You Know You've Been A Beauty Blogger Too Long ...

... When your local department store RINGS you to let you know their sale starts next week, and they'd love to see you there.

So yeah, anyway, Debenhams sale starts 16th November.  Be there, or ... they won't send me a Christmas card.

The Fine Print: No sales people or PRs harmed in the writing of this post.  I should get commission you know,  I wish Debenhams did cashback.

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

Model's Own Beetlejuice Giveaway

Hello lovelies!

Whilst I'm waiting for my broadband to be re-re-connected (I've tried blogging from a dongle, and it's no fun), I thought I'd do a little giveaway.  Would you like to own the entire Models Own Beetlejuice collection?  Look, they're so pretty!

Yeah, I let some people talk me into buying more of them than I needed, so I thought I'd give my spares to you guys!  I'm nice like that ...

Anyhoo, the rules, leave a comment on this post telling me what kinds of posts you'd like to see when I get back to full-time blogging (which will hopefully be later this week, btw), you must leave either a valid email address, or another way for me to get in touch with you.  You must be a follower on the blog, if you leave a comment here.

Or if you can't be bothered being a blog subscriber, be a twitter follower!  Tweet the following: "Lippie's back, and she's giving stuff away! @Get_Lippie #LippieBeetlejuice".  If you follow in both places, you'll get two entries, and if you only follow on one, you'll get one.

Because of the nature of the prize, this giveaway is open to my UK readers only, I'm afraid.  I'll make the draw (at random) at some point on Monday 14th November, and I'll keep you guys posted ....

The Fine Print: Draw held entirely at the discretion of the blog-owner, who reserves the right to disqualify any entries deemed to be arriving from competition forums and the like.  Blog owners decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

The Further Fine Print: Models Own are entirely unaffiliated with this giveaway, I bought the prizes, and I'll be despatching them too.  Eventually.

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

So ...

... Yeah, this post isn't very beauty related either, but ... the next one will be, I promise!  I moved house this weekend, and I have spent a few very happy hours reacquainting myself with my candles - god I missed my candles, who knew that was even possible? -  my perfumes, my unguents, my lotions and my potions and I've been arranging them in the new Lippie Mansions (yes, we've taken a little step up in the world, we're out of the dungeon at last!), which comes equipped with its very own built-in beauty bloggers closet. It's not the only reason I chose the place, honest* ... but I'll let you have a sneaky peek at it later on.  Once I've finished alphabetising it** ...

Oh, and the other great thing about the new Lippie Mansions is the kitchen.  I have a big, big kitchen, so Get Foodie is back on.  Yes, it's delayed (stress kills the appetite, we discovered recently), but it's coming, don't you worry.   I'll keep you posted ...


* Pretty damn close though.  A cupboard!  A cupboard of mine very own!
** I'm an accountant.  It's what I do.***
*** Sometimes.  Allegedly.

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

Back Soon!

...I aten't dead... *

I am, though, planning lots of blog posts, attempting to buy a new laptop, and, providing BT don't screw up again, I'm hoping that I'll be fully back in the blogosphere very soon ...

Thanks for all your patience, and support on Twitter (and elsewhere), you've been aces.  Especially you. Can't say too much at the moment, there's a lot going on, but there is very definitely light at the end of the tunnel right now.

Okay, who can recommend me a good restaurant in Windsor, please?

* Prize for whoever gets that reference**
** Not open to LondonMakeUpGirl***
***I'm serious

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

Chantecaille Lip Chics -Tea Rose, China Rose, Bourbon Rose

The Chantecaille Lip Chic formulation is one of my all time favourites.  Sheer - like so many of the new lipstick collections have been this year - but hugely moisturising, extremely balm-like, and just pigmented enough to give you a wearable and polished look.  I love them, and the funky pewter packaging, and own three, all from the rose shades.


Here they are, Tea Rose, China Rose, and Bourbon Rose:

Tea Rose, is a lovely muted rosy mauve, for me a My Lips But Better shade, which I use with stronger makeup looks, so I don't look like death warmed up by using more "traditional" nude lip shades.  China Rose is a little more red, and is a tad warmer, almost coral-ish in wear.  And Bourbon Rose is a lovely pink, good for giving a gentle flush of colour to your lips, without totally taking over your face.


Here's how they swatch, with and without flash:

Whilst it's a soft formulation, the lipsticks don't wear down all that quickly, and they're a pleasure to wear.  Yes, they're pricey, at around £29 each, but my lipstick collection wouldn't be complete without them.

 The Fine Print: I bought each of these, and have actually bought Bourbon Rose twice, the first time was a present for someone else, and I liked it so much, I had to have it for myself too.


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

The Scent of Fear

I have a confession to make.  Since my month of living hell began, I've not worn any perfume at all, it's an odd situation for me to be in, for, even before Project Perfume began, I would apply perfume daily, even though I wouldn't, actually, pay that much attention to it afterwards.

However, since I've spent most of this year actually paying a lot of attention to how things smell, what I've been trying very hard not to do is to accidentally end up attaching a scent to this period of my life.  For, I keep thinking, if I do, what would happen if I accidentally caught a sniff of that scent afterwards?

I've spent the last week with a racing heart, a dry mouth, total confusion, a constant sense of dread, and  more besides, if that was to come back, even by accident because I caught a whiff of, say, Ananas Fizz by L'Artisan Perfumer (a scent guaranteed to cheer up even the darkest day, with it's pineapple-sunshine sense of fun), then I think I would go crazy.

Scent is an odd sense, as it is most definitely tied to memory.  Even now if I smell  Origins Ginger, it makes me want to throw up, because of a bout of food-poisoning I suffered once whilst wearing it.  The merest smidge of Rive Gauche and it's 1981, and I'm waiting at the airport with my mum, waiting for my dad to come home from his first job abroad.  And for serious, you never want to know what I'm reminded of if I get within even a molecule of Southern Comfort ...

So I haven't wanted to tie a scent to this terrible time.  But, if I did want a comfort-scent, what would you recommend? 

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

Nanoblur - Review

So ... there's been a lot of talk about Nanoblur recently.  It's been hailed as the latest wonder product, and claims to make you look ten years younger in 40 seconds. It's now available in Boots, and it costs £19.99. I've had a tube for a couple of weeks now, so how does it do?

 Nanoblur is, essentially, a silicone-based primer, suffused with micro-prisms which will refract light, and make lines and wrinkles (and other flaws) seemingly "disappear".  The nano particles are the wonder ingredient in this particular melange, as the rest of the product doesn't really offer any skin-care benefits over and above what you'd be using on your skin anyway.

You can use it over your moisturiser if you're going bare-faced, or, the packaging alleges, that you can use it over your foundation, if you're going for a fully made-up look.  I've not been in the mood for much makeup lately, so I've been wearing it over moisturiser only. 

It's a white cream, which I find quite difficult to spread, and this means I have to apply quite a lot.  My skin adores my current skin-care regime (Darphin, mostly), and is more than adequately hydrated, but still I find this stuff patchy in application, and once dry it gives me matte finish to my skin.  I have severe and grave misgivings about how this would work over foundation, if it goes patchy over moisturised skin, I suspect it wouldn't mix too well with anything pigmented.  It's a very matte finish.

A TOO-matte finish, if truth be told.  My skin is combination-oily, and I know that if I were using this during my more dry-skinned phases, then this product would be a complete and utter no-no.  It doesn't have any lifting or tightening effects (and doesn't promise them), but I do find that my skin is a little more "taut" when I'm using this.

So, does it make me look ten years younger?  Well ... in a word ... no.  In the spirit of experimentation, I've actually worn this on just one side of my face once or twice, trying to replicate the effects you can see below:

I have to say that not one person (including my nearest and dearest) noticed whether I was wearing a full OR a half face of this stuff.  I did, however.  In my defence, I didn't tell them, but ... Yes, I did find that it softened lines, and made some flaws more difficult to focus on, but the difference wasn't, at all, as noticeable as promised.  It's ... okay.  I guess.

The lack of amazing results, and the matte finish (which is actually ageing in itself when you're past a certain point in life) means that Nanoblur isn't a must-have for me.  Add in my reservations as to how it would work with makeup, and I'd have to say that it's not really for me at all.  A day without foundation is a day wasted as far as I'm concerned.  However, if you have very greasy skin, you might get on better with it than I did, but if you're over forty (as I most decidedly am), then I recommend that you approach Nanoblur with extreme caution.
 
The Fine Print: PR Sample.

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