Review - Leciel nail polish

The past couple of weeks I have seen endless amounts of blogs on the new 'Models Own' polish for tans range. I will hold my hands up right now and say that I have not been a fan of the range ever since I set my eyes upon it. Not because of the quality, but just because of the colours. I am not a fan of having brightly coloured nails that always seem to distract the human eye away from an outfit to the nails. I believe nails should just compliment an outfit.

However, during the week I was going through my nail polish collection to give it a quick tidy up. This is when I came across one nail varnish that reminded me of this new Models Own range. This specific polish that I am talking about is from the 'Leciel' brand in the colour '305 Carrot' which I bought from a pharmacy in Cyprus for €7. I was not familiar with the Leciel brand which is why I decided to give it a try. There were so many colours to choose from, so I have no idea what possessed me to get this bright orange which I have not even worn since its purchase. So, I decided to give this colour a chance to see if the brightness would grow on me. Maybe I would change my mind and end up buying the Models Own collection.

Note: This picture does not show off its brightness :/ 

After one day of wearing this carrot coloured polish, I think my hatred for brightly coloured nails has grown even more. I applied the nail varnish at night, and then the next morning I woke up to get ready for work and just could not decide on an outfit that would make my nails seem more dull. They seemed to stand out against each colour I tried on, I just hated it. I suppose I could understand people wearing this nail polish in a sunny country, but in the UK I could only see myself wearing it to a rave....which is likely to never happen.

The brand of the varnish itself is horrible. It's very thin to apply, it took about three to four layers to get a coverage yet still managed to look pretty streaky, after a few hours of wear the coating had created cracks and chips even though I had not done anything to influence this damage, and after removing the polish it ended up leaving a yellow stain on my nails....nice! So, seeing that this range seems not to be sold widely in the UK (fortunately) I would just like to say that if you do see this range of nail polishes whilst on holiday abroad, don't bother wasting your money on it, especially for €7 a bottle.

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Review - Rimmel sweetie crush nail polish

These new sugary textured nail polishes are amazing! I first saw them on Dahlia Nails blog and thought they looked ideal for Easter, so I just had to go out to Superdrug and buy a couple for £3.99 each. The pink and blue colours that I have bought are called '009 Candyfloss Cutie' and '012 Blueberry Whizz', but there are three other colours in the collection which are yellow, purple, and green which all look just as juicy as the two I bought.

Both of these colours are easy to apply which is surprising seeing that they are a textured varnish, but you do need to apply about three layers of polish to get a good and even coverage on your nails. Luckily though, the polish itself is actually pretty quick at drying so you are not waiting around for ages for your nails to dry.

So sorry for the nastiness of the skin around my nails! 

The word to describe the texture of the polishes would be grainy. Wait, is that even a word? Basically, they just feel like you have just glued some grains of sugar or sand onto your nails but in a more pleasant way. The texture is also not overpowering so that the grains are not falling off during the day, or snagging tights like some textured polishes.

Even though I do love these varnishes, I cannot help but think that they look better having a different colour on each individual nail, just how it is shown on Dahlia Nails blog. I guess this just means that I have to go out and buy the other three colours :)

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Review - Soap & Glory Glow All Out

I have always loved Soap & Glory's bath and skin range, but for some reason I never ventured into their make-up range. Well this was true until I went Boots last week and picked up a cute packaged illuminating powder called 'Glow all out'.

Although I absolutely love the packaging of all Soap & Glory products, I can't help but be a little bit disappointed at the fact that this powder is set within a cardboard compact rather than a sturdy plastic container. I can already see it being bashed, dented, and damaged in the future. And the fact that it only closes shut through the use of a magnet, I am scared to put it in my bag just incase it opens and let's powder escape everywhere.

The powder itself is amazing. I don't normally like products that have a shimmer/glitter ingredient but the shimmer within this powder is so minimal that it is not overpowering at all. It provides a natural and subtle glow to your cheeks, and it even makes my complexion look dewy and flawlessly smooth which I love.

It is the perfect product to finish any daytime makeup routine as it's so effortless. All you need is one swipe of the palette and one swipe on the cheek, repeat this for the second cheek and then you're good to go. Now that it is in my routine, I use it on my cheeks, nose, and occasionally along my neck and shoulders if I am in my summer clothing.

Sorry for the bad quality swatch - hopefully you can still see the difference

Now that I've seen just how good the quality of this product is, I definitely will not be shy to try more of the makeup range. And fortunately, it all looks to be well priced. This particular powder was only £11. But as I said before, I just wish the packaging was stronger.

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Obsession of the month

How cute are these sweets? Or should I rephrase that to, how cute is the packaging for these sweets?  Yes that's right, I am one of those people who buys a lot of their food and products based on their packaging. I remember when I was younger and looking through the Boots catalogue at Christmas time choosing perfumes I wanted based purely on what they looked like. Very stupid really, because I still have a stack of perfumes that, even though they look good, they actually smell vile. So if anyone wants Thierry Mugler's 'Angel' perfume, then I'll happily send mine your way.

Anyway, back to the sweets. I saw these 'Hope and Greenwood' pastel coloured sweets on the confectionary aisle in my local Waitrose. They are brand new to the store, so at the moment they have a lovely introductory offer of £1.50 per bag. But the normal price is around £2.00.

I found it hard to choose which sweets I wanted as there was so many to choose from; from flavoured marshmallows, flavoured candy floss, boiled sweets, flavoured fudge, and many more. In the end I decided to simply go for two bags of the boiled sweets in the flavours of 'Lemon meringue pie' and 'Candyfloss'.

The boiled sweets themselves mirror their pastel packaging, and the flavours are delicious whilst not being too overpowering. They are a subtle flavour, so there is no hint of a tangy or sour sweet in sight. And it is fair to say that they do actually taste like their labelled names. When it comes to the style of the sweet, they are just simply a boiled sweet. Yet with the lemon meringue pie sweet, you seem to get the extra of a chewy middle as if it's trying to mirror the texture of the meringue.

I am loving this selection of sweets, and I will definitely be buying more. But maybe next time I'll add a few bags of fudge and candy floss as well ;)

These will be great to open during a picnic, a movie night, a road trip, or can even be given as an alternative present for Easter. Hope you enjoy them just as much as I do.

www.hopeandgreenwood.co.uk

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Review : Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

To be honest, I never really know how to review cleansers. To me, they all seem to do the job they are sold to do. Which means this review will most probably be more about the actual product rather than how well it works.

Basically, this is a new cleanser sold by Garnier. I know Garnier have already sold plenty of makeup removers, but what is so special about this one is that it is a 'micellar water'. I think I am the only girl who is not that familiar with this term, but apparently it is a way of breaking down makeup to remove it rather than just stripping the makeup off. This means it is much more kinder to the skin. Perfect for my sensitive skin.

What I like about this cleanser, is the fact that it can be used on not just your skin, but it can also remove makeup from your lips and eyes as well. I was a bit skeptical about this at first, but it does indeed fully remove all traces of makeup. Even removing those hard to remove clumps of mascara from your eyelashes.

The texture of the liquid is very thin, actually water-like hence the name. And I do prefer this thinness compared to some of the thick or oily products I have previously used. This not only means that it easy to apply and spread across the skin, but it is also mess free and there is no need to rinse after use. It is literally just a quick and good quality way to remove all of your makeup - just like using a facial wet wipe.

And to top it off, you can roughly get 200 washes out of this bottle for just £4.99. Brilliant! This will definitely be added to my skin care routine.

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Review : Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener

I do not know what had overcome my nails a few weeks ago, but everything that could have gone wrong with them actually happened. They were brittle, peeling, flaking, breaking, and the skin around them just looked disgusting due to damaged nail folds. It was fair to say that they were at an all time low.

What was worse was that I didn't know why all of this was happening. Was it to do with my diet? My constant need to apply nail varnish? The weather? Or it could have been to do with an underlying illness? Because I didn't know what was wrong with them, and because I was too lazy to change my diet and way of life, I instead went out and bought a tiny bottle of 'Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener' from my local chemist.

This tiny bottle cost me around £7 and I have to say, it saved my nails! I applied the chemical onto my nail tips twice a week as recommended, and unlike other nail hardeners I have used (such as 'Sally Hansen Miracle Cure') you don't just get a coating of clear nail varnish over the nails. Instead, the chemicals in 'Mavala Scientifique Nail Hardener' actually get absorbed into the nail bed so that you are left with no coating. And now after about two-three weeks my nails are back to their normal selves.

Now I just have to sort out my nail folds.

Positives:
- It works!
- The bottle lasts for a good few months despite how small the bottle is.
- Actually absorbs into the nail, instead of providing a clear covering.
- Affordable at £7.
- I think it has been around for 50 years, so it is obviously doing its job for others too.
-  It still works if you apply it to your nails before applying nail varnish.

Negatives:
- There is a fishy sort of smell to the bottle, but it is not overpowering. And it seems to disappear when applied to the nails.
- You need to be careful not to get on skin, or otherwise it may cause skin hardening.
- It took my nails around three weeks to get back to perfect condition, so you need to be patient.

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Review : Soap & Glory: The Fab Pore Facial Peel

I have always suffered from oily skin, especially along my nose. Whilst I was in my teen years I never really understood why, but since growing up I have since realised that my nose pores are pretty big. So big in fact that I always become self conscious when I haven't got makeup on to conceal them. But what makes this a harsh circle is that makeup actually clogs up my pores and gets them into worse condition. I just can't win!

Since discovering my enlarged pores, I have always been willing to try out new products that can either minimise my pores, or just help matte out my oily skin. This one product by the well known brand 'Soap & Glory' sells this product by labelling it as a exfoliation mask that can help reduce pores and oily skin. All you have to do is leave it on your skin for 5-15 minutes and try to apply it around two or three times a week.

When you first open up the pot you are welcomed by the scent of mint. Quite surprising for 'Soap & Glory' but it is still quite pleasant. The texture of the cream is very thick and rich, but creamy enough to provide enough cover. And when you do apply this mask to your t-zones you have to massage the cream in well enough so that the green beads dissolve underneath your fingertips. Overall it is a good quality product for £10.

The results I got from this mask were great in the short term. Straight after a 15 minute session I would find my skin feeling exceptionally smooth, and the clay had done its job of getting rid of any oil. My skin would feel unclogged and much more hydrated, but unfortunately it didn't seem to do anything to the size of my pores. In fact all of these pros that I have mentioned seem to disappear a day later which is most probably why they recommend you apply three times a week. But despite the fact this mask has no long term effects, I am pleasantly surprised and keep it as part of my routine when I get time.

Before I finish this post, I do have to mention the name on this pot, 'Facial Peel'. If you have read this, but you have been put off by it because you think you have to peel the mask off, then you do not need to worry because it is in fact not a mask to peel. Instead it is just referring to peeling off dead skin cells. In order to take the mask off you simply just have to rinse with water.
Also, I have to mention that since I have bought this pot, Soap & Glory have decided to change its packaging for this product. Instead of the pink, they have instead changed the pot to a green and white colour scheme. They have even changed the name to 'Fab Pore 2-in-1 Facial Pore Purifying Mask & Peel'.

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Review : NIP + FAB Tummy Fix

It came to about a month before I went on holiday that I started to panic over the fact that I still had a lot of work to get the perfect bikini body. This meant I got desperate. So desperate in fact that I succumbed to buying this Nip + Fab cream which claims that it can improve skin tone and texture at the abdominal area whilst sculpting and firming. In other words, it helps to tone your tummy.

Like a lot of other people I was skeptical, can a cream really help tone your tummy? Well, seeing that I was desperate I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a go. So after a trip to my local Boots store, I picked up a 100ml tube that came to the cost of £19.95. Luckily, I had around £10 worth of Boots club points to use, meaning that I only spent £9.95.

I used this cream religiously. Every morning and every night I applied this cream in circular motions onto my untoned stomach for that last month before my holiday. And I will admit right now that I am one of those people who wants results fast. So every time I did apply the cream I would look in the mirror to inspect. However, I knew I could not judge this cream without doing a before and after photo, so that is exactly what I did. I wish I could put those photos up on here for you to see, but unfortunately my photos were wiped off my hard-drive a few months ago, so they are no more.

My thought on this cream? Well in hindsight I wish I saved my money and club card points to buy some new nail varnishes instead. I remember when I first looked at the before and after photos to compare and I was so disappointed. There were no differences in the photos at all. And it's true, every time I looked in the mirror I couldn't see any changes except for the fact that my skin felt smoother. I still had obvious cellulite, my skin was still no close to being firm, and I basically just looked exactly the same.

Maybe I saw no effects because I only applied the cream for just a month, or maybe it was because I didn't have any major problems (many mums who have just given birth swear upon this product helping fix their after pregnancy belly). But from my experience with this cream I unfortunately won't be recommending it to anyone, especially at £20 a tube.

It is fair to say that after this experience I am willing to accept that the only way I can lose weight, or to firm out my hideous cellulite is to diet and exercise. There are no quick fixes. Before my Cyprus holiday last August I was blind to this, which meant that I did indeed go on holiday without that perfect bikini body.

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Review : Nivea Express Hydration Primer

I absolutely love this Nivea primer. Before this delightful cream was released last year, I always used to use an silicone based primer and then a separate moisturiser along with it. This not only did no wonders for my oily skin, but it also took a good few minutes to allow both creams to fully dry before any foundation or concealer could be applied.

But now that I've bought this 'express hydration primer' I can substitute it for my primer as well as my moisturiser. This means my makeup is much quicker to apply and my t-zones are much less oily.

The texture of this cream is so light and thin that it absorbs into your skin within 10-20 seconds. It moisturises your skin so well that you instantly feel hydrated and refreshed without leaving your face oily or greasy like you normally get with a thick and heavy moisturiser.

The moisture of this primer will leave your skin really smooth allowing it to be a great finish for you to start applying any foundation. Sometimes with silicone based primers you will find that you are left with some flaking, but this Nivea primer just stays put and there is no flake to be found. And with this smooth finish I noticed that it did indeed help do it's job and kept my makeup at bay all day.

And I have got to admit even though this is a primer, because of its refreshing feeling I do sometimes find myself just applying this cream on its own without any intention of adding a full face of makeup. This idea came to me when I was just simply lying around the pool when I was on holiday. I found it was great to apply something so light and moisturising that could deal with my dry skin caused by the intense sun rays without my skin getting too greasy. And since my holiday, I still follow this through when I find my skin getting a bit tight or tired.

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Stop excessive sweating now!

I'll admit right now that this will not be the most glamorous post I will be doing, and it won't be of interest to many people. But for those of you who have the same problem as me will be very interested in what I am about to review.

Basically, this review is on Driclor: a roll on applicator that combats excessive sweating. I know that every body sweats and that it is actually a good thing to sweat. But when you are sweating whilst you are simply just sitting down you know that something must be wrong. I remember going through my school years with this condition and being constantly embarrassed to take my jumper off incase I had the dreaded sweat stains. And grey clothing was always a no go! But when it came to my first year of University I discovered Driclor after vast amounts of googling 'excessive sweating'. After I read a few reviews I went to my local Boots store and bought the item for £6.15. And that purchase was most probably the best recommendation I have ever bought as I have not looked back since.

To get this application to work its wonders you simply have to apply it every night to your underarms and then wash it off every morning for about a week. They say in the instruction leaflet that it will take about a week for you to start feeling a difference, but to be honest I felt a difference after a day! However, I carried on applying the solution to my underarms as it told me, and the final results were amazing. My armpits were not only dry when I was sitting down but they were also dry during exercise regimes.

To continue the effects of this treatment you do have to apply this roll-on when you feel like your armpits are starting to sweat again. In my experience I now only have to apply Driclor once a month, and over the past three to four months I am only on my third bottle, which is pretty impressive considering the size of the applicator.

However, there is one problem with this solution that many people will pick up on after use. And this is to do with its mild itchy irritation during the first few applications. This is down to the aluminium chloride ingredient. But what I found was that it irritates more the sooner you apply it after shaving your underarms. So if you are to apply Driclor then please wait a couple days after shaving as I find it makes it all so much more bearable. Maybe even wait a week if you are really struggling.

Overall, if you think that your sweat is getting in the way of you living a normal life, then please do go and buy a bottle of this. And you can thank me later ;)

Positives:
-It works!!
-After the first week, you only need to apply it once a month.
-Affordable. In 3-4 years I have only spent £18 on three bottles.
-Sweat stains no longer exist. I can now wear grey!
-Easy and quick to apply.
-Can be applied in other sweaty places, although I haven't tried.

Negatives:
-Mild stingy/itchy irritation (but I found it bearable).
-Should only be applied after a couple days of shaving.
-Some people have complained about dryness after use (but I didn't experience any).

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Review : Tangle Teezer

I hold my hands up straight away and will admit that I am not a sufferer of the dreaded tangly hair when I get out of the shower. Despite the facts that my hair has the perfect characteristics (thick, long, damaged, and frizzy) to create tangly hair, I somehow manage to have smooth hair every time I have a shampoo and conditioning rinse.

So you must be asking, "how can you review this Tangle Teezer if your hair isn't a tangled mess?" Well, this is where I have to tell you that I am a keen swimmer, and when I go on holiday I am diving into that pool whenever I get a chance. If you are also into swimming, then you will know that chlorine and salt water can do all sorts to your hair. Including making your barnet a knotty and painful disaster. So when I went on holiday, I hoped this Tangle Teezer (invented by Shaun Pulfrey) would be the perfect solution to pain free hair brushing.

I bought this Tangle Teezer for £10.99 from my local Boots store, and I have got to admit I thought the price was a bit steep after realising the brush it basically just a hollow plastic shell. But when I started using it after a long swim in the pool I realised that this brush is well worth the money. The fact that I could move this brush freely through my hair with no fuss and no pain made me smile with glee. It is a miracle worker. I am so happy with this purchase that I have even gifted one to my sister who is prone to tangly hair after a shower. And she even agrees that this brush works wonders.

There are some problems that have occurred along with this brush. One being that fact that I found it awkward to hold. This brush should be used by being gripped with the palm of your hand, but I do sometimes find it slips out of place. Some people may like the idea of this, but I have got to admit that I would much rather a brush with a handle. However, since buying this brush I have found out that there is such a thing as a Tangle Teezer with a handle, so I will definitely be investing in one of those soon.

Another flaw with this brush is the bristles. They are very flexible bristles but they're not that strong, which means over time they end up permanently bending. This means you can either put up with the bent bristles, or fork out another £11 on a new brush. Very costly!

Do I think this brush is worth it? I actually do. If you suffer with pain after every hair wash, then yes please do get one. But maybe get one with a handle.

Advantages:
- It does de-tangle hair.
- Painless and quick to use.
- Friends also recommend it.
- Easy to get hold of in many different colours.

Disadvantages:
- Not the best grip. Needs a handle.
- Bristles start to bend over time.
- Hard to create a hair parting.
- Quite expensive.

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Review : BarryM 'Gelly' nail paint

I have been a fan of BarryM nail polish from a young age due to its vast collection of colours at an affordable price. However, there was always one thing that seemed to disappoint me - not just with BarryM but also with many other brands - and that was how my nail varnish always seemed to chip after one day of wear. I have got to admit that the chipping seemed increase more after a busy day of hands-on work, but I can't just walk around avoiding chores just to make sure my nails stay in perfect condition.

During one of my holiday preparation shopping trips, I found myself wandering the aisles in Superdrug where I was delighted to find that BarryM had a newish line of nail polishes. These polishes happen to be their hi-shine gelly range, which are produced to provide an -

"Extra glossy finish in just one coat. Highly-pigmented, chip resistant formula- Gives a glossy, gel-like finish with a single coat.".

Because of this description, I was sure that this would be a cure to my past disappointment with nail varnish. But boy was I wrong.

Each one of the varnishes I brought went against their description and chipped just like the rest of my varnish collection. It was fair to say that I was gutted. And what made these nail varnishes even worse was that each colour did need more than one coating. I suppose multiple coatings are quite a normal occurrence with nail varnish, but why advertise that your nail polishes will only need to be used for a single coat when clearly they need at least two? However, after coating all nails appropriately I suppose I should say that they did seem to look pretty glossy and shiny. At least that's one thing they advertised right!

Overall, seeing that these Gelly nail varnishes are £3.99 (£1 more than the normal BarryM polishes), I would advise you save your one pound and try and find a similar colour in the normal range of BarryM, as you would only be paying that pound extra for a slightly shinier coat.

Altogether I brought four different colours:

• Prickly Pea - This varnish is simply just un-wearable with one coat. It is such a thin paint that it needs at least three coats. However, the colour is pretty for this summer weather.
• Watermelon - This varnish looks good in the bottle, but on nails it is such a dark colour. It does need more than one coat, but unfortunately after applying a second coat the colour actually looked off-black.
• Lychee - This is my favourite colour of all four selected, but I did find it to be a bit thick when applying to my nails.
• Blood Orange - This colour had the best results. I have got to admit that you could get away with just using one coat with this specific colour, but I would rather be on the safe side and use two. This also had a good consistency so I was able to apply this easily and quickly to the nail.

BarryM website - www.barrym.com

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Review : Eos lipbalm

The first buy for my holiday was this tangerine flavoured lip balm. Lets face it, every girl (and sometimes boys) cannot live without a soothing lip balm to protect their lips whilst relaxing in the sun rays. Normally I would just grab the trusted ol' Vaseline, but this time I wanted something different, something summery! And this little ball of balm has all the factors to be filed under that category.

Firstly, it's shape. This Eos lip balm's most appealing quality is down to its shape. By being a sphere, it is definitely something that I have not seen before, and I have to say this Eos company is definitely onto something good. Not only does the sphere allow the balm to be easily applied to the lips, it also stops your fingers from getting messy - which is something I always found to be Vaseline's downfall.

Secondly, the flavour of tangerines is pretty strong and I always find myself craving a fruit salad after each sniff. I have got to admit though, this specific Eos does also have a mild medicated smell added to it due to the medical elements mixed into the balm. But once the balm has hit your lips the chemical smell completely disappears and all you are left with is the smell and taste of fruitiness. Delicious!

The balm itself unfortunately is no miracle. It pretty much does the job of every other lip balm in my vast collection, which is to just keep the lips hydrated and smooth. So I have got to admit, if you are to buy this then you will be buying it just for its designer look and smell, and I say this because in the UK this lip balm does not come cheap. Well, not as cheap as our one pound Vaseline anyway, seeing that I bought this tangerine lip balm for £6.99 off amazon. However, there is a reason behind this price tag, which is simply down to the fact that it is not available in shops in the UK (yet can be found on some british website stores). Instead Eos originates from America where it is sold at a better price of $3.29 (roughly £2.20). So if you are looking for a fruity and summery lip balm then I would recommend this one. Yet, if you were on more of a budget I say stick to your Vaseline pot, or maybe even try other brands like Body Shop or Carmex.

Advantages:

• Easy to apply, without getting messy.
• Actually smells and tastes like tangerines.
• Looks very fashionable.
• After introducing this to friends, they seemed keen to buy one themselves.
• Comes in six other fruity flavours.
• Organic.

Disadvantages:

• Hard to get hold of in the UK.
• There is a mild smell of chemicals in the sphere - however, it did not put me off.
• Can be pretty expensive for a lip balm.
• The lid seemed to come loose when placed in handbag.

Eos Website: www.evolutionofsmooth.com
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