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!
Follow the Elemis Spa Bus on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with it’s whereabouts during Elemis’ 20th Anniversary nationwide tour.
Always fancied an Elemis treatment? Well for a budget-friendly £10 you can enjoy one of 5 unique and luxurious 15 minute facial or body spa therapies performed by a professional “Elemis Angel”. Instant relaxation and rejuvenation is promised with a maximum results in minimum time ethos.
Ensuring that it’s not only you who benefits from a bit of TLC, Elemis will be donating £1 from each treatment and skincare kit sold to charity Mothers4Children and they hope to raise well over £50,000 for the charity during the campaign.
I’m keeping my eye on the @elemisspabus updates and am trying to decide between a Skin Booster Facial, Chill-Out Shoulder and Scalp Massage, Sole Rescue Foot Treatment or Re-Charge Power Back Massage.
I think it’d have to be the facial. What d’ya reckon ladies?
I was starting to run out of things to spend my £5 No7 vouchers on when I spied these unassuming little tubes on the No7 counter. I’m a total sucker for cream eyeshadows and when I swatched these, I knew I had to have them!
They’re a very light mousse formula and although the tubes are teeny tiny, a little goes a very long way. I keep squeezing out too much! Easy to apply and blend, I usually use my finger before running a brush over the edges just to make sure that they’re softened.
I bought them without doing any blog research and was concerned that they’d last approximately 5 seconds before creasing on me. In general, I’m not a HUGE No7 makeup fan… there’s definitely some real stand outs from the line, but it’s not usually a brand I purchase from without doing a bit of research beforehand.
I have to say though, I made a good choice with these! They last a decent 5/6 hours when used with no base before they begin to travel upwards… combine with a slick of UDPP and I can get about 7/8 hours wear out of them. I haven’t tried setting them with a light dusting of complementary eyeshadow… but I think that would prolong wear even further.
Not too shabby really.
The colours are beautiful and what attracted me to them in the first place, there’s one more (a bronzey shade) that I like the look of aswell, but I’ll wait ’till the £5 off No7 till spit comes round again before adding it to my collection.
Ohhh I do like this model image Clinique… it’s how my makeup would look everyday in a world unhindered by problematic issues such as not being able to find my pencil sharpener when I need it or not knowing exactly where I’m supposed to apply my damn blush.
Anyway, the Clinique Autumn 2010 collection consists of three brand new products and a bunch of what d’ya call ’em… existing stock that kinda gets pushed to the front of the counter in a “don’t forget about me, look how nice I am for Autumn” kinda way… um… repromotes?
Anyway, let’s take a look at what’s new:
NEW Limited Edition High Impact Mascara
RRP: £14.50 €19.00 Clinically proven to make eyes appear three times brighter, this limited edition deep black shade creates the necessary contrast against the whites of the eyes to create a youthful, vibrant look.
Available in:
Brightening Black
NEW Limited Edition Quickliner for Eyes Intense
RRP: £13.00 €17.50
A more dramatic version of our best-selling eyeliner, this extra creamy new formulation glides on smooth, while the rich new shades provide a more vivid colour payoff to intensify the eyes for up to 12 hours.
Available in:
Intense Black
Intense Plum
Intense Chocolate
Intense Coffee
NEW Vitamin C Lip Smoothie Antioxidant Lip Colour RRP: £13.50 €19.00 These delicious lip smoothies are a healthy dose of luscious colour in six NEW juicy shades rich in moisture and shine. Think of it as an antioxidant fruit smoothie for the lips.
Available in:
Guava Good
Pear-Fection
Running Latte
Strawberry Bliss
Pome-Greatness
Blackberry Nirvana
I know it’s a teeny bit early to be talking about Autumn collections when I’ve barely seen anything Summer-y hit the counters yet… (hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!) – but I liked the natural but sultry promo image too much to care.
I wish there was a touch more to the release… some new eye colours would have been nice in a collection that purports to be all about the eyes. I’m definitely interested in the sound of some of those new eyeliners… extra dramatic smudgeability is nearly always a good thing in my book and an eye-brightening mascara? Woohoo! Are we guessing at some clever blue/black pigment in there somewhere ladies?
After this scorcher of a weekend, I bet some of you are nursing your sore bits and will happily indulge in a little bit of early Autumnal cosmetic goodness, just so long as we’re talking September and not November right? Brrrr.
Clinique Autumn 2010 – Bigger, Brighter Eyes in an Instant will be available on counters nationwide from 1st August.
Big thanks to the lovely Shifa from Get Gawjus for guest reviewing this for me, go check the lovely lady out!
I am probably the best guinea pig to test Lip Balms on, as even besides exam stress I have this annoying habit of constantly biting my lip – Yikes! But for some reason they do seem to recover somehow depending on which Lip Balm I use.
Here we have a super cute Balm ‘to the rescue’ which also happens to be a vegan lip treatment. It contains some interesting ingredients such as Jojoba, Shea Butter, Castor Seed Oil, Cocoa, Olive Oil and Peppermint Oil.
Hence it does smell of peppermint but only on a sniff! Nothing strong as such.
Another unusual thing I found with this is due to some contents, maybe Castor Oil, it does freeze at slightly lower temperature and becomes rock solid enough to be able to scrape product out of it. Also on a ‘hot’ London day I dipped my finger into it and it was literally of an oil-like consistency.
So you have to be careful with storing this and keep it away from extreme climates. I haven’t noticed such changes in consistency with other drugstore lip products like Carmex and Vaseline though.
Coming to the moisturizing effect, to me it delivers almost nothing! It is just as ordinary as any other lip balm in the market. It does not mend my lips like the Body Shop Lip Butter used to in a couple of hours. It sinks in unlike just sitting on the lips like Vaseline. The effect disappears within a few hours but it does leave me with soft and supple lips.
The packaging is a winner all the way. A huge compact with a full sized mirror is quite refreshing for a lip balm. I love to carry this with me and apply it throughout the day as I don’t tend to wear any other lip products.
Overall, I don’t hate the product but haven’t developed a profound love for it either. I would not recommend it to those with extremely dry, flaky lips as it won’t mend them as well. But I can definitely see this work with those with normal-dry lips or if you don’t mind splurging on high end lip products.
You can get this for £10 from Zuneta and all net proceeds from this product are donated to Pug Rescue, so this is a great cause you will indulge in but I can’t guarantee if it will ‘rescue’ your lips for sure.
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!
Matte (incase you haven’t guessed already) is a new mineral foundation from Bare Escentuals which claims a breakthrough formula designed to minimise pores, absorb excess shine without drying skin and keep your skin looking flawless and matte all day long.
Is it sad that I’m actually most excited about the new Click, Lock, Go™ sifter that promises to make spillages a thing of the past?
Bare Escentuals Matte SPF15 Foundation will be available from August exclusively to Selfridges before being rolled out across other counters and concessions nationwide in September.
Despite the ill-thought out blog name… I’m not actually a big fan of lip gloss. There, I’ve said it.
For one… is there anything more irritating in life than battling the sticky gloss/errant flyaway hair pairing from hell when you’re doing your utmost to look nonchalant and breezy?
No.
What about when you see a hawt lipgloss shade and apply it only to see ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER.
So it was with curiosity that I accepted this Jemma Kidd Lip Gloss Trio from their PR recently. I mean, not everything I get sent ends up on here… I like to have an opinion about a product one way or another if I’m going to feature it on Lipglossiping. We all know that there are many, many ‘meh’ products out there…. and if something is so utterly ‘meh’ that I can barely bring myself to photograph it… then I don’t.
And in my world… lipgloss is kinda ‘meh’.
But wait! This Jemma Kidd Air Kiss Gloss Trio is kinda caaaa-ute! It’s a trio of mini lipglosses that snap into a handbag-sized holder. I’m not sure why you’d need to carry 3 lipglosses around with you… but shush, I don’t like to be caught up in practical details when I’m presented with cute cosmetic presentation.
You slide the chosen gloss up and out of the holder…. no wait, I’m gonna call it a ‘holster’. Like a gun… it sounds wayyyy cooler now right?
So, you slide the gloss up and out of the holster and it’s primed and ready for action!
Jemma Kidd have chosen three of their best-selling shades to include in the Air Kiss Gloss Trio and I like 2 of ’em. I think the 3rd should have been a red… but that’s personal preference. Do you like the colour combination?
The shades are sheer… not so sheer as to be un-noticeable, but they’re more for layering than wearing alone unless you’re going for a natural, simply polished look. Which actually, is probably pretty apt for the Summer season no?
I’m wearing Rendezvous (on bare lips) in the above photo. Once applied, the name makes sense… these glosses feel very lightweight on the lips. They’re not gloopy and they’re not sticky, they’re just shiny with a hint of colour. Oh and they smell ah-mazing too.
I’m also pretty impressed with the price too! Ever since the Jemma Kidd line left the shelves of Boots many moons ago, it’s been a brand that has steadily risen in price. So £9 for a trio of lip glosses makes pretty good financial sense. Alsooooooo… they’re $19 in the US, so let’s celebrate in a very rare occurence. Something’s cheaper over here! Woohoo!
I’d heard that Berry Ice Cream was a hard colour to track down, so I was really delighted to be able to waltz into my local Superdrug and whisk this and Mushroom off the shelves without any problems at all! And I only paid a fiver for both!
Berry Ice Cream is a bright lilac pastel. It’s not pastelly enough to be soft and floaty (if that makes sense!). It has a bit o brightness to it that would endear it to most skintones. Sometimes, lilacs can make darker skintones look kinda dead… zombie hands. I can’t imagine you’d have the same issues with this one, it has enough punch to it!
Application was fair… 3 coats to cover any imperfections or patches from a small amount of cuticle drag. Dried speedily and as with most BarryM shades I’ve tried, it has an impressive glossy finish.
Many people have issues with BarryM polishes chipping on them, but I never do… so although I can safely state that in 2 full days of wear I had no chipping, that doesn’t necessarily mean much.
If you’re looking for a colour to take you from Spring into Summer… this is a great choice. However, I’m totally lagging in the ‘what’s hot’ stakes so this shade is probably already SO LAST SEASON.
Whatever bitches, I was rocking an Autumn colour last weekend… my fingers transcend fashion.
BarryM Nail polishes are still on a 2 for £5 offer in Superdrug, so get ’em while they’re hot! (or not).
I received the press release for Urban Decay‘s new tinted moisturiser range that’ll be hitting our shores soon and it’s got me thinking…
Do you swap your base product for something lighter in the Summer?
I have a couple of tinted moisturisers on the go throughout the year, but I tend to reach for them more often in the Summer.
I don’t feel that my skin is clear enough (I get redness) to completely rely on a tinted moisturiser, so I tend to use a concealer brush to blend a little foundation over my nose and cheeks. I’m also not a huge fan of the ‘shine’ that tinted moisturiser always brings to my face. I need a top notch setting powder to hand with a couple of touch-ups throughout the day.
I do love the lighter feeling though… Oh, why must everything be a compromise?
Urban Defense from Urban Decay will be hitting shelves in Debenhams and Boots soon, priced at £17 for 50ml and could hopefully put the compromising to an end!
Do you opt for tinted moisturisers in the Summer or are you a hardcore full-coverage addict?
This is the most horrific video and after watching it, I very nearly stuck to just still images for this post (and you’ll probably wish I had). I was blatantly traumatised enough by the whole experience to think that filming a video in direct sunlight without a scrap of makeup on was a FABULOUS idea! Perhaps the laser fried my brain aswell as my follicles?
Oh god… Don’t judge me bitches.
Ok, enough of all that…
So here’s an image showing the area around my chin and neck later on the same evening after my first full treatment at the sk:n laser hair removal clinic.
It was pretty much as sore as it looks. Itchy too… Bear in mind that my skin was completely clear when I woke that morning… so this is all from the laser. I spent most of that evening with a wet muslin cloth pressed to the area to take the heat out of it.
Having known other women who have undergone the treatment, I honestly didn’t expect to develop such a strong reaction and seeing it in all it’s gory glory on here makes me feel a little bit better about being a touch wimpy during my first session. Put it this way… if flinching were an Olympic sport, I’d have been high on that podium saluting the flag.
My cousin reminded me yesterday that I was the only one in the family group (as a child) who managed to get sunburned severely enough to need A&E treatment whilst on holiday in Devon. In October. I’m so pleased that my Sk:n therapist agreed it would be wise to turn the laser down for me!
I had a rough time that first night and didn’t sleep well. The itching was driving me insane and I don’t know HOW I managed to keep my nails away from my skin. The next morning, I woke up looking like I’d done a few rounds with Mike Tyson.
It’s not that easy to see here, but my upper lip was really swollen. When I pressed my lips together, my top lip completely overhung my bottom and it was tricky to talk without sounding silly.
It wasn’t painful though, the best way I can describe it is thus… yano when you get a blister on your foot and you press lightly? It feels slightly numb and cushion-y? That was how my lower face felt. Admittedly, not the most pleasant sensation.
You can see that the redness had subsided by the 2nd day, but the swelling is also apparent around the jawline. Frankly, I felt pretty hideous. I didn’t want to wear makeup, despite having been assured that I could if I wanted to… I just wanted to hide in the house, preferably under the bed.
.
So, those last two photos were from the day before yesterday (Wednesday) and it’s getting better as each day passes. Today (Friday) the whole area is back to being flesh-coloured and the swelling has completely disappeared. The treated area is still covered with bumps where each dark hair-containing follicle has been zapped, but these are camouflageable with a bit of concealer and patience. I’ve also still got a bruise coloured tache as in the 2nd photo, but it’s fading.
It’s been a tough few days since my first full treatment on Tuesday. Tougher than I imagined it would be. I honestly expected to go in and emerge 30 minutes later with some redness that would subside within a few hours.
.
Back then, I was the only 9yr old getting her blisters popped in A&E and again… I find myself being the exception rather than the rule. Whilst it’s beginning to look like I’m not your average ‘reactor’ to the treatment, I think that my experience is perhaps even more useful as a result.
It’s hard to underestimate just how DIFFERENT we all are and I’m starting to understand why there just can’t be any guarantees with something as personal as laser hair removal. I’m also secretly hoping that this extra dose of irritation means that those bastard hair follicles are taking an extra battering and admitting defeat under the awesomeness of the laser. Pee-ow, pee-ow!
