OK, I seem to have a lot of visitors to the site looking at my Geleration review so I thought I’d write a slightly more detailed/useful review.

I’ve tried quite a couple of different Gel style manicures and they are my nails of choice for when I want something that looks grown up. My nails look shiny, well kempt and well…expensive. I do a lot of random stuff with my hands which means that the normal manicures (no matter where or what polish) don’t seem to last longer than two days tops. By the third day they look battered, scratched just not pretty any more.

The Good…

For a couple of pounds more I can have the gel layers built up (or the Glitter) in around the same time and have ‘good’ nails for a week – week and a half. They are great for holidays or busy weeks where you know you’ll be photographed and want less time to worry about any unkempt hands. I’m even at the point where I’m debating getting my own set of varnishes and little UV machine.

The Bad….

But – they are a pain to take off. You have to soak the nails in Acetone nail varnish before painstakingly removing the gel and I’ve found if I have them more often than once a month my nails get very weak (hopefully that’s not due to my method of removal). It’s obviously no good as well if you’re wanting to change your varnish quickly to suit your mood (or if you work in an area that bans varnish) and the range of colours tends to be very limited.

The Summery….

Go for it. Don’t believe the places that tell you it’ll last for weeks and weeks. If you’re going away for two weeks then bring along a matching colour for touch ups. I haven’t noticed any difference in longevity between places that charge a fortune and those that don’t so don’t feel you need to pay a fortune.

I may have a slight red lipstick addiction…I have nearly identical colour lipsticks from Benefit, Besame, Chanel, Mac, Dior, Maybelline, Max Factor and some where the label rubbed off long ago. But I still search for the fabled lipstick. One that will go on smoothly, stay in place and give me the red carpet pout I want with no effort.

Red lipstick does so much more then any other colour I can think of. It’s more Woman then girl and as most people play safe lisptick wise, you immediately stand out. (And are much more likely to have Men hold doors, give up seats and even apologise for bumping into you in London.)

It’s benefit’s aren’t for the shy or retirings types – which is probably why Kate Moss looks so good in Adverts for Rimmels new lipstick range.  Launched with much fanfare (over here in the UK at least) there are just a couple of colours, but they manage to get in all the must haves, from the barely there to the bright Hollywood red in the adverts.

Rimmel is almost a tardis to me. My first lipstick that was constantly plastered on my lips in my teenage years was a Rimmel lipstick, and at college I’d have at least one concealor and eyeliner floating around my bag. But since then I never really tend to buy anything Rimmel (with the honourable exception of nail varnishes). I’d consigned it to those days, along with torn fishnet tights, Lolita goth style and the ability to hide from sunlight for hours on end. Rimmel was reliable, affordable but not really exciting so apart from emergency buying of eyeliner it made way for for more exciting or grown up brands.  

But my name is Eris, and I’m a make up junkie. So it was only a matter of time (ok…days) before I fell for the bright bright red of the adverts (Shade 01) and decided to add to my ever growing collection of  Red lipsticks. They’ve obviously spent a bit of time and money on the packaging. It stands out from the other rimmel lipsticks by being in a ever so fashionably Black – but with a bright print of Kate’s signiture. They’ve also added a strange fragrence to it – one that reminds me strangely of the sweet section in oriental food markets.Somewhere along the line you get the impression they decided to appeal to someones daughter, but sweet notes aren’t something I look for in a lipstick. But the colour – oh the colour is perfect. A gloriously bright red that stays pretty well and is so easy to wear. I’ve received compliments every day I’ve worn it. Of course it isn’t as glossy as in the adverts but I prefer Matt lipsticks anyway – at least this way you have the option to slick on some lipgloss to shine it up.

            It may not be my holy grail of lipsticks, but it currently has pride of place in my handbag (beating out the Chanel) and may even tempt me to have another look at the Rimmel counter.

Every so often I learn a little trick that has me amazed at its simplicity – and this week my Hairdresser & Manicurist showed me a fabulous one. I often say I have the taste of a drag queen magpie when it comes to glitter so you can imagine how much I loved this:

Glitter Gel nails! Take Gel varnish, add glitter, then add more gel varnish and voila – enough sparkle to blind anyone who casually glances down, small children and pets.

T LeClerc 

Have you ever had a second date where you're not too sure about the guy,
but hey, you had nothing better planned and the first date wasn't that
bad? Then you find yourself having an amazing night and one of the best
dates of your life. Or you find you yourself staring at him across the
table, wondering how come you remembered him being cuter, taller,
smarter and funny. 

My previous pot of powder weighed in at 100g and I assumed that the new
pot would be a similar size. Of course assumptions lead  to
disappointment when the 35g arrived. Completely my fault as it states
the size on the website, but it did mean readjusting my expectations.
The previous powder had been used all over the body, giving a beautiful
feel & shimmer, but this pot seems destined for the face & cleavage at
the most. No powder puff which was disappointing but for the face I do
prefer to use a brush, and no shimmer which made it much more suitable
for trying during the daytime.

Made with cornstarch (the same ingredient that make's Benefit's Dr
Feelgood so good to combat shiny skin), the powder really does help give
a silky smooth finish. My skin felt gorgeous after a light dusting and
it lasted a decent amount of time (a relief as it's not the type of
packaging you can just pop in to your portable make up bag).

The shade of powder  I tried (Parme) is meant to give a white glow to
the skin and while it works as an anti-bronzer I wasn't convinced that
it made that much of a difference normally. But it does solve the
problem for those very fair skinned who find the lightest shades
normally too orange. 

Overall I liked it once I'd gotten past my initial disappointment. It
won't oust my favourite everyday powder but it runs a close second and
I'm looking forward to trying the other shades over time. But For now
I've mixed it with glitter and marked it for my Christmas act to give a
sparkled snow white effect.