A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Another one from before my camera bit the dust…

ELF’s Rosy Raisin is another 3 coater that seems to ‘turn good’ on that final coat.  I had a dodgy brush with this bottle – splayed ends.  There’s a first time for everything and this was the first time for me that the price tag really shone through everything else when it comes to ELF.

Disappointing.

The colour is a great wintery shade for those among us who favour them.  Again, at £1.50 – there’s really only so much moaning about a product I can do.  If I hadn’t had such crapola quality issue with the packaging… I’d be happy to recommend but even at £1.50, a girl needs a brush that’s up to the job right?

Soap.  In all it’s soapy glory.

When my parents make their annual French pilgrimage, Monsavon au lait (made since 1925) is one of the items on the (long) list of shopping requests that I send with them.

Inexpensive (well under 2 Euros a bar) and easy to get hold of over there, Monsavon au lait is simply one of the few soaps that doesn’t dry out my skin.  It’s not flash and it’s not glamourous… but it’s a bathroom essential for me with a comforting, soft scent that lingers on my skin.

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Ingredients” ccolor=”ffffff” bcolor=”b0c4de” bgcolor=”e6e6fa” cbgcolor=”778899″]Sodium Tallowate (so not suitable for vegans) – Sodium Cocoate – Sodium Palm Kernelate – Aqua – Glycerin – Parfum – Coconut Acid – Sine Adipe Lac – Sodium Chloeide – Titanium Dioxide – Linalool – Lanolin – Coumarin – etrasofium EDTA – Citronellol – Tetrasodium Etironate.  Equivalent of 1% milk.[/stextbox]

Do you have any favourite soap bars?

Hardly apt for Autumn… but if you’re clinging on to the last remnants of Summer, these shades could be for you!

E.L.F – Mango Madness

E.L.F – Passion Pink

Both are *incredibly* bright and neither of the samples I was sent came without their application issues.  Streaky and thin… 4 coats were required for each to achieve an opaque finish.

As with most neons, these dry semi matte (and kinda ugly), they need a glossy top coat to bring out the shine.

Passion Pink, as I’m sure you can see… is far more coral than it appears in the bottle and Mango Madness somehow manages to look almost creamy despite being retina burningly bright!

As usual for E.L.F polishes, these are priced at £1.50 each and available online from the website.

Sounding slightly more like a sex toy than one of E.L.F’s latest UK nail polish releases…. Purple Pleaser is a red-undertoned purple polish.  Just in time for winter!

My sample applied a little streaky, but nothing that a few coats didn”t deal with.  It could also benefit from a top coat to up the shine factor.

The colour isn’t particularly unique, but wear is pretty good with no chips for me until the 4th day.

Purple Pleaser (£1.50) can be bought online from E.L.F

There’s only three.

Do you like my artistry?  You better hope I get a new camera soon, I’m starting to get into it…

There were more things that I liked, but actually… I couldn’t be arsed to draw them.

1. Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate (£37)

I’ve avoided using this sample all Summer, thinking that it would be too rich for my skin in the warm weather.  Curiosity (and impatience) got the better of me and I’ve been using it for the last 3 weeks.  Since then?  My skin has COMPLETELY evened out in terms of texture.  The dry patches around my hairline and eyebrows where foundation used to cling are gone.   Spread thinly and evenly over my face, the Superskin Concentrate hasn’t made my oily bits any more oily either!

Application is a joy, it feels like a proper treatment.  One pump, warmed between my fingers and then I pretend I know what I’m doing with that whole facial massage thing.  Lots of sweeping, exaggerated gestures and wrist flicks.  At £37 for 28ml, it’s not cheap… but judging by my usage so far… I’m thinking a bottle will last me nearly 3 months, which puts things into perspective a little.

Also, I should mention the smell…. the overpowering aroma of rosehip won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.  I don’t mind it… it serves to remind me how herbal-ly and botanic it all is.  I’m gonna have to say it… this has overtaken the Instant Boost Skin Tonic/Superskin Moisturiser… Liz Earle’s Superskin Concentrate is now my favourite product from the brand.

You can purchase Liz Earle’s Superskin Concentrate online or instore.

2. Illamasqua Loose Powder in LP005 (£19)

LondonMakeupGirl can take the blame for this one.  I’m not sure if that’s justified but I think I got the recommendation from her.  Whatever, she can shoulder it.

I bought this with some trepidation.  It’s pink.  Bright pink.

I thought it might make me look like a candyfloss or Barabara Cartland’s impossibly younger sister.  In reality it’s a wonderfully subtle powder that practically melts into my skin.  It gives a soft-focus effect and by some strange witchcraft, brightens my complexion.

I *wish* I could pin down exactly what it is that this powder is doing to make me look healthier.  That’s the best way to describe it… it’s not illuminating, it doesn’t give me any kind of ‘glow’.  It just makes me look brighter and fresher.  Definite repurchase.

Be aware though, I wouldn’t describe this as mattifying… it doesn’t do a whole lot to keep oilies at bay, though obviously on initial application, it dispenses with any shine.

Illamasqua’s Loose Powder in LP005 can be purchased online, in their brand spanking new store (open today!) or from various concession stands.  Ooh also on BeautyBay, ASOS… cor, the list goes on!

3. E.L.F. Studio Single Eyeshadow in Raspberry Truffle (£3.50)

Bargain, bargain, bargain.  Seriously, E.L.F. has to be one of the few bargain brands with the capacity to get me all snooty about liking their stuff.

I feel funny about putting their products in the same drawer as my high end stuff (yeah, stupid I know) but the simple fact is that my love for some of their products FAR outweighs this snootiness.  So in it goes.

Raspberry Truffle is an intense chocolate brown with lashings of fiery copper sparkle.  Not chunky sparkle either… just smooth, velvety, light-catching goodness.  I adore this shade, it couldn’t be more perfect for an Autumnal smoky eye.

It definitely needs a bit of help to last longer than 20 minutes without disappearing on your eyelid, but that’s where our primers come in to their own isn’t it?

It’s hard to write about this without showing a swatch… but well… I’m not THAT talented.  You’ll have to take my word for it.  At £3.50… you NEED this in your life.

E.L.F. Studio Single Eyeshadow in Raspberry Truffle is available to buy online.

Not the most exciting beauty product to be featured on Lipglossiping… but you can’t get much cheaper than a quid, and when it’s a staple… that makes it a precious find!

I’m not sure if it’s seasonal stock… but I don’t *think* it is.  I’ve tried most supermarket brands, ‘named’ brands, chemist owned brands… and this is simply the best.  It may not be the most moisturising (though it does contain glycerin), but I don’t care.  I just want last week’s polish off my tips and QUICK!

Classics Nail Polish remover is available from Poundland and really, really does the job!

Stay Pout… Stay Put… get it?

I didn’t… It took Mr. L almost 3 minutes of explaining to make me realise that there was a play on words in effect here.  In the end… to save face, I told him to shut up and stop playing with my lipsticks.  He shut up.

I received samples of the new Barbara Daly range last week and have been putting their claims of longevity to the test.  But first, let me show you a few shades…

Diva is a slightly cool-toned red that I’m finding very wearable.  It’s not OHMYGODYOU’REWEARINGREDLIPSTICK red.  More, OOHLALAYOUHASREDLIPS red.  Subtle nuances are really crucial.  On my lips, In The Pink is a warm-toned creamy medium pink.  Very nice.

Perfect is a dark nude… a light swipe gives a ‘my lips but better’ appearance.  Finally, Autumn is a medium brown toned shade which leans slightly more to rose than bronze.  It’s a good shade if you fancy dipping your toes into the whole ‘brown lipstick’ thing which seems to be a bit of an Autumn trend.

I know I look tired, that’s ‘cos I’m wearing no makeup from the lips up!  Got home yesterday, took it all off and then remembered that I hadn’t lip swatched any of the shades!  Above, I’m wearing In The Pink and I’m surprised at how much deeper it looks on my lips than it does in the swatch.  I think it would be worth making use of those instore testers on the back of your hands ladies!

Longevity is pretty impressive… I munched my way through a bowl of ice cream and a cup of tea.  Despite leaving some lipstick stains on the spoon, I still had plenty of coverage on my lips.  The texture is a little varied throughout the shades I tried.  Diva is quite hard and drags when applying but Perfect is really very creamy indeed.  They smell pretty cheap, that old lady lipstick smell that makes you grateful for MAC’s vanilla scented offerings.  Still… you can’t smell them once they’re applied.

As a long-lasting lipstick… these aren’t hydrating and after a couple of hours will accentuate the furrows on your lips.  I’ve tried applying over a thin layer of balm and that makes all the difference to negating any dryness.

My final criticism of these is that they don’t wear so evenly.  On most shades, it’s not a problem… but wearing Diva began to leave me with a heavier outline of red after a few hours.  Easily remedied by smooshing my lips together to redistribute… but kinda uncool if someone else catches you before you get the chance to notice.  I’m gonna nickname this phenomenon, the RROD (Red Ring of Death)… Xbox fans take cover.  Having said that, the last time I wore my True Red Revlon Colorburst, I was so embarrassed to realise that half of it had transferred to my gnashers.  I had absolutely no transfer to my big bunny-like front teeth with any of these lipsticks.

Competitively priced at £5 each and available from Tesco, the Barbara Daly Stay Pout lipsticks should be available instore now.  My pick of the bunch is Perfect.

I received these two boxes of E.L.F’s new Mineral Booster through the post the other day courtesy of PR and my interest was piqued.  I do love my mineral makeup.

I will however, always hate the mess from playing with… what are essentially, little pots of dust.

I already own the original version of the Mineral Booster which I bought about a year ago to use as an alternative to Bare Escentual’s Mineral Veil (it got superceded by my love for E.L.F’s HD Powder though).  These new incarnations are pretty much the same thing as the original… but on steroids!

Since I’ve become spoiled by Bare Escentuals new Click Lock Go packaging, I’m taking a point away from the E.L.F Mineral Booster ‘cos frankly, it’s a nightmare to transport.

E.L.F Mineral Booster in Shimmer is an ivory toned powder with a healthy does of sparkle.  Sneeze over this baby and you’ll be seeing stars for the foreseeable future!  I was surprised at how creamy the powder felt to the touch.  Obviously very finely milled… E.L.F never fail to impress me with the texture of their mineral products.

E.L.F Mineral Booster in Tinted is a warmer chocolate latté kinda colour… not quite dark enough to terrify me, but certainly deep enough to give me pause about applying it to my pale skin tone.  Again, texture is great with no lumps or areas of heavier pigmentation.

When I swatched both products, I felt a little disappointed.  Not hugely inspiring are they?  The Shimmer is pretty subtle on the back of my hand and the Tinted is just kinda Ovaltine-y.  I wasn’t actually sure what I was gonna be able to do with them by way of demonstration to show you how they work.

Faced with this… a lack of any technical skills whatsoever and my 10hr old makeup, I decided to just go for it.  I grabbed a big powder brush and went for the Tinted version first.  I chose a powder brush over my kabuki as I wanted something that wouldn’t deposit too much product.  I needn’t have worried, Tinted is quite sheer when applied with a brush, it definitely gives you the opportunity to build without flooding your face with pigment.  I applied a light layer allover, then built up the shading along my invisible cheekbones.  I wasn’t too bothered about whether I was ‘contouring’ or ‘blushing’ – I was just slapping it on.

Reaching for Shimmer, I focused on the high points on my face.  Those imaginary cheekbones got a dusting, as did my nose and chin.  Watching the sparkles float on the air I was expecting to see a beacon of glitter reveal itself to me when I looked in the mirror, but the effect was pretty subtle.  Infact… I couldn’t really see any difference at all.

I took an ‘after’ photo anyway and figured that I’d leave the review at swatches and the fact that I thought it was too subtle.

The photos disagree with me though:

Is it just ‘cos it’s mattified me or does the ‘after’ look smoother?  More polished?  I think it’s given me a hint of coverage (check the red nose)… but as a Mineral Booster, that’s not really it’s job description.

Wait… what IS it’s job description?

Achieve the ultimate, translucent “photo finishing touch” to your makeup, our Mineral Booster melts into your skin, infusing it with key vitamins A, B and E to promote healthier skin that’s noticeably silkier and smoother. Completely sheer and ideal for all skin tones, Mineral Booster gently absorbs oil and minimizes the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pores for a beautiful even finish. Wear alone or buff over our Mineral Concealer and Foundation to lend extra staying power and to achieve a professional and stunning porcelain matte look that will last all day.

Oh right!  Well, I guess it’s up for promotion then ‘cos that’s what I’m seeing…. though they aren’t gonna last you all day unless your middle name is Dust Bowl.

Can you notice a difference?  I can’t put my finger on what else it’s done.  Considering the colour of ‘tinted’, it’s pretty subtle innit?

All I know is, I prefer the ‘after’.

At £3.50 a pot, these new E.L.F Mineral Boosters are getting the thumbs up from me.

Whilst dodging the weekly shop by loitering down the health and beauty aisles, I thought it might be high time to give the Barbara Daly range another once over after being so impressed by the nail polishes.

I was glad I did, because my eyes alighted on these:

Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye Eye Shadow Pens!

I have to draw the comparison to the Ellis Faas eye pens don’t I?  I mean, c’mon… how could I not?

With the Barbara Daly eye shadow pens costing £5.62 in Tesco vs. Ellis Faas’s £22 only stocked at Liberty offering – there’s no prizes for guessing which is gonna win the price/accessibility war but let’s take a look at some of the colours and application shall we?

Let’s face it… these budget versions from Barbara Daly are never gonna win the “which is sexier” battle.  Take a look at the wonderful Witoxicity for an indepth view at the new Ellis Faas Eye Lights pens if you’re unfamiliar with the eyeshadow pen concept.

Pulling off the lid reveals a nylon brush…. pliable and soft with plenty of give (perhaps a little too much give).  The goal is to draw the creme eyeshadow into the chamber and down the middle of the brush head until it emerges onto the tip of the brush.  To do this, you twist the opposite end of the pen which clicks as it rotates and forces the creme up through the bristles… like so…

Out of the four products that I put to the test, each dispensed product accurately and smoothly.  None of this sudden gushing of eyeshadow that the Ellis Faas pens have been known to do.

There’s some beautiful shades in the range, all very wearable both as shadows or eye liners.  I think I saw another shade while I was on holiday too…. I may have imagined it though, a neutral called Hazel?  Anyway… I think you’ll agree, these look pretty pigmented and lovely no?

The cremes glide on (I use the brush pen to apply directly to the eyelid) and blend with my little finger or a separate brush.  Don’t even bother trying to blend these with the built-in brush… it’s only good for creating hard lines, you’ll be turning the air blue before you know it!

Here’s a quick FOTD with Otter as the main focus.  A great shade for bringing out any green lurking in your eyes!  I’m also currently addicted to wearing Airforce as a thick eyeliner (slightly blended along the edge with a smudger brush).

Wear is pretty decent, it sets fully within a couple of minutes and lasts without creasing for about 5 hours when worn with no base.  I know they’re not hugely sexy… I mean, for god’s sake – they have the words “make up” printed on them, but they’ve impressed me!

Check them out next time you’re in Tesco!

Have you tried the Barbara Daly Easy-on-the-Eye pens before?  Which shades are you liking the look of?

Light Pink my bum.

I picked up the LUSH Colour Supplement in shade Light Pink a few months ago.  In theory, I love the idea.  A simple product that can be used in multiple ways?  I’ll let LUSH explain:

…Just mix into your favourite moisturiser for a natural tint or use on its own as a foundation. You can also dot a little around unsightly blemishes for effective coverage.

With Summer nearly upon us, I wanted a tinted moisturiser.  Well, I *thought* I wanted a tinted moisturiser.  TM’s are an odd beast… we love them in principle, but in reality?  We often crave more coverage.  I envisaged that with LUSH’s Colour Supplement, I would be able to custom mix my tinted moisturiser… adding extra product on days when I wanted a more flawless finish.

LUSH currently offer 4 shades.  Light Pink, Dark Pink, Light Yellow, Dark Yellow.  It’s not rocket science… and I like it that way.

Except that Light Pink isn’t very light.  And it’s not very pink either.

If you go to the dictionary… and open the page at “light pink”, you’d see a picture of me.

Oooh look, tide marks!

Better, but no cigar.

Otherwise?  I like the product.  It’s too drying for me to use neat as a concealer or foundation as LUSH suggest, but I loved having the ability to self-mix my tinted moisturiser in the mornings.  But sadly, the shades just aren’t right for me.

LUSH Colour Supplements are priced at an incredibly reasonable £7.50 for 20g.  That small pot will make a hell of a lot of TM.

Are you a fan?

Barbara Daly has some caaaaa-ute mini nail polishes (7ml) available in Tesco at the moment.  I’m wearing the shade Sunset which is a glorious pink-toned red.

It’s one of those shades that make your nails look like colourful little smarties and I’m definitely going to check out the other shades whilst they’re on 3for2.  (Currently £3 a piece)

The formula of Sunset is easily one of the best I’ve used.  Yes, it’s that good.  2 coats for a truly perfect finish the brush is well made, the polish glides on my nails and with a slick of top coat gives the most beautifully glossy yet creamy finish.

Not only that… but the above photo was taken on the third day of wear.  Erm… where’s the tip wear?

I just hope the other shades live up to my now hugely inflated expectations!

When better to put a so-called ‘cooling gel’ to the test than on some of the hottest days of the year so far?  Arnicare… you’re up against it!

I’m a big believer in the herbal remedy Arnica… but only recently.

I had umpteen women telling me to make sure I packed some Arnica-related products in my hospital bag when I was preparing to give birth to L.  They all said that it would help ease bruising…. “down there”.

I didn’t listen.  I couldn’t even bear the thought of bruising “down there”…. la la la la, “Can’t hear you!”.  Was convinced baby L would emerge into this world a little bit like this (infact, it was my mantra in the last few weeks):

Push
Push
Pain
PUSH
Pop.

Clearly, I’m a moron… but not spending my precious Boots points on tubes of Arnica was probably for the best.  There ended up being no ‘pushing’ involved and Mr. L struggled under the weight of my damn hospital bag anyway.

However, after some recent surgery and tremendous abdominal bruising, I remembered this ‘Arnica’ stuff and shuffled down to my local Boots to pick myself up a tube of Nelsons Arnica Cream.  I only applied it to the major bruise, which was roughly 6x worse than the other incidental bruises…. would you believe it?  The major one ended up fading more rapidly than the rest!  That’s me sold on the power of the herb.

I’m rambling really badly….

I was invited to sample Nelson’s Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel.  I’ll let them tell you why we’d need it shall I?:

Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel combines the benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of natural grapefruit oil and menthol to cool and soothe the skin. Ideal for rubbing into aching muscles following physical exertion or to revive tired, heavy legs after being on your feet all day

On last Saturday, the hottest day of my LIFE (melodramatic pause) I pulled out the Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel and applied.  Lots.

It didn’t cool me down AT ALL!

Gutted.  Maybe there isn’t enough of the whole ‘cooling’ properties to make a difference in this kind of heat.  I wanted it to feel like an Arctic breeze fluttering around my calves.  It didn’t.

So I only did one leg… remember, I was really hot.  I could barely be bothered to breathe let alone bend over and massage ineffectual cooling gel into my legs.

Fast forward 9 hours… it’s 11.30pm and I’m sat there blogging.  Under my desk, one of my legs feels bizarrely fresh… fresh like I’ve just woken up.  I only noticed it ‘cos my other leg felt like it needed amputating after a day spent running around after a 14 month old.  What a strange feeling!

Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel?  I think I like you.  You might not give me instant cooling relief, but I reckon if I’d massaged you into both legs I’d at least have been able to walk myself to bed.  As it was, Mr. L had to roll me.

I’m keeping this in the fridge from now on though.

Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel is priced at £4.65 and available from pharmacies and health food stores nationwide.