No7 Match Made Lipstick Service Plus Bonus Gift*

As my regular readers would know, I absolutely love the No7 range by Boots, so when I was asked by the lovely ladies at my local counter to come in and try the new Match Made Lipstick Service, I jumped at the chance.
Let me begin by explaining what the service is. Boots are the first with the innovative device that reads your skin colour precisely and then matches it to one of their skin true shade foundations and concealers. From your skin true shade it is now possible that a range lipstick shades can be recommended to suit your skin tone.

My skin true shade is Calico which I previously blogged about here. I use the Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation. There are 17 skin true shades and once you have been matched you are given the corresponding card with the various lipstick shades.

My colour Calico has 11 Moisture Drench shades and 8 Stay Perfect shades in the lipsticks

  

I decided to try Pink Hint in the Moisture Drench range. It's a dusky pink colour and probably one that I wouldn't have picked up and tried on. The sales assistant also applied a Precision Lips Pencil prior to the lipstick in the colour Pink.

I was very pleased the colour and the staying power was pretty good of about two hours. Now that I have been given the Match Made card I can now choose some other shades now that Autumn has arrived.

Currently running until 30th September, No7 are offering the Exquisite Eyes Gift Box worth £26 when you buy any two No7 cosmetic products. 

Contains:

Eye Colour Brush

Lovely Lashes Mascara

Stay Perfect Eye Shadow - Top shade in the Forest Fruits Trio

Stay Perfect Metallic Eyes Pencil in Purple.

A great gift box that you can either keep yourself or give to someone special, the choice is yours!

Rachel

xx

*PR Sample

Thanks to Melina and Lisa at Boots, Carmarthen

Benefit Coralista Blusher

This summer has seen me go a bit bonkers over blusher. I've normally been a bit of a mascara whore (oh I say!) but I've started to 'invest' in building a bigger blusher collection. One of my most recent purchases is Coralista by Benefit (£23.50, Boots).
This is a lovely coral and pink colour with gold shimmer, that makes your cheeks have a beautiful glow. The powder applies easily and is quite pigmented. It looks great on its own, but also on the cheekbones over the top of another blusher, especially a pink based one.

It comes with a decent brush, but I haven't used as I prefer to apply with my MAC 116 blush brush. There is a lot of packaging which I think it not needed. Not great for travelling or keeping in your handbag, but this aside I just can't get enough of it.

Rachel xx

I Went Shopping - Boots Haul

I recently uploaded a picture to my Instagram @HeartOceanSecrets of my Boots shopping basket, and I had quite a few likes, so I thought I would do a little blogpost about the things I bought.

I seem to have a love/hate relationship with Philosophy. 1) The price, 2) the sickly smell. Some of the body washes are too over powering but having said that, they smell EXACTLY like what they're called. The gift set I picked up was half price at £11 and has vanilla cake mix 3 in 1, cranberry body lotion and candied pecan salt body scrub. I was able to smell the testers and thought they weren't too bad.

I've heard loads of good things about Soap & Glory, No Clogs Allowed so I decided to see for myself. It is a self heating mask, which I haven't tried for years and claims to detox pores. This was on offer for £7.67 instead of £11.50. Click here to read about it.
Bic Soleil Travel Shaving Gel is perfect for the shower as it fits nicely on the shelf. Cost £1.89.
Stila Baked Duo in Pink Glow is ideal for creating that sun kissed glow as a highlighter/soft blusher on the cheeks. Bit pricey at £15 but had to have it! I will do a more detailed review and swatch at some point.

Oral B 3D White in Brillance. Claims to reduce staining on the teeth in two weeks. £3.49. My teeth aren't bad but I'd like to give this a try.
Original Source Cranberry and Honey Daily Scrub is one I haven't tried before as I normally buy the Tea Tree and Mint. This was on offer for half price. £1.32.
Vital Baby Hand and Face Wipes are essential as a mother. My daughter is 3 and gets sticky hands, so these are always in my bag. Plus they're great to wipe off make up after loads of swatching! £1.99
I also bought an Essie Nail Polish in Fiji but I couldn't find it when I was taking picture. A beautiful nude pink and one of their best sellers. £7.99.

So that's what I bought. Boots is a deadly place. I go in for one item but always end up with a basket full. Anyone else the same?

Rachel xx

Skincare Essential ~ Moisturiser

I have been using this moisturiser by Boots No7 for a while now since replacing my Estee Lauder one (see post here) and have yet to find a better one. Protect and Perfect Intense really sinks into my skin easily after applying toner and within a couple of minutes my face is drier and looks smooth. I have oily/combination skin and have no problem with this. It has SPF 15 which is a big bonus when it comes to skincare.
This range focuses on fine lines and wrinkles and includes a beauty serum and under eye cream.
For 50ml you have to fork out a whopping £23. Boots No7 are currently running 3 for 2 on skincare if you fancy stocking up and I have a £5 off voucher which I need to use before February. This pot is almost finished so I will repurchase it.
You can visit the site here and see the full range.

Have you tried a product that is now an essential part of your daily routine?

Rachel xx

My Most Worn Boots

With the winter season lasting for what feels like an eternity, I decided to invest in some decent boots a few weeks ago. I had been on the hunt for a black knee/calf length black pair for some time after my trusty old ones literally fell apart. In November I popped into Schuh in the hope of being able to find a pair and BAM I sure did by Blowfish. The style is called Kasbah and is a black slouch biker boot that pulls on easily with the buckles as a detailed yet practical feature. They can be tightened/loosened if you want. The best thing about these boots is that if like me, you have a wide calf, they are a good fit as I normally struggle to find ones that pull up past my ankles! The Kasbah is unfortunately a bit expensive at £75 but I was able to use my student discount since I'm back studying at Uni part time! You can buy them online here from Schuh online with free delivery. I wear them most days with skinny jeans.

The second pair I bought was just before Christmas when I was looking for something to wear for my works night out. Money was quite tight at the time due to buying presents, household bills and new shoes for my daughter so I was looking for a pair that I could use again instead of being slung to the back of the wardrobe. The River Island boots are imitation suede with an elasticated panel. The heel is 9cm which is just right for me. They are still available online for £35 here but delivery is extra. I have found myself wearing these for evenings out.

Rachel xx

Seventeen Phwoarr Paint

This little pot of under eye concealer has been blogged about within an inch of its life over the last few months. Wondering what all the fuss was about, I had to try it for myself. Hailed as a must have make up item, I was desperately wanting this to be good. But it wasn't.
As an under eye concealer, I actually think it's pretty pants. The product applies nicely and smoothly, but after about an hour it dries terribly to a caked on look that it made me look like I had tram lines under my eyes. I know I'm in my early thirties and have had many sleepless night since my daughter was born, but this makes my under eyes look so much worse.
However, as a general facial concealer its not that bad. Great for time of the month chin blemishes and side of the nose redness, I would use it for. Under the eyes? Nah!
It is only available in two shades - why? Priced at £5.49 you can buy it here. This will last me quite awhile but when it finishes I will most definitely not be repurchasing.
Any products you've tried that aren't worth the hype?

Rachel xx

Dare To Wear ~ Pillarbox Red

With Christmas approaching fast and an even colder change in the weather I thought I would update my winter nail varnish collection to suit the season. As you are aware that in my line of work I am not permitted to wear any sort of obvious make up and nail varnish is a big no-no. So seeing as I have been on leave this week I though that I would make the most of having painted nails.
I bought this beautiful red from Boots No7 called Pillarbox Red to get myself in the holiday season. The shine is absolutely AMAZING. Vibrant and crisp, I just love it. I only needed to apply two coats to achieve a full smooth coverage. With a decent top coat it lasted three days before it started to slightly chip at the tips of my nails. No7 nail colours have a wide flat brush to easy application. Currently on the 3 for 2, priced at £7.

Any new colours that you've bought/blogged about recently?

Rachel xx

My Thoughts On Boots No7

Last year, late Summer Boots No7 relaunched with new packaging, newer skin care and make up ranges.  With sleeker lines and less black, the products now appeal to a younger target market, but still keeping the current ones happy and attracting new interest.

Using colours to help navigate from skin type to the product for you, No7 have created 'easy on the eye' branding that makes each product distinguishable.  I simply do not want to read through a leaflet to know what the product does. I want to know by just looking at it, and this new packaging does just that.

The bath and body range has had a revamp too.  Looking luxurious at the beauty counter, I had to try it.  The Blissful Body Wash is just that.  It smells really nice, lathers quickly and leaves skin very moisturised.  At £9.50 for 200ml I think it's a little bit pricey, but saying that I am noticing that high street brands are becoming roughly the same.

I also picked up two of the new Gel Look Shine Polishes in Mint Treat and Hotting Up. These were the only colours I liked, as there isn't a good range of colours, but a good product.  Doesn't chip and leaves a glossy finish after applying two coats. These polishes are £6.50 for 10ml. A good price.

My favourite product though, has to be the Sheer Temptation Lipsticks. I finally decided on just two colours ~ I was highly tempted to get more, but controlled myself.  With 14 to choose from I had a hard decision.

Very similar to the Revlon Lip Butters, they apply easily and provide a very glossy finish.  The only disappointment is the staying power compared to Revlon.  Don't get me wrong, the colour doesn't go that quickly, it just fades, so for the price, I had hoped it lasted longer.

On the day of my purchases I used my No7 vouchers that I had accumulated over time, so I managed to save around £15!

So in summary, I loved all the products and I will definitely being going back to check out more.

Which high street brand have you been impressed with?

Rachel xx