The old adage 'if it's to good to true it probably is', has existed for a long time, yet still people keep hoping they'll be the one who gets lucky. In the cases of the lottery a very very few people manage to beat the odds, and occasionally on eBay you get a bargain due to someone misspelling their product. But when you see a Chloe bag selling for £50 you should smell a rat, and equally suspicion should kick in when you see GHD's selling for half their in store price point. But it's not always easy to tell that the company is fake, as many of the websites look very professional, have all the right logos and have a .co.uk URL!
Type 'Cheap GHD's' into Google and literally hundreds of sites come up promising you everything from limited edition models in multiple colours, to buying a model for the low price of £40 odd quid- around 60% cheaper!
So how do you spot a fake before you buy, and how can you double check your straightener is the real deal?
Following the departure of the brilliant Zara I will be Kiss and Makeup's new Editor for the next few months. I know I have very big shoes to fill so I will try my best to continue bringing you all the latest make up and beauty news every day! (Zara will still be contributing though so keep your eyes peeled)
A little about me...
I have been working as a lifestyle writer for the last two years. I have written about fashion, food and home but my main area of interest is the fabulous world of beauty!
Read on for the lowdown on our fabulous new Ed!
With the fringe / bangs the haircut du jour this time last year, it's no surprise that loads of us are now bored and beginning the long process of growing ours out. Unfortunately, since hair only grows an average of half an inch a month, it may take a while to get it out of your face. So, as a fellow fringe-grower, I've come up with a few tips on what to do with it while you're waiting for it to grow out.
Our reader Lauren wrote to us hoping to find an affordable fake tan that will stand up to daily swimming in the pool. We called around to several companies and unfortunately the answer is, there isn't a fake tanner expensive or cheap that will stand up to daily dunks in chlorinated water. However, you can still swim in sea water with only minimal fading, and with some suggestions you may still be able to fake tan and swim daily.
Read on for a more detailed explanation and suggestions.
As a cool-toned Asian girl, no foundation has ever been "just right" for me. Warm or Golden foundations were always slightly too yellow, and beige or neutrals always a little too pink. It wasn't until I came across this description on the Everyday Minerals website that I realised my skin belonged to a whole new class of foundation undertones - Olive.
"If you look at the underside of your arm, your veins are probably greenish. You tan very easily and never burn. You have probably found that many foundation colors end up looking ashy or pink on your skin"
In the first part of our mineral makeup feature I'm bringing you the whys and the whatnots of the so-called miracle product that is now sweeping the nation. You've probably heard plenty about mineral makeup before (unless you've been living in a hole) but you may not understand quite what it is or how it works. Well, never fear, Kiss and Makeup is here to answer all the questions you didn't want to ask, and show you just how to use this product successfully without a makeup artist on hand 24/7...
So what is mineral makeup and why are people going on about it so much?
Basically the exciting thing is that mineral makeup is created OUT OF MINERALS. (Duh). And that's it. No parabens, no free radicals and no extra oils. This makes is non-comodegenic, which means it doesn't block pores, so it's perfectly fine to sleep in it. I'd advise against that as a rule (!) but compared to when you feel asleep in your usual slap it's 100% better for your skin.
We had an email from a desperate reader who finds her budget a little tight this month, and needs an alternative to her usual hair protector. 'I love Tigi's Smooth and Shine Catwalk heat protector, but this habit is getting expensive. Would any of you there have suggestions on high-street brands that have the same smoothing/protecting power but without the TIGI-fied cost?'
Well, you're in luck my dear cos I've scoured the high street to find you some more wallet friendly options. See after the jump for my top three budget buys.