A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

…plus a free £5 Love Your Body™ card if you don’t already have one or yours needs renewing!

The offer is only open until midnight tonight, so if you’re partaking… get your skates on!

This offer is an IDEAL opportunity for you to stockpile your favourite products and I’m sorely tempted to buy two to ensure that I’ve got a huge enough supply of Ice Blue Shampoo to see Mr. L through the next 2 years!

What would make it even more amazing would be to combine this offer with their current awesome “buy more save more” offer on shower gels (also available instore).

You could have enough bubbles to fill a hundred bathrooms for less than £25!

Gosh, I love a good bargain me.

Let me know if you buy the deal and tell me what you’re gonna buy, I want some inspiration!

I buy many polishes online from the U.S. simply because it’s cheaper that way but that doesn’t stop me getting the urge for some instant nail polish gratification when I’m halfway through an innocent shopping trip.

Which is why I’m pretty keen to see these new ORLY Mani Minis that will be launching into Boots next month!

With no less than 48 shades to choose from including cremes and glitters and priced at only £5 each… I’m pretty excited!

Weighing in at 5.3ml a bottle (a smidge more than a Mavala), these represent decent value for money for what is, essentially, a professional brand.

The ORLY Mani Minis will be available online from 8th March and will arrive in 54 Boots stores nationwide from 9th March 2011.

Don’t forget you can subscribe to Lipglossiping.com via email to receive a once-a-day update on the latest posts that you can read straight from your inbox!

Promise you won’t be signing your life away and there’s an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every update incase it all gets a bit too much!

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Or if you waste quite enough time here as it is, thankyouverymuch then move along… nothing to see here!

I know it’s LFW but I’ve never been particularly fashionable.  I like clothes, a lot.  I like to buy clothes, a lot.  I just don’t know how to combine them to ‘create’ looks.  I’m truly envious of women who have an unforced style… me?  If it looks good, it tends to look like I’ve ‘tried’ really, really hard to make it look good you know?

So anyway, it’s not that I’m eschewing LFW… not at all, I love to look at the makeup from the shows… but when it comes to trends?  Completey superficial and frivolous posts on eyebrows are more my thing!

With this in mind, brow gods Tweezerman reckon they’ve got their fingers on the Brow Trends that’ll have us going “ooh nice brows” this Summer.  Don’t say that I’m the only one who “oohs” over nice eyebrows in this way… no seriously, don’t.

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Tweezerman say…” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”b0c4de”]Brows – last season it was all about an over sized, wild & bushy brow.  This season, full brows are still on trend but now they are more tailored & groomed, the hairs aren’t as wild and often they are slightly elongated and tapered at the ends creating a touch more drama.


This Spring/Summer’s full brows have a great arch that is both feminine and strong.  Brow colour should be 1-2 shades lighter than hair colour and should be powdered across the whole brow rather than just used to fill in.  A new trend is also to highlight under the brow, which makes it look more substantial and showcases the brow perfectly.[/stextbox]

Strong brows are still in, just a little more ‘tailored’!

If you’re not blessed with a well-defined arch, Tweezerman recommend the use of a little cosmetic trickery to give the impression of a master eyebrow-raiser:

“You can use a touch of a highlight of makeup underneath the brow to create a bit of lift; a light-toned fleshy nude or very pale vanilla colour to illuminate the underneath.  You can also use your brow powder or brow pencil to emphasize the arch.”

Here are some of the most popular products on the market for emphasising a beautiful brow!

1. E.L.F Eyebrow Lifter and Filler (£3.50)
2. Clinique Instant Lift for Brows (£13.00)
3. Pixi Brow Lift (£16.00)
4. Benefit High Brow (£14.00)
5. MAC Shroom Eyeshadow (£11.50)

But what my eyebrows want to know is this… how long are they going to have to wait until curly brows are in huh?

Oh… that long?

Well in that case, I’d better stock up on mega-hold hairspray and hone my use of brow shaping scissors instead.

Do you have brow envy?

If you haven’t heard of Give and Makeup, they’re a non-profit initiative whose sole purpose is to get everyday essentials into the hands of women and children who need them the most.

You donate your clean and lightly used (or new!) beauty products and Give and Makeup will liaise with charities Refuge and Women’s Aid to ensure that all items donated are passed on to women who are in need of them.

For an idea of the kind of things that are needed, click here.

I’m putting my first box together this week and taking advantage of a VERY generous offer from BeautyBay.com, read on for details:

As part of their continuing commitment, BeautyBay.com will be offering FREE postage on all Give and Make-Up donations until 1st March 2011.

BeautyBay.com will supply a free delivery label to stick to all parcels, simply email online.marketing@beautybay.com to receive a copy.

Note: these labels will have a 2kg weight limit so if you’re sending more than 2kg, please split in to suitable weighted parcels.

To say thanks for all donations, a 10% discount code will be sent to each person who sends a donation via these labels (it will be emailed across after the parcel has been received).  If you have any questions, contact BeautyBay via  online.marketing@beautybay.com.

How unbelievably generous is that?

Living out in the sticks, I’ve always had the problem of not wanting to carry donation parcels into London with me when I travel.  Where’s my excuse now huh?

I’m filling my parcel as we type (well, as soon as I’ve finished typing)… You have only a week left to take advantage of BeautyBay’s commendable generosity.

Go on, even if it’s just a little parcel… and see that little Retweet button at the top of this post (on the right), I’d flippin’ love it if you could press it and help spread the message!

Despite her tender age, Leila is becoming quite the discerning shopper.  Not that she has access to my debit cards or Paypal account you understand… but she does have access to the three bottom drawers of my Ikea Helmer (when I’m not looking).

It was here that she discovered my Lanolips Rose Balm Intense a very short while after I’d opened it…

…and now she won’t give it back.

It’s the sheep you see… Lady Lamb has captured her imagination and her heart, everytime I try to steal a squeeze… my attempts are met with tears.

I’ve been using the Lanolips 101 ointment on L since she was a tiny one to dampen the eczema on her face and because she was always swaddled at night as a babe, the thick lanolin used to work wonders at taking the edge off the itch.  Perhaps something in her subconscious recognises this lanolin-based counterpart, the only other beauty product to have awoken her magpie tendencies was a Beauty Blender – and I don’t really blame her for that one.

Still, at such a tender age (and with no offers to do the washing up on the table) she has no need for my Rose Balm Intense, which afterall.. is for very *dry* hands.  Not very *little* hands.

…nor very little teeth.  Grrr.

For the five consecutive nights that I was able to apply the handcream… I formed the opinion that it was certainly softening on my rough bits but not a product that I’d want to use during the day.  It’s heavy and sits on the skin in the way I love my Lanolips 101 to do… but I just don’t love the same feeling on my hands.

It’s strongly rose-scented and you only need the smallest amount to get good coverage.  After 4 days, it was beginning to heal my sore cuticles before it was rudely snatched from my routine.  I’d recommend it for when your usual cream isn’t cutting it.  Combined with a pair of cotton moisture gloves, I think it would make for an intense and quick-fix overnight treatment.

Or yano, a great addition to your toddler’s handbag.

Lanolips Rose Balm Intense is priced at £8.99 for 50ml and available online or instore in Boots.

I began prepping for my 2010 Advent Giveaway early last year, squirreling away products… giving in to 3 for 2 offers and putting the spare one aside.  But as my blog developed throughout the year, I wanted to treat you with bigger, better and flashier prizes and that’s where the brands came in who generously donated to the cause.

But what to do with all those prizes that I’d been stockpiling?  Well… some still made it onto the giveaway so that I could be sure to involve my international readers in the fun… but I’d accumulated so many (shopping addiction) that I figured if anyone managed to enter every. single. day. they deserved something too!

The ‘most dedicated’ prize includes products from:  Bloom, Jemma Kidd, Sleek, L’Occitane, Haus of Gloi, Elemis, Simple, Asda, Jelly Pong Pong, The Body Shop, Boots No7, Tesco, Elegant Nails, Muji, Anastasia Brow, Models Own, Benefit, E.L.F., GOSH, Avon… basically, I’ve filled a box as full as I can make it with a big selection of treats.

There were 20 of you who managed to enter every day of the 25 day giveaway and from those 20, I drew one name at random.

The winner of my mystery prize of beauty booty is…

Gemx

Congratulations lady!

Well, this concludes this year’s BIG giveaway.  I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I truly mean it when I say that I wish I could give a little something to each and everyone of you.  I have the best readers a blogger could wish for.  I know, you can vom… I’ll even hold your hair for you. <3

There are some things in life that one really should avoid doing but we do them all the same.

One shouldn’t drink alcohol on an empty stomach, never swallow chewing gum, and don’t cross the road to avoid a charity collector, that’s just… uncharitable.

I’m going to add “wear your cleansing balm as a perfume” to this list.

Weirdness aside, it’s doubles up as a rather lovely cleansing balm too!

Compared to other cleansing balms that I’ve used in the past, Monu Essential Care Cleansing Balm feels a little rustic by comparison… and by rustic, I mean… artisan, less mass-manufactured…

This is both a good and bad thing.

I get the feeling that quality is something that hasn’t been skimped upon.  The ingredients list is full of delicious oils and emulsifiers boosted with some heavenly natural fragrances.

And it’s the combination of those fragrances that make this cleansing balm an absolute joy to use.  It’s a citrus explosion without being remotely kitchen/bathroom-y.  I’m really particular about citrus scents and they have to be ‘just’ right.  Not too sweet, not too tart.  This has the perfect balance that makes you want to inhale deeply whilst massaging the balm into your skin.

The flipside of this ‘rustic’ quality is that the packaging and feel of the product isn’t as luxe as I would expect for something that costs £35 for 150g.

When I opened the sample I was sent, I was surprised to see that in actual fact… it isn’t really a balm at all.  It’s half balm/half oil and in it’s current state of ‘not being able decide whether it’s a solid or a liquid’, it’s not the easiest product to scoop from the pot without making a bit of a mess.  I also wonder what effect warmer weather will have on it’s consistency.

Texture concerns aside, all is forgiven the moment I start massaging this into my skin.  The scent (have I already mentioned the scent?) focuses my mind on the job at hand and the slip ensures that there is no drag on the skin as I encourage the product to get to work on removing my makeup.

And remove my makeup it does, dissolving everything I throw at it without any fuss.  I’m terribly oaf-like when it comes to eye makeup removal… I don’t bother with being especially delicate.  I rub product onto my eye lashes gently by rolling between my thumbs and index fingers and hope that when I’m done I haven’t given myself temporary blindness and searing eye pain.

I haven’t experienced any horrible eye problems with the Monu Cleansing Balm though I’m not about to grind product into my eyes just to make sure!

It emulsifies quickly and completely in warm water and washes away without leaving any residue on my face, hands or sink.  I do still double cleanse out of habit and the one time that I didn’t (to test dryness), I wouldn’t say that this leaves my skin feeling any less dry than other balms or oils… I still need to head for the moisturiser before my skin begins to tighten.

If you’re looking for a cleansing “balm” that does what it says on the tin, is paraben-free with only natural fragrances and makes you want to leave some behind on all your pulse points after cleansing… this would be the one for you.

Monu Cleansing Balm is priced at £35.00 and available online.

I’m not ashamed to admit that Estee Lauder had me at Hello with the release of Surreal Violet last year and I’ve been keeping a close eye on new nail polish releases ever since.

Due on counter at the end of the month, the new Pure Color Collection features a total of 16 shades… 8 of which are permanent and 8, limited edition.

Oyster Cult* is a metallic silver with one hell of a shine.  It’s a blinding, blinging shade but not hugely original – it applies well and lasts a good 3/4 days before showing much wear but at £14 a bottle I’m just not sure that there’s enough here to warrant a recommendation over and above any other silver in my collection.

Sizzling Taupe* on the other hand is fairly unique to most other taupes on the market… apart from one.  Zoya Pasha sprung to mind as soon as I applied.  They both have that slightly cool toned edge thanks to the silvery frost that runs through the finish like delicate threads.

I thought I’d do a swatch comparison between the two…

You can see that we’re not really very close to dupe territory when swatched side-by-side.

Estee Lauder’s Sizzling Taupe is darker, more opaque in two coats and doesn’t have the slight violet hue that Zoya Pasha displays.

If you’re a fan of taupes or perhaps just want a beautifully shade that’s safe for work but has a slight ‘edge’ to it then I’d thoroughly recommend Estee Lauder’s new Sizzling Taupe.

Are any of the new Estee Lauder shades catching your eye?

*Press Samples

I am hugely excited to announce that the winner of the Clarisonic Plus worth a blisteringly cool £179 is…

is…

isssss…..

*insert X-Factor-esque pause*

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Congratulations Tass!.

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There’s one last loose end to tie up.  I’ll make the draw tonight for “most dedicated” and will publish the winner of the mystery prize tomorrow.  Don’t get too excited, it doesn’t top the Clarisonic I’m afraid!

A quick heads up incase you’re planning on heading into town over the weekend, the new Sandstorm Spring Summer trends collection from Topshop should now be instore for your makeup purchasing pleasure.

The premise of the collection evolves around the theory of warm tones contrasting with washed out neons and there’s a couple of pieces I’m keen on taking a close look at (local store permitting!)

Check out these swatches on RougeDeluxe for a closer look… I’m really taken with the look of the Creme Lipcolour in Daze (£7.50) and the Crayon in Zephyr (£8.50).

Also, if you can’t get into store, Topshop are currently offering free UK standard delivery for all orders until Tuesday 22nd February.

Australian brand Becca is one of my favourite cosmetic lines, I love almost everything about the brand.  The shades, the packaging, the beautiful campaign imagery that sets my pulse racing not to mention the products that deliver polished and understated results time after time….

But there’s one thing I don’t like about the brand, infact… it’s such an issue for me that I’m on the verge of throwing my toys out of the pram and boycotting.

My Pressed Shimmer Powders keep disintegrating.

Now, I don’t carry my makeup around with me.  I don’t need to… I work from home and if I’m out and about, I’m usually too laden down with either L’s things or my camera – a makeup bag is not an essential in my life.  These powders are treated with kid gloves and they sit in a drawer on my desk.

So why the hell is this the SECOND time one of my Becca Pressed Shimmer Powders has started to lift from the pan in this way?

You might think that I’m one helluva unlucky madam… I must admit, I was contemplating resigning my online account with Lotto too until I googled the issue and realised that I’m not the only one experiencing this quality concern.

Let’s do some maths here… I’ve owned a total of 5 Becca powder products and 2 have disintegrated – those stats aren’t good.

On the Becca website, I see that the Pressed Shimmer Powders are in the ‘last chance’ section so it looks as though they’re going to be discontinued.  I’m not sure whether to whoop or sob.

As for my beautiful, broken Nefertiti Pressed Shimmer Powder that I got for Christmas?  Well… I just shed a little tear.  And at £30, it was an expensive one.

Have you experienced any crumbling issues with Becca powder products?