A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I found these Miss Sporty Metal Flip Nail Polish Duochromes in my local Boots store last week, they sure are pretty – and at £1.99 a-piece (aditionally on a buy-one-get-another-half-price offer), they’re also a flippin’ steal.  I can’t remember the last time I bought anything from Miss Sporty, infact, I thought you could only buy the brand in Superdrug?

Anyway… I’m pleased I had some time to kill for a proper “browse”, the kind of luxury I haven’t had in a while.

010 Beetle Wings (gilded green/brown combination)

030 Aurora Borealis (turquoise/lilac combination)

040 Fiery Blaze (purple/green/brown combination)

The Miss Sporty Metal Flip polishes aren’t the most groundbreaking duochromes in the world, simply because the colour combinations have been done many times over (don’t make me dig out my dupes!).  However, the formulas are really nicely done and each was opaque in two/three coats max.  Throw in a sub £2 price tags and these are such pretty little treats, thoroughly worthy of making it into your shopping basket.

Have you picked up any of these on your high street jaunts yet?  Which one is your favourite and will you be indulging?

I’m not your classic party girl… but if I were, I’d be panicking right about now.  You see, December is the most traditional of party seasons, that time of year when you’re really not supposed to wear the same dress twice.  And as thankful as I am for a red carpet-void lifestyle, I’m even more thankful for the fact that I don’t have to embark on strict beauty rituals to maintain an appearance fit for public consumption.

So why the hell did I agree to trial a Beauty Juice Cleanse for 5 days?  Well, because I had massive bloat, felt like a spotty teenager, and wanted a kick up the backside toward behaving more healthily again.

Almost everything is provided on the plan, the juices (and supplements) arrived by early-morning post and were still cold on arrival thanks to a well-insulated cool bag and a nip in the air.  I eyed them suspiciously, I’m of the firm opinion that rarely does anything green actually taste pleasant.  I was proven both right (and wrong), as you’ll soon discover.

The morning ritual consisted of starting the day with a barrage of powders, capsules and warm water that tasted suspiciously of sub-standard supermarket lemons (my fault) before consuming the first of the day’s three Purifyne juices.  The Colosan powder ensures that you purge the waste efficiently whilst taking on the benefits of the juices.  Unless you know your tolerance for herbal laxatives, start small and build your way up.  And don’t stray too far from a toilet at first.  Trust.

I continued to sip at my juices throughout the day, alternating them with filtered water – by the end of day one, I would have robbed your granny for a Pepsi Max.  I can honestly say that I didn’t feel hunger throughout the 5 days of the plan.  Not once.

But don’t confuse that for one-second with “not wanting to eat anything” because as your granny was getting back on her feet, I’d have knocked her back down again for the Greggs sausage roll in her handbag.  Infact, on day 2 and day 4, I had to put myself to bed early because I was quite the grumpiest of baggages without a square meal inside of me.

Having said that, with the exception of one… the juices were good.  Hilariously, out of all of them, it was only the very greenest of juices that I couldn’t stomach (there’s a picture of it toward the bottom of the post).  I ended up pouring it down the sink, I just couldn’t deal.

I must have gone into ketosis at some point between day 3 and day 4 because I felt a little shaky and light-headed on the morning of day 3 and recognised those symptoms from the Cambridge Diet – however, this isn’t a “diet”… not at all, and I definitely suffered less carb withdrawals (headaches etc.) on this plan.

Afternoons involved taking a beauty “shot”, of a substance quite hopefully named “elixir of youth”, and do you know – it was delicious!  Unfortunately, I had to follow that up with a shot of Aloe Vera juice, which… I could only get down my throat by holding my nose and praying for instant sinusitis.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the Purifyne Beautifyne Juice Cleanse is the wonderful excuse for a bit of pampering.  Every evening, I bathed in Dead Sea salts whilst sporting a hideously unnattractive mud mask.  Creature from the Black Lagoon much?  You could have thrown in a bit of seaweed and I’d have been dodging harpoons left, right and centre.  I felt so completely relaxed (and slightly wobbly) after pulling the plug each night that I was more than happy to head to bed with my final drink of the evening, Brazil Nut Milk.  Not quite a hot chocolate… but refreshing nonetheless.

Day 4, the penultimate day…. was a strange one.  I felt SO ready to eat normal food, but I was also just starting to feel the benefits of four days of juice injection.  Mr L told me that my eyes looked sparkly.  I wasn’t sure if he’d caught me remembering what a KFC tasted like or whether I was actually reaping the benefits of all those vitamins, either way – he was kind enough to notice that I was looking more perky than usual.  Of course, I weighed myself every morning… I wasn’t going to, but I couldn’t resist.  I lost a total of 8lbs over the course of the five days.

I also put 4lbs back on within 72hrs, but then I didn’t follow the “aftercare” plan and I was well aware that a lot of what I’d lost would have been water, which pops straight back on when you start eating refined carbs, sugars, salt etc.  But anyway, I didn’t do it to lose weight… hell, this juice cleanse isn’t even about that.  The Beautifyne Juice Cleanse offers the opportunity to “enhance your beauty” through chlorophyll-packed Green Juices and carefully selected supplements.

Did it?

Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that.

I will say that my spots and blemishes healed remarkably quickly compared to normal and I felt that my “lush-flush” (a.k.a diffused redness across my nose/cheeks) seemed less angry.  I also think that you can actually see I’ve lost half a stone in the before/after pictures – even if it didn’t stay off for long…

The plan is cleverly-devised, simple to follow and well-supported.  Any queries I had over email were answered within the hour and I was also provided with a daily email alert reminding me how to stay on track and get the most from the experience.  My only complaint is that I would have liked to have been provided with an “in preparation” shopping list so I could have been ready with things like fresh, organic lemons/epsom salt/additional drinks.

Ultimately, would I do it again?  Well, if I had the money and was told that I’d be wedged between Watts and Mendes for a couple of pap shots, I’d be chugging back the “elixir of youth” shots in a heartbeat.

I definitely felt better for it but I also won’t pretend that I skipped around sipping at my pantothenic acid, folic acid, carotene and choline-rich juices like Mary Poppins’ cheerier sister.  I snarled on more than one occasion.  I’m also divorced now 😉

The 5-day Purifyne Beautifyne Juice Cleanse costs £345 and works well to hand-hold your way through what is, after all, quite a serious detox.  For more advice, you can talk to the guys behind the cleanse on Twitter and Facebook.

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Got presents to buy this weekend? Of course you have *sounds the “it’s nearly December klaxon*!   How about a Cult Beauty goody bag to go with them?

I got lured into Space NK yesterday… what can I say? I don’t have a store near me, so whenever I do spot one, I break into a four-minute mile on the approach.  I’m mildly ashamed to say that I didn’t actually buy anything in there for anyone else (it was all about ME) but I’m hoping to restore some karmic equilibrium by sharing this offer from Cult Beauty with you, especially after it proved so damn popular last year!

Spend £40 (and a penny – although not necessarily exactly – duh) and claim a goody bag of delights that include the following:

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Lash Genius
2. Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel (15ml)
3. Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask (10ml)
4. Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Muscle Bath & Shower Oil (3ml)
5. Eve Lom Rescue Mask (5ml)
6. DuWop Mini Lip Venom (1.5ml)
7. Jouer Cosmetics Essential Lip Enhancer (full size)
8. Kai Perfume Oil Vial (1ml)
9. Alison Raffaele Reality Base Foundation (5ml)

Yes, yes… did you spot #7?  My eyes may have made a beeline…

I’m a massive fan of sample-sized masks and peels, they’re “treatments” that you can reap the benefits from in just one sitting.  The ladies at Cult Beauty have clearly put some thought into this year’s goody bag.  Also, would totally save the Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress for Xmas Day evening… bliss.

The offer starts tomorrow morning and is only available while stocks last.  Simply spend over £40 and enter the code GOODYBAG at checkout to claim yours.

Now, that’s gotta make Christmas shopping a little more palatable!  Done yours yet?

…and it is small, infact you probably can’t even tell it’s there – in which case, you’ll just have to trust.

I have a few Bobbi Brown Metallic Long Wear Cream Shadows that I’ve never really known how to wear.  They’re very sheer and, in my opinion, don’t really do themselves much justice when worn alone on the lids.  I’m not really sure how it took me almost two years to figure out the best way to wear them but I’ve cracked it!  Wait for it… it’s really ingenious… LAYER them!  Yes, I know!  You’d never have thought of it would you?

This isn’t today’s FOTD by the way… today, I look like shit.  Last week though, I looked quite perky (juice cleanse?) and as a result, felt the need for a bit of glitter on my face.  I wanted it to still be demure though…

I went with a simple taupe powder eyeshadow as a base… making sure it wasn’t too dark and then finger-patted Goldstone over the entire lid area.  And now I want to do that everyday.

I’m sure you’re far more adventurous about it than me but if you are wanting to dip your toes into some Christmas sparkle next month, I really recommend layering a glittery cream over a powder base – total transformation of an otherwise boring eyeshadow!

Are you wearing glitter yet?

I’ve written about these before, you know I love them, I want you to love them too!

So why not have a go at winning your very own EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush…

I have three to give away (worth £9.99 each), so read on and find out how you can score yourself your next favourite face brush!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C

1. Start date for this competition is 13th November 2012
2. Closing date for this competition is 20th November 2012
3. There are three prizes to be won, each comprising of an ECOTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush (worth £9.99 each). No cash alternatives.
4. Competition open worldwide.
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per email address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will not be kept or forwarded and are only used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. Three winners will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winners will be notified within 5 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter the competition within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.

Ayurvedic therapies have grown in popularity within the spa world this year.  The ancient holistic practices and treatments from Southern Asia are now increasingly available to book alongside the usual wraps and hot stone therapies.

Ayush Spa in Jersey – the UK’s first Ayurvedic Hotel Spa – is dedicated to the principles of Ayurvedic therapies and even offers its own Indian physician and therapists to preserve the traditions of the ancient therapies.

If, however, you don’t know your vatas from your pittas and think I’m talking a load of old kapha, don’t worry.  What has been a fairly niche buzzword within the health and beauty industry looks set to hit the mainstream.  And by “mainstream”, I mean, the “high street”.

First up are British clothing brand Monsoon, who are upping the ante with the launch of a bath and body collection, inspired by the Indian practice.  The collection features hand washes, hand and body lotions, moisturisers, body butters, body scrubs and more.  All containing natural, 100% pure plant actives that capture the spirit and knowledge of the ayurvedic tradition.  Prices start from £4.00 and there are even Christmas gift sets available to boost the well-being of your favourite aunties!

Taking the ancient principles to an even lower price point are Palmolive, with the launch of their Ayurituel shower gel range which promises a harmonious body and mind experience to leave you feeling balanced and energised.  Blimey!

The shower gels are available in three varieties: Energy, Joyous, and Tranquility – each containing exotic extracts of Indian origin including: sandalwood, Indian mulberry and neem and patchouli extracts.

You can’t beat a deliciously-scented shower gel on a cold morning and my pick from the range is Energy* (the orange one) with it’s warming combination of Indian Sandalwood & Ginger.  The Ayurituel range is priced at £2.99 each and available from Sainsburys.

Noticed any other buzzwords creeping in that look set to be a feature for 2013?

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I received a press release at the end of last week announcing a retro-inspired set of Christmas goodies from skincare brand, Dove.

“Oooh!” I thought, as I clicked to open the email for a better look.

“Oh.” I said, as the email revealed nothing of the sort.

Am I missing some crucial piece of retro-evidence here?

What in the name of full-skirted, fedora-wearing, seemingly wholesome, nothing-to-do-with-the-fifties kind of fuckery is this?

Just in case you thought I imagined it… let me indulge you with Dove’s idea about what these sets are supposed to represent…

Beauty lovers are in for a treat this Christmas as Dove launches a stunning Christmas gift collection with packaging inspired by the fabulous fifties, marking the era in which the beauty brand first launched.

In a throwback to those glamorous days, Dove is launching a beautifully packaged range of indulgent and nourishing necessities.

Sorry Dove, but sticking a tiny slightly 50s-inspired illustration on the part of the packaging that you THROW AWAY within two seconds of opening the gift, does not a 50s-inspired gift make.

Just so we’re clear.  LAZY.

Urban Decay have released three palettes, in the clutch-style format you might remember from The Midnight Emergency Kit.  The three palettes each contain six eyeshadows and a complementing mini Lip Junkie lip gloss.

The palettes are well-constructed and tote-worthy enough to be able to throw them in your handbag in advance of a night out.  Don’t tend to reapply your eyeshadow halfway through an evening, me neither… so did you know that you can remove the platform on which the eyeshadows sit and transform the packaging into a proper evening clutch?  Yeah!

The Fun palette is my favourite from the new trio on looks alone (I’ll be showing you the others soon)… I mean, turquoise glitter encrusted packaging?  It’s flippin’ gorgeous.

Enough about the clutch, it’s clear I’m smitten… how about the actual contents?

Urban Decay’s The Fun Palette claims to offer shades that are perfect for those who like to experiment with colour.  I like colour, and I like experimenting with it… but I don’t tend to actually leave the house in huge amounts of colour, mostly because I’m a big wimp.  Let’s take a look at them…

Of the six shades included, only one of them is a brand new shade… meaning that if you’re Urban Decay’s #1 fan, you may already have these shades at your disposal from within other palettes.  The shades included are:

Maui Wowie – Metallic golden beige with silver glitter
Deep End* – Bright teal shimmer
Sellout – Pinky champagne
Fishnet – Bright pink with purple shift
Stray Dog – Cool metallic ash brown
Freakshow – Deep royal purple pearl

* new shade (not new shade, Bicky recognised it from the 15th Anniversary palette)

The fact is that there’s enough neutrality going on here to suit scaredy cats like me (sellout, maui wowie and stray dog make a beautiful natural eye on their own) whilst injecting enough colour to tempt me into showing a little bravery on occasion.

Swatched with no primer.

And a quick FOTD using Fishnet on the lids, Freakshow dragged outward from the corners, Deep End as an accent under the eye, and Sellout as a highlighter.  I’m also wearing the Lip Junkie lipgloss included, which is Midnight Cowboy, a sheer nude sparkle.  It’s very sticky and not my cup of tea at all.

Urban Decay’s The Fun Palette is a sweet offering from the brand that is sure to tempt many new UD-ites into occasionally swapping out their beloved Naked Palettes for something a little brighter.  For old-skool UD junkies, there may not be enough here to warrant another purchase, but it’s a good reminder of the brand’s founding ethos towards colour and expermentation.

The Fun Palette is priced at £25 (€ 34) and available from Debenhams and House of Fraser stores or online at debenhams.com, houseoffraser.com and beautybay.com.

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Sorry ladies, I got taup-ally happy with my Yves Rocher ordering didn’t I?  This is the last one… I promise (until the next time).

You’ll be pleased to hear that this one was also the cheapest, and I didn’t have much hopes for it… but I think it’s my favourite!

#71 Gris Taupe is a densely pigmented shade with a satin finish.  So many times, cheaper powder eyeshadows lack any creaminess and feel gritty or hard to the touch.  This one has all the textural qualities you’d expect from a product twice the price.  Packaging is horrible though, this one’s definitely a depotter, though I do like a neat square pan in a depotted palatte, so it’s all good!

You can see in the swatch photo that the taupe definitely leans to the grey and is fairly neutral in tone, the silver highlight is very pretty and gives a nice ethereal sheen to the eye area once applied. Longevity is average, and I prefer to apply this one with my finger for a gentler effect as it is quite deep in pigment otherwise.

Yves Rocher Taupe Gris is priced at £8 on a buy-one-get-one-free offer (YR seem to change their prices more often than I change my knickers).

You can buy Taupe Gris online here.

Can we please have an all-together-now chorus of “it’s tooooo cold!”.  Is anyone else finding it harder-than-usual to adjust to the plummeting temperatures?  I was doing ok until about a week ago, when things seemed to take a leap from chilly to arctic.  Anyway, with the big freeze only just beginning, I’ve been battling it off with this lovely face and blush powder from Clarins.  Part of their Autumn/Winter collection, it gently injects a little warmth and colour without looking “bronzy”.

As much as I want a bit of warmth on my face, I don’t want to look like I’m desperately hankering after a bit-part in Benidorm.

I will never tire of the classic elegance of Clarin’s packaging.

The Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder offers a trio of shades that should suit all skintones, I’ve swatched them below and you can see that there is slightly less difference on the skin as there appears to be in the pan between the two tan shades.  I would say that the darker section is slightly more orange-toned, and the lighter tan a little cooler, which is why this set doesn’t “oompah, loompah” me.

Unlike the more summery offerings, this palette is also very matte.  There’s no shimmer and not even a hint of luminosity – which is actually a bit of a shame because Clarins does luminosity in their face powders better than any other brand I know.

Having said that, on my skintone, this works more as a blush than a face powder and I don’t have any issues adding some highlighter to my foundation instead.

 Clarins Colour Accents Face and Blush Powder is a very nice choice for adding some warmth to your complexion without looking like a summer-desperado.

This limited edition product won’t be around too much longer but is still available online at clarins.co.uk (£30) or even better, you can currently grab it at the special price of £24, from escentual.com

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I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a cleansing oil connoisseur, but I’ve been a fan of them for a little while now and have tried far more than my fair share in the quest for perfection.  The beauty of a cleansing oil, for lazy girls like me, is that they offer a perfectly quick solution to makeup removal AND cleansing.  In theory.  In reality, I often feel as though I need to cleanse with another product once I’ve removed my makeup with the cleansing oil.  It’s not how they’re supposed to work – but I find that many others feel the same way, advocating the double cleanse method.

Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is a 100% natural and 71.9% organic cleanser, enriched with almond, safflower seed and grapeseed oil as well as the all important Argan Oil from which the cleanser derives its name.  In-fact, a glance at the ingredient’s list reveals that Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil is indeed at the top of the bill, reassuring.

I’ve been enjoying trying out this 20ml travel-size sample of the Oil Cleanser over the last couple of weeks, you only need a tiny amount to melt away your makeup so even just a small amount lasts a significant while.  The oil is thinly-textured but sufficiently viscous enough to provide some great oily massage on the skin.  My favourite thing about the Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is the scent – some oil cleansers stink, even the really posh eones.  In general, I’ve found that the more “organic” the brand, the better the scent that’s derived from some of the natural oils.   The Douvall’s cleanser is an absolute citrus dream, tsharing top position for the best I’ve ever used in terms of scent (Nude Skincare’s is the other one).  It’s uplifting and really encourages me to linger with the oil on my face whilst I massage it into my skin, not a bad thing.

It doesn’t emulsify very well, so be prepared with your basin of warm water and make sure that you rinse completely – it will take a few passes until your skin feels oil-free.  It doesn’t leave my face feeling tight though I still need to moisturise afterward.  A lovely, pampering treat for a mundane daily task.

Douvall’s All-in-one Argan Oil Cleanser is priced at £28.00 for 150ml and is available to buy online at The Urban Retreat Beautique.

Do you have a lucky number? I’m sure almost everyone does… mine is number 7, which I’m led to believe, is one of the most popular lucky numbers in the world. Not that I really use it for anything, my lottery ticket (when I remember to buy it) is of the “lucky dip” variety and I’m no gambler, but still… it’s the LAW to have a lucky number regardless of whether it has any real significance right?

Significance isn’t a problem for Liz Earle’s latest fragrance. Liz Earle Botanical Essence No.15 hasn’t staked its name on the whim of somebody’s superstition. The number 15 actually refers to the number of precious botanicals that have gone into creating this olfactory delight.  And delight it does.

I wan’t a fan of Liz Earle’s other fragrant creation, Botanical Essence No.1 – infact, it really disappointed me.  I found it sharp and reminiscent of an old-fashioned chypre that had seen better days.  When I think of Liz Earle products, I think of fragrances that soothe the spirits and calm the mind… and the perfume bods at Liz Earle have thankfully got it very, very, right this time around.

Isn’t the packaging lovely?  I know it’s not the be all and end all, of course it isn’t… but when it comes to perfume, it’s definitely appealing when something looks good sat on your dressing table no?

The cardboard housing tells the story of the fragrance and the process in creating it, going to great lengths to detail each of the 15 botanical ingredients, it’s an interesting touch and great for novice perfume-lovers who are interested in finding out more about the ingredients and notes that make up a complete scent.

Liz Earle Botanical Essence No15 is equally as heady as Liz Earle’s first fragrance creation but in a much softer way.  It’s a completely different genre to be fair, and gone is the sharpness that pricked at my senses to be replaced by a warmer vanilla base, studded with spices and a veil of rich Damask rose.

The beauty of this scent lies in how the variety of notes toy so playfully with one another in a non-linear way.  The cinnamon doesn’t actually deliver the scent of cinnamon into the equation, it just infuses warmth.  The caramel doesn’t bring sweetness, only creamy qualities that tone down the zing of the bergamot.

It just feels (and smells) like a clever, clever creation and the more time I take to analyse it on my wrists, the more I appreciate the work that’s gone into it.

Liz Earle Botanical Essence No15 has that feminine, sensual vibe mastered and yet I can appreciate the more masculine qualities within it aswell.  The spices are rich and deep, the sandalwood is clean and calming, and the vetiver is mysteriously earthy.

No15, it’s not the most obvious lucky number in the world, but I think it’ll do wonders for Liz Earle’s sales this Christmas.

Liz Earle Botanical Essence No15 is priced at £45 for 50ml and available to buy at your local Liz Earle counter or online at lizearle.com and QVC

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