It’s bad enough that I’ve got to deal with the facial hair on my upper lip, which in many circles is referred to as a MUSTACHE — but when the no-fail product that I’ve known and loved and used for years FAILS? I am ragin’. Continue reading
FACE
How to Make Blogettes Coo
Bloggeresses? Bloggresses?
Or: a bunch of women who write about make up on t’internet.
You make them coo by showing them this:
It is some class of blush/highlighter, and maybe one of the gals could help me out here. I didn’t take a photo of the flipside because I was, like, mesmerised by the sparkle.
So prettttttty.
This was almost as sparkly as Clarins Head Make up Artist, Claude Defresne, whose shimmery trousers were a thing of beauty, too. When he presented this cunning little compact for our perusal , eight beauty bloggers, who really have seen it all, let out a noise that you’d expect to made with the presentation of an even perfect-er Brangelina offspring.
Just wanted to share the glimmer, because the days have been so grey, and I’ll let you know when I find out what this is.
I tried to Google Image Search this… one or two of these things is not like the other…
Ach, Me Head: How I Contrived to Look Well, Despite It
It is almost 3pm and I am only having my first coffee right this minute, which is … I can’t express how this is both a nightmare, because it is early afternoon, and also the most glorious moment in my life to date, because I am finally drinking the delicious, delicious coffee.
What happened was: wine taken, crashed at a pal’s house, which is a million miles away from my coffeepot, which wouldn’t be an issue because I am not friends with people would refuse to give me coffee — but my lift to the train station was leaving RIGHT THEN so I flung myself into the car, and flung myself out and then there was no train for an hour. No coffee, not even rubbish train station coffee. So I had a bag of cheese and onion crisps and a Coke, which both saddens {how old am I?} and thrills me {still crazy after all these years.*}
I hadn’t been prepared to wait for the first mug of life-giving coffffeeeeeee for two and half hours. However! I had been prepared to fling myself out the door of my friend’s house, so I packed what I consider to be the best morning-after-the-night-before products — well, I do now, because I managed to look youthful, not dreadful.
>L’Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream (€14.99/£9.99) I am digging this stuff all the way to the earth’s core. Flawless coverage, with just the correct degree of light reflecting qualities, so that you look radiant rather than sweaty from toxins seeping out of your pores.
> Also from this line, L’Oréal Lumi Magique Touch of Light Highlighting Pen (€12.99/£8.49) did an amazing job of covering up the dark circles, and because I was so delighted that I didn’t look like the dog’s dinner, I felt perkier.
> Eyebrows! So important! Especially as I was in no way going to bother with mascara. Clarins ‘Pro Pallette’ Eyebrow Kit (€39/£32.99) has everything you need to groom yourself awake and alive, but I’d leave the tweezers if you’re feeling a little blurry. I have gotten very bold about the impact of my brows, and use the black pigment (upper left).
>A swipe of Clarins Gloss Prodige in Papaya (€17/£15.50). I am hoping to test a pinkier version of this gloss, because it is indeed prodige.
>Finally, had to see to the The Hair, and brought along the Ojon™ Full Detox Rub-Out™ Dry Cleansing Spray (€20/£18), which was fine; next time, I think I’ll take the Batiste Dry Shampoo Original from Aldi (€2.39), to see how they compare. Here’s a pro tip if you’ve got long hair: I find it hard to really get the stuff on the roots, which is where it is most useful. Even flipping The Hair over doesn’t help. So! I kept the ponytail I had slept in {with? in? why is this taking so long to wriiiiiite} and pulled it up a bit and sprayed the dry shampoo right where I wanted it.
Hey, I thought that was genius. But then, I’m down several thousand brain cells at the mo’.
Sorry, no pictures, it was beyond my capacity. Do take my word that when I got home and looked in the mirror, I was surprised that I didn’t look like the walking dead, and owe it all to the above.
*Or at least not bothered to act my age.
Snap! Judgements: Clean Your Face and Smell Good
Among other things.
Snap! Ah, the sheer joy of opening up something from Chanel. It’s not just that the signature black-with-gold box is so evocative — I think it’s the little black velvet sleeve that everything comes in? It’s little a little tiny posh sleeping bag. After having enthused over the elegance of the packaging, I gave my face several well-placed swipes of the Luminous Bronzing Powder in Sable Beige (€42.70). It seems a bit… subtle, which is not my usual self-tanned-mode, but it takes more to be a Chanel Woman than simply having the stuff around the house. Am I up to it? Time will tell.
Snap! My supermodel thumbnail is threatening to get an agent. While she dithers, I gave her a dose of Sally Hansen Complete Care Extra Moisturizing 4-in-1 Treatment (€10.95). This claims to do all the things that my manky, manky nails need to 
demankify themselves. It’s meant to smooth the ridgeyness, strength ’em, grow ’em, and when applied as a top coat, protect ’em, too. Initial application looks good, and the ridges have been noticeably minimised. I need to grow ’em a bit before we move forward with this product.
Snap! Are you getting married? Aura by Swarovski Collection Mariage Eau de Toilette (€56) is really pretty. It looks pretty: very shiny and with a lacy detail, and the Swarovski crystal on top, oh wow! And it smells pretty: powdery, but not too light, it’s actually got a bit of a bite to it, like, ‘Okay, dude, I am pretty, but I am also fierce, in case you haven’t figured that out by now!’ I am imagine this little internal monologue happening just when the bride arrives at the altar, and the groom turns to her, and he picks up this thought psychically, which would be amazing. You light like to get this if you want to get married, and the dude who infers all the above and totally gets it, then he is the man for you.
Snap! The round gold thing is Maybelline 24 HR Colour Tattoo Eyeshadow in Eternal Gold (€7.99). I love me some sparkly, and this is sparkly, and when I opened it and rubbed some on to the back of my hand, I thought: You know, I’d like to use this as a highlighter. And so I did! Blended some on the cheekbone area (because I don’t have discernable bone structure) and it worked. It was good on the lids as well, but I am looking forward to using this all over my face, like an escapee from Cirque du Soleil. Will get back to you re: 24 hours.
Snap! I just used this VOYA Cast Away Facial Wash (€26) in the shower, so I can’t really say at this juncture whether it effectively cleanses away all the make up and grime one applies and collects on one’s face (hopefully in that order!) It’s a nice soothing gel that feels cool, literally and figuratively. I felt it was a bit slippery, and almost lost the palmful of product down the drain. This is unique in my experience, and those prices, be careful!
Lip Balm-a-holic
Why mince words? I am addicted to lip balm. When I went away Down the Country for Easter, I had a mild panic attack on the train when I realised that I was using my new rucksack, into which I had failed to put a balm of some description.
Of what description? Any description: stick, gel, liquid, scrub, in a tube or a pot. You name it, I’ve tried it, and there is nothing I love more than discovering a new one to love.
DARPHIN Age-Defying Lip Balm’s little flat pot it very sexy, so stylish and sophisticated. But can we judge a lip balm by its cover? Up to a point. It goes on smooth and smells lovely, but it seems to require rather more frequent application than one would like. I’ve found it is really useful to use underneath lipstick. I tend to keep this one in my ‘leather’ jacket pocket, to use on an evening out: a quick swipe of this, and then a reapplication of whatever lippy or gloss I chose, and it is real treat after you’ve worn out yer mouth talkin’ and drinkin’, or you know, whatever. €32.63
I do love me some NUXE Lip Balm with Honey and Precious Oils because the honey and precious oils are glorious. Unfortch, it’s simply not portable as it comes packaged in a heavy glass jar. Now, this is the kind of glass jar that inspires me to day dream about having a vanity table with all manner of beautiful glass jars strewn across its surface — but this is not an on-the-spot sort of touchy-uppy balm. It has, however, been to hand as my pre-sleep lip treat, and it has almost run out. Sadness. €12.50
As packaging goes, a tin is my least favourite, and the ones from THE HANDMADE SOAP CO. seem extra difficult to open. Their Choco-Mint Lip Balm makes it all worth it in the end, because A) chocolate and B) mint. And also because the product is silky and deeply moisturising. The brand is Irish-based, so even more impetus to support them. Because I find the tin so fiddly, I keep this one on my desk. €4.50
EAU THERMALE AVÉNE Cold Cream Lip Cream first came to my attention in stick form, and I wasn’t so crazy about it. It was okay, but not great. I think that the tube applicator, however, is great. I was also a bit freaked by the notion of putting cold cream on my mouth, because: ick, but it’s not like your granny’s old-fashioned stuff. I like to use this one after horseriding or swimming: it softens and soothes on the spot. €10
Speaking of chocolate, THE BODY SHOP Chocomania Lip Butter says very clearly on the back that it is ‘unfit for consumption’. This is a useful warning, because this stuff is so chocolately, and so buttery, you may be tempted to spread some on your morning brioche. On first contact it is excellent, and the texture is luxurious, but I didn’t feel like it really sank in and did the job. Nevertheless, the scent is a real pick-me-up. I’m not sure where I’ll keep this yet, although I’m thinking it may be the new bedside balm. €7.50
Two things: this is the tip of the lip care iceberg, and I intend further posts on the balms I have known. And! I am not alone in this obsession! When out with a couple of friends for a Christmas meal last year, we all started passing around our balms after we ate, like a strange version of after-dinner brandies. What followed was an in-depth discussion of the pros and cons of the balm currently in service, and then an inventory of all the other ones we had on the go. Between us, we had roughly seventeen lip care items in active service. For real. If you are of the same persuasion, it looks like we have the makings of a support group…
Snap Judgements*: Springing into Summer
Or ‘summer’ as we generally call it in these parts. No! Let’s be more positive than that! We are springing into SUMMER here in Ireland, yeah!!! Let’s fake it ’til we make it!
Ahem. Snap Judgements is the way that you, the reader, can experience what it’s like to be a beauty journo when the stuff starts piling up on the desk. I’m going to give my instantaneous responses to a variety of products, and over time we’ll see if I was too hasty or dead on target.
Let’s begin… Continue reading
How’d It Do? Maybelline SuperStay 10H Tint Gloss
O brave new world, that has such gadgets in it: here I am, taking pictures of me sporting Maybelline’s SuperStay 10H Tint Gloss, right in the middle of Deansgrange’s Public Library — which is a lovely library, very octagonal. {Those who know are laughing, I know it.}
Anyway:
My eyes look a little weird, like one of these yokes, but that lip gloss? I applied that well over five hours ago. I think this is pretty darned impressive. And! I ate a pretzel from Lidl, just moments ago! {Not in the library, I’m not that much of a heathen.} Look at that pigment!
I had brought this out with me last Friday night, and after the mumble-th bottle of wine, I lost track of how the gloss was doing. I vaguely remember touching up at one stage, but with all the talking and laughing and drinking and eating, that’s no less than I expected.
I woke the morning after the night before and was delighted to see that the tint had made it through the wee hours; it had softened down to to a lovely light rose. In fairness, I got maybe a half a night’s sleep, but I am still impressed.
This does feel a little sticky, and it dries out the lips a tiny, tiny bit, but nowhere as near as badly as any of the previous long-wearing lippys I have tried. I liked the fruity flavour/scent, and the applicator — which I have just learned is called a ‘doe foot’ — is perfect: easy to manage, it distributes the tint gloss evenly.
This is a keeper!
Sorry, Your Problem is *What*, Exactly?
A reader writes:
Sue, I have eyelashes that are so long they actually get tangled. And when I put on mascara, they sort of lump into little triangles. I bought a little comb to even it all out but it just makes me look like a tarantula … what to do?
Oh, no, are your diamond shoes too tight, as well?
J/K! Here at Bright & Beautyfull! we understand that one woman’s desperate dream is another’s too-long eyelash dilemma. No judging! And we couldn’t be happier that this betch has got lashes to die for, right? Right!
In all fairness: gunky lashes are a feckin’ drag, and I’ve got some ideas how to get around this.
>As I know the writer, and know she is so pale as to be Irish {of which descent she is, indeed}, I first suggested she eschew black for brown/black, or just brown. I know we all want big blingy lashes, but sometimes, half the battle may be fought on the field of hue and intensity. In other words, the lashes may not look so tangly if they are less dark.
>Always wipe excess product off of the applicator. You think you’re scraping enough away when you do that rubby-thing as you take out the wand, but if you are using a fat brush-y applicator, chances are good that there is even more on there, and you can do without it.
>Less is more if your lashes are tangling, so several very, very — very — light coats are far more effective and manageable than one heavy coat. This is actually not obvious! One may presume that several coats are apt to create an even snarlier sitch, but that’s what that lash comb is for. Much easier to tease out the lashes when the layers are light.
>Get rid of the fat brush-y applicator altogether, and buy a brand that comes with one of those spiky applicators. I know, they are scary looking, but I have become a staunch supporter. My personal faves are benefit They’re Real and Lancôme Ocillation Vibrating Infinite Mascara — I don’t use the vibrate function on the latter, as it makes my nose itch, and it really doesn’t do squat, anyway. Also, L’Oréal make Paris Telescopic Explosion Mascara, which is the silliest name ever, and the wand is the freakiest {look!}, but this separates lashes likes nobody’s business.
>Finally, I would recommend trying something like ELF‘s Lash & Brow Clear Mascara. It costs one single dollar, and it may allow Reader’s lashes to be defined without colour, and without colourful clumps. I’d also try it as a primer. Brush it on, let it dry, comb it out, and apply the other mascara.
I’ve got photos, but not to hand, as I coming to you live! from Deandgrange Public Library {and only because I wanted to go to Lidl}, so I’ll wait ’til Dear Reader gets back to me with a progress report!
On Trial: Maybelline SuperStay 10H Tint Gloss
Tint Gloss? This means a tint, i.e., lip stain that is also glossy.
I have long wished for a lip product that lasts without extracting every ounce of moisture from the lip.
Oh, I’ve tried them all, and all have involved the application of the colour, and then that of a moisturising top coat, which hydrates for about a second and then you’re left with a colourful, but markedly dry kisser.
They have all claimed to last through drinking, eating, and nucelar holocaust, and: no, not really. You do end up with a nasty ring of colour round your gob, and that’s the thing that lasts for days.
Maybelline aren’t claiming that their 10H Tint Gloss will survive a six-course meal and a few nights in an bomb shelter, but they are promising almost half a day of glossy long-lastingness.
I’ve got a night of eating, drinking, talking and laughing ahead of me, so we’ll give this a go. Pictured here is Lasting Pink, which is actually red, which is fine by me — but if you were wanting pink, I’d say you’d be annoyed. There’s a Forver Fuchsia that may be closer to the mark, but I haven’t got that one to test.
I do like the look of the applicator!
Plus, at €11.49/£6.99/$8.99, if this works, it’ll be cheaper than the department brands that make similar claims.
We shall see…
Okay, Two Words: Hydrotherm Mattress
HYDROTHERM MATTRESS.
So, up I got, onto one of the massage beds in Therese R Wellness and Beauty, in the Rochestown Lodge Hotel, preparatory to receiving Voya‘s latest treatment, and holy wow: the plinth was warm and it was moving.
‘What is this?’ I gasped, and my consultant replied, ‘It’s a hydrotherm mattress.’
A hydrotherm mattress. A mattress that is filled with water that is warm. So you lay there, and whilst your face and decolleté are getting their treat, your whole entire back is warm and floaty.
I will write more after the weekend about the treatment itself, which uses the Irish brand’s Bright Eyes cream, and involves lymphatic massage and seaweed eye patches, but wow, seriously: the HYDROTHERM MATTRESS*.
*Clearly, I have a thing for therapeutic furniture: I waxed lyrical about Zeba Hairdressing’s massage chairs only t’other day. Also, click the link for info regarding their fundraising event this Sunday!
Bright & Beautyfull! 