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Review: Birchbox July 2014 Beauty Box

Birchbox Beauty Box July 2014 

Where did the love go? Yes, only a few months ago I was professing my love for Birchbox to anyone that would listen. However the last couple of boxes have left me feeling as though something was missing…then July’s box happened. It’s been a crazy mixture of squished boxes, poor customer service and everything in-between. Let me tell you what was in my box first though, before I bore you with my decision for finally unsubscribing from Birchbox.
Inside my box was…
Benefit – The Porefessional
Whish – Lavendar Body Butter
Balance Me – Wonder Eye Cream
Laqa & Co – Lip Pencil in Menatour
Models Own – Nail Polish in Rocket

Thoughts?
This month’s box was very underwhelming, but maybe I should first mention how it turned up in such a state…and completely by surprise! For the past two months I haven’t been receiving any dispatch emails from Birchbox, meaning I didn’t know if my boxes had been sent. Now this isn’t a terrible thing by itself, however the (always disgruntled) courier has delivered my box to other people in my apartments before, without letting me know. Therefore knowing when my box is on it’s way is helpful. Thankfully I have lovely neighbours who noticed the mistake and didn’t nab my box for themselves. Anyway, I mentioned that it turned up in a state. All of my products were ok, but I think I got lucky. Even so, this is really not the way you want your product to turn up or how you want to represent your brand. I did tweet and message Birchbox about both of these problems. In hindsight I should have emailed them, but when they asked me to message them on Twitter I thought the problem might be solved pretty quickly. However it took forever to receive any kind of reply from them, and they completely ignored the dispatch email problem. They did apologise and said they would investigate the courier situation though, so hopefully no one else will have this problem.

As for the contents of the box itself, I can honestly say that there isn’t one product I can be certain I’ll use. I did appreciate that some of the products such as the full-size Models Own polish (not a great shade) and the decent sized The Porefessional (shade is too dark) are well-known and loved products, but they’re also nothing new. The eye cream, nail buffer and body butter are products I have coming out of my ears (thanks to pr samples and beauty box products) and I haven’t heard anything about these ones that make me want to jump to use them. Finally, the lip pencil – the quality seems good but this shade is really not me. I plan to give everything away, minus the nail polish and the eye cream, in the hopes that I will eventually use them at some point. All in all July’s box left me feeling pretty “meh” and along with all of the other problems, I have decided to unsubscribe from Birchbox. Maybe if a future box takes my fancy I may start my subscription again, but right now I really don’t need anymore beauty products that I won’t use.
Sorry for the downer – check out my more optimistic Birchbox reviews.

You can subscribe or buy this month’s box at Birchbox.
Using my link will give you (and me) £5 worth of points to spend in the store.

bloomzy /

Review: Collection Mardi Grass Nail Polish

Collection Mardi Grass Nail Polish in White Out, and Canary Yellow*
It seems like forever ago that I reviewed a nail polish, which makes me a little sad. I am a self confessed nail polish addict with a massive collection. I love themed collections and this Mardi Gras range from Collection cosmetics arrived at the perfect time to coincide with the gorgeous weather we’re having here. The limited edition range was released alongside the World Cup in Brazil, hence “Mardi Gras” – a carnival celebrated across the country. The collection only consists of three colours (white out, canary yellow and green with envy), but that’s more than enough to get you into the party spirit.
Pros:
+ Bright and bold colours
+ Cute packaging
+ Good price point

Cons:
– 2-3 coats needed 

Notes:
Collection nail polishes are nothing new to me but I hadn’t tried such bold colours from them before. I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to white and yellow polishes, so I was eager to try something out of my comfort zone. Both polishes are vibrant, and that colour translates well onto nails. The application isn’t too bad, but unfortunately it does take 2-3 coats to get a good opaque look. As for chipping, I tested the polish with a top coat and without. The polish without a top coat did wear off slightly but I didn’t notice much chipping in the first few days. The nails with a top coat lasted longer, as you’d expect. Overall I’m quite impressed with this polish, and the price makes me very happy too. £1.99 is perfectly on point for those who want to pick up a new shade of polish to add to their collection. 
You can purchase Collection’s Mardi Gras nail polish range at Boots and Superdrug.
bloomzy /

Luna & Curious AW Christmas 2014

I stopped by Luna & Curious this week to check out their Christmas offerings. Yes, it’s that time of year again, when Christmas comes early for the press, and we have to put up with carols and sparkles. Thankfully Luna & Curious weren’t playing Christmas music, but there were plenty of sparkles.
Luna and Curious is my favourite lifestyle store in Shoreditch. The items they carry are high quality, delightful and unique. Of course their AW 14 collection didn’t let me down. Beautifully intricate jewellery, stand out accessories, and winter warmers were just a few of the items that stood out. I was particularly happy to see Floss Gloss nail polishes – L&C are one of only two stockists in the UK. Their polishes are wonderful and I’m so glad to see a store stocking a different brand. Henriette Loftstrom‘s jewellery shone brightly and certainly caught my eye. The Dog Days Plates have been a personal favourite for a while – I need to add Sophia to my collection. However I think the item that epitomised the elegance and quality of the AW collection was the Belle Rose fleece-lined jacket. The lining was incredibly soft and warm, whilst the outer was smart and chic. 
It may be sweltering outside, but I can’t wait for the colder months to come and for the Christmas spirit to hit again. I already have my eye on a few items from L&C for family and friends (and myself), and I know they won’t be disappointed. 

You can shop these items and more at Luna & Curious.

bloomzy /

Review: A-Derma Light Hydrating Cream UV

A-Derma Light Hydrating Cream UV*
A-Derma is another French pharmacy brand (and sister brand to Avéne) that has caught my eye recently. The brand’s products cater to sensitive skin, dry skin and those with eczema. I had previously tried A-Derma’s Rich Hydrating Cream but found that it was a bit too full-on for my skin. So as Summer came round I turned to A-Derma Light Hydrating Cream UV. The cream claims to offer “immediate and long-lasting hydration that protects from climatic stress”. Perfect for somebody living in a city like London.
Pros:
+ Soothing
+ Applies easily
+ Hydrating
+ UV protection/SPF20
+ Absorbs quickly
 
Cons:
– Thin formula
– Small tube
 
Notes:
I usually know from the first application whether I will like a moisturiser, and I was pleasantly surprised with this one. The thin formula confused me slightly as it seemed quite watery for a cream, however I found that this worked to my advantage. The thin formula means it is easy to apply and absorbs quickly. I also noticed that once I had applied the cream my skin felt very soothed. Combined with the UV protection (and SPF20), this is a lovely cream to be wearing alone or under make-up during the Summer. It’s very light and sits on the skin well. I would definitely purchase it, and the price point isn’t ridiculously high either, at £14.50. Although I do wish there was more product in the tube.
You can purchase A-Derma’s Light Hydrating Cream UV at Boots.
bloomzy /

Review: Label M Toni & Guy Powder Colour Hair Spray

I started dying my hair when I was a teenager. I was always looking for something new and amazing that would turn my almost-black hair a cotton candy pink, or a dazzlingly bright blue. Unfortunately no amount of hair mascara or wash-out hair dye would offer me the results I so desperately wanted. Since then I have gone on to have more than my fair share of dye jobs, and now I’m back to something a bit more subtle. Still, I’d love the opportunity to try out something a little different every now and again. Thankfully for me, the new colour makeover set from Label.M (part of the Toni and Guy family) landed on my doormat. 
The Label.M powder sprays come in 4 colours: red, purple, pink and blue. The colours spray in (best done around 20cm away from the hair) and wash out, making them perfect for a quick colour festival fix this Summer.
Pros:
+ Amazing pigmentation
+ Easy to apply
+ Washes out easily

Cons:
– Leaves hair matted after application 
– Difficult to brush through

Notes:

These sprays left me wanting to pull my wonderfully coloured hair out. They are the epitome of a love-hate product, and it’s all down to whether you’re willing to accept the bitter aftertaste of an otherwise delicious product. First off, let me just say that I am amazed at the pigmentation with these sprays. I have dark hair with light tips (ombré) and I can vouch that all of these colours work on both. You can see me with the purple spray above (check out my Instagram for photos of the other colours). Now, the colour may look amazing, but I was more than a little upset with what happened afterwards. As soon as the colour had dried, my hair became matted and I was unable to even comb it. The main reason this bothered me is because I never get knots. I tried putting argan oil on it (as recommended by Poppy D) but my hair felt like a birds nest. The argan oil worked slightly, but my hair was still unmanageable. In fact the only way to bring my hair back to life was to wash it out. I had more success when I used the sprays on my fringe, but my hair was still matted, just less so. This was the same for all of the colours unfortunately. So you can see my problem – great colour outcome, but difficult to work with. If you fancy using this on styled hair, such as a bun or braids, I think this would be great. Maybe even just using it on the tips of your hair would work, but don’t expect to be able to use this on a large amount of hair without having to deal with the aftermath. As for the spray transferring onto clothes and skin, I happened to get some on my top, but I threw it in the wash and it came out as good as new. The colour makeover set costs £15 for 4x50ml sprays in the 4 colours shown above or £9.95 for 1x150ml. I won’t be repurchasing these, purely because I don’t know how to deal with matted hair. If anyone has any tips I’d love to know, as I really would like to get the most out of these.

You can purchase the Label M Colour Makeover Set or the separate sprays at Label M.

bloomzy /

Make-up from Muji, Japan

Last week my lovely friend Renka sent me some Muji goodies all the way from Tokyo, Japan.
Admittedly I went a little Muji crazy after I attended the press event for their new Islington store, and I ended up on their Japanese site. I only visited Muji a couple of times in Japan, but it’s safe to say that the UK stores still have a lot to live up to. The Japanese stores boast snacks, skincare, plants and even make-up (amongst other things). Yes, make-up! As a dedicated beauty blogger I knew that I had to get my hands on some of the products. Renka was amazing and sent me a small parcel before I’d even got the chance to see her enthusiastic reply (to my cry for help). 
I really wanted to try out the basics first, and so I asked for the highlighter (in my experience Japanese highlighters are the best), an eye colour base (to use before applying eyeshadow), and one of their foundations (in light natural, with spf). Everything I would need for a simple base. The packaging is also simple, fitting in perfectly with Muji’s ‘no brand’ aesthetic. The addition of helpful application tips on the back allow you to get the best out of your product. I would have loved to try some of their skincare/hair products but I’m a bit cautious when it comes to liquids/creams, due to the Royal Mail suddenly deciding that we’re not allowed to send or receive anything of interest anymore (slight dramatisation).
All 3 products came to just under £11.50, with the foundation being the most expensive product at 900円 (£5.20). Comparing it to UK prices, that’s more than reasonable. Muji may not be a well known beauty brand in Europe, but they’re a trusted company with a loyal fan base in Japan, so I’m really looking forward to trying these and reviewing them on the blog.
Browse Muji Japan‘s make-up section, or take a peek at Muji UK (sadly, sans make-up).