A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I haven’t explored Burberry’s beauty offerings before… I’m not really sure why but having seen this Spring/Summer’s campaign images – I think I’ve been given that much-needed push in the direction of Harrods.

Le Sigh.  A girl like me can only dream of brows like that.

The Burberry Spring/Summer 2011 collection is online and counter now and adds 3 new Light Glow Blushes and 3 new Lip Covers to the permanent line up.

The new blush shades shown above, from L-R: Tangerine (#6), Earthy (#7), Misty (#8) – £29.00 each.

The new Lip Cover shades shown above, from L-R: Delicate Rose (#22), English Rose (#23), Romantic Rose (#24) – £22.00 each.

“I wanted the Spring Summer 2011 runway collection to be a fusion of the classic trench coat and the biker jacket.  As with all the Burberry shows it’s this kind of relaxed feeling that you’ve thrown something on over something very precious.  I often describe the Burberry girl as someone who has this dishevelled elegance; she’s incredibly elegant, but she’s also very relaxed and comfortable in herself.  It’s a very, sexy, confident girl” – Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative Officer

Can you see anything even remotely dishevelled in those beautiful campaign images featuring Cara Delevingne?  If Christopher wants to see dishevelled, come round my house at 7.15am on a Monday morning.  I’ve got more dishevelled than he could handle.

Also set to go on counter from May is a collection of nine new Lip Covers with a “gelled” formula described as an everyday shine that reflects the “dewy glow of the British rain followed by the gentle glow of the sun”.  Or as I’d call it… “crap weather”.  Dodgy descriptions aside, I’m loving the sound of a “gelled structure” and look forward to seeing them!

I was born with feet for hands.  Not literally you understand, I mean I don’t actually have toes for fingers… but dexterity wise?  May as well have.

Because of this, I don’t wear false lashes very often but I’m always left wanting to buy some whenever I visit my local CCO.  There’s this SA in there who’s simply stunning (total girl crush) and she always wears perfect false lashes, full and flirty with no hint of Katie Price… they darken her lashline and open her eyes.

Anyway, after my last CCO jaunt, I came home and got straight on the net to satisfy my urge for lashes that I’ll probably never wear out of the house and I came across these:

I favour flirty, natural-looking lashes over the thicker types which I really struggle with and these looked perfect!  I bought two pairs from eBay and they cost around £2.50/£3.00 each once shipping had been added.  Bargain!

Have some piccies…

The boxes aren’t numbered which is a bit of a silly oversight, so I had to do some detective work.  These are #461 – they’re very curly and the band is super-fine and flexible.  The lashes feel soft… really nice for a natural look.  The band is quite long though, I had to cut about 4 knots in to achieve the right length for my lashline.

These are demi (half) lashes, #079 – the band is thicker and slightly stiffer but softens up well with a bit of manipulation.  I’m in total love with these because they really extend my eye outwards and give an almost cat-eye effect…. slinky!  I’m buying a couple more pairs of these this weekend to make sure I have some for wedding season!

Because they’re only half length, I also find them easier to apply… less band, less chance of sticking them to my eyebrow right?!

Excuse the messy brows, I’ve nearly managed to grow them out (whoop!) – I’m booking myself in for a mahoosive threading session next week.

Anyway, back to the lashes, these are the 1st pair (#461), you can see that the curl is strong and the lashes, fine and a touch feathery.

All in all, I’m really pleased with my bargain discoveries from Elise!  You should note that they don’t come with any glue and unlike simillarly-priced Red Cherry lashes, aren’t human hair.

What are some of your favourite false lashes and how often do you wear them?

Autumn/Fall… Pavement/Sidewalk… Bonnet/Hood… Tomato… um… er.. TomAto…. whatever you wanna call it, I was going back through some emails before archiving and came across this press release that included some images from the Marc Jacobs Fall 2011 Runway Show.

It looks like Autumn might be all about the blush.  Yes, that’s me you can hear me fist-pumping and whooping from thousands of miles away…

INSPIRATION & LOOK: “The look started with a picture that Marc had of Christy Turlington with really fresh skin and rosy cheeks,” said François Nars, Founder & Creative Director of NARS Cosmetics. “Marc wanted ‘icy cold cheeks’ and so the blush is drawn down in such a way that’s unusual…unusual, but decadent. Like a Renaissance painting.”

Look at those proper Autumnal colours!  Warm reds and ambers… God, it makes me grateful it’s still only April and we have the whole Summer stretching ahead of us!

The key products used in the looks featured here are:

FACE

• Concealer (NEW for Fall 2011; for now, try the existing Concealer £17.50)

• Lokoum Cream Blush £20.50

EYES

• Grand Palais Duo Eyeshadow (for now, try using Lokoum Cream Blush £20.50)

• Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Via Veneto (NEW for Fall 2011; for now try Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil £16.50 )

• Larger Than Life Volumizing Mascara £18.50

LIPS

• Greta Pure Sheer SPF Lip Treatment £18.50

Interrrrestingggg…. so, it looks like we’re getting (at least) a newly formulated concealer range, duo eyeshadow (orange-based?), a new long-wear eyeliner range?  I’m speculating a little bit….

Not too sure on that blush placement… but that’s fashion for you (darling) and I love the heavy liner… oooooh, I’ll be a happy Lipglossiping if we’re all about the heavy liner this Autumn!

But in the meantime, let’s have some bloody sunshine first eh?!

A bright, strong… vivid blue creme.  Perfect for tips or toes this Summer!

A solid two-coater, a great all rounder with average wear of 2/3 days before the tips start looking a bit ragged.  No chips but as I’ve said many times… I don’t generally suffer from poor nail wear.

It feels like a very clean colour that is somehow almost sensible enough to wear in the office.  Of course, being BLUE it isn’t.  But it just gives an impression of formality.  That makes more sense in my head than it does on this page.

But the thing is… surely it’s incredibly dupable?  And at £11.95, you’d hope it might be…

I went and bought BarryM‘s Cobalt Blue to compare because I figured it would probably be the nearest match (off the top of my head):

In the above photo, I’m wearing Cobalt Blue on the little and middle fingers whilst I’m sporting Blagger on my index and ring fingers.  They’re similar but Blagger has a teal edge to it and isn’t quite so “primary” blue after all.

What do you think?  Is the difference worth £8.96?

You can purchase Butter London Blagger online from PowderRooms priced at £11.95

You may have already heard about Karen Alder’s new lipstick creation – TRUST which has been developed to raise funds for the youth charity, The Prince’s Trust.

100% of the proceeds from the sales of TRUST (exc. VAT) will go directly to the charity!

I thought I’d share some images of the celebrity supporters sporting the lipstick (in various guises!) and I particularly adore Kara’s playful pose! (bottom right)

Karen Alder, Celebrity Makeup Artist and creator of the TRUST lipstick said…

I love the power of the colour red – no other shade has such an impact.

I call it a not-so-secret weapon.  My new creation – TRUST – is a foolproof easy to wear bright red, packed with Vitamin E. To me, this is the perfect red, striking the balance between the orange tones and blue. Its satin finish really makes it easy to apply without bleeding, yet keeps the look contemporary.

What with being ALL about the red lipstick, I’ll be logging on to snap one of these babies up quicker than you can say ‘big ears’.  Wait… can I get put in the tower for that?

The limited edition lipstick will go on sale on the 2nd of April exclusively at QVC UK.

You will be able to log on to the QVC website or call 0800 50 40 30 to buy one and it’s priced at a bargainous £8.00

When I was in London last week, I was on a lipstick mission… overtaken by the urge to find something to tempt me, I came home with more than I bargained for – a new lipstick obsession!

The new Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color’s had been piqueing my interest for a few weeks now and I headed to the counter in HoF Westfield to take a closer look.

The new Rich Lip Color range comprises of 12 relatively bright shades which definitely lean more Summery than Autumn/Winter in my opinion.  I chose two from the 12: Mod Pink and Guava.

Mod Pink was a shoo-in from the moment I spied the bullet.  It’s a lovely pink for Spring/Summer.  I took a bit more convincing with the other despite previously professing my love for all things Guava!  I was just a little unsure if it would be too warm and be a bit too “Oh HAI lips!”

I am pleased with myself that I pushed out of my comfort zone… not only that but I completely avoided Old Hollywood, a particularly lovely-looking red!

The packaging is the typical, sleek Bobbi Brown affair… nothing particularly exciting, just understated and elegant enough to pull out in public should you do that sort of thing!

God I love new lipsticks! *drool*

The texture of these is good!  Firm but smooth to apply with barely any drag on the lips.  Pigmentation is high (as you would expect from a range called “Rich Lip Color”.

Finish-wise, the two that I own are both semi-matte and despite this, they feel extremely comfortable on the lips and not particularly drying considering the very good wear I achieve from them.  I would estimate at around 4/5 hours without eating or drinking.

And here’s how they look in context with my face…

Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color Lipsticks are priced at £16.00 each on counter but are currently available on the House of Fraser website with 10% off.

Next on my list is Bikini Pink!

Are you planning on checking these out? Have you bought any already?!

Some savings are worth taking a closer look at and this one from Stylist.co.uk definitely had me going in for a more detailed inspection!

Stylist have teamed up with cult British brand Illamasqua to offer a 25% discount online at Illamasqua.com – the discount code remains valid for use until 5pm on the 6th April, so you still have some time to get your shopping lists in order!

To get your hands on the code and to read the terms and conditions, click through to Stylist.co.uk and take a look.

Happy bargain hunting!

If pastel pinks are your thing, you’re in for a treat!

Now… I don’t wanna get too cultural about things (says the lady with the degree in Cultural Studies) but DUDE! What’s with calling a Mod Pink “Teddy Girl”… tsk.

Names aside, Teddy Girl is a very striking pepto-bismol pink creme that needs a few coats to rescue it from streaksville.  This isn’t uncommon with these ‘white-out’ shades but it is irritating nonetheless when you get pretty good cover from the first coat.

Once any patches have been evened out, wear is perfectly adequate and the shade is super-striking.  I love combining it with a black outfit to really make my nails POP!

Butter London – Teddy Girl is is available to buy online now from PowderRooms priced at £11.95

Let me introduce you to the “Acqua for Life Challenge”.  A facebook campaign set up by Giorgio Armani Beauty (in conjunction with their popular fragrances Acqua di Giò and Acqua di Gioia).

The campaign aims to provide a minimum of 40 million litres of drinking water to populations without any access to it, working in partnership with Green Cross International to raise everyone’s awareness of this issue.

900 million individuals are still deprived of safe, clean and healthy water for their daily essential needs. Water that is essential for drinking, eating, guaranteeing a minimum of hygiene and maintaining one’s health.  The goal of this challenge: To offer this year a minimum of 40 million litres of drinking water to populations in need.

Because they are the most vulnerable to water-borne diseases and it is their future that is taken hostage by this uncertain water supply, children will be the primary beneficiaries of the donations collected by the “Acqua For Life” campaign.

The operation will initially begin in Ghana, supporting the Smart Water for Green Schools project: In this west African country some 40% of the rural population does not have access to drinking water.

The money raised will then be used, over time, to finance similar operations in other countries.

So, how can you contribute?

Easily and quickly.

I’ve set up a Lipglossiping Acqua For Life Facebook group and all YOU need to do to contribute 10 litres of water to the cause is join up.  It will literally take you 15 seconds.

Click the link above and grant the app access (it won’t do any funny business with your account!)

SEARCH for the term Lipglossiping in the left hand side community search bar and hit on JOIN.  Thassit!  All signed up, 10L of fresh, safe drinking water with your name on it!

If you join up, consider your good deed for the day done and dusted and have a BIG thank you from me. x

UK ladies, you don’t have long left to enter to win a fabulous prize…

WIN A £100 URBAN RETREAT VOUCHER PLUS A PAMPER HAMPER!

Head over to the secret page on Beautique that’s been reserved for Lipglossiping readers and answer one simple question.

Get your skates on and don’t forget that aswell as London, there’s an Urban Retreat in Manchester too!  Northern ladies – you’re not left out.  Good luck lovelies!

Have no real use for your retinas?  Good… read on then…

Eyeko Punk Polish is a searingly obvious fluoro-pink!  If you want people to comment on your tips (I said tips), opt for a shade as blisteringly bright as this one!

As a mega Clash fan, I’m a little partial to the shade that proclaims on its website: “Pink is the only true rock n roll colour” Paul Simonon.

It’s quite thick and needs speedy work to get it to apply nicely… but if you can persevere with the less-than-perfect application, the results are worth it!

Two coats to achieve opacity and perfectly fine wear make this a great Summer choice.  Do combine with a top coat for a glossy finish though, as with most neon or near-neon shades, this has a tendency to dry a little matte.

Eyeko Punk Polish is available to buy online from Eyeko or at the original (pre price-hike price) from PowderRooms.

Brand loyalty is a funny old thing.  Personally, I don’t think I’m brand loyal so much as product-loyal but I can definitely name a couple of brands that seem to attract super-fans.

Liz Earle is the one that always initially springs to mind.  Their supporters go crazy for the brand, the products, the shows… infact, both the brands that I had in mind when considering this post present on QVC.  Coincidence?

When I went to the Isle of Wight last year to attend Liz Earle’s 15th Anniversary Event… it opened my eyes.  I didn’t realise that us women could be so passionate about a brand.  Beauty in general?  Yes.  But a single brand?  A company?  A business?  I was left bemused by the (literally hordes of) women doing their utmost to maintain a sense of middle-class decorum while simultaneously clambering to get close to ANYONE at the event who looked like they were representing the brand.  It was the politest scrum I’ve ever been in!

Of course, it helps that at the head of this company… is Liz Earle.  Instantly likable on screen, she always appears effortlessly chic, calm and collected.  When she opens her mouth, she’s eloquent, charismatic… engaging and most of all, appears interested in what others have to say.  Yes, I’ll admit – I’m under her spell too.  Infact, I won’t name names… but I was in the company of a perfectly intelligent blogger (kinda) who’s words as we left the room in which we’d been introduced to Liz went something along the lines of… “OMG… I want a mummy Liz.  Do you think I can get her to adopt me?”  Of course, it was said in jest… and incited a riotous giggle amongst a group of women who are old enough to know better but it showed the Liz effect in full force!

I suppose that the phenomena could be attributed directly to the products.  If you find the solution to a skincare problem that’s plagued you for years within your Cleanse & Polish, your interest in everything the brand releases is going to be piqued.  And in all honesty, as superficial as we’re told all this beauty nonsense is… it runs deep for many of us.

Infact, as I write that last paragraph, I’m beginning to feel a little shame-faced and hypocritical.  I may not be evangelical about Cleanse & Polish (I don’t get the hype) but there is a certain product that I will forever hold in the highest regard and as such, it’s had a knock-on effect to the rest of this particular Antipodean brand.  My fangirl self even gets annoyed when I hear of other people not loving their products as much as I do!  Common sense?  Where did you disappear to?!

In analysing my own feelings for this brand, I can stem my cheerleading from the moment one of their products worked wonders on an issue that was troubling me in a way that did go deeper than the superficial.  In solving the physical issue it also removed a weight from my shoulders.

Oh dear… I’ve just thought of another brand that encourages my inner rah-rah girl.  Sigh, there goes my delusions of being even just a tiny bit cool.

Perhaps, before scoffing at what I perceive as other people’s foibles… I should remind myself that we all have a fangirl inside of us just waiting for that miracle product to bring her out, pom-poms flailing.

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Which brands do you think attract super-fans?  Do YOU have the potential to be a fangirl?