November Birchbox Cosy at Home

Novembers Birchbox** has arrived and oh my it is a good one!  Cosy at Home November 2014 is about nights in, wrapping up and staying warm at home.  With that in mind, the amazing team behind Birchbox have put together an edit of products which have been specially chosen for a pamper night in!

 

This month there are five different products to try, one of which is full sized and one I cannot wait to try.

Dr Jart+ is a brand most people will associate with BB cream, I know I do and that is where my experience starts and ends.  In this months box there is this Water-Act Skin Mist which is designed to boost skin's internal moisture levels with an anti-oxident infused facial spritz.  You use it after cleansing by gently spritzing your face from a distance of 20-30cm with your eyes closed.  This has an RRP £18.

Weleda Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash follows and this is a 20ml sample and it smells absolutely amazing.  Said to be a nutrient loaded moisturising in-shower wash which is infused with sandalwood, davana and neroli.

Lipglam Natural Lanolin Lip Balm is next and this is a fats actin balm that delivers moisture for up to 8 hours - ooh watch out Elizabeth Arden!! It uses 100% natural ingredients and when on the lips it is so soft and smooth you don't know it is there and it makes a greast base before applying your lipstick!

Beauty Protector Protect & Treat Hair Mask comes in these two cute little  tubs and is designed tog rejuvenate and protect your hair.  It combines argan oil, honey, amber and crush pearls (wow) and is designed to be used after shampooing by simply applying it to the ends of your hair, leave on for 5-10 minutes if you have oily hair and up to 20 if you have dry hair.  I am definitely looking forward to trying this, it smells divine and is a lovely pastel pink colour.  

Lord and Berry Mini Bronzer is the last item in the box and in shade Sunny it looks like this, almost like an eye shadow for a palette. Said to be super fine and matte, this bronzer helps to create a healthly glow for a burst of radiance.

If all of that wasn't enough, there is one little treat in the box by way of chocolate - yippee and it is a Montezuma Mini bar, an indulgent treat of creamy milk chocolate made from the finest organic cocoa beans and it tastes absolutely amazing!

So that is October's Birchbox, isn't it fantastic?  Did you get your Birchbox this month?

Make-up Revolution Haul

Yes I finally did it, I succumbed to the magic that is Make-up Revolution/I Love Make-up Range. My local Superdrug doesn't stock any of the brand, but in the West End, there is everything you need and much more, so I thought I would treat myself to a few bits and this is what I bought:

Summer of Love Triple Baked Bronzer - My beloved Hoola has almost run out, so I decided it was time to try something new, after all I can always go back to it right? This caught my eye because of the packaging and having had a quick swatch, I think I am going to like it alot! Priced at £4.99 this cute 3D heart-shaped box is just stunning.

Goddess of Love Triple Baked Highlighter - Again, a similar design to the bronze with the 3D heart shaped box, this highlighter is perfect for my complexion and one I am looking forward to using a lot. Priced at £4.99, an absolute bargain.

I want Candy Blusher - I bought this because I loved the swatch in store, it is a beige pink to me, not too neutral, not too pink but a perfect mixture of the two and for £2.99 again it is a bargain.

I Heart Definition Palette - I bought this in fair because these are the shades which closesly match my skintone and as a palette of three you get a Blush, bronzer and highlighter all in one compact with a really handy mirror. Again it costs just £4.99

Make-up Revolution Nail Polish in Heavens above - with over 40 shades to choose from, I was like a kid in a sweet shop and I finally settled on this shade as I don't have one like it.  It is a deep pink shade and for £1 pretty amazing.  The two shades I had actually gone to purchase, Are You Available and You Are Amazing available were out of stock, so I have my eye on the two of those still along with Devil Inside and Heart was broken, which again are two amazing shades!

The final item I bought was a lipstick - oops.  I saw it and just had to have it, I was intrigued by the shape and design, not to mention the shade is just amazing.  The Amazing Care #Happylips in Nude, is everything I want in a nude lipstick.  As I said it was the design which drew me in.  The colour is seen in the inside and surrounding it is Argan oil to add hydration to your lips. Once applied it feels really smooth and almost like a lip butter on the lips as well as leaving behind a glossy sheen.  It costs just £3.

So there you have it, my very first look and purchases from Make-up Revolution and I have to say, I am really impressed with every item so far and don't doubt that I will be adding to my collection.

Which piece from Make-up Revolution do you recommend as a next purchase? Do you have a favourite product?

Amie Mineral Bronzer – Sun Bronzed

Most of you will be familair with the skincare brand Amie which I have mentioned on this blog quite a few times with the Cooling Clay Mask, Skin wipes, Skin Shield, Morning skincare routine and the skin polish all of which I have loved discovering.

Amie is the French Word for a friend and the skincare company of a woman named Fiona Parkhouse who used to work for Estee Lauder. She had an idea about making skincare products for her daughter and says the reason she decided to do this was because she wanted something that would "respect her still child-perfect skin but deal with the changes that puberty was starting to bring, such as increased oiliness and breakouts. But I didn't want her using harsh, aggressive chemicals or medicated products. I wanted a natural range that would be gentle yet effective, appealing and affordable". Not only that, but every product within the Amie range is suitable for vegetarians and vegans because there are:

• No parabens 
• No mineral-oils 
• No petrochemicals 
• No sodium laureth sulphate or sodium lauryl sulphate 
• No ingredients of Genetically Modified Origin 
• No animal testing 
• No animal ingredients 
• All products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans 

Amie have now introduced 100% Mineral Make-up to their expanding range with foundation and bronzer and I have been lucky enough to use the bronzer** for some time now and I am really impressed with it.

Described as follows:

Amie’s Mineral Bronzer is the perfect way to achieve a healthy-looking, sun-kissed glow using 100% pure natural ingredients.

Available in ‘Sun Bronzed’, a beautiful medium shade that will suit most skin tones, Amie’s Mineral Bronzer gives a light, sun-kissed glow to the skin. It has a shimmer finish with light-reflecting mica that brightens and gives you a beautiful, healthy radiant look.

When I first opened the tub, which features a screw on and off lid, I was quite surprised at how dark it looked.  As someone who has pale skin, I was worried that this would be far too dark for my skin tone.  However, once applied I was pleasantly surprised because with a bit of work using my bronzer brush (of which I need a new one) you can blend it into something you feel comfortable with.

Hopefully you can see from the three swatches above when it is first added to my skin, slightly brushed and then blended in so there is a very light bronzed look on my skin, I haven't quite perfected taking photos of my face yet, but once I do the photos will get updated.

I am really impressed with this bronzer, if I apply it as I do everything else in a morning for going to work, it lasts all day long if I use a primer and that can be between 7-9 hours, if I don't use a primer (yes yes I know) then it lasts for around 5 hours before needing a touch up.  it costs just £14 and you can see it HERE.

Have you tried this bronzer from Amie? Have you tried any product from within the Amie range?

Bobbi Brown Bronze Shimmer Brick - Plus Giveaway

Bobbi Brown is a brand of make-up that I have never used before. Obviously I have heard of it, but always thought it was designed for people with a much darker skin tone than my own pale version, how wrong am I!

When the lovely Ashley from Mizspa contacted me to ask if I would like to try the Bronze Shimmer Brick, I jumped at the chance, having hit pan on my beloved Hoola, I am in need of a replacement and this sounded amazing and is described as follows:

"For an instant glow that's like moonlight, sunlight and candlelight, all at once, take this full feathery brush, twirl around the compact and sweep across the face. The result is addictive"

It comes packaged inside this wonderfully sleek black palette with the Bobbi Brown logo/insignia clearly visible. 

Once it has been opened up, you can see that the Shimmer brick is made up of 5 colours which I would describe as being from top to bottom as a pale gold, a champagne pink, a warm bronze, a rose gold and finally a deep copper bronze. There is a lovely mirror which is takes up the one whole topside of the compact, which is obviously always really helpful and handy to have.

The shimmer brick itself is fairly pigmented and shimmery and it reminds me of the baked eye-shadows that I have from other brands. It comes with an accompanying brush which is perfect for applying this too your face without adding too much of the product and the bristles themselves are really soft and smooth to use. As well as using this on your cheeks, you can also use it as an eye palette, which I discovered after not paying too much attention to the make-up item I was adding and it works really well, again you can build up the colour, or leave it to be as natural as you want it to be.

I am so impressed with this Shimmer Brick that I have been offered one to give you lovely readers as a giveway. As always the entry form can be found below and all you need to do is complete it.  This is also an International give-away, so you can all enter.  

Please note the first few options are mandatory and entries will be checked.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wantable Make-up Box for February

I don't know whether you have heard of Wantable and that they now ship to the UK?  Well I was offered the chance to try and test out of their boxes** for review purposes.  The choice of boxes with Wantable are:

• Make-up - within your box you will get 4-5 full sized products
• Fashion Accessories - 3-4 boutique accessories
• Intimate - 4-5 premium essentials

All the products you get within your box come from your profile which you set-up and then complete a series of questions answering how much you like/dislike things, it is quite a comprehensive form and the idea is that it is used to select products for you box, so for example, if you don't like mascara, you can say so and you should not get any within your box.

I opted for the make-up box to try and test, completed my questionnaire and firstly, I was quite impressed with how sturdy the box is and how really nice packaged the contents were as to avoid them getting broken, dented or smashed during its shipment.

Now to the contents in a bit more detail:

ncLA Nail Lacquer - retails for $16

In shade Drop Dead Gorgeous which is deep royal blue shade with added sparkle, I am yet to try this, but it is the kind of shade I would wear on my toes.

LAQA & Co - Fat lip pencil in Wolfman - retails for $18

This isn't a product I have come across before, though I do love how pretty the shade is and it is really lovely once applied.

DEX New York Lipgloss - retails for $18

The shade of this is called Christopher Street Orchid and as you can see from the picture above it is a lovely shade of pink and once on the lips it is slightly tacky, but not so much that I want to rub it off.  It looks great on its own or over some lipstick

Sorme Shimmer Glow - retails for $24.5

This is a sparkling mineral face and body bronzer in Bronzed 85 and it is like nothing I have used before.  You simply shake the powder down into the brush by turning it upside down and then brush it over your face and body as you deem appropriate.  Inside the wand, the shade does look quite dark, but once applied it is quite light and there is a lot of sparkle.

Sorme Anti-aging Trial Size - retails for $0

It says on the packet that this is a silky perfecting primer which smoothes skins surface, fills in wrinkles and diminishes discolourations for flawless long lasting make-up.  It then goes on to say "cliniqually proven Dermaxyl helps reduce the depth of lines, wrinkles and crows feet as Vitamins A, C and E plus nourishing Grape Seed Oil hydrate the skin and help prevent free radical damage".  So quite a lot of claims for this little sachet to live up too and I am looking forward to putting it to the test. 

Wantable boxes cost $36 per box, which is roughly £21-£22 per month, my box is worth a whopping $76.5 or £46 which is amazing really and I have been introduced to some new brands and some products I have never used before. 

If this is something you think you might like to try, simply click HERE and choose your box.