A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m on a little self-imposed no buy… it’s not time-limited, it’s more ‘sale’ limited.  I’ve splurged over the last few weeks.  First in the Harrods Beauty Hall (whoop, whoop sales!), then at MAC (bloody In The Groove) and then courtesy of some lovely Shu Uemura on Goss’ blog.  Yeah, I’ve been a little too tempted recently… and that doesn’t even include a few online shops and 1 or 2 sneaky counter stops.

So, what’s the best cure for a woman with shopaholic tendencies?

A great big internet-wide Summer Sale of course!!!

Nnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

That’s the sound of me physically restraining my fingers from whipping out the debit card.

Seeing as I’m not allowing myself to physically “checkout” the various things in my basket, I’m putting them here instead… it’s therapy.

Here’s my top buys from the various Beauty Sales around at the moment.

1. The only thing that tempts me on HQHair at the moment is this Urban Decay Preen Palette marked down to £12 from £18 – That’s £2 a shadow, not even including the 24/7 pencil!  You gotta love beauty spending justification maths right? 😉

2. Second up is an item from one of my favourite beauty sites BeautyBay.com, they mostly have awesome sales and I’m not disappointed this time round.  Becca eye shadows with a 70% saving?  I’ll have Chintz, Jacquard and Shantung please… no one wants the white one.

3. Another BeautyBay.com temptress is this Paul & Joe lipstick in 20.  I initially though, “Oh… it’s one of them dark, grungy colours that no one really wants”, but it’s called Milk Chocolate… and I reckon it’s probably a nice sheer cocoa.  Probably.

4. BeautyExpert only had one thing I’d take a flutter on… (get it!) – Every girl needs a pair of Shu Uemura feather lashes right? RIGHT?  This pretty pair can be yours for a very reasonable £13.50…. again, I say… NnnnGGGGHHHH!

5. ASOS, YOU BASTARDS!  Oh my god… I’ve been checking your sale pages for weeks and now I’m on a nooooooooo-buy, you go and update!  Check this out!  Everyone wanted a bit of Illamasqua Jo’Mina Nail Polish right?  Well, now it’s on sale at nearly half price!  Well… nearly…

oh… Baptiste is also up there… *bites knuckle and sobs*

6. Also reduced on ASOS… By Lauren Luke… £10 off each palette.  My Vintage Glam was the one that caught my eye back when they were released.  £25 was a teeny bit too steep for me… £15?  Rip your arm off.

So there’s my virtual shopping list… I’m so freakingly dreadfully tempted by the ASOS stuff… even some of the BarryM lippies are up there for £2.50 each.  I may console myself with one of those instead.  Or you may be seeing a slightly larger haul post next week.  Stay tuned.

If you buy anything, let me know…. I can take it!

L’Occitane are releasing a new limited edition range for the Summer set to tantalise our senses.

Verbena Summer Secret will launch this month with 4 products in the line up:

I’m a big fan of the original Verbena line up with it’s true citrusy notes that transport you from your 3’x3′ shower cubicle to the lemon groves of Sicily and let’s be honest… where else would you rather be on a Monday morning?

The range will include:

1. Moisturising Body Gel – £17.50
2. Shower Jelly – £12.50
3. Eau de Toilette – £34.00
4. Cooling Gloss – £7.00

I’m particularly keen to try the Moisturising Body Gel… it’s the word “gel”… anything that conjures up a mental image of being lightweight and easily absorbed is something that makes me sit up and take notice.  Especially in this weather.

Are you a L’Occitane fan?  What are your favourites from the brand?

Leila loves her Mummy.

If it’s good enough for Kylie…

You never have to travel far before you come across someone who will happily swear by these iconic pots of cream.  Whether it’s the original Cold Cream or some of their more uptodate incarnations, someone somewhere will happily tell you how Ponds is the only moisturiser their Nan/Mother/Sister (delete as appropriate) has been using since 1935 and that she doesn’t look a day over 23.

I’ve been using Pond’s Light Day Cream (£3.99) on and off for a while now and it is indeed (mostly) the bees knees.

Ignore for a moment the parabens, perfume and mineral oil contained within (I know, it’s hard)… these are pretty old school inexpensive ingredients designed to a) make the product stay fresh longer, b) smell nice and c) form a barrier between your skin and the drying effects of the environment.  Are there better ingredients that do the same job?  You bet.  Are there better ingredients that do the same job for the same price?  Not so much.

If you’re not sensitive to these ingredients (and I don’t seem to be) then I’m happy to use them.  Many people aren’t afforded that luxury, with artificial perfumes being among one of the biggest culprits for skin sensitivity.

But anyway, I’m going off on a tangent slightly… back to the review…

Attractively packaged in a heavyweight frosted glass jar, the cream has a thick but slippy texture.  It’s much easier to spread than that refrigerated Nutella texture that is Nivea Creme. It’s also as light and non-greasy as it claims, as long as I’m not too heavy handed.  I find that the cream sinks in beautifully and leaves my skin feeling softer and more supple than before.  If I get a bit carried away with it, it leaves my skin slightly tacky for about 10 minutes before subsiding.

It’s strong scent loses it a point (or 4)… I know it’s iconic… but I can still smell it 3 hours later!  Also, SPF 6… is that it?  It’s barely worth bothering is it?  I won’t leave the house without a minimum of SPF15 and it’s a shame that this doesn’t supply that extra protection.

There’s one thing I must mention though, it’s the one reason in particular that I will be repurchasing.  It’s compatible.

Shall I explain?

I often like to mix things into my moisturiser.  Luminizers mostly… but often I’ll add foundations to sheer them out a touch.  Things like the new LUSH Colour Supplement blend wonderfully into this cream and apply flawlessly.  Oh and another thing?  Powder products wear with absolutely no problems over the Pond’s Light Day Cream.  I can slap a bit of this on my face first thing and less than 5 minutes later, I’m swirl, tap, buffing my way to a flawless complexion quite happily.  Nothing ‘balls’ up under my fingers… it’s just a very laid back, inexpensive and light day cream for the summer.

Top marks! (nearly).

Why do products suddenly stop working?

I can love a shampoo for weeks… even months, then of all a sudden… it turns to shit and makes my hair feel lank or (more often in my case) starts to make my scalp scab up (nice).

And what about lipsticks?  Please tell me that this doesn’t just happen to me…

I have a lipstick that I’ve loved for many months now.  It’s a NYX.  Paris to be exact.  Loved it.  Swore by it.

Put it on yesterday and have completely stopped feeling it.  Shame that, ‘cos I’ve got 2 backups.

As far as I’m aware… the formula hasn’t changed, it smells fine and applies as smoothly as ever but just doesn’t seem to suit me anymore.  It must be me… it must be?

But is this why I have very few (if any) true Holy Grail products?  Am I just too flighty for that kind of commitment?

Do any of you experience this?  If so, what products have you noticed this with?

Soooooooooo The Boots Smooth Skin by iPulse IPL System…

Armpit or Leg…

Arm. Pit. or. Leg.

I tossed a coin.  You get to see my hairy legs.  Or, leg even.  Just below the knee… to the right of the 2nd thread vein from the left.

I dunno why I watermarked it, it’s not like I wanna claim it as mine.

Random Internet User:  “Hey, lady… is this your photo of your pasty white leg with dry skin and multiple hairs protruding from one follicle (you freak)”.

Me: “Um, nope… no, doesn’t look like one of mine”.

Random Internet User:  “But it says here… Lipglossiping.com”

Me: “…”

On the positive side… we’re kinda meant to have hairy legs.  I feel normal posting this in comparison to the hairy chin pics.

Until I can put the The Boots Smooth Skin to work on maintaining my facial in-clinic laser hair removal, I thought I’d best put it to good use on some other hirsute part of my anatomy.  Stop making gagging noises and be bloody grateful you were spared the bikini line bitches.

So this is the benchmark, here we are. Day One.  Well, not day one… this photo shows about 4 days worth of growth actually.  I’ve done my test patch and I’m good to go…. raring even.

I’m a little bit sad that I can’t fake tan my legs whilst I’m zapping but in the grand scheme of things, I’d rather be white than hairy.

Wish me luck, I’m going in!

Soleil indeed…

Paul & Joe‘s Soleil is a juicy tangerine shade from Spring 2009 (though still available online).  It’s a shimmery jelly shade with a few golden sparkles thrown in for good measure.  Oh… and let’s not forget the typically beautiful Paul & Joe packaging *swoon*

I was on the hunt for a juicy but non-neon orange and this fits the bill perfectly.  The above shows 4 coats with a topper of Seche Vite.  I think it could probably do with a few more bits of sparkle, as you can see it’s only really my middle finger that managed to attract any gold specks.

Is orange a shade that you’re into at the moment?  It’s not a favourite on my skin tone, but nothing screams Summer quite like it!

ASOS, is there anything you won’t do to make me shop with you?

Free delivery, free returns, clothing in sizes I can shoehorn myself into?

Now, admittedly… you don’t ALWAYS get it right… but by George, you know how to tempt me back time and time again.

Japanese beauty brand RMK have intrigued me for a few years and I’ve had mixed success with the line so far.  I’ve loved some of their sheer, juicy (word of the day?) lip colours but not so much their pencil liners.  I’ve also meant to try their ingenious gel eyeliners for ages which generally enjoy rave reviews.

Have you had much experience with RMK?  Tempted to?

Maybe this will change your minds…

ARGH!  Stop!  Must. not. buy. more. polish!

But yano…. if you wanted to, here’s the link

July is an exciting month on Zuneta.  Mark the date in your diaries ladies, for the 12th July will see the launch of U.S. brand Edward Bess.

I have been lemming the Daydream Bronzer (apparently a great choice for pale skins) for longer than I care to think about and Zuneta, in their endless quest to fill the voids in our makeup-loving hearts have their finger’s well and truly on the pulse with this latest import.

As if that weren’t enough…

Zuneta are inviting 5 lucky customers to attend the press launch in London on the 14th July!

Click here for more details on how to win this great opporunity to be one of the first to see the full line up and meet the man himself!

I’m delighted to introduce my latest guest reviewer Rachel from the delightful QueenofTurquoise.  As a more suitable candidate age-wise than me, she’s been trialling the Liz Earle Young Skin Try-Me Kit, and this is what she thought of it….

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I received this kit from Charlotte at the end of May and I’m far more impressed by it than I expected to be!  I was kind of thinking it would just show me that I wasn’t missing out on anything with my cheapy products.. Wrong 😉

I’ve been using it for three weeks now and I’ve noticed considerable changes…

Before I started using this I had quite a few little spots/bumps on my forehead, noticeable pores around my nose and the little creases around my nose were quite dry and red.  Primer was a necessity as my skin suffered from random flaky patches of skin that weren’t visible until foundation was applied.  I also had some stubborn blackheads on and around my nose and chin… Although I wouldn’t describe my skin as particularly oily it has it’s moments and breakouts are relatively common!

The difference in three weeks is quite dramatic, the pores around my nose appear smaller, noticeably more radiant skin (if I do say so myself!) less blackheads, spots disappear faster, and my odd flaky bits of skin have vanished making primer optional rather than essential!

The hot cloth cleanser is amazing, and boasts ingredients of Rosemary, Chamomile, Cocoa butter and Eucalyptus essentiol oil.

At first I was a little unsure of the consistency as I’d never really used anything like it before, but it soon grew on me as I watched my skin become smoother and softer.  The muslin cloth part of this really makes all the difference, particularly to the radiance factor! The cloth provided in the kit is lovely, really good quality and a great size.  The only down point for me is that I’m not keen on the scent of the cleanser, which is a shame as using it feels lovely and luxurious, and not liking the scent is a little frustrating!  I’d love this so much more if it had the same scent as the toner… Something I’d definitely consider buying full size for myself (which is saying a lot, I’m normally a £5 cleanser girl!)

Next in my new routine was the Skin Tonic Spritzer.  It smells absolutely gorgeous, I’d really like a perfume of it!  The scent really makes this product for me.  The naturally active ingredients are listed as Organic Aloe Vera, Calendula, Cucumber and Vitamin E.  There’s really nothing that this little wonder can’t do, used after cleansing my face felt smoother and softer, used during the day to refresh and cool through this weird British summer it did it’s job perfectly, and it sets make up amazingly!  Wonderful wonderful stuff, incredibly reasonably priced, I can see myself buying this forever more!

The third step is moisturiser, and for this the kit provided me with Skin Repair Light for Combination/Oily skin.  It’s described as “light, gentle and balancing” which I can only agree with.

I tend to have huge issues with moisturiser, I’m really fussy and I want it to do everything, be rich enough to moisturise well, yet still be light enough for it to be absorbed quickly enough to use before applying make up in the morning and more!  This ticks all the boxes, despite not claiming any mattifying qualities it doesn’t leave me shiny, it’s beautifully light yet creamy and it moisturises perfectly, plus I can put primer and make up over the top after just a couple of minutes without it “rolling” off in little bits everywhere!  Again, another top product and an essential one if you struggle with combination/oily skin, or even if you just like a lighter moisturiser in the morning.

The last product in the kit is the “Spot on” which is described as a “rescue treatment for blemishes, bites and cuts”.  I really didn’t like this on my face for spots, sticky and just yuck, for me it doesn’t fit with the luxurious experience the other products provide and that was disappointing.  It smells like any other spot treatment with tea tree and made very little noticeable difference to spots for me.  As you can tell, I was totally unimpressed with this until I got totally attacked with bites that kept me awake most of the night and nothing that I put on made any difference until I tried this, instantly cooling and soothing and it did a really great job considering the nasty allergic reaction I had to the bites!

Overall, an amazing kit to try, would really recommend it to anyone looking for a new routine with gorgeous products!

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Thanks Rachel, a great indepth review!

The Liz Earle Young Skin Try-Me kit is priced at £23 and available online from Liz Earle.

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Wait, let me bring it closer…

Voila!

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Lipglossiping.com is updated multiple times a day depending on how chatty I feel and how much caffeine I’ve consumed, it’s a fine balance of work vs. skiving and I’ve got it down to a fine art.

If you subscribe by email, you receive one email a day from me.  I try to time it during your mid-afternoon slump.  I’d like to include cookies and narcotics but unfortunately your workplace doesn’t like that very much so instead you’ll find a convenient way to catch up on my latest ramblings and photos.

Try it, you might like it!  And if you don’t, you can always click ‘unsubscribe’ and go back to your usual method of blog stalking.  Not that I’m calling you a stalker… though, it takes one to know one right?

Is Monday over yet?