Nail Rock Nail Wraps

In keeping with my current all-things-nails obsession, I love these home wraps from Nail Rock. I have had a little go - and was worse than useless it has to be said - but that doesn't reflect the product, I don't think. Created by nail expert Zoe Pocock, the wraps need to be filed down to size once on the nail - after a blow with a hot hair dryer to adhere them correctly. If you can master the technique, the effects are amazing. Find them for a very reasonable £6.50 at ASOS.

Anna Sui Make Up

I absolutely love this brand and wish almost weekly that it would come back to the UK. The packaging and innovations are gorgeous - who wouldn't want a little collection of Anna? I found these on the Japanese Anna Sui site.

Precision Nails Christmas 2010: The Sprinkles Collection

There's a cake theme going on here - odd for Christmas, but anything cake-related is fine for me! Pick from Taupe It Off With Sprinkles, Hansel & Gretel, Red Velvet Cupcake, After Dinner Mints, Shake Your Bon Bon or 18 Carat Cake.

The one I have my eye on is Taupe It Off With Sprinkles - I love taupes so would like to see how it wears with a hefty shot of metallic shimmer added in.

Tess Daly Skincare

Tess Daly's range for M&S has been a spectacular success so far - the Daily Face glow sold out twice when it was first launched. But, now it seems every beauty product has a celebrity behind it and some are clearlt more involved than others. I remember going to a (minor) celebrity fragrance launch and despite about a hundred press releases professing that the celebrity was 'deeply involved' in picking the ingredients, the celeb couldn't actually remember what was in it. Hmmm. So, I'm always a little bit cynical when a product is 'made by a sleb'.


I had tea with Tess Daly today to launch her new skincare range for Tess Daly Beauty at Marks & Spencer. I surprised myself by being a tad star struck and stuttering a bit before we actually got into a conversation. She is passionate about the range but she's not kidding anyone that she's mixing it up in the lab, hovering over ever single ingredient that's droppered into the bottles. What she does do though, is be very specific about what she wants, and tests, tests and tests until she gets it. I loved the fact that she totally shares my horror of chunks of glitter in products and knows perfectly well that there is a way difference between glowy skin and tinsel-face. So, the product I picked up and instantly loved isn't actually a new one; it's the Daly Body Sheen Silky Finish Highlighting Balm, £15, that smells, well, lovely actually. With a blend of jasmine and vanilla for fragrance, you won't find a single glitter shard in this; it's a sheen and no more. But, it is a beautiful sheen that does give skin a truly glowy finish. From the new range, I also liked Daly Light, £9.50, to highlight the face. It has the same sheer finish as Body Sheen, but in a formula that is more appropriate for the face, and acts like an illuminating veil, in a way that is as good as, if not better, than more pricy counterparts. Lastly, I liked Daly Tint, £12; a tinted moisturiser giving sheer coverage. It's not quite coverage enough for me but can see it being a brilliant mixer for foundation when you need something to rev up the glow.

While there are a couple of other new products - a night cream called Daly Repair, £12, and day cream, Daly Protect, £12 - I didn't get a chance to test those out properly - a dab on the hand doesn't tell you anything much really.

But, what was striking about Tess was that, confronted with 12 beauty journalists and writers, she still managed to get stuck into general chat after telling us about her range. We talked nails, kids and Strictly, ate cream scones (she had half!) and we even talked about blogging - 'It's the future', she said. She was funny about the Daly Legs cream in which her own legs are pictured (and airbrushed) and isn't sure that she is looking forward to the future launch of her bum toning cream because it will be her own bottom staring out from the shelves of M&S - that's got to be un-nerving!

Dolce & Gabbana Lip Jewels Palette

Oh, oh! Dolce & Gabbana Make Up has SO stepped it up with this gorgeously jewelled palette. Meet the Lip Jewels Classic Cream Lipstick Quartet. Pat McGrath, Stefano and Domenico worked together to come up with every woman’s favourite colours, which made their debut on the Milan SS catwalk.


Nice.

Not sure when it’s launching here but with rock sized jewels and perfect shades, I’m guessing it’s going to be in time for Christmas – I hope so anyway.

Credit: http://www.palacinka.com/ has more pics from the runway!

Beauty By Robot

Ok, so I didn't know that Panasonic is noted for its robot technology. But, turns out they don't just make TVs. They've recently been contributing to the beauty world by inventing a robotic hair washer. Yes, really. You stick your head in the basin and two robot arms guide 16 fingers with, it is claimed, the same dexterity as human fingers. Sensors scan the person's head to measure its shape and ensure the right amount of pressure is applied when washing and rinsing. The robot also remembers your head shape and massion tension preferences for your next wash.

Panasonic have developed this really as an implement to aid in the care of the elderly and infirm, but I'm thinking that those are the people who would most welcome the human touch, and not appreciate being shoved into an automatic washer. They will be tumble drying them next.

On the other hand, as was pointed out on Twitter, it might be a bit like having your hair washed in the Orgasmatron, in which case that's a whole other thing.

YSL Manicure Couture - Sorted!

Yes! At last, I've mastered the Couture Nails....but needed help! I ordered some nail guides from the internet and they've turned what was a complete frustration into an absolute breeze. Here, I'm using the Duo Belle de Nuit; a very deep aubergine shade, tipped with gold. The brushes are angled to make free hand couturing easier but even with that, I just couldn't get them as precision as this look needs to be. With the nail guides though, it's a whole other story. I used two coats of aubergine over the entire nail and then a coat of Seche Vite. I gave it a few minutes to completely dry and then added the nail guides, moving them around until they were in exactly the right place. Then I added two coats of gold and another coat of Seche before removing the guides. I'd recommend that with this last process, you give the whole thing plenty of time to thoroughly dry - I was in such an impatient rush that the gold wasn't completely dried out. I then put a further coat of Seche over the entire thing to fuse it all together properly. Result!

Le Metier de Beaute Peau de Vierge Anti-Ageing Complex

Ok, so this is one exciting launch coming up. Le Metier de Beaute is already one of my favourite make up brands, but due to launch in the UK (in Selfridges) in October is Peau de Vierge Anti-Ageing Complex. It’s an anti-ageing/foundation hybrid that sold out in one day when it launched at Bergdorf Goodman in 2009. Why did so many New Yorkers rush to Bergdorfs on launch day? TPM technology is why. It’s a system of retinol delivery that is able to penetrate the layers of the skin more deeply, and therefore – so the theory goes – gives active skincare (said to be 20 times more powerful than any other over-the-counter Retinol products) and a flawless finish. Retinol is known to be irritating to some skins, but Peau de Vierge’s (which incidentally means ‘virgin skin’ – we can hope, we can hope!) use of the TPM (a mix of tocopheryl phosphates) delivery makes it more efficient but less irritating, with, they say, none of the associated dryness that can come with Retinol, and drives active ingredients into the skin, but leaves a tint coverage on the surface. Other ingredients are vitamins A & E for smoothing and conditioning, Silica to absorb excess oil, Chamomile, and Ginseng Root Extract. There is also a correcting stick to hide dark circles and blemishes.

Erm, did someone just create the perfect skin care product?

Le Metier de Beaute Peau de Vierge promises results in 7 days. So far, I’ve tested it on my hand and impressed with the amount of light reflection the coverage gives, but from tomorrow it’s on trial for 7 days.

Davina Peace Beauty Range: Eco-Luxe and Lovely

The thing that is striking about Davina Peace the person is that she quite literally sparkles. I've never seen such a glowy individual in my life...her eyes are twinkly, her skin is clear, her hair is shiny - you get the wholesome picture. So, it is no surprise to discover that her luxury range is all about naturals, organics and sustainability. I'd like to say that when I met her she was wearing tree-huggy hemp clothes, but no, she managed to look like she'd just walked straight out of Chanel.

Davina has made a career from ethical branding, launching Saatchi Sustainability in London, and working at the Soil Association at uni, so it is a natural move to producing an environmentally and socially responsible beauty range. Quite how this will translate to sales, I'm not sure. I don't know if we are yet in a place that we will buy into a brand because of it's ethical stance over and above other brands we already know and like. But, it will be interesting to see how it all turns out. The Body Care range is Soil Association certified and all products use fairly traded ingredients or ingredients from sources where communities are supported where available.

I've tried a couple of the products - the most impressive has to be Davina Peace Body Cream (70% organic). It is a beautiful body cream, softening, nourishing, moisturising and long lasting with an earthy scent that doesn't hang around and ruin your perfume. I can easily say that it out-moisturises most of the other body creams I've tried. What is interesting is that it slips over the skin easily and sinks in quickly, and yet it uses no silicones - the ingredients usually responsible for the tactile aspect of creams and lotions. Davina is the first person to use organic Crambe oil, derived from the UK grown Crambe Abyssinica plant whose lipid profile allows for a similar silkiness to silicone. The other product I've tried is Body Oil - again, a very high spec product packed with repairing oils such as jojoba and safflower, with anti-ageing Crambe Maritima sea plant extracts thrown for its revilatization properties as well. The scent is a little predictable - it smells as you would expect a generic organic oil to smell, but that said, it is a genuinely sumptuous oil that makes you feel as though you are throroughly pampering yourself.

There's nothing cheap about this range - presentation is clear, clean and expensive looking, nothing's been spared on the ingredients for ultimate performance and it's fragranced for broad appeal, but priced for the luxury market (Body Cream is £55 and Body Oil is £45). If sustainability and responsibility sways your purchasing, this is a brand that will tick all the eco-luxe boxes (except possibly carbon footprint as ingredients are sourced from all over the world - although maybe that's neturalised by all the other elements...not sure how these things are calculated).

Other products in the range include a handcream and beeswax and Ecosoya blend candles with no palm oil (surely one of the world's most ecologically ravaging ingredients) in beautiful porcelein holders (the mini versions can then be doubled as egg-cups - they're the perfect fit), fragranced in White Flowers, Spiced Punch and Citrus Fruits and priced at £36.

Find Davina Peace at http://www.davinapeace.com/ going ecommerce on 1st October, and launching into Harrods on 1st November.

Lierac Hydra Chrono Range - Big Like.

For the past couple of months, I've stopped chopping and changing moisturisers and have almost exclusively been using the Lierac Hydra Chrono range. Other than when I went abroad (hand luggage only so I took the small size Barefoot Botanicals facial oil) I've pretty much stuck with it. And, that's because it's a gorgeous range that ticks all the right skin care boxes for me. In fact, I'd put these products up against almost any higher priced ones and be pretty sure they'd come out glowing.

With two main elements - Porphyridium Cruentum micro algae (sourced in Brittany) that contains high levels of polysaccharides (sugars) and trace elements (copper, magnesium and silicon), and TMG, an amino acid that helps the skin to trap moisture, you'll also find the products packed with fatty acid rich safflower and apricot oils. The result is a super-smooth texture with a slightly rosy scent that leaves skin feeling very soft and looking beautifully moisturised. There isn’t one thing I don’t like about these two products. I use Hydro Chrono Fluide Fraicheur, £33 in the mornings and Hydro Chrono Creme Confort Peaux Seche, £33 at night. The day cream has a matte finish and is very light in consistency, and yet my skin feels almost post-facial after application. At night, Confort Peaux Seche lacks the weighty feeling that some rich night creams can have and yet still delivers a punchy moisture surge.

Designed to tackle moisture issues and fine lines, I'd say my skin hasn't felt this consistently balanced for quite a long time. However, when it comes to fine lines, it's a hard call. Yes, my skin looks good, but I can't hand on heart, say I've lost ten years - if only! The thing is though, if your skin looks and feels soft and hydrated, that's quite youth-ifying in itself..so it is doing the job. I just can't swear I've seen fine lines disappear.

I've also - less consistently, I must say, been using Leirac Mesolift Serum, £39, full of vitamins, minerals and hyaluronic acid, as a bit of a 'booster' (yes, I'm taking all the help I can get!), and sure enough, my skin is glowier than usual.

I'm so impressed with this range; I've also dabbled with Lierac exfoliators, masks and eye creams and so far haven't found anything I don't like - that's almost a first, I think. It's just an incredibly effective range that delivers tangible results at a medium range price. Nice.

You can find this range at Harrods and FeelUnique.com.

Lalique Fleur de Cristal

Ok, so there's no doubt that this a gorgeous looking bottle of perfume. The flacon design apparantly caused terrible headaches to the designer as injecting and suspending the Lily of the Valley bells around the upper part of the bottle is unprecedented in a scent bottle. But, my goodness, it was worth the head scratching to deliver something that could earn a place on the most prestige of dressing tables.

The fragrance itself is beautiful. I was taken through the individual notes - via a set of little jars full of cotton wool puffs sprayed with each of the notes - and its hard to even understand the alchemy that transports the sharp tone of bergamot and the overblown, heady notes of jasmine into the delicate flowery-skin scent that Lalique Fleur de Cristal becomes. It's also got stephanotis, lily of the valley (you can definitely pick that up in the fragrance), sandalwood, cashermeran and amber in the mix.

On the fragrance card, it was disappointing..just flowery and nothingy - this is a fragrance that needs to be tested on the skin, because that's when it flourishes into a sensual, gentle, petal blend that is just lovely.

Maybelline - I'm Looking At You (Twice)

Sharon Dowsett's Maybelline make up kit..

It started with a swatch...

Couture brows.

The pefect glossy eye.

Yes Sharon, you have to do the other eye.

The finished result.

Edible Lipsticks!

I go to a lot of beauty launches but the Maybelline one today was a step up. Basically, a live shoot for their SS11 lookbook, they'd got Jackie Dixon from showmeyourwardrobe.com shooting the pictures, make up artist Sharon Dowsett, and nail guru David Barton all working on model, Kemp Muhl (the youngest ever model to appear on the cover of Harpers & Queen). God, if you ever want to see the living embodiment of flawless, meet Kemp!

Although I know David (who's single handedly taken my nails from something akin to pork scratchings and turned them into actual nails!), I hadn't really chatted with Sharon before. This is something I'm really sorry about now, because she is amazing. Not only do we share a love of all things Chanel (she was wearing a pair of Chanel boots that I nearly died of envy for), but she just 'gets it' when it comes to make up that real women want to wear, as well as being able to deliver trend looks for the catwalk. I've got some pics above of how she transformed a very pretty, but plain Maybelline colour - Chocolate Chic - into the most glamorous eye make up in the world. By adding a dab of Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream to the colour she turned that brown into a dazzling, glossy, wet-look shade that looked absolutely beautiful and very high fashion. And, if you add 8 Hour cream to your eyeshadow, yes, it will crease. She doesn't make any bones about it - but because it's so malliable with addition of the balm, as long as you keep a check on it, a gentle finger swipe (or better yet, a flat eye brush) is all it needs to keep it looking pristine. It is high maintenance, but a look that's well worth it.

She added little couture eyebrow flicks to Kemp's already pretty damnn perfect brows by using a fine ended brush and Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner (out in limited edition at their pop up shop in Shorts Gardens, Covent Garden but mainstream from spring) and then added Crystal Clear Watershine Lipgloss to both the brow (too fashion-y for every day I think) and the tiniest smidge under the brow line - gorgeous.

David's nail tips for the day were also fabulous - a slick of Maybelline Onyx Black Express Nail Polish as a base, and a second coat of Express Finish Diamonds (sparkly) in Red Comet or for goth couture. Nice.

You can see the results from the pictures above, but it's suddenly made me look at Maybelline in a whole new light - you *can* get high end looks from a lower priced range.

Chantecaille Tiger In The Wild Palette Limited Edition

Not only is this one of the most beautiful palettes available currently, it's also in a great cause. The cheek and eye Tiger In The Wild palette supports TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring organisation that saves tigers in the wild. The shocking facts are that wild tigers have declined in numbers from 5,000 in 1998 to only 3,200 now. 5,000 wasn't enough in the first place, so add another decade to these stats and you can see how they could quite easily disappear all together within our lifetime.

The palette costs £73, and 5% of that goes to TRAFFIC. In fact, Chantecaille are known for their beautiful make up creations that theme to their causes; remember the beautiful butterfly palette from a couple of years ago? Sublime.

It's available now.

Lancome Finds: Absolue Lips Precious Cells and Peach Fever Blush Subtil

You kind of think it will never happen, but over time, your lips do start to look..well, a bit knackered. Ageing brings lots of lines and a loss of collagen - annoyingly, this loss of collagen doesn't necessarily happen evenly, so you can end up with one side of your lips slightly less full than the other - that's exactly what has happened to me. So, I fall on anything that promises to make my lips look younger. Lancome Absolue Precious Cells comes in a tube applicator with three little roller balls in the applicator. As you massage your lips with them, it does bring a rush of colour back - albeit temporarily - and the slightly sweet tasting formula is smooth and creamy in texture. The product promises to smooth out contours, plump the lips and give a rosy hue - the press release is baffling, mind you, so I've yet to work out quite how, other than to say the active ingredients boost the skin's ability to repair and it needs to be used for 7 days to see results, so watch this space. It's £40.

The second Lancome product has very quickly become an absolute favourite. The beauty world is divided into those who love Nars Orgasm blush, and those who don't. I'm in the latter category because I didn't like the glitter chunks. Up until now, my favourite blush has been Le Metier de Beaute's Echo..another less sparkly Orgasm-esq powder blush, but it is continually out of stock at the Liberty counter (although I hear Le Metier are heading to Selfridges soon). Lancome Peach Fever is perfect for those who like peachy cheeks and lies a couple of shades of intensity down from Orgasm and also from Echo. Ideal for paler skin types or even those with a smattering of tan left from holiday to just give a natural and peachy flush, it's one of the prettiest shades I've come across in a long time. There is however, some shimmer to it - sparkle is too big a word for the finest of sparkles in Peach Fever, but if you love it matt, you won't want to invest in this. I don't generally like shimmer, sparkles, glitter etc, but I do love this incredibly flattering blush which is also very prettily scented. It's £25 and shown next to Le Metier's Echo.

Models Own Car Keys Vs Chanel Khakis

Right to Left: MO Becca's Brown, Chanel Khaki Brun, MO Purple Ash, Chanel Khaki Rose


Right to Left: MO Becca's Brown, Chanel Khaki Rose, MO Grace Green, Chanel Khaki Vert

Okay, well you'll see by the swatching that the Model's Own Car Key collection - god love them for that name - is not quite the amazing dupe we'd been hoping it would be. That said, other than the green which feels a bit last season, I absolutely love the Model's Own shades as a good, and budget friendly, twist on the style theme and will happily wear them all. Funnily enough, the best match is Chanel Khaki Rose and Model's Own Becca's Brown. In terms of texture and look, Chanel is a bit thicker and just generally more luxy (as you'd expect) on application, but the shine result is the same for both.

Models Vote With Their Feet

My one purely fashion related post from LWF SS10. While I was making my way home from Burberry to get my backstage pics onto the blog, I read various tweets that models were struggling with the shoes. At almost every single show, these beautiful, twig-limbed creatures are asked to walk down the run way in shoes so high that a fall or twist could be really serious. A model with a broken ankle is basically an unemployed model, and it's not like they have even a modest amount of fat to slightly absorb a fall. So, it's been a general theme this London Fashion Week that models have rebelled and if it's all got too precarious, they've taken off the shoes and walked the catwalk barefoot. Good for you.

Backstage At Burberry Spring Summer 2011

And I couldn't find it.....


Ready for dressing.


Well, my hair was messy too but at least nobody threw a cardigan over it...


They do Bioderma Crealine H20 Wipes? Who knew?


Oh, yes, you are. Beautiful.


Gigantic coolers and still we sweated...


Oh, please could this one day be mine?


Yes, Jourdan Dunn, you are fierce.

With a horrible sense of direction, I actually thought I'd never find the venue - spot the picture and then realise what a fool I felt when I did. How could I miss that? With an allocated time of 15 minutes to spend backstage at one of the most prestigious fashion shows of LFW, I was so desperate not to be late and miss getting in that by the time I got there, my heart was thumping. Security is high...I mean *really* high at Burberry and if you aren't allocated a wrist band you are going no-where but out. So, even queueing for our wrist bands was stressful (I have to give a shout out to the PR's here, Lucy and Sam, for actually absorbing most of the stress for us so adeptly and for dealing with an over-officious Burberry monitor barking at them; they didn't miss a beat, when frankly, I'd have been trembling in abject terror). Once backstage, it was a familiar scene of organised, boiling hot, chaos. But, with Burberry make up known for muted, natural looks, there was no riot of colour but gentle washes of beautiful pared down, earthy tones.

As usual, I was completely in the way, but managed to squeeze over to super-amazing make up artist Wendy Rowe as she was working on model, Jourdan Dunn, who could not have looked prettier; better yet, she was charming and actually gave some fierce looks to camera - yay! Thanks, Jourdan. The SS11 fashion collection was a spin on biker chic, so Wendy went for sultry eyes in browns and antique rose, fresh and dewy skin with nude lips. As I watched, she had applied foundation to Jourdan's lips over which she was about to add Nutmeg lipgloss. I had time to take some quick snaps, fire a few questions to Wendy (and discovered that there is a line of concealers coming for Spring). The look was so beautifully pared back, incredibly flattering and wearable and perfectly summed up the Burberry girl in spring time.

I did get a little lost with the analogy that the models were supposed to look like they'd just been for a ride on the back of a motor bike - I've yet to see anyone emerge from that kind of journey looking as dewy as Jourdan. But, that's fash-land for you - maybe the beautiful people can take the wind through their hair and in their eyes and still emerge like that!

Model's Own Car Key Collection

I love a brand with a sense of humour; Model's Own Car Key goes up against Chanel's Khaki collection with three shades; Grace Green, Becca's Brown and Purple Ash - all spectacular dupes of the designer brand. They're a fiver each at Boots from October. Love it.

Once the set arrives with me - hopefully tomorrow - I will do a photo comparison.

YSL Holiday Look 2010: Metallic Colorama

OMBRES DUOLUMIÈRES Eyeshadow Duo No. 33 – Silver Grey/Golden Plum
MASCARA VOLUME EFFET FAUX CILS False-eyelash Effect Volumising Mascara No. 9 –
Crimson
Golden Gloss Golden Carat
Golden Gloss Golden Chocolate a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_doMzGF0zZBw/TJfLCJY4AqI/AAAAAAAAECA/L9kJ6JgmAew/s1600/L1703000_golden_Chocolat.jpg">
Golden Gloss Golden Champagne
Rouge Pur Shine No. 35 - Rose Métallique
Rouge Pur Shine No. 34 – Or Métallique
Metallic Colorama Palette



This is a really decadent collection from YSL, bursting with the ultimate party shade, gold. I love that they've teamed gold with pink and chocolate as well as red. It's a gorgeously feminine take and an easier way to wear gold. There are also three gorgeous vintage effect nail polishes that I'll show in another post.

Counter date is 23rd October so not too long to wait.