December GlossyBox

So, its been ages since I last blogged, but here I am again !

I recently subscribed to GlossyBox, I'd been debating if I should for a while and after reading positive reviews of the December box, I thought the time was right !

Here is the box I received

The packaging was lovely, a sturdy, red Christmas edition box, printed inside, with the contents hidden under tissue paper tied with black ribbon.

The contents of my box were

Blink + Go Hi-Definition mascara  full size

Cargo Cosmetics Classic Lip Gloss in Tokyo 0.45g

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle Mini Nail Varnish with Stripped to Go Sachet

MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Facebase 10ml

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in Fujiyama  full size

I have to say, I'm impressed with the contents of this box, it is excellent value, with the two full size products alone having a value of over £20.00.

I love the MeMeMe facebase, it is a lovely light texture, that glides on easily and leaves my skin feeling soft all day, and as it is designed to do, it creates the perfect base for applying make up, the only (tiny) concern I have is that it has quite a strong citrus fragrance, now this doesn't worry me at all, but if you're not keen on fragranced face products, its something to be aware of.

The Rituals foaming shower gel is also lovely, you only need a tiny amount to create a rich, moisturising lather and the fragrance is beautiful.

I have yet to try the Deborah Lippmann polish but it is very pretty and I'm sure this will be my Christmas polish as it is so sparkly and festive !

This picture doesn't do it justice

The Cargo lip gloss is also very pretty, a slightly peachy pink that feels moisturising on the lips,

Lastly, the Blink + Go Hi- Definition mascara, I  have used this a few times now and it does lengthen my lashes and is definitely flake free, and although I don't think it will be replacing my favourite Rimmel mascara, it seems a good product that does what it says and will be a good alternative for times when I need a waterproof mascara.

I should also mention that the card received with the box, has discount codes for three of the products and I will definitely be making use of a couple of those !

So overall, I'm really pleased with this box and I'm very glad I signed up to GlossyBox in time to receive it, I can only hope future boxes are as impressive !

Max Factor Ageless Elixir

I have been a member of the website Super Savvy Me for some time, I recently upgraded my membership to join the Savvy Circle, here you can apply to take part in projects to trial new products etc.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to take part in the trial for the new 

Max Factor Ageless Elixir 2in1 Foundation + serum.

I was excited to receive my starter kit a few days ago

The kit contained a full sized product for me to test, as well as lots of samples to give out to friends and family, money off vouchers, feedback sheets and a product information guide.

Here is some information about the foundation

'Max Factor Ageless Elixir 2in1 Foundation + Serum combines a foundation which instantly helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines with a unique serum with SPF 15 which protects your skin against signs of ageing'.

I received the product in Shade 50 natural, here it is on my hand

I don't normally use a cream foundation as in the past I have found them too mask like, I prefer the natural finish of a mineral powder, however I have been really pleasantly surprised by this new foundation.

I have applied using my fingers and the foundation blends across the skin nicely without settling into fine lines (of which I seem to be getting quite a few !),  and the shade is ideal for my medium to light skin tone.

I should mention that whilst my skin has become drier over the years, it can still tend to be a bit shiny around my nose and chin, but this foundation seems just right for me as it leaves a nice soft matt finish, but my skin feels moisturised and soft.

I applied quite a light layer and the finish gave perhaps slightly more coverage than my usual mineral powder, but I have found you can increase the coverage by applying another layer.

I like the fact that it has an SPF 15 , although because I worry about sun induced damage I will still use a higher protection day cream underneath.

As yet I can't comment on the anti ageing benefits of the serum but overall I am very impressed and would definitely recommend this product and continue to use it myself.

Well done Max Factor , you've managed to convert this non foundation wearer !!

Here's a quick pic after I'd used the product, I find it so hard to get a good picture, but hopefully you get the idea!

I won !!!! And quick nail update

I'm so excited, I had an email this morning letting me know I had won the Caudalie giveaway over at the Laura Lou blog, I have never tried this range before so I'm looking forward to trying it and being able to review it for you, a big Thank You to Laura Lou !

I also wanted to give a quick update on my nail SOS project, I have been using the Leighton Denny Bio Build range to try and strengthen my nails following the removal of my acrylic overlays.
My nails were left so thin and bendy but after about 2 weeks of using the Bio Build products my nails are so much stronger, they feel a lot less bendy and actually a little thicker, a big success !!
I started by using the shield and serum, but then I saw Leighton on QVC and he mentioned the intensive 14 day routine of using the serum twice a day on bare nails, so this is what I have been doing since and will continue to do until the damage seems to have grown out, then I will probably start using the shield as a base coat under polish, and the serum when I have bare nails.
I would definitely recommend this range to anyone with thin, weak nails, if you do try them, let me know how you get on.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Not strictly a beauty product.......

but definitely good for the skin !

I have recently got in to juicing and smoothie making after following Jason Vale's ( The Juice Master ) 3 day detox plan.

I lost 4 pounds in those 3 days and have continued to drink juices or smoothies about twice a day since, one of the benefits I have noticed is that my skin seems brighter, a bit more 'glowing' than before, I put this down to the extra nutrients which I have to admit my diet was seriously lacking before !

Anyway on to my new Vitamix blender, I have known about these for a while, you can learn more here 

basically it is a very powerful blender with a 2 HP motor that allows it to blend whole fruits and veg, the downfall is the price, they are a very expensive piece of kit !!

My old blender was starting to give up on me so I was looking at getting a new one, I was flicking through the shopping channels and noticed that Ideal World had a Vitamix as their pick of the day, it was a refurbished model, so a bit cheaper than usual and on Flexi Pay , yaaay !!!

My wonderful husband treated me to the Brushed Aluminum one as a early Christmas present (for about the next 5 years I think !!).

I have played with it a few times, made a few smoothies  and I'm very impressed !, today I thought I'd have a go at Tomato soup, yes, the friction created by the blades and motor allows you to make hot soups.

The soup was delicious so I thought I'd put the recipe on here in case anyone wanted to try.

Vitamix Tomato Soup

Makes 1 large serving

1 box of chopped tomatoes with garlic and olive oil (or your choice of flavour)

2 Large fresh tomatoes

Quarter of an orange or red pepper

Thin slice of fresh ginger

Splash of soy milk

Handful of unsalted Cashew nuts

About 1 Tbs of tomato sauce

Small piece of a sweet chilli from a jar (optional)

Halve the tomatoes and remove the seeds from the pepper, place everything in the Vitamix , wetter ingredients first.

Start on Variable one, increase speed to 10 then switch to high, blend until hot, I then switch back to variable and reduce the speed until a small vortex appears in the mixture and I can see bubbles, I leave it on this speed for a few moments to allow the bubbles to spin out, I read that this means the liquid is less frothy.

Enjoy a beautiful silky soup.

Tanning Lauren's Way

I was first introduced to the Lauren's Way tanning range through Twitter, my Xen Tan was nearly finished so I decided to try the Lauren's Way Mousse as so many people were raving about it.

I didn't really know what to expect but when I received the tan and tried it I really, really liked it.

The mousse applied so evenly, and whilst it dries quickly it still gave enough time to allow it to blend really well, and the dark guide colour makes it really so easy to see if you have missed an area.

The initial smell was pleasant, although as with all tans I've tried, after warming on the skin for a while, that familiar smell appeared, but was in no way overpowering.

It really was the application that sold me on this tan, I have never had such an even result before and it is for this reason that I have just placed my second order, this time for the tanning kit which consists of the mousse and lotion.

The Lauren's Way site currently has this kit on offer, reduced from £33.90 to £25.00 whilst stock's last, and the Mischief and Makeup!... blog is also offering 25% off Lauren's Way to all their readers.

So grab a bargain whilst you can and try it for yourself....

Nail SOS !

So, in January I decided to try Acrylic Nails as I was having such problems with my nails peeling, it was to the extent that I had to keep them filed really short all the time and yet they would still peel, and I couldn't wear polish because it would chip within hours.

I was actually really pleased with the acrylics, my nails looked so smooth and polish would last until I was bored and decided to change it, but the one problem was the in-filling, my nails were growing so quickly that they only looked nice for a week or so until I got that gap and ridge at the bottom.

So last week I decided to have the acrylics removed, I was aware my nails probably wouldn't be

brilliant underneath but I really wasn't prepared for quite how bad they would be, they are extremely bendy and weak and very thin, its quite a shock after the strength of the acrylics !

These are the products I have decided to use to try and strengthen my nails -

The Leighton Denny Bio Build range.

Here is what the Leighton Denny site says about the range-

"Thin, soft nails like fine, fragile hair, tend to break, peel and split and are usually not strong enough to grow long. They need the nail equivalent of an athlete's high calorie supplement to build them up and improve their strength. BIO-BUILD draws on ingredients from nature and medical science to help reinforce and support the nail while caring for cuticles too."

The range consists of a serum, applied twice daily, a treatment shield that can be worn alone or as a base coat and a polish remover.

Here are my nails after using the range,

I applied the serum, allowed it to dry, and then applied 2 coats of the shield, as you can see the shield initially dries with quite a shine but after a while this softens to give a more matt but buffed look.

I really hope these products help my poor nails !, I'll try them for 6 weeks and then update you on the results.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator

I thought I'd start my reviews with my favourite type of product- mascara.

I have tried so very many mascaras over the years, always searching for the perfect one, for me a mascara should provide length, believable volume, and most importantly a smooth application with no clumps.

In the past I have tended to go for the more expensive makes thinking they would be more likely to deliver, but then Rimmel brought out their Lash Accelerator mascara with 'Grow Lash Complex', this appealed to me as I like the thought that a mascara could actually help your lashes get longer, although to be honest I wasn't expecting too much as I have found Rimmel mascara to be clumpy in the past.

Well I have to say I was pleasantly surprised, I found the mascara to be a lovely texture, thin

enough that it applies smoothly with no clumps but thick enough to provide length and volume.

Here is a pic showing the mascara applied to one eye only-

uughh, what a horrible pic, I can see I'm going to have to perfect these a bit !!

But as you can see the difference is noticeable but quite natural as well.

I have been using this for a couple of months and I do have to say, I haven't really seen any change in the length or thickness of my lashes, so I can't really vouch for that side of Rimmel's claims, although others may have a better result.

The shade I used was Extreme Black, pictured below

Yes that photo is taken on our patio slabs !! I struggle to find a suitable plain background !!

Anyway, that's it for my first post, any suggestions to help me improve my posts, pictures or reviews would be much appreciated as I' am new to this .

Nicola

Welcome

Hi, I'm Nicola.... Welcome to my new blog.

I know I'm probably talking to myself at the moment but hopefully you will find me soon !

I have always loved beauty products, and it is to the detriment of my bank account and my husband's dismay that I can't seem to stop buying them, even when I don't really need them !.

A new product display is like a magnet to me, and the one thing I find really hard not to try is a new mascara.

However my buying habits are not limited only to make up and beauty, I also absolutely love a bit of glitz, I must have been a magpie in a past life, I find it near impossible to walk past a jewellers without staring longingly at all the sparkly things !

I have recently joined Twitter, I know, I'm behind aren't I, and I must say it's bad for my bank balance ! I keep reading about amazing new brands and products that I just have to try.

Anyway by doing this blog I hope my beautiful confessions will maybe help you when faced with all the products out there and possibly allow me to justify my buying......lol