We all know how I feel about Nicola Roberts. There's no need to elaborate any more on that subject. So, understandably, when I heard she was creating a make-up range, I was quivering in my ankle boots.
This range is created particularly for redheads and girls with paler skin. You can see a full range of the Dainty Doll products here @ ASOS.
I decided on two of the products. The blush & contour in Blossom, and the eye shadow & base in Apricot. I decided against the foundation because reviews said it was drying and you got very little for your money. I am tempted by the concealer as normal concealer often leaves me with dodgy brown looking patches when I'm trying to cover up red ones! A lighter shade is just what I need.
So I ordered, and here's what arrived:
As you can see, the packaging is TO DIE FOR. I could've licked the box, I loved it that much.
For those of you who don't know her already, let me introduce you to Anouk - my beloved Blythe <3
Here she is rocking her green eye chips and a perfect pink pout - it reminds me of my favourite MAC lipstick - Snob.
You see I thought it might be fitting, since the range is called "Dainty Doll", for Anouk to model the products for you. Eh, see what I did there? Her being a doll and all, get it? Ok, you get it. Here we go:
On the left, blush. On the right, eye shadow.
First up, eyeshadow.
For a redhead, with pale skin, rosy cheeks and blue eyes, I think these colours are near perfect. And on top of that, what I really fell in love with was the beautiful oily, shimmery texture of the base. It is a pale yellow (you can't really call it a gold) with glitter streaked through and it really does shimmer when the light shines. I thought that using the base with the apricot colour shadow looked lovely, but took a really long time to achieve. The powder doesn't blend well with the sticky wetness (sounds gross, but truly lovely - like a sheer cream shadow) of the base. It took forever to get any colour pay off because the shadow isn't pigmented enough in my opinion.
The overall drawback for me which will stop me repurchasing this product, is that for the price, I can get better elsewhere, and pretty easily too. While the base is lovely, it can be easily duped I'm sure (I'm on the case) and the deal break? The combo barely lasts more than an hour. The base also creased fairly quickly which is a major drawback for me.
Now for the blush and contour. I have to say straight-out, this product left a lot to be desired. While the blush is a beautiful apricot colour, the bronzer is fairly frightening to a girl who feels sick at the thought of a spray tan. The texture is luxurious and blends easily onto the skin but again, the colour pay off isn't great and the look doesn't last for long.
The biggest problem I had, though it might just be my haphazard application, is that when I applied both products, as instructed, my skin tended to look a bit grubby! Not a great look to attract the hotties.
So overall, as you can see, my icon disappointed me greatly. Though I'll continue using all products (except the dodgy brown contour) until the pan is empty, I very much doubt I'll purchase them again.
However, if you are a redhead and you do have trouble with finding colours that suit, I'd be tempted to use this range as a guide line of which shades to buy, but spend your money a little more wisely. Don't fall for the pretty packaging ladies.
With the image of Susan Boyle burned into my retinas, I will share with you a piece of priceless information: don't judge a book by its cover.
Better luck next time Nic, I still love you.
