YouBeauty Discovery Box January 2014

This is my January 2014 YouBeauty box. 

Chosen products

Kerasilk Ultra Rich Keratin Care Shampoo and Daily Intense Mask 50ml

This month I did the same as last month and went for the hair care as it included two products :)

They both smell nice but I can't say either the shampoo or mask really made much of a difference to my hair. Maybe you need to use them for longer?

Essie Repstyle polish 'Crocadilly' 13.5ml (full sized)

This was one of a set of six polishes by Essie. The colour was chosen at random by YouBeauty. Here is the full set:

My colour was a deep metallic green with silver shot through it. It's nowhere near as green as the press photos show. This is more like what my bottle looks like:

Normally, Essie polishes are great but I didn't like this one. The idea is to paint the polish on then use the magnet on top of the lid to create a snakeskin effect.

The polish itself was fine, however the pattern in the magnet was not centred so it was impossible to get the effect to look right. Plus, some of my nails are very curvy which means that these magnet thingies don't work very well for me.

Again, this photo makes it look really green but this is the effect that this polish is supposed to give.

It's a shame that this polish didn't work as well for me as it did for some of the others that have reviewed it, as I was really excited to try it and happy that I got one of the darker colours. Never mind!

Extras

Green People Age Defy+ Serum

Just a small sample sachet but nice as a free extra. I haven't actually used it yet as I'm not particularly focussing on anti-aging at the moment (way too many skin issues) but I will save it for when I do.

PopChips Barbecue Potato Chips

There are also not pictured because my other half claimed them before I had chance. Apparently they were very nice. A really good extra, thanks YouBeauty :)

Verdict

Overall, I'm happy with the box as the Essie polish alone retails for £9.99, even though it didn't work for me. Again, a box from YouBeauty that is worth much more than you pay!

Love, Sarah NailsfromNothing xx

Glossybox January 2014

This is the January 2014 Glossybox.

The theme for this month is 'Back to Basics'. They got that part right!

Before I received my box, I did what I do every month. I trawled the Glossybox Facebook page to see if anyone else had got their box, what they'd got and what they thought of it.

Quite a few people had already got theirs and they were united in their opinions - the January Glossybox was pretty... crap.

My box

Exactly the same as the promo photo!

Vaseline Essential Moisture Lotion 50ml (sample)

The first thing I saw was Vaseline.

Now, I have nothing against Vaseline. They are a very well known and loved brand, but their products are available in pretty much every shop in the country at low prices. I wasn't expecting something I could buy in a much bigger size from the pound shop in my Glossybox! 

It smells nice but it's just a basic body lotion. I guess the fact that I'm not a fan of slathering myself in lotions/butters/creams etc in the first place did not make me excited about this product, but going off what others said, I wasn't alone. It's something I'd expect to be thrown in as an extra to be honest, like the flipping perfume samples that come in some beauty boxes as one of your actual items!

There's usually always one varying item in the Glossybox, and this was the one this month. Instead of this product, some others received a BeautyUK CC Cream (worth £4.99) or two Montagne Jeunesse face masks (worth £2) and I'd much rather have got one of these instead. Never mind!

Worth approx. 35p (larger sizes £1.49 for 200ml or £2.48 for 400ml)

Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream 2x 3g (samples) 

Yu-Be is a Japanese brand who is pretty much unheard of over here. Apparently, this product is very popular over in Japan!

So what have we been missing?

This is a Glycerin-based moisturiser, enriched with vitamins B2, C and E. 

What's good about this product is that it's multi-purpose, which means you can use it for dry skin, lips, cuticles etc. It's even safe to use on burns and chapped skin. I have been using it on my lips and cuticles and I am enjoying it. It moisturises and soaks in really fast!

You don't need a large amount so even though these tubes are tiny they will probably last me a couple of months.

It has a strong smell of camphor that disappears a few minutes after application. Some people were complaining about the smell but I thought it was nice.

The fact that these are such small products in an already disappointing box is probably why they sent everyone two instead of one, but I'm not complaining because I like it :)

Worth approx. £2.45 for both (full size £13.50 for 33g)

Anatomicals 'Puffy The Eye Bag Slayer' Wake Up Under-Eye Patches (two sets)

Well, that was a mouthful! 

I don't get puffy eyes. I actually have sunken under-eyes so I don't really have a particular need for these. My eyes need puffing out a bit if anything ;) 

I tried them anyway but they did nothing noticeable for me. Ladies with puffy eyes, did these work for you?

Worth £4.00 (full size three sets for £6)

Note: The next two products are the exact same products I received in the YouBeauty Discovery Advent Calendar just weeks before. This wasn't a great move on Glossybox's behalf; somebody wasn't doing their homework when they picked the products!

Balance Me Super Toning Body Wash 50ml (sample)

Balance Me are a quite well known natural-product-making company. This particular body wash is of 99% natural origin.

I love the smell of it; it's not particularly strong but there's something really soothing and calming about it.

The only thing that I'm not happy with is the 50ml size. It got used up way too fast. I received a 100ml sized bottle in my YouBeauty advent calendar which was great. I would have expected it to be the other way around! I blame YouBeauty for doing such an amazing advent calendar ;)

Worth approx. £2.55 (full size £10.25 for 250ml)

The Vintage Cosmetic Company tweezers (full size)

As lovely as these are, I'd just got a pair of the same tweezers from the same company in my YouBeauty advent calendar, and despite being in an advent calendar they were still nicely boxed.

My Glossybox ones were just loose in a little plastic pouch that had split open at one end.

If I hadn't already just got some, I would have been a bit happier with these. My mum saw them and liked them so I gave them to her. 

RRP £8.00

Value for money?

Box cost = £10 + £2.95 P&P

Total box value = approx £17.35

Verdict

If you don't count the tweezers (which I gave away because I already had a decent pair of tweezers like most people do) then the box was actually worth less than I paid for it. This is one of the poorest value Glossyboxes I have ever seen.

Individually, the products are actually good. I think the sizing was the biggest disappointment for me. A bigger bottle of Balance Me or Yu-Be would have made me a bit happier. I was also underwhelmed more so because of the repeat products from the YouBeauty calendar.

I know that wasn't Glossybox's fault, but a little competitor research wouldn't have hurt - a lot of people would have bought both like me and been disappointed to find lesser versions of the same thing in their Glossybox just a month later

So there we have it - the very back-to-basics January 2014 Glossybox. I hope next month's box is a good one to make it up to the people that are still subscribed.

Did you get this box? What did you think of it?

Love, Sarah NailsfromNothing xx

YouBeauty Discovery Box December 2014

Here is a quick review of my December 2013 YouBeauty box.

I hadn't heard of the YouBeauty Discovery box before until I saw an advert for the 2013 Advent Calendar on Facebook, just before xmas. I bought this because it was on offer (as December was almost over with) and to be able to buy it I had to subscribe to the monthly box too. My intention was to cancel after the first month.

I ordered this and the calendar on the 23rd December, made my two box choices on the same day, and I received them both on the 28th December. How amazing is that? I really wasn't expecting it until after New Year so I was pleasantly surprised.

Here is my box:

Two chosen products:

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Hydrocream Whip and Hydromist Blow-Out Spray

I picked the Awapuhi products for two reasons. The first reason was because I actually used to use Paul Mitchell products (my hair salon was a Paul Mitchell salon) and once had a Awapuhi treatment which I liked. The second reason was because it was a two-product set, so two for the price of one :)

Dr. Nick Lowe Age Correct Eye Serum

I signed up for You Beauty box right at the end of December, which meant half of the products on the shortlist had sold out. I had never tried any Dr. Nick Lowe products before and I'm always up for trying a new eye cream, so I ordered this. This was also the second largest sample size that was left which swayed my decision in its favour. I haven't tried the Hydrocream Whip yet but I have been using the spray every time I blow dry my hair to give it a bit of volume. It smells quite nice too :)

Extras: 

Jimmy Choo 'Flash' sample 2ml

The packaging is super sparkly which doesn't show up on the photo. The fragrance is really nice too. The Jimmy Choo original EDP is one of my favourite fragrances but this isn't far behind. Quite expensive though!

Green & Black's Raisin and Hazelnut mini chocolate bar

This isn't pictured because I ate it before I had the chance. It was only tiny ;) and very yummy. Chocolate doesn't last long in this house!

Verdict:

I loved the concept of this box enough to keep my subscription going, and this is the one box that I will never cancel because it's such good value for money. You can't go wrong with £6.95.

Love, Sarah NailsfromNothing xx

YouBeauty Discovery Box

If you aren't familiar with the YouBeauty Discovery box, it's a monthly subscription beauty box, similar to Glossybox and Birchbox. It's a rolling subscription so you can cancel and rejoin whenever you like. That is where the similarities end...

Cost

The cost of this box is just £6.95 a month, including P&P. Yes, you read that right ;)

How it works

The difference between this and other popular boxes on the market (apart from the price) is that, at the start of every month, YouBeauty loads a shortlist onto their website of 6-10 products. You can choose two products from this list to put in your box.

The product names and sizes are clearly displayed when you are looking at the shortlist, and clicking on each item will take you to a page with more detailed information. 

Because their shortlist is released right at the start of the month (usually the 1st) you have to be pretty quick to choose your items as the more popular ones can sell out fast. Once they sell out, the stock doesn't get replenished so it's first come first served - however you do get an email a few days before the shortlist is ready to view to remind you.

Contents

There's a nice mixture of products available every month, from high-end to niche to drug store. The size can vary from small samples to deluxe samples to full sized products.

Naturally, the smaller samples tend to be of the higher-end and more expensive products, whereas the larger samples and full sized products are of the cheaper/new brands, which gives a nice mix for everyone

Extras?

As well as your two chosen products you will also receive two little extras, usually a small sample of cream/perfume or a beauty tool, and something edible like a small chocolate or teabags etc.

Payment and dispatch

Payment is taken on the 1st of every month and dispatch usually takes 4-5 days after choosing your products. If you don't choose a product by a certain date they will pick two at random so you will still receive your box even if you forget to choose.

Unfortunately you can't change your selection once you have chosen, and once your order has been dispatched you would have to send the box back if you wanted a refund. 

Delivery

The delivery firm that they use is Yodel, which can be hit and miss depending on where you live. My local delivery driver is great but I know other who aren't so lucky.

The boxes should fit through most standard letterboxes. I have a smaller than usual letterbox so it doesn't fit, but my courier knows where to leave my parcel if I'm not in :)

Verdict

I have subbed to this box for four months now and every month I've been more than happy with the range on offer, the quality of products received and the dispatch and delivery time.

Every box so far has been worth at least 3x more than I paid for it so I do think that this is one of the best value boxes out there, and it doesn't break the bank. I really recommend it :)

I have reviewed each of my boxes (December 2013 and January, February and March 2014) in separate posts. 

If you already subscribe to the YouBeauty Discovery box then I'd love to know what you think of it. If you don't, here is the link to their website so that you can have a look:

www.youbeautydiscovery.com

Love, Sarah NailsfromNothing xx

My Story part 2 - The Growing Process (+ photos)

August 2013 is when I successfully stopped biting my nails for the first time.

Whilst starting this process I was very sceptical. I knew my nails would be thin and weak and would probably rip and break right away. I knew that the free edge (white bit) of my nail would be really far down the nail plate because I bit them down so far. I have naturally short nail beds too which didn't help.
I thought that if I did ever manage to grow them they would just look ridiculous and out of proportion.
However, I knew that I was going to try my best to see this through. They may break, I may never be destined have nails of my own, but I was going to try hard nevertheless.

My first step was to invest in something that I am sure I would have never managed to grow my nails without. After seeing amazing reviews, I purchased a bottle of OPI Nail Envy. I am convinced that this was my secret weapon. I followed the instructions to the letter - apply two coats to clean nails then one coat every day after that. You can also wear Nail Envy underneath polish so when my nails had grown a tiny bit I started to paint them.

Note: it's worth mentioning that I had an extremely small collection of nail polishes at this point, as I very rarely wore false nails. Oh how that was about to change!

I found that wearing a few layers of polish helped to protect my very thin nails, so I kept them painted as much as I could. Slowly but surely they grew and grew. I took lots of pictures along the way to document their journey.

This is the first photo I have of my nails right after I started to grow them. This photo was taken around mid-August. It took about 3 weeks to get to this stage, so you can imagine how short my nails really were before.

This photo was taken two weeks later, at the end of August: 

These photos were taken another two weeks later, mid September:

 

Four weeks later, mid-October:

This polish was a bit lumpy!

My nails eventually started to get thicker, and grew to an incredible length. People didn't believe they were real nails - especially the people that had seen what my nails were like before. The transformation was incredible.

Mid-November:

 Here are my nails when they were at their longest (start of January 2014):

Ignore the plaster :)
My index finger nail started to tear at the side so I filed it down to stop it from getting worse, hence the wonkiness! 

I managed to keep them at this length for a few weeks. Then I started to have accidents with them (mostly at work!) and when one broke really far down it just looked silly. So I made the difficult decision to cut them short for the first time since growing them. This made me very sad :( I hope they grow fast!

I will be posting lots of NOTD's so you will always be able to see what my nails are currently looking like.

Another product that I think may have helped with growing my nails, as well as softening my cuticles, is the Sally Hansen Maximum Growth Cuticle Pen. I massaged this into my nails and cuticles every few days, and pushed my cuticles back too whilst they were softer. I have managed to lengthen my nail beds a little by doing this. It smells divine - to me it smells like battenberg cake!

My current nails (mid January 2014):

Let the growing begin!

I hope you enjoyed reading my story :)

My next posts will probably be photos of my nail polish collection (woohoo!).

Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments section, I will always help where I can!

Love, Sarah NailsfromNothing xx

My Story part 1 - In the Beginning

Hi, I'm Sarah! Welcome to my blog.

Nails from Nothing. You may be wondering what that means...

As long as I can remember, I have bitten my nails.
I bit them as far down as physically possible. As soon as they grew long enough to get my teeth around, I chomped them right back down.
I didn't do it for any particular reason, it was just a habit that I didn't think I could ever get out of. To be honest I never really tried, and I just couldn't imagine myself with anything other than horrid hands.

In the past ten years or so I have had a few sets of acrylics which didn't last long (chomped) and I occasionally used to wear glue-on nails, which promptly pinged off.
Apart from those odd occasions, my hands looked terrible. I was embarrassed to show them, and looking back I now realise how bad they were. I longed for nails of my very own, and seeing other peoples lovely natural nails made me envious.

So, in August 2013 - after a lifetime of biting my nails - I decided to attempt to grow them for the very first time. I went cold turkey, I completely stopped biting. It wasn't actually as hard as I thought because I was looking at the bigger picture and I was curious to see if they could ever grow long and strong. 

Fast forward a few months, and I finally achieved what I'd always longed for... my very own nails to paint! Yippee! I got nails... from nothing.

So this is my journey and new life with nails. I will give more details about the actual growing process in my next post :)

Sarah NailsfromNothing xx