A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

The penultimate shade from the Barielle A/W Style in Argyle collection, and I have to say… it’s my favourite!

And I don’t really know why!  I generally REALLY dislike ‘wine’ type shades…. but this… it’s just so flattering on a cool skintone and totally screams Autumn to me.  Lovely.
I’m getting tired of saying this.. but once again, 3 coats for a fully opaque finish.  For a range of such dark colours… I would have prefered to be done in two coats with most of them… but at least the formula throughout is consistent, glossy and smooth.

This is the fifth in the series of six that I was sent for review consideration.

The Style in Argyle collection is available to purchase online from the Barielle website priced at £8 each.  Though currently, the Spring/Summer and Autumn collections are available on a “buy one get one free” basis, rendering them a bargainous £4 per polish.

Continuing with the Barielle A/W Style in Argyle collection, we’re just over halfway through and can you guess what today’s shade variation is?

Can you?

That’s right!  Brown!

Ohhhh how I long for a green.  Not that this isn’t a rather lovely brown…. look how glossy it is!  This is with a top coat, but that never guarantess super-gloss like this…. the polish underneath has to want to play ball to get this almost glass-like finish.

Barielle’s Unraveled Rust is described as a ‘burnt rust creme”…. though it’s not really all that rusty in my opinion.  More of a vampy chocolate.  Three coats again are needed to achieve that perfect finish.

Not my colour… too clashy and obnoxious against my skintone… but on the right person, this could be a real conversation starter (in a good way!)

Barielle’s Aura Angora is an opaque, creamy mustard.  It’s more wearable than I thought it would be, though I think it would suit shorter fingernails better.

Formula throughout the collection is consistent, three coats needed to achieve that perfect finish but all provide a high gloss shine.

Barielle’s Tight Knit is described as “a purple brown crème” and is one of my favourites from the collection.  It’s one of the few that particularly flatters a cooler skintone though still encapsulates the warmth and cosiness that this set delivers.

3 coats are shown above and I had no issues with application.  The cremes from the Style in Argyle collection are all glossy in their finish and don’t require a top coat to achieve this.

Barielle’s Cashmere or Loose Me is described as a “Soft brown with copper pearl” and it’s the only shade from the new Style in Argyle collection that gave me application issues.

You can see the dragging near the cuticles?  This is with 3 coats… I’m not happy about that, though to be fair, it was less noticeable in real life than it is in the picture.  What I do love is the ‘copper pearl’ – it gives an added dimension, something that I’ve come to expect from Barielle’s polishes.

The copper pearl isn’t visible in the above photo (though it is on the nail), so I’ve taken a photo of the bottle which shows the effect well.

This is the first in the series of six that I was sent for review consideration.

The Style in Argyle collection is available to purchase online from the Barielle website priced at £8 each.  Though currently, the Spring/Summer and Autumn collections are available on a “buy one get one free” basis, rendering them a bargainous £4 per polish.

This week I’m gonna be showcasing the Barielle Style in Argyle Autumn collection… I have mixed feelings about the collection as a whole.  It feels very different to Barielle’s usual releases but I do love the warm, cosy, Autumnal theme.

One of my favourite things about Barielle’s collections however, is their eclecticness and this collection doesn’t stray from the path laid out.

It couldn’t be more ‘on trend’ though could it?  Camel IS the colour for Autumn… Barielle have solidly nailed it in that respect.

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”e6e6fa” bgcolor=”b0c4de”]Indulge yourself with Cashmere or Loose Me – a soft brown with copper pearl; cosy up with Tight Knit – a purple brown crème; keep your hands as pretty as the fallen leaves with Aura Angora – a royal gold crème; get tied up with Unraveled Red – a burnt rust crème; engage yourself with Wool you Marry Me? – a plum brown crème. and howl at the moon with Cowl of the Wild – a mushroom taupe crème.[/stextbox]

What are you first impressions?  Stick around for this week’s NOTDs if you want to get up close and personal with the Style in Argyle collection!

Don’t walk…. RUN to the Barielle website where until the end of the week you can take advantage of the Buy One Get One Free offer that’s ongoing on the Spring/Summer shades.

But… as if that weren’t enough… they’re automatically deducting ANOTHER 20% at checkout which means that you can nab two Barielle’s for £6.40!

Ordinarily retailing at £8 a piece, we don’t need calculators to deduce the amazing value in that offer!

If you want a quick recap of the Barielle shades I’ve featured so far (inc. some of the Spring/Summer offerings):

Belly Dance
A Bouquet for Ava
June Bug
Decadence
Polished Princess
Falling Star
Make it a Latte
Grape Escape

Let me know if you indulge!

What a strange little polish Butter London’s Victoriana (£10) is… it applied with an almost fibrous quality.  If you can call that a quality.  But what I will say is that on me… this manicure lasted 5 days before I saw any tip wear.  Was I painting polish or carbon fibre?

The first coat was a hot mess because of the thick texture…. if you’re smart fngered and can cope with thick polishes, this may be a one-coat wonder for you.  I needed a second to even out the edges and fill in the drag marks.

The muted green/blue tone looks soft against my skintone… in the picture above it’s a little brighter thanks to the sunlight, but it shows up the dense silver sparkle nicely.  Removal was a little tedious but nothing major.  Just hold the remover pad to the nail for a touch longer than normal before wiping clean.  No need for foil or anything hardcore like that!

I was truly amazed by the 5 days of wear I got before noticing any flaws in it’s appearance.

What do you think?  Do you like the look of Victoriana?

Mid August… the kids are still off school (don’t we all know it?!) and for many of us, the Summer is just starting to wind down.  We’ve already indulged in some Autumn/Winter makeup collections and gladiator sandals just don’t seem that appealing anymore.

Here’s some of the products that have made my Summer more enjoyable and at times, bearable!

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Liz Earle Foot Spritzer – £7

Instant relief for hot, tired feet.  Simply spritz all over to cool and refresh.  I actually spray on my legs aswell, the cooling sensation is undeniable though the menthol is a touch overpowering for some.

Mr. L moans when I use it in an enclosed space, though he admits that he finds it preferable to the smell of my feet.

This special edition Summer product is only available until the 5th September, so not long to stock up.

Available online from Liz Earle..

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Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder – £23.50

I’m in love with both of my Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powders (I also bought Maui this Summer).

Sheer with a touch of sparkle, Antigua blows my bronzing fear out of the water. The delicate pink shade sits realistically against my skintone and the buildable nature means that this is one product I won’t over-cook.

Available at counters nationwide or online.

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Mitchum Powder Fresh Roll On Deodorant – £2.79

If you’re looking for something to combat a particularly troublesome Summer issue, then Mitchum never lets me down.

The roll-on, “powder fresh” formula is my particular fav and for me, it really lives up to it’s claims of 48hr protection.

I don’t use this all year round, simply because I try to use something that contains less aluminium when I can get away with it.  But nothing will sway me from this product throughout the sweaty months.

Available from most supermarkets/chemists.

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Caudalie Organic Grape Water – £7

Another instant reliever for sweaty days, the can dispenses a fine mist that cools and refreshes. This was a lifesaver during a BBQ one warm evening after one of my Sk:n Laser Hair Removal sessions.

Extracted from grapes during the harvest the ingredient’s list reads: Grape Fruit Water, Grape Juice and Nitrogen. That’s it. Fabulous!

Available online from LookFantastic

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Tresemme Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo – £4.29

I’ve been reaching for this little can a lot over the last few weeks.  Tresemme’s take on the dry shampoo market is less “powdery” than the high street alternatives.  It dispenses a fine and completely clear mist that seems somehow more controllable than my Batiste.

However, it’s double the price…

I’ll repurchase with pleasure, but only when I find it on special offer.

Available from most supermarkets/chemists

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What products have been making your summer even more pleasurable?.

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.

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?

Whilst dodging the weekly shop by loitering down the health and beauty aisles, I thought it might be high time to give the Barbara Daly range another once over after being so impressed by the nail polishes.

I was glad I did, because my eyes alighted on these:

Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye Eye Shadow Pens!

I have to draw the comparison to the Ellis Faas eye pens don’t I?  I mean, c’mon… how could I not?

With the Barbara Daly eye shadow pens costing £5.62 in Tesco vs. Ellis Faas’s £22 only stocked at Liberty offering – there’s no prizes for guessing which is gonna win the price/accessibility war but let’s take a look at some of the colours and application shall we?

Let’s face it… these budget versions from Barbara Daly are never gonna win the “which is sexier” battle.  Take a look at the wonderful Witoxicity for an indepth view at the new Ellis Faas Eye Lights pens if you’re unfamiliar with the eyeshadow pen concept.

Pulling off the lid reveals a nylon brush…. pliable and soft with plenty of give (perhaps a little too much give).  The goal is to draw the creme eyeshadow into the chamber and down the middle of the brush head until it emerges onto the tip of the brush.  To do this, you twist the opposite end of the pen which clicks as it rotates and forces the creme up through the bristles… like so…

Out of the four products that I put to the test, each dispensed product accurately and smoothly.  None of this sudden gushing of eyeshadow that the Ellis Faas pens have been known to do.

There’s some beautiful shades in the range, all very wearable both as shadows or eye liners.  I think I saw another shade while I was on holiday too…. I may have imagined it though, a neutral called Hazel?  Anyway… I think you’ll agree, these look pretty pigmented and lovely no?

The cremes glide on (I use the brush pen to apply directly to the eyelid) and blend with my little finger or a separate brush.  Don’t even bother trying to blend these with the built-in brush… it’s only good for creating hard lines, you’ll be turning the air blue before you know it!

Here’s a quick FOTD with Otter as the main focus.  A great shade for bringing out any green lurking in your eyes!  I’m also currently addicted to wearing Airforce as a thick eyeliner (slightly blended along the edge with a smudger brush).

Wear is pretty decent, it sets fully within a couple of minutes and lasts without creasing for about 5 hours when worn with no base.  I know they’re not hugely sexy… I mean, for god’s sake – they have the words “make up” printed on them, but they’ve impressed me!

Check them out next time you’re in Tesco!

Have you tried the Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye pens before?  Which shades are you liking the look of?