Beuti Skincare - Beauty Sleep Elixir

I don't normally do this, so I hope you will forgive me, just this once.  It's exceedingly rare that I feature a skincare product after less than a month (minimum) of use, but this little bottle of golden elixir, Beuti Skincare's Beauty Sleep Elixir appears to be quite magical.

If you've been a Get Lippie reader for a while, you'll know I'm prone to both sensitivity and redness.  My redness is usually caused by inflammation from my various sensitivities, or vaso-dilation caused by heat, or factors such as too much sugar and/or alcohol, rather than a specific skin condition such as rosacea. I am always on the lookout for products that either promise to protect my skin from external irritation, or to help heal it when it's at its reddest and most uncomfortable - some of you might have noticed that I use a lot of anti-oxidant serums to protect my skin.  Beuti Skincare's recent press release mentioned "anti-inflammaging" (a quite frankly horrific phrase, but ...), meaning their products are both anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing, so I was intrigued to try.

Beuti Skincare's Beauty Sleep Elixir is a blend of 14 natural plant oils (and it's low on essential oils, too, which is good, as my skin finds them highly irritating), and is bright, bright orange in the bottle from a good dose of beta-carotene from the various seed oils  inside.  The full ingredient list, which is both 100% natural, and 98% organic, comprises:

Camellia oil

Chia seed oil

Bitter cherry seed oil

Strawberry seed oil

Pomegranate seed oil

Blueberry seed oil

Cranberry seed oil

Sandalwood nut seed oil

Raspberry seed oil

Seabuckthorn fruit berry oil

Lavender herb oil

Geranium flower oil

Sandalwood oil

Neroli flower oil

Capric triglyceride from coconut

Sea whip extract (extracted from coral)

Sea Whip extract is a known anti-inflammatory, and lavender and neroli are both known for their soothing properties. I had some inflammation recently (in fact, I spent a couple of days in the office last week flushed redder than a stop sign thanks to a bad cosmetic choice or two), and I chose to set aside my usual soothing products and try Beuti Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir for a night or two instead.  I'm very glad I did.  Skin looks instantly less reddened when you use an orange-yellow beta-carotene rich oil, as the deep gold instantly counteracts redness in the same optical way a yellow powder does, so you'll instantly feel and look better.  Used overnight, I woke up to find that not only had my beacon-esque redness disappeared completely, but the under-skin bumps that are a signature of irritation on my skin had also completely gone.  

This is unheard of for me in the first use of a healing product - I normally have to stick to a low-impact, low-active regime for at least a week or so in order to get rid of incipient irritation, even with tried and tested products. I was a little amazed.  I've not been able to stop applying it to my face ever since.  My skin is velvety smooth, and even and without even a hint of greasiness.  The instructions say to use three pumps, but I've been using one or two at most.  Can I call it love after less than a week of trials?  It's certainly been a whirlwind romance!  I'm going to need a backup bottle already, I can tell.

You can buy Beuti Skincare Beauty Sleep Elixir from Look Fantastic, (not an affiliate link) where it will cost £42.  A bargain, in my eyes.


The Fine Print: PR sample.  Get Lippie has not been compensated for this review, and there are NO affiliate links in this article.


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Finishing Touches (#LipsNspritz) of the Week 2nd May 2016

 Bright reds and dark berries, plus one glorious pink this week, alongside some classic fragrances too. Top left were the gorgeous white flowers of Narciso  For Her, which is a fragrance I love a great deal, and could even smell it slightly through my parosmia last year, which always grants a special place in my heart for a fragrance. I wore this on Friday with Mac Hot Tahiti, a soft and gentle red.  

Middle Left: I'd also worn Narciso Rodriguez Musc For Her this week, which is a powdery musk, somewhat clean-smelling (reminiscent, slightly, of laundry musks), but the oil format keeps it close to the skin.  I wore this with the most emailed about lipstick ever featured on this blog, Rouge Baiser 306, which I picked up in Paris a few years ago.  (Incidentally, I'm not a stockist or supplier of these lipsticks - which are only available in France - so, please, stop asking me to get them for you!)

Bottom Left: I wore Mugler Cologne, which features a little creaminess in amongst the usual neroli and bitter orange that you get in a classic cologne, making this just a little more interesting than the usual plain citrus blast you might get with a sharper cologne.  I wore this with It Cosmetics Vitality Lipstick Stain in Pretty Woman, which is a sheer deep berry.  I'll have a lot more to say about It Cosmetics products later on this week.

Bottom right is Chanel Rouge Coco Lip Stylo in 208 Roman, which is a beautiful bright pink.  I've not bought anything from Chanel in AGES, and it's hard to get across in this picture just how bright, beautiful and juicy these shades are in the flesh.  I'll be picking up some more for sure. I wore it with Chanel Exclusifs Sycomore, which is a fabulous smoky vetiver that I should really pick up a proper bottle of at some point.

And finally (top right) Reiss Grey Flower.  Still one of the most unusual and haunting fragrances you could buy on the high street for less than £50, it's filled with guaic wood, which has an oddly fleshy kind of effect (smelled neat, its a bit like parma ham), and this doesn't smell flowery, either.  It's hard to say what it smells like (apart from good, interesting, unusual), but it's definitely worth a sniff if you can find a bottle.  I paired it up with YSL Rouge Volupte No4, a bright and beautiful sheer red.  Not my favourite of formulas - I find it too slippery - but a gorgeous shade.

What have your favourite finishing touches been recently?

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the week 2nd May 2016

I'm trialling a couple of new bits and pieces at the moment, mostly from Zelens.  The new pieces I've added to my routine are the Zelens Power D Treatment Drops, which I've been adding to my serums this week for a lovely antioxidant boost, and I've been using them alongside the Zelens Hydra Shiso Balancing Moisturiser too.  Loving the treatment drops, but I really need to re-try the moisturiser - I had a touch of sensitivity towards the end of the week (which I think was related to a rather silicone-heavy cosmetic product I'd been using), so I'll be gradually re-introducing the skincare back to my routine over the next week or so.  I was also introduced to Erborian Eau Ginseng toner this week, which is a lovely moisturising step in my routine.  I'm really enjoying using splash toners at the moment, they're a bit less shocking than sprays, first thing in the morning!   Plus, you can really feel the difference in what they do to your skin, as you apply.  (I also have plans to use this as an occasional eye mask, I've been doing a lot of squinting at a computer recently, and the dehydration lines I've been suffering with as a result are no joke, believe me!).

What's new in your routine these days? 

The Fine Print: A mixture of PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 17 April 2016

I'm still playing "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo" with my skincare at the moment, luckily, it's all tried and tested stuff that I know works with my skin, so there's been no irritation, in spite of my background level of stress still being on the high side (year end will do that to you).  Mostly this week, I've been welcoming back Kate Somerville Goat Cream - and attempting to buy the new Goat Cream Cleanser and Eye Balm from Sephora with NO LUCK whatsoever.   I love Goat Cream, it doesn't matter what state my skin is in, or what state my life is in, Goat Cream always soothes and leaves me looking (slightly) more human.  It's a little too heavy for wear in the warmest of weather though, so I'll be making the most of it for a week or too more, then hoping to find a suitable moisturiser for the summer months.

Mostly, I'm hoping to get back into a proper skincare - and blogging! - routine soon, at the moment, I'm suffering because I don't have a space to take photos just yet, and ... I haven't finished unpacking!

How's your week been? 

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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LipsNspritz of the Week 10/04/2016

I have been parted from my favourite lipsticks for far too long* now, and have spent this week doing a random kind of "lucky dip" with my pot of "second favourite" lipsticks, which I keep stored in a lego storage case as compensation.  Truly, I am one of the coolest people on earth, let's face it.  I love my lego-head storage though ...

Monday morning after a full house move meant I wanted to wear something light and fun, not in the slightest bit serious, but still lovely, and Ananas Fizz from L'Artisan Perfumer fit the brief perfectly, as it smells of pineapple chunks in their juice.  Fizzy, fruity, fun, and completely discontinued, alas.  I wore it with Clinique's All Heart, which isn't really a second-best lipstick, but I do have two of them ...

Tuesday I was in a springy Tom Ford kind of mood, so I dug out  Ombre de Hyacinth, a soapy-green and clean floral, that is a breath of fresh air, after the long, long winter we've had. I found my long-misplaced Tainted Love lip and cheek stain this week, do determined to wear this lovely sheer wine shade as I move (slightly) away from winter opaques.

Wednesday I went to a perfume launch in the evening, so wanted something lovely, that doesn't draw too much attention to itself, so I chose Clair de Musc by Serge Lutens, because I love it a great deal, it smells of warm skin, talcum powder, loving hugs and just a hint of nostalgia.  Because I'm irrational, however, I paired it with Rouge Orage from Chanel, a medium-neutral red.

On Thursday, I wore a fragrance from the launch I'd attended the night before - something that very rarely happens - as I fell totally in love at first sniff with this one. Safran Rare by Amouroud, a buttery-soft chamois-leather fragrance, with hints of oud and spices won't be released until July (at Harrods) and I'll have a full review for you in a week or so.  I recommend you check the brand out even if you're an oud-hater, or are "over" the oud "trend", the whole range is that good, even for the oud-phobic.  Also, the price-point for a new niche brand is a good one, these big bottles will be £145, which when you consider that even the dreckiest department store brand is coming in around £70 these days, looks incredibly well-thought out. Lipstick was Chanel Passion, a bright red, because I felt like it.

On Friday I had some big meetings, and wanted not to look or smell threatening or disturbing, so I picked out one of my favourite colognes: Andy Tauer's Cologne du Maghreb, a citrus with good lasting power.  I paired it up with History by No7, which was from the limited edition collection Boots did with Poppy King a couple of years ago.  A sheer soft red, this is just lovely.

And finally, on Saturday I was just opening and unpacking cardboard box after cardboard box after cardboard box, so I wore just a bit of lip balm (my favourite Nuxe de Miel) and a spritz or two of Aqua Manda which is a lovely reminder of years gone by.  I love the retro-style packaging too, the orange and brown reminds me of the seventies so much!

What've you been wearing? 

 *About a week, in actuality

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 10/04/2016

It's taken me a while, but I've finally managed to get my broadband connected, and unpack some skincare!  Moving to a new house is always stressful, but I had somehow managed to schedule my move for the beginning of a new financial year, and the end of my probationary period at work.  As I'm an accountant, April is a pretty busy month anyway, but ... anyway.  Never again.

Skincare-wise, I've been using pretty much everything in my day-to-day collection this week, as I've been happy to be reunited with it - we've been living out of boxes for so long now, it's felt a bit like emerging from a cardboard forest!  - but the two products I've used most are the Zelens Best Defence Antioxidant serum, and the Omorovicza Omoressence.  I'm a big fan of the Antioxidant Serum anyway - as you can probably tell from the amount left in the bottle - and I use this a minimum of three times a week, and it's great for slightly sensitised skin, and feels very protecting.  It has been really cold this week, and I really do find this protecting.

The Omorovicza Omoressence, I love.  I was initially sceptical - I do find Omorovicza can overclaim somewhat on their product descriptions - but I do love the velvety-feeling I get after using this, and it does seem to keep my face calm.  I'll be doing a full review of this soon, but I genuinely really like it.  No a huge fan of the glass bottle - it has a shaker, and it can get slippery, but a great product inside.

Other things I've tried this week include the Murad Colour Correcting Moisturiser.  I'm very pink-toned naturally, and this light  green moisturiser helps tone that down slightly.  In conjunction with a slightly yellow-toned powder, it works really well.  I'm not entirely sure it's moisturising enough, but a few more uses should help me figure that out.

Reviews will remain a bit patchy whilst I get myself - and the new flat - organised, but I'm BACK!  For more regular updates, you can find me at least three times a day over on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/get_lippie/

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Guerlain Meteorites Base and Meteorites Perles Primer comparison

Guerlain recently reissued their Meteorites Perles Light Diffusing Perfecting Primer as Meteorites Base. I just happen to have a bottle of each, so I thought a comparison might be useful.  In the picture above, the bottle on the left is the original and on the right is the new version.  Both bottles contain 30mls.

On first sight, the major difference is the colour of the perles, in the original (left) they are a little greyer, and the new perles seem both bigger and a brighter pink.  Both look stunning in the bottle though, and I have to say that I much prefer the sleeker bottle of the new formulation.

The new formula (right), seems a little runnier, and just a little lighter on the skin.  But, once outside of the bottle, the differences in the perles almost entirely disappear.

Again, on swatching the differences in the perles aren't that obvious, and the formulation for both seems very "wet" (and I do find this to be a quite hydrating primer, even though it's sold more on its brightening properties), and the new formulation is the one that sinks in more easily.

Once blended in, skin seems softer, plumped up, and yes, more glowy.

In all honesty, I can't really tell the difference outside of the bottles - which is no bad thing, really, I hate when reformulations really muck about with what you liked about a product in the first place! - it's still a good, hydrating, and lightly glow-giving primer that gives just a little oomph to the skin without being sticky, or giving you a sparkly, or slightly metallic finish.  Particularly if you're a pale-skinned person, you'll like this one.

I don't find either formulation gives that much of a longevity boost to your foundation, but it will make it glide on better.

The new Guerlain Meteorites Base is available in-store now, and costs £46.

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases

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Diptyque Rosaviola Candle and Solid Fragrance

Good grief I fell hard for Rosaviola!  I didn't intend to, it's pink, it's girly, and it's very, very, very sweet.  But I have, and what's done is done.  I went to the Diptyque store in St Germain (I think I may have mentioned that I've been in Paris recently?) fully intending to buy something super-exclusive and incredibly French (not to mention achingly chic), and I came back with ... pink.

Balls.

Rosaviola is, essentially, a blend of rose and violet, and it smells like lipstick.  There's not much more to it than that, to be honest, but it's so pretty, and so friendly and good-natured that I couldn't really help myself.  Violet fragrances speak to me these days in a pretty visceral way, that they never used to before my nose got brain damage, and so this is a lovely and easy to wear perfume for me.  The violet also tempers the rose to my nose - roses still occasionally smell dusty or burned - so it's a light and fresh, and yes, girly and friendly smell.

I hate myself.  But it's got lips on, so it's okay.  The lasting time can be measure in literally minutes, but I don't really care.  It's lovely.

I think I need help.  If anyone wants me, I'll be drowing myself in a bucket of Muscs Kubla Khan by Serge Lutens until this phase passes ...

The Fine Print: Purchases

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Guerlain Honey

  
Yeah, I'm not much of a honey fan normally, but I was encourage to taste this during my visit to the Guerlain flagship on the Champs Elysees recently, and  fell in love.  I had no idea Guerlain made honey, and this one is *amazing*.  

I've always thought honey is honey is honey, to be honest (possibly because I usually buy the cheapest honey in the shop, and then just use it in lieu of sugar in hot drinks), but this jar really opened my eyes to how different honey can taste.  Extracted from Guerlain hives in France, the bees feed on the flowers that Guerlain grow for the their fragrances, and the herbs in the area too, and you can really taste in the honey itself, which has a depth and intensity of taste I've not personally encountered before.  I'm going to be breaking into this jar with some friends later this week, and hopefully they'll enjoy it as much as I have been doing.

Guerlain only make a few hundred jars of this a year, and it's only available at the Champs Elysees store, too.  I'll be disappointed when this is gone!  On the brighter side though, at fifteen euros, it was by some margin the cheapest thing in the shop ....

 The Fine Print: Purchase.


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LipsNSpritz of the Week March 06 2016

 This week was an incredibly busy one - I'm an accountant by day, and I'm currently preparing for year end, plus preparing to move house, at the same time, because I am an idiot), so LipsNspritz took an accidental back seat this week.  That said, I did manage to wear some lovely ones:

Monday was a Jo Malone London Vetiver Cologne day.  My (recovering!) parosmia still makes some perfume ingredients tricky for me, anything with a heavy vetiver or patchouli base still smells burned to my nose, and it's troublesome, because the only thing I can smell is whatever causes the reaction in that case, and nothing else in a formulation.  Jo Malone Vetiver is the very opposite of heavy vetiver, however, being a light and fresh, and citrussy take on what can be both smokey and grapefruity.  I enjoyed wearing this a great deal, and it may become my "go to" vetiver, whilst other vetiver-based fragrances remain waiting for my nose to recover more.  I wore it with Sephora Kiss Me balm in Soda Pop.

On Tuesday I wore Estee Lauder Amber Mystique, which is a woody amber, with clouds of oud in the base.  Someone in the office commented that I smelled "very Arabic", which I thought was hilarious, and very true.  I love Amber Mystique, but it appears to be discontinued now, which is a shame. I wore it with Sephora Kiss Me balm in Cherry.

Speaking of cherry, I finally managed to track down a hard-to-find bottle of Mary Greenwell Cherry, and I'm very glad that I had.  The demise of Mary's eponymous (and excellent) perfume range pains me greatly, but I'm happy that I finally have a full set of the fragrances now.  I've featured Plum before - indeed, it was very nearly my wedding fragrance - and Lemon and Fire will obviously feature in the weeks upcoming, but Cherry is quite a literal fragrance in comparison to the sophisticated and rather retro Plum, in that you can definitely pick out the fruit that inspired it.  It rather reminded me of a stick of Juicy Fruit at first, but I soon got over that.  It's sour cherry and blackberry leaves at the top, with licorice and vanilla in the base.  Fun, sunny and cheerful.  Such a shame its gone. Worn with Provocateur Lacquer balm from Revlon, because, what else?

I had a long and tiring day day minuting boards and committees on Thursday (and if you're ever wondering why my instagram isn't full of pictures of beauty launches and cupcakes and home offices with puppies staring soulfully at the viewer, there's the reason right there - no one wants to see pictures of my day, believe me), and in full business-woman mode (did I mention I'm an accountant?)  I wore Estee Lauder Private Collection - the original -  because it's a classic "don't f*ck with me" fragrance, bitter and green and grown up, and I love it very much.  I paired it up with the also classic Tom Ford Pure Pink lipstick (long discontinued, and much mourned), and wore black leather to the office.  Hey, I was around in the eighties, it's totally cool now.

And, what've you been wearing?



The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 6th March 2016

I didn't really have a theme for skincare this week, except "get back on track", because, after a week away and a weekend in Paris my normal routines have gone a little to pot, I have to admit.  

On Monday I trialled used May Lindstrom's Honey Mud in the shower, as a protective mask against the shower water (I do find that water irritates my skin hugely), and it worked well, I think.  This might be the best way (for me, at least) to use it, because I find it very confusing as a "proper" cleanser.  It smells of chocolate though, and, if you do happen to get any in your mouth, it's possibly the nicest tasting cleanser on the planet.

I have also added in the new Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Supreme, which I find myself really liking, so you can expect a fuller review of this coming up - I'm a big fan of the Liftactiv range generally tbh, and, as it's one of the <ahem> more affordable ranges I like, it's high praise!  I'm also trialling the New Omorovicza Omoressence, which is another very likeable product, and again, more about that soon.

The rest of the week was me just re-acquainting myself with my favourites old and new, and re-introducing Alpha H Liquid Laser Cleansing Oil, which I had pipped into my stash basket for some reason.  It's well and truly out and with the everyday essentials now though! 

What's been on your face this week?  I'm so happy to be back into a routine - even though I'm moving house soon, and god knows what's going to happen then ...

 


The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Paris Haul ...

Yeah, I don't normally do haul posts, but I did JUST go to Paris this weekend for an event at the Guerlain flagship store on the Champs Elysees with the Perfume Society. Whilst I was there, I picked up a few bits and pieces and I thought I'd show you.  I'll write about a few of these in more detail (including writing about my time smelling the Guerlain archives!) soon, but, in the meantime, here's what I bought during my whistle-stop tour:

First off, French Pharmacy Essentials:

As the likes of Escentual.com and even Boots catch on to the greatness of French pharmacy brands, it's becoming less and less necessary to trip over to Paris to pick up cheap and good skincare.  Especially now Serozinc is here! However, La Roche Posay Respectissime eye makeup remover, which is designed for waterproof makeup, but is gentle enough not to sting even my deeply sensitive eyes, STILL isn't available over here, and it's a shame, because it is, frankly, the best eye makeup remover EVER.  Sort it out, La Roche Posay!  This Demak Up cotton wool is a firm favourite too, having a proper embossed side and a smooth and fluffy side, I love it.  And at around 50p a packet, I may have bought more than a couple ...

I popped into the Diptyque store in St Germain for a sniff and a chat, and ended up coming out with the new Rosaviola candle, the limited edition created with Olympia le Tan, the French fashion designer:

Smelling of roses and violets, and decorated with lips,  I couldn't resist! And it's so pretty with the pink jar, and the embroidered fabric label.  More about my visit to Diptyque soon.

I also, of course, went to Sephora! 

The Sephora Nail Varnish Remover pots are a firm favourite, so I took the opportunity to stock up whilst I was in Paris.  I always get the Glitter pots, as they come with a scrubby sponge that I really like for getting into all the nooks and crannies. I noticed there was a cuticle care version with camelia oil too, so I thought I'd try it, as my cuticles are positively shameful right now.  I'll report back. I'm a bit obsessed with primers at the moment (there's a big post coming up), so I couldn't resist a trial-size version of this Erborian Pink Perfect Cream. And how cute are the Sephora Kiss Me lip balms? This is Candy Apple and Soda Pop.

I also popped into Yves Rocher, because I always like having a nosey at their stuff:

I bought some Serum Vegetal skincare shots, and a Perfect Primer in Rose.  Yes, another primer ... Yves Rocher  are one of the biggest brands in France, and they're really reasonable.  It's been a while since I tried any of their products though, I admit - they're not that easy to get hold of in the UK though, which is a shame.

And finally, of course, Guerlain:

I fully intended to buy some fragrance, but the one I fell in love with in-store was five hundred euros! Luckily, seeing as I'm moving house in a month, I ran out of shopping time in-store, so some rose and violet tea (actually the Paris Caprice tea), a jar of limited edition honey (who knew you could buy Guerlain honey????) plus a couple of bits from the new La Petite Robe Noire collection will just have to do.  This is the lip colour in Berry Beret and nail polish in Black Perfecto, expect more about these soon.

So there you have it.  Just a few things, and, to be honest, I'd have been happy even if I'd only brought the eye makeup remover and cotton wool back!  

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Fornasetti Profumi Incense Box - Flora

Think of incense and you think of smoke, and churches, and heavy cloying fragrances.  I happen to love a little incense, but rarely burn it at home, as it can lead to a bit of a muggy atmosphere.  Flora, the latest incense release from Fornasetti  is about as different from "traditional" incense as can be. 

Smelling delightfully of lily of the valley, tuberose, and jasmine, this really does smell like a country garden!  Surprisingly, it also smells like a country garden whilst it's burning.  Fornasetti have spent two years trying to best get a delicate, airy and light scent into the incense format. and their hard work appears to have paid off in spades.  They're pretty powerful too, one stick perfumes our entire flat for hours, without feeling heavy or oppressive.  

The Fornasetti Flora Incense box comes in three designs (the one shown is Flora di Bacio), and costs £145, but you can buy the incense alone for £45.  

The Fine Print: PR samples.


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Recover Correct and Conceal Red - Fair

Don't hate me, but I don't use concealer very often!  I'm lucky in that I don't have particularly bad dark circles around my eyes, so only need to dig into extra coverage when I've had a very bad night, or if I need to cover redness that my foundation isn't up to the job of erasing.  I have a huge tendency to redness, thanks to my sensitivity issues, and so occasionally I need a little help if I'm not to look like a gigantic pink balloon.  Recover Correct and Conceal Red is the latest product designed to help cover facial redness and it's a good (if expensive) one.  The brainchild of makeup artist Annabel Jardella, who has worked on films such as Sense & Sensibility and Evita (not to mention Gladiator), it's fairly safe to say Annabel knows how skin should look.

What is particularly innovative about this one, at first sight at least, is the delivery system.  A tube with a pump, and a metal disc to help spread the concealer over the skin, it feels cooling and lovely on your skin when you're applying, and, as red skin tends to be hot skin, this is great.  You depress the pump ever so slightly, allowing a dot of concealer to come to the surface and apply to the area you want to conceal.  No need for unhygenic fingers, or a brush! Application is simple and easy, a little bit goes a long, long way:

Seriously, you only need a very little bit.  This would be more than enough to cover any redness around my nose and my cheeks, and would be far too much for under-eye concealing.  But, as this is a redness concealer, and NOT an under-eye concealer, this isn't quite the problem you might think it is.   As it happens, I have used it as an under-eye concealer, and it's worked quite well, but the pigments in the product are designed to fight redness, not darkness (and my darkness is minimal) so please don't purchase Correct and Conceal Red for your undereye area.  Apparently, there is an undereye product on the way, and I'll be very interested to see it once it launches.

Top left|: Fair unblended.  Top Right: Fair, blended.  Bottom: swatches in  Light, Fair, Beige, Medium Tan, Deep tan.

The product blends out easily, and unusually for a product with such a high amount of coverage, it is whisper-light on the skin, and dries to a lovely matte finish on the skin.  You don't need to set it with powder, if you don't want to.  I have done, and it's fine, it won't cake, and it definitely doesn't have a greasy feel that makes you feel like it will slip off if it's not set.  Best of all, the coverage is excellent:

On Tuesday last week I woke up with what looked like the beginnings of a black eye, my cheek was all red, because I'd either walloped (or scratched) myself  a good one in my sleep. This was the real test for Recover Correct and Conceal Red, and it passed with flying colours - can you tell which cheek it was I'd punched myself in?*  Picture is unedited, SOOC, by the way.

I think the colour range is pretty small, they're expanding it with an "extra light" version soon, but the darkest "deep tan" stage really isn't very dark.  Of course, being a redness product means that possibly darker skins don't need so much in the way of redness concealment, but I think this is great for a quick smoothing and evening effect on uneven colouring too.

Recover Correct and Conceal Red retails for £29 for a 5ml bottle, but you use so little at a time that it'll last a long time.  The packaging means you have no way of knowing how much you have left, however, which is a bit of a pain, but it's a hygenic airless pump, which is a good thing.  All in all, I'm happy to have this in my makeup bag, it does precisely what it says on the tin.


The Fine Print: PR sample


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Elizabeth Arden Grand Entrance Mascara

I posted a bunch of selfies on instagram last week, not something I usually do, but in every single one someone went out of their way to compliment my "beautiful" eyelashes.  I'm lucky, my lashes are quite long naturally, as well as being black, and they curl quite well with a good mascara, but they are a little thinner than I would like, sometimes.  I use all kinds of mascaras, but have a particular fondness for anything that will give me daytime drag-queen lashes.  I want length, I want volume, and I want curl, but I mostly want my lashes to be visible, which means my mascara has be to be very, very, very black indeed, otherwise my lashes just look dusty.

Enter Elizabeth Arden Grand Entrance Mascara.  Equipped with a scooped brush that hugs the lashes tightly, and has short, plastic bristles (always my favourite kind) of differing lengths and thickness on the wand, it combs through lashes easily, and deposits just the right amount of mascara with every sweep.  It's black, too, very black, and easily covers my lashes.  It adds curl, and a nice amount of volume, and I'm incredibly pleased with it.

I've been using it for a couple of weeks now,  and it has rapidly become my "go-to" mascara. It applies nicely, without clumps, separates the lashes well, and doesn't run or flake throughout the day.  I'm a fan!  In the picture below, you can see just what a difference two coats of Grand Entrance makes to my lashes:

Before and after

So, a good brush, a great formula (I'll gloss over the ever-so-slightly tacky tube), and great lashes, no flaking, no smudging and no running.  What more could you want?  Currently it's on offer for £15 (a great price, and I'll be picking up backups for sure) but it'll normally be £22. 

The Fine Print: PR sample 


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LipsNspritz 7th February 2016 - Urban Decay Special

 

  
So, there were two themes for LipsNspritz on Instagram this week, one is pretty easy to spot, but did anyone notice the fragrant link?  I spent the week trialling the Urban Decay #UDxGwen lipstick collection, and I wore Ex-Girlfriend, Phonecall, Firebird, Wonderland and Spiderweb.  You can see colour descriptions and swatches of the full collection here, but I have to say that I am mightily impressed with the range.  Both Ex-Girlfriend and Phonecall are sheers, but last very well over a liner, around 3-4 hours or so.  Firebird, Wonderland and Spiderweb are all cream formulas (I've yet to wear the "mega-matte" shade 714 properly) and the lasting time on this formula is phenomenal.  I literally didn't have to touch any of them up for 10-12 hours, and, best of all, they didn't dry my lips out in the slightest.  Even Spiderweb, which I didn't wear with a liner underneath lasted as well as the others with a liner.  Amazing.

Clockwise from top left, Ex Girlfriend, Wonderland, Firebird, Spiderweb and Phonecall

All of the shades are glossy satin finishes, but of course the cream finishes are more opaque than both Ex-Girlfriend and Phonecall, and last longer as a result.  Overall, I'm delighted with the collection, even though I now have to remove my lipstick with oil of a nighttime!

Fragrance-wise saw me in both Maison Francis Kurkdijan's Aqua Vitae, and the brand new Baccarat Rouge 540.  Aqua Vitae was my fragrance of the year in 2013 (and you can read the review here) and I'm still getting to grips with Baccarat Rouge 540 (I was expecting something red and jammy, and got the scent of hot sand instead, which was confusing), but you can expect a full review in due course.  I also wore Jean Paul Gaultier Fleur de Male, and Classique Intense.  Fleur de Male is one of my favourite hot-soap, orange blossom and barbershop fragrances - now sadly discontinued - and Classique Intense, which I first smelled in the depths of my parosmic madness, but now reveals itself to be a huge talcum, and jasmine monster, which I've fallen rather heavily for.  And finally, I wore the gauzy and ethereal Elie Saab le Parfum, which is the smell of orange blossom glimpsed through chiffon, and is beautiful and wonderful.  And the link between all of these?  Francis Kurkdijan, of course.  I was lucky enough to spend an evening with him and Jo Fairley of the Perfume Society last week, which was lots of fun.  If you haven't been to a Perfume Society event yet, you're really missing a treat.  I'm off to Paris with them at the end of the month, and I can't wait!

What've you been wearing?

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 7th February 2016

A mixed bag skincare-wise this week, I started the week with a Zelens-heavy routine (have I mentioned how much I love Zelens?  It's true, I do), and, I still love a full routine from them - in particular the Z Recovery Intensive Repair Balm, which is a lifesaver.  A non-greasy balm that sinks in, heals and nourishes stressed skin, I've used it after operations, during illness, after allergic reactions, on burnt skin, and occasionally - just once in a while, mind - I use it as a particularly hydrating moisturiser too.  I'm near the end of this jar, and need to stock up, now I come to think of it.

The rest of the week has seen Tata Harper products settling in to become regular choices in my usual routine (instead of me being merely obsessed with them), and I've rotated some ByTerry choices from the Cellularose range into my routine too. The Cellularose range smells absolutely divine, but the oil only emulsifies partially, which is a bit odd, but I still like using it, regardless.

I'm trialling a new foundation at the moment, so I've been using a variety of moisturisers and oils  in order to give it a range of bases to work on.  I'm nice like that.  Moisturisers this week have included Kate Somerville Goat Cream (an eternal favourite), Laura Mercier Flawless Skin (a new addition after it turned up at Christmas) Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisturising Jelly (love this stuff for hydrating without greasiness) Tata Harper Rebuilding Moisturiser (which I love an unreasonable amount) and, of course, the aforementioned Z Recovery, which is aces.

This week was all about the lipstick though, and more about that later.  What's been on your face? 


The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil

Now, having said in a previous review about my liking but not loving Ren, there are some Ren products that I do, actually adore, and the Rose Otto range in fact, encompasses all of them. 

In fact, I like the Rose Otto range so much that I actually asked for the bath oil for Christmas, and, husbands being husbands (or more specifically, my husband being  …  my husband) I actually ended up with a bottle of this instead.  And now I have two.  Not bad for someone who never uses body products!  However, taking this into account, these two bottles are probably a life-time supply.

The “Ultra Moisture” body oil (actually, does one have “moisture” in an oil product?  Surely, as they say, moisture is the essence of wetness, and oil is greasy rather than damp, isn’t it?) is a really genuinely lovely product .It doesn’t enhance my bathtime in the same way the, you know, bath oil would had I gotten a bottle. Oh well. Ren Rose Otto Ultra Moisture Body Oil smells delicious. It smells divine. It smells of both the idea of rich red rose petals and a hint of the woody stems beneath.  It smells rich, and it smells expensive.

Now look, the Morrocan Otto scent is a signature of the Ren line, and I beg you, Unilever (who recently bought Ren), to no matter how much you are tempted, not to screw with the formulas of the Rose Otto line at all – I know several hundred people who will stop buying Ren altogether if you do, and they’re already hacked off at you for buying the brand in the first place.  Anyway, I’m digressing, but I need to tell you that the Rose Otto Line contains products that people care about, and if go on to pump them full of mineral oil to save themselves a couple of pence a bottle they will notice, and they won‘t forgive.  Just so they know.  Oh, and I’ll be one of them. I may even egg them on.

Anyway, back to the review.  I was delighted on trying the oil again recently to discover that roses had “come back” to my nose, as they’ve smelled like burned paper for the last year and a half. Discovering they smell almost normal (in spite of my parosmia) has been great.  The Ultra Moisture Oil is a thick, unctuous oil, that nonetheless seems to sink in quite easily, and it definitely does seem to do good things for drier skins.  My hands are, I’ve noticed, becoming slightly crepey and my forearms have definitely been drier recently, but this oil definitely feels more nourishing than the spray moisturisers I’d been using recently to combat those conditions. Sprays only seem to moisturise the very top layers of the skin, I've found.  A little of this, however, goes a long way, too.

I do also like the redesigned labels for the Rose Otto line, I always think Ren packaging doesn’t quite go far enough in underscoring the price tags of the products – the designs usually just look cheap, or too simplistic compared to what’s inside the packaging, but the design on the Rose Otto line show that you don’t actually need to change much to make something look more expensive, or more thought out, or simply just to draw the eyes in to something.  They’re still “clean”, but look infinity more luxe than the other products Ren puts out.  Ren straddles a line, and it’s a difficult line, being cheaper than its prestige  cousins on the shelf (which is a good thing, good skincare should be available at all price points), but also by looking cheaper than the other lines, even the ones at a similar price point (which I think it does), it won’t appeal to those who like prestige and also like a bargain (like moi).  Something is only a bargain if you feel like it’s worth more than you paid for it, cheap-looking packaging just looks cheap.

So yeah, body oil.  Two bottles and I'm set for life.  How about you?


The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases 


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Clinique Sweet Pots ptII - Black Honey and Red Velvet

It's hard having completist tendencies.  I mentioned Clinique Sweet Pots a couple of weeks ago, and mentioned that I wanted Red Velvet and Black Honey.  And lo! Here are Red Velvet and Black Honey (note to Clinique, I can't resist Black Honey anything, as well you know).  From left to right here are Candied Cassis, Orange Blossom and Pink Framboise, then Red Velvet and Black Honey.  Basically, I'm writing this paragraph to see how many times I can write the phrase "Red Velvet and Black Honey" without wanting to gouge my eyes out.  It's okay, I think I've reached my limit now.

This isn't really a review, I reviewed them a couple of weeks ago, but I thought people might like to see two more shades, particularly Black Honey, as that's not available in stores.

 I really like both of these shades, my favourites from the range are Black Honey, Red Velvet and Candied Cassis, how about you?

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Currently Testing ...

As well as bringing you proper reviews of the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani collection soon, I'm also trialling a few new base products, namely the new Les Beiges  foundation in Rose 22, alongside its sister product, the le Blanc de Chanel Multi-Use Illuminating Base.  Initial thoughts are that the foundation is all kinds of aces, but trialling it with a cold has meant that I've probably not seen it at its best.  As for the base, well, I'm not sure what the other uses are, but I'll see if I can figure some out ...

I'm also trialling these:

I've used the Meteorites Base before, and I liked it a lot, but the new re-issue is really lovely.  I'm sure, but can't be 100% certain that the perles are bigger in this edition, but when I find my old bottle, I'll know more.  And words fail me when I come to describe just how beautiful the Meteorites Voyager compact is.  I love it.

But more in-depth analysis of all of these when I don't have a cold, and am not constantly wiping my base products off ...

What've you hauled lately?

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases

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