Giorgio Armani Privé Pivoine Suzhou - review

If you've been near Brown Thomas lately, then you won't have avoided getting a whiff of this gorgeousness before you've even reached the Beauty Hall; Giorgio Armani Privé's latest EdT.  Called Pivoine Suzhou (yes, I haven't the faintest idea how to pronounce it either), this is the latest addition to “Les Eaux” collection and supposedly the first Armani Privé fragrance to be inspired by the gardens of Asia.

Crème de la Mer The Treatment Lotion - review

Oh look, I know I'm a CDLM junkie, but seriously, this is the first thing since my Chanel Trio, which in turn was the first thing since my very first introduction to (Crème de) La Mer, all those year ago, that really made a huge, noticeable, tangible difference to my skin.

The (relatively) new Crème de la Mer Treatment Lotion is one of those rare things in skincare;  it does what it says.  Ok, you can ignore the bumpf on the CDLM site about it being a "miraculous source of vitality" or that it's like "liquid energy".  How and ever, a drop-and-a-bit of this each day really helps.

Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil - Review

MontyC here and I've got a right little gem for you this week here on Planet Make Up For Dolls!  Take a look at this - it's the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil, the newest addition to the Instant Light range (I'm never without the amazing Instant Light Lip Perfector) and what a fantastic addition it is too.  This was released as part of the Garden Escape (Spring 2015) Collection from Clarins a couple of months ago.

Me 'n my Clarisonic Mia2

Hello everybody, and a very belated Happy New Year to you all!  (With apologies from The Ed;  I'm only after now getting around to posting this!)  I've been meaning to write a review of my Clarisonic Mia for quite a while now.  I had heard a few rave reviews from others about how amazing this wonderful little gadget is, and I was intrigued by the term "facial sonic cleansing", and I wanted one.  Knowing it was a bit on the pricier side than I'm usually happy about spending on my face, I was deterred, but one day when shopping in Debenhams with my husband I came across a lovely boxed set at the Lancôme counter which included the Clarisonic Mia2, a pLink charger, a travel case, a sensitive brush head, a small tube of Clarisonic cleansing gel and a full sized tube of Lancôme Gel Éclat (which I've reviewed already over here), all for a bargain-busting €149... sure why not so (Mr. ArtyMama insisted, sure he's great so he is).

YSL Beauty, Google Glasses & Brown Thomas Dublin - weird but interesting collaboration!

Now here's something verrrrrry cool which appeals to both the Makeup Nut and the Geek in me.

Although the Google Glass project has, as far as I'm aware, been cancelled, there are still prototypes lying around and this is a particularly clever collaboration between Yves Saint Laurent Beauté and Google Glass - a "bespoke makeup tutorial experience", available exclusively at Brown Thomas Dublin as part of their Spring Beauty Event this year.

This "complete retail experience" aims to capture makeup application through the eyes of the professional (so presumably the MUA wears the Google Glasses), allowing the person having their makeup done to benefit from the perspective of the makeup artist later on - footage of the makeover is recorded, along with a before-and-after shot, advice and the step-by-step tutorial of the personalised makeup experience.  This highly customised video footage is later emailed to the customer, along with their tutorial footage, and (even more clever) the list of suggested (YSL Beauté, natch!) products used with direct links to buy (presumably from the Brown Thomas website).

This is a genuinely clever example of a clever use of a technology for which there really weren't any hard requirements, it really was a "solution without a problem" to-date, technology for its own sake really.  I'm liking this.  I am going to book in.  It's from 11th March I believe and in BT Dublin only to my knowledge.  Fred Letailleur (YSL's North European makeup brand ambassador is on-counter on 10th March for a series of masterclasses and 11th March for the Irish unveiling of Google Glasses for Yves Saint Laurent Beauté.  Appointments will cost €35, but they're redeemable against purchase on the day.

Am intrigued!