Dear Reader ...

I'm marrying him.

Relax girls, he's (nearly) married.

I promise not to become a Bridezilla:





(But I can't promise not to become a Bridezuki over the next few months - sorry.  Although, in all honesty, I'll probably be more of a bridal Scrappy Doo in any case, short and annoying.  My usual self, in fact)

Like any self-respecting beauty blogger my first worries are: perfume, makeup artist (I refuse, point blank, to do it myself), hairdresser, and, of course, which pair of Uggs to wear for the ceremony. 

Have we set a date? No, but it'll be next spring, somewhere quirky, hopefully. Oh, and I'm looking for some small independent artisan jewellers to support with our purchases of rings and so on, so if you have any handy hints or recommendations, then please leave them in the comments! 

There will be no meringues, no churches, and - most importantly - nowhere that doesn't serve chicken wings.  There is, I must admit, a slightly better than good chance we'll be married in the local branch of KFC.


I have, it has to be said, NO IDEA where to start.


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

Guest Post - Senorita Carmen's Week In Lipstick

Yeah, I took a week off blogging (hopefully some of the reason why should have become clear to the people who were following me on Twitter this morning!) and a couple of my readers have stepped in to help.  Carmen is a long-term reader of Get Lippie, and this is her first step into writing any kind of blog post at all, so please be gentle, dear readers!

Carmen's Lipstick Adventures

Now, I'm not a Beauty Blogger but when Louise kindly offered me one of her slots I just couldn't resist! Be careful what you wish for, however, may just apply to both of us. The amount of stress involved trying to photograph your own arm with a smartphone and research the products you want to 'show and tell' was frankly exhausting. I could not do this even for a hobby. And I love lipstick. I do. But for the forseeable future I'll stick to my sudoku puzzles.

So, this is my story about my adventures with my week in Lipstick.

Firstly is my Scarlet O'Hara esque red lippie courtesy of New CID i-pout Scarlet. I first saw this on a previous post xxxxx and as it was a) a new brand to me and b) recommended by my lipstick guru this equalled c) that I just HAD to buy it. So I did. And its a definate head turner. It's red hot, in your face, come to mama...Forget the gimmicks of a light and a mirror (remember the days of Liparazzi?) I've never used them. With this scarlet you need a proper mirror to apply. And if you get feathering or bleeding on your lip line use a lip liner. It's creamy so it doesnt dry out your lips and its highly pigmented so it's stayability is a good few hours.

New CID is a brand formulated by MUA's and is available through their website www.newcidcosmetics.com as well as other retailers such as QVC. It retails for £15.

Next is one of my all time favourite lipsticks. Let me introduce you to my beloved Clarins 220 Bordeaux. This lipstick fills me with confidence. So much so, that if I pop to the local shops in my pj's and apply this lippie - I'm ready to face the world. As in look at my lips not at my pj's....This is a matte lipstick so you really need to ensure that your lips are as smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom. (I use Benefit lip scrub but Lush also do a version that is highly rated.) This lipstick practically stains your lips so it lasts through feeding frenzies and drinking sessions, although your ability to re-apply may be impaired. Hic. And because it is so matte your lips will need tlc the next day regardless of what you got up to the night before...

Now why it's called Bordeaux, I have no idea as it does not resemble any red wine let alone a Bordeaux that I've ever seen. It's much more a bright dark fushia, a pre-berry shade if you will, well before berry shades became all the rage. Its more a crushed raspberry shade than strawberry or blackberry. And it never fails to make me feel both juicy and fruity. Enough said.

Now for the bad news. This is from a Clarins Secret de Rouge range of long lasting lipsticks that is sadly discontinued. Very bad Clarins! I bought 3 of the beauties as soon as I heard and I'm on my last one. But here's the good news. If you have the internet - there are stockists still out there. Woo hoo!

This nude beauty is from Korres. Its my everyday natural make up look. For days when I just need a quick pick me up and this is my lipstick for my lips but better. Its from the Korres guava lipstick range so its delectably soft and moisturiusing. And because its such a neutral shade I can apply this anywhere without needing a mirror, for example whilst walking to my train station. But I do think that somewhere along the lines the greek instructions from Korres got a bit lost in translation. Firstly the shade is called Natural Purple. Purple. And yet there is nothing purple about this lipstick. Not a hint of a tint. Nada. Then the claims of long lasting as in "extended wear" and "intense colour". It's not long lasting mores the pity. It comes off over a tall skinny latte. Nor is it intense. Its a neutral nude shade as in barely there. But it is wonderfully soothing, smoothing and moisturising. So what if I have to re-apply twice from leaving home to getting to the office? Its so worth it. Speaking of worthiness, this retails at £15 from various retailers i.e. Oliver Bonas or their flagship Korres store on the King's Road.

This is Get Lippie. No really. Back in May last year I spotted a blog post about a fantastic collaboration between Daniel Sandler, Louise and Cosmetics a la Carte. It was described as a cool rosy purple and it is but on my lips it looks like a langurous rose shade and I am always without fail complimented on my lippie when I wear this. This is my internal stakeholder meeting lipstick. I rarely need the red lips effect at work. Muahaha. So how could this get any better? When I too create my own signature lipstick. (Already added to my 40th Birthday list of things to do).  It can be purchased from Cosmetics a la Carte for £18 + £4 p&p.

What do I wear during the day to keep my lips in top top condition? Its Hurraw! Because I wear lipstick every day and have dry lips I need to ensure that my out and about lip saviour is this black cherry tinted lip balm. Its natural, organic, vegan and fairtrade and my lips love it. Why a tinted lip balm? Beacuse I like a bit of colour on my lips and this is more soothing than continually applying layers of lipstick. Its a dark red sheer tint so it also doubles up as a lip balm on matte lipsticks starting to fade. Hurraw! is available from www.amazon.co.uk or if you are in Marleybone Content

And last but not least is my NYR Mulberry Lip Gloss. One of the few glosses I've kept hold of as I hate the gloss whipped hair streaks all over my face. The mulberry shade is a classic dark berry without bordeing into blackberry shades. This range fron NYR is their first cosmetic line and was the only make up range certified by the Soil Association when it launched Decembe r2010. It's without nasty silicone, carmine and parabens but best of all it's enriched with organic sweet orange essential oil. Which means when you wear it on a grey miserable day, the scent of oranges transports you momentarily to sunny Spain. But cheaper than a holiday at £9.50.

I hope you've enjoed my ramblings. And if you wear similiar shades let me know what else I should add to my collection. 

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

Guest Post - Jayne's Kitschen

Jayne Kitschen Gets Lippie

The lovely Louise has asked me to write a little guest blog for her fabulous blog, I hope that you will enjoy it. To stay on theme, I’ve chosen to write for you a lip balm collection and mini review.
Lip balms are one of those things that every girl seems to gather a large collection of in a very short space of time. This week I did a good clear out of my lip balm collection, so I’m going to share with you the lip balms that made the cut and tell you more about some of my favourites.

This is my collection at present:
MUA Sugar Lips Love Hearts Balm
Crazy Rumors Brew lip balm in Peppermint Lemongrass, Apple Spice and Orange Bergamot
Culpepper Strawberry lip balm
Figs & Rouge Sweet Geranium
Lip Smackers in Stellar Strawberry
Burt’s Bees Rejuvenating Acai Berry lip balm
Carmex lip balm
EOS Sweet Mint lip balm sphere
Rose & Co Cherry Kiss Salve
Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve
Nivea Pearl & Shine
Bath House Creme Brulee lip balm

My current favourites are from cutECOsmetics and include the Sweet Mint EOS lip balm sphere and the Brew flavours from Crazy Rumors. All of these brands are cruelty free, vegan and made of mostly natural ingredients. Crazy Rumors is 100% natural and EOS is 95% natural.
The EOS is actually the nicest lip balm ever and has surprisingly over taken Burt’s Bees as my everyday essential. I love the quirky packaging of the EOS spheres and the balm is fantastic, non greasy but moisturising.

The Crazy Rumors balms are a much thicker consistency, but they add a nice gloss and have some of the yummiest, more unusual flavours I’ve seen in lip balms.  The Chai Tea Crazy Rumors is delicious; sadly it is no longer in my collection as I have donated it to my very pregnant friend who is missing her tea addiction.

My long term favourite lip balm has always been anything from Burt’s Bees, 100% natural and widely available; it’s always a guaranteed hit. My favourite version is the rejuvenating Acai Berry lip balm stick, it smells like berries and is moisturising without feeling heavy or greasy. All of Burt’s Bees are also cruelty free.

The lip balms that I love the most for nostalgia and the prettiness are my Rose & Co lip salves, I used to work at Rose & Co’s boutique in Leeds and have always loved the range. The Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve is a beauty essential, in its pretty pink, vintage inspired tin this is a versatile balm for lips, dry skin and great for fixing eyebrows, most of all it is rose scented! I also have the Cherry Kiss Rose & Co lip balm, which I adore for the cherry printed, blue tin; this balm is very slightly tinted and lightly fragranced.
Which lip balms are essentials for you? Have you tried any of these?
If you have enjoyed this guest blog, I would love for you to check out my blog, www.jayneskitschen.co.uk/blog

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

Back to Basics - Clarins Ever Matte Foundation

Another new foundation this month is Clarins Ever Matte, which I've had for a couple of weeks and have been mulling over on your behalf for a while.


Packaging

A squared-off squeezy tube, perfect for carting around with you.  I like the classy gold top, too.

Formula

 A medium-thick liquid, quite low in silicones, this feels velvety on the fingers, and I find it easy to blend and spread over the face.  It feels fairly "traditional" compared to some of the others I've tried this week, and it has a very faint "herbal" scent that dissipates quite quickly after blending.  It takes a little while to "settle" on the skin, but this gives you time to buff the foundation into the skin, should you want to.

Shade Selection

There are e;even shades in the range, and this one is 109 - Wheat.  Whilst it's probably a good range of shades for us of a paler persuasion, like many French makeup brands this is lacking a little at the darker end of the spectrum.   I always find it a shame that so many brands don't cater for as many skin tones as possible.  Wheat is a fairly good match for my neutral/cool-leaning skin.

Coverage

I'd say this was about a medium coverage foundation.  Maurice!

Yes, not entirely covered up, but the coverage is good, and has definitely lessened the ability to see Maurice.

Finish

I wouldn't say this was entirely matte on the skin, it has more of a velvety finish.  My skin is combination oily, and this is an oil-free formula, which I find controls oil production quite well without drying my skin out entirely, which is nice I wouldn't say it was necessary to finish it with powder, but your mileage may vary.  If your skin is prone to dry patches, this will cling to them, so be warned.

Wear

This wears reasonably well,  I'd quibble a bit over the box's claim to keep skin "shine-free from morning to evening" as shine will break through at around the six hour mark, and you will experience fading from around the 7-8 hour point, but I'd say that this is about what I would expect from a foundation of this type, so I'm not too disappointed.

Price

£24 for 30ml.
 
Ingredients

Overall Thoughts

This is a nice, pleasant medium-coverage foundation, which is not particularly earth shattering, but those with slightly oily skin may fall in love with it.

The Fine Print: PR Sample.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Keromask Camouflage Cream

Long overdue this one.  Keromask is a foundation specifically made to cover up imperfections, birthmarks scars and tattoos and the like.  I've had my bottle since last July, and it's been a godsend to me and my red, red face.  This foundation is recommended by the British Medical Association for use in particular skin conditions.  But, it's also suitable for use for people who just want a heavier coverage foundation.

Lets take a closer look:
 
Packaging

An airtight plastic bottle with a pump, that's integral to the bottle - you twist the entire cap, and the pump pops up, very handy, and you can operate it one handed if you're dextrous enough! Handy also, because you can see exactly how much you have left in the bottle.

Formula

This is a rather thick formulation, which feels like it contains a lot of oil.  A little bit of this certainly goes a very, very, very long way.  I find that the amount above, barely bigger than a pinhead in reality, will cover my entire face and neck.  It spreads very easily, and is easy to blend.  In spite of it being a heavy duty foundation, it isn't any harder to remove than a "normal" foundation.
 
Shade Selection

This shade is Light No.11.  There are 24 shades in the range, (in groups, Light, Medium and Dark)  and that includes three shades (white, yellow and dusk) which are purely for mixing with the other colours to make your own custom-blended foundation.  In order to find your perfect shade, there are sample packs available from the website, containing 12 tiny pots of foundation (each of which will last you several days minimum) + the three mixer shades at a cost of £4.99.  A bargain in anyone's book.  And this is an excellent range of shades, even if they didn't have the mixer colours.


Coverage

Coverage is full/heavy.  But the feel of the foundation is not, before I go into more detail, lets see how Maurice is getting along:

 As you can see, Maurice has almost entirely disappeared, but you can still see the skin beneath. You can wear this sheered out, too.  I find buffing it into the skin with a stippling brush works well if you find the coverage too heavy on first application.  I tend to apply this with my fingers most days though, and you can build the coverage when you need to.
 

Finish

This tends to a  dewy finish, which is quite natural-looking, Unlike other heavy-duty foundations, I don't find it leaves you with that "mask" like effect.  Also, unlike, say, Estee Lauder Double Wear, it won't leave you looking like an off-duty drag queen if you accidentally over-apply slightly.

I find it that it does work better if you set it with powder - and the Keromask powder is very good for finishing this one off, but more about that in a separate post - as this increases the wear time.


Wear

This stuff won't move until you remove it, it's a marvel.  If you have very oily skin, you might find you get a little fading around any particularly oily areas, such as the nose and chin, but this will take you from dawn to dusk with very few touch-up worries.
 
Price

An absolutely bargain-basement £14.99.  I've worn this a minimum of twice a week every single week since last July, and I estimate I've used about a third of the bottle in that time.  I think getting to the end of this will take me at least another twelve months.


Ingredients

Sadly, I've lost the box for this one, so don't have a full list of the ingredients handy.  I'll check with the PR firm and see if I can get one though.
 
Overall Thoughts

Excellent coverage, and wonderful lasting power, this is a powerhouse foundation and a half.  It won't suit you if you have perfect skin, but for those of us with things to hide, this is amazing. 


The Fine Print: PR sample, and a VERY overdue review.  I'd be redfaced with embarassment, but ...
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Back to Basics - Estee Lauder Invisible Fluid Makeup

Continuing with the Foundation Week theme, it's time to discuss what is the newest addition to my little* foundation family, Estee Lauder's Invisible Fluid makeup.  We're not allowed to call it "foundation", apparently, as it's specially formulated to be foundation for people who don't like foundation.

Personally, I don't understand this "not liking foundation" business, but that's probably because my ugly blotchy red mug regularly makes small children cry, nonetheless, I thought I'd give this a go anyway.

Packaging

Cute plastic bottle, with shiny, shiny blurple lid.  A little on the large size for carrying around with you, but it won't shatter if you drop it.

Formula

An exceptionally thin, runny liquid.  This is light, light, light!  The formula is both oil and emulsifier-free, meaning you need to shake the heck out of it when you first buy it (at least three minutes worth) in order to mix the pigment with the binding ingredients.  After the first use, you won't need to shake near as much to get the ingredients to blend, but this will need shaking every time you use it.  Again, this product contains a blend of silicones to get the pigment to meld with your skin.  This is virtually undetectable on the skin, either visually or physically.  It spreads easily, either with fingers or a brush.  I prefer fingers.

Shade Selection

 This is shade 2CN2.  There are sixteen shades in the range, arrayed into six colour groupings (1 = palest, 6 = darkest), and C = Cool, N= Neutral and W = Warm.  This should, in a perfect world, all make sense,  so my shade is second palest group, with both cool and neutral undertones, but not the palest shade in the group - that would be 2CN1.  I think.  It's great to see a brand like Lauder catering to a large range of skintones at last.  As a Lauder foundation-wearer of many years standing, I've often found it difficult to match my skin tone owing to the limited shades on offer, and it's great to see them expanding the range in both directions.

Coverage

Coverage is, as you might expect, on the light side.  Here's Maurice the Control Mole for our visual demonstration:

Coverage is light to medium, as you can see from the above, it won't hide blemishes completely, it will even out your skintone, and at least disguise the worst of your blotchiness.  The coverage is very buildable, and if you have stubborn redness, you can just add another layer or two over the worst affected areas, without it looking cakey.  As it's oil-free, it's great for oilier skins, if you're prone to dry patches, this will cling to them slightly, but keeping on top of your exfoliating will help.

Finish

Finish is matte, but not flat.  You can powder over this, but it will kind of defeat the whole "invisible" nature of the makeup.  I find using an illuminating primer underneath will give your skin a glow, but again, it's not necessary.


Wear

I've been very impressed with the wear of this.  I expected such a light formulation to wear off very very quickly, but this has stood up to even the hardest of wear over the last week or two, and I've not really noticed any problems with fading or needing reapplications during the day. I'd say I get about 8-10 hours before needing to touch up.
 
Price

Currently exclusively available from John Lewis, this costs £27 for 30ml.
 
Ingredients

Overall Thoughts

Wonderfully light on the skin, with buildable coverage which is virtually undetectable on the skin during  wear, in a great range of colours, this is a total win as far as I'm concerned.  I'm surprised at how much I like it, considering my redness problems, but since this turned up, I've found myself reaching for it over and over.  

 * Ha ha!


The Fine Print: PR Sample.


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

Back to Basics - Avon Ideal Flawless Foundation

It's been quite a while since I last did a week of foundations, and this one has been a while in the planning, so I thought I'd better get on with it!  This week I'll be reviewing five foundations, weightless ones, full coverage ones, invisible ones, and others ...

I'm starting off with Avon's latest foundation launch, Ideal Flawless, which is described as an "invisible coverage foundation".

Packaging: 

This is a heavyweight glass bottle, with a pump mechanism, not ideal for travel, but it's a handsome enough bottle for the dressing table.

Formula:

  
This is a rather thick liquid formulation, which just a hint of shimmer visible in the bottle (not visible on the skin, thank goodness), which spreads extremely easily over the skin, and feels feather light during wear. It's rather silicone-heavy, so unsuitable for skins who don't tolerate those easily, but it makes your skin feel gorgeously smooth and velvety whilst you're wearing it. Touchably soft, even!

Shade Selection

This is shade: "Creamy Natural".  Please bear in mind that the skin of my hands is considerably paler than that of my face for some reason, so these swatches will look a bit odd.  There's an amazing range of shades in this range, Avon offer 16 shades, from the very palest "Ivory" or "Light Pink" through to "Nutmeg" and  "Earth".  I've tried all 16, and, instead of being the second palest colour in the range - something I normally am, owing to being pale, but not that pale - I'm right in the middle of this shade range. I could probably get away with wearing "Nude" or "Medium Beige" as well, depending on the time of year, and the light I was going to be seen in, to be honest.  It's nice to see a range of shades that caters for both cool and warm tones, too.

Coverage:

Let me intoduce you to Maurice, the Control Mole, you're going to be seeing him a lot this week, so if skin blemishes offend you, I suggest you look away now:

 And here's how Maurice looks after a coat of Ideal Flawless:

Yup, that's some pretty good coverage right there, that is.  I'm impressed.  Maurice, not so much so.

Finish:

Avon Ideal Flawless blends easily onto the skin, leaving it velvety and smooth, and is, as promised, more or less "invisible" on the skin.  It has a satin-matte finish, which isn't at all flat owing the aforementioned "shimmer" in the bottle, and doesn't leave skin too dewy either.  You can finish with powder should you need too - and if you are oily-skinned, I'd recommend it - but it isn't 100% necessary, I very rarely bother with powder, to be honest.

Wear:

Avon don't promise any particular long-wearing capabilities for this foundation, which is just as well, as the lasting time is about average, it'll see you through the average working day, but you will notice fade after around six - eight hours or so.  You'll need another application if you want it to take you from day to night though.

Price:

This is an absolute bargain, costing £12 at full price, but is currently on offer on the Avon Website for just £10 a bottle for 30ml. Online swatches are beyond dreadful though, so do a bit of searching around to find your shade.


Ingredients:

Overall Thoughts.


This is an excellently priced product, with great coverage, average lasting power, and a wonderfully light feel on the skin - highly recommended, even if the online swatches mean that finding your exact shade might be a little problematic.


The Fine Print: PR Sample.  I was not swayed in any way by the mention of Aleesha Dixon in the marketing of this product.  Sorry, Aleesha.

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