A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Can you feel it coming?  The birds are beginning to sing a slightly more cheerful tune, the flowers are peeking their tiny heads out from beneath the frozen ground and the dark evenings are gradually fading into longer twilights.  Sure, it ain’t exactly warming up yet… but I’m optimistic that we’re over the worst of it.  Maybe.

The fact that I took delivery of the Boots No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection* this morning may have had something to do with the new-found spring in my step (pardon the pun).  Look at that packaging, I love it and I usually quite dislike white cosmetic packaging.  Mind you, I used to hate white gadgets too… *hides all Apple technology*.

The new Lisa Eldridge-created collection consists of: one eye palette, one complexion highlighter, two cream blushers and two lipsticks.  No nail polishes this time.  Boo.

Want a closer look?

This prettily packaged eye palette reminds me of the Avon Marimekko ones from a few years back, does anyone remember those?  Anyway, the No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette offers five warm-toned shades with four neutrals and a pop of golden-yellow.  Nothing too dark here, this is all about bringing some light to the face and brightening the eye area.  I tend to prefer cooler tones on my eyes but I do like the satin-finish of these, they’re not too metallic and showy.  Texture is a touch soft but they blend nicely and last very well on primed eyelids.

Next up is the No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter, a smooth champagne highlighting powder that applies with more sophistication and refinement than I expected.  It imparts a non-metallic glow when used with a light hand and is neutral enough not to look too warm, or too pink on my skintone.  No7 generally do highlighting powders very, very well and if you’re in the market for a new one, this is worth a look.

A real standout in the collection are their two new blushers.  The No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink (fuchsia) and Blossoming Pink (guava) are a cream-to-powder formulation that pack a real punch of vibrancy whilst still being able to blend down to a wearable flush without streaking.  The formula is *so* spot on with these… I own cream blushers that cost twice as much and apply literally, half as well as these do.  Highly recommend checking these out while they’re still available.

My other favourite from the collection are the two new No7 Vital Brights Lipstick shades that allude to the popular lightweight formula the beauty world can’t get enough off, whilst boasting more buildable pigmentation levels than most gel-style lipsticks.  They’re knockout shades too… Blooming Pink is the killer, cool-toned fuchsia which looks great with a slick of black liner and will carry you confidently through to Summer.  Blossoming Pink is a slightly cool-toned nude which will please women who prefer a safer lip-shade.  It’s nude without being too pale, more of a perfecting lip shade than a colour statement.  How this one turns out will really depend on your natural lip colouring.

Without wanting to sound like a major fangirl, there’s not a dud in the collection.  If you twisted my arm, I’d say that you could probably leave the eye palette on the shelf.  It’s a little bit soft and doesn’t tick my must-have requirements in the same way as some of the other pieces.  Do not let this limited edition collection pass you by without going in for a closer look at the lipsticks and blushes though.  That’s an order.

If you can bring yourself to, please excuse the bottom right cam-whoring.  I couldn’t – in all seriousness – where such a horrifically clashing lip shade and not ham it up a bit.  In all photos I’m wearing the eye palette, blossoming pink cream blush and highlighter.  It’s hopefully clear enough in which photos I’m wearing which lipstick.  Does that make sense?

No7 Vital Brighetning Eye Palette – 4g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Enlightening Highlighter – 10g (£13.00)
No7 Vital Brights Cream Blushers in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 2g (£10.00)
No7 Vital Brights Lipsticks in Blooming Pink or Blossoming Pink – 3.5g (£10.00)

Have you got your eye on any pieces from the new Spring Collection?  Already bought something – let me know!

The No7 Floral Brights Spring 2012 Collection is available exclusively in Boots stores now and online at Boots.com until the 6th March 2012.  It’s worth pointing out that No7 products are also currently on 3for2.

* press samples

I’ve still been wearing my beloved red lip shades throughout December, though not blogging them as well as I would have liked.  I have so many beautiful new acquisitions I’d really love to show you before the weather gets warm again, someone please give me a kick up the butt to get the reds (both yours and mine) setting the blog on fire again!

I sneaked 5 minutes for a quick photo-take in the back garden yesterday afternoon (the light is so poor indoors), this is my latest red purchase, and with it must go mega-credit (and a big thank you) to Frooti Beauty for swatching the Urban Decay Supersaturated High Gloss Lip Colour range for me!  I already own Big Bang and Crush, so knew in advance that I would be a fan of the formula but wasn’t sure on whether F-Bomb was the kind of true, clean red that I tend to favour.

I’d say that it leans ever so slightly warm but not enough to go all fire-engine on my face… the formula is long-wearing and lasts happily through a few drinks.  I really hope that Urban Decay consider bringing out some more shades in this lineup – I love a chunky lip pencil, especially one that gives as much shine as this!

Urban Decay Supersaturated High Gloss Lip Colour in F-Bomb is priced at £14 and available instore at the usual Urban Decay concessions and online at BeautyBay.com

I’m slowly getting back into the swing of wearing bolder lipsticks and rapidly falling in love with my Kevyn Aucoin purchases whilst I’m at it!  Enchantaberry is a wearable berry shade that never looks overdone.  It’s perfect if you’re a little shy of vampy Autumn/Winter shades but would still like to experiment.

My favourite thing about these KA lipsticks though, is the formula.  They seem to somehow dry to a powder finish without being drying, at least for me – and I don’t have particularly amazing lips. I usually have to bring my Lanolips into nightly use when I bring out the red lipstick but not so with the Kevyn Aucoin lippies that I’ve been wearing recently.

Just like Dantique, which I featured previously, Enchantaberry appears to be darker in the tube than when applied.  It has a silky texture and can be blotted to a “just bitten” stain if you so wish.  I prefer to wear it full-on, it’s not too dark or vampy, as you can see…

Out of all the berries(!), I say this one has a raspberry edge, it’s another big thumbs up for a wearable red from makeup master Kevyn Aucoin.

Kevyn Aucoin Enchantaberry is currently available at a bargain price of £4.99 on eBay, alternatively you can purchase online from www.misebeauty.com, priced at £20.

It’s been a while huh?  I’m thinking that the temperature has dropped enough now to kick-start the red lip series again…

I’m easing myself back into the season slowly though with this little number from makeup uber-God Kevyn Aucoin.

Kevyn Aucoin’s The Expert Lip Tint in Dantique is a proper grown-up red that oozes sophistication and I’m completely smitten with it.  The shade reminds me a little of my Burberry Lip Cover in Claret but while the Burberry is slightly more pink-berry toned, this one leans to a rosey/red-brown.  It’s a totally work-appropriate red if you live in fear of wearing your lips a little too loudly.

Genuinely moisturising on my lips and wears down evenly to a pretty stain, I can see myself hitting stump on this shade.

There are currently some Kevyn Aucoin lipsticks for sale on eBay at a very good price, I’m sure they’re old stock but I’ve bought a couple with no problems, otherwise – you can buy online priced at £20 each from MiseBeauty.com

MAC’s Oh, Oh, Oh lustre lipstick was recently released in the brand’s 8438594th collection of the year.  Oh ok, it was released in their huge 51-piece MAC Me Over collection for Autumn.  Said collection included a total of eight lipsticks, I fell in love with one.

MAC Oh, Oh, Oh is an unlikely-looking contender in the tube with an overwhelming impression that you’re looking at a bronze/copper shade.  Not so my fellow lipstick-lovers, for Oh, Oh, Oh is infact a beautiful plum with vibrant gold shimmer, rendering it absolutely perfect for Autumn.

Lustres are my favourite MAC lipstick finish, sheer (but not too sheer) and glossy with a softer texture than most.  Once warmed up, it glides on with no issues and imparts a healthy dose of colour to my naturally unpigmented lips.

I like to wear MAC Oh, Oh, Oh with a pink or plum blush, a slick of eyeliner and not much else.  The beauty in this lipstick lies in the golden shimmer that deserves to take the main stage.

Have you found your favourite Autumn lipstick yet?

MAC Oh, Oh, Oh Lustre Lipstick is still available on the MAC Website in the going-going-gone section priced at £13.50, if you wanted to snap up a great choice for Autumn, better be quick!

Three new lip colours have joined the permanent range of Clarins Rouge Prodige lipsticks this Autumn and although they’re new shades for fall, they hark back to the Summer we never had.  Let me tell you why…

Summer 2011 was all about the glossy, sheer look for lips with shades like Chanel’s Boy making the biggest waves across the beauty blogosphere.  Clarin’s Autumn lineup has included three new Rouge Prodige colours* that replicate the sheer, glossy trend but in a more Winter-appropriate formula that’s less balmy and longer-lasting than the Summer offerings.

Rouge Prodige True-Hold Colour & Shine Lipsticks include include the new shades:

#105 Peach Sorbet
#115 Rosy Coral
#123 Creamy Toffee

Here’s a closer look…

The Rouge Prodige formula continues to feel quite different to most other lipsticks.  For a long-wearing texture, it feels moisturising on the lips and fairly tacky, though not in a gloopy, lipgloss way.  These don’t dry my lips at all but you may find the stickiness a little awkward if you’re prefer a matte-r feeling.

Here’s how they look applied and in context with the rest of the face.  You can see here that each shade is fairly transparent with a hint of base colour.  The most pigmented is #105 and I felt that each shade would particularly suit specific skintones: #105 for warmer skins, #115 for cooler skintones and #123 for darker complexions.

The new shades add polish and shine to a made-up face without injecting too much colour.  Balm fans will be delighted to find a longer-lasting alternative to the Summer trends, colour-freaks?  Not so much.

The new Clarins Rouge Prodige shades are available to buy now online at Clarins.com and on counter, priced at £17.00 each.

* press samples

Always a sucker for a bargain, I dived in head first when ELF recently cut the prices of their new(ish) Studio Matte Lip Colors to £1 a piece.  I jumped on them more because I love lipsticks in pen form than because I love matte formulas.  Let’s face it, matte formulas can be tricky to wear unless you’re 14 and addicted to Carmex.

Currently available on the UK website in four neutral shades, I grabbed the lot (and some nail polishes that I’ll probably never get round to blogging).

Tea Rose, Coral, Praline and Natural are the four shades available to purchase.

Here’s what they look like in the tubes…

For what it’s worth, I really like the packaging on these.  The simple and minimalistic black casing defies their £3.50 price tag.  The lids click to a tight, flush close and the twist mechanism feels like it will go the distance.  No complaints from me.

The formula on these didn’t vary too much between shades.  I found Praline perhaps gave the most drag during application, a little less creamy than the others but probably my favourite to wear because it looked the least chalky once applied.

Tea Rose was the creamiest but I felt that the colour was a little off, it’s quite mauve based which made my lips look a little… dead.

Coral looks far more apricot than a true coral shade in my humble opinion and Natural is easily the most nude for my complexion.  They’re a good, solid bunch of lip-neutral shades and I think most should be able to find one shade from the selection that will suit their skintones well.

And the lip swatches…

I know I usually do a full-face shot with lip swatches for context but none of them flattered me and I have a huge zit on my chin that has been there (without a head) for the past week – some days, you just can’t face those pesky FOTDs and today was one of them.  I also thought the close up might be useful so that you can see just how ‘drying’ each shade appears on the lips.

The paler shades definitely come out a little chalky looking, something that would easily be remedied by a touch of lipgloss to conceal those furrows.  In terms of comfort, I didn’t actually find them particularly drying on the lips which is testament to a quality purchase from the budget brand, however, I wouldn’t describe them as moisturising either.  Just your standard, good quality matte lipstick.

The ELF Studio Matte Lip Colors taste very fruity but are not particularly scented, something which surprised me (on both counts).  The taste, although synthetic, is pleasant enough…. similar to what you’d expect from something like a chapstick.

Overall, and for the money, I can’t really fault them too much.  Sure, I’m not really a fan of how the colours turned out against my skintone but that’s personal preference… throw me a red or hot pink and this could well have been a gushing post of epic proportions.  I’d say, give ’em a go – you might just find your holy grail nude matte lip!

ELF Studio Matte Lip Colors are available to purchase online at the ELF website, priced at £3.50 each.

Perhaps one shouldn’t judge a collection on the sum of its smallest parts but damn, I like lipstick.  And I really like this lipstick.  Lancome’s French Touch Absolu is heavyweight, solid and beautifully designed to capture the attention of vintage-lipstick lovers everywhere.

You should take note of how small this is.  Possibly the one down-side to retaining that authentic, vintage styling.  It’s practically a stub.  A stub of beauty, but a stub nonetheless.  For the princely sum of £23.50, you get 3.7ml (not listed in grams) of product (EDIT: Rouge Deluxe has come to the rescue and confirmed that you get 3g of product, the same as a MAC lipstick – so, erm, ignore me).

It has a wonderful old-fashioned lipstick scent that evokes memories of playing with my Nan’s makeup when I was a little girl.  It’s thoroughly charming and despite the obvious absence of any value for money… my heart has been captured.

In 1945, Lancome redefined the codes of beauty by launching “Shaker”, its very first lipstick, in the ultimate shade of red.

In creating the latest French Touch Absolu, Aaron de Mey has once again drawn inspiration from Lancome’s heritage whilst adding a modern twist.  The sumptuous, creamy texture of French Touch Absolu guarantees a deliciously sensual velvet touch: a true silk cream enhanced with Pro-Xylane™ to give lips stunning contour and shape.

One swipe.  Perhaps there is a little more value for money there than I first anticipated…  The above swatch shows shade #102 Rouge St Honore, but there will be two other reds available (#100 Rouge 29 and #104 Rouge Faubourg).

Words can’t quite express how in love I am with this lipstick.  I mean, I know the collection is all about that blush, which is of course ridiculously pretty.  But I’m not just looking at it, I wanna use it and this lipstick would blow most products out of the water.  It’s creamy without being heavy, moisturising without being slippy and once blotted, it stays put for hours.  Love.

Lancome’s French Touch Absolu Lipstick in Rouge St Honoré is priced at £23.50 and available at Lancome counters nationwide from 1st September 2011

*press sample

With their palettes taking main stage, it’s easy to forget about Urban Decay’s other product releases and this Autumn sees quite a few new introductions from the U.S. brand.

One in particular that I think will prove to be popular are the new Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors.  Currently available in five shades, these chubby lip pencils feature varying textures and finishes that promise high impact colour.

I would describe Big Bang as a medium-textured pencil, it’s not going to need constant sharpening but it doesn’t drag across my lips either.  This particular shade (Big Bang) contains a hefty amount of glitter which I didn’t find bothersome despite expecting to be irritated by a rough or scratchy finish from the particles.

Big Bang is a vibrant magenta that leans cool and contains a blue-pink glitter.  Despite the high-gloss moniker, I didn’t find this particularly glossy.  Shiny, yes (from the glitter) but not glossy in the traditional sense.  Neither should this be confused as a lipstick/gloss hybrid.  This particular shade is far more lipstick than lipgloss in both application and finish.

It packs a punch of colour and applies evenly with an impressive opacity even at first swipe.  Once on, it stays put nicely with no additional feathering and only minimal transfer to other objects.  It can be blotted to shift a little of the glitter if you find it a bit too disco.

Big Bang delivers a good 3/4 hours of wear before fading evenly and leaving a hint of a stain behind.  I think I’d love it more sans glitter but either way, this introduction to the new line has ensured that I’m destined to head to my nearest Urban Decay counter to check out F-Bomb (the creamy red) and Crush (the hot creamy pink).  As far as I’m aware, these are not limited edition.

Oh and incase you were wondering, the eyeliner in the above lip swatch is one of their new ones too…

Yup, Urban Decay appear to be on top form this Autumn.

All Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Colors* are currently in stock online at BeautyBay.com priced at £14.00 each.

* press sample

OK, I’m nearly done with “the best lipstick that ever graced makeup counters anywhere” but as promised, here’s a FOTD showing the Burberry Lip Cover Lipstick in Claret worn in a more casual way.

This is how I favour it… not that I don’t like it worn as a full-on red lipstick but I’m delighted to have something that I can blot onto my lips and achieve a good 6 hours of wear from with it come out still looking pretty pristine the other side.

The camera hasn’t picked it up but there is a sprinkling of silver sparkle throughout the lipstick and it’s more apparent after blotting, perhaps because the actual act of blotting mattifies the colour base.  Whatever the reason, the sparkle shines through in an understated way.

So yeah, incase you haven’t already deduced… this is my lipstick du jour.  My objet d’art *insert more poncy faux frenchness here*.  Check out this post if you want to see the shade swatched in full pigmentation.

You can purchase Burberry lipsticks at Harrods if you’re nearby but I also discovered last night that the Burberry website is offering free-freaking-delivery at the moment, which is also pretty awesome.  The lipsticks are £22 each.

Lip stains are generally pretty cack aren’t they?  That Max Factor Lipfinity one?  Cack with a capital C, it tastes revolting too.  The Revlon Just Bitten version is only mildly more tolerable but horrendously drying on my lips.

And so, it was with a certain amount of “here we go again…” that I took this Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm* away with me after a recent blogger event.  My previous experiences were definitely playing heavily on my mind.

The Smashbox stain is a dual-ended affair with a liquid-dispensing felt tip on one end and a stick of balm on the other.  The shade is Sangria, a bold wine-red… as you may have guessed from the name.

The felt tip is the best I’ve used… it’s non-scratchy and dispenses an even amount of stain across the surface of my lips regardless of the angles I’m using to apply.  These would probably go down really well in outer space for that reason alone.

The other end offers a chunk of barely-coloured balm designed to match the stain in a hydrating formula.

Some lip stains that I’ve used have had the tendency to be wishy-washy, needing many coats to build up the colour.  Not so here… the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm in Sangria (I haven’t tried the other shades) is bold.  Very bold.  Vampy bold even.

Unfortunately, it all starts to go a bit wrong from here.

Once applied, I liked it a lot… infact I decided that I loved it.  2 hours in and the colour was holding fast without my lips being painfully dehydrated as a result.  I had even decided that I would look past the £21.50 price tag for something that was such a WIN at being awesomely long-lasting and beautifully powerful.

Then suddenly at around the 4hr mark, things went awry and the colour slipped VERY quickly.  I should also point out that I hadn’t eaten anything (just sipped at the usual 56 cups of tea over the course of the morning).

This is how it looked when I first applied it.  Lovely innit?  I was full of “OMG, I <3 Smashbox” at the time this photo was taken.

Problem is that when this thing fades, it fades UGLY.  Mr. L was adamant that I was bleeding from the mouth.

It was looking not so hot after 4 hours but I left it another hour before taking the photo.  I don’t want a lip colour that’s gonna scare the crap out of people around me.  I don’t need that kind of hassle in my life and I don’t want people stopping me in the street asking if I need a paramedic.

On the plus side, the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm does not feather, isn’t horrendously drying and looks amaze when first applied.  If you can remain no more than 4ft from a mirror at all times when wearing it for re-application checks, you’re gonna be in heaven.  Me?  I’m a bit scared of it.

Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm is available in 6 shades and is priced at £21.50 from Debenhams.

* press sample

It’s taken me AGES to break this open from its packaging because I do this ‘thing’ where I don’t let myself use new products until I’ve photographed them in their pristine glory.  I stick to this pact mostly but boy, it was hard to do with this one!

Just look…

I’m not sure you can beat Burberry and Armani for their lipstick packaging… those magnetic closures get me every time.  The satisfying spin and gentle ‘clunk’ as the lid hits home.  One day, I will get a life.

I picked this up from the counter in Harrods a few weeks ago after umm-ing and ahh-ing over which shade to get.  I already own Cameo Pink which is a warm, summer pink with a slight hint of salmon… trust me, it’s nicer than I’ve just made it sound.  Fish references rarely work well with cosmetics.

With this little beauty, I thought I’d buy ahead… I wanted something to “see in” Autumn.  You know I love my reds and HELL I can’t wait to break them out again but I wanted something ‘inbetween’ for the coming months and I couldn’t have made a better choice than Burberry Lip Cover in #16 Claret (£22.00).

Claret is a lovely red with a hint of brown and a dusting of sparkle.  It can be worn to achieve a full, glossy finish (as in the lip swatch below) or blotted down to provide a beautiful, slightly bloodied (seriously, I can tell I’m selling this to you), full bodied stroke of sensuality for a more casual finish.

Casual reds don’t usually work well on me, they often look a bit… well… smudgy and like I’ve had a few too many vodkas.  I tend to need that sharp definition that a lip brush brings.  But this one looks BETTER pressed onto the lips.  The sparkle makes my lips look fuller (proper sparkle, not frost), while the claret shade gives that ‘just bitten’ effect but slightly more vampy.

The above photo shows it NOT worn casually, silly me.  I’ll include it in a FOTD soon wearing it the way that made me fall in love.  The formula of the Burberry Lip Cover is smooth and non-drying, a little slippy unless blotted but nothing as short-lived as a YSL Rouge Volupte.

I actually have Nonie Creme from Butter London to thank for this little beauty.  The S.A. in Harrods had applied it for me before I headed off to meet Nonie and her lovely PR and during a conversation which included me telling her that I’d been looking at some Burberry lipsticks that morning, she asked if I was wearing one of them.  After replying in the affirmative, Nonie asked if I had bought it to which I replied “Not yet, I couldn’t decide between a couple of shades.”

Nonie insisted that I go buy it.  Like I was gonna NOT buy it after that decree right?

So thanks Nonie!  Ok, I’m done with name-dropping now, as you were.

*cuddles lipstick*