30 day blogger challenge: A beauty box review -Birch box first impressions

I have been subscribing to birch box for about 9 months and this months is a little disappointing for me especially as it’s their 5th birthday box. Maybe I was expecting too much.

The box is pretty but the samples aren’t great this month, as I rarely swap my regular hair products and this months (as with most other months) are mainly hair related.

I have taken pics holding the products so you can get an idea of the sizes.

Laura mercier facial polish 11.3g/0.4oz (£26 full size price)

This I will use, although it is a tiny sample. I suffer with very dry skin so I can always use a facial exfoliator. And I am a fan of Laura mercier products!
John masters organics- citrus neroli detangler 30ml £16 full size price)

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This will get thrown in a drawer and never get used. I mean, why give me a bottle of detangler and a brush? I’m 30, I think I’ve mastered the art of removing knots from my head thanks. It does smell nice though. Very lemony.
The birch brush £5.99

See above, it will probably live in one of my handbags never to see the light of day again.
Laqa & co cheeky lip pencil in ‘cray cray’ (£17 full size price)

A gorgeous bright coral, chunky lip & cheek pencil. This will go in my make up box and I’ll enjoy looking at its bright cheery packaging but unfortunately it’s not a very wearable shade for my skin tone. But it is a decent sized sample and would lay someone quite a while.

Beauty protector body wash (£8 full size price)

It’s probably enough for maybe half a shower with the amount of shower gel I use. The packaging is cute but it smells very sweet, too sickly sweet for me.
Benefit- the POREfessional (£15.50 full size price)

Decent sized sample. However I’ll never use it seeing as I have DRY SKIN! Come on Birch box don’t you check our beauty profiles?! So this is basically useless to me.
So that was my Birchbox! I’m giving it another month to see if it improves but if not I’ll be cancelling my subscription.
What did you think of this months birch box?

Do you subscribe to any other monthly beauty boxes?

I’d love to check some more out so please leave recommendations in the comments 🙂

Tomorrow’s post is: my make up collection!

Sam 🙂 x

Urban Decay: Naked smoky palette, review & swatches

 It’s here! Sorry this is a little late! Been a manic week!   

I actually recieved this on the 3rd just before store launch so I’ve been itching to swatch this baby since it arrived. 

First Impressions: The packaging is gorgeous,it looks and feels expensive. I think it looks so much nicer than the other naked palettes too. The colours look amazing and I’m already inspired just after a little peek. The looks you can create are endless. 

  
  I’m also loving the brush. There’s a small pencil brush which is great for fine details/lining the lower lashes etc one end and a blending brush the other. 

  
 The colours: There are 4 matte, 4 satin & 4 shimmer shades shown below with & without flash.

Matte shades: Top to bottom: Thirteen, Combust, Whiskey & Password

   

   

Satin shades: Top to bottom (Whiskey, Password,)Smolder, Black market, Dagger & Slanted

   
    

Shimmer shades: Top to bottom (Slanted), Armor, Radar, Dirtysweet & High

   
    

To be completely honest I wasn’t overly impressed with the pigmentation of the satin shades, they needed layering quite a bit which is a shame. However, I’m not normally a fan of shimmers but I’m loving Armor, Dirtysweet & Radar. They apply exactly how they look in the palette. 

Combust & thirteen are ideal base shades for all over the eyelid.
Whiskey is a perfect transition shade.
High is lovely for highlighting the inner corner of the eye & brow bone.
  
   
Top to bottom- Thirteen, combust, whiskey, password, Smolder, black market, dagger, slanted, Armor, radar, Dirtysweet, high.

I Had a quick play and did a soft smokey eye this morning using a few colours from this palette.
   
 
I’ve been partying pretty hard this weekend trying to relive my youth so excuse the dark circles (I’d call them bags but they are more like suitcases under my eyes!)
Eyes: Thirteen all over the lid up to brow, High on brow bone & inner corner, Whiskey in the crease & outer corner also used as liner on bottom lash line, Dirtsweet on the lid. Mascara is too faced better than sex in black
Face: Urban Decay naked foundation in 5.0, collection lasting finish concealer in fair. Mac prep & prime loose powder to set, Illamasqua blush in lover and Mac soft & gentle for the highlight. 

Have you purchased the smoky palette? What did you think? Let me know, would love to hear what you guys thought 🙂 

I have a few posts coming this week (lots of birthday make up purchases!) so keep your eyes peeled. 
See you soon 🙂 x

All that jazz: The Cocktails collection. Nail polish review

Hello again! 

So, I’ve gone a bit mental this week and splurged on way too many products! (I say that like it’s unusual) 

Don’t worry, I’ll certainly be sharing them with you all shortly.  But I’ll start off with the all that jazz cocktails polishes.

 They were released a while ago and I’ve had them for a few weeks, so yes I’m late! But I thought they were definitely worth a mention. I have a few colours from a their previous collections and have been very impressed. 

First impressions: Just wow! I do love my brights and these did not disappoint. There are 4 colours in the collection  

 L-R The margarita, The Cosmopolitan, The Mojito & The Jack rose 

The Margarita- Neon lime green

The cosmopolitan- Neon Barbie pink 

The Mojito- Lovely bright Teal

The Jack Rose- Neon orange/coral (My personal fave!) 

Application: The brushes are an absolute dream to paint with. And they give even colour application with ease. 

Coverage: With just one coat the coverage was pretty amazing.  

 I find with most neon polishes I need to do around 4 coats to get a decent amount of coverage & with that comes the dreadful drying time. But not with these babies!

 Completely dry in less that 8 minutes!  (yes I timed it!)

 I’ve been spoilt with my Gelish manicures being completely dry as soon as they are done but I think I’m converting back to my old ways of good old regular nail polish. 

So, back to coverage! After 2 thin coats I have complete, even coverage.

Shown here with All that Jazz top note- topcoat. 

Wearability: They were still going strong 13 days after application without the need to reapply top coat. (I removed them in the end as I needed a colour change for a night out.) which was The Jack rose, with some sparkle added to the cuticle area- shown below. 

 
Pros: Coverage & drying time 

Cons: I would have loved a neon blue or yellow instead of 2 greens but I suppose that isn’t really a con. However I had to put something 😉 

I must say this is now my go to brand for polishes which has over taken some high end brands that I usually love. 

Have you tried All that jazz? What did you think? Fave colours?  Let me know

For more swatches check out my Instagram: https://instagram.com/perfectlypolishedxx/

To view the full range & purchase : http://www.allthatjazzuk.com/product-details/2/118/327/professional-nail-lacquer/collections/the-cocktail-collection.htm 

This weeks manicure

Here’s this weeks mani if you hadn’t already noticed 😉
 

 I’m now off to have a play with my Urban decay Smoky palette for my next post 😍  It Arrived Monday morning but I haven’t had the chance to swatch it yet. Trust me, you guys will not be disappointed. It’s definitely been worth the wait! 

See you soon! 

Sam x

Kate moss for Rimmel lasting finish nudes collection

It’s the eve of my 30th birthday and I’m feeling a little depressed. So what better way to cheer myself up than with an unplanned purchase! YAY! (That’s what I call them so I don’t feel so bad. It’s not like I went in search of an item, it just well, happened you know? )

I’d heard about the Kate Moss for Rimmel London lasting finish nude collection but not really being a lipstick fan myself didn’t think much of it. 

Until I saw them…..

  
Aren’t they pretty? Even if I don’t use them they’ll look pretty in my make up kit.  

 First impressions, the lightest shade (40) looks like a concealer. It’s that pale! And I’ll probably save 48 for Halloween seeing as I already look like a ghost or ‘pale & interesting’ as some like to describe the Casper like shade of my skin. 

However for me shades 42, 43 & 45 look promising. 

   
 
L-R 40, 42, 43, 45, 48

Application: They glide on easily enough and the coverage is quite sheer from what I expected it to be but they are buildable. 

They felt a little dry after a short while (if you suffer with dry lips these probably aren’t for you) but the colour stayed put for around 2-3 hours.  So I’d definitely recommend throwing one in your bag for touch ups throughout the day especially for a night out.  

If you can only buy one I’d say 45 will be perfect for most skins. But they are nice to layer if you do decide to purchase more than one. 43 over 45 is lovely!  Have you tried them? What did you think? Let me know in the comments 

 
Me in shade 45 – excuse the dressing gown I was running late for work 😉 

For £5.49 I think they are a bargain. And buy one get one half price in Superdrug at the moment (for a limited time) plus a free make up bag when you spend over £15, so if you want the set your winning in life! Get them here: http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel-dare-to-bare%3F/c/rimmel-dare-to-bare?q=%3Aname-asc%3Acategory%3Apt_make_up_lipstick&text=&minSel=4.0&maxSel=7.0&minSlider=4.0&maxSlider=7.0&resultsForPage=20&categorypt_make_up_lipstick=on

I’ll work out how to put those words that link you to the products eventually I promise! 

Just a quickie, I thought some of you might like to see which manicure I’m sporting with each post? If so let me know and leave a comment. 

So here’s my birthday mani to start it off:

 
My urban decay smoky palette is winging its way to me as I type! So as soon as it arrives I’ll have a little play & a swatch and get the next post up ASAP! 

Happy Saturday people! x 

Being ‘perfectly polished’

I’m throwing myself in at the deep end and going with the flow so to speak so This particular post might not make much sense but stay with me. Good things come to those who wait & all that jazz. 
I had a thought, an epiphany some might say. That seeing as I spend half my life on social media watching make up tutorials and the other half in M.A.C that I should try and do something with it.Which brings me here.
I’m not going to sit here & pretend that I’m a really interesting person. (Far from it)

Moi, yes I’m pants at selfies!

But I do buy some pretty good stuff! Well sometimes.
I have an old skool laptop, an iphone 6 and an obsession with make up & nails. So lets see how far we get as I’m not quite sure where/how/why/what im doing with this at present or how to work it. I don’t have a clue what tags are! But I’m hoping things will fall into place. (When all else fails wing it right?)

So, to begin my blogging journey here’s a ’10 things about me’ section so you can get to know me a little before I bore the hell out of you on a weekly basis
1. I’m from Essex! Make of that what you will. Yes I’m probably a bit stupid, with an annoying cockney accent & huge make up obsession- minus the orange tan, fake boobs & big bouncy blow dry. (only because I can’t afford them)

2. I’m a Nail technician, beauty therapist & aspiring make up artist. Although you wouldn’t think it to look at me. No I wasn’t born with it,and yes it is Maybelline.

3. I have a 10 year old daughter.And I have no idea how I’ve managed to keep another person other than myself alive for that long either.

4. The amount I’ve spent this year on make up I could probably put a deposit on another house. (I wont tell if you wont)

5. I’m turning 30 next month. Lets say no more on that

6. I have an obsessively clean, tidy husband who I drive crazy with my make up & nail varnish collections. Basically he’s going bald and I think I’m the reason

7. I’m scared of little flying bugs- Flies, moths, butterflies, flying ants, wasps. I flap around like an idiot if one even breathes on me. Moths always go for the throat! Why is that?

8. The taste of cucumber makes me gag, don’t ask why. I don’t know why I felt it relevant to tell you either but I needed a number 8

9. I need a pair of Louboutins to complete my life. Can’t take over the world in Primarni flip flops can I?

10. Hmmm, one of the most embarrassing moments of my life so far? Falling down a flight of stairs at a posh wedding of people I hardly knew. Landing at the bottom, arse up, dress around my waist, g-string on full view and no vodka in my system to blame it on. Not one of my finest moments I must admit.

So that’s a little bit of me to get us started.

I have some swatches coming up very soon of All that jazz cocktails collection nail lacquer. AND the new Urban decay smoky palette shall be in my possession very soon, For which I cannot contain my excitement!

Be there or be square! Xx