A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Maybe this will change your minds…

ARGH!  Stop!  Must. not. buy. more. polish!

But yano…. if you wanted to, here’s the link

Hmmm… that makes this post sound far more dramatic and exciting than it actually is.

Perhaps if myself and VexintheCity hadn’t been gently chaperoned to the exit when it was time to go home, I’d have had the opportunity to ‘lose myself’ and run around QVC HQ in a style akin to Mission Impossible… camera flailing… whilst being chased by 3 burly security guards and papping Dale, (the ‘Housewive’s Choice’) secretly devouring all the biscuits in the QVC kitchen.

Not that it wasn’t exciting or interesting… It was!  But the one thing that struck me above all else was simply how quiet and relaxed the place was.  Now, I know we arrived after ‘home time’ for most, so the offices were understandably peaceful… but the live studios were also incredibly relaxed, almost serene.

Anyway, let’s have a look around…

The offices… where all the model booking, show planning, product organising and general adminy stuff takes place.

The prep room!  Like a well-oiled machine… all the trolleys get stacked with products relevant to the show they’re destined to appear in.  This is the beauty trolley for that evening’s 10 o’clock airing.  I spy Decleor, Nails Inc, Bare Escentuals and other lovely things.

The prep Kitchen!  They were showcasing utensils and a range of cookware.  Gotta have some food to put in ’em right?  It was HOT in there, but the gorgeous foodie aromas that were wafting down the corridor were immense!

Check me out, I done a panoramamama!  What a geek! (Click the picture to see it LARGE)

This is one of the studios (I forget which number – there’s 6 in total I think).  QVC headquarters and studios will be relocating in the next couple of years to Chiswick.  Their current location was never supposed to be permanent, though they’ve been there 17 yrs now!

The building they’re in wasn’t designed to house studios.  Natural light floods in from the atrium above and needs to be blacked out and checked before they go live each time, which obviously isn’t ideal.

Oh, oh, oh!  We got to stand behind the cameras whilst a show was going out live!  Mobile phones OFF and super quiet creeping about was the order of the day.  At one point, I had to physically restrain VexintheCity who admitted an overwhelming urge to run infront of the camera waving her arms about like some day-release.  I would have TOTALLY pretended not to know her.

As I said earlier, the studios were really quiet…. even the live ones.  Imagine it… big room, two presenters, 1 floor manager (have I made that job title up?) and 1 camera man.  That’s it.  Eerie!  It was pure QVC cheese too… I loved it.  Jilly Halliday was demonstrating some funky *cough* clothing, whilst Dale Franklin was asserting his charm over the nation’s ladies, encouraging us to part with our cash for some of the latest and greatest jewellery on display.  Flippin’ fabulous!

Control Room/Production-y bit…. Like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise!  Lots of buttons…. wanted to dive forward and press a couple.  Accidentally slip and sit on about 20 at once, you know the score.  I behaved myself.

This lady was watching Dale do the jewellery presentation… she was nice.  Are you still with me?  Hello?  Hellooo?

After all that tour excitement, we retired upstairs to where Bare Escentuals had set up a little room to give us a sneak preview of their new (to the UK) matte foundation.  I’d had the pleasure of meeting their national makeup artist SJ previously but it was good to see her work her magic again.

Bare Escentuals Matte is due for release on QVC on the 10th July… we were given a sample, but I’ve already got a pot (in a better colour match) that I scored in a blog sale a month ago.  I promise to review it before it releases over here (tick tock).  It’s a great alternative for those among us who like the idea of mineral makeup but dislike the dewy finish that minerals tend to give.  I predict it’s gonna be a big seller throughout the Summer.

SJ getting to work on the beautiful Keren who’s currently guest blogging for Lindsey at Beauty Mecca.

And the finished result.  Subtle but flawless.

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It was a fabulously fun evening and a real change from the norm for me.  I hope you enjoyed a little sneak peek behind the scenes.  Don’t forget, it’s beauty month at QVC… there’s lots of tempting TSVs coming up and check out the Bare Escentuals big Matte launch day on the 10th July.

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For more info on what you can expect from QVC’s Beauty Month, watch this video with Alison Young below:

My love for these Aussie tubes of lip-loving lanolin have been well documented on this here blog and I’m excited to announce that from September we need go no further than the high street to get our hands on them!

Lanolips will be launching in the top 22 Boots stores starting in September before (hopefully) being rolled out to other stores nationwide later in the year.

The original non-coloured 101 ointment (my fav!) will be priced at £10.99 with the sheer coloured lip-ointments retailing for slightly less.

I’m over the Summer now… come on September!

Here’s my other recent purchase, I’m currently hiding the invoice email in a folder I never venture into.  Out of sight out of mind right?

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Rose (£29.50)  is a much cooler toned blush/highlight.  It’s slightly less pigmented than Nectar and also a touch more metallic (though equally beautiful).

The white shade is opalescent… it has that pearly pink thing going on, very pretty!

I’m still working out how best to wear these, if you have any tips or blush combinations that work for you… be sure to let me know!

I paid £16 for my Rose Shimmer Brick (unboxed) from StrawberryNET.

Thanks to the lovely people at Just Beauty Direct…

…I’ve got 3 brand spankin’ new Beauty Blenders to give away to you brilliant lot!

Don’t know what a Beauty Blender is or why you’d need one?  Check out my review here for more info.

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Enough of all that… wanna know how to win one?

Answer this simple question and fill out the entry form below…

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Q. Which newspaper rated the Beauty Blender as number 10 on their Top 50 Beauty Buys of 2008?

hint: you can find the answer here

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Error: Contact form not found.

NOTES
* Competition will close at 11pm (BST) on the 8th July
* Competition is open internationally
* Winners will be selected at random from all correct entries
* Winners will be notified by email on the 9th July
* 1 entry per email address accepted
* Email addresses are not used for anything other than to conact the winner and will not be kept once the competition is closed

My StrawberryNet order arrived on Saturday, super fast shipping from Hong Kong… incredibly fast actually, took about 2 days.

Anyway, here’s my first Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick…

Nectar…

Isn’t she lovely?

I’m pale enough to pull this one off as a blush if I wanted… it might be a bit frosty for that, I think it’s a product I need to experiment with before I work out how best to put it to use.

The texture is pretty smooth and the shimmer although very obvious, isn’t too chunky.  I’m pleased with my £16 bargain!

Next on my ‘play with’ list is Rose – can you see me?  I’m doing a happy makeup dance!

Is it teal?  Is it blue?  Argh… can’t decide…

Petrol blue, that’s what I’m gonna call it.

Barielle’s A Bouquet for Ava is a stunning creme polish.  Opaque in 2 coats (as pictured), the formula is a beauty… smooth and thin but heavily pigmented.

I dislike the semi-matte finish once dried and was sure to top off with a coat of Seche Vite for the ultra-glossy look I love.  I’m on my 2nd full day of wear and I’ve no chips and only minimal tip wear, so far so good!

Barielle’s A Bouquet for Ava is available online from Barielle and priced at £8 (though they’re still currently offering BOGOF)

EDIT: Still love it, but you need to know… a base coat IS. A. MUST.  Trust me, this stains like a bitch.

Signed… Smurf Nails.

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel, a new lipstick available in 10 shades that promises to contain 100% natural ingredients and long-lasting colour.

These natural ingredients include lovely-sounding things such as: magnolia oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, green tea, beeswax and mineral/plant pigments.

I was sent two shades to try: Fuchsia Ardent (04) and Sienne Kiss (09)

The packaging is the same as the original Sweet Kiss range from Bourjois (though a different coloured plastic)… it’s incredibly tactile… I could click and click for hours…

The formula (which promises to be silky, melting and creamy) is a little bit harder than those adjectives would imply.  Though it certainly doesn’t create any drag on the lips, I’ve definitely applied softer-feeling lipsticks.  Also, I’m not loving the scent.  It’s quite waxy… but I guess it’s not easy to be vigilantly natural and delicately perfumed all at the same time… plus, I can’t smell it once it’s on my lips, only if I sniff the tube.

What I would say about the Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipsticks though is that they’re wonderfully light.  I can apply a ton of product and STILL not feel like I’ve built up a layer of beeswax.  This results in fabulous pigmentation without any gloopiness or heaviness on the lip, and that’s a rather unusual and impressive achievement for a ‘drugstore’ lipstick.

This is a few swipes straight from the tube, the lipstick applies sheerly at first but builds up to a great intensity as you can see.  The finish is semi-matte and extremely easy to wear.

Longevity is average despite claims of 8hr moisturising wear… perhaps if I were enclosed in a vacuum… but I do normal girl things like drink tea, eat muffins and chew on pencils, so these lasted around 3 hours on me before fading away leaving my lips just a touch drier than before… nothing that I’m not familiar with from other lip products.

I would say that they bridge the gloss/lipstick gap… but they don’t, they’re too opaque and matte to be drawing any comparisons with gloss.

Overall, at £7.99 (€11.99) each, I think they’re a great buy.  Particularly if you’re usually uncomfortable with the heaviness of a lipstick.  If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

WOAHHHHHHHHH too much blush.

Aside from that, I was really pleased with how this turned out!  I was looking forlornly into my pigment drawer thinking that I don’t use them enough and although it was 6pm in the evening and I had just done my first DIY home facial (courtesy of Liz… yeah, we’re on first name terms innit) I decided to have a little play anyway.  Was that the longest sentence in the blogosphere?  Possibly.

I really need to start using more than 2 eyeshadow shades, I really enjoyed playing!

Products Used:

Face

~ Skin79 Super BB Cream
~ L’Occitane Etoiles des Neiges Illuminator
~ MUFE Full Cover Concealer in Shade 1

Eyes

~ Urban Decay Primer Potion
~ Silk Naturals Vanilla Pigment (all over lid up to brow bone)
~ MAC Melon Pigment (all over mobile lid)
~ MAC Revved-Up Pigment (crease and slightly above)
~ Elemental Beauty Vamp Pigment (outer v and under lower lashline)

~ Bourjois Khol & Contour in Brun Design (smudged on upper lashline then melon pigment reapplied over the top)
~ Benefit Bad Gal Lash Black Mascara

Cheeks

~ Milani Luminous Blush
~ Bobbi Brown ShimmerBrick in Nectar (yeah, I got carried away)

Lips

~ Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipstick in 09 Sienne Kiss

No, really…

Unboxed Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Nectar and Rose for £16 each with free postage?

I’ll take both thanks.

Rose

Nectar

Let me know if you indulge, who needs boxes anyway?

They say that tattoos are addictive… I don’t have any of those but I’m here to tell you that you can add hair-removal and Foxes Coconut Crinkles to the list of things that “Lipglossiping got herself addicted to” in 2010.

The question is, will I have a single hair left on my body come Christmas?  Will I get carried away with it’s fabulosity and start chasing the neighbour’s Persian moggy round the block once I’m done with Mr. L’s hairy back?

The Boots Smooth Skin by iPulse IPL System arrived last week for me to try and report back on, and being the hairy Mary that I am… I honestly couldn’t think of a better candidate.

Until I read this:

I was all of an “OHMYGOD, I CAN’T USE IT!”  I may even have squeezed out a couple of tears…  and then a few more for the benefit of Mr. L (who missed them the first time round) after he looked up from Micro Mart to determine whether the wailing was coming from me or the baby.

After some email to-ing and fro-ing with the people behind the device, I learned that they’re actually in the process RIGHT NOW of updating the UK manual for the machine.  Infact, here it is in black and white from the rep:

…I have managed to get you the most up to date info on the suitability of Boots Smooth Skin for PCOS sufferers.

As you know, in the UK manual, it states that Boots Smooth Skin is not suitable for PCOS sufferers.

We are in the process of updating the UK manual with Boots to give a better explanation of the considerations when using Smooth Skin with PCOS.  We know many PCOS sufferers have found good results with Smooth Skin and some have posted their positive reviews on boots.com.

As you will know, in essence, PCOS is related to a hormonal imbalance.  Hormone changes may cause dormant hair stem cells to grow into new hair follicles.  So it is likely to take longer to be hair-free and require you to top up.

But we also know and understand what a huge comfort it is to PCOS sufferers not to have the extra hair that the condition causes to be so visible…

…We want to do the right thing by our consumers, and while we go through the final rounds of approvals with Boots we would love to give you the chance to get ahead of the UK change.

So there you go.  You heard it here first (maybe).

In all honesty as a PCOS lady, this device wouldn’t be my first stop for hair removal.  Not for my face anyway, which is precisely why I don’t already own one.

I’ve looked at this particular device many times in the past (it’s one of the few that claim PERMANENT results) and I’ve never been confident enough in it’s claims to go to Boots and lay my debit card down on the counter.   I think it’s important that you know this, and that I tell you why.

Regardless of whether there’s any substance to my opinion, as someone with a “proper” problem with excess hair, I knew that I was always going to opt for something that I perceive to be stronger.  I want FULL ON peeow peeow laser beams blasting my face yano?  I want someone with a clipboard to be operating a machine that takes up at least 10sq foot of floor space and puts a minor dent in the national grid everytime it’s fired up.

I won’t be using this on my face or my chest.  I don’t want it to interfere with the results that I may or may not get from the SK:N treatment that I’m currently undergoing.

Instead, you get to see my gorgeous hairy pins.  You lucked out.  Don’t worry though… I’m not showing them today, your appetite is safe for now.

Check out this instead:

It’s all very neat and compact… slotting into it’s own little vanity case that has been discretely designed without the words LASER HAIR REMOVAL emblazoned all over it.  In other words, you can totally leave the IPL stuff behind and take the case on a dirty weekend filled with furry handcuffs and the like.  Or if you’re me, Minstrels.

So, the plan is to do one leg.  Just the one.  Don’t worry, I’m still gonna shave the other one… but I think that doing it this way will leave me under no illusions by the end of 12 weeks whether I’m actually seeing concrete results from the Boots Smooth Skin.  I’m also going to pin down Mr. L (he really does have a hairy back and this is the only home IPL system suitable for men) – he’s gonna. love. it.

Much, much later on… god knows if you’ll still be here with me or even care, but I’ll put phase two of the hair-blasting attack into action.  I’ll use the Boots Smooth Skin on my face to maintain whatever results I achieve from my SK:N treatment once it’s finished.

For the purposes of the trial and for you ladies with PCOS, I wish I could do that bit NOW – but bad timing forces my hand and I simply can’t.  It’s pretty common for hirsute women with a hormonal imbalance to need extra professional laser sessions.  Sometimes as many as a couple of times a year to maintain completely smooth skin.  I’ve made peace with that, but for me… that would mean £220 for each topup session.  The Boots Smooth Skin currently retails at £274.99.  It makes economical sense for me to purchase one of these for maintenance and I would (despite my cautious attitude towards it’s claims) be confident enough in the device’s abilities to lay down my cash in an effort to maintain an area that’s already been treated.

Anyway, I’ll introduce you to the more technical aspects of the machine next week when I’m confident that my tan has completely faded (you can’t use the device on fake-tanned skin).

*glances up* Jesus, I can’t half go on.

Taking advantage of Barielle‘s current ‘buy one get one free’ offer, I find myself the new owner of four new Barielle shades.  I should have behaved and gone for two… but I even had a hard time narrowing it down to four.

I chose two shades from the Spring Wildflowers Collection (which was WILDLY late to arrive in the UK) and two from the High Steppin’ Summer collection.

I’m being a bit of a kid in a sweet shop, because I still have a couple left from the Urban Decay Summer of Love set to show you, but I simply couldn’t resist cracking open June Bug (£8) first.  After all, I’ve been desperately desiring it for the last 5 months.

I’m delighted and annoyed with it all at the same time.

I mean, once applied… I love it and I’m very pleased that I bought it… It’s like nothing else that I own.  But my God I turned the air blue during application.

Gloop, gloop, gloop.  This polish is thick.

It spread like marmite on my nails and with the addition of the glitter gave me a horrible satin bumpy finish that needed two coats of quick dry to stop me from reaching for the nail varnish remover.

However, once all is said and done… it’s one of those polishes that ends up looking far neater and more uniform than you would have thought possible during application.

The glitter is subtle and it mixes in beautifully with the shimmer that is present in the muted baby-blue base.  Mr. L couldn’t detect the fuchsia glitter from a distance of 4 foot until the sun caught my nails and it gave a litte sparkle.

I’m talking myself round as I’m writing this and casting glances at my fingertips.  I was cross with it as I was trying to work with that 2nd coat that was drying as quickly as I could put it on… but you simply have to forgive a polish that ends up looking as pretty as this does.

That pesky reflection below makes my nail bed look bumpy, it’s not… two layers of top coat sorted that out nicely.

Barielle are still offering BOGOF on their new Spring/Summer collections, but I’m not sure for how much longer.

What do you think?  Do you like it?