A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I’ve been trying to get my hands on these for an indecently long period of time.  Well, actually that’s a bit unfair… I’ve been trying to get my hands on the PURPLE in this range for an indecently long period of time.  I had some House of Fraser vouchers left over from last Christmas and when I saw the preview of these at a press event earlier this year, fell in love and earmarked the use of said vouchers firmly with the name Shiseido.

Of course, when they were released last month… the purple was nowhere to be seen.  Each time I went to House of Fraser I was told about the shortage coming from Japan and I left the store feeling ever more deflated.  The last time it happened, I decided that I could wait no longer and plumped for the blue instead.  I’m impulsive/stupid like that.

Here she is…

First impressions are based solely on how pigmented this thing is.  I haven’t experienced the kind of WOW factor I got with this since I bought my first Sleek palette.  The second thing that struck was just how complex the shade is, it truly does shimmer with a huge amount of depth and beauty.  Thanks to the cream formula, the jewel tones are wonderfully enhanced and you are left with an impression of something between the deep blue sea and glacier ice.

The cream spreads very smoothly, far smoother than something like the MUFE Cream Shadows, I’ve found that I fare better by tapping the shade onto my eyelid to achieve an even distribution and I’ve been mostly using this as a base upon which I apply my trusty taupe.  It gives an extra dimension to a well-worn colour, I’ll save the full on BLUE look for when I’m feeling a little braver.  Finally, I dot a little gold into the inner corners of my eyes as I feel that it complements the overall look (ooh, get me!)

If the rest of the Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Colors share the same formula merits as this one, I can’t recommend them highly enough.  BL711 doesn’t budge on my slightly oily eyelids (though I do wear shadow ontop) and the pigmentation is out of this world.

Now, if only I could brave it and rock the full on look!

Shiseido Shimmering Cream Eye Color in BL711 is available to buy at Shiseido Counters nationwide and online priced at £20.00

I fished the Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner in Gunmetal out of a press day goody bag a couple of months ago and promptly fell in love.  Deeply pigmented with a lovely hint of sparkle, it ticked many of the boxes that the Guerlain powder liners have never been able to do for me — number one being a soft, flexible tip that doesn’t fill me with fear everytime it comes within 2 inches of my eyeball.

I think that these powder eyeliners are a love ’em/hate ’em type affair and after buying and giving up on the Guerlain Kohl, I thought I was in the latter camp along with all the other haterz.

Not so.

Yes, there’s fall out.  Obviously more so than any other kind of liner but I remedy this by applying before foundation and it doesn’t bother me.  You can (if you’re careful), apply without dropping a speck but if you manage it consistently, you’re a better woman than I am.

The ‘nib’ of the wand is a flexible, soft sponge that holds enough rigidity to run along the waterline but is also soft enough to provide a good application to the lashline.  I feel that the Smashbox shades are inferior to Guerlain’s which are generally, simply beautiful — but I can work with these happily.

The Gunmetal on the left contains more sparkle than the Black.  The fall out is visible and I didn’t take any care here to minimise it.   I went out and bought the Black because I loved the smoky definition that the Gunmetal provided but wanted something a little more dramatic to wear in the evenings.

My favourite thing about the Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner is the way they wear after a few hours, the line fades evenly and cleanly – if you want something sharply defined that will look the same at 6pm as it did at 8am, these won’t be for you.  Over the course of the day, they soften and melt without straying too far and give a nicely ‘lived in’ look, not as dramatic as the whole rock-chick thing but heading in that direction.

The Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliners are priced at £19.50 each (yes, expensive) and are available instore at Debenhams, or you could save a few pennies and buy online from JustBeautyDirect.

Do you wear loose powder eyeliner?  Love it or Hate it?

Last night, London’s iconic Battersea Power Station played host to an electrifying party held in honour of Kate Moss’ 10-year partnership with Rimmel.  Kate arrived at the venue in true supermodel fashion, by helicopter.  Dressed in a vintage black dress and wearing her personally designed Rimmel London Lipstick Collection By Kate in Red (shade no. 1 – her personal favourite), she worked the classic ensemble with her signature, effortless style.

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

She was joined by celebrity guests including: Poppy Delevingne, Sadie Frost, Jasmine Guiness, Cara Delevingne, Erin O’Connor and Camilla Rutherford.  The party guests sipped at bespoke Rimmel cocktails named after blockbuster products including Extra Wow (Gin, lemon, apple and elderflower), Glam Eyes (Vodka, blackberry and violet) and Max Gloss (Mango, lime, ginger beer) whilst watching the large screen coverage of Kate’s dramatic helicopter entrance and live tweets from the VIP guests throughout the evening.

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

Steve Mormoris, Senior Vice-President, Global Marketing for Coty Beauty commented: “We’re delighted to be celebrating 10 years of Kate Moss and Rimmel, marking the occasion with the launch of Kate’s first personally designed collection for the brand. Kate truly epitomises the London Look: her unique style and spirit is emulated across the world.”

As much as I wish I could have attended, I had a date with my daughter and not even La Moss could persuade me away from that.  Still, I am very sorry to have missed my girl-crush Shingai Shoniwa (from the Noisettes) wow the guests with her performance and by all accounts, Solange Knowle’s beautiful hair very nearly stole the limelight completely.

(Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

On the inspiration behind her new lip collection with Rimmel London, Kate said: “The inspiration was for classic shades that I have always worn and had in my handbag. There is always a small selection of shades I always go back to and I wanted this range to reflect that as they will never go out of style.”

The new 7 piece collection of classic lip colours is exclusively available from Boots until the 28th September before a nationwide roll-out.  Lipsticks are priced at £5.49 each.

…is precisely what I thought when I downloaded these images.  Truth be told, I was trying some different angles because I knew the usual above eye-level (wobbly chin minimizing) camera angle would completely obliterate the lashes that I worked so hard to apply.

So then I did some shots with the camera pointing up at the lashes, but they were no good ‘cos you could see right up my nose and I’m neither denying nor confirming reports that we had a bogey situation.

So, for the love of God, please don’t think this is an actual pose.

But what I wanted to say was, wheee Red Cherry Lashes!

If you don’t know about Red Cherry lashes, you’re missing out.  It’s more likely that some of my lovely UK readers won’t have heard of them purely because availability isn’t quite so good here in the UK.  I bought these (Red Cherry #600) last week from BuyEyelashes.co.uk and they arrived a few days later.  I do own some other pairs but being the non false lash wearer that I am, I haven’t gotten around to trying them on yet.

Let’s take a closer look at the lashes.

100% Human Hair.  I’m sure this is supposed to be a good thing, they do feel very fluttery and naturalistic but is it just me who wonders exactly where this human hair comes from?  I know you’re thinking India or the Far East but I don’t mean that.  What I’m really thinking about, is the possibility that I’m wearing someone’s bum hair on my face.

Looks good though doesn’t it?

The bands on these Red Cherry #600s are beautifully pliable and thin enough to work with comfortably.  I applied the lashes above with the help of my new Japonesque tool which I bought after Liloo said we all needed one.  It does make a difference, but I’ll blog about that later.

Red Cherry 600s are priced at £3.10 from BuyEyelashes.co.uk, or I have used this eBay seller before for Red Cherry lashes.

So, there we have it.  Bum hair, ridiculously thick eyeliner (that thing where you make it thicker to go over a booboo) and a picture that makes me look like I’m about to make love to myself.

Have a lovely weekend special people.

Argh, look what happens when I go away… all the awesome deals come out!  I’m loving this one in particular courtesy of CheapSmells (I typo’ed CheapSmalls then and gave myself a massive smirk).

Back to this Deal Alert – Remember when I talked about the Travalo Perfume Atomisers?  Well, they’re fairly inexpensive to begin with but CheapSmElls are offering them at an unbeatable price this weekend only…

£5.50 with gratis delivery and you can carry a fair amount of your favourite perfume around with you wherever you go.  I took my Travalo on holiday with me this week (filled with Apothecary EDT incase you care) and it was fabulous for quick on the go spritzes.

Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday, it’s Saturday night as I’m writing this and I’ve not long got home from my 5 day break in London, want to go back already!

I wasn’t around to see the (re)launch of Stila earlier in the year so it was good to have a catch up recently and check out the goodies that will be heading our way before the year is through.

Have you seen what Stila have instore for us?  Here’s a quick sneak peek… I’ll be back with specific details very soon but in honour of a 4 day week, let’s enjoy some makeup porn.  Cue the dodgy Jazz!

There, now doesn’t the day feel just that little bit easier to bear?  Go on… scroll back up and have another peek, I won’t tell anyone.

’till tomorrow good people xx

Fancy a new luxury skincare regime to ease you gently into the cooler months?  How about saving around 60% while you’re at it?

For today only, you can pick up an Elemis Tri-Enzyme three-piece set on QVC for a hugely discounted price of £44.80

Let me show you how the saving works out.  For a total of £44.80, you get…

1 x Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash (200ml) – RRP: £28.00 (roughly)
1 x Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Gel Mask (50ml) – RRP: £46.00
1 x Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Night Cream (50ml) – RRP: £41 (roughly)

Combined, the usual RRP on these three products would be approximately £115!

If you’d like to read a review of the mask, I featured it last year – also be sure to read the comments because there’s some interesting additional input from an esthetician AND a biochemist!

If I hadn’t just bought myself a new lens for my camera this week (£320 ouch), I would be having a little splurge today.

Do you ever take advantage of the TSVs on QVC?

Fifty quid is a lot of money to spend on an eyeshadow palette when you’ve got brands like Urban Decay banging ’em out for under £40 but I came across some photos of this Smashbox palette from a press day when I was archiving some pictures and thought I’d tell you a bit about this rather pretty offering from Smashbox.

The potential to be a neutral lovers dream, the Smashbox Softbox Nude Eyeshadow Palette is a good choice for everyday looks with a few matte inclusions to encourage a broad appeal.  It features nine muted eyeshadow shades and two cream liners (one on each end).  Also included is a double ended brush making it an attractive proposition for those who are looking for a single set of wearable shadows in one compact package.

At fifty pounds, it’s not cheap but that is also one of the reasons I’m posting about it today.  The Smashbox Softbox Nude Eyeshadow Palette was released as a limited edition Summer launch so if it is catching your eye, keep an eye out for potential bargains on this palette across the web or perhaps even instore at Debenhams as the Autumn/Winter products supercede.

Kirstie at Beaut.ie has a great, indepth review on the palette here.

The Smashbox Softbox Nude Eyeshadow Palette is available to purchase online at Debenhams.com priced at £50.00

EDIT: £30 online at QVC – what did I tell ya?! (thanks for the spot Joanne!)

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.

If I listen carefully enough, I can hear whoops of joy from 1000s of women south of Watford.  You see, we haven’t had easy access to the inexpensive, uber-tan St. Moriz.  Alas, we’re not deserving enough of B&M Stores, Home Bargains or TJ Hughes.  Infact, when the fake tanner took the beauty blogging world by storm a couple of years ago I remember scouring the aisles of my local TK Maxx for months trying to source a bottle!

Well, we can stop feeling excluded because Mr. T is bringing St. Moriz to the masses.

From the 3rd August, you’ll be able to nab a bottle along with your weekly shop and until the end of the month, it’s on introductory offer:

St. Moriz Self Tanning Mousse Medium (Introductory price of £3.99 – RRP £4.99) until 30th August 2011

St. Moriz Self Tanning Mousse Dark (Introductory price of £3.99 – RRP £4.99) until 30th August 2011

St. Moriz Self Tanning Lotion (Introductory price of £3.99 – RRP £4.99) until 30th August 2011

Not only that but when you buy any St. Moriz product you will receive a 75ml Tan Maximising Body Exfoliating Polish, absolutely free*.

It’s turning out to be a resolutely dodgy Summer but at least we can get our glow on for less than a fiver!

Do you use St. Moriz?  Got any application tips?

* while stocks last

I owe you an apology for the sun protection series that never happened.  I planned my posts, split the topic down into the main aspects I wanted to cover but then a few things happened that prevented me from seeing things through…

1).  Turns out there are only 24 hours in a day.  Who knew.

2).  I wanted professional input but one contact went silent halfway through the process and the other replied to my questions with single word answers and I was frankly too aware that they were both doing me a favour to push my luck.

3).  I may have also got the mega wobbles about doing such an important subject justice.

So basically, I failed but I can honestly say that I failed with the best of intentions.

Still, all the ‘homework’ that I put into the series hasn’t entirely gone to waste as it has given me understanding and knowledge that has left me far better prepared to comment on some of the sun protection I’ve discovered this Summer and I’ve needed this time to use, compare and decide on my favourite facial sun protection products on the market today.

Let’s start from the top shall we?

1.  Dr. Brandt UV SPF 30 PA+++* is an an advanced broad spectrum UV protectant that contains ‘dry touch’ technology.  It wears exceptionally well under makeup and provides a satin finish with no white cast.  Packaged in an airless pump, it refused to dispense for me on a few occasions leaving me pumping nothing but air until I swore at it and it behaved again.

I wasn’t hugely keen on the scent but it deserves top marks for leaving a practically naked finish.  Medium-textured and water resistant for 80 minutes.

Price:  £30.00 for 30g at SpaceNK

Repurchase?:  Probably not, it contains Oxybenzone and I don’t like the scent.

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2.  Alpha-H Daily Essential Moisturiser SPF 50+ is an incredibly light-textured solution blended with antioxidant Vitamin E, calming Aloe Vera and pure Honeycomb extract for hydration aswell as sun protection.  This is another superb sun cream to wear under makeup leaving no white residue and providing a dry finish without a hint of greasiness.  Claims water resistance of up to 4 hours.

Price:  £21.82 for 50ml at QVC

Repurchase?:  My heart says yes but my head says no.  Again, this contains Oxybenzone.

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3.  Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ is a fluid-textured solution that feels cooling to the skin when applied.  It leaves no white casts and a slightly dewy (but not greasy) finish.  Perhaps better for normal/dry skins though as it lacks the immediate touch-dry feel of the other two.  It sets after a couple of minutes, which is how long I usually wait before applying makeup over it.  No claims of water resistance.

Price: Around £12 for 50ml from eBay

Repurchase?: Again, probably not.  It’s great value but contains Octinoxate.

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4.  Avon ANEW Solar Advance Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF50 PA+++* similar in finish to the Biore but with a heavier texture.  This is definitely more cream than fluid but the most pleasant smelling of all sun creams trialled.  Packaging is a frustration because the bods at Avon decided it would be a good idea to print orange text over a yellow bottle, cue much squinting.

Again, this works best if you leave it a couple of minutes before applying make up but again, it left no white casts on my skin and once ‘set’, I experienced no issues with products that I used over it.

Price:  Currently £8.50 for 75ml at Avonshop – an absolute bargain!

Repurchase:  Unlikely, it’s another one to use Oxybenzone as a UVA/UVB filter and is a little heavier textured than the others.

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5.  SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense SPF50* is an all-mineral sunscreen that employs physical UV filters Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide to protect the skin from the sun.  You would usually expect to be left with a white residue as these ingredients sit on the skin’s surface, physically deflecting the UV rays but SkinCeuticals Sheer Mineral UV Defense uses micronized particles to provide a sheer, non-chalky finish.  The texture is extremely fluid and needs a good shake before applying as it does separate in the bottle.

Paraben-free and contains plankton extract to increase the skin’s defences against UV and heat stresses.

Price:  £26.99 for 50ml at Dermacare Direct

Repurchase:  Possibly, though I found the mattifying effect a little drying for my combo/dry skin.

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6.  Neals Yard Remedies Wild Rose Daily Moisture SPF 30* is the first sunscreen to be certified by the Soil Association (it’s 56% Organic) and contains only one active ingredient: Zinc Oxide.  Naturally scented (as you would expect), the tube dispenses a heavy-textured cream that takes a bit more effort to massage into your skin compared to the others on trial.  Once rubbed in, it dries to a velvety finish with no white residue.  It feels more comforting for my dry skin than the SkinCeuticals but otherwise, very similar once set.

Also contains antioxidant-rich wild rosehip oil and milk thistle, is paraben-free and wears beautifully under makeup.

Price:  £23.50 for 50ml at Neals Yard Remedies.

Repurchase:  Absolutely.  100% mineral, matt-finish but with the added benefits of moisturisation makes Neals Yard Remedies my winning choice.

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A note on my personal choice to avoid some synthetic UV filters:  I’ve made the decision to avoid some UV filters that have been linked to possible hormone disruption.  The jury is still out on the validity of studies that have flagged these safety issues but whilst there are good alternative choices available, I’m pleased to be able to make them.

* press sample

Lip stains are generally pretty cack aren’t they?  That Max Factor Lipfinity one?  Cack with a capital C, it tastes revolting too.  The Revlon Just Bitten version is only mildly more tolerable but horrendously drying on my lips.

And so, it was with a certain amount of “here we go again…” that I took this Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm* away with me after a recent blogger event.  My previous experiences were definitely playing heavily on my mind.

The Smashbox stain is a dual-ended affair with a liquid-dispensing felt tip on one end and a stick of balm on the other.  The shade is Sangria, a bold wine-red… as you may have guessed from the name.

The felt tip is the best I’ve used… it’s non-scratchy and dispenses an even amount of stain across the surface of my lips regardless of the angles I’m using to apply.  These would probably go down really well in outer space for that reason alone.

The other end offers a chunk of barely-coloured balm designed to match the stain in a hydrating formula.

Some lip stains that I’ve used have had the tendency to be wishy-washy, needing many coats to build up the colour.  Not so here… the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm in Sangria (I haven’t tried the other shades) is bold.  Very bold.  Vampy bold even.

Unfortunately, it all starts to go a bit wrong from here.

Once applied, I liked it a lot… infact I decided that I loved it.  2 hours in and the colour was holding fast without my lips being painfully dehydrated as a result.  I had even decided that I would look past the £21.50 price tag for something that was such a WIN at being awesomely long-lasting and beautifully powerful.

Then suddenly at around the 4hr mark, things went awry and the colour slipped VERY quickly.  I should also point out that I hadn’t eaten anything (just sipped at the usual 56 cups of tea over the course of the morning).

This is how it looked when I first applied it.  Lovely innit?  I was full of “OMG, I <3 Smashbox” at the time this photo was taken.

Problem is that when this thing fades, it fades UGLY.  Mr. L was adamant that I was bleeding from the mouth.

It was looking not so hot after 4 hours but I left it another hour before taking the photo.  I don’t want a lip colour that’s gonna scare the crap out of people around me.  I don’t need that kind of hassle in my life and I don’t want people stopping me in the street asking if I need a paramedic.

On the plus side, the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm does not feather, isn’t horrendously drying and looks amaze when first applied.  If you can remain no more than 4ft from a mirror at all times when wearing it for re-application checks, you’re gonna be in heaven.  Me?  I’m a bit scared of it.

Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm is available in 6 shades and is priced at £21.50 from Debenhams.

* press sample