Nivea Lip Butters

 

These are my current lip obsession, creamy smooth lip butters in three lovely flavours.  I can't decide if the Raspberry Rose, a soft fruity scent, or the Caramel Cream, a warm biscuity scent, is my favourite.  The Vanilla and Macadamia is also lovely although a little plainer than the other two, in my opinion, I don't want to eat it quite as much as the other two.  ;)

 

As well as smelling utterly delicious these apply nicely and keep my lips really well moisturised, I've been keeping one on my dressing table, one in my handbag and the third on my desk so I can apply a little whenever I need it.

 

The lip butters are £2.25 or 2 for £3 in Superdrug at the moment.

Superdrug - Vitamin E - Hot Cloth Cleanser

I've talked about my love of hot cloth cleansers before and I've been using a few recently including the original (and in my opinion best) Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, the original version of this stuff is pretty much my favourite hot cloth cleanser and on my Christmas list for this year.  I've also tried, and blogged about, Superdrug's Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser and Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser. 

I've read quite a bit online about Superdrug's Vitamin E version so I decided to pick it up and give it a go while I wait for my new batch of C&P to arrive at Christmas.

 

Here's how it looks in it's box:

 

 

As well as the cleanser itself you also get a muslin cloth for wiping it off with.  All these hot cloth cleansers work in a similar way; you apply them to your skin, rub them in a bit and then wipe off with a muslin cloth soaked in warm water.

 

The Vitamin E version is a nice thick luxurious feeling cream cleanser and smells absolutely amazing which wins points with me straight out the box.

 

It feels lovely on my skin too, rich and thick and smooth and it's super easy to massage all round your face.  After using it my skin felt good, smooth and moisturised and not at all irritated and the smell really is gorgeous.

 

I'm pleased with how this product works, it seemed to make short work of my make up and feels lovely on my skin.  Given the choice I think I would still plump for the Liz Earle version if I had to stick to one but from first impressions I think I'll be happy and enjoy using this budget version until Santa delivers it.

 

 

 

Superdrug Simply Pure Aqua Hydrating Range

Recently I've been feeling like my skin is a bit out of sorts, it seems to be really dry and lacking in moisture so I took to the internet to see what sort of thing I should be picking up in the way of a moisturiser to try and sort it out.  One of my friends pointed me in the direction of a Sali Hughes article about dehydrated skin and to my surprise it described my current issues pretty much  exactly!

"Dehydrated skin can be tight, flaky and sore; it isn't lacking in oil, though, as dry skin is, but in water... If you have lots of very fine, almost crepey lines (as opposed to deep wrinkles), and you're prone to a dull complexion that's temporarily plumped, pink and healthy-looking when you emerge from the shower, and you break out when you treat your skin with rich, dry-skin moisturiser, then you probably have dehydrated skin."

 

So I decided to have a hunt for something specifically for dehydrated skin rather than a product which might be too oily and heavy for my skin.  The same friend suggested I try out a new range from Superdrug which is specially for dehydrated skin.

 

Lucky for me it was on a 'better than half price' offer so I managed to pick up the whole range; day cream, night cream, serum and eye gel, for under  £10 (£9.12 to be exact) which I think is a pretty good price for trying out a whole range of products.

 

So far I have only been using them for a few days but I can see a difference already.  I'm applying the serum and day cream in the morning and then mixing the night cream with some Trilogy Rosehip oil at night for a more intense moisturise and it seems to be paying off.

 

My skin is far from perfect but it definitely feels plumper and less sore after just a few days of use so I have fairly high hopes for my budget solution.  The creams are both lovely to apply and sink in quickly, neither them nor the serum feel greasy or too heavy and they all leave my skin feeling moistusised and much less stretched and sore.

 

My one negative is that the range is unscented, which I hate in a face product, I like to smell herbs and botanicals and suchlike as I apply my face products and I do miss that with this range but if it's working then it's a small price to pay!

 

Highlighter Pink

I was so taken with my highlighter yellow nails from the other day I couldn't help but continue the theme, this time using two pink polishes from Barry M.  Both are from the Limited Edition collection released for summer 2013, the darker pink is the Boots LE and the lighter one I used as an accent nail is from Superdrug. they're both still available now.

Both colours are two coats over a white base, with an accent stamp done in Pomegranate from the Barry m Gelly Hi-Shine range.

Although I like both shades, the darker of the two is definitely the winner for me, it is so bright and neon, perfect for summer, in fact I think I am going to do my toes in it tonight.



Barry M Limited Edition Summer Neons

Every so often (usually twice a year once in winter and once in summer) Barry M launch a Limited Edition range of colours which are available in either Boots or Superdrug.  Generally, as is the case this time, the Superdrug polishes are free gifts if you spend a certain amount (over £6) whereas the Boots ones can be bought on their own. 

 

This summer they have launched 4 neon colours for summer, all of which I picked up.  Superdrug has a light pink and a green (on the left) and Boots has a yellow and a deeper pink (on the right). 

 

 

Since I was buying the new Gellys anyway I picked up the Superdrug colours with them and then used my Boots points to grab the other two, guilt free.  The two pinks are similar, but not the same as you can see from the comparison swatch below

 

 

Here are some quick dot swatches of the colours along with the new Gelly Hi Shines I posted about yesterday.  The LE neons are in the top row.

 

These polishes seem quite sheer, as a lot of neons are, so I am thinking about layering them over a white polish to make them not only opaque but hopefully brighter too.  Look out for swatches coming soon.

 

 

 

MUA All Nude

I am hunting high and low for a cream polish, which one would think would be relatively easy to find, but it seems not.  Today I have probably the closest contender to what I am looking for so far and for the bargain price of £1 from Superdrug's MUA range.

 

The bottles have been redesigned recently and look a bit like mini Essie bottles which is quite cute, and they're still just £1 each so very easy on the pocket.

 

Here's All Nude

 

As you can see it's an off white cream colour.  I really like the crisp bright look it gives and it looks like it will be an ideal base for stamping over, it's also lacking in the pink colour that seems to feature in most pale nude shades I've found, which is a good thing, in my view.

 

Unfortunately, it has one of the worse formulas I have used in some time, this is 4 coats, the first one split and streaked and barely covered at all, it was like I had oil on my nails!  After 4 coats it does even out and look pretty lovely but it's definitely not one for a quick manicure!

2True Glitterati Limited Edition Nail Polish

I picked these three polishes up in Superdrug the other day, the 2True cosmetics are always 3 for £5 which was a deal I couldn't resist when I saw these glittery bottles, you can also buy them individually for £1.99 each.

They are imaginatively names Shade 4, Shade 5 and Shade 6.

I've seen this range before when Claire posted about them, and having tried out Shades 4 through 6 I am pretty sad I didn't manage to grab 1, 2 and 3 when they were avaliable.  Unfortunately by the time I checked Superdrug they had all sold out.

Still, I'm pleased with the three I did get and so I couldn't wait to try one out.  I went with Shade 6, the pink, which I absolutely love, unfortunately it is impossible to photograph well becasue it is so sparkly and reflective.

In person it looks much more pink and foily rather than the individual pieces of glitter standing out the way they do in these photos.

I was expecting this polish to be really sheer so I layered it over a pink base of Kiko 377, then I added two coats of the glitter, in reality I think three coats without the base colour would have been fine too because the polish is not as sheer as I thought it would be.

The glitter is really packed into the bottle which means that it's easy to get a good amount onto your nails for full bling effect.  I really like this polish and for £1.99 (or 3 for £5) I'd say it's a great deal and well worth picking up.

Superdrug Conditioning Cuticle Oil Pen with Vitamin E

I added this to my recent Superdrug order of In Vogue Feather Effect polishes (which you can see here) on a whim.  While I was Googling for more info on the polish I found various links to a budget beauty item which had been recommended in Vogue.  I figured that at £2.99 for 7ml of cuticle oil and a nifty little applicator it wouldn't do any harm to try it out

 

 

The pen features a screw off lid, on the top of the lid is a textured hoof stick for using to push back your cuticles after you've applied the oil.

 

Once you screw off the lid you reveal the brush which is used to apply the oil to your nails.  A gentle squeeze of the tube fills up the brush and then it's just a case of brushing it around each nail bed and cuticle.  Once your done the lid screws back on to stop any messy escape of the oil.

 

The oil has a nice light texture to it and applies well with the little brush.  There is a soft, subtle scent to it which I can't quite place, maybe slightly almondy?  It's very inoffensive anyway.

 

Initial results seem good, the oil sinks in fast and isn't too greasy on my hands, time will tell whether it's a wonder product but for £2.99 it's a handy little item to have on my desk (I also have one beside my bed and I'm considering a third for my handbag) so I'm pretty pleased by my purchase.

In Vogue Feather Effect Swatches

I have been so excited to get my hands on these, first posted about here, so when they arrived I had to immediately try them all out at once, after quickly taking a bottle shot. 

The colours are (from left to right) Parakeet, Sunset, On the money and Jaye Bird; you can see some comparison bottle shots  beside their Nails Inc cousins here.

Up close shot of some sample swatches I did before I got home and tried them out on my nails, I think this picture shows the colours of the bar glitter really well.

Now some pictures of them on the nail, I love how these polishes look!

From top to bottom; Parakeet, Jaye Bird, On the money and Sunset. 

All the feather effects are two coats over a base colour of Barry M Blue Moon.

I was so pleased with the way the feather effect polishes applied, the glitter is thick and dense in the clear base which means that the polish is almost totally opaque in just two coats and really covers the base shade I used.  The polish applies beautifully, it's really easy to move it about on the nail to get an even coverage, much less faff than a lot of glitter top coats I own!

Now for some close ups to properly show the beautiful colours of the bar glitter in these polishes.  First up Parakeet.

Jaye Bird.

On the Money.

And finally, Sunset.

As you can see (in the last close up shot) there are odd pieces of glitter which do very slightly overhang the nail edge leaving a bit of a rough effect, I didn't find it a huge issue and it's definitely something you could avoid with careful application.  For the odd pieces of glitter which did end up overhanging my nail edge I found it easy enough to remove with a quick file.

The polish dries to a slightly rough texture which might not suit everyone but it's easily enough covered with an extra coat of top coat of you prefer a smooth finish.

The polish also dried surprisingly fast which was a pleasant surprise, often layering glitters can take forever to dry but these ones were touch dry within a few minutes.

Overall I am delighted with these polishes; I love how they look, I love how they apply and most of all I love that they are a fraction of the cost of the Nails Inc collection that they emulate.  A total win for In Vogue, I'll definitely be making sure to keep an eye on the polishes they release in the future, if this initial collection is anything to go by then they could very well be the next high street brand to look out for.

In Vogue Feather Effect Polishes, Nails Inc Feather dupes?

Recently I have been toying with the idea of ordering some of the Nails Inc Feather Effect polishes, they're clear polishes laden with different shades of bar glitter and they look really pretty, however, I am not a huge fan of the quality of  Nails Inc polish and at £11 each they were quite a big expense.

 

While I was wondering if W7 might produce a similar line, as they did with the Sprinkles from last year, my attention was drawn to the new line of In Vogue polishes which are now in stock at Superdrug online.  This new budget brand has a whole range of different finishes and to my delight one of those finishes was Feather Effects!

 

 

The best news?  They're only £3.49 each, which means that all 4 of them cost under £14, not much more than one of the Nails Inc versions! 

 

Here are a few comparison shots of the In Vogue polishes alongside the Nails Inc.  First up Nails Inc York vs In Vogue Sunset, these two look like exact dupes to me; a clear base filled with peach and white bar glitter.

 

 

Next up Nails Inc Cornwall and In Vogue Jaye Bird, again an exact dupe as far as I can tell; a clear base with royal blue and white bar glitter.

 

Then we have Nails Inc Brighton and In Vogue On the money (these both remind me of the rather cult-ish indie polish Floam, which is good because I've fancied it for a while), again a very close match dupe wise; this polish is another clear base this time with pale yellow and turquoise bar glitter.

 

 

Finally we have Nails In Chester and In Vogue Parakeet, again these two polishes are a good match so I would call 4 for 4 dupes, which is pretty good going; the final polish is also a clear base this time with turquoise, yellow and peach bar glitter through it.

There is a fifth polish in the Nails Inc Feather collection, Edinburgh, and so far there is no sign of a dupe for it, you can see it below; it's a combination of peach and pale blur bar glitter in a clear base.

 

 

Of the 4 polishes that In Vogue have included in their collection all 4 look VERY close to the Nails Inc polishes, great news for anyone like me who wanted to try out the Feathers look but couldn't quite stretch their budget to buying a full set at Nails Inc prices.

 

In Vogue polishes are available online from Superdrug now and due to hit the stores in 'mid March', so hopefully soon.  Obviously I couldn't wait until they appeared in store so I have ordered all 4 and should have them within the next few days, expect swatches as soon as I get my grubby mits on them.

 

Have you tried any of the In Vogue polishes yet?  Are there others I should try from their collection, let me know in the comments.

 

EDIT: You can now see swatches of all the polishes in the Feather Effects range by clicking HERE.

Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser

I picked this up in Superdrug recently, on offer at half price meaning it was only £2.99.  I'm looking for a budget replacement for my Cleanse and Polish and this has been touted online as one very budget friendly option.

 

The pack includes a muslin cloth to remove the cleanser with as well as the cleanser itself.

 

 

Initial signs are good; the cleanser is a nice thick, creamy consistency and smells great.  The cloth which comes with the pack seems very similar to the ones I have from Liz Earle and the general feel of the product is not too far from Cleanse and Polish at all.  After using it a few times I have found the cloth is quite a bit rougher than the LE ones I have, not necessarily a major down side but you can feel the difference in quality, the Superdrug cloth seems a little thinner and definitely slightly more scratchy on my face.

 

It certainly seems to do a good job of removing make up and cleansing my face, the one thing I did notice was that after I had used it my skin did feel a tiny bit tight and like I needed to put moisturiser on, often with Cleanse and Polish I almost forget to moisturise as my skin feels so nice and elastic right out of the shower.  That is really the main difference I have found with these products other than the slightly rougher cloth.

 

If money were no object would I swap to this from Cleanse and Polish?  Probably not, they're similar products with the Superdrug version being a tiny bit less brilliant for me whereas Cleanse and Polish really does tick all the boxes.  Is it a great budget beauty item that I will continue to use and might buy again?  Definitely, for the price this is a great cleanser and being reminded that you should apply a moisturiser after washing your face is no great downside, and it really does smell delicious.

 

So if you're in the market for a hot cloth cleanser and don't want to stretch to Liz Earle prices then this is a great little alternative to try out the technique and see if it's something you like.

MUA One Coat Fairy Dust Nails

 

I saw this little beauty on offer in Superdrug the other day and couldn't resist trying it out for just £1.50, the range is normally £3 each.  Unfortunately it couldn't do a worse job of living up to it's 'one coat' name!

 

 

Fairy Dust is a shimmery, silvery pink shade which is almost foil in appearance, it's pretty but the photos below show 3 coats, so not only is it not a one coat polish it takes an additional third coat on top of what most of my preferred polishes require!

 

Excuse the messy picture, we've had a leak in the flat and I have been quickly trying to grab a few photos right after painting my nails before I go and chip them and cause horrendous tip wear mopping up the kitchen which means that my clean up of the top coat has not been good, normal service will be resumed shortly, I hope!

 

In conclusion, this polish is pretty but definitely not a one coater, no way.  The bottle is fairly small and for £1.50 it is definitely not a bargain when you need to use so much each application.  I'm most disappointed becasue I was hoping to stamp with it and as you'll see in the next post it is most definitely NOT a polish for stamping with.

Barry M - Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint

When I saw the initial preview of these new polishes from Barry M I was very excited.  Then I went and looked at them in store and decided I didn't really need any of them, as pretty as they were the colours are nothing new and I have some very similar in my collection which can be given the same high gloss shine with a top coat, so I decided to pass. 

 

Then, while reading other blogs online, I came across several reviews of the Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paints saying that they were suitable for stamping and I was sold again.  When I went back into Superdrug there was an offer one which meant if you bought 2 Barry M products you got a free Special Effects polish so obviously I was sold, who can turn down free polish?

 

I picked up 6, although I like the other three polishes I already have a red which stamps well and the two lighter shades don't seem to be quite so suitable for stamping with, so here's what I got:

 

Blackberry GNP 1, Blue Plum GNP 2, Watermelon GNP 3, Satsuma GNP 7, Grapefruit GNP 8, Pomegranate GNP 9

 

 

 

 

I chose, in order from left to right in the top two photos:

 

Blackberry - GNP 1

Blue Plum - GNP 2

Watermelon - GNP 3

Satsuma - GNP 7

Grapefruit - GNP 8

Pomegranate - GNP 9

 

I can't wait to try these out, if they do stamp as well as I hope then it'll mean I have lots of lovely new cream colours in my collection to stamp with, keep your eyes peeled for a stamping post testing them out very soon!  Edit: VERY soon in fact, after trying these polishes out with a stamping plate I had to post my, very favourable, results.

 

Along with the Gelly Hi Shine I got 3 free Special Effects polishes, Croc Effects in black (323) and Burgandy (343):

 

 

And a new, Limited Edition, Web Effects which I did a short post on here.

 

 

As soon as I track down an extra 3 or 4 hands I'll get a chance to test them all out!  Have you grabbed any of the new Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polishes yet, or taken advantage of Superdrug's free Special Effects offer?