Benefit Sweet Tintations & Cheeky Sweet Spot

I found myself with time to kill this morning before an appointment and went for a walk through the beauty section of Debenhams (always a dangerous move) where the Cheeky Sweet Spot and Sweet Tintations caught my eye.

Cheeky Sweet Spot O' Blushes (£29.50) contains six powder blushes and a cream highlighter in a cute metal tin.  The blushes are all 5g each, the full sized versions of the blushes are 8g and the deluxe sample sizes are 3g, so these fall nicely in the middle.  Since I only own two of Benefit's full sized blushes that are in this box, I couldn't resist treating myself!  It is quite a bulky palate which wouldn't really be used "on the go" but I suppose you could depot it if you wanted to save space.

Sweet Tintations (£19.50) also caught my eye as the benebalms individually are almost £15 each making this an excellent deal!  Both the benebalm and lollibalm are full sized and have matching benetints in size medium (4ml).

They were also giving out little gifts wrapped in red tissue paper (see first pic) if you brought 2 or more products.  These contained a few skincare samples and a foundation sample which will be put to good use,  They also have the most adorable gift boxes for making up a gift set of your choosing.

Overall I'm really impressed with Benefit's offerings for this festive season!  Which caught your eye?

Alys x

j'adore Diorskin!

Diorskin Star Foundation, Diorskin Rosy Glow Blusher and my terrible attempt at being artistic

After successfully completing my first week of college (and feeling a bit down) I thought it would be nice to treat myself!  I've had my eye on the Diorskin Star Foundation (£32) since it was released after reading some rave reviews and I only intended to try it out, but I fell in love with it and just had to have it!  The Diorskin Rosy Glow Blusher (£30) also caught my eye.

Diorskin Star Foundation 12 (Porcelain)

Everything about these products feels so luxurious, from the thick outer packaging to the adorable velvet pouch the blusher comes in definitely made me feel like it was money well spent.

The foundation is described as a "brightening, weightless fluid capable of recreating the spectacular and perfecting light of the Dior studio", it also claims to help with uneven skin colouring.  I was very skeptical of its claims, however I was extremely pleasantly surprised with this product and it has become my go-to foundation.  It's very easy to apply with a Beauty Blender and leaves an extremely natural flawless finish that looks perfectly airbrushed.

The blusher is described as "reacting with the moisture in each skin type, giving a delicious and subtle glow to the cheeks".  It is very similar to the Dior Addict Lip Glow (£23) which is my go-to lip balm when I'm rushing out the door.  A little goes a very long way and gives a very warm natural glow to the cheeks.

Swatches of Diorskin Foundation and Blusher

Diorskin Foundation, Blusher and Lip Addict

Overall I am really happy with these purchases and fingers crossed they last a while!

Alys x

August Glossybox

August Glossybox

Glossybox was the first beauty box I signed up for and this is my 3rd box from them.  You do not get to pick any of the items you receive like Love Me Beauty and YOU Beauty Discovery, however so far I have enjoyed every Glossybox I have received and have gotten use out of everything I have received from them (their packaging is my favourite, it feels so luxurious).  It comes in at £10 + P&P.

In my August Glossybox, I received:

Kryolan for Glossybox - Highlighter (4.5g) - Cashmere £12.95

Figgs & Rouge - Mini Hand Cream - £3.95

Yves Rocher - Pink - £3.00

Philip Kingsley - Elasticizer - £6.00

Lalique - L'Amour - Sample

Essence - I love extreme crazy volume mascara - £2.79

The highlighter is described as a "versatile, lightweight cream with a gloss finish.  It provides cheekbones, lips and other parts of the skin with a beautifully velvety shine".  A little of this product goes a very long way, I ended up a shiny mess when I first used it!  It blends very easily and looks very natural but needs to be applied with a lighter hand.  The hand cream smells amazing and is the perfect size for carrying around in my handbag, I will definitely be purchasing the larger version.  I didn't think I would like the nail polish as I wasn't really a fan of the colour in the bottle, however I was pleasantly surprised after swatching it and ended up painting them all.  The Elasticizer claims to be "originally created specifically for Audrey Hepburn" and is a very good sized sample, I can't wait to try this out, though I'm not sure I would pay £38 for the full sized version.  Lastly the mascara is ok, the packaging is a bit on the bulky side but it does what it says on the tin!

Highlighter swatch

Nail polish swatch

You can subscribe to this box here!

Let me know what you thought of your Glossybox this month, or if there are any I am missing out on!

Alys x

August Love Me Beauty Box - Edition 3

Love Me Beauty Box - Edition 3

Love Me Beauty was the third beauty box I signed up for and this is my 2nd box from them.  This box is slightly different from the others as you get to choose from 3 to 4 "menus" each month, you need to be fairly quick at making your selection from the "Boutique" as the more favoured boxes sell out quite quickly.  It costs £10 + P&P each month, and this month's boxes were worth at least £55!

In Edition 3 of Love Me Beauty this month I received:

Marsk - Mineral Eyeshadow - Lucky Penny - £14.49

A La Carte - Smudge-Proof Eyebrow Definer - Blonde - £23

Oriflame - Swedish Spa Beauty Wonder Oil - £8.45

Mirabella - Lip Luster Liner - Shy - £10.50

Unboxed!

I was really impressed with all the products in this month's box.  I received another Marsk Mineral Eyeshadow in my YOU Beauty Discovery box in shade Rich List, they both have really high colour payoff and are incredibly easy to blend.  I was a little worried that the Eyebrow Definer would not be the correct colour as all they had available was blonde however it works fine with my light-medium brunette hair and is very easy to apply.  It's described as being semi-permanent, so I was a little worried about removing it, but it comes off the same as any other product.  The lip liner is a gorgeous colour and glides on easily without too much tugging on the lips.  The Spa Wonder Oil smells amazing and I can't wait to try this out!

Swatches (top to bottom: Eyebrow Definer, Lip Liner, Eyeshadow)

Overall really impressed with the Love Me Beauty boxes.  There are some benefits to subscribing to them, when you complete 5 surveys you get an extra sample, a free month for every 3 friends that join and an extra product for every 3 months you are subscribed!

You can subscribe to the box here!

Let me know what you think about this box!  And let me know if there are any other boxes I am missing out on, I'm hooked at the moment!

Alys x

August Birchbox & Bonus Mystery Duo

August Birchbox - "Away We Go"

Birchbox was the second beauty box I signed up for and this is my 3rd box from them and comes in at £10 per month + p&p (£2.95).  There is a beauty questionnaire that you fill in for this box, though I have found they don't tend to stick to this too much.  I have read mixed reviews and a lot of people complaining about getting duplicate products from month to month.  Their reward points seem pretty good and there is a wide variety of things you can purchase in their store.

In my "Away We Go" August Birchbox I received:

NUDE - ProGenius Omega Treatment Oil (5ml)

Vasanti - BrightenUp Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (20g)

Number Four - Lumiere d'Hiver Super Comb & Protect (30ml)

Supergoop - CC Cream (2x 3ml)

Chella - Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil

Book - The Proposal By Tasmina Perry (1 chapter)

Not overly impressed with this box, the CC cream was very dark/orange, I wouldn't call it "light to medium" at all.  I was also not too fussed about the chapter sample from a book.  However, the highlighter pencil is amazing, so easy to blend and feels gorgeous.  The rest is so-so, they are all decent sized samples and are all of nice quality, I'm just not sure how much use I will get out of them.

August Birchbox Mystery Duo

This month Birchbox were running a promotion whereby if you signed up to Emerald Street's newsletter, you received a free mystery duo.  I received theBalm How 'Bout Them Apples for cheeks and lips and Laura Mercier Body Butter.  

The Mystery Duo more than made up for my slight disappointment from this month's box.  What do you think about Birchbox?  Are there any beauty boxes I'm missing out on?

Alys x

Daniel Sandler Blush, Eyeliners and Line 'n Lacquer

My mini-haul from Daniel Sandler

Last week I wrote about how much I liked the aqua eyeliner by Daniel Sandler that I received in my YOU Beauty Discovery box.  So I decided to have a nose at their website and see if there was anything else that could tempt me - and there had some really nice products.

From left to right:

Mineral Matte Blusher - Natural Beauty - £6.25

Velvet Waterproof Eyeliner - Purple - £7.71

Line 'n Lacquer - Rare Rubies - £8.33

Concealer Brush - See first image - FREE

Line 'n Lacquer - The liner is built into the handle of the lacquer.  Very handy!

Mineral Matte Blusher in Natural Beauty- I really liked how natural this blusher looked and it was on sale so thought why not!  The packaging is very slim and not too bulky, it's a little smaller than the full-sized MAC blushes but it's still a very good sized product.  A little goes a long way and the colour is very easy to build up.  There's a lot of hype for his watercolour blushes, unfortunately I forgot to add the sample to my order but I will definitely be giving it a go soon!

Velvet Waterproof Eyeliners in Aqua and Purple - These eyeliners are so easy to apply, they glide on like butter.  I'm still not sure on what I'm going to wear these with, any suggestions would be really appreciated!

Line 'n Lacquer in Rare Rubies - I really like this product.  The liner is built into the handle of the lacquer and matches the lip colour perfectly - no more rooting through my drawers trying to locate the corresponding lip liner!  The lip liner glides on just as well as the eyeliners and the lip colour is very easy to build up and I found it very flatter on my skin tone (NW15).  This 2-in-1 product will be great for traveling!

Swatches on NW15 skin

Overall I am really happy with my products from Daniel Sandler and would 100% recommend them.  They came with a free clear make up bag and they are currently offering a free concealer brush with all orders over £12 and shipping is free on orders over £24.  They have just released a new limited edition Watercolour Fluid Blusher in shade Joy whereby £5 from each bottle sold will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support (more details here)

Have you ever brought anything from Daniel Sandler?  Let me know your opinions on the brand!

Alys x

August YOU Beauty Discovery Box

YOU Beauty Discovery Box - "Summer Essentials"

This is my fourth monthly beauty box subscription and is the cheapest coming in at only £6.95 a month including P&P!  It is also a little different to the other boxes I am currently subscribed to (Glossybox, Birchbox and Love Me Beauty) as you get to choose your 2 full sized products - you need to make your picks as close to the beginning of the month as possible, as things sell out fast.

This month each box contained: 2 Jimmy Choo perfume samples, a nail file and a face cream sample.  You are able to choose 2 items from the following for your full sized products in your YOU Beauty box.  This month's options were:

Daniel Sandler - Waterproof Eyeliner in Aqua (0.25g) - £9.25

Eucerin - Sun Fluid Mattifying SPF30/50 (50ml) - £12

Gazelli - Triple Youth with White Oil Duo (5ml each) - £16

Louise Galvin - Sacred Locks Treatment Masque (100ml) - £8.60

Marsk - Rich Mineral Eyeshadow in Rich List (1.2g) - £14.99

Peggy Sage - Nail Polish (Nude or Summer Collection) - £5

Rose & Co - Cherry Kiss Lush and Lovely Lip Balm (10g) - £2.50

JustBe Botanicals - Hydrating Serum (10ml) - £11.65

I chose the Aqua Eyeliner and the Mineral Eyeshadow, though I also really wanted the Rose & Co balm - I think I need to do some googling to find my nearest stockist for that one!  I'm pretty boring when it comes to eyeliners and so far only own blacks and browns so I couldn't wait to get my hands on the aqua colour.  The eyeshadow is my first mineral loose eyeshadow and it took a little while for me to work out how to get into it without making a mess!

The eyeliner is very easy to apply, it glides on like butter with no tugging or pulling - now I just need to work up the courage to wear it out and also figure out what to wear with it!  The eyeshadow is gorgeous, I really struggled to pick up its shimmer on the camera but it catches the light nicely.  Both are swatched on bare NW15 skin with no primer.

Overall I am extremely happy with my first YOU Beauty Discovery Box.  I've received £24.24 worth of full sized products for only £6.95!  I will definitely be continuing my subscription with YOU Beauty Discovery!

www.youbeautydiscovery.co.uk

Alys x

Debenham's National Lipstick Day Sale: MAC Angel & MAC Girl About Town

Girl About Town & Angel - Bargains at 50p!

Debenhams celebrated National Lipstick Day on 29th July by offering £5 off all lipsticks!  All their MAC lipsticks were £10.50 and with the £20 of Beauty Card Points I had saved up it meant that these lipsticks worked out at 50p each!

They were also offering a free mystery gift with each order, I received 5 perfume samples which are always handy to keep in my handbag.

Swatches on NW15 skin

 Girl About Town - This is a bright fuchsia pink with blue undertones in amplified creme finish.  A little goes a long way and works up to an opaque colour with a just few swipes.  Personally, this wasn't my cup of tea as it didn't look quite right on me but it felt so creamy and was so easy to apply.  Maybe I just need to get used to brighter colours!

Angel - This is a yellow toned light pink with a soft silver shimmer in frost finish.  I found this one a little harder to apply than Girl About Town and it took a little more effort to build up an opaque coverage without going patchy and it settled into the lines of my lips.  It took a reapplication with the MAC Prep & Prime lip primer as a base to eliminate the cracked lips look.

Bicester Shopping Village Haul

I absolutely love Bicester Shopping Village and try to go every 6 months or so (wallet permitting!).  Last Saturday's trip was particularly successful, they had a huge variety of MAC, Smashbox and Bobbi Brown products in the cosmetics stop - including the current season Smashbox range (Santigolden Age Collection) all at prices that are at least 20% less than RRP!  I felt like a kid in a candy shop!

MAC Stroke of Midnight Set, MAC Nocturnals Set, Smashbox Wondervision Lipgloss Set & Smashbox Wondervision Eye Set 

MAC Stroke of Midnight Set - This came in a lovely black and white bag which contained blush (Margin, Frost finish, 2.8g - approx half-size), lipstick (Night to Remember, Cremesheen, full size), lip gloss (Pure Sophistication, travel sized), a travel sized #129SE brush and a travel mirror.

MAC Nocturnals Set - This set came in a black gift box which contained 4 lip glosses; Boy Bait (Cremesheen, full sized), Phiff! (Dazzleglass, full sized), Richly Revered (Cremesheen, full sized) and Over Indulgence (Cremesheen, full sized). 

Smashbox Wondervision Lipgloss Set - This set came in a pink/silver floral box which contained 5 lipglosses; Tease, Pout, Ruby, Radiant and Luster (all full sized).

Smashbox Wondervision Eye Set - This came in a similar box to the lip glosses above and contained, Full Exposure Mascara (Black), Limitless Waterproof Eyeliner (Onyx), Eyeshadow Palette (Peach, Gold, Coral, Bronze, Cocoa and Bare) and 3 "look cards".

Have you bagged any bargains at Bicester or at another outlet?  Are there any other UK outlets you can recommend?

Alys x

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NEW: TRESemme Renewal Hair & Scalp Shampoo, Conditioner, Masque, Tonic & Shots

I haven't used Tresemme shampoos or conditioners in a few years, though they have remained my go-to brand for styling products.  Thank you to Tresemme partnered with bzzagent for sending these out to me to try!  Britain's hair and beauty industry was worth £4bn last year and the scalp is so often overlooked in all this - when was the last time you brought a product for your scalp?  I personally cannot remember ever purchasing one!  These products have been designed to deeply nourish the scalp, help to repair damage and nourish from root to tip.

I really struggle to keep my hair under control, it is very thick and I have a dry/sore scalp so I was really looking forward to using these products - I ripped open the box as soon as I got home and tried them straight away.  The instructions on how to use the product are printed on the back, along with suggestions of the other products within the line.  The bottles are a nice size - the same size as their previous ranges.

They all had a nice salon smell which was very pleasant, I always remembered Tresemme as having next to no scent to it.  The shampoo and conditioner were of fairly thick texture, not too watery and a little went a long way.  The shampoo lathered up very easily into a thick soapy foam and it only took one application to clean week-old hair, whereas with other brands it can take 2 to 3 applications to get a lather and clean hair.  The conditioner left my hair extremely silky and soft to the touch after first rinse.

I let my hair air dry to damn, then put in bendy rollers.  The next morning my hair was soft and my scalp wasn't as sore as usual from sleeping in bendy rollers.

The Tresemme Renewal Hair & Scalp products are now available nationwide in Boots, priced between £4.99 and £5.50 each

- Alys x