Five Favourites Friday: No7 ♥

One of my favourite British brands has got to be No7. Most of the time, they come out with some quality stuff, but they can have their misses - but then what brand doesn't every once in a while? 

Although sometimes their products can be a tad over priced, when bought with their £5 off vouchers, you definitely get a lot of value for your money!

Right.. onto the good stuff then!

Metallic Eye Pencil in Green

These eye liners are perfect for a pop of colour, they last for ages, and come in green, purple, and dark blue. I love how soft they are; they've never irritated my eyes and glide on smoothly. They cost £7.75 a pop, which is standard for No7.

I also used to like their Amazing Eyes Pencil in Black too, back when I first started dabbling in make up - good for any newbies out there thinking of trying some! 

No7 Pencil Sharpener

This dinky little thing is not only purse friendly, but also comes with a lid that's attached to it - which is good so you don't lose it, and also more notably a little plastic stick that you can use to get out any eye liner from the sharpeners blade! I love that! I mean, how many times have you had a nip breaking in your eyeliner sharpener and wasn't able to take it out? The little plastic pick can then be stored in the actual sharpener too, so you don't lose it and will always have it on hand! Genius.  

Oh, and the sharpener is pretty good too. :P Hasn't made any pencil of mine snap yet this past year I've had it - the only thing I think that could be improved is that they could have added a hole for larger pencils too.

Another bonus is the price: when bought with the £5 off voucher, they only cost 75p! So next time Boots are running that offer, I highly recommend you get in there and snap one up for yourself! ☺

Lift and Curve Eyelash Curler

Sturdy, reliable, a good weight, definitely not flimsy. Fits the shape of my eye perfectly, and I always end up with perfectly curved lashes after using it. I've never had any lashes fall out, nor had my eyes hurt by these. Retailing at £7.25, I'd recommend these to anyone - it's worth it even without the voucher IMHO. 

Precision Eyeliner Brush

Next up are eye brushes.. I've decided to count them as one because I just couldn't choose between them!☺

I have two of these - that is how much I love them! Designed to apply gel liner, you can use this on your lid and waterline, without irritated either. I always get a precise line with this no matter how much of a rush I am in. This, just like the eyelash curler, costs £7.25 - only £2.25 when bought with the £5 voucher! 

Another thing I really like about these brushes are the resealable packaging. I keep all my eye liner brushes in the pouches they come in. They're very handy indeed!

Eyeshadow Blend & Contour Brush

I don't wear eye shadow much, and when I do it's very little and only on special occasions, which means I don't have very many eye shadow brushes. I have an EcoTools one that came as part of a set, and this one. Fluffy, but dense enough, very good for blending, not too big for my eyes, and rarely sheds. This also costs £7.25, just like the eye liner brush. ☺

Vital Brights Lipstick in Blossoming Pink

No7 have a habit of coming out with some pretty good spring collections! I loved last years lipstick to bits - it was the perfect MLBB (my lips but better) colour and when I came across this years collection in Boots I decided to swatch it just to see.. and I am so glad I did because this smells of CHOCOLATE. :O I tell no lie.

On top of that this is so moisturising, I don't even need to use lip balm underneath.

It provides a sheer, glossy coat of colour, so it's not as in-your-face, and is actually just a little pinker than my natual lip colour, which I really like! ☺

I honestly would have shown you last years one aswell, but I think it's lost somewhere in the endless depths of my handbag.. >.<

Anywho, I do believe that's quite enough babble for one post! 

What are your favourite No7 products?  (^__^)

No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover vs Garnier Skin Naturals Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Make-up Remover ♡

About a couple of months ago, having run out of make up remover, I decided to head over to Boots to pick some up - and as there was a 3 for 2 offer on at that time (and me being the indecisive person I am) - two make-up removers and a new moisturiser ended up in my basket. And wow was I glad they did because I found one of the best eye make-up removers I've ever come across.. not to mention one of the worst!

The ones I ended up purchasing were the new No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover and the Garnier Skin Naturals Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Make-up Remover.

They both have a make-up removing oil (which is blue) and a cleansing water (which is clear). In order to use them both together, you have to shake the bottle until they have mixed, before soaking a cotton pad with it and wiping it gently over your face and eyes to remove your make-up.

The No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover is for, as the name suggests, eye make-up removal, and boasts that it is suitable for 'all skin types'.

The Garnier Skin Naturals Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Make-up Remover is for both eye and face make-up removal, and claims to be 'suitable for even sensitive skin'.

No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover

First up.. the No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-up Remover. Sigh. Despite my wish to love it just as much as I love all the rest of my No7 products, I have to say that this is pitifully bad. And when I say bad I really mean bad. It pains me to say it, because I love No7 as a brand.

This was far too oily; I felt the need to wash my face with cleanser straight after using it. I might as well have used oil to take it off - and if I did use actual oil to take it off, I doubt it would have clogged my pores as much as this did. It left a film of oil all over my eye area - it felt so uncomfortable!

It was so uncomfortable it put me off it after the very first try, but I thought I should test it out a bit more - and I did, for approximately three weeks in fact - but alas, it was the same every time. It's now on my Project 13 Pan, that's how bad it is!

 When using this, I needed quite a lot of product just to take off eye liner and one coat of mascara. I had to use two make-up remover pads just for ONE eye - ridiculous - which means this gets used up really fast. I had only been using it for ten days when I had only worn eye liner, and I had used up about a third of it. A third!
And even with all that on the make-up pad, it would still tug at my eyelid, and make it sore.

You can even tell how oily it is by looking at the bottle - not just on the inside but the oil from the cotton pad transfers to your fingers and then consequently onto the bottle. 

One other thing that I dislike about this was that it has an open neck, which means it increases the chances of me spilling it all over myself. When I first bought it, I was pulling at the white part of the lid, thinking it would pop off and have a little pump underneath or something. I almost hurt myself. >.<

About the formula: when using this, after I've shaken it, I have to get it on the cotton pad ASAP, as it separates very quickly - this annoys me quite a bit as I don't like to waste time shaking a bottle every single time I need to use some more. It takes me around ten minutes taking my eye make-up off with this thing. Never buying this again!

Garnier Skin Naturals Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Eye Make-up Remover

Next up, the Garnier Skin Naturals Simply Essentials Soothing 2 in 1 Eye Make-up Remover. This, in the words of one Ronald Weasley, is bloody brilliant.

I've been using this for about a month and a half now, and I have to say that this is by far my favourite make-up remover ever! You only need to use a little, and I must say it is true to it's name - when you put the wet cotton pad on your eye it is so cool and soothing you just want to sit there with it forever. ♥

It is not oily in the least, and you can use this all over your face and it will leave your face feeling completely clean. 

You know those days when you're just too tired to wash your face? Don't lie we've all been there :P

Well whenever I have one of those days, when I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open, I use this. I can honestly say that the morning after, my skin feels perfectly fine. No dry patches, no super oily patches. Doesn't block my pores, nor leave a film of any kind. I don't even need to moisturise after - this is most likely due to the fact that it is alcohol free. 

I can honestly - hand on heart - say that I've never come across a make-up remover that leaves my skin feeling so good after using it.

In terms of design, you can see that the top is miles better than the No7 make-up remover. It helps regulate the amount of liquid that comes out far better and more easily than the No7 one, and it's cap satisfyingly clicks shut to prevent any accidental spillage.

Compared to it's No7 counterpart, when shaken it does not start to separate almost immediately - it stays mixed for a good minute before it starts to separate, which is excellent for when I'm feeling lazy (which is most of the time..heh.)!

And in conclusion...

.. I'd have to say that the Garnier is a clear winner this time, folks.

Not only do you get 200ml as opposed to the 100ml you get from No7, it costs less too - £2.99 compared to £7.75! So you get more for your money, and a better product too.

What's your favourite make-up remover? Have you tried either of these? ☺

Disclaimer: All products were bought with my own money unless stated otherwise. All opinions are my own.