Bourjois 1 Second nail polish remover pot

I love the Sally Hansen nail polish remover pots but they are so hard to get hold of, I had found an alternative from my local Home Bargains store but it dried my nails out so I decided to give the Bourjois 1 Second remover pot a try after hearing everyone raving about how good it was.

The sponge has a hole in the middle where you place your finger and you brush your nail against the sponge to help remove the polish. My polish removed well but I found that the post was slightly too long for my little fingers! Even though I liked the results I don't think I would repurchase as after a while it made my fingers hurt, if Bourjois changed the design of the pot then I would reconsider!

This is £4.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug.

A Year of Nail Polish - January

Models Own - Indian Ocean

Bourjois - Shade 45

Review - Bourjois brush concealer

I'm not a big fan of brush on concealers after doing my little blog post on how uneconomical they are way back in January 2011, read that one here.

But one thing that did sway me with this one was that it was free! You can't turn down a freebie can you? I didn't expect too much from it but I actually really like it.

The formation is quite thick and gives good coverage. The colour is a little dark for me but when I use with a certain foundation I have it works perfectly.

It also had staying power, I didn't have to reapply and it really did banish my dark circles.

I couldn't find a price for this online which does make me think it may be discontinued but if it is I'm sure you'll be able to find it in a discount cosmetic store but I'd have thought it would be around £8.

Bourjois 1,2,3 Perfect Foundation

I'm a big fan of Bourjois Flower Perfection foundation and when I recently ran out I thought I'd try one of their others. My local Boots didn't have many foundations to try but out of them I preferred the 1, 2, 3 Perfect one.

Unlike most other foundations this contains 3 different colour correcting pigments:

Yellow - to conceal dark circles

Mauve - to perk up dull complexions

Green - to reduce the look of redness

This is a little light in terms of coverage for my liking, I like medium to heavy coverage because I have really bad dark circles and light coverage foundations are just a waste of time as they don't cover them.

I do like this foundation but it's not my choice for everyday use. In fact I have repurchased the Flower Perfection foundation as I do prefer it.

This is £10.99 and available from Boots and Superdrug.

Haul - Part 3

This the third and final part of my haul and it's all beauty products!

Models Own

Mirror Ball polishes

All other products - From the 50% off sale

Winnings......

A few things I've won recently

Bourjois polishes and a £50 Miss Selfridge gift card

Garnier tan and body lotion

So that's it for my haul, with christmas coming up and a few other things to pay for it should be my last for a while. Link me to your hauls!

Haul - Part 1

I've been meaning to publish a few haul posts from the last month or so but just never got round to it so have saved them all up to publish in a couple of large haul posts and here is the first one. I've included as many prices as I could but some items I can't remember how much they cost me.

Avon

Brow glimmer stick - £6.00

Nail polishes - £6.00 each

Boots

Pretty Polly tights - reduced, can't remember price

Rimmel match perfection blushers - £5.99 each

Rimmel nail polish - £4.59

Collection 2000 concealer - £4.19

Dove nourishing oil conditioners - £3.39 each

Dove nourishing oil intensive conditioner - £3.99

Revlon nail polishes -£6.49 each

Barry M nail polishes - £2.99 each

Bourjois foundation - £10.99

Bourjois nail polish remover pot - £4.99

The Perfume Shop

Escada Island Kiss and Sexy Graffiti 50ml EDT - £19.99 (on offer)

Primark

Rollers - £1.50

Owl scarf - £4.00

Tights - can't remember price

Rabbit scarf - £4.00

Gloves - £2.00

Coat - £22.00 (similar one in New Look for £32!)

Matalan

Tunic - £12.00

Jumper - £12.00

Hear jumper - £12.00

Fairisle cardi - £30.00

A year of nail polish - September

Rimmel - Stormy Skies

MUA - Love Hearts

Bourjois

Models Own - Mirrorball Disco Inferno

Nail polish dupes - Purples

The second post in my nail polish dupes mini series is on purples.

1. Max Factor - Purple Haze - £3.99

2. Bourjois - Bleu Violet - £5.99

2. No 7 - Violetta - £7.00

These colours are virtually identical. I have used the Bourjois polish for years and love it as the quality is really good but in terms of colour the cheaper Max Factor one is a good match. If you get a £5 off No 7 voucher that always seem to be floating about then try the No 7 polish in Violetta but I've always loved the Bourjois So Laque polishes, they have a good pigmentation, long lasting and have a nice shiny finish to them.

Overall, I think this one is just about personal choice and how much you want to spend on a polish.

A Year of Nail Polish - May

Maxfactor - Graffiti

Bourjois - Lime Catwalk

Orly - Terracotta

Battle of the....primers

A couple of years ago no one really bothered with make up primers but since then there has been a boom in products being released. The first primer I bought was the Studio Secrets smoothing resurfacing primer and the latest one I've bought is Bourjois Flower Perfection translucent smoothing primer. 

I can tell you're thinking why that is relevant but in fact these two products are so similar it's a little bit silly.

I've had the L'oreal primer since 2010 and it's taken me ages to use it because I simply wasn't impressed with it. Ok at first I have to admit I did like it but I hadn't used any other primers so had nothing to compare it to.

Both products look the same but the textures are slightly different. 

The L'oreal primer is more of a cream and even though it does sink into the skin quite quickly it does leave my skin feeling a little coated and I have to admit in the end I really hated using this product but not one to waste anything I persisted and used it up.

On the other hand, the Bourjois primer is more of a lightweight gel. It absorbs super quick, leaves your skin feeling like silk and my foundation went on really well over this. The only thing that I don't like it that it's in a pot rather than a pump but the product's consistency wouldn't suite a bottle so I'll forgive them for this!

Overall I would undoubtedly buy the Bourjois primer over the L'Oreal one any day. It simply suited my skin better but it is slightly more expensive at £9.99 for 7ml compared to £14.29 for a 15ml pot. 

If you want to try these then both of these are available at Boots or Superdrug.

Battle of the...smoky eye palette

I've been using Bourjois smoky eye palettes for a couple of years now and love them, they make creating that perfect smoky eye so easy to do but at £7.99 they are a little on the more expensive side but then MUA brought out their own version of the Bourjois palettes.

The MUA 'smoky eye' palette costs a mere £2.50 and looks practically the same to the Bourjois ones.

In fact these are so similar the only sight downside is that the MUA shadows are slightly less pigmented than the Bourjois ones but as these are a third of the price then who can complain?!?

Overall I prefer the pigmentation of the Bourjois shadows but as there is such a difference in price I would buy the MUA palettes as you could get three MUA palettes for the price of one Bourjois smoky eye palette which in my eyes makes it an out right winner.

Have you tried either of these or have you found another smoky eye palette that you'd recommend?

A year of nail polish - April

Maxfactor - Meteorite 

Bourjois - Shade 18 (not sure on the name)

No 7 - Me Me Me

My current favourite products

Over the last two months I have found a number of products that I simply love and thought I'd show you them in one post. There is a mixture of cosmetics, skincare and haircare.

Clockwise from top left:

Kleenex eye make up removal wipes - £2.99

A quick and easy way to get ride of eye make up at the end of the day and doesn't dry your skin out.

MUA Heaven and Earth palette - £4

A cheaper alternative to the Naked palette with a shade for every occasion, it's quickly becoming my most used palette in my make up collection.

Hello Kitty eyeshadow palette - No longer available, was £8

I've only used two colours in this eyeshadow palette, the third and fourth on the top row, but I love how pigmented the colours are. It's a bit of a shame this is no longer available.

Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Cotton Candy - £2.99

I don't go for pink lipsticks but that fact that this is a matte product appealed. You can build up the colour to how pink you want to go and I use this at least once a week.

Bourjois Flower Perfection foundation - £11.99

Simply the best liquid foundation I've used in years. Leaves your skin matte and lasts all day long. Amazing.

Organix Brazilian Keratin therapy flat iron spray - £6.99

As you've probably guessed this is organic and contains the moisturising ingredients cocoa nut oil and avocado oil as well as cocoa butter and keratin protein to help strengthen the hair. This smells amazing and my hair is left feeling lovely and soft once dry and styled.

Maxfactor mini polishes (colour shown Hot Pink) - £3.99

I love these polishes as for the same price as some 'cheaper' brands you get a much better quality product. I also love that they are quite dinky because who really ever gets to the end of a nail polish bottle? I have about 10 of these polishes.

Nivea Pure & Natural face cream - £5.10

A light cream that absorbs quickly and leaves your face feeling matte and is the perfect base for foundation.

Do you love any of these products or what would you recommend to try?

Bourjois Flower Perfection foundation and primer

Ok so this is the second time I have written this post as Blogger kindly decided to delete it for me. Thanks. So here we go second time lucky.

About a month ago I bought Bourjois's new foundation Flower Perfection and the matching primer. I don't normally go for liquid foundations as I much prefer powder mineral ones but as this one was aimed to deliver a matte finish that lasted 16 hours I thought I'd give it a whirl.

With the foundation you get an applicator sponge but it's not really use nor ornament to be honest.

When I got it home I thought I'd picked the entirely wrong shade as it looked way too brown and dark for my skin but in fact it's a perfect match. 

It leaves a flawless finish and a smooth complexion. It does indeed last all day and in fact I love it that much I've used it practically everyday since I bought it and it has replaced my trusty mineral foundation.

As for the primer, I'm going to do a more in depth review in a couple of weeks but I do like it. It applies on the skin easily and doesn't leave it feeling cakey or like you've got a film on.

Overall I would without doubt buy this foundation again and if you have combination or oily skin I would recommend you try it hands down!

Both products are available from Boots for around £11.99 for the foundation and £9.99 for the primer.

Mega Haul

Boots

No7 Beautiful Skin foaming cleanser - £4 (was £9)

Maxfactor nail polishes - £3.99

(shades Sunny Pink, Graffitti, Red Bronze and Meteorite)

Maxfactor make up must haves - free gift

Bourjois flower perfection foundation - £11.99 (2 for £13)

Bourjois flower perfection primer - £10.99 (2 for £13)

EcoTools sleep mask - £4.99 (buy 1 get 2nd half price)

EcoTools facial buffs - £2.99 (buy 1 get 2nd half price) 

Superdrug

Kleenex eye make up remover pads - £1.49 (half price)

Simply Pure cleansing mask, face scrub & eye make up remover - £2.59 each (3 for 2)

Primark

Blue and brown shoes - £8

Red leather shoes - £12

Cherry Coke Lip Smacker - £1

Set of 4 rings - £2

Pug PJ's - £5

Skull print scarf - £3 (I think)

Owl print top - £4

Car print top - £8

Block print t-shirt - £4

Avon

Smooth Minerals foundation - £10.50 (2 for £12)

Colour Trend lipsticks - £3.50 each (was on a buy one get 2 free promotion)

So there is my haul, Primark has so much good stuff in at the moment, could have spent a fortune in there but was good and resisted! Like usual send me the links to your latest haul posts.