A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Dark, grungy and all about texture… Topshop’s new Autumn/Winter makeup range, Heavy Duty… is set to launch at the end of the month.  From ultra-wet looking glossy lips through to slept-in smoky eyes the new collection is a far cry from the high-street store’s Summer offerings.

LIP MARKER: A felt tip pen applicator for long lasting gorgeously bitten looking lips. So efficient; use an oil based cleanser to ensure full removal.  Shade: Ultimate

GLOSS: The perfect formula for creating heavy lacquered lips that look dipped in paint.  Choose from three deep sultry tones for a full on wash of colour.  Shades: Volt, Gloom and Undertone.

KOHL DUST: A revolutionary formula that crumbles and smudges to create the perfect smokey eye.  Perfect for both top and lower lid, inside and out, the 3D effect is the first of it’s kind.  Shade: Ash.

EYE PALETTE: Two beautiful and complementary shades encased in a mirrored palette.  Build them up wet and watch the diamond like formula reveal a deep and dramatic finish.  Palette Shades: Thunder and Greyscale.

CREAM LINERS: With four unique and fashion forward shades to choose from use as a liner, a wash or build up for an intense injection of colour.  Applicator included.  Shades: Facet, Steely, Etch, Ravine.

CRAYON: The ultimate pigmented kohl presented in a chubby crayon for buildable coverage.  A choice of two dark and sultry shades that easily smudge for a dramatic and smokey effect.  Shades: Graphite and Burnish.

MASCARA: High drama lashes in an instant.  Lifts, lengthens and defines for buildable volume, perfect for this season’s heavier lash.  Shade: Carbon.

NAILS: A collection of three intense nail lacquers of contrasting and complementing petrol hues.  Shades: Metallic Khaki, Iridescent Grey, Metallic Blue.

Heavy Duty will be available towards the end of this month instore and online with prices ranging between £6-£10.

Anything catching your attention?

I have the inimitable Pink Sith to thank for this Swatch Saturday.  When she told me all about it’s magical powers of taupeness, I knew I had to have it.  I’m not even gonna bother with a review, just read hers… it answers all the questions you’d ever need to ask.

Oh taupe haters (I know you’re out there), look away now.

Love it.  And I should bloody well think so too at £19.50.

Having said that, it’s a shade that I know is gonna see a LOT of use.  I’m already wearing it today smudged along my lashline as a liner.

Chanel Taupe Grisé #87 is Limited Edition, so if you think it may be for you too… head down to your nearest counter to have a play.

The Autumn/Winter Fashion Week vids are up!

Here’s 3 very different NARS looks created using some of the new products available this season.

3.1 PHILLIP LIM

Lead Artist:

~ Lisa Butler for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Single Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Abyssinia Eyeshadow, London Eyeliner Pencil, Sex Machine Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, Luxor Multiple, Riviera Multiple

.THAKOON

Lead Artist:

~  Diane Kendal for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~ Douceur Blush (new for Autumn!), Coconut Grove Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Tzarine Duo Eyeshadow (new for Autumn!), Portobello Duo Eyeshadow, Belle de Jour Lipstick

MARC JACOBS

Lead Artist:

~ François Nars, Founder & Creative Director, for NARS Cosmetics

Key Products Used:

~  NARS Enchanted Cream Blush, NARS D. Gorgeous Eyeshadow, NARS Nuits Blanches Eyeliner Stylo, NARS Black Moon Eyeliner Pencil, NARS Barbarella Lipstick

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.

As promised yesterday, here’s some images and swatches of the NARS Holiday 2010 collection.  Due out in the UK in November.

The palette is a trio of cool shades with the almost cobalt blue being the star attraction.  Continuing the Japanese theme throughout the entire collection, this little eyeshadow palette is named Okinawa.

I’d love to tell you the names of the rather beautiful glosses (Yinka fell in love with the one on the right, me… the one on the left).  But I had a bit of a photographer camera fail.

Anyone good at Magic Eye puzzles?  Sorry ladies!

The rest of the collection….

Close ups and swatches after the break…

Read the rest of this entry »

Oh HAI gorgeousness!

I have more indepth pictures and some swatches of the NARS Holiday 2010 Collection that I shall post up tomorrow, but here’s a quick sneak peek at the collection as a whole.

Have I got your attention?  Come back tomorrow for more!

It’s been quite a year for luxury lipsticks!

Only just recovering from the Chanel Rouge Cocos and the Tom Ford purse breakers, we’re now faced with the new collection on the block… and it’s a biggie!

Rouge Dior Haute Couleur Voluptuous Care (£22) is a new collection of 32 (yes, 32!) mouth-watering shades.  Each shade has been inspired by (and named after) a vintage Dior Haute Couture dress.  Check out those two beauties in the background!

The range has been grouped into three colour families to make navigating through the line a little easier.  Red to Coral, Pink to Lilac and Beige to Brown, there’s a shade to suit every taste and skintone (if not budget!).

The Rouge Dior Haute Couleur Voluptuous Care collection also promises to plump your lips both in the short and long term using some fancy schmancy hyaluronic technology.  I can’t wait to see the rest of the line up, though I’m already totally drawn to the nude there *swoon*.

If you want to get your hands on one (or seven) of these babies, you need to take your lipstick-loving selves to Selfridges who hold the worldwide exclusive on the range.  Available from yesterday (28th July), these are sure to be hugely in demand throughout August!

With the new Edward Bess range firmly settled into it’s new UK home at Zuneta, I thought it was time to bring you some product shots from the launch I attended a few weeks ago.

A busy swatch table at the launch.  Makeup, check.  Cameras, check.  Tissues, check.

Edward Bess Blush Imperiale (£36) – L,R – Soft Orchid, Desert Bloom, Moroccan Rose

Edward Bess Blush Imperiale swatches – L,R – Soft Orchid, Desert Bloom, Moroccan Rose

Edward Bess Eyeshadow Trios (£44) – L,R – Island Escape, Soft Smoke

Edward Bess Lip Wardrobe (£310)

Edward Bess Compact Rouge (£30) L,R – After Sunset, Love Affair, Island Rose.

The Compact Rouge pots are something rather special… smooth, silky and pigmented.  My heart has been stolen by more products than I can afford.  To be blunt, this is an expensive range.  For me, it’s an aspirational range.  The packaging is plain but sleek with quality casings… some will admire it’s simplicity, others may regard it as lacking in personality.

Edward Bess Midnight Sun Set (£136)

Before seeing the products in person, I was particularly keen to check out the Daydream bronzer and it didn’t disappoint.  Soft, creamy and natural – even on my pink hard-to-please skintone.

Edward Bess Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow (£22) – L,R – Intimate, Escape, Dusk, Mystery.

I was surprised by how much I fell in love with the Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow in Intimate.  I don’t do greens… but this khaki is something quite special.  Texture wise, I slightly favour the Rouge Bunny Rouge formula which blows me away… but I’m smitten by Intimate and Dusk and am in the process of working out how many excuses I can invent to part with the £44 needed to purchase.

.

I will definitely be purchasing the Ultra Luminous Eyeshadow in Intimate.  I aspire to own the Daydream bronzer… but not until I finish the equally lovely Guerlain Teracotta Light Sheer Bronzer in Blondes.  I will also spend the next few months lusting after a compact rouge… but knowing that I would only use it as a cream blusher, I know that I can spend less and fall in love with other cream blushers to the same degree.

This is a line for women who want to enhance with quality cosmetics.  Subtle enhancement with luxury products is (for me) the epitome of what I want to see in my makeup bag.  If you’re looking for a compact collection of beautiful products to achieve subtle but effective enhancements, Edward Bess is worth exploring further.

Not long to go now, I thought we could all do with a quick reminder of what we can look forward to come 1st August when NARS’ Autumn 2010 collection hits the counters.

Daphne Guiness looking resplendant as Francois NARS’ muse and inspiration for the NARS Fall 2010 campaign.

The Single Eyeshadows (£16) – Mangrove is LE.

The Eyeshadow Duos (£23) – Rajasthan is LE

The Lip Stick LE (£17)

The Lip Gloss LE (£17)

The Soft Touch Shadow Pencil LE (£15)

The Blush (£19.50)

For me, I think it’s one that needs to be swatched before taking the plunge and ordering…

Neither of the lip products are calling to me but I’ll be swatching Douceur, Palladium, Tzarine and Rajasthan… Mangrove too, I’m not particularly drawn to it, but because it’s a LE product I *just* wanna make sure!

Are you interested in anything from this collection?

I wanted to get these out quickly in the hope that the photos/swatches over my overspend haul may be useful to those still making up their minds on what they want to order.  But I failed…

I’m not gonna do any proper reviews, I’m just trying to put some shots out there that are as colour accurate as I can manage.

Without further ado…

The Haul!

Stereo Rose MSF – surprisingly wearable on my pale, cool-toned skin.

Read the rest of this entry »

I thought it might be useful if I did this post ahead of the upcoming MAC In The Groove Collection which is due for release on the 1st July.

The rather lovely Karleigh wanted a shot of my pale arse wearing it. Well, not my ‘arse’… that would be enough to send global MAC sales plummeting. I mean… oh, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I’m gonna show you my FOTD and then I’m gonna link you to one of my fav bloggers who’s got a fabulous shot showing the shimmer far better than I was able to… so read on!

Read the rest of this entry »

No, not literally… get your hands off!

I’ve never claimed to be a makeup artist nor hold any aspirations to cultivating a talent in this field.  I simply don’t have it in me.  Whether it’s cosmetics or clothes… I often struggle to merge individual pieces into a successful ensemble.  Or at least, one that does anything justice.

I’ve been handswatching and ‘playing’ with this beautiful Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia palette that was in my goodie bag of pieces from the upcoming Tom Pecheux Autumn collection (releasing in August).  It’s a daring choice of shades for a palette… it’s strong and needs to be worn with confidence.  I can do that, but I’d love a little bit of peer guidance to point me in the right direction.

So, the palette consists of 5 shades:

~ Matte Black
~ Shimmering Navy
~ Shimmering Teal
~ Metallic Grey/Taupe
~ Sheer White with Teal Sparkles (best for layering to add irridescence)

How would you put together a look with this palette?  Would you use all the shades at once? or just a few at a time.  I think I’m struggling with incorporating those two strong blues in one look.  Can it be done?  How would you attempt it?