A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Late last year, I talked about a Brenda Anvari candle that I’d been burning, it was full of spice and citrus and all those wonderful Christmassy things that we get heartily sick of by January.  Well, I’m back with another product from her Persian Rose range of scented bodycare products.

Last weekend, I scraped the last few grains from the jar of Persian Rose Body Scrub* and howled a gentle “nooooooooooo” into the air as I replaced the lid.  You see, it’s a really freakin’ beautiful scent.

The rose isn’t the most complex of fragrances, I think of it as pretty universal – it’s kinda safe, being both inoffensive and rather lovely.  Brenda has taken the classic rose and whipped it into a headier form.  Persian Rose takes on a dirtier, naughtier vibe with altogether more earthy qualities.

What I’m saying is, there are two types of people in this world.  Those who like the thought of walking in to find a scattering of rose petals on their bed, and those who like the thought of being physically whipped with a rose, thorns and all.  I’ve always hated the thought of waking up with a rose petal stuck up my nose.  You know?

I also like a good scrub.  And this is a good scrub.  It’s got just the right amount of grrrr going on, it rasps a little at the skin and feels like it’s working some proper skin-smoothing magic.  But if all that sounds a little too intense for you wimps, don’t worry because the salt granules sit in a base of beautifully-scented Persian Rose-infused oil that ultimately leaves your skin feeling nourished and kissably-smooth.

I haven’t mentioned the body moisturiser* or the bath oil*, because… well… they’re ok.  There’s nothing about them that makes me not want to recommend them, they make great flankers for layering the scent but there’s nothing that screams “buy me above everything else available on the market” either.  It’s a tough world out there.

If the thought of Persian Rose doesn’t float your boat, other scents available from the Brenda Anvari bodycare range include: Ylang Ylang, Sandalwood & Black Pepper, Lime, Mandarin & Grapefruit, Orange Blossom, and Pomegranate, Raspberry  & Patchouli.  Prices start from £8.95 and you can shop online.

What bath-time scents are you loving at the moment?

* press sample

It’s like Kajagoogoo (oh children of the 70s/80s) but pusier.  Why does the word pusier never translate to text very well?  Pus. i. er.  as in yellow stuff, not… oh, nevermind.  Look, I’m talking zits.  Spots, pustules, pimples, blind boils, are you eating?  Sorry.

I’m talking about the ones that grow their own head (arms, torso and a pair of legs) overnight.  You can often feel them brewing in advance… and of course, knowing that the last thing you should do in. the. world. is touch it, you spend all day picking at it, poking around it and generally coaxing it to come out and sing too shy, shy, hush, hush, eye to eye.

So what are your options?  Don’t say toothpaste or I will mock you.

Well, you could cover it with a big granny-tights coloured plaster and just pretend it’s not there.  This is fine if it’s somewhere discreet, like on the soles of your feet but not so good if you can a). see it or b). reach it.  Basically, it’s a rubbish option because you know that within five minutes, you’ll have that plaster off and will be digging around with it again until you get the skin-picking guilts.

How about some topical treatments?  Some people swear by Sudocrem but the only tub I have in the house has actually been used for it’s intended purpose and I just don’t fancy it.

Then you’ve got your topical treatments.  In all manner of guises…

The ones that I’m dabbling in at the minute are The Sanctuary’s Blemish Serum* which helps to calm the redness and general rage that accompanies the facial intrusion.  BareMinerals Blemish Remedy* which comes in a powder form and contains sulphur to draw the bugger out more quickly and finally, La Roche Posay’s Effaclar A.I which keeps making me think of that film with Jude Law in it which works both as an anti-bacterial and exfoliator to promote faster healing.  It feels hugely comforting to have a dedicated blemish-buster to tote around in your handbag.

And finally, you’ve got the ever-faithful aspirin mask.  I actually put quite a lot of stock in the value of this remedy, especially as a way to get the blighter to look a little less inflamed before an evening out.

But I wanna know, what do you do when you feel a particularly unholy zit brewing?

* press samples

I don’t talk enough about hair on here, mostly because I’m pretty rubbish at taming my locks.  Not only rubbish but also a little bit intimidated by hair looks, styles, accessories… the whole kit and kaboodle.  Anyone else feel like this?

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my new favourite blog; Hair Romance, because if anyone can inspire me to reach for my kirby grips, Sydneysider Christina can.

And on another hair-related note, I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the hair-madness that goes on backstage during London Fashion Week.  I already experienced first-hand just how crazy it gets behind the scenes… but throw in a bunch of styling tools and I bet it gets even hotter in the hair corner!

You can see some more Fashion Week videos from ghd including some great how-tos from their creative director Kenna on the ghd youtube channel.

Did you have a bad hair day today?

You wouldn’t haven’t seen this beautiful polish from Max Factor.  I did a quick search and couldn’t find any other bloggers talking about it, so I thought I should put that right immediately.

I know right?  I think I’m on to something with this scoop.

The lovely Liloo picked this up for me and sent it halfway across the country because my local Boots seems to stock every Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish shade except this one.  I’m not actually going to bother talking about it, I was about to write “this is a pretty good dupe for…” (finish that sentence) and I just couldn’t be bothered because even Leila knows what this is a dupe for.  If you’re the one person left in the world who doesn’t know?  Hai Google.

So, instead… just enjoy a little bit moar Fantasy Fire nail p0rn.  Swatched here over Estee Lauder Teal Topaz because on its own, it’s kinda shit.

Max Factor Fantasy Fire is priced at £3.99 and available (probably) to buy instore at Boots or Superdrug.  Also online.

Listen up, ‘cos you’re about to learn something really important.  If you ever find yourself stranded in the wilds of Africa, you’ll thank your lucky stars that you read this post.

If you see a cheetah lurking in the bushes and he’s giving you the eye, run for the nearest tree.  If it’s a leopard, don’t.  Cheetah’s can’t climb… leopards actually like to drag their prey up the nearest tree, so you’d be doing half the hard work for him.

But how can you tell the difference between a leopard and a cheetah?  They’re both cat-like and spotty right?

Study.  Those are cheetah spots.  Or at least, they’re supposed to be.

BUT THEY’RE NOT!!!

As cute as those new Tweezerman tweezers undoubtedly are (you know how I love my wild prints!)… those are, in fact leopard spots.  For shame Tweezerman, you could’ve got a beauty blogger eaten in the wild!

Behold.

The cheetah (on the left) has oval, regular shaped spots whilst a leopard (on the right) has rosette shaped, irregular spots.  Now, you tell me… are those new tweezers leopard-print or cheetah-print?

Yeah, no need to thank me.  It’s all part of the service.  You wouldn’t get this in Cosmo.

.

Tweezerman Safari Print Cheetah *cough* Slant Tweezers are available from next month, priced at £22.00

p.s. I really love my Tweezerman wide grips, I’d even take them on safari with me to catch mosquitos a la Mr. Miyagi – sort of.

Jo Malone have released a trio of floral fragrances this month to celebrate the classically British country garden, a much-loved place (which often exists more in our national pride than reality!) awash with well-cultivated flora grown in haphazard and slightly eccentric ways.  The combination of notes within the three fragrances are purposefully juxtaposed, resulting in a playful take on the classic floral fragrance.

The first thing to strike you about the new collection is the departure from the signature Jo Malone look, the beautifully illustrated, botanically-inspired bottles are quite something and tell the story of the scent that awaits you inside.  With the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee, the idea of “Britishness” is something that will undoubtedly feature heavily as the year progresses and Jo Malone are clearly striking while the iron is hot on this score.

I received a sample of Iris & Lady Moore* which at first sniff, is all about the Iris.  It’s a powdery, traditional floral which initially fails to transcend the expected until just a couple of moments later when the Lady Moore (geranium to you and me) slices through the nobility with a blast of spicy freshness that my nose reads as a tingle with a citrus-kick.  All well and good, but then things get truly delightful on the dry down as the vetiver raises its aromatic head.  It adds pungency, masculinity, and earthiness laced with freshly-cut grass and delivers just what is needed to introduce a modern twist to the conventional genre.

I would class longevity and sillage as average and do wish for a couple more hours wear, particularly as the longer it warms against my skin, the more deliciously earthy it becomes.

As for the other fragrances, I haven’t had the pleasure of sniffing them yet but have been convinced that I sadly won’t be finding the particular brand of rhubarb that I’m looking for in White Lilac & Rubarb (which by all accounts offers the more acerbic, vegetal kind).  I really should stop procrastinating about it and simply purchase Comme des Garcons Rhubarb Sherbert which has been on my wishlist for a very long time.

Peony & Moss promises a beautiful mix of a delicate floral, with a hint of juiciness from the cassis kept well-rounded with an earthy base.  I hope that the moss adds something a little dirty and damp to counteract the lightness in the floral, that’s a contrast I’d love to smell.

All three of the London Blooms fragrances are limited edition and stock is already selling fast.  They’re priced at £72 for each 100ml cologne.

Before I close this review, I’d like to draw your attention to easily the most breathtaking Mother’s Day gift to grace my inbox this year.  Jo Malone have created a beautifully-presented gift in partnership with Wild at Heart, one of the country’s most inventive florists.  Costing more than just a pretty penny (but worth almost every one of them), you can choose to have your chosen scent (any of the Jo Malone fragrances qualify) cushioned on a bed of fresh flowers.  This is available on the 16th, 17th and 18th March only, instore at Harrods in the Beauty Apothecary Hall.

For such a lavish gift, you can expect to pay £115 – perhaps for only the most deserving of Mums, I suggest deducting £1 for each time your mother made you eat your peas.

* press sample

From pale to dark, teal is the perfect blue/green combination and it’s everywhere this season.  I thought I’d swatch the cream teal nail polishes in my collection to give you some alternatives to Estee Lauder’s Teal Topaz spring sell-out polish.

From left to right: Estee Lauder – Teal Topaz  |  Misa – Dirty, Sexy, Money|  Barielle Shades – A Bouquet For Ava  |  American Apparel – Peacock  |  Ciate – Superficial

If shimmers are more your cup of tea, don’t forget that March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Lena White are donating £1 to Ovacome – the ovarian cancer support network – for every sale of OPI’s Teal the Cows Come Home.

Are any of these shades catching your eye?  What’s your favourite teal?

Thank you for all the Twitter and email entries for my recent giveaway to win one of five Revitalash Volumizing Mascaras (worth £19.50 each)…

… I’m pleased to announce the following five winners, each of whom will receive a Revitalash Volumizing Mascara to add some va-va-voom to their lashes!

@ladytubedriver

@powderedalmond

Dr. M. Karela (via email)

@theladiesuk

@scarie

Congratulations!  I’ll be in touch over the next couple of days to request address details and will get your prize in the post by the end of the week!

My lovely friend Rowena from Cosmetic-Candy sent me a couple of Skin Food Nail Vita polishes last year and after falling in love with both of them (and not having swatched them yet, naughty!), I popped on eBay and picked up another that had caught my eye over on Witoxcity’s fabulous blog.

Puppy Purple is a beautiful, vampy shimmer – perhaps a little too vampy for March but I’m happy to break the rulez for this one.  It’s a little thick, though completely controllable and opaque in a single coat, although I did use two in the above photograph for the neatness value!  The shimmers in the creme base are striking and apparent on the nail, catching the light beautifully.  It’s not the most unique polish in the world but it’s one that I’m delighted to have in my collection and wouldn’t give up!

Perhaps the best thing about this polish?  I paid £3.49 for it, including shipping from South Korea.

You can buy Skin Food Nail Vita in Puppy Purple online from rubyruby76 on eBay.  Shipping was a little slow, but no major grumbles.

Last week, I logged onto one of my favourite online shopping destinations, escentual.com to take advantage of one of their current offers.  Until the end of March, the beauty emporium are selling their French pharmacy brands (including: Avene, La Roche Posay, Vichy and more) at 1/3 off the usual price.  It’s the perfect time to take advantage of some of those purchases you’ve been putting off!  Or was that just me?

I picked up the Avene Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser, the La Roche-Posay Effaclar AI (because LondonMUGirl always recommends it), the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Huile Lipid-Replenishing Cleansing Oil, A-Derma Oat Milk Soap Free Foaming Gel, and the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP.  My order came to just under £31, so I got free delivery aswell!

My order arrived the next day!  I was really tempted by some of hte Klorane shampoo/conditioners aswell, particularly as they do some for sensitive scalps but in the end I decided that they could sit on the wishlist for a little longer, especially as I stocked up on ‘poos during my last mooch around in T.K. Maxx.

What’s your favourite French pharmacy brand?  Have you taken advantage of the escentual.com offer yet?

If you’re a little colour-shy when it comes to your eye makeup, coloured liners are the best place to start.  You can introduce a full spectrum of shades without turning too many heads just by adding a pop of colour to the waterline.  My favourite way to wear brights is with a flash of colour just beneath my lower lashes, it brings brightness to my eyes and makes me look a lot bolder than I feel!

Estee Lauder have released two Intense Kajal Eye Crayons this Spring, a chunky pencil with a creamy formula that lends itself well to both lining and using as a shadow.  If you’re looking for that pop of colour, might I point you in the direction of 03 Dramatic Teal, a shade that I can see flattering most, if not all, skintones.

Not much to look at in their generic stubby pencil-form, these crayons glide without pulling and yet remain firm enough to achieve some truly precise strokes across the eyelid.  The tip stays strong despite pressure and deposits nothing but creamy colour in its wake.

You need to allow around 2 minutes for the pencil to set fast and if your eyelids are particularly oily, you may find these migrate a little.  For normal complexions, these should set and hold throughout the day.  The only time I had any bother was when wearing a moisturising primer, combined with a cream foundation and to be fair – I was an oil-slick by lunchtime everywhere.

Both shades are limited edition, if you pick up one thing from the Spring Collection, let this be it.

Estee Lauder Intense Kajal Eye Crayon in 03 Dramatic Teal & 01 Dramatic Black are priced at £17 a-piece and available on counter and online from boots.com – the teal appears to be sold out everywhere else!