BIRCHBOX FEBRUARY 2016

My first Birchbox, and what are my thoughts ?

• Box – pretty but rather small? Still nice though. Reassured me that full size shampoo / body lotion etc would not fit inside this box which suggests Birchbox doesn’t include items bigger than 100ml or so. I could be wrong and maybe boxes vary in size month to month? Someone enlighten me!
• Delivery – had no issues, box was delivered on the date promised
• Price – reasonable (£10 per month + £2.95 for delivery)
• Contents – judging by February box only – very similar to Glossybox, probably slightly better brand choice (i.e. no cheap high street brands that are available in Superdrug etc) & no nail polishes !! But this might just be a lucky dip!

 

Inside February’s Birchbox: 

1. LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in Perfect Cents (£8.00 on birchbox.co.uk) – this is Birchbox’s own brand and stands for Love of Color. Clever! According to Birchbox brand LOC this Shadow Stick removes the need for multiple brushes, blenders, and primers to deliver up to 11 hours of creaseless, waterproof colour in just one swipe. My verdict is that it does all the above but the shade is a little bit 90s. It’s silvery bronze, very metallic. I would be keen to try the other shade (Champagne Problems) to see if I prefer it. This product has 180 reviews on birchbox.co.uk and all are pretty solid 4-5 stars so I think it’s just me disliking the shade! SCORE: 9/10 for quality; 5/10 for the shade.
2. Cochine White Jasmine & Gardenia Hand & Body Lotion (full size £19.00 on birchbox.co.uk) – this is a no for me because of the scent. Smells like fancy restaurant loos. I think this lotion is what hotels / bars would purchase for their fancy toilets and that’s great! I would use it if it was by their sink. I am not a fan of Yasmin scent anyway and I prefer sweet vanilla / coconut scents when it comes to body lotions and shower creams. Lotion itself leaves skin feeling silky smooth and is absorbed quickly but it is all about the scent unfortunately. I would consider other Cochine scents but I am not sure I would pick any of them as I don’t mix home fragrances with body lotions. If I had a fancy guest toilet I would repurchase. SCORE: 4/10 for the scent; 9/10 for quality
3. Number 4 Lumiere d’Hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect (full size £20.00 on birchbox.co.uk) – I loved this product and have used it up already! ‘Strengthening, repairing, de-tangling, great at taming flyway ends as well as nourishing and protecting, it’s a brilliant all-rounder.’ Yup – tick, tick, tick, tick. It does what it says. And I love the scent, can’t describe it but it has a hint of vanilla (I think). I have rather oily roots and this product is perfect as it conditions my hair without leaving it greasy. If that’s not enough it is also 100% Vegan, gluten-free, sulphate-free and paraben-free. Will repurchase eventually, not now as the price is a bit steep and I am on ‘no shopping’ mission for 30 days. SCORE: 10/10 
4. Doux Me Comforting Scrub Mask (full size £18.00 on birchbox.co.uk) – I didn’t love this because I like my skincare to leave my face feeling fresh and I love masks that pull my skin and I can really feel them working, while this mask is kind of sweet (it does contain Apricot oil, Roman chamomile and marshmallow extracts after all!). It left my face feeling almost sugary. It is a nice product but not for me. I will use the travel size product but won’t be repurchasing. Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel is my solution to dead skin cells. SCORE: 6/10
5. Spectrum Collections Tulip Powder Brush (£10.00 on birchbox.co.uk) – I think this is the brush I received but I am struggling to tell because mine isn’t numbered!! Anyway – I am 99.9% sure it is. Other Spectrum brushes are available on birchbox.co.uk. I am a sucker for brushes, I have lots of them, including MAC, bareMinerals and some Real Techniques but I have 2-3 favourites and I struggle to give them up and replace. I tried this brush for my contouring needs the other day and it’s nice. I am looking forward to taking it out in my clutch bag on Saturday because it is so pretty I think it might get some compliments! I won’t be using as my main contouring brush I don’t think as I prefer angled contour brushes. SCORE: 8/10 

What I really love about Birchbox is that all full size products can be purchased on thier website. It makes it easy for everyone but especially for beauty bloggers who spend so much time looking for best prices, availability etc to include links in their posts. Some items I have received in Glossyboxes in the past aren’t even available in the UK which is annoying. I also love Birchbox’s website, it is just so 2016!

I have unsubscribed while I am trialing out different beauty box subscriptions (can’t afford them all!) but I might come back in the future because I like what I see and I see what I like!

Love,

Mari x

GLOSSYBOX FEBRUARY 2016

Hi All & Happy Nearly Weekend!

First of all, I wanted to say that I am aware of many Glossybox reviews / unboxing videos and posts etc and I am also aware that many of you will scroll over my post and won’t read it. I can’t really help it because I also ignore most Glossybox/Birchbox reviews and read one or maybe two each month: a) to see if I agree with the reviews; b) for some inspiration (yes, I don’t always think of everything myself and reading other blogs helps, it doesn’t mean I copy paste). I also only read posts / reviews that have some more information than just ‘I am yet to try this but it looks gorgeous’. What I like to read is what other bloggers think are better alternatives or what the item may replace in their beauty collections. I also like to know if they think they will repurchase and how long products last. When it comes to Glossybox reviews I don’t always look for this information as I have the same products and can judge for myself but if I wasn’t a subscriber I would want to know more than just ‘it looks nice’. I would also want to see the emphasis on products and not the box because I may only want to buy one of the products.

So I hope my post lives to my own high expectations. All of the above is also reason I review things 3-4 weeks after receiving them, it gives me a chance to see the real pros and cons and long term benefits. I am very impatient with some things but most of the time I will wait, it is easy to write something on the spur of the moment & I have done it before – it isn’t always the full or true picture though and very rarely product is so amazing I can tell immediately!

February’s Glossybox was my 12th Glossybox and it was going to be my last one. Now, this is where I have to make a confession and admit that I re-subscribed yesterday and will be receiving my March box next week. No panic because ‘no shopping’ challenge still stands. I did say I will be receiving one beauty box this month however this box from Look Incredible isn’t arriving this month as they sold out (I am very disappointed btw!) so I decided to substitute with my good old favourite. Maybe I am just not meant to leave Glossybox club EVER! Anyway.. Back to February edition – it was a great Valantine Day’s themed box and I won’t go on about the box itself because it’s not like you can get the box now if you wanted to. You can however get the 5 products that were in February’s box if you like what you see.

 

1. Wilkinsons Sword Intuition (£6.49 in Boots but currently half price) – I have never used Wilkinson and have been Gillette Venus kinda girl since I can remember (i.e. since started shaving, i.e. 12 years ago or so!). BUT, I am a convert & will be purchasing some blades! Razor is a razor, I don’t care about moisturising bar, convenient to hold etc. I mean they are great extras but there is something about those blades!! My legs have never been so smooth. That is all. Bye Gillette! Will be repurchasing and stocking up on blades! SCORE: 10/10

2. Naobay Protective Hair Mask Volume Conditioner (in the UK available from sellers on eBay) – this is my 3rd Naobay product (all 3 came from Glossybox). And unfortunately – is my least favourite. I loved the calming face toner and loved the moisturising peeling milk but this hair mask just doesn’t do it for me. It smells ok, kinda citrusy which is not my cup of tea. My favourite hair mask (also introduced to me via Glossybox) is Maria Nila Luminous Colour Masque (£8.99). Naobay mask in my opinion simply doesn’t do anything, it works as a conditioner I guess but it doesn’t leave my hair soft and smooth which is what I want from a conditioner / hair mask. It does give my hair some volume but I don’t need volume, I have naturally thick bouncy hair. If I loved the scent (which I don’t) I would use it but I think this one is going to friends/family/who-wants-it box. Not going to repurchase. SCORE: 6/10

3. The Vintage Cosmetic Company Floral Slanted Tweezers (£8.00 0n feelunique.com) – these are really pretty tweezers but they are a bit chunky and stiff. I actually plucked my eyelid skin with them the other day. I have a good mirror, 5 x magnification, LED lights and I am not clumsy. These tweezers are just too chunky for me. Also I am VERY careful not to over pluck my eyebrows and love very precise tweezers for that reason. I think they are not bad but it’s what you are used to and my other tweezers are much slimmer so I am not used to holding these. The tips are sharp and slanted and they are stainless steel but are they worth £8? Not in my opinion. Will keep these is my make up bag but won’t repurchase. My favourite precision tweezers are ones that came with Benefit Brow Zings eyebrow shaping kit. SCORE: 7/10

4. NICKA K NEW YORK 24H Waterproof Eyeliner in Dark Brown – I reviewed this in one or two other posts (for various reasons) and didn’t wait 4 weeks but an eyeliner for me is a yes or a no after 1 use. Simple. This one is a yes. It came in dark brown which I have fallen in love with, black has always been too much for my light green eyes. It has built in sharpener and smudger which is great because I love the smokey eye look and not the precise line. It stays in place for maybe not 24 hours but at least 10 from when I leave the house in the morning (8:30ish) until I get back home (6ish). Will repurchase if I can find somewhere to buy it in the UK. I usually struggle with eyeliners staying in place for more than an hour so I really hope I do find this one on Amazon or ebay as it is the only pencil eyeliner that stays put. SCORE: 9/10

5. MUA Power Pout Glaze Low Voltage Gloss in Hush (£3.50 on muastore.co.uk) – again I reviewed this in my other post and lipstick/lipgloss too is a yes or a no after 1-2 uses. This one is a maybe. It gives a fairly natural but sexy pout and isn’t too sticky. But a little bit sticky. I am not a fan of lipglosses in general so I don’t want to be too judgemental as it is a decent lipgloss as far ad they go. I won’t be repurchasing but I also won’t be giving away and will use now and then. It’s a handy shade to have. I don’t have a favourite lipgloss but if you want that sexy pout / shine I recommend Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss Top Coat. SCORE: 7/10

Overall, February’s Glossybox was not the best nor the worst. I think all 5 were good quality products but not all were to my taste. I have found 2 gems and will be keeping the lipgloss. Tweezers might save me one day when they are the only ones to hand and Naobay hair mask / conditioner will find a good home I’m sure. For £10 I think this box was worth it, as they usually are. As I said I don’t want to keep going on about the box as they are no longer available (March box is though and if you are not a Glossy yet you can subscribe here) but I definitely recommend Wilkinson Sword Intuition Razor and Nicka K Waterproof Eyeliner if you can find it online.

 

Love,

Mari xx

NOTHING NEW FOR A MONTH

Evening beautiful people!

We all know blogging can become a little addictive and a little expensive especially when it’s just a hobby and not a career. I have been spoilt with a Christmas beauty hamper which is still on the go and I haven’t even tried half of the stuff but I have also had a few months of buying lots of new things and subscribing to different beauty boxes so I am sampled out and my drawers and storage boxes are full of things to try and review. I have therefore decided to buy absolutely nothing new for the next 30 days. Starting today. There are a few essentials on my list that I am allowed to buy if I run out but nothing over £5. No new make up, no new accessories, no shoes or clothes either, nothing new for the flat, no magazines (this way I can’t substitute beauty products with other nice things). I am currently subscribed to Look Incredible beauty box which will be the only £18.99 I spend in March. I am keeping this subscription because as part of this challenge / experiment I also want to see if it’s possible to only live off one beauty box per month and nothing else (bear in mind this beauty box guarantees 5 full size products), so be it a shampoo or a mascara, I want to see if I can only spend £18.99 per month on beauty.

On my list of essentials that I’m allowed to buy are: toothpaste, wet wipes, nail polish remover, shower gel, deodorant. You get the gist! Absolute essentials that don’t normally come in beauty boxes / gift hampers. No shampoos even because I have a few to try, no face washes, moisturisers or mascaras! Nothing. I hope to save a bit of money and will report on the outcome on 23rd March.

I have to mention that I am going to be attending Glamour Beauty Feastival on 12th March but the goodie bag and any other freebies I receive will remain unopened until 23rd because otherwise I am cheating on ‘only one beauty box per month’ part of the experiment. It will be difficult to not be able to buy anything at the festival but on the other hand – bloody good timing because I could’ve potentially ended up spending a lot of money!!

To keep my blog going and keep you lot entertained I will be reviewing the below items plus many more that are either unopened and waiting to be used or some of my favourites that I haven’t mentioned yet.

I love shopping & have never not bought anything for a month so wish me luck!

Are you giving anything up for lent?

WAVES, CURLS AND KINKS

My hair is naturally straight as an arrow. I used to have kind of wavy, natural looking hair and would straighten it all the time when I was younger so I think my hair just decided to stay straight (if that’s even possible) and it is no longer wavy, it is so straight I try to wear it in a messy bun before I go out so it gains some shape and volume!! Straight hair might not exactly be a thing of the 00’s but it kind of is. I don’t even have a decent hair straightener anymore because I couldn’t possibly want to make my hair any straighter.

Ok, I actually have Jose Eber Wet Dry Flat Iron that comes at whopping £129.00 in Selfridges but I hardly use it, don’t think it is that good and am seriously considering flogging it on ebay. This is my second ever hair straightener or flat iron as it’s officially called. My previous one was from Remington and particular model is no longer available to purchase but Remington is my favourite brand for hair appliances and I would buy any of these if I needed a good hair straightener. My first ever Remington lasted me 10 years!! GHD are of course known for their exceptional hair appliances and are used by many hair stylists but I don’t know what all the fuss is about, their designs are great and I guess their classic styler was the first straightener with small and very thin plates making it a curling / styling wand as well as straightener but this style is now also available from Remington (and other brands) and I truly believe Remington straighteners are the best. Most of my friends had GHDs throughout college / uni and when they would  be getting ready at mine they would always use my Remington.

Jose Eber Wet Dry Flat Iron (£129.00)

That’s however my opinion and not everyone might agree (I also haven’t used that many different brands) so if you want to learn more about hair straighteners and for some great suggestions I recommend reading this.

You might wonder why I bought Jose Eber Flat Iron then? Well, I didn’t plan to. I was after a curling wand and was browsing  in Selfridges when I got pulled aside by Jose Eber representative from their pop-up store in London Selfridges. She used Jose Eber 19mm Curling Iron with Cool Tip (also available in 25 and 32mm) to curl my hair and the result was amazing. Cool tip is great for holding onto the wand and various sizes are great for different hair lengths and thickness. Currently this curling iron doesn’t appear to be available on Selfridges website but they might have them in store. This curler also comes with a heat resistant glove. As I was about to purchase the above curling iron sales rep introduced me to Wet Dry Flat Iron and said I could have both for £200 instead or £250. As my Remington straightener was a little (just a little) old and I loved the curling iron I gave in and purchased both. So that’s the story of my Jose Eber straightener. I don’t hate the straightener but I just don’t think it is THAT good. You are meant to be able to use it on wet hair without damaging it, never mind the smoke coming from your hair when you do that (ouch!). It is great because it takes me ages to dry my hair so when I do occasionally use hair straightener this one does the job, at £129 I wouldn’t recommend it though. Curling iron – yes, 100%! It takes a while to do my whole head (I have VERY thick hair and it was shorter when I bought the curler so maybe 25mm would be better right now) but the end result it great and the glove and cool tip are great little extras. SCORE: 8/10 for curlers and 6/10 for straighteners 

Jose Eber 19mm Curling Iron with Cool Tip (£109.00)

This leads me onto why I recently purchased Babyliss Salon Deep Waves (currently £37.00 on babyliss.co.uk). I kid you not this thing is magic! My hair is thick and heavy and even when I get an evening do done at the salon it just ‘falls apart’ within hours. It’s annoying hence I rarely bother doing anything with my hair – it takes too long to style but lasts 5 seconds. However, I used my Babyliss Salon Deep Waves for the first time last night and believe it or not I am sat here with my hair still wavy. And it took me about 10 minutes to complete the look! This wand looks a bit odd and I expected it to be chunky and impractical. Well it’s not, it comes in a lovely box and it is not much bigger than any other straightener / curler. It also comes with a cute little black heat wrap. It is ready in 30 seconds and has 3 heat settings for different hair types. It also has a cool tip making it easy to hold onto. No gloves with this one but I didn’t feel like I needed a glove as you just press this onto your hair. It is difficult to explain how to use it but click here for a video (you will need to scroll down to get the look tab).

I am in love with Babyliss Salon Deep Waves! Below are pictures of my hair last night and this morning (excuse the bed head but I want you to see that waves are still there). This wand is so easy to use and the end result – really natural looking waves (not to replace your curler because this look is more beach hair sexy/casual than glamorous)! It is a bargain too that comes with 5 year guarantee.

Babyliss Salon Deep Waves (£37.00)

Morning after

Evening photo 1