Guerlain Rouge G - B62 Betsy

I love my Rouge G's, I already own a red, and a pink and I wanted something a little more neutral this time around. 

Enter Betsy.  In the bullet, a rather intense mauve shade, it's actually rather more sheer than it might appear on first look:

This is one of the B range of Rouge G's, which have a lighter, more sheer texture, and feel rather more like a tinted lip balm than a lipstick.  I find them highly emollient, and, even though I have to apply slightly more often than I do than I do with a regular Rouge G, I think it's worth it when you get the right shade. On me, this is a "my lips but better" shade which I find works better for a smoky eye than a traditional "nude" shade, as it still adds a little definition, and doesn't make me look anemic.

Rouge G's are expensive, there is no denying it, but for me, they're worth every penny, as an investment piece there are very few lipsticks that look as expensive as this.  I adore the packaging - and, whilst I might have had my head turned slightly by Tom Ford and his crack habit lately, Rouge G will always come top of the expensive lipstick league tables for me.

The Fine Print: Debenhams Oxford St provided me with this fine example of a lipstick for only TWENTY FIVE of your earth pounds.

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.