Wedding Preparation - My Current Skincare Regime

Spending a lot of time worrying about a) my skin, b) breaking my nails, and c) my wedding perfume at the moment.  The wedding is eleven days away now (seriously, where the hell has the year since we got engaged gone?), and I thought I'd share some of my routines with you. Nails and perfume will come later, but for today, I'm focusing on skincare.

All I want on the day is clear, soft, glowing skin, no spots, no irritated reddened patches, and no rashes.  So, alongside some cast-iron tried and trusted favourites that can't be beaten, and that I know give results without irritation, I've taken a few actives out of my routine, and swapped them for gentler formulations.  Above you can see my AM and PM routine, which I'll take you through product by product:

Aromatherapy Associates Soothing Cleansing Balm:  My skin can get a little irritated when there are too many essential oils in  my routine, but this is an absolute delight to use, not too scented, it has excellent slip, and I do indeed find it very soothing.  I use this as my PM cleanser, as a tiny pea-sized dollop from the tube (and how much do I love that it has a tube dispenser?  A LOT, is the answer) allows me to both get rid of even the most heavy-duty makeup, and give myself a good facial massage at the same time.  My skin is left calm and glowing after I use this, with no redness.  Result!

Elemental Herbology Delicate Cleanse: I use this gently rose-scented cleansing milk in the mornings, alongside one of my beloved Washi Cloths. It's gentle, and not too bracing, which is just what you want in the mornings.  Unlike many cream-cleansers,  I don't find this drying in the least, and when I want a less-oily cleanse these days, this is the cleanser I increasingly reach for.

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator: I am of the age where I do need some actives in my routine, but at the moment, I am a bit scared of over-stimulating my skin, which can lead to increased redness, and scaly patches when I've overdone something in my routine.  The Clarins Gentle Exfoliator contains glycolic acid, an ingredient I love, but find extremely easy to overdose on, particularly when using it in products containing a higher amount of the acid.  Lactic, and malic acids actually suit my skin better, but this watery fluid has "buffered" the glycolic with other ingredients such as glycerin, which means you still get a light exfoliation effect, but without any drying. I find it suits my crazy-sensitive skin very well, and is non-irritating. I use this every morning, and then immediately follow it with a spray of

Balance Me Skin Bright Hydrating Face Mist: Chock-full of hyaluronic acid, this gently-scented spray soothes away any tingles left behind by the exfoliating toner, and gives my skin an immediate hydration boost.  It's nice to use during the day too, and makes an excellent setting spray for makeup, owing to the, quite frankly, excellent spray nozzle which sprays s l o w l y over a wide area, meaning it's not a rude awakening to spray yourself in the face!  I use this both AM and PM.

Darphin Camomile Oil: I'm very rarely without a bottle of this. For my reddened and easily sensitised skin, it is a super-healing miracle in a bottle.  I use it as a serum both night and day, no matter what other products I'm wearing, and I find it healing, soothing, and also moisturising.  This is a great choice of oil for anyone with troubled skin, and I recommend it to people left, right and centre. This is my third bottle, and I find a bottle lasts for at least a year (I tend to only use it once a day in summer), so, whilst initially spendy, on a cost per wear basis, it's cheap as chips.  I have a backup too, from Decleor, as I tend to flip-flop between the two brands for my essential oil requirements.

Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream: This turns up  in every skincare routine I do.  Why? It works.  This is my fourth jar, and I am madder than a wet hen that Kate Somerville has been withdrawn from the UK.  Once this jar goes though, I've sworn to try something else, any suggestions?  I have my eye on the "Gentle" range from Clarins at the moment, but I'm open to ideas!

And because wedding preparation isn't limited to merely the bride, here's some products I've forced suggested MrLippie starts to use too:

 
Here we have Facial Radiance Pads from First Aid Beauty, which are great acidic pads (mixture of gycolic and lactic, with lemon and licorice too) perfect for his slightly troubled yet less sensitive skin than mine, which is helping to both even out his skintone and deal with his (occasional) breakouts gently, and Melvita Argan Oil, as his moisturiser after peeling, which again is perfect for his less sensitive skin, and also comes in a nice big bottle which favours his rather heavy-handed application style! 

Hopefully we'll both be glowing on the big day!
        
The Fine Print: Mixture of purchases and samples.

This post:Wedding Preparation - My Current Skincare Regime originated at: Get Lippie on 6th February 2013 at 6am GMT.  All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Clarins Rouge Eclat Age Defying Lipstick Nude Rose & Pink Berry

It's a tough gig having a blog named after lipstick you know ... all those lipsticks and only one face to apply them to.  I mean, I've tried getting MrLippie to help out wearing all the stuff I don't have time for, but well, it's just not the same ...

Anyhoo,  These turned up last week, and they're rather nice.  A new formula from Clarins, designed to fight the signs of ageing on the lips, (something I'm not entirely convinced about, but that's by the by), but hey, let's forget about that, and look at the packaging!

Now that, my friends, is some fancy-ass lipstick packaging. I like it.  Like it rather a lot, actually.  As you're about to be able to tell:

This reminds me of Battersea Power Station for some strange reason.  I need to get out more.

 There's lipstick in here, as well.

I prefer the more neutral colours from the collection, my picks are Nude Rose, and Pink Berry, both of which will work with a variety of skintones, and are very nice everyday shades.

The formula is nice, moisturising and cushiony, it reminds me, a little of Chantecaille Lip Chics, but, is it anti-ageing?  Well, based on a couple of wears, I couldn't possibly answer that, but it doesn't dry your lips out, which is by far the most ageing thing you can do to your mush, frankly.

The Fine Print: PR Samples. Why was the sand wet? Because the sea weed!

This post: Clarins Rouge Eclat Age Defying Lipstick Nude Rose & Pink Berry originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper

Current Skincare Routine

Well, it's two routines really, one for morning and one for evening!  Winter, even a mild winter such as the one we've just had can be hard on my temperamental combination oil-dehydrated skin, so the main thing I add to my routines (AM and PM) is to add an oil.

So, in the evenings, I'll do a deep cleanse with Nude Cleansing Oil, lots of massage, and removal with a muslin cloth and hot water, then I'll tone with Darphin Intral Toner, two - maybe three, depending - drops of Neals Yard Frankincense Facial Oil, then I'll follow this with Neals Yard Frankincense Hydrating Cream.  I'll be honest, I mainly use the Frankincense products for the wonderful heady and intense fragrance, but I've found that they do wonderful things for your skin too.  These are all old favourites and they're the products I come back to every winter without fail.

In the morning my routine is the same, but, different:

  
Because I do a thorough cleanse in the evenings with my nude oil, I just need a tiny wipe over with a touch of Bioderma Crealine in the morning, followed, again, by Darphin Intral Toner (both of which I'm going to have to replace soon, VERY soon), then an oil, and in the mornings I'm using Clarins Santal Facial Oil, which is one of the most beautifully scented facial products on the planet.  Redolent of sandalwood and cardamom, it's a perfect pick me up in the morning, and does a great job of both rehydrating and protecting your skin during the day. Then I'll use a good old dollop of Kate Somerville Goat Milk cream, which I've been using all winter and still love.

My skin survived the winter surprisingly well - in spite of the lack of actives in my skin care - how did you do? 

The Fine Print - mixture of purchases and PR samples,  many of these, however are repurchases.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

Another new foundation this month is Clarins Ever Matte, which I've had for a couple of weeks and have been mulling over on your behalf for a while.


Packaging

A squared-off squeezy tube, perfect for carting around with you.  I like the classy gold top, too.

Formula

 A medium-thick liquid, quite low in silicones, this feels velvety on the fingers, and I find it easy to blend and spread over the face.  It feels fairly "traditional" compared to some of the others I've tried this week, and it has a very faint "herbal" scent that dissipates quite quickly after blending.  It takes a little while to "settle" on the skin, but this gives you time to buff the foundation into the skin, should you want to.

Shade Selection

There are e;even shades in the range, and this one is 109 - Wheat.  Whilst it's probably a good range of shades for us of a paler persuasion, like many French makeup brands this is lacking a little at the darker end of the spectrum.   I always find it a shame that so many brands don't cater for as many skin tones as possible.  Wheat is a fairly good match for my neutral/cool-leaning skin.

Coverage

I'd say this was about a medium coverage foundation.  Maurice!

Yes, not entirely covered up, but the coverage is good, and has definitely lessened the ability to see Maurice.

Finish

I wouldn't say this was entirely matte on the skin, it has more of a velvety finish.  My skin is combination oily, and this is an oil-free formula, which I find controls oil production quite well without drying my skin out entirely, which is nice I wouldn't say it was necessary to finish it with powder, but your mileage may vary.  If your skin is prone to dry patches, this will cling to them, so be warned.

Wear

This wears reasonably well,  I'd quibble a bit over the box's claim to keep skin "shine-free from morning to evening" as shine will break through at around the six hour mark, and you will experience fading from around the 7-8 hour point, but I'd say that this is about what I would expect from a foundation of this type, so I'm not too disappointed.

Price

£24 for 30ml.
 
Ingredients

Overall Thoughts

This is a nice, pleasant medium-coverage foundation, which is not particularly earth shattering, but those with slightly oily skin may fall in love with it.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Clarins Instant Light Blush Vitamin Pink and Coral Tonic

  
I spotted these in the Garden Pharmacy in Covent Garden a few weeks ago, and I was instantly smitten.  I'm on a bit of a blush kick at the moment, and these are pretty different offering from a brand like Clarins, so I couldn't wait to give them a try.

Packaged in cute nail-varnish like bottles, and brought out as part of the new spring collection, there are two shades:

When you remove the lid, there's a big sponge applicator, which is MUCH better than a brush for giving you an even application, it diffuses the gold-shot shades over the skin quite well.

It's a similar size to your fingertip, so is easy to use, and it spreads the product quite well over the skin.  I still like to finish off with my actual fingertips though, I'm a fussy mare.


Swatches:

As you can see, there's a tiny amount of shimmer when the product is unblended, but this is there for depth of shade, and stops it looking "flat" on the skin rather than to add sparkle.  Once blended the shades have a translucent quality, and add a delightful flush to the skin:

A little bit of this goes a long way, and I can see I'm totally going to be obsessed with the coral shade come summer when I'm a little darker, but these are genuinely gorgeous, and because I'm a lazy so-and-so, I like the fact that I don't need a highlighter too.

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  But they're ones I would have bought anyway.  Obsessed I am.  OBSESSED.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Lipstick of the Week - Clarins Gloss Prodige

Well, I said last week that I was planning on wearing just one brand over the next seven days, and, I during a delightful afternoon tea with the Clarins PR, I was presented with these, so it seemed like perfect timing!  These glosses are part of the new Spring collection from Clarins, which is out on counters at the moment.  Eight shades have been released, in shades of  nude, coral and pink.

So, what do they look like? 

Displayed in numerical order, you can see the glosses are pigmented, and contain varying levels of shimmer, from the least ( Rose) to the most (Grenadine).  The glosses are highly fruit scented - they smell of Skittles! - and slightly sticky.

A slightly better representation of the colours there, but this doesn't show off the shimmer.

The glosses vary slightly in pigmentation, ranging from deeply coloured, to barely there:

You can see that the two really nude shades are essentially slightly milky, but more or less clear glosses, for me they'd be good for toning down slightly too dark lipsticks, but they don't show up at all on my fairly highly pigmented lips. The other shades do show up on my lips, and 01 Chocolate was an unexpectedly wearable colour, I fell in love a bit with the multi-tonal microshimmer in that one.

My picks from the selection won't be a a surprise for anyone who's followed this blog for any period of time, but I was drawn to the pinks: 04 Candy, 06 Raspberry and 07 Blackberry:

These are such cheery and pretty shades, and Raspberry in particular has quickly become a handbag staple, I love it. 

Wear is about average for lipgloss, two to three hours or so, depending on what you're doing.  Fans of highly scented lip-products will love the fruity taste, as well.

Ingredients list:

 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Looking forward to 2011? Guerlain, Lauder, Dior, Lancome and Clarins are ...

Nope, haven't gone quite mad - yet - but I found these pics on my iphone today and thought I'd show you some of the things you'll be able to see on Get Lippie coming up in the next couple of months ...

Here you can see the spring/summer releases from both Dior and Guerlain (Dior on the left, Guerlain on the right).  I'm loving the pressed Meteorites powder there, and the grey lipgloss from Dior.  Dior have a new mascara brush too, which I'm looking forward to trying when I get rid of my eyelash extensions ...

Here you can see the next Tom Pecheaux collection for Estee Lauder - Wild Violet - this looks simply beautiful. I think Tom has done amazing things for Lauder since he became Creative Director, and this looks like no exception:

The palette looks amazing - I'm a sucker for purple, as most of you should already know - and the Untamed Violette eyeliner looks fab too, can't wait to try this.  The range launches at Selfridges on 3rd January, and will be available nationwide from February.

Clarins are specialising in nudes for Spring 2011, and these are some lovely shades. Personally, I can't wait to have a proper look at the one second from the right there.  Those shades of mauvy-pink are perfect for me.  There's an eyeshadow palette too, which has some lovely pinkish neutrals, which looks very interesting.

Lancome are giving us pinks and purples this spring, and this looks very pretty indeed.  That purple eye palette in particular is really calling my name.  I like purple, what can I tell you?

A closer look at Guerlain - I think I need that new Rouge G. It's red, of course I need it!

Urban Decay is launching creme blush this spring, alongside a limited edition box of all of the 24/7 eyeliners.


So ... see anything interesting?  Anything catch your eye?  If so, let me know, and I'll arrange a review for you ...

Clarins Barocco Winter Collection 2010

I saw this collection on British Beauty blogger last month and thought it was Oh So Pretty! I still don't know when it's released (I'm assuming September-time, but if I get any more information, I'll let you know), and I've been pretty desperate to get my hands on it ever since laying eyes on it!  It is so exquisitely packaged, and the black shadows and red lipstick really spoke out to me.  

Persistence pays off, and I have managed to get my grubby little fingers hands on a couple of pieces from the collection to show you, namely the aforementioned lipstick and the eyeshadow.  Some swatches and initial thoughts coming right up ...  First off, the shadows:

This is a really unusual choice for Clarins, I think, I normally associate them with neutrals and pastels (possibly mistakenly) for some reason. Three baked shadows in black, blackened gilt, and pure gold, alongside the usual disposable sponge-tipped applicator - am I the only person who, on opening a new palette, immediately throws away the sponges? - in a gold case, it's simply beautiful, and I can imagine a whole heap of smokey and dramatic looks I can create with this.

So, how does it swatch?  Well, the answer is, more sheerly than expected.  Picture below shows the shadows without primer (top), and with (bottom):

As you can see, in the top swatch, it's very sheer, and you get just a hint of the shades from the shadows, and, depending on your point of view, this can either be a good or a bad thing.  Personally, I think that with such dramatic shades, it's not actually a bad thing, as it means you can build up the coverage so you can get the intensity you require.  Over primer though (Trish McEvoy's in this case), the colours intensify very nicely, and you can see the greenish-bronze shades peek through in the middle colour.  I love the way the pure-gold shade goes from slightly gritty on bare skin to gorgeously glowing over primer. There's veru little yellow in it, so it doesn't look brassy on the skin, which is great.  Wear is middling to average without primer, and average to good with primer.

Now for the lipstick:

Again, beautifully packaged with the signature baroque swirls of this collection's packaging, the lipstick appears, in the bullet, to be a rather brownish, wine-y sort of colour, but on the skin it appears a lot brighter than expected, and a touch cooler than you might think from the colour in the tube.  I love it.

Apologies for the horrifically out of focus lip shot!  It's a lovely moisturising formula that lasts really well - no ring of doom! - I really like the shade too, it's a perfect Christmassy red, with just enough brown in it to not make me look a little clownish.  It's one of the new Rouge Prodige formulas, and I've had no problems with it, it has a slightly floral scent (in the traditional Clarins style), but I don't find it too overpowering.

I know it's a bit mad to be showing you a winter collection in the middle of August, but I'm just so excited about being on the cusp of red lipstick weather again!

Review Clarins Instant Smooth Compact Highlighter.

Oh, it pains me to write this one, really it does. I bought, and reviewed most of the Clarins Instant Sunlight summer collection a couple of months ago, but I've been hanging back from covering this one, as I wasn't sure what to say about it.  Then I scratched my head and had a really good think about what I wanted to say, and this is what sprang to mind:

It's rubbish.

I did a series on highlighters recently too, and this one is notable for it's absence.  You know why?

It's rubbish.

Clarins promise:

Its melting, silky and non-oily compact cream texture smoothes and evens the skin while giving an instant healthy-glow effect. Optically reduces fine lines and wrinkles and smoothes skin. Moisturizing and nourishing, ensures skin looks fresh and comfortable. 

Well, one part of that is certainly right.  It's definitely a cream.  AND it's in a compact.  Sadly, this "highlighter" is invisible on the skin. I tried to swatch it.  Man, how I tried!  No joy.   I applied it on my cheeks, my browbone, my hands, my cupid's bow.  Seriously, anywhere you'd think of applying a highlighter, I applied this.  And how many photos did it show up in?  None.  Mind, I couldn't see it in the mirror either, so I don't know what I was expecting.

I've worn it in daylight, artificial light, candle light, fluorescent light, and it's invisible.  I've applied it with the sponge provided (useless, stained the sponge, none on my face), used a brush (nothing on my skin, but the stickiness of the product ensured that it pulled a few bristles from the brush out, so now I have a hairy highlighter), and my fingers.  Nothing works! Now, I'm all for the natural-look (you might have noticed) but I don't really want to pay £23.50 for invisible makeup again.  A case of The Emperor's New Highlighter?  Has anyone else tried this and had success with it?

It's a shame, as I normally really like Clarins products (except Beauty Flash Balm, which I've never understood the fuss about), and I'm feeling a bit guilty that this is the only product I've ever featured on here that I couldn't find a good thing to say about.  Shame on me.  It's a nice compact, shame about the contents.  There, that's the best I could do.  Sorry, Clarins!


The Fine Print.  I bought this, and it's probably the only thing I've bought in about five years where I really wish I could get a refund from the manufacturer, still, keeps the economy afloat and all that, eh?

Clarins Instant Sunlight Applied (FotD)

It's okay, I got rid of the quiff, look!

Now, I'm sure you're all as sick of the sight of my face as I am right now, so this'll be the last FoTD for a few days, I promise.  I created a slightly more traditional take on a smokey eye with this one - the colours were a fair bit darker in the flesh than they appear here, and there's a lot more gold visible on the skin than my camera can pick up, it seems.  The Cream Eyeliner in the quad has a lot more gold than expected, and it's not quite as creamy as I'd like it to be, meaning it's slightly claggy to apply, but it's a very nice colour indeed, and worth the slightly painstaking application process.  Incidentally, don't even bother using the eyeliner brush they give you in the palette, it's very small, and combined with the not-very-smooth liner, you'll be applying it for hours before you get a visible line.

Oh! Can't believe I forgot to show you this when I showed you the palette the other day!  This is the lipbalm that also forms part of the Clarins summer collection.  Isn't it pretty?  Something to do with jellified oils and, polymers and, er ... something,  but it's basically a clear - literally - lip balm, and it's very very nice. It's not a particularly fantastic lipbalm (you'll have to prise my Sisley Nutritiv from my cold dead hands, frankly), but it is a fantastic looking lipbalm, and as such, it has a place in my Lip Balm Hall of Fame.  I'm wearing it in the pictures above, if you're wondering how it looks applied.  A very soft, gentle wash of slightly glossy colour.  There's also a red and a pink version, but the orange is the most pigmented, I found.  I may have to sneak back and get the others too.

Whassat? Can't hear you!

So, that's three summer collections I've shown you in a great amount of detail now, what's your favourite?

Clarins Instant Sunlight Quad

I popped into Debenhams last week for some shampoo, and I got myself distracted by some of the new summer collections that have come out.  Clarins in particular, really caught my eye, and I really liked the look of this eyeshadow palette:

I'm always a sucker for a slinky silver compact - not entirely convinced about the suedette pochette, to be honest - but the contents of this one are lovely (first shot no flash, second shot with):

Looks to me like it'll be pretty versatile,  here's some finger swatches:

Do you have your eye on any of the summer collections?  What's caught your eye?

The Small Print: I bought this, with money.  I didn't get any shampoo.  I'm not fit to be let out in a shop alone.