You Pays Your Money: Beauty Vending Machines

The Sephora Vending Machines selling 15 Euro bottles of CK One in the Paris Metro stations are a great hit apparantly - certainly they've had plenty of press exposure. But this is not a new idea: Sephora have already trialled the beauty vending machine concept in the states previously. There's a Nivea vending machine in Berlin (selling small tins of Nivea for 50c a shot)and I've mentioned before - last year - the Utique vending machine that caused a stir at Fred Segal, but don't think I've talked about what I think is the best one of all, Beautiful Vending's Straightener vending machine - pay your money and get a go with heated straighteners to re-perfect your do half way through the evening..or day. If I knew where and if these were located in London, I would definitely nip in for a quick sleek down - especially on a hideous frizz day, which we are having so many of lately. Can anyone provide a Central London Map flagging up the straightener locations....I'd like this in the back of my diary instead of the tube map which I don't understand anyway.

Armani Face Fabric Radiance - Scoop!

I'm a big fan of Armani foundations, but have been slightly out of the loop of late. However, I'm completely loving their latest venture into the skin radiance arena. Face Fabric, £29, which launches in June, gives skin an ethereal glow - kind of silvery shot with pink - and totally keys into chiffon-y nude looks. It's supposed to give a pale glow - the opposite of what most glow-makers do: bronze glow, golden glow et al, so is a trend maker on its own. Like it. Out in June.

Speed Reviews: Bobbi Brown Johnson & Johnson, Biotherm, Estee Lauder, Jemma Kidd, Frederic Fekkai

Johnson & Johnson 24 Hour Moisturiser Extra Rich Body Lotion
I've been SO lazy all winter about applying body moisturiser so when I went to the launch of this, it was a good reminder to start dealing with dry skin. Although I like luxier products, I was impressed with this in terms of non-stickiness, hydration and smell....it doesn't over power fragrance or any other scented products you might like to use (a real gripe of mine is over-fragrancing body lotions so the smell clashes with everything else...I never want to smell too much of melons etc) and a wake-up to me was the price - £2.99. That's a lot of moisturising for a very little bit of cash. I've also included a couple of pics of the launch - nice cakes!


Biotherm Huile de Gommage Oil Therapy and Biotherm Aqua Source Skin Perfection
I'm delighted to have a re-introduction to Biotherm, but it is something of a tale of two halves. On the plus, Biotherm Aqua Source Skin Perfection, £27, ticks every moisturiser box in the book for boosting hydration levels and making skin feel and look ultra-comfortable - and concetrating the equivalent of 5,000 litres of thermal spring water, it manages to keep skin hydrated literally all day. On the minus, the Gommage Oil Therapy (not yet in shops) didn't really give the surge of hydration that I was expecting. It absorbs easily, smells beautiful (containing oils of Passion Flower, Rose Mosqueta and Apricot) but still left my skin feeling a bit dry. It doesn't profess to be a body butter, so maybe I'm used to a different formulation (it comes out of the tube like orange jelly), but was disappointed none the less.

Frederic Fekkai Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner
Not a great deal to say on this duo other than at £18 each, you really need it to deliver. It does. It makes my naturally-curly-but-subjected-to-torture-under-straighteners hair shine, shine, shine like nothing else ever has.

Estee Lauder Nautical Matte Eye Shadow (launching end March)
I'm a little bit smitten with this flat navy shade. I always need to use a primer (UD Shadow Potion) with it because nothing looks worse than dark and dusky shades that are creasing and wearing away (lighter shades are far more forgiving) and it doesn't quite last the day on its own, but it is gorgeous worn on it's own with a bit of black mascara and liner for really sultry eyes. As you'll see I've been attending the School of Rubbish Photography again...sorry!


Bobbi Brown Cabana Coral Lip & Eye Palette
I am really enjoying using this palette which is perfect for my preference for neutrals with a kick. Six eye shades and four lip shades in the coral spectrum make a gorgeous natural look that you can rev up or down depending upon how you like it (although correctly speaking, I'm not sure you can 'rev down'!! Two colours are stand-out - Bermuda Pink - a shimmery coral pink, and golden Bonfire. The only thing missing is a creme blush, which I think would have been a better option than four lip shades - three would be plenty and a creme blush to complement the look would have made it more functional palette. £48.


Jemma Kidd Make Up School Blushwear in Pawpaw
Because I wasn't a fan of Mineral Veil, I was a little bit sceptical about trying other items from the range...however, so glad I got over myself because I love this cream blush thats infused with skin loving vitamins. The colour is a perfect peach that goes on skin with milky backdrop - and the lightest touch. I like the buildability of this, as well as the blendability. All in all, a great buy if you're doing the coral trend. £13.

So Now What Do I Do? The Answer is Nothing.

Thanks to all the amazing and thought-through comments that have really helped to put a sense of balance on this. The journalist in me wants a story at any cost, the blogger in me says it just isn't worth it for a million and one reasons outlined by the comments. It's make-up, and we'll all get to hear about it in the end...the medium maybe doesn't matter. But, social media issues are bound to keep cropping up till it becomes more accepted. I'll always stand up for blogs and bloggers as a brilliant resource for those looking for a different and very frank form of writing about beauty, and I'll keep looking for new stories in the belief that it does bring something different and exciting to my blog, but now I know where my line is drawn. Thank you again. x

So Now What Do I Do?

I'd love input on this, because I am in a true dilemma.

A few days ago a new cosmetic range was launched to the press. But not beauty bloggers. I'm deducing that a magazine has asked for exclusivity on the range especially as I know that press were asked to sign a form agreeing to abide by an embargo until nearer launch date and that generally only happens when an exclusivity agreement has been made. On the whole, I hate embargos - I don't like the manipulative factor from brands that say 'we'd like you to plug our brand, but on our terms'...that's just not what blogging is about. I like to think that my blog isn't prey to playing along on such terms - I've got no vested advertising interest and no money coming in from the blog so I feel I can be freer about what I'm saying and doing in a way that print media simply can't. But, if magazines are getting edgy about what beauty blogs are doing, I feel despairing. I thought we'd avoided the whole fashion week knock on where fashion writers and fashion bloggers were slugging it out and haven't seen any indication of that between beauty editors and bloggers. I'd say it is a whole different audience in any case. So, sitting on my laptop is a picture of the said range sourced from contacts - if I publish it, I run the risk of literally wrecking the PR's entire relationship with their client and the magazine - and it is the client's choice, not the PR's, as to how they'd like to run a campaign. I really don't want to do it. In fact, I feel literally sick. The knock on for the PR involved could be so catastrophic it could cost them the client. That's a big responsibility. And yet, what about the responsibility to pioneering a new beauty media, the hours and hours of research into finding new products and exciting industry news and bringing it to an audience of loyal blog readers to whom it would be genuinely fascinating? This is a truly horrible situation because what ever I do, I'm letting someone down...not least myself for not being 'hard' enough to publish it anyway.

H&M Go A Little Bit Organic

This whole organics thing is a bugbear of many bloggers - and beauty writers - because the area is so woolly. Global brand H&M have announced the arrival of what they call 'a skin care range with organic ingredients'. Well, uhh, that's not the same thing at all as an 'organic' brand. I really struggle to see the point of chucking in a few organic ingredients in order to jump on the organic bandwagon. What H&M are hoping of course, is that we'll see the word 'organic' and immediately think of the skincare range as a wholesome, good-for-you product at a very reasonable price. What I see are the words 'organic ingredients' and that is a whole other thing entirely. On the H&M website, their announcement is highlighted in red 'Organic Ingredients'. But what they don't say really is how organic this makes the products. There are no statistics telling us something is say, 80% organic or 75% organic. I don't think you can be a little bit organic. Here's a portion of what the webite says:

'Nature gives us the best ingredients, which is why it makes so much sense to work with organic and natural ingredients in this new range of everyday essentials from H&M. Shower gel contains the juice of organic apples, while organic apple juice and apricot seeds are key ingredients in the body scrub. Organic apple juice and oils from sunflower seeds make up an essential part of the body lotion, while the hand cream has organic apple juice and oils from organic almond seeds. The lip-balm has the key organic ingredients of jojoba and beeswax, and all of the products are scented with natural perfumes derived from essential oils, sold in recyclable packaging. All the products are available at H&M’s affordable prices, while also meeting the requirements of Ecocert. Ecocert is Europe’s biggest certification body for organic and natural cosmetics.

'The introduction of skincare products with certified organic ingredients comes at a time when sustainability is even more central to H&M’s work, with a commitment to increase the use of organic cotton by 50% each year until 2013, while projects like H&M’s Garden Collection for Spring 2010 show how organic and sustainable materials can take their place at the very heart of fashion.'

And yet, this is the same company that was flagged up in the Guardian (via The New York Times) in January for shredding unsold clothes instead of donating to the homeless or those in need (and somewhat shockingly, leaving bags of slashed clothing only feet away from a sleeping homeless person). They've since, for the record, apologised wholeheartedly. Although H&M have had an ethical clothing policy since 2007, and score reasonably highly in ethical rankings I'm feeling it isn't all that ethical to be putting beauty products on the shelves that, if you are truly organically minded, tick very few boxes. Citing a 'strong demand from consumers for organics' as the reason for the range, and with a predominantly young consumer base, an entry level price point for their products is going to make it an attractive prospect for eco-youth thinking they're making an ethical and more healthy choice. And yet, a few organic ingredients does not make an organic product. As far as it 'meeting the requirements of Eco Cert', it would be helpful to know what those requirements are.

It would be so much better if the website announcement didn't feel quite so vague - I feel what it doesn't say speaks louder, and while H&M might be trying to work more eco-consciously and ethically, fluffing around with a few natural or organic ingredients, albeit in recyclable packaging, doesn't send a loud enough message to me. I've also done a quick scout of Google to see if anyone else is asking questions about this range, and it seems that nobody really is. Come on H&M, let's have some proper stats and real clarity on exactly how organic the skin care range is.

Image: www.bellasugar.com.au

Shu Uemura UV Underbase

Hmmm, not sure if these have launched here yet...I'm guessing not, but these new underbases come in a watery texture and are infused with Shu's famous Depsea water and SPF20 to protect from the sun. It's designed to even out the complexion and provide a perfect, flawless canvas for foundation.

The Balm For Keeps Watercolour Lipstains

Loving the look of these lip palettes that launch at Harvey Nichols in the first week of March. Apparantly, they are the first ever lipstains to start as a powder colour - you need to add water to activate, meaning more control over coverage and intensity. They're £19 each, and you can pick from Petunia Pink/Raspberry Red or Plum Berry/Brown Sugar.

Summer Sneaking Out: Dior Summer Beauty Collection

Addicted To Dior Limited Edition Gloss



Golden Spotlight Eye Shadow


Dior Nude Glow Complexion Enhancer


The summer beauty ranges are starting to make an appearance on the beautyweb, with Dior a front-runner for stand-out range. They've got some gorgeous quads too - shimmery, peachy looking things that are just divine.

Source: www.lushiousbeauty.nl

Kate Garey Make Up Bag: Spring/Summer 2010

A very British summer time collection from Kate this time around with lots of 1950's inspired bathing belles, strawberries and birds. This one's my favourite, made with eco-friendly dyes and recycled cotton. £14.99, www.kategarey.com.

Guerlain Super Aqua-Eye

So while I was lying in bed this morning feeling especially un-beautiful, I thought I'd try these de-puffing eye patches from Guerlain. The Super Aqua range uses desert rose to retain moisture and hyaluronic acid to plump skin. It's also got a kick of Terminalia Sericea (hey, don't shoot the messenger...I don't know what it is either) to de-puff. On opening the pack I was immediately transported to the scene from Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts is at dinner with Richard Gere and his colleagues...she tries to open an oyster and it shoots from her plate so she says, 'slippery little suckers' - my exact words for these rubbery teardrop shaped things that are tricky to get a hold of! However, after I managed to catch mine and keep it, once placed under the eye it is miraculously soothing! My eyes just felt immediately refreshed and I could actually feel the puffiness disappearing. I left them on for ten minutes and hallelujah! They worked. Not a hint of puffiness. The skin didn't feel especially moisturised, given that the tear drops were so wet and dewy, but job done. Nil puff.

Available from 27th Feb.

'Liggers With Laptops'

Oh, you gotta love Fashion Week! It's almost more entertaining for the staggering quotes on bloggers than it is for the fashion - in fact, I would say I have learned more about fashion writers' views on bloggers than I have about any autumn/winter collections (other than Jaeger patent biker boots which has embedded in my memory because I want them so). The uproar over the upstarts has taken over to such a level that the fashion writers are in danger of going so off-message that the fashion bloggers end up being the ones that do the real reporting. When bloggers aren't 'ligging', 'blagging' or 'over indulging in the free food and drink', they're err reporting in real time to their thousands of followers.

Clinique All About Eyes De-Puffing Eye Massage and Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

I seem to remember that the concept of a cooling metal roller ball for de-puffing products was pioneered by Creme de La Mer, but other than feeling pleasant to the touch, I don't think these really make any actual difference to the skin - it's just too fleeting a moment for it to have any impact. What is more likely to make an impact though, is the product itself. I struggle with eye creams that don't make my eyes worse - all the promises of plumping etc seem to mean only puffing with me, and since the worst skin care allergic reaction I have ever had was with an eye serum, I'm just all round sceptical. I'm never sure if eye creams really do any more than your regular face cream would - the talk that regular cream is too heavy etc for the 'delicate eye area' is something I am not entirely convinced isn't just to indoctrinate us into buying even more products! However, there's something about this Clinique eye roller that I find intriguing...an eye serum that I actually do want to try. I don't have much information on it...it just looks impressive. I've lately been very impressed with Clinique products - I'm currently trying their Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector that comes with impressive trial stats (in 4 weeks can improve dark spots, age spots and darkened pigmentation from acne scars) and claims prescription strength results - whether it reduces any pigmentation or not, it is a gorgeous serum texture that my skin loves. It's on counter from April.

Winter Olympics Curling Girls - You Rock!

Let's hear it for the UK Ladies Curling Team - rocking it out on the ice in French manicures and full-on red nails, lipgloss and plenty of mascara! You don't see that level of grooming glamour on the Super-G.

Image: www.telegraph.co.uk

Jane Fonda Under The Knife

Jane Fonda Back In The Day


Jane Fonda Now

The 72 actress fronts a campaign for a L'Oreal Anti Ageing Cream, and yet has just admitted to going under the knife - again. But, she's one of the few who are happy to admit to it. Frankly, I don't blame her for 'tweaking'...ageing is soul destroying unless you can somehow find a way to settle into the changes your face is making for you. However, how disheartening for all those women who bought the face cream in the hopes that it might somehow give them the same glamorous looks as Jane. We can't even blame L'Oreal here really - what Jane does with her face is up to her, not them. It's as I keep saying, there is no cream in the world that is going to give the same effect as surgery and no Botox-like substance that gives the same effect as Botox. I never knock anyone for surgical tweaks (being a Botox fanatic myself) - other than the crazy duck-lip people, because lips like that are no role model for anyone - but wish, if they're in the public eye flogging a cream (yes, Lulu, that's you) please be honest and come right out with it.

Speed Review: The Dorchester Spa, Mavala Nail Polish, Malin & Goetz Detox Mask, Melvita Argan Oil

At a recent visit with Laura Mercier at the Dorchester Spa (very white and floaty) I sneaked off track and found their manicure room...


Mavala Nail Varnish in Berlin
I'm off to a screening of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland today and hummed and hawed about whether to wear the OPI Alice colours - or one of them at least, because I am so smitten with the blue All About Alice. But, decided to go Anti-Alice in the end with this seriously gorgeous grey from Mavala.


Malin & Goetz Detox Mask

I had low expectations of this and in trying to work out why, I think it is something to do with the bottle shape and size that doesn't say 'serious face mask' to me. Big beauty editor FAIL on my part though, because it is very, very, impressive. It doesn't quite dig out blackheads but it certainly gave my skin a look of absolute cleanliness that I really wasn't expecting and left pores looking infititely improved. And further showing *what the heck do I know*, it is an Allure Magazine award winner. I'd recommend this for oily skin that runs to sensitive as it is based on Soy Proteins as a weekly boost and other skin types as an occasional thorough cleanse.


Melvita Argan Oil
Bliss in a bottle, and nicely priced at £16. I used this lastnight to get rid of a few dry patches and this morning my skin is hydrated and supersoft. I love skin oils and if you want to maximise it's abilities, spend some time massaging your skin while you apply it. Go for a full five minutes - longer if you can - gently smoothing it in. This increases the blood flow to the skin and gives it a post-facial feel.

Blogs: The Heart of The Matter

I was just about to do a round of speed reviews when I thought I'd rather talk about what's on my mind. A few days ago I had an email from the fabulous Blog Herald, who talks so sensibly about all things bloggy, from technical information through to the general blogging zeitgeist. Basically, he was saying that blogging is like a relationship. At first, you can't get enough of each other - every moment apart feels like a torture and all you want to do is rush back into each other's arms. Then time passes, and the initial rush to the head stage is over. You start to think you'd like a weekend to yourself; to deal with all the things that have fallen by the wayside while you've been so besotted. After a while, you feel that actually, you'd like even more time to yourself but then feel guilty for feeling like that so end up resenting the amount of time you're spending together while life carries on without you. Then, there's the settling down period; you're getting used to each other's foibles and starting to realise that this is something that could work - it just needs a little tweaking. And, now here we are - a full-on relationship that at times feels like a rock round your neck and other times feels like sheer bliss.

Like anything in life, blogging has to be about balance. At times for me, blogging feels like hard, hard work for something that is a pastime, and yet I'm drawn back time after time because when it's good, it's absolutely bloody fantastic! Tell me I'm not the only one who has a love/hate relationship with their blog.

Illamasqua First Look: Illumine Dry Body Oil

Oh yummy! This dry body oil from Illamasqua is part of the summer Body Electric range out in April. In the bottle, it looks irridescent; flashes of violet and pink-blue incorporated into a white milk. Consistency is very fluid, smell is perfect for my tropical tastes - it's a kind of passion-flower coconut-y mix. On the skin, it feels ultra soft; the milky texture disappears to become totally transparent and looks deliciously twinkling. Tiny particles of shimmer catch the light and reflect back violet - I'm imagining this body make up on tanned skin and coming up with WOW! It's making its stage debut on Sunday as part of London Fashion Week.

Sisley Summer 2010

Okay, I have to admit these glosses from Sisley are the shimmeriest I have ever, ever seen. I swatched them on my hand and they truly do glisten and glimmer - the colours shown are Modern Fushsia and Crystal Copper, £28, both beautifully wearable for glam summer nights. I might not be a 'powder' person, but am soooorely tempted by the Phyto Poudre Compact, £55, because it is just so pretty. Beauty magpies will adore this.

Clinique Summer 2010: Brandied Bronze

Loving this collection for summer from Clinique. The Colour Surge Eye Shadow Palette, £22.50,in particular is really versatile for creating different looks. Long Last Gloss Wear is available in four shades, and there's a gorgeous chocolate shade eyeliner (not shown) that will work for a sultry eye. Its all available on counter from 1st May - not that I want to wait that long...I could wear all of these colours (bar the bronzer, in deference to there still being frost on the ground!) today!

A Bathroom Fridge! Genius.

Well, who knew such a thing existed? Ever since I went to Las Vegas, I've lusted after a TV in my bathroom - seriously, one of the best things I've ever done was lie in the hottest, bubbliest ever bath in a sumptuous and ridiculously oversized hotel bathroom watching Jeopardy. It just felt, well, decadent. Ruined of course by the small-size towels on getting out, but that's another matter! I like the idea of a fridge in the bathroom for the same sort of decadence reasons: ideally I'd like one to keep all my beauty treats (especially organics) in tip top condition, but know it would only be a matter of time before they were all replaced with cans of diet Coke.

Nars Drop Dead Gorgeous Mini Nails

LOVE this set of mini polishes from Nars. I wish everyone would do small size polishes, because with the exception of OPI (and Mavala), not enough brands realise (or care, maybe) that we girls very rarely get to the bottom of a bottle of varnish! Nail trends move so quickly with constant bombardments of new colours that small size is the way to go - better by far on the pocket, and allows us to play with more colours....sometimes ten nails just isn't enough! My exception to the never-finish dilemma is Rouge Noir: the only polish that I've ever scraped to the bottom of the bottle (not easy with a brush that doesn't go all the way to bottom in the first place!). I found this little Nars set on HQhair for £22.

Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2010

D&G have gone very pink and purple for Spring - I'm not sure how to make the quad work in a modern way, but I do really like the duo of lilac and brown; a very fresh combination that will look gorgeous for spring. I also love this gloss; Elegance. It's all on counter (Selfridges) in March. There are lipsticks, liners and other pieces, but I've just picked out the ones I like best.

MAC and Jin Soon Choi Collaborate Again....

One of the best ever ranges for nails from MAC was the collaboration with manicurist Jin Soon Choi. Apparantly she is brewing up some sumptuous colours for another collaboration: look out for putty shades with a gilty kick.

StrangeBeautiful Collection 4: First Look

These gorgeously edgy nail polishes from cult brand, Strangebeautiful, owe their outer casing lucite cube design to 19th century writing implements, while the colours are drawn from a host of sources including a poem by Yeats and the colour graduation of fur on a caribou. Anything quirky, different and inspired in the beauty world gets me fired up - I can't wait for them to launch in April. Liberty already stock the previous collections, so you'll find these there too later in the spring, sold in a set.

Mainly, They’re Very, Very Good, But When They’re Bad, They’re Horrid.

Here’s an almost exact replication of an email conversation I had with a PR recently that has still left a sting while I was trying in less then 16 hours (including a night) to put together a double page spread for a paper.

Me: Hi, I urgently need to get images and a release of your best selling X Product.
They: We don’t have a release. I’ll cut and paste something from the website.

Email arrives with a cut and pasted one line that says nothing relevant about the product at all, but I think started with, ‘Wow’.

Me: I need more than this – I have to write something about your product. Maybe you can tell me some ingredients; emollients perhaps?

They: I’ve had a word with our head of X, and they say it isn’t about the formulation, it’s about the colour.

And that my friends, is when it all gets just too hard. I think if the client knew they’d been dropped from a mainstream media feature because that’s the best their PR could do, they’d be absolutely horrified. I know I was.

Alice, We're Done.

Unless a product actually has a picture of Alice, is officially Alice related or really does have some real connection to Wonderland, I can't bear to see any more pretend Alice stuff. Just because your range has a green eyeshadow, heart shaped curlers or Cheshire cat-a-like slippers doesn't make me believe it is an amazing Alice In Wonderland link. Just saying.

Meaningful Beauty Glowing Serum

I was sent some samples of the Cindy Crawford/Dr Jean-Louis Sebagh range. Dr S has been Cindy's dermatologist for years, and in fact, the Meaningful Beauty range has been on sale in the US for a decade. So, high time we got a chance to try it here. Looking at the website, www.meaningfulbeauty.co.uk, it looks exactly like an on-line infomercial, and not a very good one at that. However, don't let looks deceive - I tried the Glowing Serum and am enormously impressed! A full size bottle retails for £13.99 (watch out for the stinger post and packaging charge though of nearly £6), and I feel it is very good value for money. Now, to describe the effect - it's an orangey coloured serum consistency, that according to the release contains soy proteins, marine botanicals and Vitamin C to give a youthful, luminous glow. Okay, I will go with lumious, because it does give a softening effect and leaves a hydrating film over the face that foundation just loves, making it sit nicely on top and therefore your face looks ultra smooth, but didn't get exactly a glow. Maybe because I shovelled foundation on top...not sure. However, even without glowing like a teenager, I am mightily impressed - it's just one of those 'yes' products that I want to use every single day because now my skin doesn't feel quite right with out it. Happy to find a product that actually brings something new to the table. You can buy a starter set with small size product as a sampler I suppose, which I feel is steep at £29.99, but if they all work as well as Glowing Serum, it could be the best £29.99 you spent in a long time. Will report on other products as and when I get a chance to try them.

A Chanel First: Chanel Hydramax + Active Nutrition Lip Care

Otherwise known as very, very posh lip balm. I've got a little pot of this lush stuff that launches in April - impressively Chanel-y, its a gorgeous square pot in white with a black lid and looks extremely slick. The formulation is silky and gives a good glossy effect. Hydramax is Chanel's patented ultra-moisturising formula. This is Chanel's first pot bound lip balm and contains cottonseed oil (rich in ceramides) to restore essential lipids and leave lips pillow soft. £26.