Haut Totes - How much do I love thee?

Answer: Quite a darn lot, actually.

It's not often I get called a "happy goth" three times in one week, but this bag from Haut Totes has a lot to answer for ... ! I saw London Makeup Girl's El Dia de los Muertos bag about a year ago and fell in love with it a bit - but it took me a little while to order one of my own!  

When I saw the pink skulls though, I knew this was the one I wanted, I love the roses, and the cheery black skulls on the pink background.  Mind, I love practically everything on the Haut Totes Etsy shop, even the stuff with fairies on, which is partially why it took me so long to order, I simply couldn't make up my mind!

To go with the tote bag (which is made from an amazingly strong mesh, covered in the skull-printed fabric, seriously, you could haul around pretty much anything in here without worrying about it ripping), I also ordered a makeup bag:

Which is nice and roomy, and the back is mesh, so I can see at a glance what's in there, plus, I also ordered myself a wrist bag/cellphone holder (you need to buy the strap separately, but it's very cheap), which is astonishingly versatile:

I got the wristbag for those occasions when I can't be bothered with a handbag at all, it fits my iphone very well, and is lightly padded so there's little danger of damaging your phone if you drop it.  Not, of course, that I've ever tested this claim ... {ahem}

My bag makes me smile every time I look at it, and it's had a lot of compliments in its own right, which is about all you can ask from a pink bag covered in skulls, eh?  Haut Totes bags cost around £30, plus shipping from the US (so beware of customs charges), and the turnaround time is around a month, as all items are handmade from scratch by the lovely Melissa once ordered.

I'm taking this one to Portugal with me in June, as I think it'll make a perfect holiday bag, big enough for books, and lotions, and a towel.

The Fine Print: I bought this, and I'll be ordering more from Melissa soon ... Pink Lightning, you will be mine, oh yes ... All pictures in this post replicated by kind permission of Haut Totes - thank you Melissa!

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

Quick Question

Okay, readers, riddle me this:

If Get Lippie was a lipstick, what colour would she be?

All will be revealed soon ...

Whoa ... Bodyglide ...

... Bodyglide for yooooooooooouuuuuuu ....


(with apologies to the Bodyform people)

This is the least glamorous product ever featured on a beauty blog! Nonetheless, it's a lifesaver for me, particularly in the summer.

Chafing, ladies and gents, is not sexy.  It's not much fun either, being painful, and in summer it can lead to limited clothing opportunities, owing to the need to dress in a way to minimise rubbing.  For years, I lived in trousers in all weathers simply to avoid my thighs rubbing. In summer, just the thought of wearing a skirt without tights (and thick, black opague tights at that) would make me weep.  Yes, some stores stock what they call "comfort shorts", but that's just an added layer of clothing and kind of defeats the object of wearing a skirt in summer in the first place!

When I was training for a marathon a few years ago (what?  I've done a marathon! And raised nearly £2k for charity whilst I was about it too, stop laughing at the back), I was introduced to Bodyglide by a friend, and I've never been without a tube since.

Essentially a zinc-based balm, it creates a barrier between your skin and any materials that might chafe (or other body parts that rub together), and prevents the friction that causes rashes and discomfort, and as such it's a godsend.  This little tube means I can wear skirts without tights in hot weather, and as it's also great for preventing blisters from strappy shoes, means I can happily trip around town in any combination of sandals and other footwear without fear of blisters or unsightly plasters.  All you do is rub a thin layer - and you really do only need a thin layer - over any areas where you are prone to chafing, or rubbing, and that's it.  I haven't had a foot-blister in about four years now ...

So yes, it's not glam, not sexy, not sparkly or shiny, but it is just plain useful, and a product I couldn't live without it.  I get my Bodyglide (and how can you not love that name?) from wiggle.com where a large tube, which will last you all summer - and beyond, will cost you £8.99.

The Fine Print: I buy two tubes of this a year, a small one for my handbag, and a larger one for the house.  If a PR had suggested I write about this stuff, I'd probably have laughed at the pitch. Oh yes.  But the recent sweltering weather has reminded me just how much of a blessing this stuff is.  So there.

PS apologies for the earworm, 80s kids!

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

A Week In Lipstick

This week, I have mostly been wearing:




Clinique Chubby Stick - Mega Melon
Ellis Faas Creamy Lips - L307
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain - Passion
Chantecaille Lip Chic - Tea Rose
Yves St Laurent Candy Sheer Volupte - 2 Papaya Gelee
Tom Ford - True Coral
And finally …




The last lipstick there is a mystery, the full details of which I'll reveal ... eventually! But it's obviously been a coral kind of week...

Here are the swatches, which one catches your eye?




It might be warm outside, but I still love wearing my lipstick.

My Current Skincare Routine - Reactive Skin

In almost two years of beauty blogging (seriously, how the hell did that happen?) I've been incredibly blessed in that my sometimes sensitive skin hasn't broken out in boils, blotches and mysterious rashes.  Until recently, that is.  Something I've been using near my eyes has caused a hot, red, itchy rash, and, to put it mildly, I'm not happy!


I've narrowed down the possible offenders to three potentials, one an eyecream, one a moisturiser, and one  ... er ... something else.  I forget which now.  Most likely a cleanser.  Yes, I tried a new cleanser recently.  Must have been that. Oh, and there's a fourth thing it might have been, but I really, really can't remember what that was.  Anyway. 

So, in order to try and get my skin back into some semblance of normality, I've pared my skincare routine right back, and I'm using just three products until my skin calms down enough for me to start re-introducing items in order for me to weed out the irritant.

These products are: Nude Cleansing Facial Oil, Darphin Intral Toner and Avene Extremely Rich Compensating Cream.  I've completely removed any skincare with more "active" ingredients from my routine to stop my skin flaring up further and that means "bye-bye" to my beloved Alpha H for a couple of weeks!  Here's how I've been getting on with my new routine.

Nude Cleansing Facial Oil


An old standby, and very much an old favourite, this is gentle, effective and luxurious to use.  I never used to really like the smell, but I've grown used to it over the years (this is one of the first things I ever bought to blog about, and I've never been without a bottle since), and now I love it.  Thick, rich, and feels intensely nourishing, which, when your skin is as red and reactive as mine is at the moment, is just what the doctor ordered.  Mine cost £24 from Space NK, which reminds me, I'm running low - very low - right now, and it might be time to re-invest in a bottle.  Did I mention it's organic?  It's organic.  And it's very nice indeed.  If you're not sure you like oil cleansers, this is a good one to start off with, it'll kind of spoil you for the rest.

Darphin Intral Toner


I'm not much of a one for toners.  Some people think I'm wrong, but hey, it's MY skin, and I like what I like, thank you very much.  And, it turns out I like this particular toner very much indeed.  Formulated specifically for sensitive skins, this alcohol-free (the only time you'll ever see me approve of this phrase is when it comes to my skincare, btw) delicately flower-scented pink liquid is something I've been using every day recently to soothe and cool my inflamed temples.  It is moisturising, and calming, and I think I might just keep it in daily rotation once the current skin-crisis is over.  I'm trying to think of toners as the beginning of my moisturising routine, and not as the end of my cleansing one, I wonder if that will help me keep them in my routine?


Anyway, this is a nice toner, and I like using it.  So there.  I'm thinking of decanting a little of it, and keeping it by me at all times over the summer for a more moisturising spriz than usual. My bottle cost £27, again, from Space NK.

Finally, I've been using Avene Extremely Rich Compensating Cream, which, on first look I thought was just going to be far too heavy for my skin.  I was assured otherwise by a certain Mrs Hirons who assured me, when she handed the pot over, that, as well as being irritated, I - sorry, my skin - was also dehydrated.  Turns out she was right.  I hate that.  Anyway, this is a fairly heavyweight little pot of soothing, calming and rehydrating goodness.  Yes, it is a little heavier than my normal moisturiser of choice, but it has worked wonders on my perpetually re-occuring patch of dry skin on my forehead, and for that alone, I have to love it.  It does, also, I have to say, seem to be soothing my irritated (and irritating) skin.  I can't use this one all over my face, but applied just to my dryer areas: forehead, temples and cheeks, mainly, I can definitely see that this is about the most hydrating thing I've ever applied to my face, and that has to be a good thing.

You can buy this for £16.50 from Boots, but my pot (the design of which I detest, by the way), came from Caroline's Magic Beauty Cupboard, which I'm hoping one day to get her to blog about ...


So, my skin is now not at all hot, flaky or burning any more, which is wonderful. And it's less red, which is great. I'm just waiting for the bumps to subside now, and all will be well.  Then I can start using more sexy products again ... that said, I've been so impressed by the Darphin and Avene products I've tried as a result of the flare-up that I'm sure I'll be investigating more of their ranges, so for a beauty addict like myself, there has been a bright side!


The Fine Print: I bought half of this, and the moisturiser was a present.  Kind of.  More a bribe to stop me whining, I suspect, but hey ho, it worked, anyway.

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

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy - 02 Papaye Gelee

It must be said that YSL Rouge Voluptes have some of the prettiest packaging on the market.  That out of the way, I have to say that I am not a fan of the Rouge Volupte formula, finding it too greasy, and disliking the way the texture sits on your lips, rather then melds with your lips texture.  For such an expensive lipstick, personally, I think they're not worth the price, and, I've never quite understood their popularity, which I suspect is partially down to their undeniable prettiness - even MrLippie thinks they're "swish"!

Being of a fair mind - and, having tried the new sheer Dior  and Chanel lipsticks recently too - when I noticed that YSL had brought out a tinted balm version of their Rouge Voluptes, I thought I'd give one of them a try.  Having swatched all 6 shades, which go from an extremely pale pink, through to a red, I picked out shade number 2, which is Papaye Gelee, or "Dewy Papaya", and is a pretty coral shade:

This is really beautiful packaging, I much prefer the silver to the gold, and  on the lips, it's very moisturising, if a little lacking in pigment.  Yes, I do appreciate this is a balm, but I did notice on swatching that there was little to no difference between any of the colours on the pale side:

As you can see from the swatch, it's barely visible at all.  But this doesn't, actually, make this a bad balm.  It's nice to use, pleasantly scented (with no taste) of watermelon, and does make your lips feel soft and moisturised while you're using it.  I find that if I use it with a lipstain, it does have a tiny "brightening" effect on the colour, and for that reason, I'm glad I bought it.

So out of all the sheer/balm lipsticks I've tried recently, I think YSL wins on packaging (and price, being cheaper than both the Chanel and Dior), but ... the Chanel wins overall for comfort of wear, and range of colours. 


YSL Volupte Sheer Candy are currently exclusive to Harrods, and cost £20.


The Fine Print: Harrods stole my credit card, and gave me this in return.


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

Remington 5 in 1 Airstyler

I've had blow-dry lessons from some of the best hairdressers in this country - Yes, Ben Cooke (creator of Victoria Beckham's various 'do's over the years) I'm looking at you, and, it has to be said that I remain a cack handed muppet at it. 


The problems are that I have short arms and a lot - and I do mean a lot - of wavy hair.  So, the traditional hairdryer and brush method is backbreaking, not to mention, heartbreaking work with my thatch of frizzy fuzz.


Years ago, I had a Remington Airstyler that was basically a hairbrush with a built in hairdryer, and, I have to say, I loved it.  My only real problem with it was that the hairdryer was a rather feeble 300 watts, so drying my hair (which was a lot curlier back then) took hours.  Luckily for me, the new 5in1 Remington Airstyler is a massive 1200 watts so this solves that particular problem, and has made me a very happy chappy blogger.


The new Remington Airstyler comes with five attachments: two round bristle brushes (one with hard "fixed" bristles, and one with softer, flexible bristles), a targeted hairdryer nozzle, a ridge "tong" attachment, and my own personal favourite, the flat "paddle" brush attachment, which has a side each of fixed and flexible bristles.

I've found that I can give myself a nice (not great - I'm still rubbish), blowdry with lots of volume using the paddle brush attachment, in about 15 minutes or so, without really needing to follow up with my straighteners, or needing a massage on my aching shoulders - the fixed bristles glide through the hair smoothly with no snagging, and the flexible bristles provide a great deal of traction, which is great for making the hair smoother.  The dryer itself has three speeds: low heat, high heat and a cool shot, which is very handy.



All in all, a winner for me - and for around £25 it's a bargain, I paid nearly £40 for one with just a quarter of the drying power (and no attachments besides the round brush and the nozzle) around ten years ago!


The Fine Print: PR sample.  And an horrendously overdue review.  I'm nice like that ;)

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