A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Never judge a book by its cover, or so they say…

Which tends to make one automatically assume that ugly things shall all be amaze and beauty-to-behold type things, the opposite.  Well, I’m writing this post today to put the record straight and declare that beauty can be found both within and err… without?  Wait, that’s not the expression I was looking for was it…

Poor phrasing aside, I received a La Bougie Candle* sample last month and although I’m still struggling with the fact that bougie (French for candle) looks a bit like bogey, I’ve decided that at the age of 30, I should be well past that kind of childishness, and so I’ll overlook it.  But not without putting it in your heads first (sorry La Bougie Candle company).

The candle arrived beautifully gift wrapped, which makes all the difference to my shallow-ass soul and I could immediately smell the scent contained within (not without this time) and I have to say, I didn’t like it.

The company kindly gave me the choice of which scent I thought I might prefer and I chose the Rockrose & Oudh because I freakin’ love the woodsy, aromatic resin in all its different incarnations.  But this didn’t really have that signature oudh scent, I could detect floral, floral and a bit more floral.  Until I lit it, and then all bets were off because it’s bloody divine.

It turns out that it wasn’t actually the candle I didn’t like the smell of, it was the scented tissue paper that it was wrapped in! Doh!

Just like wearing an oudh-based perfume on the skin, the accord brings an impressive amount of depth and sensuality to what is otherwise, a rather gentle floral.

It’s absolutely perfect for lighting in the bedroom or anywhere that you want to take the time to relax.  I light it every evening, just as I start my “getting ready for bed routine” and as I’m picking up the toys that have been scattered by my daughter, darting in and out of the bathroom, and making that final cup of tea before bed, the Rockrose & Oudh candle works its magic, transforming my room from toddler telly-paradise to proper boudoir palace.

The Rockrose & Oudh Scented Salon Candle offers approximately 50 hours of burn-time and each La Bougie scent is developed and produced in the company’s own perfumery.  The glass holders are carved, painted and polished before being hand-poured in La Bougie’s chandlery, located in West Cork, Ireland.

Lovely candles and at £29.50 for the Salon-size (room-sized) ones… not outrageously expensive either!

Rockrose & Oudh, Sweet Pea & Pear or Cox & Carnation – which scent would you choose?

* press sample

Elemis fans, gather round – I have a great gift-with-purchase to tell you about occurring during May and it’s worth upto £89, yes really!

From the 10th – 27th May, the British brand are running a national GWP which will be available through their Debenhams, John Lewis and Harvey Nichols counters, and it goes something like this…

Buy any 2 full-size Elemis products and choose FOUR complimentary travel-sized Elemis fan-favourites from a selection of EIGHT.  Elemis travel-sized products are generally pretty generous on the sizing and I’m peering at that picture above to see what’s on the list!

Elemis Soothing Apricot Toner (50ml)
Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash (50ml)
Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream (15ml)
Elemis Pro-Collagen Lifting Treatment (15ml)
Elemis Pr0-Collagen Quartz Lift Serum (10ml)
Elemis Tranquil Touch Creamy Body Wash (100ml)
Elemis Pro-Collagen Body Cream (50ml)
Elemis Quiet Mind Relaxing Bath Elixir (100ml)

You also get the grey cotton cosmetic bag to go with it.

If you’re not sure which products you should choose from the eight on offer, the therapists on counter have been briefed to offer some tailored guidance over which would suit your skin type.  If it were me?  I’d totes hit up the best bang for my buck ‘cos I’m mercenary like that and plump for the pro-collagen range.

To find your nearest participating Elemis counter, click here.

Which four products would you choose?

Has it really been a year since the Royal Wedding?  Amazing.  And to think that before then, no-one gave a shit about Pippa’s bum.  Oh, you you still don’t?  Me either.  As weddings go, it was quite a nice one… there weren’t any post-nuptial punch-ups outside the palace and no-one sicked on the bride’s train.

One of the wedding’s most enduring legacies (other than the arse du jour) is the brand that Kate chose to scent herself with on the big day, Illuminum.  Launched by creator Michael Boadi in March 2011, and elevated to cult status by the Duchess of Cambridge merely a month later, there isn’t a better welcome to the world than receiving an (unofficial) seal of approval by a real-life princess!

The Duchess of Cambridge chose White Gardenia Petals for her grand occasion, I chose Tahitian Yuzu simply because I had money burning a hole in my back pocket and I wanted. one. dammit. – you can see the similarities.

Tahitian Yuzu reminds me a little bit of L’Artisan’s Mûre et Musc, which also kicks off with a forest-fruit vibe.  In the case of Mûre et Musc, it’s blackberries… and in Tahitian Yuzu?  Blackcurrant.  But this is where the comparability ends.  Tahitian Yuzu blasts some major tropical notes with a sparkling cocktail of pineapple which gives real effervescence and youthfulness to the fragrance.  Mûre et Musc has a gentler, more home-grown berry feel.

Like an excitable hula-girl (yeah, they have those in Tahiti), the scent calms down as the night falls and the headier, more sensual notes of jasmine come to the surface.  Here lies the real heart of the perfume… I can still detect some lingering fruitiness but it becomes fully tempered by the softer night flowers which bring warmth and a little bit of sexiness to the fragrance.  The deeper, base notes of musk never fully surface on my skin, which is unusual because my chemistry normally carries them to the fore but I’m assuming that this is what grounds the accord and prevents it from projecting too light-heartedly.

Sillage is fairly weak which suits my interpretation of this as more of a skin-scent.  Step into a cloud of this as you step out of a shower and carry a little bit of the Southern Seas around with you for at least part of the day as alas, with my dry skin, I get low/medium longevity from this one, about 4 hours at the most.  Tahitian Yuzu is going to work beautifully on warm nights (if we get any) and I can’t wait to expose a bit more skin to the sun and see just how capable it is at transporting me to a tropical paradise!

Illuminum Tahitian Yuzu is available to buy instore at the Illuminum’s Perfume Lounge in Mayfair (I recommend a visit!), or directly from their website.  Priced at £70 for 50ml

I’ve wanted Shu Uemura’s IR Brown 850 for quite a while… I think it was ever since I read it likened to MAC’s discontinued Smoke & Diamonds which I craved and couldn’t get hold of before it had sold out.

Shu Uemura IR Brown 850 is a very pretty silvery taupe. It’s perfectly neutral, leaning neither too warm nor too cool and as we have come to expect from Shu Uemura shadows, applies with a beautifully smooth texture.

By the way, incase you’re wondering where you can get it from… I’m taking a leaf out of PinkSith’s book.  Sorry.  Nice though, innit?

Starting tomorrow morning and lasting for 48hrs only, receive a free D.J.V. Beautenizer Fiberwig LX Mascara (worth £18) with any CultBeauty order over £40.  Perhaps now’s the time to plump for the Face Atelier Ultra Foundation I talked about the other week?  Or… how about this 3 Custom Color Century in Red Lip Palette that has a permanent place on the Lipglossiping wishlist (alter-ego, can’t blame myself for these wishlists).

Whatever you choose, the D.J.V. Beautenizer Fiberwig LX Mascara has a cult following and even got me rightly told off by die-hard fans when I reviewed it without reading the instructions properly!

The offer ends at midnight on Monday, so be quick!

Here’s one from the archives.  And by archives, I mean that I found it in an old photo folder, not that I’m re-posting stuff from a couple of years back.  I may be nearly 2200 posts down but I’ve still got plenty to show you thankyouverymuch!

I’m not a massive fan of Ciate… I don’t generally get excited about their releases if I’m honest.  The bows (once you get past the cute factor) are a complete pain in the arse to re-tie and the bottle is a really awkward shape to hold for photos (SO not a valid excuse).

Ciate Silhouette is pretty though, it has a delicate shimmer running through the burgundy base and a nice amount of depth that gives a lovely velvety, plush look to the nails.  It’s unremarkable in drying time and wear, I have no complaints at all.  Definitely one of my preferred Ciate shades, you should also check out Starlet and Velvet Tuxedo if you want some other lovely Ciate polishes.

Ciate Silhouette is priced at £9.00 and available to buy online from PowderRooms

I don’t know how I feel about including this lipstick in my red lip series. I mean, it’s totally like the lipstick angels came down from heaven and stole all of the cherries to make it, but…

This isn’t a red lipstick and I’m sick of hearing it described as a blue-based red.  It’s pink.  Pink like Nicki Minaj can only f*cking dream of.  Although having said that, I’m gonna propagate the “this is a blue-based red lipstick” ’cause it’ll probably work better for my SEO.  Don’t tell me you haven’t been warned though.  It’s f*cking pink.

Colour dramas aside (the ones in my head), Revlon Cherries in the Snow is totally worthy of all the praise bestowed upon it, feeling more like a £20 lipstick than a £7.49 one.  It’s rich, luxurious, deeply-pigmented and long-lasting.  You can work it into the lips like a stain or wear it in all it’s full-bodied glory.  If you apply, blot, apply, blot (and I mean really blot) – it doesn’t transfer all over your glass and stays put for most of the day.

Frankly, every woman should own this – aslong as you like pink.  I found it really hard to get hold of, it was never in Boots and I’ve been looking casually for the best part of 4 years (seriously).  In the end I picked it up on eBay for way cheaper than the RRP anyway.  Go buy it.  Like now.

Do you own Cherries in the Snow?  Pink innit?

If you spend £35 or more on skincare from This Works, (not The Works – that would be rubbish skincare), you’ll receive a free full-size Perfect Skin Defense SPF30 worth £30 just by itself!  The promotion lasts until the 15th May (unless stocks run out sooner) and is available online and in selected Boots and department stores.

The Perfect Skin Defense SPF30 is one of those all-in-one Summer solutions which combines broad-spectrum sun protection, a good smattering of anti-oxidants and a subtle tint for those who favour the natural look when the weather warms up.  It sounds like the perfect product to pack for holidays!

Do you have a favourite all-in-one skin solution?

Sheenie is one half of blogging superduo Just Nice Things and the lady can’t half cook up a storm in the kitchen.  She’s just started a food blog over at Cook with Sheenie and as soon as I clapped eyes on her recipe for Butter Chicken, I knew my waistline was doomed. DOOMED I SAY!

Don’t believe me?  LOOK AT THE BUTTER.

Stop drooling, it’s unladylike.  The rest of you, stop tutting, we can’t help it.

I’m not going to include the recipe on here, for that you’ll have to point your little mice (mouses) in this direction and find out the method and quantities needed to make this culinary masterpiece.  If you try it, do let Sheenie know what you think!  This has replaced my usual “show-off” meal, you know that singular recipe that people think you can only eat nicely in restaurants?  This Butter Chicken kicks my Chicken Laksa to the KERB.

Here. have some photos to give you some idea of just how om-nom this dish is…

You want it don’t you?  I know I do…

* I did the WW points counting on this and you can have a quarter of Sheenie’s Butter Chicken (as made per her instructions) for 10 Pro Points.  That’s not bad really is it?  I added some Chapattis (5 Pro Points for two) and have been eating nothing but dust for the rest of the week.

I received an email after my post about geography and beauty to recommend a book which is basically all about… geography and beauty.  It’s called Passport to Beauty and is written by Shalini Vadhera.  It’s worth keeping in mind that Shalini sells her own products off the back of the “global beauty secrets” that she talks about in the book, but nevertheless, it’s a fairly interesting read that I’ve been dipping in and out of over the past few weeks.

It’s basically a light-hearted voyage around the world, combining beauty tips, DIY face-mask/hair mask recipes and a heap of anecdotes which got a little tiring after a while.  I will probably try some of the hair masks though, simply because I’m on a mission to keep my hair in good condition.  The best laid plans and all that…

Many of the “recipes” are simple enoguh to implement with commonly found ingredients and do give a (very small) amount of insight into the cultures that supposedly make use of them.  Don’t be expecting anything too deep from this book… it’s all about the fluff.

Passport to Beauty by Shalini Vadhera is available to buy online on Amazon, I bought mine second-hand on eBay for a couple of quid, it was worth that but not a whole lot more.

What’s your favourite DIY beauty recipe?

If you’re a fan of sheer formulas that give a hint of colour without the commitment of something too bold, you’ll probably already be aware of the Clinique Chubby Stick formula which achieves just this.  I like my lip colour to be a little more in your face, Stace! but I can appreciate that those of you wusses who still rely on stabilizers will probably come over all unecessary over the new shades.  I’ve got one here called Oversized Orange (sounds like me after I’ve fake tanned) and it’s actually a pretty nice way to wear a shade that I usually run away from.

It glides on smoothly and despite my attempts at laying it on an inch thick to build colour (old habits die hard), it builds pigmentation only moderately but impressively doesn’t go all claggy or yukky on the lips.  It feels moisturising enough and isn’t remotely sticky.

It doesn’t look like it’s made much difference at all in the lip swatch (which is why I always advocate full face shots when it comes to lipsticks!)… because, it actually packs enough colour to finish and polish a look.  At least, on my fairly unpigmented lips.  Please excuse the fringe, I struggled badly at flattening my cow-lick today!

Clinique Chubby Sticks are available to buy on counter and online, priced at £16 each.  The eight new shades (including Oversized Orange will be available from June).

Do you own any Clinique Chubby Sticks?  Like a sheerer, more balmy lipstick?

Three years ago today, I started blogging about beauty and although I’ve had some kind of blog since 2001, today marks the longest single stretch yet.  The medium has never been more mainstream or validated than it is today, something which makes me both delighted and horrified in equal measure.  I’ve tried from the very beginning to keep true to what I set out to do, which is absolutely nothing other than use this as a platform to be a bit of a gob-shite about something that interests me and captures my imagination.

Over the past three years I’ve forged some friendships of the like that I’ve never had before and have experienced things that were it not for the blog, I’d never have enjoyed.  I’ve given up my day job to write full-time, it’s scary and I’m very bad at putting myself forward for anything but it beats installing motherboards.

Just as it was three years ago, I’d have approximately nothing without you dodging your work/studies/childcare to have a nosy at what I’ve bought/sampled/discovered or (more recently) cooked!  You tell me in no uncertain terms when what I’m blogging is rubbish/brilliant and I still rub my hands together in maniacal glee when I’ve planted the seed of a lemming in your psyche.  Not so much when you do that to me though bitches, you think I don’t have enough shit?

Ultimately, I just want to say thank you for continuing to have faith in me and what I write, it means more than I can express.

Now, let’s all have some cake this lunchtime ok?  If anyone asks, I’ll shoulder this one.