The Body Shop - Baked To Last Bronzer

 

How sweet is this bronzer? Whilst in The Body Shop looking for a Mother's Day present, I had a dabble at their make-up stand and came across this. I've been looking for a good bronzer for quite some time now. I don't tend to use it all over my face, just as a contour. Once seeing this shade, however, (Golden Bronze) it took no time at all for me to buy it and get home to test it out. 

The packaging is incredibly simple, just like any other Body Shop product. I like the simplicity of it, it's easy to spot in your make-up bag and shows you exactly what the product is like on the inside. The bronzer itself is a gorgeous baked brown with highlighting swirls and a fine shimmer promising a radiant glow upon application. What I enjoy about this bronzer is that it isn't over the top. The first time in years, I used a bronzer all over my face and I wasn't met with an orange complexion in the mirror, but instead a healthy one that allowed for extra contouring and highlighting on top. Of course, if you do want to go for a darker and deeper tanned look, the bronzer is buildable and feels lightweight on the skin. 

If bronzing isn't your thing, then use it for your body! I found it came in use when I was getting ready for a night out and dusted some of it on my collarbone as well as my arms and cleavage. Body contouring and bronzing means instant flawless and flattering skin. 

The Baked To Last Bronzer comes in two shades, Golden Bronze (No.1) and Warm Glow (No.2). It retails at £16 and is available at The Body Shop.

The Body Shop - Body Butter Duo in Sweet Pea

I hardly ever step foot in The Body Shop, I don't have anything against it, I personally love it. However, there isn't much point with the amount of Body Shop products I receive at Christmas, it's easy for someone to always be happy with some smelly stuff from there. Hence why I was in there looking for a Mother's Day present and once purchasing, I opened up a loyalty card which entitled me to purchase the Body Butter Duo in Sweet Pea for only £1. I snapped it up. Body butters are my weakness and you can never have too many. In the last five years, I have gone through many different varieties, however there was always one recurring item in my collection - Soap & Glory's Righteous Butter. I had used body butters from The Body Shop before, but none of them gave me that super moisturising feel that I always got with the Righteous Butter. The Duo has some serious competition.

The Sweet Pea Duo's packaging is plain and simple, pink to symbolise it's florally scent and very sturdy to allow for easy transportation. Once the lid is off, you are met with a divider in the middle of the tub. Now you get why it's called the duo, right? The creamy side is soothing and calming to the skin, whilst the harder side is intensely moisturising assuring those bits of dry skin around your knees and elbows are combatted quickly. The duo has a gorgeous floral scent perfect for Spring and Summer, however this only lasted an hour or two on my skin before the air had wiped out the smell.

I wouldn't suggest using the intensive moisturising side all over the body as you will end up feeling greasy, but if you are in need of some serious dry skin SOS after the bitter winter months, then I found mixing the two together is a real treat and the product gets to work quickly to relieve your skin and return it to it's naturally smooth form. My only qualm with the body butter is that it takes a bit longer to rub into the skin, I tend to use it just after a shower so perhaps the dampness of my skin causes it to slightly lather, however it isn't a huge problem at all.

The Body Butter Duo comes in four varieties, Macadamia, Floral Acai, Vanilla and Sweet Pea. Yum! You can find them in all The Body Shop stores and they retail from £12.50.

17 Spring Fling: Spring Brights Palette

I was in Boots a few weeks ago and came across this whilst browsing the make-up isles. It was on the corner being promoted and it caught my eye due to the cute floral outer packaging (sorry I threw that away as it ripped easily!) Inside was a colourful palette that would be perfect for spring, hence the reason it is called Spring Fling! There was a choice of two palettes from the range, Hazy Days, which boasts grassy green and barky brown shades and then there's the Spring Brights palette that I purchased. I chose this one as it had lovely lilac and pink shades that would be perfect for bright eyes and a shimmery brown that I thought would be great for contouring.

Being only £5.99, I snapped it up in a heartbeat and once home took it for a test run. The pigmentation for the brown was great and average for the lilac and pink shades, but something I could live with. However, as soon as I tried it out the next day for contouring, the brown shade caved in. I was a tad disappointed, but carried on and used it another few times. But it was the other day when I reached for the palette that I realised why it was only £5.99. The whole palette had crumbled together! I don't understand how, it was kept in a safe place and I was never hard with it.

 

I rarely ever give negative reviews, but considering I had this for 2 weeks before it became completely useless, there is nothing positive I can truly say about it.

Glossybox: March - Harrods Edition

I was super excited about this box. After feeling disappointed with my last Glossybox, I felt I had a right to be looking forward to this one. The hype that surrounded it was intense and once it was finally revealed it would be a special Harrods edition, I felt like Glossybox had given me a chance to try out some even more luxury brands that I wouldn't be able to find in my small town. Being a girl that grew up in London, I miss the huge department stores that a London girl is lucky to have. That was a sacrifice I was willing to take by moving to Suffolk. But this box would take me back to those London times and allow me to roam the beauty halls of Harrods again.

As this was a special edition,  it came in a lovely ivory white box and the usual shredded paper to bed the products. The first thing I noticed was that there were no full size samples (nothing that bothers me), however the samples themselves were of a generous size. So let's take you through the products I received.

Versace Vanitas Versace Eau De Parfum (4.5ml) - Even though this was a sample, it came in a cute mini version of the full sized bottle - something I would be happy to be sitting on my bedside table. The perfume itself isn't a fragrance I usually go for (I love sweet and florally scents), however I absolutely love it! With notes of tiare flower, lime and freesia, you only need a few drops and it stays put all day with it's powerful scent.

Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter (50ml) - Woah. Something you wouldn't expect to be in a body butter. This is a great product to use after your morning shower. It smells absolutely delicious, like a freshly peeled orange. Incredibly creamy and deeply moisturising, this body butter really softens skin to the max and is so lightweight, you wouldn't even know you had put it on - that is until you touch your skin and feel how smooth it is!

Revive Intensite Creme Lustre SPF 30 (7ml) - This is an intensive face cream that aims to reduce the appearance of sagging skin. I don't have a problem with this, nor do I wish to have this problem for at least another decade so I can't properly test out this product. However, I found the cream to be quite thick, yet light on the skin. It has a scent to it, nothing too overpowering that lasts on the skin, but one that isn't unpleasant once applied. It recommends applying in the morning after cleansing, toning and using a serum. 

Lancome Juicy Tubes - Toffee (7ml) - Funnily enough, I went to my local Lancome counter the other day and received a big package of free gifts with my purchases. One of those free gifts was one of these Juicy Tubes in a red/pink colour which I can only guess is the colour Fraise. Although I'm not a huge lover of lip gloss, I've been a sucker for these recently and this Toffee shade is a gorgeous clear gloss with a slight beige hue and tons of shimmer. It doesn't dry out the lips, hydrating them instead. That's not the best part. The smell is absolutely delicious and I can't stop licking it off my lips! 

Clarins Extra-Firming Body Cream (30ml) - Yet another cream in this box! Again, it's a firming cream, however it is for all over so I suppose it will come in handy for any naughty cellulite on the thighs. It claims it's 'rich in regenerating and firming plant extracts which restore the skin's youthful density and elasticity.' The cream itself comes out quite mousse-like and a little goes a hell of a long way! It comes with a slight floral scent, so would be lovely to use all over your body to make yourself feel fresh and firm.

Overall, I do feel slightly let down by the box as I feel I could have had some more variety. I love the creams, however three in one box is slightly over the top and two of those being firming creams when firmness isn't a problem with myself makes me wonder whether Glossybox actually take my personal profile into account. I've made it quite clear on my profile that make-up is what I'd like to receive the most, however I seem to get more skincare in every box. Although, I'm still loving my Glossybox and appreciate the hard work they do to allow us to test out lovely luxury products. Go Glossybox!

 

Carmine box February 2012

I feel like I am never disappointed with my Carmine boxes. They provide me with just the right variety of products. I am ashamed to say, I forgot to take a photo before I threw the box away, so I am incredibly sorry to anyone that relies on photo evidence. However, I have done a review of the box on my youtube channel. Here is the video...

 

Latest In Beauty: The Red Carpet Box

I admit it. I have an obsession with beauty boxes. Being subscribed to Glossybox and Carmine, I love the feeling I get when I return home from a hard day at work to find my lovely packaged box sitting outside my door. That feeling gets even better when I open the box, revealing all the goodies that a mere £10 has brought me. Therefore, I'm always on the search for more boxes. Whilst meaning to sign up to the Joliebox one day, I actually stumbled across this - the Latest In Beauty box. 

With their motto being 'try as you buy', I was intrigued by the concept of this company. They mainly offer luxury sized beauty samples for a fraction of the full sized price. This can be anything between £2 to £10. As well as luxury sizes, they do sachets of samples and offer these in the 'little beauty box', which allows you to choose 3 different product samples for the small price of £1.50. Brilliant for those who like to test out products without it costing an arm or a leg.

However, the best feature has to be the themed beauty boxes. Unfortunately, I can't see anywhere on their website where it states how often these boxes are released, but what sets this apart from the others is the number of samples you receive and the fact the consumer will be aware of what is in the box beforehand. Sure, this takes the surprise element away (although you could avoid this by not analysing the picture), but if you don't like the look of the box then you don't have to buy it - simple!

The box I have received above is The Red Carpet Box. Eight products sit prettily in the box with three of them being full sized. Favouring make-up over skincare, this box was perfect as I felt I received the perfect balance. So without further ado, here are the items listed.

Richard Ward Couture Hair  - An energiser styling spray with a hold factor of 3/5, this will come in handy for everyday hair and especially be helpful towards keeping my fringe in place.

Essential Care Eye Liner (Black) - *FULL SIZE* Made from 64% organic products and containing Shea butter, this fairtrade eyeliner is soft and incredibly easy to apply.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara (Jet Black) - *FULL SIZE* Dramatic black mascara with a huge wand to reach those tricky areas and ensure full, thick and curved eyelashes. It isn't as thickening as my Lancome Hynose Drama, however does come very close and there are no clumps in sight.

Dr Bragi Intensive Treatment Mask - Designed to rapidly target redness, dehydration loss of firmness and signs of ageing, this fabric mask promises to ensure outstanding results in an instance. I am yet to try this mask as it only comes with one and I want to save it for a time my skin is in deep distress.

QMS Medicosmetics Hand Care - I'm always up for trying lotions and hand creams and this one delivers. It absorbs into the skin so quickly and feels incredibly lightweight and satin smooth once rubbed into the skin. It aims to fight signs of ageing and dryness.

Smooch Lipstick (Rocking Red) - *FULL SIZE* I love my lipsticks, especially bright ones. Smooch lipstick glided on very easily and has a super glossy coat to it. Even after eating, the gloss coat had disappeared but the colour was very much still there. Probably best to use a lip brush with this as I did find the stick wasn't cut to a lip's curve very well. Unfortunately, this lipstick was just a little too bright for my skin colour, but I will pass it onto my friend who has beautiful pale skin and rocks a 50's look.

Mont Bleu Mini Crystal and Glass Nail File - A pretty little nail file that does the job well and has an unlimited lifetime. It comes in a cute black pouch to protect the file and is easy to clean.

Youngblood Mineral Primer - I seem to always switch between BB creams and primers before using foundation. At the time of receiving this box, I was wearing BB cream constantly, however this primer has made me put that on hold and prime prime prime! The product goes a long way, one pump covers my whole face, and has a lovely silky smooth texture once on the skin. As if that wasn't enough, my foundation lasts for a heck of a long time!

Costing only £14.99 a box and free P+P, it certainly rivals my Glossybox and Carmine subsciptions!

 

 

No. 7 Vital Enlightening Highlighting Powder

I've been on the lookout for a new highlighter recently and after seeing this pictured beautifully in another blog, I immediately knew this was the one for me. Let me just get this out of the way... OMGEE! LOOK AT THE CUTE PACKAGING! 

 

Ok,  now that's out of my system. For well over a year, I have been using the pink highlighting powder that's included in my Benefit Smokin' Eyes palette. It's lasted a long time and I've seriously hit pan on it, however it isn't the greatest of highlighters. Don't get me wrong, it's done the job well, but it just didn't shimmer with that radiance and glow that I'm gagging for. So, off I went to my No. 7 counter at my local Boots store and there it was, the No.7 Vital Enlightening Highlighting Powder sitting in front of me. After swatching it quickly (I don't know why I bothered as I was intent on getting it anyway), I also picked up the No. 7 Vital Cream Blush in Blossoming Pink next to it to add to the cute collection.

  

For the last two months, I've  been promising myself to buy the Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme, but every time it came to attempting to buy it, I would worry myself that I haven't been able to see it in the flesh and back out. I'm glad I had. The No. 7 Vital Enlightening Highlighting Powder is gorgeous. It gives a beautiful, buildable shimmer that catches the light wonderfully resulting in a radiant and glowing face. With there being so much product as well, I can see it lasting forever and therefore use it everywhere on my face where the light naturally hits. This could be the brow bone, bridge of my nose, cupid's bow, chin, cheekbones and forehead. It feels so light on my face, so if I did want to build it up for a heavier shimmer, the texture itself wouldn't even be close to heavy. 

With it only retailing at £13 and the £5 voucher offer floating about as well, it's a real bargain for such a heavenly and cute product. Perfect for Spring!

Glossybox February 2012

I'm a tad late getting this post up, but here are the products I received in my February Glossybox.

DuWop Venom Gloss (Buttercup) - I don't usually like lipglosses and although this one was a tad sticky, (this being the reason lipglosses and I don't mix) I actually adored the colour. It was a subtle nude colour with a peachy hue to it, perfect for an everyday look. The tingling sensation it has on your lips takes some getting used to, although if you love your lip plumping glosses, it'll be a walk in the park.

Dr Bronner's Magic Liquid Soap - I didn't find anything magical about this at all. It's a soap with a runny consistency. Sure, it can be used for many different things, however through personal preference, I much prefer a soap that isn't unscented. This was a full size bottle and retailing at £1.99, it made me wonder what Glossybox were thinking when they put this in a luxury sampled beauty box. It's  nothing against the soap, but the point of a beauty box is to make me aware of products that I can't afford to just buy straight up.

Paul Mitchell Round Trip - Having naturally curly hair, I am always open to anything that has the words 'curl definer' in the description. I used to get my hair cut in a Paul Mitchell salon, from the young age of my first haircut up until I was about 14. So immediately the classic Paul Mitchell scent of the product brought me back to those innocent times! The product is just slightly runnier than a serum, such as the frizz ease contributions, and although my hair was still a tad fly-away, it certainly has made it's way to first place.

BM Beauty Pure Mineral Eyeshadow (Noir) -  I have plenty of black eyeshadows, I love my classic smokey eyes. Being a mineral makeup virgin, I was raring to go. I've always been put off by how messy mineral makeup can be and this product was no exception. IT GOT EVERYWHERE! However, after a beautiful and lightweight application, easy blending and two smouldering eyes as a result, I was incredibly pleased. It stayed put all day, as intense in colour as it was when I first applied it. For those of you complaining about getting a pink coloured eyeshadow, don't throw it away. It's a lovely texture. Use it as a blush instead!

Como Shambhala Invigorate Body Lotion - LOTION! SOLD! It has a gorgeous peppermint scent with a hint of lavender creeping up on you and although it can feel quite oily when just applied, a little goes a long way. 

Not too impressed with Glossybox this month. Although, I think it's just because they included that soap! Why?! Especially when it was a full size worth £1.99 and a select few got the Becca Beach Tint full size worth £20 instead! Mystery box better rock my socks.