Target (Which is quickly becoming my favorite store!) has a new line of beauty products, Boots. I had read about Boots opening at Target at The Budget Fashionista blog site. The blog stated that the products were department store quality, along the lines of Clinique. When my local Target opened up the Boots aisle, this is what I brought home: No. 7 Radiant Glow Concealer, No.7 High Lights, No.7 Nail Polish in Siren and the 5-Day Detox kit.
Of the above, my favorite product so far is the Radiant Glow concealer. This is one of those tubes that requires clicking out the concealer into a brush at the other end. I’ve liked the ease of applying a product with this type of function before, so it is not surprising that I would find it appealing. The concealer did appear to brighten the dark inner corners of my eye. Brighten is the appropriate word; it didn’t look like I had applied a layer of color around my eyes. The skin had a lighter appearance around the eyes. At the end of the day, the luminescence was gone, so I can’t rave about the staying power. For a quick awake look in the morning, it does the job.
I have used Benefit’s High Beam for some time. It does a great trick highlighting the face for a special evening out. When I saw Illuminating Lotion at half Benefit’s price for more than 2 to 3x the amount, I had to pick it up. I used it underneath foundation to provide an all-over glow. It does exactly as promised. At such a great price, it is a must have. There are so many ways to play with this product–under foundation, mixed in with a liquid foundation for a dewy look, or as a spot highlighter on nights when I am wearing more make up than normal. I also like the texture quite a bit. It is easily spreadable, with the consistency of a facial lotion. Sometimes the Benefit High Beam has too much of a tackiness, making the pigment too thick. Blending it out can be a bit of a chore. That won’t be a problem with this product; although, it may be more difficult to use this as a spot highlighter for the same reason. I will have to play around with it to see.
When I opened my J.Crew catalog this month, I noticed the models’ toes. They were wearing a bright, contemporary red nail polish. I don’t usually find myself attracted to red nail polish. It makes me feel like I’m trying to go retro or take on a vixen look a la Dita Von Teese, which is only acceptable if I’m taking the night to go swing dancing to a big band. Since I rarely find myself doing the east coast swing, this is not my look. But the red I’m talking about has a sort of coral and pink quality–nothing fuscia, and very light, but enough that it makes it new. When I spotted Siren, a red nail from No.7, I thought I may have found my J.Crew toes–and I did! This is the perfect daytime red for my fair skin. I was happy to show off my toes in my sandals today.
I’m a sucker for buying the 5-day Detox kit. I picked it up because it was advertised as an Allure 2006 Most Valuable Product and because I had read about it in many of the blogs announcing the arrival of Boots. But really, at $20 for 5 days . . . I’m wishing I had spent the money on the Facial Pamper Kit or the Weekend Pamper Kit for the opportunity to check out more of the Boots line. I am intrigued by the amount of detox/vitamin products Boots offers. There’s a skin brightening kit, a detox vitamin kit for a month, and green tea and ginger supplements. But when I opened up the 5-day Detox to find it’s really just five bottles of liquid vitamins/herbs to add to my daily water, I felt a little bit cheated. I already take my daily vitamins. I have the Drop ‘n Drink vitamins from Trader Joe’s. What’s the difference? I will drink my strawberry-flavored water faithfully for five days. If anything radical happens, I’ll blog about it, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. From other reviews I’ve read since, it sounds like the liquid is some sort of diuretic. Great.
Next time I’m at Target, I will hit the Boots aisle again. No.7 is supposed to have London’s #1 selling lip liner, and I do look forward to trying some products from the Botanics line.
