Who's Going To Be Your Valentine?

Hey guys! So with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought it appropriate to write up a little Valentine's Day-themed post. From when I was a kid, up until now, I've always been sort of keen on Valentine's Day - Roses, chocolates, heart-shaped things, the colours pink and red. My mom, always acting as cupid for her two children that were never able to get any Valentines of their own (Tragic, I know..), always bought my brother and I a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates and an endearing card, so that when we came home from school, our days weren't completely 'ruined'. I also love that the day brings about the colours pink and red more frequently that other times of the year, as they are definitely the most flattering to wear (especially with makeup!). I've gathered together a couple of my favourite products that I will be using on Valentine's Day that won't break your bank if you choose to use them yourselves!

NYC Expert Last Lip Colour in #432 Red Rapture, £1.99

NYC Expert Last Lip Colour in #432 Red Rapture -  I've always been on the NYC cosmetics bandwagon since I was a teenager, and I love that they were introduced over here a little while ago. Their products are super cheap, but provide great results for what you pay for. I was always a fan of their kohl eyeliners and nail varnishes, but when I saw this in Superdrug the other day, I was very, very tempted. Application is super simple and smooth, with an almost-sheerer-than-you-would-expect gloss finish. The colour is super punchy, as well! The only con to this product is that if you plan on wearing it all day, you will have to re-apply it..Or use some Lipcote sealer on top, as I prefer! Either way, it's a sure-fire way to guarantee some extra confidence on V-Day.

Barry M Nail Paint in #150 Red Glitter, £2.99

Barry M Nail Paint in #150 Red Glitter - I love Barry M's nail varnishes, as they generally come in similar if not same colours as high-end brands such as Nails INC. and Essie, but for a fraction of the cost. I saw this particular varnish and knew that I needed it - Just to be sure, I tested a little dot of it (whoops!) out on one of my nails in the store - I know it may be difficult for stores to do, but they really should have more display testers! Especially with nail varnish..Anyway, this colour is great, because it's a very dense glitter polish. I applied it over another red polish just to add to the colour. Definitely a statement polish!

C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries Rose Salve, $5.50

C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries Rose Salve - I received this as part of a gift over Christmas when I went back to the States, and since then I use it almost every day! It's a great multi-purpose product for your lips, hands - Anything, really! I always use it on my lips in the morning and at night right before I go to bed. It has a lovely rose-y scent and a vaseline-textured balm.

The Body Shop White Musk Libertine Solid Perfume, £5

The Body Shop White Musk Libertine Solid Perfume - I discovered this upon being offered a Body Shop Membership. The product itself costs £5, but if you joined their annual membership club for £5, you would receive this for free - So I thought, why not? I'm always loving the products that stem from The Body Shop, so it's not like it would put me at a disadvantage. This scent is so lovely; If you love fruit-y, musk-y scents, then you'll love this. I only ever need a tiny bit, and it last throughout the entire day for me. I use it on my wrists, behind my ears, and sometimes my colarbone, as well. The scent comes in a spray perfume as well, but I prefer the solid perfume, as it seems to last longer than a spray perfume, and it has a sweet, shimmery finish when you apply it to your skin.

So there are some the products that I will be rocking this Valentine's Day. Do you have any favourite products that you will be using? What are your plans for Valentine's Day?

Glossybox UK February Valentine's Box

Yesterday morning I received my anticipated February Valentine's Day-themed Glossybox in the post. I was surprised at how quick the delivery was; After receiving a shipping confirmation email the night before, it was delivered to me right the next day! I must admit that I was extremely impressed.

In opening up my package, I really admired the new design on the Glossybox - It was a nice change from their standard pink box, this one coloured a bit brighter pink than usual, endowed with a fuschia-coloured bow design on the lid. Opening up my box, I was also impressed with the wrapping - I have had Glossyboxes in the past that seem to have been put together quite messily, but after filling out their subscriber surveys, I can I see that they took that into account, as well. The contents of the box were wrapped in a lovely light pink paper, with a fuschia-coloured ribbon holding it nicely together. Inside was Glossybox's monthly mini magazine, with a tutorial on to create 'beautiful, bold lips' for Valentine's Day. In unfolding the magazine to a poster-sized paper, the magazine revealed the contents of this month's box.

I have to admit that I was really impressed with the contents from this month's box. It seems that (in a way), like Birchbox, Glossybox has been undergoing some changes for the new year, of which I'm pretty proud of. Past monthly boxes haven't been the greatest in terms of their layout and their contents, but I could definitely tell that with their February box, they are stepping up as a beauty box brand and that I will still continue to be a subscriber and support them. Inside of the box, since it was 'Valentine's Day' themed, I received a Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow in Intelligence (#94), Anatomicals - You Need A Blooming Shower! Body Cleanser, Sassoon Salon Professional Spray Shine, MeMeMe Cosmetics FatCat Lengthening Mascara, Miners Cosmetics Lip Colour in Dreamer, as well as cute red heart-shaped lollypop thrown in for the festivities!

Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow in 'Intelligence' (#94) - I was a bit upset that the sample size was so tiny, but that's the only issue I had with this product. The colour itself is gorgeous - A shimmery, smoky, purple-y - brown colour that would flatter anyone, in my opinion. I find it very similar to Bellepiere Cosmetics Mineral Eyeshadow in it's consistency and it's shade. Despite it's size, I feel that it would last me a bit longer since the product itself is so dense and concentrated, so I would only use a little bit at a time.

Anatomicals - You Need A Blooming Shower! Body Cleanser - Nice to see a full-sized product in this box! I know that from a previous Glossybox, I received the Don't Just Clean It, Scrub It, Woman Body Scrub and was not incredibly favourable towards it. However, I think that this body cleanser is great - It comes out of the tube as a neon pink colour, lathers up really nicely, and smells like they've shoved a bouquet of roses straight into the bottle! The scent is perfect for Valentine's Day, and it reminds me of spring/summer, which I love. Great product!

Sassoon Salon Professional Spray Shine - This product was a sample size, but a pretty decent-sized sample size, at that. After spraying a bit of this product into my dry hair, it instantly felt more refreshed, soft, and incredibly manageable. It smells absolutely lovely, like I've sprayed some light perfume in my hair, and it also added some nice shine to my hair, as well. The product contains  UV ray protection, which is perfect for my colour-treated hair.

MeMeMe Cosmetics FatCat Lengthening Mascara - This was another full-sized product, which I was proud of receiving. The product itself did exactly what it claimed to - It lengthened my lashes dramatically, and the colour was a really intense black, which is favourable to me in mascaras. However, it didn't add any extra 'oomph!' to my lashes, which, since they're a bit thin to begin with, made them look a bit sad. I like volume in my products, and I'm sad that this couldn't contribute to that. But a decent product, nonetheless!

Miners Cosmetics Lip Colour in 'Dreamer' - Another full-sized product! Really, Glossybox..you are definitely stepping up your game! This product was very moisturizing upon application and created a smooth finish. I wasn't too impressed with the colour, since I thought it was bit too shimmery for me, but other than that a decent product with good coverage that lasted a few hours without needing to reapply!

So there's my review for this month's 'Valentine's Day'-themed Glossybox! What did you think of this month's box, and did any of you receive anything different? Please leave some comments below, especially if you've also reviewed this month's box on your blog!

I'll be doing a Valentine's Day-inspired beauty post coming up this week, so keep your eyes peeled!