A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

The ever-popular LUSH Christmas gifts are back for the Winter… ranging from the accessible Secret Santas right up to those lustworthy hat boxes!

Here’s what LUSH have in store for us this Christmas…

1. Secret Santa (£5.00) – Snowcake star soap and Satsumo Santa bath ballistic.

2. Best Wishes (£9.95) – Bearded Lady bubble bar, Satsumo Santa bath ballistic, So White bath ballistic.

3. Chillin’ With My Gnomies (£6.50) – Snow Globe soap and Whoosh shower jelly.

4. Christmas Cracker (£6.50) – Cinders and The Boogg bath ballistics.

5. Christmas Allsorts (£9.95) – Satsumo Santa, The Boogg and Lil’ Lush Pud bath ballistics.

6. Have A Sweet Christmas (£5.95) – Candy Cane bubble bar and Godmother soap.

7. Snow Fairy (£9.95) – Snow Fairy shower gel; Angel’s Delight soap star; Shimmy Shimmy massage bar.

8. Matryoska (£9.95) –  So White soap, So White bath ballistic and Cinders bath ballistic.

9. Winter Warmer (£7.50) – Glogg shower gel and Mandarin’s Tea Party soap (50g).

1. Christmas Present (£13.95) – Christmas Eve bubble bar, Winter Bath ballistic, Fizz Banger ballistic, Mandarin’s Tea Party soap.

2. Christmas Candy Box (£19.95) – Snow Fairy shower gel; Candy Cane bubble bar; Rock Star soap; Honey I Washed the Kids soap; Bubblegum lip scrub; Snow Fairy tinted lip balm.

3. Christmas Tweets (£14.50) – Snowcake soap, Vanilla Fountain bath ballistic, Lil’ Lush Pud bath ballistic, Smitten hand cream (45g).

4. Gingerbread House (£13.95) – Gingerbread House Bubble Bar, Cinders Bath Ballistic, Candy Cane Bubble Bar, Lil Lush Pud ballistic.

5. Happy Christmas (£19.95) – Christmas Eve bubble bar; Sexy Peel soap; Mandarin’s Tea Party soap; Dragon’s
Egg bath ballistic; Butterball bath ballistic; Cinders bath ballistic.

6. Christmas Star (£19.95) – Lil’ Lush Pud; Winter Bath; Butterball; Cinders; So White; and Mrs Whippy bath ballistics.

7. The First Snow (£19.95) – Snow Globe Soap; Ice Blue soap; Too Drunk emotibomb; Once a Year massage bar, Iced Wine shower jelly and Glogg shower gel.

1. Christmas Wishes (£24.95) – Sexy Peel and Mandarin’s Tea Part soaps, mini Sugar Scrub, The Olive Branch and Glogg shower gels, Buffy body conditioner, New shampoo bar.

2. Winter Wonderland (£49.95) – Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, Glogg shower gel (100g), Snow Globe soap, Porridge soap, Turkish Delight shower smoothie, Iced Wine shower jelly, Once a Year massage bar, Double Choc tinted lip balm, Rub Rub Rub shower scrub (100g), Aqua Mirabilis body butter, Vanilla Dee-lite body lotion, Lip Dip lip scrub, Too Drunk emotibomb.

3. Stardust (£24.95) – Twilight bath ballistic, Lip Dip lip scrub, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, Iced Wine shower jelly, Angel’s Delight soap, Candy Cane bubble bar, Snow Fairy shower gel.

4. Bathtime Favourites (£24.95) – Lil’ Lush Pud, Cinders, So White, Winter Bath, Butterball, Lil’ Big Blue, Lil’ Avobath, Lil’ Honey Bee and Lil’ Sex Bomb bath ballistics.

5. 12 Days of Christmas (£34.95) – The Boogg bath ballistic, Winter Bath bath ballistic, Satsumo Santa bath
ballistic,  Cinders  bath  ballistic,  So  White  bath  ballistic,  Bearded  Lady  bubble  bar,
Gingerbread  House  bubble  bar,  Candy  Cane  bubble  bar,  Christmas  Eve  bubble  bar,
Mandarin’s Tea Party soap, Snow Globe soap, Glogg shower gel.

6. Winter Garden (£29.95) – Vanilla in the Mist soap, Mandarin’s Tea Party soap, Snowcake soap, Maple Taffy lip balm, Once a Year massage bar, King of Skin body butter, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, The Olive Branch shower gel.

7. All The Best (£29.95) – Each Peach massage bar, Dream Cream body lotion, Karma and Snowcake soaps, The Olive Branch shower gel, Christmas Eve bubble bar, Cinders and Avobath ballistics.

1. All I Want for Christmas (£64.95) – Cinders, Satsumo Santa, So White, Lil’ Lush Pud, The Boogg and Winter Bath
ballistics, Candy Cane, Christmas Eve, Bearded Lady and Gingerbread House bubble bars, Mandarin’s Tea Party, Snowcake, Angel’s Delight and Snow Globe soaps, Maple Taffy lip balm, Lip Dip lip scrub, Sugar Plum Fairy sugar scrub, Snow Fairy tinted lip balm, Glogg and Snow Fairy shower gels, Iced Wine shower jelly and Once a Year massage bar.

2. Wonderful Christmas Time (£99.50) – Maple Taffy lip balm, Karma soap, Winter bath ballistic, The Boogg, Cinders and Butterball bath ballistics, Christmas Eve, Pop in the Bath and Dorethy bubble bars, Iced Wine shower  jelly, Glogg shower gel, 9-5 cleanser, Sweet Lip  lip scrub, Figs and Leaves soap,  Brimstone  scrub,  Aqua  Mirabilis  body  butter,  New  shampoo  bar,  Ultrabalm, Ceridwen’s Cauldron bath melt, Crème Anglaise body lotion (100g), Each Peach massage bar,  Grass  shower  gel  (100g),  Orange  Blossom  solid  fragrance,  Celestial  moisturiser (sample tin).

3. Merry Christmas Darling (£89.95) – Once a Year massage bar, Soft Coeur massage bar, Massage bar  tin,
Amandopondo bubble bar, Sex Bomb bath ballistic, It Started with a Kiss tinted lip balm, Sex in the Shower emotibomb, Joy of Jelly shower  jelly, Godiva shampoo bar, shampoo bar tin, MMM  luxury bath melt, Lip Sip lip scrub, Angel’s Delight soap, Candy Cane bubble bar,  Silky Underwear dusting powder, French Kiss bubble bar, Keep it Fluffy ballistic, Flying Fox shower gel, Lust solid  fragrance, Sugar Babe sugar scrub, Sultana of Soap, Sexy Peel soap, Honey Trap lip balm, Smitten hand cream (in a pump), Mrs Whippy bath ballistic.

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Phew!  I need a rest after all that… and strangely enough… I’m hankering after a LUSH bath.  Which of those gift sets has your name on it?

…with this wonderfully inventive “All I Want For Christmas” Advent Calender which has launched exclusively at Selfridges.

They say: Comprising 24 windows behind which lie miniature versions of the beauty industry’s most heralded products, the advent calendar is the ultimate gift for any beauty product lover!

Designed by L’Oreal, it features some of the company’s most well-known brands… let’s see what’s actually included shall we?  Though don’t look if you don’t want your surprise spoiled!

GIORGIO ARMANI EYES TO KILL MASCARA
Longer looking lashes, 2ml 0.06 FL.OZ

GIORGIO ARMANI FLUID MASTER PRIMER
Base Lissante Perfection, 5ml 0.1 FL.OZ

GIORGIO ARMANI FLUID SHEER
Fluid Embellisseur, 5ml 0.1 FL.OZ

EMPORIO ARMANI DIAMOND
Eau de Parfum†, 5ml 0.1 FL.OZ

KIEHL’S CRÈME DE CORPS
The Original Rich Nourishing Cream, 30ml 1.0 FL.OZ

KIEHL’S ULTRA FACIAL CREAM
“Greenland First Ascent” 24-Hour, Everyday Hydrating
Formula with Extracts of Glacial Glycoproteins and Desert Plants, 7ml 0.25 FL. OZ

KIEHL’S ULTIMATE STRENGTH HAND SALVE
All-day care for severely dry, active hands, 30ml 1.0 FL.OZ

LANCÔME BI-FACIL
Non Oily – Instant Cleanser – Sensitive Eyes, 30ml 1.0 FL. OZ

LANCÔME GÉNIFIQUE
Youth Activating Concentrate
Lancôme have created Génifique to help reveal your skin’s youthful appearance
7ml 0.1 FL. OZ

LANCÔME HYDRA ZEN NEURO CALM™
Soothing moisturising cream SPF 15, 15ml 0.5 FL. OZ

LANCÔME COLOR FOCUS PALETTE 302 ROUND MIDNIGHT
Mini Palette 2 Shades, 1.6g 0.05 OZ

LANCÔME MINI JUICY TUBE FRAISE 17
Ultra Shiny Hydrating Lipgloss, 7ml 0.23 FL. OZ

LANCÔME TRÉSOR IN LOVE
Eau de Parfum†, 5ml 0.1 FL.OZ

LANCÔME RÉNERGIE LIFT VOLUMETRY
Volumetric Lifting and Shaping Cream, Firming – Anti-wrinkle – SPF 15, 15ml 0.5 FL. OZ

LANCÔME L’ABSOLU ROUGE ßx 06
Advanced Replenishing AND Reshaping Lipcolour, 1.42g 0.05 OZ

LANCÔME MIRACLE
Eau de Parfum†, 5ml 0.1 FL.OZ

LANCÔME HYPNÔSE PRECIOUS CELLS MASCARA
Magnified Volume Cream Mascara, Lash by Lash Volume, 2ml 0.06 FL. OZ

P&C STELLA McCARTNEY STELLA
Eau de Parfum†, 5ml 0.1 FL.OZ

P&C VIKTOR & ROLF FLOWERBOMB
Eau de Parfum†, 7ml 0.25 FL.OZ

SHU UEMURA SKIN PURIFIER
Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O, 20ml 0.67 FL.OZ

YSL MASCARA VOLUME EFFECT FAUX CILS
Luxurious Mascara, for a False Lash Effect, 3ml 0.1 FL.OZ

YSL OPIUM
Eau de Toilette†, 7.5ml 0.25 FL.OZ

YSL PARISIENNE
Eau de Parfum†, 7.5ml 0.25 FL.OZ

YSL ROUGE PURE SHINE LIPSTICK 10
Sheer Lipstick SPF 15, 1.2g 0.03 OZ

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Is there a woman in the world who *wouldn’t* like to find that hanging in the hall on December 1st?  Doubt it.

Priced at £60 and available from Selfridges.

For those of us with husbands/partners/family of the not so generous variety *raises hand*, don’t forget that you will be able to indulge again in this year’s Lipglossiping Annual Beauty Advent Giveaway instead… it’s becoming quite the tradition!

The Estee Lauder holiday collection is upon us and it’s a veritable feast of Christmassy goodness.  Berries and golds take the centre stage in the colour stakes and the line-up oozes Yuletide charm.

On a personal level, I was a touch disappointed not to see two eyeshadow palettes as with the Summer collection (the palette on the left contains lip colour) but that’s the non-gloss fan in me talking.

I’m concentrating on the eye palette today which I was given at the recent press event.  For me, it’s the jewel of the collection.  At first, I thought the shades contained within were a bit ‘off’… although neutral, they’re all rather warm toned and I really wasn’t sure how this would play out against my very cool skin.  I needn’t have worried, they work delightfully well.

Let’s take a closer look at that eye palette shall we?

Packaging is a solid, acrylic housing with gold-coloured lid.  It feels well built, substantial and looks classy on my dressing table!

Read on for closer shots of the shade and swatches…

Read the rest of this entry »

My first ever eyeshadow was an Avon Color Trends lilac shade in a green case… I ground that thing down to the pan and then when I went to repurchase, couldn’t find the sucker!  I still have the occasional search on eBay for it for sentimental value, but have long forgotten it’s name 🙁

Anyway, I was invited to have a look at Avon’s new Winter cosmetics collection which goes by the name Luxe Lace… is it just me or is the name just a touch naff?  Fortunately, that’s where any naffness ends because the collection itself is really rather nice.

Let’s have a look at what we can expect…

Avon’s Luxe Lace True Colour Eyeshadow Quads (£8.00)

The Chanel-esque eyeshadow palettes offer 4 complementing shades that are suitable for both day or night depending on how you combine them.  The picture above shows the purple palette (Lace Electric) and the other (which I got in my goody bag) is a slightly more eclectic mix of champagnge/pinky-beige/green and blue (Lace Hues)  I shall swatch it v. soon!

In the photo, Lace Hues is hiding snugly behind Lace Electric.  Fail.

Luxe Lace Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick (£7.00)

Three new shades are due to be introduced from the end of October.  Instant Mocha, Frostiest Mauve and Pout will be priced at £7 each and promise to offer hydrating colour.  I found them to be hugely wearable in terms of pigmentation.  Not particularly long-lasting, but easy to apply and non-drying.

Luxe Lace SuperShock Mascara (£8.00)

I’m not a huge fan of Avon’s SuperShock Mascara though I know it’s very well-received. On me, it transfers and leaves little black spots just under my brows if I even remotely show any sign of getting a little ‘glowy’!  I love the big brush and the slightly dry formula… but there’s nothing worse than looking in the mirror and noticing funny black splotches undermining your appearance!

For the Winter Collection, SuperShock has been given a cute packaging makeover to bring it in line with it’s lacy counterparts.

Luxe Lace SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pens (£6.00)

For me, the most impressive product in the collection.  These SuperShock Gel Eyeliner Pens completely blew me away.  Pigmented like you wouldn’t believe… creamier than a tub of Ben and Jerrys and long lasting?  Oh my…

I met up with a journalist the next day who’d attended the same event and we were both still wearing our swatches on the back of our hands despite showering and secondary scrubbing in an attempt to remove them!

Two shades: Black and Silver, perfect for the party season.  If you only get one thing from this collection, make it these!

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The new collection will be available to order online or from your Avon rep from the 28th October.

I’ll be back with swatches of the Black Eyeliner, Lace Hues palette and Pout lipstick as soon as I can get accurate shots!

Strictly Come Dancing on Stars with Ice Factors in the Jungle makeup I can handle.  Especially when I got the opportunity to play and wasn’t completely horrified by the actual quality.  Plus they’d made the most of all the sequins, glitterballs, cutely packaged bits and bobs… it has that tack-tastic quality that you want from a Strictly Come Dancing makeup line.

This?

I’m not so sure.

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”They Say” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”b0c4de”]Become the ultimate diva with this new show-stopping collection of Glee inspired cosmetics. The dazzling selection of nail colours, eye shadows, lip glosses and lip balms offers Glee fans the chance to create their own personal ‘Gleekover’.[/stextbox]

I’ll be honest… I’ve never watched Glee, but surely if you were going to capitalise on the whole Glee phenomena with a little sideline in makeup… you could put a bit more effort into it?

Picture the scene (and bear in mind I have no actual idea how this works.)   So… we’re in the Superdrug/Glee/Wholesale Cosmetics people’s boardroom.  Eating doughnuts… probably.

“Hey guyyyyyys!  How about some Glee Makeup for Christmas?!”

*audible gasp*

“Ah-mazing!”

“But how can we make it Glee makeup as opposed to any old generic cheap crap makeup?  We don’t want our customers to think that we’re taking advantage of an opportunity without putting any real thought into it.”

“Let’s stick some Glee stickers on it!”

*audible gasp*

“Genius! – If it’s good enough for MACs latest collection… it’s good enough for us.”

At least MAC’s stickers were printed in more than one colour.  Cheapskates.  How in the hell is this Glee-inspired makeup?  Once your Gleeky consumer has torn away the cardboard packaging… don’t you think they may be just a teeny bit disappointed with what’s left in the way of Glee-spiration? (ok, I’m stopping with the quips now).

You can go buy your *cough* Glee-inspired makeup which includes *cough* BeautyUK-esque eyeshadow palettes instore at Superdrug now.  With prices starting at £3, I’m not saying they won’t make excellent stocking fillers… but if I find one in mine?  Mr. L won’t have much to be “Gleeful” about.

If you find yourself a little flush this Autumn, then you may want to check out the new limited edition Tom Ford Black Orchid collection.

Comprising of 3 pieces:

[stextbox id=”custom” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa”]

~ The revamped Black Orchid lipstick (in black casing instead of white)

~ The new Black Orchid Nail Colour – a new venure for the Tom Ford beauty lineup

~ The new Black Orchid Pressed Perfume – the piece that captures my interest… look at that beautifully sexy slimline packaging!

[/stextbox]

The new collection will be available in Harvey Nichols from the 4th October 2010 and elsewhere from 1st December 2010.

Price?  An eye-watering £90.  Did you expect anything less?

I requested some better pictures of a few pieces from the upcoming Boots (Strictly Come Dancing) Strictly Fab-U-Lous releases, ‘cos frankly… mine were shiteous.

Strictly The Lip Gloss Collection, RRP £6

Strictly Come dancing Look Books: Stunning, Beautiful, and Latin, RRP £10 each (I think these were my favourite!)

Strictly Fab-u-lous Lip Collection, RRP £12.00

It’s back on our screens proper from 1st October I think… Strictly is such a guilty pleasure for me.  Keep your X-Factors… I’m all about the sequins!

Back in early July, I attended a Boots Press Day featuring all the Christmas goodies they have in store for us this winter – it seemed silly to tell you about it back then… but with Strictly heading back to our screens next month, I figured that now would be pretty darn apt!

Enjoy some craptastic iPhone photos of some of the Strictly Come Dancing themed gift sets we can expect to find instore.

One of the dresses from the last series!

Cosmetics Palette – £20

Large Vanity Case – £TBC

Read the rest of this entry »

Paul & Joe will be releasing a veritable treasure trove of nail polishes this Christmas!  Wonderful news for all us nail fanatics, we’re really being spoiled for choice at the moment!

I spy sparkles!

I’m particularly loving the red and black shades… knowing P&J, the pink and white will be sheers (and therefore not for me!).  The gold is a sparkly addition and surely a staple for every Christmas collection, but most importantly they’ve out-cuted the competition once again with those pretty little bottles.

For a sneak peek at the rest of the collection, head over to BritishBeautyBlogger who has the low-down.

When Christmas packaging is done right, it’s a joy to behold.  There’s no other time of the year when packaging is more important… especially for lazy-ass people like me who will quite happily spend more on a present to avoid having to do battle with a roll of sellotape on Christmas Eve!

This is packaging done right:

L’Occitane will be bringing out an impressive range of Christmas gifts that will be sure to impress the women (or men!) in your life.  With gift sets starting from just £20, there’s a beautifully packaged set to suit most budgets.

Here’s what will be available:

1. Precious Immortelle Collection – £49.00

Immortelle essential oil is renowned for its anti-ageing virtues. A complete anti-ageing collection, for visible radiance and youthful looking skin.

Set includes:
Immortelle Precious Cream 50ml
Immortelle Brightening Cleansing Foam 50ml
Immortelle Eye Balm 5ml
Immortelle Very Precious Cream 3ml
Immortelle Essential Face Water 200ml

2. Delicate Cherry Blossom Collection – £46.00

L’Occitane’s Cherry Blossom fragrance range celebrates the poetic beauty of the cherry blossom and its delicate, feminine flowers…

Set includes:
Cherry Blossom Eau De Toilette 100ml
Cherry Blossom Shower Gel 250ml
Cherry Blossom Body Lotion 75ml
Cherry Blossom Soap 50g
Cherry Blossom Hand Cream 30ml

Read the rest of this entry »

Yeah, Christmas again!  Sorry!  Bite me.

Check out this Kabuki-inspired Bento Box Lip Set which will be on many a NARS’ fan’s Xmas wish list!

Inspired by the Japanese Kabuki theatre, the set comprises: 2 lip colours (Maiko and Sakura), 2 boxed dish thingies and a rather lovely lip brush. Will the lip colours be in the dishes?  I’m not sure… I got a bit confused at that point but it reminds me of a Japanese curio that Lisa Eldridge talked about.

The lip shades are pretty darn beautiful.  Look!

Heavily pigmented and smooth, a pair of beautifully bright shades that are sure to tantalise and tempt!

I adore this set, it’s a little bit quirky… a touch unusual but thoroughly useable.  What a wonderful Christmas gift this would make… for ourselves of course 😉

No price details or release dates yet, but I shall update as and when they become available.

Do you like it?

EDIT: I’ve now been reliably informed that this set is due to retail in the UK at £95 from November the 1st and will be available at Selfridges.

In Kabuki theater there is a style, Kumadori, which uses shades to represent different emotions and moods: red represents passion and vigor while pink represents cheerfulness and youthfulness. So it is no wonder that François chose to capture the majesty of the kabuki lip with these two colors for the elegant yet modern woman. Maiko, a vibrant red, is the Japanese word for dancing girl and is used to refer to apprentice geishas. Sakura, a hot pink, is Japanese for cherry blossom, the symbolic flowering cherry tree integral to Japanese culture.

Each cup has been hand-filled, weighs the same as a bullet of lipstick, and will provide around 150 uses. Similar to the NARS Yachiyo Kabuki Brush, the lip brush is hand-made and the handle is wrapped in Wisteria, a flowering plant native to East Asian states such as China, Korea and Japan. Only one thousand sets were created for sale in the United States, and just over two thousand in total were created worldwide.

Yes, £95 *jawdrop*.  It’s beautiful n’all… but erm… £95?  Am I going to have to sell both kidneys to fund this I wonder?