Carmine Box February

Hi all,

Todays post is on the February Carmine box, this is my first box from them, I am currently subscribed to Glossybox but decided to give Carmine a try. There has been a bit of an uproar on this months box due to them selling out of the original planned box and having to replace a few items with products from past boxes that have been the most popular. Personally I really didn't have an issue with this. Everyone seemed to want the Steam Cream, I wasn't bothered either way and received what seems to be the second alternative box.

I really like the packaging, I think it looks a little more classy than the Glossybox (no offence to GB as I love the baby pink box) with the black box and the pink logo, the only issue I had was I couldn't get the lid off, not sure if this was due to me being really impatient and trying to open it awkwardly or if it is quite difficult to get off, my husband managed it no problem.

 When I first opened up the tissue paper, I'll be honest I wasn't blown away but after actually looking at the items I'm really happy with them and actually prefer this to what was supposed to be the original box.

Here are the items I received.

The first thing my eyes went to was the Japonesque smudger brush. It looks like a really high quality brush and from what I have read from other people its really soft and works really well. I haven't tried this product so can't give a review.

Second item I saw was the Toothpaste, I love trying out new toothpastes, especially whitening ones so I can't wait to give this a go and see if it does anything for my teeth.

Thirdly was the Diego Dalla Palma lipstick sample, I got shade 32 which is a orangey pink colour, I will definitely be giving this a go, I've taken a look on their website but the shipping seems really expensive so don't think I will be purchasing anything from them even if I like it, which is a shame but hey ho what can you do?

Next was a perfume sample, this was included as a bonus item, I assume this is because people always seem to complain when getting perfume as one of the 5 items. Its not my cup of tea unfortunately, its a little too floral for me but at least I get to try something I wouldn't normally and you never know I may end up liking it. 

Next item I got was the Andrea Fullerton nail varnish in Matthew, this is like a flesh coloured shade, I love it I put a coat on my little finger and it went on really easily and dried quickly. Very happy with this item and its a full size product which is a bonus.

My final item and my favourite is the Blingtone eyeshadow, I am in love with this. I got it in the shade sp"ice"y it is uber sparkly but doesn't look too over the top glittery on your eyes. Its absolutely stunning, I wore it today and I think it looks fab, I would definitely recommend a primer with this eyeshadow but apart from that its true love for me and I will definitely be purchasing alot more of these colours. I think a trip to Boots is in order!!!!

All in all I am really impressed with Carmine, I love the box and the products. I will definitely be keeping my subscription to see whats in store for next month. Keep up the good work Carmine

Thanks for reading.

Lots of Love

CF x x x

Bargain nail polish!!!

Hi all,

I did a post the other day about a haul I got with some money my husband gave me, I mentioned I would be going out the day after to get some more. Well I decided that rather than getting some more make up I would spend the money on some items to reorganize my make up collection, since I last did it I have purchased alot of make up so just don't have room so I am currently on a mission to find the best (and cutest) way to store my make up. Any suggestions would be appreciated :-)

So I made a vow to not purchase any make up whilst on my quest.....I failed. Having said that I couldn't not pick this item up, it was only £1 and it looked GORGEOUS. I fell in love with the colour right away, it would have been rude not to. 

I was walking through Poundland and just happened to glance at the make up section (ok thats a bit of a lie it was less of a glance and more of a head off in the make up direction and have a good look) I looked up and spotted a Sally Hansen HD Nail Varnish in a lovely bright pink colour. The colour is called Digital. Here is a shot of the bottle.

 

Could anyone honestly say they could have left this behind.

Here is how the polish looks on my nails (apologies for the rubbish job, it was done at half ten at night after a few glasses of Bianco)

I really like the brush on this, I found it really easy to apply and to be honest it looked fine after 1 coat (it does say apply 2-3 on the bottle) I did do 3 coats just because I always do. It does take a little longer to dry than my other polishes but I am happy to wait because it is such a lovely colour. 

Has anyone else found any bargain nail polishes in Poundland or any other cheap as chips polishes that rival the more expensive brands? Let me know and if you have done a post on them at all please link me to them I would love to have a read.

Thanks for reading

Lots of  love

CF x x x

Teeny Weeny Haul

Ok, so its been a while since I have done a post so I thought I would start off with a little haul I got today. My football mad husband went out and bought ANOTHER football shirt today so he gave me some money to go and treat myself. Naturally my first thought was make up, much to his disliking :-)

So I popped into town and headed for my favourite shop, It used to be a huge market stall but they moved into an actual shop a couple of years ago. They sell all the brands that you can find in Boots, Superdrug and Debenhams but at discounted prices. I only managed to pick up a few bits today because I had to rush because the other half was off to football. 

Here are the few things I picked up.

 From L-R Stargazer single eyeshadow in Caramel, Rimmel Lasting Finish Mineral Enriched Foundation in shade 100 Ivory and Pout Eyeshadow duo in Miss Egypt.

Stargazer Shadow - £1.99

Foundation - £4.99

Pout Shadows - £2.99

I went in looking for a very neutral shade to use all over my lids, I wanted a matt shade but just couldn't make my mind up on one, then I spotted the rack of Stargazer shadows. I've never used this brand before or even swatched them in the shop due to the fact they are £1.99 and the packaging looking rather well...cheap! But I have to say I was incredibly surprised by how creamy and pigmented the shadows were. I picked up this shade to use as a highlighter. Once blended in it looks absolutely beautiful. As I only purchased today I haven't had a chance to try it out so will do a review once I have used it for a while. If its as good on as it is swatched I will definitely be going back to purchase alot more of the other colours.

The second item I picked up was the Pout duo, I've had a foundation from this brand before and I hated it. I felt like I was wearing a mask and I hated the smell. However that didn't put me off having a look at the eyeshadows on offer. They have some beautiful duos in a wide range of colours. My Eyes went straight for this duo. They're both quite neutral shades which I love and they remind me of Urban Decay shadows. The first colour is so pigmented, its just gorgeous. Its very shimmery and I can't wait to try it, the second shade is VERY glittery and has some quite big chunks of glitter in it. I don't think I will get as much use out of the second shade due to the glitter but it will get used.

Swatches are in the order they are pictured above.

My third and final purchase was the Rimmel foundation. What I do like about this shop is the ladies who work there are all very knowledgable about all the products they sell and they are always happy to recommend a product for you or help find the right shade for you, unlike some places they don't go for the most expensive product and actually recommend something that would be best for you. Definitely thumbs up for that! Anyway I was browsing the foundation section and a lovely lady came over and asked me if I was looking for anything in particular, I told her I just wanted to try a new foundation and she called over another lady who would be the best person to advise me on this. I told her what I wanted and she recommended this one. I've never tried it before so looking forward to seeing what its like. From swatching on my hand it seems to blend nicely, not to keen on the smell but it doesn't seem to dry as quick as some others I have tried so you have time to blend the product on your face. Once I have used this I will also do a review.

 (Eurgh, excuse my very pale hand!!)

All in all i'm quite happy with my purchases and not bad for £10. I will be going out tomorrow to spend the rest of my money from him at Boots :-) 

Thanks for reading

Lots of Love

CM x x x