July's Glossy Box

Today I came home to my first Glossy Box.  I had been a little unsure about keeping my subscription after the dissapointing box last month and the sneaky increase in price from next month (£10 to £12.95). I thought I would wait and recieve my first box and then decide. 


As I had been away I had been reading other people's blogs on the contents and checking the Glossy Box website. I was excited to see there was an Illamasqua product, a fragrance and some lashes so was excited to open my box today!


The box was beautifully packaged as you can see from the pictures

I love the little touch of the ribbon and paper hiding the contents, its like opening a little box of surprises!


The Contents

I was excited to see I had an Illamasqua Pure Pigment. It is my first product from them so am eager to try it!


The Ciate Nail Varnish was a nice surprise too. I had seen this mentioned on other blogs but never seemed to find it on my travels.


Weleda I have never heard of but that is the great thing about these subscriptions you get to try things you never would have before. It was the Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil and smells lush. I am going to review this soon as I am going to try this after my shower tonight.


LP Skin Therapy Lip Rescue Gel again I had not herd of. Apparently it is the part of the skincare range from Dr Linda Papadopoulos (the psychologist from Big Brother!!). I tried this today and actually quite liked it. My lips had been really dry and chapped all week and after using it stay moisturised for well over 4 hours and aren't chapped anymore. Surprisingly impressed!


Lastly I had the Ultra Sun Face 30. This is what let my Glossy Box down! Firstly considering there was the option for 2 types of false lashes or 3 types of fragrance I thought my box would be likely to have one of these which I would have been really happy with. Instead the Face 30 is really just a Suncream. Not very special or luxurious but of course that is my opinion.  I guess seeing the other options which included a bottle of Xen Tan  this was disappointing. Maybe I am being harsh but I guess when everyone gets different products and the others would have been more appealing it makes it a little disappointing.


Overall I am happy with my little box of treats so will keep my subscription for a while, but with my first Boudoir Prive box arriving next month it will be interesting to compare them.


Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

Comparing My Mascaras

While I was writing my last post on the new Boots 17 Faslifeye Mascara I tried out the 4 mascaras I have to see the difference (if any!).


Now I know each mascara should have different formulas, brushes and resualts but the 4 I have are claiming to do roughly the same. 

 'Dramatic 'fake lash' effect and volume'

The pictures below show the effect each had on my lashes from one coat and the difference in the brushes.

Collection 2000 Big Fake Lash (8ml, £4.99)

Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation (9ml, £4.99)

Bourjois Volume Clubbing Ultra Black (11ml, £7.99)

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara (9ml, £6.49)

Before this post my favourites are the Collection 2000 XXL Volume Sensation and Bourjois Volume Clubbing, seeing the pictures all together I think that is still true. There isn't really much of a difference between them, let me know what you think!

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

Boots 17 Falsifeye Mascara & Gel Eyeliner

Last week saw the launch of the new mascara from Boots. 17 Falsifeye Mascara claims to give your lashes the 'wow' look of false eye lashes.
I was in need of a little retail pick me up which is difficult where I work as there aren't many shops! As I wondered round the little Boots I saw this and decided to give it a go (plus it looks pretty and pink!). As a launch offer it is currently £6.49 and comes with a free Falsifeye Gel Eyeliner.

The packaging is pretty and pink which always attracts me, the only thing I don't like is that as the tube is chunky it makes it the wand a little harder to use as you can't get as close to the lashes. 
The last thing I really hate, but I guess it is the con of having pink packaging, is you can see inside the tube. This may sound silly but mentally being able to see inside the tube kind of makes me feel a little short changed i.e there isn't alot of product in there. Infact, I did check and there is 9ml which is about the average for drugstore brands.


I like the mascara, it does lengthen and define the lashes but I don't think it gives as good result as Collection 2000 Big Fake Lashes (£4.99) or Bourjois Volume Clubbing (£7.99, see my review of this mascara here). It has a very similar result to the Collection 2000 XXL Mascara (around £4.99).
To see the difference between all 4 mascaras see my Mascara Comparison post. 

Overall it is a good mascara but I think I would pay less for the Collection 2000 XXL Mascara for the same effect or a little more on the Bourjois Volume Clubbing for a more dramatic effect.

I hate to be negative about a product but the gel eyeliner is a bit disappointing. The brush that came with it actually was very good, it was easy to create a clear straight line, however, the product let it down. The colour, as you will see from the swatch didn't stand out on my skin tone and as you will see from the swatch underneath, after 30 minutes smudged really easily and faded.

It was free so I guess I shouldn't moan to much!

Stay Beautiful,


Jane xx

The Cake in A Cup Couture Cupcakes

As you all know, I LOVE cupcakes!! At the ifabbo event last week I was very excited to be able to try the Couture Cupcakes from The Cake in A Cup.


The Cake in A Cup was set up early this year by three friends with a mission to produce gorgeous cupcakes that taste and look great. They do not disappoint, their cupcakes are some on the best I have seen and they taste amazing!

This was the one I ate

All the chocolate is made from fairtrade cocoa

Not many left!

Too pretty to eat!

If you want to find out more about The Cake in A Cup visit their website here or follow them on twitter.


Stay Beautiful


Jane xx

NOTD - OPI Light My Sapphire

I have wanted a Navy nail varnish for ages and the nearest I got to it was the Models Own 'In the Navy' which I was so disappointed with it didn't even stay on long enough for it to make a NOTD post!


On a recent nail varnish buying trip I came across this OPI varnish. In the bottle it looks like it is shimmery but actually it gives it a gloss finish rather then shimmer. I also like the colour, the Models Own was quite watery and so the colour was a dull kind of blue but the OPI is a true Navy and I love it!!

OPI nail varnishes are expensive at around £10 each but are worth the money. They last a long time without chipping or peeling and always have great pigments to their colours.

You can get them in most salons and online at ASOS.

Stay Beautiful,

Jane xx

P.S My nails broke on my work trip away so I have fake ones on. They are from Savers and cost me £1! I wish I could remember the name but I have lost the packaging! They are really good and last a long time plus you get a good selection of nail sizes and about 5 of each. I was really impressed considering the price.


P.P.S Ignore my thumb, I run out of my size nail and was desperate. My little finger I glued to far down!!

Liz Earle Must Have Try Me Kit

If you have been thinking of trying Liz Earle but unsure if you'll like it then the Try Me Kits are a great place to start.


Tip: They also make good gifts (this was for someone leaving at work) or for your summer travels.


They do different variations which you can see here on the website. This one I brought in John Lewis and is called the Must Have Try Me Kit. Inside the washbag is a 30ml bottle of the Hot Cloth Cleanser, Muslin Cloth, 50ml bottle of the Instant Boost Tonic, 15ml bottle of Skin Repair Moisturiser and a 15ml bottle of the Gentle Face Exfoliator. The set is £21.45 and I think is great value!

If you have never herd of Liz Earle read my post to find out more about the famous Hot Cloth Cleanser.


Stay Beautiful 


Jane xx

Daisy Cupcakes

Last night my best friend surprised me to my favourite thing.... cupcakes!!!


She had discovered called Daisy Cupcakes and had some cupcakes made just for me!


I don't have a lot to say except they look amazing!! I don't want to eat them, they look so pretty!

Stay Beautiful


Jane xx