NOTD: Barry M Gelly in Greenberry

My NOTD

I went to the dentist earlier in the week and decided I deserved a treat for being so brave.

Enter Barry M's Gelly nail paint in Greenberry;

These photos were taken in natural sunlight and while the Gelly looks more blue in the pictures, it is actually more green in the flesh.

The colours in the S/S13 Gelly range are GreenBerry (pictured above), Lychee (beige), Papaya (orange) and Dragonfruit (pink). 

The application process was quite tricky with the Gelly nail varnish. The first coat I applied was streaky and see through and the second coat dragged and become blotchy. The third coat, however, looked perfect not only because it was evenly spread and smooth on the nail.

My mother commented that the finish looked similar to the Shellac nails which is a great result from a £3.99 nail varnish.

Chipping occurred after roughly 3 days on the tips of the nails and the thick varnish got dented slightly (see my index finger in the first picture). 

I've recently purchased the Lychee colour as well so keep an eye on my instagram and twitter for pictures! 

Have you purchased any of the Gelly range? What did you think?

What's in my (Harvey Nichols) bag?

Exciting buy!

I bet you've all been dying to know what I got from Harvey Nichols...

Well wait no more!

Okay... I'll show you now ;)

Ah! How beautiful is this? 

I've wanted a Cambridge Satchel for ages and when I went to Harvey Nichols on Saturday and saw the bags, I couldn't resist having a look. They had a whole range of colours at the store but the metallic range had me completely smitten. Obviously, the satchels aren't cheap so I had to seriously think about whether I was willing to part with my cash. We walked round Bristol for a short while, visited Debenhams and Boots but I could not stop thinking about those satchels. 

We went back to Harvey Nichols and I stood looking at the range of colours, trying to decide which one I wanted. The sales lady really helped me out by asking which one I'd want to wear 10 years from now; I wouldn't want a bright pink one, I change my preference for gold and silver daily and cream would stain easily, so I finally settled on a beautiful pewter colour from the metallics which, is exclusive to Harvey Nichols.

For two days, my bag lay untouched and unwrapped. I loved my new bag so much I was afraid to open it, how stupid is that? Eventually, I opened up the packaging and the bag is currently on my lap as I won't let it leave my side.

The inside looks quite small but this is due to the stiffness of the leather. The more I use it, the softer the leather will become and easier to use. The satchel is big enough to contain my purse, phone, makeup and my diary so it's great for everyday use and makes such a statement.

 

I love this bag. I really do.

A Welsh girl at the Bristol Blogger Meet

Blogger meet!

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to go to the Bristol Blogger Meet organised by the lovely Sasha and Alessia. 

This was my first ever bblogger meet and I was so nervous and after asking everyone on Twitter, it became apparent that business cards were a must have. I ordered mine on VistaPrint and I'm really impressed with how they turned out. VistaPrint normally have offers on for business cards so check them out (but don't leave it until 2 days before to order the cards!)

We left the house at 9am to get to Bristol, hence my really grumpy morning face (I do smile, honest)

And what type of Beauty Blogger would I be without statement jewellery and nails ;)

Bristol was absolutely freezing cold and I was glad of my faux leather jacket. I made my way over to Frankie and Benny's, tweeting my every movement, and caught up with a group of girls who were waiting to go inside. 

I was lucky enough to win the raffle and got this amazing beauty box from Nspa which contains melting cleansing gel, hot cloth polish, illuminating beauty serum and Brightening day cream; I am so excited to try it out!

I ordered a milkshake and some fries and starting talking with my fellow bloggers. It was so good to be surrounded with like minded people and with those who understand the world of blogging. I also managed to get around the other table to hand out my cards and get other cards in return. 

Eventually, food was consumed and blogs talked about before it was time to separate and go shopping, but there was one last surprise; a goody bag!

I was completely overwhelmed by the goody bag. I'd seen sneak pictures of the beautiful packaging but I'd never dream of what was inside. 

To see the sheer amount of products we were given, I made a Vine video, click play to view;

@lil_alessia @beauty__bird weeee vine.co/v/bgnhlIJZahx :) xx
— Roxy (@Roxysmakeupbox) February 24, 2013

As you can see, it was an immense amount of products. Expect to see reviews and swatches very soon!


For now, however, here is a picture of my absolute favourites:

1, Aroma SqueezeMe: Grapefruit & Geranium
2. Benefit's Fine One One
3. NSpa Hot Cloth Polish
4. Head Full of Feathers Bow
5. MakeBelieve Enhance highlight.

I was most shocked about the Benefit Fine One One as it's currently the Beauty Blogger must have but I simply couldn't justify buying it for myself so you can imagine my excitement when I saw it in my goody bag. I half expected the girls to say, 'Oh that's a mistake, it must have fallen in there by accident, you have to give it back sorry'. The Aroma Squeeze me is a mouldable stress-ball with uplifting scents and the NSpa hot cloth is something I'm really looking forward to using. The Bow is so beautiful and in red, a great colour for me and the highlighter is something I've needed lately.

After the bags were handed out everyone separated off to do shopping. I met up with my parents as I didn't want to slow anyone down with my crutches. I only bought two items, but one is very exciting...

 

 But you'll have to wait to see what's inside that Harvey Nichols bag... 

 We finished off the day by meeting back up in Starbucks, but I had to rush back to Wales so only managed to only take this photo and thank everyone for being so friendly and for having a lovely day.

I had a fantastic time and it was brilliant to get some tricks on how to run my blog. I only wish I had spent more time with the girls but being on crutches, it's simply too hard to keep up with shoppers. 

I'd recommend going to any meetups that you can, I've made so many new friends from it.  

:)

Life Update; New look, Nail art, Shingles and Michael Kors Dupe!

Just a quick update today :)

 

1. My blog got a makeover! The lovely Steph sorted me out and listened to everything I wanted. I'm really pleased by the overall look and I hope you guys are too!

2. Went to New Look today and got this fab cross ring and peace earrings. It's also buy one, get one free so both items only cost £2.99- Result :).  I also got these Nail Art things which I look forward to testing and blogging about soon!

3. I got Shingles, ouch. I took a very sexy picture of the scabby bits just for you guys. Luckily, I'm coming to the end of it, I've just got to leave it alone despite it being so itchy!

4. For Valentines, my boy got me this beautiful River Island watch which is a great dupe for the Michael Kors one I want. We had a great Valentines and went to watch our favourite Ice Hockey teams play against each other. Luckily for me, Sheffield won over Cardiff.

I'll be updating with a 'proper' post in the next few days so keep checking back ;)

Barry M textures: Kingsland Road

Textured nails!

I recently bought Barry M's new Textured nail varnishes in Atlantic Road (Blue TNP1) and Kingsland Road (Pink TNP3). They are currently on offer in Superdrug, 2 for £6 and can be mixed and matched with the new Gelly shades. I'm not too keen on the Gellies however, and wanted to road test (see what I done there ;) ).

Here are my nails after being painted with 3 coats so it's really opaque. It's a beautiful pastel pink colour; perfect for the SS13 which is all about pastels! The texture itself is a soft rough feeling, it's quite a nice feeling actually and it looks really interesting. I got complimented on it by my fiance's family.

However....

This is a photo of my nails after 4 days wear. I can't really describe what's happened but textured bits have actually collected dirt and no matter how much I wash my hands, it won't come clean. My nails look so grubby. I suppose if the paint was a different colour, the dirt wouldn't be so prominent. My mother so kindly point out that the texture looked like I'd painted my nails and then gone to bed without letting it dry properly which isn't the look I was going for...

I have yet to try the blue Atlantic Road colour and I hope the same thing doesn't happen as I really like the idea of this varnish but I can't go round looking like I haven't washed my hands!

Have you tried the Barry M textures? If so, did the same thing happen to you?

Inside tips from an ex-Lush employee

Lush Secrets

I worked for Lush cosmetics for three years so you could say I know a thing or two about the products, including what other uses they serve. Many people see a shower gel and would only use it as a shower gel but little do they know about our secret tips.

Shower Gels

 

Shampoo.

Shower gels have a whole range of uses. Happy Hippy is an amazing back up shampoo, especially for greasy hair as the enzymes of the pink grapefruit break down grease with ease. Most of the shower gels are good as shampoo so give them a try when you're running low!

Bubble Bath.

Run out of bubble bath? Squeeze some Lush shampoo under a running tap and you'll have bubbles in seconds! While you won't have a colourful bath, you will have a beautifully scented and moisturizing bath.

Massage Bars

Bath Melt.

If you break off a bit of your favourite massage bar and whack it in a hot bath before getting in. Because the massage bars are made of Coca and Shea butter, they melt really easily and the bath becomes one giant moisturiser.

Hair.

Get your massage bar and heat a little bit up so it's melted onto your hands, then lightly go over your hair. You don't want much at all as it'll make your hair greasy but if you do this right, you'll have a lovely shine.

Insect Repellent. 

Each Peach (and Two's a Pair) massage bar contains Citronellol which mosquitos, mites and spiders hate. While I would never advise using this instead of actually repellant in a foreign country, it's great for using in the summer and autumn when all the bugs start coming indoors.

Jungle

Shaving cream. 

Jungle is a conditioner which softens the hair so it's great for softening up your body hair before you shave and leaves you moisturised and smelling amazing.

Shower Jellies

Shampoo.

Like the shower gels, these shower jellies are  awesome as shampoo too. The jelly is made with carrageenan seaweed gel which is full of minerals and vitamins and it makes your skin and hair softer.

Freeze it.

Perhaps not really a secret use, but I feel like not many people know about this; you can freeze shower jellies! Whilst they won't freeze like an ice cube, they do go really cold which is perfect when you really need to wake up. I'd advise freezing Whoosh as it's made from lemon and lime juice, a great pick me up. 

Deodorant

Dry Shampoo.

Roots looking greasy? Whack some Lush powder deodorant on there and brush out. The power absorbs grease leaving your hair nice and shiny. I'd recommend The Greeench for Dry Shampoo as the smell is absolutely divine.

Foot Powder.

Smelly feet? Smelly shoes and socks? Sprinkle some deodorant over the smelly area and ta-dah! The talc will soften and absorb the bad smell.

Bath Bombs/Bubble Bars

Room Freshener. 

This might seem obvious if you've ever walked into a Lush shop, but the products are great for freshening up a room. When I worked there, I had a lady who bought different coloured bath bombs just to put in clothes drawers to keep everything smelling fresh. If you want a pink girly smell, go for Think Pink or The Comforter, but for more zesty smells go for Avobath or Blue Skies. 

 

Ocean Salt & Lemony Flutter

 

Supermodel Arms. 

Ocean Salt and Lemony Flutter is my favourite lush combination and we used to call it Ocean Flutter or Supermodel Arms. Get a generous amount from each tub and mix together in a separate container if possible but in your hand is fine too. The combination this makes is a great scrub that is a moisturiser as well.  The sea salt in Ocean Salt is scrubby and antiseptic, which is great for taking away dead skin, and the beeswax emulsion from Lemony flutter is great for dry skin. We designed this combination because our customers found Ocean Salt a bit too harsh and Lemony Flutter too thick. When we showed customers this combination, however, these products started flying off the shelf! I'd recommend using the combination on your arms before going out as they will look toned and smooth as well as smelling fantastic! 

Big Blue

Candidiasis.

Big Blue is good for the ole itch... down there... ahem Thrush. I'm not sure of the exact reason why it helps; maybe the antioxide Arame Seaweed? Maybe the cleansing and antiseptic Sea Salt? Long story short, fine sea salt keeps the pH of the blood and the lymphatic system stable; which is handy, considering that Thrush is basically a pH imbalance. Also, a lovely bath is great to soothe the itch.

Etail PR, ASOS and Marc B Competition

Over at the Etailpr Blog, there's a competition to win £75 to spend at Marc b. and £175 to spend at ASOS! I can only dream about winning that amount to spend on clothes and bags but if I don't win, it'd be awesome if a follower of mine won. 

To enter, you just get yourselves over to the Etailpr blog and follow the instructions.

Marc B & Asos



Above, you can see my dream outfit... and I should probably explain why I selected these items.



1. Marc B Cheryl Black Handbag.
This bag is quilted and boasts a laced chain strap. It's big enough to fit all the essentials but is super fashionable. Marc B reckons this will be the next 'it' bag and I can't help but agree. The Cheryl bag is my favourite out of the new collection and if you don't like black, it's also available in a camel colour so no excuses.

2. Bambam Bodycon Dress in Storm Print.
I love lightening print. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's because storms are super cool, maybe because it incorporates pastel goth style into one piece. Either way, I love it and I want it.

 3. Michael Kors Rose Gold & Crystal Chronograph Watch
I admit it, I'm like a broken record about this watch but, isn't beautiful?

4. River Island Edon Lace Up Flatform Shoes
Flatform shoes are the new platforms. This is super awesome news for me as I can't walk in heels. And what better way to show off my new walking with height skills, with a pair of in your face, bright shiny silver flatforms. Perfect. 

5. Asos Ultra Wet Look Leggings 
The great British weather is not a forgiving mistress, and while I'd love to parade my bag and dress around with no leggings; I'd freeze to death. With such an epic outfit, I need some pretty epic leggings and rain always comes before a storm so I think it's appropriate to wear wet look leggings with a storm dress.



And there you have it! Thank you for reading and I'll keep my fingers crossed!

A Beauty Blogger Superdrug Haul!

I only went in for new Deodrant ;) 

Barry M texture in 305 Atlantic  Road (blue) Multibuy discount, £3

Barry M texture in 304 Kingsland Road (pink) Multibuy discount, £3

MUA The Artiste Collect Mutliuse Palette, £6

MUA Eyebrow Pencil, £1

MUA Eyeliner, £1

MUA Pro Base Eye Primer, £2.50

Sure Long Lasting Protection, £1.32

MUA Undress your skin, £3

MUA Pro Base in Porcelain, £3.50

Total= £24.32

(average of £2.70 for each item)  

Hopefully I'll be making a post soon about some of the items I bought :)

Ahh it's the Apocalips!

I gave in and jumped on the Rimmel London Apocalips bandwagon. I went for the 101 Celestial colour which is a lovely creamy tone. The wand applicator has a little hole in the middle which allows for a store up of the gloss so there's no need to reapply mid application.

From Left to Right: My lips naturally, My lips with the Apocalips, My lips after an hour of wear

 From the photo, you can see that the Apocalips Celestial is a really good match for my lip colour and looks really natural. The gloss is smooth and creamy and doesn't dry out my lips. It isn't sticky either so that's an added bonus!

 I decided to try out how well the gloss stays...

Drinking and eating: The gloss transfers slightly onto the glass I drunk from but the majority came off when I was eating. I expected this to be honest as Apocalips doesn't claim to be long lasting or a lip stain so it's only natural for it to transfer.

Kissing: My boy never kisses me if I wear gloss so I generally don't have to worry, but I planted a kiss on my arm to see if any of it transferred and it did. This demonstrates why the boy doesn't like kissing me with gloss ;)

I can see why bloggers are in love with this range. I love the creamy texture and the colour and will be going back to Boots to pick up another colour soon.

Apocalips retails at £5.99  and comes in a whole range of colours.

Will you be jumping on the Apocalips bandwagon?

Valentine's Wish List

Valentine's Wish List
1.River Island 2.Cambridge Satchel Company 3.MUA 4.Boohoo


 
What's on your Wish list?

Boogie Nights; Model's Own and Sally Hanson

This is probably one of my favourite nail looks, just because it's so easy and looks fantastic! 

 I used Sally Hansen's nail varnish in Bewitched which, I found in Poundland for the grand total of (can you guess?) £1!! I was actually really shocked because Sally Hansen is such a good brand. I think this generation of bbloggers concentrate on newer brands and sometimes forget about good quality varnish like this one. Whilst the colour in the bottle is purple, after two coats on the nail it appears more of a black purple- the perfect base for Boogie Nights.

Boogie Nights is a bblogger favourite, and I can understand why. It's part of Model's Own Mirrorball collection and boasts large glitter flakes with a purple tinge. I find it a bit difficult to get the glitter/nail ratio right as the flakes can just stick together but too much glitter is never a bad thing!

The only problem I have with this look is when I go to remove it as the glitter takes some scrubbing to get it off! Apart from that, I wore my nails like this for a week and a half with no chipping!

What's your favourite nail look?

OOTD: Casual Shopping

Hello lovelies. I'm now on 30 followers! That's 30 more than I ever thought I'd get and I'd like to say thank you!

I thought I'd share my OOTD with you but first, a disclaimer; 

I'm not particularly fashionable and I'm not a fashion blogger who can afford to wear everything from Topshop and Warehouse. I'm also not going to lie about what I wore that day and I'm not going to pretend I'm a size 6. If you don't like what stand for, then stop reading now :)

Now that's over with:

Dress: Mesh Skirt Dress, Matalan

Top: Plain black top, Primark

Leggings: New Look

Bag: New Look

This outfit is currently my go to outfit.  The long dress hides my fixation and my long bag doesn't get in the way of my crutches. The dress is also incredible comfortable. I'm looking to wear brighter clothes in 2013, but I do like my greys and blacks.

What is your 'go to' outfit?

Caught in the undies!

I don't normally air my laundry to the world but I just have to show you all this cute bra and knicker set that I got from Tu in Sainsburys. I don't normally look for clothes in supermarkets but whilst shopping over the weekend, I went for a gander in the clothes aisles and was pleasantly surprised. Sainsburys not only have a large range of clothes but lingerie too (and no granny pants in sight!).

The bra I purchased was £10 and the knickers were £5, a cute matching set that didn't cost the earth. I usual struggle to find my bra size, I have a small back but big cup, but Sainsburys stocked a large variety of sizes. The matching knickers also offered the option of pant or thong depending on your taste.

I would recommend popping over to the clothes aisle next time your in Sainsburys, especially with Valentines day coming up!

I bought some other pieces too which I look forward to reviewing later on so keep watching this space.



I recently discovered that I was accidentally deleting blog comments. I apologize to anyone whose comment was deleted and if I caused any upset. Feel free to email me at boxoftricksandtips@gmail.com

The other hemp

One of my favourite hand creams is The Body Shop's Hemp Hand Protector.

When I first got a sample of the hemp hand protector, I was really put off by the smell. It bares a strong earthy, herbal fragrance which really takes some getting used to. The cream itself is thick and the smallest amount goes a long way.

After using this product for only a week, I can already see a huge difference in my hands. My palms aren't blistering from dryness in the cold and the skin isn't so tight. I've also noticed that my nails are stronger and my cuticles are in better condition.


While the price does seem steep, £10 for 100ml, you really don't need much of the cream. I've been using it a few times a day for a week and have hardly dented the amount in there.

I'm also going to start using the cream on my feet at night as their very dry too. Just because it says hand protector doesn't mean I can't use it else where ;)

Have you guys used any of the Hemp range from Body Shop?

Roxy's Foxy bag

How cute is this bag?

 I was on Ebay, ordering some cheap maxi skirts from China when I spotted this charming little bag. It's offered in a range of colours; green, black, red and  my orangey brown.

It's a good size bag; 24cm length, 18cm high and 5cm wide, small enough to take out to lunch but large enough to fit all the essentials like phone, purse, keys and makeup.

The bag comes with an adjustable strap. I've put it on the second hole and the bag sits above my hip so it's a good length for me.  




The bag is made of Bicast leather so it smells and feels a little plasticy but I really don't care because it's so dainty and adorable. 

As for what animal the bag is supposed to be, it's listed as Fox/Owl. I chose to get it in the orange colour so it looks more like a fox but I am debating getting a green bag next. 


I bought this bag for £5.99 but you can get it cheaper by typing 'Fox Owl Bag' into Ebay.


What do you think of my bag? Would you consider getting one?