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Monday 31 May 2010

Nail of the Day - OPI Meet Me At The Starferry


This might not be the most exciting nail polish you've ever seen, but I adore it.  A work-safe mauvish-pink with multicoloured sparkles, it has a lovely depth on the nails, and is very pretty.  I spent several days last week admiring it. I'd seen it on a lot of blogs recently, and it appealed to me a lot more than, say, Jade is the New Black, for some reason!


Swatches shown are two thin coats over an Orly base and with an OPI topcoat, and are around three days old at the time of photographing, it wears much better than a lot of polishes in my collection!

The day before I removed it, I decided to mattify it just to change it up a little:


Unlike the red creme I tried this with last time, I think this one looks better shiny, what do you think?

The Fine Print: I bought this from Selfridges.  I might as well get my entire salary paid to them and have done with it, let's face it.
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Sunday 30 May 2010

All for Eve Launch - Pt II

All for Eve have just released a video of their official launch, which I was lucky enough to attend recently, and it's a far better record of the event than my gushing about stalking talking to Daniel Sandler, so I thought you'd like to see exactly how it was, so here it is!


You can rest assured that I'm not in it, but  Johnathan Rhys Myers is, so I hope you watch, and that you enjoy it as much as I did. Now, don't forget to buy the products, as the cause is a very important one.
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Saturday 29 May 2010

Organic Weekend - Melvita Guest Reviews

A couple of months ago, I asked for some volunteers to try some products that didn't agree with me.  Both of the products came from Melvita, but with my dry, sensitive gel-resistant skin, I thought it would be better to get them tested by people they really suited.  Here's what MakeupbyKaty and DinkyLondon made of their products:

MakeupbyKaty tried the Foaming Facial Scrub:

When the lovely Louise at Get Lippie posted an opportunity on her blog to try and review this product, I shamelessly jumped up and down with my hand in the air shouting “ME ME ME!”. Okay I actually wrote a witty and apparently persuasive argument as to why I should review it. It was along the theme of this;


I have oily, problematic skin. I cannot use most products that everyone else adores. Yet I seem to be bombarded on a daily basis by ‘intensively moisturising’ creams or ‘nourishing anti-aging’ promises. The majority of products that are aimed at an oilier skin are the teenage acne blasting products which I am also not really in the market for.


So, a foaming facial scrub sounded right up my street. I love a bit of foaming me.


I gave this product just over a week and tested it 3 times on both my husband and myself. He is a keen exfoliator and always has an opinion so I thought I’d utilise him.


Dry skinned husband used it in the shower first and gave me a running commentary throughout. His first comments were that it had a ‘nice texture’ ‘not too oily’ (?) and that it felt ‘airy’, like someone had left the door open on his face (really). He then proceeded to rinse off and screw his face up and ask for some moisturiser. From someone who only ever moisturises after shaving, that told me that it may not be great on dry skin.


Here are my thoughts. It’s a nice reasonably firm scrub. Not scratchy, not gritty but most disappointingly, not foamy. At all. No foam anywhere! How very dare they? However it rinsed off well and didn’t leave that annoying bitty residue that a lot of exfoliators can.


Here comes the bad news- I also screwed up my face and begged for moisturiser. I mean my skin felt seriously tight! That’s never happened after using a scrub. I wanted to give it a fair shot so I used it twice more later that week. Once mixed in with my face wash to dilute it a bit. The end result was always the same.


My skin felt parched and stripped and, shock horror, dry! It’s done one thing and that is made me appreciate my oilier skin now, I’ve been to the dark (dry) side and I did not like it.


So with the combination of dry, tight skin and NO FOAM, I’m afraid it’s a ‘No thanks’ from me.


DinkyLondon tried the Eye Contour Gel:
 
When I saw Get Lippie was looking for someone to test Melvita’s Eye Contour Gel I knew I had to put myself forward. I’ve been hunting for the perfect eye cream for years with what can only be described a great degree of failure.

In my mid-twenties, standard anti-aging eye creams are often too thick and rich for my skin and leave me puffy looking and swollen by morning – not a good look and quite the opposite of what I was hoping for. So, I was always left with two choices; keep dabbing on creams which are too rich for me, or sit and wait for the crow’s feet to set in.

With Melvita Eye Contour Gel I’ve thankfully been given another option. A milky white, fluid gel in a small tube, the formula dries to a slightly tacky film within a few seconds and totally dissipates in less than a minute, leaving the eye area feeling soft and looking radiant. I can use it morning and night without any puffiness and I can even use makeup after application without my eyeshadow slipping down to my cheekbones.

I’ve been using the gel for several weeks and I love how I can use it all over the eye contour and even the eyelid. Whilst I haven’t seen a massive long term improvement in the fine lines I’ve already developed around the eyes, I’ve been hugely impressed by how it changes the look of the eye area on a short term basis. If I’m stressed or tired and my eyes are showing it, then I know I can reach for this tube and look ten times better. Even better, I can rest easy knowing that I’m protecting the fragile skin around my eyes from future wrinkles and premature aging. I’ll definitely be repurchasing – my hunt is finally over!

So there you go, a mixed bag there, but a massive thank you to both Katy and Joy (and MrKaty!) for taking the time to review the products for me!
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Friday 28 May 2010

Get Lippie - An Announcement ...

Time passes, things move on, and sometimes you need to make some changes. I've done a lot of soul-searching recently, and have been trying to think of ways to make Get Lippie a bit different.

Then I thought, stuff that, I like what I'm doing!  But, sometimes it helps to have a different viewpoint on things, and some of my very favourite blogs have two writers, so I thought I'd enlist someone to help me out sometimes. And I'm happy to announce that Get Lippie now has a new co-blogger!

Now, I could have, as I've seen on some other blogs, put out a call to my readership, and ask people to submit their writings in order to "audition" them for a regular guest spot.  Seemed like a lot of work for both me and for my readers.  As I'm both lazy and a control freak (some of you might have noticed) my search for a new writing partner went as far as the other side of the sofa and the immortal words: "Oi! Write me some articles, bugalugs!" and they delightedly* agreed.

Some bright sparks on Twitter may have already figured out who the new correspondent is ... and with that in mind, I guess I should let  the new blogger introduce himself ...

Please give a nice Get Lippie welcome to ... MrLippie!

Let's see. I'm 'the posh boyfriend' according to some, and, looking at it in a vaguely detached light, I suppose they might, begrudgingly, have a point! I follow rugby rather than football, I have some random white-collar job that has some sort of connection to the oil industry, and I speak with a fairly generic southern accent which is often found in the BBC when they're not actively encouraging the many and varied regional accents across the UK. If that makes me posh, then so be it!

I'm still not entirely sure how I've ended up blogging - or even volunteering to on a semi-regular basis! - but I'm willing to admit it's my own fault! Having actively encouraged GetLippie in the creation and formation of this blog, I couldn't help but get interested, and I've found myself commentating on many a lipstick or eyeliner (much to the horror of my internal monologue). So, here I am. I'll be occasionally dropping by to review some male grooming products, and possibly offering my outlook on the world....but there is just one thing:


No Guyliner**. No. No. No.


And NO.


That is all...

So there you go!  Ironically, he does in fact know his taupes from his tans, and where to put chunky glitter ("not in a highlight FFS!"), I'm just hoping writing on a regular basis will get him to learn to love moisturiser!  He'll be writing here when he can be bothered once in a while plus he's also going to be contributing on a regular basis to Ape to Gentleman, a great and wonderful blog dedicated to all things male-grooming related. His collected writings will be collated in a page under the header (that black and white picture at the top of the page)  which I've cunningly titled Mr Lippie, and I'll give him the odd aftershave to sniff once in a while on my/your/someone's behalf.  He likes smelly stuff.  He may mention whale bottoms a lot.  You have been warned ...

*Not true.  At all.
** Also not true.  There WILL be guyliner.  Oh yes.  You watch.
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Le Metier De Beaute Summer Event


A few of you might remember that I discovered Le Metier de Beaute recently, and fell in love with their Anamorphic Mascara. Well, I’ve just found out that Ivan Castro, the talented international makeup artist behind behind the brand - and responsible for some of the gorgeous looks sported by the likes of Nicole Kidman and Rhianna - will be available for one-to-one makeup lessons between 3-5th June at Liberty. I’m going to be popping down to see him, and get him to overhaul my eyeshadow application on Thursday next week, and I’m really looking forward to it! Wonder if it’ll look better than my NARS makeover?


Appointments cost £20, and that cost is fully redeemable against purchase, but if you spend £50 (and admittedly, that would be very easy to do!) you will get a free blushing/bronze duo which is worth £30. To book, call 020 7734 1234 ask for extension 2506, and maybe I’ll see you there!
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Thursday 27 May 2010

Review - Lancome Climat

Scouting around trying to find myself a bottle of Cuir de Lancome in Selfridges (I was offered O de Lancome five times, but no matter), I came across this little beauty.

First released in 1967, it is described as a floral aldehyde, and was re-released by Lancome a couple of years ago.  I find it beautiful, it's very feminine - even ladylike - but it's another scent that's sweet without being candy-ish, and floral without being too single-note.

On first spraying, it's a very scent-y kind of scent, it reminds me in a dim and distant kind of way of Chanel No19. It's a classic fragrance in that sense, calling to mind boudoirs, and negligees and wedge-heeled mules.  And yet, when it dries down, it's powdery and warm, a little comforting, and lingers close to the skin.  It's old-fashioned, almost, in it's powdery-ness, but it's intimate and lovely, and it's been a fine addition to my perfume wardrobe.

Climat costs £38 and is available exclusively from Selfridges.
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Wednesday 26 May 2010

The Appliance of Science

“To not be afraid of one’s beauty is truly the rarest occurrence. To find it, is the most valuable gift”


Words of wisdom there. I found them written on the side of a facecream I’ve just committed myself to using for the next six weeks. But more about these wise words shortly.

Someone asked recently how do you know you’re trialling something properly, and how do you make sure you’re being fair to the products? I have to admit that when it comes to skincare, it’s a difficult question to answer.

It’s easy to know if a makeup item works, you know pretty much straight away whether it’s going to be an item you’ll use and cherish, or if it’s something that is just going to hang around like a supermodel in your cosmetic drawer, gorgeous, but yet slightly useless and having a knack for making you feel guilty for not appreciating it more.

With skincare, it’s a lot harder, who is to know, really, that it’s the wonder serum that you tried that’s made you glow, or the moisturiser you’ve been trying that’s truly smoothed you out instead of a couple of early nights or a slightly healthier diet?

Ultimately I try to use new skincare for at least a month before I form an opinion of it, and so it irons out any temporary wrinkles (sorry) in diet and lifestyle that might be making a difference. But still, in the end, most skincare reviews, in my experience anyway, tend to boil down to “I like using it, it makes my skin feel nice”, basically.

However, this skincare trial I’m doing at the moment is slightly different, my face has been scanned, and I have a collection of slightly sinister (and very scary) mugshots to prove it. I’m to use the creams religiously for six weeks, then go back and be scanned again to see if there are any differences and what the scale of the changes actually are. I’m pretty excited to be taking part!

The creams I’m using are from the SKIN.NY range, and the opening quote in this post is from the packaging. As is the below:

“The SKIN.NY woman is not afraid to be beautiful. She knows who she is and expresses herself down to her every step, breath and word. She personifies quality and wants the best of everything in her life including her skincare.

The SKIN.NY woman was born before this skincare range. It was her who demanded its creation.”

Pretty puke-making stuff! If I’d read that before I’d agreed to take part, I might have thought twice about it. Leaving aside the logical error in the second paragraph – come on, how many toddlers do you know who are demanding face cream at £55 a pop? – I don’t think a cream can make you beautiful. There, I said it. It’ll definitely make you look less knackered feel more moisturised, but … make you beautiful if you’re at most passably attractive (in a dim room) in the first place? I don’t think so. I’m not holding my expressive breath on that one …

The products also contain warnings (the first on the moisturiser, the second on the eyecream)

Warning: You will have beautiful skin after using this product.

Warning: your eyes will be big and bright after using this product.

Shame there was no “Warning: you may belm gently to yourself in a bemused fashion every time you read the box” written on it. I ask you.

Seriously, do we have to have this guff written on it to justify an expensive purchase? How does reading statements like this on your products make you feel? The worst part is that this cream has been clinically tested, and has a lot of fairly rigorous peer-reviewed scientific papers behind it. I haven’t read them, of course, but you know, there’s graphs and stuff on the little leaflet, and I’m an accountant, so I like me some graphs. It doesn't need guff like this if you ask me, but then, I'm scared of my beauty apparently, so what do I know?

But, all that aside, I’m keeping an open mind, I’ve used it a couple of times so far, and I like using it, it makes my skin feel nice. So there.

The Fine Print: Products mocked in this article were provided as part of the clinical trial process.  The author reserves the right to wish this had never been written should she wake up looking like Ava Gardner in approximately 28 days time.
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Tuesday 25 May 2010

Final Zuneta Post!

For the final time, I'm pimping my posts elsewhere out, and begging - literally begging! I'm not proud - for your input.  I'm having a rant this week about cosmetic companies.  At least, that's what I think I was doing, why don't you go take a look and let me know?
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Monday 24 May 2010

Guerlain Kohl Noir - Review and FotD


I cannot tell a lie, I was petrified of using this. It's the stick.  Putting sticks in my eyes to apply my makeup just seems wrong. Pencils are fine, brushes are good, even putting my fingers in my eyes to wear my contact lenses is okay, but using a stick, just to apply eyeliner? Noooo...! I don't mind admitting that I've been ignoring these beautifully packaged eyeliners for a very long time.

They've been popping up on various blogs recently though, and I finally got around to biting the bullet and  trying one out.  I chose the Guerlain Kohl in Noir, which is a rich, slightly sparkling black powder. Kohl is the traditional way of wearing eyeliner, and the stick is actually very handy for being able to apply the powder to both the upper and lower inner waterlines at the same time.  This is how the applicator looks:



Essentially, there are two ways to wear the liner, Eastern (on the inner rims) and Western (on the eyelid itself).  The powder is rich, and pigmented, but it can cause fallout, so I suggest you apply it before the rest of your makeup, in order that you don't ruin your foundation.


To apply it Eastern style, just settle the point of the stylo into the inner corner of your eye (on the waterline) and "swipe" gently towards the outer corner, this instantly lines both the upper and lower waterlines, and makes your eyes look brighter, and your lashes look thicker. It's a look I happen to adore, and this is, I've found, by far the easiest way to do it.  To line your eyes Western-style, you pop the stylo next to your lashes, and "swipe" in exactly the same way, then I like to smudge it out a little with my fingertips:



The powders last well - better than most pencils - but they will need re-applying to take you from day to night, I've found.

So, have I been converted?  Yes, I think I have!  As well as the black (noir), I now also own Mirage (a rich matte brown), Oriental Metal (a glorious metallic taupe) and I've just placed an order for the discontinued "Secret Glow" which is a shimmering white, which I think will be just perfect for opening up and brightening eyes when a smokey look isn't required, I can't wait for it to arrive!

Here's how I tend to wear the kohls, I make the liner the main focus of my eyes, and co-ordinate with a light, bright lipstick (in this case, Guerlain Rouge G in Georgia):


Yeah, no idea what I'm scowling at there.  Guerlain Kohls are available from most major department stores and cost about £20.  Yes, that's very pricey, but you use so little every time, I think they'll last for a very long time.

Do you use kohl?  How'd you wear it?

The Fine Print: I bought this. The others have been acquired via various means up to and including bribery and corruption.  And eBay.  Thank goodness for paypal.
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Sunday 23 May 2010

Lippie Chat - Fiona Parkhurst of Amie Skincare

Another Sunday, another profile of someone I think is doing interesting things in the beauty industry at the moment.  This week, please welcome Fiona Parkhurst of Amie Skincare:


 Hi Fiona, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Well, I am a ‘working mum’ of two teenage kids – Harry who’s 16 and doing A/S Levels and Samantha who’s 14 and beauty and fashion-mad! I have a lovely, very patient husband and a very naughty Golden Retriever dog called Gemma.

How did you end up in the organic “beauty” industry?

I have spent my whole career working in the beauty industry and for some of the ‘big players’ such as Estée Lauder, as I have always been passionately interested in beauty products.  So, it was an obvious thing for me to develop my own range which also dovetailed into my interest in natural and organic ingredients.

A lot of previously “high-powered” women are increasingly giving up their lucrative careers in order to get involved with organic products at the moment; do you have any thoughts on why that may be?
I think it’s because, as a mum, you are always so concerned about what you feed your children or what you put on their skins.  So you start to question all the previously received wisdom and want to have better, greener, healthier products for the whole family.

How did Amie come into being? 

Well, I actually developed Amie for my own daughter, Samantha, who, when she was around 11 starting needing to use skincare products as her skin was changing and getting oilier.  I looked around for nice, gentle,
natural products for her to use, and, when I couldn’t find any that were good quality but affordable, I decided to create my own.

What are the philosophies behind Amie?


Really, it’s about creating excellent products that deliver what they promise and using only the best, natural and organic ingredients that we can find.  We also want to make Amie products affordable and keep our prices under £5 as not everyone can afford the pricey upmarket brands.  We also hate anything to do with animal testing and want products to be vegan and vegetarian friendly.

What makes Amie unique?

Well, all of the above plus the fact that it was created for a real person – Samantha.

Who are you targeting the Amie brand at?


Everyone !  From women in their early teens upwards – we have many, many happy customers who are in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.  Amie is all about effective cleansing and moisturising using high quality natural ingredients and no nasty chemicals.

What do you hope is in the future for Amie?

Just to create more and more products !  I get requests every day for new products and I love developing them – so, just watch this space !!

What’s your beauty regime?

I always cleanse my face – morning and night !  I use our Amie Morning Clear Facial Wash without fail, as I still have combination skin and need to keep it clean (but not stripped).  Then I use a light moisturiser, Amie Morning Dew Matte Finish Moisturiser – obviously - as my skin can get shiny and I need a shine control product.   I nearly always wear makeup and cannot live without black mascara !

What is one cosmetic product couldn’t you live without?

My Amie Bright Eyes Gentle Eye Makeup Remover as I use mascara every day and always take it off before I go to bed.  So I needed a very gentle but effective eye makeup remover and Bright Eyes is the best !

What advice would you give Get Lippie readers?

Don’t forget to take great care of your skin !  Sounds obvious but many women spend hours and hours on their hair, makeup and nails but forget to make much effort with their skin. 

Amie products are available at Superdrug, Boots and John Lewis and online at: www.amieskincare.com
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