LuLin Tea Review

Hello!

So our second YouTube video went up today, in which we are reviewing some lovely teas sent to us by LuLin, a York-based company that specialises in Chinese and Loose Leaf Teas. Here is that review, and a couple of close ups of the products...



The teas were fabulous and we really enjoyed filming for this video!

(Information below is taken from www.lulin-teas.com)

Posh Earl Grey: A LuLin Teas take on the English favourite Earl Grey. LuLin Teas have added bright blue corn flowers and zesty orange flowers to create our wonderful Posh Earl Grey Blend. Add a slice of lemon, drink with milk or keep it black for three very different taste sensations.

Lapsang Souchong: The strong smoky scent absorbs you without overwhelming the palate allowing you to enjoy the sweetness the base tea possessed prior to being pine smoked.

Ginseng Oolong: It is made by rolling Oolong leaves into tight balls and coating them in a thin layer of ginseng and liquorice grass. When brewed it is fairly sweet and has a hint of liquorice.

Have you tried any teas from LuLin? We'd love to hear what you think!

If not, leave us a comment (or tweet us @LucyArtley or @LucieClark) suggesting some more teas for us, as we said in the video, we're from Yorkshire, so it's only natural for us to love tea!

June GlossyBox

Good Evening.

I know I was supposed to post last night, but I had an impromptu sleepover with Sam, due to her needing to view some flats today, I am pleased to say she has got one and will be moving here soon! I can't wait! 

So yesterday my GlossyBox arrived, which is always exciting...

 So once again the box came beautifully presented in pink and black. So now to what I got...

 It was pretty hard to miss this box! This cleanser, toner and moisturiser set from Dermalogica will be ideal for my holiday, miniatures are awesome! I am pleased to see the moisturiser is SPF 15, it's always important to protect your skin. At £12 for a full size kit, I would say this is really good value, unless this is the full size kit, then I would say it was a bit steep. So yeah, when I get back from Menorca I will give you the low down on this!

 Speaking of miniatures, this DermaBlend kit from Vichy will be great for my holiday as my tan develops. I don't plan on wearing foundation in the day, just mixing some tinted moisturiser into my SPF 30 facial moisturiser, or the SPF 15 from this GlossyBox. But yeah, this is great, such a nifty gift in the GlossyBox. A full size Ultra-Correction Foundation Cream Stick is £19, so it's great to have so many shades to try. 

I am also pleased to see more BM Beauty in the GlossyBox, I really liked the eye pigment I received the other month. However, this bronzer is in a pretty small container, I think I need to press it into a bigger pot so I can use it without throwing it all over the place. The full size of this product is £8, which is pretty reasonable, the full size is 4 times the size of this pot. I will let you know how I get on.

I always like to try a new mascara, though the name of this sort of put me off. 'Sexy Pulp' is by Yves Rocher. I am excited to try it though, I still don't think I have found 'the one' as far as mascaras are concerned, so I am always on the lookout. The full size of this product is £16, which is quite a lot of pennies, but I would pay it for something I thought was perfect for me.

 And finally, we got this GlossyBox Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Brush, which is some pretty neat advertising on GlossyBox's part. What slightly disappoints me is that this brush is goat hair, as opposed to synthetic, compared to my elf and body shop brushes, this one is pretty rough. It will get some use no doubt, but I can't see it being a favourite. I am interested to know other people's opinions on the goat hair brush, as general opinion seems to favour synthetic brushes.

All in all I am pretty pleased with my GlossyBox, I like the theme of summer miniatures that GlossyBox went with this month, given me a few bits to try on holiday!

In other exciting news, the Olympic Torch relay made it's way through York yesterday, so obviously we went to watch it go by. 

The lovely gentleman carrying the torch is Stan Wild, gym coach for York Gymnastics Club and former gymnast. It was great to see it go by, I felt very patriotic and proud to be British.

So yeah, that's it for today, I am majorly tired from a couple of long days walking, and I went to try a gym tonight and did some swimming. Tomorrow I am going to visit my friend in Huddersfield to do some 'cheap ass' shopping, basically; Ikea, B&M Bargains and Primark, lovely :)

See you soon!

So my GlossyBox came...and it deserves a post!

Good Evening!

So I am pleased to tell you that I am getting on well with my college work, and am making some good progress, hopefully by the 15th June I will be singing from the rooftops!

Anyway, thanks for understanding the gaps in posting. I had to come and post about the May GlossyBox though, it's GlossyBox's One Year Birthday and the box is simply fabulous! Anyway, to what I got...

First of all, I love the packaging for this box. Yes it's the original pink one but look at the special paper, ribbon and sticker! So so cute!

So this was a special treat this month, a little handbag mirror for the special birthday box. Cute and useful gift, can never have too many hand bag mirrors!

These Lolita Lempicka scents are not the most amazing things I have tried, but they will definitely get used as they are easy to pop into a clutch on a night out, or for when travelling for the night. I think the L'Eau en Blanc smells a little talcy.

At around £63-£65 a bottle I don't think would rush out to buy these, I'll let you know if they grow on me.

So, as none of the writing on this box apart from the word 'wild rose' is in english, I can't really tell you what this is, other than it's by Weleda and prices start from £10.95. I will do some investigation...

Now if this product does everything it says it does, it will be a bloody miracle. It is by Uniqone and is a leave in hair mask that is supposed to contain the 10 main benefits that hair needs. Now, if this had come into my life before last week, I would be so excited, but I have a new secret weapon that I will be blogging about soon, that should blow £13.99 products, like this, out of the water. But we'll see...

This smells beautiful. I love receiving bubble baths and shower gels in my GlossyBox, and this one does not disappoint. It smells of tangerine and very summery, which is good as it's name is 'Summer Rising'. I have no price for this one but I will do some research, I can't wait to try this!

These eyelashes look amazing. They are 100% human hair, and I am not sure how I feel about that, or the £8.95 price tag, but I am willing to give them a go. It's likely these will get saved for a night out some time.

And finally... isn't the balloon just awesome?! I love balloons so this excited me a lot. I am going to do as the card suggests and take a picture with it to send to GlossyBox. How fun!

Anyway, that's it from me tonight, I will try and be back with a full catch up review soon. And I may be back in the next couple of days with a little haul for you guys, but we'll see how much work I get done!

In the mean time, enjoy the Eurovision and see you soon :D

Chanel Les 4 Ombres Quadra Eye Shadow in 14 Mystic Eyes

Good Evening!

So I mentioned the other day (or at least I think I did) that I had been saving my Boots Advantage Points since I got the card when I was 16, so I could have a Chanel Eye palette. I worked out over the years I have probably spent just over £1000 (eek!) in Boots to be able to get this palette, but it's something I never would have bought myself under any other circumstance. I cannot justify an outlay of £37 for eye shadow, I just can't! So this was an ultimate indulgence!

I picked Mystic Eyes basically because Boots no longer stock Lilium, so this was my second choice. But this palette is very practical, it has a good combination of colours so that if you were going away, you could survive on this palette alone. The pink also makes a great cheek highlight. I like the fact that everything is branded Chanel, even the little applicators. It looks a little dusty because I have already had a play with it! 

I have tried to show the colours the best I can, but the pink and the silver are very light and delicate.

So, I do love this palette, I really do! But, would I pay £37 outright for it, no probably not. Yes, it's great to own something Chanel, and if people bought me these as gifts I would be thrilled. But I own a lot of shimmery eye shadow, and in my opinion these are very similar to the Body Shop Shimmer Cubes, they colour pay off and the texture is very similar. I may do a comparison if people are interested. Maybe there is more shimmer in the Chanel palette, especially in the beautiful silvery shadow. 

So there we have it for today, I'll be back tomorrow with an OOTD :)

Unique Beads Promotional Discount

Good Evening!

So today I am feeling even more pants! I was supposed to be at work, but ended up spending the day half in bed, and half on the sofa. The boyfriend has been very nice looking after me, so it's not all bad.

Anyway, I just have one little thing to share with you tonight. The last part of my haul appeared through the post yesterday...

This little beauty arrived from Unique Beads. I had originally seen it on Essie Button's channel in one of her videos. I went to see if I could find it straight away, but it had sold out. Then Rosie told me a smaller version was in stock, so naturally I had to get it!

I love the colour and the fact the beads are real stone, and it's hand made. The skull is so cute too!

This bracelet cost me £5.75 inc. shipping, because I used Rosie's discount code.

Now, when my little parcel arrived, I also received a discount code to share. The code entitles you to 15% off. So, if you fancy treating yourself make sure you check out Unique Beads and use the code LAT8 at the checkout.

(If you decide to buy something I am pretty sure you will get your own discount code to share, and if you generate 10 sales you get a little treat from the company, cool huh?)

Enjoy :)

She Said Beauty Box Review

Good Evening!

So unfortunately I was a bit under the weather yesterday, so apologies for no post, but I am back today, raring to go and excited to tell you about a lovely pink box that arrived on my doorstep yesterday morning...

So this is the She Said Beauty Box, it costs £9 plus £2.95 postage, so is £1 cheaper than the average beauty box, but that does not mean that it feels cheaper in any way at all!

I love the design of this box. I like the fact that it is subtly decorated on the front, the fact it has a magnetised flip lid, and the fact that the colour scheme is so bright and fresh! These are all aspects that make this box differ from other beauty boxes I have seen. I think this box feels fun, and who wouldn't be excited by that bright pink beauty on the doorstep! I also love all the little touches on the packaging, the fact that every side of the box has something printed on it, it shows a lot of care and attention has gone into the packaging, and I really appreciate things like that. I also think it's great that the info card tells you the prices of each product, and which ones are full size, I find information like this very helpful.

So I think you get the idea that I like the box itself, now to what's inside!

So I was very very excited to see the usual five products, plus a bonus sixth! It's always nice to receive surprises, and for a first box from She Said Beauty, this definitely gives a great impression of what to expect from this company. 

Here is some detail on all the goodies!

This Natio Lotus Soap is one of a trio set that incorporates 'all-natural Indian Attar perfumes' that are apparently used during Yoga. I don't normally buy bars of soap, I am a liquid soap kind of person, I think they are less messy, but I am happy to give this a try, as it's something I definitely wouldn't buy myself. The full trio is £8.50, which seems a bit much for soap. But if you're after all natural soap that smells lovely, or are looking for a beautiful smelling gift for under a tenner, then this may be for you. And, you're getting three 150g bars of soap, which are pretty big actually, even getting through this one will probably take me a while. So yeah, this smells lovely and I will let you know how I get on, I am always wary that soaps like this dry my skin out, so I am interested to see how this goes.

 After receiving a Inika Eye Pencil in my Glossy Box, I am pleased to have received another Inika product to try, this time the Lip Whip in Peach. This product contains essential nutrients for the lips to keep them 'soft and kissable'. The camera really doesn't do justice to how loud this colour really is! I am so excited to try this and if I like it, wear it in summer with a neutral eye and barely there blush. This is a full size product, and should be £14.30. I think this is quite a lot for a small 8ml lip gloss, however, if it is a good non-sticky and moisturising formula, then my opinion may change. 

Why oh why have I not heard of The Vintage Cosmetic Company before?! These eyelashes look beautiful! I think I will be saving these for a special occasion. These retail at £6 and I think for a special treat they should be well worth the money. I really like the packaging. I also think it's good that the lashes are on a clear strip, so they don't look too thick. When I get round to trying these I will let you know.

I can't say that I am a huge 'superfan' of the Kardashians, I didn't even know this perfume existed. However, I think it smells lovely! I am pleased that this is a 'proper' sample, not a vial with a couple of drops in. This roller ball is the perfect size for my handbag. I like the metallic pink bottle, I think it's very girly but sophisticated. This perfume RRPs between £22.95 - £39.95, but She Said Beauty sent a great 40% off code in the box! If I hadn't have just spent a tonne of money on new clothes, I may have invested in this. I think it's a great scent and would be happy to purchase this for myself (or receive it as a gift haha!).

I am interested to know how an SPF 15 can be a tan accelerator (can accelerate tan by 25%) as well, but when the sun next shines I will definitely give this a try. I find sun-tan lotion very expensive, it's like companies put a premium on our skin's safety, and we are all begrudged to buy it, or worry about the consequences. This product retails at £12.99 for 100ml or £17.95 for 200ml. She Said Beauty Box subscribers were sent a special offer for this entire brand, but it looks like this range is out of my current budget. I will be doing some research into sun creams soon, as I am planning to go on holiday in July, and if the prices of this brand are competitive with other brands I am considering, I might just invest, as I would rather be using organic products, (this is 82% organic), on my skin if I can afford to. 

 

The final 'bonus' samples came cutely packaged in a pink organza bag. I like this little touch as it makes the freebie feel a bit more special. These samples are from a company called Snowberry, a New Zealand brand I have not heard of before. I received samples of Intensive Renewal Face Serum, Bright Defence Day Cream No. 2 and Nourishing Rich Day Cream, which all contain pure ingredients from New Zealand and 'the remote places of the world'. I love the 'doodling' style graphics on the packaging. There were no prices for these products, but if I enjoy the samples I may be tempted to do more research.

So all in all, I am very happy with my box from She Said Beauty, part of me is so tempted to keep this subscription on. As you all know, (or should know if you have been reading a while), Sam bought me this box as a gift, and I am very grateful, thank you again! If I hadn't have just blown a load of money I would definitely keep this on, but I do enjoy my Glossy Box too, argh this is difficult. I will let you know what I decide to do, but rest assured, once I am working full time, I will have beauty boxes coming out of my ears! They make me so excited!

Have you tried the She Said Beauty Box? What do you think?

So see you tomorrow for another... haul! 

(*gulp* I had to show my mum in advanced because I know she reads and would ring me and shout at me very loud!)