A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

This limited edition Living The Life in Laguna* palette from Stila landed on my desk the other day and once I peeked inside, I knew I had to make it the focus of my makeup that evening.  The darker shades are so rich and Autumnal, I was instantly sold.

The collectible palette is one of a series of five from the US brand.  It’s a little bigger than an iPhone and made of sturdy cardboard.  It contains a (slightly too small) mirror, four eye colours, a cheek colour and a highlighter.

All the eye shades included are shimmery and can be worn both wet or dry.  The cheek shades both contain a fairly subtle shimmer that makes them suitable for both day or evening wear.  I absolutely adore the bottom right shade (of the four eye ones) – a rich, chocolatey brown with copper shimmer, it’s exquisite for green eyes.

Each palette in the Beach Girl series comes with a helpful set of instructions on a possible method of application.  I followed Stila’s instructions to the letter for this palette which created the following look…

I adore this little palette, even more so when I checked the press information and discovered that the price is set at a mere £10.00 – bargain.  If you want some real bang for your buck in an easy-to-wear palette that provides not only a complete ‘look’ but also a range of shades you’ll mix and match time and time again, look no further.

Stila Living The Life in Laguna Beach Girl Palette is priced at £10.00 and available to buy online from BeautyBay.com

* press sample

Last month saw the launch of a new highlighter from Benefit, a brand that have enjoyed great success in the past with their highlighting products that mimic how light and shadow play across the face.

Unlike liquid products like the brand’s previous highlighting options: Highbeam and Moonbeam, Watt’s Up! is a twist-up cream highlighting stick in the style of a NARS Multiple.

Packaged to be reminiscent of a light bulb, it’s cute, kitsch and all the things you’d expect from a brand like Benefit.  One end houses the product… the other, a sponge designed for blending.  Something, which in my opinion is a bit of a waste of time.

I find that the sponge does more to rub the product off than it does to blend it.  You’ll be fine just using your fingertips to get a smooth application though I do appreciate it’s existence as it could well come in handy in my makeup bag put to some other use!

On initial application, the product gives quite a warm champagne glow with a lot of reflection but once blended, it softens to a more natural, neutral hue that will flatter most skintones.  The cream has a lovely amount of slip and glides over my skin which ensures that it’s foundation friendly and blends seamlessly with whatever base I’ve already applied.

Once applied, it sets quite quickly to a powder finish and didn’t slide around on my normal/dry skin or slip during the day, oilier skins may struggle with this depending on how you usually fare with cream-to-powder formulas.

Once blended (the above photo shows unblended), I find the overall effect fairly subtle compared to some of the more pearlescent products that I’ve used in the past and I would happily wear this during both the day and for going out.

At £24.50, I think it’s quite pricey for what it is but I can’t actually find too much fault with the product – I would just like to see it about £6 cheaper.

Benefit Watt’s Up! is available to buy online or on counter from Benefit Cosmetics.

I’m not a great self-tanner. I mean that in both senses of the word — I don’t do it very often and when I do, I’m pretty shit at it. The historical exception to this rule is with Sally Hansen’s old Airbrush Legs… you can still buy it, but the formula is a little different now and they’ve ditched my shade. I used to love it and would go through cans of the stuff when the weather called for a bit of leg-display.

So, when St. Tropez’s new Perfect Legs Spray landed on my desk, I had barely opened the envelope before I was prising off the lid and putting it to work, ever-hopeful that I might find my pasty-leg saviour.

Look how stained my hand is!! I’ll tell you more about that in a minute…

The new St. Tropez Perfect Legs Spray promises an instant, natural bronzing effect combined with a longer-lasting self tan. The aerosol can contains 75ml of product, which isn’t a lot — about enough to do your legs twice/three times at most. The product is fairly reasonably priced at £10, making it a cost-effective choice for special events or big nights out. Don’t forget that as-well as the instant bronzer, you’re also benefiting from a normal self-tan at the same time. Although, I’d obviously like to see more for my money, I think the price is reasonable for special occasions when compared to alternative options.

Unlike my old Sally Hansen cans, this isn’t like makeup for your legs. It won’t conceal veins, freckles or give you a massively airbrushed effect but it excels at what it does deliver: healthy-looking, bronzed pins.

It’s ridiculously easy to use and dispenses a very fine mist. Any slightly larger droplets that appear from holding it a little too close blend easily into the skin for a completely streak-free finish. I blended one leg with my hands and the other with a mit. Use the mit, this stuff sets faster than an 80s perm and despite rushing to the basin mere minutes after my first blend – my hand is perma-tanned. Looking on the bright side, this is obviously great news for my legs as it didn’t transfer once touch-dry.

Product doesn’t leak/drip from the nozzle during operation and the spray works regardless of the contorted angles you put the can through. It may just be, that as a novice, I’m having a hallelujah moment with tans in a can but I simply didn’t run into any problems with this one.

And as for my legs? Oh god, hold on to your breakfasts…

It works well right?  My left leg (right as you look at it) was tanned with the St. Tropez and it doesn’t look remotely orange or streaky!  Honestly, if I can use it… a total fool can use it and make it look good in under 5 minutes. I’m so pleased to be able to recommend this to ultra-pale girls who suck at applying fake tan like me. I’m so jealous of wimmen to whom this stuff comes naturally. It’s a bleedin’ art-form to get it right I tell ya!

St. Tropez Perfect Legs Spray simply takes the hard work out of bronzing. Definite repurchase for those times when tights just won’t do.

St. TropezPerfect Legs Spray is priced at £10.00 and available from the usual stockists.

* press sample

I’ve heard SO much about this eyeliner over the past couple of years and following my semi-disappointment with my Illamasqua Precision Ink, I was in the market for trying out something new.  Combine this with a late night mooch around eBay, and the rest (as they say…) is history.

Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner is the finest-tipped eyeliner pen I’ve used.  It’s a brush tip rather than a felt tip and the bristles hold together tightly to provide a very tight line.

I find the formula to be quite watery and it can bleed a little but thankfully dries very quickly.  For a very dark line, you’d need to make a couple of passes which is a shame.

I paid around £10 for mine (inc. shipping) which brings it well under high-end prices but toward the top end of high street.  It does fade throughout the day and I’m not going to give this holygrail status simply because I’m not completely sold on the formula.  The precision brush though?  Well, it’s an absolute dream for winging out.

The above photo shows one pass and you can see that it could do with a second swipe, there’s a hint of feathering but check out that sharp wing!

Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner is available to buy on eBay (prices vary).

What’s your favourite eyeliner at the moment?

Please forgive the weary expression, it’s late at night – I wanted to film this during the day but I just don’t get 10 minutes to myself at the moment.  I thought it might be fun to record my thoughts on the new (ish) Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream…

Click play to see what I thought of it.

Ingredient List

Aqua/Water, Isononyl Isononanoate, Isohexadecane, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sequistearate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Methyl Glucose Sequistearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Nylon-12, Cyclohexasiloxane, Propylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, Stearyl Alcohol, Argilla/Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Phenoxyethanol, Parfum/Fragrance, Caprylyl Glycol, Lithium Magnesium Sodium Silicate, Disodium EDTA, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Caffeine, Ascorbyl Glucoside, Geraniol, Cellulose Acetate Butyrate, Polyphosphorylcholine Glycol Acrylate, Citral, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide / Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl taurate, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, [+/- May Contain CI 77891 / Titanium Dioxide, CI 77491, CI 77492, CI77499 / Iron Oxides]

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Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-In-One B.B. Cream is priced at £9.99 for 50ml and available to buy online and instore at Boots in shades Light or Medium.

I love new foundations, there’s nothing like peering at a shiny, unopened tube of foundation and just allowing yourself to imagine for a few minutes that this will be the one.  The one that never makes you want to stray to another.  The one that makes you look well-rested, flawless and smoother than a baby’s bottom.

This ain’t the one.  But it does come pretty darn close.

MyFace Cosmetics MyMix Foundation in Fair 01 is a brilliant colour match for my skintone, lucky that, seeing as it’s the lightest they do.  Although the packaging isn’t very pretty, it’s incredibly useful as I discovered trying to pack my travel makeup bag last weekend.  I didn’t have much room, I was only away for a single evening and wanted to be able to fit everything into a large handbag (clothes and all).  This thin tube happily slipped into a gap and for that, my shoulders were very grateful.

The texture is thin, but not watery.  Light, but still substantial enough to feel like you’re applying product.

It’s not for people who want to cover severe blemishes and breakouts (I guess we’re supposed to use concealer for that anyway), and I wouldn’t describe this as a ‘going out’ foundation but this does make the most perfect daytime foundation.  The foundation you want to not let you down under scrutiny, stand in some bright light and you’re not going to be shamed by this clinging to every fine hair on your face.  It’s not going to highlight any little dry patches and it won’t sit in your pores.  It won’t give you full coverage either.  MyMix Foundation is potent enough on my skin to give it a gloss over that lies somewhere inbetween a tinted moisturiser and a medium-cover foundation.  It disguises blotchiness, tones down redness (but doesn’t eliminate it) and gently smoothes over dodgy skin texture without hiding it completely.

On a good skin day, this will make you look flawless.  On a rubbish skin day, you will need some extra work and on an average Monday morning, you’ll be so pleased with how effortlessly this blends and makes you look human again, you’ll be singing its praises till lunchtime.

So, why is it not my Holy Grail?  Well, partially, I don’t think I really want to give anything that status because what if the next best thing is lurking just around the corner?  But mostly, I’d just love a tiny hint more coverage from it.  Not too much because that would probably ruin the magic.  Just a hair.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this stuff lasts really well on my combination skin too, a bit of slip on the nose by lunchtime but massively admirable for what is, after all, a ‘drugstore’ foundation.  If your skin is prone to oiliness, you may need to combine with a primer to get the best results.

Let me finish with some more photos, I’ve been a bit wordy!

What do you think?  Have you tried the MyFace Cosmetics MyMix Foundation and does it offer enough coverage for you?

MyFace Cosmetics MyMix Foundation is priced at £12.99 and available instore and online at Boots.com

Ecorganic – each time I look at that word, my fingers itch for an extra ‘O’ and a hyphen…

I’ve been trying this ECOCERT certified night cream for the last month.  It hails from Swedish brand Estelle & Thild who have recently launched in the UK exclusively at Urban Retreat in Harrods and online at Beautique.com.  It’s one of those brands that exude loveliness… beautifully packaged, whimsical designs, natural ingredients and this night cream is no exception.

From the Estelle & Thild Rose Otto Age Prevent Line, the night cream* is rich and nourishing without sitting on the surface of my skin all night.  I’m actually not convinced it’s quite rich enough for my skin in the winter but can’t deny that it’s pretty much the perfect formula for these warmer months.

I do have one problem with this product though: it stinks.  It took me a little while to pin it down… infact, it was Mr. L who hit the nail on the head when he leant into me one evening and sniffed my face: “Why do you smell like a freshly painted room?”

Not just any paint either, we’re talking gloss which is really a big shame because if it weren’t for this simple olfactory issue, I’d be tempted to give it top marks.  I feel especially mean when you consider that the reason it smells like the inside of the Dulux factory is probably because it’s completely lacking in the crap that would otherwise synthetically scent it.

I’ve been persevering with the smell simply because I like the results I’m seeing from daily use.  Upon waking, my skin tone is remarkably more even and although I can’t say I’ve seen any particular anti-aging benefits from it, I can tell that it’s a ‘calming’ formula for my reactive skin.  I’ll be taking a closer look at the brand’s popular ‘baby’ line for when L’s eczema starts playing up this winter.

Estelle & Thild Ecorganic Night Cream is priced at £46 for 50ml and available online at Beautique.com where you can check out the rest of the range with prices starting from only £14.00

* press sample

I was sure I’d already blogged about my Guerlain Météorites Perles?  I mean, there aren’t many items I use so frequently but this is one of the ones I reach for almost every morning.

And for one, it’s a pure joy just to reach for… look…

I bought the shade 01 Teint Rosé back in March when I had a coupon code for StrawberryNet.  I’d been lusting after them forever but money-off was the final push I needed to take the plunge!

The metal tin houses 100s? (I’m not counting them) of little powder balls in a variety of lilac, green, pink, yellow and white shades that promise to colour-correct and impart a healthy glow.  It also smells like a giant parma violet.

I use this in conjunction with my Trish McEvoy powder brush #5 to swirl before lightly buffing over my face.  My personal preference is to use this when I’ve finished applying my makeup… it gives a very light covering so I consider it my ‘finishing’ powder.  To my eye, it adds luminosity and a slight soft-focus finish.  You might be interested to hear that the other product I use (when I’m not using this) is ELF’s HD Powder.  Eclectic.

Guerlain Météorites occasionally comes under accusations of being a bit “Emperors New Clothes” but all I can say about it is that it’s one of my very few Holy Grail items and will last me for (literally) many years, making its hefty price tag seem a little more justifiable.

Do you use Guerlain Météorites?  Love it?  Think it’s massively over-rated?

A few of you eagle-eyed ladies have spotted that I’ve been wearing a particularly impressive mascara over the last few days.  Nothing sneaks past you eh?

Well, now I’ve put it through its paces, I’m happy to reveal that it’s the NEW Benefit They’re Real! Mascara* which is due out for release at the end of August.

From the moment I had a sneak peek at the wand, I knew this mascara would suit my lashes.  My lashes are not very dark and quite fine but there’s plenty of them and they have a good, natural curl.  I need a smooth mascara that offers tip base-to-tip coverage and doesn’t clump to achieve maximum results.  I’m not too fussed about curl but it needs to stay put so I don’t get transfer to my droopy upper lids.

This is a killer mascara in all the best ways possible.

The brush is similar to the Boots No7 Exceptional Definition (another fav) mascara with the little trebuchet on the end but the formula is more impressive and long-wearing.  I don’t get any flakes or transfer with They’re Real! but it is a bit of a pain to remove.  I wouldn’t even attempt it without an good makeup remover or oil-based cleanser.

Now for the most important bit… what point is a post on a mascara without some before/afters huh?

Please tell me I DON’T need to point out which eye has the mascara on!

I’ve also added this photo below from the end of the day so you can see how long-wearing it is.  No flakes, no droop… just as good as new.

I’m having a good week of discovering must-haves!

Now, if you can’t wait until the end of August for the nationwide release… Benefit are having a 1 Day Flash Sale on the 6th August where you’ll be able to get your hands on it before anyone else.  See below for details and where to buy.

Benefit They’re Real! Mascara has the thumbs up from me and will be released nationwide from the 27th August priced at £18.50

* press sample

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

Inlight are a soil association-backed organic skincare brand hailing from deepest, darkest Cornwall with a philosophy geared toward homeopathic formulations and highly concentrated products.

The product I’m talking about today is their Organic Face Cleanser which is packed full of natural ingredients suspended in a moisturising base of coconut oil.  I’m familiar with many types of oil and balm-based cleansers, they form an important step in my daily cleansing routine since discovering the “like attracts like” properties of oil for makeup removal a few years ago.

Inlight’s Organic Face Cleanser is, to put it simply, high quality.  It contains no synthetic fillers to bulk the volume and every last gram has been engineered with great thought as to what purpose each ingredient serves.  The website impressively lists the skincare benefits alongside the ingredient list, transparency is key and it’s a real pleasure to be able to break down the properties to their base values.

For your money (£27.00), you get 60ml of product.  That’s not a lot of product for a cleansing balm, something that you reach for daily and although you don’t need a huge amount to cleanse your face… I was only able to make my pot last around 35 days.  We’re not talking an inexpensive product but then… you don’t pay peanuts and get high quality do you?

I sometimes find the scent overpowering with organics, they can be very heady and herbal.  Not unbearable but often a little overwhelming.  This face cleanser is reminiscent of a good (but not too heavy) aromatherapy oil, the multiple natural scents in the jar don’t jostle for pole position and I can appreciate a few individual notes in there (mostly the lavender and lemon).

The texture is beautifully creamy, it spreads over my face nicely with good slip but enough drag to encourage a good facial massage during application.  Breathe in deeply as you apply it and you’re benefiting from the fragrance aswell.  I have bitten the bullet, taken the plunge and can confirm that I’ve encountered no eye irritation despite being thoroughly clumsy during the mascara removal stage!  Often oils and balms will cloud my vision (at best) or send me scurrying for the cold water tap to flush my eyes (at worst).  The Inlight Organic Face Cleanser does neither, we’re in the retina-friendly zone with this one!

I don’t have any complaints with makeup removal, it does the job well and cleanses my skin nicely.  I don’t wear waterproof mascara but seeing as this is an oil-based product anyway, I can’t imagine it being less effective on more stubborn products.  My only gripe with the Inlight Organic Facial Cleanser is that it’s not an emulsifying cleanser.  Don’t expect this to turn the water cloudy and rinse cleanly away without a bit of effort on your part.

With hindsight, this is both a good and bad thing.

I’m used to emulsifying cleansers, infact I rate them on how well they emulsify.  I dislike being left with an oily residue which is precisely what this one will do unless you’re diligent in your rinsing, wringing, rinsing, repeat.  For me, this is definitely the 1st step in a 2-part cleansing ritual… I need to double cleanse after using this.  I say it like it’s an inconvenience but the truth is, I’ve always double-cleansed anyway.  Even with the best emulsifiers, so I’m not sure why I consider it an issue.  Infact, because the ingredients are so pure… I’d be tempted to suggest that those with very dry or mature skin not even bother with a 2nd cleanse.  Any residue from those ingredients will probably do you more good than stripping everything away with a 2nd cleanser.  I guess it boils down to what you’re used to.

Which brings me to my final point.  What I’m used to… well, I’m used to oils and balms leaving my skin a little tight.  Nothing I can’t put right with a dose of heavy bed-time moisture but still, it’s a compromise I’ve always made.  The Inlight Organic Face Cleanser doesn’t leave me with any tightness despite feeling more astringent (read: effective) on my combination (read: congested) bits, I’m just not experiencing the dryness I would have expected.  Perhaps it’s the lack of those emulsifying agents?

So there we have it.  An effective, high quality cleanser that I’d rate as excellent for combination skin.  It doesn’t emulsify and it (probably) won’t leave you with tightness.  It smells good and it feels like you’re treating your skin to the best you can afford.  Only problem is, I’m not sure I can afford it on a monthly basis.

Inlight Organic Face Cleanser* is priced at £27.00 for 60ml and available online from Inlight Organic Skincare

* press sample

When it comes to exfoliation, I’m an advocate of all things gentle for your fizzog but I reckon you can get a bit tougher on those crepe-y elbows and knobbly knees.  I like salt scrubs, sugar scrubs and all manner of granular things!  In a pinch, I’ll make do with an industrial sander for my heels.  Put simply, I like to feel a good body scrub working.  I am…when all is said and done, a bit of a scrubber.

Which is just as well, ‘cos Neal’s Yard Remedies Rose & Geranium Body Polish is one hell of a scrub.

I once had a scented geranium plant in a pot next to my desk, it was lush… all lemony and I used to accidentally-on-purpose brush into it when walking past just so that it would release some of that aroma into the air.  This scrub takes me right back to those days but without the endless watering and tiny cobwebs.

The “scrubby” bits are comprised of exfoliating argan shell and rice powders, both providing a decent amount of exfoliation, this is definitely on the ‘I can feel it working’ end of the spectrum.  The particles are suspended in a creamy shea-butter base that doesn’t collapse under a splash of water like some.  Basically, you’re looking at the Ross Kemp of body scrubs.  It’s tough but with the potential to be a bit girly on the inside.

Being Neal’s Yard it obviously contains no nasties, is bunny-approved and suitable for vegans.  A 150g tube will set you back £16.35, placing it at the higher end of what I’d usually pay for bodycare type things but that familiar scent ensnared me and I can’t say I’ve been disappointed.  It leaves my skin so baby-smooth that I can see the jealousy in Leila’s eyes.

You can purchase Neal’s Yard Remedies Rose & Geranium Body Polish instore or online at www.nealsyardremedies.com

How do you like your scrubs?  Scrubby scrub or gently does it?