My Little Box | September 2015

Ah, My Little Box - you never let me down. Every month, this is the box that I look forward to receiving most. If memory serves, they've been available in the UK for about a year now and in that time the contents have just got better and better.

This month's theme is My Little Fashion Box which ties in nicely with London Fashion Week here in the UK.

My Little Box September 2015 Contents:
Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter | £21
La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream | £15
Alfa-K Nail Decals | £4.35
American Vintage Scarf | £17.69
My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour | £16.21
Cointreau & Recipe Book

Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter
I used this on dry pin-curled hair to try and help hold a style for longer. I'd say it definitely made a difference and the spray smells gorgeous too. I've yet to try it on damp hair which is mostly because I've been seriously un-arsed to wash my hair lately, but it promises effortless beach waves without the stickyness.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream
I'll admit that I groaned a little bit when I saw a BB Cream in here. It's been a good few years since the BB cream trend really kicked off over here and I've yet to find one that isn't too orange on my paper white skin. However, I gave this a swatch and it seemed to blend really well. I tried it on my face yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It applies like a dream and the shade - while orange against my skin initially - blended beautifully. Obviously its not designed to be a full coverage but it just evened everything out so effortlessly. Plus its SPF 20 so ideal for protecting my skin too. Definitely a convert to this.

Alfa-K Nail Decals
These look really cute. I haven't tried them yet but next time I'm feeling a bit creative I'll give them a go.

American Vintage Scarf
I love this scarf! Simple design but it will match most outfits that way. The quality of the fabric is really lovely too. It's a square scarf so perfect for warmer Autumn days or coming into Spring next year.

My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour
I always love the My Little Beauty additions and this month was no different. The lip colour is a perfect match to my skintone and it applies beautifully. It dries matte so lasts quite a while though it did start to flake off a little bit after 5 or 6 hours. Not on the lips as much, but onto cup rims etc. It reapplied really nicely though so that was a bonus.

Cointreau & Recipe Book
Legitimately. They sent Cointreau.
How much cooler can a monthly beauty box get? The little recipe book that comes with it is filled with fizzy Cointreau cocktail recipes which is a really nice touch. But lets be honest, I'll be pouring this into hot chocolates and getting tipsy in front of X Factor until Christmas.

I know I say this every month, but I already can't wait for next month's box to arrive. New post tomorrow on an AMAZING new highlighter that I've discovered so check back then. Otherwise, hit the subscribe button on the top left of the page and be my best friend forevz.

Tabitha
Xx

Birchbox | September 2015

First of all, where the f*ck has September gone? I'm either too busy at work to notice time flying by or just getting older and appreciating the moments less. Either way, I'm losing.

I received September's Birchbox a couple of weeks back now. So long ago that I've lost the information leaflet - or else I chucked it out with bitter disappointment that I (yet again) did not receive the box design of my choice. At least it's been long enough that I've had a chance to use most of the samples I received this month.

Birchbox September 2015 Contents:
Laura Mercier Face Polish | £26
John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler | £16
Benefit Porefessional License to Blot | £15.50
Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser | £8
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray | £16.75
Birchbox Birchbrush | £5.99

Laura Mercier Face Polish
Being a massive fan of the primer from Laura Mercier (which is close to running out - kill me) I was very excited by this sample. I tried it out and it's just as amazing as I'd worked it up to be. It's so rare that expectations are met like this. The scrub itself has a very tiny exfoliate in it which makes it feel like a luxurious liquid sandpaper. Aggressive as that sounds, it's exactly what my oil-slick skin needs and I was gutted when the sample finally ran out. I would pay £26 for the full size of this once I marry rich and can afford to.

John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler
I've been using this as a leave-in conditioner rather than rinsing out. According to the bottle you can do either. I can't say I've noticed it makes any kind of difference to my tangled hair but it definitely makes it smell nice. Equally though, a bit of Tresemme would do the same so I wouldn't be buying this.

Benefit Porefessional License to Blot
I'm still not sure what this product is supposed to do. Perhaps the information leaflet had some kind of magic instructions or my skin is just too greasy for it to cope. I am definitely still oily and can't say that this 'mattifying' product made a lick of difference. Likely going straight in the bin the next time I have a product cull.

Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser
I enjoyed this body wash as is definitely smelled good. Usual complaint about the packaging this company use being such hard plastic that you can't squeeze any product out though. Lovely change to the current Grapefruit Body Wash from Body Shop routine but I don't think it's worth £8 a bottle.

Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray
Loved the colour of this and the formula goes on great. That said, it didn't last very long on my lips and I ended up with a coral outlined lip and nothing else. Good if you're used to applying lip colour back on regularly, but I prefer a longer lasting product personally.

Birchbox Birchbrush
I love my Tangle Teezers so I was really excited to see this addition to the box. Particularly as I've been considering a handbag sized Tangle Teezer purchase and this has saved me about £13. Perfect compact size and non-tug bristles make this one a win for me.

There was definitely a good range of products in this month's Birthday themed box. It's a shame that most of them didn't suit my tastes but there were a few highlights so not a bad box.

I've received My Little Box in the last couple of weeks too so be sure to come back tomorrow when I'll have a post on that one. Subscribe using the link to the top right if you want alerts of all my new posts.

Tabitha
Xx

Haul | Primark Homeware

Living near such a big Primark is both very convenient and very dangerous for my purse. Right now, Primark is having a "Home Event" and the homeware stock has taken it up a notch as a result.

I've always loved Primark for my basic home essentials like a candle or some simple bedsheets. Lately though, there's a section bigger than my apartment dedicated to their homeware range and I've been unable to resist picking up some decorative bits.

My favourite purchase has to be the big LED star light. It's battery operated which is a bonus to me and the star itself is a dark shiny metal material which makes it look so much more expensive than the £10 it cost. I wasn't expecting a lighting miracle from it, but I popped two AA's in it and actually the lights are quite bright!

I also spotted that Primark have partnered with YouTube's Gabriella (@velvetghost) and have a brand new range in store with her. It's (unsurprisingly) cat themed and very cute. I'd have bought it all if I had the space but decided on this adorable mug with the little cat whiskers on it because you can never have too many mugs.

Primark also have a range of new frame designs which I loved. Lots of rose-gold and copper themed frames but I fell in love with the one pictured above. It's the perfect sized frame and I love the 3D geometric type design. I bought two of these and they were an absolute bloody steal at just £2 each. Near these were a range of canvas prints so I picked up the "Today is going to be a good day" one for £3.

Of course, I couldn't come out of the Home section of Primark without picking up some candles. The first one I picked up was the Lime scented one from their 'Soda' range. I had purchased the Orange Soda candle for my sister a few months ago and loving all things lime-scented, I had to buy myself this one. It smells like a lime mojito and comes in a glass jar with a lid. It was £3 for something that is going to burn for 30+ hours so definitely a bargain.

Still on the candle front, I also picked up a little tealight holder with an Earl Grey design. I just thought that a tea-themed tealight holder was too cute and at £2.50 was another amazing bargain. Especially since it comes with a tealight inside it.

Finally, I spotted a little glimpse of upmarket Primark with the candle pictured in the centre (above). It's a frosted glass jar with a wooden top and inside is the most amazing smelling White Cardamom & Sage candle. It smells like something you could buy at Jo Malone but at a fraction of the price. This one was £4 but I could easily have spent triple that with how good this candle smells!

All in all, very impressed with my local Primark stock right now. It was always a gamble as to whether you'd find good stuff in there before but lately they have been stepping up their game. It's like they've had a re-design and become a new shop altogether. I look forward to future homeware purchases from Primark going forward :-)

Tabitha
Xx

Review | Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet

When I first saw the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet on the shelves a good few months ago, I thought it was a gloss type formula rather than a liquid lipstick. It wasn't until I saw a few reviews on this that I really knew what it was.

I was in Boots the other day (again, shocker) and I saw that there were testers out for the product. I swatched a couple of them and fell in love with the Peach Club shade. From the swatch alone, the formula was smooth and highly pigmented so I bought it.

I've now tried it out a few times and can firmly say that I love it! The colour is absolutely gorgeous. I've never really owned a peachy/coral shade like this before and was pleasantly surprised at well it goes with my pale af complexion.

The formula goes on really smooth and velvety as the name would suggest. Unlike other matte lipsticks, it doesn't dry to a chalky texture. Instead, it feels more like a balm. It's not entirely transfer-proof but it does stay in place all day without need for further applications despite eating/drinking.

The only negative is that when you first apply the product, it does not smell good. It smells distinctly of acrylic paint or some kind of burnt polystyrene. Not pleasant but the smell soon dissipates as you apply the colour and it certainly doesn't taste anything like that scent.

All in all, a solid 9/10 for this product and I can't wait to swatch a few more shades and pick up some more colours! They're £8.99 each at Boots right now and there's a 3 for 2 offer on all Bourjois cosmetics at the moment so its the perfect time to give them a try if you haven't already :-)

Tabitha
Xx

Review | Graze Box

There's a little group of people where I work that get Graze boxes sent each week and I've been eyeing them enviously for a little while. One morning, I saw one of their competitor's adverts claiming they were more exciting to receive.

I checked them out but sadly it only ended up driving me to the Graze website where I was successfully converted into their latest customer. Very bad marketing on the part of the competitor company of course, but I was excited to get started with Graze.

For those that might not know, Graze is a snack delivery company. You subscribe to them, chose your delivery frequency and they start delivering you snacks from their 100+ range. Each box contains four snacks and is delivered on a Monday. The snacks are designed to be as healthy by packing in fibre, protein and nutrients into as few calories as possible. There's a huge range available to be sent, from soup to jerky.

The first thing I did was go through their snack list and tell them which ones I want sent soon (basically all of them in the end) and if there were any that I wanted to 'Bin'. Once the snacks arrive and you've tried them, you can tell them if you loved it, liked it, or never want it to be sent again (the Bin option).

Last Monday, my first box arrived and I fought the urge to try all of the snacks in one sitting. I managed to make them last the week and have to say, I'm already in love with this subscription!

 My first box arrived with the Sour Cream & Garlic Crostini, Honeycomb Crunch, Louisiana Wild Rice & Beans and Wholegrain Banoffee Dippers. I think the dippers are always going to be my favourite thing to receive since the entire range looks delicious.

The portion sizes are perfect and if you're counting calories you can opt for their "Light Box" to be sent which contains snacks with less than 150 calories. I tried each of these snacks across the week and have rated them all as "Love" on the website. In fact, I've been raving about Graze so much that I even convinced my boyfriend to sign up too :)

My next box arrives today and I can't wait to see what's inside ;-) If you're interested in Graze at all, check out the Graze Website for more information on the snacks they have.

Tabitha
Xx

My Little Box | August 2015

This month's theme is 'gypset' - an adjective meaning someone with a passionate soul, an adventurous mind and a bohemian nature (according to the My Little Box definition that arrived with the box). The contents were suitably bohemian in nature with a definite festival feel.

My Little Box August 2015 Contents:

So Susan Colour Hybrid | £14.50
Korres Body Milk | £10
Antik Batik Bucket Bag | No Price Listed
My Little Box Hair Tie Bracelets | No Price Listed
My Little Beauty Bronzing Powder | No Price Listed

So Susan Colour Hybrid
I swatched this when my box first arrived at the office and was both impressed and full of regret at the same time. One tiny, minuscule drop of this goes a very long way and it is deeply pigmented. The colour I received is quite a bright fuchsia which might be nice on the lips. However, this product is designed to go on both cheeks and lips. I didn't want to put it anywhere near my face with how pigmented it was already so I tried to blend out a pinprick amount on the back of my hand instead, and it was still too pigmented. Fantastic staying power though so it will be great for my lips.

Korres Body Milk
If this looks familiar to anyone, it's because it came in April's Birchbox. It still smells amazing and works a treat so I'm happy to receive it again.

Antik Batik Bucket Bag
I love that this box gets sent with accessories as well. This bag is so cute! Perfect for a little beach trip or to accessorise a bohemian style outfit. The quality of the fabric is really lovely and I love the design so this one was definitely a win for me!

My Little Box Hair Tie Bracelets
I love the idea of these. As much as I love wearing my Invisibobble in my hair, I feel like a knob when I wear it on my wrist. These are well elasticated hair bands that have a cute design on them too so another accessory win from this month's box.

My Little Beauty Bronzing Powder | No Price Listed
I'm not a big wearer of bronzer usually but I'm going to a wedding next weekend and will be trying out a fake tan for the first time (eek!) so this may come in handy to help my face match my body! It's a really lovely colour with only the tiniest bit of shimmer in it and a mirror in the lid so very practical. If nothing else, it can join the collection of bronzers I have been sent that get used as eyeshadows :-)

That's it for this month's My Little Box. I'm already looking forward to September's boxes from both My Little Box and Birchbox. I review these boxes every month so make sure to subscribe to this blog via the links at the top right of the page to receive a notification of when I do :-)

I'll be back with a new post tomorrow on my latest box subscription/obsession: Graze.

Tabitha
Xx

Birchbox | August 2015

This month's Birchbox theme is Beauty Junkie and blissfully contains not one but two make-up samples! Make-up samples are my favourite so I'm delighted with the August theme.

Birchbox August 2015 Contents:

Rituals Fortune Scrub | £10
Lord & Berry Blush in Lotus | £17
Huygens Exfoliating Cream | £17.90
Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo | £13.95
theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer | £15
Formula 10.0.6 Overnight Success Spot Minimizing Patches | £2.95

Rituals Fortune Scrub
I love the smell of this! It's sweet orange and cedar wood scented so smells fresh but luxurious. It is a shower scrub combining body wash with exfoliator. The texture of the scrub itself is very fine grained so is gentle enough for daily use. This is the perfect everyday exfoliator to achieve smooth summer skin.

Lord & Berry Blush in Lotus
The first of this month's make-up samples is this blush from Lord & Berry. I loved the bronzer from Lord & Berry sent a few months back so I was excited to try this blush. They've tried to pick a shade that will be flattering for most skintones but this blush is highly pigmented so I'll definitely have to be light-handed with it. I loved how easily the formula blends though.

Huygens Exfoliating Cream
Another exfoliator in this month's box but this one is for my face. The formula is made with rice powder particles to leave a smooth complexion without irritating the skin - perfect if you've got sensitive skin. It smells like mint and citrus so it feels really fresh on the skin. I'm going to replace my usual daily scrub with this sample until it runs out and see what difference it can make to my skin.

Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo
This sample leaked a little bit so it was a little bit messy the first time I opened it. But the mess is worth it for the effect it has on my hair. I don't use a massive amount of product on my hair if I can help it but even occasional use of leave-in conditioner can leave hair feeling flat. This shampoo removes that product build-up and leaves your hair fresh and full of body again.

theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer
The second of this months make-up samples is this bronzer from theBalm. I have always loved the samples Birchbox sends from theBalm and this one is no different. It's a gorgeous colour that I would happily use as both a contour or eyeshadow. It's a long-wearing formula so it should last all day.

Formula 10.0.6 Overnight Success Spot Minimizing Patches
I haven't been able to test these yet since it is (blissfully) very rare that I get a spot these days. I love the idea of these though and really hope they work. The pack contains 21 single-use patches so this full size sample should last a good while. At £2.95 for 21 patches, it would be a bargain to repurchase if it works too.

I liked this month's box and thought the addition of the emoji stickers was very cute. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox for yourself, check out the Birchbox website for more information, Otherwise, I'll continue to un-box and review the contents here on the blog so be sure to follow by email at the top right of the page or on Bloglovin' :-)

Tabitha
Xx