Danni Laura: September 2018

Glossybox and Birchbox are two of the most well known beauty boxes on the market. They both cost £10 per month on a rolling subscription basis, so for the same price... which box is better this month?

We'll start with Birchbox. I love the box design this month and while I do like most of the products this month, there's no full sizes at all so value for money it is not!

Subscribers choice this month was between two Benefit Box O' Powder shades in Galifornia and Gold Rush. I chose Gold Rush and I really like it. This is a blush I can see myself getting a lot of rush out of.

Baija Caramelised Honey Body Scrub
This little jar smells delicious. This is the first product I've received in a Birchbox where I'm seriously considering buying the full size. So glad I got this in my box!

Marcelle City 24H Anti-Pollution Day & Night Moisturising Emulsion
Here's my problem with getting skincare in Birchbox specifically: Everyone's skin is different and the samples are so small you can't properly test for long enough if a certain product is suited for you. But still, I'll give this tiny sample a go.

Nuxe Multi-Purpose Dry Oil
I've already got another sample of this that I haven't tried yet so I might pass this on.

Eyeko Brow Liner
This brow product doesn't do it for me. I hate how wet it feels and it's so sheer, it doesn't fill in my dark brows adequately. Hard pass.

The sneak peak for next month is a choice between two Beauty Pro Thermotherapy Warming Foil Masks.

In comparison to Birchbox's samples, the September Glossybox contains five full sizes and one deluxe mini.

For. The. Same. Price.

I mean, it's a no brainer which box is better!

Beautypro Detoxifying Bubbling Cleansing Mask With Activated Charcoal (RRP £4.95)

Face masks are always a winner, I love getting more to add to my supply. I love the sound of this one, I've never tried a bubbling mask before.

Wild Garden Pure & Fabulous Eau de Parfum (Full size RRP £12)

I think scents are such a risky thing to include in a beauty box because everyone has different likes but I LOVE this. It has notes of pear, waterlily and warm amber. Favourite thing this month!

Bang Beauty Eyebrow Cream in Dark Brown (Full size RRP £16.80)

I'm a little unsure if Glossybox gave every subscriber a suitable shade based on their profile or if I happen to have lucked out with getting the right one. This also comes with an angled brush in the box.

Karl Lagerfeld + Model Co Lip Liner in Rosewood (Full size RRP £25)
Yesss. The shade, the creaminess, the name that makes me think of PLL. What's not to love with this?

Rosewood lip liner, Gold Rush blush.

Wet Ones Be Fresh Antibacterial Wipes (Full size RRP £1.19)
Handy for on the go, these have gone straight into my handbag.

Grow Gorgeous Scalp Detox (Deluxe mini RRP £7.37)
This is a pre-wash treatment to remove impurities that block the roots, which in turn will lead to hair growth. I'm definitely intrigued about this.

The sneak peak for next month's Glossybox is Illamasqua Antimatter Lipstick. I'm excited about it already!

What do you think of the September boxes?

Danni
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There was a lot of novels that didn't make it onto this post, it seemed like I was being really picky with my reading habits over the last month. I started and then gave up on so many. I'm only including books I finished here as these are the gems you need you know about.

Jane Doe

Victoria Helen Stone

Current Kindle price: £3.98

"A double life with a single purpose: Revenge.

Jane's days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She's just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes- meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.

But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven's bringing out the worst in her.

Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven's bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It's time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.

Just as he did to her."

I got this for 99p as my Kindle first selection a few months ago and it sat waiting for me to read it. I wish I'd started it sooner. My favourite book of August! Jane's best friend was in an emotionally abusive relationship, something that she ended up killing herself over. Jane is out to get revenge after losing the only person who ever really mattered to her. The end result is so satisfying especially after we get to see how Steven treats Jane. I can't recommend this highly enough and I'll definitely be reading more by Victoria Helen Stone.

Extraordinary Means

Robyn Schneider
Current Kindle Price: £3.99

"Up until his diagnosis, Lane lived a fairly predictable life. When he's sent to Latham House, a boarding school for sick teens, Lane thinks his life may as well be over.

But when he meets Sadie and her friends- a group of eccentric troublemakers- he realises that maybe getting sick is just the beginning. That illness doesn't have to define you, and that falling in love is its own cure."

I really enjoyed this, it had everything a good YA novel should have. This was a really good introduction to Robyn Schneider for me, all her other novels are going straight onto my to read list.

You Had Me At Hello

Mhairi McFarlane

Current Kindle Price: £3.99

"Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart. It's been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

They'd been partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on: Ben is married. Rachel is not. Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart she's never been able to mend."

I'm on the fence with this one. I liked it when I was reading it but the overall ending was underwhelming and the story is a little forgettable. It's a good summer read but I've read better romance stories.

Girl A

Anonymous

Current Kindle Price: £4.99

"This is the shocking true story of how a young girl from Rochdale came to be Girl A- the key witness in the trial of Britain's most notorious child sex ring.

Girl A was just 14 when she was groomed by a group of nine Asian men. After being lured into their circle with free gifts, she was plied with alcohol and systematically abused. She was just one of up to fifty girls to be 'passed around' by the gang. The girls were all under 16 and forced to have sex with as many as twenty men in one night.

When details emerged a nation was outraged and asked how these sickening events came to pass. And now, the girl at the very centre of the storm reveals the heartbreaking truth."

This has been on my to read list since the BBC aired the miniseries Three Girls last year. The series was difficult to watch and this isn't any easier to read but the book focuses on some things that weren't shown in the series. It's shocking how the authorities failed these young girls on so many occasions when they should have been protecting them.

Just a Child
Sammy Woodhouse

Current Kindle Price: £2.85

"Sammy Woodhouse was just 14 when she met Arshid Hussain. Ten years older, he promised to take care of her. Sammy thought she was in love, but in reality she was being groomed by a ringleader of Britain's most notorious child sex ring.

Just A Child tells the heartbreaking story of how a young girl from Rotherham was abused by her drug-dealing 'boyfriend', eventually giving birth to his baby, right under the nose of the very authorities who were meant to protect her. When reality dawned and Sammy realised she was one of countless vulnerable child victims- many of whom were trafficked around the north of England- she took it upon herself to blow the whistle and save others from a similar fate.

Thanks to Sammy's bravery, the gang was fully exposed, as well as the authorities that did so little to help her. Her shocking account of how these events came to pass will enrage and sadden but, above all, it will offer hope and show why this must never happen again."

Sammy Woodhouse waived her right to anonymity and is a campaign speaker for Sammy's Law. Her book tells how she was targeted at by Ash, became pregnant at 14, had an abortion and became pregnant again at 15. Ash was violent towards her, going so far as to drive to a cliff and threaten to throw her off. During his abuse, he manipulated her into carrying a truncheon, for which she now has a criminal record. If Sammy's Law comes to pass, it will ensure that abuse victims be pardoned for any crimes committed while being groomed.

Between The Lines

Tammara Webber

Current Kindle price: £2.99

"Seventeen-year-old actress Emma is starring in her major film role, oppostie Hollywood It Boy Reid. The exclusive nightclubs, snapping photographers and screaming fans are a normal part of life for Reid but it's all new to Emma. The rest of the cast befriend her but Emma can't help feeling out of her depth. She's grateful to fellow actor Graham for his friendly support and thinks maybe he's interested in something more- until she sees him sneaking out of beautiful Brooke's room one night...

Reid has no holds barred in his pursuit of Emma; he loves the thrill of the chase but he's also experiencing something new. Could be genuinely be falling for his co-star?"

Eh. I was underwhelmed with this and won't be carrying on the series. I had high hopes as I loved Easy by the same author but I just found this a little boring.

Want to know what I was reading in past months?
July 2018.

What were you reading in August?

Danni
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