A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Illamasqua have a hot new competition open… I’ll let the press release give you all the information you need to know.

Check it out:

2010’s hottest new nail colour is in your hands!

Whether it’s the standout shade of your favourite killer heels, your must-have cupcake frosting or the glow of the city skyline, Illamasqua want to hear what inspires your soul.

The UK’s hottest and most talked about make-up brand, Illamasqua is famed for its unique and daringly different collection of cult Nail Varnish colours.

And now they want YOU to get creative.

Illamasqua is asking finger fetishists the world over to submit a description of their dream nail varnish colour, for their chance to make it a reality.

Run in conjunction with luxury retailer, Selfridges, this incredible competition is giving nail varnish fans the world over the opportunity to push their imaginative boundaries further than ever before and design their very own perfect shade.

Entrants must explain in no more than 50 words what inspired their unique choice, and provide an image or photograph to illustrate their big idea.

The prize? Two winners will see their dream colour created and sold exclusively at Illamasqua.com and Selfridges in London, Manchester Trafford and Birmingham from October 2010. In addition, they’ll receive a bottle of their winning colour before anybody else!

The winning entries will be selected by a high-profile judging panel consisting of legendary make-up artist Alex Box, nail artist to the stars Sophy Robson and YouTube sensations Pixiwoo.

The rules:

In 50 words or less, submit a description of your dream colour and the thinking behind it – please include pictures to illustrate your inspiration if possible.

Entries must be submitted in one of the following three ways, no later than 14^th March 2010:

Via email: competition@illamasqua.com

Via blog post: email the link to competition@illamasqua.com

Via mail:

NAIL COMPETITION
c/o Illamasqua
6-8 Amwell St
London
EC1R 1UQ

One entry per person. Competition is open to entrants globally.

The other NARS AW/10 runway look I wanted to share comes from Phillip Lim’s show:

It’s punchy but delicate all at the same time no?

Here’s the lowdown:

INSPIRATION: Disco-punk. “This is a youthful, rebellious look that exudes a strong sense of confidence. Energy radiates within the girls through their makeup with eyes that have a bit of a rock and roll feel,” said designer Phillip Lim whose inspiration stemmed from an image of Blondie’s Debbie Harry.

LOOK: “This look has many layers,” said NARS lead artist Lisa Butler. “The eyes are punchy and edgy while the skin was kept healthy and glowing. The lips are a soft, sheer pink for the elegant punk-rock princess style that Phillip was looking for.”

FACE
•  Riviera Multiple
•  Douceur Blush (NEW for Fall 2010); try Lovejoy or Madly Blush for a similar effect
•  Luxor Multiple

EYES
•  Abyssinia Single Eyeshadow
•  Nymphea Single Eyeshadow
•  Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (NEW for Fall 2010); try Bali Single Eyeshadow for a similar effect
•  London Eyeliner Pencil

LIPS
•  Bangkok Pure Matte Lipstick (NEW for Fall 2010); try Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil for a similar effect

I’m loving the look of the new matte lipstick but groaning at how long we have to wait for it….

I can totally see Debbie Harry in the inspiration too.  She’s one of my favourite beauty icons ever (along with Jean Seberg, Anna Karina & Edie Sedgwick) so I’m not hugely surprised to find myself in love with this look.

I haven’t posted the Thakoon look ‘cos it’s a bit bronzey nuder and doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but check it out here.

So, Diamond Cosmetics nail polishes have had rave reviews across the pond, and I thought it was high time I picked up a couple for myself!

The first one I’ve tried is Decadence.  The picture below was taken with sunlight streaming through the window, so looks a bit warmer here than real life.

A neutral toned brown shimmer that goes nicely with a cool skintone.  The shimmer is strong as you can see and I love it.  I suppose it’s more of a cool bronze than a plain ol’ brown because of the sparkles.  Note, this isn’t glitter – just shimmer.

I had no issues with application and applied 3 coats to achieve opacity (I apply fairly thin coats, so it may only take 2 coats for you).  The finish is smooth and glossy.  After 3 days (the photo was taken on the 1st full day) I have no chips, but tip wear is quite extensive on a couple of fingers.  We’re talking 2mm easy.

Still, the polishes are priced at £3 each, so I was still pleasently surprised by the quality of the formula and finish.

Have you checked out Diamond Cosmetics polishes yet?

So, you know I kinda fell in love with this slightly ‘dirty’ look from NYFW, I had a go at re-creating it last night.  It’s simple, but too easy to go overboard.  Half the reason the original looks so fab is probably because of Freja Beha’s amazing bone structure anyway.

It’s not BAD bad… but it’s far too heavy (as I knew it would be).

Do you ever attempt to recreate looks from face charts and the like?

….As of 12.30am on the 21st Feb, the Alice in Wonderland Palette is out of stock on Debenhams.com.  That’s about 12hrs after it was first released right?

How do I know this?  ‘Cos I’ve been umm-ing and ahh-ing all bloody day trying to decide whether or not to purchase the one I’ve had sitting in my basket since lunchtime to keep as a little makeup heirloom for Leila.

At 12.30am, I decided to go for it!

BUGGER!

Hurry up and come back Alice!  Will it be there when I wake up in the morning?

I think the last time I did one of these was back in August, let’s see if I can still remember how it goes…

IN

~ My new lit mirror finally arriving after snagging a super laid back eBay seller
~ Getting surprised by the fabulous Aussie peeps, check out my ‘consolation’ prize – ohemgee!
~ Shopping with the lovely SecretDiaryofaBeautyAddict, although remind me to lock up my credit card next time. I can see a frightening future of enabling on the horizon!
~ Booking a dirty night away with Mr. L at a fancy schmancy hotel (shush – bargain price too!)
~ Mr. L being… well… Mr. L.
~ Looking forward to catching up with some buds on Monday (faster, faster!)
~ Getting my parent’s back from the other side of the world.

OUT

~ ‘Hitting pan’ is not always cool.  Sometimes it’s just plain ‘spensive.
~ Hand Creams, will I ever find a truly non-greasy one (that doesn’t break the bank!)?
~ Diets!  Not just yet, but soon to be on a MEGA one.
~ Not being able to attend LFW in the end, bawbags.

All in all, it’s been a good week!  How was yours?

Zomg.

That’s the sound of me toppling off my chair after seeing the AW/10 runway look Francois NARS created for the Marc Jacobs show at NYFW.

I got an email yesterday which contained a couple of the looks from the shows with teeny tiny pictures promising that more pics will follow. I’m like, HELLO! It’s a Friday… you CANNOT leave me waiting ’till Monday like this, these are freaking beautiful!

So, I googled and saw that the creme de la creme of US blogging ladies were already on the case!

There’s 2 looks in particular that I’ve fallen head over heels with, wanna see one of ’em? No? Tough shit.

How sultry is that? Be still my beating heart.

Here’s the details and breakdown of products used:

INSPIRATION: “I was inspired by the film La Vie des Autres. I wanted the models to have a dirty look as if the hair and makeup had been slept in,” said designer Marc Jacobs, who specifically requested Barbarella lipstick to be used on the models’ lips.

LOOK: “This look is what you’d see on a girl from the East Village or St. Germain des Pres – an existentialist with a modern twist,” said NARS Cosmetics Founder and Creative Director François Nars whose application technique included using his fingers to achieve the faded effect. “These girls are sexy and cool. Their makeup looks dirty and worn out as if it has been on all night but still translates beautifully on the runway.”

FACE
•  Sheer Glow Foundation
•  Enchanted Blush (NEW for Summer 2010); try Gina Blush for a similar look

EYES
•  D. Gorgeous Single Eyeshadow (NEW for Spring 2010)
•  Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil
•  Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo
•  Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara

LIPS
•  Barbarella Lipstick

See, I didn’t fancy the look of D.Gorgeous when I first saw it… but now I want it (or something simillar). I really need some mattes in my life.

I also TOTALLY need Barbarella, but in the tube it scares me, it looks proper peachy orange.  Any of you lovely ladies have it?  Is it super warm toned?

I’ll post my other fav up on Monday!  I’m off to try and recreate this, I think the difficulty will be stopping the eyes from looking too smoky and heavy, any tips?

I guess it didn’t want to be late, for a very important date! *groan*

Click the image for more info!

Enter code SHD1 upon checkout for free UK delivery.  P6MP will give you 5% off your order too, bringing the total to £26.60 delivered.

Huge thanks to Yuen-Ting for the heads up and Lady Gray for the 5% code – good going ladies! xx

Rae from theNotice shares her skincare secret to flawless, pore-free skin.

Phyrra gives you an exclusive interview with Fyrinnae Cosmetics in February’s Indie Spotlight.

Betty’s Dragon Fruit Eye Look is now up at Betty Girl Makeup. It’s her first tutorial and she’s wicked excited!

Arianne at Glitter Geek is absolutely smitten over her new drugstore superhero — Aveeno Hand Cream.

Krasey Beauty takes New York Fashion Week by storm, and goes backstage with L.A.M.B, MAC, CND, and MoroccanOil.

Lisa Kate attempts her first Konadicure…please help her!

Jellyminx goes shopping again and again and again and again!!

Sarah at I Heart Cosmetics hunted high and low, and finally managed to purchase the Estee Lauder and Michael Kors Very Hollywood Collection.

Thought you found your HG red lipstick? So did Hell Candy Make Up until she discovered this oh so glamorous lippie!

There be lemmings-a-plenty when Lipglossiping shows off NARS Purple Rain this week!

Tarte ReCreate Anti-Aging Foundation just so happens to be the answer to Prime Beauty’s prayers.

Melovemakeup shows how gorgeous the eyeshadow in the Trucco Angelface Palette is – duochrome heaven!

Say bye bye to dark circles and hello to bright eyes with Liparazzi!

Maggie gets electrified by L’Oreal HiP’s Black Shock.

This week on Get Lippie, Louise goes a little bananas at the makers of “Chemical Free” products and hopes she’ll be forgiven.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed gets super excited by Chanel’s new Fast Track Orient Extreme mini collection!

I was recently sent two products from Sleek Makeup‘s range, focusing on a couple of shades that are suited to this year’s Spring trend.

On the left we have the Dip It in Pastel Green and on the right, an Eye Dust in Livid Lilac.

I’m a beauty addict with eclectic tastes and try not to discriminate based on price or accessibility of products.  So, I approach this review with a fully open mind.  Even when I held the Dip It pot in my fingers, twirling it…. marvelling at how incredibly cheap Sleek had managed to make it look.

The eye dust packaging doesn’t fare much better.  I mean, they’re both obviously plastic, but they’re SO lightweight I’m surprised that they’re not defying the rules of gravity.

Having said that, I ultimately only really care about how it looks if I’m gonna be seen in public with it (shallow soul that I am), how about the actual contents?

How ABOUT those contents…

Well, there they are.  In all their ‘spilled across my new desk cos the sifter fell out when I tapped the bottom of the pot’ glory.  You can only imagine how much I was loving that purple Eye Dust at this point.

When I grumbled about my little dust-spilling incident on Twitter, it turned out that I wasn’t the only one who had nearly ended up with a lapful of Livid Lilac.  Something for Sleek Makeup to investigate perhaps?

Anyway, the colour is pretty… it’s more vivid in the pot than it is swatched, a good thing seeing as it’s called ‘Livid Lilac’ afterall and looks thoroughly ‘Royal Purple’ in the container.

The top swatch shows the Dip It liner in Pastel Green.  It’s an opaque mint, and really does look like a fabulous shade for Spring.  Livid Lilac is far softer once swatched (dry) and slightly metallic.  I was really impressed with the choices for this season’s shades.

Application of the Dip It was a bit tricky.  The wand and narrow tip allowed for a precise sweep across the eye lid, but as I was drawing the line, I found that the applicator dragged at the pigmentation leaving the line of colour less pigmented in the centre than at the edges.  To be fair, nothing that a second coat didn’t remedy.  The liner dried almost instantly without transferring to the hooded part of my eyelids.

I had no issues applying the Eye Dust, it blended smoothly and the colour depth was nicely buildable.

Here’s a FOTD, don’t laugh… the shades are a bit bright for me, but I enjoyed playing!

Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ended, 20 minutes later, I looked in the mirror and saw that the eyeliner had begun to flake…

Bits of Dip It kept getting caught in my eyelashes, so I ended up using an eyeshadow brush to work back and forward until I’d dislodged all the flakes.  I wasn’t left with much.

Fast forward to bed-time and my cleansing routine.  I cleansed with my ever faithful cleansing oil and a blob of Cetaphil to finish, towelled my face dry and then shrieked at the mirror when I saw a matching pair of pink-dyed eyelids looking back at me.  I would have photographed them for the comedy value, but it was kinda late and I’m kinda lazy so you’ll just have to use your imagination instead.

On the plus side, it showed that my sense of symmetry has improved.  Those dyed patches were perfect.

Overall, I was disappointed at the quality of the 2 products I was sent by Sleek Makeup which is a shame, because in the past I’ve been mostly impressed (how ’bout them 12 pan palettes eh?).

Sleek Makeup products are available from selected Superdrug stores, the Eye Dusts and Dip Its both retail for £2.99 each.

Ooooh I’ve just clicked ‘schedule’ on my WordPress dashboard to setup that last Beauty Blender post so that it ‘goes live’ at exactly 9.37am on this (probably grey) Friday morning… and I’m sat here fretting.

“Did that last post actually SAY anything?”

“Do I contribute to society in any way, shape or form?”

“Is my blog a big waste of disk space on the interwebz?”

“Should I shave my arm hairs before the next swatching session?”

“They’ll never get back the 3 minutes it took them to read that.”

.

And then it hit me… like a booming voice coming down from the heavens.

I’m having fun.  Can we play with some blusher next?

Oh and go check out Secret Diary of a Beauty Addict too today, cos she bought me a McDonald’s chocolate milkshake last night.  She’s the best.

I’m about to lock away my foundation brushes, stippling brushes and buffing brushes.

I’m doing a full-on swap for these:

The infamous Beauty Blender!

I bought 2 of these a while back and have used them a couple of times when I’ve been away from home and not wanted to carry too much makeup with me.  They’ve performed well, but as soon as I’ve gotten home they’ve been washed and popped back in the drawer whilst my full attention returned to my brushes.

I was going to review them as is.  I’ve used them 5/6 times… washed them, gotten a feel of how they work best for me and I really, really like them.  But if I like them SO much, why are they not in constant use now?

Over the next week, I’ll be limiting myself solely to these and asking myself the simple question: Why would I recommend you buy these when a brush works so well?

I don’t know the answer yet, I just know I’m pleased I bought them.  Anyone have any specific questions about the Beauty Blender that I can help answer whilst trialling?

Can I also draw your attention back to the questions for a Benefit MUA post?  I’m compiling an email for her this weekend, so it’s your last chance!