Glossybox #3 - Third and Final Box

so just a tad late with this box, but never the less here it is..

The July edition of my Glossybox and my final box of my 3month subscription.
Being July, not much happens here in the UK, schools break up and Prince George has his birthday - but its all about the Americans on the 4th with their celebrations of independance day!
I'll admit, when I heard it was USA themed - I was hoping for something in the likes of Sephora or Limecrime but beggers can't be choosers and I was pretty happy with what I got so let me talk you through it...

Firstly, how pretty is that packaging! I like the glossybox boxes but this design is so so pretty!

On first impression - although this is the standard glossybox style - Ive been lucky to have good boxes so far so this looks pretty bare and kind of small but once I delved into the items, I realised all the products are pretty long lasing.

Dr Bronners Magic Soaps - £3.99 for 140ml - BUY 
I'm personally not a fan of lavender (and we have so many soaps in our house) so I might give this as a gift to someone but the fact that its made organically and 'properly' makes me happy to have this - and i'll admit although not my favourite scent , it did make my box smell pretty

Nicka K New York Eyeshadow Primer - £4.99 (full size) - BUY 
eeee The kind of gift I love! Eyeshadow primer is such a key item for me as I suffer from really oily eyes (didnt even know that was a thing for ages) so the fact that this will not only keep my shadow in place but its also oil free - I cant wait to review this but I'm still using my benefit one at the moment. 

Bella Pierre Lipstick in Ruby - £20 (full size) - BUY
Again, another great item to find in here - I have a weird love for lipstick that I love everything about it but im 99% sure it doesnt suit me. Red has always been my go to shade, although I have tried to venture out recently, but the shape of this looks like it'll glide right on lips and i'm sorry but at £20 normally, i'm expecting this to be amazing - its more than MAC for crying out loud!

 Carmex Lip Balm - £1.79 (full size) - BUY
Carmex will always remind of High School and that one friend that always has it or some form of lip balm. From what I remember Carmex really tingles lips so I'll keep it as you can't go wrong but I think its a bit of a filler product.

Color Club Nail Laquer - GlossySeal - $8 for 15ml - BUY
 I'm never going to  complain about a nail varnish now am i? I seem to love building my collection, Plus this is one of the few that I can't seem to get hold of in the actual UK, so is very fitting with the box!

Overall, I'm really happy with this box - I'll be publishing a post about all 3 next week as a bit of a roundup of Glossybox but this is a great little themed box and for only £10, you can't go wrong!

Did you recieve one of these? let me know what you got in the comments below :)

ALSO, I need to know which box to start next - if you have any ideas throw them my way as I can't wait to delve into a new brand!

xXx

Leeds Shopping Haul

Last week, I got to spend a whole week back in my home of West Yorkshire - On the Wednesday I got to spend a lovely day in Leeds with my mum shopping and visting the handmade burger co. (honestly, best place ever).

I, as always, thought I'd show you what I ended up buying and with the high street in Mid Season Sale, whats not to love!...

 Primark

 Door hanging hearts - £2.50 for 3
Our house seems to be lacking much in decoration as we're currently renting and don't want the post-move deposit scandal that landlords love - but I think these are so cute for like doors or something in our hallways

 

Hufflepuff T-shirt - £6

I adore these shirts! I've been after the hogwarts one for ages so couldnt resist this! I obviously geeked out and got my house ;)

Floral Lantern Lights - £6

Again with the decoration thing, These are perfect for our bedroom as its currently very very bare on the walls but I'm hoping I can somehow put them round our unused curtain rail (we have a blind).

 

 Wonder Towel Dress Thing - £7
This is one of those things that's either gonna be awful or a complete genius idea! I'm that girl that after a bath or shower spends ages with a towel wrapped round her whilst trying to keep it secure the whole time. I will report back with my thoughts :)

 The Simpsons PJ's - £6
I love any clothes that refer to popular culture, especially pajamas as I spend all my non-work hours in them! I also love The Simpsons and seem to have a growing collection of things with bart on!

 

Handbag - £8

I love love this bag! For Primark, its such a good quality. I'm quite a snob when it comes to Primark and do normally buy things that still look more expensive - and when the stitching looks tatty I won't buy it!

Victorias Secret

In the past I havent posted what I got from Victorias Secret but I dont see the issue now, I've only taken pictures of underwear patterns rather than wasting your time showing you my knickers!!

 Coral and Pink Nightie - Was £45 Now £21 -
I adore this so so much! I wouldnt normally spend that much on a nightdress but its so so pretty and the colours are beautiful and its quite understated but the lace gives it that slight bit of something.

 Underwear - Was £9each Now £3 each
These are honestly the nicest underwear ever!!! I bought 3 pairs at full price a few months back and I can't believe how cheap they are now!!

Debenhams

Benefit Agent Zero Shine - £18 (Used debs points) - BUY

I've been after this for months now! Theres some really  good benefit products just come out but I decided I needed to get this as the warm weather has been making me shiny too so if theres a good time to review this on my skin, its now! 

Topshop

 Underwear - 3 for £10 (£4 each) - 
Rugrats - BUY
Eeeee how amazing are these!! I only wanted the Rugrat ones to start with but then I saw the Mermaid ones then I thought for £2 I'll get more haha!

Henry Holland Eye Test Tights - Was£12.50 Now£3 - BUY
So so happy I saw these! I wanted these back in March time when I saw them in the Nottingham branch and was debating buying them for full price and whilst having a mooch whils my mum was trying clothes on, I spotted the last pair of these are refused to let them go! So happy with this buy! 

 Dolly Shoes - Was£22 Now£10 -
I spotted these quite late on (and had put things back) but thought they were adorable and perfect for nice weather!

ZARA

 Addicted to Black Top - £9.99 

Pizza T-shirt - £7.99


Urban Outfitters

AJ Morgan Sunglasses - Was £16 Now £8
I was actually on the hunt for some new sunglasses after losing mine! I guessed I'd be spending over £15 as its prime sunglass season so was rather happy to find these!!

The Beauty Box Challenge: Glossybox Box 2 June 2014 *Spoiler*

It might seem a bit soon after my last box, but because of when I signed up my 2nd box has already arrived at my doorstep (answering the door in my Muppet Pajamas too) ;)

I knew I was going to receive a product from So Susan as part of the box either a blusher or a concealer quad
Heres a quick rundown of my Glossybox June 2014

Brazilian Keratin Novex Extra Deep Hair Care Cream (100g) - £24.99 for 1kg

Too look at this doesnt look all that special but for me, its a product I'm really needing! Having dyed my hair since I was about 14, and now 8 years later my hair isnt in the best condition so having a hair repair product is perfect. It also smells super fruity which is always a bonus!! Also for a sample its a decent size pot

Nail Girls 3-in-1 base/topcoat & nail strengthener (10ml) - £13.50 for 15ml

Again, a product I really love owning, I think base and topcoats are always needed and Ive never used this brand before and for only 5ml less, I think its a pretty good item for the box.

Teeez Trend Cosmetics - Flat Stiff Brush - 19Euros

I know I keep saying it but honestly, this is a product I need too! Its ideal for powder and cream eye shadows and given my obsession with my Maybelline Colour 24hr Eyeshadows, I can't wait to try this. I read somewhere that someone will use this as a concealer brush which is def my 2nd plan if the eyeshadows fail!

 Roger& Gallet Fleur De Figuier Eau Fraiche Fragrance (10ml) - £32 for 100ml
`Even though I love the smell of this, its my least favourite in the box (because I figured I should have one haha) its perfect for summer, its light,fresh and packed with lots of floral notes! Its actually a scent from a range at Marks and Spencers which I'd never even think to go too for perfume!

So Susan Cosmetics Concealer Quad - £20
Out of the 2, I'm happy I got the concealer mainly because I've bought loads of blushers lately. This little quad has four shades so its perfect for experimenting and finding my perfect shade. The only downside I found (although I got it all for £10 so I shouldnt moan) but the quad is REALLY small and for a normal price of £20 I hope this is going to be a miracle product!




Have you tried any of these products??
If you have Glossybox, please link me to your June box below as I'm super nosy with these things!

xXx

The Beauty Box Challenge: Glossybox Box 1

I mentioned last week that I was going to venture into the world of Beauty Boxes and subscribe to each one for 3 months and give a verdict at the end of each one. You can read that post of my plan here.

Well last week, my first box arrived (May 2014). Because of when I signed up I got my box at the start of June which I didnt mind, I think it took about 9/10 days from subscribing to arrive at my door. It also arrived with my free box too so that a good post day (I'll be posting about that one at the weekend).

I'll admit, I knew what I was probably going to get - due to me signing up later in the month, regular glossybox-ers had received theirs already and I was actually weirdly excited as there was so many mixed reviews on there in terms of products and what was worth it or not.

If I'm honest, I'm grateful for anything that I've paid £10 for when its worth more and I have realised that the whole 'discover a new brand' thing does work as my products that I was sent I shamefully wouldnt look at normally on the shelves.

The theme of this one was 50 Years of Superdrug which I think is a nice British touch to celebrate it especially with the decline of the high street, its nice to see some form of success somewhere. However, I do feel there was a slight cop-out as this meant they could give out 'own brand' products - that makes me sound like a right snob but GlossyBox pride themselves on having the 'better' brands out there and I dont think a hair doughnut kinda makes that grade personally.

Heres what was in my box:

Rimmel ScandelEyes Retro Glam Mascara (full size) -  £6.99
I Love... Strawberries & milkshake Lipgloss (full size) - 
2true 3D Candy Nail Caviar (full size) - £3 - BUY

I'm quite pleased with the mascara as I love trying out new ones. Although the scent of the lipgloss is very me, if you read my blog youll know I hate lipglosses so I think I'll probably just give this to someone. and you can never go wrong with nail polish.

Black Hair Doughnut - £1.79 - BUY
Solait Bronzing Face Cream Self Tan 

Okay, so these are superdrug own products but not awful. I cant use the doughnut ring sadly as I have bright ginger hair even though I told them I didnt have darker hair!
and the bronzing cream is actually quite useful as I'm trying to make myself a bit more sunkissed this summer!

Samples!!!
I've not tried the body oil yet as oil seems to hate my skin and make it spotty but for beauty sakes I will try it! The perfume is actually really nice! I always thought Ghost as a bit cheapy but this one is lovely!!

Overall I think its a pretty decent box! I know they don't normally give as many full size products but I think a nail varnish / lip gloss doesnt matter if its full size or not. I do like what I got and I'm not completely dissapointed with it.

Did you receive this box and love anything in particular? Whats been your best beauty box gift?

xXx

Maybelline 24hr ColourTattoo in Permanent Taupe

 Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr - £4.99 - BUY

Throughout this blog, I've been singing the praises of these little pots! Not usually a huge eyeshadow fan due to me having quite small eyes - eyeshadow tends to look a bit stupid on me! However, after trying to break out of my comfort zone I decided to try these out and fell in love with the On and On Bronze shade - REVIEW HERE. 
 

 Most of the shades in the range have a slight shimmer to the which although I've grown to like - I couldnt help but adore this Matte grey shade when I spotted it in store! - From the look of it on my arm, it isnt as pigmented as some of the other shades but does have a simple everyday grey touch thats perfect as an addon to any make up look.

Personally for me, this didnt cut it as much as the other shades as it smudged throughout the day on me - I'll admit, it was a hot day when I used it so a bit of slip and slide is pretty common but it looked stupid and was all the way up my eyes by the end of the day. I will be wearing this a bit more so hopefully it'll redeem itself and I'll come crawling back in a few months time!

 Have you tried any of these shades? Which is your favourite??

xXx

The Big Beauty Box Challenge

I say challenge, more like a - let's find out which beauty box is right for me by buying nice things and reviewing it!

Oh the life of a female!!

Basically, for the past couple of years girls have been hopping on (and off) the bandwagon that are beauty boxes.

These boxes are parcels sent to your door each month filled with samples and full size products of either well established or up and coming brands ranging from skincare to food!! 

One of the first big players in the game were Glossybox (I'm not claiming they were the first but they were the ones I saw about first) - everyone seemed to go mad for the products and their adorable packaging but I simply never bothered to partwith my money even though I loved them.

Then gradually they seem to have gone a tad downhill (or again, so I've heard) and brands such as Birchbox, LoveMe Beauty UK and a whole hosts of others have been winning over the hearts of beauty girls out there!

Recently I've been asking myself - which box is right for me, they all average around under £15 a month (inc postage) - something I can justify and most offer 5 products but I see an array of reviews each months on all of them,some positive and others not.

Since my boyfriend signed up to 'Geekbox' the male equivilent - I decided I wanted a parcel at the door each month too!

So here's where my 'challenge' comes into play (nothing like dragging out a point ey) .... Most boxes offer either rolling/3/6 or 12 months subscriptions. So I've decided to opt in for a 3 month subscription on a few of the companies! (one at a time) so I can be brutally honest and by the time the 3 months is up I can give a summary of my thoughts as I think that's a good amount of time to try and win me over!

The team players I've set up to enroll in my shenanigans are:

-Glossybox.co.uk

-Birchbox.co.uk

-LoveMeBeauty.com

-either LatestInBeauty.com or YouBeautyDiscovery.co.uk (I'll see how I feel in 9months)

It's scary that's going to take me a year to do - I might actually have a house with a mortgage by then! 

First to role call is GlossyBox - mainly because they've just offered me a free box if I sign up now (so fickle) but it'll help win me over I'm sure!!

Have you subscribed to any beautyboxes?? Which would you recommend or not recommend for me to try out??

xXx

Slam Dunk Festival: Beauty

Yesterday I mentioned about attending my seventh Slam Dunk festival up in Leeds on Saturday. I spoke all about what I find most comfortable to wear and what I think works well in terms of 'fashion'. You can read all about this post here.

Today I'm going to run through what I'm planning on taking in terms of Make Up and Haircare. I've had some massive make up mistakes that i've learnt from over the years at Slam Dunk - nothing humilating but just not using make up that fits in with a long, hot day when you need your face to stay in place for a good 12 hours or more. I'll be bringing up my tips throughout this - these are by no means tips that would apply to you but they're things that I know to steer clear of.

FACE - Prep

 

The POREfessional Primer Mini - Benefit - I actually own so many of these sample pots that travelling is so so easy when it comes to choosing a primer. I'd of personally taken my MAC Prep and Prime but its just too big to cart about with me.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation in 150 Buff - I was told how amazing this was from Carly on Carlys  Beauty World and was sold as soon as she said it really did last 24 hours for her. Although my aim isnt to keep it on that long - its going to be a loooong day and I need some ultimate staying power on my face!  Sadly the bottle is glass so I don't intend on taking this with me so I found this teeny Dior sample pot which I've now poured some in to take with me on the day/for the next day.

Face 2

- I totally forgot to include my Hoola Bronzer by Benefit in this photo so just pretend thats in there ;)

Fake Up - Benefit -This is a dream to use, it covers up undereye bags perfectly and really soothes your face as well giving great coverage - this is what I tend to use as my top up rather than reapplying shed loads of foundation.

Cupcake Blusher - MUA - Superdrug - Not normally my blush of choice but with this being so slim and small, I think its a must for Slam Dunk as it'll hardly take up any space in my bag! 

Gimmer Brow - Benefit - Now my aim for this is to use solely as a top up - my eyebrows are usually very good to me on public outings and stay in place so I'm hoping if I use my Browzings by Benefit in the morning before I leave, I can just use this to define in the day. 

Stay Matte Powder - Rimmel - This has yet to be used out of the house and if I'm honest I'm dreading taking this out as powder has a tendancy to smash everywhere but I cannot find a powder that isnt break able (and loose powder is a no no with drunk Stevie okay?) If you do know of one thas affordable please tell me cos I don't want to take this at all but I kinda have no choice if I want my face to stay where it should! 

EYES

 

High Impact Mascara Sample - Clinque 

Collecion 2000 - Fast Stroke Eyeliner

I decided to go super simple with my eyes this year - mainly because I just can't be bothered battling with panda eyes or worrying if my make up has ran. If you comfortable with shadows and usea good eye primer, then I'm sure you'll be fine but I recently used a Maybelline Colour Tattoo when the weather was hot and it was all over my eyes by the end of the day so I'm choosing to stay well away this year!

LIPS 

Collection 2000 - Berry Crush Lip Stain - Lipstick is just a big no no for me at a festival. Its messy and I constantly feel like its falling off my face or on my teeth. This stain is really easy to apply and its fairly faint on me. I have since realised I could take a lipstick for the afterparty so no doubt I'll opt for my trusted MAC one. 

BRUSHES

Real Techniques Mini Trio - Easily the best invention for any outing. I will be taking larger brushes in my bag for the next day but for during Slam Dunk these are a complete dream!

Blusher Brush taken from a Benefit Blush - These fit the size of the MUA blushers perfectly so I'm going to use these to apply it! 

HAIRCARE

 

Loreal Matt&Messy Salt Spray 

VO5 Ultimate hold Hairspray

Tangle Teezer

Perfect just to keep my hair looking presentable and tame throughout the day. I usually take abobble and throw it up by the end anyway!

BAGS

 Disney Villians Make up Bag - Purely so I dont have any make up spillages in my bag

Studded hangbag - USC - This is a bit bigger than it looks in the photo - but I'm one of those girls that actually likes to carry her stuff and I usually buy merch etc so this is perfect for it throughout the day.

I'd just like to point out I am taking the obvious things like face wipes (terrible but perfect for travel), moisturiser (dry skin will most likely occur), deo, perfume etc etc. I just don't put these up - I would recommend taking a small travel deodrant as it can get pretty hot but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to use deodrant!

Thats my Slam Dunk Face - it looks like quite a lot but by the time I've taken my brushes and 3 top up items that'll be it for the day then! 

Whats your festival face? Do you have a holy grail item you swear by for eventslike this?? 

xXx