Hell

Hello, my name is Get Lippie, and right now, I am a woman on the edge.

Some of you know that I've been having trouble with my landlord (a woman) since moving to another of her properties on Friday 30th September.  Well, things are now a little, shall we say, out of hand.  If you've read my Tweets, you'll know what's been happening.

My landlord has instituted a seeming campaign of terror since moving, and life is pretty much intolerable as it stands.  Currently we're looking for a new place to live, at the same time as trying to defend our rights to a quiet life.  At some point I may blog about what's going on, maybe use this as some kind of electronic diary of an illegal eviction (it's a colourful story, and might involve salutory lessons to anyone who reads it), but at the moment, I can't face it.

What I also can't face right now, is blogging about beauty.  I miss it, and I miss my regular interaction with my readers, so this is just a little blog post to let you know why posts might be sporadic, if at all, and when they do appear, they might not feature lipstick for a little while.

What I'd like to request from people who have my address and want to send stuff to Get Lippie (life does go on, and Get Lippie WILL be back - hopefully very soon) is that they email me FIRST, to get new contact details, I do not believe that it is safe to send anything to me at my current address.

If you're a tenant in rented accomodation, please make sure that you have checked out your landlord thoroughly, make sure you have all your documentation in order, and that you document any and all conversations with your landlord during your tenancy.  You never know when you might need it.  Also, check they have protected your deposit, and that you have seen your gas appliance certification.  Protect yourselves, and hopefully you'll never need to use those things in anger, or despair.  We're doing everything by the book, and have faith that we'll prevail, because right is, this time, on our side.

The Lippies want to send out heartfelt thanks to the following people: Tanya, Peter, Lucy, Carmen, Katherine, Gillian, Indy, Jack and Caroline for going above and beyond the boundaries of work, blogging and friendship and have taken the time and trouble to help us out recently. And, to everyone who has taken the time to email, text, DM or RT pleas for help on Twitter, thank you too.  The Lippies wouldn't have got through the last weekend without that support, and I can't thank people enough.

Next time I post, I hope the news will be better.  I'll keep you guys informed.

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

I'm Back! Kinda!

And I thought you might like a look at the first things I unpacked when I moved to my new bathroom (don't worry there's a flat attached to it too), so here's a sneaky peek at my bathroom cabinet.  Well, some of it.  It turns out that MrLippie's shelf is camera-shy:

As you can probably tell, I've been splurging a bit on the old Darphin, I'll not tell a lie, it has worked wonders for me, and I've been slowly extending my forays into the range.  You can see the Camomile facial oil, the Intral redness serum/toner and comfort cream, and I just recently bought the eyemakeup remover too.  Darphin products are pricy, admittedly, but if you suffer from reddened sensitive skin, as I have a tendency to, then they're a lifesaver.

You can see the Elemis cleansing melt next to the Darphin products, I do still love this for a deep cleanse with my Clarisonic, this tube will need to be replaced soon, as I've worked my way through most of it in the last few months.

Then there is some contact lens fluid.  You don't need to know about this, do you?  It's basically sterilised salty water.  It's, er, you know, good for storing my contact lenses and that. There is also two eye products, one from Filorga, and one from Alpha H, the Filorga is my current night treatment, and the Alpha H is the one I use during the day.  Too soon to see if they're making any difference, but neither of them sting nor give me zits so far, so I'm happy!

There is also a bottle of Pai Geranium and Thistle moisturiser, which I use when the Intral isn't quite moisturising enough.  This is a little bottle of calm for combination skin, and it's gentle enough to use even when I'm red enough to light up  ... erm, something that needs a red light.  I've used it on and off for a couple of years now, and it's very good indeed.

There's a Vapour primer at the back next to these, more about this later, I think it deserves a full post of it's very own.  But suffice to say, I like this a great deal, even with my reservations about face primers in general.

Decleor Aromanight.  I love a balm at night, and this is a balm to die for.  Smells wonderful, soothes and calms, and you wake up to plump glowing skin.  You can't really ask for anything more, just plain divine.  My skin drinks this stuff like it's going out of fashion.

Sue Devitt Bioluminescence Serum.  Love this pale blue moussey stuff.  It's so calming and cooling, it's wonderful.  Also, makes a great primer.  Sue makes wonderful products from sea-stuffs (I believe that's the technical term), and this is a good one.

Next to that is some decanted Bioderma Crealine.  I use this in the mornings for my "quick cleanse".  I don't love it, I must admit, but it doesn't sting, and it seems to do the job, so I stick with it.  There are other micellar water cleansers I prefer, but this is the classic.  I mainly use it as an eye makeup remover, but the Darphin one is taking over at the moment.

Le Metier Peau Vierge, this isn't something I use often - but it is something I'm going to write more about later.  It's an interesting concept, but, as my skin has mainly been reactive this year, it's something I've been a little afeart of using too often for the last wee while.

Alpha H Gentle Exfoliant.  I love this stuff.  There, I said it.  I used to be a big fan of Dermalogica Microfoliant back in the day (till Dermalogica started turning my face radioactive red on a daily basis, that is), and this is a great, nay, excellent substitute.  It gets rid of stubborn dry patches, and doesn't irritate.  Since I've added this to my daily routine, I've been able to reduce my clarisonic usage to less than once a week instead of once a day.

Vaseline Active Fresh cream deodorant.  This has been my choice of underarm protection for more years than I care to remember.  It's practically impossible to find these days, so whenever I do find it, I snap it up in multiples.  Clean and fresh-smelling, without clashing with any scents I choose to wear with it, I feel lost when I have to use something else.  Which I had to do on Saturday when I couldn't find the damn thing.  Saturday was not a good day.

Finally, on the right there is a selection of products from Repechage.  Little-known outside of certain circles, this is a brand I'm very fond of.  If you've read the rest of this piece, you'll have seen the word "calming" a lot, as my skin has been very reactive and RED this year.  Well, I'm slowly (very slowly) trying to re-introduce some more "active" skincare to my routine, and I've chosen the Repechage Biolight range to do it with, so I'm alternating the Darphin products with the Biolight - designed to lighten and brighten the skin without irritating - and I'm happy with the results, and the lack of RED, so far.  I'll keep you posted.

I guess this is just a list of current favourites, and some old, old favourites, but this is very much a snapshot of what I use on a regular basis, and why.

I'll be back with regular postings soon, well, as soon as I get my broadband sorted, that is ...


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

Whither Get Lippie?

Just a little note to let you know that whilst posts might be a bit thin on the ground this week and next (the Lippies are moving from their Underground Lair to a bright and beautiful Lippie Towers this week), it doesn't mean I've forgotten all about blogging ... quite the opposite, in fact.

Did you know that moving lipsticks is back-breaking work if you own THOUSANDS of the little buggers?  It is.  Believe me...

See you soon! 

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

Essie Fall 2011 - Carry On Collection

Who could resist a nail collection named Carry On?  Not me, it seems ... Sadly, this latest collection from Essie is named after carry-on luggage, which, when I figured it out, made me very unhappy.  C'mon British brands!  We need Carry on Sergeant (blue), Carry on Camping (pink, natch) and Carry on Screaming (vampy red), and Carry on up the Khyber (ummm ... khaki, yes, that's it, KHAKI), at the very least!  I DEMAND it.

Ahem.


So yeah, Essie Carry On is a selection of mainly dusty shades, and the second I set eyes on them, I couldn't resist:

 There's:
Carry On: a blackened purple-berry, 
Very Structured: a tan (odd one out this one, if you ask me), 
Glamour Purse: a greyed out taupe, 
Power Clutch: a deep green with more than just a hint of grey, 
Case Study: a pale camel, 
and Lady Like: a rather dusty pink.  They're all cream finishes - no shimmer

I picked these up at Pro-Beauty Olympia this weekend, and the first thing I did was swatch them all on my new nail wheels.  Oddly, I find painting nail swatches on wheels strangely calming,  am I crazy?

These polishes were all opaque in two coats - a surprise to me, as I normally find Essie polishes very sheer.  The nail wheel shows three coats though, for, whilst I find painting nail swatches relaxing, I am still a cack-handed muppet at heart, and truth be told I smudged a couple of them.  However a third coat levelled them out nicely.


The shade I ended up wearing though - surprisingly for me - was Lady Like, as I'd assumed it was the one colour in the bunch that'd give me trouble.  I was wrong, I like it a lot:

No Flash

Flash

The no flash pic above makes the shade seem a little more flesh-like than it is in actuality, the flash pic is actually a more accurate representation of the colour, it's very much a pink, but the hint of grey-mauve in the base means it doesn't appear chalky.  I hate chalky shades more than anything.  The pic shows two coats of polish with a topcoat.


What's your favourite?  And, what shades would you put in a "real" Carry On-inspired collection?

The Fine Print: Purchase.  One should never buy polish just because you like the name.  Let that be a lesson to you.

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

Guerlain Christmas - Meteorites Perles De Nuit & FotD

I have at least three sets of Guerlain Meteorites, the classic original, a set of the beige-coloured perles they released last year, the pressed perles, and this.  Okay, that's five, but this may be my favourite set yet, for these are stunningly packaged.  From the zebra-skin printed box, to the tin, to the delicately silvered perles within, this is a beautiful addition to any dressing table:

Just divine:

Yeah, the logo is off-centre, I'm a moron

I love the shade of turquoise Guerlain have chosen for this collection, it just adds an extra touch of specialness to the whole set.

As to what is inside, you get the usual multi-shade tonal perles, designed to brighten, correct and enhance the complexion, but they have added a hint of silver to some of the perles on this release:

No Flash

Flash

They have the usual gorgeous violet scent, which is released even more once you swirl your powder brush over the perles before brushing the resulting powder over the skin.   The powder is very finely milled, and I find it needs minimal buffing to get a finely finished result.  I have noticed that because of the silver on some of the perles that you can occasionally get a speck of glitter on your face, but this is minimal, and the overall effect is regardless, very pretty.

Some people have been asking to see the eyemakeup look I created with the Guerlain Les Ombres de Nuit palette, so, here it is:

 I blended the cool taupe, and the green together on the mobile lid, defined the crease with the navy, and used the black to line.  This look was created without primer, and I found the shades lasted a good eight hours or so.  I finished off with Armani Eyes to Kill mascara.

Next time I wear it though, I'll probably use it for a smokier look, with lots of the navy blended around the lashes, over a dark base, as I felt this was a little too blue for office-wear!

The Fine Print - PR Samples.  I got tired of writing the word Perles in this post, could you tell?


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

Guerlain Christmas - Rouge Automatique: Nuit D'Amour

Alongside the new Rouge G in Gardner, Guerlain are also launching a couple of new Rouge Automatique shades, including this one in Nuit D'Amour.  It's scary-beautiful, look:

Described as a black-red, I don't mind admitting that I gasped a bit when I first opened the packaging of this one, as it looked like this in the room I was in:

 Black.  But, actually, it's not, it is indeed a blackened-red plum with just the merest hint of tiny golden shimmer:

This picutre gives you a good idea of how the shade will look on the lips.  Replete with the same Rouge Automatique gel-formula which is very gentle and moisturising on the lips, this is a lot sheerer than initially anticipated, but the shade is very buildable.

Here, I've swatched how the lipstick looks swatched once, twice and three times on the skin:

Even at three layers, you can see it's sheer, and will still let a little of your natural lip-colour show through.  One layer is a little more like a glossy stain.

Here's how it looks on my lips:

Surprisingly soft and wearable, more like a deeply coloured balm than the goth-tacular lips I was expecting.  Nice to see that Guerlain are adding more unexpected shades to their range.

Face of the Day coming up tomorrow, and a look at the new Meteorites pearls ... 

The Fine Print: Scary PR sample.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Guerlain Christmas - Rouge G Lipstick: Gardner

Anyone who knows me knows I love me a Guerlain Rouge G or three.  Or four. Every time I get asked what my favourite lipsticks are, the Guerlain Rouge G's are always in the top five - depending on what I've been wearing in the previous weeks, that is!  I love the funky-futuristic packaging, the shades and most of all, I love the formula. I also like the fact that they allegedly make an effective mini-weapon when launched at someone's head*.  I was therefore delighted to see that Guerlain were introducing another Rouge G with their Christmas collection, and ecstatic when I discovered that it was red ...  Say hello to Gardner:

A soft "brick" red, Gardner is definitely on the warm side, plus there's a healthy dose of golden shimmer in the formula that you can see better here:

Check the reflection to see the shimmer.

I couldn't keep Gardner away from the camera:

It's a gorgeous shade, and I couldn't wait to wear it, the swatch pulls a little orange on the hand, but as my skin runs a little warm, that's no bad thing:

It's the usual glossy satin formula, that, as always from Guerlain, melds with the lips rather than sits on them in a greasy layer like some high end formulas.

Definitely a shade I'm going to get a heap of wear out of this autumn.

*No lippies (or Lippies, come to that) harmed in the writing of this post.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.  Wonky lips, all my own work.

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

Guerlain Christmas - Les Ombres de Nuit Palette

The eyeshadow palette from Guerlain this Christmas is inspired by peacock feathers, and contains shades of taupe, green and blue, and is accessorised with a matte black to use for eyelining:

with flash

No Flash

I find that, in the flesh, these shades are remarkably similar to the promo photo, which is a refreshing change:

The shades are highly iridescent, and as a result are very complex. The taupe is a nice, cool shade, rather greyed out, and not as brown as usual and the dark blue is a gorgeously (and surprisingly) blackened shade of navy on the skin. The green, thankfully isn't quite as pastel as it appears, it's actually rather wearable, even for a mint-green avoider like myself, owing to not having a too whitened base shade:

I'd say that the "black" in the palette is slightly misnamed, as it's more of a charcoal shade, nonetheless, some minor chalkiness aside, I found it quite easy to build up and smudge out again.  I love how the blue appears in the swatches!  These are a couple of passes with fingers (again, a more useless than a very useless thing sponge is included in the palette, and has been immediately discarded), on bare, unprimed skin.  The shadows are about averagely pigmented for the price range of £37, but they're not as pigmented as the recent Topkapi palette from Chanel, which is the same price.  More comments on wear to come.

I'll have a Face of the Day for you on Saturday, after I've shown you more of the collection.

 The Fine Print: PR Samples.


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

Guerlain Christmas 2011 - Belle du Nuit

Many apologies for featuring something that's not on counter for another month, but I love this collection so much that I just can't help myself, it's so beautiful!

I have samples of most of it (and they're coming up the rest of this week, don't worry), but the thing that really caught my eye was the Vol de Nuit bottle.  So beautiful, so retro, and it's unexpectedly filled with a shimmering pink powder, suffused with turquoise and teal sparkles, it's decidedly gorgeous on it's own terms as a party highlighter. But, it also smells wonderful, filled with iris and vanilla and yet decidedly green too, it has completely made me want a bottle of Vol de Nuit, which is something I've smelled already as part of Project Perfume, and not been as interested in it as I have other Guerlain scents.  I think this would be a wonderful addition to anyone's dressing table though. 

Consider this a Christmas hint, those who know me.  Thank you.

Once the collection reaches counter, I'll also be picking myself up the Parure de Nuit, which is the highlighter/blush combo that is laid out like peacock feathers above.  You can use it all over as a beauty powder, by sweeping a brush over the whole palette, or you can sweep your brush diagonally down the coral-shaded "eyes"  of the feathers for a more coloured effect.  It's not quite a blush, but it is beautiful.  There's a hint of glitter overspray, but I'm assured that the various different colours are all the way through the pan.

Swatches of the eyeshadow palette and the lipsticks coming up ... Guerlain Christmas will be available from Harrods from 2nd October and nationwide from 16th October.

The Fine Print: No samples harmed in this post.  Beloved partners may be harmed if they ignore hints. #justsayin'

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

Inspirations

I'd kill for cheekbones.

I'd kill for arched eyebrows that aren't attempting to take over my entire face.

I'd kill for rippling waves of beautiful hair.

I'd kill for the perfect red lipstick.

I'd kill to have talents that make grown men cry.

But, as I'm not blessed with Hollywood good looks, and I'm not blessed with talent, I'll have to settle for appreciating those who have. Last week I caught a sneaky preview of Caroline Nin's (above) new show, and fell in love with her effortless European chic a little bit. Performing the songs of Marlene Dietrich and Edith Piaf in her own inimitable style, it was wondrous to see some old-school Hollywood (by way of Paris) glamour in the flesh. I'm going back this week to see the whole show. If you fancy seeing the show for yourself, Caroline is singing the songs of the Paris Lido at the Soho Theatre from 13-18 September, and you can pick up tickets here.


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