You Beauty Discovery Box - January 2015

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am a huge fan of You Beauty Discovery Boxes because they are not only amazing value for money but the actual concept is brilliant.  Most of us love Beauty Boxes and subscribe to them, most of the time not knowing what an earth you might find.  With You Beauty Discovery, every month you get a menu to choose from and then you also get one or two treats as well.

This month the list to choose from was again amazing and I was chuffed to find two products listed that I have wanted to try for some time and this is my box:

Every month within the box, which cleverly fits through your letterbox, is a little magazine to read and it is one I always read cover to cover.  This month we are told that the products we have had to choose from are about banishing the January Blues.  The freebies or little treats this month are ones I really like too and they are as follows:

Starting with a £25 off card for Hello Fresh - Hello Fresh is the UK’s leading cook-from-scratch delivery service. Hello Fresh believe that everything positive in life starts with great food and that everyone should have access to the highest quality ingredients and the knowledge to cook themTo make that happen they send you amazing recipes and all the exact fresh ingredients you need to cook them, direct to your door. Beautifully photographed recipe cards walk you through every recipe... No shopping, carrying or planning. The only thing you need to do is the fun bit: cooking and eating! PLUS, they won’t charge for delivery either.

Dove Youthful Vitality Hair BB Cream - Specifically formulated for ageing hair, the new Youthful Vitality range from Dove Advanced Hair Series helps replenish your hairs lost nutrients and restore elasticity. Dove Youthful Vitality BB Cream, part of the new Dove Advanced Hair Series, is a one step multi-tasker designed to replenish, style and protect hair. Formulated with anti-oxidants and a UV filter it improves manageability to make styling even easier.

Dragonfly Tea - I have tired some tea before from this brand and loved it. A family-owned, British brand, the range of teas keeps growing. With recently launched new look packaging, be sure not to miss this delicate and delicious tea brand. The brand scour the globe to find artisanal and often rare teas, some from remote tea gardens, and some from the world’s most renowned tea makers. Dragonfly Tea was the first to introduce favourites such as rooibos, white tea and honeybush to Britain’s high street. IN my box I have Swirling Mist, Green Gaucho and Mountain Honeybush.

The we have the products I actually chose from my shortlist, the entire list can be found HERE.  The first of my products is this:

MeruMaya is a brand I have read a lot about and not tried, though I did have some sample sachets somewhere and for the life of me cannot find them, so I was happy to see these options available and readily added them to my box.  So we have the Melting Cleansing Balm and the Overnight Recharge Night Cream.

• The Melting Cleansing Balm claims to efficaciously removes all traces of make up and grime and leaves the skin feeling velvety soft.  It uses Sweet Almond Oil allows thorough cleansing with moisture delivery and Echium Oil (RevitElix™) helps perfect lines and wrinkles whilst improving skin elasticity.
• The Overnight Recharge Cream uses the inclusion of FIVE highly potent actives addresses the complexity of effective and lasting moisturisation, that helps your skin perform better at every level and you can read more about those HERE.

My second choice this month was the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, another product I have read about and wanted to try.  

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil manages to remove all forms of impurities on the skin and can even be used by those who suffer from sensitive or oily skin (the ‘Oil’ in the product name can sometimes make those with oily skin think otherwise). As a make-up remover it completely dissolves all traces of dirt and cosmetics – even waterproof mascara and eyeliner – while nourishing your complexion with antioxidant-rich olive oil.

Now this box cost just £6.95 and look at the contents, isn't that just great value for money? I think so and I would love to know if you also subscribe and what you chose from the list!

Guest Post | Top 5 Summer Products

Hey guys, I am still sunning myself on the beach somewhere in Majorca and today I have the lovely Sonia from Casualyetchic as a guest blogger for me today.  Thank you Sonia.

Before, I get onto the post I thought I should introduce myself. My name's Sonia, I'm 17 from the UK and I write a blog called casualyetchic.blogspot.com (quick plug you can follow it here if you like). The lovely Rachel has kindly let me guest post while she is on holiday, so thanks for that.

Today's post is all about my top 5 summer products which I go to every summer without fail. 

 Topshop cream blusher - head over heels - £7.00 - here

Cream blush is my favourite thing to add into my make-up routine in the summer as it make my face look a lot more brighter and healthier. I prefer to use a cream product over a powder because it prevents my make-up from looking cakey as in the summer I love a dewy look. This cream blush is a lovely coral colour which I think looks perfect in the summer because it is not too pink or rosy just the perfect shade.

Rimmel stay matte powder - translucent - £3.99 - here

Even though, I don't use a powder blush I do need a face powder in the summer as I don't really like looking shiny. I use a translucent powder as it doesn't add any colour to my face, I let my bronzer do that but it just sets everything perfectly. This is a great powder from Rimmel as it is really cheap and matte but it doesn't cover your foundation so you lose the dewy look. My tip for using this is a little goes a long way. 

Models own - bubblegum - here

Neon nail polish is a must for me in the summer as it makes my (little) tan stand out that bit more. I love this shade from models own as it is a really vibrant pink. I also love to use the gelly nails paints from Barry M as they last a lot longer and don't chip as much as I hate having to repaint my nails all the time in the summer.

Dove summer glow - normally £4.99 - here

Speaking of tans I normally fake tan in the summer as I hate having to sit in the garden waiting for a tan which is never even. So, to keep my tan topped up (fake or real) I use the Dove summer glow lotion as this is a gradual tanner, I put this on every time I have had a shower as it adds a glow to my skin, keeps my tan topped up and leaves my skin feeling soft. If you are like me an don't like to sit in the garden then you should definitely pick this up.

ELF setting spray - £3.95 - here

Even though I set my make up with the powder, in the summer I want some extra make-up falling off face protection so I use a setting spray. I have been wanting the Mac fix plus for a while but for now I am using a much cheaper option from ELF. This does help my make-up last all day and when I spray this on my face it feels very refreshing and hydrating. Sometimes if it's a really hot day and I am going out I will just pop this in my bag because it's small enough and cool myself down with it.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I would like to thank Rachel again for letting me guest post.

Here is where you can find me:-
Blog - casualyetchic.blogspot.com
Bloglovin - follow here
Google+ - here
Twitter - @casualyetchic
Instagram - @casualyetchic

You Beauty Discovery Box - July Edition

For the past few months I have been getting the You Beauty Discovery Box which you can see February,  March,  April,  May and  June with previous box contents.  This month my fifth box has arrived and I have said I am just as impressed.

Whenever it is time to pick the contents of your box, there is always one item that goes really quickly, no matter how early I find myself logging in to select the products I would like to try, I miss the one I want to try most.  That said, I like this months box and this is it.

This months box is themed "You Travel" and it is designed to give me an offer of a range of travel-friendly beauty must-haves - to go! As I have said before, I love is how the box fits through my letterbox, it is packed really delicately and the box really study and it has never looked disheveled.

Within the magazine which comes with the box we given the opportunity to try some of the following products, the idea being you choose two and there will also be two little extra treats, so this month they included:

So yes, there are infact three little extras which are:

Agent Provocateur Fatale perfume sample, everyone knows I am a big fan of these and this one says "Are you ready to flirt with danger? Fatale, the new fragrance from Agent Provocateur, has dark glamour, seduction and a sensual hint of danger".  It is quite floral and fruity at the same time, a scent I would perhaps favour for evening over daytime.

Next comes something for my mister Beautykinguk and that is the New Pro Moisture Shave Cream from Dove.  It is said to have been designed to provide men with a more enjoyable shave experience!

The final extra is the Egyptian Magic all purpose skin cream.  I have been wanting to try this for some time now, it is one of those products on my life of something to get a sample of to see if I like it, well voila I have it.  It is described as being the celebrity favourite all purpose skin balm with super moisturising benefits which combines the healing powers of six natural ingredients and is bursting with antioxidents to nourish and protect the skin.

So now to my choices, this month there was a choice of nine products which included: Tanorganic Self Tan Original, Tanorganic Oil Arganic Body Oil, L'oreal Paris Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara, L'Occitane en Provence repairing shampoo and conditoner duo, Green People Sun Lotion Tan Accelerator with SPF 15, Dr Bronner All-One Hemp Lavender pure castile soap, Balm Balm Rose Geranium Lip Balm, Archeia Rose Rejuventating Cream, Abahna White Grapefruit & May Change Bath Gel.

This is what I selected:

Starting with Balm Balm Rose Geranium Lip Balm which comes in a cute little pot, it is 100% Organic, Soil Association Certified Multi Purpose Rose Geranium Balm and has a delightfully uplifting, feminine fragrance.

It uses a combination of Shea butter, sunflower, beeswax, jojoba, and calendula rose geranium essential oil, gently melted together to create a solid balm to soothe, moisturise and nourish your lips or anywhere else that might need a little tlc.

Secondly the mascara I think most people are talking about and a product you can never have enough of is the L'Oreal Paris Mega Volume Miss Manga Mascara.  It is described as follows:

Mega Volume Miss Manga features a 360° fleible cone shaped brush for mega volume on top and bottom.

The 360 degree flexible brush enables easy application and mega volume on top, while the conical shape captures the lower lash for mega volume on bottom.

The result…Big Manga eyes.

So for a £6.95 subscription, my box has a value of around £15 which is more than double the value for money and not a bad box.

What do you think to do this? Do you subscribe to these boxes?  What would you have chosen? If you subscribe, link your post below so I can see what you got.

Glossybox - March 2014 Edition

So my Glossybox has arrived for March and this month I used my Glossydots to get it and having seen a few other posts, I was hoping I would get some of the products they got.

Again, this month is a themed box and it is called Beauty Blossom and Glossybox have said in their magazine that now we can put winter behind us, shed the tights and black wardrobe to welcome in spring.  So to celebrate the season of changed, they have curated a Beauty Blossom theme for march.  So this is my box.

My first thoughts are hmmm... I didn't get the serum which ive seen in a few boxes and I quite liked the look of that because I am quite obsessed with serums right now. So this is a breakdown of what is in the box.

Mitchell and Peach Body Cream - With English Honey, Organic Cocoa, Vitamin B5 and Shea Butter, this Mitchell and Peach body cream is perfect to leave you feeling as though you've taken a walk in the English Countryside.  A 40ml sample is included in my box and a full sized 180ml would cost £36.  So at a rought guess this sample is worth around £8

Sleek Make-up Pout Polish and I have the shade Bare Minimum - This tinted balm is full of nourishment and has SPF15, almond oil, shea butter and Vitamin E, it will leave  your pout looking perfect.  The shade is a sort of peachy brown nude but when you use it, it is more of a clear gloss and I actually quite like it. This is a full sized product and has an RRP of £4.49

Bellapierre Cosmetics Ltd Shimmer Powder and I have Beige as my choice - This 100% pure Mica shimmering eye shadow will provide you with a long lasting vibrant colour without smearing, creasing or fading.  I am not new to Bellapierre make-up, I have a fair collection and happen to think it is pretty fantastic, so this is a nice little edition and it is also a full sized product which retails for £12.99

So those are the main items for me, three alright ones that I will use.  Now onto the products which frankly I probably won't use and feel a bit cheated about.

Dove Hair Therapy Intensive Repair 60 second shot - Hmm well... I don't use Dove hair products because they leave my hair feeling lank and greasy and whilst this is a full sized 15ml tube which costs £1.49 it isn't something I would buy or indeed use.  I much prefer my label.m versions which leave my hair feeling wonderful.  But this is the second 'shot' from a High Street Brand I have had in a Glossybox, the first being Tresemme which I also didn't use as I am not a fan of the brand.

Then there is not one but TWO Juicy Couture perfume samples.  For me, the only good thing about them is the bright coloured cardboard packaging which caught my eye.   This is what Glossybox say about them:

"Meet us in Malibu with Juicy Couture's Malibu collection! This fragrance blends the spirit of carefree Cali with Glam LA and we love it.

Sadly I like neither scent, one is meant to be fruity and the other floral, all I can see is that I won't use them.

So all in all it is an alright box, three products I like and three samples that I don't like.

Did you get your Glossybox this month? What did you think to mine?

My March Empties!

I see so many fellow bloggers doing posts like these and I really enjoy reading them, so I thought I would do one too.  Throughout the whole of March, I have made a conscious effort to use it those bottles and tubs of potions that are just about to run out and here they are:

In this photograph there are some of the face products that I have used up and they are:

The Sanctuary Spa Active Reversal Thermal Transformation Mask which I got in my January Glossybox.  I have to be honest, I didn't like this mask at all, I didn't like how much faffing about there was to using it, the feel of it on my skin or the feel of my skin after using it.

Montagne Jeunesse Paw Paw Peel off Mask which claimed to be a 'Phenomenal Pore Blaster' and I reviewed it HERE it is fair to say I wasn't impressed with this product either.

Simple Facial Wipes which again I reviewed HERE and I love these wipes,l they are brilliant for wiping away all the dirt and grime of the day, along with make-up and wouldn't hesitate to purchase them again.

Simple Facial Moisturising Cream which I have also reviewed and you can find it HERE and again I really liked this product, I love how soft and smooth my skin felt after using it and I had no adverse reactions to it either.

Next are products from the bathroom and again all have been used up in March.

Radox Nourish Bath  - I bought this because it was on offer for £1 in Asda and I had assumed I was running low on bath products, not only for me but also for him indoors.  This is the Nurturing range with Ginger and Shea butter, not two ingrdeients I would put together but it smells alright and I wouldn't purchase it again as it wasn't my favourite fragrance, but for £1 it is alright.

Essential Waitrose Sea Salt and Kelp - I bought this because it was on offer again £1.29, as you might have gathered, I am the worlds greatest impulse shoppers!  A friend of mine swears by this stuff and claims it is the best foam bath she has ever used.  Well to be fair to the bath foam, it does create a lot of bubbles and it does smell quite nice and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Palmolive Bergamot and Verbena Hand Soap - I bought this for two reasons.  Firstly I liked the design of the bottle and it was on offer in Asda for £1 and I needed some more soap for the bathroom and secondly I have used a bath foam in the past with both Bergamot and Verbena as the main ingredients and loved the sharp citrusy scent.  I was really disappointed by this soap, there is a slight citrus smell, but it wasnt as sharp as I was hoping for and I wouldn't buy it again.

Lush Veganese - A slight cheat as there was only enough left for one last use but I did use it in March.  i like this conditioner as a treat, it is seaweed and lemon infused and is really light as a conditioner.  As I have greasy roots, I don't use a conditioner on my roots very often as it makes my hair worse, however, this leaves my hair soft and shiney.  It costs £4.15 for 100g bottle, £8.15 for 250g and £13.15 for 500g bottle. I will definitely purchase this again.

             

Here we have:

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - Hmm well this was a sachet and am glad I didnt have to pay for it because I hated everything about it. The smell, the texture, the effect it had on my hair, basically it wasn't for me and I have since tried Morrocanoil which I adore.

Spa Magik Salt brushing - Love this product range and this sachet came from a Glossybox and I have since bought another one because they are so good.  It is 100% natural, has no Parabens and costs around £1.78 per sachet to buy and it leaves your skin looking and feeling amazing.  There is a review for this coming soon.

Garnier Body 7 day replenishing Lotion - this was given to me by a work colleague who couldnt stand the smell. It is a Mango oil fragrance for dry skin and I found the scent to be quite subtle.  However, this products is just not for me, it doesnt do enough for my dry skin patches and it isn't something I would now purchase for myself.

Maybelline Colossal Mascara - I actually quite liked this mascara until I got towards the end of the tube when it became clumpy and unwearable which annoyed me.  As a mascara I liked the brush, it made applying the mascara really easy and whilst I never truly believe it would give me 'up to 7 times more gorgeous volume' you could see some improvement.  However, having now discovered They're Real by Benefit, this really does pale into insignificance   Costs around £7

My final list of empties - and I am shocked as to how much I have managed to use up are:

Radox Coconut Kiss shower gel which I wrote about HERE and HERE and I love the smell of this shower gel, the texture is lovely and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth after using.  A product I would definitely purchase again and it is still on offer for £1 in Asda.

Palmolive Ayurituel Joyous Shower Gel - again I wrote about this HERE and of the three in this range, Joyous is without doubt my favourite.  I like the scent of this alot and it leaves a really lovely lingering smell in your bathroom and on your skin for a few hours after using. Again, I have since purchased this one again.

Dove Natural Touch Deodorant Spray - Picked it for £1 which makes it another bargain yet again.  Doesn't leave white stains on clothing, smells really lovely and keeps me feeling fresh all day long.  I would definitely purchase this again.

The Final product is Nspa mango body scrub which I bought from Asda on a 3 for 2 offer and I really like this scrub, it smells wonderfully fruity and has a matching bath foam, it does exfoliate really well without scratching your skin and the mango smell is really lovely.  A definite item to be repurchased. 

Do you use any of these products? Do you like/hate any of them?