Guest Post - Thoughts on Manscaping

Gotta love a boy beauty blogger, and The Chap Blog is one of the best!  After Mr Lippie giving us his thoughts on his new personal grooming routine last week, I thought this would make a great companion piece.  Manscaping.  How far should it go?

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Hi boys and girls! I was asked by Get Lippie if I would write a guest post and the brief was left totally open to allow me to write what I like! Well……recently over at The Chap Blog I posted an ‘Interview with Diane Wood AKA Queen of Shaves’ and here was her final answer.
 

“I can’t stand when men do not trim or shave down south! It’s unhygienic and unattractive. Most women know how to keep their love rug trimmed so men should take the time and do the same.”

So this got me thinking, should men Manscape?
 
Is it really hygienic?
Is it necessary?
And is it attractive?
 
To answer the first question…..personally why not! If it makes you look good and feel good then go ahead. I’m sure it suits some more than others, and because it gives the illusion that your tackle is bigger it may even give confidence to some. As mentioned already, in the past I’ve removed my chest and stomach hair, but never have I gone lower than my belt. Personally I’m not sure that I would want to and the idea of any type of razor anywhere near that area scares me to death. However, looking into this I have found it’s actually more common than you might think. From Body Builders to models to the general guy on the street has done it, or at least has tried it, or thought about it. Curiosity got the better of me and I bet that there’s many guys out there who’s been the same!
 
Is it more hygienic like Diane Woods suggests? I’m not sure…..Surely if you clean down there every day then it’s clean. As long as you don’t have fleas or lice then there’s nothing wrong with a little hair.
 
Is it necessary? Well it is in some cultures and religions. But I think for the most it’s down to preference. However be warned that the hair growing back will feel uncomfortable and itchy. This certainly put me off from ever trying to remove all the hair again.
 
Is it attractive? I think I’m the wrong person to ask, I’ll leave that up to you the reader to decide? But, it did get me thinking! Instead of removing it all together may be guys should tidy it up and make it look more presentable. It’s acceptable for ladies to do it so why not the boys! What do you think?
 
If you are about to enter the world of Manscaping especially going below the belt; just remember your skin down south is thinner, more sensitive and a lot more stretchy than the rest of the body so trim or shave, either wet or with an electric razor. Never ever wax or use a hair removal cream in that particular part of your body. I can only imagine you’ll most certainly regret it.
 
So there you have it, my thoughts about Manscaping! For me trimming is more acceptable but what do you think?
 
Thanks for reading and please leave a comment!
The Chap : )
 
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Get Lippie says: Personally, I find hairless men slightly ... and I'm sorry to be saying this ... but for me it's a no-no.  I like a hairy chest.  I'm not against grooming and cleanliness, but ... well, if I were a gay man, I'd like bears, put it that way.

I can't believe I've just admitted that.  Thank goodness I'm out of the country!  What do you think?

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

Guest Post - Love Your Lips

I love Oh Panda!  She's a mine of information, and a source of inspiration, and she's a total sweetheart to boot.  Here she is to talk to us today about how to look after your lips ...

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It’s all well and good buying a new lipstick, falling in love with it and never wanting to take it off but it is important to look after your lips to ensure that you’re getting the most from your lipstick and your lips are looking their best.  After all, lips are skin too, just very, very thin (around 4 to 5 layers, compared to the 16 layers on your face!)

Here are a few tips on keeping your lips looking and feeling fabulous.

Exfoliate
 
The most well known technique is the dry toothbrush scrub, lightly sloughing away dead skin with a medium/soft toothbrush.  This works fine and is a cheap and effective method.  I prefer to use a sugar scrub though (cos they taste nice.)  I currently use Lush’s bubblegum scrub.  It is ridiculously yum and sloughs dead skin away perfectly, leaving my lips ultra soft.  You can also make your own lip scrub quite simply, have a little Google for some recipes, they are dead simple to make and in most cases the ingredients will already be in your cupboard (and it’s fun to get a little creative!)

Moisturise

Do not get confused between products that moisturise your lips and those that create a barrier.  Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) will create a barrier and can be used to keep moisture in, however, it will not moisturise them.  Therefore go for something super moisturising once you have exfoliated your lips, something with vitamin E in is always good.

Protect

As mentioned above, petroleum jelly is awesome as a barrier for your lips so once moisturised you can add some Vaseline on, particularly if you suffer with chapped lips.  I would also recommend products with SPF in.  I have burnt my lips once.  It hurt beyond belief.  Most lip products contain an SPF nowadays or at least offer an SPF version in their range – I cannot stress how important SPF on your lips is,just Google “Sunburnt Lips” *pukes*

Tips for Colour

•    Use a neutral lip liner to outline and fill your lips.  This will help the lipstick stay in place for longer and also prevent feathering. Do not use a lip liner if you are using a stain to colour your lips!
•    If you have time, apply your lippie with a brush.  It gets into those creases better.  I also like applying it with a clean finger, again it ensures the colour gets in all the nooks, though there is no definitive right or wrong way about the method of application, try a few ways and see what works best for you…
•    Don’t overdo the gloss, not if you want some kissy kisses anyway.
•    Once you’re done, pop your finger in your mouth and pull it out.  This will stop you getting lippie on your teeth (not a good look…) It’ll now be on your finger instead, go wash your hands!

(some images of my favourite lip care products!)

I hope you found some of these tips useful.  Lip care is so important, particularly if you spend a lot of time outdoors, wearing colour on your lips or kissing… and I am sure you fit in to one of those categories…
 
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Get Lippie Says: Can't agree more about the tip about vaseline, barrier creams high in mineral oil only seal in the moisture that's already present on your lips, and don't add any of their own.  For preference, I use plant-based balms, which add moisture, and, crucially, taste nice ... 

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

Guest Post - Bourjois Mascara Madness

Floamia is my latest guest poster, who's come out of her blogging retirement to take a thorough and much appreciated look at a range of Bourjois mascaras.  I'm very honoured, thank you Floamia!

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I’d like to start off this post just saying thank-you for the opportunity to write for this blog, which I’ve been a fan of for quite a while. Much appreciated!
 

 So today I thought I’d look at four mascaras from my collection, all from Bourjois! There are a few high-end ‘cult’ mascaras, and I feel like the high-street brands can often become abandoned and forgotten, so I’m here drawing attention to four from just one brand, and doing a compare-and-contrast for all of you. And I apologise in advance for staring at you in all of the swatches. Sorry ‘bout that.
 

[Left to right – Volume Glamour Ultra Curl, Liner Effect, Volume Fast & Perfect, Coup de Theatre]

Volume Glamour Ultra Curl - £7.99
The first in our line-up boasts of the ability to double the volume of your lashes. Without anything on them, my eyelashes are quite fair and fluffy and nothing-y, the remnants of being a fair-haired child, which now look somewhat out of place with my now dark hair!
This mascara is one of the three I’m reviewing today that can stand up on its own, which I quite like. It’s rounded, as most mascara packaging is, so it could roll away if left horizontal, so it’s nice that it can support its own weight as it were. Nice flat base, always a plus! I’ve owned this mascara for a while now, so the shiny pink lettering and lid has started to fade and chip a bit, which is somewhat less glamorous a “Volume Glamour” mascara ought to be, if I do say so myself, but that is truly just a bit of pedantry on my part.
 

The spoolie in the product shot on the website actually looks a lot more curved than it is in person. Again, I think this may be in part due to the fact that I’ve owned it for a while, and its bouncy resilience has faded somewhat with me repeatedly taking it out of the tube. If you’re someone who regularly replaces your mascara (and it’s debatable whether or not you actually should), this won’t be an issue.

  [Top, bare lashes, Bottom, one coat of Volume Glamour Extra Curl mascara]
In comparison to my bare lashes, the effects of this mascara look quite striking. My lashes are much, much more visible, and seem slightly more curled open, leading to a more ‘awake’ looking eye, I think. This mascara does tend to flake a bit, when worn all day. I’ve found that if I put this on in the morning, by about four or five o’ clock I will have little sooty bits of mascara debris littered on my cheeks.

Liner Effect - £8.99
Our second mascara to be reviewed today is, I know, a firm favourite of a few bloggers I know. I hadn’t actually seen it in my nearest Boots at the time when I was reading such rave reviews of it, but when it suddenly appeared I felt obliged to snap one up.
This is another that stands up independently, but even if it didn’t, it has a silver ridge matching the line in the logo of the name of the mascara (of the brand of the Bourjois of the Paris…) which would stop it rolling away while lying flat, too.

The spoolie has really short bristles on one side, and longer ones on the other. I tend to use the shorter side to get right at the roots, and then sort of top up with the longer side.
 

[Bare lashes on the top, one coat of Liner Effect on the bottom]

I‘m less impressed by the promises here. For something promising the effect of wearing eyeliner, I’d expect much thicker looking lashes. They still look rather fluffy and sparse, here. The wear is good, though. No smudginess, or flakiness, and it seems fairly waterproof, without running it through a shower.

Volume Fast & Perfect - £11.99


The gimmick-iest out of all of our line up, by far, and to be honest the gimmick is the reason I picked it up! I remember there being vibrating mascaras, but this was the first I’d seen of a rotating one, and while I had little hope, I was abundant with curiosity!
 

There’s a little switch on the handle of the mascara with options for clockwise, anti-clockwise and off. It wasn’t until I started playing around with it that I realised that I needed the different directions for my different eyes, and opposite directions on the lower lashes to those of the upper lashes. It’s quite clear if you’re using the ‘wrong’ direction, though, as it begins to move over your lashes and run them over, rather than fanning them open. And fanning them open is definitely what happens when you use this correctly. I can place this at the base of my eyelashes and I swear every lash is separated and coated evenly, and they look much thicker. I’ve even got out my italics a lot for this description; I’m terribly fond of it! 
 

Alas, when it comes to wear, this one is a wee bitty bit smudgy, but I will forgive it its trespasses for its application. Would it be bad to say I actually find it slightly fun? It feels like a toy! But for my eyelashes!

Coup de Theatre - £10.49
I believe this came out round about the time of the 2-in-1 mascara craze, started by L’Oreal, if I recall correctly. Along with every other high-street brand, Bourjois came out with its own double-wanded creature, which, looking at the website, seems to have been updated in the form of a single-wanded version with the same formula. How I feel behind the times!
 

[Double-wandedness. Also, the fact that I have the hands of a child.]

The black end of the spoolie has a similar short-bristles-one-side/long-bristles-other-side thing going for it as the Liner Effect spoolie, but this one seems to be made out of the traditional bristles, rather than the nylon ones.
This is the only one out of our four mascaras that doesn’t stand upright, having a curved base, which thoroughly depressed be when I came to photographing them, as I wanted to stand them side by side. Boo.

[Bare lashes on the top, one coat each of the white end and the black end of Coup de Theatre at bottom]
With the white coat on alone, this mascara looks like it will easily be the most impressive. Lashes look much, much longer, and thicker. Were I in the habit of wearing white mascara, this would come up trumps. Easy.
Alas, I’m not in such a habit, and this mascara becomes much more disappointing once you apply the black coat. It feels like it snags a bit, on top of the white coat, and it takes a lot of careful work to avoid leaving uncovered white patches. This is also the only mascara out of the ones I’ve reviewed here that leaves dots from the wet mascara on my eyelids! And I had had such high hopes to start.

Summary
                 Extra Curl       Liner Effect    Volume Fast & Perfect    Coup de Theatre
Application    8/10                7/10                10/10                                   6/10
Volume          8/10                6/10                  9/10                                   6/10
Length           7/10                7/10                  9/10                                   7/10
Wear             5/10                7/10                  8/10                                    5/10

It is evident, then, that our winner is the gimmick-y rotating Volume Fast & Perfect mascara!
Disclosure: All of these products were bought with my own money

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Get Lippie says: I've tried all of these too, and I have to say that the Volume Fast and Perfect is a glorious mascara, even when you accidentally have worn the batteries down by leaving it in your makeup bag with it running ...

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

Guest Post - A Life in Lipstick

All my favourite people are called Louise, so I was very happy when Louise from LouLouMuses agreed to take a guest slot this time around.  She's only been blogging for a couple of months, but she's been on Twitter for a lot longer than that, and she's always a delight to chat to.  Take it away, LouLou!

 

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After the initial blog post mental block when Louise asked me what I wanted to blog about, I decided to go with an idea that I'd been considering for my own blog, inspired by Get Lippie’s own 'A Week in Lipstick' series: ‘A Life in Lipstick’.

My first lipstick was No 17's Clearly Carnation, a sheer rosy-pink. However, that’s long since been discontinued, so in my attempt to skip merrily down makeup memory lane I bought the nearest thing that I could find in Boots: Natural Collection's Moisture Shine lipstick in Berry Sorbet. 

This is slightly darker than 'Clearly Carnation' but it will give you an idea. There’s not really much to say about this lipstick to be honest, except that I was completely indifferent to it! I can only imagine that this was my teenage way of easing myself into makeup, but it just felt and looked like I wasn't wearing any makeup, and where's the fun in that?! 

From there I moved on to my 15-year old self’s favourite: Rimmel's 'Coffee Shimmer'. Back then it appeared that every other girl was wearing Rimmel lipstick, from 'Coffee Shimmer' to 'Heather Shimmer', to um, 'Coffee Shimmer'. Although these days I'm more likely to accessorise with a heels and a handbag than Dr Marten’s and a Body Shop cotton bag, in the interests of thorough blog research, I added this to my shopping basket.

Recently I've been wearing Revlon's matte 'Strawberry Suede' (an orange-red) and 'Eve' by Daniel Sandler for All for Eve (classic red), so this was certainly 'different'. My initial thought when I applied it was "I look like I’ve smeared chocolate over my lips!”, which is not the kind of look I would usually aim for. And I couldn't really see the shimmer in it, apart from when I wiped a swatch off the back of my hand, and was left with a trail of shimmer on my hand. When I applied it to my lips it just looked flat. My love affair with 'Coffee Shimmer' is definitely best left in the mid-1990s, together with my baggy jeans, shellsuit and Ryan Giggs poster. Yes I admit it, my name is Louise Hartrey and I owned a shellsuit. Although given recent developments, perhaps the last item on the list is the most embarrassing!

 
When I tried to think of what I wore after 'Coffee Shimmer,' my thoughts got bogged down in a giant slick of neutral pink lip-gloss. I stuck with that for years, much longer than any self-respecting beauty blogger should admit to I’m sure! The fact that I can't really remember any of the brands or the shades shows that none of them left a lasting impression on me or my lips. I still own a few from the tail-end of this period: light pink lip-glosses by Jemma Kidd, and No 7's Sheer Temptation lipstick in Excite (oh the irony given that it is perhaps one of the least exciting shades in my collection!)
 

L to R: Berry Sorbet; Coffee Shimmer; Jemma Kidd Candy

L to R: MAC Craving; All for Eve; Revlon Matte Strawberry Suede 

It’s only in the last 2 years that I’ve started experimenting with stronger and brighter colours. I’m not really sure why, but slowly but surely, the stronger colours in my makeup collection have become my 'go to' lipsticks of choice, and now my idea of a neutral is my MAC Viva Glam in Cyndi! It's safe to say that the 'Clearly Carnation' ship has well and truly sailed.
I hope you've enjoyed my trip down makeup memory lane. I'd love to know what shades other people wore, and their memories associated with them, because, well I'm just nosey naturally inquisitive.


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Get Lippie says: Is there anyone who doesn't have a secret Heather Shimmer in their lipstick cupboard full of skeletons?  I nicked mine from my mum!

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

Guest Post - Aztec Inspired Nails

I have neither the time, nor the patience to do nail art, (not to mention my being a total cackhanded muppet) so when the gloriously talented Catherine of Catherine's Loves blog offered to do a tutorial for my readers, I jumped at the opportunity!  Here's hoping you enjoy this as much as I did:

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Hello readers of Get Lippie, Louise has kindly let me do a guest post on her blog with my choice of subject, I decided on a nail art post with a little tutorial on how I did it. Nail art is something I really enjoy doing on my blog, so thought it would be the perfect choice of post. I chose Aztec nails, this is my first attempt, I have always loved how they look but never done them myself, here is my interpretation of Aztec nails, and a little step by step guide on how I did them. This is the finished result

One of the most difficult things I found was choosing which colours to use, this involved a rather colourful  piece of A4 paper which I swatched various colour combinations, and in the end I went for yellow, orange, two blues, black and white, these are the polishes I used

L-R Models Own Snow White, Models Own Bloo Bloo, Models Own Feeling Blue,  Barry M Black, Rimmel Lasting Finish Tangerine Queen and Rimmel Lasting Finish Sunshine.
Now you can chose which ever colour combination you want, its entirely up to you, the tools I used the create this look are from my nail art brush set, I also use cuticle sticks.

Here is a quick step by step guide to create this design

1. First I painted my nails in Snow White

2. I then took my Feeling Blue for the stripe at the base of the nail and used a small brush to do this, now this is a design which doesn't have to be really neat and tidy, as a lot of the colours are painted over.

3. I then took my Black nail polish and again used my small brush to draw another block

4. I then used my yellow polish to create the next block of colour, again using my small brush

5. I then took my orange nail polish but wanted to leave a white stripe in between, so I did the block of colour leaving a section of white polish in between

6. I then took the last colour Bloo Bloo to paint on the tip of my nails, then left them to dry, now as you can see they still look quite messy at this stage, until you paint on the details, then it all becomes clear of what they are meant to be.

7.When dry, I took my white polish and little dotting tool to draw on the lines and dots, you can chose your own designs here, this is the look I went for

With a little tidying up this is the finished result

So there you have it my Aztec inspired nails. Hope you enjoyed this post, and have fun recreating your own designs, thank you for reading.

Catherine x

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Thank you, Catherine!  Any nail art that doesn't matter if you're messy or not is a-ok with me ...

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

Guest Post - Parfumerie Generale Private Collection Cedre Sandaraque

Today I'm delighted to welcome Carrie from Eyeliner on a Cat, who has been one of the loveliest supporters of my Project Perfume this year, and writes evocatively about her scent collection on her own blog, she's created a new lemming for me now with this one ....

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Today was one of those amazing mornings. I woke up to a surprise care package filled with perfume goodies from a friend in Austria (I'm looking at you, Olfactoria!). Inside were many things I'd never tried before, even a couple of those Serge Lutens wax sample books I'd been wanting to see for quite some time. The one sample I sniffed and immediately had to try on my skin was Parfumerie Generale's Cedre Sandaraque. I'm familiar enough with the house to know that it was going to be a slam dunk right away.

notes: vetiver, African cedar, sandarac resin, cereals, pralined amber

The opening speaks clearly of spiced, chewy steel-cut oats, lightened by crisp vetiver- a brilliant move. I really love it when perfumers use inventive complementary notes together. So right off the bat, I'm surprised, and that (almost) always bodes well. There is a beautiful, laser-cut sharpness of cedar backed by the resinous spices. Cedre Sandaraque offers excellent contrast of shapes and shadows; round vs. angular. Here's where the mysterious nature of this perfume really starts to develop. The sillage is quite different from how it smells up close. When I sniff my wrist, it's intensely spicy and sharply woody, camphorous resins abound. As you walk, you leave more of a gourmand trail behind you. Fascinating! I cannot recall another perfume where this is the case (if anyone can name one in the comments-- please do!). 

There is somewhat of a boozy effect when the notes are all combined, with a medicinal quality to it, I'm very attracted to that. "It smells like medicine, so you know it's working!" It reminds me of what the town medicine man might mix up for a poultice. The nutty quality of the praline is very rich and toasted, but it never dominates (and I'm glad for that). I don't recognize amber here in any traditional form, but perhaps it's best represented as a "green amber". The spicy resin gets more intense the longer it sits on my skin, and threatens to singe the nosehairs with the fumes. This is not a bad thing for me, believe it or not. I love to eat hot, spicy salsa, I enjoy the burn. It's nice to have a perfume like this that doesn't use pink, red or any other kind of pepper in the notes. What a relief! I am thoroughly peppered out in fragrance. The gourmand aspect does fade significantly as the drydown approaches, and what's left in the final hours is that big, bright cedar note, delicious spiced resin and the fresh, verdant element of vetiver. 

I'm thoroughly impressed with Cedre Sandaraque, it's one of those perfumes that really needs to be smelled to be believed. Olfactoria told me that I would like it very much, and she was right on the money. It's worth seeking out for it's unique nature alone: come for the freak show, stay for the churros. 

Available at Luckyscent in the US, a 50ml bottle for $105 and at Les Senteurs in the UK for 84.50 GBP

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

Guest Post - Before and After

I'm kind of hoping that my guest poster today doesn't really need any introduction ... but, if you're not familiar, here's @MrLippie talking about how his life has changed since his beloved became a beauty blogger ...


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At times, I find myself wondering how exactly I've ended up in this position - no, not the position of writing a blog post in a bit of a dozy frame of mind on a Sunday afternoon - but rather the position of having my grooming regime changed to such a considerable extent.

Before:

Source

Now, I've always been very much a 'get up and go' person when it comes to my morning routine, with the philosophy being that the body needs a bit of a short, sharp, shock prior to facing the evils of the outside world. I try not to hang around, even to the extent that I don't generally have breakfast on a workday. So, speed is generally of the essence.

Also, prior to going out with the lovely Get Lippie, I have to admit being not interested at all in the wide range of "stuff" out there. I found a combination that worked, that smelled relatively ok, and that leant itself well to my preference for speed & simplicity. Experimentation was not on the agenda whatsoever.

So, down to the details....Head & Shoulders was the basic shampoo, with a Lynx shower gel (usually Africa) used in combination with that. Well-known brands, with the Lynx being perhaps a touch too aromatic for me these days, but, at the time, it was simple, not bad to the nose, and relatively cheap. I cringed at the advertising (still do, to a certain extent), but it got the job done. A brief spray with a deodorant (again with the Lynx) and then it was on to combating of stubble.

Again, wasn't hugely sophisticated in my choice of brands - I went into Boots, and picked whatever took my fancy - in this case it was generally King of Shaves Shaving Oil, combined with a Gillette razor of some sort - I can't recall the make offhand, but there were only the 3 blades, and it wasn't electric in any way...

And that was it. No shaving foam, aftershave, moisturiser....about as basic as could be. A touch of Brylcreem gel to the hair and I was good to go!

Fast forward a few years, to Lippie Towers and a teeny tiny flat with all the mod cons and the shower/bath that looks capable of providing its' own life support system.

After:

I use Soap & Glory on my hair, a L'Occitane En Provence Shower Gel (although I sometimes switch to Fish for both of these), and another L'Occitane product as deodorant. Much nicer, a bit more variety, and less...predicatable, I guess.

Then, it's onto the shaving....now here's where my habits HAVE changed, there's no denying it. A while ago I was lucky enough to get hold of a proper shaving brush - and I love it. Shaving foam of choice at the moment is Bluebeards' Revenge, which is marvellously cooling, and whilst I still use a Gillette razor, it's a Gillette Fusion, with a Remington Electric Shaver as backup for those days when I'm running extremely late!

I moisturise - using either Bulldog or Rehab London - and I have a wide variety of aftershaves to choose from (partly due to the ongoing perfume project!). Generally I'll use L'Instant de Guerlain or possibly Armani Diamonds....or Code, depending on mood. The hair gets sorted with a touch of Fish wax, and out I venture into the depths of London.

I still don't see myself as completely 'metrosexual' - I have a phobia of man bags, my hair gets cut for less than a tenner in a barber shop, and there is NO way in HELL I'm going to try guyliner - no matter what you all say - plus I'm far too attached to my rugby shirts & t-shirts to start worrying about being some sort of fashionista. Nonetheless, I have changed - and likely will continue to do so, as I'm exposed to more brands & products that genuinely hit the spot or attract my attention.

That's me....how have your other halves changed whilst you've been blogging?

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Get Lippie says:  Actually, I think I should show you a picture of what he really looks like now:

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