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Monthly Archives: October 2009
Friday Fragrance: What perfume are you wearing today?
In a change to our regularly scheduled Friday Face feature, I thought I’d be nosey in a different way this week, and as you all what perfume you’re wearing instead!
Today I’m wearing my absolute favourite fragrance: Jean Paul Gaultier’s ‘Fragile’. Well, I say “today” – it’s what I wear EVERY DAY, because as soon as I got this, I relegated all of my other perfumes to the big box o’ products under my desk, and promised to remain faithful to it forevermore. Or until I find something I like better, whatever comes first. I’m a one-fragrance woman like that.
Anyway! I have the Eau de Parfum version of this, which comes in the snow-globe bottle shown above, which I absolutely love. Fragile is on the expensive side, and can be hard to get hold of (I was lucky, and Mr Dollface bought it for me as a gift), but I think it’s worth it: its a tuberose-based scent, and is sweet, but not too sweet (or not for me, anyway), and every time I wear it, it cheers me up instantly.
Tell me then: what perfume are you wearing today, and
why?
Dollface Reviews: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! mascara
I don’t often get my hopes up about new mascaras these days.
Oh, don’t get me wrong: I’m still more than happy with my usual Lancome and Fiberwig combo, but each new mascara I review usually leaves me feeling decidedly underwhelmed, which is why Tarte’s Lights, Camera, Lashes! came as such a pleasant surprise.
I wasn’t expecting much. This is billed as a “4-in-one” mascara, claiming to lengthen, curl, volumize AND condition, acting as “a push up bra for your lashes”. So it had a lot to live up to, basically. With the possible exception of the “conditioning” claim (I’ve only used it twice, so it hasn’t really had a chance to make much difference to the actual condition of my lashes, although it may well deliver on that front too, given time), I actually think it delivers on all of those. Yes, I know, it surprised me, too.
Let’s see…
It curls. I didn’t curl my lashes before applying it in the pictures above, and, as you can see, it has definitely curled them. So that’s one box checked.
It lengthens. Yep: Mr Dollface actually asked me if I was wearing what he referred to as “eyelash extensions” today, so I’d say it’s done some good there, too. Another box checked.
It volumises. I had to be careful with this one. I like my lashes long and spidery, so the temptation for me is to layer on the mascara like there’s no tomorrow. And that can obviously lead to clumpiness, which you can see a bit of on my right eye. I used less product on the left eye, and got less clumping, but less volume, too. There is a happy medium somewhere between the two, though, and I managed to arrive at that the first time I used this mascara, although I didn’t take photos on that occasion.
Overall, I really liked this and would definitely buy it again. I don’t often say that about mascara, so that’s high praise indeed. You can buy this at www.sephora.com, where it costs $18.
RoC Retin-Ox™ Wrinkle Correxion range
There’s been a lot of buzz in the beauty world about RoC’s new Retin-Ox Wrinkle Correxion range, and it’s not hard to work out why: the range claims to reduce wrinkles by 30% in 8 weeks, and that’s going to make it instantly appealing to a whole lot of people.
Will it work, though?
Well, the claims are backed up by a clinical study, the results of which you can view here. The range contains three main ingredients:
Pure Retinol – the purest and most effective form of Vitamin A, which reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improves skin texture and tone.
Hyaluronic Acid – naturally found in the skin, Hyaluronic Acid enhances skin plumpness and is able to hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water.
Biopeptide – Peptides are communicating agents that transmit messages from cell to cell. The makers of RoC® are using an improved peptide that they call ‘Intelligent Biopeptide’, which adapts its efficacy to the level of tissue damage, as well as helping to restructure collagen and increasing Hyaluronic Acid.
Women queued around the block to get samples of this during a special one-day event, and they’re expecting demand to be high when this launches in the UK later this month. Look for it at Boots.
Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo for black and brunette hair
Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo
Batistse’s Dry Shampoo is a holy grail product for many of us – in fact, perhaps the only criticism I have of it is that, on dark hair, too much of it can leave a whitish residue, making you look ever so slightly grey at the roots – not a good look.
Now, however, Batiste have addressed that problem, with their new Coloured Dry Shampoo, which comes in a brunette and a black version. Exactly what it says on the tin, this has the same formula as the regular version, but with just a little bit of colour, so it won’t be noticeable on your hair. Well, not if you have brown or black hair, obviously – any chance of a version for redheads, Batiste?
Dollface Reviews: Boots 17 Va Va Voom Volume Mascara
A mascara called “Va Va Voom” – sounds right up my street, doesn’t it? This is Boots 17’s latest release, and it promises to deliver drama, volume and a formula that allows you to apply as many coats as you like without it clumping. Sounds good, but does it work?
The first thing you’re likely to notice about this product is the oversized brush. As regular readers will know, I prefer my mascara wands on the slim side, because the thicker they are, the harder I find them to use. Actually, this one was easier to use than many similar wands I’ve tried, although ultimately I don’t think the big, bristly style will ever be my favourite – I’m too clumsy to avoid getting the product all over my eyelids with this type of brush!
That said, this mascara wasn’t too hard to apply, and left only a couple of spots on my eyelids. The “after” pciture above shows the results after just one coat, and I actually found that one coat was best for me with this, as it did tend to clump a little with extra layers, and those layers also dragged out the curl in my lashes. I’m wearing several coats in the top picture, and don’t think it looks as good.
For a budget mascara, though (it’s only £5.68), this does a pretty good job. I found the effect to be fluttery rather than dramatic, and it’s a mascara I’d probably reserve for day-wear, but if you like larger mascara brushes, you’ll probably get on better with it!
Dollface Reviews: Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips, Shine Control Moisturiser & Pore Unclogging Scrub
Biore products
Ah, Biore! I used to buy their Pore Strips when I was a teenager. In fact, everyone did – and we’d all compare notes on the state of our post-use strips the next day at school. God, teenagers are horrible, aren’t they?
Anyway, Biore are currently running a campaign called Dirty Little Secrets – you can follow the Dirty Little Secret Girl on Twitter and read her blog , although it’s very obviously written for PR purposes, and has a huge amount of LOL-ing in it. As part of that, they sent me the products above to try out, and I started out with the old favourite – the Deep Cleansing Pore Strips.
The box has had a makeover since I last used Biore, but the product itself seems more or less the same – they’re little paper strips that you stick to your nose, having wet it first to make them stick. Then you wait for ten minutes, grit your teeth and pull it off again. The removal process does smart a little, in the same way that pulling off a plaster does, but then comes the big moment, when you get to look and see all the gunk it’s pulled out of your pores.
In my case, I was actually surprised by how little there was to see. At first I thought the strip was empty, but closer inspection revealed some small traces of whatever had been clogging my pores. This didn’t really make a huge difference to my pores, then, but I was more impressed with the other two products. The Pore Unclogging Scrub smells gorgeous – it’s very fresh and pleasant to use, and does feel like it’s giving the skin a good clean, although, again, I haven’t noticed a huge difference to the pores themselves.
The Shine Control Moisturiser, on the other hand, does make a difference to my skin. As the name suggests, it’s designed to soak up oil on the skin and leave it smooth and clean. My t-zone has a tendency towards oiliness, and this really does work: after application there’s no trace of oiliness at all, and I’ve used a lot less primer this week because it leaves my skin much smoother, creating a good base for my makeup.
You can read more about these products at the Biore website and the products themselves are available at Boots and Superdrug.
M·A·C ‘DSquared²’ Greasepaint Stick and Lipstick
As worn on the Dsquared2 runway for Fall 2009, these limited edition pieces from MAC will allow you to replicate the look for yourself, if you’re into that kind of thing.
The Greasepaint Stick is a version of the same product which is currently driving me crazy as I wait impatiently for it to arrive in the UK as part of the Style Black collection. As I’m sure you all know, it’s an eye crayon with a slight bit of sparkle to it, which provides thick coverage and lots of drama. The DSquared2 Greasepaint Sticks come in blue and purple and are $17.50.
The lipstick, meanwhile, also looks rather lovely – it has a wet look finish that’ll give your lips a “just licked” look, and comes in Blood Red and Nude Rose. Get it for $14.
Beautilicious I Only Have Eyes For You Lash Kit
Even if the weather hadn’t taken a turn for the chillier this week, I’d be able to tell winter was on the way purely by the amount of gift sets that’ve started finding their way onto all of my favourite websites. Not that I’m complaining, you understand: I love the gift sets. I buy them for myself. Ahem.
Lately I’ve been finding myself a bit obsessed with false eyelashes, so naturally this little kit by Beautilicious caught my eye. All of the pink and glitter tells me this is aimed at a younger age group than my own, but hey, that’s never stopped me before, and it’s £8 for four sets of lashes, one mini mascara, twenty diamante gems, one glitter eye shimmer powder, an eyelash curler and three sponge applicators.
Not a bad deal, really, whether you’re buying for yourself or someone else. Get it at ASOS.
Drumstick lip balm from River Island
Anyone like Drumsticks? They were (and probably still are, for all I know) little chewy lollipops you used to get as part of a Pick n’ Mix, although you could buy them on their own too. I’m writing this is the past tense purely because I haven’t had one for years – I’d assume you can still buy them now, though, if you’re in the UK.
One thing I KNOW you can buy, however, is this Drumstick Lip Balm from River Island. It’s only £2.99 and has a raspberry and vanilla flavour, just like the sweets. Could be a nice little blast from the past next time I’m buying something from River Island. Which, knowing me, will probably be soon…
Friday Face: Autumn browns
You know those days when you wake up, and no matter how carefully you do your makeup, or how spot-free your skin is, you still end up looking like ass all day long?
I’m having one of THOSE days.
No photo with the Friday Face then (trust me, you don’t want to see), but I’m wearing:
The Boots tinted moisturiser I wrote about yesterday
Beneft Erase Paste
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
Myface Cosmetics shadow palette in “A Whole Latte Love” (smoky browns)
Lancome L’Extreme Waterproof mascara in black – for length
Diorshow Blackout mascara – for volume
Urban Decay 24/4 Glide On Eyeliner in Bourbon
Lancome Juicy Tubes in 35 – Myrtille
What makeup are you wearing today?
