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!