She Said Beauty Box: November.

So you've already seen what I got in my November SSB box (initial review here), but here's a full review of the products inside. I have been much happier with this box than I was with the October box as the sample sizes are much more generous and this box actually contains three full sized products. 

Redken Smooth Lock Shampoo and Conditioner: These are great sized one-use sachets, although there may not be enough product inside for super long or thick hair. Both products smelt like orange chocolate, which I must say I found delightful! The shampoo on its own left my hair feeling clean but not very soft; however, the conditioner was super softening and smoothing. The combination of the two left my hair looking shiny, healthy and feeling protected against heat stylers. I was also surprised about how little colour washed out of my hair when I used them as normally non-colour protection products result in loads of colour wash-out for me. 

Yardley Royal English Daisy EDT: I honestly thought I was going to hate this perfume sample as Yardley conjures up images of classic, 'older woman' scents. However, I've found this scent to be inoffensively floral and actually quite sweet. This sweetness may come from the apple notes but other ingredients include fresh green leaves, hyacinth, white rose, sandalwood and musk. This isn't at all my kind of scent really but I have grown to quite like it, although I think I'm unlikely to go out and buy it. 

Andrew Barton Hold It Right There Surefix Grips and Ponybands: I always think that hair products like these are kind of gimiky and often wonder whether they actually work or not. The bobbles have a criss-cross elastic design on them which reminds me of chain grips on car wheels in the snow- so obviously the idea is that these bobbles have more grip on them than your traditional band. The first thing that I'd say about these bands is that there isn't much slack with them. Typically, a bobble will twist round my hair five or so times but these only fit round my hair three times. I can't imagine that these would be at all good for anyone with thick hair because I doubt they'd even fit. I don't like the coloured look of these bands- I like black bobbles that don't stand out against my hair. In the same vain, I'd typically go for black hair clips but I find these less visually offensive than the bobbles. Both products kept my hair in place and feel really strong without appearing to snap of damage my hair.

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream: I like the little pink tube packaging of this product- though the metal tube does remind me of some kind of medical packaging. This night cream has a very strong scent which I am not at all a fan of- it has a very strong rose, aromatherapy type scent. The night cream absorbed into the skin all right but it did leave my skin feeling a little greasy; I imagine that this product is tailored for dry skin more so than oily skin like mine. This product did leave my skin feeling soft and moisturised but this isn't the one for me.

Murrays Manicure Matchbook Nail Files: This was the SSB treat in the November box. These a great little nail files for keeping in your hand bag- my nails are always peeling and breaking so I've found these great for filing away any nicks. You get a whopping 15 mini nail files in this packet which I think is great value for the £1.99 price tag! I reckon you'd only be able to use each file a few times because they're only thin but they definitely do the job!

Makebelieve Enhance Luminize Skin Highlighter: This is my favourite product from the November SSB box by far! It's a full sized product worth £7.50 which is a great value item for the £9 price tag of the box. I like the simple clear compact packaging- I like it when you can see the product inside of the packaging. This cream highlighter gives a beautiful subtle shimmer that lasts throughout the day- it's definitely more of a silvery shimmer than a golden glitter. I've been wearing it on the tops of my cheeks as a highlighter but you could just as easily wear it on your eyelids or brow bones. Cream products can sometimes feel heavy or greasy but this highlighter is neither- it's super light, soft and smooth. A great little product which I'm so glad I've got to try out. 

So there's my thoughts on the November SSB box! I'm hoping for a festive themed December box full of great goodies and discount codes. Come say hello on my She Said Beauty profile! 

She Said Beauty Box: November (initial thoughts).

It's that time again you guys; I can't believe my November box has arrived! You can see a full review of my September box here  and my initial thoughts on my August and October boxes here. Before I get started, just in case you've never come across She Said Beauty or beauty boxes in general, here's a mini explanation of what's going on. She Said Beauty boxes cost £9 per month plus £2.95 P&P and you can sign up for your subscription here. Along with your monthly box you get weekly emails from the SSB team with exclusive offers, hints and tips. You also get to set up your own SSB profile page which is a really nice idea as you can interact with other SSB subscribers. The contents of the November box were tailored to your responses to a small beauty questionnaire (e.g skin type, skin colour, preferences etc). In each monthly box you get a card with details of the products included in your box in addition to pricing information and some exclusive discount codes.

You may have read my last SSB post in which I was fairly disappointed with the somewhat small sample sized products that were in the October box. I just felt that the contents of last month's box didn't really justify the £9 price tag and I was having doubts about whether to continue my subscription. However, SSB have pulled it back this month and all is forgiven! My November box contains: Andrew Barton Hold It Right There Surefix Grips and Ponybands (both full size); Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream (5ml sample); Redken Smooth Lock Shampoo and Conditioner (sachet samples); Makebelieve Enhance Luminize Skin Highlighter (full size); Yardley Royal English Daisy EdT (sample size); Murrays Manicure Matchbook Nail Files (full size). 

I've heard of all of these brands, minus Murrays Manicure, but have never tried any of these products before which is exciting. I think I'm most excited to try the Makebelieve highlighter as I've really gotten into my highlighters over the past year or so and this will be the first cream highlighter I've used. I really like the Redken colour protect spray that was in my August SSB box and I really like heat protection hair products so this shampoo and conditioner could be the ones for me! I always liked Andrew Barton when he was on 10 Years Younger but I sometimes think these kinds of hair products can be a bit gimiky but I'll give them a go for sure. Yardley conjures up images of old ladies at WI meetings to me and I don't typically like floral scents but that's the beauty of subscription boxes- you can try something you normally wouldn't without the commitment of buying a full size product with a full size price tag! There's also three discount codes in the November box for Redken, Makebelieve and Weleda so depending on how I find these products I may have to use one or two of these! I'll write a full review of the products once I've given them all a go so keep your peepers peeled for that. Let me know your initial thoughts on any of your subscription boxes in the comments below!  

She Said Beauty Box: August and October (initial thoughts).

With the start of a new month came my October She Said Beauty box. However, I also won the August box from a competition that the lovely Makeup Savvy which was super exciting as the September box was my first box. I thought I'd do a lil post regarding my initial thoughts on both these boxes without me having had a chance to fully review all of the items. You can see my full review of the September box here. 

Before I get started, just in case you've never come across She Said Beauty or beauty boxes in general, here's a mini explanation of what's going on. She Said Beauty boxes cost £9 per month plus £2.95 P&P and you can sign up for your subscription here. Along with your monthly box you get weekly emails from the SSB team with exclusive offers, hints and tips. You also get to set up your own SSB profile page which is a really nice idea as you can interact with other SSB subscribers. The contents of the September box was the same for everyone, whereas normally they're tailored to your responses to a small beauty questionnaire (e.g skin type, skin colour, preferences etc). In each monthly box you get a card with details of the products included in your box in addition to pricing information and some exclusive discount codes.

October:

I'm not going to lie here now, I was a little bit disappointed when I opened my October box- there's only one full sized beauty item and the SSB gift is also full sized but everything else is either in sachet form which I hate, especially if there's more than one use per sachet, or in teeny tiny sample size. They're all skincare and haircare products too which I think is a bit odd with their September box being a skincare themed box, you'd think their next box would have at least a lil bit of makeup or perfume in it. The October box includes: Cellnique Advanced Bio Renewal Mask (super tiny pot); B.liv Off with Those Heads Gel (super tiny tube); Biao Rejuvenating Night Creme (sachet); Herbacin Glycerine Hand Cream (cut lil tin); KeraStraight Moisture and Protein hair masks (sachets) and My Vitamins Total Chromium tablets. 

August:

The August box, on the other hand, looks amazing! Interestingly, this box also contains only one full sized beauty product but as you can see, the samples are a lot more generous in size (apart from the tiny cologne bottle but I just think that's cute). The August box contains: 4711 Eau de Cologne (tiny bottle); Absolutely Flawless Nail Foils; Balance Me Rose Otto Intensive Lip Salve; Redken Colour Extend Radiant-10; Papier Poudre (not pictured for some reason!) and White Glo Professional Choice toothpaste. 

I'm really looking forward to using the contents of the August box a lot more than the October box which I'm a bit gutted about tbh. Let's hope the November box is back on SSB form. 

She Said Beauty Box: September.

After receiving two disappointing and uninspiring Glossyboxes, I decided to research alternative beauty boxes and found myself loving the contents of every She Said Beauty box that I could find a review of. I joined up in August and the September box was my first box, the only thing standing between myself and this box was my new nemesis Yodel. To cut a long story short, I still haven't received the box I was sent via Yodel, baring in mind it was dispatched from She Said Beauty on 3rd September! The beautiful Aisha at She Said Beauty customer services has been so helpful throughout the Yodel saga and sent me another box via good old Royal Mail which arrived literally the next day. I can't give enough praise to the She Said Beauty team for making me feel like a valued customer and for being so lovely and helpful! So here's a review of the products in my September box...

She Said Beauty boxes cost £9 per month plus £2.95 P&P and you can sign up for your subscription here. Along with your monthly box you get weekly emails from the SSB team with exclusive offers, hints and tips. You also get to set up your own SSB profile page which is a really nice idea as you can interact with other SSB subscribers. The contents of the September box was the same for everyone, whereas normally they're tailored to your responses to a small beauty questionnaire (e.g skin type, skin colour, preferences etc). The theme was Skincare September and the products are a mixture of full sizes and sample sizes. The box also included a SSB treat in the form of Pop Chips crisps which are apparently a favourite snack of the stars. In each monthly box you get a card with details of the products included in your box in addition to pricing information and some exclusive discount codes.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: I've already reviewed this product here as I received one with a Glossybox. This product comes in three sizes, this being the smallest at £3.50 for 30ml which isn't bad at all. 

Collection 2000 Primed & Ready Smoothing Makeup Primer: Collection 2000 has to be one of my favourite bargain makeup brands as most of the products I've tried from them have been great quality and great value for money. I really like the black and pink foil packaging of this product- I think don't think it looks like a bargain product at all! I've been trying this primer out, instead of using my regular Benefit Porefessional Primer; unlike the Benefit primer, the Collection 2000 primer is a clear, thick gel which disappears into nothingness when applied to the face. I tend to just use primer on my oily/problem areas namely my forehead, nose and chin. I find that this primer creates a good  base for my makeup and helps it last a bit longer on my oily areas. It initially feels quite wet or oily to begin with but it sinks into the skin making it feel matte and smooth. I'd say that this primer smooths over my pores, enabling smoother makeup application but I wouldn't say that it minimises them in the same way that my Benefit primer does. Overall, I think that this is a great product and I'm glad I've got to try it out. This is a full size product at £5.99 for 18ml which seems small but I think it's better for having in your makeup bag. 

Collection 2000 Fix Me Up Long Lasting Makeup Fixer: I've actually been wanting to try this for a while now after not really liking the e.l.f Makeup Mist & Set spray. As with the primer, I love the packaging of this product and think it's really cute and tiny. The spray isn't at all wet like the e.l.f spray (hooray!) and definitely feels and smells more like a hair spray. I think this product definitely sets my makeup and makes it last longer especially on my nose which is usually the first place that my makeup starts separating. I like to apply this straight after finishing my makeup and then again around tea time if I'm going out in the evening. I really like this product and I've been using it every day since I got my box! This is also a full size product at £5.99 for 18ml.

Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel: Initially I wasn't sure whether this was a cleanser or an exfoliator but I think you could actually use it as both. Nevertheless, I've been using it every night after cleansing with my beloved Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean. I quite like the green packaging as it represents the main ingredient of Green Tea which I sure love to drink! The gel itself is green (quelle surprise) but smells more like burnt coffee beans than green tea to me. It recommends that you apply the gel with dry hands to a dry face and buff it in then rinse off. The gel sort of soaks into the skin upon application and then little peely bits form as you buff it which seem to act as exfoliants; this isn't your typical gritty, beady exfolitaor ladies! I can honestly say that this left my skin feeling amazing- my skin feels so soft and smooth and reduced the appearance of my pores after only one use! This is the only sample size product in the September box and I'm gutted that the full size is £22 for 60ml but my gosh this is amazing. I just may have to take the plunge and treat myself to it because it's made my skin feel so nice. 

Amie Spring Clean Cooling Clay Mask: Take all images of thick, mud-like clay masks out of your mind and imagine a thin, smooth and moisturising mask and you're part way their to understanding this product. Amie is a brand that I've seen in Tescos before and the cute girly packaging has always caught my eye but I've never actually tried a product from their range before. The mask is a minty green coloured thin clay with ingredients such as organic peppermint, French white clay and lime butter which all sound super nice. It recommends that you leave the mask on for around 10 minutes and then rinse off. The mask left my skin feeling cool, clean and refreshed as well as reducing redness on my skin and tightening my pores. This is a full size sachet at £1.50 for 15ml which I've managed to get two masks out of, and it's also available in a 75ml tube for £4.95 which I think is a bargain and I may well buy myself one of these bad boys!

Popchips Original Potato Chips: I enjoyed these salty crisps very much thank you! They're popped rather than fried or baked which apparently makes them more healthy. I can safely say that I'd enjoy eating these over some other crispies! 

So there's my thoughts on the September She Said Beauty Box and I can safely say that I've loved using everything! I truly can't wait for my October box, which will be my first personalised box. Come say hello on my She Said Beauty profile! 

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (from August Glossybox). 

I've always tried to avoid beauty oils in all formats (hair, face, body) because to me, oil means grease and with having oily skin I felt like using oil products would only add to my problems. However, I wanted to give this DHC oil a try when it came with my Glossybox. The instructions recommend that you apply the oil to a dry face with dry hands and rinse. The oil isn't very strong scented which I didn't expect for some reason but it does have a hint of that luxurious spa-like smell to it. This is definitely more of a thick oil than some of the hair oils that I have encountered (Avon, Tresemme, VO5) which in a way feels more luxurious. I find that upon application, it warms the skin and leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and matte but also moisturised. I don't find this product to be super freshening or tightening which I consider to be a positive as I don't like products that make my face feel really taught. I've had a bit of dry skin on my forehead this last month and I've found this oil to be pretty good for moisturising it without making it feel greasy or saturated. I'm still finding it weird washing my face with an oil but it's a nice product. I think the full size version of this product is around £19 which I personally would no-way pay. Overall, this product is nice, but didn't blow me away. What are your thoughts on cleansing oils?

August Empties.

Simple Soothing Facial Toner (travel size):

I do quite like using this toner but it's nothing 'wow' or particularly special, it's just a good standard gentle toner. It doesn't irritate my skin or smell of alcohol and it cleans out my pores a treat. I like the size of the bottle because it's great for travelling but this one's been living in my wash bag at my man's house. Repurchase: Yes (already have done!).

Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask:

I ended up having to throw at least a masks-worth of this away this month which I'm pretty gutted about but it's my own fault! I did enjoy using this face mask but I prefer the Cupcake mask when my skin is misbehaving; I find Catastrophe Cosmetic to be a good one to use as maintenance when my skin's not too bad. Repurchase: Probably. 

Primark 4in1 Deep Facial Cleansing Wipes:

Yes, they're here every month so I won't say too much about them. They get rid of the majority of my makeup, they don't feel harsh on my skin and they're cheap; that's all there is to it. Repurchase: Yes.

Primark Beauty Twin Pack Round Cotton Pads:

I'm always on the quest for bargain cotton pads and this Primark double pack for £1 seemed to be the way forward. They kind of look like the MDF of cotton pads (you know, loads of little bits stuck together) but I liked the way this got into all the nooks and crannies of my skin. However, too much product can make them fall apart. Repurchase: Probably. 

Avon Colour Protect Shampoo:

I told you I finish my shampoo and conditioners at different times! I really like this shampoo, it does what it says: protects my colour, keeps my hair clean and shiny, and it's usually on a good offer. Repurchase: Yes. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush:

A must-have in my opinion, you can't go wrong with Batiste dry shampoo. I used to only use the Blush one because I hated the Tropical one but I'm currently having a Cherry phase and have also bought the Lace one out to try. Variety is the spice of life! Repurchase: YES!!!

Soap & Glory Glad Hair Day Shampoo and Conditioner (travel size):

I bought these for my holiday wayyyyy back in June and I couldn't wait to finish them off! I dunno, they just left my hair feeling a bit weird and heavy. Again, I love the packaging and the compact size. They had the S&G signature scent which was nice but I fear this may have been a case of style over substance. Repurchase: No way Hose. 

Sure Clear Diamond Crystal Deodorant:

I actually finished two cans of this deodorant off this month but threw one away at my boyfriend's (duhh). This is my all time favourite deodorant mostly because it doesn't leave white marks on black clothes which tbh, used to be the bane of my life as I mostly wear black. It's not the cheapest of deodorants but it's ace and works. I also love the black and purple packaging. Repurchase: Yes, I already have a stash.

Avon Naturals Shower Gel in Sugar Plum & Vanilla:

The only reason I got this last winter was because it came free with an item I bought. I didn't use it for ages (because I forgot I had it) but I can safely say that I love it. I love the smell of Sugar Plum and Vanilla, which was unfortunately limited edition and I'm a bit gutted I've finished this tbh. It keeps me clean and smelling nice all day long. I've since bought the Honey & Milk and White Chocolate & Strawberry offerings to try. Repurchase: Yes, but unfortunately this scent is no longer available. 

Wowzers, I didn't think I'd used that many products up this month! Please leave me the links to your empties posts as they're some of my faves to read cause I'm dead nosy! Also, I can't believe it's September!

August Glossybox.

OK, so ever since I heard about Glossybox and beauty boxes in general, I've been toying with the idea of trying them out. My main concern was that I'd end up with loads of products that weren't suitable for my skin colour or type and that'd it'd be a waste of money. Well a few months down the line, my chum bit the bullet and started subscribing and loved it. She explained that you fill in a questionnaire so they send you stuff suitable for your wants and needs and so I just went for it last month and got involved. Well, my first box (July) was a bit crap to say the least but I let them off cause I hadn't yet completed my questionnaire; so I hung on for my August box and told myself if it wasn't that amazing I'd cancel it. So what's in my August box...

In case you didn't already know, the August box had an International Brands theme which on the surface sounds really exciting and exotic. The products I got were:

Alessandro Pro White Nail Polish

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

All For Eve Eve's Balm

Vera Valenti Eye Shadow Palette

Lipcote

Glossybox Lipstick

Now, I don't know about you but in deciding to subscribe to Glossybox, I was hoping to try some luxury brands and products but I'm sorry, the eye shadow palette looks, feels and is cheap, retailing at under £4. I also have issues with Glossybox's own products being valued and considered as an item rather than a free sample because they can just totally make up the value to fit the rest of the contents of the box. I dunno, I'm just massively underwhelmed by the offerings from Glossybox in the July and August boxes. I'm going to cancel my subscription and try another beauty box. I'll review these products at some point (maybe I guess) but the only product I'm that mithered about it the Lipcote because it claims to make your lipstick last longer.  Sorry to all you Glossybox girls if this upsets you; maybe I just set my expectations too high...