A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Have you ever read the Malcolm Gladwell book?

I first read Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking back in 2007 and as a notorious over-thinker of everything… the book, which places value on the snap reactions and decisions we make everyday, struck a chord with me.

I’m the type of person who over-analyzes every word that leaves my mouth to the extreme where I regularly decide it would be preferable to say nothing at all.  Then I go on to listen to everyone around me spew the same words I was so desperate to contain… coming from them, they never sound as ridiculous as I imagined they would leaving my mouth.

Over-thinking, in some cases can be a debilitating condition though that’s not to say I find it preferable to watch people shoot their mouths off… it’s all about striking a balance right?

So nowadays I try to put more trust in my first impressions, initial instincts and have faith that although a little wariness is good, so is realising the potential merits of this “rapid cognition”.

Nowhere is this more apparent than when I’m taking photos… once I learnt a bit more about the processes behind the technical aspects, I struggled with wanting to create perfection.  It’s taken until today to learn that some of my favourite shots are the ones that took absolutely no thought at all.

Blink.  ‘Cos I’ll miss it when she’s taller and loves her friends more than her Mum.

Hope you’re having a great Thursday you beauty-loving bunch x

Not quite as stunningly tempting as the ASOS deal that they offered a couple of months ago (how many of those did you buy?), the latest offerings from Groupon are still pretty damn impressive!

I’ll break it down into two…

A year-long subscription to either: Vogue, Glamour, House and Garden, Tatler, GQ, Wired, The World of Interiors, Condé Nast Traveller, Easy Living or Vanity Fair for a one-off payment of £19.99.

This deal has the potential to save upto £35.21 depending on which subscription you take out.  I’ve bought one to subscribe to Vanity Fair ‘cos I like the front covers innit.

If you want to take advantage of the Groupon Magazine Subscription deal, you have until midnight on Friday.

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The other offer available is something that equates to a 60% saving at Eyeko…

This works in the same way as the ASOS deal in that, you spend a certain amount to get far more back!

Part with £8 of cash to receive a voucher that will entitle the holder to purchase £20 worth of products on the Eyeko website.  My top picks would be the nail polishes… simples!

If you want to take advantage of the Groupon Eyeko deal… again, you have until midnight on Friday.

Happy shopping!  Have you spotted any other great deals lately?

Well, I wasn’t gonna get sucked into the hype.  Oh no, not me!  But then I thought “oooh just one little look to see what everyone’s going on about… *swoon*, *thud*, *kerching*”

Sucker.

Priced at £24.50, I believe this makes the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense in #3 Purpura, the most expensive single eyeshadow I own, roundly beating my Le Metier de Beaute spangly silver that I bought on impulse and have barely worn to this day.

So first things first, is it worth that horrendous price tag?  Of course it’s not… but like my Tom Ford lippies, the numbers that ring up on the till matter less once I’ve fallen head over heels.  All that matters is finding ways to justify why I require at least one more from the range.  Sucker.

The Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense range of 12 shades incorporate multi-faceted pigment with impressive colour payoff and a rich, creamy formula.

I initially approached the counter with Lust Red in mind after seeing Temptalia’s swatch of the blackened-red shade… but a quick check at the alternatives available had me lusting after something a little lighter for Summer.  Don’t worry Lust Red… I’m coming back for you in the Autumn!

Purpura, #3 is a beautifully blended mix of purples and gold that combine to create a violet-toned charcoal that dances with a golden glimmer.

I wouldn’t class this as sheer when applied dry but it’s definitely more ‘buildable’ (that’s a diplomatic way of putting it!) than some of the other, more intense shades.  This is actually one of the reasons I purchased it as it felt “airier” and more befitting for hot days when a ‘made up’ face just looks a little too much.

The three swatches above show Purpura applied dry, ontop of primer (Urban Decay original) and with a damp brush.  There’s not a great deal of difference between using a primer or simply applying it with a dampened brush so I’d imagine the question of preference will come down to longevity.

As for longevity, well I don’t have any opinion on that yet seeing as I only bought this yesterday.  All reports sound good so I’m looking forward to decent wear from this really, rather expensive but ultimately flippin’ gorgeous eyeshadow.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense eyeshadow in #3 Purpura is priced at £23.50 and available to buy on counter if you can find stock.  As of yesterday (31/5), Selfridges in London was out but Harvey Nichols came up trumps!

What do you think?  Like or no-like?

Still sitting down there in my wishlist purely because I’m a lazy oaf who hasn’t updated yet, sits the fragrance Agent Provocateur.

CheapSmells.com are currently doing a ridiculously good deal on the Agent Provocateur family, so I thought that now would be the most useful time to update and review the fragrance that I finally got around to buying last month).

Agent Provocateur EDP starts with an intense blast of spice, reminiscent of a (very) steamy evening in Marrakech before quickly softening as the fragrance blends with the warmth of my skin.  The floral begins to peek through as the heart notes surface to smother the spiciness in a shroud of powdery rose and white flowers.

Despite the scent’s obvious femininity made apparent in the floral aspect of the perfume, there’s a musky sourness that remains intact from that initial spritz to eventual fade.  It’s animalic, sexual and bold.  Don’t expect a juicy, sweet fragrance to make you feel light and girly.  Agent Provocateur is a seriously sexy number that will wear you if you lack the confidence to wear it back!

Agent Provocateur is available for upto 70% off the RRP at CheapSmells.com until the 5th June.

Do you like your fragrances to be provocative and bold or a little more demure?