All For Eve Body Scrub

I love my 'All For Eve' red lipstick and nail polish,  created by Daniel Sandler and Sophy Robson respectively, but for some reason I have never tried any of the other products the brand offers. 'All For Eve' products have been created to raise money for the 'Eve Appeal', which raises funds for research into gynaecological cancers . 'All For Eve' was set up by George Hammer, the man who brought brands such as Aveda, Urban Retreat and Ruby & Millie to the fore of the beauty industry in the UK. This was in response to the loss of his sister in law to ovarian cancer in 2008.

However I have now added to my 'All For Eve' collection by purchasing the body scrub (£7.50), which has been created by Urban Retreat. I don't know about you, but for me, body scrubs can be really hit or miss. They are either too grainy and so irritate the skin, or are so 'gentle' that they don't appear to do anything, making them completely pointless. However, I think I might just have found 'the one' for me. When I first opened the pot, the scrub's creamy texture made it look like a rich body lotion, and so I was doubtful as to whether it would really deliver as a scrub. However, I definitely wasn't left disappointed, as this scrub not only got rid of my dry skin, but also delivered a micro massage (courtesy of the jojoba beads) and left my skin feeling as soft and smooth as if I had applied moisturiser. For me, this product is a total no-brainer: supersoft skin at a great price AND helping charity at the same time. What is not to love? The question is, which product to try next?!

All for Eve Nail Polish

I noticed that I haven't done a nail polish post in a while, so thought that it was about time for another one.

Today's Nail of the Day is the 'all for eve' nail polish in 'Eve', created to raise money for the 'Eve Appeal', which raises funds for research into gynaecological cancer . 'all for eve' was set up by George Hammer, the man who brought brands such as Aveda, Urban Retreat and Ruby & Millie to the fore of the beauty industry in the UK. This was in response to the death of his sister in law to ovarian cancer in 2008.

If you have read my blog before you might remember that the 'all for eve' lipstick by Daniel Sandler is one of my favourite reds. Therefore I was really keen to try this red polish, which was created by nail guru extraordinaire, Sophy Robson, who is the lady behind well-known and trendsetting nail looks like the Giles Deacon 'Eek' nails. I am a big fan of red nail polish, and can never resist adding another one to my collection.

As well as looking very stylish, I found that the unusual curved shape of the bottle, and the textured lid helped to hold it when applying the polish.

The shape of the brush meant that the polish applied really smoothly and evenly. I needed two coats for full coverage, but it gave a lovely glossy finish.

I love this classic vibrant red polish and will definitely be repurchasing it. What's not to love about a brilliant beauty product that also raises funds for a great cause?

If you would like to try this, you can order it from All For Eve, Feel Unique, Zuneta and Urban Retreat Beautique for £10.50.

To GlossyBox or not to GlossyBox?

The discussion between beauty bloggers on Twitter has been raging: to GlossyBox or not to GlossyBox? If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then here’s what GlossyBox have to say on their website (www.glossybox.co.uk)

“With the GlossyBox you receive the most interesting beauty products and latest make-up trends every month directly to your home. Each GlossyBox contains five selected luxury product miniatures. The product range is diverse, ranging from a luxury lipstick to a trendy hair care product from a cutting edge brand. All product miniatures are carefully selected and tested by our experts. Find your new favourite indulgent products to soothe those daily stresses or to add glamour to a party night.

With the GlossyBox many surprises and beauty tips await you. Let us find the right products for your type and let us guide you through the vast world of beauty.”

So basically, five luxury beauty treats landing on your mat every month, for the sum of £10. The idea is similar to the Birchbox service which runs in the United States.

There was a lot of discussion on Twitter as to whether this was a good idea or not. Quite a few people seemed to think that they would rather go in-store to get samples from brands they know they like. However I decided to trial the service, as not living in London means that my local department stores don’t always have the new brands I want to try, and I don’t always want to order an untried premium brand online, in case it doesn’t live up to the hype. 

I think a lot of people felt it was worth trying the service at least once though, and this feeling heightened once GlossyBox started dropping teaser tweets into people’s timelines hinting that Nars products would be making an appearance in the first box. Anyone who’s read my blog (for which I’m giving you a big virtual hug to say thank you) will know that I have only recently discovered Nars products. My first purchases were two of their fabulous blushes: Orgasm & Instant Cheekbones a.k.a Sin, and I soon added a Laguna bronzer to this list. These purchases were the start of a love for Nars that I know is shared by a few a LARGE number of bloggers (Is there a collective noun for a load of beauty bloggers?) If they have got Nars products in there then there will be some very happy GlossyBox customers out there.

My GlossyBox hasn’t been delivered yet, so until I can comment on the contents I’ve been thinking about what would be in my ideal GlossyBox. Here’s my list so far:

·    Nars – Albatross highlighter; Orgasm Illuminator; any of their lip products, Sheer Glow foundation….. (here endeth this sentence before it starts to resemble a Nars product list!).

·    Alpha-H – I’ve been impressed with this brand from my use of their 7-piece Daily Miracles set from Beauty Expert so would love to try more of their range.Until the 31st May you can get 15% off your order at Beauty Expert when you enter the code LOVELY at the checkout.

·    Daniel Sandler – I’ve heard some great product reviews and have been impressed with the base brush I’m using from his range and also his Eve lipstick for All for Eve which raises funds for The Eve Appeal which I purchased from Beautique.

·    By Terry – Ever since reading about Touche Veloutee on Chic Beauty Blog and Rose de Rose on Welsh Beauty Blog I have been lusting after this brand. For those who don’t know, this range was created by Terry de Gunzburg who created the iconic Touche Eclat for YSL. Thankfully for my bank balance there isn’t a branch of Space NK near me so I haven’t added anything by this brand to my collection…yet!

·    BioEffect – I was lucky enough to get a sample of this (worth £30) after finding out about their sampling campaign via the lovely British Beauty Blogger. Whilst I was impressed with the results, I couldn’t quite justify the cost to myself (£125 for 15ml or £76 for 5ml) so didn’t purchase it.

So have you ordered a GlossyBox or did the concept not appeal to you? What products would be in your perfect GlossyBox?

My Current Routine - Part II: Make-up

Here is the second part of my 'current routine' series of posts, and this time I'm looking at the contents of my make-up bag as opposed to every bit of makeup I own, which would be a much longer post! I'd be really interested to know if you have tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

Foundation – Estee Lauder DoubleWear in Fresco. This foundation is great and is a Holy Grail foundation for a large number of bloggers. It gives great coverage which lasts and lasts. If you'd like to give it a try, pop along to your nearest Estee Lauder concession to get yourself colour-matched and try a free 10 day sample.

Powder – L’Oreal True Match – This was bought after a Twitter cry for help as I needed to buy some powder to apply before going out after work and had left my compact at home. Great value and does a great job.

Concealer – GOSH TouchUp concealer (for undereyes) and Benefit It Stick (on blemishes). Although I am reasonably happy with these products I am still searching for the perfect Holy Grail concealer. As my undereye area has been known at times to have more bags than a Louis Vuitton flagship store I am always searching for ‘the one’ when it comes to concealers. When I find it you will be the first to know!

Blush – Nars blushes (which I LOVE) in either Orgasm or Sin (which has been described as "instant cheekbones"). I had never tried a Nars product until I read a few tweets about them, and I now wonder what on earth I was putting on my cheeks before I discovered Monsieur Nars’ blushes. The pigments and textures are fabulous. I also use Nars Bronzer in Laguna.

Lips – I think that this is one of the areas that has been most influenced by my discovery of beauty blogs. I used to be slightly hesitant about veering off the ‘natural pink lipgloss’ path but since I’ve discovered the joy of a good beauty blog I have been trying out a variety of different shades and textures. Here are some of my current favourites: Lanolips lip ointment in Apples (gives a lovely red sheen and leaves my lips really soft); MAC Viva Glam in Cyndi (a coral-red lustre); Guerlain Rouge G in Gaela (a pink which is bright enough to give a pop of colour without being too 'in your face', and it comes in the most gorgeous case) and All for Eve ‘Eve’ lipstick (a classic red) created by Daniel Sandler.

Mascara – Paula’s Choice Illicit Lash Mascara – I hadn’t come across this brand before until I read about this product on three blogs within the space of a week. With my cosmetic curiosity piqued I decided to order it from http://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/ and my lashes haven’t looked back. This mascara gives me lovely long lashes, and I never get any of the flaking that I’ve had with other products.

Eye-liner – L’Oreal Super Liner in 'Carbon Gloss' – very easy to apply and long-lasting – what’s not to love?!

Eye-shadow – MAC 'Retrospeck' and MAC 'Sumptuous Olive'; GOSH Waterproof shadow stick in 'Love that Brown'.

Brows – I never really used to do much to my brows, but once I started using a brow kit I haven't looked back. Just the simple act of brushing them through properly and applying brow powder gives some more definition to my face. I'm currently using the GOSH Brow Kit after buying it as part of a 3 for 2 offer in Superdrug.

So have you used any of these products, and if so, what did you think? Have you got any recommendations for me?