Dreaming of paradise

20th Jun 202120th Jun 2021Leave a comment

Glossybox this month had a Dreaming of Paradise theme which was all about summer products to take you from pool to party. In my case it’s more like paddling pool to dinner as I don’t think it’s likely to be going abroad anytime soon. I’m just as happy with a sunny day and a BBQ in the garden to be fair and the weather lately has been so lovely, summer is definitely here!

First out of the box is Oui Cherie Lip Oil from The Beauty Crop in the shade Sacrebleu! Now, on first glance I was dubious about this as it explains it’s a pH changing lip oil so I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. However I was pleasantly surprised as it actually changed colour as I was applying and gave a really nice tinted berry colour. Now with it being a pH based product it should react differently on every person, it was a fun item to include and it is super moisturising and smells gorgeous.

Oui Cherie Lip Oil from The Beauty Crop £13

Next is a Vitamin C Face Scrub from Nip + Fab. I recently took part in the Glamour Big Beauty Call and Vitamin C is really being touted as the most beneficial and easy to use product for your skin. I’ve introduced the Nip+Fab Vitamin C toner recently (this was in one of my advent calendars) and loved the results so I was excited to try the face scrub. It’s a really nice product lovely smell and gentle on the skin. It’s designed to soften and cleanse as well as exfoliate the skin. I’m going to use this 1-2 times a week to give me a nice glowy skin!

Also in this box is a full size Mitchell and Peach English Leaf Body oil. Last year we got a bath oil from this brand and I find their scents really strong. This oil has changed my mind though as it’s really light and fresh smelling. It’s a blend of citrus, coriander, basil, mint and floral oils, giving it a freshly cut grass scent. Got to say when I read it smells like cut grass I thought that was a bit weird! However I actually really like it, I guess it’ll be one of those marmite things- you’ll either love it or hate it!

Mitchell and Peach English Leaf Body oil £23

Another full size with a Micellar water from a Garnier. Although this is quite a basic product I was really pleased to get this in my box, it’s something I know I will use as I use reusable washable cotton pads and makeup cloths so this is ideal to use with those for more stubborn makeup but still gentle on the skin.

And finally a Christophe Robin Regenerating Hair Mask, I’ve actually had this before in a Lookfantastic box and it was soooo good for my hair! So I’m delighted to get another one, it literally leaves your hair so soft and you only have to leave it on for a few minutes, perfect if you don’t have loads of time. Also you only need a tiny bit to emulsify between your hands and apply so although this pot is small it really does last for ages. For anyone following Curly Girl method, this is an approved product you can use as well.

Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Prickly Pear (Deluxe mini size) £10.80

Julys sneak peek is a beautiful looking bronzing powder from KNDR worth £14. The July theme is Beauty Treasures which sounds lovely and I’m looking forward to seeing what products we get next!

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.

Elements of Beauty with Lookfantastic

7th Jun 20219th Jun 2021Leave a comment

This post contains affiliate links

Just like that we are halfway through the year and, after a ropey start, it seems as though the world is slowly moving again. The start of a new month is marked for me by the arrival of my beauty boxes and Lookfantastic were first out of the gate this time!

There are 6 items in the box and this months theme is Elements, chosen in respect of World Environment Day and World Ocean Day which both take place in June.

The first item I came across is the Dr Lipp hydrating lip balm in it’s beautiful red packaging. I’ve used the sweet potato tint last year and really loved it. This one however is formulated with Red Radish pigment and gives a lovely red tint when applied. An ideal product for the summer months when you are relaxing in the garden and don’t want an overdone look.

Next we have an ESPA 24 hour Eye Moisturiser. I go through a lot of eye creams lately as it’s my main area of concern as I get older! This is lovely, as to be expected from ESPA really nice quality and definitely very hydrating. It has a range of essential oils including Evening primrose and Jojoba to boost the hydrating properties.

I’ve had this next product in another beauty box and absolutely loved it so was excited to see it here again. It’s the Rituals, The Ritual of Jing mild body scrub. Firstly this smells amazing with sacred lotus and coconut oil it’s just a dreamy scent. Secondly it’s so incredibly gently on the skin but still manages to buff the dead skin cells and also manages to not dry out the skin at the same time.

Next is the So Eco Gentle Facial Buffer, which is meant to remove dead skin from the face. Personally I think it’s a little too harsh for my skin but I would use it on the body instead. So Eco is a really socially responsible company, they endeavour to create products that can be recycled and also have a mission to plant trees which offset their carbon footprint.

Next up is Philip Kingsleys Finishing Touch styling serum, this is packed in a bio plastic bottle made from sugarcane, making it totally recyclable and it’s also manufactured in a sustainable way. This is for application to lengths and ends of hair prior to blow drying to get a smoother sleeker finish to your hair.

Lastly we have a Balance Me product, Lightweight Milky Cleanser. This is really effective at removing makeup but also feels really gentle for sensitive skin thanks to the formula. It’s a gentle exfoliant with salicylic acid and willow bark, ideal for a first cleanse in the evening when you want to really get all of your makeup or SPF off.

And that’s this months box! The July sneek peek is an Elemis Superfood Glow Priming Moisturiser. Elemis is such a popular brand and so well liked for its formulas so I am looking forward to trying that.

Lookfantastic have a range of subscriptions available here with a rolling subscription where you pay month by month as well as 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions. They have a fab offer for June where you can receive your first box for just £5 with code JUNEBB5! Valid until 30th June.

I’m currently subscribed on a monthly basis and pay £15 including postage and packaging for my box and always find this a great box with usually a skincare focus as well as some tools like brushes/ sponges ect.

What do you all think ? Anyone want to try it out for £5 for the June box with the above code?

Lookfantastic February 2021

2nd Feb 202119th Mar 2021Leave a comment

Love is in the air ! Even if you’re not feeling the Valentine’s vibes this month the February LookFantastic box is themed around Treasure with an emphasis on self care. Making the most of any little moment to give yourself a pamper or just relax is so important in these testing times. I loved the quote inside the box below.

Illamasqua beyond veil skin glowing gel was our sneak peek last month and it’s a good mini size. It combines their fab face primer and their Beyond Powder to hydrate and illuminate all in one. I’ve really liked using this and you only need a tiny bit it’s a really great base for foundation and my makeup sat really well. Would definitely recommend if you struggle with your makeup base staying put.

Magnitone Wipeout Swipes, these are basically reusable cotton pads. I have really enjoyed using the ones I got in my Glossybox last month and these have been great too. It’s a small thing but something I can change to be a bit more eco friendly as they can be machine washed and dry really quick.

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel is our next item. I was really intrigued by this, it’s a cream based exfoliator which you apply and leave for 10 mins before cleaning off.

Eyeko London Galactic lid gloss in Zodiac. This is a really nice metallic cream eye shadow. It’s a lovely colour and really sparkly. It’s great on its own or would be nice with a neutral toned palette to add a pop of sparkle.

Bubble T Strawberry Macaron hand and body butter , first of all this smells amazing! Super sweet strawberry scent so if that’s not your thing sorry! It’s a really nice hand cream and can actually be used on the body as well if you prefer.

The last item is the Balance Me AHA Glow Mask there was a nice section in the magazine explaining AHAs and other skincare terms which is really useful as it’s so important to know how to properly layer your skincare. I can recommend the Caroline Hirons book Skincare which is a great guide for anyone more interested in this subject.

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?

ASOS Selfcare November 2020 Box

6th Nov 20207th Nov 2020Leave a comment

2020 has been a real write off! So ASOS have treated us to the ultimate selfcare box for November with everything needed to treat yourself because as they put it, staying in is the new going out!

If you haven’t had an ASOS box before they are released around the 2nd of each month and usually cost £12, plus postage. They are usually 5 products and can be sample / deluxe sample size or sometimes full sized items. They occasionally do collaborations with brands so previously these have included Pixi, Oaui, Deciem/ The Ordinary usually two – three times a year there is a collaboration box. There is no commitment and you just purchase as it becomes available on their website.

First up in the box we have the Sunday Rain Foaming Bubble Bar in Mango and Coconut. This smells incredible and was perfect for relaxing in the bath. I felt like it smells like a really incredible fruity cocktail!

Next is Rituals Jimg Body Scrub which is to calm your mind with the scent as well as being exfoliating for the skin. I really love Rituals products and I hadn’t tried this before so it’s nice to get a different range than I would normally buy.

The next item is one of my favourites for intense moisturising, Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask. This is super hydrating and perfect for the winter when I find my skin is dryer. It’s a thicker moisturiser style mask and my skin always feels so smooth and nourished after I use this.

The last two items are ones to help soothe and sleep, something I think lots of people have struggled with during the pandemic. First is Neom’s Perfect Nights Sleep Oil. You can apply this anywhere on the body and it works to soften your skin as well as helping aid relaxation for sleep. It smells so lovely and is a really soothing scent, like being in a spa.

Last is a product I’ve tried before and really enjoy, This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. It’s a lavender and camomile spray to help you to ease gently off to sleep and it is something I have found helpful during the lockdowns and throughout in helping me with a better nights sleep.

Lots of deluxe mini sizes this month but still great value for just £12. This month there is a men’s grooming box available too which would be a fab Christmas present. Visit ASOS and search Beauty Box to find any of the boxes that are still available, because they are such great value they do tend to sell out quickly when released.

What do you guys think? Are these products you would enjoy ? Have you tried any of them before?

Glossybox GlossySpa Box September 2020

21st Sep 202021st Sep 2020Leave a comment

This month Glossybox are bringing the spa to our homes with a skincare focused box to give the ultimate relaxation.

First is the sneak peek from last month, Avant hyaluronic Moisturiser. Avant has popped up in a few beauty boxes lately and I’m not mad about it! I absolutely love their products especially the moisturisers which are so nourishing and rich. It’s really expensive, £89!and it is definitely a product I really enjoy. It has avocado oils as well for a really hydrating formula.

Avant Supreme Hyaluronic Acid Anti-oxidising Duo Moisturiser £89

Next is a Mine Tan exfoliating coffee scrub, this is a sample size. I’ve talked before about how much I love my tea scrub so I was looking forward to trying this out! It was similar to one I received in an ASOS box in the summer from Frank Body and really great for my skin helping my get all the flaky skin from my psoriasis off without scratching or hurting my sore skin. Slight difference with this compared to others is you use the scrub on wet skin in the shower and then leave it for about five minutes to dry before rinsing. As always with these type of scrubs m, prepare for some mess! And make sure you really rinse the shower tray as it can stain if you don’t!

Deluxe Mini size Minetan Coffee Scrub £11

Next is the Yo Glow Enzyme scrub by Wishful which is the skincare line by Huda Kattan, founder of Huda Beauty. This is a mini size and it seems really nice. It’s always interesting when makeup lines expand into skincare as sometimes it doesn’t always work. This is really nice and has made me think I might look into other products from the range. It’s a face scrub with pineapple and papaya enzymes and my skin felt so smooth afterward.

Wishful Yo Glow Enzyme scrub £9 (Full size £34)

There was a variation in some boxes and I got the eye gels from Generation Skin. I love eye mask/ gels like these as I have really bad dark circles so these are fab to up my hydration and sort out any puffiness. They have an Australian ingredient called Kaduku Plum which has antioxidants and Vitamin C to help brighten the under eye area. Fab for a bit of relaxation!

Generation Skin Eye Patches £7.84 for 1 pair

Finally I got a Imperial Leather Foamburst shower gel, I got a sample of one of these last year and I really like them. They foam up in the shower – similar to shaving gel , and the scent is amazing. This is actually the one I buy ( along with the unicorn scent!) so I’m really pleased! They are also really moisturising so perfect if you have dry or sensitive skin like me.

As an extra treat this month there’s a Lindt Lindor chocolate bar included which will go down well I am sure with the subscribers! Lindt is one of my favourite chocolates and I’ve already bought us a tin of the new Lindor chocolates ready for Christmas! But as I was feeling extra nice I let my hubby have this as he had been feeling under the weather and had hurt his foot so I did a good deed!

I was really pleased with this months box, perfect for a mini pamper at home. My faves from this box have to be the Wishful face scrub, Avant moisturiser and the Generation Skin eyegels. The total value of this months box was £119.69 which is amazing and definitely worth the monthly fee.

I have a yearly subscription with Glossybox and pay £11.75 inc postage and packaging for my box each month. Glossybox has lots of options for subscribing which you can view on their website

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

Bath time goodies

1st Aug 20193 Comments

Baths seem to have had a resurgence lately with gorgeous collections coming out of Lush and every other post on my Instagram feed seems to have one more colourful bath than the next!

Goddess, Peachy and Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar from Lush

I’m loving the Peachy bath bomb which not only smells amazing, it also looks fab! Almost a shame to use it and it was a limited edition so not around for long. My other favourite is the Goddess bath bomb, which has notes of patchouli. It’s so relaxing and fragrant, perfect for a good soak plus it’s purple my favourite colour.

My other favourite right now, is the Unicorn Horn bubble bar, a colourful lavender and ylang ylang scented creation which turns your water a pastel colour. Perfect for a relaxing bath with a twist!

The GRL PWR Bubble bar was another favourite and great timing for it to be released with the Spice Girls recently going back out on tour!

There was a point when it seemed to me bath bombs were not in favour so much but with collections from Radox, Revolution and smaller brands making a breakthrough it seems their popularity has never been greater!

Do you have any bath bomb or product faves?

Vanessa Kay

Beauty, Fashion and Fun

Tag: relax