A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I liked all the products that I was sent from Stargazer thus far… infact, more than liked.  They’ve impressed me.  Factor in the price for them, and I’m singing their praises from the blogosphere rooftops.

Sadly, the eyeshadows that I was sent fall into the category “More what I expected from a budget brand”.  They’re not terrible, but they’re nothing that I’m gonna get excited about.

I was sent two shades:

Very metallic looking in the pan, the texture instantly reminded me of Superdrug’s MUA… they have that slightly greasy feel to them.  Nothing wrong with that, but it does scream CHEAP!

Decently pigmented, the Arctic Blue shade took a little more building than Copper Fire, both are metallic.

They wear for a few hours before fading… combined with an eye primer, I just about got 7/8 hours from them before creasing. I’m being a little harsh, they’re performing like most budget eyeshadows… and they are budget eyeshadows at £3 each… but I was so impressed by the other products I tried, I think I was hoping for something more exciting from these aswell.

What I will say for them though is that the range is immense!  Over 50 shades of every colour imaginable in single pan form.  You can purchase Stargazer online from their website.

Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living organism. An enzyme acts as catalyst for specific chemical reactions, converting a specific set of reactants (called substrates) into specific products. Without enzymes, life as we know it would not exist.

Impressive, but why would you wanna put ’em on your face?

Enzymes are a great exfoliator… it’s a bit more scientific than grabbing at some oatmeal and giving your face a scrub.  Enzymes work by chemically loosening the glue-like substance that binds the upper cells on your face.  These upper cells are dead, and their only reason for existing on your face is to provide protection from the elements.  Obviously, that’s an important function in itself… but they pile up unevenly on your skin’s surface over time, giving an overall dull and uneven texture.

As you get older, your skin’s ability to rejuvenate it’s cells begins to slow down… rejuvenation is the key to a smooth, even complexion.  Without rejuvenation, that layer of dead cells gets thicker and thicker, making the skin appear duller.

So, now we know what enzymes are, it makes sense to slather your face in something that is proven to “speed up chemical reaction in a living organism”. no?

Let’s bust some dead skin cells!

Enter Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask…

Elemis say that their Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask contains:

Amazonian Acerola Cherry, White Truffle Poria Cocos, Great Burdock, Erysimum and amino acids.

Yum!  I can’t decide whether I’d benefit more from eating it!

I jest… although it does smell ah-mazing.

There’s also mention of patented tri-enzyme technology… I’m not sciencey enough to give you the full low-down on this, but it basically means (google is my friend) that Elemis’ Tri-Enzyme products contain three enzymes (Subtilisine, Protease and Papain).  These are the work-horses in the formula, and Papain is an enzyme found in papaya.  How good am I at googling, seriously?

So anyway, now that I’ve finished with the theory behind the product… does it do anything?

I accepted this for review consideration because I’ve generally loved everything I’ve ever bought from the brand, and had heard great things about this product in particular.  Though I must admit, I was also a bit nervous about using it.  You’ve heard me go on about my redness and sensitive skin before, and I was worried that I would experience additional irritation from using this product.

There was no need.  I find Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask really pleasant to use, despite warnings of a powerful tingling sensation.  I feel a tingle… but less than most lip plumpers I’ve used.  If anything, it’s quite a refreshing, cooling sensation.

I wash my face and ensure that my skin is patted dry.  Dispensing about three pumps of the Tri-Enzyme mask, I spread it evenly over my face, avoiding the eye and mouth areas.  Then I go and put my feet up, or um… ok, in reality I go on Twitter.  10 minutes later, off I trot to the bathroom where a sink of warm water awaits me to wash the gel off.  It doesn’t harden or crack and is easy to rinse away.

It took 4 sessions (I’m using it twice a week) before I started to notice any real difference.  It claims to improve skin smoothness, decrease the appearance of fine lines, blemishes and uneven skin tone.  I dunno about all that but I’m definitely noticing a difference in the texture of my skin.  I had some rough patches on my forehead and nose that foundation would cling to… these have disappeared.

I hesitate to include the following observation (simply because it’s a real big deal for me) but I’m also sure that my redness has faded a little.  Now, in all honesty… I don’t understand this, it was the last thing I expected to see an improvement with.  The treatment room manager at Liz Earle mentioned inflammation as a possible cause for my redness, so I’m wondering if there’s something in the Tri-Enzyme mask that’s reducing inflammation.  I should stop, because I’m totally hypothesising on this.  All I know is that I’m not concealing my cheeks with pan-stick at the moment.  They’re looking rosy rather than red.

One last thing that I’ve noticed an improvement with is my pore size.  I know that nothing can physically reduce pore-size, but I think that sloughing off the top dead layers of skin has had the effect of revealing my true pore size, which is definitely smaller than they previously appeared.  Sadly, it’s done nothing for my nose pores or congestion in that area.  I also haven’t noticed any decrease in fine lines.

I don’t think it’s some miracle anti-aging product.  But I think that it’s wonderful at sloughing away god knows how much dull crap from the surface of your face.

So why not grab your St. Ives Apricot scrub and be done with it?  Honestly, I don’t know… what I do know is that I’ve been using a facial scrub twice a week in the shower for over 7 months and haven’t come even close to the results that this has taken 3 weeks to achieve.

Yeah, I like it.  A lot.

You can purchase Elemis’ Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask (£45) from the TimeToSpa website, alternatively (and more of a bargain) opt for the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing System (£45) which not only includes a full-size mask, but also mini-sizes of the facial wash, night cream and a cleansing mitt.

Oh, oh!  One last thing, I nearly forgot… remember I said about those top dead layers protecting the skin from the elements?  Well…. yeah, if you do use this – be sure to be super vigilant with sun protection (and I’m not talking factor 5), wear a hat… slip-slop-slap and all that.  Your face will thank you for it.

Please excuse the jaunty “wanna smack her in the face” expression.  It felt cute at the time, now it just feels… mildly irritating.

Anyway… lookee, my new pink hat from the wonderful Eliza!

Knitted by her own fair hands!  I was lucky enough to win her giveaway and I’m delighted I did ‘cos I love it!  The pink is SO HAWT it made my camera have a freak out!

I also won these:

How spoilt am I?

Thanks ever so much Eliza, I’m super chuffed with my goodies!  Go give her some blog love, like NAO!

Incase you live under a rock and haven’t heard about Wahanda‘s mob deals, listen up!

Every night at midnight, when the clock rolls over to a fresh new day… something exciting happens at Wahanda HQ.  The elves get busy and the mailing list fires up, shooting news of a new Wahanda Mob Deal directly to your inbox.

What is a Wahanda Mob Deal?  I hear you ask…

In a nutshell, it’s a pretty nifty health/beauty related deal at a crazily discounted price.

In April, I paid £2 for £20 worth of Spa and Beauty Treatments at HQhair and Beautystore, which enabled me to get a £45 haircut for the grand sum of £27!

As if that wasn’t good enough… I’ve just snapped up another Mob Deal, paying £20 for a Haircut & Blow Dry, plus Hair Treatment & a glass of wine at Lisa Shepherd.  Value? £88.  That’s a saving of 77%.  OMG!

Anyway, this post isn’t just to gloat about my bargains… much…

I wanna alert you to a new Mob Deal going up on Thursday that has been very much the talk of the town in recent months.  I don’t want to spoil the surprise too much, but let’s just say… “You’re gonna need a bigger boat”.

If you do sign up, I would be extremely happy if you used my link: http://www.wahanda.com/love/lipglossiping

I get £5 off any purchases I make on their site if you buy anything after signing up through that link.  To make this a bit fairer though… please feel free to post your own personal Wahanda invite link in the comment below and we can all keep our fingers crossed that we get some extra money off what are some fab pampering deals!

My StrawberryNet order arrived on Saturday, super fast shipping from Hong Kong… incredibly fast actually, took about 2 days.

Anyway, here’s my first Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick…

Nectar…

Isn’t she lovely?

I’m pale enough to pull this one off as a blush if I wanted… it might be a bit frosty for that, I think it’s a product I need to experiment with before I work out how best to put it to use.

The texture is pretty smooth and the shimmer although very obvious, isn’t too chunky.  I’m pleased with my £16 bargain!

Next on my ‘play with’ list is Rose – can you see me?  I’m doing a happy makeup dance!

Is it teal?  Is it blue?  Argh… can’t decide…

Petrol blue, that’s what I’m gonna call it.

Barielle’s A Bouquet for Ava is a stunning creme polish.  Opaque in 2 coats (as pictured), the formula is a beauty… smooth and thin but heavily pigmented.

I dislike the semi-matte finish once dried and was sure to top off with a coat of Seche Vite for the ultra-glossy look I love.  I’m on my 2nd full day of wear and I’ve no chips and only minimal tip wear, so far so good!

Barielle’s A Bouquet for Ava is available online from Barielle and priced at £8 (though they’re still currently offering BOGOF)

EDIT: Still love it, but you need to know… a base coat IS. A. MUST.  Trust me, this stains like a bitch.

Signed… Smurf Nails.

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel, a new lipstick available in 10 shades that promises to contain 100% natural ingredients and long-lasting colour.

These natural ingredients include lovely-sounding things such as: magnolia oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, green tea, beeswax and mineral/plant pigments.

I was sent two shades to try: Fuchsia Ardent (04) and Sienne Kiss (09)

The packaging is the same as the original Sweet Kiss range from Bourjois (though a different coloured plastic)… it’s incredibly tactile… I could click and click for hours…

The formula (which promises to be silky, melting and creamy) is a little bit harder than those adjectives would imply.  Though it certainly doesn’t create any drag on the lips, I’ve definitely applied softer-feeling lipsticks.  Also, I’m not loving the scent.  It’s quite waxy… but I guess it’s not easy to be vigilantly natural and delicately perfumed all at the same time… plus, I can’t smell it once it’s on my lips, only if I sniff the tube.

What I would say about the Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipsticks though is that they’re wonderfully light.  I can apply a ton of product and STILL not feel like I’ve built up a layer of beeswax.  This results in fabulous pigmentation without any gloopiness or heaviness on the lip, and that’s a rather unusual and impressive achievement for a ‘drugstore’ lipstick.

This is a few swipes straight from the tube, the lipstick applies sheerly at first but builds up to a great intensity as you can see.  The finish is semi-matte and extremely easy to wear.

Longevity is average despite claims of 8hr moisturising wear… perhaps if I were enclosed in a vacuum… but I do normal girl things like drink tea, eat muffins and chew on pencils, so these lasted around 3 hours on me before fading away leaving my lips just a touch drier than before… nothing that I’m not familiar with from other lip products.

I would say that they bridge the gloss/lipstick gap… but they don’t, they’re too opaque and matte to be drawing any comparisons with gloss.

Overall, at £7.99 (€11.99) each, I think they’re a great buy.  Particularly if you’re usually uncomfortable with the heaviness of a lipstick.  If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

WOAHHHHHHHHH too much blush.

Aside from that, I was really pleased with how this turned out!  I was looking forlornly into my pigment drawer thinking that I don’t use them enough and although it was 6pm in the evening and I had just done my first DIY home facial (courtesy of Liz… yeah, we’re on first name terms innit) I decided to have a little play anyway.  Was that the longest sentence in the blogosphere?  Possibly.

I really need to start using more than 2 eyeshadow shades, I really enjoyed playing!

Products Used:

Face

~ Skin79 Super BB Cream
~ L’Occitane Etoiles des Neiges Illuminator
~ MUFE Full Cover Concealer in Shade 1

Eyes

~ Urban Decay Primer Potion
~ Silk Naturals Vanilla Pigment (all over lid up to brow bone)
~ MAC Melon Pigment (all over mobile lid)
~ MAC Revved-Up Pigment (crease and slightly above)
~ Elemental Beauty Vamp Pigment (outer v and under lower lashline)

~ Bourjois Khol & Contour in Brun Design (smudged on upper lashline then melon pigment reapplied over the top)
~ Benefit Bad Gal Lash Black Mascara

Cheeks

~ Milani Luminous Blush
~ Bobbi Brown ShimmerBrick in Nectar (yeah, I got carried away)

Lips

~ Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipstick in 09 Sienne Kiss

I commented a few months back that Estee Lauder were starting to shake things up a bit and get with the times… and now they’ve gone all technologically advanced on us too!

You can try out the different shades and finishes from Estee Lauder’s current collections whilst still wearing your slippers.  Isn’t technology great?

Click the image above to be taken to Estee Lauder’s new Virtual Makeover Tool.

I picked this up a few weeks ago whilst browsing in L’Occitane, somewhere I frequent more for their Almond Apple Cleansing Oil than their makeup usually.

I’m endlessly intrigued by colour-correcting all-in-one products like this and it reminds me a little of Guerlain’s infamous Meteorites… obviously not in appearance, but in ambition.

L’Occitane say…

Inspired by a pink white peony with an extraordinary brightness, this illuminating face powder leaves skin soft and velvety, like a petal, and gives a stunning glow to the complexion.

Made with natural softening peony extract from Drôme (France) and mica powder coated with Provençal mimosa flower wax, the powder’s texture glides on smoothly and feels comfortable on the skin leaving an iridescent effect and a delicate perfumed.

Encompassing four sheer shades: pastel green to correct redness, light mauve to correct dullness and the blend of fresh pink and white to light up and refreshes the complexion.

It was tricky to get a swatch, as promised… this powder is soft and sheer, but you should be able to just about make out this swipe on the back of my hand

It’s a very slightly pearlescent pale pink when all four shades are swirled together.  I dust the product all over my face after applying foundation and I do believe that it gives a luminosity to my skin.  It’s very subtle, perhaps too subtle to warrant the £19.50 I paid for it, but I guess the proof is in the fact that I keep reaching for it day after day to set my foundation.

I’m not sold on the colour-correcting aspect of L’Occitane’s Illuminating powder… the shades are simply too sheer to do anything to counteract redness.  I’d have to pile it on an inch thick before noticing any colour correction, but overall… it’s a very pleasant product to use.  Delicately scented and velvet-textured, I’m glad I picked this up.

L’Occitane Etoile des Neiges Illuminating Powder is a limited edition product and available instore at L’Occitane.

Trout Pout. I haz one.

A quick SK:N laser hair removal update… check out my swollen top lip!  I’m impressed… that thing could take over a small country, it’s like the Goodyear blimp!

I don’t generally have much of a top lip as you can see in my FOTDs, so it’s only when you realise this that you can appreciate just how hugely puffed up that top lip is!

Anyway, I had my 2nd facial hair removal session at my local SK:N clinic on Wednesday and I was looking forward to it and dreading it in equal measure.  I’ve already said that I found my first session quite painful but I was hopeful that with a lot of the hair already destroyed, this 2nd session would be easier to bare.  And it was!

It was about 1/4 as painful as the first.  The only bit that had my eyes watering was the upper lip which they thankfully left till last.  The rest?  Completely fine…. just light pinging sensations against the skin.  Nothing to worry about at all!  Relief!

Compared to last time’s post-treatment soreness…. I have nothing.  Literally nothing.  After about 12 hours, the redness had completely faded… all that is left are a couple of whiteheads on my upper lip which probably have more to do with slathering on copious amounts of Aloe Vera gel than anything else.  A true 90% improvement in irritation and discomfort over my first session.

Except for the swelling.

The whole lower half of my face has doubled in size again, perhaps even more so than last time.  I look like a Spitting Image character.  I’m assuming this is just the fluid rushing to protect and heal the areas that it feels are under attack… but still, not attractive!

Here’s a post-treatment video just like after the first session, apart from noticing how horrible my bottom teeth are… try to concentrate more on how much less skin irritation I have compared to the previous video.  If it keeps progressing like this, it’s gonna be a doddle!

SK:N After treatment #2 from lipglossiping on Vimeo.