A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Back when February was still so new I was calling it January, I blogged about this:

Hei Poa Pur Monoi Beauty Oil, my skin was bone dry at the time and as a fan of most body oils anyway, I was keen to try another.

I ordered from Zuneta and it arrived within two days with a couple of posh samples enclosed as a bonus!

It’s not particularly attractive in it’s solid state, infact… it’s not at all appetising until you unscrew the lid and give it a sniff.  The unmistakable scent of Frangipani fills your nostrils, a beautiful tropical aroma.

So how do you turn it from that solid, waxy-looking state into a warm oily texture ready for use on your skin or your hair?

I fill a jug with hot tap water and simply sit the bottle in the water whilst I’m in the shower.  It takes about 4-5 minutes to melt completely, but you don’t need to melt the whole bottle.  If you only wanted a little, you could be done in 30-40 seconds.

Not a huge thing… but a point of note is that the labelling on the bottle  is waterproof and has so far remained intact despite being submerged countless times!  I hate paper labels on bath products that disintegrate as soon as they get a splash of water on them!

After about a minute in the hot water, I pulled the bottle out and although you can see it’s not completely melted, there’s enough there for one application.

I find the Hei Poa to be a particularly dry body oil, it’s not massively ‘glidey’ and once I’ve started to spread, it drags a touch on my skin.  The flip-side to that is that I’m not left feeling at all greasy.  It’s a trade off that I’m happy with.  The oil leaves my skin feeling noticeably smoother with a beautiful sheen and delicate scent.

I’m a very happy Hei Poa convert!

What to try next?  The ‘golden glow’ version or the shower/bath oil? – decisions, decisions!

Back in December, I added a box of Daniele de Winter Choc Beauté to my Chrismas Wishlist.

Well who says you don’t get what you wish for?

The box is a lot smaller than I imagined.  Priced at €17.94, you’d kinda hope for something bigger than your hand right?

Remember, the USP (unique selling point) for these choccies is the fact that: “Choc Beauté are delicious chocolates designed to make your skin more beautiful”

Wow, take a look in the mirror Choc Beaute!  You look like poo.  Literally.  Rabbit pooh or Sheep pooh I can’t decide, but some kind of excrement regardless.

So basically, the chocs have added anti-oxidants and vitamins that help battle some of the factors that make skin lose it’s elasticity.  Of course, you could just take some multi-vitamins and eat a healthy diet to get the same benefits, but where’s the fun in that?

But how about the taste test?  That’s what really counts right?

Well… let’s just say… next Christmas, I’m gonna be asking for chocolates that make you UGLY.

Jemma Kidd – Midnight Jewels Palette

Featuring:

1 Creme Highlighter (Star)
2 Eye Shadows (Dusk & Midnight Blue – the blue one can be used wet too)
1 Shimmer Dust (Ice Blue)
1 Lip Gloss (Rose Gold)

I had an early start this morning, I’m not very good at early starts.

To enter, tell me… Are you a morning or a night person and what are your top tips for looking alert when all you want to do is fall asleep in a corner!

Giveaway is open to my lovely international readers too and will close on the 5th March at 00:01GMT

I’ve never been fully sold on tattoos, I love looking at the designs and I appreciate the work that goes into creating a successful piece of permanent body art.

But truly?  I can barely decide which socks to put on in the morning.  Choosing something as permanent as a tattoo would send me into some kind of mental turmoil treatable only by electroshock therapy.  It is with pure joy then, that I discovered Jinny Rainbow.

Recently launched in Selfridges, Jinny Rainbow offers beautiful glitter body illustrations that last up to 7 days.  The glitters and powders used are hypo-allergenic promising skin-friendly artwork for all.

You can choose between selecting an on the spot design undertaken by a body artist or if you would prefer attempting a bit of DIY designage (is that a word?) you can purchse handy kits to create personalised designs at home.

Spoiled for choice, Jinny Rainbow carries a selection of over 100 vibrant glitter pigments and shimmers plus 200 exclusive stencil designs.

How beautiful is that?  My inner 4yr old is climbing the walls with excitement and trying to work out if I’ve got time to swing by Selfridges this afternoon for a nosey!

So how much would this kind of frivolity set you back?  With prices starting from £5 for on-the-spot designs and from £30 for starter kits it’s not exactly gonna break the bank is it?

Do you need a bit of glitter in your life?  I’m thinking a sparkly bluebird on my shoulder.. Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah and all that.

Here comes the older, more glam sister…

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin has been out in the US for over a year now, and I’ve been cooling my heels ever since I saw it pop up on Sephora many moons ago!

It promises all the benefits of the original UDPP with a little added pizazz.

They Say:

~ Use it alone; it’s a crease proof shadow!
~ Maximise it’s potential by using it as a highlighter, dab on brow bone, eye corners and cheeks for a radiant finish.
~ Sin works perfectly with any eye shadow and doesn’t show through, experience vibrant colour all day, with absolutely no creasing!

I received the sample of this last week and as a fan of the original, I was keen to see exactly why I’d want to purchase this one instead.

The new-fangled angled (I’m a poet) wand which promises to reach into each dark primer-potion filled corner of your tube.  I was initially sceptical about how putting an angle on the wand would *really* help, but having had a little play at ‘scooping’ from that very bottom jutting out bit, I think it might just work.  I don’t like how it makes the wand more difficult to remove from the tube though, I keep thinking it’s gonna ping primer at me as it pops free.

Swatched beside the original UDPP you can see that it’s a champagne cream with a metallic looking shimmer.  I instantly liked it… what with being a fan of metallic neutrals with a bit of shimmer n’all  😉

It’s quite heavily pigmented and the first thought that struck me was that it may do a better job at evening out skintone on pigmented eyelids better than the original.  I’m only speculating here as I don’t have a particular issue with red eyelids, but it makes a nice neutral base that sheers out well depending on how much you blend.

I really like this worn as a cream eyeshadow combined with a powder crease colour, as you would imagine, the staying power is rather marvellous.

The two primers blended out a little (not completely).

You can see that Sin retains it’s champagne shimmer whilst the original UDPP is well on it’s way to blending invisibly.

I’m an idiot and forgot to take a photo demonstrating how the same eye shadow looked applied over both primers.  I promise I’ll do it before the week is out and just pop up a quick comparison post.  Basically, if you’re applying a shadow over UDPP Sin… it ups the shimmer.  I <3 it, but it’s important to see as it may put you off completely.

I find that staying power for eyeshadows applied ontop is pretty equal for both primers, if there is a difference, it’s not discernible to me.  Blendability is still hard work over Sin and I’m a bit disappointed about that as it’s the only thing I really would have loved to see changed about the original UDPP.

D’yanowot… I’m on the fence about it with regards to my original question: “Why would I purchase this one over the original?”

Don’t get me wrong… I  really like it, there’s nothing for me not to like.  I like neutral, I like shimmer…

Might I sometimes want some of my shimmer eyeshadows even more shimmery… Possibly!

Do I want all my eyeshadows turned a bit shimmery by using it?  Probably not…

Do I want a lovely champagne cream eyeshadow practically guaranteed not to budge in the summer? Yes please!

Would I purchase?  I dunno!  Stop asking me hard questions!!  What say you?

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin is due out next month, priced at £11.50.

My camera is a Canon 30D DSLR.  It’s a bit old now… I’d love to look into upgrading, but can’t really use ‘taking photos of my makeup’ as a justification for purchase *blush*.  I own 3 wonderful lenses, but mostly use my Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 for blog photos.

I shoot in manual mode because it gives me the greatest flexibility.

Photography was my first love and I’ve spent 4 years learning and trying to get a good grasp of the technical side of the hobby.  My ultimate goal was to be confident and never need to rely on P mode again, shooting in manual gives you control of the image, not just the camera.

I’m frequently asked how to take better FOTD photos, and my answer has nothing to do with the camera and everything to do with the lighting.

If you’re outdoors, open shade is lovely.  Beware of trees, dappled sunlight is no good.  One of my absolute favourite places to shoot portraits are in open doorways. Try it.

Stand at the entrance to your garage or open your front door.  You get a lovely amount of soft, directional light.  Flat lighting is fine but light that moulds around your features casting soft shadows and highlights is better!  Try turning slightly and see how the light falls.  I always hold my hand out and just watch how the light falls on it, tilting, angling and moving until I see a sweet spot.  Then I go and stand in it.

If you have to take photos in the evening under artificial light, your biggest obstacle will be avoiding that “rabbit caught in headlights” look caused by the flash on your camera.  Camera flashes are not kind to us ladies, they make shiny patches practically glow and accentuate any flaws whilst simultaneously washing out the great EOTD you’ve just spent the best part of twenty minutes creating.

The problem stems from the fact that the light in your image is coming from a very small physical source.  Your objective is to take that small source (the flash bulb) and make it larger.  This will diffuse the light and decrease the specular highlights and harsh shadows in your photographs.  The easiest way to do this (if your camera allows it) is to angle your flash so that the light first hits a bigger surface (like the ceiling or a white wall/cupboard door) before reflecting back on your face.

See the diagram below:

Can you see the harsh shadows behind the object on the direct flash diagram?

If you don’t have the flexibility of a flash head you can angle, you could try one of the many pop up flash diffuser options available on eBay.  I haven’t personally tried any of them so I can’t recommend anything specific I’m afraid.

Anyway, that’s a very basic lighting 101 for taking self-portraits, I hope it helps all those who have asked in the past.

I just got mine, well… Leila’s.

Remember, SHD1 for free delivery and PE5P will give you10% off (yeah, I found that one AFTER I ordered)

… so I sent out a 2am cry on Twitter of “I haven’t blogged anything for tomorrow, please send me some inspiration!” and moments later I got a fab reply from the beautiful Liloo who said that she loves reading the odd “non recommendation” post.

So whilst I apologise for taking the path of least resistance with a nice easy “don’t have to think too hard” post, I’m quite excited ‘cos I don’t usually do taggy type posts like this!

I’d also like to apologise for the fact that I can’t count.

1. Benefit Decked Out Dandelion Palette

I bought this years ago, infact the lippie’s gone a bit hard :/ It really is time to part company with this palette.  I don’t hate it, but it’s never been worth the money I spent on it.  Dandelion was supposed to be THE blush that made me learn how to love and wear blushes on my pale skin.  It doesn’t show up on me!  I liked the bottom left eyeshadow colour (Mr. Right Now) but that’s it.  And one out of 4 just ain’t good enough.

2. CARGO Blush in Tonga

I had really high hopes for this blush that has received many glowing reviews across places like MUA and not having a Sainsburys near me that stocks the CARGO line, I was gutted when I found out there was a half price sale going on.  Rowena from Cosmetic Candy offered to pick me up this blush from her local and I was TOO excited to receive it.  It’s very finely milled with a nice, smooth matte texture, but I just find it a tiny bit patchy on me.  It also makes me look a little ruddy…  It just. doesn’t. work.

3. Silk Naturals Mineral Blush in Climax

One of the well known Orgasm dupes and very nice it is too.  But I just don’t use it.  I prefer the convenience of the Milani dupe (being a pressed powder) and now I have the real thing, I appreciate that this stuff doesn’t have the staying power of the NARS original.  However, if you’re into your minerals… I would still recommend this as an alternative.

4. EGMinerals Eye Shadow and Liner Gel

One of those sealing gel products to turn your eyeshadows into liners or to aid the foiling of pigments.  Again, I have nothing against the actual product… but I just don’ t reach for it.  If I want to foil a pigment for a liner, I spray my brush with my Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist and I get great longevity from my foiled pigment/shadow.  I’ve always got my face mist close at hand for a spritz after setting my foundation with powder anyway so it’s just more convenient for me.

5. Eyeko Strawberry Fat Balm

Don’t you just hate binning products that you’ve used once?  Well, I need to do that with this one.  For a product that you’re supposed to be able to apply on your lips, it tastes horrific.  I also really dislike the synthetic Strawberry scent which when applied to my lips sits under my nose being… obnoxious.  I find it too sticky to wear as a blush, so despite loving the shade, it’s a bit fat fail of a product for me.

6. That number *obviously* doesn’t exist to me for whatever reason I’ve buried deep in my psyche.

7. Bobbi Brown Metallic Long Wear Cream Shadows

I’ve got a few of them, which you may remember from my review.  I just don’t use them enough to justify the space they take up in my collection.  They’re very glittery, so not a huge amount of good for day wear, and I’m a sad mummy who doesn’t leave the house past baby’s bedtime soooo…

I also expected a smoother formula and less chunky glitter from a high end brand like Bobbi’s.

8. Boots 17 Eyeshadow in Mardi Gras

This is such a beautiful taupe, but it just doesn’t last for longer than about 4 hours without completely disappearing.  It’s not even that it creases… it simply vanishes.  UDPP, Art Deco Primer, ELF… I’ve tried a myriad of primers with it, it hates me.

9. YSL Rouge Volupte in #7 Lingerie Pink

Let’s be clear.  I love this lipstick. Love. It.

I have the Rouge Volupte in #1 aswell… they’re beautiful lipsticks, but at £20 a pop…. I wanna get more use out of them than I do this one.  I think I’ve worn it twice since I bought it in December.  I knew it was the infamous bright of the line up and tried it on more out of curiosity than with any serious intentions of buying it.  It trapped me.  Right then and there and before I knew it, I was handing over my debit card.  Not only that, but my cousin who was with me also bought one!  It’s witchcraft I tell thee.  And I’m not sure it suits either of us :/

.

And that’s it… my 5, 9, 8 things I wish I’d never bought.  Of course, being a bit of a hoarder means that I could quite easily add a few more to that list, but these were the first 5, 9, 8 that I happened upon whilst I was rummaging!

Now, tell me.

Anyone’s Alice palette arrived yet? I wanna know what you think of it!!

Hopefully it’ll be back online today at some point!

If you don’t read anything else today or even this week, please read this fabulously funny piece on self-portrait trends.

That is all.

*Public Service Announcement – I’m like the BBC but without the license fees.

…I’m cultivating it gently… I don’t want to go all out and mega haul, I’m dipping my toe 1 product at a time.  eBay, QVC, my mother’s makeup collection… nowhere is safe.

Oh hai Laura Geller!

I’m loving your baked goodness!  I’m the happy owner of the above 3 Laura Geller eye products.

L-R: Pink Icing/Devil’s Food Duo, Bewitching Bronze, Eye Rimz Fire Water.

Out of the three, the pink icing duo is my favourite… it’s the most beautiful combo for a neutral eye.

Bewitching Bronze is lovely too but I’m slightly disappointed with the Eye Rimz, as it’s mostly glitter that doesn’t stick too well either as a shadow or a liner.  It’s a gorgeous colour though.

All Laura Geller baked shadows can be used wet or dry, so they’re pretty darn versatile.

Laura Geller are a brand I don’t hear too much about.  The fact that it’s stocked exclusively by QVC in the UK may have something to do with it, rendering it fairly inaccessible.  I’m looking forward to continuing my exploration into the brand.

Are you a Laura Geller fan?  Anything I *must* try?

I’ve received clarification from Urban Decay’s PR representative in the UK.

You’ll be pleased to know…

Debenhams.com will be restocking the Alice in Wonderland on their website. They’re hoping to have this done within the next 2 days, but can’t give an exact time frame.  Advice is to simply keep checking.

The palette will then hit Oxford Street Debenhams on the 28th of February.

On the 1st March, the palette will roll out to Debenhams stores nationwide.  Check to see if your local has a UD counter because if you pop down to your local counter, you’ll also have a (no purchase necessary) chance to win a pair of tickets to see Alice in Wonderland at the cinema.

Please refer to this post for further shopping details.

I hope that eases the confusion x

I’m SO behind with posting things from my lovely IMATS weekend, you’ve seen my NOTD with the flakie on the right, and I’ll do one soon using my blue flakie too

They’re soo pretty, and apply far more smoothly than I thought they would.  It’s not regular glitter where you’re left crying out for a top coat to even out the surface.

In other news, I attempted white nails last night a la Lady Gaga at The Brits only to come to a “WTF am I doing?” revelation halfway through.  Yeah, it was streaking badly.

Also found a NARS Purple Rain dupe in my collection, but I’m not sure if it’s still available to buy… I’ll try and find out before posting it up.

’til tomorrow x