Review - Tresemme Volume Styler

Disclosure - PR sample

I'm not really au fait with heat styling tools. I know there are a lot of them, and that they create amazing looks for other people. But for me, a hairdryer and an occasional-use-only set of straighteners are as far as it goes. I have naturally curly hair that I have always wished was straighter, and with a radial brush and a decent blowdry technique, I'm able to achieve that easily. I use straighteners, rarely, to create an extra-smooth look. And once in a while, now that I've grown up enough to accept my curls (as a kid I hated the way they formed ringlets, like a porcelain doll), I allow my hair to dry naturally.

This slightly apologetic preamble is to let you know that my review of Tresemme's Volume Styler will not be the critical assessment of a seasoned heat styler enthusiast. Rather it's a tale of what happened when styling n00b met styling product.

So. The Volume Styler is basically a large radial brush with a heated element in the middle and vented pink metal (sorry, ceramic, ionic) plates in between the bristles. It contains a 700W motor and blows hot air through the vents onto your hair as you style. It has 3 heat settings - medium, hot and cool shot.

Compared to my 2000W blowdryer, the 700W drying efforts of the Volume Styler are pretty meagre and won't be adequate to dry most hair from wet, even on the hottest setting. Mine is not the thickest hair in the world (it's about average) so I'd say that unless you have extremely fine hair in a short style, it's best used as a finishing tool after you've rough-dried with a conventional dryer.

On rough-dried hair, the styler can be sort of tucked under locks of hair at the root and used to give lift and volume from underneath. I found it very easy to use, and the bristles remained a comfortable temperature on my scalp even after it had been on full power for a while. The plates do get very hot, as does the round top of the brush head, so caution is advised when handling it. I've gotten into a routine of rough drying with my blow dryer and then smoothing out and adding root lift with the Volume Styler. It's very satisfying to watch my hair go from a wavy tangle to a smooth, bouncy style.

The cool shot isn't up to much when used after the heated settings. I tried using it to 'set' the style after I'd done the volumising routine described above, but found little difference in the temperature between warm and cool settings. I think because air is blowing through warm channels inside the unit, it gets heated anyway. However, you could definitely use it to set a style that you'd created with other tools like hairdryer or irons.

I have used this alongside Andrew Collinge Weightless Volume mousse and between them, these two products give definite lift at the crown and a sense of greater volume all over the hair.

I'd say that the Volume Styler is something I would be happy with had I bought it for myself, and it has made me wonder what I might be able to achieve with other tools at my disposal. It retails for around £25, and can be bought online from Boots, who currently have a gift with purchase offer on selected Tresemme stuff.

NOTD: Barbara Daly Plum Pudding

Disclosure: Provided as a PR sample

Barbara Daly's Make Up range for Tesco is often a goldmine of great basics which perform well and are very reasonably priced.  The nail polishes are no exception; gorgeous colours, pretty good wear, and a very nice formula.

This shade is part of the limited edition autumn collection, and in normal lighting it's a fairly average deep purple colour, just a few shades darker than a proper Cadbury's Dairy Milk wrapper purple.  Application was easy - the polish is fairly thin and doesn't drag.  I had a few issues with chipping if I didn't use a good topcoat, though, so be warned.

With a flash, you can see what makes this unassuming polish so beautiful: when the light hits it, the low level sparkle really shows up.  It has a pretty glow with mid blue, purple and a touch of red running through it.  Gorgeous.  This is three coats, although I could have skipped the third, as two coats is near enough fully opaque for the non-fussy.

I've worn this three times since being given it as a PR sample two weeks ago, which is saying something, I think!

Available now at Tesco stores, this little gem will set you back £3 for 7ml - a very reasonable price to pay.  I might go grab a backup, as I think I'll be wearing this shade rather a lot this autumn and winter.

Ellis Faas Light Revisited (Again)

If you read my last post on Ellis Faas' extremely luxe Light product, you'll remember that I was very displeased to find that my £22 eyeshadow exploded all over my curtain, wall, and face.  Shortly afterwards, I received an email from Ellis Faas HQ; they thought I might have one of the earlier pens, which were accidentally given the wrong tip.  I'll admit to thinking PAH, that's very likely, but accepted a replacement none the less.

Surprisingly, it looks like my original purple Light was indeed faulty.  The new one, which was sent in shade 302, a beautiful sparkling pale gold with a greenish cast, has yet to explode on any part of my house (or face).  I can twist the base, get some product out, and it flows reasonably well; certainly much better than my purple one.

So - if you find yourself with an exploding Ellis Faas Light, it's possible you just got a duff one.  If it happens, email the company at info [at] ellisfaas.com - they might just be able to help you out.  As for me... I've been using and enjoying my new shade 302, and am extremely pleased to have had such good customer service.

Review: No. 7 Limited Edition Soft Matte Lipstick

Disclosure: Received as a PR sample


I absolutely love a deep, richly coloured lip for autumn and winter.  There's nothing like a shot of intense colour to brighten up pale winter skin, and so I was pretty excited to receive this limited edition No. 7 lipstick in the fabulously named Plum Rebellion shade.

Plum Rebellion is a rich, red toned plum with golden micro-sparkle.  The formula of the lipstick is very smooth and moist, and although the colour has great depth in the tube, it applies slightly sheer.  A couple of swipes will give you rich opaque coverage, but it isn't opaque directly out of the tube.

The lipstick itself is very comfortable to wear, remaining creamy on the lips and wearing relatively evenly.  One application won't last the whole day, but you'll really only need one or two touch ups to keep the colour rich and fresh looking, and it layers up very well.

I find it slightly strange that the lipstick is described as a "soft matte" finish, as it's not really matte at all, in my opinion.  There's definitely a slight sheen going on when applied to the lip.  Maybe the inclusion of the word "soft" is intended to convey that it's not a proper, traditional, dry looking matte?

Anyway, either way, this is a lovely, wearable autumnal shade, which is very comfortable to boot.  At £9.75, it's a little expensive for a mid-range lipstick, but if you were to use one of those No. 7 vouchers Boots give out so frequently, it would set you back just £4.75, which is a very reasonable price to pay.  Available until 5th October, you can find it in store or online.

What do you think?  Do you like to wear rich tones like this for autumn?

Review: Fish Pedicure at Aqua Sheko, Kensington

When I read that the fish pedicure treatment so popular and common in Asia had made it over to London, I had to try it out.  I find pedicures hard work, as I truly hate my feet, so the thought of having my dry bits sorted out without a slightly disgusted looking human being involved was definitely appealing!

Aqua Sheko is situated in a quiet road near to the hustle and bustle of High Street Kensington.  Nine small tanks, teeming with the little Garra Rufa fish, are set along the wall of the spa - add one leather bench on the opposite wall, and a small foot washing area, and that's pretty much it - it's a small area, but perfectly well equipped to handle all your fishy toe nibbling needs.

Upon arrival, my friend Zara and I were directed to remove our shoes and tights and have our feet washed before immersion.  When I first read about the foot washing, I'd imagined something a little bit more of a ritual than what I found in reality - my feet were simply washed down with a shower head, and patted dry.  After that, I was promptly directed to a tank - which had just been vacated by another woman.

I had been wondering how Aqua Sheko would handle possible cross contamination, as I didn't really relish the idea of sitting with my feet in a tank that had had many other people's feet in it.  Obviously, it's hard to refresh the water between clients, but still.. it did make me shudder a little.

Anyway, once I'd lowered my feet into the water, the fish immediately swam over towards them and started nibbling at the dry skin.  I've found it hard to describe the sensation - at first, it was intensely tickly, like pins and needles, but after a while I got used to it, and the sensation became more of a light background tickling.  Well, until the fish wiggled between my toes, which made me scream with laughter!

After half an hour, my feet were dried off and I was left to put my tights and shoes back on.  My feet did indeed feel noticeably softer, with the hardest skin feeling significantly less rough.  They were also a much healthier colour than they were prior to the treatment - I guess the fish got my circulation going too.

Overall, I really enjoyed my fish pedicure - it was a complete novelty, and was pretty effective too.  I had purchased a voucher from Wahanda to have the fish pedicure for just £12 - the regular price is £30 for a half an hour treatment.  Honestly, I think £30 is too expensive given that all the staff do is shower your feet down, and pat them dry twice; the fish do all of the work.  Had the treatment involved a massage, or a further exfoliation, I might consider it better value, but given that £30 will buy you a decent pedicure including polish application, I just feel that the fish pedicure experience costs too much compared to what you get out of it.  As a novelty treatment, it's great fun - but it's not something I'll be repeating.

If you want to have fish delicately nibble away your dead skin, a fish pedicure at Aqua Sheko costs £30 for half an hour, with optional massages available if you want a little more from your appointment.  Details are available on Aqua Sheko's page on Wahanda.

Philosophy Wild Blackberry Blossom: Perfect for Autumn

Disclosure: Received as a PR sample

I can't believe summer's over already.  I've already worn my raincoat to work a few times, and I'm starting to break out the plum and red shades I love to wear on my lips in autumn.  Philosophy's latest fragrance, Wild Blackberry Blossom, has just been released and is the perfect transitional scent; the warm, sweet blackberry scent reminds me of the berries I picked under a blazing hot sun with my stepkids this summer, while also evoking the warming scents of autumn via blackberry crumble and pie.  Mmm, pie.

As with all Philosophy 3 in 1s, this smells delicious in the bath or as a shower gel, but fades away to nothing once you're out of the bath, eliminating the problem of conflicting with your perfume.  If, however, you'd like the scent to linger a little longer, an application of the lightly moisturising body lotion will leave you gently scented and smooth skinned.

If you'd like to grab this gorgeous scent for yourself, Wild Blackberry Blossom is available now in a two piece set, which includes 480ml of both the 3 in 1 and the body lotion at QVC for £25, which is a pretty decent saving given the 3 in 1 alone is usually around £19.

What's the perfect autumn scent for you?  Do you love Philosophy 3 in 1s?  And does anyone actually use them as shampoo?  Leave us a comment and let us know!

NARS Launch Pure Matte Lipstick

Disclosure:  Samples were provided by PR.

NARS have just launched a range of six matte lipsticks, designed to be a completely modern take on matte, with plenty of pigment, and a luxuriously moist feel.  Sarah and I popped down to Selfridges to have a bit of a gawp this week - the lipsticks (and indeed the gloriously attractive male MAs) are indeed gorgeous.  As Vesuvio, a bright classic red, was applied to my lips, I was told that this is NARS' biggest launch this year.

The selection of shades might seem a little small, comprising of only six colours, but we were told that all the shades are designed to work with most skin tones.  And indeed, the six shades - ranging from neutrals to a classic red - all look fairly easy to pull off in the tube; no strange undertones here.

The texture is very smooth and moist for a matte lipstick, and the level of pigment is fabulous - one swipe directly from the tube gives fully opaque colour.  Unsurprisingly, the lipstick lasts relatively well; I found that after my evening meal I was missing a bit of pigment in the centre of my lips, but was pleased to find that the lipstick was still moist enough to redistribute by smushing my lips together.

Smooth, moist and long lasting as these are, they are not without a little bit of drying action.  I'm yet to find a matte lipstick which doesn't dry the lips out at least a little bit, and these are no exception.  Despite this, the lipstick is comfortable to wear and while you might need a slick of balm after a day's wear, they won't cause peeling or extreme dryness.

For an absolutely smooth finish, it's probably best to exfoliate and moisturise the lips before application, as the ultra matte finish will show up flaky, imperfect lips.  And lipliner is a must, particularly with the red shades; creamy, matte and highly pigmented is always going to involve a little bit of bleeding.

The lipsticks are available now from NARS at Selfridges, and cost £18 a tube - pricey, yes, but definitely high quality, with some glorious packaging to boot.  Available in the following shades:

• Vesuvio (classic bright red)
• Tonkin (brownish plum)
• Terre de Feu (clarety red - this is the one I'm wearing in the photos above)
• Tashkent (nude beige)
• Volga (aubergine)
• Bangkok (rose)

What do you think?  Do you like to wear a matte lip?  Are these on your wishlist?