A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

High five – it’s a makeup amnesty!  Anyone fancy trying a new mascara?

How about a lovely deluxe sample of one of Clinique’s top-selling products?

Clinique are offering us this rather brilliant opportunity to take in one of our crappy old mascaras and exchange it at the counter for a deluxe sample of one of these alternatives!

You can choose between:

Clinique High Impact Mascara

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

The offer is valid from 29th October – 16th November exclusively in Boots and only while stocks last.

Absolutely no purchase is necessary but stop rummaging through your sister’s/mother’s/mate’s makeup drawers ‘cos it’s only one per client.  I SAW you!

I haven’t tried the High Impact (volumising) one yet, so will be hot-footing it down my nearest Boots/Clinique counter to give it a go.

If you want to see how the High Lengths (lengthening) looked on my lashes, click here for my review and some before/after shots.

Will you be ditching an old mascara and trading up for this offer?

I wanna know… which mascara will you be swapping and which of Clinique’s will you be choosing to replace it?

Does everyone know what a GWP stands for?  I only found out about a year ago despite having been a regular owner of them for ooooooooooh about 10 years?  I think infact that I may have been the last person in the world to discover what the acronym actually stood for.  Kinda like that time I discovered my ex was sleeping with someone that wasn’t me.

GWP = Gift with Purchase!

Some brands are pretty famous for their awesome GWPs and many shoppers time their repurchases to coincide with instore events that feature these lovely little extras!  With potential bargainous Christmas pressies in mind, I contacted a few brands to find out what they had to offer for the month of October and was pleasantly surprised to find some not too shabby offerings!

1. Estee Lauder (Exclusive to Boots)

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Contents (choice of shades available)

• Take It Away Long-Wear Makeup Remover Towelettes, 5 sheets in travel size pouch
• Daywear Plus Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme, N/C Skin,15ml
• Advanced Night Repair Syncronized Recovery Complex, 7ml
• Eyeshadow Quad Compact with Applicator
• Pure Color Lipstick
• Double Wear Zero Smudge Lengthening Mascara in Black
• Estee Lauder Pleasures Edp, 4ml
• Purple Patent Cosmetic Bag with cross stitch pattern

Qualifier

Free with any two or more Estée Lauder purchases.

Until

Saturday 23rd October 2010

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2. Help: Clear Skin (online)

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Contents

• Limited Edition Heidi Cannon Purse

Qualifier

Free when you purchase one month’s supply of Help: Clear Skin

Until

While stocks last

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3. Clinique (Exclusive to Debenhams)

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Contents

• Exclusive Learn by Numbers Eye Compact in Neutral, 2.2g
• Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser, 50ml
• Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, 30ml
• High Impact Curling Mascara in Black, 4g
• Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Kissy Fit, 2.3ml

Qualifier

Free with the purchase of two or more Clinique products (one to be skin care)

Until

Saturday 30th October 2010

Next up doing their bit for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is…

What is it?

Three gorgeous shades of gloss from Clinique together on an exclusive handy key chain complete with a pink ribbon charm.

Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 provides long-lasting, high shine with the added benefit of SPF 15.  Thanks to powerful film-formers that create a “seal” holding the gloss to your lips throughout the day, the high moisturising gloss stays put for up to 8 hours!

Price

£15.00

Donation

For each UK sale, £2 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s study at the UK Institute of Cancer Research.

Availability

Exclusive to Boots, both online and instore.

Clinique are introducing three NEW products to their popular Redness Solutions lineup.

Clinique Redness Solutions Makeup SPF 15 – £20

Now this is exciting!  The first premium-brand to offer a foundation that not only promises to give redness specific coverage but also offer treatment benefits for mild to moderate facial redness.

Well, that’s me… I’m very curious to see if this makes any real difference in camouflaging compared to my normal foundations.  I’m not convinced on the SPF 15 though, I think that a foundation specifically aimed at sensitized skins would have benefited from a slightly higher protection rating.

Clinique Redness Solutions Corrector – £15

A yellow-toned stick concealer that promises to neutralise and conceal areas of redness.  I’m wary of these… in the past I’ve tried Benefit’s You’re Bluffing yellow-toned stick concealer and it just didn’t do much for me.  I won’t discount this one yet… but it’s not something I’d buy without being shown exactly how to use it for best effect on counter.

Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Pressed Powder – £24

This powder can be used alone, under or over makeup and claims to make visible redness and broken capillaries virtually disappear.

If this is anything like Clinique’s loose mineral powders… it’s gonna be gorgeous.  I find them to be super-fine and invisible whilst doing the job they’re designed for.

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The new redness solutions additions will be available on counter from the 15th October.  I for one, will be checking them out!

After much deliberating (ok.. a cup of tea) I’ve chosen a suitable candidate to put Clinique’s new Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector to the test for us for the next 12 weeks…

Lipglossiping’s next guest reviewer will be reader…

Helen!

I’ll send you an email this evening to request your details and get the sample in the post to you as soon as possible.

Thanks everyone for stepping up to the challenge and I can’t wait to read what Helen has to say about her trial!

… or to give it’s full title – Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector!

Phew!

Brand new from Clinique, this is sure to be a top seller this Autumn/Winter… especially with Christmas round the corner.  Promising to combat both wrinkles and UV damage, could this be the all-in-one solution that so many desire?

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Clinique introduces NEW Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector, a de-ageing serum uniquely formulated to work day and night to reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles, and repair and help prevent UV damage with results remarkably close to a dermatological laser treatment.  Use just three drops of NEW Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector twice a day and in 12 weeks, achieve 63% of the visible wrinkle reducing power of a laser.

Like three serums in one, delivering multiple benefits leading to visible wrinkle reducing results of a laser. Skin might not forget, but it can now help forgive the visible effects of sun, stress and pollution.

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I’ve been sent one for review consideration.  I’ve seen some pretty impressive results with it on other blogs, but in all honesty… I don’t think a review from me would do this much justice.

At 29, I don’t have wrinkles or even many fine lines… wait, let’s interject a little more honesty in that statement.  At 29 and with a penchant for cream cakes… I don’t have wrinkles or even many fine lines.  It’s the cakes, not the genetics.

I’ve also never been one to accept and review products “just ‘cos I can”, so I’d like to offer this up to one of my lovely readers to trial thoroughly and review honestly for my readers.

There are a few ‘stipulations’ though.

* You must be happy to provide before and after photos (close ups are fine if you’d rather remain anonymous!)

* You must be aged over 35

* Your trial period is 12 weeks with one reader update (no photos required) around the 6 week mark and a reader conclusion (with photos) once the trial period is over.

If you fit the above criteria and fancy giving this a go, please leave me a comment below and I’ll choose someone suitable next week.

Sound good?

If you simply can’t wait to find out what our guest reviewer thinks… then, Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector will be available at all Clinique counters nationwide from 10th September 2010 priced at £35.00/€48.00

From the 25th June – 22nd July 2010, Clinique are offering custom fit skincare consultations.

Pop along to your nearest counter and they will help you determine your skin care needs.  Whilst stock lasts, you will receive one of five concern kits, free with any two skin care purchases.

For images and specific kit info, read more after the cut…

Read the rest of this entry »

When I saw the Clinique High Lengths Mascara wand a few months ago…

It gave me a shiver.  And not in a good way.  It looks freakin’ terrifying!  Organic… like it’s gonna whip me or bite me or something slightly kinky.  And I repeat, not in a good way!

Still… yano… I had to buy it anyway *blush*

I generally find Clinique’s packaging a bit fud… am I the only one?  My Mum has skirts with those big floral prints on ’em.

You can see the extent of the curve to the wand… it’s serious… and takes a little bit of positioning to get it to align with my lashes.  Infact, it doesn’t align THAT well at all on me, it’s obviously something that’s going to be hugely dependant on the shape of your lashline…

The green bit is flexible and despite it’s odd curvature, doesn’t cause me any problems taking it out or pushing it back into the tube.  It’s also worth noting that the brush seems to pick up a perfect amount of product each time it appears from the neck of the tube.

Once I’ve got the wand positioned the best I can manage, things get a lot more interesting!

Those spiky little teeth grab my lashes and I can FEEL the pull as I wiggle the wand through from root to tip.  There’s some proper resistance there as I comb the wand through… it’s almost poetic.  The effect is beautiful separation and definition.  I’ve never used a wand that does this so well.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara is a lovely lengthening mascara that (after a couple of run throughs) coats each lash with just the right amount of product and really does allow you to get right to the root of the lash without splodging product allover your eyelid.

We’re not talking false lash effect mascara superstardom here, but it’s a great product for lovely long lashes and one that I’ll happily repurchase.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara is a very reasonable £14.50 (considering high street mascaras are approaching that figure now!).  You can buy online or on counter.

Indulge me, I rarely do haul posts.  But I’m really loving the things that I picked up this week.  And just look how restrained I was at my local CCO (the MAC).

At the beginning of the week my Stila bits turned up from CheapSmells.. oh! I haven’t included my Stila Topaz Kajal in the photo!  Oh well, I got that too… But anyway, look at that lovely taupe (bottom left).  That’s Stila Cloud, a very cool toned shimmery silver taupe.

I finally took the plunge and ordered a Shu Uemura IR Beige 800 eyeshadow… I was struggling between the IR and ME versions, but felt the ME version swatched a little too pink for me.

I also took advantage of the Barielle BOGOF offer and picked up two colours from the Spring Wildflowers Collection (A Bouquet for Ava & June Bug) and two from the Summer High Steppin’ Collection (Belly Dance & Electric Boogie)

Hmm what else…

Oh, I nabbed Clinique’s (relatively) new High Lengths mascara that I’ve had my eye on for a little while… super funky alienesque brush!

Finally, I was (semi) well-behaved in my local CCO on Friday.  I don’t have a MAC counter near me… so I usually target the MAC stand quite heavily when I raid the Gunwharf CCO.  I picked up: Melon pigment, Blonde MSF and Femme-Fi eyeshadow.  Pat on the back for resisting Moon River from the Grand Duo collection and Flower Mist Dew Beauty Powder from the Ungaro collection.  (Please don’t tell me I NEED those two items in my life… I totally bend to peer pressure!)

What have you bought this week?

Ohhh I do like this model image Clinique… it’s how my makeup would look everyday in a world unhindered by problematic issues such as not being able to find my pencil sharpener when I need it or not knowing exactly where I’m supposed to apply my damn blush.

Anyway, the Clinique Autumn 2010 collection consists of three brand new products and a bunch of what d’ya call ’em… existing stock that kinda gets pushed to the front of the counter in a “don’t forget about me, look how nice I am for Autumn” kinda way… um… repromotes?

Anyway, let’s take a look at what’s new:

NEW Limited Edition High Impact Mascara
RRP: £14.50 €19.00
Clinically proven to make eyes appear three times brighter, this limited edition deep black shade creates the necessary contrast against the whites of the eyes to create a youthful, vibrant look.

Available in:
Brightening Black

NEW Limited Edition Quickliner for Eyes Intense
RRP: £13.00 €17.50
A more dramatic version of our best-selling eyeliner, this extra creamy new formulation glides on smooth, while the rich new shades provide a more vivid colour payoff to intensify the eyes for up to 12 hours.

Available in:
Intense Black
Intense Plum
Intense Chocolate
Intense Coffee

NEW Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour
RRP: £13.50 €19.00
These delicious lip smoothies are a healthy dose of luscious colour in six NEW juicy shades rich in moisture and shine.  Think of it as an antioxidant fruit smoothie for the lips.

Available in:
Guava Good
Pear-Fection
Running Latte
Strawberry Bliss
Pome-Greatness
Blackberry Nirvana

I know it’s a teeny bit early to be talking about Autumn collections when I’ve barely seen anything Summer-y hit the counters yet… (hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!) – but I liked the natural but sultry promo image too much to care.

I wish there was a touch more to the release… some new eye colours would have been nice in a collection that purports to be all about the eyes.   I’m definitely interested in the sound of some of those new eyeliners… extra dramatic smudgeability is nearly always a good thing in my book and an eye-brightening mascara?  Woohoo! Are we guessing at some clever blue/black pigment in there somewhere ladies?

After this scorcher of a weekend, I bet some of you are nursing your sore bits and will happily indulge in a little bit of early Autumnal cosmetic goodness, just so long as we’re talking September and not November right? Brrrr.

Clinique Autumn 2010 – Bigger, Brighter Eyes in an Instant will be available on counters nationwide from 1st August.

The problem with being a total beauty nut is that I find myself noticing flaws in my appearance that I’m sure wouldn’t really bother the average woman my age.

My mother has always suffered with hyperpigmentation and dark spots but she’s also about 3/4 foundation shades darker than me, so I’ve always assumed that it’s not something I would have to worry about as a paler skinned lady.

Well, maybe it’s NOT something I should worry about, heaven knows there’s enough “stuff” queueing up ready to be worried about in our day to day lives anyway… but regardless, I have noticed in recent months that my skin tone is looking less even.  I’ve always suffered from broken capilliaries on my cheeks and nose… but I’m also noticing a couple of little patches that I initially dismissed as new freckles.

Freckles all of a sudden? At 28? What… I think I’m Lindsay Lohan or something?  I guess it just sounds better than sun damage right?

Anyway, I’ve read lots about the Paul and Joe Whitening Serum that seems to get decent reviews for it’s ability to fade dark spots and even out skin tone… but my interest has been piqued by this new release from Clinique.

Clinique’s Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector claims to hold the power to even skin tone with results equal to a leading prescription ingredient.  Not only that but…

…this “damage eraser” is gentle and non-irritating and ideal for skins that cannot tolerate other skin brightening treatments.

It goes on to baffle me with science but regardless, if you’ve got skin that’s prone to a little bit of redness… you’ll know that the last thing you wanna do is slap product on that’s gonna accentuate that… a false economy right?

At £37.50 for 30ml, it’s not an inexpensive solution… but in general, these type of whitening/brightening products seem to offer good visible results when you compare them to anti-wrinkle creams.  The Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector is available from today on counters nationwide.  I’m interested, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open for some reviews before putting my hands in my pocket.

Have you tried whitening creams before?  What do you think?

Just a heads up incase you weren’t aware that Clinique’s bonus time begins tomorrow on the 14th May at House of Fraser store’s nationwide.  If you’re going to make 2 or more Clinique purchases, this is the time to do it!

Bonus time items include*:

Golden/Bronze makeup bag (with golden circles)
7 Day Scrub Cream
Superdefense Age Defense Moisturiser
Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick in Delovely
Eyeshadow in Like Mink
Uplighting Liquid Illuminator in Natural
True Bronze Pressed Powder in Sunkissed
Small Blush Brush

I shall add a picture to confirm items included if/when Clinique updates their website. Picture added.

*Free with the purchase of any two Clinique products or more.