The August 2017 Cohorted Beauty Box Edit

It's that time again, time for another Cohorted* unboxing and review! I just love that this box is always focused on luxury high end products and for only £35 per month you can't really go wrong. So anyway, let't cut to the chase and get on with the products inside the August box.

The Contents 

Chirp Body Softness Hair Mask | £18.00

Now, when I first saw this I wasn't sure it was going to work for me. I've tried an oil based hair mask before and it just made my hair so greasy - to be fair it was just coconut oil and I didn't wash it out properly oops. Another reason I was a little bit scared was because it says you need to wash it twice with your shampoo. Anyway, I tried this out, from root to ends, as instructed, and washed it out three times just to be sure (because I didn't want my hair to be greasy) and oh my god, when my hair was finally dry it was SO SOFT. I'm actually so impressed with this hair mask and it 100% lives up to its name so I'm excited to get some more use out of this little gem. PS, it's also 100% cruelty free.

Too Faced Born This Way Concealer in Light Medium | £20.00

Oh man, I was so excited when I saw this because I'm obsessed with Too Faced products. I'm a concealer addict and I love the Born This Way foundation so I knew I'd love this. The only problem is the shade is a little darker than what I go for but because it's a very medium coverage concealer it does blend out well so I can still make this work with my skin tone. In all fairness, I do like to wear a foundation which is slightly darker than I actually am and I can't help but love this concealer as it has a lovely radiant finish.

Mac False Lashes Extreme Black Mascara | Sample Size

I've used up quite a few of these little samples before as I enjoy making myself poor by ordering makeup so naturally these have been sent with Mac orders in the past. They're great for popping into your makeup travel bag, if you're staying round a friends house or just popping in your hand bag as you never know when you might need it.

Apple & Bears Bergamot & Green Tea Body Wash | 50ml Sample Size

I was a little bit disappointed that this was only a sample/travel size product as I love a new body wash and I do really like the scent of this one - it's not overpowering and smells very fancy. I suppose it is quite handy for travelling and the bottle is quite cute but definitely would have preferred a full sized bottle of this to get some real use out of it! 

Paul Yacomine Huile De Parfum 100ml | £28.00

And last but not least, this is an organic essential oil for hair, face and body which is said to repair, soften and nourish. As my skin is quite oily I don't like adding extra oil to my face but this is brilliant on my hair and body. I've used this a few times and it's pretty damn good at making my hair look sleeker/less frizzy and where I've been using it on my legs, they definitely feel softer. The scent is quite subtle and fruity/floral which is perfect as summer draws to a close (but I can see myself using this all the way through autumn and winter). 

So, what's the verdict? This month's box value totalled to £81.00, and when you're paying £35 per box is amazing! I have to say, it would have been lovely if the sample sized products were a little bit bigger as even though I know I'll use them, it won't be long before they're finished. I have loved the August box and I'd say it's definitely more geared up for pampering yourself instead of new beauty finds but who doesn't love a good pamper?! I love finding new luxury brands that I wouldn't have found before so I hope you've enjoyed reading. 

Also, if you wanted to pick one of these up for yourself you can use the code 'COHORTEDGIFTME' for a free Laura Mercia Crème Smooth Lip Colour (in shade 'Maya') with all new subscriptions. 

Til next time xxx

*contains a pr sample but all thoughts are 100% my own 

US Beauty Haulin'

If you've seen any of my other blog posts, you will have seen that I've just been to America which obviously meant that a makeup spend up would be involved. I'm telling you now, you will mentally tell yourself to be good but you get into that makeup store and an overwhelming sense of excitement will flow through your body which essentially counteracts any rational thinking. I travelled to Las Vegas, LA/Newport Beach and San Francisco. Each different place involved three different splurges, so collectively here's what I picked up.

So my first stop was in Las Vegas where I met the lovely Faye and hit up Sephora - her blog and Instagram are actual goals, all of her photos are seriously stunning and dreamy so if there's one thing you do today, please follow her!

I think we both beelined to find the Sol Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and ended up finding a travel sized 75ml version, which is perfect to take on any flight because it fits the liquid limit. Anyway, having tried it through my stay, I decided to pick up the full sized tub on my last day in San Francisco because it worked out cheaper to buy it in the states than in the UK. I can't comment on whether it's made my bum any perkier, but it smells phenomenal and makes my skin feel so soft and in my eyes that's a winner.

I don't think either of us had a list so I genuinely think we swatched everything in the Caesar's Palace Sephora - which is blimmin' massive btw - but it was 100% worth it. We stumbled across the Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Kitten Karma a.k.a. the shade of my dreams. I can't even explain to you how beautiful this is. It's a beautiful shimmery champagne shade and I'm genuinely in love with it but I'm also lusting after Ballet Baby which is a sheer baby pink with a silver sparkle. 

What haul would be complete without a new highlighter? I've seen liquid highlighters over Instagram, and in particular the CoverFx ones, but having swatched nearly every highlighter this one stood out.. literally, it was blinding. This is the CoverFx Custom Enhancer Drops in Moonlight which surprise is another beautiful champagne shade. I'm actually obsessed with this product, unlike cream highlighters this is has just hit new heights of achieving perfect dewy glowy skin without looking like a cake.

As I might have mentioned before, I live for the glow. So I also bought another cream highlighter stick from Milk Makeup in Lit which, you guessed it, is another champagne highlight shade. I think, my mentally for rationalising this purchase was that you can't get hold of this in the UK? But it is a seriously stunning shade and I live for cream highlighters at the moment so, adding it to my collection.

There was also a little bit of skincare involved in this haul, and who can resist a rose gold/copper face mask?! This is the Origins GinZing Peel Off Mask and not going to lie, I've wanted this mask for ages so when I saw it in Sephora I'm like yaaaas girl treat yo self. Since using it a few times, it's very zingy and makes my eyes water a little bit before it dries but forget the tin man, you're gonna look like the rose gold queen, it leaves your skin feeling real soft once you've peeled off all your impurities and dead skin. Speaking of skincare, I also picked some of the own brand Sephora sheet face masks because i've used them before and they're so so nice.

Newport involved a cheeky spend up in Ulta. Little did I know that the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer was exclusive to Ulta so obviously I had to get it. What really got me was how big it is, the wand is massive compared to your average concealer wand. I've used this a handful of times since using it and I completely understand the hype

For the longest time I have wanted one of the Lorac unzipped palettes and when I finally saw and swatched them I immediately decided on the Original Unzipped Palette because the shades just look so gorgeous. My eyes are green so I'm all about those purply hues to make those eyeballs pop. Upon first impressions the shades are extremely buttery, soft and unlike any other eyeshadow formula I've tried so I'm so excited to cover my face with these (well okay, I mean my eyes).

I also picked up the most beautiful Essie Nail Polish in 'A Cut Above' which is essentially pink glitter (so majestic), the L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer - a dupe for the YSL concealer - and two of the NYX lip liners in Natural (the most difficult shade to find in the UK) - a dupe for Mac's Whirl lip liner.

Of course I had to pop into Bath & Body Works where I fell in love with the Pumpkin Pecan Waffles 3 wick Candle, which smells heavenly. I can just see this being the perfect Autumnal candle and I'm excited to start burning it (stay tuned for those Autumnal posts).

I can't even believe how long this post is so thank you for reading all the way til the end! I loved shopping with Faye and it was so nice to finally meet her! - make sure you check out her blog and Insta (@fridayfaye), you won't regret it!

Til next time xxx

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Exploring Las Vegas

Hey hun buns! This summer I've been fortunate enough to travel to America and do a little road trip type thing of the west coast - starting with Las Vegas (you've probably seen or read about it on my Insta if you follow me). I literally took photos of everything with my trusty Olympus Pen E-PL7 so obviously it had to call for a photo diary type thing of the whole experience - duh. So be expecting a few more of these types of posts (US makeup haul coming very soon).

We stayed in the Vdara hotel which does not have a casino that takes 5 hours to walk through (with the potential of getting lost in your own hotel) but also links up with the Bellagio and the Aria hotel (so if you wanted to walk to them and gamble then you can) but honestly I had no idea what the deuce I was doing with the machines and stuff like whatttt. Actually come to think of it I think a lot of the hotels are linked, but I'm not really sure how exactly it works so. Our hotel room was actually beautiful and had the most insane view of the Bellagio fountains each night which was seriously stunning.

Part of our trip involved a helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon which was actually insane and I was actually really worried I was gonna get travel sick and throw up all over myself - it's okay because I didn't, we all good homies. 

So now we move onto the Caesars Palace section - where I met up with the lovely Faye where we hit up Sephora (post coming v soon), and I literally took a photo of e v e r y t h i n g. I mean, when everything is this photogenic you have to take a photo of everything cause you only live once hahahah. I will admit that without Faye I would have most definitely got lost inside this hotel because it is gigantic and a maze. These shops are mainly designer, except from a massive H&M store, so if you want high street vibes you can hit up the Miracle Mile Mall which isn't too far from Caesars Palace. 

As you can see, the theming is incredible and I kinda felt like I was in Rome, even though I definitely wasn't. Also, thank god for air conditioning because without it I would have been a puddle on the floor. Walking around outside in the midday heat is something out of a sweaty nightmare, please make sure you do the majority of your walking about and exploring in the mornings or evenings - if you do go out in the midday sun make sure you have suncream, sunglasses and lots of water. 

O and finally (haha pun intended) we saw "O" by Cirque De Soleil which was absolutely incredible. If you are planning a trip to Vegas then 100% make sure you book tickets for this in advance because they will sell out. The show is absolutely phenomenal, and a little bit strange at times, but I couldn't recommend it enough.

So there you have it, my little photo diary of my expeditions of Las Vegas. I didn't get a chance to explore the whole strip and I would have loved too but it was so hot, so this gives me an excuse to come back! 

Til next time xxx

Becca Cosmetics x Chrissy Teigen Glow Face Palette | Do you need this in your life?

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm an absolutely sucker for packaging. If it looks beautiful I'm probably most definitely sold, regardless of what the actual product is like. I think with Becca, I adore their products so much and they're basically faultless so I knew I'd love the product anyway, so here are my thoughts! (Oh and I'll be completely honest, I had no idea who Chrissy Teigen was before this palette came along oops). 

This beautiful palette has two highlighters, a bronzer/contour and a blush - I've hit pan on both my Becca highlighters in Champagne Pop and Pearl so obviously I'm a bit of a highlighter lover. The two highlighter shades are in Peach Nectar (the lighter of the two with the pretty embossing) and the darker one in Rose Gold.

(Direct sunlight so you can see the shimmery majesticness) 

(Swatches in direct sunlight, top - bottom: Peach Nectar, Hibiscus Bloom, Rose Gold, Malibu Soleil) 

The Rose Gold shade is too dark for my skin as a highlighter but it's quite nice on my eye lids and as a little blush topper, but for darker skin tones it would look stunning for enhancing those cheek bones. Peach Nectar is such a beautiful champagne peachy apricot shade but the embossing is so pretty it makes me not want to use/ruin it. It is however, exclusive to the palette so I'm hoping I don't love it too much cause otherwise I might cry/petition for it to be made available for normal purchasing. I'll just say this now, Becca highlighters are up there with my fav for the formula/way they look on the skin. They're so blendable and give the perfect amount of glow which is also buildable - perfect for those who like to be seen from the heavens by the highlighting gods.

This palette also features a blush and contour shade. The blush shade - in Hibiscus Bloom - is a limited edition, luminous golden coral pink. This blush is absolutely stunning. It's very bright so a little goes a long way but I absolutely love it and it looks beautiful on the skin. The bronzer shade - in Malibu Soleil - for me is more of a contour shade so I still use it as a bronzer and it's really lovely but I feel like it's not dissimilar to the CTilbs Filmstar Bronze and Glow. In the pictures you can't really see it that well but it does have a little bit of shimmer so it's not completely matte, so it is really lovely for warming up the skin as I love a luminous bronzer.

So do you need this in your life? Absolutely! This is the perfect palette for a summery glow. These shades are utter perfection and if you're a blogger who is addicted to the gram (even though it's hella annoying right now) then this looks stunning in photos too. The outside packaging is gorgeous - with a plasticy pick outer - and houses a giant mirror so it's perfect for doing other makeup bits/travelling.

It retails for £45 (which you can still get at Space NK and Cult Beauty) and in my opinion is worth every penny. So what are you waiting for?!

Til next time xx