Author: brightandbeautyfull

A La Recherche du Temps Chanel: Soleil Tan Luminous Bronzing Powder

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

In April, I did a Snap! Judgement on Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous Bronzing Powder. I wasn’t too fussed. Then, I brought it along on my weekend away in its homeland, and it was a different story altogether.

It helps to be in sunshine? Like, consistent, every single day sunshine? Because when I wrote that I thought this was ‘too subtle’, I meant ‘this isn’t doing squat, I can’t see a difference’ — but that was because there was no light in the sky, or the air, or wherever, to reflect off of this.

I passed it around to all the women who were away for le weekend, and it became part of everyone’s morning ritual. Coffee, check. Croissant, check. Susan’s bronzy Chanel stuff, check.

So, sunshine helps, a wee bit of fake tan or actual colour from said sunshine helps. It helps to be hanging out with friends, and sharing it round, too. As an actual product, it is all that is pretty and feminine and warm and gorgeous.

Bonus: I wouldn’t usually countenance {ha, haaaaa} using a brush supplied with a cosmetic, but this is a good one.

***

Soleil Tan de Chanel Luminous bronzing Powder is  €42.70/£34/$60

If You Have to Return From The South of France…*

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

… you may as well come back to an absolute fête of lip gloss. {That’s glos du levres en français}{No, it’s not}

From left:
> bella bamba, a sheer bright watermelon
> dandelion, a soft, pearly pink
> dallas, a dusty rose
> sugarbomb, a shimmering pinky nude
> CORALista, which is, unsurprisingly, coral
> hoola, a shimmering golden nude

I dabbed a bit of sugarbomb on my finger, in order to apply it without infesting it with my cooties so that if a pal might like it I can pass it on in good conscience — and it smelled so niiiiice I just about rubbed it all over my face. It is very sparkly, with a light texture, and it also feels somewhat emollient.

This one is subtle, and the fact that I got a few rays of actual sunshine on face, and got some colour that didn’t come out of a bottle, really sets this off.

Each one of these is a match to the powders of the same names, to make it even easier to put together the look you’d like: from tan and glowy in the dallas line, for example, to pale and interesting in a dandelion kind of way.

These are available in July, and go for €19.50/£13.50/$16. Pricey, but if you’re looking for your signature gloss for summer 2012, look no further.

***

*Because ‘everyone’ says you have to come back… ‘Everyone’ is a total spoilsport, aren’t they???

Also, it’s brillant à lèvres, just in the interest of precision.

Sweeties for The Sweet! L’Oréal Miss Candy Collection

/ brightandbeautyfull / 2 Comments

Stripey goodness! Let’s pretend it is summer! {Although I know that New Yorkers are sweating buckets, and frankly, wish I had your troubles, betches.}

Here comes the Miss Candy Collection via L’Oréal, comprised of Glam Shine Lip Glosses, Color Infallible Eye Shadows and Riche Nail Varnishes.

Clockwise from left: Dolce Pralina, Tart Lollipop and Miss Candy gloss; Sassy Marshmallow eyeshadow; Wild Purple, Dating Coral, and French Riviera nail varnish; Naughty Strawberry and Innocent Turquoise eye shadow.

I’ve used the Infallible Eye Shadows before: the pigment is rich but the stuff itself doesn’t go on on well with a brush. You may have a different experience, but when all else fails, do as I do and use your fingers. I’ve swiped a bit of Sassy Marshmallow on my hand it is shiiiiiiny. {It is too gloomy out to get a good photo.}{Or I am just a crap photographer.}

The glosses are shiiiiny, too, but without much colour; even the poppy-looking Tart Lollipop hasn’t got much actual pop.

Since I am mid Dr Lewinn’s treatment, I’ll save the varnish ’til my nails are perfect.

This came with:

Probably not going to get that with purchase, but if the line could be summed up by anything, it’s by those bright, fizzy sweets. Yum!

Dr Lewinn’s Renunail Update: Uh. Wow!

/ brightandbeautyfull / 2 Comments

The story thus far: I treated my nails for one week with Dr Lewinn’s Renunail Nail Strengthener, and also applied ‘his’ Nourishing Oil to my cuticles.

I took the layers of Strengthener off when the week was up, and gave the nails a rest, while faithfully keeping up with the Nourishing Oil.

I reapplied the Strengthener for another week, and removed it yesterday.

Now, if you are the type of person who starts a thing, a thing like this that is supposed to work miracles, and then the miracles are not happening in what you consider to be ‘miracle time’ which would be IMMEDIATELY and so you are like, Feck this, this is not a miracle and then you stop the thing — then you are me.

I complained and complained about my manky nails, and I tried things now and again to unmank-ify them, and gave up. Maybe it’s not all my fault — maybe the products weren’t very effective! The thing is: Dr Lewinn gave me, by the middle of the first week, an indication that this stuff might work. Since I began to have faith in the process, I was inspired to keep it up. And so, as we enter week four of the six week treatment… Continue reading →

Tanning Twenty Twelve: Decadence Self Tan Mist

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

Always ready to support a product that is Guaranteed Irish, it was with a paradoxical mix of optimism and trepidation that I cracked open Decadence Self Tan Mist (€14.99). Akin to the way that we really, really hoped the Boys in Green would make a good go of the Euros, we really, really hope that any new thing that comes out of Ireland will make a go of it, and then kind of sigh and shrug when it doesn’t — we had hopes, sure, but they weren’t all that high.

So, off came the plastic cap. I was exfoliated and ready to go. {I should have moisturised, I know, I know, but that’s a post for another day.} The container is a soft plastic, which allowed me to get a grip on it, which I counted to the good. I gave myself a cursory spray, even though I knew I wasn’t going to spray myself all over, because it got all over the place, and: nightmare. I have honestly given this technique a fair go in the past but here’s the thing: because I am worried about the spray tan all over the bath, I immediately start to clean it, and then get all sweaty, and then get all streaky.

Does this misting lark work for anyone? Am I just doin’ it rong? It’s a class thing, isn’t it? Because I’m a renter? Do all you home-owning, spray tanning-types have entire bathrooms devoted to the art, that you can just layer and layer in tan?

Anyway: gave it go, got it all over, proceeded to spray it on my handy applicator mitt, and it was joy to the world after that.

This is dark, and it goes on dark. This is good because you can see what you’re doing. It’s not great if you are super, super fair — at least, I don’t think it would be. It felt a little bold to me, and I am medium fair-ish.

I made sure that I got as much coverage as possible, so that I wouldn’t look too too dark, and I have to say, once it settled down, it gives an excellently warm and rich tan.

I put some on my face, which I am not sure I was meant to, not after it was too late and I did it anyway. I was far too, er, generous with the product, and I immediately scrubbed about half of it off. In future, I’ll be more delicate in my approach to that area.

Drying time: eh, only hits ‘okay’ on the Fab-U-Lometer, and actually inspired this post.

It has lasted for the guts of six days, it didn’t smell bad, and I have to say, this may be the best tan I’ve ever used on my legs which, even with fake tan, stubbornly refuse to look elegantly bronzed. They did with this one.

This is championship-level tanning. Olé, olé, olé!

***

Decadence Self Tan Mist is available in pharmacies nationwide.

What I Think About While Waiting for the Fake Tan to Dry

/ brightandbeautyfull / 2 Comments

… Is it twenty minutes yet?

… Being naked is not that big a deal, and especially now that I am bronzed all over. Well, mostly. I’m sure there’s that bit in the upper middle of my back that’s like the opposite of painting a target on your back. But yeah, so standing here with my arms held out so they don’t, what, glue themselves to my sides? I think I need to improve my technique. I go too fast, getting it over with, because — because of this stupid standing around part!

… Should I — nope, still a little tacky.

… So standing around naked, it’s dumb, just standing here.

… This colour, is it too dark?

… Is it — dammit. Five minutes, maybe, at the most.

…

… Oh, I did a crap job on my feet again.

… This colour, is it too orange?

… Is — dammit.

…

… Holy God, I can’t even believe I am doing this, just standing here. I should have brought the laptop in here and, I don’t know, it’s not like I can work or anything and —don’t move! The duvet cover! Not yours! The landlord’s! It’s white! Who buys white duvet covers? Rich people, that’s who! White stuff never comes clean properly in these little European machines! Even when I use those white sheet yokes that you put in with the wash! Crap, crap, did I — no, okay.

… Hate this.

… Is it — feck it, I don’t care.

Puts on loose black clothes; they feel a bit like they are sticking but could not be bothered at this stage. Fin.

Yay or Nay: Palettes

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

I ask, because I just got a couple in the post from Dr Hauschka Skin Care.

Okay, first of all, I took that photo with my new Samsung WB85OF, which is a Smart camera in the way that phones are Smart: I snapped that pic and then emailed it to myself.

Back on point. To your left is Cool Breeze; on the your right is Warm Breeze. Both are part of the new Decorative Range from the good Dr, who is known for his skin care products. Everything in the line, from the foundations to the lipsticks, are made from organic ingredients, and they are perfect for sensitive skin.

I say yay because:
> I went to art college, and anything that comes in a clever case, saturated with colour, appeals to me on a visceral and sentimental level.
> Since I am off on a trip to the South of France next weekend, and will be flying with A Budget Airline, I am packing with an eye to the weighing counter. Having eyeshadow, two lippys, and an eyeliner in one thing, with a big honking mirror? Speaking of eyes, that’s one in that of the Budget Airline.

I say nay because:
> Eh, the whole lippy-in-the-palette thing never works for me. There’s no subtle way to touch up after you’ve eaten, or have been drinking. It’s awkward.
> I find the make up in palettes never seems to be as high a quality as the make up you get in separate packages.

Now, I received a Dr Hauschka Lipstick Novum in 07: Slow Mood, and I can safely say that this is going to be my summertime lipstick.

It’s a shimmery-coppery hue, and it feels light as a feather. I’ve applied some of the top left lipstick from the Cool Breeze palette, and have been sitting here writing away, and I have to say, like the Lipstick Novum, if feels really silky and light and nice. It feels like a lip balm, but it also has that slightly greater heft that a lipstick has: the perfect synthesis. Perhaps, then, the make up in this palette is as good as the individual servings on offer.

So, another yay, and the palettes are really compact … but still not convinced I am going to cart one or the other around with me.

***

The palettes are very limited edition and are priced at €60.
Lipstick Novum go for €16.50.

Small and Perfectly Formed: Max Colour Effect Mini Nail Polish

/ brightandbeautyfull / Leave a comment

My toes are not perfectly formed, although they are weirdly small. No: what I am talkin’ ’bout is Max Factor’s Max Colour Effect Mini Nail Polish (€4.99). See, the thing about nail varnish is — other than the fact that it has been wasted on my manky nails — I get tired of a colour almost immediately. Also, it’s all about mood, isn’t it? Like, I’m not going to feel orange or sparkly all the time, am I?

When these little gems came through the letterbox, I was abso delighted. They are so small, I can’t even read how many ounces they are. I don’t think there is even room on the label to include it! Here’s another wack photo of one of my feet:

Combination of colour swatch/relative size of the bottle, of which its body is not as big as my big toe. I really think this is perfection in nail varnish dispensing.

Shown here is Candy Blue, part of the Dalston (London) palette, which also includes Lollipop, Cactus Green, and Cool Jade. This trendy London neighbourhood is joined by Via Tortona (Milan), Marais (Paris) and Brooklyn (NY) (<— LOL: honestly, if you only knew some of the places I have lived in Brooklyn… hilarious.) (Also: not a neighbourhood, it’s a borough, which is much bigger.)

There are 18 shades in all, and they run the gamut from deep opaques like the blue I am sporting, to yummy pale-and-creamy hues, to sharp and sparkly metallics. That’s all I need — you?

Oh: just so you know, this colour is coming allllll the way off before we meet Italy on Monday. Because: duh.

Tanning Twenty Twelve: Lancôme Flash Bronzer Face Gel

/ brightandbeautyfull / 1 Comment

Well, I love this, and for so many reasons.

‘Fake tan smell’ is legendary, and the first thing people always ask about self tans: does it stink? To be honest, most self tanning products aren’t pong-y anymore, a sure sign that real people actual do work on making products. I mean, I always reckoned that the robots were behind the creation and development of all that stinky stuff, because no human woman would find them to be acceptable in any way shape or form. Or maybe all the scientists were men, and now they are not.

This does not stink. In fact, it smells really pretty. When you are applying stuff near the nasal area, this is a big plus.

The gel is light, and there’s a bit of tint, so you can see what you’re doing. It feels glorious, and it absorbs something rapid. I’ve used face tanning stuff that feels like a mask, or as if it is getting into your pores with the sole intention of making you break out, so of all its excellent points, this may be the number one.

Oh, and: it gives good colour. Really good. You can tell from the photos I took of my false eyelash escapades. In fact, I looked so brown that during last Friday’s deluge, I felt a little self-conscious. But I got over it.

Naturally, I use this on my neck as well, and have even gone all the way down to the cleavage, and my arms may be next. I’ve used the brand’s Flash Bronzer for Legs all over myself, and nothing untoward happened… I’ll let you know either way.

€29/£23/couldn’t find an American price, and frankly, still a bit wobbly from that terrible loss in the Euros.