BeautyJudge Blog

Weird and wacky beauty products

2010-06-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

I love reading about weird, wonderful and downright useless beauty products that are out there in the world. So I thought I'd give a little run-down of some I've come across....

The Weight Loss Slipper

I actually thought these looked ok when I first saw the pic. Like a pink towelling sandal perhaps. Until I saw the rest of the photos.....

There's little more to be said on the subject. The TOES! The fact it's HALF THE SIZE of your foot! Good grief.

Incidentally, it's meant to aid weight loss by somehow stimulating certain parts of your foot, and helping your body to increase its metabolic rate. I think it'd be more likely to help just by tampering with my ability to walk to the fridge.

Now this next one is not technically a beauty product, but I guess it could make you seem more attractive in a way....

No.2 by Poo-Pourri

A "Before-you-go Bathroom Spray". Yep - you spray it in the loo before you do a number 2, so anyone who comes in after you will think your, um, you-know-what don't stink. I love their little rhyme... "Spray the Loo before No. 2 and no one will ever have a clue!"

Wonder if it actually works better than those nasty sprays that just make your loo smell of poo + air freshener. This one is a "Sweet Bouquet of Mandarin, Bergamot and Orange Enhanced by Hints of Peach and Berries", but they have a whole range including....

...plus sprays for soiled nappies and dogs. Is it wrong that I actually harbour a secret desire for something from this range? Not that I need it, you understand.

The Neck Firming Tool

(Could also double-up as a fancy dress accessory next time the occasion calls for you to look like a stork.)

This claims to help you firm loose skin on your chin and neck, and prevent a double chin. Apparently "Not only does it stimulate face's circulation, it also lets you have good facial expression and maintain youth." You are directed to "Hold the chin up with the Chin Firm Tool for 5 seconds. Repeat for 2 to 3 minutes daily."

The thing only weighs 131g (about the same as a your average bar of soap), so I'll wager you could fashion your own out of a light household item and a sock. Should you be so inclined, that is.

Lookin' Good For Jesus Sparkle Cream

Now I've come across some extreme product claims before, but the by-line on this tube is "Get tight with Christ"! At least these people know their marketing claim is laughable, and actually designed it to be. The range doesn't stop there - Lookin' Good For Jesus also do a lip balm, bubble bath and compact mirror. Personally I don't find this offensive at all, but Singapore did. The range was pulled from Topshop stores there after complaints from Catholics.

The Monkey Nail Dryer

For a mere £5.99 or so, you can have your nails dried by a tiny monkey. I love the look of effort on his face as he hyperventilates over your nail polish. He IS cute though.

The Nose Bridge Straightener

Used for 10-15 minutes a day, this claims to straighten the bridge of your nose. Obviously if you're living with a boy, and hoping to remain attractive to him, it's a godsend that the time period is short enough that you could hide your dirty secret. And if he does find it in the bathroom cupboard just say it's for "women's problems" - it's weird-looking enough that he'll be pleased to leave it at that that with no further questioning.

Rubber Dub Dub soap

If you look carefully you will spy a perfectly-formed and usable coloured condom inside this soap. What I want to know is: how long do you have to spend washing each other down before you can get at the contents? Would the flames of passion not have ebbed slightly after 6 1/2 hours fervently scrubbing your partner? Not to mention the pruny fingers!

Perhaps it can be used to tempt an unhygienic boyfriend to wash more regularly, with the promise of a reward at the end.

The Bacon-flavoured Lip Balm

From the brand who believe that "Everything should taste like bacon". The selling point is that "Now you can make yourself taste like bacon! ....will keep your lips from chapping while constantly reminding you why bacon is the king of meats."

What disturbed me most is that one of their newest products is this Bacon Flavoured Baby Formula....

Wrong. Very wrong. And there's currently a waiting list for the baby forumla, after which products will be sent first-come-first-served basis!

Image sources:

Weight Loss Slipper

Poo-Pourri

Neck Firming Tool

Lookin' Good For Jesus

Monkey Nail Dryer

Nose Bridge Straightener

Rubber Dub Dub

Bacon Lipbalm

Why eye creams are a waste of money....

2010-06-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting short video from the US "Cosmetics Cop" Paula Begoun. It really seems to me that she knows what she's talking about....especially as she has a skincare line (Paula's Choice) so has no reason to encourage us NOT to buy stuff!

"Find Out Why Eye Creams Waste Your Money"

If you like this little video, she has a whole stack more at http://www.cosmeticscop.com/cosmetics-cop-sensitive-skin-makeup-tips-videos.aspx, inlcuding:

Can Makeup Cause Acne?
You Don't Need Skincare Products Based on Your Age
There is No Such Thing as Hypoallergenic
Why You Need to Exfoliate
Expensive Skincare Creams are Not Better Than Inexpensive Ones

and more. Makes very interesting watching.

Boots in talks to offer Advantage Card points via other retailers.

2010-06-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Boots is currently talking to other retailers about widening the use of its Advantage Card. This would mean customers could collect Boots points in a range of other retailers. This could be exciting news (depending on the retailers they manage to sign up). Let's hope they team up with Topshop rather than, say, Halfords!

It's all part of Boots' cunning growth strategy: working with other retailers. They've already struck different deals recently with Dolland and Aitchison (merging with Boots Opticians), Mothercare (who'll be selling a range in Boots this autumn) and Waitrose (currently trialling the idea of selling each other's products in their stores).

I'm looking forward to seeing how these "talks" go, and what the end result will be for us consumers!

ShopPulse

2010-06-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Now, I know this is mainly a blog about beauty-related stuff, but I had to tell you about this website I came across. It's called ShopPulse, and it's run by a pair of 22 and 21 year-olds from Aberdeen who do it around uni and a "day" job. .....but the site looks so amazing you'd think it was a big company.

It's a simple idea - every day the site shows you what new products have just come in to a bunch of online shops like Topshop etc. (ShopPulse itself doesn't actually sell anything.) It''s surprisingly addictive actually - I've checked the site every day I think since I first found it about a week ago. This is mainly because on day 1, one of the "Got To Have It" items featured on their homepage was this amazing jersey Topshop maxi dress.....

I fell in love with it. But I deliberated too long because 2 days later when I logged on to Topshop to buy it, it had sold out already! Gutted. (Incidentally, I had to go through my computer history to find the dress again because Topshop weren't showing it publicly anymore, as it had sold out. So without this ShopPulse site I would never have known it even existed!)

This convinced me of the usefulness of ShopPulse! But next time I see something amazing on there I won't make the same mistake again.

I have nothing to do with this ShopPulse site by the way, despite the fact I'm raving about it! :D I think I like it even more because I know it's run by a girl at uni and a guy who does it in the evening after his day-job. I hope they do brilliantly with this idea.

You can find them at: http://www.shoppulse.co.uk/

Exciting new development at BeautyJudge

2010-05-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

I've just put into motion an idea I've been meaning to do for a while now - a member discount scheme for Ebay!

It's a simple idea really: BeautyJudge now has a seller account on Ebay, where there will be some lovely products listed. The shop is open to BeautyJudge members and non-members alike, but the great news is that BJ members can get amazing discounts off any items that they win. And the discount is UNLIMITED, so it's even possible to get the item free (only paying the basic postage and packaging cost).

If you're wondering how BeautyJudge will give people 100% off stuff, it's because this idea is a way of reinforcing both our community and the quality of reviews on the site. I fully expect to make a huge loss on every single product listed, because of the massive discounts, but the motivation isn't to "sell" stuff or make a profit.

The first items to be listed are....(drum roll please!)......

MAC To The Beach Lipstick in "Lazy Day" (retail price £12.50)

SEE IT ON EBAY

and Lancome Le Rouge Absolu lipstick in "Ambre Cuir" (retail price £18.50)

SEE IT ON EBAY

As you guys all know BeautyJudge - and me - pretty well by now, I probably don't have to tell you that everything is 100% genuine of course (but thought I'd tell you anyway!).

For more info on how to get discounts of up to 100% off anything in the BeautyJudge Ebay shop, check out this page: http://www.beautyjudge.com/member-discount-on-ebay.html

To find BeautyJudge on Ebay the username is, surprise surprise - beautyjudge.

I'm testing the waters at the moment to see if this turns out to be a popular thing which people like. If so I will continue to list more and more products. If not I won't - I'm pretty flexible as you know.

PS. Feel free to tell anyone you know about this new discount scheme. The more the merrier!
PPS. You are the first people to find out about this, so it's a blog exclusive! If it goes well I'll send out a newsletter to all the other members too at a later point.

Muslins for cleansing

2010-05-10T04:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally finished my Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser which I got for Christmas. I did really like this cleanser, but at £21.50 not so much that I replaced it when it ran out (my full review is on BeautyJudge here).

Before using this cleanser, I had never used a muslin cloth for cleansing. I thought I would try using just the muslin with my current cleanser - Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser (approx £3.49) - to see if it was the Liz Earle cleanser or the cloth which was delivering most of the benefits I felt.

Well, the muslin was brilliant with my Neutrogena cleanser. Why didn’t I do this before? Why isn’t a muslin a more standard thing to use with cleanser?! Do you use a muslin with your cleanser?

All the bumpy bits around my nose were eliminated, just as they are when I use the Liz Earle cleanser. Duh….stands to reason now I think about it!

Looking around, they aren’t impossible to come by – you can find them in Boots. If you haven’t already tried a muslin with your cleanser, this could be a good thing to do with your next £5 No7 voucher, as the No7 muslins are £4.40.

(Ps. If you’re wondering whether you can just use baby muslins, personally I would say no. Facial muslins are a lot finer – I wouldn’t use my baby’s muslins on my face the way I use these!)

I am yet to check out whether the muslin you can buy in fabric shops is as fine as facial cloth muslin. If so, at approx £1.90 per metre this would be an incredible bargain!

Here’s a little price comparison for muslins, if you’re in the market for some:

Unbranded Muslin Cleansing Cloths
£4.60 for 5
Available from Beauty Naturals - free delivery option

http://www.beautynaturals.com/product.asp?ref=UB-MU

(I have not used this online shop myself)

Boots No7 Muslin Cloths
£4.40 (can’t be sure from the website but I think you get 2 or 3 in a pack)
Available from Boots. For Boots.com - book free collection from a Boots store, or £2.90 delivery.

http://www.boots.com/en/No7-Muslin-Cloths_924949/

Sanctuary Spa Facial Muslin Cloth
£4.99 (again, it LOOKS to me like you get 2 in a pack).
Available from Boots. For Boots.com - book free collection from a Boots store, or £2.90 delivery.

http://www.boots.com/en/Sanctuary-Spa-Facial-Muslin-Cloth_1047481/

The Body Shop Muslin Cleansing Cloths
£6.00 for 3
Available from The Body Shop - delivery £3.49 or free for over £15

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/_en/_gb/catalog/product.aspx?ParentCatCode=C_SkinCare&CatCode=C_SkinCare_Accessories&prdcode=18426m

You can also get them from the following places, but they charge for delivery so it's only worth it if you're buying more than just muslins!....

Maia Cotton Muslin Face Cloths
£4.95 for 3 (delivery costs up to £3.45)
Available from Maia

http://www.maiaskincare.co.uk

(they also do organic cotton muslins, which cost more)

Liz Earle Pure Muslin Cloths
£3.50 for 2 or £8.50 for 6
Available from Liz Earle - delivery £3.00

http://uk.lizearle.com/products_details.php?range=1&groupid=3&mnuid=

Pai Muslin Cloth
£3.00 each
Available from Ecorium - delivery £1.50

http://www.ecorium.co.uk/products/Pai-Muslin-Face-Cloth.html

or LoveLula - delivery £3.00 under £50
http://www.lovelula.com/pd-pai-muslin-cloth.cfm
or Cult Beauty - delivery £3.95 under £75
http://www.cultbeauty.co.uk/product363_pai-skincare-organic-muslin-face-cloth.php

Dr Hauschka Muslins
£4.00 each
Available from Dr Hauschka - delivery £3.50 for orders under £45
http://www.drhauschka.co.uk/products/face-care/muslins
or £4.25 each from
Look Fantastic - delivery £2.10 plus 55p per item
http://www.lookfantastic.com/face-and-body-care/face-care/skin-treats/organic-and-natural-skin-care/dr-hauschka-organic-cotton-muslin-face-cloth.html

Eve Lom Muslin Cloths
£12.50 for 3
Available from Eve Lom - delivery £5.00
http://www.evelom.com/product/shop+products/muslin+cloths+x+3.do
or John Lewis - delivery £3 or collect from a shop free
http://www.johnlewis.com/230439528/Product.aspx?source=14798

What’s your experience of using muslins, or are you a muslin virgin like I was?!

Who owns who?

2010-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

With Avon having recently acquired Liz Earle, and L’Oreal having just acquired Essie, it seems like soon every well known brand will be owned by a handful of beauty giants.

So who actually owns who these days? Be warned, this is quite a long list…

(ps. This list doesn't include some of the non-beauty brands these companies own.)

Loreal group:

Loreal Paris and Loreal Professionell
Art of Hair

Biotherm
Boucheron

Cacharel

Diesel

Essie (ink barely dry on that agreement)

Garnier

Giorgio Armani
Helena Rubenstein

Kerastase

Kiehls

La Roche-Posay

Lancome

Matrix

Maybelline NY

Mizani
PureOlogy

Redken
Roger and Gallet
Sanoflore

Shu Uemura
SkinCeuticals

Softsheen Carson
Stella McCartney
The Body Shop

Vichy

Viktor and Rolf
Yue Sai
Yves Saint Laurent

Avon:

Liz Earle

Estee Lauder:

American Beauty

Aramis

Aveda

Bobbi Brown

Bumble and Bumble

Clinique

Coach

Daisy Fuentes

Darphin

Donna Karan

Flirt!

GoodSkin Labs

Grassroots Research Labs

Jo Malone

Kiton

La Mer

Sean John

Lab Series

MAC

Michael Kors

Missoni

Ojon

Origins

Prescriptives

Tom Ford

Procter and Gamble:

Always

Aussie

Braun

Bruno Banani Fragrances

Burberry

Camay

Christina Aguilera Perfumes

CoverGirl

Crest

DDF

Dolce and Gabbana

Dunhill Fragrances

Ellen Betrix

Escada Fragrances

Eukanuba

Fekkai

Fusion

Ghost

Gillette

Gucci Fragrances

Halo

Head and Shoulders

Herbal Essences

Hugo Boss

Ivory

Lacoste Fragrances

Londa Professional

Mach3

Max Factor

Mexx

Naomi Campbell

Natural Instincts

Nice n Easy

Olay

Old Spice

Oral B

Pantene

Prestobabrab/Blue

Puma

Rejoice

Rochas

Safeguard

Sebastian Professional

Secret

SKII

Tampax

Valentino

Venus

Vidal Sassoon

Wella

Zest

Unilever:

Dove

Lux

Ponds

Sunsilk

TIGI

Vaseline

Beiersdorf:

Eucerin

La Prairie

Nivea

Johnson and Johnson:

Acuvue

Aveeno

Clean and Clear

Compeed

Johnson's Baby

Johnson and Johnson

Listerine

Neutrogena

Regaine

Rembrandt

RoC

Have you got anything to add to this list?

After roll-on foundation...what next for L'Oreal?

2010-05-05T08:31:00.001-07:00

In April, L’Oreal held a big ol’ meeting attended by 350 of its general managers, international brand directors, research & development staff etc. The idea was to meet 5 big hand-picked packaging suppliers, to see over 100 ideas for new packaging innovations.

The L’Oreal group (which includes Garnier, Kerastase, Kiehls, Lancome, Maybelline, Redken, Shu Uemura and a whole bunch of others) has come up with some pretty whacky packaging ideas recently. Roll-on foundation, eye roll-ons, “exfo-brushers” and “scrublets” spring to mind! So I’d love to be a fly on their wall and know what on earth they’re going to go with next. This meeting indicates that they're even keener than ever on finding cr-aa-zy new ideas for packaging!

Some ideas the 5 packaging suppliers are already known to have include:

Fancy new applicator tubes (doesn’t the one on the far right look rather like L’Oreal’s new Collagen Vibration Micro-Eye product?)

Airless tubes or pumps (where the container has zero air inside so 100% of the content is product). Only problem is I think, they start to look ugly as soon as you start using the product and they go all puckered.....

Old-school balloon-pump atomizer for perfumes – but brought up to modern standards (lockable, leak-proof and put together on the production line so you don’t have to attach the bulb yourself). I love these balloon pumps! Personally I think they'd be even nicer on an old-fashioned bottle...

The Loreal Group have already commissioned these sweetie-inspired on-the-go perfume “Jellies” bottles for Cacharel:

A look at what Intellectual Property L’Oreal has been registering lately ("Scrublet", "Collagen Vibration Micro-Eye"…both registered in November last year and only just launched) might give us a clue. They have something called “False Lashes Inside” waiting to be registered….is this a new mascara we can expect to see soon? Or is their current mascara, “Renewal Serum Inside”, a modified version that they went with instead?

Whatever L’Oreal saw and liked, you can expect to see on the shelves of one of their many brand names within a year – and exclusive to them of course.

Small brands to try: Bon Bomb

2010-04-30T05:23:00.000-07:00

I love the look of these AMAZING cupcake handmade bath bombs. You’d swear they could actually be eaten wouldn’t you! They’re from Bon Bomb, based in Cardiff and run by a lady called Charlotte Ridgwell. I stumbled across the website the other day researching small brands worth telling you about.

Image source: Bon Bomb

Now, I have to tell you that I haven’t actually tried their bath bombs before, so I can’t vouch for what they’re like or what the website service is like etc. But the cupcakes, people. The CUPCAKES! So I had to write about it anyway. I’ve listed the brand and products on BeautyJudge so if you have tried this brand before, please be sure to review it so we can all find out if it’s as good as it looks!

I’m sure the product most people would be comparing this to would be Lush bath bombs. Price-wise, these cupcakes are generally £2.75 for a small and £6.75 for a large. (Most Lush bombs are between £2.50 - £3.00 for a product similar in size to the small cupcake.) Plus the topping of the cupcakes, although not fizzy, can be removed and used as a exfoliator, so it’s all extra usable stuff.

Image source: Bon Bomb

I was just about to order from the Bon Bomb site but was put off by the delivery price, which appeared to be substantially more than for the cupcake itself. But luckily it looks like they are stocked in some shops around the country, so if you live near one you could always get one from there instead. Check stockists here: http://www.bonbomb.co.uk/pages/Stockists.htm

Remember, if you try one please let us know if they’re good. And if you know of any other small brands which you feel deserve a bit of limelight, please let me know.

Available at: http://www.bonbomb.co.uk/

Maybe she's born with it.....Maybe it's Lash-Brow-ine!

2010-04-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

...hmmm...not so catchy, huh?

Photo source: Cosmetics and Skin

I love the story of the first "modern" mascaras - Rimmel and Maybelline.

Around 1915, a young New York chemist (Tom Lyle Williams) saw his sister Maybel applying a mixture of Vaseline and burnt cork to her eyelashes to make them look thicker and darker. Williams modified the idea and came up with a product called Lash-Brow-Ine – probably made of Vaseline, beeswax and charcoal. Imagine the smudging!

This later evolved into a more advanced product named Maybelline (thought to be a mix of his sister’s name Maybel, and Vaseline).

Lash extensions and post-production "enhancement" in mascara adverts are one of my real pet hates, but take a look at the lashes on the chick below! Looks like "embellishing the truth" has been going on for as long as there's been mascara and a printing press...

Photo source: Cosmetics and Skin

To be fair, the Maybelline founder wasn’t the first to ever create a mascara product. A mascara product was made decades earlier by French perfumer Eugene Rimmel. Sound familiar? It was so popular that even today “Rimel” is the word for mascara in some languages (eg: Spanish)!

Rimmel remained family owned until 1949, and Maybelline until 1967. Good to know even these big giants have a little human history behind them, and began with some whippersnapper, a bit of Vaseline and some soot! Makes you wonder what you could knock together at home with some pencil sharpenings and a bit of marmite!

Beauty Products For Less: Outlet shops

2010-04-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

...and more! (Outlet list at bottom of post)

On my way home from my parents-in-law at easter, I had the chance to stop in at The Galleria shopping/designer outlet (on the A1, 20 mins from Brent Cross apparently). I popped into The Body Shop’s outlet there, and it got me wondering….which other beauty brands have outlet stores?

Well, firstly let me say that I was quite impressed with The Body Shop outlet at The Galleria. It was a big shop, a wide range of products all nicely merchandised and laid out, and clean and tidy just like a normal Body Shop store. The sales guy was also incredibly friendly and just…nice! From what I could tell the stock was mostly discontinued lines and gift sets.

Off the top of my head I saw that some of the products were Papaya lip butter for about £3.00 (lip butters are £5.00 usually), Body Focus Cellulite Serum (which has recently disappeared from their website), Hemp Protector gift sets and a whole bunch of makeup such as cream eyeshadow, concealer pencil, glitter eyeliner etc. All products in the shop are discounted of course, with some (such as the makeup) starting at £1.00.

I’m a bit gutted that at the time I hadn’t heard of “All Wellan Good” which is the other discount beauty store at The Galleria. They have several branches around the country and I would’ve liked to check it out. They apparently stock Revlon, L'Oreal, Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, TIGI and lots of fragrances. A call to the shop tells me that the stock is a mix of discontinued lines and current lines, and that none of it is “seconds” (it’s all as you would find it on the high street).

I’d be even more keen to pay a visit to a “Cosmetics Company Store”, which apparently stocks brands like Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, DKNY, Clinique and MAC. There are a few of these around the country.

There's no hard-and-fast rule about what kind of discount you'll find at these types of outlet. Some shops state "Up to 70% off" but whether the discount will be 10%, 60% or more really depends on the product.

These are the other beauty brands with outlet stores:

The Body Shop

At The Galleria (Herts), York Designer Outlet

L’Occitane

At Gunwharf Quays (Portsmouth), Bicester Village (Oxfordshire)

Crabtree and Evelyn

At Gunwharf Quays (Portsmouth)

Molton Brown

At Gunwharf Quays (Portsmouth), Bicester Village (Oxfordshire), Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet (South Wirral), Lowry Outlet Mall (Manchester), Kildare Village (County Kildare)

Revlon

At Ashford Designer Outlet (Kent), East Midlands Designer Outlet (Derbyshire), Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet (South Wirral), Livingston designer Outlet (West Lothian)

Penhaligons

At Bicester Village (Oxfordshire), York Designer Outlet

The Cosmetics Company Store for

Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown, DKNY, Clinique and MAC.

At Gunwharf Quays (Portsmouth), Swindon Designer Outlet, Bicester Village (Oxfordshire), Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet (South Wirral), York Designer Outlet, Junction One (Antrim NI)

All Wellan Good for

Revlon, L'Oreal, Max Factor, Elizabeth Arden, TIG, fragrances

At The Galleria (Herts), Dockside Factory Outlets (Kent), Freeport Braintree (Essex), Freeport Fleetwood (Lancashire), K Village Outlet Centre (Cumbria), Sterling Mills Outlet Village (Clackmannanshire), The Outlet (Banbridge NI), Junction One (Antrim NI)

The Perfume Shop for

various perfume brands

At Gunwharf Quays (Portsmouth), Junction One (Antrim NI)

Perfume Point for

various perfume brands

At Ashford Designer Outlet (Kent), East Midlands Designer Outlet (Derbyshire), Freeport Fleetwood (Lancashire), York Designer Outlet, Livingston designer Outlet (West Lothian)

PLEASE REMEMBER:

If you want to make a special trip to any of these places, Google them and ring first to check if they have what you're after to avoid a wasted trip!

Have you been to an All Wellan Good, Cosmetics Company Store or another beauty outlet? If so, what did you think?