A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

If you do one thing today please check your blog subscriptions, update if necessary, and if you’re using the Blogger.com dashboard to read your favourite blogs, consider changing to something a little less flaky (I personally use Bloglines to follow my favourites).

At the last count, there were nearly 40 bloggers in ‘google exile’ following the removal of the GFC service for non-blogger blogs.

You can find a list of these bloggers at https://twitter.com/#!/lipglossiping/goodbye-gfc/members

Have a look, you may even find your new favourite blog in the list.

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I just want to say a massive thank you to @tsunimee for helping me spread the word about this and for being the most passionate (if a little bit too passionate at times ;)) blogger I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.  She fights for whatever she believes is right and she does it with gusto, as the French would say… formidable.

Also, a huge thank you to all the blogs out there who have nothing to personally gain from posting the above image but have done so regardless to help raise awareness.  You’re beyond brilliant and I’ll happily RT the arse out of any posts you wanna send my way on Twitter (@lipglossiping)

Normal posting (and quite possibly a lot more of it!) to resume tomorrow, I gotta get my readers back somehow right?!

We beauty addicts love our incentives to buy don’t we?  We basically know full well that we don’t need half the stuff that ends up in our hot little hands (except mascara, which should be made available on the NHS) and so sometimes, it’s the little incentives that push us over the edge more than anything.  Judging by the offer that just landed in my inbox, Harvey Nichols clearly knows this as launching from the 12th March will be a beauty gift with purchase worth over £110.

Yes.  Really.  That’s gotta be worth going over the edge for.

Perhaps you need to buy your Mum her favourite perfume for Mother’s Day?  Throw in a topup of your favourite skincare and a little makeup treat and you’re probably nearing the £110 target you need to reach to get your hands on the free goodies.  Which, by the way, include minis of:

Eve Lom Cleanser, Shu Uemura’s 3 in 1 Cleansing Oil, Lancome’s Visionnaire or Clarins HydraQuench serum, ESPA 24-hour Replenishing Moisturiser, Bliss’ Blood Orange and White Pepper Body Butter, Laura Mercier Radiance Foundation Primer, Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials in Bare, YSL Shocking Mascara, bareMinerals Pretty Amazing Lipgloss, one of five Butter London nail colours, Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail cream and L’Eau de Chloė perfume.

All of which come beautifully presented in a limited edition Harvey Nichols cosmetics bag designed and illustrated by artist Will Broom.

If £110 is a little over your spending budget this month, perhaps you have a friend you could combine the Mother’s Day gift purchase with?  Sneaky… moi?

Stocks are limited and it’s first-come-first-served from the 12th March instore at Harvey Nichols

I alluded to my recent dabble in buying too. much. polish in my last post but I thought I’d offer up a sneaky pic of my Pro Beauty haulage.  I didn’t go there with the intention of shopping (much), infact – I didn’t even know what I was going to find at the event.  I will say this…

Praise the lord I am not a professional in the nail industry.  If I had attended Pro Beauty with a legitimate excuse to buy nail polish, I would have returned home a divorced woman. (Just. one. more. bottle.)

Spa Ritual, Zoya, Misa, Nubar and some brands I’d never heard of before…

I will do a Pro Beauty post v. soon but if there are any polish swatches you wanna see from that little lot up there *points*, let me know and I’ll get posting!

Having my weekly mooch around T.K. Maxx (I can never remember how many bloody x’s to use) today proved to me two things.  One… I really don’t need any more nail polish and two… I should replace my polish obsession with a makeup bag fetish.  And so I did.

Check out this beauty from Jobis (no, I haven’t heard of them either) that I picked up for the princely sum of £9.99

I’m a massive sucker for a flash of leopard print and heard my name being screamed loudly by this not-so-little accessory from across the store.  At first, the inner print stole my heart… but then, when I opened the second zip to reveal a brush holder compartment?!  Well, I couldn’t get my purse out of my handbag quick enough.

I insisted that Mr. L and Leila immediately stop what they were doing and come back home with me so that I could spend the next 40 minutes lovingly fluffing my brushes (not a euphemism) and fill my lovely new Jobis with the perfect configuration of makeup stuffs.

Look!  It holds my long-handled brushes beautifully, you can fit a whole face-worth’s in there!

I know that stock varies from store to store but my local had a few of these with all the purses and I didn’t see them in there last time – so if you’re in the market for a new makeup bag, may I suggest that you run to your nearest T.K. Maxx and nab one of these beauties before some other makeup-loving cowbag beats you to it.

Do you like it or is leopard print your style nemesis?

Urgh, I wish we could get Helena Rubinstein stuffs in the UK.  I’m holding out for when I hit up Prague in the Autumn.  I spotted this loose eye shadow and couldn’t resist a dabble with the discounters, it’s probably about 7 years old or something – I’m not thinking about it.  Just look at the pretty.

The bronzy-plum blend flatters my eye-colouring and the metallic sheen isn’t too much on my eyelids, it’s a beautiful shade that really needs primer to make it stick.  The first time I wore it (without priming), it slid off within the hour!  I like the decanting method with the teeny hole, I just tap a tiny bit into the lid and it seems to make far less mess than when I try to just touch the brush to the powder a la MAC pigments.

I bought this from Direct Cosmetics, priced at £6.99

Curious about Helena Rubinstein?

This is a bit of an odd post from me but I had a question last week regarding the #fooddiary hashtag that I’m currently using on Twitter.  I use it to basically remind myself of the meals I’m eating (and how many calories they contain) as I try to keep a tighter rein on the quantities (and types) of food that I shove down my throat.

Anyway, I was asked about the other foods that I’ve been eating, aside from the main meals and for me, it’s the snacks that are often my downfall.  I don’t start working until after Leila goes to bed and as a family, we always eat our dinner earlier in the day which means that I’m ravenous by nine or ten o’ clock at night.  This wouldn’t be a problem if I was able to send myself to bed but I generally work through till around two in the morning.  So… here are some of the treats that I’ve been indulging in over the past few weeks…

1). Being naturally isotonic, coconut water is known as a real thirst-quencher and I don’t know about you but I often mistake thirst for hunger.  This ZICO Coconut Water* which has just launched into the UK market hit the spot and had a natural sweetness that felt far naughtier than it was.  60kcal per bottle and priced at £2.50 each, it’s not a cheap option but I think it would work well as an after-gym reward.

2). I love my tea and while most people start the day with a coffee, I kick mine off with a cup of Oolong.  I always think of Oolong as the half-way point between black and white tea… it’s naturally quite mellow in flavour and contains less caffeine than both of the other varieties.  I buy the teabags simply because I can’t be faffed with infusers first thing in the morning.  Oolong has been a bit of a media darling in terms of reported health benefits (one of which includes fat-burning!), I just like the taste… all the other stuff is an added bonus!

3). If I’m going to be out during the day, I grab a protein bar to take with me.  It (usually) stops me from diving into McDonalds (I know, filth) or somewhere equally unhealthy.  The Biggest Loser Bars are the ones that I have at the minute but I can’t say they’ve been my favourite!

4). I bought the Japanese Sencha to drink chilled but haven’t gotten around to doing so yet!  I first tasted Sencha at Camellia Tea House and really liked the mild, sweet flavour.  It’s very gentle and a little grassy-tasting.  Full of anti-oxidants, I find this probably the most refreshing of the teas I drink.

5). Special K Mini Breaks are my sweet-tooth saviour!  99kcal a pack, they don’t do to much damage but really hit the spot late at night when I’m craving something naughty.

6). Every girl needs a hot chocolate once in a while and Cadbury Highlights Dark Chocolate (it has to be the dark one!) is the most chocolatey of the lot for the least calories.  Trust me on this, I think I’ve tried them all!  When made with hot water, 40kcal won’t break the calorie bank.

7). Don’t laugh at this one but I’ve been known to raid Leila’s snack cupboard for a late night indulgence and these Annabel Karmel Tasty Tomato Corn & Rice Snacks are so good that I’ve just picked up a couple of packets for myself!  78kcal a pack, they’re around 55p each in my local supermarket.

8). Twinings Pure Peppermint is my ‘relaxation’ tea.  Is that weird to have different teas to suit different moods?  I first discovered the wonders of peppermint tea after my c-section… some of you will know what I’m talking about!  I have a few cups a week and both the smell and taste really chill me out.  Yes, I think that probably is a bit weird upon reflection.

9). I haven’t tried any other varieties of Chinese Gunpowder Tea yet but picked this one up from our local Asian supermarket because Mr. L fell in love with the smooth but smoky flavour.  Are you bored of my teas yet?

10). Another winner from AK!  The Oaty Chewy bar comes in at under 100kcal and is another sweet-tooth buster.  I do fierce battle with my daughter over these and whenever I steal one, I remind her of the numerous times I’ve turned round to find my last chocolate digestive missing from the plate.

11). Last but by no means least, satsumas!  I don’t really like fruit but I can’t get enough of these at the minute… around 40kcal each and so lovely late at night.  Take ages to eat too because I’m really fussy about picking all the pith off!

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What healthier alternatives do you enjoy and are you a late night snacker?

* press sample

When Google announced that they were disabling Google Friend Connect for non-Blogger blogs, I didn’t think too much of it.  Sure, I’d miss my little window of friendly faces in the sidebar and the slowly-growing number that I was proud to have amassed but I didn’t really believe that it would have any real effect on the site.

I was wrong.

Google disabled the service four days ago and my number of unique visitors has instantly dropped by over a thousand per day.  It’s beyond disheartening to see my hard work in building a readership damaged so heavily overnight.  Now, if I bide my time patiently, my subscriber numbers will return to original levels as my lovely readers slowly begin to wonder why they haven’t seen a new post from me in a while and manually Google for the web address.

I could do that.  But I’m really angry at Google for this and I’m not beyond giving people a little push in the right direction.

So please, on behalf of all non-blogger blogs who have suffered the consequences of Google’s termination of service, myself and the lovely @tsunimee have a proposal.

http://twitter.com/lipglossiping/goodbye-gfc/members

It would be brilliant if our blogging community could get together and dedicate a single blog post to relaying the above image and hyperlink across all blogs (regardless of platform) on Thursday 8th March, exactly one week since Google disabled Google Friend Connect for non-Blogger blogs.

If you are a blogger who has been affected by the withdrawal of GFC, get in touch with me on Twitter (@lipglossiping) and I’ll add you to the Twitter list of bloggers in exile.

If you’re happy to get involved and spread the word, please download the above image – you can choose from three sizes: small  |  medium  |  large

You’ll also need to include this URL — http://twitter.com/lipglossiping/goodbye-gfc/members — beneath the image (as I have done) to allow a clickable link for your readers to follow.

Our aim is to raise awareness and promote discussion about other ways in which readers can follow their favourite blogs.  I firmly believe that it’s only a matter of time before Google remove the Google Friend Connect service for all blogs in favour of subscribing via their new Google+ service (which is how they’re now conveniently recommending readers follow non-blogger blogs).

Will you help?

Not 3-for-2, or 2-for-1, but BOGOF at Cheap Smells on these Orly Mani Mini polishes priced at £3.95 each.  That’s buy one get one free (I said, you buy one, you get one… sorry) – which is pretty incredible when you remember that these polishes sell for £5 each in Boots.

The only catch is that you can’t choose the colour of your “free” one, so my advice is to go on the website, look for the most disgusting colour you can find and simply resign yourself to the fact that that’s the one Sandra in the packing department will chuckle over as she packs your polishes on Tuesday morning.

The deal ends today, so get your bum in gear and use the code OrlyFree at checkout if you want to take advantage – don’t forget there’s free shipping.  One per customer, which seems pretty fair considering you’re practically stealing them.

Pray, tell me, which colour would you be pissed at receiving as your freebie? Mine would be “naughty” – can we say BORING?

p.s. incase you’re interested – I’ve bought Goth, you?

p.p.s. if you’re a fan of D&G Rose The One, check on the site tomorrow because a little birdy (ok, CheapSmells) told me that they’ll be selling priced from £21.50 Up To 40% Off RRP.  A cracking fragrance for Mother’s Day.

There’s nothing like feeling the pull of a good lemming and I take great pride in both creating and crushing them in almost equal measure.  Ultimately though, it feels a little bit more heart-warming to instill a good dose of the ‘want its’ in both yourself and others.  I knew as soon as I laid my eyes on these chubby little pencils, I had the easiest lemming post in the world on my hands.

Laqa & Co are a brand best known for their nail polish pens which promise to dispense glossy colour to your tips in just a couple of clicks (call the ad men, I’ve just made up that rhyme!).  The U.S. brand take great pride in promoting up-and-coming designers by featuring their work on the packaging and profiling them on their website.  It’s a match made in heaven for producing some beautifully quirky products that appeal to the ‘gotta catch them all’ magpie mentality.

I was recently introduced to their latest product… the Fat Lip Pencil*.

Just as beautifully designed as the polish pens, these lip pencils are ridiculously cute.  There are five shades available in a chunky, wind-up form… you’ll like the shade names: Wolfman, Fairyblood, Ring of Fire, Lambchop, and Bossy Boots.  I think I may aswell call my lip collection complete now that I own a lipstick called Lambchop no?  I mean, it just doesn’t get any better.  Unless you’re a vegetarian, in which case, I’m very, very sorry.

So, cuteness overload aside… let’s take a closer look at these shades.

The shades range from the sheer to the uber-pigmented.  They’re fairly inconsistent in terms of glossiness with some shades appearing more matte despite the website describing each of them as glossy.  The texture also varies across the range with Bossy Boots having the most gloriously smooth texture compared to the firmer-feeling Wolfman which dragged a little on my lips.  Staying power was better than average for most shades with the mattes holding up particularly well throughout the day.

Wolfman: A firm-textured super pale pink that works best if pre-warmed on the back of your hand before applying.  It’s a little chalky looking but covers my pigmented bits with ease.

Fairyblood: Laqa & Co describe this one as a glossy sheer peach with shimmery flecks of gold but because this one is sheerer, my colouring turns this one much cooler on me.  I can imagine it looking quite different on someone with a warmer skintone.  This is a really nice, natural-looking nude on my lips giving a polished but not made-up feel.

Lambchop: A vibrant blue-pink with  pepto-bismol brightness.  What a scorching shade for spring/summer!  This leans more matte and as a result, lasts well throughout the day needing only a couple of touchups.  Again, this one benefits from warming up before application.

Ring of Fire: Well, well.  Stop sniggering at the back there.  Ring of Fire is a cool-toned red with a hint of raspberry.  This is one of the creamier shades and packs an impressive punch of pigmentation to boot.

Bossy Boots: My favourite of the five.  A beautiful my-lips-but-better shade that layers into a sheer, very wearable red.  It’s also the most glossy of all shades whilst still retaining a true lipstick feel.

I love the portability of the range and the fact that unlike the NYX jumbo pencils, I don’t need to worry about carrying a pencil sharpener around with me!  The shades are comprehensive and feel fresh and modern with non-frosty finishes.  They’re cute enough to gift but if that’s your intention, be aware – you may just end up keeping it for yourself!

Laqa & Co Fat Lip Pencils are reasonably priced at £13 each and available to buy online at www.powderrooms.com – Which one is your favourite?

* press samples

As far as visuals go, the images for Dolce & Gabbana’s new Spring/Summer 12 collection are striking!  I love the interpretation on a floral theme, it works beautifully with the soft pastels in the new Bouquet collection which features young actress, Felicity Jones.

With my high contrast colouring, I struggle not to look a bit sickly with pastels but the nude eyeliner (Shimmer) looks very nice, as do the polishes.  Talking about the new collection, makeup high priestess (otherwise known as Dolce & Gabbana Make Up creative advisor) Pat McGrath said, “There’s something really uplifting about these colours.  They make you feel as if you’re on holiday”.  Which other than stating the obvious a little bit just makes me want a holiday to Southern Italy.  And a dress like Felicity Jones’.  Are you rocking the Spring pastel trends right now?

Dolce & Gabbana Spring/Summer 2012 Bouquet Collection is available to buy instore and online at Harrods.com

Remember this post?  The mystery brand conducted a huge facebook-driven campaign involving over 500,000 secret samples being sent out to households across the UK.  Feedback on the mystery product has been pretty positive with 91% of testers saying that they would recommend the product to a friend.

Well, I can finally reveal the brand behind The Big Skincare Mystery (and some of you guessed it!) as Clearasil!

The new Clearasil Vitamins & Extracts range has been packed with superfruits known for their antioxidant properties and soothing plant extracts, and the flagship product in the range is the new Clearasil PerfectaWash.  A face wash dispenser that automatically dispenses the perfect dose of cleanser to ensure effective cleansing without over-drying.  This is available in two variants: superfruits or soothing plant extract.

In addition to the PerfectaWash, Clearasil’s new range includes the  2 in 1 Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask (the one we’ve all been trialling), Vitamins & Extracts Scrub and Vitamins & Extracts Cleansing Wipes.

As for how I got on with the 2 in 1 Vitamins & Extracts Wash and Mask*?  Well pretty good actually.  I didn’t experience any of the dryness that I would normally associate with using a product aimed at problem skin-types.  Literally, none at all but I wasn’t keen on the scent and as a result, didn’t enjoy using this as a mask – I prefer something that feels and smells a little more luxurious on my skin!  Having said that, I will be repurchasing this to use as a daily wash (used after oil cleansing) simply because it left my skin feeling freshly cleansed without being stripped and it’s cheaper than my Bare Minerals cleanser.  If it goes on to do effective battle with my blemishes and breakouts, then even better!  I think combination skintypes are going to really enjoy this product.

The new range is already available to buy instore and online at Boots.com with prices starting from £3.49

* press sample

The soon-to-be released Hunger Games collection from China Glaze has been setting the nail polish blogs alight with swatches and banter about the names and how they relate to the book and upcoming film.  I’ve got two shades to show you today; Agro – a metallic olive shot through with a heap of gold flecks and Dress Me Up – a dusty rose creme.

Agro* is a beautiful shade, not hugely unique but the formula is beautifully done.  If I’d been a little bit more careful in application, this could have squeezed through as a single-coater but the photo above demonstrates two coats to cover a couple of thin patches.  There’s not too many golden greens that look good against my cool skintone but thankfully this one doesn’t give me any issues at all.

Dress Me Up* is a simple dusty rose creme, I’m not a huge fan of these shades though I know many are.  Personally, I’d rename it Dress Me Up… Grandma.  The formula on this one is a little off – thick but runny, almost like it’s overcompensating for being on the thick side.  Again, this is a two-coater and the coverage is incidentally, pretty great.

There are a total of 12 colours in the collection, I’ve already placed my order for Fast Track and Harvest Moon as my next permanent additions to my beloved Helmer.

China Glaze is available to buy at Sallys or Beauty4Nails-Body (which has to be the worst name for a shop, ever).

Are you tempted by any of the shades in the new Hunger Games collection?

* press sample

China Glaze & Hunger Games Collection: Colours from the Capitol (Agro and Dress Me Up)