Pretty Pleasures

10th Mar 202110th Mar 2021Leave a comment

As we move into March and toward an end to the lockdowns in the UK, fingers crossed! This months Glossybox is all about thinking about the warmer days pastel colours and generally feeling the pretty pleasures of spring!

There are 5 products this month and a makeup heavy box this time which I am pleased about. So let’s dive in and see what we have.

Figs and Rouge Satin Soft Blurring Primer & Finishing Fix is our first item. I love a good primer and having used Figs and Rouge products before I have high hopes for this! This costs £38 to purchase and contains hyaluronic acid, marshmallow root and as the name describes it aims to blur imperfections and minimise shine for a perfect make up base. It also has anti inflammatory properties to reduce breakouts. I love the Figs and Rouge packaging it is so pretty and very millennial pink.

Figs and Rouge Satin Soft Blurring Primer & Finishing Fix £38

Nails Inc is our next treat with a nail polish called Palace Gardens, a really pretty pastel blue grey . Nails Inc has long been one of my favourite brands for nail polish and this one is no exception. Really love the colour and this is one I can see getting a lot of wear out of. This is £11 to purchase.

Beautaniq Beauty Nourishing Mascara is next and this is not a brand I’ve used before. This has conditioning ingredients like Camellia and Almond Oil to strengthen your lashes. The brush is oversized and designed to grip and coat every lash. I’m coming to the end of my mascara so this was a welcome addition !

Beautaniq Beauty Nourishing Mascara £15.50

The So Eco sponge I actually got in a Lookfantastic box previously but I like to change my sponges regularly so this is a nice addition to the box. They are a really nice sponge and I find they blend really well. Make sure to use your sponge damp so it doesn’t soak up all of your product! These sponges also have a pointed tip, this is great for under your eyes and blending concealer. The best thing about the So Eco brand is they plant a tree for every 100 products sold which is really important to know that they are considering the environment around them.

NYX Professional Makeup is one of my faves and this item is different for each subscriber. There was a lucky dip between highlighter, liquid lipstick and regular lipstick. I am so pleased with mine! Mine was a gorgeous hot pink liquid lip so pretty and definitely one I might have chosen myself. I really love NYX lip products so this was a really good choice for me.

NYX Professional soft matte metallic lip creme £6

Next month we have a sneak peek announcement of an eyeshadow palette from a new brand Sophia and Mabelle. No details on colour or anything just yet. Their website details them as a very inclusive brand which is really great to hear. A quote on their website reads

“With all skin tones and age ranges in mind, we created this beauty brand where anyone can come and find something that will be a staple in their beauty routine. S+M welcomes all walks of life, because beauty should reflect who you are on the inside, not the outside. We are proud to sample our products on persons of all ages, genders, sexualities, and will continue to strive at being an all-inclusive “made for everyBODY” beauty brand.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the eyeshadow palette is next month!

I have a yearly subscription to Glossybox which costs 11.75 per month including postage and packaging. There are loads of different options if you wanted to sign up from a monthly rolling subscription to 3, 6 and 12 month plans like the one I do. I do have a referral code if you click here which will get you 20% off your first box.

Lookfantastic January 2021

14th Jan 202114th Jan 2021Leave a comment

Lookfantastic have had a mini makeover with a fresh look to the magazine in the box and packaging. I especially liked that the theme this month was Restoration, as I think after 2020 we could all use some of that! Instead of focusing on a new year, new me angle the focus is on products to make us feel confident, and give a moment of escape from the stresses of the world, and there are lots right now!

So first we have a hand mask! Something a bit different, I’ve tried one of these before from Seoulista and really liked it as it made my skin so soft and this was the same. Basically it’s a set of serum infused gloves that you place your hands in and then fasten the tabs around your wrist to keep in place. You leave it on for about 15 mins and then just massage any remaining serum into your hands. It’s like having a mini spa treatment at home and my hands really needed some tlc after all the cold weather we’ve been having! These are from Starskin and have Shea butter, goji Berry and macadamia nut and olive oil so smell amazing too.

Starskin Nourishing Hand Mask gloves £8.50

Next is a product from SVR which is a french brand. I’d not heard of this brand before but I was interested to try it and see if it’s a good moisturiser. It’s a face moisturiser for very dry and sensitive skin, so far so good! It can be used day and night and is a really nice texture. I’ve used it for a few days and it hasn’t irritated my skin at all and it really does help with any dry patches you might have.

I do love a good hair mask and this one from Intelligent Haircare is an overnight one. It’s a deluxe mini size so if you’ve got long hair like me you’d only get one use out of this, shorter styles you’d likely get two maybe three. It’s a vegan formula and also free from parabens, sulphates and silicones- basically all the nasties you don’t want on your hair! Really easy to use, just run it through your hair and scalp and then tie it up. In the morning rinse and shampoo/condition as normal. This is a really lovely formula and my hair felt great afterward, it’s a bit messy and will leave your pillowcase messy but as you’d probably not do this often then I’d say it was worth the trouble.

Deluxe sample size (full size is 200ml and costs £25)

I got a few of these for Christmas and a blending sponge is always a welcome addition in subscription boxes for me. This is an eco friendly makeup sponge. These are great for applying liquid or cream face products and best used damp so it doesn’t absorb all your products.

I really like these lipsticks from Sleek and this is the shade Hellacious , a sort of autumnal brown with an orange hint. It’s a matte finish and lasts for ages.

Sleek Matte Me lip cream in shade Hellacious £4.99

Finally we have the Dr Botanicals cleansing bar in avocado and cucumber. I could smell this when I first opened the box and it is so lovely and fresh. You can use it on face and body and it has antibacterial properties to cleanse and purify your skin.

So altogether this months box has a value of £53.49 !

Lookfantastic have a range of subscriptions available here . I’m currently subscribed on a monthly basis and pay £15 inc postage and packaging for my box. If you got this box what did you think?

For me it’s a great box, I know I will use everything and it’s really nice to get some different items like the hand mask and very fitting for this time of year!

ASOS Winter Glam December 2020

4th Dec 20204th Dec 20202 Comments

The ASOS December box hasn’t disappointed with 5 fab goodies to get us glammed up for winter! If you’ve not got one of these boxes before, it’s not a subscription. They just appear each month on the ASOS website and you can see the full contents before you purchase. The boxes are normally around £12 but special editions and collaborations are normally £15-18. So I’ll dive in and show you the gorgeous products we got this time.

First is this beautiful Revolution Pro Ultimate Eye look palette called So Jaded. It’s got four shades with green being the main colour, a matte cream and a gold shade. The palette itself is bejewelled and would look amazing sitting out on a dressing table. The shades are really easy to blend and you could create such a nice smoky eye – I’m excited to play around with this and it’s a fab inclusion in the box.

Revolution Pro Ultimate Eye Look So Jaded Palette £10

Next is a mini Bare Minerals Lipstick in the shade Courage which is a really nice warm toned red – who doesn’t love a bit of red at Christmas??

Next two lash products to keep those peepers fluttering! First is the Smashbox Superfan mascara. I’ve had this before in a box and it’s a nice mascara, this is a travel size and it lasted quite a while when I had it before.

Next is a set of false eyelashes from Prima Lash to give some extra glam and volume. These look like a nice set of lashes, there’s no glue but that doesn’t bother me as I usually have some kicking around!

Last is a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge , I use these a lot to blend out foundation and concealer so this is another win for me!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge £4.99

So although I can’t really calculate the cost of the mascara and lipstick, with the full size items we can get a cost for they total £21.99 making it really great value.

What do you all think is this a box you’d enjoy? It makes a really great Christmas gift especially if you are in a secret Santa or something similar.

Glossybox Birthday Edition August 2020

24th Aug 202024th Aug 2020Leave a comment

A late dispatch again from Glossybox but thankfully no exchanged products this time. This box is birthday themed in honour of Glossyboxes 9th birthday and was packaged with this lovely box and bow.

First is the Glossybox Eye Boost Cream which is part of their new skincare range. This feels really nice and absorbs well, it definitely helps with puffiness but I will have to try it a bit longer to see if it can sort dark circles as it claims!

Glossybox Eye Boost Cream Subscriber price £16 RRP £20

Next is the highlight product of this month a Huda Beauty Demi Matte Cream Lipstick. There were 10 different shades and I got a really nice taupe brown nude. This is a really nice satin finish and it glides on so nicely. It’s really pigmented too and I love the formula. The staying power isn’t too bad and with the lipliner in this box it doesn’t bleed.

Huda Beauty Demi Matte Liquid Lipstick in Revolutionnaire £18

A staple of anyone’s makeup bag is a makeup sponge and this one is from HD Wonder. Not a great deal to say on this but it’s a nice tool to get to use everyday. I love these and like to apply my foundation and loose powders with these.

I really love a nicely scented shower gel and this one from Molton Brown is gorgeous. I was worried when it said Rhubarb and Rose as I’m not keen on strong rose scents but I can’t really get the Rose notes in this. It’s a really sweet rhubarb smell and is lovely either in the bath or shower. Molton Brown is a brand I’ve always liked in particular the ginger lily and pink peppercorn scents are my fave but this is a close second.

Molton Brown Delicious Rhubarb & Rose Bath and Shower Gel £7.33 Deluxe mini size

Last but not least we have a lip liner by Steve Laurant. This is a brand I’ve seen a lot in beauty boxes and I do like their products. The colour is called Vogue and it’s a waterproof liner and stays put for up to 7 hours. This works really well with the Huda lipstick included in the box and it really does have good staying power – although I can’t say I’ve tested it for 7 hours!

This months box value is £58.91 which is great value again and this month is all products I will use. My standouts are the Huda and Steve Laurant for sure and I know I will use them a lot.

Swatches of the Huda Lipstick (top) and Steve Laurant Lipliner (bottom)

The full box contents £11.75 on the 12 monthly plan

The sneek peek for September is an Avant Moisturiser worth £89, I’ve had a few of their products before and they are really good.

Coming up in September is the release of the Advent Calendar. This is £80 for subscribers and released on the 8th September with brands like Huda, iconic and LimeCrime included so I am looking forward to that as last years was amazing and I really enjoyed it.

I’m hoping some of the issues Glossybox have had are going to be ironed out now as although this box was later than usual they did communicate much better about the issues they had and there were no product changes.

Glossybox October Devil Edition

14th Oct 201929th Nov 2019Leave a comment

So this month Glossybox really hit it out of the park for me with October’s Angel or Devil edit. There were two special design boxes available with an angelic or devilish theme…. I’m thinking you can see which one I got!

The colours in the October box were just fab!

The box had 5 amazing beauty treats all of them full size and a special extra treat of a hot chocolate from Whittard of Chelsea.

First up is the Que Bella Beauty Plumping gold peel off mask, which has a gorgeous glittery sheen to it in the packet (and on your face!). I love a good face mask and this also had hyaluronic acid to moisturise and brighten your skin, a must in the autumn weather! A full size product which is RRP of £2.49

I love a good red lip during the autumn and winter and in this box we got a Lord and Berry lip crayon in Devil Red. It’s a perfect bold red and being a crayon format you can line your lips and fill them in with one product! Finishes matte and doesn’t feel drying at all. This is a full size product with an RRP of £15.

An extra treat in this months box was this delicious Whittard of Chelsea Hot Chocolate which is Sticky Toffee Pudding flavour. This was so creamy and had a strong caramel/toffee flavour. A lovely little extra for those cold nights! I absolutely love the sugar skull packaging, really went brilliantly with the Halloween theme of the box. This was a sample size worth £2, Full size worth £9 which you can purchase here

Another favourite of mine in this months box was this STYLondon palette which has 9 shades of eyeshadow in red and orange tones. There’s a lovely mix of shimmers and matte shades which make a fab statement eye- not one for the faint hearted! I love this palette the pigment is good and it’s a great size for popping in your makeup kit. The palette is worth £15 and is another full size item.

An MCO eyeliner crayon in black was the next item which is a black liner designed to give precise lines. I really liked this as I can sometimes struggle with liquid liner when I apply. This applies really well and smudges nicely as well if you want to wear it along the lash line for a smokey eye look. The RRP for this is £15.

The final product in the box this month was the Bubbletea Devils Dust foaming bath powder. This is a really good size as you don’t need loads in the bath to create the bubbles and it has a nice floral scent to it. This is full size and RRP is £4.99

Altogether the products are worth £54.48. They are all products I have enjoyed using, particular favourites being the lip crayon, eye palette and eye liner. I really enjoyed the theme this month too, Halloween is one of my favourite seasons and I am glad I got the Devil box as the colours are much more suited to me.

Another shot of the Devil Red Lord and Berry Lipcrayon

I subscribe to Glossybox for £8.50 plus postage and packing which in total is £11.75 so definitely well worth the subscription fee.

Glossybox is available by visiting http://www.glossybox.co.uk

Holiday essentials

25th Sep 201924th Sep 20192 Comments

Bring on the good times!

As summer has come to a close and we start into the autumn, it felt like a great time to share some of my summer faves. I actually got away abroad this year for the first time in 3 years so it was great fun thinking of cute outfits and things to take away.

My versatile little bag from River Island

This cute little bag from River Island has served me well over the summer. The perfect size to fit the essentials and casual enough for day but dressy enough for evening. I love the hot pink colour which seemed to be a theme for me this summer!

Loved these earrings that I picked up on sale in Boots for £3!

I love a statement earring and a hoop, so this summer I made the best of both! A pop of neon colour made these the perfect go to for a relaxed look. Plus they were on sale in Boots, not somewhere I usually shop for earrings.

Hask Hair masks have been my saviour!

My hair always gets really dry and frizzy in the summer so it’s so important to me to keep it well conditioned. I love these Hask hair masks, I took 3 away on holiday to counteract the sun and chlorine and they kept my hair feeling soft and my hair colour shiny.

Loving the peachy coral tones this summer

I love peach and orange tones for summer, especially when you have a tan! NYX butter gloss is great for hot days when you need some moisture but also want a good coverage lip colour. Of course my summer essentials wouldn’t be complete without a good bronzer and TooFaced Sweetie Pie is still my number one. It’s a perfect mix of colour and shimmer without an excess of glitter like some bronzers do.

Staying peachy with TooFaced

Finally a good primer is one of my essentials to make sure my face stays in place! I am currently using Obsession Makeup’s mattifying primer which is a silicone based primer. I find these work well for my skin type and it gives a wonderfully matte finish for your foundation to work on.

Primer to keep my face in place

Do you have any great summer essentials to share?

Finding Wonderland

11th Jun 201911th Jun 20194 Comments

I’ve used Nip and Fab skincare before with their Dragons Blood mask being one of my favourites. I hadn’t really tried their makeup range, apart from their brow pencil and decided to get some colour pieces to try as the colour selection is amazing.

I was so excited to try out this eye palette called Wonderland with a mix of gorgeous pink, purple and brown shades.

Mattes, shimmer and some glitter what’s not to like! The powders blend really well and are buildable, the pink shimmers are quite sheer but if you use a cut crease technique they really show nicely. The matte shadows build nicely so you can do a wash of colour if you want a subtle look or build up for a stronger effect. They last pretty well and there’s lots of ways to combine them for a day or night look.

The palette coordinates perfectly with this copy of Vogue making the picture very disco chic!

I bought the most amazing lip topper from the same range in the shade Pink Rocket 🚀 It’s such a gorgeous sheer shimmer on it’s own and has a really nice texture, non drying. However when its paired with a base colour it really pops!

I love wearing it over my NYX Sliptease lip colour for a shimmer that’s like no other.

Nip and Fab makeup is available from Superdrug, the Wonderland palette is £12.95, lip topper in Pink Rocket is £7.95 . It’s usually on 3 for 2 as well so you can get a bargain to boot!

It’s also available direct from their own website.

Purple Passion

1st Apr 20191st Apr 2019Leave a comment

Do you ever notice how you go round to trends you first discovered years ago?

I vividly remember buying my first lipstick from Miss Selfridge and feeling so cool and grownup. It was bright purple, I thought I was so out there as most of my friends weren’t into experimenting with makeup like that.

NYX Suede Matte Lipstick and Liner in Shade STFU

This NYX lipstick and liner gave me flashbacks to that time and I just couldn’t resist revisiting it as a look! I love that lip liners and lipsticks are designed to go together now and there’s no second guessing whether one will be a good match.

It made for the perfect 90’s grunge style look !

Purple has been my favourite colour forever really and features in lots of things through my life, including my hair!

However it’s a challenge sometimes to keep the gorgeous colour vibrant that my stylist creates at the salon. I have tried lots of different hair colours over the years and currently I’m loving these I💜Revolution Rainbow Shots and Tones to keep my colour looking good! The shots are a shampoo and conditioner which you apply after washing your hair as usual. They are great for keeping your colour topped up without adding lots of build up. The tones are more of a semipermanent colour with much more pigment and are a really good conditioning treatment.

Perfect if you heat style with straighteners, curlers and hairdryers- let’s face it who doesn’t?!

I 💜 Revolution Rainbow Shot and Rainbow Tones

I also recommend Colour Psycho in Wild Purple for keeping things bright and fresh! My hair is bleached underneath to make the colour nice and bright too.

My last little foray into purple themed products is the one and only Frizz Ease by John Frieda. I just want to say now it’s a happy coincidence that the packaging is purple! As well as being coloured, my hair is really thick and coarse and prone to dreaded frizz whenever it’s humid. So I use a small army of products to keep my hair looking it’s best. I’ve always been a fan of Frizz Ease serum but I recently discovered the Leave in Conditioner.

I’ve recently started swimming and that’s a recipe for disaster with coloured hair but I’ve found using the leave-in-conditioner great for keeping my hair smooth and in check.

Let me know if you’ve got any favourite products, purple or otherwise!

Vanessa Kay

Beauty, Fashion and Fun

Tag: bright lip