Affordable Beauty

Glossybox Reviews

Sunday, 29 April 2012



Hey everyone.
This is my first GlossyBox and I was, shall we say, satisfied with it.



First thing I noticed was the Inika Eyeliner Pencil. This got me excited.
I then saw the name of the colour... "peacock blue". Oh dear.
I would of preferred a dark brown or black but I guess it's something different if I'm feeling brave.
It's very shimmery and applies smoothly. As for the wear, I'm not sure how long it lasts but it seems like excellent quality. 
It's the full size and costs £11.75 per liner.
Swatch below.





Next off, I picked up the CaudalĂ­e S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum.
I'll admit, I never use serums but this gives me a chance to try one out. I have darkness under the eyes so I'm hoping this will brighten them up a tad.
I got 10ml and the full size is 30ml at a price of £29.00




The third item is an Ayuuri natual body wash in coconut enriched with Wild Indian Jasmine and Aloe Vera. 
This is not my sort of scent so I will give this away. 
From what I can see it looks really rich, creamy and indulgent. 
I got 200ml and the full size is 235g for £4.95




This has to be my favourite of the box.
Figs & Rouge lip balm in Rambling Rose.
This lip balm smells so good and is very moisturising. Usually I have to keep applying chapstick but this lasts for ages! The packaging is pretty too with its vintagey look.
I got the full size of 8ml and it costs £3.49. Definitely going to repurchase!




Lastly is the item I was most displeased about, a perfume oil sample.
The brand is Kai, which I've never heard of before and the scent is a "light, intoxicating blend of gardenia wrapped in white exotics". Basically, it smells like plants. I don't mind a fruity fragrance with flowery undertones but this is anything from light. 
Full size is £41.00 for 3.6ml



Looking forward to May's edition!

Sarah 
xoxo

Sunday, 22 April 2012


"Conditions and protects for younger looking hands" 

I was given this product by my mother as she doesn't really use these sorts of things.
Yes, it's for "younger looking hands" but to me, a hand cream is a hand cream. 

First off, the packaging isn't huge. It comes in a 25ml ivory coloured squeezy tube which makes it great for just chucking in your bag.
Upon researching the product I've found that it has changed to a white 75ml tube, which is not surprising as I've had this one for ages and it's still not all gone!

Onto the product.
It has SPF 15, which is great for those who believe and want to avoid premature ageing of the hands. 
The actual product itself is amazing, it absorbs super fast and doesn't leave your hands feeling greasy.
I do kind of wish it was a bit scented, it says it's unscented but to me it smells like babies and regular old soap which isn't that exciting. 

I recommend this product to those who use their hands a lot in their day to day life and don't want them to dry out.

xoxo
Sarah

Sunday, 15 April 2012



As you can read from the title, I've come up with new Skincare Sundays. Yay!

For the first one, I literally just grabbed the first skincare product I could find which happened to be a relatively new purchase of mine. The Simple kind to skin hydrating light moisturiser. Wow that's a mouthful.

I don't really use a lot of moisturisers because they tend to make my skin even more oily but since I noticed this was a "light" moisturiser I thought I would give it a go. I checked for oils on the back of the bottle and could only find one which is Borage seed oil which apparently renews and regenerates. Ooh.

The thing I love about Simple products is that they tend not to have any perfumes or colour. Basically they don't have any of that nasty stuff.
It contains vital vitamins like pro-vitamin B5 which activeley restores, softens and smoothens. Gotta love soft skin, strokey strokey. (Yeah, don't do that!) Anyway, the other vitamin it has is vitamin E which moisturises to improve skin condition. Now, we all know a bit of vita-e is good for you. Most vitamins are, so that's all gravy.
I've used this about 5 times now and I'm loving it, it doesn't leave an oily residue on your face or wherever you want to use it. The consistency is lovely and it has a small hint of a powder. Think Avon Magix face primer but more moisturising. I smooth this over my face until it's all soaked up and then apply make-up as usual.

Overall, I think this moisturiser is great for those with oily skin and for those who don't like the icky smells of other products on the market. It leaves your skin feeling soft and nourished.



Sarah xoxo

Thursday, 12 April 2012




Living with oily skin can be annoying at most times, especially if you're in unflattering light and your face is shining like a disco ball. I decided to tackle this issue once and for all as I hate using powder.

So I went to The Body Shop to get some inspiration and came across the Tea Tree section, I asked, "what's it supposed to be good for?" at which my mother replied, "oily skin". I quickly picked up a bottle at random (this one being the exfoliator) and had a read. It was indeed for oily/combination skin so I decided to give it a go.

A month later, I can reveal that this stuff is amazing, not only does it smell refreshing but it most definitely does what it says on the label. My face is free of excess oil for longer and I don't feel self conscious about my shiny face.

Blackhead exfoliating wash


Exfoliates to help unclog pores for clearer looking skin. With crushed apricot stones.

I use this every few days as over-exfoliating can be too harsh on your skin as you're basically rubbing your face in small stones. I use about a third of my fingers worth, as you really don't need very much, then massage onto a wet face focusing on the T zone since that's where I get off worse with the oily-ness. I then use my foaming cleanser, which I will get onto in a moment, and pat my face dry. Do not wipe your face with a towel as this will cause the pores to open up again and release more oil, and we don't want any more of that!
My skin feels smooth and refreshed with a slight tingle where the stones have come to use. This exfoliator is also great to help wake you up as the scent is very powerful and zingy.

Skin clearing foaming cleanser

Instant foam removes impurities and excess oil, for clearer looking skin.

This is a more gentle product suitable for every day use, I tend to use it when I have a shower as the foam can be quite difficult to get off in the sink, as with most skin products. As said in the description it removes excess oil which is what we need. Same as the exfoliator, you really don't need very much. One pumps worth is enough and even then you're overwhelmed by the foam. I have to say, it's a very nice feeling though. :) Again, I focus on the T zone and pat dry. I then feel instantly refreshed and ready to go.

Cleansing wipes

Instant cleansing to sweep away make-up, impurities and excess oil, for clearer looking skin. Infused with tamanu oil.

If you're lazy like me, then you'll often feel like you can't be bothered with all that face wash stuff and just want your make-up off so you can go to sleep. These handy wipes kill two birds with one stone. Not only does it effectively remove your make-up but leaves your skin looking and feeling mattified and fresh. Use these with the toner and you're good to go. Now, you probably noticed in the description that it contains tamanu oil, but have no fear! this is a good type of oil. It leaves your face with a lovely glow without any of that residual greasiness or oiliness.


Skin clearing toner

Sweeps away traces of impurities for clearer looking skin. Leaves skin looking mattified. Infused with tamanu oil.

I've saved the best til last. This is my favourite of the range. I'd never used a toner before so I wasn't really sure what to expect but I'm so glad I tried it. This is the best skincare product I've used on my face to date. Not only does it keep your skin feeling smooth and oil free, but it keeps spots at bay. I've not had a single spot or blackhead since using this, which is something as I am prone to getting them on my chin and either sides of the nose. If I feel a spot coming on then I just dab some of this on using a cotton pad before I sleep and when I wake up, the oncoming spot has vanished. Magic!
I mostly use this before I go to sleep but it also works well just before putting make up on as liquid foundation usually has nasty oils, even when they say they don't. I recently had a bad reaction to a high end foundation causing me to severely break out and this product helped me get my skin looking clear and glowing again. All you do is pour some out carefully onto a cotton pad and sweep all over the face concentrating on problem areas and then you're done.



Overall, I really recommend this range to anyone who suffers from oily skin and is tired of it. Also to those who have bad acne and want it cleared up quickly and safely. I will be using it for the foreseeable as I think they are quality products with added bonuses of it being part of the Fair Trade community and being very affordable.


Sarah xoxo


Where can I buy these products?




Tuesday, 10 April 2012

Hi guys,


Third blog-a-go-go! This post is just going to be what you, yes you, want to see me blogging about. Whether it be reviews, what I got in my GlossyBox, OOTD... let me know! I've never really written a blog or anything that's as long as a blog post. In fact, the last time I wrote something really long was when I was in school and that was a long time ago! Well, not that long but it seems as if its been a decade.

Moby (my incredibly dosile cat) is currently walking all over my laptop, meowing for attention. Very funny Mobes, very funny indeed. NOT.

So just a little update on how things are going in the life of Sarah. Not a lot really. Same old stuff, with a few exciting bits thrown in. What has got me buzzing is the fact that I've only gone and bought a new camera and it is incredibly awesome. It's the Samsung MV800 and the thing that really caught my attention with this one is the fact that the whole LCD screen flips up so you can take self-portraits and make it easier to film with the added bonus of it being a compact digital camera. I love it!
So with the new arrival of my new child, this also means I can start on my YouTube channel, yaaaay! Same goes with the blog, let me know what you want to see because I don't want to make videos that nobody is going to be interested in or has been done before. That's just BORING.

Anything else? Not really.

That's it for now then. Yeah... cya!


Sarah xoxo

Sunday, 8 April 2012


I have to admit, I was a little daunted at the sight of this product.
Having bought it in a rush thinking it was a plain white nail polish. I got home and went to apply it and, with a perplexed look on my face, that it has a very strange consistency. I then removed the product from my nail and looked at the bottle again.
I had noticed the cracked effect on the applicator/lid and it dawned on me that it was one of these nail effect polishes.

After this incident, it had been tucked away in my nail polish drawer, only to be rediscovered again a couple of days ago. I thought to myself, "what the heck. May as well!".
I applied a base coat then two coats of Models Own Pink Punch NP036. Then it was onto the mystery polish. I read the instructions which are as follows:

1. Paint your nails with your chosen colour and let them dry. (Done!)
2. Apply a SINGLE COAT of Instant Nail Effects.
3. Watch the effect appear!

So I did as the instructions say and lo and behold, it worked! (Picture at the bottom of post).
As soon as I applied it, it started breaking up and creating this dried cracked paint look. Not the best description but it's the first thing that sprung to mind.

The negatives are that, as stated at the start, the consistency is somewhat gloopy. It did not apply well as it dries super fast. Another negative would be that it dulls down the original nail polish you have on. I put on a luminous pink and its now a darker coral colour.

My only positive would be that it's actually magical. Like Harry Potter style.

Overall, I don't think I would use it on my nails (fingers) as it's just too busy for me. But I would definitely use it on my big toes (bit too messy to use on all of the toe nails).
If you're in a rush and you want something a bit less boring, then definitely go for this as you only need one coat and you're off! Make sure to apply a base coat first though as it will not work on just your nail.


Sarah xoxo


Saturday, 7 April 2012

A little bit about me.

I'm going to get this out of the way to avoid questions.
Basically I work part-time and live with my two brothers (nightmare in itself). I've recently discovered the wonders of make-up which, I admit, took me a while as I am now 21 (I wore make up before, don't worry!)

After watching numerous YouTube videos, of which I have a few favourites that I have subscribed to. I will put them at the end because you HAVE to check them out if you're into the whole health and beauty thing. If you already are, then I'm sure you will know them already as they are huge in that YouTube category.

Anyway, I would say my style is simple. I'm not into flashy zebra prints and whatnot. Although I have been very much into bright colours recently. Currently sporting the luminous pink toenails at the moment.
Living where I do, we do not have the best shopping in the UK so you will excuse me when I buy something and get overexcited (it happens sometimes, it's uncontrollable!).

I have three beautiful kitty cats, whom I love dearly! Their names are Evee, Moby and Luna, or as I like to call them Evee-kins, Mobles the big fuffy ball of fuzz and Luna-bean... yeah, I have no idea.

So yeah, that's it for now. See ya!

Sarah xoxo




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I've recently discovered b/vlogging and I'm seriously fascinated so I decided to give it a go. I'm into beauty so I'll start there. Also, I love cats.
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