Leighton Denny Nail Varnish Review!

I have tons and tons of nail varnishes. Probably like most of you out there! I have a few that are cheap and the rest have been presents, some which would've been fairly expensive normally. One particular varnish of mine (which was a gift from my sister) is by Leighton Denny. On the Leighton Denny website their varnishes generally retail at £11.00 each, which is rather expensive from my point of view! This then led me to wonder whether the varnish is actually value for money. So I thought why not review it :-) 

Hanky Panky

No I'm not just saying it to be immature! I kid you not, this is actually the name of the nail varnish colour that I own. It is a bright metallic orange colour, and their varnishes in general are described on the bottle as being: "high performance nail colour. Easy to apply, longlasting and chip resistant. Apply two thin coats and allow to dry." But before that last bit, let's look at the bottle!


Well here it is! I've taken a couple of photos because in flash and without flash the varnish colour looks rather different. It's more like the top photo though. It is an orange colour that is quite vibrant, but not quite as vibrant as this top picture. In real life the intense colour of the varnish is toned down by the very fine glittery sheen that is within. This is what gives it its metallic edge.









I have no idea why this colour is called 'Hanky Panky'! Why orange has been associated with that phrase is just a mystery. Maybe it's just to be bold. There's nothing about hank panky that's orange . . . I'M NOT EVEN GOING THERE.




The picture is more to show the name of the brand. This one was taken without flash. I feel so bad saying this, but the colour in real life is a mixture if the two pictures!

This is the brush. I was quite surprised to find a brush in this £11.99-per-pot nail varnish that is just like most other varnishes out there. Even stupidly cheap varnishes have this brush! I was expecting a brush that was tapered for quick and accurate application, like the Bourgeois nail varnishes. Quite a disappointment on this front for me.

And here is the nail varnish on. It has a nice sheen to it, and it is a nice colour. However with the microglittery shine stuff you can end up a 'marbly' kind of effect which I don't like, because it means that you can't get just one nice shiny 'smooth' looking nail. But anyways.












It takes a fair while to become totally set and fully dry (i.e. you can press it with a fingertip and it won't have fingerprint imprinted on it, and your nail won't make a massive dent) but it takes no longer to dry than the average nail varnish. However this is another disappointment. I was expecting a fast drying polish to sort of try to justify the high price, but no luck.

Don't get me wrong, this is a lovely coloured nail varnish with a beautiful sheen. It lasts longer than others (i.e. doesn't chip as easily as long as it's fully dry etc). But for £11.99 per bottle I was expecting a faster drying product with a better quality brush, and the ability to create a smooth finish without the microglittery elements 'pooling' together to create a 'marbly' effect. Overall a good nail varnish but SOOO not worth the RRP! I would pay £4.00 for this personally, oooooh :S

See ya soon xxx

bareMinerals Lipgloss Review!

I got a Bare Minerals lipgloss a while ago as part of a present from my sister. So, I didn't pay the £14.00 that an individual lipgloss (of 4.2ml) costs on the Bare Minerals website! I certainly wouldn't have bought one at that price. I find that, with lipglosses, really cheap ones are just as good as really expensive ones. My only priorities with lipglosses (I don't wear them often, only if my hair's up or it's a special occasion) are that they're shiny (as in reflecting the light) and are of a nice colour that suits me. They are not something I'd invest a lot of money in anyway. They soon come off once you eat and drink and even just talk, so I don't see the point! Even non-sticky still get your hair stuck with no intention of letting go!!

So, here's a couple of piccies of the 2 colours I own. The one on the left is 'sugar cookie' which would be cheaper because it's a smaller size) and the right one is 'fruit cocktail'. Cute names I think :)


Packaging
I like the lids as they are a nice 'soft' sort of plastic that is easy to grip and the two 'bumps' make them comfortable to hold while applying. The clear bottles make it easy to view the colours as well as see when they're running out.


You might be able to observe that they have what I call 'microglitter' in them. I like it when glitter in lip products is tiny because it doesn't look too cheap and tacky. Rather, it gives a nice professional sheen.

Here is 'sugarcookie' applied. It's a nude colour and didn't bring any colour to my lips really. But it is pretty much the same colour as my lips so what do you expect! I quite like this though, because it just gives them a subtle tint and sheen, perfect for everyday wear or subtle, more natural looks. I am naturally quite pale though, so maybe I would wear a little more blusher or eye makeup so I didn't look too washed out. 

This is 'fruit cocktail' applied. It's a rich red-pink in the tube, however I didn't find colour distribution to be all that amazing. You might be able to see that, on the picture, (after literally less than 1 minute of wear) the colour had sunk into the creases of my lips, and left patches elsewhere. This is despite trying to purse my lips together and use the small brush applicator to spread it all out and make it look even. I didn't want to daub too much on in case it just looked really over the top. However the colour is nice.


Both lipglosses are quite sticky, and yes the annoying hair thing does occur!! It says on the website that they're non-sticky but I do not believe them!
But, the colours are lovely and it smells really nice - like biscuits! However online it says they're actually scented with vanilla. Smells like biscuits to me :-) Cosmetics that smell like food, yummy! I sometimes wonder if this is a psychological ploy to try and make us like them more, because they smell like things we like to eat. But anyway.........


The main thing I like about Bare Minerals is that they have no preservatives in their products, and they're made from lots of natural things.
Their lipglosses are said to hydrate, which is a bonus :) They also soften, and ingredients that provide both qualities include cupuacu butter and jojoba, sesame and sunflower oils. Antioxidant protection is also provided via vitamin E and pomegranate seed oil. Vitamin E is great at protecting against the environment (I wrote more about it in my Avon Rich Moisture Face Cream Review). They also contain honeysuckle flower extract to condition the lips, and the general goodness of bareMinerals. So why not wear makeup that actually does some good in the process = simples!!


All in all, I think they smell great, are nicely coloured, have a nice sheen, and they're lip-healthy. I reckon the colour could settle and spread out better though, particularly in 'fruit cocktail's case. I would not pay £14.00 for a full sized tube. I think it's wayyy overpriced. But still a good product :-)


See ya soon xxx