Glossybox August 2013 'High-flyers'

Apologies for my rather delayed post on last month's Glossybox. I realise it is now in fact September, but at least I can provide a more detailed review of some of the items! August's installment was a High-flyers edition, aiming to bring us products from different countries around the world. The aim was to provide us Glossybox girls with mini products suitable to take away on holiday. Unfortunately, my holiday is just a distant memory now, as it was way way back in July, *sob* but nevertheless, I was loving this month's box!

The box contained the following products:



Óceane Makeup Remover pen (Brazil)
This pen basically works like a cotton bud soaked in eye makeup remover, but with a more precise nib. It's a cool concept, but I'm inclined to think it's a little gimmicky. I haven't actually tried it out yet, but I definitely will do when I next do a detailed/smokey eye. It comes with 3 replacement nibs which it very handy. Although I'm sure I'll like this when I get round to using it, I don't think  I would purchase it when it becomes available in the UK, because, as I said, I could just use a cotton bud! 

Juicy Couture 'Viva La Juicy Noir' (USA)
I loooooove this scent! It's describe as being 'sultry' and a 'party' scent, but I must admit I do like a strong scent that you can smell all day/night long. I can't describe the smell myself - it's an impossible task - but they define it as 'succulent ripe berry notes and gourmand accents' with a 'juicy touch of honeysuckle and a sultry hint of sandalwood'. It all becomes so clear now, doesn't it (??!) That aside, I am seriously considering adding this to my Christmas list this year, but at around £63 for 100ml, maybe a smaller bottle will suffice. I am rather tempted by the rollerball version for £9.50 - would be perfect to pop into a clutch on a night out!

Eucerin Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm (USA)
This is admittedly a little less glamorous then some of the other products, but regardless, I think this is a great item to include! It's a mult-purpose balm that helps to soothe even the most sensitive of skin. Again, I haven't tried it out yet as my skin hasn't been at all dry or sensitive, but I will be definitely be keeping it close by if those problems arise! My boyfriend suffers with eczema quite badly & can only use very gentle but hydrating products such as e45. I've just (as I'm writing this) popped a little of this product on a tiny problem area, so thought I could use him as my guinea pig to really put it to the test. So far, the verdict is "It feels good" so we will continue using it & see how it performs! I'll keep you updated..

Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 Eyeliner & Shadow (UK)
Another Jelly Pong Pong product here from Glossybox! This is a thick eye pencil that doubles up as an eyeshadow too, when smudged out. I like the concept of this, but it's a sort of green/grey shade, so I'm not sure it's going to be as big a hit as say, a brown or bronze would be. That being said, I'm determined to have a go & hopefully will post a makeup look using it. It retails at £10.50 for full size from the Jelly Pong Pong website and I must say, although I'm happy to have received it & looking forward to having a play with it, I very much doubt I would repurchase it. There are plenty of similar products for less - including the likes from Rimmel and Collection.

Here's the product as a liner and blended out on the back of my hand - looks sort of khaki coloured.

Emite Eyelash Curler (Sweden)

I would have to say I've saved my best til last here! I got particularly excited by these curlers when I found out they cost roughly £20! I am still yet to try the Shu Uemera cult curlers, but one day - when I can justify the splurge - I just might! But for now, these will do me nicely. They create a nice curl and feel firm yet springy to grip. They have also included 3 spare rubber tips (not sure what they're called?!) so they should last me a while! I had never heard of this brand before, probably because it's based in Sweden, but I'm interested to possibly look at more made by them.

So there we have it, a round up of August's High-flyers Glossybox. Let's see if I can publish this a bit earlier next month! I'm eagerly awaiting my next box - I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Garnier Moisture Match 'Shine Be Gone' Review

I was on the hunt for a new moituriser, but wasn't quite ready to make the plunge & get an 'expensive' one. I saw the adverts for these a few months back & was rather intrigued to try them out, as they claimed to have a different formula for every skin type. The range consists of: Goodbye Dry (dry/very dry skin), Protect and Glow (normal skin), Start Afresh (normal/dry skin), Wake Me Up (dull skin) & Shine Be Gone (combination/oily skin). As I have very greasy/shiny skin, particularly on my T-zone, I opted for the Shine Be Gone formula. 

I do agree that the formula is lighter than moisturisers aimed at dry skin, and although I wouldn't say it makes me any more oily, nor would I claim it helps to reduce my oily skin. The cream feels really light and fresh when I apply it to my skin, but I wish it were more mattifying! Once I've applied my makeup, it usually won't last much more than a couple of hours max before I need to powder my nose and forehead. Even with the aid of a setting powder and fixing spray does very little in my fight against the dreaded shine. But ho-hum, I hold on for the day when I find the product that stops my oily skin breaking through, but until then I will try to be strong. 

I don't want to 'diss' this product too much, but Garnier claim that this cream 'mattifies to help reduce shine and leaves your skin looking more unified'. I'm afraid this claim, for me in particular, fell short of its promises. I will continue to use it as I don't hate it, but a repurchase is not likely. I think I need to bite the bullet and invest in a better quality *cough- more expensive* moisturiser next time. All I know is, it needs to mattify this face of mine!

If you have any recommendations for a good moisturiser for oily skin, please leave a comment below & let me know - I'd be happy to try it out!

Michael Bublé concert 04/07/13

Yesterday I went to the O2 arena in London to see the one & only Michael Bublé in concert! It was the most amazing Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend (thank you Curtis!) and the date finally came around! 

As expected, the show was incredible! Bublé was supported by the band Naturally 7 & they themselves were amazing- I would've happily seen them in concert!! I managed to film some of the show on my camcorder, but unfortunately only had my iPhone with me to take still pics. Somehow the crappy quality simply doesn't sum up that man's beauty..! All in all, we had a fantastic night & even though we were very high up (woaah, don't look down!) the concert was perfect!! I doubt I'll be able to upload my bit of amateur footage from the night, due to copyright reasons, but take my word for it.. The night was incredible! His voice is perfect.. Even live (a rarity for some acts!) and he finished the performance with some singing without a microphone! To the 20,000 people that filled the O2 arena. A-MA-ZING! 

I'm going to sign off now because I'm running out of adjectives that match 'amazing' and 'incredible'. Here are a few (poor quality) snaps from our day out.. 

The boy and I on the train with our tickets all excited! 

Arriving at the O2.. Such an incredible site! 

In the Nissan Innovation Station having a play with all the gadgets & things!

The graphic I created in the Nissan centre.. Here's me chilling with my skyline! Hehe

Us in our seats awaiting Bublé! (Note the grainy wonder that is the iPhone's front camera)

And finally, a view from our seats.. Pretty crazy to think all these people were here for one man! And he didn't disappoint. 

I hope you enjoyed this lifestyle piece, I hope to do more of these sort of post in the future, although hopefully with a better quality camera (which happens to be arriving in the post today.. Eeeek!!)

-Katie xx

Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser Review

You'd be right in thinking I'm a little late on the uptake in reviewing this product, but with my exams and moving back home from uni for the summer, I think I can endorse the phrase 'better late than never!' I've used this in quite a few showers now and I can safely say I really like it! I don't suffer with dry skin, but in the summer months, particularly when I shave my legs more frequently, I do get the odd dry patch of skin. I will also hold my hands up and say I'm rather lazy with the application of traditional moisturisers, so this seemed like the perfect idea!

The instructions on the back of the bottle are listed above, but in basic terms, this acts like a hair conditioner - only for the skin! I picked this up for £2.50 in Asda (for 250ml), so it was very reasonable! I'm sure the price will change slightly as this was introductory, but I highly doubt it's ever going to break the bank!

Although I don't have particularly dry skin, I did opt for the dry skin version, simply because I thought it would be more effective on those dry areas. The smell is typical of Nivea products, with almond oil, so I would say it was pretty unoffensive. It's so quick and easy to use & the results are evident straight away. My skin felt smoother and softer even when I hopped out of the shower and dried off. This product will definitely be my go-to product for days when I simply cannot be bothered to spend an extra 5-10 minutes post-shower smothering myself in moisturiser. I do still treat myself to a body butter or something alike every once in a while though!

Have you tried the Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser? Do you think it does what it claims to do? Are you as lazy as I am in terms of full body moisturising? Leave me a comment and let me know your opinions!

Ta-ta for now!

Glossybox June 2013

So, for my first official 'beauty' related content post on this blog, I thought I'd kick off with a Glossybox review. For those of you that don't already know, in short, the Glossybox is a monthly subscription to beauty products. Usually, the box will contain roughly 5 sample items for you to try from a variety of brands. Full sized products are also sometimes included. The box is £10 per month (plus p&p), and the products always add up to more than you pay, so it's value for money! That being said, if you don't like the items that have been selected for you, it can seem like a waste of £10 that could have been spent on that eyeliner you know you love!

If you are however interested in subscribing to this beauty box, you can do so here! You can also cancel the subscription at any time, there is no binding contract!

Let's get on with the items included in the box this month.. At first glance, I must admit I was not overly impressed with June's installment (especially when compared with previous boxes- I'm looking at you April!!) After a browse through the leaflet that comes with the box, I realised that I had definitely got value for my money, but I couldn't help looking at the blue items with a face that shouted "REALLY?!"

First up, is the Helen É Cosmetics eye pencil with smudger. Once I'd got over the horror of the 80's electric blue colour, I started to think about how I could use this to work for me. The pencil itself is worth £8 full price and after swatching it on the back of my hand (see swatch above), I thought the consistency was lovely. As I've mentioned, I wasn't a fan of the bright blue and admittedly I would have much preferred one of the more subtle shades, such as a nude or taupe, but I'm willing to experiment and will hopefully upload a post showing my results soon.. Stay tuned..!

Next up, is yet another blue item!! I have never tried a MeMeMe Long Lasting Gloss polish before, but I've read some good reviews so I will hold my opinion on the formula until I've actually tried it. That aside, I must admit I am not at all keen on the colour of this. I've seen some people with nudes and pinks and I will admit I'm jealous! I'm much more of a neutrals/pinks/reds/pastels kinda gal and this just does not appeal to me! I'll try it out though and see if it changes my opinion! For £5 full price, if I like the formula then I will maybe branch out to other colours!

The next little delight my box contained was this Sarah Chapman Skin Tone Perfecting Booster. Priced at a whooping £57 for the full sized 30ml version, this was a rather exciting find for me! I am going to trial this in the next couple of weeks so I will report back with my opinion on it. For now though, I can only say I'm excited to see if it will make a difference!

This dinky little perfume sample is Hugo Boss' Jour Pour Femme. At first I wasn't completely overwhelmed by this tiny 2ml sample, but after some consideration, I decided it would be the perfect thing to leave in my bag or clutch on a night out! Scents are possibly the most difficult thing to attempt to describe, so I'll leave it to the professionals - read here for a description. What I will say though, is that I am very fond of the scent and although I'm not certain I would buy a full size of it, I would definitely consider it! Personally, I think it's a very grown up scent but not too intense. As I said, scents are a difficult thing to put into words...

Last but not least, is this Figs & Rouge Coco Rose Lip Balm. In the booklet that comes with the Glossybox, they recommend you use the balm for not only lips, but cuticles, elbows and knees as well. Although I like the balm as a lip balm, I'm not entirely sold on the idea of having shimmery pink elbows and knees! In the swatch above, you can see the balm is quite a thick, creamy consistency and is definitely a pink tint, so I remain skeptical as to whether I would ever use this on anything other than the lips - but if you've used it for something else then please feel free to let me know! This retails at around £5 roughly.


Excuse that ridiculously long ramble! I hope to improve on my cutting down skills over the next few posts! If you did manage to read all the way through though, please leave a comment below with your own opinions or maybe even tips and tricks for the items listed above. Do you subscribe to Glossybox? Were you happy with this month's installment?

Ta-ta for now!