Friday 29 June 2012

Sparkling Seas: 2True Nail Polish No.49


It's been a while since I did a nail polish post, so to get back into the swing of things, here's a little gem from a recent Superdrug trip.

2True No.49 is one of the newer shades recently from 2True and it's beautiful turquoise shade that is lovely and summery, reminding me of the ocean and tropical beaches. It has a beautiful fine silvery shimmer that lifts it nicely without being discoball-esque- love it!

The pic is with two coats and the formula applies nicely so I didn't bother applying a top coat.

As 2True is 3 for £5, I did pick up a couple of other shades as there are a few more new colours including some lovely limited edition glitters as well.

Thursday 28 June 2012

Antipodes Deliverance Kowhai Flower Hand Cream


Antipodes is slowly becoming a favourite range of mine, I'm loving the textures and scents of the products, and the Deliverance Kowhai Flower Hand Cream is no exception.

A wonderfully nourishing yet light textured cream, this absorbs well into the hands without leaving any residue or greasy feel so I'm finding it perfect for my bag and desk-side at work. It leaves my hands soft, smooth and moisturised. My hands are naturally dry so I find with most hand creams I have to reapply through out the day but with this one I don't mind so much as it is lovely to use.

For me this has got to be the most beautifully scented hand cream I've tried as the fragrance is a mix of sweet orange, tonka bean and sandalwood that is light and gives me a subtle feeling of contentment, which might sound like a bit much but there is something about this that draws me in.

Ingredients:


I received this as a free gift with a purchase from LoveLula, but I'd happily buy this again.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Splurge vs Steal: Deborah Lippmann vs Twist and Out



I do like trying out different nail polish removers, from high end to low-end but an important factor for me is that they don't suck the life out of my naturally dry nails/hands as I change my polish quite frequently.

Deborah Lippmann's The Stripper is one that fits the bill well as it removes polish quickly, while not overly drying my nails. It doesn't have that strong chemical smell either, rather more of a quite soft, floral scent (although I wouldn't go sniffing it any closer!).

The only negative thing is the price - £18 for a 100ml pump-dispenser bottle (I did hesitate for a second when buying this - is it worth £18?) but I think this is one of the nicer high-end removers and it lasted a decent amount of time.

I have recently finished The Stripper and was looking to try the new Bourjois remover but instead I read of Twist and Out's Instant Nail Polish Remover on another blog so picked up one from Savers.

I have never tried any of these instant removers before so was amazed at how they work - it's like magic! There is a sponge inside with a hole which you place your nail in and twist around. At first I was a bit dubious as the sponge isn't firm, but after a few seconds I was surprised to see my polish was completely removed! I could not believe how quickly it worked. Even glitters were much more easier to remove with this (I thought The Stripper made shorter work of these but this beats it by miles).

The packaging is not perfect as ideally I would like to remove the lid fully as it gets in the way a bit when removing the polish, but at the bargain price of 79p, this isn't too much of an issue. I find it leaves the nails a little bit drier than The Stripper, but not as dry as other budget removers I've used in the past. Oddly I find acetone-free removers make my nails feel drier, so I went for the acetone version in this (they do an acetone-free one as well).

Overall, as much as I liked The Stripper, this time the steal wins!







Friday 8 June 2012

Rouge Bunny Rouge Swift Length Mascara Review


Rouge Bunny Rouge Swift Length Mascara Endless Miracles in Untamed Sable was something I received ages ago as a free gift with purchase from Zuneta, but I had forgotten that I had taken these photos a while back so this is a rather late review.

Anyway onto the mascara - this is RBR's lengthening mascara that has lash conditioning properties from Bamboo, anti-ageing properties from Vitamin E and D-Panthenol for hydration.


The brush is a more traditional medium-sized bristle one that I quite like as I can get to most areas for an even application. The shade I had (as I have now used this up) was brown which gives a natural depth of colour so it's a good one for general day wear or fairer lashes.

Bare lashes

Bare lashes curled

Mascara applied
As you can see the effect is quite natural, giving a little volume at the base of the lashes, some definition and a look with a little more length - more noticeable on the outer corner.

I find this a slightly underwhelming mascara, it naturally enhances the lashes but I would expect a bit more for the £25 price tag as I feel I can get this look with a drugstore mascara.
On the positive, the formula is a nice one as it doesn't flake/smudge/clump/irritate and is quite straightforward to remove with the standard oil/balm makeup removers I use.


Rouge Bunny Rouge is available at Zuneta.com

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Sugar StripEase



With bare legs being exposed these past few weeks (although not currently as the sun has decided to pack up for the Jubilee weekend), I thought I would share my current favourite hair removal product.

Sugar StripEase is something I have repurchased as it's the most gentlest sugar/wax product I've come across as it's a natural formula of sugar and water.


I favour sugaring for at-home hair removal mainly for my legs as I find it more effective, lasts longer and regrowth seems to be finer on certain leg areas. Also I find using a warm product makes it much less painful than something like a pre-waxed strip.


The product comes in a microwaveable tub which you heat as per instructions provided then use the enclosed spatulas to apply a thin layer over the skin.



In the box you are given washable strips which are quite durable and I have re-used them several times. Personally I think I prefer the more paper type strips as the structure is more tightly packed which I think helps to get more hairs out where as these have a more woven texture which sometimes I find not as effective (although it might be just my lack of waxing skills!)

Once I've finished I find my skin doesn't get so red and bumpy as it would do when using normal wax and any slight redness doesn't take too long to settle down. The product is suitable for most parts of the body although I use it for mostly legs/bikini line.

Sugar StripEase is £9.99 and available from www.sugarstripease.com, and several other online retailers such as Victoriahealth, Feelunique, Amazon and Boots.com