Tried and tested - Mascaras
Do women want grey lashes? Silver-grey might look extraterrestrial but slate is a soft alternative to black (far chic-er than brown). This mascara contains conditioning sea minerals. I like the large brush, which catches and evenly coats each of my lashes. The tube contains 50% more product than the competing average.
Chanel has been adventurous with the Le Volume colour range this year, including bright aqua and lemon. Khaki-bronze is part of the autumn collection (out Aug 16) and relatively subtle. This mascara looks brown with a green shimmer, quite natural but silky and terribly chic.
Blue and green should never be seen but jade mascara looks pretty on blue eyes. Perhaps it’s because this mascara is black with jade shimmer, rather than truly green. The formula lengthens lashes noticeably but naturally. It gives good volume with just one coat. My only criticism is the medium-size brush. It is not long enough to achieve a one-swipe coat but too long to angle at corner lashes neatly.
Purple mascara often looks bright on the brush but barely black on lashes. Lancôme’s is as violet as you see in the picture. The Doll Eyes brush gives great definition and length. This shade intensified my natural eye colour and got plenty of nice feedback.
Have you ditched your favourite BB cream for a CC (colour or complexion corrector) yet? Probably not, but Ole Henriksen offers the best reason to switch. This cream packs in five sources of Vitamin C, peptides, ferulic acid, ceramides and broad-spectrum sun protection. It’s a powerful shield against environmental damage that moisturises, boosts skin-cell turnover and keeps you looking bright and healthy.
This firming cream is a great multi-purpose product, providing colour, luminosity and proper sun protection. It feels very moisturising. The coverage is quite fine. It evens my skintone and works well as a brightening primer with benefits.
This cream combines a tint with SPF15 and a hyaluronic acid-infused serum. SPF15 is far too low to provide adequate sun protection for your face. Olay Regeneriste specialises in anti-ageing skincare, so that is pretty disappointing. Layer SPF30 or higher on top.
Karora specialises in self-tanners and this cream gives a very warm colour. The brand says it adapts to all skin tones (and was tested on a wide variety) but I must confess it is too dark for mine. If it is your colour, you will like the nourishing formula, which contains green tea leaf-extract and jojoba and argan oils. This is meant for use on the face and body. Useful for hiding fake-tan faux pas.
This contains none of the additional nutrients the competition employs. The brand recommends using it as a base coat, though online retailers advise daily application for a week. It’s a competent base coat (it prevented staining and made for smooth colour application) but left my nails looking dry after removal, though there was no breakage.
Nail Envy strengthens nails with wheat protein and calcium. This polish needed the least maintenance. Two coats the first day + one coat every second day = long, strong nails after a week. It was easy to build fine coats.
Like the buff construction man who lives in ads for an aspertame-packed drink, I want a strengthener to look good while it works. This protein-enriched polish did make my long nails stronger, but it needs to be layered over seven days and looks cloudy by the end of that time.
This strengthener takes a month to achieve the full effect but it is so worth the wait! The formula contains horsetail, an herbal ingredient that strengthens and repairs your nails. Apply a coat a day for a week, remove and begin again. It is pricey but I’ve spent more on less-effective strengtheners in salons.
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