Have you got a Christmas party coming up, and you need to stock up on a few party essentials? Maybe you're heading away and you need some travel size miniatures? Well, look no further. The Glamour Party Beauty Edit is here, and it's going to solve a large number of your problems...
I'm afraid to say the box won't pick an outfit for you, stop your feet from hurting, or prevent that randomer from taking an unwelcome shine to you, but we can't have everything can we? Here's what it will do for you...
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Black Amethyst ¦¦ I'm a big fan of Stila, and I'll take any excuse to expand my collection. This eyeliner is a very deep purple with a hint of sparkle in it. This is just enough to give it interest without making it too in-your-face. You can use this as a normal eyeliner if you have a certain level of skill with application, as it is quite soft. It's much easier to apply it however you can, and then smudge it out into a smoky eye. It's super pretty, and is one of those clever colours which looks black from afar, but it has just enough purple in it to bring out green eyes. I love this!
Collection Lengthening Mascara in Ultra Black ¦¦ Here we've got a mascara which looks a bit like it wants to be Benefit They're Real!'s drugstore dupe. The bristles on the brush are much shorter than the Benefit version, and it's not as instantly wowing, but if you stick around and build it up a bit, then the results are actually quite good. I would say this gives great every day lashes, nothing dramatic, but a solid performance.
Wild About Beauty Powder Eye Shadow in 04 Becca ¦¦ I'm so glad I got the shade I did - I've been keen to try something from Wild About Beauty for a while, and I didn't want to get a crazy unwearable colour. Luckily, Becca is a beautiful neutral shade which I'm having a bit of trouble putting into words - see the swatch at the end of the post for a better idea, but basically it's a kind of very pale warm brown, which looks somewhere between a champagne and a pale bronze shimmer on the lid. It's a lovely shade which would do a party look just as well as an everyday look, it applies well and blends easily. It's also got great staying power. I forsee me getting a lot of wear out of this one!
Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Grapefruit ¦¦ This one was a bit of a miss for me, sadly. The shade I got is a very light pink with a heck load of shimmer in it. I know I shouldn't be surprised by this, as it is called a "Lip Shimmer", but this translated as a fairly grim 80s frost pink when worn alone. Not good. I'm going to try and layer this with other products, or maybe just use less at once, but I don't hold out much hope. It's also peppermint flavour, which is good on occasion but sometimes you just want something inoffensive on the lips, you know?
Lola Nail Polish in 005 Stone Grey ¦¦ Grey nail polishes never go out of style, and this fits into my collection beautifully. It's a darker grey so it looks very stylish with almost anything and can do day and night with ease. This would be a great choice for Christmas parties - if you've not decided what you're going to wear when you paint your nails, you can put this on and guaranteed it will go. This applies well and looks great after two coats, and I'm seriously in love with the colour.
Vichy Pureté Thermale 3 in 1 ¦¦ This cleanser for sensitive skin does 3 things in one - it's a cleansing milk, it removes eye make up, and it tones. I'd argue the first two are the same thing but... Minor quibble. I think I will use this after my work Christmas party, as I'm staying away for the night and at 30ml this is a useful size for travelling with.
Vichy Idealia Life Serum ¦¦ I will be using this right after the Vichy cleanser post-Christmas party - this promises to restore radiance to the skin. Sounds just the job, if you ask me.
Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels ¦¦ Lastly, I will be using these the morning after the night before - we have an all-day team meeting the day after, so I'll need to look with it. I have serious bags at the best of times so I hope these will help me out.
XEN-TAN Luminous Gold Gel ¦¦ I'm not really one for fake tan, as I'm so pale normally that I just end up looking orange. However, I'm thinking of giving this one a whirl. It's got lots of shimmer in it which means it looks pretty as soon as you apply it, and then the tan develops over the next 3 hours. Now, I'm not sure about exactly how they figure the timing works with that (do you arrive to the party pale and leave tanned??) but I guess I'll apply the night before and see how I go. It's got a fairly strong coconut scent, and no detectable fake-tan smell, so that's good.
Philip Kingsley Moisture Balancing Shampoo & Conditioner ¦¦ My hair always needs some moisture balancing, and I'll be taking these with me to wash my hair with after the work Christmas party. I've had much success with Philip Kinglsey products before, so I'm looking forward to trying these.
L’Oreal Elnett Satin Volume Excess Hairspray ¦¦ Travel size cans of hairspray always come in handy, so I know I'll get good use out of this. I'm slightly intimidated by the promise of "Extra Strength" and "Backcombed Volume", but it also says it disappears at the stroke of a brush, so I'm sure I'll be fine.
Popband London hair ties ¦¦ These hair bands are the trendy sort that you've been seeing everywhere for a while, only with a party spin! I like the plain black one for when you need to be sensible, and you can then switch up your hair to party mode with the gold houndstooth pattern one. As they point out, these look good on your wrist as well, so either way you're winning.
Swatches ¦¦ Here we have my trademark dodgy swatching. Left to right: Wild About Beauty Powder Eye Shadow in 04 Becca, Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Grapefruit, Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eyeliner in Black Amethyst.
Also in the box ¦¦ 62% off a 12 month subscription to Glamour magazine, £5 off your next purchase at Xen-Tan, £20 off a Magnitone, and further assorted discounts from the included brands which can be found listed here.
I personally think the Glamour Party Beauty Edit is an excellent value box which contains a mix of everyday, useful products as well as new things to try. There's only one thing in it that I didn't really like, and I'm hopeful about changing that with some considered application. The box has a value of £88.85 (precisely) and can be purchased for £16.99 inc P&P here. They do tend to sell out fairly quickly so run, don't walk towards this box.
Are you thinking of buying this box? Which product swayed you?! For me it was the Stila Smudge Stick, which is normally £13ish alone...
-Rachel
No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!