A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’m a consummate lip gloss addict (hence the title of the blog!) – they’re easy to apply, completely portable for quick touch ups and feel more moisturising on the lips than lipsticks.  I have a particular fondness for glosses which contain a little bit of sparkle.  Yes I am 4 years old.

Here’s one of my latest acquisitions!  Elizabeth Arden is one of those lines that I’m perpetually unsure of – it always feels so elegant and timeless but usually ends up disappointing me.  Not this time!

Elizabeth Arden’s High Shine Lip Gloss in #10 Pink Champagne is such a beautiful natural peachy colour with a hint of warm golden sparkle.  It’s your standard doe foot applicator in a classy little square tube.  Consistency is thick and a little gloopy to apply but not uncomfortably sticky… I’d give it a 6 out of 10 on the stickiness scale (where Lipglass is  a 7 and superglue is a 10!)

It has a beautifully soft sheer finish with a subtle plumping effect thanks to the multi dimensional high shine.  It doesn’t dry out my lips and is completely flavourless – something I always like!

My complaint (and unfortunately it’s not a inconsequential little one) is staying power.  You’ll need a touch up after eating or drinking, the shimmer survives – but the tint of colour sadly doesn’t.

All in all, a great buy for the summer!

[starreview tpl=14]

Just a heads up incase you weren’t aware that Clinique’s bonus time begins tomorrow on the 14th May at House of Fraser store’s nationwide.  If you’re going to make 2 or more Clinique purchases, this is the time to do it!

Bonus time items include*:

Golden/Bronze makeup bag (with golden circles)
7 Day Scrub Cream
Superdefense Age Defense Moisturiser
Colour Surge Butter Shine Lipstick in Delovely
Eyeshadow in Like Mink
Uplighting Liquid Illuminator in Natural
True Bronze Pressed Powder in Sunkissed
Small Blush Brush

I shall add a picture to confirm items included if/when Clinique updates their website. Picture added.

*Free with the purchase of any two Clinique products or more.

So after loving a Joe Blasco concealer I’d recently hit pan on and lemming the Ben Nye concealer wheel palette for about 100 years but not having the willpower to save up for it, I hit a dead end in my search for an industrial strength concealer.

I don’t really bother with many high street concealers nowadays, although I still carry my trusty stick of Rimmel Hide The Blemish in my glove box.  Having said that, seeing as I literally can’t remember the last time I used it, I probably shouldn’t get within 10 feet of it without wearing full on hazmat gear.

Where was I?  Oh yes, Grimas…

Grimas are a Dutch company who as well as being founded the year I was born are also sharing enough to let us know that they employ 3 mentally disabled members of staff.  I kid you not, check here – it really does say that.  Equal opportunities rock!

Anyway, back to the products…

I picked up a camouflage concealer in shade G0 and a creme make up base/foundation in G1.

Camouflage Concealer:

Creme Base/Foundation:

The texture of the concealer is quite hard, but very pigmented (as you would expect from a stage makeup brand) – a little goes a very long way!

When I swatched the concealer I thought it was going to be wayyy too pale for me, but it actually blended in really nicely and although I wasn’t expecting it, I found that it neutralized redness better than anything I’ve ever tried before – including various specialized green and yellow concealers.

The foundation is a little dark for me to be honest so I may end up going back for shade G0… I need some honest opinions from my husband and some good light to see if I’ve tangoed myself so I’m reserving judgement at the moment.  The texture of the foundation is a lot thinner and oilier than the concealer making it easier to blend.  However, it’s still highly pigmented and a light touch is the order of the day!

The foundation applied nicely with my stippling brush which I was pleased about as I’m loathe to use sponges which always seem to make cream foundations streak terribly on me.

On to the swatches…

G1 Foundation on the left/G0 Concealer on the right – note* my face is a shade or two darker than my hand!

Considering they’re supposed to be 1 shade different from each other – that shade difference is a yawning chasm and I’m blatantly somewhere in the middle of it.

As I said, I’m not completely convinced that despite this, it doesn’t still work for my skin tone.  However I’ll let you be judge, jury and executioner with another of those hideous before/after shots.

The concealer (like most thick concealers) will settle in fine lines, so I’d avoid the undereye area with this stuff.  I was also impressed by the fact that it didn’t seem to need setting with powder.  Before I’d had a chance to set it – the doorbell rang with my Asda food shop so I was distracted for over half an hour and when I remembered that I hadn’t powdered and looked in the mirror expecting to see huge amounts of shine and slip – it still looked as matte as it had when I first put it on.  Not massively high maintenance then!

I purchased Grimas from Facepaint UK as they were the only company I could find that charged a reasonable £2 p&p within the UK.  I’m also pleased to report that delivery was super quick (1 working day from ordering).

Overall, I’m really pleased with my experiences with Grimas – especially at how good the concealer neutralizes any redness.  My only disappointment is with the shades on offer – I’d love there to be something inbetween G0 and G1.

[starreview tpl=14]

Miners have a special offer on a range of their polishes at the moment costing just 97p a bottle.

I haven’t tried anything from their nail polish ranges yet so can’t comment on quality but seeing as I just made myself a mini haul of some pretty colours, I thought I’d share the love.  It’s a great excuse to try some colours that you wouldn’t normally be brave enough to purchase without spending too much!  I’ve gone for:

Purple Hologram
Lemon
Hologram Turquoise
Pale Mint
Rain Glow
Raw Edges
Babyziz

All for a grand total of £8.26 inc. P&P – Bargain!

Stock up on some cool colours for summer!

Yes it’s ridiculously cheap, yes it’s a lovely colour for pale cool toned skin.  No I won’t be applying it again unless I develop a masochistic streak.  5 coats…. 5 coats of colour (with another base coat inbetween), I kid you not and I can still see through my nail tip if I hold my hand to the light!

I have another Opia polish in Navy and that’s an absolute dream in terms of opacity (almost a perfectly smooth 1 coater)- so for a solitary £1 it’s always worth a punt if you see a colour you like.  Unfortunately, I can’t find any reference to the name of the shade of this polish.

Above image shot with the flash popped up.

Application was really easy due to the consistency being so thin and transparent.  If you like sheer polishes, I would totally recommend this.  If you don’t, steer well clear of this shade.

…Why is it when I finally earn enough Pigsback points to get myself a lovely £10 discount on Nars Orgasm (which I’ve never tried and have been lemming like forever) HQ Hair don’t have it in stock.

One day my pretty…

As you may have noticed, I have an eclectic range of cosmetic tastes.  I couldn’t really be much further from a makeup snob if I tried – mainly because my budget simply wouldn’t allow it.  I’m as happy as a pig in shit to trawl both Space NK and Superdrug looking for new products (although I’m always a little happier at the till in Superdrug!)

I quite like it this way, it means that I have to work that little bit harder to find good quality products at great prices, it also means that I have accumulated more crap than the average beauty junkie, but there’s always a friend or relative nearby who is happy to play with my cast offs and vice versa!!  It really works for me.

I’d love to hear about your tastes – the high street/drugstore brands that work so well for you, you haven’t found better value for the money.  Tell me about those higher end products that you’ve been craving for so long that they’re now firmly ensconced on that pedestal and the thought of purchasing them fills you with fear that they’ll never live up to your now exagerrated expectations.

Anyway, to cheer myself up after being so close yet still so far from my pedestal product, I went and bought a Max Factor 2000 Calorie mascara to keep me going whilst I wait for HQ Hair to pull their fingers out!

You’ll have to do for now!

Yes, I’m behind the times… by about 7 years.

Let me start by saying that my name is Charlotte and I am a total mascara whore.  I love it and I have a real problem staying faithful to any particular brand.  There’s just too many to choose from and companies come out with shiny new ones all the time to tempt me.  If there’s one product that I can’t leave the house without.  This is it.

Anyway, back to Benefit Bad Gal…

I got accosted this time last year by a pink clad MUA from Benefit whilst browsing The Vitality Show at London’s Olympia (which I really recommend for a fantastic day out!).  The MUA proceeded to cover me in You Rebel (nice but too dark for me), You’re Bluffing (meh), and Bad Gal Lash Mascara (which wowed me).  I couldn’t stop fluttering my eyelashes at everyone.

Roll forward nearly a year and I still hadn’t picked myself up a tube.  I dunno why, well actually I do.  I bought Benefit Dandelion after having it dusted over my cheeks by an over-enthusiastic MUA in Boots and it was a super huge disappointment.  I just couldn’t get it to show up on my skin, despite my uber paleness and I was worried Bad Gal was gonna disappoint in the same way.

Anyway, last week I finally succumbed and spent some of my hoard of Boots points on a lovely shiny tube of the black stuff.

I know some people think it’s over-rated.  I think that it’s probably suited to a specific type of eyelash (of which I’m lucky enough to include myself).  If you’ve got small eyes and short stubby lashes, this isn’t gonna do anything for you.  The brush is too large and unwieldy and you’re bound to make a mess.  I’ve got naturally long and curly lashes – they just need some serious darkening and beefing up which is exactly what this mascara does for them – and it does it well!

I love the density of the brush that really allows me to ‘brush’ my lashes from root to tip and create some proper separation to enhance the volumising effect.  My lashes tend to clump (especially on a 2nd coat), so the even distribution provided by the brush is particularly welcomed!  This mascara also leaves my lashes super soft and flexible and not at all crunchy, not a big deal for me – not bothered by stiff lashes, but I know some are – so thought I’d mention it!

All other mascaras in my stash are currently being ignored (apart from a Blinc tester that I’m slowly falling in love with – see, I told you… fickle!).

However, my one and only problem with Bad Gal is the price.  I know it’s not exactly break the bank expensive at £14.50… but, there’s so many other lovely mascaras out there begging me to buy them (don’t cry Diorshow I haven’t forgotten you – despite your eye watering price, nor you Lash Blast you lovely drugstore temptress you)… and with new ones appearing on the market quicker than I can apply a second coat of this one.  What’s a girl to do?

Are you a faithful Felicity? or a shamefully promiscuous Pandora like me when it comes to Mascara?

[starreview tpl=14]

My skin is typical combination/dry, so I’m always looking out for a moisturiser that’s gonna quench the dryness without making my t-zone look like an oil slick.  I also have the added bonus of sensitivity.  Not hugely so, but if my skin isn’t liking something, it reacts by tingling, reddening and leaving little dry scaly bits once the redness subsides.

After testing a new anti ageing night cream, I developed those unwanted sensitivity effects.  I was left cursing and battling this by slathering on my Eucerin Q10 Active Fluid (love!) which always helps to tame the dryness without leaving the greasies – great stuff!  However, as much as I love Eucerin, my fickle soul is well aware that it’s not kind to my purse at £17.51 for 50ml.  So when I ran out, I was on the hunt for an alternative.

Enter Adrien Arpel Daily Defense Moisturiser SPF15.

I came across this whilst browsing Direct Cosmetics for the princely sum of £4.99 (DC is one of my absolute fav places for bargain hunting – check it out!) and in hindsight I wish I’d bought more than one pot seing as it’s disappeared from the website now.

I like my day moisturisers to have SPF, and during the summer months, I layer this with even more sunblock – either that or I end the day looking like Rudolph.

Adrien Arpel Daily Defense Moisturiser SPF15, comes in your standard frosted little glass pot, I do wish that the pot were more opaque as I’ve read that sunlight can diminish the potency of antioxidants, regardless – it just means I store this in a darker place – ‘cos I’m a geek.

Let’s see what it says on the back of the box….

…not a huge amount actually.  I’m not sure what a ‘measured’ dose is either.

It’s a fairly thick cream, slightly solid (in the same way good old Nivea Creme is) with a slight pearlescent sheen.  Doesn’t feel at all greasy to the touch and feels very light to rub in.

It does leave a slightly white cast if you’re not meticulous with rubbing it in or layer it on a bit too thick – but I find that quite normal with any products that contain SPF.  You just need to be a little more careful to ensure that the product is evenly spread as it does disappear.  My skin drinks this stuff up like there’s no tomorrow – it causes me absolutely no irritation.  It sinks in beautifully and doesn’t make my nose look like an oil slick.  Most importantly it leaves my skin feeling super soft to the touch and is a lovely base for my makeup.

Keep an eye out for it (I know I will be!), it seems to belong in the same category as the Gale Hayman stuff and often appears heavily reduced on the various cosmetic discount websites.

[starreview tpl=14]

So I mentioned this cake eyeliner a few days ago.  I bought mine on eBay for £1.95, I’m sure I’ve seen some Stargazer products in Superdrug, but I’m not sure if they stock the cake eyeliners.

Stargazer seems to be a bit of a Raver/Goth/Emo alternative cosmetics brand, with neons and bold colours featuring heavily in their range.

The eyeliner comes in an unassuming little pot, which although plastic, feels quite solid and sturdy.

‘Cos I’m so boring, I bought the brown shade.  You can choose from: Blue, Silver, Violet, Gold, Black, Red, Pink, Grey, Green and White.

Once you wet your eyeliner brush (either in water or a mixing medium of your choice) – swipe it across the pan to pick up some colour and get painting!

It’s really well pigmented – and once dry, simply doesn’t budge off my eyelids.  This wouldn’t be any good for waterlines though as it doesn’t take too much water to make it disappear into thin air.  But for the upper eyelid this is a fab bargain find!

It glides on super smoothly (it’s like painting with a watercolour).  Out of all my solid liners (gel types) this one allows me to get the most precise line thanks to it’s fluidity.  It dries very quickly and I usually go over a couple more times to build up the pigmentation a touch before the brush dries.  It can be a little tricky to ensure that the second coat doesn’t ‘dilute’ the first colour-wise.  However, I’ve found that as long as I work fairly quickly and don’t keep re-wetting my brush then I can get VERY strong pigmentation, but it’s a case of trial and error.

I’ve got my sights set on the other colours now.  Staying power is really great, I thought that seeing as it’s just a powder/water combination that it may crack and flake by the end of the day – which is a regular problem I have with cheaper liquid liners – not so here!  I’ve only ever mixed water with the liner and haven’t experienced any flaking so far.

For the price, I’m not sure these can really be beaten.  Grab them all!

P.S. I’ve got Blinc Mascara on in these shots.

[starreview tpl=14]

Enter discount code at checkout (not sure how long this is good for):

BLINCTRADE

to receive a 20% discount off your order.  Famed for their water resistant mascara that tubes your lashes rather than painting them, I can happily recommend it (review coming soon) and I’m very tempted to try the liquid eyeliner next.

Click to check out BlincUK.

Happy Tuesday!

In honour of my due date (yes, that’s today little dink if you’re paying attention – are you ever coming out smelly bum?) I thought I’d share my thoughts on a skincare line that I’ve been using throughout my pregnancy.

Mama Mio have a skincare range to suit most everyone, but I think it’s safe to say that they are most well known for their luxurious treats for mummies to be.

This is the kit that I’ve been using…

Mama Mio Mini Kit is for commitment phobes, jet-setters or Mama Mio beginners. This kit contains the best of the Mama Mio skin care range in convenient miniatures, so you can pamper your supermama-self wherever you are.

I was lucky enough to be bought this lovely little kit for Christmas, and have been putting it to good use on my poor pregnancy riddled belly and boobs!

It contains 6 of Mama Mio’s most popular products.

Here’s what Mama Mio say about them, followed by my thoughts…

Boob Tube Firming Cream:

Mama Mio Boob Tube is a product we just can’t do without. If you haven’t heard about it already (voted 10/10 by OK Magazine, winner of Greatest Product from the iParenting Awards) it was Kathy’s saviour when pregnant with twins and forevermore. This will help you defy gravity over time and stop the sag.

A nice balmy cream that helped to soothe on days when I was suffering from a feeling of ultra heaviness and achiness in that area.  I can’t put much stock into gravity defying claims, but as a moisturiser, it’s really nice.  I should also point out that I haven’t developed any stretch marks here compared to the road map that is now my stomach.  Probably a coincidence, but worth mentioning.

Moisturising Shower Cream:

Want to know a secret? Our Moisturising Shower Cream is actually a baby cleanser. We felt that every mama can use a little babying sometimes. That explains why it is so gentle – it won’t strip your skin like a harsh soap.  And of course it is sodium laureth sulfate free – it’s from Mama Mio.

I haven’t used this yet, I’ve packed it in my hospital bag as a post birth shower treat.

Super Rich Body Cream:

Our Super-rich Body Cream is a must for every mama. It’s rich yet quickly absorbed, nourishing but light, and makes skin feel silky with no lingering film, and smell gorgeous. So lavish your skin with this super-nourishing cream and glory at the glow and softness.

My favourite, a stand out product for me – mainly due to the scent, citrusy but with deeper, sweeter notes.  Utterly gorgeous and intoxicating.  I’m very tempted to repurchase this after I’ve had little dink.  Ultra moisturising without leaving a sticky feeling, the scent which is initially quite strong fades leaving a subtle hint on your skin.  It absorbs completely and leaves my skin feeling really soft and supple.

Wonder-Full Balm:

Mama Mio Wonder-Full Balm really is. We called it Wonder-Full Balm because you will find a million different ways to use it. Nine natural oils in a beeswax base, it is really a solid oil that melts in contact with your skin and provides rich intense moisture.

This was a lifesaver throughout the freezing month of January, I slathered it on my elbows, lips and any dry bits that appeared on my face.  Not the most comfortable product to wear thanks to the fact that it is after all a greasy balm that tended to stay on the surface – but it really stopped my skin from cracking compared to the days that I didn’t have it on me… In fairness, I’m not sure how this would have compared to a cheaper version like Badger Balms Healing Balm or even super budget Vaseline – but it definitely smells better than Vaseline!

Gravida Candle:

We added our Gravida Candle as we know that regardless of where you are, if you get five minutes to yourself, you’ll grab it. Whether it is a hotel room, bedroom or just enough room, you can sit back, relax, lay back and breathe deeply.

The most disappointing, I just couldn’t smell anything from this.  I actually thought it was just a plain tealight until I read on the website that it was supposed to be scented.  Total ‘meh’ product for me… and just ‘cos I’m a nerd – a ‘gravida’ is a pregnant woman incase you’re interested – which you like, totally weren’t.

Tummy Rub Oil:

Last but not least is our Tummy Rub Oil. A well tested, beautifully fragrant, omega-rich oil to ease your stretched and itchy skin. It is stretch mark prevention at its very best. It is also brilliant as banishing winter lizard legs…

Another beautifully scented product, but I prefer my Sanctuary Body Oils as I found Mama Mio’s Tummy Rub Oil stubbornly left a filmy coating on my skin despite intense rubbing in!  The little bottle also made application without dribbling it on the carpet a bit of a nightmare!  Despite religious use of this product, I also developed stretchmarks – although not until 35 weeks.  I am prone to stretchmarks though, and in honesty I believe it has far more to do with genetics than what you slather on your skin… I think I was destined to get them no matter what, so for them to only develop in the last 5 weeks of pregnancy is pretty good going and may or may not be related to the product I was using – who really knows?

Ok, so that’s a little run down of Mama Mio’s most popular products for mummies-to-be and my thoughts after using them for a few months.

In conclusion, there are some really nice products in this range, one of them in particular stands out as a product that I would repurchase.  Having said that, there are also products out there on the market designed for everyday use that would match up to the quality of these (and offer the same properties for overstretched pregnant skin) but at half the price.  Although the convenience of having a specially designed range like this can’t be argued against.

I was also delighted to read that:

Every Mama Mio product is safe to use at any time from pregnancy stage to pensionable age. It is Paraben Free, Petrolatum Free, Sodium Laureth and Sodium Laurel Sulphate Free, Xenoestrogen and Phtalates Free, Colourant and Synthetic Fragrance Free.

So if you’ve been searching for products practically guaranteed to be skin friendly – look no further!

If you’re looking for a gift for a mum-to-be, this is a really well put together little kit and couldn’t fail to please a lady in need of a little pampering.

This is a really soft wearable palette – not massively pigmented but with just the right amount of shimmer.  I particularly like the cream blush which is ultra blendable and not too sticky.

The lip glosses were not pigmented enough for me to be honest, as you can see they added more of a shine to my lips rather than any actual colour.  The eyeshadows are soft and shimmery, again – not highly pigmented, but not so subtle that you have to pack the colour on.

I’m also wearing Blinc Mascara and Stargazer Cake Eyeliner in Brown (which I’m currently loving considering it’s price – full review coming soon!).

The eyeshadow shades are perfect for wearing to work, the highlighter shade (bottom right) is particularly nice, as is the brighter pink to it’s left.  The darkest shade in the middle of the palette is one that could have easily done with being a little more pigmented.  All colours were easily blendable ontop of UDPP.  I didn’t use the top 2 colours in the FOTD.  The pink is actually a little more saturated in real life than it is in the FOTD photos which aren’t quite doing that particular shade justice.

I didn’t use the concealer (bottom right) or the darker brown gloss (top right).  The cream blush (bottom left) looks brighter in the palette than it does on the skin, it’s a coral type colour.  I initially just applied the top left bright pink lip gloss – but added the middle one aswell when I wasn’t getting ANY colour payoff from it.  I still didn’t achieve any pigmentation to speak of after adding the second colour.  Disappointing really.

Overall, I’m pleased with this palette.  My first impressions from yesterday confirm that there’s nothing earth shattering contained within.  But it’s a completely wearable ensemble that would particularly flatter paler skin tones to create a subtle but fresh daytime look.  I’d definitely recommend everything bar the lip glosses, which seem to be a waste of space.  The packaging is cheap looking but very cute, and totally portable – complete with mirror, you could quite happily cart this around in your handbag for any touch ups.

[starreview tpl=14]