A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Browsing my local Debenhams last week, I came across this Color Intrigue Eyeshadow from Elizabeth Arden in shade, Smoke. Ohhh, the familiar beauty of a cool-toned taupe sucks me in almost immediately.

It was reduced down to £7-something, and as I hadn’t been able to find the jumper that I was in there to buy, I consoled myself with an eyeshadow instead.  You can imagine my tutting when I got home and found it for sale on DirectCosmetics for £3.49. Tut.

But nevertheless, I’m happy with my purchase – I adore the Elizabeth Arden eyeshadow formula which is so terribly underrated in the blogging world.  Smooth and creamy powder formulas with long-lasting wear and good pigmentation.

I’ll do a giant swatch comparison of all my taupey shades soon (if I remember), you’ll probably find that most of them look pretty much exactly like the one above.  For my shame.

What colour eyeshadow do you over-buy?

I’m a big fan of homeopathic brand Nelsons, a British institution with over 150 years of history behind it.  As a teen, I relied on their Bach’s Rescue Remedy to get me through my GCSEs and driving test, I keep an Arnica kid’s stick in my handbag for when Leila walks into something/falls over/needs to pretend that she’s a doctor, and I keep forgetting to pick up a tube of Graphites Cream for the little eczema flare ups that I get where my wedding ring sits.  I find the products effective at providing quick relief (almost like a security blanket) without breaking the bank.

I was sent a tube of Calendula Cream*, which is marketed as a multi-purpose cream for rough, dry, flaky or chapped skin.  Oh hai!  That’s me that is!

I’ve spent the past two days rubbing it into my cuticles as a benchmark, simply because I’m so used to nourishing that area I feel that I can judge it’s efficacy better here than by using it on other parts on my body.  I’d describe the Calendula Cream as a good option for those who need a lightweight but nourishing moisturiser.  This isn’t something I’d apply before bed for an intensive treatment, it’s better suited to a daytime environment.  It’s a little too slow to absorb to keep in my handbag (when you’ve literally only got about 30 seconds before you need to be doing stuff/touching things again) but it’s nicely balanced as an option for your desk drawer.

It has been effective at softening the hardest bits of skin around my fingernails even after only a couple of days.  I don’t care for the scent, which I’m struggling to describe as it smells (to me) neither floral, nor herbal.  I don’t know what calendula (the plant) actually smells like, it may be a perfect representation.  The cream doesn’t leave a greasy film behind but does leave a silky sensation that may put you off… you can ‘feel’ it, but it doesn’t hinder at all.

You can use this on any dry bits, I’m currently suffering around my hairline… so I’ll be giving it a go on my face, albeit a little concerned that it may be too rich… we shall see!  I’ve posted a picture of the ingredient’s list above, the cream is described as being free from: artificial colourings, fragrances, parabens, PEGs, lanolin, silicones and mineral oils.  So basically, it’s a good option for anyone that has experienced (or feels they have experienced) any problems with the above ingredients in the past.  I also really like the Weleda Calendula Weather Protection Cream which is more of an intensive treatment (and doesn’t sink in so well) for very dry skin.

Priced at £6.35, Nelsons Calendula Cream is available to buy instore and online at Boots

* press sample

When I heard that Glitter Gal polishes had made it across to the UK last month, I immediately skipped over to the UK stockist and placed an order for the two polishes that I’d been wanting for a while.  I first tried a Glitter Gal polish a couple of years back, and very pretty it was too – since then, the line has expanded greatly and my heart was going pitter-patter for their holographic RED… but more on that one another time (i.e. when I’ve done the photos).

Light As A Feather is a subdued holo which compliments the soft, ethereal shade beautifully.  It looks plumpity and squishy on the nails with a little visible nail line peeping through despite three coats.  I think it actually suits the calm demeanor of this shade to be a little sheerer.  Sure, it’s not a wham-bam in your face holo but it feels like a demure, more grown up version of the trend – ideal for those of us looking for a work-appropriate bit of sparkle.

Once the light hits it (please excuse my dry hands and nails), the holographic particles spring forth and dance a little jig on your fingertips.  They’re linear in placement and sparkle rather than dazzle with their prettiness.  Jenni has a great swatch of it here.

Glitter Gal Light As A Feather is priced at £8.75 and available to buy online in the UK at Sjmwell Nail’s & Beauty

Finding the perfect mascara is much like finding the perfect killer heels.  You want something that makes your legs (lashes) look incredible without crippling the wearer.  Some mascaras sting, flake, smear, or generally flop halfway through the day.  The Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara* is a good choice for anyone who wants impressive lash scaffolding without too many side effects.

My lashes are naturally fairly curly and crave definition and impressive darkening to make the most of them.  Curling isn’t high on my list of priorities but even I could see how once this mascara sets, it holds a rock-solid shape throughout the day.

The brush is a curved affair, with a tapered tip to allow you to reach the tiniest of corner lashes.  It does offer good coverage with a single pass, which is just as well because the formula has a tendency to go a little spidery if you go back for too many coats.  I’d stick with two as a maximum.  The formula is a little wetter than some, so be aware of this when applying… I’m always a little heavy-handed which usually results in a couple of splodges of product on my eyelid when using wetter formulas.  Avoid this by removing any excess from the wand with a tissue, or wiping it against the edge of the tube opening.

The black is a true, inky black which coats my lashes evenly and offers great definition, curling and lengthening.  It also does well to volumise at the roots, but again… with the wetter formula, you do need to be precise here.  It’s a little bit ‘bitty’ as it builds, and these ‘bits’ will flake off throughout the day but it’s purely the excess which drops, so again, just take a little more care that you haven’t loaded your brush with too much product and you’ll avoid this.  Another issue is removal… you’ll need warm water to remove, so simply hold a wet flannel to your lashes momentarily and the formula will slide right off.  If you don’t?  This stuff is holding steady – making it a great choice for Summer holidays!  Basically, there’s a learning curve with this mascara that’s worth getting to grips with.

All in all, I think the Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara is a strong offering from the line.  It does what it says on the tube, and if you’re looking for supreme hold and curl with a long-lasting formula (albeit with a little work on your part to get the absolute best from it), you won’t go far wrong with this one.

Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara is available to buy on counter and online, priced at £16.00

* press sample

This month sees some new additions to the home-scenting range from Jo Malone.  Flanking the ever-popular candles, the British brand have introduced Scent Surround diffusers, room sprays, and limited edition drawer liners and sachets.  Playing nicely on the layering theory when it comes to fragrance, you can now treat your home environment to the same luxuries as you do your skin.

The diffusers and room sprays are available in three iconic Jo Malone fragrances: Red Roses, Lime Basil & Mandarin, and Pomegranate Noir whilst the limited edition items are available in Lime Basil & Mandarin only.

As for the ‘negative’ I mention in the post title… well, take a look at the new packaging for the Home Collection…

Cheekily reversing the traditional Jo Malone style from cream boxes with black ribbon, to black boxes with cream ribbon… talk about double negatives, and we all know what they make?  A positive! *groan*

The idea behind a reed diffuser* is that it will continually fragrance an area of your home for upto 5 months, it’s perfect for families with small children or pets that are liable to knock candles over.  The Red Roses scent smells exactly like the skin perfume, and hasn’t been ‘dumbed down’ into an inferior home scent.

I’d recommend this scent for the more communal areas of your home: the sitting room, hallways and landings would particularly benefit from this delicate fragrance.  I’ve had mine sitting on a shelf in the hallway for almost a month and it still ‘catches’ me with a great first impression everytime I walk through the door.  Shame about the untidiness that greets me visually!

I’m a huge fan of scented sachets, and have friends who laugh at me because I physically get a little bit excited when I’m out shopping and discover one!  I love them because they’re a fairly inexpensive way of creating a sweet-smelling atmosphere!  When Leila was a baby, almost everyone used to comment on how beautiful she always smelled – the secret? yep, delicately-scented sachets scattered amongst her babygros!  They’re also great for putting in foisty suitcases that you’ve dragged down from the loft.  Anyway, I’m completely digressing but I think drawer liners and sachets get a bad rap as a bit of a granny product!

Scent Surround™  Diffusers 165ml £45 / €60
Scent Surround™  Room Sprays 175ml £34 / €45
Limited Edition Scent Surround™ Sachets 3 pieces £20 / €25
Limited Edition Scent Surround™ Drawer Liners 5 pieces £30 / €40

Check out the Jo Malone Home Collection online at www.jomalone.com

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You know how I love a good gift with purchase and I’ve got another one to share with you today.

Until 31st May, all customers who purchase one or more full-sized ESPA products will be offered a uniquely personalised GWP with a set of four trial-sized products.  Take your pick from a selection of ten carefully-chosen products that hail from British brand ESPA’s most-loved ranges.

The gift with purchase Try Me… Love Me collection takes inspiration from Alice in Wonderland and each set also contains a unique code which can be entered online to uncover the chance to win £500 worth of ESPA skincare or one of five runner-up prizes.

Currently, the offer is only available in spas, salons and stores nationwide but will be rolling out on the ESPA website shortly.  Search online to find your nearest stockist.

I’ve got two NOTDs to show you today, and I thought I’d bunch them together seeing as they both fit neatly along a theme. Union Jack Black and Saucy Jack… err, you’re getting the connection right?

Butter London – Union Jack Black

Butter London – Saucy Jack

Union Jack Black is a rich black with a patent, high-gloss shine.  At three coats, it requires one more than I’d like to reach full opacity but it applies effortlessly and dries rapidly.  When I got to meet Nonie Creme, she ranked Union Jack Black as one of her personal favourites from the line.

Saucy Jack is an intriguing shade with its almost jelly-like finish and blood-red hue.  It gives a stained glass-like impression that is really intriguing and ranks up there as one of my most vampy shades.  Most jellies are quite soft and squishy looking, this is far more gothic in its interpretation.

Talking of Jacks… my brother used to get mistaken for Jack Black a lot.  This is not really relevant but watching this clip always makes me laugh.  Not only does my brother look a little like Barry.  He basically is Barry, albeit slightly less hyperactive.  Also not relevant to the post, but my other brother played bass on Dry The Rain, also in the film here.  It’s like trufax Thursday right here!

Both shades are available to buy online from Powder Rooms, priced at £11.95 each.

Share a random trufax with me!

I’ve been trying out the ADesign Skincare Brush Set for just over a month now, and I wanted to see if this one set could ever possibly replace the various skin brushes that I’ve grown to love over the years.  I have to say, the set did fare better than I thought it would… but the ultimate answer is that nothing can replace many years of replacing rubbish brushes with marginally better ones until you reach brush nirvana!

But let me talk you through the brushes contained in the ADesign Skincare Brush Set*, with particular reference to my. new. favourite. brush.

I’ll begin by giving you a quick overview of the set, which is available to buy online from Cocktail Cosmetics, priced at £44.95.  Broken down, that works out at around £8.99 per brush – which for face brushes, makes it a very good value set.  You’d easily pay that on the high street for brushes that don’t come close to even 10% of the quality that these represent.

For your money, you get five brushes housed in a patent mock-croc bag that is fully-lined to prevent damage from spills.  The brushes (from left to right) are: Pointed Foundation Kabuki Brush, Flat Top Foundation Brush, Foundation Brush, Medium Concealer Brush, and Pointed Concealer Brush.

You may be asking yourself, why on Earth would you need three different foundation brushes?  If you are, get off my blog.

Moving on…

Yes.  It’s magnificent isn’t it?  Like a silver bullet sent to banish bad makeup application werewolves (or something *shrugs*).  I haven’t quite got the hang of how best to use the Adesign Pointed Foundation Kabuki Brush and I’m not keen on the stubby kabuki-handle – the pointed tip is obviously engineered to provide precision and having a longer-handle would complement this more effectively.  Of course, if you love the design, you could always opt for something like the Bdellium Tools Bambu Pointed Foundation Brush as an alternative.

The heavily tapered bristles on this brush allows for dual-motion blending… you can swipe both back and forward like a traditional painting motion or apply circular buffing strokes.  For me, I’ve found its forte when it comes to applying concealer over a larger area, particularly around the nose as the point gets right into the creases whilst the taper blends the edges seamlessly.  I’m not completely sold on it, but I do think I’ve not quite mastered the best technique for it yet.  If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears!

The Adesign Flat Top Foundation Brush, a.k.a. my new favourite brush.  It’s a masterpiece, so beautifully dense with tickle-me soft fibres.  It is not very pliable which allows for a really good buffing motion (rather than flopping about ineffectively on the face) and comes with a small head which I much prefer when compared to a larger size flat-top such as the ELF Powder Brush.  I’m going to photograph comparable brushes shortly and reiterate why I prefer this brush to the others.  For quick reference, comparable brushes would be: MAC 130 and Shiseido Perfect Foundation Brush (though this one isn’t cut at an angle).

I’ve been using this for applying foundation (all textures), applying cream blush and blending out any edges.  When my skin has been particularly dry and all my products have been cream or liquid-based, I haven’t even bothered to use a different brush.  This is the stand-out offering from the set.  The smaller head also means that it complements my stick products really well (things like NARS Multiples and my Shu Uemura Stick Foundation).  Perhaps the ultimate compliment I can pay it though is that it has enabled me to wear my MUFE HD Cream Blushes… those things played me up something chronic, I just couldn’t find the right tool to get the just-flushed blush from them.  Until now.

I wish that I could point to a single technical aspect of this brush that suits my needs so well, but all I can tell you is that I’m in brush love.  For reals.

After the gushing over the previous brush, the Adesign Foundation Brush doesn’t get me nearly as excited.  Again, this is small-headed… comparable in size to the Giorgio Armani Designer Foundation Expert Shaping Brush but mega-bucks cheaper.  While the GA brush tapers away quickly, the ADesign brush provides greater density from the base up, which allows this brush to both paint and buff.  The fibres have a good amount of spring to them and are densely packed from root to tip.

The Adesign Medium Concealer Brush is another that didn’t give me an awful lot to flap about.  Again, it’s a good-looking brush without any flaws and applies under-eye concealer very gently but one the whole, I prefer my No7 Concealer brush when it comes to painting on the product with a flat edge like this offers.  But talking of flat edges…

…the Adesign Pointed Concealer Brush is without them!  This is a really good brush for concealing over blemishes.  It delivers the product with pin-point precision and blends without dislodging or removing any of the product you’ve just placed!  How many times have you applied concealer to a spot, blended and then realised that you’ve blended at least 50% of the product off?!  This has worked wonders for my concealer application skillz… now I has some!  Again, this is so densely packed, you would think you’d need something with a ‘lighter’ touch, but no… despite my initial scepticism, this really does the job magnificently well.  It’s a little too stiff-feeling to use in the delicate eye area, where something like a MAC 224 works well to both apply and blend concealer.

Without exception, each of these synthetic-fibre brushes are high-quality.  The ferrules are solid, the fibres are well-cut and dense.  Each is perfectly soft, washes well and keeps its shape as it dries.  Talking of drying, these do dry more slowly than natural hair fibres…. such is the downside to synthetic brushes but I haven’t experienced any shedding during washing or application at all.  Which is more than can be said for most brushes.  Whilst I haven’t fallen head-over-heels for every brush in the set, the two that have made an impression on me (Flat Top Foundation & Pointed Concealer) … have made an impression that I want to shout about.

As an aside, you may be wondering why this is called the ‘skincare’ set… well, if you watch the video below, you’ll see that this set was designed for both makeup application AND skincare application.  Call me old-school but I’m all about the fingers when it comes to skincare!

The ADesign Skincare Brush Set is available to buy online from Cocktail Cosmetics, priced at £44.95

* press sample

Well, not entirely monstrous, but green is not a colour that I can pull off with much success.  Mr. L, who never comments on my makeup (other than to tell me I look lovely when I drop enough hints that he ought to be saying something), readily agrees that green is not a colour I should allow into my makeup-playing repertoire too often.  About halfway through the day I asked him, “Have you noticed that I’m wearing green on my eyes today?”.

“Yes. *pause* It doesn’t look too bad does it?”

And that ladies, clearly means that it looks amazing.  Or not.  I’ll go with the former.

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re getting a bit old to wear bright colours on your eyes?  I do.  I mean, when I was 27…. I thought I was getting too old, but now that I’m 30 and I’m looking at the photo thinking, “I think it doesn’t look too weird” but, I surround myself (online) with beautiful women who love to have fun and enjoy a passion for makeup.  What must women who don’t share our creativity when it comes to slap think?

Of course, one totally shouldn’t care what other women think and I’m neither fishing nor asking for validation here, it’s just that being on the cusp of the wrong side of 30 makes me hesitate.  Nothing more and nothing less, I guess it comes down to the fact that you can’t really pull off the “cute” thing once you reach your thirties, and so there’s no room for error in the same way as when you were younger.

“Should know better”.  I’d like that on my headstone… along with “One Day”, a long-held shot at faith.

I usually only have time in the morning for the basics when it comes to makeup but Mr. L has been super-generous with his time in the run-up to releasing his next game, so you can expect a few more FOTDs than normal simply because it feels lovely to walk out of the house in a proper made-up face once a week you know?  The type where you’ve played and pontificated over choosing what to apply rather than reached for the quickest, most fool-proof things you own.

Anyway, I’m really rambling.  I’ll do a quick product breakdown.

Face

Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Ivory
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-1
Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder in 00

Eyes

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Green Grass on the upper lashline
Purple Eyeshadow from the Smashbox Muse Artist Eye Palette on lower lashline
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze

Lips

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Natural in 09 Sienne Kiss*

What’s your colour nemesis?  Do you hesitate when it comes to colour?

* press sample

It’s like that time I found out about coconut m&ms (did the m&m website really just age-check me?!), I can’t remember where… some foodie blogger who was baking immense cookies with them or something.  Oh, how I hungered for the crunch of a more tropical m&m… I thought about ordering online but realised that if I’d ordered enough “candy” to make the postage worth it, I could kiss goodbye to both my diet and ever-decreasing arse.  So I waited.  And I waited.  I contented myself with peanut M&Ms as my weekly treat but it was never quite enough.

Then one day.  I snapped.  Actually, I think it was about three days later, but whatevs.

I don’t know if I’d dreamt about them but I woke up with a mission, and one that I was going to fulfil if it killed me.  We were going on a roadtrip and I WAS going to have my coconut m&ms damnit.  We jumped in the car, Leila still rubbing her eyes after being dragged from her bed (don’t worry, I made it up to her with a Tootsie Roll) and we headed up the M3 in search of Shangri-La.  Or the Stateside Candy Co. in Aldershot as Mr. L called it.

I bought two packets.  And some root beer, mac & cheese, cheetos and Vanilla coke… what?

Well anyway, I got back to the car… cracked open my Vanilla Coke (O.M.G) and dipped into the bag of coconut m&ms.

Meh.

A bit like this polish.

I wanted China Glaze Fast Track from the moment I saw it online, I mean… look at the bottle!  What in the name of all things sprinkled in gold shimmer could be more beautiful?  But on my nails, it just doesn’t translate so well.  There’s nothing wrong with it per se, it’s just that the base shade does absolutely nothing for my skin colouring.  Infact, it looks a bit fecal in an anaemic kinda way and no amount of beautiful golden sparkle can make a turd look good.  Unless, you completely obscure the turd with gold glitter, but this doesn’t do that.  I digress.  I didn’t mean to talk about turds either, sorry.

So yes, on paper… it’s a wonder, but when you get down to it… like coconut m&ms. it just leaves me feeling a bit, disappointed.

China Glaze Fast Lane is available to buy as part of the Hunger Games collection, priced at £6.59 from Sallys

* I want to live off cheetos and mac & cheese for the rest of my life. Orange food ftw.  Oh and these mini-doughnut things that must have been packed with enough preservatives to restore the defunct do-do.

I promised you a full review of the Face Atelier foundation after last week’s FOTD and my recent re-discovering of it.  Face Atelier Liquid Foundation offers medium/high coverage without looking like a traditional, high-coverage foundation.  On my dry/combination skin, it takes about 20 minutes to warm up, at which point it begins to look less like a foundation and more like naturally good skin.  It’s one of those foundations where you look in the mirror part-way through the day and say “Woah, good skin day!”  Followed by a fist-pump.

However, I do have a caveat with this foundation.  To get the best from it, you need to apply it on well-moisturised, not-too-dry, not-too-oily skin.  If you’ve got good skin texture but with a little discolouration or redness, you should be chomping at the bit to purchase.  If you’re prone to dryness or oiliness, you’ll probably be in love with this 65% of the time.  Does that make sense?

The bottle comes with a great pump that dispenses the perfect amount for a full-face application with a single squeeze.  The brand state that you do not need to wear a primer underneath this and indeed you can feel the silicone in the fomula.  If you like your foundation to feel completely weightless, you may not enjoy the feel of this one (though in no way does this feel like a heavy foundation).

It also sets fast, so work quickly!

Personally, I ignore the brand’s recommendations on primer and mix it up with a blob of moisturising primer (non-silicone) or Maqpro Make Up Mixer to give me a sheer(er) finish that doesn’t set as quickly.  To combat the additional dewiness this pairing provides, I set the foundation on my t-zone with a touch of powder.  I don’t find that it wears any less well and have been surprised by how well it performs mixing it into all different kinds of bases!  I like to buff it in with a flat-top kabuki… working it in to the skin in light circular motions, both back and forward.

* my hair looks two different colours in the above photo – the sun had come out from behind the clouds in time for the 2nd shot!

The shade #2 Ivory is spot on for me, a little too yellow technically, but I like this because it tones down my redness more effectively.  If you’re just slightly darker or lighter than the official range, you can also purchase their 0-/0+ to lighten and darken any of their shades.

Overall, on good skin days (or if you’ve got skin prep down to a fine art), this is show-stealing foundation.  It’s pricey, but what price beautiful skin fakery?

Face Atelier Ultra Foundation is priced at £32 and available to buy online from Cult Beauty

There’s nothing more intimidating in the world than a pair of super white teeth, except for perhaps super-white, super-straight teeth and for those of use who don’t want that freshly-veneered look, there are thankfully other, more affordable options.

One of the most affordable comes in the form of Spanish brand Yotuel*, which via the magic of BuyaPowa is available to buy today for less than the price of a tooth-staining coffee and bun.

I have a sneak peek of what this co-buy is going to look like (don’t tell them I’ve shown you it, they might send the monkey after me)… it’s barely more expensive than your regular toothpaste, especially if you’re a Sensodyne user like me (frankly more expensive than my crack habit).

£4.50?  £4.50?!  I think this tooth-whitening duo is going to sell out quickly.

Let me tell you a bit more about it…

I’ve been using it for a few days and as far as whitening goes, it’s too early for me to tell though I haven’t yet experienced any sensitivity (something I’m prone to with all whitening products).

The duo (75ml Toothpaste, 250ml alcohol-free whitening mouthwash) offers xylitol/fluoride-based protection against cavities, with the whitening properties coming from the carbamide peroxide, the same stuff they use in the dentists but at a lower concentration.  You’re supposed to brush 3x a day with this… hmm, that’s not always easy is it?  Are you supposed to take it to work with you?!  I guess so long as you brush as soon as you get home from work, it’d be ok.

The mouth-wash is zingy… super-zingy.  I can’t keep it in my mouth for the full minute!  The duo is free from SLS, detergent, sugar, alcohol, and is neutral pH and the toothpaste won Best New Dental Product in the 2010 Pure Beauty Awards.

If you’re wanting to lift some light-staining in time for the Summer, I think it’s worth a punt.  It feels like a gentler solution that would be good for maintaining a whiter smile rather than creating glow-in-the-dark gnashers.  Basically, I doubt it’s gonna give your TOWIE teeth overnight, but then… um, that’s a good thing right?

The Yotuel duo will be going live on BuyaPowa today in a very limited quantity.  Sign up to be notified!

* press sample

** I will of course come back and let you know in due course if the duo is the best thing since sliced bread, I may start doing FOTDs with my mouth open!