GUEST BLOG: Sally tries some bits and pieces

Online journo Sally tests some products - true to life - she doesn't hold back! ;) For more Sal Sal, click here: Sally on Twitter




Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shine Spray, £7.20

'I'm a bit dubious of hair products in general. I have insanely thick hair that can't contain a hairband, let alone a piffling spray. My mane does what it wants, so I ignore the hair pages in magazines and every day - after a spritz of Batiste - I leave it down in its natural, unbrushed (I like to think 'tousled') glory. That said, a product that promises pure shine in a tin has to be tried. So I dug out one of my industrial strength hairbands, created a high pony and after the obligatory shake of the can, sprayed away.'


'I tend to use a bit more of all hair products than stated (nothing in this case: 'Apply to finished style') so expected the same starchiness you get with standard hairsprays but happily, there was none! As for the shine, it was noticeable, but not see-your-face-in-it L'Oreal style, which is what I was hoping for. I think it would be a better shine on dark hair but the saving grace is that this product manages add shine without any glitter, and thank Tammy Girl for that!'


Maybelline Eyestudio Lawless Lavender, £tbc

'I'm a bit baffled about the name of these shades, because there's nothing lawless about them. It's officially the daintiest eye colour I've come across! I used the light pink on the inner corners and blended the lavender out. I needed to really swish my brush around in the colour to get more than a nearly transparent shimmer, however with a slick of vaseline instead of mascara I found it a nice, delicate daytime look.'


'I can feel a bit naked without mascara so on it went. With a few layers of black on the lashes it's certainly jazzier, but I think the harsh black overwhelms the pretty shade, and is slightly on the tacky side. For mascara-dependants, brown mascara would be the perfect balance.'

Abort Mission: THE PERFECT RED

I read somewhere that Dita Von Teese uses Ruby Woo red lippie by MAC. It’s a retro matte shade, the most perfect red ever in fact. It's ideal for that 40s look, but I just didn’t think it would work with darker skins (too blue-toned, blah blah.) So off I went on a year-long quest to find THE PERFECT RED. It deserves caps as it's a big mission and of grave importance!

So, after a whole year of searching for THE PERFECT RED, I managed to amass 27 of them. Many seemed perfect at the time, less so, though, when they were smeared all over my face after a night on the town. I thought I’d found THE PERFECT RED in a Kyrolan one, which was the most beautiful blood-red colour but the wrong texture. I went into MAC and was told that a warm-toned Russian Red would suit me the best, I disagreed, but bought it anyway out of sheer hope and desperation (I was right). Next on my list was the sublime Besame lippie, complete with its 40s-style bullet packaging to die for, but alas, the shade was too orange, although the pigment was gorgeous. SO then finally, on a lark, I popped back into MAC and actually tried Ruby Woo and behold – THE PERFECT RED.

Why didn’t I just buy it in the first place? Maybe I wanted to put myself through disappointment (and all those terrible tagged Facebook pictures with red tragedy strewn throughout for all to see). Maybe I like causing myself hassle, resulting in a year of torment and wasted funds. Maybe I just like to be difficult and make life harder than it ever needs to be. That's it, clearly.

The moral of the story is:

A- Darker skins aren’t ‘all the same’ as we're constantly told ('dark skins must wear dark plums and purples…’ Pah! Trust your own judgement and if it looks hot, then rock it!

B- Some things are known as the best products because they actually are!

So, in conclusion, I present my red lipstick the finalists and one winner, in the middle. The quest is over. Time for a rest now.



L-R: MAC Lipmix Lip Pigment in Fuschia; Kryolan LC00A; NARS Red Lizard; MAC Lipstick Russian Red; MAC Lipstick Ruby Woo; Lancome L'absolue Rouge 173; Besame 204 Carmine; Chanel Rouge Allure 09; Autograph Plumping Lip Gloss Scarlet; MAC Longwear Lasting Lust; Maybelline Superstay Red Passion

So you can see the insane the colour is



With chum and stylist Sammie N