Monday, May 21, 2012

Deal Alert: £20 for £50 to spend online at Murad.co.uk

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 4 - 2012

There’s been a distinct lack of good nationwide beauty deals from Groupon recently but this one is making up for it!  Spend £20 today and receive £50 credit to spend online at Murad.co.uk

There’s £5.50 postage to pay on every order under £75 but the Murad brand has a great reputation, which is more than can be said for some group-buying beauty deal websites!  If you’ve got a bit more cash to splash, you might be interested in the other deal option which is £125 Murad credit for £50 spend on the Groupon website.

All credit expires on the 5th June 2012.

If you take advantage, let me know what you get!


Miners Lip Colour in Seduction

Posted by Lipglossiping On March - 29 - 2012
Cigdem is a 22 year old Journalism graduate from London with an obsession for all things fashion and beauty!  The following article is a guest submission, you can read more from Cigdem at It’s Cigdem.


I think I speak for most women when I say that my mission to find the perfect red lipstick is never over. Unlike 10 years ago, we’re now so spoilt for choice it can be a little overwhelming – there are just so many brands selling so many different shades of red!

Miners Lip Colour in Seduction is probably the lipstick with the lowest price point, as it retails at only £3.99, but (thankfully) that’s where the ‘cheapness’ ends.

Seduction is described as ‘a velvety smooth deep red’, and that’s exactly what it is. The colour is the perfect shade for creating a ‘sexy’ pout, as it has hints of blue undertones – so I wouldn’t recommend this if you want to create a bright, retro red lip. I think it’s a good colour if you want to create an edgy, almost gothic look.

Applying it in different way can certainly alter the colour. I found that it was slightly too dark for me when I applied the lipstick straight from the bullet, but with a lip brush (as in the photo) the colour blended in with the pink tones in my lip, creating a colour that looked much better.

I wore this lipstick for about 5 hours and the colour did not wear off at all. It lasted through cups of tea and only came off because I wiped it off with a wipe, and by the end of the day my lips still felt smooth, meaning the long lasting colour didn’t try my lips out.

This lipstick definitely ticks a lot the boxes: it provides strong, long lasting colour, which doesn’t dry out over time. Is it my perfect red lipstick? I’m going to say no, only because I feel like I could find a shade of red that would suit my colouring much better. But apart from the colour, Miners Lip Colour is definitely great value for money!

Miners Lip Colour in Seduction is available online from www.minerscosmetics.co.uk and throughout selected pharmacies for £3.99 (online postage is £1.99).

If you would like to submit a non-commercial post to be considered for inclusion on Lipglossiping.com, please email for more details.

Max Factor Fantasy Fire Nail Polish

Posted by Lipglossiping On March - 14 - 2012

You wouldn’t haven’t seen this beautiful polish from Max Factor.  I did a quick search and couldn’t find any other bloggers talking about it, so I thought I should put that right immediately.

I know right?  I think I’m on to something with this scoop.

The lovely Liloo picked this up for me and sent it halfway across the country because my local Boots seems to stock every Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish shade except this one.  I’m not actually going to bother talking about it, I was about to write “this is a pretty good dupe for…” (finish that sentence) and I just couldn’t be bothered because even Leila knows what this is a dupe for.  If you’re the one person left in the world who doesn’t know?  Hai Google.

So, instead… just enjoy a little bit moar Fantasy Fire nail p0rn.  Swatched here over Estee Lauder Teal Topaz because on its own, it’s kinda shit.

 

Max Factor Fantasy Fire is priced at £3.99 and available (probably) to buy instore at Boots or Superdrug.  Also online.

Teal, teal, teal!

Posted by Lipglossiping On March - 13 - 2012

From pale to dark, teal is the perfect blue/green combination and it’s everywhere this season.  I thought I’d swatch the cream teal nail polishes in my collection to give you some alternatives to Estee Lauder’s Teal Topaz spring sell-out polish.

From left to right: Estee Lauder – Teal Topaz  |  Misa – Dirty, Sexy, Money|  Barielle Shades – A Bouquet For Ava  |  American Apparel – Peacock  |  Ciate – Superficial

If shimmers are more your cup of tea, don’t forget that March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Lena White are donating £1 to Ovacome – the ovarian cancer support network – for every sale of OPI’s Teal the Cows Come Home.

Are any of these shades catching your eye?  What’s your favourite teal?

Springtime in the Sahara FOTD

Posted by Lipglossiping On February - 22 - 2012

My poor, poor face.  I’m in the middle of a snot fest and I’m now understanding why I was brought up on a diet of haliborange.  Throughout the year I’m not a terribly sickly person (I was as a kid) which is just aswell because I’m the biggest wimp you could meet (probably).  I even have a ‘cold’ voice – you know that weak-sounding, more-than-slightly whiney tone that resonates through the nose more than the throat?  My poor family.  Anyway, this week’s cold has been particularly frustrating because of how beautiful it’s been outside!  The whole family have had it and thus we’ve been mostly quarantined indoors through the weekend.  I decided to make a break for it yesterday and thus needed a face of makeup to disguise my ravaged skin.  It’s so dry and dull, combined with the snot-induced nose flakes and hormonal jaw-line mega zits?  Not pretty.

I massaged my freshly-washed skin with a combination of Liz Earle SuperSkin Concentrate* and Alpha H All For Eve Age Delay Facial Oil* in an attempt to revive some life.  Kinda like a cardiac massage for the face before giving my driest spots (flakey bits) at light cover of Lucas Paw Paw Ointment (this stuff is great for disguising nose flakes).  I went with the spring-like weather and injected some colour onto my face with a bright streak of blue under my lower lashline.  This is my favourite way to wear the shade and I do it quite a lot in the Summer.  Anyway, enough talk.  Here’s my Springtime in the Sahara FOTD:

I think I could have done with a touch of highlighter but I’m otherwise looking fairly perky considering I felt like DEATH.  Like my Tammy Faye Baker eyelashes?  Tough – I do!  I never put that much on my lower lashes normally but now I’m gonna (until I get bored of it).

I’m wearing:

Skinfood Gingko Green BB Cream
Priori Perfecting Mineral Foundation (lightly buffed where I needed more coverage)*
Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer

KIKO Automatic Waterproof Eyeliner
Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour in Marina under the lower lashline
Benefit They’re Real Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze (I found it, I found it!)

Benefit Hervana Blush* (I did promise you a FOTD with this beauty)
Boots No7 Vital Brights Lipstick in Blooming Pink*

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What do you think?  Bit too early in the year to pull out these shades?  Hope you’re well and less snotty than me!  At least the pancakes (bacon and maple syrup!) cheered me up!

* press samples

Men of the World. Y U No Smell This Good?

Posted by Lipglossiping On February - 14 - 2012

We all have definite ideas about the scents we like to surround ourselves with — be it the washing powder we use to clean our undies; the candles we light when we step through the door after work; or the bath oils we pour under a hot running tap at the end of the night.  When was the last time you chose a new shampoo in the supermarket before flipping up the lid and inhaling a quick whiff to make sure you shared the product’s olfactory persuasions?

But what about the people we share our lives with?  What control do we have over how they smell?!

It’s taken a long time to gently steer my husband away from the Umbro Aftershave of his early twenties and onto scents which don’t make me want to check behind his ears for dirt.  I sound like a fragrance nazi right?  I’m not… it’s not that he resisted either, he just didn’t have an opinion either way.  Over the past couple of years, he’s developed a greater understanding and passion for fragrance — and thankfully, we do share quite similar tastes — something which comes in very handy for sharing the cost of those more extravagant fragrance purchases.

On this day, St. Valentine’s Day — I thought I’d hand the reins over to my brilliant husband, who has picked out the fragrances from his collection that make us both swoon when he wears them.

YSL – M7 Oud Absolu | Molton Brown NTS – Rogart | Parfum d’Empire – Ambre Russe | Oscar de la Renta – Oscar for Men | Floris – Santal

I’m still an awful fragrance reviewer, I just don’t have enough words swirling around in my puny brain to conjure up enough ways to say “if this fragrance were a doughnut, you’d consume four of them in one sitting”.  Although, I’ll never get better if I don’t try, so – in our own bumbled together manner… (at least I’ve got someone else to blame)

Yves Saint Laurent: M7 Oud Absolu (£58.00) *

As part of the reworked YSL Heritage Collection which celebrates half a century of expert perfume creation, the brand have released a reworked version of M7 which first came to the public nose in 2002 under the direction of one Mr. Tom Ford.  From such an agent provocateur, you’d expect to experience something special and you won’t be disappointed with this fragrance, which despite the reformulation is described as the climax of male sexuality1.  M7 is a deeply smoky scent with notes of myrrh, french labdanum, patchouli and a resonating woody, almost leathery oud accord.  There’s a medicinal hint that lingers through the dry-down which we both find comforting.  It’s not sharp but resinous and syrupy, like a cough drop.  M7 is a fragrance for the night, of the night.  If Serge Gainsbourg were to walk in behind me right now, this is the smell I’d catch (and hold onto) as he passed.  An intensely sexy, dark scent.

1 yslbeauty.co.uk

 Molton Brown Navigations Through Scent: Rogart (£60.00)

If you prefer to scent your senses with a touch of the gourmand, you may be interested in Rogart’s unusual but profoundly delicious note more usually found on your pancakes than in your perfume: maple syrup.  The tasty fragrance from Jennifer Jambon opens with a bracing blend of juniper berries and fir balsam which gives it that ‘great outdoors’ feel and indeed it should, as it draws its inspiration from the Cobequid Mountains of Canada.  All this freshness contrasts wonderfully as it warms on the skin and develops a hint of campfire, resinous wood and that sweet, mouthwatering maple.  Jointly, we’ve purchased nearly all of the releases in the Navigations Through Scent collection but Rogart firmly remains my husband’s favourite.

Parfum d’Empire: Ambre Russe (£84.50)

Not sure we’ll ever fall out of love with the majestic, imperial notes contained within Parfum d’Empire’s exquisite nod to Tsarist Russia.  It’s all here: vodka, champagne, tea, leather, amber and incense.  It’s like the party you know will conclude with most of its guests going home in a meat wagon before sunrise.  It’s raucously obnoxious and it knows it.  It wants you to know it too and you can’t help but admire Ambre Russe for it’s audacity to even exist.  It manages to be simultaneously effervescent (that’ll be the champagne hic!) and creamy, with the boozy amber trumping all else.  If you like dark, oriental fragrances, consider this a contender for the big daddy – shy, delicate noses need not apply.

Oscar de la Renta: Oscar for Men (£45.00)

We fought a little over the inclusion of this… I wanted to place Bvlgari Black above this one but Mr. L triumphed by making me a cup of tea and pointing out that, for once, he was entitled to call first dibs.  Oscar de la Renta’s Oscar for Men can be picked up online for as little as £17.00, which admittedly, ups the desirability stakes.  It’s a far sharper, more summery scent than the ones we’ve so far included – the top notes of bergamot, mandarin, and black pepper ensure that it prickles a little with a zestiness that makes you stand up and pay attention.  It has a floral heart that tempers the spiciness a little but if you’re a fan of the peppery notes of something like Marc Jacob’s Bang, you should enjoy this equally.  Oscar for Men trails with a suggestion of leather and vanilla which further smoothes the pepper without ever fully quietening it.  A spicy serenade that wears well in warmer months thanks to it’s sparkling opening.

Floris London: Santal (£69.00) *

As is my prerogative, I’m a woman of many contradictions.  Sometimes, I will eschew the feral, growling sensibilities of something like M7 (though never Serge) and want the man in my life to appeal as much to others as he does to me.  Floris Santal is the perfect scent to meet that need with its clean but never soapy existence.  Creamy sandalwood (and good sandalwood at that) gives Santal the most distinguished of edges in the overpopulated woody oriental category.  A hint of spiciness and musk keeps things warm and sensual whilst the crisp bergamot and trickles of lavender promote the balance beautifully and prevent this classic scent from ever feeling generic or old-fashioned.  Longevity is unparalled, displaying the kind of quality one would expect from a traditional British fragrance house like Floris.  I may have started with Serge Gainsbourg, but please… let me end with a young, freshly-shaven Paul Newman.  Rawr.

I’m feeling a tad hot under the collar now!  Happy Valentine’s Day you lovely lot.

Do you lust over leather or go crazy for classic cleanliness?  Do those animalic undertones bring out your wild side or perhaps you simply prefer a good old splash of Brut! 

Tell me, how do you like the men in your life to smell? (note: “of money” isn’t a valid answer!)

* press sample

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skinfinish

Posted by Lipglossiping On February - 6 - 2012

Ha!  It feels kinda old-skool to be reviewing this on the blog no?  MAC isn’t the force in the blogging community that it once was.  Anyway, I for one am delighted that there’s room for so many other brands nowadays – though I’m excited to be pulling out a trusty old MSF for today’s review nonetheless.

Pretty ain’t she?  Lightscapade is that delicate cousin that looks all willowy and ethereal when compared to your ruddy, more “sturdy” self.  If you can’t *be* her, then at least steal some of her daintyness by dusting your cheekbones and hoping that she’ll impart a ghostly, wispy beauty to your fizzog.

One of MAC’s more finely-milled mineralize skinfinishes, Lightscapade was hugely sought after until the brand re-promoted it last year.  The one I have above is from this re-promote and may or may not be less or more beautiful than its predecessor.  I don’t care enough to google.

Lightscapade is a glowing, almost-white highlight with enough of a warm sheen to prevent you from looking like the undead, madeup.  I apply this with the MAC 130 to keep the application area to a minimum cheekbone highlight, it’s easy to go overboard.

Obviously, what with MAC’s numerous releases and limited editions, you can’t currently purchase this from the store but keep an eye out on eBay as I imagine the prices will be less extortionate than they were before the re-promote.

Are you a fan of MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes?  Which is your favourite?

New Year Honours List 2012

Posted by Lipglossiping On January - 26 - 2012

In a list devoid of MPs, philanthropists, and celebrities – I bring you 12 products that have impressed me beyond my expectations over the past 12 months. This wasn’t easy to compile. Infact, it was so hard that it’s now nearly February and I’ve only just published it.

Some were a given from the moment I used them (Avon Mega Impact Eye Liner), some were growers (Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil), but all of them have left a real impression for achieving what their claims suggest and let’s face it, that’s what out beauty-loving hearts desire most.

Optrex Itchy/Allergy Eye Drops  |  Lanolips 101 Ointment  |  St. Tropez Perfect Legs Spray  |  Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors

Optrex make eye drops for seemingly every occassion and their Optrex Itchy Eye Drops have saved my poor peepers numerous times throughout the year.  I actually prefer their Optrex Allergy Eyes formula for the Summer months when my eyes are really suffering but I find them quite hard to get hold of (it’s over the counter stuff) and so pharmacists always offer me the Optrex Itchy Eye Drops instead.  To be fair, they both work but nothing soothes the feeling of wanting to wash your eyeballs under a running tap (and swill your eye sockets out while you’re at it) faster or more effectively than the Optrex Allergy Eyes formula.

Another product that goes beyond the pretty to simply make my life more comfortable is Lanolips 101 Ointment.  This nourishing, thick balm is as much a part of my nightly routine as washing my face or repeatedly checking Twitter on my phone after turning off my computer.  It’s simple existence means that my lips never peel or crack, as used to be the case throughout the winter months and if I like a new lipstick, I buy it based on how much I like the shade without caring about how drying the formula may prove to be.

My milk-bottle legs are anticipating the return of the warmer weather with a renewed vigour thanks to St. Tropez Perfect Legs Spray.  I’m surprising myself by including a tanning product in my honours list – I really don’t care much about being tanned… but, this product surpassed all expectations of turning my blue-tinged pins into something that I wouldn’t mind showing off when the sun finally peeks out from behind the UK’s perpetual blanket of cloud cover.

As much as the U.S. brand have released some stonking palettes this year, it’s these Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors that have been ticking all the right boxes for me this year.  They pack a supreme punch of colour, offer maximum convenience and last well throughout the day.  The shades I own are all searingly bright and obnoxious, just the way I’ve been liking my lip shades this year.  These are real beauties and I can’t wait to see if Urban Decay add to the lineup in 2012.

Benefit They’re Real Mascara  |  Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil  |  Dr. Hauschka Neem Hair Oil  |  Avon Mega Impact Eye Liner

An everyday staple achieves its status by being dependable, consistent, and easy to use.  Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara has been my go-to mascara since its release last August.  It extends and volumises my lashes with an inky formula and doesn’t let me down by smudging or flaking throughout the day.  Once it’s time for bed – it doesn’t give my cleansing oil any arguments and I’m still enjoying the same, usable formula from the original tube that I was given all those months ago.  It’s a solid but impressive addition to my makeup bag.

2011 has been a year of weight loss (and gain, and loss again) for me.  I knew from the start that I’d be putting my skin through the mill on my quest for a less flabby existence and I’ve been using various body oils with my cellulite massager in an attempt to keep my skin elastic, supple and unblemished.  While they all did a good job at moisturising, I wasn’t sure that they were achieving much more than this until I began to use Elemis Cellutox Active Body Oil toward the end of last year.  Aside from it smelling as delicious as you’d expect from the British brand, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in skin-tone, texture and dare I say it… cellulite.

Another major concern over the past year has been the constant flare-ups that have turned my scalp into an itching, flaking mess.  I would start a new shampoo, only to be forced into discontinuing its use a month later.  I tried SLS-free which seemed to improve things for a while, though still didn’t eradicate the problem completely.  I’ve been using Dr. Hauschka’s Neem Hair Oil (non-stinky) for a few months now and have so far, touch wood, not had a flare-up that’s been severe enough to cause any real misery.  I also find the oil effective at soothing any persistent itches alongside a welcome side-effect of improving the condition of my dry hair.

If I could only choose one, my product of the year would go to Avon’s Mega Impact Eye Liner for being outrageously awesome at such a reasonable price.  The blacker-than-black formula applies as smoothly as a gel with no tugging along the delicate waterline.  Give it a few moments to set and you’ll be treated to a full day of hard-wearing, sultry lashlines that resist smudging and transfer like real troopers.  They have a new metallic shade coming out for Spring, look out for it!

Suti Rejuvenate Organic Facial Oil  |  Lumos High Speed Top Coat (try eBay if you’re not a pro)  |  Missha M Perfect Cover B.B Cream  |  NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

I’ve always loved facial oils but have only recently discovered the true extent of their capabilities.  Suti’s Rejuvenate Organic Facial Oil is a wondrous concoction that seamlessly melts into my skin to give an instant glow on those days when my complexion is feeling particularly dull and drained by the cold weather.  Perhaps even more enlightening is the oil’s ability to turn a dud foundation into a keeper.  I’ve been adding a few drops (during application) to foundations that I consider dry-skin unfriendly and have been amazed at Suti’s ability to make the formula more compatible to my winter skin.  Lots of money saved thanks to this one!

So good do I consider the Lumos High Speed Top Coat, that I’ve bought the entire family!  From salon-sized down to purse-friendly bottles, they speed-dry my nail polish without causing shrinkage or becoming a thick, unusable mess in the bottle before I’ve reached the halfway mark.  The Lumos System also encourages you to use the High Impact Bottom Coat to achieve maximum results and longevity from your manicures but as someone who doesn’t generally suffer from polish chips, I’m happy to report that for me, it works as well with or without.

2011 was the year that B.B Creams hit the Western world with a vengeance and some bandwagon-jumping efforts from the major cosmetic players have left consumers wondering if there’s any difference between B.B Creams and Tinted Moisturisers with added SPF.  If you want to try a true B.B. Cream without the big-budget advertising hype – I can’t recommend the Missha M Perfect Cover B.B Cream highly enough.  It evens my skin-tone, gives serious sun protection, and calms my redness-prone skin in an instant.

I get annoyed with the NYX Cosmetics incarnation in the UK but if there’s one thing worth picking up, it’s the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams that come in a variety of shades and offer easy application, good coverage, and long-lasting colour without causing unbearable dryness or discomfort.  Remembering that these are (to be fair) matte formulas, it’s a great option for those who wince at the thought of dragging a hard-textured matte lipstick across their lips.  There are some awesome lip-popping shades to choose from too!

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So there we have my New Year Honours List – a little late, but what’s half a month between friends?  Do you agree with any of my choices?  What would you have included in yours?

* the selection includes a mixture of press samples, repurchases from what were originally press samples and my own discoveries/purchases.

NOTD: Mavala Platinum Marble Nail Polish

Posted by Lipglossiping On January - 11 - 2012

This pretty caught my eye during that mind-numbing lull between Christmas and New Year.  I was browsing through the beauty stuffs in my local John Lewis, knuckles dragging the ground ‘cos I couldn’t find anything I really wanted, when all of a sudden an angel appeared beside me and thrust this tiny bottle into my hand*.

* this may not have actually happened

Anyway, here’s Mavala Platinum Marble, it’s quite nice no?

I’d describe it as a silvered taupe with a pearl-shimmer finish – it’s heading in the direction of frosty but minus the brushstrokes.  It’s a very pretty work appropriate shade that took three coats to achieve full opacity on my nails.

Currently priced at a bargainous £2.99 over on BeautyBay (I paid £4.10 for this one instore).

What are you wearing on your nails today?

The Art of Christmas Gifting 005: Mandara Spa Getaway Travel Bag

Posted by Lipglossiping On December - 8 - 2011

The most important thing that you need to know about this is that it’s currently on offer at half price in Sainsburys.  There’s also a bigger-sized one that was priced up at £20 down from £40 when I passed the shelf earlier this week.

Sadly, I don’t have the details on that one so will concentrate on the one pictured below which is a smaller option currently priced at a ridiculously good £7.50 (regularly £15.00).

The set contains:

Tropical Blooms Moisturising Shower Gel (175ml)
Tropical Blooms Softening Body Cream (50ml)
Tropical Blooms Nourishing Hand Cream (50ml)
Spa Getaway Gentle Cleansing Wipes 25 wipes
Body Polisher
Travel Bag

As a sister brand to Elemis, the supermarket-priced range is receiving some rave reviews across the blogosphere, one of my favourites comes from the lovely Yinka over at VexintheCity.  I haven’t picked anything up yet, but she has me lemming the Amber range like a woman possessed.

Have you tried any products from Mandara Spa?

 

A couple of years back, I stayed at the Les Trois Rois hotel in Basel, the penthouse suite no-less and there’s a video of me (Mr. L keeps threatening to YouTube it), running around the suite (it’s not pretty – I was 6 months pregnant), all breathless and getting hugely excited (as only a peasant would) over the fruit displays, cinema screen TV and private rooftop jacuzzi.

But the thing that got me squealing most of all in the video were the 5 bathrooms, each filled with full-size Molton Brown products.  Infact, so decadent was it that I didn’t steal a single bottle to take home – it just felt too naughty.  I still curse that angel sitting on my shoulder – I could have at least decanted a bit from each bottle right?  Clearly, I’m only devious with the benefit of hindsight.

Which is why I would be rather pleased were I to receive this set of Molton Brown shower gels for Christmas.  Take that stupid angel!

The Spectrum Set contains 6 x 100ml bath & shower gels which include the scents: energising seamoss; relaxing yuan zhi; travel-reviving cempaka; re-charge black pepper; warming eucalyptus and invigorating suma ginseng.

Priced at £36 and available to buy online from moltonbrown.co.uk

Do you steal hotel toiletries?

Michel Mercier Detangling Hairbrush vs. Tangle Teezer

Posted by Lipglossiping On November - 28 - 2011

My hair is prone to breakage, and thanks to my PCOS – there isn’t as much of it as I would like which means that I have to be very careful when detangling my hair not to end up with more on the brush than on my head.  I currently use my Tangle Teezer on wet hair and my Mason Pearson on dry hair.

I attended the launch of a new product from internationally acclaimed hairdresser Michel Mercier, a new detangling hair brush available in three varieties, each suited to a different hair type.  To choose the right brush for your hair, you simply need to check which colour you’re picking up:  Pink = Fine Hair, Green = Normal Hair, Blue = Thick or Afro Hair.  The difference between the three varieties lies in the flexibility of the bristles used.  The coarser the hair type, the more rigid the bristles need to be in order to combat the tangles.

The brush is made up of a patented system which involves placing 428 bristles (who wants to count ‘em?) positioned at different heights across the surface with a unique geometric distribution which helps to disperse the pressure placed on hair during brushing.

But does it work, and is it better than the Tangle Teezer?

Michel Mercier Detangling Brush*

I found that it works very well for detangling my hair, especially when my hair was dry but the efficiency came at a cost.  The Mercier Brush gave me more discomfort during use than the Tangle Teezer.  However, it really couldn’t be faulted for it’s rapid detangling properties… I often find that the Tangle Teezer misses tangles on the underside of my hair thanks to its very flexible bristles – the Mercier’s bristles are stronger, I think this will prove very popular for those with thick hair.

Sadly, I experienced more breakage with this one than my Tangle Teezer, probably just because it was more effective and gave me more discomfort but I’d rather have to section my hair to detangle than lose it on the brush.

Tangle Teezer

I was also hoping for better things from the Michel Mercier design.  The Tangle Teezer is notorious for flying out of unsuspecting hands thanks to the rubbish grip it offers.  At first glance, you’d think that the Michel Mercier solves this with the inclusion of a chunky handle but sadly, the handle has quite a strong taper which means that it doesn’t feel as secure as I would have liked.

Overall it’s a real mixed bag.  If my hair were stronger and thicker, I’d probably prefer it to my Tangle Teezer but as things stand, it’s back to my Tangle Teezer/Mason Pearson combination for the time being.

The Michel Mercier Detangling Brush is priced at £14.95, and available from www.michelmercier.co.uk and selected salons

* press sample

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RANDOM

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Red Lipped Readers - Part Six!

Are you ready for the 6th installment?  Looking fabulous ladies… 1.  Mia Farrow eat your heart out, JMTolman looks positively perfect in MAC Rebel. 2.  …

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Hello? Is this thing on?

Phew, that was a little unexpected. For those of you who haven’t had the misfortune of reading my hand-wringing tweets and woe-ridden facebook updates, let …

FOTD Busting out of the comfort zone!

You may recall my bitter moans last week about how when presented with a rare opportunity to spend an indecent amount of time playing with …

Dear Obesity...

We have been together for over 20 years, our lives so entwined that I’ve never been sure how to live without you.  I would like …

Urban Decay The Black Palette - Photos & Swatches

The soon-to-be-released Black Palette from US eyeshadow maestro’s Urban Decay is an altogether darker affair than the recent Naked set… The Black Palette includes 6, …

Urban Decay 15-Year Anniversary 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set

This here post be ALL about the pictures… The Packaging…

The Johnson & Johnson Beauty Care Journalism Awards…

…were held earlier in the week at a swanky ‘do’ in London. Attended by some of the country’s best journalists and writers, the awards recognise …

Leila is two today!

My beautiful little girl Leila turns two today.  I’m sorry I don’t have a ‘normal’ post lined up for today but I spent all weekend …

My small (but perfectly formed) BB Cream collection

I promised you a post on BB creams and in all honesty, what I know about BB creams can probably be written on the back …

Your worst beauty counter experience!

We’ve all had them, those tooth-grindingly painful encounters at our local beauty counters.  From the over enthusiastic SAs who turn us orange to the snooty …

Chanel Ombre D'eau - Swatches of my (small) collection

This post is for the lovely Ann who requested a swatch of my new Chanel Ombre D’eau in #757 Splash when I picked it up. …

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