Birchbox UK..first impressions

 A big hit with 300,000 beauty addicts worldwide, the New York based beauty subscription service Birchbox has decided to touch down on British soil, and take over what was formerly known as Joliebox.Like various other beauty subscriptions out there, Birchbox aim to offer 4-5 deluxe samples each month, catering to subscribers beauty profiles. 

With my one and only experience of Beauty boxes leaving a sour taste in my mouth (here's looking at you Harrods glossybox), I was hesitant about trying another subscription service, but now a graduate with a more disposable income (unlike when I signed up to glossybox), and a growing desire to try new things, I decided to bite the bullet and give beauty boxes a second chance.

If this months box is a preview of whats to come then I will happily say that I have made the right decision. (best of all there was not one single perfume sample in sight hooraaah)

Lets see whats in my box

 Fresh sugar rose lip treatment 2.2g 

What they say: "beauty editors love this delicious treatment, which keeps lips flake-free and soft"

My thoughts:  At a whopping £15.50, and a hard to find item in the UK, This months box is worth it for this product alone!! After receiving the sephora fresh duo way back in June I have become totally smitten with this lip treatment (and the brand in general), so much so that it featured in my 2012 faviourites. This beauty smells amazing (I would say it has a more sweet, lemon scent rather than a rose one) and is extremely moisturizing.

 KMS California (Free shape quick blow dry) 30ml

What they say: "save precious time with this dual-phase mist: the top layer detangles and softens hair, while the bottom layer helps it dry faster"

My thoughts: If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you'll be aware of my sheer laziness when it comes to haircare, this being the case a product claiming to reduce drying time, is a very welcome addition. Fingers crossed it works.

Reverence de Bastien (Ungent for nail & Cuticles) FULL SIZE

What they say: "Apply this french brands argan and vitamin-rich treatment to your nails between manis to keep them healthy"

My thoughts: After seeing sneak peeks of various other boxes containing miniature moisturizers (something I have a plenty of) I was excited to see a full sized sample of the reverence de Bastien Ungent for nail and cuticles. With hints of red berries, this smells absolutely amazing. It leaves nails and surrounding skin feeling really smooth, although it is somewhat oily/ greasy once applied, which is probably due to argan oil being an ingredient.

Wei (royal Ming firming and hydrating cream)

What they say: "Inspired by 600-year-old recipe used by Chinese courtesans, this supercharged cream contains 18 herbs to address all the signs of skin ageing" 

my thoughts: Iv'e not really heared much about this brand, but with the full size tube costing a whopping £74 im intrigued to see what all the fuss is about!!

Lifestyle extra (I love how glossybox add this additional sample) 

Teapigs (Chamomile flowers)

What they say: "the chamomile flower is celebrated for its medicinal benefits, which include calming, soothing anxiety and aiding sleep"

my thoughts: with a developing obsession with herbal tea, Im looking forward to trying this, although I would have perhaps preferred one of the other flavours, but who knows I may love it. 

All in all I am thoroughly pleased with this months Birchbox. With 5 reasonable sized samples, including one full size product costing over £10 I really feel like iv'e received my moneys worth out of this box.

my only niggle is that the parcel in which the box arrived in, had no sticker etc for preventing someone tampering with the products inside, but apart from that im extremely happy.

 Im already looking forward to next months box!!

Have you subscribed to Birchbox? If so what were your thoughts??

Updated Whats in my Bag

Bag Michael Kors Jet Set tote 

Hello lovelies, I hope your all well. Iv'e been meaning to do an updated whats in my bag for quite some time. With the recent addition to my life in the form of  a gorgeous Michael Kors Jet set tote, I thought now would be the perfect opportunity to do an updated post whilst my bag is clean and free from mountains of receipts and lipsticks (am I the only one that has at least ten lip products in the bottom of my bag?). 

So here it is the clutter free version of what I usually keep in my bag 

The essentials: My house keys (Tesco club-card total essential ha), 

Chanel Jalousie Glossimer perfect for a pop of colour on the go, 

Fresh Sugar Lipbalm (notice the lip related theme already),

Viva la juicy la Fleur roller-ball and lipgloss (I love the concept of this duo, its uber convenient and small enough to throw in any bag).

Bath & Bodywork's Hand Sanitiser

Ipod touch 

coin purse 

passport (for the days I misplace my ID, something that happens quite often oops..)

Victoria's Secret mirror (a total essential) 

Purse (home to loyalty cards & photos of the bf and I)

Diary (something I would be lost without)

What's inside your bag??

If you've done a similar post, please leave the link below, I love a good snoop ;)

Best of 2012

Raiding through my ever growing makeup drawer whilst trying to decipher what my my most used and loved beauty products have been over the past year, made me realise just how much my tastes have changed. Last January I would have picked MAC Studio Sculpt as my holy grail foundation in a heart beat, whereas today I would firmly chose Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua.

Ive gone from opting for a neutral lip, needless to say creme cup has been replaced with various shades of bright pink (hello show orchid). As for skincare, I am no longer that girl who would lazily use wilkos finest face wipes and the cheapest cleanser on offer. These days I have a range of products that suit my skin, and in return ive noticed a dramatic difference in my complexion. 

So after much consideration, here it is my Best of 2012

Best of Makeup

 Foundation- Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

Concealer- Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer

Highlighter- YSL Touche Eclat

Blush- Nars Orgasm

Bronzer- Mac Refined Golden

Eyeliner- Estee Lauder Doublewear 01 Onyx 

Eyeshadow- Bobbi Brown long-wear cream shadow (velvet plum)

Mascara- Benefit they're real

Lipbalm- Fresh Sugar Lip Balm 

Lipstick- Jack Wills Hot Pink

Nails 

 Barry M- Red Glitter

Chanel- Peridot

Essie- Tart Deco

Best of Skincare

 Toner- Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Cleanser-  Philosophy Purity 3-in-1

Moisturiser- Liz Earle Skin Repair Light 

Eye Cream- Benefit its potent

Face Mask- Elemis Fruit Active Rejuvenating Mask

Make up remover- Bioderma

Best of the rest  

Shower Gel- Lush Ponche 

Perfume- Jimmy Choo

Bath & Body Works Hand Sanitiser 

Mulberry locked cosmetic purse 

What were your faviourite Beauty Products of 2012??

Fresh SUGAR KISSES mini lip duo

yes that's right, yet another lip balm related post (I think I may be developing a slight addiction). In all honesty when I was presented with this lip duo many moons ago, whilst perusing the shelves of sephora and excitedly spending my dollars on american delights ( If you were wondering I received the duo due to signing up for a sephora beauty insider card), in all honesty I had no clue about the brand, I just saw the mini lip duo as a nice little extra and popped the set inside my already bulging Sephora bag, and paid little attention (possibly due to my excitement over the EOS balms) until I got home. However it was a wrong move for me to do such a thing.
Fresh claim that their Sugar Kiss balms are ultra nourishing (which I would agree with), whilst protecting the lips with spf15 and ingredients such as 'precious oils' and 'antioxidant-rich polyphenols', with the rose balm having an added bonus being a lip tint. The balms apply well and leave the lips feeling smooth and of course nourished.
One of the best things about these balms are their scents. When i saw sugar rose in the set i thought i would hate the scent, as im not a rose lover at all, however it smells uber yummy (im thinking those hard cola bottle sweets that Barrett's used to make, anyone know what i mean??), scent aside the fresh sugar kisses lip duo are a brilliant addition to my handbag.

Availability- Although Fresh do not have a UK website they do however have a store in London which i would definitely suggest checking out. you can also check out what they have to offer here

Have you tried anything from fresh??

New York Haul, Part 2 (Makeup)

a trip to the US would not be complete for any makeup fanatic if a visit to sephora and duane reade along with several other pharmacies did not happen.

To be fair i had a pretty long sephora list, however my spending money could not permit me purchasing every item in the store ha, so i settled on products that were harder to get or near impossible to purchase at home. 

Urban Decay, all nighter long lasting makeup setting spray $10 

ive heard rave reviews about this setting spray, so i hope it loves up to my expectations. 

Benefit- the pretty committee $30

i seriously wish that sets like this were readily available in the UK, with the rose gold bag and the three full size products, i couldnt not purchase this beauty. The set includes a full size Bella bamba, full size stay dont stray, a full size eye bright and a mini high beam. 

Fresh sugar kisses mini lip duo $0

ha yep that's right these lovely lip treatments were a freebie as my birthday had been the previous week, god bless sephora. 

i think the next two items i purchased are pretty self explanatory (not purchased in sephora) 

physicians formula happy booster $14

with uber sweet packaging and the claim of creating happy skin, im looking forward to trying this blush

EOS lip balms, sweet mint & summer fruit $4

i think every blogger and their mother either have or want one of these lip balms, and i certainly will admit i gave into the novelty and hype of these egg shaped beauts that smell amazing and are pretty moisturizing 

http://ahintofsparkle.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/new-york-giveaway.html