Favourite Brands?

I get asked a lot what my favourite makeup brand is, and it's such a difficult one to answer!  There are so many brands out there, and they all do something well that picking out just one for praise is almost impossible.  Well, for me it is, anyway.

But, I guess, if I had to pick just one brand that I'd use for the rest of my life, that brand would be Chanel.  Yes, I'd miss my Lancome mascaras and Bobbi Brown tinted moisturising balm - my other desert island items, those - but my collection already contains a lot of Chanel. Foundations, blushers, eyeshadows, pencils, mascaras, lipsticks, glosses, perfumes, bathing potions, nail varnishes ... the list goes on! It's probably my most "complete" collection of products from any brand.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, then you'll know that I went a bit crazy and bought several Rouge Cocos when they were released recently, but I was very happy to realise that I'm not the only person who thinks they are fantastic, alongside a lot of other bloggers, lots of makeup artists have discovered their greatness too.  There are a few videos about the lipsticks floating about, but these are my favourites:

First of all, Peter Phillips talking about the inspirations behind the range, and how it came into being:  (can't figure out how to embed this one, I'm afraid).

This is the utterly fab Mary Greenwell showing three fabulous looks with three different shades:


And finally, this is Lisa Eldridge (who I met and chatted with last Friday, and I'll be telling you more about that later this week), showing how to use one Rouge Coco in four different ways:



Tomorrow I'll bring you some pictures of my favourite limited edition palettes from Chanel which I've picked up over the years, and will be bemoaning the fact that I've used and abused them instead of keeping them pristine and clean ...

What's your favourite brand?  Why?

Organic Weekend - Une Natural Beauty from Bourjois

I do love me a bit of Bourjois, long one of my favourite High Street brands, I was delighted to find out recently that they were launching a new range of affordable organic cosmetics!  Already available in a few Boots stores around the country (London readers, you can find your nearest stand in the Oxford Street branch), it's making it's official debut on the Boots website this week.  Every single product in this line is between 98 to 100%, there are no synthetic dyes or fragrances, and the range is sillicone, paraben, pthalate and petrochemical free, and the ingredients used are sourced as organically as possible.  Pretty impressive for a mass brand, and the prices start at a not too pocket busting £4.99 for pencils, through £8.99 for shadows, up to £11.99 for the foundations.

 I managed to get my hands on a few bits and pieces, so I could give you my impressions:

First of all the packaging, it's clean, it's functional, and it's also pretty stylish, I love the square pencils, and the mirrored tops to the blush and eye packaging, but it's bulky.  They're not really items that are suitable for carrying around with you - but that mirror (you peel the labels off) is a totally nifty idea, and I love it.

A closer look at the items and their formulations:

As you can see, the mirrored sections slide up  on the colour cosmetics to reveal the contents.  A lot of the range is based around creams, from left to right we have: Breezy Cheeks blusher, a cream formulation, which goes on smoothly with fingers or a synthetic brush, and leaves a pretty, stained looking glow.

A matte finish without shimmer, these are lovely, almost foolproof shades which are buildable to the intensity you desire.  Longevity isn't bad, but you will probably need to reapply towards late afternoon time to keep looking flushed and lovely!

There are three formulations of eyeshadow, Sfumato (powder), Glimmer (cream), and Nude Eyes (cream to powder), as seen below in the same order as above:

All of these shadows tend to swatch on the sheer side.  They're great for layering (I like to use the nude eyes cream on the bottom as a base, then use the powder sfumato for definition around the crease and as a liner, then dot a little of the glimmer over the whole thing for a little sparkle), and as I found out the other day, they last pretty well under stressful situations such as crying, and eye-rubbing.  The range of shades tends towards the neutral/sludgy spectrum (which, for me, is a plus!) and they're good for creating natural, polished looks.  I'll definitely be picking more of these up.  Oh, but throw away the dinky brushes, they're worse than useless, if you ask me.  These are ideal for applying with fingers for a quick application, they sheer, so they're pretty difficult to go wrong with.

Pencils: mixed feelings about the pencils, to be honest.  Above is shown one eyeliner (the Sfumato, top) and a "Skin Glow" pencil.  The Sfumato eyeliner I find to be slightly on the hard and crumbly side, gorgeous shades, but I'm not sure they're great for the delicate eye area, as they appear to drag slightly on my skin.  The Skin Glow pencil, I love, even while I freely admit that I'm not - entirely - sure what it's supposed to be.  It's a creamy flesh-toned pencil, which I've used both as an eyeliner (on the water line) and as a concealer for small areas, plus I've used it to highlight my cupids bow, and add a little light to the inner corners of my eyes.  It worked well on all of those tasks - surprisingly versatile! - but ... I'm not sure what it's "official" function is meant to be, so if you know, do tell!   Here's how they swatch:

The lipsticks are probably the standouts of the range though.  A selection of lip-toned (not nudes, please note the difference!) shades, they're creamy and moisturising, and they add a polished finished look to your makeup whilst flattering your skin tones:

Again, they swatch on the sheer side, but, as with the shadows, this is deliberate in order to let your natural colouring through:

I love these, and I think I'll definitely be picking up a couple more when I get a chance, they're delightful!

I was also sent a foundation, but owing to circumstances beyond my control, I've not had a chance to wear it properly yet so I can't give it a proper review!  Long story ...

In essence, this is a good solid collection from Bourjois, some hits, some misses, the colour-range won't appeal to everyone, admittedly, but the textures are generally excellent, they're wonderfully easy to apply, and it's and range ideal for someone who wants to avoid particular ingredients whilst not spending a fortune. Personally, I think it's a great range for neutral, polished looks, and, I'm a fan, what do you think?

Organic Weekend - Bulldog Eco-System Shave Gel

MrLippie's been dying to get some more review action in, so it's a double-whammy of organic goodness for you this weekend (I have something rather lovely to show you tomorrow, so stay, er, browsed!).  Again, this is a sample I picked up at the Natural and Organic Product show recently, and I made the boy change his shaving habits for a while to try it out - I don't think I was the target market for this one, somehow - and these are his rather ... random ... esoteric ...  geeky ... er, you'll see, thoughts on the shaving gel in question:

Ever since a Roman took a look at a hairy tribesman and thought ‘I’m not going out like that’, shaving has been a mainstay of Western male grooming habits for nearly 2000 years. Admittedly, there’s been the odd blip, such as the Vikings, or those fantastically moustachioed men of the 1800s, but, by and large, smooth-skinned cheeks have been the norm. With the slow demise of the professional shave by a high street barbers and the rise of the handheld razor as championed by Gillette/Wilkinson Sword/Bic/etc, companies that produce shaving products have merrily marketed themselves as the “Mans’ Choice”, and often featured sports stars of varying fame and the occasional scantily-clad lady in a shameless appeal to the machismo and testosterone that surrounds the whole idea of running very sharp blades of steel over your face and throat.

However, with the emergence of Organic Products, and the whole Green lobby, these companies have found themselves in a bit of a quandary. Mainstream Male aversion to ‘metrosexuality’ is still fairly strong, but it’s tempered by a growing eco-awareness, which begs the question: HOW can we market these products without diluting the aura of “manliness” that surrounds shaving? In Bulldog’s case, their Eco-System Shave Gel has an obvious difference to their normal range. It’s green. Not just any old green, but olive drab, which immediately put me in mind of army colours. Soooo…an interesting start. Then, looking over the tube, there’s a prominent label of ‘Natural Grooming’. Ok…Bulldog….Natural Grooming…ok, that’s a BAD image in my book. Moving on. I had a bit more of a look at the packaging, and came across a little homily about Dad saying how “Nothing in life is fair, son”…which left me sighing, to be honest. The whole thing just SCREAMS mixed message…I just thought they were trying too hard!

The Gel itself is aromatic. Very aromatic. It reeks of herbs and green tea, and it’s not really the nicest smell to rub into your face first thing in the morning. That said, it lathers up nicely, and yes, your skin feels smooth & doesn’t sting at all as you shave. Which is nice. So, functionally, it works, quite well.

Sadly, for me, the mixed messages and the overwhelming smell rule out this as a long-term option. It was nice to try, but I think I’d probably prefer to try some of the original Bulldog products, just to clear my head of the whiff of green tea and the horrible image of a Bulldog getting involved in “Natural Grooming”…

So, er ... there you have it!  This product is from Bulldog's new Fairtrade range, and the shave gel contains green tea from Sri Lanka, organic shea butter from Ghana, organic sugar from Paraguay, sesame seed oil from Nicaragua, and Brazil nut oil from Peru. Personally, I think it smells rather nice, fresh and green actually. The products are available from leading supermarkets, and you can find out more about the range here

Review - Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic Mascara

I've been very lucky, and have been invited to a lot of beauty-related events lately, and I'll be drip-feeding my reviews of some of the things I've been introduced to as a result of these events throughout the next few weeks, you know me, I like to test the heck out of stuff before I talk about it here.

Recently, I was invited to Liberty to find out more about Le Metier de Beaute, a brand I'm familiar with from reading the likes of LondonMakeUpGirl, Visionary Beauty and The Beauty Look Book (who are three of my favourite blogs, do check them out if you haven't already), but hadn't got around to trying yet.

I have to admit to being very impressed with the quality of many of the products, the powder items seem to be extremely pigmented, and are beautifully soft and blendable.  They have a unique style of application too, based upon layering to build up pigment, rather than applying in a sort of regimented order.  I'll bring you a FotD with one of their beautiful shadow palettes right after payday ...

Anyhoo, onto the mascara, the shades shown above are (top) brown-black, a nice subtle shade for daytime wear, which still manages to give a decent amount of definition to your lashes, and aubergine (below) which is a purplish-black, which is a touch more dramatic.

As you can see on the brush, there isn't a huge amount difference in the shades, but on the lashes, there is quite a difference.  The brush is a little on the large side, which means it can be easy to blob it on your lids when applying until you're used to handling it, and the first time I used it, I wasn't that impressed with it as I was applying it.  It didn't volumise as much as I normally require from my mascara.

However:

(one coat on uncurled lashes)

That is one heck of a difference!  What it lacks in the volumising department, it makes up for in lengthening, and in spades! It's a fairly natural-looking mascara with one coat, but with two, you can get a far more dramatic look, which I've been pairing with lots and lots and lots of kohl lately (but more about that another time), this has very rapidly become a favourite mascara for me, which I've been alternating with my Precious Cells, for different looks.

Le Metier de Beaute Anamorphic mascara costs £22, and is available exclusively from Liberty

It's that time again ...

... Yes, I'm guest-blogging on Zuneta once again.  This week, I'm talking about being how I'd describe myself, which two words  aren't synonyms, and there's a mention of what I had for breakfast.  I'd love to hear what you think, so come take a look and tell me how mad and wrong I am.

See you over there! Lx

Wysteria Lane - Free gift voucher!

Now, it may come as a surprise to some, but I'm not actually a very girly-girl.  I'm a pints and a packet of scratchings (ooh, lard!) kind of a girl.  Most of the time.  Sometimes, I think, you just have to indulge your more frou-frou cravings.  A great website for finding the girliest of girly items is Wysteria Lane - MrLippie should now please note that it is my birthday in FOUR WEEKS, and this, therefore is the first official "hint" - full of items from bath caps to bath salts, from manufacturers such as Cath Kidston and Cowshed.  It's frothy, girly funtime.  Even for a bad-tempered old grump like me.

And, as readers of Get Lippie, you can get yourselves a FREE £10 gift voucher, simply by signing up to their mailing list. That's right, they'll give you £10.  Just for getting an email once in a while.  Personally, I'd spend it on these, I've been soaking in them for a couple of weeks now  - not literally, that'd be gross, and I'd be all wrinkly by now - and the smell is divine, stuffed full of  lavender, lime and rose (and, er ... salt, they are bath salts after all), they're a lovely, and cheap, bathtime treat. They sent me some to tempt me recently, the lovely ladies that they are, and they arrived quickly and beautifully packaged.

What'll you spend your voucher on?

The Small Print: This is a promotional post.  However, I am not affliated with the company, and the links in this post are not affiliate links, I won't make any money if you look at the website, or if you sign up to the newsletter. You will, however make the lovely ladies of Wysteria Lane very happy.  I hope.

100 Years Of Hairdressing - Andrew Collinge

Two thousand.  At the end of the 80's, that's how many perms that were processed by Andrew Collinge's salons every single week. When I point out that all the salons are based in (and around) Liverpool, you might understand why that particular little statistic brought a smile to my face when I heard it the other day.

I grew up in, and lived in, the north west up until around five years ago. When I was younger, (before the likes of Toni & Guy showed up), you had a choice in hairdressing, you either went to one of the local blue-rinse brigade of salons - usually called something like Bab's or Curl Up and Dye - or, you saved your pennies and went to an Andrew Collinge salon, usually in either Chester or Liverpool.  Having long been a hair snob, I usually saved up, and went "fancy". I must have been to at least half of the 8 salons in the chain, over the years as well as spent quite a few hours in the graduate academy, sitting as a model for the trainees who were learning blow-drying!

I learned a lot about hair from those salons, how to do an easy zig-zag parting, about styling products, that blonde highlights are not my friend, that a "restyle" rather than a trim will cost you an extra tenner at the till, and that salon products are usually better - but not always - for your hair than Vosene.  In fact, the first ever "designer" hair product I bought was Andrew Collinge's Design and Shine.  Lo! An expensive hair habit was borne ...

So it was that I was beyond delighted to be invited to Andrew's house (along with some other lovely bloggers!) to have a chat with the great man himself recently.  Amongst some interesting snippets of gossip which I'm not at liberty to repeat here, Andrew gave us some great tips and hints about haircare, some of which I'll repeat here:

Hair needs to be nurtured, treat it gently!  A cool rinse will work wonders for shine and condition.
Hair doesn't need to be washed every day - every 2-3 days is optimum, he thinks, and I agree - in fact, washing every day can lead to your scalp becoming over-stimulated which will make greasy hair even greasier in the long run, as your scalp gets used to daily massage.
Semi-permanent colours work well on greying hair, used regularly, they can have a staining effect on the greys which will help them blend in better, whereas a permanent colour will just lead to a white-rooted "badger effect".  Not sexy, if you ask me.

Andrew also very kindly demonstrated some simple hairstyling tricks for us - which was amusing as he only had one hair-brush and one hairpin to create most of them with!  Still, the fishtail plait he created was beautiful, and really simple, and the updos he did for everyone else were likewise.  I got a hint of backcombing, and some tricks about how to deal with my "mental" hair.  Andrew actually used the phrase "look at the little baby curls!" when I was showing him why updos just don't work all that well for me.  Thanks, Andrew!

Andrew also reminded us that he still has a haircare range available in most supermarkets - you can have a look at it here at Superdrug - it's recently been repackaged to celebrate the Collinge family's 100th year in hairdressing, and, as I never feature a product without testing it first, I've been using it for the last couple of washes.  Now, I'll be honest, I genuinely can't remember the last time I bought shampoo in a supermarket, so this was a bit of a leap of faith for me. I tried the Smoothing range (pictured above) which is the same as is used in his salons, which promises smooth shiny hair without frizzies.  I've been amazed, my hair has never been so shiny, I was out with a few people yesterday, and I got lots of compliments, which almost never happens!

I'm not, however, a massive fan of the packaging, the bottles are big (500mls for £4.99), and can be tricky to handle with wet hands - a pump dispenser would be great, I'll have to dig a couple up from somewhere - and the range does contain SLS, so I'll have to alternate it with an SLS-free product to avoid the itchies, but this is some seriously good shampoo and conditioner right here, and at such a bargain price!  The range also includes A "Purity" collection alongside the salon range (pictured left) which features more natural products based around quinoa proteins which I'm looking forward to trying too.

Again, the products are available in most major supermarkets, and Superdrug sells it online, alongside the styling range, which still includes good old Design and Shine!

I just want to say a massive thanks to Andrew for being brave enough to invite a load of "nutters from the internet" (MY phrase, not his!) into his home, and for being such a gracious and charming host. Blogging has taken me to some wonderful, random, and unexpected places recently, but this has to be one of the most relaxed, and informative sessions I've been to!

Incidentally, the top picture in this post features me, circa 1990, modelling one of those very perms Andrew was referring to in the first paragraph ...