A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m not going to give a blow by blow account of the evening as this will probably be the 27th recap of the event you’ve read on various blogs over the past 24hours, and they’d all be far better than mine.  Instead I will simply say that I had a lovely time, met lots of lovely people, got lots of lovely makeup and learnt a little bit more about one of the world’s biggest cosmetic brands.

What I want to do instead, is share a few pictures from the evening and finish off with a FOTD styled entirely with the Maybelline products I received and some very quick thoughts on each product.

haha! look at that saddo pointing at the L’oreal sign, what a mupp….oh.

One of the motivations for the blogger event was to demonstrate and promote 2 of Maybelline’s latest product releases: Pulse Perfection Mascara (new to me!) and Color Sensational Lipsticks (which I’m already a big fan of).  These deserve posts of their own, so you can expect some kind of review coming up in the next couple of weeks.

I also wanted to mention the friendliness of everyone involved in the organisation of the event.  It was heart-warming to see the Maybelline ladies so interested in our obsessive little world of beauty blogging, they seemed to be both fascinated and bemused by our community and how we all know one-another through the written medium, but meet up in real life and treat each other like long lost buds!  It was clear that they were enthusiastic for the brand and worked hard to explain and demonstrate the products.  Nothing was too much trouble.  So thanks Katie (x2 – one of which I baby bored to death, sorry!) and Charlotte (great name) for such an engaging brand experience.  Also, a big thanks to Natalie at HeadstreamPR for all her hard work, answering stupid questions and being a fab Saints fan (ok, so not relevant… but it SO is, shutup).

So, on to my Maybelline FOTD!

I’m not naked, honest.

She definitely wasn’t born with it *cough*.

Here’s the products used:

Face:
~ Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation in Light Porcelain (Really love the feel of this on the skin & a nice skintone match – average longevity… finish was beautifully soft and smooth and I can’t stop touching my face – spots for me tomorrow!) 
~ Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer (Nice match for my skin, works under eye without creasing – doesn’t give amazing blemish coverage though.)
~ Maybelline Expertwear Blush in Rose (Ha! Nearly didn’t bother opening this as I thought it would totally suck and I was really rather surprised.. shade was lovely on, a great matte blush which builds pigmentation nicely on my ultra pale skin for a subtle sweep of colour).

Eyes:
~ Maybelline Eyecolour Express in Vintage Rose (I REALLY like this, so easy for on the go.. it’s something I would normally totally turn my nose up, so I’m very happy to have received this to try.)
~ Maybelline Eyestudio Mono in Black Metal (blends much more easily than I thought it would, great with a swipe of UDPP underneath)
~ Maybelline Line Definer (well pigmented with a lovely firm but non-scratchy applicator.  Unfortunately, my pen is leaking  badly, so I’ve had to bin it.)
~ Maybelline Kohl Express (very soft, beautifully pigmented, average longevity)
~ Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara (hate the packaging; love, love the product!)

Lips:
~ Maybelline Superstay Color in Red Passion (Sian already told me I’d love this, she was RIGHT!) Awesome pigmentation, look at that glossy red! As long lasting as you’d want without fading unevenly.  It is still drying though… benchmarks: Less drying than Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick, more drying than GOSH Everlasting Lips.

I shall definitely be adding The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara to my mascara series for further review and I’ll be testing the foundation more before passing final judgement.  I also have another Superstay Lip Colour in my stash and I really want to try some of the more pinky or nude shades (26 shades in total!).. so stand by for further posts on those too!

OK, so about my FOTD (or perhaps FOTN is more apt.) I chose a slightly more dramatic FOTD (for me, anyway) because I’ve been noticing that Maybelline products are pushing the envelope more than ever in terms of their reputation as just another high street/drugstore brand for cosmephobes* (that word is in the dictionary, go look it up if you don’t believe me). 

You only need to look at some of the recent releases to draw this conclusion, which is why I tried for something that would not be particularly work or school-safe… in essence, a look that you’d usually use your ‘best’ makeup to achieve instead of the high-street brands.  Well, looksee… this high street brand is keeping up admirably!

None of the products gave me application difficulties (unless you count my leaky eyeliner) and all powders blended seamlessly.  The effect is slightly more smoky than the photos suggest and I’m still wondering what the postman thought of me rocking this look as I opened the door early this morning burp cloth in one hand, baby in the other… pair of fluffy slippers completing the ensemble.

I lastly want to give a quick shout out to the lovely ladies who went shopping with me yesterday afternoon… we had a neat time in Charles Fox, MAC, Shu Uemura, Space NK et al… perfect enablers… each and every one of them!  Sian, Sophie, Lydia and Leanne – thank you for being so much fun!

* cosmephobe – ok, I lied,  Did you really try look it up? Go on, tell me! Did you really? I would be so embarrassed if I was you right now…