Glossybox- January 2016

Hey everyone, 

It's time for another Glossybpx unboxing and it's the first box of 2016! Now I was excited about how Glossybox was going to interpret the start of 2016 and I must say I'm a little disappointed as I'm sure you will see in this review. I've recieved Glossybox for a year now and I've had better. Glossybox is £10 a month plus p&p and I pay using the three monthly subscription. They also have subscriptions for other countries so it's worth checking if your country has a box. 

(Sorry about the lighting in these pictures, it's a little dull due to the snowy weather!)

As always I will start with my favourite item in the box and work my way down to my least favourite. 

Unani Dermo Defense Face Mask- Full size- £11.36

Of corse skincare is going to be first on my list as I'm really getting into my skincare. Masks are no exception. This mask is meant for sensitive skin and during the winter although I do have oily skin, it can become dry due to the heating and cold weather. So anything to pick my skin up again is a plus. It says to use once a week over a cleansed face. I can't wait to try this one out. 

Madara Cellular Repair Serum- Luxury Size- full size is £38

I had literally just ran out of my night time serum when this little baby arrived so of corse I tried it straight away. It is a light green colour with a slight herbal smell. It blended well into my skin but left me feeling a little tight. I found it was best to follow with a moisturiser straight away. I can see myself using this luxury sample up quickly. 

Glossybox Eyeshadow in glossy mauve- full size- £7.10 

This eyeshadow is beautiful and totally on trend for this season! It's a beautiful mauve colour with a slight shimmer that packs a punch when it comes to pigment. I haven't used this yet as I have a few shadows going in my projects at the moment, but I can't wait to give this a try! 

Teeez Cosmetics Oasis Gem Lipstick- full size- £11.93

The packaging on this lipstick is to die for, but unfortunatly the colour is not. I tried this straight on and I have come to the conclusion that corals are just not for my skin tone. I also noticed that when applying this lipstick that it coated like a balm and after one useage, that a lot of the product is gone. I must say though, pigment in this lipstick is amazing. 

Emite Micronized Powder Blush in 108- full size- £20.59

I know what your thinking and I bet it is exactly what I thought too. I've had this in my Glossybox before. Just the same as my box before, I really don't like this colour and it's way too bold on my skin tone. I have already recieved an email from Glossybox explaining that they have made a mistake with this and are going to send me another item in my next box. I can not fault their customer service, it's amazing. I'm afraid though that this product and the lipstick will be passed along. 

Next month we will all be receiving an MUA lipgloss which subscribers will be able to pick their colour, have you already picked yours? I picked the nude to be able to wear to work. As I have already said to my parents, I'm going to give Glossybox until the end of this three months to pick up, otherwise I will be going elsewhere. 

Emma 

2016 Skincare Inventory

Hey everyone, 

I decided after doing my normal inventory that I would do a skincare one too but after doing this I've decided not to carry on with skincare inventories. My numbers seem to have gone down well this last year and I think I can maintain the "use one up, repurchase one" goal. Anyways let's go into the numbers! 

This photo makes it look like a lot but when broken down into sections, I only have a few items in each catagory. 

Eye and skin makeup removers

L'oreal Micealler Gel (now finished after taking these photos) 

Garnier Eye Makeup Remover 

Una Brennan Super Facialist Micellar Water

Garnier Micellar cleansing water

Toner and Face Scrubs

Bellapierre Facial Toner

Una Brennan Super Facialist Rose Hydrate Facial Scrub

Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash

Body wash and Body Lotion 

Baylis and Harding Body wash x2

Nivea Cashmere moments shower gel

Baylis and Harding body lotion

Morgan body lotion 

Nip+Fab Viper Venom body serum 

Soap & Glory Butter Yourself body butter

Baylis and Harding Body Cream 

Clean Skin Body butter

Clean Cotton Body butter

Nivea Soft body butter

Hand Creams 

Yardley English Lavender x2 

Owl Handcream (brand unknown) 

Nivea Smooth Norishing Hand cream 

Baylis and Harding hand cream 

Shampoo and Conditioner

Tresemme moisture shampoo 

KMW Moist Repair shampoo 

Batiste Dry Shampoo

KMS Moist Repair Conditioner 

Hairspray and Treatments 

Macadamia Control Hairspray 

Tresemme Salon Finish Hairspray 

Macadamia Deap Repair Mask 

Maria Nila Colour protect hair masque 

Herbal essences hair gel 

Moisturisers

Bare Essentails Day Cream 

Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturiser 

Decleor Moisturiser 

Clinique Moisture Serge Sample 

La Roche-Posay SPF 50 mini moisturiser (now gone) 

Nivea Day Cream 

Garnier Moisture Matte Moisturiser 

Tony Moly Banana Sleeping Pack

Other Body Items 

Philosophy Snow Angel Body Polishing Scrub 

Soap & Glory Scrub em and leave me Body Buff mini 

Soap & Glory whipped clean shower butter (my shave cream) 

Masks 

Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask 

Glam Glow Flash Mud Mask 

InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask 

Freeman Charcoal & Black Sugar Polishing Mask 

Nivea Nourishing Honey Mask x2

Other skincare:

Elizabeth Grant Supreme Essence du Torrcelium 

Clearasil Spot Treatment 

Yes To Correcting Eye Cream 

BeautyLab GlycoWash 

Bare Essentials Purifying Face Cleanser 

Nails and Bath

OPI Cuticle Oil 

OPI Avonplex cuticle remover 

Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips (I use this for my cuticles) 

Sally Hansen Perfect cuticle oil 

Baylis and Harding Rose Soap 

Baylis and Harding Rose Bath Salts

Well that's everything in my skincare and compared to when I used to start doing my skincare inventory this is nothing! I really do still have a lot of work with masks and moisturisers but I'm pleased with where I am. 

Emma 

Review- Korean Skincare (Bits and Bobs of Beauty)

Hey everyone, 

Wow, two posts in one day! Arnt you guys lucky. This evening I thought I'd give you all a review of some of the items in a Korean skincare box I recently received to review from Bits and Bobs of Beauty. They are a new company to the uk who are supplying us all with the awesome inventions from Korea without the import duty! Currently they have free shipping for anyone living in mainland uk and do ship out to Europe for a charge. After trying out these few products and looking at their site, I know I'm going to be a returning customer! 

Before I start I would just like to say how beautiful the package arrived to me was! Super cute pink shipping box with pink tissue paper and a beautiful note addressed to myself. I love that added touch and their logo is just the sweetest! 

Tony Moly Glow Ring Hair Mask- £3.50

I knew as soon as I openned the package I wanted to try this hair mask out and I did straight away. Inside the package you receive the product itself (smaller side) and a shower cap (larger side) which has a serum on the inside. You put on the mask after washing your hair and then after pop on the shower cap and rub in the serum. After 10 minutes you wash off. I must admit this concept was a little strange to me however I found it really fun! I loved the smell and how smooth the hair mask itself was. In the morning after letting my hair air dry, I found that my hair was shiny and smooth. This only lasted for 2 days at the longest on my oily hair though. I would consider purchasing this for myself as a pick me up. 

Pig Collagen Hydrogel Mask- £4.50

You all should know by now how much I love a good mask and I must admit this one took me by surprise. I was very intrigued by the idea of it having collagen from pigs skin in it and that in itself is very unusual here in the uk! The other thing I found very unusual is that it came in two halves! One to go around the top part of your face and one to cover your mouth area. I didn't find that this product had a weird smell (or any at all for that matter) and I didn't find any immediate or long lasting results. When wearing it I found that the bottom half slipped off my face quite a lot (so better wearing when laying down) and that the circles were two small for my large eyes. However despite all that I did enjoy the concept and would purchase myself for a good pamper. 

Étude House Green Tea Face Mask- £2.20

Another face mask I recieved in this box and I was so glad it was a calming mask! My skin has been playing up recently with my acne scaring so needed a bit of T.L.C. I was blown away when opening this mask by the amount of serum on the fabric (yes fabric!) mask which had a beautiful smell. The smell itself was not too over powering however when worn and was actually very calming itself. I wore this mask for the recommended 15mins and found my skin was very cool and soothed by the end. As with the Pig mask I did find this masks holes too small for me but I would defiantly recommend this line of masks from Étude House. Especially for £2.20 each! 

Innisfree Jeju Volcanic Nose Pack- £1.99 each 

Unfortunatly I have a downer of a product right at the end for you all. I assume I recieved these nose packs because I said I have oily skin, however due to the fact my skin is so oily these nose strips did not stick to my skin. Unlike products we have in the uk, they did not have any liquid on them, just a sticky side which you placed on your skin. They are said to draw out the dirt from your pores once pulled off but after the 10mins recommended time, I noticed a few dots on the paper and not much else. After trying out the second mask this week, I noticed that the paper already had dots on in the first place. Very misleading. I would say if you were searching for a pore sucking nose strip, stick to the ones from the uk. They seem a bit cheaper that Korean ones too. 

So that was part one of my reviews for the Korean beauty from Bits and bobs of beauty and part two will come shortly once more has been tried out! 

Emma 

*I recieved these products for free for my honest review*

November Empties!

Hey there everyone! 

Doesn't this time of the month come round quick? Before long the end of the year will be over and I can't wait to give you all my total amount of items used and value! This month was a very slow month for myself as I have been using ALOT of full sized items and mostly brand new. However I did make a big dent in my makeup! 

(Sorry for the blurry photo! It's late at night over here) 

In total I used:

2 Haircare

21 Skincare

7 Bodycare

1 Sample 

9 Makeup (including a full palette!) 

1 Single eyeshadow

2 Misc

If you did not know, how I do my empties is I write down a value for each item I out into my bin in a little book and at the end of the month I find my total value. This month the total value was £181.21!! I think the value was so high because the skincare I used up was high value items like the Clinique and the InstaNaturals (both of which I loved!). Hopefully my last empties for this year will be just as good. 

Emma 

Review- InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask

Hey everyone! 

So today I thought I would bring you another review! I know I didn't used to do many reviews but suddenly I've been buying a few things and have been sent a few items. Today's review is going to be on the InstaNatural Dead Sea Mud Mask (amazon.co.uk for £21.95) and if you've been a n avid reader of mine for a while now, you already know I love this brand! InstaNatural is a 100% natural mineral infused brand which are crulty free, so perfect if you are jumping on that train. 

This product is a mud based product just like the famous Glam Glow without the heafty price tag. For £21.95 you receive 19oz of product which from me using it just 3 times, I can tell you this will last you forever! As this is a natural product though, you will want to use it within the 12 month life span as it will go off. The product itself is a jelly like texture which actually feels very slimy when put on. I found that my oily skin needed more than one thin layer of this mask to work and I could only just have it on for the recommended 15mins. The mask is said to be a detoxifier and purifier, bringing out the dullness in the skin and creating a healthy looking skin. After 3 uses I do believe it detoxifies my skin as the days after, I do have a few break outs. I believe that's because the bacteria in my skin has been drawn out by this product. 

I did notice that when applied and left for the 15 minutes, the product doesn't actually dry down fully but I did like that compared to say the GlamGlow. After 12 minutes of wear on my skin, this product is very tight and my skin feels completely brand new. I did have to follow with a hydrating mask however as I felt very taught and my skin itched. I would also suggest with this mask that you don't get it in your hair (eyebrows and hair line) as my scalp itched for days after my first application. I was so scared that hair might be falling out. However after 2 more uses and not getting it in my hair, I didn't get that feeling again. 

I hope you all found this review helpful and I hope you test out InstaNaturals products for yourself. 

Emma 

I recieved this product for free for my honest review. 

My Highend Skincare & Bodycare collection

Hey everyone! 

Here's round 2 of my highend collection, my skincare and Bodycare collection. I don't own as much bath and body as I do makeup and most of it I get from subscription boxes but I'm not complaining. I do love my skincare and I love trying out different types. My skin type is combination/oily but mostly oily. I find that my skin likes emolient products during the nighttime and lighter products during the day. I also love a good mud mask! Anyways on to the highend skincare.

Cleansers/makeup removers:

Ren Clarimatte Cleansing Gel- I love this cleanser in the morning as a facial wash. Not rough and doesn't dry out my skin. 

BeautyLab Glycowash- I haven't tried this yet, going through others first. 

Clinique Rinse off Eye makeup remover- Beautiful product, one swipe and the product is gone. Almost finished this bottle for #14by14Feb.

Serums and Moisturisers:

Elizabeth Grant Supreme Essance of Torrcellumn- I recieved this in a bloggers box and I've actually really enjoyed it. Very light and soaks in easily. 

Nude Eye serum- not used this yet, will be started in the morning. 

InstaNaturals Retinol Serum- My nightime serum. It helped get rid of my Milla and has reduced spots! Love this but very very pricey. I recieved this product free for my honest review.

Ren Clarimatte Gel Creme- a very thin moisturiser, perfect for the day. A little goes a long way! 

Talika Photo-hydra- Very dissapionted in this product. I recieved it in my Glossybox and although I love a good moisturiser, it's barely got any product in it! 

Clinique moisturiser sample- I've tried this sample before and I love it. As with the ren sample, a little goes a long way. 

Body:

Nip+Fab Viper Venom Body Serum- I haven't tried this body lotion yet but I have used one before from nip+fab and I loved it! Sank in well and didn't make my skin oily.

Philosophy Snow Angel Body Scrub- I tried this today and the little scrubs in the product are not too harsh and it felt smooth to use. 

L'occaitane Almond Oil- I know this is a holy grail product for many and yet I have to see what like product is like. I don't believe that my skin likes oils so I may not be able to use this. 

Royal Apothic Cream Creme- This body Creme is lovely. I found that it rubbed in quite quickly and wasn't greasy at all. Just not worth the full amount. 

Others:

Nip+Fab Dragons Blood Cleansing Pads- I actually forgot to add this into my cleanser section so it's here. I've nearly finished these up and to be honest I haven't found a difference in my skin. They do take off makeup traces though. 

GlamGlow- I have only tried this product once and it did tingle and make my skin quite red afterwards. A good moisturiser is needed after use. 

InstaNaturals Dead Sea Mud Mask- I recently recieved this product to review and my post will be up soon! 

Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for lips- I actually use this balm for my cuticles and it's slowly becoming a holy grail. I know this isn't classed as high end really, but I think £11.50 is expensive for a lip balm! 

Crabtree & Evenlyn La Sorce hand cream- this is a very thick hand cream! It's very emolient but doesn't leave a greasy film afterwards. It doesn't work as well as my Soap & Glory though. 

I hope these mini reviews helped! I do like my highend but I would never buy anything full price. 

Emma 

October Empties!

Hey everyone, 

I asked everyone on Instagram (@Piperbeauty) what they wanted to see from myself today and October empties was the first choice. This really helped me out actually as my box at the end of the bed was really getting full! If you don't know how I do my empties, I write down in my little book the empty and the value of the item and pop them in a box. At the end of each month I total up all of the empties amounts to see how much the total empties are worth. This month is shocking! 

(Sorry for the blurry photo! It's very dark and raining a lot in Oxfordshire) 

I used up a total of:

2 Haircare

21 Skincare

8 Bodycare

12 Samples

14 Makeup items 

2 eyeshadows (in a palette) 

3 Mics items

My total for this month equals a massive £250 exactly! For the total to be this high I noticed I used a lot of deluxe sized items and finished off a lot of more expendsive items that I receive in my boxes. I also managed to finish a massive 14 makeup items off this month due to project panning and various other projects! I do believe that if I carry on the way I am going (and with a new job and lots of new goodies to use) I can carry on using what I buy and making a good dent in my collection. Here's to next month! 

Emma 

#14by14Feb- Intro

Hey everyone, 

Yes you must be thinking exactly what my parents and boyfriend think! Your taking on another project?! But this will mean three projects! I'm totally up for that challenge. I've been thinking about starting this project as soon as I saw @Glamourwithgrace and @KristenKay do their intro videos on YouTube. They came up with a seasonal project pan running just over 4 months called finish 14 by 14th February (to show their love for project pan). The idea being to use up some more older products in your collection and as I'm rotating quite well with my other projects at the moment, I just decided to use up or hit pan on some more full products. 

I actually had a different item in here last night when I posted on Instagram that I was going to start, however this morning I actually finished it! I didn't believe I was so close to finishing as it was an opaque tube. That item has now been subbed in with something else. Onto the items. 

Clinique Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent

Luckily I managed to buy this recently at a TK Maxx (so discounted price) and not the full price but I really want time to test it out. It is still relatively full (as you can see by the marking) so I can make a good dent and finish this one off by February. 

Simple Soothing Facial Toner

I've had this product for quite a while and started using it before an item came in a Glossybox that I wanted to use first. That product has now gone and although I like this product, I do find it drying on my skin. I want to have this product gone easily by next year. 

Garnier Miricle Sleeping Cream 

I recieved this in a Latest in beauty box recently and have been using it every night. I don't find it to have much benifit in my skincare routine so just want to move this product out. As you can see by the photo it already has a good dent. I also have no way of knowing how much is in this pot, so updates will just be photos like this. 

InstaNatural Retinol Serum 

If your an avid follower of my blog, you will recognise this product and know I already love it. I've made a good dent in this applying it every night, however knowing that it is a more natural product does mean it will go off quicker. I want to have some good use out of this before it goes off and what a better way than putting it in this project. 

Benefit Dandelion Blush- deluxe sample size- hit pan.

I've actually not had much luck putting blushes in projects like this but dandelion has been a recent go to blush for me and I'm already seeing a dent in the writing. I only want to hit pan on this blush, however if I manage that quite early on, I will carry on panning until the project is finished. 

W7 eyeshadow in Rose Gold- hit pan

This is a product which I must have had for a good 3 years or so now. I'm starting to see a little hard pan on it (I used to use my fingers instead of brushes) and I've decided it's time to use this up. My pan that palette is starting to have little colours in it now so others are needing to be subbed in. I decided in this project that I want to hit pan on this eyeshadow however if more is done, then I am happy! 

Natural Collection face powder

Some of you may be thinking why have you added in another face powder when you have one in another project? Well I have actually just finished that Revlon powder today! So this one is the last powder (loose or pressed) in my collection! I've decided to take the sifter out of this so it is easier to use with my Real Techniques face brush and more product is used that way. 

Soap and Glory Gloss Stick in Pink-a-boo 

I have recently finished another one of these gloss sticks in my #9bynewyears and loved the formulation and easy application. They don't come with much product so are an easy gimme product in a project like this. I got these from a friend on Instagram and I know she'd love to see me use them! 

Benefit Ooh La Lift deluxe sample size

I've had this in my collection now since my Italian holiday and I've never know how to use it. I recently read up that you can use it before or after foundation under the eyes for a brightener so that is how I will use it. I might need a brightening up in the winter months. I have used a benefit deluxe sample size up in a project before but I do know they take a long time, so we will see! 

So Susan Highlighting Pencil 

So as many of you may have seen I only recently recieved this in my Glossybox for October however I already know I love it and will use it everyday. I've been using it non-stop since recieving it so progress will be easy! I only use it in my corners of my eyes and under my brow bone as a highlight but progress is progress! 

Manna Kadar conditioning lash primer

Another product I have recieved in a Glossybox but use on the daily. I don't find much difference between having this on and not when using mascara but to have it in a project will make me continue to use it until it dries up or I finish it. It has a white milky colour and has no scent, a lovely bonus! 

Makeup Revolution Pro Setting Spray

I have only just recently purchased this and yes it was a repurchase. I love having this and knowing that my foundation will not move using this. As you can see I have only sprayed this a few times but I know progress will be made. 

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

You can't tell much from this photo, but this product is actually almost done. I've been using it for a while and although the colour isn't an exact match, I do like it for under my eyes. The writing on the packaging has all come off so you can tell this a well loved product. As for when the stopper comes out, I have no idea. It's still hanging on strong. 

Hit pan on Faint (Naked Basics Palette) 

This is the product which replaced my No7 Concealer originally in this project. I've been using faint in my brows for a week or so now and I love it. I already have quite a big dip and can see there will be considerable progress soon. I am also using this palette in my pan that palette challenge as the main palette has only 3 shadows left! Major progress has already happened on Foxy (which I hope to finish before 2016) and there are good dips in others. 

For the So Susan Highlighting pencil and the Soap and Glory Gloss Stick I have marked in my book how much I am starting at and can continue to mark with every update. I plan to update once a month on or around the 14th so you guys have a few different updates during the beginning of the month with projects. I can't wait to start a third project! 

Emma 

Beauty Blogger Box- October

Hey everyone,

Today I'm here with a totally new box to me called the Beauty Blogger box. It is a small company aiming to get products out to beauty bloggers to review and give feedback. I found this company via twitter and their boxes are £10 each including shipping. I will say this though, there are very few boxes available so find out on twitter how to get yours! 

(Excuse the lighting, it's raining again in Oxfordshire!) 

Elizabeth Grant Supreme Essance of Torricelumn 

This first item is a serum to be used after toner and before moisturiser. The directions say to use 1 to 2 pumps day and night and of corse, you all know me. I love a good skincare product. This product will get some good use once my trial sizes are used up! 

Purskin Therapy Resurfacing Formula

This product is a skin treatment used for imperfections, scars and other skin complaints used to balance out pigmentation. I was actually rather happy about this product as although many of you may not know this but actually have a rather large scar on my breast. I have tried many products on it and they just do not work for the colour and fading. I'm willing to give this a shot and will update on Instagram/twitter. 

Pink & Green Organic Facial Cleansing Oil

Another skincare item I am willing to try. I've only recently got myself into cleansing and have found my skin does not react to much. Although this is a small sample, I am happy that it is organic and it also smells like oranges! I have found now though that I do have a good amount of cleanser samples to go through! 

John Gosnell's The Original Vitamin E Cream

After reading the back of this sample I became clear about what this product actually is! From the front it almost looks like a hand cream but it is actually a moisturiser. Again another skincare product (which i am happy about) which I will need to use up before my other samples. 

Xenca Organic Perfection Eyeshadow- Mink 

This item is the only makeup item in the whole blogger box (which I can imagine many people are not happy about). After swatching these two average colour out, they are reasonably pigmented but I would rather use Urban Decay shadows over these. On the positive side though, they are also organic which I will always support. I have heard from other bloggers that some people received lipsticks in their boxes. 

Overall I think that this box was an okay box, however I will not be purchasing again. Currently I am tight for money and I do not feel this box was worth my £10 (let alone the £100 it is meant to be worth!!). I do however think the company are coming up with good ideas and for a small business they are doing well. I think I shall just continue with my Glossybox. 

Emma