A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Remember I told you about this TSV last week?  Well – it’s gone live today and the remaining set details and price have been revealed!

Contents (details pulled from the QVC website):

1 x Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (30ml) – award-winning moisturiser helps to actively reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles whilst hydrating your skin

1 x Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser (150ml) – formulated to deeply cleanse your skin, gently dissolving make-up and daily grime to a radiant, youthful-looking complexion

1 x Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream (100ml) – luxuriously rich hand cream quickly absorbs to instantly hydrate hands and condition your nails. Only available at QVC

1 x Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (100ml) – super-hydrating oil designed to leave your skin feeling silky soft and beautifully fragranced. It can be used as a massage oil and a hair treatment

1 x Tranquil Touch Bath Elixir (300ml) – enriched with cocoa butter, patchouli, cedarwood and vetivert to leave your skin felling soft and delicately scented

1 x navy patent wash bag – 26.5cm x 17.5cm x 8cm (10.3″ x 6.8″ x 3.1″)

And the price? 

£39.96 on Easy Pay! (4 interest-free installments) – representing a massive saving off the original combined RRP for these products.

I’ve snapped one up but I’m gonna be a bit devious and split them into individual Christmas gifts.  However, this plan has ultimately left me umming and ahh-ing over whether or not to nab another one for myself, I don’t need it but it’s the Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser and Monoi Body Oil that’s pushing me close to the edge!  Perhaps I’ll just have to come to the conclusion that I don’t know anybody who would like those two for Christmas.  Delusional much?

.

Are you buying this set today?  And if so, is it for yourself or someone else?

Father Christmas must be feeling particularly generous this year because Elemis have released details of an exceptionally tempting Today’s Special Value (TSV) with QVC this Sunday.  Full details are being kept secret but I can reveal that you’ll be sitting on your fingers trying not to pick up the phone and place an order.

The TSV is set to include:

Elemis’ NEW sp@home Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream, the number one anti-ageing moisturiser Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (30ml), a full size Exotic Frangipani Monoi Body Oil (100ml), full size Tranquil Touch Indulgent Bath Elixir (200ml) plus one other full size hero Elemis product that will be revealed on the show – all packed in a luxurious high gloss navy make-up bag.

Ooooh, mystery item!  Oooh Frangipani Monoi Body Oil!  Oooh Pro-Collagen Marine Cream! And a final “Ooooh” for the brand new Hand and Nail Cream that isn’t even being RELEASED properly until next year.

Are you all oooh’ed out yet?  I’m getting there.

Seriously though, if you’re looking for an impressive Christmas present for your mum/daughter/sister/best mate/mother in law, this is a very nice-looking set.  I’d prefer a snazzier bag to keep it all in but beggars can’t be choosers etc. etc.

So, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  What’s it gonna cost you?  Well, the exact price – in true QVC style – will be announced live on air but I *can* tell you that it will be under £40 and offer a guaranteed saving of more than 50% off retail.

OOOOOOOOOOOOHHH!

The airing times on Sunday 20th November are midnight, 1am, 7am, 8am, 9am, 11am, 2pm, 6pm, 8pm and 10pm.  QVC is available on Sky Digital channel 640, Freesat channel 800, Freeview channel 16 and Virgin TV channel 740. To order call QVC on 0800 50 40 30 or visit www.qvcuk.com/elemistsv

The Five Piece Tranquil Indulgence Face and Body Collection will also be available to purchase at www.qvcuk.com/elemis (item number  200194) and will be live from 20th November 2011.

* I totally missed my calling as a gameshow host

I wonder if my body ever gets jealous of my face?

I mean… I spend a fortune on trying to make my face look good, and if you discount x amount of moolah that I’ve spent on dieting over the years… my body is like the poor relation.  The hand-me-down kid.  At least it has my hair to keep it company, I neglect that too.

I haven’t gone mental… (in case you’re wondering).

You see, British brand, Elemis have just released a body version of their incredibly covetable Pro Collagen Marine cream.  It’s specifically designed to target anti-ageing and combat the loss of elasticity allover our *cough* vital areas.

It contains mystical-sounding ingredients such as Castanha Oil, Laminaria Brown Seaweed, Babassu Oil, Bilberry Oil and that ever-intriguing marine extract Padina Pavonica.  It even promises to help breakdown fatty deposits.

AND…

Let’s face it, once we hit 30, everything starts to head South faster than a pair of migrating blue tits.  Yeah, you totally saw what I did there.

But back to my original point.  I love Elemis’ original Pro Collagen Marine formula and it’s one of my very few top-end luxuries (the other being perfume I can ill-afford) and I’d slather it all over my body if I could afford to (oh hello cheaper body version!)…

BUT…

I’m just too lazy you know.

Do you guys make use of the wonderful technologies in your face creams and put them to use on your bodies?  Am I a bit weird for blatantly and completely ignoring what is (in fairness), the largest proportion of skin on my body in favour of this much smaller *circles face* bit right here?

Perhaps it’s more of an upkeep thing?  If I had the body of a goddess… I’d be more willing to put the effort in to keep it that way?  Hell, to get the bits below my neck reach any kind of level worthy of a bikini, I’d need about £20k in surgery and KFC/McDonalds/KrispyKreme wiped off the face of the Earth.  Minimum.

Which leads me to something that’s going to keep me awake tonight.  Do really, really ugly people not bother with face cream?

Elemis Pro-Collagen Body Cream is priced at £49.00 for 200ml and available on counter and online from www.timetospa.co.uk

Today’s FOTD features an Estee Lauder eyeshadow palette called Enchanted Berries*, featuring some beautiful Autumnal, berry shades that work really nicely to accentuate green eyes.

The rest of the FOTD comprises of:

~ bareMinerals Original Foundation in Fair
~ Max Factor Lash Extension Effect in Black
~ MUFE HD Blush in #4
~ MAC Creme Cup Lipstick

I always feel a bit lame that I can’t list a billion products but the truth is, I don’t get time to apply a billion products.  One day, I’d love to learn to apply concealer in a way that makes me happy/comfortable enough to do it daily because every face can benefit from a little light and clever concealing – I only bother for nights out or if I have a huge zit.

What are you wearing on your face today?

* press sample

Luxury spa and skincare brand ESPA are launching into House of Fraser, Westfield with the unveiling of their new counter on the 1st November.

To celebrate the launch, ESPA will be offering their first 100 customers a complimentary on-counter 15 minute HomeSpa facial from one of ESPA’s Skin Therapists as well as an introductory ESPA gift, worth £56!

The gift includes ESPA’s best-selling products: Lift & Firm Intensive Serum (8ml), Pink Hair & Scalp Mud (100ml) and Hydrating Cleansing Milk (60ml), so you can experience the wonders of ESPA at home.  The introductory offer is available until the 30th November, subject to availability.

What is it?

This year, Estee Lauder’s Pink Ribbon Collection includes:

The Evelyn Lauder Lip Set.  Featuring a pink clutch and Pure Color Lipstick in Evelyn Wildly Pink.

Perfectionist (CP+) Wrinkle Lifting Serum 50ml with Charms.  A limited edition Perfectionist serum featuring a reusable keychain with charms inscribed with ‘Estée Lauder Breast Cancer Awareness 2011’.

The Elizabeth Hurley Lip Set.  A stylish pink evening bag containing Pure Color Lipstick in Elizabeth Lavish Pink

How much is it?

The Evelyn Lauder Lip Set – £18.50
Perfectionist (CP+) Wrinkle Lifting Serum 50ml with Charms – £63.50
The Elizabeth Hurley Lip Set – £18.50

How much of our money goes to supporting PINK projects?

£5.00 from each purchase of The Lip Sets in the UK will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

£10.00 from each purchase of Perfectionist (CP+) Wrinkle Lifting Serum 50ml with Charms in the UK will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

How do I get it?

Available nationwide throughout October, while stocks last.

Always a sucker for a bargain, I dived in head first when ELF recently cut the prices of their new(ish) Studio Matte Lip Colors to £1 a piece.  I jumped on them more because I love lipsticks in pen form than because I love matte formulas.  Let’s face it, matte formulas can be tricky to wear unless you’re 14 and addicted to Carmex.

Currently available on the UK website in four neutral shades, I grabbed the lot (and some nail polishes that I’ll probably never get round to blogging).

Tea Rose, Coral, Praline and Natural are the four shades available to purchase.

Here’s what they look like in the tubes…

For what it’s worth, I really like the packaging on these.  The simple and minimalistic black casing defies their £3.50 price tag.  The lids click to a tight, flush close and the twist mechanism feels like it will go the distance.  No complaints from me.

The formula on these didn’t vary too much between shades.  I found Praline perhaps gave the most drag during application, a little less creamy than the others but probably my favourite to wear because it looked the least chalky once applied.

Tea Rose was the creamiest but I felt that the colour was a little off, it’s quite mauve based which made my lips look a little… dead.

Coral looks far more apricot than a true coral shade in my humble opinion and Natural is easily the most nude for my complexion.  They’re a good, solid bunch of lip-neutral shades and I think most should be able to find one shade from the selection that will suit their skintones well.

And the lip swatches…

I know I usually do a full-face shot with lip swatches for context but none of them flattered me and I have a huge zit on my chin that has been there (without a head) for the past week – some days, you just can’t face those pesky FOTDs and today was one of them.  I also thought the close up might be useful so that you can see just how ‘drying’ each shade appears on the lips.

The paler shades definitely come out a little chalky looking, something that would easily be remedied by a touch of lipgloss to conceal those furrows.  In terms of comfort, I didn’t actually find them particularly drying on the lips which is testament to a quality purchase from the budget brand, however, I wouldn’t describe them as moisturising either.  Just your standard, good quality matte lipstick.

The ELF Studio Matte Lip Colors taste very fruity but are not particularly scented, something which surprised me (on both counts).  The taste, although synthetic, is pleasant enough…. similar to what you’d expect from something like a chapstick.

Overall, and for the money, I can’t really fault them too much.  Sure, I’m not really a fan of how the colours turned out against my skintone but that’s personal preference… throw me a red or hot pink and this could well have been a gushing post of epic proportions.  I’d say, give ’em a go – you might just find your holy grail nude matte lip!

ELF Studio Matte Lip Colors are available to purchase online at the ELF website, priced at £3.50 each.

What is it?

A 3 piece collection of Elemis’ hero skincare products neatly presented in a BRIGHT PINK travel case!

Pro Collagen Marine Cream (30ml)
Pro Collagen Lifting Treatment Neck and Bust (15ml)
Skin Nourishing Shower Cream (50ml)

How much is it?

The set retails at £29.90, saving 50% off the usual prices.

How much of your money goes to PINK projects?

Elemis have pledged a donation of £10,000 this October to Breast Cancer Care.

How do I get it?

The Elemis Think Pink Beauty Kit is available to buy online from timetospa.co.uk or in spas/salons and selected department stores.

Fancy a new luxury skincare regime to ease you gently into the cooler months?  How about saving around 60% while you’re at it?

For today only, you can pick up an Elemis Tri-Enzyme three-piece set on QVC for a hugely discounted price of £44.80

Let me show you how the saving works out.  For a total of £44.80, you get…

1 x Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash (200ml) – RRP: £28.00 (roughly)
1 x Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask (50ml) – RRP: £46.00
1 x Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Night Cream (50ml) – RRP: £41 (roughly)

Combined, the usual RRP on these three products would be approximately £115!

If you’d like to read a review of the mask, I featured it last year – also be sure to read the comments because there’s some interesting additional input from an esthetician AND a biochemist!

If I hadn’t just bought myself a new lens for my camera this week (£320 ouch), I would be having a little splurge today.

Do you ever take advantage of the TSVs on QVC?

Elemis have recently introduced a new bodycare concept to the brand’s repertoire with Sp@home, a range designed to turn the mundane into something a little more indulgent, helping you to create your very own Elemis spa, at home!

Based around FIVE main categories, the Sp@home range includes everything you need to recreate a more therapeutic experience in your own bathroom.  From bath elixirs to hand lotions, hard-working body oils to temple balms for instant relaxation.  They’ve even developed a new room mist to help create the perfect atmosphere.

Infact, the room mist has become a surprising favourite for me.  I was worried it might be a little bit overpowering, like walking into a very alternative crack den!  My (slightly mental) fears were misguided because the Quiet Mind Room Mist* is gorgeous and for something that I considered a bit ‘unecessary’, I’m going through my bottle at a rate of knots.  Infact, it hasn’t even made it back onto my dressing table because I keep it on the floor by my bed so I can spritz my pillow before I climb in!

The Tranquil Touch range is destined for best-seller status with some of the best patchouli-based aromatics I’ve had the pleasure of sniffing.  Warming, woody and creamy with great depth and complexity that you wouldn’t expect to find in a range of bodycare products.

Prices start from around £14.00 but there’s a rather decent offer on at TimeToSpa.co.uk for the whole of August…

If you spend over £50 on the website, you can choose a full size Sp@home shower gel worth up to £20.50.  And let’s face up to it, it’s not exactly difficult to spend £50 on Elemis now is it?

Do you make attempts at recreating the spa experience in your own home?  What’s your favourite product to get you in the mood for a bit of pampering?

* press sample

The second of the three new hair styling tools from Enrapture due to be released on the 15th August is the Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver*.  An odd-looking device with a trio of barrels that promise to coax your hair into a series of smooth “S” shapes, a.k.a “beachy” waves.

In theory, we’ve been here before.  I recently tried the Babyliss Wave Envy which although thoroughly impressive in design, abilities and price, left me with more of a ‘crimp’ than a ‘wave’.

These bad boys boast an impressive 25mm barrel (hence the Jumbo!) which means that they should ensure less crimping and more waving!

They’re heavy but not ‘too’ heavy to hold comfortably.  I found them a little unwieldy around the back of my head but I do have fairly short arms and a distinct lack of co-ordination.  The ‘flipper’ which controls the open/close mechanism on the waver is well engineered, with a light almost springy reaction.  This makes sure you don’t get thumb ache when ‘waving’!

The barrels are made from titanium which promises to give a smooth and snag free styling experience and I can’t argue with that as I experienced no issues with dragging or catching on my hair as I moved the styler through various sections.

It has an adjustable heat setting which I would have preferred to see digitised with actual temperature detailing so I could judge exactly how hot the tool was getting.  On the flipside, the controls are ridiculously simple.  An on/off switch and a heat dial.  Thassit.

So how did I get on with the styler?

Well… pretty well actually.  Similarly to the Babyliss, it’s ridiculously easy to use from a technical point of view.  I’m sure you’re ‘supposed’ to section your hair into accurate little pieces but I just fed handfuls of it willy-nilly into the jaws of the styler, clamped, moved down the hair shaft, clamped again… repeat until you run out of hair.

And that’s all I did.  I’m one of those ‘stylers’ who often start with the best of intentions.  All my little clips, brush, heat protection sprays surrounding me.  After about 7 minutes I’m just shoving my hair AT the styling tool and hoping for the best.

I was done in 10 minutes which goes against the brand’s ethos of “When everyday hair just isn’t enough” because I’d politely suggest that this is perfect everyday hair.  Everyday ‘tousled’ hair.

Wanna see what I managed to get from the Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver?

I had it on the ‘non-commital’ halfway heat setting as shown in the above photo and held the clamp shut for around 10 seconds.  That’s probably too long or something but my hair doesn’t seem to be complaining… I’ll try turning the temperature up and clamping for less time next attempt.

I’m really digging this styler, it solves the crimping problems I found with the Babyliss (albeit at a heftier price tag).

The Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver is set to launch this month into all major retailers (Boots, Argos, Debenhams etc.) with an RRP of £74.95 – for more information, check out www.enrapturehair.com or talk to the hair gurus on Facebook or Twitter

* press sample

Estee Lauder’s Autumn 2011 collection goes by the name Modern Mercury and includes three limited edition Pure Color Liquid Eyeliners in a trio of metallic shades.

I’ve got one of the three shades here to show you: Graphite.  A sparkling charcoal with multi-coloured shimmer that makes such a lovely change from black.  I’m already a big fan of charcoal eyeliner, it provides a softer look that still carries a bit of impact.  Infact, I’m wearing my Lord & Berry in this post on another item from the Modern Mercury collection!

Long-handled, slender and well-designed with a flexible, soft nib for drawing precision lines, the Graphite liquid liner ticks most of the boxes.  I prefer this design to spindly brushes or chunky nibs as I find they offer the greatest compromise between control and precision.

The inky formula is well pigmented and opaque within two strokes.  It dries very quickly to a smudge-proof, water-proof finish providing a metallic gleam that manages to avoid the ‘wet-look’.

It’s all great so far huh?  Except, there is one problem… it flakes.  You’ll get to around 90% satisfaction before this bothers you but really?  It shouldn’t flake at all and it’s a bugbear for me.  It won’t stop me wearing it but it will stop me wearing it with complete confidence.  The above photo was taken about 5 hours into my day and you can see that it’s holding up pretty well but there is evidence of some flaking going on… a few specks around my eyes and a little caught in my eyelashes.

You can’t see in the above photo but the top edge of the line is no longer perfect, this is the first area to show signs of wear.  I’m being pernickity (as always) but when I’m reviewing an eyeliner that costs £19.00 – it’s only right that I am.

How about some comparisons?  I dug around in my eyeliner drawer (it’s only a little drawer, I’m not completely mad) and pulled out a few that seemed fairly close (ok, the last one is MILES off!):

1.  Barry M Metallic Liquid Eyeliner #1
2.  Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Pianissimo
3.  Estee Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Graphite
4.  Lord & Berry Liquid Eyeliner in Slate
5.  Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Allegro
6.  NARS Liquid Eyeliner in Bullitt

Most of these are now discontinued but luckily, the one that bears the closest resemblance isn’t!  Again, it’s Barry M that’s coming up to be the nearest in terms of shade duping so if you’re on a budget, check it out!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Graphite (£19.00) is available on counter now and online at Estee Lauder.

Do you wear grey eyeliner?  What’s your favourite?