Mozart Requiem Charity Concert at Glyndebourne

A beautiful day for a concert and a picnic in the grounds.

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Nail polish swatches

Better than the hype

There's a tag going around youtube at the moment called 'don't believe the hype' - where people share products that have been hyped up on youtube or elsewhere, but which haven't met their expectations. So I though it would be interesting to do a post on things which worked better for me than products which have been totally hyped up. Please note these are my personal opinions only!

The hype: Seche Vite top coat and Drip Dry

Don't get me wrong, I think these are great products - quick drying and shiny, but not so easy to get hold of, at least where I am from. The Drip dry can leave a film and evaporates (maybe I need to close the lid tighter).

The better alternative: Sally Hansen Mega shine or Diamond shine

I found both of these years before I heard of Seche vite, and have repurchased countless times. TiffanyD listed it as a favourite of hers as well. I actually think it dries faster than Seche vite, and better still, it is so accessible and easy to get hold of at any drugstore. Gorgeous glossy finish.

The hype: Carmex lip balm

I used up a whole tube of this waiting for the magic to happen. I have heard so many people say how it is the best lip balm ever for chapped lips. Perfectly adequate but didn't work that amazingly for me.

The better alternative: Just about any other lip balm? Rose & Co Cherry is lovely and moisturising, Palmer's cocoa butter in dark chocolate and cherry (or mint) are very moisturising but kind of artificial tasting, Blistex is excellent.

The hype: The Body Shop body butters

It took me years to buy one as I always thought the smell was too artificial. In the end I got one in Cranberry at Christmas. It was a perfectly good body butter, but all I could think of the whole time I was using it was how fake the smell was.

The better alternative: Boots body butters

I have only tried the Shea butter one so far, but all the smells are lovely. The Shea butter version is thick and creamy but not too greasy, and smells divine!

The hype: Prevage

OK, this is a little unfair. I bought one of these and the saleslady gave me a few samples of the same product - they don't give samples away unless you buy the product, which is a bit harsh considering how much it costs. So I started with the samples. I don't know if its the samples I got (and I tried 3 different sachets/mini pumps) but this stuff smells really bad. I did use them, but they only lasted a couple of weeks, so I can't say I gave their anti-wrinkle properties a fair test. The full size product promptly went back.

The hype: Boots No 7 Protect and Perfect

This had huge publicity after it was featured on a BBC Horizon programme, and there were queues outside the doors of Boots to get hold of this. Now this I can say I gave a fair test. I went through 3-4 bottles (I kept being given them as gifts - hint much?). Not a blind bit of difference.

The hype: Siana Moisturising Anti-Wrinkle Day and Night Cream

Apparently 2000 women tested this and pronounced it a miracle cream, claiming that is must be expensive. This stuff is incredibly cheap, but a nightmare to get hold of if you don't live near an Aldi (a supermarket chain). I went on a bit of a mission to pick this up and it was sold out the first couple of times I went - so when I did get hold of it, I picked up like 4 tubs of day and night cream each, as I wasn't planning to ever go back. All I can say is I can't imagine where they got their testers from. Perhaps they had never moisturised before? It didn't make a difference at all. I know they probably picked the quotes to make the best copy, but although it was an adequate (if greasy) moisturiser, it wasn't pleasant to use at all because it smelt really cheap. Even a guy I lent this too picked up on that. No one could mistake this for an expensive cream.

The better alternative: Darphin Arovita C serum

I was totally skeptical when I picked this up. I had a facial with Darphin and the facial is free if you buy a couple of products. Its a very basic facial but a great deal. So anyway I chose this as 1 of my 2 products. I have started to get minor lines between my eyebrows (the dreaded '11's). I used this with the massage technique the beautician taught me - voila - lines gone. I stopped using it on 2 occasions and the lines came back - back on my regimen of Arovita C, and yes, I'm a convert. I have gone through at least 2 bottles. Is it the serum or the massage? Either way, its worth it for me.

The hype: Lush

I think I wanted to love these products as the beauty is how natural they are supposed to be. And the smells. I just don't find the smells particularly appealing. I think I'm probably alone on this one. I have found a couple of things really effective in the past (Angels on bare skin really cleared up my skin, Ocean salt facial scrub is a lovely, if harsh, scrub) but most things left me wanting (Tea tree toner, the shampoos and conditioners including Big and the shampoo bars, American Cream, Coalface soap, Buffy, King of Skin) and the smells never really grabbed me (I tried, amongst others, Honey I washed the kids, Snowcake and Figs & leaves, because I thought the smells would grow on me). They have zero bathroom shelf appeal for me, and who can get through a whole tub of their fresh face mask in only a week? The makeup range (Be never 2 busy to be beautiful), is so adorably packaged, but is just of disappointing quality - I have tried a highlighter that is just a bit rubbish and the grittiest lip gloss that tasted of weird perfume.

The better alternative: Despite all that has gone before, I really am not fussy and am quite happy to experiment with new things. I know it sounds like I might be, and that I set great store by smells. Honestly though, if something works, I will use it despite the smell. I don't have an alternative to Lush - just that I use lots of other products by other brands, drugstore or department store, quite happily.

The hype: Silicone primers (like Smashbox) - The Body Shop

Again, I have never used the Smashbox primer - not that easy to get hold of where I am. I've tried a similar product by TBS though. Whilst this stuff does give you a nice canvas, makeup slides off my face and doesn't last. Reapplying it does mattify the complexion again, but what I really want out of my primers is lasting power.

The hype: Laura Mercier face primer

This stuff is legendary in the beauty magazines and yes, I used up a whole tube, again waiting for the magic. For reference, I have reasonably even textured skin. Very little difference in skin texture and no discernable staying power. I even preferred the TBS primer, at least that made my skin look nice, albeit briefly.

The better alternatives: Make Up Forever HD primer, Boots No7 Shine Free Makeup Base

Neither of these have that silicon-y feel or smooth skin texture much. I have the MUFE primer in mauve as a generous sample from Sephora. I have used this under MUFE HD foundation and Prescriptives Virtual Skin foundation. And it really helps these foundations last. Full size will be mine as soon as I find somewhere that stocks this near me. However, a great (and maybe even better) alternative is the Boots No 7 Mattifier. I totally had to try this as I couldn't get hold of the MUFE one and Lizz1901 c'boxed that she preferred it to MUFE. It is a pain to use at first - use too much and you get a cakey finish that balls up when you apply foundation. Just a small (1/3 of a pea!) size amount spread over your fingers then thinly over your T zone. Allow it to dry for a few minutes before foundation application. Used this way, it really, really helps foundation to last. Depending upon which foundation I am using and if I can put up with a gentle glow, I can go all day without touch ups. Amazing for someone who can be a greaseball a couple of hours after I put on my makeup.

The hype: BB cream

This 'blemish balm (BB)' cream has been extremely popular in Asia as an all round foundation, moisturiser, SPF and treatment (anti-acne and healing) product. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? But really, is this anything more than a tinted moisturiser? I haven't seen anything that actually says what the active 'healing' ingredient is. And why are there such few shades? And why are the shades so pink - they are for an Asian market after all. I tried this in the highly rated The Face Shop Mushroom BB cream. Too pink, doesn't last even when used over a primer and powdered, insufficient cover.

The better alternative: Your favourite liquid foundation.

The hype: MAC

Yes, I know, how unpopular is this going to be? I love MAC. I have a small make up collection and I am not adverse to trying any brand of product. But I probably have more MAC items than any other brand. The colour range is amazing. I love the packaging - it is fairly plain and simple (which I like) and most importantly, sturdy (hello Chanel, what is this about your makeup cases that keep breaking on me? Well, maybe I'm just rough). Yeah, I know, is this the worst reason to own MAC, because the packaging lasts until I am fed up (err, have used up) the product? But the eyeshadows for one, are not ubiquitously buttery and smooth, Starflash being the exception. And the frost lipsticks can drag on the lips. As can the lip pencils (Subculture)

The better alternative: MAC

What can I say. I love the range, the neutral shades, the packaging. If you can't beat them...

The hype: Coastal Scents 28 Neutral palette and brushes

This was a massive youtube sensation about 18 months ago. I am a neutral fanatic and couldn't wait to get hold of the 28 neutral palette - MAC dupes at affordable prices I was promised. This stuff is chalky, the shadows are very flaky and delicate in the pan, and all the colours look the same once blended in. The brushes are scratchy and/or low quality. You get what you pay for.

The better alternative: MAC

Yes, again.

Boots Extracts Shea Butter Body Butter

The Gloss Goss makes things sound so irresistable, so that even though I know I have at least 7 bottles of moisturiser waiting for me at home, I had to pick this up when I saw it in Boots.

It is a decadently thick body butter that smells deliciously of caramel/toffee/warm vanilla. A little blob sinks in effortlessly though, leaving your skin soft but not greasy. I can't do a better job of describing it than Tali did, so just go to her fantastic blog and see what she had to say. It's also fairtrade. I couldn't agree more with her assessment of the synthetic smell of alot of what now passes for natural smelling products, and the best part about this body butter is that it smells truly yummy.

Nail of the Day (NOTD)

Today's NOTD is Night Silver by Boots No 7. It is a beautiful dark silvery grey. The brush is a little wide, a bit like the OPI brushes, so it is easy and quick to apply. A couple of coats and you have opaque, even coverage which lasts decently. I have never used No 7 nail polishes before, but I can say that I am impressed. Base coat is Rimmel London Stronger (which is OK but will not be a repurchase) and topcoat is the infamous Seche Vite.