Chanel Rouge Coco Shine: Shades 66, 61, 55 and 54

I've been waiting for these to be released for about six weeks now, so when I noticed they'd been released early - I thought they were out at the end of the month! - I had to snap up a couple. Or four...




The shades I picked were (l-r): 66 - Bel-Ami: a lightly bronzed brown; 61 - Bonheur: a sheer berry; 55 - Romance: bubblegum pink and 54 - Boy: a pale caramel nude. In the tubes these shades look vivid and full of pigment, but the full beauty of these sticks is revealed on swatching:




Lightly pigmented, glossy and sheer, these shades are essentially a shiny, cushioned, balm for your lips. Wear isn't, of course, as good as the original Rouge Coco shades, but dang, these do feel wonderful on your lips! Speaking of which, here ate the lip swatches:


66 Bel-Ami:




Not nearly as brown as it appears in the bullet, this is almost reddish on the lips, but is entirely office-appropriate.

61 Bonheur




Possibly my favourite of the four, this pinked-berry is glorious for giving you that "just-bitten" look.

55 Romance




Not nearly as fluoro in the flesh as it appears in this picture, this is an exceptionally pretty, cool bubblegum pink. I'm looking forward to seeing how this one looks with a tan!

54 Boy




My lips are quite pigmented, so much of the colour you're seeing here is not from the lipstick itself, which appears as the merest whisp of creamy beige on my lips. A good neutral for me, possibly, but maybe not a shade I'd consider re-purchasing.

Packaged in a thinner version of the Rouge Coco packaging, these look classy, and will be an asset to my makeup bag, owing to their moisturising properties, and I think they'll be perfect for summer wear.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shines are available now and cost £22.50 each.

The Bluebeards Revenge

Because, sometimes, you can't keep a good man down ... I present you, MrLippie!

So... The world of male grooming is one populated by a mass of extreme soft-focus stereotypes, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, so it was with some trepidation that I examined "Bluebeards Revenge", fearing the worst. I'd heard nothing about it prior to it arriving in Lippie Underground Headquarters (courtesy of Get Lippie herself), and the name and the first glimpse of the steely blue box and skull and crossbones logo had my admittedly warped imagination churning out images of marketing drones desperately trying to link shaving to Cap'n Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean", or some such ridiculousness. Thankfully not! On closer examination, the skull & crossbones logo is slightly lopsided....which intrigued me somewhat. Evidence of a sense of humour? Maybe....but yes! Cue me getting a big grin on as I examined the warnings against usage by the "bum fluff brigade", women, and espoused the values of "real men" and how it can tackle even the manliest of beards! Sarcasm & self-mockery - often the best way to a customers' wallet - certainly in this highly cynical age. So, first obstacle passed, and on to the actual product. The shaving cream comes with a free shaving brush, which looks quite snazzy, being wood & bristle, with the Blubeard skull & crossbones being emblazoned on it in gold. Quite swish, but I will admit to have being spoiled beforehand by having a badger-hair brush, which just pips this in the softness stakes (but doesn't look as nice!). Spreading the cream on my face, I was impressed. It does have an aroma, but it's not massively overpowering. It's slightly flowery, but not hugely distinctive - quite classic, in fact. The cream slides well over the face, and lathers up over overnight stubble growth very nicely, clumping it up in preparation for the application of a razor. It comes off well, generally without requiring a second stroke, but obviously that's mostly dependent on the quality of said razor as opposed to the shaving cream, but we won't mention such a trifling detail such as that, will we?  Errr...yes. Anyhow. It's a good size tin of the stuff, and it's claimed that it can last up to 5 months! Given that my face is not the size of a small moon (nor a Death Star or minor planetoid), I look forward to using this over the next few weeks!   Okay, so that's the last time I'll let him watch "So I Married An Axe Murderer" (some couples fall in love to things like Out of Africa or, Love Story or something, but it turns out that "our film" is a Michael Myers film no-one has ever heard of.  HELLO!)  However, I've tried this myself, on my legs, and, whilst the free brush is a bit scratchy (to the point where I wouldn't even consider using it in my armpits), the soap itself is rather amazing.  Smooth and creamy, and leaving you with super smooth legs, and no hint of post-shaving dryness.  Highly recommended, most of all because it's paraben-free and won't leave you smelling like a fruit salad.  Incidentally, why do all women's shaving products smell of fruit?  I can't speak for the hair retardent claims made for this product, as I've only been allowed near it twice, even though it's technically mine! You can find out more about The Bluebeards Revenge here. The Fine Print: I bought this after reading a review by Do Not Refreeze. This post originated at: http://getlippie.com/ All rights reserved.

A break from our regularly scheduled programming.

Sometimes, there are no words except these:

Please give generously.

Thank you.

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

Project Perfume - Yardley

Ahhhh ... Yardley.  It's hardly the trendiest of perfume houses, and if you mention it to most people, they'll sigh a little bit and mention how their grandmother used to wear Lily of the Valley talcum powder, or smell of English Lavender.

And, truth be known, it's because Yardley aren't the trendiest of perfume houses that they've been around for so long. Not reliant on advertising, and celebrity endorsements, they're rather fashion-proof, which is all to the good. They've been the world's premier producer of single floral scents for several hundred years now - being founded around the time of Charles I, and have been producing perfumes as the House of Yardley since the mid/late 1700's. 

I've  mentioned Lily of the Valley already, and English Lavender, which I suspect are their best-known scents - alongside English Rose - but they also have expanded their range in recent years and have added Peony, Iris and Orange Blossom to the basic scent range.

Last year, they also re-released their cult April Violets scent, which had been long sought after by perfume fans and had been changing hands for up to £100 a bottle on eBay.  Not bad for a scent that retails for less than a tenner in the first place!  


I was delighted recently to be introduced to the range, and have found their single flower scents to be invaluable for helping me be able to identify individual notes in more complicated fragrances.  For, whilst Yardley fragrances are simple, they're also well-rounded and "pretty" scents to wear.  They're "linear" - meaning that the top notes are woven through the entire fragrance, and the dry down after a couple of hours or two won't smell too different from the scent that you first spray on in the morning.

In particular I've found myself drawn to Orange Blossom, which is a lightly heady concoction of neroli on the top notes, tempered with a little sprightly clean musk underneath.  It's calming and clean, and I find it's wonderful for clearing my head and making me able to concentrate.

Iris is a pretty, powdery, softly grey scent.  A little more sophisticated than a lot of the other soliflores in the range, this does away with any "old lady" images the range might have.  I'd wear this one.  A lot.  And I will.

Peony.  This is PINK.  It's sweet, and younger-seeming than the others.  A fun, uncomplicated and breezy scent, it's perfect for weekends, and is unthreatening, and very easy to wear.  It's not very me, but then, it's not trying to be.

Yardley also recently introduced their first non-linear floral scent, called: Royal English Daisy, it's a limited edition inspired by Kate Middleton, and her impending nuptials. I was slightly bemused by this idea, as the only thing daisies actually smell of is ... well ... dust.  Seriously, have a sniff of some chamomile tea sometime, it's basically dust with a hint of sunshine.

However Royal English Daisy doesn't, as far as my only-lightly-tutored nose can tell, contain any dusty daisies, it's a bit of a green lettuce and apple explosion at first before gently subsiding into a sweet, lightly floral appley-hyacinth scent, with just the merest whisp of a pale sandalwood base.  It's very pleasant, extremely inoffensive, and very easy to wear.  It's perfect for a young girl just starting out on investigating perfume, but it's nice and easy enough to wear that women of any age can wear it.  Realistically, it's not my cup of (chamomile) tea, I prefer something headier, but I can see this one being very popular indeed.   Get your mum some for Mother's Day.  She'll love it.


For more information about Yardley Perfumes, please click here.


The Fine Print: Reviews - such as they are! - were written from samples received at a PR event. No fudge was harmed in the writing of this post.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Giveaway Time!

Okay, I'm nearly at 800 followers -where on earth did you all come from? - so I thought I'd giveaway a few bits and pieces to say thank you!

Two prizes:

One: a collection of three - count them, three! - limited edition Chanel Nail Polishes, including Particuliere, Paradoxal and one mystery polish ...

Two:  A mystery bumper bag of goodies from brands such as Max Factor, Rebel Nails, and a set of five Model's Own nail polishes, amongst others!

All you have to do to have a chance to win is leave a comment on this post telling me what kinds of posts you'd like to see more of on Get Lippie in the future, or if there's anything in particular you'd like me to write about. 

Please ensure you leave a correct email address, and let me know your choice of prize in the comment too.
  

As this is a follower thank you, please ensure you're following me on Google Friends Connect on the right over there, as I'll be checking!   I reserve the right to disqualify entrants for not following these (very simple!) rules, and I'll draw the winners next Sunday - 20th March.

The competition is open internationally, so jump on in!


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.

My Current Skincare Routine

It's been a while since I mentioned skincare, I think - which is mainly because I have a rather settled routine at the moment, which I'm a bit loathe to change before the weather does!

And the title's a misnomer too, as I actually have two skin care routines, one am and one pm!  So here's my evening routine first:

(

(L-R) 

Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex, Absolution La Solution + Controle, Absolution La Creme du Soir and Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel.

Taking these in reverse order - as that's the order I use them in.  Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel is a very recent addition to my cleansing routine, but I'm a big fan already.  I'm usually a bit scared of gels, as they tend to contain high levels of alcohol, but this is a thick oil-based gel, and is almost a balm.  It's unusual to use, as it liquifies as you massage it over your skin, getting runnier the more you rub, in fact.  It's perfect for removing heavy makeup, and even removes your eye makeup, which is great.  The lightly citrus scent might be better suited for morning cleansing, being a little invigorating, but I prefer a deep cleanse at night (with my clarisonic) and a light cleanse in the morning, as you'll see.  I said this was a recent addition, but before this, I would use an oil-based cleanser anyway (either Shu cleansing oil, or the Nude cleansing oil I've been using on and off for a couple of years now)

Absolution  La Creme du Soir - Up until recently, I tended to use the same skincare for both morning and night, thinking night creams were a waste of time.  This, from my very first use of it, changed my mind totally. It's rich, it's thick, it's nourishing, it's organic, and whenever I use it, I wake up with smoother, hydrated and plumped up skin you can see the difference in.  It's amazing.  It's so amazing, I tried to use it during the day too.  Ironically, that little experiment didn't work, it was far too heavy.

I use it alongside the La Solution + Controle which is a balancing complex that you add a drop of to the night-cream and helps control blemishes and oil production.  My skin has been going through an oily phase this winter - I'm contrary, I know - and this has helped keep everything in check.

Absolution products are 99% natural, and these two items are around 65% organic.  I love the packaging too, the "cylinders" the products arrive in actually unroll to form the instruction leaflets, which is a cute and environmentally sound use of the packaging.  Also, the product packaging is both air-tight and protects the creams from the light, meaning that there are few, if any, preservatives used in the creams.

Then I use  Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex all over the eye area, including the lids.  This a cooling, refreshing and moisturising eye gel which I can't get enough of.  It's worked wonders on my bags and dark circles, and it's all I can do not to apply it twelvety times a day.

In the morning, this is what I use:

(L-R) Absolution L'Eau Soir et Matin, Alpha H Balancing Moisturiser, Alpha H Age Delay Facial Oil, and sneaking in there, Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex.

I mentioned that in the mornings I prefer a lighter cleanse (and in fact, sometimes I just have a rinse with water, if I really can't be bothered), so the Absolution L'Eau Soir et Matin works a treat.  Micellar waters are massive in France (indeed, Absolution is a French brand), and they're great for sensitive skin.  You merely wet a cotton pad with the water - and I can't tell you how much I LOVE the bottle for this, as you can pump it onto a pad with one hand - and run it over your face to remove the remains of your night creams. You don't need to rinse it off. It also works admirably well as an eyemakeup remover.  One thing, it smells - rather strongly - of lemon balm so if you're sensitive to strong scents (or indeed, you're not a fan of Thai food) then this might not be a good product for you.


I then follow this up with Alpha H Balancing Moisturiser, to which I add a drop of Alpha H Age Delay Facial Oil.  I like this combo, because the moisturiser is very light (though it contains 10% glycolic acid to help with signs of aging), but then I can add a drop - or two - of the facial oil, if it's a particularly cold or windy day for an extra drop of protection.  I really enjoy the little tingling sensation I get when I use this moisturiser, too.  And I think I can actually see the benefits I'm getting in my skin at the moment too.


Well, I could until I started using a primer that's given me zits, but more about that next week.


Then, as in my night time routine, I finish off with the eye complex.


So, what's your routine?


The Fine Print: As usual, this is a mixture of stuff I've bought, and stuff I've been sent by PRs.  It's all great, wherever it came from though, half of this is repurchases.


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