A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Here’s another Eyeko I was sent recently…

…don’t like it (said in the style of Lou & Andy).

Eyeko’s Petite Polish (£3.50) is a pale girly pink, and there’s nothing wrong with that…. infact, the idea appeals and I’m not sure I have anything similar.  However, it just didn’t work that well for me.  It took 4 coats to achieve opacity (so probably great if you’re looking for a sheer!) and once finished it just looked kinda “thick” and not very feminine at all.

Is it supposed to be a sheer?  I dunno… I guess maybe it’s a French Manicure polish, in which case I’m being a bit harsh… but I want an opaque baby pink that looks all delicate, and this isn’t it.

Can anyone recommend some nice baby pinks that are all feminine and floaty and stuff?

…catchy title I know.  Don’t steal it.

Anyway, here’s some stuffs that have been turning the head of this hardened beauty addict recently.  Are they any good?  Dunno, but I’m gonna make it my business to find out!

“No you’re not.” <– (Mr. Lipglossiping woz ‘ere)

1). Trish McEvoy Correct and brighten Loose Mineral Powder SPF 15 – £28

Seeing as I’m having lasery type treatment at the moment, I couldn’t fail but have my curiosity piqued by a product whose/who’s (help me grammar nazis!) description begins:

Originally designed to soothe and neutralize redness post laser treatments at the Dr. Ronald Sherman/Trish McEvoy Skin Care Centre, devotees begged to take home Trish’s wonder powder because of how remarkably bright and even-toned it rendered the overall look of their skin…. Blah, blah, blah whatever… you had me at even-toned.

2). Elemis Bath and Shower Treats – £27

Not only are Elemis super-sizing their Pro Collagen Marine Cream this month, but I found this mega multi-use pairing on the website.  A total 600ml of product would see me through to Christmas!

3). BI MAT CAY Holistic Balms – £24

Inspired by ancient Vietnamese beauty recipes, but made in France and new at Space NK, this little set of beautifully-packaged balms promise to fulfill life’s needs for on-the-go calming and healing.  The set includes: Miracle Balm, Skin Balm, Hand Balm and Lip Balm.

I like the idea of the set presented in a little coffret… it would make a lovely gift without breaking the bank.

4.). Laura Mercier Luster Eye Colour in Marina – £18

From the new Sun Drenched collection, this beautiful blue is my pick of the bunch.  I swatched it the other day and it’s the perfect mid-toned summery shade that would work beautifully as an accent to a neutral eye.  Lemming.

5). Elysambre Long Lash Natural Mascara – £12.99 + £4.99 for the case

I’ll be honest, it’s the case that’s pulling me in rather than the mascara.  The copper casing can be refilled with the mascara units which are sold seperately at a cost of £12.99 each.  What a fabulous idea no?

6).  The Body Shop Banana Shampoo – £2.79 (on offer)

What is it with The Body Shop atm?  I can’t go on the website without buying something, anything!  They’re spoiling us with discounts and I’m struggling to resist stocking up on essentials (and luxuries!) each time I log on.  The Banana Shampoo from yesteryear is the only one from the “bring it back” range I’ve yet to try… better fix that sharpish!

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What’s on your radar this week?

Nom…

Om Nom Nom…

A stand out from the collection, Aquarius is a beautiful metallic mermaid teal that screams summer!

Application was sadly a bit of a PITA, you need at least 3 coats to achieve a good-looking finish owing to a slightly patchy formula that seems to apply extra-thinly in some areas despite care and concentration!

However, once applied… it’s a beautiful hybrid finish with just as much shimmer as metallic.  I doubt it’s a hugely unique shade, but I imagine it will be the jewel in the collection for many.

See my other swatches from the collection here and the Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Kit as a whole, here.

Now that I’ve had some time to play with the products I chose to bring home with me from the Une Natural Beauty blogger unveiling, I thought I’d share my thoughts on some of the pieces and a little FOTD with them.

Une Natural Beauty is a new brand with “natural formulas for a natural result, for a natural style”.  It boats impressive eco-credentials and with prices ranging from £4.99 – £13.99, it’s accessible to all.  This is all well and good, but how do the products perform?

I chose 2 eyeshadows, a creme blush, a lipstick, 2 eye pencils, a brush and a concealer.

I didn’t like the shade selections for the base products, so I left those alone.

Let’s start with the Une Multipurpose Brush.  It’s goat hair, and a little scratchy.  It’s densely packed and the most perfect shape for sweeping blush onto the apple of the cheeks and outwards.  It just fits my cheeks brilliantly and totally stops me from applying too low or too high.  I’ve also experienced only one or two shed hairs.  Priced at £7.99, I’m pleased with it.  I’d love it to be a little softer, but hey, it’s less than a tenner.

Glimmer Eyes Shadow G02 is a neutral cream shadow with shimmer.  It feels greasy and although the shimmer is indeed beautiful, it invariably ends up in the socket line less than an hour after applying.  I’ve tried with UDPP underneath and setting with eye shadow ontop.  I’ve decided that the best way to work with this is to pat a tiny amount near the tear duct for a subtle sparkle and resign yourself to a bit of creasing.  I’m cool with that, but I just can’t work with this as an allover lid shade.

Sdumato Eyes Shadow S23 is a matte aubergine.  It’s quite… powdery and kicks up a lot of dust when picking up the product with a brush.  It’s not the best matte I’ve worked with in terms of pigmentation but it’s buildable and the texture is pretty soft.  Lasting power over a slick of eye primer is fair.

Overall, I think the eye shadows that I’ve tried here are overpriced at £8.99 each.  That’s a lot for a high-street mono eyeshadow, at least £2 too much in this case.  Though you do get a fairly generous 1.8g of product, they just haven’t blown me away.

Une Natural Beauty’s Breezy Cheeks blush in B02 (£8.99) on the other hand, has.  It’s a beautiful mid-toned pink (leaning towards mauve) cream blush to powder formula.  Applies like a dream with my fingertips and blends beautifully, leaving a subtle colour that is pink without being too flushed.  It doesn’t have the most amazing staying power, but I can get through most of the day without needing to reapply.  I’d absolutely repurchase this product.

A quick note about the packaging…

Slidey mobile phone of 3 years ago-esque.  I reckon it’s a brave choice… love it or hate it, it does what it’s designed to do which is be easily recyclable.  It’s a little chunky, but not particularly cumbersome.  I’m a fan.  It has that slidey satisfaction thing too… yano when you close a drawer?  And the last couple of cms glide to a satisfying stop?  This does that.  By the way, I’ve left the peel-off stickers on… underneath, the surface is mirrored… generously so!

All the eye pencils from the range are reasonably priced at £4.99 each.

The Sfumato Eyes Pencil in S23 is a color match to the Sfumato Eye Shadow I mentioned earlier.  An earthy aubergine shade.  One thing that I adore about the Une Natural Beauty range is the colour selection.  I’m all for creating a collection based solely on natural and muted colours, and I think that this has been done exceptionally well here.

However, some of the formulas, just don’t work for me.  I understand that a lot of the products are sheer in support of the natural beauty ethos, and I commend that.  Infact, I’m often a fan of more sheer products (especially in darker shades) as I can be heavy handed and prefer the option to build colour rather than desperately try to remove it once overdone!

Unfortunately, I’m finding the Sfumato Eyes Pencil is just too hard and sheer.  It drags across my lashline and doesn’t deposit enough colour to make the uncomfortable application worthwhile.

The Glimmer Eyes Pencil in G13 is sadly even harder.  Such a shame as it contains the most beautiful and fine-particled glitter… I adore how it looks.  Infact, once on… it’s more comfortable than my NARS glitter eye pencils, but what a total drag it is to apply.  Pun intended.

The Skin Glow Pencil in G01 is slightly more expensive at £6.99 and is the most perfect colour match concealer for pale cool-toned ladies I’ve seen on the high street.  It’s creamy and soft and applies really nicely.  I’ve been using this around my nose and in the corner of my eyes to highlight and lift areas where I’m naturally more shadowed.  It’s a great pencil that fills a void in my collection.

My only wish is that it were chunky.  I’ve only used it twice and already it needs sharpening.  I’m literally gonna go through one of these every few weeks if I use it daily.  Bigger please!  More product for the same amount of money, thank you!

Finally the lipstick, Une Lip-Toned Colour in L02.  Love it.  It’s a beautiful nude… a proper nude, not one of your concealer-lip nudes.  It’s creamy and glossy without being too sheer.  No hint of frost, just proper ‘my lips but better’ goodness.  A makeup bag staple done well.  Priced at £7.99, it’s what I’d expect to pay.  Another definite repurchase!

Finally (are you still with me?!), my Une Natural Beauty FOTD.

Eyes

~ Une Natural Beauty Sfumato Eyes Shadow in S23
~ Une Natural Beauty Glimmer Eyes Shadow in G02
~ Une Natural Beauty Sfumato Eyes Pencil in S23
~ Avon Super Shock Mascara in Black

Face

Une Natural Beauty Breezy Cheeks Blush in B02

Lips

Une Natural Beauty Lip-Tined Lip Colour in L02

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Une Natural Beauty is a huge brand launch and I’ve only delved into a tiny percentage of the 25 new products and 148 shades.  It’s a varied review with a couple of stand outs and a couple of disappointments with one or two “OMG this could be awesome if only they…” thrown in.

Une Natural Beauty is available in the UK online and in selected stores at Boots.  It should be rolling out into Superdrug from September 2010 and launching in Irealand sometime in August.

Let me know if you’ve tried anything from the range yet!

Today will go down in history.

I finally reached the bottom of my seemingly bottomless bottle of Soap & Glory Clean on Me.  Usually, when I get bored of something shower-related I tell Mr. L to use it up for me.  That way, I don’t feel guilty cracking open something new when I’ve still got half a bottle/tube/whatever of something else on the go.  But Mr. L wasn’t playing ball with my S&G – too girly smelling apparently *eye roll*.

I picked the Boots No7 Luxurious Foaming Shower Oil up a couple of months ago and it’s been gathering dust ever-since.  Just as I’d turned the shower on this morning, I realised I was all out and hot-footed it across the landing, dripping water as I went.  Once I’d remembered where I’d stashed it, I dripped my way back into the shower only to realise that I hadn’t taken a photo of it for the blog!

I left the shower again and drip, drip, dripped my way into the bedroom, grabbing my camera as I went. Plonked the box on the windowsill and started snapping away.  3 minutes later, I’d finished snapping and glanced up to see my neighbour’s curtain twitch.

So now, not only does my neighbour know that I have one boob bigger than the other.  He know’s WHICH FREAKIN’ BOOB IT IS.

Dedication.  This review had better be worth it.

Oh yeah… the review…

I didn’t like it.  It barely lathered.  Wimpy, weak lather that didn’t smell of anything much at all.  Very, very lightly scented.

I tried again… and used enough to bathe Geoff Capes twice over and still…. it just gave me a thin surface layer of bubbles.  Didn’t feel much like luxury to me.  Being an oil and all… did it make my skin feel smoother or softer?  Nope.  Nothing more than any other moisturising shower gel.  It didn’t strip me of any moisture…. but let’s face it, this stuff is £8.75 a bottle (cheaper with a No7 till spit) but still… it’s a MEH kinda product.

And that’s my official rating.  At least my neighbour enjoyed it.

Last week while I was up in London, I was invited along to the Liz Earle store just off Sloane Square to experience one of their Skincare Tutorials.

Despite being completely addicted to all things beauty, I was genuinely surprised when I found myself struggling to answer the first question that Jo (the Treatments Manager) posed me.

“What do you like least about your skin?”

It’s not that I don’t have problems with my skin… it’s just that after 28 years, I’ve made peace with them.  Or so I thought…

She waited patiently as I desperately scoured the confines of my psyche searching for a string of nouns and adjectives that I could string together in a suitable response.  When suddenly, something shifted and before I knew it, I couldn’t stop myself as issue after issue spilled from my lips and damn near flooded the treatment room.

“Redness!  Uneveness!  Dry Bits!  Oily Bits!  Dullness!”

Woah there Nelly!  Jo looked slightly bemused but remained completely composed as I leaned in to show off the redness across my cheeks and nose.

“Ilooklikeadrunk, isitrosacea? OMGamIgonnagetrosacea?” I gasped, suddenly panicked at the thought of replacing all my lovely creamy concealers with industrial tattoo coverup.

By this point, I was probably flaring at the nostrils like some over-tried, sweaty race horse.  To her credit, Jo remained ever-relaxed and soothing as she examined my skin closely.

I was ‘diagnosed’ with ‘diffused redness’ and was assured that this was NOT the same as Rosacea and nor was it necessarily a sign that I was gonna develop the common skin problem, especially as I have no family history of the condition.  It did, however, mean that my skin is in a state of sensitivity, irritation and inflammation.

“OMGLIKE… WHATCANIDO?” I wanted to exclaim… though I think I retained a teeny bit more street cred that that would imply.

Jo gave me a 1 month action plan to kickstart some serious healing… and I was all ears:

1) Drink plenty of water and Green Tea (anti-oxidants)

2). Include some anti-inflammatory foods in my diet (Salmon, Turmeric, Papaya, Brocolli, Sweet Potato) and perhaps even supplement with something like garlic tablets (a well known anti-inflammatory).

3). Aim to use skincare that contains vitamin E, which she described as the best anti-oxidant available.

4). Make sure the water I use isn’t too warm, be gentle and use as little water as possible in my cleansing routine.

Ok, I need to interject here….  Ahem.  A proposition nightmares are made of for me!

5). Be GENTLE with my skin when cleansing and don’t over stimulate the areas affected by redness

I’m gonna give her advice a go and see if I can get my skin happy with me again.

She also highlighted a few Liz Earle products that she believes will be beneficial to my particular concerns and demonstrated exactly how best to make them work for me.  There was no hard sell, and infact… Jo focused upon my lifestyle choices that may be triggering my skin sensitivity more than anything else.

I really enjoyed the skincare tutorial, a personal service that allowed me to discuss my concerns was a truly welcome experience.  It’s priced at £45 for 45 minutes and I think it would make a fantastic birthday gift for a sister, daughter or other close relative.  Infact, how much would I have loved this as a teenager?

I still have the Nokia 5110 that my parent’s gave me for my birthday back in 1998.  I wonder if they’d mind exchanging it for another session with Jo… I could have chatted for hours!  You can read some of Jo’s skincare tips here.

So, I’ve had this pot of Eyeko Cream for a disgustingly unhygienic length of time, at least 18 months I reckon… and I still haven’t figured out how best to use it.

I mean, thanks to it’s shimmery-ness… it’s obviously best put to work as a highlighter, but the intricacies of application have so far failed me.

Mixed with my moisturiser?  Hallo disco features!

Dotted along my cheekbones and blended before foundation?  Holy huge pores!

Dotted along my cheekbones and blended AFTER foundation? Just, no.  Foundation seems to disagree with this product and the whole lot starts “balling up” under my fingers if I apply it ontop.

So you see, I love the shimmer, scent and creamy texture…. but I just can’t make it work for me.

Eyeko Cream is priced at a bargainous £6 and available online from their website.

I’m sure lots of you already have this… any tips ladies?

This is in proper “I can’t stop looking at how hot my nails are” territory.  A neon pink creme that lends itself fabulously to slightly cooler toned ladies.  This is three coats.  Application was fine if a little bit patchy.  I couldn’t have gotten away with less than three coats despite it’s apparent opaqueness.  You would also be wise to pair this with a topcoat as it dries somewhat matte.

All in all, there’s a few niggles… but it didn’t make me want to tear my hair out with frustration or anything extreme like that… and the colour… OH the colour.  I lurve.

Woodstock is from the Urban Decay Summer of Love collection which is supposed to be released on the 7th June in the UK, but I’ve heard a few people say that it’s already available in Boots and Debenhams.

See my other swatches from the collection here and the Urban Decay Summer of Love Nail Kit as a whole, here.

Stargazer are a budget brand that I’ve had some real success with in the past… infact, one of the first things I ever reviewed was a Stargazer cake eyeliner that I still enjoy using to this day.

I received a couple of their liquid eye liners to have a play with and initially… I was mega OVERLY excited.

Look! I thought they were gonna be huge chunky felt tip type liquid eye liners.  The idea really appealed to me in theory (in reality of course, great big sharpie-type liquid eyeliners would ensure I made even more of a mess than I usually do).

Anyway… this is how they look:

The ‘nib’ is a flexible nylony bristle type affair.  It holds together well and doesn’t splay or flop about during application.

It produces a substantially pigmented black line that’s thin enough to tightly line the lashline.  The above photo shows the line after I’d built it up to get the kinda thickness that I usually like.

I received two shades, black and blue.  Both are true to description… the black is pure with no charcoal ashiness.  The above swatch shows one swipe from each shade.  Impressive huh?  My only negative is that drying time was a little slower than I’m used to thanks to a wetter formula.  I’d estimate that it took around a minute before I felt comfortable enough to let my (hooded eyelid) droop back over my lashline.  However, once set… this stuff isn’t budging or transferring ’til makeup removal time.  It doesn’t flake and it doesn’t fade.  Phenomenal.

If you’re looking for a purse-friendly “does what it says on the tin” liquid eyeliner… I’d wholeheartedly recommend these from the Stargazer range.  They do a host of shades and I’m gonna check out the violet and red (though I could probably use an intervention… I’m not gonna use a freakin’ red eyeliner am I?).

You can buy Stargazer’s Liquid Eyeliners online or from New Look at the ridiculously good price of £3 each.

I’ve been chatting to some of the people behind the “We Can Face It” campaign and I’d like to invite any interested parties to attend the launch event for the campaign.

So I’m sure you’re wondering what the “We Can Face It” campaign is…

The campaign aims to raise awareness of unwanted facial hair, show sufferers that they are not alone and encourage them to find the treatment regime that works for them.  It’s the first of its kind for the country and hopes to make important steps forward in raising awareness and understanding of a common but under-recognised and isolating condition.

The campaign is being headed up by TV personalities Dr Dawn Harper (Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies), Mica Paris (soul singer and TV presenter) and Jason Gardiner (style guru from ITV’s This Morning) and will include the launch of a newly published report highlighting the results of a survey into the impact of the condition on 1,000 women from across the UK.

Please click the image above to view the PDF file containing further campain and launch event details.

Event Details:

ON: Wednesday 2nd June 2010
AT: 6.30pm
IN: Sunbeam Studios, Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road, London, W10 6AZ

To register for this free event, please email us at wecanfaceit@packerforbes.com stating your name, phone number and email address. You will then receive an email confirmation.

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Obviously, this event will only appeal to a small number of my readers… but it’s an issue close to my heart and judging from the correspondence I’ve had with some of you since my hair removal exploits…. close to yours too.

…for pale, pasty types.

So, another thing I often reach for in the summer is a bit of powder foundation.  I don’t use it all over, just on the t-zone as an alternative to pressed powder.  It gives me that extra bit of coverage for areas where I suffer from a bit of redness.

I thought this quick photo comparison between a couple of the Illamasqua Powder Foundations that I own might be useful to some.

PF120 and PF145 are both fair shades.  Of the two, PF120 is paler and pinker.  PF145 is a fair, slightly more neutral shade.  I can wear both quite easily without fear of going too dark or too orange.

I love the packaging, although some may find it a touch cumbersome.  Whilst I am enjoying using these, I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing… there’s nothing about them that particularly stands out to me over other great coverage powders.  Infact, I prefer my MAC MSF Natural to both of these.

Illamasqua Powder Foundation is a sheer/medium coverage powder.  If pressed (no pun intended) my favourite thing about this product would be it’s ‘softness’.  It feels forgiving to any drier patches I have on my skin and never seems to go cakey, no matter how heavy-handed I get.  But for me, the coverage and longevity doesn’t live up to my MSF Natural.

Anyway, that was short but (hopefully) sweet.  Illamasqua Powder Foundation is priced at £21 each and available from counters nationwide or online at ASOS and Debenhams.

What are your favourite Powder foundations?