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Monthly Archives: May 2010
I’m on holiday, but Dollface continues on!
Just in case all of those posts about self-tanners and whatnot weren’t enough of a clue, I’m off to Florida tomorrow for three weeks, and I could not be happier about it. I’m sure the beauty blogging world will manage to continue quite happily without me for a while, but just in case you’re in need of something to read, don’t worry, I’ve scheduled some posts in advance, so you’ll still have plenty of new products to look at while I’m gone, just not quite as many as usual, because, well, there are only so many hours in the day!
Anyway, I’ll be back soon, having hopefully replenished my stash of cosmetics at the Mother Ship that is Sephora, so in the meantime, I hope you all have a fabulous three weeks, and I’ll see you when I get back!
NOTD: Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Diva Pink
Look! A baby nail polish! Isn’t that cute?
It’s by Max Factor, it’s their Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in ‘Diva Pink’, and as you can see, it’s a bright, shimmery pink that comes in a handy, travel-sized package!
This is part of the new Max Colour Effect collection, which contains some of Max Factor’s boldest colours ever – the proof of this is currently sitting in my ‘Dollface Drawer’, and will be revealed soon! For now, I’m really liking this polish: as it’s mini-sized, it obviously has a similarly mini-sized brush, which I love (as I’ve said before, I’m a sloppy nail polish-applier, and smaller brushes help me stay inside the “lines” as it were), but which some of you may find a little fiddly, I guess.
It took two coats for me to get the effect shown above. One coat on its own was a little on the watery side, although it does apply smoothly, and it dried quickly, making it quick and easy to use, despite not being a “one coat” polish.
These are £3.49 each, and there are 12 colours to choose from. I also like the look of ‘Red Carpet Glam’ and ‘Dazzling Blue’, so will try to check them out next time I’m find myself in the vicinity of a Max Factor stand! You, meanwhile, can buy them all at Boots.
The secret of Kylie Minogue’s youthful looks? Pond’s Cold Cream!
I’d imagine the people at Pond’s are feeling pretty happy around about now: their sales have apparently risen by 120% since Kylie Minogue announced she’s given up Botox and is now relying on Ponds Cold Cream to keep her skin looking its best!
The “Kylie Effect”, as they’re calling it, came after the singer spoke about the difference the cream has made: “It’s really changed my skin,’ she said. ‘It’s all I really use to look after my skin. It’s such an old classic. My mum uses it and it really does work. It’s made such a difference.”
Kylie also said she’s stopped using Botox, and would never have plastic surgery, as she wants to “embrace the wrinkles”. Is Pond’s really that good, though? I used the brand briefly in my teens, lured in by the low price (A jar costs just £3.99 at Boots) and what seems to me at the time to be the old-fashioned glamour of using “cold cream”, which I’d heard my mum and grandmother talking about, and which seemed very grown up to my much younger self! I don’t remember noticing a dramatic difference in my skin, but then again, I was only thirteen or fourteen at the time, so lines and wrinkles were the very least of my worries.
Do you use Pond’s? Will you be joining the women who’ve rushed out and bought it in the wake of Kylie’s amazing PR job for the brand? The jury’s still out for me, but I must admit, it’s nice to hear a celebrity reveal that she swears by a product that’s accessible to the rest of us, rather than the usual caviar-and-unicorn-hair creams they normally seem to use, which cost more than I spend on shoes in a month!
Dollface Reviews: Lee Stafford Fake My Tan Magic Potion Tanning Lotion
The gorgeous, hot weather we’ve been having this week snuck up on me unexpectedly, catching me at a time when I’d let my last application of fake tan fade, and hadn’t gotten around to applying another one. My dazzlingly white skin just wasn’t the right accessory for the various skirts and summer dresses I like to wear when the weather’s sunny, so this weekend I decided to try out Lee Stafford’s Fake My Tan, which has been sitting in a drawer ever since it was sent to me, with the weather not nearly warm enough to justify using it.
This is a fake tan makeup rather than an actual tanner, so it’s perfect for those in-between times when you want bronzed skin in a hurry, and don’t have time to sit around waiting for a regular tan to develop. Applied in the same way you’d apply foundation, it can be used on either the face or the body, and washes off when you’re done with it.
So, what’s it like to use?
The first thing I noticed was that this has a fairly strong smell, although luckily it’s a very pleasant one. I was sent the ‘Light to Medium’ formula, and although it comes out of the tube looking very dark indeed, it goes on a nice, light caramel colour, which you can build up to the colour you require. I found I needed a couple of applications on my legs to make a difference, and would probably have needed another couple if I’d been going for a real sun-kissed look. If I was going to use this again, I’d probably buy the “dark” version, but if it’s a subtle effect you’re looking for, this would be perfect, and as I say, it does layer up.
The consistency is just right – not too creamy, not too runny, although it does take a bit of rubbing in to make sure you don’t end up with streaks: it’s not a product you can just slap on the way you would a body lotion or similar, and you do have to pay attention to what you’re doing, and ideally apply it in front of a mirror, to make sure it’s even.
Once on, however, I found the colour very natural, giving me just the right amount of colour to get rid off the glare. I did discover some residue on my sofa this morning, however, where I’d been sitting with my bare legs tucked under me last night – luckily the sofa is leather, so it just wiped right off! It didn’t come off onto my clothes or towels, though, so that could’ve just been the effects of a hot day!
Overall, I liked this, and think it’s a really handy product to have for those days when the sunshine takes you by surprise – I’d imagine it might also come in useful for covering up those fake tan disasters we all (And by “we all”, I mean “me”) have from time to time!
It’s £8.99 and you can buy it at Boots.
Dollface Reviews: Witch Skincare Blemish Stick and Cleansing & Toning Wipes
I’m lucky enough not to be cursed with too many blemishes (although watch them all jostle for space on my skin now that I’ve said that…) so when these two products dropped through my door, I didn’t initially think I’d be able to review them.
As my lack-of-luck would have it, however, the very next day, I woke up with a giant zit right in the middle of my right cheek. I mean, seriously, who gets zits on their cheeks at my age? Oh yeah, that would be me. Anyway, I immediately reached for the Witch Blemish Stick: I remember buying a similar product as a teenager – in fact, I’m pretty sure it was from the same brand – and this works along the same lines. As you’d expect from Witch, the main ingredient is Witch Hazel, and they’ve become famous for creating products which cleanse, tone and zit-zap using it, so I twisted up the tube, and applied a healthy dose to the offending blemish.
The product itself is light blue, but it goes on clear and has a pleasantly astringent feel to it: I don’t know if it’s just me, but when I use products designed to get rid of spots, I like to actually be able to FEEL them getting to work. It’s almost like that tingly sensation offers proof that the product is, indeed, doing something to zap those zits, and I imagine the cells inside the blemish all throwing their hands up in defeat and dropping down dead. But maybe that’s just me.
I reapplied the stick a couple of times during the day, and again before going to bed, and the next morning I did notice a huge improvement in the status of my zit, which had dried up enough to allow me to conceal it quite effectively. Luckily for me it seems to have been a lone soldier, and it hasn’t been followed by reinforcements, so I can’t say for sure that it was the Blemish Stick that helped, or whether the spot simply died of natural causes, but it did seem to clear up much quicker than would normally be the case, so the Blemish Stick has earned its place in my bathroom cabinet for now at least.
Following my success with the first product, I decided to give the Cleansing & Toning Wipes a go, so I started using them the next day and have now almost finished the pack. Again, these contain witch hazel, and I’m sure no one will be surprised to hear that they’re designed to both cleanse and tone your skin.
Now, I’ve never really used wipes before, preferring more traditional cream or soap-based cleansers, but I think I’ve become a convert. What appeals to me most about these is the simplicity of them: there’s no need to use a separate cleanser and toner, or to get out a wash cloth or sponge (which then has to be cleaned), you simply pull out a wipe, use it to clean your face, and you’re done. These don’t have the astringency of the Blemish Stick, but they do leave my skin feeling fresh and invigorated, and I may be odd, but I also like being able to see the residue on the wipe – it may be yucky, but at least it lets you know your skin is clean!
Both of these products are available at Boots and Superdrug, with the Blemish Stick retailing for £2.69 while the Cleansing & Toning Wipes are £3.99.
To be reviewed…
Sorry for the lack of posts today, folks: I was suddenly hit with the urge to have a massive clean-out (this happens every time I go on vacation, I swear), and so it was that I spent most of the afternoon clearing out the filing cabinet that serves as my desk drawers, and replacing most of the actual “filing” with… makeup. And other beauty products. The cabinet has six drawers, and now half of them are devoted to beauty. I think I’ll call them the Dollface Drawers.
Here’s my “To be reviewed” drawer…
Ah well, I’d rather have beauty products than bits of paper, anyway!
Nails Inc Limited Edition Kings of Neon Collection
First up: I LOVE the fact that they called this collection “Kings of Neon”. Hee!
Second up: neon colours remind me a little too much of being a kid in the 80s, when neon was all the rage (as we used to say back then), and people used to think the hottest thing EVER was wearing two odd socks, one bright yellow and one bright green. Or any colour, really, as long as it was NEON. In other words: I think I’m too old to really want to go there again (not that I personally wore the odd socks, you understand. My parents wouldn’t let me. They said one day I’d thank them, and actually, they were right. Thanks, mum and dad!), but if you do, this set by Nails Inc is £22, and gives you six colours, plus a base coat and top coat. Get it at ASOS.com.
Lancome Hypnôse Precious Cells Mascara
I’ve held off on writing about Lancome’s new Hypnôse Precious Cells Mascara because I was hoping to review it. Sadly, though, my upcoming vacation (have I mentioned that enough times yet, do you think?) has sapped all of the money out of my account very effectively, so the budget won’t quite stretch to it this month – stay tuned, though, because as you know, it’s my mission in life to try all of Lancome’s mascaras at least once, so I’m sure it won’t be too long before I succumb.
In the meantime, though, let the record show that this is a two-in-one product, in that it’s both a thickening mascara and a lash stimulant, so while it will give you an instantly thicker look to your lashes, the brand also claim that if you use it for 28 days, you’ll start to see an improvement in the natural thickness of your lashes. It does this using apple plant extract, plus some anti-hair loss ingredients which will help strengthen lashes at the root, condition them, and stop them falling out.
Sounds good to me, and I guess it was only a matter of time before someone hit on the idea of combining one of the lash-enhancing products that are so popular right now with an actual mascara. The product retails for £22, and is available in black, brown and blue. Anyone tried it?
Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray
As a relative newcomer to the world of the makeup setting spray, I’ve yet to find one that falls into the Holy Grail category although, admittedly, I haven’t really been looking particularly hard.
With summer (hopefully) on the way, though, and my holiday just two weeks away, it would be nice to be able to put my makeup on in the morning and not sweat it off by afternoon. Sorry for the unpleasant visual there, but it’s true, and if you live in an area with high humidity, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Urban Decay’s All Nighter, then sounds like just what I’m looking for. Like most products in this category, it takes the form of a super-fine spray which you mist over your face after applying your makeup: it promises to basically hold your face in place no matter what you put it through after that, be it sweat, tears, or just the normal wear and tear caused by sun, wind and rain. It’ll also keep the colours looking vibrant, and “just applied”, and it’ll do all of this for just $29 per bottle.
Want to give it a try? Buy it at Sephora.
Slendertone Face: the non-surgical facelift – first impressions
You know what sucks? The ageing process. Well, it does, doesn’t it? Personally, I intend to age disgracefully. There will be no grey hair and “embracing the wrinkles” for me: instead I intend to take every bit of help I can get to rage against the dying of the light – or everything within reason.
For me, the biggest problem with ageing isn’t fine lines or wrinkles: it’s that general sagging and loss of muscle tone that hits us as we get older, and which is much more ageing than wrinkles. This is what the Slendertone Face is designed to help combat: it’s billed as a non-surgical facelift, and as you can see from the image above, it takes the form of a headset with gel pads, which you wear on your face for up to twenty minutes per day, while electronic pulses are delivered through the pads, exercising the facial muscles and helping tone and “retrain” them. Used consistently, it’s designed to help the face recover its natural tone, without the need for surgery or other cosmetic solutions.
All of this sounds pretty compelling to me, so when Slendertone offered to send me one of the headsets to try out, naturally I jumped at the chance. The important thing to remember here is that it takes roughly 12 weeks of consistent use (They recommend five sessions per week for 12 weeks, after which you go into “maintenance mode” which involves a couple of sessions per week) to see results, so this isn’t a review, but simply my initial impression of what it’s like to use the unit, following my first week of use. I’m doing my best to use it every day, and will report back at the end of the 12 weeks, although in my case it’ll probably take a little longer as I’ll be on holiday for three weeks of that time.
So, what’s Slendertone Face actually like to use?
