L'Oreal Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara

Ladies and the occasionally in the wrong place, gentelman...

I started this blog for a number of reasons. To spite my then boyfriend* who insisted I find a reason to litter the flat with my make up and beauty crap or get rid of it. Because a sick part of me missed my days working in beauty PR**. Because I could never find the right mascara...
Well, I'm so very, very excited to announce that my quest is over. I have found the World's Best Mascara Ever. And yes, I know I've been excited before but I have never, ever been so impressed with a mascara as I am with L'Oreal's Double Extend Lash Boosting mascara. You might remember that about this time last year, I got lash extensions (I miss you, Natalie) and it was pretty much life changing but unfortunately, lash extensions Stateside are considerably more expensive than Natalie's awesome, bargainous service and so I had to go back to au naturel. Now, I have pretty good lashes, they're relatively long but they're very fair - I'm a natural blonde masquerading as a brunette, remember.

But with the help of L'Oreal's wonder mascara, I have thick, full, fluttery lashes that don't go a day without a compliment. It's amazing. Honestly, I've never been a big fan of lash primers but this is just fantastic. And the rich black mascara goes on over it so perfectly, all that is left are big, fat lush lashes that don't flake and don't smudge even in NEW YORK IN SUMMER. I cannot begin to tell you what a test the humidity has been for every other mascara I've tried out here but this? Loves it.

I'm using it in conjunction with the Lash Serum at night and my lashes do seem stronger and they're hanging on in there for longer but I haven't really seen any amazing changes yet. I'm giving it a full course though, given that the mascara is so very miraculous.

Excellent work, L'Oreal, excellent work...

* remember the former Mr BeautyLover? Ahh, bless. We're still friends and now he has a new girlfriend who doesn't understand the meaning of the word mascara, lovely a girl though she is, so everyone's happy! Does that sound bitchy? Hmmm.

**as a side note, one of the brands I used to work for when I was in PR was owned by L'Oreal and sadly, the people there were so increidbly hateful and potentially possessed by demons, I swore I would never ever use their products again. So thank GOD, I was sent this by a lovely, less ruined-by-L'Oreal-than-I-PR to test or I would never have found it.

In which I apologise for being crap again

Lord, I have so many awesome things to tell you about - L'Oreal's Go 360 Clean and their 24 hour Lash Boosting System (both awesome), an update on my Clarins foundation (also The Shit), how badly I need new shampoo and conditioner recommendations, the importance of smotherinf yourself in high SPF now the sun has sort of come out to play, all the fragrances I've been testing for 'Fragrance Week', my renewed love for Origins A Perfect World moisturizer...

And that's without me getting all overexcited about next week's Melissa Nathan Awards (I Heart New York is nominated!) all my boy nonsense, I Heart Paris' impending release date and my weekend away in The Hamptons, which is all I've been doing with the people I know in real life (possibly why they're not talking to me).
It's all a bit much.
I think I might go and have a bit of a sit down and update you tomorrow.
Sound fair? I promise to keep all my smug shit to myself. Or at least try to.

Clarins Skin Spa Take Two

Sod Fragrance week, I'll come back to it, honest. Between being manically busy and spending most of yesterday with a bucket on my head to block out the light (migraine) the past five days haven't felt especially beautiful or fragrant.

So instead of whining and bitching, let me take you back. Back to a time when the sun was shining, children romped gaily and I skipped happily through the streets of Manhattan. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's. I mean, that was last Friday when I went back to the Clarins Skin Spa for my Maximum Moisture treatment.

For some reason, I decided to walk from my 53rd street office up to Clarins' 81st street spa. In 90 degree heat. At midday. But as soon as I heaved my sweaty mess of a self inside, I felt better almost immediately, and by the time I was being led upstairs by serenity personified (aka Elaina) I was this close to having a little nap on the treatment table. As with the awesome radiance boosting facial I had a couple of weeks ago, Elaina explained exactly what she would be doing, what products she would be using and how the treatment would benefit my skin. Then she turned down the lights, turned up the music and somewhere inbetween, I zoned out for a straight hour.

By the time my treatment was done, my head was fuzzy, my skin was soft and I'd somehow lost the use of my legs. Honestly, it made me consider getting a prescription drug habit - I imagine I felt the same as all those fifties housewives we've all enjoyed so much on the teevs.

Anyway, to wrap this up - Everything Clarins = awesome. My skin was softer than a baby's. It was like you taken the softness from ten babies, half a dozen kittens and a very expensive cashmere sweater, squeezed it all out and smothered it all over my body. Of course, I went straight out with a bunch of girls and giggled at sailors (Fleet Week!) so no one got to enjoy the benefit of my said silky soft skin but me. But sometimes dear hearts, that's enough.
And sometimes it's not. WHERE ARE THE BOYS?
Cough. Sorry.

Fragrance Week! SJP NYC

Ok, so I know it's Wednesday so Fragrance Week is coming a little bit late in the day but that's just tough luck. I have a bunch of new perfumes I love and you're just going to have to sit there and listen. Ha. No! Don't go! Sorry. Thanks. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, Fragrance (half) Week.

Now that I'm over my Sex and the City 2 shock (check out my review in this week's Grazia, no, really. Someone cares what I think, sniff) I feel that I can fairly judge SJP's newest venture into the world of fragrance, SJP NYC. According to Ms Parker, this scent was supposed to have 'a sense of fun and whimsy' and according to the press release that accompanied it, it was inspired by our beloved Carrie Bradshaw walking for her favourite New York streets. Happily, I am pleased to report that it is far more Sex and the City seasons one through six than SATC: The Movie Years. Against all the odds, I LOVE this.



I'm not sure what I was trying to achieve with this picture. It is a New York city skyline but yeah, the perfume is perched on a cardboard box. I never said I was a photographer.

Mummy BeautyMecca was given SJP's Lovely scent for Christmas a couple of years ago and we did not get along (not me and Mummy BeautyMecca, we get along famously. Ish. Most of the time. Now I live in another country.) too sweet and cloying for me, but this bad boy is something altogether different. It's a fruity floral, as is my preference, but it dries down into something altogether rounder and richer and almost hot. I'm not a perfume expert so I'm not going to pretend to understand the notes but it reminds me of summer holidays when I was wee and wandering around markets in Spain in the midsummer sun.

I can't say I'm totally bowled over by the packaging but given that my favourite is the Coco Mademoiselle Chanel eau de parfum bottle, you can probably tell I'm a little more low key in my design aesthetics. And I'm devastated that the solid scent is hidden this cuff as it's just something I wouldn't wear. I'm not big with the wrist adornment but I'm huge with solid scents. Mummy BeautyMecca maybe. And I think she'll love this scent too so I'll be picking up a bottle to go on her birthday present pile.

So I'll be happily stashing this away in my handbag for summer spritzes, while I waltz around New York City, pretending to be Carrie Bradshaw (seasons one through six).