Nail Week #1: Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Blue Plum

If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that I'm off work this week; it's my first week off since June so to say I'm ready for it is an understatement! Anyway, no work means I can paint my nails so I thought it might be fun if I did a sort of 'nail week'and paint my nails each day and post a picture on here.
Unfortunately my Internet is currently down (damn you Sky!) so I'm having to do yesterday's post today, and do so via the Blogger app. Anyway this is what I had on my nails yesterday. It's kind of similar to the Rimmel polish I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, but a little darker. It's a lot darker than what I'm used to wearing but I'm getting used to it. It was definitely too dark for the summery weather we had in the north east yesterday, and it much more suited to today's misty, drizzly weather.

I'm a latecomer to the world of Barry M gelly polishes but I have to say from what I've tried, I'm very impressed and will certainly be adding to my collection!

Review: Soap & Glory Glow All Out

It's no secret on here that I'm a big lover of Soap and Glory; ever since I tried their Calm One, Calm All over five years ago, I've been hooked and have tried so many of their products.  One thing I love about them is they're continually bringing out more products and I was so excited when they added a makeup line to their range.  For the most part, the makeup line is great and I've liked pretty much everything I've tried and this is yet another product to add to their 'hit list'

Glow All Out is described as a 'luminising face powder' which I guess is more or less the same as a highlighter.  Although while some highlighters can be overly glittery or shimmery, this is way more subtle.  It gives a beautifully subtle sheen to the skin that is perfect for this time of year.  My skin can often look dull and tired and this perks it up just the right amount.  Soap and Glory say you can apply this over the whole face, but I just apply it to the tops of my cheekbones.  Even though it's subtle, I think the whole face may be a bit too much, and you really would 'glow all out' (see what I did there?!)

To be honest I'm not overly keen on the packaging.  While the cardboard is strong and sturdy (in a similar way to the Benefit boxed powders), I still suspect it will pick up a few knocks fairly easily, and I'm not sure how long it'll look so white and pristine either... I think after a couple of month, general wear and tear will stop it from looking so pretty!

I bought this product a couple of weeks ago, and I've used it pretty much every day since.  I've even added it to my most basic of make up routines; the one I tend to do for work, or if I'm just in a rush.  I haven't swatched it for you in the photos as it's that subtle, it's really hard to capture how lovely it is with my basic camera. 

At £11, it's not the cheapest out there, but Soap and Glory is currently part of Boots' 'buy one, get one half price' offer, and is also often on 3 for 2...  either of which would justify a cheeky splurge if you ask me!

Amargan Hair Therapy*

Amargan Advanced Styler* £10.95 (100ml), Hair Therapy Oil* £15.00 (100ml), & Ultimate Curl* £7.86

After mentioning the Amargan Hair Therapy Protect and Shine Spray in my haircare routine post, I was contacted by the lovely peole at Amargan to ask if I'd like to try some more of their products.  Obviously I jumped at the chance and a few days later, a parcel arrived in the post.  I was sent a full size version of thier Ultimate Curl Cream, which I am still trying out, and also two bottles of their oils which I'm going  to talk about here.

The oils came packaged in their own little box along with a small detangling comb, and also a letter explaining what each product was for, which I thought was a nice touch. First up is the Hair Therapy Oil which is the original Amargan product.  Designed to be used on wet hair in place of conditioner, this oil is pretty thick in texture but it soaks into the hair instantly.  This really does leave your hair feeling soft and in great condition.  I've often put this on my hair and left it to dry naturally which normally would cause my hair to frizz.  With the oil, this frizziness is greatly reduced and my hair is left smooth, shiny and healthy looking.

The Advanced Styler is for use on wet hair that is going to be blow-dried or heat styled, as it is heat activated.  Along with Argan Oil, it also contains Keratin which is a potent ingredient that strengthens hair by improving its structure from the inside out.  Keratin fills in any breakages or gaps in the hair shaft, which in turn helps to make hair more supple and easier to style.  After applying the first oil, I apply the Advanced Styler in the same way and comb through.  I'm really impressed with this oil too; my hair is so much smoother after using this, and takes a lot less straightening too which is obviously great for my hair.  It works just as well if I'm wanting to curl my hair as opposed to straighten it.

Both these oils are well worth checking out if you're a fan of Argan Oil.  They can be used independently of each other but when used together they're brilliant.  I received a 30ml bottle of each and as you only need a couple of drops, I'm sure they're going to last a long time.  However when they eventually do run out, I'll definitely be repurchasing!

You can find out more about Amargan here and buy them in selected salons, or online here

*All of these products were sent to me free of charge by the company.

This does not affect my thoughts on the products.

Boots No7 melting gel cleanser

  
I was considering purchasing the Clarins equivalent of this cleansing gel, but as it was the end of the month and therefore I was a little skint, I decided to go for the No7 as I couldn't wait til payday to clean my face!  This cleanser formed the basis of my skincare overhaul, something I needed to do as I'd been getting very lazy with my skincare routine.  When I wasn't being lazy I'd use No7's hot cloth cleanser, which has been a staple of mine for a couple of years, but as everyone's going mad for 'double cleansing' lately, I decided to use this in addition to get my own double cleansing experience.

The cleanser comes in typical No7 packaging, very basic and no-frills, but doesn't look at all cheap or tacky.  It's just a simple white plastic tube with a pink cap.  It's priced at £9, more than half the price of the Clarins cleanser, and can be bought even cheaper when No7 have their £5 vouchers (I got a voucher the other day actually...) out.

As the name would suggest, this cleanser is of a gel consistency, that when massaged into the skin transforms into an oil.  Upon contact with water, it turns into a more creamy consistency which you then rinse away.  I tend to massage the gel into dry skin; (apparently this is how you're meant to cleanse your face, none of that damp skin malarkey!). The oil does make your skin feel kind of heavy, but this loosens as soon as I add a bit of water.  All in all, it actually feels quite nice and soothing. I continue to massage this into my skin before taking a hand-hot flannel and massaging away.  The flannel feels much more luxurious than a muslin cloth and also gives the smallest amount of exfoliation.

 I'd say it removes about 90% of my makeup.  Unfortunately it isn't designed to remove eye-makeup; it made my eyes sore when I tried to remove my mascara! My skin does feel clean and soft after use so it's not all bad.  I've now switched to using this as my morning cleanser and it leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh, and ready to start the day.