A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Lash lines.  Is it just me, or are they getting a little bit silly?  I’m all for a bit o’ flutter but what is with the false lash ALL OF THE TIME trend that I’m seeing everywhere?  It genuinely catches me by surprise when I’m in the supermarket, rooting around for my loyalty card, only to look up at and be greeted by a pair of ridicu-lashes courtesy of the cashier.  Nothing else, just lashes… the face is completely obscured by a pair that look like they’ve come straight out of Priscilla’s desert.

It’s about finding balance.  Sure, I don’t want “au naturel” lashes, if I did… I’d go and buy Maybelline Great Lash and maybe after seven coats I’d have something that resembled me not wearing any mascara.  I want volume, definition and a bit of lengthening.  Curl is always an added bonus.

Guerlain Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara

Guerlain have released a new mascara: Cils d’Enfer… or “lashes from hell” as the literal translation suggests.  Not quite sure where they’re going with that one but thankfully Cils d’Enfer* produces rather lovely, non-hellish lashes.  The packaging is interesting, when I first picked it up, I expected it to feel much weightier… it looks chunkier than it is.  Perhaps I’m so used to my gorgeous Guerlain lipsticks that I expected something similar in feel.

A standard-looking brush with fibre bristles

The brush is your standard old-skool bristle affair, the brand have focused the majority of effort into perfecting the formula of this mascara, the press release states:

The secret is in the combined action of three remarkable polymers.  The first one wraps the lashes in extremely adherent oils, coating and thickening the lashes.  The second one, made with supple waxes, acts like a conditioner, softening the lashes so you can sculpt them into just the right shape and style.  The last one forms a thin film, coating the lashes to trap the wax and set the amazing curve.

Va Va Voom lashes (on the right obv!)

The formula glides through my lashes nicely and does indeed coat them evenly with the minimum of effort on my part.  The above photo shows one coat, I did go back in for more but you need to be careful about clumping as this one definitely leans more toward the dramatic rather than the natural look.  I think that with the aid of a metal lash comb, you could achieve some serious party lashes from this product.  For me?  One coat is plenty.

I appreciate the inky black pigment and the fact that it doesn’t leave little splodges attached to the tips of my lashes.  It also dries rapidly, ensuring that only the most of violent of mid-application sneezes will catch me out.  I don’t have terribly watery eyes but didn’t experience any longevity issues, transfer or flaking… and you would think not, Guerlain’s Cils d’Enfer is priced at £22.00 – a premium price, for a premium product.

Guerlain Cils d’Enfer is available on counter now in two shades, 01 Noir and 02 Violet.

* press sample

There’s nothing like an impulse purchase to get your blood pumping. And this was nothing like an impulse purchase.

I umm’ed and ahh’ed over the Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait(s) for a good few weeks before taking the plunge. As much as I adore a wonderful red lipstick, I wanted something a bit different to the usual red.

Once I saw a swatch of Orgueil worn by the beautiful Christine from Temptalia, I knew that I’d found my next prey!

The packaging is as beautiful as you’d expect from something in the Guerlain Rouge G range. Sleekly-housed in a heavyweight silver case that works in a similar way to the Rouge G lipstick range, the mirror serves a genuinely useful purpose when it comes to applying product on the go.

The formula is light and the pigment rich. It’s a fairly traditional liquid lipstick with a velvety texture and a softly matte finish once dry.

Longevity is good and transfer fairly minimal, especially if blotted softly a few minutes after applying. I was able to wear this through multiple drinks, and only needed to reapply a little in the centre if the lips after a meal.

As the day wore on, it began to feel slightly less comfortable so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for those with extremely dry lips – but you probably know to steer clear of liquid lipstick formulas anyway…

The colour is beautiful. It’s rich, sumptuous, and velveteen with a luxurious depth. Vampy without crossing the line into gothic. A winter must-have.

Guerlains Rouge G L’Extrait in Orgueil is available to buy on counter (or cheaper online) at Escentual.com, priced at £26.55

Don’t hit me.  I’m not about to start my Christmas gift lists… but if you are the kind of sick puppy who’s so damn organised that they’ve already budgeted, drawn up initial Christmas lists, and scoured the loft for last year’s leftover Christmas cards, you might quite like this potential gift idea.

From September 16th, Harrods are holding an exclusive event in partnership with Guerlain, featuring renowned calligrapher Paul Antonio.  The above image shows the original Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire bottle, alongside a trio of alternative “little black dresses” which will be featured on limited-edition bottles of the brand’s freshly re-worked fragrance, known as “Ma (my) Petite Robe Noire”.

Simply choose which of the three dresses matches your (or your lucky gift recipient’s) taste in evening wear and have the limited-edition bottle personalised with their name or initials.  The perfect fusion for a fragrance-loving fashionista!

The complementary calligraphy sessions will be available only on the following dates:

Friday 21st September: 16.00 – 20.00
Saturday 22nd September: 14.30 – 18.30
Sunday 23rd September: 14.30 – 18.30
Friday 28th September: 16.00 – 20.00
Saturday 29th September: 14.30 – 18.30

If you’d like to read my review of Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire, please click through to this page to hear my thoughts on the fragrance.

Life is full of essentials, and fashion’s most faithful of all ensembles is the inimitable little black dress.  Lauded as the holy grail wardrobe-dweller, the perfect LBD should be à la mode whilst appearing simultaneously timeless – a classic to accompany every occasion.  Ultimately, it should bestow the wearer with the confidence of a thousand catwalk models whilst proffering simplicity – the very essence of elegance.

Guerlain’s newest fragrance creation: La Petite Robe Noire*, is a nod to the ideals behind finding that ultimate pièce de résistance.  The concept of finding the fragrance equivalent of fashion’s most essential item isn’t all that unusual when you consider how fragrance is used to both bolster and uplift the spirit, polish one’s appearance, and suitably reflect our sensibilities.  Just like fashion, it can leave a lasting impression – so how does La Petite Robe Noire leave me feeling?

The bottle is indeed both simultaneously timeless and “of the now”, reminiscent of the Guerlain greats reflected in its silhouette – the bottle is a replica of those that house both Mitsouko and L’Heure Bleue.  The pretty illustration of the artists’ (Kuntzel+Deygas) interpretation of the perfect LBD (and let’s face it, it’s not far off!) grounds the flirtiness and sets the scene for what awaits inside.

A succulent cherry and frangipane tart immediately springs to mind, whetting the taste buds nicely with the almond notes arriving as a little surprise, flanking the reasonably well-anticipated fruitiness.  These give way to a classic heart of florals taking shape in the most feminine of forms, rose.  Bulgarian rose essence and candied Turkish rose absolute to be exact.  These middle notes reject the initial fruitiness, clinging instead to the almond and giving the perfume an edible but-not-quite gourmand appeal.  It feels strangely as though the notes (written down) should be offering something headier than my nose is experiencing and although this is absolutely a scent for evenings, it’s certainly not too boudoir.  The close is a little disappointing to me – touted to deliver shadowy temptations of liquorice and smoky black tea, I sense more of the classic Guerlinade accord of tonka bean and vanilla, and beautiful though it is – I’m longing for more of those promised shadowy temptations!

La Petite Robe Noire displays all the hallmarks of a best-selling fragrance.  It’s beautifully crafted, with a carefully-defined story to be found within.  From the moment you slip playfully into the attire, to the moment that the LBD is slipped from your shoulders and onto the bedroom floor, you are led through an evening of flirtation and romance, culminating in the classic Guerlain finale.

Don’t be fooled by the illustrations, which in my opinion, make this seem like a choice for a younger generation – there’s is plenty in here to appeal to all ages.  I recommend seeking this one out for a sniff when it sees a nationwide release from the 24th July.

La Petite Robe Noire EdP is available now at Selfridges, priced from £42.00

* press sample

Well, not entirely monstrous, but green is not a colour that I can pull off with much success.  Mr. L, who never comments on my makeup (other than to tell me I look lovely when I drop enough hints that he ought to be saying something), readily agrees that green is not a colour I should allow into my makeup-playing repertoire too often.  About halfway through the day I asked him, “Have you noticed that I’m wearing green on my eyes today?”.

“Yes. *pause* It doesn’t look too bad does it?”

And that ladies, clearly means that it looks amazing.  Or not.  I’ll go with the former.

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re getting a bit old to wear bright colours on your eyes?  I do.  I mean, when I was 27…. I thought I was getting too old, but now that I’m 30 and I’m looking at the photo thinking, “I think it doesn’t look too weird” but, I surround myself (online) with beautiful women who love to have fun and enjoy a passion for makeup.  What must women who don’t share our creativity when it comes to slap think?

Of course, one totally shouldn’t care what other women think and I’m neither fishing nor asking for validation here, it’s just that being on the cusp of the wrong side of 30 makes me hesitate.  Nothing more and nothing less, I guess it comes down to the fact that you can’t really pull off the “cute” thing once you reach your thirties, and so there’s no room for error in the same way as when you were younger.

“Should know better”.  I’d like that on my headstone… along with “One Day”, a long-held shot at faith.

I usually only have time in the morning for the basics when it comes to makeup but Mr. L has been super-generous with his time in the run-up to releasing his next game, so you can expect a few more FOTDs than normal simply because it feels lovely to walk out of the house in a proper made-up face once a week you know?  The type where you’ve played and pontificated over choosing what to apply rather than reached for the quickest, most fool-proof things you own.

Anyway, I’m really rambling.  I’ll do a quick product breakdown.

Face

Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Ivory
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-1
Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder in 00

Eyes

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Green Grass on the upper lashline
Purple Eyeshadow from the Smashbox Muse Artist Eye Palette on lower lashline
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze

Lips

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Natural in 09 Sienne Kiss*

What’s your colour nemesis?  Do you hesitate when it comes to colour?

* press sample

I was sure I’d already blogged about my Guerlain Météorites Perles?  I mean, there aren’t many items I use so frequently but this is one of the ones I reach for almost every morning.

And for one, it’s a pure joy just to reach for… look…

I bought the shade 01 Teint Rosé back in March when I had a coupon code for StrawberryNet.  I’d been lusting after them forever but money-off was the final push I needed to take the plunge!

The metal tin houses 100s? (I’m not counting them) of little powder balls in a variety of lilac, green, pink, yellow and white shades that promise to colour-correct and impart a healthy glow.  It also smells like a giant parma violet.

I use this in conjunction with my Trish McEvoy powder brush #5 to swirl before lightly buffing over my face.  My personal preference is to use this when I’ve finished applying my makeup… it gives a very light covering so I consider it my ‘finishing’ powder.  To my eye, it adds luminosity and a slight soft-focus finish.  You might be interested to hear that the other product I use (when I’m not using this) is ELF’s HD Powder.  Eclectic.

Guerlain Météorites occasionally comes under accusations of being a bit “Emperors New Clothes” but all I can say about it is that it’s one of my very few Holy Grail items and will last me for (literally) many years, making its hefty price tag seem a little more justifiable.

Do you use Guerlain Météorites?  Love it?  Think it’s massively over-rated?

I have a love/hate relationship with these Guerlain Rouge G lipsticks.  They’re stupidly expensive and I blame it ALL on the elaborate casing.  Yes, the packaging is kinda delightful… it’s sexy and tactile and all those things but it also weighs my bag down and brings guilt to my purse.

Greta is a cool toned, creamy red that delivers maximum pigmentation with little effort.  It’s a formula that’s comfortable to wear for many hours despite drying down to a slight satin finish.  It’s fairly well behaved but I still wouldn’t recommend wearing without a lip liner.

Wear is slightly better than average.  I’m not sure what ‘average’ is, I haven’t really quantified it that definitively… but if I’m pleased with the wear (which I was) it means that a).  I wasn’t infront of a mirror every hour reapplying and b).  I didn’t scare myself with patchiness when I made it to the mirror.

£28 is a lot of money to spend on one lipstick and it’s not something I do that often. (honest guv)

If you wanted a signature red with classy packaging, a great formula and bold colouring… I would recommend checking out the Guerlain Rouge G reds… they also do a more orange-toned one too (the name escapes me atm).

For someone who’s scared of bronzers… I own a few.  I’ve also ditched many more.  The ones that I’ve kept work for me, though not without effort.  This isn’t a fault of the products… it’s my unconfidence with application and with wear.

The ones that I’m showing you are my current favourites based on their tone.  With my (admittedly) untrained eye… they all complement cool-toned skin.  I should also point out that I’m not talking bronzer for contouring – these are all the products I use to mostly just warm up my complexion and give it a sunkissed look.

Swatched in the same order from left to right (note that swatches are to show tone, not intensity… some are VERY heavily swatched):

1. Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Maui (£23.50)

Is it a blush, is it a bronzer?  Well… it looks a bit like a blush but if Bobbi says it’s a bronzer, who the hell am I to argue?  Maui is a warm pink shimmer that’s shot through with golden sparkle.  It’s an incredibly easy-to-use bronzer because it never looks muddy and on the rare ocassion that I actually do catch a bit of genuine sunlight… it’s much closer to how my skin would naturally colour than the more traditional golden browns available.

2. NARS Blush in Douceur L.E. (£19.50)*

Being a limited edition item <–ignore, am stoopid – it’s not Limited Edition!  I wasn’t going to include this one.  But it’s still available online at HQHair… so I figured it couldn’t hurt?  Now… this is a blush (if I’m not gonna argue with Bobbi, I’m certainly gonna agree with Francois!) but on my skintone, this matte blush works very nicely as a light pink/brown bronzer.  Although it looks dark in the pan, it’s the 2nd sheerest that I’m showing you.  Even I can’t mess this one up.  Just perfect.

3. Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder in Princess (£30)

Again, not a bronzer per se, Becca’s PSP in Princess is just lovely.  It’s shimmery but not AT ALL glittery… it’s very well behaved and grown up about things.  Smooth in texture, it imparts a subtle sun-kissed glow to my cheeks that is never overcooked.  Pricey, but worth it.

4. Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Rumour (£16)

If there were one black sheep in the set, this would be it (being Illamasqua, it had to be the naughty one didn’t it?)  The tone is perfect – devoid of any orange… and being so matte, it makes the best contour shade I own.  The problem is, that’s not saying a lot because it’s the ‘only’ contour shade I own.  I find Rumour a little hard to work with due to it’s heavy pigmentation and it can end up looking a bit muddy.  I want to love it and I feel that it’s my inexperience that stops me rather than the product itself.  Any tips for this one ladies?

5.Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in Blondes (£31.50)

Finally, a classic.  The sheerest of the lot (and the most expensive!)  Blondes is the lightest of the three shimmery bronzer options from Guerlain.  I also own the lightest in the matte version but reach for this one more often.  I would defy anyone to overdo this… it’s a must-have for pale skintones.

Other honourable mentions: Bobbi Brown Antigua, Bobbi Brown Bali Brown, The Body Shop Warm Glow, Guerlain Terracotta 01 (matte)

.

I know that all my bronzers are at the higher-end of the price spectrum… but experience has shown me that if I want to rid myself of orange-toned monstrosities, this is where I have to look.  Please do comment and let me know if things have improved in that respect on the high street because I’ll be one of the first out the door to go check out a bargain alternative!

What are some of your favourite bronzers?

* denotes PR sample.

Nothing screams Summer like a warm bronzed complexion with copper accents.  Bronze scares me in so many ways!  I love metallics and I adore golds… but bronze?  It’s a touch red… that little bit bolder no?

Bronze and copper totally brings out the greens lurking in your iris though.

Did I tell you that I finally found a bronzer that I can apply with my eyes shut?  Guerlain Terracotta Light Bronzer in 01 Blondes.  If you’re as pale and cool toned as me and think bronzer isn’t for you?  Shut Up.  Just go and try it.  I wish I’d found it years ago.

I’ll do a proper review on it soon…

Anyway, the eyes…

I swished my Laura Geller Eye Rimz in Bewitching Bronze all over…. yeah, 1 colour.  Bite me.  I’m a lazy bitch most days, I’ve got approx 549589430 eyeshadows and 50% of the time (unless I’m showing off) I just grab one shade and go.

But check out the eyeliner! I don’t even know if it goes with the shadow… I don’t really care ‘cos it’s HOT!

Guerlain Divinora Liquid Eyeliner, I think they’re discontinued now.  The colour is immense, the packaging beautiful… the formula a little gloopy and slow-drying… but whatever, the colour. is. great.  I’ll have to start stalking eBay.

Are you stalking eBay for anything discontinued?  Do you do that?

Summer is usually all about the brights… and so perhaps, for once… naturals are the brave choice.

Introducing Guerlain’s Summer 2010 Collection:

Ombre Éclat 4 Shades  – OMBRE PERLÉES (LE) – £36.00 / €50.78

A monochrome palette of natural hues – 4 subtle shades with a touch of iridescence: Beige, satin pink, taupe and smoky brown all housed in a frosted silver case, embossed with the Guerlain logo.  A limited edition palette makes for an elegant addition to the collection.

KissKiss Baby – Limited Edition Nourishing Lip Balms – £20.00 / €27.88

Cherry Summer & Coral Sunset

I adore the formula of these Guerlain KissKiss Baby Balms made with wild mango butter and Luffa oil and those tints are just too perfect for Summer.

Ombre Éclat – 1 Shade – £19.00 / €28.89

Top – Bottom:

~ L’INSTANT D’UN BAISER (PEARLY PINK)
~ L’INSTANT D’UNE CARESSE (SMOKY BEIGE)
~ L’INSTANT D’UN RÊVE (SMOKY BROWN)
~ L’INSTANT D’UNE EMOTION (PEARLY VERDIGRIS)

Four new pearl shades have been added to the Ombre Eclat – 1 Shade line.  I’m loving the look of the Pearly Pink and Smoky Beige.

Guerlain’s Summer 2010 Collection is more about luminosity than colour, it’s about reflecting the light that Summer brings and reflecting radiance and elegance.  Personally?  I’ve already made room in my collection for that Cherry Summer KissKiss Baby balm.

Available on counters nationwide from the 5th June 2010

What say you?  Too subtle for Summer or understated elegance?

I know, I know… my head is telling me…

“That’s gonna be expensive.  You’re gonna get it and then look at the pattern for a few months perhaps finally drumming up the courage to tarnish it sometime next November”.

But, but just look at it!  Is it art? Is it makeup?  I don’t care… I want it!