LipsNspritz of the Week 17 January 2016

I spent this week wearing some of the "big hitters" in my collection, and thoroughly enjoyed it!  I began the week with Chanel No19 and Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Collection Ruby Red, and enjoyed the grown-up sophistication (something I'm sorely lacking in naturally) of bitter greenness and aldehydes. Tuesday brought brash spice and a gentle hint of the barnyard in Estee Lauder's Cinnabar, which I paired with the (accidentally) matching Sunset Red of the same Max Factor collection (click the previous link to see what I thought of these lipsticks in full).  Cinnabar is warm and full-bodied and is rather wonderful in cold weather.

On Wednesday, I thought I'd wear what was the first "fine fragrance" I ever owned (at the tender age of 13!), O' de Lancome by Lancome.  I remember it as being the lemoniest thing on the planet, and, what can I say, my  memories aren't that reliable, because it isn't, of course, that lemony at all.  Yes, there's citrus, but there's also a hefty punch of green herbs behind the citrus, and I loved wearing this, I kept sniffing myself in delight at such a great re-discovery.  On Thursay, I wore Samsara, which was the Guerlain answer to YSL Opium (as was Cinnabar, now I come to think of it), but it has a lighter, fresher, more citrus take on the heavy spice and warm resins of the original Opium.

On Friday I took advantage of the fact that my boss was "working from home" to wear Dior Poison.  Well, why wouldn't you? Applied in a small dose - no more than two sprays, maximum! - Poison is actually a lovable tuberose fragrance, with an appealingly powdery drydown. Applied with a heavier hand however, it deserves all the opprobrium it gets.  It was surprisingly popular in the office, and people were amazed when I told them what it was! I wore it with Lipstick Queen Private Party, which is one of the best pinks ever.

Saturday daytime, I wore YSL Paris, another fragrance I used to wear in my youth. Remembered as a sugar-rich, sweet, sweet, SWEET confection, this rosily pretty fragrance is another done a disservice by my unreliable memory.  It's not the explosion in a candy-floss factory I thought it was and is actually a neon-rose-violet that I actually can't smell in too much detail.  Oh well, I'll keep trying with this one, it's a classic for a reason. I topped it up with Paradox for a night on the tiles with MrLippie, and that worked well.  I wore it with Zelens Lip Glaze in Nude, which is the only "nude" I ever wear...

And what have you been wearing? 


The Fine Print: A mixture of PR samples and purchases


This post: LipsNspritz of the Week 17 January 2016 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

LipsNspritz of the week 10 January 2016

I fell in love this week, and I never expected to! It started on Monday with a brief squirt of Estee Lauder Youth Dew, and it continued later in the week and it ended up with my buying a bottle (or two!) of the matching bath oil, which is divine, by the way, and every home should have a (tiny) bottle. Youth Dew opens surprisingly bright with bergamot, and is fresher than I remember it, then once the top notes wear off, it is deep and rich with almost-medicinal balsams and resins.   It's not a fragrance for you if you prefer "clean" scents, but it's a grown-up, sophisticated and no-nonsense kind of a fragrance. I love it very much.  

On Tuesday (top row, middle), I wore Carven Le Parfum, which, after the confident brass balls of Youth Dew, seems a tiny, ladylike whisper of white flowers and office-appropriateness.  It's incredbly light and sheer and pretty, and as I generally prefer a bit of attitude with my fragrance, it's not something I'll wear too often in all honesty.  But if you like clean and pretty and light, it's very lovable indeed.

Wednesday (top right) saw me in Estee Lauder Sensuous Nude,  which is another light and office appropriate fragrance, and one which I don't wear too often as a result.  It's a little more interesting (to me) than the Carven, because this really does smell like warm, clean, freshly showered skin, and I like it, but it doesn't feel very "me".

Thursday saw me right back in my comfort zone, with Voyage d'Hermes by Hermes, in the parfum concentration.  A spiced (cardamom and juniper) rose over a bed of amber, this is surprisingly sexy for a diaphanous Jean Claude Ellena concoction, and is one of my all-time favourite fragrances of all time. It's one both myself and my husband wear (when I'm not hiding it from him that is), and we both  love.  Completely backup-worthy, this one.

Friday, I wore a vintage bottle of Nu by Yves Saint Laurent.  The first fragrance released by Tom Ford for YSL, Nu is a symphony of black pepper and incense, and was a) the first time I'd ever heard of Tom Ford, and b) realised that perfume didn't have to smell of just fruit and flowers.  Nu is spicy, peppery, and at the time that I bought it (around 2001) didn't smell like anything else on the market.  It was truly and original, and the fact that around approximately 60% of all new "niche" perfumes try to rip it off just goes to show how influential it was.  Another one of my favourites.

On Saturday I actually left the house and went for dinner with my husband (I never leave the house on Saturdays if I can possibly help it!) and to celebrate, I went with Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds.  Because: Elizabeth Taylor, White Diamonds. All powder and aldehydes, White Diamond is a true 80's classic, as long as you don't mind smelling like an exploded makeup bag.  Which, of course, I don't.

Lipsticks this week included (Mon-Sat) Max Factor lipgloss in Polished Fuchsia,  Guerlain Kiss Kiss in Very Cherry, Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy in Rebellious Rose, Dior Addict Extreme in Paparazzi, Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Grand Palais, and (not pictured, but please see Monday's post this week), Max Factor Marilyn Monroe Collection No1 Red Ruby.  Pictured bottom left is actually Bare Minerals Moxie lip colour in Live Large, which is excellent.

So, what've you been wearing? 


The Fine Print: PR Sample


This post: LipsNspritz of the week 10 January 2016 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

Dior Addict Tie Dye Lipstick 003 Hypnotic Plum

 If you're going to accidentally check-in far too early for a flight home, then you can do much, much worse then spending three hours at Vienna airport, to be honest.  It is huge, mostly deserted, and the shopping is fabulous.  There is also a branch of the amazing bakery Demel, so you can spend your last few hours in Austria in sophisticated comfort with a hot chocolate and a cake or three ...

Did I mention the shopping?  I did go a bit mad in duty free, so prepare yourselves for a couple of posts where I talk about things you can only buy abroad for a day or two, but first I couldn't resist picking up this Dior Addict lipstick in Hypnotic Plum.  I love that it has the Christian Dior logo running right through it (somewhat contrary to what you might expect from a collection labelled "Tie Dye", but I digress), and the colour is very natural, and great for a "My Lips But Better" look.

A sheer plum, with a sheer peach section running through the centre - this isn't just an embossed logo on the top - this is light and exceptionally glossy, and a perfect lipstick for people who hate opaque shades (strange people though they are), but who still want to look slightly polished.

You can see from the bullet just how glossy this is after one swipe, Hypnotic Plum is a perfect rosy mauve on skin, ideal for just evening out paler lips, and adding just a whisper of colour to darker ones.  Lasting time is rather slight, this being both sheer and glossy, but it doesn't dry lips out.

For my liking, the other shades in the Tie Dye collection from Dior are rather wishy-washy pastels which I would have trouble wearing, but Hypnotic Plum is rather lovely.  The collection is in store now, and the lipstick will cost £25.50, which is rather on the pricey side for something this sheer, but it is a nice, caring formula on the lips. 


The Fine Print: Duty-free, bitches!



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Gateway Drug: Dior Oud Ispahan

By Laurin

I meant to write something completely different for my introductory "Get Lippie" post. But as I was writing last week during quiet moments in the shop, I began to feel like I was sitting down to watch a play halfway through the first act. I need to tell you how I got here, because I can hardly believe it myself.

I know the exact time it happened: July 14th, 2012. About 12:40pm. Early for lunch with a friend in Marylebone, I took a detour through the fragrance hall at Selfridges, and that decision changed my life.

I think it was the softly glowing pink liquid that caught my eye. It certainly wasn’t the rather stark, sturdy bottle. Dior had just launched Oud Ispahan earlier that year as part of their more exclusive "La Collection Privée" and a jewel-like displayof bottles sat enticingly near the entrance to the Dior Fragrance Lounge.

The official notes are rose, oud, patchouli, sandalwood and labdanum, but I could have told you precisely none of that 18 months ago. All I knew was that when I sprayed it on my wrist, that I was instantly transformed into a languid, heavy-lidded seductress with the power to ensnare helpless suitors with one bat of my fluttering eyelashes (well - IN MY MIND). Make no mistake - I am about as far from the Thousand and One Nights as you can possibly get. I am a blonde-haired, green-eyed girl from coastal Alabama who could potentially be mistaken for a transvestite in heels. I'm more likely to swear at you than I am to whisper sweet nothings your ear. But this, I discovered that day, is the transformative power of fragrance, to make you into the person you never imagined you could be, if only until the clock strikes midnight and your rainbow whirl of silk scarves turns back into a Gap jumper.

Oud Ispahan is not original. The combination of rose and oud is a classic one in Eastern perfumery, and it has been done to death in recent years, from the inarguably beautiful but eye-wateringly expensive Kilian Rose Oud, to the slightlyless grand but more accessible Body Shop Rose Oud (creativity, it seems, is not a priority when naming your oud perfume).

But sometimes ignorance is bliss when it comes to fragrance (who really wants to hear that Caron's Tabac Blond is but a shadow of its former glory when time machines are still in dreadfully short supply?) and to my fresh nose, Oud Ispahan smelled like the most haunting evocation of hazy desert sands and gold-leaved minarets this side of the Persian Gulf. A transparent, shimmering rose coupled with the raw, inner-thigh heat of oud, the nose-tingling prickle of patchouli and the richness of sandalwood smelled to me then like nothing ever had before.  I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Later that afternoon, I lay in bed sniffing my wrist three hours and listening to a low buzz in my head that I later came to realise foretold  that I was about to spend an ill-advised amount of money in a completely frivolous manner. Less than 24 hours later I found myself back in the Dior Lounge armed with a MasterCard and a wilful disregard for my bank balance.

Words like "cheap" and "value for money" take on new meaning in niche perfumery. If you love it and you can afford it (even as a treat), it's good value for money. So I'm going to stick my neck out and declare that at £125 for 125ml, Oud Ispahan is excellent value for money. A couple of sprays carry on all day, and into the next. The sillage is epic - it's about as close as you can get to a fanfare of trumpets announcing your arrival. And it makes people SWOON. You know the scene in the English Patient where Juliette Binoche tells charred Ralph Fiennes that she would summon her husband by playing the piano? I'm pretty sure I will summon my husband by wearing Oud Ispahan. Well, my next husband,that is.

After making such an unexpectedly extravagant purchase, I should have gone home and enjoyed my newfound love for the next year. But that's not what happened. Instead, I picked up a book that had lain untouched on my bookcase for the last two years entitled Perfumes: The Guide by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, fell down the rabbit hole of niche fragrance, and a year, thirty bottles and a dozen new friends later, landed in a Saturday job in a perfumery in Marble Arch to support my financially ruinous hobby. Frankly, a drug habit would have been cheaper. But whatever, I can quit at any time. Honest.

Oud Ispahan and the rest of Dior’s La Collection Privée are available at Selfridges, Harrods and Dior Boutiques.

Laurin

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Dior Skinflash Comparison - Shades - 001 and 002

I've somehow acquired two Dior Skinflash highlighters, in shades 001 and 002, and I thought it would be interesting to see them side by side.

Both housed in the signature silver with navy livery, Skinflash is a brush-pen style highlighter of the type that is commonly sold as a "concealer" by department store sales assistants.  What they actually do is spread reflective particles over the skin which bounce light off a particular area, diminishing the eyes' ability to see imperfections. That said, they're better used to draw light to areas in the same way you'd use a highlighter - on cheekbones, browbones etc - than use them to disguise dark circles and the like, because coverage can be very sheer, and the reflection effect can actually draw attention to the areas you're trying to hide, if you apply with too heavy a hand.  

Recall the "reverse panda" effect?

Yeah, don't apply too much, or that's you that is.

 Anyway, where was I?  Oh yes, there are two shades of Dior Skinflash:

L - 001 & R - 002

 As you can see from the above, 001 is more pink, and 002 has a more yellow cast, hopefully meaning that both cool and warm tones can use the products.  Here's how they look swatched heavily on skin:

L 002 - R 001 I'm a doofus and reversed the image - sorry!

 Swatched heavily, you can see the 001 (towards the bottom of the pic) looks a little more chalky on my neutral-toned skin, but the 002 (at the top), melts away a little more.  I'll be honest, I used 001 as an under eye concealer last week, and the pink tones did nothing to disguise anything, probably just made me look more knackered, if I'm being honest!

Blended, the differences are less apparent in this picture, but next time I use Skinflash, I'll ensure I'm using shade 002, as I think it suits my skin better:

 
 The Fine Print - one was a purchase, and one was in a goody bag at an event.  I no longer know which was which. Which is how it should be, if  you ask me.


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

Benefit They're Real Vs Dior Diorshow Iconic

Perfume aside, I don't think there is a beauty product that is as dependent upon personal preference as mascara.  We all have our particular requirements, and personal favourites, and we tend to stick with them, no matter how many new mascaras are released in a particular year.  Last year I was addicted to Trish McEvoy's mascara, but discovered that the formula had changed - making it wetter, and less volumising - when I bought a replacement, so I spent quite some time this year looking for a new one that would replace it in my affections.

I like long, fat "dolly" lashes - verging on the drag queen effect - from my mascaras, none of this natural look thing, thank you.  I'm a fan of Armani Eyes to Kill, but it is pricey, and I can't always be bothered heading to either Selfridges and Harrods to pick one up.  Ditto Makeup Forever's Smokey Lash, but the only place I've found that is Paris, really, so even less easy to pick up.  So, I thought I'd try a couple of mascaras that were easier to get hold of in department stores, Benefit They're Real, and DiorShow Iconic.  Both have had a lot of love from my fellow beauty bloggers lately, so which one would win for me?

The Tubes:

I have to say that the hands down winner of the battle of the tubes is Benefit, I love the shiny pewter finish, and the fat tube.  In all honesty, the embossed finish of the Dior tube makes it look a bit sticky.  It's not, but I don't like it, all the same.

The Brushes:

These are both plastic brushes, as opposed to bristles, and they're both slightly unusual twists on a normal brush in their own right:

Benefit:

This always reminds me of a mace, for some reason.  We have short spiky bristles, and these bristles continue onto the tip of the brush.  I'll be honest, I do find the bristles a little too spiky at times, and if you accidentally blink when applying, well, it's not nice.

DiorShow:

A little wider than the Benefit, the bristles on Iconic are arrayed in a spiral pattern, and they're a little longer and rounder than the Benefit bristles.  Personally, I find that the brush on the Diorshow Iconic suits my lashes better, leaving my lashes looking more "groomed" after using.

The Formulas:

I find that the Benefit They're Real formula is very wet in comparison to the DiorShow Iconic, and that it requires more coats to give a "finished" look than the Dior.  The Dior is dryer, and gives a fuller effect with a lot less effort. Both are very black, and I've not noticed any flaking with either formulation. Dior wins. Anything that can help a lazybones like me look good quicker has to be good.

The Lashes:

They're not upside down, I'm just looking up.  A bit too much.

It is, in fact, almost a dead heat.  Both lengthen, and both volumise, but the Dior just has the edge on volumising, and, I noticed, it curls the lashes more.  Pic shows two coats of each on uncurled lashes.  I suspect though, that if I were to apply more than two coats, that the Dior would clump a bit more than the Benefit.  I only ever apply two coats though - life is too short for three coats of mascara, if you ask me.

Winner:

For me, it's the Dior, but they're both excellent.  Once the Benefit had a chance to dry out a bit (when I first used it, I hated it, but letting it dry out for a month or two has worked wonders for it, for me), I liked it a lot more, whereas the Dior was a winning formula straight out of the box.

The Fine Print: Benefit was a PR sample.  The Dior ... wasn't.

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

Dior Addict Lipstick 578 Diorkiss

Apparently, some people think I'm a bit obsessed with lipstick.  I cannot imagine why people might think this.

[looks up at logo]

Oh.

Alright, they might have a point.  But, I'd like to make clear that I only own three drawers worth of lipsticks/glosses and balms.  For the purposes of the point I'm making, I'd like to - of course - ignore the box of lip products in the bathroom.   And the fact that I always have at least 10 lip products in my handbag at any one time.


Where was I?  Oh yes, Dior are relaunching their Addict range of lipsticks, and they very kindly agreed to send me one so I would stop sending them begging letters could take a look at them for you.  I was sent 578 in Diorkiss which is a pink.  I think my search for the perfect pink has overtaken my search for the perfect red over the last few months, which is a surprise!

This lipstick is also the shade you'll see Kate Moss wearing the advertising campaign.  In the bullet, this looks quite a deep shade:

But be not scared if you're wary of dark lipsticks, for in what appears to be an increasing trend this year (like the Guerlains and Chanels I've shown you recently), these have a gel base and are perfect for a more sheer look:

As you can see from the swatch, this is a soft and gentle pink on the skin, a little less "bright" than a lot of the other pinks I wear, and it feels very emollient on the lips.  If you like a deep, opaque look from your lip colours, then it's likely that the newly released (they're currently in Selfridges, but you will be able to buy them nationwide from 11th April)  Addict line isn't for you.

On the lips, it's a gentle wash of glossy colour, perfect for no-fuss looks.  Lasting power is about average for a glossy sheer - about three hours if you can abstain from eating or drinking for a while, less if you must indulge in a coffee in the morning.


I love the pearlescent packaging, and, even though it took a little while for me to figure out precisely to get the lid off (look, I'm old, and opening things seems to not be my forte these days), it's a lovely bit of kit.  I think I might have to indulge in a couple more.


Dior Addict lipsticks will be available nationwide from April 11th and will cost £22.  Which is cheaper than the new Chanel Rouge Coco shines (by 50p), and a good few pounds cheaper than the Guerlain Rouge Automatiques which will be released later in the month.


The Fine Print:  I was sent this to review.

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

Random Face of the Day - Diorskin Nude Foundation Test

Apologies for the fact that I'm fully dressed here, random Googlers! I've been trialling Diorskin Nude foundation for about a week now, and I don't really have any hard and fast thoughts about it - yet - but I thought you might like to see how it photographs.

Alongside the Nudeskin, I'm wearing:
Sue Devitt eyeshadow in Lonely Splendour (a lovely taupe), 
Illamsaqua  Precison Ink eyeliner in Abyss, 
Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill mascara
NARS Blush in Sin
Guerlain Rouge G in Galante (yes, I bought another one)


Six products is about the minimum I can make a FotD these days, even one as simple (though I prefer the term "classic" as this one).


Here's another shot in different lighting:

You can very nearly see my new teeth!


Have you tried Diorskin Nude foundation?  What're your thoughts?


The Fine Print: I bought everything in this post. Not all at the same time, I'm not made of money credit cards.

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

Dior Lip Addict Gloss: 707 Flash and 654 Pearl

Alongside the palette I showed to you yesterday, Dior have also released two lipglosses to go alongside, one a cool silvery grey and one a light, cool, milky coral:

Flash 707 is the one that caught my eye back in December, and I was intrigued as to how it would work in person, but when I saw 654 Pearl, I felt duty-bound to pick that one up too, as it was so pretty in the flesh!

As you can see, 707 Flash swatches pretty sheerly, and 654 Pearl swatches far more opaquely, but both have a hint of blue and copper micro-shimmer running through them, as you can see here:

They're both exceptionally pretty, but I have a feeling Flash will be a lot more useful as a layering gloss, than as a shade in its own right, I'm not entirely convinced grey lips are the way to go unless you're serious about looking like you have consumption ...

Both are typical Lip Addict glosses, lightly fruit scented, slightly sticky, not all that long lasting, but they don't dry your lips out, and I, for one, am a fan of the slightly OTT packaging.

The Fine Print:  You can call these samples, if you wish.  I prefer to refer to them as "shopping".

Dior Cannage - 002 Whisper Grey

 Saw this palette a couple of weeks ago at a preview and fell in love with it, but it's taken till now for me to get set up to do swatches!  For Spring/Summer 2011, Dior have gone for cool greys and pinks, which makes a refreshing change from all the bronzes and corals we had last year.  I have a selection of the products from this range, and I'll work my way through showing you them this week.

I selected the Whisper Grey palette because there was a little more pink in the shades than there appeared to be in 001, which is a lot more monochrome.  Also, it's a darn cute little thing:

It's quilted in the same fashion as Dior handbags and feels great in the hand.  There's no protective velvet pouch with this one though, so maybe not one for dragging around with you too much as the squashy pleather may get scratched.  Love the Dior logo though:

Once you open the palette, you have four shadows, a decent-sized mirror, and a sponge applicator:

There's a pink, a pale grey-taupe, a darker matte grey and a frosty white (at least, that's how they appear in the pan):

It appears on first glance that the top two shades are shimmery, and the bottom are more matte, but these shades are slightly more complex than they appear, as you'll see from the swatches:

(swatched dry over bare skin with the sponge applicator included with the palette)

 

 

As you can see, these are actually fairly pigmented (I don't have much luck with Dior, the last palette I bought barely showed up on swatching at all, and the Minaudiere I bought from my mum was snatched off me in a mugging before Christmas), and I like how they appear on skin. 

The shimmery pink top left is not quite as frosty as it appear here, and the grey-taupe (top right) is a lot more complex, and is probably (surprise!) my favourite shade in the palette.  However, the matte grey bottom left is probably going to get a lot of use from me, as it has a pinkish base, which I think will make it far more flatteringly wearable than a more traditional steel-y grey, which tends towards a blue base.  I was suprised by the white, expecting it to be flat - and chalky - but there's actually a hint of shimmer, and it's shot through with a very pale, flattering gold.  Used sheerly, I'm sure it'll be far more useful than a plain flat white.

I did also swatch these shades over primer, but they don't, in all honesty, look all that different:

It pulls the grey-taupe a little more silver (which I'm not entirely sure is a good thing), and make the pink a bit more frosty, but I think I prefer the swatches without a base, in all honesty.

Grey lipgloss coming up tomorrow!

The Fine Print: These products were bought'n'paid for.  Ask MrLippie, he was most amused bemused at my shopping habits.

Looking forward to 2011? Guerlain, Lauder, Dior, Lancome and Clarins are ...

Nope, haven't gone quite mad - yet - but I found these pics on my iphone today and thought I'd show you some of the things you'll be able to see on Get Lippie coming up in the next couple of months ...

Here you can see the spring/summer releases from both Dior and Guerlain (Dior on the left, Guerlain on the right).  I'm loving the pressed Meteorites powder there, and the grey lipgloss from Dior.  Dior have a new mascara brush too, which I'm looking forward to trying when I get rid of my eyelash extensions ...

Here you can see the next Tom Pecheaux collection for Estee Lauder - Wild Violet - this looks simply beautiful. I think Tom has done amazing things for Lauder since he became Creative Director, and this looks like no exception:

The palette looks amazing - I'm a sucker for purple, as most of you should already know - and the Untamed Violette eyeliner looks fab too, can't wait to try this.  The range launches at Selfridges on 3rd January, and will be available nationwide from February.

Clarins are specialising in nudes for Spring 2011, and these are some lovely shades. Personally, I can't wait to have a proper look at the one second from the right there.  Those shades of mauvy-pink are perfect for me.  There's an eyeshadow palette too, which has some lovely pinkish neutrals, which looks very interesting.

Lancome are giving us pinks and purples this spring, and this looks very pretty indeed.  That purple eye palette in particular is really calling my name.  I like purple, what can I tell you?

A closer look at Guerlain - I think I need that new Rouge G. It's red, of course I need it!

Urban Decay is launching creme blush this spring, alongside a limited edition box of all of the 24/7 eyeliners.


So ... see anything interesting?  Anything catch your eye?  If so, let me know, and I'll arrange a review for you ...

Christmas Countdown - Bits and bobs

Continuing my Christmas gift guide, here are some other bits and bobs that I thought might make great gifts for people (including me!).

First of all, one of the more prettily packaged palettes I've seen this season:

Dior Minaudiere

I actually bought one of these for my mum last week, having seen it on a variety of US blogs recently, but if you follow me on Twitter at all, you'll know it was stolen from me when I was mugged last week.  I'm fine, but I'm still heartbroken that I lost this.  Containing three toning eyeshadows and two lipglosses, these are destined to be a collectors item of the future, I think.  They cost £59 from Debenhams, and are well worth the investment, just tuck the Dior bag well away in your shopping!

Jonathan Ward Candles

I mention Jonathan at any possible opportunity, I realise, but for me, his really have become the standard against which I measure all candles.  Clean burning, organic, lovingly presented and always gloriously scented, Jonathan's candles are extremely difficult to beat.  In particular at the moment I'm enjoying the Amber & Spice collection, of which I cleared Wholefoods out of almost its entire stock, recently!  Even the £20 "gift size" candle burns for an extremely long time, and doesn't look at all miserly. Very highly recommended indeed.

Incidentally, Tom Ford has recently introduced a range of candles based on his Private Blend Collection of scents, and I think the Tuscan Leather would be a great addition to my candle wall!

Affordable makeup-wise, ELF makeup is difficult to beat and they've brought out a lovely range of eyeshadow sets for Christmas this year:

I've got my hands on a couple of these sets already, and I think they're astonishing value at £3.50 for the sets of six shadows, to £9 for a set of 32, to £15 for a set of 100!  I adore their Studio line of brushes too, and think that a lot of pro lines will find it hard to compete with their quality at only £3.50 each.

And finally - it's not beauty related, I know, but this IS a beauty, believe you me! - there is this:

Yes, it's a filofax, but to be precise it is the Filofax Gourmet Society giftbox, which contains an organiser (in either the grape that you see here, or Slate Grey), a pen, and a year's membership to the Gourmet Society which gets you up to 50% in thousands of restaurants around the UK.  I was the lucky recipient of one of these a couple of weeks ago, and it has been in daily use ever since, I can't imagine life without it.  This normally retails at £43 (and is a bargain even then, as the Gourmet Society membership alone costs more than that) but is currently on special offer on the filofax website at £38.  I know at least three people who'd love one of these, and probably more!

So, that's it for my Christmas gift guide (for now), I may add to it later ... what are you thinking of getting people?

Face of the Day - Berry Lips

Dark, gothic lipstick colours are very much the flavour of the day this season, so here's my take on the look:






I'm wearing Chanel tinted moisturiser, Edward Bess eyeshadow in Intimate, Dior purple eyeliner, and the lips are Daniel Sandler lipstick in Micro Berry. This shade, I've discovered, makes a really pretty stain too.

Will you be wearing dark lips this autumn?

Dior Autumn 2010 Eyeshadow Quint - Incognito

I haven't really decided what this week's theme is going to be, so prepare for a week of utter randomness!  Today I'm having a look at Dior's latest eyeshadow quint palette in Incognito, which was released very recently:

I'll be honest, I don't own a huge amount of Dior shadows (lip products, oh yes, tonnes of them!) but I loved the slightly cool neutrals in this palette, and the silvery taupe in the bottom right there really called out to me.

This is how they swatch:

The shades all swatch on the sheer side (swatched once with fingers, no base), and, to be honest, I find the matte shades (the two at the top) a little powdery and somewhat chalky.  But there's no doubting the pigmentation of the bottom two!

Another shot of the swatches from a slightly different angle to show the finishes:

I'll be honest, I was expecting wonderful things from this palette (I was in a bit of a rush when I bought it, and didn't have a chance to swatch in store), and I'm a little disappointed in how "meh" it appears on the skin like this.  I've read some real raves about Dior Quints in the past, and I was excited about picking this one up.  I'm hoping I'll fall more in love with it once I've used it properly on my eyes.

What do you think of Dior shadows?  Have you tried any?