Sochi 2014: Ladies Figure Skating Team Event- Short Program (Thoughts?)

What's an Olympic event without a few raised brows and a stream of questions on one's Twitter feed? Today's event got tongues wagging as we watched some of the most-anticipated ladies in the field, compete for the first time in the Winter Games roster for their national teams the Figure Skating Team Event. Headliners included Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS), Mao Asada (JPN), Carolina Kostner (ITA) and Ashley Wagner (USA). 

There were a lot of questions afterwards, so instead of writing a preamble, let's just get to it!

RANKINGS after the short program:

(Source: Yahoo)

1. (RUS) Julia Lipnitskaya, 72.90 (TES 39.39 PCS 33.51)- Julia skated a clean program. It was surprisingly excellent- but for me, that was mainly due to the crowd. The Russian audience were outstanding in their support for the fifteen year-old as they cheered her on, complete with a standing ovation before she even finished her final spin. Taking the crowd with you and skating a clean program will get you far in the Games, and this performance took Julia to the top. However, was she overscored? In my opinion- yes. Even before looking at the protocol, it was obvious that there were a few kinks in her otherwise fine program. Julia had a very obvious flutz which was 'overlooked' today, and a terrible double axel that warranted a side-comment from Robin Cousins and +2s in GOE from three judges. Considering the entry and the height and distance that her 2A covers- it's generous to give it a +1. Her components score also kept rising, with 2 points higher than her European Championships score. It's not a surprise that such 'inflation' is seen at the Games but when you have the world watching not just the athletes but also Russia itself- one does wonder who's in charge. I also don't understand how the judges could give her a mid-8 score in Interpretation and Choreography when she's hardly an aesthetic performer. There's no fire, no artistry, no choreography. Unlike her free program, this SP is quite bland. Whatever. All I can say is, if the technical panel proves to be lenient on edge calls all the way to next week, Mao better get +GOEs and no calls on her lutz. After all, the Olympics are all about equality, right technical panel?

2. (ITA) Carolina Kostner, 70.84 (TES 35.92 PCS 34.92)- Surprise, surprise! Carolina skated CLEAN. Complete with a triple toe-triple toe, Caro was fabulous on the ice. She skated to her new short program looking inspired and took on her final Olympic bid head on. She's not as flexible as Julia nor as technically competitive, but her crisp landings and considerable ice coverage earned her enough positive GOEs. I'm fine with her being behind Julia in the TES, although really not by four points, but to have them almost neck in neck in components was a joke. Kostner's lines are much more superior, her musicality and interpretation sublime, and her transitions and skating skills greater than Yuna Kim. I just don't get the mark. I would have given somewhere within the region of 36 and Julia around 31. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here. 

3. (JPN) Mao Asada, 64.07 (TES 31.25 PCS 33.82)- Yes, Asada fell. Not only did she fall, her triple Axel was also downgraded and with the deduction- it was basically a null element. HOWEVER, the rest of Mao's program was absolutely fantastic. Her lines were great as always, her spins were also good- overall, it wasn't a bad performance. All season Asada has been undefeated, and that's with a season of no 'clean' programs (except for GPF, that axel was round.) and her components scores have been steadily around the 34 area. All of the sudden today- what's with the drop? Okay fine, the fall caused a dilemma- but it didn't really affect her overall performance. Her spins, which all season has been awarded a Lv.4 has now dropped. A judge even had the audacity to give her 7s in components (!)- and this is a skater who exudes Chopin's musicality to the tips of her fingers! Her program was well-structured, it has enough transitions and her interpretation and skating skills were otherwise on point. DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT STEP SEQUENCE. Mao is the QUEEN of the StSq- and hers today was not in way shape or form a Level 3. WHAT IS GOING ON?! She's in the right position but should be a point higher in her second mark IMO. 

4. (USA) Ashley Wagner, 63.10 (TES 32.16 PCS 30.94)- Another skater hammered down on PCS was Ashley Wagner. Unfortunately for Diva Wagner, despite landing the triple flip-triple toe which she missed during the warm-up, she landed her backend toe on two feet and her flip was called underrotated. Ouch. She was very cautious and nervous heading in, but in the end she pulled off a good program that would have done her great service at Nationals. However, we're in Russia. Of course it wasn't going to be good enough- and the judges were saving marks for a certain *ahem* favourite. Her skating style fitted the music perfectly, and despite not having the best lines or skating skills (or transitions- while we're at it), her PCS shouldn't have been that low. A 31-2 at the most maybe, and that's with Olympic inflation- but the disgust on her face when she was given her scores said it all. 

5. (CAN) Kaetlyn Osmond, 62.54 (TES 33.86 PCS 28.68)- I really am not a fan of Osmond's and I couldn't care less about her performance- however, she skated cleanly after coming back from the injuries that plagued her all season! Well done. She showed flashes of the Kaetlyn that caught everyone's attention last year, full of fire and personality on the ice. I thought it was funny that the judges gave her a mid-6 for linking footwork and transitions. HER WHOLE PROGRAM IS LIKE RAPUNZEL'S HAIR WHEN ITS BRAIDED! In fact, one would argue that there's too much. Whatever. I don't see her medalling, but I would have been generous and given her a somewhere between a 29-30 in components. 

At this point, I don't know if the judges are trying to prop up Julia as THE medal contender, or if they're sending Kim a message, or they're just being terribly inconsistent or if they're being pressured (yes, I went there.) The good thing is, this is only a team event. I see this more as a good tune-up for the athletes to test out the Sochi ice before their upcoming individual events. After all, one would hate to see one's favourite peak at the most unimportant event in the roster. On a positive note, putting the over/underscoring aside, it's surprisingly fun to watch the teams interact with each other. It's not quite as fabulous as the World Team Trophy, but at least it's giving enough good vibes for all the athletes, having their teammates' support at the Kiss and Cry. 

Click here to see the protocols.

Watch out for tomorrow's free skate event. It's set a 19:00hrs local Sochi time. For us in the UK, we can enjoy Robin Cousin's enlightened commentary on BBC Sports at 3pm. 

Guerlain's Meteorites: Just Glow Already!

Rarely do I ever buy something because of its pretty packaging. 

(........somewhere out there, a fairy just dropped dead.......)

Okay, fine. That's a lie. I DO BUY PRODUCTS FOR THEIR PACKAGING. There. I said it. I like the bells and whistles okay?

I may well have been a cat in another life because I gravitate towards the shiny and the pretty. Which then explains why it doesn't come as a shock that I got myself one of Guerlain's BEAUTIFUL tins of glow power. Yup. I got me some Meteorites! 

Sochi 2014: The Ladies Roster- Who Will Win Gold?

The Games at Sochi is just days away from commencement, and sure enough- the ladies' figure skating event remains the jewel in the crown of the Winter Olympics. The fact that it is slotted in the later half of the event raises more tension and excitement in the air. Who's going to take the gold? We have a very deep field of seasoned veterans and fresh young talent, waiting to take their place on the ice and leap their way to victory. Take a look at the ten ladies you should watch out for: (The ranking is how I predict the top ten will finish)

Yu Na Kim (Getty Images)

1.) Yu Na Kim (KOR)- The reigning World and Olympic Champion comes back to defend her title after a rather light, yet still impressive, couple of seasons. Kim managed to prove her critics wrong when she sashayed in at London, Ontario last year, beating the competition to a pulp despite being away from the circuit all season. In the run up to the Winter Games in Sochi this month, Kim showed little signs of wear and tear, failing to skate clean programs at the Golden Spin Trophy and South Korean National Championships. It's not costly as was shown by her victories, but every little counts when she has young and hungry skaters breathing down her neck. Due to her low ISU ranking, she is set to skate in the earlier groups. This can be a good thing in that there will be no pressure as she should stay ahead of the pack going into the final group. However, as history can often repeat itself- the judges may want to save marks for later and leave Kim a few points behind like they did at Worlds, despite a perfect skate. It will prove vital that she lands her triple lutz-triple toe combination in both her programs, and skate with the fire that has been lacking since her win at Vancouver, to win gold again and the chance to add her name to a rather short and exclusive list of repeat Olympic Champions. 

Mao Asada (Getty Images)

2.) Mao Asada (JPN)- She remains unbeaten in the circuit this season, as she was last season in the run up to the World Championships. However, come the showdown between Asada and Kim last March, she made a couple of costly errors that ultimately cost her the gold. Since her silver medal at Vancouver, she seeked out revered Japanese coach Nobuo Sato to help her restructure and relearn her jumps from scratch to regain full use of her arsenal. Asada remains to be the only woman who is capable of landing all six jumps, however, it all depends of whether she does land them. She has matured greatly in artistry in the last four years, and so in the run up to Sochi, Asada once again looks as a heavy favourite for gold. I put her behind Kim because unless she had changed her mind, she enters the free skate with a hope of landing two triple axels again, therefore removing her lutz (which apart from the change of edge, has been looking solid thus far) and her triple-triple combination. This poses as a problem because she had only managed to land her triple axel cleanly, once this season. Nevertheless, she goes into the Games with the strongest short program, a renewed reputation with the judges, and a gutsy fighting spirit that may serve her well and land her on top of the podium. 

(EDIT: Mao has just announced she's ditching the second 3A in the free program for a more balanced layout. Phew! Good girl! Read it here.)

Julia Lipnitskaya (Getty Images)

3.) Julia Lipnitskaya (RUS)- This young Russian prodigy has proven that she is a main threat. She doesn't yet have the artistry of Kim and Asada but she has the technical goods to blow the competition away. Despite her tendency to flutz and her relatively small jumps, she is capable of landing a solid triple lutz-triple toe. Puberty is also on her side, being small still and so flexible- so if she hasn't gone through the ugly shift just yet, then now will be the time to strike! Clean will have to be Julia's agenda heading into the Games, and the fact that she will be competing on home turf and skating to Schindler's List- the stars may very well align for this young talent and get her a medal at her first Olympics. Her recent victory at the European Championships will also help with the judges to cement her status as a serious contender. Yes, her scores have seen a rather dramatic rising from the Grand Prix Series to the Euros, but will we see the same 'inflation' at Sochi? The Russians are notorious when it comes to politicking, but at the end of the day, ice is slippery. She showed cracks when she competed at the Cup of Russia earlier this season, and she heads into the Games as Russia's number two. Anything can happen. 

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Mascara

Joining the canon of mascaras at Estee Lauder is its new family member- Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length Mascara. It's been a while since Lauder had launched a new mascara, but if it doesn't have a purpose that the existing roster does not fulfill already, then there really wasn't going to be much point. After all, we can't all be like Maybelline or L'Oreal who seem to have a new release and a 'new' brush every two weeks (yes, I want 'butterly wings' for eyelashes...) All I'm saying is, if they can afford to spend money on creating new mascaras every week, surely they should just put that in creating a technology and a formula that's good enough to last for years. Anyway, rant over. 

As I was saying, as a company- Estee Lauder seems to be one of those brands who follows the saying 'If it ain't broke, why fix it?'. They already have a reliable and effective selection of mascaras, so there's the question of why release a new one? As soon as I got my hands on one, I proceeded to examine and test out this new tube. And you all know I like my lash wands. Here is what I found:

I couldn't get my camera to zoom in properly, so pardon the tissue background ^^ You can see the graduated comb though!

The wand is of course, the highlight and feature of the mascara. Lauder have finally caught on the trend of silicone moulded wands and although it isn't exactly groundbreaking, trust the brand to give their own twist to the trend. In comparison to the general look of the silicone brush (which is really just either medium sized or super bullet thick; check Chanel, MaxFactor) Sumptuous Infinite keeps a medium-sized wand tip with one of the grooves standing upright like a spine (or a fin!) The idea being that whilst working the wand deep in the lash roots building up the volume, the fin groove combs and separates the lashes to create definition and length. Pretty smart, if I do say so myself! It saves you from having to use a spoolie after using, say, something like Le Volume from Chanel, to separate the lashes, thus avoiding clumps. In comparison to its predecessors, having a silicone mould wand also means it doesn't take on as much product because of the clear grooves, instead of just stiff, straight-edged bristles. This feature gets an A from me.

The formula on the other hand is fine- assuming that it follows the same DNA as Sumptuous and Sumptuous Extreme, this mascara is for those who want big and bold lashes. However, for my personal taste, it is a little on the wet side. From the Estee Lauder roster, DoubleWear is my favourite range of mascara because it has quite a dry(-ish) formula. By 'dry' I mean that the mascara coats the lashes thinly- allowing for gradual build up and the opportunity to really work and separate the lashes for a fuller look. Obviously, it also dries faster. The Sumptuous family on the other hand is very much a 'fashion' and 'wet' mascara, in that although it has that blacker-than-black finish, it also has a tendency to get gloopy and it takes longer to dry. Some people like that look but I personally don't- but the good thing is, Sumptuous Infinite's wand prevents too much product when it comes out of the tube- so you shouldn't run the risk of clumps and a spider-leg finish. The formula gets a B- from me. 

Overall, it is a great addition to the range. It serves its purpose, which for me seems to be- taking Estee Lauder mascaras into the future. It's a modern wand for the modern gal who wants it all. It has a 10-hour staying power, which is pretty accurate. I don't wear mascara on my bottom lashes because I don't like the transfer later on in the day, but since I wear lenses- I blink a lot and I use eyedrops. No transfers all day. 

The mascara retails for £21, and you can purchase yours at your nearest Estee Lauder counter or online here. 

Have you tried Sumptuous Infinite yet? Sound off below!

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner

I guess its obvious that I have been on an exfoliating crusade recently, but it has only done wonders to my skin! The texture is smoother, my complexion is brighter, and it has reduced the amount of angry bumps I'd get in-between shaves from in-grown facial hair. Exfoliating toners have since replaced facial scrubs in my routine, and Mario Badescu's Glycolic Acid Toner is the latest addition in my roster of acids. I hadn't heard of the brand before, but when I got my Anthony cleanser and my Liquid Gold from Beauty Bay a while back, I came across the brand. 

Mario Badescu was a Romanian skincare specialist who specialised in creating effective and affordable botanical skin care products, eventually opening since salons in New York in 1967. He has since created an empire that gave unparalleled European-style facial services and a wide range of products available for everyone and anyone (including the likes of Liv Tyler, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Moss AND MARTHA STEWART.) Well, if its good enough for Martha, it sure is gold to me!

I read the reviews, all being positive, and took a chance. Being the cat that I am, I initially didn't think much of the brand because of its very simple packaging (I like shiny packaging! Guilty.) Yes, yes, I know- one musn't judge a book by its cover, but admittedly, covers do play a part in my judgement. However, the positive reviews were glaring back at my judgemental stare, so I took a chance. The package arrived swiftly, and since my Effaclar toner was finished, I started on MB's toner right away. What struck me to begin was how short the list of ingredients was. The toner contains Water, Aloe Gel, Grapefruit Extract and 2% Glycolic Acid. Four ingredients AND no alcohol. 

The toner has a slightly citrusy, powdery scent but nothing too overwhelming. Upon application, it did leave a zingy feeling on the skin- but not was astringent at all. For the more drier skin types- do not fret. I didn't find it stripping at all, and right now my cheeks can get very dry. Normally during winter, even with intense hydration, my skin has the tendency to feel rough as well, but I haven't felt that in a good while so the toner must be doing its job. My skin was not left parched and squeaky, which is a relief because most exfoliating toners can be too exfoliating- like swabbing acetone. The 2% glycolic acid content makes it gentle enough to use daily as well, unless you're really sensitive, which in that case- you should probably check with a dermatologist. After a couple of weeks of using it day and night my skin became smoother and brighter, with all that dulling dead skin lifted in a quick swipe. No scrubbing necessary. No cons from me. 

I guess the saying is right after all. Some products may lavish on their packaging, but the contents of this plain, unassuming bottle from Mario Badescu actually does what it says and to great effect. No need for super space-age sheen. 

Purchase yours here at £17.95 for 8oz. It also comes in a bigger size, which I will be sure to purchase when I run out!

Have you tried this toner before? Sound off below!