Lavender Whipping up a storm

Five years anxious wait and then at last - Lavender Whip is coming back! Hurrah Hooray! But hark - what's this!!! Blood boils, palm sweats, jaw clenches and eyes bulge as we see the first images of a pinkened Lavender Whip... How dare they taunt us so? Don't call it Lavender Whip if it isn't Lavender Whip. Well folks I think the whole thing is a storm in a teacup because in fact the shade really is the same. I would be the first to point out the differences but in truth there is a slight sheerness to the new 2013 version (very slight) but on the lips it's simply the same. It's got a dash of Budding Love (another limited edition fave) in the sense that it is a little less dense and perhaps ok a touch more pink but in reality it does indeed look like a very, very flattering lavender lipstick. I didn't get on with Pink Popcorn (too pink) so this really hasn't fallen into pink territory it is still categorically purple. Let's check out some photos...



I wore the new Lavender Whip on my top lip and the 2008 Lavender Whip on my bottom lip. No perceptible difference to the naked eye. And I swatched Budding Love, Original Lavender Whip and New Lavender Whip in that order (and pictured cased in that order).

 

By the way, NARS Mata Hari in the background - the best blusher to wear with Lavender Whip if you ask me. I do need a good lip pencil for this though, I must look into that -please let me know if you have any ideas?

 
 



I highly recommend Lavender Whip, it is so pretty yet unusual. The texture is great and it lasts fairly well, fading to a lovely innocent cooled down pink. I have ordered MAC Riri Woo so I am excited for that to arrive next! MAC have been rather good lately, except Let's Skate paint pot, which I found abysmal: glitter fallout everywhere and very over-hyped. But Lavender Whip is worth its place as one of the finest MAC lipsticks out there. It's currently available online. [edit/// oops it sold out again] Well you'd better run to a counter... Good luck! I would love this to be made permanent; this and Candy Yum Yum are both truly unique yet very wearable, almost opposite sides of the same coin. I think of this as a stripped down version of Candy Yum Yum as it has the same magenta heart to it.

Forensic Beauty

There has always been something very unsettling about 'eyes are the windows to the soul' and by extension the Disney-esque tendency to link mortal looks with moral virtue. Every time a mugshot of a celebrity or an unexpectedly good looking criminal surfaces, it causes excitement for the implied schism. But truly aren't both traits equally as random and dictated by fate as each other? Looks more so, but even criminals - usually it is their sad circumstance and 'There but for the grace of God...' etc etc. Well Dove are at it again, this quest to convince us that "real beauty" is in all of us (barf) and as their earliest campaign was severely blighted by the 'revelation' that in fact these dogmatically 'real' images were as retouched as the best of them - perhaps they should be applauded for their tenacity. Yes the advertising campaign to supposedly promote us insecure women that we truly are "more beautiful than you think" has struck again. It seems to me in some ways that this patronising tactic actually serves to entrench insecurity and normalise feelings of inadequacy. But maybe I am resisting their liberating, ground-shattering message... Nonetheless: this is an interesting experiment and a good idea. A forensic artist, more accustomed to capturing felons by a skillful recreation of testimony, is appointed to demonstrate the contrast between our own perception of Self, and the Self we project to Others.







Yes, as is inevitable with any self-righteous advert, it is ripe for parody and the second video is brilliant! It is a very true and rather perplexing point: Why is it, that as women we are always worried at some level about our looks - yet men, however gloomy, do truly believe that with the right lighting or circumstance, they could absolutely get that model! Even though men nowadays are more subjected than ever to the pressure of looking good (in addition to having a powerful position in society) there is still a very identifiable difference in the vulnerabilities between the genders. This advert would simply not work if it was aimed at men. I am torn as to whether I think the advert makes a great point (albeit a banal one) or whether it is very old fashioned and insulting to keep stabbing at the idea that as women we should be more resigned and then people will love us for our acceptance.

What do you think??

The strategy used to sell us Beauty seems to rest alternately on empowering women with the promise of instant improvement, or comforting us that we are just splendid the way we are - and that by buying this brand we are proving just that.

Oscars 2013 makeup: Review!

A little late but I'd like to rekindle my tradition of reviewing Oscars makeup looks! After all, the Oscars are truly what ultimate glamour is all about.

This year, it seems hair was worn down rather than the more expected array of up-dos we have come to predict. As ever, mostly it is actresses showcasing their effortless, natural beauty and oh fancy that, yes I do happen to be in a full ball gown but aside from that I would look just as beautiful in my jim jams. But there was a very welcome dose of old true Hollywood glamour at last - not least thanks to Adele whose retro makeup and hair has become her hallmark. In fact whoever her makeup artist is - give that genius an award too! (Edit: just checked and it's a Michael Ashton - his twitter here for more info.) Adele always looks chiseled and having seen her without makeup, this really is beyond impressive. And hurrah she wore a black, flattering dress and looked groomed to perfection.

 

 Adele, in a Jenny Packham dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Ditto Jessica Chastain, who equally looked the epitome of ye old golden years of Hollywood. Her red hair and bold red lip looked so much better than a cop-out of nude lip and nude dress. I thought it was right on target for that true Oscars look that we yearn to see!

 Jessica Chastain in an Armani Privé dress, Christian Louboutin shoes and Harry Winston jewelry.

My favourite look of the night was absolutely Naomi Watts. Firstly, I adored her dress - indeed, I also loved her Vanity Fair after party dress. Oscars are the time to get your sequins. I always wear sequins but you can bet that if I ever got to go to the Oscars (oh let me dream) I would be so glittery I would outshine everyone... sigh. Naomi Watts' Oscars gown was sequin laden plus it had a very interesting modern twist. The makeup was youthful, fresh and glowing - she looks so good for 44 - and it was so adorable that her husband was there taking shots with the best of them! What a cute couple...

Naomi Watts in an Armani Privé dress, Jimmy Choo shoes, a Roger Vivier bag and Neil Lane jewelry. And bottom: at Vanity Fair party wearing an Emilio Pucci black and gold beaded one-shoulder gown, Jimmy Choo shoes, Neil Lane jewels, and a Chloe bag.

Helen Hunt also had flawless natural glowing makeup and - gasp - an H&M dress?!

Anne Hathaway's dress had a few detractors but I think the fuchsia lips with the pale pink looked inspired:

 Anne Hathaway in Prada.

Nicole Kidman also had a bright pink lip, although it seemed to fade, as some pictures show her with her now signature pale pink lipstick. I applaud the bold lipstick. Again, I am a huge fan of her sequin overload dress and it so reminded me of a Gustav Klimt painting with all those gold swirls:

Nicole Kidman in a L'Wren Scott dress and Fred Leighton jewelry.

Amanda Seyfried had lovely purple eyeshadow, which made a change from all the rather dull browns and muted coppers around.

Amanda Seyfried in an Alexander McQueen dress, Roger Vivier shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.

Jennifer Aniston is never seen with anything other than her beachy casual very natural look - and I must agree, why mess with a winning formula? She looked fantastic and seeing her in red rather than black is a marvellous change. Some people don't suit heavy makeup and I suspect Jennifer Aniston is one such...

Jennifer Aniston in a Valentino dress, Salvatore Ferragamo clutch and Fred Leighton jewelry.

In fact... the only makeup looks I didn't like were just because it was uninspiring, not bad per se. The first such was Salma Hayek: her dress was my very close second fave, it was spectacular. Almost Elizabethan with all that sequin and velvet. But yet the eye makeup was a bit half hearted - with such a bold dress I would have loved a black smoky eye with glitter, and retained the nude lips and skin. As it was, it looked a little undecided and lacklustre.

 Salma Hayek in Alexander McQueen

Similarly Naomie Harris looked faded out and I didn't like her dress. Perhaps a deep berry lipstick could have saved the day. I feel she is too clever looking to pull off the vacuous Bond girl image. I know this Bond film was all about updating and rehashing the formula and I really loved that - but even so, I just am not convinced of Harris as a salacious Bond girl and this dress in spite of its overt slash right up to the wasitline, just looks pained. My disappointment of the Oscars goes to:

Naomie Harris in Vivienne Westwood.

...What were YOUR thoughts and faves? Please share below...

photo credit: Just Jared, Huffington Post

Beauty gone Wulong

 
Oh mein gott (so much more emphatic than oh my god)

I tremble as I write this... well I guess I trembled as I did this (early morning blurry eyed, ironically telling myself to be careful as I handled my precious ever so valuable Guerlain Wulong powder.)

NoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!



How can something so beautiful get so mangled and ugly?

Well tempted as I am to donate this parable to Kandee Johnson or any other number of prized makeup artists cum motivational speaker, I will do the honour here. This my friends, this ugly heap, was formerly the unspeakably beautiful Wulong powder.

To look upon its tortured face (cobbled together in a rushed panic as I fought to find each and every crumb I could - a fruitless task but one I valiantly undertook) - you might think my Wulong is an insult to its memory. Better to kill it than shame it so! But hark: it still works, yes, I'll say it: like photoshop! to make a face look amazing. Maybe it will now dip evenly rather than the pink mosaic piece rushing ahead... well, I am trying to see the benefit to my clumsy accident. In any case, the moral is, the beauty is still there. Next time you see ugliness you should ponder: Perhaps it had innate beauty once, and was smashed by an Other.

Nonetheless, I will never take this out in public now. I am too superficial. But hopefully the moral will be undiminished by this admission.

I should have mentioned these at time of purchase, so for the record: I adore this and Cruel Gardenia so much, they are magnificent. And to make this blog post worthwhile, another recommendation thanks to the great Gossmakeupartist. Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener (I use Porcelain Peach.) This works to truly lift those horrible dark circles. With this under my eyes and Wulong on my face, I look SO much better, instantly.


Let's round off with some 'lemmings'... NARS Persia (a deep orange eyeshadow- I have been loving wearing the deep pink from my Estee Lauder cyber palette, and also the possibly dupe of that, MAC's Limited Edition hot pink pigment in Brash and Bold, surprisingly wearable!) I am also excited for the MAC Strength collection, as I am trying to bodybuild - so the promotional image of Jelena Abbou is amazing to me. I guess with a gazillion collections a year, it's only a matter of time before your interests collide within MAC. I am hoping to get the bright lipsticks Party Parrot and Pink Pigeon. I have a new love for bright lips, my favourites are MAC's Candy Yum Yum (worth the hype - totally unique, bright, yet very wearable) and Moxie (a very pretty reddened pink but a lot more easily duped.) Similarly, I am hoping Maybelline's Vivid lipsticks make their way to UK soon as they look great. And, Alber Elbaz collaborating with Lancome, this cute promo video is very promising if it means fun brights:


Please share your lemmings, recommendations or makeup tragedies below...

My choice is Paula's Choice

Wowza... I have been using these products religiously for several weeks now - I initially mentioned them and reviewed the line here but I must say by this stage I am amazed. If you have any issues with uneven pigmentation, you had better get into this range pronto. My skin is unbelievably clear and unified - to the point where I actually don't need foundation (gasp!) although of course I do like to wear it anyway...

Annoyingly, Paula's Choice is only available online, but the postage is fairly swift and the customer service is on point. You can start by just ordering samples. I have been using the 8% AHA Perfecting Gel (£21.50) with incredible results on my face and even on legs after waxing. The consistency of the gel is ideal for clog-prone skin. I also went straight for the Resist range and have used the Daily Smoothing and Weekly Smoothing Treatments - you can buy both as a set for £52 at the moment. The Daily Smoothing treatment has an airtight pump and smells and looks just like Dermalogica's Age Smart Multivitamin recovery masque to me; it's a very siliconey feel but has not broken me out at all - it is marvellous under makeup (although don't forget your sunscreen!) and over time, used with the potent 10% Weekly Treatment, it seriously has made me look fresher and dare I say younger! Before trying this range I had been considering botox (although arguably that was a little premature) but after these Black Magic potions - for surely there has to have been a deal with the devil to get these formulas?!- I will never be without my Paula's Choice. This brand gets consistently high reviews and raves: I can only add yet another here. Believe the hype.

Bargain Murad Christmas kits and Facials!!!

If you ask me, the best thing about Christmas is: All the new Beauty and makeup sets!!! Suddenly, spending is utterly justified and everyone around you is jolly, the Christmas lights...ahhh. November is when it becomes ok to mention Christmas so here we go...

Murad is already one of my top fave brands, so it was very hard to select a kit. The kits include the Complete Renewal Christmas Kit, which is anti-ageing (£52 worth £107.45!); Shake-Up Your Makeup Christmas Kit (the Hybrids range - £36 worth £56); Hydration Sensation Christmas Kit (£73.50 worth £123.30); Radiance Rescue Christmas Kit (£58.50 worth £137.31 and contains the amazing Active Radiance Serum featuring Resilient-C Complex, 30ml. This really works to even out skin tone and radiance!) and finally the kit I went for, the Perfect Balance Christmas Kit. (£42.50 worth £89.70)

I almost chose a more moisturising anti-ageing kit - but the truth is that with Murad products, they are all inevitably anti-ageing due to the ingredients. The star product, T-Zone Pore Refining Gel, 60ml, retails for £50 alone and has single-handedly made my skin spectacular. At my facial (more on that to follow...), the lovely Marianna complemented my skin and I beamed with pride. Reviews on makeupalley praise the magic of this formulation and I would agree with the many who say that the promise of "smaller pores" never made sense until this product! It is almost like it 'dissolves' the skin and any blocked pores or enlarged pores just clear right up. Within a week my skin was looking markedly brighter and clearer. This contains the miracle Glycolic acid and also antioxidants and Salicylic Acid and zinc to kill off spots virtually on contact. The other
amazing product in the kit which is an instant Must Have for anyone who like me suffers from shiny skin, is the Oil-Control Mattifier. You get a small 10ml sample but it's been enough for me to use it several days consecutively and realise that now I just don't think I can cope without it! The full size is £37 but it should last a while. I just smoothed it over my T-Zone and it was a godsend. You also get a concealer - it's in shade Medium so it was slightly too dark for me - and although I tried it on spots to check if it did heal them, I didn't really fall for this product myself. The eye cream, Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for eyes, comes in a little screw top sample pot with 3.5ml and I finished it very quickly. I did really like this product but I don't know if it is as unique as the other items. At my facial in fact I was recommended the Essential-C Eye Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 15 which does seem more my thing.
  
OK now onto my indulgent Murad facial...

 

We know Murad is high end and seen in luxury spas, but a little known secret haunt where you can get discounted facials is The London Esthetique Student Spa and Salon in the London Barbican area. Marianna gave me a very relaxing facial called the 'Resurgence Renewal': "Restore the Luminous glow you used to know with our most indulgent facial. Luxurious and lasting hydration restores suppleness, texture and tone. After one treatment, you’ll instantly unveil a more youthful, luminous skin." I enjoyed the consultation and the expert recommendations. The facial lasted around an hour and a half and even included a shoulder massage! Very soothing after a long day. The prices are much lower than the typical rates as treatments are carried out by students - but if my experience is anything to go by, the students are incredibly professional and learned! Facials start from only £19 for an hour and 15mins! Great value. They also offer in salon waxing, hair appointments, laser hair removal, nails etc. Check out the price list here.

My skin was glowing - I hadn't seen it look so bright and smooth in a while. It was a sad fact that this weekend rather than showing off my rosey and luminous face, I had to go to a fancy dress party as a deathly pale zombie... I aim to continue with regular facials and Marianna's advice to "avoid stress" (would that it were so simple!) and of course the Murad belief that you should 'eat your water' (Dr Murad famously suggests that water is best absorbed via fruit and vegetables.) I definitely believe diet and exrcise and emotional well-being is key to looking younger, but with Murad facials and a few carefully selected key products, I feel hopeful that I will see my skin maintain the best condition it can. I would highly recommend a visit, if only for the chance to forget your woes and indulge yourself - the wonderful skin will be a bonus! My facial included a glycolic peel, a pineapple mask and a rich moisturiser. For possibly the first time, I travelled back on the tube make-up free - and didn't have a panic attack thinking I might be spotted bare faced by someone I know!!!

Round up Beauty thoughts

I have several ideas but usually they are not enough to justify a post in themselves, so I thought I would try out a round-up post and see how it goes...?

First up, those Chanel ads - how odd to have a man (ok no not "a man", I mean, Brad Pitt) fronting a women's fragrance. It has always been obvious that women could be used in adverts to sell a man's fragrance (or anything else) but it seemed clear that to sell to women we want to be enticed by a woman promising us an equal beauty to hers', if only we were to whip our credit card out for said item. But now, I guess in a classic case of post feminism, we too have the experience of being seduced for our purchase. These clips are the closest most of us will ever get to being chatted up by Brad Pitt, and I have to say I think it's a great ploy. Well worth his reputed $7M fee. It doesn't matter that what he's saying makes no sense, he is mesmerising, who is listening to him anyway?? Chanel No.5 really is legendary (in large part thanks to Marilyn Monroe's famous quip when asked what she wore to bed.) Chanel have made a video, somewhat bombastic and garish but describing its history (watch it here.) Personally I would probably still prefer Chanel's green bottle fragrance but I think it's ingenious to have the tagline "Inevitable" as there are plenty of clueless men buying their women fragrance or even women who don't know what they're supposed to like, so I am pretty sure Chanel No5 will indeed become an inevitable purchase and the campaign is bound to do amazingly well.

Seeing as I mentioned Marilyn Monroe, and seeing as MAC currently has their Marilyn Monroe collection out, I thought I would recommend a biography I just read - highly recommended if you are besotted with Marilyn Monroe as so many are. It is by Sarah Churchwell and called 'The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe.' It is very academically written and examines the various theories surrounding her. It also goes some way to explaining why Marilyn Monroe still to this day, more than half a century after her death, seems so modern and fresh and is still used as the benchmark for confident alluring females from Madonna to Gwen Stefani and various Hollywood actresses in between, who would all hope to be today's equivalent. In her day Marilyn Monroe was a subject for ridicule: her wobbly walk lent itself to comedies and the real seductive actress du jour was Liz Taylor. But when Hugh Hefner launched his career and sealed his future by buying and exposing Marilyn Monroe's nude photographs (she had posed nude whilst still a 'struggling actress') Marilyn Monroe refused to deny they were of her as her studio would have preferred, and instead admitted they were and simply absorbed the extra attention without allowing it to provoke shame. On the other hand, many feminists argue that by adopting the pre-war persona of humble, hapless and doting hourglass woman, she plunged women back into their former place. She had a very bizarre mix of naive openness and cunning wit. To take the Chanel quote above for instance, Marilyn Monroe explained that this was a way to avoid saying naked but that she didn't know why they would be asking her anyway. And the seemingly retrospective attitude of thinking of Marilyn Monroe as a tragic figure was already in place in her lifetime; every authorised biography made sure to reference her childhood in an orphanage and the studio loved her Cinderella tale. But the book is also objective enough to recount her flaws and ultimately it seems more than likely that her drug taking and overdose was all a part of her disorganised state rather than a murder or even a deliberate cry for help let alone suicide. We will never know the truth and that is one part of why her image never tires. Even her mole has become a cypher to her legend. As such, let me say that MAC'S hideous packaging really is an insult! It is good that they found a photograph not gernerally known as it does escape pastiche, but the black and red looks lazy and we all know Marilyn Monroe would never have carried that gaudy packaging around... However the colours did seem pretty accurate. Personally I hardly wear red lipstick (too ageing) so I found it an easy collection to resist. By the way, the unbelievably famous white dress (valued at £3M) from 'The Seven Year itch' film is going to be on show in London for the first time.

And finally in my roundup, do you recall the slave earrings? Well the Guardian and Telegraph  say this time it is an Aunt Jemima looking print dress and earrings at Dolce & Gabbana (spring/summer 2013 collection) causing an outcry. The irony is that if this black image was a black woman with european features, i.e small nose and subtly plump lips, this would probably have gone unremarked. I see countless dresses and earrings featuring white women or ethnic women prints - but apparently having a typical black featured woman is racist. It is very sad that showing a black face and having it modelled by a white model is taken as derogatory. If it were a black model I am not sure if it would be attacked even more, or whether in that context it might be taken as celebratory?
 
 
 images: Style.com, PHOTO: Vladimir Potop; Rex Features.