Guest Post - NARS Orgasm Nail Polish

I'm utterly delighted that my first guest blogger of my holiday is the wonderful Helen from Just Nice Things, not only does she have "nails of iron", she was one of my blogging inspirations when I first started Get Lippie, and I'm very happy that she's become one of my best friends in the blogging world and in real life, too.  She's responsible for many of my nail varnish lemmings - and she's the reason for why my nail varnish collection has gone from about 20 bottles, to about 150, which is why, much as I love her, my bank manager doesn't ...

Anyhoo, Helen's going to talk to us about yet another flanker for the cult NARS blush in  Orgasm, on with the show, Helen!

*****

I don't think there are many products that received as much hype as the Nars Orgasm blusher and illuminator. And let me let you in on a secret. I only recently got my mitts on a tube of it. I know, massive Nars fan that I am, I should be ashamed of myself. But there you go.

I do, however, own the nail varnish of the same name, which was sent to me as one of the "free" gifts that Nars occasionally do when you spank your life's savings on an online order. This is a mini version of the polish, don't fret, my hands haven't suddenly grown immensely overnight.
I'm just not sure what to make of this. I really wanted it to be an opaque polish. But it isn't. You're seeing three coats here, with a fourth one on the little finger, just to see what happened.

I didn’t want to do any more, because it is a mini and I didn't want to use most of it up on one manicure. I do think that this would work well over a co-ordinating peach base coat though so I need to have a rummage through my stash and see if something like that exists so that I can test it out.

I do rather like the finish of this polish. It is an orange toned peach jelly that flashes yellow and gold in some lights. In the dim morning light as I was driving to work this morning, I could barely see the visible nail line, and as such was astounded at just how pretty this was. It is more delicate and girly than I am used to, but I enjoyed wearing it. Only for a day though - I was craving darks again by the end of the evening.

What do you think? Does the famous "multiple" translate well to nails? As a side note by the way, a man I work with (the one and only Sam, who regular Just Nice Things readers know and love), who never ever comments on my nails actually volunteered that he quite liked this. Hmmm.

Helen

*****

Get Lippie says: Only one thing springs to mind, Helen: Nick O'Teen!



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

Equus Twelve Week Blowdry

So, the last thing I invested in before my trip (tomorrow - squee!) was a Twelve Week Blowdry with Darren Eaton at Equus.  I'd originally headed in for a Brocato treatment, but, because my hair currently has bleached ends (I had an ombre recently, too!), we decided that the slightly gentler twelve week blowdry would suit my needs better.  It took two and a half hours, and involved two blowdrys and a thorough going over with the straightening irons.  That's a long time to sit still, but the results have been worth it.  Darren is a straightening genius, and is very patient with lightly hungover clients, to boot.

I'm very happy with it, there's nothing worse than having to deal with fuzzy hair on holiday, and I have to say that - outside of the Onix system that I trialled almost two years ago - the twelve week blowdry is the one that's left me with the smoothest, easiest to deal with results of any of the myriad keratin treatments I've had over the last while!  I have smooth hair with plenty of body, and I know it'll be easy to deal with whilst I'm away.  Well, it had better be, because I'm not taking either my hairdryer or my straighteners with me (dear Jack Howard, if you're reading this, please don't judge me)! The twelve week blowdry costs from £195 depending on hair length.

My hair is a bit delicate at the moment, and we all know that bleach, sun, salt and chlorine aren't ideal for coloured hair, so I'm going to be protecting it with Swimcap whilst I'm away.  No, not one of those, this:

Designed to protect your hair from the elements, I'll be dousing my bonce in this every opportunity I get.  I'll let you know how it holds up!


And there it is, the last of my holiday prep done, and I'm off in just a couple of hours.  But, Get Lippie has a whole host of guest bloggers lined up to treat you with over the two weeks whilst I'm sunning myself, from bloggers old and new, with some names you'll recognise, and some you won't, but they're all wonderful, so I hope you'll make them all feel very welcome.  Oh, and Mr Lippie makes his long awaited blogging return ...


See you in a fortnight!  Mine's a pina colada.

The Fine Print: Phillip Kingsley samples provided by PR - but I paid for my hair service at Equus.  Good hair is worth investing in.


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

Holiday Makeup Bag

This post might surprise a few people, but the following is all I'm planning on taking away with me this week:

From left to right we have Hawaiian Tropic lip gloss: which has an in-built SPF of 25.  My lips are prone to cold-sores at the first sight of warm weather, so this is a must.  
Guerlain Terracotta foundation in Blonde:  a hint of a tan for the early days of the holiday, it's the only base product I'm taking.
Giorgio Armani Eyeliner in black: if you need a run-proof pencil, this one's your man.
Makeup Forever Smokey Lash mascara: The blackest, most volumising, lengthening mascara I own.  At the moment ...
Le Metier de Beaute Kaleidoscope in Penelope:  Inspired by the colour of the Mediterranean, I couldn't not take this!  Even if I am going to somewhere on the Atlantic coast.  My palette is faulty, so if you want to see what this looks like properly, you might want to click here.
Sue Devitt  Palette in Beau Soleil:  Brand new, this is a gorgeous melange of bronze and coral shades which you can swirl together as a blush or use the shades individually as eyeshades.  
Guerlain Kohl in Oriental Metal:  A recent stash rediscovery, I'd forgotten how much I loved this one, but I've not stopped wearing it for the last few weeks! 
A trio of Louise Young eyebrushes: Newly added to my collection, a full review is on the way, look out for it!  
Sue Devitt Eye Intensifier pencil in Ava: beautifully smudgy, this dark purple will be great for a makeup look in two seconds flat.
Dior Lip Polish in Coral: found these in Paris, and now love them, a hint of sheer milky peach, keep my lips soft and moist in hot weather is imperative, which is why I'm taking this with it's innovative "roller" applicator with me. 
Eyelure Eyebrow pencil in shade 02: Well, I do need to keep my brows in order ...

And that's it.  To be honest, I don't really wear makeup when I'm on holiday, lip balm and mascara (if that) is about as far as I can be bothered to go in the evenings.  What do you take away with you?

The Fine Print:  I bought everything in the bag aside from the Sue Devitt and Le Metier items.  I'll probably be taking some more lipglosses, but I couldn't find them for this picture.  I bought them too, though ... oh, and a blusher brush.
  
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved. 

Imedeen and Decleor - Pre-Sun Preparation

Don't worry, I think I've only got one more of these holiday themed posts to go! I mentioned on Monday that I suffer from prickly heat, and I'm worried about it happening again, so have invested a small fortune in sun allergy sun protection.  Well, I'm also taking some preventative steps in advance:

Firstly, I'm taking Imedeen's Tan Optimizer supplements, and have been for the last three weeks.  They're not, precisely a self-tanning product (I remember my mum took tanning pills quite a few years ago, which essentially contained massive dosages of beta-carotene, turning her orange.  All over.  Not a good look), but they're designed to give your skin a head start for when you do finally hit the sun.

Containing vitamins A, C & E, alongside doses of lycopene (not beta-carotene!), at the very least I'm hoping they'll improve my skin for when I get there!  You take the tiny brown (oooh, psychological!) capsule once a day for four weeks before you travel, whilst you're away, and for at least two weeks afterwards, and they claim to lengthen the amount of time you'll keep your tan for.  I'm all for that.   They say that they'll help minimise redness, and as my high colour is one of the banes of my life these days, I'm hoping they'll make good on that promise.

You can read more about Imedeen Tan Optimizer here.  They cost £40.80 for a two month supply.  Cheaper than getting a couple of spray tans ...

I've also added this to my current skin-care routine:

Which is Decleor Aromessence Solaire Pre-tanning Serum.  Actually an oil, it contains extract of rose and camomile, alongside wheatgerm and argan oils.  Again, all ingredients known to be soothing, and of value to stressed skins, of which mine certainly is at the moment.  I actually had a facial with this, where it was recommended for my high colouring, and angry facial (angry face is angry, grrr!) breakouts, and it's been a pleasure to use.  When I found out it's great for preparing skin for sun, well, nothing could have made me happier.

Has it worked on my high colouring?  Well, I have found myself looking slightly less red, so that's good (angry face is mildly disgruntled, pfeh!), but the jury is out as to whether it'll work in the sun.  So far. 

You simply use this as you would any other serum, add a few drops to the palm of your hand (about three, at most, I'd say) and apply to your face and neck, then apply moisturiser as normal.

Neither of these products contain sunscreen, so it's very important that you use SPF with these products.  They're designed to increase your skin's tolerance to sunlight generally, but they don't have any UVA or UVB filters, so if you use either of them, please bear that in mind.

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  I've obviously been talking to people about my holiday for far, far, far too long.  One more post, promise. Okay, maybe two.

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

Holiday Preparation - Toiletries

So, my nails are painted, the suncare is purchased ... what else do I need?  Well, toiletries, I guess!  

The haircare that I'm taking is from Tara Smith's Straight Away range - before I had Kebelo recently, (and another straightening treatment since) this was the shampoo I was using, and it was fupping wonderful stuff.  Tara's shampoos are sulfate-free, animal-friendly and free of parabens and all kinds of nasties.   I'm taking them mainly because they come in perfect travel sizes of 100ml, but they are in fact, amongst the best shampoos I've ever used.  They've been featured on here before, my friend Sarah swears by the Feed The Root Range. Oh, and they're exceptionally purse-friendly, costing just £6.50 for the larger bottles.

For showering, I'm taking:

 Tom Ford, Neroli Portofino.  Oh, and:

Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Body Lotion


Now, I'm no fan of the advertising images of this range  - in fact, I'd go so far as to say that I find most (if not all) Tom Ford advertising images at best gratuitous, and at worst downright offensive, but mostly generally totally unnecessary - but I have to say that I do love his products.  Does that make me a hypocrite?  Possibly, but hey, we all have our crosses to bear.  There is quality here, and to me, that is important.  Yes, I think they're over-priced (again, gratuitously, possibly), but  ... you make your choices and live with them, I always think.

Neroli Portofino is a gloriously summer-y fragrance that is based around the traditional cologne notes of bergamot, bitter orange and rosemary, is wonderfully light and refreshing, and the scent is rather long-lasting for a cologne.  The body lotion is second only in formulation to my Haus of Gloi pumpkin butters, being both rich, and yet easily absorbed, and it's beautifully moisturising.  I've been using the Body oil for a while now - courtesy of a sample obtained via the wonderfully generous and amazing Caroline Barnes, who took pity on me a couple of months ago and sent me a tiny decant of her own personal bottle - and this is something I've since purchased.  These all cost between £40-45 each.  A big investment, but a holiday is worth a little splurge, no?


So, you'd expect I'd be taking a bottle of the fragrance too, hmn?  Well, no, actually, I'm taking this instead:

4711.   If the Tom Ford is based on a classic cologne, then 4711 simply is the classic cologne, and at prices between £6 and £17 a bottle, then I had to take this - besides, I didn't want my toiletries to be worth more than I paid for the holiday in the first place!  I've been layering this with the TF body products on sunny days for a month or two now, and they're perfectly complementary!  I defy anyone to tell the difference between the two, after five minutes on the skin.  So there.  I'm also packing a couple of boxes of these:

4711 scented wipes, they're perfect for cooling down lightly over-heated skin, as the alcohol evaporates on the skin in the sun, it'll give a lovely calming scented effect.  And, they're £3 for a box of 12, so a total bargain for those "needing a wet wipe" moments ...

The Fine Print: Products featured in this post are a mixture of personal purchase and PR samples that I've come to love since they arrived.  I'm only taking things I love on holiday.  I'm also taking Mr Lippie. 


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

Holiday Preparation - Sun Protection with Piz Buin

I'm a terribly delicate little flower you know, I bruise like a peach, and in the sun, I wilt and then prickle madly.  All joking aside, sun protection for all-over is an area where I struggle somewhat.  It's a good job I don't take exotic holidays all that often!

As I may have mentioned yesterday,  next week I'm off to Portugal for a fortnight, and, having spent our last holiday there in a prickly heat-haze, this year I'm taking no chances, I'm packing these:

Now, I'm normally a lazy mare, and I usually opt for the kind of sun care that you apply once for all-day sun protection, but I now believe that a lot of these formulations are far too heavy for sun-delicate skin, and I'm convinced that part of my problem on my last summer holiday was caused by blocked pores on my calves which lead to the incessant itching.  I discovered the Piz Buin Sun Allergy range towards the end of the holiday - at a whopping cost of 26 euro a bottle!  But, I'd been driven so crazy by itching at this point,  that I gladly paid the price.  It's a more reasonable (but still eye-watering) cost of around £17 a bottle back in the UK, but I got these on buy one get one free from Boots.  £8.50 a bottle doesn't hurt so much somehow.  I'm happy to see that Piz have added a spray top to these bottles this year, which will make them so much easier to use.

Last time I used them, I noticed that there was a definite difference between this and the all-day lotion I'd been using previously.  Whilst the itching didn't end overnight (it took another discovery for that - see below) but my skin definitely felt soothed from the first application, and I was glad to have found it.  I'm taking two bottles of each in factors 30 and 15 for the body, and a tube of factor 30 for my face.  I don't want to come home entirely the same colour I was when I left!  MrLippie will be using the same, just in the non-allergy version.  If I can track down some of the factor 8 down before we go, I'll be getting some of that too ...

I've also invested in a tube of this:

No idea what it's like at the moment, but I'll keep you posted!  I'm hoping that by using sun protection for sensitive skin in the first place that I'll avoid any prickly heat problems entirely, but in case I don't, I'm also packing these:

Yup, that's my prickly heat kit: Zirtek antihistamines (the only antihistamines I've found that work on sun allergies - between these and the Piz Buin, it's what saved my holiday last time), a massive bottle of aloe vera gel, and two cans of Magicool prickly heat spray.  I like Magicool anyway - there is very little more refreshing on a hot day - and I'm hoping against hope I won't need to use these, but I'll have them there just in case ... Last time, my major defence was lightly damp face cloths which we kept in a plastic bag in the apartment freezer!  I just wrapped those around the affected areas and it was just instant relief!  Not sure what the maids thought we were doing with them though ...


How do you prepare for your holidays?


The Fine Print: I bought all of the stuff you see in this post, but further samples - and images - have been provided by Piz Buin, for which I'm deeply grateful. They're a great bunch of lads.

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

Holiday Preparation with Get Lippie

Oh, I've got a whole week of holiday themed stuff coming up - prior to my being away on the Algarve for a fortnight from next week! - but I thought I'd start with my holiday manicure:




Two coats of Essie Geranium. A bright - bright! orange. I've never worn orange nails so bright, but I have to say I'm loving this:




Even on my freakishly pale pinky blue hands this works.




I keep catching sight of them and being surprised, as this is a big difference to my usual shades.

It's practically neon in the flesh, and not nearly as red as it appears in these pics. It has an exceptionally shiny jelly finish, which is why after two coats you can still see a hint of visible nail line, but it's a very cheery shade, and it's perfect for getting into the holiday spirit!

One last shot for luck:





You can see how the light plays with the shade here. The colour on the thumb shows it is actually ORANGE

The Fine Print: manicure courtesy of Equus Hair, where I was a paying customer