Beautifinous.

Benefit's Gimme Brow is an easy to apply, brush-on fibre gel that gives eyebrows volume and definition to create beautiful, fuller brows with the perfect arch. It is long-wearing, water resistant, buildable and natural looking.

We’re already half way through the year. I know, already! Therefore, I decided to take a mid-year look back at what Birchbox UK has had to offer so far in 2014. I could easily be writing this at the end of the year, but due to the difficulty that I have had trying to narrow down this list, I have decided to split it into half year sections!



If you don't know what Birchbox is, then please check out my 'Beauty Boxes' page for a quick explanation!

Due to the fact that Birchbox select what samples each person will be receiving, there are certain products that I never had the chance to test out. This means that those products weren’t really able to be taken into consideration. However, if you received different products that you would classify as being one of the best that you have received this year so far, definitely leave a comment at the end!

In regards to planning out my list, there was only one way that I could really structure it. I have selected my favourite products in the format of a Birchbox: 5 samples and an additional lifestyle extra!

So without further ado, here is my list of ‘The Best of Birchbox 2014 part 1,’ with part 2 coming at the end of the year:

Revlon's Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel is a new nail polish range that each have their own unique scent when dry. There are 20 shades overall to choose from.



Recently, I posted a review on Revlon's Parfumerie nail polish in the shade Surf Spray. For everything that I loved about it, there were things that I disliked too. The main issue for me was the application. The formula was quite watery and with the thin brush and the small, spherical handle, it made the polish difficult to apply tidily.

Even still, this didn't stop me from purchasing a second. This time, I chose the shade/scent China Flower. I am happy to say that a very large majority of the things that I disliked about Surf Spray are not replicated with China Flower! But what are they? Well, let's take a look.

A multitasking mist that nourishes hair, helps to relieve irritated skin, helps with spots, oily skin and dry skin, refreshes, provides a healthy glow and is all natural. You can also make it yourself! 





I love a multitasking product. I also love natural products and I love DIY beauty. Therefore, I simply had to attempt to create my own multitasking beauty product for the summer, and now I would like to share with you what I came up with - a multitasking mist!*

La Roche-Posay Lipikar Xerand Hand Repair Cream is an intensively moisturising cream for dry to very dry skin. It claims to help restore the hydrolipidic film, which is the skin’s natural protective barrier. It contains La Roche-Posay’s Thermal Spring Water and is paraben free.

Birchbox is a monthly beauty box that includes 5-6 deluxe samples of beauty and lifestyle products that are tailored to you.

You get to discover new products and test them out in the comfort of your own home with no pressure to buy the full product if you don’t like it! However, if you do enjoy it, you can purchase the full sizes from the Birchbox store with the most recent month’s brands being available with free delivery (min. £10 spend)! 

The June Birchbox could really only be based around one theme: The World Cup.





Featuring a collection of products from a variety of countries around the world, this box is a celebration of culture as much as it is the World Cup. One of the things that I really liked about this months box was the beauty tips from different countries. I will definitely be giving the different tips a go! Maybe I'll even write a post about them in the future!

It’s World Cup time! How else would a beauty blogger pledge her support for her country? That’s right - England flag nails!

The design I am going to show you is by no means original and you will see it on numerous nails throughout the World Cup, but the reason that I wanted to provide this tutorial was to help you achieve the look in good time and with straight lines! What’s the England flag if the red cross is all wobbly?




The method that I have used to create my England flag nails took me roughly 20-30 minutes as long as you prepare properly before starting. If you try to do the fiddly bits with wet nails then you’ll be adding time to the process!

Avon's Perfect Kiss Lipstick is a full coverage lipstick that comes in a range of colours. Packed with natural oils and a "triple action smoothing complex," this lipstick claims to leave your lips with the perfect pout.

Avon's Ultra Colour Lipstick is a "comfortable" lipstick formula that claims to have "self renewing" colour when lips are pressed together, reactivating the pigments and keeping the colour alive throughout the day. It comes in a range of shades and finishes.




I knew that I wanted to write another Avon post, but this time I wanted to discuss lipsticks. However, I couldn't decide which of my Avon lipsticks to review. Therefore, I decided to write about all four that I currently own! Why not have a bit of a mixbag post!?

I have two of each of the aforementioned types of Avon lipsticks. From the Perfect Kiss range, I have Mauve Allure and Deep Orchid. From the Ultra Colour range I have Optimistic Orchid and Matte Ruby which, if you couldn't tell by the name, is a matte shade.

Do you find yourself looking for a way to keep cool on a muggy, hot night? You’ve gone through your night routine just to feel as if you are sweating it all away and then you feel horrid. The covers are off, the fans are on, the windows are wide open, but you still just don’t feel fresh.




I know that the UK has irritating weather, but nobody can deny that when it gets hot, the nights get very, very muggy. I have found myself searching for numerous ways to keep myself cool at the night time again lately now that the Sun is making the occasional appearance, so I thought that some of you may be feeling the same way! Therefore, I have compiled my list of beauty-related methods (this is a beauty blog, after all!) to help keep you cool and fresh at night in the summertime! I hope that you find it helpful!

Revlon's Parfumerie Scented Nail Enamel is a new nail polish range that each have their own unique scent when dry. There are 20 shades overall to choose from.




In all honesty, I’ve never really fallen for the ‘scented nail polish’ gimmick. I don’t really make a habit of smelling my nails, so therefore I just never really saw the point. I have owned a scented polish before, but admittedly I never actually noticed that it was scented when I first picked it up. That polish claimed to smell of ‘lemon drops,’ yet to me it smelt more like bleach. Along with that, the scent names all reminded me of scented gel pens that I used to adore when I was about 10 years old, meaning that the whole idea to me just feels a little… juvenile. I haven’t owned one since.

So why did I decide to buy this one? Well, if you want me to be truthful, it was that darn bottle. Just one look at it sort of told me that this was more of a ‘grown up’ take on the gimmick, but being a huge fan of both nail polish and perfume, it just drew me in. I’m not normally one to fall sucker for fancy packaging, but alas, it happens; even if only rarely.

The shade that I chose is 'Surf Spray' which is a beautiful, shimmering, bright blue. 

L’Oreal’s Nude Magique CC Cream for Anti-Redness is a green, colour correcting cream infused with L’Oreal’s ‘smart colour particles’ that transform the cream into a foundation that matches your skin tone. It is a light coverage which can be built up and it includes SPF 20 and also claims to provide 24hr hydration.





This is actually the first CC cream that I have tried. It’s a little crazy to think that when one of my main skin issues is redness and it is the thing that I probably spend most of my routine attempting to correct. Truthfully though, it isn’t because I haven’t wanted to try a CC cream - trust me, I have! - but it has been more of a case of just ‘getting around to it.’

I went to pick up this particular CC cream when it was first launched, but when I went to buy it it was completely out of stock everywhere. Therefore, I ended up picking up the Nude Magique BB Cream by L’Oreal. I found that it was a good BB cream, but it always turned me slightly orange. It was a tad annoying, I won’t lie, but I found the coverage to be pretty good and the skin benefits okay too. As I reached the end of the tube though, it did start to smell a little… odd. I stopped using it around that time as the smell completely put me off!

So anyway, when I was out shopping recently, I finally picked myself up some CC cream! I chose this one because yes, even though I did have mixed feelings with the BB cream, this CC cream was the original one that I wanted to try. I was just hoping that it contained all the things that I loved about the BB cream without any of the bad parts.

So you've got the flu. Everything sucks, but you still need to get through your day. The problem is that putting on makeup seems like a waste because your nose is so red and sore, your eyes are puffy and red, you feel like death and you just simply cannot be bothered. What do you do?

Well, hopefully this post will help out in some way!




As you may have noticed, I haven't posted anything in a while. If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have read that I have been down with the flu. However, instead of sulking about it, I have drawn inspiration from it and have come up with this bizarre theme of a post! 

I have decided to write up a list that contains my favourite products to use when I'm bunged up! This list contains products that I find don't irritate a snotty nose, or help to disguise any zombie-esque flu-ness!

So without further ado, here is my list of top 'flu-perfect' beauty products!