April 2017 Glossybox

It's that time of the month again folks - it's Glossybox time!

The very first product in my Glossybox this week is a sample of the Elgon Deliwash Cleansing Conditioner. This is a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner that is designed to enhance curls and leave them free from frizz - which, for those of you who know me, is something that I really need! I have used this twice already on top of my usual shampoo and conditioner (I know, that's not how it's supposed to be used), and to be honest, I haven't really noticed a difference at all. I have quite a lot of hair, so I think that I need to use more than the suggested amount, and I will definitely stick with it because I am very curious! I also love the smell of it, it smells amazing. It reminds me of the perfume my sister always wears (which I think is Poison by Dior, in case you were wondering!).

The next thing is this ModelCo Contour Stick. I was really excited when I saw this and it was actually the very first thing that I reached for, but me being me obviously meant that in my very first opening of it, I dented it and got it everywhere. Good job. Anyway, first of all, I love the smell again. This smells quite chocolatey and just very desirable I guess. Now, I'm not going to pretend like I have the slightest clue what I'm talking about, but I was a little concerned that it seemed too warm-toned to be a contour, and that it looked much more like a bronzer colour. However, I have used it once of twice already and the colour doesn't seem to be too much of a problem. It blends out really nicely and so far, I am really enjoying using it!

The very next thing I was also very excited about! It is this SportFX Definition Duo Eyeliner Pencil. I hardly ever use liquid eyeliner because I am really lazy and there isn't enough time in the mornings and because it's always raining in winter and I always have a weepy eye in summer. So, as a result of this, I very often end up using pencil liners, and I really enjoy using them. I was really happy when I saw that this came with a brown pencil as well, because I haven't ever really used one before. So far, I have found the precision and the skinniness of it to be really useful. I've had a little trouble with them being quite hard and tough to apply, but I have really enjoyed using it and wearing it. It's also meant to be self sharpening - I don't know quite how that works, but it makes me excited!

The next product is this Merci Handy Love and Hand Cleansing Gel, which is a really posh way of saying hand gel. Mine is in the smell (or flavour?) Lollipop, and I absolutely love it! I wouldn't say that it really smells of a lollipop, it's just very fresh and almost citrusy, and I definitely my kind of smell. I don't really use hand sanitizer, but I will definitely be popping this in my school blazer, to keep my hand sanitized throughout the day! The only criticism that I have is that it comes out of the bottle very fast and you may end up getting too much. However, that may just be me squeezing too hard!

And the last product that I received in my Glossybox this month is the Rodial Glamolash Mascara XXL. I received a kohl eyeliner by Rodial a few months ago and I absolutely loved it, so I had very high hopes for this. However, honestly, I don't think it's that great. Don't get me wrong, it's a good mascara, it's lengthening and thickening, it just isn't as good as the Maybelline Lash Sensational, for example. I'm not sure it's worth paying £24 for the full size one, but I will really enjoy using this little sample!

That is everything that I received in my Glossybox this month. You may have noticed that I waited a little longer than usual to write about it, and that was so that I could give you more of an actual review on the products, rather then talking about them randomly. Actually, that's a complete lie, I have just been super busy recently, but I guess that it works for both reasons!

See you soon!

March 2017 Favourites

Goodness gracious me, time is moving far to fast at the moment. It is just not OK that I am here writing another favourites post! However, I cannot let myself think about that otherwise I shall start stressing about things that are to come and that it never good.

I have a really good range of random things that I have been loving this month, and I hope that by sharing them with you, I can impart some of my wisdom (because I have bucket loads) onto you.

First up, in the beauty category, I have been loving this Maybelline 24 Karat Nudes pallet. I think that I wrote a post on the original The Nudes pallet when it came out (which I still love) and so I was very excited when one of my friends gave me this for my birthday at the end of February. I adore this pallet because it is so versatile. I have been trying to be a little more daring with my use of colour especially when it comes to eyeshadow, and this pallet is perfect because it has a perfect mix of wearable nude shades with a few beautiful bright colours mixed in. I have worn every colour in this pallet and I love them all, they are so pigmented and such good quality. Also, one of the only things that I didn't like about the original The Nudes pallet was that the highlight shades weren't very pigmented and slightly bitty. These highlight shades are absolutely beautiful, they really make the inner tear-duct pop!

For quite a while now I have vowed eternal hatred to oil pastels. I used them a couple of months ago and it did not go well at all. Since then, I have absolutely hated everything about them and refused to even touch them. However, this is favourites not fails. A week or two ago I was trying to do a study as apart of my art coursework and I couldn't  decide what media to use, so for some reason I picked them up and gave them another go. It was a little shakey at first, but I ended up completely falling in love with them! They are entirely a different technique to anything else and it took me a while to get the hang of it, but once I did, I produced a pretty cracking piece of work (though I do say so myself!). I will definitely be reaching for oil pastels a lot more willingly in future.

Next, I have been loving Redbubble. For those of you who don't know, Redbubble is a website where artists can upload their artwork and people can purchase it in the form of phone cases or cushions or t shirts or all kinds of things. I love seeing the amazing creative and quirky designs that people come up with, I find it really inspirational! I have spent so many hours browsing the Redbubble website and really recommend all of you to check it out - not only will you find some beautiful unique stuff, but you'll be helping artists to achieve their dreams! While we're on the subject, I have also been toying with the idea of uploading some of my own art for you guys to buy and I'd love to hear if that is something you may be interested in!

In the food category this month, I've got an old classic for you - Pom Bears. I bought these as snacks to take into school, and re-fell in love with them. I have such fond memories of eating these when I was little with my childminder. We used to go for walks and then come back and eat lunch and have pom bears. After we finished eating the crisps, my childminder would wash up the packets and we would cut the bears out and then make little homes for them - it was the most fun ever! These crisps are just amazing, they're fun and tasty and will make you feel four years old again! Plus, as far as crisps go, they're really low calorie!

As I mentioned before, I have been doing a lot of art coursework. However, I have also been doing a lot of textiles work too, and that has lead me to discover the most amazing thing in the world: bias binding. It is a ribbon like material that you stitch one half to on one side of a seam or edge and then fold and stitch the other half on the other half of the seam of edge and you are left with a beautifully neat and perfectly tidy seam! I have been a little unsure with what to do with all of my mistakes along the seams, but this has covered it perfectly! I just love it, and I will definitely being using it a lot more in future.

Last but not least, another March favourite of mine has been French you tubers. I currently study French, and generally I am all round terrible at it. However, I do have one particular weakness (the worst of a bad lot) and that is in the listening. I find it so difficult to hear and understand what people are saying, and then to interpret it to try and answer a question. It was suggested to me to try watching some French youtubers, as it would not only get me used to hearing the language but also help to widen my vocabulary. I have a system whereby I watch the video initially with no subtitles and see what I pick up. I then watch the video with English subtitles before watching it for a third time, again with no subtitles. To be honest, I don't know how well it works, but it certainly makes revising a lot more fun! The three youtubers that I watch the most are Cyprien, Natoo and Norman fait des videos, and I would really recommend them all!

I really apologise that this post is coming so late into April, but I have just been so busy recently, I haven't really been keeping up with the dates!

See you soon!