Bioderma H2O Sensibo vs Pure Beauty Perfect Cleansing Water

I was obsessing over the Bioderma micellar water. Goodness knows why since I have every kind of makeup remover there is, including cleansing water from Asia.

What intrigued me was that you did'nt have to rinse it off. Which is brilliant for when I'm too lazy to cleanse before bedtime.

I managed to hunt down a London stockist, John Bell & Croyden, near Bond St tube station. The 100ml bottle is perfect for travelling and it's £4.50. (Of course it's much cheaper to buy it in bigger bottles, and if you get it in France.) 

I could'nt help noticing another woman in the queue to pay with the same bottle, probably on the same mission to try this stuff.

I wanted to test the difference between the Bioderma and Pure Beauty versions of micelluar water since they looked the same. On the outside the only difference was the packaging (in which the pump instantly wins). Pure Beauty is made in Korea and Bioderma is made in France. Pure Beauty is cheaper and is only available in Asia. The feel and the appearance of both products is the same. Both are non fragranced. 

Just a warning the next pic is kinda gross. I removed one side of my makeup with each of cleansing waters and here are the results. As you can see, the right pad removed more makeup than the left. Guess which is which?

First of all, while they felt the same on the skin, Pure Beauty left a thin greasy residue. The instructions said you need to need to rinse off and I agree. The Bioderma left a very faint residue, something I can easily overlook if I'm tired or if the air is dry. However in both cases I don't feel thoroughly cleansed unless rinsing is involved.  

In terms of effectiveness, Pure Beauty is the one on the right. If I need to wash my face afterwards in both cases, I prefer Pure Beauty as it removes more makeup. 

Later I found out that the Nuxe cleansing water sample I had in storage was also a micellar solution. It works similar to Bioderma and smells heavenly.

Cleansing oil is still my favourite form of remover. There's no faffing about with wiping/friction and dirty cotton pads. It was nice to try cleansing water but they are no different to conventional make up removers. Except they're less effective (harder to remove waterproof mascara) and their appearance is like water. 

Has you tried Bioderma H2O? What do you think of it?

Tangle Teezer - Are They Worth It?

Some people at my work can probably tell, I hate brushing my hair. Passing a brush through my hair meant snagging and frizzing so I avoid it. One day I forgot to carry my Denman shampoo brush and thought I'd try the Tangle Teezer.

My friend had recommended them after she got a haircut at Headmasters and found the brush to feel amazing on her scalp. She rang them the next day to ask what they used and now has three Tangle Teezers of the normal size. I them found too big for my hand so I bought the compact styler, which comes with a handy snap-on bristle protector. It's useful since the bristles are really soft and would trap a lot of dust in my handbag.

I bought this compact for £10.20 including shipping on Ebay. You can also buy them for less than RRP on Amazon. I like the leopard print as it stands out in my bag.

A side view. The compact styler is the perfect size and has a bit of weight. I'm less likely to drop it or have it fly out of my hand when using it.

The bristles are softer and more flexible than the Denman shampoo brush. If you have thick hair, you'll need to use it in sections as it may not pass through all of your hair. On my hair, it does the job nicely and gives a gentle scalp massage.

So the verdict? I think Tangle Teezers are worth it as it does what it says. It's a stylish functional accessory. The bristles are gentle on my fine hair. Tangles are easy to brush out and my hair is smooth and tamed. I don't hesitate to brush now. That's also good for my colleagues, ha ha! 

Bargain Marni Cropped Blazer

These days it's hard to snag a designer bargain in charity shops since they usually check labels before naming their prices. Especially in the shops in my area but I got lucky today! 

I left my flat this morning realising my cardigan wasn't going to cut it in this un-summer weather. I was running late so I just had to wing it. However by the time I got to Hampstead Heath for the train, I  had to go into the charity shop to see if I could find something else to keep me warm. 

The very first thing that caught my eye was this cropped blazer. It's

 pilot's blazer style. I took a closer look and saw it was Marni and priced at £10! It wasn't in the designer clothes section so perhaps someone made a mistake?

But who was I to complain? I was chilly, in a rush and found a designer bargain. It didn't go with my outfit but who cares, it's my first Marni for a steal!

How to Remove Shellac At Home

I had Shellac done for the first time and I liked it! 

The difference between Shellac and Bio Gel is that it's easier to apply because Shellac comes in bottles like nail polish.  It looks more natural and it's more porous to let the nails breathe.

Shellac lasts 2-3 weeks which is perfect because by then I have about 3mm of regrowth anyway and should be removed. Two nails peeled after two weeks and I couldn't stop picking off the gel. 

I had such a bad experience with gel removal in the past, I refuse to have a salon do it. Especially when it can be done easily at home. And guess what, for Shellac you don't even have to use 100% acetone. A good nail polish remover will work provided it contains acetone. 

So you need a rough nail file, acetone nail polish remover (I used Cutex Nourishing for weak nails), foil, cotton wool and an orange stick. 

Best to do one hand at a time. Here is a step by step guide.

1) Prepare the foil by cutting 5cm x 15cm strips and fold them over so they double layered. This makes them stronger and easier to handle. Cut the cotton wool in to pieces to fit over your nails.  

2) Rough up the entire surface of the gel with the file. Don't be too gentle. You want to get rid of the top coat.

2)  One nail at a time, saturate a piece of cotton wool with nail polish remover, place on the nail and wrap the foil closely around the fingertip and then fold the open end over the nail to secure.

3) Once done for all nails, let them soak for 10 mins. Check the first nail and if it looks like the below pic, it's ready for removal with the orange stick. Unwrap and scrape one nail at a time.  The gel should come off easily. If not, soak for another few minutes, making sure the cotton wool is saturated.

Once the nails are clear of gel, you can give them a quick buff if you wish. Wash hands to remove residual chemicals and slather on a rich handcream. Apply cuticle oil and now you have fresh natural nails!

Zara Hankerchief Palazzo Pants

Comfy and satiny. Perfect for "fat days". It was supposed to be warm today but ankle boots and wool crop jumper was in order.

While I was waiting for a bus, an little old lady gently tugged at my palazzo pants and asked where I bought them from. We had a conversion and she said she's from
Laos. She was wearing basic comfy pants of her own, rubber flip flops and a blue dressing gown.

She really wanted to know where I bought my pants from because they obviously looked comfy and apparently hers need replacing. Bless her!