Review - No7 Beautiful Skin Foam Cleanser

I rarely use the £5 off No7 vouchers you get given when shopping in Boots but sometimes I do and buy new products I haven't tried before. This time I bought the Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for normal/oily skin.

I use this in the shower as it's quick and easy: simple pump and out comes the product. Perfect for use in the morning when I don't have much time.

The cleanser claims to gently remove make up and impurities whilst tightening pores leaving the skin feeling clean and refreshed.

I think this product is quite good, it did certainly make my skin feel clean and fresh but I haven't used it to remove make up as I use it in the morning opposed to at night. 

I can't remember when I started using this product, it must be a couple of months ago, but I still have some left so it lasts a good while.

This is priced at £9 for a 150ml bottle and is only available at Boots.

Nail polish dupes - Greens

Green isn't a colour I wear that often but I seem to have acquired 3 different teal coloured polishes.

1. 17 - Exquisite - £2.99

2. Revlon - Ocean Breeze - £6.49

3. No 7 - Dollar - £7.00

I'm not a general fan of 17 nail polishes I've always found they chip easily but I love this deep green colour. The Revlon shade is a nice green for a summers night out and I haven't actually used the No 7 green yet but I think I'll be wearing it a lot in the winter months as it's a nice deep green.

Personally I would go for the Revlon or the No 7 polish as I don't get on with 17 polishes but as the colours are so similar I would say go with which ever brand you refer or choose depending on your budget.

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.

Nail polish dupes - Blues

Whilst sorting through my huge bag of nail polishes I was astounded by how many shades I had that were the same but from different brands. I am planning on doing a little mini series over the next few weeks to show which ones I have found. First up it's navy blue.

1. 2True - Crystal Shade 1 - £1.99

2. Max Factor - Prussian Blue - £3.99

3. No 7 - Betty Blues - £7

All three colours are very similar but vary significantly in price.

After trying all three of these polishes out the 2True and Max Factor are most similar in colour but after just one coat the 2True and No 7 polishes apply the best.

I'm not sure which one I would chose out of the 2True or No 7 polishes but I wouldn't pay £7 for the No 7 one, I would wait for the £5 off vouchers and buy it at £2. The lasting quality of both of these are very good and you can easily get away with just one coat of each so these are perfect of you're in a rush.

My current favourite products - June 2012

This is another post showing my current favourite products. I only blogged about my last ones in April but I've already found quite a few new products that I love and will without a doubt be repurchasing.

Batiste dry shampoo in Lace - £2.99 

I remember buying my first can of Batiste dry shampoo way back in 2006 when I was heading off to uni and I never looked back! I use it at least every other day as a freshen up for my hair as I simply don't have time to wash it every day. The new Lace fragrance is gorgeous and the design on the can would look fab on anyones dressing table.

No7 Beautiful Skin Melting Gel Cleanser - £9

The name of this product intrigued me - the idea of melting my make up away really appealed to me so I got this with a £5 off No7 voucher and it didn't disappoint. It removed make up really well and is gentle on the skin. My full review can be found here.

Vaseline Aloe Fresh Moisturising Gel - £4.99

I bought this last year initially to use during the summer months as it would be a lighter consistency to a body cream or lotion and when we had that lovely few days of baking hot weather a few weeks ago I dug it out and started to use it. It's not as moisturising as a body lotion but it still does a great job. This is also available in cocoa butter.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - £8.99

After much deliberating about whether to try this or not I decided to take the plunge. It's coverage isn't as heavy as I normally like but it's perfect for wearing during the day as it gives your skin a natural radiant glow. Full review here.

MUA Love Hearts lip balm - £2

At first I wasn't that impressed with these, I bought 3, but I've grown to really like them. They are a coloured balm that are really very moisturising and these generous sized pots will last ages. Again my full review can be found here.

Collection 2000 Gel Eyeliner - £4.99

This is the tiny little black pot in the photo above. I was a little apprehensive about this as I love the Maybelline gel liner but the Rimmel one was disappointing. To my surprise I actually think this is the best one I've tried. The pigmentation is good, it's long lasting and the brush shape is really good. I'm going to blog about this in more detail very soon!

Miss Sporty Clubbing nail polish - £1.99

For the price this is amazing. The quality is good, it's long lasting, the pigmentation is good, the brush is good, in fact buy it to try it and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Are any of these your favourites or have you got different ones?

Review - No7 Melting Gel Cleanser

This review was requested by one of you lovely readers and I had hoped to have had it up by now but as I've been lagging behind on the blogging front lately I've only just had time to write this post.

The melting gel cleanser is a part of the new No7 Beautiful Skin normal to dry range. My skin is actually combination but the whole 'melting' your make up away thought really appealed to me so I thought I'd give this a whirl.

You get 150ml in the tube which is quite a generous amount considering the small amount you need for your face. You simply rub it onto damp skin and wash away with warm water or you could wipe away using cotton wool or a sponge like I do.

The gel is a light yellow/orange colour and it is quite a light formulation. I found that it really did melt my make up away and removed every last trace. I didn't try this on mascara as I was a little worried about it irritating my eyes.

I would recommend this for you to try, even if like me you haven't got dry skin, as it's really easy to use especially if you're removing your make up before jumping in the shower. It costs £9 for a tube but if you wait for the £5 off No7 vouchers that Boots are always handing out then you could grab it for a bargain £4!

A year of nail polish - April

Maxfactor - Meteorite 

Bourjois - Shade 18 (not sure on the name)

No 7 - Me Me Me

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.

A year of nail polish - January

One of my 2012 goals was to wear nail polish at least twice a month and I'm now going to do a monthly post to show what colours I've worn. Here are my nails from the past month:

2True - Shade 2

Revlon - Star



Rimmel - Rose Libertine
Bourjois - Not sure what shade

No 7 - Beanie
OPI - Gold shatter

Blog sale! Mac, Benefit, St Tropez, New CiD and more!

It's blog sale time again! Here's a few terms and conditions etc etc.

1. All sales are final

2. UK buyers only

3. Payment is via Paypal as a GIFT!

4. Items damaged in the post aren't my responsibility but proof of postage is always obtained

5. P&P is a flat rate of £1.25 no matter how many items you buy

6. Email me at: beautyandbeyond88@yahoo.co.uk if you want to buy and I'll send you my Paypal email address for payment

7. First come first served!

1. Mac eyeshadow

Paradisco - £6

Used about 3 times

 2. No7 eyeshadow primer

Used once or twice - £3

3. L'Occitane peony eyeshadow

Used a few times - £3

4. Urban Decay eyeshadow palette

Shades swatched, Fishnet, Shag and Scratch used the most. Loads of product left.

Will be cleaned up before send out. No applicators or primer potion

£7.50 (RRP £27)
SOLD

5. Jane Iredale rose gold shimmer powder

Lightly swatched, seal still on covering holes - £3

6. New CiD i-gloss in Baby Doll

This has a mirror on the side and a light on the wand. Swatched on hand only - £5

7. Harajuku Lovers Music 10ml EDT

Used once - £4
SOLD

8. St Tropez wash off face tan

Used once, 90% left - £6

9. St Tropez wash off body tan 

Used once, 90% left - £6

BUY BOTH FOR £10

10. Benefit Erase Paste - Shade 2, medium (3.2g pot)

About a third left - £3

11. Benefit Boi-ing concealer - Shade 2, medium (3g pot)

Used about 3 times, loads left - £5

12. Make Believe face bronzer

Used twice - £4

NOTD - No7 Tangy

As the sun was shining I decided to choose a summery nail polish colour and settled on the new No7 polish in Tangy.

This is an orange shade but in some lights it's a more pinky orange, almost a coral. It also matched my skirt really well too!


I would strongly recommend that you use a base coat with this polish as when I took it off my nails were left a stained yellow colour, not good.

Haul - Part 1

I have quite a few purchases to show you so I'm splitting the down into several posts to avoid having a post a mile long!

Wilkinsons and The Body Shop

I got this cute A5 sized note book from Wilkinsons so I can store all my passwords in it for websites and stuff. It was only £1.20 which is really good value.

I also got hold of the £5 Body Shop voucher which as in InStyle magazine and I spent it on a bottle of their Earth Lovers shower gel in Apricot and Basil.

Home Bargains

After what seems like a million blog posts saying how good St Moriz was I finally decided to give it a try myself and I have to say it's the best £2.99 I've spent! It really is on par with St Tropez.

Dainty Roses

Lisa has her own blog and she makes some fab jewellery which is really affordable. I'd been looking at her pieces for a while and then saw I had a few pounds in my Paypal account so decide to make a purchase! I got this cute crown button ring and love it! Her website can be found here.

Boots

I broke my hairbrush in half a while ago so was well overdue a new one so I picked up this purple one which I think was £2.55. I also had five vouchers for £5 off No7 so I used them against their new nail polishes and they only cost £2 each! 

Swatches above show one coat of polish. I haven't got the polishes in front of me so don't know the shades but leave a comment if you want to know and I'll let you know!

And I also had three £2 off professional haircare vouchers to use so after reading good reviews about Umberto Giannini's Morning After Dry Shampoo I got that (£3.61 with voucher), Lee Staffords Argan Oil which I love (£9.99 with voucher) and then I saw a can of dry conditioner (£4.29 with voucher) which I'd never seen before in Charles Worthingtons Front Row range so thought I'd give that a try.

Favourite products - Skincare

This is the second of my favourite products post and today I'm focusing on skincare: bodycare and facial skincare.

Sure Crystal Deodorant - £2.89 (250ml)

Simply the best deodorant I've used. Lasts all day and doesn't leave those nasty white marks on dark clothing.

Veet in shower hair removal cream - £6.42 (150ml) or £11.02 (300ml)

It's the only hair removal cream I've found to work. A little goes along way so one of these tubes lasts a long time.

No 7 Cleanse and Care Eye Make-up Remover - £7.75 (100ml)

I always seem to go back to this product. I like that it's a pump dispenser, it shifts even waterproof mascara and it's not a greasy formulation which some others are which leave my eyes sore.

L'Occitane handcreams - £7.50 (75ml)

These have all the good point from the other three items: a little goes a long way, non greasy, they last a long time and they're simply the best handcreams ever!

Do you love any of these products as much as me? Or are there any others which you love? Let me know in the comments below!


Stockists
Sure - Boots, Superdrug, supermarkets
Veet - Boots and Superdrug
No 7 - Boots
L'Occitane - L'Occitane

She's got her lipstick on...da da dum

First of all I apologise for the use of Jedward's lyrics for this post's title, yes I am slightly ashamed of myself!

So as the title suggests this post is about lipstick. Other than nail polish lipstick is my vice. I probably don't have anywhere near as many as some of you but I think 10 is quite enough for me! And as you'll see many of the shades are practically the same!

L-R:

No 7 Limited Edition: Grace - £10.00

No 7 Sheer Temptation: Attract - £10.00

17 Mirror Shine: Belle - £4.59

17 Mirror Shine: Sugar Daddy - £4.59

17 Mirror Shine: Flirtini - £4.59

Swatches in the same order as above

L-R:

Mac: Midimauve - £13.50

L'Oreal Color Riche Naturals: Nude 235 - £8.19

Benefit: La La Land - Discontinued, can't find a price

Avon Sheer Minerals: Smooth Berry - can't find a price, around £8

Avon Sheer Minerals: Smooth Nude - can't find a price, around £8

Swatches in the same order as above

A quick low down for them:

My favourites: No 7 Grace and 17 Belle

Natural look: L'Oreal Color Riche Naturals

Glossy finish: No 7 Sheer Temptation and 17 Sugar Daddy

Block colour: Benefit La La Land and 17 Flirtini

Sheer finish: Avon smooth minerals

Have you got any of these? What's your favourite lipstick?