As with many other bloggers, I have a rather large stash of samples waiting to be used or reviewed. Most of them I have acquired thanks to the beauty box phenomenon that has been going on, others I have actively sought out and some were just given to me either with a purchase or from people I know. I find it difficult to try everything, especially when it comes to skincare, because there is always a risk that something won't work for you and you'll have a bad reaction to it - which is definitely something I want to try and avoid. I don't have overly sensitive skin so I don't worry too much about trying things out here and there, but on the whole, I am happy with my skincare routine and try and avoid changing it up too much. 

However, it is a bit of a double edged sword because there's always that little niggle that says 'Your skin could be even better if you use this or that product!' and there are so many hyped up products that claim to work miracles for other people, so I often feel like I want to try it just to see if it really is that good. It's a tricky situation, wouldn't you agree?! I do like having a little box full of exciting new things to experiment with if I'm feeling in such a mood, but to be honest, with a lot of things that claim to work miracles, I often don't see much of a result. For example, the Caudalie Vinosource Serum (received in a Glossybox) did absolutely nothing that I could put my finger on. Bearing in mind I don't have dry skin maybe this product would have worked well for other people, but I've kind of lost interest in trying a lot of things because I'm sceptical about their effectiveness. I think I am probably the sort of person who expects a little too much from products sometimes, I mean you're not going to see dramatic results overnight with most things, and I think I might be a bit impatient, but when you're getting so-called 'luxury' samples each month, I would expect them to do something. 


I don't really know what the point of this post was, I just felt like having a bit of a chat and I am pretty sure that if I persevered with some of the samples I did have then I would be pleasantly surprised. The thing is, with something like my Clarins cleansing gel (yes, I'm mentioning it YET again!) I actually did notice a difference in my skin after pretty much the first use, so with products such as serums or toners, which are supposedly far more concentrated or astringent (in a good way) then I would expect to see something happening, but for the most part, I just don't. Anyway, this honestly wasn't meant to turn into a rant or to undermine the usefulness of samples because I do love getting them and trying them, I guess I just haven't had much success with a lot of the ones I've got, probably because they just weren't aimed at my skin type. So yes, there we go, a bit of a random post for today! I really hope you're all doing well and I looking forward to speaking again! Bye bye! 

Good morning everyone, have we all had a good weekend? I had a very relaxing one - baking bread, drinking wine and...playing on the Xbox?! I never normally do that but for some reason me and the boyfriend got into playing a game and ended up playing for about 5 hours! It's all good fun. This week I went to see The Avengers (twice!) and absolutely loved it (clearly!). It is the best film I've seen in a while and I would highly recommend it even if you haven't seen any of the films leading up to it. It's a great film in its own right and, my god, it has some serious eye-candy in it. I think I may have fallen in love with Thor (a.k.a Chris Hemsworth, swoooon. Sorry boyfriend.). Let me know if any of you have seen it and what you thought. 

Now, onto the main event, the Glossybox review! I wasn't going to do one because I'm sure lots of you will have read about it other places but I really did like this month's, so felt I should share with you my thoughts on it! The theme this month was au naturel, starting off with a 100% bio-degradable box! (Because we like to look good AND do good of course). I do like this whole themed box thing that they've got going on, I think it adds something extra to the 'experience' and makes the samples seem less random. The first thing I noticed, and which made my heart sing with joy, was that there were no perfume samples in the box this month! Woohoo! I was getting really quite bored of receiving a tiny little sample of obscure perfume (most of the time) and was pleased to see they hadn't copped out and popped one in this month (but I guess perfume can't be all that natural can it?). I was really happy with all of the samples this month, they're all things I use (bar one) and would buy anyway, so I'll get on and show you what they were!

First up the Cauldalie Vinosource Serum which is meant to thoroughly hydrate and quench thirsty skin. It's quite a liquidy formula and quite refreshing when applied and, even though I don't have dry skin, which I'm guessing this may be aimed at, I find it a pleasure to use. After cleansing and toning it is absolutely lovely to pop on and makes my skin feel deliciously soft and smooth. I'm not sure I'd buy the full size version (around £26 on feelunique.com) but it is a lovely product and a generous sample size.

Next up the Monu Spa Hand and Nail cream. Now I personally love a good hand cream (read my post on my fave of the moment here) so I was particularly excited to see this fabulous sized sample in the box. This one is a very thick consistency which leaves absolutely no greasy residue (on my hands anyway), but leaves hands very soft and smelling kind of minty. I've kept this one in my handbag for on-the-go moisturisation and I can't really say a bad thing about it. Again, I probably wouldn't repurchase it because there are loads of great handcreams out there that are cheaper than the £10.95 that this one is asking for, but it is very nice.

The next product is the Figs and Rouge Organic Lip Balm and, oh wow, I love this! How cute is the packaging? I think I'd keep this in my bag even if it was crap because it looks so good! However, it is actually really really good as well! It's an odd consistency at first, kind of lumpy but then it smooths onto the lips (or any other area you want to use it, it's multi-purpose) and feels so smooth and makes lips lusciously soft! This is another minty smelling product and I would definitely consider repurchasing this. It comes in different flavours as well which I may just have to try out!

This product is a Lip Liner from Inika. It's certified organic and is the most gorgeous kind of shimmery orange-coral colour. If I had to I would say it probably has something of a frost finish, which I wouldn't normally go for, but this colour seems to work. On the lips it has a a very pink shimmer running through it, which in my opinion would probably make it more night-time appropriate because it is quite obvious and for day-to-day wear it might be a bit too much. The pencil is really soft and applies well, not too sure about lasting power yet as I haven't road tested it fully but at the moment I am liking it. I think it would make a great base under a deep coral or lighter red lipstick to add some more depth. I actually wore it under my MAC Vegas Volt lipstick (review here) when I went for a night out and it worked very well indeed. 

And finally the product that I wasn't too excited about, the Philip B Styling Gel. I haven't actually attempted to use it yet because I'm not sure how exactly I would use a styling gel in my hair, but it promises to add 'Volume, Texture and Definition', so maybe if I was going for a messy beach waves kind of thing I could add this to the ends to add some definition. It does say on the back that you can add it to the roots to add volume so maybe this is worth trying on second day hair to spice it up a bit. I'll keep you posted! 

So there we have it, this month's Glossybox. Not too shabby in my opinion, a nice mixture of things to try out and some that I would consider repurchasing, so well done to them! Looking forward to this months' box now, I've heard it's their one year anniversary so I'm expecting something spectacular (no pressure Glossybox!). Are any of you signed up to Glossybox? What do you think of the products in this month's box? I hope you've all got a fantastic day lined up, I'm off to work (exciting) so was up early to finish off this post to get it up for you all! That's dedication right there ;) Hope you're all very well and I shall speak soon! Bye for now!

Well, I'm sure most of you will have probably read a review of it somewhere else but just thought I'd share with you what I thought about it and give a little review of the products I got. I have been getting increasingly more disappointed with the boxes I've received, I don't know if I'm just expecting too much or just becoming bored with the idea but I am considering cancelling my subscription.

When I first signed up, which was last May (?) I was ridiculously excited and I'm sure the first few boxes I got were so much better than ones I've got recently, but I can't decide if that's just because I'm looking back with rose-tinted glasses. I can't quite bring myself to cancel it just yet, I keep saying I'll just see what the next one is like but then I don't want to risk missing out on a really good one!! Anyway, here's what I thought of this month's offering.

Firstly the packaging, as always, was lovely. The white box was gorgeous and there was Harrods ribbon inside which, if like me you have a weird love for ribbon of all shapes and sizes, was probably one of the most exciting things in it!

So, first product was a Narciso Rodriguez 'For Her' perfume sample. I have liked this fragrance for a while when I've smelt it in shops but I just hate getting perfume samples in the box. It seems like such a cop out and is always disappointing. The only good thing is that, yes, they are good to carry around in your bag instead of a huge bottle of perfume, but I have a ridiculous amount of tiny little samples now and I just DON'T. WANT. ANY. MORE! 

Next up was the Molton Brown 'Heavenly Gingerlily Moisture Bath and Shower'. This smells lovely and was one of the best products in the box. Obviously, Molton Brown is a very well-respected and loved brand and the sample was a decent size and the packaging is lovely. I haven't actually used it yet but I imagine that, like the other Molton Brown products I've tried, I won't be disappointed. 

Another exciting product was the YSL 'Forever Youth Liberator Serum'. Now, I'm guessing I'm not in their target audience for this as I think I'm a bit too young but I can't help being excited about trying out luxurious skincare even if it's not aimed at me. The little bottle is made of glass which makes it feel expensive (and it is)  and luxurious and having a pipet to dispense it rather than just a squeezy tube or something similar, makes it all very exciting (do other people get excited over really small things?). The actual product feels nice on the skin, I've only used it twice so far so I can't really say if it's done anything, but it makes a good make-up base. 

Next was another exciting one (it doesn't actually seem too bad overall does it?!) - a Burberry Lipstick sample in No.04 'Rosewood'. Once again, gorgeous packaging, especially with the Burberry print on the bullet of the lipstick. The sample is pretty small but the colour is nice, a kind of brown-red colour and the consistency really is very moisturising. And who wouldn't love a Burberry lipstick in their collection?

The final product is the Clarins 'Extra-Firming Body Cream' which claims to "Lift, Tone and Comfort". A very thick consistency which makes it feel luxurious and, although I've only used it once, I can say that I really like it. Don't know about the lifting and toning (need to use it a few more times to give a legitimate review of those effects), but it was a very good moisturiser and made my skin feel very soft indeed. The sample size was also pretty decent and I was happy with this because I'm a huge Clarins fan anyway. 

Having just reviewed each product on it's own I actually think the box is better than I did when I started this post! The only one I wasn't really pleased with was the perfume sample but actually, overall, the products were pretty good. I think maybe because I knew it was the Harrods Special Edition box I got myself a little too excited and that's why I might have been slightly disappointed but my mind has been changed. So there we go! Let me know if you got the box and what you thought of it and whether you loved it or loathed it!

Have a marvelous day!

Today is the most beautiful day. The sun is out and the sky is blue. Spring is probably my favourite season because you're finally able to shed some of the winter layers and experiment with fresh new ideas and inspirations. Part of that for me was starting this blog - feeling inspired by the change in seasons and the glorious abundance of truly remarkable blogs already out there for all to read. 

Love; Nails with Leighton Denny Nail Varnish 'Babydoll' and Rimmel Glitter Topcoat 'Disco Ball'; A Spring Walk; Hearts; Ladybird Mouse; Topshop blush 'Pop'; French Macaroons (macaroon image from google)

I wanted to share with you some of the things I've been loving recently, as well as some random things thrown in for good measure! The Topshop blush is a really bright neon-coral shade and is perfect for pepping up tired winter skin (sorry the packaging is a bit grubby). The Leighton Denny nail varnish was one I got in a GlossyBox (possibly November or October, I really can't remember) and, whilst I don't normally go for a soft pink option on the nails, I do actually quite like this one. The coverage it provides, like all of the Leighton Denny polishes I've tried, is second-to-none and it was very long-lasting on my nails.

The macaroons are not made by my own fair hands because I forgot to capture the ones I made before they were devoured (that, and they didn't look anywhere near as good as these ones). I did attempt to make some chocolate ones using a Nigella Lawson recipe recently though, and I have to say they tasted amazing! Give them a go if you're looking for something a little bit indulgent!

Image from foodnetwork.com

I hope the weather wherever you are is as good as it is here and that you're feeling optimistic with Spring in the air! Have a fantastic day!