Saturday 6 September 2014

Boots extravaganza!

I seem to have gone rogue in Boots . . . . one blog post and I think I'm a Rockefeller!


I am going to Spain in a fortnight - as this will be my first beach holiday in *seven years* I more than felt justified in treating myself to a couple of new toiletries.

£20 note in hand I merrily pottered into Boots looking for the travel section.  Unfortunately it seems true that even the best laid plans go to waste, and I found myself staggering out with five bags full of goodies and £100 less in my purse.

As I am always interested to see what other people buy (and partly because I am justifying the splurge to myself with the argument 'I can write about this on my blog') I am sharing my purchases and musings on each here for your delectation (!) . . . .



No 7 'Perfect Pedicure'

No7 'Perfect Pedicure / Boots / £12.49 (RRP £24.99)*

This purchase demonstrates why I should not be allowed in a shop without a minder.

I did not go into Boots looking for a 'Foot Smoothing System' (as described on box) - nor do I need one.  Instead, I took a detour on the way to the tills, saw this on offer at only £12.49 and, credit card in hand, thought 'why not'.  

This set contains:
     *  a battery-powered unit
     *  three attachments (pumice stone, foot file and buffing disc)
     *  batteries

The product also came with both a 2 year guarantee and a 'Boots Promise' that, should I use the product and not like it, I was more than welcome to return it to store for a full refund even if not faulty

I woke up the morning after buying this and waited for the usual buyer's remorse to kick in - it didn't happen!  Regardless or not of whether I *need* this I always find it exciting to have a new toy to play with!



Soap & Glory 'Face Massage Mini Mitt'

Soap & Glory 'Face Massager Mini Mitt' / Boots / £4.00*

This falls nicely into the bracket of 'things I didn't know I needed'.

My daily trawls through various beauty blogs have me really interested in facial cleansing systems such as the Clarisonic Mia and Magnitone Lucid  - I have awful skin and would like to find a solution, the blogger reviews I have read of the electronic options have been so positive, but I don't feel ready to spend £70 - £100 when I have not yet explored other (cheaper) options.

The Soap & Glory 'Face Massage Mini Mitt', rather than being a cleansing style product, is in fact marketed as being a face massager - designed to increase blood-flow to the face and so prevent/remedy the tired and dull looking skin often caused by poor circulation as brought on by smoking and sun-exposure.

The advice on packaging suggests that you smother your 'Mini Mitt' in cleanser and then rub across your face in upwards circular motions to promote blood circulation - instructions that sound simple enough that even I can follow them without too much trauma!

A quick look at the reviews that have been posted on the Boots website (here) show that 20 out of 20 reviewers are extremely happy with their product and have found it to have improved their skin.  For the sake of £4.00 I am more than happy to try this to see if it has a positive effect for me.










Philips 'Bikini Genie'

Philips 'Bikini Genie' / Boots / £24.99*

Although I did not walk into Boots looking to buy a bikini trimmer, this is something that I have been considering for a while and when confronted with a huge stand of them at a reasonable price, I decided to take the plunge and invest.

I am not currently the type of girl who feels comfortable going to a beauty salon to have their lady-bits waxed by a stranger . . . god knows I would like to be that confident but every time I get close to booking it I lose my bottle at the last minute.

So with this in mind (and as I am going to a hot country with the intention of possibly wearing a swimsuit of some sort) I am keen to find an easy and transportable solution to the age-old problem of the bikini-line.

At first look (through the packaging) this seems to be a nice, light and sensibly sized product and (hopefully) will be a better method of doing the necessary than attacking myself with a Bic.











Soap and Glory miniatures/'Peaches and Clean'

Assorted Soap and Glory skincare / Boots / £2.50 to £8.00*
My name is Ducky and I am a Soap & Glory addict.  

I was converted to 'Peaches and Clean' as my cleanser of choice by Miss Budget Beauty (review here) and have never looked back; the smell of it is beyond words, it leaves my skin smoother and cleaner and, as much as anything ever has, it reduces the number of breakouts I suffer.

Peaches and Clean is currently on offer in Boots at £8.00 each or 'buy one get one half price'.

Off the back of my love for P&C I have developed an addiction for the rest of the range and so try to make sure that I have minatures available every time I stay away from home - my thinking being that at least I have some home comforts.  

The picture on the right shows the Soap & Glory shampoo, conditioner,hand sanitiser, moisturiser and shower gel (x2) from the travel range.  Each miniature is £2.50 and are currently '3 for 2' in Boots.



Soap & Glory 'Super Exfoliating Scrub Gloves'

Soap & Glory 'Super Exfoliating Scrub Gloves / Boots / £4.00*

I am a *BIG* fan of exfoliating gloves.  Due to dry-ish skin I can be prone to slightly scaly legs (which have also been attributed to cat allergies/central heating by friends and family!) and like to address this by scrubbing them in the shower with shower gel. 

I wasn't in the market for a new pair of gloves but these caught my attention because of the lovely packaging.  As soon as I felt them I knew I had to have them - they are thick and obviously very heavy-duty (so good for descaling) but don't have the nasty scratch feel of other gloves I have tried that always makes me worry I will cut myself.

At only £4.00 I am confident that this was a sensible purchase - possibly my only one - and something that will last for a long time, 
























Carmex Classic Tube

Carmex Classic Tube / Boots / £1.79*

This is a product I can't live without - to the extent that I usually have about five tubes on the go at any one time!

I suffer from visibly chapped lips from the last day of autumn straight through to the first day of summer.  People, upon noticing the state of my face, helpfully offer suggestions for what could cause this - anything from an allergy to my cat that only happens at certain times of the year to my central heating drying my lips.  However, as I have been unable to pin down a definite cause for my disfigurement I decided years ago to instead focus on finding a product that would ease the symptoms - pain and aesthetically.

I feel that lots of lip-balms these days seem to be missing the point - offering additional features I feel are unnecessary; 'glitter effect', 'gloss effect' and tinted' to name but a few.   I am more than happy to consider fancy add-ons when looking for lipstick or lip-gloss but think the main purpose of a lip-balm should be to protect me against the elements and to sooth my poor broken lips.

I thought that I was doomed to be rocking cracked,sore and really unappealing lips for 6 months of every year for life - then I discovered Carmex.

I find the consistency of this lip-balm to be perfect - it is not sticky like the gloss effect products neither is it greasy like some of the more medicinal options, application is easy and there is no discernible smell.  Above all else - after a couple of days of use the look of my lips has improved dramatically and I am able to move my mouth again!

Boots had an offer on selected Carmex products on the day I visited meaning that I only paid £1.79 rather than the usual price of £2.69 but, even at the higher price, I still feel that I am buying an incredibly good product for the fraction of the price it is worth.  Primarks can often be found selling this for only £1.50 but it really depends on the store you visit and their stock levels.

There are several different types of Carmex available (see here for their website) but I have stuck with the original to date.  Who knows - I may branch out in the future and try a new one - I'll keep you posted!



'Witch Blemish Stick'

Witch Blemish Stick / Boots / £2.09*

As already mentioned - I have awful skin and, at the ripe old age of thirty, still suffer quite badly with spots.

While prowling Boots looking for more things to throw in the basket I stumbled across the Witch Blemish Sticks.  I recalled having been bought one of these at about 14 by my mother and it having worked quite well at stopping a spot in it's tracks if caught early enough.

While I am sure that there have been drastic improvements in 'blemish eliminators' in the last 16 years - I know what to expect with this product and can be confident that it will not cause any redness or irritation on my skin.

I therefore decided that it was worth a punt and added it to the growing collection of purchases.














Basics


As well as all of the exciting products above I also stocked up on some of the basics - too boring to photograph but worth a brief mention:

          *  pocket packets of tissues x 5             
          *  8 x Gillete Venus razor blades
          *  Cottonwool pads (100s) x 2                                      
          *  Boots eye make-up remover pads
          *  Right Guard Deodorant                



What do you think of my purchases?  
Are there any products that you have used?  
What do you take on holiday?

I would be really grateful for any comments - 
as previously mentioned, I am fairly clueless and can use all the help I can get!

Love,

Ducky xx

* all prices correct at time of posting









6 comments:

  1. Wow, what an amazing haul! I am so envious of everything you bought. I just love Soap and Glory too! I have just discovered your blog and I really like your style of writing. It is very witty and enjoyable to read. I totally agree about not wanting to go and be waxed by a stranger at a salon! I love your blog and I have followed you with Bloglovin. If you ever get a chance to check out my blog I would be delighted, thanks!

    Camille xo

    www.cococami.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Hi Camille - thanks for taking the time to comment on my post - it is always nice to get feedback (especially when it is positive!) - I was beginning to feel like I was talking to myself . . . .

      I love your blog (even though all the amazing pictures of food have made me really hungry) and am now hankering after dip-dyed hair! Dutifully followed on Bloglovin' to make sure I don't miss anything . . .

      D xx

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  2. I love honest your blog is. I think there's something about Boots, I always get sucked into buying things I don't need! Enjoy your holiday!

    www.sophieslittlesecrets.blogspot.com

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    1. Hey Sophie! Thank you for letting me know what you think - it is a bit tricky gauging whether what you are writing is making any sense without people commenting!

      Today I discovered that there is something even more dangerous for my bank balance than Boots - H&M (pictures to follow) . . . . I really need to stop taking my credit card out with me when I go to windowshop!

      D xx

      p.s. - I don't think there is anything wrong with a bit of Alexa Chung worship ;-)

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  3. Oooh I've always wanted to try out the Face Massage Mini Mitt!!
    Nice post!! oxo

    - Veronica : Vontreal

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    1. So far I am quite impressed (especially as it was only £4!) - will report back soon with my conclusion!

      D xx

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