Author: brightandbeautyfull

What I’m Going To Do Today

/ brightandbeautyfull / 1 Comment

Because it is soooo interesting.

No really, I have a lot of stuff to slap on the bod and the gob, and since I am going in to town, I have an reason to get all gussied up.

Also: Going In To Town has become kind of a big deal, because I don’t really need to Go in order to forage for anything anymore, not food, not shoes, not books, so it feels a bit like a staycation.

So:

Just this very morning, the postman brought be Eau Sublime Or and Crème Sublime Or, from Roger & Gallet. Both are shimmery!

I’ve got this stuff called Glow Getter: Face & Body Sun Powder Spray from Soap & Glory that makes me nervous, A} because I hate spraying stuff in the bath and B} powder spray? Like the stuff you spray on your smelly feet? That stuff is a mess.

What else? I got a bunch of NYC Smooch Proof 16H Lip Stain in, so I think I’ll give the Berry Long Time a lash.

I’ve got this Make Up Forever Uplight: Face Luminizer Gel that’s been sitting on my desk… I don’t know, I tried a bit on that back of my hand, as you do, and I don’t think I did it right. I may have to find a tutorial. I think if one messes this up, one looks like an eejit with crazy, shiny pink stuff all over one’s face.

Also! Very, very excited to try Clarin’s 3-Dot Liner, which the brand’s make up artist, Claude Defresne called ‘eyeliner for dummies’ in his lovely French accent. *Sigh*

I better get crackin’. You will probs be seeing me from my usually spot in the back of the 46A…

Haiku Review: Weleda Sage Deodorant

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

OMG, it’s hot!
Sweaty pits, rarely an ish —
What’s a girl to do?

Yesterday was hot — and it’s still hot out, right?* I don’t know, one day of warmth and for some crazy reason, I think that yet another day of warmth will follow! Nutter!

Anyway: deodorant. Not the sexiest of beauty products, possibly belonging in the health category, but they exist to help you not smell too bad, and therefore your feelings of beauty are not impinged upon.

I went on a kind of purge for a year or so, because I had been addicted to a deodorant that as far as I can tell, in retrospect, basically sealed up all the pores in my pits. There was an impressive absence of pong, but I think it was probably worse for me than smoking 40 cigarettes a day and washing them down with a fifth of Jack.

So, I gave up deodorant! It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I used to be very self-conscious about body odor: then I started horseriding and since I was smelling like a whole bunch of other smells, my own stink was the least of it. I did find I was doing laundry much more often, but that seemed to be an okay compromise for my health and wellbeing. Except for all the water! All the water in all the washes!

Now that I don’t have my own washing machine in my flat, though, it’s not as easy for me to just bung a load of laundry in, and so I figured I better find myself a deodorant that wasn’t composed entirely of aluminum.

Enter Weleda Sage Deodorant. The Swiss brand are all natural, and I have to say, I have mainly found their packaging — heavy glass containers for most of their lotions and potions — to be unwieldy in the extreme. The deodorant is no different, but I am happy to announce I am over the prejudice against glass because of the refreshing product it contains.

{Seriously, though, not terribly portable.}

It is free of aluminum salts; that’s all I needed to know. It spritzes like a perfume, due to the lack of aerosol, which is a little freaky the first few times you use it, and then fun and refreshing once you become accustomed.

The refreshing-ness lasts for about half your day, which may be enough for you. Depends for me, now: if I’m heading out into public later in the day, then that’s fine. It’s not robust enough to use for the horseriding, but in fairness, what is. Trying to deodorize for that is a bit like throwing a deck chair off the Titantic.

{The power of Google has shown me that there is a 30ml version of this. Still in a glass bottle, but smaller. Well, okay then.}

So: saving water, saving my pits. Noice one!

***

Weleda Sage Deodorant: €11.50/£8.50/$13 for 100mls

*My phone says it is not very hot out anymore. It is only kind of warm.

How Did It Do? Passionate from Lush Emotional Brilliance

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

This photo was taken about two hours after application.

Well, it’s true. You’re just going to have to take my word for it.

That is pretty incredible pigment, isn’t it?

I will say, that as with most matte finish lip colour, the gob felt dry. I hadn’t even blotted the initial application, so I did that — two hours later — and then added a touch of lip balm.

It lasted about another hour, until which time I had had a sandwich. This couldn’t withstand a sandwich. But! I bet if you had a salad and ate it reallllly carefully, this would not budge.

I am very keen to collect a few of these colours…

***

Passionate Liquid Lipstick from Lush: Emotional Brilliance, €17.95

Lush Emotional Brilliance: Change Your Face, Change Your Attitude

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

Last night, I was applying some of Lush’s gorgeous Celestial: Heavenly Moisturiser for Sensitive Skin — not that my skin is all that sensitive, but this cream is so soothing and gorgeous, it feels really dreamy, which is perfect for entering the dreamtime… anyway, I was doing that, and thinking to myself, I haven’t blogged about Lush in a while…

This morning, I got a Lush delivery in the post!

I must be psychic or something.

Well known for their skin care and bath ballistics, Lush are venturing into the realm of cosmetics with a typically holistic approach. Emotional Brilliance uses colour therapy and behavioural therapy to allow users to enhance not only their faces, but their moods and attitudes.

So: you look at the wheel and respond to the first three colours that jump out at you. There are words that correspond with the colours — like Passionate, Sophisticated, Fantasy — and these words will be significant for you at the time of choosing. Then! In using the colours, you fulfill a need or amplify a specific talent or quality that you have, but may have been neglecting.

I think it is dead cool, and I totally believe it. For example: I’ve started wearing less black-coloured clothes in favour or more colourful ones, and I can really see a difference in the way that people respond to me. It’s a chakra thing, into which I will go into further depth when I start talkin’ ’bout my Reiki practice {soon!}

Lush’s new line features lip colours, eyeliners and eyeshadows. The variety of shades on offer point to timelessness: this is less trend-driven, and more about the sorts of tones and hues that will never do you wrong.

Here is a picture of  Passionate lip colour:

The packaging is a departure for Lush, who usually try to not have any packaging at all. Everything about the containers is recyclable, and even reusable. I’m not sure if you can go back and get refills, that sounds unlikely and unwieldy.

Here it is, applied:

It felt a bit grainy to start, but then I reckoned it was more likely that my lips needed a good exfoliating. I’ve been sporting it for the last 40 minutes or so, and it feels super light.

There’s something alchemical about the whole shebang: the bottles, the colour theory. It’s fun!

I received several samples, including one of Fantasy Eyeliner and Sophisticated Cream Eyeshadow. All of these retail for €17.95 each. There’s a supplementary line of powder, skin tints, and Eyes Right Mascara, which is shown at left. Hmmm. That makes me nervous for no good reason… Mascara in a bottle? The applicator is a traditional brush, which gave me comfort. I think I was expecting a brush, like something olde-timey? I dunno, whatever, we’ll see.

The line launches on 21 July, and there are thirteen lip colours, two no-smudge eyeliners, eleven smudgeable ones, and six eye creams.

I can never get a good photo of colour swatches, but I’ve just stroked some of the eyeliner and some of the cream eyeshadow on my hand, and the pigment is exxxxtreme. Cannot wait to play with this stuff!

As Seen in The Wild: Chubby Stick in Pudgy Peony

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

In my usual spot in the back of the 46A, wearing my ‘summer’ turquoise pashmina, and Clinique’s Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour in Pudgy Peony.

Given all the variables — camera phone, crappy cloudy weather, and back of the bus — that is an excellent representation of the excellence of that colour.

How does it last? Well, don’t eat a sandwich and expect it to be unmoved. The thing is, it probably lasts perfectly well, but it feels so nice and soothing and yes, moisturizing on application, that I keep applying it. Even when I don’t need to.

And just so you know… Chubby Sticks For Eyes are launching in the autumn! Much excite! Maybe I can finally do a decent smoky eye, look at that black one! Also love the fourth from the left, the bronze-y one… Hey! Can a whole Chubby face {blush, highlighter, and even foundation} be far behind?!?

{Also, seriously: HD Brows. Do it, do it, do it.}

Hey, What Colour is Your Chubby?

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

Or is that a really personal question? Ha ha haaaaa.

Seriously. I did not get the love that I saw swirling all over Twitter a couple of weeks ago for Clinique’s Chubby Stick, and I felt really left out. Adding insult to injury, I pouted rather magnificently in my left-outness, and had no way of emphasizing it.

The thing was, I had gotten two different samples of the  utterly cult-y Moisturising Lip Colour Balm, and I didn’t like either of the colours. One was the Fuller Fig, which just too brown, and the other one, I’m not even sure, it may have been the Woppin’ Watermelon, but it was so pale, it was pointless.

Yesterday, I got my hands on one of the new colours. Behold, at left, Pudgy Peony, which is amazing: the pigment is spectacular, the coverage perfection, and the level of moisturising is out of this world.

So now I totally get it! And yes, these are the best things ever! Yay!

***

€19/£16/$16

Sleep-In Rollers: Later That Day…

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

Now, in fairness:

I didn’t even so much as comb this hair, and even if it is not big and bouncy, it still does look as though I have at least flat ironed it. This is significant because my hair is this half-arsed wavy affair and it never does ‘flat’ by itself.

Still not convinced it was worth the discomfort. There are some great recs in the comments from yesterday’s post, go and have a look. Cherry Sue, who blogs here, thinks that sporting the Sleep-In Rollers during the day might do the trick; Portia blogs at Australian Perfume Junkies {awesome!} and has a brilliant idea re: minimizing the pain and still getting the benefit of the whole rolling-up thing.

Also considering that The Hair had been washed the day before, taken out to dinner, and then rolled up and slept on… I don’t know, I think that needs to be taken into account.

Also: documenting The Hair provided endless amusement to commuters who were waiting for the LUAS at Ballyogan. Who’s yer wan? She keeps taking pictures of herself!

Here at Bright & Beautyfull! we do what we can to lift everyone’s spirits, on and off t’internet.

The Curly Hair Nightmare: The Morning After

/ brightandbeautyfull / 5 Comments

Well, it wasn’t like laying my head in the lap of an angel: the Sleep-In Rollers, vaunted for being painless, weren’t the most comfortable things I’ve ever slept in, in my life. Less horrible than those clippy, foam-y yokes from childhood, and undoubtedly less tortuous than pincurls, there was still interference between the big, pink, slightly spiky curlers on my head and the pillow.

Now, I tend to fall asleep like a tiny little baby, with my hands around my head. This is a Reiki thing {more about this anon!}, meaning I am giving myself healing as I head into slumber. This posture helped me manage the foreign objects on my head: I smashed them sort of parabolically, and they were less annoying. It wasn’t like they caused pain — so that claim is true! — but come on, they are feckin’ awkward.

I had crazzzzzzzzzzzzy dreams: at one stage I was hanging out poolside with Lindsay Lohan, whom I called ‘Linds’, and her hair wasn’t very nice, but I didn’t think to recommend the rollers. There was some older dude who kept applying mascara, to his own eyes, not the eyes of Linds, and I borrowed it {?!?!?} and it was clear, which was completely weird and even in the weird dream, I knew it was weird. But I used it anyway!

I was expecting all sorts of carnage in the morning, but everything was really well in place.

{How cool is that photo?}

I see there’s something of a gap, and I probably should have used less hair per roll, but I get so bored so fast.

Not bad, though, I mean, you’re going to get stray hairs straggling out, so no big deal. I am, in fact quite impressed.

Roll on the rollout! This was a bit tricky, because the reasons that the rollers held so well is because they are prickly; as a result, they don’t unwind without some yanking. This is not so good for the curls. Inevitably, some hair got re-wrapped on the roller as I worked its way out my hair.

The first few locks were not looking impressive, but by the time I was done…

This is just finger-combed out. Not bad! Not curly, but definitely wavy, and maybe a 4.5 on the Big Hair Scale.

Hmmm. You know what, this result is only okay, and after all the rolling and the tossing and turning and running around in the dreamtime with Lindsay Lohan, I would have liked to look like I’d just woken up in the pages of Grazia.

My hair is very thin, and I can’t see this making it through a whole day of going out into windy, wet weather. I am also too afraid to comb it out because I think it will just flop.

Also: how is a male bed partner not going to laugh himself sick at the head on you? Unless he has a grá for one of the TOWIE‘s. And… yeah, let’s not go there.

Verdict: Eh. I mean, my hair has flippiness inherent in it, due to the cut. There is more body to it, which is cool, but I really am not convinced that this was worth it…

The Curly Hair Nightmare: All Rolled Up

/ brightandbeautyfull / 2 Comments

I said I was gonna do it, so I’m doin’ it. All Sleep-In Rollered up and ready to go.

I am seriously challenged in this area, and I have to say, these rolled up like a dream. And in the instances in which I wanted to like, try to roll half my head of hair onto one roller — which is why I am challenged in this area — the roller wouldn’t let me? In that it became immediately apparent that it wasn’t going to work, so I let a lock {or two, or three} fall away.

Got some bobby pins at the €2 store and jabbed them in without too much trouble.

I look exactly like one of those ladies on google! Or in TOWIE!

They feel light, but then, I have yet to lay my head down upon my pillow…

See you on the flipside.