September Glossybox

Sadly, I was unable to get last months Glossybox. The courier that delivers it annoyingly doesn't knock and just leaves the box on the doorstep and, as I was on holiday, and I didn't want it to just sit there, braving the elements and alerting nearby burglars to our absence, I reluctantly had to cancel my subscription. I renewed as soon as I returned, however, and I must say, I'm so glad it wasn't this month's I skipped, as I think that this British beaut is my favourite so far. I usually get something that's not to my taste, but there is nothing that I wouldn't have considered in the September box! Jumping on the theme provided by the presence of London Fashion Week, the box is filled with some fantastic, home-grown products.

The products I received this month were:

Be A Bombshell Onyx Eye Liner

Toni & Guy Classic Shine & Gloss Serum

Elizabeth Arden Untold

Eyelure Pre-Glued Lashes

Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips

First things first, I received an eye liner from Be A Bombshell Cosmetics. I'm dead chuffed that I got a black eye liner as I've been on the lookout for a new one - I'm not particularly happy with the Bourjois one I'm using currently. This wasn't a brand I had heard of before, so I wouldn't have considered buying it if it hadn't been sent to me, but I must admit, they've made a rather good first impression. The liner looks a bit thick and daunting at first, as if you're about to go at your face with a permanent marker, but it's actually fairly easy to control the thickness of application. This is the main plus for me, as I usually really struggle with liquid eye liner, but with this product I was able to create the perfect feline flick in an instant. It's very pigmented, dries almost immediately upon application, and lasts all day. And what more do you want from an eye liner, really? Upon visiting the website (which is actually www.beabombshellcosmetics.com, the one printed in the box isn't a registered domain - oops!) it looks like the brand is actually American, which is a bit confusing, but never mind, eh? But after a bit of exploring, I discovered that another plus from the brand is that the founder, Tonya Thompson, says that it was born out of  a desire to provide cosmetics suitable for the most sensitive of skins. Struggling with highly sensitive skin herself, she was sick to death of being so limited in the products she could use, and so she pioneered the brand to combat the problem. Now I don't suffer with sensitive skin, so I can't really preach about it, but all of the Be A Bombshell products are tried and tested by her, so if you do struggle to find products that work with your sensitive skin, maybe it's worth giving this brand a go.

The second product I found in the box was the Toni & Guy Classic Shine & Gloss Serum. The limited edition packaging, designed by Lulu Kennedy, is really lovely but, to be perfectly honest, I'm more interested in the product inside. The serum is similar to the Frizz Ease range, in the way that it is designed to tame frizz whilst adding a healthy shine to your hair, and actually, it really does! You put it onto dry hair, which felt a bit unnatural to me, as I'm used to putting serum on before I blow dry, but I went with it, and I was left with soft, silky smooth locks and a reinforced love for Toni & Guy products. It's perfect for getting rid of those annoying flyaways that make me look like a baby owl, and I was so impressed by the fact that it left absolutely no residue on my hands when I had finished working it through my tresses. Added bonus - it smells like the Toni & Guy Sea Salt Spray! Wohoo! Love that stuff!

Next up was a 5 ml sample of Elizabeth Arden's new fragrance, Untold (Also American, no? I think I've misunderstood the theme). First of all, the bottle made me want to cry a little bit from the cuteness of it all. It's just so dinky and adorable. I love elegant perfume bottles, and if you make them mini, well then I just can't help myself! As for the smell, it's a very soft, sweet floral scent, which is just beautiful. It's not what I'd usually opt for, fruity fragrances usually being my ideal, but that's the reason I like Glossybox - for discovering little gems like this one that I might have overlooked at the perfume counter. I think this delicate scent will be perfect to pop in my handbag for evenings out, and I'm sure it will get a lot of use, despite it being rather different from my signature scent.

The fourth item I was given was a set of Eyelure Pre-Glued Lashes. I love wearing false lashes. I think they add a wonderful element of glamour to a look, although I only tend wear them on special occasions, as I feel like they're much too much effort to be fussing around with on a regular basis. I haven't had a chance to wear these yet, but I'll be really interested to see how well the glue compares to the normal Eyelure lashes. I would hope that they are easier to use, and if that does turn out to be the case, who knows, I might start wearing falsies much more frequently. As a matter of fact, it's my birthday next week, the perfect occasion to give these fluttery babies a test run. 

Last, and sadly, least in this months box was the Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips. I've heard a lot about this product, and although I wasn't about to rush out and buy it, I was excited to see what all the fuss was about. Not that I had much of an opportunity to! The already minuscule sample had barely any product in it. It was like the grapple you have with your toothpaste when you're down to the very last dregs. Not what I want from something I haven't even used yet! The product itself is rather dense, and, although not sticky, it's quite difficult to apply and move around. And once it's on, I didn't find it to be particularly moisturising, soothing or hydrating. I'm not even sure what it's supposed to do to be honest, but it didn't really do much of anything. I mean, it's OK, but it isn't great, and definitely not a product I'll be purchasing any time soon.

Et voilà. I hope you enjoyed my round up of glossy treats for this month. I think it's probably the best I've received so far, but what do you think? Did you get the same products as I did? What was your favourite? Let me know!

S.

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Plane Beautiful: My In-Flight Skin Care Routine

It's that time of year again, when the week of British summer has made it's appearance, leaving as swiftly as it came. And if the sun is allowed to go on holiday, then so am I! That's right. I'm jetting off on a little adventure! Yippee!! And with a beast of a 13 hour plane journey looming, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk you through my in-flight beauty regime. I love to pamper myself on a long journey, where I have nothing but time to kill. It may seem like a lot, but why not, I say? So here you are, my favourite products (all under 100ml, of course!) to treat myself with on that mammoth journey.

First of all, I don't like to wear a lot of make up to the airport. Beginning your journey bare faced makes it a lot easier to try everything out at duty free. Just kidding. But not really. Aside from that, I'm not a fan of how dry and dehydrated an aeroplane cabin can leave your skin feeling, and it's only magnified when you're all dolled up. You might look really glamorous, but your skin will hate you for it tomorrow! That being said, I hate being facially naked, so a light dusting of powder and a lick of mascara usually find their way onto my face.

I also wear light flowy clothing and layer it up. Not exactly skin care related, but circulation is paramount and also has an effect on your complexion. All hail the maxi skirt. Holiday appropriate attire, flowy flight piece and blanket, all in one.

Once on the plane, I make myself comfortable, much to my neighbours' annoyance, by spreading myself out as far as is socially acceptable (sometimes further, depends how rebellious I'm feeling that day) and unloading my various skincare bumph. First comes the preflight cleanse. I like to use Bioderma Sensibio H2O, as I find it quite gentle yet very effective, and it comes in the dinky 100ml bottle, perfect for travelling. I do this twice, just to make sure I've got every speck of product off. Also to kill some more time. I've used Bioderma a lot before, so I know my skin gets on with it. On flights, I'd definitely stick to what you know. An environment with amped up, dehydrating air is not the time to be testing out new products. You don't want to spend your holiday looking diseased because you couldn't wait to try out that new cleanser you got at duty free, which it turns out you're allergic to.

Moisture is key when flying, especially for the more thirsty-skinned among us, so my next step is to put on something intensely moisturising. I like to use a hydrating mask, but if you're slightly conscious of the odd stares, a thick moisturiser will do. The Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask is great because it's clear, (score!) there's no need to take it off in the 'morning', and it smells of mangoes. Yum! An overnight mask, it's perfect for long haul flights, even if you're not sleeping. I also slather on some eye cream just for good measure. I find Clinique's All About Eyes Rich to be really lovely and a moisturised eye is a less wrinkled eye, after all.

There are a few other things I like to have with me. These include a hand cream, my hands tend to feel the change in air pressure a lot more than the rest of me. I'm not sure why that is, but it's nice to have something to keep them nourished. I like the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream because it's super concentrated, and you can get it in a tiny little travel sized tube, so you can easily slot it in with your abundance of face products. I also like to take something multi purpose, like Vaseline, so that you have one small thing to use on your lips, cuticles, and anywhere else you might want to put it. Finally, a facial mist or something similar, just to keep you feeling fresh. This year, I'll be packing my Anatomicals Spray Misty For Me Facial Spritz, which I very handily received in my July Glossybox.

All the while, I make sure that I'm keeping my skin hydrated from the inside as well as the outside, by drinking lots and lots of water. This comes with the added bonus of having to get up to pee every 10 minutes. Bit of a weird bonus, I know, but if I'm watching a movie or engrossed in a book, I often forget to get up and move about, something very important in preventing blood clots and DVT. If you're dying for the loo, however, you can't forget, et voila, added bonus.

When nearing the end of the flight, I just go through my usual skin care routine. I cleanse again, following with toner, for which I use the Michael Todd Blue Green Algae Antibacterial Toner, as I find it to be quite moisturising. Sensing a theme here? Last but not least, I put on some moisturiser. I really like to use the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Sun Defence For Face, as it has a high SPF in it, so I leave the plane feeling fresh faced and ready to greet the holiday sun.

And there you have it. It might seem like a lot, both in terms of effort and the cumbersome addition to your hand luggage, but you aren't going to be doing much else during a long haul flight. You may as well fill your time with something beneficial, eh? Every time I travel, whoever I'm with makes fun of the ridiculous amount of products I have packed, but without fail, they will swallow their words and ask to borrow something. Yep, I'm that person. But I wouldn't travel any other way.

Are you going on any exciting holidays? Do you love any of these products? What do you like to do to keep your skin in ship shape whilst you travel? Let me know!

S.

P.S. I've been super organised and written a load of posts which I have scheduled to post themselves over the next couple of weeks. They might work. They might not. We shall see.

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