Sarah Fynn asked me if I wanted to do a blogger box swap. It seemed like fun so I said yes!
Continue reading “Beauty Blogger Box Swap with Sarah Fynn”
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Tag: Beauty Box
My First Love Me Beauty “Box”
When I received a voucher code in one of the various magazines I subscribe to (can’t remember which one), I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try a Love Me Beauty box.
My Chocobelle Box – First Impressions
Although I am still on a beauty spending ban, I managed to get hold of the first My Chocobelle box by begging my husband to buy it for me. It’s ridiculous right? Well, now I have it!
I saw the postman approach my house but I couldn’t see a box shaped parcel in his hand so I was a little disappointed. This was only heightened when he knocked on the door and handed me a parcel in a purple bag which still didn’t look like a beauty box.
When I opened up the envelope, inside was a gold cardboard gift box tied with pink ribbon and a gold glitter handwritten tag saying “Hello lovely We hope you love & enjoy this months box MCB x”. This explained everything! The mystery package was the My Chocobelle Box. Also inside the bag was a set of Curvy Ardell lashes. I was just about to throw the purple envelope away when I felt something else. I thought it might be a guide to the products but I was a postcard giving 35% at C.A.K.E Cosmetics. Now that’s a nice surprise!
Inside the box were five further beauty items plus two little chocolates. I received:
- Halo Eye Make-up Remover Pads
- Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser
- Kiko Make Up Milano Nail Lacquer in 379 Eggplant
- Bella Pierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Champagne
- Bella Pierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Bronze
I would say that’s a nice little mix of make-up, skincare and nail care, however I would prefer that everything fits in the box – I almost threw my discount away!
Givenchy Face
I put together this look following my Givenchy make-up lesson using a combination of products from the Givenchy Iconic Products beauty box – the British Beauty Blogger Edit, products purchased from my make-up lesson and samples provided from my make-up lesson.
Face
After cleansing my face with Givenchy Skin Drink and moisturising with Givenchy Velvet Luminescence Moisturising Cream I applied a light layer of Teint Couture Foundation in shade No8 using my Real Techniques expert face brush. I dabbed a little onto the back of my hand, dabbed the brush into the foundation then buffed the foundation onto my face using circular motions. I then placed some Givenchy Mister Light in shade No5 on the back of my hand and mixed this with some of the foundation. I applied this to the areas I wanted to highlight and lighten – my cupids bow, under my eyes up to my temples and underneath my eyebrows, using my Real Techniques pointed foundation brush. I applied the same mixture right up to my lower lash line using my Real Techniques detailer brush. Finally I applied a little blusher using my Real Techniques blush brush – No7 Natural Blush Tint Powder in Coral Flush.
Eyes
For my eyes, I used a sample of the Givenchy Prisime Quatour in No1 Caresse. First I applied the light peach shimmer shade all over my lids up to my brows using my Real Techniques angled shadow brush. I the applied the pink colour to my lids using my Real Techniques base shadow brush. I applied the lighter brown shade to the crease and blended it out for a subtle smoke effect using my Real Techniques essential crease brush. I then lined the upper and lower lash-line with the dark brown shade using my Real Techniques eyeliner brush to add some definition and depth to the appearance of my eyelashes.
I applied one coat of Givenchy Phenomen’Eyes mascara in No1 Deep Black to my top and bottom lashes (I’ll post later how best to do this). To brighten my waterline I applied Bourjois Contour Clubbing Waterproof eye pencil in 60 taupe of the top. I finished by defining my brows with L’Oreal Brow Artist Shaper pencil in 04 Dark Brunette, first filling in my brows using the pencil, neatening with the brush and setting with the wax.
Lips
I applied Givenchy Le Rouge Lipstick in 202 Rose Dressing using my Real Techniques retractable lip brush. I used the lip brush because I did not have a matching lip liner and it was easier to get a defined line with the brush. I blotted the lip colour then repeated the process.
The British Beauty Blogger Givenchy beauty box was the perfect introduction to the brand and I enjoyed applying the make-up. I also bought the Givenchy Color Kajal in No3 – a gorgeous violet colour. I’ll show you that in another post.
Givenchy Counter Make-up Lesson
I was lucky enough to get hold of one of the British Beauty Blogger Givenchy beauty boxes. Inside was an empty bottle which I could take to a Givenchy beauty counter to collect a five-day sample of foundation. There was also encouragement to try one of the Givenchy makeovers so I booked a full make-up lesson at House of Fraser in London Victoria.
I was warmly welcomed by Faith the consultant and Shadia the Givenchy makeup artist, with a glass of bubbly and a mini cake. I’ll try to remember the products used – I wanted to enjoy the pampering so I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to write a blog post about it until now. We began with a discussion on my skin type and what look I wanted to go for. I have dry and oily skin and I love bright colours so I asked for a bold look.
Skincare
Shadia prepared my skin by cleansing it with Skin Drink, applying Flash Luminescence Serum and finishing with Hydra Velvet Moisturising Cream.
Base and Complexion
Shadia evened out my skin tone using Acti’Mine Makeup Base SPF 15 in shade 5. I decided I wanted a natural looking foundation so Shadia used Teint Couture in shade 8. She didn’t use any powder as this would have taken away the glowing skin effect. She then mixed the foundation with the Mister Light Corrective Pen in shade 5 and applied this to the upper part of my cheekbones, under my eyes and up to my temples to highlight. She then added depth using Poudre Bonne Mine in Ambre Croisiere (shade 3) in the hollows of my cheeks and around the top of my forehead where the shadows naturally fall. She finished my complexion with Le Prisime Blush in Vintage Pink, a very pretty combination of four soft pinks.
Eyes
Shadia prepared my eyelids using Ombre Couture in Prune Taffetas as a base then finished the eyeshadow using Prisime Quatour Eyeshadow in Tentation, a palette of purples and a green which is one of my favourite combinations. She lined my upper lid with Givenchy Liner Couture, a felt-tip style eyeliner and flicked it out. Shadia lined my waterline with black eyeliner and lined the lower lash line with a limited edition Colour Kajal in N3 Purple. She finished my eyes with Phenomen’Eyes mascara in Deep Black and defined my eyebrows using Eye Brow Show Pencil (although I’m not sure which shade she used).
Lips
My lips were dry so Shadia prepared them using Hydra Sparkling Magic Lip & Cheek Balm Moisturizing Rosy Glow. I think “magic” is an appropriate name for this balm – it was very soothing and hydrating which was expected. What I didn’t expect was the gorgeous pink shade it turned my lips which did not resemble what I saw in the pot! I would wear the balm on its own without any need to add colour on top. Shadia then applied a deep pink creamy lipstick and finished by defining my lips with lip pencil. Sorry but I don’t know the shades of either product.
Unfortunately I don’t have any blog-worthy photos of my face to post. I forgot to bring my camera, the lighting was bad so my phone photos are not great then on the way home I got caught in the heaviest rain I can ever remember encountering. By the time I got home, I was soaked through with mascara in my eyes and running down my face!
I was very happy with the service and impressed with the products. As you may know from other blog posts, service is everything – even if I love a product, if the service is bad I’ll probably walk away, most likely in the direction of another beauty counter. I bought a couple of items and received some more samples. I’ll post about the two items I bought separately but for now, why not guess which products I chose?
Beauty Boxes: Why I Chose the Glamour Beauty Power List Box 2014
For me, the Glamour Beauty Power List 2014 beauty box from latestinbeauty.com was the best one so far. I actually really wanted nearly everything in the box!
I am a fan of Philip Kingsley so I was looking forward to trying out one of his styling products and the Daily Damage Defence Conditioning Spray is as good a place to start as any.
I really like the Maybelline Color Sensational Nude Lipsticks so I was hoping to get another shade that would suit me as I already have Coffee Craze.
I had recently made my first Laura Mercia purchase – a foundation which I reviewed here so I definitely wanted to try the primer.
I have heard a lot about Liz Earle skincare so I definitely wanted to try her Hot Cloth Cleanser, which came with a muslin cloth!
I’ve read a few blog posts on the Eyeko Mascara Off Eye Makeup Remover Wipes and I wanted to see for myself if they are anything special, especially for the price.
Finally, I was intrigued by the whole concept of a 1 Seconde Mascara by Bourjois. I have used the 1 Seconde nail polishes but how does this work with a mascara?
I’m not sure I can call the James Read Sleep Mask Tan an added bonus, bronzer will be fine for me!
I’ll review the products I have used as soon as I can!
Beauty Boxes: Why I Chose the Glamour Beauty Edit Box and the British Beauty Blogger Dream Box
As you might have read on my blog already, I like to know what I’m getting in my beauty boxes before I get them – it seems I don’t like total surprises!
I got the Glamour Beauty Edit Box and the British Beauty Blogger Dream Box over the spring and summer but I was unable to blog about them at the time. Rather than review the boxes, because plenty of bloggers do that already, I’ll tell you why I picked these boxes over others. I will review some products in separate posts.
Both boxes are from Latest in Beauty. Sometimes will contain different shades of product and that is enough of a surprise for me!
Glamour Beauty Edit Box
The main thing that convinced me to go for this box was the Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick as I really wanted to try a Glamore lipstick. It also made the box very good value for money. I had previously purchased an infamous Illamasqua matte lipstick but it was far too drying for me so I was looking forward to testing the new formula.
I was also curious to try the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector as I had never tried any kind of tanning product before.
Finally, I wanted to try out the Bourjois Cram Blush as I like Bourjois and this was a good excuse to try a new product.
I figured if all else failed, I would have a nice little bottle of the DHC cleansing oil which I know I like, and a Crabtree & Evelyn Nail Lacquer, hopefully in a shade that I didn’t already have!
That meant the Magnifibres Brush -On False Lashes, Velvotan the Original Tanning Mitt, the Toni & Guy Volume Plumping Whip and Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection Ultra Radiance Sun Lotion SPF30 were added bonuses.
I think this was a great box to prepare for summer. It was very well put together and I especially liked that the tanning mitt was included with the instant tan bb lotion. The sun cream was in a useful SPF and cream blush is perfect for summer.
I will briefly say that on this occasion, the lipstick, instant tan and cream blush did not suit me. Oh well, you win some, you lose some!
The Dream Box by British Beauty Blogger
I was so glad I was at home the day this went on sale as it sold out in a flash! This was the third BBB box. I missed the first because I didn’t know about it and didn’t buy the second because the buying process was far too complicated. Then BBB teamed up with Latest in Beauty and I had no reason not to try it.
The main thing I wanted from this box was the Essie nail polish as I had never owned an Essie polish before. I wanted to try a La Roche-Posay product as bloggers seem to love this brand and I was intrigued by the Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick Kisses. I also wanted to try the Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream. Benefit is a bit hit and miss when it comes to make-up for brown skin so I was hoping that at least I could use the skincare, which comes in very pretty packaging. I had heard a little about the L’Occitaine Immortelle Divine range which is out of my price bracket so this box was an excuse to own a little piece of it! A new mascara is always a good thing, I religiously throw them away after 6 months to avoid eye infections so they always need replacing and why not try Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara? Finally, how could I not want another Makeup Revolution Palette? I just had to hope the Awesome Eyeshadow & Eyebrow Palette was not one I had already bought as there was a choice of shades.
This box also came with a Bourjois Cream Blush which luckily was a different shade to the one I received, a Bee Good Honey and Wild Water Mint Cleansing Water which was a random bonus for me, Elemis Treat Your Feet Foot Cream which was great because I do tend to neglect my feet, a Kniepp Herbal Bath something or another which was new to me, as was the Janjira Hand Wash, Roger & Gallet Gingembre Rouge fragrance, Ren Satin Perfection BB Cream which was worth trying and a Lola Kabuki Brush – a girl can never have too many make-up brushes!
As you can see the box was absolutely packed – I’m sure the lid was not on properly but everything arrived safe and sound. This box was perfect for trying out new as well as familiar brands so I’m looking forward to the 4th box!
Beauty Boxes: How Do I Choose Mine?
You don’t need to search very hard to find that there are a huge number of beauty boxes out there. For a taster, check out whichbeautyboxuk.com – crazy!
I like the idea of subscription boxes. The first one I encountered was Glossybox in its pretty pink packaging. At the time I didn’t want to make the monthly financial commitments with a minimum term so I tried Miss Glossybox which was aimed at teenagers so there was no long term commitment. Unfortunately this was discontinued. I also tried Glowwbox which is a subscription service aimed at women of colour.
I decided that subscription services were not for me. Although it is nice to receive a monthly box of beauty goodies, here’s what doesn’t suit me:
Beauty boxes have to cater for the majority and brown skinned beauties are in the minority in the UK. This makes it more likely that the goodies in the boxes will be completely unsuitable which is a shame. That’s not too say that’s always the case- it’s just a probability thing. This is where boxes such as Glowwbox come in to solve that issue. So still, why do subscription services not work for me?
There is also a risk that I will not be able to use anything in the box. If that was ever the case, it would be a complete waste of £15-20 which I could have used to buy something I know I like. I don’t like to waste money!
I’m not a fan of subscription services which have minimum terms. When you get to a certain age there are plenty of other regular bills to pay! I like the freedom to choose from month to month if I want something.
Finally, I thought I was the type of person who enjoys surprises and what could be nicer than a monthly surprise box of beauty products? Turns out I’m no such person. I want to know what’s in the box before I get it.
Good thing there’s Latest in Beauty! You can either build your own box or buy one of the themed boxes. It suits me perfectly as I can see what’s in it before I buy it and there’s no monthly subscription. As to whether the products will suit me, I can gauge that before buying. There is a small risk in that the shade of cosmetic received will not suit me but I can weigh that up with the other products in the box such as skin care and hair care. So a certain lipstick shade might not suit me but everyone can use mousse.
So, in all, I prefer my one-off boxes. Which do you prefer – one-off or subscription?
