Review: Boots 17 Nail Polishes

Okay, first of all I just want to point out I am not a beauty blogger - I love makeup and cosmetics as a part of fashion and a quick, cheap way to work the latest colour trends, but I am hardly knowledgeable about the best brands or anything technical like that. I have not done many reviews, but after finally painting my nails yesterday I have a few things to say about my latest polishes.

 

 Boots 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Juicy & Glisten.

These are two new shades that caught my eye as I was browsing in Boots a few weeks ago, and since the range is so reasonably priced I snapped them up. At first glance I love the colours - they are very light, natural, almost plant-like hues that put me in mind of spring flowers, and the hint of sparkle in them is gorgeous.

Upon application I have to admit I was more than a little disappointed. Of course, with such light shades I wasn't expecting a single coat application, but still. Admittedly, Glisten wasn't too bad - the colour you see on my nails only took two coats. However, Juicy was pretty awkward to apply because the consistency seemed too blobby and thick, it didn't glide on in an even coat and tended to sit unevenly on my nails which meant I had to apply three coats at least to get the colour consistent.

The final finish of the polishes with a layer of topcoat is actually pretty good. I am a real fan of Glisten because it is quite a subtly pretty shade, and the gold shimmer is gorgeous in the light. While I do like the colour of Juicy because it is a very fresh light green, after such an uneven application I find it has an equally uneven finish, which is frustrating.. They both seem pretty chip-resistant too, which is definitely a plus.

So all in all, I think you get what you pay for. If you want a quick colour update then these polishes might just be the answer for you, and check out the rest of the range because there are some gorgeous shades out there by Boots 17! I certainly don't regret buying them, even if they only last the season. But if a tricky application would irritate you, it is probably worth investing in some higher quality polishes.

Love and kisses, Tara xox

Beauty Review: Cupcake Face Mask.

Today I decided to attempt my first proper beauty review, since I tried a totally new product and thought it would be fun to post what I thought. Now, I'm no practiced beauty blogger so just bear with me while I give it a bash!

As suggested by the title, for my first stab at the whole reviewing malarky I have chosen to road test the Cupcake Face Mask by LUSH. Lush are unashamedly one of my favourite purveyors of cosmetic/beauty/smelly stuff and I have been known to go into the shop simply to smell the new products. It was of course one of the stops on the Christmas shop, even if all I bought in the end was this gorgeous face mask for myself! I lingered around said face masks forever trying to decide which one to pick up. I have very awkward combination skin, so pretty much all of them sounded like they would do some good to my face, but finally made my decision when I saw that the Cupcake mask was good for 'teenage skin'. Well, I've definitely got that...

My first comment is just going to be on how much I love the scent of this! Literally as soon as I popped open the little pot the room was bathed in the smell of mint chocolate cupcakes... Heaven. I can actually still smell it a little bit on my skin now, which is keeping me happy. Good work, Lush team. It was also pretty easy to spread evenly on my skin - it had a nice consistency where it was just runny enough to smother my face in it, but not runny enough to just slide off. Like all face masks, it did feel a little weird when it was drying and hardening, and tingled a little bit, but that is to be expected. Anything minty makes your skin tingle, and that just means it is working. Once the ten minutes of chocolate-scented pampering were up, this face mask washed off quite easily with warm water, again a bonus. I have had some face masks that are simply impossible to get off, but this one just needed to be rubbed off with some lovely warm water.

After discovering that it was easy and comfortable to use, we move onto the effects.. did it do any good? Of course with most skincare products you don't really see a difference with one use, but you generally can with face masks. And with this one I most certainly did. Aside from the generally clean, fresh feeling that comes with having a good old cleanse to remove the impurities of our toxin-ridden lives, I found that immediately after my skin felt very soft and clean, as well as quite hydrated - which I wasn't expecting.

Overall, I would say that this product definitely lives up to all the expectations I have of any Lush goodies - to smell good, feel good and work well. I am deeply impressed by the gorgeous scent and the impressive benefits after one use, so the Cupcake Face Mask is definitely going to become a permanent fixture in my beauty cupboard! Well, fridge. If you go out and pick this little beauty treat up, remember to store it in the fridge because it needs to be kept chilled! And I would totally recommend that you do get this, for a little bit of holiday-time pampering, either for you or a friend. If the whole 'teenage skin' thing means that this mask isn't suited to you, then I am sure that one of the others in their amazing range will be - just go in store and take a look. Finally, just for sheer funzies and because I have some kind of desire to humiliate myself in cyberspace, here's a lovely little shot of me enjoying the pampering..

Aren't I LUSH? No pun intended, I promise... Love and kisses, Tara xox