Lancome Shine Lover Lipsticks

Time for some more gorgeous lip colours - this time from Lancome. The new Shine Lover range contain not only gorgeously strong pigment, but are loaded with hyaluronic acid and rosehip oil, to both nourish and hydrate while giving either a quick pop of colour, or a lip with full-on coverage.

I nabbed the above 3 - left to right - 136 Amuse Bouche, 357 Fuchsia in Paris and 323 Effortless Pink. The colours are literally this vibrant - as always there are no filters in play here.
If you are slightly older and shy away from using brighter colours, these will be right up your alley - the oil content makes for a very comfortable wear that doesn't bleed all over your face.

Lancome Shine Lover Lipsticks are on counter in May and are a very reasonable £21.00.

What's New this month?

Hi Everyone!

Back in the land of the living albeit looking roughhhhh. It's a long one - but if you are borderline/full-on obsessive about all things beauty you may make it to the end.

Enjoy!

A full list of the products discussed are in the video description box.

Lancome City Miracle CC Cream - not so much of a miracle

I was specifically asked about this on Monday so used it the last couple of days - both on my face and trialed on my hand (both tests I always do) and I am considerably and surprisingly underwhelmed. I usually love Lancome products - but this kind of misses the mark for me.

Firstly, it feels and behaves much more like a BB than a CC. It's tinted for a start - and has quite a heavy feel when it's on, although it doesn't provide a lot of coverage.

It smells beautiful - and strongly of the spf content (which I personally love) - but it's not moisturising at all on my skin. I haven't done anything different, I'm using the same routine for this testing to give some degree of stability (as much as you can when not testing officially via a lab etc!) and this feels like I would need a moisturiser on top of it, not underneath it.

It's called a Complexion Beautifier but I see much more beautifying from something like the Pixi Primer which is £7 cheaper.

The website says 'Perfects like a foundation. Beautifies like an illuminator. Hydrates like a moisturiser. With SPF 50 to help protect the skin.' - I have to disagree with all but the SPF part. Sorry Lancome. 

Don't worry. I'm sure Mother - the Lancome Crack Addict, will adore it!

Please let me know if you have had an altogether different experience - I'm all for fairness.

Suitable for:

Covering blemishes? No.

Evening out skin tone? Not particularly.

Hydrating/prepping the skin for use under makeup? No. I would need an extra layer of moisture.

Wearing alone without makeup? Yes, if you are having a no-makeup-day, but only if you are wearing a lot of moisturiser.

Heavy on top of moisturiser? No. If anything it's too drying.

Makes you look better than before you used it? If you are wearing a lot of moisturiser, as before.

Lancome's City Miracle CC Cream is £27.00 and available at all Lancome stockists.

Lancome Hypnôse 10 year Anniversary and a £10 offer

Hypnôse - still the best mascara that Lancome make and easily one of the best on the market - is 10 years old on 1st May.

To celebrate, for one day only - on 1st May, you can buy any Hypnôse for £10.00 via Debenhams.

Available in all Debenhams stores and online at www.debenhams.com on 1st May only. *website crashes*

Where has this year gone? The year so far in pictures. Picture Heavy post..

Honestly this year has gone so quickly that I don't know where to start. After the success of the events in Liberty last week and the equaled success of my real 'day job', it seems a natural progression that the blog includes more of my day-to-day activities alongside the usual rants reviews and industry natterings. As I work in the industry, I figured it should still be of interest one way or another...!

Major shoe envy on the tube.

Aerin Kabuki brush. Loveliness.

Liberty's new self select area.

Finally got to see Sinead do 'Jackie' 26 years after the fact..

Girls Night In courtesy of Gillette Venus. Everything in the picture was stolen by Ava before I took my coat off.

Interviewing Poppy King at QVC.

Birchbox. The first time I've used everything in a monthly sub box.

Mum and Nana circa 1950

John Bell & Croyden's reception area. Anyone would think they were the Queen's pharmacy. Oh.

Ava in her element. In M&S.

CEW Demo Evening. Manic as always.

Setting up.

Ava's perfume collection. Thieving wench.

Goodwood Forest. Gorgeous.

The best salmon starter at Goodwood.

Bob Bob Ricard. Sadly unused button.

This month's indulgent purchase.

Rehydration in seconds.

Oh Good Lord.

It's Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.

La Bella Donna foundation - brilliant - and Lancome Hypnose. Standard.

My desk on a typical day. Flowers, lip gloss and too many pens. That's not even my main pencil case.

Ottolenghi's Friday madness.

Camelia Gardenia!!!!! - in HOMEBASE!

My gorgeous Mama.

Muji storage.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Can't stop looking at it!

Cleanser line-up. Reviews coming.

Standard day. Lushness.

Brilliant product.

Sprays face to death.

The big week at Liberty!!!

Setting up the workshops in Liberty.

A bag. Can't really see who it's by though?

Lancome and Alber Elbaz Collaboration

This just dropped in to my inbox and is too cute. Mother - the Lancôme addict - will be beside herself.

'La Maison Lancôme is pleased to announce a unique collaboration with one of the most acclaimed names in fashion: Alber Elbaz.

"Alber Elbaz is probably one of the creators of the most influential in the world. But more than that, this is the most talented, says Youcef Nabi, President of Lancôme. His sense of luxury, his gaze on femininity and a touch of impertinence resonate perfectly with the new values ​​of the Maison Lancôme. We are extremely proud and happy that transposes with us for the first time, his world into the world of makeup. "

Lancôme collection x Alber Elbaz will be unveiled around the world June 15, 2013.

Beauty News Round-up

This week's round-up - starting with...

• Stop the Press! Next Friday - 10th, Emma Watson - Hermione herself, is doing a P.A. in Selfridges as part of her role as Lancome Ambassador and Face of the brand. She's there to launch her new collection of lipsticks and nail polishes called Rouge in Love and Vernis in Love respectively. Prepare to be squashed to death by screaming Harry Potter fans.
  Selfridges Oxford Street - 4.30pm. Friday 10th February.

• Origins launch Youthtopia Lift today. Designed to help skins affected by stress, age, fatigue and lack of hyaluronic acid (moi) - it uses Commiphora Mukul - a key plant ingredient used in ayurvedic medicine for over 3000 years. 92% of their testers said their skin was 'lifted and firmer'. That'll do.
  My favourite part of Origins packaging? This bit:
  
  Origins products are formulated WITHOUT:
  Parabens  ● Phthalates  ● Propylene Glycol  ● Mineral Oil  ● PABA  ● Petrolatum
  Paraffin ● DEA ● Animal Ingredients (except cruelty-free honey and beeswax)
  Doesn't it look nice to see that? Youthtopia is £48.00.
  
  

• Deborah Mitchell launches her Eye version of her infamous Bee Venom Mask exclusively through NutriBeauty this week, priced at £55.00. A natural alternative to botox - she has taken the 'sting' part of the mask and added river silt - rich in  minerals, enzymes and marine collagen to feed, firm, tighten and rejuvenate. I kinda need that all over.
  

• The stunning cologne 4711 is sponsoring Matthew Williamson at LFW 2012. Frankly it's about time this unisex cult classic was put in front of people in a more pro-active manner. Never smelt it? It's citrus-y, think James Bond wears Aqua di Parma.
  Interesting sidebar: this is the first time I've linked to a wikipedia page for a product. Told you it was a classic.
  

• Also launching is Wild - a bright, bold and fresh initiative proving that Fair Trade doesn't have to be brown, dull and drab. Taking oils directly from ethically sourced and sustained suppliers from Africa, they have beautiful body butters and soaps that won't break the bank and make great gifts.
  

• Speaking of Africa - this week pureDKNY launch their latest collaboration with CARE International - an organisation that aims to empower and lift women out of global poverty. *stands up, claps*
  A Drop Of Verbena not only donates £1.00 per bottle to CARE, it sources the verbena directly from farmers in Togo to help sustain the local community. Can I get an AMEN?
  Watch this video featuring the face of DKNY Angela Lindvall for more info about the work DKNY are doing with CARE.

Good work DK peeps.

• Fast on the heels of RapidLash comes RapidBrow - the gift from the Gods for over-pluckers everywhere.

• Your eyebrows are the coat hangers for your face - if yours look like old wire hangers from the dry cleaners instead of sturdy fabulous wooden ones from Peter Jones haberdashery department (trust me), you may wanna look this up. Exclusive to Boots - £37.00
  

• Dove Spa have launched their Real Local Beauty campaign. Open to all ages and sizes you can nominate a friend or enter yourself if you fancy your chances. Prizes of up to £250 are on offer along with the chance to appear in their advertising campaigns and in the windows of Dove Spas across the country.  To enter email realbeauty@dovespa.co.uk. Entries close 17th Feb.
  

• Can we all take a minute to bow before the altar of NARS and these gorgeous previously-exclusive-to-Selfridges-now-in-SpaceNK new glosses?  He's basically giving us a super-pigmented-crack-version of his original glosses in THE most amazing, bright, beautiful colours. I suggest you go now and investigate Norma - pictured above. No I don't suggest, I HIGHLY suggest. £19.00

• Speaking of bowing, my old favourite Doctor P as usual, is at the forefront of his game and has released a Hypoallergenic Collection for those of us with sensitive skin - for whatever reason. I love this man and I trust him implicitly. No he's not cheap, but if you want cheap I suggest you go and use something for £2.00 on 3 for 2 in Boots and come back to me when your face is falling off. Yeah. That's what I thought.
  Starting with a cleanser, eye cream, peptide complex and moisturiser it is priced between £34 and £80 and is available online and on Perricone counters. Review to follow.
  

• Coach launched its latest fragrance - Poppy this week. Fruity and floral, it's the perfect escape as we get SNOW forecast. Priced from £29.00 at Debenhams, Harrods and selected stockists.
  

• Balance Me launch their skincare Try-Me kit on QVC on Sunday 5th at 6pm and 10pm. Priced at £22.50 it contains trial sizes of both cleansers, Radiance Face Oil, Moisture-Rich Face Cream, Wonder Eye Cream and Stellar Face Balm. Tune in at 6pm - it's bound to sell out.

• And finally - be careful what you wish for. Stila launching online with SpaceNK in March. HELL YEAH!