Finishing Touches: LipsNspritz of the Week 8th July 2016

It's been a mixed bag, fragrance-wise this week.  It's ostensibly summer, but I can't imagine anything less summery than this dark and dank July we're having so far!  Like with the weather, my perfume choices have been a bit all over the place, too.

Monday brought Tangerine Vert from Miller Harris, a herbal-fresh and zingy citrus that was perfect for blasting away those dreadful Monday morning blues!  This and Hermes Eau d'Orange Vert are very similar mood-lifters for me, both feature, I think, a little hit of mint amongst the orange and other leafy green herbs, and it's bother awakening and refreshing, and just that little bit "different" to a normal lemony-citrus as a result.  I wore Tangerine Vert with Charlotte Tilbury Walk of Shame lipstick, which is a great brown-ish neutral that teeters on that 1990's-style rust, but just avoids it.

Tuesday was Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initiale, and byTerry Cherry Cherry lipstick (stupid name, great pink).  I was in Paris for the launch of Parfum Initiale a couple of years ago, and so it will always have a special place in my heart - I love the velvety iris and smooth vanilla, it's also surprisingly rich and earthy (almost  ... carroty!) for what was intended at the time to be a teenage girl's way into the world of Shalimar.  It's very different to many ostensibly "teenage" fragrances, not smelling of sugar and fruit, which is why I think it has been discontinued, and why that increasingly Le Petite Cherie Robe Noire, with it's cherries and black tea, and hints of chocolate has taken over as the flagship Guerlain fragrance.  Don't get me wrong, LPCRN is good, but it's just not as interesting (to me) as Parfum Initiale is.  Was.  Whatever.

Wednesday found me in Estee Lauder Alliage.  I love Alliage, as perfect an example of the pinnacle of seventies chypres as can be, it is both bitter green and blinding white, with galbanum and moss and crystalline white flowers, you could wear a tweed jacket and starched white shirt with this and it would be perfect.  I own neither, and wore it with black jersey (my default) and still managed to feel like a grownup all day.  I do think Lauder neglect their amazing back catalogue rather horribly in favour of their newer releases a great deal - does the world really need four versions of Modern Muse above some of the genuine classics in the Lauder catalogue?  Does Kendall Jenner read Descartes in the original? - but the fact that their classics are still available, and largely untouched, and accessibly priced is a great, great thing.  Go try some of them.  Also only of my favourite reasonably priced brands is Pixi, and this lipstick in Raspberry Blush is amazingly good and pretty.

Thursday was Vaara by Penhaligons.  I love Vaara.  It's a fruity-floral, normally a category I eschew, but it is interesting and original, redolent of quinces and a hint of saffron, over a bed of coriander (the seed,  not the leaf) and is beautiful and gorgeous and wonderfully radiant. I love wearing it.  It also has one of the prettiest boxes Penhaligons have ever done.  The lipstick was Givenchy Le Rouge in Carmin Escarpin, which is the lipstick I wore in Paris on my honeymoon, that's how much I love it.

On Friday, I wore Marrakesh Intense by Aesop.  This blend of rose, black pepper and cardomom is both spiky and powdery and wonderfully evocative, it makes me a little woozy in the best possible way when I wear it.  I do have to confess that I have a sneaking preference for the original Marrakesh formula, which punches up both the spiky black pepper, and the plush cardamom over the silky rose, but this is still magnificent, and has better lasting power overall.  The lipstick was Punch Pop by Clinique, which is one of my all-time favourite pink lipsticks.

Saturday was a lazy day in front of the TV, frankly, so I wore things that didn't take much thinking about: Bagatelle de Gabrielle by Omorovicza, which is a gently pretty, rather prim, little white floral based on, but not overwhelmed by orange blossom.  It's rather a "spa" kind of scent.  Pretty, but slightly unmemorable.  I paired it with Aerin Rose lip balm. To be honest, I'm left slightly cold by the whole Aerin Lauder cosmetics "concept" (though, I admit I do love her homewares - someone needs to bring them to the UK STAT!), it's all a bit wishy-washy "makeup for people who don't really like makeup" for me, but the perfumes are nice in a Jo Malone-ish kind-of-a-way, and this particular balm is very much a winner.

What've you been wearing this week?

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LipsNspritz of the Fortnight, Pt II

 This week, I basically took a "lucky dip" approach to my perfume and lipstick choices.  After three months and nearly 80 lipstick and perfume pictures, I realise I'm probably something like a quarter of the way through my fragrance collection, and possibly, maybe, a tenth (perhaps?) of the way through my lipsticks.  There's a few months of this to go, yet, I think!

Monday was Miller Harris Cassis en Feuille, which bears a passing resemblance to Jo Malone London's Blackberry & Bay (a perennial autumn favourite), but just has a little more grassy vetiver in the mix, so has a little more ... oomph. I wore it with MAC All Out Gorgeous, which is rather aply named.

Tuesday was Etat Libre d'Orange's Antiheros, which is the lavenderiest lavender there ever was.  Luca Turin described it as "cheap lavender soap, but strong", and so it proves to be.  I've missed lavender a lot whilst I've been parosmic (up until recently, it has smelled burned and awful), and to have it back is wonderful.  Lavender contains such a variety of scents, it's herbal and floral, and has a hint of balsam, and mints in there too.  That it is maligned as a "granny scent" is an eternal mystery to me.  I wore it with Charlotte Tilbury's Red Carpet Red which is one of the best red lipsticks ever.  

Wednesday had me in something just a little more ladylike, the musky prettiness of Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely.  I only like a couple of celebrity fragrances, and this is a good one. It reminds me of Narciso Rodriguez, only at a much more acceptable price-point.  I wore it with Illamasqua Stark, which I also like very much, though it's a little patchier than I recall it being on application.

Thursday brought a board meeting and Lancome's Climat - a little-known fragrance from Lancome's back-catalogue.  It's a sweet and powdery ladylike little whisper of a thing, a proper "Grown-Up" fragrance so I rarely wear it, for that reason.  Paired with Stila Long-last Lipgloss in Firey (I think, the label has worn off), it saw me through a board meeting where I managed not to kill anyone, so a winner, I think.

Friday I wore Boucheron by Boucheron, which is a big heavy-hitter of a floral fragrance, in a beautiful bottle, designed like a piece of jewellery, which always delights when I spray it.  Paired with Estee Lauder lipstick in Dominant, which is a very fine pink indeed.

On Saturday I was heading to a party in Soho, so I wore the ultimate party-girl fragrance: Tom Ford Black Orchid, in the new eau de toilette formulation, still loud, and one of the happiest fragrances around, it's a joy.  I paired it with the Matte Balm from Revlon in Striking, which is the loudest red I own, and wore them both with sequins.  A jolly good time was had by all.

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LipsNspritz 15 November 2015

I was ill on Wednesday, and yesterday (the day after the Paris terrorist attacks), rightly or wrongly, it simply didn't feel appropriate to celebrate lipstick and perfume on Instagram, so a shortened #LipsNspritz this week.

 Monday brought Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick in Walk of Shame wjhich is a lovely neutral berried-rose shade (seriously difficult to describe this one, it's not red, and it's not brown) which is one of my favourites for looking polished without drawing attention to itself.  Inspired by the name, I wore it with Acqua di Parma Colonia Intensa, which is Aqua di Parma's hairy-chested big brother, fresh from a hot shower, and about to put on his medallion and dancing shoes. The smell of hot soap, shaving cream, and chest hair, it's about as masculine as it is possible to be.

On Tuesday, I went to the opposite extreme, pairing Estee Lauder Private Collection - the smell of bitter, green boardrooms, shoulder pads, and perfect manicures - with Clinique Color Pop in Kiss Pop.  I liked the idea of pairing the mature femininity of Private Collection with a bubblegum confection of a lipstick.

Thursday brought what is likely to be one of at least five appearances for Guerlain Shalimar in one guise or another.  Seriously, for a fragrance I don't, in all honestly actually like that much, I sure do own a lot of bottles of it!  This time around I wore it's perfect entry-point fragrance: Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initial, which as it has the addition of a lot of buttery, carroty, rooty iris in the opening is much easier to wear than the tar, fur and vanilla of "grown-up" Shalimar.  I wore it with red lips, regardless, breaking out the Guerlain Gloss d'Enfer in Rouge Parade, which was last year's Christmas lipgloss from Guerlain, and I like it very much indeed.

And finally, because I had a day off on Friday, and was just wandering around a very wet and windy North London (because: reasons), I wore simple and yet still lovely Aerin Waterlily Sun. Which is an aquatic floral - an unknowingly apt choice, considering the bright sunshine I applied it in first thing Friday morning!  It's very lovely, and it's something I wear quite regularly when I just want to smell pretty and simple. I paired it with Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Stain in Swank, which is a sheer and pretty red colour.

What've you been wearing?


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Fenwicks Global Beauty Icons

I love Fenwick of Bond Street, truly I do. It's clean, it's quiet, it's sensibly laid out, the staff are lovely, and there's a frankly astonishing range of brands there now.  I was invited back to their store last week to celebrate both the relaunch of their newly redesigned beauty hall, and the launch of their #FenwickBeautyIcons and #GlobalBeautyIcons campaigns, and, I admit, it was a little slice of heaven in there.  There's something so wonderful about a beauty hall before it opens to the public, all the products laid out like jewels, promising beauty and delight, just waiting for the customers to come along and take their pick, it's rather magical.

I was invited to create my own "edit" of products both old and new from the new hall, and here's what I selected.  I wanted to create a classic red lip and black liner look, so used that as my theme, and I chose both products I've used before, love an immoderate amount and desperately wanted backups for, and new products that I've been lusting after for months now.

I went a bit mad in Charlotte Tilbury (seriously, the Charlotte Tilbury counter at Fenwick really does have to be seen to be believed), and picked up both the Magic Cream and Wonder Glow as I've been curious about them since they launched.
Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturiser is a holy grail product of mine, and I couldn't resist picking up a backup.  I also picked up one of their Liquid Liner pens, because, you know, Chantecaille.
Also a classic, and a can't live without product is Acqua di Parma, which I finished my bottle of last year, and have been living without ever since. I adore the soapy-clean fresh scent of this, and I've been wearing it all the time since we've been reunited.
I had to pick up a Lipstick Queen product, and the Lip Parade had my name written (almost) all over it.  A three pack of classic lip colours: Red Sinner (divine), Saint Wine (DIVINE) and Metal Nude (er ... slightly less divine, but lovely for people who like nudes nonetheless) I made a beeline for them.
I actually let out a little "SQUEE!" of happiness when I spotted that Fenwick are stocking Artis makeup brushes! Look, I need to get out more, I know, but I did.  So they HAD to go into my "edit", I can't wait, seriously can't wait to give them a proper try.
I've been lusting after the new Bobbi Brown Greige eyeshadow palette too for what seems like forever (actually: probably about a fortnight) now, so I couldn't pass that up, either.  It looks fab for my colouring, and I'm torn between wanting to swatch the whole thing, and just sitting gazing at its prettiness.
And finally a couple of things from some brands I don't know much about, the Colbert Balance Purifying cleanser, and Face Matters 24/7 Collagen Balm (who donate a percentage of the proceeds of every sale to Refuge, the women's charity, which is a wonderful thing for a tiny UK brand to do), because sometimes, it's good to try something completely different.

I could have literally spent hours in there, but I was in a rush to get back to the office, so I will be back to investigate the rest of the counters more thoroughly at another point quite soon (I probably only got around a third of the hall before I had to run away!). There will be some more in-depth reviews of these products coming up in the next few weeks, but what would you have picked up ofr your "beauty edit" at Fenwick?

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Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipsticks - Walk of Shame, Red Carpet Red, Very Victoria

I was lucky enough to be at the annual CEW awards lunch on Friday, and when Charlotte Tilbury won two awards (Best New Brand - Prestige and overall Best British Brand) the cheering was insanely loud in the room.  It's fairly safe to assume that they were incredibly popular wins!  I have really liked everything I've tried from the brand and thought it was time to show off some of the lip products, as I realised I've only written about eye products up until now.

I love the rose-gold packaging of the lipsticks, it screams old-school glamour, and the contents are even better:

L-R: Walk of Shame, Red Carpet Red and Very Victoria

Walk of Shame is a warm and slightly browned berry shade, Red Carpet Red does exactly what it says on the label, being a beautiful Hollywood red, and Very Victoria is a nude, with hints of taupe, which was specially created for Victoria Beckham. 

The texture, for a matte, is incredibly silky, and they're not as full-on opaque as you would expect - it feels like these have a gel base, and the finish is hugely flattering on the lips, you don't get that heavy, powdery feeling like you can with some matte lipsticks that amp up the pigment at the expense of emollients and turn your lips into rags by the end of the day.  These textures are light, and you can barely feel them on your lips.  I like that the coverage is buildable, too.  Lets face it not every day is a bright lip day, much as you might want it to be.

Walk of Shame

Red Carpet Red

Very Victoria

The colours are fairly complex, as you can see in the close-up pics, there is just the merest hint of micro-shimmer in the formulations, this is undetectable on the lips, but just adds a bit of depth and stops the formula being completely flat in wear.  The squared-off, chisel-shaped tips aid in application too, being small enough to get into all the nooks and crannies your lips might offer.

Top to bottom - my bare lips, Walk of Shame, Red Carpet Red and Very Victoria

All offer good, but not totally opaque coverage, and Walk of Shame is a perfect (for me) easily wearable "not quite nude" shade, and Red Carpet Red is a great statement shade.  Very Victoria is a great nude, but as always, I find these brown/beige/caramel "nudes" incredibly challenging to wear owing to my colouring, but I do wear it occasionally if I'm wearing strong eyemakeup.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks are incredibly well-named, as it's not a texture I've ever come across in a matte lipstick before, and they're all the more amazing for that.  They cost £23, and are available at Selfridges and online at CharlotteTilbury.com

The Fine Print: PR Samples 
 
The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Eye Pencil in Amethyst Aphrodisiac

I'm on a lazy makeup roll this week, and a bit of a pencil kick too, which brings me to Charlotte Tilbury's cult range of "colour morphing" pencils, the Colour Chameleon range.  They are gorgeous pencils, but I did find the "colour morphing" claims a little incomprehensible until I figured out that the colours that were "morphing" were your eye colours, not the pencil shades.

My eyes are rather an unusual colour, being brown, green and yellow plus having hints of blue in the limbal ring, so first off picking the right colour of pencil for my eyes was difficult.  They're based on the colour wheel principle of complementary colours, and I couldn't figure out if you'd class my eyes as green, or brown or hazel, as there's a day and a night option of pencil for every eye colour (but not, it seems, for eyes of every colour).  Eventually I picked the purple Amethyst Aphrodisiac to play up the green in my eyes.

These are glitter city!  I must mention it, because they are the most glittery things I put on my eyes these days, and I can find glitter in the oddest places even after a very thorough cleanse!  Do not, under any circumstances, use these to line the inner rim of the eye, I think they could definitely scratch your cornea, and no one needs that.

It's a good and murky purple:

Creamy, and easy to blend, I apply this as a thick line of eyeliner, then blend it out towards the crease.  It sets after around 30 seconds or so, and is pretty hard to budge after that time.  I'm quite happy to wear it during the day, but for a more dramatic look, it is great with very black eyeliner too.  The colour lasts well, even on unprimed eyelids, I only experience creasing after a very long time in wear (after around ten hours or so), and on primed lids it will probably last even longer.  I rarely prime my lids if I'm in a hurry though.  The glitter will remain though, I warn you!

You will need a pencil sharpener for this as it is not retractable, and they are sold seperately.  Colour Chameleon pencils are available from Selfridges and Charlottetilbury.com and cost £19 each.


The Fine Print: Purchase

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Charlotte Tilbury Rock and Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencils

If I was asked to list my desert island beauty products, I would have a hard time choosing between lipstick, mascara and eyeliner tbh.  Yeah, yeah, blush and foundation and eyeshadow are important, but, you know, if I'm creating a makeup look that I can do in less than five minutes, then lipstick, mascara and eyeliner would be my go-to products.  I love a high-contrast liquid eyeliner look, but for quickness on bleary mornings (and aren't all mornings bleary?), then a gorgeously smudgy but long-lasting pencil that doesn't require a particularly steady hand is most welcome.

Enter Charlotte Tilbury and her Iconic Liquid Eye Pencils. I have three - Verushka Mink, the Eye Cheat for Bigger Brighter Eyes, and Marlena Midnight, which are, respectively, a grey-taupe, an apricot flesh-tone, and a soft blackened-navy.

Having a gorgeously soft gel texture, the pencils glide onto the lid with no dragging whatsoever, and offer a beautifully opaque colour the picture below shows off the texture nicely:

They're very creamy, and wear extremely well on the skin.  Charlotte's MUAs have mentioned a 14-16 hour wear time, and whilst I can't attest to that (as I don't sleep in my makeup.  well, not these days, anyway...), they do last really really well over a powder shadow.  I have seen a small amount of transfer to upper lids if you pair them with a cream shadow that doesn't set, but they do last well even so. The points do wear down quickly, however, so whilst it is easy to get a smudgy, lived-in look with the pencils, getting a sharp, graphic line might require a little more effort.

Colour pay-off on skin is rather fabulous - these swatches are one pass with the pencil over bare, unprimed skin.  I really like them, and whilst they're a softer effect than a straightforward black (my usual default eyeliner colour), there's enough pigment in these to not look dusty on the skin.  The Eye Cheat, when first applied to the waterline can look a little startling, but it soon warms up and spreads, and looks surprisingly natural in wear.  I've noticed no irritation for my contact lenses in wear, which is great too.

Having said it's difficult to get a more graphic look with the liners, it is possible:

This was, however, the handiwork of Nelson at the Charlotte Tilbury counter at Selfridges, but it goes to show that it is possible!  I've no idea what I'm raising my eyebrow at, btw.  I had a makeover at counter last week, which I can't recommend highly enough, I came away with a bunch of tips and tricks, and a real new appreciation of the entire Charlotte Tilbury line.  More about this soon, as I have a few of the products that we used on the day to give a proper workout to, but here's a sneaky preview of me wearing Charlotte's "Ingenue* Look" ...

All in all, these were a great introduction to the line, and if as much thought and care has gone into the rest of the products, I'm sold ...

*It's okay, I laughed too.  My ingenue days were over about a decade (or three) ago ...

The Fine Print: PR Samples - Pictures for this post were taken with a Nokia Lumia 1020 on loan from Microsoft.

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