Author: brightandbeautyfull

Sparkletacular Twinkly Toes from Sally Hansen

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Love!

Here’s Gem Crush Nail Colour from Sally Hansen, a flock of new glitter varnishes. Behold, the perfectly named Blingtastic.

I don’t bother with a base coat on my toes, and I expect that this will go on much more smoothly with one. The mass of glitter makes it sparkle like Rockefeller Center at Christmas, but it also makes it difficult to apply as quickly as one might wish. You’ve got a couple of coats to do here until you get total coverage.

Once total coverage is achieved, though, the look is spark-tacular. Sparkletacular? Eh, whatevs. Shiiiiiny!

***

Gem Crush come in eight shades and retail for €8.95.

Laser Virgin Loses It, Via LivingSocial

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I joined one of those group coupon things about a year ago, and became annoyed something rapid: none of the offers were in any way convenient to where I was living. I am a public transport enthusiast — okay, ‘enthusiast’ is not exactly correct, ‘user because why run a car in a city?’ is probably more like it — and even with my extensive knowledge of the bus, tram and DART systems, it was a huge pain in the arse to get to some of these places. I’d be spending any savings on fares! Pointless.

And then I discovered LivingSocial and found a deal right in my own front garden as it were. [Plus, this site seems to have deals on stuff as well as hairdos and paintball.] Funnily enough, I had only noticed that there was a place called We Love Laser right there on Georges Street, just the other day, and then, they were offering a Laser Facial on the LivingSocial site.

Laser! Anytime I think of laser, I think of this, which I know isn’t remotely correct. Is it? I don’t know, man: The Fear. I love technology, but I also love my face the way it is, and the idea that anybody’s going to get all Darth Vader up in my grill…

Let me show you The Fear. Continue reading →

Yesterday’s Face: What it Was

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Yesterday’s make up — which, like yesterday, is gone! Take off your make up, women, for the love of God! — and as ever, will be keeping my day job. I am very sloppy about the picture-taking.

From left:

> No. 7 High Shine in Pink Veil
> Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Rose
> That Karaja Waterproof Eye Pencil that I am wearing down to the nub.
> Bourjois Paris Smoky Eyes in Rose Vintage
> Clarins Instant Definition Mascara in Intense Plum
> Bourjois Paris Flower Perfection Translucent Smoothing Primer
> Stila Set & illuminate Baked Powder Trio
> L’Oréal Paris Nude Magique BB Cream in Fair Skin Tone
> Also L’Oréal Paris, the LumiMagique highlighting pen
> Yves Saint Laurent Dare to Glow No 2 in Fatal Red
> My beloved brow duo, the AVON Glimmerstick Brow Definer in Dark Brown, and BeneFit Speed Brow

I am very much loving the Hourglass lippy: it really does last, and I counteract the dry-feelingness with a top coat of gloss — ooh, and the No 7 is super shiny! I am also very impressed with the Bourjois eye palette, less so with the primer, as it is such a small container, I don’t imagine I’ll get many faces out of it, if you know what I mean. The YSL illuminator was a little rosier than I wanted to go, but if you are feeling that pale-and-interesting is not working for you, this will warm you right up.

Stila! Completely into the this illuminator, but keep forgetting I want to use it, so I am all dressed, and the danger of illuminating my frontage is, I am afraid, about 200% guaranteed.

I would not normally be interested in a non-black mascara either, but I find myself reaching for the Clarins Plum these last few days.

The whole look is soft:

Brows and lips, betches. It is all about them.

I’ll deffo do this again. Ah, yesterday!

***

OML*: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Gloss!

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*Oh My Lips!

The latest addition to my stable of lip balms is one that Eight Hour Cream fans are going to die for.

‘Stable’ is not merely a canny way to allude to my other blog: the original Ms Arden did in fact base her miracle cream on a treatment that was used routinely on her horses.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Lip Protectant Gloss is a sort of a cross-breeding between lip balm and lip gloss, with emphasis on the latter. It is shiny, which is the cause of much joy in B&B! HQ, but with balm-like qualities, so that one ends up being both attractive and virtuous. Even better: it’s the first make up product in the Eight Hour line, so one will be beautiful, virtuous, and cutting edge.

And, magpie that I am, I loved the equally shiny packaging.

Is the eight hour aspect merely a connection to the brand’s most famous element, or is this meant to last eight hours? Not in my world, it won’t: between talking, eating, talking, drinking, and talking and talking, there’s no way. Most importantly, the habit of applying, which may indeed be the root of my lip balm addiction? It’s too ingrained, and automatic. Go eight hours without reapplying? You must be joking.

How will I use this? I’d count the ways, but I think this is a going-out kind of jawn, the sort that I use on top of my long-lasting but slightly-drying new fave lippys, and then as the evening wears on and I get tired of touching up, I’ll just apply this and leave it. So, great companion to The Smoky Eye, as well.

It feels light, and has a light, citrus-y scent, which is unexpected? It’s fine with me — it doesn’t taste like oranges or anything, which may be a disappointment to some, perhaps.

This is too fancy to use when just sitting around, catching up on Homeland. It’s part of a limited collection that includes Skin Protectant and Moisturzing Hand Treatment. Those look good, but for me, as ever, it is all about the balm — and so far, so good.

***

€22.50/£20/$17

You, Only Better {And Me, Too!}: Hourglass Cosmetics

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‘I love make up,’ I sighed as MUA and Hourglass Cosmetics European training manager Mel Leonard put the finishing touches on my face.

Always have, always will, and this love results not only in this blog, but also in an unending quest to try out new things. The Venice CA-based cosmetics company is chock full of new things, and many of them ended up on me gob — not that I knew it. The defining characteristic of the products are their lightness of texture; paradoxically, they very much punch above their weight in terms of what they can do for your complexion.

Founded by Carisa Janes, the collection features anti-aging and sun-filtering ingredients that contribute to the health of your skin, as well as making it look beautiful. As Janes says herself, “I just want to look like me—only better.”

So: me, only better?

Yup.

At left, that post-facial face. At right, a full complement of Hourglass, professionally applied. And by full complement, I mean: two primers, foundation, eye concealer, face concealer, blush, bronzer, illuminator, eyeshadow liquid liner, mascara and lip rouge.

The leading lights of the brand are the primers: No. 28 Primer Serum and Mineral Veil Primer. As to the former, the number in the name refers to the ingredients — fourteen essential oils, ten plant oils, and four vitamins. The latter is water-resistant, minimises pores and fine lines, and feels like you are applying liquid satin to your face.

Plus? This stuff lasts for hours and hours. Hence, I reckon, the name. The sands may have been flowing through the glaSs, but you’d never know it by looking at me.

Eh, so, you know: iPhone. But still.That is some class of consistency, when you consider, clockwise from upper left, we are covering the hours from 4.30 pm to midnight.

Mel did such an extraordinary job on my eyes, right? I must get my paws on that Calligraphy Liquid Liner: also waterproof/smudgeproof, I can use it on my upper inner eyelid, and one blink will not make me look like a panda. That’s the part of my ‘look’ that I find the most high maintenance, and I’d like to minimise the reapplication in that department.

Also, four words: Film Noir Lash Lacquer. Mel painted this on my lashes after one coat of mascara. It is exactly what it says, lacquer for the lashes, making them look thicker and richer than any mascara could possibly hope to achieve. She did warn that it would make my whole face black when I went to wipe it off, and suggested an oil-based eye make up remover — and it disappeared with no fuss, and no more muss than conventional lash stuff.

Lips! Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Empress. I had to goose it a bit with some lipgloss as I found it slightly drying, but it didn’t budge an inch in over six hours.

I had a long day yesterday. I was all over town in that blustery, awful rain, and my feet hurt. I had meetings, I went from home to town to Dundrum to town to theatre and all I kept thinking about at one stage was going hoooome. Hourglass helped me put a brave face on it — and if we have the winter it looks like we may be having, I’m going to want the means of making this brave face myself.

***

Available in Ireland at Harvey Nichols; in the USA at Sephora and Bergdorf Goodman; and from Liberty in London.

Watchoo Lookin’ At? Post-Sisley Facial Face on the 46A

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Just evidence that I do ‘naked’ face too, sometimes. Especially after I’ve had a treatment.

Dude to the left was like WTF and I was all WTF right back.

And the lovely Gabriella from Sisley, who administered an amazing facial in the Beauty Rooms in Brown Thomas, was subtly WTF when I said no thanks to a bitta make up post-treatment.

I like to let the pores breathe, you know?

Did you know about the Beauty Rooms in Brown Thomas? I didn’t! They are tucked away on the ground floor, right off the main beauty hall, and the major brands offer treatments on a rotating basis. The facial is €50 against product, so if you don’t want to buy anything, you just stump up the nifty.

Now, day spa environments are generally noisy, and whilst tucked away from the buzz of BT, you’re not all that tucked. There is soothing spa tunes playing in the room, but you can absolutely hear what’s going on in the outside world. This did not bother me, which is amazing because it is exactly the sort of thing I would complain about. There was something about hearing all that activity beyond the beauty room door that I found thrilling, in a cinematic way. It was the urban soundtrack to my fancy facial.

And Sisley is fancy! The French brand uses botanical active ingredients and essential oils in its concoctions — I must admit to having an unfortunate olfactory reaction to a tinted moisturiser I had to test last year. I actually brought it to the counter because I’d thought it had gone off.

No such worries with any of the myriad products that Gabriella used in my facial. She used twelve products, from cleanser to pore minimiser, and since it was the end of the day, she also gave me a layer of Supremÿa At Night, which felt like an instant face lift, and ought to as it retails for €508.

…

If anyone has used this over a course of time, do get in touch and let us know if it was worth it?

The highlight of the treatment was the exfoliation with the Creme Gommante, priced at a less breathtaking €54. Gently, gently, Gabriella applied the buffing cream, and gently, gently, did she brush it off. We talked about it afterwards, as I wondered how did one try this at home? By trial and error, basically. It’s going to be messy until you get the hang of it. I appreciated her frankness.

I got a bunch of samples:

Including two of the scorned foundation, which I am actually gasping to try now.

The women of Sisley in BTs are lovely, go along and ask some questions, and tell them Sue sent you. You may not have the dosh to invest in that night cream, but it’s always worth checking out a few samples of things. And the holidays are imminent…!

***

Check at the Sisley counter for upcoming Beauty Room appointments.

Out, Damned Spot! Clinique Even Better Hand Cream

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At a launch last week, I was testing product on the backs of my hands, as you do, and noticed something new. Not as ‘woo, hoo, new!’, as in: dammit.

An age spot! Damn, damn, damn! And others incipient on the back of my left hand!

Damn.

Well, look, part of life and all that noise, but I have something — ha, ha — to hand that I am going to start using with the same devotion and focus I gave to the Dr Lewinn’s Nail Strengthening regime.

Behold: Clinique Even Better Dark Spot Correcting Hand Cream. Now, two things. I suppose that all the words were meant to be lower case as per Clinique Style, but it looks too weird in prosy type. <Something like that is probably only important to me {Brenda McC might care, also} but it had to be said.

Second: I don’t use hand cream hardly ever, except when I have to try and test them. My hands don’t suffer from dryness. Unfortch, they now appear to be suffering from spots!

Dammit!

So far? The product presents with excellent absorption and coverage; and whilst not sweetened with the perfumes of Arabia, it has the usual clean, fresh, Clinique-y scent.

So, yeah: I intend to age gracefully, and that involves gracefully applying this stuff so that I don’t age with spotty hands.

Out, I say!

***

€22.50/£22.50/$35

What I Was Going to Put on My Face Yesterday

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And what actually got there.

I suspect that a lot of people who don’t like to wear make up are put off by how much you have to put on. I totally get that! I’d argue about the ‘have to’ so much as ‘choose to’, and particularly with the advent of BB creams — more about them, someday, hopefully before they get replaced by something else even more allegedly magical — you don’t really have to trowel on the slap to get a look that is ‘you’, just all shined up.

And yet. Even I was rather appalled when I laid out everything I thought I’d put on my face yesterday afternoon:

In the words of my very first Mac Classic: Eep! We’ve got your Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation, which is on tap to review for my tried & tested column in the Herald; Sisley Instant Primer, which I didn’t fancy so much the first time I tried, but wanted to give it a second chance; new Maybelline Colossal Smoky Eyes Mascara; a gorgeous palette from Yves Saint Laurent, as seen on new representative Face, Jessica Chastain — this will make me look just like her; a YSL illuminator pen thing, for around the eyes; Sisley lipgloss, with the option of the NYC lipstick; Dr Hauschka Illuminating Powder, even though I am not a huge fan of loose powder… And a whole bunch of eye pencils that I can’t even see what they are. And an AVON lipstick I found in a coat pocket. And the Shine So Bright from Lush.

No blush, I thought, since it was going to be all about the Smoky Eye.

Also not pictured, the combination I am using on the brows at the moment as the HD Brow dye wears off: Speed Brow by BeneFit, and the super excellent AVON Glimmerstick Brow Definer in Soft Brown.

Then I lost my nerve.

See, I had to go to the theatre to review a show, and it was opening night at the Abbey, and there would be loads of people I knew, and I didn’t want to pitch up looking like Morticia Addams. I don’t have a lot of confidence in my Smoky-Eye-creating ability, so I ditched the entire plan, and feel back on the one I am liking so much at the moment:

Red lipstick. Can’t put much else on the face when you are working that, IMHO. Went with everything as planned, primer-foundation-powder-wise, used the Maybelline mascara > LOVE, and then plucked up my old-faithful eyeliner, L’Oréal Superliner Luminizer for Blue Eyes, which, in fairness, seems to luminize. I also ended up using a Wella concoction on The Hair, I think it is so old it is not even on eBay. Still works though!

I am very impressed by the Bourjois foundation, judge as best you can from the pixilley iPhone image. I was underwhelmed by the Dr Hauschka, and ended up giving myself a going over with a new Clarins palette, Odyssey Face Palette, which: more about that later, too.

Now. The thing is, I don’t carry all this around with me in the course of a day. For an evening out at the theatuh, one bring only one’s powder, black pencil to touch up the liner on the upper inner eyelid, the brow pencil and, of course, the lipstick/gloss. One means, come on! Don’t need to lug around the whole face, as it were.

I’m going to declare a Smoky Eye Day, and stay in and practice. There will be pictures to prove it happened…

***

More Jacket Lust. Yes, I Do Have a Problem

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The problem is that I want all the jackets!

From F+F, the Waxed Four Pocket Jacket.

I had one waxed jacket once, because: horses, and it was so unflattering that I gave it to a charity shop. This is potentially sooo flattering because of the belt.

I wish this image was better, but it is the best I can find at this stage. This is priced around €35ish, maybe €40, which is still fairly amazeballs, considering. Given our Current Climate, economic aspects notwithstanding, a stylish way to repel the rain is going to score high on my own personal sheet.

This is a very equine-inspired olive, which I fancy somethin’ rotten.

Excuse me while I wander off down the local Tesco, I’m sure I’m almost out of eggs.

Fall Face: Time for Foundation Again

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I’ve gotten into the Irish habit of saying ‘autumn’ but it’s just not alliterative.

I have many foundations in the bath, waiting for testing, but I had to give this one a go: Korres Pomegranate Foundation {€23}, mainly because I had never experienced the brand before.

^That’s code for, never heard of ’em! and it was with some trepidation that I picked it up. Which is ridic, because A} how am I ever going to make new favourites if I don’t try stuff, and B} trying stuff is my job.

Korres are a Greek brand, which immediately sends me into a daydream of sunshine and blindingly white buildings and views of the sea from mountaintops and delicious food. They cover your whole bod, basically, outside and in, with a herbal pharmacy department offering up syrups and pastilles. Also: man stuff! This is a brand I’d like to get to know better.

Anyway, the first foray back into foundation in the fall is fraught with … some thing beginning with F — fear! Having become accustomed to my bronze-y face, the return to pale-and-interesting always feels like it errs on the side of Buster Keaton.

This also has to do with two things that must be put down to operator error:
1} I always dispense far too much product
2} I am still using my fingers even though I have written about how a brush is the best way to apply.

1 was an issue with Korres, because the texture of the foundation is so like face cream — in a good way, but due to the amount I squeezed out, I really had a terrible wastage situation on my hands, literally. Once I got used to the excellent coverage, the second time round went much better.

The pomegranate is there to tighten the pores; I didn’t really notice, but will pay it mind the next time. I didn’t feel like the foundation was wearing me, either, which was great, and it felt moisturising, which is greater.

Downside: I felt like it sank in a little too much over time. I’ve experienced foundations that seem to float over the top of your skin for the length of the day, and this isn’t one of them. {I like the Chanel Perfection Lumiére for that quality, but give lower points for coverage; Clarins Everlasting Foundation wins in both categories, just so you know}

There will be a next time, after I test all the other foundations I’ve got waiting in the bath. A fall face’s work is never done.

***

Korres is available at Harvey Nichols, and online from bathandunwind.com.