A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Smelly men. Let’s face it, they’re a real problem.  Stinky brothers, shower-dodging boyfriends and husbands who think that turning their undercrackers inside-out consitutes a legitimate change of clothes.

Thankfully LUSH are on the case and have introduced a whole range of pampering goodies for the fellas in our lives.

The inspiration behind the range comes from the original men’s Dirty scent that was released in 2009 by B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful (LUSH’s defunct sister brand).  The scent proved to be such a hit that LUSH wanted to find a way to re-incorporate it into their current range of products.   That all sounds straightforward enough, launch a range of men’s products that smell like an old favourite cologne and watch the pennies roll in!

Though it gets a bit more interesting than that because Mark & Simon Constantine, otherwise known as The Gorilla Perfumers decided to introduce men to the concept of layering.

Us women know what layering is all about right?  Usually… we get our Xmas gift sets of our favourite fragrances and on special occasions we’ll use the shower gel followed by the matching body lotion before spritzing on the EDP before we walk out the door.  Simple!  A lovely layered scent that has been built up to full intensity and is guaranteed to last longer than our dates.

With the new Dirty range from LUSH, each product contains single notes from the original Dirty cologne.  Thus, instead of layering the same complete scent over and over, you’re actually building the fragrance from the ground up!  How freaking cool is that concept?!?!

Let me show you some of the products available in the new range:

Spring Wash Shower Gel (£4.25 100g / £8.50 250g / £14.95 500g) is a skin-softening and skin-tingling shower gel for the body and hair.  Sodium Bicarbonate works to soften the water and deodorise the skin, whilst the spearmint, menthol and fine sea salt will leave you feeling refreshed and revitalised… like you’ve showered in a mountain spring!

This smells like Spring and Summer rolled into the perfect package… it’s zingy, fresh and invigorating.  Mr. L likes it because he can wash his hair without having to reach for another bottle *tsk*.

Verdict: Steal it

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Ahhh, now wouldn’t we all like a little more dosh to see us through this Spring/Summer?

Described by Butter London as a molten apple green shot through with metallic gold, I’m happy with that description.  On my skintone, it’s not as vulgar as OPI’s Sit Under The Apple Tree which still gives me nightmares when I think back to it.

DOSH is a far crisper, punkier and more vibrant affair.  The metallic shimmer is micro and v. pretty in a gentle non-chunky way.  No chips but a bit of tip wear by the third day and the above photo shows two coats.

If you’re a fan of greens, you’ll probably want to add this to your collection… if not?  Hold out for a peek of some of the others because there’s some surprising stunners.

Butter London DOSH is available to buy online now from PowderRooms priced at £11.95

I’m hugely excited to be collaborating with Beautique.com for this giveaway. These guys are in my “oooh la-la don’t touch till payday” favourites folder!

Once upon a time (thanks to fat fingers)… the Beautique store link ended up in the same online shopping folder as my shortcut to WilkinsonPlus.  It was like the Sun and Moon colliding and I only just escaped with my debit card intact. 

Beautique.com have a seriously lust-worthy stock inventory that should probably come with a health warning. Or at the very least, a purse one!

Haven’t got a clue what I’m on about?  Well… listen to what they have to say about themselves (they’ll be far more eloquent than me).

Beautique.com is the sister site to Urban Retreat which is a beauty treatment paradise located in Harrods, London and Harvey Nichols, Manchester.

Beautique.com stocks hard to find, luxury brands such as Laura Mercier, Clive Christian, Connock London plus old favourites such as OPI, Daniel Sandler and Kerastase. Thanks to Beautique’s close links with the world renowned Urban Retreat, the girls behind the keyboards have access to hundreds of beauty insiders and experts and are able to bring you the best and latest beauty information and products.

Plus every new customer benefits from 10% off their first order with code welcome, so if you’re in to your luxury beauty Beautique.com is worth a click!

For a full list of treatments available at Urban Retreat click here: http://www.urbanretreat.co.uk/default.aspx?PageID=1

Told you.  Posh side of t’internet.   So what the hell are they doing getting in touch with me?

Well, Beautique have got a fan-flippin-tastic prize up for grabs and they want to offer it to one of you awesome lot!

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

You know Urban Retreat right?  That bolthole of heavenly pampering and lavish treatments housed in Harrods, London and Harvey Nichols, Manchester?  Good, thought you did.

So… clearly, you want to win – but how?  Simple.

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

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I wish you the best of luck with this one my UK lovelies!

Well, I didn’t expect to spend the best part of Monday/Tuesday welling up at your stories of the inspirational women in your lives.  And I know it’s a cliche to say that I wish I could send you ALL a friendship bracelet… but, boy do I really wish I could send you all a friendship bracelet.

What I will say though is that as inspirational as those women may be to you, you honouring them like that totally inspired me too.  Thank you.

I had to pick your names out of a virtual hat, your stories were too personal and beautiful for me to feel entitled to personally ‘pick’, I hope you don’t mind:

Winners are:

Annabelle
Leah
Jessie
Eliz C
Bicky
Christa

Ladies, please email me your postal details and I’ll get your lovely bracelets (and makeover tags!) off to you early next week!

I really don’t like to rush reviews on skincare, there are always so many claims to consider and sometimes skin takes its sweet time to get used to new products.  I received the Biotherm Skin.Energetic Concentrate serum for review consideration almost 2 months ago and have been using it every morning, I’m just about ready to give you my thoughts and impressions of this serum that claims to “fight the most visible signs of fatigue”.

The product recommends itself to morning and nightly application but I prefer to use serums and oils that target my low hydration levels in the evening… that’s just a personal preference.  However, I’m the total opposite in the mornings and have been known to skip moisturiser entirely purely because I hate to feel like I have a heavy mask of skincare on throughout the day.

The Biotherm Skin.Ergetic Concentrate is not your usual anti-aging serum.  It’s designed for a younger market who may be just noticing the first effects of the aging process but instead of claiming to reverse those signs, the Skin.Ergetic serum promises to boost moisture, radiance and dampen the effects that a busy lifestyle can have on tired, dull or stressed skin.  This in itself has me sitting up and paying attention.  Radiance?  Freshness?  Did someone say perky?  I’m all about the perky.

First things first… what a total bugger this is to open and ‘mix’.  It comes in two parts, the ‘serum’ (think of it as a carrier oil) and then a ‘powder’ (think of that as the active ingredients).  You need to dispense the powder into the serum and shake thoroughly to mix.  I can do the shaking but the dispensing had me stumped for a little while.

I read the instructions, re-read them properly… made a cup of tea and glared at the bottle.  Then I gave the thing to Mr. L, throwing my arms up in the most Gallic way I could muster and pointed at the instructions.  About 15 seconds later he gave it back to me fully mixed with a pitying look on his face that left me with no other option than to refuse to say thank you and KMT at him instead.

The concentrate smells divine.  It’s fresh, zingy and above all else, apple… er… y.  It makes for a positively uplifting experience in the mornings on my freshly washed skin.  A white lotion that spreads thinly and without resistance over my face ensuring that a little prodcut goes a very long way.

I was unconvinced that it would give me enough moisture and in patches, I don’t think it does.  I definitely need to use my normal day cream over this but in fairness, you’re not supposed to use it alone anyway.  Moot point.

The concentrate is enriched with things such as: Broccoli (a novel way to get your 5 a day), Soy, Apple, Lemon and Sugar Cane… all of which promise to improve radiance and skin texture.  In honesty, I can’t say I noticed a huge difference to my skin texture first nor last… but radiance?  Well… it was only when I stopped using it last week (thinking that I’d had enough of it not doing anything other than smelling and feeling good) that I noticed how much duller my skin was looking by the middle of the day.  The Biotherm Skin.Ergetic concentrate seems to bring a brightness to my complexion that it’s visibly lacking without.

Priced at £35 for 50ml… I’m not even close to being halfway through the bottle after 2 months (1x a day) usage so have no problems expressing that I believe it provides value for money.  My only concern is chasing after something that gives more than just visible brightness.  Admittedly, it provides most things I want from a daytime serum… non-greasy, easily absorbed, refreshing, value for money, brightening… but it doesn’t give me smoother skin or plump out fine lines.  Does anything?  Well… I’m still chasing that particular pot of gold.

All in all, if fatigue is your main skin concern and you want something light and refreshing for the summer months that will brighten your complexion and leave you looking more refreshed.  I’d seriously give Biotherm’s Skin.Ergetic Concentrate a second look.

Biotherm Skin.Ergetic Concentrate is priced at £35 and available to buy from most department stores and online at Boots, Debenhams, House of Fraser and Beauty Expert.

What do you look for in a serum?

Originally intended for my red lip series, Inika Mineral Lipstick in Electric Red is formulated with natural shea butter and jojoba oil and prides itself on being a completely natural and vegan lipstick.

I say ‘originally intended’ because once I applied it to my lips, I could see that it wasn’t really a fit for my red lip series what with it not really being red n’all.

Inika Cosmetics are an Australian brand boasting over 79 permanent products in their lineup.  All natural products are guaranteed to be completely free from petrochemicals, fillers, talc, bismuth oxychloride, GM ingredients, parabens, preservatives, mineral oils, phthalates and fragrances.  That’s quite a list… but usually consumers often find themselves making compromises in terms of pigmentation or wear when it comes to natural products….

Inika’s Electric Red* is indeed lacking in pigmentation.  While this will disappoint some, others will be delighted to find a more wearable version of a strong shade.  I can’t help but feel that with a name like “Electric Red”, I want something a little bolder to translate to my lips.

It has the prettiest metallic sheen… and in truth, I’m actually quite delighted to find such a wearable warm red that neither makes me look like a clown, nor a cheap tart.  It’s quite an unusual shade and perfect for summer.  Texture-wise, it’s quite hard but softens up as the warmth of your lips encourages the mix to spread.  Once on, it feels light and comfortable.  Despite the natural ingredients, I can’t say that I found it particularly moisturising but it definitely didn’t dry my lips out either.

If you’re looking for light, wearable shades to suit all skintones, take a closer look at the Inika Cosmetics range of highly wearable lipsticks.

Inika Mineral Lipstick in Electric Red is priced at £12.77 and available to buy online from the Inika Cosmetics website.

* press sample

The final item I received in my goody bag from the recent Illamasqua Blogger Event was this nail polish…

Don’t be fooled by its demure-sounding name, Purity* is about as vivid as a peach can get!  Not entirely suited to my skintone, I can see this looking freakin’ amazing on dark-skinned sisters.  It’s creamy, opaque and glossy.

The formula was great and the above image shows two coats… longevity has been impressive as I’m on day four of wear and can only see a tiny nick on the tip of one of my fingers…. not even a proper chip and barely any tip wear at all!

A perfect peach of a polish that is guaranteed to turn heads all Summer.

Illamasqua’s polishes may be a little pricey at £13.50, but they back it up with quality formulas and exciting shades.

Illamasqua Purity Nail Polish is available now to buy on counter, instore or online.

* press sample

Thanks for your submissions ladies!

I’ve had a read through and would be delighted if Lucy from MissLucyLoves would be the next guest reviewer for Lipglossiping.com – simply because I think that loads of us can totally relate to those under the skin blemishes that are plaguing her at the moment!

Thanks Lucy, could you please email me your details and I’ll pop the kit in the post to you this week.

Look out for Lucy’s review shortly!

Over the next couple of weeks, retail guru Nicky Kinnaird, founder of Space NK will be making some rare personal appearances in selected stores as part of a beauty event the brand have lined up for interested customers.

The events are taking place on the following dates/locations:

16th March – Marylebone: 10-2pm
17th March – Loughton: 10-2pm
18th March – Kingston: 10-2pm
23rd March – Glasgow: 10-2pm
24th March – George St (Edinburgh): 10-2pm
25th March – Cobham: 10-2pm
31st March – Northcote Rd: 10-2pm

The event costs £60 (redeemable against all purchases).

For your money, you get a 15 minute consultation with Nicky herself on your skincare needs and a 30 minute makeup lesson from a professional.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, you can find participating store numbers here.

Illamasqua’s Atomic lipstick is a non-hooker fuchsia pink with blue flashes makes for one hawt Spring/Summer lipstick!

It’s packed with pigment for an opaque, matte finish which is pretty unforgiving on lips that are in anything but the best condition.

I own a few Illamasqua lippies and they are all hard-textured, solidly opaque affairs that are unkind to dry lips but I think this is the most drying yet and should be accompanied with a lipgloss.

I know that some will be happy to sacrifice moisturisation for lasting power and Atomic has plenty of this, with the kind of longevity you’d expect from a stain rather than a lipstick.  Thanks to the hard texture of the lipstick, you shouldn’t get too many bleeding issues from this bright.  I didn’t notice any problems despite not using a lip liner… it just doesn’t move.

Overall: Illamasqua Atomic lipstick* is an awesome shade with amazing pigment, incredible lasting power but potentially quite uncomfortable to wear without proper lip preparation.

Illamasqua Atomic is a shade from the Toxic Nature collection and is available to buy on counter, instore or online priced at £15.50

* press sample

Finding a natural looking contour for my pale (very pink) skintone has probably been one of my toughest makeup tasks and the closest I’ve come so far is another Illamasqua product, a powder blush called Rumour.  The general criteria for my skin tone consists of two factors.

a). be pale enough to look natural and blend easily

b). be pink-toned enough to avoid looking orange or yellow.

Being a total fan of all things cream-based for my dry skin, I was excited to see if the new Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow* would work well as a contour shade.

Well, the answer is… I’m undecided.  It applies beautifully and blends easily with fingers and I think it will make a lovely contour for those with neutral or warmer toned pale skin but I’m not convinced it makes a perfectly natural contour for uber pinks.  I’ll let you be the judge…

Does it look a little yellow to you or am I scrutinising too hard?  I’m definitely hyper-aware of bronzer and contour looking ‘wrong’ so I’m generally pretty tough on them, do you think it works or are there better matches out there?

Illamasqua Hollow Cream Pigment (£17.00) is available as part of Illamasqua’s Spring/Summer Toxic Nature Collection and available now from counters, instore and online.

* press sample

In celebration of International Women’s Day last Tuesday, Bare Escentuals held events around the country inviting  women to “Try. Believe. Love.” the BareMinerals foundation.

I went along to the event in Covent Garden to have a peek behind the scenes and to talk to some of the women who had stopped by to join the Bare Escentuals Friendship Bracelet Club.  Even the sun came out in support!

Read on to find out what happened at the event and for a chance to win a little prize!

|| the friendship mirror ||

|| i love this message! ||

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