Seventeen Backlash Mascara and Eye Liner

I am a sucker for new products and freebies, I really didn't need a new mascara, but when I spotted the new Seventeen Back Lash mascara with a free gel eyeliner and £1 off I couldn't resist. I love Seventeen products and their Falsifeye mascara is one of my favourites so I was expecting great things.

The brush on the mascara is one of those really fat soft bristled brushes, not my favourite sort but it does get right in between your lashes to give really amazing definition. Back Lash claims to give over 100% greater lash impact with definition, volume, length and lift. I didn't find it gave as much volume as the Falsifeye, but it really does lengthen and define the lashes with out any clumps. Maybe not a night out mascara for me as I like more volume, but a perfect day to day one for amazing long defined lashes.

The big surprise for me though was the free gel eye liner. Now I am not a massive fan of gel eye liners, I love my Collection liquid liner and don't really use anything else. I gave the Back Lash eye liner a go though and I love it! I have tried gel ones before and found them hard to work with and they didn't last as well as liquid. This one though is more like a mousse than a gel which makes it much easier to use. I found it went on much smoother and with a neater line than other gel liners. I did find it hard to get a thin line but that should come with practise. I also love how with a smaller amount you can get a smudged look and less of a heavy black line. For a freebie, this is lovely and I can see myself getting plenty of use out of it as it seems more versatile than my Collection Liquid liner.

The Seventeen Back Lash mascara is £5.49 at the moment in Boots with the Back Lash liner free. Have you tried it yet?

Boots Discount Haul

I haven't worked at Boots since I started my new full time job, which has meant no discount for me (sad face). I had also been saving up my No7 vouchers so I could stock up when I could get my double discount on it. This meant a nice little haul when I was finally back in on Sunday and as it is my first haul in a while, I thought I'd share it! I may have gone a littler over the top but all make-up was buy one get one half price which was too tempting to resist!

The first bits I picked up were the No7 BB Cream (£12.95) and Essentially Natural Foundation (£9.95). I have been wearing the BB Cream loads recently and I love it. It gives me the perfect light coverage I want for work and feels lovely on my skin. The Essentially Natural is my daily foundation and I when I want it to last longer or need a  extra bit of coverage. I do only use light foundations as my skin isn't particularly bad and I don't like anything heavy and these two have been ticking all the boxes for me recently. If you haven't yet, go get colour matched for No7, their foundations are my favourite.
I also picked up another of the BB Lips in Belle Pink (£8.50) as I have been loving those after picking up a couple of other shades which I reviewed here.

Next stop, nail polish (obviously). I had seen the new No7 Gel Look polishes (£6.50) a few weeks back and fancied giving them a go, although I wasn't too impressed with the shade range. I did like the look of these bright ones though so picked up Summer Holiday (bright pink) and Mint Treat (turquoise). I have Summer Holiday on at the moment and it is gorgeous, so it will have its own post soon but first impressions- it is mega shiny and beats Barry M's Gellys in terms of looking like gel polish! I always stock up on top coat when I get vouchers so got another one this time (white top, £6.00) and also picked up the new Gel Look top coat (£6.50) to try.
These were all bought with the £3 off No7 vouchers and on buy one get one half price, so were a great bargain.

                                                                                       l-r: Revlon Lip Butters in Sorbet, Macaroon,

                                                                                    Maybelline Super Stay Tint Gloss in Lasting Pink.

I also needed a new primer as mine is running out. I still love the Seventeen Photo Flawless (£4.99) so picked up the same again. I can't bring myself to try another as this is just so good for the price.

I have been using Revlon Lip Butters (£7.99) almost constantly the last few months so decided to treat myself to another couple of shades. Sorbet is a bright pink which can be built up or left subtle like the swatch and Macaroon is a nude browny pink with a hint of glitter. I can see these two making their way into my daily routine along with my other Lip Butters.

Maybelline Super Stay 10 Hour Tint Gloss (£6.99) in Lasting Pink is something I have been trying to get my hands on for a while now but haven't been able to find. I wanted to try it after loving the L'Oreal Stain Splash and this colour is lovely without being too bright for me. They smell amazing too, really fruity. 

I may have spent the days wages before I even get paid but I am really happy with my little haul. I have lots of lovely new bits to try and I'm sure they will pop up in reviews soon. The No7 Gel polish will be first as I am already loving it!

I have just realised this is also my 100th post so a little bloggy milestone there for me! 

April Empties

I can't actually believe how quickly this year is going by! Were nearly half way through already! I feel like I have achieved nothing so far this year, although that will hopefully soon change! I have some exciting news which I have to keep quiet for now but hopefully this means everything I wanted to happen this year will fall into place and I cannot wait! I've been on a complete high this week, although part of me is waiting for something to go wrong, but I hope it doesn't!

Anyway, onto the point of the post. I have been doing quite well with using up my stash and this month has got rid of a few more duplicate products! I have about three different places I store extra toiletries and I always forget to look somewhere meaning I end up buying things I don't need (like dry shampoo, I seem to have them hidden everywhere!)

Schwartzkopf Volumising Powder: I love love love this and I know I keep mentioning it but it is amazing and makes my flat, boring hair look so much better. I seem to go through about one of these a month as I use it daily! Repurchase: Yes! I already have a back-up stash!

Trevor Sorbie Volume Mousse: This is another of my hair heroes. Along with the volume powder these pretty much make up my essential hair products. Anyone else suffering with flat fine hair needs to try these! Repurchase: Yes, I already have!

Dove Summer Glow Body Lotion: I bought this half price for about £2.50 and I love it. It does have quite a strong smell but I usually use it on an evening then when you shower in the morning it gets rid of the smell. It really is amazing for giving you colour though. I went for the deep version, but it also comes in light, and I have had so many comments about my "tan". One of my friends even said it looked better than her St Tropez! Its perfect for people like me who are too lazy to fake tan but like a little colour for a night out. The colour lasts a good 3-5 days before it starts to fade or wash off. Repurchase: Yes, its half price at Boots now!

Batiste Dry Shampoo Graffiti: I bought this as it was reduced, I think this is discontinued and they were out of stock of my favourite Tropical. I love these dry shampoos but as for this fragrance, it was a little strong and I'll be sticking to my old favourite from now on. I really do notice the difference when I've used dry shampoo, I don't have greasy hair, I don't use it for that, but it really does give some bounce to my flat hair once I've slept on it. Repurchase: Not this one, but yes on the tropical!

 Now the beauty products:

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat: I have been using this for a while now, its lasted me a good few months, and I really have noticed the difference. My nails aren't as soft and don't peel or break as often. They are even starting to grow and stay longer. I really like this and would recommend it for a cheap alternative to the likes of Sally Hansen (think it was £4.59). Repurchase: I have a No7 one I am trying now, but yes if that isn't amazing!

17 (now Seventeen) Photo Flawless Primer: This stuff is amazing! I have tried a couple of primers, but this is the best for a smooth, silky soft make-up base. It also keeps my make-up perfect all day and only costs £4.99! Bargain! I was a little worried it wouldn't last long, being a small tube but I have been using this since just after Christmas, so its lasted really well! Repurchase: YES!

annnnnnd finally: Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast Lip Balm: I bought this because it was £1 at ASDA and sounded like it would taste nice and it does! Its lovely! It is a little thick and leaves your lips a little white but it was perfect for me as I like a lip balm I can put on before bed so I don't need it on all day. Repurchase: No, simply because I have 1001 lip balms and don't need any more.

So there we are, most of these are things I use all the time, this pretty much reads like a favourites post! Do you love any of these?

Simple Nail Art 5: Glitter & Studs

I have really been enjoying creating designs for these nail art posts. I had got stuck into the habit of simply swatching different nail colours as I have so many lovely ones I wanted to post about, but this has made me shake things up a little and try out some more interesting nail designs. Today's nail art isn't something I would wear everyday, but I wanted something to go with my dress for when I went out last night. I debated doing some Easter Egg Nail Art but liked this idea better.

I have used No7 Just Black for the base. Then for an accent nail, I used tweezers to very carefully place the studs down the centre of my nail where I had dotted a little nail glue. Using tweezers makes this soooo much easier and you can make sure they are in place before you drop them into the glue.

For the glitter gradient I used a limited edition Seventeen polish, Glimmer in the Night from the Dazzle the Night set (there were two colours released). I love this for the gradient as it has small silver glitter pieces but also slightly larger ones which really stand out. I sponged this onto the nail tips quite thickly and used very small amounts on the sponge to blend it out up the nail.

This design is so simple to do and I love the glitter gradient, something I haven't really tried before. This is a perfect night out design for me and I am really happy with the way it turned out.
Would you give this a go?

Simple Nail Art:
1. Ikat Print
2. Toothbrush Splodges
3. Striping Tape

4. Pastel Gradient

Seventeen Quicker Slicker Nail Colour

Just a quick review for you today, it isn't something amazing but I love Seventeen products for their fantastic quality and value for money. They have recently re-branded from 17 and are starting to roll out the new products. The Quicker Slicker Nail Colour range has replaced the Fast Finish range with some new colours to go along with the old favourites.

Quicker Slicker polishes claim to be high shine and touch dry within 50 seconds. I am forever smudging my nails as I am too impatient to wait for them to dry, so quick dry polishes are a bonus for me. They do live up to their claims too. In the time it took for me to finish painting my last nail, the first was touch dry. This is great if you haven't got much time and they have some lovely glitter polishes in the range, meaning you don't just have to go for a plain colour. 

I picked up Caribbean Coral to test out, a lovely pinky coral, although it does come out redder on the nail. 

Quicker Slicker are definitely worth a go if you don't like sitting around waiting for your nails to dry. They are available from Boots for £2.99 and on their website here.

Has anyone else tried these?

Seventeen Rock Hard Nail Effects 2

Whilst hunting through my make-up drawers the other day looking for nail inspiration, I came across these and realised I had never used them. I posted here about my love for the black version, which looks very similar to the Nails Inc Leather polish. I then ended up buying the blue and grey versions, so I used them both today as I thought they would go well together.

I really like the grey but I am not so keen on the blue. I still really love the effect you get from these polishes and I do like them better than the Barry M versions. 

What do you think? Has everyone had enough of the textured nail trend now? I think I have, although I am looking forward to seeing what the next big nail trend will be!

February Favourites

I love seeing this kind of post from other people, so I thought I would do my own this month. It was really hard to pick my favourites as I seem to have a collection of things I have been using everyday so ended up with about 10 things I wanted to show here, but I have managed to narrow it down to the essentials.

So firstly, the only skincare product which made it onto my list of favourites, I really do love this one - Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner. I use this daily after cleansing to remove any last bits of make-up and it really does brighten my skin and make it look smoother and more even.

I also included L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat as I have really loved using this and it has to be my favourite new polish at the moment. I know quite a few other people have included this in their favourites list this month because it is just that good!

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation - I won't write too much about this as I'll have a proper review soon but I am loving this one despite its lack of pump!

MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter - I had never really bothered using highlighters before I invested in this one but it is another MUA product I love! It gives a really lovely subtle but brightening shimmer for the dull winter days we have been having. I love MUA for their fantastic quality stuff at bargain prices.

Another MUA product in my favourites this month is the Pro-Brow Kit. You can blend the colours really easily to match your natural brows and this fills them in beautifully and lasts all day. You even get a little brush which I do actually use, and some mini tweezers.

I had to include the Seventeen Photo Flawless Primer as it is still one of my daily essentials and it amazes me every time I use it as my skin looks so smooth and my foundation blends so well. I reviewed it here.

Finally, I have been really impressed with the Rimmel Accelerator Endless Lash Mascara. I don't know whether it is helping my lashes grow, but it gives really good definition and lengthens without clumping, so it is worth a try just for that! I don't usually like thin brushes like this one but I am getting on really well with this!

There we are - my favourites for February. What do you think of them? I'd love to see some of yours, link me if you've done a similar post!

Mini Boots Haul

Just another normal day at work for me, although my purse is a lot lighter! This was my first trip to Boots after sales-plan day, where all the offers change and the new products are available. I had a few things I needed but ended up spending more than I wanted to, as usual. So, here is what I bought:

No7 have a really good offer on at the moment, if you buy two cosmetic products you get a free Ballerina Beauty Bag worth £26. I needed some more foundation and always use No7 top coat on my nails so picked one of these up too. Inside the lovely bag you get a unique colour eyeshadow, a Moisture Drench lipstick in Mulberry, a sample size Extreme Length mascara and sample size Protect and Perfect Intense moisturiser.

Mulberry is a gorgeous deep pinky red, more pinky than the picture shows. It is a really popular colour and suits a lot of people. I don't usually go for such dark shades but this is really nice. I love the eyeshadow, its quite a pinky brown but really shimmery when wearing. I love the paler No7 shadows for highlighting parts of the eye and for a natural daytime look so this is perfect for me.

After reviewing the Seventeen Rock Hard Nail effects a few days ago here, I picked up the other colours I wanted, Blue and Grey as they were on buy one get one half price.

I also wanted to try Rimmel's new Lash Accelerator Mascara, which claims to make lashes look 60% longer and speed up lash growth. Anything which claims to make my lashes longer is worth a go, I'm not convinced it will work but I'm willing to try. £5.99 at the moment in Boots.

Finally, L'Oreal have got some more interesting nail polishes! The old ones are really dull and plain, but I love the new glittery ones. I am going to attempt something different with this which I will post about when I get round to it, but I love the black and white mix, I haven't seen any like this before. £4.99 and 3-for-2 in Boots.

There is my shopping for the day! Back to attempting to write essays!

Seventeen Rock Hard Nail Effects

A few days ago a posted a picture of the new nail effects Seventeen are due to release on Wednesday, and being the nail addict that I am, I had to sneakily purchase one when I was at work the other day so I could give it a try! There are four different colours available, but I went for black as I thought the texture might stand out more.

As I said before I think I prefer these to the Barry M textured polishes as I think the textured effect is better suited to the bolder colours than the pastels. The first thing I noticed when I tried this polish is how thick it is, but you only need a really thin coat as it dries to a better texture. Two coats gives great coverage and makes the texture more noticeable. It dries amazingly fast too, by the time I had painted my last finger my first few were dry. No sitting around waiting for this one!

I really am in love with this effect! It suits me perfectly, a little grungy but still glam, and I want to stick some studs on it but I might wait to see how well it wears first before I try anything fancier. It is described on the bottle as a matte black effect, but between the bumpy bits it is still really shiny, which adds to the contrast in the texture. 
Having seen pictures of the Nails Inc Leather look polishes, I think this is an amazing dupe! A little more textured than the Leather polish, but pretty damn close! Fantastic for the price as you could get all four of Seventeens' colours for less than a single Nails Inc Leather!

Seveteen Rock Hard in Black vs Nails Inc Shoreditch Lane 

(picture from the lovely Charlotte of soyoubeauty)

I will definitely be getting the grey and blue ones when they are released properly! They will be available in Boots from the 20th! Well worth a go for £3.99 each!

What do you think? Will anyone else be joining me in getting some more of these next week?

Seventeen Rock Hard Nail Effects

Whilst everyone has been raving about the new pastel Barry M textured nail polishes, Seventeen have been keeping very quiet about their version. I saw the black one advertised in the Beauty magazine Boots sends us every few months, I love reading these and seeing all the new products due out, but was very excited about these polishes. After a lot of waiting, they are finally due to be released on the 20th!

I'm glad they have finally released a picture so I can post about them! Looks like there will be four colour ways available, black, grey, navy and red, and to be honest I want them all! I might limit myself to black and blue though (at least to start with, I will most likely end up with all four!)

I actually prefer these colours to the Barry M ones, they are really bold and striking, which I think fits well with the grungy texture effect.

I am not sure as to the price, but normal Seventeen polishes retail at £2.99 so I think it is safe to say they will be affordable. There might also be an offer on Seventeen cosmetics to coincide with the release (not saying anything about that one). That is one big perk of working in Boots, I love knowing about the new releases and offers first :).

I am really excited for the release of these and after the OPI liquid sands I tried last week, I will be interested to see how these compare. What about you? Anyone else excited for these or do you prefer the pastel Barry M version?

Seventeen Photo Flawless Primer

This is something I have had floating around my make-up bag for a while now without me trying it. I decided to give it a go though and with all the hype around primers I thought it deserved a review :)

Now....before I start, just to be clear this isn't a PR post, I got this as part of the Seventeen make-up set which was half price for the Star Gift around Christmas at Boots. You'll see why I said that in a minute!

Photo Flawless Primer, claims to minimise pores and make your skin look flawless...big claims? Well they are right! This is actually amazing! I love it! See why I had to say it isn't a PR post? You'd think they were paying me, I wish!
I noticed the minute I put it on how much smoother, fresher and brighter my skin looked and actually had to do a double-take when I put my foundation on as my skin looked that good! Not something I usually think when I look in the mirror!

My daily "work" eye-shadow, which can sometimes drop a little (which is a shame as I love it but was starting to go off it because of this- Rimmel's Spicy Bronze if anyone is interested) stayed on perfectly, not even a speck out of place. I have been putting it on in the morning and have found my make-up has lasted longer, and looks much better and fresher when I get to the end of the day.

It its a gorgeous silky liquid which makes your skin feel so soft and smooth. The primer has had amazing reviews on the Boots website so I am not the only one who loves it! Even better with £2 off at the moment making it £2.99 instead of £4.99, which is still worth paying for this little gem. If you haven't tried a primer before or aren't sure which to get then go get it, now! You can buy it here. I promise it is worth it :)

Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara and Eyeliner

Another review for you all :). 17 are a Boots brand like No7 although their products and designs are targeted at the younger ones among us. They have recently re branded themselves as Seventeen with a whole new look and some new releases along with it! Doll'd Up mascara is the first new product to be released so I had to pick it up when I was at work yesterday along with the 3 way Doll'd Up eyeliner pen which is free with it at the moment.

I am a big fan of the 17 Falsifeye mascara for giving big lashes for a night out so I was expecting great things from Doll'd up and I have to say I wasn't disappointed! After only a couple of coats I felt like my lashes looked much longer, well defined and curled. They claim the mascara gives 24-hour curl which is impressive (I haven't tested this as I don't want to sleep with it on) but I do like the effect you get.

After a couple of coats it does start to clump a little, but I haven't found a mascara yet which doesn't.

I did struggle a little with the 3-way eyeliner however. I haven't got round to trying a felt liner yet but assumed this would be easy enough to get a straight, neat line. The liner tip has three prongs to allow you to create different effects.

I found it quite difficult to keep the line straight, although after a couple of touch-ups, I do quite like it but I think I will stick to my tried and tested favourite, Collection 2000's Fast Stroke liner. I do like the dotting idea though, as demonstrated on their Youtube channel, and I also found it easier to get a softer line than I do with my normal liner, so not all bad.

The Doll'd Up mascara and free eyeliner are on an introductory offer at Boots at the moment, selling for £5.29 (usually £6.29) so with discount this was a bargain and I would recommend :) After having seen a couple of other new products Seventeen will be releasing (including a nail polish I can't wait for!) it will be interesting to see what else they have for us!