Project Perfume - Book Review

(Click picture for source)

 Alongside "Perfumes the A-Z Guide" by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, I've also read "The Perfect Scent" by Chandler Burr, and it's completely, totally and utterly fascinating.


Burr is the "scent critic" for The New York Times Magazine, and in this book he highlights the journeys of two perfumes on their way to market, One a high-end Perfume House; Hermes, making their way with Un Jardin Sur le Nil, and at the other end of the perfume spectrum, there is Coty, trying to get a celebrity perfume to market, and that is Sarah Jessica Parker's "Lovely".


At times unintentionally hilarious, as when a trip along the Nile becomes a bit of a disaster when the team from Hermes, who have just drafted in Jean-Claude Ellena as their in-house "nose",  discover that the gardens along the Nile don't really smell of anything, but at all times fascinating, it's an instructive and sometimes quite emotive book about how the high end and the mass-market go about things in their respective industries.


The Hermes story is very much about how much a company can have invested in one person's vision of how a scent should be, and how that will affect a company as whole, whereas the Coty story of Lovely is a little of the opposite, about how "smoothing the edges off" one person's vision can satisfy the company's marketing needs.  At least, that's how I read it.


All through the book you're treated to visions from both Jean-Claude Ellena and Sarah Jessica Parker (who played a surprisingly large role in the creation of her first perfume), of how they wanted the perfumes to smell, and what their inspirations were, and how they went from iteration to iteration of each scent until they were ready (sometimes only just!) to go to market.  I found this very interesting, so much so that I went out and bought a sample of each of the scents in the book, so I could smell the finished product for myself.


First things first, I'm not a massive fan of either Jean-Claude Ellena or of celebrity scents in general, Ellena's scents I find are simply too ethereal, too light, and too ... thin for me.  I can appreciate the master skill that he puts into making his perfumes, but, for me, they disappear too quickly, and usually I'm left resentful that after ten minutes or so I can no longer smell them at all.  With that in mind, to me, Un Jardin Sur Le Nil is pleasant, fruity, and, unsurprisingly insubstantial.  It is something that I will probably get more wear out of during hot weather, where I will appreciate something lighter and fruitier during the summer.  I'll be revisiting this one at a later date, I'm sure.


The real revelation for me is  Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, which I was surprised to find actually lives up to the name.  I am, I admit, a bit of a snob, there are no two ways about it, and I have, for years totally ignored - rightly or wrongly - celebrity perfumes.  I have no real desire to smell like the latest trend, and as the latest trends in perfume all appear to veer towards fruity toilet cleaners (particularly at the cheaper end of the z-list celeb scale)  then, I don't think I've missed all that much.  But this is a little gem, a non-fruity, rather sophisticated little musky floral that I don't mind admitting that I've been carrying around in my handbag for a week or two now.  It's a simple, easy wear, that doesn't need much thought, but it is, as the name suggests it will be, rather pretty, and sometimes, when you've been wrangling with other perfumes which can, and indeed do smell like cat-poo doused in honey (and that's a GOOD THING btw, but more about that later), Lovely is a nice little no-brainer that won't make you smell like Kerry Katona.


So, The Perfect Scent is a "right riveting read" as my mum would say, and a salutory lesson that price isn't - always - everything when it comes to scent.  Highly recommended.


The  Fine Print: Everything mentioned in this post was bought with my own cash, even the cat-poo-doused-in-honey scent, which I'll tell you more about later.


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

Nail of the Day

I tried OPI's Suzi Loves Cowboys from their recent Texas collection, but the plain dark brown creme shade didn't really suit me, so I souped it up a little with a coat of Nfu Oh #61:




And it turned out a lot nicer than anticipated. However, this was two coats of OPI, two coats of Nfu Oh, and two coats of Poshe topcoat, it lasted a day, then started pinging off all over the place!




So, a nice combination, but next time, only one coat each of the OPI and topcoat ....

Haut Totes - How much do I love thee?

Answer: Quite a darn lot, actually.

It's not often I get called a "happy goth" three times in one week, but this bag from Haut Totes has a lot to answer for ... ! I saw London Makeup Girl's El Dia de los Muertos bag about a year ago and fell in love with it a bit - but it took me a little while to order one of my own!  

When I saw the pink skulls though, I knew this was the one I wanted, I love the roses, and the cheery black skulls on the pink background.  Mind, I love practically everything on the Haut Totes Etsy shop, even the stuff with fairies on, which is partially why it took me so long to order, I simply couldn't make up my mind!

To go with the tote bag (which is made from an amazingly strong mesh, covered in the skull-printed fabric, seriously, you could haul around pretty much anything in here without worrying about it ripping), I also ordered a makeup bag:

Which is nice and roomy, and the back is mesh, so I can see at a glance what's in there, plus, I also ordered myself a wrist bag/cellphone holder (you need to buy the strap separately, but it's very cheap), which is astonishingly versatile:

I got the wristbag for those occasions when I can't be bothered with a handbag at all, it fits my iphone very well, and is lightly padded so there's little danger of damaging your phone if you drop it.  Not, of course, that I've ever tested this claim ... {ahem}

My bag makes me smile every time I look at it, and it's had a lot of compliments in its own right, which is about all you can ask from a pink bag covered in skulls, eh?  Haut Totes bags cost around £30, plus shipping from the US (so beware of customs charges), and the turnaround time is around a month, as all items are handmade from scratch by the lovely Melissa once ordered.

I'm taking this one to Portugal with me in June, as I think it'll make a perfect holiday bag, big enough for books, and lotions, and a towel.

The Fine Print: I bought this, and I'll be ordering more from Melissa soon ... Pink Lightning, you will be mine, oh yes ... All pictures in this post replicated by kind permission of Haut Totes - thank you Melissa!

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

Quick Question

Okay, readers, riddle me this:

If Get Lippie was a lipstick, what colour would she be?

All will be revealed soon ...

Whoa ... Bodyglide ...

... Bodyglide for yooooooooooouuuuuuu ....


(with apologies to the Bodyform people)

This is the least glamorous product ever featured on a beauty blog! Nonetheless, it's a lifesaver for me, particularly in the summer.

Chafing, ladies and gents, is not sexy.  It's not much fun either, being painful, and in summer it can lead to limited clothing opportunities, owing to the need to dress in a way to minimise rubbing.  For years, I lived in trousers in all weathers simply to avoid my thighs rubbing. In summer, just the thought of wearing a skirt without tights (and thick, black opague tights at that) would make me weep.  Yes, some stores stock what they call "comfort shorts", but that's just an added layer of clothing and kind of defeats the object of wearing a skirt in summer in the first place!

When I was training for a marathon a few years ago (what?  I've done a marathon! And raised nearly £2k for charity whilst I was about it too, stop laughing at the back), I was introduced to Bodyglide by a friend, and I've never been without a tube since.

Essentially a zinc-based balm, it creates a barrier between your skin and any materials that might chafe (or other body parts that rub together), and prevents the friction that causes rashes and discomfort, and as such it's a godsend.  This little tube means I can wear skirts without tights in hot weather, and as it's also great for preventing blisters from strappy shoes, means I can happily trip around town in any combination of sandals and other footwear without fear of blisters or unsightly plasters.  All you do is rub a thin layer - and you really do only need a thin layer - over any areas where you are prone to chafing, or rubbing, and that's it.  I haven't had a foot-blister in about four years now ...

So yes, it's not glam, not sexy, not sparkly or shiny, but it is just plain useful, and a product I couldn't live without it.  I get my Bodyglide (and how can you not love that name?) from wiggle.com where a large tube, which will last you all summer - and beyond, will cost you £8.99.

The Fine Print: I buy two tubes of this a year, a small one for my handbag, and a larger one for the house.  If a PR had suggested I write about this stuff, I'd probably have laughed at the pitch. Oh yes.  But the recent sweltering weather has reminded me just how much of a blessing this stuff is.  So there.

PS apologies for the earworm, 80s kids!

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

A Week In Lipstick

This week, I have mostly been wearing:




Clinique Chubby Stick - Mega Melon
Ellis Faas Creamy Lips - L307
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain - Passion
Chantecaille Lip Chic - Tea Rose
Yves St Laurent Candy Sheer Volupte - 2 Papaya Gelee
Tom Ford - True Coral
And finally …




The last lipstick there is a mystery, the full details of which I'll reveal ... eventually! But it's obviously been a coral kind of week...

Here are the swatches, which one catches your eye?




It might be warm outside, but I still love wearing my lipstick.

My Current Skincare Routine - Reactive Skin

In almost two years of beauty blogging (seriously, how the hell did that happen?) I've been incredibly blessed in that my sometimes sensitive skin hasn't broken out in boils, blotches and mysterious rashes.  Until recently, that is.  Something I've been using near my eyes has caused a hot, red, itchy rash, and, to put it mildly, I'm not happy!


I've narrowed down the possible offenders to three potentials, one an eyecream, one a moisturiser, and one  ... er ... something else.  I forget which now.  Most likely a cleanser.  Yes, I tried a new cleanser recently.  Must have been that. Oh, and there's a fourth thing it might have been, but I really, really can't remember what that was.  Anyway. 

So, in order to try and get my skin back into some semblance of normality, I've pared my skincare routine right back, and I'm using just three products until my skin calms down enough for me to start re-introducing items in order for me to weed out the irritant.

These products are: Nude Cleansing Facial Oil, Darphin Intral Toner and Avene Extremely Rich Compensating Cream.  I've completely removed any skincare with more "active" ingredients from my routine to stop my skin flaring up further and that means "bye-bye" to my beloved Alpha H for a couple of weeks!  Here's how I've been getting on with my new routine.

Nude Cleansing Facial Oil


An old standby, and very much an old favourite, this is gentle, effective and luxurious to use.  I never used to really like the smell, but I've grown used to it over the years (this is one of the first things I ever bought to blog about, and I've never been without a bottle since), and now I love it.  Thick, rich, and feels intensely nourishing, which, when your skin is as red and reactive as mine is at the moment, is just what the doctor ordered.  Mine cost £24 from Space NK, which reminds me, I'm running low - very low - right now, and it might be time to re-invest in a bottle.  Did I mention it's organic?  It's organic.  And it's very nice indeed.  If you're not sure you like oil cleansers, this is a good one to start off with, it'll kind of spoil you for the rest.

Darphin Intral Toner


I'm not much of a one for toners.  Some people think I'm wrong, but hey, it's MY skin, and I like what I like, thank you very much.  And, it turns out I like this particular toner very much indeed.  Formulated specifically for sensitive skins, this alcohol-free (the only time you'll ever see me approve of this phrase is when it comes to my skincare, btw) delicately flower-scented pink liquid is something I've been using every day recently to soothe and cool my inflamed temples.  It is moisturising, and calming, and I think I might just keep it in daily rotation once the current skin-crisis is over.  I'm trying to think of toners as the beginning of my moisturising routine, and not as the end of my cleansing one, I wonder if that will help me keep them in my routine?


Anyway, this is a nice toner, and I like using it.  So there.  I'm thinking of decanting a little of it, and keeping it by me at all times over the summer for a more moisturising spriz than usual. My bottle cost £27, again, from Space NK.

Finally, I've been using Avene Extremely Rich Compensating Cream, which, on first look I thought was just going to be far too heavy for my skin.  I was assured otherwise by a certain Mrs Hirons who assured me, when she handed the pot over, that, as well as being irritated, I - sorry, my skin - was also dehydrated.  Turns out she was right.  I hate that.  Anyway, this is a fairly heavyweight little pot of soothing, calming and rehydrating goodness.  Yes, it is a little heavier than my normal moisturiser of choice, but it has worked wonders on my perpetually re-occuring patch of dry skin on my forehead, and for that alone, I have to love it.  It does, also, I have to say, seem to be soothing my irritated (and irritating) skin.  I can't use this one all over my face, but applied just to my dryer areas: forehead, temples and cheeks, mainly, I can definitely see that this is about the most hydrating thing I've ever applied to my face, and that has to be a good thing.

You can buy this for £16.50 from Boots, but my pot (the design of which I detest, by the way), came from Caroline's Magic Beauty Cupboard, which I'm hoping one day to get her to blog about ...


So, my skin is now not at all hot, flaky or burning any more, which is wonderful. And it's less red, which is great. I'm just waiting for the bumps to subside now, and all will be well.  Then I can start using more sexy products again ... that said, I've been so impressed by the Darphin and Avene products I've tried as a result of the flare-up that I'm sure I'll be investigating more of their ranges, so for a beauty addict like myself, there has been a bright side!


The Fine Print: I bought half of this, and the moisturiser was a present.  Kind of.  More a bribe to stop me whining, I suspect, but hey ho, it worked, anyway.

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

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy - 02 Papaye Gelee

It must be said that YSL Rouge Voluptes have some of the prettiest packaging on the market.  That out of the way, I have to say that I am not a fan of the Rouge Volupte formula, finding it too greasy, and disliking the way the texture sits on your lips, rather then melds with your lips texture.  For such an expensive lipstick, personally, I think they're not worth the price, and, I've never quite understood their popularity, which I suspect is partially down to their undeniable prettiness - even MrLippie thinks they're "swish"!

Being of a fair mind - and, having tried the new sheer Dior  and Chanel lipsticks recently too - when I noticed that YSL had brought out a tinted balm version of their Rouge Voluptes, I thought I'd give one of them a try.  Having swatched all 6 shades, which go from an extremely pale pink, through to a red, I picked out shade number 2, which is Papaye Gelee, or "Dewy Papaya", and is a pretty coral shade:

This is really beautiful packaging, I much prefer the silver to the gold, and  on the lips, it's very moisturising, if a little lacking in pigment.  Yes, I do appreciate this is a balm, but I did notice on swatching that there was little to no difference between any of the colours on the pale side:

As you can see from the swatch, it's barely visible at all.  But this doesn't, actually, make this a bad balm.  It's nice to use, pleasantly scented (with no taste) of watermelon, and does make your lips feel soft and moisturised while you're using it.  I find that if I use it with a lipstain, it does have a tiny "brightening" effect on the colour, and for that reason, I'm glad I bought it.

So out of all the sheer/balm lipsticks I've tried recently, I think YSL wins on packaging (and price, being cheaper than both the Chanel and Dior), but ... the Chanel wins overall for comfort of wear, and range of colours. 


YSL Volupte Sheer Candy are currently exclusive to Harrods, and cost £20.


The Fine Print: Harrods stole my credit card, and gave me this in return.


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

Remington 5 in 1 Airstyler

I've had blow-dry lessons from some of the best hairdressers in this country - Yes, Ben Cooke (creator of Victoria Beckham's various 'do's over the years) I'm looking at you, and, it has to be said that I remain a cack handed muppet at it. 


The problems are that I have short arms and a lot - and I do mean a lot - of wavy hair.  So, the traditional hairdryer and brush method is backbreaking, not to mention, heartbreaking work with my thatch of frizzy fuzz.


Years ago, I had a Remington Airstyler that was basically a hairbrush with a built in hairdryer, and, I have to say, I loved it.  My only real problem with it was that the hairdryer was a rather feeble 300 watts, so drying my hair (which was a lot curlier back then) took hours.  Luckily for me, the new 5in1 Remington Airstyler is a massive 1200 watts so this solves that particular problem, and has made me a very happy chappy blogger.


The new Remington Airstyler comes with five attachments: two round bristle brushes (one with hard "fixed" bristles, and one with softer, flexible bristles), a targeted hairdryer nozzle, a ridge "tong" attachment, and my own personal favourite, the flat "paddle" brush attachment, which has a side each of fixed and flexible bristles.

I've found that I can give myself a nice (not great - I'm still rubbish), blowdry with lots of volume using the paddle brush attachment, in about 15 minutes or so, without really needing to follow up with my straighteners, or needing a massage on my aching shoulders - the fixed bristles glide through the hair smoothly with no snagging, and the flexible bristles provide a great deal of traction, which is great for making the hair smoother.  The dryer itself has three speeds: low heat, high heat and a cool shot, which is very handy.



All in all, a winner for me - and for around £25 it's a bargain, I paid nearly £40 for one with just a quarter of the drying power (and no attachments besides the round brush and the nozzle) around ten years ago!


The Fine Print: PR sample.  And an horrendously overdue review.  I'm nice like that ;)

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

Hob Salons - "Treat Me Like A Princess" Package

I'm an accountant (I may have mentioned it), and this is my busiest time of the year. That occasional KA-thonk sound you may hear in the distance is my hitting my head on my desk whilst trying to get to grips with the concept of deferred income vs restricted reserves and their associate release against spend schedules, and please do not even talk to me about auditors, or I might simply weep - but I digress.

All this was my roundabout way of saying that today I have a guest review for you - and from a work colleague, no less ... I found out about Hob's Treat Me Like A Princess package last month - which they're offering all through April, which includes a cut, colour, plus lots of other little extras that will make this feel like a really pampering experience - and I'd been looking forward to trying it out. Sadly, as it got nearer the time, I discovered I wouldn't be able to attend, so I drafted in one of my co-workers, the always-amazing Amy, to take my place ... here's how she got on:

I paid a visit to Hob salon in Camden on behalf of the lovely Louise to trial out a current promotion they are running throughout April called 'Treat me like a Princess' in celebration of the run up to the royal wedding. The package includes a colour, a cut, a treatment, a head massage, a goody bag and a voucher towards your next appointment with them.

Before my appointment I had to go for an allergy test to ensure I had no reactions to their products which is company policy and must be done 48 hours before colouring. Immediately I thought this was going to be hassle but as you can get it done in any of their salons you can pick and choose when and where and you don’t need to pre-book an appointment. I chose the Baker Street branch so I could walk there after work. It took roughly 5 minutes all in all and I was back on my merry way before long.

As I made my way to the Camden salon I soon realised the directions on their website were not so helpful and I walked past the turn off I was meant to take. (Hint: walk down Jamestown road and take a right after CBS offices).  When I finally got there the reception staff were very friendly but not too falsely over-friendly like you can get in a lot of other salons. They showed me to my seat and introduced me to Lindsey who was my colourist. 

She sat down and talked me through what would suit both my hair and my features. She suggested going for a halo bar which meant that the highlights would lie under a layer of hair,  which would make them not so prominent on the top of my head. We decided on antique blonde, which to be honest I was a little apprehensive about, as I am not a fan of blonde hair but I trusted her judgement and was delighted with the outcome. I did notice though that they must have drafted her in from another branch for the day,  as the other staff were asking her what she was doing there that day, but that’s nothing bad, they obviously wanted their best colourist to do my hair which I can hardly complain about now can I?

After the colour the next part of the ‘Treat me like a princess’ package was a conditioning treatment and a head and neck massage which was glorious and so relaxing I almost fell asleep at the sinks! The treatment was an intensive conditioner and a toner to help maximise the colour in my hair. My hair was amazingly soft afterwards and looked beautifully healthy.

Next was the hair cut and the guy to carry this out was Rodos who was very easy on the eye and a true gentleman. As you can see from my before photo:

this is no simple feat, and not a task for the faint hearted, with the amount of hair on my head. But Rodos gracefully accepted the mammoth task of removing a few inches, a lot of thinning it out, and giving it some shape and style. He combined the use of a thinning scissors and a blade. I felt he really listened to what I wanted but still gave his opinion of what he thought would sit best and look great and he really did know his stuff as I was delighted with the cut and finish.



 

The salon I found had a great vibe and with trainees in full view practising on balconies above, gave it a nice full and bustling atmosphere.  The place was clean and had lovely Sanctuary soap and hand moisturiser in the bathroom.

Overall I found the experience really and truly worthwhile and would recommend it to my friends. You do feel like a princess as you get well looked after including receiving a glass of wine while your colour sets.

I left the salon feeling great about myself and my new hair style and with a goody bag of shampoos and hair masks to take home and a 25% off voucher for my next colour. 

I've seen Amy's hair since, and it does indeed look fantastic, Lindsey has given her a subtle sunkissed look, and it is amazingly healthy and shiny, I was very impressed.  And jealous.  If you fancy being treated like a princess too, then contact your local Hob Salon for prices.

The Fine Print: Amy was a guest of Hob Salons.  PS, Amy, you owe me a cup of tea ;)


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