Latest in Beauty | The GLAMOUR Beauty Edit

Latest in Beauty | The GLAMOUR Beauty Edit Box | £14.95 | Link

When I saw all the hype surrounding the 'Latest in Beauty GLAMOUR Edit' box, I knew it wouldn't be long before I caved.  I wasn't wrong. A few days after I first heard of it, a little package arrived safe and sound on my doorstep and I tore it open like a kid at Christmas.  I loved the fact that you could just buy the one box without commitment or signing up to further boxes, and the contents totally blew me away. The box is worth a whopping £65 in total - so for just £14.95 - it really was a bargain and the perfect treat. I'm sure you've all heard about it by now as I really was a little late on the bandwagon, but I thought I'd give you the lowdown on what's in the box nonetheless...

HD Brows | Eye & Brow Palette in 'Foxy' 

I'm a massive fan of the HD Brows kits but they're hard to get your mitts on unless you want to pay a fortune! So when I saw that the box contained a full size HD Brows palette, I was sold! I usually use the shade 'Bombshell', but on comparing the 2, there really isn't a great deal of shade difference between the two.  If you've never tried HD Brows, I really recommend them. The powders are amazingly pigmented and soft, and don't smudge or fade through the day.  They're also great to use for eyeshadow and I've often blended the brown shades onto my eyelids and through the crease for a beautiful neutral look.   I have a review of my 'Bombshell' palette over here if you want to have a read up!

Eyeko | Lash Curlers

I adore eyelash curlers! I've been faithful to my beloved Tweezermans since secondary school now and nothing has ever come close, so I'm really looking forward to trying these beauties to see what they have to offer! I've heard such good things and the velvet handles are to die for! Who can say no to a dash of purple velvet?! Not me, i'll say...

Maybelline | Baby Lips in 'Hydrate'

Beauty bloggers have gone crazy for this cult favourite! I already own the peach coloured version and I must admit it's a lip balm I do tend to reach for a great deal - it's not super hydrating but there's something about the cute packaging and yummy scents that attract me to them. I find them to be hydrating enough for daytime wear without feeling too heavy or sticky on the lips and they add a little bit off glossiness. I have a full review of the Baby Lips here if you fancy a read.

Benefit | They're Real Mascara (travel size)

I'm extremely fussy with mascaras but this one has to be one of my all time favourites so I was glad to be getting another one in the box!  It's so intensely black and fans your lashes out like nothing else. I'm usually not too keen on plastic brushes but this one does it's job amazingly well and if you still haven't tried 'They're Real' I really recommend it.  I adore it.  I have a full review of the mascara here if you're interested in reading about it in detail.

Philip Kingsly | One More Day | 50ml Size

I'm a massive fan of dry shampoo. I hardly ever wash my hair daily and tend to use  dry shampoo on the second day to revive my hair at the root and add a bit of volume and texture.  I'm really excited to start trying this once my usual bottle has ran out - it's said to absorb excess sebum without drying out the scalp or leaving residue - which is one problem with the majority of dry shampoos out there. 

Balance Me | Extra Care Radiance Face Oil | 10ml

I've never really caught on to face oils.  There's something about them that scares me a little bit but I'm planning on using this in the new year once the weather really does take it's hold over my skin and I get more dry areas. I must admit, I've always got on well with Balance Me and their products seem to suit my skin quite well - so I'm quite excited about trying this one. It has a rollerball applicator which is so handy - as I hate pour-y bottles (I'm clumsy...). Balance Me say the products is the 'perfect rescue and repair for partied-out, sleep deprived skin' and is said to 'nourish, condition and glowify'. I don't know about you but my skin could do with some glowify-ing!

Toni & Guy | Glamour Firm Hold Hairspray | 75ml

This hairspray is said to provide firm hold without stickyness or weighing the hair down.   I usually use Elnett due to it's light, weightless feel as I like my hair to look natural and still have movement when it's styled - but this one might be great for rainy or windy days where I need a little extra something to help keep stray away hair at bay! Nobody likes a mop head.

Overall, a fabulous box and all for £14.95! I'm so glad I got one and there isn't a single product in there that I wouldn't want to use, test and try out for myself.  I love HD Brows (mine's starting to hit pan) so buying the box was well worth it as a full sized palette on it's own is already worth more than the £14.95 the box cost me! Amazing.  As well as this, the box is packaged beautifully and you really feel as if you've treated yourself when you open the box to the pretty tissue paper wrapping and glossy information cards. I definitely won't be throwing out the box either, that's for sure.  It's really sturdy and of a great size so I might store something in there (wow I don't sound like a recycling geek at all do i?). I also love the fact that you can choose some samples to throw in to your order as well for a few pounds each - I'm so glad I've found out about Latest in Beauty and will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled on their website in the future!

Did you grab a Latest in Beauty box? What was your favourite product?

Not Another Maybelline Baby Lips...

Oh yes. I went there. I swore to myself that I would not become a member of 'The Maybelline Baby Lips crew'. But I did. I also swore that I wouldn't post about it. But I have.  For a good while now, us Brits have been deprived of such a cult Maybelline product and have been left twiddling our thumbs wondering if and when the infamous Baby Lips would ever arrive in the UK. And so you can imagine the excitement when finally, after all that time, we could finally get our mitts on our very own without having to book a flight half-way across the world. BIG yays. Sounds silly really. After all, it is just a lip balm. There's plenty of other lip balms in the world to satisfy our lip balm-y needs, but Baby Lips just has that 'got to have it' appeal. Maybe it's the endearing plastic packaging that half-reminds us of our 'tweenager' days, maybe it's the promise of deliciously fruity flavours, or maybe it's just because it's one of the most hyped up lip balms I've yet to come across. Either way, we all dashed to our nearest Maybelline stands in the blink of an eye.  I'm aware that the bloggosphere is simply flooded with reviews and whatnot - but I thought I'd add my two pennies worth anyway...

After a great deal of decision making, I finally settled on 'Peach Kiss'.  Anything 'peachy' is a winner in my books. The colour pay off isn't amazing - but neither did I expect it to be.  It shows up better on my arm than it does on the lips - in fact, there would be no point in trying to take a photo of it in action, as the shade does nothing more than maybe smooth out my natural lip colour slightly.  I do like a lip balm to be more or less colourless anyway as I often apply lipstick over the top. If you like a bit more colour pay off for your money then it's worth opting for 'Cherry Me' or some of the more pink-y shades.  As for the actual moisturising properties - yeah, it's quite good.  Better than some lip balms I've tried. It doesn't have that 'waxy' feel that a lot of balms tend to have. It's definitely a lot more smooth and it feels nice to apply.  I half imagined it to wear off as soon as I'd popped some on, but it doesn't. It stays on quite nicely and although it doesn't live up to the '8 Hour' claim, it stays put a lot better than some of my other balms. I love the fact it contains SPF20 - always a nice little addition! It definitely does 'quench' the lips when you apply it - and the amazing fruity smell just makes it even more addictive.

Overall, (dare I say it) I really like Maybelline's Baby Lips. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's the best lip balm ever, because it's not.  It's definitely not one I'd recommend if you were really suffering with dry lips, but it's a great everyday addition to your handbag and it's nice to apply before lipstick to prevent dry patches. It's not sticky, it doesn't 'sit' on the lips and it doesn't feel greasy or gloopy - pretty good for £2.99 - but don't expect miracles! Would I buy another one? Probably. But I reckon it's more the fun packaging and novelty factor rather than actual moisturising properties.   

There's no denying it's a fun, quirky little lip balm to own - and I half want to rush out and buy myself a pink fluffy pencilcase to store it in along with lots of glitter gel pens and miniature notebook keyrings... There's something about it that just reminds me of products I used to stuff in my pencilcase in my school days. Is that just me?...

Have you given in to Maybelline's Baby Lips yet? What's your favourite one?! Did you love it, or hate it?