March Empties

 So after my first empties post last month, I promised I would have more products to talk about. I've definitely achieved that! 

This Imperial Leather shower gel was actually used more by the husband than by me, but I absolutely love the scent. Imperial Leather normally release these around autumn, and this blackberry fragrance is just perfect for that time of year! Unfortunately these are limited edition, so I'm not sure whether repurchasing will be an option. Plus, we are still working through our Christmas haul of shower gels.

Repurchase: Perhaps later on in the year.

 I have so many hand creams on the go at the moment, but I managed to finish this Weleda cream which came with one of my Love Me Beauty boxes. The scent of this is quite odd, and initially I really wasn't a fan. However, the cream itself absorbed into my skin amazingly well which is what won me over. I can't stand that greasy feeling which some creams leave on your hands after applying! 

Repurchase: Probably not. I have way too many hand creams at the moment!

 These Elegant Touch nail polish remover pads came with a Glossybox at some point last year. They remove normal polishes quite well, but anything with glitter in is a nightmare. They also left quite a greasy residue behind on my fingers after using.

Repurchase: No.

I always keep a packet of these face wipes from Simple handy. I've mainly been using them for removing my mascara this month, but they're also quite nice to use for removing other types of make up. They remove mascara and eye make up really well, but I do find that they struggle with waterproof mascara. They do remove it, but you can be stood in front of the bathroom mirror for quite a while!

Repurchase: Already have.

I received this face mask from Murad with the March Love Me Beauty box. You can see a full review of it here. My main thoughts on it were that it left my skin super clean and clear, but I really wouldn't want to spend £25 on sachets.

Repurchase: No.

This is the first product from my Yule Monty gift set that I've finished! This Peaches and Clean face wash has been really lovely to use. I absolutely adore the peachy scent, and it has managed to successfully keep my skin clear from any outbreaks of spots. My skin also felt lovely and soft after using this. £8 is quite expensive for cleanser, but I will definitely be keeping my out for offers in Boots!

Repurchase: If I can get it on offer, definitely.


Hae you tried any of these products? What did you think of them?

Birchbox - March 2014

First up, I have to admit to having never heard of Lulu Guinness before Birchbox announced their collaboration with her for the March box. I am absolutely loving the stripy packaging though. This month's box has mainly quite small samples, but there's some pretty good stuff!

I'm really pleased to see some more Benefit products in this months box. This is the Stay don't Stray primer in light/medium which is perfect for my skin tone. This is meant to be used for both eyeshadows and concealers, but I will mainly use it for eyeshadows. I'm pretty excited to get cracking on this, I'm sure there will be a mini review along at some point!

We also have the Pores no More Pore Refiner from Dr Brandt. I'm looking forward to giving this a go as I've been loving Benefit's Porefessional from last months box! This looks to be a very similar colour and texture to the Porefessional too, so I'm quite interested to see if I can spot any differences between the two products. 

Also in the box is this Serenity body oil from Aroma Works. Body oils aren't really my kind of thing, and the smell of this is quite strong so I think I will most probably be looking to rehome this with someone! I also have a bit of an issue with things being sent out in glass bottles. I've never had one break on its way to me, but the Beauty Protector hair oil from last month's box was unfortunately smashed on my bathroom floor last weekend when I was cleaning! I was quite upset because I'd actually been really enjoying using it so I think more plastic bottles in future please Birchbox!

 

 

I was pretty excited to see Molton Brown in the box, but then I saw that it was a hand cream. I've got so much hand cream at the moment I don't know what to with it all! However, this is definitely going in my keep pile because it smells FANTASTIC. This is rhubarb and rose, which is quite an unusual pairing, but I've just rubbed a small amount into my hands and it's just lovely. It's also left my skin feeling super soft, and absorbed really quickly.

We also received a small sample of English Laundry's No.7 for her perfume. I'm really not sure about this scent. It's listed as having top notes of pear and jasmine blended with gardenia, vanilla and sandalwood. I think it's probably the pear and sandalwood that's putting me off. It smells a little bit like nail polish remover! Perfume is a very personal choice though, and inevitably some people will love this scent and some people will hate it!

Finally as the lifestyle extra, we received a stick of rock. I love the black and white stripes and the way it ties in with the theme of the box, but this will probably find its way to the husband as it's not really my cup of tea!

Overall, I'm really pleased with this box. The samples are small, but I still think I'll be able to get a good idea of whether I'll want to repurchase the products from the sizes we've received. My least favourite items are the body oil and the perfume, simply because I don't like the scents! I will definitely be rehoming them though, so they won't go to waste!

What do you think of the March Birchbox?







February Empties

This is my first empties post! I always enjoy reading what other people have finished using during the month and what they think of the products, so I've decided to start doing my own!

Obviously I don't have an awful lot of things to talk about, because I only decided to start doing this at the start of the month! Hopefully at the end of March I'll have a few more things to talk about. The first product on my list of empties is this Moisture Balancing Conditioner from Philip Kingsley. This sample came with the January Birchbox and I managed to get about 3 uses from it. It left my hair super smooth, but at £18 for the full-size, this is out of my price range. 

Repurchase: No, unless I could find it somewhere for cheaps!

This Dove Deodorant is a regular repurchase. I love the scents in this range, and I've always found the Dove formula works really well for me! 

Repurchase: Already have.


 This hand and body cream from Marks and Spencer was a Christmas present. I've mainly been using it as a hand cream. I didn't find that it moisturised my hands too well and I would have to reapply a hand cream at work occasionally. It also had quite a strong floral scent seeing as it is Magnolia, which I wasn't particularly keen on. I've also got loads of other hand creams to use up at the moment!

Repurchase: No.

 I love a bubble bath, and Radox is the usual brand I go for! This Eastern Spirit formula is a limited edition but it smells fantastic, I hope Radox will keep it going! I've also bought the hand wash in this scent because I like it so much. 


Repurchase: Yes.


So that's my first empties post! I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I've used up this month, and hopefully next month I'll have some more lovely products to share with you all.

Birchbox-January 2014

It's finally here! After two emails and almost a month of waiting, my January Birchbox has finally arrived. Unfortunately, this has probably been my worst experience with a beauty box to date.

 

I had already decided that I was going to subscribe to Birchbox in January, but seeing that they were going to be including a Benefit product really spurred me on! I waited a couple of weeks and began seeing other people receive their boxes, but mine still hadn't arrived. I complained to Birchbox and they said they would send a replacement, which arrived over a week later.

The items in the box do not correspond to the surveys I have been given to fill out. I was meant to receive: Philip Kingsley Elasticizer, Laura Mercier body butter, Delarom Aquaconfort Mask, Benefit's Porefessional (which I did actually receive) and Premae Instant Renewal Body Oil. I'm not too bothered about this (apart from I will obviously be filling out surveys for things I haven't received) as the only thing I would have been really interested to try would be the Laura Mercier body butter. I'm just kind of irritated that I've obviously been sent a reserve box because Birchbox didn't plan ahead and think about how many extra subscribers they would have, after advertising that January would feature a Benefit product. Extremely poor planning on their part. I did eventually receive compensation for all the hanging around in the form of some extra points for my account, which I'm very grateful for!

Anyway, onto the contents of the box! The box comes with a super cute drawstring bag inside, and an adorable little booklet with ideas for tiny tweaks for the new year. Obviously this is kind of redundant, as it's now February. But still a nice touch.  
 

First up, Benefit's Porefessional. I already knew I'd be happy to get this in the box, as I've got a sample in my 'How to Look the Best at Everything' set. It is a small sample at 7.5ml, but if I like using this enough as an every day product, I can see myself purchasing the full size.

I also received yet another hand cream. This is the Lavera Basis Senstive cream, which features shea butter and almond oil. It smells and feels quite similar to sun cream, and it doesn't seem to absorb into my skin very well, leaving quite a greasy feeling. I'm not really a fan.

I did receive a Philip Kingsley product, in the form of this moisture balancing conditioner. I'm quite interested to try this out, certain conditioners can make my hair quite greasy though, so I'm hoping this will be a good one!

One of my favourite items from this box is this cute Beekind body lotion. A portion of the proceeds from this product goes toward supporting Honey Bee and sustainable pollination research which is super important. This smells fantastic, very lemony! Just testing it on the back of my hand, it sinks in very quickly and leaves behind that gorgeous scent. Very nice.

I also received a sample of Blanc Cachemire's Crème de Jour Protectrice. This came with a little card explaining in English how to use it and the ingredients as the packaging is entirely in French. This is a moisturiser, and I can't seem to spot any explanations as to why it's so popular, but apparently it's really big over in Paris at the moment!

Finally as a little extra, we received a little sachet of miso soup.This isn't really my sort of thing, so I gave it to a friend to try and she really enjoyed it. I like the idea of receiving mini food samples in boxes, I think it adds something a bit different and more lifestyle oriented, but hopefully next time it'll be something that I'll like!

The January Birchbox isn't a terrible box. These are all samples I can use or give away, but I have just been left with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth over having to complain and how long my box took to arrive. I think I'll stick around to see what February's box has in store, but if there's no improvement I may very well end up just subscribing to Love Me Beauty!

Love Me Beauty Box-January 2014

I've been eagerly awaiting January's Love Me Beauty box since I managed to nab the December one for cheaps earlier this month, and it's finally here! The first thing I thought when I picked up the box was 'Wow this is heavy!' I am so impressed with whats been included in this box, and I have to say, Glossybox and Birchbox are going to have to work pretty hard to beat this.

This time around I picked up option two, which has since changed on the website. Option two now comes with another Lord and Berry product, as opposed to this beast of a shower gel from Anatomicals.This is a full size 250ml bottle, which only retails for £3, but it's enormous! This has a lovely rose scent to it, and once I get through all of my Soap and Glory goodies, I'll be lathering up with this. Also, the packaging is pretty amusing.

Next up we have the Pureology hair mousse. I'm not really sure about this, if there'd been an option without it available, I'd have probably gone for that instead. The bottle says that this is for colour-treated hair, which mine isn't, but I'm sure that won't make much of a difference. I think I'll be giving this a go on a weekend in case it makes my hair look insane.

The hand cream collection has once again increased with this Weleda Sea Buckthorn cream. This has an unusual scent, it's quite orangey and slightly medicinal. Having just tested a small amount on the back of my hand, I'm quite impressed. It's absorbed into my skin really quickly, and it already feels softer. This one will probably get used up pretty quickly!

I also received this cute little eyeshadow from Nyx. I was hoping to get the gold champagne colour shown on the website, but this black sparkly shadow seems like it could be easily blended to achieve a dramatic smoky eye or a more manageable day time look. Pigment wise, it definitely falls into the smoky category, I had to use quite a lot to get the swatch so pigmented. This is a full size product which retails for £5.

And finally, we have this lovely mascara from Cosmetics a la Carte. The packaging is gorgeous, and very high end. I guess that shouldn't be surprising, as this is a full size product and retails at £23! It's got a lovely thin tapered brush, which I find easier to manage than the larger brushes. I've had a quick go with this and its really defined my lashes, and given them plenty of lift.

Overall, very impressive! I love the mix of products we've received, with hair, beauty, and bath & body being included in this months box. I will definitely be keeping my subscription to Love Me Beauty going. I've got a Glossybox and a Birchbox coming this month too, so keep your eyes peeled for the reviews on those.



Christmas Haul

Hello everyone! It's nice to be back blogging again. I've decided to do a quick post about the gorgeous beauty products that I was gifted for Crimbo, as I love having a nose at what other bloggers got! I did take the opportunity to make a list for Luke and his family, so I got some lovely things from Benefit and Stila which I am itching to try out!

 First up though, the bath/shower products! I got this lovely hand cream and shower gel set from Luke's grandparents, which also came with a pretty mug. I've already tried the hand cream and it smells fantastic, and left my hands feeling super soft. 

I also got this lovely Dove set from one of Luke's aunties. I love Dove's shower gels, they leave my skin feeling so soft. I think these sets are great as well because they come with a shower puff, always handy!

This set of nail polishes came from Luke's brother and sister-in-law. I think Helen did a great job picking these out! I love the colours in this set, I don't have many metallic polishes and I can't wait to start swatching them!

I think Luke's mum might have gone a little bit crazy this year, but I'm definitely not complaining! I've wanted to try out Stila's make up for a while, and this set of lip glosses went straight on my Christmas wishlist. So many lovely colours! The shimmery shades are particularly calling to me to be tried out.

Finally, the Benefit goodies! I've been lusting after Benefit's cosmetics for ages, and I just loved the idea of the gift sets they had available for Christmas. Luke got me the How to Look the Best at Everything set, and his mum got me the Rockateur blush and the Rich is Back set. Very excited about these! (And very spoilt! Thank you so much Susan, if you're reading!)

I'm going to do some more in depth posts on these when I've had time to try them out, so you'll have to wait to see what's inside the pretty boxes! I also got a couple of samples to try out with these items.

I'm not really sure if I'll be able to get a feel for these as they are only samples, but I'm still quite interested to try them out. 

So that's my Christmas beauty haul! I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I've received, and having a sneak preview of the things I'll be reviewing in the future! What were your favourite beauty gifts this year?

Glossybox November 2013

After last months disappointing box, I've been rooting for Glossybox to pull it together for November! I received my box on Tuesday, and here are my thoughts!

Connock London Kukui Eau de Parfum

A lot of people complain about the perfume samples received in beauty boxes, and I have to say, I do think its a bit of a swizz. But on the other hand, trying out new perfumes isn't something I do an awful lot, and it's quite nice to get the chance to experiment. This perfume is a little too floral for me. I tend to prefer fruity scents, so this will probably not get used! (I actually gave this away to a friend before I could photograph it!)

Elegant Touch Nail Polish Remover Pads 

These don't really need any explanation. I'm looking forward to trying them out though, as I normally use a cheap remover and cotton wool, and tend to get in a right mess. This seems like a much quicker and easier solution. This is also quite affordable, at £2 per pot.

Vichy Idealia Life Serum

So, there's been a lot of hype surrounding this product. I don't entirely get it, but it's apparently a super awesome skin moisturiser that makes you look a zillion years younger. I might be exaggerating slightly. I'm sort of intrigued by this because I want to see if it is worth the hype, but I honestly have to say that I'm pretty sceptical. A lot of moisturisers out there boast about having super magical skin powers, and I don't seem to see the difference :\ I'll have to keep you posted! I received two samples of the Life Serum and a sample of the Smoothing and Illuminating cream.

Emite Make Up Micronized Eyeshadow

Yay! Make up in a Glossybox! This is a very pale shimmery pink eyeshadow, and is a full size product. According to Glossybox, this retails for £16.80. Which strikes me as INSANE. It's a tiny eyeshadow! But if you read the description, it soon becomes obvious why this product is ridiculously expensive. "Emite Micronized Eye Shadow is completely free from oil, nickel, parabens and perfume. The pigment is micronized to facilitate application and to create an even and lasting result". I don't know what micronizing is, but it sounds pricey. These shadows are also apparently ideal for people with sensitive eyes, so thats a bonus. Obviously, this isn't the kind of product that I would buy all the time, but I'm looking forward to trying it out! 

 

Yves Rocher France Hand Cream

Finally, my favourite item from the box! I absolutely love this hand cream. The scent is cocoa and raspberry, and it is divine. It smells so good, I really want to eat it. Not only does it smell fantastic, but it sinks into your hands really easily, and leaves them so soft! This is definitely going to become a staple in my handbag for winter, as I do tend to suffer from dry skin. Plus, this is a full size product. 

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my Glossybox this month. I think they've done well to include a couple of expensive items (Vichy and Emite) and rounded it off with useful, cheap items (Elegant Touch and Yves Rocher). Reading the Glossy magazine has been pretty interesting too, as I see that Glossybox are releasing a limited edition Christmas box, which will be available from November 20th (PAYDAY!) so I will definitely be having a good look at that!

What do you think of this month's box? Has Glossybox upped it's game from last month?