The Pump Action(s)

I want to talk convenience in beauty today.

I often ask for a hassle free type of product which gives me the convenience, efficiency and effectiveness that I want to see.  So when I heard Viviannadoesmakeup talked about 'The Best Nail Polish Remover?' in which she referred to the pump design nail polish remover by Zoya, I felt the urge to get my hands on it.  I bought mine in London in the WholeFoods Market at about £11.99.  You can, alternatively get this little beauty from amazon.co.uk for £10 (delivery is free within the UK).

For those of you who live in Hong Kong, I have seen this available in a few independent nail specialist retailer in Tsim Sha Tsui and Kimerley in Causeway Bay but the prices are slightly more expensive than in the UK (within a reasonable margin though I think).  

Zoya nail polishes are cult products because of the ingredients that they used.  It is free from paraben or any nasty chemical ingredients, also they are suitable for vegans and vegetarians, too.  However they are normally at the £10 price range and this is why I am yet to try their nail polishes yet.

Let's go back to the nail remover.  I have been enjoying using it as you can see I'm at the final 1/3 lag.  The pump action certainly ticked the boxes of efficiency and convenience.  However I must say that the first couple of times when I used it, I managed to pump out more than I needed to and wasted a little bit of the product.  Practise made perfect, now I'm an expert, a few pump onto the cotton pads, I got enough of what I needed.  The power of this nail remover to remove nail polishes is stronger than other nail remover I have tried, and at the same time I don't feel that it's done any damage to my nails.  Also you don't need that much product to remove ten nails which are full of colours, apart from glitter nails if you happen to have.  

The 3-in-1 formula is also worth mentioning, that this remover removes old polish, cleanse nails and prep your nails for the next nail polish you choose to wear.  Do I find my nail polish last longer as a result of using this?  Hm.... not really but in terms of doing damage to my nails as a result of removing nail polish, I can certainly notice the difference.

Since I have been enjoying all the pumping action that Zoya has given me, the search on pumping beauty products continued and the next one I wanted to share with you is by Charlotte Tilbury, her Take It All Off Eye Makeup Remover (£24).  Charlotte Tilbury makeup range is available in Selfridges in the UK.  Unfortunately Selfridges isn't delivering to Hong Kong yet but when it does, I would really recommend you to try something from her range because it is amazing!

This makeup remover is a bi-layer solution which is designed for removing eye makeup.  'Shake, Pump, Soak and Swipe' is the 'slogan'/ instructions to use this makeup remover.   The solution is a blue liquid which doesn't smell of anything.  

It doesn't stink my eyes which is good but when it comes to the effectiveness of removing makeup, I am not impressed.  I followed the detailed instructions of pumping and pressing twice to get enough solution onto my cotton pads, then soak onto closed eyes for 10 seconds.  It does remove some make up but it leaves residue (dark marks) on my eye areas, and when I further cover my eyes with the cotton pads soaked with the makeup remover solution, it didn't really help in removing the rest of the yuckiness left.  Perhaps I haven't mastered the pumping actions good enough but when I pumped, lots of solution splashed out from all sorts of direction.  I wouldn't repurchase it, for £24 and for what it does; I definitely wouldn't!  But I'm glad to have bought this as I can recycle the bottle and pour in some better ones inside.

Are you pumping enough in the beauty world?