Amarya Box July 2013.

                                                          Amarya Box July 2013.

                                                                       

  It soon come around to beauty box day. Today was the arrival of my Amarya box. As it has only just arrived I haven't had time to try any of them. I thought I would just share my initial thought on the contents of my box. This month is billed as being ''your box of summer treats'' and contains Neom inspiration hand cream, zoya colour cuties, john masters organic linden blossom cleanser sachet, and Dr Hauschka toned day cream.

  The Zoya nail polish is mini 7.5 ml size and contains no formadehyde, formaldehyse resin, toluene, dibutyl, phthalate or camphor. My colour is what I would describe as a bubble gum pink, which I am rather partial to. I have another zoya nail polish in a lighter pink and like the range. Will be interesting to see if this needs as long to dry as the other polish I have.

  Neom inspiration hand cream is a generous 50ml size. I already have a sample of this and really like it. This is a thick luxurious cream which smells more of violets than the chamomile (this is good I hate the smell of chamomile). It is deeply moisturising and a real treat.

Dr Hauschka toned day cream comes in a 5ml tube. Again I have other items from Dr Hauschka and it is a lovely high quality item. I have not tried this specific day cream, but am very much looking forward to doing so. I like that it comes in a tube, no mess and no waste.

 

Finally, John masters organic linden blossom face crème cleanser comes in a 5ml sachet. I think this will need decanting into a little pot as it seems that there is enough for a couple of uses. I like their body lotions so am happy to give this a go.

 

Overall thoughts. I am genuinely pleased with this box. I am always happy to receive skin care and there are some real gems in here. The nail polish is a lovely pretty colour too. I look forward to trying all of these items. I have to say Amarya is becoming my favourite beauty box for both quality of items sent and size of products included.

Zoya Nail Varnish in Gie Gie

                                                          Zoya Nail Varnish in Gie Gie

                                                                                 

 

Zoya is a brand which promotes itself as having a healthy formula that is free of the big 5. The big 5 are formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, camphor and dibutyl phthalate free, meaning that it is suitable for vegans. Zoya have an enormous range of colours and finishes.

 

The shade I have is Gie Gie. It is a very pale pink shade in a metallic finish, and has very tiny particles of glitter in it. After two coats it gives a fully opaque finish, The photo doesn't do the colour justice. It leaves a very subtle shimmery finish.

 

However I found that you need to apply only very thin coats as it does take considerably longer than other polishes to dry. It is definitely one to wear with a top coat over it as it seems a softer formula. As far as wear without chipping goes I am not the best person to judge this. I don't know how I do it, but nail varnish never lasts more than 2 days for me. Even seche vite doesn't extend the wear time for me. This lasted 2 days, which for me is pretty good. Normal people will probably get more wear time out of it than I do.

 

Overall I do like this nail varnish, it's just one you have to take your time with. There is a beautiful cobalt blue on their website that will be mine, as well as a lovely red.

 

Have you tried Zoya yet? What did you think?

 

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E.L.F Eye Enhancing Eyeshadow in Brown Eyes 1

                                          E.L.F Eye Enhancing Eyeshadow in Brown Eyes 1.

                                     

 

I do love eyeshadow and readily admit to having a weakness for palettes. This is my latest addition to my ever expanding collection. This is the e.l.f eye enhancing eyeshadow in brown eyes 1. Rather an uninspiring name I know, but you can't win them all. It comes in a simple but robust feeling packaging and contains 6 shades that enhance and complement the eye colour. There is a handy mirror in the lid and the obligatory useless sponge applicator.

 

 

 The eyeshadows can be used wet or dry depending on the intensity of the desired look and contain 4 shimmery shades and 2 matte. There are no shade numbers or names. I have swatched them dry, and are shown in the same left to right order as they appear in the palette. The navy and the lightest shade are the matte ones.

 

The eyeshadows themselves are soft and easy to blend. They are well pigmented generally, although the first and the fourth shades don't show up as much as the others. Overall I am impressed with the quality of this palette, my only niggle is that there are no names or number for the shades.

 

 E.L.F eye enhancing eyeshadows are available in blue, brown and hazel/green palettes and currently sells for £8 at www.eyeslipsface.co.uk

Laura Geller Inkwell Waterproof Gel Liner

                                              Laura Geller Inkwell Waterproof Gel Liner.

                                                                                    

 I have always been a bit nervous of gel eye liner. I don't exactly have the steadiest of hand when it comes to attempting the beloved flick. However these beauties by Laura Geller mean even an amateur like myself can get really good results. The shades I have are the purple and the black and they really are lovely.

                                                                             

  Here are my swatches. Purple on the left and black on the right. I have applies the thickly to get a good feel for them. The brush is concealed within the top of inkwell, although if you do like a super fine line it may not be the brush for you. These are rich creamy gel liners that are well pigmented. They are just so easy to apply. The swatches don't really do them justice.  Once applied and dry they really do last all day. I am super impressed with these little gems.

Free With Magazines (August 2013 Editions)

                                            Free With Magazines (August 2013 Editions).


                                                                   

   So popping to Tesco for something for tea turned into a splurge on magazines. Ooops. Oh well there are some really good freebies this month. It would have been rude not to. August's Cosmopolitan comes with one of 3 Nip + Fab samples. There is a choice of dry leg fix, bust fix or body glow fix (clear tanning gel). I went for the dry leg fix. Cosmopolitan itself costs £3.60.

  Red comes with a free Ren skincare kit, containing 15ml Rosa Centifolia cleansing gel, 3ml Frankincense revitalising night cream and 10ml Vita- mineral day cream. I think this is a lovely little overview of the range. Red itself costs £4.

 Marie Claire comes with an Eyeko skinny mini liquid eyeliner in black. This is the freebie I am nost looking forward to trying. Marie Claire is usually £3.80, but this month is £2.50. Added bonus.

 

Lastly Bazaar comes with a 15ml jar of L'occitane Precious cream anti-ageing face moisturiser. I cant wait to try this either. Bazaar is the most expensive of the magazines and sells for £4.20.

 

Well that's me stocked up on goodies and reading matter. Have you spotted any good freebies this month?

 

Protect Your Lovely Hands by Yes Nurse.

                                            Protect Your Lovely Hands by Yes Nurse.

                                  

 

 As a nurse it is only fitting I review Protect Your Lovely Hands hand cream by Yes Nurse.

I currently work as a community nurse and am out and about seeing patients in their homes. Like all nurses, it feels like I am constantly washing my hands, or using horrid nasty alcohol gel. As a result they are dry, cracked, prone to dermatitis and generally in a bad way. I get through endless tubes of hand cream and am obsessed with the stuff.

 

Protect your lovely hands is a thick emollient which contains manuka honey. It is an intensive moisturising formula and they do recommend massaging only a peas sized amount into your skin for 30 seconds. Despite how thick the cream is, it is very easily absorbed, and it is super moisturising with long lasting effects. It acts like a barrier cream. I cant tell you how important that is when you wash your hands as often as I do.  After a fortnight of using this my dermatitis is significantly improved and my hands feel softer. I like the slim line tube as it fits nicely into my uniform pocket. This is good, in fact it is very good stuff and I will certainly be buying more of it. Well done those lovely people at Yes Nurse.

 

 

Estee Lauder Pefectly Cean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser.

                                    Estee Lauder Perfectly Splash Away Clean Foaming Cleanser.

                                                                      

 

I must admit I am rather partial to a foaming cleanser, and this one I have bought on several occasions. I think this is probably my third or fourth tube of the stuff. I know Estee Lauder isn't cheap, but their skincare products really are good. I strongly believe that investing in a good skin care regime pays dividends as it is the very foundation on which everything else is built on.

 

This is a very luxurious foaming cleanser. You only need the tiniest amount to create the richest lather. It is highly effective and really does leave my skin feeling squeaky clean without any dryness at all. For that reason I think it is fairly cost effective as the tube lasts for ages. If a product needs a huge application to produce results it is a false economy. The cleanser itself has a light fresh scent which feels very clean.