I was stocking up on some essentials in Boots a few weeks ago when I picked up a bottle of Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire. I wasn’t looking for it in particular, I just spotted it on the shelf and thought I’d try it seeing as it seemed to have been causing a bit of a stir amongst other bloggers, plus it was only £3.99. Bargain.

I then promptly forgot about it as I tend to do with most nail polishes I buy. Saturday evening however I was messing about with water marbling and was rummaging through my collection for my freshest polishes when I spotted it. Water marbling is messy and fiddly, so I thought “feck it” and decided to do my nails with Fantasy Fire.

In the bottle it looks so beautiful. It’s a rich metallic purple polish with absolutely loads of iridescent pink, gold, green and blue seemingly running through it depending on how the light hits it. Applied to the nails, you can create an array of looks as different tones come through depending on the base coat used. I’ve seen it on other blogs applied over a nude base colour which makes it look a more blue-lilac colour and over a dark base colour it deepens the purple and more of the blue-green shimmer is highlighted.

I simply applied it over a clear base coat and have to admit I was pretty peeved that it took three coats to get this look. It’s a very sheer polish and I actually think that a fourth coat is needed really; on closer inspection the next day I could still see the white tips of my nails through the polish! Any polish that needs two of more coats quickly loses favour with me. No patience!

I applied the polish on Saturday night and have only just managed to chip it today as I was talking to someone quick boring on the phone and fiddling with a pen which caught the edge of my nail. I’m sure it would last longer if I hadn’t have done that.

Overall I think it’s a lovely colour, very eye-catching. It’s just a shame that so many coats are needed! It’s certainly worth buying if, unlike me, you're patient when doing your nails!

NOTD: Max Factor Max Effect Fantasy Fire






I was stocking up on some essentials in Boots a few weeks ago when I picked up a bottle of Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire. I wasn’t looking for it in particular, I just spotted it on the shelf and thought I’d try it seeing as it seemed to have been causing a bit of a stir amongst other bloggers, plus it was only £3.99. Bargain.

I then promptly forgot about it as I tend to do with most nail polishes I buy. Saturday evening however I was messing about with water marbling and was rummaging through my collection for my freshest polishes when I spotted it. Water marbling is messy and fiddly, so I thought “feck it” and decided to do my nails with Fantasy Fire.

In the bottle it looks so beautiful. It’s a rich metallic purple polish with absolutely loads of iridescent pink, gold, green and blue seemingly running through it depending on how the light hits it. Applied to the nails, you can create an array of looks as different tones come through depending on the base coat used. I’ve seen it on other blogs applied over a nude base colour which makes it look a more blue-lilac colour and over a dark base colour it deepens the purple and more of the blue-green shimmer is highlighted.

I simply applied it over a clear base coat and have to admit I was pretty peeved that it took three coats to get this look. It’s a very sheer polish and I actually think that a fourth coat is needed really; on closer inspection the next day I could still see the white tips of my nails through the polish! Any polish that needs two of more coats quickly loses favour with me. No patience!

I applied the polish on Saturday night and have only just managed to chip it today as I was talking to someone quick boring on the phone and fiddling with a pen which caught the edge of my nail. I’m sure it would last longer if I hadn’t have done that.

Overall I think it’s a lovely colour, very eye-catching. It’s just a shame that so many coats are needed! It’s certainly worth buying if, unlike me, you're patient when doing your nails!
A beauty box with ENTIRELY full-sized products? No way! Really?! Yes really! The March beauty box from JolieBox (now called Birchbox) genuinely does contain four full-sized products! I know, unheard of! 









First up is a 200ml tube of Yardley Peony Luxury Body Wash. I don’t know – isn’t Yardley a brand that your Nan buys in Boots?! It smells gorgeous though, I’m really loving floral scents at the moment so I’m happy enough, though I imagine there may be some grumbles from other subscribers.

Next is the product I am most excited about: Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm. This 75ml tube contains a totally versatile balm that can be used on your face, hair and body. You can apply it to your face with a cotton pad to remove make up; you can apply to the ends of your hair as a rinse-off hair treatment; and you can apply to damp skin as a moisturising treat – but you need to rinse it off. Intriguing eh! The writing is really tiny, but it looks like it contains safflower , sesame, jojoba and shea seed oils. As you can imagine it’s got that all-natural, slightly herbal kind of smell. I’m super excited to try this out and will report back!

A familiar sight among the various beauty box brands, the third product is a Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Powder Pink. I probably wouldn’t use a shade like this as eyeliner, but I’d use it in the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them and make me look a bit more awake. I have a similar product from Benefit that I use in this way and it does work!

The final product is a LCN nail polish from the Free Your Mind 2012 collection. I can’t see on the bottle what shade this is, but it is a super pale pastel blue-grey with a gorgeous blue-green shimmer running through it. It’s really pretty and a perfect spring shade. There are four shades in the collection so I’m interested to see what shade other subscribers received.

Often in these beauty boxes you get a brucey bonus and this box is no exception; they have included a little compact mirror. There’s not much you can say about a mirror, but it’s certainly useful! There is also a copy of the new JolieMag which features an interview with Therese, the Director at JolieBox UK, a guide on how to do a home manicure, shopping tips and product reviews. There’s also a little card with a 20% discount code for Love Hearts and Crosses Jewellery!

All in all I think this is another great box from JolieBox. Their boxes are consistently good and always absolutely fall in love with at least one of the products (I think it will be the Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm this time)! 


JolieBox - March Beauty Box

A beauty box with ENTIRELY full-sized products? No way! Really?! Yes really! The March beauty box from JolieBox (now called Birchbox) genuinely does contain four full-sized products! I know, unheard of! 









First up is a 200ml tube of Yardley Peony Luxury Body Wash. I don’t know – isn’t Yardley a brand that your Nan buys in Boots?! It smells gorgeous though, I’m really loving floral scents at the moment so I’m happy enough, though I imagine there may be some grumbles from other subscribers.

Next is the product I am most excited about: Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm. This 75ml tube contains a totally versatile balm that can be used on your face, hair and body. You can apply it to your face with a cotton pad to remove make up; you can apply to the ends of your hair as a rinse-off hair treatment; and you can apply to damp skin as a moisturising treat – but you need to rinse it off. Intriguing eh! The writing is really tiny, but it looks like it contains safflower , sesame, jojoba and shea seed oils. As you can imagine it’s got that all-natural, slightly herbal kind of smell. I’m super excited to try this out and will report back!

A familiar sight among the various beauty box brands, the third product is a Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Powder Pink. I probably wouldn’t use a shade like this as eyeliner, but I’d use it in the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them and make me look a bit more awake. I have a similar product from Benefit that I use in this way and it does work!

The final product is a LCN nail polish from the Free Your Mind 2012 collection. I can’t see on the bottle what shade this is, but it is a super pale pastel blue-grey with a gorgeous blue-green shimmer running through it. It’s really pretty and a perfect spring shade. There are four shades in the collection so I’m interested to see what shade other subscribers received.

Often in these beauty boxes you get a brucey bonus and this box is no exception; they have included a little compact mirror. There’s not much you can say about a mirror, but it’s certainly useful! There is also a copy of the new JolieMag which features an interview with Therese, the Director at JolieBox UK, a guide on how to do a home manicure, shopping tips and product reviews. There’s also a little card with a 20% discount code for Love Hearts and Crosses Jewellery!

All in all I think this is another great box from JolieBox. Their boxes are consistently good and always absolutely fall in love with at least one of the products (I think it will be the Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm this time)! 


If you follow me on twitter you would have seen me mention last week that I received my first beauty box from She Said Beauty. I very nearly resisted the temptation to sign up but after seeing their “25% off first box” offer I crumbled. I just have no willpower! 



I really like the colours of this box; it’s a pale mint coloured box with bright pink tissue paper and ribbon and plain straw cushioning all the goodies inside. I think the team at She Said Beauty have done pretty well for their first box; it contains good variety of products covering make-up, haircare, skincare and even your afternoon tea, but they’ve not gone mad with grand sizes or out-there brands. 


In my box I received an Orly Manicure Miniature nail polish (5.3ml) in the shade Black Out along with a 180 grit nail file. I love Orly – I don’t love black polish though! If anyone wants to swap with me let me know! I am forever buying new nail files; I have them in my handbag, bathroom, bedroom, everywhere! So this was a great little bonus.


 I also received an Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio pack which contains 10ml tubes of Shampoo, Conditioner and Style-Prep Smoother. I took this pack to Center Parcs at the weekend. I like the shampoo and conditioner, but not particularly impressed with the Style-Prep Smoother. I can’t stand how it smells – kind of like aniseed – but not only that it didn’t really do much for my hair. My hair didn’t really shine after blow-drying but the packet does mention using their Glossing Straightener (not included) as a finishing step. Perhaps if I used that as well my hair would look a lot better, if that’s the case I think it would have been a good idea for Aveda to include that in the pack too. 


I was really pleased to see a tube of Collection 2000 Cream Puff 5ml in my box – I received shade Fairy Cake. I already own a Cream Puff in another shade, I love it! It's a lip cream with a matt, velvety finish. They leave your lips looking so soft and smooth with a wicked pop of colour. I haven’t bought anything from Collection 2000 since I was a teen until buying Cream Puff a couple of months ago. Now I’m hooked, it gets a total thumbs up from me. 

 
  
Premae Harmony Face Balm is another product I took to Center Parcs and I love it. I used it instead of a moisturiser and it’s fab. It’s a solid balm which softens to an almost oil-like consistency. I was worried that it might make me look or feel a bit greasy but actually it absorbs super fast! It smells amazing – mango and lemongrass, mmm mmmmm! I was in the swimming pool a lot at the weekend and this stuff was a skin saviour afterwards. I also used it on the kids’ faces as they had a bit of dry skin and it worked wonders on them too. I might buy a tin of this to take on holiday. Great product! 


The last product in my box was Comfort Zone Good Night Kit. This contains a 6ml tub of Renight Recover Cream and a 4ml bottle of Renight Recover Complex. I haven’t tried these out yet but I am looking forward to giving them a go. It says “after cleansing apply the cream and/or the complex”. I’m guessing the Complex is a serum-type of product so I’ll use that and then the cream on top. It also included a little fold-out leaflet with information about other products in the Comfort Zone brand. That’s always handy!


Finally the box contained a bonus item, a Jing Flowering Dragon Eye tea. “A light and fragrant flowering tea made by hand with green tea buds, golden marigold, a chain of white jasmine blossoms and a red amaranth flower.” I know it’s a novelty but I can’t wait to try this! I’ve seen these flowering teas before and they look so beautiful. I do love tea anyway, particularly jasmine white monkey tea, so I imagine I will like this. Coincidentally I have a Jing tea infuser so I’ll be able to see the pretty flower unfurling. 


So there you have it, the first beauty box from She Said Beauty. I am impressed with it, I know some people were expecting bigger sizes but I think this box is good as it is. The products are decent sizes and of a good variety. Sadly I am not going to continue my subscription but this is purely down to a money-saving mission rather than anything to do with the box itself. If I could afford to I would carry on!

Have you signed up to She Said Beauty? What did you think?

She Said Beauty - March Beauty Box

If you follow me on twitter you would have seen me mention last week that I received my first beauty box from She Said Beauty. I very nearly resisted the temptation to sign up but after seeing their “25% off first box” offer I crumbled. I just have no willpower! 



I really like the colours of this box; it’s a pale mint coloured box with bright pink tissue paper and ribbon and plain straw cushioning all the goodies inside. I think the team at She Said Beauty have done pretty well for their first box; it contains good variety of products covering make-up, haircare, skincare and even your afternoon tea, but they’ve not gone mad with grand sizes or out-there brands. 


In my box I received an Orly Manicure Miniature nail polish (5.3ml) in the shade Black Out along with a 180 grit nail file. I love Orly – I don’t love black polish though! If anyone wants to swap with me let me know! I am forever buying new nail files; I have them in my handbag, bathroom, bedroom, everywhere! So this was a great little bonus.


 I also received an Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio pack which contains 10ml tubes of Shampoo, Conditioner and Style-Prep Smoother. I took this pack to Center Parcs at the weekend. I like the shampoo and conditioner, but not particularly impressed with the Style-Prep Smoother. I can’t stand how it smells – kind of like aniseed – but not only that it didn’t really do much for my hair. My hair didn’t really shine after blow-drying but the packet does mention using their Glossing Straightener (not included) as a finishing step. Perhaps if I used that as well my hair would look a lot better, if that’s the case I think it would have been a good idea for Aveda to include that in the pack too. 


I was really pleased to see a tube of Collection 2000 Cream Puff 5ml in my box – I received shade Fairy Cake. I already own a Cream Puff in another shade, I love it! It's a lip cream with a matt, velvety finish. They leave your lips looking so soft and smooth with a wicked pop of colour. I haven’t bought anything from Collection 2000 since I was a teen until buying Cream Puff a couple of months ago. Now I’m hooked, it gets a total thumbs up from me. 

 
  
Premae Harmony Face Balm is another product I took to Center Parcs and I love it. I used it instead of a moisturiser and it’s fab. It’s a solid balm which softens to an almost oil-like consistency. I was worried that it might make me look or feel a bit greasy but actually it absorbs super fast! It smells amazing – mango and lemongrass, mmm mmmmm! I was in the swimming pool a lot at the weekend and this stuff was a skin saviour afterwards. I also used it on the kids’ faces as they had a bit of dry skin and it worked wonders on them too. I might buy a tin of this to take on holiday. Great product! 


The last product in my box was Comfort Zone Good Night Kit. This contains a 6ml tub of Renight Recover Cream and a 4ml bottle of Renight Recover Complex. I haven’t tried these out yet but I am looking forward to giving them a go. It says “after cleansing apply the cream and/or the complex”. I’m guessing the Complex is a serum-type of product so I’ll use that and then the cream on top. It also included a little fold-out leaflet with information about other products in the Comfort Zone brand. That’s always handy!


Finally the box contained a bonus item, a Jing Flowering Dragon Eye tea. “A light and fragrant flowering tea made by hand with green tea buds, golden marigold, a chain of white jasmine blossoms and a red amaranth flower.” I know it’s a novelty but I can’t wait to try this! I’ve seen these flowering teas before and they look so beautiful. I do love tea anyway, particularly jasmine white monkey tea, so I imagine I will like this. Coincidentally I have a Jing tea infuser so I’ll be able to see the pretty flower unfurling. 


So there you have it, the first beauty box from She Said Beauty. I am impressed with it, I know some people were expecting bigger sizes but I think this box is good as it is. The products are decent sizes and of a good variety. Sadly I am not going to continue my subscription but this is purely down to a money-saving mission rather than anything to do with the box itself. If I could afford to I would carry on!

Have you signed up to She Said Beauty? What did you think?

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