched the first episodes of The Walking Dead and Game Of Thrones so will hopefully be able to continue with those also. 

I hope you liked this mini guide to some of the TV shows I've been loving. Normal beauty product reviews will be back tomorrow, and I am also going to be doing some filming over the next few days so I should have a video up by the end of the week (more than likely it will be my July Favourites). Right now I am off to watch the latest Dexter episode.

TTFN

xx

Love of the Week #1 - New Car!!

I wanted to start a bit of a weekly thing, perhaps every Sunday, where I post about something in particular I have loved that week. This could be anything from a product, a make-up artist or their work, food or drink, a film or TV show, website, blogger, YouTuber, you get the picture.

It just so happens that this week I got something extra special. This will probably be the biggest and most awesome thing I post about in my Love of the Week series.

This is my beautiful new car and I am loving it. It's only my second car so saying goodbye to my little X-REC was hard but I am so happy with my new one.

The car is a Vauxhall Corsa Energy 1.4 in Lime Green. I adore this colour, the colour choice wasn't very extensive but this one stood out to me from day one. It's full of awesome gadgets which are going to take some getting used to compared to my old car which had a cassette player (how retro) through which I used a cassette adapter to play my iPod through.

I don't have a name for it yet, I don't know if to give it a name, my first car only got a name due to it's reg plate. Suggestions are welcome.

xx

Tanning - St Moriz & Garnier Ambre Solaire

Aghh so day three and I already failed to post anything on day two. To be fair it was rather a busy day of trying to get car insurance organised and phoning garages and also trying to get through to the doctors for a sick note. Blogging was the last thing on my mind.

Excuses out of the way and I'm going to tell you about the Garnier Ambre Solaire No Streaks Bronze Self-Tanning Mousse and Gel.

Recently I have moved on from the Palmers Natural Bronze onto full fake tan and I was trying out the St Moriz after hearing rave reviews. For £2.99 I liked it, but in all fairness I think I was liking it mainly for the price and not for the results. I found it easy to work with, needed no real attempt to blend, the colour was good and it dried quickly. The next day it washed off to leave a nice even tan. It did however cling to my knees, feet and hands no matter how much I prepped my skin and left me feeling dry beyond belief. I had to buff my dry patches with baby oil every day and by the second day the tan was going patchy. By day three or four certain areas of my body just looked dirty and others were back to pure white. Not a good look.

 

On Thursday evening I bought the Garnier products. These were around the £7-10 mark each so a little more pricey but if they work better it's still a reasonable amount to pay. The reason I bought both was so I could use the mousse over most of my body and the gel, which is probably more hydrating, can be used on my drier areas, so hands, feet etc.

The colour is more golden than the St Moriz and these products contain shimmer. Instantly I liked the way these applied and they definitely felt more hydrating, including the mousse. The guide colour was actually very wearable, I could easily apply this and go about doing day to day stuff while it develops, unlike the St. Moriz (unless you were going mucking out a cow shed in which case you would look right at home). The shimmer wasn't overbearing and this washed off the next morning anyway. After showering off the guide colour I was left with a really natural looking finish and no awful looking dry patches. Even today (Saturday) I have no patches, look like I've naturally caught a bit of sun and feel perfectly hydrated. So far so good but I will let you know how long it lasts and how it wears off.

xx

The Beautiful Art of Body Painting

The other day I was browsing the internet looking at beautiful images of skilled body painting, so I thought I would share some of my favourite finds with you.

Before we go any further I should probably add this disclaimer:

This blog post contains images of full frontal artistic nudity.

Now that is out of the way, onto the interesting bit.

I love body painting, I just wish I was better at it. I have only really attempted a few body paints and was never really taught any techniques as such, we were just thrown in the deep end at college and told to paint. Since college I haven't really had much practice, partly due to not being well for the last 7 months, but also it can be quite hard to find a willing model that doesn't have too high an expectation of the final outcome, particularly when starting out and experimenting, especially when they have to stand/lay naked or just in underwear for a long period of time. Practising on yourself is all well and good for smaller detailed projects but really you need to have a full canvas.

There's a lot more to body painting than just slapping a bit of paint on someone. You have to take into consideration the shape and contours of the human form and incorporate these into your design. This is why it is best to have a body other than your own to practice on.

I really hope to be able to learn how to body paint properly and improve my skills and techniques. I find the works of other artists so inspiring and it is one area I enjoyed so much during my two years at college.

Below are some of my favourite images from when I was browsing a couple of days ago. None of these images belong to me and I will credit the artist or company where I can, but some of these were just random finds.

Enjoy. xx

 

Unknown artist

 Artist: Carolyn Roper

 

Artist: Carolyn Roper.

I was lucky enough to see this in progress at IMATS London in 2012.

 Artist: Carolyn Roper

Artist: John Vargas

 

 Unknown artist

 

 Artist: Lisa Berczel

Artist: Lisa Berczel

Artist: John Neyrot

Artist: John Neyrot

Artist: John Neyrot

Unknown artist

 

Unknown artist

Unknown artist

Unknown artist

Artist: Guido Daniele

 

Artist: Guido Daniele

 Artist: Guido Daniele

How To Get Even Brighter Summer Nails

Do you own any bright nail polishes but when you apply them to the nail they aren't all that opaque and lack vibrancy? Then try this really easy tip.

Before you apply your chosen nail polish apply a thin coat of an opaque white (I use China Glaze White on White). Allow to dry then apply your polish. 

 

In the above image I used Barry M Lemon Ice Cream Nail Paint to demonstrate the effect of this technique. As you can see there is a big difference with using just one coat of the yellow over the top of the white.

I hope this tip will help some of you get the most out of your brighter nail polishes this summer.

xx

A Little Update & Changes

I have been getting a little stuck with my blog, sometimes due to feeling ill, but a lot of it is lack of inspiration. I haven't been getting out and about so much and if I have it has usually been for appointments or just nipping out to get my knee feeling more mobile so I haven't been wearing much make-up. When I have gone out I've suffered the consequences including collapsing in pain in the middle of Asda. Go me.

I've also been off work which means not earning much needed pennies so I haven't been able to buy as many products as normal, only replacing the things I needed to. So really, I haven't had much to talk about.

With this in mind I have decided not to restrict this blog to just make-up, beauty and fashion. It is going to stay the main focus but if I have a recipe, food, place, or anything that I have enjoyed or experienced that I want to share I will include it. I can't see why a little variety will offend anyone but if it doesn't work out I can just revert back to an exclusive beauty blog, but this blog isn't named Laura's Beauty Blog, it is Laura's Lovely Loves and I feel that I might as well just have a bit of fun with it.

I am going to enforce my commitment to the blog by attempting to post every day in August (it might not work out but I will post as much as I can), I'd also like to try and film a video for my YouTube channel and upload once a week.

Things you can expect from the future of my blog:

- The usual product reviews, tips, techniques, Glossybox unveilings

- Showcases of make-up artists and styles I like

- Recipes (including low calorie meals, baking recipes etc)

- Photos and reviews of places I have visited

If you have any ideas or requests for anything else you would like to see listed here please let me know.

Thanks for your continued support =)

xx

Glossybox Review: July

Another month, another Glossybox. The July Glossybox is another special edition box, and I love these. It's great that now and again the boxes are designed around a theme, it adds a bit more fun to what is already a fairly exciting subscription. And being July this months theme is summer and the beach.

 

This month I received six products in my box:

Sleek Make-up Pout Paint

Shades Pin Up and Peek-a-Bloo

(Both full size 8ml products which retail at £4.99 each)

Ciate London Paint Pot Nail Polish in Speed Dial

(Full size 13.5ml, retails at £9.00)

Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spray

(Full size product, 100ml £6.00)

Alterna Haircare Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist

(25ml sample size, full size 125ml retails at £23.00)

Coola Organic Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber

(7ml sample, full size 50ml retails at £25.99)

Wow! What a box! Four full size products with a retail value of £24.98 plus two samples. Glossybox, I'm impressed yet again. I think Glossybox seem to be getting better and better at the moment. Don't get me wrong, not every product in every box is going to be amazing, but the range of products I'm receiving to try out for the price I pay is definitely getting better.

 

The inclusion of not one but two Sleek Pout Paints was a lovely surprise. These are a cheaper alternative to the OCC Lip Tars. The shade range isn't the best but with the inclusion of a blue and a white you can mix them to create a much wider colour selection. These are a stain and lacquer in one and they take some serious cleansing with an oil based cleanser to remove so I would assume they would be long lasting on the lips. I'm not sure how they wear off throughout the day, but will probably give them a go and do a review sometime soon. I already own the white so can have some fun mixing shades and let you know how I get on.

 

I have wanted to try the Ciate brand for so long now. It's definitely not the cheapest brand of nail polish and that's probably why I haven't gotten around to giving it a go. This shade is a gorgeous orange, perfect for summer and I can't wait to try it out. The polish itself seems nothing special in the bottle, just a fairly thin consistency of nail polish, but I've heard good things about this brand so hopefully it will live up to the hype. I want to love it simply because the bottle is so cute!

Anatomicals seems to be making a regular appearance in Glossybox lately. I wasn't too impressed with the scrub I was sent in a box a few months back, but there are a few nice things in the range which I have spotted whilst out and about although I never bought them. This is one of those refresher mists to keep the face hydrated. Unfortunately it does contain aloe so I won't be able to give this a go. It also smells quite strongly of lavender, not my favourite scent but I know a lot of people find it relaxing, perhaps I will store it up and do a giveaway on YouTube if I get enough subscribers sometime in the future. If you haven't already subscribed to my YouTube channel please do so here.

This is basically like a salt spray, you spray into damp of dry hair and scrunch or use your fingers to create beachy waves. I do already have a salt spray I'm using, I really like the effect they give for summer and they are so effortless. I hate having to use heated tools to style my hair in this weather. I'm looking forward to trying this out as I think there may be better ones out there than the one I'm currently using. I will let you know. I might try a few out and do some sort of comparison video or blog post or something.

This is the same product as I received in my June Birchbox, which I am still yet to try (I need a higher SPF on the sunniest of days so I use this). I also have another sample SPF 30 on the go and sunscreen does go off so as much as I want to try this I'm holding off opening them until my other is used up.

So they are the products I received and I'm really happy that I got value for money this month. This month I actually managed to get the review out pretty quickly so if you get your order in you stand a good chance of receiving some if not all of these products. Glossyboxes do vary from person to person so it isn't guaranteed but the way Glossybox has been on form lately you might even get something better.

Visit Glossybox here to find out more.

xx

Birchbox: The June Box & First Impressions

Again, another late post. I actually only ordered the box at the very end of June so it arrived at the start of July and this is the first opportunity I've had to sit down and blog about it.

Birchbox is pretty much the same idea as Glossybox, a monthly subscription to a box that contains beauty products and samples. I believe Birchbox does generally stick to the more high-end products so you are more likely to receive minis than full size items. 

This was my first ever subscription to Birchbox and I wasn't really impressed with how long it took my box to arrive. It took around two weeks and during that time I was sent several different emails with different tracking numbers, none of which gave me the right information about where my box was. But eventually the box arrived. A cardboard box with the Birchbox logo, the same size as the Glossybox packaging. So I opened this to find another box.

The box itself was smaller than that of Glossybox, so I highly doubt I am ever going to get anything other than travel sized items of products I won't be able to afford to buy whether I like them or not. Regardless, these can be considered as luxury treats once a month if I continue with the subscription. The magazine included with Birchbox is much better than the one in Glossybox, but to be honest although it is nice to receive it I don't care about the magazine too much. It's what is inside the box that is important.

 

So inside the box are lots of little cards, some are little postcards, one is outlining the included products and one was a welcome note. Nice little touches and they do add to the experience of the box, but again I was more interested in what products they had sent me. Inside the box was a little cloth bag, and inside this (finally, it was beginning to turn into pass the parcel without the music and friends) were the products (although there was another small cardboard box inside containing another item, a bit excessive on all the packaging really).

Okay so finally onto the items. In the box there were six items. These were as follows:

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Spray for Hair

(Sample size, doesn't say how much is in the sample, probably enough for 4 or 5 uses, but full size retails at £15.00)

Color Club Nail Polishes from the Wanderlust Collection

Shades Reign in Spain and Pardon My French

(7ml, retails at £10 for the full pack of four minis)

Coola Classic Face SPF 30 Cucumber

(7ml Sample, full size retails at £26 for 50ml)

ModelCo Eye Define Pencil

(Full size product, £14.00)

Noble Isle Willow Song Bath & Shower Gel

(30ml sample, full size product retails at £20.00)

I thought the products selection was quite reasonable for the price I had paid (£12.95 including P&P - the same as Glossybox) but I would like to feel like I might receive a full sized item now and again to make it really worth it (okay so the pencil was full size but I can pick up a really good eyeliner for under £4 quite easily). So far I have tried the nail polish in Reign in Spain, which is the neon pastel (is that even possible? I guess so!) peachy orange, and I love the colour but find it doesn't last at all well on me (I got about 24 hours before it started peeling and chipping). I haven't yet tried the facial SPF as I already have two on the go and sunscreen goes off fairly quickly so I'm holding off on that.

I am keeping my subscription with Birchbox for now but as it stands I much prefer Glossybox. I feel I have more chance of getting value for money with Glossybox, but what I do like about Birchbox is that it gives me the opportunity to try products I couldn't usually afford or would want to part so much money for (I mean £20 for a shower gel?? Really??).

If you have a spare £12.95 one month and feel like treating yourself why not try one of these subscriptions? It's like a present to yourself and is even more exciting because you never know what you are going to get. It's really good fun when one of these turns up on your doorstep and you unbox it and find out just what goodies you have been sent. Give it a go, you can cancel at any time so you can even just treat yourself to a one off box for your birthday or just because you feel you deserve it.

xx     

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints

A few days ago I purchased four more of these lovely shades so I thought I would do a blog post. The Barry M Gelly Nail Paints provide beautifully opaque glossy colour and last well on the nails. They are amongst the best drugstore nail polishes out there and at £3.99 each are an absolute steal. They have recently added some new shades to the range for the summer so there are now 18 different colours available to choose from. They have a gel-like finish, hence the name, and you only need 1-2 coats to get a really great finish. Top coat is optional as the polish provides enough shine of its own and they become touch-dry really quickly. I don't have the best nails at the moment to be showing them off but I did some swatches anyway to show you the shades that I own.

 

Grapefruit is a gorgeous warm toned pink, slightly edging towards a pinky-coral. Papaya is a super summery peachy shade and I can't wait to wear this next time we get a hot day (perhaps wishful thinking with UK summers).

Guava and Blue Grape are both from the new summer collection and both are stunning shades. Guava is a beautiful light almost-turquoise blue and Blue Grape is a perfectly patriotic royal blue. I had been hoping to buy Nails Inc. Baker Street but it is £11! The Barry M shade is the same colour but for a fraction of the price, and from what I have seen the finish is a lot better too.

 

Finally I have two greens. The first is Key Lime which is a gorgeous tropical shade and is from the summer collection. I have wanted a shade like this since the moment summer hit and finally I found what I was looking for. This colour also matches a really exciting non-beauty related item which I have on order and shall hopefully be arriving early August, so every time I wear this it reminds me of that. But shhh! It's a secret! The second shade is Watermelon and is a really deep teal green and this is where my love affair with Barry M Gelly Nail Paints began as it is the first shade I bought several months ago.

So they are the shades I own, I hope to expand on my collection very soon because I love everything about these polishes. I am currently eyeing up Lychee (a sophisticated nude shade), Plum (a stunning Cadbury purple), Pomegranate (raspberry pink), Dragonfruit (a slightly shimmery candy pink) and Greenberry (mint green).

I still cannot believe the quality for the price. Barry M Nail Paints have always been known to be great quality but these really are up there with the more expensive brands and I would say in some cases they are better. If you don't already own one of these I totally recommend you pick one up next time you are in Boots or Superdrug, but with so many stunning shades I think you will find it hard to only buy one.

xx

June Glossybox & Blogging Everyday!

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't get round to blogging about the May Glossybox because it arrived just before my second surgery and then time just seemed to pass by and before I knew it the June Glossybox had arrived.

I have decided to just give an overview of what is in each box as I get them and then review the products in separate posts as sometimes by the time I come to use the products or use them long enough to see how well they work it becomes irrelevant me even telling you about what you could receive if you subscribe because it has moved onto the next month. So these Glossybox reviews are going to be shortened right down, I'm going to tell you what I received, first impressions, and how happy I am overall with the contents of the box.

So as you can see in the photograph as always I received five products, this month they were all full sized which is brilliant! The Glossybox magazine was also included although a little on the useless side this month. The only part I am interested in is product info and how much they are to buy, but they clearly didn't proof read this months issue as this information was only half completed. That aside, after a quick Google search I calculated the total cost of the products in my box this month to be worth an impressive £35.43, almost three times the amount I paid for the monthly subscription.

The products I received and their retail values were as follows:

- Organic Surge Volume Boost Conditioner (£5.99)

- Figs & Rouge Cherry Blossom Tinted Lip Balm (£5.00)

- GOSH The Secret of Longer Lashes Mascara (£8.49)

- MonuSpa Hand & Nail Cream (£10.95)

- MeMeMe Nail Collection Long Lasting Gloss (£5.00)

I believe this to be in the shade Rebellious but this is just from looking on the MeMeMe website as there was no indication of the shade on the bottle or in the magazine

On first impressions I am happy with the products received overall and here are my initial thoughts and feelings:

- The Organic Surge conditioner smells great, really zesty and limey and I love my lime scented products. It is apparently completely natural and free of all silicones and chemicals and is vegan friendly. 

- I have used Figs & Rouge lip balms before and whilst I like them I was very disappointed with how quickly they go off. The packaging indicated it should be good for 12 months but these had gone gloopy and smelly within just two, however they were the ones in the cute little tins and not the tinted balms in the tubes like this one is. So the packaging, whilst not as nice, may be better for keeping the product at its best.

- The GOSH mascara looks okay, not sure about the wand or the claims of lash growth, but we shall see how it performs.

- The MonuSpa product smells amazing, it reminds me a little of the Origins Ginger Souffle Body Cream but not as strong. Unfortunately this contains aloe, which I am allergic to, but I have found I am beginning to tolerate small amounts of this such as in brow products. Although if a brow pencil contains 0.2g of product then how much aloe is going to be in there really? I have tried this out very sparingly to test the waters and so far I am getting away with it, and it seems like a really nice hand cream.

- The MeMeMe nail polish is okay, the colour isn't the best but I would wear it although I would say it is more a winter shade so a bad choice for the June box. I'm not the biggest fan of the finish, it's almost like a chalky metallic and I don't feel this would last too well on me.

A bit of a mixed bag but I'm definitely looking forward to trying them all out, and once I do you can be pretty sure they will be appearing again for a more in-depth review.

Just a little add to this also, because my blogging commitment has been a little lacking recently I have decided to attempt to blog everyday for the rest of June so I can go into July with some fresh ideas.

xx

My New L'Oreal Loves: Two Amazing Facial Cleansers!

I hadn't intended on writing a blog post this evening but a few days ago I picked up the L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil. Alongside this I also picked up the Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution. They are currently buy one get one free in Tesco until the 1st July and are priced at £7.99 and £4.99 respectively. 

I have used the Micellar Solution and immediately went out and bought two more on the offer as I thought they were really good and had the intention of blogging about them when I got through some more products on my list. It is basically a make-up remover and toner in one and is the most gentle but effective remover I have found on the high street. This has been likened to make-up artist favourite Bioderma Crealine H20 (currently not available in the UK, but I hear it is coming soon although probably only to online boutiques and will no doubt be pretty pricey). This is no good at removing waterproof mascara but everything else dissolves with ease leaving a fresh feeling face with little effort. Suitable for all skin types this contains no alcohol, no perfumes and is hypo-allergenic.

So why did I suddenly decide to blog this evening then? Well, I tried the 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil. This is a definite WOW moment. I have fallen in love with this stuff and despite being extremely poor until pay day I will be going out tomorrow to stock up whilst the offer is on. Just two to three pumps of this oil is all that is needed, massage onto dry skin and even into eyelashes (it didn't sting my eyes and removed my waterproof mascara like nothing else I have ever used). Then simply rinse away. I used a muslin cloth to rinse mine but any face cloth or just splashing water on your face will do. Right now I have the softest, cleanest feeling face with not a single trace of oily residue or tightness (which is my biggest issue with washing my face). As the name suggests, you could easily remove your make-up in 15 seconds with this stuff, maybe a little longer if waterproof mascara is involved, think how long it takes to find your baby wipes, let alone take your make-up off with them. So no excuses for not properly removing your make-up and night ladies (and gents)! This should be a staple in every bathroom and is suitable for all skin types.

xx