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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Skincare Routine

Like I said in my last post, I have sensitive skin with hormonal acne.  Pretty sexy.  So I do what I can to disguise the mess it gets into and that involves mainly washing, exfoliating and camouflaging.  The first two, I will talk about now.  Camouflage later.

I received this gift set for Christmas, after trying Daily Microfoliant from my Glossybox a couple of months ago and falling in love.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 75g with two free gifts
RRP £30.80




When I wake up I wash my face with Dermalogica Pre-cleanse - I massage a few drops into my (dry) face and then add a bit of water and massage some more, in small circles.  Then rinse.

'This plant-based cleansing oil, fortified with Olive and Kukui oils, thoroughly melts layers of excess sebum (oil), sunscreen, waterproof make-up, environmental pollutants and residual skin products that build-up during the day.' 


Dermalogica Precleanse
RRP £31.50/150ml

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 

RRP £38.50/75g

Next, I use Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, 1/2 a tsp onto very wet hands, rub into a thick paste and then rub onto a dry face, again in small circles.  I do this for about 2 minutes, making sure I get every single mm of my face and neck scrubbed, and then rinse it off.

'A unique, Rice-based enzyme powder that activates upon contact with water, releasing Papain, Salicylic Acid and Rice Enzymes to smooth the skin and accelerate cell renewal.  The unique Skin Brightening Complex of Bearberry, Aspergillus, Grapefruit and Liquorice helps to balance uneven skin pigmentation.  A super-soothing blend of Green Tea, Ginkgo and Colloidal Oatmeal calms inflammation, leaving the skin extraordinarily clear and refreshed. Gentle enough to use on a daily basis.'

My face now feels squeaky clean and lovely but very very dry - moisturiser.  I have tried SO MANY moisturisers - from cheap own-brands to chemist brands to more commonly recommended ones to high-end ones - and the only one I've found that doesn't make my skin greasy or dry it out more or break me out is this one, from ASDA's Skin System range - the Day Cream with SPF 15 and Co-enzyme Q10.

Asda Skin System Day Cream SPF15 

RRP £3.00/50ml

'Specially developed for 20 skin. Anti-oxidant youth blend. Fights first signs of ageing. Collagen damage protection. Dermatologically tested. Suitable for vegetarians. Q10 day cream SPF15 About this Product: Q10 Day Cream with SPF15 has been formulated to help prevent the first signs of ageing. Coenzyme Q10 protects against collagen damage and works to keep the skin firm. An anti-oxidant blend of pomegranate, cranberry and green tea helps to protect skin from free radicals, while rosehip oil moisturises and nourishes the skin. Asda is against animal testing & funds research into alternatives.'

It is my miracle cream.  I use a small amount every morning (and night, I'm not keen on the night cream they have) and it keeps me perfectly moisturised ALL day.  Looks like they've changed the packaging now, but the ingredients are the same.  And it only costs £3 so that makes me happy.

At night I pretty much repeat this step by step, the only difference being that I remove my makeup first with Witch Cleansing and Toning Makeup Remover Wipes.  I feel like they just give an added protection against overnight spots and they do a pretty good job of removing my eye makeup, too - so that's a bonus.  I got them from Tesco on a whim as they were the same price as Tesco own-brand sensitive wipes which I used previously.

'Witch Cleansing and Toning Wipes quickly remove make up and dirt to reveal cleansed, tingling skin that feels soft and supple.  Cleans skin and helps tighten pores.  For more than 40 years, Witch has used nature's clever ingredient Witch Hazel. It naturally cleanses, tones and soothes, leaving your skin perfectly balanced, soft and healthy looking.'

Witch Cleansing and Toning WipesRRP £1.99

This pretty much keeps my skin in check, every now and again I'll mix it up - I just got Dermalogica's Bedtime for Breakouts, so I'll start using that tonight and see if that makes any difference, whack a review on here when I see any change.

So that's my skincare routine as of the start of Jan 2012 :)

Please leave comments below to let me know anything you'd like to see!

Previous Post: Intro
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Intro

First post. Okay, here goes nothing...

I spend most of my free time on YouTube watching makeup gurus, collecting little tips and trying them out - and never really going anywhere or doing anything where people will notice my face and think 'My, how lovely that contouring looks', or 'Well, she certainly has defined her crease well with that eye look'.  So I figured, seeing as it is actually something I enjoy, why not write about it?   It can't hurt, right?

Asking a blogger page rhetorical questions...  And so it begins.

So I'll give you the LD on my face, so you can get an idea of what I'm working with here.  I have sensitive, pale skin, with hormonal acne every few weeks.  I sound hot, don't I?

I don't have any photos of me makeup-less yet, but I'll be sure to add some in when I get round to taking them.  In the meantime, here's one of me with low-coverage makeup from the other day.

You can see a couple of blemishes (the piece of hair hanging down is strategically covering the one bad one I have right now) but nothing too major.

You can also see I have pretty dark circles under my eyes - my sleep routine is messed up right now! Good news for the concealer industry.





I'll do a foundation routine and probably give a few of my favourite products a review, and then who knows, I might actually get some looks on here.

Maybe.


Please leave comments below to let me know anything you'd like to see!

Next Post: Skincare Routine