A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Although the store is perhaps more widely known for its delectable hampers and foodie delights, the second floor at Fortnum & Mason is one of my favourite places to shop when I’m in London.  A beauty ‘hall’ with a difference, it has a wonderful, calming atmosphere with staff that have always encouraged me to linger (despite my serf status) and take my time when enjoying the different scents on display.  And on display they are, not hidden behind an army of counter staff that eye you up with suspicion if you step into their radar circle.  And then there’s those chocolates downstairs…

Which is why I’m delighted to tell you about an event that I desperately wish I could attend!

The store is holding a fragrance extravaganza on Tuesday, 29th May from 6.30pm – 8.30pm and they’re inviting us to discover some new fragrances with the help of their in-house experts who will be available to guide us through some of their more niche lines.  Learn about the stories behind some of the most celebrated scents and develop your perfume-sniffing nose in a relaxed atmosphere:

1 – Azagury – Fashion designer Azagury will discuss the history of the fashion house; how he launched the new Romantic movement and the decision to launch the Azagury fragrance range.

2 – Caron and 3 – Creed – For a personalised and informative touch, James Craven from Caron and Creed will offer one-to-one consultations to help you discover the perfect fragrance for you.

4 – Grossmith – Simon Brooke of the Grossmith family will showcase original artefacts that tell the story of how he re-launched the iconic 1800s fragrance.

5 – Clive Christian – invites you to experience its uniquely expensive perfumes, created with no reference to cost and containing the rarest and most precious ingredients.

6 – Xerjoff – will recreate a workshop, allowing you to discover the natural essences produced in Xerjoff’s intoxicating perfumes, each with its own distinctive signature.

7 – House of Guerlain – will discuss the history of the famous European fragrance specialist.

8 – Micallef – will highlight the merits of using natural ingredients in luxury, niche perfumes.

9 – Illuminum – will present Gardenia White Petals, the fragrance worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day.

I’d give my right arm (ok, maybe a finger) to have a one-to-one consultation on the Creed line of fragrances, which has always overwhelmed me thanks to the sheer choice available!  And as for Clive Christian… well… if you can attend, be sure to pay particular attention to “C” for women, one of the loveliest, deepest (and biggest) florals I’ve ever smelled.  And then when

Tickets are priced at £15 and are available by calling 0845 602 5694, each ticket purchased for the evening will be entered into a draw to win a hamper filled with perfumes hand-picked by Fortnum’s perfume buyer.

17 years ago, Liz Earle launched one of the UK’s most popular cleansing products and the brand haven’t looked back since.

Until now.

For two days only – you’ll be able to purchase the cult Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish at its original launch price of just £9.50, instead of its current retail price, £14.25 – a substantial saving of £4.75.

I anticipate this will be a phenomenally popular offer, so get in fast as soon as it goes live.  The offer is available only online at lizearle.com and via the Customer Centre (01983 813 913) from Wednesday 23rd May.

Will you be purchasing for the first time or restocking?

Butter London’s Slapper, a.k.a the hardest nail polish to photograph in the world, ever.  It’s a super-bright teal which definitely leans more green than blue.  It’s more vibrant and a bit deeper than my photograph shows.  I was getting massively frustrated trying to capture the shade until I google image’d it and it turns out that I’m not the only one who suffered!

Unlike the others that I’ve tried from the Spring/Summer collection, Slapper went on like a textbook nail polish dream, the above photo shows two coats of perfection – the shade gave me no issues at all.  This season’s brights from the brand have all been edgier than the traditional summer neons though practically as bright and eye-catching.  The subtle nuances and retro-leanings have ensured that they stand out from the other releases, though so far, the formula has been a little unpredictable.

Butter London Slapper is available to buy online from PowderRooms, priced at £11.95.

With most of Jo Malone’s iconic fragrances garnering inspiration and ingredients from nature, it seems fitting that they sow back into the soil some of the benefits that they reap from it.  Announced yesterday on their Facebook page is their partnership with UK charity Thrive who use the therapeutic effects of gardening to change the lives of disabled people.  The British brand are funding the much-needed regeneration of Thrive’s largest London gardening project: the Old English Garden in Battersea Park.

From this…

To this?

Well… time will tell, but the volunteer gardeners are keen to get their green-fingers stuck into the challenge: developing skills, confidence and additional wellbeing along the way under Thrive’s nurturing guidance.  If you want to learn more about the national charity, you can visit the Thrive website to discover more about their current projects.

If you want to follow the progress of the Old English Garden, log on to the Jo Malone facebook page where you’ll be able to see “how does their garden grow” with a weekly update.

Just when we should all be tailoring our skincare to lead us into the warmer weather, those pesky chaps at the MET office are happy to remind us that although it may well be almost JUNE, it feels uncannily like February out there.  My skin has been feeling so unbalanced as the year has progressed and finding the solutions to keeping everything under control has felt like applying weights to an old-fashioned pair of scales whilst wearing a blindfold.

Clearly, I needed some expert advice and whilst checking out the new beauty hall at John Lewis, Oxford Street on Tuesday evening, I noticed the Elemis counter looking a bit quiet so I asked if I could jump in the chair for one of their complimentary skin consultations, I was excited!

Until I caught sight of the picture that looked back at me.

“Dude, trim your eyebrows” was my first thought, I almost felt the need to apologise to the therapist for them.  Second thought was “oooh, my skin looks quite clear!” (vanity is never far behind).  To be honest, I didn’t really have a clue what I was talking about but I was guessing that the less blobs on the scanned area, the better.  Turns out, I was mostly right.  You can click the picture above to view a large version… I’ll tell you a bit more about what the equipment can pick up on…

Spots – self explanatory, the facial assessment picks up on any blemishes/congested areas that are on the skin’s surface, lurking just underneath about to erupt, or hiding dormant… waiting for the opportunity (read: important ocassion) before putting in an appearance.  My cheeks are actually where I seem to get the most blemishes, so I was surprised to see such a large number around my nose.  Not really sure why I was surprised when I got home and checked out the blackhead congestion in the mirror…

Wrinkles – I was blindly hoping to score low in this area.  I think I got about average… but the therapist pointed out that the scanner had detected more furrows in the areas where the skin was visually quite dry.  There’s a good reason right there to keep your skin as well-moisturised as possible I think!

Texture – This indicated the areas of my face that would benefit from additional hydration, and also the areas that showed signs of “healthy” oil production.  Unfortunately, because I was wearing makeup at the time of the scanning session, I don’t think this image is as accurate as it could be, but it does show that there aren’t too many clearly defined areas that can be categorized as traditionally dry/oily.  As I’ve always complained, I’m perfectly capable of producing makeup-melting oil in the same areas as I’m experiencing practically, scaly patches of skin.

Pores – Another self-explanatory one, I’m very… err… pore-y.  Great.

Brown Spots – FINALLY.  Something I can smile about!  Apparently, for my age (I told her I was 73)… I have very little sun damage (the yellow areas are ok, it’s the brown ones that aren’t!).  That’ll be all those years spent in my bedroom being an angsty teenager then.  Result.

Red Areas – Well, this I just knew wouldn’t be brilliant.  You can see that I suffer redness in the classic areas across the nose and cheeks.  I’ve mostly (not really) made peace with this as a hereditary condition and frankly, I’m not inclined to give up curries/hot showers/central heating/all that fun stuff in an effort to reduce it.  I’ll just LAZOR the bitches when the capilliaries get too much and hope for the best, job done.

My therapist went over my results and discussed my lifestyle with me, she asked me about my current beauty routine (I nearly bored her to tears), and then she made some suggestions about how I might tackle the classic symptoms of unbalanced skin and get things back on track.  This included:

* drinking more water to ensure I’m not physically dehydrated.

* exfoliating (gently because of redness) more frequently.  I currently only exfoliate once every couple of weeks, she suggested that I up this to twice a week.

* I explained that I’m not using water during my cleansing and that I feel this has helped with sensitivity issues but that I hated using cotton wool pads.  She suggested that I use an extremely well wrung-out face cloth instead, practically dry so I’m not actually splashing water on my face but still benefiting from the warmth, gentle exfoliation and more definite cleanse.

* treating my skin to a moisture-rich mask after an exfoliation and leaving it on overnight, just once a week.

* ensure that I apply my moisturiser prior to applying my sunscreen to lessen any potential issues with congestion.

I was really impressed because most of her tips weren’t brand-specific and more about how I conduct my beauty routine than what products I use.  Of course, she did recommend some Elemis products based on the results from the SkinLab Assessment and our discussion on what kind of products I actually liked to use, which was novel.  Usually I can spend 10 minutes talking about how I don’t like foaming cleansers only for the SA to recommend me their foaming cleanser.

Here are her product recommendations to help battle unbalanced/combination skin:

Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturise
Elemis Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser (AM + PM)
Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner (AM + PM + as needed throughout the day)
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (AM as day cream)
Elemis Pro-Collagen Oxygenating Night Cream (PM as night cream)

Treatments
Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel (2x weekly as exfoliator)
Elemis Exotic Cream Moisturising Mask (1x weekly after one of the exfoliating sessions, sleep in it!)

Supplements
Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules (when skin needs a pick-me-up or before special events etc.)
Daily Redness Solution (applied topically to the red areas)

Of course, I haven’t just sold one of my kidneys so I couldn’t afford it all but after feeling the beautiful slip and glide of the Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser, I couldn’t leave the counter without it.

I’ve only used it 3 times so far but I’m loving it for complete makeup removal (eyes and all) with a non-drying formula that doesn’t have me rushing to slap on the moisturiser.  I really like the idea of sleeping in the moisturising mask and I’ve just received press samples of the Apricot Toner and Papaya Enzyme Peel (not related to this counter visit) so I’m looking forward to putting some of the products and all of her tips into action!

There was no hard-sell, and the therapist even sent me away with some sachets of the Daily Redness Solution (before I told her I wanted to purchase the cleanser) to see if my skin would tolerate it.

The Elemis SkinLab Skin Assessment is available in many Elemis Spas and on counter at some department stores – John Lewis lists which counters offer treatments at their SpaPod, you can call your local counter to find out if they offer a complimentary SkinLab consultation – it’s the best thing I’ve done for my skin this year!

To my darling girl,

Before you were born, we were terrified of the changes that your presence would mean for our lives – not ready to grow-up ourselves, neither your Daddy nor I really wanted to share our hearts with another soul. We fretted that we’d lose the depth to our connection over time, as if adding another molecule to the formula might dilute its overall strength.

Which is why I need to tell you today that over the last three years, you have brought so much happiness and belly-laughter. You have inherited your father’s awful sense of direction, groan-worthy humour, and brilliant brain for problem-solving. From me, you’ve been fated with an inane desire to share your every thought and feeling. You are so wickedly funny, and you know it – a terrible tease with a penchant for giving me the side-eye just when you know I won’t be able to resist a smile.

That’s not to say you’re without fault my girl, for when tempers flare, you shake with rage, screw up your nose and stamp your right foot for all it’s worth. You whine like a dog when being taken away from your favourite activities and your incessant desire for independence tests my patience on a daily basis. But you have a wonderful capacity for reason, I would never have dreamt that such a small one could have the ability to be able to listen, contemplate and without fail, always do the right thing.

It’s impossible to put into words just how much I love you. A feeling that extends beyond my comprehension, a force that is both immeasurable and bottomless in its reach. When I spend an afternoon without you beside me, I get butterflies as I approach the front door, bounding through it like you’re the Mum and I’m the child. I tell you all that I’ve done that day, and you quietly listen before making me promise that next time, we’ll do it together.

Time moves so quickly, it’s a cliché that every mother tells me but a relentless reminder that one day, we won’t be the first people you think of upon waking. You won’t call out for me when you stir in the middle of the night and I won’t be able to instinctively lift you into my arms when something needs to be made better. Time has always been a cruel mistress, but for all the dreams and hopes I have for you, it’s the one that I pray for most of all. Every minute of every day. I… we, both Daddy and I, want nothing more than to share it with you.

Happy 3rd birthday Leila, you are so very loved.

Hello Trout Pout, 1983 called – they want their nail polish back.  This is one seriously retro shade that deserves pride of place in Wham’s Club Tropicana video.  It’s neon-leaning with enough pink to keep it looking acceptable on cool skintones.  My picture below sadly makes this look a little less bright than it is in real-life but the shading is accurate.

This is a beautiful shade for sandal-ready toes this summer and applies in two coats, though I did experience the same weird runny-yet-thick texture that I found with Bossy Boots so just be aware of this to prevent any cuticle pooling or bubbles… thin coats required!

Butter London Trout Pout is available to buy online from PowderRooms, priced at £11.95

Question of the Week: – List every beauty item that’s in your purse at this very moment.

Answer: – I’ve only got a single lipstick in mine at the moment (bad beauty blogger), and it is…. Maybelline Color Sensational in 112, Ambre Rose!

Beauty Junkies Unite – You tell us: Is the new China Glaze Summer Neons collection hot or not? Check out the review and swatches and let us know!

Clumps of Mascara – has finally come across a mascara that wow-ed her so much that she gave it a 5 out of 5. And guess what? It’s a drugstore mascara!

Gouldylox Reviews – has discovered THE facial you want if you want to look fabulous for an event or remind someone what a mistake it was to end the relationship. Plumped lips, raised brow, firmer jaw and no pain. I can see why Madonna travels with one of these beauties on tour.

Krasey Beauty – wants you to win awesome prizes from Amazon.com Be sure to enter her giveaway!

Lipglossiping – puts Bobbi Brown’s new long-wear eye pencils to the test against a well-known budget brand and concludes that you should save your pennies!

Nouveau Cheap – Looking for a bold and daring magenta-purple lipstick to wear this summer? The answer might be as close as your nearest drugstore.

Pink Sith – turns an otherwise boring review about a facial toner into a fun extravaganza by adding in Will Wheaton, Jazz Hands and Thor!

Prime Beauty – harvests the fruits of the Lipstick Tree with Tarte’s Gifts From The Lipstick Tree Trio—the perfect summer pop of color!

Phyrra – has great photo tips for beauty bloggers.

Vampy Varnish – thinks if you like mini nail polishes, you might like the new Urban Decay Showboat Nail Kit for summer!

we heart this – have a passion for fashion? Swing on over to we heart this; we’re looking for a new fashion writer. And psst…we pay in makeup!

What beauty items are you carrying in your handbag right now?

I may have mentioned once or twice (or seven or eight times) that Leila was having her 3rd birthday party this weekend and barring a mild-meltdown the day before – it all went well, the meltdown being from me, not Leila by the way!  I couldn’t find a cake… who knew it was so bloody difficult to find a Thomas the Tank Engine cake that hadn’t been horrifically disfigured in some kind of supermarket shelf accident.  I phoned stores across the county and every single store, bar one (who didn’t pick up) told me that they had a cake… but that it was damaged.  Sort it out supermarkets.

Anyway, just before midnight on the eve of her party, I found a lovely train one in an Asda quite a few miles away, it wasn’t Thomas but it was carrying a cargo of jelly sweets!  I pretty much did the happy dance in the middle of the aisle!  Thank you to all the lovely tweeters who calmed my frayed nerves, gave me great suggestions on Thomas alternatives and brilliant recipes for train biscuits!

I’ve just compiled a video of some clips from her party and as I’m uploading to facebook for our far-away relatives, I thought I’d stick it on here too seeing as she considers many of you her internet Aunties anyway!

I’m knackered and have to do it all over again on the 16th (her actual birthday), we’re also heading into London together on Tuesday for some serious Hamleys/Rainforest Cafe/girly time!

Hope you’re all having a brilliant weekend and (if you’re in the UK), finally enjoying a little bit of sunshine!  A Happy Mother’s Day to my international ladies too!

Back when I purchased my beloved Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Peach Flush, I was torn – too many pretty shades and not enough pennies in the purse for all of them.  Sure, I spend too much money on makeup and skincare but I get the guilts like everyone else and sometimes you just can’t twist it enough to justify it, not even to your spendy-self.  Fast forward twelve months and I found myself once again perusing a Shiseido counter.  Just for old-times sake, I reswatched the color sticks and instantly fell in love (again) with Champagne Flush.

From a completely superficial point of view, I love how these things feel so luxurious.  They’re glossy, sexy, and have some beautiful symmetry going on – I realise that I sound a bit crazy right now.  Champagne Flush is one of the most subtle highlighters that I own, which makes it a-ok by my standards.  I’m always looking for a highlighter that I can really luminise my face with and this ticks the boxes on that score.

It’s a pale champagne shade with slightly pink leanings that don’t turn it too silvery, though I would say that it’s definitely best-suited to similar-toned complexions as mine.  It contains no glitter or shimmer particles, it just imparts an allover, barely-there glow.  It doesn’t even really catch the light when you turn your face in the same way that other highlighters do… it just, somehow lifts a tired and dull complexion, giving the illusion that you are far more fresh and alert than you feel.

This is an awful swatch photo but you should be able to make out the pale highlight that runs from the crease where my thumb and index finger meet, backward towards my wrist.  It looks like a ghostly silver and that’s only because I’ve had to build it up quite heavily for the swatch.  I wouldn’t wear it this heavy on my face.

My only wish is that it weren’t in stick form because I’d love a liquid this subtle that I could blend into my foundation directly.  This, would infact, be my holy-grail highlighter if only I could find it – please Shiseido, make a liquid version!

Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in S6 Champagne Flush is available to buy on counter, priced at around £26

Who’s da boss? Leila’s da boss (when I’m not around – sorry Mr. L!)

It’s Leila’s 3rd  birthday party today, though she doesn’t turn three until the 16th May it was the only day available at the venue so I’ve been trying to explain to a very confused tot why it isn’t actually her birthday yet but everyone will be wishing her a Happy Birthday – cue confused face.

I’m wearing Butter London’s Bossy Boots from their Spring/Summer 2012 collection in honour of the occasion, seeing as I’ll be rounding up a few under 8s, I thought it quite appropriate!

Isn’t it Spring-like?  I love muted shades but whoulda thunk I’d go gaga for a pistachio shade like this!  I like that Butter London haven’t made it too dirgy or grey and have kept it feeling somehow fresh and airy without sounding the “woah green nails” klaxon.  I’m absolutely, positively against wearing green nail polish on your toes usually (fungal feet) but I’m gonna admit to being tempted by this one.  Talk me out of it please!

Opaque in two coats, it needs the second to get rid of pastel streaks – the formula covered nicely but did have a tendency to pool around the cuticles… thin strokes required!

Butter London Bossy Boots is available to buy online from PowderRooms, priced at £11.95

I like most food, you may be able to tell from my ongoing battle with being a greedy bitch that I’m not mega-fussy with what I put in my mouth (shutup).  Having said that, there has always been one substantial food group that I’ve gone out of my way over the past 30 years to avoid… fruit.  My daughter can’t get enough of the stuff, which is just aswell because she won’t touch vegetables.  Me?  I love veggies… always have but I think I’m just a savoury girl through and through.

It’s not that I have a full-on aversion to fruit, I wouldn’t pick it off my plate if it were served alongside something else but you will never catch me digging into the fruit bowl or craving the taste of an apple.  It’s just not on my radar.  I’m making baby steps to changing this, and it really helps when you’re on a ‘diet’ that rewards you for these changes by not penalising you when you indulge.  This week has been fruit salad week… amped up.

Look…

That’s our fruit box.  It’s a great big, 4L lock and lock box which I bought at The Range – as you can see, it stores quite a bit!  I’ve budgeted £6.50 per week for fruit for everyone and make sure that as soon as the shopping arrives, I’ve got the peeler, corer and paring knife out to put an end to my procrastination and get it all chopped up into bite-size pieces with a good squeeze of lemon juice to help it last.  So far, my plan is working!  It’s  infinitely more appealing to fill a bowl with a couple of spoonfuls of this than it is to reach for a sorry-looking apple in the bottom of the fruit bowl.

This weeks fruit box contained: plums, tinned pineapple (in natural juice), apples, kiwis, melon, strawberries, and grapes – though Mr. L says that the cheap melon I bought tastes more like cucumber.  I know that my fellow fruit-dodgers won’t be convinced by my arguments for upping your 5-a-day just yet… so how about I share with you exactly how we’ve been eating it?

For the grand total of 2 Weight Watchers pro points (I’m on 28 a day), we’ve been submerging a meringue nest under a pile of the healthy stuff before topping it off with a Weight Watchers yoghurt or a mini Petit Filous.  Trust me, it doesn’t taste quite so healthy when you add meringue to the formula and yet, amazingly, it’s still pretty damn good for you (and far more edible!)

It’s a simple change to my diet and not the most groundbreaking Food Friday post, but I’m determined to keep this new habit going, especially with Summer round the corner and hopefully, cheaper berries!

Are you a natural fruit fiend or do you find ways to incorporate it into your diet?