Glossybox July

I was actually pretty impressed with this month's Glossybox. I had been starting to go off it, but actually they really pulled their socks up this month (in my opinion). I even think that this was much better than Birchbox's July offering. Very happy indeed!

So the contents of this month's box included Carmex Moisturizing Lip Balm, Absolute New York Eyeshadow Primer, Bellapierre Lipstick, Color Club Nail Polish and NYC Cream to Powder Blush Stick.

I had never previously heard of this brand before getting it in my Glossybox so it is completely new to me and I wasn't biased when trying it. I really liked this as it had a great consistency and shade, plus I liked the soft doe-foot applicator. In the picture you can see on top where it is just applied and beneath where it has been blended (barely visible). It has a slight shimmer to it, so slight it is barely noticeable but I do think it means it highlights slightly which is always nice. I haven't tried it out to see if it does prolong my eyeshadow but based on application etc, it is winning. I shall write a post on this soon!

This polish is one that was specifically created for Glossybox, and so is an exclusive. I get that the shade is aimed to fit the theme of 'Stars and Stripes' but I just think it's not brilliant for summer. It's too dark and more of an autumn/ winter shade for me. A red or white would have been better for ticking both the theme box and the season box. Regardless, it is a great nail polish, as is expected for Color Club and I will definitely be putting it away to use in the colder months.

There isn't really a great amount you can say about Carmex. It's a great lip balm and I do use it a lot (I have three tubes of the stuff at home!) so I am a real fan of it, it just doesn't really set your world alight does it? Glad to have extra but would have preferred something a little more exciting! Also, if I'm being picky, I would have preferred the squeezy tube version. The only thing with having the pots is that you can it all under your nails when getting the product out the pot!

I'm so in love with this lipstick! I had found that with a lot of the lipsticks that came in these subscription boxes, they were a bit rubbish. The pigmentation was always really weak and they were a bit...pointless. But not with this Bellapierre offering! It is a highly pigmented, vivid red shade and I just love it! It applies really smoothly and is very moisturising and even stays on for a good couple of hours before reapplication is needed and is just a bright, cute, girly shade.Raving about this!!

Now this is the product I thought I wouldn't really be interested in, but oh how wrong I was! I always think of NYC as being a bit cheap and rubbish, this is definitely not rubbish. It applies so easily to the skin, the top picture is just one swipe across the back of my hand with the stick then the second is it blended in. It is a lush shade that isn't too over the top and the whole concept it just great and easy to use. I will definitely be using this a lot over the summer, especially as it is so handy to do on the go!

So that was my box for July, have you tried any of these? Or do you subscribe to Glossybox and received different products? All comments are very welcome!

Nail Art - Glitter Tips

I had seen a few pictures of people painting their nails with a block colour varnish and then adding an extra dimension to it by just adding a slight amount of glitter to the tips. It gives a sophisticated, understated look that I just love. I have been meaning to try this for ages on my own nails, but when I received my Color Club Nail Lacquer in shade Heirloom Pearls I knew this was the colour to try it with (I told you their would be a post on this very soon!). These are the varnishes I used:

I used a Barry M Basecoat and Topcoat in shade 54 Clear as a base coat over the entire nail. Once this dried I applied two coats of Color Club in shade Heirloom Pearls. Once this had all dried (and I think it's quite important that it is left to dry fully) I delicately painted just the tips of my nail with Barry M in shade Silver Glitter. This is a very good, glittery topcoat as the glitter is in quite small pieces and not big chunks like you can get with some glitter. Once this had also dried I then went over the whole nail with the clear topcoat again to preserve the nail varnish and make it last longer.

And here are the results!

I adore how these came out, I don't think I have ever been so happy with the outcome of my nail art attempts. I know this was a pretty simple look to go for but it is so effective and looks so pretty and summery. I think the varnishes I chose go so well together. I had even thought that these would make great bridal nails with the satin pearl varnish and silver glitter. Classy and elegant!

What do you think of my recent dabble with nail art, are you a fan of this style also? Do you have any other suggestions for nail art techniques? Let me know, all comments are always welcome!

Monthly subscription box - Birchbox

As you may have read here, I am a lover of monthly subscription beauty boxes and so when it comes round to that time of the month when I start receiving these parcels from the postman I am one happy girl! Birchbox arrived this week, and with this month's theme being 'good enough to eat' I was definitely excited. So, the contents of the box:

This bag smelt incredible, definitely in keeping with the good enough to eat theme! I must admit, there was also a packet of Propercorn popcorn in their also but it was just so good that the bag unfortunately didn't make it home... I'll give a brief review of each product from left to right (as shown in the above picture).

Laura Mercier - Body Souffle Ambre Vanille

This literally smelt incredible. The sweet, vanilla smell is so strong that you can smell it as soon as you open up the small cotton bag within the box, and this is with it sealed in a plastic container! It is not a sickly sweet scent, just the right level of sweetness. I haven't tried this yet as I didn't want to break the foil seal and feel I have to use it up quickly, I'm sure I shall come back and write a long review on it in the near future though as it seems a really indulgent body cream and I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to fall head over heels for it! If only it didn't have a price tag slightly out of my price range...

RMK Make-up Base

I had never heard of this make before receiving it in this month's box, and if I'm perfectly honest I'm not a big user of make-up base products. I may use them from time to time if I'm going to a special event and want to attempt to make my make-up last longer but day to day I prefer not to use them. Despite this, I quite like the design of the bottle, with it's little captions covering the front. The actual product is a lot thinner than I was expecting, it's almost like a milk. I'm not sure how this will fare against my oily skin but I'll give it a try. I'm not getting myself excited over it but I've been happily surprised by products in the past. I'll keep you posted as to whether this actually manages to have a good effect on my overly oily skin!

Yin Yang Skincare Skin Cleanser

I was so pleased to receive the skin cleanser rather than the moisturiser! Not that I had anything against the moisturiser, but I currently have them coming out my ears, and I always love to try new cleansers. I was surprised to find this actually had a subtle, pleasant fragrance. I wasn't expecting it to have a scent at all, or that it would be one of those slightly chemical-y smells like you get with some. It's consistency is slightly thicker than what I was expecting for a cleanser that you apply to cotton wool to use on your face but I think that's purely because I had been getting so used to using Micellar water! Overall this seems a pretty good product and I am looking forward to incorporating it in to my daily skin care routine.

 theBalm How 'Bout Them Apples

I had heard little whisperings about theBalm products from my blog browsing and so I was quite intrigued to receive a sample of their cheek and lip stain. The sample is held in a very cute booklet packet and I love the artistry of it! The colour I received is 'Pie' but there are 6 colours in this collection altogether, they come in a palette in the full-sized product.

I have been using this as a lip stain, as I'm slightly wary of using it on my cheeks as I'm only really used to powder blushes! I love the colour and I'm so impressed by the pigmentation this contains, it really does make a big impact. I'm definitely keen to purchase the full-sized product after trying this out, people have even commented on how nice it looks, in an office full of men this really is a big compliment!! Well done theBalm!!

 Color Club Gala's Gems Collection

Oh...My...God, I love this nail varnish!! This was definitely my favourite product from my box and I'm so glad I picked this colour (Birchbox gave you the option to pick 1 of four colours from the collection). It is a beautiful pearl shade which dries to a satin finish which just looks gorgeous on the nail. It gives great coverage, the above picture is after just one coat, so really a second coat isn't even necessary. I have used this for some nail art that I was trying out last night so a post on that can be expected later today, I really love it!

So another winning box!! Do any of you subscribe to Birchbox? What did you think of this month's offerings?

Birchbox is available from here - there are many different payment plans but I use the monthly recurring subscription which is £10 per month plus a £2.95 postage fee.