A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I work from home and my workspace has been stupidly crowded for as long as I can remember.  You know the scene, papers piled high, things ‘filed’ under other things…

I finally got a new desk and have been able to get my priorities straight and move all my makeup RIGHT NEXT TO ME! OMG!

You have no idea how little proper work I’ve gotten done since I moved my makeup within playing distance.  Mr. Lipglossiping is wondering when the book-keeping is gonna get done.  Right after I finish playing with this lipstick dear…. (or like, NEVER! – mwuahahaha!!)

Ain’t it spacious? *spreads self across desk*

Those drawers on the right.  That’s proper grown up pay the bills work stuff.  The rest? MAKEUP and SKINCARE and NAIL POLISH and HAIR STUFF and all the other important things.  I better do some work, I can feel a *side eye* from Mr. L. burning a hole in the back of my skull.

So, 8 of you sealed my Aussie ‘Hair Mare’ fate.  But when I dug out the promised photo, it kinda didn’t look as bad as I remembered, you can see for yourself… it’s bad… but it’s not a patch on The Agassi is it?  I decided it was only fair to share a few more. Upping the ante as it were.

So… as promised… my shameful hair mares…

A). Honestly?  I’m too busy looking at how tight my necklace is to concentrate on the hair.

B). In my defence, I look about 7.  This is my MOTHER’S shame, I’m not carrying this one.  Who lets a 7yr old have a perm anyway?

C). OK, this is the spiral perm… but it’s hard to see.  So let’s concentrate on the bum head parting instead.  Not only that, so much mousse… those curls were crusty. and flammable.

D). Dec 31st 1999. Man I thought I looked cute. I was… um… *counts*… 18.  Old enough to know better.  That spidery hairpiece took about 3 hours to ‘attach’ too, so it’s not like I had made a rash decision.  Just a bad one.

Since my last post, Aussie got in touch… and want to send one of you lovely ladies some product to steer you back onto the path of hair righteousness.  If you’ve already commented to confess your secret hair embarrassments, you’re in.  If you’ve yet to share your secret barnet shame… better do so now, ‘cos only Aussie can help!*

*well… Aussie or a great big sombrero.

I’ve already told you about my triangle hair… and my spiral perm from 1992…

Now it’s your turn…

Aussie, Agassi and me want to hear about your hair mares!

Go on, tell me about your nightmare ‘dos!’

If I get five horror stories I’ll upload a pic of the spiral perm.  And let me tell ya, it makes Agassi look coiffured to perfection.

I don’t claim to be a fake tan expert.  Infact, I’m the opposite.  I’m your bonafide fake tan dunce.  I’m so pale that in certain light my skin takes on that blue/grey fishbelly tinge… blue/grey… fishbelly.  Sexy.

Bronzed is something I’ll never achieve naturally.  I went to Australia for 9 months and friends still dine out on the fact that I returned paler.  I have been endlessly fascinated by fake tan solutions, but infinitely frightened of waking up the next morning looking like a bad parody of a Ganguro girl.

Fears aside, my interest was piqued when I saw a press release for Fake Bake’s new Platinum Facial Self Tanner.  It describes itself as the next generation of self-tan.  “Why?” I hear you cry… (yes, I do!) …because my dear readers, it contains pioneering Apple Stem Cell Technology.

“What’s Apple Stem Cell Technology?” I hear you ask, mouth’s wide open in anticipation… (shut up, you’re practically on the edge of your seats innit).  Dunno… hands up if you know what Apple Stem Cell Technology is?  I take it we’re talking Granny Smith’s finest and not Steve Jobs right?

Oh no wait… *reads press release*… ok… check this:

Not just ANY Swiss apple. RARE Swiss apple.  They only fall from trees on a Tuesday in a month beginning with the letter J and only if it’s a full moon.  Of course, I jest… I’m really none the wiser though.  But it sounds good, and I think I might want some regardless.

Just think though, how mega young would we look if  we actually ATE this RARE Swiss apple instead of fake tanning with it?  Maybe that’s Demi’s secret? The apples are only rare ‘cos that greedy bitch is having them shipped by the container load direct to her breakfast table.

Wanna know how to get your hands on this RARE Swiss apple goodness, and get bronzed and gorgeous while you’re at it?

Fake Bake Platinum Face Self-Tan is launching into Salons and retailers nationwide this month priced at £29.95.

Baahhhh!

Like the sheep I am, I knew I had to have this after reading about it on the fabulous LionLovingTiger‘s blog.

LUSH Mint Julips is a sugar-rich scrub for your lips, housed in a fully unsanitary little black glass pot.  It’s possibly the most travel unfriendly item I own, and yet I tote it around with me everywhere, sneaking it out of my handbag whenever I’m in a semi-private place to give my lips a quick rub.  I did tell you they were mega dry!  Mint Julips works well, it scours them giving my lips a smoother surface for applying lipstick whilst leaving a little oil behind to moisturise.  I do find myself applying some balm ontop for extra hydration though.

It’s not a clever product, as many bloggers before me have poined out, you could easily make it yourself at home.  But I’m as lazy as I am flakey-lipped.

The new LUSH Lip Scrubs come in three flavours: Mint Julips (After Eights!), Bubblegum (Bubblegum durr) and Sweet Lips (Chocolate).  They taste far too nice for cosmetic products and it’s a struggle to keep them on your lips and off your tongue.  Or is that just me?

I love the product and hate the packaging, alhough I’m not sure how they could have improved it.  Have you tried these?

LUSH Mint Julips Lip Scrub – £4.50 available online and instore.

Whilst up in London for IMATS, I had lots of trouble dragging myself away from Inglot in Westfield.  I was in there searching through the lipsticks for AGES!  Such a variety, but despite this… nothing was really catching my eye.  And then I spotted a small group of maybe 12 lipsticks off to one side, and immediately, 2 shades popped out at me.

I asked the SA to tell me about these taller, thinner lipsticks that bear more than a passing resemblance to the MAC Slimshines.  The SA explained that these were their new Slim Gel Lipsticks which have a lighter, more moisturising feel to them whilst still retaining a good colour payoff.

Sold to the lady with the mega dry lips!

I purchased #61 (left) which I would describe as a mauve pink… it’s a medium toned pinky nude on my skin, proper nude… not concealer nude.  I also purchased #41 which is a brighter, more vivid shade bordering on the coral *eek!*

I love both of them, they are moisturising… they’re also a teeny bit sticky, which does wonders for their longevity.  One application of these happily lasts me through to lunch time.  They have a glossy, shiny finish and I love the hardwearing metal packaging that houses all of Inglot’s lipsticks.

I do have one concern though… they don’t seem that steady in the tube.  If you do buy one of these, make sure you don’t wind the product up too high when applying.  I really think that unless you take considerable care, these would be prone to snapping.

Left: #61, Right: #41

I’ve also noticed that I seem to be going through the tubes at a rate of knots!  You only get 1.8g of product per tube, compared to 2.3g in a MAC Slimshine or 3g in a standard MAC Lipstick.  I threw away the receipt but I think I paid around £9 each for these.  So quite expensive gram for gram I think.

I shall forgive Inglot this time , these are beautifully easy to wear lipsticks and I’m very pleased I made the purchase.

So, Tsunimee and I were bitching on twitter that we didn’t really like metallic finishes to our polishes, and of course… that same day one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL metallic nail polishes EVER showed up in my little ASOS haul.

It has that Quality Street wrapper quality doesn’t it?

Of course I had to apply it immediately…

I love it. And this photo… does not do it justice.  In real life, it looks like someone has foiled my nails with this glorious jeweled ruby red.  It’s perfect.  It looks like there are brush strokes in the image… which is hugely unfair, because I’m squinting at my fingertips now and I just can’t see any.

You pop off the clunky square ‘lid’ with a sharp tug and it reveals an altogether easier to manipulate round handle for application purposes.  Unfortunately, the brush is a STUPID thin thing, like in my Orly polishes… but other than meaning it needed about 5 strokes to cover the nail bed, it didn’t cause me any issues.

Application was *nearly* spot on.  Opaque in the first coat, I needed to go back in for a second just to tidy it up…. however, I did experience a couple of bubbles on 2 nails, which sucked especially as I know I wasn’t applying it too thickly.  Still, it’s so beautiful I don’t really care.  Plus, when the polish had dried (very quickly I might add) I could barely see these two bubbles… but I needed to mention it as bubbling isn’t something I usually experience with polishes.  Longevity is amazing for a metallic, I’m on my 3rd day (with no top coat) and it looks as good as new.

This was my first Butter London and I’m smitten.  They’re not cheap at around £10 each, but I want more…

What are your Butter London favs?

For someone who can’t be bothered to find the time to moisturise… I’m doing an awful lot of moisturising recently.

My skin is DRY DRY DRY… and nothing is making it better.  Not even tried and tested solutions that have kept my skin in good condition over the years.  Infact, not even my trusty body oils are providing long-term relief.

I re-discovered this Lula Bloom Body Butter in the parcel that housed the GOSH smoky eyes palette I was sent by Superdrug PR.  I was in two minds about it, remember?  I hope this fares better.  I have a bit of a backlog I need to work through…

I wasn’t gonna crack it open, ‘cos it looks like one of those all style-no substance products doesn’t it?  Plus I wasn’t sure if it was aimed at teenage skin… it just has that look…  I was gonna give it to a younger family member, except I forgot.

After having a quick look at the ingredients and noticing that one of my favourite moisturising bases (Cocoa Butter) is right up there near the top of the list, I decided that I’d give it a go.

Lula Bloom Body Butter (stupid name) is housed in a satisfyingly heavy glass jar.  This won’t appeal to half of you, but I’m not wanting to carry it about anywhere other than to and from my bathroom shelf so I’m not bothered.  I like it.  I’ve already mentioned that the artwork on the packaging gives me the impression that this is aimed at a younger audience, but the price tag doesn’t really match those impressions.

£6.99 for 250ml.  That’s quite pricey.  I know as a teenager I wouldn’t have been able to afford something like this.  I had more important things like 20 Lambert & Butler and 3 litres of White Lightning to spend my pocket money on.

Ignoring my misspent youth for a moment, I was truly surprised by how creamy and smooth the texture proved to be.  The consistency is very thick and a small amount spreads a long way.  I can see a pot of this easily lasting me at least a month of daily use.  Yet, despite being thick, it feels quite light once it’s on the skin.  A winning combination.

The scent is overpowering… it’s nice, but it’s too “in your face” for me.  Again, it makes me think that the product is aimed at a younger audience.  It’s fruity, tropical… everything that a 14yr old girl would want to saturate herself with.  It reminds me of my younger self stood at The BodyShop’s perfume oil carousel display.  God, I’d come out of that store with a dewberry/fuzzy peach induced headache.

Overall, I really like the product… but it suffers from some kind of Body Butter schizophrenia.  It’s a top quality moisturisier, leaving my skin soft and conditioned for many hours… but it’s as if some prat in the development team (probably a bloke) has come along and ruined the delicate balance by chucking half a ton of tropical pot pourri in the mixing vat.  What gives Lula Bloom?

It needs to either ditch the overpowering smell and horrible artwork…. or shave about £3 off the price.  Have you tried this?  Am I too harsh?

I’ll tell you what though… if you happen to know a 12-17yr old you fancy treating… *points at the body butter* you wouldn’t go wrong with this.

Superdrug has a whole Lula Bloom range going (the body scrub is decent too! Lurid pink packaging though…).  Check out the range on the website here

… I realised I hadn’t shown you the lovely Underland from the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette.  It’s a beautiful shade although I do wish it were a bit more pigmented… it’s not that it’s NOT pigmented… ‘cos it is.  It’s just not as heavily pigmented as say Alice or Oraculum.  It’s more along the lines of Absolem/Homegrown, that pretty green that was in the BOSII, remember?  Alice swatches are here if you want reminding.

Face:
~ Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid – so quick to apply and blend with a lovely finish, but staying power is kinda sucky if you’re at all oily.
~ Illamasqua Blush in Rumour
~ NARS Orgasm Illuminator on the cheekbones

Eyes:
~ Urban Decay Primer Potion
~ Drink Me. Eat Me across the entire lid
~ Underland applied lightly from the inner 1/3  gaining strength towards the outer corner.  Also swept under the lower lashline.
~ Jabberwocky lightly applied along the lashes to line.
~ Rimmel Glam’Eyes Lash Flirt Mascara

Lips:
~ MAC Speed Dial Cremesheen Lipstick
~ NYX Round Lip Gloss in Whipped to tone down the lippie a touch.

Hope you can’t see my rotten nose crusties *blows nose*… I moisturised and picked at ’em like a demon before attempting a FOTD…. TMI?

…for easy glitter nail polish removal.

No more endless wiping and scraping to get the glitter polish off your nails.  No more sighing and soaking of fingers in pure acetone till your cuticles shrivel up and you develop hang nails that reach your elbows.

At least, that’s what 2 of my lovely readers promised.  Meganne, and Lisa – to give credit where it’s due.

so it goes something like this…

1). Take your cotton wool and dampen it with nail polish remover.  I like to make it quite soggy… I don’t wanna have to be doing this more than once ‘cos I haven’t got enough remover on the pad yano?

2). Hold the soaked cotton wool to your nails and wrap a bit of foil over the top…

It’s at this point you’re wondering if you’re actually the butt of a big fat joke.

Wait 5 minutes, no less… and then remove.

I can happily report – it works! As ridiculous as you may look with your tin foil tips, it saves a hell of a lot of effort and irritation.

Try it!  If nothing else, at least the aliens won’t get to your fingers.

My IMATS haul is coming up (if you’re not insanely sick of them)… but I’ve got a rotten cold and I’m not up to taking photos of it all.  Is everyone ill at the minute or is it my imagination?

Anyway, I love having a nosey in the ASOS beauty clearance section – not just me is it?

I came across these goodies:

My bill came to: £13.15 inc. P&P thanks to a 20% off discount code – hoorah for savvy shopping!

I picked up…

Models Own Duo in Red Alert and 25 Carat Gold (£2)
ASOS Ciate Paint in Mary-Kate (£2 – they’re now £1.50) love the gold sparkles
Jemma Kidd i-design in Vogue (a neutral beige – £3)

ASOS Ciate Paint in Agyness (£2 – now £1.50ea)

My first Butter London – Knees Up.  This is how a red should look! Although I don’t usually love metallics, so it’ll be interesting to see what I think of this.  Well, when I say interesting… only to me, but you’re stuck along for the ride now.  It’s like being halfway up a mountain on a ski lift. – (£5)

A swatch of the Jemma Kidd I-Design in Vogue.

That felt weird… I don’t usually do haul posts… ever.  Was that boring?  Be honest.

If you fancy a little ASOS splurge, check here for discount codes.

~ Rae falls in love with an amazingly pigmented violet eyeshadow — for under $5! — and tries it on as a blush.

~ Jeweled Thumb gives you the deets regarding a brand new line that may be popping up at your CVS by the ever famous Salma Hayek!

~ Feast your eyes on this two-parter from Lipglossiping and see what happened when IMATS rolled into London Town last weekend.

~ In her constant search for a flawless complexion, Beautyjunkielondon reviews the latest foundation launch from Maybelline.

~ Check out “The EOTD Series: Color of the week” at xLovelyMakeupx.

~ Vex in the City shares her experience of the 2010 London IMATS.

~ Sophie from Melovemakeup talks about her collection of Sleek Palettes.

~ Maggie gets her rave on with these Rimmel blushes!

~ Krasey Beauty whips out Essie’s matte topcoat and lets the nail polish fun begin.

~ Hell Candy Make Up attended the London IMATS show last weekend. Check out the various MUAs looks from the show.

~ A purple smoky eye with a pop tutorial from Lisa Kate at Sparkle is my Crack!

~ This week GlossQueen tells us how she loves her By Candlelight MSF.

~ Come discover 32 different nail colors in 32 days with Audrey.

~ This week at Get Lippie, Louise tries out a Kevyn Aucoin-influenced makeover.

~ Lisamarie at Beauty Crazed tests out eyerollers to see if they live up to the hype!