Sunday 24 February 2013

Fragrance Direct Haul

Warning to those of you that are on a spending ban at the moment you will not be able to visit this site without spending money!

On the plus side everything is ridiculously cheap so you get lots for you money

http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

I first stumbled across this site when I was looking for discounted OPI polish (call me a penny pincher but I am not happy spending £9 on 1 polish) After browsing the site for a while I saw they have essie polish or £1.99! Yes £1.99!!

There are far too many great bargains for me to mention on here so have a look for yourself, I brought all of the following for the just £24.87 (incl P&P), I have included my first impressions next to each item:

  • Essie Camera 13.5ml - £1.99 (first impressions are this is very bright! perhaps will not be worn until summer time)

  • Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish 8ml  02 - £1.49 (love this shade its lilac / silver metallic shade, I also love the brush it is wider than normal which will make application much simpler)
 
  • Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish 03 8ml - £1.49 (this is equally gorgeous its a gold metallic shade)

  • Sally Hanson Hard as Nails 13.3ml Truffle - £1.99 (this is ok but not amazing, I would say it is more of a pink shade than truffle)

  •  Sally Hanson Hard as Nails 13.3ml Sheer Vanilla - £1.99 (this is nothing special really but it was exactly what I was looking for a sheer polish, like a clear polish but with a slight colour to it)

  • Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Salon Nail Polish 14.7ml Lavender Cloud - £1.49 (I don't really like this to be honest, it looks more of a white shade than lavender. It might be different when more than 1 coat is applied so I will let you know)

  • Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Salon Nail Polish 14.7ml Pedal for the Me - £1.49 (love this, it is a shimmer silver metallic shade)

  • Sally Hansen Complete Manicure Salon Nail Polish 14.7ml Cherry Cherry - £1.49 (the jury is out on this shade, after 1 coat it looks like a bright purple shade. This may be perfect for some people but not really my thing)

  • W7 Harder & Tuffer Nail Treatment 15ml - £1.99 (I am trying this out as I have very weak nails hopefully this will help)

  • Sally Hansen Super Shine Top Coat 13.3ml - £2.50 (this is my favourite top coat, it leaves polish looking really shiny)

Other more boring items that I ordered were:
  • Sally Hansen Extra Strength Polish Remover 354.8ml - £1.99
  • Sally Hansen Emery Boards - £0.99
  • Royal 4 Way Nail Buffer - £0.99

I will write more in depth reviews once I have had a chance to road test everything.

(Before anyone asks I am not affiliated with the site in anyway, just sharing a bargain)

Happy Shopping xxx

Miners The Matte Factor Lip Paint

After reading the various reviews for Miners The Matte Factor Lip Paint I decided to take the plunge and purchase a couple for myself. The reviews were all positive and promised big things, so I was looking forward the testing this out.

I ordered 2 colours Cappuccino & Deep Red,






Cappuccino is a warm neutral colour ideal for very day wear, it looks scarily brown at first but a little goes a long way and when applied sparsely it leaves a gorgeous nude tone with a slight hint of peach.







I LOVE Deep Red it is a strong red shade without being overpowering. It is perfect for weekend or a night out. As with Cappuccino a little goes a long way and on application the colour is much lighter than it first appears, it is a gorgeous red shade with a hint of cherry.








Both shades are long lasting, surprisingly Deep Red is actually the better of the 2.
I actually wore Deep Red for a meal out with friends and several people commented that my lipstick was still intact after a meal and a glass (or four!!) of wine.

I have been wearing Cappuccino most days for work and I only need to reapply at lunch time, which is much better than other lipsticks I have tried that disappear after my first cup of coffee.

I love both of these and for £3.99 I think they are great value, I am actually going to but the other colours in the range.

Can be brought from www.minerscosmetics.co.uk

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts xxx
PS - Apologies for the poor quality pictures I am purchasing a new camera

Monday 18 February 2013

No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush

I have been debating whether or not to jump on the Clarisonic bandwagon for a couple of months, the only thing that was really holding me back was the hefty price tag. I have sensitive skin and was reluctant to shell out £100+ for something that could possibly not suit my skin.

After quite literally hours searching the web (I know I need to get out more!) I came across a couple of reviews for the new No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Brush. I will admit the reviews were mixed and those reviewers that had used both the Clarisonic and the No7 version preferred the Clarisonic, despite this and mainly due to the price difference I decided to take a trip to my local Boots (like I need much encouragement) to purchase the No7 Cleansing Brush.

The brush was on offer at £15, bargain!! (I also used my advantage points to buy it, double bargain!!)

Now enough rambling down to the actual review:

First Impressions:
The brush is not the most attractive thing in the world, it only comes in 1 colour (unlike the Clarisonic) and is plastic looking which makes it look cheap (if that makes any sense!?!)

It is battery powered which for me personally is an advantage because I am rubbish at remembering to charge things and already have 101 chargers dotted around the house so I certainly don't need another one.

The brush has 2 settings, this is good for me and other people with sensitive skin as the slower setting is less harsh on your face and doesn't leave your skin feeling as irritated and raw after using it.

The big disadvantage for me at the moment is that there isn't a range of brushes to suit different skin types and you can't even purchase replacement brushes, I have been assured that new brushes will be coming soon. Me being the naive and trusting person I am believed them and purchased the brush anyway.

Application:
When talking through how to use the brush with the No7 sales rep in Boots they told me there was no need to take my makeup off before using the brush, however after the first couple of uses I found that it wasn't removing all my makeup (can I just add I do not wear layers and layers of makeup, my current foundation of choice is the No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation - link below). I changed my routine slightly and used Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Face Wipes (link below) to remove most of my makeup and then used Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean (link below) with the brush.

Some other reviews on-line mentioned the No7 brush was not as easy to control as the Clarisonic, as I have never used a Clarisonic I can't comment on this but I can say I had no problems using the brush at all and found it easy to control.

Overall Verdict:
I use the brush every other day (mainly due to my sensitive skin) and I have noticed a huge difference in my skin. I used to suffer from blackheads on my chin (I know! very attractive) these have now more or less all cleared up, I have even noticed my skin is less oily.

I would definitely recommend this, especially before shelling out on the much more expensive Clarisonic.

Links:
No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation
Simple Clear Skin Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes
Soap & Glory™ Peaches and Clean

Pictures:






Hope this was helpful