Updates...

Hi guys, just a quick update as it's been a while..

Apologies for my absence, I am currently drowning in revision for my retake exams which are coming up soon. I'm getting way more panicky about them than I normally would because this is basically the last time I can ever take them so I need to do well!
I hope you all had a good halloween! Even though it was practically monsoon weather my friends and I still managed to dress up and go out. I was very unoriginal this year and went as a standard black cat...

My friend went as the female Zorro... if it's not obvious...

Another thing I wanted to briefly touch on was the fact that now i've started my gap year I think the content of my blog might change. I first created Hat Box after my friends got tired of me going on and on about makeup and beauty products and I wanted a place where I could chat about it as much or as little as I wanted without boring anyone who doesn't want to listen. Now, however, I find it quite theraputic to use my blog as a kind of diary where I can talk about other things too. Of course I still really love chatting about makeup so i'll still be doing reviews and things like that, but i'll also be writing posts on my general thoughts and views...
I know that Hat Box is a very small and ill-frequented corner of the internet, but i'm always very grateful to the few who take five minutes out of their day to read what I have to say, so I hope you dont get bored with my ramblings!

Thanks for reading!
Lily xoxo

Motivation

Hi guys!
Today will be a little departure from the normal beauty related posts because I want to address a topic which has been important to me recently; staying motivated when everything goes wrong.
During the last few months things have not exactly gone to plan for me. I did not manage to get in to university this year, like a wanted to, because I missed the grades I needed. I had been looking forward to going to university ever since I started college, so as you can probably imagine, finding out that I couldn't go this year was a big set back and a bit of a shock for me. 
But with a little help from my friends I have realised that this could be a good thing. I now have a whole year to fit in as many experiences in as I can (I might do a post later on my gap year bucket list)! I can go travelling again, get a new job, start a new hobby or pick up an old one again and spend time working on me for a bit. So I guess you can take from this that there is always a silver lining, even when the cloud seems very very grey.
However, I also have to take some exams again so I can apply for uni this year and I'm finding it hard to focus on work. It's quite disheartening to have to revise subjects you've already done when the last time you revised them you thought it was actually going to be the LAST time. So, it sounds cheesy, but i've gathered together some motivational quotes which I have stuck up in my bedroom that help me stay motivated to keep working and not give up on getting in to uni. I decided to put them on my blog in case any of you have faced a set back or are lacking in motivation for any reason or other and might find them helpful...

Feeling motivated now? Haha, thanks for reading!
Lily xoxo

Autumn 2012 Wishlist

Hi guys!

It's that time of year again! The leaves are turning, the days are getting shorter and it's becoming a lot chillier! Autumn has to be my favourite season (not just because it means it's almost my birthday...) because you can crack out your scarves, hats a boots and the colder days are a perfect excuse to treat yourself to an expensive (but worth it!) new coat.. well, you wouldn't want to be cold, would you?!

Today I'd like to show you some of the things I've been saving my pennies for this autumn...

Cable Dip Dye Mittens -Topshop

Beige Tube Scarf -H&M

Jersey Lined Mac - Oasis (on ASOS)

Tisha Skull Jumper - Missguided

Glaze Lipstick in 'Hue' - MAC

Well there you have it! Just a few of the things I may be treating myself to this autumn to try and ward off the oncoming winter blues.. I hope you guys are all enjoying October and looking forward to Christmas!
Thanks for reading,
Lily xoxo

How Much Is My Face Worth?

Hi everyone! How's it going?

Today I thought I would have a go at one of the tags that is going around a lot lately. As you have probably guessed, it's called 'How Much Is My Face Worth?' I've seen a few of these posts already and know that the final tally can range from a modest figure, to an absolutely outrageous amount and I was interested to see which extreme I was closest to... So, here goes!

 I decided just to do this tag using the face of make up I would wear every day, rather than for a special occasion, just so it's more realistic.

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation £24
MeMeMe Pressed Powder £5.99
MeMeMe Concealer £6.99
Sleek Contour Kit £6.49
Rimmel Santa Rose Blush £3.99
GOSH Brow Kit £8.49
Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion £14.50
L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara £10.99
Stila Eye Palette £25
MAC Creme d'Nude £14

Total: £120.44 (!!!)

Well, umm.. that's quite a lot! Not going to lie, i'm a tiny bit embarassed... I didn't think it would crack the 100 pound barrier to be honest as I don't wear an awful lot of high end brands (I dread to imagine how much this would be if I were dressing up!) Ah well, just  goes to show that it all adds up! And it's not like i'm using a whole tube of mascara e.t.c every day, haha!

Thanks for reading guys :)

Lily xoxo

Beauty and Brains Tag!

Hi guys, how are you doing?

You may, like me, have seen the Beauty and Brains tag going around recently and I thought I would have a go myself.. hope you enjoy!

What is your favourite book? 

I love reading and I would say my favourite book is probably The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble, just because I keep going back to it and it never gets old! I also really like books by Stephen King and Ben Elton.

What is your favourite quotation?

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” A very wise and inspiring quote from from Winston Churchill, which I feel is very relevent to my life right now.

English or Maths?

I'm not particularly talented at either of these subjects, and I havn't studied them since I did my GCSEs, but I would have to say that I prefer English. I think I would probably be better at English Literature than Language because I read all the time but i'm not so good at the whole spelling/grammar thing... Maths, however, I cannot stand. I wasn't awful at it at school, but I always hated the lessons and to this day I havn't needed to use half of the stuff we learned.

Science or Art?

Science, definitely! I suppose I need to say that as I am studying Chemistry and Biology at A Level, but it's true! I've always been interested in the human aspect of biology and i'm hoping to study a variation of that at university.

Name five music artists/albums that have changed your life

This is a dificult one because, to be honest, I can't say that any artist or album has actually changed my life or affected me in a big way. Artists I like though are Maroon 5, Panic! At The Disco, Eminem and Colbie Caillat (an odd mix, I know).

What were your favourite and least favourite school subjects?

My favourite subject was definitely Biology, closely followed by French. My least favourite subject was probably Maths or Geography.

Who is your favourite 'Celebrity with a Brain?'

Hmm, it's hard to choose. I'm a big fan of Eddie Izzard and David Mitchell... I also like people like Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie..

If you could study anything, anywhere, what would it be?

I don't know! I change my mind all the time, but right now I think I would like to study a biology based course in France or maybe America. I also think it would be really fun to do a make up course somewhere too...

Who is your favourite guru you admire for more than their love of beauty/fashion?

I think this would have to be Louise from Sprinkle of Glitter, she has such a lovely outlook on life and seems like a genuinely nice person!

If your blog didn't focus on beauty, what would it be?

Umm, I can't think of another subject i'd want to write about all the time. I suppose I would probably just do day to day life posts and just talk about things that interest me (I guess then it would turn into a beauty blog by itself!)

There! My first tag finished! Now I tag you all to do it too...

Thank you so much for reading, sorry it was a little (completely) light on pictures, but i'll make up for it in the next post!

Lily

xoxo

Max Factor Eye Brightening Mascara

Hi everyone :)

How are you doing? Today i'm just going to do a quick post about a new product i've been testing out. I was recently having a quick browse in my local Superdrug when I came across the new Max Factor Eye Brightening Tonal Black mascara. The product information promises to brighten your natural eye colour because the formula contains light reflecting perticles and colour beads which 'enrich eye colour.' Naturally, I was sceptical, but I thought i'd give it the benefit of the doubt (seeing as there was a nice little introductory discount...) and picked up a tube of the one for green eyes.

For me, the packaging isn't exactly amazing, but it does its job and doesn't look too bad on your dressing table.. The mascara itself looks very brown when it's on the brush, making me doubt the whole 'tonal black' claim, but when it's on your lashes it does look very dark. I was very impressed with its volumizing and lengthening effects, after only two coats my lashes looked really thick and long! The brush is also very nice and good for grabbing the smaller lashes in the inner corners of your eyes.

However, in my opinion, my eye colour did not look any different. At all. It's nice as a general mascara, but to claim that it brightens your natural eye colour is taking it a bit far, maybe? But perhaps this is just me... If any of you have tried out these mascaras too i'd love to hear what you think of them!

Thanks for reading,

Lily xoxo

Stila In The Light Palette

Hiya!

Today i'd like to tell you guys about the 'In the Light' neutral eyeshadow palette from Stila. To be honest, you've probably heard about this before as everyone seems to be loving it at the moment, but I thought I would add my two cents worth..

I only bought this palette recently but ever since it arrived in the post i've found myself reaching for it on a daily basis. The palette includes four matte shades and six shimmer shades, as well as a smudge stick waterproof eyeliner in damsel (brown). I'm not usually one for shimmer eyeshadows, I normally prefer matte shades because I feel they are a bit more flattering on me, but these shimmer shades are all gorgeous and easily transferrable from day to night looks. In addition, they are mostly pretty pigmented, all very good quality and easily blendable, which is always a plus.

One thing I really like about the whole set is the included eyeliner. Being a redhead I can sometimes find black eyeliners are too harsh for my features, so a good quality brown liner is always appreciated for a softer, more natural look.

 The shades are as follows (clockwise from top left): bare, kitten, bliss, sunset, sandstone, bubbly, gilded gold, luster, night sky and ebony.

This palette is available from the Stila website for £25, but you can also get it from other sites such as feelunique.com. I would strongly recommend it as an everyday staple for night and day!

Thanks for reading :)

Lily xoxo

Holidays, Good News and Nail Polish...

Hi everyone!

Hope you're all well! I've only just got round to blogging now because I've been so busy since I landed back in England last week!

As you may know, from my previous post, I have been travelling around europe with a few of my friends. We were travelling using an interrail pass, which meant we could get free train journeys (I say free, the actual pass cost about £300...!) between countries. It also meant we had a lot of freedom to go where we wanted so we ended up going all over the place! A few highlights for me were seeing Milan and Florence, and blowing the last of my money in Paris! We also visited Prague, Vienna, Corfu, Nice and Rome where we ended up sleeping on the floor of an airport on two seperate occasions, and had a run in with some particularly angry pickpockets... so it was definitely a trip of highs and lows! I'm so glad I had the experience though and I would recommend it to everybody.

Arriving in Corfu just in time for the sunrise...

In other news, i'm actually riding a bit of a high at the moment because just this morning I took my driving test for the first time and passed it! With eight minors... but hey, a pass is a pass! I'm so pleased about this because driving did not come easily to me at first and i've been learning for almost two years now.

Anyway, enough of me rambling about what i've been up to. It's taken me a little while to get back into the swing of blogging after my exams, and what with my going away for three weeks, I havn't really had the chance to do much. So today I'm just going to leave you with a short note about a particular product that i'm loving at the moment.

These are the Barry M Foil Effects nail polishes in gold and silver and I absolutely love them! I'm not normally in to metallic nail varnishes, but I just love the way they make any outfit look that little bit more dressy. My favourite is the silver colour, it comes out very shiny, but the brush gives it a bit of texture so the finish is lovely. I normally apply about two coats, but if you're in a rush you could easily get away with one coat as they are pretty opaque already. The only downside, I would say, is that they take quite a while so dry and therefore smudge easily... a small price to pay though!

You can pick them up in Boots for £3.99 each. I would highly recommend doing so as they have become a must have for my nail polish collection.

Thanks for reading guys! Hope you're all enjoying the summer (it's actually raining outside as I type, so much for the Great British Summer...)!

Lily xoxo

I'm Going on Holiday!

Hello again!

  This is just a quick post to say that I won't be blogging for a few weeks because i'm off on holiday! I'm going interrailing around europe for three weeks with some friends and internet access will probably be quite limited... So see you all when I get back!

Wish me luck for carrying this beast of a bag around for almost a month!

Hope you're all well,

Lily xoxo

Which Shoes?

Hello hello! How is everyone? 

I'm having a bit of a shoe related dilemma which I thought I would write about today... I'm going to an 18th birthday party in a week or so for one of my best friends. It's going to be a black tie affair, the perfect opportunity to dress up! I've already got the dress, and I've bought two pairs of shoes (oops...) but I don't know which ones to choose!

I got the dress online from AX Paris...

... it's gorgeous, fits perfectly, and I love it :)

I ordered these shoes from Forever 21in coral...

I just love these shoes. They're a bit of a departure from the norm for me because they're so bright. I think they give the outfit a much needed pop of colour and, as an added bonus, they match almost exactly with my Revlon Colourburst Lipstick in Peach. The only slight downside is that, because they're five inch heels, they make me over six foot tall! I'm not the biggest fan of towering over everyone I meet, but seeing as i'm also not a fan of mid-height heels, i'm just going to have to deal.

BUT I also got these from ASOS...

Again, these are lovely shoes. They're an interesting shape and are a little more demure than the others. Maybe this is more appropriate for a black tie party? I don't know! They're similar to the shoes the model is wearing in the photo of the dress, but I don't think they're as fun as the coral ones...

Ahh decisions! Which ones do I choose?? I'll probably sell the ones I don't wear so i'll have to choose wisely...

Thanks for reading,

Lily xoxo

Summer Shopping List

Hi guys, 

It feels a bit odd writing this as it's currently pouring with rain outside my window, but seeing as i'm going on holiday in a few weeks, it seems apt that I should do a post on some bits and bobs I want to buy for summer... Have a look through and see what you think :)

Cut Out Swimsuit from By Caprice at ASOS

Minkpink 'Sunrise Sunet' Dip Dye Lace Shorts at ASOS

Maxi Dress with Strap Back from ASOS - I actually already have the short version of this in black and I love it!

Corin Bow Back Floral Playsuit from boohoo

Large Leather Pushlock Satchel from Topshop

Red Embellished Cuff Sandals from River Island

I won't bore you with the entire list, it's pretty long, but these are a few select favourites which I hope to buy soon! 

Hope you're all having a warmer summer than I am so far :)

Lily xoxo

GLOSSYBOX - Best and Worst

Hello again! Long time no blog, sorry about that... I keep meaning to start blogging again but things get in the way, like exams and new jobs...

Anyway here I am! Back again with lots of ideas for blog posts!

I'd also like to point out that i'm currently on a hunt for a new camera (and i good place in my house to take photos!) so I apologize in advance for the picture quality in this post...

I'm sure you've all heard about GLOSSYBOX and are familiar with the concept (if not, you can find out about it here). I subscribed to GLOSSYBOX at the beginning of this year so i've got six months worth of boxes to talk about here. In this post i'm going to have a look at my favourite anf least favourite products from each box. It was pretty hard to choose from some of the boxes, so even if a product appears in the 'least favourite' section, it doesn't mean I hate it, it just means I wasnt thrilled with it and there were better products in the box in my opinion. So, here we go...

Favourite Products

• FAB Gentle Body Wash - January Valentine's Box - I was pretty excited to recieve this in my first ever box as i'd heard a lot of hype about this brand. It's a really lovely body wash and fragrance free, which is nice because some shower gels can be a little overpowering. It also says on the packaging that it's meant to 'calm redness.' I dont really suffer from this but i'd be interested to hear if it worked for anyone else.
• DuWop Venom Gloss in 'Buttercup' - February Box - Love the colour. Love the smell. Love the lip plumping effect. Love, love, love (and i'm not normally a lipgloss kind of person..)!
• Bliss Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter - March Harrods Box - My first thought when I saw this was 'ugh boring' but i've actually grown to really like this product! It smells delicious, practically edible! I've technically been using this as a hand cream rather than a body butter because the size of the bottle is perfect for popping in your handbag and whipping out during the day when your hands are feeling particularly parched!
• INIKA Certified Organic Eyeliner in Black Caviar - April Organic Box - Again, I was pretty happy to see this product in my april box because i'd been looking for a new black eyeliner, a staple in most girls' make up collection. This is a lovely rich black and goes on very smoothly, creating a neat line. It's also very easily smudged for a smokey eye effect.
• Uniqone All in One Hair Treatment - May Anniversary Box - Although this product is tiny, i love it. It smells unbelieveable! I'm not sure if it really does all the nine things it claims to, but it made my hair feel lovely and smooth and people actually asked me what perfume I was wearing because it smelled so good! The full size is about £14 and you get 150ml so I will consider purchasing this again.
• BM Beauty Summer Warmth Bronzer - June Box - I don't normally get on with loose powders so when I saw this loose bronzer in its tiny pot I thought 'ahh nightmare, it's going to go everywhere!' It did go everywhere. But once I got the hang if it I was able to get more of it on the brush that on the floor, which was an achievement in itself! I'm so glad I persevered because I love this bronzer, it's not too harsh and it givs you a healthy looking glow without too much shimmer. I just wish the pot were bigger...

Least Favourite

• Davines Moisturizing Balm - January Valentine's Box - This product is not actually that bad at all, it has a lot of uses; a moisturizer, a make up remover, a hair mask etc.. I like it but I just cannot get past the smell! I know lots of people like it, but I just find it overpowering, and to me it just smells like a bathroom cleaning product... sorry! It does, however, give you nice soft skin.
• BM Beauty Pure Mineral Eyeshadow in Wolf Howl - February Box - Unlike the bronzer, this product is not worth the mess. It doesn't really go on very well and, although it has a nice shimmer in the pot, the colour doesn't really go well with my skin tone. Of course, this would suit someone else a lot better and this is just my opinion. I like the name though...
• RéVive Intensité Crème Lustre SPF30 - March harrods Box - I found this moisturiser way too thick and a little does NOT go a long way! I'm a fan of lighter moisturisers so I didn't really get on with this product. I did like the high spf though, being very fair skinned I need to be wearing a higher spf every day so putting it in my moisturiser is useful.
• Ayuuri Natural Body Wash - April Organic Box - It was nice to see a full sized product in the April box, but I wish it hadn't been another shower gel! There's only so much body wash a girl can try! I'm also not majorly impressed with the smell if this one, it's meant to be coconut, which is fine, but I just find it way too sweet for my taste.
• Let's Go Lashes - May Anniversary Box -I do normally like wearing false lashes on a night out and these ones were pretty good and stayed on quite well. But I did think that, for me, the style was too.. bold. I'm not really in to extravagant make up so I thought that these didnt really suit my style. Other, braver people might like them though!
• GLOSSYBOX Serie Exclusiv Pro Beauty Brush - June Box - I thought it was quite sweet to put a GLOSSYBOX branded tool in the box, and I had previously really liked the mirror in the anniversary box. This brush, however, wasn't so good... The 'natural goat hair' brush felt quite rough and shed all over my face... Not impressed really.

So that's it! My personal GLOSSYBOX best and worst from the last six months. I've had a bit of a love hate relationship with these boxes and just when i'm about to unsubscribe they go and send me something great! I'm considering subscribing to JolieBox as i've heard some great reviews, but being a student on a smaller budget, i'm going to have to choose one or the other... Which would you recommend?

Thanks for reading!
Lily xoxo

Purchases of Late.

Hello again, I am back on the blogging scene (at last)!

Today I thought i'd show you guys some of my favourite recent purchases. I've been going a bit crazy on the lipstick front for the last couple of months so i've only picked out a few to show you instead of listing every single one.. Enjoy!

(swatches are in the same order as the lipsticks in the photo above)

• Me Me Me Beat the Blues Sunbeam Highlighter - I really love this highlighter, it's relatively inexpensive (around the £5 mark, I think) and it gives you a lovely healthy looking glow. You also get quite a lot of product  for your money.
• 17 Blush Powder in Nude - Again, this is a pretty inexpensive product. It's a lovely colour for me as I have really pale skin and the consistency is perfect for building up colour.
• Saffron London Nail Polish in 07 - This is by far the prettiest nail varnish I own. The sparkles in it are practically sequin sized and it makes any base colour look so pretty and girly. The only downside is that it takes an absolute age to dry...
• Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in 01 Ivory - I really wanted a shiny gold nail polish for spring/summer this year and so far I havn't been able to find the right one (i'm very picky when it comes to nails..). I picked up this little bottle at superdrug a couple of weeks ago. Personally, it's a little too sparkly for what I was looking for but if you build up the color with a couple of coats you end up with a very nice soft gold colour. Not bad for the time being! I also really like the shape and size of the bottle.
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 415 Pink In The Afternoon - Beautiful colour, beautiful texture, beautiful smell, nice staying power. I think this is a nice all rounder lipstick which'll look as good in winter as it does in the summer. I'm normally a bit conservative with my lipstick colours so this pink is actually a bit unusual for me!
• Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 005 Sugar Frosting - You've probably all seen the rave reviews about the new revlon lip butter range so I won't go on about it. I was pretty excited when I first saw them in the shops and picked up this one as soon as I saw it. The texture is lovely and glossy and feels hydrating. The colour is very wearable and i'm hoping i'll be able to get my hands on a few more very soon.
• L'Oreal Caresse Lipsticks in 01 Fashionista Pink and 501 Nude Ingenue - I actually prefer these to the Revlon Lip Butters even though they are pretty much the same concept and price. I think what swings it for me is that I prefer the colours in the L'Oreal range (I know the range is tiny, but I just LOVE fashionista pink) and I think the packaging is cuter too (it kind of remins me of YSL lipsticks...).

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these products. Have you tried the Revlon Lip Butters or the L'Oreal Caresse Lipsticks? Which one was your favourite?

Thanks for reading,

Lily xoxo

MUA Haul.

Hello again!

Apologies for the long absence... I'm rather ashamed that this is actually my first post of 2012! So a belated Happy New Year to you all :)

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a couple of bits and bobs at Superdrug from the MUA collection. I've heard loads of rave reviews about MUA, but to be honest, with their products being so cheap, I was a little skeptical. I hope that doesn't make me sound like a make-up snob, but i've had some bad experiences with cheap products before! Anyway, I was actually really impressed with all of the things I bought, it's hard to believe that most of their products are only £1... Here's what I got.

24 Shade Immaculate Collection Palette

Intense Colour Eyeliner Pencil in Jet Black and Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette

Pearl Eyeshadow in Shade 1 and Matte Eyeshadow in Shade 19

I'm really excited to try out some of the lipsticks from this range, so expect reviews on those soon!

Hope, you're all well,

Lily xoxo