Hi there lovelies!
I've been missing a monthly beauty box treat to myself, from myself so when I saw a sneak peak of what was in the September GLOSSYBOX, I re-subscribed and I was extremely excited to see the postman at the door Saturday morning with it in his hand!
The box's design was the "editor's choice" Red Edition by the beauty director of Red Magazine and inside were 5 items plus a bonus sample of a product! Each GLOSSYBOX also comes with an information card telling you about the products and their normal retail prices which is really helpful.
The first item in the box was the thing I was extremely excited for after seeing the 'sneak peak' in my email - a luxury sample size of the Too Faced 'Better Than Sex' mascara which usually retails for £19.00. I have been wanting to try this mascara out for such a long time now so I can test out this sample before buying the full-size version! Its a brilliant, buildable mascara which both thickens and lengthens lashes and after trying it out I am definitely impressed. The packaging is beautiful and, as a bonus, GLOSSYBOX sent out the waterproof version which is even better.
The second item was the full-size version of the Rodial 'Smokey Eye Pen' which retails for £17.00. It is basically an eye-liner style black kohl product which you can use either as a neat eyeliner or smudged out to create a smokier look. It has a very creamy texture which is extremely pigmented and is really easy to use to create whichever look you are going for!
The third item was a full-size version of the 'Antioxidant Lip Balm' from the Organic Pharmacy which usually retails for £12.00. I absolutely love receiving lip balms as they always come in handy, especially as we approach the colder months and my lips start to dry out easier. The balm includes ingredients such as shea butter, honey, cocoa butter and rose hip which give it a lovely scent on the lips as it slowly sinks in and moisturises.
The fourth product I was thrilled to see in my box - a full sized REVLON Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat which usually retails for £7.99. This is by far the best line of nail polishes I've ever tried and you can read my review of them here. This top coat definitely gives the 'diamond' effect as it creates a beautiful shine whilst preventing chips and preserving your manicure for longer than usual - I had just started to run out of this product so perfect timing to receive it in my box!
The fifth product in the box was a full-sized 'Hydro Face Mask' from Vitamasques which usually retails for £7.99. I'm not usually a fan of sheet masks but this one claims to be made from a slicker material which prevents slipping on the face whilst holding in as much moisture as possible, slightly different to your usual sheet mask. It also claims to hydrate your skin for up to 120 hours so we shall see!
Also as a bonus I received a sample of the BODY SHOP Himalayan Charcoal, Puryfying Glow Mask which retails for £15.00 in the full-size. I believe this to be one of the five natural-based, 'vegetarian' face masks the BODY SHOP has created and I actually wanted to give these a try - this sample will allow me to test it out on my skin without buying the full-size to do so! Lovely addition to the box!
The overall retail price of the 5 main products in the box is £63.98 so when you only pay £10.00 for the box, thats definitely a brilliant deal (especially when four out of the five products were full-sized!). You can still get your hands on the September box I believe so if you're interested you can sign up to GLOSSYBOX here which will give you 20% off your first box!
Thanks for reading lovelies, I can't wait to share next month's box with you all!
Holly Amber X
Hi lovelies!
I was long overdue buying a new makeup sponge after using my Nicka K one for so long so I thought I may as well choose one of the most popular sponges to try out - the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (which I purchased for £5.99 at BOOTS but I'm sure it's cheaper at super drug at the moment).
It comes nicely packaged with tips on the back and the suggestion of watching the online tutorial which I think is really helpful for first-timers - Real Techniques tend to always provide these tutorials which is brilliant. They call it a 3-in-1 sponge as it has a flat edge for applying liquid products such as foundation all over the face and even in harder-to-reach areas, a pointy end to target small blemishes and a rounded end to blend all over or to use with powders.
The shape of this sponge is quite different to my last which has a ridge in the middle for easy-holding but this doesn't bother me at all and its no different to use/hold.
 |
| DAMP. |
 |
| DRY. |
You can either use the sponge dry to give you more of a full-coverage look when applying your
foundation/powders/concealer etc or you can use it damp by rinsing it under water and squeezing out the excess to give a more dewey, softer look to your skin (the sponge expands quite a bit when damp).
I find that with first use, your foundation will tend to soak up into the sponge but once that has happened, it soaks up barely any foundation on second use which I had expected anyway. It definitely gives me a really beautiful finish with my foundation and I find it to work better at giving an even, flawless finish than my previous sponge.
One thing that I was disappointed with when taking the sponge out the packaging was that I ripped a tiny chunk out of it with barely any force so I do worry it will rip quite easily which never happened with my last sponge. However, this sponge is incredibly soft and bouncy which is good for application of products but may be why it ripped so easily.
My only other criticism is the colour and this is obviously just personal preference but it is such a bright orange and looks so dirty after just one use but this isn't a massive issue at the end of the day.
Overall I think it's a good, all-round sponge for a brilliant price that will be easy for anyone to use whether its your first time using a makeup sponge or you're a sponge enthusiast. Make sure to clean your sponge after every few uses to prevent product/bacteria build up and you'll be good to go!
Thanks for reading!
Holly Amber X
Hello lovelies!
I'm definitely late jumping on the Lash Sensational bandwagon since near enough everyone owns/has owned this in their lifetime, except me, until now!
My current favourite mascara has been the BENEFIT Roller Lash which is on the higher price-end for a mascara (£19.50 at BOOTS) so if I could find a cheaper alternative with the Lash Sensational (£7.99 at BOOTS) then brilliant!
PACKAGING
The Roller Lash packaging is definitely prettier and feels a lot higher quality but I feel as if this contributes to the price whereas I'd rather pay less for a simpler packaging design. The handle of the mascara wand is easier to hold than the Lash Sensational however, as it is a rubber material.
The lash sensational isn't even close to how pretty the Roller Lash packaging is but I don't dislike it at all - its compact and pleasant to look at so I can't complain.
MASCARA WAND
The Roller Lash has a slightly curved rubber wand which has small "hooks" which apparently help curl the lashes. The Lash Sensational wand is very similar in that it is a slightly curved, rubber wand but this one is slightly bigger. They're both very similar which is why I'm guessing many people compare them.
LENGTHENING
I find the Roller Lash to be slightly lengthening but I do believe it would work better for those with lashes that are already long, unlike mine. However, it does curl the lashes well, giving the appearance of longer lashes.
Although a slightly clumpier formula, the Lash Sensational lengthens my lashes A LOT more and I can apply multiple coats without it looking too clumpy. This did take some getting used to and I have to spend a little more time on completing my mascara but the overall look is much longer in the end.
VOLUMISING
I definitely believe the Lash Sensational too be better at volumizing as the formula is thicker. It can take some practice as it can be a "clumpy" mascara when applying for the first time but when you get the hang of it, it makes the lashes look much better in comparison to the Roller Lash, which doesn't do much for volumizing. However, I'm pretty sure the Roller Lash doesn't claim to be a volumizing mascara, simply more curling and lengthening so I didn't expect this anyway.
PRICE POINT
If you have the money to splash out on the Roller Lash, it is not at all a bad mascara and gives a much more natural look to the lashes. It was a lovely treat as a birthday present for myself and I still use it on makeup days where I want a more natural look.
However, I would much sooner recommend the Lash Sensational if you are going to be using this type of mascara day-to-day as it is a lot cheaper. I prefer the overall look when using this mascara in comparison to the Roller Lash but it is all about how you prefer your lashes to look. If you're looking for natural length and curl - Roller Lash, if you're looking for stand-out length and volume - Lash Sensational.
I hope this was helpful and thank you for reading!
Holly Amber X
I've been missing a monthly beauty box treat to myself, from myself so when I saw a sneak peak of what was in the September GLOSSYBOX, I re-subscribed and I was extremely excited to see the postman at the door Saturday morning with it in his hand!
The second item was the full-size version of the Rodial 'Smokey Eye Pen' which retails for £17.00. It is basically an eye-liner style black kohl product which you can use either as a neat eyeliner or smudged out to create a smokier look. It has a very creamy texture which is extremely pigmented and is really easy to use to create whichever look you are going for! 
The third item was a full-size version of the 'Antioxidant Lip Balm' from the Organic Pharmacy which usually retails for £12.00. I absolutely love receiving lip balms as they always come in handy, especially as we approach the colder months and my lips start to dry out easier. The balm includes ingredients such as shea butter, honey, cocoa butter and rose hip which give it a lovely scent on the lips as it slowly sinks in and moisturises. 
The fourth product I was thrilled to see in my box - a full sized REVLON Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat which usually retails for £7.99. This is by far the best line of nail polishes I've ever tried and you can read my review of them here. This top coat definitely gives the 'diamond' effect as it creates a beautiful shine whilst preventing chips and preserving your manicure for longer than usual - I had just started to run out of this product so perfect timing to receive it in my box!
Also as a bonus I received a sample of the BODY SHOP Himalayan Charcoal, Puryfying Glow Mask which retails for £15.00 in the full-size. I believe this to be one of the five natural-based, 'vegetarian' face masks the BODY SHOP has created and I actually wanted to give these a try - this sample will allow me to test it out on my skin without buying the full-size to do so! Lovely addition to the box!
