A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I wanna know… are there any brands out there who don’t do cosmetics that you think absolutely SHOULD?!

I was thinking about this because back in the Summer (remember that? No, me neither), I had the opportunity to meet Liz Earle alongside two other bloggers and one of the questions that was put to her was about the possibility of the brand branching into natural cosmetics.

She answered with a wry smile and a slight twinkle in her eye, I’m thinking it might be a case of “watch this space”… but apart from that little bombshell… it got me to thinking…

.

Which brands would you love to see come out with a cosmetic line?

It could be anyone!  From B&Q(erm) to Heinz… from Vivienne Westwood (did that happen in Asia already?) to Apple!

Just don’t say McDonalds.  .

Because they shouldn’t.  Ever.

…geddit? rides? as in horses… as in cowboys? as in Tex… oh forget it.

Due for UK release in February, OPI will be introducing 12 new shades for their Spring/Summer collection which takes it’s inspiration from the U.S’ 2nd largest state.

Talking of O.P.I (which, I quite clearly will until I get bored)… does anyone know what O.P.I stands for?

No googling… no cheating… I DO actually know (‘cos I cheated) but that’s not the point.  Let’s pretend it could stand for ANYTHING!  In your mental little world, tell me what O.P.I would stand for?

For me and my bank account, it would have to be something like… Overall Purse Invaders.  I read one on Google that proferred “Ohmygod Pooh Inside” – I chuckled, though being over the age of 4… I probably shouldn’t have.

Um.  Where was I?  Oh yeah…  Texas Collection!

San Tan-tonio – The Perfect Honey Tan
Y’all Come Back Ya Hear? – Texan Tangerine
Guy Meets Gal-veston – “Engaging” Coral
Big Hair… Big Nails – Rosy Blush

I Vant To Be A-Lone Star – Starry Silver-Blue
It’s Totally Fort Worth It – Shimmering Lavender Grey
Austin-tatious Turquoise – Bodacious Blue Green
Don’t Mess With OPI – Lean, mean kick-grass Green

Too Hot Pink to Hold ‘Em – A hot pink winning hand
Do You Think I’m Tex-y – A ‘berry’ sexy shade
Houston We Have A Purple – Galactic violet
Suzi Loves Cowboys – Rich campfire chocolate

I couldn’t make the preview but have already picked a personal favourite (or two) after having looked at Helen’s shots from the event.

Her swatch shot:

image used with kind permission from JustNiceThings

Are there any shades in particular standing out amongst this little lot for you guys?

After seeing the swatch shot over at Just Nice Things – I’m lusting after It’s Totally Fort Worth It, but do have my reservations on how many coats I might need to apply to get the look I want from this jelly finish.

Other than that?  I’m not sure… nothing is filling me with overwhelming excitement, however… O.P.I (more than any other brand) have the ability to create slow burners for me.  I’m actually still indulging in the odd Swiss Collection bottle that I’ve now decided over a month after release that I simply cannot live without.

The O.P.I Texas Spring/Summer 2011 Nail Collection will be released in the UK in February, priced at £9.95 a bottle and avilable from LenaWhite.

The latest in lash boosting technology comes to us this month from French fashion house Givenchy.

Never a brand to shy away from treating us to a bizarrely designed applicator (Givenchy Phenomen’Eye anyone?) they’ve gone a step further and created a product that claims to be “the first applicator to massage lashes”.

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”They Say” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”a9a9a9″]

Mister Lash Booster unveils a unique applicator.  It’s flexible and slanted brush is the only one with tiny soft spikes.

Their purpose?  To gently massage the eyelashes roots.

Their effect?  Not only do the massaging spikes help the formula penetrate deep into each and every lash, but they also gently stimulate the skin’s microcirculation.

The result?  Lashes are provided with the conditioning nutrients they need to grow, increasing health and vigour by tenfold.

As lashes become healthier, thicker and stronger, fewer will fall out particularly when applying make-up.

[/stextbox]

Don’t confuse this for a growth system, it’s a fortifying serum designed to protect and prolong the life of the lashes you already have rather than boost the growth of new ones.  It also claims to extend the wear of your mascara and help it apply more evenly if used prior to mascara application.

I was pleasantly surprised by the price tag… at £19.50, it’s a reasonable alternative for those of us worried about the side effects of the more notorious lash solutions on the market.

Givenchy Mister Lash Booster (£19.50) is on counter now and a permanent addition to the line.

~ Phyrra’s Indie Spotlight for October is with Amy of Sugarpill Cosmetics!

~ Check out this great Splurge vs Steal over at Prime Beauty. Cindy did a look with both palettes–can you guess which is which?

~ Sophie shows her amazing Sleek Makeup prize package that she won, lots of goodies included!!!

~ My Lips But Better swatches MAC’s upcoming holiday collection, A Tartan Tale.

~ Lisamarie from Beauty Crazed checks out new products from Olay Regenerist and wonders if they will be as popular as the last one!

~ Sarah from IHeartCosmetics shows swatches of her collection of Korres Colour Cherry Oil Lipgloss.

~ The Lip Print discovers a cheap and cheerful treat for shoppers on a budget.

~ Eyelining has a look at a rather pretty multitasking marvel from Rituals.

~ Amy Antoinette organises her makeup collection and showcases her new dressing table.

~ Has Emma finally found her HG foundation? Head over to BirdsDecorateBranches to see if YSL Teint Resist might just be yours too!

~ Pink Diva’s Beauty Spot loves all of the pink beauty products for Breast Cancer Research month. Check out some of her favourites.

~ Retrodiva checks out Annemarie Borlind to see if going natural is possible with oily and breakout prone skin.

~ TheGlossGoss reviews her Haus Of Gloi haul. Halloween themed products — perfect for the Autumn season!

~ theNotice takes an early look at Clinique’s Strawberry Fudge Holiday 2010 collection (yes, with swatches) and loves it!

~ Good bye Neutrals, Hello Drama! Jenn spices it up over at Spiced Beauty.

~ Jeweled Thumb shows evidence that makeup is magic!

~ Pink Sith says you can’t put a price on FEELING pretty. Come find out why she thing Guerlain Meteorites Voyage Compact is the bee’s knees!

~ Are you made for ‘Fire and Ice’? Over at The Glamorous Gleam, Mz. More compares the legendary Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Fire and Ice to other red lipsticks in her collection.

***

~ Audrey Dao has 2 giveaways going on for the month of October. Check them out now before it’s too late….

~ Mein link: Win a basket full of beauty products from Boot’s on Beauty Woo Me.

~ Daily Polish celebrates reaching the 1 year mark of daily posts of new polishes and manicures with a giveaway where the first prize is worth over £200!

~ Jellyminx has a spooky giveaway, enter before it closes on Halloween!!

When I heard about Paul & Joe’s new Creamy Matte Foundation, my first thought was to get all indignant about a brand releasing a winter formula that ticks all the right boxes, only to ruin it by making it matte and unsuitable for dry skins that need the cream formula most of all!

Like most, my skin is at it’s most parched in the Winter and although it’s only October, I’ve already written “Dr. Hauschka Rose Day cream” in my iPhone’s shopping list to remember to repurchase this winter skin saviour when I’m next in London.

Beautifully presented as always, the Paul & Joe Creamy Matte Foundation boasts SPF20 PA++ and a range of 8 shades to suit a variety of skintones.  £28 will provide you with a standard 30ml of product that claims…

…this light and air whipped‐formula leaves skin looking completely flawless with a dreamy matte finish for absolute perfection.  With a unique balance of semi‐matte and shimmer this unique moisturizing foundation available in an array of eight shades, promises a divine lustrous glow, sure to steam up your winter!

High up in the list of active ingredients are a bunch of silicones which give the foundation a velvety feel on the skin whilst preventing oil from breaking through the surface of the product for as long as possible.  There’s also a few fruit oils thrown in for good measure and the product does have a pleasing slightly fruity scent… but that may be more to do with the parfum than the natural ingredients.  Either way, I’ve experienced no sensitivity problems with this product I’m pleased to report.

Have I told you how much I adore P&J’s presentation?  Oh I have?  Oh… ok then…

But seriously, who doesn’t love a product that blatantly looks this adorable?  The heavyweight frosted glass jar comes with a little spatula to help you remove product hygienically.  However, I can’t say it’s the most travel-friendly object!

I opted for shade #20 (Fresh) which promised to be: A light pink that gives a radiant complexion. To my eye, it’s not that light.  It is the palest cool-toned shade in the range and I have to blend this carefully down my jawline.  I would suggest that any pale types opt for either 00 Alabaster or 10 Ivory, or even better… use it as an excuse to have a mooch around Fenwicks on a lunchtime and get matched!

Thankfully, it is a dream to blend… I mostly just warm it on the back of my hand with my fingers and apply with the tools I was born with (fingers, not toes).  The amount of coverage simply amazed me.

Here’s a before/after:

Look at that! Skin PERFECTION! (well, very nearly!)

Paul & Joe’s Creamy Matte Foundation is a beautiful new contender for the winter foundation market.  It looks great, stays on my normal/dry skin for most of the day with just a minor powder touch up needed on my nose at lunchtime and it gives a full-on flawless finish.

As for it’s “moisturising properties”?  I’m yet to discover any.  I don’t find it as drying as most matte or long-lasting foundations and it doesn’t seem to cling to any dry patches at all… but I wouldn’t describe it as moisturising.

The other thing about it?  It’s not mask-like.  I love my Illamasqua Rich Liquid foundation for the evening… but would never venture out in the day wearing it.  It’s just too opaque.  This somehow lets my natural skin and tone remain clear whilst hiding a multitude of other sins!

Overall, I would particularly recommend Paul & Joe’s Creamy Matte Foundation for those of you with normal/combination oily skin.  If you suffer from an oily t-zone but dry cheeks, be sure to moisturise any dry areas before applying and you should get great skin all day long with this foundation.

Paul & Joe have really been impressing me recently, I can’t wait to see what they have for Spring!

Paul & Joe’s Creamy Matte Foundation is priced at £28 for 30ml and available instore at Fenwicks & Harrods or alternatively online at BeautyBay.

I was on the lookout for a true peach blush but I couldn’t decide whether I wanted matte or shimmer…. I do love my shimmers but it’s mattes that consistently give me the best results on my skin.

I was walking round John Lewis a couple of weeks ago checking out all the peaches at ALL the counters (I don’t do brand discrimination when I’m on a hunt) and my eyes alighted on this little number:

I don’t actually own a Dior blush… so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.  I find Dior can sometimes be a little hit and miss in terms of texture and pigment but on my pale skin, a slightly less pigmented blush can work just as well if not better.

I took the plunge!

Check it out!  Matte on the left, shimmer on the right – you CAN have your cake and eat it too!

The shimmer side is very finely milled and adds a touch of glow to the long-lasting and overall matte appearance.  It’s a great combination for shimmer/matte fence-sitters like me!  The strange thing about this blush is that although it looks scarily peach in the pan (I did have a little wobble after buying it because of this)… it actually ends up looking pretty pinky/peach on my cheeks.  Which in fairness, is probably for the best.

(A terrible patchy swatch, I’m sorry… it looks quite ruddy here.  I’ll do a FOTD when bruises have gone)

I only need to pull my brush across the surface once to pick up enough product and I do notice a little bit of excess powder lift on the pan (what’s the term for that? – when you have to blow on the pan after to get rid of the excess powder?) but it applies smoothly and blends nicely.  I really don’t have any complaints about this blush at all.  Apart from perhaps the price… but I didn’t go to the Dior counter expecting to get a Sleek bargain now did I?

I paid £27.50 for this and am truly delighted to have done so… more DiorBlush! More!

Available online and on counter, do you ladies have any other shades that you’d recommend a hopeless addict?

Following the roaring success of Estee Lauder’s previous nail polish release and the fact that I simply couldn’t have anymore love for Surreal Violet than I do, I had super high hopes for their Christmas collection.

I was given Extravagant Pearl at a recent event and I have really mixed thoughts on it.

Extravagant Pearl is one of two polish releases for Christmas 2010, the other being Extravagant Night (a dark plum with mesmerising micro-glitter).  Looking at Extravagant Pearl in the bottle, I expected it to be a sheer, layering polish… it isn’t.  The above shows three thin coats and if you don’t mind a visible nail line, you could be done in two.  Oddly enough, the reviews I’ve read of the darker Extravagant Night show that one to be a 4 coater!

Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent…

Extravagant Pearl is quite a difficult colour to describe… but I think I’d call it NARS Albatross in a nail polish.  A pale, warm gold with shimmer.  Lots of shimmer.  A little too much for me.

It looks quite frosty and for some reason makes my normally narrow nails look wide and fat.  It needed a top coat too thanks to the micro-glitter making the surface of the nail quite gritty to the touch.

I want to love this shade, I really do… it is packed so completely full of beautiful multi-coloured sparkle in the bottle I was sure I would be on cloud nine with this on my nails.  But I’m just not feeling it.

I tried layering it over black to see if I loved it more… I still don’t.

Urgh, what’s wrong with me?  It’s clearly very pretty and sparkly and totally Christmassy.  It even works well against my skintone… perhaps I just don’t like frosts?

Wear has been marvellous… 3 days now with no tip wear at all though it was a little slow to dry between coats.

What do you guys think?  Am I crazy for not loving it?

Estee Lauder Extravagant Pearl is a Limited Edition shade released as part of the EL Christmas/Holiday Collection.  It’s available online or on counter and priced at £12.

Considering that it’s something I’ve been doing since the age of 15, I’m a bit embarrassed to come to the realisation that I know practically nothing about the actual process of hair colouring.

I started going grey when I was 17 and I’ve now reached the point where unless I’m happy to embrace a more natural look (I’m not), I need to dye my hair every 6-8 weeks.

Thankfully, home hair dye technology has reached a stage where it’s pretty darn fantastic.  We can all go to our local chemist and pick up Salon quality products to take home with us at a fraction of the price.

Tints of Nature, based in the New Forest are a local brand to me.  Well, compared to many brands, they’re local to all of us as their products are manufactured within the UK.  Their niche is in the natural hair market where they provide colourants, shampoos and treatments designed to be as gentle on your hair as possible.

The colourants contain no ammonia, sulfates or resorcinol and are paraben free.

Divided into two clear groups: The Natural Colours & The Fashion Colours, both offer permanent coverage.  Sadly, only the Natural Colours are recommended for covering grey hair which for someone like me, rules out the more adventurous shades as I cannot compromise on complete coverage.

I was sent a pack of the Natural Colour permanent dye in shade 2N Natural Darkest Brown for review consideration and I was curious to see how well it would blend with the colour already present once my roots got to that “Oh my god, you ARE NOT leaving the house looking like that” stage.

Perhaps not the most stylish or eye-catching packaging design, what the product lacks in kerb appeal it makes up for in eco-credentials as all components are recycled and recyclable.

You apply as you would any other dye, so it thankfully wasn’t too much for my puny brain to cope with on a Monday evening.

The results were good, natural and all grey was covered well as promised.  I’m not the neatest home hair-dyer in the world and one thing this product excelled at was the oh-so-important “will it come off your ear lobes” test!  It was also  less fumey than my usual Superdrug dye.

At £8.99 a pack, it’s also heading towards being twice the price of my regular product.  I think it’s something I would make the effort to pick up whenever I felt that my hair needed a break from the harsher products on the market.  Do you ever get hair dyers guilt?  When you know that your ends are feeling a bit frazzled but you HAVE to fix those roots?  This is when I’d call on the Tints of Nature range to help me out of a jam.

Tints of Nature products are available to buy online and in certain stockists.  Check the website for details.

Whilst Illamasqua’s Viridian was released with a flourish and huge interest from nail bloggers excited to see the emerald green featured in the campaign shots… not quite so much was said about Scarab, Viridian’s quieter and more conventional sister polish.

Which is a bit of a shame, because as you can see… it’s a proper Autumn/Winter beauty!

Scarab is an almost sanguine red with flecks of copper fire that really come to life when caught by the light.  This was the other item I was sent from the Art of Darkness collection… I very nearly squealed when I first took it out of the box!

It’s true to bottle colour and as with most Illamasqua polishes I’ve tried… applies beautifully and is practically opaque in one coat.

I do have one issue with this polish though… wear.  I had enough tip wear to bother me by the end of the second day and I don’t usually suffer with that at all until the 3rd day.  I should absolutely point out that this was whilst wearing it layered over another polish for my Ruffian manicure.  I shall wear it alone and report back/edit as necessary.

Illamasqua polishes are on the pricey side and Scarab will set you back £13.00 if you choose to indulge.  You can buy online or on counter.

I am a bit partial to these lovely bag charms that brands are indulging us with at the moment.  First Clinique and now luxe British fashion house Burberry…

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”They Say” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”b0c4de”]

Latest addition to the Burberry Beauty collection.

Limited edition Burberry Beauty Lip Charm takes inspiration from the Burberry Beauty and Burberry.

Accessories collections featuring iconic Burberry gun metal check casing and trench-coloured outer packaging.

Lip gloss within available in Nude Beige taken from the signature Burberry Beauty colour palette.

[/stextbox]

It’s on counter this month in Harrods, priced at an eye-wateringly indulgent £69

A dead camera has meant that I haven’t been able to get a review up on the Illamasqua goodies I was sent from the Art of Darkness Collection until now… apologies that I’m so late with this.

I was sent the Powdered Metal in Ether from the recent Art of Darkness collection and am sharing some pics and quick thoughts on it with you today.

(I was also sent the new nail polish in Scarab).

The product comes in a large mineral powder-esque tub and includes an application sponge for decolletage (booby) application.

I do like Illamasqua’s simple, sleek and stylish packaging.  I can always find their products quickly in my collection thanks to the unique bevelled edges and glossy blacks.  Lovely.

The sifter dispenses quite a substantial amount thanks to the large holes.  The powder is extremely soft and finely milled… a product you most definitely wouldn’t want to sneeze in the general direction of!  You’d be seeing sparkles for months!

Ether is a pale yellow/gold shimmering highlighter.  It’s packed with sparkle that’s refined and non-chunky.

The yellow tone doesn’t show up on my skin or alter the colour of my base at all once blended.  It’s incredibly subtle and just gives a warmer rather than cooler highlight.  I tried my hardest to capture an image of the actual sparkle once blended and failed pretty miserably.

The above image was taken as the sun was setting… hence the super warm tone to my skin.  Can you make out the sparkles?

So what do I think of Illamasqua’s Powdered Metal in Ether?  **rambly stream of consciousness alert**

I think it’s an extremely versatile product but I’m just not sure how often I would reach for it.  Out of sheer laziness, if something’s gonna sparkle… I prefer it to be in a more controllable pressed form.  I’m not giving Ether enough credit by admitting this though because in truth, I think it might be more beautiful than my NARS Albatross (of which I’m a huge fan).  So that’s saying something.

And then I start thinking about the benefits to providing the powdered metal in this form…

I could add a small amount directly into my foundation to create a softly luminous base.  Heck, I could even mix some into my body lotion…

I could mix a little directly into my sealing gel for an allover wash of eye colour, I could even dip a lip brush into it to glam up my lipstick.  The possibilities are generally far greater with a loose powdered product.

At £22 for 15g of product compared to £19.50 for 4.8g of NARS Albatross… Ether is ticking all the right boxes in all the right places.

I’m thinking that perhaps I should lose the lazy approach.

I’m gonna try some of the options I listed above and will attempt a FOTD with the foundation option.  It probably won’t show up… but I’ll give it a go!

Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether is priced at £22 and available on counter or online

…shame about the picture though.

I chose Precision – Party Like a Rockstar for the gold under-layer because of it’s hawt metallic qualities.  Over the top, I added Illamasqua Scarab to create a nice, Wintery feeling manicure.

Unfortunately, the flash firing in the photos simply shows Party Like a Rockstar as a solid yellow and not the beautiful metallic gold that it is in reality.

I was a lot easier to achieve that I thought it would be… a little bit of patience is honestly all that’s needed.

For a great how-to on the Ruffian inspired manicure, check out one of my favourite nail blogs Lacquerized.

I can’t even tell you how many people admired my nails yesterday… oh ok, about 9 separate people and they ALL wanted to give it a go for themselves once I explained how it was achieved.

Have you attempted Ruffian Nails yet?  Which colours do you think would work best together?