Glossybox Valentine's Edition

Hello ladies... and gentlemen. This post is about Glossybox, Valentines edition. I didn't write about January one as I was too busy with University work.  Anyways, I love the box. Its so pretty and pink and yes I know the photo is upside down lol.

Starting from left to right...

The white rectangular box is a face cream from Docteur Renaud Raspberry Soft cream. Apparently this is designed for the cold winter months. This is available at Marks & Spencer, £25 for 50ml.

Top left: The miniature round container is a mineral blush powder by Micabella Cosmetics. It's made from 100% natural (just what I love) mica, a crystal-like mineral. It contains SPF 15- another feature I love.  Available at micabella.co.uk, £34.95 for 9g.

The beige/gold colour bottle is a highlighter by Mememe cosmetics. The colour they gave is oyster gold, hope it suits my skin colour. Available at mememecosmetics.co.uk, £5.50 for 12ml.

The silver tube is a moisturising lipstick by Helen E Cosmetics, the colour is Dusk. Pretty dark and gothic to me. So.....I doubt I would use it. Available at helen-e.com, £8 for 3.5g

After that is a lollipop. Lol.

The last item is a body spray by Q: Radiance. Not too keen on this product. But hey, I got the full size of the actual product. Its only £2.29 for 100ml available at Boots.com and Sainsburys.co.uk

My must-haves to survive through the coldness

Hellos lovelies! Its spring now but it's still very cold and heaters are on majority of the time. It's good to be nice and warm indoors but the downside is that heater dries up your skin. The cold temperature also damages your hair making them dry and brittle. I have found a few must have/ use products that have worked well for me. You could give them a try.

Face Day care- Fade Out 
I have been using Fade Out day cream (left) for almost a year now. The thickness of this cream is really suitable to use during cold seasons. Note: The thicker the moisturiser the better it hydrates your skin. I have dry and sensitive skin and it has kept my skin feeling soft and smooth and the most important thing is that my skin hasn't reacted to it. I've tried loads of cream which claimed to be extra hydrating but none of them were as thick and hydrating as Fade Out. Also, it has SPF 15. .Available at Boots, £9.18. 

Face Night care- Pukka Organic Castor Oil
I don't use any particular night cream, I use castor oil (right). I absolutely love this because its 100% natural, organic and of course hydrating. Yes, I TRY to stick to organic and natural products but its hard. lol. It is really thick, and I only apply a little and I mean little on my face. A little goes a long way and therefore the bottle could last you a year. Due to its thickness, its quite uncomfortable when applied to the skin which is why I only use it during the night. After washing it off the next morning (with any regular cleanser), my skin is extremely smooth and moist.

For those who don't know what castor oil is, it's a thick liquid found in castor beans. It's a multi- functional oil. Can be used to cure cuts, mixed with drinks, anti-aging, apparently can help hair growth and can be used on eyes. You can get castor oil from any health shops. If you're intending to use it as moisturiser make sure it is cold-pressed, otherwise it will clog your pores.

My mum applied a bit of castor oil on the area under her eyes-the crow feet area- for a few nights and she said she realised the crow feet are less visible when she smiles. For more info on castor oil, read this article : http://skinverse.com/castor-oils-many-uses-for-beautiful-skin-and-hair.html

Hair care- Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Serum
I've been using Organix argan oil for about 9 months now, really smooths your hair and gives it shine. I chose to use this because it says Moroccan (Lol!) and we all know Moroccan oil is really good for your hair. I apply it when my hair is damp and after blow dry. I also apply it every day just like I would put moisturiser on my face, focusing on particularly the tips.
Available at Boots, £6.99

Castor oil can also be used on hair but because its too thick it makes my hair look greasy and sticky. However, if I was to apply castor oil I only put it on my tips and only a SMALL amount.









Eyelash Care-Diorshow Lash Serum
The cold weather and the heating really dries up the mascara and makes them go flaky. Those flakes will drop under yours eyes making you look like a panda. Not good! To prevent this, you need to moisturise your eyelashes. I always apply a layer of serum before applying mascara. It really helps.

I'm currently using Dior snow lash plumping serum; as well as moisturising the lashes it also lengthens them. I bought this from Debenhams for £23.00

Body care- Rituals Magic Touch whipped body cream & Johnson's Baby Oil

Baby oil is the best or opt for a thick body cream if you don't like being oily, cocoa butter is the best. I usually use cocoa butter but recently I've been trying out Ritual Magic touch whipped body cream that I got from Glossybox. Its quite thick and smells good too. It works ok but cocoa butter is still better.

Hand Care
Ladies if you don't moisturise your hands they will look old and manly. Gentlemen if you don't moisturise your hands they will also look very old. I'm currently using Crabtree & Evelyn, got this from Glossybox. I love it. In the beginning your hands feel quite greasy but once its all absorbed, your hands will feel like baby's skin. Its almost finished :( I guess I have to take a trip to Crabtree & Evelyn.

Lips

You don't want crusty lips just so off putting. I use Vaseline and Simple lip balm regularly, I'm talking about applying every 20 minutes. No lie. Of course I don't use all those at once lol, these are just the ones I have. But I sometimes do use Simple lip balm with Vaseline's rosy lip on top.

Guest Post by Gracie- Beauty tips

A UK guest blogger, Gracie has offered to write a guest post from my blog. Thanks for the awesome beauty tips! For more info about Gracie, scroll down to the bottom to see her author bio. Enjoy my lovely readers.

Tips for Maintaining Your Skin to Look Flawless

Now-a-days many people face a lot of problems with skin diseases. To protect your skin from diseases you need to follow proper skin care routine. However to help you better, here are a couple of things which might help you to maintain your skin:

Eat Healthy:

 Take balanced and healthy food like fruits, cereals, proteins and vegetables. Avoid  greasy and fried diet which increases weight; develops spots, pimples, wrinkles and so on. Don’t take oily food as it creates moisture on your face and face becomes oily.

Don’t Expose to Sunlight: 

If the sun light directly falls on your skin, it causes discoloration, wrinkles, age spots or freckles. Sunlight contains ultra-violet rays which are harmful to health. Use sunscreen lotions, sunglasses to protect yourself from the harmful rays.

Take More Water:

 Drink more water. Take about eight to ten glasses per day or more than five litres a day, this helps to removes dirt, and moisture on your skin. Don’t take caffeine products such as chocolates, tea and coffee. Taking lots of water keeps you hydrated and helps in the removal of stones from kidneys.

Sleep More:

Sleep for about six to seven hours a day. Try to sleep more in night times. Short naps help to refresh your mind and it is good to take them if possible in afternoon after lunch. Hence Spaniards’ are lively as they follow siesta. 

Quit Smoking:

People who smoke are short-tempered. Anger and stress go hand-in-hand. Try to be friendly, happy and cheerful. You can keep a lot of diseases at bay. So better stop smoking which affects your lungs.

Don’t go to Bed with Foundation:

This will block your pores and clog them. Your skin cannot breathe freely. Before going to bed wash your face with soap or remove the makeup with baby oil or cleansing cream.

Make Use of Glycerine Soaps:

If you want to wash your face many times in a day then make use of glycerine soaps as it keeps your skin dry. It cleans your skin which in turns gives you great look.

Regular Exercise:

 Exercise regularly to keep your body fit. This will increase your blood circulation and make you look trim, slim and beautiful.

Apply Almond mask: 

In order to make your skin soft, apply almond mask to your face. You can make it at your house with almonds and honey. Take almonds paste and add few drops of honey apply to your face and leave it for an hour.

Eat two Carrots Daily: 

Vitamin A and fibre are present in carrots. This will increase your complexion and makes your skin soft. So try to eat more carrots in a day.

There are many spa treatments that cost you more. In such situations you can apply for same day loans.

Author Bio: This is Gracie a Guest blogger from UK. I have written many guest posts on different categories like Home-improvement, Beauty, Health, Technology , Business and finance. At present I am doing research on payday loans. You can find more about me @financeport 

A business Idea I'm working on

Hello everyone, I've written a post in my other blog about a fashion business I'm working on with two girls. Please check it out! xxx

Share N Wear- Our Business Idea

Hi everyone, as promised this post is about the business idea I am working on with Roxy and Nele who both are from my TE class. As this is the first post about it I will start from the very beginning, and I will update you guys on this blog as we progress.

What is it?
Share N Wear is a social fashion network, where users can give and receive styling advise from friends. Each user will have a virtual wardrobe where they can upload images of the clothes....

Read more

Best Make-up Remover

Hi everyone. Today's post will be about make up remover products. I've used a few brands and type and have discovered the best one. I will first talk about my favourite make up remover, I will then tell you a couple that works ok and at the end of the post, I will tell you a natural and very cheap method of removing make up.

There are cream, liquid and oil based make up removers (Gel also I think). I find the oil based ones are the best; they remove make up very quick and cleans very well.

This DHC Cleansing Oil was a sample from GlossyBox. This is one of the best make up remover I've ever used. I highly recommend this. Massage a few drops onto face and then rinse off with water; the make up is totally dissolved and the face is also cleansed. To see if my face was clean from make up, I then put some make up remover onto a cotton pad and wiped my face. There was nothing left. No need to cleanse your face with other cleanser after. Your face is oil free, smooth and nourished once rinsed off with water.

If you're thinking 'why would you clean your face with oil when its not good to have excess oil on your face? Water and oil don't mix so how can you clean off the product?'
Oils breaks down other oils. This product contains olive oil (and vitamin E) which bonds with and dissolves the oil on your face. People with oily skin are recommended to use oil based cleanser. This article might explain it better Elle- Oil Based Cleaners


Fullsize: 200ml- £18 approx

Garnier Oil Based Make Up remover

This is my second best make up remover but isn't as effective as DHC. I think its to do with the application method. With this you don't massage onto face, you pour some onto cotton pad and wipe face. Majority of the make up comes off immediately but because your wiping some parts of the face with the same cotton pad that has makeup residuals, your leaving those behind. Therefore, you have to use a few cotton pads until the make up is totally removed. Its more time consuming and you're using up quite a lot of cotton pads.
My cousin said this is the only one that removes her waterproof mascara and it is only £2.99.

Nivea Eye make up remover

This is average. I wouldn't buy it again. This is not oil based, just a normal liquid one. Its not really a gentle remover as you have to really rub your eyes and a use few cotton pads for the mascara to be fully removed. On the long term, you will be getting those fine lines under your eyes from all those rubbing and dragging motions on the eye.

Guys, I wanted to show you the worst make up remover I've bought but silly me I've thrown it away. Been trying to google it but can't find it. So no pictures to show you which one it is. I know it doesn't really help lol.  I remember I got it from Boots and it was called Simple, in a see-through bottle. Maybe they stopped producing that product as they knew it was rubbish so probably the reason I can't find it. It doesn't remove anything off your face, I wiped my face and eyes a couples of times with the product on the cotton pad but there was nothing. Anyways, no point talking about it when there's no picture to show lol.

Natural and cheap method of removing makeup
My cousin taught me this when she came to stay at my house (well parent's house) a few nights. I happen to run out of her favourite Garnier make up remover (the one above) and so she asked me if I have any olive oil. I grabbed a bottle from our kitchen and she told me to pour a few drops on to the cotton pad. She started wiping her face and eyes. The make up was removed.

So basically, all you need is OLIVE OIL. Remember the DHC contains olive oil and we all know that it is good for us in terms of health, skin. hair and many more. (if you don't know now you do).

The last 2012 Glossy box

Hi everyone. Its almost Christmas, its almost the end of 2012 and it the last GlossyBox of 2012. It came in a silvery box and really gives a Christmassy feel.

Starting from top left...

Lemon by Mary Greenwell perfume. 

It smells really old school and I don't smell any lemon scent. Don't like it at all.

Full size: 100ml- £90, 50ml- £60, Purse Spray £30 (way too expensive)

Rituals Magic Touch

A body cream that is combined with rice milk and fragrance of cherry blossom. Tried a little bit and it seems quite good. I like thick body creams, it works well on my skin. 

Fullsize: 200ml- £15, 70ml- £5

Ayuuri Moisturising Sandalwood Face Wash

Enriched with oil of sandalwood & vitamin E. My friend told me Ayuuri is a really good brand and its natural, look forward to try it then.

Fullsize: 200ml- £4.95

Seche Nail Lacquer

Not quite sure about the colour and I don't really wear nail polish either. My girl friends if you want it tell me.

Fullsize: 14ml- £9.95

Sleek Make up True Colour Lipstick- Cherry 790

I don't wear lipstick but have wanting to try though. This colour is too dark for me and don't think it would suit me either. The advantage of this is it contains vitamin E.

Fullsize: 3.5g- £4.99

GlossyBox Blusher- Glossy Pink

This is a bonus gift from GlossyBox. I like this pink, will definitely use it regularly.

Guest post by my cousin Colette- A review of Lipcote Lipstick Sealer

Hello people! About a month ago I asked my cousin to do a review of the Lipcote lipstick sealer that I gave to her. I thought for a change I want her to do me a review/ guest post. Enjoy.

Check her out Colie's Corner

Guest Post- Lipcote Lipstick Sealer Review

I promised my cousin weeks ago to write a review about the Lipcote Lipstick sealer she got from her monthly Glossy box, but she gave it to me instead since she's not a fan of using lipsticks.

I have recently been really into lipsticks so I was really excited to try this out! I have always been a bit skeptical towards lipstick primers because I think they are pricey and simply didn't want to buy anything expensive that turns out being really bad.

How the product looks like:

As you can see it's liquid and sort of reminds me of nail polish - the smell as well. According to the directions on the packaging (that I have already thrown away) for best result, after putting on lipstick you should gently pat your lips with a piece of tissue. Apply a thin layer of the Lipcote sealer on the outer lips and then fill the rest.

My Verdict:

I did not like it at all! Why?? I will keep it short by listing up the cons with this product:

- It smells AWFUL! As I mentioned earlier, it has a strong chemical smell.... like nail polish! It's far from pleasant to put anything stinky like that on your lips.... near your nose as well!

- It tastes really really bad. I guess the bad smell gave it away already. I personally think it is unavoidable to get bits of lip products in your mouth because you will taste it when you either lick your lips, drink or eat. So I don't understand why they didn't think about this issue when developing the product. Nail polish in your mouth? No thank you.

- It's not long lasting. I guess it works...ish? I'm not sure if it really works or if it's because I am so conscious about the smelly product on my lips that I become extra careful with not licking or rub my lips. Nevertheless, it wears off after only one or two hours!

- It leaves residuals on your lips that look like dead skin! This is a big no no. I noticed that after having a meal it left some residuals on my lips, unless I am extremely careful. And don't even think about wiping your mouth with a napkin, the product will peel of immediately.

-It made my lips dry. It might be only me because I get easily dry lips, this product made my lips feel even more dry!

Yep, I couldn't think of any pros.... the only pro is the fact that it was free because my cousin gave it to me haha. Anyways, I am planning to give it away or just throw it because I will never use it again.