Violet Box Build A Box Review.

Hi lovelies!

If you're a regular to my blog, you'll know I'm a huge fan of the Violet Box subscription service. Every now and then, though, VB offer something a bit different, and that's the opportunity to choose your own products from a list on the website. This is known as 'Building Your Own Box' and essentially consists of 2 skincare selections, 2 makeup selections and 2 hair/lifestyle selections.

The website was having some difficulties when I first tried to build my box, due to overwhelming demand, so I ended up just shutting it down and getting back to it at a later time. I did have a bit of a problem with some of my initial picks getting sold out, and then, my order sort of disappeared into the ether and wasn't dispatched until I called Violet Box almost a week later to confirm that my box had been dispatched. Luckily, they were really good about sorting out the error and they were also kind enough to let me substitute one of my original skincare picks with a makeup item that had been dropped from my selection from the original order, so I ended up with 3 makeup items instead. Here's what I chose for my box!

Eyetini Cream Shadow in Spiced Rum (full sized)

Jing Ai Velvet Shine Lip Jewel in Pink A Boo (full sized)

Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in Madrid (full sized)

Gascoigne and King travel candle in Love Vanilla (full sized - but this is a travel candle)

Hair&Me Hair Rejuvenation Treatment (full sized)

Lon Vitalite Collagen Crystal Eye Mask (deluxe sample)

Everything I received in my Build A Box.
Gascoigne & King Love Vanilla candle, Lon Vitalite eye mask, Hair&Me hair treatment, Eyetini cream shadow, Jing Ai lip crayon and Be A Bombshell eyeshadow quad.

Keep reading after the jump!

Floral Offerings from Fresh Flowers!

Hi lovelies!

Now, you may have gathered this from reading the blog, but, I'm a pretty girly girl. Being a typical girly girl, I absolutely love fresh flowers. There's nothing quite like having a bouquet of flowers around the house to brighten things up and make you feel really feminine, which is why I was absolutely thrilled when I was contacted by Fresh Flowers and offered a bouquet of my choice. Fresh Flowers are located in Sydney but deliver to most major states (Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth), with same day delivery offered if the order is put in before 2 pm!

The bouquet I selected is called 'The Sweetness' and is actually meant to be a congratulatory bouquet, but I simply couldn't resist the pretty pastel pink and white posy, as well as the adorable little teddy bear! Don't worry, I'm very far off from having a child of my own, so that soft toy is going to be mine, all mine! Bear with me, this is going to be a very photo-heavy post!

The Sweetness bouquet is made up of beautiful pink and white carnations, roses and daisies. It comes in a hessian wrapped plastic vase so you don't have to take the bouquet apart to put it in a vase. If I'm completely honest, that was a huge selling point for me as I didn't have to look for an appropriately sized vase. Topping up water is also quite easy, simply use a glass to pour some water in at the top.

Keep reading after the jump!

Eye Allergies/Infections...Symptoms, Causes & Management.

Hi lovelies!

Wow, two posts from me in as many days, we are on a roll this week! I'd like to talk about something a bit different today, eye allergies/infections. The reason this has been on my mind is because a friend of mine recently reacted quite badly to some new makeup, waking up with red, swollen and teary eyes the day after wearing it. In addition, I went over to spend some time with my baby nephews the other day only to find out that they had conjunctivitis (fortunately, I don't seem to have caught it), but it made me think about the possibility of eye allergies and the implications on our beauty regimes.

Symptoms

So, what are the symptoms of eye allergies? You suddenly find your eyes are watering, red, itchy or burning, and you may not even know why. The problem is that the causes are varied and could be one of many things, or even a combination of several things!

Causes

Some common causes include catching an infection from someone else, an allergic reaction to makeup/dust/chemicals; the list is endless. I once picked up an eye infection from excess dust that was in the air as a result of construction work on house next door. What's even more frustrating is that allergies can be triggered from using new products, but can also happen literally overnight from using products that you've used for a long time too. I don't just mean from using products that you've had for a long time (but please do keep an eye on expiration dates and try to throw out what you've had for a while) but also, products that you've repurchased and kept using over an extended period of time. Pay especially close attention to mascara because it's the best breeding ground for bacteria that can then easily get into your eyes and cause an infection.

Management/treatment

Please keep in mind that I'm in no means an expert on the topic, but here are some things that I find beneficial.

1) Always make sure your makeup brushes are clean.
I can't stress enough how important it is to sanitise your makeup brushes, because it's the best way to spread an infection. I know it can be a bit of a pain to constantly wash your brushes but invest in a good cleaning spray (I use the Inglot brush cleanser) to clean between uses and deep clean my brushes every so often.

2) Use a sanitising spray on your makeup every so often.
I give my eyeshadow palettes and lipstick a spray with Isocol every so often. I bought mine from Priceline for just under $10, and decanted it into a cute spray bottle I picked up from Daiso.

Isocol Antiseptic Spray.

3) Switch to spectacles if you have an infection.
If, like me, you're a religious contact lenses wearer, do yourself a favour and stay off the lenses until your eyes have recovered.

4) Use medicated products like allergy eye drops.
I've used the Optrex medicated eye drops in the past to alleviate soreness and soothe my eyes.

If all else fails and your eyes aren't getting any better, please make an appointment to see your doctor! You don't want to suffer for too long and run the risk of damaging your eyes!

Have you had eye allergies/infections lately, lovelies? What do you do when you're faced with one? If you have any tips, please share them in the comments!

Much love,
MM.
x


*This post was written in collaboration with Optrex.

June 2015 Lust Have It Review!

Hi lovelies!

It seemed like it was only a couple of weeks ago that the May Lust Have It arrived, so I was quite surprised when the June LHI arrived late last week! This box looked pretty good, with a good mix of skincare, haircare and makeup. Here's what I received this month:

Teeez Trend Cosmetics lipstick in Classy Caramel (full sized)

NAK Thermal Shield (full sized)

Chapstick Hydration Lock lip balm (full sized)

The Cosmetic Kitchen Peppermint Foot Mask & Wake Up Body Scrub (one each - deluxe samples)

June 2015 Lust Have It Box.

Keep reading after the jump!