Sunday Manicure

After the brightness of last week's coral, Lady Cavanagh decided to darken up this week and painted her nails with China Glaze's 'Coconut Kiss'.

Its a deep metallic purple with a plummy feel that's more prominent in different lighting conditions. The picture below is with flash which was strangely more true to the actual colour than when photographed with no flash.  The final finish has a really nice shine to it, so much so that you don't really need a top coat to add any extra gloss.

It seems that whenever Lady Cavanagh puts on China Glaze polish she'll put on one coast and be really disappointed with the finish (think clumpy and streaky) yet after the second coat it fixes itself right up and you're left with an even, full colour that lasts really well.

Nars Eyeshadow Duo - Caravaggio

This was Lady Cavanagh's first fore in Nars products so naturally she started with a purple!

This duo is made up of an intense purple and a bright fuchsia which the Nars website describes as "azalea pink" and "iridescent violet". The Nars website also says that the duos are created with colours that can be worn together but unless applied with a very light hand the bright colours of Caravaggio are probably best worn separately.

The swatch pic to the left doesn't really capture the slight shimmer in the shades and makes them look a bit more matte than they actually are.  In real life they come across a lot more like they look in the pan.

Like all Nars eyeshadows (and blushes) the colours blend well and can be sheered out for a less intesnse look or built up for something more dramatic.  There's also minial fallout so if you use these with a primer you'll have vivid colour the whole day through.

Bellabox - December

With the late arrival of November's Glossybox its only been 2 weeks since Lady Cavanangh last received a sample box and then December's Bellabox and Lust Have It packs arrived on the same day - hooray for early Chrismas pressies!

This month's Bellabox included 4 full sized products which was very exciting.  I hadn't heard of any of the brands this month's; its always great to try out new items you've never seen before.

Here's a run down and review of what came in this month's box...

Savoir Faire: Concealer Pack (full size)
 - Very creamy and easy to apply, a little goes a long way
 - Use the lighter colour for under your eyes and the darker one for blemishes or pigmentation you want to cover up
 - The powder on the bottom can be used to set the concealer or as a finishing powder for your whole face



Ozotic Elytra nail polish: # 530 (full size)
- Duo/trio(?) chrome that is a glitter polish with gold, red and purple in it
- Recommended over a black base but can be worn alone.
- The glitter is very fine and well mixed meaning that when you apply a second coat you're not wiping off the one you've just applied!


Elemis: Pro Collagen Quartz Lift Mask (5ml)
- Always hard to tell how effective something is from one use. This applied well and left my skin feeling smooth and clean


Kosmea: Rose Water Spray (full size)
 - Packaging says 'cooling and soothing' which it certainly is. Feels great when first applied, just wish the cooling feeling would've stuck around a bit longer.
-Very calming rose scent, perfect for when you're rushing about doing your Christmas shopping and need a 'pick-me-up'
- Lady Cavanagh has never really used a hydrating spray before and didn't think it'd be something she'd really use but was then quite surprised to find herself regularly reaching for it.  A very pleasing beauty discovery!


Eylure: Naturalite Intense Lash - 140 (1 pair of lashes)
 - Quite bold and probably better for use when you want to go 'all out' with your look.

Highlight of this month's box was the Savoir Fair concealer, the packaging was great and application easy and effective.  Great work by Bellabox providing so many full sized products in this month's box too!

Orofluido Hair Elixir

Lady Cavanagh received a sample of this in her November BellaBox but loves it so much she decided it deserved it's own post!

What is it: Basically its an oil that you apply to damp or dry hair to give you silky, fly-away-free hair that's well moisturised and 'nourished'.  Its quite similar to the 'It product' MorrocanOil but made with different oils (its also a bit cheaper too).

How to use it: You only need the tiniest amount (about the size of a 5c piece) which you put onto your hands, rub your palms together and then work your way through your hair.  Whether you use it on damp or dry hair will give you different results.  Lady Cavanagh has found the best results are from using it on damp, towel dried hair, blown dry with the hair dryer as it really seems to get into the hair shaft.

How much does it cost?: You can get it in 50ml or 100ml bottles (glass bottles so be careful you don't drop it).  The 50ml is AU$26.95 and the 100ml $44.95.  There is a promotion at the moment though where you can get a 100ml bottle as well as a 250ml hair mask for $49.95 (guess which one Lady Cavanagh got...)

Won't putting oil into my hair make it greasy?: As mentioned above, you only need a really small amount (trust me on this!) and it will leave your hair with that 'just left the salon' feeling.  If you get a bit over enthusiastic your hair will feel great the first day but get a bit greasy by the second day.  Lady Cavanagh has quite fine hair and this doesn't weigh it down or leave it with a 'I've got too much product in my hair' look.

One final thing...it smells great! A mixture of vanilla and amber it leaves your hair with a light scent that disappears fairly quickly and isn't really noticeable after you've dried your hair.

Thanks to Orofluido gone are the days when Lady Cavanagh's hair stays in a messy bun because she's ashamed of dry, brittle ends. Bring forth the shine!

Sunday Manicure

Lady Cavanagh's nails were looking terrible last week with the chipped remains of glittery burgundy lingering long after the office xmas party was over.  Sunday afternoon and time for a new colour!

This week it was NYX Girls' 'Dance in Havana' which is lovely bright coral that looks great when you wear blue and adds a pop of colour to a black ensemble.

Glossybox - November [First edition]

Lady Cavanagh was beginning to think November's edition of Glossybox wasn't going to arrive at all, but lo! The 28th and there is was - the first edition of Glossybox.  The first box for any new sampler service always has high expectation and the extra time this one took to arrive only increased that.  So - what was in it?

Below is a list of the items included as well as a quick review of each one:

Jurlique 'Purely Age-Defying Ultra Firm & Lift Cream - 5ml
 - Applies smoothly on the skin, nice scent

Essie: Summer Nail Colour 'Brazil' - 5ml
- Wonderful bright orange and applies nicely
- Essie have a brush that's quite a bit thinner that OPI's which makes applying polish to your smaller nails a lot easier

Bio-Oil - 60ml (Full size)
- Great for stretch marks, dry skin, scars - you name it!
- Takes me back to my teenage years when this was the product everybody owned. I haven't used it in quite a few years so I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with it.
Mirenesse '3D Forever Gloss'  in 'Hello Kitten'- 14g (Full size)
 - Has quite a strong smell that's a bit like washing powder.  The scent is ok at first but gets a bit sickening after a while.
- The colour was a coraly-peach that was only so-so.  It needs to be applied really carefully or you're left with that 'I just ate pasta sauce' look around your mouth which is more slobby than sexy.
 - When Lady Cavanagh went to the Minenesse website to find out more about their products it was difficult to navigate and the prices were unclear - gave me no real faith in the product and no real desire to find out what else they had to offer etc.

Lily loves pearl [Polish Me] Rejuvenating Facial Exfoliant - 95ml (full size)
 - Great 'fresh' lemony-herbal scent
 - Has 'gentle polishing beads' which aren't too hard on the skin
 - Left the face feeling very clean and not 'stripped' the way some other exfoliators can.
Pink mini jellybeans
 - Yum!

Hits from this month's box are the Essie polish and the Lily Loves Pearl Exfoliator.  Misses was really just the lip gloss; fine to get as a sample but wouldn't repurchase.

Overall Verdict - Very impressive.  With four subscriber services now available to the ladies of Australia the pressure is on to come up with exciting and 'high end' samples each month.  GlossyBox did very well on their first outing with extra points for gorgeous and professional packaging and for including three full sized products also.

For people that love skin care or makeup these subscriber services are great way to try things out without having to commit to full sized purchases. The advantage also is that if a particular service isn't right for you, you can cancel whenever you like.  Needless to say Lady Cavanagh won't be cancelling her GlossyBox subscription any time soon!