(A Very Late) April Favourites

Firstly, apologies for how late this is. It has been planned for weeks but I have only just got around to cleaning up and making space to photograph products. I'm just gonna go through these quickly as it won't be too long before I'm compiling my May favourites and I have lots of other posts to get round to.

First up are some Soap & Glory products. I've been loving Soap & Glory lately and will do a big S&G review sometime in the near future, but in April I particularly loved the No Clogs Allowed Deep Pore Detox Mask, The Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser and The Breakfast Scrub Body Smoother. I will go into more detail about what I thought about these products in my upcoming review.

I also LOVE Yankee Candles. My favourite lately has been Red Velvet, it's so strong and sweet and vanillary when burning and I will be sooo upset when this one runs out, I will definitely be re-purchasing or buying something similar. These aren't cheap candles but are well worth the money, I've tried so many other cheaper alternatives and for what I've wasted on those I wish so much I had just invested in a Yankee Candle. Mine is the medium jar candle if you were wondering.

A nail combo I loved throughout April was the Barry M Glitter Nail Varnish in Rose Quartz Glitter (NP349) layered over Illamasqua's Stagnate Nail Varnish. It's super pretty but neutral so will go with pretty much anything you style it with.

Again Revlon has done me well with their Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick. The colour is gorgeous and lasts and lasts. These are a great low maintenance option and have the added bonus of moisturising your lips at the same time. The photo below shows me wearing just one application but it can be built up to create a stronger colour.

Finally, and possibly my greatest find of the month, the L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara. Not the false lash version. This is amazing and it worries me how hard it was to find in stores. I really hope it isn't being replaced or phased out because this is the first mascara I have ever found that holds a curl in my lashes. It's so easy to apply, the wand is a nice size and shape for getting every lash. It lengthens and separates, it doesn't volumise as much as a lot of mascaras but I don't think it needs to. It creates such lovely fluttery lashes and lasts all day, no flaking, clumps, fading. It is, for me, the perfect mascara. Just don't expect to be able to remove this with a normal make-up remover or wipes. You do need an oil based remover such as the Nivea Double Effect Eye Make-up Remover. Or you could always use baby oil if you can't get hold of anything else but it can be a little too much and make your face greasy the following day.

Forever21 Jewellery Haul

Hey there!

Something I haven't bought for a while is jewellery. A lot of my costume jewellery, while still very lovely, is quite dated in style. I also felt it would be nice to have a few statement pieces that can dress up an outfit.

I really like the Forever21 jewellery. I have visited the Trafford Centre store a few times and spent a long time looking at the accessory section but have never bought anything, I'm not sure why. Perhaps because they do a lot of gold. I was never into gold, but some of the newer jewellery that is available isn't as harsh or brassy looking. The prices are very reasonable and the quality looks pretty good. We shall see over time how long they actually last but I have faith.

So, not being able to go shopping in store, I put in an internet order. The items are shipped out from Holland and are delivered by UPS. You can track your package from start to finish, a relatively common thing these days but it's still something I like to be able to do. P&P was £3.95 or free with orders over £50.

I was very impressed with my items once they arrived. They look and feel very sturdy and I can't wait to start wearing them out. The only thing I will say is that the colours did vary slightly on a few of the items from the website but that is to be expected.  

I'm very happy with my order and thought I would share as Forever21 is relatively new to the UK and it's quite difficult to find a store. If you are interested in any of the products shown I will put links below or just head to the Forever21 UK website which can be found here.

xx

Items pictured above clockwise from top:

Rhinestone Rosette Necklace Cream/Gold £8.90

Sparkling Snowflake Studs Mint/Cream £3.90

Double Spiked Necklace Black/Gold £7.40

Bejeweled Faux Stone Earrings Purple/Gold £3.90

Braided Square Bib Necklace Pink/Gold £8.90 

(Unfortunately the last two items are already no longer available on the website, but there have been some new additions since I placed my order a few days ago so go take a look) 

April Glossybox Review

I was still hanging on in there! Waiting for a box that would get me super excited. I think the April Glossybox may have initially done the trick.

When I ordered this the estimated delivery date range was just after my op so the idea was that I would get this after coming out of hospital as a bit of a treat to myself. It didn't quite work out that way and I'm kinda glad.

The box arrived the day before my op and as I opened it I began to get excited. Over the box itself. Anyone who knows me well will possibly know I have a slight thing about boxes. I cannot throw out a nice or potentially useful box or piece of packaging. Maybe this goes back to my days as a graphic design student, who knows. I remember having sketchbooks with carefully broken down packages stuck in them, for no real reason other than I just liked them. Anyway, borderline box fetish explained, let me show you a photograph of the box.

This box is beautiful. A lot of the time when I can't part with a box I use them for storage around my room and this will look really nice. 

The contents of the box are as follows:

- The usual fold out "magazine" showing all of the products and info, interviews and suchlike

- Nip+Fab Dry Skin Fix Body Butter in Coconut Latte

(50ml travel size, RRP £9.95 for 200ml according to the magazine or £8.49 in Boots)

- Sleek Makeup Blush in Flamingo

 (Full size, retails at £4.49 for 8g)

A-Derma Intense Repair Lip Balm

(Full size, 15ml costs £7.95)

- Yves Rocher So Elixir Purple Perfume

(5ml sample, 50ml retails at £44)

- Essie Nail Lacquer in Sugar Daddy

(Full size, RRP £7.99)

I was so excited when I saw the contents of this box, everything was great at first glance, even the perfume sample as it was in a little bottle instead of one of those annoying vials that contain nowhere near the amount stated as they are never full. So lets look at the individual products and see how they fared.

         

I have wanted to try the Nip+Fab products for a while as I have heard good things about them, however I always thought they were quite an expensive brand. I guess the firming and toning products are but I never realised that they did other products like body butters. I am not a fan of coconut. Not the taste, not the smell. This actually reminded me more of Play-Doh, just not so heavy scented. You might think that sounds disgusting for a body butter but for me it's way better than coconut. Scent aside I really liked the product and found it left my skin feeling really soft and moisturised without leaving a horrible film that a lot of body butters do. It's quite light and absorbs well. I am definitely going to be trying this in a different fragrance.

Next up is the Sleek Blush in the shade Flamingo. I love Sleek products but haven't yet tried any of their blushes despite eyeing them up numerous times in Superdrug, including this particular shade. So I was stoked when I saw this was in my box. I haven't yet tried this blush as I haven't been anywhere post-op but it will be one of the first on my list of things to try out once I'm back on my feet, but I've heard fantastic things about these blushes with people comparing them to the quality of Nars and other high end brands.

Another brand I had heard of but never tried. This lip balm is really nice. I tried it out a couple of times when my lips have been quite dry and it feels instantly soothing. It's more of a creamy consistency and is nice if you don't like the tingling sensation products like Carmex have.

  

I think I liked this more for the packaging than the scent, it's not something I would go out and buy but I probably will wear this. It's an ideal size for those occasions you only have a small handbag or for travelling. 

  

The Essie nail polish was my biggest disappointment from the box. I had never tried Essie but really wanted to as the formula is supposed to be fab. However out of the 15 shades available the one I received sucked. There is no other way to describe it. It had zero opacity and was just like applying a slightly pink tinged clear polish. It took five or six coats to even begin to show signs of any colour and then it just wouldn't dry at all. It's such a shame as it has put me off the brand a little, the brush was nice, application was good. But I know nothing more about how the polish performs despite having a sample as the colour just wasn't worth messing about with finishing off applying to all of my nails. I just removed it in the end and chucked the bottle in my box, probably never to be used again. Maybe I will give another shade a go sometime.

So that's my opinion on the April Glossybox and it's contents. After the initial excitement I do feel it was a little bit of a let down although it did introduce me to some new brands and while the particular smell or colour of a product wasn't right for me I might go out and purchase something more suitable from those brands, which in the end is the point of this subscription.

If you would like to subscribe to Glossybox or just want more information click here.

Thank you once again for your time, please feel free to follow me, or comment, and I hope you will visit this blog again soon.

xx   

Crown Brush Purchase

It's been quite a while since my last post, for those who don't know I have had surgery which meant a night in hospital and a lot of time recovering. I'm finally starting to get up and about so I thought I would do a blog post.

Yesterday I decided to order some new make-up brushes from Crown Brush. I wanted some eye make-up brushes but didn't want to spend a lot of money at this time with me being off work sick, even though good quality brushes are a great investment. I knew Crown did some reasonable quality brushes quite cheap and have quite a few of their brushes already, so I put in an order. I was really quite surprised when they turned up today. 

In total, with postage (£2.99) and VAT included my order came to £24.15 which isn't at all bad for five brushes.

So the brushes are (from top to bottom):

- SS012 Deluxe Crease £3.49

- C431 Precision Pencil £4.39

- SS021 Syntho Blending Fluff £4.99

- BK45 Deluxe Angle Liner £2.19

- C433 Pro Blending Fluff £6.09

They are all excellent brushes but after trying them out I would love to buy a few more of the two blending brushes. I prefer the C433 brush for applying colour to the lid rather than blending as it is a little scratchy for blending but in shape it is very similar to the MAC 217 brush. I love the SS021 brush for both blending colour, applying cream eyeshadow and for applying concealer so will definitely have to order a few more of these. The angle liner brush makes for a great brow brush as well as liner so I may have to double up on this also. Overall a good order, the only brush I am unsure of is the SS012 Deluxe Crease brush, I thought it would be more of a blender as all of the other "deluxe crease" labelled brushes I own from crown are quite fluffy. This is very much a socket brush and I don't really have a defined socket. This would be fantastic for those who do so this one might have to make its way into my kit rather than my own personal collection.

If you are looking for good brushes at a good price you really can't go wrong with crown, particularly for smaller brushes for the eyes. I've never had a problem with service and with good care their brushes do last well.

If you are interested in placing an order they currently have a 10% off promotion running this bank holiday weekend (I was a little too eager and missed out on this). Enter the code "Sunshine10" at the checkout.

Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy reading these posts. If you do please let me know, there will be a few more going up soon as I am playing a bit of catchup, so keep a look out for the April Glossybox review and my April favourites amongst other things.

xx

March Favourites

So with a new month now upon us it's time for my March Favourites. And there are quite a few.

First up if you read my review on the L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash lip products then it will be no suprise to you that these are being included here. If you missed that review check it out here. These have been my go-to lip product for the whole of March, in particular the shade Eve as it's just the perfect shade for popping on and going to the shops or to work.

 

I've been quite into my pink blushers this month and have been switching between Illamasqua Cream Blush in Sob (now only available in this set) and Urban Decay Powder Blush in Quickie (discontinued, only available as a cream blush now). I love the glow that the cream blush creates and use the Real Techniques Stippling Brush to apply this.

A new foundation I bought recently was Revlon Colorstay in the shade Ivory. This was the normal/dry skin version. What initially attracted me to this was the fact that it was much paler than most drugstore foundations. Almost all drugstore foundations I have tried in the past have been too dark or if they are light enough are too yellow or just don't work with my skin. This foundation is amazing. I really cannot fault it. It goes on beautifully, has the perfect amount of coverage, has a nice pink tone, matches my skin well and is great for everyday as it has SPF20. It also means I don't have to wear my more expensive Illamasqua Skin Base for work or general everyday errands.

I've reverted back to the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (available as part of a set) lately, mainly just for speed of application. I tend to switch between this and the Expert Face Brush (I love the Real Techniques brushes - if you haven't tried them I strongly suggest you do). 

I set my make-up using the Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent. I only bought this recently and it was super pricey, £29. It took me a long time to pluck up the courage to spend that kind of money on a powder but in all honesty it was totally worth it. It sets foundation beautifully, adds no colour to the skin and is so finely milled I can even use it right under my eyes to set my concealer and it doesn't sit in the fine lines at all. My skin feels really soft after using this, doesn't feel tight and isn't at all cakey. I wouldn't think twice about repurchasing this when it runs out, despite the hefty price tag.

On my eyes I have been loving the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow. I have three of these but I have mostly been using the shades Pink Gold and On And On Bronze. They are quick to apply and last all day. I have also been loving the same eyeliner as in my February Favourites, the Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajals, but as well as the black I have also purchased the purple and silver shades.

 

Hair products I have been loving this month are the L'Oreal EverPure Colour Care & Volume Shampoo and Conditioner. I have been wanting to buy these since trying a sample in a magazine but they are usually quite expensive, about £6 a bottle. I managed to get them for £3.99 each and have been loving them. I'm trying to use up a massive 2 litre bottle of Bed Head Shampoo and Conditioner at the moment and I'm almost there but I plan on alternating with the L'Oreal ones. They smell of rosemary and mint, the conditioner is particulary pepperminty and really wakes you up. You only need a small amount of this, a little goes a very long way and I find I haven't had to wash my hair as often as normal. I have also been using the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Secrets Collection Moisture Seal Intense Rescue Melting Balm maybe once or twice a week, sometimes as an overnight treatment and sometimes as a quick fix for 20 minutes or an hour before washing my hair. This stuff works wonders. It doesn't leave residue on your pillow or go greasy, you just take a small amount, rub it between your fingers until it becomes an oil then distribute through the ends of your hair and leave on for the desired time. Then just shampoo and condition as normal and your hair is super soft and shiny. Love love love this product.

Finally (phew I've liked rather a lot of products this month) is the TreacleMoon Warm Cinnamon Nights Bath & Shower Gel. I think this is a limited edition for winter and can be picked up in Tesco for £2.99 for 500ml, I think I got it even cheaper on some sort of offer so look out for it when doing your weekly shop. This smells amazing and is perfect for a nice hot soak after a long day at work.

Please let me know if you have tried any of these products yourself and what you think of them, or if you plan on checking any of them out. Or let me know your favourite products of the last month in the comments section below. Thank you for reading and have a great day =D xx

Product Review: Benefit They're Real Mascara

  

This has undoubtedly been the most hyped up mascara of the last six months or so and was the best selling mascara in the UK for 2012. Retailing at £18.50 it promises dramatic length and volume, base to tip curl, visible lift and long wearing results as observed by 90-100% of people in a consumer panel survey. It also claims to provide clump free, beautiful lashes.

I'd held off buying this mascara for quite a while, I have far too many, way more than I can use up before they dry up or get too old and unhygienic to use. However I am a sucker for a bargain and when I saw this on Buyapowa for £13.50 I thought I would give it a try. That site is bad for my bank account seriously.

So I clicked 'join co-buy' and waited with much anticipation for the postman to come a-knockin'.

The outer packaging is nicely designed, I'm not sure if it fits in with Benefit's existing style of vintage style imagery but it certainly fits their fun flirty brand. The mascara itself has quite a unique applicator, the standard spikey plastic wand has the addition of a little ball at the end designed to catch all of those inner corner lashes and tricky to reach places.

So the good points of this mascara. It's extremely black, the blackest mascara I have come across. It brightens the eyes and certainly gets every lash. It stays black all day without fading out to that murky grey that some mascaras do. Unfortunately for me this is where the good points end.

The applicator is very spikey and if you poke yourself in the eye it's bad news. Not just like normal mascara wands, but to the point your eye spasms, turns red and waters like the Niagra Falls. Okay so you aren't meant to poke yourself in the eye but it does happen and it seems to happen a lot more so with this wand. Maybe it's just me being careless. So that aside what other problems did I have?

You are meant to be able to build this mascara up, using it first in a rocking side to side motion to coat the lashes then in a vertical motion to create lift and get all those tricky lashes that like to hide away. But after just one coat I can feel my lashes getting clumpy. I've watched YouTube video after YouTube video to try and get the right technique but nothing seems to work. Yes you get volume and lift but my lashes also just seemed to get weird bobbles at the ends. The small ball at the end of the wand always comes out coated in far too much product for the small lashes to hold and even after wiping away the excess it doesn't seem to help much. My lashes are left spidery even after using a lash comb and have that horrible crispy feeling which gets harder and harder throughout the day. I also found that although the mascara didn't smudge or fade it did flake a little.

In all I am really disappointed with the Benefit They're Real Mascara. I was expecting good things and I just find it really unworkable. Maybe you just need good lashes to begin with to make this work, a lot of people love this mascara and maybe you will too. It just isn't for me.

Links:

Buyapowa 

They're Real at Boots 

Benefit Website 

March Glossybox Review

So here it is, the March Glossybox. As you will know if you read my February Glossybox review I wasn't very impressed with the last box I received and was considering cancelling my subscription. So how did the March box do?

Well it was a definite improvement from last month as all of the products included in my box were usable. 

 

Box Contents:

- The usual A3 fold-out leaflet containing details of the box contents and links and advertisements showing where to buy the products

- "My Little Travelling Book" with snippets of information about various cities around the world and stickers

- TRESemmé Salon Finish Extra Hold Hairspray

(This is a handy bag or travel size of 100ml which you can buy in some stores, the 500ml standard size is priced at £4.69)

- Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, Fragrance Free

(7ml sample, retails at £25 for 50ml)

- Nails Inc Polish in St. James

(4ml sample, £11 for 10ml)

- Juicy Couture Couture La La Perfume

(1.5ml sample, retails at £63 for 100ml)

- Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Blush in Marshmallow Pink

(Full size, £12 for 2.5g)

I still dislike the fact that one of my five products in the box is a perfume sample, I can pick these up for free in department stores. They do come in handy on nights out as they just pop into the smallest of purses and handbags. I just feel these should be bonus items in the box alongside five other products. The perfume itself smells nice, I would definitely wear it but not necessarily go out and buy it. If I saw it on offer I might contemplate picking it up. 

The Nails Inc nail polish is a lovely colour, I'm happy with the size as who really ever gets to the end of a bottle of nail varnish without it drying up? I haven't tried it on my nails yet so I don't know how long the polish will last but I will be giving it a go soon.

The Elizabeth Arden cream is big in the beauty world and I'm looking forward to trying it. The size is perfect for popping in the handbag and using on dry patches as the day goes on. I always find my elbows get dry and sore and I never have anything handy that will do the job so I'm hoping this will help.

I had mixed feelings about the inclusion of the TRESemmé hairspray. Whilst I really like this hairspray and I already use this so it will just replace mine when it empties, I feel that it's not a high end product and it's far too accessible to everyone for just a few pounds to justify including it in a Glossybox. I think everyone has tried these at some point and it doesn't really belong here.

I had heard of Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics but had never tried them. I'm always wary of buying online when I can't try out the products and so receiving a product in Glossybox is ideal as I might be inclined to give more of their products a go. Their Lip Blushes only come in two colours, I received the lighter of the two but I much prefer my darker shades. Regardless, I will wear this colour. The product itself is similar to the Clinique Chubby Sticks or the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stains. I've never tried the Clinique Chubby sticks but I do really like the Revlon ones. The formula of the Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush seems more moisturising than Revlon and the stain lasts really well but I'm not sure that they are worth the £4 extra plus £3.95 P&P. So overall they only work out 5p cheaper than the Clinique Chubby Sticks which are £16. I think for now I will stick with my £7.99 Revlon Balm Stains where I can choose from a good colour selection and try them out in store and if I feel like splashing out my next call would be to give the Clinique Chubby Sticks a go. 

Overall I think there were some great products in this month's box. I'm not sure I would be rushing out to purchase them all again and I'm not sure all of them belong in Glossybox but all of the products will be used and I feel that I got value for money this time around. I think I will keep my subscription for now and see what next month brings.