You may have noticed that I’ve added another “feature” – the Fashionably Late Review. This is kind of tongue0in-cheek and a bit of a dig at myself – I often fall so far behind with my posts that I end up writing about something when it has almost sold out. Which is quite annoying. Usually it’s something that I’ve been using again and again and I really wanted to share the love – completely pointless to do so once it’s gone from the shelves! So this is the Fashionably Late Review – posting about things when they’re still available, before I forget, and whilst the products are still fresh in my mind. Perhaps it will add a little frisson to the proceedings? That could be my new thing – drumming up excitement after the event has happened. Next week we’re going to get all het-up about the 2012 Olympics.

And so from that completely random load of waffle to the Madmen Collection from Estée Lauder. A complete triumph, packaging-wise – just look at that print! Properly collectible and a definite dressing table must-have. The lipstick in its vintage gold casing slides out from a little box with a drawer, the nail polish is housed in a cylindrical cardboard box and the blush compact – well. That has all kinds of things going on. A printed outer box, a gold protective sleeve and a decorative casing. It’s truly a little piece of joy.

In terms of product shades it’s all very pink – very retro-pink, which is exactly the way they intended it, I imagine. I suppose because I look at the three products together, I imagine it all to be a little too pink for my liking, but actually, taken individually, each shade is extremely wearable. I particularly like the lipstick, which looks a little bit smart and grownup – polished rather than “pretty”. Whichever product you’re using, you can’t get away from the enjoyment factor that is the packaging, though – you can’t help but feel transported into another age.

You can find the Madmen Collection at Estée Lauder counters and online at Selfridges.com – the compact is £48, polish is £20 and lipstick, £26.