A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

If you ever need a brand to remind you that it ain’t just about the pretty pretty, Illamasqua is a pretty good choice to be the one to do it.

Art of Darkness is their new Autumn/Winter collection for 2010, and if there’s one thing they do very well indeed…  ‘Dark’ just about sums it up.

Launching nationwide on the 16th September, the collection will introduce new liquid eyeliners priced at £16.50 each called Precision Inks.  An antiqued gold going by the name Alchemy (as seen in the above image) and the usual ever-useful black.

I’ve also heard tales of other new delights including a shimmering teal green nail polish called Viridian, which I think is safe to assume can be spotted in the above campaign image… and to complete your Christmas mani?  A metallic red going by the name Scarab.

If that weren’t enough to whet your appetite… how about a new gold powdered metal or a vampy intense lipgloss?

Are you looking forward to the new Illamasqua collection or have we seen it all before?

Are you into your khakis?

Unless a man is wearing them… then, no.  Not really… though I’m getting sorely tempted by one of the new polishes from the Les Khakis de Chanel collection.

Going all out on the sludge, Chanel knows how to hit our purses hard when leading the trends.

I’m surprised by Khaki Brun… perhaps simply a clever trick to entice all those that missed out on Particuliere earlier in the year.  Khaki Rose *could* be lovely, though it’s a bit granny no?

Khaki Vert is my pick of the bunch…. look at all that grey blended with the green.  Like something from the bottom of a smelly swamp.  Just lovely 😉

Are any of these calling to you?  Bored of the grungey colours now?

The Telegraph reports a bit of a falling out between top department store Selfridges and Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.

So severe is the reported dispute, that as from next Spring… the entire D&G line will be unavailable instores.  It is unconfirmed which brand made the decision to step away from the partnership.

The two companies had previously enjoyed a good relationship, even up to the point where D&G used Selfridges as the venue for the launch of their first make up collection last year.  The falling out is reported to be over a proposed change to the lines’ in-store positions.

Unless a reconciliation takes place, (and sooner rather than later!) Selfies fans had better make the most of the new Autumn ad campaign featuring (as always) the tirelessly beautiful Scarlett Johansson before looking to Harrods for their future D&G makeup fix.  Look at those vampy lips!  Are we in for another splurge of Gothic lips this Winter?

One of my purchases from last week includes an addition to my steadily growing Illamasqua Cream Blush family!

Illasmasqua Cream Blusher in Laid is a beautiful pink that leans toward the berry family… cool toned… almost raspberry-ish.

I love the Illamasqua Cream Blush formula…. it’s all melty, thin and beautifully blendable.  It never clumps or drags on application and despite being heavily pigmented, it’s forgiving in clumsy hands like mine.

I have VexInTheCity to thank for this purchase… I’m such a sheep.  She bought one and I didn’t want to be left out.   You’re not supposed to covet thy neighbours blushes are you?  Or something like that….

On the left is 2 swipes and on the right shows the blush blended.  What other Illamasqua Cream Blushers do you guys recommend?  I already have Sob and Rude…

Oh.. one last thing!  These blushes last SO well on me considering their cream formula… easily 6-8 hours before showing signs of fading.  Though I will say that this is on normal/combo skin.

Illamasqua Cream Blush in Laid is priced at £16 and available from counters nationwide or online.

What a strange little polish Butter London’s Victoriana (£10) is… it applied with an almost fibrous quality.  If you can call that a quality.  But what I will say is that on me… this manicure lasted 5 days before I saw any tip wear.  Was I painting polish or carbon fibre?

The first coat was a hot mess because of the thick texture…. if you’re smart fngered and can cope with thick polishes, this may be a one-coat wonder for you.  I needed a second to even out the edges and fill in the drag marks.

The muted green/blue tone looks soft against my skintone… in the picture above it’s a little brighter thanks to the sunlight, but it shows up the dense silver sparkle nicely.  Removal was a little tedious but nothing major.  Just hold the remover pad to the nail for a touch longer than normal before wiping clean.  No need for foil or anything hardcore like that!

I was truly amazed by the 5 days of wear I got before noticing any flaws in it’s appearance.

What do you think?  Do you like the look of Victoriana?

I was gonna incorporate the Clarins Instant Blush I was sent into a feature on ‘colour-changing’ cosmetics… but then I tried it and decided that it deserved a post on it’s own.  It’s pretty close to blush heaven.

I don’t generally associate Clarins with innovation (sorry Clarins!), but it’s one of those brands that sits over there in that ‘safe’ category of cosmetics.  Maybe it’s the counter staff… in their red & white ensembles, makes me think of Butlins or something.  Either way… the Clarins counter is generally one I don’t spend too long browsing.

The new Clarins Instant Blush is a cream/gel formula that promises to adjust itself to your skintone upon application.  I’m not sure about all these colour changing products… In theory I love the idea!  But I dislike gimmicks with no substance.

I’m feeling particularly sore about these type of products since I swatched the new Bourjois Rose Exclusif onto a piece of paper the day before yesterday and watched it change into the exact same shade it develops on my lips… I’ve gone all skeptical.  That stuff is supposed to give you a unique shade dependant on personal PH levels blah blah blah.  Apparently, I’m as unique as a sheet of A4.  Great.

But back to this (somebody slap me if I go off on a tangent again)…

In fairness, the Clarins Instant Blush doesn’t claim anything about unique shades and PH levels… I think the premise is that it’s just gonna deepen and build intensity when it comes into contact with your skin.

I adore the texture of this product.  It’s a gel/cream… quite thin and vaseline-esque.  It has a lot of slip which makes for easy blending… but being so thin, it’s controllable.  I still have the whole Aunt Sally issue with blush going on, so for me…  the more control the better.

How beautiful is that pink?  Seriously?  The blurb on the website advises that the single shade is suitable for all complexions… it’s totally buildable and the intensity will deepen depending on the number of layers you apply.  On me, it’s quite a cool-toned pink… will it be a slightly different hued pink on olive tones? *shrugs* If you swatch of buy, I’d be really interested to know!

The blush contains some small sparkle… too fine to be glittery and too sparse to be shimmery.  I’m not really sure if the sparkle does much other than look pretty in the pot.

I apply this with my fingers, dotting over the apple of my cheeks and blending backward towards my temples.  The colour builds as soon as you apply, so there’s no guessing games as to what shade you’re gonna achieve ten minutes later.

My one caveat is that it remains quite tacky to the touch for a short while.  It does eventually set… but it’s not immediate.  Having said that, I’ve powdered over it whilst it’s still tacky with no clumping or issues from doing so.  Staying power on my normal/combo skin is great – I didn’t feel the need to reapply on my cheeks until the evening when I was going out.

In the above picture, I’ve also slicked a small amount onto my lips.  I adore this as a lip tint because of the texture.  It’s so thin that it really feels as though my lips are bare.  I hate gloopy lips.  My lips needed another coat by lunchtime to bring the colour back.

All in all, it’s a wonderful multi-tasker in a pretty, pretty pink hue.

Clarins Instant Blush is priced at £16.50 and available on counter or online at Clarins website.

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?!

Skin redness and hyper-sensitivity is a cause for concern in many women’s lives.  Whenever I announce something dramatic like that… it always makes me think of my Dad who would gently tell me that in the grand scheme of things, there’s far worse things that can affect one’s life.

But, as someone who suffers from diffused redness and visible capillaries, let me tell you.  It’s not much fun looking like a lush.

Origins have developed a serum designed to give instant relief for the appearance of redness, sensitiviy and reactivity and I’ve got a sample to put to the test.

My problem areas are the common ones… nose and cheeks.  My nose especially (hence the lush comment), but it’s something that I can generally cover up quite well with a bit of concealer.

Erm, obviously the above photo shows my skin NOT covered up well!

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I took delivery of my Urban Decay Book of Shadows III yesterday!  Well… when I say ‘took delivery’, whoever Debenhams use as a courier left it in one of my hanging baskets.  In the rain.

Why I oughta! *shakes fist*

When I realised, I squealed… wrung my hands for a bit and then got Mr. L to open it while I peeked between my fingers anticipating a very soggy palette.  Thankfully, it had been double wrapped – phew!

It’s a case of image overload I’m afraid… put me in-front of a pretty palette and I get a bit carried away.

Now available online at Debenhams, The latest in the Urban Decay Book of Shadows series follows in the tradition of some rather nifty package design.  It’s another Pop Up!

UD <3 NYC – Check out the embossing on the lid… a fabulous homage to New York City!

Oh, did I mention it lights up?!

Want to see more pictures including close ups of the shades and swatches?  You gotta read past the jump… I can’t flood the homepage with the photos!

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My name is Charlotte and I’m a mascara-a-holic.  And a khol-a-holic… and an eyeshadow-a-holic.  You get the picture right?

The day I leave the house without mascara as a bare minimum, is the day I leave the house in 6×2 box.

Again, I’m painting it vividly for ya.

This means that come bedtime… I need my cleansing oils and I need them to work.  They generally work well, but I still keep a bottle of eye makeup remover in my arsenal to swipe over any leftovers.

Since my Bioderma Sensibio ran out, I’ve been using the Boots Botanics dual phase one that is generally adored and worshipped across the blogosphere.  It’s good… I’ll give it that, but it leaves a residue… a film.  The last thing I want post-cleansing is a film of oil on my eyelids.

I was sent the Amie Bright Eyes Gentle Eye Make-up Remover a little while ago and it’s well and truly taken up residence as my go-to remover ever since.

It has a water-like texture, similar to my beloved Sensibio.  Unlike the Bioderma, this is scented… and will sting if you get it in your eyes.

Unlike the Bioderma, it’s easily accessible in the UK.

I dispense a good few shakes onto a cotton pad, giving it a liberal soaking and then simply hold against my closed eyelid for around 30 seconds.  I apply a bit of pressure with my fingertips to ensure that the product is making contact with the makeup.  Once I get bored (which, let’s face it… is probably far less than 30 seconds) I give a few gentle downward swipes and stare in amazement at it’s effectiveness.

I should, at this point… tell you that I don’t wear waterproof mascara.  Waterproof cream eyeshadows?  Yes.  Mascara… no.  This may make a huge difference to it’s effectiveness for you.  For me?  I’m happy to recommend it.

The above shows removal of khol eyeliner and a good dose of mascara.  Notice that there aren’t any ‘swipe’ tracks because the product had already dissolved everything before I’d gotten that far!

I feel that after such a glowing review, I want to redress the balance a touch and simply reiterate 2 things.

1. This does sting if you get it in your eyes.  If you have very sensitive eyes, this may not be for you, I really recommend getting your hands on some Bioderma Sensibio if sensitivity is your major concern.

2. I don’t own a waterproof mascara to trial this on.  I don’t have watery eyes and I hate swimming pools and sad films.

I’ll be picking up another bottle when this one runs out.  Until I can beg, steal or borrow some more Sensibio that is 😉

Amie Bright Eyes Very Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (£4.75) is available from John Lewis, Waitrose and online at Amie Skincare

You thought you’d seen all the palettes Urban Decay had to offer this Autumn/Fall/Winter?  Not yet you haven’t!

Introducing the antithesis to The Naked Palette…

Calling all rock chicks, Urban Decay have another new palette coming up and this one’s for you! The Black Palette (£23) is your antidote to spring pastels and summer neutrals.

Inspired by an era of explicit unbridled rock, Urban Decay’s The Black Palette is sure to unleash your inner Alice Cooper in no time!

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The Black Palette by Urban Decay allows even the meekest in the karaoke bar to own their inner rocker.

Conjure up your dark side with our six black-based shadows.  Create unlimited smokey-eye combinations that boost your confidence level to ‘no shame.’  Five shadows reveal veiled color shifts of blue, green, purple, gold and silver, and the sixth is pure deep black.

Whether you want deep coverage, or smudged out sheerness, these rich and velvety, unadulterated shades can party all night long and still look walk-of-shame worthy in the morning.
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Let’s take a closer look at the shades that will be included:

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BLACK DOG – A deep matte black
BARRACUDA – Black with silver shift
JET – Black with deep shimmering purple shift
SABBATH – Black with deep shimmering blue shift
COBRA – Black with shimmering gold shift
LIBERTINE – Black with deep shimmering green shift

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The Black Palette will also include a deluxe mini of Eden Eyeshadow Primer Potion (a matte finish nude eyeshadow primer) and a 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero.

Ohhh, I do love me a good smoky eye!

Urban Decay’s Black Palette (£23 or €33) will be available from September instore selected Boots, Debenhams & House of Fraser Stores and online at the usual Urban Decay stockists.

I freaking LOVE the name… who the hell doesn’t want to be the Diva of Geneva?

This is the only one from the Swiss Collection that really shouted to me… my “maybes” list is longer, but I’ve mostly plumped for China Glaze Vintage Vixen shades for this coming season.

Diva of Geneva is a beautiful red based purple…. it almost looks pink in some lights.  A perfect shimmer finish that really complements my skintone, I’m gonna get a lot of wear from this shade.

3 coats for a perfect finish, 2 if you’re more heavy handed.  Drying time was fine and it was a joy to remind myself of the OPI brush… lovely application.

I picked this up from one of my favourite U.S. eBay sellers: BeautyZone2007 who is one of the best for combined shipping charges.

What are you lemming from the O.P.I Swiss Collection?