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

Latest in Beauty

Hello :) 

When I came home today I was greeted with something special in my post box....the Latest In Beauty skin care box!

Latest In Beauty is a company set up to let people try products before they buy them with their hard earned money. They're a little different to the normal monthly subscription box because you can't sign up for a box every month, instead you have to keep an eye out for them to release a new box. The boxes usually sell out pretty snappy but if you miss it you can go down on the reservation list for any left over boxes. 

This box was the You Skincare Stars Box which was £11.90.

 In the box you received 6 products, one of them being a full size product, Yey bargain!

The first product you receive is a sample L'Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream (15ml). The full size is 50ml and retails at £29.99. It's a hydration cream (a snazzy name for moisturiser) for normal to dry skin. L'Occitane claims it will "reinforce skin hydration, leaving it smoother,plumper and more radiant". I've never tried a L'Occitane product before so I'm excited to try this out :)

The second product is a sample Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (4ml). The full size is 30ml and retails at £36. The product is a regenerating elixir to help repair and restore skin cells to help us look younger. The only place I found that sold this was on House of Fraiser as it wasn't on their UK website (weird).

 The third product is a sample Melvita Rose Nectar (15ml). The full size is 40ml and retails at £24, this sample works out at about £9. This product is from the baby sister of L'Occitane and is a lovely rose smelling moisturiser. I've tried a few Melvita products before and they are great.

The fourth product is a sample size of Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleaner (30ml). The full size is 200ml and retails at £34. This is the 'Doctor brand' from Dr Murad. It removes all the horrid bits from the surface of the skin to leave it feeling brighter and looking 'wow'. You also can get 33% off if you quote YOUMAG at here.

The fifth product is also the full size product!! Its the Etate Pur Micellar Cleansing Water (190ml) and retails at £6.40. I've never used a cleansing water before so I'm super excited to try this! It claims it can be used on even the most sensitive skins becasue it has no 'nasties' in it. No one like a 'nasty' so I hope its good :)

The last product was Balance Me Moisture-Rich Face Cream (10ml). The full size is 50ml and retails at £24. Now if you've read my previous post you'd know that I absolutly love the Balance Me products so I was so happy when I saw this little beauty was in the box! This product is a skin booster to protect you against the daily wear and tear of life.

I love the Latest in Beauty boxes so much because of the products you receive from them are big enough to get a decent opinion on. They don't seem to be a 'sheep' like some of the other beauty boxes that seem to put in the same products as each other. 

Do you get any beauty boxes?

Love Jennie xoxo

Face the world face serum

Hello :)

I recently got sent a a little sample of the Face The World Overnight Skin-Booster Serum. Face The World Ltd is a brand new UK-based company which specialises in holistic facial massage which have been  developed from scratch using an expert team of beauty specialists and National Advisory Panel. Their treatments are available in certain salons and the public can only buy the overnight skin-booster serum which is on offer for £40.00 (inc VAT) and a sample kit for £27.00 (inc VAT) from their online shop.

Please excuse my starry PJ bottoms :D

Face The World Serum

The serum I received was a 1ml sample and was quite excited to use it because it retails for quite a bit but thought I wouldn't be able to have a valid opinion on it because it was only a small sample. HOWEVER I managed to get 3 uses out of this 1ml sample, which I was very chuffed about! Face The World claim that the serum is "amazing! It is a premium blend of Rosehip Oil, Evening Primrose Oil and Wheatgerm Oil along with our Ceramide technology. Add to that Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Meadowfoam Oil and Shea Butter and you have a luxurious, skin-refining serum". I have to agree with the statement they made of it being amazing! The serum is the silkiest texture ever and it dissolved into my skin perfectly. My skin felt so soft after it and didn't feel greasy at all. When I woke up in the morning my skin felt like a babies bottom and had a fresh, new, bright look.

Overall I'm so happy with this and think I may have to save up to buy it! The fact that I got 3 uses out of a 1ml sample size I'm going to get loads out of the the full size 15ml (if my maths is up to date I should get 45 uses out of it!) 

Would you pay a high price for a product you love? 

Jennie xoxo

Beauty mags and the freebies

Hello :)

Yesterday while shopping I stumbled across the magazine stand and picked  two magazines. I only buy magazines unless they are giving away a freebie that I would actually use, would like to try or a item that I wouldn't just go out and buy everyday.   

The first magazine I bought was the August Cosmopolitan which retails at £3.50. 

The freebie was Missguided splash and polish 13ml nail varnish which is worth £5 (saving £1.50). They have three different colours Missmatch which is a matt orange colour, Misslead which is a yellow with specks of gold glitter and Misstify which is a matt fuschia. I choose the Missmatch colour just because I have so many pink nail polishes and yellow nail polishes wash me out because I have quite pale skin. I also choose the orange because the citrus colours is everywhere this season.

With the nail polish you can get 10% off your total order at http://www.missguided.co.uk/

You also get Cosmopolitan readers' summer chequebook which is full of coupons, discount codes and free goodies (which is lovely).

The other magazine I got was the August Glamour which retails at £2.

The freebie in this handy travel size mag is a choice of 4 Balance me products ranging from £11-£12. I absolutely love Balance me products and when I saw that Glamour had them in I had to get it! The four choices you get are pure skin face wash, wonder eye cream, balancing face moisturiser and rose otto intensive lip salve. Not gonna lie I had a right issue deciding the one I wanted and must of looked so weird standing there while trying to figure out which one to get! In the end I decided to pick the pure skin wash just because I have never found found a face wash that had a wow factor.

Tried it last night and was surprised to find that it actually worked well! It had took off my water proof mascara and not left me with the panda look PLUS my skin felt clean and not dried out! I'm very chuffed with this because not only is it a good face wash that I will be going out to buy when this one has ran out, it was also a bargain (saving me £9)!

Add caption

What are your best magazine freebies?

Lots of love J xoxo

Hello, Hallo, Aloha, Bonjour

Hi! I'm Jennie, 21 years old and mum of a one year old littler terror. Like most females I love love love cosmetics, sometimes I think more than a normal person does! It may one day become an obsession but I'm ok with that :)

I've set up this blog so I don't feel so guilty about buying all the lovely items, as I can blog about them now (don't ask me how I'm going to feel less guilty) Ha! Also being a mum I love a good old bargain so this blog will not just be about cosmetic, there is going to the mummy items too :)

So expect to see swatches, bargains and just your generally chit chat ( I do love a good natter.

Thank you for talking time to read this far (if you read it all aha) and feel free to ask me anything you like, no matter what the subject (I can always Google it).

xxxx J