Dolce & Gabanna Autumn Collection

I got a look at the autumn collection from D&G recently, and it's all about gothic lips, alongside some unusual eyeshadow shades this season.  Let's take a look:

These are the lipglosses in Amethyst and Vibrant.  Both have a very pretty blue micro shimmer, and apply very opaquely. Ironically, the one named Amethyst is the more brown-shade, and Vibrant is  the fuschia.

Both apply feel very moisturising on the lips, and, whilst they are a bit sticky, they're very nice to wear, non-drying, and good coverage.  Speaking of wear, they last about an hour, maybe two on the lips, depending on - of course - if you're eating or drinking whilst wearing them.

There are two lipsticks in the collection, Cosmopolitan, and Orchid.  Naturally, because I'm an idiot, I only have swatches of Cosmopolitan:

As you can see, this is a creme shade, which personally, I find shades a little towards the tangerine ... but it's pretty.  An odd choice for autumn, I think though, after all the coral shades of the summer.  Orchid is a beautiful shade too - a glorious PINK, and I'll bring you a face of the day with that one soon ... it ha disappeared when I was doing the swatches for this set. 

There are also two eyeshadow sets, one a duo, and one a quad.  They're a little unusual, as both contain a pink ... pink eyeshadow?  Hmn ...  First up is the duo: "Evocative", and following is the quad "Divine".

As always, the shadows are very smooth, and fairly pigmented, here's how they look on my fingers:

Most of these shades are matte, with the exception of the pink and blue from the Divine quad, which have a tiny amount of shimmer.  Pink is an unusual shade for eyeshadows, and I think it's even more unusual to release two in the same collection, here's how they compare:

On the left is the Divine pink, and on the left is the Evocative.  As you can see, the Divine is almost frosted, and it's very much on the cool side, whereas Evocative is warmer, almost coral-toned, and is matte.  I find that you can wear the Evocative shades layered over one another, for a wearable look.

No nail varnishes this time around, which is a shame as I still really adore Perfection from the summer collection, and I'd have liked to have seen some new shades.

What do you think?

The Fine Print: Samples were provided for review purposes, which is nice, after my last D&G cosmetic experience.

Clarisonic Giveaway!

Yes, I'm still giving one away, but this is just a little heads up that the competition ends tomorrow at noon.  If you haven't entered already (and if not, why not?), here's the link to find out how to enter.

Looking forward to hearing from you!  C'mon, it's pink, you know you want it ...

Products to make you feel great

I'm often asked why I like beauty products so much.  The very simple answer is that using them makes me feel good.  Sometimes, they even make me look better too, which is always a bonus.  A reader recently asked me to recommend some products that might help her feel better too, so here's a selection of things I like, that I always really enjoy using.

Lipstick.  There is simply nothing better - and easier to use - than a luxurious lipstick in your favourite colour, for cheering you up, the more expensive the better (for me at least!).  Applying lipstick is a ritual, and often one we neglect for a lipgloss, because gloss is quicker and easier, and harder to get wrong.  For me, what never fails is a bright, *bright* colour, or red.  Glorious, vampy red.  Current favourites include Guerlain Rouge G, in pink or red, there's a Lord and Berry red which is glorious, and you can't really go wrong with a Chanel Rouge Coco (I like Cambon, myself) either.

I also find that taking the time to give myself a mini-facial always makes me feel better too.  If my skin is looking good, I will automatically feel better about myself.  For my mini-home facials, I'm a big fan of Origins Modern Friction, it's a self-heating scrub that really leaves your skin soft and glowing after one use.  Then a mask, either something from Clarins, or the great lavender one from Alpha H.

I find that great-smelling products are always good for making you feel better, so I tend to pay more attention to my perfume when I'm feeling a bit down.  I mentioned the other week that I love Guerlain's Herba Fresca, which is a gloriously herbal scent, laden down with calming mint and hay.  But I find anything that has a hint of amber, or powder, can be wonderfully comforting too, scents like Climat by Lancome are great for making you feel like you've had a hug. A wonderful bath oil by Aromatherapy Associates - in Relax Deep - which is redolent of ginger and rosemary with a hint of lavender has been something I've been using as a body oil in the last few weeks to "take the edge off" a bit too.  It's actually a bath/shower oil, but the scent is so divine, I couldn't resist using it on my body too!

But most of all, I find that simply taking a little more time to apply my makeup in the first place can make a huge difference to how I feel before I face the day.  I know that if I've taken all possible care with my application, then I will feel better about how I look, and better about life in general.

Which products make you feel good?

In a rush!

I mentioned yesterday that I'm lazy, and I'd rather spend an extra minute or two in bed than spend time using two products when I can use only one.  So I thought I'd tell you my favourite "two minute face" products.

For my base, I'd use Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm, it has SPF 25, and works well for evening out skintone (taking the place of foundation) and also works exceptionally well as a moisturiser in it's own right.  This, essentially, takes the place of three products!

Eyeshadow, probably something taupe (the one above is Chanel's taupe grise, not, strictly, a taupe, but lovely nonetheless).  Taupe because it goes with everything, suits almost everyone, and it's hugely versatile.  I'll either pat a darker taupe into the crease, or a lighter one all over the mobile lid.

Trish McEvoy High Impact Mascara in Jet Black.  I love this stuff, it doesn't budge throughout the day, and I find that it volumises my lashes to the extent that I can go without liner (normally a total no-no chez Lippie) once in a while.

For my cheeks, I'd either use Daniel Sandler's Watercolour Blush in Cherub (a pale rosy pink) or, if I want a little more colour, I'd use

Edward Bess Cream Rouge in Island Rose.  Both of these are ideal for adding a little fresh colour to my pale and sallow mug in the mornings, and they're both a real pleasure to use, too.

As for my lips, I'd cheat and use either of the blush shades on my lips.  Four products, two minutes and groomed perfection.  In my dreams!

What's your two-minute routine?

Hair today ...

 ... hair tomorrow?

I'm lazy. I've admitted this before, but no one ever believes me. My laziness is part of the reason why I don't believe in toners or body-lotions, I like to spend those extra precious seconds in bed!

Still, lazy is as lazy does, and even though I'm lucky enough to be able to get away without using toners or body lotions, I still have to remove body hair every now and again, and I always hate using two products when I can use just one for the same effect.

Enter Gilette Venus, I've actually been using these razors for years and years - since they were introduced, in fact.  I've always liked them, but for a while preferred Wilkinson Sword's Intuition razors, because they had a built-in lathering agent, which meant you didn't need a separate shaving gel or foam.  My issue with the Intuition is that their soap bars actually make the shaving head very bulky, and this makes it difficult to deal with areas like the back of the knees or the ankles.

I like the new Spa Breeze version of the Venus because it too gets rid of the need for shaving foam (I mentioned that I'm lazy, right?  Did I also mention that I'm cheap?  I should have done), and has a really nice light scent that makes it pleasant to use.  I find that they don't leave my skin dry after shaving, and there's never any irritation, either.  They're also a lot less bulky than the Intuition so they're easier to use, especially around those "pesky" areas.

So, how do you depilate?  I have a couple of other things I've been using to try and rid myself of random patches of hair, but I keep defaulting to the Venus.  See?  Lazy.

Tangle Teezer

Sometimes something is so simple that you can't tell how it works even when you've got one and have spent many an hour staring at it, playing with it, picking it up, putting it down, taking it apart and then putting it back together.  I have even, I have to admit, actually even resorted to using the darn thing, and I still can't tell you how it works.

So I'm assuming it's some kind of magic. Certainly, it's worked miracles on my hair.

The Tangle Teezer, launched in 2007 by the irrepressible Shaun Pulfrey, has a kind of mystique in the beauty business, largely down to an infamous appearance on Dragon's Den the same year.  Shaun was turned down by the Dragons, but he's never looked back since!  I met with Shaun recently, and he told me all about the backstage shenanigans, which were utterly hilarious, funny and loveable, Shaun's a real tonic after a tough day at work, I can tell you!  He spent 20 years as a colourist, but now his brushes are taking over the world ...

Speaking of tough, I've been giving Shaun's compact Tangle Teezer a thorough workout in the last week, too.  Designed not to pull or tug at your hair, no matter how tangled, the brushes are said to make styling and brushing a breeze.  On first sight, the brushes don't look too different to many other ones on the market - although the lack of a handle does mark them out a little bit - but it's when you put them to your hair that the real difference appears.

Even on the wettest, most thick with product, tangled hair (that's been caught in a gusty rainstorm, to boot) the Tangle Teezer simply floats over the knots, untangling and leaving your hair flat and smooth.  There's no tugging, no pulling, and no pain.  I have no idea how, it's simply astonishing!  I'm not astonished by much these days, so it was a nice surprise to discover that there are no bells and whistles on this product, and it just does what it says it will. And does it blimming well!

Any brush that can float through my mad - and maddening - mane has to be a miracle, have you got yours?

Tangle Teezers cost from £9.99 and are available from Boots, and the Tangle Teezer website.

The Fine Print: Brush used in this review was a gift.  Sorta.

New blog!

Yeah, I've gone a bit mad and started a new blog, it's called Lippie Lite, well, for the time being it is, and it's where I'm planning on writing about all the stuff that catches my eye that isn't makeup.  Like films.  And shoes. Okay, maybe not shoes. But there shall be ranting, and restaurant reviews and recipes and things.

No accountancy though.  I promise.  Kinda.

If you'd like to read it, you can find my first post here: http://getmorelippie.blogspot.com/2010/09/er.html

Look forward to seeing you guys there, too!

Lip Stains

I'm a big fan of lipstains, whilst I don't mind spending time applying my makeup in the mornings, I'm actually very lazy, and re-applying lipstick is something I don't bother doing all that often during the day, so it's nice that there are products you can use that'll stay in place all day.

That said though, I'm always slightly disappointed with products that look a bright rich red in the tube (or bottle) that actually just pull fuschia on the skin.  Yes, Benetint, et al, I'm looking at you!  The Body Shop lip & cheek stain does the same thing, but actually, I kind of like it.

Bourjois Rose Exclusif is actually a lipgloss with "colour-changing" abilities.  Do you remember "Ultra Glow" lipsticks?  They came in green and yellow and blue and brown and the like, and were meant to change to your "perfect" lipcolour in reaction to your body chemistry.  In reality, on me, they just went bright fuschia (no matter what colour I'd started off with) then stained my lips for three days.  Rose Exclusif promises to do a similar thing, only in a gloss.  And hopefully without the industrial staying power.

Here's how they swatch on the hand:

Body Shop tint on the left there, and Rose Exclusif on the right. As you can see, the Rose Exclusif doesn't really stain skin which isn't your lips, which is nice.  Both have a slight scent, and the Bourjois smells very, very sweet indeed.

Remarkably, both go more or less the exact same shade on my lips!  The Body Shop tint is far too pink for my cheeks alas (pink shades on my cheeks tend to make me look like I'm having a hot flush, which isn't a great look, to be honest), but here's the Body Shop tint on my lips:

And here is the Bourjois Rose Exclusif:

I find that if I layer the Bourjois over the Body Shop, then I can deepen the colour, and it lasts all day.  Here's the Rose Exclusif in the full context of my face:

Excuse the mad hair all over the place there, was testing a shampoo that I'll be talking to you about soon.


The Fine Print: One was a PR sample, and one was a freebie with a magazine.  Both are very nice though, regardless.

Max Factor Vs All For Eve: A Nail File Challenge

Crystal nail files are everywhere at the moment, when I had a pedicure at The Chapel recently, BeautyMaze used a Leighton Denny crystal file on my tootsies, and I was astonished at how smooth it was, and how little it set my teeth on edge when she filed my toenails, which is always the worst part of any pedicure for me.  Well, usually.

As a  result I thought I'd try a couple for myself, and see if they could make a difference on my fingernails.  Now, I'm not one for doing much filing on my fingernails, to be honest.  As a long-time cack-handed muppet, I tend to make a dreadful mess of them, and always, but always end up with uneven nails as a result.

Max Factor have recently introduced a line of beauty accessories which includes makeup brushes and a crystal nail file.  I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the brushes, especially when you consider the price points, and their glass file currently retails for £8.50.

All For Eve also have a glass file in their range, which is a little pricier at £12.50, but you do get swarovski crystals for that, so how do they compare?

They're very similar in thickness, but the Max Factor is a little longer, they're both well designed items,  I like the black and gold on the Max Factor, but I'm always a sucker for something sparkly and I love the little crystals on the All for Eve file!

Now, the important thing about a crystal file is how smooth it is.  The smoother the file is, the less you'll feel it on your nails, and the less likely it will be to snag your nails. Also, the smoother it is, the quieter it'll be.  I can't be the only one who finds the sound of filing nails a little ... gnarly?

Anyhoo, you might be able to see that the surface of the Eve file is a lot smoother than the Max Factor, but even so, the Max Factor is considerably smoother than even the finest emery board you might already own.  Both give a fine filing experience, and don't split the nails when you're shaping.

As for the detailing on the files themselves, it has to be said that the Eve file does have the edge, if you look at the tips, the Eve file is finer-pointed, and this just shows that greater care has been taken with the design.  Plus, the cases that you get with the files mean that the Eve file is likely to be better protected in your handbag, but the smaller padded case you get with the Max Factor means that it is, in fact, easier to carry around.

Overall, there isn't a lot to choose between these files, both make shaping your nails a more pleasurable experience, and they're both definitely good at doing what they were designed for!  Whilst, yes, they're both more expensive than an emery board, if you take the time to look after these properly, they will last you a lifetime, which is always a bargain as far as I'm concerned.

For me though, my money would go to All for Eve, mainly because it's (slightly) better designed than the Max Factor one, and the fact that 100% of the profits on this line go to charity will always make me willing to spend a little more on a product. That said though, the Max Factor file is also very useful, if you genuinely can't afford the couple of quid extra to spend on the Eve file.

What do you use to file your nails?

Guest Review: Tara Smith Feed The Root Shampoo and Conditioner

It's been a while since I had a guest-reviewer on board (why yes, MrL, that is a hint!), so I thought I'd let Sarah take over for the day today.  She's been raving about this shampoo range for a little while, and her she is spreading the joy:



Given that Smith is (allegedly) one of the commonest surnames in the English-speaking world, hairdressers called Smith are particularly rare. Maybe they're told, after they've spent their first day sweeping away cuttings, making tea and learning to make small talk about holidays: "Sorry lovey, but Smith just doesn't say 'Stylist' to me. You'll need to get married or do something drastic to the spelling, my love. Maybe add an extra letter?"

Tara Smith is a brave exception. You can imagine her tossing her perfectly-formed mane defiantly as she folded the towels and vowing that one day, she too would be a vibrant, innovative and respected Stylist to the Stars and yet stay true to her roots and stay a Smith. With an "i". Twelvty years later she has snipped and demiwaved her way to the glittering salons of Hollywood, and now she is ready to join the ranks of the Sassoons and the Friedas with her own range of organic, cruelty-free, locally-produced haircare products. And I bet no-one calls her Smitty...

So, on to the review:

The product

The main attraction for me was the absence of foaming and stuff like parabens, sodium laureth sulphate and something called phthalates. The blurb on the back says "Tested on Film Stars, not Animals" - but it doesn't say which film stars were strapped into a harness and had shampoo dripped into their eyeballs, but I enjoyed making a list of potential testees.
Smith gets extra brownie points for natural, earth-friendly ingredients and local manufacture (well, Sussex is fairly local...). 

Her products also carry certification from the Vegan Society. The shampoo contains five yeast extracts and extract of bamboo, plus tea-tree oil and mint. The conditioner has something called Squalane which is derived from avocado and olive oil. Combined with more yeast extracts and marine algae, the conditioner claims to provide with essential minerals and bind moisture to the hair shaft. Both shampoo and conditioners come in circular 250ml bottles that fit very nicely on the edge of the bath.

To use the shampoo, rub a good-sized squidge into wet hair and leave in for a few minutes. The shampoo is suitably rich-textured and smells deliciously minty, like an After Eight. After about 30 seconds your scalp begins to tingle slightly. This, apparently, is the shampoo At Work, according to the label. With no parabens or foaming agents, there isn't much in the way of lather, but it rinses out easily anyway. The label recommends a second shampoo, but I don't think that makes much of a difference, other than more bubbles the second time around.
 
Squeeze-dry your hair and apply the conditioner in the usual way. The conditioner felt quite light, compared with similar products, but it smelled utterly delicious and worked easily into the hair, leaving no icky residue on your hands. Again, you feel the minty tingle after a few seconds. Rinse out the conditioner after leaving it in for five minutes and style as usual.

After the wash and condition my usually coarse, wiry (greying) hair actually felt quite silky. This doesn't usually happen unless I've applied half a tonne of Kiehls conditioning treatment and slept with my head in a plastic bag. To be on the safe side, I applied a small dollop of Tara Smith's base coat primer before blow-drying and tonging the hair into some semblance of normality. The primer helps to protect the hair from heat treatments, and it comes with a clever little all-in-one squishy pump. One pump is all you need for shortish hair with the texture and manageability of a moody Brillo pad.

So, given it's completely organic, vegan and made by magical elves in leafy Sussex, you'd expect the price to be something ridiculous, but no. Cult Beauty sells this shampoo and conditioner for a paltry £5.50 each. The primer costs £6.50 for 50ml. Half a bottle does for three months of twice-weekly washes on fairly short, thirsty hair, which means you can be green and gorgeous, and have a bit of change for that lovely All For Eve lippie...

Review - Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

I have a love-hate relationship with Benefit.  When the products are good (and very many of them are), they're very good, but when they're bad, they're dreadful.  Add in the hard sell at the counter, the freaky makeovers you get, and then look at the frankly rather limited range of foundation shades, they can be difficult to love at times .... also, please don't get me started on the cheap and rather undurable cardboard packaging that drives me nuts ... but hey.

But, when they get things right, they tend to get things really right.  Their Creaseless Cream eyeshadows are a work of genius and I never miss an opportunity to recommend them, and I've been using You Rebel ever since it was called "I am Rebel" (even if these days, I do prefer the "lite" version, I don't enjoy being orange now!).

They're bringing out some new products at the moment (and I hear exciting things about a possible skin-care launch in the near future too), and I've had a chance to try them.  I'll talk more about Porefessional soon,  but Girl Meets Pearl launches in the next couple of weeks and it's really very pretty indeed.

A cool pink with gold pearl, this is a cooling liquid highlighter that you can use to "spotlight" individual areas of your face, or use all over your face (under your foundation) to give your skin a sheeny glow. It's not a shimmer, or a glitter - thank goodness - but it just lights your skin up a little in a delightfully natural fashion.

Here you can see it on my skin, it's largely translucent, but it blends remarkably well, and gives you a buildable effect, you can apply it lightly for a light sheen, or apply more for a more glow-y effect.

Here you can see it catching the light whilst I was blending it in.  It dries a lot more matte though:

Can you see the difference?  I like to use this on my cheekbones (over a tinted moisturiser, and under a powder foundation), and I love the very subtle effect.

But, there is one dreadful thing about this product - the scent.  It's like smearing Hubba Bubba on your cheeks.  Not nice, and, to make things worse, the smell lingers a long time.  Your mileage on the scent may vary, of course!  I do find Benefit products a little over-perfumed at times, and I have to admit that this isn't nearly as bad as the smell of Dr Feelgood (which always smells like curry to me), but I thought you should know!

How do you get along with Benefit?

The Fine Print: I was visited on my sickbed by a very lovely Benefit PR recently, and she left me a sample of this.  PRs are people too, people! 

Nude Eyeliners

 Up until a couple of months ago, I didn't own a single "nude" eyeliner.  Having been tortured throughout the '80s by white eyeliner that was supposed to make you look more "awake" (but in reality just kind of made people look like they had been attacking their eyes with Tipp-Ex), I didn't really think there was anything you could realisitically use these pencils for.  I'd been reading a lot of love on blogs for Stila's Topaz, and when it came up on ModestyBrown's blog sale I bought it.

And now I own seven. <sigh> I'm not sure if it's a problem or not, to be honest.  I now have Une's Skin Glow, GOSH Go Bananas, Stila Topaz, Chanel Clair, Mally's double ended pencil, Laura Geller's I-Care pencil in Bone, and Guerlain's Secret Glow.

Did someone mention swatches?  Here you go:

Thoughts on each:

Une Skin Glow: This is actually meant to be a concealer, but I find it works marvellously well on the waterline, it's light and creamy, and lasts pretty well.  As it's meant to work on your skin to cover up blemishes, it works remarkably well on the waterline to disguise any redness.  A winner.

GOSH Go Bananas: This is actually a shimmering yellow.  Not actually that great as a nude liner, it's a little too yellow for that.  That said, this lasts astonishingly well, and won't actually disappear until you use a remover to take it off.  Great for highlighting around the tearduct rather than using on the waterline, if you ask me.

Stila Topaz:  Although this was the one that started off my collection, I have to say that it's very much not my favourite.  In fact, it's probably the worst liner on this list.  Why?  Well, it's very soft and creamy.  FAR too soft and creamy, in fact.  It's exceptionally easy to overapply (making it look like, well, ta bit like: Your eyes are leaking!! Leaking onto your face!!!  which isn't a great look outside of Halloween), and it can get onto your eyelashes a bit which just looks wrong, really.  Also, it's a little on the peach side, which means it's not a great match for most people's skin tone.

Chanel Clair:  Probably the hardest pencil on this list, it's very subtle, and all the better for it.  The firmness means you don't get the "ooziness" of the Stila, and the colour is very good too.

Mally: The second palest on this list, this gives a very similar effect to a while pencil.  If you're very, very pale, this might be a great choice for you.  It's a double ended pencil though, so means you don't get very much in there.  I'll be talking about the other half of this pencil next week ...

Laura Geller: Another hard pencil, this time in a shimmering ivory shade.  Possibly the prettiest pencil in the collection (and has a great built-in sharpener), alas, I can't get this one to show up on my waterline at all.  Such a shame!

Guerlain Secret Glow: A shimmering vanilla shade, this is glorious (and works well as a browbone highlighter too), being a powder, it's easy to overapply, and make yourself look a little odd, but I do love this one quite unreasonably.

Overall, the ones I'd buy again (and I did buy most of these myself) would be the Chanel and the Une.  What do you think?

The Story Behind All For Eve ...

I don't normally link to the Daily Mail from here, but there's an amazing, heartbreaking story on there today on the story behind the creation of the All for Eve brand that I've been a big supporter of this year.  It's an amazingly intimate interview with the inspiring Nemri Hammer, telling the story of her sister, Nadia, and her battle with cancer. It's well worth a read if you, or anyone you love has ever had their life affected by gynaecological cancer. 

Read it here.

I'll be talking about one of the All for Eve products later this week, in the meantime, you can find out more about The Eve Appeal here.

Blog Birthday Continued ...

PLEASE NOTE: The rules to this competition have changed, owing to a situation with A N Other website. A lot of entries have been disqualified as a result.  Sorry, but GENUINE followers only please.

So, this week is the anniversary of my blog, and, because I love you all SO much, I thought you might like a chance to win one of what I think is the greatest products I've discovered this year.  Which is, of course ...

A Clarisonic!

This is a full Clarisonic kit - as seen here and the prize in total is worth £150.  Oh, and it's pink ;) To be in with your chance to win, all you need to do is: 

Be a follower of this blog, then, finish the following sentence in 25 words or less (I'm an accountant, remember, and I will be counting): "My birthday wish for Get Lippie would be ..." and EMAIL your answer, alongside your name and address to birthdaycomp@getlippie.com.  

The Rules - (ignore at your peril):

Apologies for this list of rules, but owing to the value of the prize, I'm having to make the rules a little more stringent than usual, please read them carefully, and please play by the rules!

Entries made in the comments of this post will not be counted, and will be disregarded entirely. This is an EMAIL ONLY competition.

Similarly, entries received without a valid postal address will be disregarded. Also, only one entry per postal address, please.  

Please note that if you have found this giveaway as a result of posts on forums like MoneySavingExpert et al, then your entry will not be counted. There are ways I can check how you found this post!

This competition is open to UK residents only (many apologies to my international readers, I'll do a giveaway open to you guys soon, I promise!), 

You do need to be a follower to enter this competition, please ensure you tell me your follower-name in your entry. 

The judges decision is final.  I may use Random.org to find the winner, if need be.

 This competition will close at 12 noon (GMT) on Monday 20th September, and the Clarisonic will be despatched the same week.  Entries received after this date will be disregarded.

If the standard of entries is particularly high, I reserve the right to add in further prizes (not guaranteed) at my own discretion.

Good luck, I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

It's my Blog Birthday!

Time just flies, doesn't it?  I seriously cannot believe that an entire year has passed since I started blogging regularly!  I started this because a couple of friends had been nagging me too, and I'd always resisted because a) I didn't think I had anything to actually say, and b) didn't think anyone would want to read it anyway!  Well, an entire year of posting, and almost 150,000 page views later, I think it's fairly safe to say that I was wrong, on both counts ...

Blogging has brought me many things, including experiences from the sublime to the ridiculous (more about those later on this week), and I've met -  and made friends with - men and women I could never have met under other circumstances. Get Lippie has made a huge difference to my life, and as a result, I owe a massive debt of thanks to several people for all manner of reasons, and if you'll forgive my self indulgence (which I shall apologise for in advance), I'd like to mention some of them now.  Please get your sickbags ready:

To Seona, Sarah and Genna, thank you so much for encouraging me to start this in the first place, you guys have supported this from the very beginning and you have always had great ideas and feedback, even when I've found it difficult at times.  This blog probably wouldn't exist without you three, so, from the heart of my bottom I thank you very much.

For bloggers who I'm very grateful to, then I simply have to mention LondonMakeupGirl , MizzWorthy and Lipglossiping  who were my inspiration at the beginning (and remain so!) and I'm grateful to them for all the support they provided for me when I was but a struggling (and very annoying - some things never change) newbie to the blogging world.   BeautyJunkieLondon and HelenNiceThings need a mention for all the help they've given me since - you guys know what I'm talking about! Then there is, of course, BritishBeautyBlogger, who is a great cheerleader, and takes my ribbing her about sausages at every available opportunity with great aplomb. .And, lastly, but certainly not leastly (mainly because she's in a category all of her very own labelled "Mouthy Scousers"), there is Caroline over at BeautyMouth, whom I'd like to say I look up to, but I'm afraid she'll take it literally and start referring to me as a hobbit again.

I've made so many friends through Twitter, through the comments that arrive (always to my astonishment and delight) daily on this blog, and through emails and DMs and not to mention the blogging events that I never even thought I'd be invited to any of, that there are too many more of you to mention without it turning into some sort of sub-Gwyneth Paltrow-style Oscar speech.  And I think I've just embarrassed myself enough for one day.  Possibly even the week!

Suffice it to say, that if you've ever taken the time to read my tiny corner of the internet, or if you've ever spoken to me on Twitter, or if you've ever left a comment here, or written me an email asking for advice, then I'm grateful for it, and I'd like to say a massive thank you to YOU, too.  You're great you are.  And, might I add, how lovely you look today?

I'll be back a little later in the week with details of an amazing birthday competition.  Well, I think it's amazing, anyhow, I hope you guys will, too! In the meantime, if you have any suggestions of things you'd like to see on Get Lippie, then feel free to let me know in the comments!


The Fine Print:  Normal (sarcastic) service will be resumed tomorrow.  I did warn you that you'd need a sickbag.  I never joke about vomit.

A tiny note to MrLippie:  Thank you.  For everything. Now, PLEASE stop making me look socially inept when I drag you to events, thank you!

My Current Skin Care Routine

I've tried a lot of skincare this year - and I'll bring you some reviews of some of those brands soon, but I thought it would be nice to talk about what I'm using at the moment, as I'm really happy with it, and my skin is about as good as it's been in the last few years, so I thought people might like to know about it!

First of all, the Clarisonic.  I swear, this has been the single biggest difference I've made to my skin this year.  I, like many people, initially thought it was a bit of a gimmick, after all, it's essentially a giant toothbrush for your face!  But the difference it's made to my skin is amazing.  It's dealt with my troublesome forehead dry patch that I've been plagued with for years, and I've been able to use less product, and need to rely less on heavy foundations as a result.  Truly, the Clarisonic is a habit-changer, and I'm glad it's appeared in my life.  I use mine twice a day, and it's one of those products that you can really tell the difference if you've skipped a day.

A couple of months ago, I bought a collection of Alpha H products from QVC (it contains cleanser, moisturiser, eye cream, liquid gold and a mask - it's the five piece smoothing collection on this page here) and these have formed the basis of my routine ever since.  In particular, I'm a big fan of the balancing cleanser and the Liquid Gold itself.

In the morning, I use the Balancing Cleanser - alongside the Clarisonic, and I find it cooling and refreshing on my skin. I'm not, ordinarily, a fan of cream cleansers, but this doesn't leave any residue, and leaves my skin feeling clean and smooth.  There's no real scent to it, and I've had no breakouts whatsoever since I bought it. I have a massive 200ml tube which has lasted me two months so far and I estimate I'm about half way down it so far. However, I do not double cleanse, I find that on my (sensitive, and temperamental) skin, double cleansing is just a recipe for dryness and redness, personally.

I follow this with the Alpha H Age Delay Lip and Eye cream, and then I've been following it with Murad Active Radiance serum, which provides a massive vitamin C boost for the skin, and helps repair sun damage.  I like that is absorbs quickly, and it gives my skin a little tingle in the mornings when I use it.  I follow that with either Murad Sheer Lustre Day Moisture (SPF 15), if I'm planning to wear foundation that day, it's a nice, very light lotion that leaves my skin with a nice sheeny glow and provides a great base for some of the foundations I've been trialling recently. There's a golden sheen to it in the tube, which just adds a little radiance to my skin, and I like it a great deal.

If it's a day where I just want a tinted moisturiser, then I'll break out my tried and trusted Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm in Light-to-medium. I love this product, and have been using it for at least five years now, it's pigmented enough to even out your skintone, but it's also, let's face it, a damn fine moisturiser. It's also one of the nicest smelling cosmetic products I own, I love the stuff, and this must be my fifth or even sixth jar now, it's a summer staple.

In the evenings, I once again cleanse with the Balancing Cleanser (or, if it's an OTT makeup day, I use Nude Cleansing Oil), again with the eyecream, and then follow with the  Alpha H Liquid Gold.  Initially, I thought this was a toner, but it's actually a glycolic acid-based treatment that gently helps to resurface your skin overnight.  I love this stuff, it's one of very few products where you can actually see the difference in your skin the morning after.  Your skin will just glow, and you'll look like you had at least ten hours sleep.  My only issue with this product is that you have to apply it to cotton wool, and it turns out that I really don't like applying things with cotton wool.  Yes, I'm a bit odd.  It's fine, I'm used to it.

It's not really recommended that you use Liquid Gold every night (you'll resurface yourself into oblivion if you do!) so on aternate nights, I use the Rejuvenating Cream as a night treatment.  Meant for daily use on mature skins, this is a little too rich for me to use all the time, but I find every other night as a boost to the Liquid Gold, it's perfect as a night cream.

This has been a very long post for what is actually a pretty simple routine!  I'm currently swapping in a couple of new products (changing the night cream, and the serum, basically), for review purposes but this is what I've been using for the last couple of months, and I've loved it.  What's your current routine, and what wonder products have you found and enjoyed recently?

The Fine Print: Some of the products mentioned in this post were provided by PR for review purposes.  Others I bought.  It doesn't matter which is which.  I like what I like, and it matters not in the slightest under those circumstances how I came by the product.  So there, how's about them apples?

Review - Guerlain Lingerie de Peau Foundation

My quest for a Holy Grail foundation goes on, this time around I'm trying Guerlain's Lingerie de Peau, which is their latest release, and it was released a couple of weeks ago. After a while swatching in-store, I settled on shade no2, Beige Clair, which is a slightly more pink-based shade than I'd ordinarily wear, but the lighting in the shop make picking colours way more difficult than it should be.

This is what Guerlain have to say about it:

"Silk and linen weave themselves into a second skin

Selected from among the most luxurious textile fibres, silk and linen combine their complementary qualities, weaving an imperceptible veil of perfection on the surface of the skin in a voluptuous sensation of comfort and drapes the complexion in a silky radiance that captures an reflects the light.  Ultra-mattifying powders and pigments are woven into the linen to help refine the texture of the skin and give it a velvety softness.  On the skin itself nothing is visible except the natural appearance of a perfect complexion."

Housed in a handsome glass bottle, with a monogrammed lid, the bottle has a proper pump to help you get it out. It's a foundation that is prone to separating in the bottle, so it really needs a good shake up before you use it.

Here you can see that I didn't shake it quite enough before I pumped it onto my hand, I generally find that one full pump is just about the right amount for my face and onto my neck (for blending purposes).  It's a very light, very liquid-y foundation, which spreads extremely easily on the skin, it has great slip.

This shows the partially blended foundation, as you can see, a little amount of this goes a very long way.  It blends very easily, and just needs a tiny hint of powder to set it.  I've been using my Guerlain Meteorites over the top, as I find it's very difficult to over-apply that one.

Once on the skin and set, you get the most delightful finish, sheeny without being too glowy, or even (heaven forfend) "greasy".  It's practically invisible in use, and evens out your skintone wonderfully.  I adore the finish, not too matte, not too shiny, it's a really lovely foundation.

That said, it's lasting power is merely average, I do find that it really needs either a good re-powdering around 3pm (I tend to apply around 6.30, 7am, though, which is actually around 8 hours wear) or a little reapplication.

This is a definite re-buy for me, I like it a great deal more than my Chanel Pro-Lumiere, as it feels a lot lighter on the skin, and doesn't appear to oxidise very much - if at all.

What's been a great foundation find for you recently?

The Fine Print: I bought this.  I was actually looking for the new Guerlain palettes, but they're not available till the first week of September, dammit!

Summer perfumes: Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte vs Guerlain Herba Fresca

I mentioned in a recent perfume review that I go a little bit crazy for minty perfumes and colognes and the two I'm talking about this week are two of my all-time favourite summer scents.

First off, Hermes Eau d'Orange Verte, which is a unisex cologne.  I find this is quite citrussy on it's opening (that'll be the orange in the name, I expect, I'm clever that way), and it smells a little like you've gone a bit mad with your other halfs' aftershave for a few minutes - not that I mind that too much - in the mid point it smells a little like Imperial Leather, sort of soapy, clean and warm, a little musky but not too much, and then once it's dried down completely, you get a mossy sort of minty smell which I find totally intoxicating.  Sadly this one doesn't last all that long, the top notes last minutes at most and the middle disappears irritatingly fast, and you'll find that you will have to go hunting on your skin for the dry-down (it sticks very close to your skin), but it's worth it.  Also, I find that the irritating lightness is also part of it's charm, as it means you can reapply quite regularly, without worrying that the people around you are going to need a gas mask.

But, my all-time favourite summer-minty fragrance of all-time is Guerlain's Herba Fresca, which is part of their "Aqua Allegoria" range of scents inspired by nature.

It's decidedly green, and smells of fresh cut grass, hay and MINT on first spray, it's cooling and delicious, and very, very, very light.  I spray it everywhere (and I mean everywhere, arms, legs, chest, back) and then spend the day sniffing delightedly at myself.  It's clean and fresh and very different to anything else I own, which is probably why I like it so much.  Occasionally, if I want it to last longer, I will layer it over Korres Spearmint Shower Gel and Body Lotion, which are an excellent companion to this scent.  This is also the only perfume I own that MrLippie comments on spontaneously, saying how wonderful it smells.  Of course, he thinks it smells of orange, but hey, that's men for you, right?

What are your favourite summer fragrances, and what do you think of mint as a perfume ingredient?