MEMEBOX Special #69 My Pouch Essentials

Box description -
'What's in your makeup pouch, or shall we say makeup pouches? Bursting with daily beautiful essentials, tested and approved by us, this box has just the right products to give you perfect touch-ups throughout the day, or help dramatize your look! No more lugging around heavy makeup bags full or unreasonable bulky products, just carry this box with you everywhere for your prettiest look every day because we got these box-ful of handy goodies down to a tee!'

Kwailnara Perfume de Moist Hand Cream Glam Savanna - 50g $4 (£2.64) exp: 06/10/17
'Infused with a musk floral scent and packed with nutrients from almond oil, shea butter, allantoin, and panthenol, this perfumed hand cream is fast-absorbing and replenishing with a silky soft finish. The chic zebra print design is also a fun, stylish addition to your pouch.'
The only thing putting me off using this is the musky floral scent, neither of which I am a fan of. I think I will probably pass this on as I do have a lot of hand creams already to get through but a good item just shame it wasn't in a different scent.

Hanskin Bio Origin Royal Ampoule B.B SPF30 PA++ - 4.5ml - $54 35ml (£35.66) exp: 06/03/17
'Hanskin's famouse Royal Ampoule BB cream is packed with rich nutrients from royal jelly extracts and it lightly glides over your skin when applied, leaving a visibly silkier, brightened complexion.'
There doesn't seem to be much in the bottle so I'm not sure how many applications you would get from this. I doubt I will be trying this out as I'm happy with the BB cream I currently have.

 Tonymoly Face Mix Cover Pot Concealer - 4g $5 (£3.30) made on: 08/11/14
'A waterproof and long-lasting cream-type concealer that flawlessly covers up signs of blemished and pimples. The gentle formula enriched with lotus flower water, marine collagen, and ceramide is non-stimulating to even the most sensitive skin and helps maintain clear, supple complexion.'
I think I will try this out, it looks pale enough for me and I always seem to have something that needs covering up!

 Tonymoly Crystal Stick Shadow - 1.35g $5 (£3.30)
'Perfect to be used alone or blended with other shadow colors to create varieties of naturally gradated eye makeup. It contains micro flat-type pearls, mica powder, and rosehip oil for a long-lasting adherence and color pigmentation that do not dry out the sensitive eye areas.'
There was also another colour that you could have got in this box and I would have much preferred that one, it was a champagne pink. I don't like gold so I will be passing this on.

  Witch's Pouch Radiant Lolli Tint - 2.5g - 4.5g $15 (£9.90) exp: 21/04/17
'This is a 3 in 1 must-have lip item that brings together the glossiness of lip glosses, naturally blending formula of lip tints, and the colourful radiance of lipsticks. It melts onto lips for a lasting pigmentation that instantly lights up your complexion with neon-bright colors - orchid pink, coral jelly pink, and funky hot pink.'
So glad I got this colour, I'm yet to try it but a really pretty one for summer.

Rosemine Vitamin E Lip Balm Rose Fairy - 12g $7 (£4.62) exp:14/11/17
'Sweetly scented with fruity floral fragrance, the Vitamin E Lip Balm is richly formulated from a blend of vitamin E, ceramide, rosehip oil and 7 different moisturizing essential oil. It coats over dry, chapped lips with a moisture layer to lock in the moisture and to protect against the external damage and dehydration.'
As much as I love lip balms I have passed this one on as I hate rose scents.

This has been my least liked box, out of everything I will only be using the lip tint and concealer. I think it's mostly the scents and colours of the other items rather than the items themselves that I don't like. This box cost $29.99 including shipping.

In February MEMEBOX announced they would no longer be shipping internationally due to some ridiculous reason I can't remember, apparently they announced this on their Facebook page, I couldn't see it anywhere on the website. Only countries that already have a MEMEBOX warehouse will now be able to order and the UK isn't one of them. This is very disappointing as I really did enjoy getting these boxes as they were something different to what we get here. I have one more box to show which luckily was a good one and then no more MEMEBOX. If you're lucky enough to be able to order from them you can do so here.



Are you disappointed by their announcement?

MEMEBOX Global #16

After giving up on Glossybox and Birchbox I thought I would give Memebox a go, although not a subscription service it still provides the surprise of not knowing what you'll be getting. Memebox contains 4-7 full size and deluxe samples of Korean beauty products, skin, hair, body care and makeup. Boxes are released regularly so you need to keep checking the sight to see what's new. 

This box contains all full size items which makes for a nice change. Being new to Memebox I have read up on other posts about the boxes to get an idea of how products are used and I came across a couple of queries, the prices and expiry dates. It seems the prices given on the card are what the products go for in the Meme store but if you shop around you will most likely find them cheaper somewhere else. Just a note that if you find something you like don't be put off by the price. Some products have quite short expiry dates which is possibly due to having the stock for a long period of time. This could be a problem with getting the products used up in time. I will give expiry and manufactured by dates where I can. I have found some information on the Meme site about these dates -

'Korean skin products are a little different than European/American products in that instead of providing an expiration date, they most often put a "manufacture date". So if you see a date that has already passed, it usually means that this is the date the product was manufactured. Your product will still be good for 12 months after opening.'

Below is a little translation of what you may find on your product:

• ”까지” means "good by" as in it is “good until [specified date]”
• “제조” means "manufactured on" as in “made on [specified date]”

This box is the Global #16 and contains 7 items, it cost $29.99 with $6.99 shipping (£24.42). I picked standard shipping which takes 10-20 business days but you also have the option of express which is 3-7 days and costs $18.99.  

Box description -
'Always anticipated, and always bringing excitement, Memebox Global is back for the time! Packed with all your beauty essentials, this box is packed with goodies that 16th will keep you waiting on your toes! This edition is worth over $100 in retail value.'


Onto the box -

 



 

 



 

RiRe Style Black Head Brush Cleanser & Skinny Black Head Closing Serum - 40ml & 20ml $18 (£11.89) exp: 14/07/16 (cleanser)

'Packed with black food complex - black rice, black beans, black sesame - rich in protein and iron, the Style Black Head Brush Cleanser effectively removes any oil, dirt, blackheads, whiteheads, dead skin cells, and skin impurities clogging up the pores and delivers improved firmness and skin elasticity by tightening up blackhead-less pores. Then, the Skinny Black Head Closing Serum provides the perfect 2nd step oil control and pore care for maintaining a well-balanced skin condition.'

Very interested in trying this out, blackheads are my main skin concern so anything that can get rid of them would be a miracle! The cleanser is dispensed by pushing the button on the side, if the brush does it's job I may keep it to use with other cleansers. The serum is to be used after to close up the pores which I'm guessing will help with keeping the skin clear.

 

  Elizavecca Shrink Lifting R Pro - 120ml $28 (£18.49) exp: 15/08/17

'Oil-based and non-sticky, Elizavecca Shrink Lifting R Pro is a cream for your swollen calves. It works to literally 'shrink' the size of calves by relieving stimulated skin and increasing skin elasticity & firmness. Its gentle yet effective formula consists of mandarin extracts, coffee extracts, sage oil, peppermint, winter green, and mate leaf extracts.'

This is something that I don't have a need for, I work in an office so am sat down for majority of the day. If this is something that interests you but you can't get hold of I know The Body Shop did a leg gel a few years ago which they may still do.

 

 Hair + Velvet Nutri-Injection - 12ml $5 (£3.30)

For all those damaged hairs out there, the Velvet Nutri-Injection is here to save the day! There's absolutely no need to rinse after application. Simply apply it throughout your hair, especially the damaged ends, after towel drying, and experience results of a hair clinic program!

Not exactly sure what this is supposed to do, I'm guessing moisturise. I have waist length hair so I'm not sure if this will cover all of it but I'll give it a go. While my hair isn't that damaged a little moisture couldn't hurt.

 

Unni Recipe Vitamin Recharger Mist - 130ml $15 (£9.91) exp: 23/03/17

'Quench skin's thirst and brighten up dull complexion with Unni Recipe Vitamin Recharger Mist enriched with 6 different vitamins and hyaluronic acid. Plus, it's completely free of paraben, benzophenon, mineral oil, alcohol, tri-ethanol, and artificial coloring, thus making it gentle enough to be used by all skin types.'

This could be quite nice to use throughout the day at work, the air in the office is so dry that this would be a nice treat for my skin.

 

Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream - 45ml $24 (£15.85) made on: 10/07/14

'A light, fast-absorbing gel cream consisted 74% of snail mucus extracts which work to soothe and de-stress while moisturizing, nourishing, and firming the skin for a gentle, non-irritating blemish & wrinkle care.'

Not sure how something can be a gel and a cream....This is to be used as the last stage in the skin care routine. I believe snail mucus helps with the cell turnover and skin repair but I could be wrong. Snail mucus seems to be quite popular at the moment so looking forward to seeing what this can do for my skin.

 

 Delskin Centella 90 Power Ampoule - 30ml $14 (£9.25) exp: 05/12/15

'Over 90% of this facial ampoule consists of Centella Asiatica extracts, world-renown for its intensive soothing and repairing agents highly gentle and effective on sensitive skin suffering from stimulated, reddened spots or blemishes. Rejuvenate dry, tired skin with one of Mother Nature's best gifts!'

To be used day and night before cream, this looks like a gel consistency in the lovely glass bottle. At the moment I seem to be plagued with spots so this will be great if it helps with the redness.

 

 

 

Very happy with this box and the variety of products. I hope to get a proper skin care routine going this year so which will include some of these products.

 

The Koreans are known for their long skincare routine so knowing where and how a product is to be used can be quite confusing so here are a couple of people that I have been looking to to find out more about the products -

 

http://www.harlotbeauty.com/ Rachel does unboxing blog posts and has a lot of knowledge on Korean products.

Kelly Collins Kelly does unboxing videos and explains what the products are for and where they are to be used in the routine.

 

If your interested in Korean beauty check out the Memebox site where you can purchase a box or look through there store for a particular item. I think this is a service which I will be sticking with for the foreseeable future.

 

 

Are you a fan of Memebox? 

 

 

 

Blogmas day 2 - VitaBella anti ageing face mask review

This is the first sheet mask I have ever tried so wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it or not. Having seen others use them it always puts me in mind of Michael Myers so not sure if this is a bonus or not.

 



The little white button is the mask that once is covered in the liquid soaks it up and is ready to be put on. The liquid is made up of natural aloe vera gel, argan oil, hyaluronic acid, hibiscus seed proteins and wheat germ oil. As this is an anti ageing mask the benefits are rehydrating skin and reducing the signs of ageing. 

So into a little pot I put the mask and then poured the liquid over it and all over the counter as apparently this is a difficult task. In less than a minute the mask had soaked up all of the liquid and was good to go. I put it on for 5 or 10 minutes (I can't remember), removed and rubbed in the residue that was left on my face. I had really soft skin after and I would say it gave a nice dose of moisture.

 

And there we have the mask, very creepy.

 

 

This is very expensive at £59 for 4 bottles - here 

 

On a side note, when I put this on it was so uncomfortable I really didn't understand how people could use it....I then took it off to realise I had put my nose through an eye and my mouth through the nose bit. I understood then, people are smart and I am a tit.    

 

 

 

 

 



Sanctuary Spa active reverse facial 30 day thermal tranformation mask review

Wow that's a long ass name for a product....I had 2 samples of this so as they were sachets I emptied them into a couple of empty pots I had.

 

 

 

2 sachets, step 1 which is a peptide transformation serum and step 2 is a thermal rose clay mask. To use you obviously do step 1 and then 2, this is supposed to give a warm feeling. The initial mix of the clay onto the serum does give a warm feeling but I found this went after like a second. You then leave on for 15 minutes while the 'heating effect' cools, sadly as the heating bit didn't last it was just another cool mask. Rinse off and done. This is supposed to make the skin look more radiant but I didn't really see this, it did make my skin feel smooth but nothing super special.   

Step 1





Step 2

 

I was looking forward to using this mask for the warming effect as I haven't really used a mask like that before but I was quite disappointed with this. It got to the point where I just wanted to get it used up, I used this 1 - 2 times a week, sometimes 3 if I remembered. Not that impressed but at least I made some space in my boxes by using this up.

 

Full size is available from Boots here for £27.50

 



 

 

Ciao

 

 

 



Empties #2

A few more items that I've gone through, not really that much considering the amount of products I have. I really do need to work on using more products before I run out of storage space!

Freederm Gel
Technically this isn't empty but it's out of date so it needed throwing out. This is my second tube of this, it was what I used before I found the Origins spot treatment. This gel works in basically the same way as the Origins one, put it over the spot and redness is reduced while it dries the spot out. I would say the Origins gel is a bit stronger in formula and I saw results a lot quicker with it so while the Freederm one is good it's not the best out there, for me at least. I won't be repurchasing this.
JASON Lips Bee Healthier
This is a lip balm with aloe and beeswax which I really enjoyed using. This is the second tube I've gone through and if I didn't already have a massive stock of lip balm I would repurchase. Very minty smell with a nice texture, some balms can be too slippery? Not sure that's the right word but I'm sure you know what I mean.
Eucerin Even Brighter
I have a lot of freckles on my face, I've had to accept that I can't really get rid of them but thought I would give this a go and I have been pleasantly surprised. I have noticed that a couple of the freckles I've been putting this on have faded quite a lot. I will do a separate review as I also have the moisturisers which I'm not sure on. This has already been repurchased to continue the fight against the freckles.

L'Oreal Micellar Solution
I got this to remove make up and to use after face masks just to make sure all of the mask is removed. Both cases it works really well, I don't wear waterproof mascara so not sure how well it works on that but in general this gets everything off. No more wipes for me!
Mitchum Advanced Control Deodorant
An exciting empty I know. I got unperfumed as I don't see the point in scented when I'll be wearing a perfume anyway. I don't really sweat that much so I can't really put a deodorant to the test but this one suits me well enough.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo
I've been growing my hair for about 5 years (on purpose that is, obviously it grows anyway) and have managed to get from just below shoulder to under boob and I still haven't reached my desired length. It seems to me my hair doesn't grow super quick so anything that can give it a kick would be very welcome. This shampoo did a good job of cleaning my hair and since using it I have noticed a bit more length but then who can tell if that's natural or the actual shampoo. I think in reality nothing can help with hair growth but there we go, I have another bottle to go through but I'm not sure if I'd repurchase.
Batiste Dry Shampoo
This smells very good but that is where my likings stop. This can leave white residue in the hair even if rubbed in properly. I have used other dry shampoos that have worked better, left no residue and just generally worked better in sorting out the hair. I'm currently using another Batiste as it was on offer, the volume one but once that's done I will be looking for a different brand.

Molton Brown Ylang Ylang Shower Gel
This smelt lovely and I really enjoyed using it but at £18 for full size I don't think I will be looking into buying it.
Balance Rescue Face Tonique
This I used after a face mask and sometimes in the evening after removing make up and I was feeling lazy...It felt really nice on the skin and lasted quite a while considering it was a small bottle.

I Love...Raspberry & Blackberry Shower Gel
All of the I Love...range smells lush although the scent doesn't stay on the skin for long. I found this quite a runny gel so a lot would slip straight out of my hand leaving me with not much to lather. For the price it is a good size but not one of the better washes I've used.


Now for the good bit, I finally get to throw all of these into the recycling and start again on filling up my empties box.

Ciao

Mail Samples





As the saying goes, it's the small things in life and it definitely is. I received this card from Philosophy through the mail a week or so ago and sadly it did make me happy that I had got 2 small samples from them. Now I don't know why more companies don't do this as samples as a major decider for a lot of people on if they will go on to buy a product or not.

 

 

There were 2 samples, hope in a jar day and hope in a jar night moisturiser. Everyone likes something for free right?

 

 

There was also a discount for £15 off and free P&P on your next order although you did have to spend £60 for this to apply. It does annoy me a bit when companies give you a discount but you still have to spend quite a high amount to use it. I use the past tense did as the date for this code was October 21st to November 10th so...yeah had this laying around for a while!

 

I know in the beauty boxes I get I've received samples like this and I've paid £10 plus P&P to receive them! If more companies did this it would then be redundant for beauty boxes to include the sachet samples and in place maybe a reasonable sized sample.

Come on companies, get the mail samples coming, everyone likes a free treat.

 

Ciao



BBB Christmas Edit Box 2013

Received my BBB box this morning, I know a lot of people were still waiting for theirs on Thursday so hopefully they have all been delivered by now. Sadly this sold out within hours of going live but fingers crossed we will get to see more next year.I was so excited for this as I really enjoyed the first one that was out in July. I made sure I didn't look at any posts regarding the box as I just love the surprise when opening boxes like this. 

This is basically my initial thoughts on it, I will be reviewing some of the items individually which I can't wait to try some of the items out.

Rituals Car Perfume - £10.00 from here
Mine is in Sandalwood & Copaiba, you can't really smell anything in the box so I don't know if I will like the scent or not. It works by attaching it to one of the fans in your car so when the air comes through it sends out the scent. Sadly I no longer have a car but I will see if mummy would like this in hers.
Alterna Bamboo 48 Hour Sustainable Volume Spray - £24 for full size here
I think I already have a bamboo spray but possibly from a different brand, I haven't used I yet. This spray is to be used on towel dried hair before blow drying. My only problem with hair products like these is the need to blow dry. I like to let my hair dry naturally plus it take very little time for it to actually dry. I do need some volume in my hair though so I think I will have to give it a go.
Washi! Hot Cloth - £6.55 for a pack of 7 here
A pure cotton cloth which is supposed to stay hot longer than a muslin cloth. It does feel really soft so this will be going into my rotation of face clothes. There is a 15% discount on orders using code BBB at checkout, it says valid for 14 days from when you receive your box so not sure when this ends.

 

Roger&Gallet Bois d'Orange Huile Sublime - £12 for 30ml here

A light non greasy dry oil, the scent is quite nice considering orange is not something I would go for. I tried this on the back of my hand and it sank in straight away, I hate oils that just sit on the skin. This will be nice for when it's too cold for lotion plus I probably won't need to wait around for it to sink in before getting dressed.

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream - £8 here 

I've not used anything from L'Occitane before but this smells lovely. Hand cream is a year round staple in my bag or by my bed so it's always a bonus when it smells good.

Mandara Spa Tropical Blooms Softening Bath Milk - £5 here

A mixture of jasmine, ylang ylang, sweet almond and star flower. This smells good, I can see it being a nice addition to my baths. I've not tried a bath milk before as I love a lot of bubbles so it will be interesting to see how it compares to good old bubble bath.

CND Vinylux Nail Polish & Top Coat - £8.95 per bottle here (I couldn't find this duo)
I got the colour Tropix which is quite a bright pink colour along with the clear top coat. This polish should last a week once applied so I will be interested to see if it actually does. I use a computer every day which usually leads to chipping quicker then normal so it will be put to the test.

 Maybelline Rocket Mascara - £7.99 here
One mascara I've not tried, I used to use the Colossal which was good so I have higher expectations for this one. I'll be saving this for when my Benefit one has run out.
Bourjois Eyeliner - £5.99 here
On the pencil I have shade 16 Ebene & Argent but can't see this on Boots or the Bourjois website so I'm not sure. Basically a black liner and a silver highlighter for the inner corners or a liner by itself. The silver feels creamy so it should be a nice one to wear. It gives a 16 hour wear time so we shall see.

Rouge Bunny Gleaming Temptations Lip Gloss - £15.35 here
My shade is Blameless which on the website describes it as a 'your lips but better shade' and I agree this is a very nice nude shade. Being pale I find some nudes don't suit me but this isn't too dark so as long as it isn't a sticky gloss this should be a nice one to wear everyday.

Urban Decay Moondust Eye shadow - £14 here
This is in the shade Zodiac which is a beautiful green with what looks like multi coloured shimmers through it. I love Urban Decay eye shadows as the pigmentation is amazing and the shadow is so soft. I think this will go really well with my brown eyes and just in time for a festive look.

L'Occitane Angelica Cleansing Gel & Toner - £16 each here & here
I like to use a toner after a face mask just to make sure all of it has been removed so this will be put to use straight away. Cleansing gel I will put with my current stash as I seem to have acquired quite a few! These smell very fresh so probably a good one for morning time.

REN Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask & Invisible Pores Detox Mask - £30 & £18 here
I'm looking forward to trying both of these, targeting blackheads and pores around my nose. I've tried other masks aimed at clearing out blackheads but they've never really worked so I've got my fingers crossed on at least one of these banishing them.

Indeed Labs Hydraluron - £24.99 here
An intense moisture boosting serum which has proven to be quite popular in the beauty world so with the colder weather pretty much already here this will be a good one to add to the skin care routine.

La Roche-Posay Redermic (R) Dermatological Anti-Wrinkle Treatment - £18.66 here
Designed for sensitive skin this is probably a suit all product. Even though I don't have wrinkles the also claims to even out skin tone so I will give it a try to see if this makes my skin look better.

Vichy Idealia Smoothing  & Illuminating Cream - £22 here
This one is for normal to combination skin which suits me perfectly. They also do one for dry so one for all skin types. Again a product for wrinkles and an even skin tone but this one also helps give a natural radiance which is always needed in winter.

Finally there was a little stocking in the box which is so cute, I will definitely be using this for someones Christmas gift.

This box cost £22 with £5.95 P&P and is approximately worth £150. A mixture of full size and trial size this is definitely a good way to try out a lot of brands and new products. Both BBB boxes have not disappointed and I think it's such a good way to try out beauty bloggers favourite products. Thank you British Beauty Blogger for arranging these boxes, I look forward to trying them all out!

 

 

Ciao