Jack & Hill: A Beauty Blog - make-up, cosmetics, perfume, and the substance of style

Target night cream

Yes, that's its name- black circle with a smaller black circle inside, registered trade mark "night cream"- and there is no more information about it to be found on the internet or on the pot. It's sold next to a popular Olay night cream, and I picked it up in sheer desperation and confusion after weeks of pondering the whole modern anti-ageing beauty oeuvre- but guess what? It's rather nice! An odd yet encouraging smell (blackberries mixed with dentists' offices?) and a pleasing non-greasy yet somehow satisfying texture that definitely feels like it could do something good. Is this due to dangerous radioactive chemical ingredients? And will it actually remove wrinkles given sufficient time? I have no idea, but am a big enough Target fan to go with them for now. After trying a few other off-the-shelf night creams over the last couple of years (including various Olays but not the Regenerist Continuous Night Recovery, with which the Target one claims to be comparable) this one has so far left me most smitten of them all. But I may spend the extra $4 or so and try that Olay next, just to see.

I am sensing a theme to summer beauty

Pleasures
Originally uploaded by dynamist.

Everything seems to be coming up pink. That's the only difference I can tell between traditional Pleasures and this big bottle that Estée Lauder sent me last week.

I know it's terribly unoriginal, but I'm a big fan of pink and so not complaining in the slightest. I just wish you could smell the dusty rose color of this perfume.

What's your favorite pink product? (Please, don't say Maybelline Great Lash Mascara! Ugh.)

A Navajo prayer on beauty

Forgive me for taking this blog down a rather hippy-dippy route, but I do quite like this, from Pamela Slim (via my friend Gretchen Rubin's excellent Happiness Project blog).

With beauty before me, may I walk.
With beauty behind me, may I walk.
With beauty above me, may I walk.
With beauty below me, may I walk.
With beauty all around me, may I walk.

Mistaking Youth for Beauty

The older I get, the more I realize youth is beautiful. My teenage daughter's friends can be slouched in their pajamas bottoms, shoveling cereal in their mouths as they stare at the TV, and it's like dripping honey in my eyes. We don't necessarily see this when we ourselves are young; we're hypercritical of our own looks and everyone else's. I had this driven home recently on Facebook, when I saw a twenty-year-old photo of a grade school friend's brother, a kid I'd always thought was homely. But he wasn't; he was beautiful.

Then again, sometimes we do the opposite, becoming dazzled by what we assume is the downy cheek when really, it's the hard wrought beauty all around us. I guest blogged as much today, at lovely-at-any-age Foodinista's site, she of the impeccable taste, and will you look at those shoes?

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Clinique is not exactly the most exciting brand on the block, but they do make reliably decent skincare basics and this is one of their best. I don't usually fork out $46.50 for a face cream, but Moisture Surge ETR is very multi-purpose and has a delicious retro-rose-pink translucent hue and a tiny amount goes a long way. It's a sort of Tardis of face creams. Also it's soft not greasy, smells alright, and my skin really seems to like it, with dry spots invariably disappearing and blemishes calming down. What this stuff doesn't have is sun protection, so Clinique just brought out a completely different Moisture Surge cream with SPFs. It's white, and has nothing in common with the original one, in fact I actually prefer Clean & Clear Soft Oil-Free Day Moisturiser. If only someone would invent a really good moisturiser with sun protection that still feels nice- why is that apparently impossible? Or do you know of one already?

Flirty Little Secret Body Butter by Booty Parlor

Flirty Little Secret Body Butter by Booty Parlor
Originally uploaded by dynamist.

This stuff is amazing. So emmolient, non-greasy, gives a nice shimmer and smells like a dream. (Full disclosure: I didn't pay for this, but it's $26.)

I just love the texture - there's nothing else like it on the market that I've found. Not sure I buy into all of the pheremone claims, that's for sure, but I haven't used a body moisturizer this enthusiastically in a very long time.

SAMY Fat Hair 0 Calories Amplifying Hair Spray

This stuff is the real deal. I picked up the mini can while in New York recently, and it's the only hair spray I'll use now. It really does give fantastic volume, doesn't make hair too crunchy, and I can't even think of what it smells like - which can only be a good thing.

It's especially a lifesaver if you get on a plane with clean but un-styled hair, and want to look a bit more lively and less lank when you land and head straight to meetings. Just flip, spray, and you've got a look that's not Texas-big, but full and pretty.

Kiehl's Protein Concentrate Shampoo for Normal to Dry Hair

I don't know if it was this shampoo or the water at the Gild Hall Hotel, but I had unusually cooperative, good hair while in New York recently. I'm not a Kiehl's fan in general, but the Gild Hall stocks their toiletries and they seemed to hold up rather well. (I skipped, as I do 99% of the time now, the conditioner.)

Pictured at Cipriani NYC, a restaurant with amazing risotto, but which requires only one visit. Don't go there unless you want to be gawked at by all variety of Eurotrash. Cipriani London is much more low-key.

MAC Viva Glam VI lipstick

MAC Viva Glam lipstick

We all know how virtuous it is to buy Viva Glam (note: mine was free from MAC PR). What it should be is a bit more...I don't know, glam? I love this color - it's extremely wearable, would suit anyone, and would pair well with most pencils - but it strikes me as a bit workaday for the Viva Glam title.

In short, this is to lipsticks what MAC Spice is to lipliners. Not a bad thing at all, but not exactly Deep Glamour.

Psychological warfare in styling

I'm not crazy about the way I look with my hair up, but sometimes it's the easiest option. Usually, it's just what what I do when I wash my face - throw it in a ponytail or ugly plastic clip.

For my own good, I've decided to make a concerted attempt to get over myself (in more ways than one). Wearing my hair up occasionally is part of that. I feel positively naked with my face so exposed, but I think ceasing to take something so trivial quite so seriously will be good for me.

Are there any styling issues which fill you with similar angst, or am I the only weirdo around here?