Best of Beauty 2011

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What’s in October’s Glossybox?

It’s that time again!

October’s Theme is the SIX PACK, as there’s a 6th bonus product to celebrate 6 glorious months of Glossybox – can you believe this is the 6th Glossybox already?

When I saw names like Stila and Dermalogica on the card I was very excited…

Dermalogica Age Smart Multi Vitamin Thermafoliant 15ml A powerful thermal skin polisher that combines physical and chemical exfoliants. A full, 75ml bottle costs £40.50, therefore a 15ml equivalent is worth £8.10.

Dermalogica Age Smart Multi Vitamin Power Recover Masque 15ml. A full 70 ml bottle retails for £33, equivilant 15ml worth £7.07 A powerful masque of concentrated antioxidant vitamins to help skin recover and regenerate.

Leighton Denny Expert Nails Colour & Care Nail Polish 12ml Leighton Denny Nail colour in Hanky Panky, a true orange shade. I love nail polish and was very excited to see Leighton Denny’s name on the card, but I’m a little disappointed at the shade. I have orange nail polish and don’t find it very wearable. I tested it on one nail, the quality is very good and the colour very opaque, no need for three coats with this one. I would have been happier with the baby pink or blue though. Full size product worth £11.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeline in Moray Another full size product, worth £13. I love Stila and have high hopes for this little stick. A lovely olive shade with golden flecks – can’t wait to try it.

Robert Piguet Eau de Parfums Fracas de Robert Piquet, Visa de Robert Piguet and Calypso de Robert Piguet are three signature scents from the ‘most Parisian of fashion designers’.

And the sixth, bonus gift Dermalogica Renewal Lip Complex 1ml with a handy little bag to keep all your new Dermalogica gifts safe. A daily treatment that restores the delicate lip tissue. Full size 1.75ml product retails for £22.50, so this mini version is worth £12.85  

I think this is a really good box – a perfect mix of make up, skin care and fragrance. I’m very excited to try the Dermalogica products and the Stila liner, and as ever, I’ll let you know my thoughts.

Thinking of subscribing? See what was in August and Septembers boxes.

You need to know about… FashionistA Cosmetics

It’s hard to keep up with all the new make up brands hitting the high street. We’ve had Sleek, MUA, Accessorize, VIVO, the upcoming LOOK magazine cosmetics and the much anticipated, not to be missed FashionistA Range.

FashionistA cosmetics, launch in Superdrug at the end of September, include everything you’d expect from a good high street brand, and more. Their stand out products are the Custom Design Palettes, which are empty palettes that you can fill with a mixture of 4 eye shadows or blushers (Frontcover do something similar, which I love but theirs are limited to eyeshadows). With a huge 49 eye shadows and 12 blushers to choose from, you can really design a palette that suits you. Set to retail for £12 for the palette and 4 shadows/blushers.

And if that wasn’t enough, they also have the Magnetism nail polish range with The Saturdays coming out at the end of October.

Each Saturday has their own shade and will retail for a reasonable £6 for the polish and £3 for the magnet. Frankie’s is a silver shade, Mollie’s is a metallic pinky purple, Rochelle’s is a metallic red, Una’s is a metallic forest green and Vanessa’s is a sort of smoky metallic grey magnetic polish.

Road testing Collection 2000 and The Natural Collection

Of all the budget brands I’ve never tried Collection 2000 or The Natural Collection. If truth be told I probably dismissed them based on the price, but when my little sister picked up these treats at the weekend I was intrigued to test them out.

Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Crimson £1.99

 If I was blind testing this I would never have expected it to be a cheap lipstick. Don’t be fooled by the bland packaging, it’s very creamy and moisturizing – easy to apply straight from the bullet and can be layered up to achieve more intense colour. As for the shade, I struggle with reds – blue based ones don’t suit me much, I tend to go for orange/coral reds or slightly pinker reds. This, I’d describe as a universally flattering cherry red. It didn’t last as long as other red lipsticks I’ve tried, but equally it didn’t stain my lips. Overall I really liked this lipstick and it shows I should be more open minded – cheap doesn’t always equal substandard.

Natural Collection Pressed Powder £1.99

I couldn’t fully road test this as the shade is too pale for me, but my sister liked it and said it doesn’t what it says on the tin – reduces shine and gives a matte finish where it’s needed. She wore it all day and it didn’t go patchy pr dry the skin out. It’s a light, soft powder, which used sparingly can control shine, or used all over can give a matte finish. My only criticism would be the lack of shades. There’s only three, and this was the darkest, which is still quite light.

Collection 2000 Hot Looks Fast Dry Shimmy Shake £1.79 8ml

This is spectacular – I can’t believe the price tag! She opted for Shimmy Shake – a sparkly yellowy gold. I’m dubious when it comes to glitter polishes, they’re often too sheer and can take many layers to achieve the bottle colour. This one applied like a dream. I loved the formula – not too runny, not too glupey. It dried really fast and needed just two coats and unlike the natural collection, came in a vast range of shades.

Right now Boots have a 3 for 2 mix and match offer on, meaning all these goodies together cost just £3.98!

Been Shopping!

I popped to the shops yesterday to make some last minute essential holiday purchases and ended up picking up a few unexpexted extras along the way –  I just didn’t bank on seeing so many bargains!

No7 Soft and Soothed Cleanser £3 Boots

It’s No7 voucher time again and this is my all time favourite cleanser. It’s great for dry skin and leaves a lovely moisturised glow. Normally £8, just £3 with the voucher.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Facets of Fuchsia £4.49 Boots

Words or pictures can do this nail polish justice, it’s seriously HOT! Part of Revlon’s Autumn/Winter 11 collection, it’s a grey polish jam packeked with Berrylicious specs of glitter. Currently on promotion at Boots, save £2. Here’s a quick swatch on my finger.

Rimmel 3 Looks Volume Mascara and 60 Second Nail Polish £1 each Poundland

Poundland can be great for picking up branded cosmetics for, well £1. It can be hit and miss but pretty rewarding when you discover some gems, like this Rimmel 3 Looks Volume Mascara in Black and 60 Second Nail Polish in Desert Beauty.

GOSH Professional Eye Brush £5.99 Superdrug

I’ve been on the look out for a slanted, precision eye shadow brush with firm bristles and this fits the bill nicely. I didn’t want to spend too much and thanks to GOSH, I didn’t have to. Made from synthetic bristles – it’s great for shadow and liner.

Tail Comb 99p Superdrug and Travel Bottles £1 Primark

I have my tangle teezer for battling the holiday hair tatters, but this tailcomb I need for backcombing. And last buy by no means least, these handly little travel bottles so I can decant some shampoo and conditioner – they even come with little lables.

Something for the Weekend – M&S Beauty Sale

We get the emails, we see the posters – everywhere we go it’s SALE, SALE, SALE! Although it’s mainly fashion, there are beauty bargains to be had so don’t forget to look beyond the clothes rails. M&S for one are having a final summer clearance, instore and online, and there’s some delicious beauty bargains, like this eye palette for just £2!

And Nail Colours and lipglosses from £1.00!

There’s also lipsticks, blushers and eye shadows – selected colours only of course.

Be quick, things don’t hang around in marksies for very long do they. Check out the online beauty bargains.

When two unloved shades collide

I’m not normally one for glittery nails, or Katy Perry if I’m honest, but when OPI launched their Katy Perry range earlier this year, my head turned. I couldn’t decide between Teenage Dream – the baby pink glitter ball shade or Last Friday Night – the bright blue glitter fantastic shade. So I opted for the full collection in the form of the OPI mini nail lacquers, which included The One That Got Away and Not Like the Movies. I do love OPI minis!

They’re a great way to try new shades. The 3.75ml bottles may be mini, but they’re very handy and in reality I rarely use a full bottle of nail polish, at least not before it’s all dried up or turned into sticky syrup. I’ve had these a while now but I was so disappointed by them I didn’t bother breaking my neck to blog about them. The two stand-out, glittery shades did not live up to my expectations. I wanted them to look exactly like they do in the bottle, unfortunately it’d take about five coats and maybe not even then! The colour is far too translucent, it’s more like a glitter top coat!

This is last Friday Night by itself – more like a wet Wednesday!

Until I teamed it with another unloved shade in my collection… I picked up this Nails Inc Electric Teal polish free with Instyle magazine a couple months ago. To say it’s unloved is perhaps too strong but it’s not really MY colour.

Although put the two together and……

I applied 2 coats of the Nails Inc and one top coat of the OPI and Voille! The slight blue  pigmentation in Last Friday Night turned the dull teal into a gorgeous two tone peakcock shade and of course the sparkle makes it really burst! I love it, now I need to find a perfect partner for teenage dream.

What’s in August’s Glossybox?

August’s Glossybox is here… and it’s looking like a good un! Can it be a month already? In case you’ve been living on the moon and don’t know what Glossybox is all about, read this. I guess so. The theme is Wash and Glow and this is what I’ve got…

MURAD Time Release Blemish Cleanser 30ml

I’m quite excited about this one, I’m prone to the odd spot or five and Murad products are normally pretty effective.

AHAVA Mineral Body Lotion 40ml

Tested a little on my hand, it feels quite rich and intensely moisturising – beware, it’s highly perfumed though.

DANIEL SANDLER Baby Jet Mascara

I’m SUPER excited about this one! Could it be the perfect partner to 17’s Falsifeye Mascara? The tiny wand means it can get in all those little nooks and crannies.

KMS CALIFORNIA HAIRSTAY Style Boost 200ml

I’ve known and loved many KMS products in the past, so I’ve got high hopes for this.

REBEL NAILS Nail Wrap (for TOES)

Um, toe wraps, What now? Finger wraps, maybe, but toe wraps, not so much! We’ll see, maybe one for my little sister.

First impressions are pretty positive this month! There’s some full size products again, I’m pleased to receive an actual make up product and I think I’ll use 4 out of the 5!

I’ll be back with full product reviews once I’ve given them the third degree.

Let me know what you got and what you think of August’s Glossybox.

LUST HAVE: Chanel’s Le Vernis Colour Illusions

It’s a while since I’ve done a lust have, but Chanel’s new Colour Illusions nail polish range is certainly lust worthy. There’s lots of buzz about these limited edition nail polishes and I can see why. These gorgeously shimmering and iridescent polished form part of Chanel’s Autumn 2011 line and are right on trend. AW 2011’s nails have a space age feel – shades of pewter, bronze, silver… basically anything earthy and metallic.

Available in three multi faceted and striking shades

QUARTZ  silvery taupe

GRAPHITE metallic gun metal grey

PERIDOT antiquue golden green

Unfortunately, at £17.50 they might have to remain a lust have, but watch out for copy cats popping up all over the high street.

Glossybox Reviews and Thoughts

I promised a full review of the products contained in my July Glossybox. This might seem a little late but I didn’t want to let my initial disappointment about what I received cloud my judgement of the products, plus you need a couple weeks to break them in before drawing any conclusions. If you’d like to read more about the service and my first thoughts on July’s Glossy box, click here.

So this is what I got and this is what I think of it…

Weleda P0megranate Body Oil (100ml RRP £19.50)

Despite looking like a bottle of cough medicine, this is undoubtedly the jewel in this Glossyboxes crown, and probably the product that’s saved my subscription. Glossybox promises luxury products and this is certainly LUXURIOUS. The rich body oil smells divine! It’s best used straight out of the bath/shower and applied to moist skin. I’ve been using it twice a week for three weeks now and I really think my skin’s softer, plus a little goes a long way. It’s not sticky either and it absorbs well, although I wouldn’t recommend wearing good clothes after application. I normally use it before bed or on a duvet day (which there’s been a lot of lately). Body oils have never been a product that feature in my beauty routine, until now! And that’s the whole point of Glossybox, to allow you to try products you wouldn’t necessarily choose. Yes this one is expensive, but depending how long it lasts, I’d probably buy it.

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether (15g RRP £22)

Ok, this multi use powder is very nice BUT it’s not for me. The loose powder is a shimmering yellowy gold and can be used on the face and body as an all over highlighter, or concentrated to smaller areas such as the eyes and used as a shadow. The intensity is buildible and the colour is flattering but I have many products that already do that job, but better, such as Mac’s Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle.

Ciate Nail Enamel in Mohito (13.5ml RRP £9)

I tried, I really did, but SHREK green isn’t very wearable. I’ll probably give this to my teenage sister.

Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum (5ml sample)

It’s not offensive, nice to try but not a fragrance for me.

Ultra Sun Face SPF (15ml sample)

I haven’t used this yet, I’m saving it for my holidays in two weeks (can’t wait) but I expect it’ll be good and the 15ml size is a pretty handy handbag size.

Glossybox thoughts

So much has already been said about the service, so I won’t got on… too much. The question of whether or not this service is a good one and value for money is completely up to the individual. At face value this is a lot of products for ten pounds, but it’s only good value if they’re products you’ll actually use. In my glossybox this month I will use both the Weleda body oil and the suncream, so I’d say it’s worth it, still I’m left with three products I’ll not use. My main problem with Glossybox is the randomness of the products you receive. Each month there’s a pool of around ten products, of which you’ll get five. These five are apparently based on your preferences, although to me, it appears to be random. A lot of other Glossybox recipient got a Xen tan product and false eyelashes this monthly, which I would have been really happy with – GLOSSYBOX ENVY! Another huge problem I have with the service is that the price has gone up. When I signed up in May, the service was £10 per month the FREE delivery. Glossybox quickly realised that wasn’t viable and therefore increased the cost by £2.95 to include postage costs. To me this was a BIG mistake, I signed up to a “ten pounds all in” service!

I guess the best thing to do is balance up the pros and cons.

Positives

• You get five “luxury” products for £10 per month, plus postage costs
• Try before you buy and discover new products you wouldn’t necessarily choose
• GORGEOUS packaging and handy, reusable box
• It’s like a surprise present being delivered to the door
• No minimum subscription

Negatives

• You don’t know what you’re going to get
• GLOSSYBOX ENVY – from the pool of monthly products, you might not receive the products you’d have liked
• You might not like or use the products you receive
• The monthly price has increased from £10 to £12.95

I think I’m still undecided on this one, so I’m planning to keep my subscription on for another month or so. On the one hand, I’m obsessed by all things beauty and this is a new and innovative way to satisfy that need, but I also like control over what I buy and £13 per month might be better spent on products I know I want, rather than gambling on ones I might not???

Glossybox lives on, for now at least.

I’d love to hear you thoughts?