YOU Beauty Box: The Cult Beauty Edit: May 2016

This months You Beauty Discovery Box is titled 'The Cult Beauty Edit' and the reason given for the title is that all the products chosen are favourites but less ordinary beauty products on the market. Im not too sure that fits with what I think a 'Cult Beauty' product is, but there are some fabulous brands to choose from. 

As always there are some treats inside this months box and the three this time is a sample size hair tie pack from Popband. Popband is a product ive used before and find quite handy to have. Made from stretchy Elastic, it is designed to leave your hair kink free after wearing. The second is a sachet of Verso Super Facial Serum which contains a high dose of Retinol 8 to encourage healing and strengthening of the skin. Finally there is a £15 Anne Semonin gift card.

This month I did dither a bit between choices, one I had definitely decided I wanted to try and then that left me wanting to try two others and I am still not sure I made the right choice. Anyway, the first choice was SHOW Beauty Pure Treatment Oil - This rejunventaing Pure Treatment elixir restores your hair's luster and shine, leaving it strengthened, deeply nourished and infinitely desirable. Often called ‘liquid gold’ by beauty experts, Argan Oil penetrates the cuticle to strengthen and enhance the elasticity of hair. It can be used daily and is designed to be used on freshly washed hair.

My second choice was between the Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick and the Rodial Stem Cell Cleaner. I chose the Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick and it came in shade Hibiscus - Break free of dull, muted shades and lace your lips in high-definition colour with NEW Revlon Ultra HD™ Lipstick. This advanced new lipstick formulated with Revlon’s wax-free high-definition gel technology allows for true colour clarity in one smooth coat. The secret is in the clear gel base that provides a weightless feel with a smooth, even application. Just one coat of the deliciously scented, silky, moisturising formula and lips are instantly enriched in weightless colour.  Now sadly, this is not a shade that I can pull off, it is too coral for me, beautiful though it is and I am determined to try more shades. RRP £7.99

So those are my selections for May and yet again, You Beauty offers great value for money at £6.95 per box including p&p and the contents of this box have a value of around £58.

Hugo Boss Bottled Unlimited

If you mention the words Hugo Boss and aftershave together I automatically get a shudder down my spine. Not in a good way! Since my first foray into Hugo Boss aftershaves (shudder) with Dark Blue which to be blunt was awful they have actually released a number of good scents for men such as Just Different and Man. Trying to put my prejudices to one side, Rachel (Beautyqueenuk) asked me to get my sniffing tackle around Bottled Unlimited by Hugo Boss.

At £60 for a 100ml bottle this bottle, the fragrance launched in 2014 sits in the medium bracket in terms of affordability so I was expecting good things from this in terms of not just fragrance but also staying power and evolution of the notes.

Without boring you with the marketing blurb I’m going to launch straight in. These are the notes for Hugo Boss Bottled Unlimited:

• Head: Iced Violet Leaves
• Heart: Pineapple
• Dry-down: Sandalwood, musk

From this I would have expected a light floral fragrance with the slight bite of the citrus from the pineapple. To be honest, I can’t recall another fragrance that I’ve tried over the last year with a citrus heart note - just seeing this made me more curious as to what it would smell like, and whether indeed it had the decent base on which to act as a hard-wearing aftershave.

So, on with the sniffing….

Spray one and you think wow, this is strong, and by spray three (I spray quickly) you are thinking “seriously, can an aftershave be this strong”. The strength of the fragrance as it leaves the bottle is like an unexpected slap to the face…..from Floyd Mayweather which makes it pretty hard to bring your senses to bear on it. It took thirty seconds until I had my senses back and could indeed detect a strong floral scent, it wasn’t as subtle as I had expected, this was much stronger and it wasn’t for a good fifteen minutes until this dried down a little and the light citrus from the pineapple came through. It is lovely as it's as though the fragrances melted into each other. 

It takes around an hour until this starts to lighten, it’s really noticeable to me as I move around but it loses some of it’s heavy top notes and becomes slightly lighter, yet with a warm finish on the nose. The sandalwood is light so not to overshadow the floral and citrus and the blend is simply amazing.

This lasts for well over ten hours and I think will appeal to those who light their fragrances light and citrus to those who prefer a heavier and warmer floral. With it being so strong a little really does go a long way with only three sprays needed at the start of the day. It’ll last for ages even when worn for day-wear, nights out or those special occasions. Go on, treat yourself to a bottle of Hugo Boss aftershave (no shudder anymore) and take a closer look at Bottled Unlimited by Hugo Boss.

This post is written by Beautykinguk who also happens to be my Hubby.

Precious Petals BBB Box

Anyone who reads my blog will know I am a huge huge fan of L'Occitane, Melvita and Erborian, whom, if you didn't know, are all from the same L'Occitane group. So when I was offered the chance to review Jane from British Beauty Blogger latest collaboration I was in there like a shot and it is just a fantastic beauty box.

Firstly the actual box is just stunning. If you like your floral designs, then this is perfect for you and it is one of those boxes you will keep for storage and not chuck in the bin! Inside you are greeted with a beautifully packaged box with the contents hidden behind tissue paper. One part of these boxes that Jane does do, that I love, is the little booklet. It is all well and good to throw products in a box, but I am nosey and want to know why it has been included because in my mind and in a draft post, I have made my own dream box filled with products I adore. Anyway, the products which have been chosen are referred to as being 'best petal-inspired' and this is what we have:

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream 30ml - If you have never used a L'Occitane Hand Cream before, then you are in for a real treat because this one is just divine and perfect for your handbag. It is Shea Butter infused making it the perfect moisturiser for those dry, dehydrated hands and it has a beautiful sweet flowery Cherry Blossom scent that I absolutely love. RRP £8

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil 75ml - For me, this is the best ever shower gel, I am yet to try one I love more than this. A best seller for L'Occitane, you need just the smallest amount for the most amazing lather, once the scent hits warm water, the almond scent comes to life and it leaves your skin feeling super soft, hydrated, moisturised and smelling good enough to eat. RRP £7

L'Occitane Divine Cream 8ml - Again, another favourite of mine and one which is an absolute treat. A lovely luxurious feeling cream, it is not only hydrating as it contains hyaluronic acid, it smells as the name suggests 'divine' and is everything you need in a cream. RRP £14

Melvita Damask Rose Floral Water 28ml - This is one product from Melvita that I haven't tried, but right now, I am all over face mists and floral scented products. Using Damask Rose, the scent is truly stunning, like walking into a florist that only sells fresh roses, for me that is the scent. This is the perfect size for transporting in your handbag so that you can spritz it as and when you feel like it. Perfect for hydration and as a tip, on a really hot day or in the Summer, put it in the fridge for around half an hour before you need to use it - perfection! RRP £3

Melvita L'Or Bio 17ml - This body oil from Melvita is one I adore. Primarily a blend of Argan Oil, Kendi Oil and Buriti Oil, your skin is instantly soft and smooth to the touch but what wins it for me is the stunning scent - using lemon, orange, bergamot, fig, jasmine and a slight hint of vanilla it is the kind of fresh scent you expect in a perfume for the Spring and Summer, it is just so lovely. As an oil, you dont have to worry about it leaving your skin feeling greasy because it doesn't, the texture is really lightweight and it absorbs quickly. RRP £6.50

Erborian CC Cream £15ml - Erborian has become one of those brands that I cannot get enough off, it is simply brilliant. This CC cream isa really clever little thing because it adapts to your skintone to give a much more natural coverage. It contains Centella Asiatica which is a small green plant that helps to moisturise and soften the skin. If you have never tried a CC cream, then this is definitely worth picking up because it is amazing. RRP £17

Erborian Carmellia Essence 3ml - Again if you feel your skin is in need of hydration, products such as this from Erborian are the greatest ever finds and this bottle is a perfect introduction. I use mine at night when ive had a hectic week, have been travelling around London and feel that my skin needs a hydration shot. It has 73% content of Camllia Oil followed by flaxseed, coconut, argan and grapeseed oil so as you can imagine it is deeply nourishing and is said to accelerates cell renewal and improves elasticity, helps to fight skin ageing and protects the skin barrier. RRP £6

Once you have tried these amazing products and you find something you want to supersize and purchase the full size, inside the box is a £10 off voucher for each of the featured brands and as an extra, you will find a postcard that gives you the chance to share your thoughts on the box, send it back to Latest In Beauty, the postage is paid and you could be in with a chance of winning a £250. The Precious Petals box can be purchased at Latest In Beauty priced at £20 with free p+p. With the contents amounting to £61.50 if bought separately it really makes it excellent value for money.