A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

They say that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and frankly, there’s nothing quite like paying attention to these finer points than when you’ve got the world’s media breathing down your neck.

So much works goes on behind the catwalks at Fashion Week that us mere mortals would never even consider, and it’s some of these less obvious details that are getting plenty of attention this year!

What’s the first thing you notice when you enter a room, the one thing that can instantly add or detract from its appeal?  Scent.

Which is why we’re all supposed to be baking cookies and brewing coffee like demon baristas when it comes time to sell our homes.  It’s all in the name of adding atmosphere to your surroundings and show designers are understandably, certainly up for a bit of that.

Show scenting is big news this year and across the Atlantic, Victoria Beckham chose to scent her Spring/Summer 2012 presentation at New York City Library with a sea of Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit Candles.

Moving closer to home, the British fragrance company will also be scenting the British Fashion Council Tents throughout London Fashion Week with Jo Malone Orange Blossom as well as Erin O’Connor’s Model Sanctuary with Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin and Grapefruit.

One of London’s most established fragrance houses, Penhaligon’s will also be working hard to make the capital smell delicious as they get to work with Meadham Kirchhoff to scent their Spring/Summer 2012 collection for the fifth season together.

The design duo have chosen the fruity floral Artemisia as a celebration of all things feminine.  Described as a tumble of green apples and nectarines, washed with jasmine tea and sprinkled with a luxurious medley of violet, cyclamen and lily petals.

The scent will be used to fragrance the invitations and the venue, whilst each model will receive a liberal spritz just before heading down the catwalk.

Finally, lest we forget, London Fashion Week isn’t just there for scenting, it’s for showcasing and what better place to launch a new perfume than off the back of your Spring/Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection?

Verónica Moncho Lobo launched her first fragrance Verónica last Friday alongside the showcase of her latest SS/12 collection.  The fresh, floral scent employs a bouquet of jasmine and cyclamen at the heart of the perfume.

The fashion designer coupled these spring and winter florals to evoke memories of  her childhood in Argentina.  Classic base notes of sandalwood and white musk promise to add a timeless touch to the fragrance.

Do you have a favourite fragrance that you’d scent your show with?

OCCO is one of those brands that had been on my radar for many, many months but was continually superseded by other products more demanding of my attention when presented with the opportunity to purchase.

With close inspirational links to the Dalmation Coast and Adriatic Sea, you might be surprised to learn that the products are formulated within the UK and are the brainchild of ex-Spa Director at Molton Brown, Anna Doyle.

I decided that I wanted a new candle for the bedroom last week whilst mooching around John Lewis. I wanted something with enough spice to be warming without being full-on “boudoir”. Not that there’s anything wrong with full-on boudoir, but I’ll save that headiness for when the weather is cooler.

I couldn’t find anything that tugged at my sleeve harder than this beauty from OCCO’s Raiyia range. The styling is a little retro with concentric circles and a 70s mustard theme but the scent is thoroughly modern. The 210g candle promises to contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrances.

A spicy citrus with Bergamot, Petitgrain (<3) and Nutmeg ensures that this walks the olfactory line between Summer and Autumn quite beautifully. It fills the room confidently without being blousey or demanding, I think that it would work well in most home environments as both a relaxing, and at the same time, uplifting scent.

I do wish the packaging were a little more luxe for the price (£35) but I can’t fault the quality of the candle which burns both evenly and cleanly. If I remember correctly, this is the candle that Danni Minogue tweeted a picture of as her favourite for burning in her X-Factor dressing room last year.

Now that I’ve finally taken the plunge into the OCCO family, I will keep the range in mind and return to investigate some of the other fragrances available. Most importantly, I may have to be quick about it — the range was heavily discounted, I’m wondering if it perhaps won’t be around for much longer.

OCCO Raiyia No6 Citrus Spice Candle is priced at £35 for 210g and available online at Occo or reduced both online and instore at John Lewis.

I bought another cauliflower this week in an attempt to get a new recipe under my belt in preparation for coming off the diet and back onto normal food.  I’ll be going the low-carb route, not the Atkins route or anything as hardcore as that, I’ll just be avoiding the “shovel as much starch, bread, pasta and rice into my mouth as possible” route.

Amanda from Beauty Blogging Blonde mentioned that she was making Cauliflower Fritters last week on Twitter and that was pretty much all the encouragement I needed.  She did send me a link to the recipe she was using but I’ve lost it, so ended up bodging something together from a few recipes I’d googled and whatever I had in the cupboards.

I need a posher name than ‘fritters’ really because ‘fritters’ rhymes with ‘squitters’ and where food is concerned, those two words should never be seen in the same sentence.

1).  Steam the Cauliflower until tender.  I do this in a cellophane-covered bowl in the microwave with a couple of tbsp of water in the bottom.  Takes around 10 minutes of cooking time on full power.

2).  Once tender, mash the cauliflower and add the diced onion, garlic and other dry ingredients.

3).  Combine the mixture with a fork before incorporating the beaten egg.

4).  Add the flour 1 tbsp at a time, mixing well until you get a firm consistency.  You want the mixture to hold together on a spoon (just about).  You may need more or less flour depending on how large your eggs are!

5).  Add the Mozzarella and incorporate gently.

6).  Heat the oil in a frying pan on a low/medium heat.  The worst thing you can do is have your heat too high.  We need to cook the flour which means not burning the outsides!  Start low and turn the heat up as you get used to the cooking times needed.

7).  Once your oil is hot, spoon the mixture into the pan in little patties and press down lightly to shape.

8).  Leave frying (don’t be tempted to turn or peek) for a good 3/4 minutes.  If you smell burning, ignore that last instruction and remember to keep the heat LOW.

9).  Turn and cook the fritter for the same time on the other side.  You’re looking for a dark golden brown and a crispy texture – the insides will be soft with melty Mozzarella.

10).  Drain on a piece of kitchen towel and serve as a side or on their own with a salsa and salad.

.

These cauliflower fritters are ridiculously delicious and even Leila was impressed enough to attempt one.  They’re ideal eaten freshly cooked but lovely cold too (they go a bit chewy).  Best reheated from frozen in a v. hot oven.

Share your favourite cauliflower recipes with me!

Last night, London’s iconic Battersea Power Station played host to an electrifying party held in honour of Kate Moss’ 10-year partnership with Rimmel.  Kate arrived at the venue in true supermodel fashion, by helicopter.  Dressed in a vintage black dress and wearing her personally designed Rimmel London Lipstick Collection By Kate in Red (shade no. 1 – her personal favourite), she worked the classic ensemble with her signature, effortless style.

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

She was joined by celebrity guests including: Poppy Delevingne, Sadie Frost, Jasmine Guiness, Cara Delevingne, Erin O’Connor and Camilla Rutherford.  The party guests sipped at bespoke Rimmel cocktails named after blockbuster products including Extra Wow (Gin, lemon, apple and elderflower), Glam Eyes (Vodka, blackberry and violet) and Max Gloss (Mango, lime, ginger beer) whilst watching the large screen coverage of Kate’s dramatic helicopter entrance and live tweets from the VIP guests throughout the evening.

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

Steve Mormoris, Senior Vice-President, Global Marketing for Coty Beauty commented: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 10 years of Kate Moss and Rimmel, marking the occasion with the launch of Kate’s first personally designed collection for the brand. Kate truly epitomises the London Look: her unique style and spirit is emulated across the world.”

As much as I wish I could have attended, I had a date with my daughter and not even La Moss could persuade me away from that.  Still, I am very sorry to have missed my girl-crush Shingai Shoniwa (from the Noisettes) wow the guests with her performance and by all accounts, Solange Knowle’s beautiful hair very nearly stole the limelight completely.

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

On the inspiration behind her new lip collection with Rimmel London, Kate said: “The inspiration was for classic shades that I have always worn and had in my handbag. There is always a small selection of shades I always go back to and I wanted this range to reflect that as they will never go out of style.”

The new 7 piece collection of classic lip colours is exclusively available from Boots until the 28th September before a nationwide roll-out.  Lipsticks are priced at £5.49 each.

When these polishes were first released, I saw so many positive reviews online and the thing that spoke to me more strongly than the words accompanying them, were the pictures.  I was reading all this good stuff about how amazing they were and all I kept thinking was “but your nails look really bad”.

Case in point…

MyFace Cosmetics Lil’ Bling* nail polish in Pink Champagne is an uber-metallic, high shine polish which benefits from a quick drying time and an opaque finish.  Despite such a pale colour, I was done in two swift coats.  On my hardy nails, wear was average with tip wear setting in on the 3rd day and no chips.

All good things from a high street nail polish that costs less than £6.00.

But the problem is, there just ain’t no denying that it makes my reasonably un-ridged nails look like McCoy’s Man Crisps.

On ridged nails (or my toenails) this could get a whole lot uglier.

MyFace Cosmetics Lil’ Bling polishes (£5.99) come in 16 different shades and are available online at MyFace Cosmetics or instore at Boots.

Do you have any polishes that are awesome in nearly every way bar the most important?

.

P.S. see my perpetually peeling index fingernail?  Anyone got any awesome ideas to solve that problem?

* press sample

…it’s doughnuts.  I don’t care how you spell them or what country they come from, I have no doughnut prejudice running through my veins.  The doughnut world comes in many colours and I love them all equally.  Peace.

Having said that, I quite like to keep my patisserie addiction separate from my confectionery habits.  These two things are quite, quite different and should remain so.  Jelly Tots et al don’t belong on cakes — fact.

Krispy Kreme have teamed up with Glamour Magazine for the 2nd year running to release their latest collection of fashion-inspired doughnuts.  Released in line with London Fashion Week, I’m busy trying to decide if this Krispy Kreme “capsule collection” breaks my doughnut rules by looking a bit like psychedelic polo mints.

This season’s collection features the trademark Strawberry Glaze doughnut, synonymous with the GLAMOUR Glaze line, accompanied by a new Orange Glaze doughnut.  The Orange Glaze has been created from trend predictions of the upcoming season from GLAMOUR’s fashion team, who noted the ‘70s and the bright colour influences as two key themes.

I am loving that this is giving me carte blanche to talk about doughnuts on my beauty blog.  Doughnuts doughnuts doughnuts.  You won’t see that in Glamour Vogue.

The Glamour Glaze collection* (£1.35 ea) is available on counter at all Krispy Kreme UK stores and in-store cabinets from the 29^th August until 2^nd October.

Wanna be a little less glamourous?  How about stuffing your face on 2 doughnuts for the price of 1?  Click through to KrispyKreme but don’t blame me if you can’t do up your high-waisted, colour-blocked, on-trend skirt.

.

Tried these ones?  Are they bonafide doughnuts or would they fail my sweetie test?

* press sample bum

I’m delighted to be able to bring you an exclusive behind-the-scenes video today, featuring one of the most well-loved names in fashion.

Michael Kors is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his signature fragrance for women: Michael Kors, and in honour of this milestone, the brand have shot a new commercial featuring the enigmatic Karmen Pedaru.  Click play and take a sneak peek behind the scenes of the Mario Testino shoot which features some intimate, playful moments and Michael’s thoughts on just what makes a “signature” fragrance.

Today, September 14th also coincides with the Michael Kors runway show as part of New York Fashion Week (which you can watch live here from 10am EST) and in a celebratory act of fashionable flamboyance, I’d like to offer my lovely readers a rather special giveaway courtesy of the Michael Kors brand.

One reader will win a specially issued Signature Bottle of Michael Kors Fragrance for Women, signed by the man himself, of which there are only 10 in existence!

To enter, answer this simple question:

How many years ago did Michael Kors release his Signature Fragrance?

Error: Contact form not found.

Good Luck!

T&C
1. All international entries welcome by using the entry form above only.
2. One winner will be picked at random from all entries that provide an answer to the question.
3. One entry per email address.
4. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
5. Competition closes on Wednesday 28th September 2011 at 23.59.
6. Winner will be notified by email within 5 days of the close of the competition.
7. No email addresses will be stored once the competition has closed and will only be used to contact the winner.

Life is taken too seriously and Bootie  Babe Cosmetics are clearly here to remedy that problem.

President and CEO Mark O’Hara wanted to create a humorous, bold and unique beauty product to stand out from the competition and thus, twelve bootie-shaped nail polish bottles were born.

The shades are priced at $9 each and include the enticingly titled: Hella Baloo, Purp Slurp, Mean Tangerine, Lilac Lunatic and Slinky Pinky.

EDIT: Bootie Babe Cosmetics will ship orders internationally, prices are as stated on the website.

There’s no getting around the fact that our mutual addiction to all things ‘beautiful’ is an expensive one.  In an industry driven by fashion, technology and innovation, there will always be new products vying for space on our wishlists but never enough money to tick them all off.

The concept of group-buying has been growing in popularity over the last couple of years and there are many websites out there that offer deals on the basis that they will be supplying a single offer to a group collective at a lower than RRP price. Many of the beauty-related deals focus on experiences rather than material goods: haircuts, spa treatments and manicures (fishy or otherwise) and I’ve enjoyed many of the above at a lower price thanks to these websites.

BuyaPowa.com is a brand new site that enables shoppers like you and me to engage in ‘collective-buying’ and demand the same bulk-buy discounts that retailers enjoy. On initial inspection, these ‘co-buys’ appear to operate from the same starting-point as the other group-buying websites.  But there are some important differences…

1. The final price of any product drops as more people join the ‘co-buys’ and the person who brings the most people into any given co-buy receives their product for free.  A genuine opportunity to drive prices down with the help of those social-networking tools we all spend too much time on.

2. Alternative group-buying deals are generally focused on regional areas served by a particular salon or establishment but because BuyaPowa.com is product-centric, they offer deals to a national audience.

3. BuyaPowa.com have integrated a system into the site that encourages users to submit their requests for products they would like to purchase through a BuyaPowa.com ‘co-buy’.  This request is visible to other members who can join in and offer support for your submission. If enough people give your request a virtual thumbs up, BuyaPowa will set the wheels in motion towards getting a co-buy together.

It’s this 3rd difference that really has me interested in the BuyaPowa.com concept and is what sets them apart from other group-buying websites.  Something that utilises a community’s shared opinion and buying power in a unique and more importantly, useful way strikes a chord with me and is what I want to focus on in the remainder of this post.

Watch this short video for more information on how the BuyaPowa.com concept works

For a current example of a beauty ‘co-buy’, they’ve got a Burts Bees one live right now which is on its way to finishing at a discount of up to 53%.

.

Of course, it would be quite easy for them to go ahead and buy up a bunch of discontinued stock at a low price and flog it on like other online beauty discounters. Infact, I’ve quizzed them on how realistic it would be for them to approach high-end beauty brands and their response showed me that this is precisely the kind of feat they’re trying to achieve.  Of course, they can’t guarantee that every brand will be interested in our requests but to achieve this kind of shopping revolution, they’re going to need our help to convince the brands that WE would buy from them in this way.

Infact, can you imagine how cool this could be for the beauty community online?  Example…

Brand X releases uber new ‘multiple’ at £30 and within hours, some brilliant reader/blogger/you-tuber/twitterer has set up a request on BuyaPowa nagging them to provide a ‘co-buy’.  We all pile in (thanks to the power of social media) and within 24 hours the request receives enough support to elevate it to the attention of BuyaPowa who then approach Brand X to request 100 ‘uber multiples’ before passing on their retailer discount to us.  Get in!

BuyaPowa.com would like to hear our opinions and would love if you could answer one, two or all three of the below questions.

1). What type of proucts would YOU like to buy this way for less?

2). Are there any specific beauty products you love that are over-priced and particularly ripe for bulk-buy discounting?

3). Do you own any products which you now realise you could have bought for less if only something like this had previously been available?

.

* this is a sponsored post

Question of the Week: – Your favorite type of eyeliner: cream, gel, pencil, liquid or something else?

Answer: — Unlike most beauty bloggers (it seems), I’m not a massive fan of gels or creams.  Everytime I reach for my eyeliner brush, it’s dirty – which means that either a). I’m a grot or b) I need a stash of cheap eyeliner brushes, but either way – it means that I’m too lazy to favour that style of liner.  At the moment, I’m mostly using liquid or powder but you still can’t beat a bit of smudgy kohl pencil for a smoky look.

Beauty Junkies Unite – See why we kinda love John Frieda after just using his new Loose Curls Curling Iron.

Clumps of Mascara – Maybelline has a new cream eyeliner on the shelves. But is it worth ditching your favorite Urban Decay eyeliner for?

EauMG – EauMG teaches Eau d’Economics and asks: When is perfume expensive?

Gouldylox Reviews – Is a $65 brush any better than a $5 brush? Since when is a brush not just a brush? I’ve checked them out even  consulted a nuclear physicist and give you the honest look at what’s what and how it works.

Krasey Beauty – Take a look inside an exclusive New York Fashion Week party!

Lipglossiping – discovers a tempting olfactory indulgence. Step forward Juniper Sling, the intoxicating tipple that won’t get you drunk.

Nouveau Cheap – ‘Tis the season for drugstore Halloween makeup! Check out what NYC’s limited edition Black Magic collection has to offer—it just might surprise you.

Pink Sith – It’s another eyeshadow from Rouge Bunny Rouge in Periwinkle Cardinal. This time The Pink Sith wonders how they got the name and has a minor tantrum about the FernGully movie

Prime Beauty – asks if you’re READY for the new bareMinerals 2.0 & 4.0 Pressed Eye Shadows? She had an Epiphany when she tried them!

Phyrra – showcases Tarte’s Radiant & Rested Volume II kit.

Vampy Varnish – Discovers a Deborah Lippmann dupe in a Wet n Wild polish for fall 2011.

we heart this – introduces you to your newest lip obsession: Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color.

.

What’s your eye liner preference?

Not the classiest way of putting it, but it’s a simple fact of life that people love a bargain.  The killer spring in your step that can only be achieved from walking away with a bagful of goodies you KNOW you couldn’t have afforded at pre-sale prices.  Cheers to that.

My favourite brand for killer sales is Paul & Joe.  Specifically in the Fenwicks store on Bond Street – which in itself, is one of my favourite places to shop in London.  Come sale time, I will physically not leave the city until I’ve walked around it seven times and once more for luck.  I’m still haunted by the fact that some HORRIBLE woman beat me to the last sale bottle of Calamity Jane (JHAG) when I was last in-store.  It all happened in slow-mo — in fact, I think I may have let out a slow-mo “Noooooooooooooo!” as I watched her walk away with my dream.  Bitch.

Anyway… where was I?

Oh yeah, sale goodies.  Some brands are tight as…  while others announce their sales with great flourish.  My favourites are the ones that just silently slip last seasons goodies into a little box on the counter and let you get on with it.  Guerlain are awesome at this.  Lancome, getting better.  The rest?  Well, you can pretty much forget it.

Is it just the case that the brands who don’t put aside last season’s items simply don’t have any stock left?  Or do you think it’s a status ‘thing’.  Do you think it cheapens a brand’s image as ‘high end’ if it discounts their products?

I think it is undoubtedly a question of status but in these cash-strapped times, a real shame that some brands don’t have the foresight to be clever enough to attract new customers in this manner.  There’s no need for all ‘bargain bins’ to look like the ones in Superdrug — you know, you need a hazmat suit to go near those right? — I strongly believe that all brands can do discounts without cheapening the brand image.

And would it pay dividends for the brands in question?  I think so.  From a personal point of view… I started small.  I lived in my local chemist, hoovering up the bargain pencils from Collection 2000, a few months later… as my interest in beauty grew, I moved onto the Revlon.  It’s like drugs.  You know you’re gonna eventually end up on the hard stuff (Chanel) with a bit of puff (BarryM) inbetween to keep you high*.  You just need your dealer to give you that first taste.

And just because drugs and porn** go so delightfully well together (so I’ve heard), I’ll leave you with a little makeup version.  Three exquisite Paul & Joe beauty items, under £25…

Which brands get you running for their sale items and which brands would you give your eyeliner-applying arm to see throw some old stock in a discreet discount box?

* in my experience, brands absolutely love being compared to class A drugs.

** pornography works well too.