Author: MANY BRAVE FOOLS

Bonjour, Les Sourcils! {Cue Something Triumphant; 1812 Overture, Maybe}

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I rather dramatically bid buh-bye to the eyelash extensions* I got in mid-January — in French, who knows why.

So in the same vein, let’s say bonjour to the freshly HD’d brows:

EYEBROWS

Carter Beauty take such good care of them! I was about to spin off into how sourcils is so similar to souris, which means mouse, and both so similar to sourire, which means smile — is it just the sou– part? Do I really know what I’m talking about? Am I going to start calling my eyebrows ‘my smiling mice’?

Is it entymology or eytmology? Words or bugs, or vice versa?

I ran out of coffee yesterday without realising it, can you tell?

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Carter Beauty HD Brows is €50 for the initial treatment.
Carter Beauty is based at 40 Main Street, Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
For more information, see wwwcarterbeauty.ie or ring them on  01-210 3624.

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*Here are the eyelash extensions, in all their glory.

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FOTD: Channelling Stockard Channing

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FOTD 28 02In the best possible sense of course. But seriously: right?

Must be the smirk. No one smirks like Ms Channing. Except me, apparently.

What we have here is:

>Dermalogica Skin Primer, which will be featured in a B&B! Q&A soon.
>Lancôme Le Touche Éclat
>Smashbox Brow Tech To Go, which I love and want to marry.
>Hourglass Ambient in Luminous Light, which is why I am glowing like I’m just back from the Caribbean. I completely overdid this, as I overdid the mascara — the new Rimmel Lash Extender Endless Mascara which I am loving.
>Smashbox Love Me Lip Enhancing Gloss in Charm Me, with which I will have a clandestine affair if that damned Brow Tech will ever stop leading me on!
>Clarins Ombre Minérale 4 Couleurs in Iris Blossom. They look dark in the palette, but go on trés lightly and sparkly.
>The Hair, not even ironed yet, is thanks to Aveda Invati Exfoliating Shampoo, Thickening Conditioner and Scalp Revitalizer, about which more will be written soon.
>Roots by my laziness. Don’t look, Andrew Dunne from Mane Salon! Avert your eyes!

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Face of the Yesterday: Champagne meets Lemonade

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No, I haven’t been tippling the bubbly again. More’s the pity!

Nope, I’ve just got evidence that you can mix-n-match your variously-priced products along the spectrum, to excellent effect.

Often, things come in on an individual basis, as in, I didn’t get a Name Brand Primer to go with my Name Brand Foundation. But I did get one of each from two very different lines.

So there I was, with Mineral Pro Radiance Foundation {€29.95} from Matis, on the one hand, and Rimmel London’s Fix & Perfect Pro Primer {€8.25}. Far enough away in price point, and purchase point too: the former being available in select salons, and the latter in your local chemists.

And yet, the two together work as well as if they’d been made for each other.

FOTD 31 01The tone is even, and since I’m not so mad about pressed powder these days, the usual application of Stila’s Set & Illuminate Baked Powder Trio {£24} really sparkled. I am loving this loose powder which, well, sets ISADORA BRUSHand illuminates without dulling down my complexion. I use an IsaDora Bronzer Brush {€18}, a brush so full and soft and fluffy, it’s like using a plush toy to put on my makeup.

Blush: IsaDora Glow Stick in Rose Bud {€15.50}{which seems pricey? Google is not helping me.} Lippy is a new, limited edition No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Highland Mist {€12.25}. The eyeshadow is by The Body Shop, a quad Smoky Eye Palette in Golden Brown {23.95}, the lashes are still extended a la Venus Medical, and…

Oh! The upper inner eyelid is lined with Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner {@5.49}, about which I first learned via mcmademoisellelikes and was justified in my love of this line of liners by lovelygirliebits yesterday.

I don’t know, I’ve never used all one thing on the visage, ever, so I suppose this is not so remarkable. But I was still struck by how well the two very different products worked together. I remember, in high school, using like, two layers of lipstick and a gloss, to replicate some expensive look I’d seen in Vogue. Ah, yesterday!

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Hmmm, not confident about those IsaDora prices. BRB.

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Face of the Day: *Not* Photographed on the 46A

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FOTD 23 01 2013Hmmm: I always seem to do this on days that I am wearing Hourglass Cosmetics Veil Fluid Makeup SPF 15 in  Sand, along with the Mineral Veil Primer. Well, that tells you all you need to know, I reckon. I always feel like I need to show off my face when I am wearing that primer/foundation combo.

Like the blush? It’s IsaDora Glow Stick in Rose Bud, a tiny wee cream-blush-in-a-twist-up-tube that I am {is}adoring at the moment. It is very soft, and applied on the apple of the cheek, it makes you look like a Victorian Valentine. as

As if my cheeks weren’t entirely apples!

Brows are my usual HD Brows, for which Carter Beauty can take credit. I have defined them with my favvvvourite new brow thing, Smashbox Brow Tech To Go. Google it now, ladiez, it is so good: it comes with a brush-in-gel to set them up, and then an angled pencil to fill ’em in. Proper review to come — hey, haven’t done a Haiku Review in yonks. There’s a plan!

Eyelashes are via VenusLash by Venus Medical. Oh, there will be updates there.

A bit of Clinique eyeshadow, the fabbalis Black Honey, which never, ever goes wrong.

Lips = a combo of Lush Liquid Lipstick in Confidence, with some Clinique Chubby in Chunkiest Chilli on top. This solves two problems I have, one with each: the Lush is too dry, and the Clinique doesn’t have the staying power I’ll ned today. Together, they are perfect.

Okay! Ready to face the day with the #FOTD!

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There is Nothing like a Scrub: My Four Faves

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Well… hmmm. Nope: nothing like a scrub from head to toe, upon return to to my Haven of Beauty after two weeks away.

I have been giving myself a good going over since I’ve been back, from my literal head to my literal toes.

Here is what we’ve got on the go at the mo:

THE LINEUP 2013That’s enough to keep me in posts for another week and half!

I have cut four products out of the herd, and have been happily exfoliating every day since Thursday. This may not be advisable! But I don’t care, I am intent upon sloughing off The Lag, straight down the drain.

FOUR FAVE SCRUBS

From left-ish:

>Lycon Pomegranate Sugar Scrub, from I don’t know where. It is spa-quality, and for a sugar scrub — which normally rolls right off your body, no matter how you try to prevent it — this is tops. The jelly-like base holds the scrub in perfect suspension, and it smooths over the skin with nary a grain lost.

>Oh, Vichy Normaderm 3-in-1, how happy I was to see you! Next time, I swear, I am bringing you along. There is nothing that you cannot do. To celebrate my return, I went hard-core and employed your masque-y qualities, and indulged in a thorough scrub once under the spray of the shower.

> This was a hard sell, initially, but now I am completely on the Redken Nature’s Rescue Refining Sea Polish. I use it before I shampoo, which may or may not be as directed — it still works a treat, and my hair is all the shinier for it.

>The classic for a reason: Dermalogica Microfoliant gently exfoliates, foams up into a cleanser-like consistency, and lasts forever and ever, amen.

Did reading this make you feel itchy? I feel all itchy now.

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Prices vary depending upon what your googling reaps. If anyone knows where that Lycon stuff came from, do let me know.

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Hourglass Cosmetics: Can I Be Me, Only Better, If I Do It Myself?

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Hourglass Cosmetics founder Carisa Janes’ best known quote regards her reason for creating the brand:  “I just want to look like me—only better.”

Can it be done? Yeah, pretty much!

At left, post-make up session at Harvey Nichols with Hourglass’ European training manager Mel Leonard; at right, face by meself.

Not bad! I always feel a little dubious after a makeover — how in the world am I ever going to replicate the pro touch? — but in fairness:

1} I have had a lot of practice, in my life, as regards the application of make up;
2} The brand is really quite ‘true’, by which I mean, it looks good even if you aren’t a trained professional.

Now, the eyes are lacking a wee bit. I didn’t have any eyeshadow on that day… did I? But the foundation is flawless mainly because the actual product, Veil Fluid Makeup SPF 15 in  Sand is pretty feckin’ flawless.

Or should I say products: beneath the veil of foundation is the Mineral Veil Primer: so smooth, so silky, so gentle, it is like spreading the cream of angel feathers all over your face.

Also in play: Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Rose; would very much like to have the Empress as used in the session. I am finding the lippy to be somewhat drying: balm before ends in tears, but a touch of something, like Carmex, on top, helps it feel less itchy. Drying = itch-making, in this case.

I am very, very pleased with these products. Very pleased.

Hair at right courtesy of a breeze blowing through the window of the bus, which made the photo look exactly like a Mario Testino for Vogue photo shoot.

Exactly.

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

http://www.hourglasscosmetics.com

Are You Feelin’ Lucky, Chick? BeneFit Treasure Hunt to Hit Dublin

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Do you win things? Are you good at winning things? I think some people are and some people aren’t. Two weekends ago, I was at a fundraiser, and this woman won three raffle prizes off only five tickets. Is it luck? Is it Fate?!?!

If you are good at winning stuff, or perhaps want to work on your ability to win things {can it be learned?!?!} then check this out:

If I must be pedantic — I must, I must — and suggest that ‘Scavenger Hunt’ might be a better turn of phrase, and mix the metaphor less? Is a scavenger hunt not a Thing over here?

There I go, coming over all Amurrican again.

Maybe see you there!

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Ring the number shown with any queries, I am sure that the BeneFit Gals will be happy to help.

Changing My Tune: Lancôme Génifique Sôleil SPF 50

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Or to give it its full name, Skin Youth UV Protector for the Face SPF 50.

Now that I’ve, to put it indelicately, busted my cherry re: laser treatments, I am newly converted to assiduous SPF use. I know, I know, blah, blah, blah, should have been using it all along. I’m sure I have been, via moisturisers and foundation and all that craic, but now — now I am going to be a tiresome, UV protecting evangelist. Why undo all the good work The Zap has done?

I was somewhat taken aback by the price point of this one — €28.50 — but taken with:
> The light texture
> The super speedy absorbancy
…and then taken aback again by:
> Its extreme whiteness
> Its scent — which fades quickly, but not quickly enough?

The thing is: the lightness. This is going to be the thing that influences my choice of daily SPF. See, I equate SPF with sunscreen. This is possibly {probably, definitely} erroneous. Sunscreen = heavy, gloopy stuff that you put on at the beach. The last thing I want to have to do is apply something that is going to take forever to dry. This is because I am not efficient in the mornings.

Basically: I don’t want an SPF that’s going to require that I get up early in the a.m.

This is a good candidate for daily use. I’ve got a few others up my sleeve, however…

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Lancôme is available at all good department stores.

Nail it! Until Tomorrow with Clarins

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Since I am caring more for my hands these days — and ‘caring’ is code for ‘desperately trying to avert disaster’ — this offer from Clarins caught my eye.

And it certainly can’t fail to catch yours! Weee, that is massive. Suitably so, as the offer is all in the name of charities, in the name of three, in fact:

> Jack & Jill Foundation
> Debra Ireland
> The Irish Raynauds & Scleroderma Society

And you needn’t go way out of your way either, as the offer is good in your local Doc Morris or Sam McCauleys, and in CH Chemist in Tralee and Petals Beauty Salon in Westport, for southern and western readers, respectively.

Seriously, it couldn’t be easier if they came to your house!

Plus, oh my canny gals: you get the treatment and then maybe you put aside the wee gift for someone’s stocking, or for the dreaded Secret Santy…?

The offer is good until tomorrow. Sorry so late on the update, crayzee bizzy kthxbai.