October Carmine Beauty Box - My Thoughts

I've just received my November box and thought it would be a nice idea to look back at what I got last month and see what I liked or didn't like from that box. 

I've already reviewed the Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream here. I really like this hand cream and will probably purchase the full size once I use up the other hand creams I'm currently working on. My sample only has a few uses left now.

The main reason I subscribed for the October box was to try the Frat Boy blush from theBalm. Unfortunately I've only used this once all month. I like the colour but I do find it a bit powdery and it's not the easiest blush in the world to apply. I think this particular shade would have been better in a spring or summer box as I've been going for deeper shades this month. I'm still pleased I own it, though.

The Daniel Sandler Eye Delight in Peach was a surprise for me. I hate loose eyeshadows so I thought I'd not be a fan of this. I do find it fiddly to use but it is lovely on my eyes and I've used it as a highlight powder on my cheekbones. It's a nice product.

I've been using the Trind Nail Repair pretty regularly and I have to say, I've not noticed any huge improvement in my nails. I think it has been making them grow very quickly, though! The smell of this almost knocks me out so it's a bit annoying to apply.

Finally, there was a sample of Caudalie Quenching Sorbet Creme and I liked this so much, I already have a full size! This is very hydrating but not great.

On the whole, this was an excellent box and each product is something I can use regularly. My top picks are, strangely, the hand cream and face moisturiser. I say 'strangely' because I don't usually like skincare samples and didn't use hand cream all that often. 

For more information about the service, click here.

Did you get this box? Or do you own any of these products?

Stace xx

Super Quick & Easy FOTD

I've been pretty lazy with my make up recently. I've found a few products which I really love recently and I've used quite a few of them in this look. It's very quick and easy and it should go with most outfits.

Spot the horrible chicken pox scar! :(

This is the less-happy version of the first photo...

Products used:

Rimmel Match Perfection Fix & Perfect primer

MUFE HD foundation in 125

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer

NARS Orgasm blush

BeneFit Watt's Up highlighter

Too Faced Shadow Insurance eye primer

MUA Clear brow gel

Urban Decay Naked palette shadows - Hustle and Toasted

BeneFit They're Real mascara

Vintage Sister Mint Chocolate lip balm

Revlon Super Lustrous lip gloss in Nude Lustre

Do you have any go to products or make up looks right now?

Stace xx

NOTD: Revlon - Carbonite

I'm sorry I've not managed to get a post up for a while - I'm still using my boyfriend's laptop and uploading photos on it is a pain. I also had a deadline on Monday which I was freaking out about. But I'm back now and have lots of reviews to write up! I've been trying out lots of new things and rediscovering some old favourites. I thought I'd start off with the polish I've been loving lately...

Revlon - Carbonite

(Trind Nail Repair, Two Coats of Carbonite, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat)

I managed to pick this up for $5 on a blog sale recently. I didn't buy into the hype about Chanel's Graphite because I didn't think I'd wear it much. I own (and love!) Revlon's Perplex, which is supposed to be a great dupe of Chanel's Paradoxal. I tried Paradoxal and found it to be very thin and difficult to work with so I stuck with my Revlon dupe! I like Carbonite; I've not got anything else like this and it's one of the few shimmery shades I can cope with. I'm not sure how close it is to Chanel Graphite, though.

What do you think?

Stace xx

Battle of the Nude Polishes!

I am a self confessed nail polish obsessive. I'm sure if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'd know that!

I recently arranged my polishes by colour and aside from realising that I have oodles of green nail polishes, I noticed that I have several nude shades which have been neglected in favour of my Chanel Particuliere. So, I've decided to do a little overview of my nude polish collection for you.

First up is my favourite, Chanel Particuliere. I wear this all the time. It's been my go to nude shade since I picked it up in June. I think it's one of those nude shades which will suit most skin tones. I know it's expensive and there are definitely dupes but this is one of those Chanel polishes which is worth the price tag, for me. It's not the longest wearing - I get around three days of wear with no chips. I'm not really an expert when it comes to the longevity of polish since I change mine so much.

Speaking of Particuliere dupes, I picked up Barry M Mushroom a couple of weeks ago and wore it over the weekend. The formula of this is thicker in comparison to the Chanel and the shade is a teeny bit warmer in some lights (not in the photos, though!). It's a pretty good polish and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a nice, purse-friendly nude shade.

On the paler end of the nude spectrum, I have Essie Topless & Barefoot. I don't find myself reaching for this one as much at this time of year but it is a nice spring/summer nude shade. I don't think this shade will suit everyone and the formula is a bit tricky to work with as you need three or four coats to achieve an opaque finish. If I had to give it a mark out of ten, I'd probably give it a five. As you can see in the photo, it doesn't wear too well. It tends to peel off a bit because so many coats are required.

Another lighter nude shade which I think will suit a lot more skintones is American Apparel's Mouse. I really enjoy using all my American Apparel polishes and have found the quality to be pretty consistent across the range. This is a cooler toned nude when compared with Particuliere or Mushroom. It looks pretty grey in the photo but it isn't that grey in reality.

OPI's Tickle My France-y was a polish I'd wanted for some time but when I got it, the forumla was so thin I've hardly used it. I picked this up again last week for the first time in months. I needed five coats. FIVE! I don't think any polish with a cream finish should need that many coats. There seems to be a bit of a quality control issue with this particular shade as some girls I know have had the same issues as me and others find theirs to be very thick and opaque. Anyway, it is a pretty colour. It's a pinker shade and is very subtle. I think this is one I'd wear a lot more if I had an office job.

Finally I have the famous You Don't Know Jacques by OPI. This is the darkest 'nude' shade I have. I'd describe it as a dark brown with a grey undertone. I think darker skin tones will prefer this as it might be a bit stark looking on very pale skins. The photo was taken after four days of wear so there is some obvious tip wear.

So there you go! I hope this was helpful to anyone looking for a nude polish.

Do you guys have any recommendations? Not that I need any more...

Stace xx

Review: Balance Me - Super Moisturising Hand Cream

I received this in my Carmine Beauty Box a few weeks ago now and I mentioned that I was initially put off by the scent. However, I wanted to give it a chance since the whole point of a beauty box is so that we can try new things, right?

Product: Balance Me - Super Moisturising Hand Cream

Price: £14.50 for 100ml from www.balanceme.co.uk, John Lewis and other Balance Me stockists.

Description: "A multi-award winning, seriously rich hand cream blended with a unique and uplifting blend of renowned ancient skin conditioners, to really turn back the clock on hard-working hands and make even the driest hands smooth and soft to touch!"

What's Good About It?

Well, it moisturises my hands, which is great as that's what it's supposed to do. It's nice and rich but not sticky as it sinks in pretty quickly. That's not why I love this though, I have other hand creams which do pretty much the same thing.

 This stuff makes me go to sleep so much more quickly! I find it very difficult to get to sleep so this is lovely to use just before bed. I'm very tempted to purchase the full size then this sample runs out for this reason.

The fact it's 98.8% organic will also be a selling point for some. I think the price is pretty reasonable as you don't need to use a lot each time. My sample is 30ml and it still feels as though there's a decent amount left after using it for over two weeks.

What's Disappointing?

Some people will find the smell really off putting. It does linger but if it didn't, the aromatherapy benefits would be lost so it's up to the individual whether they can deal with it. Personally, I've gotten used to the smell so it doesn't bother me anymore. I suppose the packaging isn't overly exciting either but that doesn't bother me. 

Overall Score & Comment: 7/10 - this surprising sleep aid has made me very happy! 

Have you tried this product? Did you get the sample in your Carmine box?

Stace xx