A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Do you remember when Nails Inc. polishes used to be the pinnacle for British nail polish junkies everywhere?  Our sisters across the pond would be desperate to get their hands on the London street-themed bottles via generous MakeUp Alley swappers and eBayers who were willing to risk sending flammable items overseas.

I’ve had a niggling feeling for a long time that the brand hadn’t been improving with age.

My feelings have been confirmed after taking delivery of a press sample from their latest collaboration with emerging British design talent for London Fashion Week which feels – and looks – like the most half-hearted attempt at spinning a bit of money from a loyal customer base.

So, what exactly is wrong with this new collaboration then?  I’ll start at the beginning…

On paper, the press release is impressive.  It makes the collaboration sound as buzzing and inspirational as it should be.  Nails Inc. founder Thea Green waxes lyrical about how “Fashion is at the heart of everything Nails Inc creates. Each designer was given complete creative control to design packaging for three new fashion forward shades in celebration of London Fashion Week 2014.  I am thrilled to be able to showcase such amazing talent”.

Great.

Except for a few things…

1. There are three shades available in the collection: a pink, a nude, and a dusky purple.  So blindingly fashion-forward, I can hardly contain my excitement.

2. The designer-created packaging doesn’t actually fit the bottles.  The boxes bulge at the front, it looks untidy.  How can you not get that right?

3. The standard Nails Inc. bottles that we’re now entirely used to grabbing as freebies on the front cover of magazines have a transparent sticker on the caps announcing the name of the designer who created the ill-fitting box (poor designer).  Hilariously, the sticker on mine hasn’t been applied properly and has air bubbles… oh, it’s also a bit wonky.

Am I being fussy?  I am when the brand are making such a fuss about “showcasing” emerging talent.  If I were a designer and they offered to showcase my talent as shoddily as this… I’d politely decline.

Also, let’s not forget that these are being marketed as “collector pieces” at £12.00 a pop and in this competitive market, brands are saturating the market with high-quality nail polishes for less than half the price Nails Inc are demanding.  The majority of these will be available at a cut-price from your nearest TKMaxx in less than 5-months.

The formula on the polish itself is infact, alright.  I used two coats which offers complete coverage as-long as you apply with a fairly heavy-hand.  You’ll absolutely need a top-coat to conceal the dull but not-quite-matte finish which polish-heads will know to expect from an almost-neon shade.  The finished manicure is nice, it’s a pretty hot pink.  It doesn’t scream cutting-edge fashion to me though, I own a billion hot pinks.

I haven’t been this critical of a brand on my blog in a very, very long time but I’m left feeling annoyed by this collaboration, mostly at the quality control issues that do nothing to showcase the designers who got involved and most of all, lets down the paying public.

All three of the Nails Inc. Designer Collaboration for London Fashion Week polishes are available nationwide and online from nailsinc.com, priced at £12 each

* press sample

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EDIT: (update: 13/02/14) – Nails Inc. were good enough to respond to my criticism(s), here’s what they had to say:

We are sorry that you were disappointed with our young Designers Collaboration.  At nails inc we are genuinely passionate about supporting our talented British colleagues in the Fashion Industry. The association with nails inc and the mentions on the various nails inc platforms is a real benefit in helping to raise the profile of emerging talent.

The colours of these limited edition polishes, which will only be available for six weeks, were chosen to complement the designers’ collections, not necessarily to start a new trend in nail fashion.

We recognise how passionate you are about nails and the importance of this on your site, so we very much hope that you will like our future collections and collaborations more.

Autumn 2013 saw Butter London release Giddy Kipper, a vibrant blue polish with a hidden shimmer that seemed somehow better-suited to Summer than Fall (as did the rest of the Autumn collection).  It reminded me of the blue seas and skies that us UK’ers could only dream of at that time of year.

On paper, it should have been beautiful… in other people’s swatches… I’m still mesemerised.  But both times I’ve worn it, I’ve been a little disappointed!

Now, don’t get me wrong… it’s a beautiful blue.  But, BUT… I’m really missing out on the extra dimension from its hidden shimmer.  In order to appreciate this beauty in the same way that other (U.S. bloggers) have been able to do, you need a good sprinkling of direct sunshine.

There’s nothing wrong with that, a delicate holo will only show its true colours when the sun has got his hat on!  But I think I’ll be putting this one away for the Winter and Spring and bringing it back out for an outing once June rolls around, then… and only then will I really be able to appreciate this little number for its hidden surprises!

Application was fine, a two-coater… nothing unusual to report with the formula, your standard solid Butter London fare!

Butter London’s Giddy Kipper is priced at £11.95, and is available to buy online from powderrooms.com

What’s been your favourite blue this season?

* press sample

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I’ve just been reading about the upcoming Elemis TSV (Today’s Special Value) which will be available to purchase exclusively on QVC this Sunday from midnight.  It’s a little on the expensive side for a TSV and sadly it doesn’t look like it will be available with an Easy Pay option, but it does offer an astonishingly huge saving on the RRP, along with some truly-targeted skincare.

This Sunday’s Elemis QVC TSV will give viewers a choice between the following two purchase options for the 5 Piece Anti-Ageing Collection…

The first offering is the Pro-Collagen option which includes 4 full size products and 1 “special” size product.

• Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser 150ml
• Gentle Rose Exfoliator 50ml
• Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm 50ml
• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml
• Pro-Collagen Advanced Treatment 15ml
• (all five products are worth £148.50)

Alternatively… and perhaps better suited to more mature skin-types…

…is the second collection, the Pro-Intense option which includes 5 full-size products.

• Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser 150ml
• Gentle Rose Exfoliator 50ml
• Pro-Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm 50ml
• Pro-Intense Lift Effect Day Lotion 30ml
• Pro-Intense Eye and Lip Contour Cream 15ml
• (all five products are worth £199.50)

Both sets will be available at the special price of £62.00 on the day.

For more information, you can check this video out on the collection(s) which will tell you a little more about the products included…

Do you partake in a bit of TSV excitement?  Does this one capture your imagination or is £62 without an Easy Pay option a little too much of a stretch bearing in mind that we’re only one pay-day post Christmas!

Watch the Elemis on QVC on Sunday 16^th February – Midnight, 1am, 4am, 7am, 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm & 11pm on Sky Digital Channel 640, Freeview Channel 16, Virgin Channel 740 and Freesat Channel 800.  Alternatively, you can watch online at www.qvcuk.com/elemis

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It’s easy to mistakenly believe that the only worthwhile judgements in life are those that are deliberated over with great consideration and care, but I believe there’s something to be said for an impulsive reaction.  Snap judgements and the choices we make from them are a skill that takes us years to hone and develop, we should put a lot more trust and value in those instant decisions because you know what?  Our guts often know what’s right for us before our brains have even had time to digest the information.

Take these new Perfumed Shea Butter Body Cream releases from L’Occitane…

I bet that subconsciously, you’d already know which tin would tempt you into a cheeky sniff before you’ve read the “flavour names” below.

But what I’d love to know is whether your quick-thinking proved to be correct.  For me, I’d instinctively reach into the lush green tin, expecting a scent of freshness and a mouth-watering tang.  Thankfully, I’d be right, the brand have got the styling spot on… it’s a trigger, and it’s just aswell they’re on the ball because psychologically, there’s nothing worse than when an obvious sight trigger lets you down!

The new L’Occitane Perfumed Shea Butter Body Creams launch on the 15th February, priced at £18 each.  Which one will your nose be led to?

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I was sent a new finishing powder from Urban Decay recently but the shade wasn’t suitable for me to trial.  I gave a shout-out on Twitter looking for a darker-skinned blogger to help me out and Annie from www.epiphanniea.co.uk came to my rescue… take it away Annie…

I think the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder gets an award for the longest product name in 2014. Was the plan to turn this new finishing powder from Urban Decay into some sort of beauty blogger tongue-twister because I certainly believe they achieved that.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Loose Finishing Powder in Dark – henceforth known as UDNSKUDLFP for short – is a warm-toned, lightweight, mineral finishing powder designed to set your foundation flawlessly and drastically cut down on the amount of shine on your T-zone.  I’ve been asked by Charlotte to review this new offering from Urban Decay and to see whether it actually delivers a luminous and virtually undetectable finish on skin . . . or if it’s all just a marketing spiel.

Before I even get round to reviewing this powder, I just want to step back and thank Urban Decay for releasing a range of Naked Skin powders where the darkest shade is actually quite Dark. More often than not, most products labeled as dark as just one step above beige so the fact that Naked Skin Loose Powder in Dark is ACTUALLY designed to work well with medium to very dark skin shades is a blessing in disguise. Taking a light dusting on my powder brush and gently tapping the powder onto my face; targeting my T-zone area and my top lip.

As promised, the Naked Skin Powder does set makeup and leaves a super lightweight, “invisible finish” to your skin – so if you are looking for a powder with some coverage this isn’t for you – As it has a light-reflecting formula you gain a very subtle, luminous glow to your face but I honestly have to step in and object where it claims to airbrush away imperfections, leaving your skin with a soft focus effect. I’m not exactly sure where Urban Decay is going with this claim as all powders tend to give skin a matte, almost flawless canvas but I will admit that this powder doesn’t look chalky or settle in the fine lines around my eyes and last for about 6-7 hours before fading away completely.

While I do think this loose finishing powder is very creamy, subtle and lightweight, I’m not a complete fan as I don’t find it very buildable.

The Urban Decay Naked Skin Loose Finishing Powder is priced at £22.00 and comes in five shades; Light to Dark. It’s available to purchase from your nearest Urban Decay counter or online at Beauty Bay, Look Fantastic & House Of Fraser.

* press sample

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February must be formula month, because I’m going gaga over some perfectly-created lipsticks.  Don’t get me wrong… I’m a sucker for some pretty packaging too and can be driven equally wild by a product based purely on it being the perfect shade but the perfect formula?  Well, like I said, it must be a month for it because not only did Clarins blow me away with their sheer (gerrit?) perfection earlir this month, it’s now Estee Lauder’s turn to get me all of a flutter with some incredibly-formulated, deeply-pigmented lip colours.

The new Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipsticks – launched just this month – feature a range of 20-shades that should particularly excite my fellow bold lip fans.  The collection promises to deliver saturated colour and continuous moisturisation with a formula that stays true for up to 6-hours.  Formulated with a new and exclusive Time Release Encapsulated Moisture Complex with Hyaluronic Acid, I’ve been rather impressed with the happy medium the brand have managed to capture between long-wear and comfort.

Have a little look at the two shades that I’ve got here… Tumultuous Pink and Red Ego…

First of all, the packaging is a bit of a departure from Estee Lauder’s classic heavy gold styling… these lipsticks are dressed in navy with gold accents.  The heavy-weight feel is still there but it’s a little more understated in design with that incredibly addictive magnetic closure that feels so satisfying to use.  Application is easy straight from the bullet but as with most bold shades, I prefer to tidy up the edges with a lip brush and the formula of these offers enough slip that I can achieve this easily with just a little extra product applied near the lip-line.

Talking of the formula, although creamy… it feels very light-weight for the amount of pigment it provides.  Infact, I almost want to describe them as being more like a rich gel formula, either way… you know when something just feels technologically advanced?  It’s like wearing an old skool Rouge Volupte without any of the weight or inconvenience of migration/feathering.

The swatches above show two swipes taken directly from the bullet, you can see the shine and the depth of pigment that the two shades – Tumultuous Pink and Red Ego – provide.  Upon fading, they leave a stain which makes them perfect for blotting if you’re not keen on a high-shine lipstick.  I tend to blot Red Ego once but leave Tumultuous Pink just as it applies, it’s a personal preference.

I’ve included shots below of both lipsticks worn on the lips, the pink leans a little more fuchsia on my lips than I expected from the bullet and the hand-swatch but I’d imagine that this may not be quite so apparent on a warmer skintone.  From the shade range on offer, Dominant looks to be a bluer-pink (or possibly just a little lighter) than Tumultuous Pink.  Definitely worth swatching on counter first though to get your perfect pink match!

Red Ego is simply a dream.  Shade-wise, it’s my perfect red… rich and dark with just enough of a berry hint to complement a cooler skin-tone.  It looks darker in the bullet than it does on the lips, especially when blotted, but it still retains the kind of richness that your standard pillar-box red just can’t deliver.

The Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipsticks are available to purchase on counter and online from esteelauder.co.uk now, in a range of 20-shades (+ one online exclusive), priced at £24.00 each.

* press sample

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Question of the Week: Is there a makeup application technique that you’ve tried to master, but just can’t seem to conquer?

Answer: I’m still not particularly consistent with my eyeliner flicks!  I have a theory that just as I get used to the angles needed to create even flicks on my oddly-hooded eyes, one eyelid decides to droop another millimetre… throwing me off.

Pink Sith – is positively blushing at the name of the NARS Blush called “Sex Fantasy”. Not that she’s a prude or anything.

Prime Beauty – has finally found her Prince Charming…kinda. He is just one of the many calorie-free limited edition treats from the Valentine’s Day Collection at LUSH! Indulge yourself and your sweetheart with no guilt! Trust me, you’ll want to stock up.

Phyrra – Phyrra share all of her favorite Complexion Perfection products. Find a new favorite foundation here!

we heart this – Mega pores? Yeah, us too. Check out the latest from the Benefit POREfessional line and it can be our little secret.

Chalkboard Nails – created a geometric nail art look using the neutral shades from the brand new OPI Brazil Collection.

Clumps of Mascara – has come across an amazing mascara. No seriously. Too Faced’s Better Than False Lashes is one of the coolest mascaras that I have ever tried.

Gouldylox Reviews – These five hairsprays will change how you handle your hair.

My Beauty Bunny – Manis, manis, manis! Jen and friends get ready for Valentine’s Day with gorgeous nail art from Plush Beauty Bar. Come look and see.

Nouveau Cheap – Do you like the idea of long-wear lip colors, but hate the moisture-sucking properties that often go along with them? These might be just the ticket (and they’re only $3.50 each)

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Pink Sith – A simple yet lovely blog post about beauty. Here is a beauty epiphany from Alice In Nappyland and what a $1.99 lipstick taught her.

Is there a makeup application technique that you’ve tried to master, but just can’t seem to conquer?

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Had I not spent the day trying to find a quiet little hole to climb into, I would have blogged this within seconds of it landing in my inbox this afternoon.

But as things stood, what with Leila trying to cough up her knee-caps all night, I didn’t get much sleep.  Excuse my tardiness, infact I should be in bed now, catching up on my beauty sleep… but I couldn’t bring myself to leave this unblogged any longer… because ladies, Crabtree & Evelyn are presenting us with an offer that will send us scrabbling for an unloved tube or pot of hand-cream!  On your marks, get set…

…GO!

It’s only a mother-funking Hand Cream Amnesty!  Who doesn’t love a beauty amnesty?  Don’t know what one is?  Let me give you a little insight…

Basically, take any old hand cream (not a C&E one, that would be stoopid!) into your nearest Crabtree & Evelyn store before the 12th March and – while stocks last – a kindly sales assistant will swap your surrendered hand cream for a free Crabtree & Evelyn 25g Hand Therapy worth £5.00!  That’s all there is to it but do check out the T&C in the image above just incase.

Do you have any half-empty hand-creams that you’re willing to part with?  I know I do!

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New for this season, Clarin’s Mineral Eyeshadow in Smoky Plum is a beaut.  But then I would say that, it’s a gorgeous, mauve-toned taupe… just the kind that gets me far too excited about eyeshadow.   Clarins make some of my favourite eyeshadows, they’re generally on the sheerer side… something that I’ve grown fond of as I’ve gotten a little older.

They also do light-reflecting without any of the over-the-top-shimmer that you’d expect from a more metallic finish.

Smoky Plum delivers a nicely-textured formula that can be used either wet or dry.  To be honest, I rarely use my eyeshadows wet… for a day to day look, I almost always use a sheer wash of colour over the lids with a staple darker matte in the crease for a little definition.  Nowadays, I don’t get much more adventurous than this, so I look for longer-lasting formulas that deliver a subtle sparkle.

This little Clarins number does what it says on the tin, in a shade that I’d wear day in-day out with no grumbles at all.

You should be able to pick up on the sparkle in the above swatch, this is one swipe… it can be built up in intensity… but not by a huge amount unless you apply it with a damp brush.  If you’re looking for some power-pigment, my advice would be to steer clear of Clarins but if you’re looking for something eminently wearable, non-aging, and long-lasting… do give the Clarins Mineral Eyeshadows a second look, this one particularly if you want a beautiful cool-toned neutral.

Clarins Mineral Eyeshadow in Smoky Plum is priced from £13.60, available to buy online from escentual.com and on Clarin’s counters (£17.00) nationwide.

* press sample

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Is there room in your collection for a pale apricot creme nail polish?

Butter London’s Shandy from last year’s Starkers collection delivered a trio of nudes and this one is an extremely pale hue which leans warmer than neutral.  It would make a great nude shade for fellow sun-dodgers who have less pink in their skin-tones than I do.

On me, it’s a little stark because it’s yellow-tones stand out against my skin but it’s not unnervingly so and thanks to a great formula, it was easy to build this one up to full opacity in three coats.

The only thing I wasn’t sure about was that as wear-time increased, it began to look a little dirty in a nicotine-kinda way.  However, as an ex-smoker, I may well be a little more sensitive to this than others!

Butter London Shandy is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online from powderrooms.com

* press sample

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I have a soft spot for limited edition beauty “collections”, especially when they contain premium bodycare products that, to be honest, I’m too tight to spend full RRP prices on.  You see, I don’t mind splashing the cash on my face or my makeup collection but I’m a terrible tightwad when it comes to body products.  I’m just not dedicated enough to spend £££ on body lotions and bath elixirs, I usually only remember that I’ve forgotten to moisturise my legs when I feel my winter-ravaged shins scratching against my tights halfway through the day.

Elemis have released a Limited Edition Top-to-Toe Beauty Skincare Collection which features a full £115.80-worth of products for £55.00, that’s a £60 saving on the retail prices!

There’s also none of your meagre 5ml or 15ml sample-sizes, each product included in the collection – even if “sample” sized – delivers a minimum of 30ml, which is as much as many full-size products on the market, ensuring that you’ll get to give each item a proper trial.

One of my favourite things about this new collection is the simplicity of the items included.  Elemis haven’t included any of their more “niche” products in this, there’s no cellulite-reducing products… no foot creams, no temple balms.  Basically, there’s nothing in it that I wouldn’t use on a regular basis in my normal routine, ensuring that I’d get my money’s worth on every item.

Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, even Birthdays… this is one of those beauty collections that simply won’t disappoint, each and every item an Elemis classic, a hero-product.

The Elemis Top-to-Toe Beauty Skincare Collection is available to buy on counter and online now from timetospa.co.uk and johnlewis.com, priced at £55.00

* press sample

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I haven’t really explored the B. range at Superdrug since its launch, to be honest… I just can’t say that any of the brand’s releases have inspired me to make the trip further-afield to a better-stocked Superdrug.  I saw a press release for their new B. Vibrant Lip & Cheek Colours, and for one moment… I thought I might well be converted by the look of these chubby lip crayons.  But was I?

Along with one of the new B. Vibrant Lip & Cheek Colours in Fandango* – a hot pink, I was sent the new B. Sculpted Contour Kit in shade Dark*.  I’ll start with the Lip & Cheek Colour first…

It’s packaged in a traditional, crayon-style format with a twist mechanism to raise and lower the waxy nib, perfect if like me, you hate having to sharpen anything!  It feels well-made and the colour glides over the lips effortlessly.

Perhaps a little too effortlessly, you see… it feels quite greasy and to achieve anything like the kind of vibrancy I was expecting, you need to layer up.  More layers = more grease.  It’s not a great combination.  I wasn’t expecting a matte formula but there’s just something about the way this feels that doesn’t appeal to me.  It’s not sticky and it’s not overly heavy, it’s just… not quite there.

Once I’ve built up the pigment to a medium-high finish (the swatch above shows about 5 swipes with the crayon), I tend to grab a tissue to blot.  That’s the only way I can enjoy wearing this shade on my lips.  To be fair, this doesn’t take down the pigment too much and possibly increases overall wear time but I just wanted something more instantly vibrant from a product that calls itself… vibrant.

As for my cheeks?  Perhaps the multi-use function of this product has something to do with why the formula feels the way it does… but you know about my distaste for sharing my lip products with my face and if I saw someone smearing their lip crayon around on their cheeks after I’d just watched them apply it to their mouth, I might be forced to spit on a tissue for them.

The B. Vibrant Lip & Cheek Colours come in five shades, ranging from a soft pink through to a rather striking mandarin.  I’ve only tried the one shade and would be interested to hear your thoughts on the others!

The other new release from the brand is a Sculpted Contour Kit that is available to buy in light, medium, and dark.  This is the “dark” shade choice.  The kit is split into two pans containing just over a total of 10g of product.

The powder, the contouring side of the pan feels finely-milled with a nice, soft texture and a good amount of pigment pay-off.  The cream highlight shade is an oddity.  When I first saw it in the pan, I angled it under the light, expecting to see some mica particles glimmer back at me.  But no, either mine is defective or it’s just a translucent white cream.  Much like a thin, theatrical greasepaint.  On my skin, it doesn’t do an awful lot other than look… greasy.

Once blended, it reminds me of putting a slightly more-refined version of vaseline on the high points of my face… there’s nothing wrong with this, women have been using vaseline as a highlighting trick for years, it just wasn’t quite what I anticipated.  It’s best applied at the end of your makeup routine, otherwise any setting powder that you apply will ruin the effect.

All in all, I’m not excited or enthused about these two releases from the budget high-street brand.  In 2014, I expect better formulas for the not unsubstantial RRP price tags of these products.

B. Vibrant Lip & Cheek Colour in Fandango is priced at £7.99 but currently a third off at £5.32 for a limited time.  B. Sculpted Contour Kit in Dark is priced at £11.99 but currently a third off at £6.99 for a limited time.  Available to buy instore at Superdrug and online at superdrug.com

* press sample

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