A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Here’s another Eyeko I was sent recently…

…don’t like it (said in the style of Lou & Andy).

Eyeko’s Petite Polish (£3.50) is a pale girly pink, and there’s nothing wrong with that…. infact, the idea appeals and I’m not sure I have anything similar.  However, it just didn’t work that well for me.  It took 4 coats to achieve opacity (so probably great if you’re looking for a sheer!) and once finished it just looked kinda “thick” and not very feminine at all.

Is it supposed to be a sheer?  I dunno… I guess maybe it’s a French Manicure polish, in which case I’m being a bit harsh… but I want an opaque baby pink that looks all delicate, and this isn’t it.

Can anyone recommend some nice baby pinks that are all feminine and floaty and stuff?

So, I’ve had this pot of Eyeko Cream for a disgustingly unhygienic length of time, at least 18 months I reckon… and I still haven’t figured out how best to use it.

I mean, thanks to it’s shimmery-ness… it’s obviously best put to work as a highlighter, but the intricacies of application have so far failed me.

Mixed with my moisturiser?  Hallo disco features!

Dotted along my cheekbones and blended before foundation?  Holy huge pores!

Dotted along my cheekbones and blended AFTER foundation? Just, no.  Foundation seems to disagree with this product and the whole lot starts “balling up” under my fingers if I apply it ontop.

So you see, I love the shimmer, scent and creamy texture…. but I just can’t make it work for me.

Eyeko Cream is priced at a bargainous £6 and available online from their website.

I’m sure lots of you already have this… any tips ladies?

Follow the Elemis Spa Bus on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with it’s whereabouts during Elemis’ 20th Anniversary nationwide tour.

Always fancied an Elemis treatment?  Well for a budget-friendly £10 you can enjoy one of 5 unique and luxurious 15 minute facial or body spa therapies performed by a professional “Elemis Angel”.  Instant relaxation and rejuvenation is promised with a maximum results in minimum time ethos.

Ensuring that it’s not only you who benefits from a bit of TLC, Elemis will be donating £1 from each treatment and skincare kit sold to charity Mothers4Children and they hope to raise well over £50,000 for the charity during the campaign.

I’m keeping my eye on the @elemisspabus updates and am trying to decide between a Skin Booster Facial, Chill-Out Shoulder and Scalp Massage, Sole Rescue Foot Treatment or Re-Charge Power Back Massage.

I think it’d have to be the facial.  What d’ya reckon ladies?

The other evening, after painting my nails in Essie’s Wrapped im Rubies… it ddn’t take me long to decide that it was a dull, dull colour…

…but I’ve changed my mind.  It’s not dull, it’s just not Summery.

Application was a teeny bit awkward, it seemed to remain sheer in certain places on the nail and I experienced a tiny bit of bubbling on my thumb.  To be fair though, I was in more of a hurry than usual… so it could well be down to my application skills (or lack of them on this occassion).

I’m on my 2nd full day of wear and tip wear is barely noticeable.  I did dent one nail despite my quick dry top coat, so it seems to be a slow dryer… deffo crack open the seche or alternative.  Essie Wrapped in Rubies is a beautiful bronzed-red with flecks of gold from the Winter 2007 collection… perfect for Autumn.

Shame it’s May!

One word sums this Eyeko Coral polish up… SUMMER!

No wait, I’ve got another one.  Longevity.  6 days, no chipping and minimal tip wear.

Application is ok… it’s the same as all the other Eyeko polishes, on the thick and gloopy side but not unworkable with a fairly slow drying time.  Top coat recommended.

The colour is lovely though, on my short nails it really ‘pops’ and makes my fingertips look like sweeties!  Or maybe I’m just hungry.

Either way, I like this one lots!  The new formulation is definitely an approvement on the old version.

£3.50 from Eyeko online with free UK delivery and cheap international shipping.

I’ve already declared my preference for shopping solo before… it’s a control thing.

My tastes are probably different to yours and I don’t wanna spend 20 minutes pretending to like that green eyeshadow you’ve gone all misty-eyed for.

I mean… “Hey!  Why don’t you come over here instead and examine these 7 different taupes with me whilst I delve into miniscule detail noting all the subtle differences between them”.

See the problem?  I’m not a very compatible or companionable person whilst shopping.  Just leave. me. alone.

So, it’s with interest that I saw Elemis’ latest launch!

By the way… this is supposed to be a graphical representation of Debenhams on Oxford St… I wanna know why there’s only two women in the picture?  There should be at least 50… all foaming at the mouth… pushing, snarling and invading one another’s personal space whilst clutching their little yellow Selfies bags from down the road.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh yeah… Elemis… Well, they’ve introduced this thing called a Double SpaPod and it goes something like this…

Launching this May is the world’s first Double Elemis SpaPod.  Now there are two treatment rooms available so you can book in alone or if with a friend you can both stop for advanced facial therapy and total body revival before you continue to shop!

I’m really not sold on this whole “go with a mate” thing but it got more interesting when I read this…

Each treatment is carried out whilst you relax on an Intelligent Massage Chair that measures the length of the spine,  takes your body weight, warms the body and is then  programmed to deliver a customised massage using a variety of techniques, working specifically on any problem areas.

Getting warmer…

And check out the new innovative Smart Glass Technology.  At the flick of a switch, this advanced glass instantly frosts over locking out the hustle and bustle of the beauty hall and cocoons you in its relaxing retreat-like ambiance…

Sold to the lady who wants to play with the switch! *flick, flick, flick*

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I guess I can see the point with going to a spa-type thing with a mate… but I dunno, if it involves shopping too… I think I’d rather be forced to buy nothing but Constance Carroll for a year than buddy up…

Are you a sociable shopper?  Do you take your girlfriend’s to the loo with you?  Do you want one of those Elemis massage chairs for your front room too?

I broke ’em while bowling at the Sleek MakeUP do last week *sniff*

Still, every cloud and all that… it gave me the opportunity to break out a nice nude in an attempt to elongate my fingers.

Essie’s Jazz is just that.  A great nude!  It’s slightly ‘dirty’ toned which I love!  It just gives it an edge.

Formula was fabulous… 2 coats gave plently of coverage and the quick-dry glossy finish meant that I didn’t need to top coat it at all.  A super mani for lazy sods like me!

Do you prefer nude polishes on long or short nails?  I can never decide which looks best!

I swear… I will stop doing “greige” soon… when HELL FREEZES OVER! Bwuhahahhaha!

Bored of reviewing Eyeko now…. are you bored of seeing ’em?  Thing is though… they’ve got some rather fashionable polish shades out now and this is one of them.

Also, this one’s got a formula comparable to that lilac that I liked, which means that I owe it to people who don’t like the thicker Eyeko formula to let them know that Eyeko Posh Polish might be a good’un for them!

Opaque in two coats and not only that… but this mani is lasting and lasting… I’m actually on my 4th day (at the time of writing this) and um… I don’t have any tip wear.  I don’t usually get much chipping with any polishes but as a chronic keyboard user… tip wear IS something that I usually suffer with.

Again… £3.50 from the Eyeko website, free UK shipping… cheap international shipping… yada yada yada…

Do you wanna see the rest of the shades (I’ve got a coral, tea rose and a pink sheer left) or are us bloggers doing Eyeko polishes to death now?  Be honest… I don’t mind and whilst it’s nice to feature new product releases, I don’t want you coming here rolling your eyes at reading your 16th Eyeko NOTD yano?

Moving on from the Eyeko pastels I was playing with earlier in the month…

The new Eyeko range features 5 new shades from sheer pink through to this rather gothic black with red glitter called Vampira.

As with all Eyeko polishes I’ve tried, the first coat applies streaky… my trick to achieving a good finish with these polishes is a thin first coat, followed by subsequent thicker coats.  Don’t worry how crap that first coat looks… just get some product onto the nails and map out the shape you want.  If you start thick then it’s gonna take longer to dry and will be more likely to drag at the cuticles when you lay down that 2nd or 3rd coat.

You can see that I got decent coverage with 2 coats following my method above.  Unfortunately I then needed to add a couple of coats of top coat to smooth out the rough, gritty surface thanks to the glitter.  This fnish might not bother everyone, but it kinda sets my teeth on edge.

Wear has been fine with no chipping (though I never seem to have a problem with chipping and I know other people do), average tip wear and when I did finally remove it (after 3 days) it didn’t give me a TOTAL nightmare considering how packed full of glitter it is.

Overall it’s not my favourite Eyeko polish I’ve tried… the black/red glitter mix is kinda chunky.  Still pretty good value for £3.50 though.

More NOTDS to come from the range soon…

We’re used to seeing beauties Hilary Rhoda, Carolyn Murphy, Liz Hurley and Gwyneth Paltrow grace the Estee Lauder campaigns, but now we’ll be seeing these two lovelies aswell:

Constance Jablonski is a french model hailing from Lyon, she’s been very much in demand on the catwalks recently, featuring in shows such as Derek Lam, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors to name but a tiny few.

Liu Wen, China’s brightest fashion star broke through in 2008 and has walked shows such as Alexander Wang, Fendi and Balenciaga.

Estee Lauder are moving with the times…  they’re blatantly working very hard to shift that association as being a bit of a ‘granny’ brand.

Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Global Brand President of Estée Lauder says:

“We are thrilled to introduce Constance and Liu Wen to women around the world. Both models have the style and confidence that reflects Estée Lauder’s modern vision of global beauty.”

Personally… I totally associate the Estee Lauder brand with rich old ladies, maybe I always will… but for me, that’s not a bad thing.  Those rich old ladies don’t put up with shit and as a result, I’ve generally found EL counter staff to be among the best, with the products to match.

There’s something to be said for being the matriarchs… they have their niche, they should embrace it.

…into beauty brand Elemis!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a fan of the British luxe brand, but it’s definitely on my ‘treat myself’ list rather than my ‘repurchase regularly’ list.  This stuff is pricey!

However, from the 3rd till the 31st May there’s a rather good deal going on:

The Elemis Rose and Lavender Recovery Regime is a collection of four of Elemis’ top-selling detox products, with some significant savings to be made.

Excuse a little c&p whilst I tell you what each product claims to do:

Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules (60 capsules / worth £58)

These little gems counteract the damaging effects of pollution and help repair the visible signs of ageing. Each capsule contains Moringa Oil which is clinically proven to have 1700% more anti-oxidant power that Evening Primrose Oil when applied to the skin. The pink Rose Absolute ‘day’ capsule restores a youthful bloom, whilst the green Lavender evening’ capsule helps to balance and repair stressed skin whilst you sleep.

Gentle Rose Exfoliator (50ml / worth £25)

Gently exfoliates the skin, smoothing and revitalising the skins surface and is excellent for use before a treatment mask, it removes dead skin cells making the surface of the skin appear smoother and brighter.

Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (15ml / worth £26)

This is Elemis’ no. 1 best selling product globally! This super lightweight anti-ageing moisturiser is perfect day and night. Containing revolutionary Padina Pavonica, a marine algae that has ability to mimic the skin’s function to boost collagen in the skin and give you youthful skin and is proven to reduce wrinkles and increase hydration.

Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream (15ml / worth £31)

Apply before bed, this oxygenating night cream increases oxygen levels and in the skin by up to 41%* to help it regenerate speedily. *Independent Clinical Trials 2006

RRP £58.00 / worth £140 / saving over 55%

Available from 3rd May until 31st May 2010 at Elemis’ official online retailer www.timetospa.co.uk, spas, salons and selected retail stores.

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I’ve personally tried the (infamous) Pro-Collagen Marine Cream and became a huge fan…. but at retail price, I can’t really afford my habit… so continue to look elsewhere.  I am very tempted by this offer though…  If you do take advantage yourself, have a quick google for a discount code for Time to Spa, I know there are some around… but I think they all expire at the end of this month – boo!

If I said I didn’t like this polish very much… I’d be being kind.

I actually don’t usually dislike polishes, I can make most formulas work for me with a bit of adjustment in how I paint… either that or the colour is so lovely that it redeems itself once on my nails.

I’ve fallen out with this Eyeko Purple polish and no amount of chocolates or flowers is gonna smooth over the cracks in our relationship.  So what’s wrong with it?

It drags at the cuticles quite heavily… it’s painfully slow drying… it’s gloopy gloop city… it bubbled on the second coat and after all that, the colour is blah and easily dupable in a better formula.

Actually, this feels like Eyeko polishes of old… if I were you, I’d stick to the pastels.