Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains - Lovesick, Crush and Romantic

After being in total whelm with the YSL Glossy Lip Stains, I thought I'd try again.  There's been a big buzz about the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains around, and I thought I'd give them a thorough going-over.  I picked out three shades, a bright pink:  Lovestruck, a berry: Crush and a cherry-red: Romantic.

Packaged almost identically to Clinique's Chubby sticks, they're a good half of the price (almost a third of the price if you catch them on special offer at Boots/Superdrug etc), but Revlon's USP is the "Kissable" claim, as these are balms that leave behind a stain once the balm effect wears off.

The balms are twist-up, and provide fairly good, if sheer, pigmentation.  The range of shades isn't huge (and I haven't been able to get my hands on Honey for love nor money, it struck me as something that would be a good choice for a "My Lips But Better" look), but these are pretty, and very handy:

I took these away with me on my "summer holiday" last week, and got a lot of wear out of each:

Rather predictably, given my experience with the YSL glossy stains, I find that two of these shades don't leave much of a stain behind (Crush and Romantic), and the stains that do get left behind from these is identical - obviously the staining pigment in each of these is the same shade.  Lovesick is by far my favourite, I'm a bigger and bigger fan of pink over red lips these days.

Things I don't like: The balm only fills up half of the tube, and the taste - it tastes of dusty peppermint.  Like a boiled sweetie that's been left in the bottom of your handbag picking up lint and face powder.  It's not nice, but it wears off fairly quickly.

I'm still on the lookout for Honey though, if you see it, will you let me know?

The Fine Print: Purchases.  Yes, I always buy things in threes.  Unless it's shoes, that is.  I buy them in sixes.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

MyFace Slinky Liquid Eyeliners

 
I'm a sucker for a liquid eyeliner, and always have three or four on the go at any one time. I had every single shade of Urban Decay liquid liner (until they changed the packaging to make it hugely unusable a few years ago, and haven't bought one since), and have been on the lookout for a range of affordable liners, in great colours ever since.

MyFace hasn't registered on my radar very much, I'll be honest, but my ears pricked up somewhat when I discovered that they have fifteen - FIFTEEN - shades of liner in their range to match their range of Bling Tone Shadows, and the news that they cost £10.99 each, which isn't a bad price at all, made my little heart go pitty-pat.  Currently I'm in love with Illamasqua liners, but there's a limited range of (beautiful) shades, and they cost £17.50 each, so these are a bargain in comparison.

So, on with the swatches, of the 15 shades, three are mattes (a black, a brown and a white), and the remaining 12 are shimmery. I divided the shades into three groups, darks, metallics and blue-greens.  First off the darks:

Swatches in same order as product shot above

Sugar Plum is a dark mauve-purple, Purple Haze is a greyed-out lilac shade.  Hot Cocoa is a bitter-chocolate, Sp"ice"y  is a metallic bronze, and Paint it Black is a matte black - more of a dark charcoal when dry, admittedly.  Be warned though, that Sugar Plum stains your eyelids.  Stains your eyelids GREEN.  No idea why that might be, but it does.  It's beautiful though, and probably my pick of this group.

Onto the metallics:

Gilt-y is a bright yellow-gold, Tequila Sunrise is an equally bright coppery-gold.  Silver Screen is a pale silver, Diamonds & Pearls is a pearlescent white, with just a hint of pink duochrome, and White Knight is a deeply opaque matte white. I found that Diamonds & Pearls had a slightly more watery texture than some of the other liners in the group, but nonetheless, it's probably my favourite shade out of this group.

Now for the blues and greens:

Bellbottom Blues is a lovely denim blue, Crystalline Green is a metallic sage with a hint of grey, Caribbean Queen is a beautiful cerulean blue, Limelight is a pale lime-green, and Black Ice is a metallic black with silber micro-shimmer.  Caribbean Queen is the thinnest of these liners, and it's also the one that stains out of this group.  I'm in love a little bit with both Crystalline Green and Black Ice out of this lot.

And here's how they all look together:

The liners have a thin brush applicator which easily makes either a thick or a thin line, and most of the shades are deeply opaque with one application, but there are a couple that need a couple of swipes with the brush to get them to show up properly.  I haven't found them to run, and they will only flake if you over apply.  They will fade over the course of twelve hours, but this isn't a problem.

Overall, I've been very impressed with my introduction to MyFace Cosmetics, what have you tried from the range?

MyFace Slinky Liquid Liners are available online.


The Fine Print: PR Samples.  It may take some time to get the stains off though ... 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Perfect Eyelashes - Lash Extensions

 A couple of weeks ago I was taking part in a top-secret project that necessitated getting some eyelash extensions (long story, don't ask - seriously, don't ask) done, and I was delighted that I had a chance to visit Perfect Eyelashes in Olympia, not least of all because it's right on my doorstep!


I love eyelash extensions, it has to be said, and Perfect Eyelashes would be my fourth set. I was looking forward to meeting Agnes dos Santos who, it has to be said, has some great ideas about lashes, in particular I love the multi-coloured lash extensions that she's come up with this year to celebrate both the Jubilee and the Olympics.  As an accountant, red, white and blue lashes would be a little difficult for me to pull off, so I asked for full but natural lashes, in effect, my lashes but better.  As you can possibly see from the above pic, my natural lashes are quite long, and fairly curly, but are quite sparse, particularly on the right hand side.  Agnes said that this is possible because I sleep on that side, but it has ever been so.

Agnes selects a mixture of lash-lengths and curls, creating a completely bespoke look for each customer, personally, I think there is nothing worse than going somewhere for new lashes and just getting the same look the last person left with - whilst I am, in fact, a massive fan of the drag-queen look, I don't want it every day, and the last two sets of lash-extensions that I had were a little too full-on, even for me.

The session takes around 90 minutes, and is very relaxing, the use of moisturising eyepads is a great addition to the treatment, and makes it feel more luxurious than just having your lower lashes taped down (which does happen in some salons!).

I couldn't be happier with the way my lashes turned out, in the couple of weeks following, I got asked lots of questions about what mascara I was wearing, which is a great compliment to how natural and yet still glamorous these lashes looked!  Also, they were practically weightless on the eyes, I literally couldn't feel them at all, which was a massive relief, the set I'd had previously I'd practically ended up ripping them off my lashes just after a week after they'd been applied, they were so heavy and itchy on the skin - I hated them!  It's why you haven't seen a review of them ...

Out of the four sets of lash-extensions I've had so far, I have to say that these are by far my favourite, weightless, glamorous, and yet still natural looking, I loved them, and I'd go back to Perfect Eyelashes in a heartbeat.  It's a clean, bright, welcoming salon and Agnes is a lash-genius.  I'll be getting these done for my wedding, without a shadow of a doubt.


Perfect Eyelashes have a variety of lash extensions to suit all requirements, and prices start at £80.

The Fine Print: Get Lippie was a guest of Perfect Eyelashes, but will return as a paying customer.

PS If you're wondering about my eyebrows, I'll be revealing the secret of those soon too.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Nails of the Day - OPI The One That Got Away

An oldy, but a goody, this one.  The gorgeous magenta shimmer with a multi-coloured glass fleck is one I love. It is perfect for cheering up a dull day, but on a day full of sunshine, this shimmers with an insane brightness and glow:

My pictures don't really do justice to the depth of this shade, but it's flipping gorgeous.  I'm choosing to gloss over the fact that it's from the Katy Perry collection, this is one of my favourite nail polish shades of all time.  I have it on my toes too, but I shall spare you the picture of that!

What's your favourite nail varnish?

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

TightsPlease SkinKiss Fake Tan Tights

Regular readers will know that fake tan isn't really my kind of thing. Frankly, I think life is too short to spend all that time exfoliating, moisturising, tanning, and smelling of biscuits, so I think I've had one tan in the last ten years!

When I got an email from TightsPlease suggesting I try their "tanning tights" I was a little amused.  Apparently, you just put the tights on, massage them on your legs for ten minutes, and presto! Tanned legs.

The official TightsPlease website for the SkinKiss fake tan tights says:

Try these revolutionary tights which are impregnated with fake tan using patented technology. Simply slip the tights on and leave for 10 minutes, massage your legs paying careful attention to ankles,feet and knees and then once removed you will be left with gorgeous tanned legs. No more orange palms, patch ankles and stained carpets! With Skinkiss tanning tights you can welcome gorgeous, bronzed legs in no time at all.

Plus you will also receive a pair of plastic gloves with your order to minimize stained hands. We also recommend using a footsie to avoid any staining on the soles of your feet ...Once used to tan, the tights can be washed leaving you with a pair of sheer 8 denier tights.

I mentioned these to a few friends of mine, and a couple of people asked for a chance to try them, thinking they were actually quite a good idea for the less dextrous of tan appliers, so I sent a pair to my willing guinea pig C, who sent this review in return:

I was looking forward to trying the tan tights as I have never been good at fake tan, always ending up with streaks and orange joints. I prefer the gravy browning style (of spray-on tan), but sadly this English 'summer' is not conducive to it. 

The instructions on the bag were very short (and very small). I opened it up and the first thing that struck was the smell. More pungent than a bottled fake tan, mixed with an odd dampness,  presumably from the fact that this is wet tights stored in a foil-type bag. I unpeeled them and put on the gloves provided. The tights are wet through so I assumed the tan was on both sides – but it isn’t clear from the instructions. I didn’t want orange hands so thought the gloves would be best, I put in a toe and rolled them up. 

Sorry, I had to stop. 

The feel of cold damp nylon combined with the smell was simply not something I could endure.  With some thought to how the packaging will make the product smell and how one might sort out the feel (could they be warmed?) perhaps, but I am going to have to be white-legged a little longer. 

So, there you have it.  A good idea, I think, but possibly they need to work on the smell?  Would you buy fake tan tights?

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

L'Artisan Parfumeur Fragrance Profile Service

Nuit de Tubereuse by Bertrand Duchafour

When planning a wedding, there are a million decisions to be made, some big, some small, and all seemingly important, at least to someone! Fragance is an important addition to a wedding, I think. I've known, almost since the moment we got engaged, what perfume I was going to wear to get married in. I'd picked out Seville A L'Aube, created by Bertrand Duchafour for L'Artisan Parfumeur, as, from the second I smelled it initially, it spoke to me, and I'd been dreaming about it ever since.  It's released this week, and I had been planning to buy a bottle.


But ... MrLippie doesn't like it.  In his words, it is, "too strong and too heady", apparently.  Which is a shame, because it is a stunningly beautiful orange blossom and incense fragrance, which would have been perfect for a winter wedding. Warm and floral, and seemingly innocent in the top notes, and fleshy-sexy as hell underneath.  But, alas, it is not to be. I can't wear a fragrance MrL hates. Well actually, I can, but maybe not on our wedding day ... I can grant him that.  Just this once.  I suppose.

Fou d'Absinthe by Olivia Giacobetti

However, L'Artisan heard about our clash of the wedding fragrances, and, invited us along to their beautiful jewel-box of a perfume shop in Covent Garden for a joint fragrance profiling.  We were delighted to take part, and went along one evening last week to meet with Diana who was there to guide us through this particular scented journey ...

Safran Troublant by Olivia Giacobetti

Your fragrance profile starts with a few questions about your favourite scents, favourite perfumes, and the perfumes you grew up with your mother wearing.  Diana took great pains to point out that my choices were "eclectic" - but this I already knew! Then, you're given selected L'Artisan fragrances two by two, in their signature cups with a fragranced muslin in the bottom, and asked to say which one you prefer.  The ones you like go to one side, and the ones you don't choose go back into the display.


Then, once this is done, you go back through the ones you like, until you have narrowed your selection down to just two or three of the original line-up of fragrances.  I'll just say that some of these choices are surprisingly difficult! You're then sprayed with your fragrances of choice so you can see how they work on your skin.

Timbuktu by Bertrand Duchafour

We took this in turns, and I ended up narrowing down the fragrances to three: Nuit de Tubereuse (a glamorous white floral), Timbuktu (a deconstructed vetiver, heady with incense) and Safran Troublant (a spicy, spicy rose with saffron and ginger).  I was sprayed with these and settled down to quietly sniff myself whilst MrLippie went through his profile, which was - probably unsurprisingly - considerably quicker than mine!  Eventually, MrLippie narrowed his choices down to Timbuktu (great minds think alike, apparently!), and Fou d'Absinthe (anise with pine and patchouli).


When the scents were on my skin, it was clear that there was only one winner for me, and that was Safran Troublant, this initially spiky, gingery, saffron gourmand (it dries down to a vanilla rice pudding on my skin, which is a lot nicer than it sounds), isn't something I'd have picked out in a million years, to be honest, but on my skin it was definitely the one that smelled most "me".  Foody fragrances normally turn my stomach a bit, but this pulls of the wonderful trick of being both extremely comforting, and a little edgy, all at the same time.  I like it a lot. All three of us smelled all three of the scents I was wearing, and we all picked out the same one - a fragrance consensus, that never happens!


For MrLippie the choice was a lot harder, both Fou d'Absinthe and Timbuktu suited his skin magnificently well, and there was lots of to-ing and fro-ing, and eventually, he settled on Timbuktu as his fragrance of choice.  A very good choice as it happens, it's rather wonderful, and, as it smells pretty good on me, too - I'd be bound to say it was a good choice! I regret, slightly, that he didn't pick the licorice of Fou D'Absinthe, but his choice, I guess...


So, will Timbuktu and Safran Troublant end up being what we wear to the wedding?  At this moment in time, I'm not sure.  Safran is going to get a lot of wear, I can already tell that, but my dreams have been haunted, just a little by the sour mango, tuberose and earth of Nuit de Tubereuse ever since I smelled it too, so there may just be another little purchase in the offing ...


Fragrance profiling is available to all L'Artisan customers, you just need to make an appointment with your local store.  Purchases aren't necessary.  I'd highly recommend the service, it will make you think very differently about the scents you like.


Get Lippie and MrLippie were guests of L'Artisan Parfumeur.
 
This post originated at: http://getlippie.com All rights reserved.

Wedding Hair

Wedding update:

Done:
 
Bought the dress
Found the shoes
Printed the invitations
Re-printed the invitations owing to original venue closing down
Gone on the diet (a necessary evil, alas - if you're wondering why you haven't seen my face on the blog recently, it's because all my photos currently scream FAT)
Decided on the colour scheme (which is purple, grey and silver)
Considered strangling the person who told me that I can't eat my own wedding cake
Considered stranging the person who told me I can't have have artificial flowers in my bouquet
Got fed up with jewellers who don't reply to emails, to the extent where I'm refusing to work with an "artisan" ever again, and am regretting ever deciding to work with an independent jeweller at all.
Decided on the wedding perfume
Had the wedding perfume vetoed by the groom
Considered strangling the groom for having terrible taste in perfume
Booked the band
Made a deal with a local hotel


NOT Done:
Finalised the guest list
Sent the invitations out
Set the menu
Decided whether we're having speeches or not.
Sorted out the hen-party invitees
Decided whether I'm booking a make-up artist or not
Booked a series of facials
A million* other things.


What I have been doing instead of concentrating on things not done is got a bit obsessed with hair.  It started with a blog post from Kelly at Hair Advice & All Things Nice showing a picture of Kate Middleton's (I know, I know) braided bun recently, and since then I've been collecting pictures of updos like a woman obsessed, I've even set up a Pinterest page for them!  I don't want anything too sleek or structured, but I know I need an updo, because the wedding is in February, and I need something that won't droop or blow around if the weather is awful.  Someone pointed out that I have a very rectangular face (gee, thanks), so I need a bit of width and softness to offset this. 


For a look at my current obsessions, take a look at: http://pinterest.com/getlippie/hair-inspiration, now I just need a hairdresser who can work with my crazy hair!


* Probably.  At this moment in time, I'm actually getting a bit bored of wedding planning.  Heresy, eh?


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