Mani of the Week: Boots No 7 Sing The Blues

This is one of No 7's new Stay Perfect polish, in Sing The Blues. It is my new favourite colour. I always prefer dark colours, like navies or deep purple but this colour is like a summer navy - not too dark and with just enough of a sheen.

What colour have you been wearing on your nails this week?

(A rave) Beauty Review: inside my bathroom cabinet

This week, I'll confess, I had thought I'd written and scheduled a beauty review post and so this morning I got up, dyed my hair, did my chores and headed out into the sunshine to the library. And then I came home and logged on and realised... there was no lovely new post this morning. So apologies to anyone who came here earlier looking for some beauty review action. Here it is. Better late than never and better still, it is about more than just one great beauty secret this week:

I am a hoarder of all things beauty (as well as being an advertisers dream and buying into every new beauty trend!). So today, I thought I'd share with you my absolute favourites from all of the many products I have collected over the years and the ones that have turned out to be keepers:


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Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Down Town

When I got sent the Boots 17 Miami Pop Summer Collection to try out, I decided that I wasn't perhaps the best person for the job - so I sent it to my super stylish sis to play with as she's off on her holidays to Ibiza - right now, in fact!!

For her holidays she chose to paint her nails with the Down Town shade which is a bright colour pop in a hot orange shade which is on trend this summer:

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BEAUTY REVIEW: Boots Beautiful Bronze Soltan Self Tan Lotion

When I was asked to trial Soltan's Beautiful Bronze Self Tan Body Lotion I couldn't wait. And then I did. I waited then six weeks. Because I suddenly remembered that as much as I like to have a tan, I don't actually like fake tanning - I don't like the stress of worrying over whether it will look alright or whether I'll be left with streaks or white patches, as have been the results of many a fake tan experiment when I was a student. So the bottle sat on my dressing table. Taunting me. Then last night, I decided to take the plunge and try it. After all, the forecast said rain for the next few days, so if it went wrong, I could hide under my skinny jeans. My arms tend to a take a little colour in the sun anyway, so it is really only my legs that remain an offensive whiter than white colour this time of year. So I tried the tan on them:

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Pedi of the Week: Boots No 7 Me! Me! Me!

How do you spend your Sunday evening? I spent my Sunday evening doing chores and painting my toe nails:

When Boots sent me a couple of the new No 7 Stay Perfect nail polishes to try out, this hot pink polish - Me! Me! Me! - was amongst them. I'm not such a fan of hot pink on my finger nails but on my toes? Yes please!


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BEAUTY REVIEW: Boots No 7 Summer Collection

Last week, I told you about Boots' 17 Summer Collection, this week, I have the fabulously glamorous Boots' No 7 Summer Collection to tell you about:

If hot pink polish and lipgloss isn't your thing, don't fear. The No 7 limited collection is glossy and glittery and grown-up. The collection consists of a matt three-toned bronzer, with a convenient mirror in the top:

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Mani of the Week: Boots No7 Golden Palms

When Boots sent me the No 7 Summer Collection I wasn't too sure about the polishes. Both are glittery and I'm never too impressed with metalic glitter polishes - they are never very opaque end up looking a little like a child got left alone with a tube of glitter glue and my nails! But I thought I'd give them a go - for the sake of the blog, you understand! And I am so pleased I did.

This polish, named Golden Palms, is opaque after two coats, glamorous and lasts a long loooong time! Honestly, I put a coat on one evening, which actually looked nice enough on its own, but the next evening decided to add a second coat which looked even better. Then I set about cleaning the bathroom, washing up and a whole host of other chores that had been waiting for me to get off the sofa! And the polish was still there and intact after all of this! Now that is some staying power, right there!

And the colour? Well, it is in daylight a pink base with broze coloured glitter, and indoors, it is more bronze than pink.

If you're looking for a polish to accompany sunny summer evening cocktails, this is it!

And right now, if you spend £22 on No 7 products, you get this free gift. What are you waiting for?

What colour are you loving for sultry summer evenings?

BEAUTY REVIEW: Boots 17 Miami Pop Summer Collection

Those lovely people at Boots obviously realised that my bank balance needed a break from all of the spending I keep doing and offered to send me some samples to try out - to which I said, yes please! Naturally.

So, I was pleased to receive the Boots 17 Miami Pop Summer Collection in the post last week. The packaging cute and candy coloured - just what you want to fill your make-up bag with in the summer, no?

The collection includes a shimmer bronzer - which will look perfect swept on with a large powder brush for summer evenings - and a hot pink lipgloss - which will brighten up any make-up look. In addition, there are two limited edition nail polish colours - Palm Beach, a hot pink colour, and Down Town, a bright orange  - I'd suggest painting one colour on your toe nails and another on your finger nails!

Boots 17 are also currently offering a 17 Nail Bar in a Bag free with any two purchases from the 17 collection:

Have you tried any of these products? What summer make-up do you use? Does the make-up you use change between summer and winter?

PS. I stumbled upon this post which suggests How to Wear Bronzer (and How to Avoid Mistakes).

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Crackle Top Polish

You might remember that a few weeks ago the lovely people at Boots' 17 sent me their new Supreme Shine collection? The package included their brand new Crackle Top Polish. Many brands now offer crackle top polish but I had yet to try any, so I couldn't wait to try this one out. It works best if you use a thin coat as it dries quickly and cracks as it dries. I tried it first with Boots No 7 Lovely Lilac polish which looked great but the pale undercoat meant that the effect wasn't too noticeable:

So I gave it a go with the Boots No 7 Tangy polish which I think worked better:

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Mani of the Week: Boots No 7 in Tangy

This week's mani is Boots No 7's Tangy. A gorgeously richly pigmented orange coral colour which is just perfect for the summer and against tanned and pale skins alike. The polish is opaque after one coat and two coats extend the life of the mani for a week. This polish has firmly earned its place in my summer make-up bag.

What colour is your mani this week?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter!

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

Mani of the Week: No 7 Lovely Lilac

Boots No 7 have created a new "pigment rich colour" polish with a "new brush and formulation". So? You ask. Well, the colour is certainly rich and the new brush to flat and wide which makes application easy and smooth.

This colour is perfect for the summer - subtle and pretty:

What colour polish are you wearing this week?

PS:

Have you entered my giveaway to win a fabulous pair of Oasis New Vintage earrings? If not, make sure you do so right away!! You can’t win, if you don’t enter!

AND, if you have already voted for me in the Filofax Facebook Blogger Style Off, thank you. If you haven’t voted for me yet, please do go and vote for me and will be forever grateful.

BARGAIN HUNTER: Boots haul

Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I have scored a bargain and my recent trip to Boots afforded me a few reasons to smile:

Currently, when you spend £5 or more in store, you will receive a £5 voucher for Boots No 7. If you don't know what to spend your £5 on, look no further! I was pleased to find the new and improved Stay Perfect formulation in store, with pigment rich colour. And some new bright summer shades, like these three that I picked up:

From left to right: Minty Fresh, Lucky Lilac and Tangy

At £7 it means that you get good quality polish for just £2, with your voucher. Aren't the colours perfect for the summer?

But these weren't the only bargains at Boots this weekend, I also managed to grab a couple of bargainous Ruby & Millie make up tools. According to many an internet forum, Ruby & Millie products are currently 75% off at Boots until the end of June, however when I visited the Boots store on Queen Street in Cardiff, it seems they did not know about this offer!! The Boots store at the Cardiff Bay retail park did have their products reduced (although not until you get them to the till) - so it is worth checking. I got these slant tweezers for £3.32 (normally £13.28)!!!!

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Beauty Review: Boots 17 Waterproof Mascara

So when I got up last Sunday morning I wasn’t exactly planning on giving the Boots' 17 Waterproof mascara such a vigorous trial. I had in mind a day by the pool to see if it gave me panda eyes after a brief dip. But instead I found myself on a high-speed boat in the sea off Ibiza being thrown around and then thrown – quite literally – into the sea. And you know what? Not a panda eye in sight!


Do you wear waterproof mascara for water activities? Or go mascara-free? Or just hope for the best?!

Mani of the Week: Boots 17 Twilight Teaser

It is not only Nair that I have to thank for making sure I am ready for my holidays at the end of this week, but also the lovely people at Boots who sent me a few bottles from the new Boots 17 Supreme Shine collection:

Now, I still haven't decided which colour I will use for my weekend away - although I am thinking something dark and glamorous, like Spiced Plum for my toes and something bright, like Miami for my finger nails with the Crackle Top Coat that was also sent to me. Of course, I will keep all of this for another week.

This week, I have mostly been rocking the subtle tones of Twilight Teaser:

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Beauty Review: No7 Pampering Dry Oil Body Spray

I don't often write beauty reviews on this blog (except for the regular Mani of the Week series) but when I do it is because I have found a product that I just have to tell you about and this is one such product.

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Mani of the Week: Boots No7 Betty Blues

This week's nail colour comes courtesy of Boots No7 Stay Perfect Nail Polish in Betty Blues.

The colour is a rich navy blue with a high shine. Two coats make it opaque and will make it last longer too.

If you've not tried Boots No7 polishes before, make sure you do, as they are affordable and yet long lasting and offer a fantastically wide range of shades.

What colour polish are you wearing this week?

Mani of the Week: Boots No7 Siren

I have been coveting the Chanel nail polish in Dragon that Pink Bow wears and so when in Paris in October I thought it would make the perfect souvenir but alas, they were all sold out:

On my return I decided to treat myself to a nail colour from Boots No7 with my £5 voucher and so set upon this colour - Siren - which is very nearly the same shade of red.

What do you think? Can I pass it off as Chanel?