A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

You may remind yourself frequently that for reasons beyond your control, it just wasn’t meant to be… but still, late at night as you find yourself in that transitional world between wakefulness and sleep, your mind wanders.  The imagery remains as fresh today as it was nearly 24 months ago, the longing sometimes even stronger.

There will always be a missing piece to the puzzle, never adequtely filled no matter how many attempts we may make to replace it.  We could spend thousands of pounds and travel far and wide to discover a suitable sucessor.  But the question remains… “What if?”

You didn’t think I was talking about a *man* did you?  Pfft.

I didn’t pick either palette up (and I love them both) when they were available because there was simply TOO much from Dior Holiday that had made my wishlist.  I bit my lip as I told myself they were too expensive when I’d already Xmas hauled, a classic angel/devil shoulder combination.  On this occasion, I should have let the devil win.

And so it will remain for now, Dior Jazz Club palettes… the ones that got away.

.

Do you have a sorry tale to tell of the Limited Edition item(s) you still wish you’d splurged on?

An oldie because my nails haven’t been this long for nearly a year but they do show off this gorgeous shade quite well (even if I do vainly say so myself!)

Butter London Scoundrel is a muted, warm lilac which sits nicely against cool skin tones like mine.  It’s one of my favourites from the brand and applies well without issues.

Look out next week because I’ve got a special interview with Butter London’s Founding Creative Director Nonie Creme and some Autumn/Winter 2011 previews for you!

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend party people! xx

I was in London on Tuesday with Mr. L and made him go for coffees whilst we were en route to Regents Park to smell the roses (quite literally).  I had good reasons for these diversionary tactics.  I wanted to have a nosey at the QVC press day to check out the beauty goodies coming this coming Autumn/Winter!

I snapped the things that caught my eye…

NEW Smashbox 5-in-1 Beauty Balm and Waterproof Shadow Liner Pencils in Bronze and Shimmering Plum.

A selection of OPI Shatter Coats – not new but they looked too pretty lined up like that!

Some Louise Galvin potential hair disaster saviours on their way to QVC

I did a little intake of breath when I saw this Laura Geller Baked Eye Accent.  Use wet or dry, stunning blue!

I’m itching for a sniff of one of acclaimed florist Jane Packer’s scents but I had my hands full of camera!  Adore the attention to floral detail with the packaging on these bottles.

Shiseido Benefiance!  The luxe Japanese brand is returning to QVC this Autumn!

I’ll always stop to ogle a bit of Elemis!  I particularly liked the variety on offer in this upcoming set.

Anything in that small selection piquing your interests too?

I’ve got a special treat to kick off the weekend because one of you is going to win this gorgeous Esme Jewellery Perfume Pendant adorned with Swarovski crystals!

Hanging from a 30″ silver chain it manages to remain delicate and feminine whilst still proudly proclaiming itself as the statement piece of jewellery it is!

Inside each Esme pendant sits a refillable roll-on perfume pod, ideal for discreet top-ups on evenings out.  Unsure?  See how it works.

If you’d like to win your own Perfume Pendant from Esme Jewellery, just answer one simple question…

The Esme Perfume Pendants are available in how many designs?

(click here to find the answer)

Error: Contact form not found.

.

T&C
1. Entry open worldwide by email only.
2. One winner will be picked at random from all entries that provide an answer to the question.
3. One entry per email address.
4. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
5. Competition closes on Monday 6th June 2011 at 23.59.
6. Winner will be notified by email within 5 days of the close of the competition.
7. No email addresses will be stored once the competition has closed and will only be used to contact the winner.

There’s not long left if you wanted to stock up on this Impulse/BarryM offer…

Don’t know what I’m talking about?

For a limited period, Impulse have joined forces with BarryM to combine three of their best-selling scents with three lipgloss shades!  Touted as a handbag essential, the body fragrance/lipgloss duos are selling for the quite remarkable price of £3.00 each.

Your choices are…

Very Pink which comes complete with a sumptuous strawberry scented and flavoured pale pink lip gloss.

Into Glamour which comes with a velvety vanilla clear lip gloss.

Tease completes the collection with a nude lip gloss in a delicious caramel flavour.

Now, it’s been a while since I’ve been the target audience for Impulse but I can recommend the nude BarryM lipgloss which is one of my favourites for toning down a bright lip (and that’s coming from a lipgloss hater!).

Available from Superdrug and Tesco until the 6th June, priced at £3.00 per duo.

.

Have you picked up a set yet?  Great for storing up as stocking fillers!

I’m not a tutorial blogger, I don’t have the skills to teach anyone much about anything but I thought a few photos and a quick rundown of my experience with the Colorsport 30 Day Mascara might be useful to any scaredy-cats out there who are nervous about home tinting!

The kit contains enough product for ‘upto’ 16 applications but I found that I had lots left over when I used the amount suggested by the instructions.  Your mileage may vary!

I think this would make a great Summer holiday purchase to darken those lashes before you hit the pool.  No running mascara worries, how cool would that be?!

Here’s a shot of the products I assembled before attempting to dye my eyebrows with the kit.  I was feeling a little apprehensive and wanted to have everything to hand incase I panicked and wanted to wipe everything off halfway through!

Cotton Buds for application on my eyebrows.

Lanolips to protect the skin around my eyebrows from being dyed too!  You could replace the Lanolips with something less expensive like Vaseline or a heavy moisturiser (I would next time but had neither of those to hand!)

Oil Free Makeup Remover, I used my Bioderma Crealine.

Mascara Spoolie or an old mascara wand to run through my brows midway through the tint process.

Now it’s time to mix-up the solution…

stop sniggering…

The final mix should look something like the above.  Creamy and non-drippy!

I wiped my brows over with a wash of the non-oily makeup remover, smeared the Lanolips over the surrounding area and then painted the dye over my brow with a cotton bud (q-tip).

2 minutes later and a quick wipe-off with a dampened cotton pad… here’s a before and after shot.  Only the eyebrow on your right has been tinted.

The Results…

Well, it’s subtler than I expected… which I guess is a good thing really.  I’m not keen on the fact that it appears to have warmed up my naturally ashy brows.  The skin underneath the hair that has caught some of the dye and I expect will fade in a couple of days, it’s not hugely noticeable but I will gently exfoliate the skin tomorrow to speed up the fade.

They also have a version in black which I was concerned might be too harsh for me but now I think it could work well with less developing time until I’m more confident in the results.

Other things to note…

The application/mixing wand provided with the kit isn’t up to the job.  It’s not unusable but you will probably end up reaching for something else to use instead.

I experienced no irritation or sensitivity with this product and was careful to conduct a skin sensitivity test 48hrs before use.

Overall…

I’m really enthused by how easy and quick the process was compared to how I imagined it.  Neither was it messy or particularly fiddly… it was quite good fun!

I think it would most benefit people with fair brows and lashes.  On me, the difference wasn’t huge on either my lashes or my brows.  I would recommend the Colorsport 30 Day Mascara Eyelash & Brow Dye Kit but with a caveat about the dark brown being quite warming.

Colorsport 30 day Mascara Eyelash & Brow Dye Kit is available to purchase instore or online from Boots where it is 1/3 off at only £5.44 a pack.  (usual price £8.16)

.

Do you tint your eyebrows or lashes at home?

* this is a review of a PR sample

I shouldn’t really run with a post on a late-night whim but I was totally sucked in by the pretty visual in this newsletter mail out from British skincare brand, Oskia.  Look!

The 45 minute facial costs £45 but is fully redeemable against any Oskia products purchased on the day.

I thought it might be of interest to some of you London ladies!

Have you tried any Oskia products?

I’m a sun-protection devotee, not just for the products but also the theories and chemistry behind the idea of protecting yourself from sun exposure.  Throw in some tales of vitamin D deficiency and I can be hooked for hours.  Do I understand it all?  I wish… but choosing a reliable, safe sunscreen is probably one of the best favours you can do for your skin.  It’s worth the effort!

I’m the proud owner of around 2sq metres of sun-sensitive, freckled skin that turns pink at the merest hint of a sun ray and my (un)healthy interest in these products began a couple of years ago with the discovery of some of the fine sun protection products available to the Asian market.

I have a real fear of sunburn.  As a 9 year old, I was left bandaged across the back and shoulders, with daily visits to the hospital for blister-draining after a particularly nasty case of sunburn.  I own a slightly bizarre photo of me taken as an 11 year old… lying in bed, red as a beetroot mid-hallucination thanks to sunstroke.

Infact, nearly every holiday snap shows those tell tale burn lines on my bare shoulders.  It was a recurring theme throughout my childhood, teens and even early twenties until I realised that I simply couldn’t get away with exposing my skin to the sun in the same way my friends could.

I make my poor parents sound neglectful… they weren’t at all.  Who wanted to be the fat kid swimming in an oversize t-shirt and hat whilst your olive-skinned mates frolicked around in bikinis?  Not me!  Those sun defences bit the dust as soon as I was out of eyeline and we just didn’t understand the importance of re-applying SPF regularly back in those days.

For the month of June, Lipglossiping.com is going to putting an emphasis on sun protection.  I want to learn more about the different chemicals/mineral options available and what they mean in laymans terms.  I want to fully understand all this UVA/UVB stuff and look beneath the obvious differences between an SPF15 and an SPF50+.  I wanna discuss some of the options currently available on the market and whether or not they’re up to the job.

I want to discover some of the easiest-to-wear sunscreens that don’t work against my makeup or skin type and I want to finally decide for myself whether the convenience of easily-absorbed sunscreen is outweighed by the potential health risks associated with chemical protection.

Phew!  I hope you don’t mind coming along for the ride?!

Hair dyes are taking the proverbial at the minute and I’m *this* far away from being brand loyal for once and going back to Superdrug for my essentials.

The reason I haven’t done so already is because I’m loving the (newish) mousse formula for a mess-free application.  I have previously reviewed the two other main contenders on the market if you’re interested in comparing.  Individually, I found them lacking… they had their strengths but also displayed weaknesses that I wouldn’t be able to overcome when it was time for a repurchase.

Which meant I was pretty excited to see a new mousse formula on the shelves when I trotted back to the chemist for a replacement.

L’Oreal Sublime Mousse in #40 Pure Dark Brown caught my attention in an instant.  I was practically clapping like a seal as my eyes drifted over the wonderfully ashy-looking shades in the range.  Ashy suits me well, red tones make my face look even pinker and as Summer approaches, I can do without the permanent flushed look.

Application was good, though I was a little disappointed to see the usual (too big) plastic gloves included.  I’ve been spoilt by the proper latex ones John Frieda’s product provided!  The instructions were precise and clear and didn’t incorrectly tell me to ‘shake the bottle’ as I experienced with the Clairol either…. so far, so good.

30 minutes of developing time later, at least it covers the greys….

Let’s just say… I’ve been using anti-dandruff shampoo daily in an attempt to fade it.

Not only that but the colour is leaching as a semi-permanent might.  How do I know this?  My white 500 thread count Egyptian Cotton pillowcase tells me so.  Yeah, I’m ecstatic about that one.

L’Oreal Sublime Mousse Hair Colour is available to buy from most usual stockists inc. Boots priced at around £6.99

.

What are your preferred hair colourants at the moment?

Do you know the last time I did a mascara review?  No, me neither… but it’s been a hella long time.  I used to do at least one a month but I ended up disillusioning myself seeing such little overall difference between the various tubes available.

One Mascara that I’ve always meant to pick up and try is the Max Factor False Lash Effect which I know often gets loads of praise from MUA circles.  I umm’ed and ahh’ed in Boots over whether to go for the original or this new spangly looking purple one.  I lived up to my girly stereotype and went for the spangly one.

See?  Spangly.

How about more important things though, like brush… formula… ability to falsify lashes?

They say:

False Lash Effect Fusion combines Max Factor’s biggest ever volumising brush with its latest lengthening formula to create thicker and longer lashes. For those girls who want an extreme lash look, they’ve come to the right place.

I say, the chunky brush is pretty nice… but I imagine that for those with short lashes it could be a nightmare.  I always have difficulty trying to detect whether the bristles are indeed bristles, plastic or rubber… these feel like stumpy old-style bristles to me but I could be wrong.  It’s been known to happen!

The formula is pretty good.  I hate thin formulas that practically drip off the brush (I’m looking at you Bourjois 1001 cils) but I equally dislike mascaras that last about 3 weeks before drying up.  This is middle of the road.

Are the results middle of the road too?  See for yourselves…

I see a good amount of volume and I love how the Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion has emphasised my lashline so heavily but I’m not seeing the length I was hoping for from this mascara.

I’m gonna try combining it with my favourite length-boosting mascara… who knows, I may stumble upon the ‘ultimate’ pairing!

You can currently purchase Max Factor False Lash Effect Fusion for a very reasonable £8.99 (saving £3 off the original price) at Boots.

.

Have you tried Max Factor’s False Lash Effect Fusion Mascara yet?  How about the original?

~ Jellyminx presents a bronzer lovers paradise with her ultimate Bronzer Overview.

~ Missed out on the New York City Makeup Show? Have no fear, for Krasey Beauty has the scoop!

~ Over at The Pink Sith blog, Joeybunny brings you swatches of the new Dior Rosy Tan Eyeshadow Quint and makes a shocking confession!

~ Have you tried lining your eyes with traditional kohl/kajal? Kajal Couture did and she shows you how.

~ Can the cute and new Sephora Hello Kitty-Memoirs Of A Kitty Palette satisfy an ex-punk beauty junkie like Tracy at Beauty Reflections?

~ Amy Antoinette showcases the prettiest lip balms in her collection.

~ Beautywoome has found the best light alternative to foundation for summer!

~ Still a Sugarpill virgin? Beauty’s Bad Habit shows you Lumi Chromalust, a pigment which will have you rushing for your credit card!

~ Lipglossiping falls in love with an eye cream that shows promising results… but like most things in life, it comes at a price!

~ The Lip Print faces her fear of orange to find this absolute beauty by Tom Ford – that man sure know’s how to make a lipstick!

~ Looking for a perfect bronzer? Check the new Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder at Fleurissante.

~ Unique, unusual and different…find out what perfume Lady Gaga is currently wearing! Read Hellcandy’s review of it here.

~ Tarte’s new Amazonian Clay Waterproof Cream Eye Shadows arrive just in time for summer. See how they make eyes shine at Prime Beauty!

~ Love Chanel Mimosa but not the price? Find out how you can dupe it for under $10 on My Lips But Better.

~ Are you ready for summer? Anita reviews Guerlain’s Terra Inca summer collection over at Pleasureflush.

~ AOYV ponders if Vasanti’s Magic Liner really magical?

~ Mariella at Musing on Beauty has a play with the new Becca Halcyon Palette and tells it all.

—

~ Audrey Dao is giving away 3 Julep Jennifer Mani Care Sets, so you can get the perfect manicure!

~ Head on over to theNotice and enter to win Rae’s “holy grail” face powder, a Canadian exclusive that’s honestly just really, really lovely.

I want to extend a really huge thank you to Gem at SparkleSparkle for guest reviewing the Elemis FreshSkin range for me.  1 month and 9 products later my head would be spinning – but she’s managed to keep her brain clear enough to provide some great analysis on the products from the new range!

Take it away Gem…

The new Elemis FreshSkin range is aimed at 16-24 year olds.

I am at the far end of that scale at 24, but my skin is exactly the same as it was as a teenager.  I’m getting to the point where I don’t think it is ever going to change.  I have combination skin which is very oily across my T-zone and can get dry in other areas.  I haven’t changed my skin care for years because what I have been using has left my skin reasonably spot free and balanced.  Before trying these products I was using the No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum and the No7 Balanced Results Day Sorbet.  I didn’t use an eye cream because all those I’d tried I was either allergic to (puffy eyes was the opposite of the effect I was going for!) or caused me milia.  So I’d given up on finding a good eye cream.

I was very pleased to try these products.  I had not tried any Elemis before and most young skin targeted ranges I had tried were quite harsh and targeted more at spots than normal skincare.  I can’t have much fun using normal skincare ranges as they all seem too rich for my skin and I need a lot of powder to get rid of the oily shine left behind.  After just over a month of using these products, I can say I really liked the range as a whole.  It had some really good parts and some bits I didn’t like so much.

Softly Softly Daily Moisturiser 50ml (£20.00)

This is my favourite product of the range!  The cream being nice is important for this range, because face cream is the item I think most people will judge it on.  It has a gorgeous lavender smell and leaves a really fresh feeling after you apply it.  It looks very creamy when you first see it, but when you spread it, it is very light and very easily absorbed.  Best of all doesn’t leave an oily layer, yet it still moisturises my skin really well, which is the most important factor to me.

It has lots of lovely ingredients to sooth and soften the skin such as, seaweed extract, sweet almond oil, chamomile, geranium, rosehip seed oil and lavender.  All these ingredients are focused on soothing, calming and moisturising, which I think is a good aim for the age group Elemis are aiming this range at.  There is one downside though, that it has no SPF.  Some people might say another downside is the price, but the No7 cream I’ve used forever is £17 for the same amount.  In fact I think I need less of the Elemis cream to cover my face.  The price difference really isn’t a lot.  I will be buying this cream when I run out!

Dreamy Sleep Night-Time Moisturiser 50ml (£22.00)

This cream is very similar to the day cream.  It smells of lavender like the day cream and absorbs into the skin quickly without leaving it oily.  I don’t know if you necessarily need both the day cream and the night cream, they are very similar.  I’m not sure if I would notice a difference were it not for the labels.

Tired Eyes Soothing Eye Rescue 15ml (£15.00)

This clear eye gel is de-puffing and cooling.  I’m not a morning person and will take anything I can get to wake myself up.  As I mentioned before I have had some trouble finding a good eye cream, so I was excited to try this.  I really like this eye gel.  It is very soothing, reduces any morning puffiness and feels nice and refreshing.

You only need a small amount to dab around the eyes so although the price is quite steep at £15, I think it is worth it if you are looking for an eye cream that is refreshing and de-puffs your eye area.  It isn’t all that moisturising, but it doesn’t claim to be.  For me this is ideal, but if you want a moisturising eye cream, you may want to look elsewhere.

Face Mask Duo Deep Clean and Magical Moisture 6 x 7ml, 3 of each (£15.00)

These face masks are a nice set.  The masks are individually packed in sachets containing a perfect amount of face mask goo. You just squeeze it out of the sachet, slop it on your face and relax.  The deep clean mask is a clay mask, which felt nice and cool when I put it on.  It tightens only slightly after 10 minutes and when I washed it off, it left my skin feeling really clean and soothed.

The magical moisture mask is more like a thick cream.  It smoothed on my skin nicely, and left it feeling nicely moisturised.  It didn’t leave my feeling extra oily, it just left me with nice soft skin.  My make-up seemed to go on really nicely after the moisture mask my skin just felt really nice.  I would recommend these face masks and the price isn’t too steep for 6 masks.

FreshSkin Make Up Away Cleansing Wipes (£8.00)

These wipes are ok, but I’m not sure if they are worth the £8 for 25 wipes.  It says it gently sweeps away impurities and make up, but I found it stung a little on my eyes.  Also, I wasn’t too keen on the smell of these face wipes.  It’s just a personal preference thing, but the chamomile and elderflower smell was a bit strange.  Most face wipes smell identical, whether you buy cheap ones or expensive ones, so I think I was surprised that these smelt different.  They did remove my make up, but I would say no better than my usual cleansing wipes.

Loving Lips Quenching Lip Balm 10ml (£8.00)

I wasn’t very keen on this lip balm.  I found it had a very greasy feel to it and wanted to rub it off straight away.  I am not a fan of using Vaseline on my lips and this felt quite similar to that.  If you like the Vaseline feel, you will probably like this.  It is a clear balm that is very moisturising and is peppermint flavoured.  I normally love all things minty flavoured, but I can’t get over the greasiness.

Skin Glow Exfoliating Face Wash 100ml (£12.00)

This is a great face scrub.  Like most of the products in this range it smells lovely, nice and fruity.  It is rough enough that you can feel that it is scrubbing away all the dead skin, but not too rough that I feel like my whole face is being scrubbed off as well!  It really leaves my skin feeling clean and looking radiant.  I’m not sure if it is worth the £12 though.  I think you can get a face scrub from the high street that is cheaper and does a similar job.

Peachy Perfect Gentle Face Wash 100ml (£12.00)

Again, this product smells gorgeous, quite fruity/citrusy.  It lathers up really well and leaves my skin feeling very clean, but not at all dry.  This seems to go further than the face scrub due to it lathering up so well, so is better value for money.

.

Overall, I think the range has some good and not so good parts.

The day cream and eye cream are my favourites and they really suit my combination/sensitive skin.  The face washes and wipes are pretty standard really and I believe not worth the price that they are.  I think someone 16-24 will be happy to spend a little extra for a really nice cream and less likely to spend more for a face wash, unless it is amazing.

I think the range does fit the needs of the ‘average’ young person’s skin and has some quality products that aren’t too expensive for a young person’s budget.  I will definitely be purchasing the day cream and the eye cream when I run out!

.

Have you tried the Elemis FreshSkin range yet?  Any thoughts?