WOMEN'S HEALTH BIRCHBOX - JANUARY 2015

This month Birchbox have teamed up with Women’s Health to create a box specially designed for the New Year. I have tried to up my game in the fitness department recently, so this was a perfect box to receive through my door in January. The box brings both products and content that will help start the year with your best foot forward. I have to admit this is probably one of my favourite collaborations recently, I think they have got the products and the box design/content spot on!

Activbod Cooling Finish Lotion, full-size 100ml £12.00 – This isn't a brand I have heard of before, but I have seen that they are now available in Boots. This product is designed to cool you down after your workout, it’s packed with menthol so it instantly delivers a cooling sensation to the skin. The formula also contains Vitamin E which helps to moisturise as well as repair dry skin. The scent is really nice and uplifting, it contains zesty pepper, eucalyptus and lemon which is reinvigorating as well. I really like products like this to use after going to the gym, I use a similar one from Nip and Fab and mainly like to use it on my legs to relax the muscles.

Healgel Intensive, full-size 30ml £37.50 – I have wanted to try something from this brand for ages, it’s always appealed to me but the price has always held be back. Healgel products are created by a team of leading British plastic and cosmetic surgeons. Healgel Intensive is a multipurpose, skin rescue gel. It contains, organic silicone, collagen-boosting hexapeptides and arnica restore and protects your skin in areas where it’s most needed. I found the cream to be really lightweight, cooling and absorbed quickly into my skin. It can also be used as a make-up primer.

Philip Kingsley Body Building Conditioner, full-size 250ml £19.00 – I am a big fan of Philip Kingsley hair care. This conditioner is enhanced with Keratin proteins and natural cellulose which is used to improve the hair’s strength and condition as well as thickening the appearance of every strand. I really like to receive hair mini's in beauty boxes, this formula is perfect for adding volume and shine to flyaway locks.

Ren Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask, full-size 50ml £30.00 – I have received so many minis of this that I have never had to buy the full-size of it yet. I love Ren skincare and their masks are some of my favourite! This mask is designed to get rid of dead skin cells to renew the complexion and remove impurities. It contains natural fruit extracts and papaya extracts help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and smooth the skin’s surface. I like to leave this mask on for ten minutes and wipe away with a damp cloth, it’s nice to use as a mid-week pick me up!

Stila Lip Glaze, 2.4ml £15.00 – I don't think I have tried a product from Stila which I haven't liked. I really like that we received a full-size lip product. I’m not a big fan of the twist click pen applicator as I don't find it very easy to apply and end up using too much product, plus it’s not very hygienic. I received the shade Gleam, which is a sparkly pink toned hue which applies sheer for a wash of colour on the lips. The lip glazes also contains Vitamin A, C and E which keeps lips from drying out.

The lifestyle product that came with the box was an exclusive bright pink pilates resistance band, which also came with tips and exercises on how to use it. I have really enjoyed incorporating this into my current exercise routine, it's perfect for toning, improving your strength and muscle endurance. The box also offered us an exclusive subscription offer! It didn't make me want to subscribe to Women’s Health, but it certainly made me go and buy the current magazine. We also received a sachet of Embrace Matcha Green Tea which contains 10 times the antioxidants of regular green tea, I'm looking forward to trying it!

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JO MALONE - DARK AMBER & GINGER LILY SCENTED CANDLE

Another Christmas present I received last month was my first slice of Jo Malone. I have never brought anything for myself from the brand but have lusted over the candles and fragrances for some time now. There are so many scents I could have picked for myself, but my Mum knew my love for Ginger and chose the Dark Amber and Ginger Lily Home Candle. I don’t think she could have picked a more perfect scent. The fragrance is a combination of Amber and Black Orchid with Black Cardamom, Ginger and Water Lily. I love that the intense fragrances come as a black candle in a black jar, I think this makes the product feel even more of a luxury. My candle also came with matching black matchsticks which I will be using sparingly! I absolutely love how my candle was packaged, at Jo Malone it’s all about the shopping experience. My candle was wrapped in a luxury box, with tissue paper sprayed with the matching fragrance and finished with a red bow and then packaged into the iconic bag tied with a bow again, so nice to open up as a gift! I also love how at Jo Malone they promote fragrance combining, so you can light your candles seprately or combine with other fragrances to create the scent surround experience.
The Home Candle Intense is £8.00 more than the normal version which is £40.00, which is quite pricey but I think it’s worth every penny. The burn time on the home sized candle is 45 hours, so you are getting your moneys worth. The top note of the scent is Black Cardamom, the heart note is Black Orchid and the base note is Kyara Incense. I think this is the perfect scent to burn in the winter, it's dark, musky and spicy but I don't find it too strong or overpowering. It fills the whole room and creates a lovely atmosphere of an evening. It's a shame this fragrance doesn't come in the smaller sized cologne as I would buy the matching fragrance. As this is my first and only Jo Malone candle, I will be keeping this for special occasions and pamper evenings. The scent also comes in a moisturising dry body oil which I can imagine is to die for! The new My Wanderlust Collection by Charlotte Stockdale looks amazing and the packaging is gorgeous, I will have to head down to my nearest store for a sniff!

What are your Jo Malone recommendations?

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URBAN DECAY NAKED ILLUMINATED - AURA

This was one of my Boxing day online sales purchases this year. Urban Decay has to be one of my favourite make-up brands and I have had my eye on these highlighting powders for ages. Feelunique were offering this product for £16.50, (still in stock!! normally priced at £22.00) after Christmas, so I decided to treat myself. Obviously, I love the Naked eyeshadow palettes and I have tried the eye pencils and lipglosses, but there is so much more I need to try in the range, from foundation to powder to the blush palettes. Naked Illuminated comes in two shades, Aura and Luminious, I picked up Aura. Luminous is a champagne shimmer with iridescent shimmer running through it and Aura is more of a soft pink shimmer with a golden iridescent sparkle, which I thought would go better with my skin tone. The Naked Illuminated shimmering powder is for face and body and is a light weight, baked powder which has a microfine shimmer. You simply dust this product wherever you want to create an instant naked glow. I like to use this powder to highlight my cheekbones and my collarbone. I really like the silky, radiant look it leaves on my skin. It also provides the colour payoff of a loose powder, with the convenience of a pressed powder.
I really like the packaging, but I do find the box to be a bit bulky. I would prefer it to be slightly smaller but it has a generous sized mirror and a brush underneath the powder, but I’m not sure this will get much use as I doubt I will travel with this. It is a nice product to get out of your collection and use for an evening out. It would also make a lovely gift as the product itself is of a high quality, maybe it would be nice if they brought out a travel size version! I recommend using a light hand and my favourite brush to use with this product is a stippling brush for the most even application. Some people might feel this product is far too sparkly for them, but you don't need much product and it does last for a while on my cheeks. This shade Aura could also be used as an eyeshadow!

I would definitely be interested in trying the other shade and I need to get my hands on the Naked On The Run Palette!

What are your Urban Decay Naked recommendations?

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A NEW SCENT - MY BURBERRY EAU DE PARFUM

I was a very lucky girl and received this gorgeous bottle under the tree last month. I have never been that interested in Burberry fragrances before, but after spying My Burberry up in Duty Free a few months ago I knew I had to add it to my collection. I didn’t buy it there and then as I already had my heart set on Chloe’s Love Story, but I’m so grateful to have received it for Christmas.

My Burberry is inspired by the iconic Trench Coat and its heritage of British Design and Craftsmanship. My Burberry captures the fragrance of a London garden after the rain. The top notes are Sweet Pea and Bergamot fuse with a Geranium Leaf, Golden Quince and Freesia Heart with a base of Patchouli and rain-tipped Damask and Centifolia Roses. The scent is contemporary, British and floral and I think it's really unique, stylish and refreshing. I would wear this fragrance either day or night as it's so wearable and it lasts for ages on my skin.

My Burberry is the newest perfume in the collection and was released in September 2014. I really like how floral the scent is, it has a modern twist by adding a pepper accent. The bottle reflects iconic details of the trench coat, a bold horn finish cap echoes its distinctive buttons and the hand-tied bow is English-woven gabardine, made from the same fabric as the coat and woven at Burberry’s factory in Castleford, Yorkshire. The colour is honey-beige, also taken from the cult trench. I love the little touches like the 'Woven in England' written on the back of the bow and the Burberry stamp underneath the lid. The bottle looks gorgeous on my dresser and really stands out among other fragrances.

Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne are the face of the perfume, photographed by Mario Testino and directed by Christopher Bailey. I think by using two of the most well-known British models but of different ages is a very clever move by Burberry. As it shows that the women the perfume is aimed at is of a broad scale and anyone can own a little slice of the brand. I received the 50ml bottle in a luxe gift set which also came with the matching scented body mist, which is lightweight and moisturising. It’s nice to receive a slightly different product than a body lotion. In the range you can also purchase, the fragrance shower oil, a fresh deodrant, a bathing soap set and a gold glow fragranced luminising powder, which looks so beautiful! You can also get the 90ml edition personalised as part of their monogramming service on their website, which would make a very special gift!

Have you tried Burberry fragrances?

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SOPHIA WEBSTER BIRCHBOX - DECEMBER 2014

December 2014’s Birchbox was a collaboration with accessories designer Sophia Webster. I love it when beauty boxes do different themed boxes as it really freshens up the concept and get's me even more excited for the contents. I really like the design of this box and is definitely one I will be keeping for storage. But it's what's in the inside that really counts;

Elemental Herbology Facial Glow Radiance Peel, full-size 50ml £40.00 – I haven’t really tried Elemental Herbology products in the past but I’m very excited to try this one as I’ve heard only good things. This product rejuvenates your complexion with natural actives derived from apples, papayas and orange peel. You massage this straight into your skin, I love the fruity scent! I leave it on for four minutes and remove with warm water and a muslin cloth. It's not too harsh on my skin and it really does refresh my complexion.

Electric Hair Hydrate Shampoo, full-size 250ml £17.50 – This shampoo helps to repair and improve shine with it's nourishing, moisture-rich formula. This isn’t a brand I have heard of before, but I’m always looking out to try new shampoos. I was really impressed by first use, it made my hair super soft, it built up good lather in my hair and the scent is lovely. The scent reminds me of professional shampoo, the formula is really thick and my hair feels like it's just been to the hairdressers.

Eyeko Fat Eye Stick, 4g each for the trio £16.00 – This is a great party season essential! I find these eye pencils so easy to work with, you can pop them in your bag and use them on the go. You can create a smoky eye in a couple of steps, you can even smudge the pencil out to create a more intense look. The formula is sparkly and pigmented and would look great on a night out teamed with a red lip. These eye sticks are creamy and have a retractable twist up applicator. I want to pick up some more colours for my eyes, I received the shade Smoke!

Benefit Christmas Cracker High Beam, full-size 13ml £19.50 – This is so cute! Inside the cracker is a mini Benefit’s bestselling High Beam, which is a liquid illuminator that suits all skin tones. Having these minis are so handy to just throw in your bag and the little bottle lasts for ages. I like to use this on the top of my cheek bones and underneath my brow bone. I always like my skin to look glowing and this is the perfect product to make it happen. It has a soft pink hue which is very complimenting on my skin tone, you have to blend it quite quickly though as the product builds up in one place. It’s also nice to add to your foundation or primer to create a dewy base.

Models Own Velvet Goth Nail Polish, 14ml £5.00 – Last month we got to pick what shade of nail polish we wanted to receive out of four different colours. I picked the shade Amethyst, which is a lovely dark purple. The formula is matte, yet sparkly and has a velvety finish which means no topcoat is needed. The shade is really unique and it like nothing I have already in my collection. I haven't tried any polishes in the Velvet Goth range before but was really impressed with the formula and I like the velvet lid of the bottle too.

English Laundry Signature For Her, full-size 50ml £60.00 – This scent is inspired by an English country garden – rose geranium and white flowers with hints of chocolate and jasmine. I have never heard of this brand before but it’s nice to try something different. I’m not a big fan of receiving perfume veils in beauty boxes, it would have been nice to have a bigger sized sample. I was really surprised how much I liked the scent and it last much longer than my usual scents. It's probably my favourite perfume I have received in a beauty box and will be going straight into my handbag!
As a cute little lifestyle extra, everyone received a Sophia Webster Purse, which is a leopard print pouch that would be handy to have in your handbag for any small loose objects or on a night out for your party essentials. Overall, I was really happy with my December Birchbox and was probably my favourite beauty box from last month.

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