May GlossyBox Anniversary Edition

I bought into the hype again and re-subbed to Glossy box to get their Anniversary box. I thought it would be a good one seeing as it is being called the Anniversary edition. I was wrong. I am totally underwhelmed with my box, even if it hadn't been hyped I would still feel the same.

I got two samples that I could have picked up from any department store myself and ANOTHER shower gel ( I don't even have a shower haha). I think it is quite safe to say I am going to be cancelling my subscription and just keeping Jolie Box as I have been satisfied with the two I have had and I gather their customer service is excellent from my experience.

I Know some people got HD Brows products that are worth around £20 in their box. I think it is unfair that there are such variations in the value of products in the boxes.

So here is what I got in this months Glossy Box

Noble Isle Summer Rinsing Shower/Bath Gel, worth £6, full size (250ml) £20
Blah, another mini shower gel to add to my collection!

Eldora False Lashes Full Sized Product worth £3.90
I do quite like these, they look quite natural and not too over the top, they will get used.

Lolita Lempicka Perfume Samples, not worth anything really as you can get these for free.
I do quite like the smell of them and will use them, maybe take them on holiday with me. But receiving tiny perfume samples in a box which claims to give you luxury samples does not fill me with joy.

Apivita Express Beauty Masks, worth £3.50
I am not a lover of skin care as I have such sensitive skin. I will give it a go though I suppose.

OSMO Berber Oil Hair Treatment, worth £2 full size (100ml) £19.99
I have an OSMO hair mask that I got from the hairdresser and wasn't that impressed. I am quite curious to try this as I do like hair oils but I think the sample could have been more generous that a little 10ml.

So all together my box was worth £15.40, and other people had a product in their box worth £20. Not impressed Glossy Box! I did think the little extras of a mirror and balloon, and the tissue paper were nice touches though.

Did you get a Glossy Box this month? What did you think of it?

Gem x

Weekend Wishlist

I am stuck in on a Saturday night, there is nothing good on the TV and my boyfriend works nights and I am very bored. So I decided to do a little wishlist post.

1. Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Starter Set $45
I am a huge fan of Marlena and love her tutorials. It was partly Makeup Geek that got me into makeup and I really want to try her eyeshadows. They are supposed to be very good and comparable to MAC. They ship internationally so I may get these as a birthday gift to myself :)

2. MAC Dolly Mix Blush £17.50
I love the quality of MAC blushes, I only have a Face Kit and would love to own a full sized blush. I like Dolly Mix as I like my blushes to have a bit of a sheen and I think this colour would flatter my pale skin tone.

3. Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish £14.25 100ml
I had been reading rave reviews on this cleanser for ages but was a little hesitant to try it as I have very sensitive skin which breaks out a lot. I had already bought a cleanser for £12 which didn't agree with my skin so was very wary about trying another pricier cleanser and stuck to my Clean and Clear. I had a sample size of this in my Latest in Beauty box and have been using it now for about 2 weeks and my skin is actually liking it. It leaves it nice and smooth and no signs of breakouts.

4. Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation £10.99
I confess,I am a foundation junkie. I like my current foundation which is another by Bourjois, Flower Perfection, but yet I still really want to try this one out. When I run out of my Flower Perfection I will be buying this one in the lightest shade.

Gemx

May Jolie Box

Contents:

• China Glaze Nail Polish in Yellow Polka Dot Bikini
• RMK Makeup Base
• Essential Care Organic Rose Moisturiser
• Talika Eye Therapy Patch

This is my second Jolie box, but the first one I am posting about. I really like this months box but am slightly disappointed with the colour of nail polish I received. It is a full on neon yellow which does look stunning in the bottle (the picture has not done it justice) but this is a shade that I know I wont pull off. I am quite pale and not very fashionable (lol). I was so excited to get a China Glaze polish and now I am left feeling a little deflated.

All the other products though are right up my street. I have just ran out of my Neals Yard Rehydrating Rose moisturiser so I am very glad to have got another rose moisturiser as I love them. I am excited to try the RMK base as most of primers break me out, I am on the look out for one that doesn't. I was hoping to get the lash serum but thinking about it I wear contact lenses and have very sensitive eyes, so maybe getting the patch was the right thing really. I have also noticed I am starting to get fine lines under my eyes so I think its time I invested in a good eye cream.

Have you got your Jolie Box yet?

Gem x

My Weight loss Story So Far

I am writing this post to motivate myself again, and perhaps in turn it will also motivate someone else. I know my blog is primarily beauty orientated but I think this is an issue that affects a lot of people, and is very important to me, so I thought I would share.

I have always been overweight. I think from the age of 10 I noticed that I was bigger than all of my friends and it used to bother me a lot. I used to dance ballet and tap and love it, but gave up at age 13 as I thought I was too big to continue. I could never wear the same clothes as my friends and had to wear adult size clothes. By the time I was 16 I was a size 14/16 and after I met my first boyfriend my weight went up and up and I was a size 16/18 by the time I was 18.

I always used to tell myself that I was overweight and there was nothing I could do about it, even though looking back my diet was terrible. I was never happy with the way I looked and was quite unhealthy.

At 23 and after my second baby I was pushing a size 20. One day I decided that enough is enough, I wanted to loose weigh and get to a healthy BMI. I finally accepted that it was my fault and there was something I could do about it. I wanted to set a good example to my children by being fit and active with a healthy diet.

I knew I couldn't do it by myself as I had tried and failed many diets, including calorie counting and slim-fast. I looked into the Cambridge diet but found that to be too costly, and wanted a diet where I could eat the same meals as my family.

I joined a local Slimming World group in August 2011, and found the plan great to fit around my busy family orientated life. The whole family could eat the same meals as me as the plan is based on a healthy low fat, high fibre diet.

Going to the group every week is really motivating, and I have met a lot of lovely people who are all so friendly and supportive.

I have lost 34 pounds to date, which is 2 Stone 6 pounds. My BMI has gone from Obese at 32.6 to overweight at 26.6. I was pushing a size 20 before I started and now I am a comfortable 14, sometimes a 12.

I still want to loose at least another 21 pounds, and have a way to go as my weight loss has slowed down a lot. I seem to have hit a bit of a wall at the moment with my weight fluctuating, but I am confident that I will do it, I know if  I stick to the plan 100% I will loose weight.

Here are some before and after photos :)

Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara Review

I got this little sample size in my Harrods edition Glossybox. I have owned the Lancome Hypnose Mascara before and thought it was quite good so was excited to try this one.

I wasn't overly impressed with this mascara. If I had bought this with my hard earned money then I would have been quite disappointed.

The first thing that bothers me about this mascara is the smell. It is an overpowering perfume-y smell which I cant stand. It makes me quite nervous using this mascara, I can imagine it being very painful if you accidentally get this in your eye.

It is a very watery mascara and if you blink, or sneeze like I did, before this mascara dries you will get it on your eyelids and everywhere else.

I actually like the wand, it is curved which I find makes it easier to get to the inner and outer lashes. The wand is the only thing I like about it though. I like to apply more than one coat of mascara and if you do that with this one then you will get clumping.

There weren't many clumps but the ones that were there flaked off throughout the day. Once they had flaked off though the remaining mascara didn't budge all day.

It does make my lashes look longer and thicker, but I think for the price the mascara just doesnt deliver. I have tried better mascaras that cost a lot less.

Pros: Brush gets all the lashes in the outer and inner corners, thicker looking lashes
Cons: Smell, can clump, price

Overall I wont be buying this mascara again I think there are much better out there for less money.

Rating: 3/5

Gemx

MAC Viva Glam Nicki Minaj

I have wanted this lipstick for ages, and the other day while Debenhams had free delivery I finally got it. Its a gorgeous bright pink with coral/yellow undertones, not one for an understated look but great for a bold summery statement lip.

I was a little worried when I first got it as it is really bright, but I do love it and think it looks quite nice. I will definitely rocking this lipstick in the summer (if we even get one).

Gem x

MUA Lip Boom Review

I love the concept of the new MUA Lip Booms. A lipstick, lipgloss and balm in one to me is such a good idea. The fact that Alexandra Burke has endorsed/designed them doesn't bother me either way. I am not a fan of hers and if it didn't have her on the packaging I still would have got them anyway.

I bought three of these in the colours Cheeky, OMG and OK.COM for £3 each, bargain.

The lipsticks are matte and well pigmented. They have a sweet smell to them which is bordering on sickly and not very pleasant but the smell doesn't last too long and eventually wears away. The gloss on the other end has quite a bit of glitter in it. I was expecting a more shimmery frosty lipgloss, which I think would have worked a little better for me, but luckily the glitter doesn't translate as too chunky onto the lips. If you suffer from dry lips like myself, you need to make sure that your lips are exfoliated and you have applied lip balm or Vaseline before using the matte lipstick as it can cling to the dry patches.

There is also a little pot of lip balm in the end of the lipstick which again is a really good concept but the balm if you can call it that is really unusable. Its sort of rubbery in texture and when you put your finger in it no product comes off it all stays in the pot.

OMG is a lovely coral colour with a matching coral gloss with gold glitter in it. Definitely a statement lip colour that I think would be flattering on pretty much everyone who is brave enough to wear it.

Cheeky is a bubblegum blue toned pink. On me the blue tones show up quite strongly and I think this colour is again a statement lip colour that would look great on a night out. This colour may not be flattering on all but I really like it. The gloss is a matching pink colour with silver glitter in it.

OK.COM looks quite scary and brown but my the lips it comes out a more peachy nude colour and I love it. This is the only colour suitable for a neutral toned down look out of the three Booms I chose. It would also look lovely on a night out when I have a more dramatic smoky eye look. The gloss to me looks the same colour as the one with OMG.

 

Pros: 3-in-1, great pigmentation, can be used together or alone for different looks
Cons: Quite a lot of glitter in the gloss, can cling to dry patches of skin

I really like the concept of the Lip Booms and the colours I have are all lovely and will definitely have a place in my regular makeup routine, especially for nights out I think they would look great.



Rating: 3.5/5

Nails Inc Freebies

Yay!!! so I am FINALLY back blogging once again. I have my laptop back up and running, and now I have a huge backlog of posts to write :( but lets get on with it...

I am a member of a group on Facebook called Beauty Box Swappers, its a lovely group where you can swap your new or slightly used unwanted make-up for something you do want. Such a good idea and if you haven't checked it out already you definitely should. So what I'm trying to say is this is where I heard of this freebie! A lovely member has a blog called Chiffon and Sparkles and she has written a great post on all the magazine freebies that are either available now or will be soon, here.

With this months issue of In Style magazine they are giving a free Nails Inc Polish, in the colours Powder Pink, Bluebell and Peach Sorbet. I got my boyfriend to go out and get me three copies of the magazine so I could have each colour, as I really loved them all. The magazine costs £3.80 and the polishes are worth £11, so its a bargain really.

Peach Sorbet, Bluebell, Powder Pink

Here's them on the nail. I had to do two coats of Peach Sorbet, but the other two were with just one coat. I apologise for the state of them but I have horrible nails that break and flake so easily...

Will you be getting any of these? Or are there any other magazine freebies I need to know about :)  

Gem x