LuxBox - Beauty Box for August

Hello everyone! *waves*

By now I'm sure most of you will have heard of the latest craze that is Beauty Boxes.

What are Beauty Boxes?

If you're not familiar with beauty boxes, the concept is pretty simple: beauty box sites set membership fee, generally around £10 or more per month, usually on a subscription basis, for it's members to receive a box or bag full of cosmetics, skincare and fragrance. These can range from deluxe samples, to travel size, to full size cosmetics, depending on the company. And there are sites specializing not only in luxury brand cosmetics, but also eco friendly and sustainable skincare, hair care, and beauty lines.

I've recently hopped on the bandwagon and signed up to some Beauty Box subscriptions, however the latest one to catch my eye was LuxBox - http://www.luxbox.co.uk/

LuxBox promise "To bring you the best in luxurious products; freeing you of the effort of trialing hundreds of products and spending hundreds of pounds!"

To be honest I love the idea of Beauty Boxes - once a month a beautifully packaged and presented box lands on your doorstep and each month it's a mystery as to what you'll get. It's like treating yourself to a Birthday present once a month! 

At the moment LuxBox currently only deliver to addresses within the UK, however I'm hoping that they will soon change this and offer the service to Ireland also. Alternatively if you're in Ireland and desperate to get your hands on a LuxBox you could always try a service like Parcel Motel and get around the delivery restriction that way! :)

Customer service from LuxBox was top class and I received my Beauty Box within 5 days - it came carefully packaged in a brown cardboard box and was then beautifully presented inside in a very sophisticated looking and very understated muted greige box with the LuxBox logo on top.

Inside my box I got 5 items, 2 of which were full sizes so I was extremely pleased with that.

The box costs £10 (plus P&P) so the 2 full size items I got more than covered the price of the box alone.

Inside the box also comes a handy guide which details the products in your Beauty Box along with info on where you can re-purchase and pricing etc...

In this months box I received:

Inika Certified Organic Eyeliner in Peacock - Full Size - £11.75

Gatineau Essential

Skin Corrector - Sample Size - 15ml - £20.70

Magnifibres Brush on False Lashes - Full Size - £20

BRTC Gold Caviar BB Cream - Sample Sachet X 2

Yana Cosmetics Foundation - Sample Size - £1.50

Everything that came in the box:

I'm absolutely delighted with the box. For one, LuxBox actually ask you what skin type and foundation shade you are to ensure you get a foundation sample to match your skintone - unlike a lot of other Beauty Box companies who just send out the same samples to everyone meaning that there will be a lot of disappointed people receiving skin care items which are no use to them due to the wrong shades being received.

The Magnifibres and Inika products were both full size and they are worth £31.75 combined - I then calculated the Gatineau sample to be worth £20.70 based on the full size 50ml product retailing for £69.

So straight away the items in my box came to a whopping £52.45 - and that's NOT including the value of the Yana foundation sample and the 2 BRTC BB Cream sample sachets!

Not bad for a Beauty Box that costs just £10 huh?

So far I'm loving my LuxBox and I note that they currently have an offer on at the minute for a Limited Edition box for £20 which will contain 5 Full Size products. Given the value that I got in this box, I'm very tempted by the Limited Edition box which looks like it could be a winner!

You can check out LuxBox here:

http://www.luxbox.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/LuxBox/182034315233268

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/lux_box

Velour Mink Eyelashes

Hello Everyone!

I have a little confession to make. I like false eyelashes. I like them a lot. I LOVE eyelashes.

There, I said it.

I now have a rather large collection of false eyelashes owing to my addiction. I have every type under the sun, synthetic, natural hair, dramatic styles, pretty every-day wearable styles, I just can't get enough of them.

I thought I had pretty much every type of falsies a gal could wish for, that was until I came across Velour Lashes http://www.velourlashes.com/

Velour Lashes are a luxury brand of eyelashes specializing in real mink fur lashes.

Velour Lashes are made up of 100% natural mink fur which has been gently brushed from live mink and sterilized to ensure that it is hypo-allergenic.

The company states: "We would like to make clear and public that no harm has been done to these beautiful animals." - phew!

Unlike synthetic lashes, their 100% natural mink fur is free from any chemical processing and dye which allows for an extremely soft, lightweight, and natural look.

The packaging for these lashes is top class - you feel like you really are getting a premium, luxury product.

The lashes come presented in a beautiful hard cardboard box with an outer cover.

i got 2 sets of lashes from Velour and they are: "You Complete Me" and "Lash In The City" - the names totally sold me!

Lash In The City

Check out the adorable "caution" on the inside of the box!

"CAUTION: Contents may cause serious side effects such as increased flirtiness, extreme sexiness and irresistible eyes"

There's a pink ribbon enclosed to ease the lashes gently out from the box. Clever!

The Lash in The City set are a beautiful, dramatic, full on pair. There is loads of lashes set on the band of these handcrafted pair. The mink fur itself is a beautiful glossy dark brown / black shade - you can instantly see the quality in the lashes compared to cheaper synthetics.

You Complete Me

You Complete Me are another pair of very full lashes - they get thicker and fuller towards the outer corners to ensure you lovely, long, flirty lashes. These lashes are also slightly criss-crossed which gives a beautiful pattern and ensures thickness.

These lashes really remind me of the MAC Hello Kitty Lashes which I absolutely fell in love with when they released - so much so that I purchased multiple pairs as back-ups.

I have to say, I now much prefer the Velour Lashes in You Complete Me - They're longer, fuller and much more dramatic and still have that criss-cross pattern I love. 

I love the fact that  unlike synthetic lashes, the 100% natural mink fur is free from any chemical processing and dye which allows for an extremely soft, lightweight, and natural look.

The mink fur has not been chemically processed or dyed so the color will be a natural black-brown. Most people that use synthetic lashes are concerned that the darkness of synthetic lashes may be too harsh for their skin tone, but because mink fur is a natural black-brown color, Velour Lashes are thus suitable for everyone!

The Lash In The City pair of lashes I have normally retail for $64.99 however they're on sale at the moment for just $34.99 - and that includes FREE Shipping!

It's also worth noting that each pair of lashes can be used up to 25 times if used and stored correctly - so that brings them down to just $1.39 cost per wear!

The You Complete set I have normally retails for $59.99, but you can get them now for just $29.99 - again you can wear this set up to 25 times if you follow the instructions.

I got my lashes from http://www.velourlashes.com/

Their "Grand Opening Promotion" is now on - so if you're thinking of trying out some Velour Lashes for yourself, get them now whilst they're on sale!

They ship Internationally for FREE!

I can't wait to order some more, I want the whole collection already! :D

Belle xXx

Ciate Nail Polish in Vintage - Photos and Swatches

Hi Guys & Dolls! :)

I'm a big fan of Ciate nail products - you can see some previous posts here - they're a British nail brand who are "3 Free" meaning you won't find any nasties in your Nail Polish such as Dibutyl Phthalate, Formaldehyde  or Toluene in them, yay!

Today I'm going to be showing you the shade "Vintage".

Vintage is a described as a "Rich, deep and majestic grey." - however I definitely spy some green undertones in there somewhere - I would describe it as an intense, deep forest green grey.

The polish comes in adorable packaging -  a slim curved bottle with an elongated cap, nicely finished with decorative bow.

The long cap means that it's a very nice brush to hold - the brush itself is flat and well shaped, designed to coat your nails in almost one stroke.

I found the coverage to be excellent with this nail polish - you can get away with just one coat if you wish - that's how opaque and rich it is!

Vintage is a beautiful, understated green/grey - this would look fantastic with a matte coat on top for a sophisticated look.

With flash:

You can purchase Ciate Nail Polishes from http://www.ciate.co.uk

Vintage is a Creme polish coming in at a generous 13.5mls for just £9.

Or if you're in Ireland you can get your paws on it from:

http://www.ciate.ie

for just €10.50 - 

how nice to see a company not charging us extortionate sterling-euro rates! 

Nice job Ciate Ireland! :)

Have you ever tried Ciate products before? Got any favs?

Belle xXx

New BB Creams!

Hi everyone! :)

In continuing with my BB Cream Craze (see my last review on Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream here, I have a quick sneek peek of some more goodies to show you all.

In order to try out a few more BB Creams which I can report back to you all on, I got the following BB Creams from TreatYourSkin.com

Skin79 VIP Gold  BB Cream

Skin79 Super+ BB Cream Pink Label

Maybelline Dream Fresh 8-in-1 BB Cream

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream - Oil Free, Matte version

Quite a haul, eh?! I'm really looking forward to putting each of these BB Creams through their paces and comparing them with each other to see how they fare out.

Have you jumped on the BB Cream Craze Bandwagon yet?

If you're a fan of BB Creams I'd love to know which are your favourites and what brands you've tried.

You can purchase BB Creams from a wide selection at http://www.treatyourskin.com

You can even avail of a fantastic 10% discount by using code: "tysbella" when you place your order there.

Marvellous Marvel Gel by Ginvera

Hi Guys!

In my quest for the perfect and flawless, "airbrushed" complexion I've been trying out lots of new skincare products and one which I have been really impressed by so far is Ginvera's Marvel Gel.

Ginvera is a brand from Singapore which was established in 1985. I've recently been trying out some products from their Green Tea Whitening series - you can check out a previous review of the Ginvera BB Cream here.

The Ginvera Marvel Gel has been hailed as a "hero product" which claims "zero blackheads in one step" - sounds great doesn't it? I was however, as always, skeptical of such amazing claims.

Now for the science bit (I've always wanted to say that!)

Ginvera Green Tea Whitening series, as the name suggests, contains Green Tea extract as its main ingredient. Green Tea extract is a strong anti-oxidant that delays the skin’s ageing process and also reduces the damage from sun’s rays. Besides the new packaging, the new and improved Ginvera Green Tea Whitening series is also now enriched with Korean soybean for enhanced whitening of the skin. This unique Korean soybean is fermented with Bacillus Subtilis which will produce Cellplus+ (a soft liquid product that consist plenty of amino acids) which has strong moisturizing and whitening properties. With Green Tea extract and Korean soybean, the newly formulated Ginvera Green Tea Whitening series serves to restore skin’s clarity with its natural ingredients. 


Ginseng　 
Enhances cell renewal process while providing hydration and nourishment to brighten dull skin.　 

Pomelo Extract　 
Richer in Vitamin C content than other fruits, Pomelo Extract provides superior protection from free radical damage and enhanced whitening effect. 

Pearl Power 
Well known for its whitening and nourishing properties. Pearl powder helps to lighten dark spots and blemishes, renew skin cells and correct damages to skin by UV rays. It also leaves a sheer, radiant glow on skin. 

Biogel　 
Biogel enhances absorption of skincare nutrients into skin cells. 

Marvel Gel:

The Marvel Gel is a chemical exfoliator - which means it doesn't contain the coarse beads / grit that you're probably used to with regular exfoliators on the market. The gel itself is silky smooth and doesn't have the rough texture that you may be expecting when you hear the word "exfoliator" so it's non-abrasive.

Ginvera Green Tea Marvel Gel works by specifically targeting the cornified skin layer, dissolving and removing the dead skin cells on the top most epidermis layer. This gentle yet effective exfoliating action zeros-out blackheads thoroughly and painlessly and helps remove deep layers of dead skin. When the dead skin barrier is removed, the new skin underneath is revealed, allowing your skin’s healthy radiance to glow from within. It helps prevent pimples and controls oil secretion to help you stay shine-free the whole day!

As a gal with seriously dry skin which can be on the sensitive side I was delighted to come across this smooth, gentle and silky gel - no more scrubbing my skin to within an inch of it's life leaving it red, sore and unsightly in my bid to rid it of all it's flakiness. Hurrah!

Packaging:

The Marvel Gel comes in a handy squeezable green tube at a very generous size of 60ml.

To compare the Marvel Gel with the BB Cream also by Ginvera which comes in at 25ml.

I've been using this Marvel Gel for over a week now and I've already noticed a good reduction in the appearance of blackheads around my nose. The gel is very cooling and refreshing on the skin and it creates a gentle foaming / lathering action when you rub it into your skin.

I love the fact that this is such a gentle exfoliator - there's no scrubbing required and it won't leave your skin irritated after assaulting it with rough grains and granules.

After rubbing the gel into your skin you can see the dead cells simply "flaking" off before your very eyes - you can see the dead skin flakes once you're finished.

I've found that my skin feels lovely and refreshed after using it, it just feels "really clean"

It leaves my skin glowing and silky soft and smooth, making a great base before applying your foundation.

Ingredients:

Deionised Water, Carbomer, Angelica Archangelica Extract, Ginseng Extract, Lycium (Goji Berry) Extract, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Green Tea Extract, Fragrance, Aloe Vera Extract, Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA), Methyl Paraben, Menthol, Organic Geranium.

I've been using the Marvel Gel in conjunction with the Ginvera Green Tea Nude Cover BB Cream and i've found that the two products work flawlessy together to give you a natural "your skin but better" look. The two products really do work together to deliver a flawless finish.

You can purchase the two products together at a discount from Janiro.co.uk where I got my Ginvera products from for just £36 - that's a saving of £6 if you were to buy them separately.

If you're thinking of investing in a BB Cream, I would highly recommend the Green Tea BB Cream by Ginvera and the Marvel Gel alongside it. You only need a small amount of product from each to get results, so I imagine they will last a long time.

You can also purchase Ginvera products from Harvey Nichols at:

http://www.harveynichols.com/

Or alternatively get them direct from Janiro the official European stockists for Ginvera at:

http://janiro.co.uk

You can also find Janiro on Facebook here;

https://www.facebook.com/ginverauk

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/JaniroLtd

Have you tried any Ginvera products before? If so I'd love to hear how you got on, let me know in the comments section what products you've tried and how they worked for you.

Belle xXx