Once more I am behind on these so you are in for a few over the coming weeks and I have to say there have been some real hits and some huge misses…
First let say I loved the box, it was after all the Valentine themed one but I loved the pink against the monochrome, and onto the contents…
I am going to be honest though I was excited at a couple of the products, I was really annoyed at one of them so we may as well start with that one…
GARNIER Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures Strength Restorer Balm
Now the first thing I should make clear is my problem is not with the actual product, the opposite in fact, this is not a new product to warrant the inclusion of a trial size sample, I have been using this product for quite a while. That was what annoyed me, that one of my fie items should not only be a trial size which barely covered my hair but should also be for a product that has been out for ages and I already use. I would have been happy to see this as an extra on top of the five items and maybe if I was not already using it I might have been impressed except as with most trial sizes of hair products they only give you enough to do a decent trial if you have short to shoulder length hair at best. At £4.49 (or less if you have the right saver type places near you) it does do what it is supposed to but Glossybox this month I felt robbed.
Next up…
LA THEORIE DES VOLCANS Noir Eternae Youth Potion Face Scrub
There are times you really want things to be different, and this was one! It sounded fantastic, a mineral rich volcanic paste, cleanses, purifies, turns from pink to grey as it works wonders on your skin… brings you out in the plague! Okay not quite but it did bring on an outbreak of the Rosecea I suffered from last year, at first I wondered if it was coincidence, I was stressed at the time I tried it, so I let it clear up and tried it again, yet again an outbreak. Was it perhaps the combination of using it with the cold weather, waited a few months tried it again, once more an outbreak, I shall not be trying it again. I think it is safe to say I shall not be spending £26 on a face wash that makes me look like a bubonic zombie.
Next up…
CIATE LONDON Paint Pot in Iced Frappe
I don’t normally get to give these a good testing as when I get one my daughter generally steals it, but because we can now wear neutral colours on our nails at work I put my foot down and kept this one. The colour is a lovely pale coffee, it applies really well and I love the brushes in these pots, although mine is lose from the lid and if you are not careful you open it it find the brush still sat in the varnish. It does last well, though if you have your hands in water a lot it does soften and peel, at £9 it is towards the higher end of the mid range and it can be quite hard actually getting hold of this brand without ordering from their website but worth it or better still talk someone into buying you their advent calendar to keep you going for a while.
Next…
MEMEME Beat The Blues in Oyster Gold
Confession first, I think I may have been using this wrong, I thought it was a highlighter but it is actually an illuminator, while it can be used as a highlighter it can also be mixed into foundation, which I have not tried but I will give it a go. Used as a highlighter it blended right in and did not give me the shimmer I wanted, it did work well with a powder highlighter over it but just didn’t get the job done on its own, I was not too keen on the applicator,
It feels like a cheap nail varnish applicator and it is hard to get the blobs on each side even with the poor bristle quality. At £7.25 it is not expensive but I would not buy this as a highlighter however I am hoping that it may work well with foundation especially in the summer to just add a little all over shimmer.
And finally…
JEANNE ARTHES L’Eau de Rose
Every now and again you get a perfume that you really cannot decide on, you love it, you like it, your not sure about it, depending on your mood, for me this is that perfume. It smells of Roses, not shit Sherlock I here you cry, but no I mean it smells of Roses with a capital R! It is like being in my garden next to me older roses, especially the big crimson one that does not get the prettiest flowers but damn does it smell good.
This is the rose I am talking about the flowers are huge, the size of small melon, and they get tatty quickly but they smell divine. So what is the problem with the perfume I hear you ask, well it is just that is smells of Roses and nothing else, in my head I think of it being something my grandma would have worn, or the perfume kids get, and while I really love the smell I am not convinced I can wear it out. I mean yes could wear it on the school run or for work but I can get perfumes by popstars for less than the £20 a bottle this costs. You could use it to spray your bed with to bring the summer garden smell into the bedroom, but you see my predicament, while I love the smell I am just not sure about where I would wear it. Chances are this will get used but I will not replace it even though I really do like it.
Paula Acton 