GLOSSYBOX (November)

This months Glossybox is filled with stocking fillers that Glossybox felt would make great Christmas presents. It contains three well known brands, as well as two new ones. When I felt the weight of this box, I knew it would be filled with some great stuff :). I was so shocked at the fantastic things I had received and I think Glossybox have done really well with this box, it might even be my favourite one.

Items in the box;

1) Ayuuri face cream

2) Burberry perfume

3) Alison Claire Natural Beauty body butter

4) Nails Inc nail varnish

5) Dermalogica exfoliator

1) AYUURI - INDIAN ROSE FACE CREAM

   - 'These Ayurvedic face creams moisturise your skin without leaving it feeling greasy. The beautiful fragrant Indian Rose cream contains Jasmine and Aloe Vera to keep the skin moist and protect it from ageing elements.'

   - This was the biggest size shocker of the whole box!! A lovely full size product. Glossybox gave out two differently scented face creams and I received the Indian Rose one. The other one being Sandalwood oil. It is highly scented of rose and I could smell it as soon as I opened my box. Its a beautiful moisturising cream that does its job and can be used on all skin types. To be used every morning this thick white cream makes me feel I'm applying good ingredient to my face. (£4.95 - 200ml)

2) BURBERRY - BURBERRY BODY EAU DE PARFUM

   - 'An effortlessly sensual, feminine fragrance with an eclectic combination of green absinthe, rose and cashmeran.'

   - I've wanted to try out this perfume and was really happy to see that its a really good size for a sample product. In the past I've received those tiny tiny ones that only have a couples of sprays in it but this is huge and has the same design as the bigger full size bottles. (£75.00 - 85ml)

3)ALISON CLAIRE NATURAL BEAUTY -  MANGO BODY BUTTER

   - 'A delicious blend of organic mango and cocoa butters will leave your skin feeling wonderful.'

   -  Doesn't smell of mango! It reminds me of biscuits and the smell ligers on the skin for a long time. I like creams that have a pump and you can see how much you have left as the bottom rises. (£15.00 - 200ml)

4) NAILS INC - PORCHESTER SQUARE

   - 'Nails Inc best sellers.'

   - I have a couple of Nails Inc nail varnishes and really love them. I received a fantastic neutral grey-purple which I am very pleased about. Other colours that could be received are a hot pink and a clear top coat. (£11.50 - 10ml)

5) DERMALOGICA - DAILY MICROFOLIANT

   - 'A unique rice-based powder that gently exfoliates skin, leaving it noticeably smoother & brighter.'

   - I think Glossybox really love Dermalogica products because they seem to appear in a lot of boxes! This is a really unusual product that I cannot wait to try. Its a powder that you make into a paste with water and use as a exfoliate. It's also again, another really generously sized product. (£38.50 - 75g)

I am really pleased with this box and cannot wait for my Christmas one in December

• You can subscribe for a Glossybox at http://www.glossybox.co.uk (£10.00 + p&p)

Yes To Carrots Make-up Remover Review

I have seen these 'Yes to Carrots/Cucumbers/Tomatos/Blueberries' a lot recently and I thought I would try out this Makeup remover. The one I picked up says its suitable for all skin types but normally I'm more reluctant to buy products suitable for a range of skin types because then they aren't targeted for my skin (dry & sensitive), so could be drying or irritate my skin. As Yes to Carrots is targeted for dry skin I thought I would be alright.

To be honest I had higher hopes for this product ☹. When I put some of it on a cotton pad it was difficult to dispense resulting in me either getting nothing out, or an excessive amount. It stung my eyes quite a bit and made them water for ages after. It did not even completely remove all my makeup without me using tonnes of product. After using this makeup remover it made my skin feel dry and un-moisturised. I feel other makeup remover I have used in the past, such as Bioderma is much more affective as well as gentle to my eyes.

I think that it was reasonable priced for the amount of product you get (although a fair bit is needed each time) and I like the packaging. It doesn't have much of a fragrance and is simply a thick white creamy consistency. There aren't many positives apart from this. I do however still want to try out other products from the range. Possibly "Yes to Carrots" isn't for me? I think next time I will try out the Cucumber range.

A little bit of background on the whole range..

There are four different brands within this collection.

1) Yes to Carrots (nourishing)

2) Yes to Cucumbers (soothing)

3) Yes to Tomatos (clear skin)

4) Yes to Blueberries (age refresh)

The whole collection are free from parabens, SLS and petroleum

more information about each brand Yes Brands

• 250ml - £8.99
• http://www.yestocarrots.com/index.html
• Where to buy (UK) Asos , Beautybay , Victoria Health , Bath & Unwind

Recent Purchases

ZARA

Combined Fur Clutch Bag £49.99

Not sure why they refer to it as a clutch bag when it has a strap. I loved the edgy unusual design and thought it would be perfect for an evening bag. Ive used it a couple of times and have fallen in love with it :) also unlike a lot of Zara bags, it has a zip.

Bucket Bag With Buckles £19.99

I have currently been using this as my everyday bag. Its such good quality for only being £19.00. For me, its the perfect size to put in my uni books and folders.

 Vamp Shoe With Heel Back And High Heel £39.99

I had seen these shoes in all the magazines and I couldn't hold back anymore! They are just such beautiful shoes. They are quite high but are just to die for! I think these would look fantastic with a simple pencil skirt and bare legs.

Military Shirt With Studded Shoulders £29.99
This shirt hits two big trends this season; studs and military. I wasn't too keen on the military trend because it has been over done and so many people are now wearing camouflage leggings and coats. I saw this and thought its subtly displaying the trend and I just have a weakness for studs.

Cablestitch Trenchcoat £45.99

Unbelievably soft and cosy, I have been wearing this a lot especially with this temperamental weather. Also I wouldn't describe it as a trench coat, It's more of a big cardi/jumper.

NEW LOOK
I think the two pumps above are really a staple pieces because they go with everything and are really comfortable. I re-purchase the same ones from Newlook because I think their reasonably priced and good quality.

Black Simple Ballet Pumps £7.99

Light Brown Simple Ballet Pumps £7.99

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion £14.05

My all time favourite primer. This was a repurchase. Pricey.. but lasts a long time.

I went to Brighton with some of my friends recently and we decided to go shopping (big mistake) I bought a couple of things from a few small shops there. I thought I'd show you these really cool tins. Something interesting besides fashion and beauty!

First Aid Tin

Family Drugs Tin

GLOSSYBOX (october)

 

The items in the box;

1) Anatomicals body scrub

2) Dermalogica night kit

3) Skinetica anti-blemish solution

4) Yves Rocher France lipstick

1) ANATOMICALS - DON'T JUST CLEAN IT WOMAN, SCRUB IT BODY SCRUB
   - A pink grapefruit body scrub that buffs with a bravura sense of charm and wit.
   - Smells yummy, I wouldn't necessarily say it smells of grapefruit though. It has large bits of grain that would be great as a scrub. I think I would also love to try out other Anatomicals products and receiving this has definitely spurred me on to doing so. (£3.49-200ml)

2) DERMALOGICA - 3 STEP DAY AND NIGHT KIT
   - Cleanse, tone and moisturise with the Day/Night 3-step mini kit.
   - Not really sure why I've received this product in this months Glossybox, when in June's box there was also a 3 Step Day and Night kit. Very disappointed with Glossybox for doing this and I know other people are too. (£12-kit)  (Review of Junes Glossybox)

3 SKINETICA - ANTI-BLEMISH
   - A unique solution for clearing skin blemishes, showing results in 2-3 days. Kind to skin with no side effects.
   - It has that strong alcohol smell that I think could disturb some peoples skin causing dryness and redness. I would use this by targeting problematic areas as opposed to generally applying the solution all over my face like the bottle says to. (£6.99-100ml)

4) YVES ROCHER FRANCE - MOISTURISING CREAM LIPSTICK - FRAMBOISE
   - Perfect coverage from the first application: a smooth, supple luminous film covering the lips.
   - Love the packaging of this lipstick, and the smell reminds me of the old Lancôme lipsticks. The shade I received is 'Framboise' a raspberry colour. It glide on really well and doesn't try out my lips. (£14.50-3.7g)

NO 5TH SAMPLE PRODUCT?!?!?

This box for me was a real disappointment. Receiving ANOTHER Dermalogica 3 Step Day And Night Kit was just unfair and outrageous. I decided to contact Glossybox and they said that the kit was actually meant for people who hadn't yet received it previously in the June Glossybox. They apologised and kindly offered to send me two replacement products which were a StriVectin face and neck cream (which is actually for older skin, so not appropriate for me) and an Eyeko eyeliner and I received both the next day.

Also, some people received 5 products in their box when I only received 4. I saw a tweet from Glossybox claiming that the Dermalogica Kit was worth 2 products when firstly in Junes box had 5 products and secondly why have they given out the kit within 5 months of each other. I've read some other blog reviews and the ones that received 5 products seem to really like them and I wish I had received those products. Beauty Swot's Blog review

When receiving a Glossybox, just remember it can be temperamental. Some boxes are great, some are alright and some are terrible.

• The website http://www.glossybox.co.uk
• £10.00 (+p&p)

TOPSHOP - Accost Pin Stud Boots Review

When I first saw these shoes, I instantly fell in love. They were exactly what I'd been looking for; a black heeled boot with studs.
The first few days were great, they looked really good with jeans and dresses as well as being comfortable to walk in and could be dressed up and down. The only problem I had at this point was that driving was slightly uncomfortable, as the front of the boot around the ankle dug into my foot/lower leg but nothing I couldn't deal with.
After only wearing them a handful of times, a couple of the studs fell out and I was so disappointed because it was so noticeable. I decided to take them back and get them replaced for a new pair, Topshop were very helpful and just simply switched them for a new pair and told me they were faulty.
After only wearing the second pair for a day, another couple of studs fell out. I couldn't believe it!! For £90.00 I just didn't expect the studs to fall out so easily. I decided to just get my money back and look somewhere else.

• £90.00
• Topshop Website
• I do want to make the point that maybe I was just extremely unlucky and got two faulty pairs. But I thought it was important to blog about it incase it happens to someone else.

The Setting Brush by Real Techniques

This brush is part of the 'perfect finish' selection.

The setting brush is very similar in shape to the Contour brush, just about half the size. You can use the setting brush to apply highlighter, concealers and fine powder (e.g. under the eyes) as well as applying many other makeup products. It really is a multi-task brush and unlike any brush I've had before.

When using this brush, I did find that a light hand was needed, as it picks up a lot of product.
Currently I have been using it to apply highlighter to my cheekbones, which I find it the perfect shape and size for the job.

• Link to my main post about the brushes Real Techniques makeup brushes
• Links to previous posts on Real Techniques brushes - Expert Face Brush, Powder Brush, Stippling Brush & Blush Brush, Core Collection

The Expert Face Brush By Real Techniques

This brush is part of the 'Flawless Base'.
It can be used to apply cream and liquid foundations. Instead of being round like the buffing brush, it's slightly flatter (but not as flat as a standard foundation brush) denser and firmer.

This brush leaves no streaks on the face unlike a lot of foundation brushes and sweeps the foundation evenly. I also find that it does well at getting into the smaller places, such as around the eyes and nose as it has no straight edges on the brush. It also has a stand which is useful for storage, although I know a lot of people aren't too happy with this as it takes up too much space in a makeup brush pot.

So far I have been loving this brush just as much as the buffing brush. I think there is little difference between the two and as far as I'm concerned it gives the same results. So if you wanted to purchase the buffing brush but don't want to buy the whole Core Collections, then the expert face brush is perfect.

• It costs £8.99
• Real Techniques website
• My Main post about Real Techniques makeup brushes
• Links to my other posts on Real Techniques brushes Core Collection, Powder Brush, Stippling Brush & Blush Brush