Beauty Box Swap with Row Bow

Hello Lovelies,

A couple of weeks ago I did a beauty box swap with the lovely Row from What Row Chose... and today I wanted to share with you what she picked for my Box.

This is the third beauty box swap I have taken part in and I think they are a really nice way to get to know  other Bloggers and to try things you might not have chosen for yourself or discover products and brands you haven't tried before.

Here is what Row included in my Box…..

I love trying different lip products and I was really excited to see that Row had chosen three Lipsticks for me. The L.A.Colors Lipsticks she chose for me are in the shades Frozen Berries and Fresh. I haven’t tried any lipsticks from this Brand and I am looking forward to giving these a try.

She also chose a Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss Lipstick in the shade 110. This is a gorgeous red shade and just the sort of colour I love. I don’t think I have tried a matte lipstick before and I am looking forward to trying this.

Row also included for me a Miss Ballantyne Honeybee Lip Balm that she said she loves using. I haven’t tried anything from Miss Ballantyne before but I use lip balms a lot, so I will definitely give use this.

I had mentioned to Row that I have been using liquid eyeliners a lot recently and she chose for me a Dainty Doll Mascara and Eyeliner Duo, which she recommended and I am looking forward to trying it. 

Row knows that I love trying different things with my nails and she chose for me some gorgeous spotty Nail Rock Designer Nail Wrap. She also included in my Box a 7 in 1 Nail File, which is always useful :)

Row also included for me a Mudd Deep Cleansing face mask and some Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub which will both be perfect when I want to have a little pamper session.

Finally Row chose for me a Body Shop Pink Grapefruit soap that smells lovely and fresh and some cherry hand and face wipes, which are a perfect size for me to keep in my bag :)

In my Box Row included a letter telling me why she chose what she did, which I enjoyed reading and thought was a really nice touch.

Thank you Row for all my lovely things :)

If you want to see what I sent Row in her Box, check out her post about our Beauty Box Swap here.

Have you ever taken part in a beauty box swap?

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

My February 'Love Style' Birchbox

Hello Lovelies, 

Today I wanted to share with you what I received in my February Birchbox. The theme for this month's Box is 'Love Style’, and the Birchbox Team have chosen products for this month's Box to 'fit right into your personal routine' and I would agree that the products in this month's Box are ones that everyone could use. 

Inside my Birchbox was…..

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner - 1.2g

This is ‘a foolproof liquid liner to help you create Alexa Chung-style feline flicks’. I have recently been trying to use liquid eyeliner more because I really like the winged eyeliner look, so I am looking forward to giving this a try. 

Included in this month’s Box was a tutorial card on how to 'Master Liquid Liner', which I think is a really nice addition to the Box and I will definitely give their tips a try!

Urban Veda Radiance Exfoliating Facial Polish - 20ml

I haven’t heard of this Brand or product before, but I always like to try new skincare products. This facial polish contains superfruits that help create a ‘radiant, youthful complexion’ and I am looking forward to giving it a try.

Gilchrist & Soames The London Collection Shower Gel - 45ml

Little shower gels like this are always handy to take with you for weekends or nights away and I really like the smell of this one, so I am sure I will use it.

Beauty Protector Protect & Oil - (I can't see what size this is)

This is a new product that helps protect hair from ‘UV rays, heat and breakage’ and 'keeps hair healthy, shiny and happy' and also smells really lovely. I like using hair oils on the ends of my hair before drying it, so I will give this a try and hope it does what it claims to.

Leighton Denny Nail Colour in Coconutty - 12ml

This is a gorgeous nude/light brown colour with gold glitter in it. I haven’t tried a Leighton Denny nail polish before but will definitely give this a try soon!

Also included in this month’s Box was a little Lifestyle extra, which was a little Green & Black’s Dark 70% Chocolate Bar. Little extras like this are always nice :)

Overall I am really pleased with what I received this month and there wasn't anything included in my Box that I won't use!

If you fancy trying a Birchbox, you can find more details here.

What did you get in your Birchbox this month? Leave me your link as a comment if you have posted about yours.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

Christmas Beauty Box Swap - My Box from Hannah

Hello Lovelies,

Back in November I organised a Christmas Beauty Box Swap and everyone who wanted to take part was randomly paired with someone and I was paired with Hannah from The Makeup Times. We had planned to send the boxes before Christmas so everyone would have them by Christmas, but unfortunately Hannah didn't send mine until the middle of January. I am not sure of the reason it was sent late, but Hannah did say she had added a couple of extras to make up for the delay, which was nice of her.

My box was wrapped up and inside all my the things inside were wrapped individually, which I think was a really lovely touch and I did the same with the things I sent to Hannah. 

I hadn't tried anything from Elf until the end of last year and so far I have been impressed with the things I have tried, so I was pleased that Hannah had chosen me some things from Elf. She chose a Duo Powder Eyeshadow in Mocha Swirl, a Lip Stain in Berry Blush, an Eyeliner & Shadow Stick in Smoke/Black, a Blush in Innocence and a Nail Polish in Mango Madness. These are just the sort of colours I would choose for myself and I'm excited to try them. 

Also included in my Box was a gorgeous Ted Baker 'I Wanna Be Loved By You' set which includes a beautiful makeup bag, a hand cream, a body spray, a lip balm and a candle, which all smell really lovely and I'm looking forward to using them.

She also chose for me some No. 7 Blissful Body Wash and a bath bomb, which both smell lovely and I am looking forward to using these and as a little extra Hannah also included a Chocolate Orange and who doesn't love a Chocolate Orange! :)

I really enjoyed organising this Beauty Box Swap and taking part in it. I will probably organise another one for Christmas this year, so if it’s something you would be interested in, follow me on Twitter, Bloglovin or GFC and watch out for a post around November.

Did you take part in a Christmas Beauty Box Swap? If you did leave me the link to your post about it, because I love seeing what other people received and sent.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

My August 'Highflyers' Glossybox

Hello Lovelies, 

I saw some posts and tweets last weekend about what people had received in their August Glossyboxes, so before mine arrived I had an idea of what might be inside and I was looking forward to it arriving. Mine arrived on Tuesday and I thought I would share with you what I got. 

The Theme for this month's Glossybox is Highflyers and the products inside were chosen 'for the girl on the go' and they are from different places around the world, including the USA, Sweden, the UK and Brazil. The box wasn't a special one and was just the usual pink colour, with black tissue inside. 

Here is what I got this month.....

TRESemme Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment Shot - 15ml

This is a rinse off treatment that should be used once a week or more if you feel your hair needs it, that claims to 'transform frizzed out and fried hair'. I haven't tried one of these before, but I was really pleased to see this, because my hair has felt a bit dry and heat damaged recently and this will be a lovely treat for it. This isn't a very big tube and because I have got quite long hair it will probably only last for one use, so it would have been nice to receive a bigger tube or a couple of them, but the tube I received is a full size one that retails at £1.49. 

Emite Make Up Eyelash Curler 

I use eyelash curlers everyday and the Glossybox Leaflet says these have been developed with professional make-up artists and I am looking forward to trying these. These are black and red and they come with three replacement rubber bits which I was impressed with. 

Jelly Pong Pong 2-in-1 Eyeliner & Shadow 

I received a Jelly Pong Pong Lip Blush in a previous Glossybox and love it, so when I saw this inside I was really pleased. It is 'creamy 2-in-1 crayon' that can be used as an eyeliner or as an eyeshadow. It doesn't seem to have the name of the shade on the pencil, but from looking at Jelly Pong Pong's website, I think this is Plum. I will try this although I am not sure how much I will use this shade and I saw some people got these in black, which I think I would have preferred. 

Eucerin Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm - 40ml

I have not tried anything from this range before and didn't know much about it. The Glossybox Leaflet says this is a 'multi-purpose balm' and is a 'cult product in the US'. This is fragrance free and has quite a greasy texture, so I think you could only use this on really dry skin. My hands do tend to get quite dry in the winter, so I will probably use this then. 

Oceane Makeup Remover Pen - 3 ml 

This product is not available in the UK at the moment and I haven't heard of this brand before. The packaging says this can be used to remove excess makeup from around your lips and eyes and the tip of the pen 'contains a liquid makeup remover' 'that does not dry out the skin'. I have not used anything like this before, but I will give it a try. 

Overall I was quite pleased with what I received this month and the sizes of the products, although some people did receive UrbanVeda products and I would have liked to try those. 

If you are interested in trying a Glossybox, you can find out more here: Glossybox.

What did you get in your Glossybox this month? Leave me your link as a comment if you have posted about yours.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x

My First Birchbox - July 2013

Hello Lovelies, 

I have been subscribed to Glossybox for a while now, but hadn't tried a Birchbox before. At the end of July there was an offer on Facebook, where you could buy a six month Birchbox subscription for the price of a three month subscription which meant it was only £38.85 for six months and so I couldn't resist trying them. The first Birchbox I received was the July one, which had a 'Jet Set' theme and I was really excited to see what was inside.

As well as the products I also got a Birchbox Magazine, which has little bite size articles, about a variety of things from what to read and watch this month to jet set tips, to make up tips, recipes and information about the products that which were included in the July Birchboxes. I really liked this and the short articles means it nice to pick up and just have a flick through. Also included was a card telling me about the products in my Birchbox, a little card welcoming me to Birchbox and a card saying that for next month's box Birchbox have teamed with Instyle.

I had expected the actual box to be a bit bigger but I think that is because I was probably comparing it to Glossyboxes. What I really liked about this compared to Glossyboxes was that inside the box the products were in a cute little drawstring bag.

Inside my Birchbox was.....

Blanc Cachemire Protective Day Cream - 15ml

I had not heard of this Brand before and this Day Cream is described as a 'lightweight moisturising cream' that absorbs quickly into your skin. I normally use moisturising creams for oily/combination skin and it doesn't say anywhere what skin type this is for, but I'm looking forward to trying it and hope it is as lovely as the Birchbox Magazine says it is. 

Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave in Conditioner - (I can't see anywhere what size this is)

Again I had not heard of this product, but a leave in conditioner that is also a heat protector is always handy. The bottle says this is a 'thermal protector' and 'uv protector' that seals cuticles, smoothes hair, locks in colour, adds shine and is weightless and non-greasy, which sounds good to me. If it does all these things I will love using it and as a bonus it smells lovely :)

theBalm cosmetics InStain Long Wearing Powder Staining Blush in Swiss Dot - 0.5g

When I first saw this I was a bit disappointed by the size, I think the full size products Glossybox sometimes contains has spoilt me. However the packaging is so cute and I guess with it being so small it will be perfect to take out and about with you, and the colour is gorgeous so I'm looking forward to using this. 

Laura Geller Beauty Inkwell Gel Eyeliner in Purple - 2.5g

I haven't tried a gel eyeliner before, but I have wanted too for a while and so I was pleased to see this. I don't normally wear purple eye makeup but I think getting products in Birchboxes and Glossyboxes is a perfect chance to try things you wouldn't normally, so I will definitely try this and think it will be a lovely colour in autumn and winter. It comes with a brush in the end, which I really liked. This is the only full size product in this month's box and it is always nice to get a full size product. 

Weleda Skin Food - 10ml

This is a deeply nourishing moisturiser for dry and rough skin. I haven't tried this before but the size is a perfect size to keep in my handbag, and a product like this always comes in handy, so I am sure I will use it. 

The Chia Co Chia Shots - White - 8g

I hadn't heard of this before and didn't know what it was until I read about it. It is superfood that is 'packed with health-boosting omega 3, protein and more' and 'Chia is the richest plant based source of Omega 3, fibre and protein'. There is a recipe on the card attached to this sample and also some recipes in the Birchbox Magazine, and it says it can just be added to cereal, porridge, yogurt or smoothies, so I will definitely use this to try it, but not sure how yet.

Overall I am pleased with what I got in my July Birchbox, although I would like to see some bigger products in the next box I get. 

What did you get in your Birchbox this month? Leave me your link as a comment if you have posted about yours.

Thanks for reading :)

Nyss x