Anosmia Awareness Day: 27th February 2015

This Friday, 27th February is Anosmia Awareness Day.  Ordinarily, this is a date that would probably have passed without too much comment at Lippie Mansions, but this year is different. Very different.  

Most people think not being able to smell is just a little thing, but please let me tell you that it is not.

When I lost my sense of smell last year, I had literally no idea just how devastating a condition it would be, and just how much my life would be changed as a result of the cold that caused my olfactory nerve to die.  I've had to give up reviewing perfumes, and beauty blogging has had to take a bit of a back seat to learning to deal with my condition. There are so many things I can't eat, there are activities I simply can't do, for example, I can't go to a coffee shop, I can't stand near someone who has been smoking.  I've had to avoid eating out. I can't drink wine, I can't just go to a sandwich shop and pick something up for lunch.  Even brushing my teeth makes me puke! I can't tell when my oven is on fire - and this has happened recently.  I can't tell when food is spoiled.  Worst of all, for me, I can never predict the things I'll have a reaction to, which means I've lost control over my life, and it has been an incredibly difficult 12 months as a result.

On top of anosmia and its attendant conditions parosmia and phantosmia, I've also suffered from a crippling depression, and no little amount of social anxiety as a direct result of losing my sense of smell.  I never expected this to affect me so badly, and to say it has been difficult to deal with would be a mild understatement. Without the help of my family, my friends, and especially Fifth Sense, I'm not sure how life would be right now.  There was a point last year where I didn't really know if I could cope for much longer, as there simply didn't appear to be an end in sight, and my medical diagnosis was, basically, "wait it out, you'll laugh about this one day".  I'm still not laughing, and I'm not sure when I will.

I have been exceptionally lucky in that my doctors have taken me seriously, and I've been fairly informed in my own right about the condition because, as a perfume writer, research about olfaction has always been of interest to me. I'm now getting the medical help I need, but Fifth Sense have helped me in many ways that my doctors couldn't.  There was a conference for fellow anosmics and parosmics like myself last November, which helped me when I was very much at my lowest ebb, and I can now pinpoint this event as the date where I was able to start turning my life around.  

Life is getting better these days, but I still have a way to go, and I will need more support from my friends, my family, my medical team, and yes, Fifth Sense, which is why we're trying to make this year's Anosmia Awareness Day the best ever, because not everyone who suffers as I have has been lucky enough to have the support system I've been able to create.

This year, Fifth Sense are trying to raise funds to help others who are in a similar situation to myself.  There is very little research being done to either look at the causes of anosmia, or into cures for anosmia, or even into gadgets to help anosmics get by in every day life.  If you have a penny or two - every little helps, no matter how little - to spare, then, please, consider donating to Fifth Sense this week.  If not for me, then in the hope that you never catch a cold that turns your life inside out too.

In addition, all this week, Fifth Sense are asking you to tweet the smell you think you'd miss most if you lost your sense of smell, by using the #LongLostSmell hashtag, please get involved!  I shared  mine on the Fifth Sense Facebook page last week, but there have been some amazing tweets on the subject, and I've loved reading them - and occasionally weeping over them - over the last few days.

I'll also be featured in the Guardian this weekend talking about my experiences of anosmia and parosmia, so please keep an eye out for that, oh, and I'm working with Basenotes on something rather amusing too - I'll keep you posted!

This post has been crossposted between here and the Parosmia Diaries.

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more. 


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Erborian CC Creme

I'm fairly hard to impress these days, particularly when it comes to skincare, but at a launch event for Erborian recently, I came away with a shopping list as long as your arm, and an URGENT desire to try EVERYTHING.

That never happens.

Amongst the things I was desperate to try was this CC Creme, and I was delighted that it was in the goody bag.  Erborian is a Korean brand (it's actually part of the L'Occitane company), and I was basically won over by the textures.  I must have layered fifteen different products on my hand that night, and my skin felt amazing, instead of greasy and overloaded.  Korean skincare consists of many, many more steps than a traditional "Western" routine, and the textures of each product are a lot lighter as a result, but without that oddly velvety "silicone" texture we tend expect from oil-free products.

Erborian CC Cream is white when you squeeze it from the tube, but I think you can just see some speckles of pigment in the above swatch.  It adjusts to your individual skin tone once you start to rub it in:

You can see the colour change starting above.  CC Creme is meant to be worn under a foundation, or BB Cream, and is designed to even out your skintone, whilst adding a layer of sun protection and extra skin coverage.

Once you rub in the cream, it essentially disappears leaving behind smooth and softly even skin.  I have been able to wear this alone just with a little powder over on "good skin" days, but it also works well as a lovely primer - yes, I'm a bit obsessed with primers at the moment, you shut up - and I found that layering a new foundation over it recently made the foundation last MAD long.  It's comfortable to wear, and won't make you feel like you're wearing a mask.  If you have combination oily skin like I do, you'll love the mattifying effect too - I've worn this every day since I got mine, and I genuinely really like it, not having quite seen the point of CC creams before ...

I'll be showing you more Eborian products soon - they're launching a new UK website in the next couple of months, and there will be a huge amount of products launching to go with that, but in the meantime, you can find Eborian products at SpaceNK and Selfridges, where prices start at around £22.  Go try them, you might like them as much as I do.

The Fine Print: PR Sample 

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Lipsticks of the Week/Month/Quarter [Delete as applicable]

By Tindara
 

It has been a while since I detailed the lipsticks I’ve been wearing regularly. As Louise herself said recently in a Lippie missive, we may as well start calling it Lipsticks of the Quarter. But if you bear with me, I’ll let you know about a few new discoveries I am excited about. I’ve been watching quite a few Beauty Vlogs recently and they’ve influenced me to look at lots of new products, sometimes from lower budget ranges than I would normally go for.

First up is one I’ve had for while, Lancome Rouge in Love Dan Ses Bra 163M. The colour is just beautiful, a perfect rose pink-red that’s good for every day but works with a more full-on eye too. It’s very moisturising, doesn’t last as long as others I have, but it’s worth reapplying for the colour, scent, and feel. It really is a lovely shade that would suit lots of people. Especially good if you’re a bit scared of bright red or pink shades as it’s slap bang between the two, but a touch softer.

Because it’s still so cold and wintery I’ve been into deep plum and purple shades and finally have the guts to wear Bobbi Brown Cream Matte Lip Color in Crushed Plum. It’s a lovely deep wine colour and fairly hydrating despite the matte formulation, I really like to wear it with gold or coppery colours on my eyes.

The other purply plum I’ve been wearing is a great new discovery for me. I have acquired quite a few Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balms. I love a matte lipstick and these are very moisturising minty balm stains that somehow remain magically matt on your lips. The shade I wore last week was Shameless. I was out of my lipstick comfort zone as this was very purple, but still, I love it. It’s playful and interesting without being too Goth or Emo. I did ask my husband whether it was a bit ‘Twilight’, I figure since he teaches teenagers, he’d know. It was deemed fine, so I went ahead and wore it, again, with coppery shades on my eyes.

Another matte lipstick I’ve had multiples of is Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick. A liquid matte lipstick that’s comfortable and leaves a very long-lasting stain; you can apply lip balm on top throughout the day, and they really last. My favourite colour is Frambourjois, and I wore this last week. As I do, most weeks to be honest. It is, like the Lancome Rouge in Love Dan Ses Bra 163M, a perfect colour between pink and red that would suit most people. Slightly brighter then the Lancome, and looks chic on it’s own with little eye make-up.

Another long lasting balm to finish, Rimmel London Colour Rush in The Redder The Better. I like these Rimmel balms a lot though they’re more dewy than matte with a slightly more sheer texture. They are buildable though, and look great with a corresponding lip liner if you’re going for a deeper lip colour. But they also look great dabbed on lightly with little other make-up when you’re just pottering around local places for local people and want to look a bit more cas’. If like me, you habitually turn to higher end lipsticks, try some of the drugstore ranges’ tinted balms and matte formulations; they may surprise you and make it into your weekly favourites.

The Fine Print: PR Sample The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.

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Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Hot on the heels of They're Real, Benefit are shortly launching their new formula mascara, Roller Lash.  Lighter and less claggy (and easier to remove!) that They're Real, Roller Lash features an innovative new brush:
 

Much smaller, and without the spiky ball on the end, the Roller Lash brush has tiny hooks on some of the bristles to catch and curl your lashes.  Let's take a closer look:

You can just see some of the hooks on the top row of bristles there.

It's a really nice formula, I was worried that it was going to be a bit too natural for me - I prefer a thicker, less everyday look on my lashes, but here's the before and after:

It's a good look.  Natural without being too invisible, and there is definite curl and lift.  I genuinely love the brush, it grabs the lashes and makes application a breeze.

There is a downside though.  Smudges.  I first noticed smudging around lunchtime after a 7am application, and it carried on whenever I wore it.  So, overall, love the brush, not a huge fan of the formula.   I'll be sticking with They're Real.

Roller Lash costs 19.50 and will be on counter soon - there's a free sample with the March issue of Elle though, so try it for free first!

The Fine Print: PR Sample

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Hourglass Modernist Palette in Exposure

 Not so much a review this, as basic eyeshadow porn.  Hourglass have recently released their Modernist palettes of five eyeshadow shades pressed into a single pan.  They're beautiful.

Packaging is the basic metallic brown, in a similar size to their multi-powder palettes, but it is inside where the magic happens:

A blend of shimmering champagne, satin dark mauve, metallic taupe, satin blackened purple, and a light shimmering mauve.

I swatched these briefly (finger swatches on bare, unprimed skin), but I haven't worn them properly yet - had to get the pictures for the blog first!

Thoughts are favourable so far, if a bit gritty, but I will post a full review when I've had a chance to see the palette properly in action.

In the meantime, you can get the Modernist palettes from SpaceNK where they cost £52.

One last look:

 The Fine Print: Purchase

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Get Lippie in The Scented Letter

If you're already a VIP subscriber to The Perfume Society, then you may already have read the February edition of the The Scented Letter, which has this article in it.  Half a love letter to my husband - it's the "Love & Scents" edition, after all! - The Smell of Love is ... Gravy is also an account of my struggle with anosmia, phantosmia and parosmia over the last 12 months.

It's one of the longest, not to mention toughest, pieces I've ever had to write, and I'm incredibly proud that it has been included in a magazine that has regularly featured some of the greatest perfume writers around.  Quite a thrill! I admit a few tears were shed when I finally saw it "in print".

Also, there's a tiny hint in there of something MEGA-exciting that I'm working on with Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesday's right now too.  More about that nearer the time ...

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Triple Dry Anti-Perspirant

You may or may not know this, but I have a bit of a smell problem at the moment. No, not like that, but my parosmic condition means that I can't smell myself (I can't smell you, either, don't worry), and not only can I not smell myself, I can't smell any of the smells I produce, either.  Any of them.  Not a one.  No, not even that one.  Seriously.

Now, whilst this makes the early evening commute more of a pleasure because I can't smell other passenger's BO, or stinky feet in the summer, it can make me a bit paranoid. Well, let's face it, just because *I* can't smell myself doesn't mean other people can't either.  It's a bit awkward, to say the least.  Oh, I'm clean, I still shower, and I still use perfume (some of which I can actually smell, a bit, but more about that in another post), but ... yes, I worry.  So would you, I assure you.

So the last few months have seen me move to a more hardcore kind of an armpit product, and I've been trialling Triple Dry for  a while now, and I have to say that for my requirements, it's really good.  Triple Dry is actually an anti-perspirant, and its unique selling point is that you only need to apply it three times a week.   Apparently, you're supposed to apply it nightly for four nights, shower as normal in the mornings (it's waterproof) and then after that, you apply it every two or three days as you would a normal deodorant product. It kills the bacteria that produce odour, so you don't need a different scented product to go with it.

I like it because it is unscented, and as such both doesn't irritate my irritable nose, and doesn't clash with any of the limited scented products that I do apply.  I have to admit that I do not use it in the way you are supposed to - being as paranoid as I am, I can't trust it that much - I use it as I would any deodorant/antiperspirant, going for a daily swipe in my clean pits.  So far, no problems, and on the odd occasion where I have forgotten to apply (happens to the best of us!), no problems then, either.  I go through an elaborate "how do I smell" ritual with my husband in the morning - parosmia does rather tend to strip one of one's dignity at times - and he's had no issues.

It's on the pricey side for an antiperspirant - I prefer the stick version to any other, which is the priciest of all - coming in at around £7.50 or so, but it lasts well, mine is several months old now, which when you consider I'm using it two or three times more than I'm supposed to, is pretty good going.  And hey, what price trust?

The Fine Print: Purchase

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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La Roche Posay Serozinc

I was talking to someone about my skincare routine the other day, and I realised that whilst cleansers come and go, whilst acids wax and wane, and whilst moisturisers pass in and out of fashion in the Lippie household, one thing has remained constant for the last three or four years, and that is Serozinc from La Roche Posay.

It's rather unprepossessing, really.  A mix of spring water, zinc and just a hint of salt, in a spray but I genuinely wouldn't be without it.  It's my go-to facial spray, as it should be for anyone with any hint of sensitivity or redness. It's the zinc, you see, which both soothes and helps to heal irritated or over-activated skin.  If you're not prone to redness or sensitivity, then I guess you'll find it hard to see what difference it can make to your skin, but this is one of those products that you notice the difference when you stop using it, I can assure you.  And it is cheap, just £7.20 a can (at present), which will last you for several months, at least three, maybe even longer.  I use it both as a moisturising toner, and as a general facial spray, and I occasionally use it to "set" makeup that looks a little powdery too.

Now I'm delighted (well, sort of) that you can now get this in the UK!  Previously, I used to beg any of my friends heading to Paris to pick me up a tin or two, or I always used to pick up a tin whenever I went too, and now I don't need to ... That's my excuse for Paris shopping trips out of the way then.

So YAY! for Serozinc finally being available in the UK!  And BOO! for Serozinc finally being available in the UK. Escentual, thank you very much.  And damn you!


The Fine Print: Purchase

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Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil

At this time of year, I always think a decent facial oil is an essential rather than an optional ingredient in your skincare regime, they add an extra level of protection to your skin in the wind and the rain and the cold, and they are a godsend on chapped and sore skin.  I have a few that I rotate (Clarins is an exceptional source of affordable facial oils on the high street, btw), but recently I have fallen, hard, for this little bottle of oily goodness.

A clarifying oil, with claims to be balancing (it also claims to be lemon-scented, but more about that later), it contains black cumin seed oil, pomegranate seed oil, lemon ironbark and lemon myrtle oils alongside milk thistle seed oil.  It's quite a thick and sticky oil, which you'll only need two or three drops of for your whole face and neck, and it is a bright and cheerful sunshine yellow both in the bottle and out.  The major claims for the product include soothing redness and irritation, it's an anti-inflammatory, and it is also said to neutralise the bacteria that causes spots!

Since I've added this to my regime, in place of other, thinner and lighter oils, I genuinely have noticed that my continual redness, which is the bane of my life, has been both less frequent to arrive and shorter-lived when it does actually appear.  In fact, there have been a couple of days when I've felt able to go without foundation, something previously unthinkable in the winter months!  It sinks in easily, even though it's rather sticky, and this is a blessing given the major "problem" with the product, which is:

The smell.

Actually, the smell is a major factor when it comes to any Sunday Riley oil, and it is both a blessing and a curse ... Sunday Riley Artemis oil smells like a broccoli graveyard farted on your face. (as does Juno, btw)  It doesn't last long at all, it's gone almost as soon as you apply, but even with my currently lessened sense of smell, it gives me pause before applying it.  Now, that out of the way, I actually quite like the fact that Sunday Riley doesn't bother adding a whole bunch of unnecessary essential oils to a product like this just to disguise the fact that the actual active ingredients don't smell the nicest.  It's refreshing that all the ingredients in the formula are there because they have a job to do on your skin, rather than on your nose.

The smell has an added benefit too, because you'll use less of it than you normally would an oil product, and when you consider that the bottle costs £98, this isn't such a bad thing!  I've used mine daily for three months, and I've barely made a dent on the 30ml bottle, I estimate I'll get at least a year's use out of it.  I'm lucky, mine was a gift, but I would definitely re-purchase this once it's run out.  I used to use Juno, and I loved it, but Artemis, for my money, and my sensitive, reddened slightly combination skin is even better.

You can buy Sunday Riley Artemis Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil from Cult Beauty

What's the worst-smelling beauty product you've ever used?

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Clinique Chubby Sculpting Sticks in Curvy Contour and Hefty Highlight

Just a week after I featured one simple contour kit (with an unfortunate typo) along comes another, even simpler, one from Clinique.  Another extension to the astonishingly successful Chubby Stick range, this features one contour crayon, and one highlighter and is easy enough even for the most cack-handedly muppety of us.

Really, it's almost insultingly simple to use - draw a dark line where you want a shadow (underneath your cheekbone), a light line where you want to highlight (above your cheekbone), and blend away until only a subtle shading remains.

Even I can do it.  But, apparently drawing lines a la Adam Ant circa 1982 and humming Ant Music under your breath is completely optional whilst applying.  If you do go the unorthodox route, can I suggest you lock your bathroom door?  No reason.

Unblended, you can see you have a slightly reddish brown contour, and a pale champagne highlight shade, and I imagine they will work on all but the darkest of skins.

I applied rather too much of the Curvy Contour as you can no doubt tell - I'd probably applied enough for about four faces, and could possibly have contoured all the residents of Lippie Mansions should I have had the desire.  Which I didn't, and let's all be thankful for that - but the colours blend well, and even after a (literally) ten second application process this morning even *I* could pretend I had cheekbones.

All this brings me to the price, the Chubby Sculpting Sticks  in Curvy Contour and Hefty Highlight are £19. Each.  Which is £38 for the set*.  Which is, if you ask me, far too expensive.  Even the Laura Mercier kit which comes with "amusing" typos, and five colours is cheaper at £35.  The Chubby sticks are drier in texture, and you do get more product, and they are almost entirely foolproof (and I'm just the fool to prove it, believe me) but ... the price for the both gives me the heebie jeebies.  Hopefully there will be an offer which gives you a discount for buying both at the same time, but to be honest, you could use any highlighter you like with the contour crayon.

So, how committed to contouring are you?

* I'm an accountant.  Maths is totally my jam, bitches.

The Fine Print: PR Sample

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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May Lindstrom: The Blue Cocoon: Beauty Balm Concentrate

I am always being asked what my "major skin concern" is.  Why, I'm not quite sure, but it is, apparently, one of the perils of being a beauty blogger. I'm not nearly that bothered about ageing as I used to be, having met a few too many over-botoxed harridans in my time, and I now see wrinkles as a badge of character instead of the hideous disfigurements that the mainstream media, alongisde countless beauty product press releases, and the continuing overuse of photoshop in almost every area of life (ever noticed how barely anyone on Instagram has pores, lines or moles?) has lead us to believe they are.

But ... I do get hacked off about my skin being so red all the time.  I actually have pretty good skin for my age (I am well over forty, and no longer care so much), it's smooth, it's fairly unlined, and the adult-onset acne I was plagued with through my late twenties and most of my thirties is now but a distant memory, but oh, the redness!   I long for even skin.

Part of it is because the industrial-strength products I used to torture my face with in years gone by has left me with skin more ridiculously over-sensitive than a teenage goth reading poetry at a Metallica gig, and part of it is because it is now winter, and the cold and the wind and the rain and the central heating, coupled with the fact that I like a glass of wine every now and again, all leave my skin screaming for soothing products.

I discovered May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon after I got a text from Caroline Hirons saying "Oi, Lippie! You.  This.  Face.  Now", and I was powerless to resist.  Well, I say that, it actually took me a while to save up the cash for this, as it is £125 a pot.

You read that right.  £125 a go. And it is a very small jar.

But I bought it anyway, and the picture you see above is how much I've used in the four or five months (we're nothing if not timely at Get Lippie) of using it several times a week.  I've barely made a dent, as a little bit of this goes a hugely long way. It's aptly named as a "concentrate". I've found that scraping just out the tiniest amount from the surface, literally just a millimetre  or two, is more than enough to soothe even the reddest of inflamed skins.  You simply melt it into an oil in your hands, then press it gently into your face, concentrating on on inflamed areas.  I don't tend to follow it up with any moisturisers, applied over gently cleansed skin, this works double-duty as both a treatment and a moisturiser.

Infused with blue tansy oil, which is a natural anti-histamine and also has anti-inflammatory effects, it soothes redness overnight, and leaves you with beautifully soft skin in the morning.  It is a little greasy, so I don't tend to use this during the day, but it does make a great night treatment.

Has it fixed my redness? No. But I genuinely don't think there is a product yet invented that will "cure" redness, especially redness caused by both genetic and environmental factors as mine is. As such, The Blue Cocoon is no exception to that, but, as I wasn't actually expecting a cure, I'm not disappointed.  I am less red though, and I am definitely red less often, which, as far as I'm concerned, is a win.  Where it does excel though, is soothing environmentally stressed skin, and it is fabulous at that.

Would I buy it again?  Possibly.  Possibly not.  As I've only got through maybe a quarter of a centimetre (not even that) of product in the last four or five months, I have a feeling the jar might just last forever.  And hey, at least that'll give me time to save up again ...

My jar of May Lindstrom The Blue Cocoon Beauty Balm Concentrate came from Cult Beauty.

The Fine Print: Purchase.  

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Vita Coco Coconut Oil

Okay, I admit it, I love luxury beauty products.  Anyone who has ever had even a slightly cursory glance through some of the posts on this blog will have noticed that.  £250 bottles of perfume, £35+ lipsticks, £50 eyeshadow palettes, £100+ skincare, all are abundant on Get Lippie and I'm not going to make any apologies for that.  I like what I like, and I feature what I like too, and that's the real luxury of a blog!

That said, I also like a bargain.  I know, inconceivable! But, I've been cleansing with coconut oil for a while now - I've tried the RMS raw coconut cream, which I like very much btw - and a couple of others sold for facial cleansing purposes too.  So, when I spotted Vita Coco Coconut Oil in my local Tesco for less than £4 for a massive jar, I thought I'd give it a go, and see if I could spot the differences to the similarly-sized £38 pot from RMS.

There isn't much difference, in all honesty.  The RMS is lightly processed, which removes some of the scent, and it has a slightly smoother consistency as a result, but as the oil starts to melt from the very first second you  put it on your hand, this isn't a big deal, really.

Vita Coco Coconut oil is entirely raw, and organic.  It's best to do a hot cloth cleanse with this, to make sure you're removing everything from your skin, and to prevent oily residues, but I genuinely can't see any difference to my skin between using this and using a pricier coconut-oil product. Coconut oil contains lauric acid (also found in breast milk), which is beneficial to skin, and the lack of essential oils, which can be irritating particularly to sensitive skins, is great too.  

I find it non-irritating even on inflamed  and reddened skin, and it's a an excellent makeup remover as well.  Careful round your eyes though - a separate eyemakeup remover will always be your friend - but it can remove even waterproof mascara, if you are careful.  It gives excellent slip, and is perfect for facial massage as a result too.

You can also use this as a moisturiser, a mask, a hair mask, a hair styling product, a lip balm, a cuticle oil, anywhere you'd use an oil normally, you can use this.  Oh, and apparently, you can cook with it ...

But, if you don't like coconut (and my parosmia does mean that on bad smell days  it is "wrong" to me - slightly burned-seeming - but that's definitely my stupid nose, not the product), you're out of luck. 

The Fine Print: Purchase

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Ace of Base - RMK, Zelens Hourglass and Smashbox

Over on Instagram I'm always putting up pics of things that have recently arrived at Lippie Mansions, pictures of things I'm doing, and setting up pics of things that are upcoming for review.  My ugly mug isn't on there too often, so you're quite safe, and if you like pictures of random products and the occasional badly framed picture of something not quite in focus with an "arty" filter over the top, why not pop over and give me a follow?

Anyhoo, Hourglass aside, these are some new base products that I've been using recently, that I really like, and I thought I'd give you the lowdown whilst I'm mulling over some full reviews on them.

So from Left to Right:

RMK Makeup Base

I'm going to preface this by saying that I think 91.73% of foundation primers on the market are a bit useless.  In spite of the hype, I've never found one that helps pores disappear for a whole day, and I find that they do very little to extend the wear time of any foundation you wear over the top.  That said, I do like Japanese makeup bases very much indeed because they are brilliant (and I do mean brilliant) at evening your skintone, and hiding high-colouring.  If you have any tendency towards rosy-ness either in your cheek or nose area, then run, don't walk to either RMK or Paul & Joe (who also do a magnificent base) and plop a bit of this over your "glow-y" bits.  You can get the RMK for £28 from Selfridges - mine was a gift with purchase, so it's not full-size.

Looks a bit chalky when you apply, but it will cover your pinkness wonderfully. You never know, it might also fill your pores and make your foundation last longer, but don't count on it.

Zelens Age Control Foundation

There has been a lot of hype about this new makeup range recently, and, I'm sad to say, most of it is completely justified.  Sorry.  It is.  I'm a big fan of Zelens skincare, and I have to admit that Dr Marko Lens, the ebullient genius behind the brand is one of my favourite people (even though he does have an odd habit of removing bits of my face in his surgery every time I see him), what Dr Lens doesn't know about skin isn't really worth knowing.

I was super-excited that he was bringing his skin-care knowledge to cosmetics, and the first launches from the range haven't disappointed.  The foundation is wonderfully smoothing and long-lasting, and it does a great job of simply gliding over pores, wrinkles and other flaws without settling into them, and just makes your skin look like skin, it has a slight satin-matte finish which most people won't need to powder over, but I do - because of redness issues.

I do like a foundation that doesn't draw attention to itself, and Age Control is a lovely, lovely but pricey addition to my foundation wardrobe.  Will it knock Chantecaille off my top spot for invisible but (expensive and) amazing coverage?  Watch this space.

Hourglass Ambient Light Powder in Diffused

This is my second back-up.  I have literally never EVER hit pan on a face powder until the lightly-yellow-toned Diffused powder turned up in my life, and now I buy one whenever I can afford it simply because I just KNOW Hourglass are going to discontinue this at some point in time, and I shall be left with all the chalky, talc-y rubbish-y POWDERY powders in the world for a lifetime as a result.  I HATE YOU HOURGLASS. Damn you for making a product SO GOOD that I panic that you are going to take it away from me.  DAMN YOUR EYES.

[ahem] I really like this product.  You might too.

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water

Yeah, you know when I said I didn't like primers then had two in one article?  Because, I'm, like, well annoying?  Well, I still think primers are rubbish. But I like this one very much anyway, and for similar reasons for the RMK makeup base above (ie for a different reason for what you'd suspect).  You're supposed to spray this over your moisturiser and it is supposed to give you an amazing base for applying makeup over, and then it supposedly lasts and lasts and all that.  I used it that way, and didn't really notice any difference to my normal application to be honest, but then I tried using it as a setting spray.

I was blown away, because it's a brilliant setting spray (something else I've been underwhelmed with in the past, I'll admit). It sort of laminates your makeup in place, without making it look like you've had your face laminated.  Neat trick when you come to think of it.

Now, I like to think I'm actually pretty good at makeup and that, but the first time I tried layering these four products in the order shown, I got compliments on my skin, and how healthy I was looking all day. Which, considering my makeup was actually just a bit of black eyeliner smudged into my lashes and some coloured lip balm, was going some.  I'm an accountant, and usually look like a gnome after a day crunching numbers, so this is either genuinely some kind of miraculous combination of (expensive - sorry!) products, or I've been ageing backwards over the Christmas holidays ...

What are your acest base products?


The Fine Print: Mixture of random PR samples purchases and re-re-purchases.

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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New Year, Old Me

By Tindara:

Happy New Year! If you’re anything like me you will be utterly bored with all the "New Year New Me" nonsense and be wanting to shove anything "detoxing" up the jacksie with a rolling pin. At least, I think that’s what they’re recommending; I tend to switch off after someone mentions a detox. Instead, I’ve decided to do the exact opposite and track down some of my old, and hopefully classic, beauty and fragrance favourites; Thierry Mugler’s Angel,  Mac Spice lip pencil, and Chanel’s Rouge Noir.

I have been longing to try Angel again, ever since I realised it’s in the Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez top ten Classic Fragrances. I felt simultaneously very pleased with myself that it was my signature scent for years, and irritated that I had pretentiously let it go when it became ubiquitous and much copied. Well I started my first Angel day off in a haze of gourmand nostalgia, but after a couple of hours the spicier notes came through and I fell in love with it all over again, more than twenty years later. I had remembered it as a sweet but fresh fragrance with a certain something unusual about it. Maybe that was where I was at with my perfume appreciation at that stage; I certainly feel I have learnt a lot since, not least due to hanging around with other fumeheads and lippie-aficionados. 

This is an amazing scent – the fresh zesty peel notes that appear after the initial sweetness give way and turn into a deep spiciness with a hint of church incense and patchouli. It’s like wandering into a shop that sells crystals and tarot cards whilst wearing a diamond tiara. I suppose it’s no coincidence that I wore this in my grungiest years, but I was a rubbish grebo; my standard issue German army boots were contrasted with little black dresses and deep red lipstick. I always wanted that touch of glamour. Angel now feels elegant and sparkly but with an earthy depth that’s just perfect. I think it might be my new [old] favourite.

I'm sure you’re all familiar with Mac Spice and all its dupes. Like Angel, it was launched in the nineties and quickly gained cult status as the perfect nude shade. It’s a long time since I wore it, or even lip liner at all; I tend to just go straight for the bullet these days. In red, OBVS, as the children say. But the odd cool neutral has made it into my everyday routine so I thought I’d give it another go. Pixiwoo in particular are lip liner devotees and they inspired me to get back on point, so to speak. 

Unable to get hold of a Mac Spice when I needed it, though, I hunted out a Bourjois dupe recommended by them, Crayon Contour Des Lèvres in 12 Facétieuse. It is a perfect nude, and I’d forgotten how great a toffee coloured lip liner can be at giving you a brilliant bee-stung pout. I used to push the edge to the very limit, (not over though, never over…) filling from the outside in, then topping with some lip balm. More recently, I've been using Laura Mercier Lip Glacé in Blush on top, which looks great with a smudgy smoky eye. I've now resurrected the few lip liners I have and am using them more and more as a result. They’re really long lasting and I love the fact that you can use them as a stain of colour not having to reapply as much throughout the day.

I was so excited when I finally got hold of some Chanel Rouge Noir back in the day – I had to go on a waiting list for it. Crazy, but we all wanted the shade that Uma Thurman wore in Pulp Fiction. I had to have it. It also reminded me of Shirley MacLaine in the 1988 film Madame Sousatzka. I was a strange teenager; there was something about the strands of beads, short dark nails and beautiful decorative fabrics in her costume that I adored. So as soon as the short dark nail thing happened I was there, and I don’t think it’s ever really gone away for me. 

I haven’t worn actual Rouge Noir for years though, until my friend got me some as a present a few months back. I still really love the rich bloody-black sheen of it, I couldn't stop looking at my hands. I feel like it goes with anything too, hold it against denim or black lace and it will look fantastic. It is straight up elegance with a touch of bohemian gothic and suits everyone in my opinion. My old [young] self wasn't so bad really; quite a stylish girl. 

What are your old favourites?

The Fine Print: Angel starts at £48, Mac Lip Pencils are £12.50, Bourjois Crayon Contour Des Lèvres are £5.49, Chanel Rouge Nail Polish is £18. All were bought by me, except the Chanel Rouge Noir which was gift from a friend.

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.


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Laura Mercier Flawless Contouring Palette

First things first, let's get some pedantry out of the way:

Discrete means: Separate.  Apart.  Individual. Distinct.

Discreet means: Subtle.  Unobtrusive. Private.

Both the packaging and press release for this Laura Mercier Flawless Contouring palette promises you, (over and over): "DISCRETE" contouring.  This word they keep using, it does not mean what they think it means.  It has caused a couple of head-desk interfaces at Lippie Mansions recently. Luxury brands really need to check these things.

Right, now I've got that off my chest, on with the review!  Contouring is the one beauty trend that WILL NOT DIE.  I've lost count, literally, of the beautiful young girls I've seen recently with what can only be described as tidemarks all around their overpowdered dusty faces.  Coupled with the current (mystifying) craze for multiple sets of false eyelashes for day time use, they look like Miss Havershams who have been attacked by tarantulas.

Yes, my name is Get Lippie, and today I'm mainly channelling your mum.  Because, your mum.

All that said, there are times and places for DISCREET contouring, I'm just not sure the number 319 bus at 7am is it.  Photo-shoots for example.  Wedding makeup.  Big nights out.  Events, in other words.  I have no desire to look like Kim Kardashian, not really (although it appears that she stole my "having a really, really, really,  gigantic arse" idea wholesale, apparently), but sometimes, you just do want to look a little more chiselled than you normally do.

 The Laura Mercier Flawless Contouring palette is a set of three creams in neutral browns, coupled with both a dark and pale highlighter, intended to make contourng both simple and discreet.  It's simple to use - you can mix and match the three main shades to complement your skin tone best - and just apply directly to either your bare skin, or over your foundation before you powder.

 Best places for contouring are the hollows of your cheeks, the sides of your nose - if you have a wide one - around the temples, and you can even contour out a double chin.  You can apply with either brushes or fingers, which is good, I think it's easy to overapply powders when you're using brushes.  Fingers will give a more subtle effect.

The highlighters are rather lovely - but I suggest you don't mix these with the browns to create shadows, it'll just look odd.

The palette comes complete with some handy cards to best illustrate how they intend for you to use the palette, and I can confirm that they are very handy.  I like how they slide out from behind the mirror to be seen alongside, which will make it easier to follow the instructions as you use the palette.

For me, I had a hilarious makeup lesson from Sasha at Harrods recently, where we confirmed that - possibly - contouring isn't going to be a daily essential for me.  I can see the difference when it has been done professionally, and discreetly, but as no one else could, I'll save it for special events only.

This is a very nicely done palette, and hopefully the fact that it is creams means my bus ride will be a bit less dusty from now on ...

The palette is currently available exclusively at Harrods and Selfridges until mid-February when it will go on sale nation-wide.  It costs £35.

The Fine Print: PR Sample

The Even Finer Print: We're not featuring full fragrance reviews on Get Lippie at the moment owing to illness - please see The Parosmia Diaries for more.

This post:Laura Mercier Flawless Contouring Palette originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper