Kawaii Box March / April 2015 – Cute Subscription Box

I have only just discovered this subscription box.

Kawaii means cute, and they really do hit the nail on the head with these super cute boxes.

The Kawaii box contains between 10-12 handpicked unique Japanese and Korean Kawaii items.

You can subscribe for 1,3,6 or 12 months.

This is the second of a 3 month subscription I bought for my teenage girls.

They absolutely love Kawaii and always try to raid my own subscription boxes. This is the perfect compromise, they can have their own subscription box.

It is shipped using Singapore post and the box came about 2 weeks after posting

Even the outer packaging is cute

The box contains

A super cute squishy pineapple

Absolutely adorable

Funky pink nail clippers

Very girly, but practical

A roll of vintage stickers

The second picture shows what is inside. This one says ‘magic’ but I think there are a few varieties

A bear pen

A fine line pen with cupcakes and bears on it

A diamond blue card holder

This has already got my travel card in it. They are available in baby pink as well but I think the blue looks more stylish.

Glass Stickers

I have enclosed a picture of the back so you can see where you can put these very pretty stickers

Sweets

Always a welcome addition to any box

Unicorn note stickers

These are very much like post it stickers. It says it is a horse, but I think it looks more like a unicorn

Pink hair side

A bit too young for my girls, but it has found a home on one of the teddy bears

Badge

As you can see, a new addition to the uniform

More stickers!

Spotty red envelopes

Am sure they will come in useful later

The box cost $18.90 a month which includes shipping. This becomes cheaper, the more months you subscribe for.

I chose the 3 month option as i thought it would give a good indication of the quality of these boxes

Even after the first box, i was hooked.

It is full of super cute items that will all be used. I think it is a nice selection, with something for everyone and am glad I subscribed to this box.

I can not wait for next months box

I love the little notes you get with the box. Always bring a smile to my face

Elizavecca Milky Piggy Water Lock Hydro Gel Melting Mask

I have been eyeing up these masks for quite a while. I love Korean sheet masks. Especially the Etude House Snail sheet mask. They really refresh my face, leaving it soft and supple. Am getting older and my skin is starting to show the first signs of ageing. So wanted to try something that offered a little bit more.

I can not find an ingredients lists for this and there is no list on the packet either, so I just had to put my faith in the product.

Luckily my face survived. In fact I am so glad I tried this mask . It is amazing.

These are a bit more expensive. About $10 for a pack of 5 from Roserose. Nowhere seems to sell them individually.

They come in two parts, which is great for a perfect fit. All gel masks I have come across are like this. I wish the normal sheet masks were like this as it really is pot luck if they will fit. Some have been perfect and others have been made for giants. I’m 6ft so hardly small

Putting the mask on was very easy because of the two separate pieces. I relaxed on the sofa for about an hour or so. Got too absorbed with Ant and Decs Saturday Night Take Away. It was still very pliable, just dehydrated. I could not believe that my face had actually managed to absorb all that moisture. After I removed the mask, my face felt so soft and moist. This feeling stayed for a couple of days. It was really strange. I have never experienced that with a mask before. The results are usually very temporary. I had to keep telling myself not to touch my face the next day. My face felt amazing.

I will be using this as a weekend mask and leaving my etude house snail mask for weekdays.

The only problem is they are only available from Roseroseshop.

Am debating whether I should get the wholesale amount. It is that good. Although that will probably keep me in masks for the next year. Decisions decisions.

Cognito Luxury Lip Balm – Coconut, Plum, Vanilla, Strawberry, White Chocolate

Lip Balms

We all have tubes of it dotted around the house, in our bags and coat pockets.

Why do we have so many?

Some of them smell yummy, some really moisturise, some I have bought just for the super cute packaging.

Nothing has ever stood out for me.

I have now discovered the exception to the rule. It ticks all boxes

It smells mouth wateringly good. Which will always entice me to use it.

The ingredients are natural with no nasty chemicals.

The container is a gorgeous pale blue glass that would not look out of place on a dressing table.

Cognito Luxury Lip Balm

They have introduced 5 new Luxury Lip Balms to their range and I was sent some of the flavours to try. I wish there was smellavision, because they are actually making my mouth water. I have always loved coconut so thought coconut macaroon would be my favourite, but the plum crumble has swayed me.

They come in the following flavours

White Chocolate Truffle

Strawberry Cheesecake

Plum Crumble

Coconut Macaroon

Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients

Butyrospermum Parkii (shea) butter, Cera Alba (beeswax), Oryza Sativa  (rice) Bran oil, Theobroma Cacao (cocoa) Seed Butter, Prunus  Armeniaca (apricot) Kernel Oil, Vaccinium  Macrocarpon (cranberry) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Aroma, benzyl alcohol, anise alcohol, benzoate.

No Paraffin or Petroleum derivatives

Directions

Apply to lips as often as needed. Excess balm can be massaged into cuticles, hands, elbows, in fact anywhere that has dry skin.

Review

As soon as I looked at the ingredients I knew this was going to be a fabulous balm. I love products with Shea Butter in them. It melts at normal body temperature and is full of vitamins. I had not come across some of the other ingredients before and had to research the benefits of some of the oils included.

I am including an explanation of the oils, in case you are not familiar with them either

Cranberry Seed Oil – It contains one of the highest anti oxidants of all fruit/veg oil. Rich in essential fatty acids (omega 3 and 6) and vitamin A, C, E and K.

Apricot Kernel Oil – It is a great oil for dry skin where it nourishes and protects. Rich in vitamins A, B and E. Calming and soothing

Rice Bran Oil – It has a high sterol content making it invaluable in the fight against free radicals.

I have been applying this luxury lip balm morning and night and can see an improvement in the skin texture.

It leaves a delicate sheen on the lips. It is not greasy at all, so you can pop it on before going out , with no fear of your hair sticking to your lips.

Available from

Cognito Spa

http://www.cognitospa.co.uk

And selected beauty salons

Etude House Blending Sleeping Cream – Korean Spoon Sleep Mask

Sleeping pack varieties

Olive – Richly Moist

Royal Jelly – Firm & Moist

Shea Butter – Nourishing & Moist

Evening Primrose – Shine & Moist

Blueberry – Antioxidant & Moist

Rosehip – Bright & Moist

Seaweed – Smooth & Moist

Green Tea – Clear & Moist

Instructions for use

1. Squeeze paper cover to slightly open up and remove enclosed spoon.

2. Remove sealing cover slowly starting from the end of spoon handle.

3. Break off the spoon from pack container and evenly blend together golden herb water-gel and cream with spoon’s smaller end.

4. Pick up blended Sleeping Cream with hands and evenly apply a certain amount onto face.

Wear overnight and rinse off with lukewarm water the next morning. (Roseroseshop)

My review

The first time I used these, I made the mistake of using the whole pack on the first night. Yes it left me with a wonderfully plump moisturised face, but it also moisturised my pillow and quilt. I now get about 3 nights wear out of these sleeping packs. I have read that some people get 5 days use!

Just remember to seal them up after opening, so that they do not go dry after the first night. Popping it in a small plastic bag works just fine.

In the morning there is no residual stickiness but I can feel it slightly in the shower when the water hits my face. All of them deliver a very good moisture hit.

My favourite is the seaweed sleeping mask. It smells lovely and really plumps up my skin in the night.

I alternate between this one and the shea one. I have always liked shea butter. I used to swathes it neat on my skin when I was younger and I am sure it helped to keep some of the wrinkles at bay, even if it did ruin every pillowcase I have possessed.

They are available at Roseroseshop for only $1 each plus shipping, which I think is great value for money

In fact this is how much I love them

What do you think of them? Are there any sleeping masks you prefer?

Kawaii Box Febuary March 2015 – Cute Subscription Box

I have only just discovered this subscription box.

Kawaii means cute, and they really do hit the nail on the head with these super cute boxes.

The Kawaii box contains between 10-12 handpicked unique Japanese and Korean Kawaii items.

You can subscribe for 1,3,6 or 12 months.

This is the first of a 3 month subscription I bought for my teenage girls.

They absolutely love Kawaii and always try to raid my own subscription boxes. This is the perfect compromise, they can have their own subscription box.

It is shipped using Singapore post and the box came surprisingly quickly. Only about a weeks wait.

Even the outer packaging is cute

The box contains

A very pretty bracelet

This is a very pretty girly bracelet. Perfect for summer.

A Racoon Keyring

 with  a super cute face

Look at that face. How could you not fall in love with it. Soft and fluffy and already attached to keys.

Panda Chop sticks

 

I love these chopsticks. The panda at the top is very adorable. They are cute but in a very subtle way. Could take them anywhere.

Cupcake Bear Pencil

 

This is a great little propelling pencil with a cute bear cupcake on the top.

Makes writing a lot more fun

Sweetie Hair Clip

 

Very cute sparkly hair clip. Perfect for jazzing up a pony/pig tail

Kitkat – Green Tea (I think)

I read in a magazine that there are over 200 flavours of Kitkat. Japan is on my to do list for the food alone. This is really different. Not too sweet but absolutely delicious. If I find it in any London shops I will be buying a few.

Kracie

 

I have come across Kracie before and have bought a few of the kits of Ebay for my daughters, so when they saw this in the box, they squealed with delight.

It is very easy to make, with instructions on the back of the packet.

It really smells of grape and was gone in a couple of minutes of making it. As you can see, they loved it.

Sweet keychain

Am not too sure what to say about this at the moment. It is cute but it is hanging on the washing line at the moment to air. Am tying to get rid of the strong plastic smell

Hello Kitty Rubber

I have seen some other designs in other unboxings.  Cupcakes and such. Although my daughter is quite happy with this one.

Will always come in useful at home and at school

Present and Bow Stickers

These are very sparkly and cute. I am sure I will find them stuck on lots of things around the house in the coming weeks.

Pencil Case

Pencil cases are always useful. Although this is a very standard case. Nothing special

Luggage Tag

This looks a very classy luggage tag and the colour will go with any of my suitcases. Am quite pleased with this.

The box cost $18.90 a month which includes shipping. This becomes cheaper, the more months you subscribe for.

I chose the 3 month option as i thought it would give a good indication of the quality of these boxes.

Even after the first box, i am hooked.

It is full of super cute items that will all be used. I think it is a nice selection, with something for everyone and am glad I subscribed to this box.

I can not wait for next months box

I love the little notes you get with the box. Always bring a smile to my face

Weleda Ratanhia Toothpaste – Chemotherapy

Following on from previous posts regarding chemotherapy skincare, another problem lots of people suffer from is mouth ulcers and the feeling that your teeth are about to fall out of your mouth.

For me it was not a gradual process, one day I was sitting eating dinner and all of a sudden I became aware my teeth felt incredible loose. It was a horrible feeling.

I started to do some research to try to combat this, and this was when I came across Weleda. It promised to tighten gums which was exactly what I was looking for. I was unsure if a toothpaste would be able to do such a thing, but thought it was worth a go.

After about a week I really noticed an improvement and that tooth falling out feeling disappeared completely through out my whole chemo.

It also kept the mouth ulcers at bay. Weleda Toothpaste does not contain SLS so does not foam , but in turn, it did not irritate my mouth. The mouth ulcers went away, and only returned when I had to use a normal toothpaste for a couple of days as I had ran out of this one. But they disappeared again as soon as I started to use this.

Product information

Weleda Ratanhia Toothpaste 75ml £4.50

Image from Weleda UK

Contains soothing ratanhia, used for its astringent properties, to naturally strengthen the gums and help keep mouth and gums in good condition. Peppermint and spearmint leave your mouth feeling. Suitable for vegans

Ingredients

INCI: Water (Aqua), Calcium Carbonate, Glycerin, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate (Fullers Earth), Alcohol, Flavour (Aroma), Krameria Triandra (Ratahnia) Root Extract, Commiphora Myrrha (Myrrh) Resin Extract, Xanthan Gum, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Limonene*. *from natural essential oils.

Available from health food shops or direct from Weleda

New Perfume 007 for Women

I have always loved the bond films since I was a child. The exotic locations, mysterious encounters and of course James Bond.

A couple of years ago, they released 007 aftershave for men. It smelt great but I always wondered if they would release a womens version, as the male version was so popular.

My wish has come true. I would like to introduce 007 for Women.

                007 Perfume

007 for women captures the heady power of the bond woman.

‘Dark yet feminine ingredients convey an air of thrilling intimacy. An initial burst of spicy black pepper enveloped in rose milk ignites an intriguing paradox of danger and sensuality. Alongside this, the instantly attractive, familiar fruity character of blackberry is combined with the feminine softness of white floral jasmine. The rich and sensual oriental signature is driven by black vanilla and tantalizing white musk, with a touch of elegant cedarwood.’

I was very lucky to receive a bottle of this new perfume to try.

The marketing says that the smell is charismatic, intelligent, feminine and dangerously seductive.

Well that ticks all my boxes. hope it lives up to it.

The bottle is very interesting and tactile and really suits the feel of the perfume. The dark glass and diamond cut pattern create a kaleidoscope effect.

It is very difficult to pinpoint the scent, but have to say it is gorgeous. It is a delightful mix of floral, fresh, woody and spicy. I always like something a little different and this perfume is that.

It contains black pepper, black vanilla, white musk, fresh bergamot, sweet blackberry,warm cedarwood, soft gardenia and jasmine.

If you like the Liz Earle perfumes, especially no 15, then you will love this new frangrance.

Once the perfume has settled, a couple of minutes after spraying it on your pulse points, it lasts all day.

I have already had people ask what I am wearing. It is a great daytime perfume, which can also be worn at night if you do not like really strong heady ‘going out’ perfumes

I am so glad that it is an Eau de Parfum rather than an Eau de Toilette. Which means it has a higher percent of perfume oil, so is a stronger more long lasting scent.

If you do not like a strong scent, they have brought out a shower gel, which leaves a lovely soft version of the scent on your skin.

So now you can be a glamorous sophisticated Bond girl

This perfume is available in the following sizes

30ml Eau de Parfum £25

50ml Eau de Parfum £30

75ml Eau de Parfum £40

150ml Shower Gel

(prices taken from the Boots.com website)

Top Perfume Tips

Most people just spray perfume on their wrists. But did you know that there are other pulse points

centre of the neck, behind the ear, behind the knee

Skin Type – Have you found that scent lasts on some people more than others? It may be because of your skin type. People with drier skin will find that perfume dissipates more quickly than those with a more oily skin. So if you have dry skin it is worth investing in an Eau de Parfum for a longer lasting scent.

If you dab a small amount of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on your pulse points, where you are just about to spray your perfume, then the smell will hopefully last longer as it helps the skin to absorb the scent.

Chemotherapy Hair Care and Cold Caps

Everyone assumes you lose your hair when you have chemotherapy.

With certain chemotherapy drugs you can use a cold cap. The principle behind this is that it freezes the hair follicles on your head, so that the chemotherapy drugs can not get to them and make the hair fall out. It only works on your scalp hair, not your eyelashes or eyebrows (as you can see from my previous post)

I was advised to wet my hair before putting on the cold cap. Some people spritz their hair, but I dunked my whole head in the sink. I wanted to make sure that every hair follicle was soaked.

When they say cold cap, they mean cold! It is absolutely freezing. It  hurts for the first 10 minutes, but do not take it off. Just grit your teeth, it does get better. After about 10 minutes your whole head goes numb and it stops hurting.

The cold cap saved about 3/4 of my hair! The hours of being hooked up to the cold cap were certainly worth it.

Having sheets of ice on my hair did not do the condition any good so I had to change my normal hair care regime. I found that the following was the best shampoo to use

                AMARGAN NOURISHING PROTEIN CLEANSER

           

(pictures from Amazon – Global Cosmetics)

with Keratin & Argon Oil

This gentle cleanser is free from sulphates and parabens to make it kind to your hair and scalp. Argan Oil nourishes the hair, locking in moisture. Frequent use will improve the strength and elasticity of you hair and reveal its natural beauty. Who doesn’t want a little luxury and beautiful glossy locks every day?

Available in 300ml & 1 Litre sizes

It is a protein rich very gentle shampoo. It does not contain Sulfates or parabens  so does not bubble up much, but does very gently cleanse your hair. I used this once a week with tepid water. I did not need to use a conditioner after using this protein cleanser. My hair was lovely and soft .

I did not use a brush on my hair, just used my fingers to gently tease out any knots. It did not get very knotty, as I cut it to shoulder length just before I commenced chemotherapy. I cut it as I assumed that I would just wake up one day and find all my very long hair on my pillow, so I wanted to soften the blow.

This was before the possibility of keeping my hair by using the cold cap was explained to me.

It is worth giving the cold cap and a gentle hair care regime a go

It worked for me

The cheapest place I have found it is on Amazon (Global Cosmetics)

300ml £7.49 (free shipping)

I have no affliation with this product or company. I wanted to share what worked for me

Meme Box – Special #67 Blackout Review

“Memebox curates only the most trusted, best-loved Korean beauty products at everyday prices. An extremely competitive industry, Korean cosmetics are renowned for their unprecedented quality developed through cutting-edge technology. At the forefront of the industry, Memebox is determined to deliver the enchantment of discovery through effortless experiences, at prices you’ll never say no to. ….Order from Memebox only when you want to, as often as you want to. In addition to our box series, Memeshop carries full-sized products featured in previous Memeboxes, offering easy access to Korean cosmetic trends”

Blackout Review

Black is still the new black! If intensity is your game, take the challenge with this Blackout Box. Say bye bye to Miss Plain Jane and turn up the drama in your beauty routine with this Black Box! Packed with all things beauty and black that you can imagine, you’ll be surprised at how much intensity this awesome box brings.

                     

This box contained the following items:

B&Soap Black Block 85g $24

Product Description: A black bar soap made from nature’s complexion clean-up crew — charcoal, rosemary, and olive oil. It gets to the bottom of skin’s cloudy, clogged pores to clear the way for smoother, softer, and brighter-looking skin. Formulated for combination to oily skin, this handmade charcoal soap absorbs debris and impurities while the rosemary extracts act as a natural antibacterial agent to detoxify pores without irritation.

How To Use: Create a lather using hands and massage the foam all over the face. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Review: Reading the ingredients for this soap was very interesting. Full of spot busting natural  additives. When you use it, it creates a lovely creamy lather in your hands, which I then massaged into my face. You can smell the charcoal, but that is actually quite nice. It left my skin feeling clean and clear without stripping it totally of natural oils. A great soap to use in the morning when you wake up.

Honest Clinic Black Hole Spot 10ml $26

Product Description:  This night care gel contains a special A+BHA complex – the perfect balance of AHA and BHA components – formulated by Honest Clinic to gently melt away excessive dead skin cells and impurities from both inside the pores and the outer surface of the skin.  It effectively treats acne and blemish spots with just a single application while brightening up darkened, uneven skin tone at the same time.

How To Use:  Take a small amount of the formula and place it over troubled spot just before going to bed. Make sure it doesn’t go on non-problematic area of the skin as it could result in reddening.

Review: I do not normally suffer from spots, but one appeared on my forehead, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try this product. I put it on just before bed.It said to apply it only on the spot, not the surrounding skin, so I knew it would be power packed. It feels very cool when you apply it and dries quickly. There is a slight medicinal smell but that fades very quickly once applied. When I woke in the morning the spot had really gone down and was a lot less red. I normally just dab spots with tea tree but will be using this spot treatment from now on.

Tosowoong Black Head Nose Pack x8 $6

Product Description: Formulated with Moroccan lava clay, charcoal powder and volcanic ash, this blackhead removing nose pack is entirely made up of natural ingredients and the black color of the patches comes from actual charcoal powders.  It’s gentle on the skin yet effectively draws out stubborn blackheads from your nose

How To Use:  Cleanse and wet your nose with water.  Remove the film from the pack and place the smoother side of it over your nose.  Wait for 15 minutes until the pack is entirely dried.  Then peel it off from the edges, gently as it is pretty sticky and may stimulate the skin

Review: I have used many varieties of pore strips, but never black charcoal ones. There is always something satisfying about seeing all the blackheads on the strip afterwards. This one has the added charcoal which you can smell when it is on your nose. It is not unpleasant, but you can definitely smell it. I am not sure if the charcoal did anything, but these were very effective pore strips. These were very easy to use and did the job well. The pores on my nose were super clean afterwards.

L’Cret Hair Colour Keeper Treatment Shampoo 300ml $42

Product Description: A must have treatment shampoo for those with dyed hair. The colour keeping blend of sunflower seed, babassu seed oil, panthenol, and silk protein protects the hair from fading in colour or UV bleaching, while delivering rich nutrients for a healthy moisture and oil balance.

How To Use: Lather well and massage into scalp and hair. Rinse off with lukewarm water.

Ingredients: water, cocamidopropyl betaine, glycerine, potassium cocoyl glycinate, cocamide mipa, cocamide dea, sodium chloride, butylene glycol, polyquarternium 7, polyquaternium 10, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed extract, argania spinosa kernel oil, orbignya oleifera seed oil, fragrance, panthenol, disodium edta, citric acid, sodium benzoate, hydrolzed silk, methylchloroisothiaz olinone, methylisothiazolinone, ci 15985

Review: No sulfates!! Hooray!! This shampoo has a lovely fresh herby smell. When I first saw the shampoo I was slightly worried about a black shampoo, but luckily it was only the bottle that was black. Looking through the ingredients it sounded like a nourishing gentle shampoo. Even though it does not contain SLS it still lathered quite well. It was very easy to wash out and left my hair feeling fresh and clean. I had recently coloured my hair and there was no noticable colour fade, so this shampoo will hopefully make my colour last longer.

Summary

This is a well curated box and am glad there was no black eyeliner included ( I am drowning in those). They are all products that I will use so this was great value at only $19

Boxes and individual products are available at

http://www.meme.com

Chemotherapy Skincare

After being diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2014 I started the gruelling slog of 8 rounds of chemotherapy. Most people have heard about the sickness you get with chemotherapy, but no one talks about the other side effects.
When I was on Tax (chemo) my skin became ultra sensitive. It hurt even to touch it.
Through my work I decided to give the following a go

Eve Taylor Ultra Soothing Cleanser 200ml £18.49

Description: A rich, creamy cleanser with soothing Oatmeal and conditioning Camellia oil.

Gently cleanses as it nourishes and calms ultra dry or irritated skins. Benefits: Deeply nourishing and hydrating to leave skin feeling soft and supple. May be applied as a 5 minute mini masque to reduce areas of redness. Skin is instantly soothed whilst being gently cleansed.

Skin type/condition: Ultra dry, hyper sensitive, severely dehydrated or irritated skin

Key ingredients: Oatmeal, Camellia Oil, Aloe Vera.

Review: My skin was so compromised, I was not sure it would be able to handle any product. It calmed down all the redness and left my skin feeling soft and supple. Unlike the red inflamed, tight stretched skin that I had before.

As soon as I put it on my face I felt instant relief. It felt so nice and cooling on my raw face.

When my skin was feeling very tight and sore, I left the cleanser on for 10-15 minutes as an emergency mask.

I finished with a few drops of Eve Taylor pure Jobjoba oil. A natural plant oil that is very similar to the skins on secretions. I also used this natural oil on my finger and toe nails. It kept them looking good, with no flaking or breaking. Although it did not stop the rings. But these disappeared from the nails a couple of months after finishing chemotherapy.

Everyone could not believe how good my skin was considering the amount of chemotherapy I was having.

This very simple routine worked so well for me

The cold cap saved most of my hair but not my eyebrows /eyelashes

Available from Eve Taylor

I will be adding more information about haircare and other health products I found useful

Check back in the next week