Drugstore tester using skanks. An open letter.

Dear human beings. This is a plea.

The other day I was on my way out. Now, when i'm off out for the night, I need to INDUSTRIALLY protect my lipstick. I'm not like you lovely beautiful creatures who gently rub a little lippie over your mouth and look beautiful, pouting and fulsome of mouth all night. Once my lips start to wear and crack due to all the many, many free drinks, I look pretty rubbish. Therefore after I applied my brand new Poppy King Hot Rose Sinner lipsticks, I wanted to keep it on the night! I'll review this lippie soon btw, it's my new fave. It's a 90 (yes NINETY) percent pigment winner.

So what did I need? I am lucky enough to live near a Superdrug that opens until 11pm at night so I popped in to buy the Rimmel Lipstick Lock that they've recently released to compete with the old school wonders of Lipcote, which i'm a massive fan of. They're not infallible, because not much is in make up, despite its claims. However they do give you a good few hours more wear than you'd get otherwise. So I stomped in quickly in the five minutes I had before my train departed and grabbed the last one from the display...

A Rimmel Stand. At some point. 

I got to the counter and what did I notice? Oh that age old problem. Some total effing SKANK had opened it, used it, and then put it back on the shelf after sealing her dark red mucky lips with it. 

Here's the news girls. Make up is NOT a communal thing when it comes to using of it. Okay, I share my make up with my best friends. I don't mind doing it because I love them and I love to share everything with my friends, unless they've got face fungus. However, when you go into Superdrug or Boots, and I stand next to you and you are USING THE LIPSTICK TESTER ON YOUR OWN MOUTH, it makes me want to curl up and cry in horror and lack of hygienic practises. 

If you're currently thinking 'what's the big deal?'. Read this report courtesy of the LA Times.  If you do that stuff with testers, you are basically drinking 1000 peoples germs. That is rank.

So please, please stop it. I like to get an item home and not find it used by some stranger who couldn't be bothered to pay for an item on her way out to, dunno, Wetherspoons or whatever. Also, think of other people occasionally yeah? 

Lots of love,

Hygienic of London. Xxx 

Review - Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Lady

Nars Dragon Lady Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

I am a lover of Nars. A big lover. However, I have never been able to get on with red lipstick. No matter how many I bought, they NEVER looked right. I had always wanted it to suit me due to my passions for Robert Smith and Courtney Love, in the early nineties this is (although I still love Robert with all my heart). 

Robert Smith. How I adore thee...

Courtney Love, back then, when I wanted to look like her 

Kat Bjelland, from Babes In Toyland

Miki Berenyi, from Lush

As an aside, before you think i'm one of those revisionist dickheads who are running around trying to look like the early nineties. I'm not, I was there at the time, at the gigs, and I used to dress like that at the time. If I did it again, I would feel slightly tragic. Not that that time wasn't AMAZING, but come on, if we don't move forward and keep relishing in the early nineties....what's the point in this generation.

Sorry....back to the review. 

So, this is what the Nars website has to say....

The application of a lipstick combined with the convenience of a pencil in a jumbo crayon design. Lips are instantly saturated with rich pigments and a velvety matte finish. The long lasting, non-drying formula is enriched with emollients for a creamy texture, while a combination of unique silicones ensures long-lasting, seamless color for hours. Use for lining, all-over lip color, or pairing with another lip product.

And the results are, it does what it says on the tin!! You get opaque, velvet matte coverage in one pass, it looks...delcious. This is the BEST red I have ever put on my face, it's amazing, AMAZING. It's almost neon it's so bright. It's the most blue red i've seen, so it makes my very very yellow teeth look less yellow (my teeth btw, are APPALLING, and my budge to visit the dentist to get some confidence currently stands at £0.50). 

So my application method is using one of my beloved Sleek Eau La La multi use pencils in Rouge - £4.99 from here to give a crisp line, because the Nars pencil is particularly thick so hard to get definition with. I then filled in with the Dragon Lady, and gave some 3D sculpture with Nars Venom around the edges. See the results below....

My lips, my sofa, and my H&M Kids jumper. 

As for long wear. Well, it dries to a powder finish, one that you can't blot and powder etc like I generally do when I want long wear. However, you CAN use Lipcote (£3.79 from Feelunique) over it and it works an absolute treat. I can eat, drink, and do whatever for about five hours and it looks great. So yes, I highly recommend Dragon Lady. It makes happy happen.

If you want to make happy happen. You can buy Nars Dragon Lady from the Nars Website here for £17.50 or from ASOS here for the same price.