Monthly Archives

July 2013

Beauty Boxes

Miss Glossybox July / August 2013

July 24, 2013

Miss Glossybox july aug

Miss Glossybox is the younger sibling of the HBFL favourite, Glossybox. A bi-monthly subscription beauty box aimed at teenagers (or 27 year old’s with a beauty box addiction…*cough*).

The box costs £7.00 (+£2.95 P&P) and everyone receives the same five items.

I was expecting a box within a box in keeping with the grown up Glossybox, but the junior version comes in a purple drawstring bag, that is sizeable enough to be fairly useful in some way or another I’m sure!

Okay onto the shinies –

 

Miss Glossybox july aug nail wraps

Kiss Nail Wrap – Cocktail

The first thing that caught my eye – OOOOH ZEBRAS! I love zebras a little too much, and though the pink is a little girly for me I admit I did do a little sequel.

Now I have a confession…I have a drawer full of nail wraps and I’ve never tried any of them. I guess it’s the fear of messing them up and then you’ve wasted the whole product…I might be brave and try these out after festival season.

 

Miss Glossybox July Aug Plump it up spray

V05 Plump it up Dry Backcomb Spray

Yup. Definitely my kind of hair product. Gave it a quick try and it gave a lot of volume with little effort. I can say it will 100% be a repurchase, even after only one small test!

 

Miss Glossybox July Aug eyelashes

Glossybox False Lashes

One can never have too many pairs of falsies, and I don’t own a single pair this full so a great item for me. The Glossybox branded items have always been great products so I’m sure these will be of a high quality too.

 

Miss Glossybox July Aug beyonce perfume

Beyonce Midnight Heat

I’m not usually a big fan of perfume samples (is anyone?) unless they are in miniature bottles, but I have to say this smells gorgeous. Not sure why a description of it’s “sensual and enticing” fragrance is included in a box for young girls, but hey-ho.

 

Miss Glossybox July Aug bath bomb

Miss Patisserie Starlight Macaroon bath fizzy

The gorgeous passion fruit, rose and shea butter scent filled the box even through all the packaging, however I was filled with dismay at finding a bath bomb as I don’t have a bath! When we had the bathroom refitted I decided to have a double shower instead – which means I have lots of room for my products but zero use for a bath bomb.

 

Overall it was a good box, lacking in make-up items but very usable for me at least. You don’t get as much bang for your buck as you would with a standard Glossybox, but you still end up quids in!

You can order a Miss Glossybox of your own from here for £7.00 +P&P.

Totally hellbent for pretending to still be a teenager

– Gem

 

 

Make-up

New Avon Lipsticks – Lava Love & Perfect Red

July 22, 2013

Avon lipsticks 2

This month Avon are relaunching their entire make-up line, and from what I’ve seen of it so far it looks -very- exciting!

The new lipstick shades were all very tempting, but I settled on Perfect Red and Lava Love.

IMG_4782

The first thing to note is the new packaging which is much more stylish than the old curved tubes. The Lipsticks are now squared with the same thin silver band, and rather handily have a clear end so you can quite easily see the shade.

The formula is very creamy and easy to apply, and has a lovely glossy finish, my only complaint as a whole is that Perfect Red is not really very red!

 

Avon lipsticks swatch

 

Lava Love is a gorgeous orangey red, perfect with a simple winged liner for every occasion. I wore this at the Dakesis photo-shoot yesterday and it looked great in the test pictures – I think this might be my new go-to on-stage red!

Perfect Red is far too brown to be considered a red at all in my book, it is still a lovely shade but not one I think I will be digging out very often.

 

Avon Lips 3

 

These lipsticks will be launching on the next Avon campaign where they will be available online or from your local Avon lady!

 

Totally hellbent for…er lipstick duh!

– Gem

 

 

Make-up

Elf haul part 1 – Pants

July 22, 2013

IMG_1184

Following Gemma’s haul, I thought it only fair to show off my half of our glorious “accidental” but perfectly justified retail therapy purchases.

I jumped at the chance of slinging the mineral primer into the basket, as with the Kabuki (I’ve been lusting after these for so long now). The others I had absolutely no need for (except maybe the brush Shampoo) I just simply wanted them, and will be looking forward to trying them all out!

I am especially looking forward to the lipsticks and blusher which are complete newbies to me from Elf!

Totally hellbent for new shinies – always –

-Pants

 

 

Beauty Boxes

July 2013 BirchBox

July 22, 2013

July birchbox

Oh you sneaky beauty box companies! Just when I decide it’s time to curb my spending for a little while you send me an email offering free delivery and two extra products…

BirchBox is a monthly subscription beauty box of 4-5 beauty products and one lifestyle sample. The packaging is decidedly less glamorous than the HBFL favourite Glossybox with a smaller sturdy brown (but eco-friendly looking) box and a fabric drawstring bag inside containing all the spoils.

 

July birchbox inside

 

Well in honesty I’m not sure how I feel about this box. I received two make-up products, two skincare, one hair and one lifestyle which is a very good mix…I just wasn’t particularly excited by any of it.

 

July Birchbox Detangle

Beauty Protector protect and de-tangle

Cute packaging, and a product I get through quite a lot of. I really like the scent of the spray, but on first testing it seems a little thicker than my usual de-tangle sprays. I’ll be taking this to Wacken with me to put it to the test!

 

July birchbox the balm blusher

TheBalm Cosmetics InStain long wearing powder staining blush in Swiss Dot.

What a mouthful! This was probably the most exciting product for me. I love the little magnetic close book packaging, and the colour is one I would definitely pick for myself.

There is a lot of pigmentation, but it blends out quite easily, again this will be going in my festival cosmetics bag as it is absolutely tiny at 0.5g. It will have to really impress me on my face to make me buy the full size at £21.50 though!

 

July birchbox cashmere

 

Blanc Cashemire Creme de hour protectrice

First up I love the smell and texture of this day cream – it feels every bit a luxury skincare item. It left my skin feeling fresh and soft and was completely non-greasy which is a must for my horrid shiny skin.

 

July birchbox eyeliner

 

Laura Geller Beauty inkwell gel eyeliner

I’m a huge fan of gel eyeliners, and I don’t have a purple so this will fit in to my make up collection nicely. The colour is very metallic and rich, and it applied much easier than I thought it would at first glance.

It comes with a small brush in the lid of the pot, however I couldn’t find out online if the brush was synthetic or animal hair so I shant be putting it on my face any-time soon (If you know either way please do let me know!)

It set very quickly, but didn’t feel dry or stiff as some gel liners can, however it doesn’t come close to the Elf gel liners that are £20 cheaper.

 

July glossybox weleda

 

Weleda Skin food

With a long list of natural ingredients and a very strong herby, plant based scent I thought I would love this, but it feels a little too oily for my skin unfortunately. I will give it another chance when I’m having a less shiny day as I’ve heard so many good things about this brand and it’s results!

 

July birchbos Chia shot

 

The Chia Co shots

I love me a good superfood, and as a vegetarian was very happy to see that these seeds are packed with Omega 3 and protein. Rather tasteless, I found that sprinkling them over breakfast gave me a burst of nutrients without even noticing!

I think I may get my hands on some more of these, as I’d much rather get my extra vitamins from food then tablets.

 

 

Overall I think I was just a little underwhelmed with this box, despite liking almost all of the products. It feels a little more grown up than Glossybox, but I think that’s where part of the fun is missing.

I’ll be giving BirchBox another month to impress me, and if next month isn’t an improvement I might just have to cancel my subscription and find something more fun.

 

You can get your very own BirchBox here for £10 (+ 2.95 P&P)

 

Totally hellbent for my new mini blusher at least!

– Gem

 

 

 

 

Hair

Superdrugs Colour performance permanent creme colour.

July 21, 2013

superdrug blonde

Since hair dye day was fast approaching, I stood for at least 10 minutes in Superdrug looking for my usual blonde to lighten my roots. Normally a user of Live colour foam, much to my dismay, they had sold out. So it was either pay an extortionate price of £7.99 for L’Oreal or something equally expensive, or try out this Superdrug blonde for less than a fiver – meaning I could spend the money I saved on more shinies!

Always up for trying new products, I put this on Friday night. In terms of coverage and application, it actually went on quite well.

I left it on for the stated length of time but instead of the usual “white blonde” I get, I ended up with a dark ash blonde. The longer I left it, the more it did nothing until eventually I had to wash it off.

The colour wasn’t -too- bad although much darker than usual. It was only when I put the red over the top the following day, that I noticed it wasn’t applying as well as it usually does.

Now my roots look a lot darker than usual and the coverage of the directions hair dye was not good at all! I had almost reserved myself to the fact that it may just be a “bad batch” until I turned up at Gem’s house, and her roots were exactly the same!

I am severely disappointed in this product and will not be using it again. If you want that all over dark ash blonde look, then I’m sure this is the one for you, but lightening your roots for more extreme hair colours I would steer well clear of this. I will most definitely be returning to my Live colour mousse.

Totally hellbent for stress free hair dye days

-Pants

Hair

Superdrug’s Red Colour Conditioner

July 21, 2013

red colour conditioner

I’m a fan of trying out anything that promises to keep my locks red and avoiding the inevitable of the washed out orange and pink parrot look.

A few weeks ago, on one of many quests to procure hair items, I stumbled across this in the hair dye aisle. Initially I saw the “brown” conditioner, but noticed a red one hiding behind it. Looking around I grabbed it, studied the bottle and accidentally dropped it into my basket. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it at the bargain price of 99p.

I’ve been waiting about three weeks to use it now for when I had fresh hair. Since it was hair day yesterday, I used it for the first time. I have to say, although it is too soon to notice any colour prolonging affects, I’m pretty impressed!

Normally I have to shampoo my hair when I rinse the dye off else it feels dry and brittle, this time I didn’t use any and just shoved a nice splodge of this stuff on. Left it for about 5 minutes whilst I did other shower like things, and rinsed. I wasn’t wholly convinced at first as my hair didn’t feel particularly soft, but after leaving it to dry (having naturally curly hair), waking up in the morning with a mass of knotted hair and brushing it ready to straighten for this mornings shoot, my hair feels absolutely amazing! It is so soft and feels beautiful!

I’m going to stock up on these and it will be coming with me as an “essential” to Wacken next week!

You can buy the Superdrug colour conditioner range in store – unfortunately I have been unable to find it online.

Totally hellbent for preventing hair fade

-Pants

 

 

Nails, NOTD

NOTD – Avon Red Bombshell

July 21, 2013

NOTD red bombshell

Today’s nail is one of my all time favourites. I often struggle to find the perfect “red” nail varnish. They are usually slightly too dark or more of a coral colour. This is one of two nail varnishes which is the “perfect” match.

I am a bit of a sucker for Avon nail varnish. They are super easy to apply and combined with a base and top coat, seem to last for ages for me at least. Plus, they look great next to each other.

My only downside to this varnish, is that Avon gave it a different top so it doesn’t match the rest of mine!

Totally hellbent for the perfect red

– Pants

Nails

H&M Nail Varnish – Mad Mint and Mad Confetti

July 18, 2013

H&M polish

Amie went on an epic arduous adventure into Birmingham today to buy much needed hair-dye for our upcoming photoshoot with Tony from Stagedive Photography, and as she is the bestest friend ever she bought me back a few spoils to play with!

I’ve not used H&M’s nail varnish before but I instantly loved the two she chose for me – Mad Mint and Mad Confetti.

Mad Mint is a gorgeous and bright minty green, and I know I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of this over the summer.

Mad Confetti is a mix of large and small glitters in silver, blue and purple.

 

H&M nails

 

Despite their tiny price tag of 99p for a cute little 3.2ml bottle they both applied amazingly on the colour wheel with two thin coats.

 

Zebra shopping bag

 

Because I love all things zebra she also picked up this adorable zebra fold-away shopping bag, so I can have safari-eco-friendly shopping trips!

 

Totally hellbent for being spoiled!

– Gem

Fitness, Music

Heavy Metal Workout Playlists 1

July 18, 2013

Ever had that moment at the gym where you think you can’t go any further, then a song comes on that gives you a surge of energy and enthusiasm? Well here’s my inspiration for those last few km today!

 

This song is guaranteed to get the blood pumping! Highly recommended for running!

 

 

Another little gem for a good sprint – THAT chorus always makes me want to push a bit harder no matter how worn I am.

 

 

 

Yes, yes, cheeky self promotion slipping in here, but as I’m going over the songs for rehearsal I discovered that this has a great feel for all kinds of cardio.

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLCp5U7wotQ

Manowar are ALWAYS my go to for weights. The song title says it all but the anthemic melody works a treat too.

 

 

Anything thrash is a winner in the gym, but this song just makes me want to break things*. This also got me VERY excited about seeing them at Wacken in two weeks!

*My targets, not myself generally

 

 

Today’s cooldown came courtesy of some friends of mine Captain Horizon. Not metal, in fact I struggle to stick them in a single genre and I’ve been friends of the band for about four years!

 

So there you have it, maybe there’s some new bands in there for you or maybe you’re going “ahh yes that’s a great song, why didn’t I think of that!”.

Are there any songs you would recommend to get the adrenaline flowing?

Totally hellbent for the healthy metal lifestyle 

– Gem

 

 

 

Metal

Heroes

July 18, 2013

dakfunfair

he-ro

[heer-oh]

noun, plural he-roes; for 5 also he-ros

  1. a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
  2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or idea: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
  3. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.
  4. classical mythology
  • a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.
  • (in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability
  • (in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod


We all have someone that we class as a hero one way or another. Someone truly inspirational that you aspire to be, admire or want to be around. For me, my heroes are Dakesis & Brains (my partner in crime/steel etc)

To demonstrate, here are some heroic style photographs –

heroes

Left to Right: Matt stepping up to the mark when Mother of Steel needed a hero for her Tyre, Adam – water hero, Gemma wielding some mighty swords in a heroic fashion & Brains dressed as a Viking … can’t get more heroic than that!

In life, you need happiness, inspiration, ambition and motivation. Without these I’m fairly convinced you’d lead a boring monotonous life. These guys help with all of these. I still get butterflies when I know we are meeting up, I get as excitable as a small child the night before Christmas prior to band practice or the creation of new schemes and most of all, whenever I look at these guys from afar, I’m warmed and inspired by everything they do and that drives me to push myself to my limits. To me, they are the only heroes I will ever need.

So, no reviews, no products, no purchases. Just a note to share my love of heavy metal & heroes. Who’s yours?

Totally hellbent for heroes of all kinds!

– Pants