A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

If the UK’s unseasonable weather has got you longing for distant climes, you may be finding it hard to part with your Thomas Cook brochure (remember when people actually used to go and pick up stacks of holiday brochures from the travel agents?!).  You might be planning your last minute package break in the sun, or looking forward to your meticulously planned road trip around the foothills of central Greece – either way, we could all do with saving some pennies on our holiday purchases couldn’t we?

I’ve got two deal alerts to tell you about today, the first one is from luxury flash sales website, Cocosa.

They’re currently offering a 50% discount on a selection of beauty brands including: Margaret Dabbs, St Tropez, Sachajuan, Rodial, Bite, Strivectin and This Works.  My picks of the sale are shown above – especially the St. Tropez set which delivers great value for money on a top-selling brand.  The Holiday Boutique sale runs until the 26th August… but the most popular items will sell out long before then.

.

I’ve also just got wind (I kinda want to leave that sentence right there) of another beauty deal from Cult Beauty who are doing a special GWP in the form of a “lucky dip” goody bag when you spend over £40 on the site.  And by “lucky dip”, I mean… only partially secretive because I can reveal, via the power of copy n’ paste that you’ll actually get:

Institut Esthederm Technology Cream (10ml)
Collin Micellar Radiance Cleansing Water (50ml)
d.j.v. Beautenizer Fiberwig LX Mascara

PLUS ONE OF THESE…

Paul Labrecque Daily Shampoo & Conditioner (30ml)
OR
Philip B Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo & Conditioning Creme (15ml)

PLUS ONE ‘LUCKY’ BEAUTY TREAT FROM….

BECCA Resurfacing Primer (15ml)
DuWop Revolotion Bronzing Body Moisturiser (29.6ml)
Ultrasun Ultra Sensitive SPF 50 (15ml)

That’s non-too-shabby for a £40 order now is it?  While stocks last!

Happy shopping beauty fiends, I’m off to see a man about a washing machine, the glamour.

Until I started Weight Watchers, I thought Quark was just an old skool page layout program.  Or a particle.  Turns out it’s a cheese that’s approximately half as disgusting as cottage cheese, which makes it pretty edible when you’re looking for lower-fat cheese alternatives.

I’ve been craving pasta like crazy since I’ve been following the weight watchers plan and whilst I can totally still have pasta (perhaps not my favourite mega-bowl of pasta shells and pesto), it just feels like such a damn waste of points.  Have you ever weighed pasta?  It’s surprisingly heavy.  You need to play that pasta at its own sneaky game and get clever.

Instead of spirals, bows and shells – opt for lasagne sheets and cannelloni tubes – you can construct a hefty portion of your favourite pasta dish without feeling short-changed just by making this simple substitution.  On the menu last night was this, Spinach & Quark (just pretend it’s ricotta) Lasagne.

My husband hates fresh Spinach but he tolerates (and secretly enjoys) the frozen stuff.  I don’t understand why, but I figure that it means at least I don’t have to wash the leaves.  Pick your battles.

Serves 2:

5/6 “lumps” (technical term) Frozen Spinach
80g Lasagne Sheets (that’s approximately 4/5 sheets)
250g Quark
2 cloves of garlic
1tsp Smoked Paprika
80g low fat Mature cheese, grated (i’m still loving the Cathedral City one best)
1 tomato, sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste (quark is generally unsalted)

Finely slice the garlic and defrost the spinach in the microwave, retaining any excess water (if you’re stuffing cannelloni tubes with the mixture, drain the water).  Stir in the Quark, Smoked Paprika and garlic until well-combined.  Grab a shallow dish and spoon 1/3 of the spinach mixture on the bottom.  Layer the lasagne sheets ontop and repeat the process. I usually get two layers of pasta and three layers of spinach from the above quantities but your mileage will obviously vary depending on the size of your dish!

Top the final layer of spinach with the sliced tomato and sprinkle with the grated cheese.

Cook in a pre-heated (190 degrees celsius) oven for around 30 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.

We had a red pepper looking a bit wrinkly in the fridge, so I halved it and sprinkled with balsamic vinegar before popping it in the oven alongside the lasange for around 25 minutes.  Serve with a side salad.

9 Weight Watchers Pro Points for a super-cheesy, easy-peasy lasagne.

Do you buy Quark?  What are your favourite recipes with it?

Happy Monday morning to you!

Well, when I say “happy”… I’ve actually got my sympathetic face on.  You see, when I wake up in the morning, I’m blessed with more time to get ready than most – thems the benefits of working from home.  It’s not as luxurious as it sounds, half the time it just means that I end the day looking the same as I did when I rolled out of bed that morning.

None of you glamourous lot would ever dream of being so slattern would you?

Oh, you would?

Well in that case, keep reading because I have an early-morning hair saviour up for grabs that might just encourage you to change your ways.

The ghd Gloss IV Styler not only promises your hair the glossy finish it’s been craving but creates its own style tribe with a high-shine, patent finish in addition to all the usual features you’d expect from the best-selling brand.

When you’re as bleary-eyed as a panda, you’ll be grateful for the long, swivel cord that won’t leave you contorting your upper torso into impossible angles and the safety-conscious sleep mode will ensure that the only burnt aromas you’ll return home to are from the remains of your morning toast.

Wanna win a pair?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C
1. Entry open to UK residents only.
2. One winner will be picked at random from ALL entrants and this winner will receive a limited edition ghd Gloss IV Styler.
3. Email details are only required to enter the competition, no details will be kept once this competition is closed and personal information will only be used to contact the winner.
4. Competition closes on 16th July 2012.
5. Winner will be notified within 5 days of the competition’s closing date.
6. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.

If you’re doing some last minute shopping for your Summer holidays, you might be interested to know that all Soltan-branded suncare (Boot’s own brand) is currently half price, instore and online.  There’s a full range to suit the entire family – I really like (and currently use on the whole family) the Soltan Kids Rapid Cover SPF50++ one but am incredibly tempted by one of the aerosol “lighter than light” options whilst it’s at a bargain price.

Are you a fan of the Soltan branded suncare products?  Which ones do you rate and which ones should we avoid!

Is it the wrong time of year to be showcasing and wearing red lips? Perhaps. Do we care? Hell no!

01: Georgia from Georgia:OnMyMind gives everyone a stunning reminder of the classic Chanel Rouge Allure in Passion

02: Wande from WandesWorld strikes it niche with an Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme Lipstick in Icon.

03: Summer from slhxbeauty is looking fierce in MAC’s inimitable Russian Red.

04: Annie goes for bold in a celeb fav MAC’s Lady Danger

05: Wendy from CydonianMakeup ensures that NYX Chaos lands squarely on my wishlist.

If you want to submit your red lip look, email me a photo of your lovely selves with the following info:

Your name:
Lip shade name:
Link to blog (if relevant):

Well done ladies – thanks for braving your reds, this just goes to show that red lips suit all kinds of beautiful women!  More to come soon!

Sink or swim?  I’m definitely sinking this week but I’m not going down without a fight!  Splish Splash feels rather apt and this beautiful cerulean blue is a dreamy shade.  Again, I had issues with thickness and pooling at the edges of the nail bed… thin coats are a must, but the polish redeems itself with a no-nonsense coverage that’s done in two coats.

All of the shades in this Summer Neons collection have benefited from a top coat to bring back the shine that these neon formulas often lack upon dry-down.  The shimmer gives this sea-blue a real kick and sparkle that does it complete justice in the sun.

China Glaze Splish Splash is available to buy instore from Sallys or online at BeautyBay.com, priced from £6.95

* press sample

(long before my no-buy, don’t worry) and I’ve started to dismantle them. It’s not the most interesting post in the world but I thought it might help someone out there who’s considering doing the same thing.

You see, I like freestyle palettes. Those of Z-Palette, Yaby, and MUFE fame. I don’t like their price tags though, at least… not in the quantity that I want to buy.  And so instead, I dropped about £6 (including postage) on these three simple alternatives on eBay.  I decided that I’d have a play with them and see how they fared in my mission to depot my stash, thus getting more use out of some of the lovely things I’ve bought over the years.  The palettes come from China (what doesn’t?) and they’re horrifically cheap-looking. The stuff of nightmares.

That being said, they’re pretty well-constructed and if you can stand the aesthetics (or be arsed to somehow disguise it), you could be on to a winner.

The ones I bought come with 15 pans included, the pans are non-magnetic and bend when I blow on them.  I can’t see myself using these for pigment pressing, they’re just so flimsy.  Upon opening the lid, I was pleased to discover that the material which separates the individual pans, was not plastic… but glued foam.  This meant that I could remove and discard the innards without any fuss at all just by pulling it off carefully.

I’ve also bought some magnetic sheets and will cut them to size next weekend in preparation for phase 2.  If you’re thinking of following along in my quest to transform el-shitty palettes into makeup cases of beauty and wonderment (I’m exaggerating), don’t buy thin magnetic sheets… take it from someone who’s already wasted a fiver.  You need something with more strength – I ended up with 0.9mm sheets which, so far, seem to be heavy duty enough.

I bought my palettes from here, and my sheets from here.

Wanna play palettes?

If we’re not straightening it, we’re curling it.  If we’re not dye-ing it, we’re stripping it.  Our hair goes through more daily turmoil than the cast of Eastenders and I’m always on the lookout for ways to protect my locks, because heaven forbid, I should actually just stop mistreating them!

Philip Kingsley, major hair guru (or trichologist to give him his proper name), offers an anti-breakage, heat protecting conditioning spray for all hair types in the form of his Daily Damage Defence* spray.  It’s spendy at £22.50 for 250ml but if you only straighten your hair a couple of times a week (like me), this hefty bottle is going to last you 6 months or more with no trouble.  If you straighten your hair daily, stop that at once!

Many of us straighten our hair to eliminate the frizzies, at least… that’s what I do.  I’m a little bit addicted to the glossiness that ironed hair imparts and I haven’t yet discovered the secrets to achieving the same with a decent blow-dry.  I’m only washing my hair a maximum of twice or three times a week at the moment because I lose too much colour, too quickly if I wash more frequently and I’m finding that this by itself is helping my hair retain more moisture than normal.

I wash (still keep cheating on my SLS-free shampo), condition (deep condition once a week), pat dry with a towel, spray with the Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence, and comb through with a boar-bristled brush.  Then I blow dry, and finally… run my straighteners through at as low a temperature as I can (anything above 180 degrees is really too hot for hair to handle).

The Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence is a silicone-based heat protectant (silicone avoiders beware) with added nourishing benefits from ingredients such as: hydrolised elastin, almond seedcake extract, amino acids and other hygroscopic (moisture-attracting) properties.  It smells good and dispenses a fine mist so I don’t overload my fine hair and weigh it down.  It’s the only styling product I’ve been using except for hairspray in an attempt to grasp any other benefits that it may be delivering.

Has my hair been breaking less?  Not really… at least, not that I’d directly attribute to the use of this product.  My hair breaks more so (in my opinion) because of my polycystic ovarian syndrome, I’m also a terrible shedder and I can’t have a shower without emptying the plughole of enough hair to stuff a pillow.  I haven’t noticed any improvements in this regard since using the Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence.

Do I see any benefits at all?  I find that it’s helping my straighteners glide through my hair more efficiently and more quickly, something which I believe is lessening the scope for damage whilst still delivering good results when I’m done.  I haven’t noticed it causing any additional colour leech, infact… I’d say that I’ve had less since I’ve been using it (and it does say “suitable for use on color treated hair”), something which has become a bit of a priority recently.  I’ve just been for the chop (4 inches off) so I can’t comment on split ends but I hadn’t noticed a significant improvement and really don’t believe that any product will deliver on that score!

It’s more than I’d want to pay for a heat-protectant… but you get a lot of product for your money and it’s packaged in such a way that there is no waste during use, so if you don’t already have something that you’re happy with and can stomach the initial splurge, I do recommend the Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence.  If you already use something that you swear by at a more bargainous price, I’m all ears!

I’ve tried a few and hadn’t (until now) found a happy balance between the product weighing down my hair and not actually achieving anything other than a bit of additional scent!  Thumbs up for this one.

Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence (250ml) is priced at £22.50 and available to buy instore and online at Marks&Spencer

* press sample

Sadly not my town, or my country but Essie Weingarten, she of polish conoisseur’s Essie fame has just opened the brand’s first nail salon at hair salon Samuel Shriqui in New York.

Purdy ain’t it?  The couches are even dyed in shades that match the polishes!  The salon carries a staggering 250 shades, which may well sound like a dream come true for some.  The indecisiveness would actually kill me (if the nail techs didn’t kill me first).

In my town, the only place to be seen getting your nails did is McDonalds, while your mate tenderly feeds you your McChicken Sandwich to prevent smudges, at least… that’s how it appeared to be going down last weekend in So’ton town centre.  Who says us Brits aren’t a classy lot?

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself pounding the streets of the Upper East side, you can find the new Essie flagship salon at Samuel Shriqui, 35 East 65th Street, N ew York.  Manicure prices start from a very reasonable $32 (£20).

Nana called, she wants her curtains back and she can’t get ITV any more.

I just don’t know… I mean, I’m not into design and I’m just about the least fashionable person I know, but this limited edition packaging by Laura Oakes just isn’t doing it for me.  What IS doing it for me, is the fact that it’s celebrating Elemis’ award-winning Papaya Enzyme Peel’s 10th Anniversary by funding vaccinations for children in Africa.

For every product sold, Elemis will provide a 5-in-1 Pentavalent vaccine to immunise a child in Africa against 5 leading diseases and they hope to donate 50,000 vaccines through this programme in partnership with charity SOCO.

Nana would totally approve.

Buy it on counter or online at TimetoSpa.co.uk, priced at £28.60

It’s the peach polish parade!

This was Leila’s idea – I asked her to pick out some of her favourite shades amongst my polish drawers and you might be able to guess which shade featured highly in her selections!  Peach can work so beautifully on a range of skintones, I admit to favouring the more pastel hues on my pale skintone, particularly if they’ve got that whole creamsicle thing going on.  As for finish.. is there a better shade for a good ol’ fashioned creme formula?  Nuh uh, I don’t think so.

Here’s some lovely ones…

01  |  02  |  03  |  04  |  05  |  06  |  07  |  08  |  09  |  10

01: Orly Cotton Candy (£4.14)  |  02: Barry M Peach Melba (£3)  |  03: NARS Orgasm (£14)
04: Illamasqua Purity (£13.50)  |  05: Nails Inc Wellington Square (£11)  |  06: Essie Tart Deco (£8.50)
07: Models Own Fuzzy Peach (£5)  |  08: Barielle Blossom (£8)  |  09: Butter London Trout Pout (£11.95)
10: Mavala Magic (£3.50)

What’s your favourite peach polish?

There was nothing that my teen-self liked better than spending a Saturday afternoon sniffing her way around the carousel of fragrance oils in my local Body Shop.  I used to lose hours in that store, coming away smelling like an odd fuzzy peach/dewberry fruit hybrid.  I can only imagine the Pepé Le Pew-esque trail I must have left in my wake as I wandered up the high street toward Pilot.

This August will see the launch of The Body Shop’s first 100% organic fragrance collection.  The hand-picked, natural extracts have been blended with community fair-trade alcohol under the supervision of fragrance experts and I, for one, am I excited to see if I can relive my youth, turn back the clock, erase some crowsfeet, re-ignite some fond memories when they hit the shelves next month.

The range comprises five new scents, described thus:

Japanese Cherry Blossom: Fruity and floral, with top notes of Fuji apple and Chinese magnolia, alongside real Japanese cherry blossom.

Indian Night Jasmine: Spicy and seductive, notes of sandalwood and violet leaf fuse with orange blossom and jasmine from India.

Atlas Mountain Rose: Amber and musk combine with citrus notes, exotic spices and mountain rose extracts from Morocco.

Madagascan Vanilla Flower: An Oriental gourmand delight with notes of amber, frangipani, and vanilla from Madagascar.

Amazonian Wild Lily: Green and fresh with iris, orchid and papaya alongside white lilies from Brazil.

One of my favourite “lighter” day scents (you know I like the heavy stuff!) is a Body Shop one that was a limited edition release last year, so I’m really hoping that the brand will have conjured up something special with this new range.

The new Scents of the World fragrance collection will be available from August.

EAU DE TOILETTE RRP £15.00 50ML

FRAGRANCE MIST RRP £7.00 100ML

BODY LOTION RRP £9.00 200ML

BODY WASH RRP £8.00 200ML

PERFUME OIL RRP £7.00 15ML

Were you a Dewberry, White Musk or Fuzzy Peach kinda girl?