A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

The final item I received in my goody bag from the recent Illamasqua Blogger Event was this nail polish…

Don’t be fooled by its demure-sounding name, Purity* is about as vivid as a peach can get!  Not entirely suited to my skintone, I can see this looking freakin’ amazing on dark-skinned sisters.  It’s creamy, opaque and glossy.

The formula was great and the above image shows two coats… longevity has been impressive as I’m on day four of wear and can only see a tiny nick on the tip of one of my fingers…. not even a proper chip and barely any tip wear at all!

A perfect peach of a polish that is guaranteed to turn heads all Summer.

Illamasqua’s polishes may be a little pricey at £13.50, but they back it up with quality formulas and exciting shades.

Illamasqua Purity Nail Polish is available now to buy on counter, instore or online.

* press sample

Thanks for your submissions ladies!

I’ve had a read through and would be delighted if Lucy from MissLucyLoves would be the next guest reviewer for Lipglossiping.com – simply because I think that loads of us can totally relate to those under the skin blemishes that are plaguing her at the moment!

Thanks Lucy, could you please email me your details and I’ll pop the kit in the post to you this week.

Look out for Lucy’s review shortly!

Over the next couple of weeks, retail guru Nicky Kinnaird, founder of Space NK will be making some rare personal appearances in selected stores as part of a beauty event the brand have lined up for interested customers.

The events are taking place on the following dates/locations:

16th March – Marylebone: 10-2pm
17th March – Loughton: 10-2pm
18th March – Kingston: 10-2pm
23rd March – Glasgow: 10-2pm
24th March – George St (Edinburgh): 10-2pm
25th March – Cobham: 10-2pm
31st March – Northcote Rd: 10-2pm

The event costs £60 (redeemable against all purchases).

For your money, you get a 15 minute consultation with Nicky herself on your skincare needs and a 30 minute makeup lesson from a professional.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you can find participating store numbers here.

Illamasqua’s Atomic lipstick is a non-hooker fuchsia pink with blue flashes makes for one hawt Spring/Summer lipstick!

It’s packed with pigment for an opaque, matte finish which is pretty unforgiving on lips that are in anything but the best condition.

I own a few Illamasqua lippies and they are all hard-textured, solidly opaque affairs that are unkind to dry lips but I think this is the most drying yet and should be accompanied with a lipgloss.

I know that some will be happy to sacrifice moisturisation for lasting power and Atomic has plenty of this, with the kind of longevity you’d expect from a stain rather than a lipstick.  Thanks to the hard texture of the lipstick, you shouldn’t get too many bleeding issues from this bright.  I didn’t notice any problems despite not using a lip liner… it just doesn’t move.

Overall: Illamasqua Atomic lipstick* is an awesome shade with amazing pigment, incredible lasting power but potentially quite uncomfortable to wear without proper lip preparation.

Illamasqua Atomic is a shade from the Toxic Nature collection and is available to buy on counter, instore or online priced at £15.50

* press sample

Finding a natural looking contour for my pale (very pink) skintone has probably been one of my toughest makeup tasks and the closest I’ve come so far is another Illamasqua product, a powder blush called Rumour.  The general criteria for my skin tone consists of two factors.

a). be pale enough to look natural and blend easily

b). be pink-toned enough to avoid looking orange or yellow.

Being a total fan of all things cream-based for my dry skin, I was excited to see if the new Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow* would work well as a contour shade.

Well, the answer is… I’m undecided.  It applies beautifully and blends easily with fingers and I think it will make a lovely contour for those with neutral or warmer toned pale skin but I’m not convinced it makes a perfectly natural contour for uber pinks.  I’ll let you be the judge…

Does it look a little yellow to you or am I scrutinising too hard?  I’m definitely hyper-aware of bronzer and contour looking ‘wrong’ so I’m generally pretty tough on them, do you think it works or are there better matches out there?

Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment (£17.00) is available as part of Illamasqua’s Spring/Summer Toxic Nature Collection and available now from counters, instore and online.

* press sample

~ Want the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara but don’t like the price? Come over to Jeweled Thumb to learn how to make your own for free!

~ Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews loves peach colored makeup. After lots of searching, here are three perfect peaches for spring.

~ Krasey Beauty visits the International Beauty Show in NYC, and takes you along for the ride!

~ Does Victoria’s Secret Sparkling Lip Gloss light up Makeup Morsels’ life? Read to find out!

~ The Pink Sith Pontificates on the Perfect Peach Pigmented Pucker Provided by Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Sweet Nectar. Quite Possibly the Prettiest Peach in Perpetuity!

~ Kim Porter takes you inside of QVC’s Beauty Breakfast showcasing QVC’s top-selling beauty and hair products.

~ Kimmie at KimmieKarmaLove plays catch up with three brand new looks that are different for her. What do you think?

~ Mariella at Musing on Beauty falls in love (yet again) with a new foundation, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua and tells you everything about it.

~ Daily Polish thinks she’s found the red polish to top all others in A-England’s Perceval, take a look and see if you agree (and fall in love with this Cult English Lacquer company!)

~ Rae swatches and reviews the new Burt’s Bees Tinted Lip Balm at theNotice. Find out if it’s bee-utiful, or just a bee-rate product!

~ Who says you can’t wear a smokey eye in Spring? Musicalhouses shows you the perfect forest green smokey eye that’s great for any weather!

~ Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed tests out lip colours looking to bring some coral into her spring lip wardrobe!

~ Retrodiva has been searching for the perfect oud fragrance – find out if Tom Ford’s Oud Wood is the one.

~ Phyrra raves about a must-have makeup brush! You need this one, and it’s a steal at $3.

~ Beautywoome divulges the new ‘forever’ beauty products she found in 2010.

~ AOYV is mighty impressed with Guerlain’s Terracotta Loose Powder Kohl Liner.

~ Get ready for summer with these bright MAC Cremeblend Blushes on My Lips But Better!

~ Brighten up your look by following this spring purple and pink makeup tutorial by Socialite Dreams.

~ Audrey Dao drops by Inglot to check out their Freedom Palettes. Find out what she thought!

~ Tracy at BeautyReflections is craving Spring and Annabelle Smudgeliner in Limetteis helping to satisfy!

~ Jenn over at Spiced beauty conquers her fear of falsies and rocks a pair of MAC 38 lashes in her newest FOTD!

~ Jo at Music & Makeup shows us swatches of her favourite blushes.

~ Like eyeliner? Like colour? Claire has found some rather lovely GOSH Velvet Touch Liners that fit the bill nicely.

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~ Win a huge £300 Boots voucher by commenting here in The Beauty Slice competition.

~ Anti-ageing eyeshadow? Finally! Cindy at Prime Beauty learns all about the new technology in Anastasia’s Illumi8 Eye Shadow Palettes and is giving away one for you to try!

In celebration of International Women’s Day last Tuesday, Bare Escentuals held events around the country inviting  women to “Try. Believe. Love.” the BareMinerals foundation.

I went along to the event in Covent Garden to have a peek behind the scenes and to talk to some of the women who had stopped by to join the Bare Escentuals Friendship Bracelet Club.  Even the sun came out in support!

Read on to find out what happened at the event and for a chance to win a little prize!

|| the friendship mirror ||

|| i love this message! ||

Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, really.  As a total gym bunny (I’ve been once) and because I’m possibly as horribly superficial as my blog would suggest, I think that one should really consider appropriate gym makeup so as not to frighten other attendees.

Or, to be more truthful, if like me… you’re all too aware that you’re not yet an equal member of the hard-bodied, tight-bummed gym community, you may just spend a little longer on your face in a fit of what is known as ‘over-compensation’.

And so it was that I found myself applying makeup on a day that I knew I had nothing to do other than work from home and visit the gym.  If you ever happen to find yourself in a similar situation, or perhaps just want makeup that makes you look a bit perkier without looking like you’re wearing an inappropriate amount of makeup… read on!

Face: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation • Bare Escentuals Blush in Promise (in love with this… again) • Rouge Bunny Rouge Glide Concealer in Thalia

Eyes: Estee Lauder Pure Color Eyeshadow in Sugar Biscuit (adore this for brightening) • Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pencil in Black (under the top lashes to darken) • Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Mascara (would probably use waterproof next time) • Suqqu Brow Powder in Nibiiro

Lips: Lanolips Lip Ointment in Rhubarb

Super quick and easy and left me feeling far more confident about huffing and puffing on the treadmill than without.  Having said that, most of that confidence fled when I broke into a jog and felt my arse begin to bounce along.  Next time, I’m picking the equipment that keeps my back to the wall!

Do you bother with makeup at the gym?

It’s been a while since I just sat down to write a post with no idea in advance of what I want it to say.  I love the feeling of emptying my mind onto a blank page, so hopefully no one will mind a bit of personal bloggage at the expense of beauty banter just this once.

I got my baking groove on early this morning and made another pudding…

I’ve never had Lemon Drizzle Cake before and I complately bastardized the recipe for it because I didn’t have any fresh lemons OR self-raising flour OR caster sugar…

Yes, I know.  Tinned Rhubarb, Jif Lemon… what next?  Slovenly.  Do I care?  No, because it tastes amaze and has melt-in-the-mouth lemon-y drizzly bits stuck to the bottom.

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2 eggs
175g granulated sugar
150g soft butter
2tsp lemon flavouring/extract
3tbsp lemon juice (out of a bottle!)
125ml milk
175g plain flour
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt

Whisk the eggs, butter and sugar in a bowl (I zapped it in the microwave for 30secs to get the butter to melt – sue me). Add both the lemon flavouring and juice before giving the mixture another whisk to combine. GENTLY mix in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the milk a little at a time until you get quite a runny mix. Pour into greased cake tin of choice! (I used a silicone cake ring/mould).

Bake in a pre-heated oven (170°c) for 40/45 minutes. When it’s cooked, remove from the oven but not the pan. Now for the drizzle icing…

150g icing sugar
50ml lemon juice (bottle again!)

In a saucepan over a low heat, slowly add the lemon juice to the icing sugar and mix well to remove lumps! Don’t let the mixture boil!

Fully prick the exposed part of the cake with a skewer and dripfeed the icing down the holes. When you get bored of that, sling the rest of it all over. Leae the cake to cool completely before turning out and slicing.

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All in all, it’s been a busy few weeks:

I’ve been…

hanging with the Royals (kinda) strengthening old friendships and making new ones diving headfirst into books again lusting after high-end foundations enjoying far too much Mexican food reigniting a love for Apple Martinis rediscovering an old favourite blush joining a gym doing a laugh-snort with nerves when I met Helen Ambrosen and Simon Constantine taking L swimming starting the long-neglected blog re-design gaining acceptance that some people are just bad eggs getting paid to blog for the first time (not here!) gaining 1/2 a pound but losing a weight from my shoulders munching on collagen!

Talking of which… my collagen “beauty meal” catered to an acquired taste (and one that I unfortunately don’t posess!)  However, I can’t deny that it was not only one of the most interesting meals to pass my lips but also the prettiest!

Thank you Cosmetic Candy for inviting me to be your +1 at Gilgamesh!

|| Wheatgrass and Avocado shot ||

|| Collagen Inside Out Dumping ||

|| Bento Box of Chargrilled Salmon & Black Sushi Rice ||

|| Beauty Bucket of Poached Chicken ||

|| Goji Berry Sorbet & Sugarless Milk Ice ||

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So, that’s me!  What have you been getting up to?

I’m looking for a guest reviewer please to trial and review a range of skincare products for blemish-prone skin.

The reviewer will receive a The Doctor Brand Blemish Relief Kit (£19.95) which includes a 3-step programme to help clear skin.

Step 1 – Purifying Cleanser – 75ml
Step 2 – Pore Clearing Gel – 30ml
Step 3 – Oil Free Soothing Lotion – 30ml

If you’re up for the challenge, please register your interest below and remember to put your email address in the bit where it asks for it so that I can contact you!

I’d like you to give the range a minimum 3 week test period before letting us know your thoughts…. so if you can commit to a new skincare routine for that period and are happy to share your thoughts with my readers then let me know in the comments below!  I’ll chose a reviewer on Tuesday 15th March.

Thanks ladies!

The crackle craze started in the UK last Autumn with a certain black top coat from BarryM that cracked and shattered to create interesting effects and nail art for the unartistic.

Then the BIG guns got involved with OPI and even Dior getting in on the act!

Now Models Own have jumped squarely on the crackle bandwagon and are doing it in style with their new collection SMASH-UP

Available from April, Models Own will be introducing an entire rainbow of crackle shades to glam up your nails for the Summer!

Priced at £6.00 each, you’ll be able to get your hands on them in Boots and online at www.modelsownit.com

If there’s one thing I associate with the Czech Republic (other than beer), it’s the country’s long and distinguished history of working with glass.  Czech glass is world renowned for it’s quality and craftsmanship.

I took delivery of a sample nail file a few weeks ago from Mont Bleu, a company based on the outskirts of Prague who produce tempered glass nail files by hand.

It arrived in a substantial leatherette mock-croc gifting box.

The nail file itself is tucked inside, housed in a velvet pouch and arrived with an authenticity card.  All these little extra touches really single a product out as being gift-worthy!

I received the Red Medium Nail File with Swarovski Crystals in a ‘marbles’ design which you can view online here.

It’s a well-made product as one might expect and is comparable to my Leighton Denny file in both size and quality.  I’ve used it daily to give it a thorough wear test and so far, the surface has remained as pristine as the day it arrived.

My one distinction in the quality between them would be that the Mont Bleu file feels ever so slightly “grittier” when filing than the Leighton Denny.  I’m not 100% sure on this and have been wavering and asking everyone who visits to weigh in with an opinion.  It’s divided everyone!

The Mont Bleu files are available in a variety of designs and can be bought online in the UK through their distributor BestCrystalNailFiles.

Priced at £10.99 for a medium size, it’s a lovely gift choice for Mothers everywhere this Mother’s Day.