A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

We’re used to seeing beauties Hilary Rhoda, Carolyn Murphy, Liz Hurley and Gwyneth Paltrow grace the Estee Lauder campaigns, but now we’ll be seeing these two lovelies aswell:

Constance Jablonski is a french model hailing from Lyon, she’s been very much in demand on the catwalks recently, featuring in shows such as Derek Lam, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors to name but a tiny few.

Liu Wen, China’s brightest fashion star broke through in 2008 and has walked shows such as Alexander Wang, Fendi and Balenciaga.

Estee Lauder are moving with the times…  they’re blatantly working very hard to shift that association as being a bit of a ‘granny’ brand.

Jane Hertzmark Hudis, Global Brand President of Estée Lauder says:

“We are thrilled to introduce Constance and Liu Wen to women around the world. Both models have the style and confidence that reflects Estée Lauder’s modern vision of global beauty.”

Personally… I totally associate the Estee Lauder brand with rich old ladies, maybe I always will… but for me, that’s not a bad thing.  Those rich old ladies don’t put up with shit and as a result, I’ve generally found EL counter staff to be among the best, with the products to match.

There’s something to be said for being the matriarchs… they have their niche, they should embrace it.

Lemme tell you about this “Love Colour” event that Space NK have going on at the end of the month, then listen up… cos I’m thinking of making that 30 mile trek to the seaside (and local store) and attending.  I wanna know if you go to these kind of events.

Can you read that phone number and the small print? *squints*

020 8740 2085 is the number and there’s a £10 booking fee which is redeemable against purchases.

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OK, so now I wanna chat about these kind of events…

Do you ever attend them?  I’ve never been to one… I’m kinda shy, not hugely… but enough that the thought makes me feel a teeny bit uncomfortable.  But let’s face it… counter staff in general make me feel quite uncomfortable.

I never know what to say or how much I should buy before I reach the level of “acceptability” once they’ve started to lavish their attentions on me.  I mean, don’t get me wrong… I don’t spend beyond my means just ‘cos I feel uncomfortable (although I have in the past), it’s just… there’s etiquette isn’t there?

And what about when the events include other ‘strangers’ and you have to be all like… “oh, that blush really suits you, you look 10 years younger!”

I’m not a very good ‘pack’ shopper. Or liar.

I’m scared, someone come hold my hand and do the talking for me.  Just don’t get in my way or make me come look at your wrist swatches when I’ve got my “shopping face” on.

The annual CEW Beauty Awards were held today, and the brands/products coming out on top this year were…

Mass Categories:

Best New Bath & Body Product
All for Eve Body Butter

Best New Haircare/Styling/Colouring Product
Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo

Best New Everyday Skincare Product
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Skin Therapy Oil
tied with
Steamcream

Best New Skincare Treatment Product
GoodSkin Labs Lumecin Overnight Brightening Gluco -Protein Treatment

Best New Self Tan or Sun Care Product
St Tropez Wash Off Instant Glow Body Lotion

Best New Make-up Product
All for Eve Lipstick

Best Classic Beauty Product
Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor

Best New Men’s Grooming Product
A’kin pureMAN Calming After Shave Balm

Best New Brand
All for Eve

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Prestige Categories

Best New Bath and Body Product
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Superskin Body Cream

Best New Haircare/Styling Product
Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

Best New Everyday Skincare Product
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Superskin Moisturiser

Best New Skincare Treatment Product
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex

Best New Certified Organic Skincare Product
Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream

Best New Self Tan or Sun Care Product
St Tropez Everyday Mousse

Best New Make-up Product
Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Hydrating Make-up

Best Classic Beauty Product
Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Best New Women’s Celebrity Fragrance
Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Island Night

Best New Women’s Fragrance
Marc Jacobs LOLA

Best New Men’s Fragrance
Gucci by Gucci pour Homme

Best New Men’s Grooming Product
Clinique Skin Supplies for Men Age Defense for Eyes

Best New Brand
Dolce & Gabbana the make up

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Mass or Prestige Categories

Best New Hand and Nail Care Product
All for Eve Hand Cream

Best New Salon Professional Haircare Product
Kérastase Sublimateur Jour

Best British Brand
Elemis

Best Iconic Beauty Product
Clarins Beauty Flash Balm

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Any surprising stand outs there for you?  How much stock do you put in the results of industry awards like these and are there any new products that you think you’ll be trying thanks to the CEW seal of approval?

I found this whilst stalking Jamilla’s fabulous blog!

It’s one of those fangly spangly celebrity lookalike resembling things.  You KNOW what I mean… those things where if you don’t like the outcome first time… you do it over and over again….

Apparently I’m Bree Van de Kamp… right wing, domineering and sexually repressed… Sill nevermind.  I also resemble Ally McBeal… whiney, self-centred and over-emotional.

Hey, I don’t like this thing.

Hope you do better than me, link me up to your results if you partake!

Forgive me a little press release copy and pasting… but it’s certainly a worthy campaign to profile.

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Highland Spring is blushing pink as it launches an exclusive handbag size ‘hint of pink’ bottle in association with Breast Cancer Care to help raise valuable funds to support the 46,000 people diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK.

Available in a 6 x 500ml pack, the bottles will be sold in Tesco stores nationwide.

If you’re interested in finding out a little bit more about the kind of support Breast Cancer Care offers families and people in need, watch the video belowing detailing Win’s story.  She’s an inspiration!

Hope you’re having a great day so far x

My posts on the launch have been a touch hiccoughy – so here’s a little recap ‘cos I know there’s a lot of interest out there.

~ Launch Announcment & Thoughts

~ Review and lip swatches of Countessa Fluorescent, No She Didn’t & My Beautiful Rocket

Fully launched now, you should be able to find the Lime Crime lipsticks in your local store…. if you do go and have a play with some of the colours, please come back and share your thoughts with me (and everyone else!).

It would be great to get lots of varied feedback because judging by some emails I’ve received… I’m beginning to get the impression that some of you are really interested and excited by the lipsticks but hesitant to display your excitement for fear of ‘going against the tide of opinion’.

That saddens me.

Getting excited about super-bright lipsticks is your prerogative and we should all be excited about beautiful colours and new launches!

The majority of you who come here aren’t beauty bloggers and don’t leave me comments and are infact interested in one thing and one thing only:  “…are they any good ‘cos I don’t wanna waste £14 on a crappy lipstick”.

I say… read my review and then go and try a few shades!  While you’re at it, please come back and let me know what Airborne Unicorn is like ‘cos my nearest Space NK is a shocking 25 miles away.  Yep… feel for me.

And that (you’ll be pleased to hear) is probably my last word on it.

That’s it… that’s all that I have left of my current favourite fragrance after decanting myself a small amount and giving the rest to a friend.

Jo Malone White Jasmine and Mint reminds me of Summer.  It makes me think of cottage gardens and fresh linen catching the breeze on the washing line.

But Mr L doesn’t like it and in all fairness, he has to smell me 24/7 and it’s a scent that truly bothers him.

When I was 17, I bought myself a bottle of Dior’s Hypnotic Poison.  It had just been released and I sampled it in the Duty Free Store on the RoRo ferry to France.  I fell in love with it’s sweet and gentle scent.  Vanilla, almond and sugar… it’s everything a teenage girl would love.  I spent all of my holiday allowance on that one bottle before I’d even got halfway across the English Channel.

Back then, it was new and remained relatively undiscovered for a while.  It was the first perfume I’d ever worn that lasted for hours on my skin, I couldn’t leave the house without being complimented on how lovely I smelt.

I’m now 12 years older.  The oriental and intoxicating scent I used to cherish and adore reminds me a little bit of play-doh.  It’s cloying and childish and admitting this upsets me.

Shall I tell you why?

I met my husband wearing Hypnotic Poison.  I married my husband wearing Hypnotic Poison (along with the matching body lotion) and I gave birth to our child wearing Hypnotic Poison.  Everything about our life has been set against a backdrop of Bitter Almond, Caraway, Vanilla and Caramel.  It’s one of the most comforting scents we know.

The end of a love affair… it’s not tempestuous or exciting.  Like many endings, it’s just sad.

I know I’ll never be without a bottle stashed somewhere in the back of my wardrobe… but I need to find something new, something that will carry me through my 30s and beyond.  What if I fall in love with something else that Mr. L hates?  What if he can’t let go of my signature scent in the way I’m dying to and no other scent compares?

As much as I assert that it’s MY scent, on MY body… it’s not.  It’s ours… and I’m not sure I’d be ready for him to fall out of love with his signature fragrance either.

Perhaps I’m being melodramatic… I usually am.  But of the traditional 5 senses, the sense of smell is a hugely important and often subconscious one.

Do you have a signature scent?  How would you go about finding a new one?

I’m in hospital today, finally having a little operation that I’ve waited 10 months for… I’m nervous!  Wish me luck!

To make me feel better, this is what I need when I come out (which will hopefully be this afternoon!  I did say it was a little operation!)

Some Hello Kitty plasters ($9) for sore bits…

Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Moisture Melt (£29)

This has been on my radar for a couple of years… but when there’s bills to pay and small baby’s to feed… it always seems like an indulgence too far.  But if I’m gonna have new holes put in me, I reckon I’m allowed now.

Essie Sag Harbor Nail Polish (discontinued) from the North Forks collection.  It’s a greyed out pale blue… I think I’d either love it or hate it.  I’ll find out soon… it fell in my eBay basket last night *whistles innocently*

Mario Badescu Calma Mask (£15.50)

Packed full of skin-calming and nourishing ingredients, an ideal pampering present.

Shu Uemura Eye Shadow Beige 800 ME (£14.50) is another one that’s been on my “Should I/Shouldn’t I?” list for about 6 months.  Last time I was at the Shu store in Covent Garden I came *this* close to picking it up… until they found they were out of stock BOO!  I have no excuse now that Beauty Expert carry the Shu Uemura line – well, apart from the small issue that they DON’T HAVE THIS ONE!

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I am SO gonna milk this *rubs hands together*…

I’m chatting about the rise and fall of nail polish today!

If you give a stuff, come and check me out!

Hope you’re having a lovely Sunday x

My dislike for “innovation” in beauty products is fairly well documented, so it’s nice to come across a product that is innovative in a proper science-y way (rather than a “stick a battery in it and make it buzz” kinda way).

Fake Bake have come up with what they’re calling a “Self Tan Revolution” and it involves something rather interesting…

Now, I did a “Home Economics” GCSE at school many, many years ago…  It taught me lots of valuable life lessons.  How to bake Cheese Scones & a great Spinach Gratin… how to avoid Scurvy and perhaps most importantly, I learnt about the importance of vitamins and what ‘orrible things might happen to my eyeballs if I were to become deficient.

One of those vitamins was a little fella called Vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin” because our bodies are able to produce significant quantities of it with the help of sun exposure.

Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb other minerals and nutrients such as calcium, obviously essential for healthy teeth and bones.  There have also been studies in recent years that suggest links between disorders such as depression and a lack of Vitamin D.

But what’s this got to do with self-tanning solutions?

Well, the bods at Fake Bake have incorporated Vitamin D into their tanning range of products and treatments, mimicking the body’s natural ability to create the vitamin through the skin.

I know that in theory, it’s no different to incorporating anti-aging or anti-cellulite ingredients into products, but it’s good to see something so obviously beneficial in a non-superficial way being introduced into a product that’s used by so many.

And I bet my Cheese Scones are better than yours.

Cult US eccentric brand Lime Crime are currently enjoying a boost in credbility thanks to UK based apothecary Space NK.  In an unlikely but ultimately interesting pairing, Space NK will be bringing the full range of Lime Crime CandyFuture lipsticks to the store’s shelves later this month.

The collection of 10 lipsticks which range in colour from an opaque black right through to palest lavender will hit UK shores with a price tag of £14 each compared to US equivalent pricing of $16.  The price hike is pretty much expected, and perhaps slightly less than anticipated when you consider Space NK’s ill-fated launch of excessively priced Sonia Kashuk brushes last year.

The reputation of Lime Crime… with self-proclaimed “Unicorn Queen” owner/operator Doe Deere at the helm, has recently endured the internet equivalent of a “beat-down”.

The company may initially struggle to gain trust and loyalty from cosmetic connosieurs in the UK with the recent allegations raised against the brand, but I don’t doubt for one moment that the playful, fantastical nature of the brand will appeal to many high-street shoppers.

The launch has the potential to bring a fresh, younger audience to Space NK… which may ultimately validate this unusual synergy between conservatively styled Space NK and the whimsical Lime Crime.

As an interested observer (but ultimate fence-sitter) with regards to the recent Lime Crime dramas, this has the potential to be one hell of a launch.  I just hope that Space NK have ordered in enough glitter and life-size unicorns.

I have a reader who is currently enjoying the sunnier climes of Australia and needs some foundation help!

She’s finding that her base is simply not lasting the duration in the warmer weather.

Do you have any recommendations or hot weather makeup tips you’re happy to share?  I need your expertise!