A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I really loved the softness on display in this year’s Orly’s spring Cool Romance collection (click here if you haven’t seen it yet) but sometimes, a girl needs to do what a girl needs to do.  What does a girl need to do?  Add a crap-ton of glitter to the proceedings.

Hello fluffy and delightfully squishy mushroom nails.  You’re all chic and sophistimacated, I could totally wear you to the office if I had one.  But I only have a desk, in a dark corner.  I don’t even have a water cooler or a filing cabinet.  Well, I lie… ‘cos I do have a filing cabinet but I keep it topped up with expired MOT test certificates, the instructions to my brother’s betamax and the menu from the Chinese takeaway from where we used to live two houses ago.  You never know when these things might come in handy.

So, you see… as much as I will always adore your demure but edgy… er… edge.  I can totally wear what I want on my nails at work.  Don’t believe me?  Watch, I can do THIS.

…and no one would blink an eye.  No dodgy looks or stark reminders about dress codes, I can just sit happily staring at my disco fingers while I type.  Sometimes I’m very happy in my little dark corner all by myself.

If you want to do this too, you’ll need Orly Faint of Heart* and POP Twinkle* (that’s one coat btw).

Glitter or no glitter – what say you?

* press sample

My poor, poor face.  I’m in the middle of a snot fest and I’m now understanding why I was brought up on a diet of haliborange.  Throughout the year I’m not a terribly sickly person (I was as a kid) which is just aswell because I’m the biggest wimp you could meet (probably).  I even have a ‘cold’ voice – you know that weak-sounding, more-than-slightly whiney tone that resonates through the nose more than the throat?  My poor family.  Anyway, this week’s cold has been particularly frustrating because of how beautiful it’s been outside!  The whole family have had it and thus we’ve been mostly quarantined indoors through the weekend.  I decided to make a break for it yesterday and thus needed a face of makeup to disguise my ravaged skin.  It’s so dry and dull, combined with the snot-induced nose flakes and hormonal jaw-line mega zits?  Not pretty.

I massaged my freshly-washed skin with a combination of Liz Earle SuperSkin Concentrate* and Alpha H All For Eve Age Delay Facial Oil* in an attempt to revive some life.  Kinda like a cardiac massage for the face before giving my driest spots (flakey bits) at light cover of Lucas Paw Paw Ointment (this stuff is great for disguising nose flakes).  I went with the spring-like weather and injected some colour onto my face with a bright streak of blue under my lower lashline.  This is my favourite way to wear the shade and I do it quite a lot in the Summer.  Anyway, enough talk.  Here’s my Springtime in the Sahara FOTD:

I think I could have done with a touch of highlighter but I’m otherwise looking fairly perky considering I felt like DEATH.  Like my Tammy Faye Baker eyelashes?  Tough – I do!  I never put that much on my lower lashes normally but now I’m gonna (until I get bored of it).

I’m wearing:

Skinfood Gingko Green BB Cream
Priori Perfecting Mineral Foundation (lightly buffed where I needed more coverage)*
Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer

KIKO Automatic Waterproof Eyeliner
Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour in Marina under the lower lashline
Benefit They’re Real Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze (I found it, I found it!)

Benefit Hervana Blush* (I did promise you a FOTD with this beauty)
Boots No7 Vital Brights Lipstick in Blooming Pink*

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What do you think?  Bit too early in the year to pull out these shades?  Hope you’re well and less snotty than me!  At least the pancakes (bacon and maple syrup!) cheered me up!

* press samples

We all have definite ideas about the scents we like to surround ourselves with — be it the washing powder we use to clean our undies; the candles we light when we step through the door after work; or the bath oils we pour under a hot running tap at the end of the night.  When was the last time you chose a new shampoo in the supermarket before flipping up the lid and inhaling a quick whiff to make sure you shared the product’s olfactory persuasions?

But what about the people we share our lives with?  What control do we have over how they smell?!

It’s taken a long time to gently steer my husband away from the Umbro Aftershave of his early twenties and onto scents which don’t make me want to check behind his ears for dirt.  I sound like a fragrance nazi right?  I’m not… it’s not that he resisted either, he just didn’t have an opinion either way.  Over the past couple of years, he’s developed a greater understanding and passion for fragrance — and thankfully, we do share quite similar tastes — something which comes in very handy for sharing the cost of those more extravagant fragrance purchases.

On this day, St. Valentine’s Day — I thought I’d hand the reins over to my brilliant husband, who has picked out the fragrances from his collection that make us both swoon when he wears them.

YSL – M7 Oud Absolu | Molton Brown NTS – Rogart | Parfum d’Empire – Ambre Russe | Oscar de la Renta – Oscar for Men | Floris – Santal

I’m still an awful fragrance reviewer, I just don’t have enough words swirling around in my puny brain to conjure up enough ways to say “if this fragrance were a doughnut, you’d consume four of them in one sitting”.  Although, I’ll never get better if I don’t try, so – in our own bumbled together manner… (at least I’ve got someone else to blame)

Yves Saint Laurent: M7 Oud Absolu (£58.00) *

As part of the reworked YSL Heritage Collection which celebrates half a century of expert perfume creation, the brand have released a reworked version of M7 which first came to the public nose in 2002 under the direction of one Mr. Tom Ford.  From such an agent provocateur, you’d expect to experience something special and you won’t be disappointed with this fragrance, which despite the reformulation is described as the climax of male sexuality¹.  M7 is a deeply smoky scent with notes of myrrh, french labdanum, patchouli and a resonating woody, almost leathery oud accord.  There’s a medicinal hint that lingers through the dry-down which we both find comforting.  It’s not sharp but resinous and syrupy, like a cough drop.  M7 is a fragrance for the night, of the night.  If Serge Gainsbourg were to walk in behind me right now, this is the smell I’d catch (and hold onto) as he passed.  An intensely sexy, dark scent.

¹ yslbeauty.co.uk

 Molton Brown Navigations Through Scent: Rogart (£60.00)

If you prefer to scent your senses with a touch of the gourmand, you may be interested in Rogart’s unusual but profoundly delicious note more usually found on your pancakes than in your perfume: maple syrup.  The tasty fragrance from Jennifer Jambon opens with a bracing blend of juniper berries and fir balsam which gives it that ‘great outdoors’ feel and indeed it should, as it draws its inspiration from the Cobequid Mountains of Canada.  All this freshness contrasts wonderfully as it warms on the skin and develops a hint of campfire, resinous wood and that sweet, mouthwatering maple.  Jointly, we’ve purchased nearly all of the releases in the Navigations Through Scent collection but Rogart firmly remains my husband’s favourite.

Parfum d’Empire: Ambre Russe (£84.50)

Not sure we’ll ever fall out of love with the majestic, imperial notes contained within Parfum d’Empire’s exquisite nod to Tsarist Russia.  It’s all here: vodka, champagne, tea, leather, amber and incense.  It’s like the party you know will conclude with most of its guests going home in a meat wagon before sunrise.  It’s raucously obnoxious and it knows it.  It wants you to know it too and you can’t help but admire Ambre Russe for it’s audacity to even exist.  It manages to be simultaneously effervescent (that’ll be the champagne hic!) and creamy, with the boozy amber trumping all else.  If you like dark, oriental fragrances, consider this a contender for the big daddy – shy, delicate noses need not apply.

Oscar de la Renta: Oscar for Men (£45.00)

We fought a little over the inclusion of this… I wanted to place Bvlgari Black above this one but Mr. L triumphed by making me a cup of tea and pointing out that, for once, he was entitled to call first dibs.  Oscar de la Renta’s Oscar for Men can be picked up online for as little as £17.00, which admittedly, ups the desirability stakes.  It’s a far sharper, more summery scent than the ones we’ve so far included – the top notes of bergamot, mandarin, and black pepper ensure that it prickles a little with a zestiness that makes you stand up and pay attention.  It has a floral heart that tempers the spiciness a little but if you’re a fan of the peppery notes of something like Marc Jacob’s Bang, you should enjoy this equally.  Oscar for Men trails with a suggestion of leather and vanilla which further smoothes the pepper without ever fully quietening it.  A spicy serenade that wears well in warmer months thanks to it’s sparkling opening.

Floris London: Santal (£69.00) *

As is my prerogative, I’m a woman of many contradictions.  Sometimes, I will eschew the feral, growling sensibilities of something like M7 (though never Serge) and want the man in my life to appeal as much to others as he does to me.  Floris Santal is the perfect scent to meet that need with its clean but never soapy existence.  Creamy sandalwood (and good sandalwood at that) gives Santal the most distinguished of edges in the overpopulated woody oriental category.  A hint of spiciness and musk keeps things warm and sensual whilst the crisp bergamot and trickles of lavender promote the balance beautifully and prevent this classic scent from ever feeling generic or old-fashioned.  Longevity is unparalled, displaying the kind of quality one would expect from a traditional British fragrance house like Floris.  I may have started with Serge Gainsbourg, but please… let me end with a young, freshly-shaven Paul Newman.  Rawr.

I’m feeling a tad hot under the collar now!  Happy Valentine’s Day you lovely lot.

Do you lust over leather or go crazy for classic cleanliness?  Do those animalic undertones bring out your wild side or perhaps you simply prefer a good old splash of Brut! 

Tell me, how do you like the men in your life to smell? (note: “of money” isn’t a valid answer!)

* press sample

I think there’s an unwritten law that allows only this much red glitter on two days of the year: Christmas Day and Valentine’s Day.  Pixi nail polish in #20 is a dense red glitter suspended in a pink/red jelly base… it’s a proper pow-pow bling-fest on the nails and needs 2/3 coats to ensure even distribution.

If you don’t like the rough finish, you’re gonna need a couple of coats of topper to smooth out that much of a glitter party but those brighter flakes sing out loud in the sunshine!

Pixi Nail Polishes are priced at £10 each and available instore or online from Pixi Beauty

So, I’m an old married… and my husband doesn’t buy me Valentine’s gifts.  Instead, he makes me a minimum of three cups of tea a day, fills the car with petrol when I can’t be arsed, sounds semi-enthusiastic when I regale him with tales of my shopping bargains, and always knows my current favourite chocolate bar.

But it wasn’t always this way and back when we were all shiny and new, falling out because he laughed at a pair of BIG girl’s pants in M&S that looked scarily like a pair of mine, Valentine’s Day was kind of a big deal.

In all honesty Valentine’s Day is about as much for married people as it is for single people, i.e. it’s not.  It’s for sickeningly saccharine types enjoying the first, what — maybe two years of a new relationship?  Which ultimately means that the rest of us should treat V-day as nothing but a big excuse to buy ourselves a present of LOVE.  Because afterall, no one understands how much love (read ” new stuff”) we need better than we do.

01: Jo Malone Red Roses Travel Candle* – The problem with fresh roses is that nine times out of ten, the other half has bought them from the Esso garage.  Go for something a little longer lasting with Jo Malone’s Red Roses Travel Candle.  Burn, enjoy, extinguish – repeat ad. infinitum until you’ve surrounded yourself with the luxurious atmosphere afforded by a blend of seven of the world’s most exquisite roses.  Priced at £22.00 and packaged in the inimitable “Jo Malone way”, it’ll be considerably more affordable and better-presented to boot!

02: Wahanda Valentine Treats – Treat yourself to a Wahanda treat in time for Valentine’s Day.  From £11 mini manicures (and a glass of wine!) at Coco Nail Bar to a £200 overnighter at the chinese-inspired Chuan Spa at The Langham – there’s something to suit every taste and every budget.  Just be ready to bat away the incoming offers from those potential suitors who’ve heard about your bargain!

03: Calvin Klein Forbidden Euphoria – Unashamedly pink and most definitely girly, this new release from Calvin Klein ticks all the right boxes for those who like their fragrances on the fruity side.  Dedicated to the ‘independent woman’, there’s no better way to announce your fabulous presence than with a blend of forbidden fruit including mandarin, passion fruit and touches of iced raspberry.  Priced from £32.50.

04: Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil – Smell delicious from top to toe with this nourishing body oil from Elemis.  This multi-tasker can be drizzled in a hot bath for a relaxing scent-sensation, smoothed onto dry skin to replenish and moisturise, rubbed into cuticles to nourish, and even massaged into your hair to scent and soften.  Worthy of its cult-status, the Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil makes for a great Valentine’s night treat – just keep it to yourself eh?

05: Philosophy Sweet Talk Set – This latest body-pampering set from Philosophy combines the brand’s three-in-one shower gel, body lotion and pink-tinted lip shine in the Candy Hearts flavour: a sweet (with a hint of tart) scent which will capture the hearts of girls across the nation.  Limited edition and priced at £22.00

06: Samsung MultiView MV800 Camera – For girls that have been very good this year comes the latest compact camera offering from Samsung.  Small enough to slip in your handbag with a 3.0″ wide (every inch counts right?) touch-screen which flips a full 180 degrees to ensure you capture spot-on self-portraits every time without getting a crick in your neck.  16.1 megapixels, HD video recording and 5x optical zoom will ensure your Facebook photos are the best on the block.  Just leave out the duck-face yes?  Comes in a range of snazzy colours (it’s gotta be red though right?) and is priced at £249. Unless you’re clever and go to Amazon!

07: Clinique Limited Edition Kiss it Better Kissable Lip Set -  Spread the love with a purchase of Clinique’s charity lip set and help raise money to fund research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.  In collaboration with the Great Ormond Street Hospital, 50% of the RRP price will be going directly to the KISS IT BETTER appeal. The set of covetable minis includes: a Vitamin C Lip Smoothie, Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, and a mini Long Last Glosswear.  Available instore at House of Fraser, priced at £25.

Love yourselves.  The end.

* press sample

I picked these Paula Dorf Cheek Color Cream Blushes up from eBay a couple of months ago and have only gotten around to swatching and playing recently.  They’re sheer, a little greasy-feeling and build nicely to create a natural-looking flush of colour.  My dry skin tolerates these well.

Cha Cha and Dollface will be wearable on most skintones whilst Disco is warmer and more suited to darker skintones than mine, although it is actually the sheerest of the three and with a bit more practice, I may be able to make it work once Summer comes around.  Maybe.  The Paula Dorf Cheek Color Creams have no discernable smell and apply smoothly with a stippling brush – fingers don’t seem to work quite so well for me with these.

I won’t blather on seeing as this is supposed to be a swatch post rather than an indepth review!

Do you prefer cream or powder blush?

How magnificently cute are these?

Not only cute, but pretty darn affordable too at £7-a-piece.  Keep the packaging as a tree decoration whilst bubbling up the contents (a 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath) in your bathroom.

Choose between: Gingerbread Girl, Snow Angel and Peppermint Bark – but be quick because Philosophy Christmas sets are always in high demand and usually sell out pretty quickly.

Available to buy instore at Boots who are also currently offering 1000 points when you buy 3 or more selected Philosophy

If the Met Office is to be believed, we’re ‘in for it’ (technical description) this Winter, I hope so anyway… I’ve just bought some bargain sledges in anticipation of blizzard-y snow and icicle snots.

There are thankfully a billion things to make up for the fact that we’ll only achieve around 6 hours of sunshine from now until February — Pringles, Quality Streets, and Christmas episodes of Eastenders would feature heavily on my list, but another thing that melts my frozen heart are the Winter fragrances that I can splash on with abandon.

Here are my TOP FIVE Winter Perfumes to ward off the big chill…

1. L’Artisan Parfumeur: Tea for Two EdT (£78.00)

Black tea, honey and an aromatic smokiness that encourages deep, long sniffs with your nose buried in your sleeve.  Most of my perfumes are unisex because I’m developing expensive tastes and I find it much easier to justify my purchases when I remind Mr. L that we can *both* use them.  It’s not true of course, as I hide them behind my scarves in my wardrobe.

Tea for Two also contains a ginger note which doesn’t present itself very well on my skin.  I consider Tea for Two to be a less-sweet, slightly less boozy version of Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille.  Longevity is grand on this one but it wears close to my skin – all the better for sniffing yourself with.

2. La Prairie: Life Threads Gold EdP (£74.00 – currently £59.95 at Cheap Smells) *

La Prairie’s Life Threads Gold is a force to be reckoned with thanks to its retro leanings and powerful floriental heart.  If you like people to smell you before they see you, this one could have your name written all over it.  Notes include (are you ready?): Plum, clove, tangerine, pepper, cinnamon, corriander, rose, lily of the valley, ylang ylang, vanilla, musk, golden myrrh and precious woods.

It’s as unapologetic as it is striking – go big or go home.  Perfect for the cold weather.

I implore you to go sniff this one out – as a girly/womanly type fragrance, it’s hard to beat.  I cut my teeth on Hypnotic Poison and it harks back to all I loved about that fragrance, but this one feels like it’s for grown ups.

3. Fendi: Fan di Fendi EdP (£39.50) *

The majority of my Winter fragrant love affairs evoke a smoke, leather and amber accord that carries me away to warmer, more exotic climes.  Fan di Fendi is a kitten by comparison, rendering it very work-appropriate whilst still containing a hint to my usual leanings.

The leather base is apparent though not rough-and-ready, as if struggling to make up its mind between dominatrix and classy handbag lady.  I detect a twist of the Mediterannean thanks to a freshness from some fruity notes which include tangerine.  Silage is decent, particularly when those initial top fruity/floral notes present but it quickly calms down into a calmer experience.

4. Bottega Veneta: Bottega Veneta EdP (£42.00) *

Elegance and sophistication with a clean, smooth leather that evokes the joy of sniffing luxury leather accessories.  And so it should, coming from Bottega Veneta — purveyors of luxury handbags.  A quiet soul of a scent, work appropriate without losing the edge that sets it apart from the competition.

The leather is gentle, almost suede-like with an initial hit of citrus to remind you of its Italian heart.  It’s most similar to the Fendi but with an altogether more sophisticated personality.  It doesn’t try hard, it doesn’t have to — it’s like that girl you know who manages to ooze grace without even knowing it.

5. Parfums d’Empire: Ambre Russe (£84.50)

Perhaps the ultimate in decadence, a king of a fragrance with a boozy, amber accord that transcends all earthly dimensions.  A little goes a long way and will leave those in your company searching the room for the source of this scent that offers up a kindly lesson in “how the hell to smell amazing”.

You can’t read anything about this scent without the mentions of Tsarist Russia and that’s because you can’t wear this scent without being transported to one of those onion-domed churches, incense burning while the blizzard roars outside.  Throw in a booziness that would make vodka-loving Russians (stereotype much?) blush and you’re getting close to the experience that wearing this powerhouse offers.

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What are your favourite scents to get you through the cold Winter ahead?

* press samples

Whenever I look at a Philosopy Christmas Gift Set, it reminds me of exactly how I want my Christmases to look.  Sure, it’s a little bit (a lot) twee and there’s enough glitter involved to get your local drag queen banging down your door, but c’mon.  It’s CHRISTMAS!!!!! (nearly).

The Philosophy Jolly Jubilee set comprises two items:

Holly Jolly Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath (120ml)
Crisp Berry Lip Shine (15ml)

This would make a perfect Secret Santa gift with the wrapping already done for you courtesy of a cute red velvet bow and beautifully designed tin in which the products sit.  Priced at £16 and available instore and online from John Lewis & Selfridges.

Do you like Philosophy gift sets or are their idealized Christmas scenes a little too much cuteness for you to bear?!

As a global brand marketed to the masses, Pantene have never been known to rest on their laurels.  To remain competitive, uber-brands such as Pantene who dominate their markets in this way simply have to stay ontop of the latest technologies and even more than that, often be the first to implement them.

The downside to this, from a consumer point of view is that TOO MUCH CHOICE can be a bad thing.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stood in-front of the haircare shelves in my local supermarket, taking far too long to decide which shampoo to buy and I know that most of us (unless you’re majorly brand loyal) face this same dilemma each time we shop.  I mean, ok… it’s one of those 1st world ‘problems’ that isn’t really a problem but in such a competitive market-place, these little things can make a big difference to consumers.

Pantene have relaunched, re-branded…. all that “re” stuff that doesn’t really matter too much to us unless we’re interested by the marketing side of things.  What they’ve actually done, in terms that I can get my head around is have a little re-jig.  And it looks something like this…

Still looks a bit excessive right?  It’s not!

Here are three choices, you can only pick one.  Is your hair?

Fine
Normal to Thick
Coloured/Highlighted (if your hair is coloured, choose this option regardless of the texture)

OK, got one?  Well, that’s all you need to know to shop the entire range easily and with confidence because Pantene have divided all of their products into these three categories which should in theory, make choosing the right product for your hair type, simple.

Gone should be the days of working out that “volumising” shampoos should be used for fine hair, “protecting” for coloured and “smoothing” for thicker hair types.  The industry loves a good buzz word and the above examples are some of the less “out-there” descriptions of what a hair product is supposed to achieve.  With the relaunch, stick to that initial question and you’ll be sure to choose a product designed with your hair type in mind.

As part of the relaunch, the brand are also introducing new formulas and ingredients, one of which involves a breakthrough ingredient for dry, frizzy hair-types called AM Triquat-76.  This patented whatsit (insert scientific word there) aids silicones to deposit themselves evenly across the hair shaft, thus smoothing the cuticle more effectively with less weigh-down than before and offering better protection from styling.

So, there you have it – the new look Pantene and the reasons behind all these changes.  To read more about the relaunch and what it means for your favourite products, click through to the Pantene site.

 Which hair type are you?

They say that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and frankly, there’s nothing quite like paying attention to these finer points than when you’ve got the world’s media breathing down your neck.

So much works goes on behind the catwalks at Fashion Week that us mere mortals would never even consider, and it’s some of these less obvious details that are getting plenty of attention this year!

What’s the first thing you notice when you enter a room, the one thing that can instantly add or detract from its appeal?  Scent.

Which is why we’re all supposed to be baking cookies and brewing coffee like demon baristas when it comes time to sell our homes.  It’s all in the name of adding atmosphere to your surroundings and show designers are understandably, certainly up for a bit of that.

Show scenting is big news this year and across the Atlantic, Victoria Beckham chose to scent her Spring/Summer 2012 presentation at New York City Library with a sea of Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit Candles.

Moving closer to home, the British fragrance company will also be scenting the British Fashion Council Tents throughout London Fashion Week with Jo Malone Orange Blossom as well as Erin O’Connor’s Model Sanctuary with Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit.

One of London’s most established fragrance houses, Penhaligon’s will also be working hard to make the capital smell delicious as they get to work with Meadham Kirchhoff to scent their Spring/Summer 2012 collection for the fifth season together.

The design duo have chosen the fruity floral Artemisia as a celebration of all things feminine.  Described as a tumble of green apples and nectarines, washed with jasmine tea and sprinkled with a luxurious medley of violet, cyclamen and lily petals.

The scent will be used to fragrance the invitations and the venue, whilst each model will receive a liberal spritz just before heading down the catwalk.

Finally, lest we forget, London Fashion Week isn’t just there for scenting, it’s for showcasing and what better place to launch a new perfume than off the back of your Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection?

Verónica Moncho Lobo launched her first fragrance Verónica last Friday alongside the showcase of her latest SS/12 collection.  The fresh, floral scent employs a bouquet of jasmine and cyclamen at the heart of the perfume.

The fashion designer coupled these spring and winter florals to evoke memories of  her childhood in Argentina.  Classic base notes of sandalwood and white musk promise to add a timeless touch to the fragrance.

Do you have a favourite fragrance that you’d scent your show with?

Not the classiest way of putting it, but it’s a simple fact of life that people love a bargain.  The killer spring in your step that can only be achieved from walking away with a bagful of goodies you KNOW you couldn’t have afforded at pre-sale prices.  Cheers to that.

My favourite brand for killer sales is Paul & Joe.  Specifically in the Fenwicks store on Bond Street – which in itself, is one of my favourite places to shop in London.  Come sale time, I will physically not leave the city until I’ve walked around it seven times and once more for luck.  I’m still haunted by the fact that some HORRIBLE woman beat me to the last sale bottle of Calamity Jane (JHAG) when I was last in-store.  It all happened in slow-mo — in fact, I think I may have let out a slow-mo “Noooooooooooooo!” as I watched her walk away with my dream.  Bitch.

Anyway… where was I?

Oh yeah, sale goodies.  Some brands are tight as…  while others announce their sales with great flourish.  My favourites are the ones that just silently slip last seasons goodies into a little box on the counter and let you get on with it.  Guerlain are awesome at this.  Lancome, getting better.  The rest?  Well, you can pretty much forget it.

Is it just the case that the brands who don’t put aside last season’s items simply don’t have any stock left?  Or do you think it’s a status ‘thing’.  Do you think it cheapens a brand’s image as ‘high end’ if it discounts their products?

I think it is undoubtedly a question of status but in these cash-strapped times, a real shame that some brands don’t have the foresight to be clever enough to attract new customers in this manner.  There’s no need for all ‘bargain bins’ to look like the ones in Superdrug — you know, you need a hazmat suit to go near those right? — I strongly believe that all brands can do discounts without cheapening the brand image.

And would it pay dividends for the brands in question?  I think so.  From a personal point of view… I started small.  I lived in my local chemist, hoovering up the bargain pencils from Collection 2000, a few months later… as my interest in beauty grew, I moved onto the Revlon.  It’s like drugs.  You know you’re gonna eventually end up on the hard stuff (Chanel) with a bit of puff (BarryM) inbetween to keep you high*.  You just need your dealer to give you that first taste.

And just because drugs and porn** go so delightfully well together (so I’ve heard), I’ll leave you with a little makeup version.  Three exquisite Paul & Joe beauty items, under £25…

Which brands get you running for their sale items and which brands would you give your eyeliner-applying arm to see throw some old stock in a discreet discount box?

* in my experience, brands absolutely love being compared to class A drugs.

** pornography works well too.