Review: Simple Rapid Action Spot Zapper

Hello there! Sorry it has been a bit of a while since I last posted but I've been bogged down with work and such, however today, I have a review for you all! YAY :D

It is on the Simple Spotless Skin Rapid Action Spot Zapper. And just as a warning, this is NOT going to be a positive review...

The product is supposedly meant to reduce your spots, especially the redness in four hours :O And I couldn't even believe these mysterious claims on this packaging, and boy were these claims wrong!

The packaging is this little silver rollerball which you apply directly onto your spot. Now somehow, this doesn't seem hygienic to me... Repeatedly rolling something onto a problematic area of your face? I think not.

The rollerball feels nice and all because it's cold but seriously. its such a waste of packaging, a squirty nozzle would have been much more efficient in my opinion.

Now the actual product... Was SHAMEFUL. It is this kind of watery solution which leaves your skin feeling gross because there is this weird sort of film sitting on your skin. And I wouldn't have even minded if the product actually did something to my spots, but it literally did nothing... I just had this gross stuff sat on my face for hours and if anything it made my face feel itchy and more irritated! The areas that you apply this on become really dry, sore and horrible afterwards too, something that I definitely was not pleased about...

Conclusion - This product was sticky, gross, made my skin horrible afterwards, didn't help my spots and is just a big waste of time! I think I might just stick to leaving my spots alone...

Star Rating - 1 star (I love this brand too much to give it 0!)

I was really disappointed too, Simple is probably my favourite skincare brand too :( Hopefully a positive review will be coming up soon!

Until next time lovelies, Nikki xxx

Epic Nail or Epic Fail? - The Black Nail rises...

Hello blogger-bees! Today's post is another nail post... Now I know I was going to review that BB Cream that I mentioned in my other youtube video but I haven't taken photos yet so this will have to do :)

The nail polish that I currently have on is a black nail polish... Now that shouldn't be a shocker considering I get called an Emo and what-not on public transport but I haven't ever had black nail polish on before *gasp*

This polish is a L'Oreal Colour Riche Nail polish in the colour 'Blackswan' for which I still need to see the movie for. I purchased this from WAITROSE (because who knew that you could get nail polish from the supermarket?) and they had a deal which was two polishes for £7 which I thought was a bargain!

Now I LOVE this colour, the finish is beautiful too, it is really glossy which I like (I do have a top coat on though.) And I really like the formula, it isn't too thick or thin or gloopy, although it could be a little less sheer and more opaque but ya know, that's life...

But the issue I had, was with the packaging...

I actually really like the bottle because I thought it was cute and sleek, but it is the most annoying thing to use! The bottle is so skinny that every time I put the brush back into the bottle, I feel like the impact is going to make the bottle spill over... And in fact that did happen when I painted the other colour I bought a few days ago... So that annoyed me... And the bottle is almost barrel like too and has a long sort of tunnel to get to the polish which is annoying because you have to submerge the whole friggin thing back deep into the bottle to get any product which annoyed me. And also... The brush...

Now the brush is also an issue. The brush is one of those large brushes which is supposed to paint your whole nail, however because I have really long and skinny nails... There was absolutely no way possible for me to paint my skinnier finger nails without getting a whole lot of black polish all over my fingers. WHICH WAS A PAIN IN THE NECK :/ If you have skinnier finger nails you might have an issue, however on my wider nails such as my thumb, this brush was great.

Conclusion - Great Colour, Great Formula, Lovely looking packaging, but impractical to use.

Epic Nail or Epic Fail Rating - 3 stars

Hope that was helpful :) I should have some reviews coming up though so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Until next time, see you soon :) Nikki xxx

Bye! xxx

Epic Nail or Epic Fail? - Mmm Minty

Bonjour bloggers! Today's post is another Epic Nail or Epic Fail post, currently I have the Barry M nail paint in Mint Green on my nails which is my new nail polish obsession!

Now I'm not a huge fan of these nail polishes (as expressed in my cheap and chic combo post) as I find that some of the lighter shades are way too sheer and runny. But I think I've hit a good'un here with this colour! 

Now not only is this sort of shade of green most likely my FAVOURITE COLOUR but this nail polish is superb! I love the tiny brush which is good for easy and precise application and I love the consistency too as it is the perfect medium between thick and thin. 

The colour has lasted me pretty well too (not sure its this or my epic topcoat that I use) and so this is a total win, I'm so pleased! My Black Cherries nail polish (to which I haven't actually posted about yet...) might have to move over, I love this colour! It's actually a bit brighter in real life but as usual, my camera sucks! I think when it comes to fall this polish won't be a good colour (my friend Fareha actually said that it was too bright for her so she only wore it for a day!) but I think if you're brave enough, it is a good choice :)

Now (it's like all of my new paragraphs start with NOW) but I am returning to school soon (as mentioned in my youtube videos I think) and so this series might have to halt while I'm at school as we can't wear nail polish there... :(

But until next time, Nikki xxx

See ya later lovelies :) xxx

Review: The New Boots Botanics Range

Hello blogger-lings! I am doing a review today on the new boots botanics range! This range has recently been 'reformulated' I guess and so they have new products out, some of which I have tried! There are four ranges which are:
- The All Bright Range which is supposed to brighten up your face basically, I have the eye makeup remover from this range (which I wasn't too impressed with if you keep reading)
- The Organics Range which has the organic products which range from being 100 percent organic or only partially organic
- The Ultra Calm Range which is designed for sensitive skin, although I do not have particularly sensitive skin, my skin has been known in the past to act up to some skincare products
- The Youth Replenishing Range which is designed for the older markets, it is the anti-aging sort of thing but seeing as I am only a teenager, this range wasn't really essential for me and so I do not own anything from this range that I can comment on.

Rosewater Toning Spritz:

The first is my FAVOURITE of the three products that I have tried, as I guess this is sort of a 3 in 1 review. It is the Rosewater Toning Spritz which is essentially a toner but you get to squirt it on your face, it is from the organics range, probably my favourite range out of the Botanics stuff.

(I apologize for the really dull shooting but my camera went a bit mental when the flash was on and so this was what I had to settle for.)

I really love this toner, I haven't tried a lot of toners to be frank but I did find that this was one was extremely refreshing, it literally just woke up my face which I loved about this product. It is 100 percent organic too which for some unknown reason makes me happy (don't ask why) and so I was thrilled. The toner isn't really designed to do anything miraculous for your face but it claims to remove the last particles of makeup on your skin (which I didn't really notice because I'm quite thorough with removing my makeup anyway) and it doesn't particularly smooth your skin or have any other specific skin care bonuses, it is just meant to be refreshing, which is it! I love using this product in the morning, it smells like turkish delight (due to the rosewater) and so that is a total bonus for me! It sinks into the skin really quickly, doesn't leave any residue or your skin feeling dry or oily and so is just a lovely product, probably my new favourite skincare item!

The nozzle is really good at misting too which I like, I hate ones that just sort of squirt the product all in one place but this product really doesn't do that, BONUS!

Normal Retail: £4.99 but currently £3.33

Rating: 5 STARS!

Soothing Eye Makeup Remover (from the All Bright range):

This is my least favourite product by far out of the three, it is the soothing eye makeup remover which is from the all bright collection, something that I firstly don't understand as how is my eye makeup remover supposed to make my eye area bright? Answer, it doesn't, I hate this product... Well maybe not hate, but it certainly hates me...

Firstly, this is a makeup removing oil, and I know it is an oil so I was expecting it to be oily while applying obviously but somehow it managed to make my whole eye area feel like some sort of butter factory for the whole night, BLEH! This product is not only oily when using it, which is just gross and I do not appreciate it, but it also has a really dodgy sort of lingering after smell, if it were possible. It doesn't smell while you use it but afterwards my hands stank of the gross hibiscus or whatever was in this product.

It is soothing, sort of, I suppose. It didn't irritate my eyes like some other eye makeup removers I have used in the past but it certainly wasn't irritation free. I didn't notice anything while using it but the next morning, my eyes were extremely dry and crusty and ugh just disgusting as a result of this product. I used this product about 4 times and I seem to be mildly sort of allergic to it! It does remove the makeup I guess, you still need to scrub which annoyed me (and my sensitive eyes!) but it got most of my eye makeup off (bar my Max Factor 24 hour false lash effect mascara.)

It has a really stupid nozzle sort of thing too, it is a really stupid sort of mid sized hole which is too large for you to squirt it out onto cotton wool but then too small for you to just tip it upside down and get a nice amount of product, another downside!

Normal Retail: £3.99 but currently £2.66

Rating: 1 star, I guess it removed the makeup...

Gentle Cleansing Cream (from the Ultra Calm range):

This product is a cleanser and so is designed to remove one's makeup. In that area I really liked the product because it removed all my makeup really nicely, didn't leave anything behind at all which I really liked. The consistency of the product is great too because it is a sort of lotion, it isn't too thick to spread nicely over your face but isn't too runny that it feels like it will literally dribble down your face.

So as a cleanser, I LOVE this product, I use it all the time to remove my makeup now and couldn't be happier. Although the only issue that I have with this product is that it burns after I use it. Now I'm not talking like my skin melting off but it sort of feels like someone is squirting acid at my face or something, straight after I use it my skin feels like its burning and on fire which is an uncomfortable sort of thing really... The pain goes away after I use my toning spritz or after a minute and it isn't a deal breaker for me, but isn't this supposed to be from the line that does the SENSITIVE SKIN product?

That confuses me...

But all in all, it is a good product and I recommend it, I think I just have kind of dodgy skin to be honest. But if you have like SUPER SUPER SUPER SENSITIVE skin, I wouldn't try it just to be safe!

Normal Retail: £4.49 but currently £2.99

Rating - 4 stars (would have been 5 if it wasn't for the burning...)

And that was a long blog post eh? I hope you enjoyed this post, I really enjoyed writing it and should hopefully be purchasing some more Botanics products! The whole range is on a 1/3 off at Boots at the moment so I recommend checking it out!

Until next time, Nikki xxx

Epic Nail or Epic Fail? - Do I want my life oranged?

Hello there! It's been a while but here is another Epic Nail or Epic Fail instalment! I was on holiday last week and actually had a different polish on then (which will most probably feature soon as I am OBSESSED with that other colour) but for now, let's deal with Rimmel's I heart lasting finish polish in 'Orange your life' shall we?

Now this polish is one of my summer favourite polishes (truth be told I've worn this twice now which is pretty epic for someone as fickle as I am) but I personally don't like this colour anymore... WAH

I really wanted to love this polish as I had worn it once before yet somehow this time it looked so much more orange... I know the colour is called 'Orange your life' but last time it looked a lot more sort of coral pink based orange and now its like some tangerine exploded all over my nails :/

This polish is a great orange colour though so if you have a kind of pale skin tone that isn't as yellow toned as mine, this could be your new orange product! But for my yellowness, it just doesn't cut it, it looks really dodgy on my hands right now... I might go wash it off to be honest...

In summary, this polish is great, the application is smooth with the really nice skinny brush, the polish is opaque enough to coat but not thick and gloopy, I personally love these nail polishes by Rimmel and so highly recommend them, but unfortunately this colour just doesn't cut it for me :(

Epic Nail or Epic Fail rating: 3 due to the great polish but the disappointing colour
Until next time, Nikki xxx

Epic Nail or Epic Fail? - Cheap & Chic Combo

Hey again! I had this nail on a few days ago and I forgot to post it, FAIL ON MY PART! So here it is:

It is a combination of OPI's Designer...de better from their Muppets collection and Barry M's Blue Moon. I painted the blue on my thumb, pinky and ring finger and then OPI on my index and middle fingers. I was pretty pleased with my combination except my friend Amanda said 'why do you have two randomly coloured nails' but who cares what she thinks, eh?

As far as nail polishes go, OPI is basically the epitome of nail polishes and everyone within the beauty world knows that so that polish was a total dream to paint on. I only had the mini version but the nail polish glided on smoothly without gloops and wasn't sheer at all. But the Barry M was a different story, I'm a big fan of some of their other polishes but this was a bit of a hassle. The nail polish was far too runny and totally sheer too, I would recommend the darker colours as far as Barry M goes, they are much more opaque.

In the end when I had coated up enough and was happy I used my usual top coat and was set! Although... I had this nail on for two days and went bowling... Nail polish is not designed for bowling...

The OPI had been fine with a little chip at the edges but the Barry M had totally exploded off my nails into a blue mess of nail polish remains which was lovely. Barry M nail polish staying power isn't that great...

Conclusion: Love the colours! OPI was a dream to apply and had great staying power but the Barry M was such a hassle I'm not sure whether the colour rescues it from that...

Overall Rating: Meh Nail... 2.5 stars

Do you use more than one colour on your nails? Let me know! Nikki xxx

Review: Nivea Visage Young, Control Shine! Mattifying Gel Cream

Hi there bloggers! Today's post is a review on this cream that I have been using for the past few weeks now, it the 'Control shine! Mattifying Gel Cream' from the 'Nivea Visage Young' range.

This cream comes in a tube of 75ml which isn't a bad size, I stole this from my dad's pharmacy shamefully... I was in need of a new cream as my Simple Moisturiser had reached the end of its road... From my dad's pharmacy this cream was about £3 if I can recall correctly. But in general, Nivea is a great quality skincare brand that is definitely very affordable and you can find Nivea products at probably all pharmacies/drugstores if you are American and I think Superdrug and Boots both have a substantial amount of Nivea products too!

The thing that struck me about this cream was that it was specifically designed for young skin, myself being a young person appreciated this greatly. More often than not, I will pick up a cream in a shop and it will look super good and then the dreaded line of 'helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles' appears... I'm a teenager so that isn't really necessary is it? I mean I'd like to think that I don't need the prevention either! But I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed with this product!

Not only is this product good for young skin, it is good for oily skin too! It is a mattifying cream (so takes away shine) which is really essential for me during the summer as I can be known to be a Sweaty Betty ;)

But I don't particularly have oily skin so I was rather wary that this would take away some of my skin's natural glow, I didn't want to look totally washed out either... I have normal skin and VERY oily T-zone though and this cream said it was suitable for combination skin so WOOPEEE! It definitely makes your skin matte, but as the day goes on, your skin does shine through without looking too shiny so for me it is a total win, but if you want a totally matte face, this may not be an excellent choice if you want your make-up on all day especially.

This cream isn't really a cream though, truth be told... It is a 'gel' but not in the way that you may be thinking of this. When I saw 'gel' I thought it was going to be a clear sort of deal, like a shower gel. But this is more of a cross-breed between a lotion and an actual cream, I definitely like the consistency though. It isn't too thick but doesn't slide down your hand like melted ice cream...

The gel is a blueish colour but my camera went a bit insane with the flash :P

This cream is super awesome though! It is really light weight but still moisturising and it is oil free too, so doesn't feel greasy or gross on your face... (I honestly hate greasy creams, its like rubbing butter into your face *shudders*)

I apply this cream before I do my make-up if I am planning on wearing make-up or just in the morning before I go out so my skin feels nice and fresh! I apply this at night time too, that is if I can be bothered and don't want to just pass out onto my bed after my shower! This cream smells lovely too, it has a kind of fresh sea sort of smell, as it contains a sea mineral, I personally LOVE the smell and it definitely isn't very strong, it doesn't linger on your skin either which is nice!

Overall I'd give this cream 4.5 stars (I don't want to give out the 5 star whopper until I discover something MINDBLOWING!)

I hope you enjoyed this review and it helped you out if you needed a new sort of cream! 

Hope you're having a good day! Nikki xxx

Epic Nail or Epic Fail? - In a Marshmallow Heaven

Hiya again!

I thought I'd start a new series of blogs called 'Epic Nail or Epic Fail' because it is currently summer, the only time of year when I can wear nail polish nilly willy without being yelled at :/

So on my nails currently I have on the Rimmel, I heart Lasting Finish nail polish in the shade 702 Marshmallow Heaven. Which I believe is part of the new spring/summer range for Rimmel.

This is what the nail polish looks like on, it does look slightly more purple than pink based when applied to the nails but that is probably due to the opaque-ness.

I applied two coats of this nail polish and it was easy to apply, it didn't gloop or run etc. which I thought was good and the brush is a standard sort of nail polish brush that is quite skinny. (Which I find easier to use anyway because of my square nails.)

However although the application process was a total breeze, the nail polish has already chipped slightly at the ends of two of my nails (BOO) and I only applied this two days ago too which is a bit of a bummer :(

Never the less, I got these nail polishes at a great offer! If you live in the UK, Boots is currently running a offer which is two Rimmel 'I heart lasting finish' nail polishes for £4, and I'm a total sucker for deals like that. And Superdrug, not to be late on the bargain bandwagon is also running a similar deal which is 3 for £6! (The value is still the same at £2 per polish but Superdrug is urging you to buy more!)

I think these nail polishes are fantastic as I've tried a few other colours before and perfect for summer as I'm constantly changing my nail polish. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do and pick up some fun colours while this deal is on! And I feel like I'm on a trend wagon too, neon pastels... let's hope that trend is in anyway!

Verdict is:

EPIC NAIL - 4 STARS!

What's your favourite summer nail polish colour?

Nikki xxx

Let me introduce myself!

Hiya there bloggers! (Thought I'd slip in a quick notion to my Britishness in my first sentence on this site!)
I just wanted to introduce myself so that you all know who the woman behind the words is. I'm Nikki, a British teenager living in England (chants are going off in my head so far screaming ENGLAND-DE-DE-DE-ENGLAND!) And welcome to my Beauty Blog! (YAY!)

The reason that I wanted to start a beauty blog in the first place was because it looked like a jolly good deal of fun and I was excited to share my opinions with the world! Golly Gosh that sounds self conceited, but I promise you it is only because a firm belief of mine is 'Sharing is caring!' (A classic move I use to steal food off my friends too!)

And also because, I love reading other beauty blogs and watching lots of youtube videos about beauty and make-up however I noticed the other day that reading/watching these things make me compulsively want to keep purchasing make-up! (Which is an unhealthy obsession as much as I hate to admit it.) And obviously this is not good, being a teenager, all the money I spend on make-up is from my own savings and it is terribly hard wanting to always buy expensive products from brands like MAC or NARS when you don't have the money. And as people are constantly telling me, WE ARE IN A RECESSION!

And I thought to myself, 'Hey Nikki, why don't you set up a blog talking about less expensive make-up that people can actually afford?' And by jove, my blog was born! Being a teenager, it is hard to always be buying make-up when you have an unhealthy obsession and so I wanted to share my opinion on cheaper alternatives to make-up so that I don't have to give up my hobby, but can just make it burn a smaller hole in my pocket :)

I hope you all got the gist of what I was saying, this is just a blog about affordable make-up and beauty. As much as I enjoy watching and reading a lot of lovely people talk on about MAC etc. not all of us are as well off as those who I watch/read especially!

So anyways, thank you for reading my explanatory albeit long intro, I hope you enjoy reading my blog! I'm hoping to start up a youtube channel also, so I'll keep you all posted on that!

Cheerio ol' chaps!
Nikki xxx