TESTING: Clinique, Lee Stafford, Elvive

So, although I’m not here in body or mind and packing to move house has more or less killed my spirit, I am testing some new beauty bits.


Lee Stafford Professional Straightening Iron Protection Mist £6.99

I’m always trying to find a decent heat protection spray as my mane gets subjected to heated rollers, ghd’s and a T3 dryer on a regular basis (if it could speak it would say ‘get off me nasty vain lady!’) I normally use a tres expensive Frederic Fekkai one, but at £6.99 I thought I’d give this nifty little spray a crack. Admittedly seeing Lee on Saturday using it made me want it even more. Verdict? So far so good, it makes my hair feel soft and shiny. Does it help protect my hair? No idea, time will tell and I’ll keep you posted.



Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Corrector 30ml £30

So, it says I need to try it for 4 weeks to make a difference but week 2 and I’m not impressed. No changes at all, which does annoy me as all the mags have been proclaiming its genius. Wonder product or wonder flop? I’ll let you know in two weeks but it isn’t boding well. I’m half expecting something magical to happen in another two weeks time, but my gut instinct says Clinique are having a £30 laugh at my expense. Douchebags.

EDIT: SO after 5 weeks of continual use, day and nigt NOTHINg has happened and no improvement at all on pigmentation :( I'm a sad panda.


Elvive Full Restore 5 £2.45

Bought this on a friend’s recommendation, and have to say I’m not feeling it. I never really notice how good or bad shampoo’s are, they all seem to do a similar job to me. But this one was exceptionally bad and has made my fine baby hair really lank. Probably great for dry hair, but if your hair tends towards the flat/thin/fine side, avoid like a crack addled otter!

To die for: DRY SHAMPOO

Hands up who reached for the dry shampoo to transform their lank, greasy roots, only to end up like an extra from Dawn Of The Dead with a cobweb-grey tinge to their barnet? I thought it was just me, but as Boots reported an almost a 50% rise in sales in 2008-2007, I’m probably not alone.

Fact is, dry shampoo doesn’t blend flawlessly into dark hair, so it's best to leave it for a minute to dissolve the grease, then brush it through to remove the chalky residue. If you’re looking for volume and texture for beehives, bouffants and quaffs, it’s seriously useful stuff and gives that matte catwalk look. The main reason I use it is to cut down on styling and heat damage, so I've tried quite a few. Here are my faves:


Charles Worthington Front Row Refresh Revive, £6 (love this – the powder is really fine and blends well)

Lee Stafford Poker Straight Dry Shampoo, £5 (can be a bit chalky, but still a lovely product!)

Klorane, £7 (quite hard to control the nozzle, but great stuff all the same)

Batiste Dry Shampoo, £2, from Boots (cheap and does the job – what’s not to love?)

Bumble and Bumble Hair Powder, £27 (Argh, expensive, but it comes in black/brown/blonde shades, which is novel. If my last name was Branson and my daddy was called Richard, I'd buy this on a regular basis fo' sho!)