Friday 10 July 2009

Current favourites (and one current hate)

I've seen this topic going around on You Tube but due to a bad hair situation I've chosen to do it as a blog post. (*Short story is I went to the hairdresser and spent £85, they made me bleach bottle blonde ... and it did NOT look good. I have now gone over it TWICE myself to undo it all; hair ruined, again. Remind me never to get my colour done professionally, no one ever gets it right. Oh and it was Regis in Brent Cross - stay away!!)

Anyway, I do have some clear favourites right now, so let's get going!

1. FROWNIES



I will be doing a full review in a few weeks on my YouTube channel once I can establish if these work. All I can say for now is that they feel like they're working. These little sticky papers act to form a physical barrier to minimise your frowning as you sleep. A box of 144 pads is £17.50, which seems a lot for craft paper, but if these work I will be buying them again and again. Call off the botox! - In fact the other day I was asked for I.D to buy super glue (you have to be over 21) so I couldn't help but beam with joy, inwardly thanking my Frownies. (It was only later that it occured to me that perhaps I just looked like a bedraggled glue sniffing junkie? Banish the thought...)

2. NARS COPACABANA

This famous NARS multiple is £27 but you do get 14.2g so I'm hoping it lasts! At first as I applied I thought oh dear, it's chalky... but somehow a moment after it settles it melts into your skin, giving a natural glaze finish. It's not glittery or greasy looking. It's way better than Benefit High Beam / Moon Beam and it's a great cool colour: no gold (unlike their Albatross, whih I didn't like and was hugely underwhelmed by) and no apricot - just pure sheen.

Again, this is new so lets just hope it contines to be brilliant! But for now, definite fave!!

3. Blusher combination (Both discontinued!!! dammit!!)

MAC Foolish Me blusher


Laura Mercier face tint in Apricot

MAC Sheertone Shimmer blusher in Foolish Me looks garishly neon, but once applied it only imparts a light peach and a gorgeous highlight. Mixed with Laura Mercier's mineral blusher in Apricot (£19) for 9.3g, the colour is ultimate summer bright blusher perfection. Although LM have discontiued this, the shade's replacement is a dead-ringer and I think this is a great product. In my experience, no blusher lasts on your face (or indeed in the pot) like a mineral blusher. Check them out!

4. Laura Mercier Pony Tail brush

If any of you remember, I mentioned recently that MAC's 217 had gone straight to my bad books. Although the shape and size were perfect, the goat hair bristles had started to become coarse and scratchy and even had fallout. The brush was around a year old, yet had got to the stage where it actually hurt my eye, and frankly with that it made me fear wrinkles! I could not use it at all. I had been on a fruitless search to find its (superior) doppelgänger and finally I have hit gold.

This Laura Mercier Pony Tail brush looks more like the 224 but notice its thin, sharp head and you might imagine it does a fabulous job of getting neatly into the crease and softly blending like a dream. It was £27 but if it lasts - really lasts, without the quality deteriorating - then that's a fair price. Fingers crossed!


5. MAC Brave New Bronze lipstick (Style Warriors collection; SOLD OUT dammit!!)

Question: How long does a MAC lipstick last? Because I have 2 backups, but I never want to run out! And this is predictably sold out.

The packaging, I find gorgeous. I love the kitsch animal print overload on the boxes, and the gold tube, though cheap and tacky (As usual) has grown on me. But the real reason I could not compile a list without it is the colour. It's the combination of MAC Kinda Sexy (previously the only nude equivalent I could wear before corpse status was declared) and Velvet Teddy (nice nude but just enough brown overload to make you think Ricki Lake 90s look)but it has more pink in it than the supposed dupe Cherish, which has the same unwanted grey echoes of Honeylove on me. Phew, OK got that? - Basically, it's a stunning pinky brown nude that I reckon would work on anyone. Oh and unlike my Kinda Sexy, this satin formula doesn't feel drying at all! Amazing, just wish it was perm.


6. MAC Quite Natural Paint Pot (Limited edition)

Well whoever named this got it in one - this is indeed 'quite natural'. It's like MAC Mystery eyeshadow (minus the crappy texture) and perhaps a little more muddy. It first came out with the N Collection and is now here again as a limited edition. It does crease so expect to use UDPP as with any paint pot, but as a colour base it's perfect for any brown smokey look or even more neutral looks - you might even use it as an independent crease colour! Current fave for sure.

And one big disappointment....

Urban Decay cream eyeshadow (in 'Weeds')



The colour is the same as MAC's sweet sage fluidline, i.e, beautiful golden green. However as UD are notoriously guilty, this is stuffed full of annoying chunky glitter. But more to the point, I thought the fact that this is infused with UDPP would mean a reliably crease-free green base. But no, this creases. So all in all, completely useless. I also don't like the doe foot applicator. It was £10, and a total let down.

What are your current faves/ hates? Let me know!

14 comments:

  1. Current Faves :D
    Avon Anew, see my funky youtube vid (i fidget like a school kid)
    Tigi the superficial, like a scented oil for dry ends of hair - love the smell
    Fake Bake tan as i never tan just freckle and burn
    e/s palettes for ease of storage, urban decay and sleek are my current faves

    Current hate
    the cambridge diet lol I miss food but great fast weight loss

    xxx
    hope you have better hair days, I dye my hair myself and get a friend to trim it out every few months when I get big Justin lee collins bush head

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  2. Great Post, really made me laugh and as someone hurtling towards thirty I would love to know how you get on with the frownies:)
    I definitely agree with some of your faves Brave New Bronze is lovely and so is the paint pot which I sometimes use for my brows too.
    I also just bought that Nars multiple in a gift set so i'm looking forward to trying it out and you giving it the thumbs up gives me confidence its good x

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  3. I love these types of post and excited to learn about what you're liking as it I know it's good stuff!
    I'm loving Groundwork pp. It's deepens my crease just a shade or two. It's truly the perfect pp in my opinion. But now I'm curious about Quite Natural!
    I hear MAC Patisserie is similar to Brave New Bronze. May want to check it out. Have a great weekend!

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  4. @Lizzclare

    Oh just watched that vid actually! Didn't notice any fidgeting, guess I was too busy getting jealous of your shiny hair. I need a friend who's a hairdresser, that would sort me out. But I think yes you have got it right - just dye it yourself, highlights etc are so high maintenance, and prone to going wrong! I must get that Tigi stuff, sounds like just what I need!!

    Hope your diet isn't too stressful, I guess summer is less difficult than winter for starvation... Good luck! You look fab to me anyway xxxx

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  5. @Llyangel

    Thanks! You have great taste too, I always agree with your recs. (Great minds etc!!) You will love NARS Copacabana, I have only had it a few days and so far it's love! Let me know xxxx

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  6. @aestheticoo

    Thanks! Yes you'd love Quite Natural, not sure if it's noticeably different, I mean brown paintpot, not sure how many you need...?! but as a neutral lover, I know you'd appreciate it. Llyangel says it makes a great brow shade too, so that's interesting!

    Thanks for the dupe alert, never seen that one, I've heard of it but always assumed it was d/c. I will test it next time, Thank you!! (Do you happen to know how long a lipstick lasts with everyday use?) xxxx

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  7. NARS lipstick in Dolce Vita! The colour is a subtle, almost translucent red and it's so moist!

    I have terribly dry lips and, so far, this is the ONLY lipstick that I can straightaway apply onto my bare lips. With other lipsticks, I'd have to first apply a layer of Vaseline as a base to help keep the lips moist. But the downside to doing that is that the lipstick slides off easily.

    So sorry to hear about your hair! I think it's now best to not try to undo and re-undo the original wrong. It'll only make matters worse.

    Oh dear, does this mean we won't be seeing you on Youtube for quite a while? :(

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  8. @Witoxicity

    Oh I've only tried one NARS lipstick, a very vampy red, which I din't like... but at least it lasted. I put up with drying formulas if they last, I hate having to re-apply.

    haha yes you'll be seeing me before long, I'm going to get a haircut I think that might help this disaster zone.

    Thanks! xx

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  9. Sorry about your hair! I can sort of sympathize. I haven't had any color disasters but I suffered through a few years of really bad haircuts. I recently found someone who does a good job and I hope she never leaves town!

    I'm curious about those Frownies too. I've been using RoC retinol cream for several weeks now. I think it does soften the wrinkles but the lines are still visible. :(

    --Laurore44

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  10. Funnily enough I was examing the lines on my forehead only this morning..I think I need some frownies!

    p.s. Congrats on the shoutout in the Metro for your youtube channel - you're famous!

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  11. @Ondine

    I know all about examining lines, it's horrid isn't it! But honestly I feel Frownies might be on to something... still testing but watxh out for a vid on it. Not sure how long to wait before deciding if it works or not... but prob won't be too long...

    Oh and thanks, yes I still cannot believe it!!! Xx

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  12. Love Brave New Bronze! I might have to go check out the blushes you have mentionned.

    I just came across your blog and love it! I am thoroughly enjoying the read.

    Come and check out mine if you get a chance.

    Cheers. Michelle

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  13. I too love the LM apricot blush, I bought the cream version as well, very nice. I hope your hair mishap sorts itself out soon. Its awful when you go to professionals and they royally screw up! Hope you're well otherwise. xxNadia

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  14. Gail,
    After using BNB and Patisserie, these are not similar at all. I received Patisserie as a birthday gift so not really breaking my no buy... I love the patisserie color and this may be a nice color for your fair skin. Have you had a chance to take a look?
    As far as lipstick lasting, I find the MAC lustres not to be very long lasting on the lips so reapplying is necessary throughout the day. However, I don't mind since these don't dry out my lips. The creamsheens hold on better and stain the lip nicely, at least the colors I have do...probably last a bit longer. As far as an estimate, I have no idea. This would make for a good project. Gypsydancermacaholic did this but with blush.

    I thought of this comercial when answering your question:P
    "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? The world may never know".*HooHoo* says the owl:)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2xMGI-QpZw

    ReplyDelete

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