A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

A ride on the bullet train, a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon, and a tour of the ancient city of Petra (whilst whistling the Indiana Jones theme in my head) are all up there at the top of my bucket list.

Want to know what else would make the grade? A browse around the Yankee Candle factory in Massachusetts. Can you imagine? It would be like the best. school. trip. ever.

The Yankee Candle Village is a veritable mecca for candle fans across the world, housing every scent your nose could desire and a huge range of accessories and decorations to go with them. Well, one very lucky US-residing Yankee Candle Facebook fan is going to win a trip to the home of the company in New England for some extra-special VIP treatment!

If you’re eligible, do hop on over to the brand’s Facebook page before the competition closes this Friday and hit the Like button for your chance to scoop the prize!

In addition to this, the brand are also celebrating this impressive social media milestone with the launch of a limited edition candle.

The much-loved Vanilla Cupcake has had a bit of a makeover to proudly announce “1 Million Fans & Glowing!” and with its rich, buttery scent… everyone but the most hardened of gourmand-haters will salivate at the creamy aroma it emits.

The limited-edition commemorative candle is priced at £19.99/$27.99 and is available to buy via the brand’s facebook page or online at yankeecandle.com

UK readers can also enter to win a similar prize by entering via the web form online at yankeecandle.co.uk

What’s your favourite Yankee Candle scent?

You’d be forgiven for not having heard of Vitage and their range of Colour Mineral makeup… a small, British brand who only appeared on my radar when I received a set of samples through the post a little while ago myself.

At first glance, I’m not gonna sugar-coat it… this range looks uninspiring.  Housed in the kind of packaging that is incredibly easy to forget.  Not that this is an entirely fair conclusion to reach… because, you know, I don’t actually know how much thought has been put into the packaging but c’mon, look at it… hardly exciting stuff is it?

However, if my Mum taught me anything, it’s not to judge a book by its cover (much) and housed within this little selection of beauty goodies, lie a couple of lovely products.  Let me give you a quick rundown, and by “quick”, I mean “really rambly”, of course.

First things first, who are the brand behind the products?

Vitage are a British brand, better known for their premium skincare which has been packed with scientifically-proven ingredients and vitamins and is suitable for a wide spectrum of skin concerns.  The range includes cleansers, serums, moisturisers, sun protection, and lotions for both the body and the face.  This latest update to the brand introduces a line of colour mineral cosmetics which includes: foundations, eyeshadows, tools, primers, blushers and eyeliners.

The Vitage Natural Daily Perfector (£25)* is a primer product with a mousse-like texture that has been enriched with antioxidant-rich Brazilian Green Tea.  It delivers little in the way of pigment but much in the way of pore-filling, skin-smoothing wonderment.

Promising to be suitable for even the palest of skintones, it isn’t.  Frankly it annoys me that it dare even suggest that it is.  I’m pale but I’m not super-pale and this is too orange-toned and dark for my skintone.  It gives me a faint unnatural looking hue that no pale, English-rose complexion should suffer.  If this came in a transparent variety… I’d buy it in a heartbeat for its skin-resurfacing prowess but it doesn’t, and so I won’t.

The Vitage Natural Foundation (£24)* looks like your standard mineral powder foundation in clumsy pot packaging.  Again, the lightest shade is not quite right on my skintone, and seeing as the brand only offer four shades… there’s a fair chance you may not find a perfect fit either.  And it’s a shame, because the pigment on offer from this pot is pretty impressive… a single swatch with my finger below demonstrates the kind of coverage this product packs.

Although it’s officially described as “sheer”, I find it builds coverage quickly without looking powdery, a sure sign that you’re looking at a well-crafted product that has been milled to deliver the softest, creamiest texture that a powder could offer.

For its price, the Vitage High Definition Brush (£21)*, I’m simply not sold on… there is nothing about this brush that would make me urge you to go and spend your pennies on it.  It’s solidly built, well-cut, and soft on the face… but so are a million others, at a cheaper price than this one.  Stick to Real Techniques.

Now, I don’t know if the PR knew how to sucker-punch me with a beautiful taupe… but well, they got me good.  The Vitage Natural Eye Colour in Velvet Storm (£14)* is a beaut.  Easily worth £14 of anyone’s money for neutral-toned or fellow taupe-addicts like me.  Again, the quality shines through and this product delivers a creamy, well-pigmented and smooth application.  Staying power is perfectly acceptable once paired with an eyeshadow primer.

But who cares about all that when it comes to simply “oohing” over a pretty plum-taupe?  Not me, that’s for sure…. look at her, go on… look!  She has that ghostly sheen thing going on that reminds me of my Kjaer Weis eyeshadow in Wisdom.  Just luverly.  If it had been pressed, I’d have probably fainted from taupe-love.

The final product to show you is the Vitage Natural Lip Lustre in Fuchsia Glaze (£14)*, and although I’m impressed by a non-sticky texture and fair-to-good lasting power, I’m still kinda mehh-ing all over this one, again… particularly for the price.

I’d describe it as a gloss/liquid lipstick hybrid which leans more to the gloss side of things.  The pigment is buildable but the texture suffers as a result if you start applying multiple coats which is sacrilege because for me, the beauty of this product lies in its ability to deliver a realistic and super lightweight natural flush in a single coat.  I’m not one for natural flushes, but don’t mind applauding a nice “gloss” texture when I feel one.

Overall, my feelings on the Vitage range of colour minerals are mixed, a couple of the products made me raise an eyebrow upon reading their price tags (and I think the plain packaging does nothing to persuade me that they’re worth a premium mark-up) but it’s also quite easy to take it for granted that these are products are produced by a company that specialises in premium skincare, and as a result, has injected some high-tech ingredients into this cosmetic range…

I’ll leave you with a FOTD which uses the products discussed above.  It’s a natural display, not exactly ground-breaking but easy to wear and suitable for most modern women looking for a polished look.  Please excuse the grey hairs, my face is the only part of me showing any “polish” at the moment!

The entire range of Vitage Colour Minerals is available to buy online from beautybay.com with prices starting from £14.00

* press samples

It’s May and the dreaded spring clean is upon us.  Out with the old, in with the new.  Not worn it in the past 12 months?  Add it to the charity shop bag.  Easy!

Unless you’re a bit of a recovering packrat like me.  Since moving into the flat I’ve forced myself to pare down the amount of hoarding I like to usually do and I’m a far more organised lady than I ever used to be.  That being said, I’m still far better at the shopping side of things than I am at the minimizing and Lancôme’s latest collaboration with British designer Jenny Packham has got my fingers itching to reach for my purse.

The 2013 limited edition Jenny Packham for Lancôme cosmetics bag has been inspired by an iconic polka dot print from the Jenny Packham SS13 collection, straight from the catwalk into your handbag.  The bag – which is available in either pink or white – contains a selection of luxury travel-sized Lancôme products including: 1 x Galatéis Douceur 50ml, 1 x Tonique Douceur 50ml, 1 x Bi-Facil 30ml, 1 x Hypnôse Mascara 2ml, and 1 x L’Absolu Rouge 1.65ml.

Not only is the design eye-catching and effortlessly chic, it should also be pretty good at disguising mascara splodges, genius!  Of the design, Jenny had this to say:

I am delighted to be collaborating with Lancôme once again. For 2013, I wanted to create a design that is fresh and stylish, with references straight from the catwalk. With its bold print and gold accessories, it has a very modern feel.

The Jenny Packham for Lancôme cosmetics bag is available exclusively at Harvey Nichols from 18th May 2013, and nationwide from 1st June.  To qualify for this GWP, simply purchase two Lancôme products (one to be skincare) from your nearest Lancôme counter while stocks last.

If you’re a fan of classic shades, Carolyn K’s Armineh is about as classic as it gets.  This beige-toned nude should work well on most skin-tones as it leans neither too cool nor too warm in tone.  I often find that nude shades (unless pink-toned) can pull orange against my colouring so a true neutral is most welcome.

Application was smooth but this one did unfortunately need a full three coats before it even considered becoming opaque on the nails.  The formula has been infused with Pro Vitamin B5 for stronger, healthier nails and employs a flat brush for an easy (and speedy) application.

Carolyn K’s Armineh is part of a three-piece set, available online from www.powderrooms.com, priced at £12.99

As you gently sashay through the sweet-smelling wafts of Lemon Lavender, Midsummers Night, and White Gardenia in your home… do you ever ponder upon what your fella is missing out on?

Well, wonder no more because Yankee Candle have brought back their much-talked about Man Candles with a Man Candle II collection.  But what new scents have they introduced that could possibly entice our men-folk into splashing the cash on home-fragrance, I mean… let’s face it, it’s not on the top of their list of priorities is it?

Genius.

Who doesn’t like bacon?  (Apart from the bazillion vegetarians around the world OBVIOUSLY).  I’m seriously hoping that the Movie Night candle smells nothing like the movie-nights we have chez Lipglossiping because I almost always burn the popcorn and trust me, there is no worse smell on Earth than seriously charred kernels.  Heck, I’d need a dozen Bacon candles to mask the smells created by my kamikaze microwave.

And just in-case they’re not willing to lay down the pennies on a full-size jar, these man-scents are also available as in-car fragrancers.  A wave of processed-pork under your nostrils each time you jump in the passenger seat?  Oh, you ladykiller you!  Possibly, quite literally.

I can only see these on the U.S. pages for now, but keep an eye on the UK Yankee Candle website where they should be turning up to join the other Man Candles available.

Beauty dosing. What’s that all about then?

We’re all too aware of the importance that a healthy diet can play when it comes to promoting clear skin, strong nails, and shiny hair and sometimes you only need to make the simplest of changes on the inside to see a profound effect on the surface.  But, let’s say that you’ve upped your water intake, ditched the junk food, and cut down on the booze… what next?  Well, the beauty industry have some clever concoctions up their sleeve to tempt you into exploring some potential shortcuts to a new, even-more-beautiful you!

Let me show you a few that have caught my eye recently:

01:  You don’t need to spend a fortune to take your first, tentative steps into the world of supplementing your standard beauty regime.  Beauty’in Beauty Drink B Focused contains: Vitamin A, C and E, B2, B6,PP, B12, zinc, selenium, guarana and acerola, all of which promise to stimulate the brain and metabolism to help fight fatigue.  The 340ml bottle contains only 8 calories, so dose-up safe in the knowledge that the only thing you’re beefing up is your levels of concentration!  £3.50, selfridges.com

02:  As William Gladstone once said: “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.” Tea.  It’s everything.  And if you drink as much of it as I do (milk, no sugar), you might aswell make that afternoon cuppa work a little harder!  Viridian Nutrition describe their latest Ultimate Beautea as a “refreshing and cleansing blend of hibiscus flowers, rose petals (rosa damascena), calendula petals, chamomile flowers, licorice root and cleavers leaf.”  £12.00, nutricentre.com

03:  If you’re fretting over the recent appearance of the sunshine and what it means for those “bikini bodies” we’re all supposed to be unveiling (to great applause), I’m on your side.  I somehow haven’t found the motivation to jump out of bed, straight into 400 crunches every morning.  Until that motivation strikes, there’s always the promise of some serious body toning courtesy of Functionalab whose Body Toning Beauty Dose assures a significant improvement in the appearance of cellulite.  The 30-day program contains Grape seed polyphenols which contribute to fat metabolism and the appearance of smoother and firmer body skin. £33, functionalab.co.uk

04:  Planning a heavy night out this weekend?  Been burning the candle at both ends too ferociously?  Faust’s Potions offer something a little bit quirky to help boost your morale and aid in the recovery of the dreaded hangover.  These 25ml vials deliver a much-needed blend of vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts just when your body needs it the most.  If the reviews on Cult Beauty are anything to go by, these should make essential packing for festival goers nationwide this Summer.  £5.99, cultbeauty.co.uk

05:  If beauty comes from within, this Skin Clear supplement program from Perricone MD is bringing out the big guns.  The 30-day regime delivers an impressive 7 tablets a day which include: B-Complex + Vitamin C, Evening Primrose Oil, Tocospan Vitamin E, and Omega 3.  It offers a convenient and no-fuss way to ensure you supplement your skin efficiently with a system formulated to help improve skin’s clarity while providing toning benefits and improving skin’s texture.  £69.50, uk.spacenk.com

06:  Hailing from the oddest-looking tree in the world comes the much-revered Baobab Fruit.  So revered infact, that this fruit – which has three times as much vitamin C as an orange – has long been heralded as a bit of a cure-all for many health complaints.  Containing almost fifty-percent fibre and fourteen essential vitamins and minerals, it knocks spots off many of the other so-called super fruits in existence.  It’s simply not difficult to see the potential beauty benefits from a fruit with almost five times the antioxidants of fresh acai berries!  Aduna’s Baobab Fruit Pulp Powder provides a convenient way to supplement your diet by sprinkling it on your morning cereal/porridge/smoothies and reaping the beauty benefits!  £17.99, aduna.com

Do you beauty dose?

Ice Cream.  That’s all I’ve been able to think of since painting my nails in these pastel hues from Eve Snow London’s new range of nail polishes.  It’s not as if I need much motivation to daydream all day about a 99 with a flake, but this is just silly.  I can’t look down without wanting to lick my nails, send help!

I’m missing my favourite flavour from my “nearly neopolitan” though.  Sad face.

British-made Eve Snow London launched last month, and is the work of Yvette Snowden who wanted to create a range of beauty products with added blends of vitamins and nourishing ingredients.  These added ingredients include: vitamin E, argan oil, and ginkgo biloba whilst the formula remains free of formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate.  It should be noted, however, that this isn’t a Big Three Free formula as these nail polishes unfortunately contain both toluene and formaldehyde resin.

I found that both of the colours I tried (Opium & Pixie*) applied smoothly and dried quickly to a shiny finish.  The 10ml polishes also behaved kindly to my attempts at a bit of nail art without dragging and achieved opacity in a couple of coats.

Eve Snow London colour nail polishes are priced at £12 each and available to buy online at www.evesnow.com

* press samples

Hello lovely readers, if you remember my post from the beginning of last week, I introduced Clinique’s new range of nail polishes. In summary, I was feeling a little iffy about Clinique’s claims of a “revolutionary” hypo-allergenic formula. I won’t go over it again… but the original post is here if you need to remind yourself.

Well, I promised you an update… and here it is:

The PR team at Clinique listened to my concerns and promised to find out what they could for us with regards to how the formula differs from the already-established Big 3/4 Free formulas available on the market.

Here’s the statement that they were able to provide me with:

The concept for Clinique’s nail collection for sensitive skins came about when Janet Pardo, Senior Vice President, Global Product Development, Clinique, visited both Clinique’s Guiding Dermatologist and an independent dermatologist for an allergic reaction around the eye area. Both dermatologists advised Janet to remove her nail polish as this is often a common cause for an allergic reaction around the eye area. Following this, Janet started the process of creating a nail line in the Clinique way – Allergy tested, Fragrance Free, Ophthalmologist Tested and Dermatologist Tested.

This was a 6 year process that involved extensive testing with women diagnosed with sensitive skin. The formula was tested for one month on women with sensitive skin and sensitive eyes. It was vital that Clinique did not compromise on the finish, shade offering or formula and that the collection ticked all the boxes for a great polish that was suitable and safe for women with sensitive skins.

Let’s be honest… it doesn’t quite answer my question but the PR team were also eager to point out that retail versions of the nail enamel will come boxed with a full ingredient list and they kindly provided one for me to include on the blog, perhaps some of you eagle-eyed ingredients spotters will be able to deduce any missing toxins.

I don’t see any of the Big 3 (formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate) or even the Big 5 (+ formaldehyde resin and camphor) on the list. Can you see any other formula differences that might class this as a “revolutionary” update to the world of nail polish?

Either way, when there’s a lot of this going on in the beauty industry, it’s good to see a brand who deliver a full ingredient list at the point of sale and a PR team who are happy (and quick) to respond to questions and concerns.

When it comes to feelings of discouragement, there’s no better place to look for inspiration than within your own shell. The only problem is that this is one of those wretched “easy to say, harder to achieve” scenarios.

Inspiration is a slippery customer, often working hand-in-hand with another sought-after commodity, motivation. I believe that most of can usually only achieve one of these at a time but when we’re firing on all cylinders, it can be a joy to behold.

British brand NEOM have been doing a little bit of inspiring recently via their Twitter feed… the upcoming release of their limited edition Enchantment candle has filled their feed with images and chatter about one of Britain’s most delightful wildflower, the bluebell.  But before we all go crazy for a new fragrance, let me tell you a little bit about a NEOM classic, their Inspiration home candle.

I’m going to start this post – particularly as I’ve reviewed a number of NEOM scents in the past – by categorically stating that the Inspiration Candle* is my favourite thus far.  It probably helps that I adore the scent of violets, especially when paired with a blend of roses or grounded in a sultry, woody-base.

In the case of Inspiration, the violet has been beautifully fused with the spicy, resinous notes of cedarwood and it is this in particular that gives the candle a heady throw that can be enjoyed throughout the entire flat when it has been lit.  For some, candles can be “too strong”… to which I simply say, “open a window”.  If you’re concerned about purchasing a candle that delivers value for money, this one delivers more than enough scent for your buck.  It’s a beautiful little perfumed powerhouse.

The packaging is emblazoned with an inspirational quote, but I won’t hold that against them (haha).  No… I don’t mind the odd inspirational quote and the one they’ve chosen for the interior of the box (which you see as you take the candle out of the packaging) is a particularly nice one:

Life is about choices, even when it doesn’t feel that way.  Attitude is a choice.

Well, quite.

Whether or not this scent actually delivers any bonafide inspiration… well, that would be telling… but I’d describe the feelings evoked from the fragrance as both uplifting and calming.  This isn’t an invigorating type fragrance, it’s not one to put a spring in your step but instead, a soothing and deeply aromatic cwtch.  And that’s something that’s always welcome in my home.

NEOM Luxury Organics Inspiration Candle is priced from £15 (for the travel size) and is available instore at John Lewis (selected stores) and online from neomorganics.com

* press sample

Yesterday, I talked about recession-proofing your makeup with a bargainous £6 eyeshadow and today, well… you’ll see…

We’re living through some seriously tough financial times… upon this, I think we can all agree.  Yet, out of this seemingly never-ending recession, beauty brands really haven’t done too badly.

You see, in times of “austerity” (oh, how I loathe that word and all it stands for), life’s luxuries have to take a back seat… there are bills to pay, food to buy, and children to clothe.  And of course, all of these things are far more important than the need to satisfy any aspirations for a more extravagant lifestyle.  Except that, quite understandably, it’s precisely now more than ever that we genuinely need those fluffy distractions and escape from reality that life’s superficial offerings can deliver.

And so, instead of spending our pennies on designer clothes, handbags and expensive holidays… we’ve turned our attentions to slightly less flahoolick things such as shiny lipsticks, nail polishes, and Groupon-funded spa treatments.

In the midst of all this… it’s quite clear that some brands didn’t get the memo.

Launching today, exclusively at Debenhams.com is this rather spectacular and horribly-priced coffret, The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault… yours for just £240.  Now I could go on about what a ridiculous waste of money it is… but the truth is, if I could afford one… I’d be at least somewhat tempted.  After-all – and as much as I genuinely hate to call this a “bargain” – I can’t argue with the fact that this 40-shade set represents a saving of £320 compared to buying each eyeliner individually.

I could argue the toss that unless you’re a regularly-employed makeup artist, you have no bloody need for or business owning that many eyeliners.  But then, I’d be a bit of a spoil-sport wouldn’t I?  I’d also have to hide my ridiculous eyeliner stash under the bed and try very, very hard to keep a serious face whilst doing so.  And let’s not even talk about how much eyeliner you’d have to apply daily to use them up before the recommended eyeliner “use by” allocation of one year.

To put it plainly, that’s some serious investment right there.

However, I know that in all honesty, you care not one jot.  Because look at it.  It’s fucking amazing.  Lend us a tenner?

Will you be buying it?  Would you, if you had the spare change?  There are only 40 “vaults” available and the U.S stores sold out in 9 hours… you’d better be quick if you’re going to nab one!

The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Vault is available online now, from debenhams.com, priced at £240

If, like me, you’ve been searching for clever ways to recession-proof your makeup bag without compromising too much on the quality, I’ve got a treat in store for you today.

Nestled along the “this is not just any eyeshadow, this is M&S eyeshadow” (no, they’re never getting away from that slogan) lurks a rather stunning, richly pigmented, smooth-applying taupe.

You know that I’m kinda crazy for my taupes and my purples.  If the world fell off its axis tomorrow and all other shades whizzed off into outer space, I wouldn’t give a shiny shit and neither should you.  Because, at the risk of sounding a little controversial here… taupes and purples suit EVERYONE.  You just need to find the right ones.

Despite what the box says, this ain’t no “gunmetal”, there’s too much dusty moth-brown goodness in there for this to be a simple gunmetal *scoffs*.  Why, this is a full-on grown-up, grenache-drinking, interest only mortgage-paying taupe.  And not only that, but it’s a rather nice one lacking in both the kind of uber-metallic sheeniness that crepes at forty paces, and chunky sparkle.

It comes complete with a mirror, and most shockingly… a not-too-useless eyeshadow applicator that actually makes a really decent job at smudging the powder along the lashlines if you just use the tip.

For your meagre monies, you get a generous amount (no weight listed) of BUAV (bunny) approved product.  And for those who find this important… it looks easily depottable also.  I doooo like a neat, square pan!

Interestingly, they also sell a “taupe”… don’t get them confused… that one’s a wimpy, slightly-sandy looking incarnation. Pff.

M&S Autograph Pure Colour Mono Eyeshadow in Gunmetal* is priced at £6.00, available instore and online at marksandspencer.com

* press sample

Long-time readers of Lipglossiping will know that I’m a total foundation tart. One of these days, I shall snap you a picture of my foundation drawer and you’ll all think “That woman’s got one hell of a problem”.

And you’d probably be right.

You see, foundation is the one product that promises so much and often delivers so little. In fairness, I understand the many, many variables when it come to finding a perfect foundation fit and it’s one of those products where opinions suffer from a huge dose of subjectivity.

Anyway, today… I want to know about YOUR foundation loves. Tell me about the last (new) foundation you tried and loved?

Here’s mine:

The last foundation I tried and loved (prompting this post!) is Dr. Lewinns Skin Perfect Foundation*.  A great shade match, dependable medium/full-coverage, and more importantly… a velvety finish without drying my skin? That bit is kinda miraculous on my troublesome chops.  I’m on day 5 of wearing it and admittedly, my skin isn’t too dry at the moment… I shall keep testing and see if this novelty wears off, full review soon.

So, do you flit from base to base or are you resolutely faithful to your one true love?

* press sample