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Monthly Archives: March 2009
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit
As I mentioned on Friday, my skin hasn't been behaving itself very well these past few weeks. In fact, I'm barely speaking to it at all now. I'd ground it, but I kinda need it to come with me when I go out, so concealer has become my BFF.
I find most cream-based concealers work best with a touch of powder over the top to set them, though, so this little kit from Bobbi Brown sparked my interest. It has two compartments, one for the concealer itself, and one for the setting powder, which would make it idea for popping in your handbag (although you'll need a mini brush, too, to be able to use the powder while you're out and about). It's available in 14 different shades, and is $32.
Limited-Edition Leiber Pink Crystal Minaudiere with Solid Perfume
As far as solid perfumes go, I think this has to be one of the most extravagant so far…
Made by Leiber, who are famous for their ornate little Minaudieres, this is covered in pink crystals, and is filled with a solid fragrance which is apparently "a blend of Italian bergamot, pineapple and mandarin leaf with Turkish rose essence, white gardenia, vanilla, musk, and amber."
Such an over-the-top indulgence doesn't come cheap, of course, so don't expect to see this turning up on any "Beat the Recession!" style pieces anytime soon. It's $185 from Neiman Marcus.
Giorgio Armani ‘Obsidian’ Mineral Regenerating Cream Luxe
Is it just me, or does anyone else feel instantly skeptical when they hear of a face cream that costs roughly the same as a mini break?
OK, so I'm exaggerating about the mini-break. Georgio Armani's 'Obsidian' Mineral Regenerating Cream Luxe costs $275 per pot, which isn't the MOST expensive product I've heard of, but would still leave me on a serious budget for the rest of the month, which means that I'd be expecting it to work wonders – and I mean that quite literally.
So, what's special about it?
Well, aside from the rather sexy looking black tub, the cream itself – Crema Nera – is apparently inspired by the Italian island of Pantelleria, and contains a natural mineral compound found in the petrified lava on the island – the "obsidian" that gives the product its name. All very well, you may be thinking, but what's it going to do for my skin? This is perhaps best answered by Armani themselves, who say te cream is"scientifically proven to actively restore and revitalize skin's natural radiance and regenerate surface cells."
As for the cost, part of that can be explained by the luxury black lacquer box, which comes with a black obsidian massage stone.
It all looks and sounds very lovely, so if you want to find out for yourself if it works, you can buy it from Nordstrom. Just remember to come back ad tell me what you thought of it!
Beauty Box Valene Rose Cosmetics & Make-up Beauty Case
I need another beauty box. Not a replacement one, you understand: another one. I'll never give up my beloved Sephora train case (not until it falls apart, anyway), but the truth is that my makeup collection has now expanded to the point where one case is not enough. I think I need two.
Of course, I could just try to pare down my makeup a little and ask myself whether I really need all those eye shadows I never wear, but until I can convince myself to do that, I've been busy eyeing up this pink case from Beauty Boxes.
This is £27.99 at Amazon (with free delivery in the UK, which is good given its size), and it looks roughly the same size as my Sephora case inside, which could make it a good alternative for those of you who want one of these cases but can't get it from Sephora owing to their continued "won't ship to the UK" policy. Get it here.
This week Dollface is…
This week I've been…
USING…
Lush's Yummy Yummy Yummy shower wash, which was a free gift when I ordered the Mother's Day Set for Mum Dollface. I don't really smell strawberries and almonds, which is supposed to be the scent of this, but it's very fresh and zingy, and helps wake me up in the morning.
WEARING…
Bourjois Volume Clubbing Mascara. I wasn't impressed with this when I first tried it back in August, but my regular mascara is starting to run low, so I've been using up this instead on days I know I'm not going to be doing much. It's still not the best mascara I've ever used, but I'm liking it better now I'm a little more used to it, and it does make my lashes look thicker, which is always a good thing.
WANTING….
Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Black Satin. Don't ask me why, because I normally keep my fingernails natural, with just a slick of clear polish, but some reason this week I've been all about black polish…
READING…
Product Placement. Down to earth beauty advice from a fellow Scot: what's not to love?
HATING…
My usually clear skin, which decided this week to break out in spots. Fie upon it, fie, fie!
What about you? What's your beauty week been like?
Barry M releases six new dazzle dust shades
Just in time for Spring, Barry M have released six new shades of their fabulous Dazzle Dust eye shadow, including their first ever matt Dazzle Dust, which is a very Eastery duck-egg blue called Block Blue. The other colours are Teal, Parrot Green, Gold, Dark Chocolate and Petrol Black, and they cost £4,50 per pot.
I have the Block Blue and Parrot Green shades in front of me right now: these are both gorgeous colours, but clearly designed for those who're a little more adventurous with their eye makeup than I am, so take a look under the jump to see the colour swatches…
Philosophy ‘Basics’ Skincare Set
I get a lot of emails from email who're keen to try some of Philosophy's fabulous skincare products, but don't really know where to start. These products don't exactly come cheap, of course, so this 'Basics' set could be a good buy, either as an introduction to the brand for yourself, or as a gift for a friend.
It contains three of Philosophy's most popular products: the Purity Made Simple facial cleaner, Hope in a Jar moisturiser (possibly the best-known philosophy product of all) and the complimentary Hope in a Tube eye and lip cream. These are all in trial-sized versions, which is why this whole set only costs $30. Get it at Nordstrom.
Dollface Reviews: Clynol ‘Play With Me’ Matty texturising hair spray
As I'm sure most of you know, most up-dos – even a simple pony tail – are easiest to create when your hair hasn't just been washed. It's the reason your hair sometimes looks better when you've just got out of bed and thrown it up in a messy pony-tail than it does when you've spent ages washing and styling it.
The problem with that for me, though, is that I just can't stand the thought of going out with unwashed hair. Or even staying in with it, come to that: even if I'm planning on staying indoors all day, I'll still have to wash my hair or I just feel yucky and grubby all day long.
This is where Clynol's new 'Matty' texturising hair spray comes in. This is part of the new 'Play With Me' range, and it adds texture and hold to your hair, making it easier to style and helping it stay in place as long as you need it to.
The best thing about this for me is the fact that it's super-light, and doesn't leave your hair with that "coated in product" look that so many hairsprays do. It does hold your style firmly, and it dries to a matt finish, as the name suggests, but it's pretty much invisible on your head, and doesn't make your hair look rigid.
I used it today to create a backcombed ponytail, and was impressed with how easy it is to use, even for someone like me who doesn't use a lot of product on her hair. My hair is very fine, and absolutely poker-straight, which makes it hard to style: it generally just slides right out of any grips I try to put in it, and will look droopy after a few minutes in a pony. I turned my head upside down and gave it a light blast with "Matty", and it instantly seemed thicker and easier to style.
'Matty' costs £10.60 for a 100ml can, and you'll find stockists from the Clynol website.
MAC’s Brunette Blonde Redhead collection
I've said it many times now, but as much as I love being a redhead, it can make finding makeup that works with my colouring just a little bit difficult.
Naturally, then, I'm intrigued by MAC's Brunette, Blonde, Redhead collection, which groups products according to the three hair colours named, the theory being that if you're a redhead, you choose products from the 'redhead' collection, and they'll all work for you, and so on and so forth.
Like the MyFace products I tested last month, which worked along similar lines, I suspect that this isn't an exact enough science to mean that you'll love every single colour that's designed for your hair colour, but it's a nice idea, and I have to say that, at first glance, the "redhead" selections do look like the kind of shades I'd choose for myself, although I haven't tried them, so can't say for sure.
These are available to buy from the MAC website, and there are lip glosses, eyeshadows and Mineralise Skin Finish Powders to choose from.
The Body Shop release new Tantalising Lip Butter in partnership with MTV
The Body Shop have just released a new lip butter in partnership with MTV. TheTanatalising Lip Butter is designed, not just to make your lips nice and soft, lofty though that aim is, but to raise awareness of HIV and Aids, with proceeds from the sale of the butter going to the Staying Alive Foundation.
This is definitely a product with a good cause, then, but I have a tub of it sitting in front of me as I write this, so I can tell you it's also a product with a good smell. As in, "Oh-my-God-gimme-some-more-of-that-right-now". The Body Shop say it has "exotic, fruity fragrance, inspired by dragon fruit". I don't know what dragon fruit smells like, off the top of my head, but I can tell you this is possibly the fruitiest thing I've ever smelt, and it feels nice and moisturising on the lips, too.
It costs £5 and you can buy it here.
