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Posted on September 8th, 2010 by Dollface
 [Disclosure: these products were sent to me as review samples]
I love Johnson’s. Their famous Baby Lotion is one of my constantly repurchased products: no matter how many other skin lotions I try, nothing is guaranteed to make my legs quite as soft as good ol’ Johnson’s, so I’ve come to associate the brand with great quality, no fuss products that do exactly what they’re supposed to while generally only costing a couple of pounds. (I also wear their contact lenses, but that’s neither here nor there…)
A new skincare line from the brand was always going to be of interest to me, then, and I’ve been using four products from the Daily Essentials line for the past couple of weeks. As you can see from the image above, there’s quite a lot of choice with this line, and it’s available for normal, dry and combination skin. I was sent some of the products from the “normal” line (I’d class my skin as combination: oily on the t-zone, dry under the eyes, normal everywhere else), those being:
Daily Essentials Refreshing Gel Wash, £2.99
The first time I used this product , I actually thought I’d opened the exfoliator by mistake, as the clear gel has tiny pink particles through it which help lift dirk and makeup off your skin. Despite how that sounds, this is very gentle on the skin: it gets rid of a faceful of makeup and the residue of my mascara (which I always use eye-makeup remover on as it’s waterproof) without any problem, and my skin felt smooth and soft afterwards, with none of the tightness I experience with some harsher cleaners. It also smells lovely, as do all of the products in this range, which makes it that bit more pleasant to use.
Daily Essentials Gentle Exfoliating Wash, £2.99
Needless to say, this one actually IS an exfoliator: it’s a white liquid with very fine particles (“micro beads”, the package informs me) to slough away dead skin cells and leave the skin feeling refreshed. The texture feels almost like very fine particles of sand: as with the gel wash, it’s not remotely harsh, and is a nice little pick-me-up for the skin, which I’ve been using a couple of times per week.
Daily Essentials Hydrating 24 Hour Day Cream
Daily Essentials Rehydrating Night Cream – £3.99 each
I’ve lumped these two products together, because going by the look and feel of them alone, there’s not much to tell the difference between them: they’re both a light, creamy texture, they both smell divine, and while I would expect the night cream to be a little “heavier”, for extra nourishment while you sleep, in practice I honestly don’t see much difference. Where I know there IS a difference is in the fact that the day cream contains SPF15, which is always good news for me (and I’m constantly amazed by how many skincare products still don’t contain an SPF of some kind). I’ve really been enjoying using both of these: texture and scent combined make you feel like you’re giving your skin a treat, and they’re easily absorbed, non-greasy, and while I can’t claim to see any obvious difference in my skin since I’ve been using them, they’ve kept it feeling soft and hydrated, and I have no complaints at all – in fact, quite the opposite: I think the low price and high quality makes these excellent value for money.
If you want to give them a try, the range is available from the usual mix of chemists and supermarkets: click here to view it at Boots.
Posted on September 7th, 2010 by Dollface
Benefit have been busy creating new products this summer, and one of their latest offerings to arrive in the US (it won’t hit the UK until October, unfortunately) is ‘Girl Meets Pearl’, which they describe as “liquid pearl for face” and I describe as “highlighter”.
Packaged in the same kind of tube as Benefit’s ‘That Gal’ primer, this looks to me to be a more golden-toned version of their bestselling High Beam, or its sister product, Moon Beam. Now, I adore High Beam, and would be hard pressed to find a good reason to purchase this one instead of it, but if you’ve found that the High/Moon duo aren’t quite the right shade, then this could well be the answer. Wear alone or over makeup to add a “luminous” glow anywhere you need it, and layer it up for a more obvious glow.
This is $30 from the Benefit website – click here to buy it.
Posted on September 6th, 2010 by Dollface
 Well, Dollfaces, I’m pleased to report that last week’s haircut was far less traumatic than I’d anticipated and so, to celebrate, I headed to Boots to buy myself some new hair products. (Is it just me who always wants to buy new hair products after a cut? I always feel like the new hair deserves it somehow. Or that I deserve it, for having survived the trauma of a haircut…)
Specifically, I wanted to stock up on some of John Frieda’s Luxurious Color Glaze in ‘Radiant Red’, which, as longtime readers will know, is a product I absolutely love. As well as leaving my hair very shiny and silky, it also makes my natural red that bit more vibrant, so it’s a product I’ve been repurchasing ever since my first review of it, in 2008. Lately, though, it’s been getting harder and harder to find, and I soon found out why: it’s been discontinued, along with the ‘Sheer Blonde’ version of the glaze, although the clear and brunette versions still seem to be being sold. (I emailed John Frieda last week to ask if there are any plans to replace the red and blonde versions, but haven’t had a response from them, so I’ll update this if and when I hear back from them).
Well, I was crushed. It’s always a blow when a favourite product is discontinued, but presumably these hadn’t been selling well enough to justify keeping them in production (it’s entirely possible that I was buying ALL the red glazes, actually…) so I took it on the chin, and begun a search for something to replace it. Here’s the thing though: I didn’t find much. Our local branch of Boots is a big ‘un, and has a huge section dedicated to hair products, but while I found lots of shampoos and conditioners (and even mousses and other styling products) dedicated to making blonde hair blonder and brunette hair browner, other than the John Frieda range, I found very little for us redheads. In fact, a quick glance at that aisle would have easily convinced visitors from another planet that those were the only two hair colours found on planet earth. (I suspect people with jet black hair possibly have the same issues)
When I got home, I got online, and had a quick look for products designed for redheads. That search did turn up a few options, but most seemed to be from higher-end brands (Aveda’s Madder Root Shampoo and Conditioner, for instance, sounds great, but at £22 per bottle, it’s out of my price range.). Of course, I understand that this lack of choice is probably financially motivated. There just aren’t as many redheads as there are blondes and brunettes, so obviously there won’t be as much of a demand for products to suit our colouring, but at the same time, we’re not SO rare that there wouldn’t be any demand at all, and my online searches revealed lots of other redheads, both natural and otherwise, in search of products to enhance our colour, so there could be a great opportunity for some brand to capitalise on that.
In the meantime, I fell back on one of my own favourites – Boots’ Botanics ‘Radiant Red’ which is good, affordable and therefore probably doomed to be discontinued any day now.
Any other redheads out there? What products are you using on your hair?
Posted on September 1st, 2010 by Dollface
 I’m a huge Tweezerman fan, and they’re one of those brands I genuinely don’t begrudge paying a little extra for: when you have a mono-brow like mine, trust me, you’ll pay whatever it takes to keep it under control. I wouldn’t normally pay extra, however, for a limited edition set of tweezers, or a set created by a fashion designer, but as the tweezers in the brands new Betsey Johnson collection don’t cost any more than a regular pair of Tweezerman’s slant tweezers, I could easily be persuaded if I was in the market for a new set (which I almost always am). What can I say, I love me some Betsey!
My own preference is for Tweezerman’s point tweezers, but the slant versions are great, too. These ones are available in three different designs, and retail for $25 at Sephora. Click here to choose yours!
 I’ve been promising a review of Lancome’s Rénergie Lift Makeup ever since I bought it, way back in June, so I figured it was time I actually got around to it.
This foundation was a bit of an impulse buy. I spotted it in the duty free section of Sanford airport on my way back from Florida this summer, and was drawn in by two things:
1. The colour. I got the lightest shade available, which is number 10, ‘Lifting Porcelain’. I could tell right away that it would be a good match for my skin, and because it’s so unusual to find foundation pale enough for me, it was worth buying for that reason alone.
2. The ‘lifting’ bit. This claims to not only even out your skin and cover imperfections, just like every other foundation on the market, but to also “to visibly lift slackening skin and blur lines and wrinkles for 12 hours”.
Well, that was all I needed to convince me: I bought it with the last of my dollars, and for the past two months, I’ve been alternating it with my Revlon ColorStay, using Revlon on the days when only the thickest coverage will do, and this when I feel I can get away with something a little lighter.
Rénergie offers mid-level coverage, although it layers up quite nicely in areas where you feel you need a little extra. It’s a lightweight texture, which goes on smoothly and evenly, and is just really nice to apply. I posted a swatch on my post about foundation for pale skin, but just in case you missed it, here it is again:
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Beauty confession: it’s been over three months since my last haircut.
Don’t worry, I’ve booked one for tomorrow, but only because I felt I should. Sure, my hair’s looking a little unkempt, but I don’t have any split ends, and I can live with looking like Rapunzel. Well, I can if it means I don’t have to go to the hairdresser’s, anyway…
Here’s the thing, you see: I hate visiting the hairdresser. No offence to any hairdressers who are reading this, by the way: it’s nothing to do with the actual people, who are generally lovely. (Fun fact: when I was in high school, I did work experience at a hairdressers, purely because I thought hairdressers were, like, really cool. They always seemed to be wearing these super-trendy clothes that I, of course, couldn’t afford because, er, my mum and dad wouldn’t buy them for me. And, of course, they always had fabulous hair, and often great nails, courtesy of the beautician who worked there too. It seemed like the best! job! ever!) No, it’s all because of ME, and my issues. Over the past few years, I’ve come to dread visits to the salon. It’s not just because of the famous Mullet Cut of ’08, either. I actually hate everything about the experience:
1. The hair washing, which always involves my neck being bent back over the sink in such a manner that I feel like my head is being severed. Then they’ll start the Indian Head Massage. “Please, no!” I always want to beg. “Let’s just get this over with as quickly as possible. I want to go hoooooommmeeee!”
2. The mirrors
As I’ve aged, I’ve noticed that the mirrors in hair salons have become less and less flattering. I’m going to pretend those two events are unconnected. It. Is. Mortifying. All that time in which to sit and do nothing but stare at my own face, noticing every last line and flaw that I’d never noticed before! The mirror I was seated in front of last time I visited the hairdressers had a huge amount of sunlight streaming onto it, which allowed me to view myself in a level of detail that I rarely ever see. It also made me want to tear my face off, before jumping out of the chair and yelling, ”Forget the hair! I need to get me a new face first!” I also threw the lipstick I’d been wearing into the bin as soon as I got home, because seriously, what was I thinking?
3. The forced conversation
I have the greatest admiration for hairdressers and their ability to make smalltalk with so many different people every day. Unfortunately for me, I’m really, really bad at smalltalk. I try my best, but I always imagine the poor woman shaking her head sadly as I walk out the door and muttering, “Like getting blood out of a stone…”
4. The Fear
For a while there, I had no fear at all about what my cut would turn out like. I’d finally found a stylish who totally understood what I was looking for (for my hair to look almost exactly the same as it did when I walked in, only much better), and I was gradually working up to asking for something a bit different. Then she moved away, and I’ve had to start my search all over again, which means that each time I visit the salon I sit there holding my breath wondering what I’ll actually look like when it’s over. As a veteran of several really bad cuts (there was a time about a year and a half ago when every time I went to the salon, the stylist would comb through my hair in amazement and then call all of the other stylists over to take a look. “What HAPPENED?” they’d all chorus in horror. Those were some bad days.) I have good reason for this fear, trust me.
Anyway, my first haircut in three months is scheduled for tomorrow, after which I’ll be hoping to last another three months before having to go back.
So tell me: how often do you have your hair cut? Do you stick to the “every six weeks” rule, or do you leave it a little longer?
Posted in Hair
Tagged haircuts
I’ve been meaning to write about this product for ages now, but better late than never, I guess!
For most of my life, I’ve been plagued by open pores. As a teenager, I always assumed this was one of those temporary, teenage thing (like acne, say) that I’d one day grow out of, and be left with perfect, pore-free skin, but that day never came, and those pores are just as large and as open as they’ve ever been. To be honest, I’ve not really tried to do much about this, as I’ve always had more pressing beauty concerns on my mind, like trying to work out which mascara will make my eyelashes actually reach the ceiling, and that kind of thing.
The appearance of this product on the market did pique my interest, though. Its full title is “The POREfessional: pro balm to minimize the appearance of pores“, and that really tells you almost everything you need to know about this. The most important thing to note, however, is that it’s designed purely to disguise those open pores, not to treat them, so if you want rid of them forever (or to minimize them, rather: if you get rid of your pores altogether you won’t be able to sweat, and that won’t be pretty) this isn’t the product for you. If your content just to hide them a little better than foundation alone can generally manage, however, it’s a clear balm which can be applied over or under makeup, and which you can use throughout the day for top-ups as needed.
I’d be really interested to know how much of a difference this actually makes. Anyone tried it?
It costs $28, and you can click here to buy it from Benefit.
I don’t often wear eye shadow. This week, however, I’ve become something of a convert, and have been wearing Max Factor’s Smoky Eye Effect Eyeshadow, which (disclosure coming up!) was sent to me as a press sample. As you can see from the image, this aims to simply the smoky eye, and takes a two-pronged approach to doing so. On one end of the tube, you have your base colour:
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Yes, it’s another “goes on clear, turns into the perfect shade for you upon contact with the skin” product, folks! This one is from Bourjois, and it’s their Rose Exclusif lipgloss: a clear gloss which reacts with the pH of your lips to turn into the perfect shade of pink.
Now, I must admit to a strange fascination with these products, perhaps because they remind me of my school days, when people always seemed to be bringing in “mood rings” and other items that claimed to change colour according to your personality. I’ve never quite trusted them, though, which is why, although I’ve tried out Smashbox’s ‘O’ range at the counter, I’ve never actually purchased anything that claims to change colour on impact.
Could this be the product to change my mind? I think I’d probably want to test it first, to see just what shade of pink it turned into on me, but if you can’t wait then you can click here to buy it from ASOS.
Ever wondered who actually buys all of those expensive skin creams you see in Sephora et al? The ones which carry too-good-to-be-true style claims on their boxes about how they’ll get rid of your dark circles, or make you look 16 again overnight?
Yeah, that would be me.
In my defence, I don’t buy all of them. I have, however, more than once been described as the “ad man’s dream”, and this means that I will linger too long in front of those stands, looking at the shiny rows of products and thinking to myself, “Well, if it works, it’ll be a bargain, really!”
This is how I came to find myself standing in line at Sephora this summer, waiting to purchase a tube of Bremenn Research Labs Hylexin: the new wonder cream for dark circles under the eyes. Well, that and the fact that I was desperate. Totally desperate, people. As long-time readers will know, the last year or so has been a never ending battle between me and the dark circles under my eyes. Actually, the phrase “dark circles” doesn’t really do justice to what I have. They’re more like dark canyons, which people could get lost in for days. They make me look ill and exhausted, and by the time my summer holiday rolled around, I was ready to try just about anything.
I have to back up a bit here, though: earlier this year, as you may remember, I’d had some success with Nivea’s Aqua Sensation Anti-Shadow Eye Cream, which I’d been pretty pleased with for the price, although it hadn’t totally shifted the circles. It had long since run out, though, and by the time I reached the bottom of the jar, I’d started to find it much less effective than it initially had been. It was clear that something much stronger was required in my fight against dark circles, and as I wandered around Sephora, carefully avoiding all the mirrors so I wouldn’t have to see my vampire-face looking back at me under those harsh lights (Pretty sure they do that to convince you to buy more makeup, by the way. It totally works.), it became clear to me that the “something” I needed was going to be Hylexin.
Now, this costs $59, which is a lot for me to spend on an eye cream, and an indication of how much I wanted it to work. Before leaving on my trip, I had actually done quite a bit of reading about this product, and had discovered mixed reviews of it: those who loved it seemed to REALLY love it, while those who hated it said it did absolutely nothing whatsoever for their dark circles. On balance, however, I’d found more positive reviews than negative ones, which was why I decided to take the plunge. Oh, and the fact that there was actually a photo of my under-eye are on the box helped too:
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