Review: Elegant Touch Nail Polish Remover

So today, my new nail polish arrived (NYC Park Ave) and I was dying to try it, but I only had a tiny bit of a crappy (Cutex Acetone Free) nail polish remover left, so I had to make a Tesco run.  I'll give Tesco credit in the fact that they had a pretty good selection - Own brand, Cutex, Remover pads or Elegant Touch.

I picked up the Elegant Touch Super Strength because I've got their Rapid Dry Spray and I liked that, so I figured this would probably be pretty good quality too.

The one thing I absolutely HATE about doing my nails is taking my polish off.  I love putting it on, I love wearing it, but taking it off is a ball ache of epic proportions.  It usually involves 2-3 soaked cotton wool pads, a ton of nail polish remover, stinging, sore fingers and a room stinking of the stuff.

But this, this is the Holy Grail of removers.  This would come to a desert island with me (in a bag full of everlasting nail polish with an unlimited supply of cotton wool).  I won't use another nail polish, ever.  Never ever.

Why?  Because it removed my nail polish in one wipe.  Not a scrub, not a hold on your nail for a minute and wipe, INSTANTLY.  It must have some sort of dark magic behind it, because I've never seen anything like this.  The bottle says it contains Panthenol - maybe that's code for Voodoo, I'm not sure - all I know is that it works, my nails didn't go dry afterwards and my house doesn't stink.

Another thing I absolutely love about it is the bottle - the opening isn't just your normal open top, it has a teeny little hole in the middle of what would usually be the circle of spillage.  You can tip it onto your cotton wool pad and give it a gentle squeeze, and you get a tiny bit out.  One 2cm circle of remover did all my nails and touched them up after I'd re-painted them.

All the awards go to this nail polish remover.

So it must be super expensive, right? Wrong.  £2.10/200ml in Tesco.  Very affordable, will last a long time, works really well and is easy to apply.

I love it.

Available to buy from Tesco Stores or from NailPolishDirect.co.uk (£2.99/200ml)



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Review: Glossybox December 2012

Glossybox is a monthly subscription of 5 high-end beauty product samples (with some full-size products sometimes, too) for £10 + £2.95 p&p.

You can earn GlossyDots by reviewing the products sent to you in a quick survey, and redeem points for a free box. (1000 GlossyDots = 1 free box) 

'Tried and tested by the Glossybox Pros, Glossybox does the hard work for you'

The theme for the December box was 'Bejewelled' - festive treats that would make perfect gifts.

The first product in the box was Conditioning Whipped Cream by Milk_Shake, which I reviewed separately, you can read that review here.

'It's different to the other leave-in conditioners I've tried, as it's a mousse.  I was expecting it to leave my hair crunchy or dry, but it just leaves it super soft and bouncy.'

(RRP. £14.30/200ml, available for £10.76 from BeautyBay.com)

The second product in the box was a Nail Lacquer by Seche, which I also reviewed separately, and you can read that review here!

'On average, this nail polish lasts me between 5-10 days, whereas every other one I try chips within about 5 minutes - my nails just repel any colour that comes near them!'

(RRP. £9.95/14ml, available from Nails By Mail)

Third in the December box was the What A Complete And Utter Glosser. I Never Fake Strawberry Milkshake lipgloss from Anatomicals. 

I used it a couple of times before I checked the ingredients, the smell isn't super fruity, it's quite a plastic-y smell, and the texture was a bit too sticky for my liking.

it contains propylparaben, which you can read about here, and so I won't continue to use it.  

(RRP. £3.49/10ml)

Next in the box was Magic Touch by Rituals - 'An ultra rich, whipped body cream based on nourishing rice milk and the flowery fragrance of cherry blossom.'  

It has a great texture, is very light and fluffy, and hardly has a smell.  It goes on super smooth, and barely needs rubbing in, and the softness lasts all day.  

With a combination of Organic Cherry and Rice Milk, Antioxidants and vitamin E, alongside the anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and a whole host of other positive effects of Centella Asiatica, this is the ultimate in moisturisation.

It doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or clogged, and hasn't caused me any breakouts, whereas other body creams usually do.

I definitely recommend trying this cream, and at £5/70ml, it's pretty affordable, too.  Available from Rituals.com (also available for £15/200ml)

Fifth in the 12/12 box was the Oh So Special i-Divine True Palette from Sleek.

It is a collection of 12 highly pigmented eye shadows, in fairly neutral colours and a couple of darker shades.

The packaging is really nice, a matte finish palette with 'Sleek' across the front.  The one thing I am disappointed with is the applicator.  I would have thought that companies would have stopped putting sponge applicators in with their products by now, in favour of a mini brush, but no luck.

The applicator barely picks up anything, giving the impression that it's a bad product, whereas if you use a brush, it works really well and you can create some great looks from this palette.

It does contain Propylparaben and Methylparaben, so I'm not comfortable using this on a daily basis (but I don't feel as bad about using this as I do body creams/moisturisers etc, that sink into the skin - when I use this it will be over a primer, to create a barrier)

RRP. £7.99, available from SleekMakeup.com

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Review: Seche Nail Lacquer

'Seche, creator of the award-winning Seche Vite Top Coat introduces its first colour line: Seche Nail Lacquer.  Available in 33 stunning, fashion-forward shades, Seche Nail Lacquer delivers on both style and substance.

The high-intensity colour makes application onto the nail even easier with one stroke leaving a strong pigmented and long lasting colour. Add Seche’s Dry Fast Top Coat for a rapid-dry protective layer that will give nails a gorgeous, salon-finish.'

Another Glossybox product, Seche Nail Lacquer is now my go-to nail product for everyday wear.  I have the colour Elegant, which is a 'bronze shimmer' with lovely red/orange tones to it.


It is also available in an impressive range of 33 shades/colours, from neutrals to greys to bright pinks, there's a shade for everyone.

The bottle is a very generous 14ml, and it only takes one coat for a flawless finish, which I haven't found with any other nail varnish I've tried.  It has a thinner brush than average, which I personally find helps with application.  You can get into the edges of your nail without it spilling over onto your skin.

It only takes a tiny amount on the brush to provide good coverage and that, again, stops the spillage and mess.

On average, this nail polish lasts me between 5-10 days, whereas every other one I try chips within about 5 minutes - my nails just repel any colour that comes near them!

They do have a feature on their website, Virtual Brush On, where you can 'try on' their nail varnish, but to be honest, you're better off googling the shade you're interested in and seeing it on other peoples nails.


 Seche Nail Lacquers are definitely at the higher end of the price-scale with a RRP of £9.95/14ml (available from Nails By Mail), they're not exactly budget-friendly.  But they are worth it, with only needing one coat, and lasting so long, and having a pretty big bottle.  

Compared to Essie's 15ml bottles for under £5, or O.P.I's 15ml bottles for under £8, it just depends whether you want to spend that extra money for the added benefits that come with Seche Nail Laquers.



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