Matte nail polish for the masses...

Whilst I was on my online polish site stalk, I found the following on the Essie website:

It seems that Essie have decided to widen the market for matte nail varnishes.  I say this because had I not read blogs about nails, I wouldn't know the first thing about how to get matte nails.  I would have just assumed the polishes came in a matte tone,which is true..of a few.  However, there aren't may who don't read blogs that know about the matte top coats available. Thus, Essie currently have two shades (Chinchilly and Wickedly) which are being released with their own top coat, Matte About You.

Essie suggest how can you get full usage out of your new top coat:

Some of the designs seem a bit fiddly to me so I think I will stick with either a fully matte nail or a fully vinyl (?) nail.  Personally, I'm still in love with matte, seeing as I didn't get to try it on my nails (get over it!) but I feel that the more I see it online, the less in love with it I find myself.  If you want to try the designs, there's a PDF file here which shows you how to do it.

Will any of you guys be buying this or was matte polish just a flying fancy? Will you be trying the various new ways advocated by Essie in which to use your matte top coats or will you be sticking to the all over matte look?

All photos are from the Essie website.

The Quest for a New Moisturiser..

Those who follow me on Twitter will know that my Korres moisturiser was on its last legs recently.  It sadly finished a good two weeks ago.

I decided to go to Tescos and pick up some foody bits and I came across an oganic three piece for £1.  It was down from £8 so I assumed the ingredients would be pretty decent.  The packet contained a moisturiser, a mask and a cleanser.  I haven't used the mask and the cleanser but I have been using the moisturiser.  It worked pretty well for the first few days and it was like a cheaper version of my Korres moisturiser but I knew it wouldn't last because I could feel my skin getting greasy.  I checked the ingredients and there was pomegranate in the moisturiser so maybe that's my magic ingredient?  One thing I noticed was that my Korres moisturiser was 40g and this is 30g but this is taking an age to finish..

Anyway, the main problem with the moisturiser was the smell of it.  It smelled like fried foods, but then a bit of strawberry too? It was a pretty obvious smell and people could smell it when they stood near me.

Today, I've been to Superdrug and picked up these two babies:

I've wanted to use them for ages and I've recently noticed that I'm getting dark circles and that my eye area is feeling dry and taught so hopefully the eye cream works too!

Rhamnousia's Recession Raves: Clarity Blackhead Removing Nose Strips

This is the first in the series of blog posts which I hope will carry on all year, I thought now was the best time to start as money is usually tight after Xmas.  You can probably already guess that I started this post a lot earlier in the year than the date on which you're reading it as by now, Christmas is well gone and there have been sightings of Easter Eggs.

I woke up this morning and saw on the BBC News website that the recession was over although I personally think that we have a long way to go before we are as stable as we were before and that this news, albeit is good, is nothing to get too excited about.

Anyway, the basic premis of my recession raves are products which are purse friendly and which work better than their more expensive counterparts.

My recession rave for today is... 

 Superdrug's Clarity Blackhead Removing Nose Strips.

I've been around the world with nose pore strips, trying the most expensive to the cheapest.

The costliest I have ever used were the Biore Ultra Cleansing Pore Strips which came in at a whopping £7.99.  You get 6 in a box and this works out to be £1.34 per strip which is pretty pricey considering you only use it for all of 10 minutes and that you are supposed to use one a week.  They did nothing.

The cheapest I have used are the Clarity Blackhead Removing Nose Strips from Superdrug.  These retail at £3.42 but are currently on offer at £1.49.  You get 5 in a packet and so each one costs you 29p.  That's more acceptable if you ask me.

I didn't hold out much hope for these as recently it seemed as if nose pore strips would never work on me.  I whacked it on my nose after making sure it was wet (the usual palava) and waited 10 minutes.

Take it off and voila, it's actually picked up all the dirt I had on my nose.

You know when you look at the strip and are having mutual feelings of disgust and pleasure? I had that feeling with these babies and was pretty chuffed by how well they had worked.

I'm going to be stocking up on these as they are, in a word, GREAT.

This concludes my first recession rave, my next one is an alternative to Phillip Kingsley's Elasticizer

Review: Revlon Matte Blush

I was sent this by Revlon along with the makeup remover pen which I love.

This was originally just going to a swatch in The Swatch Files but I felt the need to give it a proper review.

I have had this just as long as I've had the makeup pen but have kept this in my makeup drawer as it looked too nice to use.

I decided to get over myself and use the thing and this is what I found.

First, here's what the blusher looks like:
Flash off:

Flash on:

The colour looks like a nice light dusky pink colour and I have blushers which look the same in the pan so I thought this would work well with me.

I've been calling this my James Bond makeup simply because when you press the a button, the mirror pops out with the quickness.  I really like the sleek, black packaging that Revlon are going for with this matte range.  The mirror is both a blessing and a curse.  When I dabbed my brush in the product, it flew everywhere.  If you were to tilt the mirror up to see your cheek (as you would when on the Tube/in the car), you'd get blusher over your outfit or places of your face where you don't want blusher).

Revlon claim that it "brushes onto cheeks smoothly and effortlessly for a soft matte look and a smooth, even finish.  Perfectly defines and contours the cheekbones.  Face-flattering range of shades from nude to berry with a soft-matte finish."

What did I think?
I didn't like the blusher because it had poor pigmentation pay off and it was pretty chalky to apply.  I didn't use the brush which came with it because I never get on with those kind of brushes.  Smooth seems to be the key thing which this blush is touted as giving you but I didn't find that to be the case at all and the swatches will show you why.

I feel I should explain a bit about the poor pigmentation.  I am Indian, therefore lighter colours find it hard to show themselves on my skin.  I thought this may have been the case here but I went to Boots and swatched the darker shades and they were just as hard to convert.

I have a YSL blush which is matte but you get a smoother colour from it.  Also, I had greasy cheeks when I used it and it was still chalky. 

I used my kabuki brush to pick up colour and then my fingers and this is all the colour I got:
No flash:

Flash on:

The colour with the flash off is the most accurate shade.  I'm quite disappointed by this product because I love the matte blushes but I can see I will have to look elsewhere to find a High Street equivalent of my YSL blush.

Purchase?
I wouldn't purchase this as the colour payoff isn't as good as expected and it's chalky.  I really wanted this to work for me as I dislike blushers with glitter in them.  Don't let the poor performance of this product put you off other Revlon things because I love the pen and the mousse foundation.

Review: Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel

As one of my many Xmas presents last year I was given this:

This is the Clarins Gorgeous Getaways Coffret (or gift set to you and me).  I found out after Xmas that it retails for £40 as it was in the John Lewis sale for £20 (I got another one, naturally).

I've never really been attracted towards Clarins as a brand before and I always associate it with skincare for older ladies and for some reason air hostesses (it must be all that red).  However, I'm all about opening my mind and this is the second Clarins product I've used (the first being this little gem).

The first product I decided to use from the gift was the Pure Melt Cleansing Gel. Please do note that my tube is not full sized, it's the travel size version.

I was meant to post this review up last night but I got waylaid watching Family Guy and then Pulp Fiction.  I woke up this morning and checked some blog posts out and saw that Sirvinya had recently got the gel as a gift with purchase (GWP).

Anyway, onto the review..

Clarins say  it is "a quick, efficient, deeply comforting rinse-off cleanser with a unique texture that changes from a gel, to an oil, to a milk. At its heart, the ultra-effective yet gentle Marula plant oil."

How did it fare with me? 
I've added the boldness (?) to the bits of the description which I was testing but before I get to that, here's my personal tube:

Is the "unique texture" just a clever marketing ploy?

Have a look at the hands and decide..

Step 1:

Clarins say: "it starts out as a refreshing honey-coloured gel that adheres to surface impurities and make-up.. 

The gel formula as it comes out of the tube.  It's pretty thick and feels like a heavy duty cleanser.  It does have a smell but it's not one which is offensive.  It feels like honey but a fraction less sticky.

Step 2 (featuring Ginormo-claw):

Once you rub the product around your face, it should "melt into a sheer deep-cleansing oil."

I feel it transforms into an oil pretty well, it's not your conventional oil in that you feel super greasy but it's like a semi oil?  You can feel that it is making you clean but it doesn't feel intrusive in the way that some foaming cleansers do.

Step 3:

After rubbing it in you should "add a splash of water and it transforms into a deliciously light rinse-off cleansing milk."

The transformation is complete.  Now you just wash it off.

It's ticked all the boxes so far.

According the Clarins, the end result should be as follows: "skin is left scrupulously clean, velvety-soft and supple so it's perfect for even the most delicate skin types. And because it's packaged in a tube, it's ideal for travelling. (I remember it mentioning something about it being "deeply comforting" so we will add that in too).


Does it do this?
Was my skin left feeling clean and velvety soft? Yes.
Did it feel supple? My skin is pretty supple anyway so I can't comment on this.

Unique texture? Yes, it's the first cleanser/makeup remover I've ever used which goes through three stages.

Deeply comforting? At first I wasn't too sure as my skin felt a bit tight about 20 minutes after using it but I kept up with it and now, after having used it a good few times, I feel that is deeply comforting in that it makes your skin feel nice and clean (as promised).

I should point out that I didn't use this on my eyes because my eyes + liquid removers = hell.  However, I did use it when I was wearing a sheer foundation alone, a thicker foundation and blusher and it cleaned my skin at all times.

Is it really as great as the words suggest?
This product isn't without its problems.

• Firstly, you have to use a fair bit each time, I've only used mine about 4/5 times and the times it's worked best are when I've been generous with it.  However, this also means that there isn't a lot left.
  
• Secondly, you need to build up the usage to get really clean skin, apply a thin layer first and then go to Step 2, apply some more and then go to Step 3.  This will of course vary with how much makeup you're wearing.
• If you need to apply a fair bit, it takes a fair while getting the milk off your face.  When I wash my face I have it in the sink and I hate looking in the mirror because the water trickles down my chin and throat.  You have to be quite consistent in getting the milk off.
  

Purchase?
No.  Despite it having all the good points mentioned above, I wouldn't purchase this for the following reasons:

• The full sized version doesn't look to be cost effective to me, you need to use a fair bit and the full sized version isn't cheap if you take this into consideration.  If the price was reduced, I'd consider it.
  
• I'm a lazy mare and the process of getting the "milk" off your faces takes a while ,especially as it seems to jam on the sides of your nose and under your eyes.
• The fact that you have to apply a fair bit in order to get truly clean doesn't sit well with me.

I'm not saying the actual product itself is bad, it's a very good product and it does what it sets out to do but it could be better, both in how much you need to apply and how much it costs.

The Swatch Files: Bobbi Brown Basic Eye Palette

I love this palette and have used it a fair bit despite it looking like it's just been swatched.  The shimmery shade has been used by me in a FOTD before (click here to see) and the photograph doesn't show up the shimmer but the swatch does. 

Flash off:

L-R: Navajo, Cement, Heather Mauve, Mahogany

Flash on:

L-R: Navajo, Cement, Heather Mauve, Mahogany

Swatch with flash off (no base):

L-R: Navajo, Cement, Heather Mauve, Mahogany

Swatch with flash on (no base):

L-R: Navajo, Cement, Heather Mauve, Mahogany

I personally use Navajo as a highlighter, Cement as a base or all over the lid shade, Heather Mauve as an all over lid shade and Mahogany either in the crease or as a liner when used with a wet brush.  It will not budge if used in this way, much like the Bobbi Brown gel liners don't.

The Swatch Files

The Swatch Files are something new that I'm doing on this blog.  The name is pretty self explanatory, they will be posts which consist of only swatches. 

The reasons behind doing pure swatch threads are documented below, I'm only stating these in this post and they won't be taking up any space in the actual Swatch Files.

1. Swatches provided by the companies selling the items are sometimes not accurate.
2. With regards to lipgloss, lipstick, eyeshadow, the colour you see in the tube is not the same colour which you apply, it comes out a lot sheerer.
3. Swatches differ on different colour skins and I personally find it hard to find swatches on darker skin tones.
4. Makeup is not cheap and hopefully these swatches will help you save some money, or conversly part with money you weren't going to spend in the first place.

The first post will be coming up right after this one..

Review: Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse foundation

I kept telling everyone that I thought this was a tinted moisturiser when (if I'd read the packaging) it clearly says that it's foundation. Anyway, I didn't pay for it, Yinka had a giveaway on her blog and I won it..aren't I smart?

Here's the packaging:

That's the exact colour that Deep is. My camera did me well and picked it out as it should be.  I really like the packaging of this one, it looks really nice and sleek, I find it quite rare to have a liquid foundation/tinted moisturiser which comes in black casing.  I thought it would be a bit too dark for me but it's quite a good match really, as far as web swatches go, Revlon's are quite good compared to some other companies out there.

Ingredients...there are a fair few.

Swatchy swatcherson:
Flash, no blending:

No flash, no blending:

Blended and flashy:

Blended and no flash:

I have been testing it alongside my Korres moisturiser which, as you know, has totally eliminated the grease from my face.  My Korres finished the other day and I've been using a cheapo organic cream from Tescos which doesn't smell too pleasant and has done a satisfactory job at keeping the grease away.

So, what do Revlon say?
"A flawless matte finish in a refreshingly lightweight mousse.

Unique, air-whipped texture for a soft matte finish.
16-hour ColorStay Longwear for lasting perfection."

Does it hold up to the claims?
In a word, yes.  It makes your face feel soft and once you get over the dust-face, it's a really good foundation and you don't need to use too much initially and you need not touch it up for the whole day.

Consistency wise, it is a pretty thick foundation to use (compared to what I normally use) and you do have to work fast to get good results but that's not really a downside because your human instinct (as you can tell, I've never been one to trivialise a matter) tells you how best to blend it. 

I really like this as both a foundation and a tinted moisturiser (I tend to apply my foundation really sheer).

However, there are some issues which I found I had with it.

Revlon don't state that it is for greasy skin but I think the fact that it states that it gives you a "soft matte finish" speaks for itself.  Whilst I used Korres, my skin was more normal than combo and I found that it if you hadn't practiced before applying it, it would make you look a bit dusty.  I usually apply a bit of foundation on the back of my hand and pick it up with my brush and then "dispense" it all over my boat race.  I tried this with this foundation and it was kinda hard to blend as it had dried whilst travelling from my hand up to my face.  Then I dotted it on my face and used the brush, this too didn't give me the desired effect.  Finally, I decided to just use my fingers and that seemed to work pretty well.  I don't think the foundation will work too well with normal skin but you may have different application methods to the ones I mentioned above.

Another MASSIVE plus point is that it has SPF in it and not just some piddly SPF 1, it's got SPF 30 which is great. .

Purchase?
I don't think I will be buying this despite giving it such a positive review.  Had I used this without using Korres I would have said yes.  However, my skin care plan is to use Korres in the summer as it turns my skin into normal skin more than combo and so I don't need anything else to make me look matte. If I struggle with greasy skin in the winter/really hot summer days then I will definitely purchase this.  The product is very good but I don't think it will sit well with normal skin.

It's not out in the UK yet, it should be out at the end of the month and it will retail at £9.99.

What can you get for a tenner THESE days?!

In short, this (minus the socks):

I went to Tescos to pick up my new glasses (watch out for a post on them soon) and get some moisturiser.  Came away having spent the grand sum of £10 on the beauties above.  Every pair of socks was 25p (I'm always wearing a pair so I got 9 in total) and the beauty bits were £1 each, cut down from their usual prices.  I also got an eye mask which is chilling in the fridge and can be used warm or cold.

I went into Matalan on the way home and bought myself a lambswool jumper for the grand sum of £4.

AND I've been to the recording of 8 out of 10 cats, Jimmy Carr's laugh really is that hearty.

I'm so good at conditioning they call me Pavlov..

I bought this product with a money off voucher from Boots.  I used it once and it totally didn't live up to the claims it made on the bottle.

I decided to use this product on my brushes (which are not all from the same range) and it worked great. It made my eyeshadow brushes super soft and  "fixed" a brush I ruined. I love my Kabuki brush as a way to apply blusher as I find that they're godsends for bigger cheeks, they allow you to build up the more daring colours AND blending is far easier.  Mine got really mucky and I decided to clean it.  I got a bit over zealous with it and the middle bit dipped.  It's my fault really because I kept fiddling with it. I decided to use this product on it and leave it alone for a good 20 minutes. I came back later, washed the product out and it was back to its usual self and was a hell of a lot softer.

However, there is one brush which is immune to the charms of this product, I used it on my Ruby and Millie foundation brush and for some reason it didn't work, I think it's because the hairs are different. This brush is fine just being cleaned with olive oil.

So, what is this product? Drumroll please!

 

Buy it and use it on your brushes, you won't be sorry!

Just a little note, brush cleansing is different to brush cleaning, I use olive oil to clean my brushes and then this product to cleanse my brushes.

Don't believe the hype

One product which ALWAYS recieves a good press is YSL's Touche Eclat and I have no doubt that it sits in many a makeup bag thanks to this good press.

However, I have issues with this product..

I think the fundamental problem with Touche Eclat is the conflicting methods of use. YSL's official website describes Touche Eclat as an "instant highlighter that banishes shadows, erases signs of fatigue and leaves your skin looking radiant. Touche Éclat is 8 hours of sleep in a pen - the one item no woman can be without...Just slip it into your bag to ensure a brilliant glow, anytime, anywhere.."
The magazines say it's a concealer and us customers are left looking like inverted pandas whenever we are photographed wearing it because we use it as a concealer.

With all the conflicting "advice" out there, how are we mere mortals supposed to know how to use the product? It doesn't help the situation when makeup artists are quoted in magazines as having used Touche Eclat to conceal dark circles on celebs.  I was trawling the web for articles to support my assertions and there $are countless articles which call Touche Eclat a concealer.

I think what happened is that the product was shipped out and nobody wanted a highlighter and so it was sold as a concealer.  It does conceal but then it draws attention to the area you've hidden.

Then there's the next problem, if it's a complexion highlighter, how do you use it and how much of it do you use? There are other products out there which can be used to highlight your complexion, one which springs to mind is Benefit's HighBeam which comes in one universal shade.  The consistency of the products is also wildly different as Touche Eclat looks like a concealer like product whereas you can easily see that Benefit's HighBeam is a highlighter as it has a pearlescent sheen to it.

The main problem I have with Touche Eclat is the fact that if you apply enough to conceal your dark circles so they aren't visible to people who see you face to face, your dirty little secret is revealed the second someone takes a photo of you.  Of course, you could overcome this by applying less, but then this wouldn't cover your dark circles..though you would escape the clutches of inverted panda syndrome..

This picture illustrates my point perfectly:

I bet if you saw her face to face that night, she would have looked fine, problems only occur when cameras appear on the scene.  You can see that if she hadn't tanned, the contrast between her skin and the concealer wouldn't have been so obvious.  Notice how the darkness is concealed but then the brightness takes over?

Despite all these issues, the magazines and the SA's claim that this little gold tube will transform you into a goddess, when the sad truth is, it won't.  There are better highlighters and concealers out there.  I was given Touche Eclat as a gift because I fell for the claims and thankfully I practiced using it before I wore it out and my photos came out ok.

Touche Eclat seems like a good way to ease yourself into concealers as it totally blends in when you apply it but I wouldn't do this. Match yourself up for concealer at a concession such as Bobbi Brown..

This post isn't a bitchfest about YSL. I use their foundation and their lipglosses and I love them. I was Twittering about the product and this lovely lady stated that she loved Touche Eclat and that she got through about 4 a year.  This got me thinking.. I think some re-eduction is needed so that people know how to use the product. I think, from personal experience that it works best as a highlighter (not under eyes, but under the arches of your brows and the cupid's bow) for tanned ladies and as a concealer for those who have a fairer complexion.

So, that is my opinion on YSL' Touche Eclat. I could quite easily live without it but whilst I do have it, it's used a highlighter.  The question I have for you guys is..

YSL Touche Eclat by rhamnousia on Polyvore.com

Review: Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel

I'm not ashamed to say that I've got greasy skin on my face. The annoying thing is that it is only my nose and my forehead which get greasy whilst my cheeks remain normal. This makes treatment of the problem pretty tricky. If my whole face was greasy then I could just get a mattifying cream and be done with it.  Sadly, I can't. Most of the time I am left with either dry cheeks and a matte forehead/nose or moisturised cheeks and an oil slick on my nose and forehead.  Funnily enough, my chin has never succumbed to greasies..

I tried everything to stop the grease and my latest success was a combination of using Biore's Warming Blackhead Fighting Cream Wash everyday and then moisturising with my Boots moisturiser (which, I think they have discontinued..boo).  My Boots moisturiser finished and I started using Skin Foods which gave me matte skin but also broke me out in spots so I stopped.

Then I was sent Korres Pomegranate Moisturising Cream-Gel to review. I also got the Pomegranate Mask and Pomegranate Scrub (I've been sent two scrubs though so will have to ask for a mask) but I haven't used them yet thanks to el fingero dodgy-o.

I've never used a product by Korres before and for some reason I kept thinking they were affiliated with Michael Kors, despite the fact Korres and Kors is spelt differently and one is Greek and t'other is American.

Korres' USP is that they use natural ingredients and no nasty stuff to make their products.  I'll be honest and say that I never really bothered for natural/organic items which is a bit stupid seeing as all my mum's skincare recipes are 100% based on items you can't find in labs.

Korres claim that "Carob tree polysaccharides and provitamin B5 combine an immediate moisturising effect with long-term hydration balancing activity. Pomegranate extract, rich in tannins, tightens the pores and tones the skin. Vitamins C and E, in combination with Avocado extract, provide essential antioxidant protection." 

What do I have to say?
This cream works on every level. It moisturised my cheeks and mattified my nose and forehead. I didn't even think to look at my face for grease in a mirror any more because it felt matte. Another benefit which I only noticed yesterday was the fact that it had actually made the pores around my nose vanish.  This alone is no easy task as nothing has ever helped them before!

Now to the not so good.  The container is made of glass so you have to be careful that you don't drop it.  The container only holds 40ml of moisturiser which isn't a lot.  Someone on MUA said that theirs lasted them a long time but mine is nearly finished and I've only been using it since the first week of December.  The smell also takes a bit of getting used to.  Another problem I found was that it if you use it in the winter, your cheeks get dry. It's perfect for summer though.  The final problem is the consistency of the cream-gel but I think that's to be expected, it's a wobbly kinda cream but you get used to that and I'm not complaining because the results you get are fantastic.

Repurchase?
Hell to the yes. The good deffo outweighs the bad here as I have never had a moisturiser which balanced my skin as well as this did before.  Plus it made my pores smaller which is something I have wanted a cream to do for ages.  However, I won't be buying this cream in the winter if this year's winter is as bad as the weather we had in December because it does dry me out a teeeeeeeensy bit.  It's a total winner for the summer though and I feel I'd use less in the summer so it would last me longer.

Korres is available in John Lewis, Boots, lookfantastic.com and on the Korres website. This particular cream retails for £14.40 on lookfantastic.com.

New millennium you say? Come, let me tell you about it..

First things first..

I apologise that this post has taken so long for me to get out, I injured my finger and it has been bandaged up and typing is very difficult.  It doesn't help that the anti biotics I'm on make me cite both statutes and case law when my brother asks me a question.

By the way, this post has been in draft form since the 2nd and isn't it a coincidence that on the same day I lament about being at school, I see a girl who made my life hell in college? I gave her way down a tight road and she tried to show off with her driving skills and stalled.  Funny how she looked EXACTLY like she did when we left school..I've seen pics of her on Facebook (we have a mutual friend) but I never thought that seeing her would be like going 10 years into the past.

Anywho, I was sorting out some stuff at my parents' house the other day and I came across my diary from Y2K.  Can anyone believe that it's 10 years since we ushered in this "new" millennium? It seems like only a few years ago that I was in Year 11 Science (top set, naturally) taking great pride in writing 9/9/99 in my book.  I had a good old read through it and anyone who reads it will know that I am the person who wrote it..

So, what did I wish the new millennium would bring?

I wanted to have straight hair (how sad!)  You have to understand that back in 1999, straighteners were not as readily available as they are today. Only the rich and famous had pin straight hair (even then those celebs with curly hair struggled, SJP I'm looking at you) whilst the great unwashed muddled through with frizz aplenty.

I wanted to be loved.  I'm not going to call that sad because I don't think it is. I was 15 in 1999 and had never had a proper boyfriend and all I wanted was someone who would treat me right and want to be around me.

I wanted to pass my driving test.  I remember thinking that this was the be all and end all and that it would give me unchartered freedom. I never realised that clutch control was a lot harder than it sounds.

I wanted to attend at least one all night rave. Daytimers were the go-to event when I was younger and you were nobody had you not gone to a daytimer. I think it was a bit different back then for white kids and asian kids. All the white kids I knew were allowed to spend the night out raving but us asian ones weren't. Thus, the guys who used to leaflet the school on Friday at hometime steered clear of us asian kids. Both sets of kids went through their rites of passage, the asian ones at the daytimers and the white kids at good old Pulse. I assume Pulse was only a Hillingdon thing? In west London there were two places which held the best daytimers, Bagleys and Zenith. I know Zenith closed down because of a stabbing. I was at work experience at a law firm and who was defending the defendant and I got to go to the club when it was all taped up. If anyone in the west London district wants to know where Zenith was, it's in Park Royale, you know where the cinema is? There's a Golds Gym there? That used to be Zenith. I don't even know if the Golds Gym is still there either. I don't even know what happened to Bagleys, what I do remember is a guy getting beaten up by the brother of a girl he was fingering...good times!

I wanted to study law, work at a really good firm and be good enough at the law to fire off answers to any question someone asked me about my area of expertise. Atticus Finch takes the blame for this. Despite him being a fictional character, it was the novel in which he featured which convinced me that law was the path I wanted to take.

So, how much of this did I achieve?

Straight hair? Tick that box but only thanks to the GHD which has made my hair (at least) look sexy since 2003. It has died on me twice and has come back to life both times.  I've never tried Japanese permanent straightening because I'd rather have a natural frizz on my head than wear a piece.

Loved? Affirmative, chief. I started Sixth Form in 2000 and that's when I met the Mr. The love took a long time coming (5 years) but my mum says that she knew from the day she saw him that he'd be mine. I won't get too sappy about him here but he makes happier than any amount of makeup/chocolate/clothes/shoes/handbags/books ever could.

Driving? First time pass, baby. Took my first lesson on the day of my 17th birthday and passed by December of the same year.  Been driving ever since.

All night rave? And then some. I moved out for uni and had many an all night rave, I've been to house parties that people at uni had and they were always the same.  The ones we had never ever were and that's why everyone wanted to come to ours.

Study law, work at the decent firm and be a law spitfire? Aye. I studied law at the 4th best place for it, completed my LPC and work for the best firm in the world. As for reeling off the law, I can do it so yay me!

Of course, that doesn't define the decade for me, I've done tonnes more stuff that I never thought I'd do, including fall down the stairs and disable myself for a week, break my wrist, move out after uni, drive a lambo, go in a concorde, fly in a private jet and live with a rather lovely man.

What have you ladies done in the past 10 years and what hopes do you hold for the next 10? I hope the first 10 years of this millennium have been as good to you as they have been to me.

My wonder product

Everyone has that one product in their makeup bags that they couldn't live without and I'm no exception.  However, the product is not so much something I need to make me look half human, it's a product which amends my mistakes.

Ladies and non lady folk, I present to you the Revlon Makeup Corrector Pen.

I've been trying to scope this out ever since I saw it advertised on some makeup site and I have never ever found it in the UK.  You will surely remember that I reviewed the DoubleTwist mascara by Revlon.  I was also sent the makeup corrector pen.

My first thoughts on it are that it's a lot slimmer than I thought it would be but it looks like something I have used (on paper) before but I can't put my finger on it..The tip of the pen is black and not white as I had originally thought.

I can't apply mascara without having some of it transfer to my upper lid so I thought the pen would be perfect for that.  I applied my mascara and some Bobbi Brown gel liner and then decided to test the pen out.

It took the lid residue mascara off so easily and left behind no oily residue at all. Revlon suggest cleaning the tip with some tissue after using it so I did this and the mascara came off the pen and onto the tissue.

I decided to put it through its paces and make the eyeliner thinner and it worked a total charm! I've used it to tidy up eye shadow mistakes too and it leaves you with natural skin (not with the film you sometimes get when you use a conventional remover) so you can reapply your shadow a nano second after amending your mistake.

The only thing which holds this product back is the fact that you can't find it anywhere.  I've checked a million and one Boots and practically every Superdrug, Tescos and Sainsburys around where I live and have never ever seen it.  I saw it online once but when I went to put it in my basket, it was (surprise surprise) out of stock.

I used it before Xmas when I was going down to Essex, I fell asleep in the car and had no time to reapply my makeup before we went out and this worked great tidying up smudges and neatening up my cat flicked eyeliner.  Which reminds me, when it's snowing heavily, never ever hold your Bobbi Brown gel liner in your hand because the second you get out of the car, you will open your hands and the gel liner will roll away into traffic.  This will result in a mad panic and you sliding across said snow in the dark to pick it up.

I also realise that it would have made sense to take a pic of how well it erased makeup mistakes but I am scatty of brain and kinda forgot in all my excitement.  However, I did take pics of the instructions/promises and the ingredients for you guys.

 

If you CAN get this product anywhere, PICK IT UP...and then go pay for it.  I don't want to encourage shoplifting ;)