Glossybox - August

I've been a bit slack on the blog front lately - mainly due to having a new job, playing Animal Crossing (that game is addictive) and generally being knackered. Due to this, my usual monthly Glossybox post is rather late and I'm sorry for that but here it is now!

August's theme was 'High-Flyers', which included products from all around the world rather than the usual British or U.S brands. Also they are brilliant for on-the-go and they're all under 100ml so you're able to take them on planes... not that I'm going on holiday this year :(
Glossybox also have a new CEO and apparently exciting products & surprises are ahead so let's hope they stay true to that.

What's in the box?

Urban Veda - Neem + Balance
Purifying Day Cream
Sample size - 10ml
Full size - £14.99 / 50ml
Product link - www.urbanveda.co.uk

'Founded on Ancient Indian principles'

A brand new skincare range by Urban Veda, reflecting Ayurveda's holistic health & well being system based on the idea of using nature to live a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. Formulated to naturally combat pollution, leaving skin less vulnerable to the environment. Ayurvedic bioactive botanicals detoxify congested skin.

This cream smells really nice & refreshing and helps to wake you up in the morning. It dries quickly and does not leave your skin feeling sticky or greasy. It absorbs fantastically and is mattifying so it's perfect for oil prone skin. It contains no SLS, parabens, no GM ingredients and they are against animal testing.

Emite Makeup
Professional Eyelash Curler
Full size included - £20
Product link - www.emitemakeup.com

Sweden

These eyelash curlers are unique in the way that they are black with red silicone pads that apply the right amount of pressure to curl naturally. They have a special curved design to suit all eye shapes without touching your make up base. 

I don't often use curlers simply because I find the curl goes after applying mascara but I will definitely be testing these out to see if they do a better job than my current ones. They are sturdy but there is not much else to say amount them! 

TRESemme
Keratin Smooth Concentrated Treatment Shot
Full size included - £1.49 / 15ml

USA

A cute little treatment shot for one-time use. Apply once a week to shampooed hair but avoid roots. Leave for 60 seconds and rinse. 

15ml won't be much for my long hair but I will always appreciate conditioners as mine is always quite dry. It's not something I'd buy as it's way too small but I'll be glad to give it a go, it's waiting to be used in my collection of hair masks. 

Jelly Pong Pong
2-in1 Eyeliner & Shadow in Black
Full size included - £10.50
Product link - www.jellypongpong.com

U.K

A multi-tasking eyeliner that can be used as a smudged eyeshadow. This product is my least favourite out of the bunch mostly because it's in black - I would never wear black eyeshadow as I like my eye make up to be quite clean but I would possibly try smudging it but even then I don't usually wear heavy eye make up. 

If it were another shade, which other people did get I believe, then I'd be much more inclined to try it out as an eyeshadow stick. I have to say though, that this product is very pigmented and super black but I can't imagine it lasting long - major transfer comes to mind. Something I will probably be passing on.

Océane
Make Up Remover Pen
Product not available in the U.K

Brazil

This product is perfect for on-the-go or if you're in a rush as you can easily remove mascara / eyeliner / lipstick mistakes without having to dip a cotton bud in remover. I had similar cotton buds that snap and liquid comes out of the middle tube part but they weren't very precise. I've thought of buying a similar product before but now I don't have to! It can be used on eyes or lips & it seems to remove fairly well but the tip does get dirty as soon as you use it. This is made up by the fact it includes three spare tips. I can imagine the dirty tip transferring easily and it's not something you can easily clean unfortunately. It has no scent. I've been using this product a lot and it's been very useful in the mornings. 

Here I've swatched the Jelly Pong Pong eyeliner and removed a small part with this pen. As you can see it's worked well but doesn't leave a completely clean line. Below is the dirty tip after one use.

I didn't get overly excited by this month's box but I think I'm starting to get a little bit bored by Glossybox. I still love trying out the products but recently there's usually something I don't actually like - such as the eyeliner this time. The cream was nice but GB loves giving out face creams and I'm still trying to get through my stash! I felt they all went with the High-Flyers theme in some way but I'm looking forward to these great treats GB have supposedly got lined up for us! 

Who subscribes? Let me know if you think yours was worth the money or not! 

Non-subscribers - would you buy happy spending £12.95 on this?

Thanks for reading!

Born Pretty Store Haul

Born Pretty is an online store of magical things that entices you to spend your money on it all! They have an amazing nail art selection and everything they sell is so cute / pretty / handy. Here's what I bought:

Born Pretty Holo Polish x 3

6ml

#12, #11 & #9

Price - $5.59 each

These are three beautiful holos that I've been eyeing up for a while and a big reason why I decided to make a purchase with Born Pretty. From left to right - #12 is a gorgeous dark green holo which is probably one of my favourite combinations in the polish world. #11 I thought was going to be a dark blue with hints of purple but I would say it's the other way round. #9 is a lighter, prettier lavender / purple which is very elegant. It has the least holo effect of the three. All three have a lovely formula and apply well but the only con is the bottles are too small - at 6ml each it's almost half some of my other polishes, and I would actually call these minis. Being mini they only hold a small brush making the application a little more difficult than a longer brush. However, that being said, I hardly ever go through a whole bottle as I like to vary each time, but these holos are so gorgeous how could I not resist wearing them all the time?!

I will be swatching these on my nail blog and hopefully I will be able to catch the full holographic effect on my camera. The swatches below are taken outside but not in direct sunlight.

BK Matte Nail Polish
25 - Purpley / Pink / Lilac
15ml
Price - $4.36

I have always wanted a matte polish but as I have essie's Matte About You, I can make any polish matte... but this intrigued me and as it was so cheap I thought why not. The formula is a little on the thick side and does apply a bit streaky but it dries matte like it says and I like the effect it leaves. The shade is a bit of an odd one, I can't quite make out if it's purple or pink or what but it certainly boggles your mind. It's not a shade I would say works well with my skin tone but it will get used and maybe I'll use it for nail art etc. The main problem I had with this polish was it was all crusted up on the neck of the bottle, making it hard to open. The shade is '25' I think, as it was all in Japanese I couldn't really make it out.

This polish is the lilac / pink / purple shade in between the pink and burgundy shades below.

Black & White Stamping Polish

Price - $3.41 for both

A while ago I bombarded the lovely Katy from kittyklawzpolish.blogspot.co.uk with questions about stamping and she suggested buying stamping polish along with more plates. I saw these for real cheap and black and white are versatile colours so I nabbed them up straight away. Stamping polishes are thicker than normal and don't dry as fast. These ones are quite small but you do scrape away most of it anyway! Thanks for the suggestion Katy! 

Candy Color Anti-Skid Mats / Coasters

Price - $2.65 x 2

Stepping away from the nail & beauty products for a moment - these rubber coasters are the cutest I've seen - how could I not buy them?! They are doily-style coasters that grip to the table and although I didn't need these they do look great on my coffee table.  

5 x 2way Pink Dotting Tools

Price - $4.74

I did need some new dotting tools and now I'll never need more. These are very pretty and have a marbleised pattern entwined inside (how they do that I'll never know). They have one thick end and one thinner end and there are some duplicates in there which will be good as spares. They make perfect dots of all sizes and I don't think I'll be running out anytime soon.

White Nail Display Wheel

Price - $0.99

This nice little nail wheel was so cheap and looks so pretty once you've painted them all. Great for swatching and / or practising nail art. For $0.99 you can't go wrong! I have painted all my recent polish buys on them - see photo below.

Hair Brush Cleaner

Price -  $0.99

I thought this looked interesting as I'm always trying to scrape out hair from my brushes with random pointy things - now I have an actual tool for the job! It's basically just a bunch of short wires with angled ends placed inside a pink handle. It removes the hair easily and catches all the strays that I can never seem to get out with other tools. Handy & cheap!

Water Decals Stickers

Price - $0.99

I haven't tried water decals before but I've seen it done & it did look very easy and left a lovely flawless finish so I thought I'd give these a go. Will be reviewing on my nail blog.

Nail Display Tips x40
Price - $7.82

I've been having so much fun with these swatching all my polish - I've found some ones I've neglected & loving them again. They are great to place over your nail to see what shade to choose / if it goes with your skin tone / practising nail art. They come with a bolt so you can fan them all out so it's great to keep them all in one place. I won't be able to paint my whole collection on them so I think I'll be buying more. Also you can write the polish brand / shade on them so you can be completely organised!

Stamping Plates

M64 & M60

Price - $1.99 each

I needed more of these as I have a poor selection and want to get into stamping a bit more. I bought two but they gave me a free Christmas plate which is nice of them - not sure if it was an accident but thank you anyway! The one on the left has beautiful designs but the other ones are just way too small for my long nails. Disappointment! However the free one made up for this...slightly. Even though it not's the season :) The one on the right did get a little damaged in transit - I don't think it scratched the plate though. I can't wait to try these out!

I used a 10% discount code which gave me $2.56 off so altogether this bunch cost me $45.79 which converted to GBP is £29.48 - 30 quid for this lot was pretty impressive! I paid $3.00 shipping as it comes from Hong Kong although this isn't necessary but I bought quite a lot so I thought I'd better be safe than sorry. It took about 2 weeks to arrive and it was all safely packaged up and nothing broken except slight damage to one stamping plate. 

I love Born Pretty and will be returning to purchase more I'm sure. My favourite items were the holo polish and the Nail Display Tips. Do you think I got a good deal? 

Thanks for reading!

Latest in Beauty Luxury Samples Purchase

When I purchased Latest in Beauty's Ultimate Summer Nails box - review here - I decided to buy some of their luxury samples as well. Latest in Beauty sell a variety of full or sample sized products by luxurious brands and they are usually cheaper than the standard RRP. I've bought many before and I have always been ecstatic with them! Here's what I bought:

Dr. Nick Lowe 
Cooling Menthol Facial Scrub
Full Size 75ml (£6.00) [RRP - £11.49]
Product link - www.boots.com

My favourite product out of all of these, this scrub feels magical on your skin. It is a menthol-based creamy scrub that uses gentle spherical micro beads to smooth the skin, purify pores & stimulate cell renewal. It gently lifts away impurities & dead skin cells without stripping skin of essential oils. This scrub includes Pomegranate & Raspberry, Ferulic Acid which naturally protects against UV damage, & Vitamins A, C & E. This product is no longer available on Latest in Beauty but you can find it on the link provided.

The spherical beads feels glorious and like no other scrub I've used before. The menthol feels great too - really refreshing (and I don't usually like menthol or minty products). Definitely now my No.1 scrub!

Elemis
Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser
Sample size 30ml (£4.00) [Full size RRP - £29.00]
Product link - www.latestinbeauty.com

This lovely cleanser contains active fragrances of Sweet Brazillian Orange, Lavender, Ylang Ylang & Patchouli & essential plant extracts that purify and cleanse the skin. Moringa Seed Peptide defends against daily pollutants & Great Burdock helps to balance the skin. It feels lovely on the skin and super creamy. Apply to dry skin, and allow to dissolve make up & grime for one minute, then rinse with warm water and / or a cloth. The full size comes with a 100% cotton facial mitt.

Melvita Nectar Bright Duo
Brightening Cream & Brightening Exfoliation Mask
Sample size 15ml each (£6.00) [Full size RRP - Cream £36.00 / 40ml & Mask £27.00 / 40ml]
Product link - www.latestinbeauty.com

Melvita is another brand Latest in Beauty introduced me to - I love that they strive to use natural and organic products. The Brightening Exfoliation Mask combines a complex of 5 white flowers with brightening properties and exfoliating silica micro beads. It's a 2-in-1 mask, a mask and a scrub. To use; apply a thick layer on clean, dry skin, leave for 5-10 minutes and  massage with fingertips to exfoliate. Finally, rinse with water. This was nice to apply but when I went to rinse it off it clumped up a little. My skin did feel lovely but didn't notice an immediate brightening effect.

The Brightening Cream corrects dull & uneven complexions, brightens & restores luminosity, whilst protecting & moisturising for a radiant, glowing complexion. I used this after the mask and I actually noticed a difference to my skin - it was, dare I say it, radiant and my complexion was far brighter than usual. 

Ila
Face Oil for Glowing Radiance
Sample size 1.75ml vial [Full size RRP £75.00 / 30ml]
Product link - www.ila-spa.com

This little vial of oil is packed with essential fatty acids & wrinkle-fighting antioxidants. It revitalises, nourishes & supports at the deepest level. Here's a list of what this little oil contains:

- Argan oil to fight wrinkles

- Rosehip Seed oil to heal scar tissue & reveal skin's natural 'bloom'

- Damascene Rose Otto to regenerate skin cells & reverse ageing

- Sandalwood to rejuvenate & nourish at a deep level

It also works beautifully under make up (their words, not mine), I've yet to test this claim though as I like to use face oils at night mostly. It does have a beautiful scent too. Ila Face Oil is no tested on animals and contains no petrochemicals. Unfortunately this product is now sold out on Latest in Beauty but you can find the find size in the link provided.

I might be posting more detailed reviews on the top two or three, but if you want to know more about a certain product let me know & I'll be glad to write up a post for you!

Thanks to all my lovely readers, you make my day! 

Thanks for reading

Latest in Beauty x YOU - Ultimate Summer Nails

As some of you may know I am slightly obsessed with nails and have a separate blog to this one focusing on all my manis etc, on costellonails.blogspot.co.uk. So when Latest in Beauty & YOU magazine teamed up again to create the Ultimate Summer Nails box, it was inevitable I was going to buy it. (They teamed up in December to bring us the wonderful advent calendar full of amazing beauty products).

What I love about Latest in Beauty is they create the most amazing collection boxes which seem to get better & better each time a new one comes out. My LIB box collection is growing higher much like my Glossyboxes!

The Ultimate Summer Nails comes in a nice, sturdy black box and is filled with blue shredded paper to protect the insides, much like any other beauty box. Inside are 7 nail related products that all appealed to me straight away. 

It also comes with a leaflet explaining what products are inside and also some helpful beauty tips.

So what's in the box?

Butter London nail polish
in Yummy Mummy
RRP - £14.00

One of the main reasons I bought this box - I've been wanting to try Butter London polishes since they came out and this shade is a lovely neutral colour that can be worn any time any place! The bottle is nicely made; a rectangular lid that has a cute sticker of a finger pointing telling you to lift; inside is a screw top which also has an image of a bird with a crown on. This shade would suit most skin tones and it especially suits my pale skin. I would call it a tan / beige with slight hints of blue undertones. It also holds a lovely shimmer and is very glossy. The formula is very nice too and lived up to my expectations of this brand. Perfect! Also 3-free.
Full review coming soon.

The Vintage Cosmetic Company
Nail File
RRP - £2.00

I found this lovely brand through Latest in Beauty last year, and have since bought a few of their make up brushes which really are amazing quality. This nail file has a cute floral design on one side and small polka dots with their name printed on the other side. The file itself is fairly fine and in my opinion won't last very long as I prefer rougher files that don't grate down so easily. It comes in a handy plastic casing so you won't ruin anything in your bag. I wanted this file to be a bit better quality but it will get used even so. 

essie
Sleek Stickers
RRP - £11.99

Some of you may have seen my last Glossybox post that included essie nail wraps which were tiger print (not particularly to my taste). However this bright red and gold edition is so pretty and a design I really like, although I'll have to save them for a special occasion - the RRP tells me so. I haven't tried either yet but I will be writing a full review once I have on my nail blog.

L'Occitane
Shea Butter Hand Cream
RRP - £8.00

My favourite hand cream of all time, this was a welcome edition in this box, plus a size I haven't got yet - I have the full size plus a few mini ones. This medium size is perfect for handbags and the cream itself leaves your hands super smooth and soft. It's nourishing for hands and cuticles and even generally dry areas such as elbows. See here for my full review of this product.

Bourjois
Magic Nail Polish Remover
RRP - £4.99

I've been tempted to buy this remover before but I wasn't sure how well it would work - now I've had the chance to try it I am pretty amazed at how well and quickly it can take off the polish. To use, simply pop your finger into a hole in the sponge and twist. You'll be surprised, after a couple of twists & turns it leaves the nail squeaky clean - even if you had a base coat, 2/3 polish coats and a top coat! This is just perfect for on the go or in your handbag. It's also acetone free & the scent is actually alright - 'red fruit & vanilla fragrance'. Super handy.

Rituals...
Nail Varnish Corrector Pen
RRP £7.00

This product is perfect to use on the go as well - if you've just done your nails and need to go out straightaway but had no time to clean up the mess around the cuticles etc this is a little saviour. I usually use an angled brush dipped in remover but this saves a lot of time indeed. The pen effectively removes unwanted polish or mistakes even though it is acetone free. It's really easy to use, the tip is already soaked in remover and holds sharp edges to get to any nook & cranny. Also it comes with three extra pen tips in a section at the bottom - I can see these getting dirty or misshapen after a while, so having the spares is a great idea. Plus it's enriched with Jojoba Oil. Sorry about the blurred photo & I should of included pictures of the tips - I can do a full review if any of you lovely readers are interested.

Nails Inc
Notting Hill Gate & Kensington Caviar Top Coat
RRP (10ml full size) - £11.00 & £12.00

Most of my nail polish collection is built up of Nails Inc polishes so it's fair to say I do like the brand. Notting Hill Gate is a shade I don't currently own and it is a bright, hot pink. I already have a mini of Kensingston Caviar Top Coat from a previous Glossybox, and although I haven't used much of it, (Seche Vite always seems to be my first choice) this top coat really is great! It dries super fast and feels smooth and glossy. I think Notting Hill Gate and Portobello (also part of the neon range - a bright orange) will make a fabulous gradient mani and I will be sure to create one very soon. The minis are so cute but you only get 4ml of product.

Also included is a complimentary luxury manicure in the comfort of your own home with Perfect 10 when you book any other treatment. This offer is only valid for residents in London. For more information see www.perfect10mobilebeauty.co.uk.

Overall, I couldn't of asked for much more from this box. I love the variety of products and it's a great way of trying products you're intrigued about. My favourite items were the Butter London polish and the great nail polish remover from Bourjois. 

Altogether the box value comes to £47.98 and that's without including the Nails Inc minis as I'm not sure how much they are - so I'd say it's worth around £50 - isn't that amazing for £14.95?

Unfortunately this box has now sold out but keep an eye on the Latest In Beauty homepage for more collection boxes & they might even produce more of this box. Did any of you lovely readers manage to get your hands on this? If so, let me know! I'll be posting full reviews on some of these products so look out for them on this blog & also my nail blog.

Thanks for reading - I look forward to your comments :)