Taking off my big girl pants: Cervical screening

I haven't posted for a long time.  I've been busy with work and uni and general life stuff, but I think this is something worth posting about.

I had my first cervical screening today.

I'm going to tell you some general information about cervical screenings and then I'll talk about my experience.  If you're female and you think this is a bit too TMI, I would really advise that you read it anyway.  It's a part of life, and avoiding the topic will only build it up into a massive thing that you want to avoid.  Avoiding it is not in your best interests, so it's better to learn about it so that you can be prepared when you get your letter.

What is a cervical screening?
Previously known as a smear test, a cervical screening is a 'method of detecting abnormal cells on the cervix'.  Cervical screenings are not cancer tests.  It is to test the health of the cells around the cervix.  Yes, abnormalities could indicate different types of cancer, but that is just one thing they could pick up.  
The cervix is the lower part of the uterus.  It's about 2-3cm long in non-pregnant women, and bridges the gap between the womb and the vagina.

What's a cervix?

What is the test though?
The test itself is done by a nurse.  They have you lay on a bed with your feet facing each other and knees dropped to the side, then they insert a plastic speculum into your vagina.  Once that is in place, they use a plastic brush to collect cells from your cervix.

Who gets it done?

The test is offered to women just before their 25th birthday, and then is repeated every 3 years until age 50 when it is repeated every 5 years.

Why is it important?

Scientists and experts estimate that cervical screening saves around 5,000 lives each year in the UK.

Around 1 in 20 women (5%) have an abnormal result after a cervical screening test. It means that there are some changes to the cells on the cervix. These changes are not cancer. The cells often go back to normal by themselves. But in some women, if not treated, these changes could develop into cancer in the future. 

It is very rare for an abnormal result to show that a cancer has already developed, especially if you have been having regular screening. But this is possible.

Cervical screening can prevent at least:

45% of cervical cancers in women in their 30s
60% of cervical cancers in women in their 40s
75% of cervical cancers in women in their 50s and 60s

Since cervical screening started in the 1980s, rates of cervical cancer have almost halved.

More information on cervical screenings can be found at NHS.uk

My experience...

I got the letter a couple of months ago, informing me that I needed to schedule an appointment with a nurse.  I booked it for a few days later, and just as the appointment rolled around I promptly got my period and had to cancel.  Before then I wasn't too nervous, I just wanted to get it over with, but when I went to re-book the appointment I was told there was a 6 week wait.  

That 6 week wait gave me time to think about it, and build it up into this massive, scary ordeal.

Someone was going to be down there, with this huge speculum and a plastic brush and they were going to do things with both.  Dislike.

I spoke to a few people about their experiences, and they all said the same thing: They'd built it up and put it off and eventually they went and had it done and it was fine.  Even after hearing people tell me it was going to be fine, I still couldn't shake the anxiety as my appointment date approached.

So today rolled around, I woke up early, realised what day it was and quickly went back to sleep to avoid the next 3 hours of anxious waiting before my appointment time.

I got up, showered, shaved my legs, put on my big girl pants (and y'know, clothes) and then headed off to the doctors.  When I got there, the staff were all coming off their dinner break and having a chat behind the reception desk.  My brain automatically twisted everything they said into being about this cervical screening.  Rational.

The first thing I heard was "it's the girth that's the problem".  Instant association with the speculum! One of the nurses was telling the others about how she was building a she-shed.  I couldn't help but hear the word vagina every time she said anything about it.  My mind was melting.

My nurse called me into her room and told me I didn't need to look so terrified - obviously it was showing all over my face.  She talked me through what she was going to do and why she was doing it.  She was going to have me lay on the bed and then she would insert a plastic speculum into my vagina, which she showed me (the speculum not the vagina), then put a plastic brush type contraption up to my cervix, spin it around a bit to collect some cells and then put the cells into a little pot.

The pot will be sent to Oldham and it will be spun around so that the cells come to the top.  The cells will be put onto a slide and someone will look at the slide under a microscope to check the nuclei for any changes.

She also mentioned that, as my age group are the first to have had the HPV vaccine, they will be looking to see if that has had any effect on the number of people with abnormal cells.  It should be about 6 years until they know if the vaccine is working or not, which I found pretty interesting.

My results will be posted to me, and should anything come back abnormal, I will be asked to go to the hospital for a different type of check.

She stood up and started pulling a curtain around the bed, asked me to take my clothes off my bottom half and lay on the bed.  She had a strip of the blue paper roll for me to cover myself with and asked me to let her know when I was comfortable.

I wasn't ever going to be comfortable in that situation so I just did what she said and let her know when that was done.

She asked me to bend my knees up and drop my legs to the side.  Then she inserted the speculum, took her sample and said it was done.  It took about 5-10 seconds.

Why did I get myself into such a state over 5-10 seconds?
It didn't hurt, it was very slightly uncomfortable but not very, and she made the whole thing much less awkward than I thought it was going to be.

I got myself dressed, thanked her and left.

That was it.  Easy.  It's now 2 hours later and I have some mild twinges every now and then, but nothing requiring painkillers.  She said I may experience some spotting but I've had nothing so far.  It's all good.

If you're coming up to your 25th birthday, you've had your letter and you're building this up to be a massive thing, all I can say is relax.  The nurses do so many of these, it's nothing new to them, and if you tell them that it's your first one, they'll talk you through it and make you feel comfortable.

Don't worry.  It's fine, it's nothing.  At the very worst it's slightly embarrassing and maybe a tiny bit uncomfortable for a few seconds.  It isn't a big deal :)

Rach xo

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Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette

Okay, I know, I haven't blogged in like... 3, almost 4 months.  My laptop broke and I am incapable of getting anything done when I need to, so it took me a while to send it for repair.  By a while I mean 3, almost 4 months.  Whoops!

But on a positive note, i bought a ton of makeup in that time and have lots of posts coming up! Hooray for laziness and an addiction to beauty products - right? so let's crack on.

The Sleek i-Divine range is a series of super-pigmented mineral eye shadow palettes with a variety of matte, pearl and glitter shades.  My favourite one I have is Au Naturel, and it's been part of my daily makeup routine for... oh almost a year now (again, lazy blogger!). 

It has 12 neutral shades which would complement any eye colour.  They are surprisingly pigmented for 'drugstore' eyeshadows, and work well both as a wash of colour or for more defined/statement eye looks.

My personal favourites are Nubuck - the matte light grey, for a wash of colour over the lid, Cappuccino - the matte light brown, for a light contour through the crease, Bark - the matte dark brown for a deep contour on the outer edge or if I fancy looking like Lana del Rey for a day (who wouldn't?!) and Noir, the blackest black of all the black eyeshadows I've owned ever in the history of all time - perfect for lining the lashes or creating an intense smokey eye. 

I use these with the Real Techniques eye brushes - Base Shadow brush for applying the colour to the lid and crease, the Deluxe Crease brush for blending and the Angled Brow brush for liner (it gives a cleaner line than the smaller, fluffier brushes).

The shadows work well alone and tend to last a good 8 hours on me without a primer, but my eyelids don't tend to get super oily or anything.  With a primer I get a couple of extra hours wear and less smudging under the eye.

They are excellent shadows, especially for the price - £7.99! You can't go wrong with these. 

They're available from Sleek.com, and there are 17 palettes to choose from if this one doesn't feel like 'the one'. (also available from Superdrug and Boots)

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below! You can also like my Facebook page to be updated with new posts, or follow my blog on BlogLovin' 

Rach xo

Sleek Face Form - Contour, Highlight and Blush

'With multi-tasking elements such as contour powder, highlighter and/or blusher or bronzer, Face Form is the ultimate face definition kit in one neat compact designed to suit all skin tones.Please note: Face Form in Fair and Light come with contour powder, highlighter and blush. Face Form in Medium and Dark come available with contour powder, highlighter and a bronzer.'

It's no secret, I love contouring more than any other part of my makeup routine.  It's mainly because I have a massive moon face once I put on foundation, and nobody wants a moon face.  Anyone with skin like my own will know how daunting it is to contour your face - you constantly buy bronzer after bronzer and usually end up looking like you have some sort of skin condition - It's either orange, patchy or dirty looking.    Then there's the shimmer - even the matte bronzers I've used just love to put that little bit of shimmer in there.  The light hits it and bam, moon face again. 

Until I got this bad boy.  The Sleek Face Form - I am in love. 

The Sleek Face Form kit is a palette with a bronzer, highlight and blush, and comes in four different shades to suit your skin tone (Fair, Light, Medium, Dark).  I, of course, have the Fair one - being that I am 99% sure I'm in some way related to Caspar the friendly ghost.

I apply the contour powder first (you can see where I apply it in my How to Contour and Highlight blog - here), then highlight, and then blush.  I always do the highlighter before blush so that it doesn't give a solid stripe, because the blush blends over it a bit and softens it for a more natural look.

The bronzer in this kit is perfect for pale skin - it isn't orange toned, blends really well and gives a shadow effect to the face rather than an orange stripe.  I apply mine using an ecotools tapered blush brush, or a real techniques contour brush - depending on how strong I want my contouring.

The highlight has a slight pinky tone and gives a nice sheen to the top of the cheekbones, tip of the nose and cupids bow, without making you look like you just high-5'd a disco ball with your face.

The blush is a lovely pink with gold tones, it's really subtle and gives a nice healthy glow, and can be built up to give more of a dramatic look.  Again, I apply this with my ecotools tapered blush brush (because it is THE softest brush in all the land). 

I've had this kit for almost 6 months, used it every single day and have only just hit pan on the bronzer - the highlight and blush are still going strong!  It hasn't broken me out at all, and stays on all day.

I will definitely be repurchasing this when I run out - at £9.99 for 20g of high quality product, it's a bargain.  And the packaging is extremely convenient when you're getting ready in a rush.

The Sleek Face Form kit is available to purchase from Sleek, Boots and Superdrug.

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried this product, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below! You can also like my Facebook page to be updated with new posts, or follow my blog on BlogLovin' 

Rach xo

Review: Clearasil Ultra Seal To Clear Spot Treatment Gel

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up and you can feel a spot just waiting under your skin, preparing to ruin your day?  Unless you have been blessed by some higher power, the answer is probably yes.  And unfortunately, at 22 and a half years old, I still get them at least once a week.

Over the past... 10+ years, I've tried all the home 'treatments' for spots - toothpaste, ice, lemon juice, tea tree, face washes, face scrubs, face masks, and always ended up with it staying exactly the same or getting worse - one bad face mask left me with a red, burning face and the spots looking angrier than ever.

In March I had a bit of time on my lunch break and went into Home Bargains looking at the beauty products.  I saw Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Seal To Clear Gel and figured I could give it a shot.  I didn't expect it to work but at least I would feel like I was being proactive.

The packaging claims that it will 'visibly reduce spot size and redness in 4 hours. The seal helps hold the spot-fighting ingredients on the spot as it clears.'  It forms an invisible barrier to help protect spots and attacks them with Salicylic Acid 2%.  

Salicylic acid acts as an exoliant, and helps encourage the shedding of skin cells - which occurs less in acne-prone skin.  2% is the highest concentration of Salicylic acid which can be purchased over the counter.

As it is a chemical exfoliant, you may experience a slight burning sensation (if this persists, discontinue use) or dry, peeling skin (a good, oil-free moisturiser can sort that out).

The directions say to apply a drop of the gel onto spots morning and night, but if I'm not going anywhere, I will reapply every 4 hours or so, and it really does make a big difference in the size of my spots - breakouts that would usually last a few days to over a week now last 1-2 days.  

I do experience dryness and some flaking of the skin around the areas I apply it to, but I use a good water based moisturiser and Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and it usually gets back to normal pretty quickly.

One of my favourite things about the gel is that, because it creates an invisible barrier and dries pretty quickly, I can apply my makeup over the top and I'm still getting the benefits of the spot treatment when I'm out - I don't have to sit inside for 4 hours and wait to wash it off.

The packaging is great, as it comes in a little tube like a lipgloss - perfect for your makeup bag or handbag.  You get 12ml of product, and mine has lasted 3 months so far and doesn't look like it's set to run out any time soon.

The gel is currently on offer from 7 Day Cosmetics, at £2.45 down from £6.50, and I would highly recommend taking advantage of the deal.

It is also available from a variety of shops on ebay (check the seller's rating before purchasing!), for £3.74 on Amazon, for £5.37 at ChemistDirect or for £6 at Tesco.

There are a lot of Salicylic Acid products on the market, including face washes, scrubs, lotions and creams, but I feel that this is an excellent place to start.

If you try it, let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

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Review: biOrganics Salon Secret Range

The kind people at biOrganics recently sent me their new Salon Secret Replenishing Shampoo, Replenishing Treatment and Hair Perfecting Oil Elixr to try out and review, and I'd like to add a *disclaimer* here just to say that although I did receive these products for free, this will not influence my review and all feelings expressed are my own.

biOrganics is a company that creates ethically sourced, cruelty-free, natural and organic hair products which provide salon quality results.

My hair has been dying a slow and painful death over the past few months, and trips to the hairdressers have been few and far between for a long time now (I last went for a trim at the beginning of March and it is now coming to the end of June...) and so it's safe to say my hair is not in the best condition.  I've been using restorative shampoos and conditioners, hair masks, treatments, avoiding heat, everything I could think of to try and sort out the birds nest on top of my head.  

I have been using these products for around 3 weeks now.

The website says that biOrganics Salon Secret Replenishing Shampoo is 

'The all-in-one secret to salon beautiful hair.

Our Salon Secrets range of luxury hair care is designed to combat dry, damaged and frizzy hair caused by heat styling, colouring and environmental exposure. Our natural, replenishing ingredients revitalize and hydrate, for lustrous healthy hair.

luxurious Replenishing Shampoo contains a blend of natural active ingredients that revive, repair and moisturise hair while protecting against breakage. Experience the benefits of nutritional ARGAN OIL, strengthening WHEAT PROTEIN and smoothing LAVENDER OIL & YLANG YLANG.'

It claims to 

- Hydrate and Replenish
- Repair and Revitalise
- Enhance Shine and Lustre
- Have a colour safe formula
- Be free from SLS and Parabens

It sounded like exactly what I've been looking for to tame my dry, dull, brittle hair - and with the added bonus of being colour safe. 

And I cannot express how happy it makes me that it is free from SLS and Parabens.  I've tried a SLS free shampoo before and my hair had never felt as good, and as for Parabens, well you can read my opinion of those here.

The first thing I noticed about the product was the packaging, it looks very high end with it's black white and gold bottle - minimalist and professional.  Next was the smell - it smells SO GOOD.  You can really smell the Lavender, which would usually put me off, but it's balanced out with the Ylang Ylang and just smells really natural and calming.

Without the SLS it doesn't foam up as much, but you really don't need to use any more than you usually would - it still goes a long way.  My hair is to my bra strap at the back, and I use just a bit more than a 50p sized blob.  

I have used this alone, without conditioner, and it leaves me with really nice, thick hair that isn't too dry or frizzy - which could be down to the Argan Oil in the mix.

The shampoo retails at £11.50 for 250ml / 17.50 for 500m (Click here).  I would suggest getting the larger bottle with the pump if you are going to spend the money, as you get twice as much for £6 more.  It is on the higher end of the haircare price scale, around the same as Paul Mitchell, Wella and Tigi.  The difference is that this is natural, paraben free and, in my opinion, actually does what it claims to do.

It is also available as part of a bundle with the Replenishing Treatment (Click here) Replenishing Treatment and Hair Perfecting Oil Elixr, for £35 - (Click here).

The next product biOrganics sent me was the Salon Secret Replenishing Treatment - a deep conditioning treatment which the website says will 

'Restore smoothness, shine and moisture with our Replenishing Treatment for unmanageable, dry and lacklustre hair. VEGETABLE PROTEINS repair and restore damaged hair, while ARGAN OIL smoothes and hydrates and SUNFLOWER SEED EXTRACT provides UV protection, reducing hair colour fade.'

The directions say to smooth through clean, wet hair and leave for 5-10 minutes.  I have used this twice a week since I received it, following the biOrganics shampoo, and left it for approximately 10 minutes each time.

It doesn't really smell very strong, it's kind of like a softened down version of the shampoo smell, but is still soothing and calming.  It has a pump action bottle and my hair needs around 5-8 pumps to cover the ends and most of the top - but I have fairly long hair.

As for the results, I have found that my hair looks in better condition each time I use it, and it is definitely shinier and sleeker - even when I let it air dry. I haven't been experiencing quite as much breakage, I still have split ends, only a trip to the hairdressers can fix that for me, but I haven't noticed the ends getting any worse.  

One of the biggest differences I've noticed is how easily I can brush my hair - I haven't had to deal with knots and tangles after using it, and as a result I'm not snapping off even more hair.

I've also noticed that my hair colour has stopped fading quite as fast as it was - I was heading towards blonde from my ginger, and nobody wants to see me as a blonde - trust me.

I definitely love that it is free from parabens, and feel comfortable leaving it on my hair for longer than my usual conditioner or deep treatments.

It's available for £15.50 for a 250ml bottle, or £23.50 for a 500ml bottle (Click here) 

as part of a bundle with the shampoo for £25 (Click here)

or as part of the bundle with the shampoo and elixr for £35 (Click here).

The final product sent to me was the Salon Secret Elixr Hair Perfecting Oil, which the website says 

'transforms your hair in just one application. Hair feels healthier with improved softness and shine. Used regularly, hair is noticeably stronger, whilst retaining colour vitality. The weightless formula is instantly absorbed, detangles and eliminates frizz. Offering protection against heat styling, it also reduces drying time.

Created to give you a salon-professional finish with every use, Salon Secret Elixir, Hair Perfecting Oil leaves hair smooth and frizz free for up to 48 hours.'

It claims to:

- Soften and smooth frizz- Add incredible shine- Replenish dry and brittle hair
- Strengthen and repair
- Protect against heat styling
- Reduce blow-drying time

It can be used on damp or dry hair, and for damp hair you should use 1-3 pumps (depending on the length of your hair) in the palms of your hands and apply first to the ends and then smooth the rest down the lengths of your hair - not the top.  For dry hair, use less and apply before using straighteners/curlers or, if you don't use heat, use alone to finish your hair style to leave it looking sleek and shiny with no frizz.

I've used this a few times since getting it, before drying, before straightening and on air dried hair to tame the frizz, and I've found that it works really well.  It smells good (Ylang Ylang) and the smell isn't too strong that you'll be overpowered all day.

I've found it really good with all methods of using it, and especially on the ends of my hair, which take a lot of smoothing to look good - I can have nice sleek hair without straightening it poker straight.

Again, it is paraben free, cruelty free, natural and organic, with Argan Oil doing most of the work.  It's something I can definitely see becoming a part of my regular hair routine, and at £3.50 for 12ml or £13 for 50ml (Click here) it's not ridiculously expensive.  It's around the same price as Toni and Guy Classic Gloss Serum, but without all the nasty chemicals. 

It's also available as part of the bundle with the Replenishing Shampoo and Replenishing Treatment for £35 (Click here).

Overall I'm really enjoying using these products, and whilst they are slightly above my current price range, they would make an excellent pay day treat or a great birthday gift for someone else.

If you have tried biOrganics products before, or have any questions please leave a comment below and I'll get back to you!

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June 2013 Glossybox Review

Glossybox is a monthly subscription of 5 high-end beauty product samples (with some full-size products sometimes, too) for £10 + £2.95 p+p)

You can earn Glossydots by reviewing the products in a quick survey, or by inviting friends, and redeem points for a free box.  Each survey is worth 50 points, so if you review 5 products a month, every 5th Glossybox should be free.  You get 200 Glossydots for every friend that signs up and places an order (1000 Glossydots = 1 free box) 

The June Glossybox theme is 'Summer Looks' - the ultimate staples for any summer make up bag.  

The first product I received was a Helen E Shimmer Eye Powder - in Shade 22 - silver.  I've always associated silver with winter, what with it being not at all warm or fun.  It is very sparkly and shimmery etc, but I can't see myself using it until at least October.  It's a good sized pot (1.5g) of loose pigment, and can be used wet or dry.  But I can't help being disappointed that I didn't get a bronze/copper or even the olive green colour they have (Shade 25).  They have at least 14 shades I would use and rave about, but I got silver.  Sad face.

The packaging is really cute, a clear hexagonal pot with a silver lid, and a pepper shaker style dispenser.  I guess that contributes to the price - £5 for 1.5g.  I always find it hard to understand the price difference between products like these, am I paying for the quality or the name? MUA do a range of eye dusts that are very similar, and cost £1 each.  Barry M Dazzle Dusts are £4.59 and Makeup Geek pigments are about £4.50.  I don't see the justification and I can't compare the pigmentation as the silver seems quite sheer, but it doesn't really show up well on my skin tone - is it bad quality or is it my skin colour?

The range is available from Helen-E.com for £5 (Use the discount code PR13 for £10 off orders over £25 until 31/07/13)

The next product in the box was a lip tint from Figs & Rouge in Cherry Blossom.  It's by far my favourite item in this month's box, as it is

- 100% Natural Ingredients

- Petroleum Free
- Paraben Free
- Mineral Oil Free
- Free of Synthetic Colours & Aromas

It comes in really nice bright packaging, which looks like a paint tube, with a screw cap.  The product itself doesn't have a strong smell or that nasty plastic feel to it like some lip products do.  It's moisturising and has a nice colour - kind of a deep dusty pink.  

It lasts quite a long time on the lips and doesn't transfer too much.  It keeps my lips soft and doesn't look too shiny or sticky (and my hair doesn't get stuck in it either, #1 trait of a good lip product)

It can be applied either straight from the tube, with fingers or with a brush.  I keep mine in my bag and use it multiple times throughout the day when I feel it's wearing off a bit - and it's great for summer when my lips are getting dehydrated faster than usual due to the heat we're actually getting for once in the UK.

It retails at £4.95 for 12.5ml and can be bought from FeelUnique.com with free delivery.

Third in the June box was a Long Lasting Nail Gloss from MeMeMe - a brand that keeps popping up in my Glossybox, and to be honest, I wish it wouldn't.  

It claims to be a 'premium, long-lasting, high-shine nail gloss complete with maxi-brush for one-stroke application.'  What I've found it to actually be is an almost clear, very watery nail polish that lasted just long enough for me to see the result and wipe it straight off again.  There was no opacity except at the edges of my nail where the product actually ran to.  I've never had a nail polish that was so watery that it could run before, so that's unique I guess.

Maybe it's that I got the colour Ambitious, which is a dusty pink, but I'm leaning more towards it being a bad product.  

I definitely wouldn't pay £5 for this, but if you want to give it a try, you can use the discount code GBUK15 for 15% off from MeMeMeCosmetics.co.uk

Next up is a Hydrating Moisturiser SPF15 from Monu.

'Soft focus technology helps to blur imperfections and to correct skin tone. We use Zinc Oxide to provide a physical barrier against the sun’s harmful rays. This provides broad spectrum UV protection with good UVA to UVB ratio. Includes Vitamin E, an antioxidant, to fight free radicals. The best way to stop your face from ageing is to protect it from the sun.'

My general rule with moisturisers is that if I can't pronounce at least 50% of the ingredients, it probably isn't good for my skin, and the ingredients on this bottle read like a Swahili tongue twister.

'Aqua (Water), Zinc Oxide, C12- C15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dimethicone, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-100 Stearate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ribes Nigrum (Blackcurrant) Seed Oil, Isostearic Acid, Polyacrylamide, Parfum (Fragrance), Tocopherol, Silica, C13-14 isoparaffin, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disodium EDTA, Lactic Acid, Linallol, Xanthan Gum, Laureth-7, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Isoceteth-10, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cassia Alata Leaf Extract, Citronellol, Benzyl Salicylate, Farnesol, Limonene'

I've tried it, and it does moisturise quite well, doesn't smell, and extra SPF is great any time of year.  Again, the price isn't very budget friendly at £29.95/50ml, so I wouldn't recommend it purely based on that if nothing else, but if you want to give it a try you can use the discount code Glossy1 until 01/10/13 on monushop.co.uk

Last in the box was Huile Prodigieuse (R) OR from NUXE, a 'multi-talking desert-island dry oil... forumlated to be easily absorbed and illuminate all skin and hair types with a subtle golden shimmer that looks like it comes from within'.  I'll admit, it is subtle, as I didn't notice any difference at all really.  

The ingredients say to spray the oil into your palms and rub onto the face/hair.  However the sample I got didn't have a spray dispenser, so maybe that affected the application.  It can be used all over the body, face and hair but again, I don't feel that I can comment because the sample wasn't packaged correctly and I can't really use it as it's meant to be used.

At £34/100ml, I won't try to recommend it as that's a lot of money to spend on a product that may or may not work.  However, if you have tried it, please comment below to let me know the best way to use it!  

I also have a 15% off discount code for Nuxe.co.uk - Just enter GLOSSYBOXDISC before 30/6/13.

***Bonus Item***

I would like to mention that in this box there was a bonus item, a sachet of John Frieda Sheer Blonde Everlasting Blonde Shampoo and conditioner - however, being a full on ginge, I won't be using it.  

I do complete my beauty profile on Glossybox regularly, to make sure I get the products that suit me best, but I'm getting the feeling that the information gets lost somewhere.

Overall, the June Glossybox was a bit of a let down - some of the other products available would have been PERFECT for me - Frizz Ease Original Serum, Helen E Waterproof Lip Liner, Monu Soap-Free Facial Wash, Sarah Chapman Intense Hydrating Booster/Skin Tone Perfecting Booster, Gosh Growth Mascara, ANY of those would have been great, and all 5 would have been a great box.  Maybe next month will be better... maybe.

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