A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Beautiful shade, great looking finish, 2 easy-to-apply coats and truly, truly inexpensive at £1.50 a bottle.

Which is why the terrible wear breaks my heart.

This is how it looked at the beginning of the 2nd day.  It didn’t look much better halfway through the first day either (I just didn’t have my camera with me).

*sigh* what an unadulterated shame.

When I was in London last Friday… I was travelling up the escalator at Oxford Circus tube station *tsking* at the impatient healthy types that were overtaking me on the left when I noticed the woman in front of me.  Or more accurately, I noticed her non-existent skirt.

For a moment I wasn’t quite sure where to look… I mean, seriously… you could see the (baggy) gusset of her tights.  I was half tempted to make her aware of this fact but decided to keep schtum for two reasons…

1).  She might have been a total exhibitionist and telling her would only have made her day.

2).  I didn’t fancy a smack in the gob.

So instead of looking ahead, I kept my eyes down and concentrated on her ankles.  I had to give a wry smile when I saw a pair of beige plasters covering the backs of her heels where her shoes had obviously been rubbing.

Priorities ladies… if you’re gonna cover the backs of your ankles you can go one step further and cover up your minges too.  I don’t care if it’s sunny… have some class.

Now… what I should have done, was tapped her on the shoulder and told her about these:

Elastoplast Invisible Protection is a new plaster on the market.  An innovation in plaster technology if you will… I’m so excited, I might just pee myself.

Ok, let’s face it.  It’s not exactly the height of glamour is it?  But I go through plasters like nobody’s business (clumsy oaf that I am) and have been known to remove and discard a plaster after half an hour if it’s in a conspicuous position and I’m feeling self-conscious about it’s placement.  Don’t try and tell me you haven’t done that too…

Elastoplast Invisible Protection simply promises to be the most invisible a plaster can be.  It’s always the simple ideas that work the best no?

Not only that… but Elastoplast are offering you a free sample so you can put their claims to the test yourself.

Click here to register for your free sample.

Elastoplast Invisible Protection plasters are priced at £2.99 and available from all major erm… plaster retailers.  What are you waiting for?  Go stick I mean stock up!

I liked all the products that I was sent from Stargazer thus far… infact, more than liked.  They’ve impressed me.  Factor in the price for them, and I’m singing their praises from the blogosphere rooftops.

Sadly, the eyeshadows that I was sent fall into the category “More what I expected from a budget brand”.  They’re not terrible, but they’re nothing that I’m gonna get excited about.

I was sent two shades:

Very metallic looking in the pan, the texture instantly reminded me of Superdrug’s MUA… they have that slightly greasy feel to them.  Nothing wrong with that, but it does scream CHEAP!

Decently pigmented, the Arctic Blue shade took a little more building than Copper Fire, both are metallic.

They wear for a few hours before fading… combined with an eye primer, I just about got 7/8 hours from them before creasing. I’m being a little harsh, they’re performing like most budget eyeshadows… and they are budget eyeshadows at £3 each… but I was so impressed by the other products I tried, I think I was hoping for something more exciting from these aswell.

What I will say for them though is that the range is immense!  Over 50 shades of every colour imaginable in single pan form.  You can purchase Stargazer online from their website.

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Naturel, a new lipstick available in 10 shades that promises to contain 100% natural ingredients and long-lasting colour.

These natural ingredients include lovely-sounding things such as: magnolia oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, green tea, beeswax and mineral/plant pigments.

I was sent two shades to try: Fuchsia Ardent (04) and Sienne Kiss (09)

The packaging is the same as the original Sweet Kiss range from Bourjois (though a different coloured plastic)… it’s incredibly tactile… I could click and click for hours…

The formula (which promises to be silky, melting and creamy) is a little bit harder than those adjectives would imply.  Though it certainly doesn’t create any drag on the lips, I’ve definitely applied softer-feeling lipsticks.  Also, I’m not loving the scent.  It’s quite waxy… but I guess it’s not easy to be vigilantly natural and delicately perfumed all at the same time… plus, I can’t smell it once it’s on my lips, only if I sniff the tube.

What I would say about the Sweet Kiss Naturel Lipsticks though is that they’re wonderfully light.  I can apply a ton of product and STILL not feel like I’ve built up a layer of beeswax.  This results in fabulous pigmentation without any gloopiness or heaviness on the lip, and that’s a rather unusual and impressive achievement for a ‘drugstore’ lipstick.

This is a few swipes straight from the tube, the lipstick applies sheerly at first but builds up to a great intensity as you can see.  The finish is semi-matte and extremely easy to wear.

Longevity is average despite claims of 8hr moisturising wear… perhaps if I were enclosed in a vacuum… but I do normal girl things like drink tea, eat muffins and chew on pencils, so these lasted around 3 hours on me before fading away leaving my lips just a touch drier than before… nothing that I’m not familiar with from other lip products.

I would say that they bridge the gloss/lipstick gap… but they don’t, they’re too opaque and matte to be drawing any comparisons with gloss.

Overall, at £7.99 (€11.99) each, I think they’re a great buy.  Particularly if you’re usually uncomfortable with the heaviness of a lipstick.  If you give them a try, let me know what you think!

No, really…

Unboxed Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks in Nectar and Rose for £16 each with free postage?

I’ll take both thanks.

Rose

Nectar

Let me know if you indulge, who needs boxes anyway?

LUSH Tea Tree Water Popular Toner

No, no, no… not that kind of popular…

1 : of or relating to the general public
2 : suitable to the majority: as a : adapted to or indicative of the understanding and taste of the majority b : suited to the means of the majority : inexpensive
3 : frequently encountered or widely accepted
4 : commonly liked or approved

This is my second bottle, I have a toner addiction.  It sits nicely alongside my million other addictions, I’m allowed though… I gave up smoking 2 years ago, these pale into insignificance by comparison.  I’d quite like to give up my food addiction though… am I going off on a tangent again?

Where was I?  (About 150 words in, without having said anything useful)

Ok…. LUSH Tea Tree Water… the popular toner…

I find this one particularly refreshing on warm days, the tea tree water is a beautifully cooling astringent that isn’t too harsh for my skin.  I’m not THAT oily, so don’t really have much call for astringent and was initially concerned that this could be a little drying… it isn’t.  It’s just refreshing.

Last summer, I kept one of these in my glove compartment in the car and whipped it out often on long journeys for a quick spritz.  That’s it really, it’s not mega-exciting… but it’s something that I’ve seen fit to repurchase, a summer essential if you like.

I do appreciate a short ingredient list… would appreciate it even more without the Methylparaben, but I don’t really know enough about the paraben controversy done to hold any kind of educated opinion.

I paid £3.25 for a 100g bottle.

What have you picked up from LUSH recently?

It’s subtle… can you see it?

It’s one of my favourites! I think I’d probably prefer to call this a luminizer than a highlighter, because with a fairly light hand this is perfect for wearing allover the face.  Yes, really.

Quite an unappetising shade in the pot, Cashmere Stockings is a mineral powder that I like to use as a finisher on days when I’m not wearing much colour on my face.  It lifts my complexion without making it sparkly or even shimmery.  To be fair to the product, it deserves a post of it’s own… not just lumped in under the ‘highlight’ category… it’s a little marvel.

Having said that, let’s not get carried away… Cashmere Stockings won’t do anything to cover blemishes, or even out your skintone (unless you’re blessed with already incredible skin) but for me… it softens my pores and adds a satin sheen.  I guess that’s it… maybe it’s no miracle afterall.  Just a good dose of silica and mica in a perfectly mixed ratio.  But it works beautifully for me over a good foundation base.

The physically small container it comes in is a pain in the arse… no chance of fitting a decent sized powder brush or kabuki in there, so I have to tap the product into another lid before picking it up on my brush.  A minor irritation, but an annoyance nonetheless.

I own a 10g pot and when/if I ever get to the bottom of it, will happily repurchase a 20g version ($18).  Anyone up to and including a NW/NC 25 would fare quite happily with level one as a shade choice as it’s fairly (but not completely) translucent.

Cashmere Stockings is available to buy online from Heatheresque (formally The She Space).

I’m very excited!  We’ve only bloomin’ got Liz Earle guest blogging on Lipglossiping today innit!

It’s an exciting week for everyone at Liz Earle who are currently celebrating the 15th anniversary of their multi-award winning Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser.

Liz agreed to share her tips on how to save some pennies and treat ourselves to a well-deserved uber facial whilst in the comfort of our own pig stys homes.  Read on for her fabulous how-to…

Dear Lipglossiping Friends,

It’s lovely to share with you my personal tips on how to pamper your skin in the comfort of your own home! Plus, if you are looking to curb the expense of a full salon treatment, this technique could be for you.

As summer is approaching, this at home facial is exactly what your skin needs – a fresh, new beginning! Simple, fuss- free and pampering, this facial will leave you with a complexion ready for summer.

Here are the quick and easy steps of what to do:

~ Cleanse
~ Exfoliate
~ Steam
~ Extracts (if any)
~ Tone
~ Mask and rest
~ Moisturise

Cleanse

The cornerstone of fabulous looking skin is cleansing.  Cleansing is integral to achieve a clear complexion by getting rid of daily grime and impurities to keep your skin clean and prevent blemishes.  Look for a gentle cleanser that is free from mineral oil, has a rich and creamy texture and swiftly removes all traces of face and eye make-up.

Apply a small amount of your cleanser of choice to the fingertips of one hand and dot on forehead, cheeks, chin and neck.  Massage the cleanser into your skin in small circular movements – always work down the neck, and up from jaw line to your forehead, going outwards from the centre of the face.  Work around the nostrils to help shift blackheads, especially if you’re spot-prone.

Wash off the cleanser using a pure muslin cloth wrung out in warm water to help gently dislodge dead skin cells and help reveal clean, soft and radiant skin.  Finish by splashing your face with cold water for a final refresh.

Exfoliate

Exfoliating is a vital step to buff away dead skin cells and impurities, in order to reveal fresh radiant skin.  To give yourself the equivalent of a salon treatment at home, you can use a very gentle face exfoliator.  Look for one containing spherical beads such as jojoba and avoid anything with jagged particles such as nut kernels.

Gently massage your exfoliator over your face, neck and décolleté, for one to three minutes, using the whole length of your fingers and working in little circles, out from the centre.  Avoid your eye area.

Rinse off with warm water.  To remove any last traces, sprinkle toner on cotton-wool pads and sweep them over your face.

Steam

After you have prepped your skin by cleansing and exfoliating, start the steaming process!  Avoid this step, however, if you have very high colour on your cheeks, or rosacea.  You can buy fancy gadgets for the steaming process but I get the best results by steaming my face over a basin of hot water for five minutes.   Here’s how you do it:

~ Fill a bowl with just-boiled water and allow it to cool for a minute or two.

~ Tie back your hair, or use a soft stretchy hair band.

~ You can get skin softened and prepped from plain steam, with nothing added to the water, although adding a few drops of essential oil will help blemish or spot-prone skin.  All pure essential oils are volatile oil compounds and therefore have antiseptic and antibacterial properties.  My favorites for facial steaming are lavender (good for all skin types), rosemary (for oilier skin) and tea tree (highly antibacterial and thus excellent for helping to purify spots and breakouts).  Add three to four drops to the water just before you put your face over it, and swoosh round with a toothbrush handle or similar.  Essential oils are broken down by heat, so drop in at the last moment to retain maximum potency and aroma.

~ With the towel over your head, take six deep slow breaths (through your mouth may be more comfortable). Move your head a little so every part of your face benefits from the cleansing steam.

~ Remove the towel after about five minutes and use it to pat the skin dry.

Extracts

The easiest time to remove any small spots or blackheads is just after steaming when skin is softer.  Apply a small dab of plant oil (i.e. grapeseed or almond) or balm to the affected area.

Wrap both index fingers in a tissue (pull it in half, so you have two thin sheets) and gently press the blemish to unclog the plugs of sebum.  Wipe clean and follow with a sweep of skin tonic.  If the spot is deep, don’t push or poke too hard; it may not be ready to be extracted.

A good tip: good light is essential and if you don’t have 20/20 vision, a magnifying mirror is very useful.

Tone

A toner is essential for closing pores and preparing your skin for your favorite moisturiser, so follow extractions with a sweep of skin toner sprinkled onto a cotton wool pad to cool the skin.  This will help to keep your complexion cool and calm.  Look for an alcohol free toner that will not dry or irritate your skin.

Mask & Rest

Some women don’t usually use a mask, but I believe it’s an essential part of the process to leave skin balanced, calm and clear.  Apply a generous layer of your favorite mask to both face and neck, but avoid the immediate eye area.  Clay-based masks are useful for spot-prone congested skin.  If you have dry skin I recommend using a creamy, oil-based mask as these are more nourishing.

It’s fine to mix and match masks and use a clay-based mask on your T-zone and then a richer, hydrating formula on drier cheeks.  Apply with your fingertips or – a little insider secret – use a blusher brush to paint the mask over your face!

To help you fall into a haven of rest and wake up with eyes that sparkle, dampen two cotton wool pads with an eye lotion.  Look for one that’s gentle, soothing and will revitalize your delicate eye area.  If you have the time, chill the pads in an ice tray for 10 minutes before applying for a refreshing treat.

I encourage you to lie down for 15 to 20 minutes with your feet propped up – raising your ankles above the level of your heart helps circulation.  Once you start feeling re-freshed, remove the eye pads and thoroughly wipe away the mask with a damp muslin cloth, flannel or facial sponge.

Moisturise

Finish your pampering treat by applying a moisturiser.  Dot over your face, neck and décolleté before massaging in.

I recommend you look for a moisturiser containing natural plant oils which will work in harmony with your skin’s natural oils to give it just the right amount of moisturisation, leaving your skin radiant with a healthy-looking glow.

Follow with your selected eye cream.

I hope you’ve found my personal tips helpful and just in time for summer.  If you have any questions regarding this at-home facial treatment, please feel free to ask any questions to Charlotte and the Liz Earle team and I will be happy to answer them.

Best regards,

Liz

…

So there you have it, tips from a bonafide skincare queen!  I’m going to give it a go this weekend, I’m in need of some serious pampering and have my Instant Boost Skin Tonic and Deep Cleansing Mask at the ready!

I never get round to making time to do this kind of thing despite ALWAYS promising myself that I will, so I’m pledging…. right here, right now.  Next week, my skin will GLOW from a proper DIY facial thanks to these tips.  Anyone else gonna make the pledge with me?  And no cheating… you have to do the lot… the steaming and the feet up bit included!

Also, as Liz mentioned… if you have any questions about DIY pampering, please leave a comment below!

…Eye Revival Roll On (£5.40).

Bearing more than just a passing similarity to Garnier’s Eye Roll On, Tesco’s Derma Intensive Eye Revival is enriched with many of the same ingredients as it’s pricier alternative.

• Caffeine Extract – Helps to improve the skins elasticity under the eye.
• Horse Chestnut Extract – Encourages the skin to stimulate the blood microcirculation under and around the eye.
• Hyaluronic acid – Is a wonderful moisturiser that helps the skin to rehydrate, essential for mature skin.

Great for keeping in the fridge during the Summer!  Yeah… I have a bit of a ‘thing’ about keeping my products in the fridge *blush*.  And even more amazing… I’ve just checked on the Tesco website… and it’s only flippin’ half price at the moment!

£2.76? – Bargain!

Put down the hammer, I don’t need any shelves straightening…. it’s these things I need help with:

Twenty neat little eye sheet masks (£1.50) that I picked up from Muji the other week!

Tell me, what can I soak ’em in to make me look 10 years younger?  I also have some of the face size ones too… all suggestions welcome!

The only thing I can think of is boiling up some green tea and letting it cool… there must be some other great DIY concoctions for sheet masks and the like?  I’ve done a quick Google, but I’m mostly finding thicker, gloopier type mask recipes.

Any of you wizards got any cool ideas?

Oh, I wasn’t expecting not to like you.

You’re a little bit greige gone wrong… too much grey or maybe too much brown… I’m all confused and can’t pinpoint what it is that I don’t like about your colour.  But you’re just not quite right for me.

You were a bit patchy too.  Though I totally admire you pouncing on the latest trends and bringing us great colours at affordable prices… you disappointed me with this one.

I’m sad.  Did I get a duff bottle?  Mine did apply a lot darker than the bottle colour suggested… everyone else seems to love it?!

I suspected it from the moment I twirled the bottle between my fingers…

…Stargazer #155 (£2) is a very nice match for the cult O.P.I shade I’m Not Really A Waitress (£9.95)

INRAW was the first OPI I bought back in the day and is probably the only bottle of polish I’m even close to finishing.

If I look *really* closely, I’d say that Stargazer #155 is the teeniest bit more cherry toned than INRAW, but there’s barely anything in it.

#155 is opaque in two coats and applies smoothly with a decent brush… not too thin and no straggly long bits.  Quick drying but affording just enough time to work the polish to the edges of the nail bed.  It benefits from a glossy top coat to bring out the sparkle within the polish.

And a comparison with the OPI…

I prefer the Stargazer.  I’ve always had an issue with tip wear with this particular OPI (see my review from last May) and the Stargazer is outperforming INRAW in this instance by a huge amount.  No tip wear at all until the 3rd day.

Did I find a good dupe?  I’m usually pretty crappy at dupe hunting, so I’m kinda chuffed with myself!  Simple things and all that…