A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

..at the risk of this being the most photo-heavy post in the history of the internet, I haven’t done the nail/lippy comparisons but totally can if anyone’s interested.  I ran out of light toward the end and now my lips are sore.

I talked about the formula of these lipglosses from Butter London a few days ago, if you need reminding – the post is here. Overall, I’m quite torn on them… I’m not a lipgloss fan, so we’re off to a bad start but I can’t deny their longevity is decent and the pigmentation on some of them, impressive.

Now that I’ve worn them all, I can safely say that the scent is pretty cloying on some of the shades and a few of them (particularly the pale ones) apply more like pva glue than gloss. I’m pleased that the range has recently been reformulated into more of a liquid lipstick style – I think that the potential for Butter London to release nail/lip combos is massive.  For me, this release ultimately just misses the mark but I’ve asterisked the ones that I did really enjoy wearing.

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Butter London Lippy’s are available to buy online from powderrooms.com, priced at £13.95 each.

Have you tried any of Butter London’s Lippys?  From the swatches, are any of them catching your eye?

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The moment I saw this Butter London beauty in the bottle, I was smitten.  I love copper polishes, I love smooth glitters, I love my polish with just a hint of eccentricity.  Meet Butter London Scuppered, a polish that simply ticks all the right boxes.

Whoever thought to throw a scattering of green micro-glitter into the mix of what is otherwise, a rather sensible (albeit beautiful) polish, is a diabolical mastermind.  In amongst all this coppery-green madness, there’s another component – a shift of pink and a lighter gold that gives this shade an almost duochrome feel in the right light.

The formula is also wonderful, the above shows three coats – each of which applied smoothly, dried quickly and behaved impeccably.  I think you could probably get away with two coats, but don’t quote me on that.

It’s Autumnal, it’s Christmassy, it’s fun – what’s not to like?

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

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Never have I cursed Winter as much as I have this past week.  I got my hands on these samples almost two weeks ago and haven’t been able to do face swatches because of the poor light.  That’s not to say I haven’t worn them, I’m usually meticulous about not breaking into samples before the photos.. but c’mon, you’d have to have nerves of steel to resist these babies.

The formula is consistent throughout the line, and as much as I wanted them to feel like liquid lipsticks, they are indeed lipglosses. They’re not light-textured on the lips and are quite strongly-scented but they’re long-lasting (for gloss) and match almost perfectly with their namesake polishes from Butter London’s regular line.

As for pigment, depending on the shade, these glosses have it by the bucketload but in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kinda way – you cannot build the pigment, not unless you wanna walk around with jizz lips and gloss strings galore.  Similarly you can’t really sheer these out without them looking patchy although you’ll be pleased to hear that they fade kindly.

Butter London Lippy lipglosses are priced at £13.95 each and available to buy online from powderrooms.com (swatches coming soon)

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Is it ever too early to start wearing holiday nail polishes?  The correct answer would be no.  Jack The Lad is from Butter London’s Holiday 2012 collection which features a range of pretty glitters.  Sitting in a forest-green base, suspended with a myriad of brighter sparkles that flash turquoise, gold and bright green, it’s a real stunner.

The swatch shot above shows three coats but you could get away with two if you’re in a hurry.  The finish is smooth to the touch but the shine is worth amping up with a top coat because it really brings out the Christmassy foil effect. Super pretty.

Butter London’s Jack The Lad is priced at £11.95 and available to buy online at www.powderrooms.com

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…and it is small, infact you probably can’t even tell it’s there – in which case, you’ll just have to trust.

I have a few Bobbi Brown Metallic Long Wear Cream Shadows that I’ve never really known how to wear.  They’re very sheer and, in my opinion, don’t really do themselves much justice when worn alone on the lids.  I’m not really sure how it took me almost two years to figure out the best way to wear them but I’ve cracked it!  Wait for it… it’s really ingenious… LAYER them!  Yes, I know!  You’d never have thought of it would you?

This isn’t today’s FOTD by the way… today, I look like shit.  Last week though, I looked quite perky (juice cleanse?) and as a result, felt the need for a bit of glitter on my face.  I wanted it to still be demure though…

I went with a simple taupe powder eyeshadow as a base… making sure it wasn’t too dark and then finger-patted Goldstone over the entire lid area.  And now I want to do that everyday.

I’m sure you’re far more adventurous about it than me but if you are wanting to dip your toes into some Christmas sparkle next month, I really recommend layering a glittery cream over a powder base – total transformation of an otherwise boring eyeshadow!

Are you wearing glitter yet?

This past week has been an absolute horror for trying to get some blog photos taken, I’ve had to push a table directly in-front of a huge window in an attempt to capture at least, some light. Apologies if the photos seem a little grainier than usual, that’s me whacking the ISO up higher than I would want to. But anyway…

I told you about Bare Minerals new range of concealers a couple of weeks ago, and featured one of those brightening under-eye type pens that add luminosity to the more shadowy areas of the face. I also told you how, on me, it didn’t make a difference… thanks, in part, to not actually having too much in the way of under-eye discoloration and shadows. Yay me!

However, what I lack in the way of under-eye circles, I totally make up for in redness. Across my cheeks and my nose. It’s not full-blown rosacea or anything as serious as that, I just like vodka too much. I’m kidding!! In my case, it’s just the curse of a celtic complexion and general diffused capilliarires under the surface of the skin. Nothing a bit of makeup doesn’t tone down… but will Bare Mineral’s latest correcting concealer do the job?

I’m gonna get the comparison out of the way… texture-wish, it’s similar to Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer, there’s a lot of slip in that there compact.  This makes it super-easy to apply with your fingers or a brush without dragging across your skin – perfect for under the eyes.  Another similarity is in the level of coverage, this provides very good, almost full coverage where it’s needed most and a little goes a long way.

It’s all good so far!

Colour-wise, this is Light 01, which is indeed pretty pale and cool-toned, the pink has a touch of peach to it in my opinion… bringing some great colour-correcting tones to the table.  Peach is great for concealing that bluish-grey hue that under-eye areas can often present.

You can see in the photo below that coverage is indeed, pretty impressive.  It all but cancels out the redness and gives me a more even complexion upon which I can apply my foundation.  Indeed, by the time my foundation had warmed upon my skin, there was literally no redness left.  My only negative with the Bare Minerals SPF20 Correcting Concealer is that despite its emollient texture, it clung a little to some flakes on my nose… flakes that I wouldn’t have even noticed before putting the product over them.  This is not a good thing, clearly.

Having said that, I think that I’m going to persevere and try some different application/prepping techniques.  The coverage is too good (whilst feeling so light) not to put some real effort into getting the very best from this product.  I can’t say how it would fare on oilier skin tones, but I would definitely recommend setting it after application if you are prone to watching your makeup slide off your face by lunchtime.

Bare Minerals SPF20 Correcting Concealer is available now, online and on counter – priced at £21 for 2g.

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Boots contacted me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I’d like to take part in a challenge which involved styling a look using a pair of glasses from the latest Boots Opticians range.  Being a bit of a reluctant specs-wearer, I thought that it might be a cool idea to have a play and have a go at getting my eye makeup looking polished behind a pair of frames.  It helps that I stand a chance at winning a pair of glasses worth £450 for one of my readers too!

I also got to choose a new pair of frames from the latest Boots Opticians Autumn range for the occasion, there were six frames to choose from:

As tempted as I was to go with the fifties retro frames (red lip, black liner anyone?), I know from experience that the 50s cat-eye style really doesn’t suit the shape of my face – so instead, I opted for a pair of Caytlins, the “stylish secretary” look!

It was only a couple of days later, late at night when I suddenly realised… “how do you style a “secretary” look without looking overtly err… sexy?”.  I submitted this question to the folks on Twitter, who agreed that the sexy secretary thing was so damn entwined with the look that it might be tricky to pull it off without looking a little bit porny.  I was mildly horrified and immediately googled “non-sexy secretary”.  Google returned two hits.  OUT OF THE ENTIRE INTERNET.  Apparently such a thing doesn’t exist.

Well, do you know what?  I’m fairly pleased with myself for managing to keep the smut on the down-low whilst still retaining a bit of style (if I do say so myself).  Hopefully it looks secretary-ish, seeing as that was the brief but I think I might have a bit of librarian creeping in there too…

I kept the look as warm-toned as possible, not only as a nod to the season but also to help accentuate the warmth in the classic tortoiseshell frames.  I tried to bring as much light to the eye area as possible with copious amounts of highlighter and luminizer. Glasses can cast unflattering shadows under the eyes, so I avoided lining the lower lashes with anything other than a flesh-toned pencil but endeavoured to continue the colour theme with a pop of bronze shadow toward the outer corners.  I also kept the lid area as light as possible, blending the crease colour higher than usual to compensate.

Well-groomed eyebrows are important when sporting a pair of specs (don’t think you can hide them behind the frames!) and finally, cheeks and lips were kept fairly neutral but warm-toned to complement the whole look.

You can’t be a “stylish secretary” without a pussybow jumper can  you?!

I’m looking forward to seeing some of the other looks that get posted on the Boots facebook page.  I must admit that when I’m going to be wearing my glasses for longer than a short trip in the car, I’ll usually revert to a bold lip/simple eye look instead so it was really refreshing to push myself to try something different.

Do you wear glasses and bother with eye makeup?  Do you have a favourite from the new Boots Autumn glasses range?

* the Caytlin frames were provided free of charge, perma-sticker included 😉

BareMinerals have launched some new “retouching” products to their lineup of mineral-based cosmetics.  One of their latest introductions to the range is their Stroke of Light Eye Brightener which, to put it simply, is supposed to work in the same way as something like the legendary YSL Touche Eclat – it’s not a traditional concealer folks, it’s a brightener.  And years of disappointment (Y U NO CONCEAL?!) has led me to understand the importance this subtle nuance makes.

The Stroke of Light Eye Brighteners are available in 4 shades ranging from the very lightest – which I have here, through to a level 4… described as “luminous dark”, whether or not that’s dark enough to cover the full spectrum of skin-tones, I don’t know.  The packaging is a doe-foot style applicator in a simple tube – I always appreciate being able to see how much product I have left in the tube, so the unfussy design works for me.

The shade is a lovely match for my skintone and the formula feels very light indeed, with a lot of slip and a sheer consistency.  Don’t expect this thing to conceal darkness, blemishes, pigmentation or actually, anything at all.  You’ll be disappointed.  This is simply supposed to work as a luminosity-giver, delivering light into the shaded areas of your face that could do with ‘perking up’.  The main area, where most people use this type of brightener is under the eyes.  You apply directly from the doe-foot and then blend gently with your finger, ring-fingers are best – they apply less pressure and are less likely to blend the product into oblivion.

There’s not a huge amount of difference is there?  Infact, I’m struggling to see any.  Perhaps it’s because the photos were taken in such a well lit room (my dungeon was out of operation), perhaps it’s because I’m perfect and need no additional eye-brightening (unlikely), or perhaps the product simply doesn’t achieve anything.  The jury is out.  What I will say though is that for an under-eye product, it’s beautifully textured.  It sat on my skin without creasing or seeping into my fine lines and I feel that it gave the area some additional hydration.  Whether it’s supposed to actually do that, I’m not sure – but it felt almost skincare-y (totally a word) as opposed to makeup-y (also a word) when used in that delicate area.

BareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener is priced at £22 and available on counter and online from bareminerals.co.uk

What say you?  Eye Brighteners… do they work for you or are they simply a case of the Emperor’s new pants?

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** I should point out that, in fairness, I don’t see a hella lot of difference with any eye-brightening products.

Oh, my lovely fellow beauty addicts… oh, I think you’re going to like this lipstick.  It’s my first “non-wimpy” red of the season and I won’t lie to you, I felt like it wore me FAR better than I could wear it.  This baby needs taming ‘cos she’s wild and a little bit scary – even for someone like me who is finally fairly confident with braving a bold lip in public.

But first let me tell you about her, she’s a new girl and needs an introduction…

To complement their current lipstick range of Lip Mists and Lip Covers, Burberry Beauty have launched a range of Lip Velvets.  Matte in look but not in texture is the best way I can describe the new formula – admittedly, I have only tried one but if the range is as consistent as it ought to be, you should experience a deeply pigmented finish with minimal gloss and a completely NON-drying formula.

NON-drying?  Yes, completely.

Now, my lips are in good condition – I have no flakes, no peels… I don’t need to exfoliate them in the shower with my flannel and I don’t need to reapply lip balm 100x a day to keep them comfortable (thanks Lanolips).  I pretty much have the most ideal lip condition for someone who wants to wear a matte lip.  Stop throwing things at me.

I’m not saying this to be conceited, I’m giving you a benchmark that says, just because my lips are super comfortable with this formula, it doesn’t mean yours will be.  And I’m sorry I have to provide that caveat in this instance, because frankly, I’d like to sing the praises of the new Burberry Lip Velvets from the rooftops with absolutely no caveat whatsoever… but it would be remiss of me not to mention that I have wonderwoman lips right now.

The shade I have here is #310, Military Red.  And it is BOLD.  To my eye, there is the tiniest amount of warmth to it that doesn’t register enough to label this an orange-toned red but is enough to give it leanings toward the warm side of neutral.  The packaging is the same magnetic affair as the rest of the Burberry lipstick range but with a marked difference, matte casing = no more fingerprints ha!  Still sleek, still sexy… just a little more practical with it.

The other thing you need to know about the colour of this one is that it’s bright.  Very bright.  In the lip swatches below, I have applied this straight from the bullet with no lipliner but you do need to take care to be precise because any major wobbles will be instantly noticeable on a shade this vivid.  While the bullet is still in pristine condition, I had no problems with achieving sharp lines – I dream to be able to wear a “mussed-up” red, beautifully deconstructed and carefree.  Alas, whenever I smudge the edges to soften the look in an attempt to make it less formal, I look like I’ve been punched in the mouth, repeatedly.

Although Military Red is indeed, a matte finish lipstick – there’s (hopefully) no sign of old lady lips going on, because frankly, at 31 – I should be starting to think about more forgiving textures – but I’ll cross that bridge when people start pointing.

The formula has really impressed me, longevity was completely within what I’d expect from a high-end brand and a matte formula.  The lipstick wore down evenly throughout the day, only giving up to a darker edge after my evening meal but a few lip smacks infront of a mirror pulled enough colour back in to the centre to dismiss this as an issue.  I didn’t reapply once throughout the day and I didn’t feel that I needed to.  Of course, after 12 hours there was nowhere the same kind of vividness on display but a firm stain ensured that my lips didn’t pale into insignificance despite the late hour.

Burberry Beauty’s Lip Velvets are priced at £23 a-piece and available on counter and online at Harrods in a range of 12 shades.  Bright Poppy is on my Winter hit-list the next time I get a chance to make it into London!

Would you wear a shade this bright?

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What is it?

Solid mineral cheek colour from the cult U.S. mineral makeup brand in shade The French Kiss, a watermelon pink.

How much is it?

£22.00

How much of our money goes to supporting PINK projects?

£5 from each sale will go directly to cancer charity Look Good Feel Better

How do I get it?

www.bareminerals.co.uk and on-counter.

You know those girls on Crescent Row… Bella, Gina, Carmella et al.  They’re sugared up crack addicts, high on vanilla, caramel and everything that would make a dentist cry.  It’s not that they’re unsavoury (geddit?!), it’s just that they’re not for me.  But there’s a new girl on the block and she’s not like all the others.  She gave up on the gourmand and went for the full-on floral route instead.

And like many of the Crescent Row girls, she is a bit full-on… she’s blousey and big, unapologetically so.  There’s a lot of jasmine in there, enough to subdue the vanilla that those other girls must have spiked her with but I’m loving the hit of Tiare flower that those of you familiar with monoi oils (*cough* Elemis *cough*) will recognise.  I don’t usually cross reference brands like this but if you take everything you love from the scent of that, put it in a medium longevity, prettily packaged perfume and add a kick of dirty rose… you’ve got Benefit’s latest EdT, See & Be Seen Sasha.

And this, my lovely friends, can only be a good thing.

Benefit’s See & Be Seen Sasha EdT is available on counter and online now at www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk, priced at £29.50 for 30ml.

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God. Have I told you how much I love foundation? Oh, I have?! Well, the thing is… I really love foundation. I love the idea of being able to smooth over the blemishes, teeny veins and discolouration with what is, effectively, a new skin.

If I were a character in a horror-filled b-movie, I’d like to be the skin harvester and I’d go around, stealing people’s faces… no, please don’t leave. I’m only joking. Sort of.

So that I don’t have to go around harvesting other people’s faces, Benefit have launched a new beauty kit that will appeal to all foundation-lovers out there.  How To Look The Best At Everything claims to contain everything we need to achieve that sought-after flawless complexion.

Let’s take a closer look….

The kit is available in three skin shades: Light, Medium and Deep and is packaged in squee cute Benefit stylee, taking obvious inspiration from the series of similarly titled books.  Despite the housing being cardboard, it stands up pretty well to mild misuse… it’s not gonna crumble anytime soon, unless you put it in the washing machine or something phenomenally stupid like that.  In which case, you deserve whatever soggy mess awaits you.

Beneath the ‘front cover’ sits an assortment of Benefit’s face products… providing you ‘get on’ with the products inside, this is a brilliant thing to take away on holidays/dirty weekends and the like.  Do people even still have dirty weekends?  I feel like I’ve just stepped out of the 80s with that expression!

So, from left to right, we have:

The POREfessional primer (7.5ml) |  Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in “Cheers to Me” Champagne foundation (7ml) | Boi-ing 01 & 02 concealer (1.5g each) | “Hello Flawless!” “Me, Vain?” Champagne powder (4g).

I’ve been doing my sums and based on the quantities of product you receive inside the kit, compared to the full-size prices…. the kit is worth approximately £44.22 on product value alone.

Which is pretty awesome considering that Benefit (who are not well-known for their bargainous prices) are asking only £24.50 for the entire set.

It’s a great starting point for anyone unfamilliar with the Benefit base makeup line and would be a lovely present for most teens *cough* and older makeup-loving ladies to open on Christmas morning.

Benefit’s How To Look The Best At Everything kit* is available to buy now online and on counter nationwide, priced at £24.50

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