Essie Mink Muffs - A Review

I have long been searching for a nail varnish which is in the taupe/mink/slate type family.  I always think these nail colours look really nice, but the key seems to be in getting a shade that suits your skin tone.

I’ve so far failed to find one where the colour suits me.  My hands are not my best feature, they are quite wrinkly for my age, and get very red and sore in winter.  They can therefore be quite unforgiving when it comes to the more unusual nail colours.  I had tried No. 7’s ‘Beanie’ a few years back, but I hate the consistency of No.7 nail varnishes, and the brush is too thin.  The colour wasn’t bad, but the application was too difficult. 

I’ve found this family of colours tend to only pop up in the higher-end nail varnish ranges.  You’ll struggle to find a decent taupe-based shade in any varnish under the £7 mark. 

On a recent girly shopping trip with my Mum, she randomly ended up buying Chinchilly by Essie for her Christmas parties.  Both of us were a little surprised at how nice the grey shade looked on her nails – my Mum because she thought it would look too “young” on her, and me because we share a similar skin tone and normally the grey based colours look awful. 

Following her success, we then started having a play with different colours and I then ended up purchasing Essie’s Mink Muffs... (on an aside, I recommend playing with colours when you have the time and are with an honest companion.  Like in this case, you often find colours suit you which you weren’t expecting)



Mink Muffs is a pinky-purple based mink colour.  The colour reminds me of one of the colours offered by the Impress press-on nail range, which I have always liked.  It looks a completely different colour in the bottle, almost terracotta-based.  I’d never have picked it off the shelf in a million years, but it looked completely different when I tested it on my finger nail.

The application is typical Essie.  The desired depth of colour is easily achieved in two applications, although it always leaves me hankering after a third application to really give the colour some punch.

After 1 application

After 2 applications

I struggle to describe the colour.  It definitely has warm undertones which I think makes it look a bit less harsh against my skin tone.  It also changes quite drastically in different lights.  In my bedroom last night it looked very taupe based, but when I was walking through town on my lunch break today I noticed it was very purple! (Hence why I had to take a photo – ignore the sainsburys bag!)

In daylight!

Thus far I am a fan of this colour.  It is taking a bit of getting used to, because it isn’t as dark as what I normally use at this time of year.  However it seems to go really nicely with cream clothing, and also offers a less harsh alternative when wearing a lot of black.  I also think it will come in handy for the xmas season.

As usual I am impressed with the actual Essie varnish – creamy application, good shine, good colour depth, decent sized brush.  You can't go wrong for £7.99!  They are also buy one get one half price at the moment in Boots. 

Essie 'Skirting the Issue'

I posted a few weeks ago about how impressed I was with my first experience of Essie nail-varnishes.

Following the success of the pastel lilac colour I bought, I have been itching to try out the rest of their range.  I caved a few days ago and bought “Skirting the Issue” – a deep burgundy colour from their new ‘Stylenomics” range.

I am normally loyal to OPI, but seeing as they do not sell them in any shops in my local town centre, I struggle when picking colours as they look so different on swatches on the internet.

Normally before I purchase a new cosmetic, I have a scout around the beauty blogs to see what kind of buzz is surrounding the product.  In this case, I did it the other way round – I purchased then searched the blogs.

Several of the blogs criticised the varnish for needing several coats to get an even finish.  The colour (when photographed on people’s nails) also looked a lot lighter than I expected.

Oh dear.

Anyway, seeing as I had bought it, I had to try it out.  Here’s my opinion....

The first thing I noticed was that the consistency is quite runny.  It is easy to overload the brush and it was difficult to control it around the base and sides of my nail where I found it tended to run or collect.  I think there is a fine line with nail varnishes between them being runny enough to glide on the nail and dry quickly, but thick enough that you still maintain some control.  This erred on the runny side.

These are my nails after the first coat. 

 

It did ‘glide’ on quite nicely, which is the same experience I had with the lilac shade, but you can see on my thumb what I mean about the product ‘collecting’ and you can see on the edge of my ring finger where the product has started to run.  However, it was generally quite even for a first coat of a darker nail-varnish. 

These are my nails after the second coat.

I expect a nail varnish to reach its intended colour after two coats, as I find anything more than 2 coats makes it tricky to dry properly.  I found it quite difficult to get an even covering with the second coat.  I tended to get a bit of a ‘dip-dyed’ situation going on, where the tips of my nails were darker than the base.  My thumb nail gives the best representation of how even the colour ended up.  You can also see where it has run again on my middle finger.

The colour was definitely lighter than I was expecting.  It is a nice burgundy, but not as deep as I would have liked.  The flash on my camera makes it look lighter....the photo [below left] is without a flash and you can see it looks considerably darker.  The photo on the right gives the truest representation of the colour I achieved.  Some of my nails are definitely darker than the others...there is a definite lack of consistency in the depth of colour.
 

Having said that, I love the finish.  Both this varnish, and the lilac I previously bought, both have a very luxe, shiny finish. I did apply a top coat of cheap clear nail varnish but after a day of wearing it my nails have not dulled as much as they do with other brands of nail varnish.  It is also the kind of nail varnish, both in colour and finish, which makes your hands looks quite ‘groomed’. 

Overall I do like this nail varnish, once I accepted the colour was not what I was after!  I maintain that the consistency is difficult to control – I doubt I will be able to use this if my nails are shorter as you need enough nail space to be able to even out the colour and the brush carries too much product.  It will certainly not be a ‘quickie’ nail varnish that I can apply in a rush.  It needs a steady surface, concentration and time to apply.  But if applied with care, it does produce a good, glossy end result in a colour that is very ‘this season’.

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UPDATE:  In a pang of boredom the following day, I decided to paint another coat of colour and clear polish on top.  I do have a tendency to do this.  I find that 3 coats of colour, plus a base and top coat, never dries properly if all applied at the same time.  They give the illusion of being dry but will still smudge or pick up texture patterns.  This may be my lack of skill in application!  But often I find if I do the generic 2 coats of colour and a base & top coat, they dry easier.  Then the next day if I apply again I find it dries a lot more robustly.

So anyway!  Here is a photo of my nails after a 3rd coat of colour and a further clear top coat.  I definitely prefer the depth of colour this extra coat has given and the colour is now much closer to what I was originally after.  Quite a long-winded process though to get this nail varnish to work for me...
 

Boots Simply Sensitive - gentle on the face and your bank balance

I have always struggled with skin care because my skin is so sensitive and very dry.  I suffer from eczema and if my skin disagrees with a product, the skin around my eyes will quickly flare up.

As a result, I have had limited success with facial moisturisers and cleansers.  I have reacted to products ranging from Liz Earle's much-raved about hot cloth cleanser, right through to moisturisers specifically designed for sensitive skin, e.g. E45 and Avene.

The only two facial moisturisers I have had success with are Aderma and the La Roche Posay Toleriane range.  Both are specifically designed for sensitive skin and definitely kept my flare-ups at bay.

But I had niggly issues with both - Aderma was very thick and had a rather unpleasant whiff to it and La Roche Posay was (in my thrifty opinion) quite expensive for a daily moisturiser.  At £16 a tube (a small tube) I was shifting through a lot of it as I moisturise at least twice a day.

The products I now use were definitely a bit of a miracle find for me.  It is the night moisturiser and face cleanser from Boots Simply Sensitive range.

I am guessing this range was brought out as Boots answer to the incredibly successful 'Simple' range.  I use Simple's eye make-up remover and would never switch, I love it.  Boots had their range on offer when they first launched it, so I decided I'd try it.

Boots Simply Sensitive Night Moisturiser

The night moisturiser comes in a little pot which is easy to store and use, and being a pot rather than a tube, you can make sure you get every last bit out of it.  It is fragrance and colour free and contains typical sensitive skin ingredients such as aloe vera and mineral oil.

It is completely fragrance free, there is no scent to it at all other than a basic 'cream' smell. For a night moisturiser it has quite a light consistency and I find it rubs in very easily.  No stinging at all.  Sometimes if I apply loads it can leave a bit of a sticky residue but that doesn't last long.  I find it to be a good base for my foundation, and my skin feels soft all day (despite working in an air conditioned office!)  I use it both mornings and evenings, despite it being designed for night only. I did buy the day moisturiser but it just didn't provide enough moisturisation, it was far too light and thin. 

I have been using this product now for over a year and, although my skin isn't perfect, it is definitely calm and moisturised!  I haven't (touch wood) had any skin breakouts or reaction to this product and it has seen me through wind-induced chapped skin in the winter and sunburnt (naughty) skin in the summer.  At £3.79 (and regularly on 3 for 2 or 30% off offers) I'd highly recomment it to any dry, sensitive skin types out there.  The price tag means that if it doesn't work you haven't wasted too much money, but if it does, you've discovered a very cheap way to moisturise your skin!

Boots Simply Sensitive Cleansing Lotion

For your £2.79 price tag you get a big bottle (200ml) of this stuff.  The neck of the bottle has a plastic stopper so it is easy to control how much you pour out, and again I find you can use all of the product up.  I squeeze a bit onto cotton wool pads and wipe over my face until the pads are clean.  I wear quite a bit of foundation and this cuts through it easily.

Because it is a lotion, it doesn't dry my skin out at all.  If you suffer from greasy or combination skin you may not like this product as it does feel as if it is leaving a slight film on the skin.  I wouldn't say I get that 'squeaky clean' feeling you get with some cleansers, but then I find the cleansers that make my skin feel clean, also dry it out. So it doesn't bother me that this cleanser doesn't leave me with that clean feeling.  Don't get me wrong, you feel you have lifted the products and 'muck' of the day from your face - it just feels fresh rather than squeaky clean.

Again, I have used this product for over a year and have had no reactions or flare-ups.  I still get spots, but not on a regular basis, which makes me confident that the cleanser is removing my make-up etc.  Once again, for the price, it is worth a shot

Overall
I love these two products and it will take something pretty impressive to drag me away from them!  For the price, I think you couldn't really ask for much more.  Is my skin glowing and flawless? No.  I still have prominent large pores, I still get the odd spot and angry blemish and my skin tone is generally still pretty uneven.  But based on my previous experience with skin care, it's the best results I have found so far.

Little flit into H&M

I just found the most amazing pencil skirt in H&M.  Grey tweed (yum), perfect length, fitted well and only £14.99.  It was quite a stretchy fabric and I was a bit concerned it might not 'wear' well - i.e. it might get baggy over time.  But then I walked out of the changing rooms and..."why is it in the maternity section!?" Oh wonderful.  It's a maternity skirt. 

Immediate dilemma.  Do I purchase a maternity skirt?!  I didn't.  I'm convinced that although it fitted fine now, it would probably stretch really easy and quickly get baggy.  In fairness though, I can't see how you could fit a bump into it, but I guess it would stretch to requirement.

On an aside though, I'd totally recommend H&M for any petite people who need serious office clothes.  You have to be patient - a lot of their stuff they don't bring out in a size 6 so it's a bit pick 'n' mix as to what you can get.  But I have pencil skirts in black, grey and taupe which I live and die in at work - all size 6, all £14.99.  I've had them about 4 years and they still look fine.

They also do quite a good line in suit jackets.  Not the most brilliant of materials, but when you are a size 6, getting office clothes can be an absolute nightmare.  So for good value and decent fit, I'd definitely point you in H&M's direction...

You may also have noticed from my 'H&M A/W drop' post that I was lusting after a v-neck jumper from their catalogue.  It popped up in my local store today, already sold out in every size under a Large.  They only had an XS in the grey.  So I grabbed it.  I'm not sure though.....at £19.90 it is pretty expensive for H&M knitwear and it already has a somewhat 'out-of-shape' look about it which makes me think it won't wash well.  I'm also not sure whether it looks cool-baggy or stupid-baggy.  I'm undecided.  I'm going to fit it on at home, parade around in it a bit, ask my sisters for advice....

Giorgio Armani Designer Shaping Cream Foundation - Review

I was introduced to the expensive world of Giorgio Armani foundation through one of my best friends.  She suffers with dry, sensitive, spotty skin much like myself.  So when I saw her sporting radiant, even skin I literally begged her for her secret.  Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation.

She warned me it was expensive.  It is also hard to get hold of.  So when in London one weekend, I hot-footed it over to Selfridges and headed straight for the Armani counter.  Problem was, I couldn't remember the name of the foundation.  No problem, I just asked the very helpful gentleman (yes, gentleman) working behind the counter. Alphazeus (yes, that was actually his name) told me it must be the new Designer Shaping Cream Foundation. 

As is typical with higher end make-up brands, he offered to do my make-up.  I obliged of course.  I left Selfridges not more than 20 minutes later with a full face of flawless make-up and swinging a little yellow bag containing a £45 foundation.  Yup.  £45.

I tried my new foundation the very next morning.  And was disappointed.  My flawless face the day before had apparently got more to do with a) Alphazeus' make-up skills and b) the dozen or so other makeup products he swiftly mixed and applied around the foundation (e.g. bronzing cream, concealer, powder).  In honesty, I don't know how much of the foundation he even used.  This is the one danger with make-up counters, especially those in high end stores such as Selfridges.

This foundation has since sat in my bedroom as a haunting reminder of the fact no foundation is worth £45.  If I'm honest, the price tag probably makes me harsh on the product, but it just generally leaves me a little cold.  Anyway, here is my full review....

The bottle is typical Armani.  Heavy frosted glass, black screw lid.  It is big, and holds a decent amount of foundation.  The design of the bottle is a nightmare though, with a wide base and thinner neck, you have to dip your finger in a bit like dipping a quill in ink.  Pouring it is an absolute no-no.  It quickly gets messy and is not travel-friendly. 

The consistency is lovely.  Not too runny, but not too thick - it feels nice to the touch and it is easily applied either with fingers or a brush.  It blends extremely well.  It is definitely oily based though, and if I wear it alone then I have a strong 'dewy' sheen (verging on greasy).  It also has quite a heavy feel to it, you are aware of it on your skin for a good few hours after application.

The coverage isn't bad.  It covers redness well, and evens out the skin tone.  Blemishes need a bit more work.  The coverage is technically buildable, but because it feels quite heavy, you don't really feel like you want to build it up.  It definitely makes the skin feel claustrophobic. 

The top photo is without any make-up (yuk) and the bottom photo is with the Armani foundation applied with a foundation brush.  As you can see, the coverage is very good, but I had to take the flash off the camera otherwise my face looked like an oil slick.  To be fair the photo makes it look slightly better than it does in real life because my camera doesn't focus as sharply without a flash!

You definitely get everything you expect from a high end foundation - decent colour matching, luxurious consistency - but for the price tag there is no way this is worth it in my eyes.  If I'd paid a tenner for this, I might be more complimentary as it is a pretty good product.  But pretty good shouldn't come with a £45 price tag. 

Incidentally I never went back and tried the original Luminous Silk foundation I initially wanted to buy.  Once bitten and all that.....

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation - A Surprise Find!

I have recently been contemplating embarking on a mission to find an alternative foundation to my beloved Diorskin Nude foundation.

As much as I love the Dior foundation, I have to admit it is far too expensive for daily wear (£29.50).  But the problem is it has spoilt me. Whenever I use cheaper alternatives for 'day-to-day' wear, I end up slipping back into using the Diorskin everyday because the alternatives just do not hit the spot.

So yesterday (after an expensive month what with holidays to Devon etc) I decided to re-ignite my search for a thrifty alternative foundation.

And what timing!  I went into Boots and it appears several lines have released new foundations.  Maxfactor have released their Facefinity All-Day 3-in-1, Bourjois their Perfect 123 and Maybelline their Fit Me foundation.

I tried several on my face.  The Maxfactor offering seemed to be no different to my previous experiences of their foundations.  They appear to have potential, their marketing blurb hits the spot, but their foundations are just too thick, dry and cakey and yet fail to cover my blemishes.  They all seem to have a very similar texture and colour base, so if you've found Maxfactor works for you in the past, I imagine you may quite like this one.  It is meant to be primer, concealer and foundation in one.  To me, it felt no different to their Colour Adapt foundation.

 

The Bourjois one I was tempted by, as I am quite a fan of their Healthy Mix foundation.  But I have a lot of

faith in a make-up blogger I follow called Fleur de Force.  She reviewed the foundation and gave it quite a lukewarm reception.  A lot of what she said sounded very honest and did ring true with my previous experience of Bourjois.

So I tried the Maybelline one.  My previous experience with Maybelline has been that their foundations are very drying, apart from their Dream Creamy foundation which is the other extreme!

Normally I don't put much stock by "colour match" foundations.  Mainly because I don't struggle to find colours to match my skin tone, I have more trouble finding foundations that match my skin type.  But it was in a pretty glass bottle, and at £7.99 it was within reasonable budget so I purchased.  And so far, I'm very impressed. 

Full review here

To Hydraluron or not to Hydraluron....

A couple of weeks ago I confessed to purchasing a rather expensive new product called Hydraluron by Indeed Labs, and at the time I promised a review.

The reason I haven't yet posted a review is because, to be perfectly honest, I haven't formed a cast iron opinion yet on this product.

One thing I can confirm hands down is that the product makes your skin softer to the touch.  This is a definite.  As soon as your moisturiser soaks in, your skin will feel dreamy soft.

I also think my foundation is easier to apply and even has better staying power.  I wouldn't say these effects are particularly pronounced, it was more something I started to notice over time.  My foundation spreads more evenly, blends in easier, and definitely stays better.  I suspect this is because the product is meant to prevent my skin "drinking" the water out of my foundation, and I can see some evidence of this.

But the product generally..?  I'm not sure.  It may be because I bought this expecting a wonder product.  I thought a couple of weeks down the line and I would literally be flawless and glowing.  Flawless and glowing I definitely am not.  But then the product does not claim to do this in fairness.  I still have red blemises; one of which has literally today just popped up into an angry, hot, red spot.  I also haven't noticed much difference in my pore size.  I suffer from large pores especially on my cheeks, and the product did claim to combat this.  Maybe it will be a more long-term effect.....

Something I found a bit weird was that the first night I used it, I woke up and my skin felt very tight and dehydrated...more so than normal.  So that morning I put more moisturiser on than normal.  I did the same that night.  I experienced this tightness for the first few mornings.  I did wonder if this was the product working...it does say that it encourages your skin to absorb and hold water, so maybe my skin was just so dehydrated to begin with that the product caused mass absorption!  I don't get the tightness anymore, and have gone back to using a normal amount of moisturiser.

The texture of my skin is definitely improved though - there's something more 'refined' about it.  It does seem a tad more 'glowy' but I think that is more down to a couple of cheeky sunbeds I naughtily indulged in (never again!)

Overall I can't decide about this product, but something tells me it is the type of product where I will notice the difference if I stop using it.  There is improvement, I just can't put my finger on what it is.  The proof of the pudding will come when I run out.  At £24.99 it is going to be a big decision as to whether I repurchase.  When it runs out I may not repurchase for a few weeks and see if I notice any difference.

I'll keep you posted.......

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UPDATE:

So, my Hydraluron has finally run out, which means it has lasted for 17 weeks of applying twice a day.  This works out at about 10p per application ... not too bad?

So it is crunch time ... am I going to buy again?  I was originally in two minds about whether I would re-purchase this, but now I have shifted to a definite yes.  There are two main things that contributed to this shift. 

Firstly, I was away at the weekend and forgot to take the product with me.  I didn't notice any drastic difference in my skin, but it did feel less 'well-behaved'.  One of the most noticeable differences was that my foundation literally melted into my skin within a few hours.  So on a review basis, I can definitely say that Hydraluron makes my make-up last considerably longer.  I guess this is because it creates some form of barrier which prevents my skin absorbing the foundation.  For information, I was using primer at the weekend as well, and my foundation still disappeared.  So the Hydraluron is doing something more than a primer.

Secondly, my skin is having a bit of a nightmare generally.  I think it is due to the change in the weather as I tend to get this every year.  My eczema is playing up, my skin is dry, I'm itchy and I've got lots of angry red patches on my arms and legs.  Noticeably though, I haven't had any problems with my face.  I'm putting this down to my new power partnership of Hydraluron and Body Shop Hemp Face Protector.  My skin is notoriously difficult in this weather, so the fact my face is coping well this year means Hydraluron must be packing some kind of punch in the hydration department.  Now all I need is a similar product for my body.....