A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I won’t be parted from my brushes.  It doesn’t matter if I’m only leaving home for a single night, I can’t make do with powder puffs and spongey applicators now that I’m used to brushes.

Which can be a bit of a problem when I’m travelling to far flung exotic lands (Bournemouth, London, Darlo).

I took one of my MAC 217s away with me the last time I travelled to London and damn near killed the poor thing.  Flapping about in my makeup bag, it returned home looking like Leila had painted the walls with it and it’s so far resisting my best efforts to coax it back into shape.

With this in mind, Bare Escentuals have released a set of brushes that I was sent to try…

A magnetic brush collection with carry case!  Great!  Another cosmetic ‘innovation’… can you see my eyes rolling?

Except… this is actually useful.  But does it work in practice?

I’ll shut up for a minute and let you see the brush collection properly…

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

I haven’t had any trouble deciding what I’ll be splurging my Boots points on this year.  Last year… the Dior holiday collection caught my eye quite late on… but this year, it’s all about the Chanel.

I have 7578 points saved up through some tireless shopping efforts.  It hasn’t all been glamour… Leila has had to quickly develop a taste for Boots branded baby things and I suspect that with no more buggies to buy, next year’s bounty won’t be quite so fruitful *sniff*.

However, that’s still £75.78 to blow spend.  Annoyingly, when converting points to prizes purchases, you’re not allowed to part pay in cash… which means that my total spends must come to under that amount.

Can I do it?  Here’s my wishlist… (do you care? doubt it… but I love a bit virtual shopping me)

1. Les 4 Ombres / Quadra Eye Shadow Palette – Tentation Cuivre (£35.00)
2. Ombre D’eau Liquid Eyeshadow – Splash (£21.50) Criminally overpriced IMO, but when you fall in love… you get stupid.
3. Rouge Coco Lipstick – Magnolia (£21.50)

Erm, where’s my money points gone?  That comes to *counts on fingers. and toes* – £78.

Oh NOES, I’m short by just over £2!

I need to earn 222 points on as low a cash spend as possible – PRONTO!

Do you save store loyalty points for a Xmas treat?

We all want great skin throughout the year but we all want it that little bit more when we have a slew of parties to attend!

This Christmas, Sisley are offering 2 new Express Facials at Selfridges, a great excuse to include some pampering whilst doing your Christmas shopping!

The two new facials available are described as…

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Sisley’s new Pre Party Preparation Facial works to deep cleanse the skin and combines a gentle buffing cream to boost skin circulation whilst removing dead skin cells from the skin’s surface. This is followed be an intensely hydrating mask which plumps, firms and smoothes the skin. To solve the problem of dry, chapped winter lips, the facial combines nourishing lip treatments to leave lips soft and plump.

Skin is left glowing, hydrated and smooth providing a perfect base to apply your party makeup.

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[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Post Party Recovery Facial” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”a9a9a9″]

Sisley’s new Post Party Recovery Facial begins with a deep cleanse to ensure that every trace of dirt and makeup is removed allowing pores to breathe again.  This is followed by a revitalising exfoliation to remove impurities.  Next, one of Sisley’s award winning skin saving masks is applied to help regain optimal condition of the skin.

To solve the problem of puffy, tired eyes the facial combines a soothing eye treatment to awaken tired eyes and eliminate dark circles.  Your skin is left looking bright, radiant and rested.

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A £35 booking fee applies, which is redeemable against 2 or more Sisley skincare products purchased on the day of the treatment.

Ready for a Bobby Dazzler?  (does anyone under the age of 75 (apart from me) ever say that?)

Check out Butter London’s Big Smoke!

*dies*

It’s almost denimy in it’s loveliness.  It’s a beautiful shimmery toned-down blue that totally has that smoky twilight vibe about it.

I flippin’ adore Butter London for their shade range and since they sorted out their initial teething problems with the formula and bottles… they’re remaining my favourite brand.

Some people have issues with wear… I never have but they also do a marvellous base coat that is (apparently) an absolute MUST if you’re the type of person who gets polish chips within the day.

Big Smoke applied beautifully for me and is a must-have for blue polish lovers everywhere.

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.

I’m a sucker for cream blush.  Complete and utter sucker.  I love the dewy finish they tend to give and feel more confident in my application and blending than I do with powders.

Which led me to this little purchase…

Blushed Rose #3 is described as a brown pink… it’s definitely a little more brown than pink to my eye.  I think I’d describe it as a pink brown. I know, I know… I’m totally splitting hairs but that description just seems to fit better!

Not very pink is it?

I’ll be honest… I was really dubious about how this would work.  Multi-tasking products are up against it at the best of times.  They promise a lot and often deliver very little , I wasn’t sure how a lip product could successfully double as a cheek product and vice versa.

Still not very pink.

Well… my verdict on Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks?  It’s… ok.

It doesn’t rock my world and it’s not the innovation I was looking for.

I find it a little drying on my lips and a touch too sticky on my cheeks.  Not horrendously so (in either case) but it’s not faultless.  I also feel that once blended, it’s a touch too sheer as a blush.

At £16.50 I do feel that it’s fairly good value… but it’s just not for me.

Have any products disappointed you recently?

Bryan Lacey is a man on a mission!

Appointed “The Complimentor” by new TV Channel QVC Beauty, he’s been dedicating November to dishing out feel-good compliments to people on the streets of London and online at QVCBeauty.

He says:

“The world is a very serious place at the moment, but there is always room for a compliment.  They are simple to give and great to receive so I’m hoping that I can spread 100,000 little moments of happiness, which will brighten up the receiver’s day.  To hit the target I have to give away roughly two compliments a minute, but I’m confident I can be chivalrous until the end.”

I haven’t even been paid a compliment and I’ve still got a smile on my face after watching that!

What’s the nicest compliment you’ve received lately?  Or if you haven’t… be sure to drop The Complimentor an email at hello@thecomplimentor.com before the 15th November to receive yours!

Great idea QVC!

Have you seen the new Mark Hill hairstyling tools?  Take a walk on the wild side with me to check ’em out!

RAWR!

The striking animal-print inspired range goes by the name RAW and includes three hairstyling tools that wouldn’t look out of place in our Christmas stockings this year.  We need bigger stockings don’t we?

The real reason I’m showing you this range is because a little birdy told me that for one week only… the limited edition Mark Hill RAW Zebra Power Hairdryer is gonna be selling at LESS THAN HALF it’s usual retail price!

Usually priced at £59.99, from the 12th – 18th November, Boots will be selling this online and instore for a very tempting £24.99!  If you’re after a new hairdryer… I’d be all over this like a zebra-printed rash!

But don’t be thinking that it’s style over substance… read on for the hairdryer’s impressive specs…

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Mark Hill Raw Zebra Power Hairdryer Technology:

~ Ion technology
~ Shine technology
~ 2000W

Get the Look:

~ Smooth
~ Reduce frizz

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After your helpful tips on achieving the perfect blow dry the other day, I’m eyeing up that particularly narrow nozzle attachment thingy with a new found A-HA!

Tempted?

Is it just me or are we experiencing some rather good deals at the moment?  My bank balance has been taking a serious hit the past couple of weeks!

For one week only, Barielle are offering 20% off EVERYTHING… but… (and here’s the kicker)….

The Spring, Summer, Autumn AND new Winter polishes are still on BOGOF!!

Two Barielle’s for a grand total of £6.40?  Oh.. if you insist…

As soon as I saw the veining in one of the latest Accessorize Merged Blushers… I knew I’d seen it before.  I didn’t even really want the shade but my curiosity got the better of me, so I picked it up along with the rest of my little haul yesterday afternoon.

On the way home, the penny dropped and I dug out my discontinued MAC Moon River mineralize Blush.

MAC Moon River mineralize blush was released as part of the Grand Duo collection in Spring ’09 and has recently been spotted in a few CCO’s up and down the country.  It’s a particular favourite amongst pale skin types who just want a hint of colour.

Compared to Accessorize’s Merged Blushed in #3 Pretty Pink, first impressions as a dupe possibility are promising.  The veining is simillar: Pink, Lilac and Soft Yellow.  Accessorize’s offering looks slightly less glittery in the pan and also just a hint warmer/peachier.

Accessorize gives us 8g of product for £5.50 compared to MAC’s 3.2g of product for around £17.50.

MAC on the left, Accessorize on the right.  Are you seeing dupes?

Obviously… Accessorize Pretty Pink isn’t a duo… the veining is consistent throughout the pan.  Do you agree that Pretty Pink looks a little warmer than Moon River?

As for texture…

Moon River feels a little softer and my brush picks up the powder more readily when swept over Moon River.  Despite this, pigmentation is pretty simillar.  I’d say that Moon River appears to be more glittery than Pretty Pink, though strangely the sheen on the Accessorize dupe is a little more apparent…. a touch more ‘metallic’ once on the skin.

The most important swatches are the two on the left.  I added the third just to show the marbled half of Moon River alone.

What do you think?

MAC Moon River vs. Accessorize #3 Pretty Pink – Dupe or no dupe?

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