Happy Birthday Glossybox!!

Glossybox turned 1 a couple of weeks ago & they have been celebrating like crazy. (If you follow Glossybox on Twitter or Facebook you'll be well aware of all the festivities). 

Cue the anniversary box!! 

I actually signed up to Glossybox a month ago with their anniversary box in mind (I figured it would be a good box to pop my Glossy-Cherry with). I actually ended up signing up in time for April's box (no complaints about that :) ), but have been looking forward to the anniversary box regardless.

The Anniversary Box:

Nice touch: special, anniversary gift wrap.

Packed full of goodies!

The Products:

NOBLE ISLE Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel : Full size 250ml, £20

Noble Isle is a new company promising to bring you 'Britain in a Bottle', with scents capturing different areas of British countryside. From what I've seen of this company's website I can't wait to get my hands on more of their products.

Summer Rising is a lovely sweet yet fresh scent, fruity without the zing. It's is intended to capture the scent of Cornish Hedgerows. This is my kind of scent, combining Elderflower; Gooseberry & Orange Blossom for an uplifting, awakening shower experience.

LOLITA LEMPICKA Eau de Parfum & Si Lolita : £65 & £63 respectively per 100ml

To be honest I'm not entirely sure why these samples were in the box...neither of them are new releases as far as I can tell & I'm sure I'm not the only one who always seem to have a collection of perfume samples which have been slipped into bags during cosmetics purchases. I swear you only need to brush past someone on the street who's sister's dog's previous owner's cousin's wife works in beauty to have a handful of perfume samples thrust upon you. I resent them being presented to me in a box I'm paying for the privilege of receiving.

They're both lovely scents, quite fresh & sweet, the Eau de Parfum the sweeter of the two, but I don't like either of them enough to purchase them. Am I the only person who's NEVER once been inspired to buy a perfume from a sample, despite receiving crazy amounts of samples over the years?

APIVITA Express Beauty Mask with Cucumber : £3.50 per Sachet

Apivita express masks exclude synthetic ingredients & replace water with green tea infusion to enhance the antioxidant action. The cucumber mask is for intense hydration & aimed at normal/dry skin with first signs of ageing. I found this mask a little bizarre, I'm only really used to using clay based masks, so the milky, oily texture took me by surprise. Whilst on the face there was a strong smell of cucumber (shocking(!)) & Aloe Vera, I did experience discomfort in the form of stinging all over the lower half of my face, but I do have quite sensitive skin. Once washed off skin did feel softer & a little more hydrated. I'm used to seeing more of a difference from using a mask & I don't feel this mask offers enough improvement for me to want to use it again (My MAC cleanse off oil leaves skin much softer & more hydrated than this 'intense hydrating' mask did, which speaks volumes).

OSMO Berber Oil Hair Treatment : Full Size 100ml, £19.99

This is an Argan Oil based hair treatment intended to nourish dry/damaged hair whilst providing heat protection & reducing drying time. This is the product I was most excited about when I opened my box. I've been wanting to try an argan oil treatment on my hair for a while (but had promised myself I wouldn't buy any new hair products until I'd used up the mountain I already have) & am forever searching for something to sort out my dry, brittle, damaged mane (Never, ever replace your entire hair care with boots essentials 2in1 Shampoo/Conditioner, no matter how skint you are...that stuff marked the death of my hair 4 years ago!!). I am completely sold on the smell of this oil, it takes you by surprise & it took me a while to pinpoint the smell, but I think it's somewhere between the smell of the hearts & cola bottles you get in Haribo Starmix! No joke, it smells of sweeties, there's hints of cinnamon too. The texture took me by surprise too, I was expecting the texture of baby or olive oil but it is very viscous. Berber oil can be smoothed on to dry hair to sleek it out & add some shine (use sparingly though!!) or distributed through damp hair to improve body & movement. I must say I didn't notice a dramatic difference in drying time when used on damp hair. I think I expected a miracle with this when it comes to the condition of my hair, & whilst I think it did probably improve the appearance & condition a little, I didn't notice that much of a difference, but my hair is like the desert of hair. I reckon best results would be seen with slightly damaged/dry hair & would push it back into the 'normal' spectrum.

ELDORA Handmade lashes in H140 : £4.25 per pair

Same company, but a slightly (only very slightly) more wearable set of lashes than I received in last month's Lux Box. These bad boys are pretty OTT, although I did purchase & wear a lot (once should have been more than enough!) a very similar set about 18months ago (My going out make up look was very glamour-model-esque back then). These lashes are made from human hair (presumably not eyelash hair), so are nice and soft. I'm definitely going to try & use them at some point just so I can test out the application & wear etc of Eldora lashes, because their range is so extensive & reasonably priced, but not sure when. I'll have to try and arrange a big West-End night out...they might go down okay at Playboy Club, I guess. I'll give it a go.

This is what the (almost identical) pair I used to own looked like on...very, very OTT!!

GLOSSYBOX Compact Mirror & Birthday Balloon

A Glossy Box Compact Mirror & Balloon were included in the box as birthday treats, which I thought was a really nice touch. The compact found a home in one of my handbags & the balloon was instantly blown up & has been floating around my room since.

All in all I wasn't blown away by the month's box, I thought the balloon & mirror were lovely touches. I was expecting something really special from the anniversary box & I think including perfume samples is a complete let down for any box. I absolutely love the Noble Isle product & I feel, along with the Berber Oil, these are the kind of products that beauty boxes are all about, discovering new, mid-higher end products. The lashes & mask were 'meh', Eldora have been featured in a few beauty boxes of late, so aren't really anything new any more & the mask was nothing to write home about, both alright products & fine for a regular box, but I expected something more than these for a special, anniversary box.

Miss Sarah x

May Lux Box Full Review

I've been aware of Beauty Boxes for quite a few months, after first hearing about BirchBox in the USA. The UK options didn't seem to quite live up to BirchBox though, so I never took the plunge & subscribed, that is until last month. During one of my regular beauty Googling adventures I came across LUX BOX, a new company promising luxurious products & about to release their first beauty box. Lux Box were offering their first box at a discounted rate, so I jumped on board & signed up (this bit me with the Beauty Box Bug & I subsequently also signed up to Glossybox & the She Said Beauty box, but that's irrelevant to this post) . I received the first box about a month ago now, so have had a chance to really test out the products & I thought I'd share some of my views.

Lux Boxes cost £10 each + £2.95 P&P

1, 3, 6 & 12 month subscriptions are available with discounts on the longer subscriptions.

Along with actual physical products you also get discount codes for if you wish to purchase any items. There's also a monthly offer, which in May was 50% off Boudoir Lashes Lash extensions. I personally think that's an amazing offer, lash extensions can be pretty pricey, so 50% off is fantastic. I personally didn't make use of this, because I've spent the majority of my month sat in my room revising, so even at half price it wouldn't be worth it. The only let down with this offer is that Boudoir Lashes work out of BECCA Cosmetics flagship boutique in London, so if you don't live near London, the offer would be pretty worthless!
Once you've received your box you can fill in a short review questionnaire on each product on the LuxBox website, if you so wish. I really like the review format, I like having specific questions and being able to tick answers off in the form of a scale from 1 to 5 (appeals to my quantitative way of thinking), whilst still having the option to expand with words if I so wish.

On to the products:

Steam Cream: This came as a full size product with a limited edition tin (Ambigue by Mako Kikkawa). Steam Cream is a lightweight all-in-one moisturiser, handmade using natural ingredients fused together by steam. It's quite a hyped up, award winning product & I'd heard the name around before but never investigated. I found the scent quite strong for a moisturiser (especially one that's also meant for use on the face), the lavender is what struck me most (I think my sense of smell must be pretty sensitive to lavender, I often find it so overwhelming in products). If you're into herbal-essential oil scents then this is your thing. I mainly used this on my body, which I loved it for, it is very lightweight & melts into the skin nicely. I'm not one for using scented products on my face, but my skin has been super dry this month, so I thought I'd give the steam cream a go. This was not a good idea for my sensitive skin...it full on broke me out!! So I wouldn't recommend using steam cream on your face if you have particularly sensitive or acne prone skin. Over all I loved the steam cream & have almost used up the whole tin!! I'm not sure if I will purchase another immediately, but it's a product I'm sure I'll own again. I'm also pretty sure I'll buy these as gifts for people in the future as the interesting range of tin designs make them really cute & much more suitable to give as gifts than other skincare products.

Steam Cream retails for around the £12.95 mark & is available from a variety of department store & beauty boutiques nationwide (I think they also sell it in larger Topshop stores)

Eldora False Lashes: I received the D152 set, which to be perfectly honest I haven't touched (So can't really comment on application etc) because they are covered in Jewels...I'll save these for when I get asked to appear on dancing on ice, I think.

Eldora do have a ridiculously large range of lashes (both human & synthetic) starting from £3.90, so check out their website if you're a bit of a lash-fiend, & use the code 'ELDORALUX12' to get£5 off orders over £15 before 31st May 2012. 

BM Beauty Eyeshadows: These mineral eyeshadows are really pigmented. I'm not a massive fan of loose eyeshadows, I can't be bothered with the mess they create, but I do love the intense look you can create with them. The colours I received were Marble Sparkle (a silvery white) & Aquatic Galaxy (A blue-turquoise), they're not the kinds of colours I go for & I struggled to incorporate them into looks I would actually wear (the combination of being SO sparkly AND really out there colours was a bit much for me), but that aside I don't really have anything bad to say about these shadows, they give such an intense colour & can be blended quite easily too. I'm keen to try some of the more me-suitable colours, especially the ones in the 'Earthy Princess' collection. I do want to mention that the sample pots weren't the most suitable...I have pigment EVERYWHERE, even before I opened the pots for the first time it had somehow leaked out & got all over everthing, but the design of the full size pots are completely different, so should not be a problem.
I think they're reasonably priced at £7 for 2g & are available from the BM Beauty Website.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream: This is a three-in-one naturally active eye cream, blended with lovely things such as chamomile, lemon, cucumber oil, witch hazel, coconut, rosehip and carrot oils to help brighten, smooth & hydrate the eye area. I was pretty excited to receive this as I feel I've been on an eye cream hunting craze for the past few months, trying as many as I can get my hands on without spending too much. The 'sample' received was actually 10ml (sold on their website for £14), which is amazing as I'm always finding with eye cream samples there's never enough to fully test out if it works for you. I really like this eye cream, it's 99% natural & I found it gentle around my extremely sensitive eye area (I have problems with many eye products that claim to be okay for sensitive eyes!!), it has a tiny hint of a delicate, natural scent without being over powering. The formula is very lightweight & is easily absorbed. I've been using this almost exclusively as my eye cream morning & night for the past month and my eye area does seem a little brighter & less puffy. Obviously it doesn't work miracles (what realistically does?!), but I'd go as far as saying I've liked it more than any other eye cream I've used. I'm not sure if I'll repurchase in the near future as trying new eye creams is one of my guilty pleasures, but out of all the ones I've tried so far if I was forced to settle down & commit to an eyecream tomorrow I would almost certainly go with this one.
The Extra Care Wonder Eye Cream is available to purchase in 15ml (£20...£3 off with code 'luxboxmay' before June 30th) & 10ml (£14) sizes. I know Balance Me. bath & body products are available from John Lewis, although I'm not sure about their skin care. Check out the Balance Me. website though

MOA The Green Balm: I LOVE THIS STUFF!! It's a 100% natural balm containing herbs that soothe & heal with an infinite number of uses. My first thoughts were 'WOW this stuff does EVERYTHING', then I was actually unsure what I could personally use it for, I don't have eczema/rashes/skin complaints, I found the thought of its use as a cleanser a little bizarre, I didn't have any cuts/bites/burns/wounds that needed help healing. I had no use for the miracle balm!! I started using it on the dry patches on my elbows & as a lip balm, functions I felt wasted its true potential. I used the directions of warming it between fingertips to an oil-like consistency & using it as a cleanser with a hot flannel. I loved this (& I have tried so many cleansers & cleansing techniques in the past few months). Needless to say my little sample pot got used up pretty quickly. I currently have a BIG pot on order to be delivered asap. I feel this is one of those products that EVERY bathroom cabinet needs. My sister's getting her eyebrows tattooed next week & I'm going to give her a mini pot to help it heal, I also can't wait for my big pot to come so I can use it as a hair treatment on my dry ends. Check out The Green Balm website for more healing & beauty uses (I could sit here all day listing possible uses, but I'll let you go meander the website for yourself). 50ml pots are available for £9.99 & mini 15ml pots for £4.99. The discount code LOVEMOA20 can be used until 31st May 2012 for a 20% discount.

I'm so pleased to have been introduced to some amazing products through last month's LuxBox & I can't wait to see what will appear in this month's box. I definitely recommend giving Lux Box a go if you're looking into beauty boxes. You can sign up for just 1 month with no subscription, unlike any of the other boxes where you have to sign up for a rolling subscription & then cancel if you just wanted to try it for a single month. I also think everyone in the world should own a pot of MOA The Green Balm.


Have you signed up for Lux Box? What did you think of last month's box. Have you tried any of the featured products, what are your thoughts on them?

Miss Sarah x

NOTD: Heineken Cup Final

Today is the day of the Heineken Cup Final (If you don't know what that is...6 Nations Rugby at club level) at Twickenham & I'm heading off to watch later with some girls I used to play rugby with.

I decided it was only appropriate I coordinated my nails for the occasion. Both teams in the final are Irish & I don't hold allegiance to either, so I figured I'd do each hand in the colours of each team (Ulster & Leinster). I originally had the middle fingers white & attempted to paint the logo of respective teams on, but my shaky hands & lack or artistic ability meant this resulted in failure (Check my Twitter if you want to see a photo).

For the Leinster hand I used Ciaté's Snow Virgin, Ciaté's 3am Girl (Which looks black here but is actually a Navy Blue) & the yellow is from a brand called 'Pink Republic' & came in a Debenhams gift set a few Christmases ago, the colour doesn't seem to have a name though.

On the Ulster hand I used Ciaté's Snow Virgin, Barry M's Black (47) & 17's Supreme Shine in Risky Red.

For my thumbs I thought I'd do Irish flags. Again I used Ciaté's Snow virgin. The green is Topshop's Gone Fishing & the orange is Topshop's Peaches & Cream.

The top coat is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri & I used a Topshop base coat.

I think sports fixtures are great opportunities to do something a little more fun & creative with your nails & you can adapt colours & patterns based on the team you support.

Miss Sarah x

FOTD: Nude & Natural

I needed to nip out to the shops today & as my hair was a bit of a mess I didn't bother doing my make up on the same level as usual. Personally I felt like I looked awful (I mean the foundation I was wearing was about 2 shades too dark as it was a sample, from a magazine, I figured I'd use up instead of wasting my proper foundation just to nip out), but on my way back I got stopped on the street by a really sweet guy & chatted up (this never happens...I live in London, the heart of unsociability). So I've come to the conclusion this make up look is worth more than I gave it credit for & I figured I should do a FOTD to share the look with you & so I can remember it if I ever want to recreate it again. 

Face:

-No7 Blemish Stick (Extra Fair) on chin & cheek redness
-Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Make Up (2WN1)
-Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (Fair) under eyes
-MAC Mineralise Powder Foundation, Loose (Light) to set
-Benefit 10 (Bronzer side only) in cheek hollows & on temples/jawline
-MAC Mineralise Blush (Warm Soul), only the tiniest amount on apples/cheekbones
-MAC Hey Sailor High-light Powder (Mix of peach & lilac sides of Crew) above cheek bones, down nose & on chin

Eyes:

-Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil (Black Brown) to fill in brows

-Soap & Glory Daily Double Crayon (Velvet Pink) as lid base
-Bobbi Brown (Shell) all over lid & up to brow

-Benefit (Tickled Mink) in crease & outer V 
-MUA (Shade 22) over all lid

-Urban Decay (Virgin) inner corner

-Bourjour Effect Smoky Pencil Eyeliner (Sand Rose) 
inner 2/3 top lashline 
& lower waterline

-Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer 

(Perfect Plum) lower lashline

 & outer 1/2 top lashline 

-DiorShow Extase Mascara 

(Black Extase) just a tiny amount, 

applied in an outwards motion

Lips:

-MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil (Saunter)
-Topshop Lipstick (Nevada)
-MAC Creamsheen Glass (Private Screening)

Woah! Writing it all down it seems like more than I remember putting on, guess I was more made up than I thought! I think it looks pretty natural & nude though.

What do you think?

I actually really liked that Estée Lauder Invisible Fluid Make Up actually, but with it being so lightweight I don't think I'd get enough coverage if I got the correct shade for my skin tone.

Miss Sarah x

N.B. The photos were taken at the end of the day, so obviously the make up isn't as fresh as when first applied

Fancy a Splurge?

I was reading CharlMathews (Something Special to Say)'s April Favourites Blog Post & she asked for product recommendations to treat herself when her student loan comes in. I started typing a response & realised it was getting longer & longer, so figured I make a blog post on the subject.

So these are recommendations for if you're coming into a bit of money & are wondering what to try/splurge on. I'm not at all recommending anyone purchases all of these, just some suggestions to pick one or maybe 2 from.

A 'Luxury' lip balm 

- Kiehl's lip balm #1 
This is really different to other lip balms I've owned, pricey but LOVELY.
It's mainly absorbed into the lips but you do get a nice sheen that remains (not too much to look overly glossy or disrupt lipstick/gloss application though)
It holds itself well (like a waxy balm) but can also be sheered out, so you can wear it as thick or thinly as you like without it feeling slippery, whilst feeling softer than a waxy balm.
I have the mango one (quote from my flatmate 'it smells like you're IN a mango', it's a very real scent, rather than artificial), the coconut one smells divine too. There's also a non-scented one if you're not into that.
£9.50
http://www.kiehls.co.uk/face/lip-care/scented-lip-balm-1.aspx
                         


                                       
-MAC Hey Sailor! SunTint 
These liquid lip balms belong to MAC's Limited Edition Hey Sailor Collection.
They give just a hint of colour, there's 3 shades available; Sea Mist (a peachy nude), Au Rose (a pale rose pink) & Abalone (a deeper, fuchsia pink).
The formula contains a splattering of very fine gold glitter, which will really make your lips glow in the summer sunshine.

These are practical, as well as pretty, with SPF 20 & MAC claims these 'protect lips against sun, wind & salt.'

As such an all round product, I predict these are going to be one of 'The' lip products for summer 2012.
Get your hands on one quickly though, they're selling out fast!

£11.50
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/8868/22046/New-Collections/Hey-Sailor-Colour/Lips/Hey-Sailor-Suntints-SPF20-Liquid-Lip-Balm/index.tmpl




-Eve Lom Kiss Mix 
This is super pricey, I picked one up for my sis & didn't realise the price until I'd paid.
It's one of those products that really is worth the money though. Everytime I speak to my sister she can't stop going on about how much she loves it (& she's not really into beauty, so hadn't heard of the brand & didn't 'know' she was meant to love it, if that makes sense, it could have been Vaseline level for all she knew before she used it)
I feel this product has an edge over other lip balms as it has protective ingredients as well as moisturising meaning it's great for summer sun exposure as well as winter winds.
These have a lovely pearlised shine, so look great on their own or over a lipstick.
£16.00
http://www.evelom.com/product/shop+products/kiss+mix.do

A 'Luxury' Lipstick 

Either in your 'go to' colour or a super bold, statement colour. 

Loads of brands have sheerer ranges out at the moment, but I suggest investing in one of their 'signature' lipsticks, the feel & look of these make it really worth the money.

-YSL Rouge Pur Couture
I've done a review on my one of these lipsticks, so check out 'My Secret Weapon to Tackle Phone Interviews' for more details on this AMAZING lipstick
£23.50
http://www.yslbeauty.co.uk/make-up/lips/lip-stick/rouge-pur-couture.aspx

-Dior's Rouge Dior

This is SO expensive, but I genuinely feel that it's one of those products that actually IS worth the ridiculously high price tag.

I have never had a lipstick feel so amazing on my lips as this, it's absolutely incredible.

The colour is really bold & really lasts.

The formula is also slightly 'plumping', who doesn't love a good 'plump'

£25.00

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Dior+Rouge+Dior+Lipstick

There are of course other high-end lipsticks that are amazing & very much worth money but some I haven't tried (I'm thinking my next discovery may be a Chanel) & Some I just haven't liked quite as much as these two.

A 'Luxury' Mascara 

First off, I am well aware that some high street mascaras are really, really amazing & lots of people love them, don't think anything could beat them & don't see the point in spending any more on a mascara (They're definitely a lot better than most of the mid-range mascaras...tip, don't waste your money on a mid-range mascara!). I also know that some really expensive mascaras are awful & some are alright, but no better than the good high street ones. There are a select few though that I genuinely think are the best mascaras in existence & really do knock the best high street ones out of the water, I was converted about 4-5 years ago & haven't looked back since.

-YSL Faux Cils

THE best mascara in existence FACT. 

If you want amazing looking lashes, there really is nothing better, short of false lashes (& I actually think alot of the time a few coats of this looks so much better than false lashes.)

The brush is what makes this mascara amazing for me (although the formula is pretty darn great too), so once it's time for a replacement, if you can't afford to keep this as your day-to-day mascara, you can improve the look of a cheaper mascara with a good formula by thoroughly cleaning your YSL wand & using it to apply your high-street mascara.

These do dry up a little eventually (about the 4-6month mark, although you're not meant to keep mascaras more than 6months for hygiene reasons), but there are methods to revive a slightly dried up mascara.

These have gone up about 25-30% in price over the last 5 years, but they could charge £50 for this mascara & it would still be worth it, in my opinion.

£23.00

http://www.yslbeauty.co.uk/make-up/eyes/mascara/luxurious-mascara-for-a-false-lash-effect.aspx

I was going to mention another 'worth the money' high end mascara here, but there's no need. If you want to splurge on a mascara, just go with the YSL Faux Cils, there genuinely is nothing better.

(Incase you have some crazy allergy to YSL Faux Cils or some beef with YSL, what I was going to mention  was the Dior Mascaras, the classic 'DiorShow Backstage' & 'DiorShow Extase' are particular favourites)

I was also going to mention luxury foundations, but they aren't really 'treat products'. Some of them are, however, so very worth the money, so if you're in the market for a foundation to make your skin look flawless check out 'DiorSkin Forever' or 'Clinique Even Better' & if you're after something with a little lighter coverage check out 'Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua' (I wouldn't recommend that for really dry skin though!!), with all of these make sure you get colour matched at a counter, guess work will lead to you most likely wearing the wrong colour & not looking right at all. Lastly if there's not a colour that you match to completely correctly in the range, then DON'T go with that foundation, try another brand (shades tend to be similar in a brand's different ranges, I've found), it's not worth your money to walk away with the wrong colour foundation, even if it's the best in the world! 

Miss Sarah x

I also have a VLOG!!

I started this blog to run along side my youtube channel MissSarahVlog, I thought it would be easier for me to review the majority of products in a written, blog format, rather than on video. So far, I feel I was right about this.


I'm still making my mind up about a few products I fancy reviewing, so until I'm decided, check out MissSarahVlog for more content.


My vlog contains much more of a variety of content compared to this blog. Videos range from Hauls to Cooking Tutorials to Tags & also include just some random videos of stuff from my life. It's a place to go to get to know me a little better.


Here's a selection of videos from the channel:

OOTD - Classic, Girlie Look For Uni

How To...Bake a Lemon & Coconut Sandwich Cake

Lux Box & Summer Party Vlog

Best Friend Tag feat. Miss Sarah, Charl Mathews & Rachel

Topshop, YSL & Benefit Haul

Hope you enjoy.

Miss Sarah  x