My thoughts: Beauty Boxes

Happy Friday to you all! :) 

I have been thoroughly into my blogging this week and wanted to continue with a 'my thoughts' post. Today I want to share with you my opinions on the ever popular craze of the beauty boxes. 

Now I know everyone has mixed opinions on them, but I just want to share with you my experiences, to give help to those maybe questioning whether or not it's something they want to go for. I'm giving my 100% honest opinion on this so I won't lie to you and say it's the most amazing thing ever and well worth the money etc, because in reality, you don't always get the fantastic high end products that they promise to give you, but then again, sometimes they do- it's simply just pot luck and that's part of the risk to buying into something like this.

I spent ages researching all the different beauty boxes on the market when I was first looking to try them out. I watched endless YouTube videos and blog reviews to see which one gave you the best value for money. At the time I was looking, I got the impression that it was Glossybox who seemed to be the most popular choice- so I decided to give it ago. I must add, if you are thinking about giving the beauty boxes a try, don't worry about having to sign up for so many months, because you're not. In fact, you can just sign up for one month, receive your box and if you don't like it, unsubscribe and that's that. On the other hand, if you absolutely love your boxes, you can take out longer subscription if you wish, they also make great presents if you know someone who loves their beauty products.

So in April 2012 I signed up for my first Glossybox. When it came, I had a look through all the products and was fairly happy with it. I liked the idea of using products/brands that I wouldn't go out and buy myself on the high street, so it was nice to be able to try them out and found there were some I really liked. I received another 2 boxes after that before I unsubscribed. Now this wasn't for anything major. I know there is so many people who have been receiving Glossybox's for years and had no complaints. I just found them really unorganised with the dispatch of the boxes- payments would be taken at the beginning of the month and although they did give a date for them to be dispatched, they were always much later- sometimes even into the following month, before they got round to dispatching them. Then there was the issue of the products. Now I don't know what happened but I started to get products that I could go out and buy in Superdrug for a couple of pounds. This really just made me wonder whether or not I was really getting my money's worth- so I unsubscribed. Like I said, I know that Glossybox are a huge company now and thousands of people love all their boxes, but it just wasn't for me.

My mum has been receiving the Joliebox for about 6 or 7 months now and I always seem to really like the products she gets. Again, there is the odd product that makes me wonder why they put it in there when the rest of the products are so luxurious, but it doesn't happen nearly as often as the Glossybox. So last month I signed myself to Joliebox. They have recently joined up with the American beauty box company 'Birch box'. This is what swayed me to sign up as I'm such a big fan of Birch box but just can't get it here in the UK which I was gutted about. However now they are in collaboration with Jolie box to become one company which means even more products and brands available! My first box arrived in the post at the end of October and I am really pleased with the products inside. Now I won't go into too much detail about the products because I'd really like to do a separate post solely on the October Joliebox and more focused in on the products themselves and what I thought of them.

The beauty boxes are really pretty and girly and perfect for storage. I use mine to store things like nail varnishes, lip products, eyeshadows etc. Just keeps your make-up a little more organised. :) 

Another good thing I really like about the beauty boxes is that because their products are deluxe sample sizes, they are perfect to take away on holiday/weekend away. It's lovely to be able to take luxurious products away with you without breaking the bank paying for a full size one. 

I hope this has helped in some way or other if you are unsure about beauty boxes. Remember this is just my thoughts based on my own experiences and preference. If you are considering trying out a beauty box, do a little research on a few blogs, there are some brilliant YouTube video's on them too.

I have listed a few websites here too. Have a look on them to find out more about a particular box. You can find out what's been in past boxes, prices aswell as the product brands they use in their boxes.

www.joliebox.co.uk
www.glossybox.co.uk
www.shesaidbeauty.com

www.amarya.co.uk

Hope you enjoyed reading this, and have a fab weekend! :) xx

Review: Soap & Glory 'Fab Pore' Facial Peel

So I mentioned the Soap & Glory 'Fab Pore' facial peel in my skin care routine and said that it would be featured in an upcoming review so, voila! Here it is. :) 

For those who are unfamiliar with the brand 'Soap & Glory' then it's basically a quirky cosmetics/skin care company that can be found in Boots or why not check out their online store at www.soapandglory.com and have a browse through their products. They have really expanded this year and I'm excited to see how many different products they have to offer. You can find everything from cosmetics, bath and body care, skin care, gift sets and perfumes. 

They have a signature scent which features throughout most of their bath and body products and you can always find raving reviews on their famous body butters within the beauty community. 

When I first saw their skin care line in Boots just before summer I was keen to try it out. I purchased their 'Fab Pore' hot cloth cleanser, as well as the facial peel. The cleanser retails at £10 and has a gorgeous lavender scent to it. I was really impressed with the cleanser. However, the facial peel is what really stood out for me. It comes in a tub with 50ml of product. I know it seems like a small amount, but it really will last you for months as you just need the tiniest amount. I started using mine in June, and still have about a quarter of a tub left in November so it's worth the £8 price tag. 

When I think of 'facial peel' I get the image of a thin, clear, gel like mask but this product is just basically a face mask. It's a thick creamy consistency with tiny green beads throughout. As you massage the cream onto your face, the tiny beads burst which release their exclusive 'PoreShrink-R Complex' which basically just means, it's a pore tightening product, which is ideal for people with oily skin or T-zone. 

You can leave the mask on for a deep treatment for 15 minutes, this is supposed to be like giving yourself a mini facial. Alternatively, you can just have it on for 5 minutes as a 'refresher' to the skin. It has a lovely minty smell which tingles slightly leaving your face energised and awake. This should be repeated 2-3 times a week for maximum results. I found it made my skin a little less oily, and the over all experience with this product is amazing and lovely to use. Will definitely be re-purchasing this product when I have used my tub all up!

Soap & Glory 'Fab Pore' facial peel £8.00- Boots

Review: Revlon Colour Stay Foundation

A big hello to you all. :) I'm here today to give my review on the ever famous Revlon Colour Stay Foundation. Okay, so I'm just going to throw it out there and say that I really don't like this product. I know, I seem to the only person on the planet to be giving a negative review on this foundation. I honestly did want to love this product as much as everyone else and I had read some truly amazing reviews about it online but for some reason, I just couldn't work with it. 

I have bought it on two occasions. The first time was while I was on holiday a couple of years ago. I saw that it was on offer so I thought I'd give it ago and see what all the fuss was about. I had bought it in the shade 'Natural Tan' due to the fact that I was on holiday, and well, had a tan. The first thing I thought when I opened the bottle is it's just a like a bottle of paint. It smells like paint, has the thick consistency of paint and pours out everywhere like paint. I know the MAC foundations have the same bottle top, but I'm not a massive fan of those either. 

Still, I thought I'd keep going and give it a try and see how it applied to the face. After I had got over the strong stench of paint I found that it's really difficult to work with. It's full coverage and sets onto the face really quick- making it hard to blend in with your skin. It just feels like a mask over my face. I bought the combination/oily one as that is my skin type but I found it made me look even oilier. The lasting power wasn't great at all- after a day at work, I'd come home and even after setting with a powder, the foundation was all patchy and the majority of it had slid off  completely- not a good look at all. 

I have suffered with problematic skin in my early teens and although it's all under control now, this foundation broke me out like nothing on earth. I felt so self-conscious and just began to despise everything this foundation had to offer. I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong, but eventually just gave up on it.

Then, at the beginning of Winter, I thought I would try again. I was just my naturally pale colour so decided to go for the colour 'buff'. I don't know what made me think it would work good for me second time round, but I just wanted to feel those positive thoughts towards the foundation that everyone else has. But again, the lasting power was horrendous, so much product is wasted because there is no pump on the foundation and I just found it still didn't blend into my natural skin. No matter how quick I tried to buff it in, it never seemed quick enough and would leave that awful looking 'foundation line' at the jaw. 

The thing I find with this foundation is that it gives me a grey-ish tinge to my face. I don't know if it's the wrong tone colour for my skin but it couldn't look any less natural. I have now completely given up on this foundation and although I tried my hardest to work with it- it just seems impossible. I am so disappointed after I had read all the hype for this foundation and was claimed to be a dupe for Estee Lauder's Double Wear. I certainly wouldn't recommend this product, especially if you are used to wearing a much lighter, natural looking foundation.

Revlon Colour Stay foundation £12.49- Boots

All Things Nails!

Okay, so here is yet ANOTHER post all about nails! There seems to be such a hype around nail polishes right now, and I have to say, I'm loving it! I always notice other people's nails (wierd, I know!) But if they have a really cool design or colour, then it instantly draws my attention to them! 

I love how high street brands are bringing out their own take on some higher end nail products. If you live in the U.K, you may be familiar with the famous brand in Superdrug MUA. Basically, it's a SUPER affordable make up range starting from only £1! It's surprisingly good quality and even their 'professional' line is all really cheap priced too! They have their own version of the 'Caviar' nails, and it's supposed to be amazing! I have yet to try it out, as it isn't really convenient for my work, however I will definitely be picking one up next time I'm in Superdrug and no doubt I'll be getting plenty wear out of the Caviar nail design over the upcoming festive period! If you have tried it out, what are your thoughts? How long did it last on your nails?

MUA Caviar Nails (available in Superdrug)

Another nail polish look I'm obsessed with right now is all things glittery! In the past I have never been one to go out and buy a glittery polish, however, this season they seem to be everywhere! It always seemed to be higher end brands who would bring out glitter in the past, such as Nails Inc. That being said, I was in Tesco over the weekend and was browsing through the make-up aisle when I came across the famous high street brand, Rimmel, have brought out their own line of 'Precious Stone' sparkly nail polish! At £3.99, I had to pick one up and give it a try! I chose the colour 'Diamond Dust'. It's a really pretty gun-metal grey. In just 2 coats, this provides an opaque coverage to the nail which I thought was fantastic! However, I did apply my Sally Hansen 'Mega Shine' as a topcoat because you can feel the roughness of the glitter once it is applied. This can make it snag on things so just to create a smoother surface, I would definitely recommend a top coat! I got about 5 days wear out of it without any chips, which is good for a high street polish (a lot longer than my Barry M one's anyway) and then it was time for me to take it off. Eeek! Prepare to scrub your life away! This nail polish is the most difficult one I have EVER had to remove in my life! I spent a good 10 minutes scrubbing away trying to take it all off. If you can put aside that one minor fault, then I would really recommend you give this product a shot, especially over the Christmas period. It also comes in a glittery red colour which I am curious to try out also. Has anyone tried it? Would you say it was a nicer colour in comparison to the 'Diamond Dust' one? 

Review: N-Spa Melting Cleansing Gel

 Hello! :)

So this review is on a product which can be found in our local supermarket! The N-Spa range found in Asda has really stepped up lately. I have always been aware of the brand and tried out a few of their products. Nothing bad to say about them, but for a couple of pounds, you can't complain. I first tried their Sweet Treat bubble bath set a couple of years ago and would HIGHLY recommend anyone who likes yummy, sweet smelling treats! I got a set of 4- chocolate waffle, cranberry chocolate, hot butter fudge and gingerbread latte. Mmm, these smell divine! They were just small travel sized bottles, but you can buy them full sized too. 

N-spa bath syrup gift 4x100ml bottles £5.00- Asda

However, back on topic- I was shopping in Asda a couple of months ago and came across their new skin care line. It's far from your basic, get what you pay for, skin care. The products look SO much more expensive than what they are, and you can pick up everything from cleansers, toners, scrubs and moisturisers.

The melting cleansing gel really stood out for me. It is unlike any other cleansing product I have used in the past. It looks like an orange gel, and when you start to massage it into the face you can feel it melt and gets slightly warm! Nothing too drastic though, it just feels like a facial! I thought it would be quite greasy, but it isn't at all. It works amazingly on my skin, and I have combination skin, so I was quite concerned it would make me quite oily but when it washes off, it leaves your skin leaving so soft and really clean and fresh. To say I am impressed with this product would be a MASSIVE understatement. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to buy themselves a new cleanser and it's an absolute bargain at only £6! 

Next, I'm looking to try out their hot cloth cleanser, and see how it compares to the famous Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish! Has anyone tried it? If so, i'd love to hear your experiences with it! xx 

My Current Skin Care Routine

Okay, so I used to switch up my skin care routine A LOT during my teens. I would constantly buy new facial washes, cleansers and moisturisers as they came onto the market. I think this was mainly due to the fact that they all claimed to magically give you perfectly clear, flawless skin overnight- and with a statement like that, how is a young, impressionable teen supposed to refuse!? Anyway, I quickly realised that most of the time, these claims were nothing more than a marketing gimmick. I do have sensitive skin, so really wasn't doing myself any favors by slapping a different product onto my face every other week, not to mention a BIG waste of my money.

After a while, I realised that I was going to need to see what actually works for MY skin and stick with it. I have combination skin so I had to spend a lot of time to properly see what works and what doesn't. 

I prefer to use a facial wash to take off my make-up, and then cleanse clean skin. I know some people love using cleansers as a make-up remover, but it's just personal preference. For my facial wash, I have been using Neutrogena's 'Visibly Clear' gel in pink grapefruit. I really enjoy using this product! It smells deliciously fruity (hence the grapefruit) and works great for my skin. It's really gentle on the skin and takes off all my make-up perfectly. I do find that while I am using this face wash, I VERY rarely get any spots, which is definitely a plus! 

 

Neutrogena Visibly Clear pink grapefruit facial wash £4.94 - Boots

 As far as cleansers go, I am loving N-Spa's Melting Cleansing Gel (Available at Asda) I have used the classic Liz Earle- Cleanse and Polish, and although I only have good things to say about the product, it is pricey. The N-Spa Melting Cleanser is at the very affordable price of £6! Brilliant price for a product that feels so luxurious. I don't want to say too much about this product at the moment as I am planning to do a much more in depth review on this product in the very near future, so keep your eyes peeled if you would like to find out more information on this!

N-spa melting cleansing gel £6.00- Asda

I tend to use a facial scrub only a couple of times a week. I do tend to still change it up from time to time. I have been going between my Clinique '7 day scrub cream' and Soap and Glory's 'Fab Pore Facial Peel'. Both products work really well, although the Soap and Glory one is my favourite. It comes in a small 50ml tub, which actually lasts months! You only need a tiny amount. The mask itself has tiny green beads in the cream, which burst as you're massaging the product onto your face, releasing all the 'do-good' properties. Again, this is another product I will be reviewing in an upcoming blog post so look out for that.

Soap & Glory 'Fab Pore' facial peel £8.00- Boots

Nails Nails Nails!

So I'm here to talk about everything nails! Lately I have been obsessed with having nice nails and there is SO many different products available to us on the high street now than just a plain standard one colour polish.

I want to give my opinion and experience I have had with various nail polishes and my personal favourites. Not just the ones which are on trend for this season, but the ones which you can't help but wear all year round!

So my favourite nail polish of all time (well, i'm cheating here, because it's a group of 8!) is Sally Hansen's HD polish. WOW, these are incredible! Definitely not just a simple, one colour. These have amazing dimension to them, and if you are a fan of sparkly nails, then these will be right up your street! I got these from WallMart when I was across in America last year, but if you live in the UK, you can buy them online at Amazon, for £4.99. The picture doesn't do it justice! If you can get your hands on one then i'd definitely recommend it, my favourite is in the colour 'DVD'.

Next up, is a couple of polishes from Nails Inc. I think this is a great brand, and you really do get the quality you pay for. They have a mixture of normal polishes as well as special effects one so there is plenty of choice for everyone. They do a really beautiful red shade called 'Villiers Street'. It's a very wearable metallic red and perfect for the up coming festive season. I always get loads of compliments when i'm wearing it!

Nails Inc in Villiers Street





Barry M have some great colours out there as well. My favourite colour from them is Raspberry. It's a gorgeous deep pink colour that just draws attention to the nails. Layered with a shiny top coat for a beautiful manicured look.

Barry M in Raspberry





Essie is now available to us in Boots stores and they have the greatest range of colours I have seen! With a mixture of light pastel shades, right through to darks. I have many favourites from them. My summer polish was the popular 'Fiji'. It is the palest pink colour and looks amazing on the nails. I prefer to wear this colour on my toes. With a tan it looks incredible!

Essie in Fiji

So that's my top nail polish colours and brands. I could go on forever about nail polish's that I love. So what are you loving to wear on your nails right now? Let me know! xx