GlossyBox - June Edition

So June's box was another bonus freebie for me... well what can I say, I do love to hoard those Glossydots! I highly recommend to any regular GlossyBox subscriber to make sure they complete the optional reviews on the website - each box provides around 250 points if you review all it's products. So I make that 4 fully reviewed boxes in order to claim the 5th one for free. Not bad ladies!

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR - 10ml sample size - full size 100ml £34.00
Ooh I do love a luxury body oil and Nuxe is the perfect brand in my eyes. This little lovely bottle of goodness is the shimmery version of their classic Dry Oil and is the perfect product to smooth over arms or legs to create that Summer glow. It can also be used on the face or hair, but I much prefer to use this as  Vitamin E enriched hydration for my body to leave my skin feeling soft and silky smooth. It's just frustrating that the sample size doesn't come as a spray - that would make it so much easier to use!

Monu Professional Skincare Hydrating Moistiruser SPF15 - 30ml sample size - full size 50ml £29.95
Dum dum dum... the ultimate repeat brand offender for GlossyBox - it has to be Monu. At least it's not a product I've seen before! This first defence moisturiser is all about damage prevention so it's jam packed with SPF for both UVA and UVB protection as well as Vitamin E for a hydration boost and further free radical protection. It's also incorporated Monu's 'soft focus' technology to blur imperfections and smooth out skin tone - what's not to love? The texture of the cream is kind of whipped, so feels glorious when applied to the face, sinks in well and is also suitable for all skin types. For me though, my greasy mug can only cope with the lightest of gel products so alas this is still a little to heavy for me.

Figs & Rouge Coco Rose Lip Balm - full size 12.5ml £5.00
So this is the new, multi-purpose, lip balm from Figs & Rouge. You may have seen my last post about their normal lip balm here (and yes, it was in a previous GlossyBox) but if not, Figs & Rouge are all about 100% pure, natural and made in Britain. I love their vintage kitsch packaging and this new tinted lip balm is no different. In a pink, flamingo printed tube is a pretty blush pink lip balm/gloss. It squeezes out thicker than a lipgloss and without the stickiness, but it definitely has the colour and shimmer that I would associate more with a gloss than a balm. Hence why I don't think I'd use this anywhere but my lips even though it's a multi purpose balm.

Paul Mitchell Curls Full Circle eave in Treatment and Ultimate Waves - 15ml sample sizes - full size Leave-In Treatment 200ml £14.95 Ultimate Waves 150ml £11.95
For someone who wears their hair straight 99% of the time, curling treatments are pretty much wasted on me. My curly-haired sister however was game to give these a little try out for me. The leave-in treatment was her favourite for smoothing out frizz and creating that soft smooth feel to her curls, while the Ultimate Wave gel was handy for tweaking her curls in between washes to recreate some shape. They both smell amazing too which was an added bonus.

Q Body Spray Radiance - full size 100ml £2.29
I don't particularly like body sprays let alone wear them on a daily basis. Impulse from way back in the day was my last run in with the product and now they just remind me of being 12 again. However this fragrance spray is all 'grown-up' in design... I just think they've gone too far to make it look sophisticated and instead it looks dated (a.k.a something I'd find in my Nan's bathroom cabinet). Don't get me wrong, it smells nice - Iris and Mimosa according to the label - it's just not the product for me.

Well, for a free box I can't hugely complain. But apart from the Nuxe oil, nothing really excited me. Did your GlossyBox box fair better this month?

If you like the idea of subscribing to GlossyBox, then use this referral link to sign up today.

Disclaimer - I have subscribed to GlossyBox out of my own choice and money (damn the fanciful idea of mystery beauty products delivered every month). It was my choice to review the products above and I have done so in a 100% honest manner. I am not compensated for my reviews but if you use my referral link to start a subscription then I can get points towards a free box next time... well who doesn't want free beauty stuff?!!

GlossyBox - May - Second Anniversary Edition

Two years seems to have flown so fast for GlossyBox as they reached their second anniversary in May this year. Although I haven't been there since the beginning (about 6 months in I jumped on the bandwagon) I still feel very much of a Glossybox veteran and my subscription has remained strong since the start of my love affair with blogging.

After last month's amazing box of goodies I was ready for a bit of a disappointment in the birthday edition - well with the highs there comes inevitable lows after all - but nestled amongst the special edition tissue paper were some pleasant surprises and a whole lot of value-for-money.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger (by Paul Mitchell) Shine Spray - full size 125ml £18.95
With my fine and must-wash-every-day hair, I was initially sceptical over seeing a shine spray in my box. I mean, I have enough grease on my own thank you without encouraging it even more! But this spray proved to be a nice light mist that didn't weigh down my already lifeless mop. Mind you, I went nowhere near my roots - just to be on the safe side - and stuck with the lower half of my hair. For fear of sounding like an advert - it actually did give a lovely soft feel to my hair and a natural, healthy shine. The smell was nicer than I expected, quite a sweet ginger and not one I would have picked, but pleasant anyway. A nice bonus is the fact that it was full size - this spray costs nearly £19 to buy in a salon or online, ouch! Not sure I'll repurchase at that price but it was a great product to try this month.

Jelly Pong Pong Fairy Lashes Mascara in Black - full size 8ml £15
Another full size treat?! GlossyBox you spoil me so! Jelly Pong Pong has appeared a couple of times in past GlossyBoxes but as make-up items go, I'm always fairly pleased with their offerings so am happy to try more. Fairy Lashes is their first ever mascara and this water resistant formula is an absolute dream to apply. The formula is extremely lightweight and it feels like I'm wearing nothing at all - believe me you need to try this to appreciate it's nothing-ness. It definitely adds curl to my lashes but does little for the thickness and I end up with a very 'fluttery' but less intense look. I'm keen to share this more in depth with you, so keep an eye out for a review to follow soon...

Beautiful Movements Cosmetics Prime & Create Mixing Medium - 2.5g sample size - full size 20g £20
From the make-up brand formerly known as BM Beauty and founded by ex-Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, comes this little tiny wonder gel. Beautiful Movements Cosmetics have created a primer and mixing medium in one, that allows you to create lots of different make-up finishes from just one product. Now it does contain Silica, so bear that in mind if you're prone to break outs. I love it as a primer base for my foundation (it feels like a more luxurious version of the Collection Prime and Ready from a previous beauty box) and it gives a lovely smooth, matte, shine-free finish. But I also like the idea that I can mix it with mineral powders and pigments to create a different application of a colour. I've got loads of shadows that would look amazing as liners...

Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black - full size 6ml £2.99
Talking of Collection... Another full size offering this month was Collection's liquid black eyeliner. You don't normally see me sporting the harsh black line which is often associated with such eye make-up - I tend to opt for a more blendable creamy liner - but on the odd occasion when one requires a 60's look or the classic Cleopatra flick then this does the job perfectly. It does exactly as it's meant to in terms of liquid liner application and it stays put well under a bit of dry eye-rubbing. A little moisture starts to smudge it but you need a good eye make up remover to shift this at the end of the day. Overall a great classic product that every girl needs in her make-up bag.

Headline Colors Nail Polish in Gunmetal - full size 10ml £9
The final full size product this month was a nail polish by Headline Colors (formally Killer Colours). I got the Gunmetal shade which is exactly as you'd expect, a dark shimmery metallic grey-silver. Headline Colors are all about shades that match the latest trends - so offer only a capsule collection of colours at any one time. I love how pigmented the polish is and like that it is 3-free too. The formula is easy to apply and has pretty good durability too! What's not to love in a nail polish?

And a bonus set of GlossyBox nail files and Green & Black's chocolate were thrown in for good measure!

That was one seriously good box for full sizes this month. One sample amongst the five is probably the best value I've seen yet in a beauty box so money well spent in my eyes. Happy Birthday to you too GlossyBox :)

If you like the idea of subscribing to GlossyBox, then use this referral link to sign up today. 

Disclaimer - I have subscribed to GlossyBox out of my own choice and money (damn the fanciful idea of mystery beauty products delivered every month). It was my choice to review the products above and I have done so in a 100% honest manner. I am not compensated for my reviews but if you use my referral link to start a subscription then I can get points towards a free box next time... well who doesn't want free beauty stuff?!!

A Naughty Bit of Neon

I've been on a neon mission of late. After spotting Laura's vibrant Topshop find a little while ago on her blog it became a challenge to find myself a little ode to the neon trend.

I found the aforementioned flats in my local Topshop, in the sale, but after I put them on and got the weirdest look from a friend I couldn't bring myself to commit to the ridiculously bright orange. At least not in full anyway. Laura's right, they are VERY orange.

So later that day, strolling past Dune and I spotted these cute woven wonders in the window...

Dune Minky Neon Woven Ballerina Shoes

Perfect! These were just the right amount of neon orange, toned down with the soft buttery nude leather woven in between. Dune also do a completely nude version but that wouldn't have been very productive in my neon quest now would it?

It's worth noting that almost all images of these I've found on the Internet don't do the orange justice in terms of it brightness. The Dune website is exceptionally poor actually and it's their own shoe design! So I've tried to capture it as best I can but neon is just so hard to photograph. The closest colour is probably in the second picture above (the shoes out of the box) on the piping along the back of the heels.

They are really quite comfortable - but they are leather so I wouldn't expect anything less - and there is a certain amount of give in them - again, expected due to the soft leather uppers. So far I've mostly teamed them with skinny jeans, oh they do look fab with denim, but if the British weather ever decides to heat up they'd look equally good with a pair of tailored white shorts.

In the end I got mine from House of Fraser as I had a voucher to spend but I've found them online at Debenhams, Selfridges, John Lewis and of course Dune.

You might have to hunt around a little for your size, they seem to be sporadic in their availability.

Disclaimer - No one has sponsored me for this post I just couldn't resist a bit of neon. The links above are in case you've caught the neon fever too...