...existential angst about dishing the dirt on stuff I don't think works, makeup I've used and loved, the £4 Amazon buy that changed my life & the one product category I might never buy again...
Can we talk about the acupuncturist who told a beauty journalist it was no wonder she kept miscarrying because her blood was so toxic? And about the time I went to a spa and the once white towelling head band to hold my hair back was grey? And about the time I went on a press trip to a spa that was actually a car park that was in the process of being converted into a spa, only they didn't tell us that until we got there? The facialist that tried to exfoliate a birthmark away... etc etc etc
I can contribute - The Dr Shramek Green Perl which was worse than childbirth and made me cry - it was more than a decade ago and I can still remember the pain..
Listen, I remember when I first heard they play music or sounds or whatever it is to the miracle broth while it’s fermenting. Who can take that creme seriously after that???? It’s a rite of passage to be blacklisted. I consider it a mark of being a good journalist. With all that said, I’ll say here publicly Augustinus Bader is also a waste of money (except in the new Victoria Beckham foundation😬)
YES! Brennan Kilbane’s Allure piece on AB was SO good. I remember going to the UK launch and looking at the ingredients and saying “I don’t get what’s so special, it’s another Max Huber story…”
❤️ oh hey! When my hair started falling out in clumps, Colour Wow saved my life (…dignity). Have been using the same measly 3.1g for ten years at this point. Worth its weight in diamonds!
I have been using the Colour Wow on my roots since it first appeared on my radar back in 2013/14? I've stuck with it simply because it's the best thing on the market, and has never been bettered. The only thing that has changed is the colour. I've gone through the brown, the dark blonde and I'm now on the platinum, as over the years my own pigment has pretty much buggered off!
Scouse brow! I’m a scouser & it’s quite endearing to hear ‘scouse brows’ have global recognition! They were ‘a thing’ but now whether people like it or not, many go full on with their brows & are possibly unaware they’re following a scouse trend 🤣👍
I’m still ashamed of believing that a certain hair product - now discontinued - had been discovered in the middle of the Amazon because the indigenous people all had such shiny hair. Product was good, story was bullshit.
I feel like I need to write about brand origin stories. So many of them are ingrained in my brain: the monks and the pitera in SK-II; Elizabeth Arden and her horses etc etc Now every fucker thinks they need one because they can't just say "I wanted to make money from the cash cow that is the beauty industry and so I paid a cosmetic chemist to create something which I have subsequently romanticised to tap into your emotions" etc etc
Always my favourite beauty/skin/hair/health/etc journalist. Always felt I could trust you and your recommendations - trust is becoming increasingly (sadly) rare in these content heavy days.
A facial I had last year where the therapist asked: "could you just smell these two essential oils and whichever smell you prefer, we'll use the opposite because that's what your skin needs today." A v awkward 10 min convo followed 🫠
Can we jointly publish a book with all of our worst beauty treatment experiences. Thank you. I have notes on dozens of them. We could use pseudonyms.
Can we talk about the acupuncturist who told a beauty journalist it was no wonder she kept miscarrying because her blood was so toxic? And about the time I went to a spa and the once white towelling head band to hold my hair back was grey? And about the time I went on a press trip to a spa that was actually a car park that was in the process of being converted into a spa, only they didn't tell us that until we got there? The facialist that tried to exfoliate a birthmark away... etc etc etc
I can contribute - The Dr Shramek Green Perl which was worse than childbirth and made me cry - it was more than a decade ago and I can still remember the pain..
OMG the Green Peel! I remember hearing about this although I never tried it. WTF was in it? Did it make you look 12 again?
Nope. It just made me want to run for my life!
Listen, I remember when I first heard they play music or sounds or whatever it is to the miracle broth while it’s fermenting. Who can take that creme seriously after that???? It’s a rite of passage to be blacklisted. I consider it a mark of being a good journalist. With all that said, I’ll say here publicly Augustinus Bader is also a waste of money (except in the new Victoria Beckham foundation😬)
YES! Brennan Kilbane’s Allure piece on AB was SO good. I remember going to the UK launch and looking at the ingredients and saying “I don’t get what’s so special, it’s another Max Huber story…”
Yes it was EXCELLENT
❤️ oh hey! When my hair started falling out in clumps, Colour Wow saved my life (…dignity). Have been using the same measly 3.1g for ten years at this point. Worth its weight in diamonds!
Fair, it does last for ever. And money well spent, I agree!
I have been using the Colour Wow on my roots since it first appeared on my radar back in 2013/14? I've stuck with it simply because it's the best thing on the market, and has never been bettered. The only thing that has changed is the colour. I've gone through the brown, the dark blonde and I'm now on the platinum, as over the years my own pigment has pretty much buggered off!
I totally agree. I have tried others but nothing comes close
Scouse brow! I’m a scouser & it’s quite endearing to hear ‘scouse brows’ have global recognition! They were ‘a thing’ but now whether people like it or not, many go full on with their brows & are possibly unaware they’re following a scouse trend 🤣👍
Oh phew! I was worried I might get cancelled but I feel absolved. Thank you
I’m still ashamed of believing that a certain hair product - now discontinued - had been discovered in the middle of the Amazon because the indigenous people all had such shiny hair. Product was good, story was bullshit.
I feel like I need to write about brand origin stories. So many of them are ingrained in my brain: the monks and the pitera in SK-II; Elizabeth Arden and her horses etc etc Now every fucker thinks they need one because they can't just say "I wanted to make money from the cash cow that is the beauty industry and so I paid a cosmetic chemist to create something which I have subsequently romanticised to tap into your emotions" etc etc
There are so many absolute fictions out there!
Always my favourite beauty/skin/hair/health/etc journalist. Always felt I could trust you and your recommendations - trust is becoming increasingly (sadly) rare in these content heavy days.
Thank you, I appreciate your faith in me X
I’ve always instinctively ignored the bad and written about the good but I know that isn’t always enough.
I am still conflicted. (Not least because a number of journalists have contacted me saying “is it XXXX? Because yeah, same, I thought it was crap.”)
Ouf, that’s a pickle
A facial I had last year where the therapist asked: "could you just smell these two essential oils and whichever smell you prefer, we'll use the opposite because that's what your skin needs today." A v awkward 10 min convo followed 🫠
🙄🙄🙄
There are usually loads of Lumene products (including the skin tint discussed here) in the weekly Boots online £10 Tuesday offers.
Ooh great tip. Have you tried any of their products that you particularly rate?