Glossy Box- January

Glossy Box - http://www.glossybox.co.uk/

'If you would like to receive 5 luxury product miniatures from high-end brands every month, then simply register to create an account and subscribe to receive your first GLOSSYBOX. Fill in your Beautyprofile to help us select products to complement your personal beauty and styling requirements.'

So here is my first glossy box! They cost £10 plus £2-3 P&P. Over all I think this is a brilliant concept. I think there could be issues with tailoring the boxes to the right audience but over all I really like the idea.

This month I received;

Brand - Clarins

Product Name - Extra Firming Day Cream

Price (RPS*) £46 / 50ml(Manufacturer Product Size)

 (Firstly I've always enjoyed clarins products, my nan gave me a pot of peachy coloured moisturiser a few months ago and I really loved the texture, scent, packaging etc. although I wish I had kept the pot as I don't remember the name of the product! Anyway - my understanding is that it is really aimed at older women and this ties in with what I'm saying above, the tailoring of the boxes etc. - it’s not really suitable for a 14 year old subscriber to be using firming anti-wrinkle crèmes but as far as I understand Glossybox are undergoing research into how to target different markets, which would benefit everyone including the cosmetic companies that are investing.)

Although I'm 19 and hardly in need of a firming day moisturiser, I've given this product a go. I like this product and the way it makes your skin look healthy, as if you've had a full 8 hour sleep. It has some rejuvenating qualities that make your skin appear a little brighter too. It doesn’t leave any sticky or greasy residue and has a lovely sophisticated scent. Although I don’t feel it moisturises anymore then my normal L’Oreal day cream which costs £40 LESS than the clarins pot. So over all I'd say this has been a trial and its a good product but I wouldn’t invest in the full 50ml pot as I get the majority of the same benefits from something a lot cheaper. By all means if I really wanted a reliable day and night crème clocking up £100 a month for both then I'd probably invest in these but I'd much rather spend it on a make-up ha!

Brand -Clarins

Product Name- Extra Firming Night Cream
Price (RPS*) £48 / 50ml(Manufacturer Product Size

My second product was the night crème that I am yet to trial so I'll fill this in a few days! I imagine my opinion being rather similar to the comments above as its really not specialised for young skin. Although I still stand by them being great products- scent texture and packaging are all spot on! Just wish they'd do a range for younger people!

Brand -FAB

Product Name -Body Moisturizer
Price (RPS*) £13 / 226.8g (Manufacturer Product Size

 I tested this against my favourite body moisturiser which is technically a body butter. Non the less it was up against the bodyshop body butter (Comes in various scents etc). I haven’t got particularly dry skin but I do find the body shop butters are the only thing that lasts a full 24 hours and really absorbs into my skin. I’ve tried a lot of moisturisers and I've always gone back to the bodyshop tubs so any that I test now have a lot to live up to! This really didn’t cut it. It smelt of old make up sponges, that old stale make up smell I’m sure a few of you have encountered in the past. (I understand people not wanting to use heavily perfumed moisturisers etc. but I feel the body shop ones have a balance and really aren’t over powering/damaging at all.) So this smells horrid, texture is comparable to some hand creams I've used before like not quite smooth and a little chunky. I do however like the finish, my skin did look a little more hydrated and supple after use but it last all of 5 mins so I was a little disappointed. Im not a huge fan of the packaging either.

Again if you are sensitive to colours perfumes etc maybe this would be a really great product to try but for anyone who enjoys a sexy incense of candied ginger (bodyshops Christmas body butter which im IN LOVE with) or lively cherry should probably go check out the body shop butters! (Which are a little cheaper than this moisturiser above.) I rate this at 1/5. The packaging isn’t doing anything for me.

Brand -Eyeko

Product- Name Skinny Eyeliner

Price (RPS*) £9.50 / per pencil(Manufacturer Product Size)

Next up is an eye liner pencil from Eyeko! I really like the design. Its rather clever claiming you can use the long silver end as a handle once you've sharpened it to the nib! which is rather practical and yet looks really stylish - reminds me of the L’Oreal Infinite lip liners which have a similar handle/ sleek look. ALTHOUGH for almost 10 quid look how much product you get! That’s at least a cm or two shorter than most good eye liner pencils I own. Next the product its self - I got sent a green one. I haven’t worn a coloured eye liner since I was 14. So testing this has been a little biased as I'm already against the grain due to the colour. It's not long wearing, although rather quite pigmented. Mine lasted 2 and a half hours before needing a top up, decent for a pencil liner but I wouldn’t advise using these on a night out. I suppose topped with a suited eye shadow it would hold in place for a considerable time. I just wish I'd received a black or brown one so I could wear them the same as I'd wear my normal make up and test it a little more vigorously! But any who. I'd give this a 2.5/5 I wanted to give it a 3 but the price dragged it down considering the length of the actual pencil.

Brand- Murad
Product Name- Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - Dewy
Price (RPS*) £29 / 30ml(Manufacturer Product Size)

 I must admit I haven’t tested this as much as I'd of hoped purely as I'm not use to incorporating a primer into my make up routine. I swatched this and was pleasantly surprised to find its the same colour as a medium tone concealer. All primers I've had in the past have been pinkie or cream based so to see this with skin coloured pigment excites me. As for the Dewy finish I'm really not as enthusiastic. I prefer more of a matte look with dewy cheeks, but looking at the rest of their range they do offer a matte version of this primer. I find matte products last on your skin a little longer so that’s probably where this preference comes from but I'm going to give this a good try. Regardless of what most people say -girls mostly always where a bit of make up to the gym and I find its a good place to test new products especially face products! So I'm going to put this primer through its paces tonight and leave my update. It has no scent and the packaging is pretty sleek and cute. You pop of the cap and there’s a small pump action top. I'll update this tonight probably after 9 with how the product performed! The price is a little more than what I'd want to pay for a primer but if it gives a really unbelievable make up base and a nice finish I could be swayed to invest.

So that’s it for now. I'll add in a bit more once I've had a week or so testing these products more consistently. I'm quite pleased I subscribed to glossy box I just wish I'd received an item of make-up rather than a cosmetic that I could use daily and feel a bit more like I’m getting proper use from. I've trialled so many moisturisers and body products- to then receive 2 face and 1 body moisturiser in my first box I feel a bit like I'm revisiting product groups I've already found really good personal matches for. I suppose there is always room for improvement and you never know you might find an absolute gem one month! If anyone else has subscribed to glossybox I'd like to hear what you thought of this month’s products?

Katie x

Basic Brush Care - Deep Clean

 Makeup brushes can harbor lots of dirt and bacteria, which can result in breakouts - but frequent washing of your makeup brushes can keep them - and your face - clean and healthy.Cleaning your makeup brushes will also make them last longer, but there is no need to be forking out ££ for a harsh brush cleaner that contains hard abrasive chemicals that can damage skin. Below I'll take you through step by step what I think is a really effective brush cleaner that you can make using house hold products.

You should be looking to deeply cleanse your brushes every month, and I lighting clean mine every other day. This below is a deep clean and you could do this twice monthly if you have the time or keep this mixture in the fridge and use weekly to save time.

You Will Need:

Tall Glass or Cup

Tea Towel

Washing up Liquid

Sunflower or Vegetable Oil

1/4 of a Lemon

Bicarbonate of Soda

1 Plate

Clean running water

 I've used a range of brushes to show this method isnt just for newer brushs. The kabuki brush is from no.7 I've had it around 4 years and its made from natural fibres/hair. The thin brush is 2 weeks old from ELF and its a non synthetic crease/blending brush. The blusher brush, 2nd from the left is from The body shop also natural fibres/hair and I've had this for 2 years and lastly my favorite brush I featured in my last post - ELF complxion brush made from synthetic anti bacterial materials. None have been washed in over 2 weeks (dont hate!) So here what you do!

Step 1 - Making the cleanser -

Pour equal parts washing up liquid and vegetable oil, 1 tea spoon of Bicarb and squeeze quarter of a lemon onto the plate. If you can buy anti bacterial washing liquid you wont need the lemon. The reason I'm using lemon in this cleanser is because its a natural disinfectant, you could use tea tree oil or vinegar if you don't have lemon juice. The bicarbonate of soda is great for dissolving dirt and oil, this is really vital for foundation brushes as most foundations are oil based, but its good to use it on all make up brushes as the natural facial oils will also harbor on the brushes which will cause break outs and 'grayer' looking skin, so its great for tackling oil & dirt build up. And finally the sunflower/veg oil is to re condition the brushes, using soap on its own will strip synthetic brushes of their anti bacterial coat and will cause natural hair brushes to dry out - so the oil combats this, conditioning the brushes so they will remain in top condition.

Brush your make up brushes forward and back through this mixture, careful not to 'swirl' to much as this will loosen the bristles.

Step 2 - Rinse

Rinse in warm water, trying not to tug at the bristles. Brush them forward and back like before in your palm for a good 2 minutes or until the water runs clear.

Gently squeeze of excess water once rinsed. Then use the tea towel and gently squeeze again. (You could use a normal towel but I wouldn't recommend tissue or kitchen towel as it can flake of into the bristles.)

Step 3 - Re-shape

This is the result, shiny, new looking brushes! There is no horrible scent or icky residue left they are simply clean and soft. To reshape place brush in palm of hand and squeeze, then with out tugging pull hand down the length of the bristles till they're all laying flat and straight.

Step 4 - Drying

To dry your brushes, place up right in a glass or cup. Do not lay them flat as any excess water will run to the root of the bristle and loosen the glue eventually making the bristles fall out. So always store upright, bristles downward facing, when wet. You may find a plastic brush protector will keep them in better shape but I find if you rest them gently in the glass with out ruining the reshape they'll look just as good!

So that's it! I will post a picture of them once they are dry in the morning or later tonight- I recommend doing this over night so they're ready to use the next morning. To dry them a little quicker leave the glass near a radiator but never on top/directly underneath as it'll make the bristles dry out and brittle.

I hope you've enjoyed this! Please do try this brush cleaner and let me know how you get on! I've used this method since I can remember and its worked wonders every time! I will eventually get round to doing a light cleaner for every day use but for now I hope this has helped.

Merry Christmas!

Katie x