Glossybox September edition - LFW '14

I apologise for the lateness of this post as I have had it for a week now, and only chose to write about it now... Anyway, Glossybox have spiced things up a little this September and gone all fashion week on us!

The best items this month in my opinion are these cutesy little Vichy Normaderm (Full Sizes Night £15.50 and Day £12). I'll confess, I am a huge Vichy fan especially of their idealia life serum (<3!) I just really can see and feel a difference in my skin using that. I haven't actually tried the Normaderm range, but I am excited to give it a whirl,

Secondly we have L'Oreal Professionnel Mythic Masque (£15.50 for 200ml). I can't deny I enjoy a good hair mask at the moment when I have wrecked my ends. However I do not like anything where I have to towel dry my hair and rinse again! It could be another Elasticizer like issue for me but I will certainly try it at some point.

This month we were also given foil packets (!?!?!) of SkinPep Acid Peel/Peeling Gel (£89.99 for 180ml) which is dissappointing and way out there expensive. I personally don't like the idea of a skin acid peel, so this will most likely end up at the very back of my samples drawer.

Another item I am grateful to see in the box this month is a full size Nails Inc Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat (£12) - in theory this pays for the box. I am always happy to see high end nail varnish in my subscription boxes, this is a cool twist on the usually glossy top coat.

Finally we have a ModelCo More Brows Fibre Gel (£9). This appears to be a dupe for my beloved Gimme Brow by Benefit, at almost half the price it will be interesting to see if lives up to the Benefit equivalent.

So a bit of a mixed box here, to me it is pretty middle of the road as Glossybox is concerned. I still am on the fence to which monthly box I prefer but Birchbox knocked it out of the park this September.

If you would like to give this Glossybox a chance - you can find yours here.

Emma x

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Birchbox September '14 - Happy Days Edit

Its that time of the month again, Birchbox have treated us this September to a special edition. Happy Days is all about nostalgia and creating happy memories, a sweet idea nonetheless yet I'm not sure how some of these products relate.

When I first opened the little pouch up and saw this BeautyBlender (£26), I won't lie, I was overjoyed. I very almost nearly bought one of these chaps with my Birchbox reward points, its like they knew! I have used this a couple of times now but am unsure as to whether it beats my Real Techniques buffing brush.

Up next we have a vial of Agave Healing Oil Treatment (£16), I can always do with more hair oils, especially at the moment due to my hair being really damaged due to bleaching. Apparently this is great to boost shine and colour so there are high hopes here.

Thirdly I found a Korres Citrus Body Milk (£9.50), this smells divine. I am a fan of the Korres range, especially their more rosey smells. I have yet to try this but the brands reputation tells me that this is something to look forward to using.

Here we have a miniature ModelCo Lip Lacquer in Morroco (£15), this feels so lush on the lips its unreal. The colour payoff is quite transparent due to it being a gloss. It smells so nice though, shame it doesn't taste the same.

Another item this month is a baby pot of Benefits Its Potent Eye Cream (£25.50), as weird as this sounds I have never tried any Benefit skin care products. Out of all the ones I know of, this would've been the one I'd of chosen as I'm into anything to keep my eyes looking good at the moment.

Lastly we have a cute little packet of Urban Fruit Perfect Pineapple (£13.20 for six packets) which is totally up my avenue as I love dried fruit. Very nice addition to an already good box.

You also got a little photo clip within the box, which is also a cute lifestyle extra, not the best and well though out they have done mind!

As you can see the box is awesome, shame about the lack of a connection to the actual theme. But hey I can't complain I got more than my moneys worth this month with this box.

If you'd like to give Birchbox a go for £10 + p&p a month, then here is the link you need.

Emma x

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Empties - Summer '14 Seasonal Edition.

So I thought I'd finally get round to do an empties post and had an idea of making it a seasonal thing as my most reached for products always seem to be changing, Here are the items I have used up this month!

Deodorants:

• Garnier Mineral UltraDry 48hr Protection Deodorant (£2.19) - This is my over all round favourite deodorant, it really keeps me fresh and the smell isn't powdery like other drugstore brands. I already have another in my stock cupboard waiting to come out.
• Right Guard Total Defence 5 Unscented Deodorant (£2.99) - I don't get on with this deodorant, it just doesn't last and can quite often leave me smelly (gross). I won't be repurchasing this anytime soon.
• Vaseline Aloe Sensitive Deodorant (£2.80) - This is another firm favourite, I really like the smell of this. I cannot for the life of me, however, find the non-compressed version anymore (not that I am complaining) anywhere. It does also feel like it has a soothing effect on my underarms, a little like Sanex.

        

Body Moisturisers + Washes:

• The Body Shop Olive Body Butter (£13) - A fan favourite here, what empties collection would ever be complete without a Body Shop body butter. Here is one of my top scents they produce. I don't have another olive scent in my collection but I do have two or three stashed in the stock cupboard!
• Vaseline Spray & Go Aloe Body Moisturiser (£4.99) - I really like this innovative product, it is intensely moisturising yet doesn't leave that greasy layer on your skin as it absorbs quickly. My mum also really likes these and she suffers from bad eczema on her body.

Honourable Mention - Calacas Shower Jelly by Lush; As much as this is a 'Halloween' line, the scent is awesome for the summer. The lime pastille fragrance is fantastic and uplifting. I did have it to picture (see the main) but my camera has some how lost it. Try the Lush shower jellies, you won't be dissappointed!

Hair Care:

• Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo (£2.99) - Batiste has become an everyday staple item for me, I have about three more different kinds of this in my drawer. Yet to come across a dry shampoo that can outrun these guys!
• Aussie 3 Minute Miracle - The Reconstructor (£4.99) - I love Aussies range of hair care, its impressive across the board (despite the shoddy dry shampoo release). This is one of the best items, it nourishes your hair and makes it smooth and really soft.
• Aussie Miracle Recharge Luscious Long Leave in Conditioner (£4.69) - Another Aussie item, their leave in conditioner is something I would struggle living without. Its fab for detangling hair, smells gorgeous and makes hair even softer. I like how you can use them on wet or dry hair now due to the newer formula, great for taking on those holidays to use after going for a swim. Definately would be something to repurchase.
• Garnier Ultimate Blends The Silky Smoother Shampoo & Conditioner (Both £3.89) -I really like this pair, they smell really nice. Now I have used both whole bottles I can't say it made a huge difference to my ends but hey I just bleached them so that may be partly to blame. Have bought the de-frizzing ones of this range but yet to use them.

Honourable Mention - Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo; my holy grail of shampoos, lost the bottle but can assure you guys that its amazing, and my most favourite ever!

Skin Care:

• Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (Travel Size, Part of a Set) - My all time favourite cleanser, refreshes and makes your skin feel revitalised. Its also so good at removing stubborn eye make up. Currently working my way through a bigger tube of this and loving it.
• Clean + Clear Dual Action Oil Free Moisturiser (£2.98) - This is really effective for the monetary value, you can really slap this stuff on and it tingles and moisturises. I really feel like this works, especially if you dot it on to a blemish, really clears it up. Will probably repurchase this in the future.
• Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (Birchbox Sample, full size £26) - I really liked this, its really quite scrubby and good at exfoliating. However seeing that a full size is at the costly sum of £26, I don't see me buying it. I don't feel like it made enough difference to my skin for that amount of money.

Make Up:

• Eylure Naturalites Pre-Glued False Eyelashes (Discontinued) - I'll admit I wasn't hot for these, they were just the worst to actually apply as they'd get twisted and stuck to itself. Definately won't be buying these any time soon.
• L'Oreal Paris Miss Manga Mascara in Black (£8.99) - I loved this mascara, it was really cool as it gave you the doll eyed look. Really fans out the lashes and I actually liked the gimmicky flexy wand brush thing. Had no clumping issues, possible repurchase but due to the quantity of mascaras I own I don't think I'll be in a rush. Shame it has finally dried out.
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in Vanille Clair (£10.99) - My favourite low end foundation, best ever - enough said.
• Rimmel Scandaleyes Precision Micro Eyeliner (£5.49) - This has finally dried up, I have had this since Christmas and used it a lot, to the extent I started to think it may be everlasting. Really nice for the price point, tip can drag and bend if not used carefully. Might repurchase this, but there are nicer liquid eyeliner pens out there.
• Rimmel Hide The Blemish Concealer in Ivory (£3.99) - Hide the Blemish is an awesome everyday concealer, really good at covering ugly marks. Not masively illuminating if thats what you're after in a concealer yet very good for the low cost. Definately something I will be buying again.
• Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara (£6.99) - I received this in a Glossybox, wasn't impressed by this due to Rimmel mascaras not being the greatest. This didn't change my perspective, massively clumping and just general nastiness. Can also be quite flaky.

So that is all I have used up this Summer, not a lot really but quite a few make up items to get rid off. What have you used up recently?

Emma x

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Aussie Dry Shampoo 'Aussome Volume' flavour!

When I first heard the news that Aussie was bringing out a new dry shampoo, I was in high hopes. Usually Aussie for its price range, is fantastic and faultless. I recently popped into Boots to pick up a couple of things and saw that this came in different 'flavours', I'm pretty sure there is a miracle one and a mega version. Always looking for anything claiming to provide volume to my hair tends to end up in my basket so no surprise I picked this one up. To cut a long story short, this is dissappointing. the texture is more of a hairspray consistency rather than a dry shampoo. When applying this, it feels to me like it is leaving a layer of product, almost like a film on my hair. It did make my hair look less greasy but honestly, its nothing on Batiste. It also gave me next to nothing on the volume front either.  I am all but curious to see if the whole Aussie dry shampoo range is consistently filmy. However, one positive here is that it actually smells delicious like all the Aussie products ever. All I can say in the end is that I am glad I only bought a small can to try. 

If, like me, you are curious you can get a small can at Boots for £2.29!

Emma x

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Belated August Favourites

So after two weeks of not blogging I am back with a favourites post, so lets just get cracking with it.

I've not been wearing a huge amount of make up this month due to a bad skin period, so I have been keeping it simple with Rimmels Hide The Blemish concealer (£3.99). This is good for covering up my dark eye circles and have been using it rather than caking my face in make up. I also like how it comes in a lipstick style package, good for just smothering the dark areas on the face.

Another favourite this month is the Charles Worthington Salon at Home Volume & Bounce spray (£6.99). I was so late to the party on this one, it really is as good as the reviews say it is, gives my lacklustre hair such nice root lift I almost gave up trying to find. 

When I first saw Essences I Love Crazy Extreme Volume Mascara (£2.79) in my Glossybox I wasn't really impressed, by any means are these guys a luxurious brand however I was wrong to be snobby. This mascara is such fab value for money, it don't find it hugely volumising however it is really lengthening. I feel like this really opens up the eyes, really not a fan of the nasty looking brush it comes with though!

My skin has been feeling really dull just recently so scrubs have been my thing this month, Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (£26) has been a fave. Its really bitty, which is nice as it truly feels like your face is being exfoliated well. Leaves my face feeling super fresh and really soft and has yet to cause me to break out.

Finally, I have been loving Body Shops Tea Tree Oil (£7). I originally bought this to combat all the mosquito bites I managed to accumulate at the start of the month. However my skin has seen a lot of redness occuring, especially blemishes so I thought I'd give this a whirl as that is the intended purpose of it and it works magically. This has been a total saviour for my silly skin breakout I suffered and I personally feel like my current clear skin is owed to this one.

There you have my August faves, apologies for the lateness of it.

Emma x 

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