Optibac Probiotics

Hi Guys,
Today's post is a little more of a lifestyle one but none the less i think you're gonna find it interesting (i hope :D!)
I was recently asked to give these Probiotic to try and i have been pleasantly surprised by the results!
As most of you will know the word Probiotic is usually associated with those yogurt style drinks (which i never have particularly liked to be honest!) but the Optibac Probiotics are actually in tablet form which meant for me i could still have whatever breakfast i fancied that morning and just take these alongside it. It made the whole process a lot quicker and easier in my opinion.
Optibac have a large range available of different probiotics to suit your own personal needs, such as "For Bowel Calm" and for " For Daily Immunity" and the ones i was given to try which were " For Daily Wellbeing" 







































Optibac's website state that these probiotics are- "For daily wellbeing is an expert formula of 6 different probiotic species such as acidophilus, combined with prebiotics (food for the probiotics to flourish) to help maintain overall digestive health, immunity and energy levels on a daily basis."


Did They Work For Me? - It is difficult to say for definite if my digestive system,immune system and energy levels were increased by the probiotics themselves in just a month (which is how long i have taken these for). However, i haven't been ill at all during that month which would suggest to me that something must be going right   inside me!


The main positive outcome i have actually seen from taking these probiotics is that my skin has appeared much healthier! I have even had people compliment the fact that my skin appears more even and much healthier than it has been!


Overall, i do think that these are a brilliant way to try to incorporate healthy probiotics into your daily regime if,like me, you are not a fan of those drink style versions. The fact they are in tablet form makes the whole taking them procedure quick and easy and i personally have seen some good effects from taking them!


The probiotics for Daily Wellbeing are priced at £10.20 for 60 capsules which i think is a reasonble price for a month's worth of products!


The link where you can buy these probiotics from Optibac's website is : http://www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk/shop/for-daily-wellbeing.html 


The link to where you can find more information about probiotic's and skin health is:
http://www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk/resource-centre/faq/category-precise-conditions/46-can-probiotics-help-with-acne-or-spots%3F.html 



Let me know if you have tried probiotics before! What were your thoughts? Would you give these a go?
Love Kristina x

Glossybox...The Harrods Edition

Hello everyone!
Sorry it has been so quiet on the blog for the last couple of days!The next week or so is so hectic as my university dissertation is due in so the blog action may be a little slow until it is handed back in but i promise i will be back as usual as soon as it is done! 
Today's post is probably one that has been wrote but hey ho i'm going to do it anyway! I received my Glossybox on Monday and i was so excited as it had been much hyped around the online and blogging community as it was a Harrods collaboration Limited Edition box!


These first pictures show what the box it actually gets posts in looks like and what the box itself looks like as you open it! I have to give Glossybox its due the packaging i think is so sophisticated...i love it! I did read somewhere yesterday that some people thought that the box should have been in the traditional green and gold colours but i actually think it looks nicer in white and will fit into my rooms decor a  lot better!

                                 

Once i actually opened the box, however my heart did sink! I just wasn't overly excited at the products in front of me!

These are each of the products i recieved!

Clarins Extra Firming Body Cream- 30 ml  ( value - £5.98)

 

Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter- 50ml (value- £5.12)

   

RéVive IntensitéCréme Lustre SPF 30 - 7.00ml (value- £27.42! Full size is £235!!)

 

Versace Vanitas Perfume- Unknown sample size therefore value unknown!

 

Lastly i recieved a Lancome Juicy Tube in the shade 93 Toffee R & B- 7ml (value £3.62)

My Thoughts

Looking through all the blog posts i do think i received a better box than some other people. After adding up all the values of each of the products it works out that my box is worth approx £42.14 (minus the perfume sample) which definitely makes the box value for money! However, personally this isn't why i subscribe to the company, i wanted it to be an opportunity to try products which i may would like to try full size and/or there is a lot of hype around the product/brand. I don't feel like this box necessarily gave me that feeling. Yes, all the products are lovely there isn't any i can't stand but do they excite me? No not at all really. I particularly like the shade of the juicy tube, and the scent of the bliss body butter is amazing, but they haven't overwhelmed me really. Also i know a lot of been talking about the anti ageing products and how they are not suited for a younger age range, but i do think you can use them even though you are young, but are they products i would personally pick over other types of products?not really. 

Another point that has to be made is the fact that this box to me in no way shows off Harrods, minus the Révive product they are all available to buy in your local department store. Yes, they are high end brands, but i was hoping this collaboration would be the opportunity to try products that were exclusives to Harrods but sadly this is not the case. I am not really bothered that they aren't full sized, as they are still worth a fair amount of money as samples sizes and none in my box were particularly tiny (Although i am aware this is not the case for other boxes!).

I think Glossybox's main problem with this box was the hype they built around it. They had a fabulous press event for their ambassadors and send them out boxes for free (and gifts- anybody remember the roses they were given at Valentine's?!). I don't think this is in anyway the ambassadors faults, i myself love reading the spoilers on their blogs, but i can see why people who receive boxes which don't compare well to the ambassadors would feel annoyed. I think that Glossybox will need to think about how they go about promoting themselves and the boxes if they want to keep subscribers because from what i can gather a lot of people have not been impressed with this months and previous months boxes, (although i realise this is not the case for everybody.)

I myself have cancelled my subscription, the way i look at it is that i could spend that money on a product which i really would like rather than a box containing products which just seem "okay" to me. Also, the fact that people have received  different types of products ranging in value,meaning that some boxes are worth a lot more than others is completely unacceptable. Everybody pays the same price for the box so why should some people receive less than others ( which i know with this box isn't the case for myself but i do think it is unfair for others!)

What did you receive in your box?Were you pleased ? Have you kept or cancelled your subscription? Would you recommend any other beauty box? And whats your thoughts on Glossybox as a brand?

Love Kristina x

Beauty Swap-USA Style!

Hello everyone!
This post is so exciting! A few weeks ago i met a lovely go on twitter (twitter link) called Jessie! She lives over in America and we thought it would be really fun if we would do a beauty swap with each other as there are so many brands which are available just over there and vice versa! We sent each other info about what types of products we liked and from that we went shopping for each other, which i absolutely LOVED doing! We both sent each other our surprise packages in the post last week and i was thrilled to see that the postman delivered mine today. 


 I have got to say i was completely blown away when i opened the box. Jessie had made such an effort it was beautifully packaged as can be seen from this photo i took quickly because i was so excited to see the goodies inside!

The first thing i noticed and loved was that she had wrapped everything into little packages....it felt like Christmas! As i started to unwrap everything i was completely gobsmacked, i couldn't believe the items Jessie had picked, it was like she knew everything i like and that she had known me forever! I was squealing with excitement as i opened everything i just couldn't believe what i was seeing!

So lets show you what i got :D! 

Isn't it amazing!!

I will be doing individual reviews as i use them all but for now i will show you each of the pieces i received!

First up, the main product i told Jessie i would really like to try was an EOS lipbalm, as i had seen lots of beauty bloggers rave about them and they are near on impossible to find here in the UK and are usually really expensive when you do! To my surprise and my utter excitement Jessie got me 5 of them! I received the Summer Fruits, Lemon, Mint,Honeysuckle and Strawberry Sorbet flavours! The look and smell incredible! 

Next up i received a mini Slatkin candle. The scent is mint chocolate, which i didn't actually tell Jessie but it actually is one of my absolute favourite scents/smells so i was so happy when i unwrapped it! I just want to eat this as it smells so good!

                                                                                                  

When i told Jessie the things i did and didn't like in products, one of the things i mentioned was that i loved girly and bright colours, so i absolutely loved the next products when i unwrapped these lovely Orly nail varnishes. She sent me the shades " Star Spangled" "Flamingo" and " Show Girl" ( in that order in the photos!)  which are so girly and colours which i would have definitely picked  if i was shopping for myself! I can not wait to try these as i have recently read good things about Orly products in general!

I also mentioned to Jessie that covergirl is a brand which gets mentioned a lot in the UK but is particularly hard to get hold of so she kindly sent me one of their eyeshadow sets! The set is called " Urban Basics" which is a set of gorgeous neutral colours, which is personally the colours i use mostly on my eyes so this set was perfect for me!

In addition to the EOS lip balms that i received Jessie also sent me their hand lotion! I did not realise that they even did this to be honest but it smells so good so i can't wait to try it!

NYX is a brand recently i have heard a lot about especially as a lot of bloggers bought their products at IMATS and i have been looking into purchasing some items from them so i was mega excited to see that Jessie sent me 3 of their products! I received an eye shadow in the shade "skin tight" which is the most perfect golden shimmery shade, a stick blush in the shade " pink poppy" and the product which i am particularly excited about which is the eye shadow base!I haven't heard really anything about this actual product but this type of product in general is something i have been wanting to purchase for a long time so this has come at the perfect time! 

The final two lots of products are the ones which i was most surprised to receive! i can't believe that Jessie went to the effort to send me them it is amazing!

First up is the Maybelline Color Tattoo 24 Hour Eyeshadow in the shade " Fierce and Tangy" which is a gorgeous orange/golden shade which i think is gonna look so good for a summer eye look or equally god food an eye look for a night out!According to other bloggers these are apparently similar in consistency to the MAC Painpots, although personally i haven't tried these so could not say for sure! These are currently unavailable within the UK so to receive this is so exciting i literally can not wait to use this!

 Lastly and possibly the products which i probably let out the biggest squeal for was not one but two of the brand new Revlon Lip Butters! If you follow me on twitter (Kbeyoutiful) then you know i have been going mad about trying to get some of these from boots but after a bit of a fiasco with their website they are still currently unavailable to buy which left me a little disheartened so imagine my surprise when i opened these! I can not begin to write my excitement to receive these it is so incredible. Jessie kindly sent me two shades, " Strawberry Shortcake" and "Berry Smoothie" which honestly is two of the shades i wanted to buy for myself! The packaging for these are absolutely stunning... So stylish! 

Aren't they all beautiful products! Full reviews to come of all of these! Jessie sent me a lovely letter aswell which i won't show but it was so sweet! I will add a link if to this blog post if Jessie writes a post or a video about what i sent her! I feel so guilty as i don't think my package was nowhere near as exciting as what she sent me so i am so sorry Jessie! She is such a lovely person and the best part about this whole experience is that i feel i genuinely have made a friend through this and she is somebody i can see being very special to me!

I hope you guys liked reading this! I don't want it to come across as bragging in any way because it completely isn't meant to be i am honestly just so excited about it all! 

Have you done a swap before? Would it be something that interests you? What products would you like to recieve!As always let me know!

Love Kristina x

P.s. Jessie's blog address is http://jessiemariem.blogspot.com/ go check it out!!!! 

A Little Personal...

Hello Everyone,
I know it was only a few days ago i last did one of these style posts, but after having such good feedback from the last one, i thought i would go ahead and do the next.


This topic is one which i think most people can relate to, they have experience with either first hand or know somebody who has gone through it. I am talking about having to cope with someone who has cancer. It could be a friend, a family member, which is what happened in my situation. When i was younger i had my Grandad pass away with cancer, and more recently i have had to deal with finding out that my mum was diagnosed as well. At the time i found that i felt like i had few options of where to turn to and places where i could say how i feel about all the different things going on, hence why i thought i would write this blog post about the ways i coped and the different outlets of information and help available to people in similar situations. 


Firstly i found that it is important to realise that you are not alone! It can seem a really daunting and frightening situation and can leave you feeling like you have to cope and try to sort through your thoughts on your own which is completely untrue! I always ended up thinking i shouldn't talk to people about it especially with other family members as i did not want to upset them or burden them with my troubles, but i soon realised that speaking about how you are feeling is vital as it always ends up building up and making me feel awful and start to affect how i acted around others. If you have no other family or friends to speak to there is always local support groups or charities,in particular (and who i personally turned to) MacMillan Nurses.It is  an amazing charity which provides information,support and nurses which help cancer patients, but they also have a massive support system for friends and family who know someone who has been diagnosed or has sadly passed away from cancer. They have a phone line available where you can call up and have a chat with one of their specialists who will sit and listen to how your feeling and answer any questions you may possibly have. They also have an online community and local support groups where you can talk. I found this SO helpful  when my mother was diagnosed! The ability to speak to somebody for however long you need,knowing they will never judge you allows you to release any burdens or feelings you may have been keeping locked up inside! 


If speaking to others about it all is not necessarily your way of coping, another technique which my mum actually did when she was going through her treatment but could be used by anyone really is to write it down. You could keep a diary or even write a blog about everything you are feeling or any situations you have been through.


Another thing to remember while everything is going on is that is not selfish to want to spend time away from anything that is going on or the person who has been diagnosed. I particularly struggled with this, i felt incredibly guilty about leaving my mum or being away at uni while she was at treatment appointments, but i came to realise it isn't healthy to be in those situations 24/7. Of course you should support the individual is suffering, but trust me when i say that nobody would judge you by spending even a short time away. Giving yourself time to make sure you are eating correctly and are mentally stable is highly important and in the long term it will be better for all if you are feeling your best, there is little you can do if you are not feeling right! 


One thing i also used to worry about is not understanding what is going on. I always used to think i didn't know what actually was wrong with my mum or what her treatment was actually doing to help her. I found that asking my mums doctors/nurses to explain to me what was going on, as well as asking questions like i mentioned before to the MacMillan nurses phoneline and also family and friends made me feel much more comfortable about the situation as i felt i could understand much better exactly what was going on. By leaving yourself confused and questioning what is going on, you lead yourself to worrying more and feeling more anxious of what is going on. Another piece of advice i would also say is to stay clear of unreliable sources of info, such as certain websites on the internet! By reading the wrong info you can end up worrying yourself more ( which i did at first!). You are much safer asking somebody who will actually be able to answer your questions correctly and will give you more realistic expectations of what to expect.


I am in absolutely in no way a medical expert,but i hope you have found this somewhat helpful. I remember at the time when it was all going on i just did not know where to even begin to turn to so hopefully this post has given you a few ideas. I have been asking on twitter others ways of coping and the biggest response by far was spending time with friends and family and talking together about what is going on! 


I have added a few websites and telephone numbers below which may also be helpful:


MacMillan website : here
MacMillan Advice for partners,friends and carers : here
MacMillan telephone number for a chat with their cancer support specialists : 0808 808000
MacMillan 'talk to us' page : here
NHS Direct: here Telephone number: 08454647
NHS24: here Telephone number: 08454 242424
The Samaritans: Here ,Telephone number: 0845 790 9090


If you need a chat or would like to leave me your suggestions of how you coped if you have been in this situation then leave a comment :D!
Love Kristina x

P.s. i am sorry to those who these types of blog posts may not particularly interest if you are simply looking for beauty blog posts, but i really enjoy doing them and if i can help even one person then it is worthwhile :D! There will be plenty of beauty blog posts to come so hopefully you will still enjoy the blog! I appreciate absolutely everyone that comes to check it out!!

Stripping Off...

Hello Everyone!
Don't be worrying about the topic of this post by the name haha! This is all about the Deborah Lippman 'Stripper To Go' nail lacquer removal mitt that i recieved in my december Glossybox. I have been wanting to use this for a while but i really wanted to put it to the test and not use just a regular nail varnish. Last week i painted my nails in Revlons gorgeous and much hyped shade 'facets of fuschia',a black based nail colour which the most amazing chunky fuschia glitter incorporated into it ( available here).However after a few days it started to look rather shabby and so i decided that this was the perfect chance to give the mitt a try.


The mitts themselves are packaged in individual sachets and are typically available in a box of 6,but as i recieved this in my Glossybox i had just one. The packaging itself is a pretty blue colour and tears open to reveal a single white finger mitt.
The mitt is lavender scented and saturated in nail lacquer remover which makes the mitt feel fairly damp to the touch. A bug bear i initially encountered with the mitt was that on the packaging it doesn't actually describe how to use it,although it does seem fairly obvious,i did not know if you were meant to leave it on and then wipe away or rub it while having the mitt on. I decided to let it soak for a bit and then wipe the varnish away.
I was really hoping this was going to be brilliant and solve the annoying problem of trying to remove glitter nail varnish which usually takes forever to do but alas it did not!
I literally managed one and a half nails before it would not remove any more polish at all! I tried it on all my other nails and nothing budged!I know glitter nail varnish is a pain but i really was expecting more!Especially as a lot of Deborah Lippmans most famous and much loved nail lacquers (which by the way i am a massive fan of!) are glitter colours!



I ended up having to take the rest of it off with cotton pads and nail varnish remover. I think it is such a shame it didn't work for me as its a brilliant concept and i love the brand! I don't know if it was maybe i was using it wrong of if my one was dodgy although it seemed fine!
If i am using it wrong please let me know! I do have one more to use as i recieved two glossyboxes so i can give it one more go!

The stripper to go pack of 6 is available in House of Fraser (here) priced at £14 (which i personally think is very expensive!)


Have you used these before?What is your impression of them?Would you pay £14 for a pack of these?Let me know!
Love Kristina x

MUA Lovehearts Lip Balm

Right Ladies,You may have seen posts about this collection everywhere and be slightly sick of it by now,but i gave in a few days ago and bought one of the products from MUA's Loveheart collection!
When i went shopping i did not plan to buy anything from the range,in all honesty i was slightly worried that the products might have been over hyped as there has been so much talk about it in the bblogger community,but as soon as i saw them in store i just knew i wanted something from them!


The first thing that has to be said is that the packaging is gorgeous!Very cutesy and girly,with the main imaging obviously being the classic loveheart sweet! I also love that the shades of the products in the range have their name placed in the heart like the messages you usually find in the sweets!
Although the MUA products are so cheap i decided to be somewhat reserved and just but the one product! I chose the lip balm in the shade 'great lips'. Apparently the lip balms in this collections are similar to the Sleek pout pots but i haven't personally tried them so can not compare!
The MUA lipbalm is a nude shade which i find to be quite pigmented and actually is really pretty! I thought it would be super sheer,but when you put it on the lips its like a mix of a gloss and a lipstick,it really does give a great colour! I also found the lipbalm is lovely and creamy and not at all sticky! I know a few people do not like a product which you have to keep dipping your finger into ,which i do understand,but i find for me it is really handy to chuck in my bag. and quickly pull out and use while i am out and about or more commonly in uni! I am suprised how much i keep going to this product even though i have only had it a week,it just is really handy and really useful when you want colour quickly on the go!          
                                           I wish i had picked up more of these!
My favourite look so far with this product is applied on top of my mac viva glam II Lipstick! It just adds such a lovely glossy look to an already beautiful lipstick shade...LOVE IT!


The MUA Love hearts collection is available in Superdrugs stores and their website (here) and also directly from the MUA website (here)- The lipbalm i bought was £2!!


Have you tried any products from this range?


Love Kristina x

Soap and Glory Heel Genius!

Hi Guys!
This product is one of many i recieved in the mahoosive gift set that Soap and Glory released at christmas time,so there are plenty more reviews to come!
Heel Genius is as you may have been able to guess from the name is a foot cream. I have to be completely honest i have never particularly liked foot creams,they either never seem to work or have an artificial minty sort of smell or a combination of the two! They are the type of product i would see in a store and completely ignore and walk past,and as much as i enjoy soap and glory products i would probably have done the exact same with this product!
However as it was part of a set i was willing to give it a try,and was pleasantly suprised!The product itself is a light green colour,with a thick,sort of gel like consistency,which when rubbed in turns white and then clear.The bottle itself suggests that a thick layer should be put onto the feet and cotton socks placed over the top which is exactly what i do! Now, i am not saying i have had amazing results,but my feet do feel so much softer after i use it! I think if i was just to rub it in i don't think i would achieve such good results,but leaving it on all night really does allow the product to soak in well and make my feet much nicer!
The one big downside which puts me off using the product is the scent,which is quite strong! I do think it is quite a personnal choice though as my female housemates all seem to quite like it! It wouldn't neccessarily put me off the product all together as it does work it just is not an aspect that i particularly enjoy!
The product is available to buy in boots (here) or from soap and glory from their website (here). Heel genius is available in 125ml and is priced at £5.50


Have you tried this product?If so what are your thoughts?What is your favourite foot product?Let me know!

Love Kristina x