Unboxing The NEXT Summer Branded Beauty Box

Although they've been famous for a long time for their own versions of designer fragrance, NEXT isn't the first place that you'd really think of then it comes to high end beauty, and in the stores that's pretty much still the case, but online it's a whole different story.

I'm not 100% sure on the time frame but last year, I think it was,  NEXT teamed up with leading online beauty retailer Fabled By Marie Claire, to offer a wide range of high end beauty brands direct from their own website. The NEXT beauty department now features new and up to date products from a wide range of brands including high street brands such as Clinique, Bare Minerals, Estee Lauder, Benefit Cosmetics and By Terry, as well as more quirky, natural and cult brands.

I don't know about you but everyday I have a bit of an online routine, there are several that I check every morning from news sites, to shopping sites where I go to check out all  of their new arrivals. NEXT is one of those sites that seems to update their stock on almost a daily basis, and recently I was looking through their beauty section and I noticed this, their take on the beauty box.

Retailing at £12, the theme of the box is summer, and it contains 8 branded products with a combined value of at least £48, to help you prepare you body, skin and hair for summer. The items come packaged in the usual NEXT beauty packaging which is a reusable brown and mint green / turquoise cardboard box, and they wrapped in a sheet of white tissue paper.

Rituals The Ritual Of Sakura Sensational Foaming Shower Gel - Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom - 50ml - Est. RRP £4.90

The first item in the box is something from one of my favourite body care brand Rituals. All of their products are inspired by Far Eastern body, and well being rituals, and this is one of my favourite scents - it has a beautiful soft, slightly fruity, floral scent. Containing nourishing rice milk, this product has a gorgeous creamy, that leaves you skin feel super soft and moisturised, and to save on space in your suitcase you can also use it as a shaving foam. When I first got rid of my bath, I definitely felt as though as though showers were an essential things, practical but not really a pampering experience, products like this though make the whole showering thing just that little bit more luxurious. This travel size is available direct from Rituals but you can buy the full 200ml size for £8.50 direct from NEXT.

Dr Paw Paw Rich Mocha Balm Multi Purpose Soothing Balm With Natural Paw Paw - 25ml - Full Size - RRP £7

Now I've tried a couple of these balms now, I've used the original in the past as an all over hydrating balm, and I recently tried the Hot Pink version which I received in the April edition of Glossybox (have a read of my review here x) 

Containing pure Paw Paw / Papaya extract this is nourishing balm with just a hint of colour that you can use on both your lips and cheeks. It looks quite scary when you first squeeze out of the tube, in fact it looks a lot like melted dark chocolate.

Apply it sparingly though, and blend it out, and you actually get a sheer, neutral bronze, nude shade, that would work as a bronzer / cheek colour on certain skin tones and as a tinted lip balm, just don't apply too much, because it really could look as though you've been eating chocolate a la Charlie And The Chocolate Factory ;)

This is a full size tube and retails at £7 again from NEXT and various other retailers.

We Are Paradoxx Hangover Hair Elixir - 15ml - RRP £10

Next up probably some of the cutest packaging that I've seen! When you think of Ireland what do think of? amazing musicians - check,  hunky actors - check, Guinness - check, and oh what else? Well whiskey of course! We Are Paradoxx is an Irish brand, that promote the philosophy of good hair, good conscience. All of their products are 90% plastic free, cruelty free, vegan, 97% natural, and are free from perfumes, mineral oils, parabens, SLS, SLES, and PEC's, and they also contain real Irish whiskey. 

Packaged in this cutest mini hip flask on a key ring, this hair oil is specially designed for dull and damaged hair, and contains Irish whiskey, and argan, coconut and soya oils, to strengthen the hair, to improve condition and to add shine. This cute travel sized bottle is only available directly from We Are Paradoxx with a retail price of £10 but the full 75ml size is available for around £30 for a variety of retailers including NEXT.

Ultrasun SPF 50 Extreme Very High Sun Protection - 25ml - RRP £5.50

Next up an item from my favourite sun care brand, Ultrasun. I'm a huge, huge fan of the brand, and I swear by it whether I'm in the UK or abroad. It's not irritating, it's non staining and you don't need to reapply it every two minutes. This particular version is designed especially for extreme conditions or for people with extremely sensitive skin, such as babies and children. It is fast absorbing but non greasy, it protects against UVA and UVB and it contains Vitamin E and antioxidants. This travel size is available for £5.50 from NEXT.

Vita Liberata Fabulous Self Tanning Gradual Lotion - 50ml

Next up two products, from another Irish company, Vita Liberata. The bulk of this box is various different types and brands of self tan, and Vita Liberata are the experts in organic, sunless tanning products, and they are the first non toxic tanning brand. Their products are paraben, perfume and alcohol free.

Containing organic botanicals including aloe vera, melon, Shea butter, grape seed, marula, raspberry, lychee and seaweed, this lotion nourishes the skin and slowly adds a subtle dose of colour, without any colour transfer or staining. It also contains odour remove technology, and moisture lock technology for a slow, even fade. The full 200ml size retails at £15.

Vita Liberata Phenomenal Organic Tan Infused Cloth - 2 x 9ml - Est. RRP £4.50

Next up another product from Vita Liberata, I already have a pack of 4 of these that I got free with last months RED magazine but as yet I haven't tried them.

Created with the same benefits and ethos as the gradual tanner, these biodegradable tanning cloths are infused with the organic ingredients including and organic source of DHA, raspberry, aloe vera and pomegranate. Quick drying, and non staining, these wipes promise hydrating, quick and easy natural colour. I think that these would be great for holidays for touching up tan lines, or for sticking in your handbag ahead of a work night out. The pack of 4 wipes retails at £9 so this two pack would probably retail at around £4.50.

St Tropez Self Tan Purity Bronzing Water Face Mist - 14ml

For a long time, St Tropez was the go to tanning brand, and whilst the market is now pretty much saturated with high end sunless tanning brands, St Tropez are still at the top of their game and they're still innovating and coming out with new products and formulations.

Smelling gorgeously tropical, and containing 100% natural tanning agents and botanicals including hibiscus and green mandarin, this vegan friendly product can be used to add a natural glow to the skin. It can be applied both under and over make up and it has an ultra lightweight feel, it's designed to nourish and protect the skin and it's also designed to provide up to 12 hours hydration to the skin, making it a perfect addition to any summer make up bag. The full 80ml retail size retails at around £22.

Fake Bake Flawless Travel Survival Kit - RRP £ 6

The final item in the box is basically three items in one - it contains 3 sachet from top brand Fake Bake, that constitute a quick and easy three step tanning routine. This kit is available from NEXT and various other retailers and retails at around £6.

Kit Contains: 
Fake Bake Papaya Exfoliation & Tan Removal Towelette - 7ml

The first sachet contains and exfoliating towelette which contains skin care ingredients such as pro Vitamin B5, and Vitamins C and E as well as papaya which has contains enzymes that have exfoliating properties. This wipes help firm the skin, remove dry patches and help to remove previous self tan applications.

Fake Bake Flawless Tanning Towelette - 8ml

The next step is the tan itself, and this wipe is infused with Fake Bake's best selling Flawless Tan - with a black coconut scent, it features a guide colour, and Fake Bakes unique long lasting triple tan formula.

Fake Bake Coconut - Oil Free Moisturiser - 10ml 

Finally you get a sachet of Fake Bakes oil free moisturising lotion, which contains coconut and Vitamin B5. Being oil free you can use it on dry areas before fake tanning, and over the top of your guide colour to prolong the life of your self tan.

Based on the little bit of research that I've done this box is great value for money, with a few full sizes, and some decent travel sizes. The self tanning items make up the bulk of the box but it gives you lots of opportunities to try new things and new formulations, and you also get a nice shower product, an all in one skin care and make up item, and a super cute hair product. Although I haven't had the opportunity to try all of the products yet, I think that this is a lovely summer kit that's perfect for holidays, travel or even for just shaking up your beauty routine for the summer months. I don't think that this is a permanent item so I'd move quick if you want to get your hands on it. It's available on the NEXT website for just £12 (excluding postage). Let me know if you have any questions on this box, and if you're interested in some summer beauty topics including fake tanning and hair removal, stick around because I've some good reviews coming soon x 

Trimming My Stash - November 2015 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

I'm a few days late with this one but never the less welcome to December. Despite it's often rubbish weather, its stresses and its strains, December is probably my favourite month of the year - I love Christmas and I love spending time with my family so it really is the perfect month for me especially when I'm feeling a bit mehh and need something to look forwards to.

November was a pretty sucky month in a lot of ways so I had a lot of showers and created as many pampering opportunities for myself  as I could and that's something that's definitely reflected in my November empties.

AVON Senses Wonderland Warm And Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml

Decelor Creme Exfoliante Exfoliating Body Care - 50ml

Beauticology Sweet Gingerbread Body Wash - 50ml

The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Shower Gel - 250ml

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - 500ml

Aldi Lacura Balancing Day Cream For Oily And Combination Skin - 50ml

St Tropez Tan Optimiser Body Polish - 120ml

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder - 9g

Total - 8 Items

November was pretty much all about body care, and if this empties list is to be believed I must have the cleanest and smoothest skin on planet earth! It wasn't all about scrubs and body washes though, I did manage to finish a skincare product and a make up item so despite being down on last months total I'm still pretty pleased.

1. AVON Senses Wonderland Warm And Welcoming Shower Gel - 250ml

Towards the end of the month I switched my shower products up a bit and I started introducing some of my festive scents. There were a few half finishing products left over from last year and this shower gel from AVON was one of them. This had a lovely fruity, spicy fragrance, that just screamed Christmas, it was full of citrus and apple scents coupled together with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Alas AVON haven't made this product, this time round but I would definitely recommend their Snowman shaped bath soaks if you get the chance to give them a go.

2. Decelor Creme Exfoliante Exfoliating Body Care - 50ml

Even though I'm not exactly flashing my limbs around at the moment, I'm an avid body scrub user all year round. I found this during the bathroom renovation and I have to say I really enjoyed using it. This product is perfect for this time of year, it has a soft and creamy, subtle, almost shea butter scent and it feels fabulous on the skin. It's quite abrasive but the grains as suspended in a lovely, rich and creamy base, that seems to nourish the skin while you scrub. This scrub isn't cheap but it's something I wouldn't hesitate to repurchase and from someone who normally prefers oily, salt scrubs that's high praise indeed.

3. Beauticology Sweet Gingerbread Body Wash - 50ml

Another mini and another festive fragrance - this little body wash  is from Baylis & Harding's diffusion line Beauticology. This thick sparkly gel foams easily, and produces a lovely foam and a lovely subtle, and spicy, foodie gingerbread scent. I actually have another one of these to use up but if you're looking for a quirky, yet affordable beauty gift this Christmas, then I would definitely check out this product and the whole Beauticology line which is available from various retailers including Debenhams, Boots, and independent chemists.

4.The Body Shop Vanilla Spice Shower Gel - 250ml

Ahhh one of my favourite ever festive fragrances from The Body Shop - Vanilla Spice has a warm vanilla scent which is peppered with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, to give it that irresistible, Christmas baking type aroma. They aren't doing this fragrance and any of it's other reincarnations this year though, so I'll just have to stock up on the years fruit based offerings - I already love the apple, and cranberry scents and I can't wait to have a sniff of the new Frosted Plum fragrance. The Body Shop always do Christmas so well and I'm sure this year will be no exception.

5. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash - 500ml

This body wash or rather the Sugar Crush fragrance in general has achieve an almost cult following over the years and it's not hard to see why. This super creamy body wash has the fabulous Sugar Crush fragrance - this fruity lime and citrus blend isn't as bright or as zingy as you think and to me it almost has a vanilla like warmth. I love it and I will continue to buy it and I'm hoping that I might find a bottle under my Christmas tree in 22 days time ;)

6. Aldi Lacura Balancing Day Cream For Oily And Combination Skin - 50ml

My favourite moisturiser is Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream - there is not a thing that I don't like about it bar maybe the price tag. It's something that I always ask for, for birthdays and for Christmas because quite simply I can't always justify buying it myself. QVC deals help but sometimes a budget option is the only way and this one in my opinion is one of the best. It's cheap, it smells nice, it has a light texture and it absorbs quickly. I really do like but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be a regular stock item so I always stock up when I see it. Alas this was my last bottle, I do have one of the very, similar shimmery versions in my stash but I'm hoping upon hope that it makes a comeback.

7. St Tropez Tan Optimiser Body Polish - 120ml

This scrub was something that I picked up in Poundland of all places. I think it's discontinued now which probably explains it but I have to be honest and say even at a pound I wasn't overly impressed with it. It wasn't gritty enough, it took a bit of rinsing and I didn't like the smell. It was worth trying but that was about it 

8. MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder - 9g

A little while ago now, face powders that were white in appearance but had a translucent finish were the way to set your make up. When they first came out they were only available in high end lines but thankfully now they're available at all different price points. This one from MAC was one of the first ones that I ever saw. A little goes a long way and despite the fact that it can look a little floury at first, it blends nicely and leaves a nice matte finish. I do like this but at £20.50 I can't justify a repurchase at the moment, so over the next few months or so I'm going to be trying out a more budget, friendly alternative, but in the meantime I have another Back To MAC product so it's free lipstick time :)

As you can see it was a pretty shower product heavy month but it's always nice to finish things that have been hanging around for a while, even if you can't replace them. December is always a busy month but I'm hoping that I can finish the year with a bang, I'm already nearly out of a nail polish remover and a foundation so fingers crossed I can finish a nice mix of products. I hope you found this post useful, let me know if you have any questions and have a fab December x 

A Huge High End Beauty Haul Featuring Benefit, Clinique And More

To say that this post has been a long time coming is an understatement, I've been planning this post since May! Basically what it is, is a huge collective, high end beauty haul. I started off buying a couple of things way back in May and June with my birthday money, but I never managed to get a haul up, so as the month's have gone by I've bought more and more things, till I decided that enough is enough and I need to pull my finger out and get a post and a video up :) So grab a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy the pretties x

The majority of this haul comes from one of my brands of the moment, Benefit. I already had quite a few Benefit products in my collection but after having a Benefit makeover at the Fenwick Beauty Week preview, I added a whole load more to my wishlist.

At the top of my list was Gimme Brow - a fibre filled gel that not only tames that brows but it also gives the illusion of thicker and fuller brows. I have a couple of bald patches after an over enthusiastic plucking session so I loved the natural effect that this gave, I went for the shade Light / Medium which was the one the MUA used on me.

I bought mine from QVC and it came in a kit with  a product I hadn't tried ,the High Brow Glow. This is a luminous brow lifting pencil. I love the look of the pencil and I can see myself using it under my brows to emphasise the arch and as an eye colour.

Something else that was used on me was the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow / Liner in No Pressure.

I'm a huge, huge fan of the creaseless cream shadows and I already have quite a few in my make up collection, my favourite by far is Skinny Jeans but No Pressure is something that I can see myself using a lot. It described as a rich fawn, and for me it's a dark, taupe, brown with just a hint of shimmer. Creaseless creams are the perfect product if you're in a rush or you're feeling a bit lazy, just smooth a little bit of product over your lid and blend out and you're done. You can also use them as a liner so you're really getting two products in one.

Although I normally buy a lot of my Benefit products in store and on counter I have placed a couple of orders on the Benefit website lately, mainly when they've had an free postage offer on or when they've had a good gift with purchase offer. I bought this shadow from their website and I also bought this.

Despite being in my late 30's I still have quite an oily skin particularly on my t-zone, my nose and my chin so this product automatically appealed. The Benefit The Porefessional License To Blot Instant Oil Blotting Stick, is basically a solid, twist up stick of the Porefessional Primer. Instead of using it underneath your make up you use it on top, to take down the shine, instead of using say a face powder. I haven't used this yet but I'll give you some feedback when I do.

As I say I only order from the Benefit website when they have an offer on and one of their most recent offers was a good one. With any purchase you got a free Benefit tote bag. I have to say I wasn't expecting much but this really surprised me. With a San Francisco design, little feet on the bottom and a hot pink lining, this bag is a really nice quality, and would make a fab beach bag. It's well worth subscribing to their newsletter to keep up to date with all of their offers and new releases.

Another benefit (haha) of ordering from the Benefit website is the free samples. You usually get two free samples with each order and with my two orders I got two samples of the Total Moisture Facial Cream, a sample of Puff Off and a sample of the They're Real Remover.

My next two Benefit purchases both came from ASOS thanks to a couple of discount codes :) The first kit that I got was the Operation Pore-Proof Mission Accomplished Pore Kit.

Two of my biggest skin care concerns are large pores and oiliness and that's what this kit claims to disguise. I love this kits from Benefit and they really give you an opportunity to try a few products at once without having to shell out for the full size. This kit contains a mini Dr Feelgood, a mini The Porefessional Primer, a mini the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine, and a brush, a mini License To Blot and a mini Shy Beam. At the moment this kit is the only way to buy Shy Beam, it's basically a matte highlighter, the concept is a bit strange but it does what it says it does. I will be reviewing this kit in the run up to Christmas because I think it will make a great gift especially for teenagers.

The final Benefit item that I'm going to show is also a mini kit and it's also something that I got from ASOS. During my makeover, I no only had the opportunity to try out some of the Benefit make up products but I also had the chance to try out some of their skin care products, and I have to say I was impressed. I think it was the light textures and the smell that impressed me the most - they all have the same gorgeous fresh, slightly fruity, floral scent, and they all have a sort of light gel / cream texture.

The little mini kit that I got from ASOS unfortunately isn't online anymore but it contained a mini Porefessional Primer, and two mini glass packaged, skincare products, the It's Potent Eye Cream and the Triple Performance Facial Emulsion. I'm probably going to be reviewing these in a future Sample Saturday post so stick around x

Although I've bought the odd item from Clinque, I would never consider them as one of my go to brands, but lately I've spent more and more time lusting after their products with the Chubby Sticks and these gorgeous Cheek Pops right at the top of my list.

How pretty are these blushers? I've wanted one of these for the longest time and now I have one in the shade Berry Pop - I haven't got heart to destroy the pretty pattern - Products are made to be used and not looked at though so one of these days I will get round to swatching it and no doubt I'll show you when I do.

My next Clinique purchase isn't as pretty to look at but over the last few months it's become a real staple in my make up routine, It's the Stay Matte Oil Free Make Up in the shade 2 Alabaster.

Way, way back in April I received a little Clinique sample pot in my goodie bad from the Intu Metro Centre Fashion Live Event, and straight after the event I went to the Clinique counter and got a sample of  foundation chosen for me by one of their make up artists,and this was it. The colour match is perfect and I love how long wearing it is on my oil prone skin. If you would like a review of this one let me but this is definitely a product that I would repurchase.

The last make up purchase in this haul comes from a brand that seems to have fell off my radar lately, MAC. Don't get me wrong I still rate the brand but they just don't seem as exciting or as innovative as they once did. The majority of their releases have all just been a bit samey, the one however was just a little bit different

MAC Cosmetics La Disko Dazzleshadow in Boom Boom Room is a beautiful burgundy shade which is shot through with emerald sparkles. It's a total bugger to photograph but it's one of those fab duo chromes that changes colour with every movement - it's beautiful!

I've tried to swatch this but it just won't show up in photographs :( I've also tried swatching it in the video at the end of this post but it still doesn't do it justice - this is a colour that you need to see in the flesh but move quickly if you're interested as this was a sparkle filled, limited edition.

Next up one my own personal obsessions - nail polish. As well as picking up a lovely hot pink Nails Inc polish in Notting Hill Gate with this months Glamour magazine, and a lovely bronze, gold Orly polish with ELLE (see my Instagram for pics) I've also picked up quite a few sparkly polishes lately including this OPI kit.

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This was the recent OPI Christmas Today's Special Value on QVC and I love it. There were two options Warm and Cool, and obviously I went for the cool option. The kit contains 4 full sized polishes from the new Holiday collection in sparkly blacks, blues and silvers, as well as a full sized Nail Envy, and a full sized Bubble Bath Nail Envy which is exclusive to QVC. It also contains a full sized Avoplex Hand Cream and some Drip Dry Lacquer Drying Drops. I will be featuring all of the colours in the run up to the festive season and I'll also be showing you the Bubble Bath Nail Envy and reviewing the Drip Dry Drops and the hand cream.

I've took full advantage of ASOS discount codes lately and something else that I got was something that I'd wanted for a very long time, Illamasqua Nail Varnish in Melange.

Melange is the most gorgeous colour, it's a dusky teal green, shot through with lots and lots of fine gold sparkle.

Again the pictures just don't do this polish justice, it's one of those colours that you need to see in the flesh and one that I can't wait to get on my nails.

Next up another purchase that was down to a discount code and this time it's from SpaceNK. I recently reviewed a few Bumble and Bumble products for you, and I loved them so much I couldn't resist repurchasing them especially with a discount. I just got the two minis - a mini Bb Hairdressers Invisible Oil Sulfate Free Shampoo and the Bb Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Conditioner, and being Space NK I also got a few sample sachets from Wei, Caudalie and Goldfaden MD.

I think I've mentioned it once or twice but I'm a bit of a QVC aholic and I love nothing better than settling down in front of the TV and watching one of their beauty shows. I love how QVC embrace bloggers, You Tubers and social media and one of their most recent guests was the lovely Caroline Hirons. Caroline was modelling for the Pixi team who were demonstrating Pixi Glow Tonic. This stuff had been on my wishlist for the longest time so I took the plunge and ordered it, and  even though I've only been using it for a week or so, I have to say so far so good, my skin looks brighter and feels smoother already.

The final two items that I'm going to show probably highlight how overdue this post actually is, they're all about summer and they're all about the tan.

Okay I didn't strictly buy this St Tropez kit, but I did purchase a Red Magazine subscription to get it. The offer was well worth it, as well as a discount on the magazine, you also got a free St Tropez toiletry bag, a full 50ml size of the St Tropez Light / Medium Gradual Tan Everyday Dace Lotion, and a full 200ml size of the St Tropez Gradual Tan In Shower Tanning Lotion. I have to say I got this mainly for the in shower tanner but as of yet I haven't used it or the mini one I got free with a magazine. I'm a bit frightened of staining my mums new wet room but one of these days I'll bite the bullet and give it a go. Just a hint though I'm probably going to be cancelling my Red subscription, not because I don't like the magazine but because you don't get the cover mounted free gifts - grrr!

If you've made it this far, well done this haul has been pretty epic and at last you've made it to the final item and yes this was summer related too, a huge 400ml size of the Gatineau Tan Accelerating Lotion.

Ho Hum, I didn't get that much use out of this, this year, but with a two years once open shelf life hopefully I'll get some use out of it next year. It's basically a gorgeous anti-ageing body moisturiser that contains an ingredient that activates the melanin in your skin, allowing you to tan more quickly. 2015 was a fail for me when it came to sun exposure - I think I sat outside for one day! so here's hoping 2016 will be a little bit sunnier.

You've done it! You've made it to the end x Well done I hope you've enjoyed my rather epic 5 month long haul but if you haven't had your fill of my beauty buys then settle down and enjoy the accompanying epic video which you can find here or below x



Thanks for watching and if you have any questions or comments (keep them nice x) and I'll see you soon x