No7 Star Shower

I was in Boots the other day having a look at the new No7 counter, they've recently re-branded and re-packaged all of their products and changed round the counters, the majority of the products seem to be similar to what was there before but there are a few new products, including this nail polish shade which I picked up, Star Shower.

Star Shower is a strange sort of colour, on first glance it remind me of Urban Decay's Stash eyeliner pencil or a polish which wouldn't look out of place in the Orly Cosmic FX collection of a few years back.  A sort of murky grey, green, gold combination with the addition of bronze coloured flakies and very fine blue glitter particles too. 

All the glitter and flakies give it a sort of duochrome look, changing through grey, gold and brown depending on how the light hits it.  It's a very interesting colour, very shimmery and glittery but still quite subtle.  It's the sort of glitter that's suitable for people who don't really wear glitter. 

Now on to some nail shots, ignore the fact I have had to crop out my index finger, I've had a mauled cuticle incident and nobody needs to see it in it's current state:

These pictures are 3 coats on bare nails but I'd be interested to try it as a top coat over a black or dark blue to see how that changed the look of the polish. 

 

I bought this polish with a Boots voucher, which gives £3 off any cosmetics purchase.  The nail polishes are now £5.50 so with a voucher the polish cost just £2.50.  More expensive than it used to be when using a £5 off voucher but still a pretty good deal.

 

My Top Coat Heros

Choosing the right top coat can make a huge difference to how your nail painting experience goes.  Nobody wants to sit about for hours on end with wet nails trying to avoid chipping them only to put a huge obvious dent in one as soon as you feel brave enough to move.

 

For me, quick drying top coats totally changed how I felt about doing my nails.  There is no way I would change my polish as often as I do if I hadn't found a top coat (or three) which really make a difference to drying time while still giving my manicure great protection and an ultra shiny finish.

 

So, for today's post I thought I would introduce you to the top coats I use and love:

 

Sally Hansen Insta Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat

Kiko Gel Look Ultra Glossy Effect Top Coat

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Top Coat Touch dry in 60 seconds

 

The first quick drying top coat I found was Sally Hansen Insta Dri, I was amazed when I tried it as it actually did dry really fast!  Previously 'quick dry' top coats I had tried were never really up to much and certainly weren't touch dry within a few minutes.  With Insta Dri your manicure really is touch dry within a few minutes, it also leaves a lovely glossy shine on your nails.  I find the wear time with this top coat really good, although it is prone to tip wear at times, especially if you type a lot like I do.  I would say this is my favourite top coat although it's not my most used, simply because it can be quite costly if you go through as many bottle as I do!

 

The second top coat I tried was another I didn't really have high hopes for initially.  I first tried Boots No7 Stay Perfect Top Coat when I had a £5 voucher that needed using up and I had run out of nail colours to use it on.  With a voucher this top coat comes in at £2 which is a great price for a product which really does work.  The bottle says 'touch dry in 60 seconds' and it actually lives up to it's promise!  This is the top coat I use most often nowadays, simply because it's easy to get hold of, it's a great deal when the Boots vouchers are on and it really does work.  My nails dry fast, the polish lasts well and they look shiny and glossy just like you'd want.  Of the three this would be my top pick, for the money it just can't be beaten (although I wouldn't pay full price (£7) for it).

 

Finally, a recent edition to my collection, Kiko Gel Look Top Coat, this was sold to me as being the same finish as you'd get with a gel manicure cured under UV lights, never having had a gel manicure I can't really comment on how similar the finish is but what I can say is that this is another fast drying, ultra glossy look top coat which I really like.  The one issue I have had with it was that it tends to bubble slightly in the bottle meaning tiny bubbles can be carried onto your nails which then leave little holes and imperfections in the polish.  I've only had this issue when it's been a lot warmer, never at home in Scotland, so it's really only worth mentioning if you happen to live somewhere where heat may be an issue, not the UK then!  If you live in cooler climes then this one is definitely worth trying out.

 

I rarely experience shrinkage with any of these top coats, the worst offender is the Sally Hansen and even then it happens very, very rarely so it isn't something I would highlight as an issue at all with any of these top coats.  I also find they all work well over my stamping manicures and don't tend to drag the polish or smudge and smear my stampied images.  If I'm using them over stamping then I tend to apply a thicker layer and sort of float it over the whole nail rather than dragging the brush through the stamp too much, but even when I am less careful applying them I've never had much of an issue with them dragging or smearing my work.

 

With all of these top coats you can still dent or smear your polish, they aren't rock solid immediately but they dry fast enough that if you have to you can have 3 coats of polish and the top coat on and dry well within half an hour which for me is good enough.  I'm sure they are often dry sooner but 30 minutes is the minimum amount of time I tend to leave myself.

 

A good top coat will definitely make the difference but I still like to allow as long a time as possible to make sure my nails are properly set, for this reason I tend to paint my nails in the evening while watching TV so they get a good chance to set before I go to bed or have to go and do anything.

 

The major benefit for me with all these top coats is the shiny, glossy finish and the extended wear time of my polishes combined with knowing that if I did have to do my nails in a hurry I would have a good chance of getting out the door without them all being chipped within 5 minutes!

 

What top coats do you use?

New Boots No7 Voucher

I picked up a few bits and bobs in Boots today at lunchtime and was pleased to see when I collected my receipt that I had also been given a No7 voucher.  I LOVE the £5 vouchers that Boots regularly do for No7 and I spend a small fortune at the No7 counter, on things I normally wouldn't buy, while the voucher deal is on by justifying that I am saving loads!

In truth, if there were no vouchers there are very few No7 items I would pay full price for, I struggle to think of any actually.  I find the brand rather over-priced and would rather spend my money elsewhere generally.  Don't get me wrong, there are some No7 products I love, their fast drying topcoat for one and also their micro-dermabrasion exfoliator but neither of them are so good that I would pay more for them than I would for a similar product from another brand which is what happens if you purchase at full price.

Anyway, on to the point of this post!  Out pops my voucher along with my receipt and I think to myself; I'll head over to the No7 counter and see if they have any nice new nail colours since they've re-branded or those blushers I want, but then I noticed that the voucher is not the usual £5 voucher; it is in fact £5 off skincare (lucky for you micro-dermabrasion exfoliator) but only £3 off cosmetics (not so good for you topcoat and blusher).

 

Now, £3 off their cosmetics is not to be sniffed at if you are planning on buying something anyway but it doesn't put everything at the No7 counter down to the excellent prices it used to, meaning I can't help but spend my money there, so instead of doing what I normally do and buying something extra I left the store.

 

As a one off, my £2 spend on a nail colour isn't going to mean much to No7, or Boots on a whole, but on average when these vouchers have been on in the past I would say I spend a minimum of £20 each time, often a good deal more (usually a good deal more in fact, this time around for example as well as checking out the new nail varnish I also had my eye on 3 cream blushers, I wanted to try one of their new foundations through the new skin tone matching service they have just launched and I fancied a couple of their make up brushes).  

 

If you take into account the amount of times the vouchers are on each year and multiple my £20 minimum spend that's a fair bit of money for one person to hand over to an individual counter and I'm sure I'm not the only one who spends more on No7 when the vouchers are on than they would normally.  It'll be interesting to see if the new style vouchers are here to stay and I'd love to see the No7 sales figures now they've changed them, I've always thought they must be a great boost for the brand's sales when they're being given out.

 

So, in conclusion, my favourite thing about No7 has come to an end. :(  I loved getting a little extra treat of a nail varnish with my meal deal when the vouchers were on and would specifically shop in Boots more often just so I could do that but now they'll set me back £4 a time I think I'd rather spend my money on other brands, like Barry M for varnish or Topshop for the cream blushes, who I generally prefer and work out cheaper. 

 

So, is it just me who's sulking over the new style vouchers?  Am I looking a (£3) gift horse in the mouth by not using them?  What do you think about the new style of vouchers, will they have an effect on your spending habits?

 

No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator

I bought this product during a 3 for 2 promotion for No7 without having read or heard much about it, it seemed to get reasonable reviews on the Boots site, I was after a new exfoliator and I'd heard a lot of good things about various microdermabrasion products so I decided to give it a go.  It's normally £11 for 75ml but I bought mine while there was a 3 for 2 on and then repurchased with a £5 off voucher so it's easy enough to get at a very reasonable price.

I've never tried any of the No7 skin care range before and I have to say I wasn't expecting too much from it but I was very pleasantly surprised.  It leaves my skin feeling wonderfully smooth and really well cleansed and it seems to be helping to keep breakouts to a minimum too.  The only downside is that I want to use it more than the recommended twice a week!

It's a very simple to use product, you simply massage it into your skin for a minute or two and then rinse off.  While it's on the skin you can feel it working in that it has a very fine grainy texture and does feel like it's exfoliating your face as you massage it in, however it doesn't feel harsh or full of big lumps like a lot of exfoliators can.  I get mild tingling occasionally when using it but nothing severe.

The best recommendation that I can give this product is that despite the fact I bought it without having high hopes it has become a bathroom staple for me over the last few months and I reach for it over several other, pricier, microdermabrasion products I have in my bathroom cabinet and I've repurchased a second tube before the first runs out.

If you're after an exfoliator that is both gentle and effective and you don't have a massive budget then I would definitely to give this No7 one a try.

No7 Nail Glitter Top Coats

Yesterday, again thanks to the Boots No7 £5 vouchers, I picked up the two new glitter top coats from No7.  They're part of the new, limited edition summer collection for 2012.

I'm looking forward to trying these two out, I think they'll be perfect for jelly sandwiches!

They seem to have the new version of the No7 brush which is good, it's thicker than the old version and I find it great for coverage on my nails.



No7 Poppy King Lip Crayon - Raindrops Collection (Smiling & Skipping)

As suspected, the lure of a 3 for 2 and the No7 £5 off voucher was too much, I had to go back for the other 2 Crayons in the Raindrops collection.  You can see my first post on them here.

This time I picked up Smiling and Skipping; a bright, blue based red and a very sheer berry colour. Skipping is definitely the least pigmented from the collection and leaves just a hint of subtle colour on the lips whereas Smiling is as punchy and bright as the previous 3 I've tried.

Not much more to say on these other than to echo what I said in my last post about them.  I really like the texture and wear of the Crayons and after having tried them out some more over the weekend I am really pleased with them, they're very wearable colours, look great on the lips and last surprisingly well for this sort of product.

Finally, here are a couple of swatches of my two newest editions:

No7 Poppy King Lip Crayon - Raindrops Collection (Singing, Dancing & Playing)

I seem to be utterly obsessed with buying lip products at the moment.  The Poppy King Lip Crayons for No7 are the latest thing to be added to my collection.

Previously I purchased some Stila Lip Glaze Sticks as I liked the idea of a lip gloss in pencil form, unfortunately I never really got much wear out of them as I found them too sheer and, more annoyingly, very glittery.  I am really not a fan of glitter on my lips and the Stila version has glitter through pretty much every colour.

So, when I saw the No7 versions, which looked a lot more glitter free, I decided to give them a try.  I almost picked them up on Tuesday but decided to hold off as I was sure we must be due another £5 No7 voucher soon, and I was right, I went back in yesterday and, not only were the £5 off No7 vouchers back on, it's 3 for 2 on No7 too.  So I bagged three of the Lip Crayons for £18!

I chose Singing, Dancing and Playing (although I am very tempted to go back for the other 2).  Singing is a bright fuchsia leaning pink, Dancing is a more subtle pink shade and Playing is a peachy coral.  All three colours I have are lovely and very wearable.

The Lip Crayons feel great on, they're pretty long lasting and non sticky.  Although you can feel them on your lips they are not annoying and feel nice and light.  They have quite a high end feel to them, as they should retailing at £11.50 each, and I was pleasantly surprised at the length of time they lasted on my lips - longer than the Rouge Caresse lipsticks I have been wearing a lot lately.

They also appear to have a slight staining effect so even once the more obvious glossy colour has worn off you are left with a tint to your lips which I rather like, it prolongs the wear and makes them feel more practical than something like the Stila Lip Glaze Sticks which disappeared in a matter of minutes leaving only sharp glitter behind.

One slight downside to the Lip Crayons is that they seem rather soft, especially when warm, Playing's tip broke / got very smooshed as soon as I tested it after getting it back from Boots and I wasn't particularly rough with it.  This may be in part due to them having been stored under the hot lights in store, it remains to be seen I they behave better out and about.

I love that there is a sharpener included in the cap of each pencil, another downside of my Stila Glazes was that you had to carry a sharpener with you if you were going to be topping up your lips during the day.  With the Poppy King Crayons you simply use the lid of the pencil to sharpen them, so handy!

The sharpener is covered by a lid so won't catch on anything in your make up bag or leave product over everything else, this is definitely a huge bonus with these Crayons.

I am really pleased with the Lip Crayons, enough to be considering going back in to buy the other two colours very soon, however, the chances of me paying £11.50 for one is slim. 

That seems to be the case with almost all No7 products I have tried.  I love their quick dry top coat and nail varnishes but I would never pay £7 for them which means that all my No7 purchases happen during the £5 off voucher offers.  I know a lot of people are the same and I'm also sure No7 are aware of this, I'd love to see the leap in their sales figure when the vouchers come out, I bet it's substantial!

I'll leave you with a final couple of (bad, must get a decent camera) photos.