A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Like Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher Jane Tennison (sexier)… I’m taking on a cryptic challenge to uncover the secret behind The BIG Skincare Mystery.  Unlike my Prime Suspect role model, they’ll be no dead bodies (only dead skin), and hopefully no issues with institutionalised sexism.

A suspect package containing an unbranded, unmarked bottle of lotion dropped through my letter box* yesterday morning with the curious label you see above attached.  I shall call it… Exhibit A.  A milky, pale green hue with a creamy formula that smells fresh and a little bit like cucumber(?).  Curiouser and curiouser!

Let’s look at the evidence.

All I know about it (thanks to a purposefully vague press release) is that it’s a new multi-purpose daily cleanser which promises to tackle common skin issues like oiliness without leaving skin feeling tight or dehydrated.  Well, it’s picked a tough tester here because my skin tightens at the mere sight of anything targeted toward oilier skins thanks to my typical combination/unbalanced skin type.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Betonite, Kaolin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Salicylic Acid, Xantham Gum, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Sodium Sulfate, Propylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Benzyl Salicylate, Persea Gratissima Leaf Extract, Punica Granatum Fruit Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Sorbic Acid, CI 77891, CI 42090, CI 19140

In my non-expert opinion, the ingredients suggest that it’s something we’ll find on the high street *strokes chin thoughtfully* and I see clay and salicylic acid to help degunk those pores.  I’m told that it’s multi-use and as well as a daily face wash, it can be employed as a face mask up to 3x weekly, leaving on for up to three minutes before rinsing clear.

Dermatologist Susan Mayou from the Cadogan Clinic, London says: “When it comes to facial cleansing, many products, especialy thouse designed for problem skin, can cause drying if used every day.  The impressive thing about this mystery new range is that each product has been specially balanced with ingredients that clear blemishes effectively but are also gentle enough to be used as part of an everyday cleansing regime”.

So.

Who wants to be Watson to my Sherlock? (I know, the comparisons are getting bolder)

If you want to join in with the fun, head over to the facebook page for The Big Skincare Mystery and request a mystery sample to try for yourself – by doing so, you also stand the chance at winning your share of £1000 in Topshop vouchers.  The BIG reveal will take place on March 1st 2012.  The game is afoot!

* press sample

My mother is obsessed with guessing the ages of celebrities she sees on reality shows, infact – I’m quite certain it’s the only reason she watches them.  She hasn’t quite grasped the fact that with the power of the internet, I can hop on Wikipedia and tell her exactly how old Stefanie Powers is quicker than she can analyse the tell-tale signs from the actress’ neck and hands.  She guessed correctly by the way: Mum 1 – 0 Wikipedia.  Perhaps I should point Stefanie in the direction of the new Elemis Pro-Radiance Hand and Nail Cream, the latest addition to the Elemis sp@home body anti-ageing lineup.

The rich hand cream contains a wealth of skin-loving oils including: Omega 7, Avellana Seed Oil, Macademia Seed Oil, Virgin Plum Oil and Camellia Seed Oil to promote skin suppleness, elasticity and protect from free-radical damage.  It’s delicately scented and leaves my hands feeling nourished without that sticky hand-cream feeling.  It may be a little too heavy-duty for the summer months but it’s been doing wonderful things for my cuticles and hang nails this month.

Formulated free from: parabens, sls, mineral oils and silicones, the new Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream is generously sized at 100ml and will be launching next month alongside a sister (limited edition) product; Perfect Hands Anti-Ageing Treatment (£29.90) which will be contributing £8000 from sales to The Eve Appeal.

The Pro-Radiance Hand & Nail Cream will be priced at £22.00 and available from Elemis stockists nationwide including timetospa.co.uk, spas/salons, selected John Lewis, Debenhams and Harvey Nichols stores.

* press sample

I’m going all demure and sophistimicated with today’s nails courtesy of Butter London…

Hoorah Henri is a pale, creamy nude that would make a beautiful French mani with clean, white tips.  The above photo shows three coats because I wanted to see how it built up – not too badly as it happens because three coats were just about enough to disguise the ‘orrible stains on my nails.  The formula was good and drying time perfectly adequate.  What do you think, too pale?  I don’t actually own anything quite like this and it may well inspire me to attempt a Frenchie before the month is out.

Butter London Hoorah Henri is priced at £11.95 and available online from PowderRooms

So, I finally got that fringe cut in just before Christmas and I’m not bored of it yet.  Honestly, I thought it would last around 10 days before I started pinning it out of the way but I’m pretty lucky that it doesn’t take too much styling in the morning.  I was talking to a lady who had to straighten hers every morning, is that normal?  Thankfully, mine behaves with a blast from the hairdryer.  So with my renewed interest in all things hair, I present this month’s Cutting Room Floor, filled with bits and bobs that have interested me from the hair world.

1. Charles Worthington Big Bounce Spray *(£5.10) – From the Limited Edition BAFTA and Anniversary Collection, Big Bounce Spray is a lightweight volumiser that works well on my fine hair.  I’m pretty low maintenance and have been spraying this on damp roots before blow drying for a little lift where I need it most (does it work on boobs?).  The BAFTA and Anniversary Collection launches instore on the 22nd January.

2. Louise Galvin Colour Removal System available at Daniel Galvin (£150) – Containing no ammonia or peroxide, the Louise Galvin Colour Removal System promises to be the gentlest method of restoring your natural hair colour after your latest disaster dye-job.  After years of over-processing my locks with permanent colours, I’m left with the tell-tale ‘ends darker than roots’ syndrome.  Overdyers anonymous anyone?  Available exclusively at Daniel Galvin’s Marylebone salon.

3. The Brocato Swell Volume Collection (£34.95) – If you’re looking for a one-stop solution to flat hair, this collection of va-va-vooming goodies from Brocato promises to give you the BIG styles you’ve always desired.  The collection, complete with animal-print bag contains Swell Volume Leave-In Volumizing Conditioner, Swell Volume Full Body Gel Mousse, Swell Volume Full Body Serum and Swell Volume Full Body Clay.  Have you tried anything by Brocato?

4. Label.M Brunette Dry Shampoo (£10.50) – If you’re too posh for Batiste, you’ll be pleased to hear that professional brand Label.M have released a new dry shampoo targeted for us lovely brunettes.  No more dusty residues from traditional dry shampoos, this new offering promises to match all shades from chestnut through to rich mahogany.  Available exclusively at Toni & Guy, Essensuals, and some Label.m salons.

5. Naturtint Reflex Non-Permanent Colour Rinse (£9.99) – If you’re looking for a healthier way to experiment with colour, Naturtint Reflex is a new ‘chemically-light’ alternative to semi-permanent home colourants.  Free from PPD (the most common cause of dye reactions), peroxide, ammonia, resorcinol, parabens and natural oil-stripping sulphates – it works by coating the hair rather than opening the cuticles, resulting in a far healthier mane!  Available in six shades from honey-blonde to black.

6. Davines The Energizing Shampoo (£14.35) – I only got a C in GCSE Science, so don’t look to me for an explanation of how caffeine phytoceuticals effectively stimulate the cellular metabolism of the scalp but I think I need some cellular metabolism to stimulate my bum into gear… so, by process of logical thinking, I can have another coffee before lunchtime right?  The Davines Natural Tech range includes this Energizing Shampoo which has been specifically designed to treat fragile hair and scalps that are prone to hair loss.  The wider range also includes targeted treatments for dry and brittle hair; sensitized, itchy scalps; environmentally stressed hair; dandruff; and oil control.  More superficially, the apothecary-style packaging is squee cute.  Call 0203 301 5449 for stockists.

7. Bettie Page Fringes at The Chapel – I’ve been stalking the hair-gurus at The Chapel recently (on their blog, not literally!) and came across this great tip from Ezara for styling a mock-short fringe. “…It best works on a full one length fringe that comes to the eyebrows.  I keep my blunt fringe just above my eyebrows, so this gives me a little bit to work with to create the “bump”.  I use my GHD’s to flick it under (careful not to burn the forehead!).  Then plenty of hairspray and walking head down into the wind!”  I’m gonna give it a go!  Could you rock a Bettie Page-esque fringe?  Do you?!

Finally a quick shout-out to reader Anna who won the Touch of Silver competition I posted about in last month’s hair roundup – she’s off to London for an amazing makeover at Taylor Taylor London with a night at the swanky Bloomsbury Hotel thrown in – jealous much?  Enjoy yourself Anna!

* press sample

Last week brought with it The Lurgy – a stream of snots, a tide of tickly coughs and a barrage of bogies.  We swam through the Kleenex and consoled ourselves with bucketfulls of popcorn (salty and sweet) and re-runs of Ghosthunters.  I thought I’d share a few of the things that made it (nearly) all better.

01: Rituals Qi (£8.50): I can’t physically pass by a Rituals store without dragging my shopping companion in to show them this wonderful serum.  Apply a little to your temples and gently rub for an invigorating, cooling sensation that makes you wonder for just a moment if your brain might freeze.  Honestly, it’s better than it sounds!  Great for clearing the cotton wool sensation that coughs and sniffles bring.

02: Aromatherapy Associates Support Breathe Essence (£15.50)*: This is like a posh, grown-up version of Karvol.  Far more forgiving to the senses and doesn’t make your eyes water.  Shake a few drops onto a handkerchief and the pure blend of Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Tea-Tree oils get to work on clearing your sinuses and letting you breathe again!

03: Balham Builders Blend (£2.95): I’m no tea ponce but I’m not a huge fan of water either and keeping hydrated is essential when you’re poorly.  Tiger Spring Teas does the most delicious blend of Ceylon, Assam and Darjeeling that I drink with abandon whenever I’ve got a good excuse to.  Feeling under the weather does have its plus points after all!

04: Lucas PaPaw Ointment (£6.00): This little miracle ointment doesn’t do much for my lips but it works wonders on a dry, cracked nose!  Massage this in to your poor, red schnoz and feel the skin become more supple beneath your fingers.  Works better than any other heavy duty moisturiser I’ve tried.

05: Jurlique Moisturising Hand Sanitiser (£5.00): Stop spreading those germs with Jurlique’s natural antibacterial hand sanitiser.  It dries quickly, smells divine and actually leaves my hands in better condition than before I’d reached for it!  A handbag essential.

06: The White Company’s Cashmere Bed Socks (£32.00): I had these in my drawer for about six months before I wore them – I mean, who actually wears socks in bed?!  Lounging on the sofa infront of Jeremy Kyle soon made me realise that my chilly feet were in need of something special and if you check the OED, there’s a picture of these socks next to the definition of that very word.  Honest.

What are your favourite comforts for when you’re feeling under the weather?

* press sample

New out this month is Jo Malone’s Vitamin E Moisturising Day Crème which expands on the original Vitamin E lineup, the brand’s signature skincare collection.  Packaged in a monochrome, heavy glass jar – it displays the sophisticated elements you’d expect from the British brand who have just appointed Charlotte Stockdale, as their new Style Editor.

It’s perfect for this time of year with a thick, emoliating formula which feels unusually light on the skin considering such a rich texture, basically it sinks right in – although, perhaps that says more about the current condition of my dry skin.  I wouldn’t describe this as a heavy-duty moisturiser, though I feel this is about as heavy-duty as ‘normal’ moisturisers get (does that make sense?).  I’d recommend for normal > normal/dry skin types as I’m not sure oily skins would need this much moisture – although because of the light, spreadable formula – it may just mean you only need to use a tiny amount to cover your face.

The cream delivers instant skin-soothing relief, with a cooling after-effect when applied to post-shower, dehydrated skin and gives me no issues with makeup application a few moments later.  It promises to guard against fine lines and wrinkles with the addition of barley extracts, wheat germ, rosemary leaf and grape seed extract – helping to combat free radical damage and strengthen the skin’s barrier to reduce water loss.  The cream also features broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection rated to SPF15, helping to shield skin from harmful UV rays.

I was surprised to find no discernible scent to the cream, I feel there’s something there but it’s so light my nose can’t really detect it that well and although I haven’t been using this for long enough to notice the effects of any anti-aging properties, I’ve been pleased with what is a high quality, luxurious addition to the Jo Malone lineup.  Priced for the high-end market, it fits well with the existing Jo Malone business model and will undoubtedly appeal to JM fans across the globe.

Jo Malone Vitamin E Moisturising Day Crème is priced at £50 for 50ml and available online and instore at Jo Malone.

* press sample

I recently took advantage of the L’Artisan Parfumeur January sales and picked up a couple of items to expand my collection. The first thing to land in my basket was a 100ml bottle of Tea for Two, my favourite fragrance. I’m halfway through my last bottle and waging a constant battle with my husband about his (over)use of my beloved. I watch him apply it, trying to keep calm, share nicely and not react but within seconds I’ve launched myself across the room, snatching it from his hands, screaming TOO MUCH, YOU ARE USING TOO MUCH. Then I thrust a bottle of Old Spice at him and slink away to find a new hiding place for MY precious.

Where was I?

Oh yes, this…

The coffret contains a selection of L’Artisan Pafumeur‘s best-selling scents that lean toward the female market (you can also get a male version).  Priced at £17, the set includes: Mûre et Musc Extrême, La Chasse aux Papillons Extrême, Premier Figuier Extrême, L’Eau d’Ambre Extrême and Traversée du Bosphore.  I’ve only opened Premier Figuier Extrême so far, and have already created a bit of a lemming for myself thanks to notes that include: fig leaves, almond milk, and sandalwood.

I’m not a massive fan of the way these 5ml mini-vials open… with a peel back lid not unlike a bottle of milk, there’s no way to reseal the tiny bottles, frustrating – and with a 2 year old on the rampage, asking for trouble.

Overall, for 25ml of top quality fragrance, £17 is a very good price to pay.  If you’re wanting to dip your toes in the world of ‘posh’ perfume, this would be a great place to begin.  L’Artisan’s £5 shipping charge is prohibitive and also pretty slow for the price – it took nearly two weeks for my order to arrive.  But one sniff of Tea for Two, and I’ve forgiven them.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Discovery Coffret for Her is priced at £17 and currently available in the Sale section of their website.  Probably not for too much longer.

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of BareMinerals, infact not a day goes by without  a quick dust of their original foundation either as a “topper” to my liquid foundation – or during the Summer months – worn alone.  I love their little store in Covent Garden that I like to refer to as a “swatchers paradise” with some of the friendliest MUAs in the area.  If I’m honest, I find most of their ad campaigns a little twee (this one included) but they always make me take notice, and that means they’re doing their job right?

I thought I’d share their latest campaign with you — half of you will be dry heaving at the saccharine-sweet concept, the rest of you will be joining me by doing the same but with a certain degree of admiration!

Take a moment to watch this and you’ll see just what I mean…

Animal activists?  Non-profit business types?  Voracious readers?  Striving to be like your own children?

One half of me is completely inspired, the other half wants to throw my Full Flawless Face brush at the screen.  I can’t help it, I’m such a *girl*, I felt a bit goosebumpy at the end, maybe someone left the window open?  Yes, that must be it.

The final selection of faces, “blind-selected” for the campaign:

To read more about the campaign and the models selected to front it, check out the Bare Escentuals website.  What do you think: cute, nausea-inducing or a healthy bit of both?!

Japanese mascaras are hot property and DJV Fiberwig is the top selling mascara brand in Japan, Fiberwig LX builds on the popularity of the original Fiberwig formula with a new-fangled brush that promises to coat each lash with greater ease, allowing more of those lash-extending fibres to reach their intended target.

I already have fairly long lashes but lengthening is still high on the list of what I want mascara to do.  There are two things in life that can never be long enough… lashes, and um holidays? (stop smirking).

Packaged in a glossy, red tube, d.j.v. beautenizer Fiberwig LX combines a lash-building fibre formula that unlike previous fibre-rich mascaras I’ve tried, doesn’t irritate my eyes or drop little fibres onto my cheeks as the day progresses.  It has a filmy, slightly oily texture that glides onto the lashes and the curved brush makes applying the product to my lower lashes a breeze.

I found the finished effect to be more lengthening than volumising.  I have naturally curly lashes, so I’m unable to comment on how well it holds a curl but I can feel that this is a lightweight formula, so I’d imagine that it would do well for those who need to curl their lashes in advance.  The most impressive thing about the Fiberwig LX mascara is its resilience.  There was no flaking, no smudging and my lashes looked as mascara’ed up by the end of the day as they had at the beginning.  Removal was an issue… I did have to work a little harder than normal to dissolve the mascara with my cleansing oil.  The product removes in little clumps which can feel a bit disconcerting!

If I’d experienced better volumising from this mascara, I’d have it on my holy grail list – but as it stands, a girl needs more than just lengthening alone.  Unless you’ve got naturally thick lashes, in which case run RUN to CultBeauty.co.uk, where you can buy the Fiberwig LX by D.J.V. Beautenizer for £18.00

* press sample

UPDATE: I sheepishly stand corrected… this mascara removes like a dream with the help of some hot water.  Who knew water was so, err, useful? 😉

We’re slowly getting over a rash of rotten colds and chest infections here and after a full week trapped indoors, we were feeling cabin fever to the extreme. Spotting a break in the clouds, we jumped in the car and headed to the New Forest for the afternoon. It was freezing! (all images are clickable)

We parked up alongside Rhinefield Ornamental Drive which features some of the most impressive trees in the UK — including the tallest Redwood and the heaviest Sequoia! — Leila wasn’t hugely impressed but it doesn’t take much to get me and Paul nodding appreciatively. L hugged a couple of trees, I took a bunch of texture photos and P put up with our moaning about being cold/tired/ill (delete as appropriate).

On the way there, we stopped off for a cream tea in Brockenhurst courtesy of a Groupon deal — no photos, I was too busy shovelling treacle tart down my face. I also managed to lose a button off my (button-through) dress when I was pulling Leila’s leggings up in the loo, it shot off like a rocket and ricocheted off three walls – someone’s been eating too many mince pies over the festive period.

Ultimately not the most exciting photos in the world but I’m such a sucker for fallen leaves and texture.

Hope you’ve had a lovely weekend? Tell me what you’ve been getting up to!

…featuring the gorgeous Elisa Sednaoui (is it just me or is she channeling a young Helena Christensen in this?)

The fragrance is described as an Ambery Floral with notes that include pink pepper, orange blossom and tonka bean and was created by Louise Turner – who is perhaps best known for the 2010 hit which was Chloe’s Love, Chloe.

Roberto Cavalli’s new fragrance will be available to purchase exclusively at Harrods from the 12th February before a nationwide roll out in March.

I prefer my wintery brights over summery brights.  My skintone loves raspberry, purples and red shades and I have to feel a little more ‘brave’ to wear skintone repel-ing orange, green and turquoise shades on my fingers.  This is one of the main reasons for my love of Ciate’s Talent Scout.  It’s a bold purple that reminds me of juicy damsons!

A little unforgiving to ridged nails, though probably nothing a basecoat wouldn’t have prevented – Talent Scout is a two-coater with a creme finish.  Drying time was also good.

Ciate Talent Scout is available to purchase online at PowderRooms, priced at £9.00