No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser

 

 

 

"The first step to beautiful skin is effective cleansing. Specially formulated to effectively clear away dirt and impurities, No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser leaves dry complexions feeling as soft and supple as normal skin."

 

I'll start by saying that I actually have oily skin, and although this is aimed at people with dry skin, I had heard some good reviews on this that said it would work with oily skin too, so I picked this up as Boots are currently doing their £5 off No7 vouchers.

 

This is a gel cleanser (as the name suggests), which turns into an oil as you massage it into your skin, and changes to a cleansing milk once you begin to wash it off (when you add water to it). I will admit, I was slightly petrified of putting an oil cleanser on my already-oily skin, but even the oiliest of skin needs moisture so I gave it a go.

 

I am actually really impressed with this. It literally 'melts' away your make up, even quite heavy eye make up. It leaves your skin feeling super soft and really clean, something which I feel you don't always get with some cleansers. It doesn't have a strong scent at all, so it should be fine for those who don't get along with scented products. I haven't experienced any break outs from using this, as I have with cleansers in the past.

 

I would really recommend this. Even though it's aimed at people with dry skin, I have found this works perfectly well on my oily skin. This is £9.00 from Boots, although I know they are still doing their £5 off vouchers, so you can purchase this for £4!

 

Boots Botanics Mattifying Cleansing Mousse

My skin always used to be dry/normal - I had a relatively normal skin type with some dry patches around my nose and on my forehead. However, recently I've noticed that my skin seems to be getting oilier and oilier, to the point where my foundation would only stay on my face for a couple of hours before sliding off due to the excess oil! Because of my seeminly changing skin type, I thought it'd be best to adapt my skincar routine and make-up to suit my new found oily skin (yay! not).

 

I actually picked this up on a complete whim - the Botanics range from Boots is not something I often hear about, or see written about on blogs. However, something about this caught my eye - presumably the fact that it promised to "cleanse, clarify and reduce excess oil".

 

 

 

 

 

This is a cleansing mousse which claims to "dissolve excess oil and thoroughly cleanse to instantly mattify, refresh and rebalance". You put a couple of pumps of mousse into your hand, and then rub into dry skin in a circular motion, before washing off with warm water.

 

I must admit, I had my doubts as to whether a mousse consistency would be any good at removing make up and cleansing the skin, but I was pleasantly surprised. This actually removes make up really easily - you don't have to rub too hard or cleanse multiple times. The only thing I will say is that this isn't suitable for removing eye make up as it stings your eyes really, really badly! I tend to use a specific eye make up remover for that.

 

In terms of combatting oiliness, I really do feel that this does a great job. After using this, my skin feels smooth and clean, and looks completely mattified! I have also noticed a difference in how long my foundation stays in place after using this, as it has reduced the oiliness of my skin dramatically.

 

This also smells really nice too - it's somewhat floral-y which I know isn't everyone's bag but personally it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I am also someone who usually breaks out with scented products, but I haven't experienced any signs of a breakout since using this so fingers crossed it stays that way!

 

I'd really recommend this to anyone looking for a cleanser for oily skin. It has definitely improved the oiliness of my skin and it works really well as a cleanser too!

 

This is usually £3.99 for 150ml, but is currently on offer at £2.69 from Boots. 

 

17 Photo Flawless Skin Primer

Hello everyone!

I never used to think I needed a primer, but since I have begun using one, I can not apply foundation without it. A good primer gives a soft, smooth base for your foundation and makes it look better on the skin. Here is 17's version of a skin primer:

This claims to 'prolong foundation wear' and 'minimize pores'. I can't say I've seen my pores reduce dramatically, but then again I do not have very large pores, so someone else may see a vast difference. It does however prolong the longevity of my foundation, and creates a lovely smooth base for me to apply it on to.



As you can see, it is a clear gel-like liquid, which absorbs straight into the skin. You can not see much difference in the size of my pores in the pictures, but to me, I don't need that on my face. It does however, make my skin feel almost velvety, and my foundation looks a lot better applied over this.

In terms of living up to the claims - if you need a primer that will minimize your pores, then like I have said, this is not for you. It does prolong foundation wear, with this my foundation lasts me all day, whereas without it I find myself needing to touch-up. I wouldn't say this is the best primer I have ever used, but it is not the worst. I originally bought it because it was quite cheap, but you only get a relatively small tube, which is the downside. Also, because of the design of the tube, it does get quite a lot of air in it, which causes the primer to fly out of the nozzle at times, hence losing some product. The lid is weighted though, which means it is easy to stand up on a dressing table.

Overall, I don't think I would repurchase this. It's good to act as a base and it's good for prolonging foundation wear, but the badly designed tube puts me off, and overall I prefer Revlon's primer (the name of that escapes me at the minute!) and so I will probably buy that one. I do want to try the "POREfessional" from Benefit, but I can't justify spending £21.00 on something which I don't know I will like - I may have to look out for a sample somwhere. For the money, I think 17's version is quite good, but I would prefer to have one which lived up to it's claims. If you had bought this looking for minimized pores, you would have been disappointed.

RRP £4.99 from Boots.

Has anyone tried this? Which primers do you recommend?

xx

Natural Collection Lipstick in 'Pink Orchid'

Helloo everyone.

As you may know, I am on a mission to be more experimental with my makeup, and am starting with lipsticks as these are something I do not wear and would really like to try after seeing some fab swatches on some blogs. I blogged about a MUA lipstick the other day, and today I have for you a Natural Collection offering. Natural Collection is exclusively available in Boots and at www.boots.com.

This shade is called 'Pink Orchid' and I thought it was really pretty. It's not a bright, in your face candy pink, it's quite subtle I think, a dark pink with a tiny hint of shimmer in it.(As you can probably tell, I am no good at describing lipstick colours, sorry :S). The application of this was good - it was smooth and glided on well. It wasn't extremely pigmented with one swipe, but easily buildable. It's called a 'Moisture Shine Lipstick' and I do think it lives up to this, it is moisturising and doesn't dry your lips out as well as giving your lips a nice shine.

(Please ignore my gross teeth, and yes I do have wet hair!)

As you can see, the lipstick is subtle but I think it's quite pretty. This picture was taken with 2 'coats' of the lipstick, but it could be built up into a much stronger pink if you so wished.

Overall, I quite like this - I like the colour and the application of the lipstick. I much prefer this to the MUA one I reviewed on Monday, in terms of application and of course colour too. I would definately buy a few more shades from the brand, and at £1.99 each, they're cheap :)

Has anyone else tried any Natural Collection products? I'd love to know your thoughts

xx

17 BB Cream

After umming and ahhing for a few weeks about whether or not to try out one of these BB creams which every blogger and his wife seems to have reviewed, I decided to bite the bullet yesterday in Boots, and opted for 17's version as it was reasonably priced and a few people had recommended it to me.

As you can see, the BB cream comes in a black box, which to me, made it look and feel more expensive than it is, which is a plus. The tube inside is your average plastic tube, but I personally like this as it's easy to get the product out, and easy to get the right amount of product out. This only comes in two shades, light and medium, so if you have dark skin, unfortunately this product is not for you! I chose 'light' since I'm quite pale and 'medium' I found quite orange.

"The weightless, all-in-one creamy formula blends seamlessly into skin, moisturising, concealing, smoothing and protecting". This is the claim that 17 make about the product. Does it deliver? Well I have only used this product two or three times and I have to say, I'm impressed. Although it doesn't give as much coverage as I am used to with foundation, it's sufficient enough if you happen to be having a good skin day. I love that it feels very light on the skin and doesn't actually look like you are wearing any make-up. If I was in the middle of a breakout, I would have to move back to Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation, however, this is perfect for when you're feeling confident about your skin but don't fancy going out bare-faced. It also has an SPF of 25, which is an added bonus.

The texture is quite smooth, in fact it almost feels like you are applying moisturiser. It also claims to control oil, which I have to say was my one gripe about this product. I don't have very oily skin, in fact my face is quite dry, and this made me look a little shiny at first, but after about an hour it looked fine so I don't know if this is a common problem or just something I experienced?

Overall though, this is a perfect lightweight alternative to normal foundation, and probably a product I will be reaching for regularly during the day. At night if I'm going out, I will still porbably favour foundation as it gives a better coverage, but this is perfect for holidays or for everyday use.

RRP £6.99 from Boots.

xx

Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire

I know, I know. You've probably seen a million posts on this, and I am rather late jumping onto the bandwagon. However, I didn't actually buy this polish because of all the hype surrounding it, I bought it because I genuinely like the colour and the duochrome effect. Needless to say, the formula left a lot to be desired. I knew this was a sheer colour before I bought it, due to reading numerous reviews and blog posts about it, so I didn't even bother trying to layer up the polish, as I hate polishes like that as they smudge so easily. I layered Fantasy Fire over Barry M's Bright Purple, though I want to try it over a lighter shade such as Barry M's Berry Ice Cream to see what that effect is like :).

Excuse the backgrounds of these pictures, this was where I could actually capture some of the colour shifts, aha.

This polish is a purple colour, which shifts to gold, pink and green in certain lights. I couldn't seem to photograh the green anywhere, so you'll have to take my word for that one! The top picture shows more of the gold shift (excuse the tipwear on there, this was the 3rd day of wearing it), and the second picture shows the pinky shift. Application was good once layered over another colour, and you could use purple (like I did), blue, lilac etc for your base coat to give different shades, making it very versatile. The polish gave an amazing glass-like smooth finish even with no top coat, which I thought was good.

Overall, I really like this. I haven't used any other Max Factor polishes before, and after this one, I may give a few others a try. This polish comes in a very small bottle (it doesn't actually say how much is in it, and I can't find it on the Boots website, so apologies) and costs £3.99 from Boots and Superdrug (though it's on special offer in Superdrug at the minute for £2.99). It's quite expensive for the amount of polish that you get, but because of the effect, I would repurchase. It's apparently the "it" shade at the minute and because of this is hard to find, but I found it in both Boots and Superdrug on the first attempt. 

What do you think? Would you purchase this shade?

Wish List #2

I realise I have posted twice today already, but I'm trying anything to get out of doing uni work! Anyway, since my last wish list was mainly fashion related, I thought I'd do a beauty products wish list.

#1. MUA Blusher (£1.00 from Superdrug).

(Shade 4)

I have heard really good things about Make Up Academy, and I'm also in need of a new blusher, so for £1.00, I think I might give this one a try.

(Photo courtesy of www.superdrug.com).

#2. No7 Sunkissed Bronzing Pearls (£11.00 from Boots).

I have just ran out of these, so will be getting some more as I love them!

(Photo courtesy of www.boots.com).

#3. No7  Beautiful Skin BB Cream (£12.95 from Boots).

Jumping on the bandwagon a bit with this. I'm curious about all the hype!

(Photo courtesy of www.cosmeticsbusiness.com).

#4. Benefit 'The POREfessional' (£23.50 from www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk).

Another much reviewed product. Again, just curious as to what it's actually like I think. Tad on the expensive side but from what I've seen, very much worth it.

(Photo courtesy of www.benefitcosmeticsinuk.co.uk).

#5. Miss Sporty Glossy Tech Top Coat (£1.99 from Boots).

I'm all for cheap & cheerful and this certainly is that. It's the cheapest decent top coat I've found and does exactly what it says on the bottle. Gives a wet-look finish to the nails, and I will definately be getting some more of this stuff.

(Photo courtesy of www.boots.com).

Soap & Glory Flake Away

This is a "shea butter, sugar and peach seed body polish" from Soap & Glory (www.soapandglory.com). It smells absolutely gorgeous, I almost want to eat it! This is actually my mum's, she recieved it as a christmas gift a few years ago (she thinks) and has given it to me since she has never used it. I don't know if it was part of a gift set or something like that but I thought I'd try it. I also can't seem to find it on their website, so I don't actually think it's still available? I thought I'd write a post on it anyway.

As you can see, it is just like an exfoliator. (Apologies for the messed up product, I forgot to take a picture of it before I stuck my fingers in it, doh.). I have been using it now for about a week, and it has definately made my skin a lot softer and smoother. I think it's meant for the entire body but I have mainly been using it on my face. The texture is slightly greasy once rubbed in, but it comes off very easily with just some warm water. Overall, I'm quite impressed with this, and slightly gutted I can't seem to find it anywhere!

UPDATE: Ok, I'm blind. I found it on the Soap & Glory website. It just has slightly different packaging, yay!

(RRP £7.00 for 300ml)

Wish List #1

#1. Purple Caged Wedges. £50.00 from River Island.

Image Courtesy of www.riverisland.com.

#2. Blue Leopard Print Shift Dress. £22.00 from River Island.

Image Courtesy of www.riverisland.com.

#3. Pale Pink Lady Bow Bag. £25.00 from Topshop.

Image Courtesy of www.topshop.com.

#4. Mid Grey Linen Paperbag Chinos. £22.99 from New Look.

Image Courtesy of www.newlook.com.

#5. Model's Own Nail Polish in Indian Ocean. £5.00 from Boots.

Image Courtey of www.glamourmagazine.co.uk.