 Shoeperwoman |
 Dollface |
 Fashion Police |
 Follow Us |
 Become a Fan |
 Subscribe |
 Follow |
 Subscribe Via Email |
Monthly Archives: June 2010
Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss lip colour: swatches
A box! A box! What’s in the box?!
Lip gloss! Today just got about 46.76% better than it already was.
(Also: cute little case, no?)
This is Estee Lauder’s new Pure Color Gloss, which launches this month, and is available in 24 colours, six of which I’ve swatched for you below, in a photo I have to ask you to excuse the quality of: as you can probably see, this product has a super-shiny finish, which proved difficult to photograph, even in our opaque Scottish daylight:
The wet-look, high gloss look of all of these speaks for itself, but these actually come with three different finishes: SHINE (ultra-glossy finish), SPARKLE (a dramatic, metallic-based look) and SHIMMER (finely cut pearls provide mirror shine with intense shimmer). Of the shades you see above, the finishes are:
SHINE: Tempting Tearose, Simply Pink
SHIMMER: Electric Ginger, Praline Paradise, Mod Poppy, Passion Fruit
In all honesty, I can’t really see a whole lot of difference between these, other than the obvious differences in the colour. They all have a juicy, shimmery look about them, which provides plenty of shine (and gives a lip-plumping effect), but which would be subtle enough in terms of the actual colour to be worn over another lipstick if you wanted to.
The colours I was sent fall mostly into the brown/pink camp, and my favourites are Passion Fruit and Mod Poppy:
Again, it was hard to photograph these properly. Passion Fruit has come out pretty true to colour, but Mod Poppy is a more intense, plummy shade in real life than it’s shown up here.
As these are glosses, I found they lasted pretty well until that first mug of coffee, but that’s to be expected. They’re comfortable to wear, however, and non-sticky, which is definitely in their favour, as the stick-factor has put me off many a gloss in the past.
These are £15, available from Estee Lauder.
[Disclosure: this was sent to me as a press sample]
P.S. If you’re on Facebook, I set up a page for Hey, Dollface, which you can join by hitting the ‘Like’ button below. Go on, you know you want to…
Dollface Reviews: Lancome Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara
Brace yourselves, readers: I think I may have found a mascara I like even more than Lancome L’Extreme.
I know, I didn’t think it would ever happen either: trust me, I’m as surprised as you are, although you’ll probably be a little less surprised to know that the knew King of the Mascaras (perhaps) is also by Lancome, who continue to reign supreme as the Supreme Rulers of All Mascara. At least as far as I’m concerned.
Although it’s been out for a while, I’d resisted buying Hypnose Drama until the waterproof version came out, knowing that if it’s not waterproof, I probably won’t be all that impressed by it. I’d actually forgotten all about it, though, so when I spotted the waterproof version at Sephora, I instantly threw it into my basket, and then rushed home to try it out.
Folks, I love this. It’s an amazing mascara, and totally lives up to the “drama” of the title, creating long, black, curly lashes that could pass for falsies if you were to look at them in some dim light.
The brush on this is long and slightly curvy, and it’s this that gives Hypnose Drama the edge over L’Extreme for me, as it lengthens and curls. As fabulous as L’Extreme is at lengthening the lashes, I find I need to curl my lashes first for maximum impact. Although I did curl my lashes before taking these photos (force of habit), you can do without, and the lashes will still look curly: perhaps not to the extent that they will if you’ve used an eyelash curler, but still more than they would on their own. Or more than mine would on their own, anyway.
What’s more, the formula holds the curl all day. When I take this off at night, I find that although the mascara comes off easily with my regular eye makeup remover, the curl is still there: bonus!
(Bear in mind that these photos are extreme close-ups, and thus extremely unforgiving: the product looks much smoother in real life).
A quick word about the waterproof qualities of this: when I was on vacation, I wore it to the beach one day by mistake (I say “by mistake” – I wouldn’t normally wear mascara to the beach, but we’d intended it to be a very brief visit, with no swimming, before we headed somewhere else, but we ended up hanging around, and, of course, getting wet…) and was hit several times smack in the face by massive waves, which more than proved the staying power of the mascara: not a single run or smudge!
In conclusion: I think I may have found a new favourite, but before I formally award the title, I’m going to wait a week or so, because I also picked up a tube of Hypnose Precious Cells at the airport. It’s not waterproof, so it may not be a totally fair competition, but hey, I had some dollars left, it was there… you know how it goes.
Precious Cells review coming up soon, then. For now, if you want to try Hypnose Drama Waterproof, it’s $24.50 direct from Lancome or £20 if you’re in the UK (Which, incidentally, kind of sucks, doesn’t it? Why do we have to pay more?).
Invisalign Clear Braces update: top trays complete and advice for new patients
I can’t quite believe I’m writing this, but after what seems like a very short amount of time indeed, my dentist told me yesterday that my Invisalign treatment is now complete on my top teeth! I will have to continue wearing the aligner for the next two weeks, just to make sure the teeth stay in place, but after that it basically becomes a retainer, and I’ll be brace-free during the day.
Before I go any further, I should point out again that the reason my treatment time was so short was that I was using Invisalign on the upper arch purely to close a gap between two of the teeth. It was a very straightforward issue, and the rest of my teeth were straight, which meant that not only did it cost less, I was able to complete the treatment in around two months, which I believe is significantly shorter than the average treatment length.
It’s not quite the end of the line for me yet, though: I will continue to have treatment on my lower arches, which are a much more complex case, for many weeks yet, but as I reach one milestone, here’s my advice for anyone still thinking about using the Invisalign system:
1. It’s much less visible than I expected it to be
I knew the whole point of “invisible braces” was that they’d be, well, invisible, but I still expected people to notice them in some way. Actually, though, I was very impressed by how unobtrusive they are: I don’t feel self-conscious at all when I’m wearing them, and although it took a couple of days to get over the lisping, they haven’t affected my speech either, so I’m totally happy speaking to people while wearing them. I really don’t think anyone would notice them unless they were specifically looking for them (friends who didn’t know I was having the treatment have confirmed that they couldn’t see any difference, and had to look really closely before they saw the braces), which makes it that bit easier to comply with the 22-hours-per-day wear.
That said, when my lips are closed, I do notice that the braces make my lips protrude slightly, which I have been a little self-conscious about. Mr Dollface confirms that this is, indeed, the case, although he doesn’t think it would be noticeable to anyone who didn’t know me. I have developed a kind of mouth-half-open look to try to prevent this, and it’s the main reason I’m so glad to be done with the top brace, because when I wear the bottom one only, it doesn’t have this effect.
2. You do get used to the feel of it
I must admit that for the first couple of weeks, I really didn’t think I would ever get used to the sensation of having the braces in my mouth. It’s not painful, but it is a strange feeling at first, and, for the first week, I experienced a bit of nausea, and worried that the braces would make me gag. I kept reading other people’s reviews, in which they talked about how quickly they’d gotten used to it, and I just didn’t believe that would be the case for me, but while I think it took me a little longer than most (It was about two weeks before I stopped noticing the braces in my mouth) I’ve now reached the stage where I genuinely don’t think about them. I have no qualms whatsoever about wearing them as retainers, because it’s now second-nature to me, and I’m just not aware of them.
3. Total compliance (wearing the braces for 22 hours per day) can be tricky, but isn’t impossible
For most of the time I’ve been using Invisalign, I’ve managed to keep them in for roughly 22 hours per day, which is the recommended time, although I must admit that as time has gone on, I’ve been getting a little more blasé about i,t and leaving them out for longer. In my case it’s not such a big deal, because I wear each set of trays for slightly longer than the recommended two weeks (this is purely the way it’s worked out because of the difficulty of arranging dental appointments at intervals of exactly two weeks, plus the fact that I took a three week vacation), and if you’re willing to that, you can leave them out for a little longer each day, as long as you’re aware that your total treatment time will be longer as a result.
Snacking wasn’t really a huge issue for me, as I don’t tend to snack a lot anyway (although I obviously snack more than I thought I did, because I lost weight in the first few weeks of using Invisalign, without thinking I’d made any changes to my diet), but I did find it a little frustrating at mealtimes, because I’m quite a slow eater. I enjoy long, leisurely meals, and I like to take my time and sip a huge mug of coffee at regular intervals throughout the day, but, because you have to remove the braces to eat and drink, I often felt like I was having to rush my meals in order to get the braces back in. Again, this is one of the reasons I’m looking forward to the end of the treatment: being able to linger for as long as I like over a meal or mug of coffee!
4. Eating out can be a pain
For me, the biggest challenge has been eating out, particularly during my recent vacation, where I was eating out every day (often more than once per day) and also having to manage the Invisalign trays while eating on aircrafts, at the beach, during long car trips, etc. I won’t lie: there were times where this was just an absolute pain. Public restrooms aren’t the nicest place in the world to have to clean your teeth, and people often stare at you as if you’ve grown a second head when they see you whip out a toothbrush in public.
Also, having to visit the restroom to remove the braces, and then visit it again at the end of the meal to replace them got annoying, especially in very busy restaurants: in fact, I would often just duck under the table and whip the trays out, which wasn’t ideal, as I should have been cleaning them when I removed them. I figured it was OK on an occasional basis, though, when I just couldn’t face the crowded restroom more than once per meal. My worst experience came on the two long-haul flights to and from the States. Having removed my braces for the meal, I found that there was constantly a huge line for the restroom afterwards.I’m terrified of flying, and like to remain buckled into my seat as much as possible, and I just couldn’t face the line, so I’m going to put my hands up here and admit that I did exactly what you’re NOT supposed to do: I swilled my mouth out with water and just slipped the braces back in, making sure to clean both them and my teeth thoroughly as soon as I could. Again, this isn’t recommended, but as I’ve only done it once or twice, I figured it couldn’t do too much damage – I did visit my dentist yesterday, and he confirmed that my teeth are perfectly healthy, so I guess I got away with it.
To help with all of this, I purchased a bunch of disposable toothbrushes before we went away. They’re the type that come with toothpaste already loaded, and I found it easier to just toss a handful of those into my bag every couple of days, rather than remembering to transfer my own toothbrush and toothpaste from bag to bathroom a few times per day.
5. Having impressions taken is the hardest part of all
Every few weeks, I have to have new impressions taken of my teeth, so the next few sets of braces can be created by the Invisalign labs. I have never been frightened of the dentist, and am not particularly squeamish, but I will be totally honest and say that I dread these appointments. I would rather have almost any other procedure than this, because having the large metal tray filled with what feels like putty of some kind inserted into my mouth makes me want to gag. My dentist is extremely good about this, and really takes his time to make me feel as comfortable as possible, but, for me, it’s the worst part of the whole procedure. Having said that, I know other Invisalign patients who have no issue with impressions at all, so I suspect it’s a totally personal thing. In my case, even the smallest tray hits the back of my throat and triggers my (fairly sensitive) gag reflex, and that may not be the case for you.
6. It has been worth it
I’m not going to post photos of my teeth, because I’m still having treatment on my lower arch, and also want to have them whitened, and perhaps some other work before I’ll be 100% done, but so far I’m absolutely thrilled with the results, and think it has been well worth what I paid. The gap in my upper teeth has bothered me for my entire adult life, and dentists had consistently told me there was nothing that could be done about it, and that unless I was willing to wear metal braces, I would just have to learn to live with it. That obviously turned out not to be the case: the gap has totally disappeared, and my only regret is that I didn’t discover Invisalign sooner.
As for my lower teeth, they’re still as crooked as a row of tombstones, and I have a long way to go before they’ll be perfect, but I’m already starting to notice a difference, and am confident that I’ll be just as pleased with them as I am with the top arches. As I’ve said before, Invisialign isn’t what I’d call an “easy” option, because it does require changes to your lifestyle, and a lot of commitment on your part, but I feel it’s ultimately a small amount of inconvenience for what will hopefully be a great result.
So far, then, so good. Roll on the end of the treatment, though!
Soap & Glory Glow Getter Sun Powder Spray
Over the last few months, my inherent laziness has made me a big fan of fake tan makeup, which is just a much easier alternative to applying tanner every day and waiting for it to develop. So why is this one any different from all the others I’ve tried? Well, this is Soap & Glory’s ‘Glow Getter’, and it’s a powder formula in a spray can, which claims to deliver an airbrush finish, with no streaks and much less tedious rubbing and blending than you’d through with a cream formula (although it’s worth noting that once you’ve sprayed it on, you do have to blend it in a little with your fingers).
Currently down to £6.67 at Boots, from the original £10, I guess now is as good a time as any to try it out…
Dollface Reviews: MAC Pro Longwear Lipstain Marker in Purposefully Red
I almost always wear red lipstick. It’s a bit of a trademark of mine, and on days like today, when I wake up late and grumpy, still feeling the effects of jet lag and a summer cold, and I just can’t be bothered putting on a full face of makeup (or, er, washing my hair), I absolutely swear by a quick swipe of red lippy to create an instantly more polished look – even when “polished” is the last thing you feel.
Red lipstick is hard to maintain, though, which is why I’ve started to turn my attention more towards lip stains these days. Enter MAC’s Pro Longwear Lip Stain Marker, which I picked up on vacation, having read mixed reviews of it. As the name implies, this comes in the form of a marker pen:
I know some people dislike the “felt tip” nib, but I’m actually quite keen on it. Because this is a fairly bright colour it’s not one you can use without liner, but the tip of the pen is hard and fine enough to line the lips with before “colouring them in”.
The colour I chose was ‘Purposefully Red’, which is a fairly classic bright red. There are quite a few reds in this collection, though, and to be honest, I didn’t feel that there was a huge amount of difference between some of them – there were quite a few I’d probably have been equally happy with, and I was torn between this one and “A Classic”, the deciding factor being purely the fact that the MAC store I was in at the time only had this one in stock. I’ve made a mental note to try out some more of these when this one runs, out, though (which will probably be soon, at the rate I’ve been using it).
As for the application, at first I felt it was a little on the watery side, making it harder than usual to get even, but this tends to be the case with stains, and I got used to it very quickly, to the point where it now goes on very easily. It’s comfortable to wear, and not nearly as drying as lipstick (particularly longwear lipstick, which can really play havoc with your lips), and I love the way it looks when it’s just been applied. In terms of staying power, it doesn’t last quite as long as some other “long lasting” lipsticks I’ve tried: I get probably about 3 – 4 hours worth of “normal” wear out of it, which includes eating and drinking – it would last longer if you abstained from both, but there’s no fun in that, obviously.
I did find that it was less resistant to food and drink than I was expecting, too, so it’s not fantastic as a stain, but on the plus find, I don’t find it remotely drying, love the colours and can’t feel it on my lips at all, so it’s one I will probably be re-purchasing. It’s $16 from MAC.
Dollface Reviews: Delphi SPF50 Young & Delicate Sun Block Lotion
Well, I’m back from my vacation, and I have loads of new products which I had intended to start trying out and photographing for you this week, but sadly for me, beauty products (and, er, shoes and dresses) weren’t the only thing I brought back from the States: I also have a horrible summer cold, complete with red nose, chapped lips and bloodshot eyes – lovely!
I’m leaving the makeup off today, then, and concentrating on topping up my moisturiser and drinking lots of water, but while I wait for my face to start to look (more or less ) human again, here’s a quick review of the product I’ve been wearing on it almost constantly for the past three weeks – sun block!
Now, as regular readers know, I consider sunblock to be the most important item in my beauty arsenal (yes, even more important than mascara): I prefer dry spray for the body, but always use creams on my face, so when a bottle of Delphi’s SPF 50 Young & Delicate Sun Block arrived on my desk a few days before my vacation, it went straight into the suitcase. Of course, my skin is neither young nor particularly delicate, and as you can probably tell by the name of this, it’s actually designed for children. This matters not at all to be, though: actually, a lot of my sun protection products are designed for kids, purely because children’s lines tend to come with a much higher SPF and great water resistance, and when your skin is as pale as mine, you take all the protection you can get, even if it does come in a kiddie-themed package.
Thankfully, though, there’s nothing remotely childlike about the packaging of this, and the 100ml tub is the perfect size to pop in your handbag and carry around with you. It’s water resistant, and although it is rather thick and white, I found that it absorbed easily enough, and didn’t look too greasy on, which is a problem I have with almost every sun block I use. As an added bonus, it has a pleasant, citrus scent, which makes a nice change from the more chemical smells I’m used to in high factor creams.
I wore this on my face and neck every day for the three weeks of my vacation, and emerged without a touch of sunburn, even although I spent a lot of time in the pool/ocean, so I’d say it did its job well, too. If you want to try it out, it’s available here, for £6.12.
Smashbox Limitless Eye Liner
This is one of those “so simple I can’t understand why everyone isn’t doing it” ideas, and if you’re a fellow eyeliner addict, you’ll know what I’m talking about – I mean, how often have you pulled out your eyeliner only to find that it’s blunt at the end and you’ve no idea where you’re sharpner got to? Or is it just me that seems to be totally incapable of keeping track of those things? I swear mine comes to life every night and goes around the house, er, sharpening things for fun…
Anyway, the pencil sharpener search can be called off with Smashbox’s Limitless Eye Liner, because, as you van see, it comes with its own sharpener inside the cap, so you’re always guaranteed a perfect point to apply it with.
That’s not the only reason to buy this, of course: it’s also waterproof, and claims to last for eight hours without smudging, plus there are five colours to choose from. I’m drawn to ‘peacock’, which is a gorgeous looking teal colour, but you’ll find your standard black and brown here, too.
This is $19 at Smashbox.
GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer
I’ve been reading great things about GOSH’s Velvet Touch Foundation Primer recently, and when people started comparing it to my Holy Grail, Smashbox Photo Finish, I decided it was finally time to add it to my beauty wish list.
This costs £13, and, like any other primer, claims to fill in fine lines and generally smooth out the skin, creating the perfect surface for your makeup. There’s also an apricot version which is a little more expensive at £15, but which claims to boost collagen production and leave you with firmer skin.
Sounds good to me so far, but has anyone actually tried this? Is it as good as it sounds? If you want to try it out and report back, it’s available at Superdrug.
Frédéric Fekkai Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control
I’m sure I can’t be the only one who spends most of her summer holidays with a head full of frizzy, out of control hair that’s been apparently driven wild by the heat and humidity, and which drives me wild in its turn. My hair normally manages to be both limp AND frizzy, and let me tell you, that’s not a combination your ever want to find yourself dealing with.
Although it’s on the pricey side at £19 per bottle, then, Frédéric Fekkai’s Marine Summer Hair Zero Humidity Frizz Control could end up being worth its weight in gold if it actually does what it says it will, which is to “block humidity while sealing in hydration to keep sleek for all-day frizz & flyaway protection.” (OK, maybe not gold, but you know what I mean…)
The lightweight mist is suitable for all hair types, and as the name suggests, contains various sea-sourced ingredients like sea algae, seal kelp extract, and sea water itself. Will it work? We’ll sea. I mean see…
If you want to try it out, it’s available at Harrods.
Urban Decay Urban Defence Tinted Moisturiser
When the weather gets hotter, many foundations can start to feel (and look) too heavy, and that’s when dollfaces start to reach for the tinted moisturiser instead.
Sadly, though, tinted moisturiser isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be either, and I often find it just doesn’t provide enough coverage to stand alone. Urban Decay’s Urban Defence, however, promises to be different, with buildable coverage that can be as light or as heavy as you want it to be – just apply another layer if you feel you need it.
This also has SPF 20, and is designed to be light-diffusing, which will help disguise any fine lines. I often find tinted moisturizer to be too greasy to wear without a generous covering of powder over the top, so I’ll be interested to see this in person and find out if it’s any better at disguising (or at least not emphasising) the oil slick than my t-zone can turn into from time to time.
If you’d like to try it too, it’s $32 at Sephora.
