FOTD: Channelling Stockard Channing

FOTD 28 02In the best possible sense of course. But seriously: right?

Must be the smirk. No one smirks like Ms Channing. Except me, apparently.

What we have here is:

>Dermalogica Skin Primer, which will be featured in a B&B! Q&A soon.
>Lancôme Le Touche Éclat
>Smashbox Brow Tech To Go, which I love and want to marry.
>Hourglass Ambient in Luminous Light, which is why I am glowing like I’m just back from the Caribbean. I completely overdid this, as I overdid the mascara — the new Rimmel Lash Extender Endless Mascara which I am loving.
>Smashbox Love Me Lip Enhancing Gloss in Charm Me, with which I will have a clandestine affair if that damned Brow Tech will ever stop leading me on!
>Clarins Ombre Minérale 4 Couleurs in Iris Blossom. They look dark in the palette, but go on trés lightly and sparkly.
>The Hair, not even ironed yet, is thanks to Aveda Invati Exfoliating Shampoo, Thickening Conditioner and Scalp Revitalizer, about which more will be written soon.
>Roots by my laziness. Don’t look, Andrew Dunne from Mane Salon! Avert your eyes!

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Okay, Eyelash Extensions! This is It! Last Day!

WEEK SIXOMG. Talk about cack-handed mascara application! I am out of practice.

This is it though, seriously. I can’t extend the life of my extensions any further.

Also seriously: terrified to see what’s left. There is some frighteningly stubby lookin’ lashes lurking in between the realllllly longggggggg and leggy lookin’ ones.

Okay, off to go comb off some of the excess. Sheesh.

Ah! My heart! I knew I’d miss ’em when they were gone…

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I got my eyelashes extended at Venus Medical in Dundrum. See venusmedical.ie for more info.

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Guest Blogging at Crimson Romance: Consulting the Oracle{s}

THAT MAGIC MISCHIEFBlogging for somebody else is a weird sensation. It’s kind of like riding someone else’s horse while they’re watching, which in my case, the one time I did it, made me feel really self-conscious and nervous.

I had a bit of that when I blogged for the wonderful lovelygirliebits, but after some deep-breathing exercises and couple of knuckle-cracks, I got down to business and it was fine.

You may think that ‘writing is writing’, but it’s kind of not.

One of things that my heroine, amateur witch Annabelle Walsh, learns is that ‘magic isn’t magic’. By that, she — I — we? We mean? Anyway, the point is that everything that happened to her, post-heartbreak, had as much to do with her desire to get over it, as did her own deep-breathing exercises and knuckle-cracking, which came in the form of burning bunches of sage and interacting with a supernatural creature from Irish mythology. Slightly different for me, then.

So, writing isn’t writing: I have a very different approach to critiquing a stage play or an arts exhibition than I do to reviewing a serum or a facial. Working on a new novel is different from trying to adapt one into a screenplay, and posting on my horse blog, I found, was a universe away from writing my horsey-divorcey memoir.

It’s a matter of practice and discipline, and getting used to having to try on different techniques. Despite the nerves, I was delighted to contribute this piece to the Crimson Romance Editors blog. Go have a look!

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Have you read That Magic Mischief? There’s a giveaway on this blog that’s about answering a question to win a great prizes… and there are more to come… just so you know…

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Talk about Aspirational: A Day of SS13 Launches

In a parallel universe, I live in the first season of Revenge. {Not the second season, even though Nolan got all weirdly ridey, in a Nolan-y way? Was it the haircut?}

In that life, I toddle around in shoes like these, with a bag like this swinging from my shoulder.
TH shoes n bag

Oh, Tommy Hilfiger, you always get this yacht-y vibe spot on. Can’t you just see me swanning around the gardens of Grayson Manor in those? Or in this?
TH skirt

That’s about as close to wearing orange as I can get, without looking like I ought to be carried feet first out the door. And with friends like Victoria — ha! One would get quite used to being prepared for the worst.

Rah-rah skirts don’t really suit me either. And the fabric is silky and I’m sure I’d ruin it in a heartbeat. But the combination of those sherbet-y colours is simply irresistible. I’m sure Vic would let me borrow Ashley to drop all my fancy clothes down the cleaners. {See, that’s why you really gotta have a fantasy life in S1, ‘cos Ash was still on tap, as it were.}

Over at Hacketts, it was, obvs, all about the menswear. Why hello… hmmm, Frederico. You’re looking well in your tighty whiteys.
HACKETT polo man
BTW, I know exactly how to use that mallet.

The trends are towards the bright and poppy, whilst still balanced by expert tailoring and layering. I don’t know, though, could I go for a man in vermillion chinos?
HACKETT silver fox
Yes, indeedy! Plus: zebra!

Aspirational turned a bit perspirational as I legged over to the Marks & Spencer launch. I’d already seen bits and pieces on Twitter, but there was nothing like seeing it in person.
M&S jacket
Love the nipped in waist, and I love leather {Frederico, take note} and I’ve been wanting a little leather jacket, but haven’t been able let myself indulge in the trend. This looks like it’s got some serious staying power. Not sure the non-lapel thing works with my frontage though. I guess I’ll just have to go try one on.

I didn’t get a snap of the big bucket-y shoulder bag they’ve got going on — I liked the red one. No, the blue one! No, the red one. Definitely. How about this little little bit of structural genius in teal?
M&S teal bag

Ah, fashion! How I love/hate you! You make me wish for things I may or may not actually need.

Speaking of need, I look good in blue.
HACKETT my other life
A classic Aston Martin convertible. Surrounded by dudes. Outside a gracious country mansion.

Hmmm, may trade in the Revenge fantasy and start shaping up this one…

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Spring/Summer 2013 is here! And dammit, we are going to have the weather to support it!

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Lancôme Teint Visionnaire Skin Perfecting Makeup Duo: Beauty-full *and* Clever

So smart:
TEINT VISIONNAIRE

Lancôme‘s newest offering in the makeup line incorporates their terrific innovation in the skincare line, and the hint is in the name: Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector is in the mix here, and if you click on the link, you can read all about that crazayzay LR 2412 molecule that does all the amazing sciencey stuff to make your skin look equally amazing.

Well, I love it, and I’ve found that I return to it time after time. This is saying something, as I have goldfish memory when it comes to product. I try so much stuff on a weekly basis, that a thing has to be a really, really impressive thing for me to even remember its name — much less its molecule!

And now, here we have it all in one cunningly designed package. Teint Visionnaire comes with a concealer — shown here, lip flipped — that matches the foundation. I’ve been enjoying 01 Beige, and like its progenitor, it is quickly becoming my go-to for flawless.

I find the texture of the concealer to be a bit sticky, and I’ve tried to pick it up with a brush, but I am finding that my fingertips are my best bet for application.

The foundation applies fluidly, no matter if I use a brush, or my fingers. I know, why am I still using my fingers… but sometimes it feels like they do a better job. Although, I won’t get better with a brush if I don’t use it. But, but! Ah, sure, whatever. I tend to take a Machievellian approach to my macquillage. Look:

TEINT VISIONNAIRE

I have found, as well, that this doesn’t fade, or sink into creases, and the concealer has enough oomph to act as a highlighter as well. What is not to love?

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On counter now: €45/£36/no joy finding an American stockist {??}

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Green Angel and Barnardos: Win/Win

Typing too quickly, that title came out ‘Win/Wine’ — which is not exactly wrong.

I’ve been off the Green Angel frequency in the last while, and am looking forward to giving some of their new products a go. In the meanwhile, here’s some infoGREEN ANGEL event about their fundraising fashion show in conjunction with Barnardos, at the Ballsbridge Hotel on 22 March.

{Click on the image to enlarge.}

The company use a lot of seaweed, which I love love love. I’ve gotten me paws on some Seaweed Cleansing Lotion with Cucumber and Sage Extracts, which I am gasping to pry out of its package and take it for a spin {TWSS!} There’s also some Seaweed & Aloe Eye Gel that I’ll be happy to test, as well. Sure, I’ll try anything! {She also said that.}

Do support the initiative above, and make a day of it: go and get a blow dry, and/or your makeup done, and then take your bad self out and show it all off.

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The Green Angel website is under construction; email them at shop@greenangel.com for stockist information.

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THAW and Nioxin: Scalps are the New Black

Did you know? Scalps are totally the New Black. I’ve been trying out a whole buncha products that target the roots of the hair, and I must say, The Hair has been, overall, pretty happy about it.

THAWTHAW = Thinning Hair Awareness Week, and Nioxin and the Institute of Trichologists have teamed up to expand our awareness of this issue. Now, okay, you may look at my head and wonder What’s she care? but in this, I am all about prevention — as opposed to my coming very late to the eye cream party, for example. I got my hair from my dad’s side of the family, which is the way it works, I think? While he hasn’t gone  bald, his hair has thinned. Sure it’s a by-product of aging, but if I start now, I could possibly add on another decade of thick, healthy hair.

^^That’s my wishful thinking, anyway. Who knows? In twenty years, Science may have figured out a way to non-invasively recreate the hair we had when we were twenty. Or is that what is more commonly known as a ‘wig’?

Anyway: when I went to get my colour done — no, not done, created — with Andrew at Mane Salon, he was already talking to me about scalps. He recommended that I try Nioxin’s Scalp Renew Dermabrasion Treatment, an in-salon facial for yer head. I was happily given that opportunity last month, and let me tell you, it puts the ‘treat’ into ‘treatment’.

I got did at Wella Professional in D8. Clarie Doyle, the Field Technical Trainer for the studio, took care of me before, during, and after the treatment. CLAIRE IMAGEWith thirteen years of experience in haircare and styling, including long-term gigs with Dylan Bradshaw and Foundations, I couldn’t have been in better hands.

Claire hopes that THAW, as an event, will ‘give people who suffer with thinning hair, or scalp concerns, the confidence to take the steps they need to get help for fragile hair and problem scalps. Many solutions currently on the market are either drug-based, or look to camouflage the issue. Nioxin aims to take a skin-care inspired approach to create thicker, fuller looking hair.’

I had been given a sample of the 3 Part System. ‘The Cleanser removes follicle- clogging sebum and residues from the scalp and hair,’ Claire explains. ‘The Scalp Revitaliser is a lightweight conditioner that provides resilience and controls moisture balance, and the Scalp treatment, which contains antioxidants to provide a refreshed scalp environment,’

The last is a spray, and I was certain that it was going to weigh down my hair — after all, that’s where my hair gets greasiest, right? I duly tried it out, and found it to be only okay. Then I got my scalp dermabrased my Claire, and everything changed.

The treatment is applied by your salon professional: it feels cool on your head, but if you hold your hand close to it, it feels warm. Weird! Claire massaged it in, and left it for about ten, fifteen minutes. I got rinsed and shampooed, and blow dried, and honestly, my hair has never looked healthier — and my scalp has probably not been in such a pristine state since the day I was born.

In the following days, I went back to the 3 Part System, and the difference was noticeable in the extreme, soft-focus iPhonage notwithstanding.

NIOXIN IN ACTION

That’s with nothing but the scalp spray — no styling oil or gel or mousse or anything. As well as sprucing up my cranial skin, the treatment also gave my hair colour a new lease of life.

I am very conscious of my scalp, now, which is the point, and I’m hoping to feel the good effects of this for as long as I can. It’s been about a month now, at least, and I would dearly love to get another blast of dermabrasion sooner rather than later.

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Nioxin 3 Part System kits have an RRP of €33.99.

See nioxin.co.uk for stockists.

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There’s an excellent online diagnostic here — figure out which one of the six systems suits you.

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Buh-bye Eyelash Extensions — Oh, Wait, Hang On…

Literally. The last few have been driving me demented — oh, probably fifteen lashes on each eye, out of the original thirty apiece, and I kept meaning to remove them, using the dreaded oil-based eye makeup remover.

I was ready to release the lashes from their indenture.

Then I decided to just go for it and break another rule, since I was going to be removing them anyway, and lash {ha, ha} on some mascara.

Dammit.

EYELASHES week fiveThey look as full as when I got them! A bit excessively long, like, cute-cartoon-animal long, but dammit, they look really good.

The mascara in use is Rimmel Lash Extender Endless Mascara {€9.95/£7.99}, and not only gives great lash, but also is packed with the brand’s exclusive GROW-LASH Complex of Procapil, Keratin and anti-oxidants.

Argh! Now what am I going to do???

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I got my eyelashes extended at Venus Medical in Dundrum. See venusmedical.ie for more info.

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Win a copy of That Magic Mischief from The Romance Reviews!

In honour of their second birthday, The Romance Reviews are offering a month’s worth THAT MAGIC MISCHIEFof great giveaways, interviews, and chances to join in on a community that loves romantic fiction in all its many genres. {Unsurprisingly, I am often drawn to titles that feature cowboys. Go figure.}

I’m delighted That Magic Mischief will be involved! Bookmark the link above, and this one, too, as there’s a hint in the synopsis, below, for the multiple choice question that could win you a free copy of my new novel.

What was the point of being a witch if Annabelle Walsh couldn’t manage a spell to fix her broken heart?  Okay, maybe calling herself a witch was pushing it — but as a dedicated dabbler in all things metaphysical, she figured she could, at the very least, speed up the healing process. Dumped out of the blue by high-powered banker Wilson Monroe, her boyfriend of three years and nine months, Annabelle’s hopes of walking down the aisle seem remoter than ever, and springtime in New York had never looked so dismal.

With the help of her dearest friends in the world—cool, calm and collected Lorna, and fiery, feisty, foul-mouthed Maria Grazia — Annabelle tries to pull herself out of the dumps by crying her eyes out, getting smashed on girly drinks, and working the odd spell. An idle wander into an unfamiliar new age shop adds the bit of magic in her life that she’d been looking for, in the form of a Pooka — an interfering, mischievous spirit determined to turn Annabelle’s life around, mostly by turning it upside down.

Suddenly, Annabelle hasn’t got time to brood, and her career as a journalist begins to take off; in fact, it’s during a brainstorming session for an off-off-off-off Broadway theatre production that she meets tall, dark, and handsome Jamie Flynn, an Irishman in New York who seems to be keen at first sight, if not in love quite yet. As Annabelle gets her life back on track, she starts to see the difference that a real life, a real career, and a real man can make … and all it took was that magic mischief.

Visit theromancereviews.com for more info, and for their T&Cs. Good luck!

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And follow @Crimson_Romance for more great titles!

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