January Favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourites post in a while, simply because I kept on using the same products. However, this month I've discovered some new products that I love, and also found some old favourites! It's mostly make up this month too, so a little different to previous. :)

The Murad Cleanser is something I received in GlossyBox a while ago, and then I put it in my Unwanted Beauty Box. Since using it, I have actually fallen in love. It has left my skin looking extremely clear, and I feel like it has made such a big difference.

The Barry M lipgloss came with the Impulse (I think it's still available in Superdrug?) I only really purchased it because I believed it was a good deal, but it is such a gorgeous colour, and it is my most favourite scented lipgloss ever.

MAC Snob* is my first ever MAC lipstick which I got for Christmas. It doesn't photograph very well, so the actual colour is different to how it looks here. However, I love it as it's very pink but still suitable for daytime (if I'm feeling a little adventurous).

MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder is the latest addition to my MAC collection. I was thinking of doing a full review on this, would that be interesting? I think it is honestly going to be my holy grail product. I asked the assistant at MAC to help me, and her recommendation was perfect.

Barbara Daly High Impact Mascara* has made it onto the list. Supermarkets have never been the 'go-to' place for make up but I think my opinion on this may change. Barbara Daly has a range for Tesco, and I got sent this after completing a survery. I love volumising mascaras and this is perfect. And it is so easy to apply, not like some mascaras which have huge brush wands etc.

What are your January Favourites? And which of these products do you want to see individual reviews of?

x

*MAC Snob: Christmas present

*Barbara Daly Mascara: Completed survey and received for free

August Favourites

Another month, another round up of favourites. Not much to say, I'm just going to crack on with it.

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter - I, along with the rest of the world, love TBS Body Butter's, however I think Strawberry is my favourite, simply because it smells gorgeous! Keep an eye out for my post on my Body butter collection.

No7 Stay Perfect Foundation - After running out of my MAC Studio Fix foundation, I resorted back to this, which was previously a favourite. I'd actually forgotten how good this is. It lasts all day and provides a good coverage. Any spare vouchers? Take a look at their foundations, they have so many different types, I'm sure you'll find the perfect one for you.

Ahava Mineral Body Lotion - I received this in this month's Glossy Box (which I've now unsubscribed from) and I love it. It applies really well and it smells lush!

Benefit Coralista - I received this as a birthday present and I love it. Since my ELF blush has hit pan, I've stopped using it as I don't want it to finish haha, so I've started using this. I find this more natural though, and it blends well into the skin. The only downside is I'm not a fan of the brush you get, so I use a different one (which I'm about to mention)

ELF Total Face Brush - Although it's a face brush, I prefer to use it for blusher and bronzer. This only costs £1.50 and I actually prefer this to their more expensive brushes (I have both). It's not super soft but a lot of the product goes onto the brush.

What are your August favourites?

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Dare I Say.. GlossyBox?

I know a lot of people are fed up with GlossyBox reviews, but it is my blog and you don't have to read it if you don't want to. I shall keep it short and sweet to be honest, and I won't be reviewing the products individually.

I was a big GlossyBox fan last month and I was very excited for June's box. However, when it got towards the end of the month and they were only just sending them out, I got a little annoyed considering they took the payment on the 1st. I also think that a little e-mail explaining the delay would have been ideal, or perhaps just a little more organisation in the first place?

When the products finally arrived, I admit I was actually quite pleased, which I know a lot of people weren't. Yes, Batiste isn't a luxury brand, but it is a product I will use. And, if you add up the price of all the samples, it will cost a lot more than £10. However, I don't think I'll be purchasing any of the products in the future, except Batiste of course and OPI (but I knew that before).

My opinions on the delivery charge? I think it is a little sneaky. If the charge was there from the beginning, I don't think anyone would have been particuarly bothered. I also think that if standards and products were of an extremely high standard, I don't think anyone would have been particularly bothered either. The fact that they sprung it on us, I believe, is the main problem.

I'll be giving GlossyBox one more chance to do well (more because I'd rather have three boxes for storage) and if they don't impress, I'll be unsubscribing before next month. What are your opinions on GlossyBox? Have you unsubscribed, or do you still have a little bit of hope?

I hate to have a negative review on my blog, so I'll leave you with a happy picture of my dog sunbathing. Enjoy. :)

x

Sunday Ramble 006.

New laptop and Filofax. Inside my new Filofax. Pretty flowers on mine and Aiden's walk. Hungry Horse menu (yummy).

- Funny fact. Every time (and I mean every single time) I have written one of these posts (except the first two), I have to go back and check what number I'm on. Okay, so it's not funny but it's a fact. How's everyone's week been? They seem to be going super fast lately, hmmm.

- First thing's first. What is up with Glossy Box?! Now I haven't seen what I've got yet as I'm at my boyfriend's so expect a longer post in the next week or two but I am seriously annoyed at how long it took to get delivered! Come on, it's almost July. I couldn't have praised Glossy Box more last month, but this month I'm less than happy. And why why why add delivery charges when your service is so rubbish (enter worse word here instead if you like)? I've heard a lot about another company who plans to do the same thing, but are we really going to fall for the hype again? Yes, because I've added myself to the waiting list. Shame on me.

- This week I signed myself up to Style Journals. Now I wouldn't call my blog a fashion blog, but it clearly states "Anyone from any blogging platform can join as long as your blog is related to fashion and style in one way or another; that could be clothes, shoes, bags, nails, hair, beauty, photography, inspirational photos, fashion shows and models are just some examples." So I joined! Please help me out by clicking the little button at the top of my blog, and don't forget to sign up yourselves. There are also some amazing blogs on there.

- I crossed another thing off my 101 Things in 1001 Days list! (Number 46) On Tuesday, my dad took me to Comet to buy a new laptop for my birthday and I love it. My old laptop had no battery life and no sound, so I have spent most nights watching all you lovely Youtube ladies and walking around the house with my laptop!

- I noticed that I never seem to be on my laptop on Saturday's, therefore I tend to not schedule any posts for then either. So I decided that I'm going to have bloggers take over my blog every other Saturday (perhaps every Saturday in the future) I already have a few people interested and they are currently writing blog posts for me. If you are interested, please e-mail me at jesswd18@hotmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you. :)

- Blog of the week: Zoe is a lovely girl and her blog is just as lovely. I adore her cute layout and my favourite posts would have to be 'The Love List'. :)

x

May Favourites 2011

I was hoping to do this at the beginning of June/end of May but I got a little side tracked and like they say, better late than never. For the past month, I've been trying out a lot of new products, plus sticking to a few firm favourites so I have a lot of favourites for the month, but I decided to wittle it down to a few rather than bore you with endless opinions on various products all in one post (plus, I may need some of them for June's Favourites!)

Urban Decay Naked Palette - I ummed and arred about getting this as it was quite expensive and I was worried I wouldn't use it that much. I couldn't be more wrong! I might as well sell all of my other eyeshadows (I won't though!) as I've only used this since I bought it. The colours are all perfect and the make up brush applies them perfectly. If you're considering it, get it. You won't regret it. :)

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish - I reviewed this here so I won't talk too much about it as you can read my opinions on the blog post. I've really enjoyed using this and I've noticed quite a difference to my skin.

John Frieda 3 Day Straight -  Anything that controls my hair in the slightest is a miracle in my eyes and this product is amazing. It doesn't leave my hair perfectly straight, but it does save me over half an hour each day as I don't need to straighten it as much. Last week, John Frieda was on offer in Boots (2 for £7.50) and so I managed to get two instead of one for £6.99 - bargain! (I did tweet this and I hope you all took full advantage of a practically buy-one-get-one-free situation!) The offer is still on now so get there while you can!

Sigma F80 Brush - I received this brush from Sigma and I haven't stopped using it. I had previously never used a brush for foundation but now I don't know why I didn't! It applies perfectly and as soon as I get enough money, I'm going to get my hands on this brush kit.

Nars Illuminator - I received this with GlossyBox and I knew I would love this. It provides a perfect glow and lasts all day. For a better review see here.

What are your May favourites? Feel free to leave your links to them below.

GlossyBox May 2011

Yes, another GlossyBox review hitting your dashboards. I do apologise but then again you don't have to read it and I've tried to do a bit of a different post so it's not too simliar to the others. You all know what was in it, you've all seen swatches, and you've heard what people think, obviously I'll give my opinion on the products but I also wanted to do a lot of talking about GlossyBox itself.

Firstly, I love the packaging. Nothing beats it (apart from good things inside obviously!) but you could tell a lot of effort went in to making it all pretty. I'm in love with the pink box it comes in and I'm already thinking of many uses for it.

Now for the actual products itself. I won't talk to much about them, I'll just give my overall opinion.

NARS Orgasm Illuminator - First NARS product for me and I'm impressed. Felt a little nervous applying it but it made my skin look radiant all day.

All For Eve Eve Red Lipstick - A little too red for me, but it had amazing lasting power.

Bionova Lab Bioactive Cleanser - I haven't got round to trying this as I keep forgetting and I'm under a strict skincare regime at the moment and don't want to use this just yet as I want to see the results of the current products I'm using.

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Rapid Repair Spray - This smells divine! After spraying on my hair, it immediately left it feeling incredbily soft. Didn't notice much difference to how it looks though.

COMO Shambhala Invigorate Body Lotion - Very strong smell of lavender, so I would only use this at night before going to sleep. I love travel size lotions but this one felt slightly sticky when first applied, but left my skin feeling soft.

Products I'd repurchase: I'm going to look into other NARS products, although I don't feel I can justify the price. I'm also going to look at the All For Eve Lipsticks as I love the lipstick itself just not this colour.

I'd also like to quickly mention GlossyBox and their customer service. If you follow them on Twitter, you'll know what I'm talking about. Any question anyone had was answered almost immediately (unless you asked at 4am, they do sleep!) but they were always quick to help out anyone with a question, no matter how big or small their problem. They also ensured that the boxes got sent out quickly despite having a problem with postage stickers or something like that. Whoever is behind the scenes at GlossyBox gets a big round of applause from me. My only negative point would be to create more boxes! There are people desperate to get on board but can't because they've sold out!

Any GlossyBox fans out there?