Review: Klorane Soothing Eye Makeup Remover

This is one of Klorane's newer launches, the eye makeup remover. This does not contain any preservatives or parabens and has a pH similar to tears, which suggests suitability for even the most sensitive eyes - which I think I have! If you haven't already heard of Klorane (they are relatively new to the UK) I wrote a quick post about them here. This eye makeup remover is made with cornflower water, known for its soothing properties.

I really like this eye makeup remover, it is a water-based eye makeup remover, and I've only been accquainted to oil-based removers. The product itself is in an eye-shaped bottle but vertically - very smart, and I love holding the bottle too! The way in which I use this is to saturate a cotton pad with it and hold on the eye for about 10 seconds, I'm very impatient...the first time I used this I didn't wait at all and rubbed my makeup off and it actually worked! Everything came off in one sweep, that surprised me a little, especially as it's not oil-based. However, the more and more I've used it, especially with heavier/darker eye makeup I would recommend holding the cotton on the eye for a few seconds to allow the makeup to degenerate.

The texture is that of the cotton pad but wet, I don't feel anything other than that, it's not very soft when using it and neither is it too tough or rough for the eye area. Overall I think this is a good eye makeup remover, it does the job well without any issues. I've noticed that my eyes are more and more irritable recently, along with my skin, and this did nothing to worsen that at all, and didn't hurt my eyes either. I would repurchase this, it's also within the travel-friendly limits so you can throw it into hand luggage too!

It is available at John Lewis at £6 for 100ml.

Product: 7.5/10

Effectiveness: 7.5/10

Texture/Formula: 7.5/10

Value: 7.5/10

Packaging: 4.5/5
Application: 4.5/5
Repurchase: Yes

Overall: 7.8/10

URGENT - SECRET SANTA/CHRISTMAS SWAPS

If you haven't replied to an email asking for confirmation of your participation please do so immediately. Due to 1 person not having replied we have been unable to allocate Secret Santas by the given date which was 31st October.

If we do not receive that reply by 11am on 1st November we will remove you if you haven't replied to the email and the Secret Santa will be held with those who have. The email was to ensure you haven given the correct email address and to make sure the account isn't abandoned. I do not wish to send personal addresses and details to abandoned email addresses. This would result in people not receiving a present as well, which would defeat the purpose of the Secret Santa.

I have sent an email to that 1 person again now. Thank you for your help.

20 before 20

I saw this idea on Claire's blog and thought I'd give it a go too! I know I already have 101 things to do in 1001 days but this seems like a revved up version, and I like making lists so here goes!

On my next birthday I will be 20 years old. It makes me feel so old it's ridiculous. I'll get through it though...*sigh* Some of these are abbreviated because I can't reveal them just yet or I want to keep them as personal goals.

1) Do a makeup and hair course I no longer want to do one!
2) Save a decent amount of money
3) GGG
4) GIU
5) Keep my room tidy
6) Use up at least 150 hair/makeup/skincare products
7) Start my diverse blog  http://everythingbutbeauty.blogspot.com
8) Buy a DSLR
9) Take a photography course
10) Go to a certain French Restaurant
11) Review my French and start practicing
12) BHCA
13) SJS
14) Start training properly
15) Start swimming and yoga
16) Buy a car
17) Have a huge clearout and give anything unwanted to charity or sell it
18) Buy nothing to do with beauty myself
19) Fix sleeping pattern
20) Style myself daily - I run around in the worst combination of clothing and makeup usually!

That's it! I hope to complete all of these as soon as I can apart from the ongoing ones and will keep you updated! Thank you for reading :)

Secret Santa/Christmas Swaps - What Happens Next?

Hi!

Seeing as we added a lot of rules, terms and so on to ensure everything runs properly and smoothly, I thought I'd quickly write this post to let you know what happens next. I still haven't received all confirmation of the swaps from people wanting to participate and until I get those emails I won't be sending anyone's address to the email address' that haven't replied. I just want to make sure that the individual themselves will get the details and don't want to send personal information to abandoned email addresses. If you haven't received an email from me please leave a comment and I'll send you one right away.

Myself and Jade will then sort everyone so all participants have someone to send to and someone sending them a present.

Here's what you need to do after you receive your Secret Santa's details:

1 - Find a present to the value of at least GBP £15/ USD $23/ EUR €17 or equivalent.
2 - Package it and take a picture (blur out or cover address, name will be enough), send this picture along with postage method to j.hewitt4468@gmail.com.
3 - Send your package before or on 1st December 2011.


4 - Once you have received your package please email naviliciousbeauty@yahoo.com to let me know so I can tick you off! Nothing else is necessary.

Thank you very much for taking part! Please email/tweet/leave a comment if there are any issues and I'll respond asap.

Liebster Blog Award

The lovely Rosie from The Budget Beauty Book awarded me this a little while ago, thank you Rosie! :)

I have to award 5 blogs with less than 200 followers, here they are:

Joy from 10 Things I like About Makeup and Beauty

Sandra from Beauty Balm

Lívia from Heads and Nails

Krylyn from Krylyn

Claire from xxDolly Blossom

They're all lovely ladies with lovely blogs! Please check them out and give them a follow!

Thank you for reading :)

Registration is Now Closed for Xmas Swaps!

Hi!

Thank you to everyone who chose to join in with this year's (and the first ever!) Blogger Christmas Swaps! I've had quite a large response, which I didn't expect at all!

Please ensure you've replied to your confirmation email, and your Secret Santa's details will be with you by 31st October. I'll put up another post reminding you of exactly what you need to do next and please don't hesitate to contact me if there are any queries/issues.

Thank you so much everyone! :)

Boudoir Privé - October 2011

I got my Boudoir Privé box a little while ago, I haven't used everything in it but here's what I got and my thoughts...I also have a little ramble for you towards the end!

The contents:

I haven't included prices, I typed them all up but then blogger decided not to save. I'm sorry, I just don't want to redo everything again.

I'm actually really happy with this month's box, I've previously tried a tiny sample of Korres' Guava Body Butter and I thought it was great, the scent wasn't amazing for me, but it wasn't bad. I'm so happy they've included the StudioMakeup Eyeliner Pen, I don't own any felt tip type eyeliners and I've always wanted to try one, this is also full size and in black. The two Cetuem products look interesting but I'm not entirely sure if I want to use them, because I don't want to alter my skin in anyway, only protect it and bring it to its natural state...by that I mean I'd like to lose the tan and the blemishes, then my skin would be as it was originally, but I'm not sure I'd be happy using these without checking up on the ingredients and how they work. Interesting products though. I've heard so much about the Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve, and apparently it's great, I just don't like using my fingers for balms, hence why all my tubes finish a lot quicker...but I may give this a go...I didn't love the perfume because of the strength I think, and just the scent in general, it'll get used up quickly though, I'll just spray it in my room or around the house. The Leonor Greyl hair oil is gorgeous, it smells great, feels great on the hair, not yucky and greasy and actually stayed in my hair after shampoo, I shampooed it twice and then conditioned. I'm not entirely sure if there is a difference but I think there is...obviously there isn't a scientific measure so I can't say, and even if there was I'd pick at it...but brilliant overall, I liked it at least!

Unfortunately I have now unsubscribed from Boudoir Privé, I simply cannot afford to pay for 5 boxes per month and I didn't think that they were offering as much as the other boxes for similar prices, I think this is their first box with larger products... I thought very hard and long about which box I'd like to unsubcribe from and weighing everything up Boudoir Privé seemed the best box for me to drop for the moment. I would like to add that they are a fantastic company from my experience and I've had no issues whatsoever with them, they're very polite, prompt and show that they care about each customer individually. I've just had to drop the box for now at least.

I've also thought about dropping beauty box posts from the blog altogether, I know I've written a lot of these in a short space of time and I feel like the blog is being taken over by them! Please let me know in the comments how you feel about this, and if you disagree with me completely even. I'm looking into which box to drop next, because I can't afford much at the moment, I check out all the things I want in my online window shops and then empty my basket...oh! Please check out my blogsale on the tab above and I'll post your things asap!

Sorry for the long, rambling, self-pitying post! I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! Many thanks for reading :)

1 Day Left for Registration!

Hi everyone!

This is just a quick reminder to let you know that there's only 1 day left to register for the Christmas Swaps. Click here to go to the form for registration and all the information you'll need.

Thank you so much! :)

GlossyBox - October 2011

I received my GlossyBox a little while ago and I thought I'd share my thoughts and first impressions about the October box.

Here's what was included:

I forgot to take out the Dermalogica Renewal Lip Complex from the bag - too excited, sorry!

Dermalogica AGE smart Multivitamin Thermafoliant - 15ml sample - worth £8.10
Robert Piguet Eau De Parfums x3 small vials
Leighton Denny Expert Nails Colour & Care in Babydoll - full size - £11
Dermalogica AGE smart Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque - 15ml sample - worth £7.07
Dermalogica AGE smart Renewal Lip Complex - 1ml sample - worth £12.86
Dermalogica Beauty Bag
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray - full size - £13

Total Value of Box: at least £52.03
Amount Paid: £12.95
Total Saving: £39.08

I think this month's box was brilliant, it was a 6 month anniversary special for them so there were 6 products, admittedly a lot of Dermalogica, but they are a very well known brand with lots of positive feedback on their products. I've had a chance to try most of the products and here are my thoughts.

The Dermalogica thermafoliant felt very strange on my skin, it has very tiny scrubbing particles in it which made my skin feel odd, but after using it left my face nice and smooth. The perfume samples are beginning to annoy me a little because I now have no more than 18, all from various beauty boxes and orders, I suppose it's a nice way to try lots of different perfumes though, so I'll keep my annoyance at bay. I definitely got the nicest shade out of the 3 Leighton Denny polishes that were available but I'm not entirely sure it's for me, I've yet to try it though...I haven't tried the Dermalogica Masque yet but it looks interesting! The lip balm is amazing, I absolutely love it, I can't believe it's so expensive though! Full size (1.75ml) is £22.50! It's luxurious, melts onto your lips well, moisturises and smells lovely. The Dermalogica beauty bag was a lovely addition and they're right, we can never have too many cosmetic bags! Finally Stila's Smudge Stick Eyeliner, I used this on the first day and it was gorgeous, the colour is so pretty, the gold flecks look beautiful with brown eyes, it really impressed me and I looked it up in more shades. I also wore this the day after I got it, unfortunately it broke once, and quite a chunk of it broke off, I ignored this and twisted it up for another perfect line, the third day I picked this up again as I was in a rush but it broke twice! And small chunks each time, I've informed GlossyBox and they were very helpful, they gave me suggestions on how to use it but after I sent them my picture of broken eyeliner they have offered to replace it when stock comes in.

Overall I think I'd give this box a 9/10, every product looked well thought out and in general I think I will like them all. I did enquire as to why there were so many anti-aging products, and they are for prevention apparently, a mask is a mask to me and an exfoliator exactly that, so I don't really mind, it's just that I've heard using anti-aging products early speeds up aging...but a great box all in all!

What do you think of this month's GlossyBox? Will you be signing up?


Click here to sign up!

The Versatile Blogger Award!

I was awarded the Versatile Blogger Award by Diary of a Country Girl so a huge thanks to her! :) You can check out her blog here.

The Rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave the award to you.

            2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Send it along to 10 other bloggers and let them know you have awarded them. (I'm only doing 5 because I think 10 is too many for me to think of - sorry!)

7 things about me:

- I love babies! (well who doesn't?) They're so cute and gorgeous :)

- I love wearing heels but I feel too tall in them unless I'm with someone taller than me.

- I am actually very versatile and always up for doing new things!

- I used to think I have very strong opinions in certain situations, turns out every situation is unique so nope, I don't.

- I'm not a huge fan of tea or coffee, but I do drink both and like iced coffee especially.

- When I have my own place I intend on filling it with animals, rabbits, dogs, fish, hamsters, gerbils, all cute furry little things :)

- I enjoy writing, I know this may seem obvious, but I actually really love it. It reflected in my academic studies too, I keep a diary, write just for the sake of it, and have been known to dabble in poetry too.

5 Deserving Bloggers!

1. Rosie from The Budget Beauty Book

2. Liloo from Le Petit Jardin de Liloo

3. Liz from Twilight Underworld

4. The Beauty Diaries

5. Lizzie from Cupcakes and Cosmetics

Thank you so much for reading! :)

Series: Review Request!

Hi!

I'd like to maybe start a series where I give one reader a product to review and write me a guest review. I have a lot of products and I won't ever be able to get through all of them, if I did get through them and review all of them I'd have to change my makeup around 3x a day and I don't want to do that!

I already have Urban Decay's 15th Anniversary Eyeshadow Palette and the BOS IV, I'll get round to reviewing them eventually, but I'd like a review of the new Mariposa palette, I just don't want another palette taking up more non-existent room in my bedroom! I also have so many mascaras and other bits and bobs, I may also want to send you a product I haven't got on well with and I'd like another opinion on it. I'll let you know what the condition of the product is each time.

I'd like to set a few rules though and I'll explain how it'll work too:

- If you leave your interest in the form I'll create each time with all questions answered, I'll look at every entry individually and pick a top 5/10? depending on the level of interest and then use random.org to pick someone.
- I'd like a review within 3 weeks of you receiving the product, including before and after pictures if applicable, swatches, photos and your review.
- You must have your parents' permission if you are under 18 and you must be a follower of my blog.
- I'll let the person know after 2 weeks exactly of each post going up and it is international.

That's it! :) Please keep your end of the bargain because I will be purchasing everything or have already bought everything with my own money. Once you've emailed me the review and photos that's all you have to do and you can do as you please with the product.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below! :) Thank you for reading x

I'm Back! With a rambling post...

Hi!

I'm back from my 2 week (ish) blog/twitter break and fortunately/surprisingly I have achieved the few things I set out to complete, my room is as tidy as can be, I've met deadlines even though I still have plenty more, the only thing is the exercise, but I think I'm going to try and fit that in early next year when I have more time.

As for blogging, I'm honestly trying very hard to make some sort of schedule or find time, but I'm very paranoid about the quality of my photographs, and this puts me off blogging quite a bit. I know a lot of you have very kindly told me that you have no issue with the quality of the pictures on my blog, but I still feel very insecure about them...I'm sure I'll sort it out eventually when I can afford a camera...

I don't think I'll be blogging very much for the rest of the year because I have so much other work to do, that's not to say I won't post at all, maybe just not as frequently. I hope that's ok, and I'll be back to it in early 2012! It's nearly 2012! Wow!... Time goes so quickly it's scary!

I don't want to ramble on for too long, but provided everything works out I'll be blogging lots more soon enough and I hope you enjoy reading my posts!

I have emailed everyone asking for confirmation of participation in the Christmas Swaps and nearly everyone has replied which is great, I'll be sending your Secret Santa soon enough. I'm not sure if it should be a direct swap, so 2 people know exactly who they're sending to and just swap, or if it should be randomised, e.g person A sends to person B, person B sends to person C, and person C to person A, but with the number of people that have registered! Please let me know what you think!

That's all for now! Thank you so much for reading :)

1 Week Left to Register!

Hi everyone!

This is just a quick reminder to let you know that there's only 1 week left to register for the Christmas Swaps. Click on the image below to go to the form for registration and all the information you'll need.

Source

Thank you so much! :)

Review: Eau Thermale Avène - Thermal Spring Water

Avène is a brand renowned for its suitability for sensitive skins and is based on the unique Avène Thermal Spring Water which is known to have soothing and anti-irritating properties. Their Thermal Spring Water is available at Boots for £6.50 for 150ml or £3.15 for 50ml.

I've been a fan of this product since I discovered it a little while back on my regular trips to Boots, I love that it has the minerals to suit sensitive skin - even though I don't have very sensitive skin, I just like to know that it is a safe product to use. I use it to refresh my face and body in the heat, as a spray to set makeup, as a toner and after a facial, these are a few of the many uses. It could also be used to calm skin after hair removal. It is available in 2 sizes, 150ml or 50ml, and has very simple, effective packaging. For the purposes it is created and designed for, I think it works brilliantly, it is a must-have in my handbag, although I carry the small one! The main uses I like it best for, are definitely in hot weather and as a general refreshing spray, it doesn't hurt, spray out huge droplets or irritate the skin. Another use given is post-surgery - meaning it should really suit and help all skins.

In terms of the formula, it has a large mineral composition which impresses me, as I feel minerals and natural organic products may be better for our bodies in general. The value is better than some of its competitors because of the mineral composition and suitability for even the most sensitive skins. Some other sprays I've tried I've found to cost more than £6.50 and the only ingredient listed is: Aqua. So based on that alone Avène performs much better. I will be doing a comparison post soon too! I also find that if my skin is feeling irritated, (I have a feeling that my skin is becoming slightly sensitive or is sensitive to some factors) it helps to reduce the feeling of irritation,

I would repurchase this and already have done several times, it lasts me a long time and I don't think the price is too painful either, especially as I tend to use the smaller version a lot. It's very helpful in hot weather and as a pick-me-up throughout the day.

Product: 9/10

Effectiveness: 9/10

Texture/Formula: 9/10

Value: 8.5/10

Packaging: 4/5
Application: 4/5
Repurchase: Yes

Overall: 8.7/10

Help Save Orangutans in Borneo - Easily

Hi,

This is a press release I received some time ago, but I thought it would be appropriate to blog as it is beauty-related - and helpful. Please read on and join in if you'd like.


Trilogy will donate money to the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation for every person that pledges their name on the Trilogy website Trilogyproducts.com – it’s as simple as that.

Trilogy is a skincare brand whose products are made from safe, natural and sustainable ingredients.

PLEDGE YOUR NAME & HELP ORANGUTANS  

Orangutans are one of our closest cousins. These beautiful creatures share 97% of our DNA but are rapidly heading towards extinction due to the destruction of their natural rainforest habitats.

Since its launch in 2009, Trilogy’s ongoing campaign to help endangered orangutans in South East Asia has received enormous public support raising $32,000* for theBorneo Orangutan Survival Foundation - the world’s largest orangutan rescue sanctuary.

Now together with Trilogy you can help.

From 1 October 2011, simply pledge your name on the Trilogy website and spread the word to family and friends. Trilogy will then donate $1.00* for each pledge received to the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. It’s that easy.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Visit www.trilogyproducts.com and follow the orangutan.

2. Pledge your name and Trilogy will donate $1.00* to the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

3. Spread the word to family and friends. Trilogy will donate $1.00* for every person who pledges.

EDITORS NOTE: The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation actively rescues and rehabilitates wild orangutans from oil plantations and releases them into wild, protected rainforest habitats. For further information visit: www.savetheorangutan.org

Trilogy is available from trilogyproducts.co.uk, boots.com, lovelula.com plus selected Boots, House of Fraser, John Lewis, pharmacies and health stores nationwide.  For full stockist information for the Trilogy range visit the Trilogy website.

For the latest Trilogy news visit Trilogy Facebook – www.facebook.com/trilogyproducts

* NZ dollars

Thank you! :)

2 week Blogging/Tweeting Break!

Hi everyone!

Thank you for all of you that have recently joined my blog too, it's truly appreciated. For a little while I've been feeling too overwhelmed by everything that's going on in my life. I should be so much more active than I currently am and I should be doing a lot more than I am now. I have deadlines to meet, and instead I've been sitting on Twitter and Blogger writing, taking photographs, online window shopping and so on. If you follow me on Twitter you'll know it's been months since I've been trying to tidy my room!

So as I really need to get it together I thought I'd leave everything that distracts me for 2 weeks to get myself back into order and hopefully in that time I'll have learnt to organise everything so that I have time to do everything I'd like to as opposed to just concentrating on blogging and every other distraction that comes my way.

I will really miss the wonderful people I've made friends with via blogging and twitter but I'm sure we'll survive 2 weeks! I've scheduled a 1 week to go and 1 day to go posts for the Christmas Swap to remind everyone that registering ends on 25th October. I'll be back by then and expect an email in your inbox asking you to confirm that you want to participate. Shortly after you'll have your Secret Santa Swapping Person and their details and I'll write a post for what you need to do next with regards to proof of postage to make everything as easy as possible.

I've found that leaving blogging and twitter alone really provides a better social life! But as I'm taking this time to get things done I'll list a few things:

- Tidy Room!
- Make a Timetable that works
- Meet my Deadlines
- Sort out work and other responsibilities
- Incorporate some exercise into my life!
- Make some changes with my spending/saving

I'll definitely let you know how everything goes! I've also decided which box I'm going to unsubscribe from, I'm not sure if it'd be rude or not to post why and which box it is, because they're a great company, let me know what you think. Then after that I have an idea of which box I'd like to unsubscribe from so I'll have 3 subscriptions running but unfortunately I'm going to have to wait until my subscription finishes, but overall I feel better about the boxes.

The saving isn't going very well, especially because I now need to pay for stuff that used to be free for me, and it turns out I need new glasses with a higher prescription - although I do think the optometrist has given me one a little too high, so I'll be double-checking that. Anyway, I've rambled on for far too long and way too much!

Thank you for reading everyone, and I'll miss you! I'll see you in a fortnight, take care, bye! :)

Nav xoxo

Carmine Beauty Box - October 2011

If you haven't already heard of Carmine where have you been?! They're the latest beauty box in the UK offering 5 lovely products for all us beauty-crazed women to try. There are 3 different types of subscriptions you can go for, monthly which is £10 plus £2.75 P&P, 6months which is £60 plus £16.50 P&P or 12months which is £110 plus £30.25 P&P resulting in 1 box free! After this box I'm really debating as to whether I should sign up for a year's subscription and save myself some money...

Onto their first ever and my first ever box! I subscribed on Wednesday and had the box with me on Saturday, very impressive.

First a few snaps of the box and packaging:

Then what's inside:

Trind Nail Repair Natural - Full Size 9ml - £12.95

balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream - 30ml sample - £4.35

Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet-Creme - 10ml sample - £5

theBalm FratBoy Shadow/Blush - Full Size 8.5g - £16

Daniel Sandler Eye Delight in Peach - Full Size 3g - £10.25

Total Value of Box: £48.55

Amount Paid: £12.75

Total Saving: £35.80

First Impressions of Carmine:

They seem to be a very relaxed, friendly and fun brand. I love their wording and descriptions on the website, one even made me not feel so bad for having to pay for P&P. I love that they were able to ship out their boxes so soon after subscribing, it really makes a huge difference to me. Especially as when signing up for previous boxes I've had to wait months to receive them - ridiculous! I look forward to what more Carmine have to offer.

First Impressions and Thoughts on the Beauty Box:

I really love this box, I found the contents to be quite similar to Feel Unique's beauty box this month, but I love it. The bright colours and the large black box are great, however I did have a hard time getting the box open because it is so secure. The lid covers the entire depth of the box and not just the top portion so it was a bit annoying getting it open! The box itself is larger and much more rectangular than any other beauty box I've mentioned on here. There's also a very helpful leaflet explaining the products and codes for money off and discounts too.

Now I'll let you know of my thoughts on the contents of the box individually. The Daniel Sandler loose eyeshadow looks amazing, I'm not an overall fan of loose eyeshadows because anything loose in my opinion will be messy, I do however ignore that when reviewing or using something unless it makes a significant mess. I haven't yet used the eyeshadow but I love the colour, very versatile, I'd personally use it as an overall base colour or for highlighting specific areas, and depending on the texture even my face. I was very happy to see a Caudalie cream in here because I'm a huge fan of French brands, I'm sure I'll love this cream too. The balanceMe hand cream is a lovely treat, I love the size and the bright packaging, it's also made up of 98.8% of natural origin ingredients and is definitely cruelty-free. I'm glad that the Trind nail repair was included because overall in the colder seasons I find that nails aren't as strong, although I put that lightly because fortunately my nails aren't so bad overall. It looks like a great treatment and is yet another full sized product included this month. Finally theBalm's gorgeous blush/eyeshadow, this is also a full sized product and a release that is very difficult to get hold of in the UK as of yet. It was released for Summer 2011 and looks beautiful, it is a peachy-pink blush perfect for all year round.

I'm very very happy with Carmine's first box and I cannot wait for future boxes. I do believe that I'm very close to deciding which boxes to keep and which to unsubscribe from. I'd like to add a huge thank you to Carmine for bringing back my belief in amazing customer service and quality of service. Not to mention value! Overall based on my first impressions and thoughts this box gets a 9.5/10! The 0.5 less because I couldn't get the box open for ages!

What do you think of Carmine's Beauty Box? Will you be signing up?


If you'd like to sign up simply click below:
Sign me up now!

Feel Unique Beauty Box - October 2011

I received my first ever Feel Unique Beauty Box on Friday and I loved it so much I honestly didn't want to share it with anyone! Feel Unique is £9.95 per month and the box and its contents are amazing.

TIGI Catwalk Sleek Mystique Straight Collection Blow Out Balm - Full Size 90ml - £10.35

Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily Ultra-Moisturising Hand Therapy - 25g Sample - £3.50

Caudalie Vinexpert Radiance Day Fluid SPF10 - 10ml sample - £10.20

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash - 60ml - £5.60

Orly Nail Lacquer in Green With Envy - 5.3ml - £5

Burberry Body Perfume - 1.5ml sample - £1.38

Total Value of Box: £36.03

Amount Paid: £9.95

Total Saving: £26.08

The Feel Unique box itself is a small compact slide-out sleek black box which I love. The contents are from luxury brands and are of deluxe sizes. I love this box! To be honest I'm very grateful for the TIGI Styling Balm but I have no idea how to use it because I don't own a blow-dryer...maybe I should get one at some point...let me know what you think! The Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream is a wonderful addition as I've been wanting to try their products for ages and still haven't. Caudalie is a French brand and I have a bit of an amour for them, also very high-end, I love the sample sizes because I can take them away with me when I travel, this fluid also has an SPF of 10 which is always helpful. Unfortunately my heart sank a little when I saw the Bliss Face Wash because I already have 2 exact bottles, but I hope it's good, so I can use them all up! I love the Orly nail lacquer, and the shade is lovely but not one I myself would associate as a pre-Winter warmer, as the theme of this box is. Finally I really liked the addition of a fragrance sample, I have so many I don't think I'll ever need to buy a perfume bottle! I liked the fragrance of the Burberry Body, although I do feel I should wear it a little more before deciding definitely.

I was very happy with this box and am proud to present it with a 10/10 based on my first impressions and thoughts. I see no flaws in this box, the packaging, the price or the delivery. I'm considering going for the 12 month subscription but again, I have to yet decide which beauty boxes to unsubscribe from!

Thank you so much for reading! What do you think of the box? Will you be joining up?

Amarya Beauty Box - October 2011

I received my lovely beauty box by Amarya yesterday and I was thrilled with the contents. Here's everything and my thoughts:

Lavera Eye Gel - sample sachet (1.5ml?) - price/worth unknown

terre d'Oc Powder Eyeshadow in 502 - Full size - £12.95

Dr Hauschka Daily Revitalising Eye Cream - 1.5ml sample - worth £3.35

Neom Organic Body Wash - 50ml - worth £4.25

Madara Eco Face Travel Set - Full size - £6.95

Total Value of Box: at least £27.50

Amount Paid: £10

Total Saving: £17.50

Here are my first impressions of the box:

I really loved opening it this month, it really and truly felt like I'd got a surprise birthday present, I'm not sure why though! Probably because I hadn't had a package in so long! Anyway...I'm happy with the box overall, very happy with the Madara travel set and as I have combination skin-tone I was impressed with Amarya, even though I secretly knew that everyone has got the same one. I've stored it away for when I do travel, I love the look of the Neom body wash and it smells nice too, think herbal scents. Although I haven't tried the Lavera eye gel or Dr Hauschka's eye cream, I don't like sample sachets to try the creams or any creams, because they dry out before I can utilise them properly - unless I transfer them to a little pot which are always occupied so hard for me to do. Finally the terre d'Oc eyeshadow, it's a loose eyeshadow in a very unique shaped pot and a very pretty colour. I think I'll use it as an all over shade on my lazy days!

Based on my first impressions this box gets a 9/10!

Thank you so much for reading, let me know what you think of your Amarya box, or if you haven't signed up, are you tempted yet? :)

Secret Santa/Christmas Swaps

Hi!

To formally register your interest in partaking in the Secret Santa/Christmas swaps please read the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy below. Jade from Fashion & Beauty Disaster kindly offered to help me organise everything so when I say "we" I mean Jade and myself, otherwise I will say "I" for myself only. To help everyone feel safer about the swap I've compiled the terms and privacy policy. It's a lot to read and comply by but it'll keep everything safe and secure and allow this to take place without any issues!

Source

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR INTEREST BY 25th OCTOBER 2011.

Terms and Conditions:

- Minimum value of present must be GBP £15/ USD $23/ EUR €17.

- Packages must be sent out before or on 1st December 2011.
- You must be 18 or over or over the legal age in your country or have your parents' permission to participate.

- You must contact either Nav or Jade to inform them of your chosen delivery method. (1st class, recorded, etc) So that we can help your Secret Santa should their package not arrive AND please email a picture of your proof of postage to naviliciousbeauty@yahoo.com.

- Once you fill in the form below you must partake in this swap, if there are any issues with this please email Nav or Jade.

- To participate in the swap you must accept both the terms and conditions and privacy policy.

- Neither Nav or Jade will be held responsible for missing packages or packages which do not comply with everything mentioned in both the privacy policy and the terms and conditions.

 - Please inform Nav or Jade once your package has been received.

- When sending package please include a little note saying who it's from so you may be thanked!

Privacy Policy:

- The data collected (name, postal address, email address) will not be passed onto any third party, it will only be accessible to the sender of your package and Nav.

- Your information will only be used for the purposes of this swap and no other reason.

- As the sender you must remove your Secret Santa's details once the package has been sent.

- All personal information and data collected will be removed from this database once everyone has received their packages.

You will also be sent an email to verify you have chosen to participate before we send any details to you to protect privacy as best as we can.

Monthly Facials: Deep Cleansing Facial

I had my first ever facial a few days ago and I can now report my thoughts and opinions! It cost £20 for around 40 minutes, I didn't expect anything too fancy for that price but a decent service and possibly good results.

Here's how it went:

I asked for their deep cleansing facial and the lady told me to take a seat, another lady then came out and mumbled if I wanted a facial, and I replied yes, to which I was directed upstairs and told to change. I didn't know what to change into and the wrap on the bed looked very recently used, so I sat on the edge and took my shoes off and jumper off waiting.

 After about 4-5mins the lady came back with a tray of scrubs and creams, she then put the wrap on me asking to remove my t-shirt and told me to lay down. The bed was fine, and the music calming. She wrapped a headwrap on my head and began very roughly rubbing in a cleanser. After the cleanser she wiped off with a face towel, she put an exfoliator on my face which I think she managed to get into my nostril as well seeing as she was so incredibly rough. I felt heat coming from directly above my face to the left a little and felt truly suffocated. She hadn't asked if I was asthmatic, experiencing any breathing difficulties or even if there was a heart condition - I'm aware that these things can be affected by sauna like steam. But anyway, I was suffocating for a while as she rubbed everything around my face very roughly, blocking my airways as she worked on the sides of my nose as well.

The light was then turned on and a metal like tool attacked my face, specifically around my nose, wincing a lot I heard her say "yes it is painful!" I assumed this was the manual extraction part. Fortunately this was soon over and another cleanser applied while the steam was removed, this was swiftly rubbed in and wiped off and yet another cleanser applied! Only it was a mask that felt like a cleanser, wet cotton pads were also dropped on my eyes and I heard the lady leave the room.

So after about 7 minutes I would say, she returned and wiped the mask off, after she was satisfied with that, the cream was applied again, roughly but also heavily to my face, straight after I was told "ok, done!"

The entire facial lasted 40minutes, my skin looked very glowing, my nose was nice and red, but clear. Throughout the rest of the day my face looked like I'd purposely dropped an open bottle of baby oil on it, I eventually saw my face and used a wipe to smooth things over. After this my skin felt fantastic, so soft, very cleansed although the pores around my T-zone seem to be more noticeable - even though immediately after the facial they appeared to be significantly smaller.

Despite the rough rubbing of my face and the not very long or perfect facial, I think it did make a difference, even if ever so slightly and I hope that the regularity will help to improve my skin in future. Sorry for the long post!

Christmas Swaps!

Image from http://crazy-frankenstein.com/403.html

I had this idea some time ago and I'm not sure how everyone will receive it. I wanted to send my "blogging/twitter" friends Christmas presents! I'm not entirely sure how this will work, but I'm thinking that if you would be up for it please register your interest in the form of a comment below. I don't want this to be something that only a few people can do, everyone is welcome and I don't think the value of presents should be an issue. It's up to everyone individually if they'd like their swaps to be international or not, but whichever way I think everything should be sent a little while before Christmas to ensure it gets there on time!

Another way to do this might be to send your blogger friend an email or tweet asking if they'd be interested and you can go ahead and do so!

Please let me know what you think in the comments below. I hope there's enough interest for the first Christmas blogger swap to go ahead! :)

Thank you so much for reading x

Boudoir Privé - September 2011

Hi!

I received my Boudoir Privé box last Monday and I've had a chance to play with everything well enough for first impressions/a mini-review. Boudoir Privé kindly offered to send me a box free of charge and I replied too quickly not recalling I'm already a subscriber! However, I told them later on and they were absolutely lovely when I said I'd either be giving it to a family member or holding a giveaway on the blog. I ended up giving it away to a family member for her birthday and she loved it, she took most of the stuff leaving me the box.

So anyway, here's what was in it and my opinions on it:

Lovely note in review box (given away)

My £10 box - and I've forgotten to take a picture of the Tropic body polish because I'd already used it :/

Tropic Body Smooth Refreshing Polish - I really liked this, I used it on my legs and it made them feel a lot smoother and scrubbed, I'm not entirely sure if I'd repurchase as I think I've found the scrub of my life at the minute, but overall it's lovely, works well with a citrus fragrance.

Zoya Professional Lacquer in Tao - I really like the shade of the nail polish, from Zoya's A/W collection Smoke & Mirrors, it applies well and looks good. Normally retails for £9.98 per bottle.

Cargo Boogie Night Eye Pencil - I swatched both of these from both boxes on my hand and I really didn't like the colour payoff or feeling, I think these would be way too harsh on my very sensitive eyes - they'll be in my blogsale soon. 5 retail for £13.

Colbert MD Nourish Eye Cream - This is amazing, I love the consistency of this eye cream and I think my sample will last me for months, it's a nourishing cream and not anti-aging like every cream I come across so I'm glad. Just a basic cream I need. 15ml for £90.

Macademia Healing Oil Treatment - This is another product I love, it's nourishing to the hair without being oily, I think I may repurchase this when I run out or just some more for all of my hair.

Agent Provocateur Fragrance -  This smells lovely :)

Mai Couture Blot & Bronze sheets - I really like these, I was confused as to which side to use but I just used both and I love the slight shimmer they add.

Zoya swatches - I'm glad these were included so that when Boudoir Privé open their online store I can pick up some more shades I love!

I think this box was the best box so far! I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading, let me know what you think and if you'll be subscribing to Boudoir Privé soon! :) Another thing I forgot to add is how much I love that Boudoir Privé put the samples into the box so they're hidden! I love looking for them! :)

September Empties - 2011

I really like doing these posts because it makes me feel better about what I've used up! :) For the month of September I have used up a lot of samples and sachets and a few full/travel-sized products.

Starting off with some samples, I used up 2 REN face creams, one for night and the other for the day, I really liked both of these but I don't think they were a perfect match for my combination skin.

I also used up my Tropic Body Smooth Refreshing Polish from my Boudoir Privé box this month quite quickly, I thought this was pretty good, it's like a sugary scrub but once applied to the skin the scrubbing parts seem to melt into the formula, smells strongly of lemons and leaves skin moisturised after use too.

I'm so glad I finally used up this Neutrogena concentrated hand cream, I found it to be extremely moisturising to the skin but didn't love the texture very much after a lot of use, it lasts for donkey's years though. I love the scent of this Ted Baker bodyspray I tend to carry it around with me and spray it all day because it's so lovely!

I've been using The Body Shop's Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF15 for ages, it's a great moisturiser for combination skin although sometimes my skin can get very oily after about 6 hours of having it on, also glad I finished this!

I used up 2 Lush Fresh Face Masks, technically only one because I had to bin the Love Lettuce mask due to mould constantly forming on it. Way before the expiry date and afterwards. The BB Seaweed mask had the same issue but once I took the layer of mould off it didn't reappear, so I wasn't too dissapointed with it. However the Love Lettuce mask was basically throwing away £5.50 for nothing.

The Brilliant Brunette Shampoo and Conditioner travel sized items by John Frieda are amazing and I loved them both, you can read a more in depth review here.

I also finished one of three Dove Intensive conditioners, they came with Marie Claire and I can safely say I loved it and it's a great product for taking away frizz and making my hair feel nourished, unfortunately I threw it into the plastics before I had a chance to take a picture!

Thank you for reading x