A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Do you remember about a month ago I asked for potential guest reviewers for this new (to the UK) range for young skin?

Well, Jemma was good enough to step up to the plate and take the challenge and here’s what she had to say about the range…

This kit comes in a sea threw reseal able bag which I think is very handy. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture with the products all stood up looking neat . It also comes with a booklet explaining each product and when you should use them – I find this very handy as there is quite a few products in this kit and it is aimed at teenagers to get them into a skin care routine. Also, on the back of the products they either say ‘am’ or ‘pm’ on them so you know when/how regularly to use them.

Wash Off
This face wash is easy to work into lather and only a small amount is required to clean the whole face. The first thing I noticed about this was the smell; it is incredibly fruity and it really uplifts you at the start of the day and wakes up you and your skin. Using this in a morning my skin was clean of the dirt and grime left from overnight, however when taking a full face of makeup off this needed a little help (I used a face wipe beforehand) at removing all the makeup. After I had washed this off of my skin, my skin felt clean, tingly and really soft to touch.

All Over Clear
The thing that I love the most about this toner is that it is a spray. After washing your face you just spritz it over your face and neck and it instantly refreshes the skin and leaves it feeling cool and fresh. The problem that I normally have with toners is that they leave my skin either looking greasy or feeling dry yet this one finds the right balance and keeps shine at bay whilst leaving my skin feeling supple. The smell of this isn’t quite the same as the Wash Off and is a little bit plastic; however it wouldn’t stop me using it.

Ready, Set, Scrub!
This is my favourite product out of them all. You apply it onto your face as a mask and leave it to set for 5-7 minutes. This product smells beautiful and it really wakes you up if you were using it in a morning. After the mask has set, it becomes a scrub. And you then use it as an exfoliator and then wash it off. I don’t know which half of this product works the best but afterwards, my skin felt a lot smoother and looked brighter.

Welcome Matte SPF15
This moisturiser comes out white which for some reason, I really liked. I don’t know why, maybe it was because I had previously been using the yellow Clinique Dramatically different, but it just seemed a lot ‘cleaner.’ The texture of this moisturiser is incredibly light and after you have let it sink into your skin, your skin instantly appears matte. This is great for oily skin but not so much for combination as it didn’t add quite enough moisture for me. I loved that my skin was matte throughout the day as I do get shiny skin, it’s just that it emphasised my dry patches. I will also add, the matte effect doesn’t wear off quickly and it lasts around 8-10 hours, which is incredible. It also has SPF15 in it which I think is great for blemish prone skin as you’re not adding a separate product onto your skin which would block it up more.

Bedtime for Breakouts
This is a moisturiser than you use at night time. I love the idea of this as I like using a separate moisturiser for night; this is because your skin repairs itself at night time so I think it’s good to have a moisturiser that helps that along. Another nice smelling product, and this one comes out clear. Although this is a moisturiser, I used it as a serum because like the Welcome Matte, it just wasn’t moisturising enough for me, especially because it was at night. It did work just as well though as I woke up with fresh looking skin.

Smart Mouth Lip Shine
This Clean Start kit is for blemishes and this is the one product that I didn’t understand. I don’t know why a lip balm was in this kit because in all honesty, it doesn’t help with spots does it? But I must say, I’m glad it was! As well as the Ready, Set, Scrub this is another of my favourites. The lip balm smells beautiful, tastes gorgeous and moisturisers the lips very well. I can’t explain the applicator so I’ve added a picture, but as you can see it dispenses out of holes which ensures the correct amount of product is distributed so there is no waste. This is also very shiny and can be used as a clear gloss or a lip balm to moisturise your lips. I find myself using this when I’m having a natural day as it just adds a nice sheen to the lips.

L-R Brighten Up SPF 15, Hit the Spot
I received both of these products in a sachet, but I dispensed them both so they would last me longer.

Hit the Spot
This is a spot treatment cream (that once again, smells nice). But I found it a little weird. Not only did it help get rid of my spots, it also sort of moisturised them and soothed them. I found this to be a very nice touch which helped my spots in being less red and less noticeable. I have tried a lot of spot treatments in my time and I do like this one; it clears up spots in the same time as other spot treatments do (around 3 days) but I liked that it took the redness down instantly and also didn’t dry my skin up.

Brighten Up SPF 15
I love love love this! This is also a moisturiser and once again, I didn’t find it moisturising enough for my combination skin, so I use it as sort of a ‘primer.’ It is a tinted moisturiser (ish) that doesn’t add colour to your skin but evens out your skin tone and adds a nice shimmer to it. After using this, the redness in my skin has completely disappeared and my skin looks so radiant and bright and awake. I can’t recommend this product enough – and it contains SPF 15! In the picture I have included, you can see it half blended into my skin and it looks pretty orange, but once it’s fully blended, you can’t see the colour.

Overall
My skin is combination and blemish prone and the reason for this kit is to clear up spots, so does it? Yes, it does. Reviewing a skin care routine is a lot different to just reviewing one product by itself, this is because you can’t see if one product is superior to the others. But when all of these are used in conjunction with each other, my skin cleared up within around 2-3 days. I could see an improvement the morning after though; my spots had reduced in size. The only problem that I had with this kit is that it wasn’t very moisturising so I would recommend this product for people with oily skin and no dry patches; it didn’t dry my skin out though I must add, it just didn’t moisturise my already there dry patches. One of the greatest things about this skin care routine (except that it cleared my spots), was that it smells beautiful! It’s nice to finally find spot products that don’t smell of chemicals and smells beautiful. Would I recommend this? Definitely if you have oily skin that is spot prone. It is also great at encouraging teenagers to get into a skin care routine, which I find very important.

As for me, I will be repurchasing the Ready, Set, Scrub, Smart Mouth Lipshine, Hit the Spot and Brighten Up SPF 15 as I love these products.

Barielle’s Cashmere or Loose Me is described as a “Soft brown with copper pearl” and it’s the only shade from the new Style in Argyle collection that gave me application issues.

You can see the dragging near the cuticles?  This is with 3 coats… I’m not happy about that, though to be fair, it was less noticeable in real life than it is in the picture.  What I do love is the ‘copper pearl’ – it gives an added dimension, something that I’ve come to expect from Barielle’s polishes.

The copper pearl isn’t visible in the above photo (though it is on the nail), so I’ve taken a photo of the bottle which shows the effect well.

This is the first in the series of six that I was sent for review consideration.

The Style in Argyle collection is available to purchase online from the Barielle website priced at £8 each.  Though currently, the Spring/Summer and Autumn collections are available on a “buy one get one free” basis, rendering them a bargainous £4 per polish.

This week I’m gonna be showcasing the Barielle Style in Argyle Autumn collection… I have mixed feelings about the collection as a whole.  It feels very different to Barielle’s usual releases but I do love the warm, cosy, Autumnal theme.

One of my favourite things about Barielle’s collections however, is their eclecticness and this collection doesn’t stray from the path laid out.

It couldn’t be more ‘on trend’ though could it?  Camel IS the colour for Autumn… Barielle have solidly nailed it in that respect.

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”e6e6fa” bgcolor=”b0c4de”]Indulge yourself with Cashmere or Loose Me – a soft brown with copper pearl; cosy up with Tight Knit – a purple brown crème; keep your hands as pretty as the fallen leaves with Aura Angora – a royal gold crème; get tied up with Unraveled Red – a burnt rust crème; engage yourself with Wool you Marry Me? – a plum brown crème. and howl at the moon with Cowl of the Wild – a mushroom taupe crème.[/stextbox]

What are you first impressions?  Stick around for this week’s NOTDs if you want to get up close and personal with the Style in Argyle collection!

I’m guest blogging over on Zuneta again today!

I try out the no makeup makeup look with a little help from a certain Mr. Bess…

Head on over there and don’t forget to leave a comment!

Holy hairballs Batman.

This is the new Jessica Simpson Bob Wig from the HairDo range created by Ken Paves.

Nothing shouts “I’m wearing a big wiggy wig!” like a wig with this amount of hair in it.  Who has hair that is WIDER than their face?  Seriously… I reckon I could sleep under that.

It would probably look great thinned out… but you’d need a dumper truck to carry away what’s left on the salon floor.

By the way, this is an excellent opportunity to plug the charity My New Hair, founded and inspired by Trevor Sorbie MBE.

My New Hair offer a specialist wig styling service for people suffering from cancer or medical hair loss.  I had the opportunity to see one of their clever stylists in action a couple of years ago at Guy Kremer’s salon in Winchester and there ain’t nothing those wig wizards can’t do to make a NHS wig sparkle!

In celebration of the launch of Eye Prep FX, Cover FX will be hosting an International treasure hunt which will give you the chance to nab an Eye Prep FX before it hits stores in mid September!

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”How it works…” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”7b68ee”]From September 7th – 11th, Cover FX will be placing treasure boxes throughout selected cities across US, Canada and the UK. Fan Cover FX on Facebook to learn specific clues and locations on where you can find the hidden treasures in a city near you. All packages include the new Eye Prep FX, and some lucky winners may receive gift cards up to £100 in select treasure boxes redeemable at participating Cover FX retailers*! http://www.facebook.com/CoverFX[/stextbox]

As a geocaching nut, I freaking love a good treasure hunt… alas, I come back from London on the 7th so don’t think I’ll be able to join in 🙁

Londoners, will you be taking part?

Now, I’m not usually into brand bashing but how about an original idea TheBalm?

A).  Batter Up is a stupid name.

B). Adding the words Creaseless Cream to the title? Oh HAI Benefit…

C). I get that you’re a quirky brand from San Francisco too already…

D). You could have redeemed yourselves by leapfrogging Benefit and going all out on the colour shades…

did you?  DID YOU?

No.

No, you didn’t.

Lame.

Having um said that, I think I’ll still probably try one at some point…. yano, just to satisfy my cream eyeshadow addiction.  Yeah, I’m lame too.

Though… perhaps not if the retail price of £18 (they’re $18 in the US) is to be believed… £18?!  For a TheBalm *insert stupid name* Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow that may or may not be as good as a £14 Benefit Creaseless Cream?  On yer bike.

Look, LOOK!

Shu Uemura now have an online presence in the UK… and rather dangerously, it comes with a shopping cart!

Not only that, but you can currently get 20% off all purchases you make through the website if you use the code “elle20” at checkout.  The code will expire at midnight on the 7th September, so get ordering!

duh duh duh duh duh duh duh duh…. or something…

Facial Wipes… we know that we’re not supposed to rely on them right?  I mean… they’re convenient and all, but they don’t really ‘cleanse’ your face effectively enough to be your go-to cleansing solution.  Though, I’m sure lots of people do use nothing but wipes night and morning.  Dirty gits 😉

These are currently my favourites and I’ve forever got a little stock of them for cleaning swatches, tidying eyeliner mistakes and generally freshening up.

Clockwise from Top Left:

Good Things Total Wipe Out (£3.49/25)

Aimed at younger skin, these thick wipes make a really quick job of removing most makeup.  I love these for when I wear a smoky eye.  1 wipe makes it a much easier and quicker job once I get to the sink.

No7 Quick Thinking 4-in-1 wipes (£6.75/30)

Firstly, I’d never pay nearly £7 for a pack of wipes… frankly, I have better things to spend £7 on.  I stockpile these like they’re going out of fashion when the £5 off Boots No7 vouchers appear in store.  £1.75 for 30 lovely and effective wipes is not a price to be sniffed at!  These leave my skin feeling super soft and at £1.75 I don’t feel guilty carrying a pack in Leila’s nappy bag for messy fingers!

Simple Radiance Brightening Cleansing Wipes (£3.94/25)

I love the material of these (yes, I know… get a life) but these have a great stretch and subtle smell of mango.  Non-greasy and refreshing, these are the ones I keep in the glovebox throughout the Summer.  Instant freshener round the back of the neck.  Mr. L steals these regularly (though he’ll deny it).

Tesco Vitamin E Cleansing Wipes (£0.48/25)

Ridiculously cheap but effective.  They’re ALWAYS out of stock at my local Tesco whenever I try to pick these up, so when I DO see them – I grab as many as my basket can hold.  Well, alright… about 5 packs.  I remember when they used to be about 30p a pack… Tesco must have cottoned on!

I don’t really use these on my face but they’re great for cleaning up swatches and eyeliner brushes.  I hope they never get discontinued.

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What do you use wipes for and which ones do you swear by?

The new range of lipsticks from French makeup maestro Francois NARS have launched into Selfridges.  Priced at £18 each, the NARS Pure Matte Lipstick range promises intense, stay-true colour.

But that’s not all…

[stextbox id=”alert” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]Defying the traditional challenge of long-wearing lipsticks, it won’t dry out lips.  Rich in antioxidants, including Vitamin E and Acai Oil, Pure Matte nourishes and conditions lips.  Wild Mango Butter’s advanced moisturizing properties work  to repair lips from dryness and scaling, leaving lips feeling supple and soft.[/stextbox]

If that claim is to be believed…. sign me up!

I haven’t tried any of the shades on my lips, but did swatch a couple at a recent press day.

Clockwise from Top Left: Tashkent (Nude Beige), Volga (Deep Aubergine), Terre de Feu (Black Cherry) – incidentally, how great does Terre de Feu look for a vampy Winter lip?, Bangkok (Soft Rose), Tonkin (Cinnamon Plum) and Vesuvio (Full Bodied Red).

Tashkent and Bangkok

Tashkent and Bangkok swatched.

I clearly remember Bangkok (the rose), dragging on the skin of the back of my hand as I swatched, so I’m not sure how that would apply to my lips… though to be fair, the tester could well have dried out a touch after being open for however long.  By contrast, Tashkent glided on without too much friction burn 😉

Are any of these calling to you?  I must admit that Vesuvio and Terre de Feu look like wonderful Wintery options!

Incidentally, how beautifully shot is this promo?

NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks are £18 each and until 1st October are exclusive to Selfridges.

Not the catchiest post title in the world, but it gets the message across… eventually.

If I’d had the same kind of beauty budget back then as I do now, perhaps I would have killed off my obsession at a younger age… but I didn’t.

I had £5 a week and 20 Sovereign Lights used to cost £2.56 – sorry Mum, Dad… I’ve quit now though right?

This left me with approximately £2.44 a week to spend on EVERYTHING else… my makeup came off a market stall.  If I was feeling flush, I would hot-foot it down the chemist to grab a pressed powder that bared a closer resemblance to a tub of Johnson’s finest than anything else, both in formula and colour!

The things I’d tell my 14 year old self that she NEEDS to own aren’t ‘dupes’ of well known products… they’re close.  They would certainly have been close enough to satisfy my teenage wants.  Hell, I’ve bought them at my age haven’t I?

ELF Studio Blush in Gotta Glow (£3.50) is a fair match to NARS Albatross… it’s chalkier and less smooth-textured with a lot of fall out, but ELF have captured that pale gold highlighter thing very nicely indeed.  And all for £3.50!

Barbara Daly Easy on the Eye Shadow pens (£5.62) would have me twirling these things about like I’d just stepped off the Ellis Faas counter at Liberty.  Who knows, I might have even spray painted ’em silver.

Ruby & Millie I-Writer Liquid Eyeliner (£10.50) far too pricey for my teenage budget, but within reach with the help of one of those lovely Boots £5 off No7 and Ruby & Millie vouchers!  No dupes… but I just wish I’d owned one of these when I was struggling to create lovely smooth eyeliner lines.  Ok, so I still can’t do the flick… but I’m blaming my hooded eyelid for that one.

ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (£3.00) for the love of God, I would scream at my younger self to buy an eye primer.  This one would do nicely, it’s not *quite* as long lasting as UDPP… but it’s also not *quite* £11.50 either.

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy (£4.50ish) my 14yr old self would never have been savvy enough to know of this little miracle.  Sad really.

Lanacane Anti Chafing Gel (£5.99) You may scoff, but have you ever compared the ingredients between this and Smashbox’s cult Photo Finish primer?  No?  U.S. girls have been savvy to the wonders of Monistat Chafing Gel for years… and this is basically the same thing.  Though, to be fair.. both are pretty ineffectual for me.

Yaby Cosmetics Pearl Paints pp040 Cappuccino Dream (£2.50) a tiny little pan, but how often do we get through a whole shadow?  Plus… it’s got a tiny little price to match!  I’m also quite impressed between the similarities of Cappuccino Dream and the now discontinued MAC Style Snob.

Silk Naturals Mineral Blush in Climax (£4ish) unsubtly named for it’s similarities to a certain NARS Blush which holds true makeup cult status.  Orgasm of course!  This look-a-like packs a bit too much shimmer for my 29yr old self, but my 14yr old alter-ego would be all over it like a rash.  Probably a genital one if today’s teenagers are anything to go by *tsk, tsk and all that I’m getting old stuff*

17 Cosmetics Solo Eyeshadow in Mardi Gras (£3.49) I’m sure this was about 20p back when I bought it a few years ago.  The packaging has now been much fancified, but hopefully the shade remains the same.  This is a pretty good budget alternative to MAC Satin Taupe that I would have been very pleased to own.

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What things would you insist your younger and less financially frivolous self go out and buy immediately?

I’m a poet…

Anyway… I thought this was a bit of fun for a Thursday afternoon!

Heathrow airport are currently conducting a BIG vote – they wanna know what makes your checklist on travel must-haves?

[stextbox id=”alert” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]

iPods, digital cameras and other gadgets will go head to head with handbags, books and perfume in September, as Heathrow launches its annual search for the most popular travel accessories.

Launched to highlight the products that make passengers’ journey better and which are available at Heathrow, the annual awards feature more than 140 items shortlisted by a panel of senior industry experts.

People can vote for their travel must-haves at www.heathrowairport.com/vote.  Voting will take place during September, and the winners will be announced in early October.

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Every person who votes will automatically be entered into an exclusive prize draw with a chance to win a selection of the winning products up to the value of £5,000.

And of course there’s the Best Travel Beauty Product, category… be sure to pay particular attention to THAT one!