July Glossy Box - I Actually Really Liked This One

So again, this is late. I work, I'm busy. ANYWAY. This is the July Glossy Box and it is Parisian themed, which I think is super cool. This time around I'm a fan of all the products, being that they were what I actually wanted from a box like this, namely skin products, because I have no idea where to begin when it comes to them.

Now, let's pause for the beauty of this box. I am in love. Again I have promised myself I will use these boxes for SOMETHING, ANYTHING.

I'm loving the colour scheme here, still so pretty.

Et voilà, the interior. I'm pretty excited by this point.

All the products came in this gorgeous makeup bag, which, according to the little info card, was designed by the fashion illustrator Jamie Lee Reardin. I now use this as the bag that holds all the innocuous tat in my actual bag, including tweezers, a pencil, lash glue, a mini sewing kit, and much more! But seriously, my bag looks so tidy right now, so I love this thing. (Also, good zip, good size, and good, easily cleanable material).

Now, the first product. This cute darling is Lollipops' Lip Balm Delicieuse. This is a full size product worth £4.15. As someone whose work requires her to regularly enter a freezer, lip balms are a must. This isn't small, so I keep it at home, rather than carrying it around. It smells really nice, the texture is good, it applies really nicely, and yeah, it works. I woke up with bleeding lips this morning, and they now feel on the way to recovery. I really like this product.

Next is Yves Rocher's Comme Une Evidence Eau De Parfum. Didn't expect to get a perfume in these boxes, so this was a nice surprise, especially considering I own one perfume and it's running out.

This is a sample size, but the full size is worth £24.50. The card describes its scent as musky and floral, with notes of violet leaves, rose, lily of the valley and patchouli. I will take its word for it. It smells really lovely, though. Another win for me.

This is Teoxane Cosmeceuticals' Perfect Skin Refiner. This is something to be used at night, apparently. I've only used this once, mostly from forgetfulness. I was also drunk last night, so I wasn't thinking about applying skin products before bed. I don't really have an opinion on this yet, but it applies nicely. Skin products excite me in general, so I'll see how this one goes. The full size is worth £70, so I'm expecting my skin to be SO refined. It apparently plumps and hydrates skin, so I'll wait and see.

Finally, this is Noxidoxi's Enhancing Serum Base, the full size being worth £33.46. Another expensive face product that I would never typically buy. This also offers hydration. Man, my skin is gonna be so hydrated, which is good, because of the freezer thing. I have been using this regularly, I don't know if it's making a difference, but my skin is looking and feeling pretty good right now, so I'm going to keep on using it.

I really loved this box, which is a good thing considering the anti-climax that was the June box. Next month the sneak peak is that we're getting a lash primer, which seems pretty cool. The conclusion to all this? I'm going to keep giving Glossy Box my money.

Violet Chachki Inspired Makeup - I'm Still Obsessed With Drag

So, I love a good gay club, and recently loads of Drag Queens from Rupaul's Drag Race have been appearing at my favourite one. A couple of weeks ago, the winner of Season 7, Miss Violet Chachki herself was there. I got to meet her and get a couple photos. It was brief and I was super drunk, but she said my makeup was cool, so it was pretty awesome.

The makeup look I did was inspired by a look she posted on her instagram. Very pin-up and cool as heck. (Also, the nose ring is fake, for the record).

Let's start with the skin. I primed with Benefit's Porefessional, which I still adore, and then I used Mac's Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NW20, which, again, I still adore. I then used Revlon's PhotoReady Cream Blush in Coral Reef on my cheeks and contoured and highlighted with Sleek's Contour Kit.

For my brows, I used Mac's Cork eyeshadow with a small, bristly angled brush for the inner part. I then used a dark brown from Inglot with a tiny, sharp angled brush, for the rest of the brow. Next, I used a cotton bud to crisp up the lines. I finished with No7's Lash and Brow Perfector, to set the brows, and tidied the hairs with a spoolie.

Now, the eyes. I primed using Two Faced Shadow Insurance. In the crease I used a red eyeshadow by Inglot in 382 and darkened it with a black eyeshadow, also by Inglot, in 391. I used the same black to draw a thin line under the lower lashes, winging out under the tear duct. On the lid I used a base of Nyx's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk - which I also used in the inner corner and on the waterline - and set it with a white eyeshadow, again, Inglot, in 373. I then did this giant ass wing, using Bourjois's Liner Pinceau  Liquid Eyeliner, á la Violet Chachki. I finished with L'oreal's Volume Million Lashes for my mascara and a pair of thick, flared out, Eylure lashes.

For lips I used Sleek's Matte Me Lip Cream in Rioja Red, cleaning the lines using No7's Lip Pencil in Fire, and then going back over it with the Lip Cream.

And there we go. I love this look, like a whole lot. And Violet was an absolute darling. For reference, the nose ring is from River Island.

Bonus picture with Violet and me.

Glossy Box - I'm Still Spending Too Much Money And Maybe It's Not Worth It

So I've been wanting to try one of the monthly beauty boxes for a while now. I'm not very adventurous with anything outside of make up, so I figured a box like this would be good for me. I get to try lots of different products, have some fun and not spend too much money.

I read a couple of articles, asked my sister-in-law for advice and decided on the Glossy Box. It looked fun and seemed to have a good range of products. It costs £13.25 including postage and packaging, which I feel is reasonable when you get full sized products.

I was pretty damn excited when I got this gorgeous box from the postman, even though he woke me up on one of the two days a week I get to sleep past five in the morning. The packaging is great. It comes in a larger box, but it had my address on it, so I figured I wouldn't photograph it. But inside it was this beautiful, sturdy box, which I fully well intend to use to store something.

Inside it is even cuter, with a ribbon and everything. I was so hyped at this point. Upon opening it, there is a card explaining what each of the products are, how they are used and how much they typically would cost and a little introduction explaining the theme of the box. June is the festival edit. I've never been to a festival, nor want to - I hate mud too much. REGARDLESS, let's continue.

Et voilà, the box. I was excited about some of these products, and not so much others. The packaging remains super cute.

This is the Kueshi Anticellulite Booster. It is full sized and is the most expensive product in the box, coming in at £14.55. The description on the card is,

'This lightweight cream combines a hard-hitting mix of natural ingredients and antioxidants to stimulate blood circulation, in turn toning your skin and fighting off any dimples. Massage into your legs twice a day for summer-ready pins.'

This is not something I really need in my life. I don't really care about cellulite; it's a very silly thing to be concerned about. But I tried it, cos it's fun to try new products. My conclusion? It's sticky and a horrible thing to use when you are sweating your butt off. I personally can't stand having any products on my legs, moisturisers included, so I'm not the best judge. So I'm not really going to be able to find out if this works enough, because I'm unwilling to apply it twice daily. This is a bust for me.

This is the Glossybox Flash Tattoos which are full sized and cost £6.50. This did not excite me. When did fake tattoos come back? I'm no longer eight, I have no interest in this, I'm sorry, I just don't. I might try them at some point, but I just know I'll spend the next fifteen minutes trying to scrub it off. Another bust, I'm afraid.

This is the Essence The Gel Nail Polish, it is the last full sized product in the box and is worth £1.71, which surprised me, because this nail polish is pretty great. I tried it on my toes, cos I can't wear nail polish cos of my job, so the wear life I experienced won't be that accurate for the hands. I love the colour I got, blue being my jam. I wore this for a week before taking it off, only one nail chipping and that was due to my shoes. It looks really great on, so this is a win for me.

Next, the Halo Fragrance Free Facial Wipes, this is a travel size worth £1.20. I've wanted to have travel sized make up wipes in my bag for a while, I've just never gotten around to it. So this is a pretty great addition to the box. They are just quite nice make up wipes though.

Last of all is the Rosewood Reviving Mist, the full product is worth £11.95, it doesn't say how much this sample size is worth, regardless, it's my favourite product in the box. It can be used to set make up and refresh the face, which has been super useful with the hot, hot weather. I've wanted a setting spray for a while, so this is great. It also smells super nice. Another win for me.

So, overall, I'm not sure I think this box was worth it, but I'm gonna hold out for another couple boxes, if it doesn't improve I'll stop my subscription. Next month French themed, though, so I'm pretty excited. It is also coming soon and I posted this super late and I get that, but whatever.