Hotel empties - April 2024

 I go away with work most months, so like to do a pamper evening when I'm installed in my room after tea time. This month was no different. 

I also count my beauty empties over on instagram, aiming for one per day (from samples to full sized) so it's helpful to have an evening like this where items get used up. 

First up was the Verso daily glow tinted with vit c and retinol, a sort of primer and moisturiser and tinted base all in one. I liked this as a make up underlayer, it felt nice on my skin, but £40 for 30ml is pricey. I can't compare it with anything similar other than perhaps a 50% Clinique gel cream but this had more colour to it and went a long way. It was a good product to use on a light make up day if you fancied wearing on its own as it gave my skin a feeling of protection, a shield if you like. 

Now the Nuxe face oil - I loved every minute of this, and would love to use it again. A drop goes for miles. Lasted me a month this tiny tube. I have raved in an earlier post about this so won't go on any longer. 

Avon foot exfoliating pack - not sure if this will result in a delayed peel! It had that smell to it and the skin on my feet felt a bit tight after using. I'm ready for it if that does happen. 

Liquid soap Blender cleanser - used this on an egg sponge, shocking what comes out of them (wasted product!) 

And finally, to make up the total of five, a tooth strip - whitening, apparently, waiting for results...

April 2024 Look Fantastic Box

 I still get this box every month, love the little surprises it contains so I thought I'd review it again. 

Lots in this month's box.. 

1. Squalane Beauty pro face mask single use treatment

2. Elemis cleanser

3. Naked Skin blusher tube velvet blush by Ciate

4. Beauty Blender by Glov

5. Rituals body cream in the Ritual of Sakura 

6. Alien perfume sample

7. Volume blow dry spray by Paradox

My initial thoughts. I love all this and it will all get used, there is nothing that I did not want when I looked at it although the Alien perfume may be a bit strong but I will give it a go! 

What am I most excited to try? 

That Rituals body lotion - I think I've had the squirty shower gel before in the same scent and it was lovely so I can't wait to try it. 

Hair stuff

I will use the blow out spray, with root lift that is what I need with my flat hair. 

Cleanser

This always comes in handy, and it is a good brand. I like the travel sized samples as they can be easily transported when I am away.

What was the least item, most meh?

I won't get excited about the sponge (even though it will get used when my current sponge cannot be washed anymore) you have to watch these dense sponges as they can sometimes go mouldy and you don't want to be putting it on your face like that. I like the results but hate how much product they soak up especially when you use them damp and they are nice and squishy. You can't win with these!! But I still feel it will be useful. 

The blush... I hope I like this, and can get on with it using a wet cream blusher, the shade looks a bit darker than I would normally opt for and is called "fancy" but I still want to try it and see what results I can get from it. 

Here's a picture of all my new goodies, what a treat!

Box is priced £13 if you take out a 12 month subscription and free delivery if you sign up for the year. I don't think that's bad for what you get! 

What do you do with your hair?

 What do I do with my hair?

Not a lot to be honest! I do have my hair highlighted so try to protect it as much as I can. I find the Aussie shampoo and condition best for my hair and buy it when it is on offer. Product wise, I do currently use a combination of small amounts (my hair is super fine so can't cope with lots of product). 

John Frieda Frizz Ease serum pump dispenser.

WOW Dreamcoat supernatural spray transforms texture and fights humidity (this is especially good on holiday for me)

Ouai leave in conditioner 25ml

Other things I use are argon oil (I have lots of different ones) and Percy and Reed serum. This trio seem to work well together. I have a fabulous argon oil gel that came from Amazon and smells like candy floss buy my daughter made that one disappear (stole it) and it lives in her bedroom now but at least her hair looks and smells fabulous!

I'm using a plug in brush called revamp professional. It came on a pallet and I took to it but I do have other hair dryers upstair that I use (and other hair products) but I usually just dry it off a bit and then let the rest air dry, with thin hair it doesn't take long. My hair is weak and can't take much pulling with a proper blow dry as it just wants to snap off. It's shocking what comes out when I brush my hair, so I'm trying to hang on to as much as possible! 

Before

After

Honestly don't really faff with my hair much, prefer make up to hair stuff! 

PS. Sorry my mirror is FILTHY I must clean it!! 

I don't do makeup but I like yours, what should I buy and how should I use it?

 If someone asked you this question, how would you respond?

I don't do makeup but I like yours, what should I buy and how should I use it?

Well. I think they'd be pretty shocked at what 26+ years of research (I started young) and make up and skincare could lead to in terms of money spent and your collection of products, which can be overwhelming at times. I started off with budget buys and now am very spendy with the brands I like which could put a lot of newbies off. 

I mentioned skincare there, because no full face of makeup can last or look good without some skincare, prep and ongoing maintenance. I'm lucky that although I have combination skin, the oil keeps it looking younger that it should be and I use my skincare stash accordingly.

So, back to the beginning, I think I was around ten and already loved a dig through my mum's make up bag but she didn't have a lot and I remember one highlighter blush bronze 80s tin compact that she had used up one by one and left that shiny highlight until the last although she didn't really like it. It was a pot of that stage Leichner (I think) makeup that was the base, in a deep beige shade. I can remember what it all smelt like too. She had a tiny pink pot with fruit on it that had a pink sticky lip gloss inside it and I was obsessed with that so she let me keep the last few bits (I am sure my project pan and empties goes back to this time). 

Anyway around the age of ten, I used to visit car boots with my family and usually had a pound or two in change to spend. I remember buying a red set of make up brushes that came with a little pot, they were new in a plastic display. The man on the stall challenged me when I wanted to buy it (for 50p) and asked me what I would want that for and surely I was not old enough to be using make up. Ha! I did buy it though and treasured those brushes. I loved them, they were glam 80s red and there were six of them. I kept them in action for years as a kid. Fast forward to my 30s and it was the Real Techniques Sam and Nic set that were great quality. Anyway, I have amassed a quantity of brushes now, and stick to a few favourites from Bare Minerals as they are the good quality ones, and some short stubby ones from ByTerry.

You can already see that I'm invested in this. So the first bit the newbie must think about is a decent skincare range and make up removing product. I'm into face oils at the moment (see the last post about Nuxe) and then a nice light moisturisers and a primer before makeup. I would just try a few small samples first to figure out what your skin likes. I also add in brow and lash serums when I remember and I'm using The Ordinary right now for that but have Brow Genius by Anistasia ready to crack open soon, that packaging is impossibly glam.

Every good make up after skincare starts with a base and I'm loving all the glowy pre foundation bases at the moment. However you'll need a nice foundation for special make up days and the best way to figure this out is to wander round a beauty store (my nearest is Flannels Beauty) and catch the eye of one of the make up artists and ask them to match your foundation shade. Honestly do this as it avoids expensive mistakes with blind buys off the internet. Only do this if your purse allows though. My current on the goes are Pat McGrath Labs skin fetish sublime perfection, Chantecaille in Vanilla and I have a nice YSL one that I sometimes use. I also have a mixing pot that I mix to make my own in a more travel sized variety and I can change the colour up or down depending on season but that is me meddling too much probably. My friend recently got matched at Dior and their foundations are fantastic and not as expensive as I thought they would be (cheaper than my current ones). 

My routine changes often but I've disciplined myself now to try and work through one type of thing at a time or things dry up and become unusable. This is today's face:

Byoma moisturiser and some of the cleansing balm to make sure the panda eyes were gone from yesterday's face. The Nuxe bio oil then I added the Verso daily Glow as a sort of primer. Whilst that was drying and setting I did a simple brow pencil look using a Benefit pencil and some sort of white fluffy wax that your comb through. I have had my brows threaded so they are a bit skinny at the moment and I do like to keep on top of them to keep them looking neat. I also sometimes dye them at home using a kit from Boots. They always need some pencil to fill in the gaps. Back to the face..

Then the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood flawless filter. And some Leneige sleeping lip mask. I put two shades of the charlotte Tilbury concealer sticks on - a tan shade and a lighter one for under the eyes and as eye shadow base. I liked the coverage so didn't add any more actual foundation today as I'm off to the Antiques Fair so didn't need full coverage today. A bit of Pat McGrath under eye powder and some By Terry dual face powder in a pinky shade using the highlight centre for my eyeshadow and a Tom Ford pencil eyeliner in dark grey. Added in some Nars Blush and a bit more face powder byTerry. Then I went back and added in some glowy Charlotte Tilbury highlight blush. Finished off with some ByTerry mascara and a finishing setting spray by Charlotte Tilbury. I will take the Sweed Lip tint lipstick pencil in my pocket to add on during the day. I always carry a lip balm and have been enjoying the Dr Lipp tint which looks scary and red but goes on sheer and makes your lips feel like a million dollars. 

That sounds like a lot but that is a fairly light day for make up. It does change depending on what I am doing that day and I would say I spend ten minutes max on a work day to get my look completed. 

That is not a helpful list for a newbie really is it? Too much, all at once. If you watch make up tutorials on YouTube you can pick up some tips but honestly I don't really do this as I prefer to find my own looks. I'll try and post another face what I'm wearing post soon so we can see how much it changes day to day! 

Forgive the hair - I'm going to dry it now. 

Nothing much I can do about that face haha! 

Face Oils - I think it's my time to shine...

 Review of Nuxe Bio Organic face oil with Rice Oil Extract

I took this on holiday and also spotted a full sized exact match in the pharmacy and after using it for a few nights I was interested to find out more. 

On the Nuxe website, this oil is 30ml £29 which is a good premium price range (1ml = £1 more or less).

My bottle is 5ml and honestly a tiny amount does a full face. It comes with a pump tip dropper and is easy to use. I use three pumps to do a whole face and still have 1/5 left in my bottle. 

I don't use face oils a lot, but my collection was building up with lots of full sized oils to try so I figured it was a good time to get using it especially having put my skin in the sun for a longer time. 

It has not got an obvious smell to it but not unpleasant and not greasy either after around 30 seconds. It works well with other skincare too.

I feel like I am giving my face a real treat with natural ingredients and the expertise of Nuxe who I am a big fan of too! French pharmacy products are usually great quality. I don't think the price is too bad actually. 

Going to cherish the last bit in my bottle and would consider a purchase if I ever get to the bottom of my pile. 

Face oil is now firmly in my routine to help nourish my skin and protect from wrinkles. 

Look out for this bottle in an empties post on Instagram soon 🙂 

July 2020 Look Fantastic Beauty Box - what was in it?

So back to the box format this month for the July Look Fantastic Beauty Box (last month's was in a clear plastic pouch). I liked that they mixed it up but I also love the boxes, they come in so handy so that's fine by me.

Again, the booklet was made digital this month which I fully approve of, and there was a small card explaining this. It's far more eco friendly.

First impressions
This month the box was orange and the filling was red. You always get that red folded shredding inside which can be reused for gifts. It is always exciting breaking the seal on the folded tissue paper, you never know what you're going to get!

What was inside? 
The items were a good mix including:
1. MYVITAMINS hair skin and nails, 30 capsules (you take two a day). Dated use by 10/2021 so plenty of time on these. I have had a look on the MY Vitamins website and these are actually out of stock (is that a good sign?). They are not available on the Look Fantastic website but interestingly there are collagen and beauty sleep versions from the same brand that range from £5 - £12 so quite a reasonable price.
Here's a good bit of science on the ingredients:

•  Zinc and biotin contribute to the maintenance of normal hair and skin
• Zinc and selenium contribute to the maintenance of normal nails.
• Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of the skin
• Zinc and vitamin C contribute to the protection of cells from oxidative stress

2. Thisworks - small 10ml tube of morning expert hyaluronic serum
3. Vegan blush brush - I'm looking forward to this.It's an eco-friendly vegan blush brush ideal for applying a beautiful dash of colour and definition to the cheeks. It looks like a great ethical company and they have their own facebook page @soecobrushes
4. MONU spa tub of rose and lemon enriched body cream - a decent size at 100ml I am going to enjoy using this, it's a great brand.
5. Sleek matte me lip balm - looks a nice colour but I am not big on lip colours so may not use thi. It will remain sealed while I decide and if it's a no it will go in the next ebay bundle of things I don't use. I don't ask a fortune for the bundles, usually around £1 per item but they always sell!
6. Madara deep moisture regenerating night cream - 25ml. I will keep this sealed for now as I have only just started a NEOM night oil which was quite expensive so I am going to see it through but I do usually use a night cream or oil as I think they have plenty of time to sink in and do their goodness so I will get around to using this once I'm over the night oil!!

Prices
Again, let's take a look at the price of this sub box. With a 12 month sub it is £13 per box (each month) which includes free postage. This month you got six items in the box. I'd estimate £35 product at RRP is included (that is a guesstimate as I am not sure of the exact prices).

Final thoughts
This was a nice box and well worth the money. I am happy with everything in there.

What's next?
I think my next post will be some budget beauty discoveries I have made whilst on lockdown. I have bought online from the Online Pound Store and SAVERS plus I have been to town so there are a few new things to talk about. I've managed to resist the summer beauty boxes that I normally buy as I won't be travelling but it hurt not to get the M&S one! Until then, take care!

MAY 2020 Look Fantastic Beauty Box... but actually it's a bag!

The only beauty box I currently subscribe to is the Look Fantastic one. Hubby buys me the sub for Christmas then I get a little beauty gift each month. Well I pay out for his critical insurance which is £20 per month so I figure that's quite fair!

So, the LF Beauty Box (LFBB from now on) came with a difference in May, they did a zip up bag which was a lovely touch and it's super quality with a see through front so you can find your items instantly. Here's a little teaser...

You can see the embossed quality goodness! 

OK, here's the window panel.  

So I thought it was a really quality-ridden bag in May. Included in the goodies was:

1. The bag! 
2. A sheet mask (right at the back)
3. factor 50 polaar sun cream - they also sell this at M&S and I have had this before and liked it. It is a good handbag size too. 
4. Molton Brown shower gel in the fragrance coastal cypress and sea fennel (love it!)
5. Everything mask for hair by Josh Wood colour
6. Ultrasun lip protection balm
7. matching green hairbrush by GLOV. It's a bit like a tangle teaser. 

Now, I think they were definitely thinking "Holiday" with this edit, and you can understand planning ahead why this might be, unknowing that Covid-19 would stop all travel but I still love all the products and can use them at home in lockdown. 

Another change this month which I full support was to make the booklet you usually get in the box digital. There was a small card in the box explaining this, and I think going forward they should continue to do that anyway, for the sake of the environment. I always have a glance and chuck that bit away anyway so it is a bit wasteful. 

Clearly I haven't used the products yet (apart from the items I have had before) but I find they are all totally useful so none for the Ebay box (which I how I clear out unwanted items every few months). 

Prices

I just wanted to take a moment to look at the cost of the sub box. With a 12 month sub it is £13 which includes free postage. So essentially this month you are getting seven items for £10 if you consider £3 is on postage. A rough estimate I'd say there is a modest £30 worth of items (and that's underestimating not RRP prices). 

Final thoughts

I love the May Bag. It's one that I will use all the items and it's a nice change not to get make up which I have not been using a lot of lately! 

Hard as nails - how I coped while my gel nails were growing out DIY during Covid-19

Warning - long waffle post - I just have too much to say about this...

During the March to July 2020 lock down era, I've been trying to keep my nails nice and long but it's been a traumatic time. I will explain why!

Back in February I finally took the plunge and made a decision that I wanted acrylic nails and went from quite long natural nails to almond shaped daggers within an hour! I wanted to try out an ombre nail and this was the only way I could do it as I didn't know any nail technician that would work on my natural nail. SO I had them done. I flinched when they used metal clippers to just "denail" the nails that had taken me months to grow and I'd put expensive treatments on them too, and avoided using nail polish as it had stained them in the past so my natural nails literally flew out of the window.
I went from this:

to this ... (I just couldn't grow my little finger out at this stage for some reason). 

Now don't get me wrong, I loved the ombre nails which went to a white tip so were a take on a French Mani but more modern. The shape was so different for me too. But when you can grow your own nails quite nice it does seem bad to just chop them off and glue on some plastic! Another thing to note was for two days, they were so sore, they felt bruised and bashed about because I do not treat my nails so roughly, I think they were in total trauma mode. It did go away after two days though and the nails lasted weeks without any lifting or issues and not too much regrowth. I painted over the top of them a few times to change the colour and they looked nice. The only thing about acrylics was how thick they were, I had to relearn skills and couldn't press buttons or open cans or do any regular things like pick coins up off the floor! They felt so thick and I missed how well my nails can scratch an itch (with or without gel). But the Acrylics did not get dirty and looked lovely and clear all the time so I liked that - you couldn't get dirt under them as the extensions were flat on the back. Bit gross but you really can't pick your nose with them (I know you shouldn't anyway!). 

Anyway, roll on to early March and I had the acrylics redone, with more pink and less white as I had the length reduced a bit but they had not grown a lot. I could feel people were talking more about lockdown and in the third week of March I had these removed at the salon and just opted for some pale pink nail gel polish. I couldn't cope with the idea of the acrylics growing out and had no way to remove them as they were fixed on so well. So on to the gels now.. they looked nice, I chose a nice pink and whilst they looked good they felt awful.

And they were BENDY!!! Shockingly so. I'd got the length and the shape I wanted but by the time I got home I had broken two of them beyond repair. This was due to the nail drill used on my natural nail so it was a big gulp for me as lock down began and I needed to grow out my entire nail. I have super long nail beds so to grow out a full nail has literally taken me from March to July and I still have a bit left of the pink gel on some of my nails. It just won't come off and I really don't want to ruin my natural nails now with drying acrylic soak off so I'm happy to grow it all out and cover up in the meantime!

This picture shows me trying some regular OPI polish - a glitter topper to try and save the lovely length.

So what did I do?
I turned to home gel. I hadn't used my lamp for ages, but it worked just fine when I used it.  like this and boy has it seen some use. It has largely been a success but with a few frustrations along the way! I would say that this lamp is worth the money for sure. I reverted back to pretty square shaped nails as these tend to break less for me. I had a couple of short nails but had a look through my collection and the Boots nail lamp I use (SENSATIONAIL)

After the fiasco with the salon nail gel and the frequent bendy breakages I decided to take matters back into my own hands. Literally. I had discovered that the gel glitters offer incomparable strength to the colours so I was painting a base of gel colour (I've been using cashmere from Amazon) then topped with this Bluesky silver explosion glitter also from Amazon (priced £6.95 currently and lasts ages) actually I have bought the silver glitter polish twice as I lost it once and really can't live without (I have found it since though, it had rolled under the bed!!). Another gel product I have bought twice, highly recommend and could not manage the home mani without, is this box of sticky remover wipes, they are fab, each comes sealed so they are great value for money and I use them to wipe each nail top layer and it removes all the tack. At £10 for 200 the Mylee gel polish prep and shine wipes - they are such good value. I reviewed them ages ago and came back for more they were so good.

SO layering the cashmere and silver really works, see for yourself... (my fourth nail looks bent but it's just a trick of the light on the photo!).

Now one last touch, to make them extra special... is a regular Barry M nail polish I bought from Superdrug - it is a limited edition and yes, I am that person who finishes WHOLE bottles of nail polish (as if that's not a skill I'm putting it on my CV!!) ...but you could easy find something similar from drug store / boots ranges. it's a holographic multi colour micro dot regular polish.It adds further rigidity to the nail I find.

And finally one last product I have used I bought on a whim in M&S in January sales and it's the Leighton Denny gel polish converter that you use to sandwich regular polish so you do a base and top coat with this and it's quite a flexible clear coat that you cure with the gel lamp. The polish comes in a kit with some cleanser in a bottle (which I don't really use). It's currently selling for £18 on the nail polish direct website but I paid less than that for the one I bought in the sale.

So, all in all I am very grateful I bought home nail gel kit ages ago and hardly used it at the time but I have been really using it a lot lately. It's not as good as a salon nail job, but I won't use the nail drill as I think it is harmful and clearly made my nails paper thin. I just hope they grow back strong like before but the tips are still bendy so I am still waiting.

What problems did I have? 

I have struggled a bit with PEELING I do cap the ends off when using the polish but it just doesn't seem to work on all ten nails. I must have an oily nail bed, plus I'm not dehydrating the nail and using a nail drill so I don't expect it to grow out. Plus, I can't leave them alone when the cuticle ends starts to lift, I'm my own worst enemy!! I have found thin layers work best as the thicker layers just act like vinyl and peel off or even flap off when you use your hands too much.

So right now I have seven nails all perfect (left hand 100%, right hand 20% good lol) It takes me five minutes to fix though so it's OK, I'm in control and could go fix them any time as I have all the tools I need to hand. I didn't really want permanent glitter nails but I'm stuck with them for now because I need the hardness the glitter provides. The only thing to note is that when I put solid glitter nails on my natural nail (not gel) they break really easy as the nail gets too hard with it and with the gel they seem to be hard but without the brittleness so that is good. I will just use the Leighton Denny top coat I linked above with glitter in the future as it doesn't seem to stain my nail at all. Plus, I don't really need to soak them off, I can get the polish off like Vinyl if I want to they just peel and they don't take my natural nail with it so it's good and bad I suppose. The other positive is that the gel nail polish does not smell like regular polish so it doesn't make my husband complain so much (it's just the machine beeping after 30 seconds he objects to now!!).

Final thoughts
Looking at the three bare nails I currently have, I can see some trauma to the nail where the nail drill has been. But they are hard and as I'm waiting to redo them on the gel lamp with the cashmere and silver glitter, I'm not worried they will break. I've given them a layer of OPI nail envy original to cheer them up while they wait. It's clear, so I'll just stick the nail gel on top of this when I get round to it. I've also been using lots of nail oil by CND solar oil and big bottle of £3.99 (and 3 for 2!)  Barry M nail and cuticle oil that I slap on a few times a day. It makes my cuticles, well, cute. :-)

Future plans
So now nail bars are back open, what are my plans, after this fairly long 'recovery journey' ? It's so tempting to go and get nice nails done but I don't think I can cope with that nail drill so I will be resisting "that place" again. I think I'd rather save the money and spend it on a few more shades to use at home. I like being independent and in control but I don't like how the home gel doesn't last. I want my cake and I also want to eat it, clearly! SO I will hold off getting any more gel nails or acrylic for that matter... on last question, will my natural nails EVER be this long again?  Thanks for reading. I'll review my Look Fantastic Beauty Box next. Till then x

TK MAXX Bargains JULY 2020 post lockdown grab it...

Whaddaya know? I'm back with some fashion bargains from TK Maxx where I usually raid the beauty section. Well I was looking for some designer goodies at market prices and I was not disapointed.

What did I buy? I'm sat here with the receipt to price check rather than rely on my memory.

I got a gold jacket by Clements Ribeiro which is all sequins and simply fabulous. Paid £7 it has no fastenings but the lining is really pretty and it's great quality.

Some Michael Kors black needlcord flare high waist jeans. Paid £7. They are RRP £165 

A pair of cream Tommy Hilfiger ivory cream wool trousers again high waist. Paid £7 

A pair of loafer Kylie crazy shoes for £1.20 (yes, I couldn't believe it too)

Another pair of shoes that are like mirror shoes by Zara paid £5

Some lace up shoes by Bershka - look like Dr Martens and have a tartan lining... paid £5

... and fail of the day I also bought a pure cashmere jumper for £7 and it was a pale lilac and had a couple of small shop marks on it, so I washed it and shrunk it!!! oops. The only beauty item bought was a lip balm (a dr paw paw one) in a peach shade, which I keep in the car as it doesn't mind melting in the tube so much. I paid £1.40 for that which I was happy with as I love using that brand. 

So what do you think? Did I get some good bargains? We have two TK Maxx stores in my home town so I went to the other one the next day and was really disappointed with their sale items. I did buy some Tommy Hilfiger matching underwear sets for the kids at £7.99 each but they were not in the sale.

Thanks for visiting - I'll be back soon with more beauty news. 

Tarte beauty - funny name but quality items...

I recently fell for a beauty bargain on QVC from the makers known as Tarte. You can only buy this brand from QVC (I think) and I only previously had a mascara  which came in the QVC "Try it love it" beauty box. and I swapped an eyeshadow palette with someone on a facebook beauty group I frequent called "Beauty in a box UK." The seven piece set plus a beauty bag came in at under £50 including postage. Sounds a lot but it's good for a premium brand like Tarte and all the pieces I think I will use so it was worth the buy. You selected the set according to the foundation colour you wanted and the shade I would probably have opted for had gone but light-medium was still available to buy so that is the one I went for.

I try to operate a strict one in one out rule when using make up to ensure I use up what I started - a quick glance at the make up table tells me I have 5 mascaras on the go at the moment so I'm failing quite badly on that front!  I suppose I am saying that I will keep this set new until I am ready to start it.

Here's a picture of the full set, the packaging is all leopard print and very me!

Taking pictures in the middle of the family day can be difficult as you can see... 

Well we are all sat on the bed together watching the Smurfs movie and I have a few things to list on ebay , reviews to write and this blog... so time to just crack on with it!

What do you get in the set ? 

• An amazing day 12 hour full coverage foundation with spf 15 sized 50 ml I opted for light-medium. I don't know how good it is yet, as I am working through my YSL foundation at the moment but the colour looks good through the leaf packaging (I think it's a clear leaf!). 
  
• A chunky Kabuki brush
• A double ended eyeshadow brush (I love this!) 
• A black automatic eye liner in my favourite shade, black. It has a sharpener in the lid which is great and I much prefer this to wooden eye pencils. 
• A black magnetic mascara
• A double ended lipgloss / lipstick which is handy for nights out as you only need to take one item to touch up your lipstick. The shade looks really wearable too. 
•  My favourite bit, the palette with seven shades of eye shadow and one bigger sized highlighter. Perfect shades for everyday wear! 

This set sold out quite quickly but they have other nice sets on their site that may be worth checking out. Their "Rainforest of the Sea" range looks amazing! There is currently a set for £44 reduced from £70 that looks really good although again, not all the shades of foundation are available.

The other good thing about QVC is that you can try their goods for 60 days and if you choose to return it you can get a full refund. Look out for the next "TILI" try it love it beauty box which is due for release. They are always a bargain price and good to try new branded beauty items.

Well, I think I got a really good deal! What do you think? I will review the items properly once I get them in to regular use, I am hoping that they will all be really good.

Look Fantastic UK beauty box May 2017

This month's beauty box from Look Fantastic is one of my favourites. There's two reasons for this, firstly, that I know I will use everything that came in the box so that is a winning box combination for me. Secondly that I have never tried any of the items before so they are all new discoveries which I will find out whether I like them or not.

Each month, the box has a theme and this month the theme was "Get the Glow" which has an instant appeal for me, I mean who doesn't want "the glow" on their skin! I was expecting highlights, exfoliators, oils and tans and I was not disappointed! The products came in a lovely pink box with the lid themed and a nice little message inside the lid as per usual, it's a nice touch!

So, the first item to catch my eye was a lovely eye shadow, by a brand I had not heard of before "Mellow" but it is available from the Look Fantastic Website at £6 for an individual shadow or there is a palette on there for £20 that looks very nice. The colour I have is Peach and it's a lovely neutral shade with a light shimmer to it. I have just finished my single pot from Bourjois so it's  good time for a new base colour to enter my life. I love a light shade as a base with lots of mascara on the lashes, it's a simple fresh look that I wear often.

Next up was a bottle of clear liquid with a spray top, a James Read gradual tan h20 spray mist which sounds lovely for a light summer tan. The small bottle in brown is a Real Chemistry three minute peel which sounds like it will be a good exfoliator.

The next bottle is a great sized 30ml it is by System Professional and is a solar sun oil, a hair protecting product which is great when it comes to holiday time. i like to put something through my hair and wear a hat during the day to nourish my hair whilst I am in and out of the pool and in the sun. I particularly like the dosing system of the pump top lid as it helps to get the right amount out and makes the bottle last longer! 

So, the last three items are all sachets. The Nuface prep n glow carded sachet which contains a travel friendly wipe to cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate. I will take this on an overnight stay to get the best use from it. the second item is by Glov and it is a single packaged wipe to remove make up that you activate with water, sounds handy!  Finally a sealed bag of coconut cranberry scrub love that is described as a hydrating coconut oil body scrub. It feels a bit squishy in the packet and has a resealable lid so should do a few treatments. I will use this in the shower as I can switch off the faucet to scrub then rinse away. Definitely a great pre holiday treatment!

Well, I do think this is a great value box and can't wait to get stuck in!

The box was bought for me as a Christmas present (two years in a row now) and I really love the monthly surprise the box gives me. You can buy them for as little as £13 per month and this includes postage.

I have another box or two coming soon so I will review them when they land!

February Look Fantastic Beauty Box

Last month's Look Fantastic Box was really pretty and in quite contrast from February's maroon and gold box but each has its merits. Anything that gets me "Runway Ready" is most welcome (LOL) so I was intrigued to find out what the contents would be like.