Aww ...

... you guys!

I've just noticed* I hit 1,000 followers on Google Friends Connect today.  That's fantastic, and it's made me very happy.  I'll be doing a giveaway (and I'll do my best to make it a special one) to celebrate very soon, as it's also my blog's second anniversary coming up too ...


Some other things that have been nice this week - actually, now I've typed that, I've just realised it's only Tuesday, and now I'm praying that my week hasn't peaked already - are:


The lovely and amazing Ondo Lady declared me her "Blogger of the Month" yesterday, and there's a big interview where I finally admit what I do all day, and announce who my favourite bloggers of all time are (just five of them, otherwise I'd have had no space to write anything else) and talk about what I really think of blogging.  Click the link to read it!


Also, Wikio gave me a sneak preview of their Top Twenty beauty blogs for August this month, and I'm utterly gobsmacked to see I'm at number FIVE this month! A massive honour.  No idea why, but, how utterly flipping blimming amazing!  Here's the full list:

1	BritishBeautyBlogger
2	Kiss And Makeup
3	Beauty And The Dirt
4	Lipglossiping
5	Get Lippie
6	Cosmetic Candy
7	London MakeUp Girl
8	Modesty Brown
9	FabSugar UK
10	Fleur De Force
11	I Heart Cosmetics
12	MakeUp4All, Ladies Beauty
13	Beauty's Bad Habit
14	Oh! Panda.
15	the london lipgloss
16	"Of Faces and Fingers"
17	Daily Polish
18	MakeupLoveer
19	Lady of the Lane
20	ghostparties.

Ranking made by Wikio


I'll admit that, for a couple of months - up until this week - I'd been finding blogging more of a chore than a pleasure for a variety of reasons. It's been crappy.  I've hated a lot of things, both products, and behind the scenes, and it's been too much of an effort to write as much as usual.  

I even gave serious consideration to giving it all up for the first time since I started.  I've always said  that when blogging stopped being fun, then it would be time to stop.  Luckily, I copped myself on after a while, and  after making a few editorial and lifestyle decisions, I'm now feeling refreshed and ready to blog  again even more than ever.  I love beauty, blogging and I especially love beauty blogging, so I'm not going anywhere.  There's still a lot of fun around, and I'm determined to rid my life, and especially my blogging life, of negativity, and some toxic influences.

Stuff like blog awards, reader numbers and rankings, whilst meaningless in the "grand scheme" of things, helps remind me that people do like what I write, and that blogging IS fun. So big thanks to everyone for bearing with me while I got some perspective. You're aces.  All of you.

Lippie x

*Okay, I actually just spent an hour on Twitter begging for new followers - I'm not proud! I promise I won't do it again**.


**Speaking of things not to do again, I'm not planning on writing any more blog posts about blogging again.  EVER.  You may shoot me if I do.  They're wanky.***

*** Please don't shoot me.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Mavala's Elle Shades

If you're a reader of Elle Magazine, then there's a great freebie with the issue this month: a free bottle of Mavala polish!  I'm a big fan of the Mavala mini-bottles, and this is a great selection of shades.  You'll get one of either Elle Red, Elle Grey or Elle Orange, I thought I'd show you a swatch of each, to help you make a choice:

These are great shades, the red is a perfect classic red, pulling neither pink nor orange, the grey is a cool concrete shade, and the orange is BRIGHT.  My camera has dulled down the finish somewhat on the orange, but it's probably my favourite of the bunch.  Swatches show three coats of red and orange, and two coats of grey.  No topcoat.


Elle's Mavala shades will be free with the September issue of Elle, which is available now.  Which one will you get?

The Fine Print: PR samples.  I haven't bought a printed magazine in years.  And it was probably Look In or something when I did.

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

Clinique Black Honey Collection

I don't buy Clinique makeup often, but it's safe to say that Clinique are responsible, at least in part, for my lip product obsession.  Not to mention that when I take people shopping for coloured lipsticks, I often introduce them to Clinique's "Almost Lipstick" range, which is a great way to introduce brighter lipstick colours into someone's makeup wardrobe, as they are very sheer, and non-scary.

One of Clinique's iconic products is actually their Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, which I have bought far too many times to mention over the years, and when I discovered they were bringing out an entire range around it for this autumn, I may have got a little over excited.  Some people have dismissed the collection as boring, but I disagree. 

The collection includes:

Clockwise from top: Graduated ("ombre) Blush, eyeshadow palette, eyeliner and lip duo, all in the shade "Black Honey".

Let's take a closer look at each product, starting with the blusher, which is the standout product for me:

I love this shade.  A non-shimmery, extremely fine-milled powder that grades from a brown with hints of purple on the left, to a slightly pinked brown on the right.  It's not entirely matte, but there's a slight hint of sheen when the powder is on your face.  It's really gorgeous.  Here's a pic that shows off the "ombre" effect better:

It's immensely flattering on my currently very slightly tanned skin, but I can see the hint of purple in this will make it wearable on even very pale skins.  It would, I suspect, pull a little chalky on very dark toned skin.

The eyeshadow palette:

This is a very neutral eye palette, with hints of pink in most of the shades, so nice to see neutrals without a taupe! Shades 1 and 3 are matte, and shades 2 and 4 are shimmery, and extremely pigmented.

This is one pass (with a finger) over unprimed skin. Shade three is a rather unusual pinkish shade, but it can work quite well in the crease as here:

I did quite a nice, lightly smoked eye look with this on Saturday, I applied shade 1 on the brow bone, shade three all over the mobile lid, with shade four blended into the crease, and shade two patted into the corner.  As a liner, I used this:

Black Honey gel liner - which is an item from the permanent line - it's a shimmering brown, again with a purplish undertone.  Less scary than that makes it sound ...

It's a great alternative to black, and the formula is very long-lasting, and transfer proof.  The brush you get with the liner is rather useless thoughbut.  I found that applying it with any other flat brush was a lot easier.

The Lip Duo is handy too.  At one end you have a mini Almost Lipstick, and at the other, you have a small pot of Long Last Lipgloss:

Black Honey is one of the archetypical "my lips but better" shades, back in the 90's - when it was relaunched and promoted quite extensively - there was a lot of talk about it being one of Madonna's favourite lipsticks.  It looks scary, being dark brown, but once on the skin, it's a lot more subtle:

As you can see, on the hand, the shades are barely there, but on the lips, this will impart a rosy glow.

When I swatched these, I remember thinking that the formula used to be darker, so I dug out my original pot of Black Honey glosswear:

Looks a lot more like Marmite, eh?  Bear in mind, this pot of gloss is a minimum of about 15 years old ... however, this is how it swatches alongside the new lip duo:

So there you have it, swatches of almost the entire collection (swatches of the blusher didn't come out, but I'll attempt to retake them, if people would like it), here's a face of the day, where my makeup is practically invisible:

Artificial light

Natural light

I'm wearing the lot though, I assure you!

The Clinique Black Honey collection is available now, but the blush and eyeshadow palettes are both limited edition.



The Fine Print: A mixture of PR items and purchases, as PRs hadn't heard of me 15 years ago.  Bless 'em.


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

Tauer Giveaway Winner ...

I had some lovely entries into my Tauer giveaway last week (although, I suggest that the person who told me that all perfume reviews were rubbish because they don't write they way the correspondent does was a little ... misguided ... you might want to read more perfume blogs, I humbly suggest), and, as a result, it's been very difficult to choose a winner.

However, because I've loved his thoughts on several other fragrances, I'm going to offer the Pentachords samples to CandyPerfumeBoy, so if you'd like to email me your details to tauer@getlippie.com I'll get them in the post to you tomorrow!

I did love a few other entries that I got so much that I'll be in touch with a couple of you shortly to see if you'd like to review some other samples that I have  ... stand by your emails!

Thank you - very much  - to everyone who entered. 

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

OPI Rally Pretty Pink

Whilst this is indeed "Rally Pretty" (Dear OPI, with these puns, truly you are spoiling us), I'm not entirely sure I'd call it pink. What say you?





(artificial light)





(artificial light)





(artificial light with flash) bit pink here ...





(natural light)

Of all of these shots, I think the daylight one is the one I prefer.

OPI Rally Pretty Pink is one of the Serena Williams creations, and comes in a duo pack with a red crackle glaze. Which I hate. That's why I'm not showing it to you. So there.

Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash Mascara

Okay, the original post I had scheduled for today appears to have gone walkabout, so I'm just going to give a quick mention of this new mascara from Chantecaille that I'm dying to get my hands on when it's released next week, and that is Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash Mascara.

Why do I want to try it?  Well, mainly because it promises 25% longer lashes in two weeks of use, without causing either irritation or discolouration.  It uses Sym Peptide 17 (no idea what it is, besides a peptide) to stimulate keratin genes, alongside the usual waxes and pigments, and this being Chantecaille, it also has a dash of rosewater to keep things ... um ... rosy.

Now, seeing as my biggest irritation with eyelash growth serums is the fact that I never, ever, remember to put them on every night, this sounds about perfect for a limp-lashed lazybones like myself.  I NEVER forget my mascara!

How about you?

Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash will retail at £60 (more than comparable with other eyelash growth stimulators) and will be available from next week at Liberty, Harrods, Fenwicks, and Space NK stores.

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

What's that Fish stuff about?

In what is increasingly looking like it's going to be a recurring series (Yay!  No pressure), I present to you yet another post by Mr Lippie about ... men's stuff ...

***

On my last post, I noticed PerilouslyPale saying that she was totally lost on "this Fish stuff" I mentioned in passing when describing my current routine. (Y'see, I DO read the comments people leave - I just have this bad habit of not responding.)

Well. I can't be having this. Time for some education - to the Aquarium! Errm. Hang on. Mebbe not.

Fish  is a hair product brand, established in 1987 in Soho at the hairdressers' of the same name. Now, I haven't been there - although Get Lippie does occasionally point out I should try a fancier haircut place than the barber shop I've been going to for the past 3 years - but I have become somewhat of a gill-loving junkie.

As may have been mentioned, I have hair. Lots of it - not long flowing locks or anything fancy, just thick hair that is impervious to most weather systems and constantly on the verge of afro-dom unless it's exposed to clippers every month. As a result, it needs containment - or to be at least pointed in the right direction - in case it decides to do its own thing and mug someone whilst I'm not looking.
 

So. I first noticed Fish products in Boots - I think I was in the middle of a conversation with Get Lippie and we already had an in-joke going regarding the term "Fish!" involving random hand-waggling (don't ask, I can't remember - I have the attention span of...what was I saying?), so it seemed just and right and proper to pick up some kingfisher hair cream - I think at the time I was using Brylcreem hair gel - which, whilst ok, tended to leave my hair a touch on the crispy side once it had dried out - possible over-application, looking back on it, but then, I was not the suave & sophisticate metrosexual I am now (allegedly).
 

 Quite frankly, I loved it. It required only a slight amount in the morning and lasted all day without losing shape, I didn't feel like it was going to crunch if someone touched my hair, and it had a pleasing smell that seemed fresh & generally un-chemical. A winner! Having found this, I had a bit of a wander through the range - mostly looking at the creams & putties, although I did try the jellyfish (gel) at one point (crispiness again - I'm now pretty much sworn off gel forever!). At the present time, I'm using Fishshape - which is a "Firm Hold Texturising Cream" - whilst I don't need the texture, the Firm Hold is well appreciated.

It was at some stage whilst I was visiting Lippie Towers (prior to our moving into Lippie Underground HQ) that I discovered that Fish did other things aside from the focussed hair care range. I was looking to sort out a washbag for Lippie Towers instead of constantly raiding my bathroom in the glorious metropolis of The 'Ding (that's Reading for overseas/northern/people of unclear origin/anyone living more than 20 miles from the town), and my eyes focused on Sportsfish - a combined hair & body shower gel. Again, it had that fresh fragrance that I associated with the cream, it was one bottle, which worked great in terms of trying not to clutter up a bathroom of 3 girls even further, and it appeared to be relatively cheap! Into my wallet I delved, and another mark on my soul was made as I sunk deeper into the waters of the brand.

What next? Well. Whilst working in Reading, I was occasionally engaging in what could loosely be described as exercise - there was a gym near the office, and it actually had a swimming pool that was usable for doing lengths, which was a minor miracle in itself (I hate gyms - I find them a bit tedious & just unenjoyable - I know this sounds daft when you consider I like to do lengths for my exercise, but I learned to swim at a very early age & love it!). Again, time to compile a washbag - and look - Fish Soho do a deodorant - step forward dryfish!

You'd think that would be it, surely? Well. You'd be wrong. There is indeed more - this one fairly recent! Obviously, as I mentioned earlier, these days I'm a bit more sophisticated in what I utilise for my grooming regime, and have tended to at least look at new products with more than just a dismissive eye. I also tend to use both shampoo and a shower gel, as opposed to an all-in-one product. At the present time I'm hooked on L'Occitane BACVX as my shower gel - I really, really love the smell and how I feel after using it - but I discovered purefish - a 3-in-1 shampoo from Fish Soho that conditions the hair and acts to prevent a flaky scalp. It's got the same predominant scent as the rest of the products, and I'm really enjoying using it - it really works well & I don't require a huge amount to feel that my hair is actually clean - with some previous products I've had to go through 2 or 3 rinses just to feel that "washed" feeling.
 

(Got bored looking for product pics - Ed)

So. There it is. Fish Soho have got their talons (if, indeed, fish have talons?) deep in my soul and I am doomed to be reincarnated as some form of aquatic life form. Which is ironic, given I hate eating fish. Having said that, I'm off to cook some crab linguine*. Try not to do anything daft while I'm gone, hmm? 
The Fine Print: So.  Many.  Fish.  Puns.  Must. Not.  Do.  Fish.  Puns.

* He forgot the crab.  [sigh]

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

Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers

Heated rollers, they're not the sexiest bit of kit out there, are they?  Whenever I think of them, I think of my mum's old set of Carmen rollers, and the associated pins that never kept the slippery rollers in her hair!

Enrapture, however, have brought out a set of hair curlers that is easy to use, quick to heat, and gives outstanding (in this humble bloggers opinion, anyway) results.  The secret is in the clip.  I can't use velcro rollers, I can never get the surface tension right, and they just slip out of my hair.  And I can't use rollers with pins because I'm a cack handed muppet who can never figure out the right way to pin something to my head without it a) hurting, and b) immediately falling out.  So, I've long since decided that heated rollers and I were not a match made in heaven.

I love these though, and I've found them practically foolproof in use.  You switch them on, wait for the indicator light to fill up to five bars (which takes less than five minutes) then turn them off and put them into your hair.  The rollers are covered in velvet, and remain cool in the hand when you put them into your hair.  Here's the secret that makes them so good though, the clips that you use to hold them in place are lined with metal, so they heat up as the rollers do too.  Such a simple, but very clever idea.  It means the curls are set from both inside and out, and this has to be a good thing.

You get ten large rollers and ten medium rollers, and, I was worried that this wouldn't be enough for my "fine, but shedloads of it" hair.  I was wrong, I didn't even use all of them in my hair when I tried them.  I followed - kinda - the instructions on this page of the Enrapture website, and here are the before and afters:

Yes, they're not applied perfectly in the first photo, but I'm beyond pleased with the results - particularly when you take into account that this was my first attempt, and that I used no styling products whatsoever.  Lots of root lift, and plenty of waves without it looking too "done". From start to finish, the whole process only took 25 minutes, too.  To make it even quicker in future though, I'll probably only use the large rollers on the "mohawk" section of my hair, and leave the sides to their own devices.

Enrapture's motto is "When everyday hair just isn't enough" and their range is designed to make supersexy, glamorous hair simple and easy for non-hairdressing professionals, and on the evidence of my experience with the Extremity heated rollers, I'm very impressed indeed.  They also have a waver (called Amplify) and a wand (called Totem) in the range, and, whilst I'm too scared to use Totem at the moment (long story), I've been similarly impressed with Amplify recently too.  But the pictures are too scary for a blog post ...


The Fine Print: PR sample.  Mugshots all my own work,

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

Project Perfume - Andy Tauer Pentachords

I always think of Tauer perfumes as lush and somewhat baroque creations, so discovering that his latest collection - available in the UK from October - is an exercise in minimalism was fascinating.  Each of the three initial fragrances in the series, which are named White, Auburn and Verdant, is made of 5 notes, and each of those notes is created from a single (synthetic) molecule.

Very interesting.  I spoke to Andy last year and I know he's actually an advocate of using (some) synthetics in perfumes, in that they allow a stability in ingredient quality.  Quality in natural botanical essences can be variable, and supplementing with the occasional synthetic can be a boon to a perfumer. 

The scents are described as follows:
White: violet blossom, orris root, bourbon vanilla, amber gris, warm wood
Auburn: citrus blossom, warm cinnamon, fruity tobacco, dry amber, creamy sandalwood
Verdant: dewy leaves, suave leather, brown tobacco, sweet earth, vibrant amber

These are a massive departure for Andy, and after having an initial play with the samples I was sent recently by the ever-wonderful Ronny at Scent and Sensibility ( who have long been my favourite UK-based perfume supplier) I'm intrigued and fascinated by the fragrances.  So much so that I'd like to write a joint review of the perfumes with one of my readers, I think they'll benefit from a set of opinions, rather than just my thoughts on this occasion.

I have a second set of samples here, and I'm going to send them to one of my readers in exchange for a review I can post here on Get Lippie.  If you're willing to trial and test, then write about the scents, please either leave a comment on this post explaining why you're the best person for the job, or alternatively, send an email to tauer@getlippie.com doing the same.  I'll pick a writing partner next Sunday, 31st July.


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

Glitter.

I hate glitter.

There, I said it.

I HATE glitter. It's small, it's shiny, it's multicoloured, to some beauty bloggers - particularly when it comes to nail varnish - it's like crack, they can't get enough of it.

But, here's the thing.  I think it looks cheap.  And, occasionally, I think it looks tacky.  Actually, when it comes to glittery nail varnish, I don't mind it all that much, once a year or so.  At Christmas.  For a party, or something. 

But I shall tell you where glitter has no place being, and that is on the lips, the eyelids or - DAMMIT! - the cheeks of a forty-something woman, especially when that said forty-something woman is an accountant.

It's frustrating, because, shiny, sparkly, twinkly things are this particular forty-something accountant's (you did realise I was referring to myself, right?) particular downfall. I love shiny, sparkly, twinkly things, especially if they are pink.  Open my handbag at any particular moment in time and any number of shiny, sparkly, twinkly and, above all PINK things will fall out of it, many of them very expensive, to boot. 

But, personally, I think glittery makeup, no matter how high end, looks cheap.  Actually, scrap that, cheap makeup with glitter actually looks okay - to a point. It's when you buy that "youthifying" product that promises "reflective pigments" for a "glow", only to get it home and discover that "youthifying reflective pigments" are actually glitter and the only glow you're getting is actually merely your cheekbones refracting light like a disco ball on acid.  At a disco*.

But worse, and oh! how much more worse, is the hidden glitter that the cosmetic world occasionally likes to torture us with.  And it's only ever the high-end brands that do this, which is very annoying.

NARS Calanque, for example, is one of the most beautiful looking eyeshadow palettes in the world.  And it cost me £33. But I had to have it. That sludgey khaki, that wonderful cream, that white that contains the BIGGEST CHUNKS OF GLITTER KNOWN TO MAN, and it is, of course, this shade that covers fully two thirds of the pan.  And this NARS glitter is cunning, ladies and gentlemen, because it hides underneath fully a micron of beautiful pigmented eyeshadow, so you won't see it in the store, and, it can tell the difference between your hands and your face, so it won't show up when you're swatching.  But, it is allergic to eyelids.  Oh yes, it is.  That can be the only reason why, when you wear Calanque, you end up with glitter on your cheeks, your forehead, your nose, your ears and even your hair.  And the hair of your partner, your cat, and anyone else you come into contact with whilst you're wearing it**.

NARS of course is not alone in this.  Why, just recently, I came across a YSL "highlighter" that appeared to have infested an entire division of the company I work for.  Glitter is a slut likes to get around.  It may look like unicorn tears, but it's the tears of a unicorn with measles.

And this, dear readers, is why glitter is a plague upon our houses***.

*I'm OLD, get over it.

**I've worn it twice.  MrLippie is still picking it out of his eyebrows.

***If you like glitter - and I think this little rant got away from  me at the end there - well, please feel free to disregard this post.

No unicorns harmed in the writing of this post.

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