JolieBox November 2012 - The End!

So this is the last JolieBox for me as I am unsubscribing. I've never been truly impressed with any of the boxes and this months just really takes the biscuit! There is no way the contents amass to the £12 I have coughed up. Its a box of plop. I'm sure I could buy a few mags for less and get better samples! This box is supposedly the 'Beauty in the City' one. Dedicated to all you busy city girls. This is another thing that grates me. Am I any less busy because I don't work in a city? Granted I have my days where my biggest achievement is sitting in my pink gown watching Bargain Hunt but a lot of the time I am driving around like a blue assed fly going to different bookings. Pfft. The contents are meant to reflect products recommended by each of their headquarters. I find it hard to believe the best they could get from Italy is toothpaste? And the best of British should surely go beyond granny's favourite Yardley. Anyways, enough of my ranting, here's what I got.

So firstly we have a little 15ml tube of Topicrem Sparkling Body 3D Effect body moisturiser. I don't really have much use for this. I may use it when I go out (on the odd occasion!) but I'm not really keen on being glittery! It is fairly subtle, but the pink/gold glitter is definitely there! Next there is a sachet of Vav Manucure Absolue hand cream. This is formulated from ingredients of natural origin, 80% of which are organic. It also contains Islandic lichen, sesame seed oil and pomegranate. I do like hand creams but this is a rather weeny sample. A little might go a long way though. The gold sachet is a sample of Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream. The shade is BB5 which is the middle shade out of 6 so it might be a little dark. Worth a go I suppose. Then there is a little vial of Yardley Royal Diamond. It smells nice enough but it's a touch mature for me. The product I thought might be ok is the Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Facial Wash. I'm still on the hunt for something to help sort my skin out and at 25ml I should be able to give it a fair trial. Lastly there is a tube of Marvis Classic Strong Mint toothpaste. I really can't get excited about toothpaste. At all!
So there you have it. All in all a very disappointing box. I have now subscribed to Glossy Box and am hoping for a much better selection of products for my money.

Lots of Books!

Lately I have started to read again after not reading anything but magazines for ages! I go through phases and it would seem I'm feeling bookish again. Last night I finished a mystery novel that I got a little while ago from a discount book store. I think it only cost a pound or something, and for the price it was really quite good! Stanley Hastings, a private detective, is on a hiking holiday at a little inn in New England when a murder takes place during dinner one night-then it all escalates from there!  Though I do feel that it got a bit lost towards the end and wasn't as strong as it could have been. I was hoping for a good twist but I didn't really get it. Ah well! Up until then at least I did really enjoy it! I've just ordered another Parnell Hall book from Amazon, another 'Stanley Hastings' one called 'Hitman' so hoping that will have a more satisfactory ending!

I've also got another private detective book lined up-The Spellmans Strike Again. I think this is no 4 in the series, in any case I really enjoyed the previous ones and can't wait  to get stuck in it. Lisa Lutz has got an excellent writing style and the characters are all well developed and interesting. These are the books I have to thank for wanting to be a P.I! But I do genuinely think it is possibly my calling in life :-p 
I also have the sequel to 'It happened in Paris' which I read last year. I've been waiting for this for what feel like an age! It's fun and rather fluffy but hey, it's good easy to read escapism! Though it does make me a bit jealous that I don't have a love life at the moment!

I also need to read these ones which I got earlier in the summer. Anything to do with sweets I love so I have high hopes for Sweet Shop of Dreams! I've also read a few Jill Mansell books before and enjoyed them so I'm sure this one will be just as good. I'm definitely well stocked for the foreseeable future!

Been reading anything good of late yourselves?

Feel like a change...

I'm bored of my hair! I'm debating whether to go darker but I'm really not sure! I've been blonde always (bar a short while at University-I'll add a piccie below)and have been having highlights since I was about 11 or 12, but I'm thinking now is a good time for a bit of a revamp. If I do decide on a colour change, even if it is just a few more lowlights to 'bring it down' for winter, I'll definitely get it done at a salon. My last go at home dying went horribly wrong. I enlisted my friend to do my highlights, as she had actually done it well previosly, and O.M.G words cannot describe how much of a tit I looked! It was so uneven. Worst thing was I had my graduation a week later and was going on holiday the next day! Nightmare! Thankfully I was able to be fitted in at the last minute and got it corrected. Phew. In the end we blamed the rubbishy cap! Anyways, just a bit of random babbling to while away my Saturday night! Have you had any hair disasters or planning any changes?

This was about 2 years ago now. I do believe it was a Casting Creme Gloss colour!

Some Recent Purchases...

I went to Birmingham yesterday with my dad for a little day out and I had a lovely time. We went to the museum and gallery and of course had a mooch around the Bullring. I also had to stop by Cybercandy again. It was essential! I bought a few things from Superdrug (as always!) as it was 3 for 2. Firstly I picked up a Fashionista eyeshadow in School Days, a gorgeous almost taupey grey. I always go to this stand first as it's not available in my local ones. I was really tempted to make a palette up but for one I was dragging my dad around and probably boring him to pieces and secondly I really do need to stop spending so much! I also checked out the Famous by Sue Moxley stand and got a First Date Blush in the shade Keira. I picked this one up as I already have quite a few pinks but no peachier colours. This one also has some subtle golden shimmer in it. Swatched it looks a bit scary (though I did load it on!) but applied more sparingly I'm hoping it will be very wearable and make a nice change! Lastly I picked up a Loreal Volume Million Lashes mascara as I'm going to have to chuck a fair few soon due to them being older than I realised! Fingers crossed this will be a good one, I've never tried any Loreal mascaras before so I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Pa with The Lady Of Shallot. I love this painting and was much bigger in real life than I thought it would be!

Blusher-£4.99 Eyeshadow-£4.00 (but was free here) Mascara- £10.99
Oo that eyeshadow matches the floor perfectly. 

My Cybercandy haul. I could spend forever in there! Sorry everything is opened I couldn't wait and I had to keep myself occupied in some way on the train back! Really looking forward to the Tootsie Roll-they're yum!

I've also got a new Ojon shampoo and conditioner thanks to my dad who went and traded in an empty shampoo bottle for me on Thursday. I'm so glad I got them as I've heard that some places sold out stupidly fast! But bless my pa and his early bird nature! Together they're meant to cost £41.50 so I'm pretty chuffed. I'll tell you more once I've tried them out.

A bit random but I also thought I'd include these slippers I got from Primark. They're too cute and I love this kind - I always stock up around this time. Plus at £1.50 you can't go wrong!

Have you tried any of my new stuffs? I'd love to read your opinions!

Superdrug Simply Pure Light Moisturiser for Sensitive Skin

The coldness has really taken it out of my skin lately and it's become much drier in places. Though frustratingly I'm still have trouble with spots! After using water on my face my skin has been feeling really taught and uncomfortable so I've needed to use a cream rather than my usual gel based ones. This one has been really good for my skin as it hydrates without being too rich. This hasn't broken me out like a lot of moisturisers do. It sinks in pretty fast and is really gentle-perfect for when your skin is feeling delicate. It is fragrance free, paraben free, hypoallergenic and dermatologically approved. Overall a great, basic moisturiser to have and at just £2.59 is quite the bargain! You can see the full range here.

 Have you tried this before, if so what are your views?

Rimmel Grey Matter and Color Club Magic Attraction

Here is my take on bonfire night nails! Last night I knew I wanted to use my new Color Club polish but I wasn't sure what colour to use underneath. Then I remembered that I still hadn't used Rimmel 60 Seconds polish in Grey Matter even though I bought it absolutely ages ago. I thought it would also give a nice smoky effect-in keeping with the theme! I loved the nail shaped brush on the Rimmel polish as it made application so easy. It claims to be a one coater but I felt I needed two for full opacity. It did indeed dry quickly, though I'm sure it was more than a minute! I then added two coats of this gorgeous gorgeous holographic glitter polish. The name isn't on the bottle but after doing a bit of research on Google I think it is Magic Attraction. Feel free to correct me! In any case it's jammed packed full of glitter and gave good coverage in just one coat. I didn't need to dab it on like some glitters, if you know what I mean! I'm really tempted to add another layer of the loveliness just because it's so pretty, but I'll try and resist as it's already not very work appropriate.

Sorry the pics are a bit blurry! But I love this combo and can't wait to use the glitter over another colour-maybe black or dark blue. Endless possibilities! What do you think?

Lip Balm Collection

Feels like I haven't blogged in ages so I thought I would finally get a post up today. I've had a very tiring week at work and have generally been feeling a bit papoo. I've been working at playscheme this week over half term and it was so so cold! Being outside in the rain and coldness all day really wasn't the best at times! My lips have taken a battering so I thought it would be a good time to go through my balm collection. I've separated them into sticks and tubs and I'll give a mini review of each one. 

Nerds and Laffy Taffy lip balm- I got these in a set from Poundland, and here you really are getting what you pay for. They feel a bit waxy and just sort of sit on the lips. Whilst they are not very nourishing they should work as a barrier at least to help prevent your lips from drying out. They smell sort of cheap also, quite sweet but nondescript!

Crazy Rumors Apple Spice lip balm- I only got this one a few days ago from Supersmoocher for £2.73 but I'm sort of on the fence about it. I love the texture but I'm not sure I like the scent. It's very strong and there's no denying it's apple spice that's for sure! I also love that it's cruelty free and vegan. It contains organic jojoba oil, organic extra virgin olive oil and organic shea butter. The rest of the ingredients are also natural, in fact it claims to be 100% natural which is great. I may have to get a few more flavours...

Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm- Again this is 100% natural and I love it. It has quite a firm texture so it stays put on the lips for quite a long time. I also really like the mintyness. It's addictive!You can't really go wrong with this balm- a firm favourite!

Jason Lips Bee Healthier Aloe and Beeswax lip balm- I got this in the latest JolieBox and firstly I have to say it smells lovely- just like After Eight mints. Another natural product, this one is also 70% organic and very affordable at £1.99. This balm feels very moisturising and though it can feel a bit hard initially it soon warms up on contact.

Pilsbury Sugar Cookies lip balm- This was an impulse buy for the novelty flavour but it's actually a really nice balm. The scent is yummy and like the Burt's Bees one it stays on my lips well without leaving too much of a glossy finish so it's great under lipsticks.

Hurraw! Grapefruit lip balm- I got this one ages ago now from Supersmoocher. Again it's natural, organic and vegan. This balm feels more oily than my other ones and leaves a high shine finish. I do wish it smelt more zingy but it's nice enough. I also have a tinted black cherry one which leaves a lovely red sheen.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser- Now I'm really not that keen on this one. It doesn't seem to do anything for me and I don't like the texture or the fact it leaves my lips white. No good for when I'm out and about. It doesn't seem to sink in and feel too 'wet' for want of a better word!

Balmi Strawberry lip balm- I do like this but it's nothing that special. I like how it's domed and the smell but I see it more as a barrier product.

Vaseline/The Little Green Tin- I never use these but they are just handy to have with their multitude of uses. I much prefer stick balms and ones that are natural.

The Body Shop Born Lippy Satsuma Shimmer lip balm- I got this purely because of the scent! It smells so delicious! I've only used this a few times but the shimmer gives lips a pretty finish. It's not massively nourishing but I like having it just to sniff! Haha- weirdo!

MUA Sweet Kiss lip balm- My lips are never in good enough condition to use this. On me it seems to highlight any dry bits and flakes which is very annoying as I do want to get more use out of it. I'm not that keen on the fake vanilla scent but it doesn't really linger.

Bloom Lip Butter in Like A Prayer- I wasn't sure whether to include this as it's fairly pigmented but I used it yesterday to give myself a subtle nude-ish lip and I loved it. It's very creamy and had pretty good staying power. You can read more about it here.

Lush Whip Stick- I love love love this.I adore the chocolate orange scent and  the first ingredient is oat milk so it's very soothing. Read more about it here.

Marshmallow Blends White Chocolate and Honey lip balm (silver heart tin)- This is a more oily balm, akin to the Hurraw! one. I love to layer this over Whip Stick at night time. You get a lot of product so this will last me for absolutely ages! The scent is lovely and for a hand made product I think it is very good. I first mentioned this balm here.

So there you have it! I really do not need any more balms but I can't help myself from buying them! Do you have any recommendations? Have you tried any of these? I'd love to hear your opinions! :-)