Glamour n Benefit freebies

I so love a freebie in a magazine that is useful to me. If I was going on holiday the free flip flops and beach bags would have been great. Anyway the latest edition of Glamour Magazine is all about their Woman of the Year. I never really pay attention to this as the majority of the ladies featured I never know who they are or what they do. For a breakdown of winners that is very honest please check out Mad News Blog.

Benefit Bad Gal eyeliner cost about £14 and so does many of their other pencils. As the magazine only cost £2 I thought it would only make sense for me to buy couple more of this mag to make a saving. I subscribe to glamour as I make a huge saving. So I just had to buy two more magazines which I gave away to work colleagues sans makeup. I did not opt for the concealer stick as I would have had to use it on my foot bottom and what use would that be.

I like the eyeliners though I could do with some tips on the Eye Bright. Should I just use it in my waterline or just below in the bottom lash line? If I do not get an answer on here  I will have to tweet to find an answer.

Glamour Magazine and Nails Inc

I received my months subscription of Glamour Magazine this week. Thankfully the postal strikes have not affected this delivery. I was very surprised to see that it included a free full size bottle of Nails Inc nail polish. I do wonder if Glamour and Nails Inc have a partnership going as this is the second free Nails Inc polish I have received free. I am not complaining.

The colour I received is called “Shoreditch”. It is a beautiful hot pink and is very gorgeous. I applied to two coats and so far so good. I cannot complain.

I love a freebie especially when it is something I will definitely use again and again!!

Ninetynine Magazine

Whilst at the You're Beautiful Woman event I went to last week. I had the pleasure of meeting some innovative and inspirational black entrepreneurs. I love magazines but cut down on them dramatically. However this magazine caught my eye.

It is called Ninetynine magazine. Olumide Solanke is one of the creative forces behind the magazine. He spoke to me about it with such joy. You could tell that care and thought has been taken to create this rarity in Black British society. It is filled with stories of UK Black achievers in every level of society. Their mission states that they aim to “identify, inform and celebrate the achievements of proactive black people in the UK”.

It is quite a new magazine a unisex one at that. I have the 2nd issue which has been a very lovely read. Tim Campbell from the Apprentice is the cover star, who shares his life since Apprentice and his current role and founder of the Bright Ideas Trust. This issue explores the need for role models, family values, young mentors , food, money and much more.

I will definitely be subscribing , that way I do not miss a copy. The subscription fee may not be a discount like my Glamour mag. Though it is so worth the read and will save me searching for this brilliant magazine. Have you read it, if so what do you think? I think this is just what Black Britain needs. A positive inspirational magazine from the UK.

In Style magazine and Body shop freebies

I am such an impulsive shopper. Yet buying what I truly want takes forever. I need a financial advisor to help me spend wisely reduce debts and live within my means.

Anyway after reading the latest Money Saving Expert beauty deals of the week which is updated weekly I went and bought In Style magazine. It is not a magazine I would normally buy, however with 2 free eye liners by the Body Shop which are worth just over £14 I could not resist. You have 3 colour sets to choose from. I chose brilliant blue and black. The other combinations are black /  shimmering steel and black and vibrant emerald.

I have not tried Body shop makeup in a while. I still have a bronzer and shimmering eye shadow cubes which are brilliant. As for In Style mag, I have just skimmed the pages and there is an article which all users of makeup will like. It features R&B songstress Shontelle beautifully showing the latest trends in the ever popular smokey eye.

In Style is a fashion magazine and from my first impressions there seems to be more to read. Unlike the industry standards of Cosmopolitan. I bought that magazine once and I think I read like two pages. Pictures were amazing to look at though.

Glamour magazine and Bad Gal lashes

Not sure if mentioned before but I am a regular subscriber to Glamour Magazine. I used to buy the magazine as it was small and I generally liked it. i must admit I only began subscribing because of the freebies. One of the items I got at the time was a plumping lip gloss which I hated. It made my lips feel odd and then I realised that myself and the majority of black women do not need plumper's and fillers for their pout.

Anyway as a subscriber you do not always get the freebie on offer each month. Though thankfully they have been giving out the monthly gift item to subscribers. This months magazine which I believe is the July issue comes with a full size Bad Gal Lashes mascara by Benefit.

I love the brush as the thinner spiky brushes do not look convincing enough to me. Though I will still try them out. Bad Gal feels light and not clumpy. I will be wearing this mascara all of next week to get a feel for it. Plus I think it would be perfect for my holiday. Plus its free!

I so would love to subscribe to other magazines but there must be a saving. Americans get a better deal when it comes to subscribing to magazines. Also the cost of international subscriptions to American magazines is just not worth it.

Italian Vogue's Black Edition

For as long as Italian Vogue made it known they would change up the skin hues on their fashion pages for one month, the world has been talking. Is this significant or a good marketing ploy. All editions of Vogue magazine tell you exactly who they feel is beautiful. Even their readership harbours the same views. How often do you hear the sentence 'black models do not sell when on the front page'. Is it that they do not sell or that particular month never sells good at all. There could be endless answers to that. Of course there is an answer which I believe is more true.

Now I am not going to lie, I have joined the Facebook groups, received numerous text messages telling me to go and buy this edition of the magazine. A magazine I never buy. Well I believe they have a clever double edged sword in the marketing. This may not all be by choice. Various sources have said that its not the magazine that fears it wont sell, its the publishers and distributors predicting poor sales. That in itself speaks volumes. These whispers have led to many urging all to buy to prove them wrong if only for one month.

I do believe that the magazine will sell well. We like seeing ourselves presented. I might buy a copy if I am able to get hold of a copy just so I can see what Vogue's definition of Black beauty is or just to look at fashion photography with black women as the main focus so to speak.

In conversation with a friend I mentioned that I did not feel this one off magazine edition was a cause for celebration. The models will probably be super slim, little or no curves, straight hair/weaves, medium to light in complexion. If they manage to capture the full spectrum of black beauty than well done for one month. If not, then its nothing new.

I will leave you with this quote from an email that was sent to me by a good friend of mine, whereby (its appears to be by ) Dr Lez Henry critiques Vogue and the Black community reaction to this novelty issue ;

In a time when Afrikan-centred organisations and individuals are struggling to publish magazines, books, films etc. etc. to unshackle our minds, you can bet your bottom dollar that many who are circulating these stupid emails and texts have never circulated one that supports these endeavours, much less purchased any of their products or attended any of their events, which is why I suggest that when it comes to many blacks it seems that LUNACY IS TRULY IN VOGUE!!

Knowledge gives us the power to liberate or enslave!

What do you think? Celebration, contemplation or nothing at all.