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

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 April

This months Birchbox arrived, its with Rifle Paper so the box has a really nice, we were given a choice of two different floral designs. The one I selected reminded me of spring! fresh colours. We also had a chance to upgrade the box by adding two little Rifle paper notebooks. So that's a no brainer for me, I love notebooks!! always have one with me so I upgraded start away, it cost an extra £4.00 I noticed they are now selling them on the site for £12.00! The box also had a 25% off coupon for rifle papers so will be looking at their website to see whats available. Inside the box was the usual cute little drawstring bag, these are great for making sure my crochet/ knitting projects don't end up like tangled around everything in my handbag or my comb/ hairbrush!!
This months items were - Cynthia Rowley - Full sized Black Eyeliner (Birchbox Exclusive!) It saids its "smudge-proof definition that lasts all day!" (Full sized £11.00) I tested it found It did smudge a little, but it also lasted all day in fact I had trouble removing it, I would only come off with an oil cleanser in the end.
 - Sample sized Kueshi - Foot Care Cream - A foot-softening treatment that uses natural ingredients to refresh and nourish dry skin. (The sample was 40ml, Full sized 100ml £12.00) This has a nice tea tree oil smell and my feet liked it they felt nice and soft.
- A half size sample of Benefit BADgal Lash - Volumising formula.(The sample was 4.0ml, Full sized 8.5ml £17.50) nice big brush I will need to test it more.
- Beaver Professional - Hydro Nutritive Moisturizing Shampoo (40ml sample) & Conditioner (small foil sample) - it saids it "gently revives and restores and keep the pH balance". (The sample was 40ml, Full sized 258ml £11.50) I will try this out soon.
- Balance Me - Tinted Wonder Eye Cream - An eye cream to cover dark circles with a tinted lotion (Full sized 178ml £20.00) This is the same cream I got free on a magazine last month. It was a bit to dark for me when I tested it, but I found it very mosituring (it has rosehip oil) so I have used it in the morning if I am not going out and it makes my eye area feel good. I wish it was a little lighter but I am really really pale so its hard getting a good colour to suit me. Saying that I will use it also as an light eye cream on days I stay in so it will not be wasted.
Again I liked this months box, I like been able to choice the design and the little notebooks. The products included new items I had never tried, so I liked that.



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-size NUXE Masque Crème Fraîche® de Beauté worh £18.50 with the first box - just put the code PAMPERME in the promo code box before ordering.  So that's a free NUXE Masque Crème Fraîche® de Beauté 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. 

Birchbox March 2016

This month's Birchbox is here, can you believe that is the third box already, the months are flying by. Spring will hopefully appear soon.
I liked this box it has a word puzzle on it, if you get all the names and mark them on the box, photo it you can enter the competition to win a large box of goodies. I don't want to mark my box :( I like it.
The box contents were good this month two full sized items and 4 sample/ travel sized items all in the little fabric bag inside the box.
The first full sized item was a colour enhancing lip balm (full sized £11) this is made by birchbox its their new Arrow Boost line which is paraben-free, cruelty-free and vegan. The Color Enhancing Lip Balm has a mild minty scent and the colour tint in the balm adjusts to your lips PH so the color is unique to you. My lip colour only had a tiny colour change, a little darker, which I was happy with. The balm was soft and I have been using it when I am out 'n' about as the weather has been cold and windy, it has stopped my lips from cracking, which is very good, It's now living in my purse and I am very happy with it. The other full sized item, was ModelCo - More brows (Full sized £13.00) its a tinted eyebrow gel that has little particles in it that thicken the brows, it does what it saids, although not sure what happens when it rains, it does not say if its waterproof,  
The sample products were The Works Pillow Spray in deep sleep (The sample was 5ml, Full sized 75ml £16.00), I love this product and have been using it every night, I may need to buy this soon. You spray it on your pillow to help you sleep, it has the essential oils of wild chamomile, vetivert and true lavender, it smells really nice (some lavenders remind me of cleaning products, this has a good lavender smell). I do seem to be sleeping for longer too. 
I got another Polaar product (had one in last months mylittlebox) this is a moisturising gel called IceSource a good sized sample (The sample was 25ml, Full sized 50ml £27.00) it has glacier water to cool and mattify the complexion, not sure of the mattifying effect but it smells nice and my skin was strangely cool and very smooth and soft, very nice. I love trying new products :) 
The last two products were both for the hair, I will use them soon - Philip B Drop Dead Straighting Baume (The sample was 15ml, Full sized 178ml £20.00) A silicone free treatment to shorten blow-drying time for any hair type, relaxing unruly hair (how did they know about my hair!!!) and Amika Nourishing Mask (The sample was 20ml, Full sized 250ml £19.99) with sea buckthorn berry and jojoba oil to soften and repair hair in minutes! 
I really liked this box, new products to explore and try I Love it :)


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 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. 

Happy New Year 2016

A Very Happy New Year 2016