A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

No laughing… this has to be the boldest ‘look’ I’ve ever done.  And no, I didn’t leave the house.

This Shu Uemura Painting Liner in Citrine (Part of the Primtribe Fall Collection) is B.E.A.U.TIFUL, but how the hell do I create a toned down look with something so bright?

Is it destined to sit gathering dust?  I love you, beautiful liner… but there aren’t enough Mardi Gras’ in the world for me to wear this look to.

Suggestions most gratefully received!!

Eyes:
BeautyUK Eyeshadow Palette (2)
Boots 17 Solo Eyeshadow (Punky Purple)
Shu Uemura Painting Liner (Citrine)
Rimmel Volume Flash Mousse Mascara
Sleek Ink Pot Eyeliner Gel (Purple Rain)

Face:
Everyday Minerals Foundation (Cool-Fair/Medium)
Cory Cosmetics Mineral Blush (Lava)

Lips:
MAC Lustre Lipstick (Lustering)

I’m sure they must have made a booboo in this image… Surely Berkeley Square is the one over there on the right, whilst Belgravia is the far left… No?

Anyway, The new Autumn Winter collection is available now from Nails Inc. at a cost of £20 for the four shades.

Standard Autum/Winter fare, jewelled vampy but safe enough colours – the dark grey is a nice inclusion.  All in all a solid collection that I’m sure will appeal to many.  Anything there that catches your eye?

The lovely Michelle over @ LipstickRules tagged me, so here goes:

1). Photography

I love photography and dream that one day I may become talented enough for it to keep me in the manner to which I plan to become accustomed!  I love that I always discover a different way to see things when I’m looking through the lens.  I strive to take images that tell a story and I get so much pleasure from learning about and developing my art.

2). Watching back to back episodes of The Avengers

Avenger-thon!  I could easily spend a whole day cooched up on the sofa with my husband, curtains drawn getting lost in tales of espionage.

3). Reminding myself how tiny my little girl was and how much she’s grown!

4). Beating my husband to the latest geocache find!

Competitive much?  If you don’t know what geocaching is… you probably wouldn’t be interested anyway!

5).  eBay Sniping!

I’m such a muppet.

6). Good Manners

Love seeing people going about their day to day lives displaying good manners. Giving their seats up for people less able to stand, saying thank you to public service workers… warms my heart even more if they’re under the age of 25.

7). Fairy Lights

I love Christmas in all it’s sparkly, cheery, food obsessing loveliness… and nothing epitomises Christmas more in my house than fairy lights.  I can’t get enough of them… I don’t do tasteful when it comes to these things.  I don’t even do co-ordinated.  If it’s twinkly and colourful I’m on it!

8). Achieving the perfect flick!

Mine are still wonky.

9).  Cinnamon Rolls

No explanation needed!

10). Believing in Myself

It doesn’t happen too often, but occasionally I can pull this one off!  Best example was when I gave up smoking.  I had my last cigarette on January 16th 2008 which marked the end of a 20-a-day habit.  I started smoking when I was 14 so in my heart I knew I’d had a good run of it (nearly 13 years) and I didn’t want to be entering my 30s as a smoker.  I had been putting it off for ages as I was sure I would fail… and rather than face failure, I just buried my head in the sand and didn’t even attempt it!  When I finally did give it a go, it was hard… but after the initial few weeks had passed, I started to believe that “YES, I can do this!” – and whatd’yaknow, I did!

11). My Marriage

Awww….

I tag Sophie, Rhamnousia, Stephanie, Nicola & Tali – if you decide to do the tag ladies, let me know so I can have a look!

What gorgeous weather we’re currently enjoying!  Over the weekend I was looking for something a little lighter than my standard liquid foundations to wear on my face.  As I was digging around in my collection, I happened across a little pot of tinted moisturiser by a company called Mádara which I’d received as a free sample with an order I’d made a couple of weeks ago.

Now, I would normally consider my skin not clear enough for tinted moisturisers, so I approached this ‘try out’ with slight apprehension (and my eye on my Revlon Colorstay incase it all went horribly wrong).

Mádara are a Latvian organic company who carry the tag line ‘ecocosmetics’ under their brand name.

Here’s a blurb from their website:

Today we shape, create and nurture MÁDARA. MÁDARA is our story about love towards the place we come from, about good design, high quality natural and organic products and good honest business practice.

How good does that sound?

Well, let’s see if it’s too good to be true.

Mádara Decoface Tinting Fluid in Moon Flower (the lightest of 2 shades)

What they say:

Tints, illuminates and lightly moisturises the skin of the face and neck. Evens out skin tone. Gives the skin freshness and radiance. Disguises imperfections and fine lines. A lighter alternative to foundation. Like daisy petals shimmering in the moonlight.

What I say:

The first thing I noticed was the smell, it has a slightly herbal scent to it.  Not musky herbal, more floral – really rather nice, especially as it isn’t at all overpowering.  The formula, although thin, is very pigmented – a little goes a long way!  I used my fingers to apply and found that it spread evenly and easily across my skin.  I was also pleased to discover that it contained sunscreen, although to what extent/rating I can’t find out, not that it matters hugely to me as I always slap on my DHC facial sunscreen anyway.

Application finished, I looked in the mirror and was disappointed to discover no difference in terms of coverage.

However, after uploading these photos, I’m re-evaluating my thoughts on the coverage.  If you look at the before and after, there is definitely more evenness in my skintone in the after shot (the one on the right).  I think it is most noticeable across my nose.  Yes, it is pretty sheer – but I need to remind myself, that’s exactly what I was looking for!  I don’t want to be caked in makeup on days where it’s liable to melt!  I hadn’t applied any concealer, but I will apply a little to key areas  next time I wear this tinting fluid.

Before on the left/After on the right

I have typical combination skin which also suffers from sensitivity and I experienced absolutely no burning/stinging or tightness during or after using this product which is obviously crucially important and something that Mádara prides itself on achieving. 

One negative (and unfortunately one my ultra pale skin won’t let me overlook) is that I did encounter a little oxidisation very quickly after application.  It certainly didn’t tango me, but I did smooth over my neckline with some untinted moisturiser to re-blend the colour and ensure there were no giveaway ‘foundation’ lines.  It didn’t oxidise further.

Mádara Decoface Tinting Fluid comes in 2 shades, so there’s not much room for error for pale gals like me.  The 2 shades are Moon Flower and Sun Flower, could they give them prettier names?!

Once out in the heat and the sun, I was pleased with the longevity of this product.  It lasted pretty well all day.  It did nothing to tame the oilies, but I didn’t expect it to and was simply surprised that it could last despite them!  My skin continued to feel moisturised and supple throughout the day and into the evening.  I had no issues with flakiness (which I sometimes get with my Colorstay).

I would really recommend this product to anyone looking for a lighter alternative for the summer.  It doesn’t offer the greatest coverage in the world, but if you’re looking for that… then I believe you’d be hard pressed to find it in a tinted moisturiser.  As a bonus, you know that what you’re putting on your face is natural and organic.  You can read more about Mádara’s Eco credentials here.

In conclusion, this is on my purchase list, but I definitely want to make friends with a reliable concealer too!

My simple summer FOTD featuring Mádara’s Tinting Fluid (please excuse the stray hair)!

Mádara Tinting Fluids are available at LoveLula.com£21.50 for 50mls.

[starreview tpl=14]

Funnily enough after this morning’s post…

I was browsing Debenhams sale online this lunchtime and some of the Mavala Mini shades are reduced to £1.87 a bottle – mega bargain!

Linkage

Use code SHD1 for free delivery!

I accidently added most of them to my basket *oops*

There’s also some Stila goodies on sale too.

Another Mavala NOTD, and my favourite shade so far… Magnolia

Of course, the connotations of Magnolia are dull, dull, dull but I love how gentle this is, perhaps it’s a little ‘safe’ for most – but I think it’s feminine, soft and sophisticated with it’s satin finish.

As with the other Mavala shades I’ve tried, this applies beautifully.  1 coat and this would make a lovely french manicure application, 2 or more to build up on opacity.  I think this was 3 coats.  A nice smooth fairly thin formula (which I love) and quick drying (but not so quick that I can’t go over with a couple of strokes to tidy up my application).

This is love, what shade shall I go for next?!

As an aside, you may notice that my cuticles are looking a little dry (well, you probably won’t notice – but they are!) Any recommendations for something I don’t have to apply a 100 times a day to keep them moisturised?

I’ve had this unopened tube of Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara sitting in my drawer since January and I’ve been using up so many others that it’s only now that I’ve had a chance to road test it!

I particularly like the packaging of this one, everything from the sleeky purple exterior to the cute little monogrammed crown on the top.

This is my first time using a mascara wand with rubber ‘bristles’ and I really love the separation and definition that this type of wand gives.

I believe that the 3 bumps in the wand are supposed to help add a bit of curl to your lashes.  My eyelashes are naturally quite curly so I don’t bother with eyelash curlers.  I have to say that I didn’t notice any additional curl after using this mascara, but I could see that the formula feels light enough not to drag down any curls.  The formula is really nice, very black and not too thick.

You’re going to have to excuse the no make up and eyebrows – I have no idea what to do with the stupid, overly long, irritatingly wavy unruly things.

Back to the mascara, I don’t think I need to say which eye has the mascara on do I?  I see some nice length and a little volume.  I always struggle to work the mascara into the base of the outer lashes without covering my face in mascara and hoped that perhaps this wand might aid in that, it doesn’t.

I didn’t find a problem with smudging or flaking and the formula came off effortlessly with my oil cleansing rountine at the end of the day.

Rimmel Sexy Curves gets a thumbs up from me.  Nothing particularly wows me, but it’s a solid mascara which delivers lovely definition, separation, a little bit of length and a deep black colour.

[starreview tpl=14]

I hope this isn’t too deep for a Sunday evening/Monday morning, but it’s something that’s been playing on my mind for a few days.

I’ve noticed that disclosing my love for all things cosmetic to a colleague, friend or even family member often has a profound affect on the way I’m perceived by this person.  I’m not completely discounting the possibility that I may be a little hyper-sensitive to this, but generally, I notice a shift in attitude.  This usually involves them expressing a flicker of surprise followed by puzzlement and if they particularly care about me, there’s a genuine sense of disappointment that I don’t choose to invest my energies into something more worthwhile.

I wonder if it’s because I don’t conform to how people prejudiciously imagine fashionistas and their beauty equivalents should look, think and behave?

~ I’m above the age of 22
~ I don’t ‘air kiss’
~ I’m someone’s mother and wife
~ I don’t say ‘awwww bless’ lots
~ I run my own business
~ I can hold a relatively intelligent conversation on a variety of subjects (go me!)
~ I don’t have the *ahem* ideal body shape for displaying fashion
~ I don’t have a complete meltdown if I break a nail (just a mini one)

Don’t get me wrong… there are definitely some women that seem to revel in the stereotype.  My Space-Cadet-O-Meter usually registers the vacuumed in cheekbones/overly ambitious pouting action displayed in some profile pictures.  In general though, since discovering beauty blogs I’ve realised just how diverse the beauty blogging community is, and most bloggers don’t appear to conform to the stereotypes.

I feel sad that our hobby is often regarded with such disdain.  It’s thought of as frivolous, trivial and altogether rather pointless.  Your appearance, rightly or wrongly (that’s a WHOLE other debate!) has a huge impact on your daily life and surely it makes us sensible rather than senseless to invest time and gain pleasure from making the best of what we started life with?

Even my husband (who is completely tolerant) will roll his eyes and gently tease me about going to ‘play’ with my makeup.  I asked him curiously if he could think of another word to replace ‘play’ that didn’t make me sound like an 11 year old about to raid my mother’s vanity case.  He couldn’t, and neither could I.  I don’t mind the expression, I use it myself – but I do think it’s indicative of the attitude that prevails when it comes to beauty.

Either way, I can live with it up until the moment that people I hold in high regard look at me as if I should know better.

Do you have anyone in your life that understands YOU, but just can’t seem to grasp your love for this ‘superficial’ hobby of ours?  And perhaps more importantly, do you notice it having any impact on your perceived credibility?

I don’t usually wear pinks.. but these shadows from The She Space’s Taurus Astrology Collection were just too cute not to.

Face:
Cory Cosmetics Mica Free foundation in Bare Beige
Earthen Glow Minerals Blush in Berries & Cream
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural & Shimmer in Light/Medium
The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist

Eyes:
Urban Decay Primer Potion
The She Space Mineral Eyeshadow in Little Explosions
The She Space Mineral Eyeshadow in Traditional Taurus
Ruby & Millie I-Writer in Black
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Black Ink

Lips:
GOSH Pearl Shine Lipstick in Starlet (discontinued)

IN

~ Blog sales, can’t wait to get my hands on my goodies from Louise @ Makeuploveer
~ Inspired by Jenn @ Mizz Worthy, I went a-hunting for makeup storage and landed the obvious choices of Fira and Anordna – can’t wait to get them setup.
~ HQ Hair honouring a discount code I wanted to use post expiry date.  I wasn’t able to use it in time thanks to the product I wanted being out of stock.
~ Discovering a 2nd cousin on Genes Reunited – the world is getting smaller everyday!
~ Finding our first family geocache with Leila (yes, I am a total nerd).
~ Car Boot finds (the most beautiful gently worn baby clothes from Zara)

OUT

~ Leila deciding that she’d quite like to start her day at 4.30am from now on thankyouverymuch.
~ Shopping for cookers… yawn.
~ Having fab skin ruined by 2 ugly insect bites on my chin.
~ Not having a spare moment in which to hot-foot it to Superdrug for my Curious and Safari Sleek palettes.
~ Selfish clients who call for help, then aren’t at home at the arranged meeting time.

So, I’m a big fan of Mineral Makeup and nothing excites me more than getting a jiffy bag full of teeny baggies containing varying shades of sparkly gorgeousness (yes, I am still a sparkle whore).

I’m forever meaning to share these little hauls with you, as I know the swatches can be useful, but swatching is such a time consuming thing – and time is a commodity that has bottomed out since the birth of Leila.

The next best thing I can do at the moment is share my storage solution for my little piggies…

These are great, I believe they’re meant for nail things – but this is how I use them.  I buy these from a seller on eBay who ships from Hong Kong and I pay £4.50 inc. shipping for 24 pots – not bad I reckon!

Any of you collect pigment samples?  How do you store them?