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Monthly Archives: July 2009
New foundations from NARS: Sheer Glow & Sheer Matt
No, this isn't a mind-bending game of Spot the Difference, these two foundations really do look exactly the same. They're not, though: one is called Sheer Glow and the other is called Sheer Matt. I'm just going to assume you DON'T need me to explain what makes them different from each other, OK?
Both are new releases from NARS, and both contain the the NARS Exclusive Complexion Brightening Formula, which leaves your skin looking luminous, soft, and flawless, with easily -build-able coverage. The only difference (oh, OK, I'll tell you) is that one will create a matt finish, while the other will leave you with a soft "glow".
They're both $42 at Nordstrom. Which one would you get?
Dollface Reviews: Revlon Pedi-Expert pedicure kit
Oh God. Oh no. This looks suspiciously like a foot file, doesn't it? And I'm sure we all remember what happened last time I tried to review a foot file.
Well, it IS, in fact, a foot file. It's Revlon's new Pedi-Expert, and as you can probably tell from the name and appearance of the product, it seems to be their attempt to ride the wave of popularity for egg-shaped files with the word "ped" as part of their names.
This one, of course, isn't quite "egg shaped", but the general principle is the same. There's a file, which looks a lot like a cheese grater, which clips onto a pink, plastic container. The container is obviously there to collect the, er, shavings, and it has a finer gauge file on the bottom of it, which allows you to finish things off. This particular kit also comes with a set of nail clippers and a nail file, both of which always come in handy.
I've only used this once so far, so I can't say anything about how long it will last (although the fact that it comes with a lifetime guarantee on the blade is definitely encouraging news), and I'm definitely not going to draw comparison to They Who Shall Not Be Named For Fear of Them Leaving Fake Comments Telling Everyone Not to Buy This Product. It does compare very favorably with the Ped Egg, however, and did a very good job of leaving my feet feeling soft and smooth, without cutting them or otherwise injuring me.
The price of the two products is similar too: the Pedi-Expert cost $9.99 at Walgreens or, if you're in the UK, £7.78 from Superdrug.
Mascara Wars: Dollface Reviews Sephora Brand Atomic
I guess it’s fitting that my favourite mascara so far of all the brands in the Sephora Lash Stash pack should be the Sephora brand mascara itself.
That doesn’t mean it’s about to replace Lancome in my affections of course, because this product didn’t win the Mascara War, but as a good, everyday kinda mascara, I liked it: and I liked it a lot better than many of the “name” brands I’ve used, too.
This is Sephora’s Atomic Volume, and as you can tell from the name, it’s designed to create, well, volume. And it does. Here’s what Sephora have to say about it:
“An innovative tubular brush applicator with a lash-lengthening comb perfectly separates lashes for a full, sexy flutter.”
Now, I can’t comment on how “innovative” this actually is, but for me at least, the brush is definitely the best thing about it: the picture here doesn’t really do this product justice, because I felt it did a great job at fanning my lashes out and separating them. It’s one of those long, narrow, rubbery wands (my favourite kind), and it was also great on the lower lashes, which is where a lot of mascara wands fail, being either too thick or too thin to target those fine hairs.
The mascara itself can be prone to a little bit of clumpiness, but overall it’s easy to apply, and only needs a couple of applications to make the lashes look thicker and fuller. I didn’t bother curling my lashes in the first picture though, because the first couple of times I used this were enough to tell me there was no point – this won’t hold in curl, and that’s the thing that would stop me buying it, but if curl isn’t too important to you, you can pick this up for $16 at www.sephora.com
Cheetos flavoured lip balm: do not want
Now, don't get me wrong: I love Cheetos. And I love lip balm. And above all, I love lip balm that tastes like food.
But lip balm that tastes like Cheetos? I think I'm going to pass on that. If you, on the other hand, can't wait to get your lips on it, it's made by this company, although I had problems finding it on their site.
Would you wear savoury-favoured balm?
[source]
CARGO LashActivator – a mascara/primer to enhance your lashes
I try not to look at the image above too often. If I keep looking it, I know I’ll probably want to buy it (I actually do already, to be completely honest), and then I’ll probably have to get divorced, because SERIOUSLY, Dollface? Another mascara? For real?
Well, actually, now you come to mention it, “mascara” is the wrong word for this product. You CAN use it on its own, but you can also use it as a primer, with your regular mascara on top. So that’s ONE way of justifying the purchase at least.
So, what you basically have here is a lash treatment/primer/mascara combo. As the image above shows, you can expect to see some results from day one, but you’ll have to use it for thirty days to get the full effects.
Now for the bad news: although this is available in the UK from Boots, it’s currently sold out, although you can email them and ask to be notified when it comes back (details here). If you live in a country Sephora delivers to, though, you can buy it online from www.sephora.com.
Dollface Reviews: Garnier Pure Active Roll-On
So, as I was saying last week, I'm fairly lucky in that I don't get too many spots. Then, just a few days after Garnier's Pure Active Roll-On, which is designed for fighting spots, arrived on my desk, I woke up with a face full of them. What a piece of luck, eh? Or… not.
Anyway, the roll-on is designed to dry out your spots in the first instance, and then continue to treat them by soothing the skin and helping smooth out marks. Just what I needed, in other words.
The spot I was most concerned about was one that had appeared right in the middle of my chin. I named him "Jim". Then I set about killing him off, by liberally applying the Garnier Roll-On.
On first application, the product felt great: it was lovely and cool, and made the spot sting just a little, but in a good way: I could imagine the active ingredients (Which include salicylic acid and 'Herbasmooth', which is a Garnier creation derived from blueberries, and designed to be soothing) really getting to work on that little … spot.
I went to bed, and in the morning… Jim was still sitting proudly in the middle of my chin. I applied the Roll-On again, though, and by the next day, Jim had packed his bags and gone: or was at least gone enough for me to be able to hide what remained of him underneath my foundation and concealer.
As for the outcrop of baby spots that had been threatening to take up residence on my left cheek, well, they never did make it to maturity, and I think I probably have Garnier to thank for that, because let me just tell you, this has NOT BEEN MY WEEK, and so I'm pretty sure luck alone wouldn't have been enough to stop those insurgents in their tracks.
Overall, I probably wouldn't have gone out and bought this, but now that I have it, I've found it really useful, and would probably buy it again, if only to rest easy in the knowledge that there's something at hand to help in the war against those pesky spots that crop up from time to time.
For more information, visit the Garnier website.
Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray – a finishing spray for every occasion
Being a relative newcomer to the world of makeup finishing sprays (in other words, it's something I don't generally bother with), I have to say I was just a little bit impressed with the Skindinavia website. Did you know, for instance, that there's a special finishing spray just for brides? One for clubbers? One to help disguise your fine lines and wrinkles?
There is, you know. And for a whole lot of other occasions too, and if you don't believe me, you can check it out for yourself.
As I'm sure most of you know, the purpose of these sprays is to fix your makeup in place by lowering the temperature of it, and preventing it sliding off your face, or starting to fade during the day. These ones are oil and paraben free, and you simply spritz the formula onto your face once you've finished applying your makeup.
I've been using the Long Wear original formula, and while I was a little skeptical about the idea of spraying liquid onto my newly-applied makeup, it's wonderfully cooling, and does help to keep the makeup looking fresh, which is apparently why it's a favourite with flight attendants.
Speaking of flights, I like the sound of the Jet Set Finish which promises to refresh travel-weary makeup and hold it for up to 16 hours. Sounds handy for non-travellers, too.
For more information and to buy online, visit the Skindinavia website.
Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Concealer
This concealer claims to be invisible even to high definition TVs. This is good news because, seriously, those things are NOT flattering. (I know this from our holiday videos, which were filmed in HD, by the way. I don't regularly appear on TV or anything.)
Its designed primarily for the eye area, and will brighten, cover imperfections and provide oil-free, medium coverage, while remaining totally invisible – to the naked eye as well as to those pesky televisions. Quite the little over-achiever, isn't it?
It's also available in 14 different shades, so there should hopefully be something for everyone, and it's $28 from www.sephora.com.
Illamasqua now available at Sephora
Illamasqua is a name that's probably familiar to anyone into beauty, so the news that the cult British brand is now available to buy in the US too is probably good news to those of you who haven't had access to the products so far. They're being sold exclusively at Sephora, and if Sephora would care to return the favour by making THEIR products available to those of us here in the UK, that would be great. Well, it seems only fair, doesn't it?
I'm ashamed to admit that I've been slow to jump on the Illamasqua bandwagon and have yet to try any of the products, despite hearing very good things about them. I'll be sure to try and rectify that soon, and if you'd like to try them too, go to www.sephora.comor to www.illamasqua.com if you're in the UK.
Rihanna’s giant quiff: what do you think of it?
Rihanna is a braver woman than me, that's all I can say.
She showed up at the London premiere of Inglorious Basterds (no, that's not a typo, by the way) with a giant quiff, lots of pearls and some rather fabulous makeup. I love the eyeliner and bright red lipstick, and I actually think she's one of the few people in the world who can carry off the hairdo. I'm not one of them, needless to say, but are you? What do you think of Rihanna's new 'do?
