All About Glossybox And Unboxing Glossybox UK - January 2019 - Beauty Resolutions Edition

Okay this post is super, super late, so instead of making excuses I'm just going to quit the waffle and get on with it!

As you know last month I made the decision to call time on my You Tube channel,  and so far I have no regrets, it was definitely the right decision, it really was taking up way too much time and energy for very little reward, and the majority of content that I was producing would work just as well in the blog post format. Something that I used to do almost exclusively on my You Tube channel were subscription box unboxing videos.

Have a little look online and you can find lots of subscription type boxes, containing everything from beer, to candles, to chocolates, and of course beauty products. Some people love them and some people hate them, but whatever you think about them, they seem to be here to stay, and personally I'm all for them. I love the surprise element, and I love trying out new products, and new brands, and often trying out things that I wouldn't normally buy. For me it's all about finding the box for you, one that not only suits your interests, but one that you feel offers value for money and includes a lot of items that you'll both use and love. For me it's all about the beauty box and I've tried quite a few of the low to mid price boxes now and in my experience I've found that you can usually tell within a couple of months whether or not a box is the one for you. Although I do occasionally get the odd one off box from other brands I'm currently only subscribed to two boxes at the moment, Pink Parcel, which contains period products, and beauty and lifestyle items, and Glossybox which is and out and out beauty box.

I can't be sure but I think that Glossybox might have been one of the first every subscription boxes that I tried. I haven't been 100% loyal in that time, and I've cancelled and resubscribed a few times but at the moment I think that are one the best low to mid priced boxes out there. Their boxes feature a wide variety of well known brands and some new discoveries from brands from across the globe. A lot of boxes on the market tend to include a lot of miniatures, and travel sized products but Glossybox seem to be one of the best if you like full size items, out of the 5 items that comes in every box, you usually get at least 3 that are full sized and I've actually had boxes where everything in the box was a full retail size

When it comes to subscription boxes though, one of the key considerations is price and value for money, Glossybox claim that every box is worth at least £50 and since I've been filming unboxing videos, the cost of the items, always seems to exceed the price of the box so you definitely seem to get what you pay for and a little bit more besides but how much is it? Well there are various subscription options, the 1 month option is  £10 plus £3.25 postage, the 3 month option, a one off upfront payment of £38.25, you can also buy a 6 month subscription for a one off upfront payment of £69, and if you're really committed you can buy a 12 month subscription for an upfront payment of £132. If you do the math, then you've probably already realised that the longer plan you sign up for the cheaper the box is, and that's great if you love the box and you afford the initial outlay, but personally I prefer the flexibility of the 1 month auto renewal option. Yes, you will pay a little bit more in the long run, but for me I find it easier to afford and manage, and I would probably think that it would be way easier to cancel if the quality of the boxes goes down, or even if you just change your mind.

What do you get for your money though? Are you just sent a pile of random beauty products? Well in theory you aren't, when you first sign up to Glossybox you are asked to fill in a beauty profile, giving lots of basic information such as skin type, skin tone and hair colour, and hopefully by doing that you're sent products tailored to you. I'm going to be honest  and say that you don't always get things that you'll wear or that suit you, but if I can't use it I can usually find someone that will.

After you've received your box you have the opportunity to give Glossybox feedback both on the box itself and the products inside, by doing that you're not only helping Glossybox improve, but by leaving feedback you can also earn credits that can be redeemed against purchases from top online beauty retailer Look Fantastic. Not only that but if you recommend a friend you can also gain more credits which you can either use at look fantastic or against future boxes from Glossybox, it's a win, win!

Now I know that we are now into February and that the January box has long since sold out but I still think that it's worth sharing the contents with you, not only because I've now had a chance to use a few of the bits, but so you can get an idea of the contents, the value and of the quality and consistency of Glossybox as a whole, as I start my monthly blog unboxings.

The theme of January's box was the New Year edit, and it contained products to help you start a new beauty routine, and to make keeping your beauty new years resolutions easier. I'm not 100% sure that it fulfilled it aim, but a good skin and hair care routine, should be something that we should all try and maintain.

First up the box itself, this is the traditional and original, pink and black Glossybox. The boxes themselves are a good size, and they are quite sturdy so they are excellent for gift packaging and for storage. It's a real shame to throw them out so I always to try and reuse them somehow, if you have a look online actually there are loads of ideas as to how people reuse their boxes, but if you do throw it out obviously being cardboard it is recyclable. The first thing that you'll usually see when you open the box is an information card, this just tells you whats in you box, and gives you an idea of the prices of the items, and how to use them. Then beautifully wrapped in tissue, surrounded by paper shred and wrapped in a ribbon you'll find your products! As I say this is the traditional design with the pink box, and tissue, and the black shred and ribbon, but sometimes you'll receive a different box design with different coloured shred, tissue and ribbon depending on that months theme. I love the packaging and you always feel as though you are opening a present, and despite how lovely it looks I usually can't wait to tear it open and see what is inside, and this my dear reader is what was in January's box.

Avant Skincare Deluxe Hyaluronic Acid Vivifying Face & Eye Night Cream - 50ml - Full Size - RRP £98 

First up night cream from a British based, cruelty free, natural beauty brand Avant Skincare. This brand works with scientists around the world to source the best ingredients to care for you skin. This full size night cream which can be used on the face and the eyes contains hyaluronic acid to help improve fine lines and wrinkles, maris aqua / sea water which contains magnesium, potassium, and calcium, to restore moisture, balance oil production and even out the skin, and Vitamin B3 to reduce the appearance of pigmentation, and the appearance of pores.

Now unusually for an unboxing I've actually had a bit of time to try this out, I can't guarantee that this will always be the case in my unboxings it will normally just be first impressions but since I've been using this for a couple of weeks I thought I'd let you know how I got in and in simple terms, this is good stuff!

First up the packaging, plain not overly exciting but super practical and hygienic, no having to put your fingers in pot, just squeeze a little bit out - simples! Give it a squeeze, and out comes a white cream, with a very, slight pale pink tint, and a fresh scent. It's quite thick in appearance but it actually has a creamy, almost whipped texture, which feels quite light on the skin. Given it's appearance I expected it to be quite heavy but it didn't feel greasy on the skin and it absorbed easily with no residue. My skin immediately felt smooth and that smoothness, and an added glow was still evident the next morning.

My normally oily combination skin loves this cream, after a week or so of using it my skin looks smoother and brighter, and there has been a definite improvement in the texture. If you're skin is drier though I'm not sure that this cream would give you skin enough a moisture boost. I have a few dry flaky patches at the moment on my forehead and in between my eyebrows (damn you illness and winter weather!) and to be honest this cream hasn't done anything to improve them, so if you want full on moisture maybe this one wouldn't be for you.

Other than not being a huge fan of the scent though, I'm really enjoying using this cream and the effect that it's had on my skin, and I would definitely have considered repurchasing it, if it wasn't quite so price prohibitive. I've had a little look online, and although I can't find the same product in a tube, it does come in a pot which is the same size and retails at a pretty scary £98, so I see no reason why the tube wouldn't retail at the same or at least a similar price point. If you're interested you can find this product at Beauty Expert and at Look Fantastic.

Batiste Rethink Dry Shampoo - Dry Shampoo & Damage Control - 50ml - Deluxe Mini / Travel Size - RRP £1.50

For a long time Batiste seems to be of the mind that if it isn't broke why fix it and who can really blame them. As one of the pioneering brands when it comes to dry shampoo their products did what they promised without any bells or whistles, but in the last few years the brand has undergone a few changes and as a long time user and collaborator, the changes seem to have been for the better. From hairspray to heat protector sprays, and coloured and invisible dry shampoos, their range just keeps getting better and better.

A line that they've recently introduced is the Rethink range, which contains four new dry shampoos all geared towards different hair concerns, and this is one of them. Since my hair permanently needs a little bit of TLC I would have been happy to have received any of the options bar Volume, but I was particularly pleased to receive this one specifically designed for weak and damaged hair.

Containing keratin it promise all of the things that dry shampoo offers and bit more besides, as well as refreshing the hair, it also claims to protect the hair from damage caused by heat styling and over processing.

As per usual with Batiste it smells gorgeous, with a fresh, fruity, floral scent. Like a lot of dry shampoos it does add a touch of whiteness to my dark hair, but it brushes out easily and it doesn't feel dry, cakey or sticky.

I have a mountain of dry shampoos to use but they never come in wrong and it something that I use quite regularly so I'm happy to have this especially in this handy travel size, which is great for travel or for your handbag, and it's also a great size to try a new scent or a new formulation. These travel sizes normally retail at around £1.50, a full 200ml size retailers at around £3.99 from various retailers including Superdrug.

Wilkinson Sword Beauty Eyebrow Shaper - 3 Razors + Precision Cap - Full Size Pack - RRP £3.99

After many years of over plucking and having eyebrows that didn't even look related, let alone like sisters, a few years ago now I discovered Benefit and ever since then I've never let anyone else touch my eyebrows, bar me occasionally, not by using tweezers or wax you understand but by using products like these.

I've mainly bought mine in the past from ebay but these are similar and if you want a perfect brow with no strays above and below the brow then you need an eyebrow shaper in your life. I tend to use them in between appointments to remove the odd fine hair under my arch, or the odd straggler, so although I haven't tried these yet I will definitely use them at some point, and I will probably pass a couple on to Mummy Lou who doesn't trust anyone else bar herself with her brows! You can get these for around £3.99 with free postage directly from Wilkinson Sword, but you can also get them from various retailers including selected Morrisons, and Tesco stores and on Amazon.

Hask Argan Oil From Morocco Repairing Deep Conditioner - 50ml - Full Size - RRP £2.49

I first came across Hask in Primark, I'm not sure if they still sell it but as a brand it's much easier to get hold of now, you can now buy the range in Superdrug, Boots, selected Waitrose and Morrrisons stores, and Ocado, A US based brand, which specialises in products based on exotic oils, it was introduced into Europe in 2012, and it's free from sulfates, parabens, pthalates, and gluten, and it's also not tested on animals.

January's Glossybox contains one of 4 different masks and the one I received was the Argan Oil based treatment which has a recommended retail price of £2.49. It is a strengthening, and hydrating treatment, that is designed to smooth and restore dry, damaged, chemically treated and over processed hair. I've tried a few Hask products before but I haven't tried this one yet, my hair isn't too bad at the moment, but I don't think that it will be long before I give this a try.

-417 Re-Define Facial Micro Luffa Foaming Gel - 100ml - Deluxe Mini - RRP £13.31

As I say one of the reasons why I love subscription boxes is that they give you the chance to try new brands and products that you probably wouldn't have discovered on your own, and in January's Glossybox I was lucky enough to find two skin items that I've fallen in love with, the Avant night cream and this facial wash.

I'd never head of -417 before but from what I can gather they appear to a Dead Sea based skin care brand, that appears to be paraben, mineral oil and cruelty free. This is a foaming gel cleanser, exfoliator and make up remover in one,  that unusually for a cleanser contains a whole load of good for you ingredients including, Luffa Bean, Aloe Vera, Sweet Almond, Grapeseed and Avocado oils, Dead Sea Water and Vitamins A, B, E, and F

Squeeze it out of the tube and this cleanser doesn't look that interesting, it's just a yellow toned,  fresh, herbal scented, runny gel that contains very small plant based particles. You use it like you would any other facial wash, or gel based scrub and just apply a small amount onto damp skin, and then massage it over the face, adding a little bit of water as you go. As you massage it transforms into a creamy foam, you can feel a slight exfoliation from the loofah particles but it's very gentle, and not harsh or scratchy. After rinsing it off with warm water and a muslin cloth, my skin looked slightly pink, but it looked cleaner, fresher and brighter. Despite the fact that it was a foaming cleanser there was no tightness or dryness, and my skin actually felt very smooth and soft.

I've been using this for a couple of weeks and my skin definitely looks clearer, and fresher, I still have few dry patches that I had before using it but overall my skin definitely looks better especially combines with the Avant night cream. This is a 100ml deluxe mini size and Glossybox give an estimated RRP as around £22.71, the only price that I can find online for this product is $29 for the 200ml size  direct from Minus 417 which seems to be the only retailer.

So that was January's Glossybox, according to Glossybox, this box was worth over £120 which seems to be about right based on my research. The focus of this box was obviously skin care and hair care, but personally I like a bit more of a variety of products, and I do love a bit of make up, so at first glance this box wasn't too exciting, but after having an opportunity to try a few of the products properly and liking them, the £13.25 that I paid for the box seems to represent pretty good value for money.

As I say this January box has now sold out but you can still get your hands on February's Valentines themed box which includes a HUDA Beauty Lip Contour Pencil, and maybe a make up brush x Mine has dispatched today so I will show you the contents ASAP x You can find out more about Glossybox UK here x If you have any questions please leave me a comment below, and also let me know what you think about this box xx

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

A Review Of Batiste Pixie Lott Dry Shampoo*

From once being seen as a slightly, niche and dare I say it lazy product, dry shampoo, is now classed as a hair care main stay and must have. Brands come and go, and whilst I'm always keen to try new releases and formulations, my heart belongs to probably the oldest and most well known of all the dry shampoo brands, Batiste.

I think I've tried pretty much every scent and formula that they do and by and large I've loved them all. Towards the end of last year and the start of this year there seemed to a flurry of new fragrance releases from Batiste but then it all went quiet; That was until April when Batiste announced details of their biggest launch and collaboration to date.

For their huge 2014 campaign Batiste have teamed up with singer, songwriter, actress and Strictly Come Dancing star Pixie Lott. Not only is she starring in a series of TV adverts, but she's also appearing in a print advertising campaign for the brand, shot by legendary photographer, Rankin. The images are amazing as you would expect from such a renowned photographer and the aim was really to show Pixie and the brand in a fresh new light

Picture Courtesy Of Rankin And Batiste 

As well as being the face and the hair of the brand, Pixie has also collaborated with Batiste to introduce her own self titled variety of  Batiste Dry Shampoo. It wasn't just a matter of putting her face and name to it though, she was also instrumental in choosing both the fragrance and the artwork that appears on the can that bears her name and image.

This can like so many in the Batiste line is heavily influenced by the 60's and 70's op art and psychedelic period. An era maybe familiar to Pixie through her work in the 1960's set BBC crime drama, Inspector George Gently. I think I'm a flower child or hippy at heart and love this type of blue, turquoise, lime green and white geometric style print. Pretty much every Batiste can is a work of art in it's own right, and this one is no different.

As well as choosing the design of the can, Pixie was also instrumental is choosing the fragrance. Described as  fun and floral, this product contains all different types of fruit, floral and even foodie notes, including bergamot, lemon, cedarwood, mixed florals, sandalwood, musk and even milk!

For me I'm not really sure that the fun and floral tag line really works, It's definitely a more complicated fragrance than these few words suggest. Like a lot of the Batiste fragrances it's quite heady, you definitely get the spicy wood notes, and a hint of the citrus and florals, but you also get quite a bit of musky, warmth, giving it a very comforting and warming fragrance.

Fragrance is such a personal thing though and you might get something completely different from it, that's the wonder of our noses I guess :) I have to be honest and say that there are fragrances in the Batiste line that I prefer over this. I'm very much a fresh and floral girl, and whilst it's pleasant and unobtrusive it's just a bit too warm and musky for me.

Smell is a big thing when it comes to dry shampoo, as one of it's major roles is too remove odours from the hair, and this definitely does that without any problems. The majority of Batiste Dry Shampoos are categorised by their white colour and slightly chalky texture and this one is no different. I personally don't have an issue with it, just apply a little at a time, and make sure you rub it in, and then brush it out - the only time I've ever had an issue is when I've applied too much at once. 

Another tip is also to apply it to the underneath of your hair as much as possible, so the product gets right to the roots where it needs it most, and you avoid a lot of the hair that's actually on show.

I'm not going to say I'll never deviate from Batiste when it comes to dry shampoo, I love trying new things too much to do that but I know that this brand works for me, and gives me the results that I want and at the moment that's enough for me, even if this fragrance didn't quite cut the mustard. If you have any questions please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading x 

(*PR Sample)

Trimming My Stash - May 2014 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hey Guys x It's monthly empties time again and yet again I'm a bit disappointed :(

Givenchy Dahlia Noir EDT - 30ml

Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Mask - 30ml

Batiste Dry Shampoo - Lace - 200ml

Glo Minerals Water Resistant Mascara - Black - 10ml

The Body Shop Jolly Orange Bath And Shower Gel - 250ml

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Butter - 200ml

Total - 6 Items

I've tried so, so hard and I only managed to finish 6 items in May. I managed to finish something in every category bar facial skincare which I guess is decent but I'm still annoyed I didn't manage to finish a few more items. I have a few things on the go at the moment that just don't seem to be ending, including a face powder that seems to be going on and on, I just want to finish it and start something new wahhhhh! Never mind these are the products that I managed to finish in May 

1. Givenchy Dahlia Noir EDT - 30ml

The is now one of my favourite perfumes of all time. I'm useless at describing fragrances but this one is just so me. It's light but heady, fresh but floral at the same time. I love this and thankfully I have a larger size in back up.

2. Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Mask - 30ml

At some point in my life I will get round to buying a full size of this. It smells gorgeous and leave your hair feeling like silk - Me and Mummy Lou are big fans.

3. Batiste Dry Shampoo - Lace - 200ml 

I have so many Batiste varieties on the go at once that I very rarely seem to finish one. Lace though is one of my favourites, and it's one that I would definitely repurchase x You can read my review here x 

4. Glo Minerals Water Resistant Mascara - Black - 10ml

This was something that I was sent x You can read my full review here x I liked it but it did go very clumpy and flaky towards the end of its life.

5. The Body Shop Jolly Orange Bath And Shower Gel - 250ml

This was a long time discontinued Christmas product from The Body Shop. It had more of a spicy, warming orange scent than I anticipated but I still enjoyed using it x

6. The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Body Butter - 200ml

This is a funny one, At first I loved this entire range and I repurchased several of the products but lately I've gone right off it, it's funny how your nose works at times. It's been discontinued now I believe but I still have a few sale purchases from the range to use up, so hopefully my love for the smell will come back.

So they were May's empties, hopefully I'll manage to finish a few more bits in June, but in the meantime if you have any questions, please leave me a comment x 

Feeling Fresh And Floral With Batiste*

You wouldn't think it from the weather this week but a new month means were one step closer to Spring. I love all the seasons in their own way but Spring really is something special. I'm going to sound a bit cheesy here but there really is something about the new born lambs in the fields and the flowers starting to bloom again that really lifts your spirits.

Spring also means a change a fashion, and probably since the year dot one of the key fashion trends of Spring / Summer has been the floral print. As well as the classic Liberty prints, designers as diverse as Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Roberto Cavalli have all based designs and collections on the humble flower.

What about this year? well florals were back again on the catwalk and featured heavily in the Spring / Summer 2014 collections from labels such as J Crew, Valentino, Miu Miu and Erdem. As per usual though you don't need to fork out for that price tag to get the look, ASOS alone comes up with around 1000 hits when you search for florals! These as just some of my high street and online floral picks.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

It's not just clothes though florals really are everywhere at the moment. Shabby Chic is probably the buzz word when it comes to home styling. It's vintage feel and look and vintage floral inspired designs are must haves whether there from Cath Kidston or from IKEA like my duvet cover.

It goes without saying that florals play a major role in the beauty industry, more and more products are botanical based and more and more floral prints are popping on product packaging, in product design and on beauty accessories such as this cute floral design pocket mirror*

I said in my recent Batiste Monochrome review that Batiste are a brand that like to follow fashion, and they've done it again with the recent introduction of Batiste Floral.

I'm really impressed with the designs on Batiste cans and the illustration on this one is gorgeous. It's a pale lemon with pink roses and bright green leaves scattered - not dissimilar to my duvet cover if the background was yellow - obviously.

When it comes to it's abilities as a dry shampoo having reviewed so many Batiste products  before, I guess I don't really need to say anything bar it does exactly what it claims to, they are nothing if not consistent. - where they do vary is with the fragrances. Batiste Floral as you would expect has floral notes at it's heart and features a combination of rose, violet, blossoms and lily of the valley. Perhaps more unexpected though are fruity top notes of melon, orange and peach. When you think about it maybe it's not that unexpected, all the top fragrance houses mix up their fragrance families to product unique scents and that's exactly what Batiste have done here. As you've probably gathered I'm useless at describing scents but you definitely do get a sort of fresh fruitiness at first leading to a sort of fine fragrance floral aroma afterwards. The smell of this one definitely reminds me of something but I can't put my finger (or my nose!) on what. At first I thought it was DKNY - Be Delicious and whilst I can see why I thought that (it has a similar combination of fruits and florals) I don't think that's the scent I'm thinking of. No matter, if you like floral fragrances but you don't like in your face say rose or violet, then you might like this fruity floral -it's definitely up there with my favourite Batiste fragrances of all time, and the can makes a lovely edition to my room x

Batiste Floral* is a Superdrug exclusive and retails at £2.99 for a 200 ml can x

(*Press Samples)

Embracing The Monochrome Trend With Batiste

They may not be a fashion brand but you can always count on beauty brand Batiste to be right on trend with their packaging and their fragrances. Over the last few years they've followed fashion trends with dry shampoo cans featuring lace, animal print, and Cath Kidston and Meadham Kirchhoff inspired cherry blossoms, and their latest introductions are no different.

One trend that keeps popping up every season is monochrome. Okay you don't automatically think black and white when it comes to spring and summer, but think about it - the majority of us probably wear black and white at least once a week. It's a classic combination that just works and always looks perfect whether you wear a black suit with a white blouse, a pair of this seasons gingham check pants or even a pair of black trousers and a plain white t-shirt -The shops, magazines and catwalks are full of it.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Yet again Batiste are where it's at when it comes to fashion with their new release Batiste Monochrome.

Photographed artfully (lol) against my lovely zebra print scarf and some lovely black and white striped everton mints , the can is decorated in a retro, almost op art black and white design.

Okay I know it's not all about the packaging, so what about the product inside, well like every other Batiste variant it does the business. It's a fab for freshening the hair and for adding volume whatever the time of year. In fact due to the electrics blowing in the bathroom over Christmas I probably used this more that I would in the summer - have you tried washing your hair in the dark? - not easy x 

Apart from the cans what differentiates all the different varieties of Batiste is the smell. I have to be honest and say that this one isn't one of my favourites. Monochrome has a very heady, almost spicy fragrance which include floral notes of iris, lilac, orange blossom  and hyacinth, alongside heady and warming notes of pepper and musk.  

Batiste Monochrome Dry Shampoo is a Boots exclusive and retails at £2.99 for 200ml.

If you like something a bit warmer and dare I say a bit sexier than maybe Batiste Monochrome is the fragrance for you, if your like me though and you prefer a softer floral then maybe something else will suit you better for example Batiste Floral, another newish introduction which I will be reviewing next week x If you have any questions please leave me a comment xx

(Batiste Monochrome Dry Shampoo 200ml And The Yummy Everton Mints Were Provided By PR For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Going Wild With Batiste

A couple of weeks ago I received a lovely parcel from a PR company to celebrate the launch of the latest addition to the Batiste Dry Shampoo family.

I have to admit I'm a bit of a sucker for animal print I love the stuff from cardigans, to swimwear you name it I've got it. Inside the package was an amazing pair of animal print Tipsy Feet

If you don't know what Tipsy Feet are, where have you been ! Basically Tipsy Feet, are flat ballet pumps, that fold down into a small pouch

When your feet start to hurt on a day or night out, simply pull the pouch out of your bag, unfold the shoes, and unfurl the pouch to make a little bag to put your heels in :) I'll definitely be taking these to the wedding on Friday in case my heels get too much :) I also got this cute little fella in my press pack,

Isn't he sweet, he's too nice to put on my keys so I need to find a home for him away from my fur babies :)

Anyways all these animal print products were kindly sent to me to celebrate the launch of the new Batiste Dry Shampoo, Batiste Wild

The first thing that you notice about this product is the packaging which in case you haven't already guessed is animal print in design, it even features a claw scratch mark on the can, miaow indeed

Designed to bring out your wild side, Wild has an amazingly sexy oriental based fragrance, with notes of cocoa, vanilla, and musk. If you like Thierry Mugler Angel this is the product for you. Alas it isn't one I'm a fan of so I probably wouldn't purchase this particular version purely based on the smell. It still does everything you would expect from a Batiste product including getting rid of odours, adding volume, and refreshing oily roots, only with a much more daring complex fragrance. Batiste Wild is exclusive to Boots and retails at £2.99 for 200ml. Any questions please leave me a comment xx

(All The Products In This Post Were Provided For Review / Promotional Purposes)

Long Hair, Grazia And A Review Of The Tangle Teezer

If you follow me on twitter you'll know that last week I was super excited to be featured on Grazia magazine online Beauty Blog Round Up, and even more excited to find out I'd been featured yesterday too . A little while ago I was given the opportunity to be one of Grazia's featured Beauty and Fashion bloggers. Nothing is going to change for you guys all it means it that Grazia may feature or highlight some of my blog posts that they feel are relevant to their site and I may feature content on my blog from them that I feel may be relevant to me or you guys, a bit like this post x

Last week Grazia online published an article all about caring for long hair despite having a bit chopped off the last time I got my hair cut it's still falls into the long category

Apart from a two year period when I went for a short bob and then a crop! I've always had long hair in fact when I was in primary school I could sit on my hair!

Long hair though needs special care and the Grazia article gives some great product and styling tips for those of us with flowing locks. A couple of the products have already been added to my must try list including the Morrocan Oil Large Barrel Brush, and the Ojon Instant Restorative Hair Serum, but two of the products the ladies mention are already regulars in my haircare routine, Batiste Dry Shampoo and more recently the Tangle Teezer.

For a few months now if not longer I heard so many people singing the praises of this little bit of plastic that I had to give it a try. So on my Thomas Cook holiday flight I bought the Pink Sizzle Compact Tangle Teezer.

Now lets be honest at first glance this doesn't look that impressive, in fact my mum very kindly described it as a cat brush lol, and to be fair it takes a bit of getting used to. The lack of a handle is a little disconcerting at first but styler is ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in the palm of your hand.

 My hair in it's natural state is quite wavy, added to that a mixture of sunshine, humidity and salt water, then in the last week or so I tended to look a bit like a member of the Jackson Five ie I had very big hair! The bristle of the Tangle Teezer don't feel that strong so I was a bit wary at first, but I needn't have been this brush coped really well with my knots and tangles leaving my hair my hair really smooth. I did lose a few hairs in the process but the clever protective cover also features a tool to remove excess hair from the brush.

I have to say I agree with a lot of my twitter followers and the girls at Grazia, the Tangle Teezer is a great tool for those with long hair, or hair that tangles easily, and I can imagine it would be great on childrens hair. I gave this brush a pretty stern test whilst I was away and it passed with flying colours. Any questions please let me know and don't forget to check out Grazia Daily and Tangle Teezer.

Pump Up The Volume With Batiste

First of all a huge apology - I've had this product for a little while now and I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get the review up - I'm trying to do a few catch ups before I go on holiday :)
As you guys already know I am a huge fan of Batiste dry shampoo (click here, here, here and here to see some reviews), so when I heard that they were releasing a new variant I was of course keen to try it. I was very kindly sent a 200ml can of their latest product Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume.

As the name would suggest this is a volumising product. It still does the same job as the other dry shampoos in the range - refreshing the hair, and getting rid of oily roots but at the same time, it can help make the hair look thicker and more volumised, without hours of backcombing and without washing your hair. The process is simple all you do is spray the product into your roots, rub it through and then comb or style your hair as normal.

The product looks pretty similar to the other dry shampoos in the Batiste range, with a similar floral smell it's basically a white powder, the particles in XXL Volume though do seem to be a tiny bit bigger than in the other products in the range, so you will experience a bit of fall out. I actually made the mistake of applying it whilst I was wearing a dark top, not a good move, it was covered in white sprinkles. Obviously if you have really dark hair you will need to be careful with this to avoid an ashy finish.

 If I leave my hair to dry naturally I have very big, very wavy hair but as you know I like my hair straight, I don't have curly hair but I do have very wavy hair which I like to keep looking as sleek and as shiny as possible- Here is a before picture for you please excuse the lack of make up here

Yup that's pretty flat and lacking in volume isn't it, so I sprayed a bit of XXL Volume into my roots particularly around my crown, I then massaged it in and scrunched it a bit and volia!

Excuse the gurning expression I really don't know what's going on there - shocking and a little cringe worthy! but you can see that my hair certainly has a lot more volume and uplift. What surprised me is that unlike a lot of mousses and backcombing products my hair didn't feel sticky, if anything it actually felt a little bit dry, which worried me when I came to wash it out. I needn't have worried though it washed out really easily without leaving any product build up.

If you want a little bit or even a lot of extra volume in your hair this product certainly does the trick. My only real drawback has to be with the white colour and the fall out I don't think this product would work particularly well on darker hair, I think the white residue would just be too noticeable. It was ok on my hair which has a lot of blonde in it but since I'm going back over to the darkside on Tuesday I don't think this product is for me in the long term. Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume retails at around £3.99 for 200ml. If you have any questions please leave me a comment xx

(Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume 200ml Was Provided By PR For Review Purposes)

Hair To The Throne With Batiste and Superdrug

Unless you have been living under a rock you'll be fully aware that on 29th April this year we have a Royal Wedding to look forward too. Will I personally be tuning I hate to say it but no - I'm personally not too bothered, in fact I would go so far as to say to say I am only interested in the dress, which will no doubt appear in the Internet in seconds of the big reveal, can you believe 3 dresses have been created in case the press get hold of any images before the big day - insane. Despite not being a Royalist I am however as patriotic as the next person and am a firm believer in regaining the national flag. If you want to show your patriotism in a useful and practical way you could certainly do worse than pick up a can of Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry Shampoo I hear your cry what's that got to do with being British well Batiste have introduced the fabulous Batiste Brit Dry Shampoo

Exclusive to Superdrug, Brit is packaged in a funky Union Jack designed spray can, and has a fabulous fresh, clean scent, ideal for keeping you hair fresh and clean on the upcoming Bank Holiday weekends. Batiste Brit retails at £2.13 for 150mls and is exclusive to Superdrug.

Not only that but Batiste have teamed up with Superdrug to offer you the chance to win your own Crown Jewels - £1000 of Love To Shop vouchers - so you can purchase your own diamonds, clothes or as much make up as you want - check out the Superdrug website before 16th May to see how to enter x
Any questions please ask x Over the next few weeks I have a couple more Royal Wedding posts planned showing you some of the fabulous and some of the bizarre merchandise so keeping checking back x

(Batiste Brit 150ml Was Provided By PR For Review / Promotional Purposes)

More Batiste - It's Tones Time

As you know I am a huge lover of Batiste dry shampoo and I was recently made aware about their new launch Batiste Tones. I know a lot of people have a few issues with the white residue of traditional Batiste varieties so hopefully this product is the answer. Batiste Tones comes in 3 varieties - Light and Blonde, Medium and Brunette Hair, and Dark and Deep Brown. As well as freshening up the hair and helping with oiliness, Batiste Tones obviously contain colour, so they can also be used to hide grey hairs, and to hide regrowth on coloured hair.
I was sent the one for Medium and Brunette Hair

and the one for Light and Blonde Hair

This is probably my biggest issue - it was a hard choice as to which colour to go for - as you know my hair is notoriously two tone I have natural mid brown hair with lots and lots of ash blonde streaks.

Thankfully I was sent both colours to try but I have to be honest and say neither of them really worked on my hair colour. The Medium and Brunette was straight away too dark for my hair admitadly it covered the blonde but that isn't really the look I personally wanted If however you were covering grey I can really see the advantages of this product - these pics were take after I'd had my hair coloured - sorry they aren't great

Before

After

Powdery is the obvious word with this I had a lot of brown powder fallout which wasn't great if your wearing a white top, and it also had a tendency to stain your skin a bit, and your hairbrush :(
The Light and Blonde still wasn't perfect, it did cover to some degree but it still left a powdery residue - I did a few before and after pics before I got my hair done last week so there were plenty of roots to cover

Before

After Spraying

After Working Through

As you can see after the initial spray it looks super powdery, after working it through a bit the powder is still evident, but it looks a bit better.
If you have darker hair I think Batiste Tones will be much better for you than the traditional sprays which may leave a white residue. However if you have multi coloured or toned hair like me I really don't think these sprays are that great an investment - these are probably the two colours that are the closest to my own hair but I just couldn't make them work for me :(  Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoos are available in 3 shades and retail at around £2.99 for 150ml spray. Any questions please ask, and please check out the Batiste website for more details x

(Batiste Dry Shampoo in Light and Blonde, and Medium and Brunette Were Provided For Review Purposes)