A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Paul & Joe‘s Summer collection is due out today!  Well…. the rest of it anyway.  Two of the lip products have been available since the 7th May, so let’s start with those shall we?

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I received the press release for Urban Decay‘s new tinted moisturiser range that’ll be hitting our shores soon and it’s got me thinking…

Do you swap your base product for something lighter in the Summer?

I have a couple of tinted moisturisers on the go throughout the year, but I tend to reach for them more often in the Summer.

I don’t feel that my skin is clear enough (I get redness) to completely rely on a tinted moisturiser, so I tend to use a concealer brush to blend a little foundation over my nose and cheeks.  I’m also not a huge fan of the ‘shine’ that tinted moisturiser always brings to my face.  I need a top notch setting powder to hand with a couple of touch-ups throughout the day.

I do love the lighter feeling though… Oh, why must everything be a compromise?

Urban Defense from Urban Decay will be hitting shelves in Debenhams and Boots soon, priced at £17 for 50ml and could hopefully put the compromising to an end!

Do you opt for tinted moisturisers in the Summer or are you a hardcore full-coverage addict?

This time of year (especially with the mini heatwave we had yesterday) it’s tricky to decide which season we’re currently enjoying!

With that in mind, check out Miners Spring/Summer nail collection which comprises a bit of both!

A nifty combination of 2 seasons in one collection…

Rio Pink: Not to look out of place on a Brazilian beauty dancing her way down the main strip of Rio Carnival, this shade is perfect for the beach. With a pearlescent finish and bright pink tone Rio Pink is fun, flirty and fashionable – the perfect colour for a beached beauty, along with those who like to dream.

Jaffa: Inspired by bright African colours and prints, Jaffa is a muted orange shade with a pink pearlescent undertone giving an electric look without being over the top. Jaffa is perfect for a sunny adventurous look either adding a bit of sunshine to ware away the April showers or to enhance your beach bronzed tan.

Apricot Blush: Seen on the catwalks from London to New York this is a milky-pink shade with a silver pearlescent base. Apricot Blush is perfect to add a bit of sparkle and make this seasons 70s romance style rock!

Flamingo: Putting the fun back into girly, Flamingo is a gorgeous rosy shade of pink, with a slightly orange undertone – perfect to add a touch of glamour to an everyday feminine look.

Denim Shorts: Following the catwalk trendsetters Jeremy Scott and Giles we have added a blue hue to our nail collection. Denim Shorts is a washed out blue with light pink undertones, a perfect shade for the beach or to brighten up a natural, plain look.

I’m loving the look of all of these with the exception of Jaffa (which is ontop of the blue).  I have a Miners glitter polish that I love, so will have to see if I can hunt these down as stockists seem to be pretty thin on the ground.

Alternatively, retailing at £2.99 each – you can buy online from Miners.co.uk

By Terry is a brand guaranteed to get me drooling in SpaceNK.   As my eyes turn misty and everything goes a little bit fuzzy round the edges, I feel Mr. L’s grip on my wrist (and debit card) tighten.

It’s a battle of nerves usually interrupted by a certain small one’s well-timed “Mama, mama” resulting in me looking over my shoulder just in time to see Leila tugging at an elaborately positioned display of Chantecaille compacts.  It’s at that point everything goes a bit slo-mo as I make a Herculean effort to stop expensive things crashing down to the floor.

I leave the store at this point looking embarrassed and empty-handed.  It’s a family conspiracy, well rehearsed.

It’s not happening again.  Not now my eyes have feasted on the By Terry Graphic Wave collection…

Now, when eyeshadows start from £22… I have to show a certain degree of restraint.  Last time I stopped at the Le Métier de Beauté counter in Liberty before Christmas, I came away with more than I bargained for.  Not to mention the burden of guilt the size of a small country that spent a few days resting on my shoulders.

My game plan in situations such as this is simple.  Don’t swatch.

Swatching is deadly no?  It always makes me laugh at counters when the SAs give me the side-eye for swatching… Bitch, shut up… I’m doing YOU a favour.  Trust me.

Anyway… I digress.

This Graphic Wave collection…

I’ve got my eye on that Ligne Blackstar, the bluey one… Ocean Spirit.  Forgetting for a moment that it sounds like a naff yacht docked in Monaco… *wait, that’s probably the point*… ain’t it purrty?

And check this out:

A deep sea green that perfectly accentuates the blackness of the eye pupil or highlights blue green eyes

Blue green eyes? Oh rly? Made. for. me.

It’s £28.  If I say that quick enough, I think it sounds a lot like 28 pence.

Check out Grace’s great swatches of one of the shadows and *drool* the eyeliner!

Come join me in a bit of delusion… anything there that captures your attention for Summer?

Boots No7 Summer 2010 collection will be hitting counters nationwide next month I believe and here’s what it should look like!

MizzWorthy and BeautyJunkieLondon have got sneak peeks of the collection, so go check them out!

I’m definitely gonna be checking out the silvery looking nail polish, the eye shadow quad and the bronzer.  I really like the look of the shadow quad, gold and silver are a lovely pairing to spice up those two neutrals.  I’m still useless with bronzers, always look like I’ve gone and rubbed my face on the garden.

The rest I probably won’t bother with… gloss in a pot?  Hate getting anything under my nails…  down with pots.  The other nail colour looks a bit of a snore too no?

Anything take your fancy?

Oh Francois…

I can’t hear anything over the sound of my rapily beating heart *insert melodramatic music and excessive swooning*… it’s a new collection… and it’s coming very soon!

Do you care what I think? Probably not… but I’m a sharer…

Burn It Blue Duo Cream Eyeshadow – Iridescent ocean blue / turquoise

I’m not crazy for NARS Cream Eyeshadows…  they absolutely HAVE to be set with an additional shadow ontop to avoid creasing and even then, I only get a maximum of 6 hours wear out of them.  But I freaking love these colours…. if it were a powder duo, I would have been all over it like an embarrassing rash.

Coup de Coeur Lip Gloss – Sheer apple-brandy

Apple-Brandy… is that like a red/brown?  Hmm… It doesn’t sing to me… but I’m often surprised by NARS Lip Glosses, it’s a swatch job ‘cos I guess it could really take a nude lip to another level.

Versailles Nail Polish – Opalescent, champagne-gold

Sheer? Not Sheer?  That is the question… I’m reserving judgement, but it sure looks beautiful in the bottle *swoon*

Love Devotion Lipstick – Sheer guava

Looking at the promo image, it’s not for me.  It looks coral and bright.  Reading the description… I love the sound of it.  I adore guava shades which seem to work beautifully on my pale pink skin… the perfect pink/coral combination.  Not only that, but I adore my NARS Cruising semi-sheer lipstick from the Spring collection so I’m definitely going to be having a closer look at Love Devotion before writing it off.

Cayenne Cream Eyeshadow – Spicy, deep brown

I’ve already said why I’m not sold on the NARS Cream Eyeshadows, it needs to be a stonking shade for me to bother picking it up… and this… isn’t.  It’s reliable and it’s magnificently wearable, but if I’m gonna go to the effort to layer a powder over a cream for a stunning effect… it won’t be for this shade.

Lamu Multiple – Fresh, glazed apricot

I have a love/hate for Multiples… I love their multi-use aspect and I always take my Antibes with me when I’m on holiday but I find them quite hard to work with.  “Fresh, glazed apricot” sounds like it may be a bit too warm-toned for me anyway.

Enchanted Cream Blush – Soft-peach

OK, now this I’m on board with – woo woo! *makes train noises*…. I love cream blushes in a pan like this… cream blush + stippling brush = blush heaven.  Soft peach? Yes please!  I’m insanely excited about this release.  Can you tell?

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Quite a mixed bag of thoughts then, please excuse what is essentially an internal conversation between me and my makeup buying alter ego spilling out over the keyboard.  There’s definitely a few pieces that I want to see in person before passing final judgement… overall, promising!

The NARS Summer Collection will be on counter from the 1^st May.

Anything there that you’ll be paying some extra attention?

“What a snore!” I proclaimed, looking at Illamasqua’s latest collection, Body Electrics.

It’s not that it’s a bad looking collection… it’s just… not me.

I don’t really do bronzers…. I don’t want liquid metals (regardless of how lovely they look in their pans)… I don’t go anywhere to warrant slathering myself in sparkly body oils and I’m a bit blued and purpled out in the nail polish world too.

I actually really quite like the theory behind the collection…. the dynamics of movement and light reflecting… all great stuff, but I just felt disappointed seeing the theory put into practice.

I received a parcel from Illamasqua containing a couple of pieces from the new collection and to be blunt, I was expecting to give the products a “these are nice but ultimately dull” review based on how uninspiring I’d found them thus far.

I was wrong.

Initially, when I opened the parcel… my spirits weren’t lifted when I pulled out one of the new Nail Polishes in shade Prism.

“Oh… it’s not the purple” thought I… sounding far too much like a spoilt child to admi… oh

I twirled the bottle in my hands, watching the iridescence and blue flashes catch the light…. yeah, it’s pretty… but I kept thinking about my yellow stained nails and how ugly they’d look combined with this blatantly sheer polish I was holding.

Wanna see?

Admitedly, this is 4 coats… 1 coat was as horrible as I’d envisaged.  But this is beautiful.  After a year of solid, opaque polishes to cover up stains and dodgy ridged nails… this is delicate.  It’s like a veil…. it shrouds all the imperfections, but leaves a hint of nail tip and blue irridescence that simply says…. feminine.

Not only that, but the formula is stunning.  This is my first Illamasqua polish… drying time blew me away.  I was able to apply and finish 4 coats in 25 minutes.  Hand on heart, this is probably the greatest formula I’ve used so far.  Whether or not other Illamasqua polishes are the same, I don’t know.

Prism is perfect for weddings, french manicures… it’s one of those polishes for people that don’t like polishes.  If you don’t paint your nails often but want something for those times when you need to up your game… get this polish.  I imagine it would also look rather lovely layered over a dark base too… I shall have to experiment!

Thanks ever so much lovely Illamasqua makeup fairies, a genuinely lovely surprise that simply made a makeup addict’s week!

Available from counters nationwide or online at Illamasqua priced at £13.00

Yano, it’s not that often we get an exclusive this side of the pond, but check it out:

Givenchy’s Summer 2010 collection includes this beautiful turquoise addition to the popular Givenchy Phenomen’ Eyes lineup of mascaras.  Available in Europe only, it’s a gorgeous looking shade no?

Of course, if you were going to splash out on the blue mazzy… it’d be plain rude not to pick up the matching polish too…

Available from the 1st May exclusively at Harrods, with a nationwide roll out at counters everywhere from the 15th May – thanks to BBB for the release info.

Summer is usually all about the brights… and so perhaps, for once… naturals are the brave choice.

Introducing Guerlain’s Summer 2010 Collection:

Ombre Éclat 4 Shades  – OMBRE PERLÉES (LE) – £36.00 / €50.78

A monochrome palette of natural hues – 4 subtle shades with a touch of iridescence: Beige, satin pink, taupe and smoky brown all housed in a frosted silver case, embossed with the Guerlain logo.  A limited edition palette makes for an elegant addition to the collection.

KissKiss Baby – Limited Edition Nourishing Lip Balms – £20.00 / €27.88

Cherry Summer & Coral Sunset

I adore the formula of these Guerlain KissKiss Baby Balms made with wild mango butter and Luffa oil and those tints are just too perfect for Summer.

Ombre Éclat – 1 Shade – £19.00 / €28.89

Top – Bottom:

~ L’INSTANT D’UN BAISER (PEARLY PINK)
~ L’INSTANT D’UNE CARESSE (SMOKY BEIGE)
~ L’INSTANT D’UN RÊVE (SMOKY BROWN)
~ L’INSTANT D’UNE EMOTION (PEARLY VERDIGRIS)

Four new pearl shades have been added to the Ombre Eclat – 1 Shade line.  I’m loving the look of the Pearly Pink and Smoky Beige.

Guerlain’s Summer 2010 Collection is more about luminosity than colour, it’s about reflecting the light that Summer brings and reflecting radiance and elegance.  Personally?  I’ve already made room in my collection for that Cherry Summer KissKiss Baby balm.

Available on counters nationwide from the 5th June 2010

What say you?  Too subtle for Summer or understated elegance?

No idea when this is coming out over here… or even IF it’s coming out, I’m still sulking over the missing Wildflower Collection.  Maybe we can expect this next Winter, who knows? *shrugs*

That aside… High Steppin’ is Barielle’s Summer 2010 offering.  Mostly metallics which aren’t generally my favourite finish unless they’re formulated well enough to avoid streakiness but I’m pretty keen on some of the colours and I like that they’ve included some of their glittery numbers too.  I’m a big fan of those.

Enough chatting, have a looksie…

So here’s the lowdown, shade by shade…

Electric Boogie: Inky Blue with teal glitter (yes please!)

Slow Motion: Light metallic Lavender (possibly… if it’s edgy rather than sugary…)

Freestyle: Metallic mint with Silver Glitter (hmmmm….. not sure… maybe)

Passion Pirouette: A grape metallic purple (I’m nodding furiously)

Night Moves: Sparkling metallic silver (meh….)

Belly Dance: Nude taupe with shimmer (ewwoooogah! as Leila says in a fit of enthusiasm!)

So that’s half the collection in my shopping basket if and when it ever gets released over here.

What do you think?

I was pissed at the snow and the miserable post-Christmas aura surrounding January.

In a two fingered salute, I daubed the most obnoxious summery colour I could find on my tips.  I said tips.

HJ Manicure in Blonde.

I was worried I’d look like I smoked 60-a-day or at the very least had a kinky penchant for bananas, but thankfully this shade just misses looking horrendous.  It’s not the most suitable shade for my skintone, but remember… I’m being aesthetically antagonistic in my shade selection.  And as a bonus, it makes the inlaws wonder what their son ever saw in me.

I even received a few compliments wearing this.  To be fair, one was from the checkout girl in Wilkinsons who didn’t look a day over 11 and a half and the other was from the lady who served me a sausage roll in Greggs, but let’s be honest, a compliment is a compliment.

Again, I’m loving HJ Manicure’s formula.  Yellows are the problem children of the nail polish world and one of the reasons I chose this shade was to put the brand to the test on their formula.  It coped admirably.  My only complaint was with opacity.  This was 4 coats, and you could still faintly make out the tips… If it’d had been fully opaque in 4 coats, I would have been satisified.  As it is, it’s a slight issue for me.  Thankfully, each coat was a smooth quick-drier.

Most yellows appear to be cremes, this is a shimmer… it has a slight sparkle to it that would make it such a great choice for the summer.  Longevity is fabulous, no chipping and minimal tip wear despite not adding a top coat.

Are you a fan of the brights?

HJ Manicure shades can be bought online from their website in 5ml (£3.50) and 15ml (£8.50) sizes with free P&P on every order.

This is a shade that was sent as a freebie (for joining the newsletter I believe) back when I took advantage of the Nails Inc. offer a couple of weeks ago.

It’s a hot, hot jelly shade! I would describe it simply as 50% red 50% orange.  I can’t commit exclusively to either camp for descriptive purposes!

It applies VERY sheer for what appears to be such a bold, solid colour.  The above photo took 5 coats and it’s still not fully opaque.  But yanowot?  This is my favourite Nails Inc. application yet!  Woohoo!  It’s thin but very quick drying.  Love it!  The result is a gorgeously smooth, bubble-free jelly-like finish.  There wasn’t quite enough shine for me, so I added a quick-drying top coat.  I think this would make the most awesome pedicure shade – it makes me very sorry to see the last of summer (well, not that we had one.. but I know you know what I mean.)

I can’t find this shade on their website, so if you wanna get your hands on it… make sure that you sign up to their newsletter next time you make an order!

I’ve said it before, but having to apply lots of coats really doesn’t bother me as long as the application is smooth and forgiving.  I’m usually doing my nails whilst watching telly or surfing t’internet so if it takes a couple of hours from start to finish – I don’t care.  I find it quite therapeutic!

How about you?… do you enjoy doing your nails or do you find it all a bit of a chore?