A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

BuyEyelashes.co.uk got in touch with me a little while ago to tell me about one of their newest brands, Baci.  Known more traditionally for their lingerie(!), Baci also offer a range of very inexpensive eyelashes starting from only £2.00 a pair.

I wore a set in yesterday’s FOTD and a few of you picked up on them so I thought I’d strike while the iron was hot and pop a post up today talking about them in a little more detail.

The ones I wore in yesterday’s post were #660 – they’re the ones in the foreground of the picture above.  They’re pretty substantial and have a thick band that definitely needs loosening up before application.  I’m STILL pretty rubbish at applying false eyelashes and tend to favour midi-lashes just to add some flutter to the outer lashes.

I didn’t use the glue that these come with because it seemed pretty wimpy to be honest but the lashes themselves are very good for £2.00 a pair.  Sure, they’re quite synthetic, a little heavy on the eyes and they certainly wouldn’t be my ‘good’ lashes but these Bacis have a great curl, nice definition and just fine for the odd night out.

These particular ones also seem pretty indestructible (something I wasn’t expecting), I would definitely be able to get a couple of wears from the #660s!

Baci Lashes are priced from £2.00 and available to buy online from BuyEyelashes.co.uk in a variety of styles.

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Here’s a quick (who am I kidding, this took me frickin’ ages) evening FOTD with the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection.

I used: Evidence (on the lid), Omen (in the crease and under the eye), Vanilla (browbone and inner corner)

Rest of the FOTD is helped along by…

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Cream Foundation
NARS Torrid Blush
Rimmel Volume Lipstick in Foxy (oldie but goodie)
Baci-Lingerie False Eyelashes #660

I’ll do a daytime FOTD next, any requests to include a particular shade?

I’ve posted about the packaging and I’ve posted individual close ups of the eyeshadows alongside their official descriptions.  This post will document the swatches from the new Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection* alongside my thoughts on each eyeshadow.

Midnight Rodeo is as Anitacska has been warning me, the love-child of MC/MCRA.  A beautiful base colour, spoiled by chunky glitter that will be ALL over your face in minutes if you’re not very careful about tapping off as much glitter as possible.  Urgh.

Tainted is a disappointment to me too.  A slightly amped up lilac yet it looks more dirty mauvey in the pan, less… prissy and simply more exciting!  Still, the texture is nice, the gold shimmer is a pretty touch and it could well be a grower.  No glitter.

Deeper is a ridiculously well-pigmented shade of awesomeness.  Copper with a firey gold sparkle (not glitter), it’s like a big beasty teddy bear and will make a fantastic liner on green eyes.  It looks a touch ‘grainy’ in my swatch (like Mignight Rodeo) – it’s not… that’s my bad.

Midnight 15 is a velvet-smooth, pale silver taupe.  A great inner corner highlight or an allover wash to brighten the area.  It has some (not too many) silver glitter particles.

Junkshow is a shocking pink with violet flashes.  Smooth shimmer with no glitter, I can see this one getting a lot of use on days when I’m feeling a little brave!

M.I.A is one of the most buttery eye shadows I’ve ever swatched.  It’s a deep chocolate shimmer with no glitter.  Hugely versatile.

Vanilla, the obvious highlighter is a smooth pale gold.  No glitter.

Omen is a violet with strong blue flashes.  Clearly, it’s stunning and builds up with great intensity though you’ll find a dupe (albeit a more greasy version) for a £1 in MUA’s eyeshadows.  Glitter free.

Ace is a graphite that is a good shade lighter than my swatch suggests (sorry).  A nice alternative to black for darkening the crease colour with a good texture.  No glitter.

Flow is a beautiful, neutral lid shade.  A shimmery peach that doesn’t pull too warm for cool skin tones.  Very pretty if not hugely exciting.  No glitter.

Evidence is a cracking midnight blue with some great vivid flashes.  It benefits from some building up and has a slightly hard texture.  No glitter.

Blackout, it’s matte black.  Move along.

Chase almost looks foiled right?  Another ridiculously buttery eyeshadow with a high-metallic finish.  Very pretty and glitter-free.

Deep End is a beautiful green/blue mix that leans slightly more green to my eye.  It’s a pretty shimmer with impressive pigmentation.  No glitter.

Half Truth is a smoky purple with multi-coloured shimmer.  Probably the most unique shade in the palette and my favourite!  Tres jolie!

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My top 5 shades:  Half Truth, Deeper, Chase, Evidence, M.I.A

The Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is available to buy online at Debenhams.com, priced at £39.00

Have your favourites changed now you’ve seen the swatches?

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The new Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection* offers fifteen new shades, that’s one for each year they’ve been around.  Fifteen years huh?  I wonder when they launched the brand to the UK market?  I can probably remember back to around 2005/6 but don’t quote me on that… as I think I’ve said before, it was their nail polishes that used to catch my attention back then.

Anyway, 15 years… 15 new shades.  Let’s take a closer look at them.

Midnight Rodeo (medium metallic brown w/silver and gold glitter)

Tainted (pale matte purple with golden shimmer)

Deeper (deep shimmery golden brown)

Midnight 15 (oyster pearl w/silver glitter)

Junkshow (bright pink w/fuchsia shift)

M.I.A. (soft shimmery dark brown)

Vanilla (shimmery white gold)

Omen (shimmery metallic bright purple w/blue shift)

Ace (dark gunmetal shimmer)

Flow (soft peach shimmer)

Evidence (deep metallic blue)

Blackout (darkest, most saturated black)

Chase (metallic bright bronze)

Deep End (bright teal shimmer)

Half Truth (shimmery smoky purple)

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As far as the range of shades go, I think Urban Decay have taken a good line with this palette.  They seem to have placed a focus on the usable, a term which shouldn’t be confused with neutral.

However it may suffer from being a little non-commital, I’ve already heard grumbles from neutral-lovers saying that it reminds them too much of the Naked Palette (I guess there’s only so many variations of Bronze out there) whilst the brights fans may feel a little ignored with this release.

I’ve also read a couple of grumbles that there are no mattes in this palette which I have to agree is a real shame as Urban Decay have released some incredible and under-rated matte shades over the years.

Before swatching (my opinion may change!), the initial stand-out beauties for me are: Tainted, Midnight 15, Ace, Evidence and Half Truth.  I hope they don’t disappoint.

Swatches tomorrow but in the mean-time… Best shade there?  How about the worst?

The Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is available to buy online at Debenhams.com, priced at £39.00

* press sample

I was sticky beaking along the bargain shelves in Boots (as you do… frequently) and spotted this rather pretty nail polish that had been reduced down to something ridiculous like 75p.  This probably means it’s discontinued and you won’t be able to find it but humour me anway.

Rimmel London 60 Seconds isn’t a formula I’ve played with before.  I’ve previously tried and disliked the Lycra Pro range so have gently steered myself away from Rimmel polishes on that basis which makes me very glad that this bargain price sticker turned my head.

The polish is packed full of fine red sparkle, turning what was essentially a blue base into purple once worn on the nails. This makes the name Blue Me Away rather redundant when looking down at what is clearly a warm-toned purple polish.

Application wasn’t too shady, fairly smooth but I did get a bit of drag around the edges of the nail bed and the polish doesn’t apply kindly unless the brush is well loaded.  Other than that, I was done in two (fairly easy) coats.

I have to take issue with the whole “60 seconds” thing too, seeing as this was one of the slowest-drying polishes I’ve worn in months.  You’re definitely going to need a quick dry top coat with this one.

Other than those niggles, for £3.469 (or less if you can find them on offer), I’m pleased to be reintroduced to a brand I’d avoided when it came to nails.

Rimmel London 60 Seconds polishes can be found instore and online at Boots et al.

Well, it’s reached our shores… the Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection* has arrived in the UK and is currently available online at Debenhams on a limited edition run.

Released in celebration of Urban Decay’s 15th Anniversary, the eyeshadow collection features 15 never-seen-before full size shades.  These aren’t re-releases of older shades in palette form, you’ll find no MCRA in this palette.

It’s gonna get a bit picture heavy…

demonstrating the reflective finish, not flipping a ‘V’ – promise!

You can’t really hold an Urban Decay palette in your hands without having some thoughts on the way it’s been presented.  The 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection waves goodbye to the cardboard packaging of old in favour of plastic.  It’s better than it sounds, I promise!  The high shine finish, jewelled UD logo and beautiful filigree edging ensures that this is one hunk of plastic that is definitely dressing-table worthy.

Invert the lid and you’ll find a large mirror that stretches from corner to corner.  Lift the platform that the eyeshadows rest upon and you’ll find a ‘velvet’ lined (shallow) compartment below which will give some extra life to the packaging even after the shadows have long been used or even depotted.

Is any of this necessary?  Of course not and I hope the addition of things like the ‘secret’ compartment didn’t bump the price, especially when the packaging of the relatively austere Naked Palette had been so well received.  However, with an extra three shadows on the Naked Palette and only a £4 difference (the price of the NP has risen), it doesn’t seem too out of line from a pricing point of view.

Tomorrow I’ll be focusing on the eye shadows and on Wednesday, those all important swatches.

The Urban Decay 15 Year Anniversary Eyeshadow Collection is available to buy online at Debenhams.com, priced at £39.00

So, come on lovely people… you never hold back opinions on the UD Palettes.  First impressions?

oh… and here’s a bonus picture for the OCD among us… FINGERPRINTS! *throws arms up and acts like world is ending*

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Now… this is more like it!

After some mild disappointment after seeing the Deborah Lippmann Autumn offerings this year, I’m glad to be back on cloud nine with one her beautiful glitters from last Autumn, Bad Romance (£14.00).

Purple glitter hexagons and regular glitter suspended in a black jelly base makes for an eye-catching combination!  Sure, it’s a little vampy for this time of year but rules are there to be broken yes?!

Opaque in three coats, it needs some careful placement to ensure even distribution of the glitter, thankfully not too tedious with this one as the particles moved around quite happily without causing any drag whilst still wet.  The only negative is that with such a dark shade, the tipwear becomes noticeable after the 2nd day.  No chipping on me though!

In the UK, Deborah Lippmann polishes are exclusively available online and instore at House of Fraser.

* press sample

I’ve talked before about over-processing my hair to within an inch of its life and the difficulties I’ve encountered trying to find a happy compromise between routinely covering my greys and keeping my hair in a healthy condition.

Well, I’ve found the answer.  Almost.  It’s not completely perfect… but it’s close enough for now.

Clairol Nice n’ Easy Root Touch Up.  There’s something about paying the same amount of money for LESS product that kills me everytime I approach the counter to pay for this box.  The dye is intended only for use on your roots (you don’t say…), hence you get less in the pack than you would normal hair dye.  It’s not that it’s phenomenally expensive, infact, it’s really good value but compared to my Superdrug own brand Choc Brown that I’ve enjoyed using previously, it is a small step up in price.

However, it’s a little box of awesome.

I pick up shade #4 which claims to blend with all manner of dark browns and I will absolutely back those claims.  It’s never looked at all out of place alongside my older dye jobs and really does blend quite seamlessly.

I part my hair in its usual parting and apply the dye all along any visible roots, not forgetting the hairline.  Once I’ve saturated these parts, I usually part my hair a little further over in both directions and re-apply to allow room for error.  I usually still have some more dye left over and cover my centre parting too (just in case!)

It only takes 10 minutes before I jump in the shower and rinse.  The entire process is completed in under 20 minutes and because it doesn’t go anywhere near the ends of my hair, is a lot less messy than usual!

My only caveat is that I’ve seen a couple of photos of myself recently (where I’m trying to take snaps of my curls etc..) and I can see a bit of grey peeking through the roots toward the back of my head.  It’s probably been about 4 months since they’ve last been dyed and I either need to grab a normal box dye (which I don’t want to do) or get Mr. L to tackle the harder to reach areas with an extra pack of this stuff.  Better solution I think.

Either way, my ends are getting some MUCH needed respite and my overall hair colour is looking beautifully natural and non-blocky.

Win.

Clairol Root Touch Up is priced at around £4 a pack and available at all the usual outlets (Boots, Superdrug, Supermarkets…)

Elemis have recently introduced a new bodycare concept to the brand’s repertoire with Sp@home, a range designed to turn the mundane into something a little more indulgent, helping you to create your very own Elemis spa, at home!

Based around FIVE main categories, the Sp@home range includes everything you need to recreate a more therapeutic experience in your own bathroom.  From bath elixirs to hand lotions, hard-working body oils to temple balms for instant relaxation.  They’ve even developed a new room mist to help create the perfect atmosphere.

Infact, the room mist has become a surprising favourite for me.  I was worried it might be a little bit overpowering, like walking into a very alternative crack den!  My (slightly mental) fears were misguided because the Quiet Mind Room Mist* is gorgeous and for something that I considered a bit ‘unecessary’, I’m going through my bottle at a rate of knots.  Infact, it hasn’t even made it back onto my dressing table because I keep it on the floor by my bed so I can spritz my pillow before I climb in!

The Tranquil Touch range is destined for best-seller status with some of the best patchouli-based aromatics I’ve had the pleasure of sniffing.  Warming, woody and creamy with great depth and complexity that you wouldn’t expect to find in a range of bodycare products.

Prices start from around £14.00 but there’s a rather decent offer on at TimeToSpa.co.uk for the whole of August…

If you spend over £50 on the website, you can choose a full size Sp@home shower gel worth up to £20.50.  And let’s face up to it, it’s not exactly difficult to spend £50 on Elemis now is it?

Do you make attempts at recreating the spa experience in your own home?  What’s your favourite product to get you in the mood for a bit of pampering?

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Barbara Cartland is wearing this shade on her toes up in Heaven.

As flashy as a silver tiara and as pink as a poodle dipped in a vat of candyfloss.  Orly’s Flirty* is unashamedly girly and a sparkling pink for Summer.

The above swatch shows two coats finished with a quick dry because it was a touch slow-drying.

You can buy Orly online at BeautyBay.com but they’re currently out of this shade, so try somewhere like Beauty4Nails instead.

Are you a PINK girl?

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The second of the three new hair styling tools from Enrapture due to be released on the 15th August is the Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver*.  An odd-looking device with a trio of barrels that promise to coax your hair into a series of smooth “S” shapes, a.k.a “beachy” waves.

In theory, we’ve been here before.  I recently tried the Babyliss Wave Envy which although thoroughly impressive in design, abilities and price, left me with more of a ‘crimp’ than a ‘wave’.

These bad boys boast an impressive 25mm barrel (hence the Jumbo!) which means that they should ensure less crimping and more waving!

They’re heavy but not ‘too’ heavy to hold comfortably.  I found them a little unwieldy around the back of my head but I do have fairly short arms and a distinct lack of co-ordination.  The ‘flipper’ which controls the open/close mechanism on the waver is well engineered, with a light almost springy reaction.  This makes sure you don’t get thumb ache when ‘waving’!

The barrels are made from titanium which promises to give a smooth and snag free styling experience and I can’t argue with that as I experienced no issues with dragging or catching on my hair as I moved the styler through various sections.

It has an adjustable heat setting which I would have preferred to see digitised with actual temperature detailing so I could judge exactly how hot the tool was getting.  On the flipside, the controls are ridiculously simple.  An on/off switch and a heat dial.  Thassit.

So how did I get on with the styler?

Well… pretty well actually.  Similarly to the Babyliss, it’s ridiculously easy to use from a technical point of view.  I’m sure you’re ‘supposed’ to section your hair into accurate little pieces but I just fed handfuls of it willy-nilly into the jaws of the styler, clamped, moved down the hair shaft, clamped again… repeat until you run out of hair.

And that’s all I did.  I’m one of those ‘stylers’ who often start with the best of intentions.  All my little clips, brush, heat protection sprays surrounding me.  After about 7 minutes I’m just shoving my hair AT the styling tool and hoping for the best.

I was done in 10 minutes which goes against the brand’s ethos of “When everyday hair just isn’t enough” because I’d politely suggest that this is perfect everyday hair.  Everyday ‘tousled’ hair.

Wanna see what I managed to get from the Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver?

I had it on the ‘non-commital’ halfway heat setting as shown in the above photo and held the clamp shut for around 10 seconds.  That’s probably too long or something but my hair doesn’t seem to be complaining… I’ll try turning the temperature up and clamping for less time next attempt.

I’m really digging this styler, it solves the crimping problems I found with the Babyliss (albeit at a heftier price tag).

The Enrapture Amplify Jumbo Waver is set to launch this month into all major retailers (Boots, Argos, Debenhams etc.) with an RRP of £74.95 – for more information, check out www.enrapturehair.com or talk to the hair gurus on Facebook or Twitter

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Estee Lauder’s Autumn 2011 collection goes by the name Modern Mercury and includes three limited edition Pure Color Liquid Eyeliners in a trio of metallic shades.

I’ve got one of the three shades here to show you: Graphite.  A sparkling charcoal with multi-coloured shimmer that makes such a lovely change from black.  I’m already a big fan of charcoal eyeliner, it provides a softer look that still carries a bit of impact.  Infact, I’m wearing my Lord & Berry in this post on another item from the Modern Mercury collection!

Long-handled, slender and well-designed with a flexible, soft nib for drawing precision lines, the Graphite liquid liner ticks most of the boxes.  I prefer this design to spindly brushes or chunky nibs as I find they offer the greatest compromise between control and precision.

The inky formula is well pigmented and opaque within two strokes.  It dries very quickly to a smudge-proof, water-proof finish providing a metallic gleam that manages to avoid the ‘wet-look’.

It’s all great so far huh?  Except, there is one problem… it flakes.  You’ll get to around 90% satisfaction before this bothers you but really?  It shouldn’t flake at all and it’s a bugbear for me.  It won’t stop me wearing it but it will stop me wearing it with complete confidence.  The above photo was taken about 5 hours into my day and you can see that it’s holding up pretty well but there is evidence of some flaking going on… a few specks around my eyes and a little caught in my eyelashes.

You can’t see in the above photo but the top edge of the line is no longer perfect, this is the first area to show signs of wear.  I’m being pernickity (as always) but when I’m reviewing an eyeliner that costs £19.00 – it’s only right that I am.

How about some comparisons?  I dug around in my eyeliner drawer (it’s only a little drawer, I’m not completely mad) and pulled out a few that seemed fairly close (ok, the last one is MILES off!):

1.  Barry M Metallic Liquid Eyeliner #1
2.  Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Pianissimo
3.  Estee Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Graphite
4.  Lord & Berry Liquid Eyeliner in Slate
5.  Chantecaille Luminous Eye Liner in Allegro
6.  NARS Liquid Eyeliner in Bullitt

Most of these are now discontinued but luckily, the one that bears the closest resemblance isn’t!  Again, it’s Barry M that’s coming up to be the nearest in terms of shade duping so if you’re on a budget, check it out!

Estee Lauder Pure Color Liquid Eyeliner in Graphite (£19.00) is available on counter now and online at Estee Lauder.

Do you wear grey eyeliner?  What’s your favourite?