If you spotted a sloggi comp on the blog and now can’t find it, don’t panic. The post went up prematurely and will be back up on Wednesday. Sorry about that!
Please don’t send your entry email through again, I’ve got it safe and sound so you can consider yourself in it to win it.
Love, love
Leigh
How much do we freakin’ love Batiste dry shampoo? I use it almost every day regardless of whether my hair feels greasy or not as I’m addicted to the lift it gives my roots. Addicted! Along with Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation and Famous Dave’s self tanning mousse it’s a pre-launch party staple. You’ll find the little travel-size cans in every handbag, my gym bag and glove box. I can’t gush enough as to the awesome of this product.
Anyway, Batiste is now available in two new variants; Cherry and Paisley.
Pretty, pretty!
Cherry is a soft, sweet, unobtrusive scent – like subtle, powdery cherries that makes me think of a Tinkerbelle lippie I had as a kid. I’d happily buy it as I love the can’s design. So pretty, so girly, so retro, so awesome.
Paisley is less pretty-looking but was designed to smell like a regte perfume with top, middle and basenote that include citrus, jasmine, rose, apple, raspberry, patchouli, musk, vanilla and caramel. Quite the mix there Batiste! On me, however, it just smells like a clean, light floral with the slightest, teensiest hint of vanilla.
Are you as big a Batiste fan as I am? I’m happy to use all of them really but most like the original one as it just smells clean and fresh. Do you have a particular favourite?
Love, love
Leigh
French fashion house Lanvin have just launched a new perfume, simply titled Lanvin Me.
Lanvin Me EDT
Being a jaded, evil cow, my first thought was that this is the scent for the newly single girl after getting divorced from the dude she used to run around with while wearing the brand’s previous scent, Marry Me. However, Lanvin reckon it’s for anyone woman who’s unique, unpretentious, spontaneous, elegant and confident. She also likes her jewels and that’s expressed via a pretty li’l gem stone on a golden chain that’s afixed to the front of the bottle.
Lanvin Me: Narcissism never looked so darn pretty.
Juice-wise, Lanvin Me is a fruity floral that opens with sparkly mandarin orange and juicy blueberry before revealing a licorice and rose heart on a bed of sandalwood.
I spritzed it on my wrist about two hours ago, shoved it under the nose of a friend who is a boy and he immediately picked up on the mandarin and licorice which is impressive. Usually men just go ‘ja, that’s nice, hey’. Perhaps the fact that this one is big into wine helps him pick up on individual notes.
I also got the opinions of my flatmate Kim and her sister Tatum. Kim reckons it’s ‘soft and sensual and pretty’ while Tat thinks its ‘different, mysterious and sexy’. She reckons it’s the fragrance of someone who dares to be different and starts her own trends. Kim envisions a well heeled, no nonesense business woman who’s still feminine.
To me, I get the mandarin and licorice and the faintest drop of blueberry. It then turns into something soft and woody with just a hint of powder. In this way it reminds just the teensiest bit of Lolita Lempicka and Diesel Loverdose, albeit a much more sophiticated version of the latter. It’s really quite subtle so its the kind of thing I’d wear during the day; an easy to wear spritz on and go type of scent that could take you anywhere; from the office to a Saturday morning running errands.
Despite being slightly sweet, it’s not too young and doesn’t lack sophistication. I could totally see it being worn by one of those French women who manage to carry off casual chic with brown ballet flats and a silk scarf.
Have you given Lanvin Me a sniff? If so, tell me what you think in the comments section. You’ll find the fragrance at selected Truworths, Edgars, Woolies and Stuttaford stores right now going for R495 for 30mls, R695 for 50mls and R995 for 80mls.
Love, love
Leigh
New Maybelline SuperStay 14 HR lipstick (R129,95) has hit the shelves.
It arrived in a cutesy clock-shaped box that gave a bit of insight into the Maybelline’s girls day. As it turns out she only sleeps between 11 and 12 which, as a friend of mine pointed out, means she might well be going through a bit of a manic episode at the mo.
Forgive my crappy cell camera pic.
Still, bi-polar dramz aside, the Maybelline girl has one less thing to worry about: her lippie isn’t going to budge. I was given a shade called Infinitely Fuchsia and reckon it’s utterly gorgeous. I love a blue-based fuchsia lip; it lights up pale skin and creates the illusion of whiter-looking teeth.
‘What you doing Leigh?’ Oh you know… taking awkward selfies in bed. The usual…
The lippie claims to have an ultra lightweight, comfortable, formula (‘no dragging, no drying’) that delivers high impact colour that lasts 14 hours as the pigments are enveloped in a longwearing system.
I wore it all of yesterday and yes, it slicks on with ease and certainly does feel light on the lips. The colour is definitely striking and you only need one slick to get full impact. As far as longevity goes, I didn’t manage to wear it for 14 hours as I hit the gym in the middle of the day and needed a shower, but it certainly does go the distance in that it survived a cup of coffee with a rusk and lots of lip licking (mostly in the name of testing but also due to it’s yummy red lollipop flavour). I only really needed to touch it up a bit after eating a saucy spag bol for lunch. Impressive!
While it’s not as hydrating as other lipsticks it’s certainly not nearly as drying as other ‘long-wearing’ lippies I’ve tried in the past. Try them out next time you’re in store and let me know what you think. I think you’ll like them.
Love, love
Leigh
UPDATE: So! I wore this yesterday and came home with a crushing migraine o’ death, the kind that saw me smashing a fistful of OTC muscle relaxants and painkillers into my face before blacking out, hoping to God I wouldn’t wet the bed if I coughed in the night. Sexy, glamorous times, ya’ll!
Anyway, upon waking up, I looked like a dead animal but – surprise, surprise – my lipstick was hundreds. Hundreds! While I’m super glad to have not woken up in the ER, I take comfort in knowing that I’d have had lippie on. Nice one Maybelline. Very, very nice…
Following the runaway success of Jimmy Choo’s first perfume, Jimmy Choo, the sexy designer footwear brand have released a brand new scent; Jimmy Choo FLASH.
Jimmy Choo FLASH Eau De Parfum
“FLASH is about the cool rush of excitement and the sense of power a woman feels when dressed in a pair of sexy shoes. Its character, which is both heady and effervescent, captures this perfectly”, says Sandra Choi, Jimmy Choo’s Creative Director.
When you compare it to the first fragrance, FLASH isn’t as sweet but I reckon it’s still pretty gourmand-smelling even though the official notes don’t really back that up. It’s also got a certain ‘lush floral powderiness’ to it, something I pick up in the first scent, so you can still tell they’re ‘sisters’.
Notes-wise, you’re looking at strawberry, tangerine and pink pepper top notes with a white floral heart of tuberose, jasmine and lily that rest on a sheer woody base of heliotrope and blonde wood.
The model took flash quite literally…
When I spritz it on my arm I smell a burst of citrus, a bit of strawberry and then the jasmine and lily notes appear. It quickly dries down to something that, to my nose, could best be described as very sweet vanilla and wood with a hint of powdery marshmallows. This lingers around forever. The staying power is very, very good. Not quite on a Mugler level, but close. It’s the kind of scent you’d wear at night or during the day in cooler weather when you’re all dressed up and in heels, Jimmy Choo or otherwise.
Now let’s talk about the bottle, shall we? I don’t think it’s as pretty as that of the first Jimmy Choo scent, but it is rather nice to look at. It reminds me of those fancy crystal flacons that rich people in soap operas keep their whiskey in. According to the Choo peeps, however, it was inspired by a 70′s modernist chandelier. The juice’s violet hue is meant to be akin to the UV lights you’ll find in a night club as well as the flash of a paparazzi bulb.
If you’re into sweet statement-making florals like Dior’s Hypnotic Poison or Gucci Flora, give Jimmy Choo FLASH a spritz. You’ll find it in stores like Foschini and Edgars going for R535 for 40mls, R795 for 60mls and R995 for 100mls.
Love, love
Leigh
