A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This has been on my hitlist for a little while, and was confirmed to me as a must have by GossMakeupArtist’s post on brushes here.  I use a lot of cream foundation in the winter and have struggled to find a brush that I *love* to use with my foundations.

Any of you lovelies own one of these or any other Shu brushes? At $39 dollars, this brush isn’t cheap… but we all know that sometimes it’s worth paying more for good quality brushes right?  What brushes do you use for cream foundations?

I’ve loved Annick Goutal fragrances ever since receiving samples of Eau de Camille and Eau de Charlotte, 2 fragrances created for her daughters.  Typically, I preferred Eau de Camille to Eau de Charlotte’s overly sweet scent, but my interest in her fragrances was piqued and I always get excited by new releases.

This isn’t new, but it is on sale… so if paying almost £40 for a candle is as much an alien concept to you as it is to me, take comfort from the fact that this beautifully scented candle is down from £37 to £28, still a stretch for me, although I do admit to being tempted thanks to some left-over Christmas cash.

What are your favourite luxury candles?  I have one Jo Malone that gets lit *very* occassionally (I’m talking about 6 times a year).  My Yankee tarts (that phrase might get me some weird hits!) get a far greater airing.

Annick Goutal La Rose Candle is on sale at Feel Unique

Released as part of the Holiday Wishes 2009 collection (like SO last year sweetie!) I’m still rocking this one on my nails, clinging onto the last vestiges of Christmas before the total bleakness of pre-Spring sets in.  Wow, that was cheerful.

This is a beautiful bronzed shade flecked through with multi-coloured chunks of glitter of irregular sizes.

Application was Lipglossiping-friendly and it has so far lasted 6 days without a top coat.  Tip wear is moderate and it hasn’t chipped at all.  Removal? Don’t ask… I’m too scared to do it.  Perhaps I’ll just leave it on ’till next Christmas!

Did you buy any of the Holiday Wishes Collection shades? I really wanted Merry Midnight and Holiday Glow aswell but they were out of stock by the time I got round to buying 🙁

I know, I know… my head is telling me…

“That’s gonna be expensive.  You’re gonna get it and then look at the pattern for a few months perhaps finally drumming up the courage to tarnish it sometime next November”.

But, but just look at it!  Is it art? Is it makeup?  I don’t care… I want it!

Obviously, this has been out aaaaaages… but ever since I saw the swatches on Jojoba’s blog last month, I’ve been lemming it like a woman possessed.

Since Sephora doesn’t ship to the UK, I have no US friends and I’m not keen on paying £40 on eBay, I’ll just have to suck it up and continue to cry myself to sleep thinking about it until like the beautiful LE item it is, it disappears from my sights forever…

A January essential? Most definitely *sigh*

If you have it, tell me how much you love it!

Introducing Blizzard.  This is such a fab shade… it’s not a grey, it’s not a black.  It’s a pewter.  A true metallic pewter, and I love it.

It has just a hint of subtle sparkle to lift it and is almost futuristic looking on my nails.  I don’t own a shade quite like it.

Application was fine with no major issues to speak of, perhaps a touch uneven on the first coat.. but it needed more than one anyway.

Blizzard is one of HJ Manicure’s winter shades aka, The Snow Collection.  If you haven’t already, head to the website to check them out, you won’t regret it!

I have the cutest little swatch chart here that HJ Manicure provided along with the polish (for potential review) and I’ll see if I can capture it in an image for you to see.

There are so many shades on there that I’m now lemming like a demon incuding the most ah-mazing looking sparkly yellow.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ‘sparkly’ yellow for another nail polish company, have you?  Oh, and if you like your pinks (like me) Bauble from the Festive Collection also looks divine, as does Champagne and Cracker… oh and Daylight, a fab looking Grurple – (that’s grey/purple incase you were wondering).  Aqua looks like a potential Spring diamond too….

Can you tell I’m getting excited looking at my swatch chart?  I need to get it online for you guys to drool over too!

I’ve just ordered 2 shades from the website in those cute little 5ml bottles that I wish ALL companies would employ!  Watch this space for some more HJ Manicure reviews!

as from today, I’m away until around the 17th January.

We’re off to the in-laws in the cold and wild North East… and after a “Christmas” (quite literally) filled with Sickness & Diarrhoea (my 7month old – not me!). I’m relishing the thought of being able to enjoy a postponed Chrimbo… I finally get my pressies and a Christmas Dinner!

Our usual route.  Take note of Mr. L’s ‘shortcuts’.  He’s a marvel with a map.

All this means that no prizes will be sent out until my return but I do hope to be able to announce the winners of my advent giveaway at some point over the next fortnight.  So check back over the next couple of weeks and I wish you all the best of luck!

Want it!

My cuticles are a mess… I’ve lost my little v-shaped trimmer thing that I normally use every couple of weeks to tidy up the edges before moisturising and my lemony flutter doesn’t seem to be making the difference it once did.

Yu-Be is the #1 selling medicated skin cream in Japan and contains the following skin-loving ingredients:

• Glycerin – Natural “Humectant” attracts and retains moisture in the skin, making it softer.
• Vitamin E – Natural anti-oxidant and skin protector.
• Vitamin B2 – Helps to smooth rough or damaged skin – also gives Yu-Be it’s yellow color.
• Camphor – Helps soothe minor skin irritations – mild scent fades in minutes leaving skin feeling healthy.

It contains no: Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances, Synthetic Dyes, Petrochemicals or Phthalates

Available from Zuneta, priced at £11.74

I’ve been waiting to write this review for a long time, I’ve owned the SK-II Facial Treatment Cleansing Oil since the summer, but was being a good girl and using up my Shiseido Perfect Oil before commencing a new product!

The SK-II Cleansing Oil is another string to the bow of the Japanese Skincare Line SK-II (owned by Procter & Gamble) – the USP of SK-II is a single “anti-aging” ingredient called Pitera which they claim works to allow the skin to rejuvenate more effectively.

For your money (and rather a lot of it, I might add) – you get 250ml of oil, which, thankfully… is a generous sized bottle.  The packaging itself is plastic but at a glance looks like frosted glass.  I prefer the fact that it’s plastic, which allows for safer transportation.

They say:

This delicate oil with Wild Rose Extract and Pitera emulsifies with water and ‘Lifts and Locks’ onto hidden sebum and impurities. The ‘Lift and Lock’ formulation allows oil to transform with water to gently lift away make-up and impurities from the skin. Leaves it soft and fresh.

I never notice any discernible scent when using this (unlike the NUDE Cleansing oil – review to come soon!).  It’s a clear liquid of medium consistency which spreads quite easily over my face.  It’s lighter than the DHC Deep Cleansing Oil but heavier than my Shiseido Perfect Oil.  A happy medium!

I’ve never had to use more than 2 pumps, 1 pump will suffice if I’m not wearing mascara.

As you can see from the above list, mineral oil is the central ingredient… which is a shame, and at over £30 a bottle, I’m disappointed to see that they’re using such a cheap filler that is widely known to cause skin congestion thanks to it’s pore-clogging abilities.  Did you know that mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil and that it actually costs more to dispose of it than it does to purchase it?  Now, I’m no Organic junkie… sometimes, chemicals just work and I admit to being endlessly suspicious that Organic products in general don’t work as effectively as their chemical-laden alternatives… but in this case, I’d rather my £32 bottle of cleansing oil wasn’t full of one of the cheapest substances on earth.

But, how does it clean?

It cleans well… It removes all mascaras (inc. waterproof) and leaves my face feeling fresh and (as promised) soft.  As with most cleansing oils… I do however, find it a little drying with continued use.  It also doesn’t emulsify as well as my DHC Deep Cleansing Oil, leaving a slightly oily residue behind untl I’ve followed up with another cleanser (which I always do anyway).

This puts it in the same category as the Shiseido Perfect Oil… but let’s remember… gram for gram (or ml for ml) the Shiseido would work out less than half the price of the SK-II for the same quantity.  The DHC Deep Cleansing Oil also works out cheaper, and thus rendering it still my #1 choice for cleansing oils.

I mustn’t forget the Pitera… and if I were comparing anti-aging night creams, I’d have a harder time eliminating it as a reason for purchasing.. but to be honest, I want my cleansing oil to clean – I’m not fussed about it’s anti-aging, skin regenerating properties.  I’ll save those concerns (and money) for my moisturiser.

You can purchase the SK-II line from Harrods, both in store and online.

How adorable is this lip balm from US brand Tokyo Milk?

They say:

Our highly moisturising and lightly fragranced lip balms are truly a work of art. Each balm is flavoured to leave a hint of sugary sweetness on the lips to make them extra soft and extra kissable.

Each balm contains a kissing tip as well as a famous quote inscribed on the inside of the lid.

Available to buy from MojoLondon.co.uk priced at £10

Wowzah!

A lovely metallic gold, this is 3 coats and I was pleased enough with the application.  Another shade that shouldn’t suit, but kinda does.

I haven’t come across an Asda doozie since that pale blue, but then I’ve mostly stayed away from those pastelly shades since.

I’m pleased to report that my nails are growing slowly but steadily since stumpgate… but spare a thought for Jo at beautyliciouslove who recently lost a nail (practically the whole thing down to the cuticle – ouch).

I’m gonna try and get the winners post up in the next couple of days from my advent giveaway – so be sure to check back!

Ok… so, it’s totally not but let’s not let reality get in the way of a a good Nail Polish Collection ogle.

Up & Away is China Glaze’s Spring offering…

I love the idea behind it, the carefree association of colourful balloons signalling the end of winter and the promise of summer.

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of pastels… I am excited about a few of these though – Flyin’ High (the blue at the back), Something Sweet (the pale pink) and Happy Go Lucky (the bright yellow).  I would like to be drooling over more of these shades but I just don’t think they’d be the greatest match for my skintone.  Good for my purse, bad for my polish-loving heart.

Are you excited about this collection? Which shades are on your radar?