Joliebox November

Joliebox November 2012

Monthly Subscription £10 + p&p

Vertumne a Venus Manucure Absolue - Moisturizing & Regenerating Hand Cream

Just a normal hand cream really, unfortunately there was only a sachet so not enough to see if it made a difference to my skin over time.

Jane Iredale Glow Time BB Cream

Not a colour I would have chosen for myself, and kind of just sat uncomfortably on the skin.

Topicrem Body Glitter 3D Effect

I expected this to be a gold glitter, but the particles were actually pink.  Was great to add a bit of sheen for the Christmas party, but you must wash your hands immediately after application as they will be absolutely smothered in glitter.  There was more on my hands than on my body!

Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Facial Wash

Great size, had several washes and still loads left.  Smells good, and makes my skin feel clean but not dried out.

Galenco SOS Repair Balm

Again another great size, and a fantastic coconut butter smell.  Went on creamy, love it.

L'Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream

Not too keen on the smell of this one, smells like a plant.  Nice creamy gel texture, but feels a bit tacky on the skin if I'm not dry enough to absorb it all.

Joliebox October

Joliebox October 2012
Monthly Subscription: £10 + p&p

Balance Me Balancing Face Moisturiser
Not too keen on the smell of this, and also it made my face sting one time when I applied it.

Lov Organic Love is Beautiful
I love flavoured tea and this looked and smelled delicious.  I really had high hopes for this, but unfortunately the taste was quite bland.

Jason Bee Healthier Lip Balm Stick
This was the best part of the whole box!  The lip balm was a great size, and has a gorgeous smell of mint chocolates, like After Eights.  I would definitely buy this again.

Móa The Green Balm
I love the fact that this can be used on so many things, I instantly went onto the website to purchase a full size tub.  I took it away on holiday and used it on so many things - cuts, burns, bruises etc - without the need to carry several different products to weigh my bag down.

Ritessens Exfoliant
Not too keen on the smell of this, it seems quite odd.  It is quite a creamy texture, there do not seem to be many exfoliating beads in it.  I prefer my exfoliator to feel more grainy so I know it's doing its job!

She Said Beauty Box October

She Said Beauty Box October 2012
Monthly Subscription: £9.00 + p&p

Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque
This came with no instructions so I was not sure how long to leave it on for.  I just left it on till it dried, then washed it off and hoped for the best.
The sample size was barely enought o cover my face, but it did have a nice smell.

B.Liv Off With Those Heads
I used this just on my nose and chin and there was enough to last many applications, even with my partner using it as well. I think the idea is it is supposed to draw out blackheads, but unfortunately, neither of us noticed any difference.

Biao Rejuvenating Night Cream
The smell on this was a bit overpowering, and my face was incredibly shiny when I woke up in the morning, meaning I had to apply more make up than normal to mattify it. Would not use again! May be better for drier skins?

Herbacin Glycerin Hand Cream
Nice to get a full size item, but a bit insulting as it only costs 99p! I love the texture of the cream, but the smell is terrible. I think the reason it is small is so that it is portable, but I can't take it anywhere as the lid is so slack it just drops off all the time.

KeraStraight Moisture Mask / KeraStraight Protein Mask
The instructions on these were incredibly complicated and aimed more at a salon environment than a home application, so I had to improvise.  Nice fruity smell, but didn't notice any difference in the ocndition of my hair.

Myvitamins Total Acai Berry
Really great idea to have vitamins in a beauty box, but unfortunately the brand they chose are not suitable for vegetarians so I could not even try them.  Bad form.

Liz Earle Eyebright™ Soothing Eye Lotion

Liz Earle Eyebright™ Soothing Eye Lotion
Approx price: £10.25

Worked quite well as an eye make up remover, I didn't have any problems taking anything off.
Can also be used as a soothing eye mask, if you coat a cotton wool pad the rest it on the eyes 5-10 mins.  This is the part I was most excited about trying, but it didn't seem to have any actual benefit when I used it.  I have heard it most effective if you put the bottle in the fridge before using it as an eye mask.
Nice smell and nice natural ingredients, but unfortunately the bottle seemed to run out very quickly... maybe due to the fact I felt I had to completely soak each cotton pad to get the best out of it?

Denman Shower Brush

Denman Shower Brush
Approx price: £3.69

This is basically a round piece of plastic with prongs that fits onto your hand and is used in the shower to apply shampoo evenly, or evenly applies products while styling.
I was very excited about this and thought I would get a great massage out of it, but had a few problems.  I wasn't quite sure how it worked, so while the top of my head had foamy shampoo on it, the lengths were just left hanging.  I didn't feel massaged at all, it felt a lot smaller once I actually had it on my head.  I also had a really sore arm after just a couple of minutes.
Bit of a disappointment for me, so I may pass it on to my boyfriend to try when applying wax.

Marilyn Monroe by MAC

My delivery of Marilyn Monroe by MAC cosmetics arrived today, and I am so excited to try them all out!!

I may have gone a bit overboard and ordered too much, but after reading numerous complaints on the MAC Facebook page about the collection selling out, I just bought all the things I liked without thinking twice so i didn't miss out!

Here is what I bought:

Marily Monroe Nail Laquer in Vintage Vamp

(Rich deep retro wine)

£11.00

Marilyn Monroe Lip Pencil in Beet

(Vivid reddish pink)

£12.50

Marilyn Monroe Penultimate Eye Liner

(Black)

£16.00

Marilyn Monroe Lipstick in Scarlet Ibis

(Bright orange red)

£15.50

Marilyn Monroe Powder Blush in Legendary

(Pale soft coral)

£19.00

Marilyn Monroe Beauty Powder in Forever Marilyn

(Sheer pale peach highlighter)

£23.50

I'm going to have to live on a budget for the rest of the month after buying all that, but I'm glad I went for it because a number of the items I bought are already sold out!

I look forward to trying them all out over the next couple of weeks, now all I need to do is dye my hair blonde to go with it!

Avon Skin So Soft Silky Moisture Replenishing Hand Cream

Avon Skin So Soft Silky Moisture Replenishing Hand Cream
Approx price: £3.60

I really like this cream because it absorbs quickly into my hands and doesn't leave a residue. My hands do feel much softer after using it.
It is small enough to keep in my handbag so I always have it to hand whenever I get indoors after being out in the cold.
The smell is quite nice, but doesn't linger and is gone in a few minutes.
It contains Argan Oil, which is very much flavour of the month at the moment.
My only criticism is that is states it provides 24+ hours of moisturisation.  Apart from the fact I don't even know if "moisurisation" is a real word, I do have to keep reapplying throughout the day, so it's definitely not keeping me moisturised for 24 hours!

Mally Perfect Prep Eye Primer

Mally Perfect Prep Eye Primer
Approx price: £27.50

The idea behind this is that it is a base for eye make-up, which makes it last longer.
I apply mine at night because Mally said that's how she does hers, and it saves me time in the morning so i don't have to wait for it to absorb before I apply my make up.
I have to admit it seems to make absolutely no difference to the amount of time my eyeshadow lasts - it is still fading by the time I get home from work.
Apparently it is supposed to condition the eye area to the extent that you do not need a seperate eye cream, but I have noticed no difference in the condition of my skin at all.  It can also be a bit tacky if you put too much on, it does not seem to absorb very well.
I love Mally, but will not be buying this again.
I do, however, love the feeling of applying the cream with the brush that comes with it, so once I have used this up I will keep the brush for applying eye creams.  It is good to get right under the eye, into the bridge, and across the lid.

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo
Approx price: £5.89

My natural hair colour is dark brown, and I still have remnants of black dye on the ends which is why I have been having to build up highlights rather than go fully blonde in one go.  My hair has been getting quite brassy on the ends, which is why I decided to try the Sheer Blonde shampoo when I saw it was available in a version especially for coloured hair and highlights.
The first thing I noticed was the vivid purple colour, which I thought was quite a novelty for a shampoo.
I am quite happy with the results.  The back of my head (where it is darker) still appears quite brassy in the lengths, but around the front of my face where it is lightest the blonde is a great colour.  I think maybe it is more of a preventative measure than a cure, so the back can't be fixed, but the front is being kept a gorgeous shade of blonde.
My colour seems to be lasting longer now than the last time I had it touched up as well, so will definitely keep using this.

Makeup Academy Lip Gloss

Makeup Academy Lip Gloss
Shade 3
Approx price £1.00

I'm normally wary of buying makeup this cheap, but it was a few days before payday and I just had an urge to go shopping!  I prefer gloss to stick because my lips are dry and flaky.
I chose this shade because it appears to be a nice neutral shade that I could wear regularly to work.  It looks a pale brown/pink with flecks of gold.
When I first applied it I was impressed with the smell, it seemed delicious!  However, I later got a bit on my teeth and it tasted of vomit, so that put me off.
It does give a nice natural look but unfortunately the problem I have is (as with many glosses) it is a bit too sheer for my liking and appears transparent after a while.  You would have to top it up regularly to keep a sense of colour, and this makes lips feel tacky.

Bare lips before application

After application - 3 coats