bloomzy /

Review: Glamour Beauty Edit Box July 2014

For this particular beauty box I have enlisted the help of my bestie Jemi. She recently received the ‘Glamour Beauty Edit Box July 2014’ and has written a very thorough review for it. In fact it’s so amazing that it puts mine to shame! So feel free to let her know what you thought over on her Twitter or Instagram.

Beauty boxes are a big thing right now. I’d only known of them through bloggers, but they seem to be everywhere at the moment. I’d never bought one before, and then I stumbled upon Latest In Beauty, who are currently offering two kinds of boxes: a build your own beauty box, where you can mix and match products to create a custom box of your choice, or the Glamour Beauty Edit box, a box collaborated in conjunction with Alessandra Steinherr, Beauty Director of Glamour magazine, offering 9 pre-selected beauty products to set you up for the summer ahead. After seeing one particular item listed in the Glamour Beauty Edit box, I knew which one I was going to go for…

The box as it arrived was similar in size to other beauty box brands, with the title of the box and Glamour’s logo. The presentation is simple and clean, which I like. I was impressed at the presentation when I first opened the box, given that these are batch produced, I was pleased that everything was packed in neatly, elegantly wrapped, and sealed with a kiss.

Crabtree & Evelyn Nail Lacquer in Petal Pink, (£6.00 RRP, full size product)
Okay… hands up, who actually knew Crabtree & Evelyn did nail polishes? I certainly didn’t. There was a choice of either an apple red, or petal pink, both of which I’d classify as classic, and dare I say, safe colours. I will personally be gifting this as I’ve no need for yet another nude pink so I couldn’t possibly comment on the application, but it does look a little sheer upon inspection.

Bourjois Paris Cream Blush in Rose Tender, (£7.99 RRP, full size product)
I have recently just switched over to cream blusher, and whilst I’ve used Bourjois products in the past, I can’t say I’ve used theirs. Like their eyeshadows, it comes in a make-up bag friendly size and doubles up as a compact. I have to say, I’m impressed. It has a somewhat velvety consistency which glides on beautifully. It blends superbly and has good staying power. The colour is a lovely peachy pink, which when applied has a slight sheen, and feels very light on the skin. I have a quite rosy cheeks naturally so I don’t liked to be bogged down with a heavy blusher, but this is a nice, subtle blush that can be built up for a more dramatic look, should you want to. I’ve actually discontinued using my previous cream blush in favour of this one in the mean time, but I’m not sure if I’m willing to carry on paying £7.99 for this product, as lovely as it may be. I think that will be dictated on how long the product itself lasts.

DHC – Deep Cleansing Oil, (£4.50 RRP, travel size product)
DHC’s Deep Cleansing Oil make up remover boasts to completely dissolve all traces of cosmetics and makeup (including waterproof mascara), whilst nourishing your complexion, regardless of your skin type. I’ll confess I was sceptical about using this product, as I do suffer from combination skin, preferring to use cleansers with salicilyic acid in them to keep the grease at bay. However after doing some reading about this online, it’s received rave reviews, both as a cleanser and for it’s moisturising properties. I’ll keep it with the intension of using it in winter, when my skin will be more in need of a hydration fix.

Hawaiian Tropic – Satin Protection Ultra Radiance SPF 30 (High), (£5.49 RRP, full size product)
This, along with the Velvotan mitt, were the least exciting products in the Glamour box. I understand that the theme is around summer essentials, and it is a good idea to promote looking after your skin in the sun… but really? Hawaiian Tropic is a well known brand, and I hear positive things about it, but at the end of the day it’s just a sun cream, and I can get larger (despite being full size, the bottle is no bigger than a teacup), higher factor sun creams for the same price or cheaper. I would have personally preferred to have received a more unique product.

Magnifibres – Brush-On False Lashes, (£21.00 RRP, full size product)
When I skimmed the contents of this box, I originally thought that these were just false eyelashes, and was going to gift them. I have a love hate relationship with falsies, I love how they look, but I just can’t be bothered with the faffing around that comes with applying them, to have them start peeling off a few hours after application (I will hold my hands up and admit at this point that the fault probably lies with me, rather than the lashes!). I have quite naturally dark eyelashes, but they are short and stubby, and I am forever on a search for the false lash effect without actually wearing them. All you need to do is apply your mascara as you would normally, and then whilst it’s still wet, apply a layer of Magnifibres, which claims to instantly lengthen your eyelashes by up to 5mm. I am very excited to try this product, but I hope that it thickens as well as lengthens. Given it’s recommended retail price I wouldn’t see myself using this for every day occasions, but I am impressed that a full size product was included.

Toni & Guy – Volume Plumping Whip, (£7.00 RRP, full size product)
How devvo’d are you when you spend ages styling your hair, to have it fall flat before the day is done? I have very fine hair, and whilst I have lots of it, volume of any kind is absolutely out of the question. I’ve used root boosting products in the past, to find they have made absolutely no difference to my hair in the slightest. But Toni & Guy, despite being a well known and trusted hair brand, is one I’ve not tried, so again I’m looking forward to trying this. I’ve seen mixed reviews online; the positives seeming to focus on the smell (which I actually didn’t care for that much), and the negatives being that it weighs the hair down, giving a greasy appearance (the texture doesn’t feel particularly sticky though, I will add). Toni & Guy suggest applying a walnut sized amount, but this to me seems extreme on the roots so I will be trying a smaller portion.

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB Skin Perfector in Light, (£6.99 RRP, full size product)
This is Rimmel’s first instant tan, with ’skin perfector powers’ and 9-in-1 results: softens, smoothes, moisturises, gives an instant tan, creates a healthy looking glow, evens skin tone, covers, perfects, and lasts for up to 24 hours. It supposedly blends easily and can be easily removed with soap and water. As somebody who isn’t a fan of summer, and is a bit of a sun dodger, I am permanently pale, but I did discover fake tan this year, and I love it a little more than I probably should. It comes as a light or medium, with Glamour shipping out both shades so there was a 50/50 chance I’d be gifting this product to friends that can get away with a darker tan, but I’ve lucked out and received the light shade, so I will be using this for my own personal use. I tested out a little on my hands just to check the shade, and oh my days, it smells gorgeous, I can’t stop smelling my hands! I genuinely believe it ticks all 9 boxes. I plan on keeping this for my weekend away in Liverpool next month, which is the only time I really make an effort with my appearance when I go out (and can justify being a bronze goddess for 24 hours).

Velvotan – The Original Tanning Mitt, (£2.99 RRP, full size product)
There’s not a lot I can say about this product really. It’s a tanning mitt. We sell them where I work. I don’t plan on using this. I’ll be giving it to a friend who uses fake tan more than I do. This feels like a filler item to me, very disappointing.

Now for the product I am most excited about….
Illamasqua Glamore Lipstick in Naked, (£18.50 RRP, full size product)
Can I just start by saying I absolutely love Illamasqua, I could wax lyrical about them all day (don’t even get me started on their perfume, which is my signature scent) and their lipsticks are phenomenal. They don’t give up without a fight! I won’t wear any other brand of lipstick now. However, when I saw their latest collection of lipsticks were nudes, I had an ‘..oh’, moment. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good nude lipstick, however, they do not love me. Brand is absolutely irrelevant, whether it’s MAC or MUA, nudes are a no no. My lips are naturally quite darkly pigmented, and nudes are, quite frankly, out of the question. They have absolutely no staying power on me whatsoever, and if I even so much as look at food and drink, it’s off. Foundation and primer’s don’t help either (if anything they’re a hindrance), so I had resigned myself to a life without nude lipsticks. However, if anyone was going to convert me, it was going to be Illamasqua!

“The Glamore Nude lipsticks offer seven versatile shades that work well with every complexion. However if you need a little guidance, it’s very simple to find out what is the best match for you.
For those with a cooler skin tone, the right nude lipstick will have a high percentage of pink – this is normally found in nudes that include a rosy tone (Rosepout, Starkers). Those with warmer skin tones would suit a higher percentage of browns and this is found in earthy rose shades (Tease, Naked, Buff).
If you are after nudes with a kick of colour to it, nude coral colours would be the best match as you still get the balance of warm and cool tones with a slight pop of colour (Minx, Cherub)”

As great as it is that Illamasqua offer a shade selector, it is absolutely lost on me. I still struggle to find a foundation that matches my skin tone. My skin tone is quite troublesome; it’s a warm skin tone, but I have very rosy cheeks, and am prone to flushing on my face and neck. Combine that with being pale, and you have a nightmare on your hands. Sadly there is no Illamasqua counter in Norwich, meaning I only get my fix when I’m in London (and I didn’t really fancy doing the trip JUST for a lipstick) or up north, and I wasn’t prepared to blind buy one of their nudes given my bad luck in the past. Then when I saw that Glamour box were not only offering full size nudes, but that it was cheaper than the RRP. It’d be silly not to take the gamble.

Based on their shade collector, I was secretly hoping I’d get either Minx or Cherub. Okay, they’re not a true nude, but it’s okay, I wasn’t expecting to be able to ever wear a real nude anyway. C’mon, Minx or Cherub… Minx or Cherub…I got Naked. Oh. It’s the second darkest nude in the collection. Ah Crap. I swatched, I winced. I’d already mentally decided I was going to keep this lipstick. It’s Illamasqua. I love my friends, but I don’t love them enough to give them my Illamasqua products (I’m kidding! Kind of.) On the plus side, it wasn’t going to look like I’ve rubbed foundation all over my lips. But on the downside, I was possibly going to look like a 90’s throwback, and not in the good way…


Well blow me down with a feather. I actually really like it. With my discovery of instant tan came a discovery of bronzer, so I think I can just about pull off the shade. I’ve been wearing it at work for the last week and have received nothing but compliments, and does it stay in place? Of course it does, it’s Illamasqua. I apply it in the morning and it lasts all day, no problem. It doesn’t transfer when I eat or drink, and my natural lip colour doesn’t show through either. I am thoroughly impressed, and most importantly, I have discovered that I can indeed wear nudes. I’m thrilled I took the gamble, and discovered a shade I may not have dared tried had it not been chosen for me at random.

My Verdict: If you hadn’t worked it out already, I’ll admit I was bias and I did buy this box solely for the Illamasqua lipstick. Anything else was just an added bonus. However it’s only fair I look at the box overall.

Pros: Overall I’m pleased with the Glamour Beauty Edit box, there are a few products I am looking forward to trying out. I think there is a good mix of products, from hair care to make up, to skin care, and brands, from well known to the not so known.
I also can’t fault this box for value for money. LatestInBeauty bills the contents at £86.15, and at £16.95 for the whole box, including delivery, that’s an incredible saving. It’s also worth pointing out that out of the 9 items in the box, 8 of them were full size, which is a fantastic selling point and something I was very impressed with. It serves as a great introduction to beauty boxes.

Cons: I am still disappointed with a few choices. I really can’t overlook the Velvomitt in there. Is it really a summer essential? Personally, I’d have preferred to have seen a fragrance sample instead, especially if you like to switch up your perfumes depending on the season, like I do. I do think that the box does spell out summer though. Some other reviews of this box have mentioned that they received beauty offers for discount on products/brands that were featured in the box, though I didn’t get that. Hmm…

Conclusion: Would I buy a Glamour Beauty Edit box again? Absolutely, but only if the products grabbed me enough.

bloomzy /

Guest Post: When Fashion & Culture Clash!

It’s been a while since I featured a guest post and I think this is a great one to come back with!
The lovely Alina is from Germany and blogs at ‘A Panda in Wonderland‘. She is passionate about fashion and travelling, amongst other things. Psst, she’s also currently running a giveaway!

Today she will be sharing with you how she doesn’t give up on her personal style, even when it means loving the fashion of one culture (Japan) that conflicts with her own (Germany).

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When the doors of the arrival gate opens it is not only the cold, rainy weather that welcomes me back to Germany but also the judging gazes that lie upon me.
I’ve been traveling back and forth to Japan since 2008 and the problem of wearing my japanese outfits back home has not gotten any better. In my opinion some countries are either too conservative or too boring to accept something ‘different’ from what they see everyday. Seriously, doesn’t wearing jeans and T-shirts all the time get boring?

The usual comments I receive (most people don’t even have the courage to say it to my face) are: ‘Isn’t that too short?’ , ‘What’s with the dolly look, she must be one of those anime freaks!’ or ‘How old is she to think that she can wear such pattern?!’ Most of them giggle or point fingers on top of that. Honestly speaking, I don’t really give a damn anymore what they think since I rather wear my unique outfits than drown in the boring crowd of Jeans.
I’m facing the same problems with hair accessories like bows or hairbands. In Japan you are constantly being complimented on them while back home everyone is rolling their eyes. It is scary how some people just can’t tolerate what they aren’t used to.

If you have ever been to Tokyo, you are probably aware of the fact that almost no one looks the same, outfit wise. They all have their own style, a different hairdo and fashion taste, yet it seems to be tolerated by everyone around them. If you have time, sit down in a nice câfe and watch the people who pass by, it always inspires me fashion wise.
Colorful or patterned tights are also a little bit risky over here. You immediately end up in the cheap woman section even though you are just trying to pimp your simple H&M dress. Ridiculous in my opinion. Clubbing in my ‘night out’ outfits from Japan is a unbelievable pain in the ass because everything that Japanese consider stylish (Oshare) is judged as slutty over here.
So no matter what you do, you either end up in the ‘slutty’ or the ‘anime freak with no taste’ section. Even though you are just chosing another fashion style than the majority is.

Nevertheless, I’ll continue with my personal style and would like to encourage everybody else who is facing the same problem to do the same.
After all it’s me (you) who have to feel comfortable in what you wear not everybody else 😉

bloomzy /

Guest Post: Top 5 Summer Hairstyles

Today’s final, and wonderful guest post comes from freelance blogger Brooke Samsonite (she blogs here, and tweets here). She will be sharing her take on the top 5 latest fashionable Summer hairstyles for you to re-create – enjoy!

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Top 5 Summer Hairstyles
At the peak of the summer season, we’re seeing several hair styles that are making waves—literally.
In most cases, it’s not surprising to see where some of these trends got their starts, but like them or love them they’re the hot hairstyles of summer 2012.
If you’re looking for a new style or just wondering where your current style fits in with today’s fashion, we’ve got you covered. Without further ado, here are this year’s top five summer hairstyles:
1. Side braid

A lot of celebrities are opting for various renditions of the side braid, from fishtail braids to loose, flowy wraps. Loose side braids are easy to accomplish and look better with a lot of body. Volumizers, mousse and setting your hair with rollers first can help achieve this. Fishtail braids are a little difficult to achieve (tutorial here), so they may take practice to get the right look, but their summertime appeal is off the charts.
2. Side chignon

A popular hairstyle for brides, the side chignon has a relaxed, yet elegant, appearance. But this isn’t a wedding-specific hairstyle. There are plenty of settings where the side chignon can come off beautifully. It works for holiday parties, nights out and can even be a quick-fix when you’re in a hurry. And getting the look is simple enough that virtually anyone can put it up and pull it off.
3. Ballerina bun

Dream of being a Bunhead? You’re not alone. Part of ABC Family’s summer lineup is “Bunheads,” a popular television show about the ballerina life. Whether duplicating the show’s hairstyle is intentional, girls are donning the ballerina bun. To get the look, many girls use a hair donut accessory (buy one here) to get a tight, even wrap on their bun, which can be secured into place with bobby pins.
4. Beachy waves

Does long, wavy hair ever go out of style? Not on the beach, and certainly not in the summer. Blonde highlights are a staple color pop for beachy waves, but this hairstyle looks great with any hair color.
5. Shades of red

If you’re up for trying a bold hair makeover, try going with red. But before taking the plunge, make sure you get the right color for your skin tone and are diligent about maintaining red hair. You can’t lose, because if you don’t like your color choice, you can always dye it again.
This list doesn’t imply that creativity has no place when it comes to your personal style. But if you’ve been searching for some direction to bring your hair up to speed with the season and the trends, you should be set for a little experimentation and a lot of summer fun.

Sources; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 
bloomzy /

Guest Post: Re-Buy or Buh-Bye? Avon Anew Rejuvenate

Today the lovely Charlotte of Musha-Moi will be guest posting. She has been kind enough to share an original post from her ‘Re-Buy or Buh-Bye?’ series. She will be reviewing the Avon Anew Rejuvenate Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser – enjoy!

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Re-Buy or Buh-Bye? Avon Anew Rejuvenate Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser

Up until about a year ago I’ve been quite happy washing my face with soap…I know..shock horror… I actually washed my face with soap! In my defence though didn’t get what al the fuss was about when people would vow never to wash their face with a bar of soap – soap is for cleaning…my face needed cleaning…soap seems like a pretty viable product to use. around about a year ago my sister became an Avon rep and introduced me to the wonders of Anew products (yes they’re anti-ageing and yes I’m only 24 but I’m not going to get into the whole “why use anti-ageing products?’ thing now). She gave me a little starter kit of Anew Rejuvinate products, the kit is marketed as a 2 week trial kit with enough of the products to use everyday, morning and night (they are very generous with the sizes as I managed to make mine last at least 4 weeks using it religiously!). The cleanser is the same consistency as shower gel and it has small beads in it, the directions say to work a small amount into damp skin until the beads dissolve, it produces a good foam and you can feel it working on your skin almost immediately! It makes it tingle slightly (but not in a cooling menthol way as some cleansers do) it’s hard to explain but it just feels like you can feel it lifting all the nasties from your skin.

After rinsing it off my skin feels smoother and softer and any spots that may be brewing feel slightly reduced (it doesn’t stop spots coming to a head if they do develop but it does help reduce the dull ache you sometimes get from the particularly nasty ones).
Re-Buy or Buh-Bye? Re-Buy – I LOVE this cleanser! I’ve just finished my last tube of it and already have another on order, I’m trying to work my way through my sample drawer at the moment and have a few other cleansers to try out but I can’t wait to get back to using this!
bloomzy /

Guest Post: Top 5 Nail Polishes for Summer

Today the wonderful Sophia of Tattooed Tealady will be guest posting. I’m very happy to have her guest posting on the blog today and I can’t wait for you all to read all about her nail picks for this Summer – enjoy!

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I’m very happy to be writing this guest post for the lovely Emma today! 
I am going to be sharing with you my top five nail polishes for summer.

Over here in the UK there isn’t much sun this summer. In fact after warnings of a water shortage and an expected drought, we’ve actually had the opposite, with torrential rain & flooding throughout the UK. Horrible, horrible weather! I like to think that when the weather is dull & glum the best thing to do is brighten yourself up & add a little bit of colour to your life! Particularly where nails are concerned, as you can make such a colour impact with the right choice of nail colour!
The five nail polishes I think are best for brightening up your summer are:
Models Own Tropical Sun
Models Own Indian Ocean
Models Own Mystic Mauve
Bourjois shade 26
Max Factor Fantasy Fire
4 of my 5 summer polishes have a glimmer effect to them. I think polishes like this are great for catching bits of sunshine and giving off a beautiful sparkling effect, making your nails look hypnotic! The Bourjois polish is a nice mix of pink and purple! I like both pinks and purples, but I prefer when they are a little mix of both, rather than your standard pink!

You can wear these polishes alone, or combined, or even use one to finish a look by using it on your accent nail. Nail polish is a remarkable thing, allowing you to create a variety of looks!
Here are my top tips for keeping your nails and nail polish in tip top condition:

Look after your nails! I use a hand cream and cuticle butter throughout the day and especially before bed. It keeps my hands, nails and cuticles in great condition leaving my hands and fingers looking and feeling lovely. A moisturising hand lotion is best, and I recommend Lush Lemony Flutter for a brilliant cuticle butter which not only does an amazing job, but smells divine and lasts an absolute age!
File your nails often. If you keep your nails nicely filed they will stay in better condition and are less likely to break or become uneven. A perfect nail file for this is the S-file!
Give your hands and nails a little pamper! You can easily give yourself a mini-manicure at home. All you need is a bowl with warm water to soak your hands in, a nail buffer, a nail file and your hand cream and cuticle butter! I do mine about once a week! You can easily pick up mini-manicure kits on the high street or even online!
Use a base coat and top coat. A base coat will stop your nail polishes from staining your nails and a top coat will keep your nail polish in place, preventing it from chipping. I also like to run each along the edge of the nail too, to seal it all in.
I hope you have enjoyed my little guest post! 
A huge thank you to Emma for letting me do it!
You can find my blog (here) and Twitter (here).
I can also be found on many other social networking sites which you can find on my blog!
Have a lovely day!
Love, Sophia xo
bloomzy /

Guest Post: Make your own body lotion

The lovely ‘Bokusouchi‘ has been kind enough to guest post for me whilst I am away.
She wanted to bring you all a DIY Beauty Tutorial, and after deliberation decided that she would show you one of her tried and tested favourites. Here is ‘How to make your own body lotion‘.

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What you’ll need:

1) Unrefined solid coconut oil (you can get this online or in a health food shop)
2) 1 ounce of beeswax (it normally comes in 1 ounce bars, I got 2 for £1 on ebay)
3) An essential oil of your choice (I went for sweet orange)
4) A medium sized pan
5) A sterilised pot/jar (I sterilised an old mayo jar)
6) Something to mix it with that you can throw away, like an old chopstick etc. 
If you don’t have that use the handle of a mental spoon/fork etc.

Boil your kettle. While your waiting, pop your beeswax into the jar and top it up with coconut oil, like so

Once your kettle has boiled pour the hot water into your pan and put the jar in. 
You want the water to be roughly half way up the jar. 
Make sure you put the ingredients into the jar before you put it into the pan, if not your jar will tip.
Put the heat on to about medium.

Keep it on the heat until it completely melts.
It will go a funny yellow colour but don’t worry that’s supposed to happen!
Then take it out (watch your fingers, it’s going to be hot!), it should look like this.
Now time to give it a stir and add your oil! You’ll only need a few drops, trust me.
…….and that’s you done!
If you find that it’s a bit too hard you can melt it down using the same method and add more coconut oil, too soft beeswax.

I loved this body lotion but prefer it as a night time one as it’s a bit heavier than the ones I’m used too. 
I’ve found it’s an AMAZING overnight foot treatment too, just load it on and pop some socks on. 
You’ll wake up with baby soft tootsies!