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Monthly Archives: August 2009
Taking the day off…
It’s a public holiday today here in the UK, so I’ve decided to take a rare day off and try to catch up with my beauty sleep. Things will be back to normal tomorrow, but for now, stay beautiful!
Dollface x
Max Factor Second Skin Foundation
A second skin. Doesn’t that sound nice? You could pull it on over your first one on those Bad Face Days we all get from time to time (maybe I’m just speaking for myself here?) and all would be right with the world – or with your face at least.
Well, Max Factor’s new foundation claims to do something a little bit like that. The formula is designed to be virtually undetectable once its on, but to provide coverage that makes you look “naturally” perfect. Sounds almost too good to be true, but it gets better: the liquid formula also contains “multi tonal pigments” which will synchronise naturally with your skin, giving that “undetectable” finish.
As I said, it sounds almost too good to be true, but at least at £13.99 per bottle, it won’t cost too much to find out if it actually does what it says on the tin bottle.
Max Factor Second Skin Foundation, £13.99 at Boots
Celebrity Beauty: Heather Mills goes grey
I did a double take when I saw this photo of Heather Mills at the 2009 Celebrity Catwalk in Hollywood last night: last time I saw a photo of Heather, she was as blonde as ever, but now she seems to have gone grey. I’m not sure whether this is her natural colour and she’s just decided to stop dyeing it, or whether she’s actually dyed it this colour, but … well, there’s no doubt that this colour is pretty ageing on her, no?
Of course, Heather may have just decided she’s had enough of the hair dye and fair enough, if so. Personally, I fully intend to keep my colour for as long as possible without looking ridiculous, but what do you think, readers? Will you be reaching for the hair dye when you start to go grey, or will you just let nature take its course?
Tarte Dark Circle Defense natural under eye corrector and brush
I haven’t been getting a whole lot of sleep lately, and because I’m someone who needs a LOT of sleep, the result is that I now have dark circles under my eyes that actually look like they’ve been painted on. My regular arsenal of dark-circle-fighting cosmetics have totally failed to cover these, and when that happens, I know it’s time to get more sleep.
Because this is a beauty blog, though, and because sometimes it just isn’t possible to drop everything and go and sleep for a week, I’ve also done a bit of searching for new products that could help my plight, and that’s how I came across Tarte’s Dark Circle Defense. Obviously the name of this product instantly drew me in, but the product description is pretty enticing too, throwing around phrases like “eight hours of sleep in a compact” and “camouflage dark circles”.
Dark circles aren’t the only things being targeted, though: this also claims to reduce puffiness around the eyes in four weeks, and to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, which also like to come out to taunt me when I’m not feeling my best.
The formula itself is an all-natural mineral powder, so it should be kind to the skin, too. It’s $32 from Tarte, but I think I’ll try getting some old fashioned SLEEP before I start spending money.
Beautiful Links for the weekend
The Fashion Police share five fashion phrases they hate.
Shoeperwoman finds some scary shoes by Iron Fist.
Keeping It Realtor finds good karma in a vase.
Grumpy Old Bloggers are bored by Baby On Board signs.
And Forever Amber finds herself in the middle of a crime scene.
BaByliss’ Pro 200 Nano mini hair straighteners/flat irons
Awww, look: baby hair straighteners! Isn’t that sweet?
I actually came very close to buying a pair of mini flat irons just like these (although without the funky colours) while I was on holiday in America this summer. The Florida air is notoriously humid, you see, and humidity = frizzy hair for me, but my luggage allowance was tiny, so I’d left my own straighteners at home. A mini version seemed like the perfect answer: obviously they wouldn’t be much use if you have a whole head of long hair you want to straighten, but my frizz is always concentrated on the two sections of grown-out fringe at the front, and they’d be just the right size for dealing with that.
They’d also be perfect if it’s just your fringe that needs straightening. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I dry my hair, I always end up with the shorter sections at the front sticking up like horns, and those are the bits I always have to end up having to straighten.
The BaByliss’ Pro 200 Nano has ceramic plates, and although it’s small, it still heats up quickly to 200°C. It comes in the colours shown above, and will fit in your handbag, too. It’s £14.99 and is available from Argos, amongst other places.
Beauty Question: Do you shave your legs in the winter?
Following on from yesterday’s post about bikini lines and their general maintenance, I have another hair-removal question for you all, this time about legs. Do you shave/wax your legs during the winter?
The reason I ask is because, at around about this time every year, I start to hear and read a lot of comments from women to the effect of “it’s a shame that summer’s over, but at least we can stop shaving our legs now!” And this has always surprised me a little, because even although my legs are generally hidden underneath trousers or tights during the colder months, it’s never actually occurred to me to stop shaving them: partly because it only takes a few minutes in the shower anyway, but mostly because it’s such an ingrained part of my daily routine now that I wouldn’t feel properly “groomed” without doing it.
Oh, and also because the hairs on my legs are blond, and blonde hair poking out through black opaque tights isn’t a good look, trust me.
What about you? Do you look forward to lower-maintenance legs in the winter, or is shaving or waxing a year-round occupation? Maybe you don’t bother at all and just leave them the way nature intended? Tell me!
Dollface Reviews: Ed Hardy by Christian Audigier fragrance for women
I’ll be honest: an Ed Hardy fragrance probably isn’t something I’d have gone out and bought for myself, because I’m just not an Ed Hardy kinda girl. That would’ve been my loss, though, because this fragrance isn’t anything like I expected it to be: I tend to think of Ed Hardy as a bit of a “rock chick” kind of brand, but as the pink bottle possibly suggests, this is a very girlie kind of fragrance. It goes on smelling super-sweet, but mellows to a softer, although still sweet scent, which has an impressive amount of staying power: I applied this at lunchtime yesterday, but could still smell it at bedtime.
A whole lot of fruit has gone into this fragrance: it has top notes of apple souffle, tropical mango, wild strawberry and ruby red grapefruit, so you won’t be surprised to hear that it’s fruity as well as sweet. I suspect it’ll be a little too sweet for some people, but I was pleasantly surprised by it.
This has been available in the States for a year now, but has now made its way to the UK, where it will be sold through outlets like Debehams, Superdrug and Harrods, with prices starting from £27.50 for the 30ml Eau De Parfum.
How dense is your skin? Imedeen will help you find out
Skin density. It’s not something I’ve spent a whole lot of time thinking about, to be honest, but perhaps I should have, because it stands to reason that denser skin will look healthier, smoother and, dare I say it, younger, and who doesn’t want that?
Imedeen’s skin supplement helps you get that denser skin, and contains all-natural ingredients like soy extract, zinc, tomato and grape extract, etc. It claims to help improve the moisture balance of your skin and prevent the first signs of ageing, but of course, you’re going to want to find out whether you actually need it before you spring for the stuff (it costs around £31 for a month’s supply of tablets), and to this end they’ve teamed up with Boots to provide free DemaScans at locations around England during September and October. The scan is basically an ultrasound for your skin and will tell you what’s going on under the surface. If you’d like to try it out, visit the Imedeen site first of all to check out which times and locations are available (you’ll need to register first). Oh, and don’t forget to come back and tell me what you thought of it if you do decide to give it a go!
Bikini Goddess 5 Day Challenge, Part 1 – Gillette Venus Embrace
Readers, let’s talk about bikini lines.
No, this isn’t part of a new passion for over-sharing, it’s just that last week Gillette asked me to take part in their 5 day Bikini Goddess Challenge, testing out the Venus Embrace and the Wilkinson Sword Quattro for Women Bikini and seeing how well they work on the ol’ bikini line.
Now, quick confession first: this wasn’t exactly a departure for me, because I tend to use a razor on my bikini line anyway. Regular professional waxing is too time-consuming and expensive for me (not to mention the fact that I have a super-low pain threshold), and I’m in the shower every day anyway, so shaving it is.
I’ve been using the Venus Embrace in conjunction with Gillette’s Satin Care Shave Gel in Avocado Mist. I’ve reviewed both of these before, and been impressed with them, and I’m happy to report that they work just as well on the bikini line as they do anywhere else on the body. Obviously the last thing you want is a shaving rash peeking out of your bikini bottoms – * shudder* – but these leave the skin smooth and soft: no stubble, no rash, no tell-tale ingrown hairs. Also, the Venus Embrace is such a gentle razor to use that it would be pretty hard to cut yourself with it either: I’ve been using this razor for a while now, and I haven’t cut myself yet, and if I can’t do it, I don’t expect you will, either.
So, a good result for Gillette! Next week I’ll be trying out the Wilkinson Sword Quattro for women, but in the meantime, tell me: how do you deal with your bikini line – shave? Wax? A depilatory cream? Or do you prefer the au natural look?
