A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Oh, I wasn’t expecting not to like you.

You’re a little bit greige gone wrong… too much grey or maybe too much brown… I’m all confused and can’t pinpoint what it is that I don’t like about your colour.  But you’re just not quite right for me.

You were a bit patchy too.  Though I totally admire you pouncing on the latest trends and bringing us great colours at affordable prices… you disappointed me with this one.

I’m sad.  Did I get a duff bottle?  Mine did apply a lot darker than the bottle colour suggested… everyone else seems to love it?!

Try saying that after half a bottle of Shiraz.

Does this picture need a NSFW warning?

Tough…. it’s Monday morning, don’t even try and pretend you’re not struggling to read THE WORDS in this post.  Words?  Are there even words in this post?

Anyway… where was I? *distracted*.

Oh yeah…  So, hardened beauty addicts… what I want to know, is this….

With a bulging (sorry) beauty cupboard and a crammed bathroom cabinet, does your better half/significant other/tea maker ever indulge in your products, and are you happy about it?

Mine doesn’t.  It saddens me…

I have a lovely man doll, but he won’t let me play.

I have gorgeous masks and scrubs that I wanna put all over his face and I bet he’d look Johnny Depp-esque with just a hint of guyliner but he’s not having any of it.

He’s not all “Urgh gerrof me with that girl crap!” or any of that unsensitive macho crap… it’s just…

He couldn’t care less about ‘beauty’ products.

They’re not on his radar.  He’s all about HTC Desires and Flash CS5, a little bit of PES and a lot of Opal Fru Starburst

I could even present something to him in the latest ‘man packaging’ and his lack of interest wouldn’t waver.

He gets up, splashes his face with water, shaves with Imperial Leather and a BIC and then wonders why he gets a sore chin.  He doesn’t even differentiate between shampoo and shower gel.

When I first got married, I had visions of changing all this.

Maybe this is a bit of a weird confession, but I’ve always thought there’s something very sexy about a man shaving.  Especially if it’s done “the old fashioned way”.

I’ve tried many times to persuade him to buy one of those posh safety razor sets with a huge domed badger-hair shaving brush and a musky sandalwood-scented soap in a dish…

… of course, this is more for my (slightly pervy) benefit than his, but a man should make these sacrifices for their one true love.

Part of me is relieved that he doesn’t hog the bathroom, it’s not really big enough for two beauty aficionados.  However, another little bit of me thinks that this is the reason behind him simply not understanding my love for all things frivolous, pretty and rose-scented.

So tell me ladies….

Does your fella know his eye serum from his athlete’s foot cream?   And are you pleased he shares your passion?

Indulge me, I rarely do haul posts.  But I’m really loving the things that I picked up this week.  And just look how restrained I was at my local CCO (the MAC).

At the beginning of the week my Stila bits turned up from CheapSmells.. oh! I haven’t included my Stila Topaz Kajal in the photo!  Oh well, I got that too… But anyway, look at that lovely taupe (bottom left).  That’s Stila Cloud, a very cool toned shimmery silver taupe.

I finally took the plunge and ordered a Shu Uemura IR Beige 800 eyeshadow… I was struggling between the IR and ME versions, but felt the ME version swatched a little too pink for me.

I also took advantage of the Barielle BOGOF offer and picked up two colours from the Spring Wildflowers Collection (A Bouquet for Ava & June Bug) and two from the Summer High Steppin’ Collection (Belly Dance & Electric Boogie)

Hmm what else…

Oh, I nabbed Clinique’s (relatively) new High Lengths mascara that I’ve had my eye on for a little while… super funky alienesque brush!

Finally, I was (semi) well-behaved in my local CCO on Friday.  I don’t have a MAC counter near me… so I usually target the MAC stand quite heavily when I raid the Gunwharf CCO.  I picked up: Melon pigment, Blonde MSF and Femme-Fi eyeshadow.  Pat on the back for resisting Moon River from the Grand Duo collection and Flower Mist Dew Beauty Powder from the Ungaro collection.  (Please don’t tell me I NEED those two items in my life… I totally bend to peer pressure!)

What have you bought this week?

Terry de Gunzburg, founder of cult beauty brand By Terry is making a one day personal appearance at the Space NK Hans Crescent store in Knightsbridge.

She’ll be in store on Thursday 17th June (10.30am – 5.30pm) with her team of international make up artists to introduce her Summer collection and offer individual consultations.

Booking fee is £20 (redeemable against purchases) and all guests will receive a special gift bag from ByTerry.

If you fancy the thought of champagne, macaroons, luxe makeup and some personal attention then you can call the Space NK Hans Crescent to book a ticket on 0207 581 25 18

~ Over at theNotice, Rae has been bitten stung by the Misikko bug — and she is not pleased!

~ Betty Girl Makeup is back, and continuing on with her series on contouring!

~ Vex in the City shares her delight at discovering the wonders of Mehron’s new Celebré HD-Pro foundation.

~ Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed checks out the multitude of choices in lash enhancers.

~ Louise pens a love letter to a BLUE eyeshadow, and is now trying to deal with her embarrassment.

~ Mz. More from The Glamorous Gleam tells you all about her experience with the Zoya Nail Polish Exchange, and shows off her new goodies!

~ Does your significant other complain about “too girly” shower gel scents? Want a happy medium? Look no further and discover what shower gel Hellcandy and her bf are raving about!

~ Jeweled Thumb shares how she spot cleans her brushes, and reviews 6 cleansers to help you find the best one for you!

~ Hot Beauty Health shares the top beach beauty buys for summer 2010!

~ Krasey Beauty meets Dany Sanz, the artist, legend, and creator of Make Up For Ever.

~ Spiced Beauty shows you that you can look fab in red lipstick… even if it just costs a dollar!

~ There’s a new natural cosmetics line on the block! Lipglossiping casts her eye over Bourjois’ little sister, Une.

~ Jolie Laide Girl is glowing with Make Up Forever’s HD Blushes.

~ Learn how to get ‘Perfect Skin’ with the help of makeup artist Jon Hennessy at Makeup by Kim Porter.

~ Phyrra shows you the newest collection from Aromaleigh, Victoria’s Revenge. If you like steampunk, you’ll love this collection!

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Find out what Audrey Dao is giving away for June’s Reader of the Month Giveaway!

Cindy from Prime Beauty is a Stila IT girl and you can be too, with her awesome Stila giveaway!

I suspected it from the moment I twirled the bottle between my fingers…

…Stargazer #155 (£2) is a very nice match for the cult O.P.I shade I’m Not Really A Waitress (£9.95)

INRAW was the first OPI I bought back in the day and is probably the only bottle of polish I’m even close to finishing.

If I look *really* closely, I’d say that Stargazer #155 is the teeniest bit more cherry toned than INRAW, but there’s barely anything in it.

#155 is opaque in two coats and applies smoothly with a decent brush… not too thin and no straggly long bits.  Quick drying but affording just enough time to work the polish to the edges of the nail bed.  It benefits from a glossy top coat to bring out the sparkle within the polish.

And a comparison with the OPI…

I prefer the Stargazer.  I’ve always had an issue with tip wear with this particular OPI (see my review from last May) and the Stargazer is outperforming INRAW in this instance by a huge amount.  No tip wear at all until the 3rd day.

Did I find a good dupe?  I’m usually pretty crappy at dupe hunting, so I’m kinda chuffed with myself!  Simple things and all that…

Well, if you wanna be… get in there quick!  Entries close at 9am on the 7th June.

British brand Illamasqua are looking for a fresh face to front their Autumn/Winter collection and it could be you!

Check out the casting page to find out more and apply (men welcome too!)

Good luck if you’re applying!

It’s time I be brave and post a before treatment / during picture.  Now that the irritation and redness has completely subsided (took about a week) from my first Sk:n laser hair removal treatment, I’m thoroughly enjoying my new (relatively) hairless face!

I have 5 more treatments to go and I’m in it for the long haul.  6 treatments in total, each separated by a 4 week period to allow for different growth cycles means I should be finished in October.

Let me show you the (gruesome) photos first and then I’ll share my observations about the current hair growth.

Yeah, looking at this 6 weeks on is a little bit upsetting.  I can’t believe that I sruggled with this for so many years.  Maybe I’m being blase…. I don’t know that this is going to be permanent, but jeez… one session is all I’ve had.  One.  Look.

I catch myself stroking my chin with the back of my hand occassionally… surprised at the feeling of smooth skin… but mostly, I’m loving just not having to think about it at all.

I’m currently shaving every 3rd/4th day, compared to once or even twice a day previously.

When the hair does come back through, it feels finer and less coarse.  It’s still dark and the pinpricks of colour under the surface of my skin are noticeable if you look closely.  But what an astounding difference.

I didn’t expect to achieve such instant results.  I know I need to continue the ‘course’ and not be lulled into a false sense of security as I’ve been told the hair can sometimes appear to get even thicker than previously after the 2nd/3rd sessions thanks to the different growth cycles… but for now…. I’m on cloud nine.

Exclusive to ASOS.

Bourjois have released a new nail polish collection which claims to give a false nail effect for up to 8 days.

Bourjois False Nail Effect Nail Enamel is available in 8 shades and designed to cover any nail imperfections for a smooth and even finish.

The colour range isn’t exactly blowing me away, but I like the sound of the wide brush and am tempted to pick up a bottle in the hot pink (3rd from left).

Priced at £5.50 each and available at ASOS.

All item that were paid for last night went out by first class post this morning, thank you!

I’ve lowered the prices on a couple of items.

Any items paid for this morning onwards, will go out on Monday.

Thank you! xx

I’ve got a brand spankin’ new bottle of Seche Vite up for grabs… and a rather cute Japanese cheek guide thing for blush application…

So, how do you win it?

Head on over to the Lipglossiping ego Facebook page and agree to sell me your soul like it!

Simples!

I shall draw a winner (international entrants welcome) on the 24th June.

P.S. – I know that some of you would rather stick hot pins in your eyes than sign up on facebook, so if you wanna join in the fun but are allergic to the “book of faces”, drop me an email with the subject “JUNE GIVEAWAY” (and a few lines of text to get past my spam filter) and I’ll make sure you’re entered too!

~ Shampoo: None!  I’m having a hair product crisis this month, ever since the Philip Kingsley thankfully sorted my sore scalp out at the beginning of the month… I haven’t really enjoyed using anything.
~ Conditioner: None!   I’m hating on all my conditioners, my hair seems to be getting drier – HALP!
~ Styling products: Honestly can’t be bothered, I’ve scraped my hair into a ponytail practically every day.
~ Shower Gel: I used up the last of my Body Shop Sweet Lemon which was pretty lovely, so I bought some more while it was cheap!
~ Night Cream: Liz Earle Superskin Moisturiser – I’ve just finished it! BOO!
~ Day Cream: Ponds Light Day Cream (if it’s good enough for Kylie…)
~ Cleanser: Muji Cleansing Oil followed up with Priori Advanced AHA – Gentle Facial Cleanser
~ Exfoliator: None, ‘cos I’m using the AHA facial cleanser daily
~ Primer: Shu Uemuera UV Underbase SPF 30
~ Foundation brush: Fingers mostly!
~ Concealer: Stargazer Pro Paint Stick
~ Powder: MAC MSF Natural in Medium
~ Blusher: Bare Escentuals Blusher in Giddy Pink
~ Highlighter: Make Up Store High Tech Lighter in Orion
~ Eyeshadow base: UDPP in Sin
~ Eyeshadows: my NYX single shadows have been getting a lot of love this month!
~ Eyeliner: Sleek Kajal in Black
~ Mascara: Lancome L’Extreme & Avon Super Shock
~ Lipstick: Revlon Colour Burst in Soft Nude
~ Lipgloss: NYX Whipped

C’mon, I really need some inspiration on the ‘Poo and Conditioner front, tell me what is fabulous at the minute?