A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

My fondness for mineral powder foundations seems so at odds with my complaints about the pesky flaky bits that my combo/dry skin enjoys tormenting me with but as-long as I don’t go overboard, I nearly always get good results from them.  Having said that, I’m quite particular about how I apply them…

I prefer to use them to “boost” coverage over a light liquid base.  I rarely apply mineral power foundation onto bare skin. I’m sure that’s probably quite unusual… but I find that I get really good lighter-looking, full-coverage results doing it this way.

Clarins have released a new mineral powder foundation, Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation.  The packaging although as luxurious-looking as you’d expect from the brand, is a little bit of a pain to work with in reality.  After grappling with the brush a few times, I’ve now ditched it – not because of quality issues, but just because it’s easier to treat the pot as a generic container rather than an entire application system.

The shade shown is #105 Nude – the lightest shade available in the UK and two shades darker than the lightest available in the U.S.  The fact that this shade even works on my skintone should give some idea about the versatility of the product.  I’d say that it’s a touch too yellow for my very pale, cool skin-tone but as you’ll see at the end of the post, it doesn’t make an awful lot of difference.

The powder is finely milled, velvety in texture and once applied, I’d describe it as medium to full coverage.  The overall finish appears matte but not completely flat, I’m assuming that this is down to the pink opal powder which promises to deliver luminance to the skin.

In the before/after picture below you’ll see that my skin was pretty red and blotchy – definitely a full-coverage day.  As I’ve said already, if I want a full-coverage base, I’d usually start off with a tinted moisturiser rather than build up layer after layer of powder foundation but for the purposes of this review, I applied just a single layer of the new Clarins Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation onto bare skin instead.  I’d also usually finish off the application with a light spritz of toner to ensure that the product fuses with my skin and removes any powdery residue – but again, I haven’t done that on this occasion.

I’m pretty impressed with the coverage (for a single layer) and it definitely doesn’t look too matte.  Longevity was fine and actually, it’s only now that I’m writing the review that I’m appreciating how well it manages to control oil as my nose rarely shows signs of losing coverage halfway through the day when I’m wearing this.

Clarins Skin Illusion Mineral Powder Foundation is priced at £28 and available to buy on counter and online at clarins.co.uk (but I’d recommend checking Escentual.com for a MUCH better price first!)

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Argan Oil (and the like) has done for leave-in hair serums what the Hummingbird Bakery did for cupcakes.  I have spoken to plenty of women who class these serums as game-changers for taming unruly locks and I too, use them on wet hair before blow-drying and on the ends of my dry hair to seal the cuticle and give the impression of sleeker locks.

The problem that many women find with these products is that it’s very easy to go overboard when applying them.  Too close to the roots or a little too much on fine hair and you’re never going to be happy with a head that looks like the overspill from your chip pan.

I can probably count on more than one hand the number of times I’ve had to dart back into the bathroom to re-wash my fringe after getting a little too trigger-happy with the serums and it’s the kind of faux-pas that I, at least, haven’t been able to break with practise alone.

The thing that struck me so intensely about the new Charles Worthington Miracle Repair Elixir Oil is how different it feels in texture to many of the others.  It’s a lot lighter, a lot runnier and doesn’t seem to stay stuck to my palms for the rest of eternity.  Having said that, it still delivers the same manageability to my hair that I’ve grown to expect from using these serums.

For a “high street” name, at £14.99, you’re not paying a high-street price tag… but a quick look at the ingredients tells me that you’re not getting high-street quality either…

Unlike most mass-market “elixir oil” incarnations, the natural oils appear in the top half of the ingredient list, let me transcribe the (partial) list for those of you who might be interested, I’ll stop when things start getting tricky to spell 😉

Cyclopentasiloxane [stop now then shall I?], Dimethicanol, Cetyl Dimethicone, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Pentaclethra Macroloba (Pracaxi) Seed Oil, Camellia Sinensis (Camellia) Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare (wheat) Germ Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Tocopherol, Phytantriol, Cocoglycerides, Capryllic/Capric Triglyceride, Aminopropyl Phenyl Trimethicone… (and the list goes on…)

4th ingredient down the list and bingo – which isn’t bad considering that when reading the back of the the much-loved Moroccan Oil packet, you’ll get to the 6th ingredient in the list before seeing the magic “argan” word.

I’m inclined to think that it’s more to do with the blend of silicones they pack into these things that aid the smoothening of the locks far more than the blend of natural oils, but… still, it’s nice to see that CW isn’t skimping on the oils part of the “magic formula” isn’t it?

This is definitely worth a try if you’re finer-haired and have had trouble with the heavier formulas of other argan oil-inspired products in the past.

Charles Worthington Miracle Repair Elixir Oil is priced at £14.99 for 50ml and is part of the new Charles Worthington Salon at Home range, which is available to buy now in Boots instore and online – I have a couple of other bits from the range that promise all sorts of wonderous things for your barnet – should they impress (or catastrophically disgust me), you can be sure that I’ll tell you about it.

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Well, I watched it and I’ll confess to a bit of a shiver.  I don’t even fancy Brad Pitt but it did gave me a little thrill down my spine – I think it’s the atmospheric lighting more than anything to be honest.  I watched it again… well, three times actually.  There’s nothing wrong with it per se…

But the thing is…

WHAT’S HE SAYIN’?????

Seriously, I’m transported back to the first time I tried to comprehend Ferdinand de Saussure’s system of sign analysis… and the second time, and then every time subsequently until I gave up and decided that only losers got first-class honours degrees anyway 😉

Can someone please translate for me*?  I’m not even joking.  Where’s the pretty ladies in pretty dresses?!

* if it takes you more than 15 seconds to explain it to me, we’ve all failed

Most people dream in black and white.  I dream in red holographic.  Or, at least… I dream OF red holographic.

This isn’t a bad attempt at it, but it’s doesn’t quite cut the mustard in the same way as Glitter Gal’s incarnation of red rainbows.  The holographic is there but it’s very sparse and subtle.  That’s not to say that this isn’t a very pretty red polish with a hint of holo, because that’s precisely what it is.

I bought this one a couple of months ago and sadly I’ve only gotten round to swatching it now that the weather is too overcast, dingy and downright depressing to get any holo effect to show up – but, you get the idea.

Catherine Arley polishes are best gotten hold of via an eBay search, they’re pretty inexpensive.

I don’t know if I’m just naturally stupid or if it’s developed with age but I only realised this week that prunes… you know those wrinkly things that your Nan used to serve you with custard to keep you regular, are in fact, plums.  Dried plums.  Did you know this?!  Why didn’t anyone TELL me?  I mean… I never thought there were such things as prune trees but I didn’t make the connection either!

Anyway, huge tangent aside…

Clarins have released a new mascara for Autumn, and in their infinite wisdom, have decided not to call in Prune mascara.  No Sir!  This is Plum mascara – see how that sounds so much better?

Clarins Instant Definition mascara in Intense Plum is a hit of purple-y goodness that stays natural looking, there’s no electric violet lash injections going on here.  This is a mascara that won’t limit your choice of eyeshadow when you wear it and works nicely to jazz things up a little bit in the eye makeup department.

The formula is on the dry side – something I favour in a mascara for giving greater control during application and quicker va-va-voom results but these drier formulas do sometimes last a little less time before hardening in the tube – although the neck seal on this one does feel pretty tight.  The wand is interesting, quite rigid and small – making it great for stubby lashes with an even narrower tip to tickle even the tiniest of corner lashes with colour.

Overall, the results are pretty.  There is clumping on the second coat, but I don’t mind defining the above as pretty clumping.  I have enough lashes in the lash-line for a little bit of clumping to work for the effect rather than against it but if you crave total separation and flutter… you might not like.  I felt that this one gave me Bambi lashes that looked really nice from a distance of more than 3 foot – any closer and I was a little bit aware of da clump.  The colour was a nice touch that didn’t overpower but gave an added interest.  No problems with longevity/flaking/smudging etc. etc.

Clarins Instant Definition Mascara in Intense Plum is priced at £20.00 – it’s a Limited Edition release for Autumn and is unlikely to be available for much longer.

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In the most outrageous flirtation with alliteration that I’ve witnessed since I submitted my year 10 English coursework, Clinique have released a new line of Chubby Sticks, and this time… they’re intense.  Chubby Chunkiest Chili (oh, come on!) is one of 8 new shades to feature in the lineup of pigment-packed lip colours and it looks something like this…

You should know by now that while I feel there’s a time and a place for sheerer lip coverings, my heart lies with lip products that deliver COLOUR aswell as polish.  Well, I’m pleased to report that Chunkiest Chili does indeed deliver a bold brick-toned red to my unpigmented pout whilst managing to retain most of the glossy, slightly balmy finish of the original Chubby Sticks.

You’ve got to love a lip stick that doesn’t need sharpening… twist up, twist down.  No compromise on usability.

The swatch looks promising…

Ta-da!  Proper colour!  From a Chubby Stick!  *listens for angels*  Seriously though, if you’re a big fan of the Chubby Stick formula, ease-of-use… whatever but feel that they’ve been too sheer and balmy for you *puts hands up*, this is your answer, right here.

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense is available in 8 shades: Curviest Caramel, Chunkiest Chili, Heftiest Hibiscus, Mightiest Maraschino, Plushest Punch, Roomiest Rose, Broadest Berry, and Grandest Grape priced at £16 each.

The only problem is, you’re gonna have to wait until mid-November to get your hands on them!  Cool those heels ladies!

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What is it?

A limited edition shade of Chubby Stick Moisturising Lip Colour Balm in Plumped Up Pink, housed in a cute pink cosmetic carrying pouch

How much is it?

£16.00

How much of our money goes to supporting PINK projects?

£2 from every purchase will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

How do I get it?

Clinique counters at Selfridges and Boots nationwide and online at www.clinique.co.uk, from October, while stocks last.

A with most great battles throughout the ages, there are rarely any real winners.  This is how I’ve always felt when it comes to the issue of my skin.  The beauty industry likes to neatly compartmentalise us into skintypes, it makes it easier for them to sell us the products they think we need and it gives us a sense of understanding and order in our already chaotic lives – it serves a purpose.  The problem is that many of us don’t neatly fit into those prescribed compartments, it’s not that they’re irrelevant to us… it’s just that they don’t provide the full solution.

I’ve always described my skin as dry.  This is because I get flaky skin in the winter (despite exfoliating), visible flakes around my nose and chin whatever the weather when I wear a foundation that my skin won’t tolerate, and a tightening sensation after cleansing with any type of water.  I’m loathe to describe it as sensitive, because although I do have redness, I never get reactions or burning sensations when applying products (and I’ve tried a lot!).  That’s all pretty standard so far, but the thing is… these areas are at the same time oil-slicks by lunchtime!  How is that even fair?

I pretty much tolerate it because it can be blotted, and I know it’s not as bad as people with true oily skin get… I only need to blot a couple of times a day for example, but surely that I, with all my flakes… shouldn’t have to blot at all!

That was quite a lengthy introduction but it seemed important to express how I feel about my skintype because the product that I’ve been trying for a few weeks has proven itself to be perfectly suited to my particular concerns.

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Stay-Matte Hydrator is an instant skin mattifier with an oil-free formula that importantly (for people like me) promises to supply necessary hydration to the affected area.  In the past, I haven’t had huge amounts of success with Clinique skincare, I’ve found that it pampers to the extremes and I know that some oilier-skinned types really adore the classic 3-step skincare system, but I found that it simply eft my skin feeling uncomfortably tight.

The Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Stay Matte Hydrator has a lightweight formula and I only need to use a small amount across my t-zone once my moisturiser has been given five minutes to settle.  It’s priced at £32 for 50ml which isn’t unreasonable for the quantity but judging by the rate I’m getting through the bottle, I’d prefer to pay £16 for 25ml you know?

I’ve found that my t-zone remains far more matte throughout the day since using this, which has had the wonderful side-effect of not seeing my foundation slip from my nose as the day wears on.  I can’t say that I’ve noticed any particular improvement in pore-refinement but my “dry” skin is remaining comfortable despite using this and I’m not experiencing any additional flakiness.

Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Stay Matte Hydrator is available to buy on counter and online at clinique.co.uk priced at £32 for 50ml

Does your skintype fit neatly into the dry/oily/combination compartments?

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For 48hrs only, get 25% off at Cult Beauty with the discount code FLASH25. Perfect for those organised Christmas shoppers out there (I know you’re out there!)

Code valid until midnight on Monday.

* Discount exludes Escentric Molecules and Moroccanoil

Q: Why did the elephant paint his toenails red?

A: So he could hide in a cherry tree!

No, I didn’t break into a smile either.

Daft jokes aside, if you’ve always been looking for an elephant-coloured nail polish, your search is over. Elephant walk is an odd blue/grey shade that does indeed remind me of Dumbo.  The silver shimmer clearly seen in the bottle, is distinctly lacking once on the nails, which is a shame because I could really imagine it making a difference.

As things stand, it’s a nice two-coater but ends up reminding me of a poor-relation to something like Butter London’s Lady Muck.  Sigh, I wanted that shimmer in it!

Nevermind, at least you heard a really shit joke today.

China Glaze Elephant Walk is available to buy instore at Sallys or online at BeautyBay.com, priced at £6.95

Tell me a really bad joke!

I’ve been dragging my heels when it comes to getting excited for Autumn. Everyone around me has gone chunky-knit/boot-buying crazy while I’ve been trying to eke out one more wear from my floral palazzo trousers before I vacuum pack them away under the bed for the Winter.

But I’m feeling zen about it now. Infact, I feel quite vindicated seeing as Autumn has now clearly arrived with a vengeance this week. Yeah, you go ahead and shiver in your new chunky knit. You brought this on yourself.

It’s not that I hate Autumn… despite my protestations, it is indeed my favourite season too and I am particularly partial to the new collections that the cooler weather brings.  I’m already contemplating vampier lips and more Autumnal blushes.  Infact, here’s five Autumn blushers that I bet you don’t own…

1. Cargo – Tonga: A beautiful, muted matte rose with a hint of mauve

2. Makeup Store – Sugarpink: A soft, dusty pink with a touch of earthiness.

3. Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder – Princess: A muted plum with a hint of bronze, scrumminess.

4. Jane Iredale – Cotton Candy: A sparkly plum with shimmer that flatters without looking too glittery.

5. T. Le Clerc – Brun Voile: A sheer, neutral brown that will go perfectly with everything.

What are your favourite Autumn blushers that don’t get the hype they deserve?

I don’t really know what it is that I like so much about these rich browns that look like absolutely nothing in the bottle, and tbh, not that spectacular in my swatch… but there’s something so rich, almost decadent about them when the light hits them in a certain way.  They make me feel slightly edgy amongst the yummy mummies in the nursery playground, but not in a “look at me” kinda way, which is, let’s face it – how I like it.

Plus, the shine on this one was a dream… as you can see – super high gloss  in two coats which made my talons look effortlessly polished to within an inch of their badly manicured lives.

Do you like brown nail polishes?

China Glaze Call of the Wild is available to buy online at BeautyBay.com, priced at £6.95

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