Another Hair Disaster!

Of course, I'm probably being a bit over dramatic, it's just my hair and the World has not ended but I hope you will forgive me a little whinge! I dyed my hair on Monday, it's a shade I have used before with no issue but after rinsing and drying I realised my hair was virtually black. As it is an Ash shade, there's no warmth and with it being so dark it looks rather stark.

I took a little advice from the very sage Grace from London Makeup Girl and embarked on a little colour fading experiment this morning. One hot oil treatment and two washes with anti-dandruff shampoo later and this is how it looks.

My hair is soft and glossy but as you can see, it's still very dark. Even my husband has commented on my 'black hair.' Mostly, he knows better than to say anything so it's a fair gauge of how bad it looks!

So, my lovely readers, I need your advice. Do I stick with it, ramp up the makeup to get over the harsh look and wait for it to fade? Or should I run for the nearest packet of Colour B4 and get busy with the rinsing?

As an aside, I'm wearing the eyeshadows from the BECCA Enigma palette in the photos. It was kindly sent to me try and I love it. It gives a lovely smoky eye that has made me feel a little less self conscious walking around with my surprisingly dark hair!



Disclosure: Both the Enigma palette and hair dye were PR samples. Which just goes to show, you can't win 'em all folks!

My Thoughts on Lancôme Spring 2011

Lancôme's Spring collection was inspired by the fashions and trends of the 70's. As you might guess from the title, Ultra Lavande, the colours are based on a palette of Lavender hues. The look Aaron de Mey created for the promotional images has a definitely 70's feel and of course, with all of those purple shades, I couldn't resist a little peak.

The collection includes an two eyeshadow quads, beautiful mirror ball packaged lipsticks, a butterfly and bow print blusher as well as lavender hued lipglosses. There are also two nail varnish, a lavender coloured mascara and topcoat and three Ombre Magnetique cream eyeshadows.

I also spotted the new eyeliners, one lavender and one pink. I hadn't realised until doing a bit of research that the pink shade is designed to be used on the waterline as an alternative to white. I'm not convinced about pink or lavender kohl on the eyes, I require much more definition and I think these would accentuate redness with my colouring. I think whether these would work for you would be very colouring (and possible spring chicken) dependent.

For me the standouts were the blusher, eyeshadow quad and lipglosses. The quad that I swatched had some quite hard to wear colours, the more pastel shades were shimmery and quite sheer in a similar way to the L'Wren palette that I have. From my experience with Les Gris, these textures actually make the colours more accessible. I had my eldest with me whilst swatching and this was his favourite item.  Unfortunately there was only one quad on the display and I'm unsure whether it was the Cold or Warm Harmony. I also swatched the La Rose Butterfly blusher and it produces a lovely cool pink shade when swirled together. It actually reminded me of MAC Hang Loose mineralise blush and think it would create a similar cool luminous glow. I'm not sure if it's an overspray, the tester was brand new so it's hard to say if some of the detail would rub off.

The glosses looked really inviting on the display. The beige, rose and lavender looked very Spring fresh and make a change from the usual array of colours. I've never had a Lancôme gloss (other than Juicy Tubes) and I was interested to see these contain sweet almond oil concentrate. I'm actually wondering if they might be similar to my Hourglass glosses in texture and moisturising ability.

I would have liked to investigate the lipsticks but my shopping buddy decided it was time to move on. The mirror ball style packaging is very nice and I'd like to go back for another look at these, particularly the Berry Rose. I've had success with their lipsticks in the past and one of my favourite lipsticks pre-blogging was an old Lancôme one.

This isn't the sort of collection where you're likely to want to buy the lot. For the more.....ahem....seasoned woman, I think a full on 70's Disco look might be hard to pull off without looking a bit overdone. I think a few individual pieces would create a nice Spring look and would sit happily alongside more neutral colours.

Hourglass Femme Rouge in Fresco

I did warn you there would be more Hourglass lipsticks to come! I decided on Fresco as I thought it was a nice everyday shade that could join my comparison collection I'd get quite a lot of use from and I had enjoyed the texture and coverage of Noctural.

This is described as a classic rose but I think of it as a rosy shade with a hint of brown. It's quite similar to MAC Cosmo in colour. I noticed when swatching it that it has a slightly sheer element to it yet it's still quite pigmented. How the shade appears does depend on whether or not I have muted my lips with foundation first. The pictures here show how it looks with my natural colour blotted out. It looks a little darker otherwise.

It's a pretty everyday colour and it pairs well with a variety of looks. One thing I find a little strange is that sometimes it feels more moisturising than others. Nocturnal was similar in this regard but I feel this has a little less slip than Nocturnal. It's definitely not as moisturising as my RBR lipsticks for example but I would describe it as feeling similar in weight and texture on the lips as my Edward Bess lipsticks. I have also wondered if it might be similar in colour to one of the new Edward Bess lipstick colours.

Laura Mercier Pink Cocoa, e.l.f. Rosy Raisin, MAC Cosmo and Fresco

Here's how it looks compared to some of my other lipsticks. Shown left to right: Laura Mercier Pink Cocoa, e.l.f. Rosy Raisin, MAC Cosmo and Fresco. It's most similar to Cosmo though hopefully you can see from the swatch that Fresco is more sheer and glossy in finish.

In this picture I am wearing Fresco on the lips, Rouge Bunny Rouge Bejewelled Skylark on the eyes and RBR Delicata blushers on my cheeks. I'm really pleased with how the colours worked together. I will post about the new RBR items later this week I hope.

Hourglass Femme Rouge lipsticks are available from Zuneta and cost £22. They're also refillable and I believe the refills will also be available from Zuneta.

My Eyes Get The ITP Treatment

If you haven't seen Olivia's instructive step by step tutorials on Into The Palette then may I recommend you take a look. Olivia explains about placement and colours in a really easy to follow way with helpful pictures. It's very interesting to see how you can enhance specific eye shapes by tweaking colour positioning.

My eyes have been featuring in a series of how-to's for hooded eyes. Getting placement just right is something I struggle with as often I find I don't take colour high enough for it to be visible when my I open my eyes. I think the most recent tutorial on creating depth and shape will be useful to anyone that has the same eye issues. The naturally defined look for hooded eye shapes is also very useful, it was fascinating to see the difference that swapping the ivory and peach around had on the overall look.

I have heard a whisper of Eva Green eyes next which sounds marvellous. Who hasn't fancied themselves as a Bond girl? Thank you to Olivia for giving my eyes "the treatment" and taking the time to produce such great tutorials.

Missy Ellie Confesses All!

This week we have Ellie from Ellie's Beauty Blog confessing. She seems quite a pro at it. Maybe that should tell you something....

Confession is good for the soul, go ahead and unburden yourself! I promise I won’t judge.

It’s been about fifteen years since my last confession and you certainly don’t look like my usual priest!

My first confession is quite revolting: I’m definitely a picker, a plucker and a peeler. Please try not to judge me. I pick at my cuticles, my toe-nails, any kind of scabs.....disgusting, I know, I just can’t resist. My husband says I’m like a monkey. I also love nothing better than plucking my leg hairs with tweezers. I find this bizarrely calming, and can spend hours doing this in front of the telly. If I get the slightest chip in my nail varnish I can’t rest until I’ve peeled it off the whole nail. And then, because one bare nail looks silly, all the rest of my nails. I am trying really hard to stop this habit, as it makes my nails look awful! 

I thought you said this was a spa facial?

My second confession is my eyebrow paranoia. I have had a recurring nightmare since I was about 11, that I had grown two sets of eyebrows and had to remove one lot. I would then realise I’d had some kind of bizarre double vision, and actually removed my only eyebrows. At sleepovers, I was convinced if I went to sleep, someone was going to shave off my eyebrows (despite the fact this has never actually happened to anyone I know in real life), and my best friend Fran used to have to sit awake to protect me.

My final confession is not really my fault: I have elbows like an old man who has worked outside for his whole life. No matter how much moisturiser, body butter and oils I slather on them, they are always dry, hard and a bit grey-looking. Very embarrassing!

There, don’t you feel better now?

It’s like Catholic school all over again. I’m off to say a few Hail Mary’s now.

Aunty Brown has a few more questions though; it’s true that I’m the nosy type.


When was the last time you visited the hairdresser?

Last April. In my defense, my hair is really quite resilient so the split ends have only kicked in recently, and I am going in the next few weeks. Plus I have trimmed my fringe at home, does that make it better?

You have a choice: bad hair or bad nails?

Nails, definitely! To be honest, I have bad nails most days anyway (bad hair is more like every other day).

What is the oldest item of make up in your collection?

I actually had a cull last weekend so nothing is older than about 2 years now. Before Sunday though, I still owned a MAC lipstick from 2001 – I bought it on a school trip to London and thought I was the bees knees.

Which trend still makes you cringe?

Dark lipliner with pale lipstick. More cringeworthy is the reason I participated in this trend from a tender age. Veteran Neighbours viewers will remember Karl Kennedy’s affair with Sarah, who sported the most mis-matching lipliner and lipstick combo this side of Pamela Anderson. I’ve always had a bit of a thing for old Karl, so it made perfect sense to go for this trend....

Now I’m off to hibernate until there’s no risk of anyone else reading this!

---------------------------------------------------

Oh, no Aunty Brown is rather keen on Dr. Kennedy so we can forgive the mistake with the lipliner and pale lips..........almost. The monkey comments are quite familiar too. I shall leave it there otherwise it will turn into a double confession! Thank you so much Ellie fir taking part.

If you would like to take a turn and unburden yourself in the Friday Confessional you can email me at modestybrown@googlemail.com. It's open to everyone: if you have something to confess, I'm happy to hear it!

Nails Inc Eagle Street

I came by this lovely nails polish from the very entertaining (and fun to shop with) Helen from Just Nice Things. I believe it was one of her duplicates. If you've seen her collection you will probably get an idea of why this happens...

My eyes lit up when I saw it, a gorgeous pale milk chocolate colour with a hint of pink. From memory it's lighter and more 'nude' than OPI Over The Taupe or Rimmel Chocolate Factory. I was impressed with the coverage too. You could almost get away with one coat. I did experience the usual problem with the Nails Inc polishes. If I don't get the application right on the first swipe, going over the colour when wet drags the polish off that I've already applied. It's one of those things that takes a bit of getting used to.

As always, you'll spot a bit of tip wear (thought oddly it was only on one hand). I must stress that this is the fault of my nails, I really am the ultimate polish destroyer! I should also say that these pictures were taken a while ago and I haven't broken my polish ban. I promse

I couldn't find it on the Nails Inc website and I believe it may have come as part of a set. You can find it on ebay though so all is not lost. I look forward to putting this back on once the ban is lifted and thanks again to Helen for the lovely gift.

Guesting on Zuneta

I'm very excited to say that I am guesting over on Zuneta today. I am reviewing the new Rouge Bunny Rouge Eyes Wide Open Brightening liner duo. This duo pencil has actually made a few sneaky appearances in my FOTD posts over the past month or so. I would love it if you came along for a read and let me know what you think of it.