Latest in Beauty Wedding Prep Box

Hello Chaps!

I know what you're thinking; 'yaaaawn, another beauty box!' but trust me, you're going to love this one. It's from Latest in Beauty and it's a flash box. Now, this one is a tad expensive - a one off of £30 - but it includes mostly full sizes of some really fab bits worth £105, so you really do get your money's worth. If all my beauty box subscriptions combined to be this good every month, it would cost me the same.

I should point out, that you don't need to be a bride to buy this box, yes that's the premise of it, but it's so chock full of lovelies who cares? It's geared towards getting you beautifully prepped for your big day, but it could be easily as useful if you have an event coming up, or even just for some pamper time. I've actually been engaged to Mr BNH for nearly 3 years, and our wedding day is still a long way off, but I can still daydream hey?

Holy Moly look at that! Phwoar. Most items in the box are full sized, but they're all pretty hefty samples. It's all so gorgeous I don't know where to start!

Dr Bragi Intensive Treatment Mask

Another Dr Bragi item - this usually retails for £10! It's a cloth mask which you are meant to apply for 15 minutes. It uses bio marine enzymes to moisturise, firm and plump up your skin. You can get it for £4 from Latest in Beauty's website. I'd like to save this for when I feel I really need it!

Etat Pur Radiant Complexion Care

This item confused me a little at first - I thought it was just a moisturising day treatment but it's actually tinted. It's meant to even your skintone out, make you look brighter and more radiant, moisturise, and give a 'no foundation' effect. I'd say it's about right for my summer colour, but it really doesn't offer any kind of coverage. Unless my skin really clears up, it's of no use to me alone - perhaps over some decent concealer on a good skin day it could work for me. It took a while to sink in when I did try it, but it did leave my skin feeling soft and smooth. I'll definitely give this a chance, as it sounds so promising. I'd like to try more from the Etat Pur range, particularly their Pure Actives. I received their Express Purifying Mask in a past JolieBox, which is a dream to apply and wash off! This is another full size item, worth £12.60 from their website.

Weleda Pomegranate Firming Serum

I've got a few samples from this range but still haven't tried them yet! This range is actually aimed at more mature, 40+ skin, but I always say it's never too early to look after your skin! It claims to re-hydrate and firm, so I will try and get around to using these up to see if I notice any improvement. I've got 2 7ml tubes and a 1ml sachet in my sample stash, which works out at half a full size! A 30ml bottle costs £34.95 from the Weleda website, but you can also try out some minis for just £12.95, or even better, just £3 from Latest in Beauty!

Melvita Fresh Micellar Water

Something else that I've previously received from a Latest in Beauty Box, but I don't mind, because it smells lush, like roses. I have loads of Bioderma to use up but this is perfect for travelling. If it proves it can do a capable job of removing the last scraps of make-up from my face, I might be tempted to repurchase over the Bioderma, purely for the fragrance. It's £15 for 200ml, which isn't really much cheaper if like me, you order your Bioderma online. I could be tempted to try some of their other products from the Rose Nectar range. I just want it all, don't I?! Try a 35ml sample from Latest in Beauty for £3 here.

Richard Ward Couture Hair Tri-Active Serum with Argan Oil

I've used this a couple of times already, and can I just say, wow. This stuff made my hair feel so so soft! It felt like it was part serum, part hair oil, which I'm assuming is because of the Argan oil, but I applied to my damp ends and let my hair dry naturally, and used in conjunction with my super-duper Joico K-Pak Deep Penetrating Re-constructor (review coming!), my over-processed ends have been rescued from a terrible fate (having to be cut into a short bob again!). The only thing that puts me off about buying the full size is the price - it's £27 for 100ml. I'll finish my 50ml bottle and see how I feel about spending that amount of money, but I will certainly remember this if nothing else makes my hair feel as nourished. You can buy the 50ml size from Latest in Beauty for just £8 however - I'd recommend giving it a go!

Mirenesse Secret Weapon 24hr Mascara

This is a sample size, but it's what is referred to as a luxury sample size, meaning it'll keep you going for a good while. This mascara really intrigued me at first - it allegedly uses a 'micro wrap' formula that creates a tube around the lash, which lengthens it. I was actually a little bit perturbed by the thought of that - you're meant to gently pull them off at the end of the day, but when I tried it, both application and removal felt no different to a standard mascara.
I can't see myself ever buying the full size - it's $39.99 AUD (at the time of writing, this means £25.70 GBP), but if you spend £65 ($101 AUD), you get £25 off with the code LONDON. I get better results with drugstore stuff, so I'm sorry Mirenesse, but it's not for me.

The Vintage Cosmetics Company Lashes in Betty and Gracie

Wow! As if there wasn't enough loveliness in this box already, these are totally gorgeous and very exciting - not one, but two pair of lovely luscious lashes. There are five styles of lashes available from the range made by The Vintage Cosmetics Company: Connie, Kitty, Nancy, and the two I received, Betty and Gracie. Judging from Latest in Beauty's promotional picture, you will receive any two pairs. I feel really lucky as I'd looked at these lashes before, and Betty and Gracie are the two styles I'd gravitated towards previously. They cost £6 each from the website, which is well worth a look if like me, you love a bit of vintage style.

bellapierre Cosmetics - Mineral Blush in Desert Rose and Shimmer Powder in Wow!

Phew! Don't fret chaps, we're nearly finished now. I've heard of bellapierre but never really did any research. Both these samples are full size. When I first swatched the blusher I was a bit put off by how dark it was - I thought it might be a bit peachier, but it's quite a deep, dusky colour. It manages to look matte with the odd glitter particle at the same time. I'll try it out with a light hand, and if that doesn't work as a blush or even a contour shade, I'll pass it on to a friend or try it with more of a tan. Both powders apply smoothly and feel soft, as I would expect with mineral products.

I think that the shimmer powder was included with the intention of being a multi-use highlighter, but oh boy does it pack a punch in the sparkle stakes. It is shimmery and glittery at the same time! I love the pale rosy pink colour, if the blush had been a similar colour then it would have made me very happy indeed. Wow! is as outrageous as a Barry M dazzle dust - wearing this on my cheekbones would transport me to the age of spice girls and glitter gels in the mid-late 90's! Judging from the other shades of shimmer powders on the website, I'd assume this was meant for eye wear. With careful application it would make a lovely eyeshadow for nights out - perhaps it would work better blended with something else, but all I know is I don't want to be walking down the aisle on my big day with a disco ball for a face.

The Mineral Blush is a whopping £29.99 from the bellapierre website, (practically the cost of the whole box!) where the online swatches make it look a terrible deep red colour. Some shades are available for a more reasonable £10.80 via feelunique.com, whilst Shimmer Powders will set you back £12.99 individually, or £59.99 for stacks of 9 colours.

If you'd like to purchase your own Wedding Prep Box, you can do so for £30 from the Latest in Beauty website here, including delivery. Personally I think this is a fantastic box, I know I've mentioned this before but I love Latest in Beauty, as you know what you're getting, and nothing is ever disappointing. Snap it up now while you still can and sign up so you get a head's up on their other flash boxes - they sell out so quickly! I managed to order the most recent Editor's Picks Box, which has already sold out after less than 2 days - I was about to link it for you but I was too late - sorry guys :(

I'd better go to bed, I've had one of my 'can't sleep brain too awake!' moments, so I've been working on finishing this overdue post (damn internet connection) and it's now quarter to 2 in the morning, and I'm still not tired. I've had 5 days off of work with a weekend in the middle and now I'm dreading going back, I know how busy I'm going to be... boo! At least my new box of tricks will help me look a bit more refreshed and awake!

Sticky Kisses!

September JolieBox

Hello Chaps!

Another day, another Beauty Box... this time it's the turn of the September edition of JolieBox.

Dr Bragi Bio Marine Exfoliant

These are some curious little sachets - I like that you can see the product inside. Dr Bragi is a skincare brand known for using 'marine enzyme technology'. A little research revealed that they also leave out nasty or unnecessary ingredients too. This 98% natural exfoliant contains fossilised diatom algae (ooh, fancy) and is meant to provide a similar effect to a microdermabrasion treatment, allowing the rest of your skincare to penetrate the skin properly and work more effectively. Jolie Box have provided a 20% discount code with free P&P - Jolie20 -  there are only a few products to choose from and they're pretty pricey, but the £120.00 Age Management Moisturiser is PixiWoo approved. I actually received the £10.00 Intensive Treatment Mask in another box which I will be featuring soon.

I love... Strawberry Face Mask

I had absolutely no idea that I love... did products other than bath bits I'd seen in Superdrug. My mouth is watering looking at their website! I literally want to try everything. Their bubble bath and shower creme are a fave of mine; the Coconut & Cream scent is my absolute HG bubble bath, and it's so inexpensive too! They also do candles and lip shimmers. You can get them from Superdrug or The Bath and Body Shop. However, I'm still not sure where I'd find their face masks, fancier flavours, gift sets etc from.

Twistband

 Yawn! Yet another hair tie! At least my hair is just about long enough for these. They claim to not leave kinks like standard hair elastics but, on my 'do at least, they still do. Also, the colours don't suit me at all, plus I think the knot in the end looks a bit too scruffy and ugly, I'd be more inclined to use them if they were one continuous band. I ended up stretching my knot down a bit to make the loop wider as it was too small for my thick mane. They are quite soft and I imagine they wouldn't snag my hair, but they just seem a bit too try-hard-fashionista to me! Their website is worth a browse though - I like the look of their tie-dye or lace printed headbands, but I just don't think I'd wear them. Please JolieBox, stop sending me gimmicky hair ties.

Redken Straight Align 12 Protective Straightening Lotion

 I was pretty chuffed to see this in my box, it's a fab 30ml size too. I love Redken hair products - especially their All Soft range. The Velvet Whip was a continuous re-buy for me, if I'd have known it was being discontinued I would've stocked up - sniff sniff! I have half a bottle left that I've put back in my cupboard as I can't bear to finish it. 

REDKEN, Y U NO MAKE VELVET WHIP NO MORE?!? :'(

I was going to try and hunt down a good alternative but I will give this a go as it might replace the gap in my routine - apply to damp hair and blow-dry for sleek, natural looking straight results. It's meant to act as a heat-protector for straightening too. I look forward to trying it out! If I like it, I'll get it from feelunique.com - £12.90 for 150ml.

Balmi Coconut Flavour Lip Balm

Be still my beating heart! I saw that this was on the product card before I saw it in the box (accidentally, I don't like to peek) and when I realised it was the Coconut Flavour I punched the air in triumph. I picked this exact flavour up so many times from the lip balm aisle in Boots, before putting it back down. I'm a lip balm addict and I couldn't justify £4.99 for yet another one. I'd not been fazed by the hype over the eos balms, but I blooming love coconut and this smells deeeeelish! It's a nice full-sized balm with SPF15, not life-changingly-amazing, but it's a pleasure to use. What I initially thought was just a packaging novelty is actually quite practical - no sticky fingers or twisting up sticks, just an easy swipe.

It's got a funny little phone charm-esque strap attached to it, but strangely, you can access the balm from a secret... hatch thingy underneath. This is truly bizarre. I can  see myself losing this if I attach it to anything, and I shudder to think of the crap and dirt that would accumulate in that little hole. This will be staying on my bedside table. Speaking of which, Mr BNH looked up at this from bed this morning, causing him to stop mid sentence and exclaim "What the crap is that?!". When I demonstrated the product he looked confused and afraid before revealing that he thought that I'd taken up ping-pong.

I'm pretty pleased with this month's JolieBox, much better than last month. For me the winners were the Balmi and Redken goodies. More like this please! Only without the hair ties, of course.

 Are you subscribed to JolieBox? What did you think of what you received?

Sticky kisses!

September Glossybox

Hello chaps!

Is it just me or do these seem to come around so quickly? It probably doesn't help that I subscribe to 3 monthly beauty boxes as well as flash boxes once or twice a month (ouch), depending on how many are released that I just have to have!

Anyhoo, lets get down to beezneez. This month's box was especially designed by illustrator Maggie Li, and is absolutely gorgeous! I know I moaned before about Beauty Boxes having more thought going into the box design than the contents before, but I reeeeally love this one. Definitely a keeper.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream

I'd been after a new eye cream, and despite already having this from a past issue of Glamour Magazine, I hadn't tried it yet. Partly because I have so many samples that I forgot about it. I have tried this already and I could definitely feel the difference in my eyes after I applied it, there was a noticeable tightening sensation. You do only need a tiny blob for both eyes as it can be quite sticky, so get it on in good time to let it sink in. I'd like to see how this fares against my ever-present, hereditary dark circles over time.

Maghrabian Hair Oil

This is a pretty good sized sample considering how little oil you need for an application. There are so many hair oils out there to choose from after all the buzz with argan oil and Moroccanoil, which I haven't tried. This looks to be in the same kind of vein, and is certainly quite expensive, yet still cheaper than Moroccanoil. I used it after washing almost immediately after receiving the box and although it felt nice, there were no obvious improvements. However, it did smooth down my ends when applied to dry hair, making it feel a bit softer and shinier, and it smells bootiful too, the fragrance lasts ages and I get a lovely whiff when my hair moves.

Vichy Idealia Day Care Cream

 I quite like Vichy as a brand, and so I'm looking forward to trying this out. I don't know if it will live up to its claims but that's the whole point of Beauty Boxes isn't it? It's dinky, smells good, and, you guessed it... it's pink. It's a fairly good sized sample too, even if the packaging is a little bulky.

Rodial 5 Minute Facial and Glamoxy Snake Serum

These look pretty great! I'm a leetle beet put off by the 'snake' in the title. I can only hope assume that this is just a gimmicky moniker, right? I know a lot of beauty bloggers aren't often happy about receiving anti-aging things in their boxes, but I'm 24 and have the beginnings of frown lines. You are never too young to start using anti-aging folks! prevention is better than cure, remember? The 5 Minute Facial clay mask sounds good too, but I think I'd need to use both of these sachets to get a decent application on me mug.

Lady Gaga 'Fame' Perfume

 Hooray! If you've read my post about how much I love this and how I've been overly attached to my poor battered tester card, you might have an idea of how excited I was to receive this! I don't mind receiving fragrance samples, but this was just perfect timing. Now I can at least use this sparingly on special occasions to keep me going until Santa comes. I keep seeing the ads for it on television and whimpering a little, it's a very me fragrance.

Overall I really liked this month's box, definitely better than last month's poor show (I now officially hate lipcote!). I don't mind a bit of skincare because I'll definitely use all of these.

What did you think of this month's GlossyBox? Love or hate? Favourite item?

Sticky kisses!

New! Beauty UK Posh Polish [WARNING: Contains excessive amounts of glitter]

Well hello there Chaps!

Whilst browsing (read: secretly squatting) in Superdrug the other day, my magpie eyes (magpeyes?) were instantly drawn to the beautiful new display of 'Posh Polish' from Beauty UK. I've bought a couple of polishes from Beauty UK before which were surprisingly ok for a budget conscious brand, but never really tried any others. I've been not very patiently waiting until payday Father Christmas for the Models Own Mirrorball Collection, which is currently only available via their website or from their amazing looking 'bottleshop' at Westfield Shopping Centre (Shepherd's Bush), but these were on offer so I thought they'd do well at filling the sparkle void for a while.

Anyhoo, Queen of Pointless Tangents, let's move on. Superdrug were doing a 2 for £6 deal when I got these, but I think they were £3.49 each otherwise. I picked up four:

L-R: Gold Digger, Cosmic Candy, Twinkle Twinkle, Intergalactic

I (sort of) tried to choose some polishes that weren't too similar to ones I already have - pretty tricky when you've got over 160! I came away with 4 of the 9 glitters, although there are also 9 'foil' effect shades too. I have to say, I absolutely love the names they've come up with for the range, especially Intergalactic, which makes me think of the Beastie Boys :)

I thought Gold Digger might be a good dupe for Model's Own Disco Heaven, but the holographic glitter chunks don't show up as much as I'd hoped once on the nail. It's still a lovely gold glitter, and my justification for picking this one up was the size of the gold glitter - not too fine, not too chunky, but just inbetween! I recommend 1-2 coats of this one. 

Cosmic Candy is a fairly fine rosy pink glitter, which is opaque in 3 careful coats, and really shines with a nice glossy topcoat. I shockingly didn't have a polish that fit this description, I have an Accessorize one with the same size glitter in a rose gold colour, and I have Revlon Sparkling, which is the same colour but with bigger chunks and little holographic specks. But there was clearly a gap in my collection people! Clearly.

I fell for the holographic strands in Twinkle Twinkle. They add a bit more interest to an otherwise simple holo topcoat, just make sure you don't paint any of them dangling over the tip of your nail, because they will catch on everything like a motherfudger. I preferred 2 coats of this.

Intergalactic is one that will probably get a lot of people excited, for obvious similarities to OPI's Rainbow Connection/Deborah Lippmann's Happy Birthday. This polish is a great budget version of those, and only really needs one coat unless you want full on jazziness. I am already a proud owner of an excellent budget dupe, which is Carnival by Technic. To the untrained eye, these might look exactly the same, but I beg to differ. I have to say, I slightly favour the colour of Carnival because the glitter is a little brighter, you can see more turquoise and fuschia peeking through, whereas Intergalactic has more emerald green and royal blue in it. It looks a tad more... Christmassy! However, I think the payoff and quality of the glitter is better, as the Technic polish has a tendency to curl very slightly. If you click on this link you can see where I bought Carnival from. I reviewed it on Amazon back in April and added a picture as the original was a bit pants, and it's had loads more reviews since then! Why yes, yes I am taking a tiny slice of credit for that :P

And now for my apallingly bad pictures of my rushed and messy swatching! *sigh*

One coat L-R: Gold Digger, Cosmic Candy, Twinkle Twinkle, Intergalactic

Two coats L-R: Gold Digger, Cosmic Candy, Twinkle Twinkle, Intergalactic

And in case you were wondering, my base coat is by Accessorize and is the shade 'First Dance'. This looks to be a very pale lilac in the bottle but is much pinker in tone when applied. It's a lovely colour though!

Base coat - Accessorize First Dance

Here's an extremely bright picture attempting to compare Carnival and Intergalactic - OTT flash, I know, so here's another without.

There really isn't an awful lot of difference between the two if I'm honest, and right now my eyes are going a bit funny from staring at the bottles.

Have you picked up any Posh Polish yet?

Sticky Kisses!

Real Techniques Brushes

Hello Chaps!

Whilst bravely going forth in my quest for better brushes, I happened upon a quaint tavern on a cold and windy evening, where by a divine stroke of luck I was fortunate to catch but the slightest of whispers, hushed talk of a secret legend;

BOOTS ARE DOING BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE ON REAL TECHNIQUES BRUSHES!!

And so with this vital piece of news, I mounted my steed and made haste for the local pharmacist, to learn for myself if the whispers were not of myth, but truth...

Obviously that's not true, I don't live in Middle Earth. I live on the border of SE London and NW Kent, which is much, much worse.

So here they are, my precioussssssssss...es:

Now, I didn't actually purchase the Stippling Brush in this offer, I'd bought it from Amazon after featuring it in my Wishlist, before I knew of the deal, and it just happened to arrive on the same day so I thought I'd include it. I'd been planning on holding off on the Core Collection and asking for it for Christmas, but I talked myself into getting them by reasoning that it was better to save money on them now by getting the eyes starter set for half price. Of course.

I know these have been reviewed to death, but I am so so glad I bought them. I'm not sure if the offer is still on, but I would like to collect a few more Real Techniques brushes one day, but for now, these are an excellent set.

And now for the brush porn!

Uhhhh.

Aw yeah.

Holy smoke, Batman!

I probably won't use this as a stand/case unless I were to travel with them (although I have my Royal and Langnickel set for that) because I keep my brushes in a snazzy set of Hello Kitty tins. I'm badass like that, you see. But it does look pretty neat all laid out like pretty maids all in a row!

So far I've only used the Stippling Brush and Buffing Brush, but together they work wonders! The Stippling Brush is smaller than I'm used to but does a good job of getting into awkward areas like the side of my nose, between the brows and near the hairline. However, I do find that I need to use the Buffing Brush to really smooth it over and give it a blended finish. I actually prefer to use the Stippling Brush for creme cheek colours, I find it performs really well for this purpose. 

I look forward to trying the other brushes out soon. They wash really easily too. I think these are the best brushes in my collection now - apart from a couple of Jemma Kidd ones I ordered recently (post eventually!), I don't think I'll need to purchase any fancy new ones any time soon. I have a couple of e.l.f. ones on my wishlist, but they're only a few pounds each so I don't mind getting those - any more Real Techniques ones can go on my list to Santa!

On a more personal note, I'm sorry I've been absent for a few days, a very dear friend of mine 'popped back' to London on a surprise visit from Sweden with her husband, so I've been making the most of their short stay - I hadn't seen them since I travelled to Malmo for their wedding last year! I haven't been too well either and what I thought were the symptoms of a cold, actually turned out to be a sinus infection, booooo. My entire face aches right now, and it didn't help that a drunk man toppled onto me on Friday night either! He reverse headbutted my face, ouch :( Anyway, the pain was worth it to catch up with my Uni friends! Just like old times...

Sticky Kisses!

LUSH Cosmetic Warrior Fresh Face Mask

Hello Chaps!

I'd been wanting to try a LUSH fresh face mask for a while, and after doing a fair bit of research about the ones available whilst considering my skin's needs, I opted for Cosmetic Warrior. If you read my post about my LUSH basket you'll know I purchased this as well as Cupcake, of course it was a big mistake buying two Fresh Face Masks at once as you're meant to use them within 3-4 weeks!

I'd read a lot of reviews on MakeupAlley which were a bit of a mixed bag. A lot of people were singing it's praises, but there were also a fair few people in the 'it's too stinky to put anywhere near my face!!' boat too.

I decided to get it anyway after having a quick sniff in store, and make my own mind up. The main ingredient that everyone gets their knickers in a twist over is garlic. Now garlic is actually really good for problem skin - it acts as an antiseptic, along with honey, which is also in the mix, as well as tea-tree (my favourite, ha!) and kaolin. I can sort of see why these fragrances would be off-putting to others though, especially with all the yummy Montagne Jeunesse flavours out there.

During my first application, I thought "hey, this isn't too bad!" and although I could detect a light whiff of garlic, I proceeded to slop it all over my mug and wait for the magic to happen. It didn't take long to dry. I'd say that on my first application the odour became stronger the longer I wore it, but as I went through the tub, I think it ended up working the other way around. I used up the tub within 4 weeks, but even so, the mixture became a bit more viscose fairly quickly. It is lumpy and unattractive, it certainly isn't the prettiest, fruitiest or most refreshing, but when I washed it off and dried my face after the first use, I was amazed.

My skin felt soft, even, and calm. My problem areas seemed to have diminished in angriness, feeling less swollen, red and sore. I didn't take any before and after pictures because I'm too shy, but here's a silly one of me with garlic-y slop all over me!

Mein Crusty Mug!

I thought I'd found the mother of all face masks. However, with prolonged use, I found that either my skin got used to it, or the mask became less potent over time. But this is because it's a 'fresh' face mask with fresh ingredients. Why is this always the way with me? First use of a product blows my mind, then becomes so-so. I wouldn't call this face mask so-so though, it's still great and does an excellent job at calming my skin down, just with less of a drastic effect than my first use. I wish they'd make slightly smaller tubs that were easier to use up before they went off, plus, £5.95 is a little expensive to have to re-buy every month. I would definitely buy this again, as I'm not put off by the smell and I love the result, but would like to try other masks too. I've got a little stash of Montagne Jeunesse sachets, Superdrug tubes and beauty box samples to try out, so I'm sure I'll have fun experimenting.

Have you tried Cosmetic Warrior? What did you make of it? What face masks would you recommend for oily or problem skin?

Sticky Kisses!