Fruity Florals Worth Your Time and Skin

 

By Laurin

I’ll come clean – I think most fruity florals smell like shampoo*. In the minds of many a perfume lover, “fruity floral” is a byword for bland, safe and indistinct. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with them exactly, it’s just that to me, they’re the fragrant equivalent of settling for a semi-detached house in Bromley when you had your heart set on a studio above a gay underwear emporium in Soho. They mostly smell of resignation and barely supressed rage.

Having said all that, I’ve recently found myself occasionally longing for fragrances that have no hidden agenda or awkward pronouncements to make over Sunday dinner. Listen up: despite what breathy marketing materials may have you believe, no fruity floral is going to make you smell sexy, seductive or even especially sophisticated. That’s a job better suited to an oriental or a chypre. A good fruity floral should simply make you happy to be alive. And on some days, that’s enough. Here are four stand-outs to evoke a sense of rosy-cheeked well-being.

Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Eleganza, £60 for 50ml at www.houseoffraser.co.uk

I confess I was having a bad day when this arrived in the post, but it brought a smile to my face at first sniff. It opens unusually with a burst of juicy pear, sweet almond and a refreshing twist of bitter grapefruit that fizzes joyfully up from the skin. The fragrance sails along on a breath of osmanthus before finally drying down into soft, pillowy white musks which have the soupy warmth of an afternoon nap after an al fresco lunch on an unexpectedly sunny day. Wear with white linen and an air of rude good health.

Amouage Interlude Woman, £175 for 50ml at www.lessenteurs.com

Each time I smell this I want to break into a rousing chorus of “Oh! You Pretty Things!” I am certain that this is how mermaids smell. Nothing with a top note of kiwi fruit has any right to be so enchanting, but a dose of spicy immortelle, dark rose, a dusting of incense and the merest hint of oud all beckon you to break the surface of Karine Spehner’s shimmering composition. Wear this, and know that the best days are yet to come.

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire, £63 for 50ml at www.debenhams.com

I was pretty awful about LPRN when it first came out, and I’m still not sorry. Stupid name, stupid bottle. Apparently the name is a reference to the “dark” ingredients (black cherry, black tea, black rose and patchouli), but the cynical side of me (both sides) reckons it’s an attempt to draw in a younger customer who probably associates Guerlain with her grandmother. Fortunately, the juice itself is not just good enough to bear the name of its house, it’s an absolute delight to wear. It bursts out of the bottle with all the joy of a child running into a sweet shop: there are cherry lollipops, liquorice allsorts, candied almonds and Turkish delight all in there, waiting to rush straight to your head. I picture this on Lydia Bennet – all bouncing boobs, curls and giggles. Wear for dancing the night away with thoroughly unsuitable men.

By Kilian In The City of Sin, £75 for 50ml at www.lessenteurs.com

A few weeks back, Sali Hughes wrote that in order for fruity scents to be suitable for grown-up women, they must have a hint of tartness to elevate them above the usual sugary tweenage offerings. I tend to agree, but I’d also make a concession for herbs or warm spices. Here we have ripe plum and apricot stewed with bitter cardamom and finished off with crushed rose petals and pink peppercorns. It’s incredibly moreish on the skin without quite tipping into gourmand territory, so no one will mistake you for a crumble. Save this one for late summer, and buy the 50ml refill spray, unless you’re desperate for a gold snake-embossed clutch (and maybe you are, I don't know you your life).

Still not convinced? Would you sooner punch an Innocent Smoothie in the back of its stupid knitted hat than rise at dawn for sun salutations? Fine, I’ve got something for you as well. Get your clenched fists on a bottle of Etat Libre d’Orange Rien, and join me on a trip down memory lane to That Time The Neighbour’s Cat Weed on The Leather Seats of My Uncle’s 1979 Pontiac Bonneville on a Sweltering July Day. Let’s wear black and recite Sylvia Plath and refuse to go outside. Best. Summer. Ever.

* Did you see what I did there? [self five]

The Fine Print: Mixture of PR samples, and perfumes from my own collection

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Charlotte Tilbury Rock and Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencils

If I was asked to list my desert island beauty products, I would have a hard time choosing between lipstick, mascara and eyeliner tbh.  Yeah, yeah, blush and foundation and eyeshadow are important, but, you know, if I'm creating a makeup look that I can do in less than five minutes, then lipstick, mascara and eyeliner would be my go-to products.  I love a high-contrast liquid eyeliner look, but for quickness on bleary mornings (and aren't all mornings bleary?), then a gorgeously smudgy but long-lasting pencil that doesn't require a particularly steady hand is most welcome.

Enter Charlotte Tilbury and her Iconic Liquid Eye Pencils. I have three - Verushka Mink, the Eye Cheat for Bigger Brighter Eyes, and Marlena Midnight, which are, respectively, a grey-taupe, an apricot flesh-tone, and a soft blackened-navy.

Having a gorgeously soft gel texture, the pencils glide onto the lid with no dragging whatsoever, and offer a beautifully opaque colour the picture below shows off the texture nicely:

They're very creamy, and wear extremely well on the skin.  Charlotte's MUAs have mentioned a 14-16 hour wear time, and whilst I can't attest to that (as I don't sleep in my makeup.  well, not these days, anyway...), they do last really really well over a powder shadow.  I have seen a small amount of transfer to upper lids if you pair them with a cream shadow that doesn't set, but they do last well even so. The points do wear down quickly, however, so whilst it is easy to get a smudgy, lived-in look with the pencils, getting a sharp, graphic line might require a little more effort.

Colour pay-off on skin is rather fabulous - these swatches are one pass with the pencil over bare, unprimed skin.  I really like them, and whilst they're a softer effect than a straightforward black (my usual default eyeliner colour), there's enough pigment in these to not look dusty on the skin.  The Eye Cheat, when first applied to the waterline can look a little startling, but it soon warms up and spreads, and looks surprisingly natural in wear.  I've noticed no irritation for my contact lenses in wear, which is great too.

Having said it's difficult to get a more graphic look with the liners, it is possible:

This was, however, the handiwork of Nelson at the Charlotte Tilbury counter at Selfridges, but it goes to show that it is possible!  I've no idea what I'm raising my eyebrow at, btw.  I had a makeover at counter last week, which I can't recommend highly enough, I came away with a bunch of tips and tricks, and a real new appreciation of the entire Charlotte Tilbury line.  More about this soon, as I have a few of the products that we used on the day to give a proper workout to, but here's a sneaky preview of me wearing Charlotte's "Ingenue* Look" ...

All in all, these were a great introduction to the line, and if as much thought and care has gone into the rest of the products, I'm sold ...

*It's okay, I laughed too.  My ingenue days were over about a decade (or three) ago ...

The Fine Print: PR Samples - Pictures for this post were taken with a Nokia Lumia 1020 on loan from Microsoft.

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Miller Harris Summer Collection - Le Petit Grain, Tangerine Vert and Citron Citron

The Team recently popped along to the Miller Harris Boutique in Belgravia, to see their beautiful new "Symphony of Colour" summer collaboration with Cyril Destrade.  A re-release of three of their well-known citrus-based fragrances, with new limited edition water-coloured packaging, here's the team's thoughts on the fragrances themselves.

Petit Grain by Tindara

Some of you may have noticed I have an unusual name. It’s Sicilian, and those who know me best, know I never stop blathering on about this. Sorry and all that, but being an inbetweenie Anglo-Italian affects EVERYTHING. Look at me with my lapsed Catholic rusty bi-lingualism! No I’m not called Tandoori or Tindra, that’s an IKEA flooring. Yes, my dad was a chef and my mum is a seamstress. What of it? 

... I’m meant to be talking about perfume aren’t I? It all links up, honest. I spent every summer as a child in the Sicilian countryside on the north-eastern coast near the city of Messina with the Aeolian islands in view. My grandparents had fig, bergamot, lemon and orange trees, trails of verbena led to the olive groves that were punctuated by prickly pear cacti. I am really lucky that this was my summer playground, and nothing takes me back to it like perfume.

Le Petit Grain, like a lot of citrus based scents, has a particular resonance. First it’s a fresh splash of lemon and bergamot but with something herby and warm that gives it a bit more substance and spice. Like smelling the citrons on my nonna’s kitchen table, whilst the woody rosemary branches are hanging all around us. So I’m ambling down the road and this stuff is sparkling away like a summer drink with citrus and herbs and then this subsides and Mr Vetivert and Mrs Patchouli come for a visit, and they leave me with a heart of oaky wax reminiscent of the finish to Serge Luten’s Ambre Sultan. I really like this, as you can probably tell. My only disappointment with it is that it doesn’t last well on me. But this does happen with citrus scents and cologne and the only answer is to apply more frequently. I think for this one it might be worth it.

Tangerine Vert - by Get Lippie

Bearing a strong resemblence to Hermes' Orange Vert (one of my all time favourite scents), Miller Harris' Tangerine Vert starts in with a startlingly photo-real blast of tangerine peel, which almost verges into an extremely clean and lively-bright grapefruit, but this is backed up with the smell of bright green crushed leaves, that eventually softens into a blend of cedar and musks.  It's bright, and pretty (and hugely unisex in appeal), and uplifts the spirits gorgeously.   It's a little spiky, and rather on the lively side, but that's just what summer scents need, if you ask me.  It won't last longer than the average spell of British summer sunshine, but that just means you need to reapply regularly.  I've suffered from a spell of anosmia recently, and this has been one of the few fragrances to cut through my smell-less world, so for that, I shall be eternally grateful.

Citron Citron - by Luke

I was assigned Citron Citron and, as I have had a bit of a lament recently about not owning a real citrus scent this was a good choice.

Citron Citron is one of the original Miller Harris fragrances, and the scent is a really gentle, woody spicy citrus. Very lemony, it has lime, and orange in there too. All the citrus bases are well and truly covered. This fragrance has the same sensation of lying in long grass in the summertime surrounded by very ripe citrus trees, and a cold glass of martini. We’ve all been there.

It is a very herby smelling citrus as it has basil, which is very pleasantly perceptible, alongside mint. It's not too warm, being a little on the sweet side, and it's not too zingy as a result, it dries down to an almost powdery scent. I like it a lot.

Being a citrus scent, it really doesn’t last on my skin for very long, so was I bitterly (see what I did there) disappointed. This was surprising to me, especially as it’s an eau de parfum formulation. However, I realised that spritzing this on my clothes instead seemed to make it’s ‘waft’ power somewhat stronger, and it has lasted longer as a result.

Absolutely perfect for the current clammy weather, this will no doubt cut right through any of that beautifully.  

***

The limited edition Symphony of Scent collection is available in 50ml bottles from Miller Harris at £65 a pop.

The Fine Print: PR Samples

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1000 Post Giveaway with Debenhams!

When I started Get Lippie nearly five years ago, I didn't really expect much - I wasn't a makeup artist, and I didn't think anyone (outside of a very select few people, and possibly their cat), would have any real desire to read my wibblings about lipgloss.  Now, 1000 posts and almost five years later, it's hard to believe that I resisted blogging for so long!

What started, too many years ago to mention, as an obsession borne at the local branch of Debenhams, has now grown into a blog with a four man team behind the scenes, and, along the way there have been award nominations galore, some amazing products, including a couple named after the blog! And some hugely surreal and enjoyable experiences!  I never imagined spending all my wages on lipstick would lead to such things, it's been a strange and wild ride ...

Now, today just happens to be my birthday, but I'd like to give you guys a present, as practically everyday feels a tiny bit like a birthday these days ;)  After we had a bit of a brainstorm at Get Lippie HQ, we decided to offer one lucky reader what we think is an amazing prize.  Between the four of us, we've got a couple of perfume experts, a couple of lipstick obsessives, one professional makeup artist, and four - count them! - FOUR  complete cosmetic and skincare nerds.  And we love shopping for makeup.  And skincare.  And fragrance.  And a couple of us like shopping for shoes, too.

Anyway!

And we want to take you shopping! Whether you're looking for your perfect red lipstick, that glorious hot date fragrance, want a complete makeover or just want to know your Clarins from your Urban Decay, we - the entire team - will meet you on a date of your choice in Debenhams Oxford Street, and you'll be able to pick all of our brains!

Now, makeup shopping can be expensive, especially at the moment, so this personal shopping evening comes complete with £250 worth of vouchers for you to spend in-store, a Beauty Club Card which comes pre-loaded with £20's worth of Beauty Club points, and you'll have your pick of in-store treatments whilst you're there, too.  So if you fancy a quicky manicure, or an eyebrow shape whilst you're there, you can!  Oh, and when you're done, Debenhams will give you a fancy goody bag featuring products from many of their brands too!  The Beauty Hall at Debenhams Oxford Street is one of my favourite places, and we're all looking forward to seeing you there!

Just follow the instructions on Rafflecopter below to enter.  We'll be making the final draw on Tuesday 24th June at lunchtime, and we'll be in touch ASAP after that to arrange the details.  Please make sure you pay special attention to the terms and conditions though, we beg you!

The prizes again, are:

One private personal shopping event with the Get Lippie Team (or individual members thereof) at Debenhams Oxford Street, London.
£250's worth of Debenhams gift vouchers
£20's worth of Beauty Club Points
Selection of in-store treatments on the night (subject to availability on the night)
Goody Bag featuring Debenhams beauty brands.

The total prize value is around £500!  What are you waiting for?

As Rafflecoptor, for some reason, isn't showing it:  the official tweet to enter this giveaway is:

"I'm celebrating @Get_Lippie's 1000th post by entering her £250+ giveaway with @Debenhams! #GetLippie1000 http://tinyurl.com/lpxynrh"

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Prize sponsored in part by Debenhams, to whom we are profoundly grateful.

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Guerlain Rouge G 864 Rose Grenat - Limited Edition

We love a Guerlain Rouge G (or 12 ...) at Get Lippie, and the release of a new limited edition colour, especially when it is in what I think is my signature shade of reddish-pink is definitely a cause for celebration!  In fact, this has been practially the only lipstick I've been wearing for the last few weeks.  But it's not just the colour of the lipstick itself that makes me happy, it's the case too.

In a change from the usual entirely silver livery, this new Rouge G in Rose Grenat comes clad in a coating that almost exactly matches the lipstick inside:

It's a happy, cheery, bright and beautiful, deep shade of red-pink.  In the flesh, lighting depending (and further depending on the pigmentation of your own lips, the lipstick can appear fuchsia-ish, or a lovely cherry red.

It has the usual sublime Guerlain Rouge G formula, which is emollient without being greasy, and highly pigmented without dragging, and it's divinely scented with just a hint of violets and rose (look, I said I was a fan, okay?)  I find the Rouge G formula to be my favourite of all the ultra-luxe lipsticks at around this price point, and I adore the retro-space-age packaging, which I find reminds me of the Jetsons, for some reason.

The packaging is heavy, no doubt about it, and if you have more than two Rouge G's in your handbag (as I often do), then you'll know about it for sure, but I find the mirrors super handy, personally, and hey, if you ever need to use your makeup bag as a weapon, then there's no finer lipstick to have nearby ...

Creamy and richly pigmented, Rose Grenat is a lovely shade for spring/summer, and I'm glad to have it around.  It's been on counter for a couple of weeks now, and the limited-edition packaging (which makes it really easy to identify which Rouge G is which, and I wish they'd do more of it, to be honest) means it'll soon be sold out, so you'll need to snap this one up quick-smart.  There's also a version in a snowy white shade, also in a colour-matched case, but I don't do well in anything milky, so won't be picking that one up, personally, but it's very lovely indeed.

Guerlain Rouge G's are available at all good department stores, and cost £31.50

The Fine Print: PR Sample. Pictures for this post were taken with a Nokia Lumia 1020 lent to me by Microsoft. Brilliant gadget, by the way!

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Korres, Apivita and the Ancient Greeks

A selection of Ancient Greek makeup pots and mirrors.

By Tindara

A little while ago I spent a long weekend in Athens. It’s an amazing city, the Acropolis and museums are incredible and the food is gorgeous, and it’s totally doable in a weekend from the UK. If you get the chance do go, though if you’re a Brit you may be embarrassed by the Parthenon Marble gaps in the Acropolis Museum. Yeah guys, we should give them back. Honestly, it’s just completely shaming.

Obviously, there was something else I wanted to check out, Greek beauty products. Like most beauty geeks, I get a real thrill exploring a foreign pharmacy or three, and this weekend was no different. The little pots and colours and brands I know and others I’m not so familiar with are part of the whole holiday experience.

I had tried Korres products at home and was keen to see more of the range that would be available in Greece. When I went into the nearest pharmacy I picked up a Raspberry Twist Lipstick in Passion and a Zea Mays Blush in Pink.

The Raspberry Twist Lipstick is a Chubby Stick type affair that is twist up, so no requirement for a sharpener. I am loving the preponderance of these twist-up pencils of late, they’re super practical. The lipstick itself is very hydrating due to the raspberry oil included in the formulation. I am wearing this berry red a fair amount at the moment and never need any lip balm beforehand or after, as it’s so moisturising. The finish is pretty glossy so I wouldn’t say it’s the most long-lasting lipstick in the world, but it does leave a natural berry stain on your lips for most of the day. This would be a great lipstick for those that are a bit wary of stronger reds; it can be blotted down to a soft stain from the start, or layered for a more full-on lip later on if you’re going out.

The Zea Mays Blush in Pink was really good too, I chose this quite natural pinky brown shade because most of my powder blushers are pops of colour on my cheeks and I needed a subtle one for wearing underneath or on more neutral days. I could use this as a contour shade or bronzer at a push; it’s not a very deep pink at all. Not that I go in for bronzer or contouring much. I could probably do with a contouring masterclass in fact, but let’s not discuss my ruddy cheeks or double chin any further, there will be plenty of time for that in future posts, I am sure. I am doing facial exercises as we speak.

Apivita, like Korres are a Greek brand that are all about the natural ingredients and are paraben and silicone free. I tried their Euphoria Jasmine and White Tea Bath and Shower Gel and corresponding Body Milk. I chose these primarily for the scent, but these are good products irrespective of their glorious aroma. And it’s a beautiful scent, but I love jasmine anyway. There’s a touch of freshness to it too, which I’m finding really useful for this mini ‘heatwave’ we’re having in London. The Bath and Shower Gel foams well and the Body Milk moisturises nicely without being too sticky. It’s a light body milk, so not for the driest of skins but still enough to give a slight sheen. But oh, shall I say it again, the scent of this, it stays on for hours and wafts about you like a cloud of fresh white petals with a tannin and citrus hit. I love it and want to know if there’s a perfume similar so I can layer it all on together. Recommendations, please, for Jasmine scents, people!

I also spent a lot of time in the Archaeological Museum in Athens. I am a total museum nerd, having spent what felt like months at a time in the Cast Courts at the V&A sketching as a teenager, and a short time of my working life in a couple of London museums and galleries. So I never pass up the chance to go to an unfamiliar one when visiting new places. Where is she going with this you ask yourself? Well, there was a section of the museum that displayed objects associated with the average ancient Greeks’ toilette and I thought it might be interesting to have a look at some of them. Especially the beautiful hand mirrors that they used. There are what look like large compact mirrors, as well as hand held mirrors with intricate decorative work on the back and handle. Mirrors from 6BC with the short thin handles were usually sheathed in wood at the bottom like some of our hand mirrors and brushes today. The upright mirrors that were supported by female figures were also from the same period, but the folding portable mirrors were from the later 5 and 4BC. These mirrors had one or two decorative covers, usually of deities or mythological scenes. Sometimes, there was even a hook edge to hang up the mirror when it wasn’t in use. Practical, eh? There were also small pots used to contain cosmetics and ‘strigils’ which were scrapers used to remove cosmetic oils and ointments. I’m really hoping they didn’t remove their make-up with them though, it sounds harsh. What you want is a nice micellar water or hot cloth, ancient Greek Lady.

Limited Korres and Apivita products are available in the UK. Korres Zea May Blush is £17.50. The Raspberry Twist Lipstick is a new product and should be over here soon, look out for it. Apivita Euphoria Jasmine and White Tea Bath and Shower Gel is £12, while the Apivita Euphoria Jasmine and White Tea Body Milk is £13.

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Giving Good Face: Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush

By Laurin

Let me get something out of the way: I had a not-insignificant identity crisis while preparing this piece. Throughout the months I’ve been contributing to this blog, I’ve mostly been able to use single-feature pictures (lips, lashes, arms, etc.) or better yet, pictures of David Bowie in one of his many incarnations. I’ve not yet written many pieces that require a full shot of my face. But this week, I wanted to write about the Illamasqua Blush Up Brush, and it seemed like cheating to just show the brush, or my cheek with blush applied. After all, the point of blusher is to either add colour to the face, or enhance its structure. I decided to show my full face.

From a young age, I was always told I was pretty, and it stuck. I’m generally okay with what I see in the mirror when I’ve made a bit of effort, but believe me when I tell you that what I’m seeing on the screen of my iPad is NOT what I’m seeing in the mirror. I can’t explain it. My greatest hope is that technology is indeed evolving at light speeds faster than the human eye, and my camera is simply picking up lumps and bumps that my naked eye cannot. In which case, I shall simply hire a sympathetic portrait painter for all my future selfies, tip well and think no more of it. But my worst fear is that the ageing process has accelerated since reaching my mid-thirties, leaving me with sagging cheeks and major dehydration lines under my eyes. Deciding how best to deal with this is a decidedly trickier process, so while I crack on with googling “jowl sorcery”, get a load of this:

The Blush Up Brush is from Illamasqua, my new favourite make-up brand. I spotted this in Nicci Jackson’s personal brush roll when I was at Muse last week. My faith in the transformative power of good make-up tools is childlike, and judging by the way my entire class dutifully scribbled the names of the brushes used during morning demonstrations, I am not the only one. 

The brush came out last year as part of the I’mperfection Collection, but as far as I can tell, it was somewhat overshadowed by the buzz around the duck egg speckled nail varnishes released at the same time. It’s understandable, but also a damned shame because properly applied blusher will do far more for your overall look than spangly nails ever will (although you should obviously have both).

The idea behind the Blush Up Brush is that the short, densely-packed elliptical bristles place the blusher directly under the cheekbone, which you then brush upwards in short, sharp strokes to diffuse the colour onto the cheeks. This has the effect of contouring at the same time, as the colour you’ve placed directly beneath the bone will naturally be darker than the wash of colour above.

Above is a picture of me, minus blusher. To use the brush, load up the brush with your chosen colour and gently tap away the excess. Next, suck in your cheeks and place the brush directly in the hollow beneath the bone. Flick upwards and repeat, working from the centre of your face, all the way to the ear. Soften the strokes wherever you want a gentler diffusion of colour. There is an excellent video on the Illamasqua website that demonstrates the technique.

http://www.illamasqua.com/explore/tutorials/blush-up-brush/

Above, I’ve used the brush with NARS Orgasm blusher and a touch of NARS Copacabana Highlighter at the top of my cheekbones. The brush produces a very defined look, and as such, I think it works better with a stronger colour. I’ve tried it out with NARS Deep Throat (a soft peach) as well, and found it much harder to see the colour wash on my cheek, making it look like I’d tried to apply bronzer with a bad case of the DTs. The other thing I noticed is that because I am right-handed, I found it more difficult to get the left-hand side of my face to look right. I eventually realised that for some reason, I wasn’t placing the brush high enough on my face. I found it helped to do my dominant side first, then try to match it on the other side.

 The Blush Up Brush is an excellent investment if you’re just getting into contouring, as it not only allows you to try it with a single product, but it also helps you to learn the bone structure of your own face and proper placement of shade and colour for when you do want to go advanced.

Get your hands on one and have a play. The possibilities are endless. In the meantime, I’ll be starting a formal campaign to bring hats with veils back into fashion, as per my new role model, Anna Karenina. What could go wrong?

The Illamasqua Blush-Up Brush is £28.50 at www.debenhams.com

The Fine Print: Bought it myself, innit.

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All Bound for Muumuu Land - Body image, bare face and red lipstick.

 By Tindara

I’ve gone out of the house with no make-up on most of this week. This is not by design, simply down to the fact that I’ve been busy and pushed for time. Also, I have taken to carrying a small and beautiful orange satchel which doesn’t allow for carrying much make-up with me. It got me thinking again about that naked face for charity nonsense a while back where people were talking about women as ‘brave’ for showing what they looked like with a bare face. It was all a bit silly really, wasn’t it? I often go out bare faced. The first couple of hours I feel a bit unfinished, but then I get used to it. I see my pink cheeks and small bright eyes and it’s all fine. I recognise that face, the old faithful. Why would it be brave? 

It makes wearing make-up fun again rather than a chore that’s part of your morning rush hour, a few bare faced days and putting on a full face again is thrilling. I love my pots and brushes and sticks of colour, I see them as an extension of my creativity and a means of self-expression. For me it’s a statement of intent; confidence, passion, a commitment to myself, who I am, not just what I look like. I realise that sounds overblown, you’re probably thinking “Get over yourself love, it‘s only lipstick.” But in a world where people are constantly telling my fat self to pipe down and get in the shadows I feel it’s an important statement. I could just wear a muumuu all the time and sit in the house, I suppose, but I’m not ready for my muumuu yet.

Recently, I attended one of the Selfridges Beauty Project events where a panel were discussing body image; they spoke about beauty being democratic in a world where fashion leaves a whole lot of people out. This is definitely my experience. But also, people see the world of make-up as a masking of imperfection rather than an exuberant female rite of passage. Yes, we all wear foundation and concealer, and strive to deal with the problem areas that irritate us. I will be reporting back on my experience of non-invasive procedures on my double chin shortly, so I know how it feels. 

It’s the other stuff that gets me going, though, the purple and pink waxy matt sticks, palettes of rainbow powders, the slick of red or fuchsia satin lips, an inky black calligrapher style pen for eyelids. People say these are brave too. As though the only acceptable box for women is that marked beige and perfect. No more, no less. Don’t stand out or get too big or too small. Don’t be bare-faced or scruffy, don’t have tattoos, piercings, or be different in any way. Maybe it’s best if we remember we’re all in this together whatever our bodies or faces are like, whatever lipstick we choose to wear, whether we favour bikinis or muumuus. Actually, I’ve just looked some up on google images; I think one could work with a belt and some gladiator sandals. What do you think?

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New Basenotes Article!

So ... some of you might remember that last year I spent a week marinating myself in the finest fragrances the Poundshop had to offer for Basenotes, well, it took over a year (a year in which it got nominated for a Jasmine Award though!) to finally come up with the follow-up, but I'm happy to announce that my special week-long Celebrity Fragrance Challenge has finally been published!  There's a little hint as to who has been included in the final line-up above - you can click on the picture to get to the article.

Hopefully it'll make you laugh, I know it's already made a couple of people go out and buy their own bottle of celebrity "juice", so will you, too?  A couple of them surprised me, and one of them astonished me, and you'll be surprised which one that was too, I promise you.  That reminds me, I need a biscuit ...

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A Life With a View Scented Candles

By Get Lippie

:sigh: Very few people love candles as much as me.  I rented my last abode purely because it had little cubbies I could display my candle collection on, and the love of the "candle wall" has remained with me ever since.  I love candles.  But, they have to be scented well, and they must burn cleanly.  There are a couple of cult candle brands that I avoid like the plague because they're petro-chemical based, and so produce soot like a soot-producing factory faced with a hugely increased demand for soot.  I'm not a fan of a sooty candle, you might have noticed.

A Life With a View candles deliver on the clean burn, and they are, I have to say, some of the best scented candles it has ever been my pleasure to come across.  They're strongly scented both in the glass, and during a burn, and even a tiny travel candle can scent my entire flat for a whole evening, which, bearing in mind my stupidly high ceilings is a rather amazing feat.  I have a travel set of The Gite candles, which provides a "View of Provence", they're scented with lavender, blackcurrant and spearmint, with a base of rosemary and woods,  and they are delicious.  I'm well known to be a bit of a sucker for mint-based scents anyway, but adding the lavender, with its already flinty, herbacious, minty facets works astonishingly well for a candle, even now in the slightly warmer months of the year.  The scent is both bracing and soothing, like sitting in a warm Mediterranean garden, and they're amongst my favourite candles ever as a result.

But there is one drawback, and it's something I hadn't really considered until I put this candle amongst the others in my collection.  The design.  They look cheap.  Really, really cheap, and somewhat nasty.  Look at that picture at the opening of this post, does that look like £40's worth of candle to you?  It doesn't to me.

Now, whilst packaging isn't everything, if you're paying £40 for a candle, or £50 for a set of travel candles, you kind of expect the product - especially a product that's left out on display like candles are - to also function as an object.  The reason why, say, Diptyque candles are so popular is because of the simple, striking, and lovely labels, almost as much as it is the scents inside of the candle.  

If only the outside were as beautiful as the inside (or I'd even settle for just plain not looking like it came straight out of the remaindered section of the poundshop, to be honest), then Life With a View candles might just be the best candles on the market.   You can find them here.

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