Happy Birthday LouLouLand And Trimming My Stash - January 2019 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Surely there is no doubt in anybodies mind what a cake with candles means? A birthday of course! and whilst my own birthday is still a few months away, today is my blog's 12th birthday!

I can't quite believe that I've been sharing my thoughts with you for that long, as much as I love writing and blogging, I wouldn't still be here 12 years later if it wasn't for you guys. I haven't been the best or most consistent blogger over the years, but I've kept at  it and I'm still here rambling on and sharing my life and loves with you all, so I want to thank you all for all of your support and interactions over the years. I know that your time is precious, and that there are so many blogs out there that you could read, yet you choose to read mine, thank you x I really do appreciate every view, like, comment and share x 

As I've said before in 2019 , I'm going to try and pay back all of that support by trying to be a better and more consistent blogger. I have lots of posts planned, including  lots of reviews and a few giveaways, so I hope that you'll stick around for the foreseeable future, and maybe even for another 12 years ;)

Despite a promise to be a little bit more consistent, this post is a little late but does it really matter? I don't think so, so let's just get on with it x Now something that I've done for quite a few of those 12 years now, are my monthly Trimming My Stash posts. If you're a new reader, basically I have too many beauty products, and whilst my spending, and hauling has definitely slowed down of late, a few years ago now I decided to try and finish as many products as I could every month, and to keep a running total of just how many beauty products I could finish in a year. In the early days I just used to post a list but nowadays I go into a little more depth and share some mini reviews of all of my finished products

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Acid Daily Cleansing Pads - 60 Pads
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Shower Gel - 250ml
Primark PS... It's Oil Good! Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes
The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml

Total - 4 Items 

Looking back at last months total, I've got to say that January 2019 wasn't the best of months. I only managed to finish a paltry 4 items, including a couple of shower and body products, and a couple of skincare items, but 4 products is sill better than nothing, and in all the years that I've been doing this I've definitely had worse months x 

1. Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Acid Daily Cleansing Pads - 60 Pads

First up a skin care product from Superdrug's hugely popular Naturally Radiant range. The screw top jar contains 60 fabric cleansing / toning pads. The pads are quite small and thin but they are double sided, and each side has a slightly different textures. The pads are soaked in a mixture of glycolic acid, fruit AHA's, aloe vera, and pro vitamin B5 and are designed to remove dead skin cells, and leave the skin brighter and fresher, all you do is wipe over the pads over cleansed skin, using the slightly rougher side, and then the smoother side.

Now I'd never tried these before, but I'm a firm fan of the Superdrug Naturally Radiant Glycolic Toner (read my thoughts here) and the solution that these pads are soaked in is pretty much identical. It has the same herbal / aftershave type scent, and they produce the same slight tingling sensations on the skin. My results after using these were also pretty similar, my skin looked clearer, my pores were less obvious and any hormonal spots that I had dried up really quickly.

So in theory I should love these as much as the toner, well despite having pretty much identical results I don't love these quite as much. The pads themselves are quite small and then, and although I love the different textures, I ended up using several pads to do my face and neck where as with the toner I only needed to use one cotton pad. I also found that no matter how tight the jar lid was, the pads still seemed to dry out, so much so in fact that the last couple of pads were pretty much bone dry.

I think these are great for travel but I definitely prefer the liquid version. If you fancy trying these though they have an RRP of £5.99 but Superdrug often have offers on their own brand skincare, so you can usually get them either a bit cheaper are are part of a multi buy offer x

2. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Shower Gel - 250ml

Next up the first of two items from The Body Shop Spiced Apple festive collection from 2016 / 2017. Whilst my heart really belongs to their Glazed Apple range from 2014 / 2015, Spiced Apple also went down in history as one of my favourite ever holiday scents from The Body Shop.

It's just so mouthwateringly, edible, and combines the sweet, yet fruity tartness of apple, with cinnamon, and warming spices - it really is American style apple pie in a bottle! It does smell slightly strong in the bottle, but mix a small amount with water and the scent really comes to life as the gel produces a mountain of creamy bubbles.

Alas there were no apple based scents in The Body Shop 2018 festive inventory but fingers crossed they make another appearance in 2019, till then though I have a few bottles and tubs remaining to keep me clean and apple scented throughout 2019.

3. Primark PS... It's Oil Good! Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes x 25 Wipes

Now if you are a new reader, be prepared to see these quite regularly in my monthly empties post, I buy them in multiples, and they are a regular fixture in my beauty and hygiene routine. i don't tend to use them on my face that often but I do use them for general freshening up, cleaning make up packaging, and for cleaning up swatches after photographing make up swatches.

Containing lots of antibacterial tea tree, you can get these wipes in Primark at just £1 for 2 packs of 25 wipes.

4. The Body Shop Spiced Apple Exfoliating Sugar Body Scrub - 250ml

Finally another item from The Body Shop Spiced Apple range, and I feeling particularly sad about this because this was my last tub and this was probably my favourite product in the whole range :(

With that warming, cinnamon spiced apple scent, this scrub is perfect for those cold nights. It's crammed full of exfoliating sugar grains. It's nice and gritty but it's not too harsh, or scratchy, it gives you a nice thorough scrub, and it rinses away easily and dissolves when you add warm water, and it leaves the skin feeling super smooth. I don't really have anything else to say apart from please, please bring this back in 2019 The Body Shop !!!

So they were my January 2019 empties, not the best of starts to the year, but hopefully I can do a lot better from here on in x If you have any questions on any of the items that I finished then please leave me a comment below xx 

All About Pink Parcel And Unboxing Pink Parcel - January 2019 Edition

So today I'm going to talk about menstruation, periods, the red tide or however else you chose to describe that rather icky time of the month. For something that so many people experience it still isn't talked about as often as it should be, so today I'm going to talk about my period and something that I do to make it a little less hellish!

I think I was about 12 when I started my period, and at that point in history ( yes history! it was probably around 28 years ago after all!) it was still all a bit hush, hush, and any mention of it usually triggered a lot of snigger's, particularly from teen and preteen boys, I remember one particular occasion when the girls in my form were sent into the school hall for a little talk on our changing bodies and our new monthly visitor. I've got no problem with that all education is a plus, but if you know that you're going to be handing out boxes of tampons and booklets, at least let the girls take their bags with them! You can imagine what happened when we went back to classroom with our freebies in tow - embarrassment doesn't quite cover it! That's why I firmly believe that boys should be taught about periods - if you're a guy at some point in time you're probably going to either live with a woman, be it a mother, a sister or a partner, or even spend time with a member of the female species, so you're going to need to know how it all goes down. We need to break down that stigma, and make those times of the month easier for every woman.

I don't know about you but my period is definitely a low point of month, I was on the pill for quite a few years, which worked wonders, my periods were short, light and virtually pain free - A couple of years ago though now I made the decision for certain health reasons to come off the pill, and as a result my periods are longer, heavier, and more painful, and my mood can change in a matter or seconds. Add horrid periods to chronic illness and you don't have the best of combinations. I'm not going to lie I dread it, and anything that I can do to make it even a tiny bit easier is therefore a godsend, and that's why I subscribe to Pink Parcel.

Okay it reminds me that my periods on its way, but it gives me one less thing to think about at that time of the month. Pink Parcel is basically a period subscription box, all you need to do is answer a few questions about the dates and the average length of your period, and select the type of sanitary protection that you would like, and you will never need to make a late night visit to the 24 hour garage again!

There are three different types of box to choose from, tampons only, sanitary pads only, and a mixed box which contains both tampons and sanitary pads. You can then choose various different products from top brands including Tampax, Bodyform, Lil-lets and Always, to suit your preference, and if you fancy a change it's really easy to change your preferences on the Pink Parcel website

The people at Pink Parcel recognise though that periods can be pretty horrible so as well as sending you enough sanitary protection to cover your period, you also receive a little box filled with treats to cheer you up and to make the 5 days or so, just a little bit better. You mainly receive a selection of beauty and lifestyle products, ranging from skincare items, to make up, to jewellery and candles, and you always get something to snack on, such as biscuits, chocolate or sweeties, and either a tea bag or a hot drink sachet, and if you fall in love with the products inside you can can often buy them directly from the Pink Parcel Shop, which you can find on their website x (Check out my You Tube channel to see some previous unboxings x).

There are a number of different subscription options, and you can put it on hold, and cancel your boxes quite easily. Like with Glossybox I just get the self renewing, monthly subscription which costs £10.50, but you can also subscribe for 3 months for £35.97, 6 months for £64.95 and for a full 12 months for £129.90.

I love the concept and since I started subscribing it'd definitely gave me one less thing to worry about but I'm going to be honest with you and say that I've had a few emails from Pink Parcel lately apologising for various things, and talking about changes and restructuring within the company, and changes to the box itself, so apparently in February we will be getting a new and revamped box, which is probably just as well because to be honest January's box was a bit confusing and a bit of a let down.

Now in theory Pink Parcel's boxes fit through the majority of letterboxes, and yes mine seems too but it always seems to look a bit squashed when it arrives, and according to some of the emails that I've received from Pink Parcel this is a common problem, so from February the box will be a little bit different and a bit sturdier. The current box is made from a very thin card, so to be honest I usually just stick it straight in the recycling so something reusable would be a bonus.

Immediately on pulling back the perforated tab and opening my box I realised that something was amiss. Normally the Pink Parcel box contains a booklet telling you the theme of the box and giving you a bit more information on some of the products inside but on this occasion it was missing!

The rest of the box looked normal and contained the usual 2 boxes and 1 fabric pouch containing sanitary protection. The "For Night" box contains extra absorbent products especially for nighttime use, the"For Later" box contains the bulk of your sanitary protection, and the fabric pouch is designed especially for your handbag or office drawer and contains usually some "normal' items and some pantyliners.

As I say you can request different types of boxes and since I was running low on pads I requested a pads only box. Normally you will get say all Always or Bodyform products but I do seem to have got a mixture of both here, instead of the Always products that I requested but since the replacement products were all of the same absorbency it didn't really matter. Just to give you an idea of how much you'll get, I received 25 sanitary pads, and 5 pantyliners in my parcel.

Now as I say periods aren't really something to look forward but in some ways I always seem to look forward to this little pink and grey box with the words "For You A Little Something To Cheer You Up" printed on it that comes inside my Pink Parcel. Pink Parcel by their own admission isn't a beauty box but you do normally a good variety of items including beauty products in your box. That said for me the word variety couldn't really be used about January's box, it was a definite let down compared to pretty much every other box I'd had from them, there didn't seem to be any theme, and it seemed to be made up of leftover products, I mean 3 face masks in one box really?

Natura Rose Infused Sheet Mask - 1 x Mask - 22ml - Full Size - RRP £4.95

First up a full sized face mask from Beauty Pro's Natura brand. I've said this before I love a face mask, and as well as helping with any skin irritation at that time of the month, face masks are a great tool to aid relaxation, just pop a mask on and zone out for 15 minutes.

I've tried a few Beauty Pro masks now but I haven't tried anything from the Natura line but being a rose fan this sounds lovely. This vegan friendly mask contains rosewater, lavender and rosemary is designed to calm and hydrate the skin, and to soothe irritation and minimise redness. My skin is a bit Topsy turvy at the moment so I think I'll be using this mask sooner rather than later, so keep an eye out for it in my February empties post x 

Beauty Pro Black Peel Charcoal Mask - 7ml x 1 - RRP £4.95 For 3 

Next another face mask and another one from Beauty Pro, on the Pink Parcel website they advise that you use this mask first and then the Natura mask, so I guess we've got to give them that one I suppose for giving us a mini skincare routine. Based on the picture I think it's one of those super effective, but quite painful peel off masks, designed to detoxify, re balance and exfoliate the skin, it also claims to re balance oil production, and improve skin tone. It contains charcoal powder, fruit extracts, lavender, tea tree, ginkgo biloba, and deep sea water, and is free from mineral oils, lanolin, parabens, and petroleum. My skin is just a touch sensitive at the moment so I'm going to stick this in the drawer and attack my pores at a later date. This mask normally comes in a pack of 3.

MudMasky Morning Boost Mask - 20ml - Travel Size - RRP $25 / €23

And would you believe it another mask! Now I've already had this in at least one other beauty box, but I haven't tried it yet. It's a one minute mask that is designed for morning use - it's apparently energising, lifting, feeding, hydrating and smoothing and it contains arabica coffee, Moroccan lava clay, Indonesian flowers and rice. Since I have more than one of these I should really give it a go - maybe it might be just the thing to give me a boost after a sleepless or insomnia filled night x

Percy & Reed No-Fuss Fabulous Dry Shampoo - 50ml - Travel Size - RRP £5.00

Next something else that seems quite familiar x I've tried a few Percy & Reed products before that I've received in various subscription boxes and I've usually been pretty impressed x This is a dry shampoo which means it's designed to soak up extra oil, and aid styling, whilst at the same time fragrancing the hair. I do love a dry shampoo but since I currently have about 3 or 4 on the go at the moment, and a few more stuffed in a drawer it might a while before I use this one. I do like the travel size though so it may end up making a slightly earlier appearance in my handbag or my travel bag.

Polaar Icy Magic Instant Eye Contour Energiser With Siberian Ginseng - 10ml - Est. RRP £29.50

From what I can gather this seems to be the most expensive product in the box, I can't find this exact packaging but the same size product in different packaging retails at a pretty hefty £29.50.  Now I know for a fact I've received something from this brand before in a subscription box but whether or not it was this product I can't be sure - maybe I should brave my skincare box and have a proper sort out, if it's getting to the stage I don't know what I already own - eek!

Anyways Polaar are a skincare company that draws their inspiration and their ingredients from the polar regions of the Arctic, and Antarctic, and one of the main ingredients in this product is Siberian Ginseng which tones and brightens the skin, and it also contains pro-vitamins and peptides.

I'm pretty lazy when it comes to eye treatments but I do love a roll on, and this one promises to hydrate and lift the eyes, whilst at the same time combating dull and puffy skin, and apparently aiding lash growth. I've only tried it a couple of times, but the liquid, and the metal roller ball feels really cooling, and soothing on the skin, so I'm definitely going to keep using it x

COCOBA Orange Milk Chocolate Neapolitans x 2 

Now one of the reasons I look forward to Pink Parcel so much is that I know that there will always be something that I can eat inside, in the past I've had sweets from Candy Kittens, popcorn from Joe & Sephs, and Cornish fudge - yummy! In this box though it was chocolate, and it was two tiny squares of orange milk chocolate from British based chocolate company COCOBA. Unfortunately I can't find these online which is a shame so I can't give you any sort of price comparison, but I do love chocolate, and these were particularly nice, so much so in fact that I could have definitely eaten a few more

Tea + Detox Apple And Blackcurrant Green Tea + Vitamins - 1 x 2g Bag - RRP £3.49 For 14 / 15 Bags

Now whenever I have my period my hot drink consumption always increase, a nice cup or tea or a hot chocolate, definitely helps when the dreaded cramp strikes, so it's always to find either a tea bag, or some other form of hot drink in my monthly Pink Parcel. When it comes to tea though, you can't beat a normal brew but since Mummy Lou is partial to a fancy cuppa every now and then though, she tends to drink the majority of my Pink Parcel blends.This one is green tea blended with milk thistle, dandelion root, ginseng, added vitamins and apple and blackcurrant flavours. It sounds yummy but I can pretty much guarantee that Mummy Lou will get to it first x I had some problems finding this online so the price estimate is either for a box of 14 or 15 bags x

Okay, maybe I've was a little bit harsh about this box at the beginning of this post because after doing a little bit research the value seems pretty decent, and I will probably end up using all of the beauty products at some point. It's a funny one the value is there but the box just doesn't seem to have been that well thought out, and it does seem as though it was put together with products that they had lying around without any aim or theme hmmm.

As I mentioned earlier in the last few weeks Pink Parcel subscribers have received quite a few emails basically telling us that changes are afoot, so I guess we'll see what happens. I've been a happy subscriber for quite a long while now so here is hoping that February's box is a better one x If you want to subscribe or find out more about Pink Parcel than please check out their website for more information x

*This Post Contains Both Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links 

Nails Of The Day - Nails Inc - Elizabeth Street

If there is one thing that I probably don't need any more of it's nail polishes, I probably have enough to stock several nail salons, but throwing all logic out of the window it's something that I can't seem to stop buying, throw Christmas into the equation and I've probably acquired about 15 nails polishes in the last 2 months alone - I think I have a problem!

So I guess it makes some sort of sense that I've decided (natural nails depending that is) to start sharing regular nails of the days with you again, What probably is a little bit stranger though is that the polish in my previous NOTD post (Nails Inc - Victoria - read it here if you haven't already) and the polish in this post are almost vintage models!

This is another one of my original Nails Inc polishes - Elizabeth Street, like Victoria has pretty much been around since Day 1, and again it's easy to see why it's probably as popular now as it ever was.

Elizabeth Street is a perfect creamy, natural nude shade. If you've been lucky enough to have a French Manicure at one of Nails Inc's many nails bars, then this is one of the shades, that they could have used. Team it up with a shade like Whitehall for a full on French look or wear it on it's own for a clean, fresh, classic natural nail look.

If you're a Nails Inc historian or aficionado then you'll know that again this is one of their very early bottles, so no wide, curved brush here. The original Nails Inc polishes had quite a thin brush, it takes a little bit longer to paint with admittedly but if your nails are shorter,  then it does make it a tiny bit neater, especially if like me you aren't the best nail painter!

After the first coat it was a bit streaky and you could definitely still see the colour of my nail bed and nail tip through the polish. Apply one coat really well though and you would a very natural nude pink shade, aka your own nails but better, build it up like I have though and you get more of the true, cream, nude shade. The density and coverage improves with every coat, so depending on how well you apply it and your nails, it could take 3 or more coats for full blank out coverage. As you long as you apply thin coats though it should dry quite quickly, and  even given the age of my bottle I didn't have too many problems with drying time.

For speed in theses photographs I'm only wearing two coats, but to be honest on some nails I probably could have done with 3 coats because it does look a bit streaky. This is one of those colours that in theory should be easy to paint but as you can see it's not! I'm going to hold me hands up and say that this isn't the neatest manicure that I've ever done, but I do think that the pale colour has at least a little bit to do with it, for some reason it seems to show up every imperfection especially around the cuticle area - all I can say is just don't look too close ;) Never mind at least it made up for it's less than perfect finish with wear time, because you can't really see any chips I managed to get nearly a week out of this without a top coat, which is almost completely unheard of for me, 

Despite the odd flaw here and there this is a really easy to wear colour, it's a proper neutral, that's perfect for any nail length, it is a true classic, and there is literally nowhere that you couldn't wear this colour. As I say it's perfect on its own and as part of a French Manicure but given its very neutral tone, and its ability to almost white out / blank out your nails, it like Victoria, makes the perfect base for all of those fabulous glittery, holographic, and iridescent top coats. If you read my Nails Inc INC.redible Cosmic Girl post before Christmas (check it out here x), then you may have already seen this shade topped with the fabulous colour shifting Cosmic Girl, to give it an amazing transformation from safe, classic, neutral, to sparkly wonderfulness!

Elizabeth Street is one of those must have shades, and even if you think it's a bit boring, and a bit safe, get it and have a play with it, it's such a versatile colour that you won't be disappointed - look even Tallulah likes it! Nails Inc - Elizabeth Street in it's new and funky packaging is readily available at Nails Inc concessions, nails bars, and online x 

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

Nails Of The Day - Nails Inc Victoria

I think I might have mentioned this a few times, before but even though nails of the day posts were few and far between in 2019, it doesn't mean that I fell out love with nail polish. I fell out of love with my nails at times but the nail polish love was still strong! So in 2019 I'm determined to showcase a few more of my nail polishes than I did last year. I got quite a few new ones for Christmas that I'm dying to show you, but first of all I thought I'd talk about an oldie but a goodies, Nails Inc - Victoria.

Victoria is probably one of Nails Inc's oldest and best selling shades, and it's probably one of the oldest Nails Inc polishes that I own. I do own a slightly newer version but for these pictures I decided to use my old faithful bottle, which is still in excellent condition, despite its advancing years, and is surely a testament to the continuing quality of the brand.

For many years shades like Victoria were seen as a bit unusual and a bit left field, but far from being unusual nowadays you would probably categorise it as a true modern classic. Victoria is one of those deep, dark almost black reds, similar to the shade popularised by Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. It looked amazing on her short and since my nails are pretty short at the moment I thought I'd dig it and revisit an old favourite.

Packaged in the original Nails Inc bottle with one of their earliest logos, the bottle has a short, thin straight brush. Now I love the wide, curved brushes that you now get with the majority of Nails Inc polishes but because my nails are quite short at the moment, this one was probably slightly easy to paint with.

Despite it's age the coverage was still pretty decent. This is one of those polishes that changes colour slightly depending on how many coats you apply, I applied two here, but if you wanted a redder finish you could potentially just apply the one. It actually looks pretty black here but in real life it's definitely more of a red wine shade.

Even though my bottle is probably due its pension in nail polish land it still pretty quickly and the wear time was decent. Like a lot of dark polishes, Victoria is one of those colours though that needs to be applied well and unfortunately when dark shades like this chip it's very noticeable so for maximum wear time I would definitely recommend a good top coat and I would also recommend a decent base coat, and a good nail polish remover because deep shades like this do have a tendency to stain the nails at least in the short term x

I've actually worn this shade a few times over the last month or so, I think it's a perfect wintry shades, but as much as I love it on it's own I've also had a little play with it, and I applied Nails Inc's Cosmic Blur over the top, to give it a fab duo chrome, iridescent, flip finish. You can check it out if you haven't already in my Nails Inc Cosmic Blur Gift Set review here x

This is a gorgeous wearable, yet sophisticated, yet fashionable colour that really has stood the test of time. No matter what your age, your skin tone, or whether your nails are long or short, this colour really is a must have. It fabulous on its own but you can also play with and use it a base colour for nail art and for sparkly, holographic and iridescent top coats. If you don't already own this colour, then buy it, you won't be disappointed!

Glossybox "All I Want" Advent Calendar - Part 2 - Days 13 - 25

Okay this post, like so many over the last 12, or even 24 month is late but as the saying goes better late than never. I've promised you this post a few times over the last few weeks but eventually the starts have aligned, the creeks haven't risen and it's now ready for you to read!

Although Christmas does seem like a lifetime ago, let's take a little look back to those hectic days in the run up to Christmas and of course to the big day itself as I share the contents of days 13 - 25 of the 2018 Glossybox All I Want Advent Calendar.

Day 13 - Karmameju Charcoal Age Defence Konjac Sponge 03 - Balance / Combination Skin - Full Size

First up we had a full size Konjac sponge, from Danish company Karmameju. Made with fibres from the Amorphophallus Konjac plant, and Bamboo Charcoal, this sponge is perfect for oily, combination and hormonal skin, is designed to exfoliate and purify the skin. 

I've used a few different Konjac sponges in the past and I've particularly enjoyed using them for my morning cleanse. You can use them both with and without cleanser, and surprisingly even without cleanser your skin feels super soft, and very clean afterwards. To be honest every time I've used one I've always been really pleased with how clear my skin has looked after a few days use but despite following the instructions thoroughly, they never seem to last very long, they either dry out to much or they just seem to disintegrate and fall apart. I haven't used this one yet but I'm looking forward to giving it a go and fingers crossed I can make it last for more than a week x The full size Karmameju Charcoal Age Defence Konjac Sponge 03 - Balance / Combination Skin has a recommended retail price of £11.44 / €12.

Day 14 - Elgon Refibra Haircare Concentrated Restoring Mask  - 100ml - Full Size

On Day 14 it was a hair mask from professional Italian salon brand, Elgon. Now I do love a hair mask or any hair product come to think of it and this sounds like a good one! Especially formulated for dry, brittle, and unruly hair, this mask containing guarana and glycerin, promises, soft, smooth, full bodies shiny hair. Bring it on is what I say x This is a full size tube and I've seen this same size online retailing at various price points between £6.49 and £13.42.

Day 15 - INC.redible Jelly Shot  - _Ex Revenge - 4.4g - Full Size

Next up, a lip product from Nails Inc's make up line which is now called INC.redible. I've tried a couple of things from the brand so far ( you can read my reviews here and here) and I've been pretty impressed with both the formulations and the overall performance. Whilst the packaging isn't that exciting immediately on opening box number 15, the appearance of this product certainly gave it that wow factor. 

How pretty is that?? This lip product definitely falls into the nearly too pretty to use category but that would be a waste. Formulated with a blend of avocado, vitamin E and rice brand oil, this clear jelly balm, which contains real 24 carat gold flakes, and a pretty little flower, is designed to nourish, moisturise and repair the lips, and to give them a subtle sheen

There has been a bit of trend for balms and lip colours with glitter, gold, and flowers suspended in them and believe me I'm here for it - this is without a doubt one of the prettiest beauty products that I've ever used, but for me that is pretty much where it ends. I'm actually at a bit of a loss as to what it's actually supposed to do. Obviously it's some sort of lip balm, with a sort of gel like texture but it doesn't appear to add any colour to the lips and as yet I've encountered no gold flakes; it does add a bit of a sheen but in my experience it doesn't seem to last that long, and unfortunately it doesn't seem to add that much moisture. It's very pretty to look at and I'm glad I've tried it, but personally looks aren't everything are there are more hydrating lip products on the market still the recommend retail price for the full 4.4g size of INC.redible Jelly Shot  in _Ex Revenge is £8 so price wise this wasn't a bad inclusion.

Day 16 - POP Beauty Pure Pigment - Metallic Copper - 4g - Full Size

On day 16 it was a full size pigment powder from Pop Beauty. Now I've had trouble find these in the UK but they are available for around $4 for Amazon, and from various US retailers.

I used to use a lot of Dazzle Dusts, pigments and loose eyeshadows but in the last few years I've kind of fallen out of love with them, after having a play with this though, I can see myself shopping my loose shadow stash a little bit more in 2019. This is one beautiful pigment, it's in a gorgeous deep, metallic, copper shade. Yes, they can be a bit difficult to apply and of course there is the fallout issue, but this one in particular is so beautiful, and they are so economical to use that they are definitely worth the extra effort. Obviously this makes an amazing eye colour, either used as a shadow or even mixed with a bit of mixing medium as an eyeliner, but I also think that it would make a fabulous lip colour mixed with either a little bit of clear gloss or a some lip balm.

Day 17 - Luxie 522 Dreamcatcher Tapered Highlighter Brush - Full Size

Now I do love my make up brushes and no matter how many that I own, and how many brands that I've seen and lusted after, it seems like there are still more beautiful brushes, and beautiful brands out there. Now one brand that you may not be that familiar with is Luxie, I only own one Luxie brush and it's one of those brush brands that you try and you immediately want more.

All of Luxie's brushes are handcrafted, made of high quality, soft synthetic bristles and are hypoallergenic, vegan and cruelty free. This is their tapered highlighter brush that is specifically designed to deposit highlighting powder on the cheekbones, nose, forehead and Cupid's bow.

Despite the fact that my brush head had got a little bit crushed in it calendar box, this brush was a pleasure to use, I've used it alongside the HUDA Beauty palette (keep on reading ;) and a few other cheek, and highlighter powders in my collection, and I've been really impressed with how well it's performed. The bristle are lovely and soft, yet dense and it's the perfect shape to get into the contours of your cheeks so you could use it as a general cheek and contour brush, as well as a highlighting brush. This particular brush is from Luxie's limited edition Dreamcatcher range, which means that it looks fab as well with a periwinkle blue handle, and a rose gold ferrule. Retailing at around £19 this isn't the cheapest brush but I think it well worth and again it's a great value inclusion in the calendar.

Day 18 - Lollipops Fluid Glowy Liquid Highlighter - 10ml- Travel Size

One of the things that I love about beauty boxes and of course beauty advent calendars is that they give you the chance to try new things and new and unusual brands, and seeing as Glossybox is an international brand you do got a lot of overseas brands maybe you haven't heard of before.

Case in point day 18 of the calendar and it's a make up product from French Parisian brand Lollipops. Fluid Glowy is a gorgeous paraben and cruelty free highlighter. I do love a highlighter and there were a few in this calendar, in different formulations and textures, and this one has a creamy, liquid consistency. It's in a gorgeous warm gold colour, that will work equally will in the summer months, as it will in these colder months. This one is perfect as a cheek highlighter but I also think that it would make a lovely brow highlight, and a lovely liquid eye colour. A nice versatile product, and the travel size means that it's great for your handbag or for holidays. Again not easy to get hold of in the UK but it retails for around €4.

Day 19 - Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater & Pink Peppercorn Hand Therapy - 25ml - Travel Size 

Now I don't know about you but when the weather turns cold you can really see it in my hands, my fingers look red, my hands look and feel dry, and my cuticles feel sore and peel, not nice! Hence I'm a prolific cuticle oil, and hand cream user. I normally have a couple of tubes on the go at once, and this one went straight into use.

Made with macadamia seed oil, shea butter, glycerine, ceramides, and rosewater, this cream has a thick and creamy feel but it actually absorbs really quickly leaving the skin super soft, and protected. I've really enjoyed using this one and I've fallen in love with the scent - a soft rose aroma with a warm and spicy hit. I have a load of hand cream to use up but I can already that this one is a potential repurchase. Because you need so little this is a very generous travel size which retails at around £8.

Day 20 - Steve Laurant Lip Gloss - Eggplant - 3.2g - Full Size

On Day 20 Glossybox gave to me a Steve Laurant Lip Gloss, or should that be Steve Lavrant as my tube says, I'm not saying that's why it's in the calendar, but having a misspelling on the packaging would make it quite hard to sell, or am I just being cynical?

Anyways thanks to various beauty boxes I've tried a few products from Steve Laurant and at the risk of repeating myself I've been fairly impressed. Steve Laurant seems to be one of those brands that you only ever seem to see in the UK in beauty subscription boxes, but apparently it's a US based luxury make up brand that only uses high end cruelty free ingredients.

Packaged in an eye catching tube with a rose gold toned lid, and sponge doe foot applicator, this lipgloss is apparently a hybrid gel, oil mix that moisturises and hydrates that lips and provides highly pigmented long lasting colour in a lightweight formulation

gorgeous berry red - 

With a slight coconut, the formula does feel quite moisturising, and unlike a lot of lip glosses it didn't feel that sticky. Eggplant is a very rich, dark berry red, the pigmentation is superb but personally for me it looked a little bit too much when you applied it straight out of the tube. Given the fact that it was so lightweight, and moisturising, it did have a tendency to travel out of the lip line, and as a result it was hard to maintain that perfect deep berry finish. I've worn this a few times though, and how I've got round it, is to blot it down slightly which gives you a much more wearable, long lasting, pink, berry stain with just a hint of gloss. This is the shade that I'm wearing in my December Pink Parcel video which you can watch here x This is a full sized product and it has retail price of around $22.

Day 21 - PIXI By Petra Fresh Face Blush - Beach Rose - 4.5g - Mini

If you're a fan of cheek products then I think that this calendar will have been right up your street - I love highlighters and blushers so I was really pleased to find this PIXI blush in box number 21.

I've tried a few things from PIXI already (including a few bits from last years look fantastic advent that I still need to review - whoops!) and although a few of the lip things have been a bit hit and miss, the skin care, eyeshadow, and cheeks products that I've tried so far have definitely been on point so I had high for this blusher and I wasn't disappointed.

Containing natural minerals, Vitamin E and mica, this blush is gorgeous neutral, brown toned peach, it feels silky smooth and the pigmentation is excellent. It's a good neutral shade and I think that the colour would work on a lot of skin tones. At this time of year it's just a touch too dark for me so I've just been applying it very lightly but come the summer I can see myself wearing this an awful lot.
I have had a bit of trouble finding this shade anywhere else bar directly from PIXI, I'm not sure if it is the same size that they are selling but they describe it as a mini and sell it around £6, where as Glossybox value this size and shade at £8.80. What is the correct price? I have no idea!

Day 22 - Zelens Transformer Instant Renewal Mask - 10ml - Travel Size 

Next up a travel size product from top, scientific, skincare brand Zelens, I haven't tried anything from the brand before but this sounds like an interesting starting point.

It's basically a face mask that promises to hydrate, smooth and firm the complexion, leading to noticeable younger looking skin. It contains sesame protein which is designed to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, hyaluronic acid to increase skin elasticity and erase fine lines, a blend of Vitamin C, yeast extract and marine glycogen to regenerate skin, as well as magnesium, brown sea algae, enzymes, and lactobionic acid.

Lots of ingredients and lots of science and a high price tag to match, the full 50ml size retails at £100, so if you do the maths, this 10ml travel size retails at £19, still a lot of money for such a small tube but a good to try a high end product.

Day 23 - Eyeko London Fat Eye Stick - Satin  - 4g - Full Size

Now I'm the first to admit that I have a love hate relationship with Eyeko, I remember them in the first incarnation, slightly manga inspired and super cheap, then almost overnight the prices flew up and they adopted a more mid to higher end image. I haven't bought anything from them since then but I've acquired quite a few of their products from beauty boxes, and as magazine freebies - well I guess that's one way to get your products known! 

Anyways I've tried a few of their products now but I've never tried one of these shadow sticks before. I do love the convenience and ease of a shadow stick so I couldn't wait to give this one a go. The colour Satin is beautiful silvery, taupe shade, that you could literally wear every day, or you could add some lashes and liner for an evening look, super versatile and wearable. Love the colour but unfortunately that pretty much the only thing that I loved.

The pen itself is quite chunky so if you're applying it straight from the tube it has a tendency to where you don't want it to, so if you want perfection, you need to have a cotton bud at the ready for touch ups. I can deal with that but what I had real issues with was the wear time, I have quite oily eye lids and as result it faded quite quickly and after a few hours it had almost completely disappeared :( I'm not giving up with this yet though, the colour is really me, and I going to try and use it over a eyeshadow base, or even as a base for powder shadows. I love the colour so I'm really hoping I can make it work. The full size eyeshadow stick is cruelty free and has a retail price of £12.

Day 24 - Mitchell And Peach - Fine Radiance Face Oil - 20ml - Full Size

Despite now being in my early 40's I still have quite oily skin, I can deal with that though, I don't have too many wrinkles and fine lines, and dry patches thankfully are few and far between. I know that won't last for ever though, so I'm starting to introduce a few anti ageing products into my regime. Something that I was always quite scared of were facial oils. It's a common belief that you shouldn't use facial oils if your skin is oily, rubbish, you need to find the right oils for you and when you do you won't believe the difference in the feel and texture of your skin.

That's why I was delighted to see this beautiful facial oil from British brand Mitchell And Peach in box number 24. Designed to leave the skin feeling plumper, firmer, and glowing with radiance, it contains cobnut oil, which contains vitamin E and B, as well as apricot kernel oil, coconut oil and wheat germ oil. It is scented with Mitchell & Peach's own Flora 1 natural fragrance blend containing rose, ylang ylang and lavender.

I haven't managed to try this on my face yet but I did try a little bit on the back of my hand, the oil itself is quite runny so it was easy to massage into the skin, it absorbed really quickly, and the scent was beautiful, you could really smell the essential especially the lavender but it wasn't too strong or too overpowering. This is a full sized bottle and has a retail price of £40.

Day 25 - HUDA Beauty Winter Highlighter Palette - Winter Solstice Edition











At last the big one! When I was little I definitely don't remember advent calendars going up to day 25, but hey I'm not complaining. When I first received the press release about this calendar, this was the clincher and this was the reason why I decided to go for the Glossybox calendar, what was it?  a full size highlighting palette from one of the brands of the moment HUDA Beauty of course!


Now I am going to be honest with you this palette was a limited edition and as a result it's no longer that easy to get your hands on - is that why it was in the box? I don't know but in the interests of fairness I thought it was worth mentioned. Now I'm quite new to HUDA Beauty and before receiving November's Glossybox (click here to watch the unboxing) I hasn't actually tried anything from the brand. Like most beauty lovers though I'd lusted after the entire range for the longest time and when I win the lottery this weekend (haha) my first purchases will definitely be Huda Kattan's rose gold, and nude palettes! drool! then again though I love all of her highlighter palettes too so maybe a few of them? Hell I guess if I win the lottery I can buy it all!                                                                                 



As I say this highlighter palette was a limited edition but as a relative newbie to the range it gave me a good opportunity to get a feel for it, to try some of the textures, and to see if the brand really lives up to the hype.





The palette contains four good size highlighting shades in two different formulations. Frosted Kiss is in a cream formulation, and can either be used alone, as a pale pink / champagne cream highlighter or as a base colour to intensify the other powder shades. Arctic Glow is probably the most left field of the shades, it's a beautiful iridescent lilac, blue coloured powder. Although it looks a touch green in the picture Northern Lights is in fact a beautiful gold, and Winter Rose is a beautiful shimmery pink, coral, with copper and rose gold undertones. I've taken the swatches in both natural light and with the flash so you can the full effect and how the shades can look in different lighting conditions.

Frosted Kiss (Left) And Arctic Glow (Right) Taken In Natural Light 



And Frosted Kiss And Arctic Glow Taken With Flash








Northern Lights (Left) And Winter Rose (Right) Taken In Natural Light





And Northern Lights And Winter Rose Taken With Flash




The creamy product Frosted Kiss, feels lovely and smooth and creamy to the touch but not too oily or greasy, it gives the skin a lovely sheen when you wear it on its own. All of the powder shades are silky smooth, and buttery and have an almost creamy feel. On my skin tone Frosted Kiss, Artic Glow and Northern Lights all make fabulous highlight shades, but you could easily use them as eye colours and for highlighting different parts of the face such as the brow bone, where as Winter Rose on the other hand would made a fabulous shimmery blush on my pale pink toned skin.
As I say this was my first opportunity to have a proper play with some cream and powder textures from HUDA beauty and I have to say I'm really impressed, the pigmentation and the effects are superb and everything feels so soft and dreamy, I'm now even more convinced than I ever was that I need some more products from the HUDA Beauty line. The stated retail price for the HUDA Beauty Winter Highlighter Palette - Winter Solstice Edition is £40.
So they you have it - days 13 -25 of the Glossybox All I Want Advent Calendar, you can also read days 1 - 12 here if you haven't already x What's the verdict then? Well by and large I'm pretty pleased, I will use the majority of products, and the ones that I won't I can easily pass on. Although Glossybox's pricing on some items was questionable after doing my research the value definitely seemed to be there. Obviously there were a few big brand, high end items that stood out but there were quite a few smaller items and of course there were a few lesser known brands in there but the products and quality seemed decent and I've said before I love trying new things and new brands.so I definitely had no complaints. Like beauty boxes, beauty advent calendars can be hit and miss, if you want full sizes, high end brands, and big names, then the likelihood is that you will always be disappointed no how much you spend on a box or a calendar, if you're like me though and you don't mind taking the odd risk and you don't mind the odd travel size and you love trying new things. and new brands then you'll be fine and you'll look forward to and be pretty happy with every box - At the end of the day you pays your money, you makes your choice. I love the surprise of a beauty advent calendar and I'm going to try and get another one this year. What are your thoughts on beauty advents?  and have you tried any of the product that I've talked about in this post? Let me know in the comments and don't forget from this week I'll now be doing my regular beauty box unboxings right here on the blog, starting later this week with the January edition of Glossybox UK. You can find out more about Glossybox here x 
*Post Contains Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links