A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Question of the Week – Do you think cosmetic ads should have a disclaimer if they use excessive photoshop, false lashes and such?

Answer – I’d like to see the use of false lashes in mascara ads banned completely.  I mean, what is the actual point?

Beauty Junkies Unite – Amber puts Maybelline’s newest mascara to the test, The Rocket Volum’ Express. See the before and after pics to decide if it’s for you!

Clumps of Mascara – is lovin’ Clinique’s super intense lip balms. You pretty much need to haul them all. Seriously.

EauMG – talks about one of her favorite perfumes – regular ‘ole Chanel Coco.

Lipglossiping – explores the sweeter side of Jo Malone with the brand’s Spring 2013 fragrance launch.

Gouldylox Reviews – Ever want to grow a new finger? This cream might be able to do just that. Or maybe just reduce fine lines. Either way, this is a real thing.

Nouveau Cheap – Wet n Wild’s first-ever eyeshadow primer might just be my favorite primer of the year, and it’s only January. Click here to find out why.

Pink Sith – Has Chantecaille “Jumped the Shark” with their latest Save The Sharks 4 pan palette? Find out in this very honest review.

Prime Beauty – steps out of her brown/bronze/beige neutral comfort zone with bareMinerals new Remix Collection, a color-lovers delight!

Vampy Varnish – Thinks the new Nicole by OPI 2013 Nail Lacquers are pretty great, and at a drugstore near you soon!

we heart this – MAC Strength shows us a lip color combo that’s a one, two punch!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Beauty Junkies Unite – This post from Jessica at Beautezine made me swoon over the new Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipsticks!

What are your thoughts on post-production trickery when it comes to beauty and cosmetic ads?

There comes a point in our lives when we may find ourselves looking in the mirror, bemoaning the fact that whoever said “pevention is better than cure” was an ass.

All the sun-protection in the world won’t stop the inevitable ageing process, it’s a fact of life, and one that some women seem better prepared to deal with than others.

It’s at this point that you might find yourself searching for your own “cure”. From so-called miracle creams, lasers, supplements, injectables, and even surgery, there are seemingly limitless paths to explore.

Have you thought about a spot of DIY?

Tok-Tok, produced by UK company U-Biomed (and not to be confused with the death-defying mini-wagons on the streets of India – that’s tuk tuk!) claims to be the world’s first home beauty device that lets you ‘inject’ your own skin with anti-ageing therapies including the much talked-about Epidermal Growth Factor protein (EGF).

Regardless of potential gimmickry or efficacy, I think it shows an interesting shift in the direction of “cosmeceutical” treatments. We live in a world where our leisure time is compressed and our budgets increasingly squeezed, does the DIY beauty option fulfil our changing needs?

I think it also goes to show just how much more confident we’ve become in understanding, and even using, gadgetry within our beauty routines.

Which begs the question, would you inject yourself in the name of beauty?

Do you know what I can’t get enough of? Glitter. I know, I know… it’s not Christmas anymore and I’m not telling you anything new but seriously, I am rebelling against my 30s like you wouldn’t believe and in the classiest way possible (if I do say so myself!)

I may be a little too old to rock glitter eyeliner, I’ve never been one for glitter lashes and my rapidly-dilating pores are in danger of swallowing any glitter that comes in contact with them but you can still enjoy a subtle glitter infusion without creating a “wrong season!” scene.

All you need is some cosmetic-grade glitter, my favourites are by Victorian Disco Cosmetics (Tac Nuke is lush) and your favourite cream eyeshadow. Create your base look, it doesn’t need to be complicated, I often only do one shade across the lid and blended up into the crease. Once you’re happy with how that looks (don’t give it too much time to set), take a synthetic flat brush (like a concealer brush) and pat some of the glitter over the top. Not too much, you don’t want solid glitter, just enough to catch the light as you turn your head.

I much prefer this to using shimmery shadows (think Sleek/MUA) which I’m starting to discover can look quite ageing now that I’m on the other side of 30. This way, I get the best of both worlds!

Don’t give up on glitter ladies, it makes the world a better place.

Wine is totally the new red. Or has it always been red?  Either way, in terms of the shade that’s been taking over my collection this winter, I’m definitely leaning more toward the merlot than the pillar-box.

Rimmel’s Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in #107 has been a blogger favourite for a couple of months now, the colour is fabulous… the formula not quite so amazing but acceptable for the price I guess.  I think that you can always tell a slightly draggy lipstick by looking at the tip of a used bullet.  You can usually see lip streaks and a little bit of graininess in the wax, see below…

I’m not sure that I’d repurchase any more from the range, they’re just a little bit too much like hard work on the lips.  The best way I can describe the formula is thus: you paint on a swipe across the bottom lip, smush your lips together and the line doesn’t budge… there’s just no glide at all.  You have to paint the whole lip, from the bullet… being extra careful around the lip-line.  This also means that it sticks pretty well but when it does fade, it does so unflatteringly, leaving a very prominent outer ring.

I know that there are a heap of raves all over the web… but I honestly feel that Rimmel could do better on the formula, it’s very “5 years ago”.  Mmattes don’t need to feel like mattes anymore, that’s one thing that 2012 has taught me.

Shame it didn’t teach me to stop buying lipsticks.

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick #107 is priced at £5.49 and available to buy instore and online from Boots.com

If you’re looking for some mega bright lipsticks to blow away those wintery cobwebs without too much in the way of spends (let’s face it, it’s a miserable skinty mcskinty January), look no further than Miss Sporty.  Oh yay, brand of inexpensive-but-beautiful duochromes!  Infact, it was buying the duochromes that led me back to my local stand in Boots (or is it Superdrug? or both?!) for another look at what was on offer.

I skimmed over the foundations, for I am a foundation snob.  I meh’ed over the mascaras… contemplated a new liquid liner but eventually settled on the Perfect Colour Lipsticks.  Of course.  Not that this wasn’t the most completely predictable route that I would take.  God, I love lipstick.

I went for the brights, just because… you know… I could.  I mean, they’re £2.59 each… not an ounce of guilt was felt.

I Love and Malaga, the most obnoxious shades I could find.  Lovely.

They pack the kind of pigment you’d expect from some of MACs hallowed shades without saying “Here, have great colour in exchange for a shitty shitty texture”.  That’s not to say the texture is mind-blowingly awesome but it’s not draggy like the bright BarryM lipsticks can be and it’s not moisture-sucking.

My only issue with these lipsticks is that they smell a bit like a rancid Jolly Rancher.  Obviously disguising something that must smell even more revolting.  It’s a good thing I can’t sniff my lips.

Neither of these shades are the most flattering on me but they’re flippin’ fun are they not?  Malaga is a really great casual red that looks lovely (much nicer than the lip swatch) when pressed onto the lips and then smooshed around, paying no attention to things like a sharp lip-line.

What do you think?  Will you be checking them out the next time you’re in town?

Miss Sporty Perfect Colour Lipsticks in Malaga and I Love are priced at £2.59 each and available instore and online from Boots.com and Superdrug.com

I can’t remember on whose blog it was that I first saw Dark Cherry from the Clarins Rouge Prodige lineup of lipsticks but it spoke to me.  It’s one of those lipsticks that hits the perfect balance between a number of shades to create “the ultimate” lust-have.  I actually don’t think it’s a very “cherry” shade despite Clarins telling me that it so is.  It seems to contain the magic amount of brown to create a neutral vampy lip that leans neither to cool nor too warm.

I’m aware that I’m not making much sense… but to be honest, I bought this lipstick based on shade alone and I am genuinely struggling to put into words just why I felt that I had to own it.  All I can say is, I’m pleased that I do.

Yeah, I nicked the bullet.  BIG SOB.  *applies lipstick*.  Over it already.

Said it before, say it again – Clarins do yum-yum packaging that’s kinda old-lady without being remotely old-lady.  Still not making sense.  The thing is, it’s all weighty and shiny… the gold is straight out of Nana’s handbag and yet, let’s face it… Nana’s wouldn’t have all those bevelled edges and tasty angles.  The formula is consistent with the other Rouge Prodige lipsticks I own, a tiny bit draggy until it warms up (which it does quickly), intensely scented (fig I believe?), and lasts very nicely thanks to a grippy-grippy formula.

You can see that it applies lighter on the lips than it looks in the tube, and really suits (if I do say so myself) my cool-toned colouring.

Clarins Rouge Prodige Dark Cherry Lipstick is available to buy online from www.escentual.com, priced at £14.00 (bargain!)

If the advent of this new year has inspired a fresh start when it comes to your skincare choices, you could save yourself a pretty penny by heading over to the Organic Surge website and indulging in their Skin and Body Mega Bundle which offers everything you need to turn over a new leaf.

The Mega Bundle, worth £60, is currently priced at an astonishingly good value of only £23.97 and contains many of Organic Surge’s bestselling products including:

Gentle Cleansing Lotion
Daily Care Face Wash
Skin Perfecting Polish
Overnight Sensation Night Cream
Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser
Eye Gel
Kiss & Make-Up Wipes
Gentle Meadow Body Lotion
Sweet Blossom Shower Gel
Lemon & Honey Soap

This deal should be of particular appeal to those of you with sensitive skin and anyone concerned about the chemicals in their skincare, the entire range is 100% free of parabens and sodium lauryl sulphate with no artificial fragrances or colourants.

Beware, this is a limited edition bundle so go forth and shop!

Invisibility.  Now there’s a superhero trait I wouldn’t mind playing with for a couple of days.  The places you could go, the pranks you could pull, the high-end makeup you could steal… just thinking about it warms my kleptomaniac cockles.  Out of all the paranormal abilities available to supreme beings, I think that it must rank up there in the top 3 alongside x-ray vision (you know you would) and teleportation (Seychelles anyone?)

Seeing as I’m not going to be receiving my superpower anytime soon, I’ll turn my attention to this little pot of marvel (gettit? Marvel? Oh nevermind) instead.  Daniel Sandler’s Invisible Radiance Foundation and Concealer* is, like many superheroes, part of a duo crime-fighting team, fighting the evil that is, a rubbish complexion.  The duo consists of 30g of foundation and 3g of concealer, housed neatly in the lid.

Starting with the foundation, an incredibly light formula which moves around fluidly on the skin.  It’s thinly-textured and remains tacky to the touch for a good 15 minutes or so after application.  The colour match on my skintone for Porcelain (the lightest of four shades) is near-enough spot on, but the coverage is very sheer so I would imagine that the next shade up wouldn’t be too horrendous a mis-match once blended.  Talking of the coverage, I’d liken it to that of a tinted moisturiser but with more “set” once it does eventually dry down.

At no point will this foundation look powdery or cakey, I don’t want to say that it has a gel texture because, well, it doesn’t… but it reminds me of a gel texture in the way that it behaves on the skin.  It’s buildable but I have my doubts that you could ever build it enough to mask discolouration or rosacea, for that, you would need a little help from its skin-perfecting companion…

The concealer is neatly hidden under the flip-top lid of the bottle… cute it is, gimmicky it certainly isn’t.  The dual-packaging works extremely well and makes for perfect portability.  Having said that, I’m not a fan of the spoony-spatula inside the bottle, it doesn’t retrieve enough product and I managed to ping the flexible end, splattering foundation on myself.  I know… I should probably be more careful but I was dip-dipping to get more product and getting impatient!

With the Invisible Radiance Foundation and Concealer, I apply my foundation first… with a dampened brush (as Daniel suggests) before applying a second layer of foundation across my cheeks and nose.  Before this has set, I use the same foundation brush (I favour the paintbrush style with this foundation) to apply my concealer.  I won’t call the finished effect “airbrushed” but it does look naturally-improved rather than foundation-improved and the radiant effect definitely makes my skin look healthier, which is something I’ve never really expected from a foundation.

Overall, I’d say that this duo is perfect for more mature skin, particularly if you’re looking for lighter coverage.  It’s ideal for day-wear but will probably be a little too dewy for me in the heat of the Summer (chance would be a fine thing), although nothing that a dusting of powder over my t-zone won’t resolve.  Longevity is average, good for such a dewy-finish, I’d estimate that I was very happy with how this concealed for around 8 hours.

If you’re sick of seeing your foundation sitting in dilated pores, gathering around fine lines, or giving already dull skin a death-mask appearance – this is one for the shopping list.  My only caveat is whether coverage will be full enough for you, in which case, this product does respond well to a dusting of mineral foundation and you won’t lose too much of the luminosity aslong as you use one with light-reflecting particles.

Daniel Sandler Invisible Radiance Foundation and Concealer in Porcelain is priced at £28 and available to buy online from www.urbanretreat.co.uk

* press sample

** Kleptomania is bad.  Also, don’t do drugs.

On a cold November evening, I made my way through Covent Garden to attend the unveiling of a new fragrance collection set to hit the stores this March.  The edibly-named Sugar & Spice Collection from Jo Malone is anything but tasteless, decked out in pastel hues that remind me of a veritable rainbow of sugary macarons… and with good reason…

The collection features five new flavours scents to indulge the gourmandise out there, inspired by the art of the great British pudding.  Lemon Tart, Redcurrant & Cream, Elderflower & Gooseberry, Ginger Biscuit and Bitter Orange & Chocolate make up the quintet of tasty treats, each smelling just as described without the disappointing synthetic undertone that often plagues foody-scents.

In spite of the fact that these are so food-centric (and sugary food at that), the collection is surprisingly light.  Master perfumer Christine Nagel has done exceptionally well to create a fragrance wardrobe that doesn’t cloy with a surfeit of sugar or vanilla.  How they manage to keep any sophistication at all is probably the biggest triumph to celebrate.

Here are my rapid notes on each scent from the evening, complete with incoherence:

~ The Lemon Tart is sharp-but-sweet, you can almost smell the butter in the flaky pastry.

~ The Elderflower & Gooseberry* develops gently with a leafy freshness that renders it the least outright “foody” in the set.

~ Redcurrant & Cream = berries and cream, a classic combination done beautifully (but done often).

~ Ginger Biscuit brings all the digestives to the yard, such an amazing Winter/Christmas-time scent which may seem a little out of place come launch date, such a beautiful homely rendition of warming spices and immediately obvious ginger though.

~ Bitter Orange & Chocolate = Terry’s Chocolate Orange.  End of.  Not chocolate like TM Angel or cocoa-inspired, pure edible chocolate. Yum.

These are such a true interpretation of blindingly good baked treats that it begs the question… do I actually want to walk around smelling like a patisserie?

I’m sure the sensible answer would come quicker to most… but then again, I’m a bigger fan of cake than most.

Maybe.

Will you be checking these out in March?  On paper… which scent do you think will be your favourite?

* press sample

I bet you’ve got at least one Christmas present that is still languishing unopened?

When I was a kid… Mum used to make us pile our presents into a carrier bag to take upstairs and 5 months later… the carrier bag would still be half-full in the bottom of our wardrobes.  Ungrateful sods, kids.  The thing is though, what do you do with unwanted gifts?  There’s always eBay… but the chances are, Aunty Vi has been stalking the auction site since the 26th December to see if any of her gifts have ended up under the virtual hammer.

Alternatively, you could give them away to friends and colleagues… who probably don’t want them either…

Or… if we’re talking about unwanted fragrances (novelty socks won’t work)… and you fancy a £5 off voucher for a new scent…

Tweet @escentualdotcom a picture of the fragrance with the hashtag #FragranceAmnesty, let them know which scents you’ve liked in the past, and they’ll recommend a better fit AND give you a £5 gift voucher towards your next fragrance purchase with them.

Once you’ve claimed your voucher, go one step further and donate your unwanted fragrances to a better home.

Escentual.com are collecting your unwanted perfumes on behalf of Give and Make Up, a charitable organisation that passes on unwanted beauty products to women’s shelters. Read more about the #FragranceAmnesty and how to donate your fragrances here.

This year, The Body Shop are focusing their campaign efforts on supporting the UK charity Teenage Cancer Trust.  The partnership will see the two organisations working together to improve the lives of young people dealing with cancer age 13 to 24.  Fundraising is, as ever, an important part of the campaign but the partnership will also deliver a range of activities for young people with cancer including make-up workshops in the charity’s specialist cancer units across the UK, and work experience opportunities in The Body Shop® stores.

Simon Davies, CEO of Teenage Cancer Trust says:

“There are strong parallels between our two organisations and we’re looking forward to an exciting year ahead. Cancer and cancer treatment can impact appearance in many difficult ways, including losing hair, dramatically changing weight,  scarring, problems with sight or balance or even losing limbs. We know how hard these issues are for young people to cope with. Our vision is a future where young people’s lives don’t stop because they have cancer, and we want every young person with cancer to have access to our specialist care no matter where they live. The Body Shop’s support will be a powerful force for helping us achieve this.”

From April, customers at The Body Shop stores nationwide will also be given the opportunity to get involved by making a 10p donation at the end of their purchase and in total, The Body Shop aims to raise £250,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust  through a number of fundraising activities throughout the year.

The first of these activities will see The Body Shop release their first charity single!  Beauty With Heart, written and performed by British singer/songwriter Leddra Chapman is available to download now and all proceeds from sales of the single will go to Teenage Cancer Trust.

To download the single – priced at just 99p, go to www.fairsharemusic.com

Congratulations to our very own Brittany of Clumps of Mascara who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl this week! She’s already following in her mama’s fabulous footsteps (check out the adorable cosmetic case that was awaiting her arrival!).

Question of the Week – Is there a beauty brand that has very rarely, if ever, failed you? If so, enlighten us and tell us why you think their products work so well for you.

Answer – Nope, I’ve never experienced brand zen… have you?

we heart this – Want to win $73 worth of Argan Oil haircare from DermOrganic? Visit us and you could!

Beauty Junkies Unite – You will not want to miss this peek of the new blush for Spring from Too Faced! It’s called Sweethearts Perfect Flush Blush, and perfect it is!

EauMG – Join me at the discotheque as a I review inde perfume line Smell Bent The Sunset People Collection.

Nouveau Cheap – 2012 was a record-breaking year for new drugstore beauty products, but my Best-Of list for 2012 includes my absolute favorites in 30 categories.

Pink Sith – Is entranced by the Senna Cosmetics Haute Nudes Palette in Mystic. And yes, there is a taupe!

Prime Beauty – recalls her days as a ballerina as she tries different makeup looks with Laura Mercier’s Arabesque Collection for Spring 2013.

Phyrra – gets into nudes with Urban Decay Naked Nail Polish Collection!

Vampy Varnish – Loves the new Too Faced Boudoir Beauty collection for spring 2013!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by we heart this – You know her, you love her, you wonder how in the world she does it all. She’s Temptalia, and I loved her look this week at the new China Glaze Glitz Bits ‘n’ Pieces collection.