» Glossybox: November Box..

Above are the contents of the November Glossybox! Once again I am impressed with what's inside. I am especially excited about the nail wraps and the elasticizer. For a quick preview, and for my thoughts on Glossybox, watch my video.

.. Just a Saturday Face..

Here is my face of today. The above pics were edited and brightened up, but that's all. Below are taken with a flash.

I didn't note the exact products, but I used the Tesco Vivo Eyeshadow Trio for the eye makeup. The shadows in the trio are so smooth and pigmented. Then along the lower lashes, over the black that I smudged in, I added a little purple eyeshadow. On the lips I am wearing Maybelline pink punch with MAC Cosmic Blue Dazzle Glass over the top.Mascara is Rimmel Sexy Curves. Foundation is Clinique Anti-Blemish, and the blusher is Quiver from Accessorize. 

That's about it! Very brief. Do you like these quick FOTD's? I have a folder of picture that I have for FOTD's, only thing is, I don't remember the exact products for them all. So I don't know whether to post them?

- Carmine November Beauty Box.

There's a new Beauty Subscription Box in town, and this one is called Carmine! I received the November box to check out and give my thoughts on and guess what? It is great and has some awesome products inside!

Carmine, like Glossybox and Boudoir Prive send the box out monthly and it has surprise sample products inside each month. The subscription fee is £10 a month (+ £2.75 P+P) and you will be sent 5 products to try out, and I have to say that it is well worth it!

The box is black with hints of pink and red and is packaged so nicely inside with a ribbon and sticker! I like the black box more than the girly pink boxes you get, and it's really sturdy and reusable.

This months products come to way, way over the £12.75 total.

More details on each products after the jump!

- Bliss 'No Zit Sherlock' Rubberizing Mask.

 
Time for another Bliss Mask post today. This time the No Zit Sherlock.. (Hah! See what they did there?). This mask intrigued me because it is a rubberizing mask, and it is made for spot and blemish prone skin .. That's my skin!

Bliss Say:

Boost your blemish-battling regimen with this straight-from-our-spa facial treatment, a weekly must for pimple-prone skin. The unique rubber texture is designed to envelop skin’s surface to absorb impurities and allow the mask’s key ingredients to be optimally absorbed by the skin. Plus, it’s packed with pore-de-clogging, oil-absorbing, super-soothing extracts and nourishing, detoxifying seaweed. So if you’re looking for a clean, clear, shine-free complexion—‘mask’, and you shall receive! Includes 6 individually wrapped mix-it-yourself masks, 6 spatulas and measuring scoop.


- With seaweed, tea tree, willow and menthol extracts
- Purges pores, absorbs impurities and calms skin
- Helps control oil, fade blemishes and prevent future breakouts

 .. So, it says on the box to mix a whole sachet of the mask with a cup of water, then mix it up. *Warning* This will make way, way to much mask. I luckily found this out before, so use half a sachet, and half a cup of water. That gives you enough to cover your face, and best of all, you will get 12 masks instead of 6! It makes it much more worth the money, because this kit is quite pricey at £35.

Once you have mixed it up you need to slap it on to your face as quickly as possible because it thickens up quickly and obviously, when it is set, it rubberizes. It is quite a thick consistency that instantly soothes the skin and has a distinct smell of tea tree to me.

I showed the process on my hand as I couldn't get any decent pictures of it on my face, before or after (apart from the silly one at the end of this post.) So, it takes about 15 to 20 mins to rubberize and then you just peel it off. The thin edges which are unavoidable  (as seen below) go a little crisp feeling and are a little harder to remove, but warm water does it.

My skin after using the mask felt lovely and smooth and I even noticed that it looked refreshed. I had a few pimples when I used this, and the next morning they had all but dried up, this didn't dry my skin out at all though. I just followed up with a moisturiser.

I would totally recommend this mask if you have spot prone skin and are looking for something that's a bit different. Don't forget, you will get 12 uses instead of 6 if you use half a sachet per use. It's fun to use and does the trick.

One final note, if you have any left over, throw it in the bin and not down the sink as it'll rubberize and clog the sink!

The silly shot for good measure! *Cringe*

Available here.

 PR Sample.

~ Dusky Mauve Nails.. Yes, again!

This is weird. My current nails are Barry M Dusky Mauve, which is a stunning deep grey-ish/purple. I just searched my blog, remembering that I had done a NOTD of that shade before, and I had. Almost a year ago to the day (give or take a few).. How odd!

Anyway, today's nail of the day is once again Dusky Mauve. I think I captured it better this time, and the pics are way better too (I used my good camera!)

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

There isn't much else I can say. I love it, it's perfect for this season and it's pretty and eyecatching with it's shimmery purpleness.

Here are more pics!

Hospital Follow Up ..

Hi Everyone.

This is a little follow up to this post from last Monday. I said that I would update on how things went .. So here it is. I didn't so it right away as I have just been processing it and sort of thinking about things.

Firstly though, Thank you all so, so much for the lovely comments, not just here, but on twitter too - I swear that having so many supportive friends and people who care is lovely and I truly appreciate it. It makes me feel a little easier about things, knowing that I have so many people wishing me well, and who care.

So, I saw the Consultant, and one of my main hopes was that he would be nice. The last guy I saw in July was a bit rude and to the point - I didn't like his attitude. This guy, Mr Baker, was so lovely.. He smiled warmly, shook my hand, sat down with me, and most importantly listened to what I told him (the previous guy didn't want to know about my similar past problems.)

After a short chat he took a quick look, confirming that it is what it is (a pilonidal sinus, I mean) and having a bit of a prod. Once he was done we sat back down and he told me that unless it is seen to, it will keep on flaring up, building pressure, and bursting, causing me pain, and needing to be dressed, etc. It won't just go away. So I need surgery to fix it, like I had in 2009.

If you saw my post on Monday you will know that I was basically expecting that. It isn't what I wanted, but I knew it was the only way to clear it up. So I nodded, smiled and agreed. He told me that after surgery the healing time can take a while because the wound is left open to heal from the inside out.. I explained that I had been through all of the once before, when I first had one in 2009. It is not pleasant.

He then sent me to a pre assessment place and said I might be able to have that done on the day, then I'd go on the waiting list for surgery. I went to the pre assessment place and there were so many people waiting, so I have made an appointment to have that on November 18th at 1pm. This is just an assessment so they know what they need to before operating. Once I have been to this appointment I will go on the waiting list, and get a letter with a date for whenever. I have no idea how long that might be, but I don't want it to be before Christmas, that would be a nightmare, and it's my birthday the week before - I want to enjoy that.

Basically that is all I know for now. I have all sorts of thing whirring through my mind, and I am scared about surgery, and after it, but for now I have put it to the back of my mind. There is no point in fretting over something that I have no date for yet, right?

Here is a quote I like... Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.

My First Glossybox!

 Yes, believe it or don't, but up until now, I was a Glossybox virgin!

Someone from Glossybox kindly contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I would like to have a lookie see at one and see what I thought, and of course, I said yes. A beauty box, filled with beauty samples, once a month. Sounds good to me.

Octobers Glossybox has some lovely things in, and the products included in the box amount to more than the £10 that you pay for the subscription of having the box sent to you monthly.

Some of the great things about Glossybox are that you can stay up to date with current trends and discover new brands. You will get a new Glossybox every month that includes a mix of 5 exciting product miniatures packed in a beautiful box. It's just £10.00 per month (plus P&P) And there is no minimum subscription term, so you can cancel at anytime.

♥ Beauty Bargains: Vivo Cosmetics.

I was recently sent a few products from the new Vivo makeup range that is stocked at Tesco.  Overall for the prices of these products I am very impressed with the quality.

To find out more, Read on! ♥

Magentized Lilac, Nail of the day.

I'm a bit late on the bandwagon with this one. I bought it weeks ago, but every time I tried it, I didn't like the effect, and it wasn't strong enough, or I couldn't photograph it well enough. Last night I tried again, and I got my good camera out to take the pictures, it worked much better! I did have to use the flash to get the effect to show well though, the natural light here at the moment is crap, the weather is like we're in Forks.

My magnetized polish is from Boots No17 and is in the shade 'Lilac'. I'm sure you all know how the whole process works, so I won't go into that. When you do the magnetizing though, it does feel odd how you can feel the pull!

I think I paid about £4 for the polish when it first came out, but it is more normally. It is so easy to do and I love the effect. I most definitely want to get the other shades.

What do you think of the magnetized look?

Accessorize Makeup A/W 2011.

I have recently been trying out the above goodies, and I have to say I have been loving them all. I really like the accessorize makeup range, the quality is great for the price of the products.

I did a video review for this one, See below! Enjoy :)

Bliss: Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask.

I am a huge fan of face masks, especially the Liz Earle ones, which are my faves. But recently I have been trying some from other brands, Montange Jeunesse and Bliss to name a couple. I have three different Bliss masks that I was sent, So today I am going to talk about the Steep Clean Pure Purifying Mask.

I really love the bliss brand, and how they offer salon/spa like treatments, to use at home.

This is what Bliss Say:

This pore plunging, clog clearing mask will transform skin into a scene of extremely clean when used weekly for 15 minutes. Intensive exfoliation, oil elimination, and deep pore purging are a perfect for all (but especially pimple prone) skin types.

This sounds like the dream mask for my skin.  I have large pores and pimple prone skin!

This has two pumps at the top, which dispenses two different parts which need to be mixed together to activate the exfoliating enzymes! It turns to a pale green colour. Then just massage it into the face and really concentrate it on clogged areas on the face. Then, leave it for 15 minutes. The exfoliating particles are not obvious at all when you massage the mask in, they are very small and non abrasive.

It doesn't lather as such, nor does it set on the face. During the 15 minutes I could feel it tingling slightly, not uncomfortably tingling, just a gentle sensation. When it came to washing this off, my face felt incredible. My skin felt super clean and very smooth, and my I do feel that my pores appeared slightly reduced after using this, but I know that's not a permanent thing. It makes a nice change for my foundation to go on smoother though.

I like to use this once a week, as it is quite costly, but it's well worth it. It always leaves me feeling 'facial' fresh everytime, and all without leaving my house. Perfect!

Available Here.

Think of me, If you will. :)

Weheartit

Remember this post? Yeah, that's it. The one where I spilled the gory details on this 'pain in the butt' that I've been having.

Haha, if I don't be light-hearted about it, I'll just cry.

Well today, very soon (At 2pm - this is a scheduled post) I have that follow up appointment at a different hospital in Leeds. I'm not sure how it's going to go, but he'll take a look and advise me on what best to do. I've been living with this particular Pilonidal Sinus since March now, so it's been sort of on going. It does heal, and get better, but the underlying problem is always there and will continuously flare up, cause me pain, the pressure builds, and they it 'bursts'. (Sorry. TMI.)

So yeah, we'll see what the Doctor Consultant says today. I suspect that he will still reccomend surgery, which scares me - but I am trying not to think about the what if's.

I have had the appointment arranged for ages, but I haven't been fretting, which for me is impressive. Normally I am so negative and I'll worry and worry, but a friend of mine gave me some good advice. That was to imagine I have locked this problem and appointment away in a top drawer, and I don't need to worry or concern over it until it arrives. Amazingly it has worked.

Well, until yesterday, when I got a bit tearful..

The reason for this post? .. Just that you all send good and positive vibes for me, if you will?

Thank you, please.

I'll update soon about how it went.

♥ A Little Liz Earle ..

I love Liz Earle products. I recently repurchased their moisturiser and toner to use with my cleanse and polish. I swear that using Liz Earle skincare is the longest I have stuck to a routine, but it's faultless and doesn't irritate my skin. I just wanted to post about some of my most recent additions, both lovely products which I love.

I've been using their Orange Flower shower gel. It's yummy, so citrus fresh and zingy. I love how the scent fills my bathroom and lingers on my skin. It lathers so nicely and you only need a little. The major plus is that it is SLS free too.
 

I have also been really, really loving this from them too, it is the sheer pink lip shimmer. I didn't even know they did a lip shimmer until I cam across it on the website. It is very sheer, but it is so moisturising, and has a lovely scent to it, very herbal/Liz Earle-y. It adds a lovely hint of pink to my lips, or looks nice layered over a darker lipstick to add some shimmer.

Here is a little swatch, not great - Sorry!

 

Are there any Liz Earle products that you swear by? I love the cleanse and polish, but most people I know do. I also LOVE their eye bright soothing lotion, and their shampoo and conditioner!

Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer: 5g £4.75. ♥

Orange Flower Shower Gel: (Various Sizes Available.) ♥

Saucy, Glitzy Nails.

This nail of the day is pretty self explanatory really. Red nails, glitter tips. I was bored one evening and had this look in mind. I love how it came out, and the photos don't really do it any justice at all. It was one of those nails looks that had me staring at my hands throughout the day. It's difficult to capture the glitzyness of Models Own Juicy Jules on camera.

So I used Eyeko Saucy Polish, and Models Own Juicy Jules on the tips.

It took a little time to do the tips, and I needed a couple of thick coats, which took ages to dry.  When they did chip (after a couple of days without a topcoat) they chipped on the glitter tip, unsurprisingly.

I think I will do these nails again closer to Christmas. They are sooo festive!

Free Klorane Shampoo & Conditioner. (Closed)

Who doesn't love a freebie?

I just received an email asking me to let you lovely people know that if you go to the Klorane website and register, you will receive a free shampoo and conditioner, worth £12 plus.

Great huh?

So, what are you waiting for? Go HERE and register! 

(UK Only, Sorry!) 

4th November Update: This offer is now closed.

ZOYA Nails: Marina.

This mini Zoya nail polish came in my Boudoir Prive box from September. I had never tried Zoya before this, and was excited to see how it performed.

The application was lovely. The formula is nice, it's not too thin, or thick. It was opaque within two coats, and the drying time was reasonable. I'm not sure about the colour to be honest, It's pretty and all, I'm just not sure it's 'me'.

I'm certainly impressed with the polish itself though, and would like to branch out and try some other shades.

Happy Halloween, 2011! (FOTD)

Muahahahah!

Did I scare you? .. No?

Hey everyone!

So this was my Halloween FOTD this year. Not really anything in particular, just a vampy dramatic look. If I had some fangs I think it'd be perfect, but I don't, yet!

I simply used a black eyeshadow base, some black eyeshadow and put it all over the lid and lower lash line. Then I added some red eyeshadow to the centre of the lid, into the crease and below the lashes. I added a little glitter onto the red, then lots of black liner and mascara to finish.

For the lips I used some black liner on the outer corners, and some red and plum lipstick from Revlon colorburst in the centre.

Thanks for reading! What did you do for Halloween this year?

(The scary eyes in the top picture were obviously edited that way, they are not contacts. Some people did ask!)

John Frieda Daily Miracle Treatment.

 

They Say:  Vitamin infused leave in conditioner nourishes and de-tangles dry, damaged strands to help hair resist breakage and feel silky-smooth. With heat protectant. Safe for colour treated hair.

So, any of you have been reading my blog for some time might know that I have naturally thick, curly hair. I always have to slap loads of conditioner on it, and I normally need a leave in conditioner to get a comb through it. I have having to faff with my hair, and overload it with too many products though,  because they it gets weighed down, and also greasier quickly.

So I was quite happy when the PR people for John Frieda sent me a bottle of the new Frizz-Ease Miracle Treatment. This product says that it is a leave in conditioner, with added heat protectant.

This is brilliant for someone like me. I mean, I don't that often use head on my hair, but the fact that when I do, that I can use one product to condition and protect my hair is great. It comes in a spray pump bottle and it smells great. I just spritz it all over, comb my hair through, and let my hair air dry.

My hair doesn't feel sticky or overloaded at all with this product. It feels nourished and well conditioned.

Available from Boots // Superdrug. I can't find it online yet though, Sorry.