Love Me Beauty Box - my first box

This is the first time I have tried Love Me Beauty since they changed the way they offer their beauty box subscription.

Originally there were three boxes you could choose from a month. They contained the same types of items but each had a slight variation. The new subscription means you log into their Boutique and spend your points (you get 6 points a month) picking trial or full sized products. 

I do prefer the new way of selecting products so here's what I picked in January!

Percy & Reed - No-fuss Flawlessness Dry Conditioner
I checked out their website HERE and realised I got the full sized product costing £12. They have quite a range of hair products but I'm not too sure I would buy any. The dry conditioner did leave my hair looking glossier but I haven't seen any sign of a reduction in damage caused by brushing. In all honesty I didn't know brushing damaged the hair!

Anatomicals - Cherry Lip Balm
If you love the taste of cherry cough sweets you will love the scent of this product. I love cherry flavoured anything but this lip balm is rather pungent. The applicator tip is a well designed smooth slanted clear plastic. You can see the red tinted jelly moving up to the top.

And it is a jelly, not a creamy balm like Carmex. The jelly is on the runny side and very VERY sticky. Although it lasts quite a while on the lips it doesn't melt in, just sit there attracting your hair.


Murad - Age-Diffusing Serum
Face creams are so hard to review when you only get a trial size. The instructions tell me to massage into face, neck and chest but if I do that I'll get one application out of it. I haven't tried it yet and now think I should have picked something a bit more 'me'. I notice Murad sells on QVC ... say no more! 

Sally Hansen - Insta-Dri nail polish in 'Jet Set Jade'
I really like Sally Hansen products. I'm using the strengthening polish at the moment which works a treat. Just as it says on the pot, this polish drys quickly which is good as you'll probably need three coats. The colour I picked was a glittery sea green and if you like this product you can buy it in most High Street chemists, Boots, Superdrug etc.

Mirabella - lipstick in colour 'Collected'

This is a nice light pink colour, high pigmented with a nice smooth texture. I got the full size and I would like it more if it was sold in the UK but I can only find it in the US at the moment. There are only five shades on this 'Pretty and Proactive' range and it's advertised as 'Lead-free and Paraben free'. Lead free?? Does lipstick have lead in it? I found this article about Lead and metals in lipstick. Apparently we shouldn't worry as we consume more lead from food and water than we do lipstick! Oh that's ok then :-( 

Overall this box was great and the small canvas bag the items in (inside a box, another box and then a bag ... excessive packaging much?) was of much better quality than the Birchbox bags.

BUT after my first box from Love Me Beauty I cancelled my subscription. Why? Because I've had subscription boxes from Love Me Beauty before and unfortunately the products they offer are still not as varied and high quality as other beauty boxes. I'm seeing some products in their new Boutique that I saw the last time I subscribed a year ago. Also out of all the products they have I found it hard to pick my fifth item. It's not for me but I'm sure many people will like it.   

February 2015 Pink Parcel - Heart stoppingly good?

I'm feeling the love with this month's Pink Parcel. As always not only do I get all my months worth of tampons but I also get several full sized beauty products, chocolate and tea. With a Valentines theme ... did it steal my heart? #TotallyCheesey!

Organic Surge - Skin Perfecting Face Polish

This face polish has a very fresh scent coming from the lemon and rosemary essential oils. You can feel the olive stone granules, although a small amount doesn't contain too many so it doesn't give an intense exfoliated feel. With a smooth creamy texture, great scent and mild exfoliating granules this would be great for daily use in your morning routine. 

Mad Beauty - Pop Heart Lip Balm and Mad Glitter Nail File
Two very cute items from madbeauty.com. The lip balm is coconut scented with a white smooth to oily texture. The little pot looks so cute but it's only half full of balm which is a shame. The file looks great with glittery lips but it's filing texture is on the rough side. Overall both products look so sweet and Valentines themed but they aren't top quality, just some fun.



Pukka - 'Love' and Divine - White Chocolate

I'm looking forward to trying this tea. It contains rose, chamomile and lavender. I've never tried rose before in a tea but I'm sure it will taste floral and calming. All Divine chocolate is melt in the mouth delicious so I'm saving this for my birthday next month so I can enjoy it with no diet guilt. I know white chocolate isn't everyone's taste but there are just times in your life when milk chocolate is just not enough.

MUA 'Romantic Efflorescence' Eyeshadow Palette and Bellapierre Eyeshadow Brush No.35

This was quite a surprise. I've never had an eyeshadow palette in any of my beauty box subscriptions so to get this from Pink Parcel kinda blew my mind. 

My swatch pictures aren't the best (still trying to work out lighting for the photos) so head over to MUA for some slightly higher quality ones. I popped on their website and noticed they are currently offering a free mascara if you buy this palette.

I love the shadow names (from top left to bottom right): Mesmeric, Tempt, Corrupt, Obsessed, Lavish, Fiery, Bewitch, Magnet, Exposed, Siren, Reveal, Captivate.

The colours range from plums through to browns and metallic's. There is a mix of mattes and shimmers, with the shimmers slightly heavier in pigment. If you're looking for high pigmented matte's you will have to layer it thickly.

The Bellapierre brush is a perfect eyeshadow brush with a medium amount of bristles, small head to get into your eye creases and a lovely long handle. I've just realised you can't see the brush in my picture so check it out here. The brush alone is £14.99 which covers the price of the whole box (plus some). As always Pink Parcel has gone beyond my expectations of a beauty box ... without being a beauty box.  

Check Pink Parcel out .. £9.99 a month for all this plus your months supply of tampons!

Quick beauty box update

I love beauty subscription boxes! LOVE LOVE LOVE them! So much so I've been through loads of different companies who offer their trial sized beauty treats to find the ultimate box.

Since the start of 2015 I have dropped and started & dropped the following:

But I'm still going strong with Pink Parcel, an amazing box of goodies plus your months supply of tampons.

I know the aim of a beauty subscription box from the suppliers perspective is that you pay a small price to try their products and then hopefully you'll buy the full size. It's makes great business sense and gets products to people who would never think to use them.

Personally I just want value for money! I want to see quality products, full size products and variety of products. Pink Parcel has all this going for it and I've now found a new box to try which I hope will also have these three amazing qualities...

(I added frame and bubbles for effect HAHA).

I think Beauteque Monthly is based in America but they will ship to the EU. I've just missed January's as they ship on the 15th, so I'm looking forward to my first box which should arrive in February .. mind you if they ship on the 15th of each month it might not arrive until March! It's $24 and contains 7 full sized products AND you get the option of what box you want to receive! Why isn't someone doing this in the UK?

I still have to review my one and only Love Me Beauty box so that will probably be my next blog. I think you can guess how that's going end.

Finally dropping some pounds

I've now been on the Dukan Diet approximately two weeks and it's going well! I'm not surprised the diet works, I'm surprised I'm sticking to it as I've had some major epic fails this last year.

BUT that was 2014 and in 2015 I'm doing good. I couldn't bear to look at my initial starting weight, that could have led to a meltdown and pizza consumption. So after week one I went on the scales and dealt with the reality. A reality which I'm not putting in my blog, no one needs to see that!

I've lost 5lbs in my second week so I must have lost at least that in my first. I'm feeling OK, my appetite has vanished which is a good side-effect of eating a high protein diet.

I've moved from the initial Attack Phase (total protein) to Cruise Phase (alternating between total protein days and protein plus veg days) and finally found somewhere that sells Oat Bran so I can have a couple of tablespoons a day.

There are a multitude of websites out there with recipes and advise so I've been having a look at a few, getting a view ideas. Ideas are very much needed because I will be doing this diet for many many months so really need to learn how to make chicken breasts more interesting. Here are some of the great sites I've found:

• http://www.dukandiet.co.uk/ - THE Dukan Diet website for the UK
• http://thedukandietsite.com - Amber knows everything about the Dukan Diet
• http://mydukandiet.com/ - great layout, easy to use site

In search of microcrystals

For over fifteen years I have been using St Ives Invigorating scrub daily. It's cheap, you get a large tube which lasts months and it makes my face feel fresh and clean.

So it was a surprise to me when Birchbox sent me a trial size tube of Vasanti Brighten Up Rejuvenator and I LOVED IT! My face felt so smooth, ,so so clean and a very small amount went along way. The only problem with trial sizes is they run out rather quickly and as this particular product is £26 for 120ml I just couldn't justify the expense of purchasing a full size.

I thought I would give other brands a go first so I brought two scrubs and both have been a total fail. Firstly, and quite surprisingly, Embryolisse Creme Exfoliante. I got this along with the Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre using my Birchbox points and was looking forward to using both as they have been so over reviewed recently on YouTube I thought they must be good.

Unfortunately the exfoliante was terrible. It felt like a slightly rough cream, no exfoliating of my skin at all and my skin/makeup looked untouched once I'd removed the cream with a warm flannel. What is so special about  Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre?? I really don't get it. I've had far better moisturisers. Apparently it can also be used as a primer, makeup remover and skin irritation reducer after shaving. I guess my skin must be unique as I popped a little on my freshly shaven skin and it irritated the hell out of it!

So I moved on and looked to the High Street for my new facial scrub/exfoliant. I found Superdrugs Naturally Radiant collection and treated myself to the Brightening Micro Polish and the Day Cream. The day cream is great, lovely consistency and nice smooth skin after application. The 'polish' ... meh, I could feel some little scrubby balls but they were few and far between.

Essentially at this point I have spent over £26 trying to find a
cheaper version of Vasanti Rejuvenator (if I hadn't used Birchbox points) yet I can't give up, there MUST be a cheaper version out there. I checked Vasanti's description of the product and it mentions 'microcrystals exfoliant' ... so I am now on the look out for microcrystals! I will let you know if I find any.

Update #SoNotACliffHanger

Yeah! Just squeezing in my post of the week.

My journey on the Dukan hasn't been blip free. Friday wasn't good and we got a take-away with carbs BUT Saturday I was back on the Attack Phase. I'm meant to do 7 days on the attack and I'd already done 4 days by the time I had my blip .. so I will do the Attack Phase for a few more days and then start the Cruise Phase.

I'm finding the diet a bit confusing in terms of what I can and can't eat. It's basically Atkins with less fat and sugar free yogurt and drinks. I'll do a blog post about it once I get the hang of it.

I've found an amazing website for lean protein called Muscle Food. The website is for body builders/sculptors but it's great for Dukan and Atkins dieters too. I'll do a review once I put my first order in.

I also have some beauty reviews to come next week! A few grumbles and a beauty box cancellation! Oooo which one did I cancel? Find out next week! #SoNotACliffHanger

Diet update!

The Aktins Diet did not happen for me. I've tried it before and had great results but as with any diet it has to be the right time and the right place.

So today I start the Dukan Diet. I've had the book for many months but was not convinced by the diet and it's lack of certain food groups. That being said the reviews and results speak for themselves, it works. Actually all diets work, if you stick to them!

This is day one, I'm still not 100% sure of all the foods I can eat but I've completed an online calculator thingy and apparently I have to stay on the initial phase (The Attack Phase) for 6 days. For most people this would be 2-3 days but I have a fair amount to lose.

I will do regular updates and let you know how I'm getting on. Hopefully the sad face will look a lot happier in a month or two! 

Pink Parcel January 2015 - it's a monthly thing!

This is a great monthly subscription that sends you your monthly supply of tampons as well as a few treats - Pink Parcel.

This months subscription has put Birchbox to shame! All full sized products, a great range of high street and lesser known brands.

Divine Chocolate

I have to admit I couldn't wait to complete my review before eating it. It was the Caramel Milk Chocolate and it was truly divine!

Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara (£10.99)

I love false lash effect mascaras so was so happy to get this as it's not one that I've tried before. The colour was a decent black and the brush was rather large, although made of silicone (which I prefer).

Pukka Detox tea (£2.20 box of 20)

This is a herbal tea containing aniseed, fennel and cardamom. Detoxification in a teabag, however not something that sits well on my taste buds.

FlamingoCandles.co.uk Parma Violets Scent Melt (£2)

I haven't heard of this company before but this scent melt (like a Scentsy wax burner) can burn for up to 15 hours and really does smell of Parma Violets. I will be checking out this companies website as they also sell scented candles. These are all made from soy wax and hand-poured (not too sure what difference this would make).

Binky London lipstick (£2.95)

I can't tell if this is a new company or one that's fizzling out. I got the colour Romance which is a deep red lipstick (blue-red). The texture is great and the colour is daring as I don't tend to use deep colours but it may make a nice change.

Balance Activ Feminine Wipes (£1.79)

I'm not too sure I need to explain what these are for but it does say 'Proven to reduce odour', enough said!

Richard Ward Couture Hair Silk Protein Masque (£14.50)

You would use this once a week/fortnight instead of your usual conditioner. It's to help hydrate your hair and colour lock. I'll look forward to the results as I blow-dry my hair every day so any extra hydration would help.

For £9.99 a month, including P&P, plus a months supply of tampons this box is a great monthly treat. 

BirchBox January 2015 - Size really does matter!

I received by Birchbox on Friday and it's theme this month was'Hit Refresh' i.e. get healthy and sweaty.

I'm sticking to words and pictures this month and may progress to moving images in February! Sorry but I can't comment on the smell of these products as my nose is blocked ... again!

Contents this month ...

Stila lip glaze (£15)

This is like a top coat for your lips, a glaze you would put on top of a lipstick rather than a gloss.

I got the Glitter colour which is a shear pink shimmery shade. It's rather sticky and I can't imagine this staying on the lips for very long.

I have a feeling most of the £15 goes towards the plastic packing though. You get hardly any glaze (1.5ml) and double the amount of plastic.

Philip Kingsley Body Building Conditioner (£19 full size)

Use this as you would a normal conditioner. It's for 'limp, fine or flyaway' hair, which I do not have.

I'm not keen on this brand overall. I personally think they've used their 'created for Audrey Hepburn' marketing a little too much but the proof is in the pudding so I will add an update once I use it.


Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum (£45 full size)

'Evens skin tone, boosts radiance and moisturises' ... and you would hope that's exactly what it does for £45!

What I can say is the texture was lovely and smooth and it didn't take long for the moisturiser to sink into the skin leaving it feeling soft. I think to see additional benefits with most of these products you would need to use over time.



HealGel Intensive (£37.50 full size)

The squeezie tube has a very prescriptive design to it, on purpose I'm sure. It came with a foil seal on the top which was a nightmare to open so I had to pierce it with my earring.

The texture is rich, spreads well so you don't need a lot. The skin is left slightly tacky . The cream (not what I would consider a gel) is meant to 'protect, restore and smooth' irritated and sensitive skin.

For the price of a full size (30ml) I think I'll stick with Sudocrem!

Activbod Cooling Finish Lotion (full size £12)

It says 'massage into skin for an instant cooling sensation'. I tried it and it worked ... for a few seconds.

I'm not much of an exercise fan but the next time I run for the bus I'll  make sure I have this with me!





Embrace Matcha Green Tea (£24.99 for a pack)

This is green tea in a powder form to add to smoothies, juices or hot water. This sachet is one serving and a pack contains 30 servings.

After my ankle swelled the last time I drank green tea I won't be trying this but if my partner uses it I will ask him for a review.

I can't help but think teabags would be a lot cheaper!



And the Pièce de résistance ... a Birchbox Pilates Band!

Hmm ... well ... what can I say! Apparently this worth £7.99! I have no idea where they get these prices from, a pack of 3 Davina stretch bands is £8.99. For the majority of Birchbox subscribers who do not do pilates this may be a disappointment. You could use it as a headband maybe or some kinky sex aid?

So overall I was a little disappointed with the contents, it's the smallest contents sizewise although the Stila was full size .. just small. Birchbox continues to give exclusive that are usually pink, plastic and cheap. This is such a shame and I hope to write a review on the Birchbox exclusives later in the month. What freebies would you like?

Sims 4, vid clips, blogs OH MY!

Well this happened!! I purchased a Canon Legria mini camcorder in a moment of madness, It's secondhand but works well with no scratches (gotta love eBay). I can't ever imagine having the confidence to paste my face on YouTube but I did think I could use videos to film narrated reviews and maybe a bit of Sims 4 gameplay ... yes! i am a closet geek.

I love the fisheye view but that probably won't be great for close up reviews. So look out for future blogs containing my first experiments with vid clips and video editing.

If anyone has any tips or tricks for using this type of camcorder please leave comments below. Thanks!

New Years Resolutions (2015)

Happy New Year! I don't know about you but 2014 wasn't the greatest year for me.

So this year, as with many other New Years I was so tempted to make some New Years resolutions BUT I decided not to.

Why you may ask ... because I never stick to them! Do you? It seems like a really negative start to the year when we make these rather unrealistic promises to ourselves only to come a cropper a month, week or even a day later.

So this year I WILL lose weight. I've started Atkins again today and I WILL stick to it until reaching goal weight.

Good luck to me and good luck to you if you've made some resolutions/personal promises this year. WE CAN DO IT!