A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

I like to pretend that I’m not really a cupcake person.  I mean, we all know what cupcake ‘people’ are like right?  They have TONS of hair, usually swept horizontally across their foreheads in a faux-bo style (hair jewellery optional).  They giggle.  A lot.  And they wear far too many layers.

I’m not a giggly person (lies – it’s a nervous thing rather than an affectual thing though) and I don’t have much hair.  As for layers, I find it a struggle to co-ordinate my top with my bottoms let alone style an outfit akin to a fucking onion.

But cupcakes, well… I can’t help it – as much as I want to hate them (and everything they stand for), they taste too good.  I’d like to make them all muffin-sized though.

Look what I made last night.

OHMYGODSOGOODITHURTSMYTEETH.

The touch of Fleur de Sel makes the whole cupcake affair slightly less twatty don’t you think?  I like salted sweet things.  Have I ever told you about my favourite chocs?  These are them (you can find them in Selfridges) and when I was a kid, I could only have dreamt about paying out £13 for some chocolates.  Mr. L looks equally disappointed and elated whenever I bring a box home, which to be fair, is only about twice a year.  But still…

These cupcakes present a cheaper way of getting my salted chocolate fix, read on for the recipe – which isn’t mine by the way but is my absolute favouritest no-fail chocolate cupcake recipe – courtesy of Hummingbird Bakery…

yields 12 chocolate cupcakes

100g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar
1½tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter (I use clover, don’t shout at me)
120ml whole milk
1 egg
¼tsp vanilla extract

Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees celsius.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter to a bowl and using the lowest setting on your hand-mixer, whisk until the mixture begins to look ‘sandy’.  Watch out for flour clouds.

In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and vanilla extract together before adding it to the dry mixture, a little at a time, whisking all the while until you get a smooth consistency, don’t overmix.

Fill 12 cupcake cases around 2/3 full and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Mine were nicely done by the 20-minute mark.  The surface should spring back when pressed.  Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Now, as for the buttercream… I may be in a minority here, but there is definitely such a thing as TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING.  I simply don’t like towers of icing that drown my cupcake, I want the icing to complement, not invade and conquer the cake below.  What say you?

That’s not to say I’m a joyless spoil-sport… *wipes buttercream from mouth* I just generally find that when making buttercream, I can usually half the recommended quantities listed in the recipe book and still get my chocolate, sugary, gooey fix.

Here’s how I made it:

for the Buttercream

150g icing sugar
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature (again, Clover for me)
20g cocoa powder, sifted
20ml milk

Whisk everything except the milk… then add the milk a spoonful at a time.  Continue whisking until you get bored.  The longer you whisk, the lighter/fluffier the buttercream.

And the magic ingredient?  Just a little sprinkle of Fleur de Sel ontop of each one does the job… you can leave the salt off some of them if you like, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea now is it?

These are SO light and airy, with just the right amount of buttercream and that little salty tingle on the tongue that reminds you just how incredibly bad these actually are for your health.  Stunning.

In other news, not-cake related.  I’m off on holiday tomorrow for a week in Liverpool/Manchester – thank god the diet is starting the week after eh?  All those curry cafes are making extra portions in preparation for my arrival.  As always, any insider tips/places to visit/things to do/goodies to eat – I’m all ears, you made my last holiday earlier this year in Torquay, absolutely blinding with a little local knowledge!

I’m probably not going to be posting much, if at all, next week – I just haven’t built up any reserves in my draft folder to see me through the drought.  Hope you all have a fabulous week, and long may this warm spell continue – though if it could stop by bedtime, that would be great, thanks.

x

Following on from my previous post introducing the new Carolyn K London Nail Paint shades, as promised, I’ve swatched the next trio set available, the Brights.

Lara

Huby

Alenoush

The formula, so far, seems to be consistent across the range… very opaque (two coats has done the job on every shade so far), a little bit runny (don’t overload the brush or you’ll curse), and a very glossy finish.  Lara looked a bit dated in the bottle and I wasn’t expecting to like it on my fingers but the gold micro-shimmer gives it a lift and a popsicle-esque edge.  Huby is a repeat from the Darks collection, a smokey grey/teal creme, and Alenoush is a lovely red jelly with a squishy finish that gives good coverage with just the tiniest hint of translucency, juicy!

Of the trio, Alenoush is my favourite – in my world, you just can’t beat a good red.  And this is a good red.

Carolyn K London Nail Paint Brights Collection is available exclusively at PowderRooms, priced at £12.99 for the trio

* press sample

Just before our big move, I headed to London for a very good friend of mine’s nuptuals… well, that and a couple of sneaky press events while she wasn’t looking.  One of which was the (re)launch of Neal’s Yard Remedies Bee Lovely campaign which introduces an entire range of bee-inspired bodycare goodies to the brand’s lineup.  These treats all share the moisturising properties of organic honey and the energising uplift of orange and mandarin essential oils.

5% of the RRP of every Bee Lovely product will be donated to a charity or good cause and the brand encourage you to sign their petition to encourage the UK government to ban the use of neonicotinoids in an attempt to help save the bee population from further devastation.

I haven’t tried the new range myself, but I did get to have a big sniff whilst at the event and if you love your body products with a zingy, citrusy-honeymonster twist, you’ll never leave the bathroom again once you get a whiff of these.

Neals Yard Remedies Bee Lovely Collection is available to buy instore and online now, prices start at £6.50

We’re used to seeing beauty brands give up portions of their profits to charity, ten percent here – fifteen percent there and in spirit of recent Summer events, I saw a brand niftily donate 20.12% of proceeds for the occasion.

But how about 100%?  That one’s not so readily given away now is it?  Which means that when I heard about natural beauty purveyors Organic Surge giving away 100% of all proceeds from their latest hand wash to a Scottish children’s charity.

Well, that just commands attention doesn’t it?

Organic Surge have launched Helping Hand Wash in association with The Archie Foundation to help support sick children and their families in the north of Scotland.  Alan MacKenzie, founder of Organic Surge explains:

“When I launched Organic Surge over five years ago, I wanted to ensure the brand was built on a company ethos of helping others. Since the beginning our donations have helped support vulnerable children around the world, and so I am so very pleased to announce our partnership with The Archie Foundation.”

Whilst you’re washing your pennies down the drain along with the germs, you’ll be able to take comfort from the knowledge that those gently-foaming bubbles are aiding a great cause battling to provide specialist nurses to sick chidren, redevelop outdated children’s wards and provide specialist support and equipment to those who need it the most.

Helping Hand Wash is priced at £3.99 and is available online at Organic Surge.

I’m not the world’s most patriotic type, I’m more into grumbling about our nation than celebrating it, which I realise makes me sound like a bit of a miserable git but it’s not like that – well, not entirely anyway.  However, you can’t help but have been a little soul-stirred into some imaginary flag-waving this Summer with the close of our rather successful ‘limpics.

And judging by Alesha Dixon’s brit-inspired limited edition nail shades for Avon, she felt the same way.

Red Reveal and Inky Blue are the two latest inclusions to the Avon line of nailwear pro+ shades.  The Avon Beauty and Empowement Ambassador said of these two shades:

Everything British is a hot topic for me right now, what with the Jubilee, the Olympics and of course my first year on Britain’s Got Talent! I’ve always been proud to be British, so when hand picking my own fabulous limited edition Nailwear Pro+ colours there was no contest to these gorgeous red and blue shades.

Here they are swatched, with a sprinkling of totally-in-context gold (29 medals baby!) just for good measure.

The gold glitter, incase you’re wondering, is the lovely I Herd That* from China Glaze On Safari (Autumn 2012) collection.

Avon Nailwear Pro+ Alesha’s Limited Edition shades of Inky Blue* and Red Reveal* are available to buy online at Avonshop or from your local representative, currently priced at £3.50 each.

Did your nails get all patriotic this Summer?

* press samples

…baking!

I don’t know if it’s ‘normal’ to have a baking cupboard – but most of my cupboards currently look like this:

…except this one, which I’ve designated as home for all things cakery:

*HOARDER ALARM SOUNDS  IN THE DISTANCE*

So, anyway, I thought it was about time me and L put our heads together and made a cake in our new flat – it rained all morning today, an excellent opportunity to get messy with a bit of flour, no?  And before you ask, yes – my daughter is still in her nightie, rockin’ some fluffy bed hair, it’s how we roll.

Date Loaf Cake

375g dates, chopped
2 tsp. instant coffee
1 cup (175g) self raising flour
1/4 cup flaked almonds

I like loaf cakes.  You see, I like their simplicity, I like how easy they are to store and I like their fuss-free attitude to life.  I also probably just like the fact that they look like loaves, carb fiend here with the blood sugar levels to fucking prove it.  We opted to make a simple date loaf because I don’t have any of my cake spices over here yet and I also didn’t have any oats, otherwise we would have gone down the “let’s kid ourselves they’re wholesome” muffins route.

This particular date loaf is exceptionally simple because it only contains four ingredients.  Yes, four.  There’s more ingredients in my cup of tea than that – especially if you include the midge that just dive bombed it, kamikaze style.  Poor midge, it isn’t even caffeinated.

I digress.

Roughly chop your dates and soak them for a few hours (overnight if you’re more prepared than I am) in your coffee solution – 2tsp instant coffee, 1 cup of boiling water.  This will allow them to get all squishy and happy… they don’t take on much of a coffee flavour, I detected only the tiniest hint.

If, like me, you have a small child – get them to add the chopped dates into the prepared coffee and marvel at how. fucking. long. it takes for them to meticulously plop each piece into the bowl from varying heights, meticulously checking and double-checking (OCD alert) that each stoned-piece of shrivelled fruit has landed just where they want it.

Then, just as you’re about to sweep the whole pile of dates into the bowl in a fit of irritation, ignoring any patterns they’ve been painstakingly creating – they give you a side-smile like this and you suddenly re-discover limitless patience.  Clever this whole self-preservation thing.

Give it all a bit of a stir and walk. away.  Seriously, the longer you leave the fruit to soak, the better the results.  Have patience fellow cake-munchers.

Once your dates have been suitably soaked, add 175g of self-raising flour and combine the mixture before pouring into a greased/floured loaf tin.  Don’t be stupid and use a 3lb loaf tin like we did when the sum of your ingredients only weighs like, 500g at the most.

Get aforementioned OCD chid to meticulously place flaked almonds (or whole, whatevs) on top and bake in the centre of the universe oven at 160 degrees celsius for 45 minutes.  Considering it has NO fat or sugar in it, you get a surprisingly moist, sweet loaf.  Them dates are pretty clever things!  I guess you can’t have brains AND beauty huh?

Our slightly-too-flat-because-our-tin-was-too-big date loaf cake.  Four ingredients, minimal washing up.  Hoorah.  Especially nice spread with a little, or you know… shit-loads of butter.

So proud.  Her, not me.

Oh ok, me too.

I’m very slowly building up steam and finally have more than just my fish-eye lens in situ at the new place, time for some swatches!  Clarins have released an entire rainbow of new mineral (pressed) eyeshadows that are designed to be used both wet and dry.  I was sent a selection to take a look at and they’re classically Clarins, both in appearance and in application.

I’ll go through the shades, one by one.

White Sparkle (01) makes for a great tear duct highlighter, it has that sheer luminosity thing going on without too much of a metallic edge.  I can see this shade also working very well to introduce a bit of sparkle as a layering shadow. Like all of the shades I’ve tried, it’s sheer but build-able and of course, can be applied with a wet brush to create a more intense effect.

Auburn (07) is a warm-toned brown with a light shimmer.  Some skin-tones may struggle with the red hues in this shade but if you’ve got green eyes and pale skin, you’re onto a winner with this one!  Used wet, it also makes for a pretty variation on your usual eyeliner.

Aubergine (12) was a slight disappointment, I found this satin shade applied with more patchiness than I’d like and also had a harder texture in the pan than the others.  Nevertheless, a very pretty shade for brown-eyed girls in particular.

Platinum (14) is a steel grey with a hint of sparkle, there’s a slight colour shift in there that reminds me more of something that you’d find in one of my violet-toned taupes than a silver/grey!  It’s a pretty shade that’s deceptively complex when compared to how it looks in the pan.

Vibrant Violet (16) is the classic violet satin with a distinctive blue flash – this was another which felt slightly more firmly-textured but still imparted an impressive streak of colour to my lids.

As with all Clarins’ releases, the packaging is satisfyingly luxurious and touchable.  The large mirror is generous and actually pretty usable in a real-life situation.  Formulas were a little variable in the batch that I swatched but were, as you’d expect, generally sheer but build-able.  This is something that I’ve come to appreciate Clarins do very well – gone are the days that I want instant and deep pigmentation (unless it’s a black!), these are all infinitely layer-able but ultimately won’t disappoint you when it comes to colour payoff either.  If your heart does desire va-va-voom style pigmentation, you could apply these with a wet brush – or go seek out a Sleek counter.

Longevity was good, I don’t apply an eye primer every morning nowadays (pure laziness) and these easily stayed put for the working day, around 7/8 hours before fading – there was no slidey migration into the socket crease at all.

The new range of Clarins Mineral Eyeshadows are available to purchase in a total of 16 shades, available now on counter or online, priced at £16 each.  Alternatively, head to the lovely Escentual.com who are always more than competitive on the Clarins range, where you’ll find them priced at an extremely palatable £12.80 a-piece.

* press sample

Question of the Week: – what’s your current favorite body lotion/cream, and why?

Answer: – When I remember to use such things, I love the new Molton Brown Anti-ageing Body Lotion.  At £60, it costs a fortune (you can tell this was a sample), too much for me to repurchase tbh but I will bloody miss it when it’s gone.

Beauty Junkies Unite – Here’s your sneak peek at the upcoming bareMinerals Ready Foundation that won’t be released until next month! Are you ready?

Clumps of Mascara – is making her red lipstick last longer by dabbing a bit of red eyeshadow on top. Oh! And she’s giving away TWO $50 gift cards to Sephora.com too. Woot!

Gouldylox Reviews – Who doesn’t love Beauty Shorts? All the beauty with less of the blather. Find out what you need, you don’t want and rules in this weeks BS.

Lipglossiping – features the latest independent nail polish brand to come out of the UK, Carolyn K London Nail Paint!

Nouveau Cheap – Hilarious internet memes are all over the place these days, so I thought I’d join the fun and create some specifically for the beauty community.

Pink Sith – talks about a line minimizing cream from Natura Bisse that is supposed to mimic the results of some costly needle injections. The price is Over The Top do you get what you pay for?

Phyrra – puts together a smokin’ tutorial with BftE Wizard’s Wand.

Vampy Varnish – shows you THE biggest nail art trends for fall 2012 and guarantees you won’t see them elsewhere!

we heart this – Nail Lacquer, 18 dollars. Getting to say you’re wearing Le Métier De Beaute, priceless!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Beauty Junkies Unite – Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog takes the best product photos I’ve ever seen. Tell me she doesn’t make you want a few pieces from the new Givenchy Acoustic Colors Collection, too! Overall, her blog is top notch–she’s so clever and creative.

What’s your favourite body cream/lotion and do you remember to apply it?!

The beautifully illustrated Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura collection celebrates everything there is to love about Summer, from the greater clarity of colour on the landscape to the striking fauna and flora that spend the colder months hiding away.

The contemporary Japanese Kimono Artist has taken inspiration from some of Japan’s most beloved Spring floral wonders including: Fuji, Sakura, Botan, and Ume and these elegant designs grace the packaging of both the iconic Cleansing Oils and UV Under Base Mousse primers.

At the core of Shu Uemura’s well-tested philosophy lies the words: “Beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin” and our skin is in for a treat today because I have FIVE Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and UV Under Base Mousse sets to give away to lucky Lipglossiping.com readers.

Want to be in with a chance of winning one of these limited edition sets worth £85.50 each?  Read on…

Shu Uemura is globally renowned as a pioneer of cleansing oil after introducing the first oil-based cleanser to the Japanese market back in 1967.  The following short video explains a little more about this iconic product (and also reveals the answer you need to enter today’s giveaway nestled just below – you may need to wait a second or two for it to load)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C
1. Start date for this competition is 10th August 2012 at 00.01 BST
2. Closing date for this competition is 17th August 2012 at 23.59 BST
3. There are five prizes to be won, each comprising of a Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil & UV Under Base Mousse Set.  Cleansing Oil/UV Under Base Mousse varieties will be chosen at random and specific product requests cannot be accomodated. No cash alternatives.
4. UK entrants only. (sorry)
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per email address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will not be kept or forwarded and are only used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. Five winners will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winners will be notified within 5 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter the competition within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.

Good luck!

To keep up with the latest news from Shu Uemura, you can follow the Shu Uemura UK team on both Twitter and Facebook.

With most of my makeup in storage, I didn’t have long to trawl through my collection for the least fussy cosmetics I own to keep in my makeup bag whilst on the move.  Thankfully, I quickly discovered a purchase that I had made when the weather first began to warm up earlier in the year.  Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer is a lightweight tinted moisturiser which offers good slip without being too greasy on my skin – in terms of coverage, I find that it gives me just enough to tone down the redness and give the illusion of a more even complexion without sitting heavily on my dry bits or sinking into pores.  If you’ve got blemishes to disguise, I think that this would combine very nicely with a heavier concealer to create a naturally flawless finish.

The tinted moisturiser comes in only two shades: light and medium, making its suitability limited to fair/medium skintones – the very fair will struggle with the light shade but I can wear it comfortably on my Summer NW15/20 skintone without too much difficulty thanks to the sheer finish.  The formula boasts Apricot Kernel Oil, Chamomile, and Royal Jelly Extract as key ingredients to promote hydration and the lack of scent is a bonus.  One of my favourite things about this particular skin base is that it applies beautifully with fingers and really responds well to being “warmed up” on the skin.

It contains broad spectrum sun protection with an SPF rating of 15, though you really don’t apply enough to ensure that kind of rating is actually achieved so I wouldn’t rely on it singularly to protect your skin – particularly in these Summer months.  The packaging is basic but functional and does the job well, it would make a good holiday choice – I wish I’d had a bottle of this when I travelled around Australia (many moons ago).

Ultimately, it’s not the base I’d reach for when I want a perfectly polished complexion and while it does sit very nicely on combination skin, its lasting power is no more than average.  It excels at being a fuss-free Summer workhorse, an everyday choice for those who want a “no-foundation” foundation solution.

It’s worth noting that the bottles appear to have been downgraded from 75ml to 50ml, whilst the price has remained the same.  Do check with your retailer if you’re shopping online as most haven’t updated their stock images to reflect the new sizing.

Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Tinted Moisturizer is available to buy on counter and online, priced at £20.50 for 50mls

With the Elemis Freshskin range now offering greater accessibility nationwide at Superdrug, it was only a matter of time before the brand expanded on the popular 10-piece collection aimed at a younger market.  Skin Clear has been developed with blemish-prone skin in mind and combines a combination of active ingredients from the highest quality essential oils, promising to re-balance, regenerate and renew oily and problem skin.

I definitely envisage the new introduction appealing to more than just teenagers, who says that spotty skin stops when you hit your mid-20s!?

At the heart of each skin clear product is an Iris Complex – a potent blend of 3 active (Iris, Zinc Salt and Vitamin A), anti-blemish ingredients that work in synergy to maximise the individual benefits of each ingredient and deliver a more powerful treatment to the skin.

If you want to see how my guest reviewer fared with the original Freshskin lineup, click through to read Gem’s comprehensive review on the products that she felt hit (or fell short of) the mark.

The full Skin Clear range will be available from September in selected Superdrug stores nationwide and on www.timetospa.co.uk or by calling 0117 316 1888

I’m feeling a bit Autumnal today thanks to these pretties from new nail polish brand on the block, Carolyn K.  Borne from the creative mind of the London-based makeup artist, this new range of 100% British nailwear is available exclusively at Powder Rooms.

Today I’m showing you one of the three sets available: Carolyn K London Dark Nail Paint Set which includes a trio of shades designed to reflect the personalities of those nearest and dearest to Carolyn.

Babette

Huby

Lilit

All photos show two coats of a formula that was easy to apply and which dried more quickly than I was expecting.  The finishes are naturally glossy and it’s only Lilit in the above photo which shows a top coat applied.  I’d describe the formula as slightly thicker than average and care should be taken not to overload the brush.  Talking of the brush, the Carolyn K range offers a flat brush for application.

There are three sets available (I’ll be back with swatches of the other sets soon) to purchase online at PowderRooms. Sets are priced at £12.99 with three polishes per set, basically – a bit of a bargain.

* press sample