Micellar Water?

Hola Dalimoos,

Before I go on with the post I need to make it clear that this post is my own opinion and I am by no means an expert in the field and I am only writing as I see things...

So I, like practically everyone in the beauty community loves the Micellar water. I bought into the whole hype of the Bioderma and finding its cheaper dupe. 

L'Oreal brought theirs out first and I really liked it. People moaned about wastage but personally if you put the cotton wool on the opening before you turn the bottle there is no wastage - simples!!!

Then Garnier brought theirs out and there was a frenzy for this, I read reviews saying it was better than L'Oreal and it was the closest dupe to Bioderma!  I was a bit like meh...I wasn't too sure they both worked pretty much the same in my opinion.

So this got me thinking, which one has the most ingredients closest to Bioderma and to my surprise both L'Oreal and Garnier have what looks like EXACTLY the same ingredients and the ingredients are pretty different to Bioderma - Bioderma having a higher grade of ingredient obviously!

L'Oreal Micellar Water

Garnier Micellar Water

Bioderma 

Bioderma 

As I see it, these are both the same product.  

This revelation has me thinking about blogging in general and how we conduct our reviews and all that jazz!  (This is by no means a bashing session to anyone - I am looking at myself when I say this) I wonder do any of us actually do proper research before we say a product is the next best thing or a perfect dupe for something?  Should we, when reviewing something, really be using a product a while or even fully research the product before we can give an opinion on it?  *shrug* oh I don't know...

Anyway that aside and getting back to the point of the post.  In my opinion the only thing that makes Garnier a dupe to Bioderma is the shape of the bottle.  Both L'Oreal and Garnier are very good cheaper alternatives for the Bioderma and I would say buy whichever one is on offer at the time as they both work!

Anyway my lovelies...what's your take on what I posted today.  I would really like to hear your thoughts.

Until next time

Ciao for now xxx

Sensationail Starter Kit

Hola Dalimoos,

As you know I am an avid nail polish fiend and my biggest bugbear is nail varnish chips and for some reason nail varnish chips so easily on me.  I know it doesn't help with the constant washing of hands and an active "home life" but to chip within an hour of painting gets to me.  The thing is I absolutely love doing my nails I just wish I could appreciate my efforts for longer!

So when just before Christmas the Sensationail Starter Kit was Boots' star buy I had to have it.  I got my other half to buy it for me for Christmas.  Now obviously I had to wait until Christmas to get it!

I got the sugar plum starter kit.  The kit came with:

• Two nail polishes:  Sugar Plum and Tag me Taupe
• Gel Cleanser
• Gel primer
• Gel base & top coat
• 1 pack of 12 lint-free wipes
• double sided nail buffer
• manicure stick
• removal tool
• LED lamp 
• £3 off voucher towards a new nail polish.

On Christmas morning I opened the box and started straight away.  It came with easy to read instructions including pictures so there was no going wrong!  I decided to stay festive and use the Sugar Plum nail polish which was a pinky/purple red colour.

It was so easy it seemed like I was doing something wrong.  My nails were completely done and dry within I would say 5 minutes.

The day after boxing day I decided I wanted to add to the "collection" and bought Blue Yonder and I used my £3 off voucher.

 I didn't leave the Sugar Plum on long enough to test out the longevity of it as I was over excited!  So I removed the Sugar Plum and painted my nails with Blue Yonder.

A week exactly worth of growth

The following Friday speaking with someone on twitter I tweeted them the above picture showing them that it had held up brilliantly after a whole week.  Not a chip in sight.  It didn't even dawn on me until that conversation how well it had held up.

On Saturday I decided to change up the colour again.  The slight nail growth showing at the top and started to bother me.

Below I will show you how I got the varnish off and how I used the lamp:

I first used the double sided nail file to file the top layer of gel off my nails, this makes it easier for the remover to work its magic.

Sensationail do a removal kit which I haven't purchased (yet!) and decided to do a bit of a DIY foil removal.  I put acetone nail polish remover on a cotton pad and put the pad over my nail and then wrapped it in foil.  I left it for about 5-10 minutes and then used the removal tool to peel the varnish away from the nails.  I had to scrap a little bit but I don't know if that is the remover I was using or whether I hadn't left it on long enough.

(sorry forgot to photograph then next couple of instructions)

I lightly buffed my natural nail with the softer side of the file and then washed my hands.  I used a lint-free cloth with some gel cleanser on it to clean my nails.

I apply a coat of the gel primer and you need to leave this to air-dry (not sure why!).  Once this has dried you apply your first coat of gel top coat and cure it under the lamp for 30 seconds.

You then apply your first coat of your colour.  I decided to use the other colour in my kit and that was taupe tulips.  You cure this for 60 seconds.  Then apply a second coat of the polish and cure for another 60 seconds.  NB:  What I like about this lamp is after 30 seconds it beeps and you can do your other hand after 60 seconds the lamp turns off completely.

Then you need to protect the nail by using another layer of the base/top coat and cure your nails for the last 30 seconds.

Once you have done this you have one final step to do and that is use some more gel cleanser to wipe over your nails (I used the same lint-free cloth) to remove any moisture layer and tada your nails are done and dry as a bone!

finished nails

The biggest tip I can give to you when doing your nails is less is more.  You really need to be careful about putting too much product on as you don't want to get it on your skin or over your cuticles as it sets rock hard and you cannot pick it off no matter how much you try!

The only negative thing I can say are the prices for the individual nail polishes.  Boots are selling them for £15. However you can get them direct from Sensationails' website for £12.50.  I am gutted I have just found out about the polishes being cheaper on the website because I bought Blue Yonder from boots, I know I got the £3 off but still how can you sell it for a higher price?? But worse still if you are in the US you can buy the nail polishes for a mere $10 which makes it roughly £6 a bottle!  I did have a rant on twitter about the cost difference in the US to the UK and they did tweet back explaining that import costs, custom fees and VAT hikes the prices up so I suppose they're not really able to keep it at the price of their US counterparts!

That little rant aside, I absolutely love this product and have been looking at their website for some new colours.  They have a deal at the moment that you can get 12 polishes for the price of 8 (£100) which works out about £8 a bottle which is personally  more affordable, it is just paying the £100 up front...I don't know what to do.  Should I or Shouldn't I buy some more colours.....oh what to do?!

The starter kit is now full price (£69).  You can still get them from Boots or direct from the Sensationail website.

 Anyway my lovelies, until next time.

Ciao for now xxx

Laura Mercier Portable Palette

Hola Dalimoos

I decided not to do a "what a got for Christmas post" but you will see most of what I got for Christmas in upcoming posts anyway.  Let's get started with the first one...

One of my pressies this year was the Christmas Limited Edition Laura Mercier Portable Palette for eyes, Cheeks & Lips in Natural Nudes.

(L-R) Buttercream – Matte, Rosewood – Luster

Cocoa Brown – Sateen, (Tightline Cake Eye Liner) -

Chocolate Brown

Matte Bronze, Sweet Mandarin (blush)  and
Lip Glacé in Sweetheart

This is my first ever Laura Mercier make up product and I am not disappointed.  The shadows are pretty pigmented and give a really nice neutral eye look.  I haven't used the tightliner shadow yet as my eyes have been really sore recently and I cannot put anything on my upper or bottom tightline.

The bronzer is matte with no sparkle or shimmer so I have been using it more as a contour than a bronzer.  The blush is a peachy colour with little sparkle going through it.  It gives a nice natural flush of colour nothing too heavy and for an everyday look it does the job really well.  I haven't used the lip gloss as I am not that into lip gloss, but swatching it on my hand it is a muted pink colour, which I think would be pretty sheer when put on the lips.

 Is there anyone
out there that can teach me the
art of selfies? *awkward face*

I like that you have everything for your face in one small palette so it is perfect for travel and it has everything you need to complete your look without having to have so many extras!

Trying this I now want to try other Laura Mercier make up products.  What is your favourite?  What could you recommend to a newbie like myself?

Anyway my lovelies, until next time

Ciao for now xxx

Babyliss Curl Secret

Hola Dalimoos,

If you could look in my hair tool drawer you would be disgusted with how many different apparatus' I own that all do the same job!  But I am a sucker and when Babyliss released the Curl Secret.  I just knew it was something that was right up my alley, so for my birthday in October I asked for it.

Ok it does seem a bit gimmicky...you put a strand of hair in, it sucks it up and "tada" you have a perfectly formed curl!  But if you are someone that is useless at curling your hair with your average tongs or using heated curlers then this is the thing for you.

The instructions say that it should not be used for really long hair (hair no longer than your bust).  My hair is just on top of my shoulder so would say it is more on the short side than long.  The effect on me isn't really a curl but a wave, which I like but for this post I wanted to show you the effect on longer hair.  I used my daughter for this and as you can see her hair is at her shoulder blades.

It comes with 2 heat settings and 3 timer settings which gives you different tightness of curls.  For me I use the hottest heat setting and the longest timer setting but when I used this on my daughter I used the lowest heat and number 2 timer setting.

Once I had finished I waited for the hair to cool and then with my finger tips shook the hair as my daughter wanted a loose wave.  I really loved how it had turned out.

There are a couple of negative points for me and that is:

1.  The curl secret has taken some time to get used to because of having to keep the same side facing your head at all times so going round your head proves pretty tricky.  However, using it on my daughter was so much easier! 

2.  It is pretty pricey at £120 even though now I have used it I would say it is worth it, but to be honest it is easy for me to say that now as it was bought for me as a present for my birthday!

However, if you can look past my two negatives this is a pretty great piece of apparatus and it is one I have used continuously since getting it and if you can afford to get one or you have a birthday coming up then get it, you won't be disappointed!

Anyway my lovelies, until next time 

Ciao for now xxx

L'oreal Revita Lift Laser Renew Serum

Hola Dalimoos,

I recently bought L'Oreal Revitalift Laser Renew facial serum whilst it was on offer in Boots as I do love serums, they are a great to use before your moisturiser for added hydration and especially now I am in my 30s!

It is a pearliscent creamy gel and one pump is more than enough to do your whole face.  It is sinks in beautifully and leaves your face feels so soft after, if you don't have seriously dry face I say you could possibly get away with actually using this as a moisturiser too - 2 in 1!  

I really love this product and even though it is expensive to buy when it is not on offer I would purchase it again.

Anyway my lovelies...until next time

Ciao for now xx

No 7 Beautiful Skin Hydrating mask

Hola Dalimoos,

As most of you are aware I have been using Roaccutane for the last six months (yes I am in the process of doing a blog post!) and my skin has been extremely dry.  I had a voucher for £5 off for any No7 skincare/make up product so thought I would use that and this caught my eye and as I need real moisture put into my skin these days I thought I would try it.

It is whipped with cream and a gel but when it is pumped it is mixed to a pale/creamy coloured cream.  

Once you have cleansed and dried your face you apply a thick layer all over your face and leave it for up to 10 minutes.  It starts to sink in then once your time is up you wipe it off with some tissue or cotton wool and then rinse the excess.

When I first put this on to my face it tingles but that passes after 30 seconds or so.

It does sink in pretty well with only a little excess.  I personally find that even once you have rinsed and dried your face I feel I have a residue left on my face but my face does feel soft and moisturised.

I don't love this product but I do like it.  It does what it says but its the feeling of film on my face that actually puts me off.  I still use it once a week as I do not like to waste product if I can help it!

You can buy this for £12.50 from Boots

Anyway my lovelies, until next time

Ciao for now xx

10 under £10

Hola Dalimoos,

So there is a tag people are doing on Youtube of 10 make up pieces for under £10 each.  As I don't do Youtube I thought I would translate this to a blog post.  I have also decided to stick with the products I have started using day to day.

1. Foundation:

So to start off you need a base.

I am not your full coverage type of person on a day to day basis and rarely wear foundation.  For the purpose of this post I thought I should really look out for a foundation as most people do wear foundation on a daily basis.

So I found the new kid on the block:  L'Oreal Nude Magique Eau de Teint.  It is being advertised as "lighter than water" and your perfect nude.

I have to say I am surprised how much I like this foundation.  It is very light and you do not feel like you are wearing foundation at all.  You apply it like you would perfume, shaking the bottle and putting a small bit on your finger and blending into your face.  It sinks in completely and just evens your skin tone out nicely.  If you like full coverage foundations then this is not the foundation for you.   This has converted me to wearing foundation everyday as it is so light.  I love this stuff.

You can buy this from Boots £9.99.

2. Concealer:

There is only one concealer that I would recommend and this is the one that I have been using for such a long time and repurchase it time and time again and that is the Collection Lasting Perfection.  

This is such a great concealer and is full coverage and lasts ages.

You can buy it from superdrug for £4.19

3. Dark Circles  

I have been using Seventeen Phwoarr in both fair and medium to conceal dark under eyes.  I recently did a review *here* and would highly recommend.

You can get these from Boots £5.49

4. Highlighting

To compliment the concealing with the Phwoarr you could also use a highlight pen like L'Oreal Lumi Magique, this helps brighten the eyes further but you could also use this for your brow bone and cupids bow or any other places you like to highlight.

You can buy this from Boots - £8.49

5. Finishing Powder:

To set your concealer and foundation try Maybelline Fit Me Powder Flawless.  This is a very fine powder and does not apply powdery and gives extra coverage if needed.  I find I do not need to retouch when I am using this.  Great for the price.

You can buy this from Boots - £5.99

6. Blusher:

I didn't know whether to choose a powder or a cream blush as personally I have never really been one for cream blush that was until I tried this one and completely feel in love with it.  This is the Bourjois Blush Exclusif, this blush is a cream to powder blush and sells itself as containing a self-reacting PH reactive pigment which means the blush is individual to each person as it gives a personalised pink colour depending on your PH.  I use my Real Technique stippling brush to apply.  It really is a wonder product.  It gives me the right amount of flush and I find that it changes shade depending on my body temperature throughout the day.  Love it!!

you can buy this from Superdrug: £7.99

7. Bronzer

I felt there could really only be one bronzer for this post and that was the Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder.  This has tiny flecks of gold but it is still pretty matte and I use this as contour too.  It is packaged as chocolate bar and smells of chocolate too.

You can buy from boots for £6.99

8. Eyes

Whilst making my list of things I wanted to talk about  I was torn again between powder or cream and this eyeshadow won hands down.  Maybelline 24 hr color tattoos in on and on bronze for me is a great day to day eyeshadow one sweep over your eyes and your done or you can use it as a base for a more deeper night look.  They do not crease on me and last all day.  Definitely worth the price tag!

You can buy from: Boots for £4.99

9. Mascara

When it come to mascaras I like/have so many it was hard to choose.  I decided to go with one I have repurchased on more than one occasion.  This is the MaxFactor eye brightening mascara and the one I use is the blue eye version.  This mascara separates the lashes really nice and adds some length.  It doesn't really add volume but that is ok for day to day!  It is supposed to make your eyes stand out.  I am not sure it does but I do like how my lashes/eyes look when I have this mascara on.

You can buy it from: Superdrug £6.99

10. Lip product

Last but not least is the lips!  I decided to go with a product that is easy to use and there is no faffing around with and you could apply it on the go with no mirror.  This is the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable in Lovesick.  These are creamy like a balm with a great colour pay off.

You can buy this from: Superdrug for £7.99  

So this is my 10 under £10.  I hope you like my take on it.

Until next time

Ciao for now xx

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint

Hola Dalimoo's,

On one of my recent online shops with Superdrug I came across these eye concealers from Seventeen.

Being a mum of a 2 year old and a 6 year old and having a full time job you.  You can imagine how busy life can be and there are a lot of late nights or interrupted sleep so I have trouble with dark circles and puffiness!  

I have been using  Pixi Eye Brightener for a really long time and I am extremely happy with it but you know me - like many of you - I can't help but try new things, you never know what you wonder product you may find.

Left:  Fair
Right: Medium

These concealers are quite thick consistency and are pretty full coverage.  I use the smallest amount and work it under my eye and on my lids.  I have both the fair and medium shades.  I use fair to brighten my under eye and lid and then use the medium to make my eyes look more like my skin tone! 

I do use fingers but I prefer using the real techniques dome shadow brush it is the perfect size and shape.

These concealers are really great and I am finding that I am gravitating towards this more than my pixi and loving the results it is giving me.  I have not personally found any creasing or cakeyness but I do only use the smallest amount as it goes a long way.

Just to make it clear this product is great for disguising the darkness but does nothing for the puffiness but that is just another battle for me to fight!!!

Anyway my lovelies I would highly recommend this for your dark circles I really think they work.

Until next time

Ciao for now x

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil

Hola Dalimoos,

Recently on yet another trip to Superdrug I came across the new L'Oreal cleansing oil.  I am using their micellar water and love it so thought I would pick this up and give it a try too.

It did not disappoint!  This is however my first ever cleansing oil I have ever tried as I have always been worried about a film being left on my face.

You put two/three pumps in to your hand and massage it into your dry face, once you have finished massaging you just need to rinse it off.

What I like about this, is when it comes into contact with water it turns it to a milky substance so it feels like I am using a face wash.  It doesn't leave any residue nor shine and my face feels really clean.

I still use my micellar water in the evening before my balm cleanser, so I have incorporated this in my morning routine substituting my face wash and it seems to be working really well at the moment.

If you are looking for a new morning cleanser or even an evening cleanser I would definitely recommend this.  I would even suggest it would work for oily skin types as it does not leave a residue or oily substance on your skin after using it.

Anyway until the next time my lovelies,

Ciao for now xxx

L'Oreal 3 in 2 purifying Micellar Solution

Hola Dalimoos,

As the title suggests this is a post on the new Micellar water by L'Oreal.  This has been pipped as a dupe for the Bioderma Crealine but I haven't had the opportunity to try this so I cannot say if I think it is or not.

I bought this back in August and have been using it every day since.  I have nothing negative to say about this product, it really does work.  Admittedly I haven't used another Micellar solution so cannot compare it against anything else but if I compare it to the other make up removers I have used then this wins hands down.

When using this I normally use two cotton pads for my eyes, placing them on my eye for around 20 seconds then wipe the mascara away.  I normally wipe my eyes gently about 2/3 times and that is all the eye make up gone, even waterproof mascara.  I then use a cotton pad for the rest of my face.  It removes all traces of make up but I do use a balm as my second cleanse after (only because you should always double cleanse to really deep clean your face!).

You can this from both Boots and Superdrug for £4.99.  They both have offers on at the moment too which is always good!

Anyway my lovelies,

Until next time, ciao for now xx