Author: brightandbeautyfull

The Red Lipstick: No-Fail Glamour

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It’s a paradox, the auld red lippy: the rest of your face can be very low maintenance, but the the lip itself? Needy, needy, needy!

Maybe it’s just me, but all I think about when I am wearing red lipstick is the red lipstick. Is it still opaque? Has it started bleeding around the edges? Do I need to touch it up? Do I need to wipe it off and start all over?

{Yeesh, hope it’s not just me, that sound totally craaaaay.}

Below, a combination of Lush Liquid Lipstick in Decisive and Maybelline SuperStay 10H Tint Gloss in Endless Ruby.

Why the two, you ask? Well. The love I bear for Decisive, it can’t be expressed, except that it dries too dry, if you know what I mean? And as regards the touching-up issues, the bottle is grand for when you nip into the loo, but if you’re at an event and you’ve just munched on a few canapés, and you want to do surreptitious repair? Not great.

That’s one way in which the Maybelline helps. That funky applicator ensures great coverage, and since you’ve defined the lips properly with the Lush, you don’t have to worry about the edges so much.

Plus, the gloss is a real lift, as the Lush is a somewhat matte. Sure, if matte’s your thing, you will be in No-Gloss Nirvana, but me, I like a little bitta shine, in general.

Very little else on the face: foundation, illuminating powder, looks like maybe some blush {which comes and goes as I remember to bother to put some on}, mascara. My HD Brows, via Carter Beauty help loads as well.

These are not the only reds I’ve got on tap — oh, no. Don’t be ridic. I’m on a red lippy roll at the moment, and I’ll be back with more. Because some are more orange, some are more blue, some are matte like the Lush, some are sheer, like the Giorgio Armani I’m going to take to the theatre tonight… If you can bear the fuss, The Red Lipstick really is a glamour guarantee.

***
Lush: €17.95/£14.50/$22.95
Maybelline: €11.49/£6.99/$8.99

Okay, Don’t Kill Me, Okay? Stocking Filling Ideas for Christmas 2012

/ brightandbeautyfull / 5 Comments

{Stop screaming at me!}

Come on, seriously: there is nothing worse than trying to buy for certain dudes. The dude you get in the Secret Santa at work? Your younger sister’s rando boyfriend? {My younger sister married a lovely man, so this in no way applies to me.} An uncle who is sort of youngish but not really — like, he thinks you think he ought to be receiving the latest in sk8r wear but, uh, no?

Not to say that Bulldog Natural Skincare is a last ditch attempt to buy a decent gift — rather, it is perfect for every dude, no matter their relation to you, and is a perfect gift to yourself should you treat your significant male other.

The line launched in Ireland earlier in the month, and I met brand co-founder Simon Duffy round about that time. He and business partner Rhodri Ferrier came up with the idea for this line of non-man-made, but made-for-men face stuff, for the kind of guy who cares about his pelt.

Non-man-made, that is, as regards nasty parabens and artificial colours and such. These two men came up with the idea and started the brand from their own initiative, without having had any experience in the skincare line previously.

I liked what I tested, even though it was only the usual test-it-on-the-back-of-your-hand launch behaviour. I really like the packaging*: it’s clean and fresh — like the stuff inside! — and also a relief from the stupid chrome and black default that most men’s lines fall into.

I hope to get some proper dude feedback, but I may keep the Original Face Scrub for myself.

Prices range from €4.99-€12.99, so, I mean, come on. It’s a natural stocking filler, and it’s win-win, for everybody involved. You could go to the chemists this weekend and get so much holiday shopping done! Can you imagine?!? {Me, neither.}

***

Available McCabes Pharmacies , http://www.beautyfeatures.ie and  selected pharmacies nationwide.

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*There I go again.

Beauty Meets Gadgety: Sisley Eau Efficace

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One of my intentions on this site is to talk about gadgety things, because that is another arrow in my quiver, as it were. A long time Gadget Gal for the Evening Herald, I’ve been put in abeyance, and do miss writing about things technical.

Imagine my delight when I clapped eyes on Sisley’s Eau Efficace, which is French for Gentle Eye Make-up Remover, Face and Eyes. There is it, looking fairly innocent if sophisticatedly so, in the classic and streamlined Sisley fashion. I tend to like a little more oomph in my packaging {TWSS} — but I did a big clear out at the weekend, and my white bathroom is purely gleaming, so this bottle and its look fit right in.

So what’s the big deal, you ask? Let’s pop the top, shall we?

This is an excellent way to dispense product. So: take your cotton pad, cover the top of this yoke with it, and press. The make-up remover comes up through the white dot thing {left}. It’s silhouette is shown to better effect at right.

Easy does it, and you get just the correct amount on the pad. Me, I tend to have a heavy hand, with this make-up remover, and whisky, so I had somewhat of a learning curve.

I have only been using this as a face make-up remover at the moment — I have been letting the brows lead the way for as long as the dye lasts — and I have to say, this is as refreshing as tonic. I feel slightly dubious about its ‘efficace’ as regards the full monty of mascara and eyeliner, much less eyeshadow, but we’ll give it a go. I have to be out in public tomorrow, so I’ll fill you in.

Thing is, you’re not going to go shopping for Sisley in the bargain bin, are you? For €81.50 a go, you’re going to want to get every last drop. I’ll keep track of this one, because another one of my best arrows is the Dart of Rationalisation: if this lasts for six months and does an excellent job of cleaning yer gob, then that’s only €13 a month on make-up removal. Is that good value? It may be, if you also feel like this fulfills the remit of a toner. Then that’s two products for the price of one. Right? Right?!?

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Sisley is available at Brown Thomas.

I Love a Good Package: Benefit Lip & Cheek Kits

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I remember when Benetint blipped on my radar: I was going through an all-lipstick, all-the-time phase, and the constant reapplying was wrecking my head. I didn’t give a toss about touching up in public, but the constant vigilance was wearing. My pal Julie was my Lipcote mule {was still in NYC and did not have direct access to that magical, magical potion} but I wanted even more staying power. A lipstain like Benetint sounded like it would fill the bill to overflowing.

Except that I maybe have an excessively sensitive gob? Because the brushing-it-on part drove me crayzee: nails on the chalkboard time, awful, awful! Dabbing some on my finger didn’t really help, and I was so annoyed at the waste that I didn’t bother using it as a blusher. Cutting off my nose to spite my face, as usual.

So it was with mixed feelings that I received an abundance of lip and cheek kits from the San Fran brand… Continue reading →

Q: Why is This Woman Grinning Like an Eeeejit? A: HD Brows.

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HD Brows are the best thing ever, ever, ever.

Ever. Seriously, it’s like the rest of the face can just chill out, because the brows are doing all the work.

I just got them seen ta yesterday at Carter Beauty in Blackrock, and the world of difference it makes!

If you haven’t seen the before-and-after gallery on their site, go have a look.

Evidence: compelling.

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What else have I got going on?

> The Hair: Dermalogica Shine Therapy Shampoo & Silk Finish Conditioner {€22.20/28.65} with a few squirts of L’Oréal Mythic Oil Milk {€19.99}

> Foundation Le Teint Touche Éclat from Lancôme {€38}. I think I got too light a shade, maybe? Can’t tell from the seriously warm photo. I’m not sure this is right for me. I have to give this another go, and see.

> 10 Bronzer {€34} from Benefit because of the above.

> Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara {€21}

> NYC HD Color Quattro Eye Shadow in Queens Boulevard {€3.49}. I didn’t use the full quattro, only a duo; the palette is nicely purple-y.

> Dr Hauschka Lipstick Novum in Slow Mood {16.50}, because I was going for a neutral lip. I’m thinking it is only okay, and was sorry that I hadn’t remembered this new Lacura Beauty lippy I’m liking at the moment, from Aldi, in 419. It’s a smoky purple-y grey, and the other day? I ate an apple, and it didn’t wear off. !

Hey, that’s one pricey face…

Four out of Five Senses: Lush Shine So Bright

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How weird is this?!? I got some samples of the Lush’s new hair care line in the post today {that’s not the weird bit} and it occured to me, Hey, I haven’t done one of those Snap! Judgement columns in a while, and I thought I might do one, just on the two bits I got today. Then I opened the wee tin of Shine So Bright, and thought — we are almost there, hang on — This smells amazing! I should do that thing with the four out of five senses!

Which was a million years ago, and I had forgotten what I called it, so I searched the site and whoa! The first and only time I’d done it, it was for a Lush product!

It is totally weird!

Or not, as scent is the sense that Lush leads with. Insert comment about walking by one of their shops here: ______________. So, maybe not as weird as I think, and not so weird when you consider that it was my own thinking down my own neural pathways. If you had come up with this idea, that would have been completely weird!

Right, so.

Looks like a little lip balm, or one of the solid fragrances they do. I always find these hard going, at least until you get the first dig into it.

Yeah, definitely looks like a balm. Okay! This will be a balm for the ends of my hair!

I gave it a sniff, which unfortch: no pictures. It smells lovvvvvely, and reminiscent {<ha, ha} of a product from a different brand that I love, love, love, and I should probs not say? This smells fresh, and clean, and floral, but not so flowery that you reek of meadow. The ingredient list is big on oils, of the coconut and of the olive, but I think it is the orange flower absolute that is making me sigh and go all wistful.

It feels grand. It actually scrapes up easily, and once you warm it between your fingers, any suspicion that this is not going to spread easily is assuaged.

I scraped up too much, but it didn’t really matter as I don’t need perfect hair today {horses.} If you have fine hair as I do, go easy on this. You won’t need much, and it really should live on the ends of the hair only.

The shine, it blinds. It feels soft and silky, and the scent, ah, I love it.

I can hear you saying, This convention is not working, and you’d be correct, because there is nothing aural about this product, and generally, about any product in the world. Yeah, well, whatever. Three out of five isn’t as good as four out of five — oh, okay, probably won’t do this again.

Until I forget that I said that, and think, Hey, I should do that thing with the four out of five senses!

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Lush Shine So Bright (10g) : €5.75/£4.50/$9.95

Loving the Lovingly Light Foam from Percy & Reed

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Yes! It has been ages since we’ve had an update from the back of the 46A bus.

I got a lovely haircut in Hair Creations in Blackrock Shopping Centre. Ask for Anna, espesh if you have long hair and are sick of arguing with stylists about how they want to cut it all off. Okay, bit of an exadge, but you know what? I take good care of The Hair, and sure, the ends get raggedy, but the heart of it is perfectly healthy, so no, you don’t have to go chop-chop-chop. Anna didn’t even suggest it, and I kept my length — just new, improved, and tidy.

Also: I got Percy & Reed Lovingly Light Foaming Treatment Mask, and it is … does ‘miraculous’ sound implausible? Hyperbolic? There’s only so much I can do, in the back of the 46A bus, to demonstrate this, but I stand behind the following statements. When I use this:

>My hair is really, really — really soft.
>Is so shiny.
>I get astonishingly excellent second day hair.
>My highlights? Higlighty-er! Seriously: massive boost to reflective quality.

What is it like to use? Well, here’s the thing. The directions say to get a wide-toothed comb, dispense some product into your palm, and then draw the comb through the product and onto your hair.

I stand behind these statements as well:
>Working the canister is fiddly. The dispenser is somewhere in between being too sensitive and not sensitive enough, so you’ll have a bit of a learning curve figuring out how much pressure to exert.
>It’s mousse, basically, and fizzles out faster than you’d like, when you’re trying to get it onto the comb.
>I don’t know about your hair, but my hair is like a tangle of vicious weeds after I wash it. Combing in the product is not a goer. I lost a lot down the drain…

…Until I devised my foolproof method: I combed out my hair, and then put this foam in, directly, not via any auld wide-toothed comb.

Leave it in, 3 to 5 minutes, whatever that means, or until washing it out is the last thing you do before you turn the water off.

I stand by ‘miraculous’, even though I had to adapt the application process. Maybe even because I had to, since it worked terrifically anyway. I am being miserly with this, as it’s a guranteed good hair day in a pressurised container.

***

£20 via johnlewis.com; anyone with euro information, please advise.

Best Make Up Brush Ever?!? Blank Canvas Cosmetics Flat Top Kabuki Brush

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Well, I wouldn’t come out and say it if I didn’t think so.

No, but really: I think it is.

It is very late for me to be pitching up to the make up brush party, but better late than never. I have always had so much stuff all over the place, that the thought of having to figure out how to keep brushes nice, and of having the numerous brushes needed to put all that stuff on my face — blush, foundation, lips, brows, and the eight million varieties of eye shadow brush! I ask you! — it was all very overwhelming

I’d been lazy, I admit, and have always just gotten by with what is provided by the manufacturer. Then I started working for U magazine back in the mid 00s, and I remember somebody, if not all of the bodies, yelling at me because I didn’t have any make up brushes. So, duly chastened, I started collecting them, and finding them to be… eh, only okay.

Cut to 2012, and I’ve got a couple of lovely looking, illuminating pressed powders, one from Elizabeth Arden {Pure Finish Highlighter in Rose Illumination} and 10 from Benefit. The former comes sans brush, and the latter with a teeny flat one that looks like miniature version of a dandy brush. I use that one for both, and then go through my collection of brushes for the face, and decide that the products are rubbish. They are making no impression whatsoever.

And then I used Blank Canvas Cosmetics’ Flat Top Kabuki Brush, and it as though night became day. BCC is an online Irish cosmetics brand, and the brushes have been developed by Úna Tynan. Drawing on her skills as a professional MUA, there’s a whole range of synthetic brushes to choose from, as well as gorgeous, colourful palettes of eye colour and blush…

Sorry, got a bit distracted. Anyway: this brush is brilliant. It really picks up the product and holds it fast until you actually get it onto your face. It’s my new go-to, and I wish there was a version that I could slip into my handbag? A teeny one, for touch-ups? Sure, I’m only wondering…

Since the tan is fading, I’m going to give this a go with foundation very soon. My hopes are high, and I have every expectation of them being happily fulfilled.

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The Blank Canvas Cosmetics Flat Top Kabuki Brush is €14, see www.blankcanvascosmetics.com for more info. They ship pretty much everywhere, apparently!

Ask And Ye Shall Receive: OPI Shatter

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We call upon World Famous Supermodel Thumbnail™ once again. {Honestly, must start its own Twitter feed.}

Sure it was only yesterday or the day before I was saying that I had some OPI Shatter in my future, and the future is clearly now.

I wish I had video capabilities on this site, because watching this stuff work is cool. You brush it on and just watch it… well, shatter.

I like this look, because as I am generally so sloppy with my varnish application, this makes all my ills look I’ve done them on purpose.

Now I really can’t wait ’til my split nail is all grown back! Except I’m looking at it now, and overnight, that fault line looks to be back. Is the Dr Lewinn’s Renunail not enough?!?! Blast!

***

€13.20 {RRP}

I Love It When Stuff Works: NYC Smoky Top Coat

/ brightandbeautyfull / 2 Comments

Like that.

There’s a whole new world of top coats out there — I’m expecting a sample of OPI’s shatter-y looking stuff any minute now — and since my nails are in the rudest health ever, I am very much enjoying the exploration.

NYC sent out their autumn trends, and amongst them was Rock Muse Smoky Top Coat. I liked the look of the sparkles, and didn’t believe that htey would ever look as good out of the bottle as they did in. I muttered to myself, Yeah, right as I twisted open the bottle.

Ha! So there, Cynical Sue! Completely shiny and totally protective, all in one go. It is a bit of a crap shoot, it has to be said, as to the volume of sparkle that you’ll get, and I reckon if you keep applying, you’ll end up with a clump of confusion at your fingertips.

Underneath is the Avon Nailwear Pro in Naked Truth, from last week, so as you can see: smoky to the max. It’s going to look like that no matter what’s underneath. A stronger pigment, like a red, will fare better, if you want the colour to show through.

It lasted for the guts of three days with no chipping; removal was as much effort as any of these sparkly yokes generally require, which is: a lot.

Best of all: cheaper than chips! €1.29!

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Available in pharmacies nationwide.