Barbara Daly has some caaaaa-ute mini nail polishes (7ml) available in Tesco at the moment. I’m wearing the shade Sunset which is a glorious pink-toned red.
It’s one of those shades that make your nails look like colourful little smarties and I’m definitely going to check out the other shades whilst they’re on 3for2. (Currently £3 a piece)
The formula of Sunset is easily one of the best I’ve used. Yes, it’s that good. 2 coats for a truly perfect finish the brush is well made, the polish glides on my nails and with a slick of top coat gives the most beautifully glossy yet creamy finish.
Not only that… but the above photo was taken on the third day of wear. Erm… where’s the tip wear?
I just hope the other shades live up to my now hugely inflated expectations!
Whilst on holiday, I’m working on a shockingly bad laptop with a screwy backlight… in conjunction with an internet connection best suited to 1994, I’m struggling!
I hope that these images are at least somewhat colour accurate… If not, I’ll fix them when I get home – but for now I want to chat about the infamous and generally well regarded Boots 17 Mirror Shine lipsticks. In particular, the popular shade Beehive.
Thanks to the UK blogging community, I heard about these lippies aaaaages ago… and have been trying to find Beehive in stock for a long time. Somewhat ironically…. of all places, I finally found it on one of the busiest shopping streets in Britain.
Beehive is a creamy, shiny and almost balm-like lipstick. The formula is soft and as a result, prone to snapping halfway down the bullet. Apply with a gentle hand and don’t store anywhere it might get warm to preserve it for as long as possible. These are quality issues that need looking into, but the sad truth is that if they’re addressed… the lipstick probably wouldn’t feel half as siky as it does in both application and once on the lips.
If you’re looking for a pigmented lipstick, these aren’t for you. Glossy and sheer are the key words to remember here, but this makes the range light, easy to wear and comfortable with just a hint of colour. Beehive (£4.49) is a pinky nude shade that evens out the tone on my lips and adds a degree of shine. It doesn’t blow me away, I don’t think it deserves it’s place on the pedestal it occupies (especially considering it’s quality flaws) but I’m happy to own it and I reach for it when I want a quick polished finish to a natural look.
I was watching “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” on Dave last night (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, that sentence is gonna sound pretty kinky – I only wish it were).
Anyway, up popped the ads – and as I was preparing to throw a shoe at the telly after the stupid Always advert told me to “have a happy period”, my mood was suddenly placated by an ad announcing that Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light is gonna be on offer in Sainsburys until the 18th August.
And what an offer! Half price to be exact, so if you were contemplating trying the new range out… don’t bother going anywhere else for it!
When better to put a so-called ‘cooling gel’ to the test than on some of the hottest days of the year so far? Arnicare… you’re up against it!
I’m a big believer in the herbal remedy Arnica… but only recently.
I had umpteen women telling me to make sure I packed some Arnica-related products in my hospital bag when I was preparing to give birth to L. They all said that it would help ease bruising…. “down there”.
I didn’t listen. I couldn’t even bear the thought of bruising “down there”…. la la la la, “Can’t hear you!”. Was convinced baby L would emerge into this world a little bit like this (infact, it was my mantra in the last few weeks):
Push
Push
Pain
PUSH
Pop.
Clearly, I’m a moron… but not spending my precious Boots points on tubes of Arnica was probably for the best. There ended up being no ‘pushing’ involved and Mr. L struggled under the weight of my damn hospital bag anyway.
However, after some recent surgery and tremendous abdominal bruising, I remembered this ‘Arnica’ stuff and shuffled down to my local Boots to pick myself up a tube of Nelsons Arnica Cream. I only applied it to the major bruise, which was roughly 6x worse than the other incidental bruises…. would you believe it? The major one ended up fading more rapidly than the rest! That’s me sold on the power of the herb.
I’m rambling really badly….
I was invited to sample Nelson’s Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel. I’ll let them tell you why we’d need it shall I?:
Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel combines the benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of natural grapefruit oil and menthol to cool and soothe the skin. Ideal for rubbing into aching muscles following physical exertion or to revive tired, heavy legs after being on your feet all day
On last Saturday, the hottest day of my LIFE (melodramatic pause) I pulled out the Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel and applied. Lots.
It didn’t cool me down AT ALL!
Gutted. Maybe there isn’t enough of the whole ‘cooling’ properties to make a difference in this kind of heat. I wanted it to feel like an Arctic breeze fluttering around my calves. It didn’t.
So I only did one leg… remember, I was really hot. I could barely be bothered to breathe let alone bend over and massage ineffectual cooling gel into my legs.
Fast forward 9 hours… it’s 11.30pm and I’m sat there blogging. Under my desk, one of my legs feels bizarrely fresh… fresh like I’ve just woken up. I only noticed it ‘cos my other leg felt like it needed amputating after a day spent running around after a 14 month old. What a strange feeling!
Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel? I think I like you. You might not give me instant cooling relief, but I reckon if I’d massaged you into both legs I’d at least have been able to walk myself to bed. As it was, Mr. L had to roll me.
I’m keeping this in the fridge from now on though.
Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel is priced at £4.65 and available from pharmacies and health food stores nationwide.
Color Club are a cheapie US brand that don’t seem to be afraid to manufacture some truly fashion forward shades! I picked Uptown Girl from the Spring 2010 collection ‘cos I’m a sucker for purples… and even more of a sucker for dusty purples!
The brush is neatly cut, but one of those older fashioned small round shaped ones that take 5748957894 strokes to cover your nail. If I ruled the world… all nail brushes would be flat and wide. Because of the brush it did mean that I had to be careful of streaking… 3 thin layers of polish ensured a smooth, even finish.
I’ll definitely be heading back to eBay to pick up some more Color Club shades, but there’s so many to choose from – I’m a little bit overwhelmed!
With my fine hair, I’ll happily admit that I don’t always use conditioner. I love how conditioner makes my hair feel smoother and softer, but I simply feel that with each extra product I use on my hair, the heavier my hair feels once dried. With my current hairstyle (a bob) – it’s important to get a bit of root lift to stop my hair looking lank.
Pantene Pro-V’s new Aqualight Range is designed with one thing in mind. Weightlessness. It achieves this with some clever technology which I’ll try to summarise as well as I can.
1. Slimmed-Down Silicone. The Aqualight Range has re-evaluated the amount of silicone needed in products for those with finer hair. Simple no?
2. Clean-Rinse Technology. Making the products as water-soluble as possible means that not only will the product rinse away faster, it will also leave less residue on the hair.
There were other sciencey things that involved molecules and the way in which they break apart, but I’m not gonna pretend to you that I understood it enough to explain it in layman’s terms!
There are 4 products in the range:
Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Shampoo – New Clean-Rinse Technology allows the products to be rinsed fast meaning hair feels cleaner and lighter. RRP £2.19 (250ml), £3.69 (500ml)
Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Conditioner – New “Liquid Conditioning” ingredients which stay liquid at room temperature and provide optimum conditioning levels without excess deposits. RRP £2.19 (200ml), £3.69 (400ml)
Pantene Pro-C Aqua Light Spray Rinse-Off Treatment – A clever, ultra-light intensive hair treatment for extra nourishment without weighing hair down. RRP £3.99
Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light Leave-In Treatment Spray – A lightweight nourishing spray to style and refresh your hair between washes. The clever “dual phase” formulation contains nourishing ingredients at the top and detangling refreshing ingredients at the bottom. RRP £3.99
First impressions from my samples are good. Better than good! After washing and conditioning, my hair feels gently nourished yet light. But where I really notice it making a difference, is after styling.
I shampoo, condition and then style with a root lifting product and the lift seems to last far longer than normal. My idea of ‘styling’ is the rather lame “pointing the hairdryer at my roots and hoping for the best” trick, but I’m delighted with the results all the same.
I’m in love with the Aqua Light Rinse-Off Treatment too which is seemingly doing wonders for my dry ends. Ok, they’re still splitting (need a haircut STAT!)… but they feel smoother and less rough when I roll them between my fingers. Completely unscientific testing going on here! I’m a bit unsure about the Aqua Light Leave-In Treatment Spray though. The whole range smells beautiful and this is no exception.. but I just can’t get it to ‘refresh’ my hair. It gives it a touch of gloss… but at the moment, I’m not noticing much more than that.
Honestly, I’m always seduced by new hair products that work fabulously well for a couple of months before they simply stop working, so I’ll be sure to come back and update this post if anything changes as I work my way through the products.
I think the Aqua Light range has been out in parts of Europe for a little while but I’ve spotted the shampoo and conditioner online at Tesco last weekend, so I look forward to hearing what you guys think about the range too!
Before you go, I’m curious! Would you lovely ladies mind letting me know if I’m alone in shunning conditioner in preference for more ‘swishable’ hair?
Do you use conditioner every time you wash your hair?
Rain Polish is a rather delicate smoky blue/grey amalgamation. It’s instantly clear that a lot of thought has been put into the colour selection by the addition of a subtle amount of shimmer that really lifts the shade and stops it falling into the familiar pale blue trap of looking flat and chalky.
Application was a touch tricky, the formula felt fine…. nicely balanced, but on application it dragged a bit unless I was super quick. The best way I found to prevent this was by applying thicker coats than I would normally… which then has the knock on effect of taking longer to dry, so I probably wouldn’t wear this without the addition of a quick dry top coat.
It reminds me of Essie’s Sag Harbor from last year’s North Fork collection but with less shimmer.
Do you like it?
Looking on the Eyeko website, I’m only seeing it available as part of a set of 3 (priced at £8.50). Hopefully they’ll make it available as an invidual shade ‘cos it’s a fairly unique one.
The Smashbox Muse palette is from the 2009 Spring Collection.
10 positively creamy shades… pastels on top, stronger shades on the bottom.
The brush that it comes with is surprisingly soft and useable… the top row shades are gentle and spring-like, whilst the others comple the more dramatic pairing.
I’m delighted that I picked up this palette and right now, it’s an absolute steal over at Just Beauty Direct priced at £13.74
Last year, they were everywhere and they divided opinion. Some loved ’em, some hated ’em.
What am I talking about? Matte Nails of course!
17 Nails Xtras Matte Top Coat Polish 8ml (£3.99) from Boots is due to be released in September and I’ve got a sneaky peek for you!
Well… finally! A really, thoroughly decent matte top coat with great availability and a price tag to match!
It may a little late to the mass market to be considered the height of fashion, but this budget matte top coat from 17 Cosmetics is gonna be a hugely popular seller in my humble opinion.
It applies a true matte finish, none of this satin semi-matte nonsense. So far, I haven’t noticed it accentuating any ridges or imperfections in the polish application underneath and it dries fully in minutes. Actually, that’s my one caveat… you need to apply the top coat quickly as it will dry rapidly. Once you realise this, it’s not a problem as the polish glides on smoothly anyway.
After wearing for a couple of days, the matte finish does get slightly shinier… more satiny. But I haven’t noticed an increase in chipping or tip wear as a result of topping up my standard manicure with this little gem.
£3.99? You’ll want to get this! Hurry up September!
I’m on a little self-imposed no buy… it’s not time-limited, it’s more ‘sale’ limited. I’ve splurged over the last few weeks. First in the Harrods Beauty Hall (whoop, whoop sales!), then at MAC (bloody In The Groove) and then courtesy of some lovely Shu Uemura on Goss’ blog. Yeah, I’ve been a little too tempted recently… and that doesn’t even include a few online shops and 1 or 2 sneaky counter stops.
So, what’s the best cure for a woman with shopaholic tendencies?
A great big internet-wide Summer Sale of course!!!
Nnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.
That’s the sound of me physically restraining my fingers from whipping out the debit card.
Seeing as I’m not allowing myself to physically “checkout” the various things in my basket, I’m putting them here instead… it’s therapy.
Here’s my top buys from the various Beauty Sales around at the moment.
1. The only thing that tempts me on HQHair at the moment is this Urban Decay Preen Palette marked down to £12 from £18 – That’s £2 a shadow, not even including the 24/7 pencil! You gotta love beauty spending justification maths right? 😉
2. Second up is an item from one of my favourite beauty sites BeautyBay.com, they mostly have awesome sales and I’m not disappointed this time round. Becca eye shadows with a 70% saving? I’ll have Chintz, Jacquard and Shantung please… no one wants the white one.
3. Another BeautyBay.com temptress is this Paul & Joe lipstick in 20. I initially though, “Oh… it’s one of them dark, grungy colours that no one really wants”, but it’s called Milk Chocolate… and I reckon it’s probably a nice sheer cocoa. Probably.
4. BeautyExpert only had one thing I’d take a flutter on… (get it!) – Every girl needs a pair of Shu Uemura feather lashes right? RIGHT? This pretty pair can be yours for a very reasonable £13.50…. again, I say… NnnnGGGGHHHH!
5. ASOS, YOU BASTARDS! Oh my god… I’ve been checking your sale pages for weeks and now I’m on a nooooooooo-buy, you go and update! Check this out! Everyone wanted a bit of Illamasqua Jo’Mina Nail Polish right? Well, now it’s on sale at nearly half price! Well… nearly…
oh… Baptiste is also up there… *bites knuckle and sobs*
6. Also reduced on ASOS… By Lauren Luke… £10 off each palette. My Vintage Glam was the one that caught my eye back when they were released. £25 was a teeny bit too steep for me… £15? Rip your arm off.
So there’s my virtual shopping list… I’m so freakingly dreadfully tempted by the ASOS stuff… even some of the BarryM lippies are up there for £2.50 each. I may console myself with one of those instead. Or you may be seeing a slightly larger haul post next week. Stay tuned.
You never have to travel far before you come across someone who will happily swear by these iconic pots of cream. Whether it’s the original Cold Cream or some of their more uptodate incarnations, someone somewhere will happily tell you how Ponds is the only moisturiser their Nan/Mother/Sister (delete as appropriate) has been using since 1935 and that she doesn’t look a day over 23.
I’ve been using Pond’s Light Day Cream (£3.99) on and off for a while now and it is indeed (mostly) the bees knees.
Ignore for a moment the parabens, perfume and mineral oil contained within (I know, it’s hard)… these are pretty old school inexpensive ingredients designed to a) make the product stay fresh longer, b) smell nice and c) form a barrier between your skin and the drying effects of the environment. Are there better ingredients that do the same job? You bet. Are there better ingredients that do the same job for the same price? Not so much.
If you’re not sensitive to these ingredients (and I don’t seem to be) then I’m happy to use them. Many people aren’t afforded that luxury, with artificial perfumes being among one of the biggest culprits for skin sensitivity.
But anyway, I’m going off on a tangent slightly… back to the review…
Attractively packaged in a heavyweight frosted glass jar, the cream has a thick but slippy texture. It’s much easier to spread than that refrigerated Nutella texture that is Nivea Creme. It’s also as light and non-greasy as it claims, as long as I’m not too heavy handed. I find that the cream sinks in beautifully and leaves my skin feeling softer and more supple than before. If I get a bit carried away with it, it leaves my skin slightly tacky for about 10 minutes before subsiding.
It’s strong scent loses it a point (or 4)… I know it’s iconic… but I can still smell it 3 hours later! Also, SPF 6… is that it? It’s barely worth bothering is it? I won’t leave the house without a minimum of SPF15 and it’s a shame that this doesn’t supply that extra protection.
There’s one thing I must mention though, it’s the one reason in particular that I will be repurchasing. It’s compatible.
Shall I explain?
I often like to mix things into my moisturiser. Luminizers mostly… but often I’ll add foundations to sheer them out a touch. Things like the new LUSH Colour Supplement blend wonderfully into this cream and apply flawlessly. Oh and another thing? Powder products wear with absolutely no problems over the Pond’s Light Day Cream. I can slap a bit of this on my face first thing and less than 5 minutes later, I’m swirl, tap, buffing my way to a flawless complexion quite happily. Nothing ‘balls’ up under my fingers… it’s just a very laid back, inexpensive and light day cream for the summer.
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