A Slice of My Life: July 2011

Week in Post #7

The postman has been very kind to me this week, despite the fact that he woke me up at 8:30 this morning after I drank a bottle of wine last night. I think he does it on purpose. Twice now he has woke me up and actually laughed at me! It makes me so paranoid when he laughs at me because I've literally jumped out of bed and opened the door, not looked in any mirrors or anything! Damn you Mr Postie!

You may notice that this post is a day earlier than usual, that is because I am going to a Christening tomorrow so may not get chance to post it then. I figured that I may as well post it today as I won't be receiving any more post now. I may even move it to a Saturday from now on, I'll see.

Here is what I've received this week...

A sample of Lift Activ

I took part in a 30 day skin trial with Nelsens, which unfortunately didn't agree with my skin. I gave them feedback on the products and they very kindly sent me this as a thank you! They also gave me a £5 Boots voucher at the beginning of the trial!

The biggie :) This is the main reason for not hitting the postman when he woke me up this morning, because he had my MUA goodies! I took advantage of the Superdrug free delivery to stock up on the products that I can't get in my local store.

Zoe sent me these eyelashes to try, which I am super excited about as I've wanted to give these a whirl for a while now! She also very kindly gave me a nail polish which was a lovely unexpected little treat! Thank you so much Zoe and you got featured in 'week in post'!!

The Dog's Doodahs very kindly sent me a blogger support pack! LOVE!

July Glossy Box : Review & Swatches

Unfortunately my GlossyBox was a little later than everyone else this month. I contacted GlossyBox on Monday evening as I hadn't received my box and they informed me that it was a Royal Mail error and they would send a replacement. My replacement box arrived on Thursday, as a result I am quite impressed with the customer service.

I couldn't wait to open my box as I had heard such rave reviews about this months products! I wasn't disappointed!

The products...

Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil 100 ml (full size) value £19.95

GlossyBox say : Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil contains only pure plant oils. Rich in essential fatty acids and anti-oxidising vitamins, slather on this oil for more elastic, hydrated, smooth and supple skin. Suitable for vegans.

They have given us a code for £5 off a spend of £15 or more.

I say : I'm really impressed with this product. I suffer with sensitive, dry skin on my body so am hoping that this will be a saviour product! The smell is initially quite overpowering but it does fade and leave a lovely subtle smell. I thought that it would leave my skin sticky with it being an oil, but to my joy it doesn't, it just dissolves straight into my skin leaving it feeling lovely and smooth. I'm really pleased with this.

Inlight Organic Daily Face Oil 30 ml (full size) value £25.00

GlossyBox say : A moisturising and nourishing daytime oil with a high concentration of natural antioxidants, vitamins and essential oils. Easily absorbed with a soothing, restorative and anti-inflammatory action. Suitable for all skin types.

They have given us a code for 20% off this product.

I say : When I first saw that GlossyBox had sent me this I was wondering if anyone would swap it with me. I have very greasy skin on my face so don't like the idea of rubbing oil into it. This morning I decided to try a little bit. I was completely wrong, this product is lovely even with my greasy skin! It absorbs straight into the skin and doesn't leave any greasy traces behind. I'm hoping that the anti-inflammatory action will work well for reducing spots.

XEN-Tan, dark 30 ml value approx £3.69

GlossyBox say : Winner of Best Ever Beauty Buy by Elle Magazine, this ultra-sheer instant colour formula gives you a gorgeous, natural olive glow that'll last for up to seven days. Easy to apply, it glides on evenly and completely streak free.

They have given us a code for 25% off our next purchase.

I say : to be honest this scares the hell out of me! I haven't dabbled with DIY tanning for years. When fake tan first became popular I tried several. They all went awful on my horribly dry legs. I'm sure fake tans have improved dramatically since then and have been wanting to try one so here is my opportunity! I may be brave and attempt to use this today for a Christening that I am attending tomorrow - I will keep you posted!

Ciate Nail Enamel, Big Yellow Taxi 13.5ml (full size) value £9.00

GlossyBox say : From the ergonomically designed bottle, the deliberately long cap for ease of use and the 250 bristle flat brush for long lasting, full coverage: Ciate takes exceptional care to make applying their beautiful enamel colours a please. Formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate and toluene free.

They have given us a code to receive a free Speed coat with every purchase of two Ciate Paint Pots.

I say : I was really excited to receive this. I love the colour and the bottle is so pretty! The colour is just as gorgeous on and will look lovely against tanned skin. If I'm brave enough to use the XEN this polish will be worn with it! Unfortunately it is quite streaky. I applied it without a base coat so am hoping that with a base coat it may apply a little easier. Otherwise I will need three coats to avoid the streaking. If I'd paid £9 for this I would be annoyed at having to use three coats for decent coverage.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment, Marvel 1.3g (full size) value £15.50

GlossyBox say : Pure Pigment gives a high-shine metallic finish of pure colour to eyes and cheeks. Mix with Illamasqua Sealing Gel to create a water-resistant shimmering eye liner. Making professional make-up available to all for the first time. Illamasqua is taking the world by storm with their fearless dedication to self-expression.

They have given us a code for 20% off all courses at Illamasqua's School of Make-up Art.

I say : This is the item that I really, really hoped I would receive! I was so chuffed to see it in my box and am not disappointed with it at all. I love it! I won't be using it on my cheeks as suggested but I think it will make a lovely addition to a nice brown eye. This should last me a while as a little goes a long way. The swatch was a tiny little dab on the tip of my finger, as you may notice in the picture I even had excess after the swatch hence the little bit down the bottom! The discount code given with this isn't the best out of the bunch but its still nice of them.

Overall Verdict : GlossyBox have totally stepped up their game this month. The customer service impressed me, the fact that I got four full size products wowed me! I will be using at least four of the five products. The only one that may not get used is the fake tan, and that is down to fear! If I don't use it my sister, the tanning expert, has offered to take it off my hands so it won't be wasted! I love that GlossyBox have also managed to secure discount codes for everyone of the products, this is a lovely idea.

I'm assuming that this amount of full sized products is a one off, they have written on the little card "please do remember that GlossyBox is a luxury sample and product miniature subscription service. Whenever possible, we are happy to place full-sizes in GlossyBox. We hpe you appreciate it when you receive them, without expecting it to be a regular feature." I for one really do appreciate it when I receive full size products and would never expect to receive them all the time.