DHC Premium Lipstick: Petal Pink and First Blush

By Laurin

Until recently, I was something of a tart when it came to skincare. Like a Viking-sized magpie, I was all about the latest shiny thing promising to give me the skin of a teenaged nymph. The one constant in my routine for the last 10 years has been DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. I discovered it through India Knight back in 2008 and have been positively evangelical about its benefits since. It deep cleans without stripping the skin, shifts the most tenacious of eyeliners, smells reassuringly wholesome and a £21 bottle lasts for months on end. 

So when I heard DHC were launching a range of proper lipsticks, I was mustard-keen to try them. I chose the two palest colours, Petal Pink and First Blush to try first. Though I like to think I’ve come a long was in my appreciation of a bold lip, the truth is that I am running fifteen minutes late for work on any given day, and pale colours are more forgiving when applied in haste. The gold and silver tubes with flower etching are as pleasing pretty as the two colours themselves turn out to be. Above, you see Petal Pink on the right and First Blush on the left. At first glance, there seems very little difference between them.

The formula is specifically for those with ageing as a primary concern, so contains light-reflecting pigments to give the appearance of fuller lips. Applied on skin, both shades have a soft, candlelit glow that I find much more flattering than the opalescent, borderline-glitter favoured by some brands.

Above: Petal Pink applied with a lipbrush and Studio 10 Age Reverse Perfecting Lipliner

They’re also incredibly moisturising, containing a blend of macadamia, olive and rice bran oils. As such, they apply easily straight from the tube and are a pleasure to wear, but are somewhat lacking in the longevity department. To be fair, I tested them over a couple of days in London that included a heatwave, several journeys on the top deck of the 133 and an eight-hour shift in a shop that had decided to explore an alternate career path as an oven. I got about two hours wear from both shades.

Above: First Blush applied with a lipbrush and Studio 10 Age Reverse Perfecting Lipliner

Petal Pink and First Blush are both pretty everyday lipsticks that would be great to have in your handbag for quick touch ups on your “My Lips But Better” days. Far from being only suitable for more mature skins, I also think they would be a lovely “Lipstick 101” gift for an adolescent girl if you’re not ready to send her out in full Ruby Woo. Check them out. And if I happen to convert you to Deep Cleansing Oil as well, my work here will be well and truly done.

DHC Premium Lipstick GE is £13 and available at www.dhcuk.co.uk

The Fine Print: PR Samples

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Lipsticks of the Week

By Tindara

Well I don’t know about you, but I think it’s about time for another Lipsticks of the Week. This week, it’s a summer mixed bag, pinks and corals and you guessed it, a tomato red. I’ve also been on a spending spree and bought a few new lovely lippies that I feel like raving about.

Last time, I mentioned my favourite go-to deep pink, Bobbi Brown’s Cosmic Raspberry. Since we’re talking about the pink hit parade, a close number two is definitely Lipstick Queen’s Hot Rose Sinner. It’s got a real hot edge to it alright. There’s something of the deep but fizzy bright to this, it’s more flirty somehow than pinks of similar tone. It’s also got a lovely moisturising but semi-matte texture. I really like Lipstick Queen products as a concept and this is not the only one from the range I’ll be featuring this week. Hot Rose Sinner is a versatile colour, and works with little eye make-up or a big flick, or tones really well with taupe or goldey browns and greys.

(Hot Rose Lips either full selfie or one of crops, whichever you prefer)

Like me, you’ve probably heard a lot about Estee Lauder’s new Pure Colour Envy lipsticks. I had to see what all the fuss was about and bought a couple. I went for Intense Nude and Impassioned. I really loved the feel of these lipsticks, long-lasting, highly pigmented and satin in finish with a light vanilla scent. Both colours are eminently wearable.

Intense Nude is the perfect brown-pink darker than natural lips colour on me, but I think it could suit lots of skin tones from pale to dark. It works well whether you’re going for an efficient day look or a more of a statement look with lashings of mascara and smoky eyes. Somehow it makes my lips look bigger and fuller. I really love this.

And Impassioned, well, you know how I feel about tomato reds, and this one is glorious. It reeks of glamour, and the satin feel needs a touch more make-up than I sometimes wear with other more matte finish reds. This is not a problem however, these lipsticks feel luxurious and make me want to spend more time on my routine, adding flicks and smudges and highlights. I’m revelling in them to be honest.

And now two coral lipsticks; I love a sheer coral at this time of year, it feels totally right for sipping a fruit-filled Pimms and matching with your pedicure showed off in your gold sandals. Well, Birkenstocks, anyway, I’m not that blooming glamorous. Anyway, the two I’ve been wearing are Tarte’s paper-packaged Soft Coral and Lipstick Queen’s Endless Summer Stoked.

Tarte Soft Coral lipstick is great, a hint of peachy coral in a really moisturising sheer finish with quirky cool packaging. It works well on it’s own for a natural look or with bright blue, turquoise, or navy liner/shadow. This has been in my bag all week and the packaging stands up to being lolloped around a bag on London Transport, even if I don’t in this weather. Lipstick Queen’s Endless Summer Stoked is almost like a deeper coral take on Jean Queen for me. Slightly more pigment, perhaps, but supremely soft, natural and moisturising. I like wearing this with a smudgy navy liner, and my hastily applied dolly blusher in a peachy coral shade with a bit of shimmer.

Well there you go lipstick fiends, there’s mine for this week. Maybe I’ll go heavy on the eyes next time and clear gloss. Adam Ant stripe over the nose? Nah, there will be red, there will always be red.

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Geometric Nails featuring Models Own, No7 and Seche Vite

By Emily

I’ve got a bit of thing for bare nails with a splash of colour; often I’ll do a French manicure but with bright coloured or multicolour tips. It’s really quick and high impact. This week I wanted to create something a bit more unusual, so got out my Models Own nail tape and created this Modern geometric design. Here’s how:

First up, make sure your nails are squeaky clean before applying the nail art tape. Using two strips of tape per nail, create a triangle shape at the top of each nail. Make sure you keep the tape a bit longer than your nail so it’s easier to pull off.

Then apply your chosen colour to the triangle area. I chose a No7’s Stay Perfect in Me! Me! Me! Your first coat should be light…try not to gloop too much on. Don’t wait too long before you apply the second coat and again try to keep it light while getting the colour depth you need.

Once your second coat is on, don’t wait long before carefully removing the nail tape, using tweezers. If you wait too long you’ll get a jagged edge to your triangle.

Once all the tape is removed you can tidy up any rough edges with remover on a fine brush before applying a good quality top coat. I use Seche Vite, for its speed-dry amazingness.

And there you have it, hipster nails worthy of a trip to Dalston. Undercut and Fixie bike optional.

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Makeup Revolution: Blushers in Now and All I Think About Is You

By Laurin

In 2007, against her better judgement, Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II extended to me an offer of citizenship which I duly accepted. There was a ceremony at Lambeth Town Hall, and I came away with a souvenir photo of me looking like I’d accidentally joined the Hogwart’s branch of the BNP.

To receive this honour, I had to sit the “Life in the UK” exam, thus satisfying the British government that I did indeed know the date that women gained the right to divorce their husbands and what percentage of the population identify themselves as Muslims. There was a study guide! I made flashcards! But to get to the really useful stuff, you just have to learn by trial and error and the occasional raised eyebrow at the pub. Here’s a few of the things I wish someone had told me when I arrived at Gatwick fourteen years ago:

1. When your friend cancels your plans at the last minute, he hasn’t blown you off, he’s blown you OUT. The former means something completely different and is best not discussed in front of your mother-in-law.
2. Do not be tricked into ordering Pimms and lemonade simply because the sun is out. It is essentially a non-alcoholic beverage with added hedge trimmings, and you will need to build up your alcohol tolerance if you ever hope to truly fit in.
3. People will make assumptions about your social class based on the word you use to refer to your evening meal.
4. People will make assumptions about your social class based on the daily newspaper you read.
5. People will make assumptions about your social class based on the supermarket you most frequent.
6. Superdrug is the best chemist on the high street.

The last point eluded me until about six months ago. It only dawned just how much love there is for Superdrug when I realised that people were genuinely excited for their 50^th anniversary product editions. It seemed that every woman who spent her formative teenage years in this country had a happy memory of spending Saturday morning with a coven of girlfriends, happily wallowing in the cheap and cheerful nail varnishes and lipsticks at her local branch. I, on the other hand, had pretty much ignored them for the past 14 years, having been impressed by the fact that I could buy a lemon-flavoured yogurt from their main competitor on my first visit to these shores. So exotic! I now see the error of my ways.

Superdrug’s new cosmetics range Makeup Revolution definitely falls into the “cheap and cheerful” category, but that’s no reason for letting the teenaged girls have all the fun. I have, of late, been extremely impressed with the colour and longevity of both their powder blusher ranges.

I tested All I Think About Is You from the Vivid Baked Blusher range (£2.50, above right) and Now from the Powder Blusher range (£1, above left), and found that they performed as well as blushers at twenty times the price. The packaging is nothing to write home about, but for the price of a Diet Coke, I’m not complaining.

Now is a soft, rosy pink with an almost undetectable shimmer, while All I Think About Is You is a brighter candy pink with swirls of tawny gold. They both give a pretty, sheer wash of colour that looks beautiful on my ghostly skin, but without making me look so flushed that fellow Victoria Line commuters ask me if I’m okay. Despite the shimmer, Now actually goes on quite matte, giving it a low-key yet polished look that’s perfect for work or general daytime wear. All I Think About Is You is now my go-to blusher for a fast casual look. It makes my cheeks pop without looking too “done”, and the golden highlights mean I can skip the highlighter altogether. I get a good nine hours wear from both formulations.

I’ve not seen the range in store yet, but it’s available to order online. Get stuck in – cheap make-up is a great way of trying out a new look or colour without worrying about wasting your hard earned cash. Any other questions, give me a shout: I’ll be the girl on the houmous aisle at Waitrose with a copy of the Guardian tucked under my arm.

Makeup Revolution is available at www.superdrug.com.

The Fine Print: Purchases.

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La Roche Posay - Rosaliac CC Cream (Daily Unifying Complete Correction Cream)

By Get Lippie

So, after saying the BB Cream craze has largely passed me by recently, I now find myself reviewing a CC cream, finally.  And, I have to say, that I almost unqualifiedly love this one.

La Roche Posay has become something of a cult skincare brand in the UK. Almost ubiquitous in France, it's fairly difficult to come by in the UK, but it's well worth seeking out (even if they don't import my favourite product in the range: Serozinc to the UK at all), as there are very few skin conditions they don't treat, and La Roche Posay is a godsend for sensitive skin.

Redness is my major concern, and Rosaliac CC Cream is designed for redness prone sensitive skin, like what I have got.  It's a fairly thick texture:

But it spreads very easily, and gives good coverage:

On skin it blends easily, melding nicely with the texture of your skin:

And, it is virtually undetectable once blending is finished:

This gives a fairly light coverage, but it does cover redness well, and gives a lovely, glowing satin finish.  It reminds me a great deal of my beloved Chantecaille Just Skin, which is about the highest praise I can give it, to be honest.  There are a couple of caveats to that, which, as Rosaliac CC cream is only a third of the price, are only to be expected.  Wear time could be a bit longer, I do find I have to powder down in the mid-afternoons, but, for the price, this is very good indeed. Oh, and it only comes in one shade, which is frustrating if you're either very dark or very fair.  I'm fairly pale, and this is good for giving me a glow, but if I were any paler, I'd struggle with it, I must admit.

It comes with an SPF of 30, so if you apply enough you won't have to use a separate sunscreen, but as I always use a separate sunscreen regardless, I'd ignore this, tbh.  It's got a great texture, a lovely finish (provided you use powder), covers redness, feels soothing on inflamed skin, and best of all, it's currently on offer for £16.55 on Escentual.com I can't really recommend a tinted moisturiser more highly than this one, without you paying almost £60 for it, to be honest ...

The Fine Print: PR Sample.  Photos for this piece were taken with a Nokia Lumia 1020 lent to me by Microsoft.

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