A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I do the school run a few times a week for my neice and it’s made me realise that what little time I have in the mornings to make myself look human is going to decrease drastically when Leila reaches school age.

I can barely bring myself to pull clothes over my head, let alone apply makeup but I have a duty not to scare the under 8s and so I diligently make an attempt at disguising my 7am death mask with a hint of colour. As you’ll see, I don’t go much on product this early in the morning.

Infact, I rarely use more than four: foundation, mascara, lipgloss and blush.  Of the four, blush is most essential to avoiding that freshly dug up look, as is mascara – lashings of it.

As for my hair? Well I’m just pleased it’s the right time of year for wearing a hat.

Products Used:

• ByTerry Perfecting Fluid Foundation Ultra Correcting Coverage (full review coming soon)
• Illamasqua Rude Cream Blush
• Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara
• BarryM Toffee Lipgloss

What’s your laziest face of the day?

This time of year, we’re hemorrhaging money from every orifice, often losing it faster than we can make it.  So I say that we may as-well look out for opportunities to treat ourselves whilst treating others, no?

Hello Harvey Nichols and a thoroughly decent Gift with Purchase.

Starting this Friday 2^nd December, head instore and spend £70 or more in Beyond Beauty to receive a Christmas gift worth £80 from a selection of cult beauty brands!  The gift bag will include:

• Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner (150ml)
• Butter London ‘Bluey’ Nail Lacquer
• Strivectin-SD Instant Texturising Scrub (30ml)
• Blinc Mascara (0.7g)
• Blinc Eye liner (0.7g)
• Bodhi Body Moisturiser (40ml)
• Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturiser (10ml)
• Burts Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion (70g)
• This Works Clean Skin Daily Wash (30ml)
• Kyoku Sachet (a selection)
• Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Dove Grey
• Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Clear Lip Gloss (7ml)
• Green & Spring Indulging Shower and Bath Foam (50ml)

 While stocks last.  Well it’s better than a poke in the eye with a rogue candy cane.

Whoo?  Whooga!

Whooga are widely considered to be one of the fastest-growing Ugg boot brands – thanks in no small part to their competitive pricing and quality materials.  I took delivery of a pair of their (now discontinued) weave style Ugg boots a couple of months ago.  I have to say that I’m not a massive fan of Ugg styling in general and I was curious to see if my sensibilities would fare better with a weave style boot and whether or not these boots would actually live up to some of the hype surrounding them from independent reviewers.

Delivery

Firstly, the brand need to work on some packaging issues.  My box arrived so badly tattered that I couldn’t store the boots in them.  If I had been giving them as a gift, they would have been an instant return for this reason.  I have read other reports of Whooga boots arriving in bashed packaging and of course, Royal Mail need to take some blame for this but I believe that a double layer of bubble-wrap would go a long way to protecting the corners of the box against this problem.

On the flip-side, I can’t fault the speed of delivery and we all know that when we buy something online, we want it like, yesterday!

First Impressions

When you first take them out of the box, they have a distinctive smell of glue.  It’s really a little off-putting and ultimately, it makes them smell quite cheap.  Chinese factory cheap.  You know what I’m saying.

Leave them in a place to air for a couple of days and this smell thankfully disperses.

A thorough inspection of all the seams, joins and nooks and crannies reveals no obvious manufacturing flaws, everything is in sound condition and neatly stitched/glued/constructed.

I have an EU size 40 and I’m a UK 6.5 – these are sadly slightly too big.  Definitely go for a size down.  No arguments.

Breaking Them In

As a virgin Ugg boot wearer, I really wasn’t sure how I would fare with these on my feet.  They are indecently snug and haven’t left my feet since the weather changed for the colder on Saturday but I will be buying a pair of quality sheepskin insoles to put in them because I feel the foot-bed is a little hard.  This may also help solve the sizing issue.

The knitted weave styling is more to my taste and I feel works far better with dresses than the usual Ugg style but I won’t elaborate too much on this, seeing as they’re sadly no longer available to purchase.  I will say however that these really hug my calves beautifully (when pulled up) with no sagging or over-stretching and I feel that this is testament to the quality of the manufacturing.

Ultimately, get your sizing right and I believe that for the price, these Ugg boots from Whooga would be difficult to beat.  Other than a slightly hard foot-bed and a bashed box, I can’t actually pick fault with them – they feel well-supported and solidly-constructed with quality, authentic materials.

Ugg Boots by Whooga are available to buy online from www.whooga-boots.co.uk – prices start from £75.00

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I’m currently sharing my Christmas pearls of wisdom over on the Jurlique website.  If you click through, you’ll find an indecently large picture of me (cringe), my top Jurlique gift set for Christmas and a mini-essay on the Joy of Giving.

Now, how ’bout that Joy of Giving?  Well, it gives me unadulterated joy to offer you the chance to win another Jurlique gift set, this time the Loveable Skin Lavender Essentials Set, worth £29!

The set contains: Lavender Hand Cream, 125ml & Love Balm, 15ml – everything you need to keep your hands and cuticles in tip-top condition this winter!

Want to win Jurlique Loveable Skin Lavender Essentials gift set, worth £29?!

You do?  Excellent!  Get this question right and you’ll be in with a chance of winning…

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In which year was Jurlique founded?

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T&C
1. Entry open to UK residents only.
2. One winner will be picked at random from all correct entries.
3. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
4. One entry per email address please.
5. Competition closes on Tuesday 6th December 2011 at 23.59 GMT.
6. Winner will be notified within 5 days of the close of the competition.

So, I blog.  Am a blogger.  Or a blobber as my MIL once called me, I think by accident.  Aside from blogging for myself, I blog for other people too which feels quite different because I have to make sure I don’t swear and I very nearly always use a spell-checker.

I don’t really write about blogging too much simply because the majority of you aren’t bloggers (makes sense right?), but I’ve got a few tips and thoughts on blogging that I’d like to share with any bloggers who do read this.  Rather than do some big ol’ preachy post about it, I thought I’d drip-feed a few tips here and there to help clear my brain of the “blog fog” that is never far away.

WordPress Editorial Calendar

If you’re on WordPress *watches 3/4 of you hit the back button*, there’s a great plugin that really helps me quickly schedule my blog posts.  WordPress Calendar appears in the dashboard as a month-by-month calendar format and allows you to add a draft post simply by clicking on the desired day.  I’m not explaining this very well, let me throw in a picture.

This shows last month’s blog schedule and you can see just how “at a glance” it makes things.  I can schedule weeks in advance without having to count on my fingers (not that I’m ever this organised) and I can locate future posts and edit them quickly.

If you’re on WordPress and blog frequently, I really recommend the WordPress Editorial Calendar.

My hair is prone to breakage, and thanks to my PCOS – there isn’t as much of it as I would like which means that I have to be very careful when detangling my hair not to end up with more on the brush than on my head.  I currently use my Tangle Teezer on wet hair and my Mason Pearson on dry hair.

I attended the launch of a new product from internationally acclaimed hairdresser Michel Mercier, a new detangling hair brush available in three varieties, each suited to a different hair type.  To choose the right brush for your hair, you simply need to check which colour you’re picking up:  Pink = Fine Hair, Green = Normal Hair, Blue = Thick or Afro Hair.  The difference between the three varieties lies in the flexibility of the bristles used.  The coarser the hair type, the more rigid the bristles need to be in order to combat the tangles.

The brush is made up of a patented system which involves placing 428 bristles (who wants to count ’em?) positioned at different heights across the surface with a unique geometric distribution which helps to disperse the pressure placed on hair during brushing.

But does it work, and is it better than the Tangle Teezer?

Michel Mercier Detangling Brush*

I found that it works very well for detangling my hair, especially when my hair was dry but the efficiency came at a cost.  The Mercier Brush gave me more discomfort during use than the Tangle Teezer.  However, it really couldn’t be faulted for it’s rapid detangling properties… I often find that the Tangle Teezer misses tangles on the underside of my hair thanks to its very flexible bristles – the Mercier’s bristles are stronger, I think this will prove very popular for those with thick hair.

Sadly, I experienced more breakage with this one than my Tangle Teezer, probably just because it was more effective and gave me more discomfort but I’d rather have to section my hair to detangle than lose it on the brush.

Tangle Teezer

I was also hoping for better things from the Michel Mercier design.  The Tangle Teezer is notorious for flying out of unsuspecting hands thanks to the rubbish grip it offers.  At first glance, you’d think that the Michel Mercier solves this with the inclusion of a chunky handle but sadly, the handle has quite a strong taper which means that it doesn’t feel as secure as I would have liked.

Overall it’s a real mixed bag.  If my hair were stronger and thicker, I’d probably prefer it to my Tangle Teezer but as things stand, it’s back to my Tangle Teezer/Mason Pearson combination for the time being.

The Michel Mercier Detangling Brush is priced at £14.95, and available from www.michelmercier.co.uk and selected salons

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You’ll be forgiven for not having heard of Brenda Anvari, by all accounts she’s a bit of a Devonian secret – serving up beauty treatments in her Exter Salon.  But as with all secrets, you can’t keep them forever and her beauty range is heading East!

I took delivery of her festively-themed Cranberry, Orange & Cinnamon Candle a few weeks ago.  Priced at just £12.95, it’s presented beautifully and would make a deceivingly inexpensive present for a loved one this Christmas.  Nicely weighted with elegant styling and great appeal.  When you put your nose to the unlit wax, you’re greeted with a good hit of sharpness from the Cranberry, flanked by the zesty Orange.

It burns cleanly with a good, even melt across the surface.  The scent is strong, not overpowering but I do have to extinguish the flame after about 15 minutes.  For me, it’s a little too enveloping to be able to sit in it whilst in full burn for longer than that.  Ultimately, I guess this is a good thing in terms of value for money but if you’ve a very sensitive nose, this may make it a little too strong for you.

My favourite way to use this candle is to light it when I first get up in the morning and am busy buzzing around, then 20 minutes or so later – the main rooms downstairs are nicely scented and I extinguish the flame before enjoying the scent left behind for a good hour or so after.

I struggle to pick up much spice or woodiness in this candle, to my nose – it’s more about the fruit which is a bit of a shame and my other sadness is that postage is phenomenally expensive on the Brenda Anvari website simply because everything is courier’ed via CityLink.  One of the better courier services but those kind of prices are always off-putting unless you’re making a big order.

Brenda Anvari products are available to buy online at Visage House – prices range from £4.95 – £24.95

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Question of the Week: – What’s your favorite lip color for fall/winter 2011?

Answer: RED!  Next!

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Beauty Junkies Unite – Say what you will about those Kardashians, but they sure have some great shades in their new nail polish collection from Nicole by OPI, Kardashian Kolors.

Gouldylox Reviews – I usually like to remain positive, but I had an insane reaction to this hair remover. And I’m not sure how I lived without these hair pins this long.

Lipglossiping – gets an inside look at one of the charity events held at the giant Boots HQ in Nottingham!

Nouveau Cheap – Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips: do not underestimate the power of (nail) transformation that these can bring to your digits this holiday season.

Prime Beauty – awards NARS Larger Than Life Eyeliner in Via Appia a Bronze Medal and a Beauty All Star award!

Phyrra – shows you how to become a knockout with Knockout Nails!

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What’s your favorite lip color for fall/winter 2011?

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I picked this Estee Lauder blush up recently from the lovely Perilously Pale‘s blog sale and fell immediately in love with it once it dropped through my letterbox.

As a very pink-skinned thing, I used to be scared of anything that was warmer toned.  I still struggle to wear peach tones on my eyes and lips, but as a hint of blush?  Peach tends to look the most natural against my skin and is my favourite for toning down the redness that already exists in that area.

Estee Lauder Peach Nuance is a gradiated blush that swirls together to create a very pretty flush.  I would assume this shade will suit most skin colours.  If you’re bothered enough, I’m sure you could be selective about applying the peach segment/pink segment individually but I just use the entire gradiant swirled as one.

The blush has a matte finish with a silky texture that applies evenly and blends effortlessly.  It builds pigmentation quickly on my pale skin but if you’re a heavy-handed type – you’d probably get on well with this as it’s hard to overdo with just a single swipe.

Priced at £24.00, the Estee Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush range looks to have some very pretty shades that I have added to my ‘must go and obsess over at the counter’ list.  It’s a long list.

Do you favour pink cheeks or peachy cheeks?!

It strikes me that there’s a certain amount of appreciation for baked goods amongst beauty fans.  Cookies, cupcakes, muffins, cake-mix licked straight from the bowl… we’re just not fussy.  Perhaps it’s because we’re so finely attuned to appreciating the finer luxuries in life, or maybe we’re just a little big piggy – whatever the reason – I’m pretty sure you’re gonna get as excited as I have about today’s Christmas Gifting pick.

Let’s have a look at what we’ve got here…

~ A reusable and very practical cookie tin in which we can hide our multiple stashes of Fox’s Crinkle Crunch.  Don’t look at me like that.

~ A full-size tube of Hand Food™ hand cream which I blogged about back in June (and like very much)

~ A full-size maple-scented The Breakfast Scrub sugar body smoother.  Maple scented… excuse me while I make noises that a doughnut-spying Homer would be proud of hearing.

~ Finally, a squee-cute APRON!!!  OMG!!!  A Soap & Glory apron!

There is nothing about this gift set that I dislike and if Mr. L is reading this… (a.) please can you logon and change our Tesco delivery time to an evening slot and (b.) buy me this, kthanksbai.

The Soap & Glory Yum at Heart Christmas Gift Set is priced at a very reasonable (imo) £16 and available instore and online at Boots.  You should also know that this is included in the current 3for2 offer.

Do you suffer from an incurably sweet tooth too?

Sometimes I get a gut feeling about something and I can’t always pin it down and explain it to myself in a way that helps me unravel and make sense of it. This is one of those times.

The new Burberry Body ad (which premiered the other day on ITV1) features a very beautiful Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and a fitting, delicately-orchestrated track by The Feeling but… it’s leaving me a little conflicted.

Wanna see?

It’s beautiful isn’t it? The back-lighting, the photography, the way the material from the coat moves around her naked form.  But, I don’t actually feel anything other than a bit of a perv after watching it.

I know that sex sells and it sells to both men and women regardless of sexual orientation but this is a strip-tease, with added come-hither eyes to the viewer (that’s me) and whilst I don’t object to the content of the ad – I’m just failing to see the relevance as the camera pans to her nethers.  Infact, the only real connection my mind makes (as the bottle spins around provocatively) is that RHW is contemplating using it for something a bit inappropriate and I’m not entirely sure that this is what Burberry are trying to convey.

Perhaps I’m overthinking things and shouldn’t delve beyond the classic “if I buy your product, I’ll get a body like RHW” hook but in fairness, it’s Burberry’s fault because they’ve taken a bit of subtle “sex sells” and turned it into “if Harrods did Spearmint Rhino”.

What do you think of the new Burberry Body ad?

Yeah, so you lot are sharper than a brand new 24/7 eyeliner pencil.  Of course, the crafty thingie that Mr. L was constructing for me was my new Lipstick Organiser.  So good, it needs capitalization.  Well done for guessing correctly!

Wanna see it? (tough, I’m showing you anyway)

I know it’s a little bit rustic-looking but damn, it works like a dream.  I can see each lipstick at a glance and organise them into shade ranges.  My OCD tendencies are acting like they just scored a touchdown!

It was a total pain in the arse to make (says Mr. L) and I have massive gratitude to Koren for the inspiration.  Mr. L didn’t use the same measurements as him though… we wanted to use thicker cardboard, it needed to fit my Helmer drawer neatly, so accounted for that and we had to enlarge some measurements to make room for my largest lipsticks (Urban Decay and Burberry incase you were wondering!).

If you want to watch Koren’s video on how to make one of these little marvels, it’s embedded below!

What do you think?  Do you have one of these?  Want one?!