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.

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Lipstick Queen - Bete Noire Collection

I always love starting off the new year with a new collection from Lipstick Queen, and luckily the collections from Poppy King rarely disappoint.  When I found out there was a new "dark" collection coming, my little heart went pitty-pat, for Saint Wine is one of my all-time favourite lipsticks of all time, as regular readers might remember ...

Housed in a pretty purple square, case - hinting at the shades of blackberry within - the Bete Noire collection comes in a dark-leopard skin box, both things setting them slightly apart from the other collections. The shades are:

(L-R) Possessed Intense, Possessed Metal, and Possessed Sheer.  Essentially, you have one shade in three different formats, a deeper, more opaque shade, a shimmering metallic, and a sheer, but still pigmented colour too.

Seriously, is there anything nicer than a collection of untouched lipstick bullets?

Let's take a look at how they swatch:

Intense is a rich dark purple.  Metallic has a slightly browner cast, and Sheer is a less dark purple version of Intense, much as you would expect.

I'd say that they were a slightly bluer version of Wine, blackberries, and black cherries rather than black grape juice.  Wine is slightly browner on the skin to me, but I'll do a comparison post on these soon.

Here's how they look on the lips:

Intense:

It covers well, and is glossy on the lips, not as matte as the Sinner formulation for Lipstick Queen.  It lasts well, but you will get the ring of doom.  There's no staining though!

Metallic:

Slightly more matte than the Intense version, this has slightly better lasting powers too.  But the drier formulation means that you can get a bit of staining.  I didn't find this too sparkly in wear, but it is a bit darker than Intense.

Sheer:

Probably my favourite of the three, Sheer is great for adding a bit of colour, and a slight hint of drama without looking like fancy dress.  Cooler than Saint Wine, it's perfect for winter.

Lipstick Queen Bete Noire launches at SpaceNK very soon, and the lipsticks will cost £28 each.


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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New Post on The Parosmia Diaries!

Oddly enough, I've been really busy with writing over the last couple of weeks, but a lot of it won't see the light for a little while yet.  Priorities and the unexpandable nature of time being what they are, this means Get Lippie has had to take a bit of a back seat for a month or so, but I'm still here blogging away, don't worry!  A couple of nice posts coming up this week, starting with a new collection from Lipstick Queen!

In the meantime, here's the latest post on The Parosmia Diaries, which is chock-full of the tips and tricks I've picked up over the last few months on how I manage my condition on a day-to-day basis, which also explains why my handbag is just so DAMN HEAVY these days ... (contains many food reviews too.  Reviewing food with a smell disorder is ... random)

I'll be back tomorrow with some lipstick ...

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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Hair Disaster recovery with Headmasters

We've all done it.  Had a fit of "fed-up-ness" with our hair and gone and got the lot chopped off on a whim.  Now, I HATE getting my hair cut, forever fearing the "bad cut", but nonetheless the week before Christmas, I did precisely what you shouldn't, and booked myself into my nearest hairdresser (a branch of Headmasters that I've been to before, but not for a cut, admittedly), and cajoled my  brand new stylist to cut the lot off.  I took along my pinterest board for reference:

 And begged for a slightly-shorter-in-back wavy dishevelled bob.

Well, it did not go to plan.  My stylist - who was adorable throughout, by the way, one of the nicest people to ever cut my hair - just didn't share my ideas for my new 'do, and - worse - couldn't cope with my wavy locks.  You know that scene in Steel Magnolias where Julia Roberts tells Dolly Parton just to make Sally Field's hair look like a big brown football helmet?  Well, it was just like that. Only bigger.

Not good.  I gave it a week, and couldn't cope with my hair being even bigger short than it ever was long.  I know there is a saying "The bigger the hair, the closer to God", but frankly, my hair already has ideas above its station, and doesn't need the encouragement, so I conceded defeat and contacted Headmasters direct to ask what they normally do in this situation.

The answer surprised - and delighted - me. Did you know that Headmasters offer an unconditional guarantee?  Don't worry, I didn't either.  I'd picked Headmasters because I've been a judge several times for the Creative Head magazine Most Wanted awards over the years, and Headmasters always do well in whichever category they're nominated in, but still I didn't know this.

Every customer who isn't delighted with their hair after a visit to Headmasters should get in touch with the salon and ask to speak to the manager, and explain their situation.  The manager will listen to your concerns and do everything in their power to fix the situation, whether that's arranging more training for your stylist or inviting you back to sort out your problem, and all without having to argy bargy over the details.  

makeup free - sorry.

I ended up going to the Putney branch of Headmasters to meet with Siobhan Jones, one of Headmasters' colour directors, to fix my disastrous cut on Christmas Eve and I am delighted.  Siobhan is a fellow curly-girl, so totally "got" my hair, and my concerns, and did her best to both fix the immediate problem, and cut my hair into a style designed to get better for my waves as it grows out.  I love a stylist who gives individual tips about specific hair concerns, and Siobhan's advice has been great, from showing me how to style my fringe in a way that makes my STUPID cowlicks behave themselves, to mentioning that I shouldn't get it cut again for three months, to getting rid of my "football helmet" just in time for the holidays, I couldn't be happier.

Thank you so much Headmasters for turning a disaster into a triumph.  I'm even happier that all your customers get the same service too.  

The Fine Print: I paid for the original haircut, but the follow-up appointment was arranged by the Headmasters PR team after I contacted them for help with this post.  Customer services will do the exact same for you though.

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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