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What was in my YOU beauty discovery box?

There are no surprises here! I got just what I ordered and the extras they advertised on the website! I don't, however, think this is a bad thing. I'm curious to see how YOU beauty does in the crowded beauty box market over the next few months.

My first thought when the Yodel delivery driver brought it round this afternoon was that it is significantly smaller than the Birchbox/ Glossybox packaging. This does mean however that on the odd occasion that no one is around to open the door it will happily slot through the letterbox. Besides, I have to admit to often opening up the Glossybox and thinking that it looks a little roomy for those teeny samples. Maybe they could do with a smaller box too?

Like I say, there are no surprises in this box, but I am very pleased with the contents. This of course is because I got to choose my favourite two! I have to admit that I liked the old Jolie Box approach of 'everyone gets the same', yes it isn't tailored to you, but you also don't get that crushing 'but SHE got... blub blub' feeling when you end up with the box that no one wanted. I understand that there are often only so many of a certain sample given but no one wants the 'bad' box do they? I very much champion the choice element of the YOU box. After all, it's only yourself you have to blame if you make the wrong choice!

So here's the contents of my own tailor made box. I chose 50ml of Mama Mio Tummy Rub and 15ml of Decleor BB Cream. The Tummy Rub I admit I have no intention of buying the full size of, I have a few of these oils and I work my way through them as I have found that as long as it is oil, one is very similar to another. The Decleor cream I am hoping works for me so that I can buy the full size. Now like a lot of people, I don't feel comfortable spending £29 on something I haven't even touched or smelt, let alone put on my skin. This is where these little beauty boxes come into their own, allowing us to try before we buy (or decide not to buy as the case may be). 

I also have a Vintage Cosmetics nail file and a Collagen vitamin drink. I'll pass on the Collagen I think but I'll enjoy using the nail file. And last but not least, I got a Lalique perfume. I've been wearing this today and I haven't made my mind up about it yet. I keep going to my wrist and giving it little sniffs and I can't work out whether I like it or not. It's a really individual, spicy fragrance and is the kind of scent that I seek out. Yet there's a top note that is a bit too strong and a bit too sweet for my taste. Now for some reason the majority of the popular sweet perfumes turn into Jif lemon on my skin so I'm thinking it could be that it's not quite working with my chemical make up and that it will smell amazing on the right person.
 
My overall thoughts about the YOU box is that it's a good selection but it would have been nice to have had an actual surprise in there too - something that was kept secret until the boxes arrived. I thought they had an interesting selection on offer too, and I have had Glossy and Birch boxes that were a lot more underwhelming than this. It's not blown me away, but don't forget, at £6.95 including postage this is a very reasonable and affordable price. For the money I spent on it, compared to the £12.95 of it's rivals, it's a real bargain.

 

Cake! Sweetheart lipbalm that's good enough to eat

Is it possible to resist bath and body products called 'Cake'?


I'm not too sure! Added to the irresistable name, the Canadian brand Cake Beauty offers a range of pudding flavoured treats like 'Strawberry Cupcake', 'Lemon Cupcake', and 'Satin Sugar'.

Their range changes pretty often which means there is always a new collection to lust after and try out. I'm lucky enough to have experienced a few items and without fail each of them has had a really tasty vanilla-y butter-y undertone to it.

The sweethearts collection is no different, and I have really enjoyed using this Sweethearts Lipbalm. I usually prefer stick lip balms (or the stunning EOS/ Balmi type round lipbalms) but I am making an exception to that with this and it's become my handbag hero. It feels a little waxy when you first put it on, but it lasts and lasts and I am sure this is because of the thickness when it first goes on. And of course, it smells amazing.

Lay N Go make up storage

One of the big nuisances in this life is squeezing too much make up into too small a bag or box and having to tip it all out to find what you need. First world problems and all that ;) Another nuisance is having your one year old son charge at you sticky fingered just when you've tipped all your make up over your lap. At least one of those issues the new Lay N Go Cosmo can deal with; and to be honest, I don't expect a beauty product to be dealing with sticky, grabby, chunky little one year old fingers.

The idea with the Lay N Go is that you put your make up into it (mwahahaha laugh the make up addicts... that will be the make up you are using that day then...) and then open it out like a big saucer. Ta-da! You can see everything you need and can fish around happily in it. When you are finished, you simply pull the cord and well... go. It's not surprising that this is patent pending now is it? Simple ideas are often the best!

There is a zipped compartment to keep smaller items that you don't want to lose, such as rings and necklaces. 

I was really pleased to find out that they also have a children's version coming out, which sounds like it will be perfect for keeping Lego and Playmobile pieces together and tidy (and when I say tidy, I also mean free from little grabby hands and free from landing up under my bare feet as I tiptoe to the toilet in the night agh!)

Now, whilst I am championing this fabulous little invention fairly loudly and widely, I have to report that there are a few teething problems with the design (in my opinion). The first is that it is a lot smaller in real life than you imagine it to be from the photos. Don't have that much make up? Not a problem. Even if you don't wear that much make up day to day, it's not a problem... but I have to face facts here... the kind of people who will find this product and pay the pennies required to purchase it will probably have a LOT of make up they want to be lugging around.

Now the lugging around is the second issue. When you pull the cord and whizz it up, there is still a hole in the top. Now I don't know about you, but I treasure my make up like I treasure old friends. I don't want to lose my Real Techniques brushes, or my Canmake blush right out of the top and let it roll around in my handbag or suitcase. Yes, there is the zipped pounch, but really, I'd recommend that they add a velcro flap over the top to save my peace of mind when it comes to my precious'

All in all however, it's a great bit of kit. It's simple, it's practical, and it's washable. If I lost it, I would be replacing it immediately, and that I think says a lot as the price tag is at the slightly higher end.

Lavshuca Tropical Island palette

Shiny Trip Eyes is an unusual name for a series of eyeshadow palettes, but actually it does describe these little palettes well as they are perfect for creating shimmery eyes on the go. Lavshuca is again a Japanese brand and NeNe from Bunny and Spice suggested I try one of the series and I chose Tropical Island. Tropical Island is this adorable little quad with the yellow, turquoise, pink, and brown shadow combination.

As you can see there is a fair amount of eyeshadow in the palette, although I have to admit to never actually finishing any eyeshadows before moving on to a newer version; and only ever hitting pan in one. Nevertheless, I am always impressed by the amount of product you get for your money.

You can see from the photo that there is a tiny amount of fall out from the shadows, but considering the shimmer the fall out is not unsurprising. The shadows are really soft and easy to work with both with and without primer. They apply easily and they blend easily with each other.


Unlike a lot of quads I own, I can wear this completely on it's own without needing to find any extra colours. I have found that I can also create a surprising amount of different looks with just the four shadows in the palette.

As you can see from the swatches, the blue and the brown are really pigmented, with the yellow and pink much more subtle against my skin tone. Because of the softness of the formula, it is also possible to blend the blue and brown out to  create a much softer effect.

I've been really impressed with this palette, partly due to the versatility of the colours themselves, and partly due to the prettiness of the packaging. Mostly, however, I am impressed with this palette because of the quality of the formula. The softness and ease of blending makes it very easy and enjoyable to use.

I'm not sure whether it is NeNe's talent in knowing the very best of the Japanese products available, or that Japanese cosmetics are an amazing quality, but I'm fast becoming a big fan of Japanese brands.

Violet and Red Clover... a relaxing bath with Wellness Beauty by Sandro Lorenzo

Today was my daughter's first day back at school, and although the sun was shining brightly, I can safely say that Autumn is well on it's way.

One of the things I love most about Autumn (apart from the return of coats and boots) is being able to run a scaldingly hot bath and wallow. 

And this is exactly what I decided to do this evening. I was lucky enough to complete a beauty product swap with Ela from all about make up who lives in Germany. This was the second time I had swapped with Ela and in the first parcel she sent some amazing bath salts. So for our second swap I begged her to send some of the same brand, and here is one of the set that she sent me.

I'd never heard of Wellness Beauty (or Sandro Lorenzo) before receiving them from Ela and I was so impressed. The first set I tried was Jojoba and Avocado and it made my bath smell wonderful and my skin really soft.

For tonight's bathtime treat I used the Veilchen and Rotklee flavour (otherwise known as Violet and Red Clover), and again, it smelt amazing. When you open the packet the smell hits you immediately and I found it also lingered on my skin after the bath. I have to admit that often I find bath salts drying, but this is not the case at all with this brand (hence why I'm so addicted to them now!) and there is enough softeners in them to create a slight foam on top of the water.

I really would love to find these stocked in the UK, although I realise that the majority of the packaging is in German which might make it difficult to market.