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Introducing: Stranger London (and a purchase)

Handmade ‘London to Japan’ Coasters, and Parisian Pouch from Stranger London
I love handmade items, and I have so much respect for those who are talented enough to create them. Yet I often find that I’m not drawn to most handmade shops due to the style not suiting my own. However when I came across Stranger London (selling handmade & one-off items) I was automatically drawn in. I knew that this is a brand that would fit into my lifestyle, and onto my dresser. I can’t get enough of the prints that Yasumi uses; they’re so perfectly suited to my style and taste. She handpicks every print and turns them into amazing bags, cases, passport sleeves and more. Yes, there is so much more –  she also sells items that she has found (including vintage pieces) and picked lovingly for the site. It really feels as if Yasumi is letting you step into her own secret magical world. 
I happened to come across her ‘London to Japan’ Coasters, which was incredibly well-timed as I happened to be looking for more items for our lounge. As avid tea drinkers I find that a coaster is always needed, but they often seem a bit old fashioned. So when I stumbled upon Yasumi’s creation I knew I had to have them! The Liberty London and traditional Japanese prints are timeless, and speak volumes about mine and Ben’s life – previously living in Tokyo and now in London. So yes, it did seem that it was made especially for me, something which is not easy to come by. The quality is superb and everything was handled professionally and quickly. So when it arrived I didn’t expect that the service could be any better. Well I was wrong. Yasumi had included a little surprise gift of a Parisian style pouch (another city I’ve lived in and loved), along with a beautifully handwritten note. C’était parfait! I will definitely be purchasing items from the store again. In fact I currently have my eye on: Jurmo Marimekko Tote, Mono Unikko Case, Texture Colour Lines Bracelet, and Stranger Forest Patisserie Tote. Hurry up pay day!
You can check out Yasumi’s creations at Stranger London.
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 /

Review: Birchbox ‘World Cup’ June 2014 Beauty Box

Birchbox ‘World Cup – Brazil’ June 2014 Beauty Box

This month’s box had a lot to live up to after last month’s Harper’s Bazaar collaboration box. 
I was actually surprised when the ever enthusiastic delivery guy (can you feel the sarcasm leaking through you screen?) turned up with my box, due to a lack of correspondence from Birchbox themselves. Still, I’m not going to complain about a box turning up without a dispatch email when it could have easily been the other way round. Opening up my box I didn’t really know what to expect. I hadn’t seen any mention of a theme, and honestly, my heart dropped a little when I saw the green and yellow. I’m not a football fan and lately every brand out there is trying to be included in the World Cup glory. 
The branding was clever with this box, but I wasn’t drawn in by the theme.
Inside my box was…
Embryolisse – Lait Crème Concentre
Silk + Honey – Shea Butter Hair Mask
OPI Nail Polish – Next Stop…The Bikini Zone (The Brazil Collection)
Yves Rocher – Sheer Botanical Lipstick in #21 Litchi
Naobay – Body Radiance Lotion
Birchbox – Brazil Inspired Keyring
Thoughts?
I’m not one to judge a book by it’s cover, however my dismay at the month’s theme did translate to the products slightly. I don’t really know where to start. Maybe I should talk about the products I’m happy with first. The reasonably sized Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask is certainly something I will use and enjoy, so I’m more than happy to have it in my box. I was excited by the Yves Rocher Lipstick, but when I tried it on it was no different than a lip balm, as the ‘tint’ of colour wasn’t present. I was also a bit sad that the YR logo had scratched off my tube slightly, making me think these were seconds. The OPI polish is a lovely shade, and certainly something I’d wear, but I have a love hate relationship with OPI. I’ve found some of their polishes to be poor quality, but I have high hopes for this one. The Naobay lotion, and the Embryolisse moisturiser are items I could take or leave. I already have a bunch of moisturisers and sample size lotions, so these will just go into my ever-evergrowing pile. Finally, the keyring. Maybe I’m a buzzkill but it reminds me of the tacky souvenirs found at so many British seaside resorts. I do see the fun in it though so I can’t hate on it, I just won’t be using it.
Overall I’m a bit disappointed in this month’s box, and if it wasn’t for the quality of the
previous boxes I’ve received I would be unsubscribing. Here’s hoping next month’s Birchbox gets back to form!
You can subscribe or buy the ‘World Cup’ box at Birchbox.
Using my link will give you (and me) £5 worth of points to spend in the store.
bloomzy /

Review: Cuticura Skin + Balance Soothing Facial Cleanser, for Sensitive Skin

Cuticura Skin Balance Soothing Facial Cleanser, for Sensitive Skin*

Honestly, I was a little surprised when the package from Cuticura, featuring their new skincare range, turned up at my door. I know the brand for their anti-bacterial gel and hand washes (which are a staple in my household). That doesn’t mean that I was unhappy to see a selection of cleansers, toners and moisturisers though (all in a gorgeously personalised travel case). In fact I was very pleased to see that the brand was branching out into something more appealing – to me anyway. 
The range offers cleansers, toners, wipes and moisturisers (hand, body and face) for several types of skin: combination/oily, dry, and sensitive skin. Due to having the most awkward skin in the world (or so it seems at times), I decided to test out the sensitive skin range first. First up was the facial cleanser, which is specially formulated with aloe vera and chamomile, to gently cleanse the skin and remove impurities/make-up. 
Pros:
+ Amazing price point
+ Simple, but nice packaging
+ No soap, no fragrance
+ Gentle on skin

Cons:
– Slightly drying

Notes:
I should start by saying that I’m not a massive fan of facial washes, which this is. I can be pretty lazy, so I tend to just pour my cleanser on a cotton pad and have it over and done with. So a product like this is a change to my routine, which doesn’t usually involve water as it dries out my skin. So yes, this did mean that I found it to be drying on my skin, however once it was paired with a toner and moisturiser, that problem was solved. Therefore it’s not a massive con for me. Even though it was slightly drying, it was gentle on my skin, if that makes sense. No adverse reactions, irritation or reddening. If you suffer from sensitive skin, you’ll know that this can be quite a bother when it comes to skincare. That’s a big pro right there, and it tells me that they’ve done their research properly. The packaging of the product is pretty simple, but it tells you everything you need to know, and what to expect. Now, onto the biggest pro of them all – the price! This facial cleanser is only £1.79! Yes, you heard me correctly, it’s less than £2. I think that’s pretty amazing. It means that those who don’t want to spend much money on skincare/or those who just can’t afford to, can purchase a decent product at an affordable price. Will I be purchasing this again? Probably not, but that’s because of my dislike for facial washes.
You can purchase Cuticura‘s Soothing Facial Cleanser at Savers, Bodycare and independent pharmacies.
bloomzy /

Review: A-Derma Intense Repair Hand Cream

You may remember me professing my love for this particular product on my Youtube channel. 
I realise not all of you will have watched my video so I decided to do a review here, to make it a bit easier for people to find and read more about the product. This particular hand cream is from the French beauty brand A-Derma, who are a sister brand of Avène (my favourite beauty brand), so I had high hopes for the brand. Once again natural ingredients are at the core of this product (Rhealba Oat Milk), as I have come to expect from the Pierre Fabre family. As for the properties of the hand cream, the brand claims it repairs dry, irritated skin, whilst protecting it.  
Pros:
+ Smells amazing
+ Nice texture
+ Absorbs quickly
+ Non-greasy
+ Moisturising
Cons:
– A little doesn’t go a long way
Notes:
After being introduced to this hand cream it has quickly become one of my favourites.
I look for two things in a hand cream – hydration and a nice scent. Most hand creams do the same thing – hydrate, which is wonderful but I want that irritating dry feeling gone, which this thankfully gets rid of. After that I’m just left looking for something that makes the cream different, and that one factor for me is smell. I want my hands to smell lovely after I’ve applied a hand cream. There are some delicious foodie scents out there, but I love the refreshing calm scent of this more. The formula has a good texture, which is in-between a gel and a cream. It isn’t greasy, and the cream absorbs quickly, which is great if you’re a busy bee like me. The only downside is that I found I needed to squeeze out more from the tube than I have done with other creams. I think this is down to the thin, gel-like formula. So I would maybe like to see a bigger tube, as it does feel like I’m using twice as much (although that’s probably just a psychological thing). For £7 I don’t think it’s badly priced, and I would happily purchase it again as it’s exactly what I look for in a hand cream. 
You can purchase the A-Derma Intense Repair Hand Cream at Boots.
bloomzy /

Review: Latest in Beauty x Beauty Mart Beauty Box

Latest in Beauty x Beauty Mart Beauty Box
I don’t know about you guys, but do you think this is something to do with beauty? Well if the well-known names above haven’t convinced you maybe the photos will? Yes this is another beauty box, although this time it’s from luxury sample site Latest In Beauty. They’ve collaborated with Beauty Mart, a store well-known for selling cult beauty products. Think crème de la crème (best of the best) and you’ve pretty much summed up this box.
I won’t lie, it was the full size Balmain Silk Perfume that drew me in. I’d previously tried the hair perfume in Beauty Mart, and fallen in love with the scent. The perfume doesn’t only smell divine, but it contains argan oil to help condition your hair. This is £24.50 by itself, so that was the beauty box paid for twice over, all by itself. Shall I just end it here? No! I’d never do that to you. Next up was the Bronze Buffer, which I’d heard plenty about, thanks to some rather aggressive social media tactics. I will actually be passing it on to a friend as I don’t tan. The Astalift (review here) and Maybelline BB Cream (too dark) samples will also be passed onto friends. I’ve found there’s always one or two unwanted items in every beauty box, so I’m not unhappy. Yu-Be & Weleda Skin Food are both well known moisturisers that I can’t wait to try out. However I’m a little scared of the DHC Cleansing Oil because the thought of anything oily near my face just makes my skin scream. I may be brave and try it sometime though because I do love DHC. The perfume sample looks promising and has been added to my collection. The Kevin Murphy Colour Bug (sorry Kevin, but my English heritage refuses to call it ‘color bug’) is a wipe-on wash-off hair colour in candy pink. I miss my pink hair so I can’t wait to try this out! It has to be the most intriguing item in the box too. Finally, the Model Co Masacara. I left it until last as it was an incentive to buy the box and came as a freebie when you entered a special code, so some boxes won’t have received it. I’m always happy to try new mascaras, and this is full size so I’m content with it.
I’m always impressed with Latest in Beauty’s beauty box collections and this box is no exception to their winning streak. This is the perfect buy for a beauty addict, or even as a gift. In fact I think that this is the perfect gift for a beauty lover or someone who wants to be introduced to some new products and brands. Even though I see a condom every time I look at the Astalift sample (yes I did just say that), I’m thoroughly impressed with the box. It was brimming with delectable products that certainly fed my beauty obsession.
You can find most of the items from the box at Beauty Mart. Unfortunately the box has sold out, but you can check out the other boxes available at Latest in Beauty.