Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Multi-Benefit Shampoo, Conditioner and Masque

This review is so overdue that it's a little embarrassing! However, since the Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10-in-1 Multi-Benefit range arrived, it's definitely become a staple, and I've got through backups of everything pictured here.  It's a great range.

Long cult products in the US, I think there were lots of us UK beauty bloggers who were super-excited to see  Shea Moisture finally make it over here, I know I certainly was!  Now, around a year since they appeared in Boots stores, they've become a staple on many bathroom shelves - they were the first thing I unpacked when I moved house recently, that I do know.  Paraben-, mineral oil-, sulfate- and silicone-free, the Superfruit Complex range is perfect for needy hair that gets a bit lank when too-rich products are used.

I have wavy, coloured and porous hair.  Initially, I thought the Superfruit Complex products were going to be too light to have much of an effect on my hard to manage hair, but I was wrong.  Whilst the products are light in texture, they really do pack a conditioning punch, and my hair loves this stuff.  I alternate between using the conditioner and the masque usually (bear in mind I only wash my hair 1-2 a week usually, so it's a weekly masque treatment), but my hair is left soft and smooth and easy to style no matter what I've done to it in the days preceding, or what styling I subject it to afterwards, either, it makes my barnet lovely and shiny.  Not overly-fragranced, there's just a gentle sweet smell that fades quickly, so it won't clash with any other fragranced products you'll use afterwards.   

Once I run out of the latest batch, I think I'm going to try the Raw Shea and Cupuacu Frizz Defense range, as the combination of this and my Silke London hair wrap means my hair requirements are changing.

I'm defnitely a convert, and at £10.99 a product, it's definitely cheaper than my other shampoo range of choice, more of which anon ...

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Jasper Conran Nude Woman

 Jasper Conran Nude Woman, the latest fragrance from the Jasper Conran range, is housed in a beautifully detailed bottle.  Hefty, but delicate, the carved column fills the hand nicely, and feels wonderfully tactile when you're spraying it.  It's supposed to evoke "contemporary femininity", and I think it delivers that nicely.

The juice inside the bottle is surprisingly enjoyable too.  A white floral that manages to be both crisp and soft, it's a very nice wear.  Starting with rather gentle notes of grapefruit and bergamot that add a hesperidic air without being too overpoweringly citrussy, the fragrance soon settles into white flower heaven, with notes of gardenia and magnolia mixed with orange blossom.  It's a little powdery at this stage, and without the slightly funky-mushroom edge you can get with a true magnolia note, but the addition of orris (iris) is probably the one that is responsible for rounding out any potential soapy-screechiness, and adding a little lady-like polish to the formula.  The basenotes are a very skin-like musk with some bleached white woods beneath.

It's not the most original fragrance I've ever come across, but it is very wearable, and I like it much much more than I expected to.  Currently available at both Debenhams and Boots for £20 for a 40ml bottle and £30 for 100ml, it's a prettily ladylike bargain.


 The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases

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Silke London - Isla Silk Hair Wrap

 My hair has a mind of its own.  It's fine - but there is a hell of a lot of it - and it is by turns frizzy, wavy, flat in parts and curly in others, occasionally all of them at once, but the thing it most likes to be is ENORMOUS. I am always looking for ways to keep it under control.  Since it developed the mysterious habit of trying to choke Mr Lippie in his sleep, I decided that Something Must Be Done, and investigated the role of hair wraps for night-time.

I've known for a while that sleeping on a silk pillowcase has helped my hair be smoother, less frizzy and easier to control, but I was disappointed when looking for silk wraps that most wraps you can buy are actually man-made fibre.  Excellent for keep hair in place, perhaps, but not what I was looking for on the defrizzing front.  Then a friend posted a link on Facebook that mentioned Silke London hair wraps and I was intrigued.  They looked beautiful!  Gorgeous jewel-coloured silk turbans (to be honest, the thought of actually "wrapping" my hair was making me nervous, I'm a cack-handed muppet at the best of times), easy to wear, and stunning items in their own right.

Yeah, this isn't me.  I look more like Hilda Ogden in mine

The hardest part was choosing which colour I wanted. The Dita is purple and red; The Eva is black; The Sofia is ivory; and the Poppy is hot pink and orange.  Eventually I settled on the Isla (pictured), which is green and blue, and bought myself one as a birthday present.  It is gorgeously presented in it's tiny colour-co-ordinated box, and folded beautifully, it'd make a perfect gift.

The Silke London website promises that the use of their hair wrap will help your hair in the following ways:

1. Repair, protect and prevent hair breakage and damage
2. Maintain your style for longer
3. Save time spent restyling
4. Balance oily roots and dry ends
5. Wash your hair less
6. Reduce hair loss and boost hair growth
7. Eliminate frizz and flyaways
8. Naturally condition hair
9. Dramatically enhance your hair’s appearance

 Now, whilst I am cursed with uncontrollable hair, I'm also incredibly lazy, so anything that promises to reduce styling time and leaves you able to wash your hair less, well, I'm IN, so yes. I was champing at the bit slightly when it arrived.

Having used the Silke Hair Wrap for a good few weeks now, I can say that it definitely delivers on most of those promises, actually.  It's very easy for me to see that my hair is less frizzy after a few weeks wear, and I have to use less styling product now.  Before, I'd be using three pumps of Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum just to get my hair out of the bathroom once it had been washed, and my hair would just drink the stuff, then beg for some styling cream for afters.  Now it's just one pump, if that, and no styling cream (unless I'm going to use a heated appliance after), and it's less coarse-feeling in the mornings.

But the major difference I've seen is less breakage, it's amazing.  With the house move and everything this year, it's been a while since I've been able to see my hair dresser, and normally if I'd leave it three months between visits, the bottom three inches of my hair would be feeling like straw (the ends of my hair are subtly bleached, I've been having balayage for years now), but this time around, even after so long, my hair was only slightly damaged at the ends, and far less prone to breaking off when I run my fingers through it.  I couldn't be happier with the results. 

Even if I do look like a massive plonker wearing it, and my husband has developed an irritating habit of humming "... you can leave your hat on..." when entering the bedroom as a result.  The problem is that whilst I undoubtedly have a shedload of hair, it's mounted on my tiny, tiny pinhead, and sometimes the turban spins round a bit when I move my head.  Or slips over my eyes.  But all you lovely people with normal-sized bonces won't have these issues.  The wrap is soft, and the elastic is loose, so you won't get band marks around your face when you remove it.  It's comfortable to wear (though it can get a little warm on these really hot summer evenings, bear in mind).

So yes, £45 well spent, I think, especially on a cost-per-wear basis.  I just wish I'd bought the black one instead ...

The Fine Print: Purchase.
 
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Diptyque Eau de Sens

To say I'm a bit obsessed with orange blossom at the moment would be a mild understatement, so you might want to bear that in mind as you read this - basically, if it promises to smell of orange blossom, I'm bound to at least like it a lot.  And if it delivers, as Diptyque's Eau de Sens does (in spades), then it's a full-blown affair of the heart.

Right, on with the review "proper"* (allegedly).  Diptyque Eau de Sens is not quite a soliflore orange blossom, as the orange blossom here is backed up with notes of juniper berries (and some of you will know I'm a gin drinker, right?), patchouli and angelica.  According to the press release, it promises to deliver the full smell of an orange tree in blossom, right down to the roots.

There's a gloriously diaphanous waft of spicy orange on first spray, the juniper berries giving just a little not-quite-soapy zing to the citrussy concoction, before it settles to a woody-green aspect of orange blossom. This middle section is hugely reminiscent of petitgrain smelling, as it does, of both flowers and stems, with just a hint of something woodier beneath.  The dry-down is a light and rather clean patchouli - there's no dirt in this fragrance at all - and it's all perfectly simple and incredibly linear.  Eau de Sens is both uncomplicated and unsweet, but rather beautiful all the same.

The notes actually make it sound like it'll be a rather dark and hard to wear fragrance, but Eau de Sens is actually surprisingly light and sheer (you'll want multiple sprays, and regular ones, at that), and rather playful in wear.  It's an easy-going scent, perfectly attuned to wearing with jeans and a crisp white shirt, though I've worn it to all sorts of occasions since my bottle turned up, including to parliament, as it's so perfectly at home everywhere.  I've worn it so much that my bottle is now nearly empty - I can't remember the last time I emptied a perfume bottle so quickly!  A shame really, as this bottle has been engraved!

I want my entire house to smell of orange blossom now, I love this so much.  Diptyque Eau de Sens is on sale now, and a 50ml bottle will cost £60, and 100ml is £80.


 * To be honest, I've written so little this year, I've kind of lost the ability to think about anything in any kind of "proper" critical fashion, really.  Sorry.  Not sorry.  Turns out I like not blogging almost as much as I like blogging.  WOE!

The Fine Print: PR samples


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How to fight chafing and blisters in the heat with Bodyglide

This is a public service announcement. 

Every year at this time my twitter and facebook feeds are full of my otherwise lovely lady friends showing off pictures of their blisters (seriously, STOP THAT) from their pretty summer sandals, and worrying about chafing (or chub-rub) in ... intimate ... places, and on every single post, I place this link: http://www.getlippie.com/2011/04/whoa-bodyglide.html  I first wrote it five years ago, having discovered it five years before that, and I'm still recommending it to everyone at every single opportunity.

If you have feet, get a tube of this.  If you have thighs get a tube of this.  If you have skin, GET A TUBE OF THIS, and apply it generously.  I can't even remember the last time I had a foot blister (and this stuff is a godsend for breaking new shoes in, by the way), and even though my thighs meet all the way down (screw you, "thigh gap", FFS), I haven't had chafing ever on the days I've remembered to apply this - I do occasionally forget, but never twice in a row, believe you me.  I buy a new tube every single spring, and hopefully, now you will too - forget those tiny tubes of "anti-blister sticks" you can find in Boots, this tube is a whopping 42gms  compared to the usual 5gms in those packs, and this will last you an entire year of generous applications, if not longer.

Mine came from Amazon this year, and cost around a tenner.  But you can also get it from specialised sports websites like Wiggle.  Buy some, apply it generously wherever chafing might occur, and enjoy your new-found hot weather freedom. 

You're welcome. 


The Fine Print: THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST, I'm just tired of seeing blisters everywhere.  And I'm squeamish.


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L'Oreal Steampod Brazil Fantasy Edition

I live in a little sport-free bubble, and I love it very much, but I'm sheltered to the extent that when a bunch of Brazil-themed beauty products started arriving recently, I was a little confused.  Then they launched Brazil-themed M&Ms, and my thought process went: "Hey there official food of athletes around the world! Man, is it the Olympics already? Aren't they in South America this time? Rio! Brazil! D'oh!" And lo, a mystery was solved.  Now, if only I could solve the mystery of where my reading glasses keep disappearing to, my life would be complete.
 

All of which is rather roundabout way of pointing out that I'm not always the sharpest tool in the box. But that shouldn't put you off this rather marvellous version of the Brazil-themed Steampod that I fell in love with way back in November last year.  Covered in tropical flora and fauna, and in a crazy-pretty box, I love these.

I'll be honest, the Steampod has taken over from any and all other straighteners of choice. My hair just seems to love the extra level of straightening that it gets from the hit of steam, and even though there's definitely a learning curve involved with these  that you don't have with traditional straighteners, it's really worth getting to grips with them if you have slightly  ... recalcitrant ... hair.

The L'Oreal Steampod Brazil Fantasy Edition is available from Look Fantastic and costs around £145. The creams and serums you'll need to make the system really worthwhile are available there too, and cost extra (sadly - but I have backups of all of them, you'll have to prise these from my cold, dead hands, frankly), but they last a long, long time.
 
The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks Launch

l-r Pandemonium (mega matte), Firebird (cream), Naked (cream) and Conspiracy (metallised)

Urban Decay have finally launched their full range of Vice lipsticks in the UK, and they're really lovely.  With 100 shades in six finishes (sheer, metallised, cream, comfort matte, mega matte and shimmer), there's truly something for everyone.  I think the Gwen Stefani collection was really a taster for the new Vice finishes, so I'm not going to review them in depth here, but I thought I'd show you a couple of pictures of the lipsticks, and tell you that they're magnificent.  I have Pandemonium, a grape purple in the mega matte formulation, Firebird, which is a cream fuchsia (and a repromote of the same shade from the aforementioned Gwen Stefani collection), then there is also Naked which is a pale pinky-grey mauve and Conspiracy, a metallic coffee bean shade which will never, ever, ever grace my lips.  Ever.  Beautiful on the right person (like, my mum for example), but I have no desire to wear it personally, but doesn't it look gorgeous in the bullet?

l-r Pandemonium, Firebird, Naked, Conspiracy

There is figuratively nothing that makes my heart sing more than the sight of an untouched bullet of lipstick, and these are sooooooo photogenic.  Look, I have neither pets nor children, and only one sickly houseplant to take pictures of, so leave me my little indulgences, please.

I don't have swatches, because they're too pretty to mar, frankly, but here's a pic of me wearing the original version of Firebird taken back in February,  the lasting power on the cream formulation is marvellous, by the way,  and whilst not billed as a particularly long-lasting formula, I find they last at least 6-8 hours without reapplying, even if you eat whilst wearing:

Leave me alone, it was 6am on the Eurostar.

So there you go.  Not my most in-depth review perhaps (unless "pretty things are really pretty" is your bag, admittedly), but, by gum, they're pretty.

Urban Decay Vice lipsticks cost £15 each and are available now from the usual stockists. 

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases

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Serozinc, how much do I love thee?

A whole heap, is how much.  Not so much a review, this piece, really (I've already reviewed Serozinc here) just mentioning in passing that Escentual (by far my favourite place to buy French skincare  products in the UK) has these cute mini-cans of Serozinc in stock now, and they cost only £3 per can!  Escentual is currently hosting its annual French Pharmacy event, and they'd normally cost £4.50 each.

And they're cute!  Did I mention they're cute?  I bought a shedload of them, they're everywhere!  This isn't even all of them, Serozinc is one of my desert island products ... 


The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Finishing Touches: LipsNspritz of the Week 8th July 2016

It's been a mixed bag, fragrance-wise this week.  It's ostensibly summer, but I can't imagine anything less summery than this dark and dank July we're having so far!  Like with the weather, my perfume choices have been a bit all over the place, too.

Monday brought Tangerine Vert from Miller Harris, a herbal-fresh and zingy citrus that was perfect for blasting away those dreadful Monday morning blues!  This and Hermes Eau d'Orange Vert are very similar mood-lifters for me, both feature, I think, a little hit of mint amongst the orange and other leafy green herbs, and it's bother awakening and refreshing, and just that little bit "different" to a normal lemony-citrus as a result.  I wore Tangerine Vert with Charlotte Tilbury Walk of Shame lipstick, which is a great brown-ish neutral that teeters on that 1990's-style rust, but just avoids it.

Tuesday was Guerlain Shalimar Parfum Initiale, and byTerry Cherry Cherry lipstick (stupid name, great pink).  I was in Paris for the launch of Parfum Initiale a couple of years ago, and so it will always have a special place in my heart - I love the velvety iris and smooth vanilla, it's also surprisingly rich and earthy (almost  ... carroty!) for what was intended at the time to be a teenage girl's way into the world of Shalimar.  It's very different to many ostensibly "teenage" fragrances, not smelling of sugar and fruit, which is why I think it has been discontinued, and why that increasingly Le Petite Cherie Robe Noire, with it's cherries and black tea, and hints of chocolate has taken over as the flagship Guerlain fragrance.  Don't get me wrong, LPCRN is good, but it's just not as interesting (to me) as Parfum Initiale is.  Was.  Whatever.

Wednesday found me in Estee Lauder Alliage.  I love Alliage, as perfect an example of the pinnacle of seventies chypres as can be, it is both bitter green and blinding white, with galbanum and moss and crystalline white flowers, you could wear a tweed jacket and starched white shirt with this and it would be perfect.  I own neither, and wore it with black jersey (my default) and still managed to feel like a grownup all day.  I do think Lauder neglect their amazing back catalogue rather horribly in favour of their newer releases a great deal - does the world really need four versions of Modern Muse above some of the genuine classics in the Lauder catalogue?  Does Kendall Jenner read Descartes in the original? - but the fact that their classics are still available, and largely untouched, and accessibly priced is a great, great thing.  Go try some of them.  Also only of my favourite reasonably priced brands is Pixi, and this lipstick in Raspberry Blush is amazingly good and pretty.

Thursday was Vaara by Penhaligons.  I love Vaara.  It's a fruity-floral, normally a category I eschew, but it is interesting and original, redolent of quinces and a hint of saffron, over a bed of coriander (the seed,  not the leaf) and is beautiful and gorgeous and wonderfully radiant. I love wearing it.  It also has one of the prettiest boxes Penhaligons have ever done.  The lipstick was Givenchy Le Rouge in Carmin Escarpin, which is the lipstick I wore in Paris on my honeymoon, that's how much I love it.

On Friday, I wore Marrakesh Intense by Aesop.  This blend of rose, black pepper and cardomom is both spiky and powdery and wonderfully evocative, it makes me a little woozy in the best possible way when I wear it.  I do have to confess that I have a sneaking preference for the original Marrakesh formula, which punches up both the spiky black pepper, and the plush cardamom over the silky rose, but this is still magnificent, and has better lasting power overall.  The lipstick was Punch Pop by Clinique, which is one of my all-time favourite pink lipsticks.

Saturday was a lazy day in front of the TV, frankly, so I wore things that didn't take much thinking about: Bagatelle de Gabrielle by Omorovicza, which is a gently pretty, rather prim, little white floral based on, but not overwhelmed by orange blossom.  It's rather a "spa" kind of scent.  Pretty, but slightly unmemorable.  I paired it with Aerin Rose lip balm. To be honest, I'm left slightly cold by the whole Aerin Lauder cosmetics "concept" (though, I admit I do love her homewares - someone needs to bring them to the UK STAT!), it's all a bit wishy-washy "makeup for people who don't really like makeup" for me, but the perfumes are nice in a Jo Malone-ish kind-of-a-way, and this particular balm is very much a winner.

What've you been wearing this week?

The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Skincare of the Week 8th July 2016

Yeah, it's been a while ... Turns out I like not blogging almost as much as I do actual blogging, who knew?!  Anyway, for today at least, I'm back slaving away at a keyboard. I would have been back last week, but stuff happened, and I'm still wearing the bandage on the middle finger of my left hand, let's put it that way.

Anyhoo, skincare.  This week was mainly about trialling the new Burts Bees Cleansing Oil (literally just released in the UK, and costs £16.99 a bottle from their website).  I like it a lot, but I'm a bit upset it's a fragranced oil, I can't see any reason why it needs to be.  It's a light, smooth oil that spreads over the skin nicely, and removes makeup thoroughly but gently.  The label indicates its for dryer skins than mine, but my sensitive combination-oily skin tolerates it nicely.  It doesn't quite emulsify when you come to rinse, just becomes a bit looser, and it easily wipes off with a warm flannel.  I like it.  

Everything else I've been using this week is an old (or an almost-old) favourite, I'm still mostly in love with Tata Harper skincare, and I'm nearing the end of this  bottle of the Tata Harper Rejuvenating Serum, and I totally intend to finish it off. I recently finished my much-beloved bottle of Zelens Intense Defence Serum, which has left a gaping hole in my routine, to be honest, I'm still casting about to find the perfect replacement, the Tata is good, and does what it is supposed to, but I just don't love it as much as the Zelens for some reason.  It does work really well with the Rebuilding moisturiser though.

How has your week in skincare been?

 The Fine Print: PR samples and purchases


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Delilah Pure Light Illuminating Powder in Aura

I've been waiting to get my hands on Delilah's Pure Light Illuminating Powder in Aura ever since India Knight raved about it in the Sunday Times late last year! It sounded like it was the perfect powder, illuminating, not glittery, and she used the phrase "you absolutely do not look shiny, just lit from within".  Well, who doesn't want to look lit from within at all times for just £36?  I couldn't resist.  After India's review, it was sold out for months, and I ended up waiting till April to be able to pick one up.  Was it worth the wait?

Er ... I'm not sure, really.

 
 First things first, it's beautifully packaged in a hefty rose gold and pewter compact, and the powder within looks divine, delicately marbled with golds, peaches and lilacs, and yes, it does look lit from within. It is seriously, inside and out, a stunning piece of makeup.

However.

It is warm-toned.  Seriously warm-toned, and I am not. Delilah claim that it adapts to all skintones, but I find that I simply cannot use this powder alone because it just looks like I've painted myself pale peach. Warm-toned gals, and darker-skinned ladies will love this, but it's just too much for me. Oh, and it's shiny.  Really, really, really, shiny.  I have oily skin, and applying this over the top is just Too Much Shine.  Like I'm wearing a face made of pleather.

For me, as a face powder, it's a total failure, I'm afraid. But, in its favour, it makes a beautiful highlighter, and if I apply it in conjunction with a more matte powder it's wearable.  I've also noticed that parts of powder in the pan have "glazed" over - become hard - and this makes it more difficult to get it on the brush.  I hate it when powder products glaze over, as it's normally a sign of a cheap formula. In this case, I think it's just that the powder contains a high level of waxes to bind the pigments together, rather than it being a "cheap" powder, as such,  but glazing so much after only a month of use is very disappointing indeed.

It's not a universal powder, not by a long chalk, and that's a shame for me as a pale blue person. It'll be much less of a shame for you if you're warm-toned and light a highly reflective finish. As a result, I don't think I'll hit pan on this one for a long, long, long, long time, it'll never replace my much-loved Hourglass Ambient Light in Diffused, I'm afraid.

 The Delilah Pure Light Illuminating Powder in Aura costs £36 and mine came from Fortnums.
 

 The Fine Print: Purchase.


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Rodial Instaglam Compact Deluxe Banana Powder

 

I do love a yellow-toned face powder.  For years, my default face powder has been Hourglass Diffused, and, after hitting pan on my third one, I thought it was time to possibly try out a few different ones rather than just blindly buying the same powder again. Enter Rodial Instaglam Compact Deluxe Banana Powder.

A finely milled, soft yellow powder, Rodial are promoting this off the back of the current contouring trend as a "matte highlighter" for the high points of your face, and therefore allegedly perfect for that massive "Instagram Face/part time pornstar" makeup craze we're seeing everywhere at the moment.  Me being over forty, I can't be arsed, frankly, with attempting to create cheekbones on my gigantic wheel-of-cheese face, nor can I be bothered attempting to look like a Kardashian when my only plans for the day are popping over to Budgens in my pyjamas for a croissant or seven (which might explain my giant melon-head, now I come to think of it).  Oh, and you can "bake" your foundation with it, for all your "waking up wanting to be a Drag Queen" days. We all have them, apparently.

Actually, all I want a powder to do is set my foundation, even out my oiliness, and stop me looking like a boiled lobster on those days where my redness is too much to handle.  This powder fulfills all those functions really well.  It's highly milled, soft on the brush, and spreads over the face beautifully without caking.  I like it very much. It definitely hides redness, and does it very well.  I love the hefty compact too, it's a statement piece in any makeup bag.  However, it is very, very matte, and, being of a certain age, a very matte powder can exacerbate fine lines and wrinkles, and I worry that it's not the most flattering of finishes if I apply with slightly too heavy a hand.  I use it in conjunction with a powder that has a more gleaming finish which I will tell you about tomorrow to counteract that.

Is it a replacement for my beloved Hourglass Diffused?  Well, no.  But its a good powder nonetheless and I'll use it on days when I want a matte finish that lasts.

Rodial Instaglam Compact Deluxe Banana Powder costs £52 and is available instore now. 


The Fine Print: PR sample.


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Erborian 0.09 Touch au Ginseng Creamy Powder Compact

  
Sometimes I really shouldn't be allowed out, you know. I was at a launch with the founder of Erborian a couple of months ago, and I got so excited by this product that all I could say for about 20 minutes was "It's a jelly! But it's a powder! But it's a jelly!".  This is, I suspect, why I'm not going to be challenging any of the major beauty editors in the UK any time soon, I'm, like, sooooo eloquent and all that.

So, Erborian 0.09 Touch au Ginseng Cream Powder Compact, what is it?  Well, it's a powder.  but it's also a jelly (look, I don't get out much these days, and it may be affecting my vocabulary) and I find it makes a really nice base in its own right.  The 0.09 name comes about from the amount of water in the formulation, with only 0.09% aqua, this is basically a water-free product.  It's a hybrid powder that has an amazing bouncy texture, not in the slightest bit powdery, and I find that it smoothes out uneveness in tone beautifully.

What it's not, I have found, is a finishing powder. It's more of a base in its own right, though a sheer one.  It's rather a firm product and needs to be applied with a sponge, so over a foundation it's not the greatest finishing product as the sponge has a tendency to remove foundations, but over something like a lightly tinted CC cream (and it has to be said that Erborian make one of the best CC creams ever, especially now it comes in a new "light" version), or BB cream, it's rather wonderful. I use it on its own on good-skin days too.

Because it's a bouncy jelly texture it's perfect for carrying round in your handbag, because unlike powdery ... erm ... powders, it won't crack owing to being thrown around a bit. And it never looks powdery on the skin, and won't cake. It leaves a lovely velvety, glowing finish, and a little of it goes a very long way.  There's a good-size mirror in the lid too, for touch-ups on the go, though even on my oily skin, touch up requirements have been minimal, this has great lasting power.

It costs £27 from Erborian.com.


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Finishing Touches: #LipsNspritz of the Week, June 12 2016

Summer's coming!  Summer's coming!  Well, hopefully it is, anyway!  My tastes have certainly turned to the more summery this week, anyway.  I started with Caron's My Lang (which gave me and my husband a Woody Guthrie ear worm for several days), which is a sophisticated and creamy sun-lotion kind of a scent, which I really liked from first sniff. More about this soon.  I'm also LOVING the new Burts Bees lip crayons, this one in Napa Valley is a beautiful deep blood-red with great lasting power.

On Tuesday I wore Guerlain Terracotta, only to have it pour down raining all day.  Irony.  Again, another sun-lotion kind of fragrance, this one heavier on the jasmine, with an oilier kind of side to it, it's beyond gorgeous.  I wore it with one of Guerlain's new La Petite Robe Noir lipsticks, which smell of cherry blossom and black tea.  Nice shade, but scented lips are a little distracting, I think.   

On  Wednesday I wore what might be two of my favourite launches of the year so far, Diptyque Eau de Sens and Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo in Roman.  Eau de Sens is a gorgeous, waxy and fleshy orange blossom that has been rounded out with juniper and patchouli, it's fun and beautiful, and a delight to wear, I can't resist it, and it's a fragrance I crave almost daily.  Which is tough when you're trying to wear a different perfume every day!  The Rouge Coco stylos are gorgeous, and the first Chanel purchase I've gone out of my way to pick up in what must be a couple of years now.  They're shiny and cushiony, and beautifully pigmented.  I'm going to need backups of both of these.

Thursday I wore Hermes Pamplemousse Rose, which is a refreshing and light, almost sugary take on pink grapefruit, lacking the sulphurous air that can make things like Guerlain's Pamplemousse in the Aqua Allegorica a little difficult to wear. I paired it up with the almost neon-pink of Revlon's Barcelona Nights, which is a long time favourite. 

And on Friday (my birthday!) I wore the amazing Rose Gold from Ormonde Jayne, which is the companion piece to Black Gold which, in a tiny twist of fate, was released on my birthday two years ago.  I'm going to need a couple more wears to allow my nose to pick it apart, but so far it appears a worthy follow-up. I'll do a joint review of both of these fragrances soon, Black Gold is probably one of the most commented on fragrances in my collection, and I love it an unhealthy amount.  Just so you know.  I wore Rose Gold with my Louboutin lipstick in Survivita.  Love the colour, like the formula, completely underwhelmed with the hype, the price and the packaging.

And finally, in super-exciting news, later this month Frederic Malle launch body products (shower gel and body lotion) in the Cologne Indelible fragrance.  Cologne Indelible is a juicy and fresh cut-orange fragrance, replete with orange blossom, and cut through with a bright lemon and green herb facet which I adore an unhealthy amount.  The best thing about Cologne Indelible though is that is is a juicy citrus that lasts and lasts, which is hugely unusual for a citrus scent.  I've used these every day this week for layering purposes, as they're really zesty and refreshing.  I must pick myself up a full bottle of Cologne Indelible though, one day ...

And what have you been wearing? 


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Skincare of the Week 12 June 2016

I've been on a blog-hiatus. It wasn't intended, but it just sort of happened, and, I have to admit, I've rather enjoyed it.  I'm just now entering my eighth year of blogging (you read that right), so that's seven years of Sunday afternoons that I've spent at my computer,which equates to nearly a solid YEAR of taking pictures, editing pictures (always the worst part, tbh), actually doing the writing and doesn't even slightly take into account the hours I spend getting to events, reading press releases, testing products and the thinking (oh my god, the THINKING) about blog posts even before I sit down to write them!  

So, because I've been enjoying NOT blogging for a couple of months, its crossed my mind that maybe I should retire.  Year end was super-busy at work this year, and we just moved house, and I've been tired - so very, very tired - and the thought of adding blogging back into that particular mix has just been ... depressing. Another thing to worry about, and another obligation.  That said, I've been loving Instagram very much lately, pop on over!

Retiring from blogging at Get Lippie completely has been a tempting option under the circumstances, like the thought of going on a lovely, looooooooong, holiday.  Blogging, particularly beauty blogging, is both a bit of a rat-race and a popularity contest these days, and I'm never going to be Zoella or Pixiwoos.  Hell, I'm barely even Get Lippie these days! Luckily, I don't rely on my blog to make my living - there's no sponsorship or endorsement deals here - but, now I'm out of work-madness time, and we've practically got the new flat sorted,  I'm going to give a couple of Sundays* back up to the blogging muse, and see what occurs. 

So, yeah, skincare is what we're meant to be talking about, apparently, not my existential crisis, so here's some skincare chat:

I'm attempting to use up my much-beloved Zelens Intense Defence Serum, because it's nearly at the end, and that will make it the only serum I've used up in several years!  I love this stuff, on my picky, overly sensitive, prone-to-redness skin, this acts like a bandage, protecting it from all kinds of pollutants and cushioning it from the effects of overly harsh weather, or unsuitable skincare products.  I've been boosting it with Zelens Power D Drops in recent weeks, and I'll be giving a full review of those soon.

Clinique sent me a bumper pack of their Moisture Surge products the other week, and, whilst I've had trouble with gel-formula moisturisers in the past (they tend to be heavy on the silicones and irritate my skin by not letting it breathe too well), I'm really enjoying using Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief.  The stress of the last couple of months, combined with spending a lot of hours really staring at a computer - seriously, when you're getting 40 incomprehensible emails a day from a government department, you'd be screwing your face up too - have left me craving hydration, and I find this feels super-hydrating at first application and leaves my skin feeling velvety and wonderful, without the little angry bumps I can get from too many silicones.

Something else new that I'm trying right now is the Silke London silk hair wrap.  I've been toying with wrapping my hair for a while now, having found that sleeping on a silk pillow case makes a huge difference to my hair, but couldn't find a 100% silk wrap that I liked. Then Silke London launched, and I had to have one, so treated myself to an Isla, which is the green and blue version.  It's essentially a silk turban, and looks impossibly glamorous on the right person.  I am not the right person, and look like Hilda Ogden after a minor lottery win in mine, so there will be no selfies wearing it, but I'll keep you posted ...

How's your week been?  I've not retired.  Yet.


*But not next Sunday.  Ironically, I'm going on holiday ... ;)
 
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Finishing Touches: #LipsNspritz of the Week 15 May 2016

The weather is warming up - finally! - and I've been needing to concentrate this last week, so light and zesty fragrances were the order of the day, and this week I wore: Lemon by Mary Greenwell, a citrus-chypre, which is surprisingly long-lasting, which I paired with Guerlain Rouge G Rouge Parade, a limited edition red-pink from Christmas 2014.  On Tuesday, I thought I'd chance Ormonde Jayne Vanille d'Iris, a rich and buttery iris fragrance with just a hint of peppery spice, at once narcotic and very ladylike. Worn with Lancome L'Absolou Rouge Creme de Brilliance in Caprice, I felt fit for the office, at least for a short while!

On Wednesday I wandered back to citrus, and tried on the herbal-mandarin of Tangerine Vert from Miller Harris, which is crisp and fresh, and has hints of crushed green leaves below the zesty sweet orange fruit, with a layer of grapefruit to give it some depth.  I paired it with Burberry Kisses Sheer 241 Crimson Pink, because I couldn't be bothered with "proper" lipstick!  On Thursday I had an incredibly busy day with an important meeting in the middle, so I picked a lipstick called Get Lippy from Top Shop, because, why wouldn't I?  And paired it with the fizzy lemon-lime soda of Guerlain's Aqua Allegorica in Limon Verde, just to keep myself on my toes.  On Friday I dug out an old, old favourite, my bottle of Acqua di Parma cologne, which is the beyond-divine smell of a hot and soapy body fresh from the shower, and it's one of my desert-island fragrances as a result.  I paired it with one of the new Tartist Lip Colours from Tarte (this one is "Selfish"), about which I'll be writing more in-depth soon, but they're good and very opaque.

I went out and about a little bit on Saturday, and broke out my bottle of Osmanthus Blossom by Jo Malone London.  A classic white floral with just a hit of green stem, its perfect for carefree days where you don't have to try to hard.  I couldn't decide which Tarte Rainforest of the Sea balm (Berry, Rose or Nude) to wear with it, so ended up trying all three in the end.  I'm nice like that.  More about the balms on the blog soon too.

What've you been wearing? 


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Skincare of the Week 15th May 2016

Last week was a really stressful one, with deadlines and auditors galore, I'm still recovering! Hopefully now both the house move and the audit are over, I'll have a little more time free to do some blogging and cataloguing my collection of ... stuff.  I've had a few new releases recently too, and I'll get around to photographing them soon.  Anyhoo, skincare-wise, I've been a bit all over the place, and I'm just now getting back into a routine after a recent bout of sensitivity, which caused me to have to omit a few things.  I'm slowly adding some bits back, and so Zelens Skincare Power D Drops are re-appearing in my routines.

Notable newness I've added this week includes Dermalogica Pre Cleanse, a thin and light lavender-scented oil which is perfect for a morning cleanse when you don't need any makeup removal. It's rather scented though, but very lovely.  I've also invested in a bottle of Santa Maria Novelli Rose Water to help soothe my stressed skin.  I love to splash this on all over first thing in the morning and it smells delicious.

What's the latest on your face? 

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GOSH Forever Matte Eyeshadow Stick - 10 Twisted Brown

Doesn't look very exciting, does it?  One taupe eyeshadow pencil, all alone there.  But trust me, for £6.29 this GOSH Forever Matte Eyeshadow Stick  might just change your (makeup applying life).  Eyeshadow pencils are nothing new, in fact, I've acquired so many great pencils over the course of the last 12 months or so that I've barely bothered applying powder eyeshadow at all, to be honest, but matte eyeshadow pencils?  Oh, they're rarer than unicorn farts, so they are.

  
Yeah, it doesn't look any more exciting  when you take the top off either, does it?  The GOSH Forever eyeshadow stick is pigmented and silky and lovely, and lasts beautifully on even oily eyelids.  I find a couple of swipes of this shade (which is No. 10, Twisted Brown), hastily blended in with a fingertip gives a great neutral base colour, which is buildable and lasting.  I generally wear it on its own with just a slick of liquid liner, and boom!  Polished eyemakeup in less than two minutes.  Okay, three minutes if you include mascara (which you should always do, peeps).

It's a kind of perfect nothing-y shade, which looks like nothing more than shadows on skin (this is one pass with the pencil, btw) when blended with a fingertip, and is perfect for days when you just simply can't be bothered with thinking about your makeup (I have lots of days like this, sometimes it's all I can do to pick out a lipstick for the day, frankly) and it's a great shade for everyday looks.  There's a darker brown shade too, but that's just a little too warm for me, but I've used this almost every day for the last two months, and I'm definitely going to splash out on a backup or three.  For £6.29 from Superdrug, I'd be insane not to. 

The Fine Print: PR sample.


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It Cosmetics Vitality Cheek Flush Powder Blush Stain

You don't really know what pain is until you try and get the words in this products title in the right order for SEO purposes, you know. For the record these are: It Cosmetics Vitality Cheek Flush Powder Blush Stains (try saying that three times fast), which have just launched on QVC, and come in four glowing, jewel-like shades (l-r) : Magical in Mauve, Radiant in Rose, Pretty in Peony and Matte Sweet Apple.  Though the product name might be a mouthful, it's really very apt, they are definitely stains!

I don't write about blushers often on Get Lippie,  as they're just not as interesting to me as lipsticks, or perfumes or skincare, but when I get a good one, I tend to love it to death.  And when I say that these are getting a LOT of love chez Lippie at the moment, it would be a mild understatement.  Three of these Vitality Cheek Flush Powder Blush Stains (look, I didn't just spend an hour learning the name of the product only to not use it at every available opportunity, you know) turned up as part of a press gift, and I was so impressed I immediately went and ordered the fourth so I would have the complete set!  As I'm supposedly on a bit of a no-buy at the moment - we've just furnished our new flat - moving house has been the reason for my recent bit of radio-silence - this just goes to show how impressive they really are!

Swatches in the same order as picture one: Magical in Mauve, Radiant in Rose, Pretty in Peony, and Matte Sweet Apple

It's quite a feat to get powder blushes which are hugely pigmented - and I do mean HUGELY pigmented, the swatches above are one pass with a fingertip, something that you simply can't do with other powder blushes - but still appear sheer and skin-like when applied.  Normally a powder blush with this sort of pigmentation would appear chalky, or just plain dusty, but this isn't an issue here. These blushers glow like a dream once applied, even the matte one (Sweet Apple, here on the far right).  

They do look rather dark in the pan thanks to the insane pigment, and you really do need the very lightest of hands to apply (trust me on this, I looked like Aunt Sally the first time I tried to put one of these on!), but they're really the loveliest blushers (sorry, Vitality Cheek Flush Powder Blush Stains) I've tried in a very long time.  The colour applies sheerly, but brightly, with just the tiniest amount of powder on the brush. Tap lightly - once - onto the pan, do NOT swirl your brush! Seriously, you'll regret it, if you do! Apply to the apples of your cheeks and watch it last and last and last.  I swatched these on the back of my hand the first day I had them, and I still had the marks on my hands 24 hours later ... During the course of a normal work-day, which for me can mean applying my makeup at 6am or so, these will last the whole day, avoiding the inevitable 3pm loo break "oh god, I look dead" realisation that is only too common as I get older.

How did It Cosmetics do it?  I'm not sure, but I'm glad they did, they're marvellous.  It Cosmetics Vitality Cheek Flush Powder Blush Stain (or ICVCFPBS for short) are available on QVC  (not an affiliate link) for £21 each, or you can buy a set with a rather handsome brush and ICVCFPBS combined for £28. 


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