A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

On Saturday, I headed to London with my sister-in-law Helen and my cousin Angela.  We were excited to hit the shops, mainline some hazelnut lattes and experience some serious pampering Aussie Style!

By the time we arrived at Adee Phelan’s salon in Covent Garden we were shattered!  Within minutes of getting through the door we were sipping champagne and relaxing on comfy sofas.  A total oasis in a bustling area of central London.

The ladies (and Tom!) from 1000 heads were so friendly and welcoming, we arrived 15minutes late thanks to not being able to find a taxi after our Selfridges rampage and I was worried we’d get some disapproving looks, I needn’t have worried at all!

The lovely Emma & Lauren from 1000 heads – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Adee Phelan’s salon has one funky interior, very french and beautifully baroque chic… stunning mirrors, gorgeous chandeliers and fab decor.  The ideal setting for a bit of spoiling!

I was a little nervous and as the taps were turned on at the sink, I could feel that I was tensing my neck…  Not for long!!  My lovely stylist had magic fingers!  Despite myself, I could feel my neck relaxing and my head feeling heavier as the gorgeous bubble-gummy scent of Aussie Miracle Moist enveloped me!

After *the* most amazing head massage I was led over to a mirror to let the styling begin!  My gorgeous stylist blow dried my hair using just the teeniest amount of smoothing serum.  Hand on heart, I’ve never seen it look so shiny without using straighteners.  She also rediscovered where my proper parting should be hoorah!  I thought I’d lost that forever LOL!

Once I was done, I was greeted with lots of oohs and ahhs from Angela & Helen which I returned with enthusiasm whilst admiring their glossy locks!

Angela & Helen lovin’ the new ‘dos!

We had (lots) more champagne, and caught up with the other lucky Angels enjoying Aussie’s hospitality.  Amongst us were the lovely Natalie and Yinka.  It was fab to be able to have a chat with Natalie, can you believe we barely mentioned football?! – the evening was far too glam for that.  Yinka, Natalie and I had a good natter about all the draaaahmas occuring in the Beauty community – Sunlove anyone?  Our guests looked suitably bemused “What the hell are they talking about? Geeks.”

Moi! photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Mr. L tried to psychoanalyse this photo and reckons I’m doing “nervous hand things” – I reckon he needs to shut up and make my tea.

1000 heads were very organised… even arranging the Angels in order of height…

After we’d been preened and pampered to within an inch of our lives, we were taken to the nearby Dial Bar to enjoy a cocktail or 2 (who’s counting) before stumbling heading back to the car in the hope of pointing it in the general direction of Southampton!  Thank goodness for designated drivers!

The three of us had a wonderful evening and were treated by Aussie in a manner to which our partner’s hope we don’t become *too* accustomed!

If you haven’t caught up with Project Angel, you can read more about it here – and don’t forget to have a look at my previous experiences here!

Here’s a few more photies of the evening…

Angela – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Cheese! – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

glamming it up!

THANKS AUSSIE!!

After a few requests, here’s a boring FOTD, but I am wearing my new Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited lippie in shade BG907.

On my lips, this comes out a lovely creamy pale pink nude.

Considering it’s paleness it still manages to look soft, rather than stark.  It’s not statement lip at all like Lingerie Pink or BarryM 101, it’s more subtle than GOSH Darling… I really like it’s neutrality – it’s the Switzerland of lipsticks

It feels nice on my lips and isn’t at all drying despite having a semi-matte appearance.  It’s smooth to apply although no-where near as creamy as the YSL Rouge Voluptes.

Longevity is average.  Lasted easily through a couple of drinks – defeated by a pastry.  The colour isn’t hugely pigmented, I did need to apply a few layers to build up the shade but nothing ridiculous like some balmy products.  Despite a few layers I was really pleased to discover that it doesn’t *feel* like I have lippie on… it’s very light and not at all waxy.

Honestly, I do love it… but (being the skinflint I am) I wouldn’t spend this much money on it (£17.50) if it weren’t the perfect nude shade for my pale complexion.

[starreview tpl=14]

So, the lovely Leanne over at DoNotRefreeze tagged me with this award about a month ago.  I forgot it, then remembered it, then forgot it, then… you get the idea.  This time, I remembered and decided to get it did before it slips out my bird brain again!

The Award:

Rules:
-You have to put a song that makes you happy.
– You can tag as many people as you like, there is no limit.
– Say at least one thing about each blog you tag, that will make them smile, something nice about their blog that makes you smile when you read it! 🙂

The Song:

Summertime by Janis Joplin…

I <3 Janis, for nearly two years I had this set on my clock radio to wake me every morning.

The tag:

The lovely Jo @ Music and Makeup, my obsessions!

She posts some gorgeous Nails of the Week (has a bit of a thing for purple!) I met her all too briefly at the Illamasqua event and hope I get to meet her again in the not too distant future for a better chat!

Dottie @ PinkPopPolkaDot

A blog I’ve only recently discovered… Dottie has some great style (leopard print alice bands) and a new-found flair for nail art!  Check her out!

NDoodles @ Make Up Theory

Love her scatty train of thought and eclectic posts that are always charming to read. She’s super cute too!

Kae @ The Hungry Asian

I’m a bit nail polish oriented in my tags.. but check Kae out, don’t miss her latest gorgeous green franken!  She’s always rocking some gorgeous concoction on those beautiful tips of hers!

Maria @ Polishign the Nails!

Another nail fanatic!  She really made me laugh with her “then and now” post on nail polish application – looks like mine before clean up!  She does more posts in English now so I can understand them hurrah!  And she totally has me lusting after those rose rings she bought on etsy!

Would an aspiring makeup snob venture into Asda on a Friday night on the hunt for a grey polish she saw whilst doing last weeks food shop? I think not… I’m slipping.

However, I’m pleased I did – because I’ve found a little gem!

This is a lovely pale grey aptly named “Raincloud” that is perhaps just a ‘teeny’ bit blue toned.  Application isn’t the smoothest, it dries VERY quickly… even as you’re applying.  I’d recommend not trying to be too precise with this.  Get a big blob on the brush and attempt to cover the nail in 3/4 strokes max, any more strokes than this and the polish will start dragging.  However, for some strange reason… the formula is *really* forgiving… many times I applied this unevenly and the formula seems to even itself out across the nail.  I also didn’t experience any bubbling as it dried which is a common problem for me with thicker polishes.

Drying time (as I said) is very quick – the above shows 3 coats, and I reckon I had the full manicure done and dry in about 25 minutes.  The finish is high gloss and I’ve had tons of positive comments about the shade.

I wore this mani up to London on Saturday for the Aussie Event and whilst in Space NK both SA’s were coo-ing over my hands… I couldn’t quite tell if they were horrified or delighted when I told them where I’d bought the polish.

The polishes are currently on offer at £1 for a 5ml bottle in Asda… yep, £1.

Here’s my other bargain purchase (picture taken with flash).. I don’t like this one so much, it’s more chalky and could have done with a top coat, but still a great buy if you like blues!

…Bwhahaa, do we reckon I’ve just wasted £12.99?

Tthis is the lightest shade I could find, C2 (Rose Vanilla) and it looks too dark for me… however, we shall see!

Don’t knock it ’till you tried it and all that eh?  I’m actually willing this to be terrible otherwise I’m gonna have to eat my words aren’t I?

I bought the Kryolan Supra Color to use as a base for my mineral eyeshadows which tend to apply sheerly without a solid base not to mention the fall out if they don’t have something to sitck to!

It’s basically a black grease paint.  Upon opening, it has a clear layer of grease ontop which I ‘patted’ off with a piece of kitchen roll until I got to the black stuff below!

As you can see by the swatch above, it’s a very deep and pigmented black which applies smoothly.  You can use a brush or your finger to apply, I’ve been using a synthetic flat shadow brush to apply which seems to work really well.

I then pat my mineral/loose eyeshadows ontop of a thin layer of the Supra Color.  The shadows stick really well to the Supra Color with minimal fall out and even more impressively, I’ve discovered that I actually do have some blending ability!  It is SO much easier to blend out eyeshadows over this base than it is over UDPP.

Here’s the finished result:

Unfortunately (and as I mentioned yesterday) my eyeshadows start to crease after a mere 3 hours 🙁  UDPP holds them firm for at least 9 hours on me.

The picture below was taken after 3 hours wear:

What a shame huh?

JoBetterDays & GraceLondon both recommend I try it over a little UDPP.  I’m really hopeful that’ll make the difference because my GOD I don’t want to give up my new-found blending abilities!  Imagine… colour that lasts AND looks fantastic!

Not too much to ask… is it?

…stays in Lon… usually comes home with me in a lovely iconic yellow paper bag 😉

So, I was up in London on Saturday for the wonderful Aussie Project Angel event (more details to come later..) and saw lots of lovely things to add to my stash.

Ok, well I didn’t get *all* these bits in London.. the Stila stuff I ordered a couple of weeks ago and turned up today so thought I’d throw them in.

I went on a bit of a lipstick buying rampage – and had to be physically restrained from buying another Shu one that I had my eye on.

On the left, the unmistakable Lingerie Pink… and on the right, the lovely Shu Rouge Unlimited BG907.

I had no intentions of buying Lingerie Pink until I tried it on out of pure curiousity at the counter.  Instant love.

I first saw the Shu one when I went to the Maybelline Event last month and have lusted after it ever since.

How pretty?! – L-R: Pound Cake, Strawberry Sorbet, Baby Cakes

Kryolan Supra Color Black Greasepaint recommended to me by LondonMUGirl.  First impressions… wonderful to blend eyeshadow over compared to UDPP, but it starts creasing after 3hrs 🙁

L-R: MAC Woodwinked (been on my wishlist a LONG time), Kryolan Matte Highlight (got this by accident after SA put the wrong eyeshadow in my bag… grrr.)

Well, that concludes my first proper “haul” post… hope it wasn’t too dull.  I enjoy reading about everyone else’s newest acquisitions, but everyone is different so apologies if this was a boring read – move along, I’m done now!

Oh, and the Stila can wait ’till the rest of my order turns up 🙂

…and the winner of my Bodyform inspired giveaway is…

#9 – Rhamnousia!

Mum *was* supposed to be choosing.. but she was taking too flippin’ long and driving me up the wall with her indecision so I told her that she couldn’t play anymore and I went on Random.org instead.  Sorry Mum.

Rhamnousia, please drop me an email with the address you want your prizes sent to and I’ll get right on it!

Thanks for taking part everyone and don’t forget that today’s the day you can grab your free Jemma Kidd lipgloss with special packs of Bodyform!!

See more details here!

Since having Leila, I’ve noticed that my eyeslashes have been breaking more often and generally looking a bit sparser than normal.

I’m not in the market for lash growth solutions like li-lash and revitalash, but I do want something that promises to keep them in tip top condition.

Enter Mavala Double Lash:

They say:

Double Lash contains proteins which strengthen, cover and protect the lashes allowing them to become healthy, long and resistant.

To be fair, I’m not holding out much hope, I’m sure it has all to do with post-pregnancy hormones and no amount of proteins is going to alter that.  However, Double Lash is inexpensive and I figured it can’t hurt to try right?

The bottle is huge! It would take me a year to get through that much product!  I’m going to apply it to my lashes (and brows) every night before bed and see if there’s any differences to be seen in 30 days time.

Here’s the obligatory “before” shots:

Mavala Double Lash is available online from FeelUnique priced at £8.25

Valid for today only (09/10/2009) You can get 3 great Nails Inc Polishes for the princely sum of £8.

Choose from three sets:

The Pretty Trio: Little Venice, Knightsbridge & Motcomb Street

The Trend Trio: Buckingham Palace, Hanover Sq., Battersea Park

The Chic Trio: Battersea, The Strand, Marco Polo

Will you be treating yourself? Which set would you plump for? I’m desperately resisting picking up The Trend Trio – love all 3 of those shades!

Delivery is £3.99.

MCNI20 will get you 20% off before delivery – bringing the total for 3 polishes and delivery to £10.39

I don’t go on YouTube much, but I am partial to a bit of Pixiwoo, so when I saw their Basics Big Eyes/Small Eyes video I had to tune in…

This is the first time I’ve ever had a go at following along, I was curious to see if following the tips would have much effect in the hands of an amateur like me.

I think I can safely say that yes, I look rather bug-eyed!  You can compare with some of my other FOTDs here.

The main points for achieving a more open-eyed look were roughly (from memory so I hope I haven’t forgotten too much):

1. Stick to light(er) eyeshadow shades, including the crease colour.

2. Don’t box the eyes in with heavy eyeliner.  A thin line on the top lid with a little flick (my flicks are hidden here by my lashes).

3. A touch of pale eyeliner on the lower waterline. I’ve used white (it was all I had) but it’s a bit stark.  An ivory shade would be better for pale-ys like me.

4. Lashings of mascara or even some false lashes.

5. Highlight the inner corners with a pale eyeshadow.

6. Blend the eyeshadow under the eye a little lower than normal to create the false impression of larger eyes.

I think this is such a useful technique to create doe eyes.  Probably really great for the party season too as it’s calling out for a bit of glitter!  Illamasqua Static anyone?

Looking back over my old FOTDs I think I’m *slowly* getting a little bit better at this whole makeup malarky.  I flippin’ love makeup I do!

Have you tried any looks like this in an attempt to manipulate your features?  Perhaps you do it as part of your everyday routine?  My eyes are a little close together so I’m trying to learn how to execute the perfect eyeliner ‘flick’ which is supposed to make them appear further apart.  I guess the most common “manipulation” is highlighting and contouring skillfully.  Something I’ve yet to master!

I was reading an article over at Marketing Magazine about Dermalogica being rather upset with Boots for stocking their products without permission…

Dermalogica claims that by doing so, Boots could “damage the brand”.  They don’t elaborate exactly how this damage would manifest itself, but with the word “exclusive” written in the same paragraph… it really doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Boots are “high street”, Dermalogica are “high end”.  And never the twain shall meet.

Now, I’m no product-snob – though heaven knows I try 😉  I just don’t have the money to indulge.  Perhaps if I didn’t LOVE makeup/skincare/haircare quite so much (thus not needing to try new things ALL THE FREAKIN’ TIME) I’d go high-end exclusivly.

Let’s face it, I have aspirations to makeup snobbery.  I don’t know why, I really don’t.  I flippin’ love a good bargain MORE than the next person.

I have a few select luxe pieces in my collection that I would repurchase over and over (hello Dior Capture Totale) but the majority of my collection lies in the low to mid-range price point.

The recent RougeBunnyRouge positive reviews and gushings have done little to dispel my aspirations, although honestly, I’m simultaneously HORRIFIED by their prices (£27 for a liquid eyeliner).  Combine that with waiting lists for Chanel’s latest offering to the Nail Polish world and I’m left feeling a little Jaded myself (no, no need to pardon that pun – I need shooting for that).

What is it that we hope to achieve by putting our money down for the brands that are deemed to be so exclusive?

The ‘exclusive’ E.L.F Complexion Perfection vs. Guerlain Meteorites Powder *removes tongue from cheek*

“Exclusivity” has much to do with cost, the two factors are often intertwined and the lower the cost, the less exclusive the product becomes.  If you do boil it down to this (true or not) how ridiculous does exclusivity become?  If that IS the case, the term should be “exclusively for mugs” because we all know that there are some fabulous cheap(er) purchases to be made.

Is it quality?  I’m sure for some… it is.  I think perhaps I’d understand my aspirations to product-snobbery a little better if I spent time in an environment where I could show off (discretely of course ;)) my latest finds as an extension of my ego in the same way Mr. Smith might drive his new Audi S8 back and forth outside his office window.

I don’t have that excuse (or is it justification!).  I’m self-employed & the only person who sees me for 8 hours of the day is Mr. Lipglossiping and Baby Lipglossiping and they really couldn’t be less impressed by me triumphuntly pulling out my Chantecaille compact.  If anything, I should really make more of a covert operation of it infront of Mr. L…

Am I trying to impress myself perhaps?  Does buying luxe simply place a greater worth in myself?  Do I enjoy the self-indulgence?  Perhaps it’s a bit of all those things.

All I really know is, my bank manager doesn’t like it much.  Now excuse me, I’m off to check out the latest “exclusive” import that is Hourglass Cosmetics whilst doing a fine job (if I do say so myself) of dodging Mr. Lipglossiping.

What are your thoughts on the term “exclusive” when it comes to products?  Is it a term synonymous with quality or sad gits like me hankering after items I can ill-afford to purchase.