March Glossy Box

Its that time again for my Glossybox review.  Before I start I want to comment of the delivery service, until this month the box was delivered by a courier and was delivered all sorts of times and they would leave the box somewhere if I was out, not good on a rainy day.  Now they have moved to Royal Mail and the box comes with the postman in the mornings, I may not be in but collecting the box from the sorting centre is no issue and I know the box is safe.

Onto the contents.  Let me be frank here, I was not impressed this month and as I reveal the contents I will explain why.

First up is the perfume samples from Juicy Couture, 2 of them in fact.

My view on perfume samples in Glossyboxes remains the same, I don't believe that samples should be included, I can get a perfume sample from Debenhams or House of Fraser when out shopping.  Anyway they smell ok and will be useful in my work draw to use in an emergency.

Next up is a body cream from Mitchell & Peace mitchellandpeace.com entitled English Growers.

This is a great size to try 40ml will enable me to see if I like it.  First impressions are that it is a little too flowery in scent for my liking but the texture is lovely and the scent may grow on me.

The third item is from Dove and it is their intensive repair 60 second treatment shot.

I am just meh about this again the one tube is not enough for me to see if I like the product enough, it will be handy to take on holiday with me but that's about it.  There are a few things I want to try from Dove, their heat hair mask for one but this is just a so so product from me.

The next item is from Bellapirre Cosmetics bellapierre.co.uk

This is a muti purpose shimmer powder in a very light pink.  I like the shade and the shimmer and I also like the fact it is a multi tasker, use as a highlight on the cheeks or eyes or mix with a lip gloss for a gentle shimmer on the lips.  The leaflet also says can be mixed with nail varnish but I have yet to try that.

I am most excited about the last item.

Pout Polish by Sleek sleekmakeup.com in shade Bare Minimum.  I have wanted to purchase this item for the longest time in this shade but my local Superdrug and Boots never had it in. I have heard brilliant things about this and I like the shade and this will be used right away.

This months box had been a tad disappointing, if it wasn't for the Sleek pout polish and the shimmer powder from Bellapierre I would have cancelled the subscription.
What are your views on this months Glossybox?

A review - Smashbox Full Exposure Pallet

For those who follow a lot of make up blogs you would have read a fair bit about the pallet from Smashbox.  I thought I should add my pennies worth to those who have already reviewed.

I like Smashbox as a brand, their formulas blend nicely and their setting powder is one of the best I have ever used.  When my other make up supplies run low I will look to restock from Smashbox and test more of their range.

With my animal testing post in mind I thought before sharing my thoughts on the pallet I would share with you the Smashbox stance is on animal testing.  Their web site http://www.smashbox.com/ (accessed 22 February 2014) state that "Smashbox is committed to the elimination of animal testing. We are equally committed to consumer health and safety, and bringing to market products that comply with applicable regulations in every country in which our products are sold.
We do not conduct animal testing on our products or ingredients, nor ask others to test on our behalf, except when required by law. We evaluate our finished products in clinical tests on volunteer panels.
Smashbox fully supports the development and global acceptance of non-animal testing alternatives. To this end, the Company works extensively with the industry at large and the global scientific community to research and fund these alternatives."

Anyway onto the pallet.













One of the first things I liked upon opening the pallet was the "eye guide", a leaflet showing you how to identify your eye shape and steps on how to achieve three different looks (day, night and defined).
Brilliant for the beginner but also good for those who have been wearing eye make up for as long as they can remember.  There is also a website you can access with more looks (found on the back of the pallet).

The pallet has a matte black case with "Smashbox Full Exposure" written in silver rainbow font.  Inside sit 14 neutral shadows, 7 shimmer shades on the top row and 7 matte shades on the bottom row with the double ended brush under the mattes.  The shimmer and mattes are paired up nicely to make it easier to know what shades to pick together for a look.  Although with that in mind I would say all the colours both matte and shimmer would go with each other.
The shimmer shades are not scary, they have a small amount of shimmer but are blend-able and not too glittery on the eye, making the shades suitable for any age.  The shadows have incredible staying power, although this could be down to my eye primer but even so, the colours stay on the lid with no fall out and are there at the end of the day.
The range of shades mean that you could achieve a natural daytime look or a smokey eye nighttime look and everything in between.

I am impressed with the brush that comes with this pallet, normally I would throw the brush that comes with shadows away, preferring to use my full length eye make up brushes.  However, I am not throwing this baby away!  It is a dual ended brush. one end for matte shades the other for shimmer, the shimmer end is halved with white bristles on one side and black on the other meaning you can use the black side for the dark shades and the white side for the lighter shades (this really suits my OCD).

There is a huge mirror in the lid of the pallet, again so useful and user friendly.  Smashbox have really thought about what appeals to users and made sure their pallet tick boxes.

Overall I am impressed with this pallet, the quality and the feel of the product is brilliant and the shades are so wearable.  I think the £36 cost is reasonable for the 14 decent sized shadows (plus brush).  I would certainly take this pallet with me when I travel and I would purchase for others.

This pallet also came with a sample of Full Exposure Mascara.  I have yet to try this mascara but I have heard amazing things about it and it is the next mascara to try once my MAC has finished.

The pallet can be purchased here

A review - Inglot freedom pallet

A few weeks ago you would have seen that I decided to try the Inglot Freedom Pallet (see here).  I have heard many good things about the eye shadows in particular and I wanted to check them out myself.
I decided to go for the freedom pallet that holds 4 square pans (shadow or other) and if I liked the formula then there was no reason not to purchase more.  Pricing side by side to MAC shows that the refills from Inglot are more favourably priced, getting more bang for your buck.

I went for 4 shades, the pairs of shades that could blend with each other, greens and blues.
471 - An olive green shade
333 - A beautiful dark green
338 - A dark cornflower blue
387 - A muted grey with a hint of purple.

Top row| 338|387
Bottom row| 333|471

Swatched

There is a huge ranges of colours and finishes to choose from and the colours that you see on the screen are a fair representation of what you actually get.  This is much better than the MAC website, where I am always trying to second guess the colour swatches I see on the screen (maybe that's just me thought).

Firstly I would like to talk about the pallet.  The lid is translucent frosted white with the Inglot name stamped across in black, you can make out the shades through the lid which is useful if you have a number of shadows you wish to find.  The lid is held on by 4 very strong magnets which could make removing the lid hard, but if you slide the lid off the magnets instead of pulling the lid off there really isn't a problem.  These magnets will ensure that the shadows are not going anywhere when travelling, you wont have crumbled up shadows in the bottom of your make up bag.  The pallet and lid are of a sturdy plastic that does not feel or look cheap.  The pans slot into the base of the pallet easily and are easy to remove, the numbers of the shades are on a label on the back of the pan so you can lift the shadow up and check what the shade number is.  The pallet is a mattblack and compliments the writing on the lid.

The shadows are highly pigmented and blend really well on the lid.  The staying power is fabulous and look good as the day progresses (I will have to say here that the staying power could be down to the Urban Decay primer I always use).  The formula is soft and glides smoothly onto the lid with no fall out and the colour on the lid is as true to what you see in the pan, they are not chalky they don't go on patchy.  The pan size is larger than MAC so great value for money and I would say that the quality of the shadows are as good as MAC.  Lets face it once on the eye who knows if you are wearing MAC or Inglot anyway.

Would I buy more?  the answer to this is yes I like their shadows and their formula works well for what I want.  I like the fact that they have a great range of colours and finishes.  I like how they state next the products that they are paraben free and not tested on animals (being an animal lover this is very important to me.

Animal testing

Both Mr JAEG and I are animal lovers, we have pets that came from a shelter and like to think we look after them very well.  We also like to donate to various animal charities and appreciate the good work these charities do.  We know that animals don't have a voice , we have to be their voice and take a stand against animal cruelty.  With that in mind I started to look at my beauty products and whether they have been tested on animals.

I proceeded to open a can of worms................

There is an European ban on animal testing for cosmetic and toiletry products and ingredients in place since March 2013.  However as gocrueltyfree.org state "The ban means that companies are no longer able to animal test new cosmetic products and ingredients on sale in the EU. However, companies can still carry on animal testing cosmetics outside the EU where these cosmetics are also sold outside the EU. There are a number of issues for companies selling their products on the global market. For example, at present, before new products can go on sale in China, they must be submitted for testing to the Chinese authorities, which normally involves a range of animal tests." (accessed 17 February 2014).
So in other words if a company wanted to do business with China then their products would need to be tested on animals.

I dug a bit further, PETA inform via their website that "Chinese officials are in the process of accepting the first-ever non-animal tests for cosmetics, thanks to guidance from scientists funded by PETA US"

I dug even more as I want to make good choices, I was pleased to read the following from allure.com "it was mandatory that every cosmetics product manufactured in China be tested on animals before gaining approval to enter the market. The Humane Society International calculated that as many as 300,000 rabbits, mice, and other animals are subject to testing each year in China alone, but now there's some good news for our furry friends.
China's FDA announced plans to remove the requirements beginning in June 2014 for companies producing "non-special use cosmetics," like shampoo and fragrance. (The not-so-great news is that "special-use" cosmetics like hair color, deodorant, and sunscreen are still required to test.)" (accessed 17 February 2017).

Until then testing still goes on in China and to remember that even after June there is not a complete ban on animal testing of cosmetics.  If you are interested in knowing if your cosmetics are cruelty free then the following web sites help:
www.ethicalconsumer.org/
www.leapingbunny.org

I also was pleased to see I was not alone in the blogging world in questioning the ethics of animal testing in a quick search I found the following 2 blogs that were of interest:
makeupguineapig.blogspot.com
looweezbx.blogspot.com

Crueltyfreeinternational.org only award the Leaping Bunny certification to companies who have decided not to enter the Chinese market, they also have stacks on information to help people make an informed choice before making purchases.

A last note to say that in school we help educate year 7 students about animal testing, we give a balanced view showing both sides of the animal testing argument.  It is important to educate on the for and against arguments of animal testing, there are always 2 sides to this argument.
This post is not me preaching on what you should do but I wanted to put it out there that I wanted to see what I could do and I know I wont always get it right.  I wanted to show there are ways of us as consumers could find out information that was important to us.

Admitting being wrong and other musings

It is not often I have to admit I was wrong but here is a time when I am going to do just that and put my hands up.
When I received my January Glossy Box I was completely underwhelmed by a few of the products, one of which was the Yu-Be cream.  Since using it for the last few weeks I am very impressed and it will be on my list of repurchases.  I love the smell and the texture of the cream and it really does protect the skin from the harshness of the cooler air or the ravages of the centrally heated buildings.  It reminds me of the Egyptian Magic Cream I have been using these last few months.

I have been using my Real Techniques brushes and I love them.  I think most of the brushes are brilliant and do an amazing job but (there is always a but) I think the eye brushes are not up to the standard compared to the other brushes.  I have kept at it for a few months hoping they would soften up and work as well as my old MAC brushes but this week I called time on them.  I have purchased the Sigma Eye Kit to replace my Real Technique eye brushes.  It is too early to say whether they are up to the standard of the MAC brushes I used to have but I do like having the chance to break open a new set.











I am so happy that ELF have opened up in the UK , I have ordered 2 large brush holders, I have been wanting one for so long .  I want to take a road trip to the store but that may have to wait until Easter.
February is an amazing month, firstly half term slots right in halfway through which means we are a half way through the school year.  Secondly February is a short month, bringing us closer to my birthday.  Also there are lots of great films out this month me and Mr JAEG will be going to the cinema a fair bit this month.

I am loving this advert http://www.youtube.com/user/CadburyUK?v=aKNqojGjT_Q

My January Favorites

I know January has left us and you could say that my post is a little late to cover the items I liked during January but I wanted to sit and think about what I liked as I had chopped and changed a lot of items over the month.  The selection is not the largest compared to other posts, I have put the items into categories to show they are not all make up related.  Here goes!

Make up
Only 3 things have been an out and out favorite for me in January.

1. MAC foundation - I am using the rest of my studio fix foundation in but I am also enjoying the new Studio Sculpt purchased a few weeks ago.  Both give great coverage and keeps the coverage going until the end of the day.
2. I am liking my Clinique Chubby Sticks, I am using the most recent purchase mostly at the moment as the berry colour sits well for the time of year.  They are so moisturising with a good colour pay off and easy to put on and wear when in a rush.
3. Clinique Take The Day Off Balm has been a hit with me.  I like the texture and how well it removes the most stubborn of my make up.

Hair

1. I am really liking the L'oreal studio line #TXT supersizing spray. click here.  Words cannot describe how much I love using this product, it gives great volume and texture without it being sticky or hard to brush out.
   
2. The second thing is my new hair style and colour, I made a change to my hair colour a few months back but had it done again this week and it looks amazing, thank you D!

TV & Film

1. Those of you who follow me on twitter would see that I have been loving the latest round of Celebrity Big Brother, since it ended my TV schedule has not been the same.  I have never known a bunch of 'celebrities' show themselves in such a poor light it was like a group of Justin Beibers in one place.
2. I loved Wolf of Wall Street.
3. I sat with Mr JAEG this weekend and watched Olympus Has Fallen, I had seen it before but it was well worth watching again.

Clothes

1. I have been loving my Zara double sided scarf.  It is huge, like a blanket with a black and white dog tooth pattern on one side and a red tartan on the other.  I would post a link but Zara sold out ages ago.  It is so soft and really does keep you warm.
2. I also love my Black and Yellow Barbour jacket, not too thick that I cannot breathe but enough padding to take the chill off.  The weather in the UK has not been cold enough to wear thick jackets, it has just been raining a heck of a lot!

So what have you been loving so far this year?

2014 Mission Statement

Happy New Year!

I first started to post back in 2012, in fact my actual first post was 31st December 2011 (click here for recap).  I am still very new to this blogging thing and I sometimes wonder why I started to do it, I enjoy reading others and I do gain valuable insight into other things, I always learn wonderful things from others and I like to be open minded when finding a new blog to read.  For instance I enjoy reading blogs about beauty, education, fashion, organisation and lifestyle and I like to think my musings cover some of those things too.

I decided that I would not write resolutions for 2014 but have a mission statement instead, to me that feels like less pressure trying to stick with it and there is room for movement, to tailor it as the year progresses.  My mission statement for this year is to build upon what I have started already, so continue to evolve and self improve, to learn from past mistakes never making the same mistakes again.  I am going to learn new things and continue to do the things that make me happy.  So there you go pretty open ended, I will say yes more and seek challenges more often.

Last night was lovely, for the first time in a while I have spent Christmas and New Year in the UK, I normally go to Washington DC for the holiday break.  Although I missed spending time with that part of the family I was glad to be home for the holiday, it meant I could sleep in, mooch around in PJ's go to the stores when I and Mr JAEG wanted and relax with my loved ones.  Last night involved a few drinks with Mr JAEG and the family, watching the fireworks on the TV.

I am not going to do a complete 2013 favorites as I have used so many products and I have not kept a full note on them all but I will be reviewing what I have enjoyed using in December.
The first thing I have been enjoying is hot chocolate, I have finally found a chocolate powder I actually like when mixed with warm milk.  It is Spanish drinking chocolate and very nice, not too rich and blends nicely with soya milk.

I purchased mine from Amazon, a gamble that paid off.

The next thing I have been enjoying is the new coffee machine Mr JAEG and I purchased just before Christmas, it is from Nespresso and it makes the best coffee ever from a 'capsule' machine and I have tried a few over the years. It is very stylish and matches the kitchen perfectly.

This machine comes with its own milk frother and is far superior to other disc machines.

My next item also sits in the kitchen.

I was given a bread making machine for Christmas, it's from Lakeland and makes a loaf from start to finish in 3 hours, perfect size for 2 people.  The smell of fresh baked bread fills the house and makes it very homely, we both enjoy trying different types of bread and the beauty is as the loaves are small there is no waste.

I am also enjoying Sweetbird salted caramel syrup, nice with the aforementioned hot chocolate and coffee.

We have spent some time decorating the house, so my next item is a paint.

This is from Craig and Rose and the shade is 'Sensual Silver' from their opulence range found in B & Q. This shade is not a shy shade it is out there loud and bold but it suited the room perfectly.

I have been enjoying candles, well it's that time of year.

The Pecksniff's candle was a Christmas gift and the Yankee candle was purchased in the sales.  The Pecksniff's is an orange scent and as you can see from the label on the Yankee candle that scent is apple.  Both burn lovely and clean and fragrance the rooms very well.

I have new reading glasses, so they have to make the favorite list.

The case floored me to be honest it's like an old school style pencil case with a slide out top.  I won't use the case for the glasses but I like how funky the case and glasses look together.

Onto 2 beauty products to finish off.  This time of year my skin really plays up it becomes dry so I absolutely love the Body Shop body butters, my current love is vanilla but is am also loving the gingerbread fragrance and the almond so I am switching between the 3 depending on what I am doing that day and what perfume I'm wearing.  I also like using almond oil grape seed oil for the really dry days.

I am also using Johnson's eye make up removal pads, I am reviewing my skin are routine and thought I would trial the pads for a few weeks and see how effective they are.

I am also looking to expand my make up brush collection and will be researching some over the next few weeks.

I was also given a pair of Doc Martens for Christmas, I have no picture of them at the moment but they are the real deal! No knock off copies here, they are in pewter and are a thing of beauty and will be wearing them in for a few days.

What have you enjoyed using during 2013?

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Maybe this is something I would not have said a while back but I think I am ready to say it now and that is that I am actually looking forward to Christmas, not super excited yet but I am facing the festivities with joy in my heart.
This week at school it has been very festive, lots of Christmas music being played and preparations for our community party were in full swing.  Yesterday was Christmas jumper day and our Christmas dinner.
The week has not been full of cheer though, Monday afternoon revealed a revelation that sent me into a spin and I spend the next few days catching my breath from it.  So it was really lovely to end the week with the Christmas dinner puller crackers and clinking glasses to shouts of cheers with my students whilst we all wore crazy Christmas jumpers.  I decided to go all glittery gold and silver for the Christmas lunch, I had gold and silver MAC pigment on my eyes and an amazing gold glitter polish from OPI "Goldeneye" on my fingernails (click here to buy from Amazon UK).  My Christmas jumper was a silver grey with a beautiful robin from Dorothy Perkins and I decided to wear my very festive red UGG boots.
It is just 5 days until we break for Christmas and boy I really do need the break.  This week really took it out of me but I guess I am lucky to have someone at home to watch out for me and for me to talk to when things get tough.

I received my Urban Decay Naked 3 pallet this morning and I am very excited about it.  The colours are very wearable and I cant wait to put a look together with it.

The packaging is in a beautiful rose gold and the pallet itself has a good range of matt and shimmer colours easy to transform a look from day to night and perfect for travelling.
I am also finishing off my eBay run with just a few more items to be added this weekend, then I am all set for Christmas.

The December Glossybox is also very festive.  It arrived in a beautiful red box with the items nestling in green wrapped in candy cane red and white paper.

So here goes, my own reviews on what I have received from Glossybox.
The first thing that really caught my eye was the Wilkinson Sword Intuition razor.  Mainly because it took up half the box.  

Its from their naturals range (click here for more details) and I have used the intuition razors before.  They are really handy for holidays and when in the gym as it has the 'gel' around the blades.  I like this item and I was pleased to see it .
The second item I pulled out was the Maybelline New York color tattoo 24 hour eye shadow in Everlasting Navy available in the UK in Boots.  

I was really chuffed to get this as I wanted to try this product for some time but never got round to buying it.  The colour is like a great denim and very wearable. I cannot wait to try it.
The third item that caught my attention was the nail varnish. As you know I have a number of nail varnishes so at first I thought meh and I put it to one side but then once I put it down the colour really caught my eye.  

The brand is Seche I have never heard of it before but the colour is 'smitten' (click here for more details).  The photos or their own site do not do this colour justice, its a bright vibrant red slightly on the orange side in the bottle but I will post a picture when I have tried it on.
The next item was a lip gloss in a nude shade from beautiful movements cosmetics a lovely shade that will balance out a strong eye during the party season.  

I love the fact that this brand is cruelty free and I certainly will be looking on their site for more of their products.
The last item I received certainly gets a meh from me, its a perfume sample.  Now I like perfume and I like samples  but I think it should never form part of the 5 items in this subscription.  I can go to any store and get a sample to try so why should it be part of this deal.  its from Lipsy and its called 'Glam'.  

First impressions is that it is a fruity fragrance, it is nice and would be lovely for the daytime it sits well on the skin but I am not convinced it is long lasting.  I may get the full size at some point but it is not high on my want list.
On the whole I am 90% pleased with this months Glossybox, it was the perfume sample that let it down, maybe I am not alone in thinking this.

I am off to finish my festivities planning.  I hope you are all set.

November favorites

November has been a month of new discoveries and I thought it would be nice to share.

I have never been a fan of matt nail varnishes or varnishes that have a gritty feel to them......until now. I am not sure why I felt compelled to purchase a new nail varnish, I have a few already but I was drawn to 'it's all San Andrea's fault' from opi. It's from their sand finishes range and well let's face it the end result is a gritty matt varnish.

Despite the finish I love it, the colour is a lovely brown/fawn colour so can fit with anything you have in the wardrobe and because of the finish is very hard wearing. Opi uk have that and other varnishes in their San Francisco range http://www.opiuk.com/store/san-francisco/it-s-all-san-andreas-s-fault.  I am trying to switch up the nail varnish routine a bit now I have tried this, more matt versions are on the cards to buy now.

The other thing I have been loving is the pure twilight clock radio.  I had spent a long time eyeing up the unit, looking at reviews and prices weighing up whether getting a click radio that also had a sunrise/sad lamp set up was worth it. My initial thoughts are that it is an amazing bit of kit and plenty of functions to keep me happy and impressed.  The waking up is a pleasure now, the lamp comes on gradually and I am softly woken by that then the radio.  I like how it is a bed side lamp too and that you can change the lamp colours from white to soft greens, yellows, reds and oranges.

I purchased a new set of make up brushes this month. For years I have used MAC brushes and they have worn well.  I decided to put them into semi-retirement and started to look around at other options. There were many brush sets to choose from, a choice from cheap to very very expensive. After mulling it over for a few weeks I went with real techniques brushes http://realtechniques.com. What I liked about these brushes was the fact they are labeled with what they should be used for for example the contouring brush has contouring written on the handle. For someone with OCD this is a total thumbs up from me.  I also like how the handles are colour coded, gold for base, purple for eyes pink for the finishing touches like blush and highlight.  The bristles are soft synthetic so can be used for liquids, gels or powder.

Having used them for a few weeks I am really pleased with them.  They pick up product really well and I have a lovely smooth finish to my look.  They clean very well with no shedding of bristles.  The handles have flat bottoms and so can stand up on their own, making it easier for travelling.

For those who know me you would know I love space (yes I am a geek), last weekend we went to see Gravity and this weekend sees the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who.  Even Google have got in on the act with their banner.  There has been plenty on the tv to commemorate and tonight sees the BBC day of the doctor.  I really cannot wait, I have been a fan of Doctor Who since the days of Tom Baker (yes you can now tell how old I am), I used to hide behind the sofa when the daleks came on.  When the BBC decided to bring back Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston I was really excited and once again I was hooked.  I have liked every Doctor since Ecclestom but I like Matt Smith, he fits the role so well and I am truly disappointed that he is leaving at Christmas.  I am not sure who I feel about the new Doctor replacing Smith, Peter Capaldi.  Capaldi is a good actor but is he right for the new Doctor?  My niece and I discussed this during the summer when it was announced Capaldi was taking over and we both decided to keep an open mind and see ho he is on the first episode.  I will be honest when I heard Matt Smith was taking over I was unsure I decided to keep an open mind and wow he to me was the best Doctor!

Talking about TV I have also been liking Strictly Come Dancing, I know it didn't start in November but it becomes really good this time of year when the 'comedy' dancers have left.  I watch it every year, I love the glitter, outfits, make up and the actual dancing.  I am not sure who I want to win yet.  Another  TV show I love is I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, you can tell we are close to Christmas when this comes on every year.  Ant and Dec really make this show, without them I don't think it would be good especially when they take the mick out of the 'celeb' including Joey Essex who is "sick at counting I used to do it all the time". 

I have also discovered American Horror, hmmm I like and dislike horror in equal measure.  I hate really bloody horror with no decent story line.  With this series there is a bit of gore but it is central to the theme and the story that runs through the series.  In the UK it is now on season 3 and the sub heading is coven, so you can guess its about witches and witchcraft this season. 

The Glossy Wishlist

It's that time of the month when I come home and find my latest Glossy Box waiting for me (see www.glossybox.co.uk for how it works).

This month contained a hand cream from Yves Rocher (Yves-Rocher.co.uk) part if their collection cacao range that smelt like a chocolate orange.  I liked the packaging with this product and it looked as if it should smell of chocolate, I was please it did!

The scent like I say was chocolate orange and although I really like this scent I could see how this could clash with the other scents I choose to wear, it could also become sickly after a while. The texture was nice and my hands did not feel too greasy after use which is a big plus for me when on the go all the time.

The next item I turned my attention to was the elegant touch nail pads I see this range as an 'old school range' I have used these before so before opening the packaging I knew what to expect.  

This is a great item to use when traveling or to keep in the desk drawer at work, I loathe chipped nail varnish and I absolutely hate getting chips when at work.

The third item I looked at was from Gosh Cosmetics (superdrug.com) a lipstick from their velvet touch range in shade 'Sundown'.

I will be honest I saw the colour upon opening and thought OMG when am I going to wear that?However, I swatched it on the back of my hand and it didn't look so scary.  It is orange but fairly sheer and it does feel lovely on the lips.  Not keen on the packaging, it looked cheap and not the normal style of lipstick packaging I go for, maybe better suited to teenagers.

The next item was an eye shadow from Emite Make Up (emitemakeup.com).  A gorgeous black, highly pigmented shadow that felt absolutely lovely on.  

This eye shadow is free from oil, nickel, parabens and perfume.  The packaging is simple in its design, the plastic container thinner than a MAC eyeshadow container but the size of the shadow was about the same size as one from MAC.  I know I will get a lot of use from this shadow over the next few months.

The last item was from Vichy (boots.com) it's their first skin idealiser called Idealia Life Serum, helping to transform the appearance of the skin's quality.  I liked how this had been put together by glossybox 3 small boxes in a pink gauze bag.  

I will be looking forward to using this item over the next few days, hoping for no breakouts.

I must say I like how glossybox are now packaging their boxes, the magazine is just right with a few snippets of information and a card with the details of the products in the box.

I will be honest I have had better months from them with better products, in most cases I have gone out and repurchased the item after using is in the monthly box that to me is what glossybox is all about.

In other make up news I am back using MAC paint pots and loose pigments, now I have reorganized my makeup I have found changing my make up products around far easier and not just sticking to the same old same old.  The MAC Christmas range has been released and I had a good look at their gift products last weekend whilst out Christmas shopping and like every year I could pick out many items I would like to receive this Christmas.

Since getting back to work it has been very busy, we are still waiting for ofsted to come in and we are on tender hooks until they do finally turn up.

I had also been nominated for an award, I was shocked to be nominated but also pleased that my hard work had been recognized.  The school days are long but every day is different, some more challenging than others but I wouldn't swap it for the world.

I also had a house guest for a few days and that can always throw my routine out a bit.

I know it's still mid November but I made a start on the Christmas shopping, I have a lot of people to buy for this year and I can't do it all on 1 pay packet so I made a start at the weekend and I will be honest I feel quite proud of myself as I manged to get a number of key gifts in 1 go. That means the next shopping trip won't be stressful and could even be completed on line.

Have you made a start to your Christmas gift shopping? Or are you a last minute person?  Whatever you are enjoy the build up to the festivities and stay safe.