My Little Box January

This month’s My Little Box is an Energy Box. This is perfect for all of us kick starting our new year’s fitness regimes. I have to admit mine has stayed the same as last year, a bit of cross training, a bit of hot yoga and a bit of weights. Works for me!

So inside the box were several treats as always including a little magazine, a calendar and a sports bag.

Also included were a few beauty items all in a lovely cloth drawstring bag. I am getting quite a collection of these bags which is great as they are so useful for travelling!

So first is a energising face and body spritz from the Little Beauty range, also a Talika day moisturiser.

Finally a dark red Nails Inc nail polish in Tate.

 

 

 

Gap Dress

I got this dress in the Gap sale (reduced to £32.99) and I just love it. Its called the Splatter Fit and Flare Dress. The cut is really flattering, I love the material which is both stretchy and form fitting and the dress has pockets – perfect! A great purchase!

 

Worn with Clarks Kendra shoes.

Zara Sale

I had a very quick look in at the Zara sale and although I wasn’t expecting to find anything I found two absolute gems! I love it when that happens!

First is the beautiful dress (£15.99 reduced from 29.99). I love the print and the shape is perfect. It has a zip down the back and two black ribbons attached to the back that wrap around as a belt. Also it has pockets – major bonus points!!

Its a great work dress but also perfect for an evening meal out. I am really pleased I spotted this.

Next I found this gorgeous midi skirt in rust (£9.99 reduced from £29.99). The material is silky and the length really flattering. I love that it has pockets too!

Worn with Clarks Kendra shoes and a leopard print roll neck top from Topshop (£42) – recent online purchase!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

I asked Santa for this Hourglass Blush Palette for Christmas and I was lucky enough to get it. I think it is limited edition and was about £55. This palette features three blushers Incandescent Electra, an exclusive, limited-edition shade in a cool peach, Luminous Flush, a champagne rose and Mood Exposure, a soft plum colour (left to right below).

I tried really hard to photograph these blushers on but it was for some reason impossible to get a good photo of the colours.

I do have a post on the far right colour (Mood Exposure here) and this is what that looks like on me (below).

This picture below is Luminous Flush which is much prettier than in this picture and very natural looking.

And this one is Incandescent Electra which is the most scary looking shade but is actually quite subtle on. It again didn’t photograph well but it is a lovely colour.

I do love all three shades and even mix them together which also works well. The packaging is gorgeous and these blushers are such good quality, I am definitely very pleased with this!

 

 

 

CND Vinylux Weekly Polish

I recently had a manicure in a salon and they had these CND Vinylux Weekly nail polishes on sale there (2 for £20). I decided to give them a go. The top coat is meant to act like a gel topcoat keeping your manicure gooding for at least a week. You can use the topcoat over any nail polish but I decided that I loved this grey colour (101 Asphalt) so much I had to get it too.

The polish is applied without a base coat and exposure to natural light activates the “ProLight Technology” to give week-long wear. So you just apply two coats of the nail colour followed by one coat of the top coat.

Well the finish is certainly lovely and shiny but I have to be honest it didn’t last any longer than my usual nail polishes. Having said that I really like the formula and the grey is just so chic!

 

This Works – Sleep Plus Pillow Spray

I gave in and decided to get myself the much talked about This Works Sleep Plus Pillow Spray (£25). I found a 20% voucher and went for it and I am so glad I did.

I don’t know how this stuff works but just like the name suggests – THIS WORKS!! I spray this lightly on my pillow just before bed and the next thing I know its morning! No waking up in the middle of the night staring at the darkness!

Not only does this smell amazing (Lavender of course) but supposedly as you move in your sleep it releases more scent to keep you sleeping – genius?!

Whatever the magic, it is working for me and I loved it so much I recently also got the 250ml size below of the original version (this is huge and great value at £30 – especially when I used a 20% voucher again!) I will also definitely be taking the smaller with me now whenever I travel.

I would highly recommend that every night you give your pillow a good spritz with this and you will definitely drift off and wake up to a lovely new day everyday!

Good night…

 

 

Botanics Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm

This is the final installation of my three-part high-street cleanser reviews (see here and here for the previous two). This one is about the Boots Botanics Organic Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm (£8.99).

This is a full-on balm made from shea butter, rosehip and jojoba oils. The consistency is thick and oily (see picture below) so you need to rub between your hands to melt it first. You definitely have to use a hot cloth (or flannel in my case) to remove the cleanser as it doesn’t dissolve in water.

The smell of this is lovely and makes me think of old apothecaries (or at least what I imagine they smell like)! I love using this in the bath, letting the heat of the bath steam my face before massaging in the cleanser and letting it sit for a while. I then use my hot flannel to remove it and then leave the hot flannel on my face like a lovely spa treatment. I often do a double cleanse with this cleanser as I find it very therapeutic. It also works – i.e. all my makeup and mascara comes off easily.

As a final note about all three cleansers I would say that this is definitely my favourite of the three for an evening full cleanse. It has the feel, smell and results of something far more expensive. My second favourite would be the Superfacialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil because it has become part of my morning routine and is so different to anything else that I would normally use in the morning. The Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser is also really really good but as I said in my review I would probably buy the Liz Earle on given how similar they are.

I am so impressed with my high-street trio of cleansers. When I started thinking about winter cleansers my immediate thought was that I would have to spend loads to get the product and results I wanted – well I was wrong. These three cleansers really show how amazing high-street skincare is!

Plum and Rose Gold Nails

I absolutely love this combination of Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy in Hold’Em and Essie A Cut Above.

The Revlon colour is so unique and flattering. Its like a dark mauve/plum mix. The formula of these nail polishes are really good and the brush is the perfect square shape. Essie’s glitter top coat in this stunning rose gold is also really easy to apply and stays put.

 

 

Mint Velvet Discovered

When John Lewis were doing one of the 20% off days I discovered the beautiful clothes of Mint Velvet. Now this isn’t the first time I have looked at Mint Velvet clothes but it is the first time I have bought them and I am now officially obsessed!

First is this absolutely stunning dress called the Noa Cape Dress (normally £99 I got it for £79).

Its a double layer dress with a plain black cape like top layer which graduates from the bust at the front to the hem at the back. The grey dress underneath this sheer cape is so pretty and the shape is so flattering.

Next is this double layer black top. Its really hard to see the detailing but its basically a plain vest layered with a sheer top with lace detailing on the hem (normally £69 I got it for £47)

Worn with my River Island faux leather jeans and Clarks Anika Kendra shoes in black and snake skin (see here)

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution

So I finally got my hands on Charlotte Tilbury’s Matte Revolution lipsticks and I was not disappointed. These are just the most lovely formula of matte lipsticks. They are moisturising and non drying and leave your lips looking luminous yet matte. So I grabbed three colours Amazing Grace, Walk of Shame and Love Liberty (£23 each).

Amazing Grace, Walk of Shame and Love Liberty (from left to right in picture below).

I don’t know how to describe this lipstick, because although it is matte it is nothing like any other matte lipstick I have tried so far. It goes on smooth with a creamy, moisturising texture. The colour can be built up from quite sheer to full on.

I have to also comment on the smell which is vanilla-like without any sickly sweetness. I have been reaching for one of these lipstick almost everyday.

Below is Walk of Shame – a reddy brown and very flattering on my skin tone.

 

Next is Love Liberty a dark red with plummy edge. So chic and very wearable.

Finally is Amazing Grace, a pinkish colour which really brightens my face.

 

I love all three but if I had to choose it would be Walk of Shame its just so easy to wear and suits every type of makeup. Such a beautiful lipstick and definitely worth the hype.