So Susan June 2016

This months "So Susan" subscription arrived it is the "I Love Hugs" Bag with a quote by Ann Hood "I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words."

All products are 100% Cruelty-Free (they do not test products or ingredients on animals) and contain no mineral oils, no phthalates, no parabens, gluten free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and fragrance-free 


The Bag Contained (all full sized products) :

Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/annhood540821.html

I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/annhood540821.html

I have learned that there is more power in a good strong hug than in a thousand meaningful words.
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/annhood540821.html

Bag Contains : 

• Eco-Chic Canvas Makeup Bag (worth $12 / £12) - Cute linen bag very colourful, although my print was not as good as other bags I have received and it has started to peel
• Candied Apple by Trifle (worth $18.95 / £15.95) -  A duel product for a gentle tint for lips or cheeks formulated with water-resistant, high-lustre mica for a natural-looking blush. Easily to use and natural looking, does not really have a smell which is good.
• Primal Instinct by So Susan (worth $23.95 / £20.95) - A lightweight gel goes on easily to "blur out large pores, facial imperfections and instantly helps to improve skintone and mattify unwanted shine" Comes in a small tube but you only use a few dots so should last for a while, very lightweight and I tested it on a hot day and it did stop me having a shiny nose.
• Raspberry Ripple by Trifle (worth $17.95 / £14.95) - A trio of light-enhancing blush shades in a portable palette to be used for contouring, "Brush the left and middle shades (both with Radiance Glow ™ pigments) onto apples of your cheeks when you need color & illumination. Use the last shade on the right (with pure Resveratrol) to help give color, moisture & reduce hyperpigmentation." I used as eye shadows, really liked the colour combination they had strong pigments and blends well.
• BONUS ITEM : Blush&Contour by Jelly Pong Pong (worth $17.95 / £13.95) - Another blush "Add additional warmth to your skin with a touch of Blush+Contour that comes in a soft blusher shade & a shadow enhancer. The apricot and blossom-pink colours are just one notch up from natural. For a flattering high cheek bone, softly dust the brown-toned enhancer shade just below your cheekbones." Again I used as eye shadows, very strong pigments and blends well, I liked these colours!

Bag Value : $90.80 / £77.80

A good bag, I was surprised it had 3 cheek products but really to me it was a lip tint and two shadows and you can never have to many eye shadows!!.

Bag Value : $83.80 / £70.85 (subscription is $20.95 free shipping monthly worldwide, they are a London/ UK based company) I paid for a 3 month subscription as its works out a little cheaper, a 6 month subscription is also available.

My Little Box May 2016

This months box was the "My Dolce Vita Box". A nicely illustrated box with an Italian theme although I think like last months box the theme was very loose. I don't remember seeing lots of women wearing turbans anytime I was in Italy? Maybe I was not looking? which brings me to the first of the liftstyle items a green floral turban style headband (RRP £11), not really me but useful for when putting on/ taking off makeup. The next item was more in line with the theme a little laurel wreath style Ring £12 cute. In the little cotton bag was 3 beauty items a My little Beauty own brand - Illuminating moisturiser for legs £8 may test it but most tanning products turn my ghost white skin orange, not a good look. A nice sized perfume sample by Courrèges - La fille de l'air (sample size 8.5ml, full size rrp. €65 per 50ml) This is a little too floral and strong for me but works well left in my yarn bag (one of many) as it makes the yarn smell nice. Finally Baija - Croisière Céladon Body Oil (sample size 30ml, full size rrp. €16.90 per 50ml) another very large sample lightly scented with Jasmin green tea in sweet almond, sesame and sunflower seed oil. 

Sadly I was not over excited when I opened this box and so cancelled my subscription, I will keep looking at up and coming boxes and if they improve will re-subscribe as I still like the idea of the mixture of lifestyle and beauty items. I have joined a different type of box service also, I will write about in a few days.

My Little Box is a French company, sends to different countries but the contents can vary. £11+ P&P

So Susan May 2016

This months bag is called the "I Love Being Happy" Bag the quote on the bag is by Audrey Hepburn - "The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters"


All products are 100% Cruelty-Free (they do not test products or ingredients on animals) and contain no mineral oils, no phthalates, no parabens, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and fragrance-free

The Bag Contained (all full sized products) : 

• Eco-Chic Canvas Makeup Bag (worth $12 / £12) this linen bag is so cute with little Russian dolls on it

• Creamsicle in “Gelato” by Trifle (worth $17.95 / £14.95)
  A creamy tinted balm that melts onto your skin upon contact. Dab onto lips & cheeks for rich hydration and for that pop of dewy, smooth colour. With Silk Peptide to promote suppleness. I used on my lips and it lasted all day and smells so good

• Cashmere Blush by So Susan (worth $15.95 / £12.95) With PoreFade™ technology, Vitamin E Acetate and Pure Beeswax. A  powder blush that feels like cream upon skin contact. I will probably use this as an eye shadow not really a blush person.

• Angled Eyeshadow Brush by So Susan (worth $17.95 / £14.95) A versatile brush made from synthetic nylon & taklon hairs only. This is a nice soft brush a good travel length for a brush, it fits neatly in the makeup bag. For home use I prefer a longer handle. It picks up the colour well.

• BONUS ITEM : Light Pulse by Jelly Pong Pong (worth $19.95 / £16.00)  "A brightening gel formulation encapsulated in an elegant, foolproof stick format to enable you to illuminate and create “light” on your face so you look healthy, radiant and glowing" A really soft pencil nice for adding a bit of highlight to the eyes. 

As always an excellent bag. This is the first of my new 3 month subscription.

Bag Value : $83.80 / £70.85 (subscription is $20.95 free shipping monthly worldwide, they are a London/ UK based company)

Birchbox May

A little busy this month I am way behind with blogging. This months Birchbox arrived last week (all my boxes arrived within days of each other so been testing everything out, plus catching on paperwork for work (very important to buy bills!) This months Birchbox had a scratch top box, two boxes had the word winner printed on them only to be revealed after scratching the silver off, you could have won a holiday, my box did not have winner on it :( but it was fun scratching off the silver to see if it did, plus it reveals a very nice design, so all good fun.
Inside this months box (in the little bag) were 1 full sized item and 5 samples.
The full sized item was from Spectrum Collections a "Unicorn Tears Wonder Sponge" (Full size item price £4.99) We were given the choice of two colours pink or lilac, I picked lilac, so I knew this item was included in this months box. The sponge comes in a little plastic resealable bag, very Handy for travelling. The sponge is slightly harder than others I have tried but I liked that, very nice and may re-purchase, as its cheaper than a lot of other sponges out there.
The five samples (in no order) Philip Kingsley -PK Prep Polishing Balm (sample size 20ml, full sized 75ml £18.50) a hair smoothing balm that works on all hair types to smooth, condition, and tame whatever style you’re after. Contains nourishing ProVitamin B5 and vitamin A to add shine and gloss while nourishing your locks. My hair goes frizzy when it raining or when its sunny, generally its always frizzy! I used a tiny amount (less then 1/4 of a pea  amount) and it made my hair so shiny and a lot less frizzness, plus it did not make my hair look greasy, I will be buying this product when the sample runs out I really love it. Sorry the next sample is not in the photo of the box contents as it was put straight into my bag when I opened the box, for when I'm out 'n' about. TheBalm® cosmetics "Stainiac" in Beauty Queen a hint of a tint for lips and cheeks (sample size 1.2ml, full sized 8.5ml £10.00) It has a very suble tint/ colour, its quick and simple to use. I did apply twice for a better colour but it was still very natural looking which I like.
Caudalie Vinosource "Moisturising Sorbet" a gel/ cream a very lightweight non greasy moisturiser, the sample was 10ml but only contained approx. two pea sized amounts of cream so tried it in the morning and night. It was a good moisturiser but I did not like the smell and as the full size is £23.00 for 40ml I think its too expensive!
Rituals - "Dao Wai Wang Body Scrub" (sample size 75ml, full sized 325ml £19.50) enriched with white lotus and yi yi ren to calm the skin’s surface. I love this scrub, the smell is not over powering but light and uplifting. The scrub uses Chinese bamboo particles and does not scratch up your skin but leaves it smooth and feeling very soft and moisturised. I am really enjoying using this
(sample size 20ml, full sized 8.5ml £10.00)
The final sample was a Vita Coco Coconut Oil (sample size tiny 5ml, full sized 500ml £10.00) this is 100% organic raw cold pressed coconut oil. I use coconut oil for so many things cooking, hair, teeth, skin, nails, this sample will go in my travel bag very handy.
All in all a very nice box, that I am enjoying using










Note: If you want £5.00 worth of points with your first box click https://www.birchbox.co.uk/invite/nezumi6 currently you can get a free full-sizefull-size Jelly Pong Pong Glow Getter highlighter worth £8.95 with the first box - just put the code GLOWGIRL in the promo code box before ordering.  So that's a free Jelly Pong Pong Glow Getter highlighter and £5.00 in points, don't forgot to review the products when you get them and that's up to another £5.00 worth of points to spend in their shop. 
Birchbox UK cost £10.00 plus 2.95 p&p monthly, you can cancel at any time via your online account. They are an American company, different countries receive different boxes and products. 

SoSusan Lip Love Bag April

SoSusan Lip Love Bag's April is themed "I Love Spring" , another very cute bag this month that has a quote by Harriet Ann Jacobs "The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also." The canvas bag is also illustrated with nice spring related images, including 2 cute cats on a swing! (I think this bag will make a nice home for some of my crochet hooks)

All products are 100% Cruelty-Free (they do not test products or ingredients on animals) and contain no mineral oils, no phthalates, no parabens, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and fragrance-free

The Bag Contained (all full sized products) : 

• Eco-Chic Canvas Makeup Bag (worth $12 / £12)
  
• Muse Palette by So Susan (worth $17.95 / £14.95) A 3 colour silky eye shadow palette formulated with silicon-coated micronized pigments for a seamless, velvety texture that lasts up to 8 hours. With Eyeseryl® peptide to help reduce eyebags, dark circles and puffiness. I used this palette it has really nice colours the bronze was nice used alone. I found the colour does last all day. I was very happy with this palette
  
  
• Lip Parfait in “Exotic Fruits” by Trifle (worth $18.95 / £12.95) This lipstick is nude colour Infused with cocoa butter that smells so good, I found it very soft and moisturising, I used it more as a lip balm because the colour is not very strong on me but I like that.
  
  
• Malibu Melt by Jelly Pong Pong (worth $24.95 / £19.95) A Creamy Powder Blush stick (contains shea butter) again the smell is very good, the website blurb said it is super hydrating cream blush that’s formulated to condition and help keep skin plump with moisturising colour for a full 12 hours of continuous wear.I have not used it yet I don't normally wear brush but do sometimes use it as eye shadow, I have not used this yet.
  
  
• BONUS ITEM : Illuminata by So Susan (worth $17.95 / £14.95) - "A preservative-free, superbly formulated luminizing loose powder that gives a soft-focus. Upon contact with skin, Apricot, Jojoba & Macadamia oil beads encapsulated in the powder pigments, burst open to impart a hydrated, more refined appearance to your skin, making Illuminata™ a unique, groundbreaking hybrid between long-wearing powder and rejuvenating, moisturising oils." Have not used this yet but will do.

Bag Value : $91.80 / £74.80

I feel all the products are very good for spring, very fresh, I am very happy with this months bag and look forward to next months (I will doing a new 3 month subscription)

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My Little Flower Box

My little boxes theme this month is "My Little Flower Box" and it's not the normal box this month, its a book shaped box with ribbon ties, nice idea but I prefer the box as I can use it for storage this book/ box is thin and the ribbon does not hold it closed.....
There was the little magazine inside which is good. A Pop-up garden (£7.00) cute little box and good idea but the seeds are cress! if they were flower seeds I would have been happier, the theme was flower box?
A Travel pouch for lingerie from Balzac Paris (£13.00) This is a very pretty printed cotton double pouch, but if I was going away for the weekend I would need more then 1 knickers and 1 bra, that's if I could even fit my bra into the tiny pouch, again nice idea but........
The beauty items were a Nailsinc base coat (£11.00) OK I will use it but its not very flower related, a nice rose or lavender coloured nail varnish would have been better I think and a L'Occitane travel sized shower gel Cherry Blossom scent, I really like L'Occtaine their shea butter range of soaps is excellent, I will use this shower gel and its flower related but yes another problem it leaked not too much but a travel sized product that leaks is not good for travelling! I did contact them and they said email back if I wanted a replacement and they would send it out... which as its a little bottle and only a tiny leak I have not replied. The final item and the star of the box was My little boxes own brand face mask from "My Little Beauty" Rosy Mornings detoxifying mask (£11.00) this is a very good mask. Its vitamin C rich, 96% natural ingredients with active fruit extracts. It's a good mask it made my skin feel really clean, soft very smooth, sometimes I get tiny little bumps under the skin, you can't see them but you can feel them and it magicked them away. I think if not for this product I would have cancelled my subscription as overall the theme of the box was a good idea but most of the contains were a little disappointing. I will give it one more box and decide.

I will review the SO Susan subscription tomorrow

Birchbox February

My 2nd birchbox arrived, I was so excited as I did not expect it yet. It was a pretty box with "shine bright like a diamond in gold" printed in gold on it. I saw on their website there were three different colour boxes this month, I am happy with this colour. Sadly I don't find a diamond necklace in my box :( there was one placed randomly in one box this month. I saw a lucky person had found it on Instagram.
When I opened the box everything was in a bag again, I like these bags prefect for projects.
I knew about two of the products that were in this months box from emails. The first was birchboxes own brand LOC newly launched product - one and done shadow stick. We were sent an email at the end of January, with a choice of two colours "perfect cents" a gold/ copper colour and "champagne problems" a silver colour. I chose the perfect cents and I am really glad I did, its a really nice pale gold/ cooper that is not to shiny, a soft eye shadow pencil that is waterproof I love this, great for a contact lense wearer like me and it did work as I had to go to work this week in the nasty windy wet storms. I wore it to test it out, loved the colour too (the shadow stick is £8.00 a full sized product was sent). The second item was a tapered powder brush by Spectrum Collections (£7.99 full sized product sent) a super soft brush that looks pretty also, very happy with this brush. The other samples I received were  
Ayres Body Butter in Patagonia (Patagonia is a blend of jasmine, lavender, ylang-ylang, and fir) info on their site said " paraben-free formula contains a signature blend of natural plant emollients, herbal extracts, and vitamins to soothe and moisturise skin. Vitamin E protects skin from free radical damage, while shea butter sinks in for lasting hydration" (£19.50 for 191gms, sample size was 28gms) When I tried this cream out at first the smell reminded me of a strong designer men's aftershave, but after about an hour the smell was not so strong and changed to something I really liked (earthy, clean smell) and my skin liked it also very hydrating.  
Korres Milk Proteins 3-in-1 Cleanser (£15.00 for 200mls sample sent was 16mls) this does what it said on the tube, cleanses, tones, and removes eye make-up quick and easy to use. 
Lumiere d'Hiver Super Comb Prep & Protect (£20.00 for 200mls sample size 30mls) the site blurb saids "Strengthening, repairing, de tangling, great at taming flyway ends as well as nourishing and protecting, it's a brilliant all-rounder. It's also 100% Vegan, gluten-free, sulphate-free and paraben-free" You wash hair and spray on this leave-in conditioner, or like me in-between washes spray on, it was excellent for detanging my hair, which is long and wavy so tangles easily. I really really loved the fact it untanged my hair :) 
and the last sample I received was BioNike DEFENCE XAGE ULTIMATE RICH Lifting Remodelling Balm (£27.00 for 50mls sample was tiny 3.5mls) this was a light cream very hydrating but did not feel like a balm. Very small sample but seems like a very nice product.
So I am again very happy with my box :) 


Note: If you want £5.00 worth of points with your first box email me (or use the contact form on the right) for a link, I currently also have a code for 50% off the first box which can be used with the link - just put the code in the promo code box before ordering.  So that's half price for the 1st box and £5.00 in points, don't forgot to review the products when you get them and that's up to another £5.00 worth of points to spend in their shop.

Birchbox

In my post yesterday I posted about my new subscription to mylittlebox. The other subscription box I ordered this month arrived yesterday. I am also very happy with this one. It's my first birchbox and lucky for me this month they teamed up with Pinterest one of my favourite websites (I spend for too much time pinning things with plans to make, buy or grow that item at a later date), so the box was decorated nicely with little photos and quotes, again this box will be reused to store something. 
The reason I ordered this brand was they have a nice looking boxes, which usually contains a small bag that the beauty samples are sent in. Normally appprox. 5+ samples (may include full sized items also) are sent to try out, so it  seems to give good value for money. The box is £10 plus £2.95 p&p. I got 50 extra points (worth £5.00) when I ordered because I went to another subscribers link, she will also get extra points. The points can be used to buy full sized items from the birchbox website and you can gain more points by reviewing the samples they send (the items in the box), doing the monthly reviews you can gain up to £5.00 in points per month. I will add my friends link here so if anyone wants to subscribe they can also get some extra points to start with (so will I).
Opening the box is like opening a present, very exciting as I did not know what it contained, firstly there were Pinterest inspirational postcards (very cute), a booklet with information on the beauty items in the box, a nice touch and useful. The items are different in each persons box, you fill out a profile and they select items from the range available that month that you get the items more suited to you, which is interesting. There are sample sizes and full sized items. The beauty items are in a small draw string bag, again this is excellent for small craft projects mine now has some knitting inside it. I will start with the bonus item for this month a mirror with #NO filter written on the back, (this is listed as £4.00 to buy, I will include the rrp as they list it in the booklet, I will also include the sample sizes) its a nice sized handbag mirror, I may make a little pouch for it so it does not get scratched in my bag. The full sized item was a Complexion Awakener pencil from Jelly Pong Pong (RRP £14.95) in the shade nude, this is a really soft pencil to be used in the corner of the eyes and along the inner rim (that's what I will use it for) it said in the information booklet the pencil can also be blended onto the cheeks or brow bones. 
Samples sized items were - Benefit's mink-brown "they're Real" tinted primer, I tried this when I got it,  I am lucky to have long lashes and putting this tinted primer on I now have really long lashes! So far no problems I would wear it without mascara as the tinted colour looks good very natural looking. It's a good sized sample 3gms (the RRP of the full size is £18.50 for 8.5gms) 
Caudalie's shower gel 30ml this is for sensitive skin, it may go in the holiday bag (or holiday wish bag I should call it) (RRP £9.00 for 200ml)
Absolution's L'Eau Soir et Matin cleaning water 30ml , this is certified organic and was something I was hoping to try it. Its a unisex product, it has natural ingredients including hazelnut oil which it said on their site will "soften and purify the skin and potassium to regulate your cells’ metabolism" here's hoping! I will try it tonight (RRP £27 for 150ml) 
And finally Parlor shampoo 30ml and a matching conditioner 12ml (have very long hair so maybe this sized conditioner will just do the ends) ( Both shampoo and conditioner are RRP £16.00 for 236ml each )
I think this months goodies were well worth the box price, again can't wait for next month. I read there is a real diamond necklace put into one box randomly next month as it's Valentine's Day. It's also my birthday next month so here's hoping :)
Note: If you want £5.00 worth of points with your first box email me (or use the contact form on the right) for a link, I currently also have a code for 50% off the first box which can be used with the link - just put the code in the promo code box before ordering.  So that's half price for the 1st box and £5.00 in points, don't forgot to review the products when you get them and that's up to another £5.00 worth of points to spend in their shop.

My Little Wish Box

 

So I have been decluttering and not buying any new yarn (so far I have been sticking to this) and missing my little packages arriving with new yarn. I really like the idea of subscription beauty boxes and had one many years ago, I had decided at the start of the year I would like to subscribe to one or two plus the money I am saving from decluttering and using up my old yarn stock would cover some of the costs. I have been looking and making a list of the ones I wanted to try, watching unboxings on YouTube (I hope I am not the only one who does this!) so decided to try out 2 this month. (The boxes have monthly subscriptions and can be cancelled at any time)
This is the first one to arrive it's from a French company their subscription boxes are called my little box and each month has a theme which really appealed to me. It also comes in a sturdy pretty box, good for storage (yes places to hide yarn). Each month usually has an inspirations card, a little bag, some beauty items and another item non-beauty.
This month box is called "My Little Wish Box" It contained a really nice 2016 diary, not to big not to small, it has inspirational quotes throughout it, I will be using this daily. A little cotton bag (good as a project bag) with a good sample sized Klorane oat milk hair shampoo 100ml, matching conditioner 50mls and a make a wish lip balm with "Make a wish" on it, that smells so nice, I always a little afraid I will have a reaction but that's why I like these boxes trying out new things, so I will update when I have used this. There was also  a small simple bracelet with a macrame closing and ribbons with messages - "Say yes to new adventures", ""it's now or never", "Day dreamer" and "Wish you were here". They can be worn on the wrist or i think I may add them to my diary. Plus a little magazine to read later. It's my first box and I really like it, can't wait for the next. 
My other box is a birchbox hoping it comes soon (update review here)