Glossy Box Review - Luxury Freebie

*DISCLAIMER - I am NOT in any way affiliated with Glossy Box and this review is in no way sponsored by them. The subscriptions have always been paid for by me and I am not receiving any freebies or payment from the company*

Hello lovely readers!

Back in 2011, I started a subscription to Glossy Box - a monthly beauty box containing 5 luxury samples of new and popular products available on the market. Anything from lip gloss to perfume to fake tan. I enjoyed them for a while, but started to tire of what I was being sent.

However, I recently received an email from Glossy Box about an offer for a box worth £75 if you subscribe for 3, 6 or 12 months. Being a sucker for a deal, I decided to sign up for 3 boxes and see if there were any improvements. 

When I initially opened the parcel box, I was surprised to find a black and gold box inside. Normally the boxes are light pink unless there's a theme, which as far as I was aware, wasn't the case for this month.

Inside was the leaflet that describes all the products for you. This said "Razzle & dazzle this festive season", which, again, I thought was a bit odd. I've tweeted Glossy Box, but I imagine this is my £75 box with full size products. I'm happy with the products, but they're completely wrong for this time of year. Obviously this is the Christmas box from last year, which doesn't quite work for August.

As usual, the box was beautifully packaged. The box was slightly scuffed up, but I guess that's because it was from 8 months ago and in a black box, so the marks will show more. Doesn't matter though, I just keep the boxes for storage inside drawers/cupboards/etc.

So, let's get to the products! I'll quote what is said in the leaflet and then let you know what I think of them on first viewing. I haven't had chance to use any of them properly yet, but any I think are worth reviewing, I'll do so in separate posts.

So I'll start with the Butter London 3 Free Nail Lacquer. The leaflet says:

"Searching for a festive-inspired manicure? This fabulous Butter London nail lacquer is all you need! Long-lasting and rich in colour, this high-performing nail polish leaves a smooth and glossy finish". 

This nail polish retails at £12. It's a lovely chocolate brown shade and will be perfect for the Autumn and Winter months. It's a shame I won't want to try it quite yet, but as soon as I do, I'll try to remember to review it for you all. I've never used any Butter London products, but I know they're very popular, so hopefully I'll enjoy using this one!

In the little pink tube is a Absolute! Perfume Stick. The leaflet says:

"This unique Absolute! perfume stick is a seductive scent, instantly conjuring up images of a winter wonderland. Packaged in a beautiful and elegantly designed bottle, it's the perfect Christmas gift".

This retails at £9.50. It smells very floral, and actually does work really well in August. I like the idea of a solid perfume, no more lugging around full size, glass perfume bottles in my handbag - much less risky (perfume bottles can smash phone screens - believe, I know this from experience!) and it's a real space saver. I have quite sensitive skin too, so was wary that this kind of perfume stick might bring me out in a rash, but it didn't, so I'm happy about that. Overall, it smells great and is a really good idea for a product.

The white tube is a So Susan Cosmetics Water-based Pure Luminizer. The leaflet says:

"Want the perfect red carpet glow for Christmas? Simply apply So Susan's lightweight Water-Based Luminizer to highlight your cheekbones, brow bones and eyes for a sparkling luminosity that will last all night long."

This retails at £25. This was one of the most disappointing products for me. This box was supposed to contain full sized products, which I suppose it technically did, however I was expecting full sized products that were actually full of the product. This could easily only have been half full - I had to really squeeze the tube to get any of the luminizer out, which is a real shame because I actually quite like it. I tried it out on my hand and it's very dewey and glowy. It could actually work well as a moisturizer on the legs if you fancied going tights-less for an evening out, though you'd want to mix it with a regular body lotion so you don't end up really sparkly! I'm intrigued to try it on my face over foundation as it does look kind of pigmented. I currently use Soap 'n' Glory's Hocus Focus illuminating cream mixed in with my foundation which just gives me a pearly glow. However, Hocus Focus is a white cream, so blends in completely transparently to the skin. I don't think this So Susan product will do that, and in turn might be too dark for my complexion. But considering I want to become a make-up artist (post on that to come!), I need to start building a kit that contains products for all skin types and tones, so this could prove very useful!

Next is a tube of EuPhidra Pearly Lip Gloss. The leaflet says: 

"This lip gloss should be on everyone's wish list! Why? Simply because the perfume and Paraben-free Pearly Lip Gloss by EuPhidra not only gives you a perfect finish, it also protects and treats your lips with Vitamin E and Oryza Sativa Oil, ensuring they're in top condition throughout the year."

This retails at £11.90. My first impression of this was "Holy sparkles, Batman". It is SO glittery. Reminds me of the Bourjois 3D Effet Lipgloss that I got free from Boots when I was about 12 or 13. It was BRIGHT pink with a tonne of gold flecks in it. Not a good look for me! This is more subtle. It's a softer pink and the glitter is surprisingly subtle. I think it work best for a party, but I do quite like it. I wouldn't pay £11.90 for something like this, but as it was free, I'm pretty happy with it.

The bottle is a Philip B African Shea Butter Gently & Conditioning Shampoo. The leaflet says:

"Let your hair steal the show this season! Give yourself a glossy Christmas treat with Philip B's African Shea Butter Conditioning Shampoo. The gentle cleansing properties protect and strengthen your strands, leaving your locks full of body and shine."

This retails at £9.50. This one scares me a little. I'm wary of 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioners, and although it doesn't explicitly say it's 2 in 1, it does say it's a conditioning shampoo, sooo.... I'll try it if I'm ever desperate, but I can't say I'm that eager to. I love the smell of Shea Butter though, so mayyyyyyyybe....

And finally, there is a Be A Bombshell Cosmetics "Blush" - which was actually a bronzer. The leaflet says:

"This highly-pigmented formula is a must-have for all make-up kits, leaving you with a long lasting rosy glow that's flattering for all skin tones."

This retails at £9.95. Obviously this description isn't quite correct... Shame really, I would have much preferred a blush as I don't really use bronzer. I would have really enjoyed this "must-have" blush. It's waaaaaaaaaay too dark for my skin. The FCUK bronzer that I do seldom use, is a much lighter shade, so this is completely wrong for me. I did choose the light skin option on the form that is supposed to tailor your boxes to your specific needs, but I guess it didn't quite translate in this first box. Never mind, like the the luminizer, it'll be added to my ever growing kit to use on potential future clients. Not a total loss!

Adding up all the retail prices, this box actually comes to nearly £78, which although is only £3 more than advertised....is STILL £3 more than advertised! Which I think is pretty generous. I was expecting it to be slightly (or perhaps quite a lot) less than £75, so I'm pleasantly surprised that it wasn't.

All in all, I didn't love this box, but I didn't hate it either. It was alright. Hopefully the 3 monthly boxes I've ordered will suit me better, but I'm looking forward to using the lip gloss, perfume stick and nail polish.

SOTD - Wonder Woman by Frankmusik

IOTD - Dawn O'Porter

I think I might actually be in love with this woman. Genuinely. She's so cool! I just finished watching her series "This Old Thing" where she gave tips for vintage shopping and revamping old clothes in your wardrobe and I really enjoyed it! I picked up lots of advice, but the one that I thought was best for me personally was to try things on when shopping. I hate trying clothes on whilst shopping with a passion. It really depresses me if things are too small and ruins my shopping day. BUT Dawn is changing my ways. It's worth trying clothes on because they will look different on you than they do on the hanger - obviously! And yeah, it might look terrible, but something else might look AMAZING on you!

On Wednesdays (and Fridays...) We Wear Pink - Regina George's Make-Up From Mean Girls

"In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it"

*Creeps in looking a good mix of embarrassed, awkward and apologetic for not posting in a really long time*

.....I'm sorry.....

Hello everyone! I knowwwwwwwwwww, it's been aaaaaages. My life suddenly got really busy. I turned 21 (Woo!), found myself a job (Woo woo!) and applied for a make-up course that starts in Setember (Woo woo woo!), so I've just been figuring all that out, as well as seeing my friends now they're all coming home after graduating from university.

I've finally got the end of my Mean Girls posts, which shouuuuuuuuuld have only taken 4 weeks, but I'm a terrible blogger and it obviously wouldn't run like that, now, would it?!

The final look is Regina and I chose to recreate her make-up from the Halloween party scenes.

It's a pretty easy look, and gives you chance to practise your gel liner skills - who doesn't need practise? It's also got some glitzy little gems and my photos vaguely feature bunny ears (classy lady!). Here's what I came up with, hope you like it!

Yes, I did only apply mascara, eyeliner and gems two 1 eye - I only ever show you my left eye anyway!

So, moisturise and apply your normal foundation and concealer, if you wear them. I used my usual Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow liquid foundation with Fake Up concealer around the eye area and on any blemishes.

Next, apply an eye primer if you want to, I didn't but would if I was wearing this make-up out. I then applied a pearly white cream eyeshadow to my entire eyelid, from lash line to brow bone. Make sure this is blended really well and not caked on. You want it nice and smooth. Apply a white eyeshadow over the top to set.

I then applied a very pale but slightly metallic eyeshadow just above the crease, but just below the brow bone. Blend this in well.

Apply a muted light brown in the crease and then using a clean blending brush, blend everything well. You don't want any harsh lines or blocks of colour. That's it for eyeshadow.

Apply a black pencil liner in the water and tight lines and then using a gel liner and brush, line the upper lash line. You want this line to be of thin to medium thickness, with a winged out edge. The easiest way to use a gel liner with a brush is to make short brush strokes, so you're remain in control at all times. Plot your winged edge using the end of the liner brush - hold it along the corner of your eye and match it to the end of your eyebrow. Brush a short line here, and then join it to rest of your eyeliner.

Using small body gems, stick one to the outer corner of your eye, and one to the inner corner - if you're going with gems. Leave them if you want a more wearable look.

Apply a highlight - something like Benefit High Beam, or Illamasqua Lumos highlighting powder - above the brow bone, along the centre of the nose and on the top of the cheekbones. Then generously apply a rosy pink blush to the apples of the cheeks. Blend this back towards the hairline.

And finally slick on a light pink lipstick and lip gloss (ugh, lip gloss!) (and bunny ears if you want them) - and you're done!

I hope you liked this! I do have lots of tutorials, reviews and hauls to share with you, and now I'm settled into my job I hope to update this blog more often. It's nearly a year since I started properly and I definitely haven't written enough posts yet! But I will try my hardest as I would love to boost my views and followers.

IOTD - Rachel McAdams

SOTD - Built This Way by Samantha Ronson

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink - Karen Smith's Make Up From Mean Girls

Hello! Long time, no blog. You know how it is though, life got busy, the usual story.

Here's the third post in my Mean Girls themed blogs, this time it's Karen Smith. This one was the easiest make-up to recreate, but the hardest to find in terms of photo references. She's kind of an underrated member of the primary cast in the film, but actually has some of the funniest lines.

 Do you know who's looking fine tonight?

Seth Mosakowski.

I ended up using a combination of her more natural looks (so, everything aside from the Halloween scene) to create a more general "Karen" look. Here are some that I used as references:

Bit of a tricky one, as in some photos, her make-up looks more brown, in others it's more grey. I've gone for brown so it's more natural, and because the Gretchen look I did was a grey smokey eye. Made sense to me ;)

 I hope you like it!

This is a REALLY simple tutorial. I'm almost hesitant to call it a tutorial, it's THAT easy. If you have the right colours, you can do it.

I started with a nude shimmery shadow which I applied to the entire lid, up to the brow bone. This will act as a base and subtle highlight under the brow.

Next, I applied a muted, matte brown to the outer third of the lid and into the crease. I used a medium brown that would blend nicely in the crease and with the first shadow. You don't this look to be too "blocky" if that makes sense - everything wants to be softened, delicate and natural.

I applied a very subtle gold/beige shadow to the inner third of the lid to create more depth and shape to the eye. I'm not entirely how to describe what I mean actually... Hmm... Without this added shadow, it can end up looking slightly flat. You're basically fading the colours from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner to shape the eye and create dimension. (Word vomit).

Add mascara to your top and bottom lashes and use a black liner in the tightline.

For the waterline, I lined the outer third with the same black liner as the tightline, and then blended a brown liner into this slightly, and continuing to line the rest of the waterline. This stops the liner potentially closing up the eye (not literally, but it can make your eyes look much smaller) and softens the look. Using only black liner could look far too heavy on an eye like this.

I swept a muted, rosey/brown blush across the apples of the cheeks and used an almost clear, but slightly pinkish/brown lipgloss. I used Sugarbomb by Benefit if you're looking to see what the shade actually looks like in the tube.

C'est Fini! Hope you liked this look! Next week will be the last of these blogs, and it will be Regina's Halloween look - complete with some delightful bunny ears (they're actually hideous!).

IOTD - Amanda Seyfried

SOTD - Milkshake by Kelis 

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink - Cady Heron's Make-Up From Mean Girls

Hello!

How are you this week? My week has been very hectic and stressful, but it's easing up now - thankfully!

Here's the second installment of my Mean Girls themed posts, this time it's Cady Heron's make-up, who is played by everyone's favourite child starlet, Lindsay Lohan. On a side note, I've actually become quite fond of Li-Lo after watching her interview with Oprah and the first two parts of the documentary about her. Sure, she's made mistakes, but who hasn't? Most of us don't have them splashed all over the tabloids either...

Anyway - onto the make-up!

I re-created the look that she wore during the Burn Book scene where they read out their apologies for what went in the book. It's a very light, pastel-y and soft look, which is unlike most of the other make-up that Cady wears in the film which is much heavier, with a LOT more black eyeliner. I suppose this is a reflection where their characters are at emotionally during the story.

As you can see from this picture, it's predominantly a pink, purple and blue look - very pretty, very girly.

Here's what I came up with:

(Don't worry, I'm getting my hair coloured next week, it won't look so rooty in my next post!)

So, like my previous post, I'll just describing what colours I used, rather than the brands of make-up I used. This way it's more accessible to everyone. If people prefer me to list what I actually used, do let me know. I want this blog to helpful to people and how they like it.

I started off by using a white shadow all over the lid, right up to the brown bone. I then applied a light pink shadow all over the lid. Over this, I applied a light purple shadow. Using a darker pink shadow, I added some depth into the crease. I applied a light blue shadow along the lashline, but not too thickly, just enough that you can see it under a lined lashline. I basically then just kept working into the blue with a darker purple and the pink until it looked less blue, and blended in with the pink better. Blending is the key when you're using 2 different coloured shadows (blues, greens, purples, pinks, etc) as you don't want them to look too blocky.

I lined the lashline with a black liquid liner, applied a few coats of black mascara and used a black eye pencil in the water and tight lines.

I then applied a very light pink blush to the apples of my cheeks, with a liquid highlight on the very top of the cheekbone. I didn't use any contour as this is such a soft look.

Finally I applied a rosey pink lip stain and lip gloss.

And that's it! So simple, so pretty!

Thanks for reading!

IOTD - Lindsay Lohan

SOTD - One Way or Another by Blondie

On Wednesdays We Wear Pink - Gretchen Wieners' Make Up From Mean Girls

Hello everyone! Hope you're all just dandy.

So, last Wednesday it was the 10th anniversary of one of my favourite films - Mean Girls, so I though it would be fun to create some looks inspired by the 4 lead roles - Gretchen Weiners, Karen Smith, Cady Heron and Regina George. The good thing about this film is that the make-up is all very wearable (perhaps not Cady's Halloween look...) so it's great if you want something different for your daily make-up.

This week I've created a look inspired by Gretchen in the scene where she gives her speech about Brutus and Caesar (WE SHOULD TOTALLY JUST STAB CAESAR!!!). The scene is pretty funny and very truthful about what goes on among girls in school (well, women in general, really). Hoop earrings are MY thing, actually. Gretchen's make-up is very smokey in this scene, and could be worn for day or night, so it's a really lovely versatile look.

Here's what I came up with:

I used one of my cheap and cheerful MUA palettes, but I'll just talk you through colours so that you can recreate the look using whatever brands you have.

So I went for a pure white shadow which I applied to the entire lid and brow bone. This is a subtle highlight for me as I have very pale skin, however if you skin tone is darker, you'll want to use something that matches, as Gretchen's highlight is very similar to her skin tone.

I went in with a medium grey matte shadow and applied this to the entire lid.

Next, I did some shading with a black eye shadow. Do use black shadows sparingly, especially if you're going for a grey tone rather than a black tone. I applied a little to the inner third and outer third of the lid, leaving the middle third clear. As you can see, Gretchen's eyeshadow blends from dark to light to dark again. You almost use the black shadow as a contour for your eyes.

I then applied a a slightly sparkly silver shadow (Alliteration, get me!) to that middle third that I left when applying the black shadow. This is to create that colour gradient. 

The next step is kind of subjective because it hasn't actually translated to the photo, unfortunately. I basically started mixing a tiny bit of purple with the silver and lightly tapping this over the middle third. I think there's a slight hue of purple in Gretchen's eyeshadow to further bring out the colour of her top, but you may prefer to leave this step out.

I finally lined my lash line with a black liquid eyeliner and my tight and water lines with a black Kohl pencil. I then added mascara and the eyes were done.

For the face, I used my usual foundation, so whatever you normally wear is perfectly fine, as long as it correctly matches your skin tone of course... Gretchen has quite a glowy and bronzed complexion throughout the film, so I applied some bronzer to my temples, the hollows of my cheeks and under my jaw. I never normally use bronzer so I did this sparingly as I didn't want to look orange and patchy, but again, use as much or as little as you like. I then applied a dusky pink blush across my cheek. I swept it right down my cheek up to the end of the bronzed contour.

Finally I applied a rosey/brown lipgloss and I was finished!

A really simple but pretty look that could be worn during the day, or for a night out.

That is SO fetch!

SOTD - Operate by Peaches (I'll be using songs from the movie's soundtrack on these posts)

IOTD - Lacey Chabert who plays Gretchen

None for Gretchen Weiners, BYE.

Faces of the Week - Holiday in St Ives

Hello lovelies!

I do hope you're well and that you had a fabulous weekend!

Today I'm going to share with you the make-up I wore each day of my holiday. This, like my holiday OOTD's, will be quite a long post and also quite a picture heavy post. I know that not everyone likes this sort of thing, but it's a good way for me to share the kind of make-up I enjoy wearing, and hopefully it does appeal to some of you. I'm hoping to start writing a few more posts about things I'm buying and also some reviews. But I hope you do enjoy this post all the same!

Sidenote - All the eyeshadows I've used are from the Urban Decay Naked palette. I thought I'd tell you that now so I don't have to repeat it every time. I also got back into curling my eyelashes - WHY HAVEN'T I BEEN DOING THIS FOR LONGER?! Gosh!

So, this was the first day and I wore my usual foundation/concealer/powder combination which is Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow liquid foundation, Fakeup concealer and Hello Flawless powder all by Benefit. I wanted to keep my eyes fairly simple so I used Virgin eyeshadow from the Urban Decay Naked palette all over the lid, in the inner corner as a highlight and under the brow bone, applying this with a simple shadow brush from Boots (cheapie but goodie). I then went in with Buck from the same palette in the crease and outer third, applying this with the Good Karma Shadow brush by Urban Decay (this was the free brush I received with the Naked palette). I then used a Sigma E30 pencil brush to blend these together. I then used Maybelline Lasting Drama gel liner and the brush that came with it to line my lash line, together with Bourjois Kohl & Contour black pencil liner in the water and tight lines. Finally I finished off with Benefit They're Real on my top and bottom lashes.

So, this was . So, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always. Virgin all over the lid, inner corner and up to the brow bone. I then applied Hustle to the crease and outer third of the lid, applying a little of Toasted to the middle third of the lid.

I actually wore the same make-up on the next two days because I really liked the combination of shades. So, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always - these are my staple products that never really change. I started with Virgin all over the lid, up to the brow bone and in the inner corner. I then used Smog all over the lid and Darkhorse in the crease. Then, just in the middle third of the lid, I applied a small amount of Halfbaked to create some more colour and sparkle - brighten up the eye a bit. I then used my Illamasqua Sculpting Duo kit to contour and highlight, with their blush in the shade Ambition. On my lips (and I actually wore this everyday but apparently took photos before I applied it on every other day apart from this, doh!) I wore a new addition to my make-up collection which is part of the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Collection Privee. This is Cheryl Cole's lipstick in the shade Barely Greige by Cheryl. I absolutely LOVE this lipstick. It's very moisturising and very subtle. You do have to reapply it throughout the day, but that doesn't bother me too much. Over time I hope to buy the others in the collection because they're all so pretty, especially Barely Peach by Julianne Moore. So lovely!

Again, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always. I used the eyeshadows as the day before, except more of Darkhorse and no Halfbaked. I kept it more natural on this day - so didn't use any blush or contour either.

(Apologies for the inconsistent flash in these photos - I officially HATE my camera!)

Aaaand once again, same foundation/concealer/powder/eye pencil/mascara combination as always. I applied Virgin all over the lid, up to the brow bone and in the inner corner, as I often do. Then I used Toasted all over the lid. I did this look when I went to Leeds, post here, and as I talk about in that post, I LOVE this eyeshadow. You can use it on it's own because it is iridescent and looks more built up. Great if you don't want a heavy look. Illamasqua contour kit and blush was the same as the other days.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

IOTD - Courteney Cox. I watched a few episodes of Cougar Town last night, I really enjoy it, makes me giggle A LOT.

SOTD - Moi Je Joue by Brigitte Bardot

What I Wore on Holiday

Hello!

As you might know, I recently visited St Ives with my mum for a week long break away. We had a really lovely time - went for walks on the beach, did a little shopping, had toooo many sweet treats and just had a lot of fun!

In August last year I went to France for a holiday and took photos of my outfits each day, so I thought I'd do the same thing on this holiday. I'm really sorry that there aren't any full length photos, the way the room was arranged meant I couldn't take them in the mirror. But you'll still get the idea. Hope you like them!

On this day, I wore Joni Super High Waisted jeans from Topshop, a white long length vest top from H&M and this pretty top from Oasis which has a swan print.

This dress is from New Look and has a daisy print. It looks, for some reason, like I'm wearing thigh high socks in this picture - I'M NOT! It's just my hairbrush on the dressing table at an unfortunate height. I wore this dress with nude tights (granny, haha) and the yellow cardigan featured in the photo below.

Another pair of Joni jeans, this time in the hyper blue shade, with a ditsy print ruffle top from Oasis and a cardigan from Dorothy Perkins. I also had a black H&M vest top underneath.

Same pair of jeans as in the first photo, with another white vest from H&M and a pussy bow blouse from Oasis. The cardigan is from New Look.

Tried a different angle this day, but I don't think it was any better! Dress from New Look with a cardigan from Next. I wore Topshop heavyweight leggings with this.

Finally, Joni jeans from Topshop, a white vest and a pink top from Oasis. I didn't take a photo of the back, but it's really nice - it has gold buttons down where your spine would be.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

IOTD - Clea DuVall

SOTD - Let Go by Frou Frou