Summer Favourites

Hi fellow nomads,

The summer was pretty quiet for me, beauty wise, so I've collected up my favourites for July and August and combined them into one handily titled post. With the weather being so nice and hot, I haven't been wearing much makeup at all recently. My go-to look over most of July and August was pretty much just mascara and brows, with maybe a bit of face powder if I'm feeling fancy. And I've been really enjoying it, because I've found some awesome products to do the job....

HD brows Browtec and powder or Brow Colourfix // This HD Brows powder compact has been in my repertoire for a little while now, and I've always enjoyed using it, but found that it could be a little bit dramatic if you’re using it to fill as well as define the brows. When I was at IMATS, I got a bumper pack of items from HD Brows including the Browtec. After some trial and error, I've discovered that these make a winning combo – Browtec to define the brows and then fill in the remainder with the powder. This gives a fairly natural look which is good for the summer heat, because it doesn't move around your face. 

MAC Beauty Powder in Tahitian Sand (Hello Kitty Limited Edition) // I've had this powder for a really, really long time but never used it because it’s basically the exact same shade as my skin. It’s also a very light powder with basically no coverage at all. So why do I love it?! Well, I can put a thin layer of it all over my face which a) subtly reduces shine, b) is great for my dry skin, c) evens skin tone, and d) provides a great base for applying other powders over eg blush, bronzer, so they don’t go patchy and are easy to blend. It does all this whilst being just about invisible, which is great if you want the above benefits but don’t want anyone to know you’re wearing a powder. I've used this so much that I've worn away the Hello Kitty embossed onto the powder - sad times! (NB and this week we've found out that Hello Kitty is not a cat... What the what??!)

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara // Having been very disparaging about the name when I got this mascara in a beauty box, I have since realised that it's actually a really great mascara. It's just the right consistency to give your lashes a really good coating of mascara without clumping easily, it lengthens and curls really quite well, and it is long lasting. It doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day. This plus my eyelash curler = amazing lashes. I still think the name is ridiculous, though.

Clinique Bottom Lash mascara // I put off buying this for a long time because really, it is a lot of money for a tiny mascara (£13). However, I will keep buying this for as long as they make it because it's amazing at getting every single bottom lash and applying just the right amount of product to it. You don't end up looking like a pantomime character and it's so easy to do. As with the Too Faced mascara, this doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day yet is easy to remove as well. If you're on the fence about this - just try it. You'll never go back. 

Sigma Warm Neutrals palette // I picked this up at IMATS on a whim after hearing good things about it. I don’t have many warm shadows as I don’t think they tend to suit me, but I'm using this palette to change my mind. I have to say it’s just beautiful. The shades are all super pigmented and easy to blend, but mostly, they are just such gorgeously unusual shades. I particularly love Dove and Mild Mannered (the 2 on the top row on the right of the palette) which give a subtle wash of colour to the lids. They’re the kind of shades you can just chuck on and look fabulous all day.

Sam Udi ring // I got this on a whim in the ASOS sale for a bargain price. I love jewellery which is a bit unusual and I think this fits the bill pretty successfully. The shape on top could variously be described as a bird, a whale, a spermatocyte or a turd depending on your mood, but I love it and have been wearing it frequently.

What have you been enjoying this summer?

-Rachel 

Memebox unboxing and review: Office Essentials Box

Hi fellow nomads,

A few weeks ago I took delivery of my Office Essentials box from Memebox. Memebox is a Korean beauty box which is subscription free - which means you just buy boxes individually, as and when they take your fancy. Mostly the contents are a surprise, but sometimes they'll release a box and show all the contents. The variety of boxes they have is staggering, so rather than bore you with it here I'll refer you to their website here.

Back to the Office Essentials box. I ordered this a while ago and was pretty curious about what they'd include in a box which had the following description:

Must-have beauty essentials for career women come together in our new Office Essentials Box!!!

Ladies, we all have extra heels or pieces of clothing stashed away at work in case of professional meetings or socializing afterwards, but what about beauty products?

Whether you had a crazy morning and need to finish getting ready for work or you simply need to freshen up in-between, there are handy beauty items every working woman absolutely needs to keep at the office!

Now, there’s no need to turn your desk into a dressing table anymore. Just place our Office Essentials Box in your drawer, and you’ll be prepared for any possible occasions and feminine emergencies at work ;)

Now, I'm a bit different to the average career woman in that I don't have a permanent desk. I work in consulting which means I'm usually perched with my laptop on some unsuitable table in a meeting room somewhere. Certainly no opportunities of turning my desk into a dressing table - but sadly no drawer either. I do however have a very large bag so perhaps there's something I could stash in there, instead. So, without further ado, let's see what 'essentials' were in store for me...

Pure Smile Refresh Tissue Citrus Punch // Despite being named ‘Citrus Punch’, there are no actual citrus fruits on the illustration which is a little confusing! That aside, I'm actually really happy to receive these. I know it’s just a fragranced wipe. But look at how cute that package size is! I opened this box just as I was throwing together a few things to take to IMATS. This mini packet ended up being perfect to take with me for removing swatches and freshening up, without taking up half of my bag. It’s almost as if they read my mind. Memebox, we’re off to a great start.

Hope Girl 140 Super Lash Mascara // I actually have about 7 mascaras that I'm trying to finish up at the moment so I don’t want to open this as it will dry out before I get the chance to properly test it, but this looks interesting. The note on the accompanying card advises using the wand vertically, which is a brave new world for me. I'm just not sure I can get on board with that. Also, I’m not sure what it’s doing in an office essentials box. Back in the day when I had a desk, I was guilty of stashing many beauty products in and around it - but I can honestly say mascara was never one of them. Maybe I’d appreciate a booster if I was heading out after work, but that was what the 10 minute box was for… no? Still, I will give it a go once I’ve ploughed through some of my other mascaras. I’ll never be truly disappointed with a mascara in a beauty box.

RiveCowe Sebum Control Convenient Compact // This is a powder compact which provides oil control throughout the day. I personally have dry skin, and I can report that this did stick to my dry patches slightly (no surprises there) but provided a nice finish on any more ‘normal’ patches of skin. I think if you had oily skin this would work really well, and the translucent colour means it is likely to suit many people, skin tone wise. It’s something I will definitely take out with me if I am going somewhere hot or otherwise shine inducing. The powder is very lightly fragranced and pleasantly so. I think this fits the theme of the box excellently, and even though I normally don't like powder puff type applicators, this is actually very helpful for application on the go.

Very Six 6 Seconds Kissing Lipgloss // I really like the packaging on this for some reason – it’s very understated yet functional and reminds me of Jo Malone packaging. (Does anyone else play Brand Mimic Bingo with their Korean cosmetics?!). I much prefer this type of applicator over a doe foot type applicator, it seems so much more hygienic somehow. This is a clear gloss with a very high shine, so much so that it almost looks like it has glitter in it. It feels super smooth on the lips and lasts a decent length of time. There’s a fragrance to it that I don’t love, but can just about deal with because the finish is so great. This works well by itself or layered over other products, and is just the kind of thing you would wear regularly in an office, particularly if your office is of the conservative nature.

Label Young Shocking Toner // I'm sorry, what is this?! It’s like some hair gel had an affair with a jar of jam and this is the result. Whaaat? Honestly, I don’t even know how to go about using this. It comes with its own spatula, so do I paste it onto my face and go about my business? Or do I use the spatula to get it out of the jar, to then put it on some cotton wool to wipe over my face? Which seems excessively complicated. So many questions. I’m also finding the pixie-sized kiss marks all over the jar a bit offputting. And finally, I don’t really see how this is something you’d use in an office, unless I have it all wrong and it really is jam to have on your mid-morning toast snack.

Maxim Maxim Mocha Gold // This is a great product to include in an office box but unfortunately I don’t like coffee. I will keep this in my beverage cupboard and use it on an unsuspecting visitor. You have been warned…

Lovey Dovey Perfume Fabric Mist // I think the flavour of mine is “mignon” which means cute or dainty in French. Well, that does fit I suppose - this is halfway between a girly scent and a clean laundry type scent, so it’s just about ok with my olfactory receptors. They’re not big on the girly scents but fresh smells they do like. I do think this is another good product to include as it’s the kind of thing that would be very useful whilst working in a stuffy office when someone just microwaved some leftover curry for their lunch (we've all been there).

Overall I'm pretty pleased with this box. I think most products would actually be useful for people working in offices (apart from the toner. Somebody please explain the toner.) and I will be using a fair few of these in the office. The total value of the box was $89, and I paid $23 plus delivery. However, I personally don't put much by that whole "total equivalent value" thing, as that's all a bit artificial - what matters to me is what I paid in the end and whether I think it's worth it for the items that I will use. In short, I do!

Sidenote: there was some controversy when this box was released, as Memebox released a teaser/spoiler on their website (and also possibly via email?) of a mist from Secret Key which was to be included in the box. For whatever reason, Memebox were not able to fulfil this product, however there was no email sent until after the boxes had been shipped to inform us of this change, by which point it was too late to cancel your order if you’d really only ordered for the mist in the first place. This all went over my head, as I didn’t even see the spoiler and don’t know anything about this mist. So, I was pleased with the box but I can see that if you really wanted a certain product and it didn’t arrive, that you’d be a bit miffed. Memebox did however send an apology email and give us all $10 worth of points which I was happy with.

Did you receive this box? What did you make of it?

-Rachel

Mini Review Mondays: Very YSL Black Edition Make Up Palette

Hi fellow nomads,

I’m pleased to announce the triumphant return of Mini Review Mondays. Today we’re taking a look at the Very YSL Black Edition Make Up Palette. This is one of those elusive creatures which you can only pick up from Duty Free shops at the airport, and is especially designed for travellers.

It comes dressed up in an iPhone shaped case, with black leather front and back and a gorgeous gold logo. There’s no mistaking what you’re packing here!

Let’s take a look inside the palette shall we?

Here we’ve got a great full sized mirror, 4 eyeshadows, 2 lip colours and a blush. There are also some tiny brushes.

The Eyeshadows // The palette contains 4 eyeshadows – a black with a hint of shimmer that can be used wet or dry and makes a decent eyeliner, a white shimmer which can be used as a highlight on the eyes or anywhere on the face, a pink shimmer and a khaki shimmer.

These eyshadows I found to be disappointingly dry and a bit tough to blend. I mean, they’re not disastrous, but for YSL I was expecting something super high quality. I didn't feel these were. I liked the shade range and the fact that you could use the black as a liner, but I would have preferred the pink shimmer be replaced with a mid-toned matte colour – maybe a brown or a grey. Also, they were pretty spangly. The white shimmer is pretty out there, so it has to be used sparingly if you don’t want to look like a discoball.

The Lip Colours // The palette contains 2 matte lip shades, a deep red and a cool toned plum. Despite being matte they have a hint of a sheen which is welcome, otherwise they could be quite drying. The colours are beautiful but do wear off fairly quickly, and it’s a bit of a pain to keep whipping out the palette to reapply. As streamlined and beautiful as the palette is, it’s a bit more bulky than just sneaking a lippie off to the bathrooms (come on, we've all done it).

The Blush // The palette contains one matte mid peachy pink blush. This is a really wearable colour and goes on really smoothly. Of course the applicator included is woefully inadequate, but if you use your own tools you can get a really nice look with this blush. I like that it’s both daytime and evening appropriate and is relatively long wearing.

As you can see from the swatches, the eyeshadows are struggling a little for pigmentation, and they've gone on a little unevenly.

In Conclusion // I think this palette is great for evening looks, and I love how portable it is and how luxe the packaging looks. It's also a really useful option if you've forgotten or mislaid your makeup bag, and need an all-in-one solution. The eyeshadows I did find a little disappointing, but I liked the blush and the shades of lip colour, and I'm aware the palette was formulated to a certain price point and as such, the quality of the shadows may not be up to the usual standard. It certainly wouldn't put me off trying anything from the rest of their range.

This palette was £39 new, but is now past season and most likely off the Duty Free shelves. However, it's still available on the usual suspects - eBay, Amazon, etc - and is also available in a pink or gold colour variant.

Would you pick this up if you saw it?

-Rachel

Nail Rehab (Warning: contains graphic ratchet nail content)

Hi fellow nomads,

The time has come to face facts. My nails are in a serious state of disrepair and something needs to be done ASAP. I took off my nail polish recently to discover that hiding under this thin veneer of respectability was a festering mess of discord. They’re peeling, dry and discoloured – thanks to a “manicurist” who assured me that her polishes didn’t need base coats (!).

The situation was so bad that intervention was necessary immediately. I decided to go on a month long polish ban – which I'm now half way through. This may not seem like such a big deal to you, but I am a hardened polish junkie. I wear it every day and my nails feel just plain wrong without it. Maybe that's how they ended up like this...

#nofilter ...

And that’s actually half the reason I'm doing this. I mean, aside from the shocker you see above (sorry about that. I do hope you weren't eating), I really need to get used to not wearing polish every day. It’s not necessary and apparently it’s not healthy. And then there's the fact that I need to let my nails grow out a bit, and see if they stop splitting.

I've looked for explanations as to why my nails are splitting so much and I've encountered conflicting advice. Some say they split due to lack of oxygen passing through the polish to the cuticle – however other sources say that a coat of clear polish will help. Some say that the chemicals in nail polish are the main culprits, others say that it is most likely to be a nutrient deficiency, or frequent submersion of hands in water, or any one of about 17 other reasons.

Well, as a long term sufferer of anaemia and a coeliac with a healing gut, I'm aware it’s fairly likely that I'm deficient in one nutrient or another. But before I march on down to the doctor, I'm going to see if they get better without being lacquered to kingdom come. I'm also going to keep an eye on my diet, and apply hand and cuticle cream religiously.

Who’s with me…?!?

-Rachel