Glossybox June 2011

After the impressive first batch of Glossy boxes, I was worried that the next would be disappointing. I have to say I'm 50/50 about the June 2011 box. Many other bloggers have displayed great disappointment with their boxes and I kind of cannot blame them.

What was in the box:

Mama Mio Omega Body Buff

Kind, but effective, this gentle blend of Sweet Almond Oil, Chamomile, Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and micro-ground Pumice remmoves dead skin cells and encourages renewal. Skin this touchable is addictive!

Lalique - Perles de Lalique

Hello, old-school glamour! Up the ante with Perles, a traditional and glamorous chypre, using natural raw material from around the world. We adore the art-deco inspired flacon, a must for any femme fatale's dressing table!

Batiste Original

A trusted summer must-have: Batiste Dry Shampoo Original in this hands handbag size is perfect for refreshing your style wherever you are! Extend the life of your blow-dry or add some texture to slick hair. Batiste will leave your hair smelling and looking fabulous!

BioEffect EGF Serum

Feel the full effect of Epidermal Growth Factor, Iceland's best-kept beauty secret! A veritable potion of youth - BioEffect's EGF Serum stimulates the growth of new skin cells, resulting in a great complexion, hydrated and overall younger looking skin. Suitable for all skin types and ages.

OPI Designer Series Mini Nail Lacquer

Perfect to set off your tan, OPI's Designer Series nail lacquer comes in glittering, glamorous shades crowned with diamond dazzle for June.


After the first box, we were all expecting some equally good products and we did get two that are worth quite a lot of money, but I think that fact has been over looked because bloggers are very unhappy with the mini can of Batiste dry shampoo. I am 100% on their side with this product because it is not luxury and Batiste is personally not a product that works for me. This can will probably end up gathering dust in the draw or I'll end up giving it to someone else.

Of course, the first batch of boxes was a clever ploy to draw people in and it's silly to think we could expect top boxes all the way through. I think once things settle down, people will realise that we did get a few nice products. The Perles De Lalique perfume looks very expensive even for a sample size, I love the cute art-deco bottle and the scent is definitely something I can wear every day. Personally, it's a little old granny like but once it's on it's not too bad.

The BioEffect EGC Serum is actually worth £30, with the full size product retailing at £125 so we got quite a bargain there. Some bloggers got a different fifth product, I personally got an Mama Mio Omega Body Buff which I was also 50/50 about, I've seen this range in Debenhams and I wouldn't say it's particularly luxurious either, however I think I will give it a try as I do love skin and body products!

As for the OPI mini polish, the one I received is the same one that appears in the Katy Perry collection, which I was a little disappointed with because I already have it! I saw that a few other bloggers got a silver/sparkle polish which I would have preferred!

It's a shame that bloggers have been disappointed by this months box because there is such a hype about them as it gets closer to them being delivered. I kept telling my boyfriend to make sure he answered the door as I didn't want to miss it and now I feel like it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

A lot of bloggers have made their feelings known publicly on Twitter and their blogs and Glossy Box haven't seemed to take much notice. They apparently deleted negative comments on their facebook pages and have put up one message regarding people's unhappiness. They are a nice friendly bunch on Twitter but they have completely ignored their customers disapproval which is a shame. GlossyBox also announced that from September they will be charging £2.95 for delivery which was even more off-putting as it was never mentioned at the beginning that delivery could be charged in the future.

As I no longer have a job, I may continue with July's box and maybe even August's but from September I'm not sure I will continue my subscription with GlossyBox. It is fun to receive a nice box every month but I still haven't even used all of the products in the first box! It's nice to try some new things every now and then but I don't want to be snowed under with useless products. I have enough!

It seems that Glossy Box may also have a rival very soon in form of Boudoir Prive who will be giving away 6 luxury sample products every month for £10.

I really hope things pick up for GlossyBox and that Boudoir Prive also don't end up annoying their subscribers by not preparing them for delivery charges in the future. As I said, I may keep my subscription for a month or two and see how things go!

Dee-V by Diana Vickers for Very.co.uk

When Diana Vickers appeared on the X Factor back in 2008, people were loving and hating her dress sense and style. I personally liked her quirky look and am equally liking her brand new clothing range for Very.co.uk

Very.co.uk are well known for their popular collaborations with Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby. I personally love Fearne's style so her collections are right up my street, Holly's collections aren't really aimed at the likes of me but are lovely all the same. I do however, think the new Dee-V collection will be a big hit for Very and will be a nice addition to their celebrity fashion collection which also includes Steve Jones and Caprice.

Sequin Mini Dress, £99

Corset Top, £29
Wide Leg Jeans, £35

Dog Print Playsuit, £49

Printed Frill Front Blouse, £32

Diana's capsule collection consists of eight key pieces for Spring/Summer 2011 (and definitely long after!) featuring playsuits, dresses, skirts and trousers, all with mid-length hemlines and A-line styling; a homage to the 1960's.

Having looked through the entire collection, I can certainly pick out some items that will be going into my basket and I think a lot of bloggers will love some of the items, especially the Printed Frill Front Blouse and Dog Print Playsuit, which both cater to the popular style seen in bloggers recently.

Some of the items are a little pricey I'll admit but I think that if you want a bit of a treat, it's definitely worth splashing out. I would personally love the playsuit and High Waisted Trousers.

To celebrate the new collection, the very lovely people at Very have given my readers some exclusive discounts!

You can get £20 off your first order over £45 when you open a credit account with the code ZZ293, but hurry as this offer expires on July 3rd.

To give you a little mulling over time, Very have also offered my readers 10% off your 1st order when you open a credit account with the code XV520. Expires July 31st.

Hopefully a lot of you are as excited by this collection as I am. Very are doing some great things with celebrity fashion at the moment, enabling us to be dressed by the stars we all admire.

Goodbye Southampton!

It's the end of an era! The era of Southampton that is. Vince and I are finally moving back to Weston Super Mare after nearly 4 years of being here. We both came to Southampton for University and while I graduated last year, Vince fell a year behind after changing courses.

It's been a strange few years. After a few difficulties in the beginning we finally got together for good and have practically lived with each-other for two years now, so it's going to be really weird living apart again when we move home. We're hoping to both get jobs and get saving so we can find a place together asap. We have practically spent every day together so it will be weird to not see each-other every day and what with finding jobs and then working every day, it will be even harder.

While neither of us has a fancy job in the careers we studied for, we still have a good few years to find something. For the moment I want to concentrate on saving some money and getting settled somewhere before settling into a job that might last a lifetime. We've both decided that we are a bit sick of Southampton now. It's a very student orientated area so living here when we're both finished isn't for us, we're not the clubbing/partying type so it seems fitting that we'd rather be in granny filled Weston Super Mare, by the beach and near family.

Yesterday was my last day at my Internship and I was actually quite sad to leave. As I've mentioned previously, it's been a really nice, relaxed place to work and the people are really nice. I've got some great experience out of it as well as a great reference and I really hope that it will lead to something in the future. When the new University Portal launches I will be able to see all my hard work and show it off to others! Everybody in the office signed a little card for me and we all went into the parks and had a picnic at lunch time, it was lovely! Luckily I still have a few weeks worth of money coming as I'll be getting holiday pay as well as a week in hand money, phew!

Vince and I are currently in the process of packing up the last bits and pieces before heading to the chip shop for our last takeaway! *boo hoo*

Topshop Make-up wishlist

I do love doing wishlist posts but I thought I'd do something a little different this time around and focus on all the lovely Topshop make-up that I want. I actually went into Topshop today and picked up their Duo Eyeshadow in Thunder for just £3 in the sale! Bargain!

However, there's still a few bits that I'm lusting after, one in particular is their new Blush in Head over Heels. I saw it in store and while it is lovely, it is rather bright so I'm still in the process of deciding whether or not to buy.


I'm going blush crazy lately and have already brought three in the space of a month or so. I love the look of the loose blushes but they also look a bit messy! I nearly spilt one over the white top I brought today, eek!

The solid cheek stick is another interesting product that I'd like to try out, I think it could look nice and highlight well. As for the eyeshadow crayon and liquid liner, they aren't products that I need, but it's always nice to have new products and the crayon looks really simple to apply.

I cannot wait until Topshop bring out a new collection, I've heard rumours of one in the Autumn/Winter so I'm definitely looking forward to that. I've never been so interested in make-up before but their products are so lovely that I want to try them all.

I'm not quite sure how I will cope when I move back home where the local Topshop doesn't sell any of the make-up! Uh oh.

Benefit b.right radiant skincare

As I sit here watching Vince pack, I thought I'd whip up a quick blog post. Of course, being the organised one, I have already done my packing so can relax on this sunny Sunday! I've got two days left at work and we'll finally be moving on Wednesday. I suppose Monday and Tuesday evening are going to be spent cleaning the house and getting all the last minute bits and pieces sorted. I hate packing! Anyway, on with the post!

I don't know what made me buy this miniature Benefit b.right Skincare kit as I already have so many skincare products as it is. However, I've come to realise that after a few weeks, my skin tends to get used to whichever products I'm using and they effectively stop working so I need a few different things to keep things fresh.

Benefit b.right Skincare trial pack

Benefit b.right Skincare trial pack

Benefit b.right Skincare.
L-R: Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, Foamingly Clean Facial Wash, It's Potent Eye Cream

When I purchased this online I didn't really pay attention to the size of the products in the box. I really should have as they are absolutely tiny, smaller than travel size! While that's cute, it makes it a bit difficult to actually get any product out. When I put my little finger into the eye-cream, it all get's stuck under my nail and I have to bend the face wash bottle in half to get anything out of it. I also have to violently shake the glass bottle and dab it on my finger in order to get any product.

While that is quite annoying, I can put up with it as the collection is really sweet and nicely packaged. The bottles, especially the glass one, make it look quite expensive still, which is probably why the gigantic full-sized products are priced a tad high. With this brand you're not only paying for the product, but the name as well, so high prices are to be expected.

To be completely honest with you, I thought the products would be too harsh for my skin, which is what I find with many products, however, I was pleasantly surprised when I used these as they haven't turned out to be as harsh as I first thought. All three of the products have an OK scent, at first it was a bit strong but I got used it.

The Foamingly Clean Facial Wash is really rather lovely. It's a thick consistency and has teeny tiny beans within it for a little exfoliation. Normally this worries me, as my skin is easily irritated, but it seems to be fine. The product is very gentle and my skin feels thoroughly clean afterwards.

Benefit b.right Foamingly Clean Facial Wash

The gorgeously packaged Triple Performing Facial Emulsion is supposed to hydrate, protect and comfort the skin with an oil-free formula and it ticks every box. My usual moisturising cream leaves my face a bit oily but this one sinks in nicely and I don't feel any tingling sensation either! Usually when I use new products, I feel like I need to add my trusty moisturiser on top but with this, I didn't need to. I really feel like it's been doing my skin some good and it contains SPF 15 which is always a good thing!

Benefit b.right Triple Performing Facial Emulsion

Eye creams are always a tricky one for me as I can honestly never tell the difference. I pop on the It's Potent Eye Cream in the hope that it will make my eyes look less tired but I haven't noticed a major different myself. It's still a lovely product and much like the emulsion, it sinks in nicely.

Benefit b.right It's Potent Eye Cream

Benefit b.right It's Potent Eye Cream

Hopefully this range will work out for me. I would love to see them bring out some kind of redness relief product as I would really benefit from it. I will keep trialling these sample sizes until I'm ready to make a bigger purchase! Luckily, in this week's Grazia magazine there was a voucher for another free kit so I have enough to last for the time being!

I would highly recommend this range. With skin as sensitive and irritated as mine I thought it would be a huge no-no but it's working out well!

Smashing Model's Own Polishes

I think these are probably the last crackle nail polishes I will purchase. It seems that every brand of nail polish is releasing crackle polishes in a rainbow of different colours. We don't really need so many and I don't know why I have so many either! They were a novelty while it lasted and although they are still a nice effect on the nails, it will probably be a while until I use a crackle polish again.

Having said that, I want to write my last crackle polish review of Model's Own Smash Up polishes in Purple and Pink. I picked these up for £8 for the two which is a little bargain right there! The colours are very pretty, the Pink is very neon and almost exactly like the new Barry M Pink crackle but the Purple has a lovely shimmer to it that I really like.

I've been wearing the Purple Smash Up for the past week and it has lasted well. It was a little thin when I applied it, which was quite surprising, but I found that you can do more than one layer and it will still look OK. The neon Pink is a little hard to wear, as in I'm not sure what sort of base coat, other than very pale nudes, white or black, I could use underneath it.

Models Own are also selling an Orange Smash Up on ModelsOwnIt.com as well as the Black and Silver but I'd really love to see some different colours, maybe some greens or yellows in the collection, and that doesn't just go for Models Own but all polish brands. However, I think the future of crackle polishes might be in mixing different colours together and ending up with some sort of rainbow crackle. Have I got something there?

Saoirse Ronan in Topshop's Chevron Stripe Floral Playsuit: Get the look!

I try to keep these types of posts to a minimum and only post when I come across a celebrity wearing an outfit that I really do love.

*Image courtesy of Celebrity.Onsugar.com

Being the Sub-Editor and one of the writers of Styleclone.com, it's part of my job to see what celebrities are wearing on the red carpet and when I come across a gem like this, I just have to post here too!

Last month, actress Saoirse Ronan (if anyone could help me pronounce her name that would be really useful!) appeared at the CineMagic festival in Dublin wearing this extremely cute Topshop Chevron Stripe Floral Playsuit.

I absolutely love the contrasting patterns on this playsuit as well as the front buttoning and shirt like top complete with stiff collar. I particularly love the playsuit as the bottom half isn't too fitting, this is something I'd definitely consider for myself!

Saoirse wore the playsuit with a baby-blue waterfall jacket and Miu Miu brogues. The colour palette of the entire outfit is so feminine and girly which looks brilliant on Saoirse's fair tones and blonde hair.

Of course, this outfit is particularly easy to imitate but unfortunately I (like many others) won't ever be able to own Miu Miu brogues, lucky girl!


1. Topshop Chevron Stripe Floral Playsuit
2. ASOS Magic Mesh Ribbon Brogues
3. Own The Runway Blue Draped Denim Waterfall Jacket

What's in my bag?

So, not much going on at the moment to be honest! We're kind of hanging around, waiting for moving day now, which is exactly a week tomorrow! I think we're going to do the majority of the packing at the weekend which I'll look forward to...not.

Yesterday was mine and Vince's 3 year anniversary! We didn't really do anything special as I had work in the day (boo!), but we did go to our favourite Chinese restaurant in the evening which was delicious! They have an all you can eat buffet so we completely stuffed ourselves with food, and pudding too! Although we said we wouldn't buy each-other presents, I was very naughty and brought Vince a shirt that he wanted, hehe. :)

After a lovely meal we came back home and slobbed out on the sofa, watching Heroes! After finishing Prison Break, we needed another long running series to get stuck into! So far it's a hit!

Anyway, onto the main subject of today's post!

A women's hand-bag is like a holy grail that no man should ever go near. I'm not quite sure why as we don't keep anything terribly exciting in our hand-bags do we? I know I certainly don't, however, when someone commented on my giveaway post saying they'd like to see a 'what's in my bag?' post, I had to oblige!

This bag is relatively new and from Primark. I was carrying round a big black satchel from Warehouse but it was just too big to be lugging around with me so I decided to buy a smaller satchel. I actually brought this when the zip on one of my Matalan bags snapped, it was a sign that a new bag was needed!

I love the inside pattern of the bag and how spacey it is. I'm definitely one of those people that keeps all sorts of rubbish in their bag but I've tried to capture everything I have in there on a day to day basis.

So, we have: Inhalers, 2x hand-creams (no idea why I have two?), hair-brush, lip-balm, breakfast biscuits for when I get peckish at work, body spray, deodorant, a book to read on my lunch break, keys, water, phone, iPod and purse!

Interesting huh?

NOTD: Barry M & Konad

How's everyone's weekend been? As promised, mine was a really quiet one and most of it was spent watching the rest of Prison Break. I know I'm really behind in watching but who cares, it's amazing! Probably the only long running TV series I've loved since The OC and One Tree Hill! I think later tonight we're going to start watching Heroes which Vince loves so let's see if I get into that as well!

Tomorrow I'm back to work for my last full week before I finish. It's gone pretty quickly and I'm definitely going to miss the money. It'll be back to the world of unemployment when I move back home, but let's not dwell on that...


It's been a while since I used my Konad nail toys. I only have one disc so I'm a bit limited to the patterns I can put on my nails, but I decided to go for a flowery pattern today on top of Barry M

My Barry M White polish was a huge gloopy mess not long ago but I heard a tip somewhere saying that putting a few drops of nail polish remover into the polish, and giving it a shake, will make it good as new! It definitely works too. :)

The only problem with nail art is the fact that one hand looks great while the other looks rubbish. I'm right handed, so my left hand always looks really neat and pretty, while my right hand looks like a complete mess. Practice makes perfect I guess.

Who else has tried Konad? Is there anywhere other than eBay that I can get discs for cheap?

Rosamund Lupton: Sister

I think the reason I picked up this book was because I had seen it around the blog'osphere and lots of bloggers had raved about it. I can see why. While it's not my usual chick lit, it was extremely gripping. I even ended up taking it to work with me and reading in my lunch breaks.

With out trying to give too much away, I'll give you a brief synopsis of the story.

Beatrice is a professional type, working in America and living with her fiance, until she gets a call telling her that her arty type sister, Tess, has gone missing. Jumping on the first plane to the UK, Beatrice and her family get the devastating news that Tess has been found dead, and Beatrice takes it upon herself to solve the mystery of her death.

The book reads like a letter from Beatrice to Tess, documenting the journey that Beatrice has taken in order to solve the mystery of Tess' death. I always love a book like this as it really helps to get to know the characters and I really enjoyed seeing Beatrice's character change through-out the story.

The story is a good old mystery that you can really get your teeth into and we follow Beatrice as she picks up clues, interrogates the people closest to her and her sister and get's closer to the answer she's looking for. It's a book that pulls you in so tight that you're practically shouting at the characters for them to believe Beatrice's theories. It's an emotional and touching story from one sister to another, ending up in dangerous consequences and a shocking twist!

I loved this book so much that I've now moved on to Rosamund Lupton's next publication, 'Afterwards', which I'm sure I will review in the future!

New Haircut!

Finally, I have had a hair cut! I did rather love my long hair but it was getting quite annoying having to brush through the tangles and drying it every morning took forever, not to mention the amount of times it kept getting caught in things. I decided to go for the chop after buying a £20 voucher from Groupon.co.uk for a haircut worth £50 at a local salon.

While I do like my new 'do', I've come to realise that the hairdresser has not actually put any layers in it like I asked. I hate that I never mention it when I'm actually in the salon as I get too carried away with everything. It's not until you get home and wash it yourself that you actually realise! It's a shame but I do still like the length and maybe I'll find somewhere cheap just to get a bit of volume put into it. Here are some rather shoddy snaps, excuse the PJ top!

While it is short, it's still long enough to be able to do quite a bit with. Maybe some waves or curls one day? If I can be bothered that is!

I'm not sure why, as it is faded and the roots are showing, but I seem to be getting a few compliments on the colour of my hair. You'll remember a while back, I dyed it Red, well it's really faded now but there is still a slight twinge, I guess it catches the light well!

What is everyone up to this weekend? Me? Nothing, as usual. I've volunteered to make a Lasagne tonight so I'll be getting on with that soon. Other than that it's set to be another quiet weekend. On Tuesday it is my three year anniversary with Vince so we're going out for a yummy meal to celebrate, but it sucks that I have work during the day!

Anyway, I should probably get on. I'll probably post over the weekend with a few new nail polish swatches, but before I go I just want to announce the winner of my giveaway!!!

There were over 50 entries which is amazing and I loved reading everybody's feedback on what they would like to see on the blog. I've tried to take it on board and you'll be seeing some more personal posts in the future as well as the beauty/fashion/outfit posts that you all like so much!

So, without further ado...congratulations to Kate Louise!!!! The prize should be winging it's way to you soon!!

Keep your eyes peeled for another little giveaway coming soon!

Let's blow a hole in this town

Hello! Finally I have a spare minute to blog! I wouldn't say I have been particularly busy, but after a long day at work, I then have to come home and do my fashion writing which usually means it's dinner time by the time I'm finished and all thoughts of blogging go straight out of my head when food is presented in-front of me. :)

I'm going to start today's post with an outfit post, showing you the New Look high waisted red shorts I purchased recently. I wanted them for ages and I think I mentioned already that every time I went in to New Look, they caught my eye. I finally tried them on when I got pair and they fit perfectly so I didn't hesitate before buying them. I also picked up a cute button stripe crop top in the sale for a few pounds. I seem to find a few good bargains when I have a chance to browse the sale racks and I'm not crowded by other annoying shoppers!

I've yet to wear them out of the house thanks to the weather being utterly rubbish recently. It has literally been boiling hot and sunny one minute and then raining the next! It's driving me nuts because I never know what shoes to wear or whether to take a coat or not! Make up your mind!

Last night Vince and I had a bit of a movie night. Vince very kindly brought Dominoes pizza for us (Yay for Two for Tuesday) and we watched his all time favourite movie ever, The Village. While The Village isn't my favourite movie, I've seen it three times now and do quite like it! Vince and I have been watching the Prison Break series recently so it was nice to have a change, although, we did stick on an episode of Prison Break afterwards. It is brilliant though, very gripping, and sometimes annoying, haha!

The main point of today's blog post was to show you my recent outfit purchases and a few other bits I've picked up over the past few days. First up is some lovely jewellery from Victoria and Lily. I decided to purchase Victoria's lovely feather earrings (I managed to nab the last pair, sorry!) and a ring and necklace from Lily's store. I do envy bloggers and their 'shops,' as they have no many pretty things in them. I have no idea where they get their stock from!

On my lunch break I just had to head to Boots for their latest Nails Inc polish offer! If you buy 2 of Dove's new Beauty Finish deodorant, you get a free Nails Inc polish. You can choose between a coral shade called 'Copacabana' and a pink/nudey shade called 'Havana'. I regrettably became one of those stupid customers who don't read the signs properly and picked up two deodorants, thinking that the polish came free when you brought just one. I was quickly made to go and get more deodorants so now I have 4 new roll-on deodorants. :\ I don't even know what the deodorant is even like or if it's any good, I just know if there is a free nail polish attached, I'm on it!

I'll be sure to show you what they look like in a future post, right now I'm off to sit in-front of the TV!