Review | Birchbox November 2014

It's the season of chunky jumpers, warm fires and hot chocolate, therefore, this months Birchbox is 'Cosy at Home' and I cannot think of a more perfect theme. 

Normally I'm not a fan of the colder months - or at least being out in them - but I love being inside, eating winter foods, cuddling up to a hot water bottle and drinking tea (practically on tap). Of course, that's not possible being in halls at University, but a girl can dream (Christmas holidays… hurry up?)

Lord & Berry | Mini Bronzer

Full Size | £19

I've never had Lord & Berry products before, but I've definitely heard the name and the reviews. In general, most people find the brand to be amazing so I'm really expecting great things with this bronzer. Strangely, my flatmate and I were given the same bronzer and we are very different skin tones, so I'm interested to see hoe this looks on each of us. 

I can't deny that this is quite an expensive bronzer, and as someone with quite pale skin I find it difficult to find a good bronzer for everyday use (and one that isn't too ridiculously dark!) If all goes well, perhaps I will give you all my findings.

Beauty Protector | Protect & Detangle

Full Size | £14

It's very strange that Birchbox sent me a 'Leave in Conditioner' when I so desperately wanted to try one. My hair has suffered so much since being at University. I don't know if it's my shampoo, the water or how often I've been washing my hair… I get the feeling it's a combination of the three. Either way, this was desperately needed and I definitely noticed an improvement when I spritzed a little of this through damp hair. It might take a few more trials to determine whether I really like it. (But seriously, if anyone know of anything to improve my hair, let me know. This is an SOS, people.)

Weleda | Wild Rose Body Oil

Full Size | £19.95

I've received body oils in the past, and I've given them a go. They probably aren't really my thing. Hair oil? Yes. Body oil? Not so much. I'm the first to admit that I'm pretty lazy and adding oils to your skin is just another step to add to an already lengthy process. 

Saying that, this does smell really nice and I understand why Birchbox sent this out as one of their products this month. Winter symbolises pampering yourself a little (probably to make up for the fact people can't sleep in the sun all day), so I guess if rubbing a little oil on your skin makes you feel better, go for it. It's just not for me. Interestingly, this can actually be used on the face as well. I'm a little apprehensive to try this because it could lead to spots everywhere. So we'll see. 

Dr. Jart+ | V7 Balancing Toner

Full Size | £18 

My first thought? 

It's like science!! 

Yes, I'm that sad. But how cool is that applicator? It's like I'm applying scientific chemicals to my face and I find that pretty cool. I'm not even ashamed. 

Remember the comment above about me being lazy? Well, Birchbox got it right here because apparently this acts as a toner and it moisturises. That's a serious bonus, in my opinion. But I'm lazy and anything that makes my life that little bit easier is always a winner in my books. 

Can I also just point out that Birchbox gave this as a full-sized item? That's pretty generous and I don't know about you guys, but getting full-sized items is like Christmas to me. It's like getting a present from that really cool relative who always knows what to give you. 

English Laundry | Signature For Her

Full Size | £60

When they say 'inspired by classic county gardens', they mean it. This has a strong note of rose (and musk, so says the info card) and reminds me of cozy little cafe's and sipping tea. Honestly, on a student budget, I don't think I'll be splashing out £60 on perfume anytime soon, but for those who love floral scents, definitely try this one out. It's feminine and flowery without the (excuse me) grandmother scent that is sometimes associated with roses. 

Montezuma's | Mini Bar

Full Size | £2.39

I was probably a little too excited by being given chocolate in this box. I don't really eat a lot of chocolate and I can honestly say this stuff was great. I'd have probably been even more excited if it were dark chocolate, but there were no complaints here. The sample was a good size and didn't make me feel like a pig. I think it's probably been a good month since I ate chocolate. I feel my enthusiasm for it is justified…

Overall, this was a great box with some seriously high value products included. I'm really excited to try some of these products out and (perhaps) give some little reviews of the products individually. If there's anything you would like me to comment on further, drop me a comment below! 

Until then xx

Review | Glossybox October 2014

If there's one thing I could say about this box, it's 100% worth it with regards to value for money. My Glossybox this month was packed full of extremely high priced products. I'm not even sure how Glossybox managed to pull this off, in all honesty. Sometimes they really like to surprise me with the sheer amount of high priced good they include - and believe me, it's been quite a while since that last happened. Often I find myself wondering whether to keep up my subscription and then they give me a box like this one and it rekindles my love for Glossybox all over again. 

Read on to find out what I got this month (it's a good'un)…

Review | Birchbox October 2014

This months Birchbox is incredibly pink in theme with their awareness campaigne for Breast Cancer. It never really occurred to me that one little box could be so helpful in spreading such a large message. I honestly believe using Birchbox as a means to raise awareness is a wonderful idea. 

I really enjoyed this months box (not only for the theme) but for the colour - I like pink - and the products included. Some were a little on the different side, while some edge more on the traditional makeup box theme. Read on to find out why I loved this months box… 

Review | Birchbox September 2014

After what has been probably five or six attempts to photograph my Birchbox, I have finally done it! You might ask, 'why so many?' Well, various reasons, actually. Bad lighting (as is usual for the UK), I lost one of the products for a day (yes, that happened), my camera battery died half way through, I forgot about some products, etc etc. I can only really laugh about my misfortune, otherwise I might have to cry… kidding (kind of).

I really liked this months Birchbox, it had a massive variety of products, most of which I haven't even had the chance to properly try out yet. Birchbox threw in a couple of extras to this box as well, which was a lovely surprise. Read on to find out more…

Review | Glossybox September 2014

This months Glossybox is very London/Karen Millen themed with its gorgeous painterly London skyline design. Many of the products inside are London related, or more specifically, London Fashion Week inspired. The box, I've noticed, has changed to be much sturdier lately, with less of a gloss finish (which feels a lot more luxurious to me, actually). 

I'll be trying to do less of a disappearing act on you all, but I've been doing mad dashes around various shops lately trying to gather everything for University (eek - I leave in 4 days time!!) Therefore, I will try to be a little more on top of posting…  

L'Oreal Professional - Mythic Oil

(Full Size - £15.95)

45ml Sample Size 

I'm thinking… runway ready hair?

Upon opening this, I thought it was going to be more of a spray in oil (much more convenient), but alas, it's a oil to rub between your hands and distribute through wet hair. I'm terrible for hair prep so as much as I hope to use this, I know I'll very likely forget all about it  - oops!

I have recently been big on hair products lately though, so I'm actually pretty happy with this one. Interestingly, I've also really been wanting to try hair oils and both my boxes have provided. (Ohhh! Spoiler Alert!) I've always raved about my love of L'Oreal makeup, however, I've never actually been keen on their hair products. Their shampoos and conditioners in particular just don't agree with my hair, but I'll definitely be giving this a try. The packaging looks really luxurious and while I don't know what it means by 'Mythic', I'll be interested to find out…

Nails inc - Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat

(Full Size - £12 for 10ml)

Full Sized Product

Oh goodie… another nail varnish. 

I really shouldn't complain, this nail varnish is worth more than I paid for the box. Only, I really wish Glossybox took into consideration that I really don't like getting these. It's a little saddening having to give it away to someone that can use it (all because my nails can't handle the harsh chemicals).

It really looks like an awesome nail varnish, so it's wonderful for everyone else who received it this month. The idea is that it'll mattify whatever you paint it over. Matte nails have been a huge thing for ages now, so it's nice Glossybox are sticking to the trends.

Side note: Love the name of the product

ModelCo - More Brows Fibre Gel

(Full Size - £14.95 for 3.5ml)

Full Sized Product

Ahh, Model, I get it. By this point, I think Glossybox were kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel when it came to LFW ideas. So strange though that I've been really wanting to try a brow gel lately and *poof* it's in my box. I think Glossybox are reading my mind a little too much. It's almost scary. Almost. 

I honestly thought upon opening the box up that this was a sample size. It's really small (3.5ml really isn't big) but wowzer does it have a big price tag. Glossybox certainly made up for 'not getting my monies worth' from August box - boy was that a disappointment. The brow gel is definitely darker than my natural hair colour, but it doesn't look strange, thankfully.

Kiss - Haute Couture Lashes

(Full Size - £4.99)

Full Sized Product

I've been 'umming' and 'ahhing' over what the link was for these, and I'm thinking it was the 'Haute Couture' title. A tenuous link, but a link none-the-less. The last time Glossybox gave me false eyelashes, I actually gave them to my sister, they just don't suit me. While I'm unsure whether these will also be that little bit too dramatic, I'll definitely be giving them a try.

SkinPep - Enzyme and Acid Peel & Peeling Gel (£89.99 for 180ml)

 Eye Cream (£44.99 for 15ml)

2 x 3.5ml & 1 x 2ml Sample Size

Please someone tell me no one is mad enough to pay £90 for their face to feel like it's peeling. Seriously… what!? 

I'm all for some luxury skincare, but this is so expensive. I want to know what Glossybox customer exactly can afford to be splashing out £90 on one product (never mind all the others you need to add to your face). I'll be baffled if I don't see some improvement in my skin after trying this. With that amount of money, I'd want to look youthful for the rest of my life, none of this short-term improvement stuff. I wonder if you ate it, would you decrease in age by 10 years or something? (Kids, do not try this at home). Unsurprisingly, this is manufactured in Korea (for the UK). I say 'unsurprisingly' because Korea are very big on their luxury skincare,.

I'll definitely be updating on how well this product turns out. If it's a hit (no I will not buy it - you'd have to be mad), I will give you the lowdown. Have any of you tried this product before? I'd be interested to know the results of everyone else! 

That wraps up everything I received in my Glossybox this month! I'll be honest and say I wasn't thrilled with everything *coughs*nailvarnish*coughs* but I'd say I'm looking forward to using 3/5 (which isn't too bad).

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of this box!

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Battle Of The Boxes | Glossybox vs Birchbox August 2014

Another month, another subscription box.

If you read my reviews of August's Birchbox and Glossybox, you'll know that I wasn't overly impressed with them upon face value. Some of my opinions have changed since trialling the products, and I initially believed these would tie for 'most terrible box'. Since then, I have tried and tested many of the products. So which box will win overall for best box this month? 

Review | Glossybox August 2014

So it's been a while… and I can explain! I've been working my butt off at work this week and just haven't had the time to write my review on August's Glossybox (to be fair, it arrived a while ago, work just, got in the way). But hey, I'm posting it now and hopefully you enjoy my thoughts on this months box.

It's actually Glossybox's 3rd anniversary, so there's been a fair amount of promotion and competitions supplied this month. In addition to this, my box includes a Glossybox collaboration product and a couple of full sized samples. All very exciting. Personally, I expected to see something more… extravagant as a result of the anniversary (you'll see what I mean as you read on), but I guess this box just didn't do it for me like last months. 

Review: Glossybox - July 2014 | The Fourth Of July Edition

This month is all stars and stripes as Glossybox celebrates The Fourth of July with cult American brands, full sized products and Glossybox exclusives. I'm so excited about the products in this box, they are all awesome and I cannot wait to try them all out!

Review: Graze - The Breakfast Box

Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day. It's usually safe to approach me once I've had something to eat and a minimum of 2 cups of tea (no, I'm not a morning person). 

Lately I've been looking at alternatives to my blueberry-topped porridge and what better way to try something new than in a subscription box? By now, I'd say it's pretty obvious I love my subscription boxes… so I signed up to Graze Box.

Review: Glossybox - June 2014

It's the middle of the month and that officially means that come 9am, I'm sitting in the kitchen with my cup of tea and watching the postman work his way around my street. 

Yup, that's right. It's Glossybox time!

Review: Glossybox - May 2014

If you haven't already heard, Glossybox collaborated with a major brand name this month. They teased us constantly with 'who' and 'what' and the big reveal came when my box dropped through the postbox. 

And who else other than the well-known beauty store: Superdrug! 

This box promised a massive amount of goodies - full sized - and added extras…