Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Review

The Rouge Volupté lipsticks collection by Yves Saint Laurent have been out for quite some years now and today I thought I'd share my thoughts on the one I have which is number 27 Rose Paris, as I've had it quite awhile now and these are quite on the pricey side so I can give you guys my honest opinion. 

Since the release of Rouge Volupté there are newer additions such as the Rouge Volupté Sheer Candy which is more of light sheer flush of colour to the lips and less of a lipstick type finish. And then there's the newest addition which is the Rouge Volupté Shine which is probably a middle ground of the three ranges, a very glossy finish but still opaque enough to be a lipstick.  

So you ready to hear the price? Here it is...these little numbers come in at around 31.90 (euros) here in France so I'm guessing it's around the end of the 20's mark in pounds, I know pretty expensive! Now the price shock is over I can move on to tell you why/why not it's worth it. If you are looking for a luxurious lipstick then look no further. We all love our drugstores lipsticks which we could by nearly 3 of for the price of one of these but this definitely has a certain "je ne sais quoi" as the french would say. First of all these lipsticks glide onto your lips like butter, they are so creamy it's really hard not to fall in love with it when you first try it. I have the shade Rose Paris which I think is a very misleading name for this colour as to me it's an almost neon coral/pink shade whereas "Rose Paris" sounds more like a dusky pink, but anywayy I'll let that one slide. I would recommend testing the shades in store before you buy anything if you can find these cheaper online.

The colour is very opaque, you really only need one coat to get full impact of the colour, which is a plus as they will last that little bit extra. They have an spf of 15 which I personally like and find that they are very hydrating to the lips, if you have any dryness they don't attract any unwanted attention to those areas. 

The colour range is quite generous, there are plenty of nudes to pink to coral and deep plum shades to chose from in the collection. I would say however that because they are so butter-like on the lips that you have to be careful when applying and maybe use a lip brush to get nice and precise lines. The lipstick does stay put once applied and has a sheen finish, but if you blot your lips you can get more of a matte finish. The lasting power is very good on the one I have, you might only need to reapply once during the day to keep the colour as after about 4 hours it does fade a little but still leaves a stain on the lips.

Overall, I think if you're looking to treat yourself to a really special lipstick with a great formula and beautiful packaging that makes you happy to take out of your handbag to reapply then the Rouge Volupté is definitely worth it.

I'd love to hear if you've tried any of the Rouge Volupté ranges too, and if not do you think you might give them a try?

See you soon! 

Perfume Collection

Now that I've acquired more than two perfumes at the same time I thought hey this could count as a perfume collection! Some are old favourites but I've introduced a few new flames lately that are equally loved and I just had the urge to share them with you. Because who doesn't want to smell good ey? 

Lola by Marc Jacobs - Now I have featured this in a post before, last Christmas I think, and just looking at the bottle now I'm realising how long this is lasting! For me this is my favourite scent from the Marc Jacobs range, I have had a whiff of Daisy which is very popular on the blogosphere (and does smell gorgeous) but i think Lola will always be the one for me (I feel like I'm really talking about someone called Lola, just the perfume you guys! not a real woman...awkward haha). I'm just going to say it, this scent is SEXY, I feel like it's a very deep and rich scent that is definitely more sophisticated and sensual than light and fresh Daisy. I would also say it is more of a night time perfume. 
Tones: pink peppercorn, pear d’anjou, ruby red grapefruit, fuchsia peony, rose, geranium, vanilla, tonka bean and creamy musk.

O d'AZUR by Lancome - This is a staple perfume in my collection which you can see as it is nearly all gone. I will definitely be repurchasing this when it runs out and I'll tell you why ladies. This is such an easy perfume to wear, it isn't over powering and just compliments your own fragrance. It's so light and fresh with it's slightly sweet but mainly floral tones, which makes it beautifully feminine and really an all rounder. My only gripe is that I don't find the scent lasts all day on me, you may need to keep spritzing during the day but it is fairly handbag friendly.

Si by Giorgio Armani - A recent addition to my perfume collection which isn't a scent I'd normally go for, but loving nonetheless is Si.  It is definitely signature of the Giorgio Armani range by it's scent, very chic and modern. When I smell this perfume I find it has a very warm and "feel-good" smell that's also quite comforting (maybe because my sister had the Emporio Armani perfume which was "her scent" for years which makes this quite nostalgic for me). Not to mention the bottle! it's so beautiful (am I really describing a bottle beautiful? think the perfume has gone to my head) and a perfect little decoration on the top of a dresser, which could be a reason alone to buy it. Although I do still think the lid looks like a little coffee bean.

La vie est belle by Lancome - Life is beautiful says Lancome and I couldn't agree more! The best way I can describe this perfume is, it's elegant. As you probably all saw, there was so much advertising for La vie est belle when it was launched that I have to say I did get a little swept into it. Did you guys see the add with Julia Roberts, ohh em gee she looks amazing, I love the part where she breaks out of the diamond strings and I'm like yeah gurl you do your thang! haha. Anywayy, back on to the scent! it does have deep tones but still quite light making this a day to night time perfume, a girly sweet scent that carries blackcurrant vanilla as its main tones. 
Tones: blackcurrant, pear,iris, jasmine, orange blossom,tonka bean, vanilla, praline, patchouli.


Miss Dior Chérie Eau de Toilette by Christian Dior - This is a very special scent, I don't know why but I feel so Parisienne when I wear this perfume. Picturing myself sipping coffee reading a book in a little café by le tour eiffel, ohh la la !! It has such a unique smell that is really like nothing else I've smelt before, Dior you doing it right! At first when you spray it, it has a very strong alcohol smell but when it dries on the skin it releases a beautiful fruity musky scent. This is also a day to night perfume and I'd say it's a younger scent to the rest for the perfumes I've talked about on this post. 
Tones: pineapple, cherry, strawberry, mandarin, popcorn, caramel, jasmine,rose, violet, patchouli, musk, amber.

I hope you guys liked this post, sorry I'm a bit rusty!  As always I love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment on your favourite perfumes I'm always on the hunt for something new to try :) 

Match made in eyelash heaven, They're Real! Benefit Mascara & Sephora Eyelash Curlers.

I've been meaning to put up this post for, well, a long-ass time now! (excuse my french) And as someone who has been on a mission to find a mascara to lengthen my short-pointy eyelashes, I think I can say, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

I bought the They're Real! Benefit mascara awhile ago now after reading a lot of good reviews about this product. So one day whilst impulse buying (nothing new there!) I picked it up along with a Sephora eyelash curler. When I got home and tested this combo out I literally was beaming with excitement as a walked in the living room fluttering my eyelashes to Clément asking does he notice anything new (us girls love to keep our man on his toes with the "notice anything new?" test haha). 

Normally I'm not a fan of plastic/rubber wands but this one leaves just enough product on your lashes without clumping and separates them nicely. It really added the extra "wow" factor to my usually short and straight eyelashes and kept the curl from the Sephora eyelash curler in really well. If you are like me and have quite straight lashes I would definitely say curl your lashes for maximum effect with this product.

It's a little steep at €24 but definitely worth it if you're looking for the long lashes you've always dreamed of!

See you soon! 

How To: Style Short Hair

 HI THERE ! Want to know how to recreate this messy mop? Read on! 

Last week I went to the hair dresser and got more than a couple of inches cut off, I wasn't exactly Rapunzel or anything, my hair was just below the shoulder but to us girls even an inch of hair from the "split ends" can be traumatic (why is it so hard to part with it?). I know I definitely leave that trip to the hair dressers to the very last minute, when my hair just takes the form of a monster on my head and no hair straightener, serum, brush, clips and bits can rule the beast. Okay I think I might by slightly over doing it here, but when my hair gets that unruly and stubborn, I do tend to talk about it as if another creature stuck to my head. The day before I went to the hair dresser I started to slightly panic as I didn't know what I wanted. I started looking for photos to bring with me, as my francais isn't exactly fluent, I wasn't taking any risks! Here's what I found and thought, to hell with it, chop the beast off!

I brought this photo in with me to the hairdresser from the latest edition of Glamour magazine, love the super cute heart dress too, unfortunately it doesn't come with the hair cut *sigh*. Although the model in this photo is stunningly beautiful, I think this hair cut would suit a lot of people. If your hair has a natural kink and you're looking for something easy to maintain, then I think this could be for you too. I love how this hair cut is just to the jawline as it really shows of the neck in a pretty, feminine way. I also love how long earrings get showed off a little more too with this cut. It's a win win situation.

More onto the point though, how to style this look? well it's super easy! If your into big hair with lots of volume then look no further.

At the moment my hair routine consists of the Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly shampoo and conditioner and after the shower I put in a large pump of the L'oreal Kérastase Elixir Ultime serum (that's a mouthful!) that my sister gave me to try out (it smells beautiful and leaves hair soft but not weighed down, thanks Anna!). And then I only half blow dry my hair, leaving it a little to dry naturally.

I then use my Remington hair straighteners to put a loose curl in my hair, they are so old now but they get the job done, so I can't complain! I work my way from the very back to the front pieces of hair throughout each layer.

I always curl my hair in layers, it's a lot easier to do as I always miss pieces of hair in the back if I don't. I lightly spray my hair with the Toni & Guy Firm Hold hairspray as I do each layer, making sure the curl doesn't drop too much along the way. 

When I'm finished curling all of my hair I gently pull my fingers through, teasing the curls apart to give a more natural wave. Finally I rub the roots of my hair with my fingers to give extra volume and give a final spritz of hairspray.

I normally would just leave my hair like this, leaving those wavy curls bouncy and wild, but for more of a sophisticated look I like to twist a little piece of my hair from the front, on the side where my fringe doesn't fall and pin it back with a clip, like the flower one below.

I don' know why I'm stretching my neck out like a giraffe, but I told you guys I can't pose!

Gotta love a blurry photo! never know what the iphone shots are gonna give ya.

And there we go, that's my how to style short hair! Let me know if you guys find this helpful in anyway or if you have any suggestions for me on how you style your short hair, I love reading all your lovely comments :) Also if you have any hair products you think I should try out, please tell me! I'm always up for new things to try.

See you soon beauties! 

Smoothie Friday!

On Wednesday me and Clément went out to buy Holly (our dog) some food and came back with a smoothie maker and waffle machine. Needless to say we got slightly distracted at our local electrical appliance store! Some people could say it was impulsive, but life is starting to feel a little more complete now the waffle machine is around.  The excitement of coming home with all these new kitchen gadgets was hard to contain, so not long before I plugged in the smoothie maker, that baby was being put into action! 

Here is the the recipe for my oh so scrumptious banana, pineapple and strawberry smoothie! If these pictures don't send those healthy vibes through your computer screen and make you want to make this, then I don't know what will ;)

You will need:

• 2 bananas 
• Handful or two of strawberries
• Half a pineapple
• Around 3/4 table spoons of natural yogurt 
• Table spoon of Honey
• And a splash of orange juice 

Prep all your delicious fruit by chopping everything into small chunks. I'd recommend not using the core of the pineapple as it doesn't blend too well in smoothie machine, and we don't want to ruin your smoothie after all that hard work chopping!

You can use any juice you have lying around if you wan't to, I just had this "le pur jus d'orange avec pulpe" in my frigo so I poured a little of that vitamin C goodness into the mix.

 Pop everything into the machine, on goes the lid and get blitzing! I used a pot of greek yogurt I had in the fridge with honey already in it, so if your feeling lazy like me that'll work fine.

ET VOILA! Quick, fruity smoothie that contains your five portions of fruit for the day! This makes about 4 glasses of smoothie so just pop it in the fridge for later when you feel a bit peckish but wan't something healthy :)


Let me know if you give this a whirl! And if you like these sort of posts, I thought I'd try branch out a little since beauty is all in our food too ;)

Liebster Award (again!) & Versatile Blogger Award

The rules of the Liebster Award are:

1. Thank your Liebster Award presenter on your blog

2. Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.

4. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs of 200 or less followers who you feel deserve to be noticed

5. Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog.

  

Bonjour!

 So since arriving back on the blogging scene I've realised I have some award catching up to do! And since these two awards are relatively similar what not do them together? Wow genius over here huh! 

Thanks to the lovely Cerys-Eve over at One Brush Beauty for nominating me for the Liebster Award to take part in! Cerys-Eve has an awesome blog going on over there so you should definitely go check it out, if not just for her eyebrows, serious eyebrow envy going on here haha! they're fab.

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

2. Include a link to their blog.

3. Select 15 new blog/bloggers you've recently discovered or follow regularly.

4. Nominate those bloggers for a Versatile Blogger Award, leave a link to their page and a comment on their latest post to let them know they've been nominated.

5. Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

And thank you to the lovely Carrie from Carrie Brighton for tagging me in the versatile blogger award, been following Carries blog for quite sometime now and can really say she's just as lovely as her blog :) And thank you to Haley from Girl Meets Glamour World for nominating me too, just starting reading more of Haleys blog and she's so much fun to read! So please go and check them out, you won't regret it, I promise ;)


SO let's crack on with the 11 Randoms Facts about Moi: (7 facts for the Versatile blogger award)

1.  I don't really like TV, I never get into TV shows and not the type to arrange my day/night around a TV programme or anything like that, if the TV's on it's just a bit of background noise in this household (especially if cléments got the football on).

2. My ALL TIME favourite dessert, ever, the only thing that claims that little space in my heart and earns the favourite dessert title is,  lemon tart. Lemon meringue pie also qualifies, anything along the lines of a pie or tart with lemon, I'm gonna be on it like a car bonnet!

3. Even though I live in France, a place of tea's and coffee, I always go down to my local Irish store to stock up on "Barrys Gold Blend" Irish tea, god knows what would happen if there was no barrys tea in the flat, all hell would break loose thats what!

4. I am easily addicted to games on my iphone, once it's downloaded and I've played non-stop for an hour, I'm a goner. You'll be lucky to hold a conversation with me whilst the gaming action is commencing. Yes, I am a victim to the new Candy Crush, and I need help!

5. I don't wear make-up every single day, or sometimes maybe a few days. If I haven't got anywhere to go or even if I have, I think what the hell! Sometimes it's so much effort to put all my make-up on to go grocery shopping, who am I trying to impress, pineapples?

6. I haven't got a ton of friends, I found school really hard growing up and struggled to "fit-in" as I was super shy, even though I'm still kinda shy, I've a couple of really close friends I met when I was really young who have stuck by me through thick and thin and that's good enough for me.

7. I have a French Bulldog and she is my baby, even if she farts ALOT, she makes these really cute noises when she's tired and wants to get comfy so I jut can't help but love her.

8. If I could just win the lottery I would buy a plane ticket tomorrow to travel the world and high tail it outta here! I'm always itching to go new places and see the world, it's the romantic and spontaneous side of me.

9. I would love to own my own little shop or café, selling all home baked cakes and treats (lemon tarts hehe) and life would just be perfect.

10. I love candles, I could never get enough of them, if anyone ever wants to buy me presents, they can never go wrong with candles! I got these beautiful smelling candles for Christmas from cléments parents and ohh emm geee do they smell guuurd.

11. Daisies are my favourite flower, I will love anything with a daisy design, clothes, shoes, earrings, cups, wallpaper, anything!



Now for Cerys-Eves questions!

1. What made you start blogging?

I started blogging after I watched beauty youtubers for awhile and started reading a lot of beauty blogs, even though I'm not ready to make any youtube videos I still love to make blog posts, taking nice photos and spending time talking and sharing with other like minded people. 

     2.  Whats your guilty pleasure?

Oh gosh I have tooo many, when I think of guilty pleasure it's always food, food is my weakness. What better feeling is there than indulging in a big mac meal with fries, and oh yes it's the large meal we're talking about here, go big or go home haha!

    3.  What brand could you not live without?

Ohhh interesting question, I guess I couldn't live without Bourjois, they are a bit hit and miss sometimes with their products, but I think on the whole they are a really good brand and I love the packaging too.

    4.  If you were an animal what animal would you be and why?

I would be a biiiiird, flying freeeee!

     5.  If you could only carry 3 makeup items in your bag what would they be and why?

Foundation, powder and mascara. Those are the essentials in my books, powder because I have oily-ish skin and if I don't powder I can just say goodbye to my foundation during the day! And mascara because my eyes look dull and tired without it.

     6.  Liquid or pencil liner?

Uhhhm, Gel! I really love the Maybelline gel liner so I'd have to choose that. But between liquid and pencil I'd go with pencil because I make such a mess when it comes to liquid liner, epic fail every time.

     7.  Is there any where that you would really love to travel to?

YES! New Zealand, I don't know why but it's been a destination on my mind for a long time, I just heard that the people are really laid back and that it has beautiful landscape, so I'm all up for that! Somebody take me? please?

     8.  Favourite book and why?

I really loved The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and that whole trilogy, but my favourite is still the first, I don't know why with the rape and everything but the whole story of this misunderstood girl who is super intelligent and bad ass just really made me love Lisbeth the main character.

    9. What is your classic look?

I go with a nude eye, just heavy on the mascara on the top eyelashes, pink cream blush on the cheeks and a pinky-nude lip. All very plain! 

10. Highend or Budget products and why?

Budget for me, I do like to indulge in a few high end products when the budget allows, but my make up definitely contains more drug store brands because over-all I like going in and rooting around those products more.

11. Every cloud has a silver lining...true or false?

I sure hope so! 

I feel like every blog I read has already done the lovely Liebster award sooooooo, if anyone is reading this and hasn't been nominated for it, I nominate YOU! Yup that's right, taking rules into ma own hands here and nominating any new bloggers on the scene to join on in here and do the following questions, please leave a comment if you decide to do it!


1. What is one of your talents that you are secretly proud of and like to do?

2. Do you have any funny hobbies like stamp collecting that not many people know you do?

3. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life what would it be?

4. Are you a home bird or do you like lots of change and travel?

5. If I told you that I put 1000 euros/pounds in your bank what would you use it for?

6. Can you play any musical instruments? 

7. What was a nickname given to you by family/friends and why?

8. Is there any childhood thing you did that lasted a little too long (watching cartoons, etc) that perhaps you secretly still love? 

9. What is your favourite film and why?

10. If you could speak another language, what would it be?

11. When your not blogging, what is your other favourite past-time? 

That's it for the Liebster award, now onto my nominees for the Versatile Blogger Award Ohhhhhh ! ;)

Katy Giggles and Make up

Stephanie Stephanie's Style Blog

Shona Shona Lou xo

Emma-Kate Handpicked Beauty

Nadja Throw Me Something Beautiful

Sophie Daydreams & Style

Ellie The Beauty Cave

Gabriëlle The Last Broken Road

K Lee Kiss Kiss by K.Lee

Megan The Beauty Pier

Charlotte Black and White Sheep

Lexii Lexii's Lovable Lifestyle

Michel Burst with Envy

Chrisitie Christie Mariee

Sasha Beyond my Make up

 I hope everyone I nominated has fun doing this too! See you in my next post!

Oh hi there! I'm back........:) (Update!)

Golly gosh it's been awhile huh! *awkward silence* I kind of disappeared off the scene there just as I got to my 100 followers which was completely unintentional, I'm sorry! I feel like I should write a big explanation to you guys of what happened there in that little blip. But I guess life just got in the way there for  a bit. Losing my grandad and dad in the last 6 months has been a bit rough to say the least so my love for my blog got put on the back burner as I really didn't feel up to it for awhile. But here I am, back again with lots more posts to come! I guess we all need a break now and again ey? 

I'd also like to congratulate the winner of my giveaway Rebecca! And to thank everyone who entered and who left comments on their spring favourites. I loved reading them all and it's given me some inspiration to branch out a bit this Spring! The days are getting longer, the sun is getting warmer, it's time to get Spring into full swing here, I hope you'll all be coming along with me on this blog adventure over here on A Bit OF Lippy ;) see you in my next post!