Firstly let me start off with an apology for the poor quality photo, the weather is pretty gloomy and it's really overcast here today *sad face.  I thought I'd do a little post on my favourite toners as I use these three regularly but for different purposes.

So we'll start from the left shall we? La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray is my morning toner, I use it straight after cleansing and it's designed to mattify skin and leave it less shiny and greasy. I love the fact this toner comes in a spray bottle, it's really cooling and wakes your skin up. I've been Serozinc for about 3 weeks now and I'm really enjoying it, I find my skin is less oily throughout the day.  

Next up is one you must have seen before, Pixi Glow Tonic. I use this toner pretty much every morning (before Serozinc) and again in the evening. It's one of those products where you don't see the gradual change in your skin but all of a sudden you'll start getting compliments from other people. I think I've mentioned before that I'm addicted to anything that contains Glycol and that's what drew me to this toner. If you have skin that's a little lacklustre and you want something that will exfoliate whilst toning then this is for you.

Last but certainly not least is Caudalie Beauty Elixir. This is the toner I like to use after having my twice-weekly face mask or when I'm having a break-out. Imagine someone with a mouth full of mint blowing on your face, that's how refreshing this stuff is. It's cooling, soothing and instantly tightens my pores after cleansing. Although I use this as a toner you can use it to prime skin and set makeup, it's truly a marvel.

Do yo see any of your favourites here?

June's Birchbox Review

A bit of a late review of Birchbox this month due to the fact that for some unbeknown reason I only received my box on Saturday (after 2 weeks of emailing them seeing what the hell was going on). Anyways, this month's birch box was a Brazil theme in celebration of (I'm sure you're aware unless you've been locked in a bunker!) the World Cup kicking off this month. Lets take a look at what I received in my box...

Beauty Blender 

I was very happy to see that my box contained the Beauty Blender that everyone was desperate to get their hands on! I've been using it everyday since I received it and I can honestly say I'm converted from my my regular foundation brush (Real Techniques Expert Face Brush)! Used properly it does give a beautifully even finish, not streaks or uneven patches, just skin-looking...only better! The only thing I do find is that if you don't squeeze the excess water out properly it can drink up your foundation. I also love the fact that it came with the cleanser to clean it after every use.

Caudalie Vinoperfect 

Another product that was gratefully received was Caudalie's Vinoperfect Day Fluid. I think most subscribers were hoping to get their hands on one product by this luxurious French brands this month. Vinoperfect Day fluid promises to smooth lines, minimise pores and reduce dark spots. I'm looking forward to giving this day cream a go on one of my Trial-Sized Tuesdays.

Naobay Body Radiance Lotion

This fresh lemon fragranced lotion by Naobay was another welcome product in my Birchbox. I have a real affinity for moisturizers, especially those that promise to promote radiance and hydration. This light lotion is infused with ingredients such as avocado oil and shea butter.

O.P.I Brazil Collection

I was quite excited to see O.P.I featured in this month's box as I saw some gorgeous colors featured in some boxes. I however received You're So Flippy Floppy, a bright shimmery yellow...not my colour at all I'm afraid so I wont be testing this product out.

 

Silk + Honey Shea Butter Hair Mask

I am a bit of a sucker for hair treatments and was glad to see this in my box. I did try Silk + Honey on my hair on Saturday night and I must say it left my hair rather soft. Initially when I opened the tub for a smell I was not impressed, I was expecting the mask to smell primarily of Shea Butter, I would however compare the scent to Nivea Moisturizer. Despite the smell it was a pleasant little mask to use and it left my hair soft and shiny.

 

As a little 'lifestyle extra' there was a small flip-flop keyring in the Brazilian colors.

I have mixed emotions about this month's box, I think I would have been more excited about it if I received it when every body else had received there's and not 2 weeks later. Contents wise not a bad box, service wise however not so good.

Jodie

xoxo

May's Edition Of You Beauty Box

This month You Beauty collaborated with CEW (Cosmetic Executive Woman) UK to produce a shortlist of award winning products in a You Beauty Discovery CEW Beauty Awards box. Unfortunately for some this proved to be a very popular shortlist of products and a few of the most wanted products were sold out before 7am on 1st May (the day you can make your selection). I anticipated it being a very popular box and stayed up until midnight to make my selection...sad I know! So lets take a look at the items I picked and the little extra's in my You Beauty box...

The main reason and the one product I stayed up until midnight for was the Fake Bake 60 Minute Tan. I already own this stuff and I think it's fab! It's a really easy liquid tanner with a 'show-where-it-goes' formula that gives a golden tan after 60 minutes, or you can leave for up to 3 hours for a deeper tan to develop. What I really love about Fake Bake's 60 Minute Tan is it absorbs quickly and doesn't leave you feeling all sticky and gross afterwards, I can use this on my face and not break out which is an added bonus! I received the full 236ml bottle retailing at £24.95 along with tanning mitt...the box had paid for itself twice over with this product alone!

              I picked the Percy & Reed Eau My Goodness Shine Spray as I have for some reason a real think for shine spray's. With it's ever cute packaging unique to Percy & Reed products it looks great on my dressing table but the 50ml bottle is small enough to fit in my handing. Whilst the spray did have a divine rose scent and delivered the promised shot of shine I probably wouldn't purchase the full product for £22, at the rate I get through hair products it would turn out to be too expensive.

               

The extra samples that I received in my box this month were Charles Worthington's Moisture

Seal Leave In Hair Conditioner and Caudalie Divine Legs. I'm not sure if there 

is actually enough in the sachet to do a leg but there was enough to give me a feel for

the product. Divine Legs is a quick-drying, long-lasting tinted lotion designed to give a natural finish

with no yucky orange toned streaking. When searching for Charles Worthington's

 

leave-in conditioner everywhere seemed to be out of stock so I'm guessing it's discontinued,

either that or everyone's snapping it up! Also in my box was a single serving of Lizi's Granola which I haven't tried yet but it looks lush!

I think this month's box was excellent value for money and a great selection of products...so much so I did sub for another box choosing Fake Bake 60 Minute Tan again and Dr Organic Moroccan Argan Oil (separate post to follow on that). I would say You Beauty Discovery is one of the best value for money beauty boxes out there, sure that element of surprise isn't there with what you get through the door but that's what I like! The shortlists are 9 times out of 10 good comprised of a good selection and great value products...for £6.95 including p&p what more do you want?

Jodie

xoxo