Unboxing Glossybox UK - February 2019 Edition - It's All About ♡

Happy Valentines Day or should that be Happy Singles Appreciation Day, whichever side of the fence that you fall on I hope you've had all had a lovely day and you've either been spoilt rotten or like me you've treat yourself to something special and you've spent the day loving yourself x

If you haven't quite had enough of all of the love and the hearts, I thought today was the perfect time to share Feburary's Glossybox unboxing with you, and It's All About ♡!

Instead of the traditional black and pink box that I showed you last month, February's Glossybox has a definite Valentines day flavour. The lid features the box title and a heart, and the base of the box features a fabulous heart design, in shades of red and pink.

Open the box and you're greeted with a little parcel tied with a beautiful white, heart designed ribbon. Remove the information card and your goodies are lovingly wrapped in hot pink tissue, and kept safe with oodles of white paper shred.

Now before I talk about what's inside in more depth I want to talk a little bit about some of the general reactions to this box. Considering this box has now sold out you would assume that it was universally popular, well that wasn't really the case. I've watched a few You Tube videos and read a few comments and posts on this box and some people weren't that happy with it. As you know I always to be as balanced as possible in my reviews and this one is going to to be no different, I liked this box and I think that some of the criticisms of it were unfounded - Have a read and make your own mind up

HUDA Beauty Lip Contour Super Longwear Matte Lip Pencil - Venus - 1.2g - Full Size - RRP £16

First up the big draw, the hint that was dropped last month. and the item that was probably why this box sold out. A full size HUDA Beauty Lip Contour Super Longwear Matte Lip Pencil.  Described as the perfect blend of a lipstick and a lip liner, this velvety matte formulation, defines and lines the lips, with hydrating, transfer resistant,  and waterproof colour!

Each box this month contained one of two shades, I received the colour Venus a lovely brownie, nude shade. The pencil itself felt soft and creamy on the lips and applied easily without any tugging on scratching.

The pigmentation was superb, and it's shade that will work really well with a lot of lip colours in my collection. You can obviously use it as a liner but in the picture below I've applied it all over my lips. I'm wearing it alone here but you could pop a gloss over the top, or even a lipstick to help it last longer. Purely wearing it on it's own the wear time was fantastic, I managed to eat a bowl of granola, fruit and yogurt with this on and it was still intact when I'd finished. This lip pencil  has a nice formulation and it's something that I would definitely consider repurchasing in the future. This is a full sized pencil which has a retail price of £16, and is available from a variety of retailers including Selfridges, Feelunique UK and Cult Beauty

Nails Inc Nail Polish - Status Ready - 14ml - Full Size - RRP £11-£15

Next up a full size nail polish from Nails Inc. A lot of people moan about nail polishes in beauty boxes, but in my opinion there should be more of them not less. Status Ready is a gorgeous cherry red shade, it's the type of colour that I wear a lot in the winter months and it's perfect for Valentines Day. It's one of those colours that's ideal for any length of nails, and no matter your age, or your personal style. I haven't had a change to try this yet but I will definitely feature is in an upcoming nails of the day post. I can't find this specific shade online, bar on ebay ! so seeing that Nails Inc do a lot of them, it's possibly a limited edition colour. The price of full size Nails Inc polishes vary so this could retail at pretty much anything between £11 - £15.

Luxie Beauty Medium Fan Face Brush - 560 - Full Size - Est. RRP £15 / $22

There were more complaints about this, apparently these boxes contain too many face brushes. Well, I haven't had one lately and even if I had a wouldn't complain, you can never have enough make up brushes in my opinion!

Luxie are a relatively new brand to the UK, and they will be launching soon on ASOS and on Look Fantastic. All of the brushes are vegan, cruelty free and hypoallergenic.

I was first introduced to the brand in my Glossybox advent calendar (read my post here) and my first impressions were good, and again this brush doesn't disappoint. I do like a fan brush and I've already made good use of this one, I tend to use them with a little bit of loose powder to get rid eyeshadow fallout, and I also sometimes use them for adding just a touch of highlighter to my cheekbones. The hairs are nice and soft and the quality is good, all in all a good brush that I'm happy to have in my collection.

Vitamasques Multivitamin Mask x 1 Sheet Mask - Full Size - RRP £4.99

Next up another item that seemed to trigger a few complaints - a face mask - well considering I use at least one a week I'm always happy to add new masks to my collection so no complaints from me here, especially since this is another sheet mask.

For Korean beauty inspired brand Vitamasques this sheet mask is designed for all skin types, but particularly thirsty skin, and contains 5 vitamins B3, B5, B6, C and E, to help nourish the skin. My skin is all over that place at the moment with spots, dry patches, and oily bits, so I'll definitely be trying this out soon x Keep an eye on my monthly empties posts to hear my thoughts x This mask is available from various retailers including Vitamasques directly, and Beauty Cutie.

Regenerate Enamel Science Advanced Toothpaste - 14ml - Deluxe Mini / Travel Size - Est. RRP £2.50 / £2.25

Now we're really heading in to controversial territory - why? well printed on this product in tiny little letters it says Free Sample Not For Sale. Quite a few people are arguing that this shouldn't be in the box because technically it was for sale and we've bought it. That argument doesn't make a great deal of sense to me to be honest, because the price of the box is covered in the first item alone, so surely every other product is a bonus, so surely we aren't paying for every single item in the box? Hmm ah well everyone is entitled to their opinion I guess...

Anyways on to the product itself and I think the inclusion of toothpaste is a great one for a Valentines Day themed box, after all who doesn't want fresh breath for all of that kissing ;) Regenerate isn't just a toothpaste though it's specially designed to help strengthen and regenerate the enamel in our teeth. I've actually already been sent some of this directly from Regenerate so I'll let you know my thoughts when I've had a chance to try it x If you fancy giving it a go in the meantime you can actually buy this 14ml travel size from Fragrance Direct for around £2.25 (I wonder if their tubes have any writing on them ;), or you can buy the full 75ml for around £10 from various retailers.

So there you go your 5 items from February's Valentines Day themed Glossybox, and despite some of the complaints out there I'm pretty pleases the value is most definitely there, even after just comparing the RRP of the first item to the box price, oh but wait, this love themed box also includes a couple of extra items on top of the usual 5...

Mugler Alien Fusion EDP - 1.2ml

Mugler Alien Man Fusion - EDT - 1.2ml

That's right as a little extra treat / pressie February's Glossybox also contains 2 fragrance samples, 1 for him and 1 for her. Again those little words not for sale are printed on the packaging and yes they are samples that you may be able to get on counter but they are included as extras on top of the five items that you get in you are supposed to get in your Glossybox -February's box contains 7 items so why are people complaining? - I have no idea!

I've got to say that I've never been a fan of Mugler fragrances but this one might just have changed my mind. Alien Fusion for women contains ginger, cinnamon, tuberose, orange blossom, vanilla and white amber. Given those ingredients you would expect it to smell quite heavy and it does, it has a lot of warm and spicy notes, but at the same time, the tuberose and orange blossom (two of my favourite scents) slowly come through. I would never have even considered trying this fragrance before and whilst I'm still sure I would go out and buy it, I'm definitely going to finish the vial.

The men's scent has similar warm and spicy notes, with just a hint of leather and contains ginger, cinnamon, leather, osmanthus, green coffee, and steamed beech. Alas I'm pretty single this Valentines Day so I will be passing this one probably to a relative instead x 

So that really was Febuary's Glossybox, what can I say really, I don't mind when people complain with good reason, I can whinge with the best of them but some of the complaints that I've seen about this box just make my head spin. The HUDA Beauty product alone is worth more than the entire box (£13.25 at most), as well as potentially another two products in the Nails Inc nail polish and in the Luxie brush, yet some people's focus seems to be on the free toothpaste and the free perfume samples! Personally as I've already said I'm pretty happy with the box, the value is definitely there and I'll use all of the products at some point. Subscription boxes like Glossybox are always a gamble and you have to be prepared to receive items that you don't like or that you won't use. If you aren't willing to take that risk then maybe boxes like this aren't for you, and maybe you should consider boxes like QVC UK's TILI box or one of the one off boxes that list their contents upfront, or even putting money aside to save up for something special instead of buying a box. You pays your money, you makes you choice at the end of the day x 

If you are interested in subscribing or finding out more about Glossybox UK, then click this link and you could reserve March's box which contains a lip balm from new vegan and cruelty free brand BYBI. In the meantime I'd love to know your thoughts on this box, do you think I'm being overly lenient with Glossybox? or do you agree with my assessment? Let me know in the comments x 

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Trimming My Stash - February 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hey everyone x Welcome to the first day of spring and guess what a weather warning is in place for the North East for ice and snow! Well lets hope the old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb is true and that warmer weather is on it's way.

Even with the extra day thanks to leap year February is still the shortest month and it's another one that I'm pleased to see the back of. From today though I'm going to try and think more positively and try to look forwards and focus on the good things in my life rather than the bad bits. Before I do that the I'm going to take a quick look back at February's beauty empties.

Evolve Tropical Blossom Body Polish - 30ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser - 200ml
The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel - 60ml
The Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter - 50ml
Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - 400ml
Cien Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free - 200ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes
Total - 8 Items 

It's only the 1st March and we've already got a positive, I managed to finish 8 items in February which is one more than I did in January. I didn't manage to finish any make up items but I managed to finish quite a few body care and skincare items, including a few things that had been lingering on, so all is good.

1. Evolve Tropical Blossom Body Polish - 30ml

When I was choosing products for my My Pure reviews why oh why didn't I chose the larger size of this scrub, I love it and I'm really sad that I've used it up. I love sugar scrubs at the best of times but the scent of this one took it up to the next level. A lovely combination of natural oils, and sugar with the most beautiful tropical floral scent. If you love monoi oil or  the fragrance of  the Elemis Tahitian Tiare line, or if you fancy been mentally transported to a tropical island, then you need this product in your life. You can read a full review here x

2, Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes

You're probably sick of seeing these in my empties posts but I seem to go through packets and packets of these. Last month I mainly used them for quick and easy swatch clean up, and the fact that I used two packets should perhaps show you how many make up posts I have coming up so if you love make up reviews you're in the right place!

3. The Body Shop Vitamin E Cream Cleanser - 200ml

This was something that I received in a goodie bag when I attended an event at The Body Shop way back in 2014. You can read more about this product and the event here but this product is a real classic. This creamy textured cleanser has a lovely rose scent, it removes make up and dirt with ease and it leaves the skin feeling silky soft. I've really enjoyed using it and whilst I wouldn't repurchase at the moment, it's something that I would consider using again.

4.The Body Shop Glazed Apple Shower Gel - 60ml

5.. The Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter - 50ml

It's 3 in a row from The Body Shop, and their Glazed Apple fragrance is something that I've fell in love with over the last few months. Whilst not traditionally apple scented, this a sweet, sugary, mouthwatering, fruity scent that I've really grown to love, so much so in fact that I may have even licked my own arm! Don't try this at home folks eating body butter isn't good and unfortunately it didn't taste as nice as it smelled. These were just mini sizes, and thankfully I have a few full sizes to use up. If anyone from The Body Shop is listening please bring this back next Christmas - pretty please!


6. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water - 400ml

I've talked quite a bit on the blog about micellar water's and of the ones that I've tried so far, this was is by far my favourite. It removes make up with absolutely no effort and it's really economical - you get a lot of product and it isn't expensive. Would I buy it again? I already have x -

7. Cien Nail Polish Remover Acetone Free - 200ml

This acetone free nail polish remover is from Lidl's own brand Cien. I love the dispenser and it works without drying the nail but I just can't stand the marzipan, almond scent it leaves on the nails, so unfortunately I won't repurchase. I will however reuse the pump action bottle with my favourite Superdrug remover.

8. Primark PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin - 25 Wipes

Blah, blah' blah - what else can I say about these - they're  cheap and they have tea tree in them.

So they were my February empties, here's hoping I can keep up the good work and finish even more beauty products in March and maybe even a make up item or two x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment xx

Foodie Friday On A Saturday - What I Ate In February And A Quick Update

Hey lovely people x I hope your all well x I haven't been hence the numerous disappearing acts. Hormones CFS / Fibro Stuff and a horrid gastric flu bug given to me by my lovely mummy have all meant that blogging and in fact life has taken a back seat. I'm still not feeling amazing but I'm going to try and regain some of my blogging mojo and get some long overdue posts up.

My end of the month posts bar my weight loss one, fell by wayside in February so that's where I'm going to start. There won't be a haul post till the end of March though, I haven't felt well enough to do the accompanying video so I'll save my goodies till I do x In the meantime I'm going to start with something that hasn't been at the top of my agenda over the last week - food x

If you saw my most recent post (it's here if you didn't) you'll know that in February I managed to lose another 6lbs :). I haven't starved myself by any means and if I've wanted treats I've had them - Malteaster Bunnies, and Kinder Mini Eggs yum, yum bring it on! That said I've still been good if I've ate too much one day I've made up for it the next. Most of us have a misconception that diet food and healthier food is boring well not for me it's not. Trying to eat better has given me the perfect opportunity to experiment with food and whilst I've eaten a lot of old favourites in February I've also tried quite a few new recipes.

First up a couple of things that I've made before on numerous occasions - my veggie chilli served with a Mexican style rice (this rice was bought but I definitely think I can replicate the style and flavourings myself ), and a veggie cottage pie topped with just a tiny bit of grated cheese - guess which is mine based on the amount of grated cheese lol

Yup mine is the one with the least cheese - hard for a cheese fiend but sacrifices need to be made in the name of weight loss lol. This recipe always ends up being made with leftovers really. My mum is a big stew / casserole maker - she makes some for her with either chunks of beef or mince, and she makes mine with either soya chunks or soya mince. Never knowingly under catered we always have left overs and we usually have left over mash, so I make ickle cottage pies in individual dishes which I then cook in the oven  - yummy and super filling! I also sometimes do this with leftover chilli and sweet potato mash - mmmm

Something else which I make a lot now and I've become quite fond of overnight oats -basically porridge oats layered with yogurt, and fruit, and left overnight in the fridge. I've had a few early starts lately and I find this really filling and great for setting you up for the rest of the day. I also like the fact that it isn't a boring breakfast, you can very the yogurt flavourings, and the fruits to suit. I've used everything from from frozen berries and bananas with a Easi Yo boysenberry yogurt, to peaches, and bananas, with apricot yogurt. You can also add a bit of milk for extra liquid, or nuts and seeds for extra nourishment.

During February I also ate a couple of things that I'd been experimenting with for some time. I'm still not 100% happy with my Vegetarian French Onion Soup recipe but it was filling and warming and it's definitely worth making x I still need to savoury it up a bit more to suit my tastes though.

Something I was happier with though was my Veggie Bean And Nut Burgers (see the recipe here x). Although again the recipe can be played with a bit I think that this recipe is really good as it is. The first lot I had with salad

and the second lot I had with Slimming World salad, low fat coleslaw and Slimming World Chips

Slimming World Chips have been one of three fabulous discoveries that I made in February. I remember my mum making something similar when I was younger but basically what they are potatoes cut into chip shapes, parboiled for about 5 minutes then drained and towel dried before being sprayed with low fat cooking spray and then popped into a hot oven for 20-35 minutes till they crisp up. You can also sprinkle them with spices, herbs and salt for more flavour.

Okay they aren't exactly like proper fried chips but there really tasty and much lower in fat. Obviously they aren't as crispy but there fluffy inside and have an almost roast / baked potato taste. My mum recently picked me up a chip mesh so I'm hoping that that will make them even crispier - I'll keep you posted x

Yes you could make them with a sprinkling of oil but using a cooking spray saves so many calories as well as a non stick pan they are invaluable if your trying to lose weight I love Fry Light all you need is a few sprays into a pan or onto a baking sheet and most varieties are only around 1 calorie per spray. I love the butter one for pasta, sweet things, and as an air popper popcorn flavouring but the garlic one is my true love. It smells ridiculously garlicky but unlike me if your not a huge garlic lover the taste and smell does wear off slightly. I love the garlic one for chillis, frying mushrooms and for flavouring my chips - yum!

Although I'm not following Slimming World I know people who have and I've been stalking the Slimming World Instagram feed looking for recipe inspiration. In February I made two recipes that have are popular with people on the Slimming World plan. The first one was Curry Loaf or Chickpea Dahl Loaf.

This rather weird sounding recipe is basically a cooked sachet of curry flavoured rice mixed with eggs, and a can of lentil or chick pea curry dahl and baked in the oven. Weird sounding but ohhhh so good - a weird combo of curry, quiche and rice that just works. The dahl is quite hard to find and the one I got in Morrisons was a little bit salty so next time I think I'll have a go at making my own but I will definitely make this recipe again - in fact I've craved it ever since lol The thing I like about this recipe is that it can be served both hot or cold. It made four servings so me and Mummy Lou had one hot and one cold. First of all we had it hot with Slimming World Chips and vegetables

and then we had it cold with salad.

Another weird sounding Slimming World recipe is Diet Coke Chicken. My first thought when I heard about this recipe was yuck but think about it. All barbecue and a lot of oriental recipes are famous for that sweet savoury flavour so why shouldn't it work?

Well I thought I'd try it - obviously I replaced the chicken with Quorn pieces, I fried them off in Fry Light with onion, garlic, peppers, mushroom, finely chopped carrots and celery, then I added a carton of tomato passata, some soy sauce and some Chinese five spice powder and then a can of Diet Coke (well Pepsi Max - same difference ;). Then I cooked it down until the sauce had thickened. I was cynical, Mummy Lou was even more cynical but in fact it was amazing - it doesn't taste of coke, it has that sort of sweet, spicy flavour with an Asian twist from the anise flavour of the five spice. It made four servings the first two we had with boiled rice

and the second we had with homemade egg fried rice. Although I make my Indonesian Rice With Tofu on a regular basis which is basically a version of egg fried rice I'd never made it as a standalone before, so I gave that a go too. All I did was fry off some peppers, peas, spring onion and garlic in Fry Light, before adding some boiled rice, then adding an egg and some soy sauce. Amazing and I'll definitely be making that again too. Both of these Slimming World recipes sound a little bit weird but they are definitely worth trying. I'll post some more detailed recipes if you'd like but just do an online search for either Slimming World Diet Coke Chicken or Curry Loaf and you'll find lots of recipes and reviews.

Main meals are fine but where I'd normally fall down is snacking. I'm a comfort eater, fridge grazer personified but now I'm trying to make better choices (well most of the time) when it comes to snacking. As well as drinking much more water to try and curb my appetite I'm trying to eat more fruit. My mum has always been a big fruit fan, me not so much. I really am trying though I've had 4 lots today alone, raspberries, a kiwi, a clementine and a pear. A sweet hit without the fat or the calories :)

I've also being relying a lot on treats from Metcalfe's. Alas I wasn't one of the lucky bloggers to be sent boxes of yummy popcorn based treats but I having been stocking up in my local Poundland. There snack sized packets all come in at less than a hundred calories each, and their chocolate and yogurt rice cakes taste much more indulgent than they actually are and also come in at less than 100 calories each.

My final diet saviours and foodie favourites from February are Pom Bear snacks - I love Pom Bears, okay they probably are geared towards children but there gluten free and again less than 100 calories a bag.

So they were my February foodie favourites. I think February was very much about thinking about what I was eating and subsequently experimenting with food and new recipes, and that something that I want to keep doing throughout March. I already have a few recipes that I want to try so I'll keep you posted. Next weeks Foodie Friday post which will hopefully be on a Friday for a change ;) will be a recipe but rather than an experiment it's a Mummy Lou classic x Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow with my February empties post and a chance to get your hands on a free skincare product xx