Clean Start by Dermalogica.

I've cheekily actually already blogged about this set, not sure if that's a bit of a faux-pas or not. To be fair, it wasn't a whole post it was just a brief paragraph within my review of June's Glossybox, which feels like kind of a long time ago as I've since stopped my subscription and haven't taken on any more beauty boxes as of yet.

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I was planning on picking up this set eventually as I really enjoyed using it and it lasted for ages but I put it to the back of my mind until seeing it at the Duty Free when heading off to Turkey as a larger range, amazing! A bit of 'googling' brought me to Beauty Flash, an online stockist of Dermalogica at great prices. I got this set for £20.99, which seems steep but if I shelled out on high street skincare, I'd probably end up paying the same, it was also free postage and packaging and arrived within the week. I saved a 'grand total' of £1.51 through shopping at Beauty Flash and maybe there are better savings to be had elsewhere, but I got to choose two sets of free Dermalogica samples and overall they seem fairly reputable, with such a great range of products.


As someone who likes nothing more than good packaging, I have to say that given the bottles and the accompanying leaflets and samples, the box it all came in left a lot to be desired. The same problem I had with the 'Clean Start Day and Night 3 Step Mini Kit' I received in the Glossybox, it was all a little medical.



Two additional products from the first sample I had were a scrub (Ready, Set, Scrub), to be used on alternate days, and a night cream (Bedtime for Breakouts). I feel like I'm at that age where I have to start worrying about night creams and things like that and this one is great; it has the same matte effect as it's daytime counterpart, I'm definitely a fan of going to bed with a night cream without feeling like I've slathered slime on my face. The scrub is also nice and a very fine, sandy texture which feels like it's actually working rather than you're just scrubbing for the sake of it.

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I went for the same travel-size bottles that had come in my Glossybox because like I said, it lasts for ages and you don't use much at a time. The 'full-size' bottles start at around £10, and are up to three times the size, but when buying the whole kit that makes it a lot less purse-friendly and sadly I'm on a bit of a budget. Also, as I mentioned, the travel-size bottles are more than enough for me.


The set came with a step-by-step manual, although I get the gist of it, it's always nice to have more knowledgeable advice. It also allowed me to discover that Dermalogica, at least for this set, don't test on animals. I'll be honest and say I don't pay that much attention to animal-friendly products as much as I should, but finding something like that out is always a bonus.


You're allowed to choose whichever free samples you like at the checkout with Beauty Flash. I chose the day and night moisturisers as I knew these would be the products I'd like the most and run out of first. Beauty Flash also chucked in a free sample of the Clean Start 'Brighten Up' tinted moisturiser, which includes an SPF. I must admit that I've yet to try it but hopefully it will work out as well as all the other Clean Start range.
At the moment, I'm seeing the same effect I did when using these products before, my skin is brighter and clearer, and I'm glad to have made the leap. My skin is very temperamental so who's to say that in a month's time it will still work for me, I sure hope it does though because my face has never felt so clean.
Have you changed your skincare routine for the better recently?

Making it stretch.

Pay-day can't come soon enough this month, less than a week to go! There's a lot to pay for, once my rent's out that doesn't leave much left, I also have to pay my gas and electric and I'm trying to save for a new camera. However, I'm going to need to make this stretch with August being a big birthday month and I'm hoping to start up driving next week (*eep!).
I hate to bore you with another wish-list post but I've been so busy with work and needing sleep that I just haven't really had time to do anything particularly interesting to share with you.

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Dermalogica Clean Start Kit, £20.99 (via Beauty Flash)
This is one of the big things I'll be investing in this month. I've since cancelled my Glossybox subscription due to their lack of actually meeting my 'beauty profile' and because I've seen better boxes for the same or less money. However, this kit is one of the best things I've used to come out of subscribing to Glossybox. I'm yet to sign up to another beauty box and I'm not sure if I will for a while. Anyway, I'm in love with this kit, it's so refreshing and I've found it leaving my skin very clear with no residue. The mattifying moisturiser with SPF is an added bonus and definitely my favourite face moisturiser I've ever used. At the price being offered by Beauty Flash, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone.


Death at Seaworld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity, £15.55, Amazon
I'm a massive fan of Seaworld and I'm really looking forward to going there in December, so I'm not sure how good an idea it would be to read this but I'm really intrigued by the case and the ethics surrounding the treatment of such intelligent mammals as killer whales and dolphins. The Cove is one of my all-time favourite documentaries and it really hit a nerve. I'm not ready to become an activist and start preaching to you just yet but it's a subject I like to keep informed about.


A Visit to Charleston House for Rob Ryan's Exhibition ♥
(Possibly coinciding with a daytrip to Brighton if the weather stays nice.)


Mumford & Sons' Babel (Deluxe Version) w/ Screenprint [x]
I'm really excited for this so this is my other big spend for the month, I really hope the poster is worth the extra £20, although I may suggest going halves with Mr. Moon as he's much bigger on CDs.


ASOS MILAN Leather Laser Cut Lace Up Shoes, £15, ASOS
I know I mentioned these in yesterday's Tuesday Tabs but I'm really after a pair as my sister is visiting and flaunting her pair in my face. I seriously need to re-assess my shoe situation though, as well as my nail polish situation - sadly they've been left seriously neglected since I've been working all the time, I'm making a promise to myself to paint my nails tonight.


Fujifilm Instax Wide Film, this seller on eBay
Definitely need to get my hands on some instant film to give my new Fujifilm Instax camera it's first trial run, as well as keep up with my first Instax camera, they're the most awesome cameras, I hope the newest one works.

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My rota has just come through and I've found out I get the whole of Sunday off, I'm so excited, I hope to have as nice a Sunday as I did last week, definitely calls for more precisely planned carbooting.

June Glossybox.

This was a pretty welcome surprise, as it doesn't seem like that long ago since I received my last Glossybox, it's not just me that it's so irregular for is it?

I'm going to start off by being honest and saying I was a little disappointed at first glance of this month's box, and reading through I can't say that I was excited by it that much either. I was almost ready to throw in the towel for cheaper alternatives and give up on Glossybox altogether, but that's what's so great about these sample boxes, they give you a chance to try things and that's actually a really good thing.

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I'm actually really happy with all but one product this month, even if Glossybox' tailoring remains slightly at question and I didn't get a shower gel this time around.

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I guess I was getting kind of used to these special edition boxes, as I've only had two normal ones before and at intervals. The month's box was to the theme of 'Summer style', showcasing smaller replacements to things that would normally take up a lot of space, as well as fresher essential products, exactly how we want to be feeling at this time of year, even if the weather disagrees.


Glossybox Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Brush, RRP: £15
I don't actually have any make up that I can use this brush with, it feels nice though and is made of goats hair. It also matches last month's Glossybox birthday mirror quite nicely.
('scuse the cat hair)


Mini Mascara, ultra-volume Sexy Pulp, Yves Rocher France, Full-size: £16
Sadly this was this month's let-down. Firstly, the applicator for this sample size was clumsy and quite difficult to use, but also, it doesn't - in my experience - do as it claims to. My eyelashes weren't any more plumped with this mascara than with my standard Maybelline one, which is a third of the price and does a slightly better job.



Summer Warmth Bronzer, BM Beauty, Full-size: £8
I used this as an eyeshadow, but now see you can use it all over, which isn't really my style. I don't really get on with loose powder either as it just goes everywhere and I get so stressed. I used Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion (in Original) to help me out a little. It has a nice shimmer to it and closely matches the colour of eyeshadow I tend to go for out of my everyday palette so I should get some good use out of it and it being mineral-based is a nice bonus.

Here's how I wore it:



Day/Night 3-Step Mini Kit, Clean Start by Dermalogica, Full-size: £12
I was really unsure about this product, but having given it a proper go this week, I really like it. I haven't used such a good cleanser in ages, and I find my skin is much brighter and has less tendency to be greasy since using it. I really trust Dermalogica as a brand but always saw it as a bit out of my price-range, this seems really affordable though and it actually works! I think I'll see the kit through before making a decision as my skin is incredibly temperamental. I must mention the toner too, which was a bit unusual as you just spray it directly onto you face, even though it's a bit different to what I'm used to it's pretty refreshing and smells amazing. Lastly, the moisturiser is lovely, I actually look forward to putting it on in the mornings, so despite it's slightly medical box and being so initially sceptical, this is probably my favourite this month.



Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Foundation Cream Stick, Vichy, Full-size: £18
I feel like this is where Glossybox' tailoring really fell down this month, and I was about ready to full-on blast them for including this product when anyone could use it because *blah blah blah*...
But, it's incredible! I don't actually have that bad skin, I think that I think it's a lot worst than it is anyway, and yes I have the odd spot but nothing to hide about, not often anyway. I'm genuinely thinking about investing in this wonder-product, more so than any of the others mentioned above. It's much nicer to wear than over-all foundation as you only put in on blemished areas, which it covers up incredibly well, so it feels almost like you're walking around bare-faced.
I've included some before and after photos below for you to have a look for yourself.

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So there's my thoughts on this month's Glossybox, I'd love to hear what you think. Do you subscribe to any beauty boxes? What products did you get this month?

May Glossybox

Things have been plodding along in the last few days, nothing that exciting has happened though. We had Long and Chris over for Eurovision, and it was nice to see them, but Moon was ill, and still is, so it may or may not have put a slight dampener on the occasion. I was in full-on support of the Jedwards, judge me if you will, I didn't think the UK would do that badly but I didn't have the highest hopes as the song was just dull, I cannot fathom how Sweden won though.

I've been able to enjoy a bit of sun this weekend which has been nice, perhaps powering through and getting paid would have been a wiser decision but it's been so quiet.

Anyway, lets get down to this, as April's Glossybox was such a latecomer for me and I wanted to give it a thorough test, it really doesn't seem like it was time for another Glossybox just yet but the year is passing by so fast, so I guess I'm wrong.


Overall, I'm once again impressed with this month's box, I think I've only had one box so far that I was a bit unhappy with and that wasn't down to lack of quality products, but mainly due to the fact I was too young for most of them. To celebrate their first birthday, the lovely ladies at Glossybox also included a pink balloon and compact mirror, which was a lovely touch, although if I'd won a golden ticket that would have been cool too.

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Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel, Noble Isle
Just as I was running out of last month's Sandalwood shower gel, I can always count on Glossybox. This shower gel is beautiful, the scent matches it's name exactly, it just feels so summery. It even includes antioxidants from gooseberries, which surprised me due to the orange colour, it's always nice to have a little luxury with this kind of product. I'm also very pleased with it's travel-size as it will come in very useful when Moon and I finally decide where we're taking our summer holiday - any suggestions welcome, all we know we want is a beach and a bit of culture.


L'Eau en Blanc & Si Lolita, Lolita Lempicka - Full size: £63-65
These were probably my least favourites out of the box, although I'm glad we're back to easy applicators, unlike last month's horrid Kai sample. The white sample (L'Eau en Blanc) reminded me a bit of my Gran and would probably be a nice fragrance for her, but it's far too floral for me. I did slightly prefer the Si Lolita sample, but it's still not something I would choose if I was sampling it to buy. I'm sure I can use them both up as it gives my Touch of Pink a bit of a rest.


Smoothing Night Care Face Cream in Wildrose, Weleda - Full size: From £10.95
I'm really not a fan of rose scented things at all, I don't know why, I'm just not, however, due to the success of last month's face product, I figured that it couldn't do any harm trying this out. Despite the smell, which isn't as rosey as it could have been (which is a positive in my book), it applies easily and is very light-weight which is nice, especially for an overnight product. I don't think I'll rush out and buy the full-size product, mainly because it's a bit pricey for me, but sometimes it's nice to make a few small changes.


All-in-One Hair Treatment, Uniqone - Full size: £13.99
My hair is naturally really dry, which I think is thanks to dying it so much when I was a bit younger (so, thanks, Past Me), so for the last couple of years I've always used a heat-treatment on it, not just because of the dryness, but also because of it's style and length, I can't really get away with not blowdrying it, unless I want to look like this. I usually use Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner mainly because it smells amazing but also because it's really light-weight and doesn't make my hair greasy. I haven't had a good hair day since starting my new job, so I thought I'd treat myself with this, and I must say that today, my hair is looking pretty good, I do have a few criticisms though. Despite being a spray application like the Aussie product I usually use, this product comes out quite thick, which is weird, although it's fine with a brush-through the Aussie product usually just needs me to run my fingers through. My second criticism is that although generally my hair is fine today, straight after blow-drying it did feel quite weighed down, as though there was loads of product in it, God knows what happened to it because like I said, I'm fine now, but I didn't particularly like that. It's nice for a treat and there's no question that it works, but I'm not sure yet if I could get away with using it every other day and given the price tag in comparison to the size of my usual I don't think I'd be willing to get the full-size version.


Temptress, Let's Go Lashes - £8.95
Like Charlotte, I'm unsure as to who the idea of these lashes being 100% human hair is meant to appeal to because I see it as a bit odd. I don't use fake eyelashes often, but I do occasionally so I am willing to give these a go. I kind of like the fakeness of fake eyelashes though and personally don't think these are even half as nice as a set of synthetic ones I already have. Also, what kind of hair is it, are there people donating their eyelashes? Vom.

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I hope that I haven't come across as too negative, because I genuinely am really happy with this month's box, it's varied and has allowed me to make a few small, even if short-lived, changes to my current routine and it's nice to mix things up every now and then. Happy Birthday, Glossybox, keep up the amazing work!

Here is what Dolly thought of Glossybox's balloon, I'm fairly certain it's the first time she would have seen one, sadly I missed the moment when she sat on it and popped it but she was certainly intrigued.

April Glossybox

This month's Glossybox was a pleasant surprise, although perhaps slightly later than I would have liked, I'm really impressed with nearly all the products I got this month. I've also given them a slightly fairer trial than I have for previous Glossyboxes.

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So, this month's Glossybox theme was 'organic and natural', something that I personally don't really take into much consideration when purchasing beauty products. I'm not sure why, I'm just usually conscientious about price, smell and what it does, which is why Glossybox is so perfect for me as it means I get to try out things that I wouldn't usually. This month, basically all the products were full-size, so although they weren't quite in the same price vein as last month's luxury Harrod's box, their size meant that once again, Glossybox was good value for money.

As a major sucker for packaging and branding, I loved the texture and look of this month's box, which really fitted into the eco feel and would double-up as a super-cute giftbox.

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Vinosource SOS Thirst-Quenching Serum, Caudalie
I really liked this product, and haven't used anything like it before. For a sample-size I also think it's gone pretty far and I have enough to last at least two more uses after using it throughout this week. It smells really nice, which as I said is a plus for me, but I also feel like it may have made a slight difference to my skin or at the very least made my moisturiser go a lot further. It's very hard to judge because using this fell on a week that I'd just changed my skincare routine. I really liked this product and despite being a 'thirst-quencher', I've found my skin to be less oily than usual.




Certified Organic Eyeliner in 07 Graphite, INIKA Cosmetics
I don't use pencil eyeliner that often anymore, but I have to give this one major props. Firstly, it's the first eyeliner in ages that I've used which hasn't smudged after a few hours wear. It's not the most interesting colours compared to those I've seen on other reviews, but it's very wearable, and I've never even thought about a grey eyeliner before. With a thicker application the colour is almost black, but it still has a silvery-blueish tint, which is a nice touch. The fact that it's organic is good but having nothing to compare it to as to whether that is why it's so good I can't say that should be it's biggest plus. Priced at £11.75 it's a lot more than I would usually spend on this kind of product, so I'm very pleased that it was the full-sized version in this month's box


Sandalwood Natural Body Wash, Ayuuri
Another full-sized product and again with the shower gel. Having received such a surplus amount at Christmas from relatives, it feels like I'll never have to actually buy shower gel again! So, this is a lovely product, I adore the smell and the benefits that come with it; Vitamin E and oils of Sandalwood - are great. On first use I didn't even really have to moisturise afterwards.


100% Organic Lip Balm in Rambling Rose, Figs & Rouge
Three out of five products this month were full-size, so that's pretty awesome. I loved the texture of this lip balm, it's unlike any I've used before. It begins with a grainy feeling on application with then smooths and leaves lips feeling fully nourished (and it really does feel like that!). The major downfall with this product for me was the taste, it's not as though I go around eating lip balm but even when drinking water, I just got a huge intake of rose which was incredibly unpleasant. Rose is probably one of my least-favourite flavours, fine to smell, but unpleasant to ingest. So sadly this will be getting minimal use purely for that, although I'll definitely turn to it if my lips are particularly dry.


Perfume, Kai
I thought the sample applicator for this product was pretty measly, although overall I didn't really like the smell of the perfume anyway, it was a bit too floral and sweet for my taste.
I think April's Glossybox offering was pretty good, although my dislike for the lip balm and perfume were down to my opinions on taste/smell, each product had it's pluses... apart from maybe the perfume. The organic theme was a great way to kick off spring, hopefully we'll actually be able to see some more springtime weather this month, I think England could do with some sunshine.