Like Twitter? Like NARS? Like… erm… French Bulldogs?

Posted by Lipglossiping On July - 21 - 2010

You’ve got one day left to tweet your beauty questions to none other than NARS’ very own Marcel.

They Say:

After weeks of a très chic travel schedule to promote his PRO-PRIME campaign, Marcel Nars is making a special virtual Personal Appearance on Twitter and Facebook!

The companion to NARS’ Founder and Creative Director, François Nars, this classy pooch has learned a thing or two about putting the best possible face forward.

So… if you think the mutt has all the answers, follow @NARSissit and simply submit your question with the special #MarcelNars hashtag by the end of the day and check back tomorrow at 1PM EST (6pm BST) when Marcel will answer questions submitted.

Alternatively, log on to Facebook (facebook.com/narscosmetics) for 2PM EST (7pm BST) tomorrow and you can chat live to the pampered pooch.

Being Marcel Nars typing fingers…. what a job eh?


Swatch Saturday: NARS Ashes to Ashes

Posted by Lipglossiping On July - 17 - 2010

One of my favourites, it’s a sheer… which meant that I didn’t like it for about a week when I got it.  Until I discovered how easily it layered… and THEN discovered how easily I could use it as a crease colour without giving myself Panda eyes!

A cool toned violet/brown taupe with a hint of shimmer.  Urgh, even just describing it makes me wanna take it out and wear it right now (it’s 2am and I’ve washed my face already).

It’s my versatile friend that makes it possible for me to do subtle smoky daytime looks.  Without it, I’d be screwed.  I’m not being melodramatic, stop looking at me like that.

Thanks Francois, you’re the best.  No, really.

NARS Mediteranee Eyeshadow Duo

Posted by Lipglossiping On June - 29 - 2010

I was reminded of my NARS Mediteranee (£23) duo yesterday when talking about neon orange eyeshadow.  This isn’t neon… but it is bright.

Perfect for Summer!

My NARS Mediteranee duo also happens to be one of the most buttery shadows I’ve ever had the pleasure to swatch (esp the orange half).  I adore it, but do have to use with an incredibly light hand thanks to it’s immense pigmentation!

Scary!

It’s a wonderful duo for darker and olive-toned girls but I was determined to make it work for me too.  The warm tones really bring out the green in my eyes.  I’m wearing a tiny amount of the orange in this FOTD… just a speck and then dragged out towards the end of my eyebrow.

I think it’s probably the brightest eye shadow I own.  What’s your favourite Summer bright?

Nails Inc. Sorbet Collection – Summer 2010

Posted by Lipglossiping On June - 26 - 2010

You like?

I love.

That’s all.

Ok… you wish…  Not even close.

Is this pastelly?  I swore off pastels in January and now feel silly ‘cos I’ve been loving them ever since!  I don’t *really* wear neon summer shades, but adore Summer blues so this is right up my street!

I’m perhaps a little bored of that Stanhope Gardens type colour (though I appreciate many can’t get enough of those minty blue shades).

The Limited Edition Nails Inc. Sorbet Collection (cute name) is out now and priced at £25 for the set.

I’m currently loving…

Posted by Lipglossiping On May - 2 - 2010

…this Alhambra eyeshadow duo from NARS.

I wanted something that was soft, fairly pale and neutral… and I found exactly what I was looking for the last time I went to the NARS counter at Liberty.

Alhambra is a soft, romantic nude duo.  It’s perfect for daytime wear or if deepened with a darker crease colour you can create a beautiful smoky look.

I reach for this when I’m feeling lazy… admittedly I usually reach for one side or the other rather than wearing both together.  A sweep of the ‘pink champagne’ side paired some brown eyeliner and mascara gives me a fresh, wide-awake look that’s polished but not at all overdone.

The shadows are soft, pigmented and shimmery with a metallic look rather than glittery or frosty and I imagine the shades would easily complement many skintones.

NARS Alhambra Duo is priced at £23.00 and available at counters nationwide or online.

Do you like?  Or is it a bit plain for you?

Free Nails Inc. Polish only with InStyle Magazine

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 28 - 2010

Free on the cover of next month’s copy of InStyle magazine (£3.60)…

Choose between three shades of this season’s must have polish colours created exclusively for InStyle by popular nail brand Nails Inc.  Worth £10.50 each!

And as if that weren’t enough of an incentive… readers will also be entitled to 20% off all Nails Inc. online purchases, plus 20% off manicures and pedicures.

The June issue of InStyle is on sale from today (28th April).

A word to the wise, these sell out pretty quickly!  No prizes for guessing which one I’m nabbing tomorrow!

Will you be picking one up?  Which shade will you be going for?

NARS Pure Sheer

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 25 - 2010

Following on from the NARS Summer Collection, have you guys seen these yet? (probably, I’m not too quick with the old releases).

Available in 6 shades, these are lip treatments that as you may have guessed… are sheer colour washes.

SPF 15, Mango Butter, moisturisation and protection are the key words to take from this little line up of safe but rather lovely colours.

Due out on the 1st May, there’s already a waiting list at Selfridges.

NARS Summer 2010

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 22 - 2010

Oh Francois…

I can’t hear anything over the sound of my rapily beating heart *insert melodramatic music and excessive swooning*… it’s a new collection… and it’s coming very soon!

Do you care what I think? Probably not… but I’m a sharer…

Burn It Blue Duo Cream Eyeshadow – Iridescent ocean blue / turquoise

I’m not crazy for NARS Cream Eyeshadows…  they absolutely HAVE to be set with an additional shadow ontop to avoid creasing and even then, I only get a maximum of 6 hours wear out of them.  But I freaking love these colours…. if it were a powder duo, I would have been all over it like an embarrassing rash.

Coup de Coeur Lip Gloss – Sheer apple-brandy

Apple-Brandy… is that like a red/brown?  Hmm… It doesn’t sing to me… but I’m often surprised by NARS Lip Glosses, it’s a swatch job ‘cos I guess it could really take a nude lip to another level.

Versailles Nail Polish – Opalescent, champagne-gold

Sheer? Not Sheer?  That is the question… I’m reserving judgement, but it sure looks beautiful in the bottle *swoon*

Love Devotion Lipstick – Sheer guava

Looking at the promo image, it’s not for me.  It looks coral and bright.  Reading the description… I love the sound of it.  I adore guava shades which seem to work beautifully on my pale pink skin… the perfect pink/coral combination.  Not only that, but I adore my NARS Cruising semi-sheer lipstick from the Spring collection so I’m definitely going to be having a closer look at Love Devotion before writing it off.

Cayenne Cream Eyeshadow – Spicy, deep brown

I’ve already said why I’m not sold on the NARS Cream Eyeshadows, it needs to be a stonking shade for me to bother picking it up… and this… isn’t.  It’s reliable and it’s magnificently wearable, but if I’m gonna go to the effort to layer a powder over a cream for a stunning effect… it won’t be for this shade.

Lamu Multiple – Fresh, glazed apricot

I have a love/hate for Multiples… I love their multi-use aspect and I always take my Antibes with me when I’m on holiday but I find them quite hard to work with.  “Fresh, glazed apricot” sounds like it may be a bit too warm-toned for me anyway.

Enchanted Cream Blush – Soft-peach

OK, now this I’m on board with – woo woo! *makes train noises*…. I love cream blushes in a pan like this… cream blush + stippling brush = blush heaven.  Soft peach? Yes please!  I’m insanely excited about this release.  Can you tell?

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Quite a mixed bag of thoughts then, please excuse what is essentially an internal conversation between me and my makeup buying alter ego spilling out over the keyboard.  There’s definitely a few pieces that I want to see in person before passing final judgement… overall, promising!

The NARS Summer Collection will be on counter from the 1st May.

Anything there that you’ll be paying some extra attention?

Nails Inc. new “greige” aka Lennox Gardens

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 21 - 2010

I know some of you don’t dig the grey/beige thing, but every greige polish I’ve picked up thus far has suited my complexion beautifully, so I’m hooked.

This is Nails Inc’s latest offering: Lennox Gardens (£15)… and I’m in lurrrrrve.  Well I would be… if they took the stupid ‘crystals’ off and lowered the price by a fiver.

Sludgey poo in a bottle or the epitome of understated elegance, what d’ya reckon?

The Highlighter Series – #2 NARS Albatross

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 12 - 2010

Second in my highlighter series is the highly regarded NARS Albatross (£19.50).

Albatross looks an almost pure white in the pan (as the name would suggest!) But when swatched, gives the most beautiful pale gold sheen that flatters most skintones pale or dark.

My one observation would be that it’s quite easy to go overboard with this highlighter.  Instant disco ball.  I generally use a fan brush to pick up the powder before sweeping lightly over my cheekbones.  I also use this on my cupids bow, tip of my chin and on the brow bone.  It’s a beautifully versatile product that I whole heartedly recommend!

Deal Alert – Nails Inc. Lucky Dip – 5 Polishes for £15

Posted by Lipglossiping On April - 9 - 2010

Available until midnight tonight, Nails Inc. are offering a lucky dip.  5 polishes for £15, that works out at £3 a polish!

I’m very tempted, but a bit worried about getting a envelope full of ‘wine’ coloured polishes… I don’t like maroony, clarety shades.

Are you tempted?  The 4 year old in me loves lucky dips!

Hair Volumising with Clynol & Neal & Wolf

Posted by Lipglossiping On March - 29 - 2010

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy to make the appointment for a trim.

As the layers are getting longer, the increased weight is starting to have an effect on my roots… weighing them down and increasing the slaphead factor – not an encouraging look.  I was offered 2 different styling products to have a play with and after a couple of weeks experimenting on just how to get the best out of them, I thought you might wanna have a read of my observations.  If you don’t… whatever, just don’t bother darkening my door again.

Clynol Move Massive Volume Spray (£6.75)

Technology: Pro.VolumeForce.Complex, with Panthenol and volumising resins.

Benefit: Volumises the hair, providing strong yet moveable hold.

Usage: Spray evenly onto dry or damp hair and style as preferred. Leave-in.

I’ve used this on both wet and dry hair and I prefer the results I get from using it on dry hair.  I lift sections from the front backwards, spraying quite generously before taking my hairdryer and giving my hair a quick upside-down blast at the roots.  I then take my brush and coax the hair back being careful not to flatten the roots with the weight of the brush and once styled, the root lift seems to stay in place for a good few hours before dropping.  I particularly like the Clynol Move Massive Volume Spray for when I’m styling my hair into an updo, the effect seems to be more apparent and gives some great ‘flathead’ avoidance.

I like, that as a spray, it’s easy to use and great to reach for in a hurry.  I’ve used it successfully in conjunction with my Batiste Dry Shampoo (again before pinning my hair up) and it really freshens up my style.  It smells great and most importantly, is completely non-sticky

Neäl & Wølf Elevate Volumising Lotion (£11.95)

Goodbye to drab limp locks, and hello to luxuriously thick hair, filled with body. ELEVATE has been designed to leave hair stronger, fuller and give more control.  Designed to improve body and texture while enhancing shine and manageability.  Specially selected ingredients complete the effect, reducing static and adding a spectacular glossy finish.

The more traditional serum format that I’m used to…  Just aswell really, ‘cos there aren’t any usage instructions on the bottle… however, being a salon brand rather than one for numptys like me, this is possibly understandable.  I initially didn’t notice many benefits from using this product until I started applying it a touch more generously.  After towel-drying my hair, I squeeze out a good 10p-sized blob and apply throughout my roots.

When I first started using this, I was nervous of making my roots greasy… but I needn’t have feared.  I add more product (10p size at a time) until I’m happy that I’ve applied a nice even amount throughout.  Then I flip my head over and blow-dry upside down, encouraging the air to pass through my roots and teasing with my fingers to encourage more lift.

The result is BIG hair, and I’m sold.  It takes a little more work than the Clynol, but the results are more dramatic if you take the time.

I’d happily use both products for different situations.  The Clynol is great for a lower maintenance lifestyle, which to be honest is me (most of the time).  But if I wanted to bring out the big guns, I’d reach for the Neäl & Wølf Elevate.

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Overall I was impressed with both products, sadly neither lasted the full day… but in honesty, I didn’t expect miracles.  All volume had flattened significantly by lunchtime, earlier if I was naughtly and didn’t stop playing with my hair.  I’d also recommend that if you ARE going to use these styling products then it might be wise not to overload your hair with too many other products at the same time.  Keep it to the minimum to achieve the best results.

Do you have any tips for bringing the 80s back to our barnets?

RANDOM

Be still my beating heart!

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

NOTD(s) - Courtesy of George @ Asda

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

A very rare (for me) French Manicure

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

GOSH New Haircare Range 2 for £5.99 @ Superdrug

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

Urban Decay Book of Shadows III - NYC

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

When Nails Go Bad - NOTD

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

Oh my...

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

The Lipstick League – week of 22.8.11

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

The Lipstick League - Week of 30.5.11

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

A DIY Graze Box for less than half the cost!

I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

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I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

CLOSED - Win it! The Body Shop Expert Brush Collection

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Win a gorgeous "glow" trio with prizes from Urban Decay, New CID, & Arbonne!

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Avoid the brush off with Oral-B Pro-Expert

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Big savings on French Pharmacy brands, win my Escentual.com top picks!

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I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

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I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

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I’m pretty rubbish when it comes to styling my hair.  I’m growing out a bob at the moment, not on purpose… I’m just too lazy …

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