For the Love of Lipstick

Lipstick. It conjours feelings of romance, love, loss, heartbreak and so much more. It's a tube
full of memories and experiences. I know that this blog post is already starting to show signs of my inate lippy obsession. I seriously can't help it. I have looked up (I kid you not) lipstick addiction on Google. It just brought me to Wikipedia which in turn helped spur on my addiction. I have since become intrigued by the history of lipstick itself. According to Wikipedia ancient Mesopotamian women were (possibly) the first women to invent the glorious stuff. Why was it invented in the first place? I find it facsinating that women woke up one day and decided to smear their lips with all sorts of dyes and crazy ingrediants. Self expression springs to mind. An expression of moods, feelings, etc.

    Yes, lipstick is a form of expression. We all know that. It can tell you a lot about the wearer. Or in some cases, nothing at all. But it has a purpose, whatever the message. Bringing lipstick back to this particular century, I think our relationship with lip products has evolved. Lipstick is art. It's Monet in a pretty little tube. For me, it creates characters, produces particular feelings, sets things into motion. Ok. Even if you don't think it creates/evokes ALL of these things, it does something to you subconsciously. It stays with you. A great example of this character forming quality is seen in movies. The obvious being Marylin's ruby red pout and Brigitte Bardot's nude creamy sensuous mouth. Need I elaborate on the evocacative nature of these iconic lips. The lipstick has brought their inner selves to life. They are known to us through these images. Lipsticks are the stuff of dreams. Yes. As you can see, obsession is too light a word for my relationship with the red, pink, orange, coral (I've worn a blue one before. Let's just say, NO) stuff.
 

   Twin Peaks. Have you watched it? Oh My God. It is life (Another obsession alert). But that blog post is for another day. In this Lynchian drama the women are mostly wearing a beautiful shade of an orange/red lipstick. It is so sharp and vivid and almost pops out of the screen. This particular shade evokes feelings of mystery and intrigue. It's a fiery shade of red, a red that demands to be seen and understood. It brings a new dimension almost to each of the characters. I've been in search of this 'perfect' red since I first set eyes on the show and finally found my beloved Mac Lady Danger (perfect name for it, don't you think?!). Whenever I'm feeling somewhat rebellious/conflicted/inviting, this lippy makes an appearance.  Another (and last, I promise) film reference to lipstick would have to be the rather evocative, dreamy French movie Belle De Jour. Catherine Deneuve's character Severine is always wearing a sheer, beige nude throughout the film. I won't give anything away but her character is conflicted. Her lipstick displays both innocence and sterness. If you haven't seen it, DO! Anyhows, cosmetic giant Nars has also picked up on this film idea because one of their most famous nude shades is named after this French masterpiece. See, I'm not (that) mad after all.
 
Anyhows, I know this post is quite long but if you share the love for lipsticks of all shades and sizes hopefully my 'exploration' of it will be somewhat interesting for you (or hopefully at least subconsciously...see what I did there...no...oh well). Anyhows, I thought I'd end by listing my all time favourite lip products.

Nars- Belle De Jour - Perfect Sheer Nude (innocent, self aware but with conflicting undertones)
Nars- Schiap- A matte vivid pink (Fun and quirky with mischievous undertones).
Mac- Lady Danger- A very orange red (Fiery and mysterious with wise undertones).
Revlon - Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti- Highly pigmented coral lip butter (Warm, playful with rebellious undertones).
Yeah. I know that undertones thing is getting way too overdone so I'm going to leave it there!  Hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to hear your own favourite lip products. Go on, I won't bite.....

          .........But I'll blow you a big kiss of Ruby Woo...

The Wake Up Make-Up Routine.

 

 

 

 

Yep. Waking up is really hard. Yes Zooey, you speak such truths. To make matters worse, looking out the window and seeing a blizzard in the Summer (Ireland, I love you) doesn't help. I try shrug off the many mental images of me jumping off a cliff and think of the morning make up routine ahead. Yes. Routine. it helps to settle my stomach and gets me moving. First, tea. Shower. Then onto the good stuff! Some people love to hear the birds singing them into awakening, getting their senses into motion. Just thinking of the powdery goodness of my Coralista blusher sets my senses into overdrive. The transformation it brings to the soul (deep, I know) is something which I think all of you make-up fanatics can relate to.

I always try to give myself an bit of time ( half an hour) to apply my make-up. I need to be relaxed and in a yoga like pose whilst doing this (optional *:-D*) and really get focused. I set out my daily essentials in front of me and then choose the lipstick of the day (I mostly grab for the Mac Hue, just to be safe). Insert singing (cute) mice folk who happen to be good at ironing (I'm still in dream mode). It was mice in Cinderlla right?! Yes. It was. There was a super cute one called Gus. You catch my drift (hopefully). Anyhows, after applying my beloved hydraluron, I start massaging my face with my mango smelling Bia Beauty moisuriser ( It's Irish and it smells DIVINE). Then a quick slather of my favourite BB cream by Dr.Jart helps to even out my skin tone and provide me with an SPF25. 

  I have opened my curtains at this stage. Windy, cloudy, ah well. I've always got my Nars Sheer Glow to illuminate my face. A soft sweep of Benefit's Coralista onto my cheeks. I'm nearly done. Onto eyes. A nice, gentle sweep of Urban Decay's Sin. My eyes are now near alive. Then, Rimmel ScandalEyes pencil in bronze to blend into my crease. The tea has now kicked in and I now have full use of both my hands. A (quick) glide of my Essence liquid liner and a couple of coats of Maybelline Falsies mascara and I'm alive! Wait, I've forgotten my eyebrows! It's the Rimmel brow pencil in brown/black with its handy little brush on the lid. My morning therapy is complete. I am me. My identity has awoken and I am, who I am meant to be. The philosophical ramblings aside, make-up makes me happy! It's the sparkly sheen of the Urban Decay palette and the creamy, dewy texture of the Bourjois blushes that awaken my spirit and my will to get involved in the big bad world out there.

 

I pack my bits back into my Minnie Mouse make-up bag (my subconscious seems to link rodents with make-up...lovely) and get dressed in a hurry. Filled with hope and gleaming from the inside out, I walk out the front door and run for the bus. Although I know the make-up will diminish throughout the day (it shouldn't though...damn you Maybelline 16 hour lipstick...hmmm) it has helped contribute to the waking up process and the opening of my eyes to the beauty of the world. This was a VERY deep first blog post. If you're passionate about make-up and skincare you will know that it's not just a nascissitic pleasure, it's apart of who you are. It's your portrayal of how you feel. It's an act of creation. It's life. Ok. Maybe not life (although I would DIE without it). How does your morning make-up routine differ? Are you as passionate about the morning make-up routine as I am...or more?Thank you so much for reading this blog post and I hope you enjoyed it. What are your morning go-to products? I would LOVE to know. Getting butterflies at the thought of it!

 

 

No mice were harmed during the production of this blog :-)