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Monthly Archives: January 2010
Tweezerman Luxe Edition Crystal Slant Tweezers
Now, I love Tweezerman, I really do. Considering all of the times my tweezers have been either lost, put through the washing machine (I wish I was making this up) or, in the case of the point tweezers, dropped on the floor, thus blunting the points and rendering them useless, I’m thinking £75 tweezers are probably NOT a great idea for me.
They are pretty, though.
(Available from Harrods, in three different colours.)
Celebrity Beauty: Ashley Olsen in black lipstick atThe Art of Elysium’s 3rd Annual Black Tie Charity Gala
OK, so this lipstick isn’t totally “black”: I’d say it’s black blended with red, for a very gothic look, which Ashley Olsen really played up at the Art of Elysium’s 3rd Annual Black Tie Charity Gala, in a dress which was very “corpse bride”, especially when combined with the dark lips and dishevelled hair do.
Dark lipstick keeps popping up on the red carpet this season: what do you think of it on Ashley Olsen here?
Clinique High Lengths Mascara
I’d apologise for bringing you yet another mascara post this week, but if you’re a regular reader you’re already familiar with my mascara obsession, and if not, well, just lookit this! That’s quite some mascara wand, no?
This is Clinique’s new High Lengths Mascara, which is due for release this February, and as the name – and the appearance – suggests, this baby is all about length. Great! Me too! According to the people at Clinique, High Lengths “stretches lashes to unrivaled lengths with beautifully defined separation”. It does this by dint of that long, skinny applicator, which has a few different things going for it. Most noticeable is the length and shape: I much prefer thin applicators for mascaras, because I find them much more accurate, and much less messy than their chunky counterparts, so so far this one is looking good to me. The tines are also strategically placed, along one side of the wand only, and this is so that you always have the right amount of product on the applicator. The side without the tines is a smooth, bright green, so you always know which way round it’s supposed to go.
Add to all of this a bunch of lengthening and conditioning ingredients, and you have what sounds like a really interesting product. Will it live up to the claims, though? We’ll have to wait until February to find out.
Belvada one-handed mascara
Because I can be slow as molasses in January sometimes (or, you know, most of the time), it took a couple of seconds for the penny to drop with this one. “One-handed mascara?” I thought. “But… aren’t they ALL one-handed mascaras?” Well, no, they’re not: you need one hand to hold the wand, and the other hand to hold the tube you dip it into: or you did until now, at least, because Belvada’s new release allows you to do it all, one-handed.
So, how does it work? Well, rather than screwing open the tube, and then pushing the mascara wand back inside it when you want to re-load the brush, this uses a sliding mechanism to open, pushing the wand through the mascara, and ensuring the brush is evenly coated. As well as being able to use it with one hand, this also means you get less clumping, and your mascara should last for longer, because you won’t be tempted to “pump” the brush, which, as we all know, is what makes mascara dry out.
This gets amazing reviews on the Boots website, with people saying it’s well worth the £20 price tag. If you want to try it for yourself, you can buy it here.
Friday Face: Hats offon
A slightly belated Friday Face today, thanks to my camera batteries dying on me: they always know how to pick their moments! Anyway, I wanted to try and get a photo in what passes for natural daylight at this time of year, so this was snapped in the garden as I braved the (now melting, thankfully) snow to take the dog for his walk.
I’ve been very lazy today, though, and have basically just used most of the same products as last week (and yes, hats seem to be becoming a theme, too: sorry about that!). I think the only difference here is that the eyeliner was only applied to the waterline of my upper lashes, and the lips are bright pink rather than bright red this week. This colour is actually mostly pencil: I lined them and shaded them with Myface Cosmetics Lip Pencil in ‘Berry’ (from the ‘Fair’ collection), which is a pinky-red, and added Revlon Colorstay in 010, ‘Premium Pink’ on top. For some reason, this shade of the Colorstay isn’t as long-lasting as the red I was wearing last week, so the lip liner helps it stay put.
What’s everyone wearing this Friday?
Benefit Stay Don’t Stray primer for concealer and eyeshadow
Another new release from Benefit!
This is called ‘Stay Don’t Stray’ (you’ve no idea how many times I’ve gotten that the wrong way round in my head, and thought of it as “Stray Don’t Stay’, which obviously has the exact opposite meaning!), and it’s what Benefit describe as a ’360 degree primer’ for the eye area. What this means is that you basically spray it in a circle covering your entire eye (you’ll want to close ‘em first, obviously), and the product will prime the area ready for the application of under-eye concealer and eye shadows.
The shade is said to be “universally flattering” (I never quite trust claims like that, but the proof is in the wearing…), and it will also brighten the eye area and minimise the appearance of fine lines. Once it’s on, it claims to keep your concealer crease-free: ditto for your eyeshadow, which should also stay put and retain the vibrancy of its colour.
Want to try it? I do, but of course you knew I’d say that.
It’s $24 from Sephora.
Dollface Reviews: BIC Soleil Scent razors and Soleil Lady shaving gel
The good people at BIC sent me this little kit way back at the start of December, which meant it arrived just in time for my holiday. (Is it just me, or does anyone else buy new razors and other toiletries when you’re going away somewhere? I’ve no idea WHY I do this, now I come to think of it, but I always have.)
Anyway, I’ve been using both products for a few weeks now, and have been pretty impressed. The razors are from the Soleil Scent range, and are amazingly good value for money, given that you get a pack of four for £2.99. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t tend to spend a lot of money on razors anyway, and generally find that the cheap disposables do a good enough job for me. The nice thing about these ones is that although they’re certainly cheap, they don’t feel or look cheap: they’re satisfyingly smooth and chunky and they come in a range of pretty colours, which obviously doesn’t make a bit of difference to the performance, but does make me smile, because I’m superficial like that.
As for the performance, they score well there, too. My one criticism is that I don’t notice any scent from these unless I press my nose to the handle. Which isn’t something I tend to do all that often, I must admit! Admittedly, the scent is a nice one (sweet and floral, I’d say, although I don’t have much of a nose for scents!), but as I always shave my legs in the shower, it does get lost amongst all of the other scented products in there!
More importantly, however, these razors are easy to use: they give a nice, smooth shave, and are a good shape for getting around those awkward areas like knees and ankles. I’ve been using then with Big Soleil Lady Gel, which contains Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, and leaves my legs feeling soft. It has a more noticeable smell, and it’s a lovely one, too: I’ve also been impressed by how long it’s lasted so far – it comes out of the can as a gel, but quickly lathers up into a rich foam, so a little goes a long way. It costs about £3, and is available from chemists, supermarkets and all the usual suspects!
Dollface Reviews: Sunsilk Care & Repair Shampoo
I have to be honest here: I chose this shampoo purely because it was part of a “four products for £3″ deal at Asda last week. And I’m actually really pleased I did. As I mentioned last week, my hair has been through the mill recently, being exposed to sun, wind and snow, all in the space of a few weeks – not to mention the daily torment of the hairdryer. It was badly in need of some special attention, then, and although this shampoo came from the bargain bin, it isn’t called “Care & Repair” for nothing, and it’s designed for “hair damaged by daily wear and tear”, which sounded like just what I was looking for.
I’ve been using it for about a week now, and so far, so good. It has a pleasant, fruity scent, lathers up nicely, and I only need to use a little bit of it at a time, so it should be fairly long-lasting. Most importantly, though, it’s had a positive effect on my hair, and it’s the kind of different I notice as soon as I use it. I’ve forgotten to tie my hair back before bed a few times recently, and have consequently woken up with a mess of tangles on my head. This shampoo is very nourishing, though, and seems to cut through the tangles, so as soon as I use it, my hair feels softer and silkier, and is easier to style.
There’s been no build-up, either, so overall I think I got a pretty good deal with my “four-for-£3″ offer: my other three selections were all Sunsilk conditioners, which I haven’t had the chance to use yet, but will review soon!
Polka dot bow vanity cases from Topshop
I think I’ve said before that in these days of luggage restrictions, vanity cases can only really fulfill their true purpose if you’re travelling by road or rail. That doesn’t stop me coveting them, though, and they do make nice at-home storage for your cosmetics and toiletries, too: I’m sure a pretty case would look much nicer than the motley collection of plastic storage tubs I use to hold the overflow from my trust train case, anyway!
Lately I’ve been just a little bit obsessed with polka dots (even more so than I usually am, I mean), and luckily for me, this has coincided with many of my favourite fashion retailers becoming obsessed with them too. These little polka dot vanity cases are from Topshop, and come in white, navy and black. My main problem would be deciding which colour to buy, but if you think you can choose between them, they’re £45, and you can buy them here.
BaByliss Professional 20 Piece Roller Set
Heated Rollers
So, I really want to buy some heated rollers.
At the moment, if I want to curl my hair, I generally just do it with my straighteners. I do have a set of curling tongs, too, but they have a fairly small barrel, which means it takes absolutely ages to do my full head, and, well, that REALLY hurts my arms. (Woe!) As does the straightener technique, actually: while the results aren’t bad, it’s all a bit fiddly and time-consuming, and what I’d really like is so be able to put in some rollers and leave them in while I do my makeup (and maybe walk around the house with a scarf on my head, like a 1950s housewife).
This search has led me to Amazon, where I discovered this 20-piece set by BaByliss. (They also make a 30-piece set, which I’d prefer, because I have a lot of hair to curl, but it’s currently out of stock unfortunately.) They look like more or less what I’m after, and other than the bright colours, are virtually identical to the rollers my mum used to have, and which I would regularly steal from her. These are £26.67, which isn’t too expensive either, but I’m still shopping around: anyone have a brand they’d like to recommend?
