A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Indulge me, I rarely do haul posts.  But I’m really loving the things that I picked up this week.  And just look how restrained I was at my local CCO (the MAC).

At the beginning of the week my Stila bits turned up from CheapSmells.. oh! I haven’t included my Stila Topaz Kajal in the photo!  Oh well, I got that too… But anyway, look at that lovely taupe (bottom left).  That’s Stila Cloud, a very cool toned shimmery silver taupe.

I finally took the plunge and ordered a Shu Uemura IR Beige 800 eyeshadow… I was struggling between the IR and ME versions, but felt the ME version swatched a little too pink for me.

I also took advantage of the Barielle BOGOF offer and picked up two colours from the Spring Wildflowers Collection (A Bouquet for Ava & June Bug) and two from the Summer High Steppin’ Collection (Belly Dance & Electric Boogie)

Hmm what else…

Oh, I nabbed Clinique’s (relatively) new High Lengths mascara that I’ve had my eye on for a little while… super funky alienesque brush!

Finally, I was (semi) well-behaved in my local CCO on Friday.  I don’t have a MAC counter near me… so I usually target the MAC stand quite heavily when I raid the Gunwharf CCO.  I picked up: Melon pigment, Blonde MSF and Femme-Fi eyeshadow.  Pat on the back for resisting Moon River from the Grand Duo collection and Flower Mist Dew Beauty Powder from the Ungaro collection.  (Please don’t tell me I NEED those two items in my life… I totally bend to peer pressure!)

What have you bought this week?

I suspected it from the moment I twirled the bottle between my fingers…

…Stargazer #155 (£2) is a very nice match for the cult O.P.I shade I’m Not Really A Waitress (£9.95)

INRAW was the first OPI I bought back in the day and is probably the only bottle of polish I’m even close to finishing.

If I look *really* closely, I’d say that Stargazer #155 is the teeniest bit more cherry toned than INRAW, but there’s barely anything in it.

#155 is opaque in two coats and applies smoothly with a decent brush… not too thin and no straggly long bits.  Quick drying but affording just enough time to work the polish to the edges of the nail bed.  It benefits from a glossy top coat to bring out the sparkle within the polish.

And a comparison with the OPI…

I prefer the Stargazer.  I’ve always had an issue with tip wear with this particular OPI (see my review from last May) and the Stargazer is outperforming INRAW in this instance by a huge amount.  No tip wear at all until the 3rd day.

Did I find a good dupe?  I’m usually pretty crappy at dupe hunting, so I’m kinda chuffed with myself!  Simple things and all that…

Paul & Joe‘s Summer collection is due out today!  Well…. the rest of it anyway.  Two of the lip products have been available since the 7th May, so let’s start with those shall we?

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Woah… neon lip & face paint.

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this when it popped through my letterbox courtesy of Models Own last week.

Once I had re-read the pot and realised that I could use it on my lips, I set straight to work!

I really didn’t expect very much from this product… languishing in the knowledge that in general, multi-use cosmetics are pretty cruddy, I was expecting to have a total fail of a product on my hands.

Not so.

This is smoooooooth and lends itself beautifully to a lip product.  I’m not gonna tell you if this works well on your face ‘cos I haven’t got a clue… I’m not a face painter and I have nothing to compare it to.  It’s one hell of a lip paint though.

Bright and true to it’s neon credentials, it applies more like a cream than a paint.  I think that’s what I was most impressed with… I really expected something quite dry and difficult to work with and got the opposite.

Combined with a flick of black liquid liner and not much else, Models Own Neon Pink Lip & Face Paint is a winner.  It dries matte on my lips and does leave them a touch drier which to be fair, I expected.  As with any matte lip product I’d make sure your lips were well exfoliated and possibly combine this with a slick of balm before applying.

I love how completley weightless the product feels on my lips, one thin layer gives great colour payoff and when it fades, it leaves a naturally bitten stain.

Priced at a bargainous £5, if only the other colours were more lip friendly!

Now that Models Own have expanded into Boots stores nationwide, their legendary polishes are a whole lot easier to get your hands on!

The range is simply quite mind boggling, with a shade for every occassion.  They also sell other cosmetics including eye and lip products and I have a particularly lovely neon pink lip product to show you very soon!

I was sent this Models Own shade in Fuzzy Peach and it’s a touch more neon in real life than my photo shows… the colour is pretty spot on, but it’s a little more vibrant in person.  Application was….interesting.

First 2 coats were streaksville.  Worse than Eyeko’s streakiness…. I laid down the first coat… waited 10 minutes and despite feeling pretty dry to the touch, I got some crappy cuticle drag on the second coat.  Thankfully the third coat evened everything out enough for me to be satisfied with the finish but I made sure to top everything off with a quick dry top coat.

Put it this way, I was a bit disappointed with the formula.

However, there’s no denying it’s one helluva colour for summer!  Someone with a tan and warmer skin would knock ’em dead with this on their tips.

Models Own Fuzzy Peach is £5 and available online and instore at Boots.

So you’ve probably all heard by now about the new Make Up Store which has recently opened on Carnaby Street in London.  Make Up Store are a swedish brand, though interestingly the products that I bought state that they are made in Canada.  They also operate out of Westfield in west London and last time I was in the city, I couldn’t resist trying a few products out!

Nice, sleek packaging!

Orion (£15.00) is a cream highlighter with a punch of colour.  It actually reminds me a little of what NARS Orgasm Illuminator could have been if they’d upped the amp on the pigmentation.  Perhaps a touch more peach though…

It’s shimmery, but not too glittery.  As I was browsing through the High Tech Lighters instore, I noticed that many contained enough glitter to render them unsuitable for daytime wear which was a big shame ‘cos some of the shades were magnificent!  I struggled to work out how best to apply it at first and in a fit of WHATEVER I just grabbed a synthetic Kabuki, tapped it on the surface of the cream and buffed into my cheeks.  I’m pleased with the effect!  I think it would be especially lovely ontop of bronzer.

I also picked up an eye pencil.  I’ve been looking for a dark navy with a touch of shimmer… and Deep Blue Sea (£8.50) fits the bill nicely!

It’s nice and dark with a heavy black base, so doesn’t scream “coloured eyeliner”… but there’s more than enough colour there to add a bit of interest to a smoky eye!

Texture is creamy but surprisingly long-lasting.  I didn’t need to warm the pencil up before using (one of my pet hates) so this gets a thumbs up from me!

I also picked up a nice peach blusher that looked true to colour without being too coral hued.

Passion (£14.00) is a fairly neutral peach that my cool toned skin can just about get away with.  It’s far more pigmented than I imagined it would be so I do have to apply with a light hand.

It’s shimmery but perfectly suitable for daywear.

I’m pleased with the pieces I bought and the staff in the store were helpful without being overbearing.  I’ll definitely be popping back next time I’m in town.

Here’s a quick FOTD showing Make Up Store’s Passion blush on the cheeks… I’m not sure why I look quite so crazy-eyed!

Scary lady!

Have you tried any Make Up Store goodies yet?

This time of year (especially with the mini heatwave we had yesterday) it’s tricky to decide which season we’re currently enjoying!

With that in mind, check out Miners Spring/Summer nail collection which comprises a bit of both!

A nifty combination of 2 seasons in one collection…

Rio Pink: Not to look out of place on a Brazilian beauty dancing her way down the main strip of Rio Carnival, this shade is perfect for the beach. With a pearlescent finish and bright pink tone Rio Pink is fun, flirty and fashionable – the perfect colour for a beached beauty, along with those who like to dream.

Jaffa: Inspired by bright African colours and prints, Jaffa is a muted orange shade with a pink pearlescent undertone giving an electric look without being over the top. Jaffa is perfect for a sunny adventurous look either adding a bit of sunshine to ware away the April showers or to enhance your beach bronzed tan.

Apricot Blush: Seen on the catwalks from London to New York this is a milky-pink shade with a silver pearlescent base. Apricot Blush is perfect to add a bit of sparkle and make this seasons 70s romance style rock!

Flamingo: Putting the fun back into girly, Flamingo is a gorgeous rosy shade of pink, with a slightly orange undertone – perfect to add a touch of glamour to an everyday feminine look.

Denim Shorts: Following the catwalk trendsetters Jeremy Scott and Giles we have added a blue hue to our nail collection. Denim Shorts is a washed out blue with light pink undertones, a perfect shade for the beach or to brighten up a natural, plain look.

I’m loving the look of all of these with the exception of Jaffa (which is ontop of the blue).  I have a Miners glitter polish that I love, so will have to see if I can hunt these down as stockists seem to be pretty thin on the ground.

Alternatively, retailing at £2.99 each – you can buy online from Miners.co.uk

Pro Makeup Brushes are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of makeup brushes.  They offer wholesale, customisation and supply to brands such as Elizabeth Arden and The Green People.

and they kindly sent me a few from their range to trial and report back on.

I would call their selection of 16 tools fairly exhaustive for your average makeup user.  The price is low/mid range.  Brushes start from £5 and work their way up to £15.

The white goat hair brushes feel fairly soft, pliable and densely packed.  There’s a faint whiff of wet dog about them which is common with the more budget friendly natural hair brushes.  This is accentuated when I give them a wash but as they dry, the smell fades once again.  Similarly, the other sable brushes are soft and densely packed.

The brushes arrived with this rather fabulous booklet which describes itself as an ‘educational booklet for makeup application’ and it’s really rather fab!  It manages to cover all the basics in plain and simple English.  Definitely a worthwhile inclusion and great for novices.

Onto the brushes…

#14 Blush Brush – £13

Though described as a blusher brush, the hair is cut with a slight angle so it’s perfect to use for contouring those cheekbones aswell.  It’s a lovely brush, densely packed, soft enough not to scratch and well cut.  Unfortunately, that’s where my praise ends.  This sheds like a mofo.

Amount collected from running my fingers through the brush after 2 washes… this amount of shedding is kinda unacceptable from a £13 brush.  I pick white hairs off my face every time I use it.

#1 Round Ended Concealer Brush – £6.50

I’ve never used a long haired concealer brush like this before… but it works fantastically well at applying concealer under the eyes and around the nose…. all those little crevices are covered quickly and smoothly with this brush.  I didn’t expect much from this unassuming little tool, but it’s made it’s way into daily use for me.

#2 Fine Angled Brush – £6.00

A nicely made brush that picks up brow powder well.  I wouldn’t use this for gel liners as the hairs are a little too bushy for precision lining.  This has replaced my usual GOSH brow brush simply because it seems to work the powder through my brows more evenly.

#12 Large Eyeshadow Brush – £10

Another disappointment.  I was hoping for a reasonable MAC #239 dupe, but the quality falls way short.  Most noticeably, the ferrule on this particular brush is loose.  I can hold the brush at the end of the handle… give it a gentle shake and watch the whole thing rattle.  Perhaps connected to the loose ferrule… but despite gentle washing, I can’t get the brush to hold it’s original shape… it’s now a splayed mess.  I’ve obviously received a faulty brush, but have to review on what I find.  The goat hairs however are pretty soft and non-scratchy.

#11 Mascara Brush – £5.00

Again, I’m going to have to raise an eyebrow at the quality of a brush that arrives like this.  You can see in the photo how some of the fibres are straggly.  I’ve since cut them with a pair of nail scissors to avoid poking myself in the eyeball.

Aside from this… it’s a useful tool and is designed well.  It does a good job at separating the lashes once mascara has been applied.  It’s an extra step to the routine and one I wouldn’t normally take… but I can’t deny that it’s worth the effort for special occasions.

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Overall, Pro Makeup Brushes offer a good range of products at a reasonable price but I’m disappointed with the overall quality of the samples I received.  The sable brushes were mostly of good quality, but I’m afraid that I can’t recommend the goat hair brushes based on my experiences with them.

OK… bit of a sensationalist title… apologies, but I’m thinking of the google keyword search!

A reader requested a list of the CCS/CCO outlets in the UK as she was struggling to find the information on Google.

Here are the ones that I know of… if you know of any others, please let me know so I can update the list!

1). Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth Harbour
2). Bicester Village, Oxon
3). Designer Outlet, York
4). Cheshire Oaks, Ellesmere Port
5). Designer Outlet, Swindon
6). Junction One, Antrim

What is a CCS/CCO?

If you’re not sure what it is, let me explain…  CCS/CCO stands for Cosmetics Company Store/Outlet.

They sells discounted Estee Lauder owned company’s cosmetics… which includes brands such as: MAC, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown and Origins… I would imagine there’s probably a shed-load of Prescriptives in the outlets at the moment aswell.

The discount is generally in the region of 30% and often includes discontinued or hard to find products (including past MAC collections).

Stock changes frequently, so if you see something you like… buy it.  It probably won’t be there next week.

If you’re looking for something in particular, it’s worth googling for the phone number of the store you’re planning to visit.  Give them a ring and check to see if it’s in stock to avoid disappointment.

Sounds good, why isn’t there one in London?

Dunno…

But… if you’re in London, your nearest would be either Bicester or Gunwharf Quays.

Gunwharf Quays is my local and boasts a train station right outside (Porsmouth Harbour).  You can purchase a megatrain ticket from London Waterloo which costs around £12 for a return and takes just over an hour and half journey time.

I’m biased… but Gunwharf Quays makes for a fabulous day out, especially in the Summer… if your other half isn’t interested in the discount shopping, Portsmouth’s historic dockyard is worth checking out next door.  Just make sure he leaves his wallet for you to look after ok?

While up in London last weekend, I headed over to Fulham to check out Guru Makeup Emporium in person… it’s down this super cute little cobbled mews.

The shop itself is lovely… spacious and well stocked and the lady behind the counter couldn’t have been more helpful and accommodating.

I actually went there to have a look at the MUFE HD Blushes, but when I was swatching I was finding them quite hard to blend aswell as being perhaps just a little too pigmented for me.  I’m fairly ham-fisted with blusher and to put it simply, my skillz weren’t up to the job!

Anywayyyy

I was distracted by the new Aqua Creams.  I’d snagged one already from one of Goss’ infamous blog sales but I figured I’d check out the other shades… I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with 3 of them *eek!*

£16.95 each maketh for an expensive splurge.

But check out these shades….

Beautiful no?  There was another one that I really loved too… a medium bronzey shade… I think it was #14.  But I had to bitch slap myself and remember that my family need to eat.

#13 (Warm Beige) is a shimmering nude champagne, it’s a great lid colour.

#2 (Steel) reminds me of Benefit’s Skinny Jeans, but it’s more cool-toned… slightly greyer and more complex.

#5 (Peach) I bought to use as a blush.  In the pot it looks like everything I wanted NARS Enchanted to be… on the cheeks, it’s nicely pigmented but there’s too much gold glitter for me to use as a blush *sigh*.

So how do these work?  Are they cream shadows? blushes?

Well… they’re described as multipurpose.  They’re simply waterproof cream colours that can be used on your eye, lips or cheeks.  I’m not really interested in using these on my lips… I’ll mostly stick to using them on my eyes.

Are they crease-resistant?  Not completely… but kinda.  If you don’t have any problems with the Benefit Creaseless Creams, then I think you’ll be good with these aswell.  On me, they don’t crease or ball-up… but they do settle a little more deeply in the lines after a few hours.

For £16.95 you get 6g of product compared to 4.5g in a £14 Benefit Creaseless Cream so it’s not too bad value-wise (although of course, you can get the Creaseless Creams much cheaper if you shop around).  The obvious benefit to the MUFE Aqua Creams is the huge range of shades available.

Would I buy more… oh yes!

MUFE Aqua Creams are available to buy from Guru Makeup Emporium who do mail order and have a pricelist on their website!

I purchased this in my local CCO last year and it’s a valuable addition to my highlighter collection!

A great product to take on my travels as a multi-use powder/highlighter.  The shimmer side is smooth and I particularly enjoy applying this highlighter with a dampened brush for a smoother sheen.

Applied dry, it’s quite a golden sheen which means that on my cool skintone I prefer to use this one in the evening as it’s a touch too obvious for daytime wear.

If you can get your hands on it, I recommend!

ARGH!

I hate it when the seasons change!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to Summer… but my scalp is itching and sore!  I have fleas!

I don’t really have fleas… but twice a year (Spring>Summer & Autumn>Winter) my scalp goes to crap and I’d love to know if this is some weird personal freakishness or something that other people experience too?

Anyway, I mentioned it to a PR lady ‘cos I was explaining why I wasn’t suitable to review some other hair products at the moment and she mentioned this Philip Kingsley range to me…

Flaky/Itchy scalps…. sexy.

The fact is though… I don’t care if it’s a bit taboo… a lot of people suffer!  I can’t wear black tops for at least 2 months of the year whilst I’m going through these flare ups and trust me, nothing makes you more HUGELY self-conscious than feeling your husband gently brushing the flakes off your shoulder whilst you’re standing in a checkout queue.

The Philip Kingsley Scalp Mask is basically an exfoliator for your scalp.  It’s a tricky product to apply and if my hair were longer and thicker I’d have struggled to use it.  I got instant relief from it though and I was able to use it despite my scalp being quite sore.  It gives a lovely cooling sensation and simply eased the itch and temporarily cleared the dry skin that was clinging around my hairline.

I was also surprised at how reasonably priced it is, £3.85 and available with free shipping from FeelUnique!

The other product I was sent was the Philip Kingsley Shampoo for itchy/flaky scalps which I have been using in conjunction with the mask.

Sadly, not quite so affordable.  A 250ml bottle will set you back £16.15 delivered from Feel Unique.

But it’s worth every penny.

3 shampoos in and I’m clear of the scabby bits (gosh, how attractive)… I’m still a touch flaky along the hairline, but it’s really easing off and at this rate I’m gonna be completely clear in a few more days.  I’m going to continue to use it for maintenance twice a week and if I only have to purchase it twice a year, it’s really worth it for me.

In addition to the fact that this stuff simply works, it’s also gentle… I colour my hair regularly and anti-dandruff type products are notorious for stripping and dulling coloured hair.  This isn’t having any effect on my dye-job!

I’m not gonna ask if you ladies are in need of a product like this, but I’d love to know privately if you’ve noticed any correlation between the changing seasons and the condition of your scalp?