A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Please, for the love of all things vanity-driven, excuse the ‘left to dry naturally until it looks like shit’ hair.  Please.

Brushes mentioned:

E.L.F – Bamboo Angled Blush Brush (£5.50)
E.L.F – Studio Blush Brush (£3.50)
E.L.F – Studio Small Precision Brush (£3.50)
E.L.F – Studio Powder Brush (£3.50)

Boots No7 – Concealer Brush (£3.00 with till spit)
Boots No7 – Eyeshadow Brush (£0.75 with till spit)

Crown Brush – C139 Stiff Tapered Crease Brush (£2.95)
Crown Brush – C217 Bent Liner Brush (£2.60)

Stila – #4 Precision Eyeliner Brush (£3.50)

Revlon Vital Radiance – Brow Brush (£1.29)

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Do you agree with any of my choices?  What are your favourite cheap makeup brushes?

Clarisonic have released a new deep pore cleansing brush head, designed to be used on oily skin to target large pores or hard to reach areas of the face, such as around the nose.  I recently visited a dermatologist who prescribed me retin-a for dilated pores but as I’m currently trialling the Philips Reaura, there’s no way I can use something like retin-a at the same time and I’m looking for an alternative.  So, how is this new brush head going to help with large pores?  Well, if you’ve genetically inherited enlarged pores… it’s not.  But if your pores are dilated because they’re clogged with deep-seated blackheads and other such gunk, then this could help clear the debris more effectively than traditional cleansing methods, or indeed the other brushes available for the device.

Now, I’m going to preface this by saying that I’ve only tried it once (because I’m hyper-aware of over-exfoliating whilst using the Philips Reaura) and I’m not commenting on it’s efficacy, because with only one use, I’m in no position to judge.  I will say that it’s remarkably gentle on my skin, I was expecting something far more abrasive-feeling considering I was previously used to the ‘sensitive’ brush head.  I think this is going to be fine… infact, it feels softer than the ‘normal’ brush head that I originally swapped out when I first used my Clarisonic.

When I’m finished with the Reaura trial, I’ll be putting this to the test before going down the retin-a route, so you can be sure that I’ll be back with a full review in a couple of months time.  Until then, check out this fantastic Clarisonic Mia review from Product Pixie, she who inspired me to pull the Clarisonic out of the cupboard again in the first place!

Also, just a quick brush head tip for you – I mostly use my Clarisonic after removing my makeup but not always, which means that my brush head isn’t as white as it used to be despite regular cleaning.  I tried soaking one overnight in a dilute mixture of Napisan and hot water, it came out sparkling.  Obviously, if you try this… make sure that you’ve rinsed, rinsed, and rinsed again – you don’t want Napisan on your face.

The Clarisonic Deep Pore Brush Head is currently available from Space NK instore and online, priced at £21 before a nationwide release next month.

* press sample

My poor, poor face.  I’m in the middle of a snot fest and I’m now understanding why I was brought up on a diet of haliborange.  Throughout the year I’m not a terribly sickly person (I was as a kid) which is just aswell because I’m the biggest wimp you could meet (probably).  I even have a ‘cold’ voice – you know that weak-sounding, more-than-slightly whiney tone that resonates through the nose more than the throat?  My poor family.  Anyway, this week’s cold has been particularly frustrating because of how beautiful it’s been outside!  The whole family have had it and thus we’ve been mostly quarantined indoors through the weekend.  I decided to make a break for it yesterday and thus needed a face of makeup to disguise my ravaged skin.  It’s so dry and dull, combined with the snot-induced nose flakes and hormonal jaw-line mega zits?  Not pretty.

I massaged my freshly-washed skin with a combination of Liz Earle SuperSkin Concentrate* and Alpha H All For Eve Age Delay Facial Oil* in an attempt to revive some life.  Kinda like a cardiac massage for the face before giving my driest spots (flakey bits) at light cover of Lucas Paw Paw Ointment (this stuff is great for disguising nose flakes).  I went with the spring-like weather and injected some colour onto my face with a bright streak of blue under my lower lashline.  This is my favourite way to wear the shade and I do it quite a lot in the Summer.  Anyway, enough talk.  Here’s my Springtime in the Sahara FOTD:

I think I could have done with a touch of highlighter but I’m otherwise looking fairly perky considering I felt like DEATH.  Like my Tammy Faye Baker eyelashes?  Tough – I do!  I never put that much on my lower lashes normally but now I’m gonna (until I get bored of it).

I’m wearing:

Skinfood Gingko Green BB Cream
Priori Perfecting Mineral Foundation (lightly buffed where I needed more coverage)*
Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer

KIKO Automatic Waterproof Eyeliner
Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour in Marina under the lower lashline
Benefit They’re Real Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze (I found it, I found it!)

Benefit Hervana Blush* (I did promise you a FOTD with this beauty)
Boots No7 Vital Brights Lipstick in Blooming Pink*

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What do you think?  Bit too early in the year to pull out these shades?  Hope you’re well and less snotty than me!  At least the pancakes (bacon and maple syrup!) cheered me up!

* press samples

BuyaPowa are teaming up with Closer magazine all this week to bring some extra special beauty bargains to the co-buying table.  The team over at Closer have included some of their celeb-fave products and I’m excited to reveal the pretties that will be going live this week.

As you can see, I only have the heads up on the best price for the first two to go live (they’re terrible teases over at BuyaPowa HQ!) but goodness me, how gorgeous is that YSL Lipstick?

If you want the heads up as and when the co-buys hit the website (remember: limited quantity, limited time!), head over to the Closer facebook page or sign up to the email alerts at BuyaPowa to ensure you’re the first to know!

You know the one, the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector is probably the most covetable highlighter on the planet thanks to videos from Lisa Eldridge.  Cult Beauty are giving away a 15ml ‘mini’ (I say mini but a 15ml highlighter is going to last you a long time), with every BECCA order over £30 while stocks last.

With the full-size 50ml version retailing at £33.00, this is a deal worth just shy of £10.00 – not to be sniffed at on a £30.00 order!

Go forth and shop savvy!

This may sound like something you’d expect to read in your newspaper on the morning of April 1st, but there’s no fooling about it.  Fujifilm, the photographic pioneers from Japan, have turned their hands to the beauty market and developed a line of skincare products that are landing in the UK next month.

Astalift, which has been available in Japan and other parts of Asia since 2007 offers a comprehensive skincare lineup including: make-up removers, cleansers, serums, eye creams and priming lotions but it’s the Jelly Aquarysta Rejuvenating Concentrate that’s set to be the most anticipated release from the unlikely beauty brand.

FujiFilm have taken inspiration from their years of research into how to succesfully harness the power of antioxidants to prevent photographs from fading and applied it to skin.  Collagen is as essential to the photographic industry as it has become to the beauty industry, and the brand are hoping to bring proprietary technology in the form of Pico-Collagen (essentially collagen that they claim is small enough to penetrate the skin) to a new European audience.

In addition to this innovative nano-technology, the Astalift range contains a naturally occuring antioxidant found in marine algae called Astaxanthin, an ingredient which has been recognised for its ability to protect the skin from ultraviolet light.  The most interesting thing to note about this Astaxanthin – aside from its unusual coral-red colour – is that it’s claimed to be approximately 1000x more effective than both vitamin E and CO Q10, the ingredients more commonly used in anti-aging skincare.

The range promises to target the visible signs of premature ageing that include dark spots, lines and dull skin whilst stimulating the production of elastin fibres, helping to produce more luminous, plumped-up skin.  The brand have just appointed actress Naomi Watts as European brand ambassador, so expect to see the 43yr old actress featured in Astalift’s new ad campaigns soon.

The range will be priced toward the luxury end of the market and is set to launch in March.  You can follow the brand on Twitter @Astalift_UK or register for updates at http://www.astalift.com

This weekend, I had the pleasure of being interviewed for The Urban Retreat Beautique’s We ❤ Sundays feature.  A weekly installment that offers up a dose of informal chit-chat with beauty contributors from around the globe.

If the alternative is doing some proper work on a Tuesday morning, I invite you to click through to discover some useless knowledge about me such as: what’s in my handbag, the last three things I whacked on my debit card and even my favourite day of the week.  If the alternative is making love to a hot, hot man (it is Valentine’s Day afterall), you’re forgiven… move along.  Just click and read later yeah?

Grand bisous xx

Can you feel it coming?  The birds are beginning to sing a slightly more cheerful tune, the flowers are peeking their tiny heads out from beneath the frozen ground and the dark evenings are gradually fading into longer twilights.  Sure, it ain’t exactly warming up yet… but I’m optimistic that we’re over the worst of it.  Maybe.

The fact that I took delivery of the Boots No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection* this morning may have had something to do with the new-found spring in my step (pardon the pun).  Look at that packaging, I love it and I usually quite dislike white cosmetic packaging.  Mind you, I used to hate white gadgets too… *hides all Apple technology*.

The new Lisa Eldridge-created collection consists of: one eye palette, one complexion highlighter, two cream blushers and two lipsticks.  No nail polishes this time.  Boo.

Want a closer look?

This prettily packaged eye palette reminds me of the Avon Marimekko ones from a few years back, does anyone remember those?  Anyway, the No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette offers five warm-toned shades with four neutrals and a pop of golden-yellow.  Nothing too dark here, this is all about bringing some light to the face and brightening the eye area.  I tend to prefer cooler tones on my eyes but I do like the satin-finish of these, they’re not too metallic and showy.  Texture is a touch soft but they blend nicely and last very well on primed eyelids.

Next up is the No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter, a smooth champagne highlighting powder that applies with more sophistication and refinement than I expected.  It imparts a non-metallic glow when used with a light hand and is neutral enough not to look too warm, or too pink on my skintone.  No7 generally do highlighting powders very, very well and if you’re in the market for a new one, this is worth a look.

A real standout in the collection are their two new blushers.  The No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink (fuchsia) and Blossoming Pink (guava) are a cream-to-powder formulation that pack a real punch of vibrancy whilst still being able to blend down to a wearable flush without streaking.  The formula is *so* spot on with these… I own cream blushers that cost twice as much and apply literally, half as well as these do.  Highly recommend checking these out while they’re still available.

My other favourite from the collection are the two new No7 Vital Brights Lipstick shades that allude to the popular lightweight formula the beauty world can’t get enough off, whilst boasting more buildable pigmentation levels than most gel-style lipsticks.  They’re knockout shades too… Blooming Pink is the killer, cool-toned fuchsia which looks great with a slick of black liner and will carry you confidently through to Summer.  Blossoming Pink is a slightly cool-toned nude which will please women who prefer a safer lip-shade.  It’s nude without being too pale, more of a perfecting lip shade than a colour statement.  How this one turns out will really depend on your natural lip colouring.

Without wanting to sound like a major fangirl, there’s not a dud in the collection.  If you twisted my arm, I’d say that you could probably leave the eye palette on the shelf.  It’s a little bit soft and doesn’t tick my must-have requirements in the same way as some of the other pieces.  Do not let this limited edition collection pass you by without going in for a closer look at the lipsticks and blushes though.  That’s an order.

If you can bring yourself to, please excuse the bottom right cam-whoring.  I couldn’t – in all seriousness – where such a horrifically clashing lip shade and not ham it up a bit.  In all photos I’m wearing the eye palette, blossoming pink cream blush and highlighter.  It’s hopefully clear enough in which photos I’m wearing which lipstick.  Does that make sense?

No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette – 4g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter – 10g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 2g (£10.00)
No7 Vital Brights Lipsticks in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 3.5g (£10.00)

Have you got your eye on any pieces from the new Spring Collection?  Already bought something – let me know!

The No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection is available exclusively in Boots stores now and online at Boots.com until the 6th March 2012.  It’s worth pointing out that No7 products are also currently on 3for2.

* press samples

Just a quickie to share the new Boots 17 Spring Fling Eye Palettes that showed up today – I don’t think I’ve seen much about these online yet?

Two limited edition eye palettes with super, super pretty styling.  What with it being the weekend and all, I don’t have the release info but I think it’s safe to assume that these will be out very shortly (I can’t see them on the website).  Here’s some photos and swatches taken this afternoon.

Texture-wise, the shadows are very soft and a little crumbly but they blend effortlessly and subsequently afford better pigmentation than most pastels.  The colour combinations are cute… I can see a distinctly traditional fair/olive divide going on!

Any first impressions?

* press sample

So, I’m an old married… and my husband doesn’t buy me Valentine’s gifts.  Instead, he makes me a minimum of three cups of tea a day, fills the car with petrol when I can’t be arsed, sounds semi-enthusiastic when I regale him with tales of my shopping bargains, and always knows my current favourite chocolate bar.

But it wasn’t always this way and back when we were all shiny and new, falling out because he laughed at a pair of BIG girl’s pants in M&S that looked scarily like a pair of mine, Valentine’s Day was kind of a big deal.

In all honesty Valentine’s Day is about as much for married people as it is for single people, i.e. it’s not.  It’s for sickeningly saccharine types enjoying the first, what — maybe two years of a new relationship?  Which ultimately means that the rest of us should treat V-day as nothing but a big excuse to buy ourselves a present of LOVE.  Because afterall, no one understands how much love (read ” new stuff”) we need better than we do.

01: Jo Malone Red Roses Travel Candle* – The problem with fresh roses is that nine times out of ten, the other half has bought them from the Esso garage.  Go for something a little longer lasting with Jo Malone’s Red Roses Travel Candle.  Burn, enjoy, extinguish – repeat ad. infinitum until you’ve surrounded yourself with the luxurious atmosphere afforded by a blend of seven of the world’s most exquisite roses.  Priced at £22.00 and packaged in the inimitable “Jo Malone way”, it’ll be considerably more affordable and better-presented to boot!

02: Wahanda Valentine Treats – Treat yourself to a Wahanda treat in time for Valentine’s Day.  From £11 mini manicures (and a glass of wine!) at Coco Nail Bar to a £200 overnighter at the chinese-inspired Chuan Spa at The Langham – there’s something to suit every taste and every budget.  Just be ready to bat away the incoming offers from those potential suitors who’ve heard about your bargain!

03: Calvin Klein Forbidden Euphoria – Unashamedly pink and most definitely girly, this new release from Calvin Klein ticks all the right boxes for those who like their fragrances on the fruity side.  Dedicated to the ‘independent woman’, there’s no better way to announce your fabulous presence than with a blend of forbidden fruit including mandarin, passion fruit and touches of iced raspberry.  Priced from £32.50.

04: Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil – Smell delicious from top to toe with this nourishing body oil from Elemis.  This multi-tasker can be drizzled in a hot bath for a relaxing scent-sensation, smoothed onto dry skin to replenish and moisturise, rubbed into cuticles to nourish, and even massaged into your hair to scent and soften.  Worthy of its cult-status, the Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil makes for a great Valentine’s night treat – just keep it to yourself eh?

05: Philosophy Sweet Talk Set – This latest body-pampering set from Philosophy combines the brand’s three-in-one shower gel, body lotion and pink-tinted lip shine in the Candy Hearts flavour: a sweet (with a hint of tart) scent which will capture the hearts of girls across the nation.  Limited edition and priced at £22.00

06: Samsung MultiView MV800 Camera – For girls that have been very good this year comes the latest compact camera offering from Samsung.  Small enough to slip in your handbag with a 3.0″ wide (every inch counts right?) touch-screen which flips a full 180 degrees to ensure you capture spot-on self-portraits every time without getting a crick in your neck.  16.1 megapixels, HD video recording and 5x optical zoom will ensure your Facebook photos are the best on the block.  Just leave out the duck-face yes?  Comes in a range of snazzy colours (it’s gotta be red though right?) and is priced at £249. Unless you’re clever and go to Amazon!

07: Clinique Limited Edition Kiss it Better Kissable Lip Set –  Spread the love with a purchase of Clinique’s charity lip set and help raise money to fund research into the causes and treatment of childhood cancer.  In collaboration with the Great Ormond Street Hospital, 50% of the RRP price will be going directly to the KISS IT BETTER appeal. The set of covetable minis includes: a Vitamin C Lip Smoothie, Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm, and a mini Long Last Glosswear.  Available instore at House of Fraser, priced at £25.

Love yourselves.  The end.

* press sample

Despite the fact that I’ve hardly scraped the surface of my previous Chanel Illusion d’Ombre purchase (Mirifique), I was back at the counter barely a month later to pick up Illusoire – a smoky, mauve shade which contains the most perfect amount of glimmer for an understated sparkle.

These are simply my favourite shades – cool, mauvey taupes will always bring a pitter-patter to my heart.  The texture of the Chanel Illusion d’Ombres are like a solid mousse with a little bit of bounce when you brush your finger over the surface.  They feel cooling as you apply them to your eyelids and last well throughout the day.

Pigmentation is medium but the depth of colour builds quickly with a second sweep over the eyelid – the formula blends nicely, more like a powder than a cream or mousse – blendable even after it’s been sat for a little while.

The above swatch shows two swipes on bare skin done with my fingertip.  Are you loving the Chanel Illusion d’Ombres?

Chanel Illusion d’Ombre #83 Illusoire is priced at £22.50 and available instore online from Debenhams and Selfridges.

I think that when a girl is born, she’s born with two things: 1). girly bits and 2). a unwaivering adoration for “Cadbury’s purple”.  Butter London’s HRH fulfills that need to have a beautifully shiny Dairy Milk wrapper on your nails.

Perfect in three thin coats, though I would have preferred two – HRH looks indulgent, decadent and totally makes me want to lick my nails.  Priced at £11.95 and available online from PowderRooms.

What’s your favourite Cadbury’s purple shade?