DIY Mineral Nail Varnish: BM Beauty in 'Her Majesty'

Picture heavy post!

Last month LuxBox released their first beauty box – blogged here – and whilst I was pleasantly surprised there was item that had popped up in a previous GlossyBox that I really didn’t like.

In theory the BM Eyeshadows are right up my street; they’re mineral based and I love mineral makeup. However, it wasn’t the product itself I had the issue with. The issue was with the colours.

‘Wolf Howl’ and ‘Her Majesty’ respectively, are very glorified names for a garish purple and a very bright pink. I honestly take my virtual hat off to anyone who can pull these colours off, but as a girl who shies away from shadows anyway, these weren’t for me.

Beauty Box Swappers was flooded with these up for swaps, with not many takers so I knew swapping wasn’t an option.

Source

Que brainwave.

I’d heard of some people grinding up their broken shadows and blushes and using them as pigments for nail varnishes, so my loose, garish purple and bright pink were perfect.

Here’s how I did it:

I used an MUA clear nail varnish; at just £1 it’s a complete steal for stuff like this.

SO.

I laid down some paper over the dining table, loose powders can be very messy and I didn’t fancy a new pink table!

I made a little funnel out of a small piece of paper and some sellotape, stuck it in the top of the varnish and tapped the shadow in.

I added about a quarter of the pot, removed the funnel and put the brush back in. Looks like a mini nuclear disaster. (Yes, I’m a geek)

I shook it for about 30 seconds, let it rest for 10 seconds and then shook it again just to make sure that all of the lumps were gone.

This is the swatch after it was mixed in, but I wanted it slightly more pigmented so I repeated the steps again.

Darker swatch.

My new ‘Her Majesty’ nail varnish :) and a whole heap of mess.

Really pleased with how it turned out, the pictures don’t show it well but it’s a very shimmery, golden pink.

I did this with ‘Wolf Howl’ too, but found that the shadow settles quite quickly. If you’ve got some small ball bearings around the house then they’d be perfect to drop in to help you revive the polish when you shake it back together.

Don't limit yourself to loose powders, you can crush pressed powders to use in DIY nail varnishes.

Have you got any powders you’ll be trying this with? Links if you do please :)

The New Beauty Box In Town: Lux Box, April

This morning the eagerly anticipated Lux Box arrived at my door. It’s the first box from the company and I was really excited to receive it as they’ve been doing a lot of research into what kind of box people would have wanted.

They were running an introductory offer of 25% off so I received the box for £10.40 (inc. P&P) instead of £12.95 – which seems like the average price for boxes these days.  

The mailing box was a pretty boring cardboard box, with no branding. I only realised it was my Lux Box because it was posted last week, and it’s the only other beauty box I get along with GB.

The box itself is a lot like GB box. I love the logo and print on the top, it seems quite sophisticated.

Inside the box is black tissue and cardboard shavings, accentuated with a pink sticker and ribbon. This is pretty much the standard packaging for beauty boxes.

SO, here’s what I got in the box:

STEAMCREAM in ‘Ambigue’ tin – Worth £12

Eldora False Lashes – Worth £4.90 (I think!)

BM Beauty Eyeshadow (2 x 1g) – Worth £7

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream – Worth £13

MOA The Green Balm – Worth £X?

Total: £36.90

Steamcream – I know people are disappointed as this is a repeat from the last Carmine. I love this cream though so I’m really happy it’s in there! Smells lavender-y and absorbs really quickly. And it’s made with steam! Steamcream is apparently the sister company of Lush, and I just love Lush products so this is a definite keeper! Plus this tin is limited edition, love it!

Eldora False Lashes – Another repeat also. I don’t wear lashes myself and I wouldn’t give these a try any way because I don’t like the diamantes. I love the fact that there’s a mix of products though, so I can’t complain that they’re in there.

BM Eye Shadow – Again, repeated. I didn’t like them the first time round and I don’t like them this time. However, I’m pleased there’s makeup. I’m also pleased that there are two this time around. I wouldn’t wear pink or purple eye shadow, as it’s not really me but I do love the fact that they’re mineral, as I love mineral makeup.

Balance Me Eye Cream – I love the Balance Me brand. They’re always popping up in beauty boxes, but I don’t mind, as I love some of the products that I’ve tried over the last few months. Will definitely be giving this a whirl too, if it’s anything like the other products I’ve tried then I know I’ll want the full size!

MOA Green Balm – It’s actually quite bad that this is the smallest product in the box and even though I’m yet to use it it’s my favourite and I’m sure I’ll buy the full size. I’m a sucker for multi-use products. The fact that it’s natural and can be used in your hair, on your face, on your body, AND can be gargled with water is astonishing (plus many more uses!). I absolutely love stuff like this. Disappointed that there was no indication of sample size or worth so I couldn’t work out how much its worth, but hey.

Overall

Overall I’m really pleased. Yes, there are some items I wouldn’t use but you can’t please everyone when it comes to beauty boxes, and the fact that there are things I like and brands I don’t know make it worthwhile. This box also gives me hope for the coming boxes too. I was really disappointed with the first SheSaid box, but I love this one. £40 worth of products for £10.40? Don’t mind if I do, ta!

Another point is that there are a whopping SIX discount codes in the little leaflet inside. SIX. Crazy. Underneath every product description there’s a discount code, either for that specific product or the brand in general. Then there’s the bonus discount of 50% of individual eyelash extensions. For those who’ve read my freebie posts you’ll know I love a good bargain, so these were a lovely touch! Will I be using them? Of course!

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think I may have found my Carmine replacement!

Did anyone else get a Lux Box?

My First FOTD! ..

I’ve never done a FOTD post so I thought that I’d give it a go today.

Excuse my eyebrow! It happens every time I take a picture, can't control it! Haha x

I prepped my face with a L’Oreal toner, followed by Clarins Extra Firming Day Cream from January’s GB. Completely addicted now by the way!

I’m using Body Shop Matte It primer – AMAZing! – Works really well with mineral powders.

Foundation:

Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation in Dark 3 (used as a concealer)

BareMinerals Mineral Foundation in Deepest Deep

Brows: 

Black Kohl Pencil for definition 

Avon In A Blink Double Ended Eyeshadow & Eyeliner (Eyeshadow used to highlight arch)

Cheeks:

BareMinerals Blush in I’m Amused Rouge (Almost finished :()

Eyes: 

Essential Care Eye Pencil in Black (From Red Carpet Box) 

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Black (Top lashes only – From Red Carpet Box)

Lips: 

 Nivea Super Moisturising Lipstick in Big Berry

… And that’s it. This is pretty much my everyday look. I try to keep it as natural looking as possible as I don’t like cakey makeup. The lipstick is new and today is the first day that I’ve worn it, will definitely keep using it as it’s the first lipstick that actually looks okay on me!

What are you wearing today? Link me your FOTD posts! :)

Lola ..x

LIB: Red Carpet Box

My LIB Red Carpet Box came yesterday, and I like a lot more than I thought I would! BUT, firstly I’d like you to all share in my Internet huff about not getting the free Clarins cream that a lot of people got with their boxes. BOO!

The actual box itself was disappointing, I love the fact that I can keep my beauty boxes and use them for other things, but this was a plain box that I could have picked up from a cheap card shop.

… However the contents of the box were what did it for me!

SO.

IN THE BOX:

DR BRAGI Marine Enzyme Mask - Worth £10

MONT BLEU Glass Nail File – Mini

YOUNGBLOOD Mineral Primer – Mini Worth £5

ESSENTIAL CARE Eye Pencil – Worth £12.50

SMASHBOX Full Exposure Mascara in Black – Worth £20

SMOOCH Lipstick in Rocking Red – Worth £7.50

RICHARD WARD Couture Hair Energiser Styling Spray – Mini Worth £6

QMS MediCosmetics Hand Care – Mini Worth £10

DR BRAGI Marine Enzyme Mask

Not a big facemask user, but I’m really excited about using this one. I know price doesn’t equal quality, but at £10 each they must be doing something right!

MONT BLEU Glass Nail File

I’ve never owned a glass file before, but I can immediately see why people rave about them. This has gone straight into my handbag; I almost can’t wait to have to use it. Although it does looks a bit like a weapon, so I hope I don’t get scanned anytime soon!

YOUNGBLOOD Mineral Primer

I’ve recently purchased the Body Shop Matte It Primer, so I’m going to give them both a try and see which one I prefer. Haven’t used a primer before so I’m hoping they make a difference to my makeup. The little test I did feels super silky!

ESSENTIAL CARE Eye Pencil

Really looking forward to using this product daily. I often find that at the end of a long day my eyeliner has started to bleed out into black circles under my eyes. The swatch test I did on the back of my hand took ages to come off in the shower, so at least I know that this’ll stay put all day long – but might be hard to remove before bed!

SMASHBOX Full Exposure Mascara in Black

I’ve only just started to use mascara daily as I find that my lashes get clumped really easily. Having used this today I already love it. The wand is huge, and slightly intimidating at first, but coats my lashes really well without them clumping or sticking together.

SMOOCH Lipstick in Rocking Red

Sadly from the swatch on my hand I know this isn’t for me. I really wish I was a lipstick kind of girl, especially red. This one is really pigmented and vibrant and has a nice matte finish.

RICHARD WARD Couture Hair Energiser Styling Spray

I prefer serums or oils in beauty boxes so I won’t be giving this a try. I’ve got really damaged, dry hair so I need products that are softening. It smells lush though!

QMS MediCosmetics Hand Care

I’m a sucker for cute packing, so regardless of how good the product is if its got nice packing then I immediately want it. This has got awful packaging though, which is annoying as it’s such a nice cream. It leaves my hands feeling really silky, without leaving behind a greasy residue. I just can’t get past the packaging though, the full size product retails at £20 for 75ml so it’s quite expensive for hand cream, so why does it look so hideous?!

Overall I can honestly say I’m really pleased with this box. Obviously nobody can like everything but that’s part of the gamble I guess.

Will definitely be purchasing the next box that they say is coming out in a few weeks!

Anyone else get a LIB Red Carpet Box??

Lola ..x

February Glossy Box! ..

Before you read this post you have to promise not to judge me!

I have developed an addiction... to beauty boxes! I currently have three here that I’m about to blog about, and I’m still waiting for another one to arrive. It’s a habit I need to get under control, simply because I wont be able to afford to EAT pretty soon! BUT when you see all the amazing goodies I’ve been getting you’ll understand why.

First up is GlossyBox. Now there’s a lot of comment about Glossybox going around the blogosphere/twittersphere/[insert sphere here] about their boxes and they’ve been slated quite a bit. My box arrived later than a lot of the existing subscribers so I had a chance to see what people had gotten before I received mine. Suffice to say I was disappointed. I stopped using press-on nails when I was I got to double figures, so why would I want them now? 

However, when I did finally receive mine I was pleasantly surprised.

IN THE BOX:

BECCA Beach Tint in Watermelon
DR BRONNER Lavender Hand Sanitizer
AWAPUHI BY PAUL MITCHELL Wild Ginger Treatment Oil
BM BEAUTY Pure Mineral Eyeshadow in Pink
COMO SHAMBHALA Invigorate Shower Gel

The Becca Tint is undoubtedly my favourite in the box. It’s the full size product, worth £20 on it’s own. It’s a gorgeous pinky colour and actually smells like watermelon, which is great. I don’t really wear colour on my lips as I haven’t really found one that suits me (hopefully the Nivea one does!) but I wear a little bit of this on my lips underneath my Molton Brown Lip Saver for a bit of a soft pink hue.

I know a lot of people complained about the hand sanitizer but I think it’s okay. Granted it’s not a luxury item but it’s practical, and I think it’s a bit more chic than the usual hand gels. It’s the full size and worth £3.99, so it’s not all bad – right? I’m not overly keen on the lavender scent as it’s quite strong, but this’ll definitely be a handbag staple. Would definitely buy again, but in a different scent!

Love, love, love the Paul Mitchell oil. It’s a sample size at 25ml, but worth about £6.50 since the full size 100ml retails at £25.95. I think it’s less like a hair oil and more of a serum, but it makes my hair super soft and smooth when I apply it. I mainly use Moroccan Oil for my hair so I probably wouldn’t repurchase it.

I was disappointed with the eyeshadow mainly because it’s PINK, but also because I’d filled out my beauty profile and stated that I usually wear natural makeup. It’s slightly annoying that I’d gone through that process only to be sent something that I obviously wouldn’t use. Admittedly it looks better swatched than it does in the pot, but it’s still not for me. Full size eyeshadow is 2g and retails at £7, making this sample worth £3.50.

The Como Shambhala shower gel is the only product in the GB that I haven’t used. It’s really thick and has notes of mint and lavender but it’s not something that jumped out at me. 50ml sample is worth about £3.30 since the full size is £20/300ml, which is a bit too pricey for me.

I personally think that this box was pretty decent, it was worth about £37 and considering I paid £12 inc. postage I don’t think that’s too shabby! However, I do think it’s unfair that my box was this good and worth so much when others had boxes worth £14. Obviously I understand that GB will never be able to please everyone, and whilst I’m really pleased it’s not fair that the people who didn’t receive the Becca didn’t get something of equal value.

Did anyone else get a GB? How did you feel about yours?

Excited about the March box? Glossy Box and Harrods! [Insert 100 exclamation marks!] Seen a few spoilers and I’m tres excited. Was tempted to order two, but I wont overdo it!

Are you getting a March box?

Lola ..x

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