Starting this Sunday, News of the World’s Fabulous magazine will be bringing a little sunshine to what is turning out to be a rained off Summer!
Cut out and keep three differently numbered tokens over the next four weeks starting this Sunday from inside your NOTW’s Fabulous Magazine to get your mitts on this vibrant duo from Nails Inc.
Atomic and OMP! (that’s Oh My Pink!) are a pair of vibrant Summer-loving shades, guaranteed to bring out the sunglasses!
Once you’ve collected your three tokens, simply take them along to any participating Tesco Extra or Tesco supermarket to claim your freebie nail polish duo anytime between July 3-11.
Will you be collecting your first coupon this Sunday?
You may recall my bitter moans last week about how when presented with a rare opportunity to spend an indecent amount of time playing with makeup, I came up with something that looked no different from my everyday makeup.
So this weekend, I grabbed myself by the balls (cough) and reached for my brightest, scariest palette.
NARS Mediteranee.
Innit gorgeous? And I’m sure it shouldn’t really work against my skintone… perhaps it doesn’t, but hell… I really love it anyway.
Don’t laugh… this is WAY out of my comfort zone nowadays.
I know I look super-snooty in the ‘looking down’ pics but you can’t see the ORANGE otherwise ‘cos of my hooded lids!
I think I scared Leila a bit. (OMG the CLOWNZ are coming!)
When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?
A gaggle of geese, a school of fish, a colony of ants… a… a… a.. nest of NARS?
Whatever you want to call it, here are some of my favourite NARS blushes in all their shamefully dirty glory (I really should give these a wipe over!).
Considering I’m such a cool-toned chick, you might be able to tell I have a fondness for peachy cheeks (no sniggering at the back). I just find that with a light touch, it warms up my complexion and looks more natural and less doll-like than the pinks.
My latest acquisitions (you may be able to spot them from the fact that they’re less dusty!) are Gilda and Mata Hari. I picked up Gilda from the ASOS/Groupon super deal, ahhh… I want another one of those!
Anyway, there’s no real reason to this post other than for me to have an excuse to play with my NARS blushes. Sorry, indulge me! Here have some swatches…
Douceur – A neutral matte shade that has enough pink in it to be a delightful option for cool-toned skin. Swatched heavily here, I’d call it a must-own simply because (with a light hand) it will add a touch of colour to your cheeks without clashing.
Mata Hari – This always feels like a proper wintery rose shade. Another matte, it’s heavily pigmented and a touch powdery. I haven’t worked out how to make this work flawlessly for me but I want to persevere!
Torrid – A bit scared of this when I bought it but it’s gorgeous. A proper peach with sparkles! Used with a light hand I can make this work nicely against my colouring but I do need to double check in different lighting before venturing outdoors (just in case I’ve tangoed myself!)
Gilda – It’s a gorgeous shade but I haven’t got the application of this one down yet. Perhaps it’s just a bit too warm and matte for me, either way… it’s another one I want to learn to love.
Deep Throat – My favourite NARS blush. It’s a pinker, more pigmented version of Orgasm with silvery sparkles compared to the dusting of gold that runs through the big O. It’s a perfect peachy pink and one that I will repurchase forever more.
Orgasm – The cult favourite is also a hit with me! Warmer than Deep Throat and a little sparklier, I often pair this one with other blushes (particularly mattes) to give a more 3D appearance.
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Do you own any NARS blushes? Which are your favourites?
Despite the moniker, lip glosses aren’t really my bag. I find them gloopy, sticky, uncomfortable to wear and unless careful not to overapply, can make you look like an extra from Saturday Night Beaver.
Admittedly, they’re less high maintenance than lipsticks and are undoubtedly nifty for quick touch ups when your lippie has all but been eaten away. However, for me… they come a poor second to my faithful lipstick devotion.
So, how about a hybrid?
NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are still fairly new additions to the market. Launched in February, they promise the convenience of a pencil with the application of a lipstick in a jumbo-size crayon design.
Well, first things first… you can kiss the gloopiness issues goodbye. Thanks to this delivery method, you can apply a thin, even layer of gloss over your lips without any thickness or pooling. Yes, they’re still a touch tacky on the lips but there is no risk of those disgusting stringy gloss strands when you open your mouth… and we’ve all seen too many of those on over-enthusiastic gloss wearers right?
I was sent two shades from the lineup: Hopi (Honey Beige) and New Lover (Strawberry Pink laced with Gold).
New Lover on the left and Hopi on the right.
The texture is soft, really very soft… take care when sharpening these babies. I would have preferred to have seen them in a twist-up form but alas, they are what they are.
Again, New Lover is on the left and Hopi on the right. They’re well pigmented with great, natural colour. I feared that their pencil form meant that they might go down faster than a fat kid on a seesaw but they’re holding up better than I expected on that score.
Because of their convenience, I keep New Lover in my bag for when my lipstick wears off and have been substituting it for quick fixes post-lunch. I also have my eye on Baroque which seems more to my taste with its bolder, raspberry undertones.
Finally, a lip swatch of both so you can see how they look applied…
They’re pretty, understated shades that dodge my lipgloss-hating bullet well.
NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils are priced at £17.50 a-piece and are available online and on counter now.
So, The Anti-ageing Beauty Bible may have only been on the shelves for a couple of weeks but Beauty gurus Josephine Fairley and Sarah Stacey’s new book is already ensuring brands are making an effort to capitalize on their mentions from withing the Bible’s hallowed pages.
I don’t have a copy of the book yet, so I had a crafty ‘google’ to see which brands had already publicized their awards and mentions!
Liz Earle have released an Anti-ageing Beauty Bible collection (£25) to coincide with the book release. This kit features 4 of their best-selling products that were featured within the pages of the book.
Monu are making sure we all know that their Skin Perfector (£16.25) got a big thumbs up in the book.
Nutritional skincare purveyors Oskia are keen to tell us why their Micro-Exfoliating Balm (£46) was an Anti-ageing Beauty Bible award winner!
Finally, NUDE Skincare are so proud of their award that they’re shipping their Replenishing Night OilBUNDLED with a copy of the book!
Will you be picking up a copy of the new Anti-ageing Beauty Bible or checking out any of the brands that feel the Beauty Bible love?
We all knew we were in for a trend when we saw Chanel’s upcoming Mimosa polish set to launch next month but Mimosa is just the tip of the yellow-coloured iceberg!
Autumn/Fall… Pavement/Sidewalk… Bonnet/Hood… Tomato… um… er.. TomAto…. whatever you wanna call it, I was going back through some emails before archiving and came across this press release that included some images from the Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 Runway Show.
It looks like Autumn might be all about the blush. Yes, that’s me you can hear me fist-pumping and whooping from thousands of miles away…
INSPIRATION & LOOK: “The look started with a picture that Marc had of Christy Turlington with really fresh skin and rosy cheeks,” said François Nars, Founder & Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics. “Marc wanted ‘icy cold cheeks’ and so the blush is drawn down in such a way that’s unusual…unusual, but decadent. Like a Renaissance painting.”
Look at those proper Autumnal colours! Warm reds and ambers… God, it makes me grateful it’s still only April and we have the whole Summer stretching ahead of us!
The key products used in the looks featured here are:
FACE
Concealer (NEW for Fall 2011; for now, try the existing Concealer £17.50)
Interrrrestingggg…. so, it looks like we’re getting (at least) a newly formulated concealer range, duo eyeshadow (orange-based?), a new long-wear eyeliner range? I’m speculating a little bit….
Not too sure on that blush placement… but that’s fashion for you (darling) and I love the heavy liner… oooooh, I’ll be a happy Lipglossiping if we’re all about the heavy liner this Autumn!
But in the meantime, let’s have some bloody sunshine first eh?!
Since the 90s, I’ve been in posession of at least one form of blemish busting treatment. Hence my excitement at devices like the LMS Spotlights… it all stems from growing up with ads like these (and Grange Hill!):
They must have made a long-lasting impression!
I think it’s the promise of being able to regain some control over your skin at a time when your hormones are doing everything in their power to relinquish you of any say at all in how your body behaves.
How times have changed! Sure, many of the active ingredients remain the same: salicylic acid, witch hazel, benzoyl peroxide, tea tree oil, toothpaste… (not really), but blemish-busting is a slick, billion-dollar business and far less blush-worthy than it used to be!
Here’s some blemish-busting treatments to suit all skin-types and budgets:
1. Murad Blemish & Wrinkle Reducer – £57.00
More sophisticated than your average zit zapper, Murad’s Blemish & Wrinkle Reducer is aimed at those of us who are (quite frankly) too old to be putting up with spots!
On the blemish-busting side, it features encapsulated salicylic acid to deliver a slow-release, prolonged treatment alongside Silver Citrate, the product’s anti-bactierial of choice. The formula also claims to minimise fine lines and wrinkles with something called Kombucha Collagen Defense™
A good option for anyone with problem skin over the age of 30. You can buy online in the UK from LookFantastic.
2. Proactiv Repairing Night Lotion – £17.95
A Salicylic Acid/Retinol blend that is known globally for its brand affiliations with some of the biggest teen-sensations on the planet: Jessica Simpson, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber…
This is one targeted toward younger consumers with skin concerns and a quick google shows just how well-known and widely-used the brand’s products are.
Origins Spot Remover promises to be a gentler alternative to the harsher side-effects of chemical zit zapping! We’re all familliar with the dryness that can be left behind once a spot has been busted. It’s sometimes just as annoying to deal with the flaky skin as it is the initial blemish!
Another Salicylic Acid based formula with the added antibacterial benefits of witch-hazel and clove.
This seems to be a good all-rounder for many skin types. You can buy online in the UK from the Origins website.
4. Nelson’s Pure & Clear Anti-Blemish Treatment Gel – £8.17
Tea Tree Oil and Arnica extracts work together to calm blemishes in this high-street treatment gel. I’m a fan of Arnica’s ability to relieve aches and hopeful that it can work its herbal magic on zits too!
A natural, purse-friendly option with ingredients that suggest a more gentle approach. You can buy online in the UK from the Boots website.
5. ELF Zit Zapper – £1.50
An impressively priced product that still manages to squeeze in active ingredients such as Salicylic Acid, Tea Tree Oil, Witch Hazel and Camphor.
Housed with a convenient roller-ball delivery method, this would be a great option for those of you who only need something for emergencies.
You can buy online in the UK from the ELF website.
6. The Doctor Brand Blemish Relief: Step 2 Spot Eliminator – £6.95
As the name suggests, this is step 2 of a 3-step programme designed to clear the skin from blemishes. Interestingly, it bucks the common ingredient trend and lists Sulfur as the top active ingredient (though good old SA still puts in an appearance further down the list!)
I’m also pleased to see Allantoin in the list which is known for it’s anti-irritant properties and is something I used to actively look for in mineral foundation mixes that I wear.
You can buy online in the UK from the Boots website.
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What are some of your favourite anti-blemish treatments?
My last attempt at nail wraps (using Rebel Nails) wasn’t exactly a fail but I really struggled with how they felt on my nails… continuously ‘catching’ them on things despite careful filing and I wondered if these wraps from Nail Rock would be any different!
Check out the cute polka dots!
The first thing I noticed is that these are much thicker than the Rebel Nails wraps which are more foil-like. These feel more like vinyl stickers! Initially, I thought it was a bad thing… until it came to application.
The Nail Rock wraps were much easier to apply than Rebel Nails and less prone to random creasing. This meant that they simply looked more professionally applied once I’d finished.
I still had to trim each ‘nail’ down by a substantial amount to make them fit my narrow nail beds but this wasn’t really a problem.
Due to the thickness of the wraps, I found them a little trickier to ‘warm up’ with my hairdryer… it just seemed to take longer to get the heat to have much effect on the adhesive and I risked scorching my fingertips a few times.
Once on and filed, well they looked pretty amazing (even if I do say so myself!).
Wanna see?
Cute huh?!
But what about the wear? Well… unfortunately, I experienced the same problems as ever with nail wraps. They just irritate the crap out of me. Having a 21 month old means that you’re forever picking things up, putting things down, playing catch, picking crumbs out of hair… etc… etc…
Nail Wraps clearly aren’t for me or my lifestyle. Despite careful filing to round off the edges, they snag and catch. It doesn’t hurt but it does risk ‘lifting’ the free edge of the wrap. I lasted about a day with these on before I had to remove them.
Perfect for a night out? Most definitely… but for longer wear? I’m out.
Nail Rock wraps are available to buy online in a variety of styles, priced at around £6.65 a pack*
* you get 24 wraps per pack (for people with 12 fingers obviously) so you can get two manicures from one pack.
A couple of you eagle-eyed ladies spotted the lipstick that I was wearing in my Bateau Ivre FOTD from earlier in the week. It’s very, very nude isn’t it?
The NARS shade is new for Spring and called Madère.
How do we pronounce that then? I’m opting for ‘mah-daire’ – anyone wanna wade in with an infinitely more sensible suggestion?
For a matte… it’s fairly creamy to apply, though pretty unforgiving on very dry lips. If you have deep furrows, you may need to think about some intense moisturisation and a plumping base before attempting this shade as it will highlight any areas of concern.
Many reviews from last year’s launch of these Pure Matte Lipsticks commented on how the formula of these were more moisturising than normal mattes. Sadly, I can’t say that I’ve reached the same conclusion with Madère. I felt that it was just as drying as any other matte lipstick that I wear.
Where Madère does excel is in the density of colour and it’s ability to truly blank out the lip when you want to concentrate attention on your smokey eye. If you’re a fan of true nude lips (and I know many of you are), it’s probably a shade that you’ll want to add to your collection for nights out. I feel that it would particularly suit women who feel that nudes often run too orange on their skintone.
NARS Pure Matte lipstick in Madère* is available now from NARS online, on counter and other stockists priced from £17.50
If you had told me 5 years ago that I’d get excited over the thought of a blue eyeshadow duo, I’d have pointed you in the direction of this photo and told you not to be so stupid. So it surprises me to recognise that Bateau Ivre was the duo that captured my imagination when I first saw promo images from the NARS Spring 2011 collection last month.
They say: The Spring 2011 Collection is the epitome of minimalism, reaching a sensual peak with fresh, forward color. Jeweled earth tones for eyes and nails are infused with a metallic finish that lends a subtly sleek finish. Cool compliments of sheer and sparkling lips pair with unexpected accents of parrot green and vivid blue. It all adds up to a look that’s indisputably modern.
Let’s take a look at those eyeshadow duos: Bateau Ivre & Nouveau Monde*
It was around the same time last year that NARS released the first in their line up of liquid illuminators, the NARS Orgasm Illuminator. This year, NARS are releasing not one, not two but THREE new illuminators to sit alongside the original.
Due out a little later this month, the three shades will be well-known to NARS fans out there: Copacabana, Super Orgasm and Laguna.
NARS Copacabana Illuminator is a pale pearly pink shade shot through with a hint of silver sparkle. The sparkle stops it from being the kind of illuminator that I’d want to mix in with my foundation (at least during the daytime).
It has a thin, blendable texture and like it’s predecessor, a little goes an extremely long way, the 30ml bottle should last and last.
It is such a pretty shade for pale, cool-toned skin and I’m pleased that NARS have decided to extend the shade collection in this range. Although I was a fan of the original Orgasm illuminator, I did comment that I felt it suited darker skin tones than mine. This one? The Copacabana Illuminator? Made for me. Not you, just me!
So far, I’ve worn this dotted along my cheekbones and it blended quite happily over liquid, cremes and powder foundations with no clumping issues. I’ve also dropped a couple of dots into my body cream before slathering over my decolletage. There are endless ways to wear illuminators… well, 4 or 5.
The illuminator dries down to a powder finish after a few minutes, so although it’s easy to blend… I feel that I have to be a bit quicker than with the original Orgasm version.
I sneaked a peek at both the Laguna and Super Orgasm illuminators as well. Whilst Laguna looked ah-mazing for darker skintones, Super Orgasm disappointed me a little… it’s uber glittery (as you might expect) and I’m just not sure it was a needed addition when we already have an Orgasm illuminator available.
NARS Copacabana Illuminator will be available from the middle of this month onwards from all NARS counters and online. Priced at £23.50.
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Are you liking the look of NARS Copacabana Illuminator or are you cooling your heels for swatches of the Laguna version?
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