Boots series #2 No7 skincare - my picks | Ayesha

You know sometimes Boots do an offer where you can get £5 off No7 skincare and £3 off their makeup? Sometimes I wish they did this voucher for other brands too - but hey ho. I enjoy £5 off their skincare, because I think their skincare is very good. 

My skin is combination: dry cheeks and an oily T-zone. My skin is also a little bit dehydrated but I am trialling a product by Kiehls (blog post coming soon!) to target that dehydration. On my right cheek, I used to suffer from something that I am unsure what it was but it resembled scales (as in a dragon or a fish or something) and no matter how much cream I applied, the scales wouldn't go away! I am slightly digressing so I will do another blog post on how I de-scaled myself.

Here is my current line-up of No7 skincare products.

Now, my most favourite No7 product is the radiance exfoliator (on the right). It actually does what it says on the tin. After using this, my skin looked so much brighter! It literally transformed. It doesn't have too many beads in it, so it is less harsh than some other scrubs out there, but nevertheless does a good job. I tend to use this every 3 days or so. 

The cleansing lotion (middle) is great at removing all traces of face makeup, but I haven't used it on eye makeup. I'm a bit unsure about whether or not to so I decided against the risk. It leaves me skin feeling clean and soft, without a hint of tightness. Some cleansers are very harsh and strip your skin of its natural oils, hence the tight feeling, so this one is a lovely choice to go for. 

Finally the toner (left). I do like this toner to make sure every last trace of makeup has gone from my face. Despite liking it, I don't see the point of toners in general. I have heard lots about them and how they get your skin "ready" for moisturisation but I've not noticed any difference! Oh well. 

Here's a cuteness break as this is a bit of a wordy post! I love owls, and baby ones in particular. In fact, babies and mini things in general.

image from pinterest

In the past I have tried their eye make-up remover which is a good dupe for Lancome's Bi-Facil remover. It felt very gentle and removed all traces of makeup. It is also oil-based and does leave an oily residue, but I quite like this feeling of extra moisturisation!

I have also used the essential moisture moisturiser which melted into my skin and lasted a long time. It is quite a rich cream so it would definitely suit drier skin times, without making your skin look shiny.

Lastly, and I almost forgot about this, I have also used their hot cloth cleanser. Now, I've not tried the Liz Earle version to compare, but this one is lovely and even comes with its own muslin cloth. The most noticeable thing, like the cleansing lotion mentioned above, is that it doesn't leave my skin feeling tight as some cleansers usually have in the past. 



Hope you found this useful! Let me know in the comments what you use your No7 vouchers for!

Spring chickens | Ayesha

This post has absolutely nothing to do with chickens, FYI. 

As Spring is in the air and the daffodils have grown (which makes me think, are daffodils a type of weed? It seems like they just spring out of nowhere!), the beauty world is also adjusting itself out of the warm, deeper winter colours to paler, pastel, and more fun and vibrant shades.

I dug out 10 of my favourite nail colours to wear during the spring.

They are all pointing to the middle shade - Chanel Rose Insolent - my favourite colour of the bunch!

As you can see, there are a mixture of colours including pink, coral, a pale blue, and even a mustard yellow thrown in there.

Essie polishes L-R: Chubby Cheeks (pale terracotta), Lovie Dovie (pure Barbie pink)

As I was applying them to my nails today, polish went everywhere. Look at Lovie Dovie's handle - that was all today! The rest went onto my clothes! There is a reason I am not a manicurist or a surgeon.

L-R: Chanel 489 Rose Insolent (it's not bright pink like it looks - it's a very wearable bubblegum pink) and No7 Gel-Look shine in Orange Spice (coral).

I'm actually really impressed by this particular range of No7 polishes. The formula is great AND they have a wide brush! 

Topshop L-R: Peaches and Cream (pale peach), Obey (shimmery pale pink)

I didn't realise that Obey was a shimmery colour; I prefer the matte or gel-effect nails. However, it is still a pretty colour and really nice to layer over a pale colour.

Barry M polishes. L-R: Huckleberry (pale blue), Coconut (off-white), Lychee (beige/brown), Mustard (self explanatory!)

My favourite of the Barry M's here is most probably Huckleberry. I even wore it throughout the winter too. Mustard is one of those shades where you look at it and think, "how garish, that would suit nobody!" Maybe that's why I like it - it's so satisfying and surprisingly wearable, even for someone like me who prefers classic shades and looks.

So there you have it! Barry M are your best bet for really affordable nail polishes. The range of colours they have are amazing, the formulation is great and they last a good 4 days without chipping. However, Essie are my favourite brand overall because the formulation is just that much better than Barry M, but I also enjoy the wide brush that comes with it. It makes application seriously easy, especially if you are as clumsy as I am. Things just fall out of my hands.

What are your favourite colours for Spring?