Boots

Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes

July 26th, 2017 by Karen 7 Comments

boots beautiful quick thinking wipes — These are fab!

? These Boots were made for walking…right into your makeup bag! ?

I found the best makeup wipes! — and better still, they’re totes affordable and available right down the street at the drugstore. They’re the Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes for All Skin Types, and I randomly picked up a pack one day on a whim at Target because I ran out of the Pixi wipes I’ve been using since last month.

I also wanted to try something new (story of every beauty junkie’s life, am I right?). As luck would have it, they’re amaze-balls! They’re quite possibly the best makeup wipes I’ve ever used.

First, the important stuff: they’re fragrance-free and remove everything, even long-wearing and waterproof stuff. They also do it in the blink of an eye and don’t leave a greasy film behind (like so many heavy-duty wipes do, like the ones from MAC, which had been my makeup wipe standard bearer for years).

The thing I love most about these is that I don’t have to tug or rub at my skin at all. It’s all about light swipes, and that removes all of my makeup. I’m talking ALL OF IT. I’ve even used these on my water lines in a pinch and didn’t experience any irritation.

OK, so, you know how most wipes feel almost dry? They’re just slightly wet? They feel like they don’t have a lot of makeup remover in them? Well, Boots isn’t chintzy like that because these feel wet.

I was gonna type “moist,” but then I remembered how much I hate that word… Moist, moist, moist. The more you say it, the weirder it sounds. Blech!

Anyway, I never expected to ever get this excited about makeup wipes, but I’ve tried my share, and these are straight-up exceptional. They’re also a pretty good price, but you gotta get them in a two-pack to get the best value. Both Ulta and Target charge $10.99 for a two-pack of 30 wipes each (60 wipes total), which works out to 18 cents per wipe.

Not bad, right? If you get them in a single pack of 30 wipes for $6.99, you pay a little more.

For comparison, my previous holy grail wipes from MAC, which I used to buy in bulk (and which are still great, but I think the Boots ones are better at removing waterproof mascara), are 29 cents per wipe.

Who gets excited about affordable makeup wipes? THIS GIRL RIGHT HURR. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

The 5 Lip Liners You Need in Your Makeup Stash

April 21st, 2016 by Adia Goss 18 Comments

To be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of lip liners… I don’t use them on most days because it feels like an unnecessary step, but that being said, there are a few shades that I DO wear every so often and think are absolute necessities.

Here are my five favorite must-have lip liners. What are yours?

MAC Boldly Bare. I think everyone should have a peachy-nude lip liner. We all know that nude lipstick can be tough to pull off sometimes, so having a liner that can be a nice base, or help shape the lips, is major. I like Boldly Bare because it warms up nudes that are too cool (avoiding the dreaded dead lips look). Plus, it looks really good under a sheer gloss. It’s available at MAC Cosmeticsfor $16.50 .
NYX Chocolate. This Chocolate shade is very close to my natural lip color, so I like to wear it under more pigmented glosses to make them last longer. It also works under darker lipsticks when I want to make sure the outline of my lips is neat and clean, and it’s only $3.50 at Ulta!
MAC Cork. This is like in the brown skin girl’s makeup hall of fame! I swear, every MAC makeup artist has tried to sell this to me (and I’ve caved and bought it more than once!). But, it’s popular because it just works. A darker brown liner, it’s perfect for deepening other lip colors without drastically changing their hue. It’s also perfect for the ’90s brown lip trend! It’s available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50.
MAC Lasting Sensation. This is sort of a wildcard because it’s a bright coral color, but I actually love it as a matte lipstick. Since it’s a lip pencil, it’s easier to get a neat and precise application. And I love that it lasts all day. It’s def a summer staple for me (I featured it in my Beach Inspired Makeup Post). It’s also available at MAC Cosmetics for $16.50 .
Boots No. 7 Precision Lip Pencil in Red. Red lips are gorgeous, but for me they’re kind of tricky. I almost always use a red lip liner when I’m wearing red lipstick because it helps keep the lipstick on my lips and not all over my face. Bonus points for this being a twist-up pencil that doesn’t need a sharpener (because I can NEVER find one when I need it). You can find it at Target for $9. And for help finding something to wear it with, here are my favorite red lipsticks.

* Honorable Mention: MAC Nightmoth. Just like with red lipstick, deep vampy colors are high maintenance. This is my go-to for when I want dark and dramatic lips. Another MAC classic.

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I Haven’t Used My Acne Medication in Four Weeks: Here’s What I’ve Been Using Instead

April 13th, 2016 by Marcella Yakalis 24 Comments

boots-no7-skincare-regimen — From L-R: Boots No7 Youthful Replenishing Facial Oil, Protect and Perfect Day/Night Cream, Protect and Perfect Intense Eye Cream, and Youthful Eye Serum

If you’ve been reading my posts here, you know that I’ve really struggled with adult acne, and especially with being comfortable in my own skin. Recently with my dermatologist prescribed medications, I finally felt that I had found a routine that worked for me, but the products often left my skin dry, red and, at times, very itchy. Sometimes, after using these medications, applying different products and makeup on my skin would also cause irritations.

Then I found the Boots No7 Protect and Perfect and Boots No7 Youthful lines, and now I think I’ve finally figured out exactly what my skin’s problem is.

It’s moisture. I actually need more of it.

I was a little wary of all of the moisture in these products. After all, I can be sort of an oil slick, and I’m always afraid of waking up in the morning to discover that the products I applied the night before haven’t sunk into my skin, and now I have a giant grease face.

But these products didn’t just work well; they actually improved my skin over time. On the packaging they promise better looking skin in four weeks, so that’s how much time I gave them.

Let’s start with the Boots No7 Youthful Replenishing Facial Oil. This is the product I start with every night before bed, applying it to a freshly washed and cleansed face.

boots-no7-youthful-replenishing-oil — Boots No7 Youthful Replenishing Oil ($22.99 for 1 oz.)

Ingredients
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Isostearyl Isostearate, Alcohol Denat,. Tocopheryl Acetate, Parfum (Fragrance), Isopropyl Myristate, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Salicyloyl Phytosphingosine, Tocopherol

This non-greasy blend of jojoba and rosehip seed oils sinks into my skin in but a moment. I usually concentrate it around the areas where I’m driest and red, like the apples of my cheeks; the sides of my nose, where I have some broken capillaries; and the areas on my chin where I have some acne scarring.

There’s also a little warning on the back that literally says, “May make surfaces slippery,” and they aren’t kidding. The bottle is glass, and I almost dropped it on my bathroom floor several times. In spite of that fact, though, it makes a wonderful precursor to…

protect-perfect-night-day-cream — T-B: Boots No7 Protect and Perfect Night and Day Cream ($22.99, 1.6 oz.)

The Boots No7 Protect and Perfect Night Cream, which is my follow-up to the Replenishing Oil. It blends in seamlessly, and has a clean scent that doesn’t irritate my skin. As far as the Day Cream goes, I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the time when I use moisturizers with SPF, they tend to clump up when I try to put makeup on top of them, but that isn’t the case here. It dries nice and matte.

Night cream ingredients
Aqua (Water, Eau), Glycerin, PPG-15 Stearyl Ether, Sorbitan Stearate, Demethicone, Butrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter, Beurre De Karite), Ethylhexyl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Polyacrylamide, C13-14 Acid Glycol Ester, Dimethiconol, Butylene Glycol, Parfum (Fragrance), Sucrose Cocoate, Methlparaben, Carbomer, Laureth-7, Ethylparaben, Dipropylene Glycol, Retinyl Palmitate, Xantham Gum, Ascorbyl Gluoside, Tetrasodium EDTA, Potassium Hydroxide, Lupinus Albus Seed Extract, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20, Gingko Biloba Leaf Extratc, BHT, Tocopherol, Butylparaben, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Silica, Propylparaben, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Day cream ingredients
Avobenzone (3.0%), Octinoxate (6.0%), Octisalate (2.5%), Aqua (Water),Glycerin,C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate,Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter,Dimethicone,Isononyl Isononanoate,Cetearyl Alcohol,C18-36 Acid Glycol Ester,Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide,Sorbitan Stearate,Mica,Polysorbate 20,Alcohol Denat.,C13-14 Isoparaffin, Dimethiconol, Butylene Glycol,Methylparaben,Potassium Cetyl Phosphate,Ethylparaben,Parfum (Fragrance), Laureth-7, Retinyl Palmitate,Sucrose Cocoate, Dipropylene Glycol,Xanthan Gum,Ascorbyl Glucoside,Tetrasodium EDTA,Citric Acid,Lupinus Albus Seed Extract,Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol, Carbomer,Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract,Potassium Hydroxide,Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, BHT, Tocopherol, Butylparaben, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben,Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7,Cl 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).

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Everyday Makeup Look: All Drugstore Products!

April 6th, 2016 by Adia Goss 32 Comments

When I was re-organizing my makeup collection, I realized that I have a fair amount of drugstore products. Most of my makeup is from Sephora or Nordstrom, but I’ve always mixed in drugstore buys into my everyday makeup routine. So, I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could do a full face of makeup only using my drugstore products. Turns out, I can! I actually really love all of the products that I used, so I’ll need to make a point to reach for them more often.

Foundation

drugstore makeup — Two great drugstore foundations: L’oreal True Match Lumi Cushion and L’oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation

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Boots No 7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define Eyeshadow Sticks | Review & Swatches

March 22nd, 2016 by Adia Goss 17 Comments

Cream eyeshadow sticks are among my favorite makeup products of all. I love how easy they are to use, and I’m always on the market for a new good shadow stick.

I did a roundup of my Top 5 Eyeshadow Sticks last year, and now I wonder if these Boots No 7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define eyeshadow sticks will make the cut.

The four shades here — Glistening Ray, Pink Pearl, Cool Mink and Velvet Truffle — are all smooth, creamy and extremely long-wearing.

After swatching them on my arm, I went to a cycling class, then showered, and the colors were still intact!

With the exception of Velvet Truffle, they’re all very sparkly, which I love.

Here are some swatches:

boots no 7 stay perfect shade and define — L to R: Glistening Ray, Pink Pearl, Cool Mink and Velvet Truffle

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Purple Smoky Holiday Makeup Tutorial With Boots No7 [SPONSORED] #MyBestSkin

November 30th, 2015 by Karen 37 Comments

There should be a video in this post, but if you can’t see it, you can click here to watch it on YouTube.

We’re basically on the cusp of December, so from here on out it’s all holidays, all the time, and that definitely means more holiday makeup.

This purple smoky eye might look more complicated than it really is, but you can totally handle it. If you can blend even just a wee bit, you can follow along with this tutorial, which shows how to do the eyes, complexion makeup and cheeks. And there are also four different ideas for lip combos.

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Comment to Win a Boots No7 Skin Care Anti-Aging Serum [SPONSORED] #MyBestSkin

November 30th, 2015 by Karen 100 Comments

** THE GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED **
This giveaway is closed, and the winners have been contacted (congratulations, E. Jones, Ashleigh, Darbie and Maria!!!), but check back next Saturday for another giveaway.

In partnering with Boots Beauty USA on this giveaway for the No7 Skincare #MyBestSkin Campaign, I’ve received product samples and/or compensation for my time and effort in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #sponsored @bootsbeautyusa #MyBestSkin #BootsNo7

It was a whirlwind backpack adventure across the continent of Europe (complete with hidden diamonds and sleeper train car rides), and the year was 2005…

That’s when I first discovered the Boots No7 beauty line.

El Hub was El Boyfriend at the time, and neither one of us had ever been to Europe before, so we crammed as many countries into our 16-day trip as possible, and one of them was England.

This was also the trip when El Hub asked me to marry him (he sneaked the ring over on the plane hidden in his contact lens case), and if I learned anything on that trip, it was this: if a man willingly allows you to drag him into every pharmacy and drugstore you pass on your vacation just so you can look at beauty products…you better put a ring on that! LOL!

When we arrived in London toward the end of our trip, I discovered Boots No7, and they were EVERYWHERE, but I’d never seen or heard of them before in the U.S., so they were très exotic and interesting to me. Intrigued, I brought home — I kid you not — five full-size bottles of Boots No7 lotion, and I was crushed when I finally finished the last one back at home months later. *tear* 🙁

Fast forward to now, and Boots No7 is also here in the U.S. (and has been for a while). Target carries an extensive selection from the brand, which has a huge range of affordable hypoallergenic products, including makeup, skincare and body care products.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the brand, but if you’ve been wanting to give them a try, maybe I can help. I’ve partnered with Boots Beauty USA on this here giveaway for their No7 Skincare #MyBestSkin Campaign, and I’m also putting the finishing touches on a Boots No7 purple holiday-ready smoky eye tutorial (here’s a link to the tutorial!).

In the meantime…

I’ve noticed a lot of interesting ingredients in their products, especially in their skincare, and the brand is well known for their anti-aging serums, all of which have earned the Good Housekeeping Seal here in the U.S.

They have four main anti-aging categories, each one with a different serum, and I’m giving away one of each.
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