Boots Avert Cold Sore Machine - Update

I probably get more email about the Boots Avert Cold Sore Machine than I do anything else this year, so I thought I'd let you know how I was getting along with it.

In the four months before the Avert turned up, I'd had, on average, one cold sore a week, so sixteen sores in a period of sixteen weeks.  In the three months since the Avert turned up, I've had ... one. Which turned up late last week in response to an actual cold, so I can't really complain about that.  I'd been zapping myself on a weekly basis as a preventative measure, and I think it had actually had an effect.

However, as a cure for the common cold sore, I'm not entirely sure the product works as well as I'd like it too.  As I don't ever get the "tingle"-stage of a cold sore, my sores are already pretty well-developed by the time I'm aware of them, and I don't think the Avert deals with already erupted sores all that well.  However, as a preventative measure, I think it's great, and if you're lucky enough to get the "tingle", I have a feeling that the Avert really would help you heal faster.  As it is, I had to resort to Blister plasters once again, alongside blasting my lip several times a day.

A few words on how it works, as a lot of  people ask:

There is NO VISIBLE LIGHT EMITTED from the device in use - you can only tell it's working because the green light on the on-off switch will flash.  It genuinely will look like it's not doing anything while it's switched on.  If your on-off switch flashes, you're in business. Honestly!

If the light on the switch doesn't come on, or if the machine doesn't beep when you move the switch, then it's time to replace the battery - you won't be able to tell from looking at the bulbs in the opening, as the light that they emit isn't visible to the naked eye.

The device beeps when you switch it on, and it beeps again after three minutes are up (which can genuinely feel like quite a long time, actually), to let you know to either put it away, or move it to another part of your face.  I zap my lips and my nose, as that's where I'm prone to sores.

Overall Impressions:

I think that if you get the tell-tale cold sore "tingle", then you'll like the Avert a lot, providing you start using it immediately!  However if you're like me, and the only way you know you're getting a cold sore is when you actually get the coldsore, then the Avert is best as a preventative measure only.  I didn't notice any speeding up of the healing-time of the cold sore that I had whilst I was using this, but I am grateful as hell for having so many fewer over the last few months!

The Fine Print: PR Sample.

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YSL Rose Babydoll Eyeliner

Yes, I'm a bit obsessed with pink.  And slightly obsessed with the YSL Babydoll collection, too.  I accidentally found myself with some vouchers on a discount day in Debenhams this week, so was able to pick this up for about £5 ...

Yes, it's pink eyeliner.  What's not to love?

Well, I'm not a fan of the brush to be honest, preferring something a little more substantial - I find these tiny thin, extremely flexible brushes are no friend to the cack-of-hand. Nonetheless, I can work with it, if I prop my elbow on something whilst applying.

The liner is a little thick, but is fairly spreadable, here you can see it applied both alone and with a little black pencil smudged into the lashes:

I spent Sunday with one eye like this, and one eye naked (it's a dogs life, being a beauty blogger, you know), now, dare I leave the house wearing pink liner (obviously on both eyes)?  Would you?

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New do!

Well, I bit the bullet and went for the big chop, and mixed up a few metaphors along the way ...

Here's the length beforehand:

 Mid process:

And the final result:

Such a relief to have lost the dead weight, and I'm delighted with the final result!  Lots of movement and it's still long enough to tie back if need be ... I'm looking forward to trying out some styling tools on it.

I must pass on a massive thank you to the wonderful Darren at Webster Whiteman for holding my hand throughout the process - the look on his face when I told him to chop the lot off was hilarious!

Have you been for the chop lately? 


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Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Color - Bronzed Amber and Blush Guilt

Carrying on with my look at the Tom Ford Summer Collection releases, here are the two Illuminating Cheek Colours that have been released.  A brand new product, they're rather lovely in appearance, resembling the NARS multiple in weight and heft, but do they measure up on the skin?  Let's take a look:

Top: Natural daylight, bottom with flash

 Two shades have been released, Bronzed Amber (on the left) and Blush Guilt.  Bronzed Amber is a coppery-tan, and Blush Guilt is a slightly silvered baby-pink.  They're both very pretty in the tube:

I used the phrase "sheer gorgeousness" when I first introduced the collection, and I've used the phrase advisedly, because the collection is all very sheer, and these cheek colors are no different.  On skin, they have a translucent quality, and are, it must be said, rather less pigmented than they appear in the tubes.  This is, I think, both a qood and bad thing.  

I'll show you the blended swatches, and you'll see what I mean:

Blush Guilt largely disappears into my skintone (but is a nice highlighter, admittedly), and the  Bronzed Amber also disappears, leaving just a whisper of colour on the skin.  It would make a good, albeit rather sheeny contour shade, possibly.  For the price - a not inconsiderable £48 apiece - I'd expect a little more, well, oomph, frankly.

That said, if sheer summer colours are what you want, these are rather lovely ones, if you're pale.
 
The Fine Print: PR Samples.
 
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Time for a new do ...

It's summer.  Allegedly.  And it's time for a hair cut.  I remain, as ever, terrified of getting my hair cut, in spite of a) being very good friends with one of the best colourists in the UK (aka Jack Howard) and b) being a regular member of the Creative Head Most Wanted Awards judging panel for the last four years!  

As a result, I haven't had my hair cut in eight months (I had to get it cut before it was permed last year), and I'm sick of the sight of it.  It is far, far, far too long.  Whilst it looked good at my wedding:

And can look good at other times too:

But mostly it's just tied up.  Out of the way.

There is, frankly, TOO MUCH HAIR, and I'm bored with it. I'll not mention that it is currently dryer than the bloody Kalahari too... There's four more months growth since these pics were taken, too ...

So, I'm going for the big chop tomorrow.  I've booked myself in with the lovely Darren at Webster Whiteman and I've been playing with some celeb pics on my Pinterest and Instagram, and these are my front-runner ideas so far (ignore the colours, it's the cuts I'm interested in):

 

Desperate not to look mumsy ... but I do need an easier to control style!  

Any styles you like?  Any of you also desperate to go for the big chop too?
 

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A Week in Eyeshadow

Another week, another week of eyeshadow - here's what I've been wearing this week:

Top Row (L-R)
Shu Uemura Olive 471 with MakeUpDesignory (MUD) liner in Black Forest
Guerlain Coup de Foudre palette with Tom Ford Plum Absolute liner (I'm a little bit in love with this, you might have noticed)
Tom Ford Pink Haze Cream Color with Sephora Flirting Game in the crease, and Clinique Intense Ivy Quickliner

Bottom Row - (L-R)  
Clarins Iris Blossom Palette with Tom Ford Plum Absolute Liner
Smokey eye with random shades from an unamed palette (useful, I know) and Clinique Intense Ebony Quickliner
No eyeshadow whatsoever with YSL Babydoll pink liquid liner and Clinique Intense Ebony Quickliner smudged into the lashes. (more about this look later on in the week)

Anything catch your eye?


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Ciate Suncatcher Collection - Pool Party & Afterglow

Here's a cool drink of water for a (hopefully) sunny day! I'm taking part in the Ciate Suncatcher Treasure Hunt today! The latest collection from Ciate, "Suncatcher" is a bright and saturated collection of sunny shades to brighten up your summer days.  This is "Pool Party", a super-bright blue creme.

The collection also comes with a unique topcoat - "Afterglow", which adds a little golden sparkle to the nails, with a little added extra too!

This is 3 coats of Pool Party, topped on index finger with 1 coat of Afterglow, on middle finger with 2 coats of Afterglow, Ring finger is Pool Party alone, and there are 2 coats of afterglow on my little finger too.

After a full day in the sun, Afterglow will glow in the dark!  It's only a faint glow (admittedly there hasn't been much sun lately), but this is an amusing little effect that, try as I might, I couldn't capture on my camera for love nor money ...

I experienced some dragging issues with Pool Party, and it was extremely streaky after the first coat, but this disappeared after two more coats.  Lasting power has been pretty good - the photos were all taken after three days of wear.

If you're here because of the Ciate Suncatcher Treasure Hunt, don't forget to tweet the hashtag #CiateSuncatcher with the names of the shades so you can have a chance of winning the full collection!

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Clinique A Different Nail Enamel in Indie Rock

Nail varnish for sensitive skin?  Really?  Hmn ...  Apparently, in the course of an average day, you'll touch your face many dozens of times, and the chemicals in a "normal" nail varnish can irritate the thin and easily inflamed skin around your eyes, causing reactions and irritation.  I can't say I've ever noticed this, despite having such sensitive skin around my eyes that 95% of eye creams are unbearable on my skin, in all honesty, but Clinique have brought out a range of "gentle" nail varnishes designed without many of the potential irritants of other nail varnishes.

I splashed out recently and bought the shade "Indie Rock", which is a lovely silvered mid-brown, which is going to get a LOT of wear on my toes this summer (my toes have been wearing purple varnish on and off for the last two years now, so it'll make a nice change!), lasting power is very good, and the above picture is just two thin coats.

Whether it's good for sensitive skin or not, I don't know, but I do know good polish, and this is indeed, good polish.

The Fine Print: Purchase.

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Tom Ford Pink Haze Cream Color for Eyes

Last summer, Tom Ford introduced Cream Color for eyes in Platinum and Spice, and Platinum very, very quickly became a staple in the Lippie household, it gets used once a week without fail, as it's simple to use and a very useful staple neutral.

I was excited to see that there were two more cream colors released this summer too, the slightly peach-gold of Escapade, and pinked-bronze (above) of Pink Haze. Pink though?  For eyes?  In a cream?  Madness. Surely the conjunctivitis look isn't in this year?

Luckily, there's enough golden-bronze shimmer in the pink for it to not look like you've been rubbing your eyes for a month.  It's a highly metallic finish though, so you might want to apply with care to avoid it looking like you've got greasy eyelids.

It looks slightly different depending on the angle you see it from, it can look coppery, or more pink, depending, but it's not got enough red in the base to look like you have an infection, don't worry!   I find the wear isn't quite as good this year as it was in last year's formulae, as it does tend to crease more easily - after about six or seven hours or so, you might want to smudge the shadow back into place, but the creasing is on the minimal side, if you're less of a shadow perfectionist than I am, you might not be so bothered.

I wore this in a recent eye of the day post, with a lick of plum liner from Clinique, and here's how it looked:

Subtle but brightening, and (I thought) rather pretty.  Think it'll look good with a tan too - roll on November!

The Cream Color for eyes are a limited edition product, available from Selfridges now for £28.

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YSL Babydoll Collection - Lips, Nails and Mascara

I have been waiting, and waiting, and waiting for this collection to launch!  I first saw it way back in February, and I've used the mascara non-stop since ...  A mini-collection, consisting of glossy lip stain, mascara, nail varnish, and several eyeliner shades, I had to pick up the lip stain and nail varnish as soon as it launched last week, and I also picked up a replacement mascara as I've used my sample up entirely in the few months since the press launch!

I've had a fairly disappointing experience with the Rouge Pur Couture Vernis A Levre (or glossy lip stain) previously, but I HAD to have this one, a cool raspberry, this shade is completely up my alley.

You can see the slightly blue undertones around the edges there.  When the gloss is in place, it's a rather hot pink shade, but very rich.  Unlike my previous GLS-experience, this one actually does leave a stain behind:

This can actually last a day or so after application, I've noticed.    Here's how it looks after approximately five hours wear which involved cocktails, and tiny sandwiches:

It does have a tendency to feather a little after a few hours, I've noticed, which is annoying, but it is a super-lovely shade ...

I do love YSL mascara's, but one of my main bug-bears with them is that they dry out too quickly.  I had to stop using Faux Cils as I was finding a tube only lasted about a month or so.  However, the Babydoll mascara formula is a massive improvement over that, and my initial tube lasted three months before I noticed it was clogging slightly.  I like the compact, short-bristled brush, and the very black formula.  Here's how it looks on the lashes:

Yes, my eyes ARE different colours, thanks

(YSL Babydoll on the left, bare lashes on the right - uncurled in both cases)

You can see it has a significant lengthening and curling effect, and I love it for not being cloggy, even after applying a couple of coats.  I have noticed (with the second tube, but not the first for some reason), that you can get smudges after a long while in wear, which is slightly annoying, but it's not the end of the world.

And finally:

Whilst it's not a particularly unique shade, I do have to say that I really like the new YSL brushes, which are wide enough almost to cover my entire (tiny) nail in one stroke.

Anything caught your eye recently?

The Fine Print: Mascara was initially a press sample, but all products featured in this article were purchased myself.
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