Seche Vite

Nails....I have so many nail varnishes and so many that I have yet to use! One of the things that puts me off of painting my nails regularly is the drying time. Most brands are different, some better than others.The main offender in my collection is Barry M. Like most people I have indulged in their deals and have accrued so many different colours. I find that it can take up to an hour for this varnish to be touch dry. I spent ages looking up top coats and the top choice seemed to be Seche Vite. I immediately hit Ebay and ordered some along with some restorer which I will talk about later.

SVTC - Excuse the painted hand! One of my failed drying attempts!!!

This stuff is a godsend. Admittedly it took a little while for me to get it to work for me.  It comes in a 14ml bottle which when taking the application into consideration should last a long time. It looks like most top coats and doesn't smell any different to most nail varnishes. I find it gives a glossy finish. It works by penetrating all the layers of the varnish. I can vouch for this, on one of my first goes I could see it separating the varnish!

Here's how I get SV to work for me:

1.Paint two coats of my chosen varnish

2. Leave varnish to dry for 2 mins (or varnish tends to get on SV brush)

3.Drop a dot of SV into middle of nail and then then quickly cover nail (avoid cuticle & paint underside of nail to seal top coat)

4. Wait for 5 mins, after which nails should be touch dry

I have tried this a few times, with a few brands and it definitely works. The downsides apparently are that SVTC can, after a few uses become gloopy. I purchased the restorer (a nail varnish thinner). The thinner is 14ml and comes with a handy little glass dropper. Again not offensive smell.I have yet to use it on the SVTC but have used it on some neglected varnishes and it worked as normal. Of course you get the same effect with Nail varnish remover but not to sure if that works on SVTC.

SV Restorer

All in all I would recommend this especially if you paint your nails quite frequently, especially before a night out as its sods law as soon as you've painted them you'll need to scratch your hair or retrieve something from your bag..even texting is detrimental. One reviewer who says she has been using SV for years suggested closing TC quickly after use and then turning the bottle upside down quickly, so as to create an air bubble which will prolong it's life. Not sure if this works but have been doing it, can't hurt..

I paid roughly £6 for the TC and £7 for the restorer. Both were purchased on Ebay. 

Have you tried Seche Vite? What did you think?

Eucerin Dermo Purifyer

I popped into Boots at Liverpool st just kill some time whilst waiting for a train. Initially I was looking for a new foundation brush which I found but, not at Boots. I will post about my new brush when in arrives. Anyway, I came across a new range by Eucerin. I would usually associate Eucerin with dry skin conditions but not with my face as I assumed their products would probably bring me out in spots. Enter DermoPurifyer range.

I'll tell you a bit about the range and then let you know what I have tried out.

This range touts itself as being "effective care for blemish prone skin". Apparently it works for people whose skin produces too much sebum; is prone to black/white heads; inflammation and/or acne. I would suspect they mean mild acne. It also states that it is non-comedogenic (so not blocked pores) and is oil and some of the products are fragrance free. The key ingredient here tends to be lactic acid which makes great sourdough bread and nice beer apparently!!! In terms of skincare the benefits of lactic acid are that it acts as an exfoiliant (like most AHAs), is antibacterial, stimulates collagen product and is moisturising. Its also used in chemical peels (in much higher doses of course). One thing to note if you do use lactic acid or any AHAs you should make sure you are using a decent SPF (if you don't already) as AHAs make the skin more vulnerable to UVA/B rays.

 So I brought the cleanser, Moisturiser and night cream. which I will now review.

Night Cream £9.18 (Boots)

 This cream is definitely not fragrance free, it has a slightly sweet citrusy smell????(not great at describing smells) its pretty unoffensive and once you rub the cream in it quickly goes. Its quite a light formula. I apply this after my cleansing routine as a sort of moisturiser and treatment in one. It does say that you can use this with acne medication which is great.

Cleanser £9.18 (Boots)

 

 

 This reminded me slightly of Dermalogica special cleansing gel in that it had a similar texture. I love gels as opposed to cream cleansers which always make my skin feel unclean. It felt really light and though it says it has no fragrance I could still smell a slight citrus smell but it was very inoffensive. I even got some in my eyes which are extremely sensitive and watery and it didn't even sting. It should be noted that if you are using this to take make up off or your skin is just very dirty then it will not really foam up. I tend to do two washes when removing make up & find on the second go it really foams up. Not really an issue whether it foams or not but I know its a comfort to some. I find it works well at taking off my make up and my skin doesn't feel tight or sting afterwards which is a plus.

Moisturiser £9.18 (Boots)

This has a slightly yellow colour which is a bit off putting. It has a very slight smell like the cleanser. Thinking about it I find even Simple has a slight smell to it so when is something really fragrance free? Anyway, this is supposed to mattify the skin and "refine the skins appearance". It suggests that it would make a good make up base. Now I agree with this, some treatments ....can rub off as you are applying your make up ...I remember this happening with one of my Dermalogica products. This doesn't do that. I tend to get an oily t-zone and chin and this keeps them matt all day. Its not very moisturising but its also not drying which can be the case with products aimed at oily skin & can be a nightmare for those of us with dry, blemish prone skin. All in all I like this moisturiser but if you have dry skin like me I would either mix it with your existing moisturiser or just put it in the places that you are prone to oiliness or blemishes.

All in all I very happy with these products. They all retail under £10 (in Boots) which to me is a steal considering I have paid three times as much for ineffective products. I highly recommend these products, if you're not too sure then I would go with the cleanser first as I think it is the strongest.

I believe you can get some of these products on Amazon and probably on Ebay and elsewhere on the net, to be honest I haven't looked around.

I've included a link to the range here

Have you tried Eucerin? If so what did you think?

First Post!!!

After spending the longest time reading beauty blogs and acquiring a large arsenal of hair and beauty products I thought I would take the plunge. So here it is first post!!!!

I know there are a million amazing blogs out there so will be grateful to anyone who takes the time to read my musings! I will be discussing make up, skin products, nail varnish, hair care and fragrances. I will try to incorporate some clothes, shoes, bags and jewellery along the way. I'm much more an accessories girl but things change!!!