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.

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.

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.

Tropical Nails

The good old British summer is shaping up to be another washout, but don’t let that put you off embracing all things bright and beautiful. Just a couple of months from now, the days will be short, the nights will be dark; skin will be paler, cold sores and chapped lips will come a calling and dare I say the C word…..Christmas will be looming.

 

With that in mind I’m trying to make the most of this so called summer before it’s too late…. so I decided to “pimp” my nails. Revlon’s Tropical Temptation SCREAMS summer! I have been searching for a perfect coral shade for ages, and whilst this might not quite be it, it’s still striking.

2 coats

It’s a beautiful orangey coral – with hints of bublegum pink – depending on the light. It’s really bright and very opaque. The finish is glossy, but not what I’d describe as “jelly”. Although it’s highly pigmented it did apply a little streaky. It took three coats to achieve an even coverage, but it was worth it! The colour is very striking and eye catching – and still going strong after 5 days.

3 coats

Picture with flash is probably the best representation of the colour

With flash

 

Right now save £2 at Boots – Normally £6.29, currently £4.29

July’s GlossyBox has arrived…..

And I’m initially disappointed!

The concept I love (read more about GlossyBox)

The excitement and anticipation I love

The packaging I love

 

 

But the products…

 

 

Not so much?!?!

Ciate Nail Enamel (13.5ml RRP £9)

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

Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum (5ml sample)

Ultra Sun Face SPF (15ml sample)

Weleda Pmegranate Body Oil (100ml RRP £19.50)

I’m not going to let my initial disappointment cloud my judgement. A full review of the products and service will follow, let’s just say my expectations haven’t been fulfilled.

I would have been really happy with the Ciate nail enamel – but Shrek green aint my style

I realise at face value this looks like a lot of products for £10 – but it’s only worth it if they’re products you’ll actually use.

Whatsmore – such is the power of the beauty blog, a quick search and you can find out what other people received in their box = GlossyBox envy. Variations on the products this month includes Xen-Tan self tanning product, False Eyelashes and Illamasqua Lipgloss – all of which I would have been very happy with, oh and Ciate Nail colours that are much more wearable than SHREK GREEN!

Perhaps we can start a GlossyBox swap service?

Something for the Weekend – Nail Polishes from 99p

Following the trend for Summer savings, I had to share with you some bargainous nail treats I found on a website called Fragrance Direct. I’ve used the site before for perfume but never gave their cosmetics a glance… until now. They have a great collection of nail polishes from 99p including Revlon, Bourjois, Ciate and Rimmel.

Ciate Nail Paint £0.99 Saving £8.01

My first Ciate nail polish – certainly not my last. These are cracking products and a steal at that price. There’s a good, but not extensive range of colours on offer, all with girls names – Pamela, Patsy, Victoria, Elizabeth and Kate, which I opted for. Kate’s a perfect bright pink – not fuchsia, not Barbie, I’d say somewhere in the middle. What I love about it is it’s super glossy. I was really impressed with the quality and texture of the formula – similar to OPI’s I thought. I applied two coats plus an under coat and it lasted for 5 days.  It’s a very wearable colour – day or night.

Revlon Nail Enamel £1.50 Saving £3.49

Blue nails intrigue me. On the one hand (pardon the pun) they’re just wrong – nails aren’t meant to be blue unless they’ve been trapped in the door. On the other, blue’s a colour I really like and the right shade, with the right outfit can look fab. Surely for £1,50 it’s worth a go? YES! I chose a colour called Rock. Firstly I love the formula – really impressed by Revlon’s quality. Not too thick, not too thin, not glupey –just right. Only took 2 coats to achieve the bottle colour. On to the colour – I’m really disappointed by the pics, they’re not an accurate representation of the true colour, which I’d describe more as a purple-blue. It’s very flattering and not too garish. I’m glad I chose it, I’ll definitely wear it again. If you’re feeling brave, it has a glitter top coat called “Star” to go with it, also £1.50.

Also check out Bourjois 1 second Nail Polish £0.99, Sally Henson’s Nail Lacquer £1.25 and Rimmel’s 60 second Nail Polish £0.99.

Now that I know I’m on to a good thing, I’ll no doubt be back for more. The only down side is that there’s a £1.99 UK delivery charge but delivery was super fast and it’s not much if you’re buying a few products.

Something for the Weekend… Bourjois 10 Days Nail Enamel

Something for this weekend, and the one after if the claims are to be believed! First they brought us 1 second nail polish, now a polish that lasts for 10 whole days!

Come on, there’s got to be a catch? Well, yes – lasts for 10 days with touch ups. Still, a much better effort than the usual 2-3 days.

Apparently the chip resistant and strengthening pro-silicium formula acts as a protective barrier to prevent nails from chipping for 7 days. It makes nails twice as strong, more resistant and protects them from breaking.

Keep chips at bay with the precise angled touch-up brush, which has been specially designed to retouch the tips for an extra 3 days of fabulousness. Wide and angled, it perfectly adapts to the nail shape and is fast and easy to apply.

Currently available in 7 shades bright and bold shades – I heart Violet , an Electric Fushia

Retails at £5.99 DEAL ALERT: Get two Bourjois polishes for £8 at Boots.