A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

It’s been a while since I checked out the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Cremes* (we’re gonna need to abbreviate that from here on in).  I’ll have to admit not noticing that they’d been sneakily replacing the shades with a whole bunch of new gorgeousness.  That said, I’ve long been a fan of the formula… one of the most long-wearing formulas I own.  Infact, the only ones I’ve found to rival them (and I’ve used a lot) are the new Bare Escentuals Primer Shadows.

If you want to see my previous post featuring some long-discontinued Lauder shades, you can have a read back through the archives here.

Six current shades that are distinctly more wearable for neutral-loving beauty fans than the previous incarnations… same great formula.  Let’s have a swatch fest.

And one by one…

In between playing with my Wet n’ Wild palettes, it’s these that I’ve been reaching for on a daily basis.  Today, I’m sporting Pink Pearl on the lid (applied with my fingers) and Mochachino brushed through the crease (applied with my Paula Dorf Sheer Crease brush).

Verdict:

The new shades from Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Shadow Creme lineup are a lazy girl’s dream.  No primer, a brush if you can be bothered and a formula that blends itself.

My top pick from the new shades would be Mochachino, not the most visually exciting but the true workhorse of the bunch.  The slightly damp squib?  Gold Dust lacks the magic the others posess.  It doesn’t apply as smoothly and is probably better suited for layering over a dark shade for the sparkle factor.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Shadow Cremes are priced at £16.50 each and available online and on counter.

Have you dabbled in Estee Lauder’s cream eyeshadow range?

* disclosure: press samples

I had the best weekend I’ve had in ages… you know when you just can’t stop thinking about it despite how rubbish the following week is turning out to be?

Saturday I did a little shopping (just a little) and picked up some drugstore UK brands for a friend in the U.S. and perhaps a couple for myself too (but don’t tell anyone).  Then I hit Primark with all the gusto of someone with £20 burning a hole in their back pocket.  Bargain-a-rama.  Biscuit making and a round of catch the pigeon with Leila made for an alltogether exhausting afternoon!

Sunday was a beautifully lazy day spent in our local park (L loves the mini train!), cooking roast dinner and bread & butter pudding, playing with another WnW palette, talking to my Mum in France and generally being idle.  Bliss!

Some photos from my weekend (apologies for the food overload!)…

Did I mention Leila inally gave up the dodie too?  I told her the new baby down the road (there isn’t one) was crying because he didn’t have any dummies and that now L was a big girl… could she give him hers?  She wasn’t sure…

We put all five of her dodies in a fancy Jo Malone box (she would settle for nothing less) along with some ribbon and tissue paper.  Sealed the box with a big kiss and Mummy disappeared up the road (round the block twice) before returning with another box.  Leila was confused until I explained it was a present from the baby who was so pleased with his new dodies.  Leila opened the box to find a new pink and yellow toothbrush, so searingly obnoxious in colour she could do nothing but fall in love.

We brushed her teeth 4 times yesterday.  My clever, brave girl.

Hope you all had good weekends too, bring on the next one!

So, you know… I’m developing an expensive interest in fragrance. I thought it wouldn’t happen… I still have to work very hard to look beyond the obvious when it comes to perfume but the spirit is willing and my past experience tells me that this is all I need to entangle myself in a new obsession.

I went along to an Escentual.com press event some weeks ago and had the opportunity to smell my way around the room so to speak. From a personal point of view it was a real treat to be able to literally wallow in such an array of nice fragrances in a relaxed setting. It’s something so hard to do in a retail environment where you’re literally jumped on from the moment you show the slightest interest in the bottles on the shelves.

I must have raised over 30 different scents to my nose that evening, let me introduce you to some of the niche brands available at Escentual.com.

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Etat Libre D’Orange.

“Creative” only lightly scratches the surface of descriptive words one could use to describe this young, French fragrance house. Novel would be another but don’t mistake Etat Libre D’Orange simply as a cheeky maverick because there’s as much about quality as there is controversy to this unusual fragrance collection.

Their catalogue of scents include the unusually named: Putain des Palaces (Palace Whore), Fat Electrician and Don’t Get Me Wrong Baby I Don’t Swallow. And let’s not even delve into the provocative Secretions Magnifiques…

Oh ok, if I absolutely must…

Secretions Magnifiques* is their most famous scent which basically conveys bodily secretions in their full and frankly, unpleasant aroma. Blood, sweat, sperm and saliva… what more could you want to douse yourself in post-morning shower? Let’s just say… it has a certain amount of metallic authenticity to it and I keep the lid of my sample very tightly closed.

On the flip side, I adored Jasmin et Cigarette which is a floral like no other. Side order of ashtray anyone? But it works… it doesn’t pretend to be tobacco, just pure unadulterated ash tempered by the sweet floral notes of Jasmine. It’s a beautifully worked juxtaposition.

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Juliette Has A Gun.

Notorious makers of the Not A Perfume EDP that contains a single ingredient of dilluted Ambrox, this one didn’t set my world alight in the slightest. I found it as bland as quite frankly, it probably should be.

On the other hand, I recently took a passing sniff at a bottle of Calamity J which has landed itself squarely on my wishlist. A boozy, smoky, woody amber without a hint of floral or fruit to feminise it. Heaven!

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Costume National.

Finally comes a range from the Italian fashion house, Costume National. I could take or leave the feminine scents that to my nose held no interest… they’re mostly sweet, light affairs (with the exception of Scent Intense which allowed me to appreciate an amped up version!).

However, I did fall in love with the gentleman’s fragrance from the range!

Simply titled Homme, it’s a spicy scent with a base of musk and a heart of wood that is beautifully resinous without being syrupy.

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If you’re interested in sampling any of these niche fragrances, don’t forget that Escentual.com do rather splendid and affordable sample packs of many of their niche brands (and infact all of the ones I’ve mentioned above!)

* disclosure: Secretions Magnifique was a press sample

Let’s have a ’round the blogosphere’ love in…

What’s the one shade you wish you could pull off, but can’t?

Easy peasy… you can count on one hand the number of times I’ve posted a FOTD on here wearing green eyeshadow.  It looks vile against both my skintone and eye colour.  I’ve tried khaki and lime, chartreuse and forest, jade and seafoam.  It just ain’t happening in this lifetime.

Clumps of Mascara – has found the blush of all blushes. This one is absolutely gorgeous!

Lipglossiping – channels her inner eyeshadow geek when she swatches her Shiro Cosmetics haul. Come take a peek(achu)!

Nouveau Cheap – is giving away 10 sets of the fab new Milani Glossé Top Coat and Smoothé Base Coat (contest ends midnight on 4th of July)!

Orange to LA – recaps her first IMATS Los Angeles 2011 experience. If you didn’t make it out to IMATS this year you can see what you missed!

Pink Sith – Introduces you to the new Chanel Illusion D’Ombre gel shadows. Will you fall in love with them as much as she has?

Phyrra – falls in love with the Too Faced Eye Love palette and tells you where you can find it.

Vampy Varnish – You can’t miss out on these limited edition glosses from Milani.

we heart this – did IMATS last weekend. Wow, did they ever! Check out the haul photos.

Beauty Junkies Unite – Find out why Amber’s experience with the Velvet Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation from Amazing Cosmetics didn’t wind up being as amazing as she had hoped!

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How about you?  Are there any shades you wish you could pull off but can’t?

I feel like a big fat cam whore with these FOTDs… I don’t think I’ve done as many FOTDs this entire year as I have this/last week.  I’m nearly through with all the trios now, I think there’s one more after this one… and then I’ve only got a bloomin’ awesome GIVEAWAY of all the ones I’ve featured so far.  Get in!

So today’s is the Wet n’ Wild Color Icon Trio Eyeshadow palette in I’m Feeling Retro.  On paper, it’s my least favourite… at least half of you will agree when you see the shades and the swatches.  Check it out.

Knowing that it was slightly sheerer than the rest, I did the usual thing of packing it on… if I’d had a trowel to hand, I would have happily used it.  The pink/purple needed more persuasion than the blue which went on surprising pigmented.  The highlight is very sheer and adds more of a luminescence than anything else.

Here’s the FOTD alongside Accessorize Merged Blush in Starlet and Lanolips Lip Ointment in Dark Honey.

For something that I was honestly expecting to hate… I, well…. don’t hate it!  Yeah, it’s a bit out of my comfort zone but it’s less clashy, clashy than I anticipated and certainly not too fancy dress.  At least, I hope not seeing as I did leave the house looking like this.  Application is a bit rubbish because I really thought I’d be scrubbing it from my face once I’d applied it!

So, come on… did you hate it then like it?  Like it and then hate it once you saw it on me?  Hate/Hate?  Like/Like?  I neeeeed to overanalyse the makeups!

Are you a fan of NARS blushes? If so, do you own the shade Mata Hari? At Steal My Heart Lovee.com she shares her review.

Kelly from Gouldylox Reviews shares her first ever makeup tutorial. Part drinking game, part smoky eye, it’s easy to do and isn’t so over the top you can’t wear it to work.

Madame B Fatale shows us her bright eye look using some gorgeous colours!

Musicalhouses swatches the Illamasqua Powder Blushers! Do you prefer the bright, bold blush shades, or the easily wearable, pretty-in-pink shades?

At theNotice, Rae reviews a cult-favourite MAC eyeliner – but isn’t feeling the love. Find out why this popular product was such a letdown!

Phyrra falls in love with the Too Faced Eye Love palette and tells you where you can find it.

Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed begins her fall lemmings early with pictures of the Lancôme St-Honoré Fall 2011 Collection – come add to the drool puddle!

Don’t forget My Lips But Better’s travel must-haves when packing your bag this summer!

Prime Beauty gets in touch with her Inner Flowerchild while falling in love with BECCA’s new Mineral Powder Blushes.

Lauren has been going crazy for coral! Check out her latest lipstick additions!

Want a sneak peek at MAC’s latest collection, Semi-Precious? Well, Krasey Beauty has pics and swatches, to ooh and ahh over!

Tracy, at Beauty Reflections, discovers an unexpected gem in MAC Prep+Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer and is really glad she decided to try it!

Fleurissante has found a way to the perfect brows with Le Sourcil de Chanel.

Claire swatches OPI Serene Grand Slam Rally Pretty Pink Set over at The Beauty Scoop!

Erin shows you an easy way to create rainbow eyeliner at the Pretty Exclusive.

If you like highlighters, especially at this time of year, Vesna from Beauty addict blog has a few suggestions for you!

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Want glowing, gorgeous skin? Specific Beauty has teamed up with Socialite Dreams to giveaway their full regimen to one lucky reader!

I feel like I’ve been waiting FOREVER for this to turn up… I ordered about a month ago, so I’m making the assumption that post from the Far East is slow-going at the minute.  Missha M Perfect Cover was the name that kept cropping up following my last post showing my small collection of BB Creams and so it was this one that I decided to add to my ever-growing stash.

Packaged in a squeezy tube with a pump dispenser, the 50g of product contained within is well-housed both for hygienic application and freshness.  I don’t know why more base products don’t use this method.

I opted for the shade #21 (light beige) and am pleased I did as it matches my skin-tone well, I’m around a NW15 for reference.  The tone is fairly neutral to my eye, neither too yellow or pink but it does tone the redness down very well, which is something I find BB Creams excel at doing.

The particular skin benefits of the Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream include:  SPF 42 PA+++ (the PA+++ meaning that it is a broad spectrum product with the maximum UVA protection), skin lightening (hyper pigmentation) and anti-ageing.

The texture is thick but spreads well, it doesn’t feel particularly heavy or greasy… something which many BB Creams are prone to doing.  I find this quite moisturising but still wouldn’t be without an additional light moisturiser as base.

I would describe coverage as medium, it evens out my skintone nicely without looking too heavy.  It will dampen blemishes but not disguise them completely.  A great choice for everyday wear but you may want something that offers fuller coverage in the evening.

Compared to my other BB Creams, I find the Missha M Perfect Cover fairly matte.  It’s not flat matte but I wouldn’t describe it as dewy either…. on my combination skin, it didn’t need powdering and neither did it allow too much oil to break down the effectiveness on my t-zone for many, many hours.

It’s another LOVE to add to my collection… so easy just to apply with your fingers (as I have above) and there’s undoubted comfort in the knowledge that I have decent sun protection, good coverage and a little bit of added skin TLC thrown in for good measure.  Thanks for recomending this one to me chaps, I’ve struck gold!

I bought my Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream from seller FriedGreen on eBay and paid £11.78 inc. postage.

I was recently invited to spend a few hours at Louise James Health & Beauty, a well-placed beauty salon just a short hop from Epsom in Surrey.  I sent Mr. L off to spend the afternoon at nearby Chessington with Leila whilst I got down to the serious business of relaxation.

The salon offers a range of treatments from the more traditional facials, massages and manicures to the latest Ultra Plus VPL (stop smirking, that stands for Variable Pulsed Light) laser machines that zap unwanted hair, thread veins, age spots, pigmentation and even pores!  Throw in some tanning, waxing and Pamper Parties for little ones and you’re looking at a complete one-stop beauty shop.

I settled in for one of Louise’s Exclusive Facials which incorporates a back massage (bliss), a cleanse (squeak squeak), a steam (sweaty), an extraction (oh yes!), the most incredible face massage in the world (fact) and a mask that in my case, smelt like weetabix.  The ambiance in the room was good with mostly dimmed lighting and the gentle sound of waves lapping at the shore… my solitary niggle was being able to hear the conversations on the other side of the door as clients came in to book appointments but in limited salon space, that’s a tricky one to address.

I emerged from my facial with not only the most incredible glow (proof coming up) but also some seriously impressive bed hair!  It was like having a 12 hour sleep condensed into 90 minutes!

check out the glow AND the bed hair! (excuse the phone photo quality)

The Salon uses Dermalogica and Louise was happy to talk me through the products she was using on me, why she was using them and the specific benefits I could expect.  All this followed an indepth discussion about my skin, how it was behaving and a bit of close inspection!  Aside from clearly knowing her stuff, it was a breath of fresh air to have the info relayed in a non-patronising manner.  Hair Stylists, take note.

Before heading back into the real world, I opted for a Jessica Cosmetics pepto-bismol pink on my nails which finally got to see the benefits of some expert shaping without the manicurist trying to insist on completely squaring off my nails… now that’s a rare occurence.

All in all, it was an experience that needs repeating.  I’ve had a few treatments over the years and for me, these things are as personal as a visit to the doctor.  I’m the kind of client who values her privacy, likes to know what’s going on during a treatment (but is sometimes afraid to ask) and appreciates simple warmth and friendliness.

Salon facilities, products and everything else aside, it’s Louise herself that makes Louise James Health & Beauty a must-visit.  Not only an experienced therapist but clearly an experienced people person who will ensure that time spent in her salon is time spent wholly tailored to you.  Through chatting with her for just a short while, it became apparent very quickly just how much pleasure she takes from her job.  It’s not rocket science, a happy, qualified therapist with good people skills will make for a very happy customer.  And I’m certainly one of those.

For more information on Louise James Health & Beauty near Epsom in Surrey, please visit the website www.louisekjames.com – prices start from £25 for a mini facial.

* I was invited for a complimentary facial and manicure as a guest of the salon.

GLITTER THROW UP!

I hate glitter polishes.  I can’t apply them without thinking ahead about 4 days… the thought of removal makes me want to sharpen a meat cleaver in preparation.

I love glitter polishes.  I can’t apply them without smiling at their cheery playfulness.  I love how nothing else on earth makes Leila think her Mum is ridiculously cool like a big ol’ pile of glitter vom on my nails.

This is my difficulty.  I know, starving people all over the world think they’ve got problems?

Yeah, that’s super pretty right?

I defy you to look at Happy Birthday* and not feel the whimsy in the bottle.  It’s the polish that all 4 year olds dream of.  34 year olds dream of it too… they just don’t admit it so freely.

3 coats gives you a fair splattering over a bare nail.  It gave me enough coverage to not be concerned about my poor, yellow nail beds and that’s saying something!  It would actually layer over any shade exceptionally well… black would knock it outta the ball park no?

I had so many comments on my nails when I wore this for a few days… the glitter lies flat so it’s completely non-irritating but you might still want a top coat to smooth it further.  It’s really very lovely, though I did turn the air blue when removal time came.  I attempted one finger the usual way before going for the very successful tin-foil trick.  I’m so glad the cleaver stayed in the drawer.  This time.

Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday is available to buy online and instore at House of Fraser priced at a nail-biting £16.00

* press sample

There’s a new toothpaste in town. It’s lean, mean and err not very minty as it happens.  Featuring the revolutionary bacteria-busting ingredient Stabilised Stannous Flouride, this supposed super-paste claims to be all you need to target the oral issues that affect us daily.

It’s taken 15 years of development and 70 scientific studies ahead of today’s launch because this volatile active ingredient has proven difficult to present in a stable, usable form.  That sounds like me before my morning cuppa.

Finally, the bods at Oral-B reckon they’ve nailed it in the form of the new Oral-B Pro-Expert toothpaste which goes on general sale today.  There’s more sciencey stuff behind it about how they managed to stabilise and tame this chemical but seeing as it involves words like polyphosphate, you will excuse me if I skim over those finer details this early in the morning?

The bottom line is that Oral-B Pro-Expert is proclaimed to be the toothpaste to put an end to forced compromises.  Oral-B say that you really can have your whitening, cavity protection, plaque reduction, tartar control, enamel strengthening, sensitivity repair, gum improving and breath freshening all in one tube.  Phew!

I used it for the first time last night and it’s really a little strange!  It feels slightly gritty on the teeth (although I have been promised that it’s 100% non-abrasive) and the taste!  Oh the taste!  It is EXACTLY like the rinse you get at the dentist.  It’s not bad, I actually really like it… but don’t expect that minty zing because this is something altogether quite different!

Oral-B Pro-Expert goes on sale today priced at £3.49 for 75ml