gailhenderson

September’s Glossybox is an excellent mix of products, all of which I am happy to try out.

TAYLOR’S 32 NATURAL WHITENING TOOTHPASTE 75ML

I have not heard of this brand before, but this toothpaste leaves the mouth feeling really clean and fresh.  It is flavoured with fennel and mint, but not in an overpowering way. Whether it does whiten the teeth or not, we will have to see, but as a toothpaste, it gets a thumbs up from me.

SKINFIX HAND REPAIR CREAM 30ML

Skinfix, another unknown brand to me, and it is fragrance free and a pretty heavy duty hand cream.  Perfect if you suffer from skin problems like dermatitis or eczema. A little goes a long way, and it does take about 5 minutes to absorb into the skin.  It is super moisturising and soothing.

MONU SKIN FIRMING FIJI FACIAL OIL 30ML

Another lovely product from another brand I haven’t come across before.  A lightly fragranced, delicate oil that sinks into the skin.  Looking forward to seeing what else this brand has to offer.

PIXI BY PETRA BROW TAMER 4.5 ML

Delighted to see this in the box, as this is a product I already use, and my own is definitely in need of replacing.  Good product.  Doesn’t leave the brows “crispy” which is a good thing!

STYL LONDON SILIGEL BLENDER 

To be honest, I found this a bit of a faff to use.  I ended up applying my foundation with a brush and then using this to finish off.  If you are a fan of applying foundation or concealer with a beauty blender then this may be right up your street.  I prefer a brush and sometimes a beauty blender to finish off.

At this point, I should probably say that also in the box was Kinder Bueno Classic chocolate bar, and I should probably have taken a picture of it too.  Unfortunately, I ate it straight away, and I thought the empty wrapper didn’t have the same appeal!

Have a great week folks

xoxoxoxo

All of the products in this blog I really wanted to love, if not like.  But unfortunately, they have proved to be less than amazing.

I had high hopes for the DCI C Scape Enzymatic Gel Cleanser, and the first few times I used it I thought it was a good product – and it is.  It smells lovely and it obviously does the job.  But, I found I was bypassing it to use other cleansers as part of my daily routine. I will admit, I am now using it to clean my make-up brushes!  To be fair to the product, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, I just prefer to use a balm or oil cleanser.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation is a product I loved the idea of.  Something that was actually beneficial to the skin sounded pretty amazing to me.  I have tried this foundation repeatedly with various brushes and including the brush (which I love) that Bare Minerals specifically recommend for this powder, but I really do not like this at all.  It seems to accentuate every pore and leave the skin looking cake and dry.   In fact, I have to remove it and reapply a liquid foundation rather than be seen with it on.  I am sure on a young skin that is practically flawless, then it would work well, but not on my ancient and dehydrated skin!

I have also tried Batiste’s 2 in 1 Invisible Dry Shampoo and Conditioner that was included in a beauty box.  Dry shampoos seem to be really popular with bloggers and YouTubers, but I have to say, they do not make your hair feel good at all.  I have tried this several times, but still end up either washing my hair or putting it up with a clip.  There is nothing wrong particularly with this product, I just don’t like dry shampoos in general.

I definitely fell for the hype over the Dior Pump ‘n Volume Mascara.  I was so excited to try this as it seemed to have great reviews.  At first, it did seem like a great mascara, but after a few weeks it became very difficult to get a good result.  It became clumpy and thick and I have just stopped using it in favour of better, cheaper brands.  It is very over priced in my opinion and I will definitely not be repurchasing this mascara.

I love Alpha H as a brand and thought I would try the Vitamin C with Grape Seed.  I do use vitamin C products but this one had a rather dramatic effect.  I do suffer with mild (very mild) rosacea especially around the nose and chin, and literally minutes after applying the Vitamin C, my nose went bright red and began to swell.  This was quite alarming and I immediately rinsed it off.  It took two days to return to normal and I was very careful not to use any type of product to aggravate the situation.  Since then, I have continued to use it, but only on my cheeks, forehead and neck.  It is a great product and obviously the problem was with me rather than the product.  Just be aware if you have any type of sensitivity, that you may react with this product.

Well, it appears Summer has now departed and I am sitting here writing this in a thick jumper with a cup of tea.  Hello Autum!

Have a great week guys.

 

xoxoxoxo

This week I bought some old and some new products.  Having finished my third Emma Hardie Amazing Face Moringa Cleansing Balm, I knew I had to get another as it is such a lovely product.  It smells divine and is so gentle at removing all make-up, including waterproof mascara.

I have been trying out a few different Vitamin C products recently, and thought I would give this one from Alpha H a try.  I will report back on how I get on with it.

I decided to get the curly hair products from Aveda after watching Trinny Woodall use them in a recent YouTube video.  Trinny highly recommended them, so I thought I would give them a go.

Be Curly Curl Enhancer is applied to damp hair and smells like sweets – lovely.  Also, I bought the Be Curly Style Prep which I add after the Curl Enhancer.  These are both great products, and so far, I have been very pleased with them.

Finally, I went for the Original Source Lime shower gel.  I have just finished the Original Source Lemons and Tea Tree (which was also lovely) and thought the lime had a fresh, citrus smell.

As I am sitting here and writing this, the rain is beating down against the window – I feel the summer is winding down and Autumn approaching.

Hope you all have a glorious week.

xoxoxoxo

Ah August, all that sun, sea and sand!  I wish!  Anyway, August’s Glossybox has arrived and it is another good box.

Batistse Dry Shampoo and Conditioner in Vanilla and Passionflower.  I am not a particular lover of dry shampoos, but it is always handy to keep a small spray, just in case. This smells of vanilla and is a handy 30g size. The Sport FX Time Out Mist and Fix is designed to be applied before foundation or can also be used over make-up.  It is a super fine mist and smells pleasantly of menthol which also has a cooling effect.  Added bonus – suitable for Vegans.

The Ice Hair Mask from Valquer is super hydrating hair mask that contains Macadamia nut oil.  Stays on damp hair for three to five minutes, then rinse off and use twice a week for maximum effect.

This Safari Sun Bronzer from Model Launcher looks a bit tacky in my opinion, but it is  a really beautiful powder.  It is super fine and with a slight shimmer, it would look glorious with a bit of a tan.   

Rodial Suede Lips is a matte lipstick that is not drying at all.  It contains Vitamin E and the shade is Big Apple.  A lovely berry nude shade – perfect.  

Finally, a little extra gift, a stretchy bracelet from Purelei.  Not really my style, but it comes with a 30% discount card to use on the Purely website.

Sorry if this post feels a little brief, but I am moving house this weekend, and things are a little hectic to say the least.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday everyone.

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I have wanted to try Bare Minerals foundation for a while, as it seems like a very healthy type of make-up that will actually improve the appearance of the skin if used over time.

The Assistant was very helpful and matched the right shade for my skin, and there are 30 shades to choose from, which is fantastic.  To get the best results, I decided to buy the foundation brush Bare Minerals have designed specifically to apply the powder foundation.  To get the best results, I also got the concealer so that I knew the products would not be fighting each other.

Bare Minerals Correcting Concealer SPF 20 Light 2 £21

This concealer is quite a creamy consistency and covers very well.  It drys to a soft powdery finish.  I found the colour was great and it is good to have a concealer that has an SPF of 20.

Bare Minerals Beautiful Finish Foundation Brush £26

I have to say that this is a great brush – the hairs on the inner part of the brush are very densely packed, and the longer hairs around them are longer and more flexible.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation SPF 15 £27

If have tried to get on with this foundation, in order to give it a fair and accurate review, but I really don’t like it on my skin.  I say my skin, because in fairness, this foundation has had to deal with a mature, dehydrated and pigmented skin.  I found it did look patchy and dry, and made any larger pores look much worse.  In fact, I had to remove it every time I used because I really didn’t like it at all.  I was disappointed to say the least as these are quite expensive products.

I will say in Bare Minerals defence, that I am sure on a young and very smooth skin, this would look lovely.  The Assistant said she was wearing this foundation, and her skin looked gorgeous.

So, to sum up – I definitely wouldn’t buy this foundation again, but I love the brush and will be using that for sure.  The concealer is fine, but £21 is very expensive, and there are better and cheaper on the market.

Hope all is well with all of you. 🙂

x0x0x0

 

I am going through a transitional stage with my hair at the moment.  Allowing the grey to grown out and to stop dyeing it is a slow process.  One thing I do notice, the new growth of grey hair is in a much better condition and more shiny than the dried, dull ends.

Before I wash my hair, I use Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer.  This is a pre-wash conditioning treatment.  Work it into the hair in sections and leave it on for about 20 minutes.  I use this once a week.

Because of the grey, I am using a brightening shampoo from Pro.Voke, Touch of Silver.  This is a deep violet colour and brightens the hair and neutralises any brassy tones.  I use this twice a week.

At the moment, the conditioner I am using is from Kiehl’s.  It is the Amino Acid Conditioner and it contains JoJoba and Coconut oils.  It is quite a lightweight formula and doesn’t weigh the hair down at all.

My hair has a tendency to frizz, so I apply Frizz Ease Forever Smooth Anti-Frizz Primer from John Frieda.  Apply this to wet hair, just one pump and then blow dry or leave to dry naturally.

I don’t often use hairspray, but on the odd occasion I want my hair to stay in style, I use Percy & Reid’s Session Hold Hairspray.  Generally, I am not fan of hairspray, but this spray is very fine and is good if there is high humidity – there’s that frizz again!

If any of you lovely people have any recommendation for hair products, please put them in the comments.  I would love to hear them.

Have a great week everyone.

 

xoxoxo

URBAN DECAY NAKED HEAT PALETTE

This was the week that Urban Decay launched their new Naked palette – Heat.  A very aptly named palette with all the colours in the warm shades of orange and rust.  I was hesitant about buying this, having seen it on many social media platforms and I thought it looked a bit too orange for me.  However, everyone is saying how great it is, and a succumbed.

It is a lovely mix of shimmer and matte shades, ranging from base shades Ounce and Chaser, both neutral creams, right through to the darker En Fuego and Ashes.  In particular, I love the shades He Devil and Ember.  I think this palette will be amazing for the Autumn/winter.

This is me wearing Ounce, Low Blow, He Devil and Ember.

 

URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW PRIMER POTION

Technically, I didn’t buy this as it was a free gift with the eyeshadow palette.  I normally don’t use an eyeshadow primer but was curious to give it a go.  I am completely convinced by this product, my shadow didn’t budge all day.  This is something I will definitely purchase in the future.

URBAN DECAY ALL NIGHTER LONG LASTING MAKEUP SETTING SPRAY

This is turning into an Urban Decay haul!  I have heard great reviews about this setting spray, so thought I would get some.  Useful if you need to keep makeup looking fresh and in place for a whole day.

AVEENO DAILY MOISTURISING LOTION

If its good enough for Jennifer Aniston, then it’s good enough for me!  Just kidding, this is a body moisturiser I have been using for quite a while and it is definitely a favourite.  Sinks into the skin beautifully and you can still put your jeans on afterwards without your legs feeling all sticky.

RAPID LASH EYELASH ENHANCING SERUM

This is the second Rapid Lash that I’ve bought, and I haven’t finished the first one yet.  It’s quite pricey (£40) but so far it has lasted four months and is still going strong.  I don’t like lash extensions so this, in my opinion, is a far better option.  My lashes are so much longer.  I love it.

BENEFIT GOOF PROOF BROW PENCIL – 02

This is also a repurchase, having finally got to the end of my first brow pencil.  This shade I have found to be just right for me.  I find a lot of brow products tend to be too orange/warm toned for me.  Even though my hair is grey, my lashes are still quite dark.

So all in all, a bit of a spendy week!  Hey, I need something to blog about, don’t I?

Have a great week guys.

x0x0x0