There’s an interesting site called buymeonce.com. It sells only items that are built to last: jeans, boots, saucepans, luggage, furniture, you name it. Some of them have lifetime guarantees, others are notably robust and well made. There isn’t a huge amount on there (yet), but what is there is great. The beauty section features Mason Pearson hairbrushes, stainless steel tweezers and not a lot else. The idea of beauty products being built to last — “I’ve found my lipstick for the next 20 years” — being at odds with both the industry and what women want, namely endless discoveries.
There ought to be a category of beauty product called something like “honest workhorse”. These are unspectacular pieces, usually mid-priced, with packaging that was perhaps dull in the first place and now seems vaguely old-fashioned, but that you nevertheless reach for every time you’re restocking your supplies. These are not gorgeous, glamorous, divinely scented creams in heavy glass jars. They’re not flecked with gold or part of a limited edition, and you don’t have to go on a waiting list to get them. You don’t want to festoon your dressing table with them, but you love them because they are utilitarian and honest and they do their job.
I give you, therefore, an absolutely brilliant moisturiser for everyday use: Fabulous Drench’n’Quench by Bliss, a brand that isn’t as cool as it once was, but nevertheless keeps pumping out really effective products at relatively affordable prices (also, you can get it in M&S Beauty, at £29.50).
Three of us — me and two friends — tried this out last month. After a week’s use, one of them said: “Either I’m going mad or this is the best moisturiser I’ve ever used” — not a claim she was making lightly. My other friend is convinced that it has plumped out her wrinkles.
I absolutely love the texture. It’s a gel, but feels like a cream when you scoop it out of the pot, then like water when you put it on your skin. This is brilliant for a number of reasons — nobody wants thick, claggy moisturiser as the weather (theoretically) warms up, and if your skin’s on the combo or oily side, you don’t want to feel like you’re adding more grease to an already greasy situation. This stuff is ultra-lightweight, but packs a massive moisturising punch without adding that lardy feeling that’s only ever welcome if you have ultra-dry skin.
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“You love them because they are honest and do their job
The moisturiser is very quickly absorbed and makes an excellent base for make-up, which goes on smoothly rather than slipping about. I mostly tested it make-up-less and outdoors, where it withstood all that the howling wind of East Anglia could throw at me. It just feels so nice on the skin — super-comfortable, but at the same time as if you’re not wearing anything at all. I’ll be buying it again and for the foreseeable future.
Testing, testing
By Kiki Loizou
The product: Red Carpet Ready, an at-home gel manicure starter kit.
The promise: A DIY gel manicure toolbox, complete with an LED light and gel polish. It guarantees a “high-shine, long-lasting” manicure, with each coat drying in less than 30 seconds, giving glossy, high-quality results.
The result: Mission accomplished. With no top or base coat included, I wasn’t expecting the polish to be shiny or to last as long as it did. The varnish is easy to apply and the LED light is small and hassle free. Two coats didn’t quite cut it (the polish is a little watery), but an additional coat only meant another 30 seconds under the lamp. The result was impressive, with the polish lasting 12 days before the first sign of chipping. The box also comes with remover, pads and foil for when you’re ready to take off the polish and start over, but you will need to give your nails a good buff to remove anything left on the nail (buffing block included). Overall, very impressive. I would definitely use it again and consider it a must-have for friends who often turn up to parties with naked nails and the “I-didn’t-have-the-time” excuse.
The damage: £69.95
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
