A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I wanted to get these out quickly in the hope that the photos/swatches over my overspend haul may be useful to those still making up their minds on what they want to order.  But I failed…

I’m not gonna do any proper reviews, I’m just trying to put some shots out there that are as colour accurate as I can manage.

Without further ado…

The Haul!

Stereo Rose MSF – surprisingly wearable on my pale, cool-toned skin.

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I’m a confirmed night owl.  I’ve always been happier to work and play when others around me are sleeping.  I won’t lie, it’s tough balancing that lifetime ‘philosophy’ with being a Mum.

When I do eventually drag myself to my pit bed, my mind is usually swimming with ideas and thoughts of things I want to accomplish the following day.  I simply find it hard to switch off.

Rituals say:

Research in the UK has shown that following a warm bath, you go to sleep around 10 minutes earlier and enjoy a deeper slumber.  So: immerse yourself in the water, leave all tension and thoughts behind, experience deep peace and relaxation. In Chinese Wu Wei, this ‘Go with the Flow’ is a key concept in Taoism.

Wu Wei is a cream bath foam that forms part of their new Tao Rituals line up.  I wrote about this range last month and have been putting this sample through it’s paces in the name of relaxation and bubbles.

The packaging is adorable… well, not quite… the lid is adorable.  Stupid thing to get hung up on, but it’s bamboo… it’s *squee* cute.  Ok, I’m over it now.

What can I tell you?  Wu Wei bubbles nicely… feels creamy on my skin and it smells like a 1000 angels have pooed in my bath (that’s a good thing by the way).

A little goes a very long way indeed… I’ve been using this 500ml bottle twice a week for the past month and don’t think I’m even halfway through the bottle yet… so that’s *counts on fingers* 8 baths so far which works out far cheaper than those pesky Lush Bubble Bars no?

Does it help me fall asleep faster?  No.  Anyone got a big mallet?

Rituals Wu Wei (£10.50) is available to buy online and in selected stores (check the website for details).

Hmmm… that makes this post sound far more dramatic and exciting than it actually is.

Perhaps if myself and VexintheCity hadn’t been gently chaperoned to the exit when it was time to go home, I’d have had the opportunity to ‘lose myself’ and run around QVC HQ in a style akin to Mission Impossible… camera flailing… whilst being chased by 3 burly security guards and papping Dale, (the ‘Housewive’s Choice’) secretly devouring all the biscuits in the QVC kitchen.

Not that it wasn’t exciting or interesting… It was!  But the one thing that struck me above all else was simply how quiet and relaxed the place was.  Now, I know we arrived after ‘home time’ for most, so the offices were understandably peaceful… but the live studios were also incredibly relaxed, almost serene.

Anyway, let’s have a look around…

The offices… where all the model booking, show planning, product organising and general adminy stuff takes place.

The prep room!  Like a well-oiled machine… all the trolleys get stacked with products relevant to the show they’re destined to appear in.  This is the beauty trolley for that evening’s 10 o’clock airing.  I spy Decleor, Nails Inc, Bare Escentuals and other lovely things.

The prep Kitchen!  They were showcasing utensils and a range of cookware.  Gotta have some food to put in ’em right?  It was HOT in there, but the gorgeous foodie aromas that were wafting down the corridor were immense!

Check me out, I done a panoramamama!  What a geek! (Click the picture to see it LARGE)

This is one of the studios (I forget which number – there’s 6 in total I think).  QVC headquarters and studios will be relocating in the next couple of years to Chiswick.  Their current location was never supposed to be permanent, though they’ve been there 17 yrs now!

The building they’re in wasn’t designed to house studios.  Natural light floods in from the atrium above and needs to be blacked out and checked before they go live each time, which obviously isn’t ideal.

Oh, oh, oh!  We got to stand behind the cameras whilst a show was going out live!  Mobile phones OFF and super quiet creeping about was the order of the day.  At one point, I had to physically restrain VexintheCity who admitted an overwhelming urge to run infront of the camera waving her arms about like some day-release.  I would have TOTALLY pretended not to know her.

As I said earlier, the studios were really quiet…. even the live ones.  Imagine it… big room, two presenters, 1 floor manager (have I made that job title up?) and 1 camera man.  That’s it.  Eerie!  It was pure QVC cheese too… I loved it.  Jilly Halliday was demonstrating some funky *cough* clothing, whilst Dale Franklin was asserting his charm over the nation’s ladies, encouraging us to part with our cash for some of the latest and greatest jewellery on display.  Flippin’ fabulous!

Control Room/Production-y bit…. Like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise!  Lots of buttons…. wanted to dive forward and press a couple.  Accidentally slip and sit on about 20 at once, you know the score.  I behaved myself.

This lady was watching Dale do the jewellery presentation… she was nice.  Are you still with me?  Hello?  Hellooo?

After all that tour excitement, we retired upstairs to where Bare Escentuals had set up a little room to give us a sneak preview of their new (to the UK) matte foundation.  I’d had the pleasure of meeting their national makeup artist SJ previously but it was good to see her work her magic again.

Bare Escentuals Matte is due for release on QVC on the 10th July… we were given a sample, but I’ve already got a pot (in a better colour match) that I scored in a blog sale a month ago.  I promise to review it before it releases over here (tick tock).  It’s a great alternative for those among us who like the idea of mineral makeup but dislike the dewy finish that minerals tend to give.  I predict it’s gonna be a big seller throughout the Summer.

SJ getting to work on the beautiful Keren who’s currently guest blogging for Lindsey at Beauty Mecca.

And the finished result.  Subtle but flawless.

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It was a fabulously fun evening and a real change from the norm for me.  I hope you enjoyed a little sneak peek behind the scenes.  Don’t forget, it’s beauty month at QVC… there’s lots of tempting TSVs coming up and check out the Bare Escentuals big Matte launch day on the 10th July.

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For more info on what you can expect from QVC’s Beauty Month, watch this video with Alison Young below:

Beautiful shade, great looking finish, 2 easy-to-apply coats and truly, truly inexpensive at £1.50 a bottle.

Which is why the terrible wear breaks my heart.

This is how it looked at the beginning of the 2nd day.  It didn’t look much better halfway through the first day either (I just didn’t have my camera with me).

*sigh* what an unadulterated shame.

~ Rae has a sneek peek (with swatches and reviews!) of The Body Shop’s fall collection over at theNotice.

~ Phyrra compares ten eye shadow primers. Find out which ones are her favorites!

~ The Pink Sith performs a public service by warning you about the new Sephora: Kat Von D High Voltage Eye Primer.

~ Jellyminx creates a pictorial showing the look she wore in her first “live” Youtube video.

~ Hot Beauty Health shares a simple trick for soft and beautiful feet in 4 easy steps!

~ LilBiuty shares her first colorful look using only Sugarpill makeup!

~ Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed wonders if there are any sweeter words then “Limited Edition Dior”!

~ Kim Porter shares advice given directly from celebrity MUA Sam Fine on how to become a makeup artist.

~ Retrodiva has discovered a great new hair treatment by Brazilian Blowout that she is anxious to try. Best part? No hair downtime!

~ See what Madame B Fatale thinks about Clarins Everlasting Foundation.

~ No need to struggle with frizz. Lipgloss86 has the perfect product to sort you out.

~ Glitter Geek has MAC alice + olivia on her mind with this turquoise and purple look. So. much. fun!

~ Pretty, Pink and Sparkly? Yes, please! The Lip Print discovers a new favourite gloss

~ The Gloss Menagerie urges you to say NO to uni-taskers with Cover FX primers!

~ Jenn rocks blue eyeshadow which will make brown eyes pop over at Spiced Beauty.

~ Want to look ‘red carpet ready’ without spending a fortune? Learn how in Babushka’s Beauty Secrets, because Prime Beauty is giving away a copy!

~ Mz. More of The Glamorous Gleam is celebrating her move to WordPress. Enter her Housewarming Giveaway to win some goodies from MAC!

Have you been lemming the new mineralize shadows from MAC’s In The Groove collection but can’t quite stretch to £15 a piece?

I’d like to tell you to get theeselves down to The Body Shop to check out their new Baked Eye Colours.  But at £9.50 a piece, they’re no bargain alternative.

Here’s a swatchfest on the samples I received from The Body Shop.

It’s a picture-intensive post, so if you wanna check out more swatches from The Body Shops new Baked Eye Colour range…. read on…  (W = Applied Wet, D = Applied Dry)

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… don’t forget to flick over to Sky Channel 640 today to check out today’s QVC TSV (Today’s Special Value).

All this for £39.96!

Contents:

• 1 x Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Tube (100ml)
• 1 x Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer (30ml)
• 1 x Skin Repair Moisturiser (50ml) – choose from Dry/Sensitive, Light or Normal/Combination
• 1 x Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion (150ml)
• 1 x Daily Eye Repair (5ml)
• 1 x Energising Body Wash (100ml)
• 1 x Energising Body Scrub (50ml)
• 1 x Foot Scrub (100ml)
• 1 x Foot Repair Moisturiser (30ml)
• 1 x Sheer Pink Lip Shimmer (5g)
• 2 x muslin cloths

It’s beauty month at QVC so I’m looking forward to finding out what other TSV’s they have up their sleeves!

What’s been some of your favourite QVC Beauty bargains over the years?

It’s Friday… the weekend is here!  Let’s have a discussion and compare notes…

How long do you spend preening, pampering and generally grooming yourself?

My answer, in absolute honesty would be…. as long as I can get away with.

I love it.  As long as I’m not too tired, I love to cleanse my skin, pluck my brows, apply my makeup, give myself quick masks, paint my nails…. I take great pleasure and comfort in the whole ‘beautification’ thing.

The one exception to this is my hair.  I’m hair-lazy.  Infact, it was only last week I turned up to a blogger event and realised that I’d forgotten to brush my hair that morning.  Thankfully it was ponytailed and no-one noticed.  I think…

I guess I generally spend about 45 minutes to an hour a day… longer at the weekends when I get more chance to properly play with makeup for blog posts etc.

How long do you spend each day on making yourself beautiful/presentable/human? (delete as appropriate).  Would you like to have time to spend longer?

I got TAGGED by the lovely Tina over at All The Vanity.  It’s been a little while since I completed a tag so I thought… why not?!

1. What is your beauty style? (Natural, trendy, etc.)

I guess I go for polished comfort.  The majority of time I stick within my comfort zone with colour and application… but my overall style is an ‘attempt’ to simply polish the features that I was born with.  I’d love to be more adventurous… but whenever I go bold it feels akin to transporting the Eiffel Tower to Texas.  Wrong and conspicuous.

2. Where do you get your beauty inspiration from?

Beauty what?  Oh… like magazines and stuff?  I don’t get inspired with looks.  I just like to make my eyeliner not clash with my eye shadow.  Nope, no inspiration… just reach for the shades that take my fancy in the morning and hope they compliment.

3. What beauty products do you have the most of?

Foundation/Base Products.  I’m a complete foundation slag.  Wanna see?

oh.. and blush.  Blush is becoming a guilty pleasure too…

4. What’s you favourite/holy grail colour for:

Eyes: Taupe.  Next!

Lips: Nude, but not concealer nude… darker, pinkier nudes like Urban Decay’s Naked.  “My lips but better” shades.

Cheeks: Anything goes, I love to experiment with cheek colours and am learning how to make most shades work for me.  The key seems to be to use a light hand.  Funny that.

Nails: Purple.  I’d like to argue with that and announce Greige… but the simple fact is, my purple drawer contains double the amount of polishes than my Beige/Brown/Grey drawer.

5. Three favourite brands of the moment:

I gotta say MAC ‘cos I’ve just spent a (very) small fortune on the In The Groove Collection.

Guerlain… It started with a Kiss Kiss Maxi Shine Lipstick and is heading into the LE Eye Palette territory (I’m blaming that pesky Anitacska)

NYX – Always, always endlessly tempted to build up my NYX collection.  At the moment I’m hankering after the cream blushes… I hear they’re niceeeeeeeeee!

Hope that wasn’t too dull for you.

I tag:

ZebyK
Sarah
Louise
Karleigh
Product Pixie
RaeRae
Georgina
Justine
Laura

You’ve got 1 week left to enter chaps!

Click the image to be taken to the entry form and question.

…totally random, unorganised and perhaps just a touch lame.

But I’m having a good makeup week.  Does anyone else go through periods of delight in discovering and more importantly re-discovering fabulous products?

Here’s my fabulous products of the week:

1. Smashbox Muse Palette – just the prettiest selection of soft, wearable shades housed in a (sturdy) cardboard casing.  I’ll do a proper review on the palette next week ‘cos I’ve spotted it on sale and a few swatches may be useful.

2. Max Factor Second Skin Foundation – Wonderful if you’ve got skin that doesn’t need too much concealing.  This foundation seems to give me an overall more even appearance without blanking out my natural skin texture.  It feels light and fluid for the summer, but lasts a really decent length of time for a high street foundation.  Big thumbs up this week!

3. NARS Crazed – I can’t believe I had this in my blog sale the other week.  Let me just say, it won’t ever be going in another.  I’ve FINALLY worked out how to apply it with a light enough hand to stop short of looking like Aunt Sally.  It’s taken me a year, but I’ve done it!  A lovely rosey flush is now mine.

4. Max Factor Lash Extension Effect – I’ve already reviewed this in the last few days, so I won’t go into detail… but this is making it into daily use for me.

5. Une Cosmetics Multipurpose Brush – I’ve said it before… it’s scratchy… but it’s made me fall in love with my NARS Crazed blush, and for that… I’ll be forever grateful.  I simply touch the flat surface to the blush pan… that’s it, no tricks nothing… it just picks up the perfect amount of colour.

6. Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator in Natural – It looks scary orange in the tube, but blends away to a lovely nude shimmer.  I’ve been wearing this all over my face under my foundation and it gives me a nice glow.  To be honest, in this weather… I don’t really need any kind of glow product.  But regardless, I’ve rediscovered it in my stash and it’s staying in the fabulosity list!

7. MAC Fun & Games – From the discontinued Hello Kitty collection, MAC Fun & Games is a beautiful peach blush that’s sheer enough for my cool-toned skin to wear.  Shimmery without being too glittery, it’s a nuder alternative to rosey pink cheeks.

8. Bourjois Khol & Contour Eye Pencil in Brun Design – Soft and deeply pigmented, I’ve been blending this along my lower lashline to give my lashes some extra definition.  Lasting power is great (though kinda crummy on the waterline) it’s real strength lies in it’s soft smudginess.  Hate a pencil that drags, don’t you?

9. Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate – Last but not least, I’ve been switching out my evening moisturiser a couple of times a week for this lovely oil and I’m noticing that my dry patches are softening up nicely.  I hate nothing more than dry flakies that foundation just loves to hunt down and accentuate.  Not 100% sure if this is the reason or if the humidity is playing a part… either way, I’m loving the smell and appreciating the feeling that a little facial massage brings during application.

My first foray into the infamous world of BB Creams!

What are BB Creams?

BB Cream stands for Blemish Balm Cream and is a very popular base product in Asia.  Korean companies in particular offer a wide-range of BB Creams to suit many different skin types.  They fill the gap in the market between cosmetics and skincare… a product designed to give flawless coverage whilst benefiting the health of your skin in one (or many) ways.

I first heard of BB Creams when I went to South Korea a few years ago, I had absolutely no idea what they were or did until I arrived back in the UK and started blog reading.

BB Creams at the minimum, offer moisturisation and coverage, with many more offering SPF, Whitening Properties and Anti-Aging to name but a few.  They’re big business in Asia and have been slowly but steadily making a splash amongst makeup aficionados worldwide.

So, why has it taken me so long to try one?  Ultimately… convenience.  You have to head to eBay or online stores that specialise in Asian cosmetics.  Then you have to work out which BB Cream you fancy trying and frankly, there are so many available… it all gets a bit confusing.

I took the plunge and settled for South Korean brand Skin Food.

Skin Food Gingko Green BB Cream #1 (50g) to be exact.

Here’s what they say about it:

A multi-function product for skin care and makeup.  Containing gingko leaf and green tea extracts rich in lecithin and vitamin B, it protects sensitive skin and improves skin tone.  Use when you want to achieve a bright, radiant skin tone.

It’s a little warmer than my skintone but ultimately blends to a decent match.  Colour matching seems to be one of the biggest issues with BB Creams and it’s always worth googling for a swatch to get an idea of how it might suit you.

The texture is truly rather lovely.  Thick but not so thick that it’s hard to spread.  There’s still enough slip to the product to stop it dragging across your face as you spread it.  Coverage is medium… it tones down my redness quite well and evens out my skintone.  Blemishes are not covered and concealer is necessary.  It really does feel like I’m wearing something different to my usual foundations… far more natural feeling on the skin.

Ultimately, this would be all you need if you’re blessed with great skin.  Oily skins will probably want something a little more matte.  I’m pleased I bought it, do I want to try more?  Oh yes….

I think I may have developed a dangerous new addiction.

Are you a fan of BB Creams?  Let me know some of your favourites!