Glossybox 'Back To Basics' May Edit

It is that time of the month again when the beauty boxes arrive and first through the door comes Glossybox with 'Back to Basics' being the theme for the May edit. Stating that we are all guilty of buying that wear-once statement piece over the more sensible staples items we should perhaps purchase (like those 7 inch heels I will never walk in but man are the shoes divine oops), Glossybox want to use the opportunity of the May box to remind us that it is the basics that underpin any good wardrobe and we should use the same concept when it comes to our cosmetics and skincare. 

The May ‘Back to Basics’ box includes five simple but super must-haves for your beauty bag, a sort of little capsule wardrobe of beauty if you please of items that you might have seen or read about but are to yet to try.

The first item out of the box comes from Scrub Love and it is the Active Charcoal Body Scrub. Being 100% natural, vegan and vegetarian-friendly not forgetting to mention that it is free from those pesky micro-beads that pollute our waters and endanger wildlife, this scrub is a charcoal based body exfoliator. 

I adore charcoal based products for my skin, not only do it one of the most ancient detoxifying ingredients, but it is also amazing at absorbing the day-to-day pollutants and impurities that just sit on the skin. Easy to use, you simply buff the scrub onto the skin in circular motions, sometimes the more rigorous the better because it helps boost circulation, lymphatic drainage and removes all that dead and dry skin that does not need to be there.  I am a big bag of these scrubs and this one has become my new favourite because it is so effective at what it does.  Priced at £13.95.

Dr PawPaw Original Balm has appeared in a few beauty boxes now and I am quite a fan. As a multipurpose balm, the balm is perfect for always having in your handbag, your makeup bag, the bedside table or even on your desk, it has a multitude of uses which means it can be used on your lips, hair and skin.

Made in the UK from a variety of natural ingredients including Pawpaw, Olive Oil and Aloe Vera Oil which, blended together, create a multi-purpose formula for you to carry around at all times thanks to the handy little tube.

Ruby Powder Blush in Coral is next and whilst blusher is usually something I opt for occasionally, I do always have one in my makeup up.  

This particular one is from a brand I have never come across before and it is described as being a super-silky powder blush which gives a perfect pop of coral colour to your cheeks for a summer glow. The blush itself is super smooth to the touch and is more pigmented than I had expected and it is a really lovely shade.

Girl Meets Brush is a brand I met through Beauty Boxes and the company was started by celebrity makeup artist Lynne Mills and she has used her expertise to create the optimal makeup brushes. 

In this month's box, there is the Eyeshadow Blending Brush which is a domed but soft bristled brush which will soften and blend out the eyeshadow in the socket line and then out to the outer edges of the eye. I have a few brushes from this range and they are so incredibly soft, easy to use and they wash and dry like an absolute dream.

The final item in the box this month's box comes from Caudalie and it is their Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet, a product I have used before. Perfect for sensitive skin, this sorbet has a really light texture which, once on the skin soothes and absorbs without a little help. 

It is also rich in antioxidants and is more gel-cream than a cream and when applied to the skin it turns into a watery texture which adds to the feeling of your skin being quenched, soothed and moisturised. Using notes of mandarin blossom, lemon leaf tree, cucumber water and fresh mint, again there is a subtle scent to the cream and the added use of chamomile does leave your skin feeling just amazing.

So for a box that is taking us back to basics and is helping to create a capsule makeup bag of staple products, I think Glossybox have done an amazing job at putting this box together and it contains some products I really like and some that I am enjoying trying out for the first time.

What do you think of this months box? Does anything capture your attention? 
If you have never subscribed before, I have an offer - your first box for just £5 here 

*this post contains PR samples/Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise

EcoTools 2017 Collection - Limited Edition Anniversary Set + Win Your Own

Ecotools is a brand of makeup brushes I have been aware of but until recently never really got to know until now and over the coming weeks I am going to be sharing with you some of the new launches for 2017.  Having been invited to the launch of the 2017 collection, I was pretty wowed by what was on offer and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. 

2017 marks 10 years of beauty with EcoTools makeup brushes and to celebrate there is a stunning Limited Edition Anniversary Brush Collection which not only contains six exclusive brushes, but it comes with a specially designed rose gold canister holder to keep your brushes organised, safe and protected.

The Limited Edition Collection brushes are everything you need to create a fresh, healthy-looking glow and within the set, you have the following:

Airbrushed Finishing - Duo Fibred bristles allow for a buildable flawless complexion with powder, cream and liquid foundations.

Controlled Setting - This tapered brush is perfect for the precise application of highlighting powders and creams to apples of cheeks and arch of brows.

Spoolie: Everyone needs one of these in their stash and this particular one is designed to comb unruly brows and lashes.

Angled Crease - This angled shadow brush helps to create definition and dimension across the eyelid crease.

Flat Eyeliner - This brush helps to create definition across the lash line with liquid or cream liners and shadows.

Eye/Lip Blur - This brush can be used to blend eye shadows and/or lip colours owing to its soft bristles.

Available in Superdrug here this set is really quite pretty and has everything you need but for one of you, I am giving you the chance to win a Limited Edition Anniversary Collection for yourself and to enter all you need to do is complete the widget below. As always there are some entries you must complete otherwise your entry will be null and void. You will need to be aged 16+ or have parental permission because I will need your home address and this competition is open worldwide - Good Luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

BEN NYE BANANA POWDER

One product I use to constantly use and rave about is the Ben Nye Banana powder and suddenly it became harder to pick up and well as it does, something else came along and until recently I had forgotten all about it. If you have never come across it before, Ben Nye Banana powder it holds is not any ordinary setting powder, it is one which holds cult status amongst the world of celebrities, including Kim Kardashian!

Now with a bit of a makeover, the Ben Nye Banana Powder has been relaunched, gone is the bottle which was quite awkward to use and very messy and in its place is the brand new luxury Dome Jar packaging which is not only much easier to use and work with, it creates less mess and is travel friendly. With so many different uses, this Ben Nye Banana Powder, which does have a slight hint of colour to it, banana, in fact, helps to absorb excess oil incredible well, it can help neutralise darkness, subtly colour corrects surface redness and pink undertones, as well as neutralises blue under eye circles and also helps to brighten the skin. 

Suitable for all skin tones, even mine which some describe as being almost see through, I switch between the type of brush I use for application. If I am using it as a setting powder then I use a big powder brush or powder puff to apply it evenly to my skin. If I am using it to set my concealer, which it does incredibly well, then I opt for a much smaller brush and it is brilliant and ensuring there is no caking or creasing of said concealer. Again, with a slight redness on both cheeks, I find this powder does help to neutralise it slightly, so if I decide I just want to wear a tinted moisturiser, I would use this on the top. 

Inside the power, the powder is really finally milled and on the skin it is really lightweight, more so than some of the setting powders I have used for a long time and it because it does so much more than any powder I have ever used it is just amazing and I am so glad to have it back in my stash.

Priced at just £13.50 this powder is such good value for money, you use so little of it every time you apply your make up that it lasts for a really good amount of time. If you have never tried this powder and it has always intrigued you, it is available from Precious about Makeup - HERE.

Have you tried this Powder before?

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise

Victor&Rolf Flowerbomb Bloom Perfume

If you are a fan of perfumes as much as I am, then each new release causes a little stir of excitement. Victor &Rolf Flowerbomb Bloom is a scent I have pretty worn for the last few weeks on a daily basis and it is just incredible. Flowerbomb Bloom is an updated of the iconic Flowerbomb scent which was released back in 2005 (feeling old right now) and it is every bit as beautiful perhaps even more so, than its older sister.

Arriving in a similar bottle to the original design, this one is a slightly more elgonated diamond shaped bottle but it is just as pretty and again the logo themed wax stamp is also present and for me, it does add a little extra to the packaging and then again to the bottle.

I love that this fragrance comes with a mantra and it is "to turn the impossible to the possible and celebrate going from winter into spring when flowers start to bloom".  There was no doubt that I would adore this perfume as I am already a fan of the original and anything with Jasmine as a note within a fragrance always gets the thumbs up.  Sitting firmly in the floriental category, Flowerbomb Bloom has top notes of pomegranate accord, Bergamot and Mandarin and as an opener to a perfume, this is really quite stunning because it is strong and fruity but soon settles as the heart notes of Rose, Jasmine, Freesia and Pure Air Molecule which is an intriguing note but as whole, they bring together the beautiful floral notes to the scent which then lead to the base notes of Musk, Vanilla and Patchouli which add a sort of powdery scent to what is an incredible scent which is just perfect for Spring.

On the skin, Flowerbomb Blooms last such an incredible amount of time and it is one of those scents which when applied in a morning you can still smell it in an evening. Available from £45 you can find this perfume in most stores such as Boots, House of Fraser, Debenhams and John Lewis to name a few, you need to try it.

*this post contains PR samples/Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise