Review: L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil

I was curious to try this L'Oreal cleansing oil as it's a great example of a niche product going mainstream.  At a mere £7.99, this one is one of the most reasonably priced oils on the market, and L'Oreal are clearly trying to bring more niche cleansing to the masses - the Skin Perfection range also includes an oh-so-trendy micellar water.

The snazzy orange bottle certainly looks bright and cheerful in my bathroom, and I've actually found it to be a very nice cleansing oil - a few drops dispensed into the palm and spread around the face dissolves makeup effectively.  I'm not too sure about the 15 second claim, though - three layers of waterproof mascara requires a few more moments, in my experience.  The oil emulsifies nicely and rinses cleanly away, leaving skin feeling soft and clean.

BUT.

The first ingredient in the ingredients list is mineral oil.  That, then, is why this product is so pleasingly cheap - and it's a contentious ingredient, with many people avoiding it, generally because it's a by-product of crude oil refinement.

Personally, I'm not overly spooked by mineral oil, but I would rather use a cleansing oil based on plant oils rather than mineral oil, but if it doesn't bother you, this is a good inexpensive find.  Find it at Boots now.

Disclosure: PR sample

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Lip of the Day: YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres in 20 Rouge Enamel

I absolutely love YSL's Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains, and I absolutely love red.  And I am completely in love with this red Glossy Stain - it's part of the summer lineup (and has a sister coral shade), and it's the most gorgeous ruby red.  It's a very similar tone to my hair colour, and unlike some reds which can shrink the lips, it adds volume and plumpness.

The texture is fabulous - it's more of a gel than a creamy lipstick or sticky gloss, and the pigmentation is very high.  The applicator gives you a good clean point for a really precise application, which is needed.

And a bonus picture:  this is the stain imparted by the product.  Bear in mind I was wearing it for about ten minutes for swatching purposes.  Impressive stuff.

As you might be able to tell, I adore this shade, and I'll be pairing it with a soft shimmery golden eyeshadow and lashings of mascara for summer.

Find it at the YSL website, YSL counters, and at Boots now.  It costs a spendy £23.50, but it's totally worth it if you love high pigmentation shine and lovely reds.

Disclosure: PR sample

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Unfortunately underwhelming: Elemis Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm

I've tried to like this product, I really have, but I just don't quite get it.  Elemis' new Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm seems heavily inspired by the Clarins cult classic flash balm, and promises moisturising properties alongside an instant shot of radiance.  To be fair, I don't really get the hype around the Clarins flash balm either - I just can't see the difference made by a single application of one of these balms.  And it's the same for the Elemis product - it's perfectly hydrating, if a little tacky immediately after application, but my skin doesn't look any more radiant.

Granted, it is a rather lovely foundation primer, smoothing the skin out and resisting balling underneath a multitude of my foundations, but it just doesn't deliver on the radiance promise enough for me to love it.  At £32, it's not cheap, either.  If you want to try it out, you'll find it at Elemis' official online stockist, Time to Spa, but I'd definitely recommend trying a bit in store before you jump in.

Disclosure: PR sample

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NOTD: Mavala Chilli and Spice shades Bamako, Trinidad, Jaipur

What could be nicer than a stocky, cheerful little pot of Mavala colour? How about three pots at once?

Part of the beauty of these pigment-saturated summer shades from Mavala is how well they offset each other. So I decided to wear a few of them together by way of an accent nail. The main manicure colour is Trinidad, a rich ultramarine blue. The accent nail is a combo of Jaipur, the vivid orange shade, and Bamako, a strident forest green.

I photographed this manicure on a slightly overcast day, but even so, you can see how punchy these colours are. As with Mavala colours generally, the wear is pretty good - 4+ days before chipping. Each one is 4ml and they cost around £4 each.

Look out for these new summer shades in Boots, Debenhams and about 1 billion independent chemists (who always stock Mavala for some unknown but welcome reason).

Disclosure - PR samples

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Lip of the Day: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in BG 955

I bought this rather lovely lipstick whilst shopping in Shu Uemura for an eyebrow pencil for my sister-in-law-to-be to use for her wedding.  She also bought a Rouge Unlimited lipstick, and me being me, I couldn't resist getting one for myself.  I chose this rather glorious neutral-but-not-neutral mid pink, and it's become one of my favourites in the past few weeks.

The packaging is a standard twist up format, with a clear, rounded lid.  It looks rather classy, although I have found that tiny smears of lipstick get on the inside of the lid, which looks a little messy.  

On the lip, it's a beautiful mid pink which makes for a neutral but not beige look.  The lipstick has a high level of pigmentation, and also a glorious sheen which hints at the level of moisture it provides.  It wears really well, too - I get a good four hours before it starts feeling a little dry and needing a top up.

And finally, here's how it looks within the context of my whole face.  I really don't like beige nude lips - they make me look washed out - and this pink is a lovely alternative.

At £19, this is an indulgent purchase (particularly for someone with around a hundred lipsticks in their collection already...) but the quality of the product makes it worth every penny.  Lovely.

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A little KIKO haul

My closest friend lives in Stratford, which means I often end up doing the odd tour of Westfield shopping centre on my way to or from the station there. The other day I wandered into the KIKO store and decided to treat myself to a few bits. (Here are said bits.)

Firstly, a single powder eyeshadow with a super-interesting pseudo-liquid texture and a surface design that makes it look like it's been swatched by a giant's thumb. Its official name is "Water Eyeshadow". This stuff is made out of very slippery particles - must be some kind of silicone. It's a cool taupe with a dark base. The finish is lovely - richly pigmented, pearly and multi-faceted. It cost £8.90. I can't help putting my thumb on it.

Secondly, an Eyebrow Marker (great descriptive product name). This was a bit of a gamble as basically all eyebrow colours, whether they're liquid, powder, pencil or anything else, tend to look reddish on my skin. This one is pretty good - it's a greyish, cool light brown. The payoff is very very light, meaning that there's little danger of terrible Sharpie-marker eyebrows. You can wear it very subtly. It cost £5.90.

Finally, a liquid eyeliner (Super Colour Eyeliner). It's a black base with bottle green shimmer. The formula is polymer-based (i.e. it flakes or peels off, rather than smudging). It's a bit on the thin side, and doesn't produce an opaque line on the lid. This was on sale for around £4, but its full price is £6.90.

Swatches. Are you feeling that taupe?

Assembled together on face:

I'm really happy with these, especially the brow marker. KIKO is one of those wildcard brands - I never know whereabouts on the mass-to-prestige spectrum it's supposed to sit, although the packaging and the quality I feel are quite similar to MAC. Not that I've bought any MAC in quite a long time. But then it sells nail polish for just £2.50, suggesting it's a bit more drugstore.

In the UK its distribution is too small for it really to have an established market niche. There are 2 KIKO stores that I know of in London, one in each branch of the Westfield shopping centre (Stratford and White City). I don't know where it sits in its native Italy in terms of price point.

What's your take on KIKO, if you've tried it?

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Paul & Joe Beaute Beach Baby Pressed Powder UV

Paul & Joe's summer collection is called Beach Baby, and features a selection of lip, eye and nail shades in retro pastels and fun brights. The theme is inspired by beach locations and general fun in the sun.

Contrarily enough, the piece I was most taken with out of the collection has nothing much to do with beaches or bikinis (although it does have UV filters). It's the pressed powder compact, which has a picture of two snow leopards on a background of green foliage.

Our cosmetic hero Craig-Ryan French (Paul & Joe's creative lead), who introduced us to the collection at a PR event awash with leis, palm leaves and pretty seashells, explained the relevance of the leopards to the beach theme by saying "you'd better stay on the beach, because in the trees beyond there are leopards." Of course!

There are some other lovely items in the collection too, most notably some eye/lip gloss duos which have shimmery cream eyeshadow at one end and juicy, high-pigment lip gloss at the other.

The powder compact is limited edition and comes in two translucent shades - one a bit pinkish (003, shown in these pictures), and one a bit bronzerish (004). They're both delightful and cost £28. You can buy them at BeautyBay.com, or pick them up in person at Harrods, Fenwicks and Selfridges.

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