Birchbox May 2013 Unboxing & Review

Yes I know I know this was meant to be up  week ago and things just got in the way and I felt super uninspired and had no idea what to blog about but here it is my Birchbox for May finally!!

I really wasn't as impressed with this box as I was with Glossybox this month because well let just put it out there it was a flipping amazing! There are a few products I will use from this box but some items I just find pointless.

 A sneak peak at the goodies...

OPI Nail Lacquer - Unknown Color. Price: £11.50

As we all know I am a nail polish junkie and do love OPI but I refuse to pay £11.50 for nail polish when I can get China Glaze or Nicole by OPI for so much cheaper. Its a super pretty pink so it will be perfect for the spring/summer even if it is raining like crazy here!

Elemental Herbology - Cell Plumping Facial Moisturiser SPF8. Price: £42

Ok lets just start with the name it asounds like its something out of Harry Potter lol 

Anyway I love trying out moisturisers so I am pretty excited about this, I haven't tried anything that is described as cell plumping though so it will be interesting to see what it does to my face. Also big plus is SPF although only 8 its still in there.

B/Attitude - Body Souffle. Price: £24

I have recently really been getting into body lotions and moisturisers etc and I will def be trying this out and see how it works for £24 I am hoping it is crazy amazing! For me that is a lot just to spend on a body souffle but we will have to see if it is really worth it. 

I personally not a big fan of the smell but if it doesn't linger for to long it should be great.

Makebelieve  Enhance - Lipgloss. Price: £7.50

I was so excited to see this in this months box I have received products from Makeblieve before from another beauty box and I really do like this brand and the fact that its a lip product is well awesome! I have worn this a few times and looks so pretty over the top of a nude lipstick gives a really nice glossy look with a little added sparkle. LOVE this!!

*BEAUTY EXTRA*

Doctor Duve - Anti-Aging & Firming Eye Cream. Price: £115

I have recieved these like 3-4 time before and havent used them and probably wont use these they will just get thrown in my sample draw. Ill be honest though even if I did like the product no way in hell would I pay £115 for an eye cream......Just Saying.

*LIFESTYLE EXTRA*

Kusmi Tea - Detox Tea. Price: £13.85

I know I have complained about this in the past but I really hate when these beauty boxes send tea out I don't get it is not beauty related even if it is a detox tea just no lol. I do like the tin though so I will probably keep that for my perfume samples or bobby pins.

So thats everything from this months box again so sorry its late but better late than never :) 

 

XOXO

Nicole by OPI Now in Superdrug!!

Image Credit: www.superdrug.com

Unless you take regular trips to TK Maxx or have been to the US in the last few years you might not have seen Nicole by OPI before. Either way they have finally landed in the UK and we all know I am a nail polish whore lol I really like OPI as a brand they really do have some great quality polish but the £11+ price tag we have over here just isn't for me. 

The really great thing about Nicole by OPI is that although still a little pricey at £7.99 they are more in the drugstore price range. 

Image Credit: www.superdrug.com

I am so freaking excited to see these I do own a set of mini's from the Kardashian collection that I picked up at TK Maxx and the quality of the polish is still just as good even with the cheaper price tag.

The Nicole range hasn't released as many collections but You can still pick up their regular range and the Modern Family collection so far :)

I will have to check out the 2 superdrug stores I have by my work and see what goodies I can pick up :)

 

XOXO

UK vs USA: Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara

As someone who travels to the USA as much as I can over the years I have come across a lot of products over there that we don't get here in the UK. Things like Maybelline Baby Lips, Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation just to name 2 and there are a ton of brands we don't get here either like Milani, Hard Candy, Wet 'n' Wild, Physicians Formula and so many more.

Every now and again we get lucky and they finally bring a product out here that has been out in the US going on 2 years, which to me is really strange because we still do get a lot of the same products launched at the same time but a few they just don't bother with. They happen to be the ones I usually really want to get my hands on though haha.

The Maybelline Mega Plush has just come to the UK and I thought it would be a good thing to blog about and see if there are any difference in the US and the UK versions.

I will point out this mascara is one of my favorites I have 2 back ups and I have 2 currently being used plus now the UK one I have.

As you can see they do have some difference between the 2 not huge just the packaging it self is different which isn't surprising they are going to market it differently to different countries. The tube as well has some difference and I find that with a lot of Maybelline mascara's here have the same look they are more pointed at the top and bottom opposed to the US one that is very flat which is great for standing the product up on a vanity.

Now onto the wands...

USA

UK

 At first look the wands to look pretty similar and they are with just a few subtle differences. I find that the UK wand is a little bit short and not a plump as the US one and because of the slightly different handle is a little harder to apply but nothing major. When applying the mascara they both go on really nicely and they are both super buildable so if you want the more subtle and coverage you just need to apply one coat if you want to build it up to give more of a false lash look just add a few more coats. 

Here is the finished look.

 UK

 USA

They do look pretty much the same but I do find the US one does win out with giving that little bit extra volume!

So If you are a UK girlie and had seen this product raved about in the USA and wanted to try it seriously go out and buy it it is well worth it. Some may wonder why I have done the comparison between the 2 when they are the same product, honestly for someone who is in the US a reasonable amount of time throughout the year you see a lot of products not just makeup and then when it finally makes its way over to the UK it can be completely different with the stupid laws that stop certain things being used in products or how certain things are illegal here in the UK or the US even *Cough* Mt Dew & Kinder Eggs *Cough*

Would you be interested to see other comparison as they come out to the UK? let me know down below :)

 

XOXO

Review/Haul: Lush Uplifted Gift Box, Up Up and Away!

2 weekends ago was my birthday and part of my gift from my sister was the uplifted gift box from Lush, this was my first ever time I'd tried anything from Lush I have always saw how hyped it all was. Plus every time I walked past the store I always wanted to go in and see what it was about but the smell is well a little overwhelming to say the least and it always seemed it was Bath bombs and nothing else. Little did I know it was a whole lot more than just that.

The Uplifted gift box is a mixture of shower, face and soap and I love it all!

"The idea of this gift was to have a contents and design that would leave you feeling uplifted! Are you allergic to early mornings? Or feeling a little down in the dumps. Turn those frowns upside-down and open up this happy, carefree box of goodies."

 All of the lovely goodies :)

1. Bohemian Soap.

I am not a huge bar of soap kinda person I much prefer body wash or liquid soap, I just find that bars of soap are so much hassle to use and store. This though OMG it smells amazing, it has a heavy scent of lemons but its not over powering just a really great fresh citrus scent. leaves skin feeling super soft to.

2. Happy Hippy Shower Gel.

This is probably my favorite from the whole box it smells of yummy grapefruit and lathers really nice when using it. I have been using this pretty much every time I shower since I opened it and the product never seems to go down in the little 100g bottle, I'm pretty sure it will be a long time before I need to repurchase this and I will def be doing that!

3. Dirty Springwash Shower Gel.

This honestly has to be the worst smelling body wash I have ever smelt. Really not a fan I will probably only use it if I don't have anything else or I'll take it with me when I travel because it really is a grate size for that. The scent is a combination of spearmint and menthol now I do love spearmint unfortunately just not in this case.

4. Whoosh Shower Jelly.

Ok so to me this is a whole new concept I have never heard of shower jelly until now and honestly it totally confuses me on how this works from what I have read. People say it doesn't lather or disappear, so what do I do throw it out? put it back in the pot? I feel like I am being really freaking stupid over this lol. Anyway Love Love Love the scent a mixture of Lime, Lemon, Grapefruit and Rosemary lucky you don't get to much of the come across in the smell it is dominantly a citrus scent which is very much ok with me :).

 

5. Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub.

Again this is something I had never used or really come across until this gift box and I must say I am a fan so far. I am not loving to scent to me it smell very plasticish (yes I'm aware that not a word) but still bearable and ones you rub it in you really don't smell it to much. I only really used this on my knees and ankles before applying moisturizer with fake tan in it and it worked really really well! You get a pretty big tub and a little goes a long way really does leave skin super soft.

6. Ocean Salt Facial Scrub.

This right here has pretty much become my holy grail of face products recently, I kid you not the results that this gives are fantastic! I have very dry skin and it can be pretty sensitive at time, with this being a salt scrubs I was kind of worried that it would irritate that and make it worse but I was so wrong.  I found when I first use it I was a little heavy handed and applied a little to much so you really don't need as much as you might first think. I do apply all over the face but I really focus my attention on my nose, cheeks and forehead those are my problem areas, since using this my skin has felt so much softer and my makeup glides on so much nicer.

All in all I am pretty much in love with this gift box of goodies and so happy I have discovered the wonderful world of lush products.

Seeing as I am new to the world of Lush is there any products you think I really must try??

 

XOXO

Glossybox Turns 2!! May 2013 Unboxing & Review

As the title to this post says Glossybox turned 2 this month and you know what that means.... BIRTHDAY BOX!! Some may remember last years birthday box some pretty great products and the thing everyone remembers was the balloon they threw in there.

I was pretty impressed with the first birthday box but this one knocked that outta the park I LOVE everything that I got in my box this month! 

Also another amazing thing about this box everything is FULL SIZE!!

 

  Super freaking cute tissue paper this month!!

 

  A Quick look at the products....

Awapuhi Wild Ginger - Shine Spray. Price: £18.95 for 125ml - www.paul-mitchell.co.uk/awapuhi

Its a hair product so of course I am going to be excited to try this out, now I have tried a hair treatment by Awapuhi before and I LOVE it so I really hope that this does disappoint! "Used by Hawaiian Natives to nourish and moisturise skin and hair, leaving hair types soft, silky and hydrated" I myself have very dry hair due to previous use of dye and heat so if it does all those things I will have found my new favorite product!

Collection - Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black. Price: £2.99 for 6 ml - www.collectioncosmetics.co.uk

I have just recently started getting back into using liquid liner I predominantly just use pencil liners, then every now and again use liquid to fail at doing a winged liner haha. I have never had a problem with the collection brand so I think this is going to be a hit!

Jelly Pong Pong - Fairy Lashes Mascara. Price: £15 - www.jellypongpong.com

Total Mascara Junkie right here!! I know some will hate the fact that I don't pay attention to the whole I have to throw away my mascara every 6 months but its just something I love to buy and change up regularly. I am so glad to receive one in a box, I usually go for the voluminous and lengthening types and well this really don't do a whole lot for my lashes but it does give a nice look for if I am not wanting to go to over the top.

Headline Colors - Pool Side Party Nail Polish in Gunmetal. Price: £9 for 10ml - www.headlinecolors.com

ok are you started to see why I am loving this box!! I can never have enough nail polish and even though this isn't a very spring/summer color I will still wear it no matter what the color looks so pretty on and only takes one coat!

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics - Prime & Create Mixing Medium. Price: £20 for 20g - www.beautifulmovementscosmetics.com

This I think was the most intriguing of everything that came in the box, this aloe vera based gel is designed to be used for turning power makeup into cream from foundation & blush to eye shadow pigments. I plan on trying it out with some pigments I have been using them a lot recently and id love to see how it can improve the application of them. I will probably go a review or update after I have tried it out :)

With it being the birthday box these are just some little extras they threw in some Glossybox nail files & Green and Black's chocolate. I think it was a nice little touch.

So that's everything for this months Glossybox keep an eye out my video it will be up very soon :)

Are you subscribed to Glossybox? what did you get this month? Let me know Id love to see some of the other products that went out.

If you aren't already signed up to Glossybox but would like to click Here

 

XOXO

Freshly Pinned!

These are some of my fave pins I've pinned recently and as most know I am pretty addicted to Pinterest I cant get enough of it :)

Also I'm linking up with Michelle over at The Vintage Apple (Btw how cute is that blog name)

If you'd like to follow me click here :)

 

XOXO

Mini MAC Haul + Swatches

If you hadn't seen I went shopping on my Birthday and spent a stupid amount of money at MAC and when I got home I realized the lady who served me missed the one thing I really wanted off of the list I gave her. One thing that annoyed me most about her though was the way she looked at me when I asked for the products I bought like I couldn't afford it, yes I look young and yes it was a lot of money to spend on makeup but don't look down on me because of that.

Anyway the other day I decided to put an order in with MAC online to get the item she missed off and a few other pieces :)

The 3 Items I ordered are: Pro Long Wear Paint Pots in: Mooncake (Baking Beauties Collection) & Let Me Pop, Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Behave Yourself.

I also order another Concealer but didn't see the point in taking pictures of that :)

Though I'd throw in some swatches :)

If you'd like to see what else I picked up from MAC on my Birthday check the video out:

XOXO