Glossybox February 2013 – Valentine’s Day.

Hello everyone.

I am rather impressed with how early I’ve received this month’s Glossybox, it’s only the 11th! I suppose, this box being the Valentine’s Day one, it’s only natural to receive it a few days before.

So the actual name of this month’s box is ‘Valentine’s Day – Will you be ours?’, very sweet. And very sweet is the box design: glossy pink box, with pale pink tissue paper and rose pink shredded paper.

Only downside is the leaflet, again, I don’t understand why more work isn’t put into this. I say it every month, the paper isn’t great, the printing could be a thousand time better. Why not have a nice magazine/leaflet, printed on some nice glossy paper, to go with the glossy box…

What came in the box this month?

 

Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Blush Powder in Terra Cotta – 0.8g sample (£34.95/9g). When I saw the small pot with a black lid, I was about to jump out of my skin; I thought this was another Bella Pierre eyeshadow. But phew, it wasn’t, this is a blush instead. Colour wise, I wouldn’t say this is a true terracotta, it’s paler and more orange, I’d say it’s a coral with a some shimmery flexes. Not my cup of tea but  I’ve never used a mineral powder blush before so I’ll try it and see how I get on.

ModelCo Eye Shadow Duo Palette in Bronzed Goddess – 2 x 2.35g sample (£18/3 x 2.35g). The two shades are Maldives and Jamaica (not sure which is which though) and one looks like a yellow/beige and the other a chocolate-brown, both with gold shimmers. From doing a few swatches, I can say that the lightest one (possibly Maldives) hasn’t got much of a colour payoff, it just applies as some shimmer. The darker one (possibly Jamaica) does have a much better pigmentation and translate quite well on the back of my hand. I would;t wear either of them before the warmer months.

Anatomicals You Need a Blooming Shower – 150ml (£5/300ml). In simple words, this is a rose scented shower gel. I like shower gels but but I really don’t like rose scented products. Won’t be using this but I’m sure I’ll fine someone who’d like it.

Helen E Cosmetics Moisturising Lipstick in Cafe au Lait – 3.5g (£8/3.5g). Nice, compact yet heavy packaging, perfect for the handbag, not particularly excited about the colour which is a brown nude with shimmer. I’ll see how I get on with it.

 

Docteur Renaud Raspberry Soft Cream – 30ml (£25/50ml). This is a body moisturizer. It smells like children’s toothpaste straight out of the tube, then straight up like raspberry tart on the skin. Not too excited about it.

I’m not overwhelmed by this Valentine’s Day box but I can see many people liking the content. I’ll definitely try the eyeshadows when I feel like my inner bronzed goddess can be unleashed and will see how to use the mineral blush out of that tiny pot.

One thing worth noting is that the value of the goods included in the box is quite high this month, definitely worth over the £10 for the box.

Please let me know what you got in your Glossybox this month.

Juliette

 

Slow Month.

Hello everyone.

I just thought I’d post a few word to apologize for the lack of articles on my blog. I’ve been ill for a few weeks and now that I’m feeling a bit better, I have to focus on my studies. So very sorry if not much has been uploaded and if February will be a dry month here on Juliette’s Dressing Table, but this is what I’ve been dealing with…

Source 

Not very glamorous, and definitely not something I’d want to write about. Normal service will resume very soon.

Juliette

Blink Brow Bar – Eyebrow Products.

Hello everyone.

Back in November, I wrote a couple of articles about the Selfridges’ Lucky Bag, I was hoping, like hundreds others, to get the £150 Selfridges voucher but got a Blink gift card for an eyebrow shape along with other (not so great) goodies instead, see this article.

The voucher was basically worth £17, and could be used on either an eyebrow shape (threading) or towards Blink products at Selfridges Blink Brow Bar. After years of looking for an amazing therapist who would shape my brows the way I want them to be, I was certainly not going to get my eyebrows shaped by someone else. I had to wait until early January for my next trip to London, to be able to use the gift card on products.

Haven’t never owned anything from the brand, I thought I’d just ask one of the therapist to help me pick something that would suit my needs. I’ve ended up picking up two products.

Tamer – £5. I actually didn’t have an eyebrow tamer, so had to get one. It’s a very useful little tool, helps brush the hairs in the right place or upward to trim them.

Eyebrow Pencil in Indian Chocolate –  £13. This is a wax based pencil so quite hard to use at the beginning. This is a double ended products, there is the eyebrow pencil in one end and a tamer in the other.

I went for the colour Indian Chocolate because their darker colour (Cardom Pod) was black, and my eyebrows are already dark, I don’t want them to be any darker. So the shade I’ve picked up blends well with the hairs and adds warmth.

If I’m totally honest, I was absolutely happy with what I use so I picked up these products because I had a vouchers. The pencil in Indian Chocolate is good but I don’t prefer it to Brunette and Spiked Eyebrow from M.A.C., if anything, the Blink pencil is harder to use.

The Blink Brow Bar in Selfridges was very busy, lots of customers getting their eyebrows shaped, I imagine that the ladies go there for the threading service rather than to buy the products of the brand.

If you are curious to see what the brand has to offer, services and products, head over to their website.

Juliette

My First Birchbox – January 2013 – Fresh Start.

Hello everyone.

I’m sure all of you UK beauty enthusiasts have heard about Birchbox buying Joliebox a few months back. And from this, I’m sure you all guessed the brand Joliebox would become Birchbox.

I was pretty excited about the news actually, Birchbox is one of the original beauty box and I know from watching and reading reviews from American subscribers, and the quality and value of these beauty boxes are a thousand time better than what e get in the UK.

So yes, Birchbox is finally here and I got mine today (it took a week to get to my porch because of the snow).

May I start by saying this: impeccable presentation… I love the new smaller brown (with hints of pink) box, the Birchbox Magazine is very well presented with very interesting articles.

There are two additional cards in the box, one talking about the company and explaining how the Birchbox UK membership works (pretty much the same as Joliebox did) and another with a message from the team and a list of the samples contained in the box.

Needless to tell you how excited I was to find out what I got after seeing such an impeccable presentation. So, in my first Birchbox, I received: a lip balm, a hair product, a nail and cuticle cream, a face cream and a lifestyle extra.

I’ll go through the products as I usually do, one by one, with my first impressions.

fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment – 2.2g sample (Full size £15.50). I am so excited to get this product. I’ve read and watched reviews about this and made me really want to try it, even more so because it isn’t available in the UK. Not only am I very pleased to get this lip treatment, I am also very positively pleased with the packaging, it is exactly like the full size one, only in a sample size, amazing. First impressions: not too keen on the smell, like the texture and love the tint the product leaves on the lips.

KMS California FREE SHAPE Quick Blow Dry – 30ml sample (£13.50/200ml). I had to blow dry my hair yesterday, it took me a hour and a half, so any product that says ‘quick blow dry‘ in it’s name is most welcome. Like from the product above, I am impressed with the packaging, same as the full size product, only smaller, I like this very much. The spray smells nice, like a hairdresser product. I am looking forward to trying it.

Reverence De Bastien Unguent for Nail and Cuticles – 15ml (£15.50). After a little bit of research, it looks like this is the full size product, and this pleases me. It’s a pink cream/gel, it smells sweet, and I am always up to try new products on my nails and cuticles.

WEI Royal Firming and Hydrating Cream – 4ml sample (£74/50ml). I did get this sample in a previous Glossybox, see here. I said it then, and I’ll say it again, it’s aimed at mature skin but I did enjoy using it.

Teapigs Chamomile Flower – 1 tea temple (£3.49 or £3.99/pack of 15). This is a caffeine free tea. There are three different flavors available, peppermint, chamomile and super fruit. I’m glad I got chamomile, it’s the only one out of the three I like. Very pleased.

I am so pleased with this first Birchbox, I love the presentation, the magazine and the content. Maybe an additional product could have been added, but again that would only have been a bonus; I am very pleased with the box.

I have to mention however, that Birchbox US seems to have even better products (samples and full sizes) than what we get in the UK. Again, this is true for most beauty boxes and it could be down to the companies who are working with the subscription boxes.

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box, and costs £10 (plus P&P) a month.  More details here.

Juliette

Bonus Content.

I contacted Joliebox back in December 2012, to express how disappointed I was with my November and December boxes. The lovely Adrienne agreed to send me some additional products which were part of a SheSaidBeauty offer (enter the SSB code when subscribing to Joliebox and receive three additional products with your January 2013 box).

I did receive the trio in a separate package last week, here is a quick overview.

Part of the trio is a I Love… Strawberries & Milkshake Shimmer & Shine Lip Gloss, not a fan of lip glosses myself but I do appreciate getting this for free. Also in the package, a Nail Girls mini silver polish and the So Susan Wild Awake palette, which contains an illuminating cream, a highlighting cream, three eyebrow sculptor colours, a small applicator brush and mini tweezers.

I haven’t tried the products yet so I’ve not got much to add, but sending this trio is a very nice gesture from Joliebox to an unhappy subscriber and so I just wanted to say, thank you to Adrienne and  the rest of the team for their awesome customer service.

Glossybox January 2013 – Detox.

Hello everyone.

It’s that time of the month again, when beauty boxes are being dispatched and every subscriber is waiting anxiously to find out if their £10 (plus £2.95 P&P) were worth what they’re getting…

There were a few tweets about the latest Glossybox box being dispatched to subscribers yesterday. I have to say I was quite anxious about the quality of the content of this first 2013 box as I wasn’t too impressed with the two last boxes. That said, it wasn’t just Glossybox who had let me down, Joliebox hadn’t done too well in my books either…

First comment I have to make is that the box turned up within twenty-four hours of being dispatched, and that despite the heavy snowing that we are experiencing in England. I’ve never really understood why we had to pay £2.95 for P&P and wait up to five days to get the box, seems like it should be a next-day delivery at that price… So well done to Glossybox on arriving first this month!

Now to the actual box, ‘Detox‘.

It’s back to the standard pink and black design, nothing special or new for 2013 then. The box is well presented but the ‘leaflet‘ isn’t great… Call me picky, but once again I feel like the paper and the printing quality could be a lot better… Just saying.

What’s in the leaflet? Some Glossybox news, tips for a fresh start to 2013, details on the products in the box.

I’ve mentioned above how anxious I was about finding out what I’ve been sent this month. My feeling as I first saw the products : relief.

No funky colours and no tiny vial of fragrance. This month I get a lip balm, two face products, a body lotion, a hair product and a sleep mask.

As always, I’m listing the products and giving you my first impressions.

 Elemis Fresh Skin Skin Glow Facial Exfoliator – 30ml sample (£12/100ml). I’ve mentioned in previous articles that I have very sensitive skin and that many exfoliating face products do irritate my skin, leaving it feeling tight and looking red. The exfoliating beads in this face wash seem to be very fine and the product smells lovely and fresh and I’ve been wanted to try something from Elemis for a while, so I will definitely try this one out.

Duck Island Limited Body Lotion Mandarin & Bergamot – 30ml sample (£24.95/2 x 250ml). At first glance, this sample looks like an enormous bottle of nail polish, it’s actually a small sample of body lotion. It’s freezing cold at the moment, great moment to test out body lotions. I wouldn’t have picked the Mandarin & Bergamot myself (not too keen on citrusy scents in general) but I will definitely try this out. Only drawback is that it is only a 30ml sample, can’t see that I’ll be able to get more than one application out of this.

Jason Lips Bee Healthier – 4.5g sample (£1.99/4.6g and yes, full size is only 0.1g heavier apparently). I’m always up for trying new lip balms.  This one is certified 70% organic, it’s made out of aloe and beeswax and claims to moisturize and protect the lips. I’ve had it on my lips since I’ve opened the Glossybox, I’m not too keen on the odd chocolate scent, but I haven’t had to reapply it and my lips feel lovely. Quite pleased with this.

Monu Aromatic Mask – 30ml sample ( £24.95/100ml). Before I talk about the product itself I need to tell you how annoying the packaging is. The product comes in a soft plastic bottle with a screw lid, I had to dip my little finger to get some product out… This means I’ll have to squeeze the bottle or dip a cotton bud in there to get the product out when I want to use it: not good. This is terrible, right? It can’t get any worse, right? Wrong! The details and instructions are written in turquoise on the bottom and because the cream is beige, the background is beige, unreadable. At least the important information can be found on the Glossybox leaflet.

Now onto the actual product. Standard cream mask, smells like a face mask, looks like one, I like face masks, I am looking forward to using it.

Paul Mitchell Super Strong Daily Shampoo – 100ml sample (£11.50/300ml). I am so glad this comes in a 100ml bottle rather than in one of these useless sachets, I will get to actually test it! It’s a shame that the Glossybox subscribers get either the shampoo or the conditioner, it would have been so much better to get both.

Glossybox Sleep Mask. I don’t think I could ever sleep wearing one of these but I give it to Glossybox, nice touch adding a sleep mask in their detox box.

All in all, I am quite pleased with this box, especially since I was so disappointed with the two previous box I received. If I’m totally honest, I have to tell you that I promised myself I’d cancel my subscription if the January 2013 didn’t live up to my expectations. I am pleased to say that I am staying with Glossybox, I was not disappointed this month.

Glossybox is a monthly subscription, £10 (plus £2.95 P&P) per month. Have a look here.

What do you think of this box?

Juliette

Blog Sale #1 – Face Products.

Hello everyone.

I was recently going through my beauty drawers and found some products I’ve forgotten about or not used in a long time. And since I don’t think I’d use them I thought I’d put them up for sale at a discounted price. I’ve added a couple of products I recently acquired.

Terms and Conditions :

– First come first served basis.

– Items are sold as seen.

– UK buyers only.

– Paypal only.

– If you would like to buy an item, please comment on this post, stating its name, giving me your Paypal address and confirming that you live in the UK.

– Invoice is to be paid within 12 hours.

– P&P is £2.50 per item, add 50p for each additional item.

– I am not responsible for damage in transit.

– Every sale is final, no return/refund.

Additional information:

If you wish to ask me a question about this blog sale or one of the products, please email me at juliettesdressingtable@hotmail.co.uk I won’t however accept any purchase request made via email, all requests have to be made via comments here.

Products for sale:

Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Tinted Balm in SB02 – Used twice for review, 95% of the product left – £30.

Left to right:

N7 Essentially Natural Foundation in Deeply Beige – Used twice, about 90% left – £4.

N7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream for Normal/Dry Skin in Medium – Used twice, about 90% left – £6.

Dr Jart+ Platinum Beauty Balm Cream SPF30 – Used three times for review, about 90% left – £15.

Yonka Pamplemousse, Protective and Vitalizing Cream for Normal to Dry skin – Only opened and smelled it – £20.

Happy shopping!

Juliette

2012 Favourites.

Hello everyone.

The year 2012 has gone and we 2013 has just began so I thought I’d write a few posts about what products I’ve been loving this year. Many of the products I’ll mention in this article have never been featured in my blog as I only started writing it a few months ago, but trust me, they are my favourite products of 2012 and I would recommend any of them!

I wasn’t sure how to select my yearly favourites, I saw some bloggers select a product by category (say best bronzer or best cleanser), other just mentioned products released/discovered in 2012 that really impressed them. I thought I’d just a basket and and raid my bathroom, makeup bag and any places where I keep my beauty supplies. Turns out, I do have quite a lot of favourites, so I’ll still try to write them up in categories.

Makeup

Primer – Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre.

This is kind of a hybrid, daily moisturizer crossed with primer, extremely popular with makeup artists. I’m originally a Parisian and so I’ve seen this product on the shelves of my local pharmacy, only picked it up earlier in 2012 when I visited my family… I didn’t need much encouragement to get it m, Lisa Eldridge recommended it. I didn’t get on with it at first, applying the right amount of product isn’t easy with this one, apply too much, the skin will feel greasy, apply too little, the skin feels dry. Now… Apply the right amount and you are good to go! The product leaves the skin soothed and hydrated, ready for foundation.

Foundation – YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat. 

This foundation was featured in many of my Monthly Favourites and I have an in depth review of it here. I loved it during the summer and I just can’t go without in the winter. It’s a light to medium coverage foundation so I wear it on good and not-so-good skin days. It is perfect for dry skin and its dewy finish helps to give dimension to the face.

Concealer – M.A.C. Studio Sculpt Concealer.

This is a highly pigmented concealer, perfect to cover scaring, pigmentation and blemishes. I find it stays very well on dry skin and it is actually quite moisturizing. I fear this has been discontinued though, so best hunt it down before it disappears, I sure am getting a backup.

Under-eye concealer – M.A.C. Mineralize Concealer.

It doesn’t matter which under-eye concealer I use, it will crease as I have lines (not wrinkles) under my eyes; I just always end-up wiping the product off so I don’t have anything sitting in the lines. Whilst M.A.C. Mineralize Concealer still sits in the lines, it just isn’t as had as anything else I’ve tried. It is also very good at covering dark circles.

Bronzer – Soleil Tan de CHANEL Bronze Universel Bronzing Makeup Base.

I’ve tried a couple of bronzers before this one, all of them were powders, all of them looked like dirt on my face and quite honestly I almost gave up on trying to find a suitable bronzer for me. But you’ve guessed it! I have found the perfect bronzer in the Soleil Tan de CHANEL bronzer. It’s kind of a whipped mousse/cream product, the colour works for both contouring and bronzing. I just don’t go one day without it.

Blush – M.A.C. Powder Brush in Easy Manner.

This is a very pale pink blush with a satin finish. But the reason it is my favourite is because it is a the perfect pale pink colour in my opinion and it can be applied very lightly or more heavily. It was one of three blushes released in the M.A.C. Glamour Daze collection for holidays 2012 so I don’t think it’ll be harder to get your hands on one now (Debenhams has a few online).

Highlighter – Soleil Tan de CHANEL Sheer Illuminating Fluid in Sunkissed.

Never ever used any highlighter before 2012 (unless you consider the YSL Touche Éclat is one) and out of the couple I’ve tried, this is definitely my favourite. I’ve got a review and swatches here.

Eyebrow pencil – M.A.C. Eye Brows in Spiked.

Well this year, I’ve had a bad experience at the beauty salon; my usual beautician was on holiday and the lady I was book with for a threading messed up my eyebrows. I was actually so upset that I didn’t have to pay for the treatment. I did however rush to M.A.C. on the way home to pick up something to correct the mess until the hairs grow back in. This is when I picked up this retractable eyebrow pencil. Spiked is a great colour for brunettes, I’d say it’s best used sparingly in small strokes for a natural . The pencil doesn’t stays in place all day.

Eye Liner – M.A.C. Fluidline in Dipdown.

I have been loving wearing a subtle line of eye liner on my eyes, I used to wear black but now much prefer a dark brown one. The M.A.C. Fluidline has a great longevity and doesn’t smudge. I also like the packaging. Only thing to bear in mind, and that’s something that I’ve read from online reviews, make sure to screw the lid back on very tightly so the product doesn’t dry out. I’ve had mine for most of 2012 and never had a problem with it.

Mascara – Benefit BADgal Brown.

Again, I haven’t used much black products on my eyes this year. I picked this one up because I did like the Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara in black. The brown one I bought however isn’t the same mascara as the one I originally had. It is very good nevertheless, and it’s been my go to mascara. As a side note, Benefit seem to have good quality mascaras, I did get a sample of the They’re Real! mascara in the YOU Advent Beauty Calendar, and it is pretty good too.

Lipstick – CHANEL Rouge Allure Velvet in 41 L’Exquise.

I’ve mentioned it many a time, I rarely wear anything but lip balm on my lips. I do however like to wear a bit of colour when Autumn comes. This year’s berry and plum colours have really made me quite excited to try to wear something on my lips. First lipstick I bought, it was a winner! The packaging of the CHANEL lipsticks is amazing, especially this one, you need to push down the top so the lipstick is released. L’Exquise is a browny/plummy colour, I wear it in a sheer layer or pack on the colour for a more vampy lip.

Lip Balm – Vaseline.

Yes, pure petroleum jelly. It’s cheap and effective and it doesn’t smell of anything. It isn’t a very glamorous product to whip out of your back when you’re in public but it does the job. I use it throughout the day and always remember to put on a thick layer on the lips before bedtime. It’s also very useful when you have a cold and an irritated nose.

Makeup Tools

Foundation Brush – Sigma Foundation F60.

This is a classic foundation brush and I find that it’s what works best when I want to apply a sheer layer of liquid foundation, face mask or moisturizer.

Bronzer Brush – Real Techniques Contour Brush.

I’ve seen many people use a powder brush or a blush brush for contouring. Whilst I admired their confidence, I just know I’ll be going a terrible job at contouring my face with a big brush, and this is why this small contour brush is ideal for me. The brush isn’t available as a standalone brush and has to be bought in the Core Collection.

Sponge – Beauty Blender.

This is a fantastic sponge for applying foundation for an even and natural finish. I also blend under-eye concealer with the Beauty Blender. And I also use it as an eraser, to blend the edges of a harsh bronzer line or soften the colour of a too heavily applied blush.

Skincare

Makeup Remover – Bioderma Crealine TS H2O.

This is the makeup remover every blogger is talking about, I’ve known it for year and just rediscovered it in 2012. The one I currently use is the TS version, for very dry skin. The down side to this product is that it is very hard to find somewhere to buy this product. I get mine from back home, every time I go back to France.

Cleanser – Estée Lauder Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser.

I’ve been loving it for years and still haven’t used anything better in 2012. I mentioned it, along with other products in the skincare category, in this article. I loved using this cleanser with water and my hands, loved it even more since I own a Clarisonic Mia.

Toner – Caudalie Beauty Elixir.

This is a very nice product to use. A few spritzes on the face, whenever you feel like it really. I enjoyed using it a lot during the summer. I’ve got a review here.

Electrical – Clarisonic Mia.

I now have it for over a year and it truly is fantastic. I no longer worry about leaving any makeup or dirt on my skin, it leaves the skin feeling so clean and exfoliated.

Facial Mask – GlamGlow Tingling & Exfoliating Mud Mask.

In short, smells divine, leaves the skin feeling amazing, the exfoliating beads don’t irritate my skin. In long, head over to this article, for a complete review.

Treatment – Avene Cleanance K Cream-Gel.

I call it the ‘Miracle Blemish Zapper‘, I’ve written an article about it here.

EDIT 06/01/13 – Shower Oil – L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil.

Sorry guys, I’ve just realised I’ve forgotten to include this product in my 2012 Favourites. This is my favourite shower oil ever. I love anything that smells like almond, I love marzipan and this is a lovely non greasy shower oil. I generally buy a bigger size of the bottle with a pump on Boxing Day every year and it lasts for months.

Nail Care

Nail File – Leighton Denny Crystal Nail File.

I’ve talked about this nail file a few times now. It’s something I’ve never tried before and I don’t think I could go back to exclusively using a standard nail file. Read my review here.

Nail Polish – Essie Skirting The Issue.

I’ve been loving Essie nail polishes this year, especially the polishes available at Boots and Superdrug, they have a wide brush. My favourite colour was Skirting The Issue. This oxblood red came out as part of the Essie Autumn 2012 collection. It’s the sort of colour I like to wear all year around on my toes and during autumn and winter on my fingernails.

Top Coat – Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

I tried a couple of Sally Hansen top coats, and I was very disappointed, all of them cracked and chipped within a day. Well Seche Vite is very different. Not only does this top coat helps speed up the drying process, it also protect the polish from chipping, which is very handy for me, as I wash my hands regularly throughout the day.

Nail Polish Remover – Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover.

It’s just a very handy product, I’ve had it for months now and still can’t see that it’s about to run out; it lasts forever and is very helpful if you mess up one nail.

Fragrance.

DIOR Dolce Vita.

This is my go to fragrance, and it has been for years. I always get compliments about it when I wear it (which is pretty much every day). The only fear I have is that it might get discontinued one day, this is a less popular DIOR fragrance.

Haircare.

Leave-in Treatment – Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique.

This is a fantastic leave-in treatment for brittle, damaged hair. It protects the hair against heat and styling tools in general.

Hair Oil – Moroccanoil.

Well of course this would be my favourite hair oil. It is pricey, but nothing compares to it in my opinion, I just use it every single day. Read my review here.

Miscellaneous

Braun Silk-Epil 7 Dual Epilator 7891 Wet & Dry.

I have absolutely no idea as to how I’ve managed to live without this piece of technology. I use it everywhere I want to but on the face, it is fantastic to use in the shower and is so practical as it is cordless.

Well, this is it; my 2012 Favourites. Thank you very much (and congratulations) if you’ve managed to read the entire article. Please let me know what your favourite products of 2012 are.

Juliette

Lush Lip Scrub – Like in the Movies?

Hello everyone.

I bought something from Lush a few weeks ago and I thought I’d write a review telling you how I got along with it. I’m not too familiar with Lush as the product they make are just not the sort of things I’d use. I’ve used a couple of bath bombs but I’m  not really the type to sit in a bath for ages. I find many of their shower gels and bubble bath are just too strongly scented. And call me weird but I think their soaps look messy… These are only personal preferences, I never thought the products were rubbish, they’re just not my kind of thing.

I’ve talked about this a million times before, I just have the driest lips and nothing (but Vaseline) seems to help. I just keep looking for products that might help and saw some Youtubers talking about how they love the Lush Lip Scrub. I went into a Lush store weeks ago, a friend of mine was picking up one of their Christmas sets. I just remembered about all the raves I heard about the lip scrub and just decided to pick one up, to try… I only had to decided between, Bubblegum and Popcorn, they both smelled very sweet and appetizing and after many hesitations, I went for the latter.

The Popcorn Lip Scrub is a sugar based scrub, it comes in a small glass tub with a black plastic lid. The scrub looks like wet sugar, and I suppose it is wet sugar… As I said above, it smells sweet and appetizing.

I was advised to wet my lips before applying the scrub on them (the sugar might not stick on the lips otherwise), then to rub the scrub on them before licking and eating (yes, eating) what was left of the product. Everything was as I excepted it apart from the taste, the sugar is actual salted, shame really, since I’m a sweet popcorn girl.

Apart from this, I suppose the scrub did leave my lips feeling quite soft but I have to say it didn’t really last. Because it is a lip scrub, I’d thought that maybe once scrub a day (maximum) would be enough, I needed one every single time I needed to reapply my lip balm and found myself picking at my dry lips throughout the day.

Again, I have extremely dry lips, and so, maybe the product just isn’t for me. But at £5.25, I was expecting a lot more than a very short term result.

If you are curious about the Lush Lip Scrub, pick one up at any Lush shop or here (can’t seem to find the popcorn one anymore).

Any tips on how to keep dry lips smooth and moisturized?

Juliette

Benefit Sugarlicious – How Sweet The Kit?

Hello everyone.

I didn’t get many beauty/makeup related presents this Christmas but I thought I’d write a short article about one them, as it is rather nice set from Benefit.

I only own a few products from Benefit (eye pencil, mascaras and a couple of samples), which I love very much, so you can imagine how excited I was to receive a set from the brand.

Benefit Sugarlicious is a “deliciously nude…lip & cheek kit“, why, this sounds good to me. We all know how Benefit presents their products by now (cardboard packaging with retro design and cheesy messages) and this set is no exception. It comes in a sweet little box.

The box contains the products (which I’ll get onto in a second) but also has a bit of “paperwork“, detachable cards with “tips & tricks“, nice touch, can be helpful for those who never used Benefit‘s products.

Like in any set/palette, there is a mirror on the top part of the box, this one isn’t fantastic, and I’ll probably never use it, but it isn;t one of these poor quality ones that distort your reflexion.

Here is a shot of the products. All four are some of the brand’s bestselling products.

I’ve done some swatches on my arm. All applied heavily then blended in by finger, on bare skin.

From left to right, as presented in the kit and on the swatches:

– Deluxe Benetint Mini – 4ml. This is one product I sure wanted to try. It’s a very dark pink/red liquid that can be applied as a stain on the lips or on the cheeks. It doesn’t dry as dark as I thought it would. I am a bit disappointed that the stain didn’t go on too well on my lips actually, it just wouldn’t stay on whilst it clearly stained my arm and it took me some serious scrubbing to remove it.

– Deluxe High Beam Mini – 4ml. The famous highlighter, glad I finally get to try it out. It is a lot pinker than I would go for but at least it is nothing like anything else in my collection. It looks very good on the skin and I like it so far.

– Sugarbomb blush – 3g. This is a four colours blush, mix all four to get the blush. Well, I have to say I am quite surprised with the swatch. It is a lot more orange than anything I expected from mixing the four colours. And, it is has a lot more shimmer than I thought it would! It’s just as shimmery as High Beam. I’ve got to see how it works out on my cheeks.

– Ultra Plush Sugarbomb Lip Gloss – 6.5ml. I’m not one to wear lipgloss, I just find them sticky and I’m not too keen on glossy lips. The colour is sort of a coral/pink, a very nice colour really, but I’m just not a fan of lipgloss.

All in all, this is a very nice little set. It has bestselling products that work together or separately, and is a nice way to discover the brand. I’m looking forward to use those products in the future and see if I can make Benetint leave a deeper stain on my lips.

Find the kit here, for £24.50.

Have you tried any of these products?

Juliette

Urban Decay Naked Basics – Back to Basics.

Hello everyone.

Do you guys remember how excited I was when I found out that Urban Decay was releasing a (not quite) all-matte eyeshadow palette? If not, you can refresh your memory here. The Naked Basics palette did come out on 20th December in the UK and is exclusive to Debenhams (for now). I had to get it on the day! I grabbed one for me, and another one to gift.

I knew the palette was smaller but didn’t quite imagine it to be as small as it is. I have an iPhone 5, and though the palette contains six full size eyeshadows, it is smaller than the phone.

The packaging is very nice if you ask me, Naked Basics might be very compact, but it is heavy and sturdy. Could be because the plastic the packaging is made out of is quite thick but also because there is a full size mirror in the top half of the palette.

As mentioned in my previous article about this product, what I find appealing in this palette is that all but one shadows have a matte finish, this is something that I feel was lacking in Naked and the Naked2.

I did some heavy swatches of all six colours on my arm. Every colour was applied with a clean finger, directly on bare skin.

From left to right, as presented in the palette:

– Venus – soft, off-white. This is meant to be a demi-matte colour, I don’t find it extremely shimmery but it is my least favourite colour in the palette.

– Foxy – very light yellow/beige. This colour is available in the Naked 2 palette or can be purchased as an individual eye shadow. Colour is quasi invisible against my arm as it is so close to the colour of my skin.

– Walk of Shame – very light pinky nude. This colour can be bought to fit the Urban Decay Build Your Own Palette). I can only see it on my arm because it has a pink undertone.

– Naked2 – rosy taupe. New colour. I like taupe colours, this one is perfect to add a soft shadow to the crease.

– Faint – warm, dusty brown. New colour. I feel this one is very good for adding a more obvious shadow to the crease.

– Crave – deepest, darkest brown/black. New colour. Can’t say I see much brown in this colour, just reminds me of M.A.C. Carbon. It’s harder to get an even coat of this colour, but I’d say I always find black (extremely dark brown) matte shadows hard to work with. I suppose it could be used wet for tight lining though.

So what do I think?

I’m not really an eyeshadow girl, I kind of just stick  to drawing a very thin brown eyeliner line in the outer corner for my eyes for add definition and make my rather big eyes a little more feline-like. I keep this subtle and never wing the liner. So having these neutral eyeshadows is perfect for keeping the subtle eye makeup going. I like applying Foxy all over the eyelid as it evens out the colour of my eyelids. I then like blending a bit of Faint in the crease. If I do want something even more subtle (kind of not even there at all look), I replace Faint with Naked2.

The palette does contain basic colours indeed but they’ll only work with pale to medium skin tones. I feel like it is lacking in darker colours that would suit darker complexions. Saying that, maybe the palette can be used in a different purpose? Highlighting the brow bone or the inner corners of the eyes, rather than a full natural eye makeup?

I mentioned earlier in the article that I like the packaging, it’s a good quality product and compact enough that it could be put in a makeup bag for touch-ups throughout the day, or taken away on holiday.

Another positive point is the price. The palette retails at £20 ($27 in the US), this is a very good price for six high quality, highly pigmented, high-end eyeshadows.

The only not so positive comment I can make on this is that the palette doesn’t come with anything else, Urban Decay has always included, a shadow brush, a gloss or a sample of their famous Eyeshadow Primer Potion with any Naked palette, Naked Basics comes with no extras. This small detail doesn’t bother but I can understand why some customers might be disappointed.

All in all, I think this is an excellent palette to have, wether you are a beginner or a makeup addict. I feel like you can never have enough nude and matte colours.

You can get your Urban Decay Naked Basics palette at Debenhams, online or in store. Please let me know what you think of this palette, and tell me what your favourite colours are.

Juliette

PS: Though, I wouldn’t go out and buy the first Naked palette, I did get it for Christmas and will have swatches and a review up very soon.