Pretty Green Eyes

I would like to take a moment to explain why I've slightly abandoned my blog.  A couple of weeks ago I had surgery on my eyes, luckily everything went fine, and even though I have had time off work, I didn't realise I wouldn't be able to blog for so long because of the healing process.  I have been very sensitive to light and not allowed to look at a computer or watch tele :( my phone has had to be turned off to stop me looking at that too.  There is also an aftercare routine which involves drops and medication which had made me just want to rest all the time.

I know this looks like some sort of swimming by candlelight tutorial 

I had planned to spend the time actually bombarding you with posts.  I had written a couple of posts that I didn't have a chance to upload before my operation so I managed to sneakily post them.  From now I should be able to get going and start blogging regularly again.

Thank you for understanding 
x

GlossyBox - August

I was pleasantly surprised with Glossy Box this month as my box arrived a couple of days ago, normally mine comes on the last day of the month.  One thing I really like about GlossyBox is how there is always a theme to the boxes, whether you think the products go with the theme is purely personal opinion. This month is International Superstars, I think 'Superstars' may be pushing it a bit but I'll let them off.

I had mixed reactions when I opened this month's box, I looked at the card and there wasn't anything that jumped out at me.  I was only as I started looking at each product that I decided that this actually isn't a bad box.

Alessandro Pro White Original Nail Polish

I can't wait to use this! These types of products are why I subscribed to GlossyBox, I would never have thought of buying a whitening nail varnish, but now I have it, I'm going to give it a test drive and hopefully be reviewing it on here soon.

Valentino - Valentina Assoluto

Perfume samples in beauty boxes really don't float my boat, it's just a way of filling up the box in my opinion.  However,, I do like the fragrance but not for myself, I think this is a more mature scent and I will probably be passing this over to my mum to cop a whiff of.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil
I love trying new cleansers and this one is described as 'better than any other make-up remover you've ever tried' I hope it lives up to its claim.  If this is as good as I hope, this could be the best product GlossyBox has ever included, so look out for a review.

Vera Valenti L'Ombre a Paupiere Margarita
One of the more disappointing products, which is a shame because Spain has some lovely brands that would have been a better choice.  At £3.85 I would not call this a luxury product that GlossyBox claim to include in the boxes.

Lipcote Lip Sealer
I've never tried a lipstick sealer before so I'm excited to try this out, Lipcote is 'the secret of long lasting, feather fade and water resistant lipstick.'  This is one of the four full sized products in this box and normally retails for £3.99, which also is not really luxury but think this is a better product for the box than the eyeshadow palette. 

GlossyBox Lipstick in Glossy Pink
As the last product listed, I am assuming this has been included as a freebie to promote the GlossyBox brand, which I am not complaining about.  This is a lovely coloured deep nude pink that has a nice texture.  However, as you can see from the picture, it either arrived broken or broke the second I placed it on my lips.  This is such a shame because I think this could have been a step forward for the GlossyBox brand as I love lipsticks and I hope that it is just me that got a dodgy one off.

So all in all I think Glossybox has done quite well this month, six products included with four being full sized!  If you are interested in further reviews of any of the products, once I've properly tried them out, leave a comment below or check back to see if I have posted about them.

If you wish to subscribe visit the GlossyBox site here

Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

Over the passed few months my eyes have suffered at the hands of my weird sleeping patterns, I wake up with dry, puffy, purple bags under my eyes most mornings. I have tried different eye creams and recently stumbled upon an eye gel, so I thought I would share my views on the Nivea Visage Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow Eye Cream and No7 Beautiful Skin Vitality Eye Roll-on.

Our eyes are one of the most sensitive places on the body and the skin around them is equally as delicate so choosing the perfect eye cream can be very hard.  Nivea Aqua Sensation is very light and uses Hydra IQ to help create aquaporins.  Aquaporins are our skin cells 'hydration channels' which is why Nivea claim this cream has an instant and long-lasting effect on reducing signs of tiredness, wrinkles, puffiness and dark circles.  I found my eyes feeling more nourished and any flaking skin quickly heals to become smooth.  When using this product twice daily I do notice signs of my eyes looking a lot fresher and youthful.

Light and very moisturising  

Reduces lines and smooths the skin

Normal and combination skin

£5.99 at Boots

I found No7's eye roll-on by accident really, and it has soon become one of my favourite skincare products ever. I apply a small amount under my eyes with the metal balls in the morning, I allow this is seep in to my skin for about five minutes. I still can't believe the results this gives, the puffiness goes down and even better so does the bruise-like purpleness! I look instantly awake, and no more nasty dark circles either.  I sometimes leave this in the fridge the night before if I know I've had a few late nights because I find, the cooler the gel, the better the result in the morning.

Reduces puffiness and dark circles

Makes eye area look wide awake

All skin types

£12 at Boots - but at the moment there is 3 for 2 offer on No7

I am now very happy with my eye care routine, I use Nivea Aqua Sensation cream at night and then the No7 Beautiful Skin Vitality Roll-on in the morning.  Overall, my skin has benefited so much from these products and find the combination of them mix well to suit my skin.

What do you use to keep your eyes looking young?

The Beauty of Ebay!

I have a love-hate relationship with Ebay, I love how cheap it can be, but hate how many fakes are on there.  My biggest tip is to use sellers that are recommended to you.  And also, when buying branded products expect it to be fake, I always ask myself 'would I pay this amount if I knew this wasn't the real deal?'  If the answer is yes then there's no tears when my 'Mac' lipstick breaks within 2 days. 

However, there are some little gems to be found floating around in that big Ebay pool.  The first is seller coastalscentsuk the name gives it away really.  Best customer service I have ever received and also no duty and delivery charges from the US.  I purchased the Coastal Scents 22 brush set and as far as I'm concerned it is the real thing and I've been on their website http://beautystore4u.co.uk which, if were fake hopefully would have been closed down by now.

I am a big fan of lashes, my own, other people's and false ones.  These eyelashes are probably the biggest money savers for me, 20 pairs for £3.99 (+postage and packaging) and I love them.  The band is not at all flimsy and used with Eylure glue you cannot go wrong. I've gone out, come back in and accidentally fallen asleep with them on and they did not budge an inch.  There are all different styles and can also be sold as a single pair or in sets of 10.  Also suitable for contact lens wearers.

A trend that was sort of going round on YouTube was the UV Nail Curing Lamps, mine cost me £9.45 and saved me loads in not having to get my nails done professionally all the time.  I think this is a good little gadget if you've got some spare money, but it can be waste because the gel nail varnish can get pretty pricey.  I would recommend to start with, buying just a gel top coat and then in time, if you wish, to buy colours in order to get full use from the lamp. (And then the genie will appear, no, wait, wrong blog.)

Lastly, these caviar beads are a new find of mine.  Who needs £18 Ciaté caviar when you can get 40g of beads for £1.99? (+postage and packaging)  Saying that, I haven't tried them out properly yet so the final effect may alter my view.  I'll keep you posted on how they fare with a nail of the week coming soon.

Thanks for reading, But sshh remember... it's a secret
x

GlossyBox - July

As most of you probably know GlossyBox is a subscription service that issues you with a box of products each month.  The products can be a mixture of high end and drugstore, normally of sample size but sometimes there are full sized products too.  I want to mention that I am not affiliated with GlossyBox nor an ambassador for the company.

I'm sure a lot of people are aware of the disappointment that was the June box last month, and as my first ever beauty box you can understand why it was too painful to blog about.  Also, the reason I am only blogging about this now is because I have been receiving my boxes at the very end of the month so I sort of already know what's coming my way before I open it. Stupid me being so nosey with other blogs. Anyway, I thought I would show what I received last month in the festival box.

HD Brow Kit

If I remember correctly this was featured in nearly a year ago in September's Glossybox and the whole beauty community and their mother loved it. I too am a big fan, not only because my brows look amazing and stay put all day, but this handy little palette can double up as an eyeshadow quad.  Mine is in Foxy which is the brunette version, quite handy, but I do have to mix the darker and the lighter brown shades together to get my perfect brow colour.

Monu Golden Glow
This looks a little scary as it is bright yellow but claims that with Shea Butter, Vitamin E and essential oils it can leave moisturised, natural-looking tan within 3-5 hours. I might be brave and try a little on my face to see what glow I can get from this. I hope this works out well, I'll keep you posted on how I get on with this. 

Clynol Enrich Colour Shampoo
Firstly, I'd like to point out this is shampoo for coloured hair, I keep my natural hair so this is when you can tell GlossyBox doesn't read the beauty profils which is a little disappointing. However, this product smells lovely and claims that after 30 washes with this shampoo, 99% of the original colour intensity will remain.  This shampoo will also leave hair with 'diamond-like' shine and resist again damaging and fading.

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Lip Frosting
This is advertised as being a lip and cheek product, I actually think it's slightly too thick for a cheek product and could be quite cakey. But as a lip product this smells and feels great on the lips, not the longest lasting product on the market but I really enjoy using this. Due to this being a multipurpose product it comes in a tube which can be a bit finicky when using as a lip product as too much product comes out. I can live with it though.

Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Skin Balancing Line.
I was impressed with the Elizabeth Arden products in this box. The trio of Exfoliating Cleanser, Skin Serum and a second sample of the Lotion was giving as a bonus product, I'm going to take that as an apology for last months box.  I am yet to try these properly but they look great and I feel GlossyBox has started to redeem itself. 

I can't wait to see what next month has instore.
If you wish to subscribe visit the GlossBox site here!

Shopping My Stash - August

I am on a mission to try and use more of my products, I hope to rediscover some favourites and also save some money by going on a mini spending ban! GOOD LUCK!  Anyway, I have chosen four products that I plan to use as much as I can over the coming month. I've set myself a target of at least two of these a day.

NYX Cream Blush
I am slightly cheating because even though there is only one pictured, I am including any NYX cream blushes, I have five shades so plenty to choose from.  Cream products are good for summer months as they are light on the skin and very rarely do they become cakey on the skin.

ELF Lipsticks
Ok this is the last one I'm going to cheat on, again I am allowing myself to use all shades that I have.  To be honest, I don't know how I'm going to style out Natural Nymph as this is my least favourite lipstick out of my whole collection.  These are good everyday lipsticks, though I find that some of the shades can enhance dry cracked lips.

Natural Collection Bronzer
I am currently loving the duey bronzed look, one swirl of bronzer and I think I'm Mila Kunis.  This bronzer works well on a matte base because it gives a nice glowy finish without looking like a discoball.

No7 Amazing Eyes Pencil
I have decided to add this to the mix because I actually don't wear eye liner, or very occasionally, and I have been eyeing up the Pixi eye liners.  The rational part of me managed to take control and not pay £11 on something that I will try out once and never let see daylight again.  So this is a prime example of me trying to discover my love for certain products.

Today I managed 3 out of the 4, not bad, I left out cream blush as I wanted a shimmery blush to go with the bronzer. (I might not have thought this through as well as I'd hoped)

Thanks for reading, but sshhh, remember it's a secret

x

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