Late to the Party

It's hard to believe that The Ordinary skincare (one of Deciem's brands) has only been around for just one year. They have totally revolutionised the way that people can access skincare products - that were, generally, previously in the domain of specialist skincare clinics and aestheticians or out of the affordable price range for many skincare enthusiasts. I've personally never seen any other brand, in such a short amount of time, grab the international beauty market so tightly by the balls till everyone had no choice but to take notice! I'd never been aware before, personally, of any brand that seemed constantly to have at least one of it's products on a waiting list. In particular, when the Ordinary released it's 'Colours' range earlier in the year, the waiting list quickly reached 50,000 (and don't quote me on this, but pretty sure I heard that it rose to 250,000). But for me, it's the price point that mostly attracts me to The Ord...

  It's been a great month for beauty subscription boxes!   Thanks God it's time for a new QVC Tili  (Try it Love it) box - this is box #5.   This is perhaps my favourite and best value subscription box. Just £20 with free P+P. So many full size products in here and there's not a dud amongst the choices. The QVC Tili box is seasonal - I've not worked out yet on what time scale they release them, but luckily there's plenty of warning on social media.   You can buy the Tili box here. It's still in stock at time of writing.     Loving this colour scheme of pink and yellow (since I'll be using the box for storage later!).     So here it is in all it's glory. I knew what the items were going to be, so no surprises (good or bad) but when you see them in their entirety you realise just how fantastic this box is. A nice mix of full size and decent travel sizes - bodycare, skincare, nails, perfume and lipsticks include...

    Look Fantastic Beauty Box - £15 per month (on a month-to-month basis) with free P+P   I've never tried the Look Fantastic box before (but have been tempted) but when I saw other people unboxing this special (3rd) Birthday edit, I knew I had to have it! I opted for the month-to-month subscription at £15 - although it gets slightly cheaper per month if you commit to a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription.   Missing from the photo is a large Elderflower-flavoured blue lollipop as my son nabbed it as soon as I opened the box (I did taste a bit of an un-licked corner though and it was very nice!). There was also a free copy of Elle Magazine (which reminded me why I don't buy print magazines anymore!)   What's in the box? Total number of items = 7       *   Eve Lom Cleanser and Muslin Cloth (20ml). I absolutely LOVE this cleanser - the smell is heavenly and it's the perfect consistency for a balm cleanser (some are ...

Apparently.... I heard somewhere that the ideal colour lipstick for you is the shade that closest matches the colour of your nipples.   Think on...   I seem to have bought a rather excessive amount of lipsticks this month. I blame it on all the 3 for 2 offers around. None of them match the colour of my nipples though. Take my word for it.   So, I thought I'd do some hugely scientific testing and see how they (and some of the other lipsticks in my stash) deliver - looking at price, application, formula, transference, wear-time and pigmentation.    Nyx - Butter Lipstick in Shade 612 (Lala) rrp £4.00 Colour: A heather-soft brown colour. I wanted a hint of purple tones without it being too 'out there'. Formula: This is a mineral-based, very creamy, moisturising formula - what I'd think of as a classic 'lipstick'. Application: Because it's so creamy, I felt that this would probably benefit from using a lip liner too as it did bleed s...