Products to make you feel great

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

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

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

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

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

Which products make you feel good?

In a rush!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's your two-minute routine?

Hair today ...

 ... hair tomorrow?

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

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

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

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

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

Tangle Teezer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New blog!

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

No accountancy though.  I promise.  Kinda.

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

Look forward to seeing you guys there, too!

Lip Stains

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

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

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

Here's how they swatch on the hand:

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

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

And here is the Bourjois Rose Exclusif:

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

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


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

Max Factor Vs All For Eve: A Nail File Challenge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What do you use to file your nails?