My Top 5 Products From The Dream Box

When British Beauty Blogger released her latest beauty box I was ready & waiting to snap one up. I had missed out on the previous 2 boxes and after seeing what goodies were jam packed into those ones I had to bag this latest one for myself. If you want to see the full contents of that box you can click here. On The Dream Box Jane teamed up with beauty box experts Latest in Beauty & from what I have heard there is another box in the making. So keep your eyes peeled for a release date.

My good friend Becki who blogs over at Life Looks Perfect posted about her top 5 products from the box, I thought it was such a great idea, she inspired me to do the same. So make sure you pop over & check out Becki’s top products & see if we picked any the same.

The Dream Box Top 5 Products

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19

This mascara makes your lashes look so good! I found the formula quite wet at first so I had to make sure I didn’t apply too much product & get clumping. If you take your time you can get the brush right in to each individual lash & apply mascara from base to tip, this gives you great volume and by coating each lash your lashes look thick & so fluttery. You can really build this up to look dramatic, its a lovely very intense black mascara that wears well throughout the day, no fall out or crispy lashes. I’m kind of in love. Oh & if you like big mascara brushes you will love this one. I’d say this lives up to it’s claims.

Janjira Thai Lime & Ginger Hand Wash £16 for 250ml

This was the first product I used from the entire box & I instantly liked it. I have naturally very dry hands and find that hand wash can be drying and I need lashings of hand cream after using them. This Janjira one was not like that at all, it was quite a thick gel on consistency and was easy to massage in to your hands, you could smell the ginger straight away & it smelt so good. It was easy to rinse and left my hands feeling clean, soft and most importantly to me was they were not dry. I could still smell the ginger scent & a little hint of lime too, this is a luxurious treat your your hands and I very much enjoyed using it & I’m tempted to buy the full size, which actually comes in a bottle with a pump which is very handy and will be easier to use.

Elemis Treat Your Feet Foot Cream £6.00 for 20ml

This foot cream has been used a lot during the heat wave, I love to wear sandals and so I like my feet to be Summer ready. This was a nice treat to apply at night on my feet and by morning my feet were soft, no dry skin and ready for my Summer shoes. If you don’t like the feeling of a greasy cream on your feet then you should give this Elemis one a go as it sinks in to your feet quickly and won’t leave them feeling slippy/greasy. Its perfect for keeping your feet looking their best in your Summer Shoes.

Essie Fashion Playground

I’m so happy that I received this colour in my box as it is a pretty subtle pistachio green colour. It is easy to wear and looks pretty under a glitter top coat too. Two coats will give you an opaque finish but you have to wait for each coat to fully dry otherwise it looks a little streaky. I have worn this quite a bit since getting it & I’m tempted to wear it on my upcoming holiday as its not to bright and will go with everything.

Benefit Its Potent Eye Cream £25.50 for 14.2g

I have used this all up & loved it. It was hydrating and was a great base for my under eye concealer. It was light enough for a day cream but still gave me the hydration I needed. I found that my concealer didn’t sink in to my fine lines as much because this cream helped smooth them out. I wouldn’t say it helped reduce dark circles but I think mine are from a considerable lack of sleep. I was very happy with this pot & would love to but the full size. I might have to ask for the skincare gift set for my birthday.

Let me know if you snapped up this box & what your top 5 products were?

 

Delving In To My Sample Stash #1

The lovely Amy over at SRSLYLOU did a post recently all about her mini sample products & It inspired me to have a look through my stash & look a few out to start using. I tend to keep them for short breaks & when I run out of a full size (before repurchasing), but I have no holidays planned for a while (cries) so I thought I would take her lead and start using a few of them. Its a great way of discovering new products and many of my HG products I discovered because of a sample. I also seem to have built up an unhealthy (bordering on hoarding) amount of minis. You seem to acquire quite a few samples these days from things like Subscription Boxes, Magazines & Gift With Purchases so they accumulate quickly.

When I got to routing through my stash I discovered I had quite a few exciting products hiding in there & here are the ones I have added to my routine over the past month.

Sample Sizes Skincare

NUXE Multi Use Dry Oil 10ml – I’m always at a loss on how to use this. So I have been using it on the ends of my hair at night to nourish them especially in this dry hot weather my dark locks have been feeling the brunt of it – I just massage a few drops on the ends and let it work its magic over night. I have also found this is a great for the dry patches on my legs so I have been using it after shaving for an intensive treatment. Let me know how you have found it works best for you. This little 10ml bottle is going to last me all year as a couple of drops seems to go very far.

Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream 3g – This adorable sample pot was in the recent British Beauty Blogger ‘The Dream Box’. I like using an eye cream & think this is going to be a great day time one as it’s not too heavy or greasy. Its a brightening eye cream which is something I look for & I need all the brightening help I can get under there! I will let you know how I get on with this.

Benefit Some Kinda Gorgeous 1.8g  – This is a sample I have had for a few months but the shade was a little too dark for me until now (hello summer skin). I wouldn’t purchase the full size of this after a couple of hours it is very oily on my skin despite it being a cream to powder formula. If you have normal skin & need a light coverage then this might work for you. I like the light / natural coverage it gives it just doesn’t wear well on me at all.

ESPA Optimal Skin Pro Serum 4ml – All I have is love for this facial serum. I do have the full size which only has a few uses left in it & I’d totally forgot that I had a sample size in my stash. I’s so happy I found this as I’m going to Scotland for a couple of weeks soon & this will be coming with me. It is the perfect overnight treatment, I wake up with glowing, plump and very fresh looking skin. I even put a few drops of this under face masks for an extra skin boost. Although it is an oil it isn’t greasy or too heavy, I have worn this during the day when my skin was really dehydrated & it worked wonders. Its a very versatile serum.

REN Satin Perfection BB Cream 3ml – I love a light coverage & have a number of very well used & loved BB Creams in my collection & this mini sample of the REN one is right up there with the best of them. It gives my skin a dewy (not greasy) finish so looks healthy and natural. This is perfect for those days where I want a little coverage & to even out my complexion but still want my freckles to be visible. For a BB Cream this lasts all day on me without breaking down or oxidising, I wish it had a higher SPF as 15 isn’t that great for a product I tend to use in the Summer.

Kiehl’s Powerful Strength Line Reducing Concentrate 5ml – I suffer from fine lines on on forehead & around my eyes so I’m excited to really put this to the test. I have only used it a couple of times but even in that short space of time my skin looks & feels smoother. I hope that it continues & if so I think I’m going to like the results. This is also over time meant to improve skins radiance with the high concentration of Pure Vitamin C. In terms of texture this feels warm on my skin when I first apply it & the texture is quite silicony but once I massage it in it feels Matte and smooth. I’m excited to see how I get on with it & will let you know.

Merumaya Iconic Youth Serum – This was a Twitter sample giveaway that my friend Hayley nominated me for & you all know my love for the British Skincare brand Merumaya – unrivalled skincare at affordable prices (honestly they’re that good). I have the full size of this too & love how nourishing this is & it really smooths out my skin. I’m hoping that this will help with my dull looking complexion & give me a boost of radiance. Did anyone else get a sample of this? Are you liking it?

Elemental Herbology Cell Plumping Facial Hydrator SPF 8 15ml – If you have more mature skin you will enjoy this moisturiser, it plumps, hydrates and firms so thats great for skin thats looking for a little more than just a standard moisturiser. I like to use this when my skin is feeling quite dry & dehydrated as its lightweight but very nourishing. It smells very botanical and luxurious. I find it wears well under my makeup & helps my foundation go on smoothly. I’m not sure I would purchase the full size as that costs £44.00. I will finish this sample up and see if it really WOWS me enough to part with that amount of cash.

Bourjois Mini Blush in 04 1g- This is the sweetest blush, its tiny and very travel friendly. Its a cream blush so quite nice for the warmer months when you want to wear lightweight makeup & look all glowing & healthy. This is a peachy shade and has quite an iridescent finish to it so I like to wear it as more of a cheek highlighter & I just tap a little on to the high points of my cheek with my finger & blend it in. It reflects the light & gives you a pinch of colour. Its a sweet little product & I think I rescued it from my sample stash just in time for Summer!

By Terry Baume De Rose 3g – How was such a blooming lovely product sat unloved in my sample box? Its a crime I tell you. I have had this sat on my desk for the past couple of weeks & I love using it, maybe a little too much as its going down quite quickly. This leaves my lips so soft, it is hydrating too & working from home I get very dry lips & this has been soothing them back to their kissable glory (errr OK, so they’re just very soft). No need to reapply a hundred times a day, this is long lasting and once applied your lips will be smooth & feel lovely for hours. I know once this is finished I will be buying the full size pot.