Month: December 2011

It’s Always Spring Somewhere

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Right before The Christmas, there was an exciting launch of the Clarins Spring/Summer 2012 collection. One never needs much of an excuse to go hang in a fancy hotel in Temple Bar, and beautiful cosmetics notwithstanding, the nibbles were pretty impressive.

I haven’t had a chance to play with the Ombre Minerale 4 Couleurs and in all honesty, that bright turquoise pigment gives me the willies — but I am your intrepid beauty blogger, and will give it a go in due course.

But! I didn’t expect to like the Gloss Prodige in Papaya. Not so much the gloss part, but the papaya part. It looks really coral-ly in real life, and I am not a fan of coral, and it is not a fan of me. I wanted to see how prodigious the gloss was, though, and I can say that it is so prodigious that the papaya colour actually worked. The glossiness of this is extreme, and very sexy.

As vernal as I’d like to be right about now, when we are bracing ourselves for some below zero temps, I don’t think I can pull off the sky-blue vibe of that shadow, not in December/January. I’ll leave that for braver souls than I.

Sweet Sixteen: Yes To Carrots Exfoliating and Soothing Mud Mask

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I can be a real snob when it comes to product. Growing up, I read too many magazines, and started to get a bit sniffy about cheapy cosmetics at an early age.

I couldn’t afford to be as posh as I wanted, but it didn’t stop me from dropping some serious dough whilst in art college: I had found a special something at a fancy Manhattan shop, on the Upper East Side {which is saying something, since I went to Pratt in Brooklyn} and — holy cow! early onset is pre-empted as I just remembered the name of it. I was struggling to remember what it was called and I couldn’t bring it up for the life of me until I started writing. The special something was a mud mask by Princess Marchella Borghese, who is still around. I would welcome any samples of her Fango: Active Mud for Face & Body for a future review, just to see if it is still as good as I remember it to be. The container was similar to what it is now, a luxuriously heavy glass jar; the mud was scented to just the correct degree, and it was my first experience of true self-care indulgence.

Whoops, down the rabbit hole! The point of the above was that having been exposed to a serious mud mask, anything else wouldn’t do. I like to keep an open mind, and have found several non-muddy masks to be effective, but to me, there is nothing like having my face squinched by drying product. I am sure there are anti-ageing arguments against this experience, but feck ‘em. I love a good squinch {TWSS} and in these modern times, I have found something that satisfies this need entirely.

The Yes To line has branched out to include Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Blueberries, but to me, Carrots will always be the cornerstone of the brand. These all-natural, crap-free products care for every part of you, and in general, they work as well as crap-laden products — and come on, let’s be honest, in general, most natural products simply don’t work. The cleansers don’t cleanse, the mositurisers don’t mositurise, or else they require so much more product to effect change that it’s not cost effective.

Or maybe our standards have become too laden with crap, and they work just fine, and we have only to adjust our expectations.

Expectations need not be adjusted when it comes to YTC’s C the Difference: Exfoliating and Soothing Mud Mask. It’s made from Dead Sea mud, and it’s rich and thick, yet applies smoothly — it’s not like you’ll be trowelling this on. Fragrance-wise, it is pleasant without being too perfume-y, and in this regard is one up on the Borghese, as far as memory serves < and it serves pretty darn well, considering. I tend to leave it on for way longer than the 5 minutes prescribed, but that’s me, the squinch-lovin’ beauty blogger, so take that with a pinch of Dead Sea salt.

Ooh, I’d love a dose of this right about now: I’ve just woken up and my face feels like it’s flaking off. The post-mask C skin feels shiny and clean and new, and I’d love that right now. I’d also love to run around the house scaring my nephews with my crazy mud face. Ah, well, there’s always next time.

€12.99/£12.35/$17

*Scarlet*

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Not! Because I can’t be! I reviewed that crazy picture just a moment ago and realised that I forgot to pack blush.

I don’t usually go for full make up when visiting the family home, couch surfing, so it did indeed come as a shock. I have been out of the house, and even went to a party, and I must have been in some sort of holiday fog to have not noticed that I had failed to bring along my youthful glow.

Perhaps the joy of the holidays had supplied it, and I had no need for artificial enhancement.

…

Anyway! Here’s a link to my Evening Herald column; I’ll just be over here in the corner, pining.

Clean the Slate: FACE Atelier Melt

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Well, I was doin’ this wrong.

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I thought that the way to use FACE Atelier Melt was to squirt it into my palm and use it as I would a cleanser. This was not a completely disastrous approach, and it was especially good at wiping out the brow makeup; as regards the mascara and eyeliner, not so much.

The thing is, it is an oil-based yokie, and I am only converting to the notion of putting oily on the face. Blame adolescence — and sure, what blame can we not lay at the feet of the teenage years? — but I had a serious case of shiny face and the very idea of reverting to said shiny makes me want to cry.

And yet… I have been using balms to excellent effect, and they are not even oily, they are greasy! Cue nightmare. I am guessing, because I am on a roll and won’t pause to google, that oil-based products are the ultimate in hydration. Common sense, when you pause in your scarred-for-life narrative to have a think.

Right, so. Where was I. Okay. So, I have decided to use this for the next few weeks, and last night had the brainwave to dispense it on a cotton pad and use it like I would use any other make up removal product. Like, wow? <I blame the jet lag. Although when I was doin’ wrong before the transatlantic flight…

THE POINT IS: Totally superfantastic removal with the Melt. Gentle, effective, and thorough. There was some residual product, and I wasn’t sure if I should massage it into my skin. It felt like it would feel good to do, except that there was maybe still make up lingering. And I forgot to pack toner* [gasp!] so I ended up wiping away as much as I could, and went through way more cotton pads than usual.

That last is a bit pesky, but not a deal-breaker. I found some cotton wool, in pleats, at a €2 shop {remember when they were €1 shops? Ah, sure} While I avoided those in the past as well — because the cotton seems so loose, and therefore more likely to get into your eye — the combination of the two is quite a fierce cleaning duo.

You learn something new every day.

*Yeah, I forgot the toner, but worse, I forgot the clarifying lotion and I have to say, whilst I saved myself some space in the suitcase [but not all that much] I’m never going to make that choice again. It makes me yearn for the next winner in the Sweet Sixteen Sweepstakes, which will premiere tomorrow…

€29 on cloud10beauty.com/£24/$35

Sisterhood of the Travelling Products

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So: three weeks worth of stuff. It doesn’t seem like loads when laid out like that. {It seems like tonnes when you have to pack it up. In three make up bags of various sizes so you can distribute the weight.}

Or does it? I no longer have perspective. I’ve got thirteen shampoos and conditioners on the the go! What can you expect from me, honestly.

This photo is as much as about what is not here, as what did make the transatlantic journey… Continue reading →

Sweet Sixteen: Lancôme Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector

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I don’t believe in Santa. I don’t believe in the Tooth Fairy. And I don’t believe in products that claim to make your skin younger and radiant. I simply don’t. I believe that if you start on a regimen early enough, you can tend to your skin in such a way as allows it to age gracefully, but this whole thing about ‘making’ your skin look younger? Feh.

{We’ll get into peels at some later stage, because they do the business, but for now, let’s sit up here on the high horse, ‘kay?}

I mean, the skin is deep and complex, and I’m no scientist, but a topical that makes a measurable difference? Yeah, right; and next you’ll be telling me that boob creams work. Continue reading →

Happy Holiday Face!

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To me, a happy holiday face is radiant, glowing with comfort and joy. This face may also glow with product, to enhance and illuminate those happy holiday feelings.

Or manufacture them, as necessary.

Any of the below will give you gorgeous holiday face, and perhaps inspire you to shimmer year round.

I was very pleasantly surprised by the Smashbox Halo Highlighting Wand, as I generally don’t believe that the brushes that come on the ends of things like this are useful. This one is, and the stuff that comes out of the wand is perfection itself: shimmer and coverage combine to highlight your cheekbones and temples, an to ensure that you appear your very best in all those holiday snaps.
I must admit that I haven’t always had the best skill in the world when using this kind of illuminator. I tend to default to sparkly powders that I just schmoosh all over my face. They work great, but they require a lot of reapplication. I brushed this on, and on it stayed, and actually made me look like I was born highlighting my facial structure.
€26/£22/$32
I am better at something like The Body Shop’s Radiant Highlighter because you just mix it in with your liquid foundation. There’s a bit of personal alchemy involved, finding the exact amount that works not only with your face, but also with your particular foundation, and it can be hit or miss. I find the result, which is subtly glowy, to be worth the effort. A little dab on the pointy bits of your face — if you are fortunate have to any, I have to pretend that I have visible bones — gives the look a bit more of a lift. The texture is on the heavy side, which may help with the alchemy: less is more. Don’t tell, but try mixing some into your body cream, then apply to your exposed arms and decolletage. It’s sexy.
€18.95/£11/$14

I bigged up the Orofluido Hair Oil and Gold Shimmer Gift Set mainly because of the little atomiser of fairy dust. It is terrific, it smells really good, and you can spray all over yourself which is all kinds of fun. I find that Orofluido gives me a perfect hair day every time {and we’ll get to that}, so a few puffs of sparkle in addition can only makes things even brighter, on every level imaginable.
€29.95/£26.99/not available in the US, sorry, betches.

Have lovely holiday! xx

Clean the Slate: Matis Biphase Eyes & Lips Makeup Remover

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Ooh, sparkly at Christmas! Any excuse to shimmer, as far as I’m concerned, and this time of year is just one big enablement. But how best to clean the slate so you can you can start fresh on the morrow? Continue reading →

Sweet Sixteen: Jo Malone Body Créme

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Everything about Jo Malone feels rich: the beautiful cream-and-black branding, the boxes, the ribbons, and most particularly, the heavy glass tub that contains the luxurious body créme.

There is absolutely nothing like the Jo Malone Body Créme. I don’t like all the scents — and frankly, I wouldn’t blame you feeling completely suspicious of me if I did — but the ones that I do, I adore. Unconditionally. Without reservation.

Lime Basil & Mandarin. Pomegranate Noir. Amber & Lavender! Oh, I forgot about that last one. I went to swap the places of LM&B and PN, but I can’t. I don’t think I can. Can I? No, not possible. Even though I layer PN with pleasure, and everyone knows what it is, and I don’t mind everyone recognizing it, because it is so delightfully sensuous, and something of a signature scent for me … I still can’t put it first, because it wasn’t my first.

Lime Basil & Mandarin. I had no idea that this Sweet Sixteen was going to be so nostalgic, but I have just gone off into a mental video memory of the first time I got a whiff of the stuff. I had been hanging with some pals, enjoying the bubbling hot tub at the SPORTSCO Leisure Centre in Ringsend {why do I remember it as the ESB gym?} and then after repairing to the changing room, one of the women passed around the body crème. Its heavy glass jar immediately communicated its splendour, and an obsession was born.

I had to have it. I had to have it for myself. I didn’t care that I was suddenly smelling that scent everywhere I turned; rather, it became the clarion call of a little club of ladies who knew what was what when it came to self care, and about splurging a mad amount of money of a thing that didn’t last for an appreciable amount of time.

Ah, now! That last bit is not so true. Because it so well-crafted, you need less than you think to enfold yourself in the fragrant goodness that is a Jo Malone body crème. So all of us who were amongst the vanguard were less annoyed at smelling ourselves coming and going {oh, dear, that sounds nasty} and more keen to appreciate the savvy of our fellow Malonistas.

It’s like being a member of a club whose only agenda is to smell gorgeous. I consider myself to be a lifetime member, with honours.

€63/£48/$75

Haiku Review: Head & Shoulders Itchy Scalp Care

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Oh, where to begin!
Let’s start with today’s shampoo —
Chosen with intent.

I think I used the H&S brand once in my life, before now. I had a touch of dandruff during adolescence, quelle horreur, and reached for the brand that said it was going to make it stop. It did, and I never thought of using it again.

Now, if I had to use a shamp/cond duo to deal with such an issue, I would most assuredly reach for the Head & Shoulders. I am also fairly certain that one’s choices have increased exponentially in the intervening years. I counted eleven different versions on the brand’s interactive web site.

I was given a sample of the Itchy Scalp Care flavour, and eh, I wasn’t really that pushed to give it a go. But give it one I did, because as I said earlier, this is my job.

Well. I assume my scalp is healthy because it doesn’t flake, and not to say that I am now given to bouts of scalp fear, but I will say that this pair, with its infusion of eucalyptus, is an enjoyably invigorating cleansing experience. It’s the shampoo that really comes across with the tingle, and if my scalp wasn’t squeaky clean before, it sure was now.

Ah: chosen with intent. The thing is, this gives me excellent second day hair, and as I am getting highlights today, I didn’t want to wash the barnet, but neither did I want to have dull hair. H&S and sorts this out completely, and I will walk into the salon with my head, complete with its itch-less scalp, held high.

€/£/$ prices vary, so I’m afraid you’ll have to google it yourself.