I used to like the idea of being a faceless, nameless entity who lived in a world of beauty products and (usually quite ill-judged) advice. But then I realised that a goonish little photo of me comes up when I reply to a comment, so I’m not faceless. And that people have started calling me PP, so I’m not anonymous, I just have a silly name. Well, for those of you who remotely care, my friends actually call me Elle (not PP, or indeed Pee-Pee), my colleagues call me Eleanor, and the bloke who comes round to clean the windows calls me Mrs Tucker. So now you know.
Which links as seamlessly as ever into Product Placement’s not remotely celebrated series, Preferential Treatments. And excitingly enough, this week’s instalment is also swathed in secrecy and intrigue. Is it because it’s by a celebrity contributor? Is it because there are legal issues? Or is it because it’s about pubic hair? I’m not telling you. Read it and find out. Continue reading…
Back in the days of yore (that’s an actual historical period you know), make-up wasn’t created in laboratories and tested on rodents/people. But I’m sure you know this from your History GCSE. In fact, women had to make do with what they could get their hands on, and believe me, it wasn’t great. Consider the poor old Elizabethan ladies. Not only were they forced to be attracted to men in codpieces, they were expected to have a flawless, alabaster complexion. Far from easy when The Pox was rife, and I don’t imagine those with sensitive tendencies had a hypoallergenic skincare range to fall back on either.
So, for the fortunate few, whiter-than-white skin was achieved by an early form of foundation called ‘ceruse’, which was a terrifying – and expensive – mixture of white lead and vinegar. I bet they were gagging for Ye Olde Clinique Shoppe to open in their neighbourhood. Because unsurprisingly, smearing lead on your face came with a few ‘issues’, like making your skin grey and shrivelled. Continue reading…
People expect me to know a LOT about make-up and skincare products. Which is surprising when I often look as though I’ve lost a fight with some Ready Brek, have hair like a homeless poodle and laughter lines that really aren’t that funny. Oh well. Just to live up to your expectations, I’ve done some research into mineral make-up, because, well, I actually find things like this interesting. And it also leads quite nicely into this week’s special featured item. Seamless. Continue reading…
How’s your January been? Personally, I’ve got through this joyless month with copious amounts of hot coffee in the morning, and equally copious amounts of Aussie red in the evening.
As far as I’m concerned, January is difficult enough to endure as it is without adding some kind of hideous ‘detox’ to the slow march towards payday. Isn’t leaving for AND returning from work in the pitch dark grim enough? Why throw fennel tea and some kind of homemade granola into the mix? The thought of it makes me want to slam my head into the keyboard before hotfooting it to the ‘drinks cabinet’ (bottle of cheap red by the sink). Continue reading…
There’s nothing that perks up my day quite like looking down at my keyboard and seeing some freshly painted talons tapping away. (I keep telling you I’m shallow but you won’t listen.) And speaking of shallow, I have a nail tip to share with you: do them last thing at night (my mother-of-many friend Holly told me this). That way the polish gets to dry properly while you’re asleep and you’re less likely to ruin them doing something menial like stacking the dishwasher. Happy days. Continue reading…
When my stepdaughter was doing a school project a couple of years ago, she asked her dad and me if we had gone to school ‘in the olden days’. We laughed of course. But I suppose, when you’re eight, the 1970s were the olden days. Just in the same way that the stories our parents regaled us with about powdered egg seemed like they were from another time.
Even back in the 70s and 80s I remember a lot less choice when it came to items of a beauty product nature. So I’m painfully aware of how I would have struggled to get by with the limited resources that were available to women during World War Two. But despite rationing and shortages, women did not give up. Quite the reverse – make-up helped them feel more feminine and positive about the chaotic world around them, and indeed propaganda encouraged them to make the most of themselves, whether they were in the services, working in a factory or staying at home. Now I just feel spoilt. Continue reading…
If you were paying attention last week, you’ll know that this headline will from now on herald the arrival of a bite-size bit of product chat, centred around a single item that I’m trying out and enjoying (hence the title). Such brevity has been a huge relief to many readers who were having to take breaks for glucose energy drinks during my longer ramblings. Well, there are no such worries here. Read on – you’ll be back to Twitter before you know it. Continue reading…
‘Hardy’. ‘Tough’. ‘Outdoorsy’. If I could have a crisp fiver for every time I’ve been described as one of these… well, I’d be totally skint. Truth is, I’m a southerner. And even now, years after moving north of the border, I am frequently amazed at the fact that I have ended up living somewhere so poxy cold. I am often found standing by radiators, wearing an amount of layers normally seen on an OAP being cautious during a cold snap, and growling about the fact that there is clearly something wrong with the boiler/ thermostat/ world.
And don’t get me started on the beauty issues that go alongside living in the polar regions of the UK. No, actually, do get me started, because this is what today’s product chat is all about. Now, I’m sure that warmer climes come with their own dilemmas too, but frankly, I have very little sympathy for people who only have a bit of heat rash to worry about. So here are my five top tips for looking lovely when you feel like you live in Minsk. And I’m sure you’ll agree, they’re very, very timely. Continue reading…
New year… and an exciting new feature for Product Placement. Well, I say exciting: that’s just my opinion. Although I think you’ll appreciate the fact that ‘Loving your work’ will contain less tedious preamble than my regular posts – and more getting straight to the point. The idea is that I’ll be telling you about a single product that I’m trying out and enjoying (hence the title). And don’t worry, you’ll still be able to enjoy the same irrelevant images and potentially inaccurate prices. I’m good like that. Continue reading…
Awards are quite the money-spinner these days. Whether you work in ball-bearing production or bantam-rearing, they’ll be an annual awards ceremony to attend. It will have a naff name, like The Wow Factor Awards, the tickets will be astronomically expensive, and it will involve a three-course meal with some sort of melon/ham-based starter. And not only will nobody outside your industry know about it, the ‘celebrity’ speaker won’t have heard of it either.
So hoorah for the first Product Placement Awards! (I never use exclamation marks so you’ll understand how exciting it all is from just that.) No melon/ham-based starter, admittedly, but neither will you have to watch Sandi Toksvig have her photo taken with all the winners as they clutch statuettes that make those from a local teen judo club look impressive. All you have to do is read on, and find out what (in my humble opinion) have been the best products of the last year. I’ve done categories and everything. Drum roll… Continue reading…
