February Glossybox, my last for a while!

It's Glossybox time again!! I always look forward to this time of the month and the surprises in store when I get the post. My last box wasn't very impressive but this one definitely makes up for it! I received three full sized products, two smaller sized ones and chocolate! What more could a girl want! 

Giovanni Eco Chic Cosmetics shampoo, conditioner and leave in conditioner

Ciate Nail Colour in Kiss Chase

Maybelline ColorSensational Stripped Nudes Lipstick

Nougat London Sparkling Body Shimmer

Eldora Eyelashes H144

Lindt Lindor Treat Bar

What a fantastic box!! Obviously fits the valentine theme and I love the lips design and pink bow. This month is my last Glossybox as my sixth month subscription has come to an end :( but I may give in and buy another one! 

I really wanted to buy some Eldora eyelashes so I am really looking forward to trying these out. I'm awful at putting lashes on myself and good at putting them on other people but I want these lashes all to myself! I haven't ever found the perfect nude lipstick so I tend to shy away from them but hopefully this will be the one I've been looking for! Being a Beauty Therapist, I have countless nail polishes but I have never used Ciate. I received a lovely pink colour that reminds me of OPI Elephantastic Pink, which is my favourite ever colour. It's quite a warm pink so hopefully it will suit my skintone or it will be another one given to my sister! :) I am intrigued by the sparkling body shimmer and may be useful more in summer as I can imagine it will look nice on top of a gorgeous tan. Lastly (as I ate the chocolate whilst writing this) is the Giovanni Eco Chic Cosmetics shampoo and conditioner. It contains all natural ingredients which should be good for me as I tend to get an itchy scalp with some hair care products so watch this space! 

Xx

Products I'm loving February 2014

Being someone that is very much into all things beauty related, I'm always buying new products and rediscovering old favourites. My skin is generally combination although my t-zone is incredibly oily and I suffer with random dry patches/sometimes eczema through the colder months. 

This month I have been using a variety of products really, I always use my faithful Bioderma Sensibio H2O to cleanse my face in the mornings and remove my makeup in the evenings. It's great, I love it and it manages to get through the layers of makeup to reveal my skin in a few swipes of a cotton wool pad. I buy the 500ml size as needless to say I get through a bottle at super high speed (I buy it from escentual.com). 

I recently bought the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner after reading endless blog posts about it and decided that I must write one too! I am ashamed to say I am actually Clarins trained and worked at a salon with Clarins products readily at my fingertips for 2 years but didn't explore many of the products for myself. Slapped wrist for me! Exfoliating my skin once or twice a week is great for my body as I wear fake tan almost all the time but my face flares up if I scrub it with an Exfoliator containing bits. At the same time I don't feel that enzyme or fruit acid peels do anything amazing either. This is where Clarins come in. I wipe my face over with the Brightening Toner a few times a week and to my surprise it makes my skin feel soft and look less dull and tired. 

I'm also loving my Elizabeth Arden lip balm which I wear at night to soothe my incredibly dry lips which I spend all day licking and nervously chewing! Bad habit I know. 

Hair- I can't get enough of my Milkshake Leave In Conditioner and my tangle teaser. My hair falls just below my bra strap and takes a fair amount of time to brush as it knots very quickly. The leave in conditioner smells like milk bottle sweets so i spray very liberally on my hair to get my sugar fix. Tangle Teasers are one of the best things ever invented, I still haven't quite worked out how they manage to de-tangle my mop with not so much a scream or swear word! 

Xx

Anatomicals Puffy the eye bag slayer

You will see from a previous post (if you read it haha) that I received these eye patches in my Glossybox. I promptly put them on as I had just showered etc so thought why not Multi task and blog while wearing them, genius I know! So the bright spark that I am opened the pack upside down so the liquid leaked all over my hands and the sofa but it wasn't sticky at all! The pack is pretty self explanatory and easy to follow if you're a bit slow on the uptake like me, you basically peel the pads out of the plastic moulds and place them under your eyes (consult the diagram on the pack if you got a little confused which way they go on-yes I'm that stupid). 

Good points- solution not sticky, has a pleasant smell to it, actually stick to my face while I look down and type but really easy to get off. It's almost like they're just lightly suctioned to my face. Also stayed on through a sneezing fit! 

Bad points- perhaps a little too much solution although I understand this is needed to keep the pads soaked, texture creeps me out a little but I am the girl who hates touching Playdoh and other random things! 

It says on the pack to keep the pads on for 30 minutes to reduce the appearance of fine lines and revitalise the skin around my eyes. 

Verdict- my eyes feel hydrated and awakened! I'm going to give the other pack to my boyfriend to try when he gets home from work, I'm nice like that! :) The pads retail for £6.00 for a 3 pack which I think is a reasonable price and I definitely would use them again. 

Xx

Professional Beauty London 2014

Every year me and a few of my beauty therapist friends get the train into London to Excel for the Professional Beauty Show. It is always in February around the same dates, this year it is 23-24 February (Sunday and Monday) with it also being their Silver Anniversary celebrations. We always look forward to going as we never know who we are going to see and get to talk to and obviously pick up a few bargains along the way! As well as some stands retailing, there is also the chance to have a sneak peak at new product and equipment launches and the main exhibitors never fail to disappoint. This year we will see Decleor showcasing a new product- Aromessence Super Serum which I would love to get my hands on at a later date. I used to work in a salon that used and sold Decleor products so I readily got my hands on their gorgeous range of serums and oils which they are renowned for so I can't wait to hear all about it (and hopefully get to test it!). We always pay Elemis a visit and they are launching a facial machine this year, their first one so I'm intrigued to see if it differs from others I have see and used. 

With Professional Beauty being the UK's largest beauty show, there is lots to see. I am looking forward to seeing:

*OPI .... Obviously!! This is always packed with bargain hunters! 

*NYX Cosmetics- we always head here first as last year it was PACKED!!

*Leighton Denny Expert Nails- I really hope Leighton is there as he is always fun to watch and doesn't mind us picking his brains

*Australian Bodycare- love love love their Tea Tree Skinwash and Hand and Body Lotion

*Eve Taylor, Elemis, Decleor, Royal and Langnickel Brushes, Morgan Taylor and Louella Belle are also on my list but we do walk around all of the stands for a nosey! 

If you have never been before I would definitely recommend it. It's a great day out whether it's with friends or work colleagues, just register online for free if you're in the trade and your ticket will be sent to you in the post or via email a week or so before the event. Let me know if you're going and what bargains you manage to find! 

Xx

Tanya Burr Lips and Nails Launch 30th jan

So it's official countdown time to the release of the first beauty collection from YouTube sensation Tanya Burr. I have watched Tanya's makeup tutorials on and off for about a year or so, finding them through Pixiwoo. For those of you who have been living under a rock, Pixiwoo are sisters Sam and Nic Chapman who have achieved success through YouTube and more recently Sam's makeup brush line Real Techniques (a firm favourite in my pro kit). Tanya is engaged to Sam and Nic's brother Jim and was trained by the Pixiwoo sisters on one of their week long makeup courses in Norwich. 

The collection is made up of 12 lipglosses and 10 nail polishes and launches at 6pm GMT on feelunique.com. The great thing about this collection is all items willbe between £6-£8 so I will definitely be picking up more than a couple of the lipglosses to try! I haven't seen the full nail colour range yet but I spied the lip colours over on British Beauty Blogger's blog so head on over for a sneak peak until you can get your hands on the real thing! 

Xx

A Very Late January Glossybox

Not sure if I have said it but happy new year! I've been super busy throughout January so I neglected the blog a lot ( I feel terrible). I feel like I should have a lot of things to blog about but I have writers block again. Some bloggers write about every day things and days out etc but I haven't done anything worth sharing really! I need some excitement in my life! This came temporarily in the form of my most recent Glossybox which arrived later than usual but I think that was because of the Christmas one arriving late. I didn't mind although I did worry that it got sent to the wrong address or lost in the post!

I have to say I wasn't expecting much in this box because I got some good sized products in the December one and I have read online that quite a few people have been disappointed with this month's offering. 

I first noticed how small everything in the box is and I know they don't have to be big to be expensive but I was a little disappointed I have to say. I received tweezers from The Vintage Cosmetic Company, Vaseline Essential Moisture Body Lotion, Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash, two Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Creams and two sets of Anatomicals Eye Patches. Don't get me wrong, the tweezers will be useful for my kit and who doesn't love body wash and lotion right? I am just a little under whelmed this month but I look forward to what February's box will bring. Now for some eye patch testing.....

Xx

New Years Eve

Happy New Year! How did you celebrate? I stayed at home with my boyfriend which may sound boring but it was our first New Year's Eve alone in 6 and a half years and was really lovely to relax and enjoy ourselves. I was supposed to cook but couldn't be bothered so we got a takeaway instead and cracked open a bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne to toast at midnight. It was a really nice evening! 

As usual it's awful lighting so I will recreate this makeup look at some point so you can see it properly as it was really glittery and gorgeous. Here's a list of the makeup anyway-

Monu Illuminating Primer, Mac Studio Sculpt foundation with a little Illamasqua Skinbase mixed in, Mac concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Mac Harmony Blush as contour, Mac Stay Pretty blush, Benefit High Beam highlighter. Eyes- Mac Paintpot in Bare Study, Bobbi Brown quad of shadows over lid and crease, Avon Supershock Liner in waterline and tightline, Mac Pressed Pigment patted on lid, Benefit They're Real Mascara. Lips- Mac stone lip liner, NYX lipgloss. 

Outfit- black skirt from New Look, top from H&M, necklace H&M. 

Xx