A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

When it comes to BB Creams, I remain unconvinced of their reinterpretations within the Western market.  In the past year, I’ve experienced attempts ranging from uninspiring tinted moisturisers with little skin protection to re-badged HD foundation to glow-givers with great SPF that wouldn’t cover a tea stain on a teabag.  I’ve found that in the majority of cases, I’ve ended up reviewing them on the basis of their efforts as a foundation which probably says a lot about how much they’ve achieved when it comes down to the skin benefits side of the equation.  Not a lot.

The first thing I really noticed when I applied Yves Rocher’s Peau Parfaite 6in1 BB Cream was the instant boost of hydration.  I mean, I actually looked down at my fingers to check that it was indeed a tinted cream and not just a moisturiser, thinking that perhaps, I’d misread the box.  But no, looking back up at me, were indeed, skin-coloured fingertips with skin-coloured gloop all over them.

The Yves Rocher incarnation of BB Cream loveliness comes in only two shades and the lightest version, imaginatively named light is a spot-on match for a NW15/20 skin-tone.  It’s extremely pink-toned which I have almost no doubt will cause problems for pale ladies with yellow or olive-toned skins.  For the rest of us, it makes a nice change.

Now, before you get all excited – as I did – as far as I’m concerned, the Yves Rocher Peau Parfaite BB Cream is an immediate BB Cream fail on account of having absolutely no sun-protection rating.  None, nada.  The skincare benefits listed are also pretty vague… as you can see for yourself…

It’s very easy to say revives, restores, smooths and unifies without actually saying much at all in terms that can be tangibly judged.

But just because I’m writing it off as a BB Cream, that’s not to say that I’m writing it off completely… my skin felt very comfortable whilst wearing it throughout the day, it caused no aggravations or flakiness and I was pleased with how my skin looked everytime I looked in the mirror.  My nose did need blotting a couple of times throughout the day but I always experience that whenever I wear a moisturising base, which is what I believe this to be and where, I feel, its greatest strength lies.

I do have to laugh at the packaging which claims that from a satisfaction test on 26 women, 85% thought that their skin was visibly more beautiful.  Basically, that’s a bit of a crap claim isn’t it?  Talk about damning oneself with faint praise.

A perfect skin-tone match though eh what?

I’m aware that a lot of my foundation before/afters aren’t the most mind-blowing examples of WOAH, WHAT A DIFFERENCE!  But that’s probably because I favour (and get more excited about) base products that give a natural, flawless finish rather than a mask-like one.  I probably wouldn’t be happy with my nose redness completely obliterated, what can I say… it matches my eyes!

Yves Rocher Peau Parfaite BB Creme is currently priced at £9 (usual price £18) and is available to buy online at YvesRocher.co.uk – please do a quick google search for discount/free gift codes before buying – my latest order came with a lovely bounty of freebies after spending over a certain amount.

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Oh, my lovely fellow beauty addicts… oh, I think you’re going to like this lipstick.  It’s my first “non-wimpy” red of the season and I won’t lie to you, I felt like it wore me FAR better than I could wear it.  This baby needs taming ‘cos she’s wild and a little bit scary – even for someone like me who is finally fairly confident with braving a bold lip in public.

But first let me tell you about her, she’s a new girl and needs an introduction…

To complement their current lipstick range of Lip Mists and Lip Covers, Burberry Beauty have launched a range of Lip Velvets.  Matte in look but not in texture is the best way I can describe the new formula – admittedly, I have only tried one but if the range is as consistent as it ought to be, you should experience a deeply pigmented finish with minimal gloss and a completely NON-drying formula.

NON-drying?  Yes, completely.

Now, my lips are in good condition – I have no flakes, no peels… I don’t need to exfoliate them in the shower with my flannel and I don’t need to reapply lip balm 100x a day to keep them comfortable (thanks Lanolips).  I pretty much have the most ideal lip condition for someone who wants to wear a matte lip.  Stop throwing things at me.

I’m not saying this to be conceited, I’m giving you a benchmark that says, just because my lips are super comfortable with this formula, it doesn’t mean yours will be.  And I’m sorry I have to provide that caveat in this instance, because frankly, I’d like to sing the praises of the new Burberry Lip Velvets from the rooftops with absolutely no caveat whatsoever… but it would be remiss of me not to mention that I have wonderwoman lips right now.

The shade I have here is #310, Military Red.  And it is BOLD.  To my eye, there is the tiniest amount of warmth to it that doesn’t register enough to label this an orange-toned red but is enough to give it leanings toward the warm side of neutral.  The packaging is the same magnetic affair as the rest of the Burberry lipstick range but with a marked difference, matte casing = no more fingerprints ha!  Still sleek, still sexy… just a little more practical with it.

The other thing you need to know about the colour of this one is that it’s bright.  Very bright.  In the lip swatches below, I have applied this straight from the bullet with no lipliner but you do need to take care to be precise because any major wobbles will be instantly noticeable on a shade this vivid.  While the bullet is still in pristine condition, I had no problems with achieving sharp lines – I dream to be able to wear a “mussed-up” red, beautifully deconstructed and carefree.  Alas, whenever I smudge the edges to soften the look in an attempt to make it less formal, I look like I’ve been punched in the mouth, repeatedly.

Although Military Red is indeed, a matte finish lipstick – there’s (hopefully) no sign of old lady lips going on, because frankly, at 31 – I should be starting to think about more forgiving textures – but I’ll cross that bridge when people start pointing.

The formula has really impressed me, longevity was completely within what I’d expect from a high-end brand and a matte formula.  The lipstick wore down evenly throughout the day, only giving up to a darker edge after my evening meal but a few lip smacks infront of a mirror pulled enough colour back in to the centre to dismiss this as an issue.  I didn’t reapply once throughout the day and I didn’t feel that I needed to.  Of course, after 12 hours there was nowhere the same kind of vividness on display but a firm stain ensured that my lips didn’t pale into insignificance despite the late hour.

Burberry Beauty’s Lip Velvets are priced at £23 a-piece and available on counter and online at Harrods in a range of 12 shades.  Bright Poppy is on my Winter hit-list the next time I get a chance to make it into London!

Would you wear a shade this bright?

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In the most outrageous flirtation with alliteration that I’ve witnessed since I submitted my year 10 English coursework, Clinique have released a new line of Chubby Sticks, and this time… they’re intense.  Chubby Chunkiest Chili (oh, come on!) is one of 8 new shades to feature in the lineup of pigment-packed lip colours and it looks something like this…

You should know by now that while I feel there’s a time and a place for sheerer lip coverings, my heart lies with lip products that deliver COLOUR aswell as polish.  Well, I’m pleased to report that Chunkiest Chili does indeed deliver a bold brick-toned red to my unpigmented pout whilst managing to retain most of the glossy, slightly balmy finish of the original Chubby Sticks.

You’ve got to love a lip stick that doesn’t need sharpening… twist up, twist down.  No compromise on usability.

The swatch looks promising…

Ta-da!  Proper colour!  From a Chubby Stick!  *listens for angels*  Seriously though, if you’re a big fan of the Chubby Stick formula, ease-of-use… whatever but feel that they’ve been too sheer and balmy for you *puts hands up*, this is your answer, right here.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense is available in 8 shades: Curviest Caramel, Chunkiest Chili, Heftiest Hibiscus, Mightiest Maraschino, Plushest Punch, Roomiest Rose, Broadest Berry, and Grandest Grape priced at £16 each.

The only problem is, you’re gonna have to wait until mid-November to get your hands on them!  Cool those heels ladies!

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So, one of the most well-known names in British skincare releases a line of makeup.  Women everywhere go crazy.  This lipstick-loving chick gets a bit twitchy over the thought of a Liz Earle lipstick… but I don’t mind admitting that I’d been having preconceptions about how it would feel/look.  I imagined that it would be sheer, moisturising… a bit balmy.  Manna from heaven to some, but not to me.

I was wrong though, it’s basically the complete opposite.  Aren’t you glad to be following the blog of someone who clearly has absolutely no beauty foresight whatsoever.  It’s like when I get emailed to give my opinion on future trends.  I usually look behind me to see if there’s someone else in the room the email was directed to.  Then I say “coral”.

But I digress…

The Liz Earle Signature Lipstick in 01 Rosehip is a natty little bullet of pigmentation with a satin finish.  But I don’t love it.

The shade is very pretty, a muted red which makes for a great pop of colour on pale skin but it draaaaaaags on my lips like a fat dog resisting its daily walk.  You can even see the drag marks on the back of my hand!  It needs more slip, it needs more glide!  Sure it gets better once you’ve spent five minutes drawing it over your lips warming it up but I don’t have time in the morning to resuscitate my lipstick before applying it and I can only imagine the texture getting worse as the temperature drops further.

All in all, this has to be a no from me.  Pretty colour, class packaging and lovely embossing on the bullet that gives it the elegance you’d expect from the brand but the formula doesn’t do it for me.

Liz Earle Signature Lipstick in 01 Rosehip is priced at £14 and available on counter or online at lizearle.com

* I should say that after writing my review and googling to see if anyone had a similar experience, I’m the lone voice of dissent which is making me wonder if I got a bad one.

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God. Have I told you how much I love foundation? Oh, I have?! Well, the thing is… I really love foundation. I love the idea of being able to smooth over the blemishes, teeny veins and discolouration with what is, effectively, a new skin.

If I were a character in a horror-filled b-movie, I’d like to be the skin harvester and I’d go around, stealing people’s faces… no, please don’t leave. I’m only joking. Sort of.

So that I don’t have to go around harvesting other people’s faces, Benefit have launched a new beauty kit that will appeal to all foundation-lovers out there.  How To Look The Best At Everything claims to contain everything we need to achieve that sought-after flawless complexion.

Let’s take a closer look….

The kit is available in three skin shades: Light, Medium and Deep and is packaged in squee cute Benefit stylee, taking obvious inspiration from the series of similarly titled books.  Despite the housing being cardboard, it stands up pretty well to mild misuse… it’s not gonna crumble anytime soon, unless you put it in the washing machine or something phenomenally stupid like that.  In which case, you deserve whatever soggy mess awaits you.

Beneath the ‘front cover’ sits an assortment of Benefit’s face products… providing you ‘get on’ with the products inside, this is a brilliant thing to take away on holidays/dirty weekends and the like.  Do people even still have dirty weekends?  I feel like I’ve just stepped out of the 80s with that expression!

So, from left to right, we have:

The POREfessional primer (7.5ml) |  Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in “Cheers to Me” Champagne foundation (7ml) | Boi-ing 01 & 02 concealer (1.5g each) | “Hello Flawless!” “Me, Vain?” Champagne powder (4g).

I’ve been doing my sums and based on the quantities of product you receive inside the kit, compared to the full-size prices…. the kit is worth approximately £44.22 on product value alone.

Which is pretty awesome considering that Benefit (who are not well-known for their bargainous prices) are asking only £24.50 for the entire set.

It’s a great starting point for anyone unfamilliar with the Benefit base makeup line and would be a lovely present for most teens *cough* and older makeup-loving ladies to open on Christmas morning.

Benefit’s How To Look The Best At Everything kit* is available to buy now online and on counter nationwide, priced at £24.50

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I’ve been dragging my heels when it comes to getting excited for Autumn. Everyone around me has gone chunky-knit/boot-buying crazy while I’ve been trying to eke out one more wear from my floral palazzo trousers before I vacuum pack them away under the bed for the Winter.

But I’m feeling zen about it now. Infact, I feel quite vindicated seeing as Autumn has now clearly arrived with a vengeance this week. Yeah, you go ahead and shiver in your new chunky knit. You brought this on yourself.

It’s not that I hate Autumn… despite my protestations, it is indeed my favourite season too and I am particularly partial to the new collections that the cooler weather brings.  I’m already contemplating vampier lips and more Autumnal blushes.  Infact, here’s five Autumn blushers that I bet you don’t own…

1. Cargo – Tonga: A beautiful, muted matte rose with a hint of mauve

2. Makeup Store – Sugarpink: A soft, dusty pink with a touch of earthiness.

3. Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder – Princess: A muted plum with a hint of bronze, scrumminess.

4. Jane Iredale – Cotton Candy: A sparkly plum with shimmer that flatters without looking too glittery.

5. T. Le Clerc – Brun Voile: A sheer, neutral brown that will go perfectly with everything.

What are your favourite Autumn blushers that don’t get the hype they deserve?

While my heart will always remain true to an undying love for peachy pink, or even better, guava blushes… I won’t deny an eternal hunt for that perfect pop of pink.  For some pale girls, it’s Benefit’s Dandelion… for others, MAC’s Well Dressed.  I’ve been partial to a bit of Cargo’s Catalina in the past but I’ve now fallen head-over-heels for an alternative: MyFace Cosmetics Pink Paradisio (or Paradiso as it’s spelled on the website).

The blusher’s packaging is pretty cumbersome… plus, the whole “look, don’t I remind you of an iPod from 2003?” dates it somewhat, in my opinion.  Having said that, it’s always handy to make space for a mirror and brush for on the go applications.  Except, this brush isn’t very good and picks up far too much product (whilst flinging it about all over the place FALL OUT STYLE).

But the product itself? Oooh, it’s good… so, so good.  A beautiful, slightly warm pink, vivid enough to provide a true ‘pop’ without delivering instant clown cheeks.  If you’re particularly fair, I’d recommend reaching for something like a stippling brush to apply Paradisio Pink with… it does pack a punch but will be kind enough to all pale skintones if treated with a little respect.  I rescued this from my untried pile before going on holiday and whilst the brand are unfortunately no longer available to buy at Boots (which is a real damn shame because I also love the MyMix foundation), you can still purchase online from myfacecosmetics.com or at the new BeautyMART retail space in Harvey Nichols.

MyFace Cosmetics R&B Rouge Blusher in Paradisio Pink is priced at £14.99 – yeah, I’m sure that price has JUMPED from what it used to be *sad face*.

What’s your favourite “pop of pink” blush?

I know it can be a bit annoying when bloggers feature products that you can’t get your hands on anymore but the thing is, I don’t think I’ve ever told you about one of my favourite lipsticks EVER, have I?  Well, now’s the time to introduce you because I’ve just broken into my backup.

Now, according to Makeup Alley, Giorgio Armani Sheer Lipstick (#18) was a limited edition release for Autumn 2003!  Am I really that old that I was buying grown-up lipsticks THAT long ago?  Really, really?!  I thought it was more recent than that… but I can’t honestly remember.  What I can remember is how I fell in love with the shade in the tube.  And then fell in love even more when I applied it.

You see, I haven’t always loved bright lip colours… I’ve grown to love them, but I used to only wear sheer, slightly glossy shades.  As I twisted up the new, pristine Armani bullet the other day – I decided that I had to pay homage to this one before it went the same way as some of my other previous lipstick loves (YSL Rouge Pure Shine also had one that I used to live in (now long gone *sob*)).

Ain’t she pretty?  She’s much brighter and more popsicle orange in the tube than she is on the lips, I was a little bit intimidated by her at first but we soon became inseperable!   One of the things I liked most about this lipstick was the texture, which isn’t too soft, almost semi-matte without being at all drying on the lips.  Wear isn’t great but it’s such aneasylipstick to topup that it truly doesn’t matter.

Gah, I’ll miss you when you’re gone!

Can you remember your first lipstick love?  Tell me about it!

I missed the Sigma brush hype a couple of years ago, because I was fixated instead on building a collection of Trish McEvoy brushes.  Nowadays, I’m skinter than a skint thing and I’ve come to the realistic conclusion that I’d be a moron not to reign my makeup budget in a little a lot.  I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t have any major hobbies that consume my monies so whilst I’m still totally commited to being buried with my makeup collection, I’m more open to the idea of not making myself destitute at the same time.

The Sigma range (some of them) have been renowned for offering great quality at a slightly lower price point and in particular, I was looking for a multi-tasking brush.  Step in the Sigma F84 Angled Top Kabuki Brush with its densely-packed head and stubby handle, I’ve found what I was looking for.

Creams, liquids and powders all work flawlessly with this brush which buffs the product firmly but gently onto the face.  The synthetic fibres withstand daily usage and wash like a dream, even if they do take a little longer than I’d like to dry.

The angled brush head makes light work of facial contours and allows me to work the product into every nook and cranny.  Not that my face has nooks and crannies just yet, but you know what I mean.  I also love the chunky handle which gives me maximum control over direction and pressure.

I’ve recently begun using it to apply my cream blushes, and it works great for that too – allowing me to really blend out the edges to give a polished finish.

The only problem I’ve encountered with the brush is that it basically has too many uses and I’m gonna need more than one.  Which kinda defeats my money-saving attitude somewhat no?

The Sigma f84 is available to buy online in the UK from Cocktail Cosmetics, priced at £14.95

I don’t usually post information straight from press releases unless I find something to capture my imagnation and I think it’s safe to say, what with me being a tad red-lip obsessed and all, that not one two three four five but six new (and reformulated) red lip shades from Chanel was enough to turn my head!

So, you want to know more about these reds?

INCANDESCENTE (shown above): a flamboyant red with insolent radiance.
COROMANDEL: a luminous and precious orange-red.
PIRATE: an ultimate, slightly bluish red.
PALPITANTE: an exquisite shade of raspberry red.
PASSION (reformulated): a dazzling and absolutely glamorous red.
INIMITABLE: an intense, irresistible red with pearly reflections.

Be still my rapidly-beating heart.  But, where’s Dragon eh?

Of course, it’s not ALL about the reds (though when Chanel release six in one collection, you know you’re gonna be seeing a lot of RED this season), for swatches and more information – may I please point you in the direction of the inimitable Cafe Makeup who can make me drool over a swatch on a piece of paper like no other.  Go on, you know you want a new lip lemming to ease you into Autumn.

Dare you.

Shade from the new Chanel Rouge Allure collection are priced at £25 each and are available to buy online and on counter nationwide.

I don’t have quite the owl fascination that I know many people share but I can’t fail to appreciate a pretty design when I see one and this owl-inspired eyeshadow set is sure to get many of you hooting (groan – sorry).

The eyeshadow palette from the M&S Limited Collection features five neutral shades, and one flash of bold colour in the form of a jewel-toned blue.  All shades are shimmery, but is it a case of style over content when it comes to usability and value for money?  Or should you be owl over it before it flies from the shelves? (sorry, SORRY!)

The packaging is lovely, a substantial cardboard design reminiscent of many popular palettes featuring some extremely cute owl motifs on the front.  There’s no obvious mention of M&S as a brand, the packaging alludes simply to the Limited Collection rather than the shop where you buy your comfiest knickers.

Under the lid sits a generous, distortion-free mirror and six eyeshadow pans, each featuring a cut-out owl design.  These cutouts prove to be a little tricky when it comes to accessing the eyeshadow and I imagine that the sharp edges will begin to look fairly worn shortly after the initial use.  The palette comes complete with a sponge applicator… an actual brush wouldn’t have gone amiss when you have six shades to work from.

The textures are quite hard and sadly, I achieved little to no pigment from the top left shade, which on paper, was easily my favourite.  Taupe anyone?  The other shades deliver better results, some only marginally.  Swatches coming right up…

As previously stated, the top left shade is no bueno – don’t buy the palette because you think you’ve fallen in love with a new pretty taupe, you’ll be disappointed.  The remaining two shades on the top row are also a bit of a let-down.  They’re patchy and unpigmented for such strong colours (the swatch shows two swipes for each) – workable, but they make you graft to get a result.

The bottom row, however, tells a different tale.  All three shadows sitting across the lower half of the palette are quite delightful.  Rich in colour, smooth to apply and softly shimmering without any chunks of glitter.  The highlighter on the bottom right in particular is a very pretty warm champagne which will open up the eye area beautifully.

Ultimately?  Unless you absolutely must have it because you’re batshit crazy about owls, you don’t need this palette.  The shades are infinitely dupable in better formulas on the high street and because of the underwhelming performance of those top three shades, it just doesn’t offer value for money.

If you are a bit of an owl-obsessive, who cares what the shadows are like because let’s face it – you’re probably just going to stroke the box anyway.

M&S Limited Collection Shadow is available to buy instore and online at M&S, priced at £7.50

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Over the last couple of months, I’ve come to rely on a handful of products to see me through the times when the majority of my makeup and skincare have been inaccessible, buried deep in the depths of a cardboard box.  A mis-labeled cardboard box as it happens.  I didn’t take much time over thinking about which cosmetics I’d like to keep close by me during the moving process.  To be honest, I thought that I would have everything unpacked within the week.  Naive.

If I’d thought more about which products I was going to keep available, I probably wouldn’t have chosen this one.  I assumed that it would be far too sheer for me, too much like an insipid lipgloss.

I was wrong.

Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Poppy, as it turns out, is a rather wearable red that doubles-up as both a lip and cheek product.  It packs a decent amount of pigment whilst remaining a long-way from being an in your face red.  The Lip Twin comprises a squeezy tube of sheer-to-medium pigmented ‘goop’, suspended in a jojoba oil-infused formula that doesn’t feel sticky.  You could wear the ‘gloss’ part alone, adding just a hint of colour to your lips – but I prefer to use the balm initially to amp-up the pigmentation.

When it comes to cheek application, I actually prefer to use the ‘gloss’ part on my cheeks, the balm delivers a little too much pigmentation for my fair skin.

The trouble with a great red lipstick will always lie with the upkeep, the most difficult colour to maintain and once it starts looking bad, it lookds *really* bad.  The Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Poppy Red makes a great multi-tasking casual red to tote around in your handbag, making on-the-go maintenance a doddle, which is just as well because longevity (at around 2/3 hours) isn’t its strong point.

Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Poppy Red is available to buy online at pixibeauty.co.uk, priced at £12.00

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