A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This striking pewter polish is from the Orly Birds of a Feather collection that was released for this Autumn/Winter.  It’s a beautiful grey with silver flecks that gives it a stunning metallic effect without the usual brushstroke issue that actual metallic polishes present.

Fully opaque in two coats with absolutely no application issues, this is a cracking polish for Autumn/Winter and one that I recommend you have in your collection.  Flawless.

Orly Sea Gurl is available to buy online at BeautyBay.com, priced at £6.95

* press sample

I’m not generally a fan of jelly nail polishes… they have to be quite special to turn my head. I like a nod to a jelly finish, infact, one of my favourite Butter London polishes has a slight jelly edge (Come to Bed Red) but in general, I’ll take a creme finish any day.

Orly Fowl Play from the Autumn/Winter Birds of a Feather collection contains a myriad of multi-colour flake, glitter and sparkle in a purple jelly base.  I love the razz but am just not digging that base which always looks kinda… unfinished to my eye.

The simple answer is to layer it over a cream polish, which is exactly what I’ve been doing… just one coat over a black looks incredible but for the sake of swatching, I’m showing it to you in it’s 3-coat glory over a bare nail.

Orly Fowl Play is available to buy online from BeautyBay.com, priced at £6.95

* press sample

The lovely Lily from BeautysBadHabit is doing another stint with us today and showcasing Illamasqua’s latest collection: Theatre of the Nameless – take it away Lily!

Illamasqua have been at it again with their Autumn/ Winter collection, ‘Theatre of the Nameless’, being yet another which has had the blogosphere abuzz. Inspired by the dark, decadent creatures of ’20s Berlin who owned the night with illicit acts and wild looks, the ‘Theatre of the Nameless’ is an unapologetic nod towards Illamasqua’s original inspirations.

To my surprise, when Charlotte received a few ‘Theatre of the Nameless’ items to review, she sent them my way since such ‘odd’ shades are pretty everyday for me! Especially lipsticks, with Illamasqua ‘Disciple’ (inky navy blue) being a firm favourite.

‘Kontrol’ lipstick (£15.50) is a medium dark, blue toned purple with a twist of grey and extremely impressive pigmentation. One swipe and this baby is as opaque as they come. To me, ‘Kontrol’ is the perfect ‘night on the town’ colour if you’re a little…um…gothically inclined? Alternatively natured? Heck. If you’re up for wearing something more interesting or ‘edgy’ than primary red or hot pink – this is for you!

I love ‘Kontrol’ with a strong, opaque, sharp application, but it also looks lovely dabbed on and coated with a sheer gloss for a more forgiving finish. This lipstick will last as long as you do, I’ve gone entire days (and then well into the night) wearing this without it fading or smudging – very impressive indeed!

‘Kink’ polish (£13.50) is one of four from this collection, all of which have the same ‘rubber-look’, waxy finish. The new texture (for Illamasqua at least, I recognise the finish as satin/ semi-matte) is bound to be love it or hate it with all who try it. Personally, I’m a fan, though my opinion may have been swayed by the gorgeous, deep green colour! ‘Kink’ was extremely thin (managed to drip it down my jeans – oops), opaque in two coats, fast drying and lasted two days before any chips appeared – which, for me, is average. The best thing? It’s called ‘Kink’. ‘KINK’. Who doesn’t want to say they have a bottle of ‘Kink’?!

All in all, another fascinating and boundary pushing (green gloss – need I say more?) collection from Illamasqua, but by now – would we expect anything less?

Another from Leighton’s Autumn collection is Meteor Match, possibly the most intriguing in the bottle but how does it translate onto the nails?

Meteor Match is an unusual silver-ed, icy blue with a hint of both purple and green.  Not quite strong enough to be described as a pure duochrome, though the tendencies are definitely clear to see.  As if those elements weren’t enough to be getting on with, Meteor Match also contains a pretty scattering of silver glitter that compliments the icy blue tones beautifully.

A little on the sheer side, I needed four coats (some fingers were ok with three) to achieve the opacity that you see above.  The formula was on the watery side, though not difficult to work with… just reminiscent of other pale duochromes that lean similarly sheer.

I’m not 100% sure how I ultimately feel about Meteor Match.  I think I’d class it as a “nearly awesome” shade.  For me, I’d love that purple duochrome to have been a hair more apparent on the nail and the formula, a little more opaque.  Either way, it’s still a very pretty, if non-commital shade and mega-props for being something a little different.

Leighton Denny Meteor Match is available to buy online priced at £11.00

* press sample

MAC’s Oh, Oh, Oh lustre lipstick was recently released in the brand’s 8438594th collection of the year.  Oh ok, it was released in their huge 51-piece MAC Me Over collection for Autumn.  Said collection included a total of eight lipsticks, I fell in love with one.

MAC Oh, Oh, Oh is an unlikely-looking contender in the tube with an overwhelming impression that you’re looking at a bronze/copper shade.  Not so my fellow lipstick-lovers, for Oh, Oh, Oh is infact a beautiful plum with vibrant gold shimmer, rendering it absolutely perfect for Autumn.

Lustres are my favourite MAC lipstick finish, sheer (but not too sheer) and glossy with a softer texture than most.  Once warmed up, it glides on with no issues and imparts a healthy dose of colour to my naturally unpigmented lips.

I like to wear MAC Oh, Oh, Oh with a pink or plum blush, a slick of eyeliner and not much else.  The beauty in this lipstick lies in the golden shimmer that deserves to take the main stage.

Have you found your favourite Autumn lipstick yet?

MAC Oh, Oh, Oh Lustre Lipstick is still available on the MAC Website in the going-going-gone section priced at £13.50, if you wanted to snap up a great choice for Autumn, better be quick!

Three new lip colours have joined the permanent range of Clarins Rouge Prodige lipsticks this Autumn and although they’re new shades for fall, they hark back to the Summer we never had.  Let me tell you why…

Summer 2011 was all about the glossy, sheer look for lips with shades like Chanel’s Boy making the biggest waves across the beauty blogosphere.  Clarin’s Autumn lineup has included three new Rouge Prodige colours* that replicate the sheer, glossy trend but in a more Winter-appropriate formula that’s less balmy and longer-lasting than the Summer offerings.

Rouge Prodige True-Hold Colour & Shine Lipsticks include include the new shades:

#105 Peach Sorbet
#115 Rosy Coral
#123 Creamy Toffee

Here’s a closer look…

The Rouge Prodige formula continues to feel quite different to most other lipsticks.  For a long-wearing texture, it feels moisturising on the lips and fairly tacky, though not in a gloopy, lipgloss way.  These don’t dry my lips at all but you may find the stickiness a little awkward if you’re prefer a matte-r feeling.

Here’s how they look applied and in context with the rest of the face.  You can see here that each shade is fairly transparent with a hint of base colour.  The most pigmented is #105 and I felt that each shade would particularly suit specific skintones: #105 for warmer skins, #115 for cooler skintones and #123 for darker complexions.

The new shades add polish and shine to a made-up face without injecting too much colour.  Balm fans will be delighted to find a longer-lasting alternative to the Summer trends, colour-freaks?  Not so much.

The new Clarins Rouge Prodige shades are available to buy now online at Clarins.com and on counter, priced at £17.00 each.

* press samples

The third polish in my mini Zoya haul was Neeka from the Fall 2011 Smoke and Mirrors collection.

A pretty purple/grape polish with gold sparkle, this wasn’t as dusty as I hoped.  Not that there’s anything wrong with the base colour but I expected something a little greyer from Zoya’s description of the shade.  Never mind, I’m not adverse to any kind of purple on my nails!

The formula of this was very similar to Yara and I achieved excellent coverage with two coats.

Zoya Neeka is available to buy online from Beauty4Nails-Body priced at £7.99

Let’s kick off the week with another nail polish swatch, again from Leighton Denny‘s new Atmospheric Collection.  Your Planet or Mine? is a beetle’s wing duochrome that displays mostly teal with flashes of vivid purple around the edges.  It scores extra points for providing such good coverage after two coats.

Duochromes are notoriously sheer and after a single coat, I thought this one was heading in the same direction.  Thankfully, the second topping pulled it all together and I was done.

If you love this kind of colour-shifting gorgeousness, you might also want to check out: Ciate Starlet and SpaRitual Health, Wealth and Happiness – both of which, provide similar effects but with enough differences between all three to warrant purchases.  Enabler? Moi?

Leighton Denny’s Atmospheric Collection is available to buy online priced at £11.00

Leighton Denny’s Atmospheric Collection is out of this world.  There, I’ve said the line that has been plaguing me since I first saw the release for it back in the Summer.  It’s been like the elephant in the room and now I’ve shoo-ed it out the front door with a broom, I can get back to what I wanted to do… which was show you!

Purely Platonic is like molten lead on my nails.  It lacks the high shine of a silver or a chrome and it’s neither metallic nor rubberized.  It’s just… melty metal.  That makes better sense in my head than it does on paper the screen – I hope the swatch articulates itself with more clarity than I am able to.

There’s a slight river of frost running through the surface but I wouldn’t in a million years call this polish frosty.  It’s a beautifully edgy polish for Autumn/Winter and would coordinate with most outfits.

Wear was good, application even better – my only complaint is that my brush had a randomly long hair which I snipped.  I know, it’s no biggie but I like to moan about something.

Leighton Denny’s Atmospheric Collection is available to buy online priced at £11.00

* press sample

I went on a bit of a Zoya splurge a few weeks ago, admittedly… it was a small one.  Those lovely people at customs and excise weren’t gonna get me.  Not that I object to paying my duty, I just object to Royal Mail’s hostage handling fee.

Grumbles aside, I was pleased to receive my little Zoya beauties and I’m looking forward to showing them.  It’s an expensive brand to buy in the UK and not one too readily available from sellers I trust on eBay either.  Shipping was quite slow (about 3 weeks), I’ll keep looking for a supplier I like for these I think.  In the meantime, meet Yara from Zoya’s Fall Smoke & Mirrors Collection.

Ain’t she purdy?

Yara is an olive green with distinct leanings toward army greens.  The gold sparkles thankfully don’t get hidden too well in the depths of the murk and shine through beautifully!

I don’t wear too many greens but I’m delighted to include this one in my collection.  Texture was great on this, I was done in two coats.

Zoya Yara is available to buy online in the UK from NailCareClub and is priced at £9.98 not inc. postage of £3.50.  I paid £6.50 inc. postage from eBay U.S.  Yeah.  I’ll stick with eBay thanks.

EDIT: It’s also here for £7.99 w/free shipping.

Clarins have released a radiance powder this Autumn which promises to melt into the skin for a naturally radiant complexion.  For a dry-skinned gal like me, those claims make my heart beat just a little bit faster.

Let’s take a look at their new and limited Color Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder…

The theory behind the varying hues in the palette remind me of my Guerlain Meteorites.  My understanding of this colour correction is that the lilac tones should normalize any sallowness while the deeper pink will give a lift/highlight to the complexion.  Those harder working pixels sit on a base combination of beige and peach to create an overall luminous finish.

Isn’t it pretty?  OK, so it’s lacking the WOW! factor that the Guerlain delivers but as a Computer Repair chick in my alternate life, that pixellation speaks to me.

The packaging is as luxe as you would expect from Clarins, the signature pale gold – so shiny that the outside totally works as a mirror.  I should know, I plucked my eyebrows using it because I was both too lazy to find my proper mirror OR actually bother opening the compact to use the ‘proper’ mirror provided.

The Color Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder is firmly textured, I don’t get any product dust when sweeping my brush over the surface.  I’d recommend using a natural hair brush to pick up the powder as you could well be there all day with something that doesn’t grab product so efficiently.

The effect is subtle but noticeable, it seems to soften the effect of my pores but unlike my Guerlain Meteorites, leaves behind no trace of sparkle.  If you’ve always wanted the luminizing, softening effect of the Meteorites but were concerned about the sparkle, this could be the product you’ve been waiting for.  There *is* sparkle in the peach shade (the indented parts of the palette) but this doesn’t seem visible on my skin.

The swatch shows it looking quite pigmented, but it’s not – You’d have great difficulty using this as a blush… which is just as well really, seeing as it, err, isn’t one.

Overall, this is a really strong offering from Clarins and if there is nothing similar in their core product line, it SO shouldn’t be Limited Edition.  I’m flagging this one up as something that should be checked out on counter ASAP – it’s cheaper than the Guerlain, sensitive noses will be pleased to hear that this isn’t highly-scented and will be more forgiving on oilier skins.  It’s a realistic and worthy alternative to the iconic Guerlain Meteorites.

A FOTD showing a sheer/medium coverage foundation with the Clarins face powder dusted ontop (and a bit of a “Tim Nice but Dim” smile).

Clarins Color Definition 3D Radiance Face Powder is regularly priced at £30 and available on counter and online from Clarins, FeelUnique (*cough* £27) and Escentual.com (£24 *chokes*)

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* press sample

I’m aware that I’ve been showing you the individual products from the Lancome Fall collection with their corresponding swatches without showing a FOTD to go alongside.  It’s always useful to see product put into context, lip swatches can mean little without being able to see how the shade marries up to the wearer’s colouring etc…

But rather than repeat the same image throughout the posts (you’d be throwing things at your monitor by the time I’d gotten round to the eyeshadow palette), I thought I’d post up the FOTD at the end so you can see how the products harmonise together.

And a reminder of the products used:

Face
Lancome Maison Lancome Blush

Eyes
Lancome Les Oeillades in Blondette Fatale
Lancome Hypnose Drama in Gris Fatal

Lips
Lancome French Touch Absolu Lipstick in #102 Rouge St Honore

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I thought it was going to be the blush that would steal my heart from this collection but I’m afraid I’ve reverted to type.  For me, it’s all about the lips and that beautiful vintage-styled lipstick casing.  I’ll be checking out the other two shades available when the collection is released tomorrow.

Will you be heading to your local counter for a closer look at Lancome’s 29, Saint Honore Fall Collection?