Judging by the comments, loads of you have been intrigued by the 'Dainty Doll' range by Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts. As a pale skinned redhead, Nicola wanted to create a range that worked for people with really fair skin like hers, and her quest to create the brand was documented in 'The Passions of Girls Aloud'...
So how are the products? I'll be bringing you a video to show you more, but I thought it was worth jotting down my thoughts as well. My skin is typical English Rose pale. I burn just by looking at the sun, rarely tan (if ever) and find most products far too orange for my skin. Obviously this range appealed to me, so I was eager to get my hands on the goodies!
The foundation comes in three shades and the concealer in two.The folks at Jelly Pong Pong suggested, with my cool skin tone, that I go for the 'Fair' concealer and the 'Ivory' foundation. All the products are very pale (of course) but these two are the pink toned options. 'Natural' and 'Porecelain' are the better choices for those with yellow toned skin, while Nicola's unique white foundation is the one to go for if you're truly pale!
The concealer was, if anything, a little too fair, but I found if I mixed the Fair and Natural together, I got a great colour for my skin. The texture is quite light and seems almost watery in the pot, but don't let that fool you - a little goes a surprisingly long way once it's on your face so I'd suggest building it up slowly with a brush. I found it was most useful for concealing under-eye circles and red patches. Beware the blemishes - using too light a concealer on spots will just accentuate them.
The foundation, meanwhile, has a whipped mousse texture. This is good news for anyone with pale skin who's been dreaming of trying Maybelline's bestselling offering - even in the lightest shade that's one of the foundations that leaves me looking like I've been tangoed, and I'm sure I'm not the only one! As I mentioned, there is a pure white foundation from Dainty Doll, but the Ivory option is so pale I doubt many people will have to resort to using the lightest one.
Again, this shade proved a tad too light for my skin. It was, however, amazing for reducing redness. The mousse texture takes a little getting used to if you've only used runny liquid foundations before, and there's not very much in the pot, but the velvety feeling is lovely once you get used to it. It's somewhere between a liquid and a powder, and works really well on more oily complexions. Like the concealer, coverage is good so be sparing when you first apply. Foundation shouldn't be a mask!
Overall, the most interesting part of trying this range was - for the first time in my life - discovering there is a product out there that is too light for my skin. In the depths of Winter when I've barely seen the light of day, I think Ivory foundation will work well. Until then, mixing in a little tiny bit of Porcelain (which is a bit darker) deepens it a little. The prices are very reasonable considering this is a niche product, and I think Nicola should be really proud of herself. She's created a funky, pretty brand that does the job at a price her fellow fair-skinned girls can afford.
Stay tuned for a video where you can see me completely made up in Dainty Doll!
For more on Dainty Doll visit JellyPongPong.com. Buy the range (from £6) at ASOS.com.
