A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Just before midnight, this happened:

These were taken at about 2am (leaning out my bedroom window)… it *never* snows like that here.  I’m almost tempted to wake Leila up… almost.

Happy SNOW DAY!!!

Now, don’t be confusing this for a giveaway… these are very much MY goodies and I’ll fight you lipsticks at dawn (well, no earlier than 9am ok?) for them.

My beautiful friend Julia from BlessMyBag sent me a surprise Christmas gift a few weeks ago.  It would be something of an understatement to suggest that I was excited and noisy (squeals of delight mostly) as I investigated everything at the breakfast table.  Then Leila stole the empty box and carried on with the noises where I’d left off.

Thank you Julia, you made two girls far happier than their bowl of cornflakes could!

Wanna see what I got?  Tough, I’m showing you anyway…

Etude House is a Korean brand that has some of the cutest packaging I’ve ever laid eyes on.  It’s flirtatiously girly and these nail stickers are no exception!  Adorable!

*dies* I couldn’t have chosen better shades myself.  Truly.  If I’d had an Etude House stand infront of me… I would have plumped for these three.  That girl must know me well (either that or I’m really predictable!).

These eyeshadows from Code B (an Etude House sub-line) are well pigmented and contain the most beautiful micro sparkle that makes them quite glittery but in a fairy dust way rather than chunky.  Hard to explain but stunning on the lid.

Julia also sent me a cute bottle of nail polish remover from the line… that girl knows what I need! LOL

Now, this cream liner… I’ve read rave reviews about.  It comes with a brush attached to a chain which you can hook up to the pot lid for convenience.  I’ve had a feel of the brush and it’s nice and stiff… I hate floppy eyeliner brushes because I need something that I can use to ‘push’ the cream into my lashline.  This looks like it might be up to the job.  I’ll probably be back with a full review of this one.

Again… would have totally picked this myself.  It’s a beautiful pale, shimmery rose… not one of those barbie pinks but slightly lighter than a nude lip, so it has some impact.  I have been applying, then blotting to take down the shimmer.  I want to show you a FOTD with this one because I think it would probably appeal to a LOT of you if you saw it on the lips.

Lastly…

Two Filipino nail polishes!!  A classic pin up red and a shimmering blue.  They look beautiful and I can’t wait to try them!  Julia also told me that they’re an amazing bargain at less than 50p each! (equivalent).

I’m delighted with my lovely goodies, thank you so much Julia!

…sensible in this cold weather?  Or just plain funny lookin’

I like to pretend that I’m a completely free-thinking, non-judgemental and generally super-cool human being.  I’m not, but on the bigot scale I’m definitely not setting off any alarm bells either.

Which is why I don’t know why I can’t get my head around the idea of men wearing tights without giggling about it like an 11 year old.

I think it’s the feet.  If they were a bit more legging-y I could probably contain my giggles.

I love how he’s pointing his toes… mind, he’s probably got better legs than me.

Would you be cool as a cucumber if your man whipped off his trousers to reveal a pair of Charnos 20 deniers?

I think I could possibly handle it… I reckon it’s one of those things that you’d get used to once the novelty had worn off…

…that is until he asked to borrow my clear nail polish to fix a run in his stockings. *dies*

Tightsplease.co.uk have launched a selection of man-sized tights perfect for blokes to layer underneath when the cold weather bites.  You can check out the selection online.

…picture the scene.  You’re getting married today.

You open your makeup bag and discover that from your entire amazing collection, you’ve managed to somehow bring only 3 ITEMS with you!  Tsk!

In an ideal world, what would those three items be?  You’re not allowed to choose a HUGE palette that has EVERYTHING in it!!!  And don’t just pick your favourites… be resourceful!

I’d choose:

1). NARS Kuala Lumpur Eyeshadow Duo –  The peach is a beautful allover shade and the plum works well dry in the crease and wet as an eyeliner.

2). No7 Exceptional Defintion Mascara – Can’t do without mascara and I’d attempt to run a bit lightly through my brows too!

3). Estee Lauder Extravagant Berry Lipstick – Patted onto my lips as a stain, this beautiful lipstick gives a flush of colour to my lips.  I’d apply some to my cheeks in an attempt to not look like I’d just been dug up!

…and then I’d mug a passing pale-skinned stranger for their foundation.  Wha?

Which three items from your collection would you pray were in your makeup bag on such an important day?

Welcome to the Haus of Lurgy.  One cough and you’ll get slimed.  Or infected.

I’m on antibiotics and whilst Mr. L likes to think that he’s too much of a man to be on antibiotics… the only reason he’s not popping pills like me is because he’s a doctor dodger.  Me?  I’m up the surgery declaring brain disease the moment I feel an attack of sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia coming on – when really, all I need to do is put down the Ben & Jerrys.

Have you googled sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia yet?

The only one who seems to have avoided this roller coaster ride of mucus is Leila, so we’ve taken to approaching her with our eyes slit in mock suspicion, pointing our fingers and whispering “carrier”… “disease spreader”…

It tickles her funny bone to see one of us bend ourselves in half, coughing a lung onto the kitchen floor.  A cuter giggle you never did hear.

All this is really just to say, sorry for the lack of posts.  I’m on day 2 of the red and white striped meds and will hopefully be back in functioning form in the next couple of days.  Until then, I’m quite enjoying watching Martha Stewart Crafts on QVC, made-for-tv afternoon movies and (heaven forbid) Jeremy Kyle.  No.  Not really Jeremy Kyle, I’m not THAT ill.

Mucho love and phlegm x

I’m a very open person and never mind sharing more intimate details if I think they may be useful to someone else who finds themselves in my situation.  Heaven knows the nights I’ve spent trawling Google looking for people I can relate to in terms of hairy chins, diet struggles, inability to draw straight lines with liquid eyeliners or hunting down moon-faced chicks who’ve scored themselves flattering hair cuts I could copy.

I don’t *know* any of these women of course, but they somehow make me feel less isolated, more supported… connected.  I still write things on here that I probably wouldn’t tell my mother… which is stupid really ‘cos for all I know, she could be reading (hi Mum!).

I guess what I’m trying to say in my own wildly convoluted way is thank you for your kindness, encouragement and affirmation on Friday.  I wrote the post about my weight really late on Thursday night and then cringed my way through Friday whilst having a ‘shouldn’t have posted that’ wobble.

So whilst words really aren’t enough.. they’re all I have and I want to use them to say a big thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Earlier in the week, I whined about my inability to recreate a salon blowdry in the comfort of my own home and many of you shared my woes.

We all agreed that this seemingly simple styling step made a HUGE difference to how our hair looks and feels and a couple of you were kind enough to share some ah-mazing tips that I’ll be sure to follow up in my own retarded way.

I wanted to share with you the highlights from our blow dry discussion but if you haven’t read it… I urge you to go check out the full post.  Some of those tips are fabulous and I can’t do them justice here.  Go on, you might learn something!

You lot are brilliant.  Have a great weekend! xx

We have been together for over 20 years, our lives so entwined that I’ve never been sure how to live without you.  I would like to tell you that you’ve been nothing but a miserable companion… but I would be lying.  At times, you’ve been a comfort, an invisibility blanket that has shielded me from the world,  holding my hand every step of the way.

Beside me throughout my childhood and teenage years, you often held me back from enjoying myself but I can’t deny that when the going got tough, you would be there to remind me that you were the only thing I would ever need in life anyway.  We were thankfully never bullied for our friendship, though both knew that it was almost impossible not to be pitied.

You regularly made me sad, insecure and doubtful of a happy future with your controlling ways… but despite your omnipresence, I have only fond memories of those formative years.  Further down the line, you shared those first precious moments with my husband, I think you knew I’d kick your arse if you interfered.

Every photo of every holiday, party and get-together… even on my wedding day… you’re there.  My shadow.

I still often question whether it was you that screwed with my hormones, or if we were only tied together because of my hormones…. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to put the chicken before the egg.  Regardless, it was then that you settled in for the long haul… knowing that I wouldn’t have the strength or the willpower to leave you for good.  When they said that I wouldn’t be able to have children without intervention, I turned to you for comfort… and you obliged, like you always do.

But then something clicked.  I don’t even know what or why, there was no lightbulb moment, no flash of inspiration… nothing that I can pinpoint as the moment I realised our relationship had to come to an end.  Like a drip feed, I started to wean myself off you and out of your controllling grasp.

It’s been a long road… 3 years in the making.  Through this time… I have stumbled and fallen back into your waiting arms many times… enjoying the familiarity that you provide… but it never lasts long before once again, you become the abuser and my body, the abused.  Conceiving Leila naturally served to remind me to ignore your parasitic sweet nothings that attempt to shatter my resolve.  I know that you don’t mean to hurt me, you just can’t live without me.

So today, it’s with a strange mixture of loss and overwhelming joy that I tell you something:

I’m leaving you and you won’t see me again.

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This morning I weighed 12st 12lb wwith a BMI of 29.7, meaning I am overweight and no longer obese.

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Please excuse this post.  It’s a bit of a For Leila one… but well… For me.  I just really wanted to record it, somewhere.

Um… yay!

“Talk about it Tuesday” is a complete excuse for me to ramble.  It’s actually 3.30am and I’m supposed to have gone to bed about 2 hours ago *whistling*… but I got sidetracked by some blogs, Amazon, JamieOliver.com (have I ever told you how much I love Jamie?) and then thought I’d better at least *attempt* to reply to some emails.

All that stopped abruptly when I caught sight of my hair on my way to the bathroom.  How can hair be both frizzy and flat at the same time?

I hinted last week at finding an amazing deep conditioner… and I’ve held off posting about it ‘cos I’m hesitating that perhaps that initial WOW has since morphed into more of a WUH sound.  I need to give it a bit longer… but anyway, I digress (it is 3.33am afterall)…

Hair…

My hair seems to benefit from a salon blow dry.  No, I mean REALLY benefit.  The hair shaft lays flat and smooth, I get volume at the roots and some beautiful separation and swishiness to the ends.

Which leads me to my Talk About It Tuesday question…

I own a hairdryer, I even own a brush…

WHY THE HELL CAN’T I RECREATE A SALON BLOW DRY AT HOME?

What is wrong with my spasmodic hands that stops me from being able to co-ordinate holding a brush and a hairdryer at the same time.  I may aswell have flippers instead of fingers.

I managed a 2:1 in Media & Cultural Studies (ok, admittedly… not *quite* rocket science), I totes bagged myself a freaking GENERAL anaesthetic during child birth and I can’t even remember the last time I washed up dishes by hand.

What I’m saying is… I’m a resourceful kinda girl.  So why is this simple act so completely out of my reach?

Can you achieve a salon finish at home?  Do you bother trying? Someone teach me the magic!

My Sugababes Perfume giveaway closes tonight at midnight… if you want the chance to bag yourself a new fragrance in time for the party season, you ain’t got long left!

ENTER HERE

If it weren’t for those pesky prematurely dark evenings… Autumn would be my favourite season by far.

The excitement at dragging our lovely knitwear out from storage, discovering warming new recipes for the slow cooker, 100 denier tights and nature’s most vibrant display of colour.  It all combines to fill me with that pre-Christmas thrill.

For me, Autumn is the season of scents… crushed leaves underfoot, cordite in the air and hearty stews on the stove.

Here’s my take on some of the nicest Autumn scents that money can buy.

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Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection – Romana (£28)

Brainchild of Adriana Carlucci, Ancienne Ambiance offer luxury goods inspired by Antiquity.   When you burn an Ancienne Ambiance candle, you’re burning more than just a beautifully blended scent.

Romana is like a portal to another age.  Described as: A powder-like scent with sensual & comforting effects..particularly good when desiring a calm ambience.

Comforting is exactly right… it’s soft and evocative.  The amber tones are rich, earthy and overwhelmingly Autumnal.  Perfect for warming up these dark evenings.

The quality in this candle is evident with a flame which burned evenly throughout the many hours of enjoyment I’ve had thus far.  The scent remains true and consistent from the first time you light it through to the moment it extinguishes itself.

The Ancienne Ambiance Scented Candle Collection is available to buy online and instore at Fenwick of Bond Street.

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OCCO  Motovun no3 Bath & Body Wash (£18)

Croatian-inspired OCCO are a new to the UK, natural brand with a wide range of luxury products.

The Motovun no3 range combines essences of Cypress Leaf, Labdanum, Oak, Cedar Leaf, Vetiver and Black Pepper, to create an earthy and woody selection.

They say:

Oil of cypress tree fuses with gentle oat-based cleansers with anti-oxidant properties, to help restore elasticity and cleanse your skin. Natural extracts of pine and oak calm and centre your mood.

With an impressive list of active ingredients including: Pine Oil, Cypress Oil and Sage Oil Grape Extract, OCCO’s Motovun No3 promises to be a moisturising experience.  Something that our skins definitely crave this time of year.

All OCCO products contain a minimum of 95% natural ingredients and 100% natural fragrance blended from absolutes, extracts and oils to reveal subtle top, heart and base notes. All products are free from parabens, sulphates, petrochemicals and synthetic colours.

The brand are set to open a central London boutique this Autumn but for now, you can purchase online and instore from Harrods and John Lewis.

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Haus of Gloi Parkin Bubbling Scrub ($9)

My latest Haus of Gloi order turned up yesterday morning and amongst it was the newly released Parkin Bubbling Scrub.

Heavy in black treacle, ginger and roasted chestnuts… the initial ginger sweetness morphs into a richer, darker base that lingers on the skin for hours.  Synonymous with Bonfire Night, I was delighted to scrub myself silly with this yesterday morning to mark the historic date.

Now, if only I had some real sticky Parkin to go with it *nom*

Parkin Bubbling Scrub is available online from Haus of Gloi (for a limited time).

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LUSH / Gorilla Perfumes – Tuca Tuca (from £2.50)

I wanted to include an out and out fragrance in this selection but I found myself struggling to choose.  Sure, there are many amber and woody offerings…. even heady orientals that would fit with the theme but as I was exploring my stash of lovely things, I remembered Tuca Tuca.

It’s a love it/hate it pick.  Mr. L hates it, I love it.  Not quite as much as I love some of LUSH’s other new fragrance offerings (I’m looking at you Lust and The Smell of Freedom) but by Jove it reminds me of Halloween!

Tuca Tuca is an explosion in a Parma Violet Factory… and in this house, Parma Violets are king… or yano… queen… whatever, I ain’t discriminating.  Even better if we can find the jumbo ones… am not fattist either.  It’s playful, girly and comforting all at the same time.  But most of all?  It’s impish… mischievous and defiantly bold.

A pied piper of fragrances.

Tuca Tuca is available instore at LUSH or online.

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Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil (£9)

Neals Yard Remedies are new to cosmetics and I’m finding it hard to decide if this is a gloss, a balm or maybe just a bit of both!

Advertised as a gloss, it does indeed leave a lovely (if subtle) sheen behind.  It’s non sticky and wears just as well under a lipstick as it does over it!

But the real beauty is in it’s scent!

I have literally spent an entire car journey with the end stuffed up my nostril.  Well, not *up* my nostril… that would just be dangerous, imagine if we had to brake?

Let me explain…

As a child, around this time of year… I used to make orange pomanders and use them to scent drawers and wardrobes around the house.  The organic orange oil is an acute reminder of those days.

It’s got enough tartness to it to steer it away from being sickly, but enough softness to stop it from smelling like a kitchen cleaner.  Fragrance blenders… I have so much respect for the delicate balancing act you do!

No parabens, no silicones and no carmine.  Neals Yard Remedies offers the first collection to include Soil Association certified cosmetics.  But I’m still all about that orange!

Neals Yard Remedies Lip Gloss with Organic Orange Oil is available to buy instore and online.

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What are some of your loveliest Autumnal scents?  And which season is your favourite?

Two facebook-related freebie thingamibobs in 24 hours?  We must be approaching the season of goodwill or somefink!

You have until the 14th November to bag yourself some daily wins over on Feel Unique’s facebook page.  There’s £250 up for grabs daily alongside some guaranteed discount codes.

To enter (and get a discount), ‘like’ the Feel Unique facebook page and fill in your details… note that by completing the entry form you’re agreeing to receive the Feel Unique (I nearly abbreviated that before thinking better of it!) newsletter… but you can unsubscribe at any time.