A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Just a little something I slaved over last night…

Something I would dearly love to improve is the navigation of this site.  I’ve always been a good girl and ‘tagged’ my posts with relevant info and made sure to pop it in it’s correct category… but I just think it could be better.

And this is my first step…

THE WALL OF NAILS!

Apart from making me realise how many bottles of nail polish I must own (eek), it’s made me realise that I hate any and all kinds of organisation.  I was gonna turn all the photos the right way up… but I got bored.  I was gonna categorise the polishes by colour… but I got bored.  I was gonna… well, you get the idea.

You can hover your mouse over one of the small photos and it will display the shade name.  You can click one of the images and it will take you to the relevant post.  Nifty eh?

Now, I just gotta keep it updated! *ahem*

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I’d REALLY love to hear what you guys think about the site navigation and if you have any bright ideas of how to make it more accessible, I’m all ears!

Stay Pout… Stay Put… get it?

I didn’t… It took Mr. L almost 3 minutes of explaining to make me realise that there was a play on words in effect here.  In the end… to save face, I told him to shut up and stop playing with my lipsticks.  He shut up.

I received samples of the new Barbara Daly range last week and have been putting their claims of longevity to the test.  But first, let me show you a few shades…

Diva is a slightly cool-toned red that I’m finding very wearable.  It’s not OHMYGODYOU’REWEARINGREDLIPSTICK red.  More, OOHLALAYOUHASREDLIPS red.  Subtle nuances are really crucial.  On my lips, In The Pink is a warm-toned creamy medium pink.  Very nice.

Perfect is a dark nude… a light swipe gives a ‘my lips but better’ appearance.  Finally, Autumn is a medium brown toned shade which leans slightly more to rose than bronze.  It’s a good shade if you fancy dipping your toes into the whole ‘brown lipstick’ thing which seems to be a bit of an Autumn trend.

I know I look tired, that’s ‘cos I’m wearing no makeup from the lips up!  Got home yesterday, took it all off and then remembered that I hadn’t lip swatched any of the shades!  Above, I’m wearing In The Pink and I’m surprised at how much deeper it looks on my lips than it does in the swatch.  I think it would be worth making use of those instore testers on the back of your hands ladies!

Longevity is pretty impressive… I munched my way through a bowl of ice cream and a cup of tea.  Despite leaving some lipstick stains on the spoon, I still had plenty of coverage on my lips.  The texture is a little varied throughout the shades I tried.  Diva is quite hard and drags when applying but Perfect is really very creamy indeed.  They smell pretty cheap, that old lady lipstick smell that makes you grateful for MAC’s vanilla scented offerings.  Still… you can’t smell them once they’re applied.

As a long-lasting lipstick… these aren’t hydrating and after a couple of hours will accentuate the furrows on your lips.  I’ve tried applying over a thin layer of balm and that makes all the difference to negating any dryness.

My final criticism of these is that they don’t wear so evenly.  On most shades, it’s not a problem… but wearing Diva began to leave me with a heavier outline of red after a few hours.  Easily remedied by smooshing my lips together to redistribute… but kinda uncool if someone else catches you before you get the chance to notice.  I’m gonna nickname this phenomenon, the RROD (Red Ring of Death)… Xbox fans take cover.  Having said that, the last time I wore my True Red Revlon Colorburst, I was so embarrassed to realise that half of it had transferred to my gnashers.  I had absolutely no transfer to my big bunny-like front teeth with any of these lipsticks.

Competitively priced at £5 each and available from Tesco, the Barbara Daly Stay Pout lipsticks should be available instore now.  My pick of the bunch is Perfect.

As ever, and due to timezone differences… I’m shamelessly stealing last week’s poll from the lovely Karen!

1. Mood:

Tired… it’s 1.36am and Leila is unsettled.  I’ve been in to her 3 times in the last 20 minutes.  We may be in for a long night.

2. Do you ever fall asleep on public transportation?

No, but I dearly wish I could!  Ok, maybe not on the bus or tube, but the 1.5hr train ride into London (and back) always drags.  I’d love to be able to sleep through it.  I’m such a paranoid Annie though… I’d be terrified someone would rifle through my handbag whilst I was away with the fairies.  Or worse, a fellow passenger might twitpic a photo of me with my mouth wide open… dribbling.

3. If you could wave a magic wand and instantly change one thing about your hair this morning, what would it be?

I’d stop my scalp from being so sore and flakey.  I’m working on a solution… time to go SLS free perhaps?

4. Fragrance?

Estee Lauder – Beautiful

5. One of your favorite childhood toys?

The family’s ZX Spectrum was very well used, but I was a touch too young to fully appreciate it.  So I’d have to say the Sega Megadrive that I bought secondhand out of the local paper and took to France every year for the long summer holidays.  It kept me and my friends well occupied on rainy days.  Ahhh, now I wanna game of Desert Strike!

6. Last thing that made you really, REALLY happy?

Going geocaching in the woods with Leila yesterday.  She got out of the pushchair and was able to properly explore a new environment for the first time under her own steam.  She was all brave and kept getting ahead of herself.  Watching how excited she got when she saw her Daddy coming back from the car damn near MELTED me.

7. Do you wear a watch?

No, never.  I’m the annoying one that always asks for the time.

8. I’m loving…

Um, honestly?  Iceland ready meals.  Oh god – what an admission.  I know they’re unhealthy, but I can’t believe how much free time I’m clawing back not preparing stuff from scratch!  I’m also loving my new storage from Wilkinsons (thanks Yinka!)

9. Outfit:

So dull you really wouldn’t be interested.

10. Weekly goals:

Ready for a list as long as your arm?

Do the mountain(s) of washing that are piling up in the bathroom, blitz the house, fill previously mentioned storage drawers, keep on top of replying to my lovely blog comments, become an overnight millionaire, not buy any makeup (I need a week’s frugality), be nicer to my parents, chase up some broken promises and start looking for local nurseries for L.  EEK!

Ohhh crap, I’m supposed to be starting the Cambridge Diet this week too… I’m not sure I’m ready to give up food just yet *shuffles feet*.

On Thursday evening I unzipped my purse and shook it’s contents onto the desk infront of me.

Once the dust had settled and the moths had flown off to pastures new, I discovered that I had just enough left for one polish (we’ll ignore the little Chanel haul that spontaneously occurred the next day).

There was really only one polish the money could have been reserved for…

Butter London‘s All Hail McQueen!  A neutral beige/nude shade with a ton of holographic sparkle!  Ok, so it’s not the most sparkliest holographic in the world… but when the sun catches it, it sure is purdy!

Plus, I don’t own a beige holographic polish… are there any others about?

The formula on this polish is a joy.  Thin, smooth and heavily pigmented… 2 careful coats will give you enough opacity to lose the visible nail line, three will give you a perfect finish.  Thanks to the thin formula, drying time is great aswell.

I’ve just gone back to Zuneta (who delivered blisteringly quickly btw!) to pick up Victoriana.  I’m sorely tempted by Marrow too, heck, I’ve been banging on about it since NYFW… but the swatches I’ve seen so far are holding me back.  It’s lost that dusky, durgy quality the Vena Cava mix had.

Anyway, what do you think of All Hail McQueen?

If you know what the heck that title refers to, you get extra marshmallows on your hot chocolate.  If not, move along please… nothing to see here!

Candles are something that often get ‘lumped in’ with the beauty category… is it because they’re considered a bit of a pampering indulgence?  Buying an expensive candle is a bit like striking a match and setting fire to a couple of £20 notes after all… no?

With the rampaging toddler, I don’t get the opportunity to burn as many candles as I’d like.  I have my Annick Goutal treasure that I stroke lovingly and sniff wistfully, but if anyone were to put flame to wick, I’d do them some serious damage.

Here’s four candles that are on my radar at the moment:

Elemis, Daisy-Spa Candle (£25) – Daisy, Banana and Freesia.  Good grief, I actually can’t think of a more enticing combination right now.  Fresh and energising but with that fruity, tropical hit from the banana. Yum!  Available to buy online from TimeToSpa here.

Malin + Goetz, Neroli Scented Candle (£29) – I adore the spicy, bitter notes of Neroli… it’s far more complex than just plain citrus.  Neroli is one of the greatest scents for relaxation, this looks like a prime candidate for the bathroom!

Malin + Goetz candles can be purchased online at Liberty.

The Body Shop, Sandalwood & Ginger Scented Candle (£10) – Mmmmm Ginger… Are you noticing a recurring theme here?  I have a bit of a thing for foodie smells!  Bananas, Oranges… Ginger.  Sandalwood seems to smell different to me depending on the product, it’s quite variable… but the warm smell of ginger is an eternal favourite of mine.

Competitively priced at only £10, The Body Shop have a new selection of boxed candles to tempt you.  The Green Tea & Lemon one also sounds like a winner!

The Make Up Store, Your Valentine Scented Candle (£35) – Having had a good old sniff of the candles on display at The Make Up Store’s Carnaby Street shopfront, I can confirm that most of the scents are indeed, delicious!  A little pricey though at £35 each.

Your Valentine offers intoxicating notes such as Bergamot, Cyclamen, Vanilla and Praline… I’ve got the munchies again!  Available instore only.

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What do you think of such frivolities?  Do you have any favourite candles that you return to time and time again?

I have the inimitable Pink Sith to thank for this Swatch Saturday.  When she told me all about it’s magical powers of taupeness, I knew I had to have it.  I’m not even gonna bother with a review, just read hers… it answers all the questions you’d ever need to ask.

Oh taupe haters (I know you’re out there), look away now.

Love it.  And I should bloody well think so too at £19.50.

Having said that, it’s a shade that I know is gonna see a LOT of use.  I’m already wearing it today smudged along my lashline as a liner.

Chanel Taupe Grisé #87 is Limited Edition, so if you think it may be for you too… head down to your nearest counter to have a play.

~ Phyrra shows you Meow’s Friday the 13th Collection, just in time for Friday the 13th!

~ Louise wonders about the Thierry Mugler wisdom of Womanity.

~ Lismarie from Beauty Crazed opens up Pandora’s Box – Pandora’s Makeup Box that is!

~ Take a look at swatches of Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipglosses and see what Sophie thinks of them.

~ The fish pedicure has come to London via Aqua Sheko and Beautywoome tries it out.

~ Lipglossiping has the scoop on the NARS Christmas Bento Box Lip Set that EVERYONE will want, but that at £95, few will be able to justify!

~ Krasey Beauty swatches her entire collection of Make Up For Ever eyeshadows, for all the world to see!

~ Retrodiva discovers a mascara that’s almost identical to her beloved Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper. a solution to her oily skin, she just can’t get enough of it!

~ Want soft skin, smooth legs and shiny hair? Cindy at Prime Beauty has your solution–find out what ten must-have beauty products are in her shower.

~ Broke your nail and don’t know what to do? Musicalhouses will show you how to fix your nail with a DIY nail wrap!

~ Rachel’s been finding possible Liz Earle alternatives.. is Soap and Glory’s Hot Cloth Cleanser “the one”?

~ Jeweled Thumb reviews a miniature blush from a brand that doesn’t seem to get quite enough love (PS she loves it!)

~ Are you looking for some everyday nude lip products? Check out Spiced Beauty’s top 3!

~ Jolie Laide Girl falls in love forever and its with the creamy Make Up Forever Aqua Creams.

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~ Finally, over to theNotice for Rae’s Silicone Giveaway, which includes a lustrous hair lotion, a Canada-exclusive powder, and a bit of Urban Decay!

I received these two boxes of E.L.F’s new Mineral Booster through the post the other day courtesy of PR and my interest was piqued.  I do love my mineral makeup.

I will however, always hate the mess from playing with… what are essentially, little pots of dust.

I already own the original version of the Mineral Booster which I bought about a year ago to use as an alternative to Bare Escentual’s Mineral Veil (it got superceded by my love for E.L.F’s HD Powder though).  These new incarnations are pretty much the same thing as the original… but on steroids!

Since I’ve become spoiled by Bare Escentuals new Click Lock Go packaging, I’m taking a point away from the E.L.F Mineral Booster ‘cos frankly, it’s a nightmare to transport.

E.L.F Mineral Booster in Shimmer is an ivory toned powder with a healthy does of sparkle.  Sneeze over this baby and you’ll be seeing stars for the foreseeable future!  I was surprised at how creamy the powder felt to the touch.  Obviously very finely milled… E.L.F never fail to impress me with the texture of their mineral products.

E.L.F Mineral Booster in Tinted is a warmer chocolate latté kinda colour… not quite dark enough to terrify me, but certainly deep enough to give me pause about applying it to my pale skin tone.  Again, texture is great with no lumps or areas of heavier pigmentation.

When I swatched both products, I felt a little disappointed.  Not hugely inspiring are they?  The Shimmer is pretty subtle on the back of my hand and the Tinted is just kinda Ovaltine-y.  I wasn’t actually sure what I was gonna be able to do with them by way of demonstration to show you how they work.

Faced with this… a lack of any technical skills whatsoever and my 10hr old makeup, I decided to just go for it.  I grabbed a big powder brush and went for the Tinted version first.  I chose a powder brush over my kabuki as I wanted something that wouldn’t deposit too much product.  I needn’t have worried, Tinted is quite sheer when applied with a brush, it definitely gives you the opportunity to build without flooding your face with pigment.  I applied a light layer allover, then built up the shading along my invisible cheekbones.  I wasn’t too bothered about whether I was ‘contouring’ or ‘blushing’ – I was just slapping it on.

Reaching for Shimmer, I focused on the high points on my face.  Those imaginary cheekbones got a dusting, as did my nose and chin.  Watching the sparkles float on the air I was expecting to see a beacon of glitter reveal itself to me when I looked in the mirror, but the effect was pretty subtle.  Infact… I couldn’t really see any difference at all.

I took an ‘after’ photo anyway and figured that I’d leave the review at swatches and the fact that I thought it was too subtle.

The photos disagree with me though:

Is it just ‘cos it’s mattified me or does the ‘after’ look smoother?  More polished?  I think it’s given me a hint of coverage (check the red nose)… but as a Mineral Booster, that’s not really it’s job description.

Wait… what IS it’s job description?

Achieve the ultimate, translucent “photo finishing touch” to your makeup, our Mineral Booster melts into your skin, infusing it with key vitamins A, B and E to promote healthier skin that’s noticeably silkier and smoother. Completely sheer and ideal for all skin tones, Mineral Booster gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pores for a beautiful even finish. Wear alone or buff over our Mineral Concealer and Foundation to lend extra staying power and to achieve a professional and stunning porcelain matte look that will last all day.

Oh right!  Well, I guess it’s up for promotion then ‘cos that’s what I’m seeing…. though they aren’t gonna last you all day unless your middle name is Dust Bowl.

Can you notice a difference?  I can’t put my finger on what else it’s done.  Considering the colour of ‘tinted’, it’s pretty subtle innit?

All I know is, I prefer the ‘after’.

At £3.50 a pot, these new E.L.F Mineral Boosters are getting the thumbs up from me.

If you follow my tweets, then you may have ‘read” me this morning… urging my 15 month old to eat her porridge quicker, cursing my husband for being at work and turning the sky blue when confronted with a local traffic snarl up.

Everyday occurences, nothing unusual… except that they were happening on a day that I needed to be somewhere ASAP!  Where?  My local Chanel counter, that’s where!

Chanel Nail Polishes are notoriously fast sellers.  Infact, as I type this… I’m reminded of the fact (via twitter) that today, this particular nail polish sold out in Selfridges in 3 hours.  3 HOURS folks!  I can spend longer in the bath than that.

I haven’t been interested in any of the previous Chanel releases (tell a lie, I want Kaleidoscope) but, more recently?  Jade (blegh), Particuliere (meh), Nouvelle Vague (pass!).  But this… this one had me at “hello”.  Let me explain…

I love my grungey, murky, ugly colours.  I find them easy to wear and they make me feel grown up without feeling old.  They generally suit my cool skin tone without making my hands look like lobsters.  We were made for one another.

My absolute favouritest shades (that’s SO a word) generally throw a little purple into the mix.  Shall I name some names?  Channelesque, Who’s Wearing What, Surreal Violet, Bon Bon, Silver Purple.  So you see, Paradoxal turned my head from the first time I saw it.

And it’s still turning it…

Is it worth £16.50?  Probably not.  Do I love it very, very much and do I regret spending £16.50 on it?

Yes and No, not at all.

You’ll know immediately if this is your kinda colour… like McDonald’s gherkins.  You either love ’em or hate ’em.  I also happen to adore McDonald’s gherkins and would probably steal yours.

If you’re indifferent about gherkins, don’t go spending £16.50 on one just ‘cos everyone else is telling you how tasty it is.  That’s my free tip of the day.  What I’m saying is… don’t rush out, buy it and then moan ‘cos it’s a durgy colour.  OF COURSE IT BLOODY IS!

OK… that’s Paradoxal.  For me, it’s worth the hype.

I’m not even going to talk about longevity or application.  I’m not interested, everyone knows that Chanel polishes aren’t the best for those practical issues.  I bought Paradoxal for it’s colour and it’s Limited Edition status alone.  It could apply like tar and I still would have bought it.

If you want it and don’t have it, I suggest grabbing the Yellow Pages and phoning your local counters to see if they still have stock.  I’d also suggest trying ones that are more ‘out of the way’ – ‘cos this baby is selling fast!

I’m a bit late with this one… oooooh about… *counts on fingers*…  8 months late?  Anyway… this was really doing the blog rounds back when Spring had barely sprung.

And I have to say… I don’t really get it?

I was expecting to see some magnificent colour shifting between the teal and green and there was nothing.  Ok, so it was slightly more green in some light, but really?  You U.S girls didn’t miss that much.

A true blackened colour, Mr. L had a hard time believing it was infact anything other than black polish on my tips.  Sparkle was VERY well hidden and the whole manicure looked a lot flatter than I had hoped it would.

Application wasn’t too problematic… 2 coats with a brush that was a little too firm for me.  The streaking on the first coat shocked me, the brush practically drags the polish across the nail bed.  A thicker 2nd coat solved this though.

Wear on Lancome’s Pop Petrol has been decent enough, no chips until the third day and tip wear (despite the v. dark colour) has been negligible.

This is a polish that I picked up from a counter bargain bucket last week.  Lancome are obviously shifting the last of their Spring collection, so if you wanted to get your hands on a shade that would happily suit Autumn/Winter – now’s the time to do it!  Original price £14.50, I paid half that.

The Autumn/Winter Fashion Week vids are up!

Here’s 3 very different NARS looks created using some of the new products available this season.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM

Lead Artist:

~ Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Abyssinia Eyeshadow, London Eyeliner Pencil, Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Luxor Multiple, Riviera Multiple

.THAKOON

Lead Artist:

~  Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Portobello Duo Eyeshadow, Belle de Jour Lipstick

MARC JACOBS

Lead Artist:

~ François Nars, Founder & Creative Director, for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~  NARS Enchanted Cream Blush, NARS D. Gorgeous Eyeshadow, NARS Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo, NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil, NARS Barbarella Lipstick

There were many, many more things I wanted to add to this list… perhaps it will be an ongoing project.  I was sat in the car waiting for Mr. L yesterday making a mental list… I’ve forgotten 90% of them.  Here’s what’s left.

1). Cleanse your face in the morning. This is probably hugely obvious to most of you, but I never did anything more than splash my face with water.  Infact, I thought I was doing my skin a favour by not using product.  Boy, was I wrong… I’m a morning cleanse-convert!

Since using a gentle cream-based cleanser in the mornings my skin has become far less prone to dryness in the middle of the day.  I learned this tip from Jo Givens at the Liz Earle Treatment Rooms in London who recommends using a gentle cleanser both morning and night to remove sweat, dead skin cells and daily grime.  Who knew?  Well… not me obviously.

2). The thrill of the chase is often more exciting than the capture. Tell me about a brand I’ve never heard of… a must have cleansing oil from Guatemala and I’m on it.  I will spend inordinate amounts of money and time to track that baby down.  The harder it is to come by, the better.

Once I’ve landed it?  I usually move onto the next thing pretty sharpish.  Meh.

3). You can kiss goodbye to French Manicures. I haven’t seen my naked nail beds in around 18 months… well only for the length of time it takes to swap out one opaque polish for another.  Despite what started out as a religious and devout use of high quality base coats to prevent staining… my nails are yellower than a canary on a sunny day.

The only way back for these babies is an electric sander.

4). You will notice and develop flaws in your appearance that simply don’t exist to the 90% of the population. Milia? Oh yes… I have a few of those.  Eyelashes sprouting from your tearduct?  Ahem… thanks eyelash growth product *pluck*.  Teeny tiny pigmentation mark near left temple?  Oh Hai!  Let me go in search of 439 different ‘whitening’ products so that I may eradicate you (and then blog about it).

A beauty blogger’s vanity goes a little deeper than most.

5). That one woman really can own and rotate over 50 lipsticks. Why she’d want to?  I’m still not sure… but it’s definitely possible.

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What favourite things have you learnt from reading blogs or keeping your own?