Birch Box

It had been a few months since I last treated myself to a subscription box, so when I spied that Unidays were offering 50% off the October Birch Box, I decided to sign myself up for the month.  I did however make a rather silly mistake, as I signed up for the 50% off box on October 31^st, and then was charged on the 1^st of November again for the next month’s box.  I wasn’t that fussed though, as both boxes looked really pretty, and there was a few bits and bobs between the two boxes that I was keen to try out.

October

So I’m not going to lie, there was only really one product that I was interested in when I signed up for this box – the This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray.  I have recently become a fan of the stuff, so I was really keen to stock up on it to tie me over till Christmas.  Sadly I didn’t receive this in my box, however I did anticipate this as I did the order, seeing as I was ordering on the last day of the month.  If I’m totally honest, there wasn’t really anything that wowed me in the box – other than the styling of the actual box itself.  Inside contained a facial mist spray, hair oil, eye brow brush, a sheet mask, a lipstick crayon and an aroma therapy shower gel.  Not to sound snobby, but these are all items that I either buy myself a regular basis and have plenty to keep me going, or items that I tend not to both much with.  The facial mist does feel great on my skin, the lipstick crayon is a gorgeous colour and I love the way the hair oil makes my hair smell (like a hairdressers) however I probably won’t bother much with the other items.  I’ve got a brow brush, and the mask is not cruelty free, so this box wasn’t a winner for me.  I did however LOVE the design and drawer style of the box, and I have it nicely displayed and in use in my room. 

November

Seeing as I had no idea what to expect in the November box, I was actually quite excited by what might come.  The delivery was as quick as the first one, only taking a few days to arrive after the payment was taken.  Again though, sadly the contents were not items that I was thrilled by.  Now don’t get me wrong, they are all great products, just not stuff that I go mad for.  My November box contained another facial spritz spray, a leave in hair conditioner, a lipstick primer, BB cream and a facial moisturiser.  All great products, all cruelty free, just these are not the kind of items that I had hoped to receive in a monthly subscription box.  I’ve been loving the Nuxe moisturiser which I’ve been using under my primer, and the lip stick primer does work a treat – however it’s not something that I think I will bother with when I run out of the sample.

I like to keep my routines pretty simple, and so adding extra bits and bobs really complicate things for my and clutter up my toiletry bag!  None the less, I will be using up all of the products above over a period of time, however for the time being I will be cancelling my Birch Box subscription – as this beauty box is not the one for me.

Did you treat yourself to any of the above boxes?  Were you more thrilled with the contents than I was?

Until the next one,

The Makeup Range You NEED To Try

Before I decided to make all of my cosmetics cruelty free, I was always against buying dirt heap brands.  You know, the ones that only ever cost a couple of quid – no matter where you pick them up from.   I feared that they would clog up my pores and generally just not work very well.  I’ve now been open to trying out a lot more brands as of late that normally I would have avoided – as I’ve found that a lot of cheap brands actually tend to be cruelty free and sometimes even vegan.  I’ve been trying out the Natural Collection range which is available from Boots.  It’s been around for as long as I can remember – I used pick up little bits and bobs from the range when I was about 13.  Having seen a couple of bloggers online as of late posting about the brand, and whether or not they enjoyed the products, I thought I would give it a go and make up my own mind!

First off, the whole entire range of Natural Collection is priced as £1.99 apiece.  That’s £1.99 for foundation, £1.99 for mascara, £1.99 for highlighter.  AMAZING! £1.99 is right up my price range – I like products that I know work wonderfully and do not break the bank – so a good price to start with makes me curious and want to know more.  Secondly, they have nearly every single product that a girl could want or need in their makeup bag.  Although the stock in store was very sparse when I was in Boots (which actually made me think it was because a lot of people are rating the brand right now) if you order online you can get everything from concealer, eyeliner, eyeshadow and even eyebrow products!  I don’t spend a lot of time on my make up in the morning – I’m not into this whole contouring thing, nor do I wear eye shadow or any eye makeup bar mascara.  I like it all to be quick and simple, so again this brand fits my criteria really quite well!

I purchased myself a tinted moisturiser and a highlighter on my visit, as I’ve finally ran out of my Barry M and B. products that I bought a few months back.  I have been using both products every day for the last week now, and have to say that I am super impressed with both!  The tinted moisturiser sits so well on my skin, it blends in really nicely and doesn’t feel sticky nor look cakey as the day goes on.  I really can’t even tell that I’m wearing it as the day goes on, which again is something that I really enjoy.  I think that it gives me a real good coverage, it covers a lot of the red patches of my skin and most blemishes that I have right now.  It also doesn’t irritate my skin either which is fab – it is just a really lush product that does my every day basic look justice!  The highlighter stick is also fab too – although I did pick up quite a dark/pink tone for my skin, it does look really nice and gives my skin a nice glow which lasts all day.  I also like to wear some under my blusher as it gives my cheeks a really nice colour!

I’m definitely going to be picking myself up a couple of other products from the Natural Collection range when I’m in need of a makeup re stock.  I’m curious to see how well the mascara works as I like to make my lashes look really long, and I would also like to try out the concealer and press powder too!

Have you tried out any of the Natural Collection range yet?  What’s your favourite product?

Until the next one,

Beauty store bargains

For those of you who know me personally, you will know that there is nothing that excites me as much as getting anything super cheap, or better yet, free!  I love sending away for loads of free samples online and getting them delivered to my house – tea bags, moisturizers, facial washes and biscuit spread – you name it, I’ve probably had a free sample of it.  I’m not even embarrassed by it either, I like to try before I buy it.  I think that’s okay.

Just a couple of the freebies I've received in the post! 

So a couple of weeks ago now, I was out shopping in Boots and Superdrug trying to hunt down a specific shampoo that I was after.  Whilst doing so, I was delighted when I came across several bargains that I just had to nab!

The first of my finds was a Herbal Essence hair mask designed to repair split ends and nourish all hair types.  My hair is constantly a curly, frizzy mess – and despite the fact that I have drastically made the effort to avoid styling my hair with heated products over the course of the last six months, I still end up with the dreaded split ends. (If anyone can recommend a fantastic product that will actually help control my frizzy hair – please do tell!)  This 300ml hair mask retails for about £3.89 depending on where you are picking it up from, so when I found it priced at just £0.40 – it was a must have!  The label recommends that you use it once a week to treat your hair, so I believe that my purchase of two tubs will last me a very long time, happy days!

I decided to chance my luck and venture further down the aisle to see if I could spot any other super bargains.  I didn’t have to travel far before I found two different types of dry hair shampoo at similar prices to the hair mask I had just found.  The Pantene and VO5 dry hair shampoos were marked down to £0.30 and £0.40, so naturally I picked up two of the VO5 products and one Pantene to try out.  Although I do tend to wash my hair on a daily basis – on the rare occasion that I do not, I like to make sure that I have the right products to make it look and feel clean.  I’m currently using Lush’s dry hair shampoo “No Drought” which I bought about 3 months ago now for £3.95.  A little goes a long way with this product, and seeing as I have at least ¾ of the bottle left, it will be a while before I actually get around to using these particular products.  The two usually retail for about £4.00 each, and so at less than fifty pence per can, I really couldn’t resist. 

After spending just £1.90 on the five different products I had just picked up (and an additional £5.00 on the shampoo I wanted), I headed straight towards Boots – eager to see if I could possibly get lucky twice and find myself something good in there too.  I checked out the hair care products first, but without much luck.  I did however then venture down the skin care section – which is where my luck appeared to continue.  Retailing for £9.99 on a usual basis, I spotted a Biotics BB Cream in my shade (light) for just £1.19!  So of course I picked it up without hesitation, regardless of the fact that I have half a tub of a BB cream and a whole tube of CC cream waiting to be used back home.  This is a product that will be used over time, and I can’t wait to try it out to see how it looks and feels on.

My shameless goodies

So after my little unexpected bargain haul, I headed home with the 6 products I had picked up, having only actually paid a total of £3.09.  None of these items were reduced due to damages -  the stock was well within its shelf and use by dates, and must have been reduced to clear for the sake of new stock or formulas coming into store. 

So my advice for you for the next time that you are shopping in your favourite beauty stores, would be to take a closer look at the products and prices surrounding your desired purchases.  You may just walk away with a whole lot more, for very little extra cash!

What’s the best beauty products you’ve managed to pick up dirt cheap?

Until the next one,

Lauren x