*Last Ever* She Said Beauty Box December 2012

I'm a little late posting this month's She Said Beauty Box but better late than never! I thought I would share what's inside this month's box and the news that this is to be the last She Said Beauty box as they have announced that they have stopped running the subscription service and are now concentrating on their social media site instead. This news does not come as a surprise to me as I felt in recent months the boxes have become a little boring and more focus has been on competitions and their website. Btw I absolutely LOVED the Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Masque from October's Box.

The box comes with a bright pink outer box, then a duck egg coloured inner box with a flip and all the products wrapped in straw and pink tissue paper. It seemed as if all the products had been literally thrown in with no thought as half the straw was missing and the products were all out of their packaging when I received it....but then that could be down to Yodel's poor Delivery! So onto what's inside this month's box: 

MesmerEyez Coloured Contacts (*full size* worth £6.99)

This is a strange item to include, I have never tried contacts before...but never say never! This is not something I would have ever considered buying but maybe I shall save these for a fancy dress party or halloween maybe? I received the purple ones and they apparently give a 'natural effect' not that I have ever heard of anyone having naturally purple coloured eyes before, have you?!

Jamela 24k Gold Under Eye Mask (worth £2.03)

These are gold infused collagen based anti ageing masks for underneath the eyes. I have heard so much about these so excited to try them out! 

Dr Duve Anti aging + Firming Eye Cream (worth £11.15)

I haven't heard of this brand before but its super expensive! This eye cream is suitable for sensitive eyes and works to visibly reduce puffiness, fine lines and wrinkles - keeping potential crows feet at bay.

Technic Nail Varnish in Tawny Port (#full size* worth £1.25)

This is a cheap brand of polish that reminds me of my childhood, i'll be interested to see if their formula has improved - the bottle design definitely has! 

Dr Duve Skin Boosting Cream (worth £7.74)

Again, this brand I'm unfamiliar with, but the products are super expensive I probably wouldn't repurchase but I will give them a go! This cream is perfect for environmentally damaged skin. 

*Bonus* Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask (*full size* worth £1.50)

I'm pretty sure this was in a previous She Said Beauty box? I still haven't tried the last one we got sent so will pass this onto a friend to try.

*Bonus* JING Whole Leaf Teabags (*full size* worth 72p)

These tea bags were included in the first She Said Beauty Box but are a welcome edition as I love th vitamins look interesting I love the simple packaging - they are quite large though!

This month's box contained a couple of interesting products that I am looking forward to trying such as the gold eye mask and the super expensive eye/face creams. This month's box works out at £31.38 when the subscription costs £9 it's good value for money but I felt the box was filled up with sachets and without the edition of the two bonus items the box would have been very sparse. 

What do you think to the last ever She Said Beauty box?

Review: Little BU Polish

I was kindly sent a selection of nail polishes from Little BU - a brand of nail polishes that are non-toxic, odourless, cruelty free and completely safe for children. My 3 year old niece Isobel has been into my makeup and all things beauty for some time and has been dying for me to paint her nails! She was super excited to get the chance with her very own nail polish set!

The Little BU range are perfect for mini fashionistas who are that age where they are getting into beauty and want to paint their nails like how mum or their aunty does ;) I was sent three colours - Cecilla (baby pink glitter); Riley (bright pink) and Emma (festive red). Isobel went for the pink of course, her favourite colour, and wanted some glitter on too!

I applied two coats of Riley and one coat of Cecilla over the top and was very impressed with the high pigmentation and quality given they are chemical free. I really liked the colour and I was surprised there was no odour at all. Isobel absolutely loved her grown-up bright pink glittery nails and couldn't wait to show them off to everyone! As you can see from the photo she has perfected the 'Beauty Blogger' nail pose! The only downside is as the polishes are water based they wash off - which is quite cool but this also caused some tears when Isobel's pink nails washed off in the bath later that evening!

That aside, I was really impressed with the quality and the whole concept of these polishes they make a great present for little ones that are beauty fans. They are not only great for kids but adults too - you can wear a top coat over the top to make the colour last longer. They are pricey for a tiny 9ml bottle at £9.95 but you are paying for quality, and the unique chemical-free, water based formula available from Harrods or iluvlittlebu.com

What do you think to this concept for child-friendly nail polish?

Selfridges Beauty Workshop Lucky Bag

I am aware I am really late posting this but thought I would share what I got inside Selfridges Lucky Bag from last month! These limited edition lucky bags, only 1000 made, were brought out to celebrate the launch of the new Selfridges Beauty Workshop and sold out almost immediately! A surprise bag costing £15 that contained a lucky mix of beauty products from make up, hair, body or skincare brands. There was a minimum of 5 products per bag, some of which could be travel size and several bags contained pampering experience vouchers or Selfridges Gift Card worth upto £150  - which you are very lucky indeed if you blagged one of these! My lucky bag contained....

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash (50ml)
James Reed Wash off Tan (30ml)
Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant (13g)
OCC Lip Tar in Demure 
Nails Inc mini polish (no name) 
Anatomicals snog me senseless mints 
Disco duck lip balm in creme brulee
and....a £25 Selfridges Gift Card!

I know from reading on Twitter many fellow beauty addicts were happy with what they got in their bags, and others weren't so happy - but that's how the lucky 'dip' works! I really like this concept and I hope they bring out more lucky bags in the future. The OCC Lip tars have been on my wishlist for some time and I can tell you they totally live up to the hype - they are super pigmented and have a lovely texture. I adore the shade of the OCC Lip Tar it's perfect and I look forward to trying the James Reed tan. I'm already a huge REN fan so this travel size body wash will come in handy when travelling, mints always come in handy and the disco duck lip balm is cute! Of course I can't wait to go and spend the Selfridges Gift Card when I return to London! The only thing I'm not fussed about is the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant as this is something I already have but over I'm very happy with the contents of my bag!

Did you get one of these lucky bags? What was inside yours?

Review: Murad Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask

It's been a while since I posted any product reviews - I promise that my blogging mojo will be returning back to normal in the New Year! I have tried a few Murad products over the past year or so, some I have liked, others that I haven't so much, I'm pleased to say these Pomegranate Exfoliating Masks I liked! 

Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask have been 'formulated to provide an instant, intensive smoothing and hydrating benefit with each single-dose treatment dissolving dull and dry skin creating a complexion that is fresh, clear, smooth, and bright.' I like that these masks are formulated without parabens, sulfates, petrochemicals, Synthetic Dyes which gets the thumbs up from me as I like to steer clear of cheap and nasty ingredients. My skin has been looking a little dull recently with the change of season and these antioxidant-rich, weekly treatments promise to restore, revitalize, and balance combination skin. The pomegranate and Ginkgo Biloba extracts fight free radicals and inflammation and the natural fruit enzymes and AHAs dissolve tired cells and free skin's surface of trapped impurities. 

The box comes with 6 individual sachets in for 6 treatment masks which is handy for travelling. My only gripe is there is way too much product in one sachet, enough for 2 treatments so if you don't want to waste money you can scope out the remaining mask into a plastic container to use for the next time! I used this mask last night after cleansing and massaged half the packet into my face and left on for 20 minutes. The mask was very cooling and did sting a little but wasn't at all painful. After rinsing my skin was soft, brighter and the dry patches on my cheeks and forehead had disappeared - I shall definitely be keeping this treatment up once a week.    

Murad Pomegranate Exfoliating Mask costs £25 for 6 treatments and is available from Marks and Spencer and lookfantastic.com. Have you tried this mask? Are you a Murad fan?

December 2012 GLOSSYBOX

When I arrived home yesterday I was greeted with December GLOSSYBOX. This month's theme is Bejewelled Christmas' and as usual the products come beautifully packaged in a limited edition silver box with star print tissue, silver shredded tissue and sticker to fit with the theme. If you are looking for a last minute Christmas Present or a treat for yourself then GLOSSYBOX are offering 30% off their subscription until 24th Dec 2012. To take advantage of this fab offer then simply visit GLOSSYBOX and enter the code XMAS30 at the checkout.

What's in this month's box.....

SECHE Nail Lacquer in Elegant (*full size* worth £14)
I did used to like the Seche Vite Top Coat, but found it goes gloopy after a few months, so didn't bother to re-purchase. This new line of coloured polishes from Seche promise highly pigmented colour for one coat coverage and a satin smooth finish. I received the shade 'Elegant' which on first glance looks dated and a bit of a blah colour in the bottle - but you should never judge before trying I guess! It also smells so strongly of chemicals which is quite off-putting :(

Sleek Makeup True Colour Lipstick (*Full Size* £4.99)
I am so happy to receive this in my box as haven't tried Sleek lipsticks before and these shades promise to brighten and flatter your skin tone for a bold statement lip! Including Make Up in beauty boxes is always difficult as it's not going to suit everyone. I love the packaging and I received the shade 'coral reef' which is perfect for me and can't wait to try this out over the weekend.

Milk Shake Conditioning Whipped Cream (worth £7.40)
This is a new brand that I have just been introduced to but not yet had chance to try out but this product looks interesting! Firstly I love that it's in a tin can similar to squirty cream and it smells good enough to eat! This is a no rinse conditioner and protective creamy foam to use on damp hair before styling to condition and preserve hair colour - excited to try this!

LEMON by Mary Greenwell (worth £2.70)
Perfume sample....I've said many times now perfume samples shouldn't count as a luxury item unless its a miniature sized bottle! I'm quite fussy about perfume but this perfume is not bad - I love the bold packaging to this brand and the citrus scent, though the full size bottle is pricey.

Sebmed Hydrating Body Lotion (worth 52p)
This is not a brand I'm familiar with and after looking on the ingredients list this body lotion contains alcohol and other cheap ingredients so this is one item I won't be trying unfortunately!

GLOSSYBOX Blusher in 'Glossy Pink'
It's a nice touch adding a bonus item, this is a dusky pink blush made by KRYOLAN and seems good quality.

This month's box contained a good mix of products, two of which were full size and a bonus item, although I feel without the addition of the bonus item this box would have felt sparse. I have totted up the value of the products and it comes to roughly £29.61 which for £10 (plus £2.95 P&P) is not bad! I am most pleased and excited about the Lipstick and Conditioning Hair Cream! You can find out more and order your own GLOSSYBOX here.

What do you think of this month's GLOSSYBOX? Did you receive anything different to mine? Are you a GLOSSYBOX subscriber?

Save 30% on GLOSSYBOX

If you are looking for a last minute Christmas Present or a treat for yourself then GLOSSYBOX are offering 30% off their subscription until 24th Dec 2012. To take advantage of this fab offer then simply visit GLOSSYBOX and enter the code XMAS30 at the checkout.

Are you a GLOSSYBOX subscriber?

New Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

Debenhams has recently launched exclusively online the latest palette from Urban Decay, ‘Naked’ Basics. This simplified palette from the original Naked Palette features five matte shades and one demi-matte shade - four of which are new and exclusive to this palette and are all simple basic shades that everyone needs! I must admit I didn't buy into the hype of the original Naked palette as the colours looked 'muddy' on me but these simple shades are more wearable and the case is more of a travel-friendly size.


It will be exclusive to Debenhams until the 23rd December and you can also get 10% off until 16th December in their Ultimate Christmas Event was £20 now £18. Would make the perfect Christmas present! What do you think to the new Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette?