Beauty Without Fuss

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

Sunday 10 March 2013

Lippie's Lust List #2 Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm


Seriously, how gorgeous are these?  Full review for you later on in the week, but just had to share this picture today!


This post: Lippie's Lust List #2 Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
Share:

Friday 8 March 2013

Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Eye Palette, Roza Polish and Lipglosses



It's been a while since I've featured anything from Bobbi Brown, I realise, but the press release for the new Lilac Rose collection was so pretty I couldn't resist ... a reasonable-sized collection, consisting of a new shimmer brick, an eye palette, a polish and several lip colours, I've selected my picks of the collection to show you here.

First off, the star of the show, the Lilac Rose eyeshadow palette.  This couldn't have been better chosen for me, if I'd selected the shades myself (though I'd have left out the shimmery lilac, thereby negating the whole point of the palette's inclusion in the collection in one go, but there you are, I'm an iconoclast*, I am):

 Housed in a package the same size as a normal shimmer brick, the Lilac Rose Eye palette contains eight shadows, all in the (rather muted) lilac/taupe/plum/brown range, with a variety of finishes.


In the top section, you have (clockwise from top left):
Ivory - Matte but not chalky shade
Pale Rose - matte pale plum-taupe
Pink Lily - Metallic (and slightly powdery) lilac, there was quite a bit of fallout from this
Stormy Grey - Shimmery brown with a greyish cast.

 
On the bottom you have (also clockwise from top left)
Barely There - satin-finish pale tan-flesh shade
Heather Brown - similar to Barely There, only with a touch more pink, and a lot more shimmer
Dusty Lilac - I'd say this was more of a dusty rose shade, very matte, and makes (strangely), an excellent contour shade
Black Chocolate - blackened dark brown, but without any red tones.  A great liner colour.

This is a great set of neutrals that you can use to create quite a few looks with.  I've created smokey looks with stormy grey, pink lily, pale rose and  black chocolate, and a few no-makeup looks with the other shades too.  If pink lily was more purple, then this would - quite possibly - have gone into the top ten eyeshadow palettes of all time.

I'm also a big fan of the Roza Nail Polish that comes with this collection, you know when you get something, and you want to wear it there and then?  I had that with this shade:

Obligatory "Claw" bottle shot
 It's a slightly greyed out pink colour, which really called out to me in the bottle.  No idea why, I'm a bit odd like that.  However, once on my hands, I realised that if Mannequin Hands (where your nail polish matches the colour of your skin -God knows why) is still a thing in the blogging world, then this would be my pick:

Yes, I did mainly choose this shot to show off my wedding ring.  Shut UP.
Roza is, however, extremely sheer.  And, by that, I mean: extremely sheer. This is four coats, and, in the right light, I can still see my nail line which is annoying.  But it does appear to be quite hard-wearing, these pictures were taken on day three of application, after a couple of days of housework and cooking, and it's held up very well indeed. That said, if I have to apply four or five coats every time, I don't think the bottle will last all that long!  This has been my first experience with Bobbi Brown polish though, and it's a good one, I shall have to investigate some of the other shades.

Finally, there are a couple of lipglosses with the collection, which I don't love (they're too sheer for a lipstick slut like myself), but it's a good formula nonetheless, and I'm happy that the crappy brushes Bobbi Brown lipglosses have been saddled with for (what seems like) forever have been ditched in favour of doe foot applicators.  Here's the swatches:


At the top you have Lilac Rose, and bottom you have Pink Lily.  Both nice shades in the tube, but on the lips all you get is a slight milky glaze with just a hint of colour.  Not my kind of thing, personally, but possibly not such a bad thing, as, personally, I think lilac lipstick (and gloss) should be bannedIt makes you look cyanotic, and, unless you're an habituee of Camden pretending to be one of the undead, or are an actual Victorian consumptive crack whore, it's not an easy look to pull off, frankly.

Overall, an extremely nice collection, as far as I'm concerned (potential cyanotic lip issues aside), what do you think? It's on counter this week, and prices start from £11 for the nail polish up to £45 for the eyeshadow palette


* Yes, I did have to check that meant what I thought it meant. I've been away, I think my brains have atrophied.  

The Fine Prinr: PR Samples.  No Victorian crack whores harmed in the writing of this post. Camden, you're on your final warning, however.
 
This post: Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Eye Palette, Roza Polish and Lipglosses originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
Share:

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Clinique Even Better Foundation Review


I genuinely thought I'd already reviewed this, seeing as it was by far my favourite foundation released in 2012, but it appears not.  Oh well, better late than never, eh? Especially as this bottle is very nearly due for a replacement ...


 Housed in a neat dropper-style bottle (my favourite kind), Clinique Even Better foundation contains many of the same  ingredients as their Even Better skin-tone brightening skincare range, which is expanding (wonderfully) all the time.  I'm never without their Even Better Eyes dark circle corrector in my handbag! Used long-term, this foundation is said to have skin-tone evening properties.  I can't comment on that, as I'm a complete foundation flibbertigibbet, but I do use this foundation several times a week, because I genuinely love it.


It's available in 18 shades divided into with  several colour groups, all of which have cool, warm or neutral undertones, and this shade is 03 Ivory (VF-N)  (ie: Very Fair colour grouping, with Neutral undertones). It's the third lightest shade in the collection.  Please bear in mind that my hands are a lot paler than my face, and this foundation, whilst appearing dark on the hand and arm, is actually a pretty darn near perfect match for my facial skin.


It's a medium-thick formulation, giving a satin-matte finish, and a medium coverage.  You can, if you so wish, build it up to full-coverage on problem areas, but I prefer to use a separate concealer if I need extra coverage, which isn't very often when using this, in all honesty.  Here's the return of Maurice the Control Mole to demonstrate:


As you can see, that's some pretty good coverage, right there.  Best of all, this level of coverage lasts. And it lasts well.  I don't know about you, but my skin eats foundation, and I find that generally around 3pm (I apply it around 6am though, bear in mind, so that's nine hours) I need to top up a bit, as I have high colouring, and this tends to peek through after a foundation has been on for a while.  

I have found, however, that Clinique Even Better lasts longer than very many foundations, and it's this long-lasting-ness (totally a word), coupled with excellent coverage without looking flat, or cakey, or needing a setting powder that makes me love it.  As I've said, I can't speak for its skincare properties, as I use very many different foundations in the course of a month, but as a foundation, this one is difficult to beat, and that's why my bottle is nearly empty ...

Lippie Rating:

Clinique Even Better Foundation earns a Triple Lippie for being long-lasting, not needing powder, and giving a great finish.  A great rating for a great product.

The Fine Print: PR sample, which is so old it's nearly gone.  Definite repurchase material though.

 
This post: Clinique Even Better Foundation Review originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
Share:

Monday 4 March 2013

Boots Avert Electronic Cold Sore Machine

 

There has been a plague upon the House of Lippie this winter, a veritable plague of cold-sores.  If you follow me on Twitter at all, you'll know that barely a week has gone by for the last couple of months without me complaining about yet another crop of painful blisters.  Sorry about that by the way!  

Teal is simple THE colour for cold sores this season, dahlings
I've tried everything, Compeed cold sore plasters, Superdrug cold sore plasters (which are officially the most useless thing ever, by the way) Zovirax, and a couple of other bits besides!  I've been banned from taking all dietary supplements besides Vitamin D for a while (related to my kidney problems last year), so the options of zinc, or L-Lysine or other vitamins and minerals aren't really an option for me at present.


I've been aware of the Boots Avert Electronic Cold Sore Machine for a while, but have been put off purchasing by the high-seeming price of £35.99, and also not knowing whether it works or not.  But, after four months of almost-weekly sores, I reckon I've spent almost double that on "remedies" that, whilst killing some of the initial pain, weren't actually doing anything to prevent further breakouts.


So,after a twitter conversation with several people who swore by the Avert (I'm sorry, but continuing to typ Boots Avert Electronic Cold Sore Machine is hurting my fingers), including Sali Hughes, I was sold.  I ended up begging Boots for a machine, and here it is.  This isn't a review, as I've only had it a couple of days, but I'm currently using it to heal up a couple of old sores, and I'm planning to use it every few days as a preventative measure for the next couple of weeks, too.


The Avert uses a narrow band of infra-red light to boost the immune response to the "tingling" phase of a cold sore attack. You place the machine over the site of the tingle, press the button, and for three minutes the light does the rest.  It beeps to let you know the start and the finish, which is handy. Having had good results from light therapy previously, I have high hopes for this, and I  won't be leaving the house without it for a while! As I've had at least one sore a week for the last two months or so, I should know pretty soon if it's working, and I'll keep you posted - lots of you have been talking to me about this, since I posted it up on Instagram and Twitter, and I'm aware it's a pretty hefty initial investment, but I figure if it works, it'll be worth it.

I am slightly amused that if you buy your Avert online at the moment, Boots will give you a free tube of their coldsore cream to go with it though ...!

How do you deal with your cold sores?
 
The Fine Print: A much begged for sample. I'm not proud.  I'm scabby, and fed up with it, so sue me.

This post: Boots Avert Electronic Cold Sore Machine originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
Share:

Sunday 3 March 2013

Lippie's Lust List #1 Estee Lauder Mad Men Collection




It's not often a collection makes my heart go pitty-pat these days (jaded, Moi?) but this retro-themed collection from Estee Lauder might just have managed it.  The blush compact and lipstick in particular have got my name all over them, and hey!  Mad Men.  Gotta love it.  Think this will be one of the most collectible make up sets in a long time ...

The Estee Lauder Mad Men collection is released tomorrow (Monday 4th March) exclusively at Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Harrods and Estee Lauder online.  Blush £48, Lipstick £26 and Polish £20. My poor bank balance ... 

This post: Lippie's Lust List #1 Estee Lauder Mad Men Collection originated at: Get Lippie All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post at Get Lippie, then this content has been stolen by a scraper
Share:
© Get Lippie | All rights reserved.
Blogger Template by pipdig