The most glossy of beauty boxes...GLOSSYBOX

Hello on this very lovely day :) 

Finally the sun has decided to show its face and bless us with the heat! 

Today I received my first beauty box from Glossybox after waiting all day to receive it. I've heard a lot of mixed opinions on Glossybox and have been 'umming and arghing' on whether or not to subscribe to them just because of this mixed opinion on but decided to give them ago and make my own opinion on them. When i subscribe there was an offer where you could get an eco or Harrods box for free which was a right bargain!

If you don't know what Glossybox is its a service which you subscribe to for £10 plus £2.95 for P&P. Every month they send you a cute box with 5 high end samples in (most of the time you receive a full size product too). You can then treat yourself to all your lovely products in the comfort of your own home :)

The box comes in a lovely black carboard box covering with the Glossybox symbol all over it (no sneaking this box in without it being seen ha). The actual beauty box is a high quailty pink box with the logo on the front. 

The inside of the box is black with the logo all over it (no chance in forgetting who it's from). You get black tissue paper, a sticker logo and a lovely burnt pink colour ribbon. 

Once you get to the good stuff it will be sat apon a bed on the crisscross paper (the dust from it does get everywhere) and the \Information list of all the products.

The first product you get is Collin Resultime Regenerating Collagen Gel 15ml, the full size is 50ml for £47.25. Its a multitasking gel containing 15 key skin molecules, it can be used daily as a serum or sleep mask leaving the skin feeling bright and refreshed. It took a bit of rubbing in to absorb into the skin and smells very floral.

The second product is Awapuhi Wild Ginger Texturizing Sea Spray 25ml, the full size is 150ml for £18.95. This is a surf inspired spray which adds texture and body to create a tousled, beach babe style when applied. This smells just like ginger, which I love and I'm so excited to try because I love discoving new hair products.

The third product is the Monu Extra Rich Night Cream 20ml, the full size is 50ml for £36.95. This is a luxurious night cream which will leave the skin feeling intensively nourished and firm when you wake. When I smelt this I couldn't make out what it smelt like but I really don't like the smell. Its quite thick to apply but absorbs into the skin quickly. Hopefully I'll get over the smell because I'm interested in trying it as it's so expensive. 

The fourth product is a full size Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip frosting and retails at £10 for 15ml. Its a cream gloss that doesn't just add a tint of colour to the lips, it can also be applied to the cheeks as well. I also have an issue with the smell of this product too, its really sweet smelling and reminds me of cheap play make up. However I love the colour of it and it's not thick or sticky, it looks great on the cheeks too as it give a natural flushed look.

The firth product is another full size Kryolan Satin Powder 3g and it retails at £4.75. This is a shimmer pigment which you can use to create an extraordinary shimmer eye. I absolutely love this colour and I know I will use this a lot and even repurchase it! It can be used in the day blended into another colour and it can be used as a night time look by building up it up.

In this box you also received a bonus product which is the Elizabeth Arden's Visible Difference Skin Balancing Exfoliating Cleanser, Optimizing Skin Serum and SPF 15 lotion. The Elizabeth Arden Visable Difference Skin Balancing range works to keep skin looking revitalized and healthy.

I'm really happy with this box and glad I decided to subscribe. I'm really looking forward to my free box and expect to see a review :)

<3

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Hello :)

I'm feeling better now so expect to see the posts coming thick and fast again :)

I'm always trying out new foundations and must have tried the vast majority but still not finding one that is just what i need. When choosing a foundation I look for one that is medium to full coverage and doesn't have the I've-just-painted-this-on look. 

I recently picked up the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation after hearing many good reviews on it. It claims to have anti-fatigue and radiant glow effect. It is their first foundation that visibly reawakens and illuminate skin with a radiant glow and flawless, natural- looking finish. It has instant anti-fatigue effect with peptides and Vitamin Moisturising Complex. Sounds fancy hey! Now Rimmel have obviously done their homework because the reason why we wear foundation is for coverage and to improve our skin. If we had perfectly flawless and bright skin we wouldn't have to wear make up right? With Rimmel offering this and throwing in some more fancy words I was expecting great things from this foundation.

 

Sorry for the bad picture

 I bough the foundation from Superdrugs for £8.99 and have been using it for a couple of weeks now. I have to admit that I'm loving it and it does exactly what it says on the tin (or bottle).  It has a medium coverage but is buildable if you wish to have a fuller coverage, it definitely has the anti-fatigue effect and it smells really nice! It absorbs into the skin perfectly and is very blendable so you don't have the 'cakey' look. With a good setting power it has great staying power and I never have to redo it throughout the day. It evens out skin tones leaving naturally radiant skin. 

I will definitely be repurchasing this foundation just because it so great and I would wear it throughout the year. Unless I find a better one this is the perfect foundation for me :) 

What's your favourite foundation? 

<3 xoxo

Manuka Honey the natural healer!

Well hello there!

It's a good job that I don't have to talk on here because at the moment I'm poorly sick and think I may be getting my yearly tonsillitis, very sore tonsils and not able to swallow! Boohoo.

Well while I'm nursing my tonsils back to health I've been eating more Manuka Honey in a bid to kick out faster. I'm not a fan of honey at all but force myself to have it every day just because of all the benefits that it has! Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand and Australia from the nectar where the bee have been feeding of the manuka tree. The honey is a natural Antibacterial and has great healing properties, it can help a number of illness, from stomach ulcers to MRSA. The honey is also applied to wounds/ulcers to help the healing process. Not only does it help in illness it can also help in maintaining your overall health and well-being while increasing your energy levels. 

You can buy the Manuka Honey almost anywhere now that it has become a popular thing and its stocked in most supermarkets and health shops. It comes in different UMF strengths from 5+ to 24+, the higher the number the better it is for you because it has a higher antibacterial component. However the higher the UMF the price also becomes higher but prices differ in all shops. I usually buy the honey when Halland and Barrets has their offers on such as buy one and get one for a penny! Recently though I stumbled across the little beauties in Aldi, 10+ for around £3 (that's right £3) in most shops it will be around the £20 mark! When choosing the honey you need to pick up one that says that its 'Active Manuka' otherwise your just paying a high price for normal honey!

I love the honey (not the taste) just because it is so naturally good for you! I've put it on spots when nothing else works and it has got rid them very quickly. I also genually believe that my tonsillitus would be a lot worse if I hadn't been having the honey everyday. Even though I'm nearly sick every time I have the honey it's worth the torture :)

Get yourself to Aldi and pick up your Manuka Honey :)

Love J xoxo

Its all about the he said, SHE SAID BEAUTY BOX

Hello :)

Today I came home to a little a note that said that I had a parcel that was behind a bush in my front garden! Weird...I know. However after searching around my garden I noticed the bright pick box and knew that it could only mean one thing...the She Said Beauty box!

I've been super excited about receiving this box for ages and couldn't wait to find out what I had received. I knew that there was three different boxes that had gone out this month and hoped I got the one I wanted the most!

The Said Said Beauty box is a monthly subscription which is £9 + £2.95 for post and packaging. You receive 5 beauty samples each month from top brands to enjoy in the privacy of your own home. The products will be skincare, treatments, face, colour, sun, hair, nails, body & fragrance.They always send a full sample product and you get a bonus in every box as well. You have the option to cancel and subscribe back when every you want

I've been with She Said Beauty from when they started out in April and loved every box! You always get your money worth with the products and I have use almost all of the products and repurchased the ones that I love! That's the best thing about beauty boxes, they allow you to try products that you may never of heard of before or products that are too expensive that you would never buy without trying them.

 The box is a duck egg blue with the She Said Beauty logo. The box is a little different to the other boxes where they have the lid that comes off, the lid of this box is a flap that opens from the top and has a magnetic side so it shuts securely. Inside the box it has the typical beauty box tissue paper, ribbon and sticker but unlike the others it doesn't have the zigzag paper instead it has straw like paper in it.

This months box has 6 products, 3 of them being full size and the little bonus item.

 

 The first product that's on the information card is the Miners Cosmetics Love Phat Liner. This is one of the full size products and retails at £3.99. The Love Phat liner can be used as a liner, definer and all over eye colour to create a smokey eye effect. I love the packaging and the fact it looks like an actual school pencil but when swatching, it seems very hard and not very creamy. However the swatch is still on my hand now so its got good staying power and I've even washed the dishes!

The second product was LayiaD Honey Moisturiser (15ml). The full size is 50ml and retails at £12.99. If you couldn't tell by the name one of the main ingredients is pure honey as well as coconut oil, macadamia oil and many many more natural ingredients. Honey is a natural antiseptic so great to use on acne or any break outs you get. When I first opened the pot you can instantly smell the honey and its so nice (I'm not even a fan of honey but if it was edible I would definitely tuck into it ha).

 The Third product was Murad Time Release Blemish Cleanser (30ml). This is the second full size product which retails at £5.50, you can also buy a bigger size (200ml) which is £29.00. The Blemish Cleanser can be used to fight blemishes as well as combatting fine lines and wrinkles. It has quite a strong minty and tea tree oil smell but I like it :)

 

The fourth is the one I'm most excited to use and the product I wanted the most...the Stylefile S-file! This is the last full size product and retails at £4.49. I've wanted to try this file for ages and because Lord Sugar is behind it with one of the winners of the Apprentice Tom, I have high expectations for it! I think I've tried every single nail file that has ever been invented and never really found one that I love. The file follows the natural shape of the nail and makes it easier to file. Hopefully it will live up to my expectation and there will be a review on it soon.

The fifth product was Freeze 24.7 Ice Crystals Anti-Aging Prep and Polish (1.2ml). The full size is 70g and retails at £35. This products interests me just because the product is a new technology in skin resurfacing. It's suppose to be a powerful resurfacing cocktail that retexturises skin for a vibrant and fresh finish. It will rejuvenate and revitalise dull, sallow complexions to reveal a vital and radiant complexion. I can't wait to try the products and feeling inside the sachet it does actually feel like there is actually ice crystals in it. However the only thing is because it retails at quite a high price and to be sent such a small sample, I wont be able to get a good enough opinion on it to want to buy it. However it may prove me wrong and buy it by the dozen.

The last product I received was Eden Natural Polish Remover. The full size is 50ml and retails at £12. This is suppose to lift nail polish quickly and gently, whilst nourishing and moisturising. It doesn't have that horrible chemically smell that most nail varnishes have and I've tried nail polish remover before that hasn't got acetones in and they didn't seem to work very good at all, just like this one didn't. It smelt nice but I wont be paying £12 for a product that doesn't work but smelt good.

The bonus item that came with the box was the Debenhams Beauty Club Money card. This is a nice added touch where you can use the card to get points and then the points turn into money after you get enough. I'm sure you can get these in the shops but it's a nice added extra :)

This months She Said Beauty box was fab. I loved the fact that you got a great range of products and I will defernitely have fun trying them :) 

Do you get She Said Beauty? 

Lots of love J xoxo

Mend a split up -Tresemme Split Remedy

Hello 

No one likes a split up, especially when the split us is the ends of your hair. Lets just say my hair has had its fair share of break ups. A lot of heat and colour has left my hair damaged and sometimes I find dead ends apon dead ends. 

Tesco £4.99

When I received a sample of Tresemme Split Remedy shampoo and  condtioner I was a little cynical about what they were claiming it could do. Apparently after 3 uses there will be up to 80% reduction in split ends. Now I'm no hair expert but I'm pretty sure that once you have split ends the only cure is to take a visit to the hairdressers? However, Tresemme were claiming to repair split ends in just three uses! Impressive ey? After looking at their website to try and find the small print where it says that it only works on freshly cut hair that has never been exposed to the sun, heat or any type of damage, I found "Because split ends are negatively charged, the positive charges of the gel body attach to the inside of the split. During the drying process, this then contracts to bind split ends together — leaving you with a smooth, frizz proof look and a just-cut feeling". Well know I was excited to try this, they had definitely done their research and I was ready for my hair to look like I had just been for a good old cut.

Boots £5.69

I used the little sample but because it was only a small and I have thick long hair it wasn't quite enough so I had to mix it with another brand. Once I had dried my hair I didn't see any different at all but just put it down to the fact that I had mixed it and that you have to use it three times to see a benefit. 

The next day I researched to see where the best price was and found that Tesco had them at half price for the shampoo and conditioner, basically buy one get one free. Bargain. While out I also popped into Boots, they had 3 for two so I picked up the leave in treatment for free...Double bargain. So I was all prepared for my split ends to kiss and make up.

I've used the shampoo, conditioner and leave in treatment for two weeks now (5 washes) and got to admit I have not seen this 80% repair I was promised! I've seen a difference but nothing major. If I had paid full price for them I would be rather miffed off now, paying £15.67 for something that doesn't work any better than some of the other products I have tried that are cheaper. However because I got the deals and really only paying £4.99 I can't really complain. I'll continue to use them but I wont be repurchasing them unless I start to see a bigger difference in the meantime.

Somehow I think that repairing split ends is impossible and I can feel a hairdressers appointment on the cards.

Can you recommend any products that claim they can repair split ends? 

J xoxo

Next Sale

That time again...the ever so popular Next sale.

So today is the day where probably half the population of the UK have gotten up at 3am to battle their way to a bargain. If you have ever been to a Next sale you will know just how popular and manic they can be! All sale items are half price or less so its a great bargain and obviously very popular!

Next have their sales twice a year (1 for the summer and 1 for the winter). It's your opportunity to stock up on a new wardrobe for half the price! They don't just open the stores they also have the online shop which is packed with the sale items too. If you get the Next Directory you will be able to get a slot as a VIP shopper, you have to wait for a email and they will give you the choice of time you want to shop online. These slots are usually a couple of days before the actual sale starts to the public. The online shop sells out so quickly that if haven't got one of the early slot or your not a VIP shopper then maybe lucky enough to get an odd sock :).

The sales start normally on a Saturday at around 5am, if your a first timer you may think that getting there by 5am is wise but believe me, you will be at the back of a very long line of bargain hunters that have been there since 4am or earlier. When you manage to get inside the shop it is like a massive jumble sale with crazy men and women running around. It can be a very scary place if you've not been there before. The first time I went was with my son and I had to carry him in his car seat around the shop while carrying a massive bag full of clothes, it was not fun to say the lease. I have heard horror stories of arguments, fights and even people taking other people bargains when their back is turned. It reminds me of the Friends episode when Rachel, Monica and Pheobe go to a wedding dress sale with their whistles and game plan.

I always pick up loads of things, then when I'm home I sort through them and decided what I want and what I don't. The things I don't want I just take back to the shop after the sale is over and my bank account can regain some weight it lost hehe.

If you have never been to a Next sale then I would definitely recommend them if you want to stock up your wardrobe and get a good bargain in the process. However I would say take someone with you otherwise you may be a bit daunted and be like Rachel and hid away from everyone ha!

My sale items for my little boy.

Did you go to the Next sale?

Love J xoxo

Steamcream

Hello 

Ever heard of Steamcream? If not then you have definitely been missing out. Lets just say if Carlsburg did moisturiser then it would be the Steamcream! This puts the moist in moisturiser

 

"But what is Steamcream" I hear you say and "why are you raving about it so much and using corny sayings"? Well Steamcream is a handmade moisturiser using only the highest quality and natural ingredients. They steam the ingredients together to make it perfect for the skin to absorb. It's jam packed with ingredients that sink into any part of body instantly, leaving it feeling hydrated and as soft as soft can be.

Steamcream is not only a great moisturiser they also do great things as a company! The cream is approved by the Vegan Society, it can biodegrade easily, the tin and box can be recycled, they try to be as environmently friendly as they can when making the cream, they are strictly against animal testing and many many more!

You have the choice of tons of designs when choosing a Steamcream and at the moment they have a Love  For Japan tin, where they will give 100% of the funds raised to help support the people who were effected by the devasting earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11/03/2011. If the fact that it's a great product that does great things for your skin isn't a big enough incentive to buy the Steamcream then surly the Love For Japan tin is? 

The Steamcream retails at £12.95 and you can buy it off their online site here or from many other shops listed here.

If you buy it I hope you like it just as much as I do :) 

Jennie xoxo