A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Many professions dread the general public encroaching on their skills.  Whether it’s traditional makeup artists having their hackles raised by You Tube gurus and beauty bloggers, professional photographers glaring across the wedding party at uncle Bob with his £2k Nikon kit, or long-established nail technicians bristling at professional-only products being sold to the mass market.  Financially, it’s a tough world out there, and for people who have poured often not-insignificant sums into years of training and equipment, I get that it can be galling to see your profession ‘diluted’ in this way.

This was brought to mind recently when I received a press release for a new DIY gel nail system called Sensationail, which has just gone online at Boots priced at £85.00.  It promises salon-quality gel nails at a fraction of the cost when compared to regular salon visits.

From my regular brow-threading trips to the brilliant Eastern Arts Beauty, I know how much these small enterprises rely on return business from their most loyal customers and I wonder just how threatened these establishments must feel when the latest DIY products come on the market.  Sure, in the past most of them have been gimmicky and in reality, rarely give the best results… but there are always newer technologies waiting in the wings, ready to superceded and threaten.

From my own personal experience with DIY beauty, there’s still very much a place for the salon and this is coming from someone who’s been fortunate enough to try some of the most cutting-edge DIY devices.  On the surface, at-home beauty tools seem to provide total convenience but after just a few sessions with my ILP device (for example)… I was ready to go back to the professionals, even if it meant paying through the nose, and I’m still coughing up the pennies today.

What do you think about at-home solutions for the kind of services you’d usually visit a professional?  Interested in doing your own gel nails at home?

When I opened the fridge last Friday, I was greeted by a tired-looking cauliflower and whilst I adore a regular Aloo Gobi, I fancied something a little bit different.  I thought I’d take some of my favourite spices from the delicious middle-eastern makloubeh and make them fit around the ingredients I had to hand.

Because I’m following the Weight Watchers plan (still doing the same uber-veggie thing but calculating it all Pro Points stylee), I couldn’t seriously deep-fry the cauliflower whilst keeping a straight face, so I sprayed the florets with some 1cal cooking oil and roasted them in the oven until they began to turn black on the tips, about 35-40 minutes on full whack.

I fried off some onion (more spray) and added the roasted florets which were still a little firm.  As the oil became absorbed, I added a few Tbsp of water to prevent things from sticking and loosely covered the pan with a lid.  It was time to get the spice mix ready!  Once prepared, tip the spice-mix into the pan and stir well to coat all the ingredients.  Add the brown rice and half a cup of water, re-cover.

You’ll need to check the water levels regularly, so just keep a mugful of water to hand and add more as the rice needs it.  Cook until the rice is al-dente.

Arrange the pork fillet around the edge of the pan and re-cover.  After 6 minutes, turn the pork… and allow to cook covered for around 8 minutes.  If the rice is still too firm, you can simmer on a low heat for a little longer, just add more water as you require.  Remove the lid for the final 3/4 minutes of cooking to allow any excess water to reduce.  Before serving, stir a little room-temperature soured cream into what should be an almost-dry mixture.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 cauliflower, floretted and lightly salted
4/6 pork fillet medallions (you can substitute other cuts/meats – lamb would be delicious)
90g brown rice
1 large onion
60ml soured cream (I used light)
1kcal cooking spray
water

1tsp allspice (not mixed spice!)
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnammon
1/4tsp nutmeg
1/4tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground clove

Honestly, I never want to eat cauliflower boiled again.  And incase you’re on WW too – that’s 9 Pro Points.

What lovely things have you been cooking recently?

I’ve been doing some Spring cleaning this weekend and thought I’d delve into my over-flowing giveaway drawer for some random bits and bobs to cheer up a sucky Monday!

One winner will receive all the STUFFS in the above photo which includes: an Origins eye brush, Barbara Daly Lip Tint, Sleek false eyelashes, Mr Mascara nail file, The Body Shop Facial Cleansing Pads, and a Boots 17 Travel Makeup Set (containing mini-mascara, nail polish and lipgloss).

To enter the flash giveaway (which closes tonight!), simple leave a comment below and tell me what would make your Monday brighter?

T&C
1. Entry open worldwide.
2. I will choose 1 winner at random, my decision is final.
3. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
4. Competition closes on Monday 16th April 2012 at 23.59 BST.
5. Winner will be contacted via email.

I promised you a full review of the Face Atelier foundation after last week’s FOTD and my recent re-discovering of it.  Face Atelier Liquid Foundation offers medium/high coverage without looking like a traditional, high-coverage foundation.  On my dry/combination skin, it takes about 20 minutes to warm up, at which point it begins to look less like a foundation and more like naturally good skin.  It’s one of those foundations where you look in the mirror part-way through the day and say “Woah, good skin day!”  Followed by a fist-pump.

However, I do have a caveat with this foundation.  To get the best from it, you need to apply it on well-moisturised, not-too-dry, not-too-oily skin.  If you’ve got good skin texture but with a little discolouration or redness, you should be chomping at the bit to purchase.  If you’re prone to dryness or oiliness, you’ll probably be in love with this 65% of the time.  Does that make sense?

The bottle comes with a great pump that dispenses the perfect amount for a full-face application with a single squeeze.  The brand state that you do not need to wear a primer underneath this and indeed you can feel the silicone in the fomula.  If you like your foundation to feel completely weightless, you may not enjoy the feel of this one (though in no way does this feel like a heavy foundation).

It also sets fast, so work quickly!

Personally, I ignore the brand’s recommendations on primer and mix it up with a blob of moisturising primer (non-silicone) or Maqpro Make Up Mixer to give me a sheer(er) finish that doesn’t set as quickly.  To combat the additional dewiness this pairing provides, I set the foundation on my t-zone with a touch of powder.  I don’t find that it wears any less well and have been surprised by how well it performs mixing it into all different kinds of bases!  I like to buff it in with a flat-top kabuki… working it in to the skin in light circular motions, both back and forward.

* my hair looks two different colours in the above photo – the sun had come out from behind the clouds in time for the 2nd shot!

The shade #2 Ivory is spot on for me, a little too yellow technically, but I like this because it tones down my redness more effectively.  If you’re just slightly darker or lighter than the official range, you can also purchase their 0-/0+ to lighten and darken any of their shades.

Overall, on good skin days (or if you’ve got skin prep down to a fine art), this is show-stealing foundation.  It’s pricey, but what price beautiful skin fakery?

Face Atelier Ultra Foundation is priced at £32 and available to buy online from Cult Beauty

There’s nothing more intimidating in the world than a pair of super white teeth, except for perhaps super-white, super-straight teeth and for those of use who don’t want that freshly-veneered look, there are thankfully other, more affordable options.

One of the most affordable comes in the form of Spanish brand Yotuel*, which via the magic of BuyaPowa is available to buy today for less than the price of a tooth-staining coffee and bun.

I have a sneak peek of what this co-buy is going to look like (don’t tell them I’ve shown you it, they might send the monkey after me)… it’s barely more expensive than your regular toothpaste, especially if you’re a Sensodyne user like me (frankly more expensive than my crack habit).

£4.50?  £4.50?!  I think this tooth-whitening duo is going to sell out quickly.

Let me tell you a bit more about it…

I’ve been using it for a few days and as far as whitening goes, it’s too early for me to tell though I haven’t yet experienced any sensitivity (something I’m prone to with all whitening products).

The duo (75ml Toothpaste, 250ml alcohol-free whitening mouthwash) offers xylitol/fluoride-based protection against cavities, with the whitening properties coming from the carbamide peroxide, the same stuff they use in the dentists but at a lower concentration.  You’re supposed to brush 3x a day with this… hmm, that’s not always easy is it?  Are you supposed to take it to work with you?!  I guess so long as you brush as soon as you get home from work, it’d be ok.

The mouth-wash is zingy… super-zingy.  I can’t keep it in my mouth for the full minute!  The duo is free from SLS, detergent, sugar, alcohol, and is neutral pH and the toothpaste won Best New Dental Product in the 2010 Pure Beauty Awards.

If you’re wanting to lift some light-staining in time for the Summer, I think it’s worth a punt.  It feels like a gentler solution that would be good for maintaining a whiter smile rather than creating glow-in-the-dark gnashers.  Basically, I doubt it’s gonna give your TOWIE teeth overnight, but then… um, that’s a good thing right?

The Yotuel duo will be going live on BuyaPowa today in a very limited quantity.  Sign up to be notified!

* press sample

** I will of course come back and let you know in due course if the duo is the best thing since sliced bread, I may start doing FOTDs with my mouth open!

…for no other reason than I’d like to be able to throw this question back to you guys; today I’m going to share my top 5 most-used apps.  Non-iPhone users, look away now.

It’s true that I’m addicted to my iPhone and it’s for one reason, and one reason only: apps.  The range and breadth of utilities, timewasters and memory-makers is unparalleled and I’ve gone from someone who never even turned her phone ON, to someone who gets itchy fingers if I can’t plug it in beside my bed.

I’ve been using Boxcar for a few weeks and it’s become my all-in-one solution to keep me updated on my social networks, emails, and RSS feeds.  It sends me push notifications whenever I get a new email, tweet or facebook message.

It even lets me know when someone comments on the blog or if the blog experiences any downtime.  I have been able to turn off push notifications for all my other apps and consolidate everything into one, saving constant updates (from different apps) and resources.  It even lets me set a ‘quiet time’ to ensure that I don’t receive any notifications when I’m sleeping!  Love it. (£free but with an optional purchase to remove ads)

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of eBay and I use it to uncover all sorts of bargains.  My favourite things to buy on the site are bargainous nail polishes from the U.S. (OPI, China Glaze and Zoya mostly), the ‘drugstore’ type products that we just don’t get easily over here (Wet n’ Wild, NYX etc), and pretty beauty-related things from Asia.  With the app, I’m able to receive notifications when an auction I’m watching is about to end, I can bid directly from my phone and even complete the sale via Paypal.  It makes my shopping habit mobile.  A wonderful thing! (£free)

Where would I be without Twitter?  A lot more productive I’m sure!  There hasn’t been an app to date that has fulfilled everything I want but Tweetbot is as close as I’ve gotten to twitter/iphone harmony in a long time.  It feels polished, streamlined and has an easy-to-use interface which is both intuitive and visually attractive.  It has features that blow some of the other Twitter apps out of the water with the ability to “mute” users and filters (cough) and also provides full conversation threading. (£1.99)

I have a bunch of photography applications on the iPhone (instagram, snapseed, picframe to name but a few) but none is more important than the app I use to take the picture right?  Camera+ builds on the functionality of the iPhone’s native camera app and returns increased usability with features such as the ability to set different area for exposure determination than focus.  You can also use the apps built in self-timer, burst modes (great for shooting fast-moving action), and best of all?  It loads up faster than anything else I’ve tried.  (£0.69 on sale)

I work better when I’m up against the clock!  I’m a dreadful procrastinator with a penchant for easy distraction and Timer+ forces me to concentrate my efforts into little bursts of productivity.  It lets me visualise light at the end of the tunnel and breaks chores down into more managable chunks.  I simply set the timer, assign it a task and away I go.  I know that the iPhone has a built-in timer but this allows me to preset various timers for a number of tasks, allowing for minimal faffing about when it’s time to get some work done.  30 minutes housework? 3-2-1…. go! (£free)

I can’t believe I haven’t even touched upon any of the games, travel or photo-editing apps on my home screen!  Alas, I strictly limited myself to five and for once, I will show some restraint!

What are your most-used apps on your phone right now?

Good morning, this is your captain speaking.

On behalf of my crew today, I’d like to welcome you aboard flight number L1P6L0551P1N6 from Heathrow to Antigua.  We are currently flying at an altitude of 35,000 Boots points midway across the Atlantic.  If you look out of the windows on the starboard side, you should get a great reflection for reapplying your lipsticks – alternatively, please await the cabin crew’s further instructions as we have a rather special purchase to show you today.

Virgin Atlantic have teamed up with bareMinerals to create a mile-high red lip that’s worth a swoon or two.  Upper Class Red* is taking off in style with the signature Pretty Amazing Lipcolor formula combining the coverage you’d expect from a lipstick with the high-shine of a gloss.  The scarlet shade is synonymous with the cabin crew’s glamourous image as seen in the airline’s latest advert.

Having been adopted as an official piece of uniform for the Virgin Atlantic cabin crew, you can imagine that this formula really needs to live up to the demands that will be placed upon it in a working environment and none is more important 35,000 feet up than longevity.  While not completely bullet-proof, the colour wears very evenly and transforms from an opaque, glossy covering to a pigmented stain after a couple of hours that lasts throughout the day.  I actually prefer the slightly more subdued stain to the pow-pow in your face-ness of this particular red.

The applicator has a flexible, rounded tip that helps to apply such a strong colour with the kind of precision required for the task.  The texture is thick and I’d suggest wiping any excess product back into the neck of the tube as a little will go a long way.  Once applied, the finish is super-shiny and I prefer to blot it once on a tissue to get rid of  that sticky gloss feeling without losing any of the incredible pigmentation.

To my eye it’s a warm-toned red… not enough to actually be classed as a “warm red”, but you should be able to see that it leans away from the cool end of the spectrum with my pinky colouring as a backdrop.

You can check-in (groan) with ‘Upper Class Red’ exclusively at Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Spas before it’s made available for pre-order on board Virgin Atlantic flights.  Later in the year, it will become available to purchase from selected bareMinerals stockists.

If you can’t wait until then, check out some of the other Pretty Amazing LipColors available to purchase online at BeautyBay.com

* press sample

Um, this video is late, sorry.  I talk about Easter, sorry.  I also bang my Helmer about at one point and it might deafen you, sorry.  I’m also a bit of a bumbling idiot, sorry.

Weleda Aknedoron Cleansing Lotion (£7.50)*
Molton Brown Polynesian Kopara Anti-ageing Body Crème (£60)*
Molton Brown Tamarind Fruit Refining Toner (£25)*
Avon Solutions Plus Total Radiance Visual Perfection (not on the Avon website, £6.99 on eBay though)
ECOTools Bamboo Bronzing Brush (£8.99)
Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Peach Flush (£25.50)
NARS Single Eyeshadow in Lhasa (£17)
Tom Ford Violet Blonde EdP (from £45)
Glitter Gal Nail Polishes in Light as a Feather and Red (£8.75 each)
La Roche Posay Effaclar A.I. (£9)
Toni&Guy Classic Shine Gloss Serum (£7.19)*

What were your top products for March?

* press samples

I bought a hair-dye from TK Maxx last week (it sounds like a bad idea already) and decided that the recent crop of ever-increasing greys needed a severe talking to.  That night, I checked out the packet… L’Oreal Recital Preference Hair Color Ultra Lightening in 6.3, Golden Brown.  I knew I was taking a risk… a). I’ve never tried the L’Oreal Recital Preference range before and b). Golden Brown?  Do I look like Beyonce?  I can’t remember the last time my hair was golden anything.

I calculated my options in my head and decided that I’d spent the whole year being a very careful home hair-dyer.  I’ve been touching up only the roots for a very long time now and felt that the ends had gradually faded in colour.  There was still a lot of build-up but nothing like it had been a year previously.  I deserved to take a chance.

I’ve been wanting to go lighter for a long time, I’m working on the assumption that if my hair is lighter it will make the regrowth a little bit less obvious leading to less-frequent dying and ultimately, healthier hair.  It’s all good right?

Except that I’d do well to remember that I haven’t seen myself anything other than a dark, dark brown for many years.  To put it bluntly, I nearly shat myself when I took the towel off my head.  My grey roots were a delightful shade of Donald Trump, glowing furiously under the hallway light.  Fuck.  I took to Twitter and said as much.  Fuck, said I.

Long story short, a wash or two later and a little bit of time to get used to it?  I’m loving it.  Sure… the roots are lighter than the ends but I’m gonna head to the hair-dressers next week and get it all cropped back to just below my shoulders again which should go some way toward helping the situation.

My problem is that I have no idea where to go from here.  I’m tempted to try and go a touch lighter again… but when and how?  I don’t want to overload my hair or damage it seeing as I’ve been trying to be so good for so long!  I’m giving my hair regular coconut oil treatments and treating it to some proper TLC while I weigh up my next move.  I’m thinking that colour remover thing next… (but not for a few weeks yet!)

Anyone else wanting to go lighter for the Summer?  Are you DIYing it too?

C’mon, admit it… you can’t stop thinking about that certain something – it’s the one that’s going to change your life for the better.  It’s not just any old shampoo perfume dress eyeshadow lipstick, it’s the one that you will use everyday from now until forever because it is PERFECT for you.  Until you actually buy it and realise that it’s nice but ultimately the same as 90% of your previous lustings.

Me?  I’m heartily desiring a few lovely things… wanna see?

01: Laura Ashley Spot Print Silk Dress (£75.00)
02: Shiffa Aromatic Facial Cleanser (£45.00)
03: OPI Pirouette My Whistle (£11.00)
04: Lancome Jenny Packham GWP (launching in May)
05: Dior Addict Extreme 667 Avenue (£22.80)

Like any of my lustings? What is your heart desiring?

I had a little shop-my-stash session and pulled out some things that haven’t seen as much love recently as they should, namely my Face Atelier foundation which is a touch too silicone-heavy for my skin when it’s at its driest in the Winter.  My skin is back in a good place at the moment and I couldn’t wait to see if I still loved it as much as I did last Summer when I bought it.  The answer is a resounding YES!  I’ll do a proper review with before/after shots later in the week, kick me if I don’t ‘cos it makes a great spring/summer foundation for those who aren’t ready to give up ‘propah’ coverage just yet.

My NARS Lhasa got some extra love with a sparkly pairing courtesy of Avon’s Glimmerstick Diamonds Eye Liner in Sugar Plum – it’s a nice way to supercharge a much-loved taupe with a bit of additional colour.  My beautiful Maison Lancome blush* is still pleasing me muchly, especially if I give the brush a good swirl in the darker shades first before building up a little more luminosity courtesy of the pale pink.

Hmm, what else…

Ahh, a Fyrinnae Lip Lustre in Ryo Pinko!  I wasn’t sure if this would still be usable… it’s been a while!  However, it smells and tastes perfectly fine, it’s not quite ready for the cosmetics graveyard just yet!  I love the colour and the metallic finish is a little bit retro (in a good way!).  It inspired me to give today’s FOTD a silly little name though, so it’s all good.

Finally, I layered up two mascaras that I’ve recently been sent and got some epic lashes as a result, I’ll blog them as part of my mascara series shortly.  The Clinique Lash Power Mascara* has a small brush that works well at getting product right into the roots of the lashes before a coat of Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara* ontop sends them skyward.

What’s on your fizzog today and when was the last time you shopped your stash for some forgotten treasures?

* press sample