Guest Reviewer Needed for Xen-Tan

Hi! :)

I'd like to ask all of the readers of Navilicious Beauty if they would be interested in writing a guest review for the blog about Xen-Tan's Sunless Tan. I received a 30ml sample in this month's GlossyBox which unfortunately is of no use to me, so I thought of asking someone who will use it to review it for the blog!


Deep Bronze Luxe Weekly Self-Tan with instant colour for face and body - Dark.

 And here is what I'd like the review to include:

- Information about the product, where to buy in the UK and in your country if you're not from the UK, etc
- Images of the product, and before and after images
- Detail about the product in whichever format you think is best providing information on whether you like it or not

If you are interested please leave a comment below including the following:

- Your blog name/address

- Skin tone (fair/medium/dark)

- Whether you've used Xen-Tan before

- If you've used any self-tan product before

- Your e-mail address

If there are many comments I will use random.org to choose a comment promptly, if you have been chosen to review I will e-mail you by Monday 25th July 2011 and send the Xen-Tan to you.

Thank you so much for your help!

Review: E.l.f Cosmetics Studio Tinted Moisturiser SPF20

This is available from http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/ at £3.50 for 20ml/0.7fl oz, however on my particular one the packaging claims it to be 25ml/0.88fl oz...I do believe this to be incorrect as it feels very light! It is available in 7 different shades, listed with mini-descriptions and pictures on their website. I found the descriptions incredibly useful, otherwise would have no doubt picked the wrong shade! (However Beige oxidises slightly when on the skin making it a little too orange on my skin, but isn't too bad.)

What e.l.f cosmetics say:

This lightweight and hydrating formula is breathable and provides anti-aging sun protection with UVA/UVB SPF 20. Achieve even skin tone and naturally radiant skin with this moisturizing sheer tint of color. The smooth formula enhances your complexion with the nourishing key ingredients Aloe, Cucumber and Vitamins A, C and E.

The packaging of the tinted moisturiser is very sleek and compact, it easily fits into a makeup bag and even in your handbag for on-the-go if you like to touch-up your makeup during the day. Application is easy, I have used my fingers, e.l.f's stipple brush and a foundation brush, all methods resulted in a flawless application and well moisturised skin. Using this both with and without my daily moisturiser, I do recommend that you use your moisturiser anyway, regardless of your skin type. My reasoning for this is because I felt that when I applied this on top of moisturiser it blended into the skin better and lasted longer throughout the day. My skin also had a good "drink" of moisture so it was happy!

The tinted moisturiser lasts all day on me, (around 8-9hours) without any problems, as I have combination skin my T-Zone does get a little oily during the day so I tend to either wipe my makeup off because I get fed up of it and feel disgusting, or I dust e.l.f's HD Powder on top of my T-zone, or use The Body Shop's Tea Tree Blotting Sheets. The powder or blotting sheets don't interfere with the moisturiser so that's great. On occasions I have set it with e.l.f's HD Powder and found that it lasts longer too.

Squidge of Beige on left, blended swatch on right.

It does not fade throughout the day but sometimes does rub off when I've accidentally touched my face - ever so slightly though. The finish is one that would be expected of a good tinted moisturiser, it is lightweight, fresh, provides an even-skintone, a very natural look and some radiance. It sits very comfortably on the skin and the complexion is enhanced. The SPF given is 20, however generally a generous application is required to achieve the given factor, another reason to apply extra sunscreen before! The value of this is good I think, but not great, 20ml lasted me for about 3weeks daily and I have a little left. I wouldn't want to have to repurchase every 3 weeks, so a little more product would be appreciated!

Overall: I think this is a fantastic tinted moisturiser for such a low price, even better when e.l.f have offers on saving us money! The claims e.l.f cosmetics make are definitely correct. It has a few tiny issues but that may just be me being very picky, I give this an 8/10 and definitely recommend it!

Review: Stila Cosmetics Lip Glaze in Fig

This is a luxury lipgloss by Stila Cosmetics priced at £15 for 2.4ml/.08fl oz although this particular shade is no longer available. Stila Cosmetics have recently launched into Boots and are available in larger stores as well as online, their products are also available to purchase on various online cosmetics stores such as Escentual.com and BeautyBay.com. I chose to write this review as I expect that the formula of the lip glazes will be very similar, and the colour the only difference, however I may be incorrect.

Fig is a non-sticky sheer mauve-toned pink lipgloss with small sparkles, it is packaged in a twist-click pen with a lip brush on the end to apply the product directly to the lips. It also has the scent of a fig. The lip brush is very soft and the application process is simple and easy. The gloss applies smoothly and well, to my surprise it was very hydrating to the lips so I no longer ensure I apply lip balm before and apply only the lip glaze. This lasts for around 2-3hours on my lips with eating and drinking and around 3 hours without. The moisture lingers for longer slightly longer though.

It is easy to travel with, fortunately I haven't experienced any leaking of product into my makeup bag or handbag. The glaze makes lips look a little more fuller and is shiny, the colour isn't very noticeable unless you have very neutral-pink toned lips, although other shades may be more clearly visible on the lips. The sparkle is very subtle making it suitable for day and night. The amount of product lasts for a very long time as only a little is needed for one application, and many people like to switch around lip products, I think if used everyday once, the glaze would last for about 4-6weeks.

Overall: The packaging is certainly innovative and I like the glaze itself, but for such a small amount of colour on the lips and a pretty average sheer lip gloss aside from the particular scent, I don't like the price. I think that there are many other alternatives available that provide similar qualities for a lower price. Unfortunately I wasn't able to find a full description for a more thorough comparison of claims and results, I give this a 7/10 because it is nice and I didn't experience any issues but does not have any outstanding qualities to make it worth the £15.

Have you tried any Stila Lip Glazes? What did you think?

GlossyBox - July 2011

My GlossyBox arrived today so I thought I'd put up a quick post about my first thoughts on it!

The 5 things it contains this month are:

- Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Conquer (1.3g/0.04oz)
- Xen-Tan Weekly Self-Tan (30ml/1oz)
- Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil (100ml/3.4fl oz)
- Ciaté Paint Pot in Beach Melba (13.5ml)
- 2 Etat Libre D'Orange Eau De Parfum (1.5ml x 2)

I love the Illamasqua Pure Pigment, Conquer is a deep green shade and looks very pretty. I've never used any Illamasqua products because I am trying to spend the least I possibly can on makeup because my collection is very large now! This is also a full-sized pigment worth £15.50, very impressive!

I have no interest in the next product, the Xen-Tan Premium Sunless Tan because I dislike tanning! Therefore will be thinking of what to do with it... The sample size is great though - 30ml.

The Weleda Body Oil looks interesting, but the claims "Indulgently firms and renews" imply that this is for an older target audience, but I'll give it a shot and if I don't feel like it's doing anything for me, hand it over to a lady older than myself! This is another full size product worth £19.95!

The Ciaté Paint Pot is another great product but I have too many pale pink/nude shades so I would have liked a different shade! This is worth £9 and is another full sized product!

Finally, the Etat Libres D'Orange are very small samples of 2 different perfumes, that upon first "smelling" smell great!

Overall I am very impressed with this month's GlossyBox, it contains 3 full size products worth £44.45 together without the self-tan and tiny samples, although I expect the perfume samples would be free anyway. So a £44.45+ box for £10 and free delivery, I'm impressed! I give this month's GlossyBox a 8/10! Products will be reviewed individually too.

The last point I'd like to make though after seeing a few other GlossyBoxes I would have much preferred the UltraSun sunscreen instead of the tan! A nice little bottle of Orla Keily instead of the random perfume samples and a coloured Ciaté Paint Pot! GlossyBox should get a move on with their profile-creating!

Thank you for reading!

Have you got your GlossyBox this month? Like it? A fail? Let me know in the comments below!


Click here to sign up!

Review: Sleek Makeup Caribbean Collection - Bonaire Pout Polish

This is the pout polish from the Caribbean Collection which came out Wednesday 6th July, I've tried this for sometime now and have now decided to write everything down for you. You can read the Caribbean Collection post here.

This pout polish is named Bonaire, it's a very pretty shade of bright orange, houses 10g/0.34oz of product in sleek, pretty packaging decorated with the Caribbean theme. It is also a tinted lip conditioner and available at Superdrug for £4.29 or on Sleek's website for £4.30. Application is a doddle, I use the Mac 318 to apply and it applies very smoothly and seems to reduce the faint lines on my lips. It is very moisturising, again containing the shea butter, wheat germ oil, sweet almond oil and avocado oil like the Monte Carlo Pout Polish. It is vanilla scented and includes SPF 15.

The packaging is very sleek, pretty and compact, making it easy to travel with or to just pop into your handbag whenever needed.

Overall I give this a 9/10, it fulfils all requirements for a tinted lip conditioner in my opinion and I love it, especially for the summer months.

Thank you for reading, click below for more pictures...

Beauty Box by Boudoir Privé

This is a recent find, (say about last month!), which has kept us all intrigued until the launch which is this month at some point. I was able to get Press Release information by their lovely PR lady and here is a very efficient summary of what Boudoir Privé is and what is provided.

In the 18^th century, a woman’s boudoir was her sanctum. A place to retreat, reflect and experiment with her hair and beauty in the comfort of her own home. We at Boudoir Prive are reinventing the contemporary boudoir and revolutionizing the way cosmetics are sold online, by giving women the luxury of discovering new beauty products in the intimacy of their own room.

Introducing the Beauty box by Boudoir Prive. A groundbreaking concept which will enable consumers to try products before you buy. For a monthly membership of £10 per month, members receive a beautiful Boudoir Prive box, direct to their office or home, containing six exciting expertly selected beauty samples which will be a mix of established brands and brand new lines across six categories (skincare, body care, haircare, make-up, fragrance and lifestyle.)  Every month the products members receive will change, meaning the surprise element is ongoing, and members are encouraged to offer feedback on their products in return for fabulous discounts in the Boudoir Prive website E-shop if they choose to buy a full sized version of their chosen product.

With a plethora of beauty experts seal of approval including acclaimed Make-up artist Jay Pinxie Turnbull, the vision for Boudoir Prive as the largest desirable beauty community in the UK is a realistic one; ” With so many hair and beauty products available it is hard to decide what to invest in. The chance to be able to try before you buy is very exciting. I am telling all my friends about this already as I think it is a brilliant concept. The little box of luxury is beautiful, how nice to have a small ‘present’ delivered once a month“ says Turnbull.

With the first boxes due to be shipped in July, the excitement is building as beauty enthusiasts and consumers alike flock to sign up for the first round of boxes.

Entrepreneur Therese M’Boungoubaya and Boudoir Prive Founder said “I grew up fascinated by beauty products, probably the result of being the child of two pharmacists, and my passion is to discover and share the very best that the luxury beauty industry has to offer and deliver it direct to our member’s door! ”

Doesn't that sound amazing?! It seems GlossyBox has a very worthy competitor, but we'll have to wait and see until the first few boxes have been sent out. Interestingly enough, there aren't any extra P and P charges and there is ine more product in the box, split into different types of beauty.

I'm very excited, to sign up click here, hurry!

What do you think? GlossyBox or Boudoir Privé? Both? One? Or neither?

Review: Sleek Makeup Mediterranean Collection - Monte Carlo Pout Polish

Here is my first review of 6 items in Sleek Makeup's Summer Collections. I want to ensure I review each item thoroughly and individually so that there is a decent amount of information for you to decide if you want the product or not! Read my post on the Mediterranean Collection here.

This is the Pout Polish from the Limited Edition Mediterranean Collection released 8th June 2011, costing £4.29 from Superdrug, or on Sleek's website. It is a bright pink tinted lip conditioner named Monte Carlo, in keeping with the Mediterranean theme. I really like the packaging, it's very sleek and compact, allowing for the tinted lip conditioner to travel with you or remain in your draws at home without causing a fuss or taking up to much space.

The product itself is amazing, it smells lovely (vanilla scented), and applies like a dream. This is the first pout polish from Sleek I have ever tried and I love it. It leaves a subtle pink colour on the lips without looking too eye-catching, and moisturises the lips very well - you won't need lip balm. I don't ever use my fingers to apply lip products from the pot unless I'm going for a specific look, so I use Mac's 318 Retractable Lip Brush. Only a small amount is needed and the option of layering the conditioner on is also available should you choose to do so. I'm also impressed with the fact that Sleek have made the effort to put SPF15 into the pout polish, I'm crazy about sun protection thanks to Renée Rouleau!

In terms of value there is 10g/0.34oz of product for £4.29, very reasonable in my opinion for a product that I hope will last me for a very long time. It's very versatile, perfect for summer as it's a light product with a hint of colour, so not too heavy on the eyes or the lips! I would wear this as a lip balm all year round too. Recyclable packaging is another pro as are the moisturising ingredients, such as shea butter, almond oil, avocado oil and wheat germ oil.

Overall, I am impressed with this pout polish, I find it to be a very useful staple in my ever-growing makeup collection and I enjoy using it. I give it a 9/10!

Thank you for reading! :)

Have you tried this yet? What do you think? Will you be buying?

My first ever GlossyBox! June 2011

Hi!

Sorry I haven't been posting as frequently as I'd like to, I've had many busy days and some very lazy days so no blogging gets done! This post is going to be a little snapshot of what I got in this month's GlossyBox and my first impressions of the box, its contents and Glossybox in general.

This is my first ever GlossyBox, I ordered on 6th May and the email I received said I would receive a GlossyBox on 6th May! So I asked GlossyBox on twitter what this meant and it turned out that I wouldn't be getting one until June...I was very disappointed. I think as a brand new company it should have been prepared for such a high demand for the service and been able to provide for all those interested! When you usually order things, they are in stock unless stated otherwise and depending on delivery are received pretty quickly. I was very excited to receive my first box...

Onto the contents of this month's box and my first impressions:

There's a small leaflet(?) explaining what's in the box along with some discount codes on separate pieces for the brands in the box.

Here we have this month's 5 luxury samples... I could honestly go off on one about how damaging and unthoughtful it is for GlossyBox to have placed a £1.52, 50ml bottle of Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original, in the box but I will say so politely. GlossyBox advertise themselves to provide luxury samples, from luxury brands, Batiste is not a luxury brand. I cannot emphasise enough how disappointed I am again, especially as this box is/was a lot of customers' first box.

Next up, is an eau de parfum by Perles de Lalique, definitely a luxury brand thank goodness. The bottle is beautiful and I loved the packaging too, it's only 4.5ml but looks like a lot of perfume. Eau de parfum is the most concentrated form of scent available so it would be the most costly if bought alone, £68 for 100ml. The only issue I have with this is the scent itself, it's a sophisticated scent, but one for a much older lady in my opinion, so I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it or just using it up when I can.

In the little pouch is the Bioeffect EGF Serum, the wondrous skincare product from Iceland. This sample is worth £30, and a full sized 15ml vial is £125 and 5ml for £49. I would expect this to be for an older lady again but the leaflet does say it is for any age and any skin type so I will be trying this and hopefully reviewing it soon.

Next is the small designer nail lacquer by OPI in Coronation, the other one available was Extravagance. I really like this colour and the application seems to be good too, I will review this too, but very happy with this item!

Finally in my box was a 100ml bath and shower gel by Abahna, in the white grapefruit and may chang scent. I haven't much to say about this product as I have yet to try it out, so will put it in a review for you. For 250ml it is £17 so a luxury product for sure. Instead of the bath and shower gel there were many other possibilities of various items that could have been in the box, one of which being a Rouge Bunny Rouge lipgloss, that I wish I'd got!

The box itself I am impressed with, the sturdiness and classy décor is something I also love. It's perfect for storing various bits and bobs, and depending on future contents of GlossyBoxes I'd love to have a little stack of these filled with various items. They could also be used to house presents for other people. Love the box itself.

Finally, GlossyBox overall. Disappointed with the fact that I didn't receive a "May box" when I ordered in May, very upset with the £1.52 worth of Batiste - clearly not a luxury brand, disappointed again with the increase in price of GlossyBox from September, to £12.95, the extra £2.95 for P and P - no indication of this was given when advertising the box. Happy with the box itself and most of the items. For June, I give GlossyBox a 5/10. I will review items separately too.

Thank you very much for reading! :)

What was in your GlossyBox? Love/Like/Hate?

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WINNER of 50 Follower Giveaway!

Thank you to everyone who entered and those who didn't but continue to read my blog, I really appreciate it and it's so exciting to find a new follower too!

I put all valid entries into an excel spreadsheet and got a total of 40 entries! I went onto random.org and it generated the number 21, which was...

KAT M!

Congratulations to Kat! If you would be kind enough to contact me with your details I will send everything out to you asap!

Thanks again to everyone who entered! Just a little side note, I had a few late and invalid entries/comments on here, I really don't appreciate that as it's a waste of your time as it is mine, I clearly state what is needed for an entry to count, please read the post before posting comments!

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