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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