Tangle Teezer

Sometimes something is so simple that you can't tell how it works even when you've got one and have spent many an hour staring at it, playing with it, picking it up, putting it down, taking it apart and then putting it back together.  I have even, I have to admit, actually even resorted to using the darn thing, and I still can't tell you how it works.

So I'm assuming it's some kind of magic. Certainly, it's worked miracles on my hair.

The Tangle Teezer, launched in 2007 by the irrepressible Shaun Pulfrey, has a kind of mystique in the beauty business, largely down to an infamous appearance on Dragon's Den the same year.  Shaun was turned down by the Dragons, but he's never looked back since!  I met with Shaun recently, and he told me all about the backstage shenanigans, which were utterly hilarious, funny and loveable, Shaun's a real tonic after a tough day at work, I can tell you!  He spent 20 years as a colourist, but now his brushes are taking over the world ...

Speaking of tough, I've been giving Shaun's compact Tangle Teezer a thorough workout in the last week, too.  Designed not to pull or tug at your hair, no matter how tangled, the brushes are said to make styling and brushing a breeze.  On first sight, the brushes don't look too different to many other ones on the market - although the lack of a handle does mark them out a little bit - but it's when you put them to your hair that the real difference appears.

Even on the wettest, most thick with product, tangled hair (that's been caught in a gusty rainstorm, to boot) the Tangle Teezer simply floats over the knots, untangling and leaving your hair flat and smooth.  There's no tugging, no pulling, and no pain.  I have no idea how, it's simply astonishing!  I'm not astonished by much these days, so it was a nice surprise to discover that there are no bells and whistles on this product, and it just does what it says it will. And does it blimming well!

Any brush that can float through my mad - and maddening - mane has to be a miracle, have you got yours?

Tangle Teezers cost from £9.99 and are available from Boots, and the Tangle Teezer website.

The Fine Print: Brush used in this review was a gift.  Sorta.

New blog!

Yeah, I've gone a bit mad and started a new blog, it's called Lippie Lite, well, for the time being it is, and it's where I'm planning on writing about all the stuff that catches my eye that isn't makeup.  Like films.  And shoes. Okay, maybe not shoes. But there shall be ranting, and restaurant reviews and recipes and things.

No accountancy though.  I promise.  Kinda.

If you'd like to read it, you can find my first post here: http://getmorelippie.blogspot.com/2010/09/er.html

Look forward to seeing you guys there, too!

Lip Stains

I'm a big fan of lipstains, whilst I don't mind spending time applying my makeup in the mornings, I'm actually very lazy, and re-applying lipstick is something I don't bother doing all that often during the day, so it's nice that there are products you can use that'll stay in place all day.

That said though, I'm always slightly disappointed with products that look a bright rich red in the tube (or bottle) that actually just pull fuschia on the skin.  Yes, Benetint, et al, I'm looking at you!  The Body Shop lip & cheek stain does the same thing, but actually, I kind of like it.

Bourjois Rose Exclusif is actually a lipgloss with "colour-changing" abilities.  Do you remember "Ultra Glow" lipsticks?  They came in green and yellow and blue and brown and the like, and were meant to change to your "perfect" lipcolour in reaction to your body chemistry.  In reality, on me, they just went bright fuschia (no matter what colour I'd started off with) then stained my lips for three days.  Rose Exclusif promises to do a similar thing, only in a gloss.  And hopefully without the industrial staying power.

Here's how they swatch on the hand:

Body Shop tint on the left there, and Rose Exclusif on the right. As you can see, the Rose Exclusif doesn't really stain skin which isn't your lips, which is nice.  Both have a slight scent, and the Bourjois smells very, very sweet indeed.

Remarkably, both go more or less the exact same shade on my lips!  The Body Shop tint is far too pink for my cheeks alas (pink shades on my cheeks tend to make me look like I'm having a hot flush, which isn't a great look, to be honest), but here's the Body Shop tint on my lips:

And here is the Bourjois Rose Exclusif:

I find that if I layer the Bourjois over the Body Shop, then I can deepen the colour, and it lasts all day.  Here's the Rose Exclusif in the full context of my face:

Excuse the mad hair all over the place there, was testing a shampoo that I'll be talking to you about soon.


The Fine Print: One was a PR sample, and one was a freebie with a magazine.  Both are very nice though, regardless.

Max Factor Vs All For Eve: A Nail File Challenge

Crystal nail files are everywhere at the moment, when I had a pedicure at The Chapel recently, BeautyMaze used a Leighton Denny crystal file on my tootsies, and I was astonished at how smooth it was, and how little it set my teeth on edge when she filed my toenails, which is always the worst part of any pedicure for me.  Well, usually.

As a  result I thought I'd try a couple for myself, and see if they could make a difference on my fingernails.  Now, I'm not one for doing much filing on my fingernails, to be honest.  As a long-time cack-handed muppet, I tend to make a dreadful mess of them, and always, but always end up with uneven nails as a result.

Max Factor have recently introduced a line of beauty accessories which includes makeup brushes and a crystal nail file.  I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the brushes, especially when you consider the price points, and their glass file currently retails for £8.50.

All For Eve also have a glass file in their range, which is a little pricier at £12.50, but you do get swarovski crystals for that, so how do they compare?

They're very similar in thickness, but the Max Factor is a little longer, they're both well designed items,  I like the black and gold on the Max Factor, but I'm always a sucker for something sparkly and I love the little crystals on the All for Eve file!

Now, the important thing about a crystal file is how smooth it is.  The smoother the file is, the less you'll feel it on your nails, and the less likely it will be to snag your nails. Also, the smoother it is, the quieter it'll be.  I can't be the only one who finds the sound of filing nails a little ... gnarly?

Anyhoo, you might be able to see that the surface of the Eve file is a lot smoother than the Max Factor, but even so, the Max Factor is considerably smoother than even the finest emery board you might already own.  Both give a fine filing experience, and don't split the nails when you're shaping.

As for the detailing on the files themselves, it has to be said that the Eve file does have the edge, if you look at the tips, the Eve file is finer-pointed, and this just shows that greater care has been taken with the design.  Plus, the cases that you get with the files mean that the Eve file is likely to be better protected in your handbag, but the smaller padded case you get with the Max Factor means that it is, in fact, easier to carry around.

Overall, there isn't a lot to choose between these files, both make shaping your nails a more pleasurable experience, and they're both definitely good at doing what they were designed for!  Whilst, yes, they're both more expensive than an emery board, if you take the time to look after these properly, they will last you a lifetime, which is always a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

For me though, my money would go to All for Eve, mainly because it's (slightly) better designed than the Max Factor one, and the fact that 100% of the profits on this line go to charity will always make me willing to spend a little more on a product. That said though, the Max Factor file is also very useful, if you genuinely can't afford the couple of quid extra to spend on the Eve file.

What do you use to file your nails?

Guest Review: Tara Smith Feed The Root Shampoo and Conditioner

It's been a while since I had a guest-reviewer on board (why yes, MrL, that is a hint!), so I thought I'd let Sarah take over for the day today.  She's been raving about this shampoo range for a little while, and her she is spreading the joy:



Given that Smith is (allegedly) one of the commonest surnames in the English-speaking world, hairdressers called Smith are particularly rare. Maybe they're told, after they've spent their first day sweeping away cuttings, making tea and learning to make small talk about holidays: "Sorry lovey, but Smith just doesn't say 'Stylist' to me. You'll need to get married or do something drastic to the spelling, my love. Maybe add an extra letter?"

Tara Smith is a brave exception. You can imagine her tossing her perfectly-formed mane defiantly as she folded the towels and vowing that one day, she too would be a vibrant, innovative and respected Stylist to the Stars and yet stay true to her roots and stay a Smith. With an "i". Twelvty years later she has snipped and demiwaved her way to the glittering salons of Hollywood, and now she is ready to join the ranks of the Sassoons and the Friedas with her own range of organic, cruelty-free, locally-produced haircare products. And I bet no-one calls her Smitty...

So, on to the review:

The product

The main attraction for me was the absence of foaming and stuff like parabens, sodium laureth sulphate and something called phthalates. The blurb on the back says "Tested on Film Stars, not Animals" - but it doesn't say which film stars were strapped into a harness and had shampoo dripped into their eyeballs, but I enjoyed making a list of potential testees.
Smith gets extra brownie points for natural, earth-friendly ingredients and local manufacture (well, Sussex is fairly local...). 

Her products also carry certification from the Vegan Society. The shampoo contains five yeast extracts and extract of bamboo, plus tea-tree oil and mint. The conditioner has something called Squalane which is derived from avocado and olive oil. Combined with more yeast extracts and marine algae, the conditioner claims to provide with essential minerals and bind moisture to the hair shaft. Both shampoo and conditioners come in circular 250ml bottles that fit very nicely on the edge of the bath.

To use the shampoo, rub a good-sized squidge into wet hair and leave in for a few minutes. The shampoo is suitably rich-textured and smells deliciously minty, like an After Eight. After about 30 seconds your scalp begins to tingle slightly. This, apparently, is the shampoo At Work, according to the label. With no parabens or foaming agents, there isn't much in the way of lather, but it rinses out easily anyway. The label recommends a second shampoo, but I don't think that makes much of a difference, other than more bubbles the second time around.
 
Squeeze-dry your hair and apply the conditioner in the usual way. The conditioner felt quite light, compared with similar products, but it smelled utterly delicious and worked easily into the hair, leaving no icky residue on your hands. Again, you feel the minty tingle after a few seconds. Rinse out the conditioner after leaving it in for five minutes and style as usual.

After the wash and condition my usually coarse, wiry (greying) hair actually felt quite silky. This doesn't usually happen unless I've applied half a tonne of Kiehls conditioning treatment and slept with my head in a plastic bag. To be on the safe side, I applied a small dollop of Tara Smith's base coat primer before blow-drying and tonging the hair into some semblance of normality. The primer helps to protect the hair from heat treatments, and it comes with a clever little all-in-one squishy pump. One pump is all you need for shortish hair with the texture and manageability of a moody Brillo pad.

So, given it's completely organic, vegan and made by magical elves in leafy Sussex, you'd expect the price to be something ridiculous, but no. Cult Beauty sells this shampoo and conditioner for a paltry £5.50 each. The primer costs £6.50 for 50ml. Half a bottle does for three months of twice-weekly washes on fairly short, thirsty hair, which means you can be green and gorgeous, and have a bit of change for that lovely All For Eve lippie...

Review - Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

I have a love-hate relationship with Benefit.  When the products are good (and very many of them are), they're very good, but when they're bad, they're dreadful.  Add in the hard sell at the counter, the freaky makeovers you get, and then look at the frankly rather limited range of foundation shades, they can be difficult to love at times .... also, please don't get me started on the cheap and rather undurable cardboard packaging that drives me nuts ... but hey.

But, when they get things right, they tend to get things really right.  Their Creaseless Cream eyeshadows are a work of genius and I never miss an opportunity to recommend them, and I've been using You Rebel ever since it was called "I am Rebel" (even if these days, I do prefer the "lite" version, I don't enjoy being orange now!).

They're bringing out some new products at the moment (and I hear exciting things about a possible skin-care launch in the near future too), and I've had a chance to try them.  I'll talk more about Porefessional soon,  but Girl Meets Pearl launches in the next couple of weeks and it's really very pretty indeed.

A cool pink with gold pearl, this is a cooling liquid highlighter that you can use to "spotlight" individual areas of your face, or use all over your face (under your foundation) to give your skin a sheeny glow. It's not a shimmer, or a glitter - thank goodness - but it just lights your skin up a little in a delightfully natural fashion.

Here you can see it on my skin, it's largely translucent, but it blends remarkably well, and gives you a buildable effect, you can apply it lightly for a light sheen, or apply more for a more glow-y effect.

Here you can see it catching the light whilst I was blending it in.  It dries a lot more matte though:

Can you see the difference?  I like to use this on my cheekbones (over a tinted moisturiser, and under a powder foundation), and I love the very subtle effect.

But, there is one dreadful thing about this product - the scent.  It's like smearing Hubba Bubba on your cheeks.  Not nice, and, to make things worse, the smell lingers a long time.  Your mileage on the scent may vary, of course!  I do find Benefit products a little over-perfumed at times, and I have to admit that this isn't nearly as bad as the smell of Dr Feelgood (which always smells like curry to me), but I thought you should know!

How do you get along with Benefit?

The Fine Print: I was visited on my sickbed by a very lovely Benefit PR recently, and she left me a sample of this.  PRs are people too, people! 

Nude Eyeliners

 Up until a couple of months ago, I didn't own a single "nude" eyeliner.  Having been tortured throughout the '80s by white eyeliner that was supposed to make you look more "awake" (but in reality just kind of made people look like they had been attacking their eyes with Tipp-Ex), I didn't really think there was anything you could realisitically use these pencils for.  I'd been reading a lot of love on blogs for Stila's Topaz, and when it came up on ModestyBrown's blog sale I bought it.

And now I own seven. <sigh> I'm not sure if it's a problem or not, to be honest.  I now have Une's Skin Glow, GOSH Go Bananas, Stila Topaz, Chanel Clair, Mally's double ended pencil, Laura Geller's I-Care pencil in Bone, and Guerlain's Secret Glow.

Did someone mention swatches?  Here you go:

Thoughts on each:

Une Skin Glow: This is actually meant to be a concealer, but I find it works marvellously well on the waterline, it's light and creamy, and lasts pretty well.  As it's meant to work on your skin to cover up blemishes, it works remarkably well on the waterline to disguise any redness.  A winner.

GOSH Go Bananas: This is actually a shimmering yellow.  Not actually that great as a nude liner, it's a little too yellow for that.  That said, this lasts astonishingly well, and won't actually disappear until you use a remover to take it off.  Great for highlighting around the tearduct rather than using on the waterline, if you ask me.

Stila Topaz:  Although this was the one that started off my collection, I have to say that it's very much not my favourite.  In fact, it's probably the worst liner on this list.  Why?  Well, it's very soft and creamy.  FAR too soft and creamy, in fact.  It's exceptionally easy to overapply (making it look like, well, ta bit like: Your eyes are leaking!! Leaking onto your face!!!  which isn't a great look outside of Halloween), and it can get onto your eyelashes a bit which just looks wrong, really.  Also, it's a little on the peach side, which means it's not a great match for most people's skin tone.

Chanel Clair:  Probably the hardest pencil on this list, it's very subtle, and all the better for it.  The firmness means you don't get the "ooziness" of the Stila, and the colour is very good too.

Mally: The second palest on this list, this gives a very similar effect to a while pencil.  If you're very, very pale, this might be a great choice for you.  It's a double ended pencil though, so means you don't get very much in there.  I'll be talking about the other half of this pencil next week ...

Laura Geller: Another hard pencil, this time in a shimmering ivory shade.  Possibly the prettiest pencil in the collection (and has a great built-in sharpener), alas, I can't get this one to show up on my waterline at all.  Such a shame!

Guerlain Secret Glow: A shimmering vanilla shade, this is glorious (and works well as a browbone highlighter too), being a powder, it's easy to overapply, and make yourself look a little odd, but I do love this one quite unreasonably.

Overall, the ones I'd buy again (and I did buy most of these myself) would be the Chanel and the Une.  What do you think?