New Blog ...

 Don't worry, Get Lippie's still running, but I've started a new blog to detail my travails with parosmia.  It won't just be me whining about living with a new disability, I promise, but it will detail my personal journey, alongside talking about the discoveries I've made about the condition, the occasional book review, and ... perfume reviews!  You haven't lived till you've tried to review a perfume your brain simply can't handle ...

Anyway, the first, slightly rambling, post is live now, you can read it here.

If you want to know what I've said about anosmia and parosmia previously, you can read my posts at Basenotes here, and on Get Lippie here.  You can also read more about a whole range of smell disorders over at Fifth Sense.

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Lacquer Lab’s Novella Collection

By Emily

Lacquer Lab is a brand I must admit I hadn’t come across before; the shame! Founded by mother-daughter duo Amanda and Emily earlier this year, they produce toxin free (AKA, free from the five main nasties: Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Toluene or Camphor) fashion-focused varnishes that are seriously ticking my polish boxes. The best bit; they are made in the UK! Hurrah for British industry!

Creative Director Emily was kind enough to send me some samples from their AW Novella collection to try. And oooh they’re a bit gorgeous. The first two I’ve tried out are Lover At The Ritz; a decadent chocolaty plum and Cigarillo; a delicious burnt butterscotch with a hit of nicotine.

The coverage is great, two coats and you’re done, plus they have a really high-gloss finish. For this look I’ve used Lover at the Ritz as the base colour, with hints of Cigarillo on two feature nails. Because it seems I am incapable of having plain-colour nails these days I’ve added some IZ Beauty of London gold nail decals too. I found it quite hard to capture the true colours of the polishes in my photos; the plum is much darker and richer on the nail, as you can see from the pics!

At £9 a pop these polishes are less than your average OPI or Nails Inc polish and of course you get the added glow of supporting an awesome mother-daughter business AND a UK manufacturer…or maybe that’s just me? Anyway, I bloody love them, and think you might too!

The fine print: PR samples

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Deep Down: DHC Pore Cleansing Oil

By Laurin

Here is a list of instances in which I will notice a pore on someone else’s face:

1. When they point them out to me.
2. Oh, actually, not even then.

I bring this up because the product I’m reviewing this week, DHC Pore Cleansing Oil, claims to make pores less visible. I’m going to ignore this claim because other than squinting really hard at my face in the mirror and telling you what I see, I have no way of measuring this. Also, I don’t much care. If you do happen to care about the size of your pores, take comfort in knowing that you’re probably the only one. And if they still bother you, invest in a good primer. That’s my advice on visible pores. And with that out of the way, let’s talk about cleansing oils. AGAIN.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m devoted to the original DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (hereafter referred to as DCO). When I first heard about Pore Cleansing Oil, I was sceptical. What could possibly be so different about the two products? Upon reflection, I don’t know why I thought this. I unquestioningly accept that different skin types exist and that they therefore need different moisturisers, foundations or powders. As much as I love DCO, even I must concede that it might not be a Holy Grail product for everyone.

If you’re familiar at all with the original DCO, you know that it is based on olive oil and wouldn’t look or smell out of place on your lunchtime salad. It feels like my skin partially absorbs it when I apply it for my evening cleanse, and I often leave it for a few minutes to impart its olivey goodness onto my face before removing it with a hot flannel.

The Pore Cleansing Oil, on the other hand, is much thicker and completely colourless. Rather than being based on one oil, it is a blend of nine different ones (coconut, argan, evening primrose, olive, grape seed, jojoba, avocado, sesame and rice bran, since you asked). The texture is akin to that of a fine serum (think Advanced Night Repair) and it smells of grapefruit sweets. To this American who lived through the 80’s, grapefruit positively screams clean living and rude good health. Strangely for a product that promises to deep cleanse, Pore Cleansing Oil feels like it sits on the surface of my skin, never quite getting down to business in the same way that DCO does. Wandering off to check Facebook before removing it isn’t an option because you can never quite forget it’s there.

So how Pore Cleansing Oil managed to leave my skin feeling cleaner than it has since my last facial, I have no idea. Sorcery, no doubt. I did notice some slight tightness that I don’t get with DCO, but my skin still felt soft and completely make-up free. For this reason, I would recommend this first to those with oilier complexions. It’s also completely brilliant if you suffer from congestion in the chest/décolletage area. I do, through a combination of sweaty commutes and marinating in my sports bra for far too long after my workouts. Pore Cleansing Oil cleared that area up within a week.

At this point, what I’d normally do is spin some clever analogy or pen a pithy turn of phrase to end this post. But actually, I don’t want to. What I really want you to know is that this is a really good product at a really good price, and that if you have oily or congested skin, DHC Pore Cleansing Oil might just be the cleanser you need. Can’t say fairer than that.

DHC Pore Cleansing Oil is £25 and available at www.dhcuk.co.uk. 

The fine print: PR sample.

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Shampoo to Sun Cream Snippets – Green and Spring, Living Nature, Murad, Nutra Nail and Trevor Sorbie

By Get Lippie Team

 Green and Spring Revitalising Exfoliating Body Wash and Body Lotion

Green and Spring Revitalising Exfoliating Body Wash is so refreshing! Minty zingy fresh. I love it. You feel like you’re really getting somewhere with this stuff, though, as with all minty bath and shower products please be careful where it ends up. You know what I’m talking about, don’t make that face. The corresponding body lotion is good too, hydrating but light and with a softer lasting fennel freshness, but the body wash is the star. Try them, they’re £22 each.

Living Nature Vitalising Exfoliant

Living Nature were kind enough to send me their Vitalising Exfoliant a little while ago. It did leave my skin soft after only 10 minutes or so, but I must admit that I probably won’t be using it again, unless I add a few drops of lavender or tea tree essential oil to it. I really didn’t like the smell of this all natural organic product. It’s probably doing the world of good and all respect to Living Nature for their no nasties ethos, but this particular product isn’t for me. Living Nature Vitalising Exfoliant is £28.

 Murad Essential-C Sun Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 35 and Sheer Lustre Day Moisturiser Broad Spectrum SPF 15

It was carnage at the Acropolis a few months back when I got burnt mistaking a hot sunny Athens day for light early morning sunshine. Luckily, I had the new Murad Essential-C Sun Balm with me. Unluckily, I didn’t use enough of it. It’s a really handy roll-on dispenser with a light non-greasy formulation. I used it on my temples, nose, lips and already pink chest. But here’s a sun worshipper’s warning; it’s very light so you need to really slather it on. My chest got very burnt ‘cause I was silly and thought the SPF factor would protect me for hours too. Remember to reapply regularly, people.

Sheer Lustre Day Moisturiser is a great summery day moisturiser with a light shimmer and SPF which would be good for this Indian Summer we seem to be having. I have very sensitive eyes, and like a lot of moisturisers with SPF, this did make my eyes water a bit, though not as badly as others have in the past. With the Essential-C Sun Balm on my temples nose and lips, this protected my face very well on a sunny day. Murad Essential-C Sun Balm Broad Spectrum SPF 35 is £19.50. Murad Sheer Lustre Day Moisturiser Broad Spectrum SPF 15 is £64.

Nutra Nail Gel Perfect 5 Minute Gel Colour

This gel nail system really looks good, the shine is lovely and there seem to be lots of great colours to try, but what I learnt was the application is really important. I did one hand really carefully and rushed the other one and found that later in the day the dodgy hand had already chipped. I was really annoyed as I loved the shine and shade of Lotus, the colour Nutra Nail sent me. Now I will say that this just doesn’t last as long as a gel manicure or a sticky sandwich*. But I think carefully applied you could probably get a bit longer than a run of the mill pharmacy brand polish. I am going to persevere and give this another go. I might even try the special gel liquid thingamagig with other my nail polishes. If you hear an explosion, call for the fire brigade. Nutra Nail Gel Perfect 5 Minute Gel Colour is £14.99

Trevor Sorbie Frizz Free Shampoo and Frizz Free Shine Oil

Because of a keratin straightening treatment on my frizzy curly hair I couldn’t use my sample of Trevor Sorbie Frizz Free Shampoo due to the Sodium Chloride. So of course, I dutifully passed it onto my sister who has very curly hair, which also tends to dryness and frizz. While the shampoo was ok, it was quite drying in comparison with her normal more moisturising shampoo, even though she used her normal intense conditioning treatment. I suspect this shampoo would be better for those with less dryness and just a touch of frizz rather than coursely textured curly hair.

I have, however, been using a sample of the Trevor Sorbie Frizz Free Shine Oil on my newly smooth locks. It’s perfect for ironing out the remains of frizz I’m occasionally left with after brushing and smells gorgeous. I will have to replace it when it’s all gone. Trevor Sorbie Frizz Free Shampoo is £5.29 and Trevor Sorbie Frizz Free Shine Oil is £7.50

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Sleek Eye and Cheek and Precious Metal Highlighting Palettes

 By Tindara

This week I’ve been wearing more eyeshadow than usual. I admit that generally my habit is to wack a bit of smudgy liner or chubby eyeshadow stick around my eyes, finish with mascara and some kind of eyebrow pencil and move on to blush and lipstick. I am to lipstick as a problem hoarder is to month old newspapers and dusty odd souvenirs. I have a problem. But like a lot of you, I imagine, I also have lots of lovely palettes I rarely use. So when I was recently given another three by Sleek makeup I had to steal myself to use them, and I’m really glad I did.

The palette I used most was Dancing Til Dusk; with four wearable shadows in light taupes and dark browns (Au Naturel iDivine) and two blushes, in Mirrored Pink, and Sahara, it’s really versatile. The two lighter shadows which match my skintone in matt and shimmery finishes, and the two darker cocoa-coloured shades in shimmery and matt finishes look like they’d be lovely shadow bases on darker skintones.

The shadows are all well pigmented, soft and blendable. I used the dark browns as a liner and the shimmery light taupes up to my browbone. With a bit of pink blush, it was really easy, I only needed lipstick and mascara and I was done. I’ll definitely be taking this on trips and weekends away. The palette has been careering about in my satchel all week without too much damage too.

The See you at Midnight and Precious Metal Highlighting Palettes are gorgeous, and I’ve enjoyed having a play with them. 

I can’t wait to go out and put together a high-octane look with them, the blue-purple colour eyeshadow in the Vintage Romance i-Divine collection, and iridescent Antique Bronze highlighting cream being particular favourites. The palettes are like glittery Mondrians and have Christmas all over them. I’m now totally excited about the festive season already. Too early? Apologies, but gold sparkle will do that to you. Have a go, you’ll see.

Sleek Eye and Cheek and Precious Metal Highlighting Palettes are £9.99

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Bobbi Brown Smokey Nudes Eye Palette

Being rather cool-toned, most "nude" palettes are too brown for me.  I'm pink (and red) and white, mostly, and shades of beige and tan just look orange on my exceedingly pale face. Urban Decay Naked, for example, lovely though it is, might as well be neon orange for all the use I get out of it.

However, when a nice, slightly greyed "nude" palette turns up, that isn't too brown, I'm ecstatic.  So say hello to Bobbi Brown's Smokey Nudes palette, which has been the only thing I've wanted to wear lately:

Housed in the brands distinctive two layer compact palettes, this is a pale-cool girls dream:

Top layer, clockwise from top left:
Cream (matte) creamy white base shade
Nude (matte) cool flesh tone
Silver Brown (sparkle) sparkling cool brown
Woodrose (matte) greyed mauve nude (my favourite!)

Bottom layer, clockwise from top left:
Watercolour Pink (sparkle) love the shade of this almost holographic pink in the palette
Nude Beach (sparkle) slightly taupe flesh shade
Smoked (matte) dark blue-grey liner colour.
Smokey Brown (metallic) metallic taupe.

The shades are all on the cool side, and the payoff isn't bad at all:

top layer: Cream, Nude, Silver Brown, Woodrose

 You can see on my hand that the cream swatch just disappears into my skin, and the nude shade doesn't look orange at all.  Yes, Silver Brown (bottom right) is a little gritty with sparkle, but it's nice for adding a little depth to a "makeup free" look.

Bottom layer: Watercolour Pink, Nude Beach, Smoked, Smokey Brown

 

The two very pale sparkly shades here I won't get too much use out of, to be honest, but they are both very pretty, and if you like a bit of sparkle (and many of you reading this do), then you'll love these, as they aren't just a gritty powder with a hint of glitter in there, they're actually fairly pigmented in their own right too,  The taupe and dark grey-blue though, I adore, and they're great all-round shades you can either apply lightly for a more natural look, or apply with a little more abandon for a smokier effect.

It's a versatile, multi-use palette suitable for a variety of skin-tones, but us cooler-toned peeps will love it more.  It's a limited edition, due off counter very soon, so go snap one up if you see it.

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Guerlain Christmas 2014 - L’Ecrin 2 Couleurs in Cygne Noir

And so we reach the Black Swan section of Guerlain Christmas 2014, with the release of the L'Ecrin 2 Couleurs eyeshadow palette in Cygne Noir, and very pretty it is too.  I rarely expect much from the eyeshadow duos from Guerlain (I've never bought one, for example), but this one did make me do a little "ooooh" of joy when I opened it:

Black and purple.  Shimmering black and purple. Actually, it is a slightly glittering black, flecked with gold sparkle, and a softly shimmering deep purple.  This set is perfect for releasing your inner goth.

I was delighted, and surprised at the level of pigmentation in the palette - for some reason, I'd been expecting the shadows to be hard and patchy in application,  I have no idea where I got this idea from, but I was more than happy to be proved wrong!

I'll be taking a closer look at Guerlain's two colour palettes from now on ..,

The Fine Print: Products featured this week have been a mixture of PR samples and private purchases. My bank manager is spending Christmas in the Bahamas.  That's not really a surprise.

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