10 Top Picks From Boots

After doing this post a couple of weeks ago centred on ten of my top beauty picks from the realms of Superdrug, I thought today it's only fair I complete the British drugstore duo and focus on some of my favourite finds from my ultimate Mothership - Boots. Enjoy...

Boots Sun, Swim and Gym Hydra Spray - When I first started going blonder hair-wise, my hairdresser recommended that I invested in some kind of sun protection spray to protect it from all the damaging effects it can cause, especially to hair that's been coloured or bleached in some way. I immediately went into my faithful Boots and picked up this and for the whole of last Summer it saw me through nicely. Of course, like with any kinds of heat protection formula - you can never be completely sure as to what degree it works for your hair - but for now it does the job.

Seventeen Moisture Shine Lipstick in 'Beehive' - A few years back this shade started doing the rounds on the old beauty blogs - many were raving about it and saying how good it was, especially for a more budget-friendly brand. Of course, as with pretty much all my cosmetics-related purchases, this inevitably lead to me putting it into my basket too and some time on it still remains one of my favourite nude colours. A perfect mix of all the usual suspects in a nude shade - pink, brown, beige etc. - and in a super hydrating, super glossy formula too.

Seventeen Mono Eyeshadow in 'Mardi Gras' - Another goodie from this brand. I'm unsure as to whether they actually still make this shade at all, as when I last went to one of the stands I saw they'd redone their eyeshadow line and I couldn't make out this beauty as a part of it, so if that is the case - boo! Despite this, it is still one worth raving about I feel, so I'm including it anyway. This is a proper difficult one to describe as it is so unique from anything else I own - it's probably one of the reasons I love it so much. Put simply - it's a shimmery dark gold that looks just stunning as a one-wash-wonder kinda shade, as it does that whole 'duo-chrome' thang that makes it look like you've used about five shades when it fact it's only one. I've done a whole post about it here if you fancy a read of a more in-depth review.

Seventeen Nail Effects - Finally from Seventeen - how can I not mention their nail range? Particularly their 'Nail Effects'. I have a couple of their glitters in my collection and love, love, love them for when I fancy a little something extra to finish off my nail look. The whole collection comes in a wide array of textures and colours (think the variety of Barry M, but perhaps more catered towards 'topcoat' style polishes) and as with everything else from the brand - it's all very reasonably priced too.

Natural Collection Green Concealer - Moving on, and let me tell you - this is something I have been using and loving for years. A long-time fave right here. As some of you may already know, I am a bit of a ruddy-faced gal and often have patches of redness on my face that I like to cover up. I came across this green-tinged concealer a few years ago after seeing my Sister use it and have loved it ever since. Of course, the green cancels out any areas of redness you apply it on top of, and so it's great to use as a base before applying a normal concealer over the top. The formula is really lovely too - really creamy and easy to blend out so it's almost unnoticeable on your skin.

Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks in 'Peach Melba' - Also from the brand, this has got a lot of coverage too over the years from the bloggersphere for being a really good quality blusher from the drugstore. The whole range in general is lovely, but this shade in particular is just gorgeous. As the name would suggest - it's a peachy-toned blush and so looks good on pretty much any complexion and the formula is really pigmented too - a little really does go a long way here if you're looking to bypass the Aunt Sally effect. An all-round good cheek offering for drugstore price point.

Soap and Glory 'Solar Powder' Bronzer - Moving onto probably my personal favourite Boots-exclusive brand, Soap and Glory. They're probably most known for their bath and body range (more on that later) but they also offer a very nice selection of makeup items that so far I've really been impressed by. The first being what has to be my top pick from them cosmetics-wise - Solar Powder. Up until the start of this year, I was struggling in the bronzer department. Being a paler gal, they all looked either too dark on me or simply came up pure orange-tastic so I was on the hunt for a newbie. Then I came across this beauty and it's pretty much all I've used bronzer-wise ever since. First off - it;s matte (my personal preference), meaning great for contouring too - and it comes with two shades, meaning you can mix and match and dial up or down the colour depending on what you want it to be. Only the other week I hit pan - I love it that much.

Soap and Glory 'Archery' Brow Pencil (I personally use the 'Hot Chocolate' shade) - After that rave - here's another makeup item that's revolutionised my makeup routine! Again, brows have always been something I've has issues with - being sparser in that department and finding the perfect colour/formula for me. I'd got really comfortable with a L'Oreal pencil that I still love and use to this day, but this has been the perfect accompaniment to use alongside it. Whereas the L'Oreal one I always pick up in a lighter 'Blonde' shade to use on the front so it's more subtle, this I use a darker one in and so it's great to use on the arch and outer half of my brows. The nib is really thin and precise, so you almost feel like you're actually drawing little hairs on and it comes with a spoolie on the other end - what more could you ask for?

 

Soap and Glory 'Calm One Calm All' Bubble Bath - Finally, shifting away more to the 'bath/body' side of things from the brand and this has to be one of the first products I actually ever tried from Soap and Glory. A bottle came packaged up in a gift bag from my Sister many birthday's ago and I fell in love. I love a good bubble bath, and this just smells divine. Their 'Classic' fragrance (my personal fave, if I'm honest), it literally feels as if you're bathing in a bath full of marshmallows and all that kinda sweetie goodness - mmmmm. The formula also comes with a 'built-in' body lotion complex, so you can rest assured after you've emerged that your body will be feeling all kinds of soft and smooth.

 

Soap and Glory 'Hand Food' Hand Cream - Last but certainly by no means least and another one I've ben using and loving for some time now - Hand Food. I'm sure everyone and their dog has heard of this already as it seems to be a firm fave with pretty much anyone and everyone but hey - why not talk about it some more? I love this all year round, but especially Winter when my hands have definitely seen better days. This again smells delicious and really helps banish the dryness and cracks I always get and makes everything a lot more smooth and hydrated again. Love, love, LOVE.

So that just about wraps up my two-parter Top 10 Drugstore Series-type thing! I hope you found it useful and perhaps came away from it with a couple of new items (or maybe more) to add to your probably-already-way-too-long wishlist. Come on - after all the times I've been enabled myself, I think it's time I turn the tables a little...