Monday 28 April 2014

SoukSouk April 2014 Birthday Box

SoukSouk offer a monthly subscription beauty box called 'Little Green Beauty Box' containing 5 natural & organic beauty treats for £10 + p&p. They also do limited edition and bespoke boxes. I've had 2 bespoke beauty boxes from SoukSouk in the past but have never signed up to receive their little green beauty box. Its my birthday next month so as a gift from my boyfriend I will be getting a 3 month subscription. As it was SoukSouk's 1 year Birthday this month I thought what better time to sign up, so my boyfriend agreed I could get my present early :)

April SoukSouk Little Green Beauty Box


This months box has a value of £45. Heres a list of what was in my box:

Balm Balm Rose Geranium Face Balm 30 ml (£6.99)
Kris D'Amour Intensive Soothing Facial Treatment Oil 10ml (10.60)
Kris D'Amour Soothing Body Oil 10ml (£9.60)
Kris D'Amour Soothing Body Treatment Butter 10ml (£6.60)
PHB Ethical Beauty Lip Pencil (£9.95)
Balm Balm Muslin Cloth (£6.25 for 3)

SoukSouk offer a reward point system called SoukSouk Seeds. For 200 seeds you can add an extra surprise product onto your next order, or save up 1000 seeds to redeem for a little green box! As an added extra I have Gwdihw Hand Balm thanks to redeeming 200 souksouk seeds.

Overall I'm really please with my first box. ive been trying out these products for a few days now and so far so good - I love the balm balm product not overly keen on rose scented products but this has left my skin feeling moisturised all day :)

Friday 18 April 2014

Love Me Beauty April 2014 Unboxing

My Love Me Beauty box arrived later than normal this month but now its here I'm supper excited to start using the products. 

This month I choose edition 3 which consisted of 4 products. 



First up is Ritual Daily Cleansing Shampoo by Neal & Wolf. This is the item that swayed me to pick edition 3. It's a full size 250ml bottle which retails for £11.50. I've been using this shampoo for a few days now and can honestly say I love it! Smooth, shiny, soft hair evertime. 

Next up is another hair product (I really love getting hair products in my boxes). This Colour Extend Conditioner by Redken is the perfect product to use on my dyed hair. This is only a 25ml sample size so wont last as long as the shampoo I received (obviously!) but it is a good travel size. Full size is £9.99 for 250ml.

My next item is from a brand I've never heard of.  Betty Hula's Secret Wonder Oil Roller Ball is a versatile moisturising oil which can be used on stretch marks, scarring, dry skin or for soothing sunburn. I'm loving body oils right now, they always smell so good! my collection of them is growing and growing.  This is full size 10ml which costs £6.25. 

Last but not least is a nail polish by Models Own.   I received the colour 'Fuzzy Peach' which is a great shade for the upcoming summer months. Yet another full sized product 14ml which sells for £5.

As a little extra I was also given a gift card for £25 off a box at HelloFresh. I will definitely be using this in the coming weeks as I think the concept is great, but not something I could afford to have every week or even month. My bf is very fussy when it comes to food so hopefully I can get something he will like also.

Over all this box is worth £23.75 plus if u add the gift card its worth double that. Well worth the £10 + p&p paid for this box.  


Monday 14 April 2014

Glossybox UK April 2014 Unboxing

My Glossybox arrived today! Clever postie left it with my neighbour for a change too!

This month I have managed to stay away from Glossybox spoilers & other blog review posts so I had no idea what I might be receiving in my box. That means that this unboxing post will be entirely my honest thoughts on what I received in my box and not an 'Oh I wish I got this item instead' kinda thing. Of course as soon as I publish this post I will be checking out what everyone else got! :-D

Heres a quick look at my box contents










The first thing I noticed was a Lip Brush from a brand I've never heard of Emite Make Up. This brush has an RRP of £17! I have to say I would never pay that much for a makeup brush but it is very soft and looks good quality. I do like getting makeup brushes in boxes but I don't use lip brushes, however this looks a similar size and shape to the eye liner brush I use for my gel liners so I will probably use this one for that instead of for lips. 














Next out the box is Warming Ginger Massage & Body Oil by MONU Spa. Not something I would think of to buy myself but body oils are slowing growing on me. This does have a really lovely Ginger smell which I find relaxing. I have put some on my hand and can't stop smelling it, it's so nice! This oil can be added to a bath or applied directly to the skin - perhaps I can convince my boyfriend to give me a back massage! It can also be used in the shower just before rinsing and claims to transform into a milk which is interesting, I may need to try that out. Full size is £25 for 100ml, this is a 30ml sample worth £7.50.










MeMeMe Cosmetics Beat the Blues - Pearl Pink was a product that confused me when I took it out of the box. I didn't read the card at first and thought this product was a nail varnish but is in actual fact a highlighter. I've haven't tried any of MeMeMe Cosmetics before so I'm quite excited by this one. It's a multi-use product (I love multi-use) which can be used as a highlighter, applied under blusher for a dewy glow or even added to foundation more a subtle shimmer. I received the full size which costs £5.50. 

Also included is a discount code for 20% of an order on mememecosmetics.co.uk which I will most definitely be using.








The next product in this months box is from the only brand I've use before TRESemme - Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo. I have never used their dry shampoo before but have used the normal shampoo/conditioners many times in the past. I love seeing hair products in beauty boxes but I'm sure not many people will agree with me on that. I was given a 100ml sample which is half the full size, so I will get good use out of this. Full size retails for £4.99 making this sample worth around £2.49.












Last is a face cream Daily Face SPF 50+ from SunSense UK. This is a light, soft, oil free facial sunscreen which is slightly tinted and comes in a little 10g tube (reminds me of the hair treatment shot I got in last months box HERE) I don't use sunscreen as often as I should. Living in Scotland we don't see much more than rain! Having said that we got a good summer last year and this year is shaping up to be just as hot. Full size is £20.99 for 75g making this sample worth about £2.79. 
Glossybox have also included a 25% discount code to be used at crawfordhealthcare.com valid until 31st June. I have already had a look on their website and they are currently offering 50% off the Daily Face SPF 50+ cream, so if you are thinking of getting the full size best be quick as I'm not sure how long the offer will last.




The total value of contents this month is just over the £35 mark - highly due to the retail price of the lip brush. It's not as high a value as last months box (I don't think that could of been beaten) but I definitely think it is worth the £10 + p&p paid as I have received a great variety of products that I wouldn't have thought to buy myself and I get to try brands and products I've never used before. So overall I'm very happy :)



Sunday 13 April 2014

Birchbox UK April 2014 Unboxing

I did my best to not look at the spoilers for this months box.....but I couldn't help it! I looked and wow what a great selection Birchbox had on offer. My first thought was Laura Mercier Body Butter...I want! I want! I want! My second thought was there is no way I will get it in my box, and I was right unfortunately. I guess I will just have to buy the full size when its back in stock :-)

This months theme is 'Good Enough To Eat'. All products are food related in some way or another, but in no way edible! (except the propercorn)

I was very impressed that my Birchbox arrived before any of the other beauty boxes I subscribe to (YBD, Love Me Beauty) so well done Birchbox you made my day!



Here is what I received in my box this month.






The first thing that caught my eye was the Full size bottle of Tommyguns Shampoo in 'Pomegranate & Orange Flower' which reatils at £5.50 for 250ml. You can probably read the text on the bottle so I wont bore you with repeating it. This shampoo smells amazing! I was however a little put off by the fact it says it will highlight fairer tones and my hair is very dark brown so will this have any effect on lightening my hair? I really hope not I like my dark hair and want to keep it dark. Hopefully it will just give it a nice shiny finish.



Next up is a product I choose myself - technically. Birchbox gave current subscribers the choice of 4 shades of nail lacquer from Colour Club but we had to be quick to make a decision! I opted for 'Aquamarine Azulino' - described as 'a pastel shade that evokes blue skies and the spring dawn' how lovely does that sound? These polishes are £15 for a set of 4.



A product I was very happy to receive was One Love Organics Skin Savior Waterless Beauty Balm. I really love organic products, more & more are making their way into my everyday skincare routine. This citrus scented natural balm is multi use. It can be used as a cleanser, moisturizer, to tame flyaway hairs and can even be added to your foundation for a smoother complexion! Full size is £30 for 39ml, this sample is a generous 15ml.



'How 'Bout Them Apples?' from The Balm is a product I've wanted to try for a while. At £26 for a palette of 6 shades it was a little bit more than I wanted to spend on a cheek & lip tint. I would much prefer separate single blushers as apposed to a 'set'. This sample is therefore perfect! I get to try the shade 'Pie' and who knows if I fall in love I may just purchase the whole set. It has a really creamy texture and is great for that little pop of colour.



The last product is my least favourite purely because I own so many eyeliners. Lord & Berry's Couture Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Black retails for £10 full size 4g. This sample is a mini 0.6g but as eyeliners go its handy to have a mini size to have when out & about. It's easy to apply and can be smudged for a smokey look. 



The lifestyle extra for this month is a wee 8g bag of Propercorn. I got the flavour 'Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-Dried Tomato' which I have tried before in a Boots Meal Deal and oh wow is it fiery! I couldn't eat the full size bag (20g) when I bought it as it was just too spicy, I'm sure I will manage this sample size no problem.


Overall a great box this month with a total value of around £25. Keep up the good work Birchbox!

If you would like to subscribe to Birchbox I'd love it if you use my referral link http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=30654. We will each get 50 points worth £5 to spend in the Birchbox E-shop. 

For a limited time you can use the Promo Code BBXCHOCOLATE to receive a free box of hand-selected, delicious chocolate bars from Cocoa Runners (worth £20+) plus a £5 gift voucher to satisfy your next craving. 

If your not a chocolate fan then use code SUMMERBONUS instead to get FREE p&p on your first box. 

OR use code BBXAPRILSHOWERS for a trio of extra beauty treats - eyelash curlers, Number 4 Non Aerosol Hair Spray and Benefits Stay Don't Stray




Friday 4 April 2014

Makeup Revolution Mini Haul


Today I received these lovely goodies from the newly launched Makup Revolution. They offer a range of professional must have products at an affordable price - starting from just £1!

I have to admit I did have a little trouble placing my order. For some bizarre reason the checkout page wouldn't show if I was logged IN to my account, but worked fine if I was logged OUT. Took me 2 days and multiple attempts before I worked this out, and it seems I wasn't the only one to find it difficult to get to checkout page. I got there in the end however and I'm very excited to show you what I bought. Please excuse bad pictures my camera is well as truly past its best. New one on my birthday wishlist fro next month.




First up is a lovely Eye Shadow Palette called 'Hot Smoked' which I think is a close dupe of the Urban Decay's 'Smoked' Palette which you can see HERE. Makeup Revolution's palette has an extra 2 colours compared to the Urban Decay palette and is a fraction of the price coming in at £4.



Next I went for Focus & Fix Brow Kit in 'Light/Medium' I currently don't own any brow products. I've been meaning to get a brow pencil for what seems like forever now. This kit contains 3 powders and 1 wax cream, (all blendable to match your brow shade easily) along with an applicator brush and mini tweezers. This kit cost £2.50 




I couldn't decide whether to get a Lipstick or Lipgloss so I bought a combined one! Genius! This is called Lip Power in shade 'Yesterday's Favourite' - Handy for travel or nights out to pop in your handbag as it saves taking two separate products with you. Retails at £3. I also got a Kajal eyeliner. Easy application crayon, colour intensity can be built up for a long lasting smudge-proof look. This product is £2.



The brand offers 2 different foundations. The Matte Effect (available is 8 shades) and The One Foundation (available in 16 shades) I got both as I wasn't sure which foundation would work best for me. They are both very affordable £2 and £4 respectively. I wasn't breaking the bank to get both so why not right? I went for the lightest shade 'Ivory' for The Matte Effect and 'Shade 3' for The One Foundation. Both appear to blend well when tested on the back of my hand, here's hoping they will both work well when applied to the face!



Lastly I went for 2 nail polishes. The one on the left is a Glitter Polish available in 10 shades which cost £1.50. I opted for 'Lover Boy'. It's a beautiful teal shade - this photo doesn't do it justice. On the right we have a shade called 'Wanted'. It's a lovely bluey colour. This polish is £1 and comes in 40 different colours!



Overall this little bundle cost £20. I'm sure I will be spending another £20 again soon as there are still so many products I want to try from the range available. Highlighers, blushers, bronzers, mascaras, eye primers.....lots and lots of palettes and single eyeshadows & eye dusts. The list goes on...