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

This Weeks Beauty Buys Feat: Boots & Superdrug

Once again, I'm being pretty poor on here but this week I had a valid reason - we've had a pretty crazy week as one of our dogs got ridiculously i'll and we had to pretty much reevaluate everything and learn how to not spend a penny topay for her operation. I think I might do a post about Pyometra in dogs sometime soon as theres nothing personal online for help at all!

-- These buys were all bought before we took her to the vet before you think I've been spending when my dog needs the money more --


Superdrug

Real Techiques Powder Brush - £10.99 - BUY
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush -  £8.99 - BUY

I first entered the world of Real Techniques back in February (here)and havent looked back. Althought most bloggers refer to this as affordable and inexpensive - for me personally, Its not often I can justify spending a tenner on 1 make up brush so these are a slowly growing collection but I'm trying to slowly grow these - I did get the face brush for half price which is what sold me to add to my others.

MUA Blusher in 'Bubble Gum' - £1 - BUY
MUA Blusher in 'Cupcake' -   £1 - BUY

How could I not for £1? These are perfect handbag size and I plan on using a Benefit brush to apply these are theyre the exact same shape!

 MUA LUXE Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Reckless'- £3 - BUY
MUA LUXE Velvet Lip Lacquer in 'Funk' - £3 - BUY 

The new LUXE rangeis amazing - my aim is to eventually buy all of these as theyre so beautiful - I want the purple one but they keep selling out as soon as its in!

Boots

 

Boots 3 for 2

 No7 Pointed Tweezers - £8 - BUY  

Real Techniques Shading Brush - £7.99 - BUY

Real Techniques Mini Brush Trio - £9.99 - BUY

I'll admit, I only went in for the tweezers after years of sticking to my GOSH ones for so long. However, I turned around and saw the mini trio set and  couldnt believe that these have only just entered my life. I spent 3 years of uni planning my night out makeup for anything that didnt require a brush once I was out and now these have come to my rescue-perfect for slamdunk festival in a few weeks! 

The shading brush is to add to my collection and it was free so why not?!

Maybelline Baby Lips - Boots Clearance -Was £2.99 Now £1 - BUY

You can't even tell in this photo but the back of the pack has ripped so I got this for £1!

What have you guys been buying this past week?? Have you bought any of these and have any tips? Let me know below :)

100Follower GIVEAWAY! - Still time to enter here - Running until 21st May!

xXx

Tanya Burrs range hits Superdrug stores

When I started blogging properly 5 months ago, I didnt know of any bloggers. I know a lot of people read blogs, watch vlogs then get hit by the bug but not me. I simply have a Journalism degree under my belt and a love for all things fashion/beauty.
If I only had 2 readers I'd be happy as I'm doing this solely for me and to keep up with what I love doing.

However, a few months ago I by chance saw a video of Zoellas and then Tanya Burr and like the rest of you, I was hooked. I didnt go crazy for the make up range as I don't like purchasing make up online when I've not seen it however, it was recently announced her Lipglosses and Nail Polishes were to launched in 200 Superdrug stores nationwide this Wednesday on April 9th.

I will be posting this week my top picks from the range rather than doing so today as I'm lucky that they're coming into the Derby store whilst I'm working so I will of course, be picking up some for myself.

Check out the stores her collection will be coming too.

Are they coming to a store near you??
If you've tried any of her products yourself, please do let me know as I'm yet to see anything up close!!

xXx

March Lusts

So here we are yet again, almost at the end of another month!

Its actually felt pretty slow me, considering I went on holiday at the beginning of it and that feels like ages ago!!

I as always have fallen in love with many things and these are my 'please make me rich so I can buy these' list.

1) Origins GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser - £23 - BUY
Everyone seems to love this product, I do think the tub is pretty small for the price tag but I'm yet to hear a bad review about it!! Plus, my skin needs so much added moisture at the moment!

2)Marc Jacobs Daisy Sunshine Delights - £48 - BUY
As I've said before, I will always feature a perfume in my lusts, I'll probably never own them but I lust after one each month and this one is amazing!! Its the perfect summertime scent - really floraly but also really light. This has actually reduced in  House of Fraser which was a dangerous discovery

3)Electric Blue V-Neck Cami - Topshop - £18 - BUY
This is a top I eyed up in the Petite section on my recent trip to Nottingham and annoyingly didnt have my size. I adore the electric blue colour of it and for less than £20 I can't really say no!

4)La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (+) anti-blemish cream - £15.50 - BUY
Possibly the most hyped over product in the blogging world at the moment! All I've heard is incredible things and its on an amazing 'money back' offer if it doesnt do what it says youll get it back, which I think is a pretty powerful decision so I'm hoping amazing things!

5)Rita Ora Colour Rush Colour Rush Balm - Rimmel - Viva Violet - £5.99 - BUY
Whilst choosing which shade I wanted Viva Violet however, no where in Nottingham had it in stock so Its not on my to-buy list as I stocked up on nail polish instead!

6) Pro Longwear Blush in Stubborn - MAC - £20 -BUY
I saw this in the MAC shop and fell in love, its a much deeper Pink to what I normally go but I'd love to try this out and actually experiment with a new shade!

What have you guys had your eyes on this month?? Let me know in the comments below or link me to your lusting pages!!

xXx

Todays Nottingham Haul

Today marks my first weekend off work since November and as the boyfriend is working the West Ham game I thought I'd travel the 20mins to Nottingham for a shopping trip.

Last time I went was my Birthday last November and I'd never been before so it was quite brief and mostly me wanting to find the MAC store.
Although I've had an amazing day, theres just SO much choice of stores! everything from your standard high street to the best high end brands own stores!

I wished I was richer as it was an amazing place to shop but I did buy some lovely bits!


 Topshop

I was actually really good in Topshop, I nearly caved twice into spending more money but luckily?? they didn't have my size in what I loved so they actually stopped me buying, although I def won't be seeing if they have it online after!

I ended up walking away with this,

 

 Topshop Lipstick in Whimsical - £8 - BUY 

I've never actually bought a topshop lipstick before (minus the bullet - which I've now realised is quite similar) but I was recommended this shade so for £8 I thought why not?

Superdrug

 

Vaseline Spray and Go Moisturiser - £4.99 - BUY

I've mentioned countless times how lazy I am with everything so I'm hoping this will kick me into moisturising more!

Batiste dry shampoo in Cherry and Blush -  was £3.99 now £1.97 - BUY

One of the most handy essentials for inbetween washes. I didnt plan on buying these but the fact they were less than £2, I couldnt resist. I only pick these up when theres an offer as I think for what they are, they are a bit pricey

L'oreal Matt and Messy Salt Spray - was £3.75 now £1.85 - BUY 

I recently read a post about salt sprays and heard this was a pretty good buy. I actually clocked it was only £1.85 a few days ago and even if I don't rave about it, I don't think I'll lose out.

MAC

 

 MAC Lipstick in Rebel - £15 - BUY

The fact theres an actually MAC store in Nottingham makes me just want to buy things! I was going to buy the shade Heroine which has just re-launched but when I saw it in store, I couldnt help but think it was abit too purple for me. Rebel is a a deep purple so its still a shade  I'd feel comfortable wearing. Its also a Matte finish which is one of my favourites!

H&M

 Crop Top - was £6.99 now £3

 Cut out dress - was £17.99 now £10

Boots

 Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner - £6 - BUY

Everyone raves about this, and I wanted to try it for myself! I currently only ever wear my Collection eyeliner which I discussed HERE, so I think a change was in order!

Rita Ora for Rimmel Nail Polish: £3.69 each - BUY

Pillow Talk

Breakfast in Bed

I mentioned about the launch of these what seems like ages ago but suddenly they are here, I adore these 2 shades. Breakfast in Bed has been sold out everywhere but I finally found the last one on the shelf!

You can view my post on the full range HERE

Nail Polish in Mind the Gap, Victoria - £3.69 - BUY

They were on 3 for 2 ;)

Primark

 Black Skirt - £5

Mint Green Skirt - £10

 

P.S Nail Varnish - £1 each

 Black Slip On's - £4

I wouldn't normally buy these but my vans were killing my feet as they've sadly worn away so these were just to save my feet.

Lush

 Secret Garden Bath Bomb - £2.95 - BUY

I only mentioned this yesterday HERE but I love it

Brightside Comforter - £4.50 - BUY

King of Skin Body Butter - £5.50 - BUY

So thats todays haul, have you had any goo shopping trips lately? or tried any of these product to give me a heads up on them??

xXx

This Weeks Beauty Buys

If Yesterdays post (here) wasn't enough shopping to kill my bank account including my cheeky new Urban Decay Palette and a new YSL lipstick I decided to have a little look in my local Superdrug for the newest products.

Theres nothing worse than when you actually find things you want (and don't have that much money). However I got all this for under £20 so its not too terrible.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr - £4.99 each - 
40 - Permanent Taupe - BUY
55 - Immortal Charcoal - BUY

When it comes to eye colour, I'll admit I shy away from alot of vibrant colours so this year I'm going to make an effort to starting adding colour to my eyes in the form of greys/blacks and bronze/browns/gold etc.
These were on 3for2 in the Maybelline section so technically one of these was free so its a bit more guilt-free.
I reviewed the shade On And On Bronze last month (Review Here) and havent stopped loving it. I even like the shimmery look it gives and I tend to hate added sparkle. It wasnt until I got home I noticed that Permanent Taupe looks almost matte unless you put it right up to the light so I'm intrigued as to how thats going to look.

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation in Ivory - £8.99 - BUY

I'm no stranger to Maybelline foundation and I used to adore the Superstay 24hr product. As a drugstore product these are an absolute gem. I tend to be Ivory in a lot of foundations and I did test on my hand (naughty I know) but it blended in seamlessly so I knew I'd be okay. I can't wait to try this out and give it a full review. Also the SPF20 means I think this is going to be an ulimate go-to in summer!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - £3.22 - Not online

I've always been quite lazy when it comes to going out of my way to purchase Bioderma so when I saw this so cheaply on the shelf (there are other branded versions available) I couldn't resist! Every blogger raves about the power of Micellar Water so I'm excited to test it for myself. It looks gentle and states you get around 200 uses of it which is pretty good going for under £4.

Have you tried any of these products? I'd love to know what you think!?

xXx

My Go-To Liquid Eyeliner

A few weeks back I posted about my go-to make-up remover as an everyday no fuss product. I thought I'd carry this on by showing you my go-to eyeliner.
I don't really use pencil eyeliner anymore but just incase these features become regular I've decided to be abit more specific ;).

For me, an eyeliner is key. If you made leave the house only wearing one make up item it will always be eyeliner.  I've been not-so blessed with quite small eyes which means unless I have something to liven them up, they get pretty lost in my face. I get this off my mother and its pains me knowing the older I get the less you're going to see them when I smile.

Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Eyeliner - £2.99 - Superdrug - BUY

Not having sisters or a mother who wore make-up, I often found myself seeking beauty advice from an older cousin. She drilled into me about the age of 12 that liquid eyeliners are better when they have a firmer nib rather the gliding soft tip. This is something that I've taken with me for 10 years now and to this day I struggle so much when it comes to softer eyeliner tips.

The depressing thing is is, I've also not changed my eyeliner brand in 8/9 years either! This is a solid black colour which manages to make application a breeze and I personally find the tough nib allows you to take full control of how thick you want your lines, (I'm sure we've all had those days when you keep evening up until you look like you've applied a lid of black shadow).

 
Collection 2000 claim it lasts all day and I can 100% confirm it does. Until I usually end up rubbing my eyes from tiredness at night, this stays put with not a single smudge. I often find the corner of my eyes tend to get rubbed away but the main focus point stays strong for at least 12 hours.

Not only this, this teeny pot of 3.8g lasts ages!!! I've been through countless pots of these but each one must last a good 5/6 months and for a daily used product, its not bad going.
Another bonus about this eyeliner is the of course, the price. I think theres nothing worse than spending £30 on something and realising you never want to live without it again. Theres nothing wrong with that, but its much better when its only £2.99 like this.

 
(I took this photo once I'd removed all the day make up and quickly threw it on, so its not the best photo I'm afraid)

I can't even badmouth the brand as a few years back I bought a bottle which didn't have the ball inside (you know when you shake it) and left it pretty gloopy so I thought I'd send a letter just letting them know. I wasn't complaining but it was worth it as they sent me back 3 more bottles for writing to them!!

Overall, I cannot fault this eyeliner and I think if you happen to have a budget or need a daily eyeliner that won't break the bank then Collection 2000 Fast Stroke Eyeliner is for you!!!

Have you tried this eyeliner or any have a good recommedation for unexperimented me??

xXx

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr - On and On Bronze

Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr - On an On Bronze - £4.99 - BUY

When it comes to Eyeshadows, Its very much a beauty item that seems to have been and gone in my life. Growing up, It was the one vital part of my face everyday for school and since then I've stayed well clear of them of those cringey days and terrible colours I use to wear.
Whenever I try to go back and wear it, I often feel I looked pretty stupid with naturally small eyes and a love for black eyeliner it was all abit too much.

However, I think its now time to man up and try out some new shades.

I first read about these on another blog ageeees ago. Knowing they're the dupe of a MAC product actually makes me happy as its not often I can afford to approach the MAC counter everyday.

I cannot rate these enough. The colour you see in the pot is the exact same colour that applies to your lids, with a deeper richer colour the more you apply.

Unless I find the right products I'm a victim of the make up slip and slide parade and eyeshadows hate staying on my face yet the Colour Tattoos stay on my eyes ALL day. I mean all day, I've tested this for around a week and given that I apply my make up for work at about 7:30am, its still on my face by the time I get home after 5pm. I'll admit the bronze has started to fade but the slight glitter pigments remain.

I've already invested in my next shade of these with no doubt, many more to follow.

If youre after a shadow thats rich and lightweight then these are the ones for you! Theres a hige variety coming into stores and theyre available on all Maybeline stands on the highstreet.

Have you tried any of these? Whats your favourite shade?

xXx

This weeks beauty buys

So I've been a teeny bit naughty this week and bought a few new make up purchases that I've had my eye on for a couple of weeks.

As I'm fortunate enough to get paid weekly I hand my rent to my boyfriend in installments 3 times in the month meaning that 1 week I'm left with a slightly larger amount (minus smaller bills) .

So why not?

 

 In my defense, All the Rimmel products were 3 for 2 in the offer currently running in Superdrug, so I did take advantage.

I've dabbled in a few Rimmel bits here and there but I keep hearing great things about such an affordable range of products. 

Firstly I bought the New ScandalEyes Mascara: Rockin Curves - £6.99 - BUY. I've always loved their mascaras so I know I can't go wrong here. You've probably seen the advert for this on TV as it seems to be everywhere at the moment.

Secondly...Lipstick...Kate Moss. Need I say more? Everyone girl and her mother seems to love Kates range (I have far too many of her nail varnishes) I bought this in Shade 107 in the Lasting Finish range in a beautiful deep red shade.£5.49 - BUY

and my final Rimmel buy comes in the form of a Lasting Finish Colour Rush in shade 600 - On Fire- £5.99 - BUY. Its one step away from coral but just about peachy enough to not quite hit a red shade. Or at least this is what I'm hoping when I try it. 

 Maybelline - Baby Skin: Instant Pore Eraser - £7.99 - BUY

Stepping away to my slightly indecisive purchase, it took me 3 days of constantly walking into Boots to decide if I could tear myself away from my Benefit Porefessional Primer to try this one out. In the end, I obviously said 'go on then' mostly because its a new products by them and the Baby Skin range is HUGE and I'm hoping this is going to a decision that genuinely pays off.

REVIEWS - These will follow over the coming week or so when I've had a chance to give them a try.

Short and sweet today but let me know or link me to what you have been buying this week??  

xXx