Glossybox - March Edition

In my Glossybox this month I received...

• A sample of Mitchell and Peach Body Cream (£36 for 180ml)
• A Sleek MakeUP Pout Polish in Chocolate Kiss (£4.49)
• A Bellapierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Gold & Brown (£12.99)
• 2 Samples of Juicy Couture's Malibu Collection perfumes (£47 for 75ml)
• A Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair 60 Second Treatment Shot (£1.49)

When I opened my Glossybox this month, my first impressions were good. I liked the look of all the products I had received and couldn't wait to try them all. I had a quick flick through the Glossy magazine and was very impressed. The last 2 month's magazine didn't have amazing content but this months one has some very interesting things to read so I'm very happy that the magazine is getting better. I especially like the 'Ask The Expert' section at the back as, being a beauty therapist myself, I can pick up some tips and advice.

The Mitchell and Peach body cream contains English honey, organic cocoa, vitamin B5 and shea butter. It promises to rub in easily and not leave skin sticky. Mitchell and Peach are an English company who use natural ingredients including essential oils and honey in their products. 

At £36 for 180ml, it is quite an expensive cream, but it smells really sweet and does leave your skin really soft. It isn't sticky at all and I will definitely be using this quite regularly. I probably won't buy it again because of the price but I will definitely enjoy using my sample while it lasts.

The Sleek MakeUP Pout Polish in Chocolate Kiss contains SPF 15, almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E. It is a sheer brown tinted lip conditioning balm that nourishes whilst providing a subtle hint of colour and a natural sheen. I have seen Sleek in Superdrug, Boots and some Tescos and you can also buy it online.

I love Sleek make up but Glossybox have given me the worst colour. I'm sure I put in my beauty profile that I like nudes and pinks but again Glossybox have given me brown (I know it looks orange in the pictures but it is actually chocolate brown).  Please send me nice colours Glossybox! Apart from the colour, I absolutely love the balm. The application is really nice and it leaves my lips really smooth and glossy. It also smells delicious. I might have to buy some in different colours!

The Bellapierre Shimmer Powder is made of 100% pure Mica. It says that it will provide you with long lasting vibrant colour without smearing, fading or creasing. It can be used as an eyeshadow or mixed into blushers, nail polishes and lip gloss! There are over 50 different colours on the website and they all look really lovely. At £12.99 a pop, they are quite expensive but I think they are worth it.
I have a few Bellapierre products in my make up collection, including an eye shadow palette, some mascara and a lipstick and I love all of them. This shimmer powder is in the shade Gold & Brown but it doesn't actually come out very brown at all. It's more gold with a hint of green and bronze in some lights. It is very pretty and so pigmented and the pictures don't do it any justice. I can't wait to wear it on my eyes on a night out.

The Juicy Couture Malibu Collection samples are samples from Juicy's new fragrance launch. They are described as blending the spirit of carefree Cali with Glam LA and cost £47 for 75ml.
I absolutely love Juicy Couture as a brand. It's a little bit different from any other high end brand and it's very girly and glamorous. I have owned one perfume by Juicy before and I loved it but I chose a different brand when it ran out. I might have to buy the Couture La La Malibu one in time for summer. It is really fruity and will be perfect for when I go on holiday. 

The Dove Hair Therapy treatment says that it is the perfect pick-me-up for hair care in a hurry and you can take it on holiday to revive damaged hair from the sun. You use it weekly after shampooing for 60 seconds, avoiding the roots and then rinse out for beautifully soft, strong hair with a keratin boost.
Wow, this sounds amazing. I can't wait to see if it lives up to my expectations. At the moment, I use a leave in hair treatment weekly and I just sit with it on my hair for up to an hour or so as I find if I leave hair treatments in for any less time, they don't work as well. This will hopefully save me some time and also really help my dry damaged hair. If it works, I will also be stocking up before my summer holiday.

This months box has been perfect! I will use every single product I received and will most likely go on to buy full sized versions. I love the range of products that they have included and I am very happy with the selection I have received. I hope Glossybox keep up the good work for months to come. In total, the value of the box is around £29 which is lower than normal but it definitely shows that the more expensive the products are, it definitely doesn't mean they are better.

What did you think of this months Glossybox?

Rara x

John Lewis Beauty Evening

John Lewis held a beauty event where each beauty counter was doing demonstrations and offering mini makeovers, samples and a glass of champagne. My mum and I went to the event at High Wycombe last Thursday and bought loads of new makeup and received goody bags and free samples!

When we arrived, we headed straight to the Yves Saint Laurent counter which is my absolute favourite brand ever. I bought a new foundation, Touche Eclat and an eyeshadow blending brush. We also received a little goody bag with a little cake, a sample of foundation, some samples of the Youth Liberator serum and a sample of La Nuit de L'homme which I gave to my boyfriend. 

We then made our way over to the Benefit counter, which is also one of my favourite brands. I bought The Bronze of Champions gift set and got given some samples of Porefessional primer and Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation. I love Porefessional but I have never tried Benefit's foundation. The sample is a little bit dark for me at the moment so I'm looking forward to trying it out in the summer.

When we received our tickets, we got given a John Lewis goody bag with samples of L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream and Milk Concentrate, Cowshed Wild Cow Invigorating Lotion and Floris Lily of The Valley and Seringa. We also received a John Lewis Colour nail polish and I chose the colour Rosy Cheeks. 
Our tickets were entered into a prize draw to win a hamper with £300 worth of Bare Minerals make up. We didn't know this until my mum got a phone call from them asking for her to come and pick it up as she had won! I didn't manage to get a picture of it as by the time we had got it home, we had already ripped it apart and started arguing over who was going to have what. I managed to get my hands on the Flawless Definition mascara, the purifying facial cleanser and the advanced protection SPF 20 moisturiser.

John Lewis in High Wycombe recently had a multi-million pound refurbishment and they added the beauty counters, fashion and footwear. Before the refurbishment, it was just homeware, electronics and toys so I'm really happy that they have added the other departments. I had a really good evening at the beauty event and I can't wait for the next one.
I'm going to try all my new products out and review some of them on my blog soon.

Rara x

NYX Haul and Swatches

When I was at the Pro Beauty show a couple of weeks ago, I saw the NYX stand and of course made a beeline straight towards it. It was such a busy stand so I couldn't get much. I wish I had got a few more blushers and lip creams. I find it so annoying that they don't sell NYX in the UK. I like to avoid buying make up online so I felt I had to stock up with as much as I could until the next beauty show.

NYX Wonder Pencil in 01 Light - £4.50

NYX Eye/Eyebrow Pencil in 906 White - £3.50

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 603 Pots and Pans - £5.00

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 604 Milk - £5.00

NYX Lip Smacking Fun Colours in 541A Tweed - £4.00

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 03 Tokyo - £5.50

NYX Super Fat Eye Marker - £9.50

NYX Powder Blush in 29 Amber - £6.00

NYX Dewy Finish Long Lasting Setting Spray - £8.00

So they're the products that I could get my hands on. They didn't have many other shades of blusher or lipstick/lip creams so I just chose the ones I liked most from the ones they had left. I literally couldn't move because people were shoving to get stuff and the queue was SO long! Its such a shame because I absolutely am in love with the lip cream. I'll be choosing which products I like best and will do a review on them soon.

Rara x

Glossybox - February Edition

In my Glossybox this month I received...

• A sample of Nougat London Sparkling Body Shimmer (£14 for 250ml)
• A pair of Eldora Eyelashes (From £3.90)
• A Ciate London Paint Pot in Pocket Money (£9 for 13.5ml)
• Samples of Giovanni Eco Chic cosmetics Chic ultra-moist range (Shampoo and conditioner £7.99)
• A Maybelline New York Big Eyes Mascara (£8.99)

When I opened my Glossybox package this month, I immediately loved the Valentine's themed packaging and got extremely excited to open it up. Last months box was lovely but this months box was definitely better!

The first product was the Nougat London body shimmer. It says that it contains mallow extract, vitamin E and wheatgerm enriched oil which will leave your skin luxuriously perfumed with a hint of sparkle.
At first, it reminded me of body glitters I used to use when I was about 5 or 6 but it is actually quite nice to put on your legs or chest for a night out. I'll probably be using it on my holiday or in the summer when I have a tan. It definitely isn't as sparkly as it looks but it has a slight shimmer to it when it hits the light.

The next product was some Eldora strip lashes. I had never heard of Eldora before but I absolutely love wearing false lashes when I have the time to apply them. I went on the Eldora website and it says that they are dense and medium length lashes with a little feathery effect.
I haven't had a chance to wear these lashes yet because they are so full and long, I don't think they would be good for day time. They feel really nice and soft and not that heavy. This particular pair retails at £4.50 but there are cheaper lashes on the Eldora website.

I was so excited to see the Ciate nail polish in my box this month. I bought the Ciate advent calendar for Christmas last year and I absolutely loved every one I got. It came with a Ciate base coat and top coat so I used both when I applied this colour. 

The colour looks like a nice nudey beige in the bottle but I was so disappointed when it came out brown on my nails. I wish I had got a pink one! The application of Ciate nail varnishes is amazing though. They dry so quickly and last ages if you apply the top coat every other day.

The Giovanni Eco Chic shampoo, conditioner and hair mask samples are from the Chic Ultra-Moist range. They are the number one selling natural hair care brand in the US and the products contain Argan oil, avocado and papaya to treat and nourish your hair and scalp.
I'm so happy I got these samples as I love using Argan oil on my hair. I use an Argan oil serum at the moment and it is making my hair extremely soft. I also try to leave an Argan oil hair mask on my hair for an hour or so every Sunday so I am excited to use this sample when my other hair mask runs out.

The Maybelline mascara has two wands, one for your upper lashes and one for your lower lashes and it is waterproof. 
At first I was annoyed that it was waterproof as when I have used waterproof mascaras before, I just could not get them off of my eyelashes without scrubbing and leaving my eyes irritated. I also wear contact lenses and my eyes are so so so sensitive so this was not great as it left them red and sore. My opinion quickly changed of the mascara once I had applied it though. It really separated my eyelashes and coated each one individually - top and bottom. The brush is like a wave! I won't use it on a day to day basis as it doesn't give as much volume as I usually wear but I will 100% be taking it with me on my summer holiday as I think it would be perfect to wear round the pool or to the beach. When I removed it, I did have to rub a bit more than usual but not too much.

Overall, I loved every product I received this month and the total cost of the box was around £36 which is very good considering I paid £13.25. I'm now excited to see next months box as I have seen on the website that some Sleek make up is being included!
Also, sorry for the very late post but I have been so busy with college work etc. My next Glossybox post will be up within a few days of me receiving the next box.

Rara x

Love Me Beauty Box - February Edition

In my Love Me Beauty box (menu 3) this month I received...

• Some Percy & Reed No-Fuss Flawlessness Dry Conditioner (£12 for 150ml)
• A sample of La Claree Gentle Cleansing Milk (£15 for 150ml)
• Some Bakewell Soap Company Multi-Purpose Pocket Balm in 'Lavender and Lemon' (£3.95 for 25g)
• Some Dr Bragi Age Management Moisturiser (£15 for 5ml)

This month, I received a 'Mystery Product' which is a surprise item that has featured in past boxes and subscribers have voted as their favourite Love Me Beauty product.

It is...

•  Some Nip+Fab Dry Leg Fix (£10.25 for 100ml)

The Percy & Reed dry conditioner was full sized, which I was really impressed with. I couldn't wait to try it as I had never heard of dry conditioner before. It claims to give hair a healthy softness and shine without using water and reduce damage caused by brushing as well as adding glossy shine to even very dry hair. Sounds amazing!
I have used dry shampoo before but I'm not too keen on it as it leaves my hair extremely dry and a very strange texture. I don't usually get greasy roots but the ends of my hair are very dry and once I had sprayed some dry conditioner and brushed it through, my hair looked lovely and shiny. It didn't leave a horrible white powder in my hair like dry shampoos usually do. The only downside is the very strong smell. It smells very floral and I can't decide whether I like it or not!

I had never heard of La Claree before but after going on their website, from what I can gather, they use all natural products and the main ingredients come from olive leaves. It says on the bottle that the texture is smooth, soft and non-greasy and it removes all traces of make-up and impurities whilst protecting the hydrolipidic film (acid mantle) of the skin. It says that it leaves skin feeling hydrated with comfort and brightness.
I'm using a different cleanser at the moment as I have had a few breakouts on my forehead so I don't want to change my cleanser in case it makes the breakouts come back. I am looking forward to trying it as soon as my skin has cleared up properly though as it has such a nice texture. I rubbed a bit into my hand and it sunk in nicely without leaving a greasy residue. It also has a lovely olivey smell. I have read some reviews about the other La Claree products that people received in their Love Me Beauty boxes and I like the sound of the Smooth Day Face Care moisturiser. 

The Lavender and Lemon multi-purpose balm is described as soothing hydration for lips, hands, nails and body, with oils rich in Omega 3 and 6 which are essential for healthy skin and packed with vitamins and anti-inflammatories. The Bakewell Soap Company are a company from Derbyshire in England and all their products are handmade.
I tried the balm on my lips straight away as they can get quite dry in the winter. It made my lips really smooth and hydrated. I don't think that I would use it on my skin as I found it left an oily residue and didn't sink in very well. I don't really like the strong lavender smell but it makes my lips so smooth so I carry it with me in my handbag.

The Dr Bragi moisturiser says that it is a versatile facial moisturiser that helps to reduce the signs of ageing by fighting the effects of environmental stress. It also says that it prevents the break down of collagen and supports optimal cell function. They're some pretty big claims, so I am looking forward to trying out this moisturiser once my skin has calmed down. It contains hyaluronic acid which plumps the skin and marine enzymes which help to brighten complexion while eliminating dark circles. Sounds like a miracle, and at £15 for 5ml, I am expecting good things.

The Nip+Fab dry leg fix was the product that subscribers had voted for as their favourite Love Me Beauty product. It claims to immediately nourish and soothe dry, flaky skin. It contains aquaxyl for 24 hour moisture and shine, shea butter for moisture and elasticity and glycerin which softens and hydrates.
I don't usually suffer with dry legs so I couldn't tell much of a difference. It smells so lovely though! I think that I will give it to someone else.

Overall, this month's box has had a nice variety of products and the total cost of the box is about £33.95 which is good considering I paid £12.95 including postage. Although, the products have been lovely this month, they aren't exactly products that I would use all the time and I think I prefer the contents of other beauty boxes such as Glossybox.