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

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer Review

I'd run out of my usual concealer and to my disappointment the brand it was from doesn't seem to stock it any more. Sad times! :( :(

I thought I'd try something different and after a little bit of looking around in the shop I decided to try 'Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer'. It says on the tube that it: "Conceals flaws and blemishes for up to 16 hours. Transfer resistant."

Well, it was £4.___ (four pounds something I can't remember exact) and to be honest I'm quite disappointed. It covers quite well, and I think it does indeed last a fair while (not sure if it actually would last the whole 16 hours I highly doubt it!) but it goes ORANGE. Yes I swear to you it does! I decided to get the 2nd of the 4 different shades (1-very light --> 4-dark) because I'm quite pale but I'm not a ghost.

Choosing other concealers and face products in this way has always worked, and I even tested it on my hand in the shop and it looked okay (maybe it was the shop lighting or maybe it looks more orange-y the longer you wear it!) but recent observations have led me to think differently. Maybe using loads makes it go orange, but for some spots or other areas you have to use more. Luckily you can only see the orangey-ness when you look right up close in a mirror.

Maybe I should put concealer then foundation on (I usually do it the other way round) and then maybe the orange will be hidden, but if I just want to cover a couple of areas quickly before having to pop off quickly somewhere I may be stuck! Oh well. I've learnt my lesson, I'm not buying this again unless the lightest is actually better (I would have to try the lightest on my hand before considering buying this product again). At least it's quite good at covering! :)

See ya soon xxx