A Quick Overview Of The Glossybox 2021 Advent Calendar - Surprise Me - Days 13 - 25*

Hey Guys x I hope you're all having a good weekend so far, Today I'm spoiling you with not one but two blog posts and first up I'm sharing a quick overview of days 13 to 25 of the 2021 Glossybox advent calendar x (You can catch up on days 1 - 12 here x).

Day 13 - Laura Geller Touch Up All Over Face Brush - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £13

First up another beauty tool, and it's a make up brush from one of my favourite brands, Laura Geller. It's a small synthetic fibre face brush. It feels lovely and soft and it's a real multipurpose face brush, meaning you can use it for blush, highlighter, setting powder, and even for Laura Geller's famous Balance-n-Brighten base product. You can buy the odd Laura Geller product from a few online retailers now including Simply Be, and QVC UK, as direct from Laura Geller herself but I can't find this specific brush anywhere, Glossybox however give it an RRP of £13.

Day 14 - Ecooking Peeling Mask - 15ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £11.10

Next up a skincare product, and it was a product from Danish based beauty brand, Ecooking. Crammed full of AHA's including glycolic and salicylic acids, this mask is specially designed to remove dead skin cells, in order to tighten and smooth the skin. As someone with very visible pores, and unevenly textured skin, who loves acids this mask sounds ideal for me. I haven't tried it yet but I'll let you what I think about it when I do. 

Glossybox place a value of £11.10 on this 15ml size, but it doesn't same to be available anywhere on its own. The full 50ml size retails at around £37 and it available from various retailers including direct from Ecooking, and from Feel Unique.

Day 15 - Magnitone Swipes Eco Friendly Microfibre Cleansing Pads  - 2 x Pack - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £7

The next product or should I say products come from cleansing specialist Magnitone. I was first introduced to Magnitone via their Pulsar cleansing system, and whilst they still do produce a variety of electronic beauty tools, they also sell a range of microfibre cleansing products called Wipeout. I've already tried the cloths which you can use with cleanser or even just with water to remove make up, and these pads work pretty much the same way.They feel lovely and soft and fluffy, and as well as for general cleansing and eye make up removal, I think I'll also be using them with toners and skin fresheners. 

Glossybox place an estimated price of £7 on this pack of two pads, online I can only find a pack of 6 that retails at £15 direct from Magnitone and from Feel Unique.

Day 16 - Steve Laurant Lip Liner - Uptown - 1g - Full Size - RRP $15 / £10.70

It wouldn't be a Glossybox product if it didn't feature a product from one of their favourite make up brands Steve Laurant, and the 2020 calendar contains a nude brown lip pencil in the shade Uptown. I've already tried a lip pencil from Steve Laurant in the shade Vogue, and you can read my full review here. 

I'll do a full review of this pencil in due course but if you fancy trying it, it's available direct from Steve Laurant for around $15 x Glossybox placed a value of £10.70 on it.

Day 17 - Boucleme Scalp Massager - Full Size - RRP £12

I said in my last advent calendar post that were a lot of beauty tools in this calendar and here is another one, and this time it's a hair care product from curly hair specialist, Boucleme. The ergnomically shaped masssager has an easy grip, easy hold design, and soft rubber nodules. It's  perfect for using dry as a head and scalp massager, or for applying shampoo and conditioner. Even though I only have wavy, not curly hair I can't wait to give this a try to try and stimulate my scalp and a bit of hair growth.

Although a lot of retailers such as Feel Unique, and even Boots sell Boucleme products, the only place that I can find this particular product is direct from Boucleme, where it retails at £12.

Day 18 - Zoeva Infinite Potential Mascara - Full Volume - Black - 9ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £15

From the hair on your head to the hair on your eye lids (I'm sure that sounded better in my head ;), and your eyelashes, and the product in box number 18 was a mascara from Zoeva. Originally known for their make up brushes, Zoeva now produce a very successful make up line, I've only tried one other make up product from them but I was pretty impressed with it and I can't wait to share my thoughts on this volumising, defining and lengthening mascara in a future post x

This full size mascara retails at anywhere between  £15 - £17.50 and is available direct from Zoeva as well from various other retailers including Feel Unique, Flannels Beauty, and Cloud 10 Beauty.

Day 19 - This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray - 5ml - Deluxe Mini - Est. RRP £6 

Next up something that I've talked about a few times before, and it's a product that I love. If you're having trouble sleeping as I said in the previous advent calendar post there are lots of things you can do to help, including sleep masks, calming tea blends, changing your pillows (more on that to come in a future post;) and by using a product like this. Containing lavender, camomile and vetivert, spray this gorgeous smelling blend onto your bedding, take a few deep breaths and feel the stresses drain away! 

I've actually found a similar product that I like slightly more, but I would still throughly recommend this one if you're having trouble switching off at night x I can't find this size on it's own but it is available in a few kits, and sets and various sizes are available direct from This Works as well as from Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, and Marks and Spencers.

Day 20 - Laritzy Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick - Nude Peach - 3.1g - Full Size - RRP £14 / $20

Like Steve Laurant, Laritzy are another popular subscription box brand, and in box number 20 of the 2021 calendar, beauty lovers received a full size Laritzy Liquid Lipstick. The calendar contained one of 5 shades and the one that I received was in the shade Nude Peach, which more of a nude, peachy brown shade. I will be featuring this product in the depth in and upcoming post but if you want an idea of the performance and texture then you can read my review of a different shade Tidal here x  This product is available exclusively from Laritzy where it has a retail price of $20 / £14

Day 21 - Bubble T Cosmetics Bath Crumble in Pink Grapefruit - 100g - Full Size - RRP £4.99 - £5

The next item in the calendar was something that I couldn't use so I will be passing it on to one of my friends who is lucky enough to have a bath. From fruit and tea inspired brand Bubble T, this is a bag of pink grapefruit scented bath crumble, which basically looks like broken pieces of bath bomb. The only place that I can find this is direct from Bubble T where it retails at £5.

Day 22 Verso Skincare Nourishing Cream With Niacinamide - 15ml - Deluxe Mini- Est. RRP £23.20

From body to face, and the next product is a skincare item from a new brand to me, Verso. Hailing from Sweden, this is a hydrating moisturiser, thats crammed full of niacinamide to protect the skin. I haven't tried it yet but I will probably show you this one is a future empties post.

I've done a bit of research and this one is also not available on it's own in this size, it is available in a few try me sets though, and the full 50ml size retails at around £80 from various retailers including Space NK, Feel Unique, and Cult Beauty as well as direct from Verso.

Day 23 - Illamasqua Antimatter Lipstick - Bang - 2g - Mini - RRP £12

Next up another make up item, and it's another lip product this time from Illamasqua. From their Antimatter line, this is a mini lipstick in the shade Bang, which is officially described as a muted pink, although for me in the bullet it's looks more like a nude, peachy pink. Again I will be featuring this in a future luscious lips post x 

I can't find this mini size on it's own but the full size has an RRP of around £17 direct from Illamasqua.

Day 24 - Rodial Soft Focus Glow Drops Illuminating Ultimate Glow Primer - 31ml - Full Size - RRP £50

Now when I first opened this next box I initially thought that this was a liquid highlighter. Pale shimmery pink in colour though this product from Rodial is actually an illuminating primer, that you can either underneath your make up, mixed with your foundation, or on its own for a glowy, fresher looking complexion. If you would like to see a full review of this one then please let me know in the comments x 

This product has a retail price of around £50 and it available direct from Rodial as well as from Look Fantastic, Feel Unique and Harvey Nichols.

Day 25 - HUDA Beauty Mercury Retrograde Eyeshadow Palette - Full Size - RRP £58

Now, I would be honestly be lying if I said that the item on Day 25 wasn't the main reason why I decided to get this calendar. Unlike in previous years, I wanted to know what I was getting before I decided which to calendar and thankfully in 2021 there seemed to be a lot of spoilers floating around, and since I'd wanted this palette for the longest time, the 2021 Glossybox advent calendar was the perfect choice.

From cult brand HUDA Beauty, box number 25 contained a full size Mercury Retrograde eyeshadow palette and isn't she an absolute beauty! Nudes, brights, mattes, shimmer, foils and glitters, this palette would be perfect for anyone that loves eyeshadow, and that wants to play it safe on some days and go all out and experiment on others!

Not only does it look beautiful but the quality is immense, again I have a full review coming soon but if don't want to wait and you fancy splashing out purely based on two pictures, this palette has a recommended retail price of £58 and is available from more HUDA Beauty stockists including Boots, Cult Beauty, Feel Unique, Net-a-Porter, ASOS, and of course directly from HUDA Beauty.

So there you have it the 2021 Glossybox advent calendar in full, obviously you can make you're own conclusions on whether it was worth it or not, but for me it most certainly was - like with all beauty advent calendars there were a few minis, and deluxe minis, but I don't honestly mind that especially when some of the full sizes have such a high retail value. Speaking of expensive products there were actually quite a few in this calendar, the retail price of the Avant product alone was more than the entire calendar, and the HUDA palette was 3/4 of the value so I don't think you can really complain about the cost of the products v the calendar price. There is always a risk with calendars, and it is very much a case of you'll like it or you won't, personally though I love the surprise element and I love trying things new things and new brands.

Just a quick word on the packaging as well, I love the drawer style so I can definitely reuse that but I do wish that there was a way of cutting down the individual boxes, I try to use them the best I can for storing Christmas decorations and for packaging mini gifts, but there is still a lot of excess cardboard but I'm not sure there is another solution .

Again let me know your thoughts on this calendar in the comments, and as I say I will try to review as many of the products as I can in the either individual review posts or in future empties posts but if there is anything in particular you'd like a full review of then please let me know below x Thanks for reading and I will see you later today with another lifestyle post x

*This Post Contains Added Automatic Affiliate, Added Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links

Laura Geller Dripping In Gold Illuminator Palette Holiday 2018

Now, are you one of those super organised people who has every single present bought and wrapped by the first week in December? or are you a bit like me and are you a little bit stressed out at the moment? Bar one present that doesn't seem as though it's going to arrive in time, my gift shopping is done, but I still have a mountain of presents to wrap and a kazillion other things to do. I'm consoling myself in the knowledge though that at least I'm not one of those people that does their Christmas gift shopping on Christmas Eve!

If you're a person that does that I am in awe, I can deal with a little bit of disorganisation and panic but I think that, that would be a step too far. If you are still looking for that odd little thing though for either the beauty lover in your life, or to treat yourself for being so organised, then in the next two posts I'm going to be sharing a couple of last minute beauty gift ideas with you x

Now up until a few years ago, Laura Geller was a pretty difficult brand to get your hands on it the UK, QVC UK had sold it for quite a number of years now, but it was impossible to get on the high street. Thankfully the brand is now a little bit easier to get your hands on, a few online stores stock it, and you can now buy this fabulous artistry brand in Debenhams.

Laura Geller is a fabulous American make up artist, who learnt her trade in the US film studio system, working on the likes of Audrey Hepburn, and Ginger Rogers. I'm a huge, huge fan of her range, and although I've mentioned lots of her products in empties posts and in videos, I haven't actually reviewed anything bar a lip palette before, well today I'm going to remedy that and talk about a range of products from her, that I'd wanted to try for a long, long time, Gelato Swirls.

Now if you know anything about Laura Geller, then you'll know that her products are made using innovative techniques and to the highest standards. She's famous for her baked mineral based products that are infused with skin care and good for you ingredients. She was one of the pioneers of the baked formulation, that so many make up brands now have in their inventories, her products really are something special.

You should know by know that  I love a highlighter, I've bought a new one this week (I really needed that.... not!), and today I've actually found a highlighting palette that I've completely forget about - I have a problem! The highlighters, and illuminators that I already own are all pretty similar if I'm being honest. They're either powders, liquids, creams or in sticks, I love them all but very rarely do they offer anything that is truly different, a product from Laura Geller though, does offer something just that little bit more unique.

Her Gelato Swirl Illuminator range is probably unlike pretty much any other highlighter or illuminator that you've every tried, and I don't mean that just because they look almost too pretty to use. First of all we'll get the boring but essential bit out of the way, Laura Geller's Gelato Swirls are cruelty free and do not contain fragrance, nanos, gluten, parabens, minerals oil, soy, sulphates, Phthlates, or alcohol, and they are suitable for all skin types, so if you have allergies or sensitive skin then this range could be something to try. Now onto the interesting bit, just why are Laura Geller Gelato Swirls so special? Well it's all down to the texture, they are actually a baked gel, they have an amazing texture, and they apply like a fine, sheer powder, but touch them and almost feel like a velvety cream.

There are lots of different shades to chose from including beautifully shimmery pinks, almost icy whites, and of course champagnes, golds and coppers, and you can even get a few more blush type shades. My problem was always which shade to go far, not an easy decision when they all look so beautiful, and the shades are all so wearable. I had no clue, but as soon as the Christmas gift sets started to appear in store I found the perfect way to not only try this long lusted after formulation, but also to try a few colours at once.

Released especially for Holiday 2018, the Laura Geller Dripping In Gold Illuminator Palette, is a perfect example of something that I mentioned in one of my previous posts, gifts as decorations. This beautiful palette comes packaged in an unusual triangle shaped box adorned with product pictures, snowflakes and gold detailing, it also comes with attached hanging loop so you can hang it on your Christmas tree or use it as a table gift.

Open the box and you greeted with a bright metallic gold, triangle shaped cardboard palette. which has a magnetic fastening, open that and you're dazzled by not only a fabulous triangular mirror, but also by three fabulously festive, or even looking ahead, summery highlighting shades, carefully protected by a plastic, domed insert.

The palette contains 3 x 2g Gelato Swirl Illuminators, in the shades Molten Copper, Gilded Honey and French Fizz. Molten Copper is as the name would suggest is a gorgeous, metallic golden copper, Gilded Honey, is one of Laura Geller's best selling shades and is a gorgeous warm, champagne, caramel shade and although it looks almost white in the palette French Fizz is a sparkling soft gold.

The shades swatched from left to right are Molten Copper, French Fizz and Gilded Honey.

As you can see the pigmentation, and colour pay off is superb. Depending on how you use them, what type of brush, pressure, amount and so on though, you can create either a full on metallic look or just a gently wash of colour and sparkle. Obviously you can use these anywhere on the face or body, that you would normrally use a highlighter, be it on your cheekbones, shoulders, your cupids bow or your brow bone, but you can also use them as solid eye colours and even lip colours.

Now given the horrendous lighting at the moment I haven't had a lot of chance to play with these yet but even this early on it's love. They feel so beautiful, they colour pay off is excellent, and they blend like a dream and feel almost weightless on the skin. I managed to do a really quick eye look using Molten Copper, and a bit of French Fizz as a highlight, and believe it or not I actually applied these and blended them out using my fingers. They feel creamy to the touch and they blend seamlessly into each other and the the skin, even without using any professional tools, The finish is silky and almost powder like. I did get a little bit of fallout but not as much as you would get with a comparable out and out powder product. I have quite oily eye lids, and given the smooth and buttery texture I wasn't expecting this look to last very long but it did, which really surprised me!

At this time of year, we all need a little bit of a glow and a bit of radiance and that is exactly what Gilded Honey give you , I actually used a brush in this case and used it as a conventional cheek highlighter, I was wearing a bit of face powder which can sometimes causs a few issues with some creamier textures, but because this is actually a powder it blended easily in the rest of my make up and again, wore really well x

These shades in my opinion will work on any skin tone, and they are perfect shades not only for the party season, but can you imagine some of these colours with a tan in the summer, or even if you're lucky enough to be escaping for a bit of winter sun!. As I said before Gilded Honey is one of Laura Geller's most popular shades of Gelato Swirl Illuminator and as a result you can buy it on its own in a larger 4g size for around £21, the other two shades though, Molten Copper and French Fizz appear to be exclusive to this set and a few similar palettes in the Laura Geller collection, in the UK at least x This palette really was almost too pretty to use but I'm glad I did, not only can I see myself using it throughout 2019 but it's also introduced me to the Gelato Swirl formulation and I may have already added another colour, which I'll hopefully share with you in early 2019 into to my make up collection.

I think that this palette would make an ideal gift for any make up lover. no matter what their skin type or skin colour, if they like shimmer and sparkle then I'm sure that this would be a very well received present, and I think that it would be a great introduction not only to a gorgeous formulation but also to a quality, and very moreish make up brand. The Laura Geller Dripping In Gold Illuminator Palette for Holiday 2018, retails at around £25 from a variety of retailers including Debenhams, Escentual, FEELUNIQUE, Pretty Little Things, Simply Be and of course directly from Laura Geller x If you have any questions please leave me a comment x Thanks for reading and happy last minute shopping x

Birthday Pressie Haul - You Tube Video

Hi Guys x I hope you've all had a nice weekend, my week was pretty lousy but thankfully I had quite a productive weekend, and I managed to take lots of photographs, do a bit of product research and I also managed to film a couple of videos, including the reasons why I'm saying goodbye to Birchbox, and a little or should I say long! birthday pressie haul x

I admit it, it's a long one, but I received some lovely things this year that I really wanted to show you, I know I'm very lucky and truly blessed to have such an amazing family, and such loyal and thoughtful friends.

If you can't bare to listen to me rambling on for 25 minutes, I'll give you a few hints - The video contains a bit of everything, including a few clothing pieces from George, Bob Mackie, and Primark, some beautiful jewellery pieces from Lola Rose, some accessories from various places including Asda, and Accessorize, and some beauty bits from Benefit, Laura Geller and Tarte.

Again this isn't a to brag, it's just to show how grateful I am and to show you some of things that might pop up on my blog and my You Tube channel in the weeks and months to come x I'll only probably be reviewing the Benefit product ;) but I'm sure you'll see some of the clothing and jewellery pieces if you keep your eyes peeled x

Thanks for reading, and hopefully watching, and thank you again for the birthday wishes x 

Products I've Rediscovered / Shopping My Stash - Part 2 - Lips and Cheeks (Pic Heavy Again)

OK I have lots of Eyeshadows but I have to say I tend to vary them on a day to day basis, my lips and cheeks however tend to remain broadly similar. During Project 10 Pan though I've gotten a bit bored with wearing the same things whilst knowing that I couldn't buy anything new, so again I delved deeper into my stash to find some things I had forgotten about - first up lips  :)

Laura Geller Dream Creams Lip Palette - Apricot Berry

I have to say this palette has been a bot of a breakaway from the safety of my pale pinks and nudes, with gorgeous colours of peaches, golds, pinks and corals, this palette contains 4 fab shades, that taste amazingly of vanilla and have an unbelievably smooth creamy texture, that doesn't dry your lips and actually lasts. You get the four colours but you can mix them to create completely different colours. I'm so pleased I rediscovered this and it's definitely going to be used even more in the summer :)

MAC Lipglass - Kitty Kouture

I actually bought this from a blog sale, from the Kitty Kouture range of MAC by Hello Kitty (I have the little charm from the tube on something else) this is a gorgeous super pale pink lipgloss with just a hint of glitter - I haven't been using this on it own though I've been using it over this.....

MAC Lipstick - Fabby

This is perhaps my favourite lipstick ever by MAC - Fabby a gorgeous neutral pink, with the merest hint of gold shimmer - completely underrated in my opinion but I hadn't quite been showing this enough love until that was I put Kitty Kouture over the top :)

MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner - Pink Fish

Another product from the MAC Hello Kitty Collection, sadly this too was being ignored. The arrival of Sleek Pout Polish in Powder Pink, just before Project 10 Pan started meant that this one got a little less love than it should, my tanned skin just suited the brighter tone better, but as laziness and winter ploughed on the paler hues of Pink Fish suited me better. Super quick application = a bit of moisture and a flash of colour.

YSL Rouge Volupte No 1 - Nude Beige

What can I say about this lipstick I love it, the texture, the taste the colour so why have I shown it so little love until recently? maybe I was scared to use it £21.50 is a lot of money for a lipstick, but why did I continue to use my other two Rouge Voluptes - I really don't know but I grabbed this last month and I have worn it at least once a week since :) click here to see a pic of it on x

NARS Lip Lacquer - Chelsea Girls

It's funny how so many of these lip products can be used with a brush, maybe the discovery of a good lip brush (Laura Geller) has lead to a bit of experimentation, who knows? This was one of the first Nars products I bought and I have to say I love it such a pretty glossy nude, that you can apply with a brush or your fingers making it super quick to use. My only issue is the smell why do Nars lip things always smell odd?

Next up a product that works on both lips and cheeks :)

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge For Lips and Cheeks - 11 Pale Pink

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I bought this in Larnaca airport as part of a mass Duty Free haul last year and you can guess the story I used it for a little while and then moved onto something new, but over the last few months I've been using this pretty regularly again. A gorgeous pink shade it goes on pretty bright as you can see but it blends down quite nicely to give a pink flush to the cheeks

and you can use as I generally have been as a lip colour too - sorry for the bad picture but it gives a nice semi matte colour

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - CB02 Natural

Another ignored cream product this time from NYX, for a little while my cream blushers of choice have either been by MAC, Illamasqua or Top Shop but then I remembered this beauty - a lovely neutral peach/pink shade that blends down to a lovely healthy glow :)

Cosmetics à la Carte - Cheek Colour - Rose

I won this blusher quite a few years ago now for a competition in a hair and beauty magazine. Cosmetics a la Carte wasn't a brand I'd heard of before, obviously I have now though :) This blusher is gorgeous a gorgeous natural peach / pink shade. I've worn this a lot through the winter months as I think it works best when my skin is paler.

2true True Colour Blusher - Shade No. 1*

I was originally sent this to review quite a while ago now, so long ago that I can't actually find my review, and I have to say I've recently dug it out of my stash and it's as good as I remember it. Again a peach /pink shade this is probably a tiny bit more peach than the Cosmetics a la Carte one but they are pretty similar - this is definitely worth the £1.99 that it would cost to buy :)

Check this little video that I made about these products and more about why I've fallen back in love with them x

I hope you've enjoyed this little look at some of the goodies that I've rediscovered - my advice to you all is look at what you already have before your buy something new, chances are you'll either have something similar or you'll find something you love that you've forgotten about xx Any questions please ask x

*Press Sample