Guest Post - NARS Orgasm Nail Polish

I'm utterly delighted that my first guest blogger of my holiday is the wonderful Helen from Just Nice Things, not only does she have "nails of iron", she was one of my blogging inspirations when I first started Get Lippie, and I'm very happy that she's become one of my best friends in the blogging world and in real life, too.  She's responsible for many of my nail varnish lemmings - and she's the reason for why my nail varnish collection has gone from about 20 bottles, to about 150, which is why, much as I love her, my bank manager doesn't ...

Anyhoo, Helen's going to talk to us about yet another flanker for the cult NARS blush in  Orgasm, on with the show, Helen!

*****

I don't think there are many products that received as much hype as the Nars Orgasm blusher and illuminator. And let me let you in on a secret. I only recently got my mitts on a tube of it. I know, massive Nars fan that I am, I should be ashamed of myself. But there you go.

I do, however, own the nail varnish of the same name, which was sent to me as one of the "free" gifts that Nars occasionally do when you spank your life's savings on an online order. This is a mini version of the polish, don't fret, my hands haven't suddenly grown immensely overnight.
I'm just not sure what to make of this. I really wanted it to be an opaque polish. But it isn't. You're seeing three coats here, with a fourth one on the little finger, just to see what happened.

I didn’t want to do any more, because it is a mini and I didn't want to use most of it up on one manicure. I do think that this would work well over a co-ordinating peach base coat though so I need to have a rummage through my stash and see if something like that exists so that I can test it out.

I do rather like the finish of this polish. It is an orange toned peach jelly that flashes yellow and gold in some lights. In the dim morning light as I was driving to work this morning, I could barely see the visible nail line, and as such was astounded at just how pretty this was. It is more delicate and girly than I am used to, but I enjoyed wearing it. Only for a day though - I was craving darks again by the end of the evening.

What do you think? Does the famous "multiple" translate well to nails? As a side note by the way, a man I work with (the one and only Sam, who regular Just Nice Things readers know and love), who never ever comments on my nails actually volunteered that he quite liked this. Hmmm.

Helen

*****

Get Lippie says: Only one thing springs to mind, Helen: Nick O'Teen!



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

Equus Twelve Week Blowdry

So, the last thing I invested in before my trip (tomorrow - squee!) was a Twelve Week Blowdry with Darren Eaton at Equus.  I'd originally headed in for a Brocato treatment, but, because my hair currently has bleached ends (I had an ombre recently, too!), we decided that the slightly gentler twelve week blowdry would suit my needs better.  It took two and a half hours, and involved two blowdrys and a thorough going over with the straightening irons.  That's a long time to sit still, but the results have been worth it.  Darren is a straightening genius, and is very patient with lightly hungover clients, to boot.

I'm very happy with it, there's nothing worse than having to deal with fuzzy hair on holiday, and I have to say that - outside of the Onix system that I trialled almost two years ago - the twelve week blowdry is the one that's left me with the smoothest, easiest to deal with results of any of the myriad keratin treatments I've had over the last while!  I have smooth hair with plenty of body, and I know it'll be easy to deal with whilst I'm away.  Well, it had better be, because I'm not taking either my hairdryer or my straighteners with me (dear Jack Howard, if you're reading this, please don't judge me)! The twelve week blowdry costs from £195 depending on hair length.

My hair is a bit delicate at the moment, and we all know that bleach, sun, salt and chlorine aren't ideal for coloured hair, so I'm going to be protecting it with Swimcap whilst I'm away.  No, not one of those, this:

Designed to protect your hair from the elements, I'll be dousing my bonce in this every opportunity I get.  I'll let you know how it holds up!


And there it is, the last of my holiday prep done, and I'm off in just a couple of hours.  But, Get Lippie has a whole host of guest bloggers lined up to treat you with over the two weeks whilst I'm sunning myself, from bloggers old and new, with some names you'll recognise, and some you won't, but they're all wonderful, so I hope you'll make them all feel very welcome.  Oh, and Mr Lippie makes his long awaited blogging return ...


See you in a fortnight!  Mine's a pina colada.

The Fine Print: Phillip Kingsley samples provided by PR - but I paid for my hair service at Equus.  Good hair is worth investing in.


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

Holiday Makeup Bag

This post might surprise a few people, but the following is all I'm planning on taking away with me this week:

From left to right we have Hawaiian Tropic lip gloss: which has an in-built SPF of 25.  My lips are prone to cold-sores at the first sight of warm weather, so this is a must.  
Guerlain Terracotta foundation in Blonde:  a hint of a tan for the early days of the holiday, it's the only base product I'm taking.
Giorgio Armani Eyeliner in black: if you need a run-proof pencil, this one's your man.
Makeup Forever Smokey Lash mascara: The blackest, most volumising, lengthening mascara I own.  At the moment ...
Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscope in Penelope:  Inspired by the colour of the Mediterranean, I couldn't not take this!  Even if I am going to somewhere on the Atlantic coast.  My palette is faulty, so if you want to see what this looks like properly, you might want to click here.
Sue Devitt  Palette in Beau Soleil:  Brand new, this is a gorgeous melange of bronze and coral shades which you can swirl together as a blush or use the shades individually as eyeshades.  
Guerlain Kohl in Oriental Metal:  A recent stash rediscovery, I'd forgotten how much I loved this one, but I've not stopped wearing it for the last few weeks! 
A trio of Louise Young eyebrushes: Newly added to my collection, a full review is on the way, look out for it!  
Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier pencil in Ava: beautifully smudgy, this dark purple will be great for a makeup look in two seconds flat.
Dior Lip Polish in Coral: found these in Paris, and now love them, a hint of sheer milky peach, keep my lips soft and moist in hot weather is imperative, which is why I'm taking this with it's innovative "roller" applicator with me. 
Eyelure Eyebrow pencil in shade 02: Well, I do need to keep my brows in order ...

And that's it.  To be honest, I don't really wear makeup when I'm on holiday, lip balm and mascara (if that) is about as far as I can be bothered to go in the evenings.  What do you take away with you?

The Fine Print:  I bought everything in the bag aside from the Sue Devitt and Le Metier items.  I'll probably be taking some more lipglosses, but I couldn't find them for this picture.  I bought them too, though ... oh, and a blusher brush.
  
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved. 

Imedeen and Decleor - Pre-Sun Preparation

Don't worry, I think I've only got one more of these holiday themed posts to go! I mentioned on Monday that I suffer from prickly heat, and I'm worried about it happening again, so have invested a small fortune in sun allergy sun protection.  Well, I'm also taking some preventative steps in advance:

Firstly, I'm taking Imedeen's Tan Optimizer supplements, and have been for the last three weeks.  They're not, precisely a self-tanning product (I remember my mum took tanning pills quite a few years ago, which essentially contained massive dosages of beta-carotene, turning her orange.  All over.  Not a good look), but they're designed to give your skin a head start for when you do finally hit the sun.

Containing vitamins A, C & E, alongside doses of lycopene (not beta-carotene!), at the very least I'm hoping they'll improve my skin for when I get there!  You take the tiny brown (oooh, psychological!) capsule once a day for four weeks before you travel, whilst you're away, and for at least two weeks afterwards, and they claim to lengthen the amount of time you'll keep your tan for.  I'm all for that.   They say that they'll help minimise redness, and as my high colour is one of the banes of my life these days, I'm hoping they'll make good on that promise.

You can read more about Imedeen Tan Optimizer here.  They cost £40.80 for a two month supply.  Cheaper than getting a couple of spray tans ...

I've also added this to my current skin-care routine:

Which is Decleor Aromessence Solaire Pre-tanning Serum.  Actually an oil, it contains extract of rose and camomile, alongside wheatgerm and argan oils.  Again, all ingredients known to be soothing, and of value to stressed skins, of which mine certainly is at the moment.  I actually had a facial with this, where it was recommended for my high colouring, and angry facial (angry face is angry, grrr!) breakouts, and it's been a pleasure to use.  When I found out it's great for preparing skin for sun, well, nothing could have made me happier.

Has it worked on my high colouring?  Well, I have found myself looking slightly less red, so that's good (angry face is mildly disgruntled, pfeh!), but the jury is out as to whether it'll work in the sun.  So far. 

You simply use this as you would any other serum, add a few drops to the palm of your hand (about three, at most, I'd say) and apply to your face and neck, then apply moisturiser as normal.

Neither of these products contain sunscreen, so it's very important that you use SPF with these products.  They're designed to increase your skin's tolerance to sunlight generally, but they don't have any UVA or UVB filters, so if you use either of them, please bear that in mind.

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  I've obviously been talking to people about my holiday for far, far, far too long.  One more post, promise. Okay, maybe two.

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

Holiday Preparation - Toiletries

So, my nails are painted, the suncare is purchased ... what else do I need?  Well, toiletries, I guess!  

The haircare that I'm taking is from Tara Smith's Straight Away range - before I had Kebelo recently, (and another straightening treatment since) this was the shampoo I was using, and it was fupping wonderful stuff.  Tara's shampoos are sulfate-free, animal-friendly and free of parabens and all kinds of nasties.   I'm taking them mainly because they come in perfect travel sizes of 100ml, but they are in fact, amongst the best shampoos I've ever used.  They've been featured on here before, my friend Sarah swears by the Feed The Root Range. Oh, and they're exceptionally purse-friendly, costing just £6.50 for the larger bottles.

For showering, I'm taking:

 Tom Ford, Neroli Portofino.  Oh, and:

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Lotion


Now, I'm no fan of the advertising images of this range  - in fact, I'd go so far as to say that I find most (if not all) Tom Ford advertising images at best gratuitous, and at worst downright offensive, but mostly generally totally unnecessary - but I have to say that I do love his products.  Does that make me a hypocrite?  Possibly, but hey, we all have our crosses to bear.  There is quality here, and to me, that is important.  Yes, I think they're over-priced (again, gratuitously, possibly), but  ... you make your choices and live with them, I always think.

Neroli Portofino is a gloriously summer-y fragrance that is based around the traditional cologne notes of bergamot, bitter orange and rosemary, is wonderfully light and refreshing, and the scent is rather long-lasting for a cologne.  The body lotion is second only in formulation to my Haus of Gloi pumpkin butters, being both rich, and yet easily absorbed, and it's beautifully moisturising.  I've been using the Body oil for a while now - courtesy of a sample obtained via the wonderfully generous and amazing Caroline Barnes, who took pity on me a couple of months ago and sent me a tiny decant of her own personal bottle - and this is something I've since purchased.  These all cost between £40-45 each.  A big investment, but a holiday is worth a little splurge, no?


So, you'd expect I'd be taking a bottle of the fragrance too, hmn?  Well, no, actually, I'm taking this instead:

4711.   If the Tom Ford is based on a classic cologne, then 4711 simply is the classic cologne, and at prices between £6 and £17 a bottle, then I had to take this - besides, I didn't want my toiletries to be worth more than I paid for the holiday in the first place!  I've been layering this with the TF body products on sunny days for a month or two now, and they're perfectly complementary!  I defy anyone to tell the difference between the two, after five minutes on the skin.  So there.  I'm also packing a couple of boxes of these:

4711 scented wipes, they're perfect for cooling down lightly over-heated skin, as the alcohol evaporates on the skin in the sun, it'll give a lovely calming scented effect.  And, they're £3 for a box of 12, so a total bargain for those "needing a wet wipe" moments ...

The Fine Print: Products featured in this post are a mixture of personal purchase and PR samples that I've come to love since they arrived.  I'm only taking things I love on holiday.  I'm also taking Mr Lippie. 


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

Holiday Preparation - Sun Protection with Piz Buin

I'm a terribly delicate little flower you know, I bruise like a peach, and in the sun, I wilt and then prickle madly.  All joking aside, sun protection for all-over is an area where I struggle somewhat.  It's a good job I don't take exotic holidays all that often!

As I may have mentioned yesterday,  next week I'm off to Portugal for a fortnight, and, having spent our last holiday there in a prickly heat-haze, this year I'm taking no chances, I'm packing these:

Now, I'm normally a lazy mare, and I usually opt for the kind of sun care that you apply once for all-day sun protection, but I now believe that a lot of these formulations are far too heavy for sun-delicate skin, and I'm convinced that part of my problem on my last summer holiday was caused by blocked pores on my calves which lead to the incessant itching.  I discovered the Piz Buin Sun Allergy range towards the end of the holiday - at a whopping cost of 26 euro a bottle!  But, I'd been driven so crazy by itching at this point,  that I gladly paid the price.  It's a more reasonable (but still eye-watering) cost of around £17 a bottle back in the UK, but I got these on buy one get one free from Boots.  £8.50 a bottle doesn't hurt so much somehow.  I'm happy to see that Piz have added a spray top to these bottles this year, which will make them so much easier to use.

Last time I used them, I noticed that there was a definite difference between this and the all-day lotion I'd been using previously.  Whilst the itching didn't end overnight (it took another discovery for that - see below) but my skin definitely felt soothed from the first application, and I was glad to have found it.  I'm taking two bottles of each in factors 30 and 15 for the body, and a tube of factor 30 for my face.  I don't want to come home entirely the same colour I was when I left!  MrLippie will be using the same, just in the non-allergy version.  If I can track down some of the factor 8 down before we go, I'll be getting some of that too ...

I've also invested in a tube of this:

No idea what it's like at the moment, but I'll keep you posted!  I'm hoping that by using sun protection for sensitive skin in the first place that I'll avoid any prickly heat problems entirely, but in case I don't, I'm also packing these:

Yup, that's my prickly heat kit: Zirtek antihistamines (the only antihistamines I've found that work on sun allergies - between these and the Piz Buin, it's what saved my holiday last time), a massive bottle of aloe vera gel, and two cans of Magicool prickly heat spray.  I like Magicool anyway - there is very little more refreshing on a hot day - and I'm hoping against hope I won't need to use these, but I'll have them there just in case ... Last time, my major defence was lightly damp face cloths which we kept in a plastic bag in the apartment freezer!  I just wrapped those around the affected areas and it was just instant relief!  Not sure what the maids thought we were doing with them though ...


How do you prepare for your holidays?


The Fine Print: I bought all of the stuff you see in this post, but further samples - and images - have been provided by Piz Buin, for which I'm deeply grateful. They're a great bunch of lads.

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

Holiday Preparation with Get Lippie

Oh, I've got a whole week of holiday themed stuff coming up - prior to my being away on the Algarve for a fortnight from next week! - but I thought I'd start with my holiday manicure:




Two coats of Essie Geranium. A bright - bright! orange. I've never worn orange nails so bright, but I have to say I'm loving this:




Even on my freakishly pale pinky blue hands this works.




I keep catching sight of them and being surprised, as this is a big difference to my usual shades.

It's practically neon in the flesh, and not nearly as red as it appears in these pics. It has an exceptionally shiny jelly finish, which is why after two coats you can still see a hint of visible nail line, but it's a very cheery shade, and it's perfect for getting into the holiday spirit!

One last shot for luck:





You can see how the light plays with the shade here. The colour on the thumb shows it is actually ORANGE

The Fine Print: manicure courtesy of Equus Hair, where I was a paying customer

Random Friday

No real blog post today, just taking the opportunity to take stock a little bit (for today is my birthday and I've given myself the day off) over the year so far and reflect on what an amazing time it's been for Get Lippie: there have been trips to Paris,  having a couple of lipsticks made and named after me, a couple of emotional posts, an insane project, and in between there have been some amazing events (thank you, Penhaligons for the nicest dinner I've ever had in a car park, ever!), I've  made some amazing friends, and have had my highest reading figures ever.  It's a blast, and I'm suddenly back in the blogging groove, so you guys have some good posts to look forward to over the coming months.

So, lovely readers, thank you very much for reading, I'm always astonished when anyone outside of my immediate family reads this, and I'm happy you're here!

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

My All Time Favourite Eyeliner of All Time (and a dud) - Illamasqua

I love me some eyeliner - and, as this is my third eyeliner post in a row this week, you might have noticed that by now - and I love, love, love liquid eyeliner.  My default, go-to makeup on days when I simply can't be bothered is a neutral eyeshadow, a slick of liquid liner and a bit of bright lipstick, simple, easy, classic, and takes about two minutes flat to do ...

Anyhoo, my liquid eyeliner of choice is the Illamasqua liquid liner in Abyss, a black, black, black liner, which dries to a patent-leather shiny finish, and depending how you use the brush can give you everything from the finest of lines right at the roots of the lashes to make them look thicker, up to a full-on Amy Winehouse winged look.  I've used mine almost non-stop for the last six months, and it's still not showing any signs of drying up or running out.  

 

You can see Abyss at the top left there, shining away.

However, below that is Glister.  It's a flesh coloured eyeliner, replete with purple sparkle which I picked up from the "Toxic Nature" collection recently, because it was so different, and so pretty.  It's got all the good points of Abyss, shiny, great brush, doesn't flake or fade, etc, but ... I haven't got a clue what to do with it, mainly because on my skin (this picture isn't my skin, btw, long story, but doesn't Mr Lippie make a great hand model?) it is completely invisible.  Okay, not entirely invisible, because my skin isn't replete with pretty purple sparkles, but you know what I mean.

So, I've used it about three times, and every time it's just been a bit meh.  Do you own Glister?  How do you use yours?

The Fine Print: I purchased both of these in the Dean St store.  I think I'd been hypnotised by the floor in there.

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

Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner Pencils

If yesterday's £20 a pencil eyeliners were too rich for your blood, how does four for a tenner grab you?
 
I was idly browsing the Avon website a few weeks ago, and I noticed that they had their gel eyeliners on offer at £2.50 each, so I snapped a couple or four up, in plum, khaki, steel and bronze, and I'm very glad I did.  They're a bargain even at full price of £6 each, and, to my mind, they're just as good as the Armani ones I showed you yesterday. Nicer, possibly, as these have a lovely metallic sheen that is better than the slightly flat shades of the Armani pencils.

Again, these are one pass on clean, dry, unprimed skin.  On checking the pics against the ones I showed yesterday, I have to admit that there is slightly less pigment in the Avon pencils, but at this price, that's to be expected.  But the shades are complex, with just a hint of micro-shimmer, which can be very flattering.

They last, however, just as well as pencils costing a lot more, and they don't run or flake during the day.  They're velvety soft on application though, and simply will not drag on the skin.

A bargain at twice the price.  These shades aren't showing on the Avon website though - but they do now have the black, which they didn't when I was buying, so if you can't afford Armani, then snap these babies up!



The Fine Print: Bought and purchased with the pennies I earn from my day job. I do have a day job, I'm an accountant, but I used to be an Avon Lady.  Have I mentioned that before?  Grateful thanks go to today's mystery swatching hand ...
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Giorgio Armani Gel Eyeliner Pencils

 

I confess to not being an expert on the beauty industry, but I admit that the decisions that come beauty companies make baffle me slightly.  Take, for example, the decision by Giorgio Armani cosmetics to make their wonderful eyeliners a limited edition product.  Released once or twice a year, these pencils turn up for two, maybe three weeks at a time, then disappear not to be seen for another couple of months.

Mystifying, utterly mystifying.  

Regardless - and price aside for a moment - it's all the more astonishing, because these are, quite rightly cult items, that I don't really think that any makeup bag should be without.

We're all familiar, I guess, with gel eyeliners, the kind that come in pots, and have to be applied with a brush.  They set on the skin to give unparalleled lasting power that doesn't crease, run or flake (well, most of them don't) and are slightly easier to use than a traditional "inkwell" style liquid eyeliner.


Well, the Armani Eyeliners are gel eyeliners in a pencil, creaseproof, run proof and flake-free, they're wonderful things.  Look at the swatches from the black and green pencils above:

These are both one pass with the pencil over clean, dry, unprimed skin.  And, let me tell you, that black line was a complete pain in the bum to remove with just a cleansing wipe! It is one of the blackest, softest eyeliners I own, and I say that as someone with a collection of eyeliners that would make your average baby-goth weep inky-sweet tears of sootiest envy.


They're not great if you want a really fine line, as, being gel, they blunt very easily, but they're soft, apply with no dragging, and are (for about a minute or so) very easily smudgeable.  Once they set though, they're in place for the whole day. That is unless you're an inveterate eye-rubber, or it's an exceptionally humid day.  I've found they tend to fade rather than run though, which is preferable, in all honesty.


On the down side, they are very, very, very expensive.  At £20 a pencil, which won't actually last all that long owing to how soft they are, they are a very occasional treat.


But, tomorrow, I'll be showing you a more than acceptable alternative at around a tenth of the cost.  Sound interesting .... ?

The Fine Print: These were bought at the same time as the Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadow I showed you on Sunday.  Once again, a stunt swatching hand was used in these posts. He's still not forgiven me.

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

Bare Minerals High Shine Eyeshadows Moonshine and Meteorite

L - R Moonshine, Meteorite

I discovered these quite by accident - Meteorite appeared in a goody-bag, and I was so impressed that I went out the very next day and bought another one!  Like the Armani Eyes to Kill shadow I showed you yesterday, these appear to be another cream-shadow hybrid and are exceptionally long wearing and crease proof.


Housed in a tube, the shadows have a built in applicator (excuse the stock image, I'm an idiot and forgot to take a picture of it myself), which is actually pretty useful, and picks up enough product to actually be able to apply:

However, on my jar of Meteorite, the sponge picks up far, far, far too much product and this causes massive fallout, which is exceptionally annoying, however, I loved the shadow so much after applying it, that I overlooked this design flaw when I bought Moonshine.


Onto swatches!

Top is Moonshine, and bottom is Meteorite.  Moonshine is described on the Bare Minerals website as a "deep plum", which, whilst I wouldn't describe it that way myself, it is a very nice metallic purple, which isn't too scary a shade for daytime wear.  Meteorite isn't on the website yet (making me suspect that mine may be a pre-release sample -sorry), but it's a genuinely beautiful lightly blackened coppery bronze.


On initial swatching, the shades can apply thickly, and will need sheering out a little to make them wearable, particularly if you have creased eyelids, or are prone to dry eyelids, but sheering them out is possible and doesn't affect the wear-time:

These shades are very complex, around the edges of Meteorite on the bottom there, you can see how the way the light hits the shade affects the colour, this means - to me - that you don't really need other shadows with these, it looks like you've expertly blended a number of shades together already!  I'll post a Face of the Day with this shade soon, and you'll be able to see what I mean ...


Bare Minerals High Shine Eyeshadows are available from Debenhams, Selfridges and Bare Minerals boutiques, and cost £15 each.  They're more than comparable with the Armani Eyes to Kill shadows if you ask me - actuallly having improved wear time, and less creasing, and I'll be going back to purchase Patina (olive green) and Glisten (golden sand) soon.  They're also around a tenner cheaper, which has to be a good thing, in anyone's book ...

The Fine Print: One was a PR sample from an event unrelated to Bare Minerals, and one was purchased by me.  Further Disclosure: Stunt doubles were used in the swatch photos, Get Lippie's left hand is currently unavailable for photographic engagements.


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

Sephora Giveaway Winner!

By the time-honoured and increasingly less scientific method of asking Mr Lippie to name a number between one and forty two, I'm happy to announce that the winner of my Sephora Goody-Bag is ...


Debdobdoornob!  


Hoorah! Drop me an email, lovely, and I'll get your goodies in the post to you ...

Thank you to everyone for entering xx

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

Armani Eyes to Kill Eyeshadow #8

Armani Eyes to Kill eyeshadows have been all over Twitter recently, and, as I've had mine for about three months now, I thought it was about time I actually reviewed it!

Not quite a cream, not quite a powder, but rather a hybrid mixture of them both, the Armani Eyes to Kill shadows are easy to use, last well, and are a pleasure to use.


I have shade 8, which I don't know the name of, but it's a grey-speckled champagne shade:

I find they work best if you apply with a finger tip - they do not get along with synthetic eye brushes at all, but if you must use a brush, make sure it's a natural hair brush.


They do give a heavy metallic finish when applied:

This amount on a finger tip applies like this:

Which is a cool, silvery-champagne shade, which works very well alone to brighten up eyes, and just give you a slightly-more-awake look when you can't be bothered with a more structured makeup look.


You can sheer them out, but you will need to work quickly, as the shadows set in about a minute or so:

The shadows last well - around 12 hours with minimal creasing, and I find that they also make quite a good base for more traditional powder shadows.  Mostly I use this alone with a hint of smudged eyeliner and LOTS of mascara for a very simple makeup look that takes seconds to pull together.


Armani Eyes to Kill shadows are available at Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges and will cost you around £25 each.  I'll be honest, I picked this shade because I found a lot of the others were far too sparkly for every day use, and at this price, I'd want to use it a lot!  The pot has been used two/three times a week for three months now, and shows barely any signs of wear, so I think, in the long run, it's worth the money.


However, I'll be showing you a cheap(er) alternative tomorrow ...

The Fine Print: I bought this from Harrods a couple of months ago - alongside a few other bits.  Further Disclosure:  Hands shown in this post do not belong to Get Lippie - a stunt swatching double has had to be enlisted.

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

Gah! Essie Apricot Oil

Don't you just hate it when this happens?

I knocked over my beloved bottle of Essie's Apricot Cuticle Oil earlier this evening, and the neck of the bottle broke off in the cap.  INFURIATING!

And it was a present, so I've no idea where/how I can replace it!

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

Elemis Freshskin



I do like a bit of Elemis, so when I found out they were launching a more "affordable" range of skin care, I was delighted.  Then, when I discovered that the aforementioned range of skincare was designed for 16-24 year olds, I was heartbroken.

But, I'm not one to brood, so,  being the kind-hearted soul that I am, I passed a selection of the products onto my workmate Bel, who agreed to try them out for me.  Take it away, Bel:

My teenage years weren't all bad, excepting the flat chest, train-track braces and highly temperamental teenage skin - all of which would eventually pass. Wouldn’t they?

I'm now twenty-something and when it comes to my skin I'm still stuck in a teen time warp. So believe me when I say I have tried all manner of things to sort my face out! Antibiotics, chemical peels, classic facials, microdermabrasion, and an excruciating treatment involving a laser, a humongous pair of suctioning tweezer things and a three inch needle - and yes I paid a hideous amount for the "pleasure".

So when Get Lippie offered (read as "had to wrestle out of my hands") me a testing opportunity for the brand new Elemis Fresh Skin range I was only too happy to oblige.
Elemis packaging has always looked a bit old ladyish for me. And although pretty inoffensive, the cerise and white packaging of this new range is probably hitting it’s target market - which admittedly may not be me (10 years too ahem, "mature").

The Peachy Perfect Skin Wash Cleanser  (£12) came in a handy dispenser, lathered well and had a lovely zingy fresh smell (chicory, elderflower and lemon apparently). My skin felt pretty tight after the first wash, but I persisted for a few days using it in the morning with my gentler Darphin cleanser in the evening. However after a week I had to stop using it as my skin got seriously dry. Having said that, with my skin like an arid desert, all my spots seemed to wither away.

Next up was the Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash - quite granular and abrasive. But then again that is what an exfoliator is generally required to be. It was too much when used in conjunction with the cleanser but used once/twice a week with a gentler cleanser it worked a treat, particularly for sweeping away dead skin cells around the nose. (My favourite exfoliator is in fact another Elemis product - the Papaya Enzyme Peel). The Day cream was a great consistency - the dispenser delivering the perfect amount of cream for my face. It gave a good level of moisture throughout the day but felt a bit cloying on the skin and my make-up didn’t sit too well.

Last but not least the Dreamy Sleep Night Time Moisturiser  (£22)- which was my favourite product. A lovely rich (what I thought was) lavender scented, moisturiser - that sent me into a blissful sleep! Turns out it was blackcurrant seed oil and barley extract. But how would it contend with my oily but dehydrated skin? Pretty well. By the morning my skin looked more glowing than usual. But that may be more to do with the sleep inducing properties of the "lavender" rather than magical skin glowing ingredients.

Overall not the range for me but I think "genuine" teenage skin would see a lot of benefits.

The Elemis Freshskin range is available from Timetospa

The Fine Print: PR samples - as always, the link to products is unaffilliated.  Many thanks to Bel for being this week's guinea-pig!

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

MUFE Smoky Lash Mascara Review

 I am utterly invisible without mascara, more and more these days I realise that it truly is my desert island beauty product.  Well, if you ignored lipstick, foundation and skincare it would be ...

[ahem]

I've heard some amazing things about Makeup Forever's Smoky Lash mascara, but the name - and the difficulty of actually getting hold of it - has always put me off.  For some reason, I thought it would be a not particularly pigmented mascara, or it would be more grey than black. Any mascara that isn't black just makes my lashes look dusty, and disappear, and are a complete waste of money, no matter how good the formula. Nonetheless, on my trip to Paris recently (sorry, I'll stop going on about it soon, I promise), picking up a tube of this was absolutely top of my Sephora shopping list.

And boy!  Am I glad I picked it up.  It's black - very, very, very black - it lengthens, it adds volume and it curls my lashes beautifully, and all without going crispy.

These are my lashes after just one coat of Smoky Lash.  Not impressed?  Here's how it looks in comparison to having no mascara on the other eye:

See?  The lashes on my other eye are completely invisible, even though I'm wearing both shadow and liner on that eye.


Another view:

Difference isn't quite as distinct from this angle, but you can see that you can't see the lashes on the other eye ... if you see what I mean ...


The mascara lasts well, and is very easily buildable if you decide you need more than one coat.  I found that the clumping was minimal, and it neither runs nor flakes throughout the day, which is completely amazing.  It's a rather dry formula, which I prefer to a wetter one, and the brush is on the large side, but it's not so large as to be completely unmanageable.

And here is how it looks in the full context of my face.  Other products used are Le Metier's Penelope Kaleidoscope shadows on the eyes, Peau Vierge on the skin, New ID coral blush and Dior's spinning lip polish in Fresh Expert on my lips - expect little peeks at these a lot coming up.  Yeah, I don't know why I'm raising one eyebrow in that picture either, but it's the only one that came out in focus, so ...


Makeup Forever Smoky Lash has rocketed up my list of favourite mascaras, and is currently up in my top five alongside Armani Eyes to Kill, Trish McEvoy High Volume (which I think they've changed the formula of on recent re-purchase), Bourjois Volume Fast and Perfect Rotating Mascara  and Le Metier's Anamorphic Mascara.  What are your top mascaras?

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

Sephora Paris Giveaway

Man, I miss Sephora! Subject to a couple of caveats - more about which later - I wish they'd bring it back to the UK, I think the time is right, and the market is more than ready this time around.

But, as Sephora has seemingly no plans whatsoever to bring Sephora back in the near future, I thought that I would do my part and bring a little bit of it back for my readers!





There is a duochrome nail varnish (dupe for Deborah Lippman's Wicked Game/OPI-Katy Perry Just Like The Movies), a Sephora lipgloss in Ballerina Pink and an exclusive Sephora "Paris" palette which includes four lip colours, a blusher and nine eyeshadows. Plus, in the bag you see above are a couple of other bits and bobs for you as a mystery bonus!

All you have to do to win the Sephora goody bag is to leave me a comment on this post, (alongside a valid email address) and let me know which brands/products you'd like Sephora to stock if/when they do come back to the UK.

I will make the draw next Sunday (5th June - where on earth has this year gone?) and contact the winner the same day. Usual rules apply - editors decision is final etc.

Get your thinking caps on!

Bioderma Crealine Winner!

By the Oh So Scientific (TM) Method of asking MrLippie to pick a number between 1 and 33, I'm delighted to let you know that the winner of both the Bioderma Crealine cleanser and wipes is ...

Peonies And Lilies!

Well done lovely, I'll drop you an email later today.

Thanks for all your entries everyone, keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway, this time featuring Sephora goodies very soon...

Get Lippie's Lippie!

I'm interrupting my Paris posts today to let you know some astonishing news!  A couple of weeks ago Daniel Sandler and I created a couple of bespoke lipsticks  at the Cosmetics a la Carte store in London - purely for my own use -  and yesterday Lynne Sanders, the founder of the company, got in touch to let me know that they loved the shade "Luce" so much that they're introducing it to their range of off-the-shelf shades this autumn!


I can't even begin to tell you how happy and excited this has made me, what an honour!  I'm stunned that people will be able to buy something I've had a hand in creating, and that it will bear my name. Immortalised in lipstick, I simply can't believe it. I'll let you know exact dates as and when the details are finalised, but this is the single most exciting thing that's happened as a result of my blogging, and I can't wait to see if other people will love the shade as much as I do! 


But, that's not all!  Get Lippie is available to buy too!  The shade (a cool rosy purple) will be available from this Saturday (28th May), purely as a made-to-order shade for anybody who would like to buy one for themselves.  A few people were asking me how to get hold of it, so if you're interested, you can either pop into the store on Motcomb Street, or call 020 7622 2318 and buy one mail-order.  The cost will be £18, plus £4 P&P.


So, not one, but two lipsticks associated with this blog are available to buy, massive thanks to both Lynne and Daniel for helping make this astonished little blogger's dream come true.  


The Fine Print: None of the links in this post are affliliate links, and Get Lippie won't receive any payment should you make a purchase.  But if you do buy either of the shades, please send me a pic, I'd love to see!

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