Tips: What to do with your Beauty Boxes

I haven't received a beauty box in about three months now, having had to cancel them due to a lack of funds. However, last year I managed to accumulate five of them, and anyone who has received beauty boxes will now how pretty, and high quality they are, so I really didn't want to throw them away. As I'm certain that you don't either.

For months now, all but one of them has sat collecting dust on my living floor, and when I recently picked up a new bookcase to home all of my books, I decided that it was time to take full advantage of the boxes and use them to keep the place tidy.

Each of the boxes was given a unique purpose:

Box One: The first box was initially allocated for my Shizzle Lips products, which I kept getting tied up in, because I'd received them all rolled up together. So, I unravelled them all, and curled them individually so that they're all completely separate and I literally just have to pick out the one that I want to use.

You can never have too many lip products ;)

As you can see I also threw in all of my lip balms, lip glosses and lippy as well, so I at least have them all in one place!

Box Two: I don't know about anyone else, but I am always misplacing my nail products. If it's not my Konad plates that I can't find, it's my nail file, and if it's not my nail polish, it's my nail art pen. So, yup I decided to throw most of these into one box.

Show your nails some lovin'

I, of course, didn't put all of my polishes into the box, because, well it's kinda unlikely that I'd been able to squish all of them into the box, even if I tried it, so I've left them in their drawer in my Fridge.

Box Three: Another collection of things that I never have any idea what to do with, is my hair curlers. I don't use them very often, and since I moved into my flat, just over a year ago, all they've done is sit in the drawer of my TV stand, which probably isn't the best place for them to be.

Um....curlers....yup....curlers!
Exciting, eh...?

Not a very exciting picture, I know, but since there is still room in there, I'll probably start storing hair clips and bobbles in there too. Because yep, I'm always losing my hair bobbles too ;)

Box Four: Since I've been doing this blog, I've accumulated a heck of a lot of mini-sized products, either as free gifts, in beauty boxes, gifts with magazines etc, and instead of shoving them in a drawer until the end of time, I've made the conscious decision to actually use them!!

Fortunately, the mini size of these products, make them perfect little products to take travelling, as they of course don't take up too much space, which is perfect when I'm attempting to travel light. So, this box has made a great little place to put all of my mini-sized products that I intend to take away with my. It includes everything from my smaller Urban Decay Primer Potion, to a disposable razor, to samples of shampoos, shower gels and various serums and hair spritzes, as well as sample perfumes.

This is probably my favourite box, because with all of my mini's together, I feel more obliged to go take a sneaky peek when I fancy trying something out, and with them in the same box, I at least know where they all are :) And when holiday time comes around, I just take out all the things I think I'll need!

Other stuff:

Paper Strips: Initially I'd been planning to use the black strips of paper for packaging, but it got to the point where I felt that I was just keeping it for the sake of keeping it, so I decided to just put it out to be recycled instead.

Ribbons: The pretty ribbons that were used to hold the paper together inside the box, I've actually been using as curtain ties in my bedroom and office, because they just look really cute, and I tie them up a bow :)

So, there you go, that's what I've done with my box and their contents.

What have you been storing inside your beauty boxes? And what did you do with the inner packaging?

Thanks for reading, it means a lot. 

Feel free to leave a comment.

Kat x

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Margaret Dabbs Hydrating Foot Soak

I honestly can not remember the last time that I actually reviewed a product, and since I have about ten products from the past two Glossybox's, I thought I'd review some of the products that I've really loved. Despite all of the controversy surrounding these boxes, there has been some fantastic products, that have made them worth it, and this one has most definitely got to be one of my favourites.

Packaging: The Margaret Dabbs Hydrating Foot Soak comes in an absolutely huuuuuuge bottle, that weighs a ton (or close enough!). The design on the packaging isn't anything inspiring, but it serves it's purpose.

It has a pump at the top which I haven't had any problem with. With this type of product, I'm a huge fan of pumps, purely because I find it easier to regulate how much product I get out, in comparison to pouring bottles, which I end up tipping half the bottle into my hand or where ever I need it!!

Scent: This product smells absolutely nommy. In fact, it smells like Lemon flavour Starburst (I had a weird need to call them "Opal Fruits" then!!) and is just as mouth watering. I could love this product on it's smell alone. Yumminess!!

Directions: Add a few squirts of the product into a bowl of warm water, soak your feet for around 10 minutes, relax, chill out and breathe in the gorgeous aroma...aaaaaw, heaven, if I do say so myself!!

On the Bottle: "A foot soak designed to deliver long lasting and effective relief from puffy feet and dehydrated skin and nails."

Does it do what it says on the tin? I don't have really bad dry skin on my feet, but they had gotten a little rough around the heels, so I took the advice on the bottle which recommended to "use daily for tired over dry skin", and after two or three days, my skin felt much softer which was wonderful.

I actually came home from a day of shopping last weekend, and the balls of my feet were absolutely killing. Killing in the way that I thought was only possible in high heels, even though I was wearing sandals with a minimal heel. So, I very gratefully spent way too long soaking my poor weary feet using this Foot Soak, and they were very grateful!!

Would I buy it again? Looking at it, solely as a product, and not taking into consideration any other factor, I would most definitely consider buying this again. It smells divine, and my feet really love it, which is great, because my feet are probably the most neglected part of my skin.

What would stop me buying it? Unfortunately, at £20 it's a little over the budget I would spend on my feet, but I could easily be tempted to buy it as a every-so-often luxury treat type of item because it is worth the money.

Available from: Margaret Dabbs website.

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May GlossyBox Product Reviews

I know that everyone and her best friend has either written, or read, about the May GlossyBox, but I really wanted to have a chance to actually use the products, before I posted anything. So, here is my mini review of each product for you to enjoy :)

Coco Shambhala Invigorate Lotion

What the Bottle Says: Soften skin with Essential Oils of Eucalyptus, Geranium, Lavender and Peppermint.

Sample Size: 50ml

Smell: Awful. For me, I think that this lotion is just too strong smelling, and very over-powering. Some people might like that, but it really wasn't for me, and I can imagine it clashing with perfumes, which isn't really a good thing.

Usage: The product wasn't really anything special. I used it on my arms, and it didn't leave them feeling any more (or less) soft than any other product.

Overall: Quite an uninspiring product, that I certainly wouldn't buy, especially not at the price it's on the market for.

Full Size: £20 for 200ml

Bionova (Bioactive Cleanser for Normal/Dry Skin)

Product Description: "The N/D cleanser is for both skin types: Normal and Dry. This product gently removes all traces of impurities without damaging the skin's natural barrier system." (taken from Glossybox.co.uk)

Sample Size: 0.14 fl oz

Smell: This is going to sound weird, but when applying this, I honestly didn't notice the smell. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because as you might have guessed, I'm really not a fan of strong scented products.

Usage: First of all, I want to say that I don't have normal or dry skin, it's actually combination/oily, but I still thought that it was worth giving the product a go.

To use, you're supposed to apply this cleanser roughly one to three minutes before you go in the shower, now, noting that I was (at the time) in a house full of people, hogging the bathroom, I think that it was probably around ten minutes before I got into the shower, but I don't think it changed the results, in any way. And it left my skin feeling clean, and actually quite soft.

As expected, it left my skin feeling a little bit oily, but that's more my skin type than the cleanser.

Overall: I quite liked it, and I think I'll be saving the rest of this sample for those periods when I have dry skin.

Full Size: £29 for 4.50 oz.

Would I pay £29 for the full size? £29 for a cleanser?? Not on your life! It was nice, but so are the ones that I can pick up for less than a fiver!

All for Eve: Eve Red Lipstick

Product Description: "Providing long lasting coverage, Eve Red is a fabulous blue-toned red lipstick that suits most skin shades.
The perfect shade for a classic red lip or simply to give you a burst of colour and make your tan 'pop'." (taken from Glossybox.co.uk)


Sample Size: Full Size

Colour: This is a very bold statement red lipstick. I do own a red lipstick, but I never feel confident enough to wear it. More on that in a minute.

Usage: The lipstick applies really nicely, is very soft on the lips and is a really fantastic colour. But, and this isn't anything against the product, but I find that red lipsticks are something that I just can not pull off. I don't know if this is the same for other ladies, but if I want to wear a red lipstick, it has to be applied absolutely immaculately. One tiny bit out of place, and I end up looking silly.

It's not like most colours, where you just apply it, because the red just seems so bold and noticeable. I think you really do need confidence to wear some red lipsticks, and this one I definitely need more confidence to wear. Which is a shame, because the colour is fabulous!

Overall: Love the colour, love the consistency, just need the confidence to wear it.

Full Size: The sample was full size, so this actual product is worth £10.50 in the shops.

Would I pay £10.50 for this? Actually, I could be tempted. I don't buy or wear lipsticks very often, so when I do wear them, it's only for special occassions, and I could be tempted to spend a little bit more for something special, and knowing that this product is high quality for a goodish price, it's very tempting. Although, I think I'd opt for a much more subtle shade ;)


Alterna (Caviar Anti-Aging Rapid Repair Spray)

Product Description: "Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Rapid Repair Spray is a supercharged vitamin packed finishing spray with UV protection that has the strength to immediately transform the look and feel of the hair. The spray is lightweight enough to be used throughout the day, restoring vibrancy, strength, and elasticity to tired, dull, dry hair. Adds instant shine to all hair types." (taken from Glossybox.co.uk)

Smell: This spray has a very distinct smell, that to me, smells expensive. Ask me to explain that one, and no, I couldn't tell you. But, I guess it just smells like a product that I very much doubt I could ever afford.

Once again, it smells quite strong, but in this case, I kind of like it. It's not overpowering at all to my little nosey.

Usage: I have to confess, that initially, I had no idea what this was for. At first glance, all I read was "anti-aging rapid repair", which tell me if I'm wrong, but implies that it's a product for the skin. Because, well, anti-aging generally is something skin related, isn't it?

But, the smell and the fact that it was a spray, made me strongly suspect, that it wasn't for my skin (luckily, I realised this quick enough to not spray it onto my skin!!). After a little research, I discovered that it was indeed, for my hair, and I couldn't help but feel sceptical about that. I mean, really?? Anti-aging products....for my hair? Maybe, it's the fact that I'm still only 27, and I'm still really young, so I'm not really thinking about anti-aging products just yet, for my skin, let alone, my hair!

But, my hair isn't tired, dull or dry, so perhaps this product isn't designed for me anyway! Which would explain why, although the smell is divine, I couldn't really notice any difference in my hair after using this product.

Overall: I liked the smell, but I don't feel that it's a product that is aimed for someone like me.

Full Size: £27 for 100ml

Would I pay £27 for this? As I said, I don't think it's aimed at me, as such, but I may pass this on to my Mum though, and see what she thinks!

Nars Orgasm Illuminator

Note: For some reason, I don't appear to have taken any photos of the Nars product, so for now, I don't have any...I promise that next time I do a round of photograph-taking, I will update this post :)

Product Description: "The Illuminator is a silky, shimmering highlighter which creates instant radiance and luminosity. The translucent, weightless formula makes skin look glowing and refreshed and is universally flattering on all skin types. It can be worn alone or mixed with moisturizer, primer or liquid foundation to provide a subtle glow. Dermatologist tested product. Non-comedogenic." (taken from Glossybox.co.uk)

Sample Size: Full Size

Usage: I have to say, that this is the product that I was most excited about trying, because of all the brands, this is the only one that I have actually heard of, and it's a brand that I could never afford to buy. I do have to admit, that I was a little disappointed that the Nars product was only a highlighter, but I'm more excited about the fact, that I can now say that I own a Nars product!!

I'm not going to beat-around-the-bush, so to speak, with this product, I'm just going to say that I don't have any real opinion of this highlighter. It does what it says on the tin. It melts into the skin easily, and the teeny little glittery-type particles, or whatever they are, add a little glow to your skin. That's about it really. Nothing more, nothing less.

Overall: I'm not going to say that it made my skin look healthy, or amazing, but despite the little glow, it wasn't anything spectacular or out of the ordinary, and it certainly didn't gain any comments.

Full Size: £21.50 for 30ml

Would I pay £21.50 for full size? Not really. I don't think it's anything special. It has inspired me, nevertheless, to look into other Nars product, out of curiosity.

If this has peaked an interest as to what on earth the Glossybox is, you can find out more details here. A lot of people have been saying that it's a waste of money, but the Lipstick and Highlighter alone tally up to £32. Now, I'm not very good at Maths, but even I can tell, that £10 for 5 items, two of which add up to over £30 is most definitely worth the money. But, I guess the issue is really whether you'd use the products.

I'm intending to give it a good few months, before I really decide whether or not it is worth it. But, at the minute I am in two minds. The items are nice, but would I use most of them? I'd have to say no.

What do you guys think? Do you have a Glossybox? Do you think it's worth it? Or have you ordered one?

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