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 :)

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

Beauty Boxes...

As we all know there are a lot of beauty boxes on the market now, sending out samples and sometimes full sized items as well for £10-£12.95 a month, possibly more if you choose. I'm subscribed to 4 and I think it's too much, not only do I already have beauty products spilling out of my entire room but now I'm having to make space to place the boxes themselves. They're all a great treat and I get to blog about them and review the products I receive too, which is something I really enjoy. However, for someone who really wants to save up after spending like there's no tomorrow I do feel I should make some cutbacks.

The 4 I'm subscribed to are:

- GlossyBox £12.95
- Boudoir Privé £10
- Amarya £10
- Feel Unique £9.95

I've received at least 1 of all of them apart from the Feel Unique box which I've yet to experience. If you have any ideas on how to cut down or which you think would be best to keep and so on please help! I personally dislike GlossyBox's "ethics" if you will, of adding an additional postage and packaging charge and including a mini of a very clearly non-luxury product but I like their boxes, and I like that they seem to bring me brands I'd never previously heard of and I also like that a lot of the time they provide full-sized products too!

I like Boudoir Privé so far, they've given me brands I hadn't previously heard of and are very luxurious and exclusive if you will - or have that feel about them at least. The issue I have with Boudoir Privé is that sometimes  their samples really don't feel deluxe to me... Amarya is one I think I will be sticking with because of the organic and ethical stance they have on their box and I like that a lot. They've also promised at least one full sized item so that's good.

I was debating between cancelling Feel Unique and/or Boudoir Privé...but I really do like Boudoir Privé's boxes, but I was thinking that I could just buy from the new shop they're launching soon. I really don't know, I'm very stuck! I'll also be posting my thoughts on September's Boudoir Privé beauty box within the next few days if that'll help anyone help me!

I also am a little worried that as soon as I cancel my boxes they're going to put stuff that I really wanted to try in them!

Please leave your thoughts! Thank you so much for reading x

August Empties - 2011

This month I have used up the following products, I was aiming for at least 10 empties every month but I guess I'll have to try harder in September! (Please click on names to be taken to the review post on my blog.)

1) No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser (200ml) - The first hot cloth cleanser I've ever used, I really liked this, it cleansed well and removed makeup too, the cloth with it was the only downside I think.

2) No7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator (75ml) - I've used this exfoliator a lot, I think this was my second tube, it's a lovely creamy exfoliator suitable for more sensitive skin as well.

3) Olavie Chardonnay Wine Therapy Antioxidant Body Butter (30ml) - I received this in my Boudoir Privé box and I loved it, the only downside to this is the price for the full size, otherwise a fantastic, luxurious feeling, thick body butter.

4) Lush It's Raining Men Shower Gel + Shampoo (100g) - I didn't love this shower gel, it says that it's a shampoo too, and it absolutely sucked at lathering as a shampoo for me. As a shower gel it was fine, I used it with a puff and it did the job well enough but again lathering up was an issue and the smell wasn't as addicting as it is in the Honey I Washed The Kids soap.

5) The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Night Treatment (30ml) - I really like this, the only issue was that it makes me wake up to an exploded oil rig on my face...however it works very well. After I wash my face in the morning my pores look better and my overall complexion is improved. Works best with the entire Seaweed Range.

6) Simple Sun Sensitive Protecting Lip Balm (5g) - SPF 20 with 3star UVA protection, this lip balm is in a lipstick format and I love this. If I only were permitted to use one lip balm for the rest of my life (from everything I've tried so far...but then again I do have a lip balm addiction...) this would be it. Why? It glides on perfectly, no smudging, yellowing of the product, no seeping or separation of formula like some liquid lip balms, easy to use, one swipe is perfect and with added vitamins and SPF protection.

7) I managed to use up all the samples Amarya Beauty kindly sent and the perfume samples from Beauty Boxes.

Hopefully I will meet my minimum of 10 empties target for September! Thank you for reading :)

Review: Olavie Chardonnay Wine Therapy Antioxidant Body Butter

I received a 30ml sample of this body butter in my Boudoir Privé box for August, and I've now used it up completely! (Meaning it'll be making another appearance in my August Empties this month!) This calls for a review!

The full sized body butter by Olavie retails at £43.55 for 240ml and comes packaged in the standard tub in which most body butters are usually found in. It has a very soft thick luxurious texture and feel to it, and once rubbed in dries quickly too. The 30ml sample lasted me about 5-6 days using it on my legs only and smells gorgeous. I couldn't pinpoint the scent but it is very recognisable and lovely. My legs stayed moisturised and soft for around a whole day each time I used them, I couldn't test it for longer because I had to shower!

I didn't like the sample bottle though because it was very difficult to get the body butter out, I had to tap it several times to get a little bit of the product and when I tried squeezing it this resulted in the complete opposite effect of the butter being taken back into the bottle! I would love to repurchase this when I can afford to spend nearly £50 on a body butter but for the moment I won't be.

Reading up on Olavie and this range I found that the antioxidant effects included in the body butter stem from wine and the Chardonnay grape seed. This is also supposed to aid anti-aging and be considerably more beneficial to your health overall. I didn't find that my skin improved in anyway, it was just very moisturised and looked well taken care of - although I did only have a small sample!

Product: 17/20

Texture/Formula: 9/10

Packaging: 7/10
Application: 9/10
Repurchase: No

Overall: 8.4/10

This new rating system is to provide a quick snapshot of my experiences with the product. The product itself, and the texture and/or formula of the product. Wear is a rating of how long and well the item stays on, packaging and application are also reviewed. The repurchase line is whether I would repurchase the item again or not. Overall shows the average scoring of the product out of 10.

Boudoir Privé - August 2011

I received my Boudoir Privé Beauty Box and I really liked it. I haven't included many pictures because I don't really like very image-heavy posts. It included the luxury samples as promised, and in different categories - makeup, haircare, bodycare, skincare, lifestyle and fragrance. It arrived with a lovely, very thoughtful handwritten card by the Founder of Boudoir Privé - Thérèse and a highly informative leaflet providing details about each sample included.

Here's what was included in my box:

- Sachajuan Hair Conditioner (100ml - £10)

- Jane Iredale PureLash Extender and Conditioner (small sample - full size 89ml RRP £13)

- Babor HSR Lifting Extra Firming Cream (small sample - full size 50ml RRP £82)

- Etat Libre D'Orange Archives 69 and Rien (1.5ml each - full sizes respectively 50ml £74 and £52.50)

- Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter (small bottle - full size RRP £43.55)

- Bloom Green Tea and White Tea Duo (sample each - full size pack of 10 RRP £4)

I haven't tried everything yet but I am happy with the box overall. I feel like this particular box is aimed at an older audience, I gave the Babor cream to an older lady, the tea I think is a nice touch, whether you drink tea, despise it or enjoy it once in a while. I found the PureLash Extender and Conditioner to be very lengthening to my lashes however I don't think it is a deluxe sample - especially as the full size is 89ml! The packaging of the Etat Libre D'Orange perfumes slightly annoyed me because of the explicit sexual image on the Archives 69 sample but they do smell nice once applied. I have heard of Sachajuan before but I haven't ever tried any of their products so am glad that their hair conditioner was included. Finally, the Olavie body butter I think is amazing, I'd never heard of the brand before this box though.

Overall: I think this is a good box with a value above the £10 paid for the P and P, the box and the products inside. It was personalised which I loved, the customer service and interaction from the company is brilliant and efficient. Before making a hard and fast decision I would deem it wise to experience a few more of their boxes. I give this month's box a 7/10.

What did you think of this month's box? Will you be subscribing?

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?