London Fashion Week: Emerging Trends

By Tindara

It’s been a little while since I wrote anything for Get Lippie, and to get me back in the writing saddle, and so I could atone for this appalling neglect, our resident pro make-up artist Luke Stephens arranged a ticket for me to attend the London Fashion Week Synergy event: Emerging Trends. Luke was second in command to make-up supremo, Nicci Jackson and the London Muse pro make-up team for Emerging Trends. This is an annual European showcase of new designers and can be a really important springboard into the industry for them. There was certainly some interesting work in show, and I really enjoyed the whole experience, especially getting a glimpse of what happens backstage.

Obviously, it all started with me panicking about what to wear on Facebook, as I’d never been to anything at London Fashion Week before! I dutifully went with black, as everyone had told me to, with some killer Pavie Gioelli chain earrings and my faithful furry leopard ankle boots. When I got there I was welcomed backstage by Luke and Nicci, and it was all remarkably calm. Models were milling about in jewel encrusted and geometric patterned silk, and the mother of all make-up collections was spread out on one side of the room. I could pretend that I was like, totally cool, but the reality was my mind was screaming “OHMIGOD, the girl from Tottenham is backstage at London Fashion Week”. I know it sounds supremely hackneyed, but everyone really was lovely, especially Nicci and her London Muse Academy team who gave up their time to be there, who didn’t seem to mind me nosing about while they worked away.

Luke and Nicci had an impressive schedule with the corresponding series of looks photographed, rehearsed and ready. As I was whisked away I got to see the first few models ready to go for Naveda Couture (USA), the diaphanous fabrics, shimmery beading, and olive, coral and cream colour palette were set off by a gleaming metallic sheen on the skin with fishtails plaits and natural curls.

Anya Liesnick’s (Germany) slick cuts and Rorschach style patterned fabrics were complemented by strong straight dark brows and exaggerated winged black liner, and matt peach or red lips. Shefali Couture’s (Dubai) satins, lace and shimmer, were accompanied by more metallic sheen, white liner round the eyes and matt orange lips. Fleur Kelinza (UK) and Stefan Meuwissen’s (Belgium) beautiful brown, orange, cream, black and gold geometric honeycomb silks were teamed with more peach matt lips and a china blue shadow with a lovely sixties vibe.

The real stars were Prieston (Noémi Nagy Hungary) and La Mo Designs (Leonora Asomanin UK). Prieston in particular, featured beautifully cut dresses in innovative richly coloured and textured fabrics, modern floral brocades with see through elements, Russian influences and crystal-encrusted bling. One dress in particular made me and my neighbour sigh. It was a grown up princess dress with puffs at the shoulder, gathers at the waist and discreet V-back coupled with a saucy red floral fabric with see through areas. I loved the baby-pink gloss used on models, the sunkissed look with long tousled braids was really playful with the full on drama of the Prieston stuff.

Asomanin’s work was also structurally impressive, influenced by Japanese traditional kimonos, though brighter with beautifully colourful fabrics, long trains attached to belts and shoulders. Make-up was strong and dark and goth-inspired, with both black shadow and lips, or heightened colour, like blue, pink and yellow on both eyes and lips.

I hadn’t appreciated how much hard work make-up for one of these shows is before; Nicci, Luke and the rest of the team did a great job. No wonder Luke said it was like a conveyor belt back there! The amount of different looks and how they corresponded to each designer’s work was a creative and organisational feat. Tune in next LFW for more back-stage make-up stories, meanwhile, I’m practicing sashaying in very high heels and triple top knots with blue lipstick.

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Storage Week! How A Makeup Pro Does It ...

Our final post of the Storage Week! series (which is actually going to ending up lasting a fortnight, we're nice like that here at Get Lippie) shows you how a real, working, makeup artist stores their stuff.  we have to tell you, it's not what we expected.

Anyhoo, here's Luke with the lowdown:

As interested as I am in being very organised with stuff, and making products and makeup all nice and neat, what with me being you know, male, it is rather difficult for me to pop anything away neatly as I am ALWAYS having to dredge it out again. Also, storage space is more valuable than the last sheet of toilet roll at my house, and so I have to put stuff wherever there is an available orifice.

It is probably worth mentioning that I do tend to divide my products into two categories:  professional and personal.  Sometimes there is a blur between the two and this causes all sorts of confusion, which results often in a rather stressed out search for a particular item. In a very small nutshell (Ha ha! - Ed), this is how it goes.

The makeup that I use for work is itself between two categories.  Special F/X/Prosthetics/Film & TV, and everything else.  There are some pretty hefty chemicals in the former category, so it’s important that that is stored separately from the “normal” makeup. Everything else pretty much gets sorted thus...

This is my professional kit that I use all the time. No matter what the job is, I know that in here is everything I need to do a half decent makeup.  If I am ever unable to do something out of this bag, I need to hang up my brushes and find something else to do.  It is also handy for running out the door on those last minute bookings that happen from time to time. The excellent Charles Fox bucket bag is a bleeding life saver, and is so well used that it broke last week, but has done a good 3 years of being lugged. Ahhhh, if it could only talk.

Prior to ANY job there is still a certain amount of juggling that goes on.  I need to double check everything, and then edit accordingly. This is often the case when there is a particular season to be considering, or if there are male models involved, if some of the models are darker skinned etc...

That is where these come in handy.  I am only showing ONE of the seventeen of these boxes that I have for brevity (and also I haven’t the time to pull them all out from under the bed, out of the cupboard, the shed, and god knows where else).  But for each job, I will pull all of these out, have a look and replace certain items that are needed, or that I think I may be needed.  It is a long and often very frustratingly tiring process, but my human strength will only allow me to carry so much at any one time.

It is a huge box where each individual item has been lovingly placed into a freezer zip-lock bag and labelled.  The boxes are divided into Face, Eyes, Lips, body and Misc.  On each bag a big red or blue sharpie has on it what is in there. Foundations, Bronzers, Eye Shadows, Cream eye shadows etc...
They are then divided into Spring/Summer then Autumn/Winter.  No actual reason for this, other than I know roughly what sort of colours we’ll be dealing with here. Ie SS is lights, pink, corals, greens etc... and the AW is the darker side of the colour spectrum.

My personal stuff, which is largely skin care is also divided similarly.  However, the stuff that I use every day is spread on my bedside table, and on my chest of drawers in my bedroom. Again, please note the lack of ability to edit.

To save dragging out the boxes again, I have selected a few fragrances that I want to be wearing. This also tends to be seasonally dependant.

The bathroom is a similar sort of affair.  I want to be able to reach for stuff easily, so....

Send help.

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Guerlain L'Homme Ideal

I have said this before of Guerlain, but they really don’t like to rush fragrances out. It’s been nigh on 6 years since they released a men’s fragrance. I may be overstepping the mark here, but I often feel Guerlain doesn’t get a fair slice of attention, and this really is a shame.

Guerlain, despite having been around since the dawn of time it seems, are still relatively new to me.  It’s only recently that I have discovered that they are quite the place to go for assured quality and proper attention to detail when it comes to practically everything they do.  Even their packaging is to die for.  I am a big fan of pretty much everything, from skincare, to makeup, and certainly their fragrances.  And you should be too. They already have a stellar line up of men’s offerings that many have grown up with, and like me, some people are discovering only now.

Many of them have stood the test of time, classics such as Vetiver, Habit Rouge, and the more modern and very flirty L’eau Boisee (easily a second date fragrance if ever there was one), and I think this is testament to their integrity as far as taking time to make sure it is right before setting it free upon the masses.  The same level of attention to detail and time has clearly been taken over their newest release for blokes, which is the L’Homme Ideal (Ideal Man, obvs).  Thierry Wasser is always a bit of an innovator, and he doesn’t seem to shy away from this here either.

The top notes are rosemary and citrus, giving it the kick it needs to really launch it, but they don’t last long, as most citruses don’t on me. Not to worry though, the best is yet to come.  Now, reading the press release (as with most that are associated with men’s products) they are keen to let you know that this is a ‘masculine’ fragrance in every sentence.  So the irony of it containing nuts is somewhat of a macho giggle. Stop yourself; the nuts that I’m talking about here are almonds.  At its heart there is an ‘amaretto’ note that gives the fragrance a beautiful dry, almost sandy feel to it, not at all sweet, and it doesn’t disappear into the marzipan end of the almond-scale.  This is accompanied by sugar cane and the increasingly present tonka bean.  It really is almost good enough to eat, and a very, sexy smell indeed. Almonds. Who knew?! The only thing is, it doesn’t project terribly well on me.  But, it does last a fair while. So you’ll have to invite people to get closer to smell it.

The bottle itself is also rather fabulous.  A faceted square cut gem, surrounded by a lacquered band of black.  It almost looks like a very smart men’s watch, which is also mirrored in the cap which has the look of a dial.  The box is also a hero.  On the monochrome front, the very classic silver and black letters all merge into each other to read ‘No need to be L’Homme Ideal anymore. You have your fragrance.’

Well, that’s a relief for us all then isn’t it.


L’Homme Ideal is out September 1st Nationwide, and starts from £48 for a 50ml EDT.

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How to do: Foundation

By Luke

Oh sweet mother of god there are a lot of base products out there aren’t there? Foundations, tinted moisturisers, BB creams, CC creams, and everything in between. What are they, and what is best for you? Where on earth do you start?

Well there are a whole host of bases available, and all are good for different things, like, different times of year, different skin types. Any one person should ideally have at least two of the following list in their arsenal, in my humble opinion.

TINTED MOISTURISER

Light, translucent. Gently evens skin tone without covering too much up. You should be able to see your skin underneath and have it not feel heavy, or opaque. Ideal for on makeup wearers (who ARE you people??!!) and summertime. Comes in a variety of textures (oil free, radiant) and finishes (matte, dewy). Generally a fluid type, but sometimes comes in a compact. NOT a replacement for skincare generally. Just a name for a super sheer makeup.

GOOD FOR: A little bit of coverage, the summer time, when you don’t want to much on, generally everyone who wants a light easily applied makeup.

BAD FOR: Anyone that has hyper pigmentation (they generally will not cover this) or anyone that requires a fuller coverage base.

I RECOMMEND: There are a lot of these, but I like the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser a lot Amazing array of colours, and textures, and I also love the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (available nationwide, £32) . Less choice of colour, but a really lovely finish, and is virtually weightless. It also has light diffusing particles that are imperceptible, but work really well. Will need to give this a really good shake before you use it though. The NARS Tinted Moisturisers (available at www.NARSCosmetics.co.uk, £29) are also amazing, and have a high SPF too. Tend to use these when I’m working outdoors.

FOUNDATION

There are lots to choose from here. Comes in all manner of finishes, dewy, to matte. All different types of coverage also, from really close to what one might consider a tinted moisturiser, to a full coverage where nothing shows through. All different types of texture available, generally for different skin types. Creamy for dry, oil free for blemish prone, or shiny, compact foundations for ease of use, to sprays, and the list goes on. Just so you know, I have yet to come across a foundation that I can’t make look amazing, regardless of the price, and the quality. It’s not good enough to slap it on, you do need to spend a little bit of time, not hours, but a bit of time working it so you get what you want from it. Colour is perhaps the most important thing here. But generally nowadays they are all pretty good.

GOOD FOR: Anyone that requires a bit more coverage, perhaps the more problem end of the skin spectrum.

BAD FOR: Anyone who thinks you need a foundation ‘for evening’. Not necessarily. Anyone that doesn’t want to cover 70% of their features. Anyone that doesn’t want to spend a little bit of time working a base on.

I RECOMMEND: Lord so many. But in my kit I have the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat which I adore. Light coverage, and dewy finish, and comes in a great range of colours, I use these a lot and am forever running out. The Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus foundation (available nationwide, £29) is another one I love. Not wild about the range of colours here, could be more, but generally found that it’s a good match for just about everyone. Has amazing skincare benefits too. Another one of my all time faves is Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (available at www.superdrug.com, £8.99)). Amazing stuff. And so reasonably priced and smells delicious. Also I do like the Givenchy Teint couture foundation (available at www.houseoffraser.com, £32.50). Great coverage, not too heavy, and a really nice finish on it. Particularly for skins that can’t make their mind up if they are dry or oily.

MINERAL POWDER

Generally formed of minerals (no surprise there) which act as a sort of flat pigment that sits over the skin, and when ‘buffed’ provide coverage. Lots of different ones on the market with varying degrees of quality and effectiveness. Generally contain a natural (as in not added) SPF due to the nature of the product, and the materials used. NOT a face powder in the traditional sense. Has little to no oil absorbing quality, and if it does, sorry. It aint a mineral powder proper.

I RECOMMEND: Well, there is a well known brand of this particular type of makeup that frankly, I just can’t get along with. I find it overpriced and frankly, rather chalky looking. AAAANYWAY, I hate to bang on about them, but the best mineral powders I have ever used are the Laura Mercier ones. They come in two formats. Pressed and loose, they cover well, have a good range of colours. Some may struggle to match up, but few will, and they last a while too. (£31, available nationwide)

GOOD FOR: Generally speaking anyone that is particularly sensitive (unless it’s a mineral sensitivity), anyone that wants a quick and easy application as these are generally brushed on.

BAD FOR: Anyone with very dry skin. Despite not having a huge talc content, they are still a ‘powder’ so can look a bit arid on dry skins. Anyone who wants to look totally matte. They DO NOT absorb oil in the way a setting powder does. Older skins may struggle with these too, as they can show up fine lines.

BB CREAMS

Perhaps the most misunderstood, overused new term in the beauty market to date. Save for that awful ‘hypoallergenic’ rubbish that means zilch, but that’s a rant for another post. BB creams are not tinted moisturisers, and tinted moisturisers are not BB creams. A lot of BB creams on the market are IN FACT tinted moisturisers under a zeitgeist name. BB Creams were invented in Germany, not Malaysia as is commonly believed, by a Dr who wanted her clients to be able to wear a base that covered the rather inflammatory effects of her aggressive anti ageing facials that would also benefit the skin. The BB (or blemish balm, not beauty balm) was born. A unique product, with pigment suspended in rich skincare that evened out tone and redness and also helped the skin to heal. It was quickly adapted by the Malaysian market as a staple favourite, and then of course we heard about it a mere 10 years later, and acted like it’s the second coming. The formula since has been diluted down and down to such an extent that to be honest, if you are considering a tinted moisturiser or a BB cream, there is so little in the difference, you could quite easily use either to the same effect.

I RECOMMEND: There are few actual BB creams out there. Dr Jart (available at www.boots.com, from £9) is the closest I have come across. I am not wild about the colour of them though, but they feel nice and are easy to use. Without doubt, the best one I have ever used is the Stila 10-in-one HD Beauty Balm (available at www.boots.com, £26). Not strictly a BB cream, but has the same effect. I used this on myself when I had a quite reddening lactic acid peel, and it worked a treat. Love the finish on this. Another one I like is the Rodial BB Venom Skin tint (available at www.rodial.co.uk £35).

GOOD FOR: Anyone wanting to try something OTHER than a tinted moisturiser. Anyone who wants an uber natural finish, with the added benefits of skincare.

BAD FOR: Anyone expecting a fuller coverage.

CC CREAMS

Yet another product that has been around for eons, just rediscovered and given a new name. Commonly known in the industry as colour correctors, I have been using similar incarnations of these for nigh on 10 years. Now though, some have the benefit of a smart delivery system that means instead of effectively staining the skin, which is what they used to do, they become part of it, similar to the way a BB Cream pigment is delivered, and are thus much easier to use, and less like to make you look like Shrek.

I RECOMMEND: I am extremely old fashioned and tend not to use these, as I go for the colour correctors instead. That said some really nice ones have landed on my desk over the last year or so, My fave is the Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream (available at www.debenhams.co.uk, £30). I have heard stories that despite the name, it can leave the skin feeling quite dry, but adequate skincare underneath sort of stops this. It does now also come in a handy compact. The Bobbi Brown ones are also good and come in a variety of colours for different concerns.

GOOD FOR: Anyone with high colour, or feels their skin could do with a ‘boost’ of radiance or more even tone. There are different colours for different needs. Green for anti redness, peach for dullness etc...

BAD FOR: Anyone who wants coverage. These work together with your base to make a more flawless appearance.

DD CREAMS 

I have no idea. Not sure I want to know either. See: cynical marketing efforts by beauty companies.

Tools

To use a sponge or a brush? I would probably guess that 7 out 10 women do not use either, as it’s seen as a bit cumbersome, and takes a bit more time. Well, this isn’t necessarily the case. There are a whole host of tools to apply foundation that can make the world of difference to the finish. Here is a very general guide:

A sponge should never be used wet! I hear this happening a lot. No. Just no. It will affect the foundation to such an extent that I am pretty sure you’ll be looking at about 20 minutes of good wear. Always use a dry sponge, preferably one you can wash and re use.


There is no real benefit to using a sponge over a brush or vice versa, it really is personal preference. As a very general rule, a brush will place the foundation well, and buff it in, where as a sponge is an excellent idea for moving the product around, and blending it around the edges of the face.


No sponge or brush need be used with a BB Cream or tinted moisturiser. They are too sheer really for this sort of application. Fingers all the way here.


Please for the sake of your poor face, make sure that you CLEAN your foundation brush and/or your makeup sponge. Even if it is just you who is using it, it will still gather all sorts of bacteria so a good wash once a month (or more) is HIGHLY advisable. This can be done simply with some hot water, and some washing up liquid. Dry them flat on a tea towel overnight.


A little foundation from the bottle or pump on the back of your hand rather than dipping it into the bottle itself is advisable. Hygiene being incredibly important here.

I RECOMMEND: Just your common or garden makeup sponge from Superdrug. I prefer the Oval shaped ones as they are easier to get into the smaller areas of the face than the triangular ones. To me, it makes no difference if you use a latex free sponge or not. Save for should you have an allergy to latex.

BRUSHES

I recommend the following:

MAC 187: Large head of duo fibre hairs. One set synthetic, one set natural. All cut different lengths so excellent for buffing in any foundation. I just go in circular motions all round the face. Don’t be afraid by the ‘seams’ this brush leaves initially in the foundation, as soon as you keep buffing, they disappear to a flawless finish.

MAC 183: Same as above, but with a smaller head, great for getting into smaller areas, or if the 187 is a little intimidating. Both available at www.MACcosmetics.co.uk

Estee Lauder Foundation Brush: Perfectly sized, and cut to place foundation. Using the flat side of the brush you literally paint it on, until you have the desired finish. Available nationwide.

Glamcor Finish Brush: Superb buffing/finishing brush. Huge head on it again with the duo fibres that are shorter. Excellent for finishing a foundation by gently using the very tips of the fibres to gently buff over the surface of the base to really give a flawless finish. Available at www.preciousaboutmakup.com

This post: How to do: Foundation 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

Colbert MD Skincare

By Luke

Whenever a leading member in the field of dermatology brings out a skincare range, more often than not it’s a good one. This is good news, because no self respecting member of the strict regulatory bodies that govern this particular field of expertise (such as Dr Colbert), is going to put their name to something that is a) bad for your skin, and b) rubbish.

Dr Colbert MD is a bit of a celebrity’s celeb too. He designed an advanced facial that had the Hollywood elite queuing at the door, the Tri-Facial. This gently and effectively uses light laser abrasion, and soothing botanicals to increase the amount of collagen in the skin, and as it has minimal down time it fast became dubbed as ‘The Red Carpet Facial’ with A-listers popping in to quickly get their fix before they donned a posh frock and strutted down the carpet in front the eyes of the world.

Dr Colbert then got asked to produce a serum for a celebrity whilst on a film set (where is often spending time making sure that his clients look incredible), which he pretty much knocked up athere and then, and has been using it ever since. Then he made a facial oil that gave the skin not just an extraordinary radiance that photographs beautifully, but also treats the skin too.

From that point on, the range expanded, there are currently nine products available in the UK, and is now a fully comprehensive range that will knock your socks off. It did mine.

I was asked to try the Colbert MD range about a month ago and have been mightily impressed with the simplicity of it. There are no complicated procedures, or multiple products to get confused with. I have even had the chance to put some of the products to the test when working on other human faces than my own, and with rather excellent results.

At the core of the range is the QuSome technology, which put simply is patented delivery system for the active ingredients that gets them where they need to be in a stable way and in the most effective manner possible. It does this by encapsulating the active ingredients within an oxygen-proof ‘shell’ that makes them more potent when applied. Daily nutrition for skin, in a pseudo ‘pill’ format? I’m in!

Without giving you a full description of the whole range, I am going to pick the highlights.

The Balance Purifying Cleanser, £38.

This was the first product I used.

I opened it up, and put a blob into my hand uh oh, a gel. Generally I don’t get on well with gel cleansers as they have a nasty tendency to be full of soap and foamy, which leaves my skin feeling dry and at worst flaky.

This, I noticed immediately when on my face, was a totally different texture.

It’s a soft gel that is so light you barely feel it on the skin at all! It doesn’t foam wildly, and certainly didn’t leave me feeling tight or dry afterwards. Difficult for me to say how good it is at removing makeup, as I don’t wear any, but skin was certainly squeaky clean afterwards. I have tried it with a foundation on the back of my hand though, and it seemed to get rid of that with no real effort.

The feeling is also slightly cooling. I am not sure which ingredient this is, and in the recent humidity was most welcome.

In it, there is also lactic acid (one of my favourites) that gently exfoliates, and it has Ginko Biloba which is a natural anti-bacterial. So it’s an all rounder this. And the smell is just gorgeous too. A lovely light citrus scent, naturally provided. Not artificially perfumed.

Do be sure not to hold this the wrong way up when you take the lid off though as it has a tendency to really pour out, when you only need a tiny little blobette. New word. Look it up.

Stimulate The Serum, £115

This was next (it was bedtime).

Claiming to stimulate the collagen production in your skin, this is a bit of an all rounder too.

What I love about this, as with most of the line, is that it is a once a day product. Either AM or PM. Under your moisturiser at night, or during the day, or just under your sunscreen. Wherever you can fit it in. The action of this is in the name also. Stimulate, it is designed to wake the skin up, revitalising the appearance of it, brightening and all the other things we want from healthy looking skin.

It has Caffeine, and glycolic in it, but is ever so gentle. Anyone who is worried about the acid content of this needn’t be as it is very gentle indeed.

The Illumino Face Oil, £100

This, for me, is the runaway favourite product.

For many reason, but mainly because it delivers INSTANT results, and the effect keeps getting better for about half an hour after you have put it on your face.

Again using the QuSome technology, compounded with retinol and vitamin C, this deep penetrating oil was designed to give an almost supernatural glow to the skin, giving the appearance of youth in al its dewiness. It has been used on red carpet attendees for many years, as it is so effective, and really photographs well. Makeup works superbly with it (but be careful, only a tiny drop is needed here) either underneath as a sort of primer, or dabbed over the top.

A nourishing treat too, it contains Argan Oil, Passion Fruit Oil, Marula Oil, Yangu Oil, Borage Seed oil all designed to feed and improve the quality of your skin, and boy does it.

I used this recently when working with some female body builders at the WBFF. The glow emanating from all them was superb, and they all looked fantastic on stage. I would say it would work on any skin except the very oil, spot prone types. But dry skin will absolutely LOVE this as mine does.

There is also an Illumino Body Oil, which is of a similar composition which Dr Colbert tells us is used on all those stunning Victoria’s Secret models for the shows to give them a super sheen.

Tone Control Facial Discs, £65

One of two of these sorts of affairs, they are little textured pads which contain the product on them. The ones I have are the Tone Control variety (as opposed to the others which are re texturising pads, and they're very good ones too). Gentle enough to be used morning or evening, these contain an ingredient called “SymWhite” which targets darker skin pigmentation from sun damage. Designed to give a more even tone to the skin, and diminish any visible irregularities it also has anti inflammatory ingredients that reduce redness.

I have used these for about three weeks, and although I don’t have any real signs of pigmentation on my skin, my redness (which I am very conscious of) is definitely reduced. What I like most about these is the skin conditioning that seems to go on. Skin is very smooth, and really overmoisturised. Although it does say to use a moisturiser afterwards, I found this is not always necessary.

The other thing that I love about these is the little flap that acts as a handle! You don’t get any of the product on your hands, and it is easily put over the face without losing your grip and dropping it on the floor! It happens!

Colbert MD is available at SpaceNK Stores nationwide. 

This post: Colbert MD Skincare 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

Soap & Glory Sit Tight Super Intense 4-D

By Luke & Laurin

Luke says: 

Soap & Glory always approach beauty with an excellent sense of humour, and frankly I’m sucked in by it. I know that there are people who don’t like their packaging talking to them, but I rather enjoy it if it’s done well. So, when you have a cream that is essentially about spending a little bit of time rubbing something onto your bottom twice a day, you can imagine that S&G had a few funnies up their sleeve. Enter the new Sit Tight Super Intense 4-D. Revisited, and slightly re-formulated for 2014 this is the new Firming and Smoothing treatment gel.

Right off the mark here, I am very careful to not use the words ‘anti cellulite’ as nowhere does this claim to be that type of product. And let’s face it, none of us are really sucked into that hype now are we? The product is merely claiming a feeling of firmness after 14 days use, recommended application of twice a day. With lofty sounding ingredients like Pinkpepperslim-Lip-FB^TM derived from pink pepper berries (as if that wasn’t clear) and the Pressocapsular Firmplus^TM and Firmigen^TM Caffeine thrown in for good measure along with Sweet Orange Peel (the irony) Glycerin and Olive Oil. The Super Intense also claims, as did the previous version, to work when you’re actually sitting down as well by bursting the little nano sized capsules of all the goodness mentioned above.

In theory this is an excellent idea: that even by being sat on ones posterior the product will be working to firm up sagging or droopage. So, fast forward to me in the mornings post shower using the massager (handily included on the end of the tube) rubbing this vigorously into my backside, and love handles. All this in front of a full length mirror, although why I am not sure. It’s not like I am in any doubt as to where my butt is!

The sensation: How can I describe this? The box claims you can feel it working almost instantly, and this is no lie. The previous incarnation of this product was quite intense, so the now one being SUPER intense does to some extent live up to its name. How to describe it? Well, imagine if you will, squatting in a hot bath, standing up and then having a fan of cold air blowing rather forcefully on your slightly red skin. It’s not quite a menthol sort of coolness that occurs, but more a peppery sensation where you are unable to quite pin point whether it’s burning or just plain cold. Uncomfortable? No. Unnerving? Slightly. Fun? Most definitely. It never failed to bring a smile to my face. Also, having to go and mingle with housemates (once dressed) and grinning to yourself about the party that was going on on your rear end, for some reason pleased me. I can, however, understand that I find pleasure in other places where people might not, and for some this may be a little much. That said though, the next morning was less of a sensational overlaod. I think perhaps I had gotten used to it, or perhaps toughened up somewhat. Still some tingling, but not nearly as loud as the very first application. Perhaps this was for the best.

As for firmness, well. Let me be clear. There is nothing firm about the lower half of my body. I am blessed/cursed (depending on your cultural preference) with a very large rump, and frankly, have more than my fair share of wobbly bits around the middle. Yes ladies, my name is Luke Stephens and I too have cellulite. I like my Wine Gums and Curly Wurly’s too much. Did this make a difference to that? Well who knows? I’m not likely to get up in a pair of speedos anytime soon, much less a bikini so it really isn’t important to me so much that I get rid of it.

It did however feel rather nice, and the skin on my tummy and sides had a bit more snap to it. My backside, however, is beyond help. And If I was flexible enough to reach round to see it in the mirror, I probably wouldn’t need this cream in the first place.

And frankly, with that amount of overstimulation on that part of my body in the mornings, who cares?

My advice? Enjoy it!  RRP £18 From Boots.

Laurin says:

At the point on the Venn diagram where feminism and the beauty industry collide, you often hear women utter the phrase “I’m doing this for myself” when attempting to justify a cosmetic enhancement, whether it’s a fondness for £34 lipsticks or an actual boob job. I believe them when they say it, and I’ve been known to utter the words myself. You wouldn’t be reading this blog right now if at least a few of us didn’t take immense pleasure in painting strategic splotches of colour on our faces, even if the only errand on the agenda is a quick nip to Whole Foods for some coconut yogurt.

But listen: I haven’t spent the last fortnight rolling heated serum into my thighs for the pleasure of it. I’m single, I live in freezing London and I do not make my living in the adult film industry, so I’m the only one who regularly sees my thighs. In this case, I’ve been napalming my ass every morning because I’m vain and...actually, that’s it. Vanity is the only rational explanation for why I might be swayed by the promise of another anti-cellulite potion when I know good and well they aren’t permanent fixes.

I love Soap and Glory products. I truly do. The packaging is fun, they’re well-priced, and their “Make Yourself Youthful SPF 50” singlehandedly converted me to the cause of daily sunscreen. And to be fair to them, the packaging of their “Sit Tight Super Intense 4D” serum never once mentions the word cellulite on the packaging. Instead, it promises to “stimulate circulation” and “promote body smoothing”. Except that the only reason my thighs aren’t smooth in the first place is because of ALL THE LUMPY CELLULITE UNDERNEATH.

Since it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see my thighs, and the pictures I do have of them are in a password protected file on my laptop, you’ll just have to take my word that they do look and feel fractionally “smoother”. Maybe. I think. But I won’t be purchasing another tube when mine runs out, for three reasons:

1. THE BURNING, OH GOD, THE BURNING. About three minutes after you apply the quick-drying serum with the nifty rollerball applicator, it starts to heat. This is how you know it is working. It’s supposed to properly activate when you sit down, but it was so uncomfortable the first time I tried it that I spent ten minutes cooling my bum in front of an electric fan before I dared make it any worse. “I’d tell you why I’m late for work, but the resulting mental image has the potential to ruin our professional relationship” is not a sentence I ever care to utter on a Monday morning. Again. I gather that some people quite like the heating sensation, but I am not one of them. And now, my good friend Leo joins us from his caravan in Mantua Outfields to report on what happens when the applicator slips and goes a bit too far up. Leo, over to you:

Thanks, Leo. Don’t forget to swing by the pharmacy on your way back into town.

2. You’re supposed to apply this twice a day. I can just about remember to do it once. Also, see Reason 1.
3. The pseudo-scientific language on the box makes me wonder if an angry Aldous Huxley is actually alive and working in marketing. Pressocapsular Firm-Plus? Puffdrain 82?

If you already exercise, eat well, drink lots of water and still have a few stubborn spots, you might see a bit of difference using this product. Or you might not. I cannot responsibly suggest that you run out and spend £18 on it. But if you are still tempted, I won’t judge you. Just watch where you’re pointing that rollerball.

Soap & Glory™ Sit Tight™ Super-Intense 4-D is £18 and available at Boots

The Fine Print: PR Samples.

This post: Soap & Glory Sit Tight Super Intense 4-D  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

How to do Concealer

By Luke

Picture this: You’re sat round a dinner table and someone asks what it is that you do, so you tell them, and they immediately throw their hands over their face, and whimper “don’t look at me!!”. Does that happen to you? No? Well, to me it does. This is normally followed by a whole slew of questions, a beckoning of girlfriends, and that staple favourite question of straight men to makeup artists: “so do you do drag?”

I don’t mind this (save for the drag question), I am quite happy to talk makeup and skincare, depending on the location (funerals not so much) imagine staring into open casket and “well we think mother’s best feature was her lips so if you could just emphasise that....”

However, one of the things I get asked about by far the most is concealer. This is closely followed by foundation, but I’ll cover that in a later post. It seems that concealer is a bit of a mystery for a lot of people. Where do you put it? How do you put it on? Which concealers actually, you know, conceal?  The fact is that there are a ton of concealers out there, but very few are actually doing a good job of ‘concealing’, or even staying put. So, let me take you through what I use nearly every day of my working life. After 15 odd years of painting faces, I believe I have finally nailed this concealer lark.

First off the bat, there are a gazillion different textures of concealer. Solid, creamy, waxy, et al, and there are different textures for different things. As a very general rule:

• Solid/waxy (palette) are for the face. They warm up and cool down with your face so don’t move.
• Creamy/liquid (wand/pot) are for under the eye. Nourishing, and more flexible for that sensitive area.

If it’s a spot, or the odd blemish, the more yellow the concealer is, the better it will be at covering that angry red look. Redness is really what you are trying to diminish here. No concealer, no matter how opaque will ‘get rid’ of the bump or the texture. Just get rid of the colour. No bags will be got rid of unfortunately.

Face – How to use it

• A good synthetic brush for smaller areas is perfect. Synthetic because it doesn’t absorb any of the product.
• Only cover the area that NEEDS covering, and not muller it so that you end up with this huge blob of concealer screaming at you from your otherwise perfect face.
• Dot just over the bit that you want to cover, and pat it in.
• Set with a tiny bit of a fine face powder.
• For larger areas, use a fluffy brush that will have an ‘airbrush’ effect over the area.
• Concealer will pretty much ALWAYS go on AFTER your base. If it goes on before you are likely to rub it all off again.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. £26. Multi award winning, and been around for a good 14 years or so for a reason. There are few that top this in terms if it’s ability to cover, and actually value for money. It’s divided into two tones, and this on first glance can be a little confusing. The reason for this is that there are no two places on the face that are the same colour so it gives you the control over the colour and tine to match where exactly you are trying to cover. I appreciate that this ‘mix your own’ method can appear to be a bit of a faff, but in actual fact, it is incredibly effective, and well worth spending that little bit of extra time to get it covered.

Louise Young have a similar concept that is also excellent. Three tonal concealers that are designed for the face, AND the under eye areas. Again, you may need to have a play around and mix to get the exact colour, and correct tone, but at £20 AND a brush included you really can’t beat these for value.

For under the eyes, it would be advisable to find one that is probably about 60 -70% opaque rather than total coverage. It doesn’t look terribly natural, and also is more likely to look heavy and obvious.

The trick with undereyes is to get rid of that blue/grey area right from the corner of your eye, on the side of your nose, to about ¾ of the way under your eye. Pasting concealer all the way along the undereye area is a bit of a waste to be honest. The other trick is to use enough to actually cover. I often see people putting an amount so small on that there is absolutely no benefit whatsoever. Don’t fear it!

A fair amount is fine, and if it’s too much keep patting it until it looks as close to your natural undereye as possible. It’s only make up, it does come off. Be bold with it! The best I have used are Clinique’s Airbrush concealer. A handy little pen with a brush in several colours that are perfect for almost all skin tones. It also has some radiance to it that brightens in a very subtle way. Not ideal for the face, but excellent coverage.

The other one I absolutely love is the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. In a wand so super easy to use the coverage on these are mighty, and the finish is just superb! Only a tiny little bit is needed.

Tools

These are very important. Here is a section of some of my favourite concealer brushes for under eye, and for the face. It isn’t really good enough to use your finger, tempting though it is as a) not terribly hygienic for your undereye area, and b) you do not want a honking great finger print in your concealer.

Going from top to bottom

• Glamcor Mini Finish brush. A great mixture of natural and synthetic hair to ‘airbrush’ concealer on. Great for under eyes, and also great for buffing in a little concealer on the face. (Available from www.preciousaboutmakeup.com)
• Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Brush. Cut small, and to a point so the flat edge of the brush can get a fair amount under the eye, and the point of the brush can be used to get a precise dot over the area you are trying to cover on the face.
• M.A.C 219 brush. SUPER fine for those really tiny areas of coverage. Tiny veins, and small blemishes, this puts the concealer on almost imperceptibly. Takes a little time, but well wirth the effort.
• Glamcor Mini Contour. Slightly fatter, and purely synthetic for a full coverage finish on larger areas. Good for scar discoloration and also darer points of birthmarks etc...
• Finally, there is absolutely no need to spend out on special brush cleaner. I have and continue to use a good antibacterial washing up liquid (fairy for some reason seems to work best for me) for all my synthetic brushes, as it’s excellent at removing grease. All of it.

The Fine Print: These are all items from my professional kit.

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A Lippie Team Post - Skincare Routines

We're planning a number of these group posts, but we thought we'd start with the basics, so here's how the whole team at Get Lippie looks after their skin:

LOUISE (aka "Get Lippie")

My skincare routine has been kind of fixed for a while now – to the extent that one of the products is running out and I'm upset because current circumstances dictate that I can't afford to replace it at the moment, and panic is ensuing … anyhoo, here's the lowdown:

Cleanse: I'm still in love with Champneys cleansing balm. It's on the cheap and cheerful side (and the instructions are rubbish), but it gets the job done, and my skin loves it.

Treatments: I'm currently alternating between Pixi Glow Tonic and my old standby; Clarins Gentle exfoliating toner, (having temporarily run out of Zelens resurfacing pads) both of which are second to none at removing dead skin cells. I follow both of these with a quick spritz of La Roche Posay Serozinc spray, which I'm still miffed they won't bring to the UK.

Serums: Currently I'm using Sunday Riley's Juno Hydroactive Cellular Face Oil, which smells like a rancid spag bol according to my husband, but this is because it doesn't contain any scented essential oils to mask the smell of the seeds they've crushed into it. As essential oils are one of my sensitive skin triggers, this suits my skin very well indeed and I put up with the rather … unusual … scent. As always, I follow this up with a thin layer of Hydraluron.

Moisturiser: And here is where I cry, just a little bit. Sometimes I get press releases that are so bonkers that I have to call in the product, just to see how far from the point the the copy actually got. Such as it is with Argentum Apothecary La Potion Infinie. The flowery, overblown, overwritten, overpretentious prose on both the press release and, sadly, the website, mask what is, in fact, a bloody excellent moisturiser. I wasn't too impressed with it at first, but my love for it has grown by leaps and bounds over the last six months or so, to the point where I can now see the bottom of the jar, and my heart cries every time I see it. I've been known to panic about it running out. I'm sad, I know. However, formulated with colloidial silver, and featuring a really nice primer-style matte finish on the skin, this suits my fussy, sensitive, easily reddened skin very well, and as it's £147 a jar, I'm going to miss it a great deal once I do finally scrape out that final molecule from the jar. It's brilliant, but the website will give you a headache, I warn you.  It's the only moisturiser I've tried in years that's come even close to replacing my beloved Kate Somerville Goat Cream, and that is really saying something.  Once I'm back in funds, a repurchase will definitely follow.

LAURIN

My skincare routine is a many headed hydra, with one product being culled and another two springing up in its place. The one constant, however, is my DHC Deep Cleansing Oil. I've used this for nearly five years, and I've yet to find anything better. In the morning, it's a drop of DHC and a quick swipe with a flannel before I hit the shower.  As soon as I hop out, I slap on Superdrug Aqua Pure Hydrating Serum, followed by Clinique Moisture Surge on my face and Clinique Superdefense Eye Cream all around my eyes. I've finally been converted to the cause of a daily SPF, so I finish with a layer of Soap and Glory Make Yourself Youthful Sunshield Superfluid.

Night time gets a bit trickier. The minute I get home, I take off my make-up with whichever version of Bioderma Micellar Water I bought on special last, then it's a full cleanse with the DHC and a hot cloth. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I use Clarins Gentle Exfoliating Toner and on Sundays I use Alpha-H Liquid Gold. Whatever the day, then use Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair and Kiehl's Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment. The last thing I do before I go to bed is massage in a few drops of Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

With all the money I'm literally sinking into it, it's a good thing beauty lasts forever, and I can use my face as my pension. Right? RIGHT?

TINDARA

I may be shunned by the rest of the Get Lippie team after saying this, but, I’m a bit lax with my moisturising at night. Four nights out of seven my head will hit the pillow cleansed with Bioderma Hydrabio H2O Micelle stuff but unmoisturised. I love the clean face feeling, and I sleep with a CPAP mask on, as I have sleep apnoea, so no gunk on my face makes it more comfortable. Honest.

Those other three nights though, I really go for it, I hot cloth cleanse with Skyn Pure Cloud Cleanser or Boots Botanics Ultra Calm Gentle Cleansing Cream and then use Elizabeth Arden Prevage Serum and Eye Serum – they really work! – followed by Clarins Blue Orchid Face Oil, and sometimes more night cream or balm on top. Depending on my skin and/or the time of year this might be Waitrose Baby Bottom Butter or this Est Rose and Honey Remedy from Australia. It’s really soothing and healing, and I love the Lavender and Tea Tree version too. It feels just the right level of comforting and medicinal.

If it’s warm, I might leave it at the Clarins or put a little of my day moisturiser on top instead, currently that’s Skyn Pure Cloud Cream, but this changes all the time. Then some lip balm. I’m using Hurraw or Clinique lip balms at the moment. In the morning I use Organic Surge Daily Care Face Wash in the shower, and I swap the Prevage for Eucerin Hyaluron Filler Concentrate.

Most of the time, my sensitive rosacea prone skin behaves itself, but if it doesn’t I dial it right back and just use Bioderma micelle cleanser and day moisturiser and maybe one of the Est balms occasionally. 

When I remember, I throw a bit of Elemis Papaya Enzyme Cream on followed by a hydrating mask of some description, I’m not loyal to any in particular, my last was a Decleor Hydra Floral mask. Any recommendations?

LUKE

Cleanse: I generally flit between these two depending on mood and what my skin feels like that morning/evening. I ADORE the Elemis Pro Collagen Cleansing Balm. The smell, the texture, the way my skin feels afterwards, the all of it is just fantastic. Not heavy at all (some are) and just an absolute pleasure to use. This is ALWAYS in my kit, purely because every single person I use this on falls in love with it. For the odd time when I think my skin feels a little dull, and needs a bloody good scrub, the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant is ABSOLUTELY SECOND TO NONE! Did I make that clear? This is one of the BEST products for exfoliating that I have EVER used. It says daily, however I find it a little too abrasive for daily use. Once or twice a week is absolutely enough for me.

Treatments/Serums I use a lot of these. Especially at the moment with all the fake tan I am trialling, but ANYWAY, these are the ones that if I had to choose, would be the ones that pretty much cover all bases. The Clinique Laser Focus Repairwear Serum, recently reformulated, is now even better than it was the first time round. And they have improved the packaging so that you don’t end up with the drips all collecting around the edge. I use this pretty much all summer, or when the sun is out as a sort of insurance. I like the silky feel, and it seems to make my skin feel hydrated also.

Day Creams I am quite picky about my day creams. I always want a good SPF in my day cream, as I have said before. One of these has a high SPF of 30 already ‘built in’ and the other doesn’t have one, but I add one over the top. La Prairie Anti-Ageing Day Cream SPF30 is one that I will use literally every day when the sun is strong, hence why this is nearly at the bottom of the jar at this point. It smells pleasant, and has a micro blasted SPF that is so fine and non skin clogging that it’s a joy to use. I have never caught too much of the sun with this on, and it still managed to not dry my skin out either. The space age silver packaging and heavy glass make it not great for travelling with, but my, what a cream. Not cheap, but not out there expensive either.

Night cream: Finally, the night time. I am of the school of thought that if it’s a moisturiser, it’s good enough. Most of the time a good moisturiser would be perfectly adequate for a night cream I would think, but nonetheless, I am still using these like they are going out of fashion. Neal’s Yard Beauty Sleep Concentrate has been a favourite for a long while. The multi award winning cream contains all sorts of goodies in it hat help to regenerate the skin, and has essential oils that are known to relax you and gently send you off into the land of nod. Me being somewhat of an insomniac, every little helps. It’s a very light lotion type texture, but seems to be nourishing enough, and a little really does go a long way.

 

This post: A Lippie Team Post - Skincare Routines 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