A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This is an absolutely AMAZING Nails Inc. deal!

For TODAY ONLY, you can save £85 by purchasing a set of 10 Nails Inc. polishes for only £25.

I know they occasionally have some nice deals like this…. but usually with a few dubious shades that no-one wants thrown in… not this time!

Those are 10 flippin’ lovely shades and I don’t know about you but I’d be glad to wear each of them!

Also, look at the cute box they come in… what a great Christmas present they’d make for someone special… but I’m not sure I’d be able to keep my hands off them!

Shades include:

Berkeley Square – dark grey
Eagle Street – dusky nude
Duchess Street – vibrant purple
The Vale – deep plum
Eden Grove – vibrant real
Montrose Place – iridescent hot pink
Buckingham Street – hot pink glitter
Dean Street – pillar box red
Maple Street – metallic brown
Shelton Street – gold glitter

What do you think ladies?  Are you as tempted as I am?  I’m really cursing my little eBay polish haul from last night now… my fingers are hovering and I’m wavering… God knows, I don’t need more polishes in my life but I’m not sure I can resist!

Talk me down!

** You may also want to take a quick look here before ordering if you decide to go for it – it worked when I tested it late last night**

As beauty addicts, how many times have we done that huh?  I’ll tell you how many… too bloody many.

Not only that, but let’s not forget that when in the UK, you’ve got more chance of finding genuine MAC on eBay than you have being able to return your purchases… these mistakes can really add up.

So, you can imagine my utter deflation when my NARS #12 Small Domed Eye brush turned up and wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.  I mean, I know that it’s called ‘small’… but I didn’t expect the head to be quite SO small.  My fault entirely.

But then I used it and I fell in love.

The NARS blurb on the website reads… Squirrel hair for definition and for creating depth in the crease of the eye.

I say… If you have hooded eyelids, get this brush.

(excuse the eyeshadow dust – it needs cleaning!)

The NARS #12 Small Domed Eye Brush is incredibly soft.  I find some NARS brushes a little scratchy for their price… but this one is a winner.  It’s densely packed and firm enough to do more than just place the colour.  This little beauty is a master blender to apply defined but soft crease colours.

Hai!  My name’s dopey.

Ignoring my moronic eye-expression (and need for a one-on-one with my tweezers) for a moment… can you see how perfectly the brush fits under that hood?  I don’t have the most hooded eyelids in the world, but they are a pain for muddying colour when the upper part droops onto the lid itself.  If I’m wearing a v. dark crease colour, I need to be precise and I need to focus it in the outer corner and just in the actual crease itself because of that reason.  With this brush I can do this.

Why not just use a pencil brush or a small eye contour brush then?  Because I’m crap at makeup in general and those kinda brushes always encourage me to be too heavy handed.  With the NARS #12 brush, I can do gentle windshield wiper movements along the crease contour (whilst keeping my eyes half open) and achieve a soft, smoky but perfectly defined dark crease.

At £22.00 (for such a teeny little brush) my initial disappointment almost resulted in a mild strop but now?  I’m considering a backup.

Which NARS brushes do you rate most highly?

The comparisons have to be made don’t they?  At just £3.50 for the pale gold E.L.F Gotta Glow compared to £19.50 for NARS iconic Albatross highlighting powder… who isn’t hoping for a remarkable dupe?

The NARS on the left.. E.L.F’s Gotta Glow, on the right.

I’m not gonna talk about the differences in packaging.  They’re there… NARS is annoying and icky sticky, E.L.F’s is sleeker but hella cheaper looking.  Do you *really* care?  I don’t.

But what about the product?

E.L.F’s Gotta Glow is slightly more yellow toned in appearance and the gold shimmer is less refined looking in the pan… chunkier.  This is pretty much what I expected.  On close inspection, you can see a visual difference in quality.

The texture?  Again… this lives up to expectations.

NARS Albatross is smooth and very finely milled… there’s no flaking when you brush the surface of the pan and no fall out upon application.  The E.L.F version can’t claim the same.  It’s powdery and there is fall out if you don’t give your brush a tap off before applying.

But how about this?  Please look past the hairy arms… I have enough hair elsewhere on my body to frankly give a crap about hairy forearms.

That’s pretty simillar no?

Take a guess before reading on… which one costs £3.50 and which one costs £19.50?  I’d love for you to tell me if you got it right in the comments…

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Ready to find out?

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Sure?

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Oh ok… Well… E.L.F’s Gotta Glow is on the left and NARS Albatross is on the right.  I think that I can tell the difference between the swatches… the E.L.F one looks slightly less pigmented and a bit ‘chunkier’.  But is that *really* a £16 difference?  Not when you take into consideration that once applied and blended… I truly struggle to tell the difference on my face at all.

Before I get really excited though… there is one point to note that although not an issue for my skintone, may make ALL the difference on someone else.  I see a slight ashiness with the E.L.F incarnation that I’m not seeing with the NARS original.  It’s only noticeable when I swatch on my fingertip… but I’m thinking that on a darker skintone, the E.L.F Gotta Glow may leave a slight white cast along with the golden sheen.

Has anyone tried it with a darker skintone than mine?  How are you finding E.L.F’s new Gotta Glow highlighting powder?

E.L.F Gotta Glow is available online and priced at £3.50 – a bargain if ever I saw one.

If matte orange lips for Spring isn’t your kinda thing… how about some coral for Autumn?

These new inclusions from New CID Cosmetics… I could handle nicely!  It’s that guava-y coral that usually works well on both warm and cool skintones!

Perhaps a touch summery, but the general consensus last week was that we don’t *really* go in for all that trend stuff anyway…

They say…

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]

New CID i – glow in Coral Crush (£23.50) offers a perfect ‘pick me up’ for dull and tired skin. The beautiful marbleised baked powders offer an easy, silky smooth application, while the light reflective pigments mimic the skin’s natural radiance. Build up the shade to use as a blusher or sweep across the face and décolletage for a beautiful warm glow.

New CID i – gloss in Coral Candy (£15.50) is the perfect companion to keep some sunshine in your life. This pretty shade is suitable for all, creating high-glam shine that really lasts. Featuring built-in lights and mirror for easy on-the-go application, you won’t be fading into the darkness this season!

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I’m wondering if the i-glow is a more wearable version MAC Stereo Rose for cool, pale skintones.  Any thoughts on New CID’s i-glow range?

On an unrelated note, I’m positively itching for my new camera to arrive (hopefully tomorrow!)… hurry up!

The new range of lipsticks from French makeup maestro Francois NARS have launched into Selfridges.  Priced at £18 each, the NARS Pure Matte Lipstick range promises intense, stay-true colour.

But that’s not all…

[stextbox id=”alert” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]Defying the traditional challenge of long-wearing lipsticks, it won’t dry out lips.  Rich in antioxidants, including Vitamin E and Acai Oil, Pure Matte nourishes and conditions lips.  Wild Mango Butter’s advanced moisturizing properties work  to repair lips from dryness and scaling, leaving lips feeling supple and soft.[/stextbox]

If that claim is to be believed…. sign me up!

I haven’t tried any of the shades on my lips, but did swatch a couple at a recent press day.

Clockwise from Top Left: Tashkent (Nude Beige), Volga (Deep Aubergine), Terre de Feu (Black Cherry) – incidentally, how great does Terre de Feu look for a vampy Winter lip?, Bangkok (Soft Rose), Tonkin (Cinnamon Plum) and Vesuvio (Full Bodied Red).

Tashkent and Bangkok

Tashkent and Bangkok swatched.

I clearly remember Bangkok (the rose), dragging on the skin of the back of my hand as I swatched, so I’m not sure how that would apply to my lips… though to be fair, the tester could well have dried out a touch after being open for however long.  By contrast, Tashkent glided on without too much friction burn 😉

Are any of these calling to you?  I must admit that Vesuvio and Terre de Feu look like wonderful Wintery options!

Incidentally, how beautifully shot is this promo?

NARS Pure Matte Lipsticks are £18 each and until 1st October are exclusive to Selfridges.

Don’t forget ladies, you only have until the 31st August to book in and receive your £11 Nails Inc mini manicure.

The catch?  You must get yourselves and your nails down to your local Nails Inc. before 11am!

Will you be indulging in an early morning file and polish?!

The Autumn/Winter Fashion Week vids are up!

Here’s 3 very different NARS looks created using some of the new products available this season.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM

Lead Artist:

~ Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Abyssinia Eyeshadow, London Eyeliner Pencil, Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Luxor Multiple, Riviera Multiple

.THAKOON

Lead Artist:

~  Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Portobello Duo Eyeshadow, Belle de Jour Lipstick

MARC JACOBS

Lead Artist:

~ François Nars, Founder & Creative Director, for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~  NARS Enchanted Cream Blush, NARS D. Gorgeous Eyeshadow, NARS Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo, NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil, NARS Barbarella Lipstick

If you’re a Nails Inc. facebook fan you would have seen them post their sneak preview of the Autumn/Winter shades they have in store for us!

Hello wintery cool-toned beauties!

I do have one slight “issue”…

You know when a child is doing something they shouldn’t… but it’s kinda cute and you can’t help but smile.  Except, very small children have no concept of ‘pushing their luck’ and before you know it… something that was mildly amusing becomes a source of irritation.

Ladies… I present you with ‘Grilac’.

‘Greige’ I can cope with… it rolls off the tongue.  Grilac sounds like a BBQ cleaning fluid.

Just stop it.  It’s not big, it’s not clever and it stopped being cute last February.

Grilac or no Grilac, what say you?

As promised yesterday, here’s some images and swatches of the NARS Holiday 2010 collection.  Due out in the UK in November.

The palette is a trio of cool shades with the almost cobalt blue being the star attraction.  Continuing the Japanese theme throughout the entire collection, this little eyeshadow palette is named Okinawa.

I’d love to tell you the names of the rather beautiful glosses (Yinka fell in love with the one on the right, me… the one on the left).  But I had a bit of a photographer camera fail.

Anyone good at Magic Eye puzzles?  Sorry ladies!

The rest of the collection….

Close ups and swatches after the break…

Read the rest of this entry »

Oh HAI gorgeousness!

I have more indepth pictures and some swatches of the NARS Holiday 2010 Collection that I shall post up tomorrow, but here’s a quick sneak peek at the collection as a whole.

Have I got your attention?  Come back tomorrow for more!

Yeah, Christmas again!  Sorry!  Bite me.

Check out this Kabuki-inspired Bento Box Lip Set which will be on many a NARS’ fan’s Xmas wish list!

Inspired by the Japanese Kabuki theatre, the set comprises: 2 lip colours (Maiko and Sakura), 2 boxed dish thingies and a rather lovely lip brush. Will the lip colours be in the dishes?  I’m not sure… I got a bit confused at that point but it reminds me of a Japanese curio that Lisa Eldridge talked about.

The lip shades are pretty darn beautiful.  Look!

Heavily pigmented and smooth, a pair of beautifully bright shades that are sure to tantalise and tempt!

I adore this set, it’s a little bit quirky… a touch unusual but thoroughly useable.  What a wonderful Christmas gift this would make… for ourselves of course 😉

No price details or release dates yet, but I shall update as and when they become available.

Do you like it?

EDIT: I’ve now been reliably informed that this set is due to retail in the UK at £95 from November the 1st and will be available at Selfridges.

In Kabuki theater there is a style, Kumadori, which uses shades to represent different emotions and moods: red represents passion and vigor while pink represents cheerfulness and youthfulness. So it is no wonder that François chose to capture the majesty of the kabuki lip with these two colors for the elegant yet modern woman. Maiko, a vibrant red, is the Japanese word for dancing girl and is used to refer to apprentice geishas. Sakura, a hot pink, is Japanese for cherry blossom, the symbolic flowering cherry tree integral to Japanese culture.

Each cup has been hand-filled, weighs the same as a bullet of lipstick, and will provide around 150 uses. Similar to the NARS Yachiyo Kabuki Brush, the lip brush is hand-made and the handle is wrapped in Wisteria, a flowering plant native to East Asian states such as China, Korea and Japan. Only one thousand sets were created for sale in the United States, and just over two thousand in total were created worldwide.

Yes, £95 *jawdrop*.  It’s beautiful n’all… but erm… £95?  Am I going to have to sell both kidneys to fund this I wonder?

Not long to go now, I thought we could all do with a quick reminder of what we can look forward to come 1st August when NARS’ Autumn 2010 collection hits the counters.

Daphne Guiness looking resplendant as Francois NARS’ muse and inspiration for the NARS Fall 2010 campaign.

The Single Eyeshadows (£16) – Mangrove is LE.

The Eyeshadow Duos (£23) – Rajasthan is LE

The Lip Stick LE (£17)

The Lip Gloss LE (£17)

The Soft Touch Shadow Pencil LE (£15)

The Blush (£19.50)

For me, I think it’s one that needs to be swatched before taking the plunge and ordering…

Neither of the lip products are calling to me but I’ll be swatching Douceur, Palladium, Tzarine and Rajasthan… Mangrove too, I’m not particularly drawn to it, but because it’s a LE product I *just* wanna make sure!

Are you interested in anything from this collection?