Archive for the ‘Guest Review’ Category
At Just Nice Things we like to shake things up a bit so today we have a guest reviewer in the form of a man – it’s our Tan. Yes, he’s ours because he keeps coming back for more!
Tan has been getting to grips with Braun’s Series 5 5040S Wet & Dry shaver, one of three models available in Braun’s series and what’s more, they are on special offer with up a third off this Christmas at Boots so if you’re wondering what to get for the most important man in your life be it your dad, brother, husband or boyfriend, perhaps this might be it.
Let’s see how Tan got on with losing his shaver virginity to this grooming gadget…
The Series 5 5040S Wet & Dry premium shaver is the new product from Braun released just in time for Christmas.
At first glance the 5040s looks a premium product that is beautifully designed. The shaver has a rubberised, ergonomically designed body which makes it easy to hold in the hand either wet or dry. When I took it out of the box what I first noticed was how light the shaver was to hold compared to a Remington I had previously used. It is very simple to use straight out of the box with no assembly required.
As it describes itself as a Wet premium shaver, I decided to try it out in the shower. Not only that, as I have sensitive skin, I tend to shave a couple times a week and so had a good amount of stubble for the shaver to work its magic on. So this was a good test for the 5040s. I found shaving to be a good experience, quick and efficient. The shave was smooth and sharp and I didn’t find myself having to go over the same shaving spot twice. Neither did I have to press the shaver against my skin too hard, simply a soft and easy motion did the trick. This is where the Flex MotionTec helps the 5040s as it seemed to glide at times, and the pivoting shaver head came into its own when shaving around the neck area. Most electric shavers advise to hold the shaver at 90 degree angle for best results, however the 5040s works well even when you don’t adhere to this.
Now you can argue that the quality of a foil shaver is in the foil, and how long it stays sharp for, however with regular cleaning and maintenance I do not perceive this to be an issue. There is also a short beard trimmer on the back for those keen on styling but I had no use for it.
It will take 60 minutes to fully charge the shaver, and you can expect 45 minutes of cordless shaving. For myself this mean charging the shaver once a week. Maintaining and servicing the shaver is quick and easy. The head can be taken off for cleaning simply by pulling gently with the thumb and forefinger and you should do this frequently to keep the blades and moving parts clear of bristles – it allows the shaver to work better and will help the heads stay sharper and the batteries last longer. Braun supply a small brush and some lubricating oil that come in handy.
The shaver is supplied with a two pin mains charger and can be used whilst you shave. There’s nothing worse than your shaver dying halfway through a shave when you can’t plug the charger in and carry on.
I have to admit being a more of a Gillette razor kind of guy, and having sensitive skin, I was a little sceptical but there was really no need. This is definitely a premium shaver and the quality shines through from its well designed exterior, the new Flex MotioTec technology, to the close smooth shave it provides.
Price wise, compared to the Philips and Remington brands, there are cheaper electric shavers on the market. Retailing at £189.99, its certainly not cheap, however by shopping around online you will find the big retailers discounting in the run up to Christmas, with Boots and Amazon pricing competitively at around the £100 mark. At this price, the Braun Series 5 5040s Wet & Dry Premium Shaver is definitely worth investing in.
The new Braun Series 5 range is available at Boots, Amazon, Argos, larger supermarkets and other good electrical retailers. Series 5 5040S normally retails for £189.99 but will be priced at £127.29 at Boots until 31st December 2012. You can also pick up Series 5 5030s for £100 (RRP: £159.99) and Series 5 5070cc for £133.99 (RRP: £199.99). Visit www.braun.com/uk for more information.
Tan Araf
*PR sample*
Thank you, Tan! Glad to hear your handsome visage survived the Braun machine. What do the rest of you think?
P.S: Tan occasionally writes a brilliant blog. Do check it out and hopefully he will be encouraged to write some more!
Today beauty blogger Rucksana Hussain is a guest reviewer for Just Nice Things. The Birmingham beauty junkie kindly agreed to try a selection of eye make-up from George at Asda.
Whenever I go to Birmingham, I always call in on Rucksana who is like a little devil sitting on your shoulder, egging you to buy more make-up from Selfridges’ in the Bullring. Her blog Walking in a Beauty Wonderland is one you must add to your list of blogs to follow. Without further ado, let’s see what Rucksana thought of George’s offerings.
I have been keen to try the George make-up range but my local Asda doesn’t stock it annoyingly, so when Sheenie asked me to review some products I jumped at the chance. I was given a selection of 4 single eyeshadows to try, which are a mixture of textures with variable results.
First up is Jellybean, a blue toned lilac. This is the kind of colour I am always attracted to. However I was left a little disappointed with how it performed. I used this all over the lid on top of MAC’s painterly Paint Pot but discovered it wasn’t true to the colour in the pan. It’s very sheer so to get a good depth of colour I had to build it up with a few layers. Jellybean is a shimmer eyeshadow but gritty in texture though it did blend fairly well.
Next up is Yeti, a red toned brown which is a matte eyeshadow. I am always on the search for a good cheap matte eyeshadow and this delivers nicely as it’s well pigmented, smooth and buttery to work with. Yeti blends beautifully and works well for a smokey look.
Panther is my favourite. Firstly I love the name as it reminds me of my black cat. It is a very deep slate grey shade with the same texture as Yeti, and has a silver sparkle. I used Panther in the crease and it looked so pretty and sultry. It also serves well as an eyeliner when used with a damp liner brush.
Snowflake is the final shade I tried. It is a pearly white iridescent shade and rather frosty which is quite apt for its name. I used this as highlighter on the brow bone but found it to be way too stark. It is exactly the same in texture as Jellybean, a shimmer but not smooth and quite gritty. Unfortunately it is the one I’m least fond of out of the 4.
I tried all 4 shades over MAC’s Painterly Paint Pot for around 6 hours. There was a fair amount of fading especially with Jellybean which had lost a lot of its vibrancy but there was no creasing.
Overall the eyeshadows are pretty good quality and the design of the packaging is sturdy and secure fpr £2.50 each so you can’t complain.
The final product from George is Volume Lash, a waterproof mascara. It claims to thicken lashes and add volume. It definitely added volume but didn’t really lengthen them much. It is a dry formula and if too much product is applied it clumps the lashes together. I favour my mascara to add length, volume and to fan out my lashes so they look, full, fluttery and voluptuous. Volume Lash didn’t give fanned out lashes but spiky instead.
Volume Lash comes with the ubiquitous bristle which I prefer over plastic applicators. The other thing that stands out is the yellow packaging, which bears a similar look to Maybelline’s eye-catching Colossal mascara.
All in all, I do like Volume Lash. It is very good value for money at just £3.50 and outperforms some major mascaras I’ve tried that cost more. George really does offer some absolute gems, I just wish it was more accessible in their stores.
George make-up is also available online at www.asda.com.
Rucksana Hussain
*PR samples*
Thank you so much, Rucksana for your honest opinion. Have you tried these or other products from the George range? If so, what do you think of them? Do you have any favourites you could recommend? Let us know your views by commenting below.
Today we have a guest post courtesy of the lovely Rhian from Pretty Green Eyes who’s been trialling some products from Gillette’s Venus range. Rhian is new on the beauty bloggers’ block so do check out her blog and her eye make-up skills. In the mean time, let’s see how she got on…
I was asked by Sheenie to trial some new Gillette shaving products. Perfect timing some may say as the sun has decided to finally show itself, giving everyone in Britain the hope that it may be here to stay.
I have been a fan of the Gillette Venus range since the product was first introduced. It has always been my ‘go to’ brand when selecting a new razor so I was more that happy to do a guest blog post.
The products I’ve reviewed are two different razors (Pro Skin – Moisture Rich and Pro Skin – Sensitive) as well as a Satin Care Shave Gel, so let’s take these products one by one.
Satin Care Pure & Delicate
This is an interesting one, as I have never actually purchased shaving gel previously – shocking, huh? I always had the preconception that it wouldn’t really make much difference and opted for either shower gel or conditioner. I went into it with an open mind and the outcome? WHY HAVE I NOT USED THIS PRODUCT BEFORE? A little goes a long way and it makes the whole shaving process far more pleasant. My skin definitely felt smoother afterwards and I am not sure whether it was a psychological thing but my legs also appeared to stay smoother for longer than usual.
The shaving gel that I had to test was designed for sensitive skin and for that reason was unscented. Normally I would always pick up a toiletry product with some sort of fruity scent as this is just my preference but I cannot actually fault the product itself. It also promises to minimize the risk of skin irritation (I’m not someone that suffers from sensitive skin) so I’ll take their word for it.
This product has definitely made a shaving gel virgin in to a shaving gel convert in one application and is something I would repeat purchase. Gillette Shaving Foam retails for £3.99 and is available nationwide.
Pro Skin – Moisture Rich
The first razor I plumped for was the Moisture Rich. The product promises to protect your skin as you shave using the fitted shave gel bars enhanced with body butters (olive, kokum and avocado). It did not disappoint in terms of the efficiency of the blades and if anyone should be an expert in this by now it would be Gillette.
I used the product with both the Satin Care shave gel and on its own with just water. If anything the product performed better without the additional shave gel as it seemed to leave my skin a little too lubricated. Without the additional shave gel the shave gel bars were great especially for those times when you need to shave your legs in a hurry – girls, we’ve all been there. My only gripe is the price of the razor at £10.99, which is pricey when you need to change the blades more often due to the shave gel bars wearing down quicker.
Pro Skin – Sensitive
I switched to this razor coincidentally after the shave gel bars had disappeared on the Moisture Rich razor. Again this razor is designed to reduce the irritation that comes with shaving. This razor has five blades as opposed to the Moisture Rich that has three. The blades are spaced close together to reduce pressure and achieve a closer shave. In addition the razor also has a lubricating strip and an “extra-rich ribbon of moisture” to lubricate and protect the skin. The result? A really close shave. In all honesty I was more impressed with this razor than I was with the Moisture Rich mainly because of the finish of the actual shave, this razor seemed to get much closer than the previous and it doesn’t have the limited use of the shave gel bars that the Moisture Rich has. It also retails for £1 less than the Moisture Rich at £9.99.
Would I recommend all products? Yes, I would. However I would wait for them to go on offer, most retailers run half price offers a lot of the time.
On one last note to the people at Gillette if I could improve a Gillette Venus razor in any way it would not be colour or added shave gel bars or even a fancy advert showing everyone how perfect Jennifer Lopezs’ legs are. It would simply be to add the one little blade on the back that they have on the men’s razors. Not much to ask for surely? That little blade is perfect for around the ankles and those other hard to reach areas – So please Gillette add that one little feature to a Venus razor.
Rhian
*PR samples*
Hello readers. A little bit of a treat today in the form of a new voice on Just Nice Things! My friend Rachel (we go way back to about 1993, when we were members of a local youth theatre group) offered to pen a review about her favourite body creams, so of course we said yes. And here it is! Thank you, Rachel.
I’ll be honest that when I first tried Kiehl’s Crème de Corps, I really thought it couldn’t be bettered. I had kept reading about it in magazines, and kept wanting to try it but being put off by the (to my eye, at least) slightly odd and clinical packaging. But once I’d applied it, it was really love at first slather. Pre-children, I had a bit more time, and I remember religiously using it every day, preceded by a good body scrub in the shower, and my upper arms became so soft and touchable that one lunchtime my entire family, including my bemused father, stroked them and exclaimed aloud at how lovely they were, as if we were all living in some kind of low budget advert.
Now, of course, with two small children, my body cream collection is still much-loved but rather less consistently used. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I am rather shamefully building up a bit of body cream surplus.
Very lovely people keep buying it for me for Christmas and such. Obviously, the reason they do this is because I totally love it. Bit also, it occurs to me that body cream is a lovely luxurious present for busy people that doesn’t require the receiver to dedicate masses of time to using it. After all, if a few minutes for applying cream is limited with small children, time for long, hot baths, or face masks (sob) is hilariously unlikely
But there are three favourites that I keep coming back to, and here they are.
First up is Kiehl’s Crème de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter. My god this stuff is delicious. It’s honestly so lovely that I find myself wanting to take off the lid, dive into it and lie there for a while. The premise is that it’s like Crème de Corps, but in a whipped format, and smelling of, yes you guessed it, soy milk and honey. The smell, to me, is something approaching divine. But I do have to admit that if you’re not into sweet-smelling toiletries, then this may not be the product for you. Similarly, I find that whilst I don’t find the smell fights with my perfume, it does linger very pleasantly on clothes I’ve been wearing. This to me is great, as my pile of washing smells faintly of soy milk and honey rather than of less pleasant things. But it might not be to your taste.
Here, you can see how well-loved this pot is. Although the consistency looks a bit tough and putty-like, it’s actually light and almost mousse-ey. Normally I would get annoyed at this, feeling as if I was paying extra money for bubbles of air. Actually here, the texture is so lovely that I just don’t mind. It sinks in quickly and leaves my skin feeling divine. My only warning is that it does appear to be slightly addictive. The lovely friend who bought this for me warned that she’d finished her pot in what felt like seconds because every time she saw it, she kept scooping more out.
I like the fact it’s in a pot. I do like a good therapeutic scoop. But I know this may be at least partly to do with the fact that my nails are often very short. If I were the proud owner of talons like Helen’s, I might perhaps prefer something with a pump.
Like this, say? I’ve been using Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, on and off, since I was a teenager, but I was still impressed when my husband noticed a bigger bottle, with a pump, and independently picked it up for me as part of my Christmas present.
Yup, that’s right. Palmer’s, but with a pump. I like it, actually. I think there is something pleasingly clinical about having a pump dispenser. And the hygiene benefits, although not something I really lose sleep over, are pretty obvious. I have to say I am still a bit sceptical about how I’ll get the last bits out of the bottle, though? I find it hard enough to empty the remnants of those squeeze-y bottles.
If there is anyone in the world who hasn’t used Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, then firstly – where have you been? And secondly, it’s gorgeous and highly recommended. Also very sweet in smell: vanilla-chocolate, but not with that cloying, chemical overtone that I sometimes get from novelty chocolate-scented cosmetics. It’s properly bargainous, too, and available almost everywhere. It’s another good sinker-inner, and it makes all kinds of claims about smoothing away marks which I don’t find very convincing…. I have a feeling it used to claim a beneficial impact on stretch marks, but doesn’t do so any more. Am I too cynical in suspecting they had their hand slapped? Maybe.
Either way, I buy this because it is a good-value, brilliant moisturiser, which smells lovely, and softens skin beautifully. Not because it claims to do anything else.
My third favourite is Soap and Glory’s The Righteous Butter. I am very partial to Soap and Glory. I think their products are really consistent across the range, which sounds like a dull thing to say, but I find is actually quite rare. Although not the cheapest products in the world, they are a lot cheaper than really high-end stuff, a lot cheaper than their quality would suggest, and often on three for two at Boots.
The Righteous Butter is packaged with S & G’s normal pink, vintage black and white photo, and pun-laden text. ‘Lost that rubbing feeling? Why not try…. THE RIGHTEOUS BUTTER’. I love the packaging, but we’re back in tub territory, and a good scooping action is needed to get it out.
I also find the Righteous Butter sinks in quickly, but it feels to my amateurish skin more slippery and silicone-laden than the other two. The butter itself is a bit more shiny-looking, and it’s heavy with the very distinctive, flowery-fruity Soap and Glory scent.
I am very happy to own all three of these, and will repurchase them all. But in summary I would recommend Palmer’s as an excellent bargain buy, Kiehl’s as a properly dreamy treat, and Soap and Glory as something squarely between the two.
The Palmer’s 400ml pump action bottle is £5.30 at Boots, likewise the Righteous Butter where you they are selling 300ml for £10.50, or rather more incredibly, an entire litre of the stuff for £25.00. For Kiehls’, darling, you’ll have to head elsewhere. John Lewis sell a tub containing 226g of the lovely stuff for £36.00.
Rachel
Enjoyed this review? Well, Rachel has a blog of her own, all about the trials and tribulations of trying to do up a house whilst raising a small family. Go and read it now! http://cornerbycorner.co.uk/
