July Glossybox - Stars and Stripes and a bit of drama!

I had been really looking forward to this months Stars and Stripes themed Glossybox, I already knew I would get one Lipstick from Bellapierre Cosmetics Ltd because there had been a big announcement, but when my box arrived, it looked as though every person who had handled it had trodden on the outside of the box and inside, I was gutted, the box has been torn down one side and I had items missing.  So, I emailed Glossybox to explain my woes and they rapidly sent me some replacements.

For the purpose of photos, sellotape has been used!

So, inside my box I should have had:

• Bellapierre Lipstick
• ABSOLUTE New York Perfecting Eyeshadow Primer
• Carmex Lipbalm
• Colour Club Glossy Seal Nail Polish
• Pur Minerals Dirty Girl Detoxifying Mud Masque

What I had was this:

Pur Minerals Dirty Girl Detoxifying Mudd Masque - Dirty Girl is said to unclog pores, Cleanse the skin and gently exfoliate. Pascalite Clay absorbs pore-clogging impurities while Salicylic Acid removes dead skin for a visibly fresher, more radiant complexion.  This has an RRP of £18 for a 120g tube and can be found in M&S.

Colour Club Glossy Seal - This Nail Polish is made in New York and is made only without non-toxic and cruelty free ingredients.  My shade was Baldwin Blue and it has an RRP of $8 for 15ml tube.

ABSOLUTE New York perfecting Eyeshadow Primer - This is an oil-free, ultra-creamy formula which evens skin tone around the eye area and keeps eyeshadow crease-free and colour-true for a lasting look.  This has an RRP $4.99

So those three items are the ones in my box and when my package from Glossybox arrived these products became my additions:

So I was re-sent the nail polish in the same shade and the eyeshadow primer but the additions were:

Wei Royal Ming firming and hydrating cream - It is said to nourish the skin with elements that improve luminosity and texture. You apply it the face and neck after cleansing and is designed for normal-dry skin. The tube is fairly small with just 4ml.

BeautyUk Posh Pout Lip Crayon - This shade is 'How Nude' which has a pinky colur to it and it has an RRP of £2.99.  I am a huge fan of lip crayons so am looking forward to trying it out.

Elizabeth Arden Sachets - I have to admit, I am not an Elizabeth Arden fan, I hate the 8 hour cream, I put it on par with Vaseline, so I was excited by these sachets, they look like something you get free in a magazine, which contain - Visible Difference Gentle Hydrating skincare for dry skin and then a cleanser, serum and a smaller version of the hydrating cream.

Bellapierre Lipstick - I did get one but in bright red, the one colour I would never ever wear, so hopefully I will find it a good home.  The shade is Ruby and it is stunning, but just not for me and it has an RRP £20.  Described as being a cult American favourite, it is formulated with waxes, mineral pigments and antioxidents including vitamin C and E.  

So there you have it, my box at the end of all the drama!  Whilst I might not be too over-joyed with the contents, have homes to find some of the products, I am really glad that Glossybox did reply to my email and did send out replacement products super quick.

Did you get this months Glossybox?  What did your box have inside?  Do any of these products interest or excite you?

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Kitchin N1 - Restaurant Review

Last week I accompanied BeautykingUK my better half to Kitchin N1, a restaurant in Kings Cross to review it.  Describing itself as "Deliciously fresh - buffet at its best" I had only ever walked passed it on my way to other blogger events, never venturing in.

Taking recipes from India, China, Italy and Thailand the restaurant centres itself around a theatre style cooking island, giving you the diner an opportunity to watch the chefs in action whilst they cook and prepare food.

Entering the restaurant, we were shown to a table and handed a drinks menu which had something for everyone, whether you like your wine, champagne, cocktails, beer or soft drinks, every need is catered for.  The joy of doing a restaurant review allows you to have the attention of the manager for some of the time to throw questions at him, nothing was too much for any of the staff and as we got to grips with how everything worked, I couldn't help but notice the number of people who came in, had their meals and left.

When you go to Kitchin N1, you have your table for around 1.5 hours, 2 hours at the most and as it is buffet style, essentially you can eat as much as you like, but be warned, if you waste excess food, you will be charged for it, something I think is a good idea because I hate people wasting food.  

Their is a choice of cold or hot starters and your choices include Greek Salads, houmous, opinion rings, Sushi, onion Bhaji, prawn toast, soups and many many more, you simply go up, take a plate and choose whatever you fancy eating.

These are just some of the starters and main dishes that we made our way through.  Each dish tasted freshly cooked, if it was meant to be hot it was and likewise if it should have been cold it was.  There was nothing I disliked or wouldn't have eaten again.

When it came to trying the mains which were on offer, again there is something for everyone, whether you want it cooked in front of you from the Wok station to make your own stir fry or from the grill station where an option of meats will be presented to you and cooked for you to your liking.  Choices of mains again include dishes such as Pizza of the day, curries such as Rogan Josh, Kormas, Thai Green Curry, italian pastas, chow miens, prawn dishes and rice or noddles.

The final test if all of that hadn't been enough to try is the dessert menu!  By this point, both Steve and I had been feeling pretty full, but felt it rude not to try a few of the options on offer, well as soon as I saw rice pudding and a chocolate foundation, I was never not going to have pudding.

Again there are many different options to choose from including very delicate little cakes such as coffee cake, chocolate cake, apple crumble, creme brulee, chocolate fountain with marshmallows and possibly the most exciting thing is the ice-cream machine to pour your own Mr Whippy looking ice cream which I had made some room for, would have had.

There is also a bit of theme for Kitchin N1 at the weekend.  On Friday, Saturdays & Sundays there is a selection of fresh seafood, including Prawns and Mussels as well as certain fish dishes. On Saturday evenings they serve crispy Duck, spring onion, sarded cucumber, hoisin sauce & pancakes and on Sundays there is a full roast!

Price wise, well lunch will cost just £7.99 and dinner in the evening £14.99 with a slight variation at the weekend, all of which can be found on the Kitchin website and to make life easier, you can book your table online too, a straightforward easy to follow form and it is all done for you.

For a restaurant which is hidden away from the bustling streets of Kings Cross on Caledonia Road, it is one which is worth going to find.  The food is exceptionally lovely, there is something for everyone and the experience is something i had never experienced before. From salads which are fresh and crunchy, to meat that is cooked to your liking and hot, curries which are as tasty as they are from your local Indian and desserts which melt in your mouth, it is not somewhere that will break the bank to enjoy good quality cooked food.  If you are out and about in Kings Cross and are looking for something a little bit different, I urge you to give Kitchin N1 a chance, it is worth every mouthful.

Signorina Eleganza by Salvatore Ferragamo

Salvatore Ferragamo is not a name of a brand I have ever come across and this is one of the things I love about blogging, the things it introduces you too and allows you to be a part of.

Elegance and femininity are two things which spring to mind when I look at Signorina Eleganza.  The bottle is very dainty and delicate not to mention beautiful to look at, everything from the writing on the bottle to the dusky pink ribbon, which gives it that extra feminine touch, makes me want to use it.

The fragrance hosts a lot of different ingredients which include:

Head notes - Grapefruit, pear

Heart notes - Almond powder and Osmanthus petals

Base notes - Patchouli and White Leather

All together they work to give the most beautiful floral and fruity scent which lingers on the skin.  Once on the skin, it lasts such a long time, it is one of those scents which leaves a trail behind it, whilst being subtle yet noticeable, this is one fragrance that I have come to absolutely love wearing and have had quite a few compliments about.

Launched this March, the bottle comes in three different sizes which are:

• 30 ml Eau de Parfum Spray £42 
• 50 ml Eau de Parfum Spray £60 
• 100 ml Eau de Parfum Spray £81

Have you tried any scents from Salvatore Ferragamo?

Delph Sun Care Products

We all know how important it is to ensure our skin is protected is the sunshine, particularly with this heat and yes we all want to have lovely golden skin that makes us look and feel healthy.

Delph have recently launched their sun care range which comes in these sleek squeezy 150ml tubes, making them perfect for popping into your handbag or beach bag without taking up too much space. The range claims to offer "no-compromise sun protection at a fraction of a designer range cost"

I was very kindly sent two of the products from the range.  The Delph SPF50 lotion which comes packaged in a bright yellow tube with an orange flip-top lid, making it really easy to recognise.  The lotion inside the tube is bright white in colour and is not only water resistant, it has not been tested on animals but is dermalogically tested.

One thing I dislike about conventional sun creams is the scent, I don't know what it is about them, but I just don't like it.  Now I know you should never judge a book by its cover (but I do) and when I saw the price of this cream, I was filled with dread, assuming it would have 'that smell'.  Surprisingly there was no horrible smell, in its place is a sort of lemony fragrance which lingers quite nicely on the skin.

Finding an aftersun which is soothing and again cools the skin is something I am always looking for and this Delph option is actually fantastic, especially if it comes from the fridge! Housed inside a clear see though tube with a blue flip top, you can see the green gel inside. Filled with Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, this gel is so refreshing and lightweight it absorbs itself quickly into the skin, cooling as it goes.

Available from independent pharmacies you will find:

• SPF 15 Lotion 150ml £3.49
• SPF 30 Lotion 150ml £4.49
• SPF 50 Lotion 150ml £4.99
• After Sun Lotion 150ml £1.49
• After Sun Gel With Aloe Vera & Vitamin E £1.49

Which sun care do you use? What do you look for in a sun cream?