Glossy Box Review

Hey all, I have signed up to GlossyBox! So far I am very impressed and knowing that a pretty box of cosmetic treats is coming my way each month is satisfying my cravings to buy lots of other products when I'm out and about.

If you are unfamiliar with Glossy Box, they are a company which send you 5 products each month for around £10 (depending on how long you sign up for you'll get a better deal). Some products will be sample sized, others are full sized but you're guaranteed that the retail price of the products is higher than the price you've paid. I was skeptical, but after receiving my first box I know that this is true. The products are awesome! They also ask you to complete questions about your skin type, hair colour etc so the products are tailored to your needs.

THE BOX

Firstly, when I say 'pretty box'.. I mean it! The actual boxes are gorgeous and really useful to keep for storage. The packaging is beautiful and it is like receiving a gift wrapped present with ribbons and tissue paper, LOVE IT!

Inside you'll also receive an information leaflet which details all the products you have received which is very interesting and a nice touch. It gives full application instructions and sometimes voucher codes if you want to buy the full sized product.


THE PRODUCTS

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse OR.  

 This is a multi purpose dry oil for face and body with tiny gold shimmer particles. According to their website; "95.2% of the ingredients in this Shimmering Dry Oil are of natural origin, it is a unique combination of 30% Precious Plant Oils and Vitamin E to nourish, repair and soften your face, body and hair in a single step. Your face and body are left feeling soft and silky. Your hair is soft, supple and shines with health. The sensual golden particles leave a subtle shimmer on your skin and enhance your every move."

Those are some pretty big claims. I've never used any dry oil products on my face, somehow the idea of putting oil onto my already oily skin just doesn't seem right. For the past 2 weeks I have been applying this to my freshly cleansed and toned face just before going to bed. I'll shake the bottle as the gold sinks to the bottom (shown in the image above) and place my fingertip over the opening and tip upside down. The product left on my fingertip will cover one half of my face. Repeat for the other half and then the forehead. The oil absorbs very quickly and my skin does feel soft and moisturised afterwards. I find this quite difficult to apply to completely dry skin, so I usually apply while my face is still slightly damp and find that the product is much easier to spread out.

In the morning my skin does feel lovely and the gold particles give a subtle sheen. If you're worried about the gold particles looking too glittery on you face then the original oil is completely clear. However, even on my pale skin, the gold looks quite nice. I'll not reapply in the morning as I don't feel the need to. Usually I'll go straight to my BB cream and apply the rest of my make up.

I've received a 10ml bottle. The full sized 100ml bottle costs £34.

Even after 2 weeks it doesn't look as though I've used much oil, it still looks full. As you only need such a tiny amount I can't imagine I'll use the whole bottle up any time soon and that's only trial sized. £34 may seem a lot of money but 100ml must last forever!

John Frieda - Frizz Ease Original Serum

This product is pretty self explanatory and has been on the market for so long that I'm not going to explain what it is. I remember using this once years ago but must have put way too much in my hair and it was awful. Needless to say I've not used it since.

This time I have followed the instructions precisely and have been convinced that it's a pretty good product for my hair type. I'll apply one small pump of product to each side of my hair whilst still in the shower and my hair is soaking wet. For short or thin hair you'll only need one pump in total. It smells lovely (reminds me of watermelons but I'm weird like that...) and leaves my hair feeling softer than usual.

Now... here is the thing... I don't think this helps my frizz. Yes my hair feels soft and smooth but I have not noticed any real difference in it's appearance after blow-drying or even being left to dry naturally. 

I received a 25ml sample. The full sized 50ml bottle costs £6.29.

MeMeMe - Long lasting Nail Gloss

 I'd never heard of MeMeMe cosmetics before so had no idea what to expect. The colour I received was '57 Elegant' which is a metallic gold. Usually I stick to the perfect and lovely Barry M nail varnishes which have never disappointed me.

The MeMeMe nail gloss come with a brilliant flat application brush it's easy to get a professional finish. In my experience, metallic colours need at least 2 coats to get a good coverage, however this product was so concentrated I only needed one coat and I was done.

I did notice that this chips a lot more than Barry M varnishes so I'm definitely not converted.

Received a full sized pot these cost £5.

Figs & Rouge - Coco Rose Balm

This is another multi purpose balm which can be used on your lips, cheeks and even dry skin. So far I've only used this on my lips and unfortunately I'm not loving it. I think it's the rose smell / flavour which I don't like. Also the texture is a bit grainy which I guess is good for exfoliating your lips but not great for everyday wear.

Now a lot of people do love this so you'll have to try it to decide. The tube itself is really pretty and you can apply straight onto the lips (so great at festivals when you're worried about hygiene). It gives a soft pink finish to my lips which is not especially noticeable when you're used to bold lips colours.

Received the full size product and this costs £5.

Q: Balance - Body Spray

LOVE THIS!!!!!! It is so fresh and smells beautiful. Described as "sheer, floral top notes delicately blossom on the skin, evolving into deep, warm, sensual base notes for confident all over body fragrance and freshness". Cannot get enough of this, it is the perfect body spray for a hot summers day. Makes me happy each time I use it.

Will definitely be buying this when it runs out.

I received  the full sized spray (100ml) and this costs £2.29.

 

 

Pin Curl Overnight Set

Hi lovely people! I have a new post for you today about my adventures with vintage hair styles. Basically, I'm rubbish at them. I have long, thick, semi frizzy hair and it just never seems to work very well for me.

Previously I've had a go at Victory Rolls and it took me no less than 2 HOURS to try and get two symmetrical victory rolls in my hair. Urgh.. nightmare!

Recently I've just been pulling a section of hair over and pinning it up in a curl on the side like this;

HOWEVER, I have now found the perfect vintage style for my hair - an overnight pin curl set!

HOW TO:

It was so easy, just make 5 pin curls around the side of your face and then around 8 over the rest of your head (you will need a pretty large collection of bobby pins for this). Personally, I didn't apply any product to my hair before pinning it up as I'm very lucky and my hair holds a curl pretty well. If your hair needs a bit of help holding a style then you may need to add some product.

I did this with freshly washed and fully dry hair. Again, if your hair doesn't hold styles very well, you may be better off pinning the hair while it is still damp.

So... once you're all pinned it should look like this:

Now have a cup of decaf tea and go to bed. ZzzzzZzzZz.

THE NEXT MORNING

Do not freak out when you stumble into the bathroom having forgotten what you've done and look in the mirror! It is not going to look pretty.

Spend the next 10 mins pulling an endless amount of bobby pins from your hair. The curls will look bad at this point - but do not be disheartened, you'll need to brush them out. It was at this stage that my hair was HUGE AND FRIZZY. So, I rubbed a generous amount of smoothing serum onto my hands and ran my fingers through the hair one side at a time. This brought the curls together again and removed any frizz.

THE RESULT

Ta-daaaa!!! I was pretty impressed with my first attempt at doing this. Give it a go!

xxx

M.A.C Lipsticks - Coral Bliss, Vegas Volt, Rebel & Extended Play

Hello,

Its about time I made a post about something very close to my heart - my M.A.C lipstick collection (4 is a collection, right!?).

(L-R) Coral Bliss, Vegas Volt, Rebel & Extended Play

Coral Bliss

Vegas Volt

Rebel

Extended Play

Red Hair

Although I'm blonde(ish) now, I had previously been colouring my hair red for about 3 years. Here are my favorite 2 red hair dyes...

BRIGHT 'OMG I NEED SUNGLASSES' RED

Firstly I want to say I DID NOT copy this from Rhianna. I was this colour about a year before everyone jumped on the bright red bandwagon and if I want to copy anyone it'll be Sherri Dupree Bemis (god I love her).

Before I went this colour I had very dark brown hair with a lot of colour build up. I'm naturally a medium / dark blonde and was getting tired of my roots looking so light against the dark hair. Using one of the Manic Panic Flash Lightening (30vol) kits I lifted the colour to a medium / light orange. If you think you need to lift your colour to blonde / white for this kind of bright red - DON'T DO IT. Its really unnecessary and you don't need to cause that much damage to your hair. For pastel shades you will, but red will be really vibrant even with an orange base... especially with this dye:

SPECIAL EFFECTS - DEVILISH

This colour is amazing!!! It's a great pinky red and its soo bright. Here is the lovely LouTube with a quick video of her applying this product and the end result.

Special Effect dyes generally last around 2-6 weeks and apparently last a lot longer than Manic Panic. YES it is a pain the ass to maintain and YES you will dye the whole shower pink but it is so damn pretty. I always bought my dye here and it's £9.40 a bottle. This is what the colour looked like on me (please ignore the MySpace pose).

 

 NO BLEACH 'IS THAT RED OR ORANGE?!' RED

Red hair is high maintenance, especially when using a non permanent colour which requires you to pre-bleach your hair. I found a home dye which delivered an awesome bold orange/red colour and which actually lasted quite a long time before fading. It is..

GARNIER NUTRISSE ULTRA COLOUR - Intense Red Copper (7.64) 

This cheap little box (usually £5-6) gave me a more vibrant and longer lasting red than when I paid over £100 at the hairdressers. It is great value for money and always left my hair feeling smooth and strong. I think this is a lot better than the Live XXL Colour Intense Red Passion R43.
Here is what this colour looked like.

If you have any questions message me on whimsicalwilma@gmail.com

x  

A Photo A Day

Hey all! It's a beautiful warm day, the sun is beaming down and the flowers are coming up... makes me very happy.

I am lucky enough to rent a flat which is surrounded by beautiful farming fields and we get to see them change each day as the crops grow. Sooo (in case you hadn't guessed by the post title) I'm going to track the changes by taking a photo a day from the same point out of our window. I'll then make a weekly post.

At the moment they've only just planted the seeds so we have nothing but dirt. I like dirt.

Day 1

M.A.C Studio Finish Concealer, Studio Fix Foundation & Select Sheer Powder (Pressed)

I'm not normally a fan of 'expensive' make up brands and still don't understand how some companies can justify the prices they charge. I've always stuck to High st brands and been more than happy with the results.

One thing I have always struggled with is my oily skin. At 27 I still have pretty bad break outs and a very uneven skin tone. I've also inherited my Mum's horrific dark circles which are HUGE - I can not go out without concealer over them or I'll look 10yrs older.

Having wedding make up done was my first experience of the more expensive products and I have to say that I was impressed with the quality of the coverage and staying power. I have since invested a small fortune in these 3 babies; M.A.C Studio Finish Concealer, Studio Fix Foundation & Select Sheer Powder.

I use all 3 in shade NC15 and I LOVE them. Being so pale means I usually struggle to get a good colour match but I went into the M.A.C store in Westfield (London) and had somebody find my perfect shade.

Studio Finish Concealer (£14.50): This is the small round pot at the top. M.A.C describe this as "A lightweight, creamy, discreetly opaque concealer. Provides a smooth, long-wearing invisible coverage for all skin blemishes. It effectively covers dark circles, blemishes, moles, tattoos and birthmarks. Enriched with antioxidants it also contains Silica to help adsorb the skin's oils." Well, from swapping to this from a cheap concealer stick I cant argue that this delivers a crazy amount of coverage - you totally could cover a tattoo with it. Some people say that they cant use this without a concealer brush as fingers just pick up too much product. For me, my finger tip works much better than a brush as the product becomes more workable when it warms up - and I guess my dark circles need more product. I do use a small concealer brush to cover any blemishes. This tends to be a weekend product and I keep my cheaper concealer stick handy for weekdays (as I don't really give a crap about looking pretty at work).

Studio Fix Foundation (£20.50): Yes, it costs a lot... but I've been using this for almost a year (at least 5 days a week) and I'm nowhere near finished. I just adore this foundation and I cant go out without it on. It really helps to reduce the redness of my skin and control the oils on my nose and forehead. M.A.C describe this as "A modern foundation that combines a natural matte finish and medium-buildable coverage with broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 15. Comfortable and long-wearing: lasts for up to eight hours. Applies smoothly, builds coverage quickly and easily. Contains specially treated micronized pigments and soft-focus powders for a super-smooth look that helps minimize the appearance of imperfections. Absorbs and disperses oil. Contains special skin-conditioning ingredients. Oil free." For work I just use a pea sized amount (which one pump dispenses perfectly) and one layer. If I'm going out I will build the coverage a little more. Love love love, very much doubt I'll ever go back to a cheaper brand of foundation.

Select Sheer Pressed Powder (£20): This powder is so light and fine where as I find the cheaper alternatives make my skin look cakey. Even used on it's own it delivers a nice amount of coverage and absorbs shine brilliantly. M.A.C describe this as "Micro-fine, sheer and silky. Pressed for portability. Goes on lightly. Won't shift your shade or leave its mark. Lets skin's natural vitality and freshness glow through. Comes with its own suede-finish sponge. Blurs lines. Makes skin look flawless." I agree. 

Overall I would highly recommend any of these products to anyone who suffers with acne or oily skin. My confidence definitely increases when I use them and I feel less self conscious. 

<3
 

Do Tattoos Need To Be Meaningful?

Please watch this video from my favorite YouTuber - ScarletSaint. She is bloody amazing.

I have 2 tattoos - the first one doesnt hold any significant meaning (other than the nostalgia of it being my first tattoo and remembering how different my life was when I got it).

My second means the whole world to me. It's my thigh tattoo of a bluetit on a teacup. Every single part of that tattoo was designed with references to my beautiful Nan and it took a long time for me to figure out exactly what I wanted.

I dont believe that all tattoos need meaning and I think this video sums it all up perfectly. If you look closely you'll spot my thigh tattoo towards the end.

xxx

Sunday Shortbread

Its a lazy Sunday afternoon so I made some delicious shortbread. So easy, give it a go!



































Ingredients:
150g plain flour
100g butter
50g caster sugar

Preheat oven to 160C.
When your butter is at room temperature, cream it with the sugar until light and fluffy.

Gradually stir in the flour and bring it together into a ball. DO NOT overwork your dough.
On a lightly floured surface roll out until 1-2cm thick then cut into your chosen shape. Place on a greased baking tray.

Prick with a fork, sprinkle with more caster sugar. Bake for about 10mins or until they start looking golden.

Leave to cool...make a cup of tea and eat!

Wilma's Wedding

Alex and I got married in 2011. Wedding planning for me was just one big mind fuck. I've never been the type of girl to dream about 'her big day' and yet that seems to be expected of you.

Our Florist was Blush Floral Design. When we came to arranging flowers for our wedding I was nervous. All I knew was that I didn’t like any wedding flowers I had ever seen! The moment we stepped in to have our consultation with Blush, we knew they were perfect. The room was full of beautiful vintage pieces. Bex and Beth from Blush were both lovely (and made brilliant tea)! Bex listened to us and created the most perfect centerpieces. She was also a wonderful friend throughout the planning process. 

I bought my dress five weeks before our Wedding (arghh panic) and Alex came with me to London to buy it (I know…the groom seeing the dress before the wedding!? He is my best friend and I wanted to share that moment with him).

Before we were engaged, Alex and I saw the cakes on the English Cheesecake website and joked we would have to get one for our wedding. The look incredible!!! Then, as we actually had to make a decision on the cake, we thought ‘why the hell not’!? Alex loves profiteroles and I love cheesecake. Perfect!

Alex had four best men; Rich, Andy, Mark (they were all in a band together for years) and Gareth (oldest friend). As they’re all musically gifted they wrote us a best man song instead of a speech and performed it with acoustic guitars. It was absolutely brilliant and all our guests loved it. The chorus was:

“Alex and Jo, there they go,
If she’s Princess Peach then he’s Mario,
He works 9-5, answers to The Man,
Because his rock star dreams didn’t go to plan"

Yes, my real name is Jo... but I prefer Wilma :-)

We danced to to 'I'll Follow You Into The Dark, by Death Cab for Cutie.  It was always the song that Alex would hold my hand to when it played in the car. They’re my favourite band and Alex would always hold me a bit tighter when we heard it played at gigs. Although it was always the obvious choice for us, I did resist choosing it throughout our engagement. The opening line is “Love of mine, someday you will die, but I’ll be close behind. I’ll follow you into the dark”. I was worried about people thinking we were morbid, as they didn’t understand the meaning of the song. I’m so glad we chose it though – any other song would have been second best.

Words of Wedded Wisdom...
Make it personal! I think so many weddings are planned as perfectly polished events but have no real connection with the Bride and Groom. Wedding trends will go in and out of fashion – but if your day is really personal, it’ll never be dated.

I spent a lot of my childhood being looked after by my Grandparents. As well as drinking a lot of tea, they bought me up on films like “Singin’ in the Rain” and all the old Rogers and Hammerstein classics. This I think has always made me have great affection for the 20’s – 50’s. I don’t think my wedding was era specific as there were bits and pieces from all decades. It was all the things that make me feel nostalgic pulled into one day.

 

Decoupage Make-Up box

I'm off work this week and needed a little project to fill my time. I saw a brilliant post by Hello, Terri Lowe showing how she uses the Moppe drawers from Ikea to store make up and I thought it would be a great way to try my first decoupage attempt.

My box was £15 and this is what it looked like before (pretty boring):

I already had some leftover wrapping paper and wanted a floral / polka dot theme. The Pin-Up illustrations came from a book I own which shows all the covers from the old 'dirty' mags. First of all I measured the drawers and cut out 6 pieces of paper to fit.

Using undiluted PVA, I stuck the paper to the drawers and left to dry. The paper did wrinkle loads but I actually really like the texture it has left. Whilst they were drying I painted any areas of the box which would remain visible white and covered the top / sides with the polka dot paper.

When the drawers were dry I stuck on my Pin-Up cut outs and finally gave the whole thing a final coat of PVA to seal it. I LOVE IT!!! 

Sneaky Peak...

Details to follow tomorrow...

Creative New Me

So, to start getting my life in order I decided to start writing things down. Sounds stupid, but I think it'll really help motivate me. I found this BEAUTIFUL notepad in Clintons for £10. Plus it totally matches my thigh tattoo. Hurrah! X
Tattoo by Ben Davies at Madam Butterfly's Tattoo Parlour in Hastings (UK). Highly recommended!

I declare this blog open!