Shiffa Soothing Body Oil

Dubai skincare range Shiffa looks, feels and acts hugely premium. The packaging is beautiful – I loved the way the inner box opens out to reveal product information, and a duck egg blue ribbon just adds to the luxury look of the blue and cream boxes. The oil is gorgeous; easy to apply, it sinks into the skin without leaving any greasy residue and really does add softness. The only thing about it is the smell; it smells like a million and one other oils (citrus/herbal from orange oil, nutmeg, bergamot) and that feels at odds with everything else about the brand which in essence is quite different. I’d definitely gift this range if I wanted to treat a friend to a beautiful and pampering experience, but I would have loved it to smell of something less predictable. It uses hazelnut oil for repairing and jojoba to soften abd costs £51.75. I’m told that Shiffa Healing Balm is the product from the range that is getting beauty press most excited.

Oskia Perfect Cleanser

If you love a face balm, this will be your trip to skin heaven. It’s easily one of the best balms I’ve ever come across; a fluid, light balm that literally floats over the skin, wiping away every last bit of grime. In fact, you just want to massage and massage and massage...which any way you look at it is good! The feel of it is intensly silky and cloud-soft and it slips around the skin in a way that heavier balms can't do. It smells lightly floral/herbal and contains collagen boosting properties, Zinc, Vitamin A and E, Omega 3 and 6, and Prebiotics. Amazingly lovely. £38.50. Oskia is a Brit brand that takes a nutritional and scientific approach to anti-ageing by supplying the skin with cell nutrients from the inside (supplements) as well as the outside. It's USP is MSM (Methyl Sulphonyl Methane), commonly used in joint supplements; a form of sulphur that is a collegen and elastin builder.

I've also just noticed a £15 off your first order on their website so if you're going to splurge, now's the time. http://www.oskiaskincare.com/

Nicole by OPI

I'm having a little 'does not compute' moment and wondering how on earth I've missed that Nicole by OPI (the more budget friendly OPI little sister) is in Boots. Not sure how this one passed me by - for all I know it's been there for years. But, on an internet trawl for new and exciting beauty things, I found the Nicole by OPI Gossip Girl collection (USA only presently) - see above - and kinda liked it a lot. Has anyone else used Nicole? I'd love to know how it shapes up in comparison to grown-up OPI because at £6.95 a pot, it's a lot more budget friendly.

Chanel SoHo Limited Edition

To celebrate the opening of an envelope, uh no, sorry, the re-opening of the New York SoHo store in Spring St, Peter Phillips has flicked his magic make up wand and created the limited edition SoHo Collection. The stand outs are the nail colours, Steel (grey) and Strong (purple metal), and the SoHo de Chanel face palette. It’s one of those palettes that you’re never sure quite what to do with but want it nonetheless! I don’t know if it will be available in the UK – not sure why it would be – but if you’re heading NY way, it’s a stop-off not to be missed.

images: www.refinery29.com

Getting Mixy: I Made Bleige!

Ok, all the new nail collections had got me thinking that maybe I could blend my own perfect colour. So, I got to it and found it isn't nearly as easy as I thought it might be, but ended up with a colour (only enough for one hand though! and I'll never be able to make it exactly the same again...) that I love. I was aiming for a blue based beige so I used a base of Revlon Grey Suede and added in drops of Chanel Blue Satin. This just created a kind of denim grey so I added in OPI's blue sparkly Absolutely Alice which blinged it up no end. The result is a blue grey with goldy/blue sparkles - it shouldn't work but it does. What do you think?

Andrea Fulerton Nail Boutique

Finally! Nail lovers have been waiting for a peek at Andrea Fulerton's range - it is really very impressive, so here's a view of some of the polishes modelled by my friend Anna. I'll have product pics shortly, but wanted to showcase some of them in the place they're meant to be first! What I really do like about the entire collection - that includes everything nails, from buffers to remover, is that it puts the fun back into manicures. There's a vibe for all things haute in grungy colours and at wince-making price points that this range is the absolute antidote for.

The range is comprehensive, affordable and exciting - it's taken some creative steps that premium brands haven't even thought of yet. Nail Colours (24 in the range so far) are £4.99 each and are named for celebrities that Andrea has worked with - Sienna is bright orange, Nigella is a natural creme and Kylie is a multi-glitter hue. The Trio Colour Layering System, £7.99, is a double ended bottle that allows you to use either shade and if you layer one over another, you create a third shade. They're named by Nigella Lawson - but don't be thinking Bread & Butter Pudding or Sauce Pot - the glam line up includes metallic Goldfinger, green hued Garden of Eden and purple Night Fever. I also love the Gemstone Overcoat - a top coat with fine sparkle that transforms your day look into a party one in a matter of moments.

With Nail Art (think glitter puff dusts, gemstones and tattoos), Nail Care (oils, quick dry coats and mistake erasers) and peel-offs, there's almost nothing this new brand hasn't thought of to get nailistas off and painting pronto. I think the fact that it's lead by a working nail artiste with her manicured finger on the pulse of not only what's wanted, but what's actually needed to get good nail, really shows and the range is easily one of the most exciting to enter the beauty arena in a long time.

Sephora will weep.

Brands I’d Like To Buy HERE!

Some trends emerging in the make-up market, other than the blatantly obvious ones, will be I think a gradual transition for the professional ranges into a more open consumer market. If bloggers have shown the buyers anything, it’s that so called professional ranges are used by – gasp – non-professionals! I’d love to see a counter (yes, Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and Harvey Nichols, that’s you) that deals in professional make up from around the globe. The other big trend I’m predicting is make up from the Asian markets coming over to the UK. We’ve kind of almost sucked America dry (not quite...but near enough) of the goodies we want, so buyers will be searching further overseas.


Josie Maran. Former model, Josie Maran’s range is currently US based. She’s a huge fan of argan oil and her newest make up palette, Argan Eye Love You, features argan oil enriched shades. Her skin care is sublime. We should have this range here.


Anna Sui Cosmetics. We can get the fragrances, no problem. But why not the make up? It used to be available in the UK but sadly no more. I miss it and want it back. Asian cosmetics are a major trend coming up over the next few years, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone’s already on the case.


Ben Nye. It’s inexplicable that Ben Nye is not easily available in the UK as a mainstream luxury brand. The make-up artists love it, the models love it and the beauty bloggers love it...see a theme here? It’s a professional line that is making its way into the make-up bags of beauty lovers everywhere who love the pigments, the flexibility and the intensity.


Make Up Forever. I’ve only recently developed a passion for this range, but it’s loved the world over by make-up fans. You can get it in very limited distribution in the UK, but I’d love to see it more readily available.



Numeric Proof: This is a professional range from France that up until yesterday I didn’t even know existed. It’s got presence in Japan; I’ve never seen it anywhere here but it looks tempting.


Shatona. An amazing colour brand with some incredible colours – I’ve only ever seen in on Japanese sites so far. But, I’d find it quite hard to resist, I think. The Lip Rouge Mini’s would be clustering in the bottom of my handbag!


Sonia Rykiel. This is the brand that baffles me the most – the make-up line is only (I think) in Asian markets, but the brand is in fact European. It will be some weird licensing agreement, but it’s time for change. It’s gorgeous and would give some of our regular premium brands a run for their money.

Scent Shocker!

I'm often confused by the fragrance world, and do end up feeling that maybe I'm one of the few that 'just doesn't get it'. I see other people's reviews of some perfumes that I've sampled and wonder how I missed all the nuances of lemon peel, antelope whispers and rainbow drops, when clearly they were so obvious. So, I'm truly intrigued at the news that the Sun is to produce a fragrance called Buzz - which I'm assuming will co-incide with the launch of their new magazine, which probably will have the same name. But, I'm just wondering how anyone sums up The Sun in a fragrance. Essence of Dear Deirdre, bottom notes of Mystic Meg? A few drops of nubile 38DD-24-34 Page 3 Stunna perhaps? And I hope there's at least a little bit of Captain Crunch in there, because that's my favourite bit of the paper. The thing that I'm truly surprised about is that Roja Dove, a fairly esteemed perfumier has created the scent. This would be like the fashion equivalent of Chanel collaborating with New Look. It's the kind of thing that just never happens. It's certainly creating waves in the beauty world with the news being greeted with incredulity (and, it has to be said, a fair amount of amusement). What does make a reputable nose collaborate with such an unlikely partner whose headlines today include The Shih-Tzu Hits The Fan, and Beware Knicker Nickers? How the heck do you bottle that - and why would you want to? Answers on a pre-paid post card, please, addressed to Busty Blogger In Baffle Drama.

On Trolls

Anyone who has a blog will be familiar with Trolls. Those nasty, spiky little comments placed always by ‘Anonymous’ that don’t add anything whatsoever to the post but are just random insults or derogatory – often very personal – snipes. I’m intrigued by their motivation. After all, reading blogs isn’t compulsory and there are enough blogs that if they don’t like one, they can quickly find one that does resonate with them in a more satisfactory way.

My policy has always been to publish anything other than spam, so whether it’s good, bad or ugly, every voice is heard. And sometimes the comments are hard to take, but I’d far rather operate an open and honest policy even if some are deeply critical than use a selective comment process. My blog isn’t quite the vanity project it might appear! But, these days, I’m wise enough not to feed the attention seeking behaviour of Trolls and just ignore them completely with a zero reaction. I’m guessing that not rewarding the behaviour by getting into a comment-conversation means they won’t get any warped satisfaction.

More and more, I’m seeing comments on Twitter from people who find trolls really very upsetting. Personal digs, such as ‘OMG you are FUGLY’ (oh, but so 2004, originating on Mean Girls)...yes, it’s funny, but it isn’t really, when someone has been brave enough to put their picture up. A blog by its very nature does invite all-comers and has to be open to criticism, but it’s my thinking that Trolls are a whole different thing to commenters who genuinely don’t like a certain look or have a vastly differing opinion.

So, what makes these spiteful people tick? I asked Behavioural Psychologist,
Jo Hemmings (http://www.celebritypsychologist.co.uk/), what goes on inside the head of a Troll. Jo is also C4’s Big Brother’s Little Brother Behavioural Psychologist and an established Dating Coach and Relationship Expert who writes regularly for national press and has made many TV appearances.

Why Trolls Troll
“Put simply, it’s a mixture of envy and insecurity,” says Jo. “These people are actively looking to cause others difficulty or hurt, and it’s most likely to be that they suffer from a very poor self image. People with poor self image are very often full of anger and one of the ways to improve their perceived worth is to exact their own form of secretive revenge, hence the anonymity.”

What To Do
Jo’s advice is to completely ignore them. “If you engage with them, you are actually giving the very thing they seek; notoriety. If you don’t give them any attention and dismiss the comments as not worth talking about, the anonymous comments may escalate for a while, but eventually there is nothing feeding the need so they’ll search elsewhere. No reaction, no fun.”

It’s All About Them, Not Us
Jo continues, “They basically want to have what you have, or to be in your position and don’t feel they have it in them to achieve it, and are unable to feel happy for you. The internet (previously, the same kind of person would make hoax phone calls) does mean that you see the dark side of some people who can’t resolve their own feelings.”

So, having gathered an expert opinion, there’s a part of me that feels sorry for Trolls. Being bitter, insecure and attention seeking is exhausting, demoralising and, well, just a shame, really. I’m well aware that this post is probably going to be like a red rag to a bull, but my finger is hovering over the delete button, because there’s no more Trolling on BBB.

Mavala Woodland Collection

I always love Mavala for their bite-sized bottles and also their price point: £3.95, which doesn't induce nearly the same shopping guilt as £19 for a bottle of Chanel Le Vernis. This line up is my favourite autumn/winter nail collection so far - I'm especially crazy about Marron Glace (single pic) which was specifically created for the Pringle of Scotland A/W catwalk show. Session manicurist Teresa Smith blended Mavala Velvet and Minsk nail polishes to create this fashion shade. Marc Jacobs used similar shades on his catwalk, too.

The range launches in September and the line up is from left to right:

Marron Glace, Dark Brown, Cedar Green, New Dehli, Onyx and Black Cherry.

Le Metier de Beaute and Marchesa

I love a collaboration, so I'm quite excited at the pairing of Le Metier and womenswear brand Marchesa. Using a deep mirror like silver for the packaging, there will be two multi-use palettes for eyes, lips and cheeks, and double ended glosses. The palettes are priced at £45 and they're available at Liberty from September.

Picture Credit: Fashion Monitor

Lumie Clear Tried & Tested

Thank you Laura aka http://thebeautyspark88.blogspot.com/

Lumie Clear Review:

After replying to the rallying call of an enviously clear skinned BBB, I took on the challenge of giving the Lumie Clear a good old test.

Now I’m not going to sit here and claim I have the world’s worst skin, but during the early part of this year it certainly took a turn for the worse. Not being someone who has ever had to worry about acne, it was a bit of a shock to the system.

Lumie Clear claims that in clinical trials, using phototherapy...red and blue lights for you and I...It will “reduce inflammation and provide noticeable results in four weeks and show significant improvement in overall appearance of skin in 12 weeks”.

This appealed to me because it A) doesn’t involve any chemicals, who wants to keep ploughing different lotions and potions onto their skin if it’s as volatile already? B) Its pain free...definitely one up on laser and acid peels.

With the promise of clearer skin fresh in my mind I embarked on a Lumie adventure. Now I admit we didn’t get off to the best start, I sat down in front of the machine in the orange protective goggles and wondered what on earth I was getting myself into. Looking like an extra from Dexter’s Laboratory didn’t help either. The Machine itself is a neat egg shaped design that almost instilled a confidence in me due to its clinical and professional air...I’m a sucker for aesthetics.

Another BIG drawback to the Lumie Clear is the commitment factor. I’m constantly moaned at for my limited attention span, so committing to sit still in front of this for 15 minutes everyday was something special! Over the first few weeks I found it hard to get into a routine but it slowly just fell into place, even wearing the goggles...

I can safely say after 12 weeks I’ve noticed an improvement in the condition of my skin and I almost feel like its back to its usual self. I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t had a single spot since I began the Lumie mission but it’s going in the right direction.

If you can get over the initial rigmarole and place Lumie into your skincare routine, you just might be onto a winner. Patience is key here; don’t expect to see results overnight! You just might end up with Lumie-nous skin...sorry I couldn’t resist.

Lumie Clear costs £149 and is available from www.lumie.com, Boots and John Lewis.

Laura xx

Le Metier de Beaute Fall 2010: Le Cirque

I'm loving the inspiration behind luxury brand Le Metier de Beaute's fall collection, Le Cirque. Based on Le Cirque de la Belle Epoche in late 19th century Paris, the popular and dazzling entertainment was frequented by artistic luminaries such as Picasso and Degas. I can't help thinking though that this highly imaginative collection is just begging for some embellishment either on the packaging or the make up to match its intentions - no matter how beautiful the colours, it's a stretch of any imagination to conjour up fanciful inspirations without a little bit of visual help. Imagine opening up the Kaleidoscopes to find a visual vintage circus imprint on each colour. Nicer, no?


Kaleidoscope Lip Kit: Les Artistes, £55. This is a pretty versatile palette with nude, bronze, rose, and a golden-flecked red, it really would see you through any mood or colour whim, especially if you get mixy with it.


Kaleidoscope Eye Kit: Le Cirque, £55. The stand out shade is Dynamique; a shimmery purple/sapphire that's fiery and vivid. Tone it down with the shimmering stone shade Flamboyantes and - greige for eyes - mauve-grey Spectacle. Not sure where the reddish bronze Enrichissant shade comes in though...


Sheer Brilliance Lip Gloss: La Belle, £20. This is a chocolately shade that for me is just too dark, but I can see it looking striking on the right person.

Nail 2010 La Belle Epoque: I wince every time I see the price of these, but I have the little Blue Magic At Dusk shade and it really is beautiful. A kind of blue-purple with irridescent tones, it's not like any other blue or purple shades I've seen. Maybe that's what you pay for - difference. They're £10 each and tiny. You are warned!

ARTDECO Autumn/Winter Make Up Collection

Maiden Pink

Sinuous Claret
Nebulous Taupe
Saffron Copper
Ok, so this isn't, in my view, Art Deco's strongest range, but nonetheless I do like the way that they make sure that every palette is decorative and something a bit different. This time, the palette is inspired by Missoni fabrics and the shades are a clever twist of caramels and purples...you could even conjour up your own 'greige' with a bit of mixing. The limited edition Beauty Box Quattro is £12.15.

I especially like the nail polishes; Ceramic Nail Lacquers - so called because they contain fine ceramic particles for extra shine. They're £9.30 each and the line up is Sinuous Claret (No. 45), Maiden Pink (No. 54), Saffron Copper (No. 88) and Nebulous Taupe (No. 102).


available at www.garden.co.uk

Laura Mercier Bonne Mine Palette: PS

I just heard that this palette is coming to Selfridges as a UK exclusive...and thank you to the very kind people who offered to pick one up for me in the US. The palette hits the store in September and will cost £35.

Laura Mercier Bonne Mine at Sephora

It's a shame that this gorgeous palette is purely a Sephora exclusive, but if I was heading to NY anytime soon, the Laura Mercier stand would be my first port of call. The Bonne Mine palette does that rarest of things - gives a 'like you, but better' look that lifts radiance and gives the healthiest of glows. Because that's quite a tricky number to pull off in reality, the palette houses instructions on exactly how to use the bronzer, cheek colour and highlighter. It's kind of perfect really for the post holiday period...where you want to keep your holiday look of tan, relaxation and glowy looking skin for just a leeeetle bit longer.

Roughly translated from French, bonne mine means you look very healthy.

The Perfume Diaries

You've probably heard all about The Perfume Diaries event at Harrods by now. It's a one-off fragrance exhibition that for fragrance addicts will be a sensorial spectacle. Along with Estee Lauder solid fragrances dating way back - and some of the rarest and most highly collectable pieces - the exhibition chronicles the history of fragrance from the 1800's. It's really a must-see. Along with the (free) static exhibition on the 4th floor, there are fragrance events taking place throughout September. While scent coinnoisseurs will flock to hear some of the most influential fragrancers speak, the one I'm most interested in is Jade Jagger's personal appearance. She's redesigned one of Guerlain's most iconic bottles - Shalimar, giving it a re-interpretation using her well regarded jewellery design skills that includes a navy leather tie-round. She's going to be signing but that's not the draw for me..it's more interesting that Guerlain, one of the oldest fragrance houses, have thought to break a mould and revisit an icon - it's a tricky thing to do as die-hard fans probably won't be interested and liked it fine the way it was, and Shalimar is very much a scent of it's time, created in 1925, so it may not attract new interest as the fragrance is unchanged. The collector's bottle, hand decorated by Jade with a sapphire is in very limited edition (I believe 182 units) and it's release coincides with Vogue's Fashion Night Out costing £1000. The more purse friendly version, not limited edition, is £38.50.

Anyway, if you are interested too, Jade is appearing between 12.30 and 2.00pm on 8th September.

Les Khakis de Chanel

Created exclusively by Peter Philips for Vogue's Fashion Night Out on 8th September, this gorgeous trio of limited edition nail polishes are hitting every single I Need It spot! Khaki Rose, Khaki Vert and Khaki Brun are all inspired by camouflage colours. They'll cost £19 each and will be available from Chanel boutiques and Selfridges. Khaki Vert for me, please.

You Go On Holiday...

And the brands get all weird. I came home from my holiday to a legalese type email from P&G regarding the new Gucci fragrance, Guilty. They wanted me to reply in writing to confirm that I'm happy to receive this news and to agree that any blog or forum posts are a result of my own informed opinions.

In order to develop our relationship further, apparently, they'd also like permission in writing to share my blog posts online and offline. It seems if I'm not able to provide written permission to them they'll be unable to share any more information about Gucci products with me. Oh, boo hoo.

Well, so yeah, they did develop the relationship further by speedily ending it. There are a million and one fragrance and cosmetic brands out there. With so much choice, I'll opt for the ones that aren't trying to baffle bloggers with legalese, that aren't trying to get written permission to 'share' my posts internally or externally and that aren't trying to get a hold of bloggers by expecting them to adhere to some anal system that might give the guy in the legal cupboard a better night's sleep.

Sorry P&G, but it's kind of ironic that your 'Guilty' fragrance blogger foray doesn't seem like an innocent interaction.

BritishBeautyBlogger Is Away

Bobbi Brown Autumn/Winter and Holiday 2010

If you're a regular reader of BBB, you'll know that I'm a smitten fan of Bobbi glosses - I'm almost embarrassed by how many I have and can barely pass a Bobbi counter without buying one. My picks of the Bobbi Brown autumn/winter 2010 are what I feel to be the stand-outs; the ones that aren't the usual nude/neutrals, and my absolute favourite is the Lip Gloss (I know, so predictable!) in Red. If you normally shy away from reds like I do, you'll find that the pigment in this is high enough to be a true red but not so high that you feel your lips have a life of their own. It's sheer, super glossy and intensely flattering. There are two colourways; Red and Scarlet, but personally, I think Red is the one!


Limited Edition Crystal Eye Palette, £34 These shades are very shimmery and a welcome colour surge. The palette contains Amethyst Metallic Eye Shadow, Diamond Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow, Star Sparkle Eye Shadow and Peacock Metallic Sparkle Eye Shadow. Since purple is a key theme for next season, it's bang on for trend eyes. On counters 1st October.


Limited Edition Mini Bobbi Brights Palette, £42 While on the one hand I feel we've seen this before, I can't get round the fact that twenty pops of colour in one palette will come in very handy indeed! A mix of metallics, shimmers and matte liner shades, it's really got everything you could possibly need for autumn eyes. On counters from 1st October.


Limited Edition Glitter Eyeliner in Gold and Silver, £14.50 each. I've already swatched this a press day (in gold), and it is nothing short of lush. The fluid is highly pigmented - it's an immediate 'wow' - and the brush is perfect for precision lining. It is suggested that you add to the top and bottom inner corners of the eye to give a bit of a pop. On counters 1st November.


Lip Gloss in Red, £14 This just has 'best-seller' written all over it. Totally love it and if you are braver than me when it comes to wearing red lips, there are four lipsticks in Vixen Red, Vintage Red, Hollywood Red and metallic Jewel Red coming too. On counters 1st November.

Unreal Body Buff Exfoliator

Looking for a good image of this (which I didn't find), I keyed into Google Images 'unreal body buff'. You have no idea what I've just seen! Note to self: key in exactly what you want to avoid all kinds of p*orn. But, I used this product from self tan brand Unreal tonight in preparation for self tanning (Vita Liberata as always). While I thought at the time it was a little bit gloopy and runny, it was easy to manoeuver over the the skin without discomfort or effort. Because it is pH balanced and won't leave any residue on your skin, you can apply your self tan more evenly. It's got micro poly beads, coconut butter and mango amongst the ingredients.

All evening I've been marvelling at how soft my skin is - the formula really didn't feel as though it was going to be anything too special, but I am totally amazed. All I have on my skin, post buffing, is self tan, which is usually quite drying. Not so tonight. My skin is softer than it's been for a very long time and feels completely moisturised. Unreal Body Buff Exfoliator is only £12.35 - a fraction of the price of many other exfoliators and I reckon you could get about 7 or 8 good all over exfoliations from the tube.

FInd it at http://www.unreal.me.uk/

Autumn Arrivals at Trish McEvoy

Loving the newbies coming to Trish McEvoy. There's a real trend for 'credit card' sized beauty palettes (the first example I saw was at Le Metier de Beaute) and although of course the very size and depth means less product, I do feel I have a chance of using them up! And, if you're not one for carrying a bag the size of a small suitcase, they are instant space savers.


Beauty Emergency Kit For Eyes: £30. This one goes on counter on 1st September and contains Deep Aubergine Eye Definer, Natural Eye Definer/Brow Shaper, Peach Shell Eye Shadow, Rose Quartz, Sugar Plum, White Peach, Gilded bronze and Gilded Taupe Glaze eye shadows. It comes with four miniature brushes, too.


Voyager Set £61. I haven't had colour confirmation for the Touch Up Card yet, but the brushes are one blending, one angled crease contour, one angled eyelining and a lip brush. It's available from Oct 1st.


Lash Enhancing Eyeliner, £74. I think this is probably the product that will get the most attention; it's one on from the current flurry of lash enhancing lotions as it is worn as an eyeliner. So, it's giving blackest eye definition while boosting your lash growth with protein complex SymPeptide. Find it from September.

What Beauty Brands Didn't Know Before Blogs

They didn’t know how frustrated women were at not having anywhere to talk about their beauty buys;
They didn’t know that consumers would listen to real real-life reviews far more readily than any pretend advertorial reviews;
They didn’t know that we’d be able to influence sales;
They didn’t know just how much we know about beauty;
They didn’t know how important each and every purchase is;
They didn’t know how a beauty buy is coveted, poured over, tested, discussed and judged;
They didn't know how quickly their 'mistakes' would be recognized and broadcast;
They didn't know that actual consumers would be able to 'read' business and advertising strategies as easily as if they were Heat magazine;
They didn’t know we’d be able to spot and advise on dupes across the beauty spectrum – so what if Paradoxical is sold out? There’s an identical colour at Model’s Own;
They didn’t know we’d be able to create and influence trends;
They didn't know we actually read the fine print (i.e. filmed with lash inserts);
They didn’t know that if we see or experience bad customer service or make a purchase that doesn’t live up to expectations, that we’d create a place to pass on the news;
They didn’t know just how many women (and men) love make up and skincare to the point they’d create video channels, films, and written pieces that collectively millions of other women (and men) would read every day;
They didn’t know that many bloggers know the MAC foundation colour chart off by heart and can colour match at twenty paces;
They didn’t know how important it is to have accurate colour swatches on e-tail sites (and they still don’t really understand that);
They didn’t know we want to know all the ingredients in a product and we are very likely know the exact function of each one;
They didn’t know we want to be more educated about products and that they won’t lose business because we are more informed;
They didn’t know that they’d get the most valuable customer feedback they could ever hope to have via blogs;
They didn’t know that ‘hard sell’ equals ‘no sale’;
They didn’t know that we know the sales routines and patters from behind the scenes sources and that we just don’t fall for it anymore;
They didn’t know that their target market very often isn’t their true market;
They didn’t know that we need products to prove themselves;
They didn’t know that we use a proper decision making process to make beauty purchases – we don’t just believe the ads;
They didn’t know that we just aren’t that gullible; and finally
They didn’t know that we can have a whole night’s conversation on Twitter about one nail varnish colour.




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Speed Reviews: Gorgeous Smells!

Three brands have popped up in the past week that I'm completely loving. They're all a little bit different, but focus on good old fashioned luxury body care - no anti-wrinkly, super-venemous, ultra-sciency stuff. All three fall into the pamper category for those days when you just want to look after yourself properly, be enveloped with beautiful scents and have soft, strokeable skin. There's a little bit of facial care in the mix but I'm so impressed with the body pampering bits I'm sticking to those for the review.


Betty Hula
A million types of yum! Betty Hula is a new brand that focusses on natural ingredients from fair trade sources. I've taken a big liking to Rum & Blackcurrant Shea Moisturising Butter; there's far more blackcurrant in the mix than rum and it reminds me of old fashioned sherbert - it's so pretty. If you like a bit of a sharper edge, there is also Kiwi & Lime Shea Butter Moisturising Cream. The consistency is very light and it leaves a gorgeous sheen on the skin. Other ingredients include Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil and Vitamin E. As you might guess from the name, the range is Hawaiian inspired, which is a scent group that I really like because it reminds me of holidays (not that I've ever set foot in Hawaii!). Everything is made using traditional methods and does give a superb hit of moisture, with an afterglow of very silky feeling skin, especially if your skin is post holiday dry. Find it at http://bettyhula.co.uk/listing--2--moisturisers.html


Artful Teasing
Predominantly body care with a bit of facial skin care (Pure Rose Cream), this range is exactly what I'd want to find in the bathroom on a luxury break. And, as it's already at Heston Blumenthal's Hinds Head Hotel in Bray, I guess that's where I'll have to head - in the name of research, of course! The scents are aromatherapy based, UK made, and beautifully light - no blast of tea tree here! I particularly liked Pink Lemongrass, Geranium and Lemongrass Body Lotion, and have been using the shower gels (Sweet Orange, Geranium and Frankinsense, mainly) as very posh hand wash! Again, this is a natural skin care range formulated without parabens. Find them here: www.artfulteasing.co.uk



Olivina Honeysuckle Rose Body Range
Olivina isn't new; but this beautifully scented range is. It's kind of old fashioned, but that's no bad thing because it's a soft, powdery scent and lovely to soak into the skin before bed. You go to sleep feeling definitely pampered. The basis of the range is olive and grapeseed oils and it originates in California. Olivina is boosted with shea butter, kelp, honey and avocado...basically all things that your skin will feel the benefit of. There's a beautiful, chunky soap in the range, and while you can't knock a bit of LifeBuoy, there really is something about posh soap that helps to make you feel pampered! I've tested the Body Butter - it's rich, very moisturising and doesn't feel sticky or tacky once applied. Find Olivina here: http://www.united-perfumes.com/ShopOnline.aspx