A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

You may remember earlier this year when Mavala launched the That’s My Colour campaign, inviting members of the general public (that’s you and me!) to submit some colour inspiration to the brand for a new nail polish shade.  Imagine, your very own nail polish colour!

Well, after receiving thousands of entries received via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram… the brand chose their three winners and set to work on some colour creation!

Fast forward a few months and the That’s My Colour set has just launched exclusively at John Lewis, the three winning nail polish colours were….

Argentum – molten silver with a chrome finish inspired by the sequined detailing of a jacket (submitted by @jrosellenm via Instagram)

Hearth – a cool forest green shade snapped within the rest room of a favourite restaurant (submitted by @lizzums via Twitter)

Iridescence – inspired by the chameleon like finish of petroleum reflected in the sun (submitted by @wizardofozzy via Instagram)

The set of three is priced at £11.70, available instore at John Lewis, currently out of stock online.

Which is your favourite of the three winning shades?

As you may have guessed from the title, I’m totally blaming the pregnancy hormones for this one.  Whether or not they are actually culpable remains to be seen but it feels slightly less shameful to rest the responsibility upon my ever-increasing levels of hormonal angst.

Some women eat coal, crave the taste of rubber and leather… me?  Well, I just want to smell like all of those things instead.  You can keep your girly florals, sweet fruits, and vomit-worthy vanillas… give me all of the MAN SCENTS.

Were my pockets big enough, I’d carry the above candles around with me 24/7, pausing regularly for a sniff before continuing on my way.  My Jonathan Ward Woodstock candle, which I picked up whilst scouring the shelves at T.K. Maxx is the least masculine of the trio and perfect for the season, reminding me of a dampened but very-much-alive forest floor… woody and aromatic.

My Mum picked up the Rigaud Cuir de Kyara candle for me after spotting it nestled on a tabletop at her local Emmaus in France.  She said that the smell of pure, unadulterated leather “nearly knocked her head off” and thus, knew instantly that I would fall in love with it.  She was right.  It’s a blinder and I’m now obsessed with finding other candles from this Parisian brand.

Finally, and thanks to a Zuneta/Amazon bargain, I’m pleased to finally be able to add this Malin + Goetz Vetiver candle to my collection!  I haven’t been able to walk past the display of M+G candles in Liberty for ages without stopping to sniff this one in all its earthy, woody and downright sexy glory.

But my obsession with man-scent doesn’t just stop at candles.  Oh no!  It gets far more serious…

I bought L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Tea for Two during their Summer sale a couple of years ago and it was love at first sniff but recently, I just can’t get enough of it and have upgraded to a massive 100ml bottle in order to get my fix.  The perfect blend of smoky embers, honeyed tobacco and warming ginger to keep all thoughts of frostiness at bay this Winter.

Ahhh, Molton Brown… I remember when I first came across your distinctively delicious Re-Charge Black Pepper scent (now called black peppercorn) a few years ago whilst staying at a hotel in Basel.  To this day, I kick myself for being good and not stealing all the hotel toiletries, it just felt too naughty to take the ones that I hadn’t actually opened to use during my stay!  Instead, I scoop up other people’s spoils on eBay and long for the candle version!

My final fragrant craving is one that Mr. L is less than impressed with.  He can cope with sharing most of his scents with me, infact… many times, we purchase a fragrance under the certain knowledge that we’re doing so in order to share the bottle (it makes a £70 splurge so much more palatable split two ways).  My desires to wear his smells-just-like-a-freshly-wet-shaved-man Floris Santal*, however, are falling on deaf ears.  I’ve been allowed a quick spritz, twice.  Only twice.  I actually think that might constitute domestic abuse.

Are there any “boy” scents that drive you wild?  And, question is… are you wild enough to wear them?

* press sample

What is it?

A pretty polish packed with micro and medium-sized pink glitter particles. There are two special versions, with lids designed by both Poppy Delevingne and Matthew Williamson.

How much is it?

Each 10ml bottle is priced at £11.00

How much of our money goes to supporting PINK projects?

£1 from every sale of Pinkie Pink polish will be donated to Breast Cancer Campaign, the UK’s leading breast cancer research charity.

How do I get it?

Now sold out on the Nails Inc. website, you can still get your hands on it online (with free delivery) from lookfantastic.com

In these times of austerity, does anything seem more wasteful than spending ££££ on disposable face wipes?  But for every face-wipe detractor out there, you’ll find someone who wouldn’t be without the convenience of their skincare-enriched, disposable towels.

As someone who tries to avoid too much water when cleansing, I’ve been known to use face wipes as part of my cleansing routine.  Not to remove a full face of makeup, but to freshen my face in the mornings…  I have to admit, however, that I’ve never paid more than around £6 for a pack.  I’m not sure I could bring myself to pay any more than this… but would you part with the cash for any of these?

01: Murad Clarifying Wipes for Blemish-Prone Skin (£18.00, lookfantastic.com) – 30 wipes per pack / 60p per wipe

These wipes from Doctor-led brand Murad have been enriched with witch hazel, algae extract, grape seed extract and vitamin E.  Designed specifically for blemish-prone skintypes, the wipes promise to tighten your pores, regulate sebum and oil production and protect your skin from free radical damage.

02: Dermalogica Skin Purifying Wipes (£14.40, jerseybeautycompany.co.uk) – 20 wipes per pack / 72p per wipe

The Dermalogica Skin Purifying Wipes contain Antibacterial Triclosan, extracts of Balm Mint, Coneflower and Camphor, Salicylic Acid, and witch-hazel to cleanse, remove excess surface oil, and purify the skin.  These are particularly recommended for popping in your gym bag as a post-workout freshen-up.

03: Ole Henriksen Truth To Go Wipes (£15.00, hqhair.com) – 30 wipes per pack / 50p per wipe

For a less astringent cleanse, the Ole Henriksen Truth To Go wipes offer naturally based mild surfactants to gently lift away dirt and impurities while essential fatty acids nourish the skin.  These orange-scented wipes also include Vitamin C and Micro Algae stimulates Collagen production to lighten, brighten and tighten the skin.

04: Stila Ready for Take Off Moisturizing Cleansing Cloths (£12.50, fenwick.co.uk) 30 wipes per pack / 42p per wipe

The clue is in the name.  These wipes from Stila promise to deliver a more moisturising cleanse, perfect for the upcoming colder months.  Containing extracts of  lavender, chamomile, and aloe vera these wipes are made without synthetic fragrance, mineral oil, sulfates, parabens or phthalates, making them a great choice for more sensitive skins.

05: MAC Cosmetics Wipes (£15.00, debenhams.com) 45 wipes per pack / 33p per wipe

These oversized wipes from staple cosmetic brand MAC promise to make quick work of makeup-removal.  Saturated with M·A·C cleanser and infused with vitamin E, they offer a convenient cleanse.  Less of a skin treatment wipe, more of a fuss-free cleanse and go.

Would pay over £10 for a pack of face-wipes?  Are you a fan of any that I’ve mentioned?

When your head hits the pillow, are you out like a light?  Or do you gaze at your alarm clock slowly ticking over… counting down the minutes until it’s time to wake up?

I’m a bit of an insomniac.  Well hang on… that’s a pretty catch-all term isn’t it, often misused.  I don’t mind admitting a “just one more go at Candy Crush” addiction that can often keep my brain overly-stimulated into the wee hours.  Infact, Mr. L reckons that if we banned our iPhones from the bedroom, we’d average at least an extra hour’s sleep a night.  Hardly “proper” insomnia but it’s a cycle that can be hard to break nonetheless.

But it’s not just my late-night Daily Mail app addiction that I have to contend with.  I do find it a lot harder to “switch off” now that I’m older…. there are just so many things to think about aren’t there?  Worries… plans… hopes and fears… it’s a wonder we sleep at all.

For the month of September, NEOM Luxury Organics have launched the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep campaign in association with The Sleep Council. Alongside the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep 3-Step Guide, the brand have also introduced the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep Kit (£55.00).

The kit includes three items from NEOM’s lavender, sweet basil and jasmine-enriched Tranquility range:

NEOM Tranquillity Candle (380g, £39.50)
NEOM Tranquillity Bath Foam (200ml, £20.00)
NEOM Tranquillity Mist (100ml, £15.00)

The usual price of these three items would total £74.50, but bought together as part of the Perfect Night’s Sleep Kit, will save almost £20, costing only £55.00.

In addition to this, the organic brand are running a wonderful competition that I want to give you a heads up about…

To celebrate the launch of the Perfect Night’s Sleep Campaign, NEOM Luxury Organics has teamed up with like-minded premium companies such as Lifehouse Spa & Hotel, Abaca, The Wool Room, The Fine Cotton Company, Hush, Amelia Freer Nutritionist and Pukka to launch a very special competition to win a deluxe package worth over £2,000, all geared towards giving you the Perfect Night’s Sleep.

To enter the competition, visit: http://www.neomorganics.com/sleepcomp.html

What’s been keeping you awake recently?

Who doesn’t love the added incentive of a great gift-with-purchase when you’re doing some online beauty shopping?  Well, Urban Retreat’s Beautique have got a lovely one at the moment in the form of an Omorovicza travel set which includes a nifty makeup/toiletry bag and some fairly generous sample-sized goodies.  Take a look…

The set includes the following items:

Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask 15ml
Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist 30ml
Omorovicza Cleansing Foam 30ml
Omorovicza Illuminating Moisturiser 4ml

To qualify for the free gift you need to spend £50 or more on Omorovicza products.  I’ve heard great things about the Deep Cleansing Mask… but what are your top Omorovicza picks?

An oldie but a goodie today with Misa’s Toxic Seduction. When I first started blogging 4+ years ago, Misa were a brand that I’d see pop up on blogs across the Atlantic all the time. Nowadays, not so much…

Still, when I attended Pro Beauty in London a couple of years ago, I raced for the Misa stand which was part of a bigger NSI stall… it had already been half-emptied! It’s not hard to see why…

Misa’s Toxic Seduction is a blast from the past, Fall 2008 to be exact… it’s a rich forest green, somewhat muted in anything but direct sunlight and yet it has a certain depth to it that I find really appealing.  The silvery shimmer gives it a really great glow to battle through the vampy, blackened edges that have historically made Autumn collections such a thrill for me.

Yum.

Application on this one is great, nothing noteworthy to report.  If you’re a fan of green polishes and don’t have this classic in your collection… you’re doing it wrong.

Misa Toxic Seduction is currently available to buy online at amazon.co.uk (yeah, I know) priced at £3.02 not inc. shipping.

I love wearing warm colours on my cool skintone.  They impart a sense of vitality and freshness that I just don’t get from my more traditional cool-toned favourites.  It can be tricky to paint a “cool” face with “warm” colours and unless you’re also blessed with plenty of freckles and red hair, there can be an immediate juxtaposition between face and hair/face and makeup.  I must admit that I generally only go for a warm face when I’m having a good skin day (which I wasn’t!).  The creamier my complexion (read: less ruddy), the more success I have with painting a warmer canvas.

When I first started wearing makeup, I adored all warm-toned eyeshadows… gold being the pinnacle of that adoration.  Infact, I still have so many beautiful gilded shades that just don’t see much love because as I’ve gotten older, the redness in my complexion has increased and I’m less concerned about making my blue/green eyes “pop” against the shadow and more concerned about not looking like I have a drinking problem.

I find that nowadays, if I do go for a wamer look, I tend to stick to soft peaches (never apricot), guavas, and rose-gold.  Anything that has a slightly pink base is a winner… it can be shot through with a ton of golden sparkle just so long as it has that complimentary base.  Orange and brown-toned golds rarely wear well though I love a good champagne-gold (think NARS Albatross/MAC Femme-Fi).

I’m completely in love with Boots No7 Stay Perfect Foundation* (I’m shade Calico – link) at the moment.  I’m a late-comer to this one and assumed that it would be too drying on my combo/dry and dehydrated skin… most things that claim any kind of longevity, usually are.  I find that aslong as I’m well-moisturised (which I always am anyway), I can wear this one without exacerbating any flakiness.  I haven’t tried it in the Winter yet… but I’ve been wearing this around 70% of the time since mid-June and it delivers a confidence-boosting super-smooth look if I wear it with a primer underneath. I didn’t wear a primer in the photos below because it was ridiculously hot yesterday and I just wasn’t up for all those layers!

One of the reasons that I’m loving it (and it seems like the faintest of praise) is down to the simple fact that the pump dispenses exactly the perfect amount.  Do not underestimate the power that getting the right amount of coverage can have.  Although I love my lovely Bourjois Healthy Mix, it dispenses far too much and I always have to physically restrain myself from applying the entire pump’s worth.  I’ll try to remember to do a before/after foundation and primer routine with the Stay Perfect soon because it really has been one of those rare “ohhhh SKIN LOOKS GOOOOOOD!” revelations.

Other products included in the FOTD run with the rose-gold theme…

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher 002 – link (or try NARS Deep Throat or Sleek Rose Gold)
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot – link (or try Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold or Benefit Slippin’ n’ Dippin’)
Laqa & Co Fairyblood Lip Pencil* – link (or try MUA Shade 7 or Avon Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick in Sparkling Warm Rose)
Estee Lauder Intense Kajal Eye Crayon* – discontinued (any black liner will do)
No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara – link (any mascara will do)

Also…. only six products, check me out being all minimalist n’ stuff!  Or that other word for it… lazy.

Are you a Rose Gold fan?

* press sample

If you’ve been following me for a little while, you may already know my thoughts on the use of gold in skincare.  Ultimately, I believe it’s an addition that’s far more beneficial to the marketers than the end user… it’s not a mineral enriched with healing properties, it’s a metal, prized for its stability and inertia.  But boy, does it pack some prestige and “luxury” into a product, no?

I was sent a beautifully packaged 24K Deep Peeling gel from Orogold Cosmetics for review… it really is a rather splendid thing.  Priced at £100… I guess it should be.

The heavyweight packaging, embossed font, and satin-lined box all scream luxury… living up to its placement and price tag.  But what about the product inside?  What are its claims and does it live up to them?

Orogold Cosmetics 24K Deep Peeling is an exfoliating product that promises to remove a thin layer of dead skin cells to “reveal ultra-smooth and youthful skin”.  It is recommended to be used once a week with a “sweeping circular motion over skin until you feel the dirt forming”.  Oddly, there is no mention on the website of the 24k gold that this product contains.  Considering that this is such a selling-point and no doubt a price justification… I’m surprised to see that the brand have omitted this information online.

So, what about this gold?  Is it there, do you need a microscope to detect it?  Well, no actually…

Each pot of Orogold 24K Deep Peeling comes with its own certificate of authenticity (I told you the packaging was good).  The certificate proclaims that the product contains pure 24K gold from Italy.  And you know, it really does… it contains food-grade gold leaf.  Very pretty to look at but at that size, unlikely to have any impact on your skin.  You’d need pores the size of moon-craters to benefit from any of its so-called properties.

To put it another way, the thickness of gold leaf is rated at around 125nm and anything rated above 40nm has been shown not to be able to penetrate deeper than the upper 1/5 layer of the epidermis.  This gold ain’t going nowhere except down the plug-hole.

But you know, pretty….

So, I’m obviously not convinced by the gold.  But what about the peeling?  How about the exfoliation?

See the picture above?  That’s the “dirt formation” you will feel after rubbing the product into your skin for a few moments.   It’s not dirt… it’s not your dead skin cells being sloughed off… it’s the product’s chemistry reacting with the massage motion you use to apply it.  This isn’t a new thing… many products, particularly those in the Asian market exfoliate skin using this method.  It’s pretty cute… let me explain how it works…

To create this kind of “balling up” upon application, you need to create a chemical reaction on the skin.  Two such ingredients that will create this effect are: cetrimonium chloride and carbomer… both of which are present and correct in Orogold’s 24K Deep Peeling.  Clever huh?

Now just because I’ve (semi) explained the science behind the “magic” doesn’t mean that it’s all smoke and mirrors.  Those little flakey bits will actually help to gently exfoliate your skin as you massage them over your face and let’s not forget the other ingredients contained within the exfoliator, namely: tocopheryl acetate (vit e), ascorbic acid (vit c), and glycerin… all of which will indeed help to smoothe and soften the top layer of the skin.  That being said, it’s a very gentle exfoliation and I’m not sure how effective it would be in the long term if used only once a week as per their direction on the website.

All in all, Orogold 24k Deep Peeling is an exfoliator that works to errr, exfoliate.  I won’t deny that it feels nice on the skin, looks the business in the pot, and leaves my skin feeling soft but… is it worth £100 of your hard-earned cash?  I wouldn’t pay more than £10 for it – gold or no gold.

Orogold 24k Deep Peeling is available to buy instore from one of Orogold Cosmetic’s London boutiques or online from oro-gold.co.uk

* press sample

You can say that again! Well, unless you’re me and managed a stonking D at A Level French, and then… you probably can’t say that again.  You see I was top of the class in French all the way through “big” school, got a nice shiny A* in my GCSEs and then discovered that things were about to get serious at college.

All those verbs, tenses, and other stuff that I was pretty rubbish at meant that having a good vocabulary could only get me so far.  I still (genuinely) wake from nightmares about not having done my coursework, fifteen years later!

But just because I’m not the world’s best French communicator doesn’t mean that I can’t hold my own in a Super U! Le fromage, le vin, et le pain au chocolat!  I can sweep a French supermarket faster than Dale Winton in a beauty parlour.

My last attempt at clearing the shelves whilst on holiday was particularly fruitful and I came away with plenty of goodies, one of which was this bottle of makeup remover which I picked up from Monoprix.  Mixa appears to be your standard high-street brand with a bias toward sensitive and delicate skins.  The brand has an entire range of baby products and Leila is currently working her way through their hair and body wash as I type.  The brand have been around since 1924, obviously a French staple… so I can’t help wondering why I haven’t heard of this rather fabulous makeup remover before?!

Mixa Expert Peau Sensible Eau Nettoyante Apaisante is, to all intents and purposes, a micellar cleansing water, similar to the legendary Bioderma Crealine.  Both cleansers leave no trace of their use behind, no greasiness, residue or anything left on the skin that would make you think you’d used anything other than water to cleanse.

Unlike the Bioderma, this one may not be universally suitable for everyone with sensitive skin or eyes.  It contains a perfume and has a faint rose scent… something which I love and hasn’t caused me any irritation (remember the Mixa is formulated to suit sensitive, reactive skin) but it’s an important difference to note.

As for the performance, it’s on a par with Bioderma… perhaps even better.  You see, I buy the Bioderma because I sorta assumed it was the best of the best.  But it’s quite possibly not.  Make up artists swear by the stuff, stockpile it like it’s going out of fashion… and we (as normal beauty lovers) want in on that action!  But, our needs really aren’t the same, are they?  Professional makeup artists need a product that will do a sterling job on all their models, and while its performance is in-arguably awesome, I think its merits as a suit-all cleanser override everything else.

I put the two cleansers to a side-by-side test.

Both cleansers actually did a brilliant job at removing a combination of cream eyeshadow, mascara (non-waterproof), and tight-lined eyeliner… but to my eye, one fared slightly better than the other… just a wee bit… can you see a difference between the two eyes?

As you view the picture, I used Bioderma Crealine on the right eye (my left), and the Mixa Expert Peau Sensible Eau Nettoyante Apaisante on the left eye (my right).  I think that the Mixa outperformed the Bioderma at removing the eyeliner from the lash-line.

Neither product caused any irritation to my eye and neither left any residue behind.

The clincher for me is the fact that the Mixa Expert Peau Sensible Eau Nettoyante Apaisante costs around 4.50 € for 200ml (but comes in duo packs for 6.50 €) whereas the Bioderma Crealine costs 8.00 € for 250ml or 12.00 € for 500ml.  Of course, you have to think about availability and the fact that Bioderma is now readily available in the UK makes this a less appealing swap.  However, I’ve already instructed my parents to stock up on the Mixa for me when they return from France in the Autumn.

Who needs boxes of cheap wine when I can get them to bring back bottle upon bottle of makeup-remover? Err…

Mixa Expert Peau Sensible Eau Nettoyante Apaisante… bloody brilliant if you can get your hands on it!

So, did any of you spendy lot save some pennies last week with Organic Surge’s extravaganza of a sale?  I just thought I’d pop a little PSA up for those of you who missed it… because I logged on last night, and the sale is still live!  According to the brand’s Twitter account, it was supposed to finish last Friday… with most products now out of stock.  Except, they’re not… and it hasn’t!

So my dearest beauty beans, consider this your last chance to stock up on some seriously lovely goodies at up to 75% off.

01: Million Dollar Brown Sugar Body Polish (£32, now £8)

02: Gentle Cleansing Lotion (£5.99, now £1.50)

03: Daily Care Face Wash (£5.49, now £2.74)

04: Super Rich Body Butter (£22.50, now £11.25)

05: Million Dollar Anywhere Balm (£22.50, now £11.25)

06: Super Smooth Salt Scrub (£32, now £8)

I don’t know about you but it’s hard not to see the potential of stocking up not only your own bathroom cabinet but the pressie box for all of those last-minute “oh shite, I forgot to buy her a present!” moments.  Not that we ever have those, I’m just sayin’.

The lovely Fee at MakeupSavvy also reports on a free delivery code (NEWDEL) to make those bargains even more tempting… I haven’t tried it but the comments suggest that it works without a glitch.

Did you splash out on the sale yet?  Fancy a last ditch attempt at bagging the bargains?

Yeah, catchy title… I worked for ages (15 seconds) on that one, it shows doesn’t it?

So… NYX Cosmetics. I remember when they were stuff of legends. Cheap lipsticks that glidddded and delivered pure pigment, eye crayons of the like that modern chubby sticks could only dream of!

We risked life and limb (and the bloody Royal Mail import surcharge) to get our hands on the goodies all the way from the U.S. I had a particularly nasty encounter with one supplier, and it took me months to get my money back for a no-show order.

Ahhh, those were the days.  Of total inconvenience.

Well, not anymore… because NYX is about to become more accessible to your average UK makeup-buyer than it ever has before.

From August, NYX Cosmetics will be available to purchase from selected Next stores nationwide… and an even wider range of beauty goodies will be available online, should the instore selection not fulfil your appetite for the U.S. brand.

Just think, no more waiting for American Public holidays to take advantage of sale prices before ordering, no more pacing the floor waiting for the postman, no more crying when you’ve got stung by customs.  GOD, there might even be swatching opportunities?

Hold me ladies, I’m pretty excited by this!  And I’m itching to try the new Matte Lip Cream shades!

NYX Cosmetics will be available instore (selected stores) and online at next.co.uk from August.  Get in!