Glossybox - Dec 2013 Christmas edition

http://www.glossybox.co.uk

So Christmas edition boxes time, usually means a box of wonder and joy. So did they deliver ? I tried glossybox again for this month to see what they had in store. I wasn't disappointed. 

Beautiful red Christmas box and very festive. With candy cane paper for packing and a white ribbon to keep it all neatly in the box. On the top the Glossy magazine with Kimberly Wyatt on the cover. Festive treasures is the title of the contents included. 

So the contents of the box are ;

-Maybelline : Brow drama sculpting mascara 

- Seche : Nail lacquer

- Sanctuary spa : Active resurface and ultra polish

- Beautiful movements cosmetics : Nude lip gloss 

- Wilkinson sword Intuition : Naturals Razor 

Amazing box for me and really love all the products. I haven't tried any maybelline brow mascara so this was a bit of a hit and miss for me. I don't use a pencil and like my brush and gel application. I love the colour tattoos as i find them so versatile as products. However its something new and not a repeat product.

The naturals razor is perfect as I needed a new one. Since my skin is now quite dry at winter to have a moisturising, plus something that won't make my skin react is a nice edition. Then with the sanctuary spa included it makes for a box of amazing skincare, especially when the elements are so harsh. However i do wonder about the timing as a lot of bloggers have pointed out, this would have suited a summer box more when tanning and dresses are in season. 

The Seche polish is a lovely gold/bronze colour. Perfect for the holiday season and a lovely brand of polish which is beautiful on application. Looks more beautiful in different lights as the gold and bronze interchange. 

The lip gloss is a lovely nude natural colour. I'm not usually a lip gloss kinda gal but this gloss is a lovely nude. I really nice to know its a natural brand too. Plus no sticky pay-pah lips as i call them. 

So I'm very impressed with this box, however for a Christmas box and after having a Glossybox last year in comparison it's pretty meh. Last year we recieved a makeup palette with Seche polish and it was spectacular. This year seems very meh in regards to being something special. I kind of expect a Christmas box to include a lot of makeup based products. Something to make your looks seperate from the normal daily looks. 

British beauty blogger - Beauty box 2

British Beauty Blogger Blog

We have the second beauty box brought to use from British beauty blogger. The first box was amazing and I was over the moon with the quality offered. The second promises to be just as exceptional. So shall we run down the contents to this amazing offering ? 

Contents are as follows : 

Alterna - Bamboo volume spray

Bourjois - Eyeliner (2 in 1) 

CND vinylux - Top coat/ nail polish

Indeed labs - Hydraluron

Loccitane - Angelica cleansing gel

Loccitane - Angelica face toner

Loccitane - Cherry blossom hand cream

La Roche posey - Redermic R anti wrinkle

Mandara spa - Bath milk 

Maybelline - Rocket mascara 

Rituals - Car fragrance 

REN -Glycolactic radiance renewal mask and invisible pores mask

Rouge bunny rouge - lip gloss 

Urban decay - Moondust in Zodiac

Roger & Gallet - D'orange Huile sublime

Vichy - Smoothing and illuminating cream

Washi - Hot cloth 

An amazing 17 products of which most were full size, the ones that aren't are most defiantly duluxe samples. There was an adorable Union Jack stocking included for the impending holiday season. Priced at £27 including postage, I would say this was an absolute steal of a box. I'm so impressed and happy I purchased this second edition, that I'm already excited to see the next. 

The products I'm most excited to use are without doubt the Urban decay Moondust in zodiac. It's absolutely stunning on the swatch I did, with its mixes of greens and shimmers giving it a amazing unique colour. Very apt choice with Christmas approaching and shimmer being a must when in celebration mode. 

Urban Decay - Zodiac

So I can't explain how much I love this edition and whilst it was a little more expensive, it was worth the additional amount. The value far out weighted what I paid plus had products I'd been pining for as a blogger over the year. I finally have them and can use decent samples sizes. I will be looking out for the next edition with trepidation and excitement. 

Elemental goddess - Fire

So in keeping with the elemental series of goddess' I'm doing the next one shall be - Fire.

Now this was tricky as I didn't want to do the standard red and yellow cartoony flames. I wanted to add something different with the addition of sooty colours to symbolise the ash and also take the forehead to a "V" where flames would start and then go back towards the hair. Now I'm aware It would have looked so much better if I'd had contacts or a form of head-piece. I'm no makeup artist and this is just me using my body as an art canvas. My therapy. 

So what I used (If a grid of products i used would help please comment as id happily add this) ;

Elemis - Pro- radiance illuminating balm ( just for under the eyes to brighten)

Illamasqua - hydra veil primer 

Benefit Fake up (01) and Paula's choice concealer in light to cover the redness from hay fever season.

Kay hart mineral -  Yellow concealer

Mix of MAC (NW15 studio sculpt) plus Loreal true match foundation 

Physicians formula - youth wear powder in translucent 

Sleek blush - Pomegranate

Sigma golden highlight - resort palette 

Maybelline colour tattoo - Metallic pomegranate 

La Colours palette - Stargazer (reds,golds and bronze colours used)

Vivo single eyeshadow - like 24ct Black and gold mineral colour

Loreal Gel liner - Black

Illamasqua liquid metal- red & gold

Urban decay kohl -Perversion

Lush liquid lipstick - Desire (red) 

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So first of all moisturise with the Elemis illuminating balm and also I used this to add some brightness to my eye area as il be using quite bold ash colours. Then the illamasqua Hydra veil to prime my face fully, once dry then take benefits fake up to the under eye and Paula's choice light concealer to the nose to cover redness from seasonal hay fever. Set this with either a mineral loose clear powder or in my case Kay hart yellow mineral concealer to set this into place. This is the best mineral concealer I've used and its very light plus doesn't clog.

Then using a mix of Studio sculpt and True match blended in on the back of my hand to warm, apply evenly. Rubbing in with fingers and adding another layer if needed. I find mixing these two makes a full coverage foundation so one layer is enough. Then set when dry with the Youth wear powder as it has a flick of a highlighting property with shimmer. Not a lot but enough to make the face illuminate without needing to add more powders then needed. Take the sleek blush and apply a good layer stippling this colour in and working that so the lines aren't harsh and the colour is also taken up towards the ear.

So then we take the maybelinne colour tattoo and paint the eye with this taking it past the just past the crease. Then using the vivo single shadow, pack that onto the outer "V" blending towards the middle. Don't take it past the crease as you want some of the colour tattoo to still show. Then taking the La colours (top bronze and gold to the right) take the gold to highlight the tear duct and also bring this colour to meet the middle in strokes (feathering effect to break up bulk colour and help give dimension) , as you want to use the bronze too in the same way with some of the dark pomegranate still visible. 

Line the eye with the red colour from the illamasqua palette and the gold to line the bottom lash line. Then taking the black gel liner do the wing and run this line above the red on the top lash line running this to a point in the middle. Use the gold to take the line from the bottom to above the black wing and again run this to a tip at the end. The black liner should also run a little at the edge of the lower lash liner to a point at the waterline. Line the waterline with Perversion. It should be an effect where the Gold, black and red are inter-twining.

Then for lips take the perversion and lightly line the lip (sterilise the pencil after after) then using a lip brush blend this in and add some of the red and gold from the illamasqua palettes to blend with, use some lush liquid red lipstick to just ombré the middle section (Make it look like drips so the lips are fiery and like a lump of coal thats red inside but black around it). Use some concealer on a brush to tidy and make the lip edges sharper. My hair line was some of the vivo 24ct colour stippled with the pomegranate sleek blush, then take the gold and red illamasqua on to a fine nail art brush and fan in some lines for flames also towards the sides, take lush' red liquid lipstick and dab some on so it then fades into the brow line.  Now I used some vivo to stipple the sides above the blush to give the feeling of ashes and also ran some gold threw my brow-line. Then just tap in some Sigma golden highlight to give the illusion of the yellow flame through the brows and in the areas most prominent and your done. 

Hope you enjoyed this look xxxx earth or wind next ?? 

Maybelline - Studio stylish

So now i know i loved the 24 Colour tattoos but in testing I'm finding some must have colours plus not some not so great ones. I received this next product as a gift and i cannot believe i haven't seen these before as they are simple and i think for a quick, easy and travel must have, then this is it. 

I on first glance thought it was a liquid eyeliner.

So the shadow stylist is an all in one product and when i say that, i mean that the product is ready to just apply and blend if you want. I want to say its a dulled down version of a pressed pigment but its a mix of that and an eyeshadow. 

Now when i shake it there is almost like a ball bouncing around in the applicator i can feel which is what is making me think it is a hybrid pressed pigment. The ball is to make sure the applicator does not become clogged and you don't loose the ability to use the rest of the product.

It doesn't fall out as much as i thought it would and is an easy strip of colour, then with a bit of eyeliner, small definition colour in the edge of the crease to just blend it a little, mascara and your good to go. So these are really easy travel products i would have on a quick day where I'm not feeling to do the whole nine yards of makeup.

Im loving maybelline so far this year as the quality of the products are amazing, i cannot wait for the new colour tattoo pigments to come over from the USA plus the amazing amount of products they have which are getting rave reviews. Its a beauty bloggers candy shop so if this is the standard of the pigments to come then we are in for a real treat and may give us girls on a budget a real alternative to mac pigments.

Have you seen these Studio stylish pigments ? 

Maybelline - Vivid lipstick in Fushia Flash

So i am loving the latest offerings released by Maybelline, the 24 hr colour tattoos plus my favourite falsies mascara. It just makes me want to go back for more, so over easter i was sent this beautiful lipstick as an easter present as I've heard on the grapevine this is a pretty spot on dupe for a certain candy yum yum.

Now i know this lipstick looks quite scary, but with spring and summer coming i really do just think "grab it and run" as life is too short to worry and if i have to rock this on my own then so be it. As i don't this the hospital would appreciate such a bold colour statement.

Now on the swatch its just so buttery and lovely, however i don't own candy yum yum so girls and guys, does this resemble ? As i will happily settle for a dupe then fork out for a true real one, i just think why get one when i could get 2 dupes for that price. Plus the women on youtube i watch for dupes are amazing and you can see they work hard at it. Plus they also honestly tell you the obvious differences if any and the majority ive seen are that you may need to touch up once in the day.

Now I'm really happy with these vivid colours and will be purchasing more, i cannot believe the quality of drugstore brands at the moment as they are really becoming high quality and the gap between high end and drugstore in my opinion is getting smaller. I find that a lot more dupes are coming out for lipsticks and eye products, so the formulas are becoming so smooth and hydrating. Hopefully the foundations will follow suit as i wish this was in foundation form as the hydration and butter feeling is what i need for my face. So fingers crossed it will go that way and bravo for an amazing product.


Do you own any Vivids ? Whats your favourite drugstore lipstick ?

Maybelline - 24 hr Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows

So american brand Maybelline who have always been part of the drug store brands available and known for there falsies mascara which is one of my favourites, they brought the 24hr colour tattoo cream eyeshadows out and BANG. The blogging and beauty worlds gone bat crazy for them.

Major point being that they don't crease at all being a cream and they are so pigmented its unreal. Most times you will get a cream eyeshadow that you can work with but it fades or is just to add an additional pigment too. These 24hr colour tattoos are the high street version of paint pots by higher brands. 

Maybelline - 24hr Colour Tattoo's

We have been lucky that boots do supply a lot of the colours but i do look at some american bloggers and look on with envy at the range they have access too. I really hope the rest of the colours are made available as i would love to own the whole set, as they are so versatile and not just for a night out. Some of the colours are easily to jazz up a day look or just add a flash of colour. 

I wont lie when i was picking my 3 (3 for 2 offer) i was thinking  oh god get them all while they are on offer, I'm now wishing i had lol Oh well next month i will be getting them all if they are on offer, i just wanted to see if i really liked the formula and it wasn't all just a hype. As i use a lot of eye products but like anything what works for some, doesn't work for others. 

So i picked with relation to colour i liked and want more off, so i really am loving my OZ palate and have a beautiful colour called Aura in the Glinda side which is a beautiful irridescent half baby blue and half baby pinky yellow mixed colour. I wanted something to use with those 2 colours and i have not much in pastels so thats why i got the Pink gold and Perfect in purple, which is more a light lilac.

Now i picked the Back on bronze as i love my neutral colours, so i thought this slightly gold shimmered bronze colour would be lovely to use as a liner or pat on a bit of shimmer to a neutral eye.

So im really happy with these, they do apply brilliant and don't crease at all. Which i will admit i was surprised they didn't as you look at the consistency and think ooooo this may need a lot of work.

Also the pigments are so lovely and payoff on the eye is just as good, the glitter is so fine that it doesn't clump of fall off in specks during the day, at the end of the day it was just as easy to remove.

So i will be purchasing more of the set and i am hoping that they bring the pomegrante pink and teal colours over as they are stunning.

So do you own any of the Maybelline 24hr Colour tattoos ? Which is your favourite ?

Fancy winning £200 ?

 

Lashes of London a line dress
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Fancy winning £200 to spend with Lashesoflondon.com ?

The prize is a massive £200 voucher to spend at www.lashesoflondon.com.

To be in with a chance of winning all you need to do is create a 'wish list'

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The collage can include as many items as you want, they do not have to

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To recap:

- Create a wish list style collage of your favourite pieces from

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- On Monday 18th February, Lashes of London will upload their favourite

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Good luck and get creative! We can't wait to see what you come up with :)