A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

There are some rather blissful (that’s not even worth a groan of disgust, don’t bother) savings to be made on Bliss products over at the House of Fraser website at the moment.

Savings include…

1. Bliss Blood Orange + White Pepper Soapy Suds – WAS £15.50/NOW £7.50

2. Bliss Mammoth Minty Scrub Soap – WAS £13.50/NOW £6.50

3. Bliss The Love Handler – WAS £31.00/NOW £15.50

With the majority of the savings set at around 50%, they’re not to be sniffed at!

Do you have any Bliss favourites or recommendations?

Irregular shaped bottles of varying sizes, shades and styles – nail polish.

You can’t stack ’em, slot ’em together and there’s only one way up for them!   No wonder they give me a headache.

I have around 208 bottles that were literally overflowing their allotted space in the stackable drawers I’d bought from Asda.  It was time for them to move house…

Into a brand new Ikea Helmer!

Oh, Ikea Helmer… you are the stuff of makeup-lover’s dreams.  Perfectly sized, you’re small enough to be considered compact yet spacious enough to hold our treasures within your functional (but not too officey) exterior!

The Helmers comes in white, red or silver and are priced at just over £20 each.  I own two white Helmers and they hold SO much crap it’s astounding.

If I’m completely honest though, I lust after an Alex:

But at over £80 a-piece, the price difference is hard to justify.

Here’s a quick phone snap of my polishes all snug and comfy in their new home.  Look how perfect they are, all divided by colour and standing to attention!

But my favouritest thing about their new home?  It means I now have plenty of space for more!

How do you store your nail polish – do you own a Helmer?

A luxurious-looking lipstick with a heavy-weight gold case.  The Signature Hydra Lustre range looks a little retro but it’s because of this rather than inspite of it… that it seems to ooze a touch of class.  In other words, I like to twirl the packaging… it makes me feel like a laydee.

Scarlet* is a slightly pink-toned red which will make it a good choice for the warmer weather.  I don’t know about you but the thought of wearing uber red lipstick in the Summer makes me feel a little uneasy, like I’m breaking some unwritten rules or something.

It’s heavily scented, my nose detects fig… it’s pleasant enough but may be off-putting for anyone delicate to scented products.

The formula is a delight, infact so much so – that I’ve already added a few other shades to my swatch list for next time I’m passing Debenhams.  I usually call a lipstick non-drying rather than moisturising… but this one almost edges into moisturisation territory as I can see it practically ‘plumping out’ the furrows in my lips rather than sinking into them.

I would really recommend checking out the Estee Lauder Signature range more closely if you suffer from dry lips.

So, you’d think that with such a lip-friendly lipstick, you’d get similar slip to something like the YSL Rouge Volupte right?  Wrong.  Scarlet applies well with no drag but I’d certainly not class it as ‘glidey’.  It applies like a normal lustre lipstick and wears for a good 5 hours.

Pink reds aren’t generally my favourite shade – so I’d deduct a couple of points for that, I’d recommend swatching on skin before buying incase the bullet colour is a little different to how it transfers.  Also, the swatches on the Estee Lauder website are not good.

Overall though, I’m really impressed, particularly with the formula which delivers everything it promises and then some more for good measure.

Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick in #62 Scarlet is available to buy online from their website, HouseOfFraser and Debenhams or on counter, priced at £18.00

* press sample

So, this is how I imagine the conversation went one day at Eyeko HQ…

“So guysssssss, how about it?”

“How about what?”

“Bile polish, you know… polish, that looks like Bile!”

“???”

“C’mon!  If Chanel can do Shit fingers, we can handle a bit o’ Bile!”

Eyeko Bile Military Polish is a murky brown/green mix that probably triggers equal amounts of joy/repulsion.  I’m… ok with it until the sunlight hits it and the slightly yellow-hued green shows through *gag*.

It’s a two coater with a fairly thick formula, it’s quite glossy on its own but the above photo shows it combined with a quick-dry top coat.  Wear was fine on this, 3 days before tip wear became enough of an issue to warrant removal.

So, it’s not my favourite shade in the world but I’ll tell you something…

Slick this on your toes before your Summer holibobs and you won’t need to put a towel out on the sunbed at 4am.  You’ll be clearing the poolside faster than you can say “fungal infection”.

Eyeko Military Polish is available to buy online from PowderRooms priced at £3.50

We all have a few of these in our collections right?

Those products that we wanted for ages… thought about more frequently than food or sex and then when we eventually found ourselves clutching them in our hot little hands, wished we’d opted for those other thoughts instead.

Here are my current disappointments.

1. Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlelight Powder – £18.50

I have a bit of a ‘thing’ for finishing powders, the right one really makes a huge difference.

The reviews for the Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlelight Powder are generally pretty good but it’s just a bit too sparkly for me.  I’ve tried using different brushes to ensure that I’m not being too heavy handed but I still don’t dig the effect.  It’s a nice powder… but the (albeit minute) particles of glitter seem to catch the light in a sparkly rather than glowy way.

2. Make Up For Ever HD Blush – £21.75

Can’t. Blend. It.

It doesn’t look atrocious but it doesn’t look as well-blended as my other blushes and whilst I’m fully aware, confident even, that the problem lies more with my (lack of) skillz than the product… this knowledge doesn’t make me like it more.

Shame ‘cos the shades I own are gorgeous… *sigh*

3. Benefit Erase Paste Concealer – £18.89

I always thought that Erase Paste was for under the eye area and Boi-oing (or whatever it’s called) was for blemishes but for the life of me, I cannot make this work on my dark circles.  It cakes and gathers in any fine lines within an hour of wear.  It may be heavy duty in terms of coverage but I’m not willing to comprimise about 10 years of my youth for a bit of concealing.

I’ve tried: warming it up before using/buffing it in with a brush/patting it on with my ring finger/setting it with powder/a combination of all the above!  Disappointing.

4. Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation – £21.50

I bought this with the hope of mixing it with a moisturiser and really being able to control the amount of coverage I achieved.  It gives the ‘death mask’ look when worn alone… which is fine for a night out but unwearable (for me) during the day.  I’m fine with this though, I expected it… what I’m not fine with is the fact that everytime I try to use it, it’s separated and takes about 5 minutes to combine with vigorous shaking.

What products in your collection do you wish you loved more?  Are you like me and can’t bring yourself to ditch them incase you suddenly get an a-ha moment?

~ The Lip Print gets the Smooth Infusion treament thanks to Aveda and Oscar Oscar salons.

~ The Pink Sith invites you to marvel at the Givenchy Prisme Yeux Quatour in Candide Garden, which is a nice departure from tired old Spring pastels.

~ Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More introduces a dupe for MAC’s Ripe Peach blush: Sleek’s Life’s a Peach!

~ Got a craving for something sweet? well, Krasey Beauty has swatches and a full look into the MAC Cosmetics Quite Cute collection!

~ LaaLaa may not have been wearing makeup so much as of late but that doesn’t mean her brushes have been neglected. Take a look on Dolce Vanity how she deep cleanses her brushes.

~ Tracy@Beauty Reflections got to try the new Sebastian Color Ignite Line and it whipped her hair into condition!

~ My Lips But Better put OPI Black Shatter to the test under various conditions – see the results!

~ L from Beautifully Addicted To re-discovers a favourite foundation in Bourjois 10hr Sleep Effect.

~ Jellyminx shares a super simple Nail Art tutorial.

~ Kimberly from KimmieKarmaLove learns to Bite the Bullet and to wear a black base!

~ Madame B Fatale has a tutorial on soft green and purple eyes.

~ Are you having problems with your foundation? Check out Spiced Beauty’s HDsecret.

~ Alyson at The Gloss Menagerie has some Inglot AMC lipgloss swatches to share with you!

~ At Music and Makeup Jo can’t stop raving about a £1.50 Accessorize eye dust bargain and features it in this face of the day.

~ Spring is here, so Mariella at Musing on Beauty reunites with her fake tan and reviews Clarins Delectable Self Tanning Mousse.

~ Daily Polish has teamed up with a top London salon to give away a FREE Minx or Shellac Manicure or Pedicure! Enter now!

~ theNotice is giving away two rather surprising products that’ll get your skin summer-ready in no time flat. Find out what they are!

Hold on to your retinas, this one’s a scorcher!  SpaRitual Knowledge is Power is a stunner.

Not only is it a stunner but I think it has special powers.  I wore this the other day at the gym and even though I was HALFWAY through a 5 minute run, looking down at this shade on my tips cheered me up.  Magic.

Very nearly neon but not quite.  This one needs a top coat to bring back the shine as it does dry semi-matte, something not uncommon with shades as bright as this.

Mr. L hates this shade on me but I love it.  I feel just like Barbie, minus the boobs.  Ok, with the boobs, minus the waist.

If you wanna play Barbie too, you can buy it online from SpaRitual priced at £8.50

This week’s, question of the week…

What’s your skin care routine?

At night, I always remove my makeup with either a cleansing oil, balm or gel before following up with a cream-based non-drying cleanser (currently loving the new Bare Escentuals Purifying Facial Cleanser helped along with my Clarisonic).

I only use toner in the Summer (never astringent) and depending on how my skin is behaving, I alternate between facial oils and cream moisturisers.  I love a good eye cream and serum, especially if it promises to calm sensitised skin (currently in love with SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective) and once or twice a week, I’ll exfoliate with a chemical exfoliator like Alpha H Liquid Gold.

In the mornings, I’m much less high-maintenance.  I’ll splash some water on my face and a small amount of cleanser, pop on my Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream and sunscreen and I’m done!

EauMG – What flower makes you think of spring? Here’s a review of pretty British line’s Penhaligon’s Lily of the Valley.

Nouveau Cheap – Shows you exactly why the new Milani Baked Blushes live up to their hype.

Lipglossiping – wonders if O.P.I’s mini collection of flower-themed polishes will have you scrabbling to paint yourselves PINK this Summer?!

Orange to LA – Finds a new fun way to dye your hair with Clairol Nice n’ Easy Color Blend Foam. Shake it, Foam it, Love it!

Pink Sith – Joeybunny on the Pink Sith Blog gives you an Introduction to Concrete Minerals. Read at your own risk because after you do, you’ll be buying them too!

Phyrra – tells you about CandyLens.com & Geo Angel Circle Lenses! See if you like them!

Vampy Varnish – MAC Primed for Perfection Are you primed and ready?

we heart this – we ask “how cute?” MAC answers – “quite!” Our MAC Quite Cute photos, swatches and review

Beauty Junkies Unite – reviews the newest mascara from Too Faced, Size Queen Mascara. Look at that brush!

Clumps of Mascara – is absolutely loving E.L.F.’s makeup brushes. $3 for a skunk for a skunk brush? Wowsers!

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How about you ladies?  I’d love to hear how in depth your skincare routines go!

Aside from being completely in love with the name, I’ve fallen pretty heavily for the polish too!

Ciate Velvet Tuxedo is a lovely gunmetal grey with some rather special multi-coloured micro shimmer!  Sadly, the shimmer is pretty much undetectable in my photo so you’ll have to trust me that it’s there if you look closely enough!

The formula on this one was a delight and practically opaque in a single coat.  I did two coats more out of habit than necessity.  So, it’s not a very Spring/Summer shade… but do keep this one in mind next Winter because I can’t see you  being disappointed by its performance!

Ciate Velvet Tuxedo is priced at £9.00 and available to buy online from PowderRooms.

Are you a gunmetal fan?

For the love of all things shimmery, creme-y and smelling of solvent will someone PLEASE stock Diamond Cosmetics nail polishes in the UK again?

It was a dark, dark day when Flashy Nails closed and took with it the last (as far as I’m aware) of the UK stock.

Let’s have a quick recap of what we’re missing…

Yeah… we don’t really need much more convincing than that do we?  But just incase you do…

And some of the ones I haven’t gotten round to swatching yet…

Did I mention these used to retail at around $2.50 a bottle in the U.S.?  Don’t make me beg now…

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So, UK ladies – are you with me?  Who do we have to bribe with fudge to get our own way… and just how much fudge are we talking!?

…please read this.

Picture the scene, you’ve spent the last two years growing and shaping a blog that shares your passion with hundreds of thousands of people around the world.  You started with nothing and poured long days and late nights into developing a brilliant blog that becomes your livelihood.

One day, some non-entity wakes up and decides they need a catchy name for their business.  They come across your well-established blog, like the name and think “I want a bit of that!”.  Instead of putting in even 1% of the effort you have, they decide to ride your coat-tails and appropriate your branding for their website, blog and other social media outlets.

As if that wasn’t bad enough… they begin the proceedings to trademark this name they have no right to using.  Which means that if they are successful, you won’t be allowed to continue using your blog name.  You lose your internet identity.  For good.

This is exactly what’s happening to Amber at Shoeperwoman – a blog I’ve lusted over for many years.

Please head over to Shoeperwoman and have a read of the story, it’s both eye-opening and sad.  Bloggers generally don’t have the means to protect their identities through the formal channels… we don’t start our endeavours with our business heads on but by God we should fight for what is ours.

Please RT, link to and help spread the word about Amber’s story.  You can follow Shoeperwoman on twitter, here.

I’ve featured vegan, polish brand SpaRitual on the blog before and thought you might like to take a peek at their 2011 Spring Collection, Truth.

6 Spring shades, 6 pretty cremes (do I spy an uber trendy yellow?!)

Knowledge is Power: Hot Pink Creme
Reveal Yourself: Pastel Lilac Creme
Circle of Life: Vibrant Blue Creme
Enlightened Soul: Yellow Creme
Eye of the Beholder: Grassy Green Creme
Face of Destiny: Peach Creme

Are you liking the look of any of these?  I’ve got swatches of Knowledge is Power and Circle of Life coming up soon!

SpaRitual polishes are priced at £8.50 each and available to buy online.