Latest In Beauty: The Glamour Summer Edit

I’ve spoke briefly about my thoughts on beauty boxes before but basically I am not the biggest fan. Particularly subscription services were you pay a set amount each month to receive a box full of surprise goodies that end up being repeated products or from brands that even beauty bloggers haven’t heard of. Even though they might be decent value, the cost adds up each month and I would rather spend the money on a product I actually wanted! Putting my moaning aside, there is some beauty boxes I can handle. Those that offer one-off buy boxes full of desirable goodies are well up my street and Latest In Beauty always deliver in that. In fact, I mentioned one of their previous boxes before here and now I am going to share my thoughts on their Summer box in collaboration with Glamour. Lets just say this is a beauty box to get excited about.

The box itself retails for £20 which is a complete bargain considering the range of brands available and the price of some of the products individually. Overall the box is also worth £104 which means you make an incredible saving! Inside is a variety of skincare, haircare and makeup items all appropriate for the Summer weather. Starting with haircare and makeup since there is only one product in each category but nevertheless both of which are super exciting additions to the box. Everyone’s favourite Dry Texturizing Spray from Oribe is included in a handy 75ml travel size. This alone is worth £19 so nearly the entire cost of the box which is pretty amazing. I have always wanted to give this cult product a go but the price has always been off-putting so I am looking forward to putting this to the test.

In the makeup category, they have included one of the new-ish Matte Lip colours from Revlon in the shade Devotion. This is another popular product that I have had my eye on for a while so I am very glad that this is included. I haven’t gave it a go yet but the raspberry pink shade looks gorgeous and it even smells delicious too.

Moving onto the skincare/bodycare bits included in the box. I was super excited to see a little mini of the Aurelia Miracle Cleanser and a little Muslin Cloth. I have heard a lot of positives about this brand but never tried any of their products until now. I have gave this cleanser a go and it is beautifully creamy with a lovely scent, it might not be as luxurious as my Oskia cleanser but I think I will like this one! Also included is a sheet mask from WOW, I love a good face mask but I’ve never gave into the whole sheet mask thing so I am looking forward to giving this a go. It’s a brand I’ve never came across before but the claims are pretty strong so hopefully it delivers on its promises!

On to the more body targeted products, I’ve not tried much from the brand Nuxe except their cult lip balm so I was happy to see one of their products included. Their Prodigieux Shower Oil sounds perfect for Summer as it leaves you with a beautiful golden shimmer. I am definitely looking forward to trying this! As well as that, if you are looking to getting your limbs in tip top shape for the Summer, coffee scrubs seem to be all the rage at the moment so obviously one was included! This is from the brand Grounded Body Scrub and is in a Chocolate Orange scent, yummy! It seems a bit messy but I look forward to seeing what all the hype is about!

Lastly, is two very summer appropriate items to keep you looking tanned and protected in the sun. The first is from cult tanning brand St Tropez and is their Bronzing Mist. I am not a huge tanning person so this is the first product I will be trying from the brand but I am loving the sound of it. Being a mist, I am assuming this will be a much lighter tan and it is also appears to be super easy to use so I can’t wait to give this a go to keep on top of my Summer tan. Finally, what is Summer without a good SPF. The box includes a 150ml size of the Ladival Sun Protection Spray in SPF30 so offers good protection and is something we all need come Summer! If only I had this in time for my holidays!

Have you tried any of these products?

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Summer Beauty Essentials

When a sight of sun is in the sky, my beauty priorities take a change from fuller coverage bases and sculpted, neutral looks to embrace the Summer vibes with bronzed skin and bright shades. As well as my makeup choices, my skincare also changes up slightly. With Summer in full swing, I thought I would share my top beauty essentials for dealing with the summer heat.

MAKEUP/NAILS

In terms of base, I love a lightweight glowy base for Summer. When the sun is shining, the last thing I want is a fuller coverage thick foundation so instead I love a light and comfortable tinted moisturiser/bb cream. My favourite is the BareMinerals Complexion Rescue which gives enough coverage for a light base and also provides a fresh glowy look to the skin all whilst remaining comfortable and moisturising on the skin. To add some extra glow to my skin, I love the look of liquid highlighters. They look soft and natural on the skin and can be worked in with foundation too. I am currently loving the Nars illuminator in Copacabana which blends into the skin beautifully.

To amp up the warmth in my skin, bronzer is such a must in Summer. It helps add a little definition to my face whilst giving me a little colour too. I am currently all for shimmery bronzers to add even more glow in my skin such as the Soap and Glory Wonderbronze which I have been loving. To add even more colour, I love bright lip shades at this time of year. There is nothing better than a bright coral or orange-y red to brighten things up. I will share some of my favourites later but I am loving Mac Relentlessly Red.

I also love bright nails as well, something I will also cover in another post. They look summery and great for enhancing a tan. I have so many Essie shades that I am loving but I am currently all for their new Summer shade Sunshine State of Mind.

SKINCARE

Obviously when the sun is out in full force, it is important to protect your skin. Having light skin, I need high protection for my skin in the sun so SPF is so important. I am currently using the Clarins Sun Cream for Very High Protection which offers UVB/UVA 50+ to help my skin stay safe in the sun. So having light skin means that tanning just doesn’t happen for me and I have to turn to self-tanning products. I am not much a tanning person anyway so a gradual tanner is all I need for a subtle bronzed glow. I am currently using the Clarins Golden Glow Booster to add in to my moisturiser for an extra glow.

Lastly, to keep hydrated I love hydrating mists. In the heat there is nothing better than a boost of hydration to stay refreshed and cool in the heat. I am all for the Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist which is a bargain and super hydrating on the skin.

What are your Summer beauty essentials?

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Summer Beauty Prep

When Summer comes around, I feel like I there is a lot of beauty prep going on to sort myself out after hibernating through the colds of Winter. My beauty routine always seems to be more important in Summer time since it’s bare legs weather, oh no! In Winter since I like to stay wrapped up in hundreds of layers, I basically need to get my head in gear come Summer. Today I thought I would share some of my go-to products and how I use them to prep for the Summer season!

EXFOLIATE/MOISTURISE 

One thing in my beauty routine that I am pretty lazy with is keeping my body exfoliated and moisturised. Particularly in Summer, I like to make sure I am on top of this. When legs out weather is in, I gotta be prepared. Exfoliating is so important and helps get rid of any dead skin great for tanning. I am currently using one from The Body Shop, in fact one from their Christmas collection! Very summery, I know! As well as exfoliating, like with any skincare routine it is also important to moisturise. Whilst I’ve got my eye on the new Body Shop Pinata Colada range, I am currently loving the ease and convenience of the Vaseline Spray Moisturiser.

TANNING

I am not much of a tanning person, I kinda just accept the fact that I am a milk bottle and embrace it. Whilst I don’t see myself going for a full fake tan anytime soon, I do like to have a light subtle glow. A gradual tanner is basically perfect for me and this year I am looking forward to using the Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Booster. The idea is super simple and appealing, basically you just add a few drops of this to your moisturiser and mix it together and apply for a subtle glow.

NAILS 

I am more of a neutral nail shade lover but when it comes to Summer there is nothing better than bright corals and tropical shades. Great for enhancing a tan, I am looking forward to getting my nails ready for the Summer season. I am currently loving the new Essie shade Sunshine State of Mind from the Summer collection.

How do you prep for Summer?

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Latest in Beauty Get The Gloss Beauty Insiders Kit

 

Apologies for the longest blog post name ever. I am not going to lie, I am not the biggest fan of beauty boxes. I just don’t like the idea of spending money on a box of products that I never wanted in the first place and from brands I had never heard of but I guess I slightly caved when I seen this one from Latest in Beauty. Packed full of well known branded goodies, some of which I had been lusting over for ages I just couldn’t say no. The best bit of course being the price at only £19 (excl. p&p) with the whole box being worth a jawdropping £116.

There is a good mix of products in the box from skincare to beauty. Starting with the Therapie Roques Oneil Cherish Skin Repair Serum (30ml). This is my first encounter with this brand and I’ve been loving giving this a try. The body serum firstly smells amazing and is for helping to heal the skin especially during the harsh winter. The Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate (10ml) comes next and is the serum in need of tackling signs of aging. It is a pricey one though if you were to get the full size! The James Read Sleep Mask Tan (25ml) is also included which is a brand I’ve never heard of. I am really not a fan of any tanning products but I will give this a little go despite being a little worried about the whole overnight thing, waking up looking like an oompa loompa is a terrifying thought! I do love a good oil product so I was quite happy to see an appearance of the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil (10ml). It comes in a handy rollerball and creates such a radiance on the skin. Finally, probably the most exciting skincare product is the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment (10g). I’ve heard a lot about this brand and was super excited to see it included. I have tried this out, it does smell horrible but that aside I do really like it. It made my skin feel so incredibly soft, shame there isn’t a lot of product.

On to beauty products. The Daniel Sandler Concealer Brush was included in the box and is quite a thin and dainty brush. I have tried this and I am not the biggest fan, it is too small for my liking as I prefer a slightly larger brush for concealer. Two Essie Nail polishes (5ml) made their way in too in the shades Shearling Darling and Parka Perfect , a dark maroon and a grey shade. They are so up my street! Moving on to the product that made me purchase the box altogether; the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer (30ml). This primer alone retails for £19, the price of the box and after lusting over it for so long this was the prime reason for picking up this box. I haven’t fully tried this yet but I like it so far and it is quite different from any other primer I have used. It is a very lightweight gel texture and glides smoothly on the skin. Last but not least the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner (2g, full-size). Being a huge eyeliner fan I had been dying to try this for ages and couldn’t believe my luck at seeing a full sized product in this box. Sadly though it didn’t quite live up to expectation. It has such a fine nib but unfortunately I found it hard to work with and it felt like it was dragging my skin rather than gliding on like my Soap and Glory one does. A no-no from me on that one.

While there was a couple of no-go’s I did find some gems and I can’t wait to start using them properly.

Unfortunately this box is now sold out.

Are you a fan of beauty boxes? Are you a fan of any of these products?