JANUARY GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

Hello lovelies!
I know January is over now but I thought that late was better than never!

The first item I received in my January GLOSSYBOX was a sample size, NIP+FAB Kale Fix Moisturiser which includes ingredients such as kale (obviously), watercress, almond oil, shea butter & aloe vera - all ingredients which should really hydrate the skin in these winter months when skin tends to be drier! This product usually retails for £19.95 (now only £9.96 at BOOTS!) which is slightly pricier for a moisturiser but it is quite thick and intensely moisturising. The only thing I'm not keen on is the scent of this product - I'm guessing its the kale scent - and you can still smell it even after applying it to the skin so I'm not sure I would purchase this in the full size.

The second I received in the box was a full-sized eyeshadow from the balm in the shade "Matt Moskowitz" from the Meet Matt(e) Trimony palette - how exciting! I've always wanted to try out eyeshadows from The Balm but the palette retails for £39.00 at Debenhams so is a little pricey. I'm really impressed that they included this item in the box! The shade is a slightly purple-brown and the formula is velvety smooth so blends really easily - very happy!

The third item in the box was a full-size "Illuminate Milk Cleanser" from Unani which retails for £13.60. Although this is a good cleanser, it is very milky which I'm not too keen on even after using it quite a few times - I find that it maybe doesn't take off my make-up as much as I would like. I've also received a moisturiser from Unani in the past which was also very milky. However, I'm still happy with the product and it was a lovely addition to the box. I'm sure others would like this more as it isn't a bad product - just not for me!

The fourth item was a Vitamasques "Manuka Honey Face Mask" which usually retails for £3.99. I've received this type of sheet masks in the past and they really aren't my favourite - however, my skin is very dry lately and I think this product is going to be extremely hydrating and help me out with that. I also really like the packaging and "Manuka Honey" sounds like a very nice scent so I'm looking forward to using this on a pamper day!

The last item we received in the box was a "Deep Pore Cleansing Facial Brush" from Spa To You which usually retails for £6.99. I was really looking forward to using this as these types of face brushes seem to be really popular lately. However, as my skin is quite dry and sensitive at the moment, it was a little harsh and sore for my skin. Still, it cleaned my skin really well and I'm sure it would work well for others whose skin isn't as sensitive!

Overall, I'm really happy with this month's box and I think the products are perfect for this time of year when the winter weather has dried out my skin and it is in need of some pampering. Next month I hope to see more makeup products from GLOSSY and will update you on what I receive (at a much earlier time than this month!) If you are interested in GLOSSYBOX subscription, you can subscribe through THIS LINK and pay monthly (£10.00 a box) where you can unsubscribe at any time.
Thank you for reading!

Holly Amber X

DECEMBER GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

Hi lovelies,
After a very busy time at uni lately, the December GLOSSYBOX which contained five items was definitely a welcome treat. 

The first item in the box was a full-sized Luminzer palette from essence which contained a pearly highlight, a rose highlight and a golden highlight (this retails for £3.00). The palette is a generous size and the colours of the highlights are very pretty - my personal favourite is the rose shade. However, they have quite a bit of glitter in them rather than just being shimmery which isn't my favourite but I'm sure this wouldn't bother everyone!

The second item in the box was a REVLON nail polish in the shade "Gray Suede" which usually retails for £6.49. This is definitely my favourite item in the box! I love REVLON nail polishes and this colour is absolutely gorgeous. Although its described as a "gray suede" I definitely think this is more of a pink-nude colour with hints of grey tones. Very very happy with this item!

The third item in the box was a GOSH Mono Eyeshadow in the shade "dark green" which usually retails for £8.99. This shade is a very deep, forest green with a lovely shimmer - for someone more confident with their eyeshadow, I'd apply this with your finger rather than a brush to get a more intense colour and this would look absolutely gorgeous for the current season over Christmas time!

The fourth full-sized item in the box was a semi-matte lipstick from MDMFLOW in the shade "Bossy" which usually retails for £18.00. Glossybox subscribers got to choose between two shades of this lipstick for their box which was a nice idea to get the shade which you preferred. The lipstick is packaged as a gold bullet which is really cute and the shade is a cool-toned brown-pink shade (they describe it as taupe on the information sheet) which is a really unique colour I haven't really seen before. Although this looks mostly matte on the lips, it doesn't feel as drying as other matte lipsticks and you can still rub your lips together as you wear it. 

And finally, the last item in the box was a "Browcote" from the brand Lipcote - an eyebrow setting gel. This waterproof, transparent gel claims to hold your brow hairs and eyebrow products for hours with a weightless finish. I have tried this and the gel was really nice, the little brush went through my eyebrows well and the gel didn't feel uncomfortable when it dried. However, I'm not sure how long this would last as it doesn't feel like your brows are completely set in place indefinitely. But apart from that, I'm happy since I needed a brow gel anyway!

Overall I'm extremely happy with this months GLOSSYBOX and there's still a chance for you to receive it too if you subscribe soon - if you do so through THIS LINK it will also get your 20% off your first box! 
Thank you for reading as always, 

Holly Amber X

UNDER £20 GIFT GUIDE (HOME AND LIFESTYLE)!

Hi lovelies! Welcome back to another gift guide - this time centred around home & lifestyle!

NEXT Customisable Light Box

So this first section is mainly concerning "homeware". There are plenty of Christmas pieces I could talk about here but by the time these gifts are given, Christmas will only be for a day more so that's a shame! However, there are still other lovely piece I can share with you!
NEXT have some beautiful homeware pieces in all year round - one lovely present that can be personalised is a "Customisable Light Box" which comes with lots of letter pieces, punctuation and one heart and star.
This comes in either small (£12) or large (£25) but would make a lovely present which can be used in many different rooms and be changed around throughout the year!

Gold Mirrored Glass Tray from Oliver Bonas

Christmas is also a time to buy gifts for people that they probably wouldn't buy themselves. This beautiful Small Marble Jewellery Box from Oliver Bonas is a lovely example of this - for £19 I don't think I'd buy this for myself but it would make a gorgeous present or, for someone who likes to display their jewellery, this gold mirrored glass tray for £12 from Oliver Bonas would be another gorgeous present !

Desinio Prints (including the World Map Poster in Gold)

A more personalised present is always nice too! Desenio is a company who do some lovely prints so you can have a look at their website here. There are so many prints you can choose from on there so there really is something that you can tailor for everyone! My personal favourites are the World Map Poster in Gold, the Pink Elephant Poster, the Watercolour Cactus Poster and the Your Mind Poster, to name very very few! (If I'm being honest I love them all).

Other home accessories gift ideas I have listed below:

• Copper Finish Alarm Clock (since it seems everyone is obsessed with copper lately!) -£8.00
• The Zoella "Naps Fix Everything" Cushion - £12.00
• Oliver Bonas Set of 4 Gold "Geo Teaspoons" or Set of 4 gold "Tropical Teaspoons" - £19.00 
• TKMAXX Copper Geometric Lantern - £12.99
• Set of two Cookie Jar Mixes (with cookie cutter and cookie stamper) - £12.00

Starbucks Festive Mug and Chocolate Coin

And now onto food and drink! As always, Starbucks do not disappoint with their mugs! BOOTS are selling a Festive Starbucks Mug and chocolate coin for £8.50, a set of two Starbucks Glitter Espresso Mugs with Almond Biscotti for £10.00, and a Starbucks Sprinkler and Mug for £12.50 - to name a few!

For those who like a spicier taste - the Nando's Fiery Trio Rack would be an excellent present. This includes the hot, extra hot and extra extra hot sauces from Nando's for £12.50! Another spicy Nando's present is the Hot Pack which includes the hot sauce, hot marinade and a silicone marinading brush for £10.00 and would be good for  someone who likes cooking with their spices!
Or for those with a sweeter taste - the Starbucks dusting set would be perfect for the cold season! This includes a chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg flavoured dusting for £10.00!

Other food and drink gifts I have listed below:

• The Nando's Sizzler Set (medium sauce and sizzler pan) - £18.50
• The Green & Blacks Testing Collection (24 miniature chocolate bars) - £12.00
• "Fizz Selection" (Peach fizz, bucks fizz, peach bellini & kir royale) - £12.00
• Malibu Kilner Jar Gift Set (Malibu Rum, Sugar Stars and Kilner Jar with Straw) - £10.00

Thank you very much for reading lovelies! 

Holly Amber X

£20 AND UNDER GIFT GUIDE (BEAUTY AND PAMPER)!

Hello lovelies!
So here is the first of three gift guides for this December based around beauty and pamper treats! 

NO7 Winter Nudes Collection

There are so many lovely pamper and beauty gifts each year! I especially love +Boots UK 3 for 2 offer they have each year on their gifts - one gift on this offer is the NO7 "Winter Nudes" nail polish collection which is £12.00 and contains 5 shades of nail polish from a metallic gold to a dark plum. 
Another gift on this offer is the Soap&Glory "She's the Gloss" set of 4 Mother Pucker lipglosses for £14.00. Considering just one of these lipglosses is usually £9.00, these four handbag-sized versions are a great deal! You could even split these 4 up for four friends as a stocking filler! 
+Soap And Glory do lovely sets each year and there's so many to choose from right now!

Below I've linked some other lovely beauty treats from boots:

• Ted Baker "Double the Dazzle" set (tinted lip balm and nail polish) - £8.00
• SLEEK Mini "Matte Me" Collection (4 mini matte lipsticks) - £5.00
• NO7 "Glamourous Nudes" eyeshadow palette (8 shades) - £10.00 or the NO7 "Ultimate Eyeshadow palette" (20 shades) - £20.00
• Soap&Glory "Glamorama" Set (Mascara, Eyeliner, Lipgloss, Face Powder, 3 Eyeshadows and Brush) - £20.00
• Ted Baker "Sparkle and Shade" set (Mascara, 2 Eyeshadow Crayons, Eyeshadow Trio, Eyeliner, Eyebrow Pencil) - £18.00
• SOAP & GLORY "Tricks of the Shade" set (2 blushes, 3 eyeshadows and lipgloss) - £14.00

Soap & Glory Soaper Spa Set

In terms of pamper treats, there are so many of these at BOOTS too! You can trust Soap&Glory to supply a brilliant pamper set each year - One of this is the "Soaper Spa" which is £20.00 and includes a shower gel, body buffer, body butter, hand cream, foot cream, headband and shower puff. A good pamper set is always welcome - there's nothing better on Christmas day than having a shower/bath with all your new products and then pampering yourself afterwards! They also do smaller pamper sets such as the "Simply the Zest" set and the "Take your Pink" set, both for £10.00.
For a more mature present-receiver, the NO7 Youthful Skincare Collection includes all the things you need to look after your skin - a hot cloth cleanser, facial oil, day cream, night cream, eye cream and muslin cloth - all for £20.00!
And of course, no pamper session would be complete without a candle! My personal Christmas favourite is the "Christmas Cookie" scented candle from Yankee which is extremely sweet to smell at first but burns a lot milder and smells absolutely yummy!

Other pamper gifts I think would make lovely presents I have listed below:

• Cath Kidston "Blossom Hand Treats" set (Hand Wash and Cream) - £9.00
• Sanctuary Spa "Pick a Treat" set (face wash, exfoliator, salt scrub, body scrub, bath soak, body wash, hand cream and body puff all in a little jar!) - £13.50
• Champney's Manicure Moments Kit (Mini Hand and Nail Cream, Hand Scrub, Nail Polish, Nail Polish Base & Top Coat & Glass Nail File) - £14.00
• St. Tropez Instant Cracker (Instant Tanning Lotion) - £5.00

I hope you enjoyed this first gift guide! Keep your eyes peeled for more to come!

Happy Christmas shopping!

Holly Amber X

OCTOBER GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

Hi lovelies!
So a few days ago I received my October GLOSSYBOX in its usual pretty pink and black writing packaging with 6 beauty goodies inside (four of which were full-sized!)

So the first full-sized item I received was a lipstick ("lip cream" as its referred to) from the brand TRIFLE COSMETICS which retails for £12.95. Although the packaging is cardboard on the outside, I absolutely love the design! Its decorated with little cartoons of the ingredients included in the lipstick (I believe) such as papaya, passion fruit and guava, very cute! The lipstick is a pink-nude shade in quite a sheer formula which claims to mattify on the lips - your basic everyday shade (I think the shade name is "exotic fruits"). The only thing I'm not keen on is the scent of the product but I'm sure once its on the lips it won't be noticeable!

The second full-sized item I received I was the least impressed with. This was the PS.. Pro (PRIMARK's new 'pro' range of makeup) Longwear Lipliner which retails for £3.00 and is in the shade 'Red Carpet Red'. The colour itself is quite nice (a dark red) but when I applied it to my lips it was extremely patchy and spread like a felt tip meaning I couldn't line my lips properly. I will give it props for being "long-wearing" - I couldn't bloody get it off! However, I can imagine a lighter shade to be less patchy and it may be a good product to wear under lipsticks in that case.

The third full-sized item I received is the UNIVERSAL BEAUTY COSMETICS "Secret Flush" (a soothing cream blusher and lip stain duo) in the shade "Nectar" - a pretty peachy-pink with a slight shimmer. This product retails for £15.00. I love the spotty black and white packaging - extremely cute and its one of my favourite things we received this month! 

The fourth full-sized product in the box was the BEE GOOD Honey & Camelina Facial Exfoliator which retails for £10.50. The product claims to polish, hydrate and calm congested and dull skin - after trying this out myself, I can say that it is a really nice product! The scent of honey is very subtle which is nice and its also not too harsh on my skin with the added bonus of vitamin E packed in there. This was another of my favourite products!

The fifth product in the box was a "Magic touch" body cream from RITUALS containing rice milk and cherry blossom - the full-sized version of this product retails for £19.50 but the sample was a pretty good size anyway! This is everything I like in a body cream - a nice calming scent which is also fresh at the same time as well as being a moisturising formula
. 

The final thing in the box is a mystery product! The Mystery shampoo we received is said to be "a classical bestseller which has had an update"! Although I'm not sure on what this product is, it does smell very familiar (the scent is sooooo fresh and gorgeous) and it was everything that a good shampoo is meant to be!

The overall retail price of the 4 full-sized products in the box is £41.45 so when you only pay £10.00 for the box, that's definitely a brilliant deal (especially with two luxury sized samples). You can still get your hands on the October 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

SEPTEMBER 2016 GLOSSYBOX REVIEW!

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

REAL TECHNIQUES MIRACLE COMPLEXION SPONGE REVIEW!

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