Boots Conditioning Nail Polish Remover Pads - Beware!

Warning: this post may be a *little* bit of a rant.

I took five or six mini Essie polishes on holiday. Some people might think that was excessive but I typically paint my nails every couple of days (sometimes every day!) and I knew I'd have to re-do my pedicure because walking around in flip flops usually results in a lot of chipping. I ended up only changing my polish once during the whole week and the main reason for that was that I brought these remover pads rather than my usual remover and cotton pads.

Now, I've used other remover pads before and every time I do I curse myself for buying them but these are the worst I've ever tried. I realise that they're acetone free so they're not as effective as my usual remover but normally I only use one cotton pad soaked in remover to take the polish off all ten nails. When I used these I had to use five just for my fingers! 

The worst thing about these pads is the awful residue they leave behind. I expected to feel a bit like I'd used a cuticle butter or hand cream on my nail area but no, there was just loads of horrible smelly liquid all over my fingers. Yuck! I had to wash my hands three or four times to get it off and even after that I could still smell it. I didn't notice any particular 'conditioning' benefits but I guess that's because I washed it all away!

So basically this post is a warning; buy these with caution! They are priced at £1.50 for 15 pads which I think is pretty pricey but I wouldn't have minded if they'd worked nicely.

Have you tried these?

Stace xx

Products I Regret Buying: Foundations & Concealers

I don't own most of these anymore as I've either swapped them away or given them to a friend so I don't have actual photos but here's a list of the foundations and concealers I regret buying! It's not that these are all awful products, they just didn't work for me.

Revlon ColorStay: I bought this for oily/combination skin and in the shade 330 Natural Tan. The shade ended up being too dark for me; damn those bright lights in Boots! I decided to give it a go anyway as it was only a couple of shades too dark and I wanted to see if I liked it, in which case I'd have purchased a lighter shade. However, I hated the way this applied - it looked horribly patchy even when I blended it furiously. It oxidized which didn't help the fact it was already too dark for me and it didn't really last particularly long on my slightly oily T-zone. I don't understand why so many people love this! I guess I should have known I wouldn't like it as I do prefer a light feeling foundation. To the graveyard of foundations it goes!

Bourjois Healthy Mix: This one breaks my heart. I've bought two of these now - one in 56 which ended up being too dark and one in 55. I used 56 a few times and found that I did get spots although I loved the foundation so much that I put it down to the fact I was trying out a new cleansing system and primer too. I bought 55 a few weeks ago and used it around 7/8 times. Everything was going great until...BOOM!...spots...everywhere! I rarely breakout anywhere other than my chin (hormonal, apparently!) but I had spots on my forehead, cheeks and even on my earlobe! It was nasty. I'm so annoyed because this time I know for sure it was the foundation. I really like it, my only regret is that my skin does not!

E.L.F. Studio Tinted Moisturiser: I bought this on a whim when I made an E.L.F. order almost weekly due to their free shipping and other offers (add them on Facebook here to make the most of these yourself!). I got it in Almond and tried it once on the back of my hand. It was the wrong colour although that didn't matter much because it seemed to just blend away into nothing. Now, I know tinted moisturisers are by nature extremely sheer but this was beyond that - it was non-existant. This isn't a huge regret as it was only £3.50 but I don't use it so it was still a waste of £3.50.

MAC Select: This was the first product I ever bought from MAC when I was about 16. I thought I was the coolest...we didn't have a MAC counter where I lived so I used to get it when I went to visit friends in Belfast. I used this religiously but looking back it was pretty awful! It used to oxidize lots on me and it would sink into my pores; making them really obvious. I would never buy this again. I stopped using it when I was 18.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse: I'm pretty sure almost everyone has tried this foundation at some point! At the tender age of 14, this foundation (in a shade about 5 shades too light for me) was a staple of mine. It really has to be the most horrible thing I've ever put on my face. I'd slather it on in the mornings and again at the end of the school day (for the bus journey home!). It was so cakey and unflattering.

BeneFit Boi-ing: I used this along with my MAC Select foundation for during my last few years of school. I liked it because it did a great job of covering my blemishes and lasting all day but it was so cakey on me. Perhaps if I'd had a MAC 224 at the time, I could have blended it better but even so I think this concealer would only work if you have really oily skin.

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer: Aside from the issues with the packaging resulting in a lot of product being wasted (the pump gives out far too much) and the fact this product ruined every brush I tried to use it with, it wasn't worth the effort. I found this to be cakey too, not as much as Boi-ing, though. It oxidized on my skin so any areas I'd concealed looked even more obvious! It did last well on my skin but that's the only thing it had going for it with me.

So there you go! I hope this was useful. If you like any of these and have tips on how to use them, let me know!

Stace xx