August Glossybox - 'International Superstars'

Here's what Glossybox have to say about their 'International Superstars' box...

"This month, Glossybox goes global with hero products from around the world for you to try. Our beauty team selected from brands that are well-known in the UK, as well as products that have cult status in their native country, which you may never have heard of before. We even have a brand representing Cool Britannia herself."

Lipcote (UK)

Product:

"The original lipstick sealer and secret of long lasting, feather fade and water resistant lipstick."

Price:

£3.99 / 7ml (Full sized product provided in the Glossybox)

Thoughts:

I haven't tried this yet and if truth me told I'm a little scared too as I fear the brush will get dirty very quickly. I'll have to apply it with a lip brush or something so once I've tried that method I shall let you know my thoughts on it. I've wanted to try Lipcote for a long time so I'm hoping it's going to be a brilliant product. 

All For Eve For The Eve Appeal Eve's Balm (UK)

Product:

"Eve's balm is an easily absorbed recovery balm to nourish dry chapped skin."

Price:

£4.95 / 7g (Full sized product provided in the Glossybox)

Thoughts:

You can't really go wrong with a balm. This balm would be a handy little thing to carry around in your handbag as not only is it a balm that can be used anywhere, it also has a mirror in the lid which is handy for checking your appearance throughout the day. I wouldn't say the balm was uber nourishing but it's a nice balm with a nice scent. I also wouldn't pay £4.95, I'd get Carmex for £2.00 (it does a better job). 

Alessandro Pro White (Germany)

Product:

"Optically brightening effect nail polish with anti-yellowing formula for radiant white and gleaming nails."

Price: 

£7.85 / 10ml

Thoughts:

I was really excited to try this as I've needed to buy a product like this for months! As you all know, I'm very fond of nail art and paint my nails on a regular basis but because I paint my nails so frequently, they've become stained and now resemble a lovely yellow shade.. attractive. I didn't know what to expect from the Pro White as I've never tried a whitening product before but I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. 

The Pro White did make my nails appear whiter and brighter but it also dyed the base of my nails blue. I wasn't a fan of the blueness but I am thrilled it's reduced the yellowness.

Would I pay £7.85 this product?... Probably not, but that's only because I'd rather buy a pretty coloured nail polish. I think my yellow nails are going to remain with me forever (too much of a polish-a-holic).

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (Japan)

Product:

"This revolutionary water-soluble cleanser is better than any other make-up remover you've ever tried."

Price:

£18.50 / 200ml

Thoughts:

Saying 'this is the best makeup you've ever tried' is a bit of a big statement as they're a million cleansers on the market so nobody can really say that they've found the ultimate cleanser. Not only that but I doubt any cleanser is 100% perfect. 

If truth be told I haven't even used this cleanser and I don't intend to. I'm not a fan of cleansing oils as they tend to irritate my skin/eyes so I was disappointed to find this in my Glossybox. 

The only positive thing I will say about the cleanser is that it's a good sample size and it isn't scented, it's just a shame I won't ever use it. 

Vera Valenti L'Ombre a Paupiére Margarita (Spain)

Product: 

"An eyeshadow palette offering a selection of ten different colours with an applicator included."

Price:

£3.85 (Full sized product provided in the Glossybox)

Thoughts:

I really wanted to love this palette as I'm very fond of eyeshadow, especially neutral and green eyeshadows. Unfortunately I do not like this palette at all, the eyeshadows lack pigmentation, are very chalky and they don't blend well. I think the eyeshadows are set out nicely as they create a lovely flower pattern but that's the only good thing about the palette. The 'applicator' is also a waste of space. 

Glossybox Lipstick in 'Glossy Pink'

Product:

"Professional beauty lipstick for soft and glamorous lips with a luminous, long-lasting colour."

Price:

£9.50 / 4g (Full sized product provided in the Glossybox)

Thoughts:

I would never pay £9.50 for this lipstick and that is because of one reason and one reason only, it's cheap. The packaging looks tacky, the lipstick has an unpleasant smell, the lipstick isn't a nice shade (Glossybox box need to research what 'pink' is) and the longevity of it is appalling. 

Overall...

I didn't dislike this months box but I didn't exactly love it either. I think the 'products from all over the world' concept was a very fun and interesting concept as it was nice to try products that are favoured in other countries but I was disappointed to find the majority weren't my cup of tea. 

The products that stood out to me the most were the Lipcote and the Pro White as these are products I would go out and purchase myself. The only issue is that these are the only 2 products I would buy and when combined they come to a total of £11.84 which is cheaper than the cost of the Glossybox itself. 

So to round this up, I liked trying products from different countries, it's just a shame I didn't particularly like them. 

For more information about Glossybox, please visit: http://www.glossybox.co.uk/

*The Glossybox was sent to me for review purposes. This does not affect my thoughts and opinions on the product. As always, my reviews are 100% truthful.

Holiday Outfit: Day Four

If you read my blog frequently you'll know that I'm currently in the process of blogging about my holiday outfits but if you're new to my blog then I'm basically putting up an holiday outfit post every other day. A lot of people requested to see my holiday outfits so I thought I'd blog about each and every one of them. 

So without further ado, here's what I wore on day four!

Ring: My Shop, Earrings: Miss Selfridge, Sandals: ALDO, 

Dress: Miss Selfridge

This dress looks perfect for wearing in hot weather but do not let it fool you. Yes it's made from super light material, yes it does have a cut out piece in the centre and yes it is a maxi dress but it's one of the worst dresses you could possibly wear in summer. It clung to my legs when I walked, creased like hell when I sat down and it generally made me feel as if I was going to melt. I thought that the dress would be airy due to the material and the cut out centre and but I was totally wrong. Despite the dress making me feel like I was going to die, it looked nice and went well with my tan!

My sandals and accessories went well with the dress too, I love the combination of coral and cream (they're two of my favourite colours!). I'm also not exaggerating when I say this but my ALDO sandals are possibly the comfiest sandals I've ever purchased, they don't rub or cause nasty blisters and they are really easy to walk in. Not only are they comfy but they go with pretty much anything too!
I'll definitely be purchasing another pair of ALDO sandals next year that's for sure.

I hope you liked my day four holiday outfit! Stay tuned for day five!
:)

How To: Ombré Lips

If you're not familiar with what ombré is, it is basically the gradual colour transition from light to dark (or vice versa). Ombré is a huge trend at the moment, we've seen the likes of ombré hair, ombré nails, ombré clothes and now ombré lips. I'm not sure if ombré lips will be everyones cup of tea but if you like something a little different or fancy being crazy for a change then I highly suggest you keep on reading this post. 

There are many ways of creating ombré lips, but I thought I'd go for the most fun and colourful way of creating ombré lips. The majority of people use two lipsticks/lip products to create ombré lips but I thought I'd use three just to be a bit different. 

To create ombré lips you will need:

• A Dark Shade
• A Bright Shade
• An In-between Dark/Bright Shade

I have opted to show you how to create red ombré lips as these are the sort of colours we'll soon be wearing throughout A/W. I have also included a pink alternative at the end of this post just to show you

what pink ombré lips look like. 

For the purpose of this post I have used all MAC lipsticks as I personally love MAC lipsticks. 

The lipsticks featured in this post are also from the permanent MAC lipstick collection, so if you see a shade that floats your boat you'll be able to snap it up without worrying that it's limited edition.

Please note that you don't have to use the exact same lipsticks I used in order to achieve the same look, any dark, bright and in-between shade will be fine. 

How to create red ombré lips:

Left to right: 'Diva' (darkest shade), 'Russian Red' (middle shade), 'Lady Danger' (brightest shade)

The below photograph shows the effect we're trying to achieve. The darkest shade is applied to the outer part of the lips, the middle shade is applied to the inner part of the lips and the brightest shade is applied to the centre part of the lips. 

If you'd like to know how to create ombré lips all you have to do is follow my nice and easy steps!

Step One: 

Apply 'Diva' (the darkest shade) to the outer part of your lips. 

Step Two:

Apply 'Russian Red' (the middle shade) to the inner part of your lips. Make sure this shade overlaps with 'Diva'.

Step Three: 

Apply 'Lady Danger' (the brightest shade) to the centre part of your lips. Again, make sure this shade overlaps with 'Russian Red'. 

 It's as simple and as easy as that! 

Here's what pink ombré lips look like. Again I used three different shades of pink.

Left to right: 'Girl About Town' (darkest shade), 'Pink Nouveau' (middle shade), 

'Saint Germain' (lightest shade)

I personally love the look of ombré lips and I will definitely be sporting them a lot more from now on. They're fun, different and most importantly, eye-catching. 

If you'd like to see the other ways of creating ombré lips then please comment below as I'd be happy to show you.

Do you like the look of ombré lips?
:)

John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo, Conditioner & Deep Conditioner Mask: Review & Photos

For reference my hair is primarily dry and damaged but I do suffer with oiliness too. I tend to find that the majority hair products make my hair go greasy very quickly. I've tried many expensive and inexpensive shampoos and conditioners in the past but found that every single one made my hair greasy after a few hours. There's only one shampoo I've come across that doesn't make my hair greasy and that's Lush Happy Hippy. Whilst Happy Hippy doesn't make my greasy it does, however, make my hair very dry (almost cotton wool like).

Recently a lovely lady contacted me to ask me if I'd like to try some hair products from the John Frieda Full Repair range. I'd never tried John Frieda products before and since the range was aimed for those who have dry and/or damaged hair, I thought I'd give them a whirl. The lovely lady sent me the John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo, Conditioner and Deep Conditioner Mask. 

The John Frieda Full Repair range is specifically designed for those who have damaged hair or those who are looking to make their hair a little fuller. 

Where is the John Frieda Full Repair range available at?

The John Frieda Full Repair range can be found in-store and online at both Boots and Superdrug. My advice is to buy John Frieda products from Boots as they do the '3 for 2' quite frequently. 

How much do the products retail for?

The John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo & Conditioner both retail for £5.89. The John Frieda Deep Conditioner Mask is priced a little higher at £6.29. 

I'm going to be reviewing the products as a whole as I used them together, not separately. If you want to know how I got on with this range, please keep on reading! It's worth knowing that all three products contain Inca Inchi oil, a lightweight micro-oil rich in omega-3, which is supposedly meant to repair the look and feel of overworked hair and adds body for full, flowing styles.

John Frieda Full Repair Full Body Shampoo - £5.89 - 250ml

"John Frieda Full Repair™ Full Body Shampoo detangles strands, reducing the risk of breaking and snagging while combing or brushing."

John Frieda Full Repair Full Body Conditioner - £5.89 - 250ml

"John Frieda Full Repair™ Full Body Conditioner smoothes and detangles strands, reducing the risk of breaking and snagging while combing or brushing."

John Frieda Full Repair Deep Conditioner - £6.29 - 150ml

"John Frieda Full Repair™ Deep Conditioner Mask penetrates deep and repairs the look and feel of overstyled hair, reducing the risk of breakage. Damaged hair becomes silky and full. Safe for colour-treated and chemically-treated hair."

What I liked:

• 'Repair' Aspect - The shampoo and conditioner did help to combat dryness and in the process they left my hair feeling silky and smooth. 
• 'Shiny' Aspect - I noticed that my hair looked considerably shinier after using the shampoo and conditioner. 
• I found that the conditioner and deep conditioner mask left my hair tangle-free. I usually have the most knottiest hair known to man (probably due to the amount of oomph powder I put in it) so both conditioners did a brilliant job of detangling my hair. 

What I didn't like:

• 'Repair' Aspect - Even though the shampoo and conditioner made my hair feel silky and soft, They did make my greasy after a few hours. Many hair products make my hair greasy so it isn't just this particular brand. 
• 'Shiny' Aspect - Unlike the shampoo and conditioner, the deep conditioner mask failed the shiny test. As opposed to it making my hair look shiny, it left my hair looking greasy and matted instead. Hmm... attractive chip pan head. 
• 'Full' Aspect - The shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner mask did absolutely nothing to make my hair appear or feel fuller. My hair was as flat as a pancake after using the products. 
• I have quite thick hair and I found that these products left my hair feeling quite thin (something which is dislike a lot). I can usually style my hair in all kinds of different ways but couldn't do much with my hair after using these products. If you have thin hair then please take into consideration that these products will make your hair feel even thinner. 

The Pros of the Full Repair range:

• Texture - All three products have a nice consistency, they're not too thick or too thin. They're all easy to apply, they don't take much working in and they wash out very easily. I also noticed that the shampoo lathers well. 
• Scent - All products have the same scent. A clean, fresh, salon scent. They leave your hair smelling as if you've just visited the salon.
• Size - All products are decent sized. A 200ml sized product would last around 3 weeks if you used it everyday. 
• Price -  John Frieda is a well known and highly regarded brand so you'd expect the products to retail for around £10, I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that they retailed for a lot less. I personally think the products are fairly priced as they're high quality products with a high product amount. There are cheaper shampoos and conditioners on the market which contain the same amount of product but I tend to find you use more as you have to go through the washing/conditioning process twice. 
• Availability - John Frieda products can be purchased from both Boots and Superdrug so availability isn't an issue. 
• Range - The is a vast selection of John Frieda products on the market.  
• Suitability - As there are so many John Frieda products on the market, there will be something suitable for everyone. No matter if you have oily, dry, dull, coloured or damaged hair. The Full Repair range is also suitable for colour-treated and chemically-treated hair. 

The Cons of the Full Repair range:

• Packaging - I know a lot of people will like the red packaging because it could be considered to be quite fun but I personally don't like it. Yes the bright colour will help be helpful when locating products in your bathroom cupboard but it's such a bright garish colour that you'd only ever want to keep these products hidden. I like products which you can display but there's no way I could ever display these products. The packaging for the deep conditioning mask is also really awkward, trying to unscrew the lid with wet hands is a little tricky. I also didn't like having to scoop the product out of a tub. I think it'd be much easier if the deep conditioner mask came in a tube just like the shampoo and conditioner.  

Overall...

I liked how the products made my hair smell and feel nice but what I didn't like is that they made my hair very greasy after one day. Most hair products make my hair greasy after a day, so it's not just this particular brand.
If you have damaged hair and know for a fact your hair isn't prone to grease then I'd check out this range as it has amazing reviews on the Boots website. The products didn't work for me but they may work for you. 

Would I recommend? Yes

Would I purchase? No

Rating? 7/10

Have any of you tried any products from the John Frieda Full Repair range? 

*The John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo, Conditioner & Deep Conditioner Mask were sent to me for review purposes. This does not effect my thoughts and opinions on the products. As always, my reviews are 100% truthful. 

Holiday Outfit: Day Three

As I said in my previous outfit related post, I'm going to be posting about my holiday outfits over the next couple of weeks so you're going to be seeing my face frequently (oh you lucky things!).

So here's what I wore on day three of my jolly holidays!

Ring: ASOS, Necklace: Topshop, Shoes: River Island, 

Shorts: River Island, Crop Top: River Island

There's something very nautical and sailorish about my outfit and I don't know what's giving me that impression, think it's something so do with the large amount of navy and white I'm wearing. I think if someone had given me a white hat, I could have WELL passed off as ship worker!

My nautical outfit was a practical outfit to wear on holiday as it was really hot. At night the temperatures reached 44 degrees so wearing little was always a good option. On the nights when I had no option but to wear my lovely maxi dresses, it was horrendous. My dresses constantly stuck to the back of my legs, my hair ended up wet through and I honestly thought I was going to melt. So if you ever plan on visiting Greece in August, don't bother taking dresses, just take shorts and crop tops. 

Wearing little was a brilliant option but taking my white flatforms on holiday, however, was NOT a good option. I'm not exaggerating when I say this, these are the most un-comfiest shoes I've ever bought in my whole entire life and I'm even considering writing to River Island. They ripped my feet to shreds and because of this, made me waddle like a penguin. If my mum hadn't had taken blister plasters on holiday with her, I'd have had to walk around barefoot! Not only did they make my feet feel like they'd been attacked with a chainsaw, they also got dirty really easily and if you know me well, you'll know that I HATE dirty shoes. I'm just not a happy chap with these shoes, they're an utter mare!

Despite the killer shoes, I loved my outfit. The navy and white compliment each other so well and I think the cross necklace added something extra. 

I hope you liked my nautical themed outfit and keep an eye out for my holiday outfit day four!

:)

*PRODUCT LAUNCH* - MAC PRO Lip Palettes: Information & Images

As many of you will already know, MAC will be launching PRO lip palettes tomorrow. The PRO lip palettes are a MAC PRO product so will only be available at MAC PRO locations. The PRO lip palettes are great for anyone working in the makeup industry as you get 6 different lipstick shades in each palette meaning you're able to create a whole variety of different looks. The palettes are also small and compact meaning they're great to carry around in your kit.
The PRO palettes look absolutely amazing and I can guarantee that other lipstick lovers would agree with me. If you'd like to know more about the MAC PRO lip palettes, keep on reading!

How many palettes are there?

There are 5 different PRO lip palettes and each palette contains 6 different shades. The 5 different PRO lip palettes available are:

- Preferred Pinks

- Editorial Reds

- Editorial Oranges

- Select Plums

- Modern Browns

How much do the palettes retail at?

The palettes retail at $40.00 each. I'm not sure how much the palettes will retail at in the UK but my guess is around the £27.00 mark. 

Where are they available?

You will be able to buy the palettes at all MAC PRO locations (MAC PRO online & MAC PRO stores). MAC PRO stores also have a mail order service so if you’re not situated near a MAC PRO store you could always order over the phone. It's worth knowing that mail order delivery costs around £4.00 and you can also use your MAC PRO card over the phone.

How much product is in each palette?

Each palette contains 6g of product, meaning you get 1g of each different shade within the palette. I personally think this is a stingy amount as it’s something a makeup artist would use on a regular basis. One shade may be favoured over another too so I’m presuming one of these palettes won’t last a long time.

How much are the palettes actually worth?

A standard MAC lipstick contains 3g of product and retails at £14.00 so if you divided the price per gram that would be £4.66. There are 6 different shades in a PRO lip palette (1g per different shade) so £4.66 times by 6 would be £27.96. I’m hoping MAC price the palettes at around £25.00 as it wouldn’t be fair to pay to may more for them than they’re worth. 

So what do the PRO lip palettes look like and what shades do they contain?

Preferred Pinks

6 Preferred Pinks Pro Lip Palette

Violetta (Amplified Creme) – Bright Clean Violet Purple

Show Orchid (Amplified Creme) – Vivid Hot Pink

Creme De La Femme (Frost) – Pink Laced With Gold

Lovelorn (Lustre) – Emotive Blue Pink

Please Me (Matte) – Muted Rosy-Tinted Pink

Pretty Please (Lustre) – Pale Pink Pearl

Editorial Reds

6 Editorial Reds Pro Lip Palette

Dare You (Cremesheen) – Deep Brown Red

Ruby Woo (Matte) – Vivid Bluish-Red

MAC Red (Satin) – Vivid Bright Bluish-Red

Russian Red (Matte) – Intense Bluish-Red

On Hold (Cremesheen) – Mid-Tone Yellow Raspberry

Lady Danger (Matte) – Vivid Bright Coral-Red

Editorial Oranges

6 Editorial Oranges Pro Lip Palette

Bronze Shimmer (Frost) – Golden Bronze With Shimmer

Look At Her (Sheen Supreme) – Metallic Copper

So Chaud (Matte) – Intense Reddish-Orange

Morange (Amplified Creme) – Loudmouth Orange

Crosswires (Cremesheen) – Clean Pinky Orange

Sandy B (Frost) - Light Shell Pink

Select Plums

6 Select Plums Pro Lip Palette

Cyber (Satin) – Intense Blackish-Purple

Hang Up (Cremesheen) – Deep Berry

Amorous (Satin) – Lovestuck Cranberry

Verve (Satin) – Muted Brownish-Plum

Captive (Satin) – Pinkish-Plum

Twig (Satin) – Soft Muted Brownish-Pink

Modern Browns

6 Modern Browns Pro Lip Palette

Paramount (Satin) – Reddish-Brown

Taupe (Matte) – Muted Reddish-Taupe Brown

Fresh Brew (Lustre) – Creamed Coffee

Frenzy (Frost) – Pinky-Peach Beige With Shimmer

Half ‘N’ Half (Amplified Creme) – Creamy Pink

Peachstock (Satin) – Neutral Peach

I'm really excited about the launch of these palettes and will probably end up buying all 5 for my kit. They're ideal for makeup professionals and avid lipstick lovers. I really lovely these palettes and once I've bought one (or five) I shall do a full review with swatches.

Have you heard about the MAC PRO lip palettes? and more importantly, will you be buying any of these lovely palettes?

Thanks for reading!
:)

Holiday Outfit: Day Two

So guess who's back from their jolly holidays?... ME! I'm finally back in 'sunny' England after my 2 weeks holiday in the lovely resort of Zakynthos (or Zante as most of you will be familiar with)! I had an amazing time in Zante and really wish I could have stayed for an extra two weeks, I even prayed for an ash cloud (selfish moi). I had been to the same resort back in 2010 so I knew what it was going to be like but even though I knew the ropes, I still had a blast! 

Whilst on my jolly holidays I took photographs of each of my outfits (for example, day 1 and day 2 etc) so that I would have 14 holiday OOTD posts to pop on my blog. Some of you might not be interested in my holiday outfits but for those of you who are, my holiday OOTD posts will be spread out over the next few weeks, I may even do one every day for the next two weeks if you're lucky! (or if I remember too, I honestly have a brain like a sieve).

I haven't taken photographs of my day one outfit as I'd been travelling since 2am and didn't look the best. I had bags under my eyes and looked a little like I'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. No fun. Those photographs would probably be enough to put you off reading my blog, or better still, make you cry. 

So without further ado, here's my day two holiday outfit!

Ring: Topshop, Necklace: Forever 21, Sandals: River Island,
Playsuit: New Look

Excuse the misty photographs, for some reason my iPhone decided to only take misty photographs for the first couple of days of my holiday. I think it was something to do with the lens adjusting to the sunshine so at least I know there's nothing horrendously wrong with my phone (couldn't live without that beauty). Despite the fluffy cloudiness, you can still get an idea of what the outfit is meant to look like. 

There's nothing I can really say about the outfit other than it was super comfy and it was ideal for wearing in 38 degrees heat. The playsuit is made from very floaty, thin material so it was great for wearing in a hot climate. The necklace and ring match perfectly with the mint green flowers in the playsuit too. I did plan on wearing white sandals with the playsuit but I decided to go for tan sandals instead as the white looked a little harsh against the black. 

Oh, I opted for orange lips too because I wanted to feel tropical and fruity! Bit of a pointless statement but I thought I'd give you all an explanation for the bright orange lips. 

I hope you like my first holiday outfit and if you're keen on the idea of me posting one daily for the next two weeks then please let me know!

Thanks for reading and it's good to be back!

:)

Ciao for now!

Hello Everyone, I am just letting you all know that for the next two weeks I won't be writing any blog posts as I am going on my holidays!! I won't be Tweeting or Instagraming either as the cost of internet use abroad is sky high!! I hope you all understand, and I will see you all soon, take care and if you are going on your holidays too have a lovely time, Cole xxx