Tom Ford Quad Comparison - Titanium Smoke and Silvered Topaz

Someone pointed out to me recently that the two Tom Ford Eyeshadow quads that I own look a little similar.  Well ... it can't be denied.  In fact, for a while, I was convinced that the top row of both palettes was identical, myself!  So, any excuse to get them out again, I thought I'd do some side-by-side swatches of each:

But first, a look (or two) at the palettes together:

 Look dang similar, those two top rows, eh?  Let's take a closer look:

So, just how similar are they?  Here's the swatches:

The glitter shades are indeed slightly different, the Titanium Smoke has a more "steely" grey appearance, and the Silvered Topaz is a very pale gold.  In reality though, they apply so sheerly that there's no way you'd be able to differentiate between the two of them on the eyes.

The grey shades in both are more different - Titanium Smoke is definitely greyer, and, on application, is both more pigmented and less powdery.  Silvered Topaz has a sheerer, slightly browner appearance.  I definitely prefer the Titanium Smoke out of these two.

For the bottom row, I simply had to swatch the matte shades together.  Out of these two, Silvered Topaz is very definitely the more pigmented out of the two - I barely had to touch my skin with the brush!  But, for me, the Titanium Smoke is the most versatile shade, as it makes a wonderful powder liner, and is particularly suitable for tightlining your upper lashes.  The Silvered Topaz is actually so pigmented that it's difficult to blend, and, the slightly red undertone makes it unsuitable for the inner rim of the eyes.

I'll say one thing, the bottom left shade from Silvered Topaz was damn near impossible to swatch, so much so that it really annoyed me.  The Titanium Smoke grey is glorious, but it is just that little bit  ... too sparkly.  That said, that hasn't stopped me wearing it practically every day for the last couple of weeks!

So, which one catches your eye? 

 The Fine Print: Purchases.  I am a mental.


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

Dior Skinflash Comparison - Shades - 001 and 002

I've somehow acquired two Dior Skinflash highlighters, in shades 001 and 002, and I thought it would be interesting to see them side by side.

Both housed in the signature silver with navy livery, Skinflash is a brush-pen style highlighter of the type that is commonly sold as a "concealer" by department store sales assistants.  What they actually do is spread reflective particles over the skin which bounce light off a particular area, diminishing the eyes' ability to see imperfections. That said, they're better used to draw light to areas in the same way you'd use a highlighter - on cheekbones, browbones etc - than use them to disguise dark circles and the like, because coverage can be very sheer, and the reflection effect can actually draw attention to the areas you're trying to hide, if you apply with too heavy a hand.  

Recall the "reverse panda" effect?

Yeah, don't apply too much, or that's you that is.

 Anyway, where was I?  Oh yes, there are two shades of Dior Skinflash:

L - 001 & R - 002

 As you can see from the above, 001 is more pink, and 002 has a more yellow cast, hopefully meaning that both cool and warm tones can use the products.  Here's how they look swatched heavily on skin:

L 002 - R 001 I'm a doofus and reversed the image - sorry!

 Swatched heavily, you can see the 001 (towards the bottom of the pic) looks a little more chalky on my neutral-toned skin, but the 002 (at the top), melts away a little more.  I'll be honest, I used 001 as an under eye concealer last week, and the pink tones did nothing to disguise anything, probably just made me look more knackered, if I'm being honest!

Blended, the differences are less apparent in this picture, but next time I use Skinflash, I'll ensure I'm using shade 002, as I think it suits my skin better:

 
 The Fine Print - one was a purchase, and one was in a goody bag at an event.  I no longer know which was which. Which is how it should be, if  you ask me.


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

Ren Love Clean Skin (or, would you like a bit of porn with your cleanser?)

Now, I'm a fan of Ren, their Rose Otto Bath Oil is one of my desert island products.  Last week they released their "first short film" (it is not an advert, allegedly) and here's the edited version:


 
It's safe for work, don't worry.

But, this is the longer version (it's less than two minutes long, but - and it's a BIG but - do not watch this if you're at work, I mean it, you will regret it and you'll likely get fired to boot) Youtube will ask you if you're over 18, and with very good reason:



Now, what I want to know, is any of this necessary?  This is basically soft porn, and what on earth it has to do with the products, I have no idea.  Yes, yes, it's beautifully shot, and the leads aren't hollywood-gorgeous, which is refreshing to see, but ... I don't see why they bothered.

Except ...

I suppose, for a brand, any publicity is good publicity - and I'm aware this blog post is just adding to that - but, I'll be honest, this has made me rethink how I feel about the brand.  It's not that I'm offended by the film - I'm not - but any brand that stoops to showing porn to get publicity, well ... I'm not so sure that's a brand I want to spend my money on.

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

Clarins Instant Light Blush Vitamin Pink and Coral Tonic

  
I spotted these in the Garden Pharmacy in Covent Garden a few weeks ago, and I was instantly smitten.  I'm on a bit of a blush kick at the moment, and these are pretty different offering from a brand like Clarins, so I couldn't wait to give them a try.

Packaged in cute nail-varnish like bottles, and brought out as part of the new spring collection, there are two shades:

When you remove the lid, there's a big sponge applicator, which is MUCH better than a brush for giving you an even application, it diffuses the gold-shot shades over the skin quite well.

It's a similar size to your fingertip, so is easy to use, and it spreads the product quite well over the skin.  I still like to finish off with my actual fingertips though, I'm a fussy mare.


Swatches:

As you can see, there's a tiny amount of shimmer when the product is unblended, but this is there for depth of shade, and stops it looking "flat" on the skin rather than to add sparkle.  Once blended the shades have a translucent quality, and add a delightful flush to the skin:

A little bit of this goes a long way, and I can see I'm totally going to be obsessed with the coral shade come summer when I'm a little darker, but these are genuinely gorgeous, and because I'm a lazy so-and-so, I like the fact that I don't need a highlighter too.

The Fine Print: PR Samples.  But they're ones I would have bought anyway.  Obsessed I am.  OBSESSED.
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Lipstick of the week

With the wind and the snow this week, I felt the need for balm, but I wasn't quite content to go the colourless route, so I dug out my collection of Lanolips.  

From left to right we have:
Lanolips Rhubarb
Lanolips Dark Honey
Lanolips Rose I love the lanolips formula, and I wear these often, even when I don't really need balm.  My favourite, in particular, is the Dark Honey as you can probably tell from the picture above ... I understand Lanolips are bringing out a collection of body products soon, and I'm looking forward to trying them.
Topshop Gloss Stick in Glisten This is a very pretty, longlasting, gloss.  It's more of a sheer lipstick than a gloss, owing to the high level of pigment.
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain in Plum Wicked I daren't even tell you how old this bottle is, but it was a limited edition from a Halloween collection did a few years ago.  And, by years, I probably mean about a decade or so.  It's still good though - I bought back ups of this by the score!  It's a rollerball, and it's very handy for layering, as you'll see.
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain and Balm in Frenzy This is the newest version of Just Bitten Lipstain, which has a felt tip pen at one end, and a silicone-based balm at the other to add gloss.  It's a good product, but I doubt I'll still have this one in a few years, the pen will have dried out ...


Swatches:

Swatched in the same order, but at the end I've layered Wicked Plum over Frenzy, to deepen the red - Frenzy can look a little fuschsia on my lips if I'm not careful, and I wanted a deep, deep, longlasting red on Saturday to last me through my panel appearance at TOWIB - it did the trick!

What've you been wearing?  Here's a little teaser of just some of the stuff that's coming up later this week ...

 

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

Get Lippie is now on Facebook

Yes, it's taken me long enough, I know - but there you go.

Anyway, it's here, it's very bare, so bear with me: Get Lippie on Facebook

Please don't let me be lonely over there.  When I figure out the widget, I'll get one, but in the meantime you'll have to join by following the link.  Old Skool! 

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

Debenhams Beauty Club Awards Close Soon

Did I mention I was judging the Debenhams Beauty Club Awards this year?  Did I mention that the nomination period is closing soon?  Did I mention you can win one of two goody bags worth around £1000 (containing all 30 of last years winning products) if they get up to 20,000 votes?  Did I mention that they also have 10 runner up prizes of goody bags stuffed with award-winning products as well?

I didn't? Shame on me.  Still, you know now, so go get voting.  No excuses: http://on.fb.me/w48ldS  

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