Cohorted April Beauty Box

This months Cohorted Beauty Box is amazing, it has four fantastic items included, all of which I will be using. If you are present on Twitter, then you will know that these boxes are quite the conversational subject when they go on sale because the last three have, including this one, have all sold out! They costs just £19.99 but the contents alone add up to a huge £70!

So this month there are 4 full sized products within the box and all of them are for sale with Cohorted in their shop. What's more, each product is from a brand that you will have heard of or possibly even used something from and it is a good mixture of highstreet v's high end. This is one of the things I love about beauty boxes, the chance to try products you might never have thought of trying, the opportunity to try things you might not necessarily have heard of, the chance that you have wanted a product for a while and actually it isn't what you had hoped or it is more than you hoped for and of course the build up to that box arriving, the refreshing of the package tracking page and then the arrival.

So, inside my box this month is the bareMinerals: Heavenly Face Brush (RRP £22) made from goat hair, this brush is large, soft and features a blunt-cut brush head. 

On the skin it feels incredibly soft on the skin and I find it is great for giving that flawless look with liquid foundation and equally it is great for using as finishing brush too.

Ark Age Prepare Skin Purifying Masque (rrp £10) is next and it is described as being a cleansing masque for congested skin that will leave it feeling very refreshed. The masque is said to absorb excess oil, reduce the appearance of blemishes and pores for clear skin. Designed to be used once or twice a week, this masque uses Kaolin Clay which heals blemishes and prevents new ones from forming. Wild Water Mint reduces the size of enlarged pores and Anti-pollution Algae prevents skin damage from free radicals.

I have never used anything from Ark skincare but I do love a good facemask, so I am really looking forward to trying this.

Korres are one of my favourite brands for lip butters, so to find the Mulberry Vanilla Body Butter (RRP £19.50) in this box is a delight.  Made in Greece, this body butter is free from propylene glycol, synthetic dye, mineral oil, silicones and parabens. 

It contains shea butter, quince extract and a proprietary blend of sunflower, almond and avocado oils which moisturises and soothes the skin and is luxuriously hydrating. Having worn jeans, trousers and thick tights for the last few months, the skin of my shins is quite dry, so I need something that will soften and hydrate my skin and not only does this body butter smell absolutely beautiful, it is such a lovely cream, you can't help but love it.

The final item in this amazng box is from MAC and it is the Sheertone Shimmer blusher in Dolly Mix. When I first looked at this blush I immediately loved the shade, who doesn't love pink, but I did expect it to be too pink for my almost porcelain skin. 

However, having had a bit of a play with it, actually whilst it is really pigmented, if you use a stippling blush lightly, it does give a great transfer of colour, giving that natural flushed look add to which the shimmer is just amazing, it creates a nice glowy sheen on your cheeks.

I think this is an absolutely amazing box and my favourite of the Cohorted boxes that I have seen to date.  I love that there is a nice mix of products and all four of them are not ones I would ever normally pick up or choose, but now I have them, I am wondering why I have not picked them up sooner.  This is one of the first boxes for a long time that I have used all of the products and have not been left feeling disappointed.

Did you manage to get your hands on this box?  What do you think to the contents?

Yves Rocher Make-up

Yves Rocher is one brand I am really enjoying the discovery of and have in recent months found products I have absolutely adored, so when the chance to try some of their makeup products I jumped at the chance.

In my package are 4 really lovely products.  The first is the 100% Intense Kajal liner which is really pigmented.  The first thing which caught my attention my how it is packaged and designed like a lipstick, by that I mean you remove the lid, twist the bottom and up pops your eyeliner.  Now I am notoriously bad at eyeliner, I have no patience when it comes to applying it and it just stresses me out, yet this product feels like something I can use and with a bit of practice who knows...  From the swatch that you can see on my arm, you can see how black it is and it is really hard to budge, so for those of you who like your eyeliner as black as your soul, which doesn't shift in the rain yet with a bit of eye makeup remover is easily removed, this is worth a look.

The Fixing Eyelid Primer comes next and I was chuffed to see this in my package because it is one item I have run out of and if I am wearing eye makeup, which isn't everyday, I like to have a proper primer.  When I first tried this primer, it does, on my skin look quite yellow, but once you have smoothed it across the lid, the yellowness totally disappears and it is a brilliant eyelid primer, admittedly much better than I expected.  What I love is that it isn't too thick that it grabs onto my eyeshadow, nor is it too thin that it makes no difference, it creates an almost perfect base to work with and it stops creasing, which is exactly what I expect from my primers.

Next is the Volume Vertige mascara which was the first item I opened as I am a bit of a mascara fiend.  Aside from the beautiful silver packaging is a brush that I adore because I like wide wands that have a mixture if long and short bristles, much like Benefit Mascara Wands.  There is also no excess mascara that needs to be wiped off the wand which again gets another thumbs up from me, there is nothing worse than having to remove the excess or having something which clumps upon first application, this does neither, infact one coat you can see the difference immediately, more in volume than in length and it makes for a perfect daytime mascara.

The final item is this beautiful looking Sumptuous Colour Eyeshadow Quad, I was sent the green quad, which is not my first choice as I have blue eyes, but there are plenty of other options to choose from. What I do love about this palette is that those four shades can be used as they are or wet.  Included are two small brushes which are perfect for on the go if you dont have travel sized brushes and the best thing is the size of the mirror which fits the width of the palette and is really handy to have.  On the bottom of the palette and also included is a little chart which details how to get the best use from the shades - Highlight, cover the eyelid, sculpt the eye and finally underline to give the smokey effect.

Overall I am really impressed with each and every one of these items, they look great, are easy to use and my favourite product has to be the eyelid primer, which I am absolutely loving.

Have you ever tried any makeup from Yves Rocher?

Great Kitten - World's 1st Cat Cinema

Anyone who reads my blog or follows my Instagram account will know that I absolutely love animals especially cats and I have three of my own.  If I ever won Euromillions, one of the things I would love to do is run my own cattery for unloved and unwanted cats.  

Today I am highlighting a cause which I absolutely love and you might have heard and read about them in the media recently - Great Kitten - World's 1st Cat Cinema in London - yes you did read that right! So, Imagine a crackling fireplace, exposed brick walls, wooden beams and comfy sink-in sofas – think rustic log cabin. Now, imagine this cabin filled with purring cats, ready to receive all your love and attention.  Add to that regular screenings of your favourite films that you can enjoy with a cup of tea and your friends, family or your other half. Oh, and don't forget a cat napping on your lap. There yet?! We thought so!

Better yet, we will put aside one afternoon each week to invite adults and children suffering from physical and/or mental disability to help them enjoy the healing power of cat's purr. Each guest will be treated to Great Kitten's full service - an exciting visit full of cakes, tea, good movies and our resident cats company, all funded by your donations and our profits.

Here is their story...

Last year, we decided to make a bold decision - we moved from London to Vietnam for a year to experience a different lifestyle, a new business culture, and to travel. Whilst travelling Asia, we had plenty of time on our hands to brainstorm all of the possible ventures we could start when back in London. The bigger plan became clear for us after visiting a Cat Cafe in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We immediately fell in love with the idea. As avid film lovers, it wasn't long before our restless minds came up with the idea of combining the two. We knew that cat cafes were becoming increasingly popular in Europe, with 2-month waiting lists to book a table. We also knew about all the quirky and unique cinemas popping up in London practically every week. We knew immediately that combining 3 of Britain's most loved - cats and cinema and a cuppa, is bound to resonate with Londoners and cat-lovers alike.

As well as this unique cinematic USP, an important part of our mission is to give back to the local community. Once a week, we'll invite children and adults who struggle with mental health issues (such as depression and anxiety), physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses. All expenses will be covered from our profits. Each of these groups has been proven to benefit from cat interaction and we would love to put smiles on their faces as well as for our paying guests.

In our cafe we'll serve hot & cold drinks (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lattes, juices, soft drinks and more), light snacks and sandwiches inspired by our rustic theme and a wide selection of cakes, slices, scones and pastries. We'll make sure that patrons who require vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food will be more than catered for.

We're so passionate about our idea and we are determined to make it work. We've had fantastic press coverage, but now we need you to share in the development and success of Great Kitten. We've already had so much good advice and encouragement from our supporters, and we plan to involve you every step of the way.

Check out our perks - we offer the chance to become a part of our team, to experience first hand our unique Cat Cinema, and to help our chosen charities and many more.

If this sounds like a charity you want to support, even if it is just £1, there is a Crowdfund page right HERE.

What do you think to this idea? Are you a lover of cats?

The Pink Cow Brand - The Cream

The Cream as it is so aptly named, is one of those products which has really got me intrigued, it was and is something I have read about in my blog reviews and something I was really looking forward to using.

Described as being Nature's Superfood for skin, the range was developed by Denie Hiestand, a natural health consultant, author, research expert, and former successful New Zealand dairy farmer. Denie has spent decades studying the skin and toxins/chemicals in everyday cosmetics and personal care products and identified a strong link between the high usage of chemical personal care products and the growing rates of cancers, infertility, hormone imbalances, allergies and various other modern day illnesses. In response to his patient’s requests, Denie set about to create a completely pure and natural range of skincare products which not only contained none of the harmful additives found in the majority of commercial products, but equally importantly, contained life-giving, cell nourishing ingredients which feed and nourish the skin.  You can read more about the brand HERE.

The cream for the face is 100% natural, contains 75% colostrum and 0% bull I am told, now admittedly I did giggle at the bull part and was more interested in the key ingredient colostrum and what was so great about it.  Colostrum is not only the first milk from happy outdoor, grass-fed, New Zealand Cows, but is also:

• The most powerful, cell building and complete all natural ingredient known
• Produced by female mammals for approximately 72 hours after birthing
• 200 times more powerful than Human colostrum
• Is not milk, but rather the starter of all life, and completely recognized, accepted and utilized by our cells.

So when used in this way it is specifically engineered in a scientific way so that your cells instantly recognise, readily accept and utilise the formula in order to moisturise, assist in the repair of and nourish themselves.  

The Cream itself is so luxurious I love it.  Thankfully it comes with a pump dispenser too, much more hygenic.  It has been made specifically for the face, neck and decollatage and you use it both in the morning morning and at night as you would do any other cream however, you can also use this one throughout the day as and when required if you have dry, dehydrated skin.  Once on the skin, again you need just a small 50p sized blob to cover your face, it absorbs itself with a quick fingertip massage and it leaves behind incredibly soft feeling skin, almost instantly, not to mention the feel of being hydrated and moisturised.  It contains a whole host of amazing ingreidnets which are listed on the bottle to see and in there you will find Coconut/palm wax, the cold pressed oils of organic Aloe, Rice, Orange, Apricot, Vanilla, Blueberry and Hemp to name just a few.  The cream also smells incredible, admittedly I didn't know whether or not this would have the scent of mouldy cottage cheese or something equally foul but thankfully it does not, you get a hint of vanilla and coconut.

This is such an exciting brand and I am so glad I have been given an opportunity to try it out.  The entire range consists of a lip cream, eye cream, personal relief cream, a repair cream for problematic areas (need), a foot cream, hand cream sun cream, a body cream, a body elixir, a face serum and a men's range!  Super impressive and each product contains:

• No chemicals. 
• No heavy metals. 
• No mineral oil. 
• No petrochemicals.
• No alcohol. 
• No parabens. 
• No preservatives. 
• No fillers. 
• No added water- All formulations are waterless, which means they are in their most effective and concentrated form and all formulations are clinically tested and EU cosmetic safety approved.

I have been using this daily since it arrived in my possession and I absolutely love everything about it, I can't rate it highly enough.  As it is I am obsessed with products which are animal related and a little bit different and this fits right in there, it is simply fantastic. It is also available here in the UK and a 50ml bottle will cost £39.99.

Have you tried anything from The Pink Cow brand yet?