LipsNspritz of the Week 17 January 2016

I spent this week wearing some of the "big hitters" in my collection, and thoroughly enjoyed it!  I began the week with Chanel No19 and Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Collection Ruby Red, and enjoyed the grown-up sophistication (something I'm sorely lacking in naturally) of bitter greenness and aldehydes. Tuesday brought brash spice and a gentle hint of the barnyard in Estee Lauder's Cinnabar, which I paired with the (accidentally) matching Sunset Red of the same Max Factor collection (click the previous link to see what I thought of these lipsticks in full).  Cinnabar is warm and full-bodied and is rather wonderful in cold weather.

On Wednesday, I thought I'd wear what was the first "fine fragrance" I ever owned (at the tender age of 13!), O' de Lancome by Lancome.  I remember it as being the lemoniest thing on the planet, and, what can I say, my  memories aren't that reliable, because it isn't, of course, that lemony at all.  Yes, there's citrus, but there's also a hefty punch of green herbs behind the citrus, and I loved wearing this, I kept sniffing myself in delight at such a great re-discovery.  On Thursay, I wore Samsara, which was the Guerlain answer to YSL Opium (as was Cinnabar, now I come to think of it), but it has a lighter, fresher, more citrus take on the heavy spice and warm resins of the original Opium.

On Friday I took advantage of the fact that my boss was "working from home" to wear Dior Poison.  Well, why wouldn't you? Applied in a small dose - no more than two sprays, maximum! - Poison is actually a lovable tuberose fragrance, with an appealingly powdery drydown. Applied with a heavier hand however, it deserves all the opprobrium it gets.  It was surprisingly popular in the office, and people were amazed when I told them what it was! I wore it with Lipstick Queen Private Party, which is one of the best pinks ever.

Saturday daytime, I wore YSL Paris, another fragrance I used to wear in my youth. Remembered as a sugar-rich, sweet, sweet, SWEET confection, this rosily pretty fragrance is another done a disservice by my unreliable memory.  It's not the explosion in a candy-floss factory I thought it was and is actually a neon-rose-violet that I actually can't smell in too much detail.  Oh well, I'll keep trying with this one, it's a classic for a reason. I topped it up with Paradox for a night on the tiles with MrLippie, and that worked well.  I wore it with Zelens Lip Glaze in Nude, which is the only "nude" I ever wear...

And what have you been wearing? 


The Fine Print: A mixture of PR samples and purchases


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Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Lipstick Collection

 I love lipstick.  I love Marilyn Monroe, so when the press release for this Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Colour Elixir Collection came in, it was a bit of a no-brainer.  A collection of four reds, inspired by the iconic looks of Marilyn, and selected for every skin-tone, I leapt to take a look at this one!

The four shades are Marilyn Ruby Red - a blue-based red cream.  Marilyn Sunset Red - an orange-based red cream.  Marilyn Berry, a pink-based red, and Marilyn Cabernet, a sightly deeper true red, with just the tiniest hint of gold shimmer.   Here's how they look in the bullet:

 For some reason, my camera is making Marilyn Berry look like a baby-pink there, but I assure you it's actually a pink-red (as you'll see in the swatch pic below).  I love the shades they've picked out, actually, I think Sunset Red is the nearest to a lot of the reds Marilyn actually wore - she did love an orange-toned red, in pictures - but Berry and Ruby would work well for paler and cooler skin tones, respectively, where Sunset and Cabernet are good for warmer and darker skins.  Me, I'll be happy in all of them except Sunset, as I am both pale and cool, and find anything with an orange tone quite difficult to wear.  It's still lovely though.

(L-R) Ruby, Sunset, Berry, Cabernet

The formula is a silky and relatively opaque one, the swatches show several passes with the bullet on my skin.  This pic is a much better representation of Berry too (third from the right, there).  I found the formula to be averagely long-lasting - four or five hours or so, unless you're eating and drinking - and oddly, a little bit sweet-tasting.  All in all a great collection for your money, and at £10.99 per lipstick, it'll be a little easier on the pocket, not to mention easier to get hold of than MAC's recent Dita Von Teese lipstick, so if you missed out on that (I only got mine by accident, I admit) then pick up one or two of these instead ... they're in-store now.

The Fine Print: PR Samples


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LipsNspritz of the week 10 January 2016

I fell in love this week, and I never expected to! It started on Monday with a brief squirt of Estee Lauder Youth Dew, and it continued later in the week and it ended up with my buying a bottle (or two!) of the matching bath oil, which is divine, by the way, and every home should have a (tiny) bottle. Youth Dew opens surprisingly bright with bergamot, and is fresher than I remember it, then once the top notes wear off, it is deep and rich with almost-medicinal balsams and resins.   It's not a fragrance for you if you prefer "clean" scents, but it's a grown-up, sophisticated and no-nonsense kind of a fragrance. I love it very much.  

On Tuesday (top row, middle), I wore Carven Le Parfum, which, after the confident brass balls of Youth Dew, seems a tiny, ladylike whisper of white flowers and office-appropriateness.  It's incredbly light and sheer and pretty, and as I generally prefer a bit of attitude with my fragrance, it's not something I'll wear too often in all honesty.  But if you like clean and pretty and light, it's very lovable indeed.

Wednesday (top right) saw me in Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude,  which is another light and office appropriate fragrance, and one which I don't wear too often as a result.  It's a little more interesting (to me) than the Carven, because this really does smell like warm, clean, freshly showered skin, and I like it, but it doesn't feel very "me".

Thursday saw me right back in my comfort zone, with Voyage d'Hermes by Hermes, in the parfum concentration.  A spiced (cardamom and juniper) rose over a bed of amber, this is surprisingly sexy for a diaphanous Jean Claude Ellena concoction, and is one of my all-time favourite fragrances of all time. It's one both myself and my husband wear (when I'm not hiding it from him that is), and we both  love.  Completely backup-worthy, this one.

Friday, I wore a vintage bottle of Nu by Yves Saint Laurent.  The first fragrance released by Tom Ford for YSL, Nu is a symphony of black pepper and incense, and was a) the first time I'd ever heard of Tom Ford, and b) realised that perfume didn't have to smell of just fruit and flowers.  Nu is spicy, peppery, and at the time that I bought it (around 2001) didn't smell like anything else on the market.  It was truly and original, and the fact that around approximately 60% of all new "niche" perfumes try to rip it off just goes to show how influential it was.  Another one of my favourites.

On Saturday I actually left the house and went for dinner with my husband (I never leave the house on Saturdays if I can possibly help it!) and to celebrate, I went with Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds.  Because: Elizabeth Taylor, White Diamonds. All powder and aldehydes, White Diamond is a true 80's classic, as long as you don't mind smelling like an exploded makeup bag.  Which, of course, I don't.

Lipsticks this week included (Mon-Sat) Max Factor lipgloss in Polished Fuchsia,  Guerlain Kiss Kiss in Very Cherry, Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy in Rebellious Rose, Dior Addict Extreme in Paparazzi, Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Grand Palais, and (not pictured, but please see Monday's post this week), Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Collection No1 Red Ruby.  Pictured bottom left is actually Bare Minerals Moxie lip colour in Live Large, which is excellent.

So, what've you been wearing? 


The Fine Print: PR Sample


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Max Factor Lipfinity Revisited

Lipfinity was launched by Max Factor in 2000, but there was always something rather ... nineties about them, if you ask me.  It was the brown-ness.  They were firmly stuck in that rust rut that I always associate with the late 90's, where blush, shadow and lipstick were usually the same terracotta shade.  Get Lippie doesn't really do brown.

Especially not like this:

She's so beautiful.  I'd look like an Oompa Loompa. More so than usual, I mean.

I'd just look like my face was dirty.  Monochrome brown is a great look for some, but ... well, it's not for me.  Brown is what I think of when I think of Lipfinity though, I can't deny it.

But, I was re-introduced to the range recently (hey, only 14 years behind the curve, never say we're not trendsetters here at Lippie Mansions), and I was delighted to notice they had some really lovely BRIGHT colours! Not a brown in sight!

Here we have shades (L-R):

006 - Always Delicate: beige-peach
024 - Stay Cheerful: lovely cool pink
120 - Hot: tomato red
146 - Just Bewitching: creamy coral
335 - Just in Love: raspberry

Yes, yes, I know, beige is a kind of brown, shut up!  There's nothing rusty about these colours though, they're gorgeous.

Hot and Just in Love have a hint of gold and silver shimmer respectively, but the other three are cream shades.  The shimmer is barely (if at all) perceptible on the lips, but it just stops the colours looking too flat in the tube.

Even thought I'm not at my most comfortable in "nude" shades, 006 Always Delicate is wearable for me because it contains a lot of pinkish-peach, and it's good for adding a polished look to a no-makeup face.  I don't look as much like a corpse as usual in this one.

My favourites, as you might have guessed if you're a long time reader, are the red and the deep raspberry pink, and it's always a delight to have a long-wearing non-feathering formula in bright shades.  Application is the normal two-stage slight faff, the slightly dry pigment layer (which works best if you apply two extremely thin coats, rather than one thick one):

335 Just in Love

And then you follow this up with the glossy silicone layer:

335 Just in Love

Colours apply true to tube (this is one very thin layer - it would have been far more intense with two), and will last through tea, coffee, wind, rain, sunshine, and hail.  But not chips.  Never chips. The pigments in Lipfinity are oil-soluble, so chips, lard, cream cakes, mayonnaise etc will all eat through the colour and leave you with the red (pink/peach/coral) ring of doom if you're not careful.  Most cleansing oils and balms will get rid of them at the end of the day, but you might have to scrub a little with your facecloth to get the final stubborn remnants off.  Oh, and invest in a decent lip balm for nighttime, this will show up every fault on your lips, if you've neglected them. If you're a fan of Lipfinity already, then you'll love these colours.  If you're not ... well, there's nothing new here aside from the pigments.

Well played Max Factor!  Nice colours all, and it's great to have long-lasting colours at an affordable price, they cost £10.99 each at Boots, but there are always offers on ... Compare that to one Guerlain Rouge G, Tom Ford or Chantecaille Lip Chic (all in the £30+ bracket) and you have yourself a bargain.

What have you revisited recently?

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  Photos for this post were taken with a Nokia Lumia 1020 lent by Microsoft.  It's a phone, in case you were wondering.  with a bloody good camera.  I'll review it properly one day.  I haven't used my DSLR since it arrived, I'm *that* lazy.

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Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara

By Laurin

My favourite mascara ever is any mascara I’ve been using for about six weeks. The purchase of a new make-up item brings with it a flutter of excitement in my stomach, and yet my heart never fails to sink when I open a new tube of mascara. Why? Because I know I’m about to spend five god-damned minutes that I don’t even have wiping the brush unless I want to arrive in my office looking like the victim of an unfortunate tarantula attack on the Victoria Line. It takes me about a month of jiggery-pokery and wand acrobatics to use up enough product for a perfect application straight from the tube, only to find one morning four weeks later that it’s magically fused into a solid lump of black gunk overnight. Ain’t nobody got time for that. 

These are not cheap products. At the time of writing, I estimate that I have at least £100 of unsatisfactory mascaras in my make-up drawer, all paid for with money I earned myself. Current rejects include Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara, Benefit They’re Real! (also: stop using tits to sell me eyelash paint), Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme and yes, Estee Lauder Double Wear, which has singlehandedly ruined many a rocking smoky eye.

And yet, I dream. I dream of a day when I shall open a new tube of mascara, gently wave the wand across my eyes and gaze back in the mirror at my thick, fluttering, perfectly separated lashes. “Darling,” my husband Michael Fassbender calls from the next room, “do come back to bed and – “ Oh, are you still here? Hi!

Anyway. I am pleased to report that my dreams have come true (my mascara-related dreams, that is). I’d never heard of Max Factor Clump Defy until Superdrug re-launched it as part of a limited edition best sellers range to celebrate their 50^th anniversary. It is genuinely the best mascara I’ve ever tried, at any price point. The short, tightly-packed bristles (pictured below) means it comes out of the tube with exactly the right amount of product on it, which is to say, not very much at all.

As you can see, the brush is slightly curved, enabling it to cover more lashes in one sweep. Below, you can see my lashes with no mascara at all, and with one coat of Clump Defy (I’ve also used my Shu Uemera Eyelash Curlers before applying). 

I normally apply three coats of mascara, and you can see below the effects of two and three coats of Clump Defy. There isn’t a huge amount of difference, so you could probably skip the third coat.

If you hurry, you can pick up the limited edition dotty pink packaging, which I love because it makes finding this in my make-up bag a cinch. After all, the more time I save on my make-up routine, the longer I can spend in bed with my husband, Michael Fassbender.

Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara is available at Superdrug in limited edition packaging for £7.99 at the time of writing.

The Fine Print - PR Sample

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Max Factor Giant Pen Sticks Launch Monday!

 

*This post contains sponsored content* 
 
So, the day is finally almost here, and I thought I'd save my favourites of the new Max Factor Colour Elixir Giant Pen Sticks till last, so here they are; Designer Blossom and Passionate Red:

As in the previous pairings, there's one sheerer (Designer Blossom) and one more opaque shade, in this case, Passionate Red.

Now, whilst Designer Blossom is rather sheerer, it isn't lacking in pigment, and can be blotted down into a rather nice stain, which is my preferred way to use it. Passionate Red is a deeper, more dramatic shade, with hints of golden shimmer.  On the lips:

As you can probably see, Designer Blossom has more of a glossy sheen, whereas Passionate Red is more of a satin, last time for both is about average, you'll need to reapply to get a glossy effect, but Designer Blossom has more of a staining effect on the lips than Passionate Red, so there's very little "red ring of doom" effect in wear.

Overall, I've been quite impressed with the Giant Pen stick collection, they're unflavoured big lip pencils (the name is a bit misleading, I think - they're not "giant", and they're definitely not pens!), in a nice range of colours for both the colour-shy, and the fans of vibrant shades.  And, at £6.99 each, you can afford to buy (more or less) the entire range for the cost of one shade from Tom Ford.  Well, if you don't buy yourself a sharpener at the same time, you can, anyway!  Here's a last look at all the shades together, both on the lips and not:

Sheer shades at the top, opaque shades at the bottom.  My picks are very definitely both of the reds, with Vibrant Pink and Subtle Coral edging their way in too.  Whilst I wouldn't wear Princess Pink outside the house if you paid me a million dollars, it's a brave shade for a collection from Max Factor who aren't particularly known to be that edgy, and I know a lot of people will love it

Which are your picks?  There's a 3-4-2 offer on at Boots right now, btw ....

The Fine Print: Advertorial post: Max Factor paid for the space on the blog, but not the opinions held within.
 
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Max Factor Giant Pen Sticks Launch April First!

*This post contains sponsored content*

In my post before last, I mentioned that Max Factor were launching their Giant Pen Sticks, and I gave you a little preview of two of the shades; Vibrant Pink and Hot Chocolate.  I'm back this week to show you two more, namely Princess Pink and Subtle Coral. 

First a reminder of all the shades:

I spoke to Caroline Barnes recently, who was very excited about the range of shades, commenting on how it was an "extremely 'fashion-forward' collection for Max Factor", and how the range of shades, as selected by Mel Arter was suitable for a range of skin-tones and looks.  

With that in mind, here's a closer looks at what might be the single-most "fashion-forward" shade: Princess Pink, alongside what is probably the easiest shade of the collection to wear, Subtle Coral:

  
Subtle Coral is a sheer pink-coral, and Princess Pink is an milky, almost fluoro pink, with an extremely white base.  A little too bright to be a proper pastel, it's saturated, and comes complete with a blue micro-shimmer.  Here's how they look on skin:

And here's a blurry close-up that hopefully shows off that shimmer better:

And on the lips:

Same day, same lighting, same position - look what happens to my skin!

As you can see, Subtle Coral gives just a whisper of sheeny colour to the lips, whereas Princess Pink is more opaque, and you can blot it down to a stain.

In fact, Princess Pink is a bit too "fashion-forward" for this particular beauty blogger, I tried to take a picture of my full face wearing it, but ended up having to filter the heck out of it (oh, and I got photobombed too) to stop me looking dead:

Seriously, you should have seen the "before" pic ...

 

That said, Princess Pink is a colour a lot of people are going to love, in particular those with a much deeper skintone than me ... Subtle Coral, however whilst not nearly as "fun" to wear, is a useful neutral addition to a lipstick wardrobe, and it's one I've had a lot of wear out of already ...

Later this week, I'll show you what I think are the two stars of the collection, Designer Blossom, and Passionate Red.  Yes, I've saved the best (the reds - I'm ever a sucker for a red) till last - and there are no scary pictures of me and MrLippie for you, either ...  Max Factor Giant Pen Sticks will be available in Boots from 1st April.  Will you be picking any up?

The Fine Print: This is a sponsored post.  Get Lippie's editorial policy is only to accept sponsorship from products which would have featured whether or not sponsorship was on offer.  This product passed that test.  
 
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Max Factor Colour Elixir Giant Pen Sticks Launch Soon

 

This post contains sponsored content
  
I've had this glass of pretties on my desk for a while now, and, as they launch in a couple of weeks, I figured (I'm nice like that) it was time to tell you about them.  There's a slew of  "podgy" products about at the moment, but Max Factor Giant Pen Sticks in the Colour Elixir range - launching on April 1st at Boots - are slightly different, being more akin to a pencil lipstick, than a self-propelling pencil of balm.  You'll need a sharpener, for a start ...

There are six colours to choose from, all selected by Max Factor makeup artist Mel Arter. Mel; famous for her inspired and edgy makeup looks, has been inspired this time around by the latest catwalk trends, and she says:
 

“Right now we’re seeing the biggest colour comeback in cosmetics since the 80s – it’s a backlash against the recession as people ditch the minimal trend by adding a cheerful splash of colour. There was a real sporty element to the collections for SS/13. Brights on the lips are a huge nod to that. Specifically pink as it is such an informal and fun colour. 

"The texture should be waxy and the shape informal. My favourite Giant Pen Stick is Vibrant Pink 15 - a sophisticated fluoro-pink which is the perfect expression of that trend. Teamed with your favourite eyeliner inside the waterline, gives the statement lip more attitude. Minimal and cool.  Hot Chocolate pushes neutral lips forward for the coming season. It gives the right amount of colour and finish to a nude make-up. Your lips look tonal but alive. This shade compliments a nude make-up beautifully.”

 

It's a compact range of two pinks, two reds, a nude, and a, as the name implies, a rather subtle coral shade, but let's have a closer look at the two shades Mel Arter mentions above, Vibrant Pink, and Hot Chocolate:

And here's them on my lips:

Think Mel is bang on with her talk of the eighties for Vibrant Pink - I had an entire outfit this colour in 1988! I'll be showing you the rest of the range in more detail in another post, and I'll also be telling you all about my upcoming Giant Pen Stick "colour consultation" with another of my Max Factor makeup artist heroes, Caroline Barnes soon too.

Looking forward to the Giant Pen Stick Launch on April 1st?  I am! 

The Fine Print: This is a sponsored post.  Get Lippie only accepts sponsored content if it's a product that would be featured on the site ordinarily, this product passed that test.  Thanks for reading.

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Summery Coral Lipsticks from Clinique, Max Factor and Sisley

It's summer - allegedly - and I normally swap to more coral-shades in summer.  Whilst the sun hasn't really blessed us much this year, we do have some top lipstick shades around at the moment.  I picked up three at random, and thought you might like to see them:

So, we have Clinique Runway Coral, Max Factor Bewitching Coral, and Sisley Sheer Peach, or, in my words, the orange-coral, the pink-coral, and the peach.  Take a look:

They're all lovely in their own way, the Runway Coral from Clinique is one that I saw a Sales Assistant wearing at one point, and HAD TO HAVE, and the Max Factor is one that I initially trialled last year, and fell in love with.  The Sisley is, well, it's Sisley, and sometimes you just really want a very expensive lipstick. Or is that just me?

The Max Factor is probably the best all-rounder for me, the pinker-shade makes it more wearable with a variety of looks, but the Clinique definitely has more of the wow-factor on the skin, even if it does need more dramatic makeup to carry it off.  The Sisley sheer peach is lovely, but might suit a different skintone better, someone either really fair, or very dark I imagine would look wonderful in this.

What are your picks for summer lipstick shades?

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

Lipstick Of The (Next) Week

Something a bit different this week (for I wore only one lipstick last week (Tom Ford Indian Rose, seeing as you didn't ask, and I love it), so I'm showing you the lipsticks I'm going to be wearing this week.  A little sneaky preview, if you will.

Max Factor have set a  bunch of beauty bloggers a lipstick challenge: to wear seven shades of lipstick over the course of a week and see how we get along with them.  Long-time readers of Get Lippie will know that this is nothing new round these parts but, after they cheerfully acknowledged the inspiration for the idea, I thought I'd give it a go ...  nothing if not magnanimous, moi ... these are the seven shades of the brand new Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick (which fuses lipstick with skincare benefits) I was given to try:

I do love this elegant packaging, the lipsticks look far more expensive than a £7.99 product, and I love the little coloured panels at the bottom.

And I like the carved bullets too.  What I have here are three shimmer shades (English Rose, Angel Pink and Mulberry) and the rest are creams.  Here, have a closer look:

Yeah, I swatched Bewitching Coral before I took the pics, sorry!

This is a nice selection of shades - the are 15 in the range altogether, and as you can see, they span nudes, corals, pinks, and reds.  Of this collection, I know that I'm going to struggle with three (Angel Pink has already been identified as my nemesis) of them, but we'll see how I get along with the colours next week.  Having worn one of them for a few hours already, I know they are very well saturated with colour, and are extremely comfortable to wear, being feather-light and having a balm-ish texture, which is very nice indeed.

Here's the now-obligatory swatch shot:

I'll be showing you lipswatches and some more thoughts on the range (and the shades) this time next week.  It'll be the first time I've spent a week wearing the same brand of lipstick every day ... will my lips survive?

Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipsticks are available now, and cost around £7.99.  However, they're included in the current 3-4-2 offer at Boots at the moment, so now would be a good time to snap some up.

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  This is NOT a sponsored post, it's just a bit of fun.  All links, as always are unaffiliated, and for informational purposes only.  The word Elixir looks funny.  Elixir.  Elix-ir.  Elixiiiiir....

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