Glossybox September 2013

So, here it is - September 2013's Glossybox blog entry. I was going to do this earlier, but rather than just open it and give my initial opinion, I wanted to open it and give my opinion once I had had a chance to use the products.

There have been so many pictures of the Glossbox floating round the web, I decided to just jump straight in with the contents.

This month's theme was "The London Edition" to coincide with LFW. A gorgeous box with the Union Flag (a.k.a. the Union Jack) on the front of it and in a very patriotic red, white and blue. So, down below is the overall view of the contents. 

What struck me immediately this month (other than the honking great flag on the box lid!) was that we now get a magazine! I don't know if this is going to be a permanent thing or not, but is most certainly is a welcome addition. There are A/W trends covered, interviews with dress designer Mara Hoffman and Nilam Patel, the Co-Director of HD Brows. I did enjoy the "Top 5 Glossybox Office Obsessions" too as it is lovely to see what others enjoy. 

Now, on to the contents of this month's box and what I genuinely thought of them. 

First up - a 5ml sample of Elizabeth Arden's Untold. I was a little wary of this as being a bit of a box filler more than anything. Yes, the bottle was cute but I remember my Grandmother wearing Elizabeth Arden! I opened it and have to be honest, was genuinely quite surprised. Although not a completely modern scent, it came across as quite classy, more of an evening perfume.

I have worn it a couple of times now and have been complimented each time I have which has been a pleasant surprise. Equally surprising is how far 5 ml will go!

I won't be buying this as it is £40 for 50 ml or £69 for 100 ml, but this sample will most definitely be used to the last. It has quite a floral scent with a slight woody undertone to it. If it had been a little cheaper, I think I would most certainly have bought it for sure. 

Next up - some Eyelure Pre-glued false eyelashes. I am going to make a confession. I have only ever worn false eyelashes once in my life and I hated every minute of it. I really really didn't enjoy it at all. I have the utmost admiration for anyone that wears them all the time as I just find them so uncomfortable.

I got them in 190 which actually seem quite a natural looking false lash. 

So, I manned up and gave them a go. I did it without any makeup on my eyes as I just wanted to see how they went. I was genuinely surprised as I found the application quite easy (although I had to cut a few off the inner corner off each as they were a little long for my lids). The best bit? I really loved wearing them! I don't feel disappointed that I didn't keep them for a special occasion as it isn't something I would normally wear (eyelash curlers and mascara are my best friends), but I have bought a couple of pairs for both my wedding anniversary next month and for Christmas, safe in the knowledge that I can actually use them! 

So, Toni and Guy what have you got for me? We have a full size (30 ml) bottle of "Hair Meets Wardrobe" Classic Shine and Gloss Serum (limited edition by Lulu). 

I have an almost slavish devotion to my L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil for my really frizzy locks and hey, if it isn't broken, don't fix it. That was until I found myself in hospital last Wednesday for 3 nights respite with my September Glossybox and no Extraordinary Oil. The heat in there was ridiculously drying so I broke the shine gloss serum out to see if I could make my hair look like less of a stack of straw.

First up, the serum is a little more highly scented than I am used to and a lot thicker in consistency too. None the less, I persevered on and popped it in my hair. I have very long hair so 2 pumps rubbed between my hands and I ran it through from the midway sections to the tips.

I was very surprised at the outcome. It was, to put it bluntly, exceptionally good. I have very fine hair and most serums weigh my hair down but this didn't. It really did come good on its claims - my frizz was gone and that was in a very dry environment too.

Will I be buying this once my bottle has run out? I have to be honest, no I won't. What puts me off is the price. It is £7.19 for 30 ml. That is the only negative I could find with this. 

On to "Be a Bombshell Cosmetics" with their Onyx eyliner. I haven't opened it as I have tons on the go at the moment but my daughter also gets Glossybox and she got one too. It is a felt tip style point which (I am reliably informed) gives a medium and thick line with great precision. A thin line it certainly doesn't give, but not everyone wants that. I am not going to open this one just yet either as I really want to give it a go properly, but without ending up with a ton of partially used eyeliners that I have to chuck away. 

As I mentioned, my daughter thinks it is great for a different look (we both love the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyliner) but she says that she can get a lot of different looks with it.

Unless it really blows me away, I doubt I will be buying it when it runs out as I have never had much luck with felt tip style liners. None the less, I am more than grateful for the chance to try something I would never have picked up normally (which is why I signed up for Glossbox, the chance to try things I wouldn't normally) 

Again, this is a full size item which retails at $14, so more than grateful for the chance to try it. 

Now, on to the last product which, quite honestly, blew me away. HD Brows Bronzer. Firstly, I felt as though I had been spoiled rotten with my Glossybox so far. Secondly, I had no idea that HD Brows did any kind of cosmetics. 

My heart kind of sank when I opened it though...

It doesn't pick up too well on my bridge camera, but it was sparkly. Fortunately, I found out very quickly that it was just a quick spray over the top. Underneath was actually a gorgeous matte bronzer which will be ideal for winter.

The packaging is quite ingenious too, as I absolutely detest having an applicator sponge lying directly on the product. The mirror is more than adequate and the actual compact certainly doesn't feel cheap in the hand. 

I got it in "Bronzer 2"

Which when I swatched it does look glittery but that was me taking the top layer off. Now I have had a chance to use it properly I am beyond impressed with it. I have very pale skin so although it has quite an orange undertone to it, I am able to use to contour for a lovely daytime look. If I was wanting a contour for night time, I would go for something with a more grey undertone to it, but this is a beautiful everyday bronzer for going into Autumn.

On their website (www.hdbrows.com) they have some great tutorials as they have also released a blush too (which my daughter got in her Glossybox and hasn't been off her cheeks since). 

The pigmentation is incredible, the staying power a good 6 hours (and that is from someone who is always brushing their hair away from their face.)

The bottom line of would I buy this again? Absolutely. Although I am a huge fan of Sleek's bronzers and face contour kits, I really do like this for when I want to switch my look up a little. At £19.95 it isn't the cheapest, but you gets what you pay for! 

All in all, I think September's Glossybox absolutely outdid itself this month. I loved everything even though I wouldn't repurchase some of the things (and that is mainly due to price).

I have thoroughly enjoyed using everything apart from the eyeliner (which is remaining unopened so that I can get some proper use out of it). 

One of my favourite boxes every. Thank you! 

Fi xoxox

Quick update...

I have glasses! I can finally see what is going on properly and don't have to enlarge the font to a ridiculous size to see what is going on.

Have treated myself to some gorgeous new stuff from Sleek, Fragrance Direct, Sleek and, err, Sleek.

Really can't wait to get going later today as I have an awful lot of gorgeous swatches coming up, some mini reviews that I have really been wanting to write up so apologies, there is going to be an awful lot coming from me in the next couple of weeks.

I know I only have a few followers on Bloglovin' and my blog, but I really do appreciate you all staying with me whilst I have been a bit blind to say the least.

Really can't wait to share the thought on my new purchases, this month's Glossybox etc with you all soon and see what you all think too.

Fi xoxox

Mini internet haul...

I know I over did it slightly last week, but I had ordered a few things via the internet that weren't available where I live (the Isle of Man) and they all arrived in the post this morning. 

My Glossybox came too. It is a bit late as my daughter's came last week, but I have a feeling it had slipped down the back of somewhere in the sorting office as the outer box was a total mess. Fortunately, the inner box was absolutely pristine. 

Sleek also had a sale on which was quite dangerous! I did get a few bits for my daughter too so this is just my portion of the box, I didn't think it fair to put hers in too.

I am going to keep this blog entry short as I have got so much stuff that I would like to do blog entries on and ask for people's opinions that this is just going to be a quick "show and tell".

First up - what arrived today! 

Everything but the box that it is all resting on (that was bought last week by my ever suffering better half to keep my newly acquired things in).

On to the good stuff. The Real Techniques brushes that were out of stock in the ONLY Superdrug we have over here..

On the top (as if anyone needed telling!) the powder brush and below the stippling brush. I have to be honest, I don't have the money for Sigma or Mac brushes and have watched so many YouTube reviews and tutorials that I actually consider these an investment for me. I already got the starter kit and the core collection kit so apart from a couple more, I think I have enough to be going along with for now. I would love a few more but the Avon brushes that I have had forever do still do the job as I like to think that I take care of them. At least I know what I will be asking for come my birthday and Christmas. 

I would love Wayne Goss' new collection but I think they are a tad out of my price range, and in all fairness, my ability too. That isn't to say I won't be salivating over them when they come out next month! 

The Real Techniques brushes were bought from love-makeup.co.uk here and here. 

You can register interest in Wayne Goss' new brushes on the same website here (I believe they will be exclusive to this site for now) and they are out next month. I haven't seen a price point on them yet, but given that they are cruelty free animal hair and hand made in Japan, we can safely say they will be out of my price range! I just like looking at them though! 

Next up, my belated (through no fault of their own) August Glossybox. I am going to gloss over this one (pun completely intended) as it has been shown a million times already. 

This month's them is High Flyers. So, from left to right, my Oceane makeup remover pen (not available in the UK currently), Jelly Pong Pong's 2 in 1 Eyeliner and Shadow (available from their website), Olay's Regenerist wrinkle relaxing complex (available in most high street/drugstore places), TRESemme's Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment Shot (Superdrug, Boots, Tesco and Waitrose currently) and finally Emite Make Up's eyelash curlers (from Sweden) with 3 extra rubber pads. These retail at approximately £20 in their online shop.

All in all, I was rather pleased with this month's box, it seems a great balance of new things to try out and great items to add to my growing arsenal of tools. 

Lastly, and I am not going to fib, my favourite box that arrived today. My mini Sleek haul. They had/have a sale on that started last Friday so I took full advantage and treated myself to a few things that I had been looking at for a while. It would have been rude not to! 

As I didn't want to do too many pics as I want to go through these more in depth (they aren't going to be reviews - I am in no position to do them), but I want to do blog entries as to how I feel about them, and what I am going to get from my recent purchases. 

Let's start at the top left, the i-Divine ultra mattes (v2) Darks palette (here). I have got theBalm's Nude'tude and wanted something a with a few more matte shades and this fit the bill perfectly. Next up, keeping on the top row, the face contour kit in light (here). I think it will be a great thing for me to actually get my head round contouring properly and am really looking forwards to using it. 

Moving to the lip products in the lower left hand side of the picture. Pout Paint in Minx (here). I was introduced to Sleek's Pout Paints in July's Glossybox and am thrilled with the two I got, so thought another in more of a "me" colour wouldn't go amiss at all. 

Beneath that is Gloss Me in Fools Gold (here). Gorgeous colour, typical doe foot applicator. Really can't wait to swatch and road test this one. 

The two pencils beneath are lip pencils - top one is 188 Bare Essential and the bottom one is 645 Ruby. I know they are of differing lengths but I am not complaining as they are sale items and were sealed. 

Last two items. A blush and a lipstick. The blush was something I have been trying to get from my local Superdrug for a while but it is always sold out and just the sad and lonely tester is there. It is their (starting to become hard to come by) blush in Rose Gold (here). I have very grey and sallow skin due to my combination drug therapy and it really is just the perfect colour to perk my cheeks up.

Last, and by no means least, their true colour lipstick in 755 Liqueur. Gorgeous colour that I can't wait to swatch, but as with all the other things, I have restrained myself! 

I think I have got plenty to be going on by now, and am looking forwards to getting swatching away, and getting some better light to swatch in! 

Like I said, I am in no position to review, but I will be posting my thoughts of my new purchases (which I actually read up on before I bought them), and hopefully getting some help and feedback off everyone that cares to swing by my little blog. 

Many thanks for stopping by

Fi xoxox

Review of July's 2013's Glossybox by a newbie to sample boxes!

Well, yesterday was my inaugural review of my inaugural Birchbox - today is my inaugural review of my inaugural Glossybox! If any of you haven't read my earlier posts (and I don't blame you if you haven't as this blog is as new as Prince George), I have decided not only to jump into #bblogging but doing so with the help of 3 monthly subscription boxes. Birchbox, Glossybox and Beauteco Box.

Most of this has come about by my 17 year old daughter (I am in my 30's - I started my family early) betting me that I couldn't get my act together beauty wise by the time I am 40. The clock is ticking so I am going ALL OUT to look a bit better!

Back to the job in hand - July 2013's Glossybox. When I ordered it, it stated on the website that it was a "special box" and you can see from the box - gorgeous! I almost didn't want to open it as it looked so pretty. A dark aqua with coral as the camera doesn't do it justice at all. Anyway, obviously I was going to open it and was met with this ........ (just wish I had changed my nail varnish to match, not clash! 

So, seaside splash is the theme of my first Glossybox. Inside was a what I am holding in my hand, not quite the magazine that comes with Birchbox, but a really informative pamphlet on the products inside the box with a bit of information from the team. Something I wasn't expecting was a rather nice code to use to save money on an online shoe store. I like shoes so it is probably best that I stay away from it! So, enough pratting round - let's get into the box.

N'aww - pretty! Almost (only just almost) too pretty to open!! But of course I did! And this is what I was met with. 

Well - I certainly wasn't expecting this amount of items in the box that is for sure. I couldn't wait to dive in, so come and join me

A pack of Essie sleek sticks! Now, you will have to bear with me but where I live, you can't even walk into a shop and buy ANY Essie products. To have them delivered to my door was rather exciting to say the least! They really are beautiful. I had to take the picture with the flash on to do them justice as the design is so subtle, but gorgeous. To prove a point, I took another...

I was absolutely blown away by their subtle patterns. Obviously I can't review each product I get in one post, but these are definitely first on my list to review properly in their very own post. I can't wait to get these on my nails that is for sure. If they can pass the wheelchair test, I will be more than impressed. 

The colour I got them in is called "a to zebra" - nice play on words! These are going to be put on very soon (as in when I have finished this post, even though I got them yesterday). 

Now this was a very welcome addition to my Glossybox. As we all know, it has been unnaturally hot as Hades in the UK recently, and given I have POF too, anything that brings relief from the heat was going to be a winner in my book. This facial spritz is gorgeous. I have mentioned that I have epilepsy and this does contain lavender (epilepsy and lavender are not usual bedfellows, but it is generally OK as long as it isn't the essential oil). It has such a fresh smell, lavender, rose, witch hazel and peppermint. No, I haven't been blessed with impressive smelling capabilities, I read the back! 

It is incredibly refreshing. Just close your eyes, spray and you are done. I would recommend doing it at arm's length otherwise you might end up a little shinier than you expected, but it is superb. I love it and I am buying more. 

Next up was Coola mineral sunscreen moisturiser SPF20. It smells fantastic but the next information I am giving you is second hand as it is coming from my 71 year old Mum. I had to give it to her as SPF20 is too low for me. I never go lower than 30, even in the winter due to my Gaelic complexion. My Mum has gorgeous dark hair and darker skin so I gave it to her for a test run. She won't even pop out to the shops without her Chanel Number 5 on so it had a hard task in her hands. My Mum is semi retired and spends a small fortune on cosmetics so she would be the ideal person to try this on. Let us just say, it passed with flying colours. With the weather we have been having recently has found her usual moisturiser too heavy so this came as a very very light relief for her. She even went without primer using it with a light foundation on the top and was thrilled with the result - so a huge 9/10 from Mum for this one. It lost a point for only being a small tube ;) 

Ok, on to our "Boho Waves". Now I would like you to picture a woman with freckles, red hair and white skin. The thought of tousled blonde hair is about as far away from what I have been given to work with as it humanly possible. THIS is the other product that I am going to test run along with my Essie sleek sticks. I am not dying my hair obviously, but I reckon it is going to have to be straightened into submission, then the wand is coming out for the ends and I shall post up the results. Laughter is absolutely welcomed as on a good day I look like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards, so I can't wait to see what I look like on a good day! The only thing I would have appreciated on the product would have been a "use by" date. I know it is picky, but I like to make sure that anything I use is in date.

Ok, I have to be honest, I was a little befuddled when this came out of the box. White (well, Cloud 9) pout paint? I have to be honest, I did pass on this and went on to the next one....

A gorgeous pout paint in Rosette. The colour is what I would definitely wear so I thought of course I would give it a try on the back of my hand. The instructions are "apply the tiniest drop of pout paint onto your lip brush for complete coverage. Can be used alone or mixed with other shades within the range". So THAT is where the white one comes in. With the lack of a lip brush  - my husband was asleep and I didn't want to wake him up - I put the tiniest amount on the back of my hand. WOAH! I think we can safely say that a little goes an awfully long way!

I am not a huge fan of lipsticks as I don't like the tacky feeling on my lips and the back of my hand was literally slathered with the tiniest dot of pout paint and it absolutely covered it! When I had finally got to grips with what was going on, it works fantastically as a lip stain. If you can cope with the fact that even with the tiniest drop you are going to waste a tiny amount it is perfect. I even did my own version of ombre lips (I know, so last year) mixing the colours at 4am this morning.

As both of the colours came in 8ml tubes they are going to last a very long time, and are the same size as the ones sold in their shop for £4.99 so I am utterly thrilled. The amount of pigment those little tubes pack is absolutely amazing, that is for sure!

One thing I would have appreciated would have been a "use by" date, along with the Boho Waves.

My verdict on my first Glossybox? 10/10. I know I have no others to compare it to, but with a bit of imagination and no preconceived ideas, I am one very happy customer.

xoxox

Beauteco Box comes through

As I mentioned, I was having trouble registering for a Beauteco Box. My address wasn't conducive to getting on there but with help from a lovely lady called Natalie - I am sorted!


So, now I am signed up for Birchbox, Glossybox and Beauteco Box. The first two seem to be quite similar in their approach. You fill in an online survey as to your skin and hair type, what kinds of products you would spend the most on and with that information they will select things for you.


I have already got my July Birchbox which is STILL unopened as I am waiting for F to get her bum into gear so we can open them together. I did ask customer services at Birchbox if we can make a video about the contents as I wasn't sure about their policy and got a lovely email back saying that it wasn't a problem at all. + 1 for their customer services already, the email came back the same day.


I haven't got my Glossybox yet as I only just found out about all these things in the last few days so I think I will miss July's and start with the August box with them.


The Beauteco Box works slightly differently and this is where I think it may come into its own. With the previous two, you get surprises. With Beauteco Box, you get to choose your box from their boutique. As there are only 3 boxes left (I don't know how many they are going to be offering per month) you can actually see what is in the box before hand and decide which is the best one for you. I know it takes some of the surprise out of it, but for a beginner like me, I really like this idea.


I think by giving myself the option of 3 boxes to start off with, I am going to give myself the best possible chance of finding two that are suitable for me and F.


I quite like the idea of choosing one box and having a surprise box. I must admit to having a look on YouTube and this month's Birchbox (which remains UNOPENED, grrr) is looking fantastic. I haven't had a look at any of the July Glossybox videos but I think I am going to give them a whirl this morning.


One box I would love to try is the ipsy bag but as far as I can work out, it isn't available in the UK. Saying that, I think 3 a month is more than enough to start off with!

Beauteco Box....

Just to give you a little more insight into my life, I am disabled. I have uncontrolled epilepsy so as up until a week ago I had no idea that monthly beauty boxes even existed (yes, I have been living under a stone seemingly), I thought I would start out with 3 to see which one or two would suit me best. My Birchbox is sat waiting for F to come home and open hers with me, and yes, it is killing me not to be able to have a peek yet.


My Glossybox is on its way so having had a good trawl through the internet, starting to follow a few beauty blogs on here I found another one that I thought would be a great try - BeautecoBox

This one seems quite new and is undergoing a re branding and is a little different from the ones that I have come across so far. I was definitely up for it as it isn't quite the "surprise" box that you get with the others, this one you actually get to choose which one you would like, and they are full size items.


I sat there, tab open, debit card in hand and went to sign up. Sadly, I couldn't. I live in the Isle of Man and on the drop down menu for "County" (which is a mandatory field)  - you guessed it, no Isle of Man. The Isle of Wight was there, but nope, I wasn't.


They had a contact address which I sent an email to and BOY was I taken aback by their customer service. They are going to amend their drop down menu and are prepared to sort something out for me in the meantime so that I can subscribe. I am genuinely looking forwards to this one too.


As I am new to all this I thought if I gave 3 of them 3 to 6 months to see which came out the overall best for me (or two) I would keep them on, same for F. I would love to hear of any different ones out there in the same price range that people have tried as I am always open to suggestions that is for sure.