NOTD: Island Coral

Sinful Colors nail polishes have recently been launched in Boots, for a bargain price of £1.99 per nail polish, it's taken me a long time to get this colour as it's been sold out every time I have been in Boots.

It's such a pretty coral colour, as you can tell my addiction to coral isn't restricted to lipstick, the colour is brighter than I expected, and as you can tell my nail ridges are noticeable but I have pretty bad ridges and even my Essie Ridge-filler base coat can't cope with them.

I wore this polish for 4 days without even a hint of a chip or the polish wearing away at the end of my nails, which I think is pretty impressive for a £1.99 nail polish!

I will definitely be trying out more polishes from this range.

Elaine

Skincare Haul

Recently I have been on a bit of a mission to try and find a new cleanser that I can use on days that I am being lazy and don't want to use an eye makeup remover and have no clean muslin cloths or flannels! 

I had asked at a few beauty counters but they were being professional and kept saying they always recommend an eye makeup remover... Then I saw on Essiebutton's blog that she had bought Avene's gentle cleanser, I thought a gentle cleanser would be perfect to use to remove my eye makeup, and I read some very good reviews on makeupalley, so I took advantage of Boots 3 for 2 offer.

 I thought I would share my skincare haul as I love seeing other bloggers posts, and it helped me find a new cleanser to try! I have been using the products for about a week now so I can tell you my first impressions.

Eau Thermale Avène Gentle Gel Cleanser - £11.50

So far I really like this cleanser, as the name suggests it is very gentle and leaves my skin lovely and soft. The cleanser is pretty good at removing all my makeup, there are still traces of mascara but it's nothing Bioderma wont take off very quickly, so I would still class this as my lazy day cleanser! I really like the packaging, the pump means you only get the amount of product that you need.

You can find it here from Boots.

                        Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Anti-shine Regulating Lotion - £10.50

This moisturiser caught my eye when I was looking at the cleanser on the Boots website, and it had great reviews on makeup alley. I really like this moisturiser it leaves my skin feeling matte and I do think it helps keep the shine away, although with tricky foundations (Revlon nearly naked foundation!) you still need to apply powder around lunchtime. 

You can find it here from Boots.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Eyes - £14.50

I have the Hydraphase mask (post here) which I love so I thought I would gamble on this as I needed a third item for the 3 for 2. So far it's ok, I haven't noticed any difference around my eyes maybe it needs a good while, but it's good to know my skin is being hydrated.

You can find it here from Boots.

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator - £20 

I bought this from Boots.com when I bought my new Revlon Lip Butters (post here), it wasn't part of the 3 for 2 offer. I don't have dry skin but during the winter (and spring apparantly) the cold weather has been battered my skin leaving me with dry patches, so I have been using this as a rich night cream or over night mask. I really love it, I have noticed a huge difference in how soft my skin feels and my skin also feels less sensitive. 

You can buy it here from Boots.

I love reading Haul posts so feel free to leave any links for me to read.

Elaine

Botanics Shine Away Ionic Mask Review

I've always liked the Botanics range from Boots, in particular their eye make up remover, but I had heard so-so things about them since they underwent their rebranding from other bloggers and other review sites, a lot of people felt they had changed the formula of the products and it no longer worked for them but also a lot of people love the new products, so it's difficult to judge on reviews alone.
I had never used a face mask from Botanics before so I was happy to give this a try, I had enough points on my advantage card so I thought I would treat myself, luckily Botanics products were on offer with 1/3 off the usual price, so I got this for £4.66, normally costing £6.99 for 100ml, so still quite reasonable.

Botanics say: 'This mineral-rich ionic mask absorbs excess oil and detoxifies skin. The oceanic clay exhibits a negative electrical charge, which helps to draw out deep-rooted impurities without overdrying. Skin is left clearer, softer and smoother.
Willowbark is nature's champion clarifier. Excess sebum, pollution and old skin cells can clog up pores, resulting in shine and blemishes. The bark of the willow tree is a natural source of salicylic acid which helps to refine skin texture and actively target imperfections.'

You apply a generous amount of the clay to cleansed skin, the directions say to leave for 10 minutes but I actually left this for about 15-20 minutes until I knew all of the mask had dried, which is when it changes colour and it becomes quite tight on your skin. 

When the mask had dried I found that in areas where my pores are quite large the clay had little dimples like the clay had sunk into them which was a bit strange but hopefully means it was working deep into my pores.

The instructions say to wipe the excess off with a tissue and then rinse with water, but I found that I needed to wash it off with warm water and use a flannel to ensure I washed all of the clay off, I used toner afterwards to make sure my skin was clean, as it's a black/green clay it is a bit messy but it is easily washed away and doesn't stain.

Pros

• After using the face mask my skin felt very clean and refreshed, which was perfect after a very busy day at work.
• This might sound strange but I like a face mask where you can feel it doing something, even if it's only getting tighter when it dries.
• Price, it's pretty reasonable at £6.99 for 100ml.
• I like the new Botanics packaging, I think it looks more modern which will appeal to a wider range of people.

Cons

• The second time I used this, the product inside had gone a bit watery, so when I opened it black water went everywhere, I had to shake the tube to get the clay to the bottom, so be warned as it doesn't advise on the packaging to shake before use.
• As it's a clay mask it can get a bit messy so you would definitely need to apply this in a bathroom or somewhere with a sink nearby.
• I can't say that the texture of my skin had been refined in any way, although it did leave my skin feeling soft.
• The mask is suitable for all skin types but as it was quite tight I didn't apply this near the edges of my face which is a bit dry, so I'm not sure how good this would be if you had dry skin.

Would I repurchase?

As this was just an OK face mask I probably won't as I would like to experiment with other brands.

What face masks would you recommend?

Don't forget to enter our Nuxe Travel Kit giveaway here. Good Luck!

Elaine

Uh-oh I've been shopping

Recently I have been overhauling my skin care routine, I was beginning to realise that my Simple face wipes and foam wash just weren't cutting it anymore, I also learnt that my skin was dehydrated, which seemed strange to me as my skin is combination/oily, but my skin is actually lacking in water, so I have been trying to invest in products to help my dehydrated skin so that it can become more balanced and trying to drink more water.

So when I found out a couple of weeks ago that Escentual.com had a 1/3 off french pharmacy brands I jumped at the chance to get some new skin care products, the offer is running throughout September, if you spend over £30 you also get free delivery, which is great. I have spent more than I ever normally would trying to get good skin care products as Caroline Hirons says on her blog "If you would spend more on shoes, handbags, lipstick, jeans or fashion in general than you would on high quality skincare - you will be a sixty year old woman (and man) with a vintage wardrobe and a face like an alligator" so to find an offer like this was perfect timing!

Avene Hydrance Optimale Legere - Light Hydrating Cream, £8.99 normally £13.50
This moisturiser is also available with SPF, I chose not to get that one as I intend to use this at night time or during the winter months as I am happy with my Olay day moisturiser which contains SPF 15.

La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Masque, £10.56 normally £16
I used this tonight and so far I really like it, my skin feels throughly moisturised and very soft, review to come soon.

Vichy Purete Thermale Refreshing Toner - Normal to Combination Sensitive Skin, £7.26 normally £11
I have used this a couple of times and my skin does feel refreshed and very clean, but I have noticed I have had quite shiny skin recently and I'm not sure if it is due to this toner... So I'm going to keep trying it out and let you know what I think.

Avene Thermal Spring Water - 150ml, £4.33 normally £6.50
I admit I only bought the big can so that I could get the free delivery, but I am excited about using this product to set and also refresh make up.

Not content with this, when I got paid at the weekend I went straight to Boots...

Indeed Hydraluron - Moisture Booster with the purest hyaluronic acid, £24.99
Caroline Hirons raves about this on her blog, and when I was looking through her clinic she strongly recommended it to a lot of people who had dehydrated skin which was nearly everyone, so I'm looking forward to trying this out and I have to admit I have high expectations. Although for the price it won't be something I will use everyday but as and when it's needed, which may be quite often now it's getting colder.

Botanics Radiant Youth Hydrating Eye Cream, £5.99 normally £8.99 
I figured if the rest of my face needed a drink then so did the skin around my eyes. I have been using this daily since I bought it, and I really like it as it sinks into the skin quickly and isn't tacky. 

Collection (2000) Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light, £4.19
I bought this ages ago in fair and I have never 100% been happy with it, the colour always felt too light for my skin tone even though I am quite pale, I know concealer should be a shade lighter than your foundation but when I used this in fair I looked odd. But after a week or so of hardly any sleep I needed a heavy duty concealer so I bought this one in Light and mix the two together and it gives me the perfect shade, I really wish I had done it sooner!

Elaine

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain Review

You would need to be hiding under a pretty large rock if you haven't heard the buzz from beauty bloggers raving about Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable balm stains, so I was really excited when they were launched in the UK and even happier to hear that both Boots and Superdrug were offering them at an introductory price of £5.99 (normally £7.99), so I had to try them out.

(I wasn't overwhelmed by the shade choices to be honest, but I have heard that more shade options are available in America, so maybe they will be released here at a later date...)

I picked up Honey first as I wanted a berry colour to wear everyday as an alternative to pinky/nude lip shades and this matched what I was after quite well. I hadn't planned on buying another one as they hadn't wowed me as much as I thought they would, but I thought I may as well take advantage of the introductory offer so I picked up Rendezvous, I did already have my eye on this but I was worried it would be too similar to my Tutti Frutti Lip Butter but I found that it had more of an orange tone compared to Tutti Frutti, although this does oxidise to a darker shade.

Pros

• The Just Bitten stain does leave your lips feeling softer and smoother, however personally I find that I still need to use a lip balm before applying but I have quite dry lips.
• The packaging is really great and I like the retractable crayon design, I know the design/product is very similar to Clinque's Chubby Sticks but I have never used a Chubby Stick so I couldn't compare.
• They are great everyday lip products, I have been wearing Rendezvous and Honey to work everyday, they are very wearable shades that are still highly pigmented.
• They contain a nice minty scent, which I quite like, it isn't strong so it's not irritating or overpowering, although I know Rachel wasn't keen on this.

Cons

• They tend to only last on your lips for 2 hours max, and even then it's the brighter more highly pigmented colours (Rendezvous) that have that longevity, which isn't what I expect for a product that claims to be a stain (I know Revlon say it is a lightweight stain... but it is still a stain), especially when Revlon claim it will last 'hour after hour'.
• I found that after application both Honey and Rendezvous oxidised to a slightly darker shade, I didn't mind the darker colour, but sometimes the swatch doesn't always match the shade when it is applied.
• The balmy feeling on your lips doesn't last long, I would say about 20 mins, so if you like to have that moisturising feeling on your lips you would need to keep reapplying.

Will I repurchase?

Maybe... I do like the Just Bitten stains as they are great everyday/easy to wear lipsticks and I'm happy with the colours that I have, but they really haven't wowed me, maybe I was expecting a wonder product from all of the hype. I would only purchase them again if they had a shade that I was looking for at that time and even then I wouldn't go out of my way to buy that shade in this product in particular.

Rachel has swatched the Just Bitten stains and she was quite underwhelmed too but she did say she would be tempted to try Romantic or Crush which are darker shades in the Autumn.

Have you tried the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable lip stains yet?

Elaine

Palmers Olive Butter SPF 15 Body Lotion Review

I only ever use face moisturiser that contains at least SPF 15 so that my skin is always protected from the sun even during the winter months. So I wondered whether there were any body lotions out there that contained SPF for the rest of my body too, as the top of my chest and arms are just as exposed to the sun, and I really hate using sun cream!! I have to be honest there isn't a huge selection of body lotions out there that specifically say they contain any SPF, Palmers was the only range that I found in Boots. 

They have two versions the Cocoa butter and Olive butter, I prefer the scent of the Cocoa butter but they only had Olive left, but I don't mind as the scent is very subtle. The body lotion has a thicker consistency than I am used to but it rubs in easily and absorbs quickly, I'm pleased to know that when I use this my skin is just as protected from the sun as my face. 

It has become my new must have.

It is a bargain price too at £5.10 for 250 ml, on the Boots website it's currently on sale at £2.55 although if you are buying online be warned that the pictures for the Cocoa butter and Olive butter are mixed up and on the wrong products.

I have to apologise to all the people in the North-East of England for jinxing the weather, when we had the glorious sunny weather I went into Boots to buy this body lotion, it was sunny when I went in and cloudy and cold when I left and hasn't got any better... !

Elaine 

Some Shopping Goodies

I finished work early this afternoon so thought I would have a little wander around the shops, I spent a bit money than I would have liked... oh well... so here is what I bought.

From The Body Shop

Fuzzy Peach Shower Gel for £2 in their sale, originally £4, this smelt absolutely gorgeous so I had to get especially at such a bargain price.

Vitamin E Moisture Serum for £10, I don't normally spend a lot of money on my skincare but I bought this to replace my Caudalie SOS thirst quenching serum that I got in my Glossybox. I have only tried the Body Shop serum on my hands so far and I have to say the hand I tried it on did feel softer, so I'm really excited about trying this out, I will get a review done soon!

From Boots

Kick Ass Concealer from Soap & Glory in light for £10, I really wanted an under eye concealer and don't really like the brush/pen concealors so thought I would give this a try, I know a lot of other bloggers have raved about this for ages but the price has always put me off but I just thought I would suck it up and try it out, so I will get a review done as soon as possible.

Rimmel Lycra Pro Nail Polish in Peppermint for £4.99, I love this shade of green, I can't wait to try it out! I have been trying to avoid nail polish as my nails are in such a state but I think it's time to start wearing polish now! So I will do a NOTD soon.

Don't forget about our Essie Trio giveaway which ends soon, you can enter here.

Elaine

TRESemmé Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo Review

I picked up this small bottle of TRESemmé Instant Refresh DryShampoo as I’d heard a lot of great things about it and although I’m a huge fan of Batiste I always feel like there must be something better out there. This was going to be a normal review but as I’m so addicted to Batiste its turned into something more of a comparison, anyway here are my thoughts -

Pros

I think the smell is far nicer than any of the Batiste scents (Tropical is my Batiste scent of choice) The TRESemmé shampoo has a lovely fresh citrus scent; which isn’t quite as overpowering, obvious or powdery as Batiste. I also found that TRESemmé’s a lot easier to rub in and not as noticeable than Batiste, when I use this I don’t feel as paranoid that I’ve missed a huge white area (this often happens to me with Batiste, my work colleagues enjoy pointing out the white bits). Finally and probably most importantly I found this really does make my hair feel fresh and gives me that just washed feeling, It’s great to make my hair more manageable for styling and is great for adding a tiny bit more volume.

Cons

I found that this wasn’t quite as strong as Batiste, my hair isn’t THAT greasy on day 2 when I’m usually in need but I felt I needed an awful lot more of TRESemmé to take away the oil, whereas with Batiste I only need one quick squirt. I therefore used a lot more product so the bottle of TRESemmé didn’t last very long at all, not great as it is more expensive than Batiste.

Will I repurchase?

Yes although not necessarily as a dry shampoo. I will still be buying Batiste as my normal dry shampoo (for no time to wash my hair days) but I am going to buy another bottle of TRESemmé, perhaps the Volumising Dry Shampoo to have around as more of a styling tool, just to freshen my hair up, add a bit of volume and to make my just washed hair more manageable for styling.

Currently the TRESemmé Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo
is £4.79 for 200ml at Boots or buy any 2 TRESemmé offer products for a £5, Bargain!

I’d love to know if you have any dry shampoo’s you can recommend?  & What’s your favourite Batiste scent?

Rachel

Revlon Lip Butter Fail

So as you will probably know from my past favourites posts that I love my Tutti Frutti Revlon Lip Butter, so I thought that it was only right that I went and tried a different shade as they are reduced in Boots. £5.99 instead of £7.99.. it would be rude not to!

I quite fancied a brighter pink shade but nothing too in your face, I really liked Strawberry Shortcake and it seemed perfect when I swatched it on my hand...

But it really wasn't me, it was much more of a pale/pastel pink than I was expecting, as I think the swatch and the lipstick itself looks like a brighter pink. Although I am pale this just didn't look right on me and I didn't feel comfortable in it at all. It almost seemed to disappear on my lips in half the time (after an hour or so) it takes Tutti Frutti, maybe I notice Tutti Frutti lasting longer as it's brighter...

I ending up giving this to my mam and she loves it, so it's probably just me not being used to that type of pale pink.

I would still like to try more of the Lip Butter shades, but I must admit I'm not in a rush to get another one.

What Lip Butter shades do you love?

Elaine

My Miracle Lip Balm

I have heard a lot of bloggers raving about this lip balm so I was excited to receive it in the April Natural Glossybox, the balm contains organic ingredients and is petroleum free.

I have really dry lips and I find that when I use lip products including some lip balms like Vaseline, lip sticks and lip glosses after wearing them for about an hour or so they always seem to congeal on my lips which doesn't look very appealing! So although I love lipsticks I used to wipe them off after a couple of hours.

So I wasn't sure what to expect when I tried this, but after the first time I used this I was instantly hooked, I used this ten minutes before putting my lipsticks on and they lasted perfectly and didn't congeal! I love this lip balm, the only down side is that my lips seem to be addicted to this balm and feel dryer/tighter when I don't use it, but it's only a small downside.

This balm can be used on your lips, face and body, but to be honest as it's such a small pot I will stick to using it on my lips.

It really is my miracle lip balm and what's even better is that it is only £4!

Have you tried Figs & Rouge products? What did you think?

Elaine

Deals of the Week - Superdrug 3 for 2, Boots £5 No7 & Fragrance Voucher, Clinique Mascara Swap

Here's a few of my favorite deal this week - 

This for me is the most exciting  - Superdrug have 3 for 2 on all cosmetics until the 6th of June (perfect if you pay day is at the end of the month like me) I've got a huge list of highstreet/drugstore products I can't wait to try. However I must say recently when I've been into my local Superdrug the make-up section has been a complete mess and everything I want is either sold out or the samples have been stolen so you can't try them! extremely annoying, sort it out Superdrug!

Boots £5 No7 and Fragrance Voucher - 

Yey its back just in time as I need a new BB cream. I still love that Boots do this and I plan to get as many as possible, I always buy the foundation, nail polishes, brushes and wipes from No7 when these vouchers are out. I'm also glad to see a fragrance voucher this time instead of the eye test!   All you have to do is spend £5 in store to get a free voucher and what I usually do as I'm a cheapskate is spend my voucher and buy something else ( lunch) to tip me over £5 to get another voucher. The voucher is valid until the 26th of June.

Clinique Mascara Swap at Debenhams

As many of you will know Debenhams are running the Clinique Mascara swap, simply take your old, tired mascara (any brand) and swap it for a deluxe sample of their High Impact Mascara or High Lengths Mascara. I've already done this and I swapped the Soap and Glory mascara I got free from a magazine (I was really disappointed with this) for the High Impact Mascara. I've tried the High Impact mascara before as it was another freebie in a magazine and I LOVED it almost as much as the Shocking Yves Saint Laurent mascara. The swap is on now and ends on Sunday the 20th, so HURRY!

Rachel

Hot Lights Review

Collection 2000 - £4.19

I was given this lip gloss as a present from my lovely friend Sophie when I got my new job last year, and I love it. It's a Hot Light Lip gloss from Collection 2000 in shade 6, it's a really nice subtle pink shade which is perfect for everyday or a night out, it has a hint of glitter which just adds to the gloss rather than making it look like it should be for a 10 year old.

But the best bit of the gloss, is that it comes with it's own mirror and light! When you take the wand out of the tube a bright light automatically comes on and it has a nifty little mirror attached to the side of the tube. This is a really great dupe of  Cid Cosmetics i-gloss that costs £16.

Not only is this a surprisingly good lip gloss (it has become my go to gloss) for a gimmick product but it makes a brilliant present too, I can't even tell you how happy I was when I got this, Sophie knows me too well!

Elaine 

NOTD: Matte Antique Coral

Antique Coral

I love this colour, I have had it for years but found it at the bottom of my nail polish box the other day and remembered how much I loved it especially when it only cost £1.89! It has a hint of shimmer flecks in the colour which is really pretty and quite similar to 17's new spring nail polishes. I have used my Rimmel matte top coat on top though, as you might of guessed we are both obsessed with the matte finish, I really think it adds an extra edge to any polish.

I had to use three coats of the coral colour and one of the matte top coat as my nails are full of ridges so not all my nails had an even coverage, but it dried really quickly so it wasn't a hassle.

Natural Collection in Boots are currently on 3 for £5! Bargain!

UPDATE: Just a quick warning I took this off today and it had stained my nails yellow so you might want to use a base coat or just risk it!

Elaine

March Favourites!

Here are a few things that I have been loving this month!  


Benefit 'They're Real' Mascara

I had been dying to try this since it's launch last year but could never bring myself to spend £18.50 on a mascara. 

But my lovely friend Sophie got me the travel size version of the mascara from Sephora when she was in New York, and it's soo cute, I really wish companies in the UK sold smaller versions of their products I would be more likely to try out a variety of their products.

I really like this mascara and have been using it all the time, it really adds length to your lashes and the plastic brush adds definition to each individual lash with the spikey end of the brush allowing you to reach your smaller lashes. I love mascara that adds volume and this manages to do this whilst adding definition. I will definitely be buying this when this one runs out!

Topshop Lipstick in Innocent

 I have mentioned this lipstick before so I won't go on about it, but I absolutley love it! It's the first Topshop lipstick I've had and I will definitely be getting more, the lipstick feels really nice on and the colour is really pigmented. For some reason my camera isn't picking up the lipstick colour very well, it's actually a really nice subtle barbie-ish pink!

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in shade 12 

This is a really nice orange/red lipstick, I love it! The lipstick was only £5.49 so a bargain too! This was my first bright lipstick so I was a bit unsure about the colour, but it's really easy to wear. 

Rimmel Colour Show Off Lipstick in Kiss Me

This looks very much like the Kate Rimmel lipstick but it's not! I had just bought the the Kate lipstick then saw this on a blog sale and had to have it, this is one of Rachel's favourites too as she has had it for over a year. This is more of a neon red than orange/red. I got this for £1 but you can get it in Boots for £6.29.

17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Bee Hive

I've mentioned this before and I still love it, it's only £4.59 from Boots. This lipstick is a perfect nude lipstick with a lovely pink tint (which the camera hasn't picked up again...!), it's more of a sheer lipstick which is perfect to wear during the day.

As you can see I've gone a bit lipstick mad this month, but I'm trying to be a bit more adventurous with my makeup, especially with my day makeup and I think lipstick is the easiest way to do it.

Primark and Boots Haul! Plus a sort of freebie!

I had a little shopping spree on Saturday, which isn't great as I'm trying to save money! 

I went into town with Rachel but she had one of those days where you need to buy loads of new things but you don't see anything that you like! Very frustrating!

 This is a really cute top, I had to have it as soon as I saw it especially as it was only £8. 

They also do this in purple and mint.

I love this maxi skirt, I can't believe it was only £13!!

It's such a lovely colour, I don't normally colours this bright and tried it on on a whim. I can't wait to wear it, I'm going to Paris in September and I have already decided this will be my Paris outfit!

Boots currently have all their makeup and makeup accessories on 3 for 2, I think it's great when they have this offer on! It took all my restraint not to go mad and buy some of the things I have been wanting to try, like L'Oreal false lash mascara and their new lipstick range, but I'm trying to save money so I got one expensive thing and two cheaper ones... I was quite proud of myself!

 I got this in Buff for £12.49 in the combination/oily skin range.

I have worn it a few times now and I really love it, the colour really does last a long time it lasted until I washed it off at the end of the night, and it had a really great coverage. The shine control was really good too, not 100% shine free but I'm resigned to the fact I will never get a decent foundation that will be.

The only negative I have about this foundation is that the bottle doesn't have a pump so it's hard to control the amount that comes out the bottle so it's a bit messier!

I really like Collection 2000's range of felt tip liners, I already have the black and the purple and use them daily, so I really wanted to try the Teal for a change. I really like the colour and it has brilliant staying power, the tip of the eyeliner allow you to get a thin line or build up to a thicker line.

They are a brilliant range of eyeliners at £2.99, that really rival any other more expensive brand, including my other favourite L'Oreal Carbon Gloss.

I also got some makeup sponges to go with the Revlon foundation.

Now to my 'sort of freeby', I had thought that I had given my £20 Kurt Geiger voucher that I got free from Elle to Rachel as I knew I could never afford their shoes, but I recently found it, so thought I'd nip in and see if there were any accessories that caught my eye.. of course there were!

I got this fake snakeskin purse in Nude, for £20 (so technically for free) I love how the colour has a hint of purple to it. I think I will use this as a case for my camera. Don't get me wrong I don't normally spend £20 on a small purse, and I wouldn't have done if I didn't have the voucher, but you can tell the purse if high quality it's lovely and soft.

On another note, I really like the packaging that the purse came in, especially the imprinted stars!

Elaine

Montagne Jeunesse Passion Peel Off Face Masque Review

 

I bought this in Boots a couple of weeks ago when I needed something to make me spend over a £5 to get the No7 voucher, I didn’t have very high hopes as it was only a £1 per sachet and I never find face masks make that much difference, however I was very wrong I found this was amazing.

This is what Montagne Jeunesse say -  Gently peel away dead skin with our amazing Passion Peel Off deep cleansing masque. Our Pomegranate and Passion Flower formula cleans, purifies and protects leaving your skin feeling fresh and radiant.

For once I completely agree with the manufactures description, it really was a deep pore cleaner which got rid of my dead skin and left my face feeling soft clean and glowing. Going on its extremely sticky and a little bit messy, although that didn’t bother me all, they suggest leaving it on for 10-20 minutes but I needed 25 as it still wasn’t dry all over, but as its smells amazing and fruity it was enjoyable having it on. When I removed it the mask came off in one full piece, which is always satisfying.

I will definitely be buying these face masque again, on their website I noticed the passion peel off was best for oily to normal skin, so as my skin is dry I might try another variety and I hope it works even better.

Rachel

I went out and bought this after Rachel told me how good it was, and I have to agree it was a really nice face mask (and fun, I love peel off masks), the only thing is that it's a bit painful when you take it off, it sticks onto your skin well! But it's satisfying because you know it's taking all the dirt and dead skin with it. They were on 3 for 2 when I got it from Boots so I'm looking forward to trying it out again.

Elaine

NOTD: 17 Woo Me

Ignore the 'just in' sticker I've had it for a year!

I love this blue/grey lilac colour, I think it is just the right colour for this time of year!

I wouldn't say this has any extra lasting power though, I only put this on yesterday but I will definitely need to touch up the ends of my nails before I go out tomorrow night.

But I do really love this colour!

Charles Worthington Front Row Dry Shampoo Review

This is the worst dry shampoo I have ever used!
I got this at the weekend, as I had went into Boots to buy the Front Row volumising mousse and noticed that the Front Row products were on 2 for £8 so I thought I would get this too as I needed dry shampoo (this normally costs £6.49). I tried this for the first time this morning as I had slept in and was running late for work so had no time to wash my hair. 

I couldn't get the white powder out of my hair no matter how much I rubbed it in or tried to brush it out, and what made it even worse was that it felt like I had actually used hairspray and that I had loads of product in my hair when I had only used a little, my hair felt and looked awful. I ended up having to tie my hair up and it still looked terrible, I would have been better off having slightly greasy hair!

I'm really pleased that I didn't pay full price for this, but I still feel ripped off! I should have just bought my trustworthy Batiste..

Elaine

NOTD: Maxfactor Fantasy Fire

I managed to get my hands on this for my night out on Friday, luckily there was plenty in my local Boots. 

The colour is actually much more of a vibrant bright purple than I expected, which hasn't really been picked up in this picture. The nail polish is also very opaque so it takes a few coats to get the above coverage I actually lost count I think it was 5/6, luckily it dries quickly!

I really like this nail varnish but I think I might try this over a navy or a dark purple to save me applying loads of coats and to try and make the vibrant purple a bit more subtle. I will see how it goes and try to do an updated NOTD soon.

Elaine

Boots Haul

Boots have currently got all 17 makeup on 3 for 2 so I couldn't resist getting a few things! I've had them for a while so I've tested them out already.

£5.99

I'd heard really good things about 17's Miracle Matte foundation so I was really looking forward to trying it out, unfortunately I bought Natural which looked fine in the shop but was too dark for me when I got home (I'm rubbish at picking the right foundation for my skin tone!) but I hate wasting product so I've been using it anyway but blending it out as much as I can which is really difficult as this is a very sticky foundation. I wouldn't recommend putting this on with your fingers as when I did I had streaky marks on my face and I didn't realise, it's a foundation to spend more time putting on which means I haven't been wearing it everyday for work just weekends really. 

I have found that it really works at a matte foundation I'm really impressed, I haven't needed to apply any powder when I use this which has never happened with any liquid foundation I've used before, I would be rushing out to buy the fair toned version but I want a foundation with a but more coverage as although it has all day shine control (which it does) I wouldn't say it has good coverage, so I'm going to keep a hold of this until the summer.

I really wish there were more matte foundations out there like this!

£4.59

 17's Mirror Shine lipstick in Bee-Hive, I've heard a few bloggers rave about this and I love this range of lipsticks so thought I would give it a go... and I love it I have worn it everyday since I bought it, it's a really nice mix of nude and pink colours, perfect for during the day or a perfect match if you have a really smokey eye at night. It's exactly the type of colour I have been after, it has a really nice glossy/moisturising look and feel without being sticky.

Sorry I tried to get a good picture of the colour but it kept coming up as a browny colour which it isn't.

£5.99

I adore the Spring Birghts Spring Fling compact, it is soo cute and I love the vintage packaging, apart from the front of the compact itself, when you take it out of the box the compact itself looks very cheap, it would have been nice to have the design of the box on the compact too. But apart from that I love it and the colours are really pigmented!

So after I had bought all of these I got a £5 voucher for No7 and I already had one, so this is what I bought with my vouchers.

Lipliner in Fiery Red

And No7 Nourishing Nail and Cuticle Care.

17 have also got an offer on for Boots Card holders, if you buy any 17 product you get a Hide and Chic Brightening Concealor, subject to availability, valid until 20th March. All you have to do is print a voucher from the boots card kiosks.

Elaine