A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

If it weren’t for those pesky prematurely dark evenings… Autumn would be my favourite season by far.

The excitement at dragging our lovely knitwear out from storage, discovering warming new recipes for the slow cooker, 100 denier tights and nature’s most vibrant display of colour.  It all combines to fill me with that pre-Christmas thrill.

For me, Autumn is the season of scents… crushed leaves underfoot, cordite in the air and hearty stews on the stove.

Here’s my take on some of the nicest Autumn scents that money can buy.

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Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection – Romana (£28)

Brainchild of Adriana Carlucci, Ancienne Ambiance offer luxury goods inspired by Antiquity.   When you burn an Ancienne Ambiance candle, you’re burning more than just a beautifully blended scent.

Romana is like a portal to another age.  Described as: A powder-like scent with sensual & comforting effects..particularly good when desiring a calm ambience.

Comforting is exactly right… it’s soft and evocative.  The amber tones are rich, earthy and overwhelmingly Autumnal.  Perfect for warming up these dark evenings.

The quality in this candle is evident with a flame which burned evenly throughout the many hours of enjoyment I’ve had thus far.  The scent remains true and consistent from the first time you light it through to the moment it extinguishes itself.

The Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection is available to buy online and instore at Fenwick of Bond Street.

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OCCO  Motovun no3 Bath & Body Wash (£18)

Croatian-inspired OCCO are a new to the UK, natural brand with a wide range of luxury products.

The Motovun no3 range combines essences of Cypress Leaf, Labdanum, Oak, Cedar Leaf, Vetiver and Black Pepper, to create an earthy and woody selection.

They say:

Oil of cypress tree fuses with gentle oat-based cleansers with anti-oxidant properties, to help restore elasticity and cleanse your skin. Natural extracts of pine and oak calm and centre your mood.

With an impressive list of active ingredients including: Pine Oil, Cypress Oil and Sage Oil Grape Extract, OCCO’s Motovun No3 promises to be a moisturising experience.  Something that our skins definitely crave this time of year.

All OCCO products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrance blended from absolutes, extracts and oils to reveal subtle top, heart and base notes. All products are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and synthetic colours.

The brand are set to open a central London boutique this Autumn but for now, you can purchase online and instore from Harrods and John Lewis.

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Haus of Gloi Parkin Bubbling Scrub ($9)

My latest Haus of Gloi order turned up yesterday morning and amongst it was the newly released Parkin Bubbling Scrub.

Heavy in black treacle, ginger and roasted chestnuts… the initial ginger sweetness morphs into a richer, darker base that lingers on the skin for hours.  Synonymous with Bonfire Night, I was delighted to scrub myself silly with this yesterday morning to mark the historic date.

Now, if only I had some real sticky Parkin to go with it *nom*

Parkin Bubbling Scrub is available online from Haus of Gloi (for a limited time).

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LUSH / Gorilla Perfumes – Tuca Tuca (from £2.50)

I wanted to include an out and out fragrance in this selection but I found myself struggling to choose.  Sure, there are many amber and woody offerings…. even heady orientals that would fit with the theme but as I was exploring my stash of lovely things, I remembered Tuca Tuca.

It’s a love it/hate it pick.  Mr. L hates it, I love it.  Not quite as much as I love some of LUSH’s other new fragrance offerings (I’m looking at you Lust and The Smell of Freedom) but by Jove it reminds me of Halloween!

Tuca Tuca is an explosion in a Parma Violet Factory… and in this house, Parma Violets are king… or yano… queen… whatever, I ain’t discriminating.  Even better if we can find the jumbo ones… am not fattist either.  It’s playful, girly and comforting all at the same time.  But most of all?  It’s impish… mischievous and defiantly bold.

A pied piper of fragrances.

Tuca Tuca is available instore at LUSH or online.

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Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil (£9)

Neals Yard Remedies are new to cosmetics and I’m finding it hard to decide if this is a gloss, a balm or maybe just a bit of both!

Advertised as a gloss, it does indeed leave a lovely (if subtle) sheen behind.  It’s non sticky and wears just as well under a lipstick as it does over it!

But the real beauty is in it’s scent!

I have literally spent an entire car journey with the end stuffed up my nostril.  Well, not *up* my nostril… that would just be dangerous, imagine if we had to brake?

Let me explain…

As a child, around this time of year… I used to make orange pomanders and use them to scent drawers and wardrobes around the house.  The organic orange oil is an acute reminder of those days.

It’s got enough tartness to it to steer it away from being sickly, but enough softness to stop it from smelling like a kitchen cleaner.  Fragrance blenders… I have so much respect for the delicate balancing act you do!

No parabens, no silicones and no carmine.  Neals Yard Remedies offers the first collection to include Soil Association certified cosmetics.  But I’m still all about that orange!

Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil is available to buy instore and online.

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What are some of your loveliest Autumnal scents?  And which season is your favourite?

Marrow was the shade that I had been looking forward to… the one that caught my attention back in February when it debuted on the catwalks at Vena Cava during New York Fashion Week.

It was finally released alongside the A/W collection and was one I didn’t pick up because swatch shots from the US girls hadn’t impressed me anywhere near as much as I hoped they would.

The Butter London Marrow that had been haunting my dreams (melodramatic, moi?) was this durgy purple and swatches had proven the release version to be a truer, safer shade.

And it just goes to show the value that great swatches has on my buying choices because they were right!  It’s not that Marrow is an unnattractive colour… far from it, it’s quite a striking blue hued purple… regal and perfect for winter.  It’s just different to what I had wanted it to be.

Marrow has a lovely subtle silver shimmer that was far too tricky for me to pick up in the above swatch… it’s touches like this that really set the brand apart from their rivals.  I am a big fan of Butter London and I get hugely excited at the rumblings of new releases to see if I can spot any emerging trends for future seasons.

Not the easiest brand to get hold of in the UK but you can pick them up online from Powder Rooms priced at £9.75 each.

Growing up, I was a shower freak and would be one of those annoying people that come out with the (much overused) line about not wanting to soak in my own dirt.

Nowadays?  I’m a bathing convert.  In the Summer, it’s still a rare occurence… but now the nights are becoming cooler, I can appreciate the enjoyment that wallowing for an indecently long period of time in a tub of hot water brings.  Especially if I lock the bathroom door first so no-one tries to come in for a crap and ruin my zen.

I don’t know about you but… for me, part of the enjoyment of bathing is the whole ritual that sits alongside.  And a true simple pleasure is using a new bath oil/ballistic/melt/whatever for the first time.  I always love the idea of lighting candles but mostly am a bit slovenly for all that.

My latest indulgence (and at £18 it is a little bit of an indulgence) is my India Hicks Island Night Milky Bath from Crabtree & Evelyn.

India Hicks is the designer grand-daughter of the late Earl Louis Mountbatten, who is well known round these here parts and buried just up the road.  I don’t know why that’s relevant… it’s really not…I’m doing that bloody automatic writing again.

I use just a capful and it fragrances the water nicely.  It’s a tropical scent… but not like I’ve just poured a can of Lilt in the tub.  It’s soft and delicate… like I’m bathing with my window open and the scent of jasmine is being carried in on a warm breeze.  Slap me, I’m sounding pretentious.  But that’s the only way I can describe it.  It’s not a BIG floral, it’s just evocative.

It leaves my skin feeling soft (but not soft enough to forego moisturiser) and Mr. L says that he can still smell it on my skin when I use an unscented moisturiser afterward.  At £18 for 250ml, I’d quite like it to clean the bath and re-grout the tiles too but it makes for a lovely ‘special’ treat when the day has been a little too much to bear.

India Hicks Island Night Milky Bath is priced at £18 and available online and instore at Crabtree & Evelyn.

What are your favourite bath-time indulgences?

When I went to London a few weeks ago, I was on a mission.  I wanted to buy something that I couldn’t get from any of my local stores and I wanted it to be something from a brand that I wasn’t hugely familliar with.

I asked on Twitter and received a suggestion for the Shiseido Accentuating Color Sticks…. cream blushes?  I was all over it.  Like an embarrassing rash.

I’m a sucker for cream blushes, particularly when they’re in stick form like this… the only problem that lay ahead of me now was shade selection.

Three shades had caught my eye and I was truly torn.

Peach Flush, Rosy Flush and Champagne Flush.

Peach Flush looked quite… well… peachy to my eye and I’m always a little fearful of anything warm-toned but I know that when I get the shade right…. peach can really brighten up my complexion and play down the redness in my cheeks.

Rosy Flush was the one I was drawn to naturally… but my only caveat was that it was really quite bright… almost dolly pink rather than a true rose colour.  Less natural looking, but lovely for the Winter nonetheless.

Lastly, Champagne Flush… one of those beautiful shimmering highlighter shades that give that “lit from within” look.  Just a hint of pink pearl…. very lovely, but did I want another highlighter?

I went with Rosy Flush.  I handed over my card, paid my monies and went on my way not entirely sure I’d made the right decision.  Infact, I got as far as the Clinique counter and changed my mind.

Sheepishly, I went back and asked if I could change for a different shade and the counter staff couldn’t have been more accommodating… even going so far as to not treat me like a nuisance… I KNOW!  In SELFRIDGES?  Ah. Mazing.

Wanna know which one I got?

Peach Flush!  Aren’t I brave?

And I love it…

I’m so pleased I changed my mind and went for the less safe option.  The Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick is a sheer cream to powder formula that doesn’t look at all greasyand I find it easier to blend than the NARS multiples (which although I love, I find a bit… tough going?).

Peach Flush really does give me a naturally warm flush and wears beautifully under NARS Orgasm and Deep Throat for a slightly bolder look.  It has a very subtle shimmer that isn’t too apparent once on the cheeks.

I take a little colour from the stick onto my finger tips and apply that way…. although tempting, I wouldn’t recommend applying straight from the tube.  Stripe-o-rama.

The only downside to the Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick is in it’s lasting power… I get about 4 hours wear from it before it disappears.  If I need it to last all day, then I wear it underneath a complementing powder blush.

Of course, now that I’ve bought Peach Flush… I’m desperate to get my hands on Rosy and Champagne too.

Shiseido Accentuating Color Sticks are available from counters nationwide priced at £26 each.

Looking for something vampy, glossy and with just a hint of purple?

Precision Nails in shade R03 VIP Very Important Polish might be what you’ve been looking for…

Another great Winter shade and a winner for lovers of dark, vampy nails… VIP is a 3 coater that makes my fingernails look like black cherries!

Consistent with the other shades in the range, I’m really appreciating these dark polishes now that I’ve chopped my nails a little shorter.

Terry de Gunzburg, founder of cult beauty brand By Terry is making a one day personal appearance on Wednesday 17^th November at the Space NK Duke of York Store, Kings Road.

Customers are invited to book in for 45 minute consultations during which time they will receive a makeover from a By Terry international makeup artist overseen and personalised by Terry herself.  All attendees will leave with a complimentary By Terry gift bag.  A £50, fully redeemable booking fee applies.

As places are limited, customers are asked to book in advance either in store or by calling the following number – 0207 730 0834.

I made my first Haus of Gloi order a few weeks ago after a gentle nudge (ok, shove) from the lovely LondonMUGirl.  I’d first heard about HoG earlier this year after Fyrinnae’s chemist had tweeted about the company… but after a quick look at the Etsy store, I had decided that I really didn’t need more soapy goodness.

I was wrong.

I made a small order to begin with.  2 sample 2oz/56g pots of HoG wares in their limited edition Halloween scents.

The packaging is adorable and the thought, artistry and love that clearly goes into those labels really pleases me.  Haus of Gloi is a small, independent business… a husband and wife team dedicated to producing 100% vegan products and feeling-evoking fragrances.

Pumpkin Queen Pumpkin Butter – 2oz ($4.50):

The Haus of Gloi pumpkin butters are heavier than their normal body emulsions, which for the cold winter ahead… is perfect.  Pumpkin Queen is described as gentle hay pillows, pumpkin, ripe peaches dusted with clove and nutmeg, dried summer herbs, and lastly, a lovely crown of amber. The first thing I can smell are the peaches, but it’s a really juicy, non-synthetic scent backed by a spicier pumpkin undertone that smells freshly baked.  It’s a gourmand scent for sure.  Some may find it a little too sweet, cloying… I love it.  I love it so much, I’ve just bought the perfume oil.

The butter is rich and silky… it sinks into my skin in under a minute and leaves me feeling soft to the touch.  I love this formulation and I’m very sad that these richer products are limited.  The most inspiring thing about this product though?  Longevity.  I have never applied a body butter with a fragrance that literally and truly lingers until bedtime.  I wish I had stockpiled this body butter.

Samhain Soft Bubbling Scrub – 2oz ($3.50):

I find the scent of this a little too subtle, it’s actually quite hard for me to detect.  As an ex-smoker, I made Mr. L have a sniff (incase it was my deadened sense of smell) but no, he affirms that in the scrub, it’s a very light scent.  Described as rustling leaves, chilled winds … Freshly turned earth, wet leaves, and a cool herb laden wind carrying spectres and spooks! I desperately wanted to evoke all those things… but I’m just getting a light herbal scent that I can’t quite place.

The scrub formula however, is lovely.  It melts (but not too quickly) on my skin as I massage and produces a gentle lather that cleans effectively whilst rinsing away nicely.  I’ve since been back to the site to order a full-size bubbling scrub in a different scent.

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Whilst delivery to the UK isn’t extortionate, it does make you realise that these are heavy products and as such… you’ll be paying for the pleasure of having them shipped across the Atlantic.  This first order of 2 sample sized jars came to a very reasonable $5.64 for shipping.  My second order with nearly $15 of it going toward shipping costs, made me wince a little.  But as I said, it’s not like these are pigment samples now is it?

Both Halloween limited fragrances above are (mostly) out of stock now on the website, there are a few straggling items left behind… but for Haus of Gloi, it’s onwards and upwards with the introduction of the Yule collection set for the 7th November.  I’ve already purchased a Parkin Pumpkin Butter (and a few other bits and bobs) and I’m going to find it VERY hard to resist the new Eggnoggin, my all-time favourite Xmas scent! (I told you I was a gourmand!).

Bring it on!
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P.S. There are some great blogs out there with reviews of the various scents… check out Phyrra, Le Gothique, ShizzleNizzle for starters!

Surely not… I’ve been harping on about it often enough but I just had to mention that the brand is finally available to buy in Boots.  Unfortunately, it’s only online for the moment… but all that will change in January, when it launches instore too.

Not sure where to start with the Aussie range? My pick has to be the 101 ointment.  Literally, 101 uses for this little tube of lip-loving moisture.

Another polish  from the Precision Nails Glam Rock Collection, this time a little number called The After After Party (R04).

It’s a sophisticated midnight blue with shimmer that looks very clean and elegant against a cool, pale skintone.

I was concerned that the inky blue might stain my nails, so I doubled up on the base coat… but I’m pleased to report that it didn’t even so much as stain my cuticles.  Good job!

As with the other shimmers in the range, I wish that it had just a touch more sparkle.  In the bottle, the multi-coloured shimmer is very special and that doesn’t translate to the nail.  Having said that, it’s still a very beautiful midnight blue with just enough shimmer to keep it interesting.

Another three coater, it’s one of those polishes that need that last coat to really shine.  Application was good and wear has been fine.

To celebrate Illamasqua’s 2nd Birthday, the brand are unleashing a rather fabulous competition for their fans.

One lucky winner will walk away with a five-day course in Mastering Professional Make-Up at The Illamasqua School of Make-Up Art, including travel (within the UK) and accommodation, worth over £1000, plus £200 of Illamasqua make-up!

Five runners up will also receive the new Brush Roll, including five brushes.

To enter the competition and watch the new brand film featuring Vicky McClure, head over to the website now.

Back in September, I chose a reader to trial and review the new Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus – Wrinkle and UV Damage Corrector which had been picking up some rather fabulous reviews across the blogosphere.  Helen kindly agreed to provide us with two reviews…. one partway through her trial and another once she’d completed the 12 weeks.

Today, I’d like to share her thoughts on the product that she’s been using for the past 4/5 weeks.

Take it away Helen…

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Okay – so Charlotte very kindly chose me to review this product – many thanks Charlotte.

First impressions: Nice solid glass bottle with pipette type dispenser.  Product itself is a milky fluid – 100% fragrance free and allergy tested.  Love the bottle – looks and feels like it knows what it’s doing.  Slight drawback in that you can’t see how much product you’ve got left at a glance but I’m only about halfway through so should last til the end of this review.

What it promises: ‘striking improvements in as little as 4 weeks’… how does it do this… who cares…. oh, hang on… you do… let me quote… with ‘high-level peptides to boost the production of natural collagen’ and a ‘patented enzyme blend that works to mend visible UV damage’  So in just four weeks I should notice a ‘striking reduction in the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

What it’s up against: 45 year old mother of two who, although not a sun worshipper, wasn’t particularly good at applying facial sunscreen in her younger years and has only recently seen the error of her ways.   I also wear contacts so my delicate eye area is probably suffering a bit more wear and tear than it should.  I think the ‘before’ photo probably speaks for itself… (viewers of a nervous disposition may wish to look away!)

Usage: 3 to 4 drops to face and around eye area – twice a day.  Product is easy to apply via the pipette, and sinks into skin quickly.  Left my skin immediately feeling smoother and moisturised.  Have to say at this point I was pleasantly surprised as I wasn’t expecting my skin to feel so much better so quickly – but there was a distinct improvement in the texture and appearance after only a few days.

After four weeks – well….I do still have wrinkles/lines… BUT I would swear they are greatly improved in just this short time… please bear in mind the ‘after’ photo was taken after a very hectic weekend of late nights but even then I think you can see a difference.

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Thanks Helen, sounding really promising!  Can’t wait to hear your final thoughts once you’ve completed the trial and thanks for being our guinea pig!

Clinique’s Repairwear Laser Focus – Wrinkle and UV Damage Correcter is priced at £35.00 a bottle and available online or on counters nationwide.

…and she really, really does.

I rarely get really excited about haircare – it’s happened 3 times so far this year.  First, with Pantene’s new Aqualight which I’d still be using now if my sensitive scalp hadn’t kicked up a fuss about it.  Secondly with my mysterious high street deep conditioner (don’t get too excited, it’s only mysterious ‘cos I haven’t written the review yet) and thirdly, with this fabulous offering from Liz Earle.

If you’re a regular beauty blog reader, I know that you will have read at least 10 other reviews on these products seeing as they’ve done the ‘blog rounds’ in recent months and I wish I could bring something new and exciting to the table.  But really, all I can do is offer up another rave on how lovely these products are.

Whilst I may not be sold on the powers of the original Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish (I prefer my Cleansing Oil routines), I have always been impressed with the philosophy behind it of finding a gentle but effective product to suit all skintones.  The same philosophy has been applied to the Liz Earle Botanical Shine Shampoo (only for hairtypes) and for mine?  It works like a dream.

On a completely superficial level, I adore the scent.  I think it’s easy to underestimate just how big an influence scent plays in our bathing products.  In my bathroom, it’s right up there with performance… my haircare needs to smell divine, or I’m just not interested.  This smells… divine.  It’s understated, fruity and most importantly… clean-smelling and non-artificial.  It leaves my locks delicately scented without being overpowering.

The texture of the shampoo is almost slightly gel-like and the quantity shown above is about the amount I use to wash my hair.  Adding just a small amount of water, I lather the mixture up between my hands before applying to the roots of my hair.  Considering this is a SLS/SLES shampoo, I’m impressed with the amount of lather I can achieve.  My hair rinses clean in under a minute and actually feels clean (though not squeaky).  I only need one wash… none of that rinse and repeat stuff.  It cleanses my hair effectively and leaves my scalp happy and calm.

I was also sent the conditioner for dry or damaged hair (one of the three varieties available) and it’s a very thick, almost masque-like opaque cream.  Rich with shea butter and yangu oil (known for it’s inherent uv protection), the conditioner offers a deeply moisturising experience.  I tend to keep this away from my roots and concentrate instead on the ends and main hair shaft.  It lacks the tell-tale silicone slip that if I’m honest… I still miss but does prevent my hair from taking on a straw-like appearance once dry.

The scent of the conditioner is heavier than the shampoo and to my nose, I smell licorice which I’m putting down to the Rose-Scented Geranium essential oil… a scent that has always reminded me more of anise and licorice than roses!  Love it.

Both shampoo and conditioner come in two sizes (50ml and 200ml) and are priced at £4/£7.50 respectively.  Despite a full month’s use… I’ve only used half a bottle of the shampoo and will absolutely be repurchasing.  The conditioner tube is nearly empty and I’m not quite in love with it enough to repurchase.

Liz Earle’s new haircare ranges can be purchased online.  I’m not sure if they’re available from John Lewis, which would be my preferred source (I know the candles/bath oils aren’t) – I’ll check and get back to you on that one.