By Chrissy Iley
I’d met Leighton Denny somewhere before, maybe in another lifetime or at least another lifetime of his. Before he invented the crystal nail file and he actually did shoots with Geri Halliwell and Jade Jagger. Maybe it was then – before the crystal nail file empire.
Within minutes of meeting him again I’m in awe. I’m in awe of his mind and the products it’s created. He’s now youthfully retired from selling various ranges on QVC but I can see how they sold out within minutes.
He’s an innovator and he’s created perfect products and he talks about them with love. A crystal nail file is sold every 15 seconds and he’s just won a fragrance award for his fragrance Light and Dark – Desire.
I love how he embraces Light and Dark, the sweet, the salty, the fresh, the heady. His fragrance Lively is a gorgeous product. Unisex and universally adored. You can tell that Leighton’s a Gemini. His perfume Lively is fresh, exhilarating and at the same time has a warmth and earthiness, opposites in one bottle. It’s sexy on women because they feel like they’re smelling their man. Basically it’s just sexy.
He’s now Leighton Denny MBE and wrote a best selling book How I Nailed It! And his lip range is unbelievably fantastic. It’s called Lip Dual and pretty much like applying nail polish, there’s a base coat and a colour coat. It’s a dual lip system. One end holds a luxurious lipstick, rich in antioxidants, moisturising and long wearing and feels like a cashmere wrap. The other end is the sheer end, a lip tint that’s also a lip stain. It’s a weightless whisper. It goes onto your lips and you feel it tingle, you feel it plump. I tried Impeccable Pink, a matt coral which takes you from day to night. I’ve never been able to wear a coral but this one I love. I love the colour of it, the feel of it, how it pouffs out the lips and its staying power.
I’ve never had a lip colour more admired – people stop me to ask about it! It is my go to product and it will be travelling with me around the world and I love that I met the man who made it.
He supports an animal charity as well and has a rescued black and white pitbull who when he got sick had the best human doctor in California as well as his veterinary team. How could he be more gorgeous? Leighton Denny ‘Light and Dark’ and ‘Lip Dual’. The man, the empire. What’s not to love?
I love Lively – it the first thing in my suitcase – can’t live without it now…