Shampoo -Soap and Glory - Glad Hair Day
pennypencil 5/19/2012 2:42:00 PM
Whilst I would use the travel size of this again, for convenience, I found it made my blond hair slightly heavier and darker than my regular shampoo. It’s strange how some products have that effect, and my hair can range from being light to dark blond as a result. My hair looks fine, using this – totally manageable – just lacks that spruce and brightness.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Mascara -L'Oreal - Telescopic in Carbon Black
pennypencil 5/9/2012 1:47:00 AM
Cancelled trains are the bain of my (credit card's) life, because I hang around Boots for half an hour at a time, pondering the best 3-for-2 offers, checking my Makeupalley app, putting things in and taking things out of my wire basket. On one such occasion I ended up with this, which was fanciful of me because the original Telescopic irritated my eyes. This doesn't at all, and neither does it flake. It lasts as well as my favourite mascaras - Diorshow Extase, Clinique High Impact, Estee Lauder Sumptuous. It lengthens very well, but does clump on application, so needs agitation to seperate lashes. I find the brush most tedious, and have on occasion used a different mascara wand, which is a pain but overcomes the one negative aspect of the product.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Eye Shadow -Maybelline - Color Tattoo 24hr Cream Gel Shadow in Tough as Taupe
pennypencil 5/9/2012 1:20:00 AM
I greatly appreciate make-up products that don't irritate my sensitive skin, and this scores points immediately for not doing so. I've worn Tough as Taupe both as an eyeshadow base (to deepen up my favourite Urban Decay shadows) and as a simple wash of colour. I think it wears very well - it certainly lasts until after work for me, without creasing. In shade, it reminds me of a MAC paint I used to have in Snapshot - a murky, puddle grey colour. The kind of colour that is pretty bland but ultimately incredibly useful.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrance -Givenchy - Pi (For Men)
pennypencil 5/4/2012 2:44:00 AM
This is a lovely scent, which on my skin is a combination of heliotrope, milk chocolate, benzoin, rosemary and matey bubble bath. It begins with a modern but masculine sweet cologne vibe, but as it dries down the almond and powder bloom and become both milky and caramelly. It feels like a cross between the masculine gourmands – D&G The One Gentleman, Paco Rabanne 1 Million, Rochas Man – and the heliotrope brigade – Mazzorali Alessandro, Etro Heliotrope, and even Caron’s Farnesiana. It’s quite buzzy and warm, and definitely a manly embrace more than a feminine one. I’m not convinced it’s unisex in the same way Bvlgari Black or Cartier Declaration are, which are two scents I love to wear. On a guy, my guy, it’s soft, sweet and not unlike the shower. I’m not sure of the extent of which I can rock this, but I will have a go.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Shampoo -SAMY - Professional Icing Continuous Spray Shampoo
pennypencil 4/24/2012 2:38:00 AM
I bought this from Superdrug, where they seem to have had a Samy invasion. Someone has scored a contract, by the looks of it, and I’m not altogether sure, from my limited experience of two products, that this is a good thing. This foam shampoo smells awful. I don’t say that often, because I can handle cheap and fruity, or soapy and powdery, or generic or weird – really, I see merit in most scents. This, however, smells gross. Part stomach bile, part sour milk, part decomposing fruit (but very little – it’s not ‘fruity’.) I could deal with this if the product was good, but whilst it’s quite nice using foam, there ends the appeal. This product weighs down hair, makes it tacky and dense, results in another wash being needed within 24 hours. The only good thing I can say about this product is that it doesn’t prevent me from styling my hair after use, and I can make it look okay – but far from the gloss, shine and manageability promised, and I’d go so far as to say my blond hair gets a bit dulled by it.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Honore des Pres Sexy Angelic
pennypencil 3/22/2012 4:03:00 AM
This is a sensational fragrance - love at first sniff, that blossomed into love as the dry-down warmed with my skin when I tested it in Selfridges. Initially I got a lovely almond cloud, soft and powdery and akin to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's Dana O'Shee. However, as time progressed, it warped into something rich with jammy rhubarb, bright grass, fresh anise and sherbert sweets. Not at all usual.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab - Eat Me
pennypencil 1/21/2012 12:06:00 PM
In the vial, Eat Me smells like madeira cake stomped into the carpet. Like with Bones Trombone, another cakey concoction, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s cake accords are rather thick on the carpet note. It seems to be what they use to give the smell a spongy, dense texture. Luckily, this does recede with time, revealing a lightly berry, creamy and sweet skin scent, in the same ballpark as Britney Spears’s Midnight Fantasy, but with far less syrupiness. The latter stages of Eat Me reveal a ghost of Snake Oil – a soft nag champa, which oscillates between incense and Refreshers candy. Worth wearing through the opening for the gorgeous dry-down, which hasn’t much throw but plenty of milky comfort.
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Treatments -Burt's Bees - Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
pennypencil 12/7/2011 2:39:00 AM
This is a cute product which smells zesty, fresh and sweet. I rub it into my nails at work, when I don't have nail polish on, but at home I use a mixture of grapeseed, rosehip seed and jojoba oils. I presume it works, but I don't pay a great deal of attention to my cuticles - I just enjoy the ritual. I do feel my nails need an oil/balm so parched can they be through varnish and remover, so I'll keep using it as it's easy to get hold of - however, I could stray.
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Fragrances -J. Lo - Glow
pennypencil 12/5/2011 12:24:00 PM
Well, hello! I had some idea about what Glow would smell like – clean, musky, something like something called ‘China Rain’, which I’ve never come across in the UK, but which I imagined smells like modern aldehydes, cheap ozone, crushed white petals and baby musk. Finally, many years after its release, I sampled Glow, and it’s just how I imagined it would be only quite significantly better. What’s more, I don’t recognise it, so I surmise it isn’t the staple in the tweenies-to-twenties clan in the UK that it is alleged to be in the US. I actually think a grown woman could wear this and come across as elegant and tasteful. If your two favourite fragrances were Glow and Donna Karan’s Cashmere Mist, I actually think you would get compliments galore. And how it stays around! Monster sillage. Not really my thing for a signature scent, but then, I don’t really have one, preferring instead to have a whole fragrance menu. Sometimes, this would be quite a thrill to sport, though – somehow, touchingly cheap and disposably feminine.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Soap and Glory - The Scrub of Your Life
pennypencil 12/5/2011 12:03:00 PM
This is my current favourite scrub, singular because it has real exfoliating power, it actually lathers up, and then rinses clean off without that annoying residue many scrubs leave behind. I really like this and can't see myself straying - it's just so effective! Though I've used Flake Away, from the same line, I found the rich, oily film of that one a tiny bit inconvenient, though it's luxurious. Personally I'm keen on the Miss Dior Cherie aroma of Soap and Glory products. I use this with the Righteous Butter, Palmers AHA/BHA lotion, or, if I'm in a pampering mood, Laura Mercier's Pistache body cream. For the price, Soap and Glory offer great quality and a touch of easy retro glamour to your bathroom.
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Lip Treatments -Korres - Lip Butter -Quince
pennypencil 12/5/2011 11:41:00 AM
This is a thick, tacky, slippery, emollient pink pout polish, which straddles the line between gloss and balm. It’s super shiny, with a pretty hint of warm, petal pink. It’s more than your-lips-but-better, because it’s so super glossy – almost too much so for my tastes. It’s faintly irritating on the lips, in that I can feel it sitting there, but it’s easy to apply, looks good and also seems to have a plumping effect. Perhaps that’s about the light hitting the glassy surface. Actually, I prefer to apply this over lipstick and then blot. I also think its thickness will be a good blue-lips preventative when drinking red wine. To be honest, I think I prefer Sleek’s Pout Polishes to this, because they are lighter in texture, yet still have great colour pay-off. I’m not disappointed I tried this £6 tub, and I may try the other colours/flavours, but for now, I’m just pleased with it, rather than besotted.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Conditioner -L'Oreal - Elvive Colour Protect Conditioning Protect Spray
pennypencil 12/5/2011 11:16:00 AM
This is a perfectly good detangling and protectant spray which doesn't weigh down or grease up my long blond hair. I try to keep it away from my roots, nonetheless. Psychologically, at least, it makes me feel better about blow-drying, though I can’t speak for the amount it protects coloured hair, as I get highlights only sporadically, every few years. I spray this liberally after washing my hair, usually with L’Oreal Elvive shampoo and conditioner, though sometimes Aveda, and sometimes Frizz Ease, and before tussling a bit of Aveda smooth infusion smoother through the ends. My hair is manageable and gets me the odd compliment, so I’m pretty happy with this regime. The scent is pretty, fruity, fresh and light. If you accidentally spritz even the tiniest cloud of this on the carpet, it will make it treacherously slippery.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Palettes -Sleek - Au Naturel
pennypencil 12/5/2011 10:45:00 AM
I bought this because I really like my Sleek Storm palette, am quite fond of my Sunset palette, and love my Urban Decay Naked palette. I figured this as Sleek's take on the latter, and we know how versatile nude palettes are, so it really seemed to be a no-brainer. How could I not love it? I'm used to occasionally being allergic to eyeshadows. I am to MAC's, much to my disdain (though the pigments are fine), Clinique's and Estee Lauder's - yet can wear Chanel, Guerlain, Aveda, L'Oreal and my favourite of all, Urban Decay, with no problems. In addition to this, I can wear my Sleek palettes, up until the release of this one. One wear and my eyelids itched a little. Colour-wise, they are dull, neutral colours - quite easy to pull off, though not particularly dazzling. It's nice to see a grey, and I also like the shimmery mushroomy gold in the top right-hand corner. I have no doubt that these would wear fine on top of Urban Decay Primer Potion, but somehow they feel cheaper than Sleek's previous offerings, not least because of the mild irritation they trigger. I was also perturbed by the fact my palette was broken when I bought it – cracked around the hinge, which is hanging off. I am not sure whether to blame Sleek or Superdrug for this disappointment. To be honest, I do think these shadows are slightly different to their predecessors. Chalky, less pigmented. Fine for my eyebrows, but not for my lids, alas.
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Mascara -Maybelline - Volum' Express The Falsies
pennypencil 12/4/2011 8:14:00 AM
I have been impressed with this mascara as a high street cheapy to keep in the boyfriend bag. It definitely both lengthens and volumises, and if you know when to stop layering, the effect is really pretty. One coat too many and the clumps begin, but get it right and the effect is just as good as some of my favourite high end choices. I'm relieved I don't experience any irritation from this, since a Maybelline mascara went straight in the bin a few years ago for that reason. With this on, my lashes don't feel too hard either. I prefer this to the fairly decent L'Oreal and Prestige mascaras I've tried, and I don't at all rate Revlon or Max Factor for mascaras. My favourite high end picks are Diorshow Extase, Estee Lauder Sumptuous and Clinique High Impact. This holds its own.
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Liquid -Bourjois - Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation
pennypencil 11/27/2011 5:16:00 AM
This is a fabulous foundation, not getting five lipsticks only because I still prefer the incredible original Healthy Mix foundation by a small degree. It has a nice, clean, glowing finish, but lacks that silkiness the original formulation has. I have used Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua and it's not quite the same, in my opinion. The former seems more siliconey to me - really smooth - whereas the Healthy Mix is a tiny bit more tacky. However, it's still a top class foundation at a good price, only surpassed by its own sister.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No