A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

… I’ve never depotted before.  Which is basically the beauty blogger equivalent of a whore admitting that she’s never actually done it before.  Not that I’m calling beauty bloggers whores.

Wait, where was I?

Well, it was Saturday night and I had about 20 minutes before I was supposed to be in bed, which obviously made it the ideal time to get out a bunch of eyeshadows, light a candle and kiss goodbye to a perfectly good cuticle pusher.

So the above Z-Palette is now made up of a mixture of depots and pressed pigments.  I didn’t sacrifice any of my expensive shadows in the making of this… the whole exercise is an attempt to make me use more of the shades that I’ve been neglecting.  There’s a right old hotch-potch in there – you may recognise some MUA, Art Deco, MAC, The Body Shop, Mary Quant, Maybelline, and NYX.  The ones with bumpy texture are my pressed pigments (mostly The She Space, Shiro Cosmetics and Victorian Disco).

All in all, it didn’t go too badly. I gouged a couple (and quickly re-pressed), dented the pans on more than a couple (what’s a few dinks between friends?) and shattered one (didn’t like it much anyway).  Am I game to do the same for my more cherished eyeshadows?  Am I naff.

Do you depot?  Always or just sometimes?

I know I was supposed to be hot-footing it to Boots to spend my points on Chanel Summer… but I’ve got a little secret to let you into: I didn’t actually get that far.  I was in West Quay and when I came out of the lift, I got distracted by John Lewis… if you haven’t been to West Quay in Southampton, let me tell you… they know how to make a good John Lewis.  It’s my favourite local beauty department… by contrast, the Debenhams in town is woeful and sends me into fits of depression whenever I darken its doors.

Anyway, there I was… fingering (you can use that word in other contexts) all the pretty beauty stuff at the front of store when I spotted this Illusion d’Ombre (cream eyeshadow to plebs like you and me).  I already own two of them (Mirifique and Illusoire) and I’d completely forgotten that this shade even existed.  I was umm-ing and ahh-ing over picking up Fantasme (a sparkly irridescent shade) which I hoped would brighten my eye area without being too gaudy when the subtle peach-tones of Émerveillé stopped me in my tracks.

Summer in a pot.  Minus the Mojitos and insect bites.

Like Fantasme, it contains tiny reflects of multidimensional sparkle, though much MUCH more subtle, grown-up, and golden.  I know I haven’t properly reviewed Mirifique yet, but I literally wore Illusoire every day for a fortnight whilst up North.  The Illusion d’Ombres are completely effortless in application, blending and wear.  They last perfectly for 7+ hours without a sticky base or primer and almost melt (in a good way) onto my eyelids.  I actually can’t praise them enough for their complex finish and I love how they don’t appear metallic-y (and aging) like many shimmer shades often do.

Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in #82 Émerveillé is priced at £23.00 and available online at Boots (or instore at John Lewis!)

Do you own any of the Chanel Illusion d’Ombres?  Are you as crazy about them as I am?

I know that some of you will be reading this with your neatly arched brows raised in curiosity at just what on Earth could be considered “terrifying” about eyebrow hair.  The rest of you (more normal types) will be reading this, twirling your brow hairs around your index finger.

Left to their own devices, mine grow like wildfire – and I’m not talking Cara Delevingne grandiose brows here; more… Dennis Healy.  Given an extra coat of brow set, you could zip wire from here to Lands End on one of mine.

This ultimately means that I take the business of beating them into submission seriously.  I’ve stopped shaping them myself because, like a two-year old with a biro, I simply cannot be trusted with a pair of tweezers and a magnifying mirror.  Instead, I get them threaded every 5/6 weeks and this is enough to keep the arch well-defined.  Preventing them from thereafter developing into McDonald’s ‘golden arches’?  Well that bit’s up to me.

These are the brow tools that I simply couldn’t live without.

01: Mascara Spoolie.  You can either buy these as purpose-built cosmetic tools or (more thriftily) clean an old mascara wand and use that instead.  Either way, a spoolie is an absolute necessity in the fight against unruly brows.  Comb through the stragglers before snipping and brush them into place before filling.

02: Brow Set/Gel.  You can buy brow set products but I use a clear mascara.  The Maybelline Great Lash in clear is perfect for the job because it holds the hairs in place without making them feel crusty and it doesn’t leave behind a telltale ‘wet look’.

03: Brow Powder.  Much easier than pencils in my opinion.  My holy grail is the Illamasqua Brow Powder but the most important thing is to find a good shade match in whatever you use and unless your brows are naturally auburn, beware of warm-toned browns.  Many women use eyeshadow… any powder is fine.

04: Sharp pair of eyebrow scissors.  These are nothing special, I bought them years ago off eBay but they’re brilliant.  Super sharp with a precise point that trims the hair without pushing them ineffectually along the blade.  Always brush the hair upward toward the hairline and trim any that stray outside of the bulk of the brow area.  Go easy, you can always trim more but you can’t stick them back on!

05: Tweezers.  I favour the brand Tweezerman for my tweezers, particularly the wide-grip style.  There’s nothing more frustrating than a pair of tweezers that fail to pluck.  Particularly when you’ve psyched yourself up to grab an eye-watering one only to find that the points have clutched at nothing more substantial than air.  Don’t be afraid to attack anything that looks like it may contribute to a mono-brow or those random ones that appear to be sprouting far closer to your eyelid than your brow-line.

06: Angled Brow Brush.  A fairly stiff brush is best for running the powder through the brow area.  Always start filling-in from the middle of the brow to avoid depositing too much product on the inner third.  Unles you’re going for the scouse brow/Katie Price look – in which case, just dispense of the brush and grab the nearest Sharpie pen.  Also, get off my blog.

What steps do you take to keep from tripping over your eyebrows?  Do you thread and then leave them be or are you a serial tweezerer?

A good “nude” blush isn’t as easy to come by as you might imagine.  It should lean neither too cool nor too warm, this is no time for that “pop” of colour you often hear mentioned.  It’s the blusher you reach for when you just want to look fresh, more awake – a workhorse that will never let you down.

Liz Earle‘s new cosmetic line contains a particularly lovely nude blush, imaginatively called “Nude”.  It’s in a forgiving cream formula that drier skin types should gravitate toward.  Having said that, it’s not too emollient for the warm weather though I wouldn’t recommend it for oily skinned wearers.

The packaging conforms to the navy blue (with a hint of sparkle) colouring that we first saw on the brand’s Sheer Skin Tint.  Enclosed with the product is a mini-booklet featuring application tips.

As for the shade itself, I’d describe it as a true nude.  On first inspection, I didn’t think it was as it does look a little warm and dark in the pan, particularly for my very cool-toned, pale skin.  However, once blended on the cheek – it seems to allow my own rosy cheeks to influence the shading, rendering it a very natural-looking flush without any of the ruddiness that my natural natural flush would try to impose.

Buildability is impressive, I’ve been wearing it with no more than two “layers” which offers plenty enough pigmentation for me.  The product does set, though not fully – there’s enough workability there to blend the edges (I usually go back in with my foundation brush) but this does mean that longevity may be an issue if you find that your blush generally wears off quickly.  You could set it with some powder (especially in this warmer weather) but I prefer to keep a dewier finish.

My only gripe with the product is that I’d like to see more product for my money.  At 2g, I frankly own larger eyeshadows.  Sure, it’s not the most expensive blusher in the world but ideally, I’d want another gram of product in there to warrant a price on the “wrong” side of the fifteen pounds mark.

Liz Earle Healthy Glow Cream Blush is available in 7 shades and can be bought online from LizEarle.com, priced at £16.50

* press sample

Whilst my inbox is currently being inundated with bronzing solutions for the current heatwave, I’m slathering on the SPF (broad spectrum of course) and shading myself courtesy of the nearest tree.  Whilst bronzed skin is undoubtedly beautiful, it always makes me feel rather conspicuous.  I simply don’t tan naturally… not at all, my family enjoy a long-running joke that focuses on the fact that I went to Australia to live for a while and returned home paler.

I’d like to say that I’m one of those porcelain-skinned types, milky white with a lit-from-within glow… but I’m best described as blotchy pink/white with more than my fair share of orange freckles.  Throw in a few thread veins and Kate Winslet, I ain’t.  Praise the lord for foundation and highlighter.

St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose* is a highlighter that is perfect for us blue-veined types.  Generously packaged in a 50ml tube, it’s a great solution for holiday packing… you know, those rare times (unless you live in Essex) when it’s practically illegal to have a greater clothes to bare skin ratio.  It effortlessly dispenses a pink-toned sheen to emphasise sharp collarbones, chiselled cheekbones and shapely shins!

Non-greasy and buildable, the St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose has a slight fruity scent which dissipates quickly once on the skin.  The packaging is simplistic but hygenic and reflects what I consider to be a very reasonable price point.  For a full 50ml of product, you’ll pay only £12.26.

You can see that the sheen it imparts is definitely cool-toned, which is what makes it far more natural-looking for us cool-skinned paleys than the more usual summer offers from cosmetic companies.  The above photo shows two layers of product to ensure that the camera picked up on the swatch.  It feels light-weight on the skin but I wouldn’t recommend it as a luminizing all-over type highlighter, this is definitely more for spot-highlighting.  I’ve also found that the formula is happy to be applied over foundation, important to me because it’s nearly always something I forget to do until AFTER I’ve applied my blush!

St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose is available to buy online from st-tropez.com and Boots.com (where it’s currently only £12 AND on a 3for2 across selected ‘summer products’).

* press sample

Fall-out free and less fussy than their loose powder counterparts, these new blushers from BareMinerals pack plenty of pigmentation without any of the faff.  Available in a wide variety of shades, the packaging is both simple and sleek, NARS fans will be familiar with the rubberised finish that sadly doesn’t stay neat and tidy for very long.  The blush palette comes complete with a brush (more on that later) and a generously sized mirror.

I took delivery of shade The Confession, which looks alarmingly warm and dark in the pan but swatches a neutral/warm rose-wood shade that should flatter most complexions.  The texture is smooth and feels as finely-milled as you’d expect from a brand who excel in powder products.  The blush offers ample colour in a single sweep for those of us who are particularly pale and delivers great blendability with no patchiness.

Unusually, I like the brush that comes housed in the palette.  I only tried it after finding myself on holiday, short of brushes and it works very nicely!  It’s loosely packed to ensure you don’t go all Bozo on your face with a single sweep, the hairs are soft and fan out delicately to create a natural ‘shape’ for application across the cheek area.  It’s all I use to apply it now!

I do love a good matte blusher and this one works well with a variety of looks – you can see that despite its warmth, I paired it successfully with a cool eye in the above FOTD photo.  It’s a workhorse shade with a reliable formula – I recommend checking out the shades next time you’re near a BareMinerals counter and be sure to SWATCH – I would never have plumped for such a strong looking shade without seeing how it looked on the skin!

BareMinerals READY Blushers** are available to buy now on counter and online, priced at £22 each

* psst – they’re currently cheaper at beautybay.com and escentual.com (swatch first, buy later?!)

** press sample

We all know that concealer is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to create the illusion of a more well-rested complexion, it’s also the most misunderstood and mis-used of tools in our arsenal and the one product that I enjoy the biggest love/hate relationship with. But when is a concealer not just a concealer?

When Perricone MD debut their No Concealer Concealer of course! This new product launches next month online at perriconemd.co.uk and johnlewis.com, it’s priced at a none-too-shabby £37, so just what does it offer to justify that price tag?

Perricone MD’s No Concealer Concealer* builds upon the brand’s previous success: No Foundation Foundation, taking a fresh look at how our makeup interacts in the long-term with our skin. It promises the kind of multiple skin benefits that you’d expect from a high-end cosmeceutical line including:

~ Vitamin C Ester for brightening and collagen boosting
~ Hyaluronic Acid to boost skin’s natural moisture throughout the day and hep minimize wrinkles
~ Phospholipids to deliver essential moisture while creating a barrier to further protect the skin
~ Neuropeptides to address wrinkles, firmness and smoothness
~ Microcirculatory agents to help treat dark circles, making them less visible over time
~ Mineral-based, non-chemical sunscreen to protect against both UVA and UVB damage

It obviously makes sense to combine some of the most potent anti-aging ingredients into the products that spend the longest amount of time in direct contact with our skin and although this theory has often been employed in the form of foundation, less so when it comes to concealer and even more enticingly, this one works nicely in that most time-sensitive of areas, the eyes.

The packaging is unpretentious and simple, a self-assembly pump system that works well and allows full control over how much product you dispense. The brand recommend to dispense a single pump for use on both eyes, with any excess applied over other parts of the face that need concealing. I found this encouraged me to pile too much on in the eye area, which in turn, led to some settling into my fine lines. You really don’t need much at all to create a more even appearance. The formula is rich without feeling sticky and despite my dry skin, it left the delicate area feeling nourished throughout the day – that in itself, a bit of a miracle. I usually have to use the lightest of textures in this area to avoid settling and clumping and this one works well despite a heavier texture than I’d usually use.

I’d suggest dispensing half a pump, warming it between the ring fingers and first pressing it to an area of your face (other than the eye area) that needs concealing. Then move immediately to the eye area (without further concealing or blending) to press the product onto the dark circles, socket bones and inner contours.

You can see that the shade is fairly forgiving despite my pale skintone, unlike the No Foundation Foundation (which was too dark for me when swatched). It’s perhaps still a hint too dark to be ideal for the under-eye area but it works particularly well to conceal my redness across the bridge of my nose. I’ll leave you with a picture of the concealer applied on a foundation-less face. I think I applied it a touch too heavy in certain areas, and I’m sure that (as with most things), there’s a learning curve to get to grips with but I’m really impressed with how this both conceals and feels on my skin.

Perricone MD No Concealer Concealer SPF 35 is priced at £37 and will be available to buy online from perriconemd.co.uk and johnlewis.com.

* press sample

Back when I purchased my beloved Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Peach Flush, I was torn – too many pretty shades and not enough pennies in the purse for all of them.  Sure, I spend too much money on makeup and skincare but I get the guilts like everyone else and sometimes you just can’t twist it enough to justify it, not even to your spendy-self.  Fast forward twelve months and I found myself once again perusing a Shiseido counter.  Just for old-times sake, I reswatched the color sticks and instantly fell in love (again) with Champagne Flush.

From a completely superficial point of view, I love how these things feel so luxurious.  They’re glossy, sexy, and have some beautiful symmetry going on – I realise that I sound a bit crazy right now.  Champagne Flush is one of the most subtle highlighters that I own, which makes it a-ok by my standards.  I’m always looking for a highlighter that I can really luminise my face with and this ticks the boxes on that score.

It’s a pale champagne shade with slightly pink leanings that don’t turn it too silvery, though I would say that it’s definitely best-suited to similar-toned complexions as mine.  It contains no glitter or shimmer particles, it just imparts an allover, barely-there glow.  It doesn’t even really catch the light when you turn your face in the same way that other highlighters do… it just, somehow lifts a tired and dull complexion, giving the illusion that you are far more fresh and alert than you feel.

This is an awful swatch photo but you should be able to make out the pale highlight that runs from the crease where my thumb and index finger meet, backward towards my wrist.  It looks like a ghostly silver and that’s only because I’ve had to build it up quite heavily for the swatch.  I wouldn’t wear it this heavy on my face.

My only wish is that it weren’t in stick form because I’d love a liquid this subtle that I could blend into my foundation directly.  This, would infact, be my holy-grail highlighter if only I could find it – please Shiseido, make a liquid version!

Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in S6 Champagne Flush is available to buy on counter, priced at around £26

All-in-one neutral palettes have never been more popular, they’re a quick solution to the eternal morning dilemma of eyeshadow selection when all you really want is an extra five-minutes in bed.  Stepping firmly on the bandwagon with their latest palette release is U.S. brand, Stila in the form of their In the Light eye shadow palette*.

A cardboard palette, lightweight and without a mirror makes this a slightly more portable (if flimsy) choice than the Urban Decay Naked franchise.  The palette contains 10 pans of colour, both a mix of shimmer and matte shades.  Each pan provides 1.4g of product, around the same quantity per pan as the Urban Decay offering, but two less pans in total.  The stock images that you will see online of the palette don’t reflect the true shades within, both bliss and sunset do not swatch pink as described in the official colours and shown in the stock photo.  All shades can be used both wet and dry.

The ten shades vary in pigmentation and texture, some feel quite soft and creamy whilst others are more firmly-textured and require building up to achieve rich colour.  None feel chalky and they all share excellent blendability.  There are four matte shades in total: Bare, Bliss, Sandstone and Ebony allowing you to create a fully matte look with a range of neutral shades if you so wish.

I like this option a lot… it allows me to create a fully matte eye look as my base before adding in a ‘pop’ of something more shimmery without going into disco territory.

The shades are mostly warm-toned with the exception of Night Sky and Luster.  Also included in the palette is a 0.28g black, retractable eye pencil (smudge stick) which provides rich colour with a smudgable but long-lasting formula.

A quick FOTD showing Bare, Bliss and Sandstone with a pop of the inimitable Kitten on the inner corner to brighten the eye area.  Kitten has long been one of Stila’s most cult shades, and I can see why, it’s a very pretty champagne highlight that opens up and lifts the eye area when used as a highlight.

The Stila In the Light eyeshadow palette is available to buy instore at SpaceNK, online at BeautyBay and Escentual.  It’s also available at Stila’s freshly-launched website: stila.co.uk – priced at £25.00

* press sample

In addition to the new long-wear cream shadows, and eye pencils which I talked about here, the Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long-Wear Mascara* is putting in an appearance and promising to deliver results that last for up to 16 hours.

It’s probably fair to say that when I think of long-lasting makeup, I’m not sure that I’ve ever cursed any of my mascaras for not lasting the course of a day?  Sure, some are more smudgy than others and then you have the ones that flake a little as the day goes on but I can’t remember ever looking in the mirror and thinking “awww crap, where’s me mascara gone?”.  Or maybe they just mean that it won’t flake or smudge… but then again, don’t they all promise that?

If you experience this kind of problem on a daily basis, then perhaps the Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long-Wear Mascara is your next dream come true?

The packaging is particularly sexy with a metallic-chocolate finish and sleek lines whilst the brush inside is teeny, tiny… and for me, its main USP.  This fabulous brush reaches every lash from the longest to the shortest.  The brush consistently pulls out the perfect amount of product and you can feel the packaging doing its job at sucking back in the excess as you pull the brush from the neck of the tube.  As a result, I can’t see this one drying out too quickly either.

You can see how narrow the brush is in the above photo, a really great shape for women with shorter, sparser lashes to define from root to tip.  I particularly like this mascara for my lower lashes, it separates nicely, fanning each one out without leaving clumps or excess product in its wake.  As for the top lashes, well… it’s not quite volumising, nor lengthening enough for me.  My lashes can take a hefty dose of product before they begin to look worse for wear and this doesn’t provide the lash-drama that I’m forever craving.

It does, however, provide a better-than-natural finish that you can build without too much protest.  As for longevity?  Yes, it lasts the day without smudging – well done.  I do see a couple of flakes if I apply more than two coats but nothing that I’d worry myself over.  Removal is easy with just warm water, though my cream cleanser (waterless cleansing) didn’t experience any issues with sweeping it away at the end of the day either.

Overall, I really recommend this mascara if you’re looking for a good, solid formula with a fabulous brush that helps create precision definition without missing a single lash.

Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long-Wear Mascara is available to buy on counter and online, priced at £18.00

* press sample

As the summer approaches, my thoughts turn to bullet-proofing my makeup to last the course of a hot, tiring day.  I don’t know about you but despite my dry skin, the first to make a dash for freedom is any and all makeup down the bridge of my nose.  Then my eyeliner melts into my tear ducts, developing into hugely attractive eye bogies before the last of my foundation gives up the ghost and literally puddles in the area where my nose meets my face (hello face).  If it’s really hot, my eyeliner will also strive for symmetry and create matching lines across my upper eyelid where the “hoods” rest gently on the lash-line.  It’s a beautiful sight to behold.

Bobbi Brown’s new Long-Wear Eye Collection promises to stay the distance without letting you down or showing you up.  The eye pencils from the new collection are richly-coloured and deeply-pigmented.  They’re creamy and have that soft, gel formula reminiscent of my beloved Avon Mega Impact/Supershock Gel Eyeliner (whatever they’re bleedin’ being called at the moment).

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencils* are available in six shades: Jet, Mahogany, Black Navy, Black Plum, Hunter and Smoke, providing a colour option whatever your personal taste.  I really like an off-black range that carries the density of an inky black but without the harshness on maturing features.  Not that my features are maturing, shutup.

These pencils haven’t given me any trouble sharpening, the uber-softness of the Avon ones means that I do need to chill them in the fridge for half an hour prior to sharpening, total pain when you need a pencil stat.  I didn’t have to do this with the Bobbi Brown pencils.

Mahogany is swatched on the left, Smoke on the Right.  You can see the density of pigment is really quite impressive.  It’s a teeny bit less pigmented than the Avon offerings (which are insanely pigmented) but as I said earlier, they do provide a little more precision during application thanks to a firmer texture.

Here are the same swatches after scrubbing the back of my hand with soap and water for a good 30/40 seconds.  I was impressed that they didn’t smear or transfer as I swiped and rubbed.  You can see that the pigment has eroded in places but if you imagine that swatch as drawn across your lash-line, I think you’d be fairly happy to emerge from the swimming pool 3-hours later with that much still intact no?

Unfortunately, whilst I think these pencils are brilliant.  This is where the praise ends.

I’ve been comparing these all along to the Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner pencils (which don’t come in as many shades admittedly) simply because the Avon ones are my benchmark and indeed, my daily staples.  As I swatched both alongside one another, I expected the Bobbi Brown ones to outlast the Avon.  They don’t.  They wear identically both on the back of my hand and on my waterline, around 5 hours.

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencils are priced at £17 each.  The Avon SuperShock Gel Eyeliner pencils are currently priced at £4 each.  And there’s the rub, I’m not going to recommend that you spend extra money needlessly… both are fabulous long-wearing, densely pigmented pencil liners.  The Avon ones are substantially cheaper.

The Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Pencils are available to buy on counter and online from BobbiBrown.co.uk

* press samples

I’ve wanted Shu Uemura’s IR Brown 850 for quite a while… I think it was ever since I read it likened to MAC’s discontinued Smoke & Diamonds which I craved and couldn’t get hold of before it had sold out.

Shu Uemura IR Brown 850 is a very pretty silvery taupe. It’s perfectly neutral, leaning neither too warm nor too cool and as we have come to expect from Shu Uemura shadows, applies with a beautifully smooth texture.

By the way, incase you’re wondering where you can get it from… I’m taking a leaf out of PinkSith’s book.  Sorry.  Nice though, innit?