Glossybox and Love Me Beauty Box

I received my January edition of my Glossybox and my Love Me Beauty box a few days ago so I thought that I would review each of the products I got in them. For those of you that don't know, they are monthly subscriptions where you receive a box of 4 or 5 samples or full sized beauty products for £10 plus postage. Next to the different products, I've put the retail price.

In my Love Me Beauty box I got...

• A NYX Eyeshadow in 'Black Sparkle' (£5)
• A sample of Weleda Sea Buckhorn Hand Cream (£8.95 for 50ml)
• A Lord & Berry Paillettes Eye Pencil in 'Sparkle Black' (£8.95)
• A sample of Pureology Colour Stylist Silk Bodifier (£15 for 250ml)
• A Cosmetics a la Carte Divine Lash Mascara in 'Black' (£23)

The NYX eyeshadow was okay, nothing special. I had to apply a few layers before I got the desired colour and it started to fade after a couple of hours. I didn't think it was that pigmented either.

The Weleda hand cream made my hands feel quite sticky and greasy. It says in the description that it had a 'non-greasy formula' so I was disappointed when it left my hands a bit greasy. Once it had sunk in properly, they felt a little bit softer than usual, but there wasn't an amazing difference in the appearance or feel of my hands and the smell wasn't great. I probably won't be buying the full sized version as I think there are a lot better hand creams for less money.

The Lord & Berry eyeliner was nice, I liked the sparkly bits and they seemed to stay on for quite a while. It's a nice way to add some sparkle to a smokey eye. Next time I go on a night out, I will probably wear this.

The Pureology Colour Stylist Silk Bodifier left my hair looking really voluminous after I blow dried it. You only need the tiniest amount, as too much made my hair a bit greasy. I didn't see much of a change in the colour of my hair though.

The Cosmetics a la Carte mascara made my eyelashes really long and defined. At first, I was a bit disappointed when I saw the small brush, but I found it easy to get to every single little lash. It made each individual lash defined and it wasn't clumpy. It's a good day time mascara, but I think I would use a mascara that gives more volume in the evenings.

In my Glossybox I got samples of...

• A Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream (£13.50 for 33g)
• A Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash (£10.25 for 250ml)
• Some Floral Tweezers from The Vintage Cosmetic Company (£8)
• Some Anatomicals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer Wake-Up Under Eye Patches (£6 for pack of 3)
• A Beauty UK CC Cream (£4.99 for 25ml)

The Yu-Be skin cream was amazing! I don't get dry skin on my face but my lips really suffer when it gets cold, so I tried this out on my lips and it made them so soft. It really sunk into my lips, whereas I find Vaseline just sits on the top. I'll use up my 2 testers and definitely get this in time for next autumn/winter.

The Balance Me body wash smelt quite nice and didn't dry my skin out. I haven't noticed any changes to the tone of my skin as of yet but I'll carry on using it and report back.

The tweezers from The Vintage Cosmetic Company are really pretty and I'm definitely going to put them in my make up bag. I get 25% off my next purchase on The Vintage Cosmetic Company website so I will definitely be using that soon.

The Anatomicals Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer eye patches felt really cooling and soothing on tired eyes. You look a bit silly wearing them but it's worth it! When I took them off, I definitely noticed a difference. My under eye bags were still there, but I looked more awake. I'll definitely be buying these again.

The Beauty UK CC Cream was surprising. As it was so cheap, I wasn't expecting much, but after applying a thin layer with my hands, my skin looked lovely and smooth. It didn't feel too sticky and it was easy to blend into my skin. It says in the description that it 'illuminates your skin to give a radiant and flawless complexion' and it did just that. It's so easy to put on instead of foundation during the day. I would probably carry on using my foundation in the evenings as the CC cream doesn't offer as much coverage. I will definitely be buying this again and at £4.99, I'm really impressed.

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Rara x

Hair Extensions Review

I have loads of clip in extensions that I wear most days. They add volume and length to my long bob. I couldn't live without them!
I have had all sorts of extensions over the past few years, including clip ins, bonds, glue in wefts, hair pieces etc so I thought I'd do a review on each of them. If you are thinking of getting extensions, carefully consider which type you would like to get as, if they are not looked after, they can be very damaging to your hair.

Bonds:
I do miss my bonds as they were so easy to maintain. I didn't have the fuss of removing them every night and looking after them so much but in the long run, they damaged my hair a lot. The hairs that were protected inside the bonds grew but it was so thin and wispy so it just had to be all trimmed off anyway. I also had bright, bleach blonde hair when I had them, so it was a pain having to wait 3 months to tint my roots.
The other downfall was that they were so expensive!

Micro-rings:
Similar to bonds. I've never had micro rings as my hair wasn't strong enough. These are ideal if you just want a bit of volume rather than to get a full head. They are easily removed and no glue or heat is used but they do tend to pull on your hair, especially if you are always putting it up in a ponytail or bun.

Glue in wefts:
Awful! Do not get them! The glue is so so hard to get out. I bought so many different removers and I used baby oil and they still wouldn't budge. In the end, I had to pull them out and along came some of my hair.

Weave:
I've never had a weave, but I have heard good things. As no heat or glues are being used, they don't tend to damage your hair. I've heard that they can get quite itchy though and since they tightly plait your hair then sew in the wefts, I can imagine it being quite painful.

Clip ins:
Definitely the best in my opinion. They add as much length or volume as you want and they aren't too expensive. You can also add high or low lights in. They also aren't as damaging to your hair as other types of extensions as you can remove them when you want. It's important that you take them out every night or they will pull on your hair as you are moving around in your sleep. 
Once I have taken my extensions out, I brush through them gently from root to tip and lay them out on my floor. You can also hang them from a hanger. It is well worth buying a protective storage case if you are travelling.
I try not to wash my extensions because I find this makes them a bit dry but when I do, I make sure to use plenty of conditioner. I also leave them over night in a nourishing conditioning treatment. I use warm, not hot, water to wash them and really gently run the product through them, making sure not to tangle them too much. I use lots of heat protection and blow dry them. It is definitely worth buying a hair extension shine spray which I spray on them everyday.
It isn't advised that you dye extensions, especially bleaching, however I have dyed my extensions before and they didn't seem to be too damaged. Just make sure to smother them in conditioner!
To put them in, I usually line up all the wefts with 3 clips on and put the smaller wefts at the bottom and work up. I then put all the wefts with 2 clips on at the sides. I then just fill in any gaps with the 1 clip wefts. This isn't the proper way to do it but I just find this the easiest way. 

If you have a bob, like me, it is worth trimming the ones at the top to create layers. This will make them look more natural.

I hope you enjoyed reading my first proper post!

Rara x

First Post

I'd like to do my first post as a little introduction to myself. I'm new to blogging but since I am completely beauty obsessed, I felt I needed somewhere to vent all my ideas, knowledge and reviews on all things beauty. My lovely boyfriend has put up with it long enough!

My name is Alex, but most close family and friends call me Rara.
I am at college doing beauty therapy so I'll be putting up posts about that. I'll also post about skincare, fitness and my love for handbags. I'll do reviews on all sorts of make up and lots of different brands (drugstore/highstreet and premium) and I'll do occasional hauls. I want to start being a mobile beauty therapist and offer spray tans, manicures, pedicures (including gellux nails), facials, eyelash and eyebrow treatments, waxing and possibly hair extensions. I go on a lot of training courses, so I will post about those aswell. I will also post about other things that take my fancy but I will stick mainly to beauty.

I hope you have fun reading my blog!

Rara x