Monday, 16 July 2012

Simply pure: simply amazing!

Thanks to boots and their decision to discontinue my favourite cleansers, I have been on the look out for a new face cleanser for my poor dehydrated and ageing dry skin. What I am after is  a cleanser which:

  1. cleanses effectively
  2. specially formulated for dehydrated or dry skin
  3. doesn't cost the earth (maximum £6)
  4. visually attractive (nice packaging)
  5. something which has a nice smell or a smell which I won't be bored of half way through the bottle.
I stumbled on the Superdrug ‘Simply Pure Aqua Hydrating Cleansing Gel’ facial cleanser last week end and guess what? I am baffled on how many boxes this ticks already.

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The whole line was designed with sensitive skins in mind and are meant to very kind to your skin. No fragrance or parabens which some find irritate their skin, just kind for you, and as harmless as a feather coming close to your skin, hence the packaging. There are 4 ranges within the line, but more about that later.

When I read the description (see picture below) of the 'aqua hydrating cleansing gel' I felt it was just designed for me. I've already used it for a week now, day and night and I am happy to report that it works: No feeling of dryness, quite hydrating and it does exactly what it says on the tin. So that's 2 boxes ticked right away.



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The price was the aspect which shocked me the most. Usually this would retail at £4.59 but it was at half price. KERCHING. This sounds too good to be true. If I carry on enjoying this product, I won't have any problem repurchasing and it's even cheaper than my beloved discontinued botanics one. Can't go wrong with that!


The packaging is inoffensive, simple, discreet and minimalistic (a bugger to photograph though Winking smile) Will I get bored of the smell? Absolutely no risk of that, the product is fragrance free. So just like that, Superdrug ticked all the criteria boxes. BAM!


Do I love this cleanser? No. I will repurchase this product, without the shadow of doubt. It does everything I ask, it's functional but it doesn't send me to cloud nine. Yes the packaging is inoffensive but omg, how boring. I am drawn to something which reminds me of nature, something green, a leaf, a plant and now all I get is blue. I don't connect with this cleanser. At this point, I hear you scream 'get a grip, who needs to connect with a cleanser, a cleanser is supposed to cleanse your skin, not having a romantic fling with' I know, I know but what can I say, I miss the fresh herby olive oil or honey smell of my boots cleansers, I miss the cream texture (this one is a gel) and I am still grieving their disappearance. This aqua cleanser is like the guy you find at 2.00am when the bar is about to shut, the guy which will do I guess but it's not James Bond.


Have you found the james bond of cleansers?



If I am not mistaken, I *think* that the dehydrated range from simply pure range is still on half price at the moment, but don't delay if you want to try. This would also cater for oily skin, and yes oily skin can also be dehydrated. Even though the whole range is for sensitive skin, they also do a calming range,  combination skin range and oily skin (now the packaging for the oily skin grabs me so much more. I wish I had oilier skin just to be able to buy that)



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If, like me you've been left high and dry by Boots discontinuing your cleanser, one of these might be for you.  Thank you Superdrug Smile
Read more ...

Monday, 2 July 2012

Tropical Pampering and face mask mania

If I had all the money in the world, I would be booking regular  facials at the beautician and be pampered non stop. Sadly, I am  only an administrative assistant and I am more or less living on  my overdraft. Temptations arising from my daily blog reads don't  help but I've never been raking in money, even before I started  blogging. Lately, I've started a face masks routine at home, whereby  Sunday is dedicated to a weekly facial.


This is how I had envisaged it would go before embarking on this  routine:
On a Sunday evening, around 8pm, I would pat myself on the back  for having prepared a week worth full of blog posts. My flat  would be immaculately clean and tidy. You could smell the lemon  of Mr clean on the floor, you could actually have your dinner on  the floor it's that clean. I would then decide to relax, burn a  coconut candle maybe, sip a cup of decaf coffee, nourish my nail cuticles, apply a face mask, then quickly jot some notes down  about face mask for blogging at a later stage. I would go to bed, refreshed and  nourished from the inside.


This is how it usually goes:
It's 22:39 and I realise that I've  done naff all, all week end apart from tweeting myself into  oblivion, complaining there was not enough sun for taking  pictures for the blog, and watching 7 episodes of 24 back to  back. The flat is an absolute tip, so I decide to put on a face  mask at 11pm because what the hell, wasting a further 15 minutes  out of a whole week end is not going to make it worse, is it? I  would go to bed, with a lovely nourished skin while it's chaos  everywhere else.



When I first shared with you my purchase of the 'self heating smoothie mask' with apricot, peach and mango, I remember one of  my readers warning me that 'Be really careful with the heating  facemask from there. I felt like Samantha in the episode of SATC  when she has the facial peel'. I took little notice of it. I am  a big fan of sauna masks. Psychologically, when it heats up, it  cleans better, and the cleaning gets deeper.  The same way as  you soak a crusty porridge bowl in hot water to dissolve the  dried left overs, cleansing your skin with heat is better, well,  in my head anyway.


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The claims of this smoothie mask are quite big: For 99p, it  claims to whisk you to the tropics, turn up the heat, deep  cleanse your skin and intensely moisturise it.


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I decided to put  my mask in the bath while I had a head full of dripping  conditioner. On opening the sachet, I was greeted by a lovely  smell of mango peach and the most delicate texture. I thought  the mask really deserved its smoothie name. I couldn't wait to  apply it on my face. Heating sensation was not as hot as I  expected but it was hot enough to make me feel it's doing  something. Immediately after removing the mask, I felt it had  cleansed my skin really well (I felt squeaky clean) but my skin  felt a bit tight and dry. Not what I would expect from a  moisturising mask!


I didn't moisturise my skin right away and was still in the  bath, rinsing my hair and going about mah business, in the bath.  I couldn't wait to get out of the bath and moisturise my face.  Following morning and it was a whole different story: My skin  looked brighter, felt so smooth and the feeling of dryness and  tightness had totally gone. My skin felt so clean, it almost  felt a little bit like I had a salon micro dermabrasion the night  before. This feeling of smoothness lasted about 1 week and a  half which is more than a regular exfoliation or home micro  dermabrasion done at home would give me.



I feel this mask is very potent, maybe too potent for me and I  don't even have a sensitive skin. I feel I shouldn't repurchase  it but I have been thinking about it all the time ever since.  The only thing which has stopped me from re buying it is the  fact that, surprise surprise, my local store didn't have any. I  wouldn't recommend this mask for anyone with a sensitive skin. I  wouldn't even recommend for me, to be honest but this deep down  cleanse felt so good, and the smoothness lasted so long that I  want it  again in my life and soon!



What about that immediate tight and dry feeling you had after  removing the mask, will you ask?

I think I can remedy to that.  My ultimate favourite body scrub does exactly the same: If I  don't go and moisturise right after, it leaves my skin tight and a little bit itchy. So I reckon if I tone and moisturise right  after, I should be ok.



Now for the annoying part. Superdrug redesigned all their face  masks, I am a bit lost and I don't like the new look of the  masks. I think the smoothie mask has survived the redesign. I  mean the packs look ok, but I preferred the old design. I can't  help but thinking someone went to complain to Superdrug and  thought that the model on the packaging was always Caucasian and  that it was not representative of the multi ethnicity of  Britain. So maybe it's better after all. Well, at least, it’s not god awful packaging like montagne jeunesse. Sorry but I just can’t go past the packaging of montagne jeunesse masks, why do they all have stuff in their eyes, painful!


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Any masks from this new collection which you fancy trying?



I reviewed the 'superfruit smoothie one' here if you fancy reading about it
There are so many I want to try. Superdrug needs to make a 3 for 2 offer me thinks. Winking smile




What: Superdrug Self Heating Smoothie Mask
Where: Superdrug
How much: £0.99
Disclaimer: I bought these myself
Read more ...

Wednesday, 30 May 2012

Free Benefit and Ciate in Magazines start tomorrow

This is your 24 hour reminder about some fabulous magazine freebies available from tomorrow, 31 May 2012. Grab the July 2012 Edition of Marie Claire Magazine (£3.70) and get a free ciate nail polish worth £9. The shades to choose from are Bonbon, Jelly Bean and Purple Sherbet. I am not sure which shade is which from this shady scan but I really fancy trying the greige purple number! I will make a definite purchasing decision when I will be able to see the bottle in real life.



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More freebies did you ask? Buy the July 2011 Edition of Glamour Magazine (£2.00) also out tomorrow, 31 May 2012 and get a free benefit primer sample/travel size (to choose from That Gal or Porefessional) and a mascara. Expect a stampede for this one and don't delay your trip to your newsagent if you want one of those. I predict a riot on the primers and a mountain of unwanted bad gal lash mascara (I have yet to read a positive review about the mascara). I was impressed by the that gal primer during my makeover so I really want to get one. I prefer using nanoblur on my pores but the porefessional is so smoothing, I am tempted to get one of these as well.




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Friday, 18 May 2012

Pirouette my Summer by No.7

It's tipping it down outside, blowing gale and I have my thickest winter coat welded onto my body. But Boots has decided it was summer and went all out to celebrate its arrival. There are plenty of offers throughout the store to help you bare your body for cheaper and there is a new seasonal no.7 make up range whose name never fails to wind me up. This year, it's called 'Summer?In your dreams  in my head it's summer 'Summer of Dreams'.


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Annoyance of the name aside, there are 2 gems I couldn't wait to try: The glitter top coats.  Would you believe (and this has never happened to me) they had an official tester of the silver top coat today and naturally I had to try!


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My quick snap below shows one coat (applied in a patting motion) on one coat of no.7 lucky lilac. Not bad for one coat, hey? This glitter top coat reminds me of the 'Pirouette my whistle' from OPI, the only colour which I fancy from the recent 'New York Ballet Collection'. It's so pretty!


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To complement the collection, Boots released 2 lipglosses, 1 bronzer and 4 eyeshadow crayons.

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Not sure if I am happy to fork out the £8 requested to purchase a glitter polish but with a no.7 voucher (are they going to have some time round?) it's going to be very hard to resist.
Read more ...

Saturday, 5 May 2012

NailsInc BlueBell Nails courtesy of InStyle Magazine

Bluebell or wild hyacinth is the name of a flower, belonging to the lily family and which grows shed loads in Scotland. Also the name of a gorgeous creme finish nailsinc nail polish which came free in the June 2012 edition of the InStyle Magazine (full details of the operation and other free colours here


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I vowed myself not to buy it, as I am not really into blue polishes to be honest (don't let me enumerate my exceptions because that would defeat the point that I've just made) but it was free with the magazine and Emma wanted to see what it looks like. That's it, I am just going to blame Emma for this acquisition.


NailsInc BlueBell was lovely to play with (applied very sloppily here though!) It does present the usual nailsinc quirk, i.e goes on a bit unevenly at first to dry to a smooth finish later, but I am cool with that. The coverage is exceptional. In one thick coat, it covered the not-so white of the white of my nails but you still want to apply a second coat to cover the ridges of the nail. The colour reminded me of a cross between Models Own Beth's Blue (what I actually wore on my nails the day I avatared myself) and Gosh Lavender Love. It is a beauty.


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Do you need it in your collection?
If you are into purpley blue polishes, this is definitely one gorgeous limited edition item to own, wear with proud and enjoy. I am :)
Read more ...

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Free NailsInc polishes in Instyle Mag. starts tomorrow

I reckon that my nail polish is so vast that I could have enough nail polish to paint the hands and toes of all the people at my workplace. But despite that, I am finding it hard to resist a free nail polish. It's not entirely free, mind you. You need to buy a magazine to get it.


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Buy the June 2012 edition of InStyle magazine (£3.80) and leave with a free nails inc nail polish worth £11. There are three colours to choose from: Peach Sorbet, BlueBell and Power Pink. These colours were designed exclusively for the magazine, are limited edition, and will be available from tomorrow (Thursday, 3 May 2012) until stocks last.


I quite fancy checking out the ‘Bluebell’ in person and see what it’s like.
Will you be heading to your newsagent and check out the shades too?
Read more ...

Wednesday, 25 April 2012

How far is too far?


I have been tossing and turning, typing and deleting trying to find the best way to start this post but I can't find an intelligent way to start. My mind can't think properly and my emotions have taken over me. I am shocked by what my eyes have seen and I need to find a way to let it out. I have just stumbled on this article about Lush's latest campaign to raise awareness for animal testing practices for cosmetic purposes and every part of me is shocked from deep within. So shocked that I can't even bring myself to screen grab a picture of the campaign to illustrate my post.




So what is the campaign? Lush thought it was a good idea to recreate the scenes of animal mutilation {happening during animal testing for cosmetic purposed} onto humans and show the scenes to the public in a shop window.


The result? Horrific pictures which remind me of some sick PG 18 horror film, which will probably follow me tonight in my sleep for some weeks to follow. Shock Methods in awaresness raising is nothing new, animal testing is a great cause to fight for but in my eyes this was a campaign too far.  Lush wanted to hit the nail on the head once and for all and made us think about awful and unecessary practices out there but in my humble opinion this was not the right way to go about it. 


When I came into this country, I was shut out from the real world to such an extent that I had not even come across a vegetarian person before. The first contact I had with a vegetarian was my ex flatmate who forced her views on me on a daily basis making me feel guilty for, amongst other things for eating chicken. We don't live together anymore.


Through this campaign, Lush forced their views in my throat, eyes, mind and every part of my body and like my ex flatmate, is running the risk of turning the public against animal friendly activists, who are fighting for a cause in a gentle and non militant my way.


Lush: Are you happy with what you have achieved?
Read more ...

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Beetle got hotter!

Following the huge success of their duo chrome beetle juice collection, Models Own will be releasing on 19 March, 3 new shades of duo chrome polishes. Inspiration is the 'colours of a hot summer haze, mimicking a mirage of complex colour-shifting shades'. As their November sisters, the polishes will be retailed at £5 each.




Have you got any favourites?
Indian Ocean is the first one which caught my eye and it will take incredible amount of willpower to resist it.
Read more ...

Saturday, 3 March 2012

Sneak Peek anyone? :)

I don’t usually do sneak peek posts but I couldn't resist. The colours are too gorgeous. While I try to take some decent pictures of these beauties on my nails, I leave you with a quick snap of the latest nail polishes from Beautyuk. Can you guess the inspiration behind this line, or perhaps the name of the collection?


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Thursday, 23 February 2012

Spring has arrived at 17 Cosmetics


Many are excited by Valentine's Day and Pancake Day. For me, the main event after Christmas which I always look forward to is the arrival of warmer weather and double figures in temperatures. Today was lovely, temperature in my little neck of the wood has reached 10 degrees and it has been giving hope that the worst of winter, might be over. The cherry on my cake today was to discover a new collection at the 17 Cosmetics 'Counter'.

*cue improvised ghetto press release*


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To complement the relatively recent release of their amazing coverage bb cream, 17 Cosmetics has just released a range of bright and summery nail polishes at the usual bargain price of £2.99. The colours are absolutely gorgeous. Two in particular have grabbed my attention: Glisten, a golden peach polish, and Juicy, a happy, bright lime shade.


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Temptation to indulge in the polishes is going to be incredibly difficult, especially since there is a 3 for 2 offer on...


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Edit: 21:49
Resistance is futile. No point even trying, is there? :P

Read more ...

Thursday, 16 February 2012

Crushed Grape, whatever the season. Free Leighton Denny Manicures



There are times when I spend ages trying to find that first sentence on how to start a blog post and others, like tonight where billions of way to start a blog post comes bustling in my head and I am overwhelmed. Please excuse me for I am very excited tonight. It's been a while since I've played with a Leighton Denny nail polish and I forgot how good it was.

When the gorgeous Nic, from
Strawberry Blonde Beauty Blog told us informed us about the Magazine Freebies offers in March 2012, I got a bit hot under the collar: 3 shades of Leighton Denny nail polishes can be yours for free, if you purchase a copy of the March 2012 edition of Red Magazine (£3.80)


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Nic warned us that the actual magazine with the free polishes would be hard to track down but being a massive fan of Leighton Denny, I was not going to give up so easily. I was lucky, they had some in my local Marks and Spencer and I managed to get my hands on 'Crushed Grape' a dark berry polish and a lilac polish annoyingly called 'Whatever'.


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I can't explain in words the delight it was to experience 'Crushed Grape' and 'Whatever' on my nails: smooth, creamy, easy peasy to apply, opaque in one coat, dries fast, only £3.80. What more can a girl want? Well perhaps spending some time en-tête-à-tête with Leighton Denny himself.


I didn't do any clean up whatsoever on my manicures, (it probably shows but I would be quite happy to parade with my nails like that) I went really sloppy with it so much so that it felt like that the polish applied itself. I am in love, totally in love. As a consequence of my infatuation, I am going to leave you with an avalanche of photos.


Crushed Grape in all its glory, one coat only:



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Now with slightly warmer lighting


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and this is, ‘Whatever’. I am not going to lie. I feel the name doesn’t do justice to the beautiful shade and finish. Again, this is one coat. I know!!


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Now with warmer lighting


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If you have not yet tried a Leighton Denny polish and can hunt a Red Magazine with freebies in, you will not regret it. It will probably be the best £3.80 you've ever spent   


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Needless to say, if the
third free shade ‘Vamp’ had also been available at my local Marks and Spencer, I would have also bought it. Let me know if you managed to get your hands on it, I would love to see!  
      


 
Leighton Denny, will you marry me?
      


 
What? Leighton Denny nail polishes in 'Crushed Grape' and 'Whatever
How much? Free on purchase of Red Magazine, March 2012 edition, £3.80

Where? I don't know. In some Marks and Spencers. xx

     
Read more ...

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Cosmetic Candies


The teasing is finally over and MUA Cosmetics has announced the release of their latest makeup collection. Just in time for St Valentine's Day, MUA Cosmetics have inspired their latest collection on the theme of the famous sweeties 'Love Hearts'.


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The adorable collection comprises 6 pastel polishes and 5 lip balms. The prices couldn't be any cuter: Each item is £2.

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No need also to wait for the items to arrive in your local Superdrug as they are already available on the MUA website, with a low shipping cost as usual (£2.95) and possibility to pay via PayPal. Don't want to fork out on postage? The brand has announced that they will be doing free postage offers :)


MUA Cosmetics didn't make their job easy with this collection. Good pastel polishes are notoriously hard to find. Have they cracked the formula? Will they be patchy? Time will tell :) I am very tempted to try 'You and I', the lovely yellow polish. But most of all, I am very much looking forward to try their upcoming BB cream which they will sell at £4.



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Now, if the free postage offer coincided with the release of the BB cream, it would make my heart and purse very happy :)
  

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Will you be getting some love hearts?

Pictures sourced from Mua Cosmetics
Facebook Page.
Top picture was also sourced from Mua’s page and lil montage done by me x
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