A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I know you ladies appreciate great British brands, good skincare, and a bit of a bargain.  Wanna hit the jackpot?  Well, Elemis have just announced another TSV (today’s special value) to be aired on QVC this coming Saturday, 1st September.  What better way to see in a new month than with a new skincare regime?

As always, the full contents are a bit of a closely-guarded secret but in true photo-fit fashion, let’s play “guess the missing products!”

The “known” contents of the TSV are:

Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect (worth £55)

Elemis Pro-Intense Eye and Lip Contour Cream (worth £58.20)

Elemis Limited Edition Papaya Enzyme Peel (worth £28.60)

…and two other “mystery” products to be revealed on the day.

The price of this collection is also being kept schtum until the deal goes live on air, but I’ve been reliably informed that the entire set represents a saving of over £70!

I’m good for a bit of sleuthing!  I reckon that one of those mystery products will be a 30ml of PCMC (isn’t it always?) and the other…. it’s gonna be a travel-sized something or other, one of these probably.

Will you be tuning in to QVC this Saturday?  Ignore me if you want to keep it a surprise – I was the same as a kid, my Christmas presents were always the ones with peep-holes on the corners!

Following on from my previous post introducing the new Carolyn K London Nail Paint shades, as promised, I’ve swatched the next trio set available, the Brights.

Lara

Huby

Alenoush

The formula, so far, seems to be consistent across the range… very opaque (two coats has done the job on every shade so far), a little bit runny (don’t overload the brush or you’ll curse), and a very glossy finish.  Lara looked a bit dated in the bottle and I wasn’t expecting to like it on my fingers but the gold micro-shimmer gives it a lift and a popsicle-esque edge.  Huby is a repeat from the Darks collection, a smokey grey/teal creme, and Alenoush is a lovely red jelly with a squishy finish that gives good coverage with just the tiniest hint of translucency, juicy!

Of the trio, Alenoush is my favourite – in my world, you just can’t beat a good red.  And this is a good red.

Carolyn K London Nail Paint Brights Collection is available exclusively at PowderRooms, priced at £12.99 for the trio

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Just before our big move, I headed to London for a very good friend of mine’s nuptuals… well, that and a couple of sneaky press events while she wasn’t looking.  One of which was the (re)launch of Neal’s Yard Remedies Bee Lovely campaign which introduces an entire range of bee-inspired bodycare goodies to the brand’s lineup.  These treats all share the moisturising properties of organic honey and the energising uplift of orange and mandarin essential oils.

5% of the RRP of every Bee Lovely product will be donated to a charity or good cause and the brand encourage you to sign their petition to encourage the UK government to ban the use of neonicotinoids in an attempt to help save the bee population from further devastation.

I haven’t tried the new range myself, but I did get to have a big sniff whilst at the event and if you love your body products with a zingy, citrusy-honeymonster twist, you’ll never leave the bathroom again once you get a whiff of these.

Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Collection is available to buy instore and online now, prices start at £6.50

We’re used to seeing beauty brands give up portions of their profits to charity, ten percent here – fifteen percent there and in spirit of recent Summer events, I saw a brand niftily donate 20.12% of proceeds for the occasion.

But how about 100%?  That one’s not so readily given away now is it?  Which means that when I heard about natural beauty purveyors Organic Surge giving away 100% of all proceeds from their latest hand wash to a Scottish children’s charity.

Well, that just commands attention doesn’t it?

Organic Surge have launched Helping Hand Wash in association with The Archie Foundation to help support sick children and their families in the north of Scotland.  Alan MacKenzie, founder of Organic Surge explains:

“When I launched Organic Surge over five years ago, I wanted to ensure the brand was built on a company ethos of helping others. Since the beginning our donations have helped support vulnerable children around the world, and so I am so very pleased to announce our partnership with The Archie Foundation.”

Whilst you’re washing your pennies down the drain along with the germs, you’ll be able to take comfort from the knowledge that those gently-foaming bubbles are aiding a great cause battling to provide specialist nurses to sick chidren, redevelop outdated children’s wards and provide specialist support and equipment to those who need it the most.

Helping Hand Wash is priced at £3.99 and is available online at Organic Surge.

I’m not the world’s most patriotic type, I’m more into grumbling about our nation than celebrating it, which I realise makes me sound like a bit of a miserable git but it’s not like that – well, not entirely anyway.  However, you can’t help but have been a little soul-stirred into some imaginary flag-waving this Summer with the close of our rather successful ‘limpics.

And judging by Alesha Dixon’s brit-inspired limited edition nail shades for Avon, she felt the same way.

Red Reveal and Inky Blue are the two latest inclusions to the Avon line of nailwear pro+ shades.  The Avon Beauty and Empowement Ambassador said of these two shades:

Everything British is a hot topic for me right now, what with the Jubilee, the Olympics and of course my first year on Britain’s Got Talent! I’ve always been proud to be British, so when hand picking my own fabulous limited edition Nailwear Pro+ colours there was no contest to these gorgeous red and blue shades.

Here they are swatched, with a sprinkling of totally-in-context gold (29 medals baby!) just for good measure.

The gold glitter, incase you’re wondering, is the lovely I Herd That* from China Glaze On Safari (Autumn 2012) collection.

Avon Nailwear Pro+ Alesha’s Limited Edition shades of Inky Blue* and Red Reveal* are available to buy online at Avonshop or from your local representative, currently priced at £3.50 each.

Did your nails get all patriotic this Summer?

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I’m very slowly building up steam and finally have more than just my fish-eye lens in situ at the new place, time for some swatches!  Clarins have released an entire rainbow of new mineral (pressed) eyeshadows that are designed to be used both wet and dry.  I was sent a selection to take a look at and they’re classically Clarins, both in appearance and in application.

I’ll go through the shades, one by one.

White Sparkle (01) makes for a great tear duct highlighter, it has that sheer luminosity thing going on without too much of a metallic edge.  I can see this shade also working very well to introduce a bit of sparkle as a layering shadow. Like all of the shades I’ve tried, it’s sheer but build-able and of course, can be applied with a wet brush to create a more intense effect.

Auburn (07) is a warm-toned brown with a light shimmer.  Some skin-tones may struggle with the red hues in this shade but if you’ve got green eyes and pale skin, you’re onto a winner with this one!  Used wet, it also makes for a pretty variation on your usual eyeliner.

Aubergine (12) was a slight disappointment, I found this satin shade applied with more patchiness than I’d like and also had a harder texture in the pan than the others.  Nevertheless, a very pretty shade for brown-eyed girls in particular.

Platinum (14) is a steel grey with a hint of sparkle, there’s a slight colour shift in there that reminds me more of something that you’d find in one of my violet-toned taupes than a silver/grey!  It’s a pretty shade that’s deceptively complex when compared to how it looks in the pan.

Vibrant Violet (16) is the classic violet satin with a distinctive blue flash – this was another which felt slightly more firmly-textured but still imparted an impressive streak of colour to my lids.

As with all Clarins’ releases, the packaging is satisfyingly luxurious and touchable.  The large mirror is generous and actually pretty usable in a real-life situation.  Formulas were a little variable in the batch that I swatched but were, as you’d expect, generally sheer but build-able.  This is something that I’ve come to appreciate Clarins do very well – gone are the days that I want instant and deep pigmentation (unless it’s a black!), these are all infinitely layer-able but ultimately won’t disappoint you when it comes to colour payoff either.  If your heart does desire va-va-voom style pigmentation, you could apply these with a wet brush – or go seek out a Sleek counter.

Longevity was good, I don’t apply an eye primer every morning nowadays (pure laziness) and these easily stayed put for the working day, around 7/8 hours before fading – there was no slidey migration into the socket crease at all.

The new range of Clarins Mineral Eyeshadows are available to purchase in a total of 16 shades, available now on counter or online, priced at £16 each.  Alternatively, head to the lovely Escentual.com who are always more than competitive on the Clarins range, where you’ll find them priced at an extremely palatable £12.80 a-piece.

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The beautifully illustrated Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura collection celebrates everything there is to love about Summer, from the greater clarity of colour on the landscape to the striking fauna and flora that spend the colder months hiding away.

The contemporary Japanese Kimono Artist has taken inspiration from some of Japan’s most beloved Spring floral wonders including: Fuji, Sakura, Botan, and Ume and these elegant designs grace the packaging of both the iconic Cleansing Oils and UV Under Base Mousse primers.

At the core of Shu Uemura’s well-tested philosophy lies the words: “Beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin” and our skin is in for a treat today because I have FIVE Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and UV Under Base Mousse sets to give away to lucky Lipglossiping.com readers.

Want to be in with a chance of winning one of these limited edition sets worth £85.50 each?  Read on…

Shu Uemura is globally renowned as a pioneer of cleansing oil after introducing the first oil-based cleanser to the Japanese market back in 1967.  The following short video explains a little more about this iconic product (and also reveals the answer you need to enter today’s giveaway nestled just below – you may need to wait a second or two for it to load)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C
1. Start date for this competition is 10th August 2012 at 00.01 BST
2. Closing date for this competition is 17th August 2012 at 23.59 BST
3. There are five prizes to be won, each comprising of a Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil & UV Under Base Mousse Set.  Cleansing Oil/UV Under Base Mousse varieties will be chosen at random and specific product requests cannot be accomodated. No cash alternatives.
4. UK entrants only. (sorry)
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. Five 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.

Good luck!

To keep up with the latest news from Shu Uemura, you can follow the Shu Uemura UK team on both Twitter and Facebook.

With most of my makeup in storage, I didn’t have long to trawl through my collection for the least fussy cosmetics I own to keep in my makeup bag whilst on the move.  Thankfully, I quickly discovered a purchase that I had made when the weather first began to warm up earlier in the year.  Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer is a lightweight tinted moisturiser which offers good slip without being too greasy on my skin – in terms of coverage, I find that it gives me just enough to tone down the redness and give the illusion of a more even complexion without sitting heavily on my dry bits or sinking into pores.  If you’ve got blemishes to disguise, I think that this would combine very nicely with a heavier concealer to create a naturally flawless finish.

The tinted moisturiser comes in only two shades: light and medium, making its suitability limited to fair/medium skintones – the very fair will struggle with the light shade but I can wear it comfortably on my Summer NW15/20 skintone without too much difficulty thanks to the sheer finish.  The formula boasts Apricot Kernel Oil, Chamomile, and Royal Jelly Extract as key ingredients to promote hydration and the lack of scent is a bonus.  One of my favourite things about this particular skin base is that it applies beautifully with fingers and really responds well to being “warmed up” on the skin.

It contains broad spectrum sun protection with an SPF rating of 15, though you really don’t apply enough to ensure that kind of rating is actually achieved so I wouldn’t rely on it singularly to protect your skin – particularly in these Summer months.  The packaging is basic but functional and does the job well, it would make a good holiday choice – I wish I’d had a bottle of this when I travelled around Australia (many moons ago).

Ultimately, it’s not the base I’d reach for when I want a perfectly polished complexion and while it does sit very nicely on combination skin, its lasting power is no more than average.  It excels at being a fuss-free Summer workhorse, an everyday choice for those who want a “no-foundation” foundation solution.

It’s worth noting that the bottles appear to have been downgraded from 75ml to 50ml, whilst the price has remained the same.  Do check with your retailer if you’re shopping online as most haven’t updated their stock images to reflect the new sizing.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer is available to buy on counter and online, priced at £20.50 for 50mls

With the Elemis Freshskin range now offering greater accessibility nationwide at Superdrug, it was only a matter of time before the brand expanded on the popular 10-piece collection aimed at a younger market.  Skin Clear has been developed with blemish-prone skin in mind and combines a combination of active ingredients from the highest quality essential oils, promising to re-balance, regenerate and renew oily and problem skin.

I definitely envisage the new introduction appealing to more than just teenagers, who says that spotty skin stops when you hit your mid-20s!?

At the heart of each skin clear product is an Iris Complex – a potent blend of 3 active (Iris, Zinc Salt and Vitamin A), anti-blemish ingredients that work in synergy to maximise the individual benefits of each ingredient and deliver a more powerful treatment to the skin.

If you want to see how my guest reviewer fared with the original Freshskin lineup, click through to read Gem’s comprehensive review on the products that she felt hit (or fell short of) the mark.

The full Skin Clear range will be available from September in selected Superdrug stores nationwide and on www.timetospa.co.uk or by calling 0117 316 1888

I’m feeling a bit Autumnal today thanks to these pretties from new nail polish brand on the block, Carolyn K.  Borne from the creative mind of the London-based makeup artist, this new range of 100% British nailwear is available exclusively at Powder Rooms.

Today I’m showing you one of the three sets available: Carolyn K London Dark Nail Paint Set which includes a trio of shades designed to reflect the personalities of those nearest and dearest to Carolyn.

Babette

Huby

Lilit

All photos show two coats of a formula that was easy to apply and which dried more quickly than I was expecting.  The finishes are naturally glossy and it’s only Lilit in the above photo which shows a top coat applied.  I’d describe the formula as slightly thicker than average and care should be taken not to overload the brush.  Talking of the brush, the Carolyn K range offers a flat brush for application.

There are three sets available (I’ll be back with swatches of the other sets soon) to purchase online at PowderRooms. Sets are priced at £12.99 with three polishes per set, basically – a bit of a bargain.

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This no buy thing has been wearing thin from the beginning.  If I’m honest, I’ve amazed myself at my new-found ability to resist the urge to pick up shiny beauty products.  Each time I smugly congratulate myself, Mr. L reminds me that it’s not like I’m not buying anything at all, it’s just that I’ve temporarily swapped makeups for curtains and shit like hob covers.  He reckons that if I were actually not buying anything at all, I’d find it much harder.  I think he’s right, even though it hurts like hell to admit it.  I am so utterly bored of Ikea though.

Anyway, in the midst of this no buy – I lost my facial sunscreen.  I was pretty gutted about it too, thinking I’d only be able to afford to replace it with a thick, pasty varient until our bank balance was looking a little healthier.  Until I went to the 99p store that is….

Oh. my. goodness. what a treasure trove.  I emerged from that store with: 4 Bountys, 4 cans of Pepsi Max, 6 toilet rolls (I have no shame), a spaghetti holder, 2 kinder eggs, a tin of Ye Olde Oak Ham (don’t judge, we only got a cooker today), 160 tea bags and my new facial sunscreen.  All for a total of £7.92 – screw you Tesco.  Having said that, I might give the loo roll to Leila, she needs some new tracing paper.

My new sunscreen is by Coppertone, which I believe is a U.S. brand, though this one was obviously intended for the Asian market.

Packaged without fuss and small enough to tote around in my handbag, the UV Protect UV Cut Milk Mild is a real find for me and one that I’ll be returning to pick up a couple more bottles of before the stock runs out, probably never to be seen again.  I generally favour an SPF of around 30 for daily use and the Japanese PA++ rating is enough to satisfy my needs in this non-tropical climate.

The lotion is light-weight and will please oilier skintypes who want their sun protection to feel barely-there in this warmer weather.  A few minutes after applying, my skin feels dry again with no residue or tackiness left behind.  The milky formula also spreads extremely well with a thin, liquid texture.  Although it claims to be odourless, I think I detect a slight scent, not unpleasant… but not hugely endearing either, just a bit…. chemically.  Thankfully, this fades quickly after application.

The packaging prevents product wastage and everything about the design is built for convenience rather than style.  There’s not much more to say about it really, at 99p – it’s a no-brainer and I’m really pleased I lost my Biore now!  Stock probably varies across the branches but there were a few other Coppertone products instore earlier this week (including spray sunscreens) so it’s worth a look if you have the chain near you.

What sun protection are you using at the moment?

It may have escaped your attention but everyone is going a little bit ga-ga for London at the moment, something to do with some sporting event or other…

Anyyyywayyyy, if you’re up for some celebratory patriotism but don’t wanna get all hot and sweaty about it, you should check out your local (London only) Jo Malone boutique, where the British brand have installed talented artists to pay tribute to the great city by customising gift boxes with hand-drawn sketches of various landmarks.

I received mine through the post a few weeks ago, complete with homage to Tower Bridge (that’s the one you American’s call London Bridge I believe!)

I know I shouldn’t, mustn’t even… but I can’t even begin to tell you how tempted I am to add a little stick man doing an olympic-style long jump across the gap.  Just me then…

It’s a cute and clever trick from the brand who have managed to make those signature cream n’ black boxes now even more collectible!  “OH GOD, Limited Edition – must. collect. them. all. etc, etc.”  Nice going!

You’ve got until August 12th to take advantage of the quirky offer and see your Jo Malone purchases adorned with a little historical scribbling.  Phone your nearest boutique for more details.

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