May BellaBox Review

Hello everyone, I'm back with another bellabox review! I haven't done one of these since February because of a combination of me being lazy and not loving the products recently, but May has been a great month and I'm doing things a little differently today to help motivate me and perk these posts up! Plus I've missed reviewing beauty products and writing blog posts so here we go.

The theme for this month's box was a collaboration with Pop Sugar and everyone received either a contour or a highlighter pencil by Chella.

As you can see I got six products and two of those are full sized. So to begin with I was quite happy about that.

Real-U Control + Face Gel RRP $50.00 for 100ml

I was instantly drawn to this product because I've never heard of this brand before and the back of the tube stated in big letters that the product contains no salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide which is awesome because we all know I'm allergic to salicylic acid! I've been using this for the past week and I don't mind it. Yes my face still gets oily (when won't it) but it definitely does control it and delays how quickly it happens. I use this both morning and night underneath my normal moisturiser because it does make my skin feel a little tight and I don't want my skin to think it's undermoisturised if that makes sense, plus it's only a gel so it does need the extra. I'm seriously considering trying out their other products to go along with it.

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil RRP $24.95

This is one of the products that everyone would have received in their boxes, the other was the contour pencil which my mum received in hers, so I'm very happy I have both of them. If you look at the tip of the pencil you can see it's definitely an ivory colour. I would love it more if it was brighter and lighter because against my pale skin it's not much of a highlighter for me but it's a good base for other highlighters!

Impulse Romantic Spark RRP $4.99 for 57g

This is a cute little sample of 'perfume in a spray' from Impulse. I quite like how it smells even though it does smell a little mature but I don't hate it. I think it's a great substitute for perfume if you don't want to wear something heavy or even if you're a little allergic to it. Plus the real size is a lot cheaper than perfume.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Moisture Rich Night Cream RRP $14.99 for 75g

I was very worried about this product when I read the words 'moisture rich' but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this moisturiser. I've been using it most nights and while it is a little bit greasy, it's not as bad as most thicker moisturisers I've used in the past. Combined with face oil and the control gel above it works really well at making my skin smooth and soft. I really like it and I'm super happy I've found a great night cream that I don't hate!

Eye Of Horus Goddess Pencil RRP $30.00

I've never heard of this brand before but it's nice to receive things like that and discover new brands and products. I'm not fond of the colour, I know emerald suits blue eyes but I didn't love how it looked when I used it and smudged it out. But I'll give it another go and see if I can incorporate it into my eye make up without making it look over the top or like I've been punched in the face. It's a great addition to any make up collection though.

Sunescape Hydrating Gradual Tan Extender RRP $33.00 for 200ml

I can't give a proper review on this product because I haven't used it yet but I've read all positive reviews so hopefully it works well for me and I love it as much as others do.

Overall I loved the May bellabox, for a while there I was doubting whether I'd continue my subscription after this month considering I've been getting this for a year now but I'm looking forward to June's box and I'm sure it's going to be just as great.

Thanks for reading!

- Melissa.

PS let me know if you like the layout of these posts like this with pictures instead of just a numbered list of the products!

Metal Pattern Water Decals - Born Pretty Store Review

*This product was sent to me for review, all opinions are my own

Hi everyone! I have another review of a Born Pretty Store product. This time round it's full sized water decals in a metal type design. I chose these because I wanted to try out a full nail decal and water decals are the easiest to use and reshape to a nail, I also thought the pattern wasn't something I'd normally go for so I went out of my comfort zone a bit with this choice.

For $2.49AUD you get one sheet of fourteen decals with seven different sizes, but even if those sizes aren't right for your nails you can easily use remover or acetone once they've been applied, to shape them to your nail size because they're thin and have no sticker or foil backing.

These decals are pretty cool and with a top coat they last as long as you want them to pretty much. You've just got to be a little careful when applying them and smoothing out the bumps because they can easily tear when they're still a little damp and stuck down. My favourite pattern is definitely the silver one, I'd wear that one again for sure.

Definitely will consider purchasing some of the other patterns that these come in and if you do too then don't forget to use my 10% off discount code MEPUK31 at the checkout!

- Melissa.

Mint & Coral Mix n' Match

Today I have a fun mix n' match mani that I had the inspiration to do recently. I love when coral and mint colours are paired together so I wanted to incorporate them into a mani as well as some touches of silver glitter, so that's what I did!

When choosing my colours though I realised I had thrown out my favourite coral polish because it was old and gloopy and pretty much empty so instead I went with Coral Heat by Maybelline Color Show and for the mint I chose Kelp Yourself by Sally Hansen.

I really do love how these nails turned out. I think I'm becoming better at planning out a mix n match design that works well together without being too over the top!

- Melissa.

Glitter Placement Nail Art - Born Pretty Store Review

*This product was sent to me for review, all opinions are my own

I absolutely looove glitter placement nail art so when I saw this glitter I knew it'd be perfect to finally do my own glitter placement. This inspiration came from polishallthenails on Instagram, ever since I started following her a while ago all I've wanted to do is try it out for myself. It's not as perfect because I honestly didn't have the will and strength to place them all evenly but it's still an awesome effort and I love how they look!

As you can see the hexagon glitter came in three colours, blue, pink and gold and there's a lot of it for only $2.45AUD so this stuff will last me forever! What a great bargain.

The macro shot above shows how sloppy I was with my placement but it also shows how cool it all looks. I love how it looks in real life and how shiny and bright it is!

These glitter pots are definitely worth it if you want to try out glitter placement yourself or if you just generally want some glitter for whatever reason. I'm seriously considering purchasing some of the other colours and seeing what other shaped glitters they have on their website. Don't forget to use the code MEPUK31 for 10% off at checkout!

- Melissa.

Splatter Nail Art

Today I have some new splatter nail art to share with you; it's one of the easiest designs to do and despite it being a bit messy it's still a lot of fun. I started with a base of Maybelline Color Show's Audacious Asphalt and used Babe It's Blue also by Maybelline and Corsican Rose and Party Shoes by Ulta3.

I have a feeling I've done a splatter with similar colours to this but I can't be bothered double checking. I tend to do either white or gray bases when it comes to splatter designs so it's probably something I've done before.

I really like this one though because the colours are all spread out and aren't too thick or bold. It worked out well!

Nail Art Pen - Born Pretty Store Review

*This product was sent to me for review, all opinions are my own

I'm back with another review! Born Pretty Store were kind enough to send me more products to have a play around with so I'll be posting a few more reviews in the coming weeks. Today is all about their nail art pens. I opted for the black pen because I tend to use a lot of black lines and shapes in my designs so I thought I'd see how it compared to a general striping brush.

The tip of the pen looks quite big but it can actually produce quite thin lines if you're steady and use a light hand (both of which I did not do very well). But nonetheless it produced a very pigmented colour and was so easy to use, literally just like using a texta and that's what I love about it; it's so simple to use. 

The base colours are both from Sally Hansen: Kelp Yourself and Water Orchid.

It's very important to allow your base colour to dry completely, I got a little bit eager and should have waited an extra ten minutes so a few times as I drew on my nails I could feel the polish was close to dragging, it didn't luckily but I think waiting at least half an hour is important, or use a quick drying top coat and then wait about twenty minutes.

I absolutely love this nail art pen and it's such a good tool for beginners who aren't comfortable with a striping brush yet. I honestly don't know how I've gone so long without one and I'm excited to buy the other colours!

Don't forget to use the code MEPUK31 on the Born Pretty Store website if you want 10% off your purchase!