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Archive for the ‘Beauty Product Reviews’ Category
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
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More pretty packaging from Jelly Pong Pong - a brand name guaranteed to make Mr Dollface laugh every single time I say it!
These two little ‘Lip Orchid’ balms come as part of a set, and although they were sent to me last month, it’s taken me a while to get round to trying them out properly, mostly because I’ve been spending my time just sniffing them. These are seriously some of the nicest smelling products I’ve tried in a long time – as the name would suggest, they both have a very floral scent, which I really like. Take a look under the jump to see some colour swatches, and what these look like on…
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“Lash extension set?” I hear you ask. “What’s that when it’s at home?” That’s what I asked, anyway, and the answer is that it’s our old friend, false eyelashes, which, in this case, come complete with a small tube of mascara, should you want to make them look even longer and darker than they already are!
These were sent to me by Jelly Pong Pong, and I had lots of fun trying them on today: it’s just a good job no one arrived at the door, though, or they may have wondered why I was so very overdressed for an ordinary Tuesday afternoon! These are easy to apply (or as easy as false lashes get, anyway: they’re always going to be a little bit on the fiddly side) and I love the look of them when they’re on. One word of warning, though: they don’t come with adhesive, so you will need to purchase that separately if you don’t already have some.
The kit is £15 and you can buy it here.
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Thursday, March 4th, 2010
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No, that’s not a typo on the image: this mascara really does only cost £2.39, which has to make it one of the most affordable mascaras around, if not the most affordable. It’s by Aldi’s brand Lacura, which, you may remember, caused a bit of a stir last year with its Wrinkle Stop serum, and which has gone on to produce many more skincare and cosmetic products, some of which I’ll be reviewing here soon.
For now, though, the mascara, which Aldi sent me a couple of weeks ago, and which I’ve been putting through its paces ever since. This bills itself as a volumising mascara, but unlike most similar products, it comes with a slim brush rather than a thicker one. Perhaps because of this, I didn’t actually notice a whole lot of volumising, but I did find it easy to use and accurate, and the product goes on smoothly, and without any clumping.
As regular readers will know, my preference is for mascaras that lift and curl, as opposed to ones that add volume, so I’m always slightly biased when testing ones that don’t give me huge, spidery lashes! This is definitely more of a daytime mascara, and the look it creates is subtler than I would usually wear, but I was impressed with how nicely it goes on, and how long it lasts. I almost always wear waterproof mascara, which this isn’t, but it does a good job of staying put all day, and I haven’t had any running or smudging with it. I particularly like to use it on the lower lashes, because the shape of the brush is ideal for that, and there’s always just enough product on the brush to coat the lashes without making them clump together.
Overall, not a show-stopper, but definitely a good budget buy if you’re looking for a product to emphasise the eyes without spending a fortune. It’s available at Aldi.
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
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Look, everyone, a present! But who is it from?
Well, it’s from Jelly Pong Pong, and it’s a box of their Shadow Taffy, which they describe as “Melted-down eye shadow in a unique taffy texture. Thicker than a cream, more long-lasting than a mousse, one smooth glide is all you need to coat your lids in superb colour. Infused with iridescence so that it doubles as a highlighter.”
Isn’t this the cutest packaging ever?
I love this little guy. I think I’ll call him Frank.
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Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
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 Well, it may have taken me a long time to get round to trying Liz Earle’s famous Hot Cloth Cleanser, but I’ve now been using it for just under a month, and I’m happy to say it’s been worth the wait!
I was sent this by the folks at Liz Earle, along with the Instant Skin Boost Tonic from the range, so I’ve been using both products together, as a double-whammy for my skin. The Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser was the product I was most interested in out of these two, having read lots of glowing reviews of it over the years. It came with two muslin cloths, and the idea is that you massage the cleanser onto your face, and then dampen the cloth with hot water (it should be damp rather than wet), before using it to massage off the product.
I was actually slightly dubious about this at first. I’m used to dampening my skin BEFORE applying cleanser, and I tend to like products that you can work up to a nice lather, purely because they make you FEEL like you’re really doing a great job of cleaning your skin (whether you actually ARE, of course, is another matter altogether). So I was a little concerned that my skin wouldn’t feel properly clean after using this – a concern which turned out to be totally unfounded, because of course the application of the “hot cloth” does leave the skin feeling fresh and clean, although it’s very gentle on the face, and doesn’t make your face feel “scrubbed”, like some harsher products can.
I also really liked the muslin cloth, the state of which provides an easy way to tell how clean your skin is: no more makeup on the cloth means no more makeup on your face, either!
The fact that this product is so gentle is one of its big plus-points, and the time you spend massaging it in and then “polishing” it off is also a nice circulation booster. It does a pretty thorough job of removing makeup, too: I’m still using an eye-makeup remover to get rid of my waterproof mascara, but Cleanse & Polish gets rid of the rest very easily, including the residue of that mascara, some of which always ends up under my eyes when I’m removing it, no matter how thorough I think I’m being!
As I mentioned at the start of this review, I’ve been using this cleanser for almost a month now. In that time, I’ve had no breakouts at all, my skin has felt smooth and soft, and looks brighter. The other thing I’ve noticed is that the dry patches I tend to notice in the winter, particularly under the eyes, and around my mouth and nose, seem to have cleared up, and my skin feels healthier: this is probably the best thing about these products for me, because at this time of year my skin can look very dull and dry, which obviously isn’t a good look on anyone!
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
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 A couple of weeks ago I was sent some of the products from John Frieda’s new Luxurious Volume range, which, I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to find out, is designed to help make your hair look fuller, thicker, and just better.
Now, this was interesting to me, because while my hair isn’t particularly thin, it IS very fine, fairly long, and poker straight, which means it can have a tendency to look a bit lank. Add in some lovely, greasy roots, and you get that attractive “plastered to the head” look, which these products are designed to help combat.
I’ve been using the Thickening Shampoo, Thickening Conditioner and Blow Dry Lotion from this range: I don’t tend to use styling products, but for those who do, there’s also a hairspray, mousse and thickening texture paste to try. The shampoo and conditioner are pretty much self-explanatory: they’re both very lightweight, and the shampoo is designed to strip away product build-up (which can weigh down your hair and make it look flat), while the conditioner strengthens, repairs, detangles and reduces static.
This last point was particularly interesting to me, because I’ve been having a huge problem with static recently, as I quite often do at this time of year, and I’m pleased to say that these products have really helped tackle it. I wouldn’t say they make my hair look thicker, but it does feel much smoother after use, and there are no tangles at all. The greasiness that’s the bane of my life is also much more manageable when I use the shampoo, so so far, so good.
The real triumph of this line, however, is the Blow Dry Lotion. This is sprayed onto the hair (concentrating on the roots) before blow-drying, ideally with the head upside down. I’ve used it several times now, and each time I’ve been really impressed with the results: as soon as I flip my head the right way up, I can see a definite improvement in volume around the roots – so much so, in fact, that the short bits of my “fringe” are generally sticking straight up in the air, and I have to put some water on them or get out the straighteners to make them sit flat.
Because of the aforementioned greasiness, I generally avoid using anything AT ALL on my hair after washing, especially on the roots, because I always worry it’ll just weigh the hair down and make it look even greasier. That hasn’t been the case with this product, though: like the shampoo and conditioner it’s very lightweight, and can’t be seen in my hair at all – whew!
This range is available from all of the usual suspects, and Superdrug are currently selling it with prices starting from £3.99. Take a look here for details.
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Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
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[Today's post is a Guest Post by Dollface reader, Laura, who shares my issues with dark circles under the eyes, and tried out Garnier's Caffeine Anti-dark Circles Roll-On to find out if it could provide a solution. Thanks, Laura!]
Laura writes:
For as long as I can remember I have had problems with dark circle and bags under my eyes. I spend a considerable amount of time in the morning trying to cover them up and use products in the evening which claim to make them disappear. This is why I was intrigued to try this product as it could potentially cover dark circles and help reduce bags, sorting out both of my problems! I bought it on a whim, having not realised that a 2 in 1 version of the caffeine roll on product even existed, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.
The product itself when applied to the under eye area is cooling and soothing and really helps to wake up sleepy eyes. It is easy to apply thanks to the roller ball mechanism and it is not messy or gloopy. I think the consistency is perfect as I find some other creams for this type of problem can be very thick and make under eye areas shiny until they fully sink in- not a good look for anyone!
Initially I was apprehensive about buying the roll on as it contained tinted moisturiser. I have very fair skin, which does not tan and tends to show flaws such as bags (etc) much worse than if I was olive skinned. Many tinted moisturisers simply do not suit my skin tone and leave me with an orangey glow. But I am pleased to say that the lighter version of this product blends into my skin and suits my tone very well, it is a nice surprise to have a product like this work on my fair skin, especially as it is only made in two shades, fair and medium.
Now for the most important part of the review, does it shift the bags and dark circles? I’m pleased to say that for me it has made a significant difference to my under eye bags and dark circles. I have used it for two weeks and found that I look more refreshed and awake as well as reducing the appearance of my dark circles. I only hope it continues to work its magic further as the results after 2 weeks has been quite wonderful, I might even look perfectly airbrushed after 4 weeks! I wish!
I very rarely feel the need to write a review of beauty products but this is just too good not to recommend. It is just what I’ve been looking for and is doing a wonderful job. The price tag is somewhere around the £9.99 mark and for a tinted moisturiser and anti dark circle serum it is a bargain. If I didn’t know it, I may even believe it to be a more premium beauty item. I am so impressed that I have bought the original version of this to apply at night time! (no point wasting the tinted version going to bed!)
If your still not convinced of how good it is, let me tell you that I no longer feel the need to wear my YSL touch éclat during the day anymore as the product is just as good if not, dare I say it, better!
You can currently buy it at Boots online and in stores for £9.99 (15ml)
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
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The people at Liz Earle were kind enough to send me some products to try out a couple of weeks ago (a Dollface care package, if you will), and I’ve been working my way through them ever since: it’s a hard life, but, you know, someone has to do it…
One product I can give you an opinion on right away, however, is the Botanical Essence Eau De Parfum. This was released last year, and although it’s Liz Earle’s first foray into the world of fragrance, it’s already won an award, from a Grazia Magazine. The fragrance is over 98% derived from natural ingredients, and contains top notes of bergamot, mandarin, orange, bigarade, lemon and cardamom, mid notes of floral rose absolute, lavender, geranium, coriander and nutmeg and base notes of naturally woody cedar wood, vetiver, tonka bean absolute and patchouli.
Of course, if you’re anything like me, all of that probably means absolutely nothing to you at all, and you’re just thinking, “OK, but how’s the SMELL?” Quick answer: it’s gorgeous. Slightly longer answer: when I first applied it, the scent was very fresh, and very citrusy. Now, citrus scents aren’t my favourite, but this very quickly tones down and starts to smell warmer and more floral, which I really like. There’s still something very “natural” about it, though, if that makes sense, and it’s not too heavy, making it a nice everyday kind of fragrance.
This costs £39.50 for 50ml, and is available from Liz Earle direct. Anyone tried it?
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Monday, February 1st, 2010
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 I mentioned a while back that I’d made only two beauty purchases during my December holiday, and it’s a good job I DID only buy two things, because although these two items are small, they’re not exactly cheap, and by “not exactly” I mean “not at all, really.”
In fact, let’s just get the bad news out of the way first: the Corrector (right) is £16.50. The Creamy Concealer Kit is £23. Just under £40 for the two, then, but it was a price I was willing to pay because these two items promised to cover up my under-eye shadows, and by that point I’d probably have sold one of my limbs for that.
The dark shadows under my eyes are currently the absolute bane of my life. They’re caused purely by lack of sleep: if I get enough of it, they disappear, but when I don’t, it shows all over my face – or under my eyes at least. The two products you see above are designed to send the bags packing (Sorry!), and they’re designed to be used together, although you can, of course, use them separately if you wish (or if your shadows aren’t quite as stubborn as mine).
On the left of the image, then, we have the creamy concealer kit, which is actually two products in one jar. On top, the creamy concealer that gives the product its name; on the bottom, a loose powder which goes over the top to set the makeup. For those with very dark shadows, meanwhile, the product on the right of the image is used as a base, to neutralize the shadows before the concealer goes on top.
So, how well do they work?
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Thursday, January 21st, 2010
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 This kit was sent to me to review a few weeks ago, and while my nails are currently much too short to do an effective French manicure, I’ve been using the pink and clear polishes regularly, and in fact, the pink has become my “go-to” polish for day-to-day wear.
I haven’t taken a photo of this on, because it’s much too subtle to actually show up. This is exactly why I like it, though: it’s a very natural pale pink colour with just a hint of shimmer: it basically makes my nails look glossy and healthy, and with just a hint of rosy colour, which is perfect for anyone who wants their nails to look polished, without actually looking like you’re wearing a lot of, er, polish, if that makes sense.
Both this and the clear polish are easy to apply: they go one smoothly, with no streaking, and they dry quickly and evenly, so they’re easy to use if you’re in a hurry. It also lasts for days without chipping, which is good for lazy people like me. No, it’s not the most exciting polish around, but it’s still a pretty good deal, especially given that you’re getting all three for just £4.
This kit is available from the E.L.F website, which you’ll find here.
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