A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

..at the risk of this being the most photo-heavy post in the history of the internet, I haven’t done the nail/lippy comparisons but totally can if anyone’s interested.  I ran out of light toward the end and now my lips are sore.

I talked about the formula of these lipglosses from Butter London a few days ago, if you need reminding – the post is here. Overall, I’m quite torn on them… I’m not a lipgloss fan, so we’re off to a bad start but I can’t deny their longevity is decent and the pigmentation on some of them, impressive.

Now that I’ve worn them all, I can safely say that the scent is pretty cloying on some of the shades and a few of them (particularly the pale ones) apply more like pva glue than gloss. I’m pleased that the range has recently been reformulated into more of a liquid lipstick style – I think that the potential for Butter London to release nail/lip combos is massive.  For me, this release ultimately just misses the mark but I’ve asterisked the ones that I did really enjoy wearing.

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Butter London Lippy’s are available to buy online from powderrooms.com, priced at £13.95 each.

Have you tried any of Butter London’s Lippys?  From the swatches, are any of them catching your eye?

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You may or may not know this about me… but I suffer from Raynaud’s syndrome which basically means that you wouldn’t want to share a bed with me on a cold night.

I’ve always had “poor circulation”, I remember as a small child, my Nan used to wrap my feet up in the bottom of her long nightdress while we slept in an attempt to warm them up.  I’ve lived with cold feet all my life but things only started to get serious a couple of years ago when I noticed my fingers becoming numb in cold weather.

Numb fingers is no joke, it’s a really disconcerting feeling – not exactly painful (it’s when the feeling comes back that they hurt!) but you literally cannot concentrate on anything else while it’s happening.  A most unwelcome sensation.

I’ve learnt to combat the problem with my hands with some great avoidance tactics: gloves are an essential – lined leather or suede are unbeatable.  Warming my hands under the hot tap restores feeling quicker than anything and Mr. L retrieves things from the freezer for me.  As for the tootsies, well… being less accessible than your fingers presents a bit of a problem – also, continuous contact with the frosty ground is never an ideal situation.

If you suffer from cold feet and are feeling the big chill this winter, here are some products that might help thaw you out!

01: Body Essentials Warm Your Sole (£9.99) – A natural chilblain treatment with warming ginger to help improve circulation flow.  I massage a few drops of this into my feet after a bath and pull my bedsocks (#3) straight on for toasty night-time feet!

02: Carnation Pedi Roller (£5.49)* – While this curious device was designed to relieve the pain of Plantar Fasciitis, I use it to encourage sensation back into my feet when things get painful!  It seems to work well to encourage the blood flow… plus it’s kinda fun!

03: SockShop Heat Holders Thermal Socks (£6.00) – These simple-but-effective socks have made the biggest difference to my everyday dealings with Raynauds.  I buy mine at SportsDirect (2 pairs for £10) and although they’re bulkier than normal socks, they’re less cumbersome than welly socks and far, far warmer.  An amazing recommendation by the good people of Twitter!  I want a pair in every colour!

04: Gel Doctor Flosole (£14.95)* – These are great to have on standby if you know you’re going to be standing around in the cold for a considerable period of time.  Kid’s football matches, bonfire night parades, whatever the event – these gel-filled insoles can be pre-heated in warm water before slipping them inside your boots and allowing you to benefit from a long-lasting toasty sensation.  They also offer great cushioning between the soles of your feet and the hard ground below.

05: Microwaveable Slippers (£various) – Not the most practical things in the world (don’t try to walk in them!) but microwaveable slippers are great for slipping on when you’re sat at the computer or relaxing on the sofa.  Just don’t overheat them and burn your feet, ouch!

06: Carnation SilverSock (£9.54)* – Made with pure silver fibre, the Carnation SilverSocks are designed to let your feet breathe whilst keeping them warm in winter and cool in the summer, they work well for me when thicker socks just won’t do.  I also wear these when I’m out exercising… my lame attempts at running made slightly more bearable (and less stinky) by anti-bacterial beauties!

Do you suffer from super cold-feet in the Winter?  Have any tips?

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The moment I saw this Butter London beauty in the bottle, I was smitten.  I love copper polishes, I love smooth glitters, I love my polish with just a hint of eccentricity.  Meet Butter London Scuppered, a polish that simply ticks all the right boxes.

Whoever thought to throw a scattering of green micro-glitter into the mix of what is otherwise, a rather sensible (albeit beautiful) polish, is a diabolical mastermind.  In amongst all this coppery-green madness, there’s another component – a shift of pink and a lighter gold that gives this shade an almost duochrome feel in the right light.

The formula is also wonderful, the above shows three coats – each of which applied smoothly, dried quickly and behaved impeccably.  I think you could probably get away with two coats, but don’t quote me on that.

It’s Autumnal, it’s Christmassy, it’s fun – what’s not to like?

Butter London Scuppered is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online from powderrooms.com

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Never have I cursed Winter as much as I have this past week.  I got my hands on these samples almost two weeks ago and haven’t been able to do face swatches because of the poor light.  That’s not to say I haven’t worn them, I’m usually meticulous about not breaking into samples before the photos.. but c’mon, you’d have to have nerves of steel to resist these babies.

The formula is consistent throughout the line, and as much as I wanted them to feel like liquid lipsticks, they are indeed lipglosses. They’re not light-textured on the lips and are quite strongly-scented but they’re long-lasting (for gloss) and match almost perfectly with their namesake polishes from Butter London’s regular line.

As for pigment, depending on the shade, these glosses have it by the bucketload but in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda way – you cannot build the pigment, not unless you wanna walk around with jizz lips and gloss strings galore.  Similarly you can’t really sheer these out without them looking patchy although you’ll be pleased to hear that they fade kindly.

Butter London Lippy lipglosses are priced at £13.95 each and available to buy online from powderrooms.com (swatches coming soon)

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So, it’s the first of December…  Duhn, duhn, DUHN!

I would do pinch and a punch and all that crap but I’ll leave it for my tweets where you can unfollow me without it costing me ad revenue.

BUT, seeing as it IS the first day of the final month of the year… the month filled with fairy lights, gifts, booze, food, and tinsel – I’ve got one hell of a festive NOTD for you.  Infact, it’s SO festive that if you cross your eyes, turn off the overhead light and whistle the Colonel Bogey tune, you can make out the image of Baby Jesus on my pinkie.

Hallelujah!

China Glaze It’s A Trap-eze!* is a pretty cool (if not quite biblical) nail polish for the party season from the brand’s winter Cirque du Soleil collection.  It actually reminds me of speckled eggs… which in turn, reminds me of that speckled frogs song (…five little speckled frogs…), which in turn, reminds me of being a kid – and really, that’s no bad thing.  I know the world is going crazy for these glitters that play havoc with my OCD tendencies (…sat on a speckled log…) but have you ever tried to create symmetry with this polish genre?  It should have been one of Hercules 12 tasks.

The formula is pretty neat, the polish is packed with irregular-sized, multi-coloured glitter and the base colour – a very pale grey – is particularly runny yet doesn’t give me any pooling issues.  You can tell that this isn’t quite your standard formula (…eating some most delicious grubs *yum YUM!*…) and has been more or less engineered to compliment this particular polish format.  The above photo shows the coverage you achieve in three coats… it builds very quickly both in base pigment, and in the amount of glitter that accumulates on the nail bed.  I need two layers of top coat to stifle the cringy feeling I get from heavily glittered fingertips, or you could use something thicker like Gelous.

My OCD may not like it, but I do!

www.thebeautypartnership.co.uk

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We live in a 2-bed flat… on the second floor, there’ll be no log fires ablaze this Winter and the only smoky smells will be drifting out of the toaster when I burn my muffins in the morning (not a euphemism).  But I’m cool with that, I hate roasted chestnuts and to be fair, wood-smoke plays havoc with my sinuses… still, it’s not very Christmassy is it?

To make up for this lack of festivity, I plumped for a new Winter candle this weekend: Diptyque’s Feu de Bois.  I was introduced to it just last week – massively behind the times of course – at an event I attended.  It’s not so much that it’s a great rendition of a roaring log fire, but that it reminds me completely and utterly of my parent’s house in La Vendee… a place I have a huge love/hate relationship with.  The house was a wreck in 1987 when my parent’s bought it and I had to spend every school holiday sitting in the ruins of this 500-yr old farmhouse while my friends holidayed on the beaches of Benidorm.  I know, first world problems and all that and I probably got off lightly, really… but still… it kinda sucked for a 12yr old to spend all. bloody. summer. so far away from real civilisation.

Some days, I only had the scare-o-pods to keep me company (don’t click that link, I mean it).

So anyway, Feu de Bois in all it’s unashamed smokiness (are you over that link yet?) has the most incredible, guttural quality of a good rip-roaring fire.  Not the sedate kind that posh people have in their petite chimineas… we’re talking full-blown inglenook with a pyromaniac 15yr-old (me) chucking on the spitting horse-chestnut logs while everyone else in the room kippers.  Delicious.  And when I’ve got the pennies, I’m going back in for the biggest size they do.  Although, having said that… Baies also made me go a little weak at the knees when I sniffed it… Houston bank manager, we have a problem.

Whilst I’m on the subject of Diptyque, a quick mention for their Christmas “Holiday Collection” which features a beautifully ornate trio of Arabian Nights-inspired candles that capture the festive spirit wonderfully.  I lucked out on the goody bag and took home a mini-version of the one that appealed to me the most on the evening: Sapin Doré – an artful representation of, what is basically, a freshly dug Christmas tree (without the foisty decorations).  It’s so beautifully green, with warming resinous qualities that neither detract from nor soften the freshness – usually, I’d actually want them to, but in the case of Sapin Doré, it needs that prickling camphor to bolster the absolute authenticity that I take from this scent.

The Holiday Collection, from left to right: Oliban, Amber Oud, Sapin Doré (priced from £25.00, available online)

The other candle that I’ve been burning like a heretic on a stake (and the award for most tasteless simile goes to…) is an outstanding creation from one of my favourite niche brands: Ancienne Ambiance.  Their Phoenicia (cedar) candle bears all the hallmarks of a scented masterpiece.  Funnily enough, my favourite tree (everyone has a favourite tree right?) is the candle’s inspiration, the Cedar of Lebanon, with it’s sprawling umbrella-like branches that used to protect me from the rain as I waited at the school gates for my friends to arrive.  If you don’t know it by name, google it… you’ll be like “ohhhh thoooose trees, yeah – they’re cool!”

Anyway, back to the candle… Phoenicia is a more aromatic take on the woody genre, less pine and more resin… the kind that you inhale deeply in an attempt to warm your soul as well as your nostrils.  Tempering the richness is a light herbal quality that injects a medicinal characteristic in the manner of an old apothecary.  Phoenicia is the ultimate “I’m warm and cosy in here… while outside, it’s shit” scent and whenever I light it, I come to the conclusion that Winter is no bad thing afterall.  Priced at £36, there’s also a rather striking Limited Edition black glass version currently available for a little more.

p.s. – incase you’re curious – the full lineup of wintery candles on display in the above images are: Ancienne Ambiance Romana, OCCO Raiya No6, Diptyque Feu de Bois, Ancienne Ambiance Phoenicia*, Annick Goutal La Rose, Diptyque Sapin Doré*

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Who says that history doesn’t repeat itself?  Starting next Monday, Clinique are hosting a repeat of last year’s frivolities with a week of Christmas treats and offering some particularly lovely gift with purchases to entice you into spending your pennies.

If you’ve been planning a beauty purchase or some gift shopping, it will pay dividends to log on to www.clinique.co.uk each morning to uncover the purchase qualifier and offer code.

Each offer is top secret until the grand reveal BUT I can divulge the teasers that have been released especially to whet our appetites!

Day 1 (Monday 3rd December): A treat to make the eyes flutter during the party season.

Day 2 (Tuesday 4th December): Let your eyes do the sparkling.

Day 3 (Wednesday 5th December): Treats all around.

Day 4 (Thursday 6th December): Everything you need for party perfection.

Day 5 (Friday 7th December): Get them before they’re gone.

If you’re struggling for inspiration, my Christmas pick would be the Limited Edition Taste of Honey set which incorporates four sheer lip shades, beautifully presented.  It’s the kind of gift that should please even the most difficult to buy for!

The Clinque Sweet Treats promotion will run from December 3rd – December 7th, inclusive, only online at clinique.co.uk, while stocks last.

Is it ever too early to start wearing holiday nail polishes?  The correct answer would be no.  Jack The Lad is from Butter London’s Holiday 2012 collection which features a range of pretty glitters.  Sitting in a forest-green base, suspended with a myriad of brighter sparkles that flash turquoise, gold and bright green, it’s a real stunner.

The swatch shot above shows three coats but you could get away with two if you’re in a hurry.  The finish is smooth to the touch but the shine is worth amping up with a top coat because it really brings out the Christmassy foil effect. Super pretty.

Butter London’s Jack The Lad is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online at www.powderrooms.com

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Got presents to buy this weekend? Of course you have *sounds the “it’s nearly December klaxon*!   How about a Cult Beauty goody bag to go with them?

I got lured into Space NK yesterday… what can I say? I don’t have a store near me, so whenever I do spot one, I break into a four-minute mile on the approach.  I’m mildly ashamed to say that I didn’t actually buy anything in there for anyone else (it was all about ME) but I’m hoping to restore some karmic equilibrium by sharing this offer from Cult Beauty with you, especially after it proved so damn popular last year!

Spend £40 (and a penny – although not necessarily exactly – duh) and claim a goody bag of delights that include the following:

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Lash Genius
2. Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel (15ml)
3. Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask (10ml)
4. Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Muscle Bath & Shower Oil (3ml)
5. Eve Lom Rescue Mask (5ml)
6. DuWop Mini Lip Venom (1.5ml)
7. Jouer Cosmetics Essential Lip Enhancer (full size)
8. Kai Perfume Oil Vial (1ml)
9. Alison Raffaele Reality Base Foundation (5ml)

Yes, yes… did you spot #7?  My eyes may have made a beeline…

I’m a massive fan of sample-sized masks and peels, they’re “treatments” that you can reap the benefits from in just one sitting.  The ladies at Cult Beauty have clearly put some thought into this year’s goody bag.  Also, would totally save the Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress for Xmas Day evening… bliss.

The offer starts tomorrow morning and is only available while stocks last.  Simply spend over £40 and enter the code GOODYBAG at checkout to claim yours.

Now, that’s gotta make Christmas shopping a little more palatable!  Done yours yet?

…and it is small, infact you probably can’t even tell it’s there – in which case, you’ll just have to trust.

I have a few Bobbi Brown Metallic Long Wear Cream Shadows that I’ve never really known how to wear.  They’re very sheer and, in my opinion, don’t really do themselves much justice when worn alone on the lids.  I’m not really sure how it took me almost two years to figure out the best way to wear them but I’ve cracked it!  Wait for it… it’s really ingenious… LAYER them!  Yes, I know!  You’d never have thought of it would you?

This isn’t today’s FOTD by the way… today, I look like shit.  Last week though, I looked quite perky (juice cleanse?) and as a result, felt the need for a bit of glitter on my face.  I wanted it to still be demure though…

I went with a simple taupe powder eyeshadow as a base… making sure it wasn’t too dark and then finger-patted Goldstone over the entire lid area.  And now I want to do that everyday.

I’m sure you’re far more adventurous about it than me but if you are wanting to dip your toes into some Christmas sparkle next month, I really recommend layering a glittery cream over a powder base – total transformation of an otherwise boring eyeshadow!

Are you wearing glitter yet?

I received a press release at the end of last week announcing a retro-inspired set of Christmas goodies from skincare brand, Dove.

“Oooh!” I thought, as I clicked to open the email for a better look.

“Oh.” I said, as the email revealed nothing of the sort.

Am I missing some crucial piece of retro-evidence here?

What in the name of full-skirted, fedora-wearing, seemingly wholesome, nothing-to-do-with-the-fifties kind of fuckery is this?

Just in case you thought I imagined it… let me indulge you with Dove’s idea about what these sets are supposed to represent…

Beauty lovers are in for a treat this Christmas as Dove launches a stunning Christmas gift collection with packaging inspired by the fabulous fifties, marking the era in which the beauty brand first launched.

In a throwback to those glamorous days, Dove is launching a beautifully packaged range of indulgent and nourishing necessities.

Sorry Dove, but sticking a tiny slightly 50s-inspired illustration on the part of the packaging that you THROW AWAY within two seconds of opening the gift, does not a 50s-inspired gift make.

Just so we’re clear.  LAZY.

Can we please have an all-together-now chorus of “it’s tooooo cold!”.  Is anyone else finding it harder-than-usual to adjust to the plummeting temperatures?  I was doing ok until about a week ago, when things seemed to take a leap from chilly to arctic.  Anyway, with the big freeze only just beginning, I’ve been battling it off with this lovely face and blush powder from Clarins.  Part of their Autumn/Winter collection, it gently injects a little warmth and colour without looking “bronzy”.

As much as I want a bit of warmth on my face, I don’t want to look like I’m desperately hankering after a bit-part in Benidorm.

I will never tire of the classic elegance of Clarin’s packaging.

The Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder offers a trio of shades that should suit all skintones, I’ve swatched them below and you can see that there is slightly less difference on the skin as there appears to be in the pan between the two tan shades.  I would say that the darker section is slightly more orange-toned, and the lighter tan a little cooler, which is why this set doesn’t “oompah, loompah” me.

Unlike the more summery offerings, this palette is also very matte.  There’s no shimmer and not even a hint of luminosity – which is actually a bit of a shame because Clarins does luminosity in their face powders better than any other brand I know.

Having said that, on my skintone, this works more as a blush than a face powder and I don’t have any issues adding some highlighter to my foundation instead.

 Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder is a very nice choice for adding some warmth to your complexion without looking like a summer-desperado.

This limited edition product won’t be around too much longer but is still available online at clarins.co.uk (£30) or even better, you can currently grab it at the special price of £24, from escentual.com

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