John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

I'm a little paranoid about home hair colour.  One too many colouring disasters has left me totally unable, these days, to even think about using a box dye myself.

I've lost count of the towels I've ruined, the ears I've dyed to match my hair (and scalp), the grouting I've spattered with various shades of black, red and blue - long story, don't ask - and, the patchy results always but always drive me nuts.  When you have long, dark hair that has been greying since your 18th birthday (as mine has) it can be difficult to use, particularly on the roots around the back of the head, as I'm not a contortionist!

So, when I was invited to preview a range of home hair dyes from John Frieda I was somewhat sceptical, particularly when we were told that this was something "entirely new" in the field, then found out it was a foam.  I remember foam dyes when they were first introduced in the 80's.  Invariably a shade of red, the only thing they coloured in any way was your skin.  Certainly, they never made any difference whatsoever to my hair!

However, having watched a model use the product live in front of my eyes, I have to say I was impressed with the results I saw recently, so much so that I inveigled a member of my own family to try my sample box.  Essentially, the colourant is a mousse, you mix a dye and accelerant together in a bottle, then add a nozzle applicator and squeeze it to release the contents. 

The bottle:

This is actually after it had been in use - these were the dregs!

Here's the hair we started off with:

Some serious rootage there.  I know that feeling well ...

In progress:

And after:

I have to say, I'm very impressed.  Major points in the colour's favour:

Low smell - it barely smells of anything at all.
Ease of use - my model was packed off to the bathroom with just the box and a 7-yr old "helper" and left to fend for herself, she soon figured it out!
Non-drip - once this stuff is on your hair, it doesn't budge.  Maison Lippie is a palace of white, floors, walls, seats and surfaces (it's beautiful, but not the most practical place to dye your hair, really) and there wasn't a single drip anywhere at the end of the process.  No marks in the bathroom, and no trace of her progress anywhere else in the place, either.
Non-staining - any dye that got on skin (my model was determined to dye her ears black for some reason) was very easily removed with just a baby-wipe.  There were no stains left on skin anywhere.
Short developing time - the entire process was done and dusted in less than an hour.  45 minutes if you don't include drying time.
Good results - Now, whilst the results weren't perfect (we didn't leave the dye on the roots alone for quite long enough, so even though the grey was entirely covered, it was a tiny bit lighter than the ends - this was pure operator error), they were much better than expected.

So, even though the John Frieda Precision Foam Colour is a tiny bit more expensive than most box dyes - it retails at £9.99 from the likes of Boots and Superdrug - my model was impressed enough to change her regular box dye for it.  My mum has one of the blonde ones, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to seeing how she gets along with with it!  I've dyed her hair for years, and find it such a boring chore, this foam may be the one to change all that!



The Fine Print: PR Sample - but a very welcome one.

Review - L'Occitane Fleur Cherie Make Up

On Friday, I said I was giving away a set of L'Occitane goodies, so now is the time for me to tell you a little more about them.

I'm actually giving you this set:

Which contains a lipgloss locket, full size eau de toilette and soap, plus brightening face-powder pearls.  It's a cute little set, which I've enjoyed using a great deal recently - I adore the smell of neroli (Fleur Cherie is scented with orange blossom), and the scent of the products (except the lipgloss, which is unscented) is light, refreshing and just lovely.

The powder pearls are very pretty:

Lightly scented with orange blossom, the peach and apricot pearls give a light glow to the skin - they're not dark enough to be a fake-tan product, although they will give a lovely golden-sheen on darker skin.  I use these in place of blusher.

The lipglosses that you get in the fob, are essentially clear, with a hint of sparkle, as you'll see in the FOTD later.

But this is not the whole of the range, like the peony range of cosmetics L'Occitane brought out last year, there's a few more colour cosmetics available, and I've been trying those too.  I was sent an eyeshadow duo, an eyeliner and a lipstick to try, and here they are:

This is lipstick in Rose Sequin, eyeshadow in Bleu Damasse, and eyeliner in Noir Velours.  I've actually found myself impressed with them (with some caveats, as you'll discover), the shadow is smooth and velvety, with excellent pigmentation, and very good lasting power, I found that without a primer, the shadow stayed in place for around 10-12 hours, needing only a light smush with my fingers to get rid of the (minimal) creasing. The liner is very black, and very smudgy, however, it's lasting power isn't quite as good as the shadows, and I found it had run a bit after about six hours. The lipstick is a lovely, lovely shade, but it's very sheer, so won't be for everyone, also, I've found that the cardboard packaging, whilst adorable, isn't the most robust packaging in the world.  It's nice and moisturising on though, so while it doesn't last, it's actually nice to reapply quite regularly.

Here's the face of the day I created with the shadows, liner, face powder and the lipglosses from the fob:

Foundation is Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in shade 2.

The Fine Print: samples were provided for review.  You didn't think I'd do a giveaway of untried products, did you?

Giveaway Time!

Oh, this latest Fleur Cherie collection from L'Occitane is so pretty! The full range is released on Monday, but I have a gift set to give away to one of my lucky readers. Containing a full size Fleur Cherie eau de toilette, a bath soap, a set of brightening face powder pearls and the almost too pretty to use lipgloss you can see above.

The Fleur Cherie range is based around orange blossom and all the items in the gift set are beautifully packaged and scented. This is a lovely present either for yourself or for hoarding for a Christmas gift for someone else. There's a whole range of makeup too, which I'll show you more of next week, I think you'll like it, I certainly do!

The rules:

1) be a follower of this blog via google friends connect (on the right there)
2) leave a comment on this blog post telling me your favourite scent, and why
3) be UK resident, and please leave an email address I can contact you on in your comment
4) that's it!

The prize will be despatched direct from L'Occitane's representatives upon receipt of a valid postal address.

Prize will be drawn on Friday 5th November - invalid entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

NOTD: NARS Mash

I was obsessed with this shade from the first moment I saw it, a glorious golden-khaki, it's slightly different (metallic greens are my current nail varnish obsession) and I had to have it:





I love it. The above pic shows two coats over a sticky basecoat and topped with Seche Vite. First coat goes on quite sheer, but the second finishes it off nicely.

It's oddly work-appropriate, and very pretty, it flashes bronze and copper sparkle when you move your fingers around.

However this is a *chiptacular* polish! I've worn it several times now, and each time I've had to remove it within 48 hours (once within 12!) thanks to chipping. Still wear it though because I love the colour so much, but I'm not entirely sure I'll be buying any more polishes from NARS in the future, to be honest.

MASH is part of the NARS vintage collection which is available from Selfridges and SpaceNK, cost £13.50.

A question

If you went for a keratin treament and got these results, what would you think?

After blowdry (1st wash, 3 days after treatment):

Close up:

And, after airdrying (2nd wash, four days after treatment):

Close up:

Excuse the dodgy lighting - and my best "Prisoner Cell Block H" expression, but I wondered what you guys thought of my hair (not my face, please)?  More details about the process in a later post.

I've had a similar treatment before, see those results here.

Tom Ford Lipstick - Pure Pink

£35. For a lipstick. Even I, who will quite happily shell out a whopping £25 a throw for a new Guerlain Rouge G (review of a new one of those coming up soon, btw) every now and again, am thinking that £35 is just a little OTT. For a lipstick.

But, this isn't just any lipstick. This is a Tom Ford lipstick, and for all I know is made from precious dyes hand-extracted by virgins at the fullest of full moons, rare waxes to be found only in the magical village of Brigadoon, and then pressed into the moulds by the great man himself. They're not of course (they're made by Lauder Group), but they are pretty damn fine all the same. Soft to apply, richly pigmented and moisturising on the lips, they are a treat.






An expensive treat, admittedly. I'm amusing myself by figuring out, every time I wear it, the cost per wear, which is currently £2.92 at the time of writing (or £2.916 recurring if you want to be precise). Look, we accountants have to amuse ourselves somehow!

The main draw for me is the colour of this one, a cool, BRIGHT pink, this is a happy shade. A confident shade, and one I love wearing.






It's not glossy, but lips are saturated with colour that lasts (and lasts), but it will coat cups glasses and pens in pigment too, every time you eat or drink.

Overall: Do I think these are overpriced? Hell yes. Am I thinking of buying another? Dammit, I am. More than one, in fact, despite having been underwhelmed when I saw the line initially. I think the secret ingredient in these is crack.

Tom Ford: evil genius. Pass it on.

Bogies!

Yes, I am a child, but I can't deny that a large part of the charm of this shade (for me) is it's name. Which is actually Bogie, not bogies, but I never let truth get in in the way of a stupid joke. Did I tell you that I once bought a blusher purely because the shade was called "Wind"? Anyway, I digress ...

Hailing from the recent China Glaze Vintage Vixens collection (and actually named after Humphrey Bogart) Bogie is a glorious metallic aubergine, with a hint of silver in the mix. It's garnered a lot of compliments this week, and I love it.



Application was fabulous, this applied perfectly in two coats, and, even now, four days after it was first applied, is still going strong, with no chips and only minor tipwear.




I just wish China Glaze were easier to pick up in this country, I got my bottle (alongside most of the rest of the utterly beautiful Vintage Vixens collection) at the Professional Beauty Show at Olympia recently.

Candle Wall ...

I love candles, now I've moved to Maison Lippie, I have an entire display unit devoted to my favourites, they make the room smell wonderful, even when they're not burning:

Top Row: (L-R) Orla Kiely White Tea (£12.50 from Heals) - this one doesn't really smell of anything when it's burning, which is a shame, as it smells wonderful in the holder. Jonathan Ward Lost in El Salvador -  (£20 from Wholefoods) this is one of my very favourites - you might be able to tell it had just finished burning in the pic - gloriously scented, once burning, this will scent the whole flat very quickly, I'll be heartbroken once it's finished! Malin & Goetz Vetivert (£34 from Liberty) - love the straw and hay scents to this one, I'm hoarding it a little for deeper into winter when I want to be reminded of summer days!

Middle Row: Kenneth Turner Blue Tangerine (£22 from KennethTurner.com) this is a scent I have in almost every format it exists in, shower gel, hand cream, body lotion, candle, room spray, everything.  About the only format I don't own this in is a reed diffuser, but I'm hoping to remedy that soon, I think it's one of the sexiest scents on the planet, and I love this candle a great deal, it's about the third one of this scent I've owned, and I have a couple of back ups.  I just wish it was a perfume.  Orangey and minty, it's delicious. This doesn't smell as strong when it's burning, but I love it anyway. Man's Candle Lemongrass and Thyme (£12 from Wholefoods) smells wonderful in the box, smells of literally nothing whilst burning, and the scent has disappeared since I opened it too.  Definitely one I wish I hadn't wasted my money on.  The White Company Cassis - (£18 - The White Company) smells gloriously green and leafy, love it in the jar, but again, one that doesn't smell so much when it's burning.  A shame, blackcurrant leaves are a great scent! Jonathan Ward Lulu in Provence - (£30 from Wholefoods) Summer in a jar, sweet fruits with a hint of almond and some gorgeous sandalwood, again, it scents the room wonderfully whether lit or not.

Bottom Row: Jonathan Ward Nightingales Jasmine (£30 - Wholefoods) - wonderfully sexy scent for the bedroom, a spicy jasmine.  It's the first JW candle I got my hands on, and it's a glorious introduction to the range.  Neom Complete Bliss (£35 from neomorganics.com) - roses, roses, roses.  I love to burn this one alongside a bath with my beloved Ren Rose Otto bath oil.  It's sweet, and as the name suggests, rather blissful.  If you like roses, you'll love this one.  Kenneth Turner Citrus Bergamia - (£22 - Kennethturner.com) A nice candle this one, but rather forgettable next to some of the others. Harrods Pink Pepper & Passionflower (£20 - Harrods) lovely, gentle, slightly spicy flowery scent.  It's really nice and relaxing to have burning when I'm blogging.

Now, you might be thinking that I have more than enough candles, but I have one space left that I'm saving for Idina's Locket (again from the genius that is Jonathan Ward), I was lucky enough to have sniffed Jonathan's latest range back when it was still in the planning stages, and I can't wait to see how they've turned out in candle form!

But, if anyone is reading, and wants to buy me another, this one has my name ALL over it ... Luce's Candle.

Estee Lauder Signature Services

After my little rant yesterday, on to a brand that's at least trying to get their counter service right.  I mentioned the other week that the worst makeover I ever had was at an Estee Lauder counter, and as a result I was invited along to try out an Estee Lauder Signature Service for myself to see how things had changed in the meantime.

There are several Signature Services, including Skincare Check Ups, Foundation Matching, Fragrance Finding, Colour advice, "Two Minute Touch Ups" (snigger) and Time Reversing Tips and Tricks.  I popped along to the Selfridges counter (ironically, one of the nearest proper Lauder counters to where I live), and spent some time with Kaman to get some skincare hints, and find my perfect foundation.

I'm a lapsed Lauder customer. I used to use their Double Wear foundation back in the day, I always found it slightly the wrong shade, but it was about the only foundation at that time that would cover up my dreadful reddened, angry and pustular skin.  Likewise, aside from Idealist, I'd always steered clear of their skincare, finding it dreadfully over-perfumed and found the names way too long and confusing (still do, as a matter of fact).

However, with the recent addition of Tom Pecheaux to their creative team, Lauder powder products have impressed me hugely, so I was happy to have my prejudices challenged.  Kaman, is a lovely girl, and when she told me that she's going to be spearheading Lauder's campaign to get all counter-staff trained in making the customer feel comfortable, I wasn't surprised that she had been chosen for the job.  Calm, chatty, and willing to listen to my specific concerns about my skin, and my less specific whinges about customer service in the beauty industry in general she's a great person to spend 20 minutes or so in the company of.

She really knows her stuff too.  The Lauder system is based on you answering a few specific questions, and then a range of products are suggested to you.  My skin is going through an oily patch at the moment, so I wanted to look at products that were good for combination skin showing the first signs of ageing, no mean feat, really.  I was "prescribed" products from the Perfectly Clean range (Sparkling Clean is for oily skin, Soft Clean is for dry skin, and Perfectly Clean is for normal/combination skin), alongside Revelation Moisturiser and Idealist serum.  Oddly, I've always thought of Idealist as a primer rather than a serum, so we'll see how it goes.

As for foundation, I was matched to Double Wear Light (bad beauty blogger alert) which I wasn't aware actually existed!  It's a lot easier to wear than regular Double Wear, that's for sure!  I was surprised that I was matched to a cool tone - I actually think my skin tone is pretty neutral these days, I'm pale, but I tan, and the veins on my inner arms appear green rather than blue, but I do prefer cooler tones for clothing, and silver jewellery for some reason - but it was interesting to see that Lauder are making an effort to match cool, warm and neutral skin tones.  I was also really pleased to see that even though this is a free service, I was actually given a ten-day sample of the foundation of my choice to take away with me, which I thought was brilliant.  Much better than a sachet that may, or may not give you a full application.

All in all, I was very impressed with my time at the Estee Lauder counter, and once I've finished trialling a few things, I'll be back to tell you more ...

Samples

I buy a lot of cosmetics.  I buy a lot of cosmetics.  But a lot of things about buying cosmetics drive me crazy. Over-attentive shop assistants who hover over you, demanding to "help" whenever your eye wanders onto anything.  Under-attentive shop assistants who ignore anything resembling a buying signal, up to and including you saying "excuse me, can I get one of these please?"

But one thing that really, really, really drives me nuts at cosmetic counters is the refusal to give samples. I have pretty sensitive skin, and, it means that I can't really buy skincare without having tried a sample of it for a few days first, particularly with eye creams, so many of them sting me after a day or two. Likewise, there are certain ingredients in some perfumes that literally make me vomit, so I have to be careful - you will never find me agreeing to be sprayed with an unknown perfume in a department store, ever.  They tend to get upset after the first time you throw up on a shop floor, I find. 

Now, none of this would bother me that much if we had a decent returns policy in this country for unsuitable products.  But, if you've ever tried returning something you were allergic to, or made ill by (or even one that's damaged when you get through the packaging), then, on a cosmetic counter, you're made to feel like a scammer, or a criminal if you try to return it to the brand.

Far too often these days, I find that brands are very, very reluctant to hand out samples, even when I've notice that they often have drawers full of tiny tubes and sachets just ready, willing and aching to be handed to people.  In fact, especially when the brand has drawers of product ready willing and aching to be handed out to people, this appears to be the time that the dragon sales assistant has decided that no one - but mainly you - simply cannot have a sample of anything.

In fact, even when you've spent lots of money on products already, increasingly brands (and expensive brands are the worst, at times) some companies won't give you any samples, even when you ask. "it's not policy" you're told, or "we don't have any", both of which are doubly galling when it's a brand you've had samples of before.  I know, if I had a chance to try before I bought - and I'd even be happy to pay a token amount for certain samples - I'd BUY MORE COSMETICS.

So, what drives you mad about buying cosmetics?  And, whilst I'm about it, what's your biggest gripe about cosmetic sales assistants?