LANCOME

Yippy! Lippy! A/W 2013: An Assortment

/ brightandbeautyfull / 3 Comments

Let’s just get right to it, shall we?
CLARINS joli rouge
CLARINS PARIS Joli Rouge in Pink Camellia, €21
This is light and yet brimming with pigment. I likey much, except for the part where I’ve eaten and it has bled all over the place. God, I hate lipliner, but there may be nothing for it…

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YSL Rouge Neon
YVES SAINT LAURENT Rouge Pur Couture Pur Colour Satiny Radiance in Rouge Neon, €31
The orangey-red doesn’t suit me particularly, but the texture of this is pure luxe.

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ARMANI Lip Maestro
GIORGIO ARMANI Lip Maestro Intense Velvet Colour in 505, €28.50
This is amazzzzze. It is much poppier and neon pink in real life, and the compliments! They flooded in! Not so great to be wearing unless you are nil by mouth: I got some on my *nose* because I was drinking champagne and kept moving the glass around. Do people drink from the same spot on a champagne glass? Have I got some class of disorder? Don’t answer that.

This is indeed velvety, and super intense, and I adore it.

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BUFF sex on heels
BUFF MAKE UP Lipstick in sex on heels, €18
Like this one, too. The pigment is autumnal café au lait, and it is the sort of lippy I can apply like a gloss: swiftly, without looking, because it’s neutral. Which I like… I feel like this needs more make up surrounding it, to really work well.

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LANCOME l'absolu velours peche?
LANCÔME L’Absolu Velours Matte Effect in Velours de Pêche, €25
Loving matte texture as a general vibe, and liking it here espêche. Ahhhhh, see what I did there.

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BENEFIT wing woman
BENEFIT Hydra-Smooth Lip Color, Full Finish in wing woman, €22
Hmmm. There’s a new lippy in town, via our pals from San Fran, and this is meant to be the full finish version, as opposed to the mediums and sheers on offer. More to come re: this line, but I was not wowed by this coverage.

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DR HAUSCHKA novum
DR HAUSCHKA Lipstick Novum in 09, Miraculous Rose €16.50
Waa! Also feeling ‘meh’ about this, too, and I had such love for the oldum Novums, as demonstrated here. This is light, if you want light, and reflective, if you want reflective.

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REVLON Lip Butter
REVLON Colorburst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake, €9.60
Not terribly autumnal, but the texture! of! this! lippy! It is the perfect mid-point between gloss and stick, and the shine is terrific. I am sure that they must have suitably deep colours for the time of year that is almost in it; until I find out more about them, this will do me just fine, thanks.

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Soz, probably should have posted a ‘nostril alert’. Hope no one is scarred for life…

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FOTLT: Buff Make Up Bronzer, Mainly; Also: Eyelashes

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FOTLT buff bronzerGreeting from my usual spot in the back of the 46A, a week ago. Time Travel R Us at B&B!, and here’s a glimpse of The Face of Last Tuesday that had some nice stuff on it.

>First of all: Buff Make Up was developed by Paula Callan,BUFF BRONZER in association with Hession Hairdressing. Callan is one of Ireland’s best-known MUAs, and puts all of her 15 years of experience into the line, which basically needs to look flawless when applied by an amateur. That’s my take, anyway. I englowened myself with the Bronzer in Exotic Blend {€30} You can see, here, the general spectrum on offer. On your right, the clever compact, in which the product flips up to reveal a mirror and a fancy brush — and with air holes so it can breathe. Genius!

>Second: a fun new mascara from Lancôme, via Alber Elbaz. The Israeli designer has been with Lanvin since 2001, and this marks his first foray into make up. I am sporting Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara {€28}, which are supposed to make your eyes look like — well, you’ve figured it out already, haven’t you? I am a fan of Hypnôse anyway, but this is really fab, and your eyes will look exactly as promised, if that’s your thing. I am totes fine with it. The brush is a brush, as in: not a comb, so I had my usual ish with liberally dotting product all over my eyelids. I have been applying mascara for many, many years. You’d think I’d have figured it out by now.
DOLL LASHES LANCOME

This is a limited edition! There are eyeshadow palettes, too, that look nice.

>Third: da lips. I got me paws on a Pür Minerals Lip Gloss Stick in Berry Pretty {can only find the US price of $15}, and I love it. It is emollient, and yet has super staying power. I love the mauve tone as well, it’s got presence and yet it doesn’t require a lot of attention, the way a red would.

Hmm, that was an easy face. Must do that again.

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Sweet Sixteen Minus Six: Lancôme Visionnaire

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Number 9 in the remainder of my original Sweet Sixteen is a product that I left sitting on a shelf the past while — until I picked up Lancôme’s Teint Visionnaire, and fell in love all over again. How good will my skin look if I use that magical molecule day and night?!? Be sure that I will let you know…

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I don’t believe in Santa. I don’t believe in the Tooth Fairy. And I don’t believe in products that claim to make your skin younger and radiant. I simply don’t. I believe that if you start on a regimen early enough, you can tend to your skin in such a way as allows it to age gracefully, but this whole thing about ‘making’ your skin look younger? Feh.

{We’ll get into peels at some later stage, because they do the business, but for now, let’s sit up here on the high horse, ‘kay?}

I mean, the skin is deep and complex, and I’m no scientist, but a topical that makes a measurable difference? Yeah, right; and next you’ll be telling me that boob creams work.

MAGIC?At the launch of Visionnaire, back in whenever this year, there was a presentation {waah} that was really quite learned and informative. The journalist doing the Q&A with the Science Lady was actually a scientist in a former life, and had an excellent grasp of the whole thing, until it got so sciencey that we all started shuffing around {I saw you, people, don’t deny it!}, checking for texts — texts that demanded we run out of the Morrison Hotel to save a child from a fire — and wondering if the chicken-on-sticks things were going to make another round.

Then we all got our samples and went home.

Dubious, I began to use it. I began to see a difference. People began commenting one how well I looked. One wee pump of product covered my roundy face perfectly, and my skin actually felt taut and supple, which seems like an oxymoron.

Now I wanted to know how it worked, because it was working.

The whole sciencey bit at the launch was about a molecule called LR 2412, the key element in the serum. There’s a video on the Lancome website that weds phrases like ‘designed to fuse with the skin’, ‘penetrating through skin layers’ in a ‘cascading series of micro-transformations’ ‘based on in-vitro testing’ — with fancy visuals that look like PSP for the derma.

Geez, I must have totally daydreamed my way through biology because I didn’t even know what a molecule was: ‘A group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound that can take part in a chemical reaction.’

That’s biology, right?

Still with me? Fair play to you. The whole point of this product is that is it meant to do the stuff that Botox and other overt chemical interventions do. If, as according to the video, the LR 2412 molecule zips around setting off lightning-like transformations deep in the skin, via a cream, then it’s nothing short of a Santa-esque miracle.

I would have been happy enough to have gotten a stocking filled exclusively with this stuff.* It wasn’t like my wrinkles disappeared overnight; rather, Visionnaire has evened out my skin tone, which it says it will do, and it also looks like some incipient dark patches have been minimized if not completely disappeared.

Do I believe that they will disappear entirely? I am afraid to say a definitive yes because I am cynical, but I am cautiously optimistic in a thrilled sort of way. Meaning, I guess, that I want to believe, and am willing, deep down, to be convinced.

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€70/£58/$84
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*But didn’t, so nope, don’t believe in Santa. Maybe the Easter Bunny can take up the slack?

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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Lancôme Teint Visionnaire Skin Perfecting Makeup Duo: Beauty-full *and* Clever

/ brightandbeautyfull / 3 Comments

So smart:
TEINT VISIONNAIRE

Lancôme‘s newest offering in the makeup line incorporates their terrific innovation in the skincare line, and the hint is in the name: Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector is in the mix here, and if you click on the link, you can read all about that crazayzay LR 2412 molecule that does all the amazing sciencey stuff to make your skin look equally amazing.

Well, I love it, and I’ve found that I return to it time after time. This is saying something, as I have goldfish memory when it comes to product. I try so much stuff on a weekly basis, that a thing has to be a really, really impressive thing for me to even remember its name — much less its molecule!

And now, here we have it all in one cunningly designed package. Teint Visionnaire comes with a concealer — shown here, lip flipped — that matches the foundation. I’ve been enjoying 01 Beige, and like its progenitor, it is quickly becoming my go-to for flawless.

I find the texture of the concealer to be a bit sticky, and I’ve tried to pick it up with a brush, but I am finding that my fingertips are my best bet for application.

The foundation applies fluidly, no matter if I use a brush, or my fingers. I know, why am I still using my fingers… but sometimes it feels like they do a better job. Although, I won’t get better with a brush if I don’t use it. But, but! Ah, sure, whatever. I tend to take a Machievellian approach to my macquillage. Look:

TEINT VISIONNAIRE

I have found, as well, that this doesn’t fade, or sink into creases, and the concealer has enough oomph to act as a highlighter as well. What is not to love?

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On counter now: €45/£36/no joy finding an American stockist {??}

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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.

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

/ brightandbeautyfull / 1 Comment

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…

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.

Sad Face: What to Put on It

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IRELAND 1 — CROATIA 3  I wish I didn’t care about the footie so much. It is an odd thing, all the emotional energy that one can generate/expend, even when one is watching a match on one’s laptop, much less when one is in an actual stadium. It’s a tribal thing for sure, what with the drums and the face painting, and I love every single second of it — except when it makes me want to puke, and my heart is beating like it’s going to go into arrest, and I scream obscenities at the top of my lungs as though I had no class a’tall.

So I am sitting here looking at stuff on my desk and just don’t even know. My face is so sad, what could possible help cheer it up?

I usually find Lancôme skincare products err too much on the side of their signature scent, but today, it is just the ticket. And their Hydra Zen Neurocalm Anti-Stress Moisturising Cream would have come in handy last night. I’ll have to remember it for Thursday when we take on Spain.

Bliss is always good, as a concept and as a line of spa-quality product. My poor peepers have just benefited from Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Eye Gel, which is cooling, soothing, and yes, energizing-with-a-z… but they can’t unsee that third Croation goal.

Better to be sad and brown than sad and pale, and American brand Image Skincare do a great Facial Bronzing Cream in their Body Spa category. It smells coconutty, which is a good thing, and if there is the tiniest whiff of fake-tan smell, you only notice it for a quick second. {Feel free to insert comment re: quick second half here.}

I am losing the will, to be honest… and I am usually really good about prices and stuff, but eh, just don’t have the energy.

One thing that always makes me happy is Snow Bunny: Carribbean in a Compact from Too Faced. It is the absolute best bronzer on the planet, and the golden brown, wedded with the white, pink, and fawn shimmer creates a youthful, healthy glow. I had to stock up when I was in the States, and you will have to order it online — unless someone knows a Irish stockist? Could I have some good news, pleassssse???

That’s all I got, friends. Really gutted, but ah, sure, you never know, and Spain and Italy — anything could happen, yeah?

YEAH!

Sorry, Your Problem is *What*, Exactly?

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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!