Vive La France Glossybox

Glossybox

Thoughts outside the July box

Inside:

♥ noxidoxi enhancing serum base

♥ Lollipops délicieuse lip balm

♥ vichy aqualia thermal

♥ je t'aime travel bag

♥ teoxane perfect skin refiner

How pretty is this Glossybox though?! I didn't think much would beat the gorgeous February box, but this one has. I decided to treat myself when I saw that how gorgeous the July box is, because they make fabulous storage boxes.

The things that I'm most excited about trying are the enhancing serum base and the perfect skin refiner. Neither of them are brands that I've heard of before, but both are things that I think my skin would benefit from in adding them to my skincare routine. The Teoxane perfect skin refiner is a night treatment targeted to give you 'perfect skin' over roughly two weeks, creating a more radiant complex, with refined pores and skin pigment correction (read here). The noxidoxi enhancing serum base is fairly similar, giving immediate hydration to your skin, tightening your pores and leaving your skin with a glowing complexion (read here).

I'm excited about trying the other bits too of course! I love trying out new products through beauty boxes. 

Have you tried any new skincare recently?

n xx

The Two Year Plan

Since graduating (though my graduation ceremony isn't until January, boo), I've had so many people asking me what my plans are for the future. Though it's a very natural question for people to ask, it's super frustrating when you have only a vague idea of anything that's happening for the next two plus years. But it's really made me think, and I've come up with things that I want to 100% achieve, sooner or later, in the next two years. I give you, the two year plan.

Career

1. finish writing a novel

2. begin sending away said novel to publishing companies

3. have a job that makes me happy

4. apply for the Great British Bake Off 

5. still be blogging!

Travel

1. visit Disneyworld Florida

2. Interrail and discover new countries*

3. visit Australia to stay with my family

4. apply for Camp America

5. *visit three capital cities I've never seen before

Life

1. complete my Queen's Guide Award

2. be living in my own flat/ house

3. have a cat

4. be happy

Links:

Interrail • Queen's Guide • Disneyworld • Great British Bake Off • Camp America

Do you have any plans for the next few years?

Peace and love ♥

Book Haul

The Colour Purple - Alice Walker

Us - David Nicholls

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

Deliciously Ella - Ella Woodward

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a bookworm, but now that I have a job I can actually afford to splurge on a few books I've been eyeing up. I heard about the new David Nicholls novel when it was first published, and I picked it up knowing 0% what it's about, but if his other books are anything to go by, it's definitely going to be good. Similarly, I've heard so much about Ella Woodward's book, and having loved a few of her blog posts in the past, I thought I'd give this a read. Mostly for the 'healthy' cakes. Less calories, less guilt. More cake. Right?

I read The Colour Purple when I was 16, and I remember loving it to pieces, so I decided to pick up this gorgeous copy to give it another read. It was nothing like I expected it to be but probably one of my top 10 favourite novels. The Time Traveler's Wife isn't one I've read before, but I know in the distant past I've seen the film, so before I watched it again, I wanted to read the book first.

What books have you bought or read recently? Any recommendations?

n xx

Review | Benefit Dandelion

brightening face powder | £23.50

"This sheer ballerina pink face powder takes your complexion from dull to radiant with buildable color and just a hint of shimmer. Sweep it on cheeks as a soft blush or dust it all over face as a brightening finishing powder."

I have been eyeing this little box up for years. I repeat, years. The packaging is super cute, if not a bit deep for how much product comes inside. It just looks so pretty, and a few weeks ago I decided to treat myself. I use it as a blusher, though the directions do say that it can also be used as an all over face powder. To me, it just looks a little too pink for that, but I'm sure some people have more of a complexion to get away with it. 

I'm not normally a blusher person, but this is so light and delicate that I've really come to love it. It adds just enough colour to be there, and the hint of shimmer is not as obvious as I thought it might be. It lasts on my skin all day, and there's still a definite shimmer there even after some wear and tear. I think it's totally worth paying for, like most of the Benefit blushers/ bronzers- they're definitely my favourite product! 

What's your favourite blusher?

n xx

label.m Blow Out Spray

£12.95 for 200ml

blow out spray

I bought this a few months ago, after I had my hair done at Toni and Guy in Derby. I really love having my hair done there, because I always leave with it feeling better and healthier than ever. After my most recent cut I asked about a few of the products that Sarah had used, and this was one that I decided to buy.

"label.m Blow Out Spray protects hair against heat styling & UV rays and contains Ginger, White Lily, Juniper, Jasmine and Fig to add lustre. The innovative Enviroshield Complex, exclusive to label.m, protects hair against heat styling, sun and damaged hair, while providing seductive shine."

As far as I can remember, I've only used heat protect from Aussie before, so it was definitely time for a change. Not only does this smell great, it also gives my hair a gorgeous glossy shine once I've styled it. Since I've been using it, I've noticed that my hair seems a lot healthier and nourished, even after styling. I also like that this protects against UV rays and sun damage, which is a big concern for my skin and hair colouring. I think the fact that I can feel the difference in my hair from using/not using this means I can really tell that it is actually making a difference!

What's your favourite heat protection for hair?

n xx

LUSH haul

I love a good Lush haul. Picking out some of their pamper products makes any bad day better, so recently I've had a couple of visits that I thought I'd put together in one post!

My first buys were mostly to return my 5 used pots for a free face mask, and this time I went for Catastrophe Cosmetic. Recently I've had loads of under the skin spots that I really want to get rid of, and I find this so calming and restoring, no matter what kind of mood my skin is in. It's definitely my favourite face mask just because it gets on with my skin so well. I also picked up the Comforter bath bomb, because why the heck not. It's just so fruity, pink and bubbly, and by far my favourite bath bomb for after a long day.

The other Lush I visited was the new Oxford Street store.If you love Lush and you haven't been yet, you should definitely try and go! It was a dream come true. I'm pretty sure the two things I picked up are exclusive to that store. First I went for the Comforter shower gel. I love the bath bomb so much, so how could I not?! I also picked up a new foot lotion, and Softy ticked all the right boxes. It's not too thick, it smells amazing, and it makes my feet feel super soft and loved. I only got the small sizes, but I'll definitely be going back for bigger sizes.

What's your favourite Lush product?!

n xx

Find something positive in every day

image from google

Some days it's just really hard to be positive. At the moment, I'm really struggling with my boyfriend Jay being away at Camp America, and the thought that I'm not going to see him until September makes me want to hibernate though the summer.

I constantly have to remind myself at the moment that it's okay to be sad, but don't let that stop you from having the best week, month or year of your life yet. Consequently, I have certain things that I'll always turn to because I know they'll make me feel better.

♥ 14,000 things to be happy about is a book that I've had for ages, but I've only just actually started reading it. It helps to remind me to appreciate the little things in life that make you smile but sometimes you just forget they're there.

♥ it's always okay to have a netflix day. 

♥ get back into fitness. I started a new 30 day challenge, and ticking off each day makes me feel good about myself.

♥ say yes to something you'd normally hesitate over. I saw Jurassic Park yesterday with a girl I met recently and had such a lovely day, but I nearly didn't say yes.

♥ get lost in a book. I'm re-reading Harry Potter, and it's like going home after being away.

♥ pamper yourself.

♥ have a clear out. I moved home nearly two months ago, but I'm still being brutal with clearing things out. De-cluttering is so refreshing, and having more space when you finish is so satisfying.

♥ This enchanted forest colouring book is something I treated myself to on my last bad day. I might not be 5, but colouring is still satisfying, and it makes me feel productive even on a Netflix day.

I hope you're not having a bad day, but if you are, I hope at least one of these helped a little bit.

n xx

Summer nails

I'm not such a bright-orange-nails-for-summer kind of girl, so instead I browsed Pinterest and came up with this combo. I'm sure you're all sick of hearing me rave about Essie Ballet Slippers, but it really is my perfect nearly nude. On top of that, I added a little dot of Barry M Pink Silver Glitter at the base of each nail. It catches in the light in just the right way, and doesn't even have the usual drama of trying to get glitter off. 

I really love how pretty these colours look together! I'm definitely going to rummage through my other glitter colours to see what other combinations I can make next time!

What's your current favourite nail look?

n xx