My Little Box May Products

I have bitten the bullet and cancelled my subscription to My Little Box. I've just been a little disappointed with it lately. This month I thought we would get some Italian brands because of the theme but nope. In fact I didn't really see what any of the beauty products had to do with the theme.

Anyway my review of the products. My favourite by a country mile is the ring. I've worn it loads since getting the box. It is very much my style and even the box is just lovely!

The hair turban has been another firm favourite. Whilst it isn't the sort of thing I'd wear out and about, I have been wearing it loads in the house. My other half even complimented me on it and I'll give him credit for being quite a fashionable chap. I love the colours and for me this was another good inclusion to the box.

Onto the beauty products, the Fille De L'Air from Courrèges isn't really my cup of tea. Whilst it isn't the worst perfume and I doubt hate it, I'm not overly fussed on it either. Due to it's small size it will be useful to keep in work or in my handbag but I can't say I would ever rush out to buy this again

The My Little Beauty product this month was a self tanning lotion. If you read my initial reaction to this product you'll know I wasn't looking forward to it. I'm so pale that I only use tanning products in trust and with good reason....this did leave me a little streaky and I know I wasn't the enough one to have issues the streaking.

The one saving grace from the beauty products this month was the body oil from Baïja. Now the branding from this company is enough to make you crave their products. Beautifully packaged and in fairness the inside of the bottle lives up to it's exterior. A semi dry oil that goes on nicely, smells good but not overpowering and makes my skin feel ace! This product gets two thumbs up from me for sure.

I think it was my high expectations of this month's box that left me so disappointed. I was hoping for Italian brands and really felt they could have made more of the theme. I would maybe resubscribe in the future to My Little Box but I really feel they would have to up their game a lot before I did. Here's hoping they do!

Look Fantastic Beauty Box

I'm sure my readers could have predicted this would happen and I'd be subscribing to another box. I've had my eye on Look Fantastic's Beauty Box for a while now. I've watched quite a few unboxings in YouTube so now that I've cancelled My Little Box I figured it might be time.

http://www.lookfantastic.com/offers/beauty-box.list

I opted to go for the 6 month's subscription offer as they giving you a £10 gift card for free if you went for that option. The 6 month subscription comes in at £12.50 a month so with this offer essentially I'm getting the first box for free.

If anyone already subscribes, please do let me know what you think of it! Xx

Pink Parcel May 2016

I haven't been having the best time of it with my monthly visit at the moment. In light of that I was really looking forward to my Pink Parcel arriving. They had some difficulties with getting the boxes out on time but they kept us well informed so I didn't mind.

Upon opening I found another True Brit nail enamel. As I've said in previous posts I've recently started getting my nails done by NAF! Salon in Glasgow so I didn't really have any need for more nail polish but they had no way of knowing that. With the appropriate name 'It's a Monthly Thing' this would be a fab everyday colour.

Next up is a brand I love: Simple. I have quite sensitive skin and need to be careful what I use on it. Simple is a brand I use regularly so I was happy to receive their 'Soothing Facial Toner' even if it is just a sample size.

I was delighted with the next product. I've been suffering with difficulty dozing off at night so Badger 'Sleep Balm' is the perfect thing for me to get. In a sweet little tin this relaxing balm has the perfect mix of lavender and bergamot to (hopefully) have me drifting off to sleep in next to no time. 

The next item I'm looking forward to testing out. Cougar 'Perfect Pout'. The branding does scream WAG wannabe to me but I'm forever moaning about wanting lip fillers and not being able to afford them right now. Hopefully this will be the answer to my prayers. Move over, Kylie J!

I love make up brushes and if you ask me a girl can never have enough brushes! Lottie London have supplied me with their 'Shade and Shadow Brush'. Beautifully packaged and in a lovely baby pink shade, this is another item I'm really happy with.

If you've read any of my other blogs you'll know that each month Pink Parcel supply me with a nice new cuppa tea and a sweet treat. This month though they are spoiling us with two tasty things to sample. First up from Fudge Kitchen 'White Chocolate and Raspberry Fudge'. I'm so excited to try this bad boy out! I love raspberries, fudge and chocolate. Only issue: it's gonna disappear in about 2 seconds!

Our other delicious looking goody is from Rococo Chocolate. Their 'Honeycomb Crunch' bar is so nicely packaged it almost seems a shame to open it....almost! I'll be honest, this one won't last long. Honeycomb is another favourite of mine so PP have nailed it with this one.

Lastly my tea. This month it comes from the English Tea Shop. Organic chocolate, Rooibos and Vanilla. Tasy combination and I can't wait to give it a go. The packaging is again lovely and makes it even more appealing! Really looking forward to this one!

All in all I'm delighted with this box again. I think it's incredible value for money. You got 5 panty liners, 20 tampons/pads (of your choice),  a feminine hygiene product and your box of goodies to cheer you up and cheer me up it most certain did! :) 

Values:

English Tea Shop Chocolate, Rooibos and Vanilla Tea £6.66 for 60

Rococo Honeycomb Crunch  £1.50

Badger Sleep Balm £4.99

Fudge Kitchen White Chocolate and Raspberry  £10 for 12

True Brit 'It's a Monthly Thing' £12.50

Cougar Perfect Pout  £29

Lottie London Makeup Brush £5

Simple Soothing Facial Toner  £1.29

My Little Box May 2016

It feels like only a few days since I reviewed the products in last month's box (because it was) http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/my-little-box-april-products.html?m=1

But here I am posting my initial reaction to My Little Box for May named Dolce Vita. MLB had done major hints for this month's box. I'm not a big fan of the hints, I would have loved to have opened it and had the massive surprise of a box themed around Rome. Anyhooooo, I love Rome. It's one of my favourite cities in Europe which probably comes from my parents' love of the city (they got engaged here), so I was ridiculously excited for it to arrive.

As always Kanako has done a beautiful job of the illustration of the box. It just screams Roma to me. Upon opening we were treated with the card again. Hurrah! I missed not having one last month. Now I think my mum would love it but it's going to go great with my other ones in my dressing room so I'm going to keep it (sorry Mama)

First lifestyle item is a brightly coloured hair turban with a very bohemian artist in Rome type feel. Beautifully presented (as most My Little Box items are) in a box saying 'Rome is on my mind'. It isn't the sort of thing I would use as a fashion accessory but it will definitely come in useful to keep my hair out the way when cleansing or applying make up. Not an item I'm bowled away with but useful none the less.

I'm quite a big ring fan. I'll forget earrings and necklaces most the time but for most outfits I'll have at least one ring on. With this in mind I loved the ring. Gold colour leaf detail that comes in an adorable box saying 'Ciao Bella'. This was a great product for me. In fact it's probably my favourite in this month's box. 

Onto the beauty products and I'll get My Little Beauty's offering out the way first a gradual self-tanning lotion for your legs. Now I'm always wary of products like this. I'm what they call peely-wally in Scotland which basically means I'm so pale I look practically translucent! But in all seriousness most self tanning products are a no go for me so I'm kinda dreading trying this one out. It will more than likely go to someone else.

Next up so a perfume from Courrèges called 'La Fille De L'Air. This isn't a brand I have heard of before. It is a good handbag size and is the sort of thing I like to keep in work. It's a delicate scent which works well for me for Spring so happy to try this out. For a 50ml bottle they would charge you €69. So yeah it's a decent inclusion.

Lastly from a brand introduced to me and that I fell in love with thanks to My Little Box, Baïja have given us their Croisière Céladon Body Oil. Now if this product is even a quarter as nice as the body lotion supplied in October's box (http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/my-little-box-october-products.html?m=1) I will be in love. As always with this brand the packaging is gorgeous and immediately you want to test it out. As an added goodie MLB subscribes are getting 20% off between May and June 10th.....only one problem...no discount code so I've no idea how to claim #heartbroken!

I'll be honest I have two issues with this box. Not many of the items said Rome to me. Like the last box, so much could have been done with this theme and I was left disappointed. I felt some Italian products wouldn't have gone amiss. I do appreciate that MLB is a French company, but if you are going to offer a Rome box, I would want you to deliver.

My second issue is that I no longer feel it's value for money. Yes they normally charge £11 for the hair turban and £12 for the ring, but I think I wouldn't pay that if I saw them in a shop. I'm just left incredibly underwhelmed and it is with much regret to say this is my last MLB for a while. If people could offer an alternative I would like to replace it with another subscription box. Please let me know in the comments. Sorry My Little Box but you let yourselves down with this one.

My Little Box April Products

It may just be me but after having had the box for a while its initial sparkle seems to have worn off. Let me get my negatives out the way first so I can tell you what was good.

First up, my little pop up garden was a flop. Having had a look at other people's comments on social media I am not the only one who had no success. Today was my last day of hoping the seeds might sprout and I came back to.....nothing. Not a thing. I has really being looking forward to growing it. This was a major let down so not off to the best start really. Considering they normally charge £7 for this, I would not have been happy to purchase it and have this outcome.

Next up the Balzac lingerie bag. Whilst this is a lovely product I have 2 issues: 1) when will I get to use it and 2) if I was travelling somewhere there isn't exactly all that much room for my underwear. Now I do not have the biggest boobs out there so I can only imagine how larger assetted ladies must have felt. With just one set of my underwear it was full. As you can see below definitely no more room at the inn.

Onto the bag of beauty products: the Nails Inc base coat was a nice touch but I have just started getting acrylics done again and I rarely paint my toes so I don't have much need for a base coat. Granted MLB can't have known this but I did feel a bit like "meh, it's a base coat". Also I can't see at all how this went with the theme.

Moaning over (kinda). The My Little Beauty Rosy Mornings face mask was easy to use, had a nice subtle fragrance and let's be honest who doesn't like a face mask. It's now the following day since using it and can I tell a difference in my skin....I can't say I do. For me this is maybe another of a meh product. Queue an unflattering face mask photo with orange skin!

Lastly one positive: L'Occitane Pivoine Flora Shower Gel was lovely. Foamed nicely and the scent wasn't overly strong. The staying power of the scent is what I was really impressed with. Hours after showering I made a quick movement of my arm in work and was met with a lovely light floral fragrance. For me this was hands down the best product in the box.

Looking back this box was a bit of nothing box. It almost felt like something was missing and generally I think they could have done a better job with the theme. If the next box isn't a good one, I'm sorry to say I think it will be my last :( I have been really enjoying Pink Parcel which I'll carry on for sure but may need to start the hunt for my next subscription box. Any suggestions?

Pink Parcel April Products

We all know that during a ladies time of the month a girl needs a bit of cheering up, but I used this month's box to cheer myself up after the only thing worse for a singer like myself, a bad audition! Yes, last night I had an awful audition and a sleepless night worrying about it.

I was desperately in need of cheering up, so in the afternoon I decided to grab my Pink Parcel box and make myself a bit happier. First stop for a girl like me with a sweet tooth was my Mallow and Marsh bar. There are not enough positive words to describe how much I enjoyed this bar. Absolutely delicious and I can not at all believe it is under 100 calories. The offer is 20% with a code from Pink Parcel will definitely be getting used. My dilemma is if I should stick with the coconut or if I should try the Raspberry variety. If anyone has tried the other options can they leave me a comment to let me know if it's worth trying. But a huge thumbs up from me to Mallow and Marsh.

To go with my sweet snack, I thought what better than a good cuppa. Now as I've said in my previous Pink Parcel post I didn't get the advertised Teapigs teabag but instead Popcorn Tea. Otherwise known as Genmaicha tea from Japan, they have described it as "sugar puffs in a cup". As always with Teapigs the pyramid teabag is beautiful. The tea itself smells exactly like sugar puffs so I was worried it might be overly sweet. I needn't have worried. It was really lovely and just what I needed. Afterwards I went onto the Teapigs website to use my discount code and was a little disappointed that it didn't work but aside from thatI was super happy with this offering from Teapigs.

As we were due to go our the next product I tried out was the New CID Cosmetics i-smoulder pencil. The shape of the pencil makes it easy enough to make your eyeliner thick or thin. I don't find it all that pigmented so I found I had to go over the line again and again to get any real amount of colour.

Thin line vs thick line

Now for me the other side of the pencil is where the magic happens. The shadow is lovely and had a nice shimmer to it. I like the applicator and I am pretty happy with this product.

You may have seen from one of my other posts (http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/naf-salon.html?m=1) that I have recently had my nails done so unfortunately I wasn't able to try out True Brit's Nail Enamel in 'Pink Parcel' on my hands. Although would be able to appreciate the gorgeous colour I decided I would give myself a little pedicure. You'll be delighted to hear I won't be sharing pictures of my toes. I can tell you though that it goes on nicely and is the perfect pink pastel for spring!

One product I've been carrying about with me since my Korres body milk ran out is the Boozi Body Care Hand Cream in 'French Martini'. I am in love with this product. It's the perfect size for my handbag, it smells amazing and is nicely branded. Only downside is that it doesn't absorb immediately, meaning opening anything after applying it is essentially impossible.

After coming home I decided to try out NPW's 'Pomegranate and Paw Paw Invigorating and Nourishing Face Mask'. Wow that is a mouthful! I was a bit sceptical when I noticed after 15 minute you are supposed to just wipe it off with a tissue. Regardless on it went.

It's a great look I know! Now this stuff smells fab and a little goes a long way. In fact this one packet gave both me and Christopher a full mask so it's really good value for money. Taking it off was easy enough and my skin feels ridiculously soft. 

Last but not least whilst waiting on my mask to dry, I made some oatcakes and cheese to munch on. Food heaven!

All in all, this was a cracking lot of products from PP. I am really impressed with the value and counting down the days till my next one arrives! 

NAF! Salon

You may have noticed I like nails and nail art so when one of my friends recommended I look at NAF! salon's instagram, it was love at first sight. They do some amazing work, particularly with mermaid glitter and marbling. If you are looking for nail art inspiration look no further than them.
https://www.instagram.com/nafsalon/

I decided that I needed an appointment for the following day but being the talented ladies they are, they are very much in demand. I couldn't get booked as they were full so I sent a begging email. The customer service was first class. I got an email back pretty quickly to say they had a cancellation and they could fit me in.

Originally, I was booked in for gel nails but after the move my nails are absolutely ruined so I was really desperate for some acrylics. One more grovelling email and what do you know, they sorted it out for me. Totally over the moon before I even got there.

I was so warmly welcomed and my nail technician, Amee, was just so nice. She put me really at ease and helpfully recommended things we could do to get the look I wanted for a night out. The final result?

Boom! Ridiculously fierce nails with a stunning almond shape and silver glitter to grey ombre and 2 fully silver accent nails. Amee gave me nails that did not disappoint at all. So many people have commented on them. Just a perfect salon experience!

April Empties and fails

As we've moved in May, I have suddenly realised that I should have been working on this post throughout the month of April rather than doing it all in one go. Och well, you live and learn.

This month I tried to be ruthless with products. Abandoning anything that I didn't deem useful and trying to use up products that only had a bit left. So let me show you how I got on.

I change up my skincare routine quite frequently but one that is a bathroom staple is Simple's 'Moisturising Facial Wash'. Whilst packing I came across this travel sized one from my trip to Krakow in October http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/winter-krakow-trip-day-one.html?m=1
I wanted to make sure I used it up before the move which I'm pleased to say I did manage. It's a great product especially for people who suffer from dry skin occasionally, like myself. It's definitely something I would purchase again. In the meantime I am using Ren's cleansing water which I am in love with!

These next two products I didn't quite manage to use up but I wouldn't describe either as a fail. In fact Avon's 'ANEW Vitale Eye Cream' has been a staple of mine for years. Vitale is Avon's anti-ageing cream for people 25+ and retails at £16. It was very nearly used up but I already had Avon's 'ANEW Infinite Dual Eye System' to try out and it seemed daft taking a pretty much used up eye gel to the new house. However, it is a great product and I really like the Vitale range, especially the trial pack you can buy which is perfect travel size.

Now the SkinTruth 'Equalising Moisturising' I have had in my bathroom for quite some time and it doesn't seem to be going down much. The problem for me is that it isn't thick enough for a night cream, whilst it's a little greasy for a day cream. I tended to use it when I was staying in the house. It is very moisturising but I don't think I would purchase it again.

I received Dr Pierre Ricard's 'Lifting Neck and Dellecotage Cream' from My Little Box in November
http://hansunahnah.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/my-little-box-november-2015.html?m=1
I loved this product purely for its scent...it is heavenly! I was literally scraping the bottom of the jar to get every little last bit out. When I first tried this product I felt that having a separate cream for my neck and dellocotage was unnecessary at this point in my life and my opinion hasn't changes. For that reason alone I wouldn't see myself purchasing this product again.

Leo Bancroft's 'Totally Protected' was for me a total fail. Part of a Christmas gift set, for me it did absolutely nothing to my hair styling routine. There are so many other better products out there for me that offer heat protection to hair than this one. Would I purchase it again? Not on your nelly!

This next one I came across clearing out my make up box. In all honesty, I forgot I even still had it. Boot's own beauty brand No7's lip gloss in the colour 'Smile' is a nice light pink shade. However, as I've no idea how long I've had it (I'm suspecting it is over its 24 month's expiry date) I decided it was best to just chuck it.

On the hand Rimmel's lipstick in '084 - Amethyst Shimmer' is one of my firm favourites. As you can see I didn't have much of it left so I tried to use it up before the big move. Although it wasn't 100% used up before move day, I'd got so little left it wasn't worth taking it with me.
Would I purchase it again? I definitely would but right now I've so many other lip colours that I won't be purchasing it until I've used up some of those first.

This So Susan 'Colour Hybrid Lip and Cheek Tint' was another My Little Box number from last year and this for me was an out and out fail. You can maybe see from the photo how chalky the texture is. It is a nice shade of red but unfortunately the texture makes it useless for cheeks or lips. In my opinion an absolutely terrible product.

This eyeshadow palette again in found in the bottom of my make up box. Shame because the pastel colours would have been pretty for spring. Again I wasn't sure how long I has it for and I've hundreds of eyeshadow palettes so sadly this one ended up going in the bin.

Marc Jacobs 'Daisy' is a firm favourite of mine. This particular bottle was bought by my partner when he returned from a business trip. I didn't have much left so before leaving for the new house I made sure I'd finished this one all up.

Would I purchase it again? I have hundreds of perfumes so probably not right now but should my other half go away again with work I wouldn't say no to another bottle!

This is probably my favourite empty of this month. Another product given from My Little Box, Korres 'Basil lemon body milk', I kept this in my handbag and have used it frequently whilst I'm out and about. It smells like summer and was really moisturising. I was really sad when it was finished up.
Would I purchase it again? Out of everything this month, this is the one I'm most likely to purchase again. It is just a great product.

My last empty was John Friday 'Frizz Ease 6 Effects Serum'. I have hair extensions currently so I am forever applying serums, oils and conditioners to keep my hair looking good and healthy. This has been a good serum but I wouldn't say it was anything extraordinary. 

Would I purchase it again? Probably but there's nothing that would necessary make me go for this one rather than another one.

So that's it for this month's folks. Let me know if there's any products you could recommend me trying out!