Some exciting new products today from one of my favourite fashion turned beauty brands - Ted Baker!
Launching 28th January in Boots stores nationwide and on Boots.com Ted Baker will be bringing us all a new range of beauty tools from pretty nail files to elegant eyelash curlers, all housed in chic packaging.
Ted Baker Eyelash Curlers - £8.00
Eyelash curlers are a must if you wear eye makeup and want to open up the eyes more and these really do the job nicely. There isn't a lot to say about Eyelash Curlers I know, but I can tell you that the pad on these is actually a lot thicker than most I have seen and used in the past so it really gives the eyelashes some lift. My only negative about this product would be that it doesn't come with any replacement pads, which would have been handy.
Ted Baker Emery Boards - £5.00 for 3
These are just so beautiful and stunning! I absolutely love the design on these, it is like a mini piece of artwork. The design is on both sides of the files and with the set of 3 you can put one in your bag, one by your desk or bedside table and one as a spare. I know Ted Baker released some mini nail files last year but I love this design so much more. These would also make a lovely but cheap gift.
Ted Baker Nail Clippers - £6.00
I will be honest and say nail clippers are nail clippers really. Nothing special and most do the job perfectly fine. However if you fancy some pretty ones with the Ted Baker brand on the front of them then these are the ones for you. I do have to say they are very precise though and clip the tiniest bit of nail off which is great if you just need to trim a small section of ripped nail so it doesn't break the whole nail.
Ted Baker Tweezers - £6.00
Plucking your eyebrow isn't the nicest of tasks however you want to make sure you to have some good quality tweezers that grip the hair well and gets the job done as quickly as possible. These definitely grip even fine hairs well and are nice and lightweight yet strong. These also have a nice polished metal finish so they look mirrored with the Ted Baker logo on there as well.
Ted Baker Nail Scissors - £6.00
I have never actually used nail scissors before on my nails as I like to either file or clip them. However I find small little scissors like this good for trimming ripped cuticles so they don't get worse and actually my split ends! These again have the lovely polishes metal finish and are really pointed and sharp!
A lovely new range of beauty accessories that make great essentials or small gifts.
If you are eager to try out more from the Ted Baker range I cannot recommend the Nail Duos ( £8.50 - here) more highly. You can also see a nail post of a duo set here.
Fee xo.
Over the last year of blogging and reading blogs I really think I've learnt so much more about skincare in general, that I now rarely dislike the skincare products I buy... makeup on the other hand is a slightly different story as shades and textures can be quite hit and miss at times.
I'm now slightly less savvy with my spending as a result (though I look at it as being more savvy in a way). I now spend that bit more on skincare products I like the sound of and save on makeup products and basics. Of course I always try to get products on offer or samples firstly though!
So here are some slightly more expensive recent purchases that I'm really loving!
Biotherm Biosensitive SOS Anti - Redness Concealer 15ml
Due to having a £5 off voucher for Biotherm I thought I'd use it to have one last attempt at the whole green counteracts red concealer malarkey - which has always resulted in me looking a tad Hulk like.
My first two applications went totally wrong - I firstly applied what I thought was a normal amount to my blemishes, which was actually way too much and resulted in them areas looking slightly green under foundation. The next day as recommended on the back of the box I used it as a makeup base - a total no-no, a little or a lot it just doesn't work. It's definitely not a makeup base...that's all I can say.
After seeing the error of my ways I decided to use the smallest of amounts and by that I mean just touching the product onto my index finger and then applying the residue onto maybe four blemishes/red marks. Which is when I fell in love with the product and also thought it was 100% worth it's price and more, as at this rate it will literally last me years!
Since then I've been using it daily, around my nose, on the outer corners of my eyes, on blemishes and to reduce the flushed look my skin gets just under my cheeks.
This has really stopped me stressing over the red areas on my face in the morning and using multiple layers of makeup to try and cover it up.
Highly, highly recommend this for anyone wanting to remove the redness out of spots,concealing broken capillaries or redness around the mouth and nose.
Snowberry Instant Deep Cleanser 15ml
This is a totally new type of cleanser for me (I love my cream cleansers) and I have to say, personally it feels like such an alien but it just works amazingly! I mean it's essentially a strange smelling orange oil that you massage into the skin... but somehow it instantly dissolves all makeup without needing a muslin cloth to thoroughly cleanse, all you need is warm water to remove the oil. It also doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy nor stripped, just ultra soft and clean!
It's basically a miracle cleanser that I'm getting way to in love with! Though I have told myself if it does last quite a long time (as you only need two drops) then I may treat myself to the 50ml £46 size with my birthday money in May. See that is actually how much I love it... Actually considering spending nearly £50 on a single cleanser!! I must be crazy or just after good skin.
I'm just so so impressed with the results and how organic it is and basically how it doesn't alter the balance of my skin yet removes all the makeup from my pores in an instant.
Amazing stuff!
Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Backcomb In A Bottle 200ml
Firstly even though I get the hype of this product and can understand why it's always out of stock in most Boots stores I do think it's actually a hard product to get right. Which explains why some people just don't get the hype and think it's a pretty useless product!
I think the key to using this correctly is using it quite sparingly at the roots under the hair you want to look volumized. Also letting it fully dry then rubbing it seems to give the best results. Though I actually like to spray it in and then use the hairdryer on cold to give even more lift then smooth the hair down over it.
A really fab product that definitely gives great lift that lasts all day if used in the right way!
Liz Earle Cleanser & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser 100ml
Prices from £5.10 for 30ml
I've been using the N07 Hot Cloth Cleanser for over a year now and love all it's qualities except for that there are too many ingredients that aren't the best and I feel it sometimes hydrates the skin too much especially when it's going through a really oily faze. So I was hoping the more natural Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser would fill them gaps and thankfully it did!
Of course any cleanser isn't on the skin for that long so it can't do alot in the time it has but I think the texture and feel of the skin after cleansing can say alot and this definitely leaves my skin more matte and fresh - which tells me it's more suited to my temperamental skin.
I also feel like it's being slightly kinder to my skin, though I do wish it was as thick and creamy as the No7 cleanser.
To be really honest though I do like both just as much for totally different reasons - so will be continuing to re-purchase the No7 Cleanser when the No7 £5 vouchers are about and the Liz Earle Cleanser as a treat and for holidays.
The Swatches
DHC Velvet Skin Coat 15g
DHC (£14.50)
If you a wondering about the sample sachets - I decided to purchase them off eBay as I know how primers can be so hit and miss with different skin types. Which actually meant I got an amazing deal - 22g of product for only £5! Though I will definitely be buying the full size tube when I eventually run out.
The product really has amazed me, it's a silicone based primer so it designed to smooth over pores and fine lines which is exactly what it does! I will definitely have to do another review of this and show some before and after pictures of how well the product actually works, the results really are visible.
This has to be the best primer I've tried especially for hiding smaller pores and reducing the appearance of larger pores. Plus it seems to really make my face alot smooth looking and just so soft!
Really brilliant!
Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream 15ml
Boots (£20.43)
Another product that I don't know how I have done without for so long! At nearly 23 I don't really believe I need an eye cream to reduce the ageing process just yet but I did think a cream just for that area could help plump up the skin and also reduce the appearance of the shallow-ness I've started to develop from my lack of sleep and odd sleeping hours!
Not only do I enjoy applying the cream to the eye area each morning to wake my eyes up but I really do like how it has a slight sheen that reflects the light around the eye making my face instantly look more awake and 'with it'!
Overall I'm very pleased as I feel it's doing more than just hydrating the skin in that area!
I really feel like the more I learn about skincare the more right choices I make about my own skin and fingers crossed my skin can only get better with the lovely products I'm currently using!
What's your current star skincare product?
I can see this post being a bit boring for afew of you, especially as I've mentioned these products before one time or another.
So I'm going to try and make it short and sweet!
All the product below aren't in any particular order really as I use them all almost daily and couldn't be without a single one of them.
Urban Decay Naked Palette - £27.00
I think this has to be Urban Decay's best product yet (however much I love there Primer Potion). All 12 eyeshadows are amazing, just so soft and blendable. Think my favourite shades have to be Sidecar, Sin, Smog and Toasted. Actually tempted to write a full blog post about the palette even though so many people have spoken about it - just so I can photograph all the amazing shades.
A good quality beautiful palette that has a great range of neutrals!
Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara - £21.96
I justify the price of this by reminding myself that it's the best mascara I have ever used my miles. Nothing looks as amazing as this on the lashes. Just so volumizing and actually one of the only ones that lives upto it's claims.
The one downside to the product is that it does dry up and goes sticky within 3-4 months which isn't great. But for the 3 or so months that I get out of it, it's more than worth it. Like I say just gives amazing volume and length to the lashes just like false eyelashes!
Amazing stuff!
No7 Products
When picking the 10 products for this post I literally picked up the products I use all of the time and need in my life and somehow that consisted of three No7 products!
I do really like alot of products from the brand even though I think they are abit of a boring brand that likes to play safe most of the time. So I was surprised that I picked 3 No7 products without thinking.
No7 Ultimate Body & Face Brush £10.21 - It probably isn't the best kabuki brush out there but it works perfectly for me. I use this daily to dust abit of matte bronzer onto my chest and neck. Don't think I would use this on my face though as it's just too big and would be abit slapdash. Just a great brush for getting bronzer evenly onto the skin - really couldn't be without it in summer.
No7 Quick Cover Blemish Stick £8.00 - I think I've talked about this a million times now. Such a good coverage concealer for the price, really lasts all day and it's too pink or yellow toned, just somewhere in the middle. A perfect cream to powder formula so great for oily/combination skintypes. Maybe abit too powdery for drier or more mature skin though.
Never seen a reason to try other concealers as this just works perfectly for me.
N07 Amazing Eyes Pencil in Brown £7.75 - I've never actually bought the full sized version of this due to always getting a mini one free in the gift sets they always seem to do. Just such a soft brown shade that is so wearable and not at all harsh for fair skinned people like me. I use this to line my bottom lid and then smudge it out abit and I also use it on my brows. Again as I am so pale my eyebrows are near to invisible so I have to fill them in and this just does the trick. I tried a No7 eyebrow pencil in blonde - so awful and the wrong shade for me but this is just perfect for natural looking brows.
Ok, I haven't been that short and sweet. So here are the rest of the product quick-fire style!
Revlon Superlustrous Lipsticks £7.49 -Love so many shades in this range: Demure, Paprazzi Pink, Fire & Ice and Gentlemen Prefer Pink. Not too drying and lasts really well. Really need Cherries in the Snow still!
Bourjois Bronzing Powder £5.99 - My everyday bronzer - the best affordable matte bronze I have found!
Paul & Joe Blotting Paper £3.50 - Cheap and cute but they do the job! Just little sheets that soak up excess oil - with no powder to them which I really like.
Boots Botanics Facial Brush £6.10 - The one thing that has saved my skin from redness and spots, I just cannot describe what a difference this little brush has made. A true wonder product that I'll have to review very soon!
Cosmopolitan Blend Perfection Beauty Sponge £4.95 (Superdrug) - Another amazing product that I can't live without now. Applies all liquid/cream foundation evenly and perfectly. Just gives such a flawless look to the skin that I really do love.
Thanks to Simone for asking me to do the tag - make sure to check out her own Top 10 here and the rest of her lovely blog!
As the Boots Advantage Card is officially the most generous loyalty card in the UK there isn't much of a contest. However I did want to show the advantages and disadvantages of both card so I didn't seem like I was being totally negative.
I was 'inspired' to write this post after receiving an email from Debenhams titled - Important, your Beauty Club Reward Card expires soon. It is self explanatory really, but I shall quote what the email said.
"We love that you’re a Beauty Club cardholder, but we’ve noticed you haven’t used your Beauty Club Reward Card recently - if you don’t use it over a 12 month period it will expire".
They also provided a link so that I could remind myself of the benefits of being a Beauty Club Member, which I did.
So here are the advantages and disadvantages of the Debenhams Beauty Club Reward Card.
Debenham's Reward Card
Pros
Also it would be nice to receive a balance statement and newsletter through the post every 3-4 months or so.
- Anything is better than nothing - At least they have a 'points' card, right?
- You can use your points as part purchase.
- You can collect points when paying using the points you have saved up.
- You receive a £5 reward if you receive 500 points in one transaction.*
- Points or any £ value loaded onto the card will expire 6 months after issue.
- Your balance may only be checked online or via email updates.
- If you don't use your card within 12 months the card expires.
- If you forget your card you cannot place the points on your card at a later date from your receipt.
- To receive a £5 reward you would have to spend at least £166.*
- When you sign up for a card instore you then have to activate it online later.
- There 'Exclusive' gift,offers & samples because your a member doesn't exist.
- There point system is slightly confusing - 1 point per £1 when you spend upto £25, 3 points per £1 when you spend £25 or more, 500 points = £5, 1000 points = £10.
- There are no special offers sent via email so that you can receive more points.
- There 'Beauty Store Events' are just events that are running at the time and are open to everyone.
Also it would be nice to receive a balance statement and newsletter through the post every 3-4 months or so.
Boots Reward Card
Pros
- You can sign up instore or you can sign up by phone.
- You earn point on everything you buy (except for prescriptions and infant milks) - even emergency plasters when your shoes are rubbing!
- You can check your balance at the Boots kiosk instore or online.
- Collect 4 points per £1 you spend.
- You can pick up points you've collected online at the kiosk as well as printing out money-off coupons and special points offers.
- You can pick up the health & beauty magazine 6 times a year for free.
- They send out balance statement with special offers and extra points coupons through the post (I received a double points voucher that could be used twice just afew weeks ago).
- There are always promotions on different brands where you can earn 200 extra points.
- Your points can be saved up or not! Then can be spent on mostly* everything instore.
- Your point cannot be spent at Boot Opticians or online.*
- You cannot make a part payment of points towards a product. You must of collected the full amount of points required for the product you want.
So there obviously is a clear winner but then again there always was! I really feel that Boots are giving something back to there customers while encouraging you to spend. However with Debenhams it just seems a money making ploy and if you don't spend there that often then they don't want you.
Without there loyalty cards Boots would win hands down for me for the sheer fact of there £5 vouchers for No7 or Ruby & Millie that appears instore quite often.
I would love to know your views on both cards and if you have either of them or not.
So after reading a blogpost on Lisa Eldridge's lovely blog about a cheaper version of the Chanel tattoos I decided to have a look on the Inkwear site that she mentioned and came across this lovely henna tattoo that came in either brown or black. I decided of brown as it seemed more in keeping with an actual henna tattoo. The temporary tattoo with p&p came to £2.98 which is pretty cheap!
Here is just a before and after - this was immediately after applying it so it still looks quite shiney as it wasn't fully dry. Within an hour or so the shine fades.
Seeing as it took a mere 20 seconds to apply I think the results are pretty good. Especially for summer or parties. Also Inkwear included another tattoo in with my order, free of charge for some reason!
I probably wouldn't of choosen it for myself but it still is very nice. So I decided to cut off one of the birds and apply it too my thumb which looks quite nice and I think I may apply the rest of it to the back of my neck some time this week.
Here are some of the other designs that caught my eye. I really do love the blue coloured floral tatoo which is £2.50 and the Chanel-esque tattoo set is £6.99 which I would love to try out with some of the lovely bird tatoos they have on there site. I'm sure it would look very similar to the £49 Chanel tattoos.
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Thought I would also show you the little bird that I cut out from part of the other temporary tattoo. I suppose to could do that with all of the tattoos - cut them up and make up your own design. A trail of birds around a wrist may look nice.
Anyway, overall these are fab. Really cheap and fun. I may post a photo this week of the other feather tattoo when I apply it too the back of my neck.
Here is just a before and after - this was immediately after applying it so it still looks quite shiney as it wasn't fully dry. Within an hour or so the shine fades.
Seeing as it took a mere 20 seconds to apply I think the results are pretty good. Especially for summer or parties. Also Inkwear included another tattoo in with my order, free of charge for some reason!
I probably wouldn't of choosen it for myself but it still is very nice. So I decided to cut off one of the birds and apply it too my thumb which looks quite nice and I think I may apply the rest of it to the back of my neck some time this week.
Here are some of the other designs that caught my eye. I really do love the blue coloured floral tatoo which is £2.50 and the Chanel-esque tattoo set is £6.99 which I would love to try out with some of the lovely bird tatoos they have on there site. I'm sure it would look very similar to the £49 Chanel tattoos.
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Thought I would also show you the little bird that I cut out from part of the other temporary tattoo. I suppose to could do that with all of the tattoos - cut them up and make up your own design. A trail of birds around a wrist may look nice.
Anyway, overall these are fab. Really cheap and fun. I may post a photo this week of the other feather tattoo when I apply it too the back of my neck.
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