Wedding Prep - Nails (Featuring Nailtiques and Estee Lauder)

 
Getting married makes you paranoid about the oddest things - zits, blotches, weight, hair, and  ... nails.  My nails are weak, peely and friable in their natural state, and hands are so important in a wedding (the rings!) that I'm spending this last few days before the ceremony in a tizz about breaking one of them.

Actually, I'm in a tizz about a lot of things, but breaking a nail, stupid though it may sound, is definitely one of them! I think my nails are looking pretty good at the moment, and that is largely down to one product, this:

 I've been using it for around 18 months now, and it makes my soft, peely, (and really flipping annoying) nails hard as ... well, nails, really!   I don't, however, use it like it says in the instructions, (which are to use a layer every other day, and not with polish), but I do use it as a basecoat for my painted nails. A layer of this, a layer of Orly Bonder, and only then am I ready to get painting with a colour.  I've had my bottle so long now, though, that I can't actually remember where I got it from, yes, I'm still on that first bottle!  I remember wincing at the price, too, but it's worth every single penny.

It's made a world of difference to my nails, they peel a lot less, and they're strong and hard. I just can't imagine ever being without a bottle. I just have to not break a nail now till after Saturday ...

Oh, the polish in the top picture, which I love, is Insatiable by Estee Lauder.  A dirty lavender, which is a great alternative to all the "pretty" pastels appearing on counters at the moment.  It's limited edition, and on counters now, so go snap one up. God, I hate pastels ...
 

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Latest Basenotes Article!

 No real post today, but if you're missing my witterings, you can read my latest piece for Basenotes here.  It's a groundbreaking expose of  .... oh, who am I kidding?  I spent a week wearing perfumes from the pound shop, and, basically, it ends with me making death threats whilst fantasising about wet kippers and washing powder.  Kind of.  Go read it!

The Fine Print: I did not pay myself to feature this link to myself. 

Also, please tell me I'm not the only one who can see ... that ... thing in the illustration.

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Sleeping with Snor-Ring

This post might possibly veer into the Too Much Information-zone, featuring, as it does, talk of sleeping habits and routines.  Oh, and it's a MrLippie post, too.  Get Lippie advises readers of a nervous disposition to look away now ...

*****

Allegedly, I snore. [No "allegedly" about it - Ed] I am still not entirely convinced that I do, but the phrase "you sound like a Brazilian logging camp" has been used in my vicinity, more than once,and sometimes by people who weren't even in the same room overnight! So, when a package arrived and had Get Lippie beaming with excitement as she handed it to me saying "This is for YOU!", my reaction was perhaps not the most enthusiastic. I would even go so far to say that I rolled my eyes. [He did.  A lot - Ed]

Added to being unconvinced about my snoring in the first place, I have a fairly lukewarm response to an awful lot of alternative therapy. I have a healthy dose of scepticism, alongside an aversion to trying new things, and the fact that this had been sprung on me without knowledge or consent [Diddums - Ed], the likelihood of this ring being tried out - for any period of time - was a touch  on the low side. However, my long-suffering other half has been spending a significant amount of money on earplugs throughout our relationship, and, as she points out, the wedding wouldn't be going ahead if she hadn't [DAMN right! Ed] so, I sighed, looked at the ring, and resigned myself to wearing it for a few nights.

Now, the whole thing of wearing jewellery to bed feels odd. Wearing a ring on your little finger that is designed to hit a couple of accupressure points (which will apparently minimise your snoring) is DEFINITELY odd. Still, I went for it. I had to make a concious effort to put it on, as changing your bedroom routine is never the easiest thing to do, and I slowly drifted off, trying to ignore the nagging sensation of the ring on my finger. Obviously, I am at pains NOT to make any Hobbit/Lord of the Rings jokes, as I suspect I will be banned from the blog forever [tempting - Ed], but it's getting quite hard difficult. 

Anyhow! I slept. Then I woke up. Some would say this is not entirely good news, but I shall ignore them. Upon asking a relatively trustworthy witness [Me! - Ed], it transpired that my snoring had indeed gone down by a fairly hefty factor. Hmm. Did it work? Seems so! Fast forward to the next night, again, the ring goes on, and I doze off.  Then wake up. So, how was my snoring? Quieter. Definitely quieter. 

Interesting. Onto night number 3 it is then. Lights out, ring on, cold side of the pillow, unconciousness. Lower volume. Okay, 3 nights in a row is good enough for me, I think. I've continued wearing it, and I have to say, regardless of whether it's a psychological association or the fact that pressure points genuinely work, the affect has been quite remarkable. Basically, I snore less - it does what it says on the tin! 

*****

So there you have it.  I did notice, however, that a couple of weeks after this review was written, the ring was "lost" in a tragic "forgotten where I've put it" incident.  I give up.

If you suffer from a delusional snorer in your life, you could do worse than picking them up a Snor-Ring from an independent chemist, a Wholefoods store, or you can buy them online from http://www.snor-ring.com/index.php where the sterling silver version will cost you £29.95.  We have no idea how it works, but it definitely does appear to.

If, however, your delusional snorer is a delicate little flower who is likely to refuse an unexpected gift of jewellery, then you can buy ear-plugs from SnoreStore, which is probably my favourite website in the entire world ... tell them I sent you!


The Fine Print: The Snor-Ring was a press sample, however, I've been a paying customer of SnoreStore for years. It's safe to say there wouldn't have been a relationship (much less a wedding) without them.

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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

Tom Ford Lip Colour Shine - Quiver

Oh, be still my beating heart, a new collection of glossy lipsticks from Tom Ford?  Oh, I am IN!

There are ten shades in the new range of Lip Colour Shines from Tom Ford, ranging from bright scarlet, all the way through to nudes (Tom does like his nude shades, eh?), in a brand new, soft and glossy formula. I was lucky enough to get hold of a sample of Quiver, which is a pretty pink, and is the shade on the far left in the picture above.  Let's get on with the review, shall we?

Packaging is in the now signature laquered brown, with gold accents, but the casing is somewhat thinner and elongated in comparion to the original lipsticks:

Indian Rose, on the right there, is probably my most-used Tom Ford Lipstick, as you can probably tell from the slight wear and tear on the gold edging there.  A couple of years in my makeup bag will do that to you.

Anyhoo, the softer, glossier texture means that you miss out on the embossed Tom Ford logo (shown here on my least-used Tom Ford lipstick, Wild Coral, a shade I adore, but that has a tendency to wear me), but I'm assured that the formula contains many of the same ingredients as the main line.  Personally, I find it a little more scented than the lipsticks proper (it's very definitely more vanilla-based, if you ask me), but it feels soft and quite balm-y in wear.

Quiver is actually a soft, baby pink.  It's quite neutral, meaning it can look either blue-based or orange-based depending on the lighting conditions.  I like it a lot.

These have a sheer, but not unpigmented formulation, and the colour can be built up on the lips by applying extra layers.  They're very glossy, and feel extremely cushioning and nourishing on the lips.  There's a good bit of slip, but they don't sit on the lips, or feel at all greasy, in the same way, say, a YSL Rouge Volupte does, they feel like they meld well with your lips, and they're very comfortable in wear.

Here I've swatched it next to TF Pure Pink so you can see both the difference in shade, and texture.  This is about three passes of Quiver, and one pass of Pure Pink, you can see how different they are!

 
On my lips, it's a very pale shade, but not one I'd classify as a nude.  There's just enough pigmentation to even out my natural lip colour (something I have problems with in sheer shades, as my lips are extra-pigmented around the edges, leading to a "lip-liner" effect in some lipsticks), wear time is about average for a glossy, balm-type lipstick, a couple of hours or so, and it won't last too well if you eat or drink, but it's a nice lipstick to reapply.

There are a few ranges which have released a sheer and glossy diffusion line over the last couple of years, Dior, Chanel, and now Tom Ford, I like all of them, but frankly, my heart belongs to  Chantecaille Lip Chics.  The Tom Ford Lip Colour Shines are lovely (and I have no doubt I'll be picking up a couple of the brighter shades once my wedding-spending ban is over), but only time will tell if they'll beat the Lip Chics for the battle of my heart ...

Tom Ford Lip Colour Shines will be on counter from this week.  I'll update this post with the price when I have it.
 
The Fine Print: PR Sample.

This post: Tom Ford Lip Colour Shine - Quiver originated at: Get Lippie  on 04 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

Just Cavalli - Bite Me

No one who writes a blog called Get Lippie could possibly resist a campaign called Bite Me ...! Did you guess what the teaser was for the other day?  It was, of course, for the latest fragrance from Roberto Cavalli: Just Cavalli which features notes of bitter orange, tiare, alongside woods, and is, apparently, the "scent of youth and seduction".  Being neither a youth, nor a seductress, I can't possibly vouch for that, but it's a cute and funny campaign!

Gotta love a bit of pink snakeskin - I certainly do!  The ad campaign features Georgia May Jagger, and the beautiful print ads have been shot by Mario Sorrenti.

There's a playful Just Cavalli Bite Me Facebook app too, where you can "bite" your friends for the chance to win Just Cavalli prizes. I've already bitten MrLippie (well, you know, it is Valentine's Day very soon, and I can't afford to be buying him a wedding present, we make do in this household ...) so, will it be love at first bite for you ...?

 Roberto Cavalli Just Cavalli will be available at all good fragrance retailers very soon.




The Fine Print: Sponsored Post.  I'll send you a postcard from my honeymoon ...
 
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Teaser ...

This features a few locations I'm going to on my honeymoon, but can you figure out what it's for?



More will be revealed soon ....



The Fine Print: This is a sponsored post.  Honeymoons, sadly, don't pay for themselves ... ;)

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Wedding Stuff

Not MY dress

 Posts might be a bit thin on the ground for the next three weeks or so, as it turns out that planning a wedding - even an extremely simple and, above all, cheap wedding like ours - takes both a lot of time, and a lot of mind-space.  The ceremony is now less than three weeks away, and the tasks are stacking up a bit!  Logistics isn't a particular strength of mine, and co-ordinating visitors from opposite ends of the country is taking up a lot of the time I normally spend thinking about blogging ... 

A couple of people have asked  for some wedding-focused blog posts so I shall do my best to oblige ... It's hard though, because (and here's a really big confession) I don't really like weddings!  I have a tendency to, well, glaze over a bit when it comes to reading about them myself, so ... anyway. I genuinely thought I'd never get married, so never spent any time planning anything, even hypothetically, for myself.

I promised myself (and MrLippie), when I got engaged, that I wouldn't get wrapped up in the wedding, to the extent where it was the only thing we talked about, thought about, planned, etc, because I've always been aware that the wedding is only a really small part of a marriage, and if your entire world revolves around the wedding, then what do you talk about once the day itself is over?  That's why I've tried to keep wedding blog posts to a minimum - I'm no lifestyle guru! My life isn't that glamorous, and most of wedding planning isn't particularly glamorous either, tbh ... we're not bothering with a lot of the frills that a lot of wedding blog posts seem to be about.  I wish we were whipping up wonderful hand-crafted  invites and touches, but we have neither the time nor the ability, so ... they're not happening!
 
 

However, having been to a couple of weddings this year, and picked up ideas from each, we've decided to keep our arrangements extremely simple, and informal. No complicated seating arrangements (a pub wedding reception like ours is perfect for this), for us, and no real centrepieces/wedding favours, as we're both a bit cackhanded, frankly. You can see the invitation above, which was recycled from a blogpost I worked on last year with Purple Ronnie and Unicef! We have a band too, whom we adore, and are very happy that they've agreed to play for us on the day.

Whilst there are no formal kinds of arrangements for centerpieces etc, we are doing some fun things, like scenting the reception venue with candles (I have jasmine and rose-scented tealights which I'm hoping will smell like Joy by Jean Patou once they're lit, alongside orange-blossom scented candles too), and there are a couple of things we think (hope) people will like, but we're trying to keep them a secret for now, so we don't blow the surprises for our guests!  But most of all, what we're trying to do is having a wedding that keeps a sense of humour throughout the day ...

If you want to see just what's been obsessing me most about the wedding, you can have a look at my boards on Pinterest, where the sharp-eyed amongst you might just find one board dedicated to my outfit ...

 

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I've had a facelift!

Not really, but I've made some changes to how the site looks! Nothing too drastic (I hope), but if you notice anything not working, please do let me know ...

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