We have two telephones in our house, a regular style plug in phone upstairs for emergencies, but our main telephone is the BT Diverse 6150, which we have in the lounge.
I received this phone from my dad, who had received it as a free gift from BT about 5 years ago but already had a similar model of phone in his house. The phone is still available to buy, and after having a quick look on the Internet have found the going rate to be around the £35 mark. The telephone itself is a cordless one, which runs off the main electricity, hence the need for the regular style one as a back up and also incorporates an answering machine too. There are two cables to be attached; the power cord and the phone line, however both are pretty thin and thus not overly obtrusive. Setting the phone up for use isn't too difficult in the first place, simply plug everything in, leave the handset to charge up for 16 hours initially before use, and then you are ready to go. The instruction booklet that accompanies this phone is a staggering 88 pages long, however for obvious reasons I've not read any further than the initial set up page. I would hazard a guess that for those who struggle with technology, the answer is probably available somewhere within the tome!
The telephone itself comes in two parts, firstly the base unit, which is grey in colour, but suitably small so as not to take too prominent a position in the living room. On this sits the cordless handset, which is the same shade of grey, but again not overly large, around the size of the old mobile phones from the 90's for those who remember (no not the giant brick ones either!) The base unit itself is reasonably stylish in my opinion whilst not being amazing, and has a few slits to the rear that acts as the loudspeaker when in that mode. There are 9 buttons on the front which operate the controls for the in built answer machine and are all pretty obvious as they have the individual functions labelled on them. There is also an LED display showing the number of messages that are currently stored which isn't the most visually stimulating of displays but does the job its there for.
The handset itself is actually pretty basic looking, with the 10 numbered keys across the main body of it, a call button and a call end button, and then a small display at the top with two buttons to control functions of the phone itself. Its very much a functional handset with no frills of any kind, but at the end of the day its just a phone and as such does the job adequately. It claims to have an effective range of 50 metres if operating indoors, and 300m used outdoors, but as I don't own some kind of mansion I cannot comment on these claims! All I can say is that it operates from all parts of the house and our smallish garden with no crackling or loss of signal, which is all we can really ask for.
The phone has several additional features, some of which we find helpful, others which I would never use but may be of interest to others. Firstly there is a caller display option. However there is a "but" with this one, you actually need to subscribe to this service from BT for an additional fee to your standard line rental. For me this is more than enough to put me off, and I'm of the opinion I will soon find out who is calling once I answer it. In addition we receive a fair number of calls from abroad and this still wouldn't be displayed even if I had paid for the service.
The next interesting feature is the ability to send and receive SMS text messages from the handset. I've always thought that this is a slightly strange feature for a house phone, as the vast majority of people have mobile phones on which texting in much quicker and much more straightforward, but never-the-less its available as an option for people.
The handset has the ability to save and store up to 50 phone numbers and names for what is described as "easy dialling" by the instruction booklet. This is handy for those who don't have a phonebook and the menu is reasonably easy to scroll through, however it isn't the quickest and if you do fill it up with the full 50 names, you will probably find it quicker to simply key in the number yourself! The phone also stores the last few numbers to have phoned you, or been phoned by you, so you can sometimes find a number quite quickly using this feature. You also have the option of deleting this memory at any time too.
I've mentioned the answer machine facility and this is probably the most useful feature for me, as I've never had an answer machine of any kind before this phone. You can either use a pre-recorded message or record your own, and the answer machine kicks into life after 5 rings of the phone which you can't change, which leads to some epic scrambles if at the far end of the house. An option to amend this would have been a useful addition, as would the ability to disable the answer machine from time to time if you didn't want to take calls, but for a cheapish phone I can't really complain about this too much.
The handset itself runs off 2 rechargeable AAA batteries. The phone automatically charges when connected to the base unit, and to be fair to it, I've been pretty impressed by the battery life. I've not replaced the original batteries since we have had the phone, as it's probably just as cheap to replace the whole thing, but it used to hold its charge for several hours of call time and being off the base unit. Nowadays after over 5 years of use we still get around 45 minutes call time before the unit dies, which isn't too bad and normally adequate to complete most calls to be honest. There is a battery life indicator on the display and it also beeps several times before it dies, so it's easy enough to keep an eye on and make a dash for the traditional phone upstairs. The sound quality is very good, with no interference noticeable, and although the loudspeaker quality isn't the greatest, I don't normally use this function so I don't find this too much of a problem.
So to sum up this phone, I would say that it is a pretty good option for those people who just want a bog standard cordless telephone with an incorporated answer machine facility. It is certainly fair to say it's a no-frills telephone; it does exactly what a phone should do and does it well. It may not have the range of facilities and extra features for some of the more technologically minded people out there, and the design is functional without being overly stylish or overly offensive on the eye, and this combined with the exceptional life span of the batteries would leave me no hesitation in giving my recommendation of the BT Diverse 6150.
I'm a bit of a nail polish addict and one brand I really like is Revlon. I own four of these polishes and I wear three of them fairly regularly, so I thought I would share my experiences.
==Packaging==
The nail polishes come in 14.7ml bottles which is actually fairly big for a nail polish. They have long handles with the Revlon branding around them. Looking at the polishes now, one thing I notice is that the gold writing has worn off some of the bottles.
==Colours==
Like all make-up brands, the range of colours available is always changing. At the moment there are 22 colours showing on the Revlon website, ranging from neutral pinks and browns through to much bolder colours.
The ones I have are...
Posh Pink: An ironic name since it's anything but posh, I actually think it's a really tacky colour and I've no idea why I bought it!
Grey Suede: Again a strange name as it's not grey, it's beige. I love this one as a very neutral and sophisticated daytime colour.
Plum Night: A very deep purple, perfect for toes
Facets of Fuchsia: You may have heard of this one, it's very popular at the moment and took me three weeks to track down as it was sold out everywhere! It's black with a mix of small purple glitter particles and larger, almost sequin-like particles .
==Application==
The brushes on these polishes are long, but rather narrow too. With most polishes I apply in three strokes - one down each side of my nail then one in the middle. With this brush I sometimes have to apply a few more strokes, especially on my thumbnail. It goes on quite smoothly, but often streaks. With all four colours I own, I need at least two coats, sometimes three, to get full coverage and a streak free application. Facets of Fuchsia especially needs quite a few coats, as the first one will go on a watery grey colour rather than black. The polishes are relatively quick drying - I'd say I need to wait around a minute for each coat to dry and when I'm finished I tend to spray a nail drying spray over the top, just to help speed up the process and prevent smudging.
==Results and finish==
The finish from the polishes is especially good once you've applied a few coats. They look smooth on the nails and don't highlight any ridges. I know I should buff the ridges out first, but quite honestly I can't be bothered most of the time!
The colours all look strong and true to how they are in the bottle. One problem I've noticed with the facets of fuchsia is that if one of the sequins peels off you will be left with a patch of bare nail underneath which doesn't look particularly nice. I would therefore recommend a top coat with that particular colour and any other sparkly polishes they may make, otherwise I find I can normally get away without adding a top coat.
The longevity of the polishes is quite good. The Grey Suede colour normally lasts around four days and even if it chips, it's not too much of a problem because the colour is so neutral it's not hugely obvious. The Plum Night I only wear on my toes and also lasts well. It's been so long since I used Posh Pink I have no recollection of how long that one stays on. I wore facets of fuchsia last week and managed two days before it was so badly chipped it needed to be removed, which is a bit of a shame. Also it's a pain in the neck to remove as the sequins stick to your nails. So, in terms of longevity, I'd say most last well, but it does seem to vary from colour to colour.
==Price==
These cost £6.49 in both Superdrug and Boots. Both stores regularly have special offers on the Revlon brand - most often 3 for 2's, but at the time of writing Superdrug are offering 2 for £9.99. I'd say £6.49 was mid-priced for a nail polish, I certainly don't mind paying that for them as they are good quality.
==Conclusion==
Overall I really like the Revlon range of polishes. They are good quality, although you do need to be prepared to apply a good few coats of each. They look great on and the range of colours is really good, so I would certainly recommend giving them a try.
I bought my first bottle of Lipcote about 30 years ago when I first started 'going out'. I didn't want to spend half the night re-applying lipstick so on the advice of an aunty I bought this. At the time I thought it worked quite well though with some reservations. So I recently bought a bottle again for a wedding I was attending.
Lipcote is as the name suggests a coat which seals your lipstick colour in giving prolonged wear.
The little bottle has changed from the red lidded version that has been around for decades, and now has a gold coloured lid, as far as I can tell everything else is pretty much the same, though I can't be entirely sure as mine is the red lidded version. It costs £3.19 (for7mls) from Superdrug at the time of writing.
The smell is quite strong, it reminds me a little of old fashioned nail varnish removers, but this scent doesn't last when the product is dry on your lips. The texture is not dissimilar to nail varnish either, though a little thinner. It tastes a little bitter, but not unbearably so, and this taste wears off fairly quickly.
Application is also just like nail varnish; you unscrew the lid and sweep the brush along your lips until they are evenly coated with a thin layer of the product. I find that it stings quite a bit on first application. There is a fairly high alcohol content in this so that may be why. That sensation doesn't last long though, and not as long as the tingle from a lip plumping product would.
The instructions tell you to blot the lips before applying Lipcote and this is an important step as if you have too thick a layer of lipstick on it will pill and flake off rather than fade off, it will also feel tackier once the Lipcote is dry.
I find the brush a little thin and it takes several strokes to coat each lip (don't overdo the Lipcote either as this will also cause excess tackiness and pilling). The way that works best for me I found by accident. I forgot to wipe the brush a little on the edge of the bottle and plopped a big pool of Lipcote in the middle of my bottom lip. Instead of wiping off I instinctively pressed my lips together and I could feel (because of the burn..erm I mean tingle) the Lipcote spread out quickly following the shape of my lips surprisingly accurately, just a gentle wiggle of the lips coated them perfectly. I then kept my lips parted for the drying time (about 5-30ish seconds depending on the lipstick and the thickness of the Lipcote application). This is the way I apply it now and it seems to work well for me giving a thin application.
If you are using this over different coloured lipsticks, which most of us will do over the life of the bottle, then it pays to wipe the brush before dipping it back into the bottle. As the brush picks up some colour from your lips and it will be transferred to the bottle, and colours the liquid a little. I don't think this would be too much of a problem but if you use a lot of pale lipsticks if it might change the base colour a little.
After application my lips stay feeling a little tacky despite thin application, but not much more than lipstick alone would. A thin application of lip balm or gloss can counteract the dry, and even the tacky feeling a little bit, but it does mean that it comes off more quickly and is more likely to ball up and flake.
For me Lipcote only lasts a couple of hours before it starts to look 'tired' and faded, it certainly doesn't take me through a whole day or evening. I can't say it keeps the colour looking fresh throughout wear as the colour quickly becomes 'flat' and loses some of its vibrancy . What it is good at iss preventing transfer. You will not get lippy marks on glass rims or anything else while wearing this, though I would say that if you press your lips against something white like a napkin a faint trace of colour may be left behind.
I have found the same pattern of wear whenever I use it, and to be honest it spends most of its time stuffed in a drawer and rarely taken out. I prefer naked lips or to reapply lip products through the day.
Lipcote is quite drying and isn't a product I would consider wearing every day. Depending on the lipstick it's worn with it can seem more drying sometimes than others, the lipstick also seems to affect the degree to which if flakes or pills, or fades off. Though it is drying my lips recover quickly and it doesn't seem to leave them sore after removal. Despite the fact that it wears off after a few hours it does take some shifting if you want to remove it before it naturally faded away. Something creamy or oily and a good rub will get it off, I can't say how a make up remover will get it off as I don't and wouldn't use one on my lips.
Conclusion
It does keep colour on for a few hours longer than lipstick alone but it doesn't keep it looking fresh moist and newly applied. It doesn't work well over moisturising or glossy lipsticks and of course would be useless over gloss. This is a product I would consider again for formal occasions where you won't always have time to fuss with your lipstick as although I needed to reapply it wasn't as often as would have been required with lipstick alone. I won't bother for everyday wear or nights out, I'd rather top up my colour as normal, have my lips feel soft and comfortable and not have to worry about the possibility of my lipstick 'balling' up.
