Glossybox Jan'15 - Fresh Start Must-haves

All in all, January is a bit of an 'iffy' time for these beauty subscription boxes. This months Glossybox is no exception to the rule, spoiler alert - its pretty meh. In fact this will be my last Glossybox for now as I've been pretty dissappointed in the last few. Anyway. let us begin.

The largest item in this month is this Kueshi Natural & Pleasant Cosmetics Revitalising Toner (10.70E for 200ml). Never heard of this brand and the bright harsh pink just puts me off. Appearances can often be decieving so I will give it a whirl, I just think it looks a little cheap but good full size item.

Up next we have a Jelly Pong Pong All Over Glow (£10 for 15g). I have recieved countless samples from JPP from Glossybox and this highlighter is something I really wont use. I'm not much of a highlight fan and this seems way too shimmery for me. On the upside, the packaging is really cute, I love the bicycle, shame about the product.

My favourite item this month, MeMeMe Eye Line Pencil in Clay (£4) is awesome. Eyeliner is pretty much a cemented staple in my everyday look so it is always welcome in boxes. I like that its not your usual black eyeliner too, its an unusual ashy brown which you could potentially use as a brow pencil. I really like it on first impressions.

Fourthly, we have Nicka K New York Colorluxe Powder Blush (8.95e for 5g). This is innovative with its powder puff applicator but I'm on the fence with the colour, its very pink for someone like me. I also am not hot for the packaging it feels very cheap and nasty but I will always give something a try, it might impress me for all I know.

Lastly we have a Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm in Superfruits (5e). I can never have too many lip balms as they come in and out of my life due to loss all the time. Especially this time of year due to the cold weather my skin and in particularly my lips break out in dry patches - nasty. This also smells really nice and fruity, and feels nourishing on the lips.

So there you have all five items of this months Glossybox. I really do appreciate that they every item collected here is full size, but in my thoughts - I buy these boxes for a little extra luxury, I don't mind small samples or perfumes as I get to test out things I wouldn't perhaps make the jump for. Unfortunately this is the end of the road for me and Glossybox for now, the last three boxes have been total duds for me, I honestly feel like my moneys better spent elsewhere, these boxes are only £2 cheaper than a MAC lipstick that will last me for years.

Rant over! If you actually like the look of this box, you can still get it at Glossybox.

Emma x

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Birchbox Jan '15 - Hit Refresh/Womens Health

So here we are with the first beauty box of the year 2015! Birchbox sent theirs out first without a dispatch email so this was totally unexpected and a nice surprise. This months theme is 'hitting refresh' and starting over, they've partnered up with Womens Health to further promote this. So lets crack on and see what you recieve this January.

First item in the box is a ActivBod Feel Great Shower Concentrate (£5) this is supposed to be a refreshing 'post workout' shower gel which fits in perfectly with the theme here. Unfortunately I'm not the most active gym bunny out there so this will be making its way to my stock drawer ready for travel.

Next up we have a HealGel Body (£39.50) which includes anti inflammatory ingredients to sooth and regenerate the skin. This is a bit off an odd item for me, I don't really get it. Is it supposed to be an actual regeneration thing or is it more aromatherapy sided? We shall see - tiny sample mind.

Thirdly we have something I have previously tried - Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle (£14) I liked this stuff a lot last time I tried it. It works very well on my ever knotty locks, a little better than my old faithful Aussie leave in conditioners but not for that price tag.

The REN Glycolatic Radiance Renewal Mask (£30) was a nice surprise this month. I like getting masks in boxes as I'd never pay more than £15 for a mask so its a wau of trying out more expensive masks for a little price tag. I've heard constantly good things about Ren so I am excited to give this a whirl.

Possibly the thing I am most excited for in this box is the Stila Lip Glaze (£15). I like Stila as a brand, I have some of their cosmetics and really enjoy using them. I don't think this will dissappoint and it is also a very me berry toned colour.

We also have a nutritional item this month in the form of Embrace Matcha Green Tea (£24.99). This is a waste of money as I loathe green tea and it loathes me and makes me quite ill. This will be heading straight in the bin, even if it is THAT expensive.

The last thing in this months box is a lifestyle extra - Birchbox Pilates Band. Its a nice idea and ties in with the theme very well, but I have never done Pilates in my life. I get what they were trying to do here but sorry guys I'm not fussed, thanks.

Thats all the items you recieved in this months Birchbox, a good eclectic mix of products and they all tie in to the 'Womens Health' theme really well. Especially looking forward to using the Ren mask and wearing the Stila Lip Glaze.

If you like what you see, you can pop over to Birchbox and get yourself one for £10 plus p+p!

Emma x

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Burts Bees Lip Shine in Smooch

Burts Bees are infamous for creating some of the most powerful moisturisers, their hand salve is a loved favourite here as well as their lip balms. However, until this was sent to me in a beauty box, I had never tried any of the more 'make-uppy' items from the range. 

The colour is beautiful, definately something I would wear. Its a nice plummy berry tone but this unfortunately doesn't transfer as nicely on to the lips. This gives a very sheer tone of this when applied, which is nice nonetheless but not as fantastic. The texture of this is like jam, its thick and has a sticky feel to it - this is to be expected, afterall it is a gloss. I'm not overly keen on the sticky texture, and its also quite thick so I do feel like I'm over smothering my lips in product. At the price point of £6.99, it is reasonable but that money could be spent on other lip products that are better and at the same cost - some of the ELF glosses I've tried are half the price and feel a lot less gloopy and thick.

Moisture wise, I don't feel like this lives up to the expectation I have of the brand. They have fell just short of their high quality line, and I'm not sure I will be trying out anything else from their more cosmetic side.

You can pick these up at lookfantastic for £6.99.

Emma x

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Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner

As a lover of Liz Earle skin care, I've always been curious to try out her other ranges in make-up and hair care. This Christmas my curious wishes became true as I was gifted a lot of Liz Earle items, I have quite the collection at the moment. 

The Botanical Shine Shampoo and Conditioner is an award winning duo and claims to provide shiny locks. I have now been trialing these guys for just over a week, washing my hair about four times with them both. The shampoo really leaves your hair and scalp feeling really clean and the scent is beautifully herbal. The shampoo is sulfate free so its quite surprising how soft it leaves your hair feeling. When you apply this to your wet hair it gives you that classic soapy dry feel which personally leaves my hair feeling quite dry, this is not one of those cases. This did on its own, leave my hair feeling really soft and there was a noticable shine that my hair usually lacks.

The conditioner however is the star of the show here, you use it just like every other conditioner after shampooing. The formula of this is so thick and creamy, with a similar scent to the shampoo. I found that this made my hair almost as soft as a treatment shot, hydrated and perfectly tangle free. It also washes out really easily compared to some that like to get stuck at the roots. This is also a colour safe option if that is something that concerns you.

The only issue I have with these, is the pricing. Obviously I was bought the pair as a gift and at almost £9 a go for a standard 200ml it makes you wonder if its worth the pennies. I'm on the fence here, I would definately buy these myself but I think I'd buy them more as a treat option when compared to others you can get in the chemists and supermarkets.

Both of these products can be bought direct at Liz Earle both £8.75 for 200ml.

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Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute Masque

And just like that we're now in 2015! Craziness. Anyway today, we're going to crack 2015 off with a post on something that has really been soothing on my dry skin. I recieved this little beauty in a Glossybox a couple of months back and I think its the best thing they've sent me in ages. 

Nuxe Creme Fraiche de Beaute is a 24 hour soothing and rehydrating mask, you use it by applying it after you've cleansed as usual. You leave it on for ten minutes and then rub the remainder into the skin to absorb further. Firstly when you squeeze the product out of the tube, it releases this lovely orange blossom scent making you want to instantly apply. I really like this, I am finding it to be super effective, for best results I'm using this twice a week. I have noticed that I no longer am finding that I have dry patches on my face and my face doesn't feel so tight anymore which is a joy. I do think it has definately got a soothing effect, its cooling when applied and feels especially nice round the eye area.

It reminds me of one I have tried many moons ago from La Roche Posay and its at a similar price point. This is definately not unique in its nature but for the time being I am really loving this stuff, if anything the light scent really sings to me which may be why I prefer it to others.

You can pick this up at Escentual for £19.50.

Emma x

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2014 Favourites!

This is going to be a big post! Last post of 2014, mad where the time goes these days but I thought I'd finish up with a mad rad large favourites post. This is everything I have discovered in the past 12 months that I have come to grow quite fond of so lets get the ball rolling. 

The first thing I am going to mention is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Gel Foundation. I don't know what I did use for foundation before I found this, its a perfect match to my skin and the texture of it is something beautiful. It applys evenly, lasts all day and doesn't break me out in spots in any way. It also smells delicious, has a really weird but awesome scent and I personally find it to be cooling on the skin. 

Another thing I don't know what I did until this came along is the Revlon Lip Butters Range, I adore these! My stand outs are definately Pink Truffle and Red Velvet with Raspberry Pie drawing in on a close third. The texture of these is so comfortable to wear, they seem to be quite nourishing as they never leave me that horrid drying feeling. The colour pay off for the majority of the shades I have tried is incredible and they last a fair while. Do I need to go on?

We all know how much I love the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser so I don't need to ramble on too much about this hottie. Basically, it removes every trace of make up without drying out your skin, and leaves your face feeling revitalised and fresh. When used with the muslin cloth it also does an awesome job of removing any flaky dry skin from your face which is great if you're as dry as me. I love this stuff to the moon and back. Definately my favourite discovery of 2014.

Urban Decay Naked 2, my goodness, how had I let these shadows float under my radar when they were virtually in my face all the time. My favourite and most used shades from this pallette are Pistol and Verve- utterly beautiful. Definately one for the girls that like a shimmer shadow as opposed to a matte, quite partyish pallettes but I still wear it quite a few day times. These have rapidly become my favourite eyeshadows to reach for. 

My favourite eyeliner this year is the Clarins Intense Kohl Liner in Black. This stays put on the waterline all day, its magic. The formula of this is really nice and creamy. If you like the smoky eyeliner effect, this is a great one as it also comes with a brush on the end where you can blend out your liner.

Quite arguably the best perfume release of this year is the Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream. Summer in a bottle. I think for me this is on par with the original, I can't decide which I prefer more. However, Daisy is my favourite perfume of all time so that speaks and may make me a little biased as to why I love this slightly fruitier variant. If you like the original Daisy, and have a little Christmas money left over, I highly reccomend you go and purchase one of these lovely bottles.

The best mascara I have tried this year is theBalms Whats Your Type, The BodyBuilder. Does what it states on the tin, I have quite long straight lashes so lengthening mascaras don't do an awful lot for me. This guy, however, creates huge amounts of volume and curl to my lashes. The only downside to this is that it really doesn't respond well to watery eyes like mine so I end up with unattractive lines down my cheeks but for the volume its more than worth it!

The only hair care item on this list is the Charles Worthington Volume and Bounce Texturising Spray. This is really incredible, this adds a heck lot of volume at my roots as opposed to all the other texturisers that just seem to add that to the lengths. I have wrote a whole entry on this guy so if you're interested head there.

Another beauty find this year is Benefits Dallas Boxed Blusher. This is one of those in between items where its not quite a blushed but not yet a bronzer. It gives you that 'just come in from the cold outside' look, its lovely and really enhances paler skin tones. I find it to bring life in to my dull pale complexion and I love the little baby brush it comes with. I am also a sucker for anything wild west themed so that did aid my purchase in this boxed blusher.

And finally, another skin care items, another Liz Earle product - Skin Tonic Toner. By no means is this as good as my beloved Breath of Fresh Air by Lush but that is something that I have been buying for years, we're talking mid teens here guys, thats almost 7 years ago... anyway I do feel like this does more for my skin looks wise. It certainly doesn't feel as cleansing when applied but my skin does look better for using this over the Lush, you can't win them all!

So there you have my top ten item discoverys from this year just about to go. I hope you all have a lovely new year whether you're celebrating out or having a quiet one in. 

Happy new year! May 2015 be a good one!

Emma x

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December '14 Favourites

So here we are, at the very last monthly favourites of 2014! Its almost scary thinking we're another year on, but we will save that rant for another entry. Here are my favourites for December, eek.

My favourite hair care item this month is these Tresemme Renewal Hair and Scalp Shots (£5.50) These really do make a difference to the texture of my hair. I find them especially effective when used after a conditioner for an extra nourishing boost. They also smell very nice and I will end up buying these after I have used them all up.

I may have only just got this for Christmas but the Thierry Mugler Angel has been my Christmas perfume this year. I haven't had a day where I haven't worn this since last week when I recieved it. This isn't my usual cup of tea as its quite gourmandy and I'm usually more of a fresh fruity floral kind of girl but yes, definately something I have enjoyed wearing. 

I have been wearing a lot of Bellapierre Shimmer Powder in Lava on my eyes this month. This is a lovely bronzey gold, perfect for the festive period. I have been layering this over a dark smokey eye for a bit of glitz this time of year. Its just so pretty and it stays on like a charm without the aid of any primers.

My favourite festive lip had to make an appearance so here is the Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet. I have only just recently dedicated a post to this so if you're interested maybe head back there. All in all a lovely nourishing lip product with the benefits of a beautiful christmassy red colour.

Last but not least we have Lush's Celebrate Body Lotion, which is now out of season. I got this in a gift box last week, got itchy after a shower, applied this as it was the first thing I could find and boy was I surprised. I don't like the smell of this at all its like a liquer chocolate orange, but this leaves my skin soooo soft its mad. I have particularly bad elbows which like to scab up every now and again and my upper arm skin gets tight but this has solved it all. And all by accident and coincidental picking up. Crazy.

What have you been loving this past month?

Emma x

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