A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Argan Oil (and the like) has done for leave-in hair serums what the Hummingbird Bakery did for cupcakes.  I have spoken to plenty of women who class these serums as game-changers for taming unruly locks and I too, use them on wet hair before blow-drying and on the ends of my dry hair to seal the cuticle and give the impression of sleeker locks.

The problem that many women find with these products is that it’s very easy to go overboard when applying them.  Too close to the roots or a little too much on fine hair and you’re never going to be happy with a head that looks like the overspill from your chip pan.

I can probably count on more than one hand the number of times I’ve had to dart back into the bathroom to re-wash my fringe after getting a little too trigger-happy with the serums and it’s the kind of faux-pas that I, at least, haven’t been able to break with practise alone.

The thing that struck me so intensely about the new Charles Worthington Miracle Repair Elixir Oil is how different it feels in texture to many of the others.  It’s a lot lighter, a lot runnier and doesn’t seem to stay stuck to my palms for the rest of eternity.  Having said that, it still delivers the same manageability to my hair that I’ve grown to expect from using these serums.

For a “high street” name, at £14.99, you’re not paying a high-street price tag… but a quick look at the ingredients tells me that you’re not getting high-street quality either…

Unlike most mass-market “elixir oil” incarnations, the natural oils appear in the top half of the ingredient list, let me transcribe the (partial) list for those of you who might be interested, I’ll stop when things start getting tricky to spell 😉

Cyclopentasiloxane [stop now then shall I?], Dimethicanol, Cetyl Dimethicone, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Pentaclethra Macroloba (Pracaxi) Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis (Camellia) Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare (wheat) Germ Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Tocopherol, Phytantriol, Cocoglycerides, Capryllic/Capric Triglyceride, Aminopropyl Phenyl Trimethicone… (and the list goes on…)

4th ingredient down the list and bingo – which isn’t bad considering that when reading the back of the the much-loved Moroccan Oil packet, you’ll get to the 6th ingredient in the list before seeing the magic “argan” word.

I’m inclined to think that it’s more to do with the blend of silicones they pack into these things that aid the smoothening of the locks far more than the blend of natural oils, but… still, it’s nice to see that CW isn’t skimping on the oils part of the “magic formula” isn’t it?

This is definitely worth a try if you’re finer-haired and have had trouble with the heavier formulas of other argan oil-inspired products in the past.

Charles Worthington Miracle Repair Elixir Oil is priced at £14.99 for 50ml and is part of the new Charles Worthington Salon at Home range, which is available to buy now in Boots instore and online – I have a couple of other bits from the range that promise all sorts of wonderous things for your barnet – should they impress (or catastrophically disgust me), you can be sure that I’ll tell you about it.

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Let’s get this straight… Pukka Nourishing Brightener smells like it needs to go in a curry. It looks like it needs to go in a curry and if I sneeze whilst standing too closely to it, chances are, it will end up in a curry. It’s aromatic in the extreme, horrendously messy to work with, and an eternally bemusing thing to put on your face.

That said, it’s bloody brilliant.

I don’t think I’ve actually ever used anything in 3/4 years of beauty blogging that’s had such an instant effect on my skin.  Long-lasting effects?  Well, I don’t know about that but in terms of the skincare miracle that you’d want to apply before a big night out for a glowing complexion?  Well, I think I might have found mine.

I don’t even know what it actually is… Pukka say that it’s got Amla and Gotu Kola in it.  Say what?

I mean, how can this little pot (and you don’t get an awful lot for your money) of… of… what looks like the scrapings off your burnt toast (sorry Pukka) coax my parched skin into such a glow?  It’s like a post-facial glow but without all the steaming, blackhead extraction (the blackheads are still there unfortunately), and skin pummeling.

Simply mix a little bit into your usual cleanser (I use a creamy one like A-Derma Sensifluid Cleansing Lotion), rub it in a bit (technical term) and then rinse off with a warm flannel.  HELL-O GLO!

Pukka Nourishing Brightener is priced at £13.00 for 15g and available online from PukkaHerbs.com – it’s probably awful in a curry.

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If there’s one face in the over-populated world of celebdom who should know a thing or two about perfecting a great red lip, it’s Ms. Dita von Teese.  The American burlesque dancer, model and actress has made the red lip look her calling card over the years, always immaculate and always on the pin-up side of glam.  Who else would you trust with a fabulous retro red lip?

Well, that’s obviously what German cosmetics brand Artdeco thought to themselves when they collaborated with the dancer to create the Dita von Teese Classics Art Deco collection.  Of course, my little heart went all a-pitter-patter at the thought of the potential red lipsticks… and I have one to show you today…

This is #615, the Dita Von Teese Art Couture Lipstick in Muse Red.

I have to say, that if I have one major disappointment about this line… it’s the packaging.  There’s nothing wrong with it but it just feels a little like a missed opportunity to play up to Dita’s vintage styling, I know that when all is said and done, I’d be moaning far more if the contents of the packaging didn’t align themselves in a Dita-esque manner… but, I fancied a nit-pick.  Think Besame with a modern-twist… now that would have been something no?

But as things stand, the packaging is simple, elegant and understated – the only real nod to the co-collaborator comes in the form of a signature and a cameo-esque etching, it’s cute enough.

You can see from this photo (hopefully) that #415, 1 of 6 dita-inspired lipsticks, is a warm-toned orange red… not my most favourite reds to wear simply because of my uber-cool toned colouring but to my mind, the most authentically retro-looking of the lot.  The lipliner that you see peeking in the background is also part of the collection and is a much cooler-toned red (#10 Dame) – it works “ok” with the lipstick but it isn’t a perfect match and if you were looking to buy the two together, I’d say look elsewhere for a warm-toned lip liner.

Moans aside, the formula of the lipstick is a delight.  It’s firm enough to give you enough confidence that you’re not going to end up with colour transfer over your teeth (and I didn’t, at all – despite my BIG front teeth which always get in the way), but soft enough to apply without dragging too reluctantly over your lips.  It strikes a really good balance for a bold lip colour, and formula really is all important when you’re braving a lip colour with such potential to show you up or let you down.

The lip swatches show the colour with lip-liner underneath to help create sharp-edged definition but in all honesty, I think that this lipstick is “man” enough (last of the great feminists me!) to hold a decent edge by itself.  Obviously, for optimum definition it’s always best to line the contours first but most of the time, if I am using a lip-liner, I actually do it to extend the edge of my lips just at the outer corners where 10 years of smoking contributed to a loss of fullness – maybe I’ll take some photos of how I do that sometime if anyone’s interested?

It’s always hard when writing a red lip series post to perfectly demonstrate the tone of a red lipstick compared to others in the genre, so I’ve decided to start swatching them alongside MAC’s Russian Red, commonly thought of as a pretty good example of a neutral red – meaning that it leans neither too blue, nor too orange.  I hope it will be helpful.  Either way, as you can see – in the swatch below, Dita’s Muse Red is comparatively orange-toned when compared to the MAC neutral (it’s also much less draggy!)

Considering there was much room for disappointment (you don’t put out a “Dita von Teese” red lipstick without expecting it to be scrutinised!), #415 is a lovely, retro red that offers good, nay, great longevity… authentic colour and a lip-friendly formula.  What else do you need?

The Dita von Teese Classics Artdeco collection is out now and available to buy in person at larger Debenhams stores and online at debenhams.com

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When I received samples of Phyllis Cohen’s latest creations for Face Lace, I thought that rather than visualise them on me again, it would be a neat idea to let some other bloggers get inspired by the intricate designs too! With Halloween coming, let’s face it – there’s plenty of opportunity to get creative…

Sandra from The Black Pearl Blog modelling Frou Frou

Khila from Ms Budget Beauty also modelling Frou Frou

Robyn from Eyeliner and Spraypaint modelling Tribaldelic

Thank you so much ladies, what an amazing demonstration of looks: alluring, mysterious and FREAKIN’ GLITTER EYEBROWS!!!

Face Lace, would you?

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Who says you need to spend oodles of money to smell like a goddess in the shower?

Yves Rocher’s Voile d’Ambre Shower Gel defies its (current) sub-£10 price tag and smells more like one of the department store fragrance flankers.  At £7-odd, I don’t use this daily… but it’s perfect for layering under your favourite oriental, woody perfumes and is a great scent choice for ushering in the colder weather.

I’m not going to review it like it’s a perfume… it’s a shower gel after all, and I can only hold a certain amount of excitement for shower gels regardless of how nice they are, but still… the amber in Voile d’Ambre isn’t overpowering but lasts beautifully on my skin.  I’m keen to explore the other shower gels, and perhaps even the perfumes in the Yves Rocher line – I’m glad I added this one to my recent order, it’s so nice to find a new brand (to me) to get my teeth stuck into!

Yves Rocher Voile d’Ambre Shower Gel is currently priced at £7.80 and is available to buy online in the UK from the Yves Rocher website.

What is it?

Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo and Conditioner – formulated with Ojon Oil, which helps instantly hydrate extremely dry, damaged hair and protect it from future breakage.  The brand are offering customers the chance to take home a full size Damage Reverse Shampoo and a full size Damage Reverse Conditioner, completely free of charge!

How do I get it?

Customers are invited to visit their nearest John Lewis, selected Boots stores, House of Fraser, Fenwick and Harrods on November 8th 2012  to take part in this one day event. Customers will receive the Damage Reverse Shampoo and Conditioner, worth £41.50 in exchange for an empty shampoo or conditioner bottle from any brand.  This offer is on a first come, first served basis and the offer will only stand while stocks last.

Really?!

Yep.

Get that date in your diaries ladies and don’t throw away your empties!

* for your nearest participating store call: 0870 034 2454

I received a few Fudge bits and pieces through the post a couple of weeks ago and among them was this, which I initially mistook for hairspray…

We all have the capacity to become a bit green-eyed about certain traits other women may posess, things that we find ourselves lacking in, and one of those for me, is glossy hair.  The sort of hair that looks as though it’s made of one solid piece of polished-to-hell shine.

I might be sitting opposite a lady on the tube who runs her fingers through her hair and each piece falls back into place, as though she’s parted a wave… before the tide returns to reclaim the individual droplets.  If I do that with my hair, each strand happily stays at a 90 degree angle to my scalp.  Frizzies, I has ’em.

Well, while the spray doesn’t do enough to tame them completely when I’m wearing my hair down, I’ve discovered a specific and useful application for it… you might find it useful too…

You know when you put your hair up… a bun, some cute plaits?  Anyway, those shorter strands… the slightly frazzled ones that won’t lie flat to your head and instead give the illusion of an explosion in a mattress factory.  Yeah, you know the ones I mean.  Shake the can, give it a quick blast over your head and then gently smoothe/flatten any frizzies with your palms and they do not spring back up.  More importantly, thanks to the super-matte formula, you don’t get the hairspray “look” that doing this with hairspray creates, I’ve tried both – this looks a lot more natural and far less “heavy” on my fine hair.

It’s quite a specific benefit but if you’re a fan of the Croydon facelift, it might be a very useful tool in your arsenal!

Fudge Matte Mineral Textures Anti Frizz Deconstruction Spray is currently priced at £8.60 online at BeautyBay.com

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Sorry ladies, don’t mean to play chief enabler on a Wednesday afternoon but I know that many of us are starting to think about Christmas pressies and the like and this seemed like too good an offer not to shout about.

Debenhams are offering an online Elemis exclusive collection which includes some thoroughly lovely products in travel sizes, some of their most popular infact… for only £23.50.

Award winning Elemis collection in travel sizes! Beautifully presented in a silver cosmetics pouch:

• Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml
• Papaya Enzyme Peel 15ml
• Frangipani Monoi Body Oil 35ml
• Exotic Frangipani Monoi bath & shower cream 50ml
• Pro-Radiance cream cleanser 30ml

The entire set is worth in the region of £74, that’s a saving of ALMOST 70%!  Debenhams are also currently offering 1000 bonus beauty club points on spends over £50.

How’s your Christmas shopping going?

I perpetually live in hope when it comes to the Precision Inks from Illamasqua.  For whatever reason, my body chemistry and the polymer-whatsits inside the formula repel one another.  I also know that I’m in the minority when it comes to having trouble getting them to stay on my eyelids but regardless… here’s a quick review of the latest Precision Ink from the great (Great?) British brand…

The Precision Ink provides a neatly tapered, perfectly controllable “brush” with which to dispense the product along the lashline – it’s well designed and allows both precision and decent coverage without needing to take multiple passes.  When you get the hang of how the liquid flows from the brush you can use the angles to your advantage and swiftly draw both thick and thin lines.

The formula is fairly wet and does occassionally attach itself more to my lashes than my lashline… but I find that to be true of most non-pen style applicators, whilst they’re great for providing quick coverage, you may have to do a little cleanup afterward, unless you’re very handy with an eyeliner!

Now, as for Wisdom… what makes it special?  What made me hope and pray to the Gods of makeup that the formula and I would finally, magically become compatible?

The shade.

Wisdom is an absolutely beautiful gilded olive/antique gold – it reminds me a little of Urban Decay’s old liquid liner in Honey… but perhaps a little more sheer.

I’ve swatched it above both on its own and over a black liquid eyeliner to demonstrate the depth of pigment.  Wisdom makes a fabulous alternative to the usual black and is light enough to work really well as part of a simple neutral, work-appropriate look whilst adding a little “interest” to a look that you might be a bit tired of wearing.

Unfortunately, it just doesn’t last well on my eyelids at all.  I don’t know if it’s because they’re hooded and I literally “rub” away the product with my upper lid as the day progresses or… gosh, I really don’t know.  Either way, none of the Precision Inks I’ve tried since their launch have lasted longer than around 4 hours for me without flaking off in great chunks and leaving bald patches.  Other people I’ve spoken to on Twitter find them some of the most long-wearing eyeliners they’ve ever tried.  C’est la vie.

Illamasqua Precision Ink in Wisdom is part of the limited edition Generation Q collection, priced at £17 and available on counter and online now, while stocks last.

Do you have a nemesis product that you just can’t get to grips with?

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La Roche Posay Hydreane BB Creme.  Yes, it’s pretty much as awesome as I hoped it would be.  If only it had just a little higher SPF rating, we’d be best of buds all year round.  Well, at least until my new favourite base product comes out – a girl can’t be too loyal when it comes to foundations can she?

After suffering a major, practically heartbreaking disappointment over the much lusted-after Giorgio Armani Maestro Foundation (which did nothing for me other than accentuate my dry bits and make me look blotchy), along comes La Roche-Posay to stroke my hair and tell me I’m not a troll.  No, really – bad makeup positively upsets me.

Paraben-free and suitable for all skin types (allegedly), Hydreane BB Creme is a rich, tinted base with an emolliating formula.  It’s perfect for the upcoming colder months but some may feel that the lower coverage levels are more suited to Summer months when we break out our tinted moisturisers.  The difference for me is that I don’t generally achieve much coverage across my nose with tinted moisturisers, with this – it provides just about enough redness-calming to make me feel a little more secure in my skin – and that, along with the great hydration, is why I’m happy to grant this BB Cream status.

Hygenically packaged in a travel-friendly squeezy tube, the cream that dispenses is a little thinner in texture than most traditional BB Creams.  It spreads across my skin with ease and almost provides enough moisture alone to go without any additional hydration underneath.  Almost.  I find that I still need to give my skin a little hydration boost around my nose (but not on it) and between my brows.

Once worked into the skin with the warmth of my fingers aiding the process, I stepped away from the mirror.  Five minutes later, I returned and was pleased to see a great skintone match, sheer coverage and skin that looked more refined and even.  Blemishes will need spot concealing and under-eye darkness will need brightening but this is a brilliant base for anyone who needs a quick, daily product to tone down redness without looking like you’re wearing a face of makeup.  It’s a skin confidence booster rather than a full-on face-fixer and that suits my tastes perfectly.  I also have no issues to report re: longevity, though I’m afraid that I can’t speak for oilier skin types.

I’m so pleased that this one lived up to the hype that I’d managed to build up for myself around it – my favourite Western BB Cream so far.

La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Creme is available to buy instore and online at boots.com, priced at £15.00 for 40ml

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Well, I watched it and I’ll confess to a bit of a shiver.  I don’t even fancy Brad Pitt but it did gave me a little thrill down my spine – I think it’s the atmospheric lighting more than anything to be honest.  I watched it again… well, three times actually.  There’s nothing wrong with it per se…

But the thing is…

WHAT’S HE SAYIN’?????

Seriously, I’m transported back to the first time I tried to comprehend Ferdinand de Saussure’s system of sign analysis… and the second time, and then every time subsequently until I gave up and decided that only losers got first-class honours degrees anyway 😉

Can someone please translate for me*?  I’m not even joking.  Where’s the pretty ladies in pretty dresses?!

* if it takes you more than 15 seconds to explain it to me, we’ve all failed

Remember Rimmel’s Hide The Blemish? Surely a handbag staple for teenagers around the world if ever we saw one?  Well, I have to admit… this is what I was reminded of when I received this concealer sample through the post.  I would call the packaging ‘charming’ but honestly, it just looks a little bit dated/only-three-kids-allowed-in-the-shop-at-the-same-time (our local chemist and Rimmel counter was on the school route home!)

But that’s where the similarities end.  Completely.

Essential Care’s Mineral Concealer is really hydrating and offers a lot of slip during application.  Infact, I was positively convinced that it would slide straight off any blemishes that it initially concealed, but it didn’t – at least not for the couple of hours that I was able to test it.  The shade was sadly a little too dark for me so I couldn’t leave the house with it on and had to reapply my usual liquid concealer before picking Leila up from the nursery.

Application is precise and full, you can blend out the edges with your ring finger, as I normally do but because this formula is so soft, I used a brush in this instance and it worked beautifully.  I’m very tempted to pick one of these up in “fair” for the winter as my usual bugbear with blemish concealers is that they cling to all my dry bits… ultimately rendering themselves less useful than a solar-powered torch in a black hole.

Ingredients

COCOS NUCIFERA OIL*, RICINIS COMMUNIS OIL*, CERA ALBA*, OLEA EUROPAEA OIL*, ZINC OXIDE, TAPIOCA STARCH*, CANDELILLA CERA*, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED CERA, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES FRUIT EXTRACT*, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT*, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS EXTRACT*. May contain +/- CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891, CI 77007, mica, silica *Organically grown/produced (minimum 76%).

It’s pricy (in my opinion) at £17.50 but I may try mixing it on the back of my hand to create a customised tinted moisturiser.  I’m really quite enthusiastic about how utterly non-drying it is.

Essential Care Mineral Concealer is available to buy online from essential-care.co.uk

Do you have a favourite hydrating concealer?