Love & Toast Comes To SpaceNK

If you've ever Googled Love & Toast, you'll find an surprising amount of sites dedicated to toast before you'll ever find the official Love & Toast site (www.love&toast.com). There is one under construction and only (a cute) look-book that you can see now. But, in case you can't be bothered to wade through all things toasty, I've learned that the gorgeous lip balms are coming to SpaceNK. Love & Toast is a in interesting micro-brand, founded by the Margot Elena who began Lollia and TokyoMilk, and once you know that you can see how the design completely fits with the other two brands. Love & Toast also make gorgeous hand creams (I'd be surprised if Space are only taking the balms) in the most lovely packaging. Incidentally, all packaging is recyclable, using vegetable ink, and cardboard is sourced from sustainable sources.

I've posted about Love & Toast before on this blog, but never thought we'd have it in the UK - happy days: love a lip balm.

Jeanne Lanvin Fragrance: La Rose

I adore pretty packaging and highlight this fragrance as my personal packaging perfection. With a genuine Lanvin label adorning the bottle and two dusky pink tulle pompoms attached to the cap, the use of fabrics on glass is just delicious. In fact, I'm so taken with the pompoms that I'm actually going to find a needle and thread and sew them to a proper hair elastic. The fragrance itself is pretty. Really feminine, rosy floral with a tiny cut of green, and down notes of white musk, benzoin and cedar wood. If you've never thought of matching your fragrance to your outfit, there has to be something in this, because this is the very perfume to compliment a floaty floral maxi.

I did in fact try and write a fragrance feature (The Perfumed Wardrobe) based on selecting your perfume to suit the clothes you are wearing instead of your taste or personality etc - in my head, a black suit wears Chanel No5, Joop is a red velvet gown and so on....but just couldn't get it to work. There is a true skill to fragrance writing and it is some of the most challenging writing work I've ever done - or in the case of the Perfumed Wardrobe, not done.

Oh, back to the gorgeous La Rose: it is £49 at Harvey Nichols now or nationwide tomorrow.

Philips Lumea Review

Hair removal..just one of life's irritating essentials, but for the life of me I cannot bear a hairy leg or armpit. So, faced with waxing, shaving or sugaring, I tend to go for the strip wax at home option on legs and bikini, but cannot deal with that under my arms. I've always - unhappily - opted for the razor. I was asked if I'd like to trial the Philips Lumea at home Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment, and had my first session under instruction today. Given that I have used Tria, another at-home laser removal system - it wasn't really a great surprise at how easy Lumea is to use. Basically, you simply press the 'window' to the skin area and press a button. There's a bright light flash and then you move on to the next section. The 'window' is actually very user friendly - it is big enough that it doesn't take for ever to cover one pit, and rectangular in shape, it is simple to keep track of where you have already done as long as you apply a systematic approach. The light based depilation system takes eight weeks to banish hair (one session every fortnight for 8 weeks) but doesn't *promise* that some hair won't grow back. I know from the experience of others that you can end up going to a salon for an IPL treatment for months and months before you see real results. At least with the at-home version, once you've paid out, then you can use it as often as it takes to get rid of that very last hair. If it does what it says it will, The Philips Lumea is really quite impressive.

There are a lot of provisos with Lumea - you need the right hair colour, the right skin type and colour etc and it isn't going to be suitable for everyone, but I will do another couple of posts including the end result after 8 weeks.

The main question on everyone's lips is Does It Hurt. Uh, no. It didn't hurt me; just felt like a tiny hot flash. The at home gadget £399 from Boots.

Shu Uemura To Pull Out Of US

There are going to be some deeply unhappy US beauty girls who won't be able to get their Shu Uemura fix since L'Oreal made the decision to pull their US operations. The official statement goes: "Going forward, we decided that L’Oreal USA would be better served by focusing on our other strategic luxury brands like Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Kiehl’s, and fragrances,” says president of L’Oreal USA’s luxury division, Carol Hamilton, in a typical corporate non-statement. Even though I know it already, seeing just how many luxury brands belong to L'Oreal is still an eye-opener. Shu will still be available on-line though to US customers.

Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Color Collection: Reviewed

Right, here we go - Tom Ford Lipstick as it really is.

Twitter this morning was full of talk about whether £30 is too much to pay for a lipstick...given that the Tom Ford Lipsticks are £35 each then some may baulk at that. However, expensive as they are, these are lipsticks that really do feel very special. For a start, the off white and gold packaging is nicely chunky with some good weight to it. The embellishment of TF on the top of each pristine shade is an elegant touch - although of course disappears after one or two applications. The twelve shades fall into three colour groupings; nudes, bolds and dramatics, and I tried a very good selection of each on - from raging reds to calm and barely there nudes (much to the suprise of other diners in the restaurant). The texture is super-creamy - there is a slight perfume, although I am told there is no artificial fragrance added - the vanilla-ish aroma comes from the ingredients which include Murumuru butter and chamomilla flower oil. Pigmentation is fabulous; really impressive - these are serious 'power colours'....and the finish is a light sheen. There are no sparkles to speak of, so these are perfect for glitter haters (like me). While the colours last very well on the lips, you might want to be careful about kissing in them as they do transfer thanks to the creaminess of the formula. Definitely not snogging lipsticks.

The presentation box you can see in the picture is how they were shown to me, but in fact, should you purchase all 12 colours, you will be given the box to keep them in (at Selfridges later in the spring). The lipsticks do come in individual boxes anyway.

So, is £35 a reasonable price to pay? Reasonable, no. But, if what you want is a decadent 'wow' lipstick that looks and feels totally luxurious, and has all the hallmarks of prestige, then it does feel like an 'appropriate' price point.

More excitingly, the press release reads 'The first chapter in Tom Ford's evolution into make up....' which I take to mean there are other collections to come.

Available from 24th April at Tom Ford Private Blend Counters.

Less of Jonathan Ward?

In this instance, less is good. Let me explain. Candle artisan, Jonathan, did a spot of research among his most trusted clients (latest including Dannii Minogue) and discovered that £30 for a candle is fine to spend oneself as a luxury treat but is a little too steep to spend on a friend (and I don't think we are talking bestest buddies here, but friends you'd like to give a token to in which case £30 is a tad steep). So, Jonathan has come up with a candle that is a little smaller than the £30 one, priced at £20, exactly the amount those fragrance loving ladies and gents are prepared to spend. Two things here - a) a small brand that listened to customer feedback and actually acted upon it, and b) I need to make friends with the JW customer list. I'd be thrilled, thrilled to be gifted with a candle of any size from JW. Parrafin free, clean burning soy and beeswax candles infused with gorgeously evocative scents - it's what perfect gifts are made of, isn't it?!

Beauty Geek? Moi?

I've wanted to post about my little stash of Chanel make up for ages, but time got the better of me. Anyway, here are just a few of my favourite ever Chanel limited editions:

4 Fleurs De Chanel, Feeries (2008) each pod of colour shaped like the Chanel Camelia, Quatuor Boutons de Chanel (2009), Levre Signees Chanel (2009.
Jeans de Chanel (2003) inspired by denim, Les Coromandels de Chanel (2005) inspired by Coco Chanel's love of Oriental folding screens, Lumiere d'Artifices (2007) inspired by the sequins sewn on Chanel couture.

Chanel Limited Edition: Chanel Orient Extreme

Rumoured to be sold in Chanel Boutiques exclusively, this limited collection is based on The Terracotta Army originating from Xi'an in China. A gold and black manicure, gold and black eyes. Hmm..a very strong look for summer launching in May. Nail Colours are: Black Velvet, Illusion D'Or and Gold Lame.

Source: www.lushiousbeauty.nl

Now This Is A Palette! Lancome Summer

Hot off the blogsphere at www.chicprofile.com a sneaky look at Lancome summer. This is the kind of make up that makes my beauty heart sing. Absolutely amazing.

More On Tom Ford Lipstick

When the 12 shades hit the shelves later on this spring, you can almost guarantee a sell-out. I'm loving the design; sleek and elegant in ivory and gold and like the sound of the ingredient list that includea soja seed extract, Brazilian murumuru butter and chamomilla flower oil to make the texture creamy, plus a whack of treated pigment so the shades stay true.

Source: WWD.com

Vending, Vending: Body Shop Machines

If you can't get enough of your Sweet Lemon Body Butter or Strawberry Body Polish, if you live in the States it's no longer a question of tracking down the nearest Body Shop. The Body Shop Vending Machines...er, sorry, Automated Retail Points will be popping up in airports and shopping centres. There now, a place to put all those leftover quarters and dimes.

Guerlain Summer Colours 2010

Ok, I've found my ultimate summer eye quad. The Ombre Eclat Ombre Perlees (limited edition) shades are perfect, perfect for me and wonderful for working the nude look without looking actually dead. Also love the sheerness of the lipshades: KissKiss Baby Limited Edition Nourishing Lip Balm Delicate Nudes, £20. I'm having a real Guerlain moment - loving just about everything that comes off the production line these days and if other brands have got their wits about them, they'll be following suit. Pretty, embellished palettes with creative effort put in with wearable colours...illuminating powders that actually do make your skin glow...and sheer shade balms for soft and feminine lips. If anyone's walking streets ahead of the colour brands, its them.

Oh Dear, Daily Mail: Mixed Messages.

For once, Liz Jones has it spot on in her regular Liz Jones Moans column for the Daily Mail. She takes a pop at beauty adverts, in particular the TV ad for Nivea Visage Q10, for implying broadly that women should be taking responsiblity for their skin feeling pleasantly touchable to others, never mind themselves. Their theory is that nice feeling skin impacts on close relationships. So, that aside, because there is plenty more to say at some stage about that particular skewed idea, Liz consults with an expert who more or less establishes that there isn't anything much in Nivea Q10 that will turn back the clock and in fact that it is full of cheap ingredients that will actually block the pores. Jones says, 'I spoke to a skincare expert, a plastic surgery specialist who is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, and he claims: 'Nivea Visage only contains three active ingredients: ubiquinone (the Q10, an anti-oxidant that fights free radicals, although it can't reverse signs of ageing), tocopherol (Vitamin E) and extract of anis (a plant with antiseptic properties).
'There are five UV filters. It also contains paraffinum liquidum; a petroleum-based substance used as a thickener and emollient: it's not good for the skin, as it blocks pores and can slow down skin function and cell development, which results in premature ageing. It's used because it's cheap.
'I'd reduce the high number of silicones (they coat the skin, leaving it unable to breathe) and increase the active ingredients. It's not a sophisticated formula, protection comes only from UV filters, and could benefit from reformulation.'

So, while that news isn't really a great shock, what is a little surprising is that turning to the Mail's regular Beauty Confidential, they're flagging up beauty bargains 'that have the latest technology and finest ingredients'. Guess who pops up? You got it, Nivea. The Nivea lipbalm according to the Mail is an 'iconic and enduring' beauty product.

So, if you've ever paused to wonder why women look to blogs for beauty advice instead of print, here's one of the best examples I know.

Trish McEvoy Bronze Collection Summer 2010

I like small, edited collections like this - perfect for the beauty baffled. This is just lovely quality make up with no drama, gentle and wearable shades and easy application. Its out on counter next month (April).

How Is Your French? Une Cosmetics from Bourjois

I've only got the scantest of information about this new brand from Bourjois launching end of April/beginning of May, but it looks really quite exciting. The 'natural' range, with eco-packaging and Eco-Cert ingredients looks like an encouraging step towards deleting toxins from cosmetics, and forthcoming beauty innovations such as new mascara brush designs and 'portion control' on gloss applicators take it a step further. So far, so nice.

The Strange State of Play In Beauty

My stats are telling me that views are down on this blog. Gloomy news, but its made me sit up and think. This started off as an insider beauty blog - and in fact I began it anonymously - but even I can see that other than the odd 'first look', there isn't much thats 'insider' about it now. Let me explain why. First of all, the beauty press in the UK is small in numbers - like really small. Everyone knows everyone, and that's across the board; magazines, newspapers, PRs and marketing people, buyers and brands. So to operate anonymously is nigh on impossible - if a PR shows me a new product, and I know I am the first to see it, if it then appears a few hours later on BBB, its kind of obvious that it's my blog! So, it's now an open blog, with nothing, including figures and my identity, hidden. At the beginning, when blogging was so new to the UK, it took a huge leap of faith for PRs to let me have product information and pictures ahead of anyone else. And it took quite some time for the rest of the beauty media to cotton on that blogging might sprout into the mighty combined force that it now is. If I feature something on my blog, nine times out of ten, the PR gets a call in from a publication on that product because they want to feature it, too. Job done, you'd think: PR's happy, I'm happy and BBB readers are happy. Oh, no. It is just never that simple. The state of play as it stands now is that magazines are openly asking that products aren't released to bloggers ahead of them featuring it. In fact, in the case of one designer lipstick which is still under strict embargo despite being seen in US Vogue then UK Vogue (in that order) but not on their websites (because you know us bloggers for snooping about the web) as it has yet to be featured in one more key print publication before anyone else can even sniff at it. I've never officially been told of its existence, so to all intents and purposes I don't know it's even embargoed if I 'don't know' about the product. In fact, the silence has been deafening from that department! Which is why it was on my blog two weeks ago. I'm just not bowing to the pressure yet I am very much aware it is there. But, I have been posting bland for want of a better word because it isn't easy bucking the trend all the time. And, if I do it all the time, I'll become my own worst enemy. As it is, some PRs are holding back on issuing bloggers, or me..who knows...with information because they know they'll get it in the neck from the mags. I've discussed it with a senior person from the lipstick brand. 'It's difficult, it's difficult', she said. Damn right it is, but you try being the person excluded from any info at all and see how that one feels, honey. And you can also bet your bottom dollar that after all the Topshop make up exclusives have been in print, they'll be sniffing around on line for coverage too. I don't say bloggers shouldn't feature it, but who wants to be second best? I don't want that for me or for BBB readers. So, things are on the change in beauty land and it's something of a slog at the moment...just when you think you're making progress, you slide a few steps back. I was just at an industry awards ceremony that had at last realised that beauty blogging should have its own separate award - without wanting to take anything away from the blogger who deservedly won, we began these awards with the chairman of a huge brand verbally sealing his commitment to print. A bit of a kick in the face to those of us who were there from on-line publications, genuinely excited to have a category of our own. It's as if he was saying 'we are tolerating on-line, but really we love magazines best'. I was even slightly nervous about going - being in the same room with a bunch of people where the insider vibe is that they really don't like what you're doing - was slightly daunting. Enough people visit this blog that it's worth pushing on and trying to get all beauty blogs, not just mine, seen by PRs and other media as a truly valid, worthwhile way to discover and read about beauty in a way that traditional outlets have never done and will never do in the future. BBB readers come in every day to read things from a different viewpoint, to get some exciting insider info and find out as soon as I do what's going on in the world of beauty. And, they're damn well going to get it.

NB: Feeling philosophical, the least BBB will be is an accurate record for the future on how blogging moved and merged into the beauty world.

Dior: Miss Dior Cherie Eau de Toilette

You don't get much more elegant than a Dior bottle, and I love the colour pop ads to go with the new version of Miss Dior Cherie; lighter and more fruity/floral. It goes on counters on 2nd April, 50ml £48.

D&G Summer Make Up: Fabulous Quad

Liking this upcoming quad a whole lot better than the previous purple/pinks; it seems much more edgy and adaptable. Called Fabulous, priced at £35 it launches May 1st in Harrods and Selfridges.

Herbal Essences: A Hairy Thought.

Herbal Essences is being reformulated to reduce 'toxic ingredients', according to an a preliminary agreement between P&G and founder of The Green Patriot Group, David Steinman. The contaminant at issue is 1,4-dioxane, produced during the manufacturing process of some products. My question is why it's even in there in the first place?

Estee Lauder Solid Fragrances

In 1967, Estee Lauder produced her first 'solid perfume', Boutique Oval, which back in the day sold for $10. Since then, they've come a long way in terms of design and technique but still use traditional hand enamelling and hand applied crystals.

They're labour intensive and the current prices reflect that. However, there is a rampant collectible market for these beautiful items: I have a few, but quickly got out-priced on the rarer solids such as the Ivory Series Imperial Foo Dog (now sells for in excess of $350 although in 1974 cost $13.50). Estee Lauder compacts, using the same decorative techniques are also collectables in their own right.

Collaborations with jewellery designer, Jay Strongwater, have sent sales stratospheric with a new collection each Christmas and solids becoming more and more flambouyant and intricate with each passing year. You name it, it's been immortalised in crystals and gold; stetsuns, easter bonnets, Saks shoppers, coffee cups, cakes (lots of cake), kittens, poodles and pianos!

A special set exclusively for Harrods is sold every year and the latest one celebrates 50 years since the first Lauder counter opened in the London Store.


Current collections include the Jewelled Lantern (£230) and on the compact side, Jewelled Blossom Lucidity Compact (£85).

Speed Review: New CID i-line Professional Kohl, Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick, Max Factor Vibrant Curve Effect Lipgloss

New Cid i-line: I'm impressed with the softness and colour of this i-line kohl pen - gorgeous, buttery formulation that goes easily and softly onto the inner rim. The shade - Brown - is a dark, chocolate brown that is colour true on the outer lids, but goes slightly lighter on the inner rims.

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick: For someone who isn't a lipstick fan in real life, prefering the lighter touch of gloss, I think I might have found the lippie that's going to convert me. I liked the fact it feels like a gloss on the lips but without any stickiness or high shine...in fact, its designed to feel almost weightless and I'd say it does - almost! Love the quilt effect packaging that - if it was a luxury and not a mass brand - would become an instant luxury hit if the casing was a glossy black metal, not plastic. But, Revlon is mass, and sells at mass price, so it's wishful thinking on my part. These launch in June

Max Factor Vibrant Curve Effect Lipgloss: You have to wonder sometimes just what else they could do to a gloss, amongst the millions of glosses on the market to make a new one any different. Well, they curved the traditional doe foot applicator to bend slightly backwards, and in those few degrees, MF have come up with a genius applicator! Designed to fit the curves of the lips perfectly, and scoop up extra portions of gloss at the same time, it does exactly that. The gloss inside looks very sparkly, but on application didn't seem to be so. The texture is non sticky - the downside is that it doesn't last very long. If you don't mind lots of reapplications, the shades that I've tried are nice and sheer. Available in April for £7.99.

ButterLondon Luxury Lotions

Everyone has mixed views about Butter's nail polishes - amazing, amazing colours, but longevity isn't what it should be. Despite that, I've got several ButterLondon shades that I wear and adjust my expectations as to how long its going to last. I also regularly use their cucticle remover which is pretty darn good. One thing you can't knock them for is presentation: these are their newest lotions scented in Black Tea, Champagne and Country Garden. I love everything about the packaging on these vegan and paraben free lotions, launching on 1st April.

Images: Courtesy of the fabulous www.product-girl.com

How The Pecheux Look Translates: Estee Lauder Autumn 2010

The A/W colours used by Tom at Derek Lam for NY A/W Fashion week.

Tom Pecheux For Estee Lauder

Tom Pecheux, Creative Make Up Director for Estee Lauder, is taking the traditional Lauder look to new extremes....this is the limited edition Autumn colour collection, called Blue Dahlia. Intense colours, varied textures and, hello, a bit of an attitude, is going to have us rethinking what Lauder is all about. He's also giving the entire Pure Color collection something of a revamp...exciting times!

Images: wwd.com

Classy Collaboration: Neue Gallerie & Estee Lauder

If you're heading Stateside for some culture (of course, not shopping...so many museums and no time for shoes..!) New York's Neue Galerie, dedicated to all things early 20th Century German and Austrian design, have collaborated with Estee Lauder to come up with one of the most gorgeous compacts I've seen in a long time. The lipstick is named Berlin Red...naturally like all good things, the collection is limited edition..Lipstick $30, Bauhaus-style Compact $55. Just, you know, in case you're passing...

Source: www.beautywoome.com

Fancy A Little Temperley?

Lancome's summer GWP (gift with purchase) is designed by none other than Alice Temperley. Purchase two Lancome products (one to be skin care) from counter and nab yourself this designer bag along with two skin products (Galateis Douceur and Tonique Douceur) absolutely free. As if we need an excuse to snap up some extra gloss and moisturiser....It's not out til June though.

Orly Nails: The Sweet Collection

If you're still feeling for the pastels, Orly's latest collection, Sweet, is pretty lovely. All we need is some sunshine and then we can really get this look going...pale blue nails on cold hands just isn't doing it for me!

Guerlain Summer 2010

Loving these gorgeous visuals of Guerlain Summer - seen here are Les Meteorites in an improved formulation available in 3 harmonies for differing skin tones. Each colourway is comprised of six shades, from three different colour families, which were specially chosen to recreate customised radiance:

Tient Rose 01 contains mauve and green nuances for brightening and diminishing redness, pink and champage to reflect light and white to add light and radiance.

Tient Beige 02 uses mauve and pink to add glow to dull skin, beige and apricot for a warming glow and white and white gold for light reflection.

Tient Dior 03 banishes yellow tones with mauve and blue, beige and chocolate beige add golden warmth while white gold and pearly apricot brightens the complexion.

Leighton Denny Nails Summer 2010

Gorgeous colours from Leighton for Summer 2010: in purple we have The Heiress, and in aqua we have Notorious. Available from May 1st.

Elizabeth Arden Anniversary Set

Mmm..more gorgeous goodies from Elizabeth Arden in celebration of their 100th Anniversary. This limited edition set goes on sale in Boots and selected department stores from 5th May, at £29. The glossy box contains a full size tube of 8 Hour Cream plus two small tins of 8 Hour Lip Protectant. Nice. I also got to sample a whiff of the limited edition candle, coming out also in May - it is a beautiful, floral fragrance that smells kind of floral/tropical to me and instantly made me think of hot holidays.

All For Eve: Eve Red Lipstick

If you love your lips ultra-red and luscious, then look no further than this gorgeous specimen from the All For Eve Range. Designed by make up artist Daniel Sandler (isn't it about time we had a resurgence of the trend for his amazingly lovely Watercolours for cheeks?), ALL the net profits from the sales of Eve Red go straight to The Eve Appeal. The brand All For Eve was inspired by the untimely death of George Hammer's sister in law, Nadia, from ovarian cancer. Profits go directly to research into gynaecological cancers and awareness raising. Eve Red goes on sale through the All For Eve website from 26th April and in Harrods on 1st May. For red afficionados, Daniel will be demonstrating Eve Red during Harrods' Red Lipstick Day on 27th May. www.allforeve.co.uk

Tried & Tested: MorrocanOil Treatment

It seems like such an unadventurous name - Morrocanoil - but all creativity issues are forgiven because this is one high performing product. The blurb says it cuts out frizz, conditions ends and makes hair shiny, all with no oily residue. And, indeed it does all of those things. In fact, after application my hair doesn't feel at all oily, is certainly smoother and the ends look healthy and conditioned. All boxes ticked for this celebrity fave product. £29.85 (at HQHair).