MAC-Rodarte update!

Like many of you, I have been following the MAC-Rodarte controversy with interest. There are lots of very well-written posts out there but I'm just going to mention a few here which stuck in my mind.

Firstly Mizz Worthy has posted a very moving video here http://www.mizzworthy.com/2010/07/lets-regroup.html

Secondly, since my earlier post http://essjay23x.blogspot.com/2010/07/mac-rodarte-collection.html, MAC have made another statement with new promises. You can find out more about this here http://www.vexinthecity.com/2010/07/mac-bows-to-pressure-over-rodarte.html .

Some still feel that MAC could do more. This post http://www.tackyblueeyeshadow.com/2010/07/mac-you-cant-be-serious.html speaks very passionately about that and includes a link to an online petition that Olivia of http://healingbeauty.co.uk/ set up. The petition which you may want to consider signing can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macrodarte/.

If you've been on holiday or aren't sure what I'm talking about then Shantel breaks the controversy down here http://shantel121.blogspot.com/2010/07/rodarte-and-mac.html

X

MAC Rodarte Collection.

I am sure that you have all heard about the MAC-Rodarte collaboration and the controversy that it is causing.

MAC are due to release this collection in September. Rodarte have stated that the collection was inspired by the landscape that they saw on a road trip in Texas.

One of the nail polishes is called Juarez. Juarez is a town in Mexico full of factories which employ women to work for very low wages and in harsh working conditions where sexual harrasment is common place. A vast number of women have gone missing, been raped or murdered on their way to work. Locals estimate the number of murders to be around 5000 although the authorities speculate about 400. It is alleged that the Mexican police have done little to investigate these murders possibly because the victims are primarily poor women.

Aside from Juarez, other product names in this collaboration include Factory, Bordertown (Angelina Jolie starred in a film 'Bordertown' loosely based around the murders) and Sleepwalker (most of the offences take place as women workers travel to and from shifts in the factories).

A promo picture has also been released with this MAC collection featuring a very pale, ghost-like female.

MAC have apologised for the offence caused and have stated a portion of proceeds from this collection will go to help those in Juarez.

I hope I have got all of the details right, there are many more indepth posts out there. I found most of my facts in Yinka's (http://www.vexinthecity.com/2010/07/mac-rodarte-collection-ignites-juarez.html#more). A very informative post with a number of links to related posts and to Amnesty. I would also imagine that there could be some further statements from MAC this week.

Now a lot of us have strong opinions one way or another as to whether the marketing of this collaboration is acceptable. Indeed I saw one tweet asking if we would accept it if MAC had instead created a collection that related to 9/11 in the way this collection relates to Juarez. However, what I want to focus on is one thing and actually it is relatively trivial compared to the issues at the core of this controversy but 'What were MAC thinking?'.

It does not matter if they have the right to create such campaigns or not but why did they bother? I just feel that anybody could have foreseen the controversy that it was going to cause and I can not see how MAC could squeeze additional product margins out of this collection with this campaign marketed as it is. So, no financial gain. Even if some customers are not as outraged as British/US Bloggers, the very best MAC are going to do with this collection is equal what they would normally get from a collection. So what was the point in a corporate brand, whose primary aim is probably profit, doing this and guaranteeing themselves some bad hype when it seems they are set to gain absolutley nothing?The campaign almost comes across as a desperate cry for attention but surely MAC don't need attention that badly.

As you know, I am quite new to beauty blogging and indeed, MAC but I do know that many (dare I say most?) beauty blogs feature MAC heavily (ahem.). Now I find the products more often then not of great quality but there are plenty of brands out there who probably deliver enough to satisfy our day to day needs yet some (and yep, I'm counting myself here) seem to class MAC differently to any other cosmetic brand. In Laura's (http://lollipop26writes.com/) latest video, she mentions how a haul in MAC is different in the thrill factor it provides.

I'm sure as an avid blog reader, I read at least one post each day which heavily features MAC. I am encountering MAC every single day and this might be quite pathetic but maybe I see MAC almost as a friend (and one I aspire to as well) rather then just another brand. I guess this collaboration reminds us all that MAC are another huge multinational brand. And this is where it hurts because long ago, I accepted that such brands have their own rules so maybe it is not surprising that MAC have caused some controversy. These days, most multinational brands seem to. However, I am a little bit surprised that MAC have let this go so far.

Many of you know MAC so well knowing all the latest release dates and product information and yet, despite providing such great customer satisfaction for so long, it seems that MAC know nothing about their customers at all. Otherwise surely they would have foreseen this furore.

I would presume that MAC's customer base is mainly female as are the victims in Juarez. The females there are often victims of crimes or behaviour which impreach 'womens' rights. Many of MAC's customers are going to relate to such issues. I'm not sure how MAC thought they could spin this collection so postitively to a largely female majority market. They have millions of female customers all over the world, mainly in the developed countries where women on the whole are fortunate enough to have voices. MAC must have known, especially in this digital age, that people were going to join up these dots rightly or wrongly and there would be this controversy. Why go to all the trouble of designing a collection and then marketing it in a way which quite obviously is going to get all this bad press especially when their Viva Glam collections are so applauded?!

Also it sounds like the colours in MAC-Rodarte collection are not suited to all skintones. Therefore, they have already eliminated some customers interest so why market this collection in this way and disable its success even further?! *Shakes head in disbelief*, it seems senseless!

I saw a comment somewhere (sorry I can not remember where, I have read a few posts tonight) that art does come out of darkness and such risks are more 'acceptable' these days.

Maybe?!

However MAC are such a huge brand with what I would imagine generally are pretty standard, mainstream, customers (as far as individuals are standard). I'm not sure the number of people drawn to the collection because of the brand's new 'edge' are going to make up for the number of people that they have lost.

Saying that looking to the long term, I can't see this been the end of MAC but I do wonder if people are going to think of them a little differently now. Maybe they won't be quite so "bestie" anymore.

The one good thing that has come out of this controversy is that I now know about Juarez. I didn't before and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. It may be slightly naive of me but I only hope that now so many more of us are aware of the situation there then in some way, more help can be given to the people.

Oh and as Yinka suggests in her post, we all need to make our own choices as to how far we condemn/boycott MAC, if at all.

X

Getting the Glow with a Green Monster!

I'm liking the Green. . .

My mission is to make more of myself. I've previously talked about how I go through phases. One week, it is all about the lipstick. The next, it is all about the bling and then the next, haircare. At the moment, it is less about the products (just a little less though) and more about good old fashioned science or as I prefer to call it 'beautiful living'.

I'm trying to find out more ways of living which could actually help me make more of myself now and in the long run.

Yesterday I had my first 'Green Monster'.

Typically of me, I forgot to take a picture so this one is from the Green Monster Movement website. Mine didn't look quite as good.

In fact, mine was browny. It looked gross and it smelt foul but actually it tasted ok. It certainly tasted yummier then my very first green tea. These green smoothies are supposed to give you a HUGE increase in energy and decrease your cravings for sweet things. Oh and this is a direct quote from Angela the founder, 'My skin has also become more clear and my hair and nails started growing like weeds!'

Yay, I'm excited about this little drinkie.

The main ingredient is spinach. This or kale is mandatory as is some form of milk. However as long as these two ingredients are there, you can add any other ingredients you want (many people do choose seeds and fruit though), blend and ta dah, you have a Green Monster!

Since I can never have too many antioxidants, I added 5 or 6 large strawberries then a banana and a very small scoop of sunflower seeds to my little Monster.

It tasted like a creamy banana, strawberry concoction with a slight tinge of something else.

Obviously, the spinach or the kale is always going to add some nutritional goodness. Spinach has Iron, Folic Acid, Dietary Fibre and Vitamins A, C, E.  Milk provides the Calcium but the rest is up to you. You can make your monster as calorific or as slimslime as you like.

I had my monster for lunch today and along with the leftover strawberries, I didn't feel any hunger pangs or any need to top my meal up with anything else. I will certainly be having more and it will be a bonus if my skin starts to glow!

I found out about Green Monsters in Gemmas fabulous video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1UF0AIILk4&playnext_from=TL&videos=9QAsnig1oxo  Gemma always provides excellent links and information. I love her channels!
There is also a whole movement here http://greenmonstermovement.com/.

I also think that many of you will love 'Oh The Glow', the blog where the Monsters originated.

Angela is a health blogger who has completely changed her own life and got her glow again. Now, she is inspiring others to do the same. This blog is so different to any I've come across before (admitedly I haven't really lurked in the "healthy living" communities) and you really have to take a peek to see what I mean. I only found it on Friday night but I stayed up hours reading Angela's stories and her amazing ideas. Today, I can not stop talking about this blog. Check it out here http://ohsheglows.com/

What with green monsters and green teas, I'm now starting to think as long as it is called 'Green something', it will be good for me!

Have you tried a Green Monster? What do you think of the inside out approach to beauty and life?

X

Cheating my way to silkiness!

One fact about me, dry shampoo has always disappointed me. I did a review earlier in the year http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/batiste-dry-shampoo/  and my biggest concern was that I had trouble brushing the flakes out and when you have brunette hair and you are using the tropical Batiste or Boots own brand, this can be a bit unsightly and annoying. Even if I was using a Brunette Batiste, I'm not sure if I like the idea of flakes in my hair.


I wanted to write a post today that revealed a great product that you can use instead of fallible dry shampoo. I was very excited about sourcing a 'find' and an 'exclusive' of my own. I found a spray with a fine mist instead of lumpy flakes to silken my locks. A perfect subsitute for dry shampoo, I wanted to post. However, I now realise that unfortunately it would be a step too far to advocate the product in question that way.

Lately I have been trying to wash my hair as and when it needs it. Apparently the longer your hair goes between washes and the more frequently you employ such gaps then the more your hair manages to maintain itself and the less washing/ 'baddie' products are then needed. Get in!

Sounds a great idea except for one thing . . , my hair is not very cooperative. It can look fresh, clean and soft before I go to bed one night and the very next morning, I can wake up with greasy roots, quite crunchy ends (Sorry but it is the horrific truth)and little time to spare. Eurgh, what a great start for the day ahead.

At that time of the morning, I never have time to wash, dry and style my hair from scratch so I have to look to my hair products (yes, what I was trying to avoid in the first place) for a helping hand and yes, I have quite a few hair products but that doesn't mean I can rely on them to save the day.

Most of my products -bar the dry shampoo- are to actually flatten my hair further because it is so puffy after a wash.

However I have recently been employing one little product to help and it is Hair Extensions Maintenance Spray from ion moisture solutions.

I used to use it on my clip in hair extensions to freshen them up and make them silkier and softer as they aged.

One day I noticed that it can be used on natural hair too and blimey, does a spritz of this make my hair soft again! I've been trying to find out how it works but have drawn a blank so far. However I think it works as a bit of a moisturiser and you can see from these photos that my hair just looks so much healthier and less wiry (indeed silky) after a spritz of this.

BEFORE

AFTER (spritzed, fingered through, left 2mins and brushed)

I'm so impressed that I was tempted to use this as my dry shampoo subsitute and tell you all about it but no, I can't.

This spray just doesn't do enough for the roots to equal a dry shampoo. My roots may feel a little softer after some of this but they still fall on the wrong side of lank.

I have worn my 'I need a wash' hair out after a spritz of this and I got away with it maybe because the rest of my barnet looked so fresh but it is not enough because I do not feel that I have clean hair and you can see I'm right if you look at my roots closely enough.

Saying that I am glad that I have this spray, it is a great product to have. It has a nice pleasant fresh, possibly slightly floral, scent and there seems to be no product build up. I can not recommend this product enough if you want to silken/detangle hair (extensions or real) as a 'pick me up' occasional product.

I think it could work as a daily moisturising treatment too for the lengths and ends but the only thing I would say here is that I have only used this product occasionally and am a bit wary of the ingredients listed alcohol denat, butane, isobutane, propane, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone. I am tempted to use this product daily because it makes my hair so soft but at the same time, I'm sure many would see these ingredients as 'baddies' and could this mean evantually with such frequent use, it would dry the hair out instead of rejuvenating it?

Going back to occasional use, you could maybe even use this product to change your hair style from day to night. After all, it seems to break down product ok and leave your hair soft but personally I find it is more of a maintanance/polish product rather then a cleanser.

When the lank roots need a wash, I think they need a wash more because of physiological waste such as sweat and oils. This ion spray will not clean such hair but then it was never designed to, extensions don't have to deal with physiological issues!

Dry shampoos do though and dry shampoos haven't really worked for me yet so I'm just starting to wonder if there is such a thing as a short cut or even a quick fix just to get you through the day when it comes to matters of beauty.

I got my Ions Hair Extensions Maintenance Spray from Shear Beauty (http://www.shearbeauty.com/). It is currently £8.99 there. You could google other retailers too.

So for me right now, it is either get up earlier and wash my hair properly as required, or try out the Big Sexy Hair products that Nicoletta http://nicolettasbeautyspace.blogspot.com/ has recently posted about!

Do you believe short cuts ever pay off? What do you think of dry shampoo?

X

Post Rewind: Just delivered!

This is a Post rewind from January. I will do a more through update on the Sigma brushes soon. Until then, please check out some recent musings here http://essjay23x.blogspot.com/2010/07/ins-and-outs-for-june.html .

Look what was just delivered last Friday and it wasn’t even a birthday gift!

Sigma, yayyy. Let’s open it up. . .

Oohhhhh and look what else I got? These little extras (below) were freebies that I was not expecting.

A travel brush for eyes, SS217, and a very useful grey eyeshadow in the cutest little package.

Wow, can I just say that I am very impressed? I paid for standard delivery and they arrived within a fortnight carefully wrapped in the prettiest little bag AND as well as the brushes that can do no wrong, the free brush and the free shadow. There was also beautifully illustrated instructions so that newbies like me, not as familar with all this make up marlarkey, has all of the help possible to paint their face beautiful.

Now I know there is lots of information out there on Sigma. If you want to know more, just search Sigma brushes on You Tube and there will be plenty of videos to pick from and I’m sure if you do the same in Google or something, plenty of blog posts will come up. If you would like me to do a review, I will but you probably all have your own set already and if you haven’t then you might be better off watching/reading a review of someone who knows a little more about the technicalities of make up. However, I will leave it up to you and if you want me to have a go then I will. Update 7/10, I think I will do a quick post soon on how I have got on with these brushes over the last six months.

For what it is worth, I will tell you now that I’m officially in love with SS219. I can finally do eyeliner (sort of), whoop and I finally understand why people say that brushes really do make a difference. Update 7/10, I rarely use the SS219 to line my eye any more. Please see http://essjay23x.blogspot.com/2010/07/ins-and-outs-for-june.html  to see what Sigma brush I am now using.

You may also be interested to know that it was the 12 piece professional brush set without the brush roll that I purchased.

So what brushes do you girlies own? What brushes do you want? What do you think of Sigma? Am I just another victim of hype? Don’t forget I love to read your comments.

X

Mascara, mascara . . !

When I brought the Max Factor Lash Extension Effect mascara earlier in the year, I thought it would be my favourite forever. You will find an earlier rave here http://essjay23x.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/happy-valentines-day/

I was wrong.

Let me introduce you to my new best friend, Volume Million Lashes, from L'Oreal.

I am shallow.

This mascara may look all classy, ladylike, sleek and striking in it's gorgeous gold tube but Million Lash is actually a lot more demanding then Lash Extension yet J'adore!

One of the things I loved about Lash Extension -and let there be no doubt about it- was that it really did extend how long my lashes look. I've done a post and you've seen the pics but I would say that Lash Extension Effect probably extended my lashes by about a third and yet they always looked natural. I am very clumsy when it comes to make up and grooming. I can be slap dash and boy, can I product overload but no matter how many coats of this mascara I lashed on, my lashes were always perfectly defined, ever so long and clumpless.

Perfect.

Yep almost too much so.

To be honest, it got a bit boring. I was applying the same product every day and getting exactly the same pay off no matter what I did. So samey that I guess I wasn't even noticing (let alone cherishing) what the clever old Lash Extension was doing anymore. We needed a break so maybe it was good that Lash Extension seemed to dry up quite quickly (and started clumping ever so slightly) probably within eight weeks.

Enter Volume Million Lashes!

This really is a mascara to get the party started (what a cheesy line). It is so different from Lash Extension. This mascara makes such a statement and is quite extreme to the degree that I would imagine it will gleam equally extreme love/hate reviews.

It is not particularly easy to apply or to play down. It is very black (which I like since the shade I chose was Black) and seems to coat the lashes with the slightest touch. It can very quickly add some length and volume giving the false lash effect within seconds but be careful, because it only takes a coat more to do the not so fetching spider thing. I imagine this is how mascara was back in the day when it was first discovered/created?!

This mascara is heavy but you can wear it in the day with the right attuide, the right make up and a very slight hand.

However for me, this is first and foremost my glam mascara as with this in my collection then there really is no other choice for nights out and special occasions. It seems to do everything. It adds length not as much as Lash Extension but still, it adds volume, it curls and it almost seems to comb through my lashes and give them some direction.

I have difficulty applying false lashes but am quite confident that if I look after my lashes daily then I should be able to build a look, to compete with false lashes, using this mascara. I feel that Lash Extension was overshadowed and disappeared when worn in heavier eye looks and with dazzledusts. I might be wrong (though I don't think so) but I can not imagine this mascara ever been in the shadows.

Here are some pictures.
These show just a couple of coats across the lashes.

With Lash Extension.

With Million Lashes.

These show the mascaras built up with a few more layers.

With Lash Extension

With Million Lashes

Please bear in mind that Lash Extension has dried out  but I think you will all still agree, a Million Lashes just looks more complete. However it is not as effortless as Lash Extension.

Apparently there is an anti-clump wiper in the L'Oreal tube. Well, lets just say that the Million Lashes formulation overpowers it. In the same way that I never got clumps with Lash Extension (until it started to dry), I always get clumps, to some degree, with Million Lashes. You will get clumps and they are a devil to get rid of. In fact, you probably won't succeed so just try to keep the clumps quite small by making sure that the mascara wand has a minimal amount of formulation on before you paint your lashes. Small clumps sitting at the roots are not going to ruin your look in fact, they can help to line the eyes and add a little something to your look.

This mascara does smudge and takes a minute or so to dry. If you do big, open eyes before it is dry then you are likely to end up with dots on your upper eye lid and in your eye socket. The formulation is soft but thick.

When I first used this L'Oreal tube, there was an overpowering chemical scent but I have not noticed this so much recently.

I am finding it quite hard to remove Million Lash (to apply my L'Oreal Lash Serum). I have been using make up remover but I remember with the L'Oreal Double Tubes, you had to use warm water and this dissolved the tubes. Any ideas what to use with Million Lash? I don't want to pull my lashes out just to clean.

I brought Million Lashes in Boots about ten days ago, it was on offer for £7.99. I think the normal retail price is about the same as Lash Extension (£10.99?). Lash Extension has 6.5ml of product and Million Lashes 9ml.

Oh and by the way Girls, I mentioned that I'm using the L'Oreal Lash Serum. Tell me, do I want to buy RapidLash from Boots? I can not decide. The lash serum is more to keep my lashes healthy and looking their best, I think RapidLash should help them grow like Ardell and Lipocils.

However, Laura, Lollipop26 http://www.lollipop26writes.com/2010/06/rapidlash.html, actually seemed to lose lashes but the lure of longer, longer lashes is tempting me. Please let me know if you have used RapidLash before or will be buying it. I'd love to know what you think. By the time I decide (funny how in the end, I know that I'm going to give it a go) there'll be none left anyway.

So Max Factor, L'Oreal, RapidLash, eye products. . , any thoughts?

X

Coconut Oil and a skin update!

Going back, do you remember I was trying to embrace beauty au naturale? Unfortunately my obsession with natural remedies turned out to be a bit short-lived after a horrible rash materialised and all fingers (well, mine) pointed to something annoymous in my new natural routine.

Well, it now turns out that I may have been a little hasty and the skin reaction may have had nothing to do with oils and everything to do with . . . eggs!

I was consuming more eggs (I hardly ate any before) then usual to increase my protein intake and I was also using some hair treatments which involved slathering my barnet in a couple of smashed eggs (a beauty secret from back in the day) and it now looks that this may have been what my body did not like hence the not so attractive rash.

So watch out and you may notice in the near future that I start referring to lavender, rosewood, other oils and the alike again as I'm thinking of slowly reintroducing them in to my skincare routine.

One ingredient that I did not cut from my routine was Coconut Oil even though it is fair to say that Coconut Oil and I have a bit of a love-hate relationship.

Regardless, it is only fair to say that Coconut Oil is an investment. It can be used in so many ways that I am sure most people will find one way or another that suits them. There is no need to leave it standing wasted on some shelf just because it has not worked one way for you, use it another.

Hair Treatment

This is why I initially brought Coconut Oil. Muhsine (http://bubblegarm.blogspot.com/2009/06/coconut-and-vitamin-e-oil.html http://bubblegarm.blogspot.com/2010/03/hair-masks.html) and others have discussed the intensive conditioning treatment that this oil can provide for your hair.

In the colder months, I was using it as a hot hair treatment. My coconut oil was solid and needed melting down. So I would melt a couple of tablespoons in the microwave and then let them cool a little and apply to preshampooed hair which you leave in for a while or overnight and then rinse out.

The treatment worked fine, the scent wasn't great but tolerable and besides my hair was shiny. However, it was difficult to rinse out. I would often blowdry after the treatment and the result would be hair that looked good but felt as if it was coated in some horrible residue. Even when I managed to get the Coconut Oil out, my hair would quickly go lank and need washing again within 24 hours. For me, rinsing with water was often not enough and I had to actually shampoo the oil out. So in later hair treatments, I would just apply the oil straight to damp, unshampooed hair to minimise the products going in to my hair but then I'm not sure if the Coconut Oil was absorbed quite as well.

In summary, I would suggest using this oil as a hair treatment and seeing if you can find a way to work it and then repeating the process as an occasional treatment.

Body Moisturiser

There is no doubt that when I apply Coconut Oil to my skin, it intensely moisturises as good as any body butter. However, it leaves the skin (and floor!) very slippery and seems to absorb slowly. It is a fab overnight treatment with a "unique" scent.

In the winter when the air temperature has not melted the solid coconut oil down, I usually take a slab and apply it like a Lush massage bar. As soon as my little slab of Coconut Oil made contact with the skin, it started to melt for me. In the summer when the air temperature has done the melting, I use Coconut Oil like a body oil. The results appear to be the same whichever way I apply!

Coconut Oil is also good when used as a balm, soothing particularly sore or dry bits of skin, in the same way that Eight hour cream or Vaseline might be used.

Body Scrub

This is my favourite way to use the coconut oil. I jut mix some liquidfied oil in with salt and use it as a scrub in the bath. This works really well. My skin feels as if it is been worked by the salt and then soothed by the coconut oil. You can also change the ratio of salt to oil, when you are making the scrub yourself, according to how much each specific skin area needs exfoliating. I usually keep the salt and oil seperate then mix it as needed during application. I might take 1/4 of a handful of salt for my kness and then just 1/8 for my decolletage.

I must admit that I do like the fact that the oil gets rinsed away when you use it as a scrub as - and I know that I'm always talking about this- the scent is one I only tolerate, nothing more. I certainly do not embrace it!

I got my Coconut Oil from Holland and Barrett. I think the packaging has changed but this product number (13182) and weight (453g) is currently reduced from £11.99 to £5.99 on their website. http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=690&searchterm=coconut%20oil&rdcnt=1

So that is how I use my oil. What do you think of Coconut Oil?

X