Boudoir Prive November 2011

Rahua Voluminous Shampoo and Conditioner

Not great if you have dry, corse, bleached hair that as a tendency to have loads of excess volume anyways!

I love the scent and I'm sure if you had fine, limp hair it would work wonders but for me it wasn't moisturising enough and left my hair a tangly mess.

Korres Wild Rose Moisturiser 

Lovely moisturiser but not suited for those of us with combination/oily skin, I've tried this in the past and it broke me out quite badly.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Silky Smooth Body Lotion
I've not opened this yet as I'm trying to finish up some of my old lotions.

Vinies Luminous Skin Mask 
I've used this product once and will not be using it again, the smell made me gag the whole time I had it on my face.
It did make my skin look fresher and brighter so it's not actually a bad product but I just can't do it, the scent is awful.

Studio Makeup Lipstick in Truly Red
Not tried this either as it's not the kinda red I would normally go for but I've heard a few good things about this brand of lipsticks so I might pick up one in a different shade.

GlossyBox November 2011

I must admit that I was a little disappointed  with the contents of the November Glossybox, they aren't bad but I just found them kinda boring and there's were no make-up items either.

Monu Recovery Blam

This is wonderful product if your skin is looking dull and it needs a boost. It smells gorgeous too.

Arbonne Ultra-Hydrating Hand Cream

This is a decent enough and cream and it absorbed quickly into skin. I like these little sample size tubes because they are good to pop into you handbag.

Nail Rock Designer Nail Wraps

Lovely pattern but an absolute pain in the ass to apply! I managed to do 4 fingers and then I got frustrated with how tricky they are to put on so I took them back off.

I love the idea of nail wraps but it's not for me.

Dead Sea Spa Magik Bath Salts

Have used these before and they do work well for relaxing you and making your skin feel soft but they are quite a "plain" product. 

You may want to add some nice smelling oil or something to the bath water when using these.

Serge Lutens L'Eau Serge Lutens & Vitrol D'Oeillet 

Didn't like either one of these, just not my kinda scent.

I do think there should be some sort of option on the Glossybox site (and for all of the other beauty boxes too) were you can indicate what sort of fragrances you like (sweet, fresh, oriental). Fragrance is so personal and so easy to get wrong and that would help narrow the choice down.

Carmine October & November Boxes

I'm so sorry that I'm so late with this one but I literally have not had time, were already well into December and here's me blogging about Carmine's October and November boxes. Better late than never, right? 

I'll keep it brief as I'm sure you've saw a ton of posts for these anyways.

October Box

Trind Nail Repair Natural

This is one of the few nail strengtheners that actually works, I've used it for about a month now as my base coat and my nails haven't broken or chipped once.

Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream

I like it but wish it absorbed faster, best suited as a night treatment, the smell is a bit too strong too.

Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet Creme

I absolutely love this, smells great, hydrates really well and absorb quickly, I've actually used this up already which is an indication of how much I love it. Full review to follow.

Daniel Sandler Eye Delight in Peach 

This is supposed to be a loose shimmery eyeshadow but I've been using it as a cheek highlighter and I prefer it that way, as an eye colour it's too light and doesn't suit me.

The Balm Frat Boy  

This as become my new "go to" blush, it goes with any look and because it's matte it looks really natural on the skin, love it!!

November Box

Cosmetics A La Carte Brow Ink
This is amazing! It give the most natural finish, does not budge and the shade would suit just about everyone.

New ID Cosmetics i-pout in Damson
Love the concept of these (the lipstick as a little mirror and a light for on the go application) but it's not my kinda shade, plummy tones do not look flattering on me so unfortunately this will sit unused.

Neom Organic Body Lotion
This was okay, nice light texture but really moisturises well, however I'm not keen on the smell. It's not a bad scent it's just not one I'd want to smell like, it's a bit to herbal and strong.

Lulu Time Bomb Flashback Night Cream 
Again this is okay but I don't have much use for it given the fact that this is marketed for someone with older skin.
It absorbed quite well and smelled nice but it didn't do anything special for my skin and I much prefer my current night time product that I'm using.

Dainty Doll Eyeliner Pencil 
I'm not a coloured eyeliner kinda girl so I've not bothered to try this, plus I've read on other blogs that the quality isn't that great either.

All in all I loved the October box as there were a lovely selection of products and they all performed really well, not so keen on the November box but this is the gamble you take with all beauty boxes.

Chanel Rouge Carat: Chanel Holiday 2011

You can always count on Chanel to bring out a gorgeous red during Christmas time and this year they have absolutely got it spot on with their new Rouge Carat Nail Colour.

It's a stunning cherry red with hot pink shimmer, it is simply beautiful and somehow manages to catch the light so that sometimes it looks like like a metallic red and other times it looks like a sparkly pinky red.

The consistency is flawless, it went on smooth in one quick coat but I still did two out of habit.

I believe this is limited edition (as is the rest of the collection) so if you want it get it now before it sells out.

Speaking of the rest of the collection there's a matching lipstick in Famous and a gloss in Triomphal that are equally amazing and I'm kicking myself for not buying them.

Tom Ford Lipstick

After months of wanting to try a Tom Ford Lipstick I finally got my hands on Blush Nude on my trip to Harrods a month ago

I'd been putting off buying one because the price of these lipsticks are enough to give you an heart attack, £36 for one lipstick is slightly ridiculous and honestly I don't think they are worth that much, they are high quality but I feel they should be £10 less.

The packaging is gorgeous, a black and gold metal, square shaped case that feels and looks expensive, the lid is also quite cool because it's magnetic which I've not seen before in a lipstick.

Blush Nude is a pale, pinky nude but it's not so nude that it give you the dreaded "corpse lips" and it would be perfect with a nice smokey eye.

The texture is nice and smooth and it glides on evenly with one quick swipe, it doesn't dry out your lips but it's not particularly moisturising either and you have to make sure your lips are exfoliated before you apply this otherwise it will highlight any flaky bits.

All in all it's a nice lipstick but a little overpriced, it's great if you want to treat yourself but maybe not the best (or most affordable) option for everyday.

Elie Saab Le Perfum Review

Elie Saab Le Parfum is the Lebanese designer's first foray into the world of perfume and a very nice one at that!

It's notes are:

Top Notes: African Orange Flower

Middle Notes: Jasmine

Base Notes: Patchouli, Virginia Cedar, Rose, White Honey

I wasn't expecting to like this at all as I'm normally a fan of fruity, sweet scents and while this is still quite sweet it's very much a strong white floral but not in an overpowering way.

At first spritz you are hit with a strong note of orange blossom followed a few minutes later by the jasmine and finally settling down to a soft and subtle sweet honey scent, it's soft and feminine and very appropriate for day wear.

I also absolutely adore the bottle which is very simple in design but looks very classy and expensive and the little 30ml bottle is simply adorable.

I think anyone who likes similar fragrances such as Michael Kors Very Hollywood or Narcissus Rodriguez would love Elie Saab and it would make the perfect Christmas gift.

Boudoir Prive October 2011

I know, I know I'm late with this one too (and there's one still coming) but I'll try and be better with this months boxes.

Korres Body Butter in Quince

I've had this product in the past and it's great! Really hydrates the skin without feeling greasy and the scents are amazing, my favourite one is the fig.

Studio Makeup Line Styler Pen in Black

Nice but not as good as my L'Oreal Carbon Black Liner. I like the pen style format but I didn't find the application that easy and I had to go over a few times for the colour to intensify.

Cetuem SCR Gold Illuminating Mask & Creme De Lite

The Illuminating Mask as a slightly gritty texture which I found exfoliated really lightly and left my skin soft and bright and the Creme De Lite is a nice rich moisturiser that absorbs easily.

I really like these two products and will enjoy using them up.

  

Rose & Co Apothecary Rose Petal Salve

Lovely and moisturising and leaves a slightly glossy finish on the lips, the scent is a little too strong though.

Leonor Greyl Huile De Palme

A pre-shampoo treatment that you apply to dry hair and leave on for as long as possible before you wash it out with regular shampoo.

It left my hair soft and shiny and it was easier to style too.

Memo Paris Sundance

Not a fan of this one at all,  it's supposed to have notes of bergamot, pear, lemon and tuberose but all I got on my skin was over ripe pears that are about to go off, not for me.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Illuminating Powder Gelee Review

I'm such a sucker for a pretty highlighter so when this one caught my a eye a few month ago I new I had to have it just based on the way it looked, little did I know how amazing of an highlighter this is and sadly a limited edition one, Estee Lauder you need to make this permanent!!

It's imparts the most perfect rose gold sheen to the skin and gives that lit within glow, there no chunky glitter or garish shimmer and it applies effortlessly without looking overdone.

It's great as an eyeshadow too!

If you can still find this at your local Estee Lauder counter I highly suggest you get it while you can because it's quite simply the best highlighter ever!

GlossyBox October 2011

I know it's now November and here I am blogging about Octobers Glossybox but better late than never, right? 

I was quite impressed this month with the way everyone got the exact same box, I think it works better this way as it's fairer and no one can argue over who got the better selection of products.

Here's what I got:

Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant, Power Recovery Masque & Renewal Lip Complex.

I've tried Dermalogica in the past and wasn't particularly impressed with it, these 3 products on the other hand have really won me over, especially the Thermafoliant which does a really good job at exfoliating my skin gently without causing irritation.

The mask is nice for a quick boost, it brightens skin and makes it look fresh and glowy.

The lip balm is okay,  it's not moisturising enough for me and I do find the taste and smell quite annoying, I think this would actually work better on more mature ladies.

Dermalogica Make-Up Bag

A nice little extra even though I probably wont use it.

Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Moray

The best item in the box! I have huge issues with pencil liner lasting on me, it normally fades after a few hours and even quicker on my waterline, this one does not.

I wore it the whole day and I got no fading or smudging and it still looked freshly applied after 10 or so hours.

I do wish I would have recieved the black or brown version as I don't think I will wear this olive green shade very often but this is an amazing product and one that I will re-purchase.

Leighton Denny in Babydoll.

Haven't bothered to use this as I have tried polishes by Leighton Denny before and they haven't worked well for me, I find the texture too thick and they take too long to dry.

It is a pretty colour though.

Robert Piguet Fracas, Calipso and Visa

I'm not normally a huge fan of perfume samples being included as an item (nice as an extra though) but I'm glad that these were included as I've never tried fragrances by Robert Piguet but heard quite a lot about them.

I will review each one briefly:

Fracas: not a fan of this one, very heavy on the gardenia and a bit to old lady for me to appreciate it.

Calypso: quite nice fruity, floral but not too sweet, again more suited to a more mature audience.

Visa: this one is my favourite out the 3, a nice sweet, warm scent, mainly vanilla and some woodsy note.

What did you think of the October GlossyBox?