A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

It’s more than I can do to write this post without pointing out the horrible spelling of a beautiful name.  It’s only my opinion so cool it with the evils oh “Layla’s” of the world.  But just so you know, it’s L.E.I.L.A.  Ok?

Anyway, back to the polishes… I’m just gonna let the pictures do the talking here.

Coral Glam

Mercury Twilight

Flash Black

Layla is an Italian brand of which I know practically nothing about.  Each shade shown above was a quick-drying three coater.  Wear was fairly crappy despite the nail prep (you’re supposed to buff the nail beds to a ridge-free shine before applying).  Admittedly, I didn’t experience chipping but I did have tip wear by the end of the first day (tried both with and without a top coat).  Still, when something is this beautiful – you tend to be a little more lenient on it no?

The bottles are 10ml each and the holographic effect is beautifully dramatic in each of them.  You should note that although Flash Black looks a touch duller than the other two, it’s only because the sun was starting to set by the time I was able to take photos.  Poor Flash Black, it’s just as a vibrantly blingy in real life.

Do you like these?

I paid £11.25 for each of these and bought them online from Simply Occasions, who I believe is the only UK stockist.

My poor, poor face.  I’m in the middle of a snot fest and I’m now understanding why I was brought up on a diet of haliborange.  Throughout the year I’m not a terribly sickly person (I was as a kid) which is just aswell because I’m the biggest wimp you could meet (probably).  I even have a ‘cold’ voice – you know that weak-sounding, more-than-slightly whiney tone that resonates through the nose more than the throat?  My poor family.  Anyway, this week’s cold has been particularly frustrating because of how beautiful it’s been outside!  The whole family have had it and thus we’ve been mostly quarantined indoors through the weekend.  I decided to make a break for it yesterday and thus needed a face of makeup to disguise my ravaged skin.  It’s so dry and dull, combined with the snot-induced nose flakes and hormonal jaw-line mega zits?  Not pretty.

I massaged my freshly-washed skin with a combination of Liz Earle SuperSkin Concentrate* and Alpha H All For Eve Age Delay Facial Oil* in an attempt to revive some life.  Kinda like a cardiac massage for the face before giving my driest spots (flakey bits) at light cover of Lucas Paw Paw Ointment (this stuff is great for disguising nose flakes).  I went with the spring-like weather and injected some colour onto my face with a bright streak of blue under my lower lashline.  This is my favourite way to wear the shade and I do it quite a lot in the Summer.  Anyway, enough talk.  Here’s my Springtime in the Sahara FOTD:

I think I could have done with a touch of highlighter but I’m otherwise looking fairly perky considering I felt like DEATH.  Like my Tammy Faye Baker eyelashes?  Tough – I do!  I never put that much on my lower lashes normally but now I’m gonna (until I get bored of it).

I’m wearing:

Skinfood Gingko Green BB Cream
Priori Perfecting Mineral Foundation (lightly buffed where I needed more coverage)*
Maybelline Pure Cover Mineral Concealer

KIKO Automatic Waterproof Eyeliner
Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour in Marina under the lower lashline
Benefit They’re Real Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze (I found it, I found it!)

Benefit Hervana Blush* (I did promise you a FOTD with this beauty)
Boots No7 Vital Brights Lipstick in Blooming Pink*

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What do you think?  Bit too early in the year to pull out these shades?  Hope you’re well and less snotty than me!  At least the pancakes (bacon and maple syrup!) cheered me up!

* press samples

BuyaPowa are teaming up with Closer magazine all this week to bring some extra special beauty bargains to the co-buying table.  The team over at Closer have included some of their celeb-fave products and I’m excited to reveal the pretties that will be going live this week.

As you can see, I only have the heads up on the best price for the first two to go live (they’re terrible teases over at BuyaPowa HQ!) but goodness me, how gorgeous is that YSL Lipstick?

If you want the heads up as and when the co-buys hit the website (remember: limited quantity, limited time!), head over to the Closer facebook page or sign up to the email alerts at BuyaPowa to ensure you’re the first to know!

If you’ve previously enjoyed the quarterly newsletters from Liz Earle, you’ll be pleased to know that the company have just launched a new monthly magazine for their UK subscribers, Beauty Insider.  The magazine features behind-the-scenes stories, latest news, and expert features including hints and tips from Liz herself.

Each Beauty Insider issue features a new skincare essentials regime with free UK standard p&p and will, each month, come complete with a complimentary gift.  This month features the award-winning Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask to help combat dry, parched skin and solve seasonal skincare woes.

If you’ve recently ordered from the website and haven’t received your copy of the magazine, give their customer centre a call to request a copy.  A quick heads up: if you need to stock up on any of your Liz Earle essentials, now is the time to do it – the brand’s Facebook page confirms that prices will be rising from the 1st March.

You know the one, the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector is probably the most covetable highlighter on the planet thanks to videos from Lisa Eldridge.  Cult Beauty are giving away a 15ml ‘mini’ (I say mini but a 15ml highlighter is going to last you a long time), with every BECCA order over £30 while stocks last.

With the full-size 50ml version retailing at £33.00, this is a deal worth just shy of £10.00 – not to be sniffed at on a £30.00 order!

Go forth and shop savvy!

The opening day of London Fashion Week may have been all about the new collections but there was a patriotic surprise in store for the attendees of Corrie Nielsen’s morning show.  As the music began and the first models hit the runway, my twitter stream turned tartan-crazy.  And it wasn’t just for the clothes.

image credit: catwalking.com

Makeup artist Phyllis Cohen used today’s show to unveil her new venture, Face Lace.  A collection of 15 ready-to-wear makeup designs that adhere to the skin with no mess, no fuss and no artistic skills required.  Known for her intricate designs and bold style, Phyllis began her career as an illustrator, which when combined with her MA in Fine Art, goes a long way to explaining the quality and intricacy of the designs.

The Face Lace range includes full ornate masks , smaller eye laces which embellish the eye with whimsical patterns, mehndoodles which can be placed wherever you choose, and playsheets of small patterns which allow you to invent your own designs.

image credit: face-lace.com

A sample of the Eye Laces arrived yesterday morning and my first thought was that I would struggle with application.  The intricate designs are delicate and need to be handled with a certain amount of care – crucially though, they’re far easier to apply than I ever would have imagined.  Once you’ve peeled off the backing, you simply align the inner corner wherever you’d like it placed before pressing down.  The adhesion is immediate with no rippling, bubbling or any of that nonsense.  I smoothed along the path of the pattern until I reached the other end of the lace and it applied perfectly!  Fluke perhaps?  I thought so too, until I applied a further three laces with the same ease.

The adhere without any issues over a full face of makeup (and my eyebrows!) and I wore them for a full five hours without any lifting or other indications that they wouldn’t last the course of an evening out.  Removal was a tinier bit trickier because you have to take care that the lace doesn’t a). stick to itself as you peel it away and b). tear under too much pressure.  All in all, it took me less than three minutes to both apply and remove.  False eyelashes can take me three times as long.

So, it’s all really positive.  My only concern is when I’d ever have the opportunity to wear something so edgy in my day-to-day life!

Wanna see how they look?  Please bear in mind that the photos below have clearly been photoshopped to hell in the name of ‘art’.  Not something I usually do, but – well, I don’t usually wear Face Laces either.

The Face Lace website went live yesterday, though they’re not shipping out the laces until the end of March.  To stay informed of any changes – follow them on Twitter @face_lace or via Facebook here.

Would you wear a Face Lace?

Today’s red lip is courtesy of Italian brand KIKO – I picked shade #222 Dark Red up a few weeks back and gave it a first outing the other day. I have to say, it’s not going to make it to my top twenty. Colour-wise, I love it but the texture is uncomfortable to wear, it feels cheap and it smells cheap. Just aswell it is cheap I guess?

I know that people laugh at paying good money for lipstick… essentially wax in a stick but wearing this has reinforced my appreciation for creamier, better-quality formulas. Having said that, I do still like the shade a lot… I’m just not sure whether I’ll be reaching for it too often.

KIKO Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in #222 is priced at £5.90 (currently £3.00) and available from their store in Westfield Stratford or online.

Having spent the afternoon skirting around the possibility of knuckling down and doing some actual work, I was indulging in one of my favourite evening procrastination activities (online shopping), when looksee what I spotted!

Lanolips Herbal Treatment Body Oil.  Holy mother of all things oily and lanoliny.

If like me, you’re a fan of body oils  – you’ll be delighted to hear that this one is completely free from mineral oil.  It’s a super-concentrate of Ultra Pure Grade Lanolin Oil with extracts of Pine and Eucalyptus thus needing no petro-chemical fillers, note the 60ml sizing which I’m guessing means that a little is destined to go a very long way.  There’s just one thing… where’s Lady Lamb gone?!

Ok, now I’ve got that off my chest, back to the oil…

I personally apply my body oils whilst still in the shower over skin that has been wiped with a flannel (not dried) to lock in the maximum amount of moisture.  It’s the quickest, least messy way I know of giving my skin a suppleness boost in this icy weather.

Lanolips Herbal Treatment Body Oil is priced at £9.99 and available online now from Victoria Health (who may or may not be harbouring one lady lamb)

Do you use body oils or creams?  Miss Lady Lamb too?

A few weeks ago, I headed to the KIKO store in Westfield Stratford and picked up a few things that I couldn’t resist.

I haven’t had time to form any real opinions on the products that I purchased yet but I thought I’d share my purchases and a few swatches.

Nail polishes!  Most of these were in the sale section, reduced down to around £1.50 a-piece but I couldn’t resist the white (with a funky skinny brush for tips), and the cornflower blue – both of which were full price at £3.90 each.

I know, not the most exciting of shades but when I’m trying out a new brand, I like to buy the things that I know I can compare with simillar products from other brands.  I wear these shades daily and know what I expect from them with a certain degree of clarity.  Plus, they’re gorgeous right?

‘Cos I don’t have enough red lipsticks.  Obviously.

I’m a sucker for a liquid eyeliner… especially in pen form like this.  I think this one was in the reduced section and on initial inspection, it looks good!

Some swatches of all of the above – see how pigmented that black liner is?!

Have you bought any KIKO bits and pieces yet?  What do you think so far?

This may sound like something you’d expect to read in your newspaper on the morning of April 1st, but there’s no fooling about it.  Fujifilm, the photographic pioneers from Japan, have turned their hands to the beauty market and developed a line of skincare products that are landing in the UK next month.

Astalift, which has been available in Japan and other parts of Asia since 2007 offers a comprehensive skincare lineup including: make-up removers, cleansers, serums, eye creams and priming lotions but it’s the Jelly Aquarysta Rejuvenating Concentrate that’s set to be the most anticipated release from the unlikely beauty brand.

FujiFilm have taken inspiration from their years of research into how to succesfully harness the power of antioxidants to prevent photographs from fading and applied it to skin.  Collagen is as essential to the photographic industry as it has become to the beauty industry, and the brand are hoping to bring proprietary technology in the form of Pico-Collagen (essentially collagen that they claim is small enough to penetrate the skin) to a new European audience.

In addition to this innovative nano-technology, the Astalift range contains a naturally occuring antioxidant found in marine algae called Astaxanthin, an ingredient which has been recognised for its ability to protect the skin from ultraviolet light.  The most interesting thing to note about this Astaxanthin – aside from its unusual coral-red colour – is that it’s claimed to be approximately 1000x more effective than both vitamin E and CO Q10, the ingredients more commonly used in anti-aging skincare.

The range promises to target the visible signs of premature ageing that include dark spots, lines and dull skin whilst stimulating the production of elastin fibres, helping to produce more luminous, plumped-up skin.  The brand have just appointed actress Naomi Watts as European brand ambassador, so expect to see the 43yr old actress featured in Astalift’s new ad campaigns soon.

The range will be priced toward the luxury end of the market and is set to launch in March.  You can follow the brand on Twitter @Astalift_UK or register for updates at http://www.astalift.com

Orly’s Spring 2012 Collection is out and pays homage to some of the gentlest pastels around.  We’re not talking sweet-shop pastels here, these are the slightly edgier, grungier cousins of the pastel world.  Just about.

I don’t generally go much on pastels, so Cool Romance’s dirtier take on the trend is right up my street.  Infact, I love the look of all of them except Steel Your Heart, the non pastel that gives me the “Geez, it’s Spring not Autumn/Winter!” feeling.

Prelude to a Kiss* is a pretty pale pink creme with a hint of peach.  It feels like it should be opaque in two coats but needed a third to even out a little bit of streakiness.  It’s a little bit thick in formula, like many pastels, but applies without too many frustrations.  I love these shades for lazy weeks when I can get away with a whole heap of tip wear!

Orly Cool Romance Collection is available to buy in two sizes: 18ml are £6.95 each from www.beautybay.com and the mini 5.3ml are £5 each at www.boots.com

Do you have a favourite from the collection?

* press sample

Oh boy, oh boy.  Forget cards, flowers, and chocolates and check out these beauties from YSL new to the counter today.

The YSL Rouge Pur Couture Vernis à Lèvres are a new lipstick/stain hybrid in an impressive range of 20 shades, each featuring a nifty precision applicator.  They promise a light texture with buildable coverage.  From the few swatches I’ve seen online, they look to be sheerer than something like Chanel’s Rouge Allure Laque but I’m hoping that at least one of the reds fills the painful hole left behind by the discontinuation of Dragon.  I’m currently lusting after #05 Red Mauve to satisfy my ‘red’ craving and #15 Pink Lollipop for a more day-friendly alternative.

Watch the ‘behind the scenes’ video below for a further insight on this new lip-offering from the Parisian fashion house.

Are any of those shades calling you to the counter?