A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Let’s have a ’round the blogosphere’ love in…

You’re running late and only have time to apply ONE makeup product to your face (after you’ve applied your skincare, of course). What’s it going to be?

Foundation, foundation and a bit more foundation just to be safe.  I can cope with most things but if my blotchiness and spider veins are on display, I’m pretty grumpy.

Here’s this week’s blog round up…

Vampy Varnish – Asks if a new Benefit mascara can really make people wonder if They’re Real.

we heart this – is bubbly over one of Stila’s new lip glaze shades – Bubble Gum.

Beauty Junkies Unite – wants to give you a fab Summer Prep Kit from Bliss, valued at $144…but you can’t win if you don’t enter!

Clumps of Mascara – is absolutely loving Deborah Lippman’s newest nail polish shades . They are perfect for summer!

EauMG – EauMG reviews one of the best lilac perfumes on the market, Profumi di Firenze Lilla.

Lipglossiping – previews the upcoming Autumn/Winter collection from Butter London. Two seasons, five shades, you’re bound to ‘fall’ for one of them!

Nouveau Cheap – gives you an in-depth review of the new CoverGirl Intense Shadowblast Primer + Shadow. The proof is in the pics!

Orange to LA – shares the products in her May Favorites list. Bright eyeliners, and gold eye shadows- Just in time for summer!

Pink Sith – Tortures it’s readers with their 5th installment in the Blushes You Can’t Have monthly series. This month Chanel Turbulent is flaunted!

Phyrra – revisits Darling Girl Cosmetics. See how the company has changed and grown.

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Which product would you take the time to apply?

I promised you a post on BB creams and in all honesty, what I know about BB creams can probably be written on the back of one.  In other words, not an awful lot.

However, one thing I do know is that they’ve been around for a lot longer than you might think.  Currently hot topic across the UK blogosphere, we’re about 3 years out of date on this one.  Here’s the post that introduced me to them back in 2008: The lovely Muse talks about BB Creams…

Since then, I’ve been gathering snippets here and there from other Asian cosmetics aficiandos like Rowena, Kathi and ParisB (just a small selection of amazing blogs with an Asian beauty focus) and dipping my toe in the proverbial waters.

The biggest complaint lodged against the Asian BB Cream market is the lack of colour variation and this still holds true 3 years down the line… for medium toned or paler skins, it’s not too bad.  Darker skintones (with the exception of one or two products) are pretty much ignored in this genre.

Speaking from a personal point of view, my pale pink skin isn’t as bothered by the oft-disliked ‘beige/grey’ tones found within many of these creams.  Infact, I find that they cancel out my redness better than any other foundation or concealer I’ve tried but I can absolutely appreciate why they don’t look as good on olive or yellow-toned skintones.

The below image shows them swatched on my inner wrist where the skin is considerably more milk-bottle than my face.  The texture of the three varies considerably.  I’m going to do a speed review on each…

Therapia ECO Feel BB Cream

This one has the heaviest texture, it’s quite hard to spread and drags a little unless my skin is well moisturised underneath.  The colour is good, though a tiny bit too dark for me.  Skin-loving properties are based around whitening and calming irritated skin with Apricot Oil and Aloe Vera Gel.

Coverage is medium, it conceals redness nicely but blemishes will need extra work.  I don’t find that this builds very well, more than one layer and it starts to look caked on.  It’s unscented and has an SPF rating of SPF25 PA++

I would recommend this for normal/combo skins.

Skin Food Gingko Green BB Cream

The lightest in texture of the three I currently have in rotation.  Best for drier skins, this leaves behind a medium coverage and a dewy finish. If you’re oily, you will probably hate this with a passion.

It’s delicately scented and promises to be filled with ‘beauty enhancing’ ingredients like lecithin and Vit B to moisturise and nourish.  Sadly, this one contains no SPF.

The colour is less ‘beige’ (read grey) than the other two and will be better suited to warmer skintones (though it is still very light).

Shills Super Magic BB Cream

My favourite and the one I’ve been reaching for recently is this offering from Taiwanese brand, Shills.  With the highest SPF rating of SPF50 PA+++, it’s been doing a good job of keeping my skin protected in the sun.  It promises to aid with whitening, wrinkles(!) and general skin improvement.

It’s the palest of the three and the most suited to a cooler, pink skin tone.  It covers my redness phenomenally well and is mid-way between the other two in terms of spreadability.  Again, this one is delicately scented which may put you off.  It glides on over a moisturised face but if you’re combo-skinned, you may not want to add that extra dewiness as this is pretty moisturising on its own.

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As you can see, these ones all come from the Asian marketplace but I’ll be interested to see how the bigger brands currently throwing themselves on the bandwagon will interpret the ‘genre’ for the Western market.  I buy all my BB Creams on eBay but please be aware that there are fakes.  Infact, I’m not certain that all my purchases are genuine (though I’ve thankfully had no adverse reactions) so do all your usual eBay homework, check ratings… compare products to stock images etc and if in doubt, ask questions!

Have you tried BB Creams?  Want to?

… from ME!

I came across the Korres-owned line of body products whilst surfing the Zuneta site late the other evening.  I was taking advantage of the free delivery code before it ran out and stumbled over this intriguing range of well-priced, temptingly-flavoured goodies!

I’m a sucker for warm scents and tobacco is one of my favourites.  The For Kings & Queen’s version doesn’t disappoint… it’s sweet without being sickly and intoxicating without being heady.  To my nose, I can detect a hint of juiciness that’s sharp enough to gently cut through the warmer base and keep things a little lighter.  It’s simply a beautiful unisex scent and Mr. L has already made one hell of a dent in our bottle.

The formula is runny and toned brown… so beware any spillages!  Another point to note is just how much lather the formula produces… just a tiny drop combined with a mesh bath puff will create miles of bubbles, ensuring excellent value for money!

The scent sadly doesn’t linger on my skin once I’ve left the bathroom, a real shame as I imagine this would make the most perfect layering foundation for some of my warm, amber-based fragrances.  Still, at £5.00 for 300ml I can’t expect the world and I’m very happy with what I get for my money.

Rather dangerously, there’s a particularly collectible element to the line up.  The For Kings & Queens range link their scents to specific royal persons, hence the “Tsar Peter” in this shower gel who was known to enjoy the flavours of aromatic pipe tobacco so much that during times of severe laws against tobacco smoking he extended this pleasure to his people allowing them to smoke freely. It’s like the pokemon of shower gels… gotta catch ’em all!

I’m fascinated by the Korres-owned range which I believe has been around for some time now (how did I not know!) and already have a few more earmarked for future purchase.

For Kings & Queens are available to buy online from Zuneta & ThePowderRooms (where the range is currently on sale) – also check out the brand’s website which has all the historical tidbits about the various royal references!

Have you tried the Kings & Queens range?  Any favourites?

I had a few requests to see how the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #3 Purpura looked when worn, so I applied it as an all-over wash yesterday and snapped some photos.

I love it because it’s such an easy-to-wear shade, it applies and blends excellently with just my finger, is dark enough to give some great definition and a hint of smokiness yet light enough to be suitable for Summer.  Having said that, longevity (on me) isn’t all that much better than the L’oreal clones I tried a couple of months ago.  It doesn’t disappear from my lids completely but after around 4hrs, 70% of it resides in my socket line.  Still, it’s beautiful while it lasts… I’ll definitely pair it with a primer next time.

please excuse the pores!

Face

Shills Super Magic BB Cream SPF50 PA+++
Guerlain Meteorites Teint Rose 01
Bare Minerals Blush in Promise

Eyes

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense #3 Purpura
Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner in Black
L’oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara in Black
Suqqu Brow Powder in 04

Lips

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Speed Dial

Have you ever read the Malcolm Gladwell book?

I first read Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking back in 2007 and as a notorious over-thinker of everything… the book, which places value on the snap reactions and decisions we make everyday, struck a chord with me.

I’m the type of person who over-analyzes every word that leaves my mouth to the extreme where I regularly decide it would be preferable to say nothing at all.  Then I go on to listen to everyone around me spew the same words I was so desperate to contain… coming from them, they never sound as ridiculous as I imagined they would leaving my mouth.

Over-thinking, in some cases can be a debilitating condition though that’s not to say I find it preferable to watch people shoot their mouths off… it’s all about striking a balance right?

So nowadays I try to put more trust in my first impressions, initial instincts and have faith that although a little wariness is good, so is realising the potential merits of this “rapid cognition”.

Nowhere is this more apparent than when I’m taking photos… once I learnt a bit more about the processes behind the technical aspects, I struggled with wanting to create perfection.  It’s taken until today to learn that some of my favourite shots are the ones that took absolutely no thought at all.

Blink.  ‘Cos I’ll miss it when she’s taller and loves her friends more than her Mum.

Hope you’re having a great Thursday you beauty-loving bunch x

Not quite as stunningly tempting as the ASOS deal that they offered a couple of months ago (how many of those did you buy?), the latest offerings from Groupon are still pretty damn impressive!

I’ll break it down into two…

A year-long subscription to either: Vogue, Glamour, House and Garden, Tatler, GQ, Wired, The World of Interiors, Condé Nast Traveller, Easy Living or Vanity Fair for a one-off payment of £19.99.

This deal has the potential to save upto £35.21 depending on which subscription you take out.  I’ve bought one to subscribe to Vanity Fair ‘cos I like the front covers innit.

If you want to take advantage of the Groupon Magazine Subscription deal, you have until midnight on Friday.

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The other offer available is something that equates to a 60% saving at Eyeko…

This works in the same way as the ASOS deal in that, you spend a certain amount to get far more back!

Part with £8 of cash to receive a voucher that will entitle the holder to purchase £20 worth of products on the Eyeko website.  My top picks would be the nail polishes… simples!

If you want to take advantage of the Groupon Eyeko deal… again, you have until midnight on Friday.

Happy shopping!  Have you spotted any other great deals lately?

Well, I wasn’t gonna get sucked into the hype.  Oh no, not me!  But then I thought “oooh just one little look to see what everyone’s going on about… *swoon*, *thud*, *kerching*”

Sucker.

Priced at £24.50, I believe this makes the Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense in #3 Purpura, the most expensive single eyeshadow I own, roundly beating my Le Metier de Beaute spangly silver that I bought on impulse and have barely worn to this day.

So first things first, is it worth that horrendous price tag?  Of course it’s not… but like my Tom Ford lippies, the numbers that ring up on the till matter less once I’ve fallen head over heels.  All that matters is finding ways to justify why I require at least one more from the range.  Sucker.

The Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill Intense range of 12 shades incorporate multi-faceted pigment with impressive colour payoff and a rich, creamy formula.

I initially approached the counter with Lust Red in mind after seeing Temptalia’s swatch of the blackened-red shade… but a quick check at the alternatives available had me lusting after something a little lighter for Summer.  Don’t worry Lust Red… I’m coming back for you in the Autumn!

Purpura, #3 is a beautifully blended mix of purples and gold that combine to create a violet-toned charcoal that dances with a golden glimmer.

I wouldn’t class this as sheer when applied dry but it’s definitely more ‘buildable’ (that’s a diplomatic way of putting it!) than some of the other, more intense shades.  This is actually one of the reasons I purchased it as it felt “airier” and more befitting for hot days when a ‘made up’ face just looks a little too much.

The three swatches above show Purpura applied dry, ontop of primer (Urban Decay original) and with a damp brush.  There’s not a great deal of difference between using a primer or simply applying it with a dampened brush so I’d imagine the question of preference will come down to longevity.

As for longevity, well I don’t have any opinion on that yet seeing as I only bought this yesterday.  All reports sound good so I’m looking forward to decent wear from this really, rather expensive but ultimately flippin’ gorgeous eyeshadow.

Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense eyeshadow in #3 Purpura is priced at £23.50 and available to buy on counter if you can find stock.  As of yesterday (31/5), Selfridges in London was out but Harvey Nichols came up trumps!

What do you think?  Like or no-like?

Still sitting down there in my wishlist purely because I’m a lazy oaf who hasn’t updated yet, sits the fragrance Agent Provocateur.

CheapSmells.com are currently doing a ridiculously good deal on the Agent Provocateur family, so I thought that now would be the most useful time to update and review the fragrance that I finally got around to buying last month).

Agent Provocateur EDP starts with an intense blast of spice, reminiscent of a (very) steamy evening in Marrakech before quickly softening as the fragrance blends with the warmth of my skin.  The floral begins to peek through as the heart notes surface to smother the spiciness in a shroud of powdery rose and white flowers.

Despite the scent’s obvious femininity made apparent in the floral aspect of the perfume, there’s a musky sourness that remains intact from that initial spritz to eventual fade.  It’s animalic, sexual and bold.  Don’t expect a juicy, sweet fragrance to make you feel light and girly.  Agent Provocateur is a seriously sexy number that will wear you if you lack the confidence to wear it back!

Agent Provocateur is available for upto 70% off the RRP at CheapSmells.com until the 5th June.

Do you like your fragrances to be provocative and bold or a little more demure?

Blueberries.

Not only are they Leila’s favourite fruit but they make amazing muffins and considering that of ALL fresh fruits, the humble Blueberry has the highest antioxidant capacity. You’d be doing yourself a massive favour by devouring as many as you can get away with before you run out of ways to kid yourself.

image source

For the sake of our skins, I thought I’d share the blueberry muffin recipe I went overboard on last weekend.  It’s quick, easy and very, very moreish.  Oh yeah, and healthy.  Honest.

This recipe makes 6 GIANT (coffee shop style) muffins… because I don’t do things by halves.  If you want a great silicone muffin tin, I really recommend these.  If you want one of those mini-muffin tins, get. off. my. blog.

250g (2 cups) plain flour
150g (3/4 cup) sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs (beaten)
180ml (3/4 cup) milk
115g (1/2 cup) melted butter
150g (1 cup) blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. Pop your muffin liners in your tin and pre-set your oven to 150 degrees celsius (fan oven).

2. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl and combine the dry ingredients well.

3. In another bowl, combine the eggs, milk and melted butter.

4. Pour the combined wet ingredients into the combined dry ingredients, stirring only until all flour is combined.  Do not over-mix.

5. Add the blueberries, again, stirring just until incorporated.

6. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake the muffins for 35 minutes or until golden.  Test that they’re done by inserting a toothpick or similar into the center (it should come out clean).

7. Nom.

Cheaper than face cream.

Butter London’s Founding Creative Director, Nonie Creme was on a flying trip to the UK earlier in the month and I was excited to get the opportunity to see her for a chat about the upcoming Fall collection and preview the shades…

Frequently looking to the catwalks for nail inspiration, Butter London’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection is no exception.

Nonie Creme says of her new collection:

“My inspiration was a variation on jewel tones.  Imagine taking a traditional jewel tone palette, then moving each shade about two notes to the left, this means a garnet instead of a ruby, a dirty teal instead of a sapphire and an olive or patina gold instead of a brassy or yellow tone.”

The Limited Edition shade No More Waity, Katie finds itself in the main lineup and I’m very pleased to see Knees Up (one of my enduring BL faves) put in a reappearance.  Wallis, Bluey and Toff are all-new shades for the season.

Wallis

Inspiration: In honour of the Saucy Yank who ran away with the King’s heart.
Detail: A tarnished, metallic, olive gold, as mysterious and regal as its namesake.

Bluey

Inspiration: Vintage British slang for a pornographic film.  Ah, the good ‘ol days.
Detail: A slightly metallic dark peacock blue, perfect for fashionable birds.

Toff

Inspiration: A slightly derogartory name for a member of the British upperclass.
Details: A darker, dustier, brownish variation on rose pink.  Stop to smell them.  The roses, not the toffs.

No More Waity, Katie

Inspiration: One day my prince will come, and I will wrap him around my tiny, sparkling finger.
Detail: A soft griege littered with lilac glitter for the perfect marriage of fashion and fun.

Knees Up

Inspiration: A smashing metallic red for getting smashed in.
Detail: Brit slang for a drunken party.

Butter London A/W 2011 will be available instore at Harvey Nichols and online at The Powder Rooms.  Priced £12.00

What do you think of the new collection?  Any must-haves, disappointments or “mehs”?  Stay tuned later in the week for my interview with Nonie!

First launched by the model extraordinaire into the UK in 1997, the brand described as being for “Women with Skin of Color” are introducing a new mineral liquid foundation to its range of base products.  The range already consists of powder and cream bases, so a liquid option just in time for Summer completes the set nicely.

IMAN Luxury Radiance Liquid Makeup Enriched with Minerals (£23.95) offers a sheer-to-medium coverage and comes in 8 shades.

According to the IMAN Cosmetics website, the shade range begins at around a MAC NC35/44 so as you might expect, none of these shades are intended to come close to catering for a woman of clearlynocolouratall like me but I’m sure there’ll be useful swatches-a-plenty appearing soon on WOC-friendly blogs for you to feast your eyes upon!

I’ll focus on some other stuff from the brand that caught my eye…

The Eye-Con Kit… a cute enough set but has the line’s packaging seen an update since the 90s?

The above two photos show IMAN’s hero bronzing product Afterglow which I can totally vouch is pretty much flippin’ stunning.  See how those shades would easily work on all skintones?  I was impressed with the subtle shimmer, delicate colour and soft texture.  A beautiful bronzer indeed and one that I would definitely consider picking up.

Four shimmering liquid eyeliners available from the brand’s Luxury Liquid Eyeliner range in Platinum, Sapphire, Onyx and Copper.  The pigmentation was good and as you can see, the colours are stunning.

See that bottom shadow?  I had a mild stroke when I saw its taupey goodness looking at me.  Wicked is a shadow from their Luxury Eye Defining Powder range.  I experienced virtually no fall out with this loose shadow and it glided on nicely pigmented.  I wasn’t so keen on the lighter, golden shade swatched above which packed a lot less pigment by comparison.

Luxury Lip Shimmers – I didn’t inspect these close up but judging by those swatches on Yinka’s hand… they pack a decent punch of colour!

Now, at the moment… the IMAN Cosmetics range isn’t the easiest to come across.  Infact, unless you live in London… you’re gonna struggle to access it until it makes its way online.  Current stockists can be found by visiting the find-a-store page on the website.

If anyone took the time to analyse my blog, there would be a few words that showed up regularly. Like, really regularly.

Cake, Leila, Lipstick and Lazy.

Infact, (given an extra 7 hours in the day) I could write a blog about lazy.  Though such dedication to detailing my idleness would defeat the purpose of the exercise somewhat.

So, instead… I’ll show you my lazy bank-holiday FOTD.

All you can really see is the mascara right?  Well… I’d like to tell you that I carefully engineered it to look that way.  Yano, the not-natural, natural look?

Infact, I really didn’t…  This was my FOTD for my Mum’s 70th Birthday on Sunday.  A special occasion.  This… my ‘special occasion’ face.  My makeup is weeping from my loss of mojo and complete lack of inspiration.

Here’s my list of products…

Face

Shills Super Magic BB Cream

Guerlain Meteorites in Mythic

Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzer in Maui (as a blush)

Eyes

Avon Supershock Gel Eyeliner in Black (tightlined on the upper lid)

Max Factor Lash Extension Effect (2 coats)

Joe Blasco Ultra Base in Ultra Fair to conceal

Lips

Chanel Rouge Allure Laque in #76 Ming

Lovely products but look… 7 products for a ‘special’ FOTD?  That’s lazy.  I’ve confused ‘whee, this a great opportunity to PLAY with your face!’ with ‘make yourself look presentable but ultimately dull’.

I think that I’m just not used to having the time to do things like that and so when I do get the opportunity… I don’t know what the hell to do with it!

Would you be kind enough to inspire me with some of your favourite bloggy peeps who do awesome makeup please?  This boring old cow needs some cosmetically-charged awesomeness to get her through the week.