University: Leaving Home And Making A New One

A little preview of my accommodation (seriously, how nice is it!?)

Seeing Zane Lowe - Radio 1 DJ - Live

Today's post is a little different to my norm, and I'm sure you'll forgive that this once. As some of you may know, I moved away from my little village on the outskirts of Cambridge and moved to the big City of Leeds. As a result, my blog hasn't exactly seen much action lately, which I'm hoping to rectify once things have calmed down a little. 

In the lead up to applying, I think I considered every single University there was (yes, international too). I visited a couple of Universities and none of them felt right. After being accepted by Leeds, I went to an open day and I knew instantly that it was the right place for me. Problem with Art, there's a lot of room for the course to be based upon very little. Leeds had structure (and lots of shops *coughs*).

It's been really strange moving away from my little village to this big city, but I'm enjoying myself a lot and lectures start next week (eek!). So to summarise, no I haven't died, my blog just hasn't seen its usual love and care. I'll be back soon and hopefully all these makeup, beauty and fashion stores will bring me plenty more to share with you guys.

Let me know if you like these more 'lifestyle-like' posts and if you'd like to see blogs or vlogs (yes, I'm still considering videos) about Uni life.

Until then! xx

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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Bloggers Festival Part Two

As promised from my 'Blogger Festival Part One' I am giving you a second post summing up the items given away in the goodie bags at the event hosted by Scarlett London. I do not think I can rave enough about how great the day was, but here I'll rave a little more...

Bloggers Festival Part One

On Saturday the 6th of September I was lucky enough to go to Scarlett London's awesome Blogger Festival. Never in a million years did I think I'd ever get to attend one and yet there I was, mixing with the best of them. I met some lovely girls; Emma, Katy, Lucy and Cat (who all have great blogs - check 'em out), and in general, it was just a fun day.

There were so many brands that attended, spanning the interests from hair, to fashion, to makeup - meaning there was a little for everyone in that niche. Some of which include; Very, Ecco, Lee Stafford, Cloud9, Want Her Dress, Urban Outfitters and more.

(I do apologise in advance for the quality of the photographs. I had to make do with an iPhone - which is surprisingly hard in such a dark venue!)

Review | Bellapierre Lipstick

When my July Glossybox dropped through the post, I knew I'd be getting a Bellapierre lipstick of some description. I prayed like mad it would be a colour that I could actually wear on a day to day basis. It seems that so often, boxes like these like to give you the 'experimental' lip colours - which can be nice - but sometimes you just want a pretty everyday colour, you know?

Needless to say, I was really happy when the shade Catwalk came in my box. It's a really pretty pink with a hint of coral, making the more nude-like nature to the colour interesting and definitely warms up the complexion.

Texture & Longevity

This lipstick is so creamy, yet somehow it defies the laws of moisturising lipsticks and actually lasts a long time? What!? I know, I was shocked too. Of course, to achieve some longevity, you've got to go through the whole 'blot and reapply' process. Afterwards, you're pretty much good to go.

It's also really forgiving. Sometimes you just don't have time to make sure your lips are super soft, and while it certainly improves the look, you really don't need this step. As I said before, the lipstick is very moisturising anyway (possibly due to the mineral aspect), so you've already got that step covered.

Colour

This is definitely a colour I adore, it's so wearable for everyday yet adds a little interest to the makeup. Personally, I tend to wear this with a neutral eye, or small amount of eyeliner and let the colour do the work. Beautiful and effortlessly chic. As I said before, the shade is quite pink, but has a hint of coral (warming and brightening everything in its path). While I wouldn't exactly call this a 'nude' lip colour, it is certainly Bellapierre's least dramatic colour.

Price

Okay, I'll be the first to admit the £20 price tag is pretty high. But I would not recommend such an expensive product if I didn't 100% put my faith into it. I like to think of this as one of those lipsticks I'd likely buy as a treat to myself. I do wish there was a wider range of colours, and perhaps they're working on it, but I'm sure my bank is happy there isn't much variety!

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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?