A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Question of the Week – Name your three favorite nail color shades for Fall 2013.

Answer: – Leighton Denny Mutual Attraction, OPI Muir Muir On The Wall, and Essie For the Twill of it!

we heart this – have you checked out the new Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics moderncraft nail lacquers? We love ’em, much like Sally Bowles loves a cabaret, old chum.

Beauty Junkies Unite – Check out the new lipstick shades in the MAC Retro Matte Collection with this review & swatches of all eight shades! Which one is your favorite?

Chalkboard Nails – Big dots, little dots, red dots, teal dots! Is there such a thing as “too much” when it comes to polka dot nail art? (Psst…the answer is no!)

EauMG – Bye, bye summer! Victoria is celebrating with this video of her Most Worn Perfumes of Summer 2013.

Gouldylox Reviews – Feel like your hair is too heavy for volume? Think again!

Lipglossiping – does her best to tempt you into an Autumnal purchase, Clinique’s new All About Shadow singles are her must-have Fall beauty buy!

My Beauty Bunny – Need a new medium coverage foundation? Come take a look at my latest obsession, the NARS Radiant Creme Foundation which has my glowing!

Nouveau Cheap – The much-anticipated CoverGirl Hunger Games Catching Fire Collection is now hitting drugstores. Come take a peek at the new lipglosses and nail colors!

Pink Sith – found an all natural face serum with no silicones that firms skin and clears it too! thanks to the Adventuress Vividly Restorative Skin Purifer you can benefit too!

Prime Beauty – shows you as easy-peasy way to sculpt and contour with Lancome’s Face Sculpting Illuminating All-in- One Contour Blush and Highlighter.

Phyrra – brings you the Urban Decay Holiday 2013 Collection. You don’t want to miss this!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by we heart this – Christine from 15 Minute Beauty gathered 27 Must Know Beauty Blogger Makeup Tips, and she shared them over at Babble (and they are indeed must-know!)

What are you three favourite nail shades for Autumn?

You know how you can get those mugs with the how-much-milk scale on the side of them?  From “builders brew” at the top end of the scale right down to “gnats piss” at the bottom?

Well, Butter London’s Cuppa is definitely in gnats piss territory.  Infact, if someone actually brought me a cup of tea and it was this colour.  I’d tell them that their parents had clearly dragged, rather than brought them up.  After which, I’d send them back to the kitchen for a second attempt and remind them not to forget the biscuits this time.

So, clearly I prefer a strong brew… on the nails, however, Cuppa is a real stunner.

Until now, I’d majorly-lemmed for a super-pale beige but I hadn’t found one that managed to look creamy rather than chalky.  Cuppa hits the spot, the tones are just right, the neutrality is perfect, and it applies smoothly without any issues.

My only grumble is that it takes three coats to eliminate all streakiness… many super-pale pastels suffer from baldy spots here and there but beyond that, I adore this shade.

Butter London Cuppa is priced at £11.95 and is available to buy online from powderrooms.com

I don’t know man, I mean chickpeas are awesome.  They’re kinda nutty, somewhat meaty, pretty substantial and above all else, packed with fibre.  But burgers? Burgers are on a whole different level…

How could you ever, ever substitute a burger, a proper meaty burger… with one made out of chickpeas?

Let me show you how, courtesy of this recipe from new foodie blogger (and occasional beauty PR ;)) Patrizia a.k.a Patz’s Pantry.

I didn’t have any shallots, so I substituted regular red onions.  I also used breadcrumbs from a pitta rather than regular bread. The rest is as Patrizia has written it.

I won’t list the full ingredient quantities because you should check out her blog for the recipe.  Anyway, it’s such a simple recipe and really quick to knock up in about 25 minutes tops.  Perfect for when you’ve had a long day at work and don’t want to get into anything too taxing.

Once you’ve mashed up the chickpeas (I used a mini food processor and did it in a couple of batches), all you need to do is mix the ingredients together… starting with the spices…

…and then the vegetables (they also went through the food processor)…

…finally, crack your egg into the mixture and add the breadcrumbs.  You might be able to see from the above photo that I also added a cheeky teaspoonful of wholegrain mustard.  Combine everything well.

If you have one of these nifty burger presses, they’re fantastic!  If you don’t, you can still shape the patties by hand… I do recommend a burger press though if you regularly make your own, they’re really cheap and help you eke out those ingredients as well as helping to control portion sizes!

Once you’ve made your burgers, whack them back in the fridge to firm up for 15-minutes before frying over a low heat for around 3-4 minutes on each side.

I pretty much ruined the effect of mine by melting a leftover slice of plastic cheese on top.  I promise it looked far better before I butchered its appearance with the blob of sweet chilli sauce too haha!

I served mine on a pitta bread with some sweet potato fries and a side salad.  It was delicious, truly.

Are you burger fiend?  What’s on the menu tonight?

These Denim polishes have been out in Asda for a little while now, released just before the Summer started but I’m only getting around to them now.  I don’t know about you but I think they have more of an Autumnal feel to them?

First up is the blue*, which was opaque in a single coat.  How much do we like it when that happens ladies?  And even more than that… it dried within five-minutes, completely.  Not just touch-dry you understand… but proper pull-your-knickers-up-after-a-wee dry.  Amazing.

The second shade, which I believe has only recently made it onto the shelves at Asda is of the black jean* variety.  This one took two-coats and dries to a charcoal shade.

Both polishes, as you can see, also dry to a matte finish… I could imagine that for the artistically inclined amongst you, these would make a rather cute base for adding arty things such as studs and painted stitches.  Me, well…. I’m just not that creative.

Wear is about average for a matte polish, a little quicker along the tips than regular polish.  Removal is a little slower too with these because of the silver shimmer, which isn’t chunky… but behaves like glitter during the removal process.

As I was packing my camera away, I remembered that I had an untried polish in my collection that I thought might be a dupe.  Yes, I know that BarryM’s Denim was released LAST year and it’s still in my untried box… but it is still available, and should you miss out on the Limited Edition George version, you have an alternative!  As you can see, they’re pretty much identical to look at… the only difference being that the BarryM one was a little slower to dry.

Do you like Denim nails?  Matte seems to be the only recent (as in the last couple of years) trend that I haven’t completely tired of!

George (at Asda) Denim Effect Nails are priced at £3.00 each and are available to buy instore.

* press samples

… it should probably be one of these.

Now, I’m flagrantly shirking my own rules and responsibilities here.  These two eyeshadows turned up only yesterday and I’m bumping the review queue like a woman on a mission to enable.  Why?  Because these Clinique All About Shadow Super Shimmer eyeshadows* from Clinique are bloody gorgeous, that’s why.

The 2.2g single shades are a dream for those of us looking for high pigmentation colour with a super-creamy texture.  If your eyelids aren’t quite as smooth as they once were, please don’t be put off by the “super shimmer” moniker… this is not disco ball glitz but a smooth shimmer with light-reflective qualities, it’s all very sophisticated and grown-up!

The acrylic packaging is rather bulky for the size of the pan inside, thanks to the included sponge applicator and large mirror.  Personally, I’d rather depot these into a palette… but Clinique haven’t made this kind of DIY trickery particularly easy in this instance.

The super-soft texture does mean that you have to be careful of a little fall out, both when you lift the colour from the pan and during application, however… this is nothing that tapping your brush before applying won’t solve.

The shades I received are both sublime.

08: Olive in my Martini is much more of a dirty brown than a true olive… there’s only a very little gold/green in there.  It’s more of a hint at a neutral-green than anything more directly representative.

02: Blackened Honey would be a killer set against green eyes.  The warm tones are beautiful for Autumn, thankfully the kind of burnt umber that doesn’t make you look like you’ve got pink-eye.

Now, I’ve only these for the one day but it’s now lunchtime and I’m sitting here wearing Olive in my Martini.  It’s been on my lids since just after 7am and despite the fact that I was too impatient to pair it up with an eye-primer… it’s holding fast.

I doubt that it will last the whole day without a base underneath but Clinique have also just released their All About Shadow Primer for Eyes too, should you be reliant on extra long wear.

So, why am I so stoked by the new Clinique All About Shadow range?

Well, if the rest of the range is anything like these (and remember, these are the “super shimmer” finishes, I haven’t tried any of the others)… you’ll be getting great texture, super-blendability and high levels of pigmentation without sacrificing on a more sophisticated, non-glittery finish.

All About Shadow Singles are priced at £16.00 / €19.00 and available to buy on counter and online from clinique.co.uk

* press sample

How do you keep subscribed to my (almost) daily updates.  You know, since 2009 there have been over 2750 of them!  That’s a lot of blogging, think of all the things I could have been doing with my life instead?!  No actually, don’t…

What I want to know is… how do you follow my inane ramblings?  In case you’re in need of a little update… here are some of the ways we can keep in touch…

Bloglovin’

Bloglovin’ is am easy way to find and store all of your favourite blogs in one place.  It’s quick to logon and check for updates, giving you the gist of a post so you can decide whether or not you’re interested in clicking through to read more.

click here to subscribe via Bloglovin’

Email

For the least amount of effort on your part, subscribe to my daily mail out.  You’ll only receive one email per day (and that’s only if I’ve updated!)

Any posts will be waiting for you to read from the comfort of your email inbox whenever you get a spare minute.

click here to subscribe to my daily email

Twitter

Incase you don’t know, I’m a wee bit of a Twitter addict (50,000+ tweets and counting!)  If you have any questions or want to shout at me about something, this is the best place to find me!  I use Twitter to promote my latest posts with a single link and automate a couple of links a day to older posts that you may not have picked up on the first time around.

Twitter is also where I link extremely time-sensitive info (deals, voucher codes etc.) and retweet lots of completely and utterly fascinating (honest!) snippets that I discover!

click here to follow me on Twitter

Facebook

I don’t really use Facebook if I’m honest…. but if you’re an avid fan, you can follow my page which will, by the power of the magical internet, feed my latest updates into your timeline.

click here to follow me on Facebook

Instagram

My Instagram account is more personal than blog-related.  Generally involving attempts at healthy and not-so-healthy(!) dinners and treats, a wee bit of Leila’s antics and not much else!

Click here to find and follow my Instagram account

However you choose to follow my blog, if you do – thank you very much!

When your head hits the pillow, are you out like a light?  Or do you gaze at your alarm clock slowly ticking over… counting down the minutes until it’s time to wake up?

I’m a bit of an insomniac.  Well hang on… that’s a pretty catch-all term isn’t it, often misused.  I don’t mind admitting a “just one more go at Candy Crush” addiction that can often keep my brain overly-stimulated into the wee hours.  Infact, Mr. L reckons that if we banned our iPhones from the bedroom, we’d average at least an extra hour’s sleep a night.  Hardly “proper” insomnia but it’s a cycle that can be hard to break nonetheless.

But it’s not just my late-night Daily Mail app addiction that I have to contend with.  I do find it a lot harder to “switch off” now that I’m older…. there are just so many things to think about aren’t there?  Worries… plans… hopes and fears… it’s a wonder we sleep at all.

For the month of September, NEOM Luxury Organics have launched the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep campaign in association with The Sleep Council. Alongside the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep 3-Step Guide, the brand have also introduced the Neom Perfect Night’s Sleep Kit (£55.00).

The kit includes three items from NEOM’s lavender, sweet basil and jasmine-enriched Tranquility range:

NEOM Tranquillity Candle (380g, £39.50)
NEOM Tranquillity Bath Foam (200ml, £20.00)
NEOM Tranquillity Mist (100ml, £15.00)

The usual price of these three items would total £74.50, but bought together as part of the Perfect Night’s Sleep Kit, will save almost £20, costing only £55.00.

In addition to this, the organic brand are running a wonderful competition that I want to give you a heads up about…

To celebrate the launch of the Perfect Night’s Sleep Campaign, NEOM Luxury Organics has teamed up with like-minded premium companies such as Lifehouse Spa & Hotel, Abaca, The Wool Room, The Fine Cotton Company, Hush, Amelia Freer Nutritionist and Pukka to launch a very special competition to win a deluxe package worth over £2,000, all geared towards giving you the Perfect Night’s Sleep.

To enter the competition, visit: http://www.neomorganics.com/sleepcomp.html

What’s been keeping you awake recently?

God, I love a beauty gimmick. In reality, I generally hate them… but it’s the promise of pure innovation that I just can’t resist!

It looks a bit like a handbag-sized torture device doesn’t it?

Have you already spotted it online?  Can you guess what it is?

Seeing as it’s blatantly not Summer anymore – the rain hammering at my windows is testament to this – I thought I’d show you a real Summery shade.  Just because I’m obtuse like that.  I said obtuse, not obsese, bitches.

Butter London’s Fiver is a very, very pale pastel.  Not quite a green, not quite an aqua… it sits somewhere between the two.  There’s a definite amount of blue in there to prevent it from looking full-on minty, making it a slightly more unusual shade than most.

Application was a little streaky, after two coats it was *nearly* there but for me, needs a full three coats to make it presentable and completely streak free.  The formula was fine… easy to spread and dried rapidly.

It’s not at all right for the season is it, do you wear out of season shades whenever the mood takes you?

Butter London Fiver is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online from powderrooms.com

Question of the Week – What is your all-time favorite shade of blush?

Answer – PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME PICK ONE!  I hate it when people sit on the fence with a direct question like this… Erm, ok… I can do this.  I just need about 20-minutes to think about it…

…

…

Ok.  I’m ready.  Either Bare Minerals Promise or Cargo Tonga.  I got it down to two… but I do love NARS Deep Throat aswell. (step away from the keyboard and stop typing).

Phyrra – says have a drink with the new Literary Lacquers Literary Liquors Collection.

we heart this – has the one case where picking your face is ok; it’s Boscia’s Peel Off Face Masks.

Beauty Junkies Unite – See if Jordana’s new 12HR Made To Last eyeshadow pencils can really go the distance!

Chalkboard Nails – Honey, fly on over and check out this graphic bee nail art!

Clumps of Mascara – is holding onto summer a little bit by rockin’ those beautiful bright shades from China Glaze’s Sunsational collection.

EauMG – reviews a soft, citrus scent by Cartier.

Gouldylox Reviews – Can a makeover happen in a minute? Check out this speedy tutorial using a beautiful palette from Eve Pearl.

Lipglossiping – grabs the hair by the, err, root and gets to grips with all things tweezery!

My Beauty Bunny – Tired of razor bumps and irritation from shaving? Bikini Soft Smooth Shave Oil can change all that and we’re hosting an Instant Win Giveaway so you can have smooth, soft skin too!

Nouveau Cheap – It’s been a while since my last makeup brush review, but this one is so wonderful (and inexpensive) that it deserves some praise.

Prime Beauty – dishes about her favorite beauty oils for face, skin and hair in the latest Makeup Wars: Battle of the Best Beauty Oils!

Guest Post of the Week, as chosen by Phyrra – Phyrra loves Mandy’s blog, Pretty Making. She always has lovely looks, beautiful swatches and great reviews. Mandy found a great affordable cruelty-free dupe for Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer, the Palladio Beauty Herbal Foundation Primer.

C’mon… I did it… you can too.  What is your all-time favorite shade of blush?

Orange juice and toothpaste, a vegan at a BBQ, Miley Cyrus and a touch of class. Some things just don’t seem to want to go together do they?

Crabtree & Evelyn and nail polish?

Hmmm…

To be honest, I always think of Crabtree & Evelyn as a bit of a nanna-brand, aimed at garden potterers and people who use talc.  What are they doing with a new line of fashion-forward nail lacquers anyway?  Does it fit their target demographic?

Well, whatever they’re doing with it… it’s here. Launched this week into stores nationwide. Let’s have a look at them…

Not too shabby, I think you’ll agree.  Don’t underestimate those Crabtree & Evelyn shoppers, Nanna’s everywhere have their fingers firmly on the pulse it seems.

The range includes a total of 19 polishes, I’m missing a few from the pictures above… including a rather fabulous-looking olive green that I’d really like to check out sooner rather than later.  Also, in the lineup (but omitted from my picture) is a clear top/base coat, and a box of nail polish remover wipes that have been formulated with an environmentally friendly soy-based formula instead of your usual hydrocarbon solvents!  All rather innovative stuff from a brand that, to be honest, I didn’t think had it in them.

By now, you will be whooping with delight when I tell you that all of these lacquers are formulated without camphor, dibutyl phthalates, formaldehyde or toluene, and get this…

…each 15ml bottle is priced at only £6.00 each.

Available instore and online at crabtree-evelyn.co.uk now, made my weekend this has!

Hermes Eau de Merveilles is a bottle filled with sunshine.  Not the kind of sunshine that you’d need a bikini, the latest Lindsey Kelk book, and a Flake 99 to make the most of but the kind of sunshine that comes out after the rain, refreshing your senses and reminding you that there’s more to life than drizzle.  It won’t warm you, stifle you, or make you feel inappropriately dressed in your new Autumnal knits because there’s a briskness to it that fits perfectly with the falling of the leaves.

Although the fragrance has been around a number of years now, the luxury brand have – just a couple of days ago – released this limited-edition bottle version…

Water of Wonders as it translates into English, is marketed as a feminine fragrance but to my nose, it’s perfectly unisex.  Infact, I think it would take a woman who really appreciates a masculine scent to fall in love with this one.  Beginning with a blast of orange zest (no juice in sight), it’s invigorating and fresh… oceanic even.

Picture yourself stood in a Mediterranean orange grove, a couple of miles inland from the sea with the wind whipping around you, carrying the kind of saltiness that catches you by surprise each time you absent-mindedly lick your lips.  You can smell, taste, and hear the ocean… but you can’t see it.

An off-centre bottle for an off-centre perfume, this is probably one of the most skin-loving scents I’ve ever worn.  It’s sheer but resolutely there and rather than blend in with your own chemistry, it takes charge… mutating your own “smell” to suit its subtle agenda.  Once it feels it’s achieved this pitch-perfect takeover… it clings.  And then it clings some more, wearing close to the skin and giving gentle but reassuring hints as to its presence.  Beautifully dry, a wee bit mossy, it feels like an uncomplicated absolute.  It just is, it just exists…

Perhaps you don’t want to smell floral, perhaps you don’t want to smell juicy… instead, you want to smell lightly spiced…. a little outdoorsy without the heaviness of a typical woody fragrance.  Salty and fresh, clean and unsullied.  In that case, Hermes Eau des Merveilles has you covered.

The Limited Edition Eau des Merveilles is now available at selected department stores Nationwide, priced from £65.50 for 50ml.

* press sample