May GlossyBox - What did I find?

So the postman has just been with my May Glossybox - super quick delivery yet again.  Whenever my Glossybox arrives I am always full of anticipation as to what I am going to find within my box.  Naturally if you havent got your box yet and don't want to know what is inside, click away now.

So opening the outer box inside I found the lovely dusty pink box that we have all come to love and like getting.  Now this month it is the 2nd Birthday for Glossybox, so I have my hopes up for some pretty fantastic and something a little unexpected maybe?  Well this is what I got:

I love the Neon Pink Ribbon and the wrapping paper inside this box, so we are off to a good start!

Now the contents:

Givency Noir Courute Mascara - it is in a sachet so this had me intrigued until I opened it to find a miniscule version - said to be a multi-tasker that creates instant volume, length and curl and using an active complex bunch of ingredients it is said to nourish your lashes too... Hmm.... this would cost £22.50 full size price.

Caudalie Divine Oil comes next and it is inside a 15ml glass bottle which costs £4.05 should you wish to buy it.  This Divine Oil is said to be the "Ultimate beauty Elixir for your body, face and hair" and after using it will turn me into a Caudalie Convert.  It can be used on the body, face, hair and nail or added to a hot bath and even used as a massage oil.

Premae Harmony Balm  - said to be a skin protector and primer leaving you with a silky, dewy finish.  It uses antiseptic lemongrass and aloe vera to soothe breakouts and reduce excess oil.  A full size tub of this at 30ml will cost you £26.50, the tub in the Glossybox is a 10ml tub

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - Formerly known as BM apparently.  This is said to be a new product and a multi-tasking one at that.  It is a Prime and Create Mixing Medium which is an addition to Kimberley Wyatt (Formerly of the Pussycat Dolls) collection and it can be used as a primer to give that matte, shine free base for make-up or mix it with foundation for an air-brush effect or with blushers, bronzers to create a creme tint or even eye shadow pigments to create liquid eye-liner.  This is a 2.5g product within the box and to purchase it is £20 for 20g

Finally we have (yet another) Nails Inc mini - Portobello is mine, eye-catching Neon Shade named after one of London's most popular roads.

As this is a birthday box there is something extra - a matchbox styled box of mini nail-files which I love.  These can quite easily be shoved into your handbags and are so useful to have.  The packaging matches the wrapping paper from within the box and the nail files match the ribbon - cute!

So there you have it - the May Glossybox - what do you think?

Unusually balanced - that's me!!

Unlike most people, I am quite new to the Balance Me range, until this particular product I was yet to actually try something from the range, despite seeing them everywhere.

Radiance Face oil tells you that it will "enhance skins natural lustre" and that it is 100% natural.  I also like that on the back of the box, as shown below you can read the following - "smooth away the years with our highly emollient, 100% natural face oil.  Skin lacking in lustre is enhanced with a rich, replenishing blend of naturally active and smoothing ingredients. Don't be afraid to use this if your skin is prone to congestion as oil on oil is extremely balancing, hydrating and comfortable to wear".

That little blurb on its own answered the question for me as to whether or not having combination skin; leading more to the oily side would work well with this oil.  Never in my life have I used a product like this on my skin, more through fear of expecting to turn into a bottle of vegetable oil and making my skin super shiny, however until you try it I guess you just never know.

Inside the box I was surprised to find how lovely the glass bottle looked, the oil itself is almost orange and reminded me a little bit of some extra virgin olive oil that I have in my cupboard.  This 30ml bottle comes complete with a little pipette that you use to dispense the oil onto your hands. The reason you drop it onto your hands is because your body's natural temperature helps to warm up the oil as the 'directions' show on the side of the box, which again you can see in the picture below. 

I like how clear the directions of use are and that it explains fully how to use this oil to get the full benefits such as massaging in circular motions and words such as toxins, circulation and boost cell renewal all catch the eye and attention as you read.

When you first apply this to your face, I was surprised, infact I was so surprised at how non-greasy it felt.  I had been expecting to find a mini oil slick on the palms of my hands but quite the opposite, as soon as you apply to your face it has absorbed itself in double quick time leaving nothing behind except glowing skin that was silky smooth to the touch. My skin hasn't broken out in any spots, it doesn't irritate my skin nor make it itchy, all of which has slightly surprised me, again having never used oil on combination skin I was waiting for something to go wrong - it didn't.  Usually around the time of my monthly visit I sometimes get one or two spots around my chin which annoy me because I'm not used to having them, using this product they didn't even make an appearance, again another thumbs up from me.

All of the ingredients within this oil are natural and you have no less than 8 base oils which includes:

• Amazonian Buriti Nut, Cameilla and Rosehip Oil all of which work to reduce redness and address uneven skin tones and minimise the visible signs of scarring. 
• Add to that Yarrow, Benzoin and Roman Camomile which work together to create a highly moisturising effect.  
• You will also find Sweet Almond Oil which smells divine and again helps to keep your skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturised and finally there is grape seed oil, again an ingredient that works with the other 7 and again has moisturising properties for the skin.

When I use this oil, I tend to use it first thing in the morning after getting out of the shower and before I go to bed having removed all my make-up and the days dirt and grime and before I add any extra moisturiser even though some days I feel as though my skin is not in need of anything else.  The smell is perhaps the one thing I'm not too keen on, I had hoped the sweet almond oil would be the dominant fragrance within this product but what you get is something quite herb like, and it isn't off-putting in any way and wouldn't stop me from using it.

This product retails at £30 for a 30ml bottle from the Balance Me website which isn't cheap but when you are only using 3 - 4 drops per day, it is certainly going to last quite a while.  I have no hesitations when it comes to recommending this facial oil, I love how it makes my skin feel, I love the pipette application because it is so different to the products I would usually use and makes applying it a little lore fun. A great face oil that does leave your skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch whilst leaving your skin glowing.  For me this would be a definite re-purchase.

Which balance me products do you use?

Have you tried any face oils?

Bellapierre cosmetics

Bellapierre cosmetics is a mineral brand of make-up and I don’t know about everyone else but it seems Mineral based cosmetics are the upcoming thing to try and to use.  I was recently sent a lovely gift package of products to try and I have no previous experience with any of them nor the brand itself, so it was something I was really looking forward to and something I have really enjoyed.

Here is a very brief introduction to Bellapierre cosmetics and you can read more about them and their products HERE:

So In my lovely gift bag, which in itself is stunning, I find myself with:

• HD Makeup Primer
• 5 eye shadow palette
• Compact Mineral Foundation in Ultra and it has a 15 SPF
• Compact Mineral Blush in Desert Rose
• Compact Mineral Blush in Peony
• Three make-up brushes - an angled blusher brush, a foundation brush and an eye-shadow brush

The HD make-up primer comes in a beautiful jar, is paraben free and it has been developed to treat dryness, fine lines, excess oil,enlarged pores and is suitable for all skin types.  When you apply it to your face it simply glides on and makes your skin feel really lovely and smooth to touch and it is really easy to apply.  All you need is a small amount of primer on your fingertips and then you gently rub it into the skin paying particular attention to your T zone, fine lines and wrinkles. Then simply wait for 1 – 3 minutes before applying your foundation.

The Bellapierre 5-in-1 mineral foundation has the same properties as concealer, SPF, finishing powder and setting powder, so you no longer need a different product for each job; this does it all.  It comes in 10 different shades and I have got the lightest shade there is because I am quite pale skinned. It suits my skin perfectly and on the Bellapierre website is that you can look at all of the shades and choose the one that closely fits your own skin tone.

When it comes to using this foundation, the use of the brush is brilliant, you only need the smallest amount of powder  and as you apply to your face using circular movements of the brush you get a really great coverage, so much better than some of the high street brands that I have tried in the past.

The compact mineral blush in Desert Rose is talc free and it comes in this really pretty compact case with a mirror and a puff.  I love the fact it has a push button to open the compact and that the puff has its own little compartment.  The colour itself is simply stunning, it gives such a lovely colour to your face and it doesn’t fade at all through the day, it remains on your face as though you have just applied it.  Application is really simple and straight forward too, using the angled brush, you swirl it into the compact to collect the blusher and apply it to your cheeks and t-zone as you would do with any other blusher you might have and use.  This blusher is available in four different shades.

The body and face bronzer comes in the same compact to the blusher, again with a mirror and a puff.  It also contains Jojoba which in itself helps to soften and soothe the skin.  Again using the angled brush you complete the exact same actions with this product as you did with the blusher and you apply a small amount of the bronzer powder onto your cheeks, forehead, chin and nose. This product is also available in four different shades.

The 5 eye shadow palette is really something special, I love the palette and all of the colours, it is a sleek design which fits so easy into my make-up bag, it combines a mirror and application brush.  As you can see from the photo, there are 5 different shades in this palette and they are:

• 001 Snow Flake, 
• 003 Champagne, 
• 009 Bronze: Go Natural
• 008 Lava, 
• 055 Diligence

All of these shades are stunning as you can see from the swatches and they really pick up the light when you are wearing them.  There are a further five palettes in this range.

The applicator brush is really easy to use, though I only tend to use it to touch up my eye make-up rather than carry the eye brush around with me which came as part of this gift set.  The description given of these brushes is as follows:

Bellapierre Professional makeup brushes are essential for flawless makeup application! Whether you use pressed or loose mineral makeup, we have an extensive collection of professional quality brushes to choose from! We have a variety of different types of makeup brushes for all different types of makeup applications, such as for blush, concealer, powder, eyeliner, eye shadow, and other brush sets with multiple brushes. Quality brushes allow you to apply your makeup easier, faster, and also make the experience more comfortable since they are made in specific shapes and sizes for whatever job is at hand.

Bellapierre have their own make-up brush and accessory range and I absolutely love the three that I have.  The foundation brush which is housed inside a plastic holder is made from 100% Natural hair and is a tapered brush head making it ideal for applying foundation to the nose and eye area.  As you can see the black handle really does add a nice finish to this brush and its rounded shape makes it very easy to grip onto.

The angled Blush Brush which again is a similar style and made from 100% natural hair,is great for contouring and all over cheek application.

The final product is the eye shadow brush which is brilliant, it makes applying eye make-up a simple and easy process.  As with the other two brushes, it is made from natural hair which creates a silky soft tapered brush head.

Finally, if you do go look on the official website, one of the best sections is the Tips and Advice section which you can see HERE the smoky eye part is exceptionally helpful!

Have you ever tried anything from this range? 

What do you think to it?

A detox for tired and dull skin

As well as looking after my hands, feet and body with numerous Lush products filling the bathroom shelves, I tend more often than not to use a Lush face mask every few weeks or so. Why? Well I do have really sensitive skin and find it difficult to find a product which doesn't leave my skin feeling dry or raw after using - except with Lush products which do not irritate my skin.

The one good thing about Lush is that you can always 'try before you buy' which is exactly what I do with new products and this is what I did with 'Brazened Honey'. The one thing I like about Lush is their ability to give all of their products intriguing names which draw me to them.

'Brazened Honey' is a detoxifying face mask which you apparently use when you are utterly ashamed by the look of your skin. With all the changes in the weather recently I have to say my face has come to resemble that of Freddy Kruger on a bad day with dry skin flaking off everywhere, however, all it seems was not lost because I have this new face mask to try out. 

Lush's ‘Brazened Honey’ comes in a large pot for the bargain price of £5.95 (and for that £5.95 you get 4 uses of the product), with the usual simple Lush packaging found on and around many of their products. All of Lush’s face masks are made with fresh ingredients which means they contain absolutely no synthetic preservatives and because the ingredients are so fresh, Lush will only deliver them to the United Kingdom. 

There are seven ayurvedic herbs main ingredients. Ayurvedic after some research means “The best known form of traditional Indian medicine is Ayurveda (from ayus, meaning 'life' and veda, meaning 'knowledge').” All of which can be found on any website if you type in 'Ayurveda'. So, for this product some of those seven herbs are Fresh Coriander, Sage, Rosemary and Parsley mixed in with fresh Lime juice, fresh free range eggs, ground almond shells, honey and Ginger oil, but still the list of ingredients goes on and can be found on the Lush Website. 

By putting all of these ingredients together Lush claim that they all work together to cleanse your skin deeply. The honey is used to soothe, smooth and calm troubled skin whilst at the same time allowing the herbs to detoxify your skin and the ingredients to do that are Sage, Juniper and Rosemary alongside the lime juice and then the use of Parsley, Ginger and Coriander are used to boost the skins circulation. If you look into any of these ingredients on health websites, they do quantify the statements made by Lush as to what these ingredients actually do.

Texture wise this honey coloured slop as I refer it as is slightly thick but easily spreadable and the first thing to noticed apart from the strong honey smell was a slight tingling sensation as the mask was applied and started working. 

So after a long hard stressful day at the office, one of the best ways to relax and chill out is for me in the bathroom and with a bath full of bubbles from yet another Lush Product, usually a glass of wine in my hand and a good book. Then I grab my pot of ‘Brazened honey’.

To use this mask you must ensure that you have washed your face prior to using it because this will remove any dirt and grime on the surface of your skin. You then should apply to your skin avoiding the eyes (and it does sting if you get some in your eyes) and leave on your skin for five to ten minutes, depending on how bad you think your skin actually is and this face mask does harden on your skin, so it is worth laying totally still (possibly in the bath) once it has hardened because it does loosen and crumble when removing. 

Once those five to ten minutes are up and the aroma’s of the lime juice and ginger, which for me was the most predominant two smells, have got your senses throbbing, you simply rinse of using warm water and then use a clean towel to pat your skin dry. 

Now, most Lush face masks have a shelf life of about 3 months from the date of manufacturing and the best way to preserve your mask is to keep it in the fridge to keep the ingredients fresh. You will know when the face mask is beyond use because the colouring and smell fade quite dramatically and also because there will be a sticker on your pot with the date of expire on it. 

The end results? Yes my face did feel amazing immediately afterwards and unlike ‘Mask of Magnaminty’, I didn’t feel the need to moisturise afterwards because my skin was so smooth and blemish free but I did moisturize and my skin stayed lovely and soft for the next few days as well as the smells of Lime and Ginger lingeringly slightly.

Do I recommend it? Without a doubt I certainly do. This is one Lush product that I will be buying more often than not.

Korres Guava Lip Butter

I finally have my hands on a Korres lip Butter.  I have seen a lot of bloggers blog about them and I really wanted to try them.  So today whilst in Waitrose getting some Strawberries (random I know but they were on offer), I remembered we needed some hand wash at work, so off I went down to the toiletries section when I came across as the Korres Lip Butters and they were on offer at £4.66 each instead of £7 – BARGAIN!!  So I stood there for about 20 minutes debating whether to buy Guava, Quince or Wild Rose and ended up with Guava.

I really like the packaging of this lip butter, it is like a maze of boxes that you have to work your way through until you come to your little pot.  The pot itself is a 6g tub and has a cream coloured lid which is similar to the lip butter you find inside the tub.  Korres say the following about this product:

“This buttery Korres Guava Lip Butter melts into your dry chapped lips & leaves a natural colour and scent, perfect to wear alone or underneath your favourite lip gloss for extra moisture.

The shea butter and rice wax in Korres Guava Lip Butter provides your lips with deep, long-lasting moisture and protects from the elements, leaving you with perfectly soft and conditioned lips that are good enough to kiss!

Guava is a natural vanilla shade that leaves your lips shiny and delicious.”

Well as soon as you put it onto your lips it absorbs itself with no problem and instead of clinging to your lips like Vaseline does, instead it does leave behind a shiny glint to your lips, totally naturally and it looks really nice, the texture is slightly thicker than your usual lip balm might be, but for me this just adds to how much it moisturises.  My lips feel lovely and soft when I put this on and hopefully in a week or two, with the help of Lush Bubblegum, my lips will be back to their usual kissable selves, the joys of having a cough and cold and the havoc and it plays on your skin.

The thing I like most about this lip butter is the fruity smell, really lovely and if you have tried the shower gel in the same flavour, it is just as wonderful.

Korres Lip Butters are widely available at places like Waitrose and online through Feel Unique, Look Fantastic and independent pharmacies.

Have you Tried a Korres Lip Butter? Do you have a favourite flavour?

Inhibitif: The end of being a Shave slave?

The six words that I have been waiting for most of my adult life – ‘The end to shaving and waxing’. One task I simply hate doing is shaving my legs. It is a necessary evil as far as I am concerned and I do it because the alternative is wrong on so many levels. I hate waxing, I cannot and will not wait for the hair on my legs to be long enough to justify the need for it, it is painful, not always 100% effective and costly… shaving is in my opinion just as bad and it can be so expensive by the time you have worked out how much everything costs. 

So anything that I can do to make the whole process cheaper, manageable and stress free, count me in!

Imagine my joy when an email arrives in my inbox to tell me that a product called Inhibitif has been launched nationwide and would I like a sample. What is Inhibitif? Well in short Inhibitif is a breakthrough hair inhibitor that minimizes the need for shaving, waxing and other forms of hair removal in under 8 weeks, thus reducing the look of unwanted hair, unsightly stubbles and ingrown hair. According to Tom Heinar who is the Cosmetic Science Advisor at DECIEM, the brand umbrella behind INHIBITIF,

“INHIBITIF targets the hair follicle directly to slow down the apparent growth rate and density of unwanted hair; as a result, many hairs seem to never grow while using INHIBITIF, and many hairs seem to grow to a lesser degree. This action on hair cycle reduces the apparent amount of hairs and impairs overall hair quality, thus drastically minimising the need for hair removal in weeks”. 

 How good does this product sound? Well as I have a bottle in my hands right now, I am going to put it to the test. You are told to Apply evenly on shaved or waxed body areas twice per day for 2 months or until body hair appears nearly invisible. Then reduce application to 3 times per week to maintain results. Then you should see initial results within 2 weeks and then within 2 months hair should appear finer and finer until the hair removal routine becomes easier and less in frequency. However, I must point out that it is not a depilatory and it is totally pain free.

Just to re-cap, Inhibitif

• Targets unwanted hair in 3 distinct proven ways
• Minimizes the need for hair removal in under 8 weeks
• Reduces the long-term cost of hair removal dramatically
• Is pain-free, risk-free, fast, easy and cost-effective
• Is effective on all skin types, skin colours and hair colours

The serum in the bottle is the colour of apple juice and the bottle itself, is made of glass and has a spritzing applicator to help dispense the serum and I was surprised to find that it actually smells quite menthol and minty, not of the chemical aromas you get with hair removing cream, which is what I was expecting, so that in itself is a relief.

For more information on this product please look at this link HERE and it can also be purchased from Boots by clicking HERE. For a 250ml bottle it will only cost £29.99.

I applied the serum to my legs this morning and will do the same tonight and so on. As you apply to your legs, there is a cooling sensation which is really quite nice and now a few hours after applying, my skin is soft and smooth to the touch. After a few weeks of using this product I will report back with a new post, I hope this works, I am tired of being a shave slave (love that slogan).

Do you think you would use this product? 

Do you think it will work?

Not just any band... Popband!

My hair comes just past my shoulders and I either wear it up or down, that is as exciting as life gets with me.  If it is down then it is poker straight and if it is up, it is just up because it is doing my head in or for whatever I decide at the time.  All that aside I always have a bobble or scrunchie around my wrist, then if I want to tie my hair up I can, it is like a security blanket, I am never without either and I carry a spare in my bag for those ‘just incase’ moments.

I was sent three Popbands by Molly Mabel to play with and when I opened the rather fantastically coloured jiffy envelope, inside this is what I found:

Just how pretty are these pop bands?  They are so cute a little bit more attractive than the scrunchie which currently holds my hair up and the colours are really lovely, add to that each one of them has a pretty jewel bead which is attached to them, as you can see each jewel is different and they move around the band really easily and naturally if you have more than one Popband, you can mix and match the jewels as much as you want and even have more than one at a time on the band.  These bands are such a simple, yet fabulous idea I wish I had thought of it myself.

The idea actually came from two self-diagnosed shop-aholics, one loves all things shiny and the other wants perfection and gym candy for her hair, something a bit different and sparkly and between them the Popband was born. 

So what are Popbands? Well Popbands they are referred to as being Hair and Wrist Candy and marketed as being soft, stretchy 'no dent' hair bands which are designed to hold hair up tight and still leave it fresh and kink-free when you take it down!  If like me you have worn hair bands for years, you always find you have a natural kink in your hair and one that takes forever to straighten with your GHD’s, however, since wearing these Popbands, I was delighted that I can have my hair up for hours either in a ponytail or just shoved up off my face and there are no kinks in my hair when I take it down - brilliant.

Once in your hair you can’t even feel that they are there and you can sleep with them in and not feel anything digging into your head, once in they are there to stay.  The band itself is a very stretchy piece of elastic with a knot in the end and it can be undone and re-tied to your liking.  As I said, my hair is shoulder length and whilst quite fine, I have a lot of hair, not a problem for these Popbands, they held my hair perfectly.

So just to re-cap:

Popbands won’t:

• dent/kink your hair

• rip your hair

• flirt with your man

Popbands will:

• look and feel great in your hair and on your wrist

• be gentle with your hair and give it a little cuddle

• stay in place and make you wear your hair up more

When it comes to purchasing these Popbands you can buy them individually, as a twin pack or in a multi-pack version and each option has a different price.  The Molly Mabel website has its very own shop which you can find HERE and postage, which is Royal Mail Standard Postage, is free.  So whether you want something plain and subtle, something glittery or something with an animal print, you will find it all in the shop.