Cohorted April Beauty Box

This months Cohorted Beauty Box is amazing, it has four fantastic items included, all of which I will be using. If you are present on Twitter, then you will know that these boxes are quite the conversational subject when they go on sale because the last three have, including this one, have all sold out! They costs just £19.99 but the contents alone add up to a huge £70!

So this month there are 4 full sized products within the box and all of them are for sale with Cohorted in their shop. What's more, each product is from a brand that you will have heard of or possibly even used something from and it is a good mixture of highstreet v's high end. This is one of the things I love about beauty boxes, the chance to try products you might never have thought of trying, the opportunity to try things you might not necessarily have heard of, the chance that you have wanted a product for a while and actually it isn't what you had hoped or it is more than you hoped for and of course the build up to that box arriving, the refreshing of the package tracking page and then the arrival.

So, inside my box this month is the bareMinerals: Heavenly Face Brush (RRP £22) made from goat hair, this brush is large, soft and features a blunt-cut brush head. 

On the skin it feels incredibly soft on the skin and I find it is great for giving that flawless look with liquid foundation and equally it is great for using as finishing brush too.

Ark Age Prepare Skin Purifying Masque (rrp £10) is next and it is described as being a cleansing masque for congested skin that will leave it feeling very refreshed. The masque is said to absorb excess oil, reduce the appearance of blemishes and pores for clear skin. Designed to be used once or twice a week, this masque uses Kaolin Clay which heals blemishes and prevents new ones from forming. Wild Water Mint reduces the size of enlarged pores and Anti-pollution Algae prevents skin damage from free radicals.

I have never used anything from Ark skincare but I do love a good facemask, so I am really looking forward to trying this.

Korres are one of my favourite brands for lip butters, so to find the Mulberry Vanilla Body Butter (RRP £19.50) in this box is a delight.  Made in Greece, this body butter is free from propylene glycol, synthetic dye, mineral oil, silicones and parabens. 

It contains shea butter, quince extract and a proprietary blend of sunflower, almond and avocado oils which moisturises and soothes the skin and is luxuriously hydrating. Having worn jeans, trousers and thick tights for the last few months, the skin of my shins is quite dry, so I need something that will soften and hydrate my skin and not only does this body butter smell absolutely beautiful, it is such a lovely cream, you can't help but love it.

The final item in this amazng box is from MAC and it is the Sheertone Shimmer blusher in Dolly Mix. When I first looked at this blush I immediately loved the shade, who doesn't love pink, but I did expect it to be too pink for my almost porcelain skin. 

However, having had a bit of a play with it, actually whilst it is really pigmented, if you use a stippling blush lightly, it does give a great transfer of colour, giving that natural flushed look add to which the shimmer is just amazing, it creates a nice glowy sheen on your cheeks.

I think this is an absolutely amazing box and my favourite of the Cohorted boxes that I have seen to date.  I love that there is a nice mix of products and all four of them are not ones I would ever normally pick up or choose, but now I have them, I am wondering why I have not picked them up sooner.  This is one of the first boxes for a long time that I have used all of the products and have not been left feeling disappointed.

Did you manage to get your hands on this box?  What do you think to the contents?

Guest Post | My Recent MAC Purchase!

Hiya sweet peas, 

It's Siobhan here from the beauty baker and I'm lucky enough to be able to guest post for the lovely Rachel.

Mac lipsticks are my favourite as many of you might know and I'm pretty sure that they're most of your guys favourite lipsticks too. Recently I bought the famous Creme Cup lipstick from Mac which seems to be a bloggers favourite. I don't really know anyone who doesn't own this lipstick so obviously I needed to be a little sheep and follow the heard no matter how late I am.

Creme Cup is a Cremesheen finish lipstick and has a vanilla smell like all the Mac lipsticks have, as I always mention the scent of the lipsticks is one of my favourite things and whenever I smell vanilla now it reminds me of Mac and sometimes it even makes me feel a bit fancy. The lipstick itself is a nude lipstick with a pink undertone plus since it's a cremesheen finish it isn't drying in the slightest and feels so nice and hydrating on my lips. When on my lips I say it looks cute natural as if I'm wearing just a tinted lip balm or gloss on my lips, it makes my lips look quite glossy but not too much like a gloss does so it's suitable for a day look while you can also wear it for more of an evening look.

I also find with this lipstick is that it makes me look like I have a real good tan and brings out the olive tone in my skin a lot more which lets be honest I don't think is every a bad thing! But I find compared to other lipsticks it does make my teeth a bit yellow, not so much that it's a problem but compared to other where my teeth look like super pearly whites it's a bit disappointment, plus the staying power isn't as long as other Mac lipsticks I have so you'll need to keep reapplying this throughout the day!

What's your favourite Mac lipstick?

*Guestpost

My SS14 Wishlist

Every so often I see something and think "ooh I like that", make a note of it and then forget all about it. This wishlist is one of those, I have seen a dress or a top that I like, make a mental note to buy it or wait for the sale and then more often than not it is either too late or it is no longer available.

Here is my SS14 Wishlist

I never thought I would be someone to wear Jeggings, EVER but truth be told I really like them and find them comfortable.  The one and only pair I have from Asda, which are superb are no longer available so I have been keeping my eye on these skinny jeans which are very similar to the ones I have from the ASOS Curve Range.

F&F Clothing sometimes have some beautiful clothes in and the dress which you can see in the middle of my wishlist is from there, though sadly only now available in a size 6, I think it is stunning.

Ted Baker purses have appeared on more than one of my wishlists and one day I will get one in the sale, but for now, I have about 4 or 5 that I really like the look of and as soon as they hit the sale I will buy one.

MAC Lipstick, well yes Fanfare has become top of my target list.  I have read so much about it, love the colour and need to go and swatch it properly to make sure it is something I would wear.

The two tops in this post are both from Dorothy Perkins and are both in the sale which you can see HERE and HERE so I am currently debating whether or not to bit the bullet and buy them.  My problem is they are not normally tops that I would buy.  Neither of them have sleeves and I am conscious about my arms, but I think they are just so so pretty.

Make-up Revolution - Everyone is raving about this brand currently and it is a bandwagon I am yet to join and test, though I do have a palette from my BBB Bow to try.  The one item I do love the look of is the Baked Blusher and there are two which I currently love the look of - All I think about is you and Make Love Instead.

Fitflops - I bought my first pair about 6 years ago and they now look very tatty and in need of renewing.  That said they are the most comfortable pair of shoes I have EVER owned, if there was a holygrail for a flip flop then for me FitFlops would be them.  Recently I have kind of fancied these rather funky looking Fitflops called Bon Easy Sandal.  So as well as another pair of Fitflops which I will definitely be purchasing, I like the look of these too.

The final item on this list is from Marc Jacobs and as soon as I saw the bottle I wanted it.  Pink Honey as it is called is encased in this beautiful bottle, very similar to Honey itself only the bottle is a sheer pink and I love it.

What do you think to my list? Do you have any of the items on it? 

Do you have your own wishlist?

M.A.C Frost Lipstick - Angel Review

It has only been a month since I introduced my very first MAC lipstick into my life and now I already have another one oops!  The first one Creme Cup which you can read about HERE is a shade I really really like.  Then Cohorted announced that they had a MAC lipstick that I quite liked the look of and before you know it, it had arrived.

The newest addition to my MAC Collection is Angel, a frosted lipstick, meaning it is less creamy looking on the lips I am told.  It is described as being a soft pink shade and for me, it is actually quite similar to Creme Cup.

The first time I used this lipstick I found it to be quite sheer looking, but it is one of those products which is buildable, so you can keep on applying it until you are happy with the finish. The one thing that did confuse me is that I didn't find it all that frosty, infact once on the lips, the texture was quite creamy, more so than I had been led to believe it would be. It also has a slight vanilla scent, not something I usually like in a product, I would go as far to say that it is one of those scents that I really really dislike, but within this lipstick it is tolerable and not too overpowering. 

I also like that with this lipstick you can wear with just a BB Cream or a full face of foundation, it seems to so far fit every aspect of the make-up look I choose to wear, which more often than not is a natural look.

I have mentioned that Angel is quite similar to Creme Cup and here you can see the two together with swatches. I did have photos of me actually wearing the lipstick, but deleted them instead of uploading them, so I need to get a nice sunny day to repeat the whole process.

Angel, like Creme Cup has a good wear time in it, I find it lasts around 3 hours, obviously depending on what I am doing whilst wearing it, which on the whole is really good. When I first got Angel, I wasn't totally sold on it, I didnt think it suited me or my skin tone because I have dark blonde hair and am quite fair, that said, I persevered with it and find that I actually have started to wear it more, it isn't a lipstick that would be in my top 5, but it is one of those lipsticks that I do wear and do like.

I do still have my MAC Lipstick Wishlist as before which includes:

Do you own Angel or Creme Cup or indeed any Mac Lipsticks on my wishlist?  

Are there any you recommend?

MAC Crème Cup Creemsheen Lipstick

When I won a competition some time ago to win a MAC lipstick, I really didn't know what to choose or where to even start with the number of shades available, infact I found the whole task quite overwhelming.  But with some lovely tweets from some fellow bloggers I ended up choosing  Crème  Cup.

Crème Cup is described as being a nude pink shade which some might consider a little bit boring when you can choose amazing shades such as Heroine, Rebel and Dangerous, but for those of us who have yet to feel confident wearing these bold and bright colours, Crème cup is a perfect starting place and I feel a great introduction to the world of MAC - yes this is my first EVER MAC product.

Far from being boring, I was quite surprised upon the arrival of the lipstick at how lovely it looks, encased inside its bullet shaped case, it is everything bit as beautiful as I had been lead to believe it would be.  Application is really easy as it goes onto your lips effortlessly, my only issue is its longevity, it needs to be reapplied every 2-3 hours, which on the whole isn't too much of a problem, I was just expecting it to last longer.

Thankfully once you are wearing Crème Cup it doesn't highlight any of those pesky dry patches or imperfections on your lips which makes it the almost perfect daily wearing lipstick and it compliments every make-up option I choose to wear, whether from a natural look to the smokey eye effect, infact I am sure it would suit everybody it is that versatile.

Naturally having loved using Crème Cup, I'm now wanting to try quite a few other MAC shades such as Hue,Modesty and Fanfare to start with of course!

All pictures have been taken from Pinterest

What's your favourite MAC Lipstick? 

Which one would you encourage me to purchase?

London in Winter

Living in London can be lots of fun.  There is always something to do, something to see, places to go and things to do, particularly in winter when the city transforms itself from being hot, muggy and smog ridden, to a much more relaxed, serene and beautiful place to be. Links of London asked some bloggers to write about their favourite things to do here in London and these are my thoughts.

As soon as winter arrives and Christmas is on the horizon, everywhere you look, there are bright twinkling lights, Christmas displays in shops and in streets and lots of shopping to be done amongst the hustle and bustle of tourists who are all hunting for that final bargain for the big day.

Some of the things I love to do during this time is to meet with friends and go ice-skating, this can be at Somerset House where the ice-rink is open from November to the end of January with the grand courtyard is transformed into a beautiful ice-rink and you find yourself surrounded by lots of squeals and laughter as being skate around merrily chatting away.

Source

Then from Ice-skating a trip to Hyde Park to Winter Wonderland is a definite must.  It starts towards the end of November and it has something for all the family.  Whether you like to sample the delights of German Bratwurst Hotdogs, Donuts, Belgian Fries with Mayonnaise or simply enjoy a few drinks whilst sampling beers and mulled wines from around the world, you will find something you enjoy.  I have been going to Winter Wonderland for the last few years and always have lots of fun, there is the funfair element of trying to win teddies and bits of tat from stalls such as the rifle range or hook a duck, there are fairground rides for all the family from the big wheel, teacups and saucers to the rides for the more adventurous that chuck you around in the air and spin you upside down.  If that isn’t enough there are hundreds of stalls which sell all kinds of things from world cheeses, Zebra burgers, candles and beautiful lanterns and lights.

If you want something less busy but as equally beautiful, some of the more famous streets of London, such as Carnaby Street have beautiful Christmas displays which make wonderful photos and as well known as they are, I have never found them to be overcrowded, but naturally if the crowds don’t bother you too much, then Oxford Street and Regent Street is the place to be.

Covent Garden is also a great destination for a bit of shopping, followed by lunch and maybe a bit more shopping and it is here you will also find some of the big named store such as Links of London, MAC and Apple to name just a few.  What's more, if you are in need of a bit of entertainment, there is always one of the street entertainers on hand to put on a show and grab your attention for a few minutes.

What is your favourite thing to do in London?

Beauty Products I want to try in 2014!

Not quite a wishlist but when you read other peoples blogs and think "Ooh I want to try that" I decided that I would create a list of products I want to try:

So it is almost like having a wishlist really, some of them I have seen reviewed and some of them I haven't, but they are:

1. Billion Dollar Brows Brow Boost - Billion Dollar Brows Brow Boost is a deep conditioning treatment formulated to help strengthen and condition thin, weak brows which mine most certainly are due to over-plucking and one dreadful waxing experience in a salon (never again).  Retails for around £25

2. NARS At First Sight Eye & Cheek Palette which includes - Deep Throat Blush and Laguna Bronze as well as Eyeshadow Top Row: All About Eve, Nouveau Monde and Eyeshadow Bottom Row: Bellissima, Cordura (II).  Retails for £45

3. This Works dream believers - I often suffer from broken sleep (cats meoqing at the window to come in and out all the time) and this little kit has a really lovely description "Wrap yourself in a cocoon of soothing essential oils – any place, any time – with our versatile hand and body cream, deep sleep dream cream. Let the calming properties of Lavender relax your senses by applying our protective sleep balm to your pulse points". which makes me want it more.  Currently on offer for £16 (and I have the sleep balm already).

4. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - seems to be a cult favourite amongst the world of #bbloggers and is yet to be a bandwagon that I am to jump on. Prices start at £14.75

5. Soap and Glory One Heck of a Blot - an oil absorbing, shine controlling face powder for all skin types, which sounds perfect to me and is available in Boots for £12.

6. Glam Glow Mud Mask - Another product that I see frequently on beauty blogs and people rave about it, so naturally I want to try it.  Apparently great for when you need great skin and a glowing complexion in just 10 minutes.  Retails at around £25

The next three products are listed because I am intrigued, slightly scared and a bit obsessed with them:

7. Rodial Dragons Blood Eye Cream - The product description for this is fabulous

"This instantly cooling gel refreshes and hydrates puffy tired eyes with Rose Water, Arnica and Dragons Blood. Instantly brighter, the delicate eye area is restructured to thicken translucent skin and plump wrinkles. Hyaluronic Acid comforts dehydrated skin and refines the skin's surface for wide awake eyes" - it contains Dragons Blood!!  Anyway it costs £45.  I also want the Snake Mask which I have a sample of somewhere in one of my jars, I just haven't tried it yet, hence why it doesn't appear on my list.

8. Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Bee Venom Mask - Again the intrigue comes with the words Bee and venom it sound stingy but is it really?

"Containing Manuka Honey, renowned for its soothing and healing properties, it also contains the magic Bee Venom ingredient that works to control the facial muscles for immediate lifting, tightening and firming, whilst getting to work on frown lines and wrinkles"  and it costs £25.30 for 15ml

9. Dr Organic Snail Gel - Yes another gruesome sounding product and I simply want to try it because it sounds totally gross and it does actually contain Snail Slime, here is the description:

"Dr. Organic Snail Gel is a moisturising, soothing, anti-aging gel which harnesses the remarkable cosmetic benefits of Helix Aspersia Muller, a unique substance the snail produces to quickly regenerate its own shell and skin when damaged. Combined with organic Aloe Vera and our proprietary blend of bioactive ingredients it effectively soothes and hydrates the skin". It retails for £19.99

The final products on my list isn't something gruesome sounding it is:

10. Naked 3 Palette - Yes totally hopping on the bandwagon with this one, it seems like everyone has it and I don't and from the three of them, this would be my preference.  Retails for £37

11. MAC - Not just a Lipstick but there have been quite a few products that I have seen of late that I really want to try, the only problem is the stores scare me.  I have only ever walked into one and was pounced upon before I had even shut the door with the lady telling me how many amazing products she could see me wearing, that I turned around and left. Oh and Sharon and Kelly Osbourne doing a range - I want it!

So there you have a list of products that I really want to try in 2014.  Do you have a list and have you tried any or many of these?