Glossybox October 2015

Glossy Box October 2015

This is my first glossybox and overall I am impressed; now as I have mentioned in previous posts I am a sucker for packaging and glossybox hits the nail on the head although I am slightly disappointed that my pink box looks like it has been dragged around and thrown with scuff marks and black lines.

The outer coating/ posting box is a glossy black box with the company logo emblazoned all over; this leads to no confusion about what is inside leading to more excitement.

Once through the black box you are greeted by a baby pink shiny lid with ‘GlossyBox’ written in a large black font with the same emblem as on packaging above the writing. Once you lift the lid the sense of importance and decadence screams through; with the softest of pink tissue paper and black grosgrain ribbon tied lightly in a bow just waiting to be opened. On the tissue paper there is a round monochrome sticker with the company logo boldly sealing the tissue shut like a 15^th century letter sealed with a wax seal.

Beneath your luscious layers the real fun begins with five great products waiting to be played with; in this month’s box you have-

• So Susan – Haute Light Highlighting Pencil £15
• Talika – Photo-Hydra Day £24.85
• Nicka K- Airbrush Blending Sponge £6.50
• Lanolips – Antibacterial Hand cream £8.99
• Jelly Pong Pong – Fairy Lashes Curl Mascara £17.95

I will be reviewing all products in separate reviews to give them their own voice and my true opinions in a deeper exploration of their uses.

I hope you have enjoyed this review,

Bye for now

Nicola

xxx

Lanolips - Intense Hydration & Protection

Lanolips – Intense Hydration & Protection

This is the first product in which I am reviewing from my October Glossybox;

As a mum of a 10 month old and a 4 year old I have to was my hands a crazy amount of times in a day especially when we are out due to continuous nappy changing and toilet breaks for my 4 year old. When you add in that the baby cries at loud noises and the 4 year old has managed to grow a fear of hand dryers (God knows why) using sinks in public toilets is pretty much a no go hand sanitizer gels are my saviour however I have really sensitive eczema prone skin the drying formulas hurt more than they help on some days.

So on the surface Lanolips is a perfect compromise an antibacterial hand cream that kills 99% of germs whilst moisturising and protecting my poor hands, what is great about this product is it uses lanolin a completely natural product. As a mum who breast fed I am well aware of the soothing quality of lanolin so to see this in a hand cream is a huge bonus.

The cream itself has a lovely subtle fragrance that I can only describe as is clean; it is non offence and I really like it. I think it comes more from the aloe within it as that has a distinctive smell but this is not as strong as other aloe products I have used. When you apply it has a slight drag to it but nothing too drastic, it instantly sinks in and leaves a lovely texture and feeling on my skin which is great in this season. The feeling on my skin lasted ages and if I was to buy this as just a hand cream I would be very happy with soothing effects it has on me but to have the antibacterial quality too is such a huge benefit.

As I have said before I am a true lover of packaging and it has a big impact on whether I buy a product. The outer box is lovely in a subtly blue with a watercolour drawn version of the product on the front panel; the look of the packaging has a beautiful vintage feel I think it would look just in place in 1950 as it does now. The one thing that does disappoint me with the packaging is the size, from the outside it looks like you are going to get a fair size product however when you open the top of the box you are greeted with a separator that splits the box in half which to me seems like a waste really.

Overall I really like this product and would definitely purchase again as a treat for me rather than for the kids as my son did not like the feel if the cream he prefers the gels.

Speak soon

Love Nicola xx

Aloha Lola Cards Illustrations

Aloha Lola Cards

I have had such a good day today, I was scrolling through twitter checking out multiple different blogs and tweets when I saw the cutest little sketches by Aloha Lola Cards. They were so cute that I had to go investigate; after a few retweets and interactions they made me into an illustration.

How amazingly talented are they I absolutely love it, I sent a photo of me at Disney hence the ears and rain Mac. It is currently my display picture on twitter if you want one check out their etsy page https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AlohaLolaCards or on twitter as @AlohaLolaCards they are so reasonably priced that I am buying a few for Christmas presents.

I was not paid to advertise this lovely page I just genuinely adore the sketch she made me that I needed to let you all know about her.

Nicola xx

Super Dry Wayfarer Sunglasses & Max Factor Sheer Gloss Balm – Red Garnet

Super Dry Wayfarer Sunglasses & Max Factor Sheer Gloss Balm – Red Garnet

After a night of getting up every 20 minutes to resettle a 9 month old and a 3 year old who both have colds I look like one of the walking dead. However as a busy mum I don’t get the time to rest up and not leave the house so here is my solution for a sleep deprived mum.

Super Dry Wayfarer Metallic Purple

With these super reflective metallic sunglasses you don’t need to worry about putting eye makeup on those tired aggravated eyes just hide them and the world doesn’t need to know. I love these shape sunglasses I feel they are more flattering than round frames and suit more face shapes than traditional styles. They are also UV category 3, your eyes are the most sensitive part of your body and the thinnest skin so you need to protect them with everything you can.

I team up the sunglasses with a bright lip to give my face a bit of colour after a long night. In this instance I used:

Max Factor Sheer Gloss Balm – Red Garnet

This is softer to apply than a lipstick but not sticky like a traditional gloss or lip balm, on a day where energy levels are low I don’t need to be worrying about reapplying and having to deal with sticky lips and this balm is perfect. The colour lasted 2 hours and the pigment was sheer allowing it to look like a better version of my lips, you can also layer this up to get a stronger colour. As I pointed out earlier the thinnest skin you have is around your eyes and it is closely followed by the skin around your mouth so it also needs protecting. This balm is also an SPF 10 which doesn’t sound a lot but every little helps in this case I found that this balm left my lips feeling moisturised for hours after the colour faded which is great in these colder months.

Overall I would recommend this gloss balm for a fuss free colour that isn’t sticky would definitely buy other shades. 

Bye For Now

Nicola

xxx

Ciate - Mistress

Ciaté – Mistress

I am a sucker for packaging and so far Ciaté has the best packaging within the nail industry. Her use of watercolour inspired graphics and eccentric English scenes drew me in instantly, enticing me into the colourful world of Ciaté.

The first set I have brought from Ciaté is called ‘Nail Taxi’ it is made up of three colours, metallic grey, red and a glitter black, the packaging of this set is great it is a sleeved box with the image of a London taxi with the three nail varnishes visible behind Perspex windows; set back from the taxi is a red phone box, tree and building creating the image of a London street.

I am going to review each of the three colours in separate reviews so that each colour can be looked at as an individual. First off I am going to look at ‘Mistress’ a beautiful British letter box red, in the curved bow topped bottle the colour looks smooth and silky. As I took the lid off the first thing I noticed was the length of the handle it is longer than any other nail varnish I have ever used; this creates a sturdy line to lean on whilst applying the colour. Secondly I noticed the thickness of the brush, I am a huge fan of Leighton Denny whose brush is thinner and splays out allowing you to do your nail in three even strokes to get full coverage; now the Ciaté brush is thicker and filled my nail in one to one and a half strokes at first this was hard to adjust too. The only way to describe it is trying to go from a fountain pen to a board marker and trying to write in a birthday card, once I got use to the thicker brush the speed in which I finished my nails was amazing it allowed me to do a full manicure in less than 10 minutes (not including a little clean up).

The colour is beautiful and I must admit I am more impressed than I thought I would be, it is a sophisticated red that has no shimmer or glitter but stands on its own as a bold, bright colour. One thing I am not sure on is the solidness of the finished colour, I don’t know if it is this colour or is a generic point of all Ciaté colours but it is slightly transparent not noticeable from a distance or at first glance but on closer inspection you can slightly see through it and that is after three coats.

Another huge plus point of this nail varnish was the speed in which it dried, by the time I had gone from little finger to thumb my little finger had dried. It also seems smudge proof which I have never had from a nail varnish brand even after they have been touch dry.

Overall I really enjoyed using Ciaté and the new style brush, the colour is beautiful and the speed in which I could have a fully dried manicure is amazing. I will definitely be buying other sets by this brand or individual colours. Keep a look out for my review on the other two colours from this same set coming soon.

Bye for now

Nicola

xx

Elemis - Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser Special Edition

Elemis – Pro Radiance Cream Cleanser Special Edition

I am the worse at removing my make up and cleansing my skin but this year I have vowed to look after my skin properly and prevent aging as much as possible. I use to use baby wipes to remove my make up; I know a shocking skin disaster that stripped my delicate skin everyday but I carried on anyway.

Elemis tag line ‘Defined by nature led by science’ is one that appealed to me; with the promise of luxurious deep cleansing with aromatics of the Mediterranean was too hard to resist. Now as a wipe girl I found cleansing to be daunting and using a cream direct on to my dry face was a baffling one to start with and I was so tempted to wet my face first but resisted and followed the instructions. Much to my surprise it didn’t drag on my skin but went on like a luxury cream that I massaged all over my face (I didn’t use on my eyes I used Floracil to remove eye make up) concentrating on my deeper more open pores around my nose and chin. I left on my skin for a few minutes and used a warm muslin cloth to remove everything including a full face of make up and build up on my skin.

I have been using this cream cleanser for almost a month now and I have to say that it has really helped to close my open pores and I have had no issues with spots or dry skin patches since I started using it. The only thing I am not overly keen on is the fragrance, I don’t feel it adds anything to the product I don’t know what the original smells like but I hope when I buy it that it does not have any fragrance. The packaging is a simple white tube that doesn’t feel very luxurious but the silver details and graphics give it a slightly more expensive feel.

Overall I would recommend this product as it does what it says in a decadent way.

Bye For Now

Nicola