Express yourself!

      Hey Hey Everyone! 

 Ok so, I've been suffering blogger's block over the last few weeks. I've become a little bit underwhelmed by it all to be honest. I find beauty blogs can be a little boring and repetitive to read sometimes as they don't have a bit of a plot to draw me in! I know, it's more about the products than it is the narrative and I'm sorry but I like a little story to go with a blog post, something a little more exciting and relatable. Ok, we all don't want to be reading a load of 'waffle' and want to get straight to the point but sometimes straight to the point can be a little 'cold' and doesn't give me that same feeling of excitement that a well written (albeit short or long) piece creates. This is just a prelude to my love of great writing skills. One blog which always carries my interest would be that of the lovely ViviannaDoesMakeUp. Boy, can that girl tell a tale! I love how her experience of a product gives it a whole new depth of feeling. When she talks about lipsticks, she gets me! She really gets me! It's more than just a waxy colour experiment, it's a way of life!   

  A little aside to this article would be that I thoroughly love when girls can enjoy make-up and beauty and not judge others that don't. On the other end of the spectrum, I hate getting judged at work for wearing a bright pink lip. People can be totally condescending towards you when you express yourself through the creativity of make-up. I really thought by this stage people would get over such petty stuff and not be so narrow minded.   

  There are so many greater issues in the world than how I styled my hair today! An example of this pettiness was (not naming any names) when I was in work a couple of days ago a fellow colleague (when I was covering her role whilst she was going away) told me to keep my head 'out-of-the-clouds'. I took it as pure ignorance. How dare anybody judge you on your appearance. She didn't know me at all but assumed I would be all 'airy-fairy' because I was sporting a bright pink lip and wearing eyeshadow. What?! Seriously. I don't judge her on her choice of not wearing make-up. It's a choice we all make. I wouldn't judge anybody's creativity levels on their 'choice' to wear make-up. This may seem over-exaggerated but I think people are really surprised when they find out I have a degree and a masters degree. I might come across as a bit kooky and alternative in what I choose to wear but this in no way reflects my ability to do a job and excel in that job. Make-up is an extension of me whether I decide to wear a nude lip or a bright, daring purple lip. It's not for attention. It's for myself and my own feelings of contentment. It's a combination of trying to figure out who you are and knowing who you are. 

  Anybody else ever feel this way? I just feel like the beauty culture of today can sometimes be frowned upon by people in all types of working cultures. We are beautiful, unique strong women who can possess great writing skills and love to express our passion for the perfect blush or foundation at the same time!  

Cheers for reading! ;-)

Nicole xx

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...