A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I went to one of those Christmas in July press days yesterday.  Plenty of well-dressed ladies, canapes and nonchalant expressions.

Being neither well-dressed nor seemingly able to contain my excitement when surrounded by makeup THAT’S NOT EVEN OUT YET!  I felt a little out of place.  I wasn’t even carrying a designer handbag.

I may also have let out a little uncontrolled squeal when I saw the OPI Holiday 2010 Burlesque Collection due out at the end of November.

‘Ave a look!

Rising Star – Lustrous glimmering gold.

Ali’s Big Break – Glowing Red Shimmer

The Show Must Go On – Deep Pink Shimmer

Teasey Does It! – Burgundy Shimmer

Drool! Check out the duochrome shimmery goodness of Teasey Does It! and The Show Must Go On.

Extra-Va-Vaganza – Orange Glitter

Glow Up Already! – Green Glitter

Simmer and Shimmer – Blue Glitter

Bring on the Bling – Golden Glitter

Glitter-ama!  These bear more than just a passing resemblance to the Alice in Wonderland glitters… I’m thinking OPI know a good thing when they see one.

Sparkle-iscious – Multi Coloured Glitter

Show it and Glow It – Purple/Fuchsia Glitter

Let Me Entertain You! – Fuchsia Glimmer

Take The Stage – Warm Orange Shimmer

How perfect are these for Christmas?

I KNOW it’s only August, and you’re a bit over the Xmas posts already.  But how could I not show you these?

I only wish I’d had the balls to swatch them all.  But I think that perhaps sitting cross-legged on the floor painting each nail a different spangly colour would have been a step too far.  Don’t think I wasn’t tempted though.

You’ll be able to purchase the collection from LookFantastic.com – I’ve already earmarked a couple!

Any of them calling your name?

A ‘propah’ Summer bright!  I’m making the most of my shorter nails and digging all the shades I wouldn’t normally be able to wear so well.

China Glaze Towel Boy Toy is from the Poolside collection of neons and summer WOW colours that China Glaze do so well.

Towel Boy Toy is a super bright blue with shimmer, and it’s the shimmer that makes this stand out for me.  It’s not a neon… and you can look at it quite comfortably without squinting!  The shimmer gives it a little lift and really does remind me of the depths of a swimming pool!

Application was a touch streaky and I’d recommend 3-4 coats.  It also dries matte (like many brights and neons do), so I added a top coat to bring back the gloss.  I think it needs it personally.

Have you tried any of the China Glaze Poolside shades?

…you kinda need this:

Estee Lauder’s Surreal Violet Nail Polish from the new Blue Dahlia collection is now available to purchase.  It’s a limited edition shade and a beautiful late summer/fall companion to Chanel’s eagerly anticipated Paradoxal.

Surreal Violet is priced at £12, and I’m just as in love with it today as I was back in June.  A cracking shade.

I have comitted a cardinal nail polish sin, for which I’m being punished.

Don’t store your nail polish on it’s side kids.

For the love of everything brightly coloured and infused with solvents, listen to Oprah:

http://www.oprah.com/style/How-to-Store-Nail-Polish

But even more importantly, listen to Oprah’s commenter… Jeff1967 (at the very bottom of the page).

Any tips?  I can’t shake ’em… that induces bubbles!  Do I just keep rolling endlessly?

Barbara Daly has some caaaaa-ute mini nail polishes (7ml) available in Tesco at the moment.  I’m wearing the shade Sunset which is a glorious pink-toned red.

It’s one of those shades that make your nails look like colourful little smarties and I’m definitely going to check out the other shades whilst they’re on 3for2.  (Currently £3 a piece)

The formula of Sunset is easily one of the best I’ve used.  Yes, it’s that good.  2 coats for a truly perfect finish the brush is well made, the polish glides on my nails and with a slick of top coat gives the most beautifully glossy yet creamy finish.

Not only that… but the above photo was taken on the third day of wear.  Erm… where’s the tip wear?

I just hope the other shades live up to my now hugely inflated expectations!

I suck.

I caved.

I totally caved on ASOS and picked up both Illamasqua Jo’Mina and Baptiste…

Illamasqua Jo’Mina is a vibrant lilac creme.

It doesn’t looks bad against my complexion, but in my opinion… would suit darker skintones better.  I found the formula easy to apply but prone to a little streaking.  It needed a third coat to even out patchy areas though it dried quickly and to a high gloss finish.

At £13, it’s an expensive polish (though I paid half that in the sale).  I can’t say I would have been delighted with it had I paid full price.  I need to reswatch, but I’m interested to directly compare it to my Barry M Berry Ice Cream… I think this is a little darker and more vibrant.

Do you have Jo’Mina? Love it?

It’s glittery, gritty and a whole load of bling.

I just dunno…

Applied over the top of a bog standard dark base, 1 coat… this stuff is pretty dense.  One thing that annoys me about glitters is their often uneven application.  Yano, 2 pieces of glitter at the nail tip 43843243290 at the base.  The good thing about this polish is that it gives you long enough to ‘push’ the pieces around and ‘place’ them before it dries.  The bad thing?  Well, that also means that it taes a little while longer than I’d like to dry.  I know, contrary right?

This mixture of gold and silver glitter a.k.a BB Sands comes from the Lancome Spring 2010 collection though it kinda screams Christmas to me.  I’d love to layer this over a cream/nude base to see if I get a different look from it… but removal was such a pain in the backside that I’m honestly not sure I can be arsed.

This photo does not do the polish justice.  It’s one of those that needs a good dose of direct sunlight to light up the sparkles contained within the shade until they simply glow.

A beautiful deep plummy red with more sparkles than you can shake a stick at.  Simple gorgeous.

Wear was around the 3 day mark before the inevitable tip wear began to make it all look a little tired.  Application was great, 2 solid coats to achieve a great finish.

What can I say?  It’s a little pricey at £12.50 for 5.5ml. I paid half that in the beauty sale in Harrods a couple of weeks ago.  It’s a wonderful shade for Autumn though and is still available online at HoF.

Yep, it looks different on the nail to how it looks in bottle.  I much prefer it on the nail too!

In reality, Barielle Belly Dance is cooler… more violet toned than it appears in the bottle, making it slightly more unusual than initial impressions suggest.

Application was good, a little thin but only 2 coats to achieve opacity.  There’s a hint of silver sparkle which gives it an extra-glossy looking finish.

I like this shade a lot and wear has been great… 3 days, no chips – a little tip wear which isn’t that noticeable because of the nudey shade.  A great everyday polish that has sophistication without being high maintenance.

My first Color Club polish!

Color Club are a cheapie US brand that don’t seem to be afraid to manufacture some truly fashion forward shades!  I picked Uptown Girl from the Spring 2010 collection ‘cos I’m a sucker for purples… and even more of a sucker for dusty purples!

The brush is neatly cut, but one of those older fashioned small round shaped ones that take 5748957894 strokes to cover your nail.  If I ruled the world… all nail brushes would be flat and wide.  Because of the brush it did mean that I had to be careful of streaking… 3 thin layers of polish ensured a smooth, even finish.

I’ll definitely be heading back to eBay to pick up some more Color Club shades, but there’s so many to choose from – I’m a little bit overwhelmed!

Do you have any CC favourites?

Eyeko Saucy polish, the other limited edition release alongside the new Rain polish.

Saucy is ONE HOT RED!

One of the thinnest formulas I’ve used in a long time, I was sure that it was gonna be a sheer streaky mess until I reached my third coat. I was wrong. Not only is it hot, but it’s a one-coater.

The above shows one coat.

This was gonna be a staple toenail colour for me, one coat means I only have to suck it in and stretch my self stupid for a single run through.

Thing is though, I said ‘was’. Saucy polish stains like a MoFo – and I’m not base coating my toenails.

Eyeko Saucy Polish is currently available as part of a set of three priced at £8.50

If you want to buy either Saucy polish or Rain polish individually, I’ve had confirmation that you will be able to do so from next week.

I’m so freaking excited to see Marrow put in an appearance!  It was custom mixed for Vena Cava back in February and here it is, hitting the main stage!

Four striking new shades to challenge and tempt our purses, a real mix with something to please everyone.

About the AW/2010 collection:

“Buzzwords in nail trend for Fall 2010 are texture, depth, and layering, says Creme. “At Alexander Wang we created a textured beige nail that was modern and sophisticated. Then the press went wild when I custom mixed Marrow at Vena Cava.  It’s a deep, murky purple that suits any skin tone.”

Of the rest of the collection Creme says, “I’ve had the idea for Bumster for ages. It’s an amazing twist on a neutral colour, and this ochre yellow looks INCREDIBLE on!” And finally, “Victoriana” is a deep, twinkling vintage blue that reminds me of all the wonderful historical interiors in London.  I’m having a nostalgic moment!”

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All Hail McQueen – An opaque, holographic beige.

Bumster – An opaque, ochre yellow.

Marrow – A dark, flat, murky & mysterious purple.

Victoriana – A textured, twinkling vintage blue.

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Ugh… Frankly, I’m drooling at the description of All Hail McQueen too… this collection is gonna be a sell out.  I can see Bumster looking particularly amazing on dark skin tones and twinkling vintage blue…. vintage blue? *dies*.