A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

You’d be easily forgiven if you thought that Butter London Marbs had been released alongside one of the brand’s Winter collections… after all, we’re pretty used to seeing golden metallics shine at Christmas.  But no, in their usual “sod what the rest of the industry are doing” kinda way, Butter London saw fit to release this golden wonder last Summer and it just about works.

Although obviously a rather brash yellow-gold in hue, there’s a certain amount of bronziness to it that makes you appreciate how well it would work with a sunkissed tan.  Something my milk-bottle skin is sadly, unlikely to realise this Summer.

The finish is in fact, startlingly bright with an incredible metallic foil that gives an almost reflective-like quality to the finished product.  I’d generally expect anything so full of shine to be unforgiving over nail ridges but this one manages to disguise the various bumps and peels across my nail beds.

Summer, winter… whatever the season, Marbs is probably the best gold polish I own, especially when it comes to delivering a fully opaque finish in a quick and simple two coats.

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

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As much as I admire a pretty metallic nail polish, they can be the devil for revealing flaws across the nail bed.  Champers from Butter London is no exception and it rudely broadcast my peeling index nail (on the other hand) to all and sundry.

When a polish leaves you feeling so exposed, it can be hard to muster much love for it but despite this, Champers has something very special working for it in its favour.

It’s simply a bloody beautiful shade that would suit every skintone.

It’s described as a rose-gold metallic shimmer…. and in my opinion, pushes the description boundaries a little with the “rose gold”.  I don’t think it’s quite warm enough to qualify and has a subtle silver flash that contradicts the overall impression… of course, this is great if you struggle with warmer tones against your skin but I just wouldn’t quite put this one into the obvious rose gold category.

Especially not when you compare it to something like Butter London’s incredibly beautiful pink/gold combo that is Rosie Lee for example.

Application was good and the polish needed a maximum of three coats to achieve full opacity and removal was generously easy considering the micro particles of shimmer that run through the shade.

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

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I’m nothing if not eternally late to the party. Not in a fashionable manner you understand, more of an “everyone’s gone home now” kinda way.

Incase you hadn’t guessed, this is my first A-England polish purchase.  The reason that I didn’t jump on the wagon a couple of years ago was down to an honest fear of not being able to control my spends.  Infact, even now… hype long-gone, I can still feel the pull back to the website for more.  MOAR I tell you!

Ascalon is an understated holographic, understated in a prettily scattered way.  Infact, as a bonafide holo-whore… my favourite thing about this shade is more to do with the lilac duochrome that flashes across the nail bed and not the holographic effect at all.  Application was nice and smooth, happily complete in two coats.

These darker, cool-toned holos are my favourite… not particularly seasonal but so, so beautifully chic.  What’s your favourite A-England shade?

A-England Ascalon is priced at £9.00 and available to purchase online from a-england.co.uk

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Very, very tentatively am I moving into some proper Spring nail colours.  I know it’s like, April already and most of you are being all fashion-forward with your neons but me, well… I’m just a bit of a 21st century yokel.  You’ll have to let me bump along with the times at my own slow pace.

Deborah Lippmann’s Daytripper is the perfect example of my favourite. shade. ever. (other than taupe).  It’s what I like to call “Guava”, a softer version of coral… a version of coral that’s more forgiving to my pasty, pale pink skintone.  It doesn’t scream, it just siren-songs you into a gentle Summery submission.

Aside from the obvious fanaticism I have over the shade “guava”, this version of the shade on my fingertips sings even more temptingly thanks to it’s super-glassy finish.  That’s no top-coat on display there folks, this one is so shiny, you’ll have no need to carry a mirror around with you.  The above photo shows three coats because I hate a VNL (visible nail line).  If you don’t mind a little sheerness in your polish, this one has that pretty semi-translucent hard boiled sweet thing going on after two coats.  Me, I just like all out opacity.

Application is good, wear is good… and to be honest, so it should be from the premium brand.  I think I like their cremes even better than their notorious glitters!

Deborah Lippmann Daytripper retails at £16.00 for 15ml and is available to buy online from harrods.com and lookfantastic.com (where shipping is also gratis).

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When I first read about the innovative formulation of these delightful new blushers from Clinique, I was naturally a little sceptical.  I mean, most new releases nowadays claim to go beyond the realms of technology in a quest to deliver cosmetics that are like nothing you’ve ever used before.  That’s standard industry bullshit and we all know it.

The thing is though, I actually do believe that Estée Lauder Companies, Inc may indeed have robbed some faraway land of their makeup pixies…

First of all, Estee Lauder come out with the most brilliantly formulated lipsticks I’ve tried in a while, now swiftly followed by Clinique’s rather wondrous new Cheek Pops.  But what exactly is so marvellous about them?  Read on and I’ll tell you…

To begin with, they look bloody incredible, don’t they?  The fine detail in the gerbera daisy design is exquisite.  Completely frivolous and by-the-by, of course… but when has such kerb appeal ever been a bad thing?

The powder texture has an unusual quality… most definitely a powder in formula but in application?  Much more like a cream or gel finish.  It’s translucent and utterly buildable.  Pale girls rejoice, the Clinique team have created a wonderful balance between ethereal and pigmentation.

The depth of colour that you apply to your cheeks is very controllable.  I suffer from the horrors of one swipe with the brush often being too much once applied to my face, for these…. I can comfortably layer on a single swipe and then return to the pan for a second dusting over the apple of my cheek.  It’s a rare joy.

Even the swatches above show the rather lovely translucent nature of the pigmentation, they’re sheer but not lacking in oomph.  You can visually appreciate the quality and luminosity of the skin below the swatch which gives a far more natural and realistic blush effect once on the cheeks than most powder blushers can even dream of achieving.

The four shades available range from the candy-inspired to the more natural warmth.  My personal favourite is the cool-toned and punchy Plum Pop which carries a subtle river of silver iridescence.  Lasting power on these varies a little… the brighter shades generally offer a bit more of a stain-effect that is still present in the evening, while the more subtle and neutral Ginger Pop has disappeared from my cheeks by bedtime.

Clinique’s Cheek Pops are priced at £16.50 and available to purchase now on counter and online from clinique.co.uk

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New from Aerin Beauty this season is their Essentials Collection*, primarily featuring a weighty compact filled with a kaleidoscope of colour.

The Kaleidolight Palette (£40) is essentially a Spring bronzer, offering the kind of skin boost and colour-correction that delivers on Spring’s more subtle promises.  This is the Spring bronzer for those of us who tend to shy away from bronzing, it adds a boost where Winter has stripped the skin of its luster, an inbetween complexion solution for these tricky months ahead.

At first glance, the six shades housed within the impressive gilt exterior lean toward the cooler side of the spectrum… I think the inclusion of a skintone-correcting lilac skews my overall impression, as this is definitely a warm-toned bronzer once all shades are swirled together and applied.  It is best suited to those with fair to medium skintones, overall a buildable formula that applies smoothly and blends beautifully on the skin.

If you prefer, you can… of course, use each shade independently.  The palette is generously-sized and the pans aren’t crowded together, allowing for decent pickup with a smaller-sized blusher brush.  If you were to use the palette more precisely in this manner, you have everything included from colour-correction to contour to blush.

I’ve swatched each shade below, as they apply straight out of the palette… you can see that pigmentation-wise, you’re getting a fair amount of colour payoff with only a couple of swipes from each pan.  The bronzing shades complement each other well and I’ve been using a duo-fibre brush to apply to my cheeks, ensuring a lighter hand.  Overall, the palette delivers mostly colour and warmth with a subtle radiance.

The Rose Balm Lipstick in Whisper (£25) is another new addition to the line, promising a balm-like texture with medium coverage colour.  Whisper is an ultra-pale pink with the slightest hint of shimmer, more noticeable in the bullet than on the lips.  I’m not a fan of the texture, which feels somehow heavier than it should and a little “claggy” over the drier areas of the lip.

I’ve included a FOTD below which displays the products worn (please excuse my badger grey streak in my fringe!), I’ve limited use of the palette to the cheeks so that you can visualise the bronzing effect of the shades when swirled together.

The Aerin Essentials Collection is available to buy online now from esteelauder.co.uk and harrods.com

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One of the best beauty innovations in recent times was when bareMinerals finally made their sifters, lockable.  It was a game-changer… no more loose minerals floating around on the wrong side of the pot, no more having to poke selectively through the labels with a biro, exposing only a few sifter-holes at a time. Simply genius.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the latest innovation coming from bareMinerals HQ.

The brand’s Limited Edition 15th Anniversary Mineral Veil Finishing Powder looks the damn business, let’s be honest.  It’s basically a cross between a gadget and a beauty-item and you can’t tell me that you beauty-loving souls don’t love a bit of gadgetry with your cosmetics, ‘cos I know you do!

The 8g of Mineral Veil powder is housed in one end of the revolving “clam shell”, while at the other… a soft brush dispenses the product onto your face, blurring imperfections and giving your skin a final gloss.  Now, whilst the product does all of those lovely things (I’m a long-time fan), unfortunately the limited edition dispenser doesn’t really add much to the experience.

First things first, it’s not refillable.  There seems to be some confusion online about whether or not you can top-up the contents once they’ve run out.  You can’t.  This is a one-off novelty purchase, and this irks me a little.  Ok, a lot.  What if I’d fallen in love with it only to discover that my product-lust was subject to a time-limit?

Secondly, it takes a lot of effort to get the powder to distribute through the brush evenly.  During normal use, you’d just dip your brush into the sifter to coat the tips with a fine layer of powder.  With this gadget, you’re working from the opposite end of those brush fibres and the powder needs to work its way down to the tips from the base.  The dispenser is only able to flow product from two holes at either end of the brush (shown above where the two pink “plugs” are located).

My experience over the last few weeks has shown that nine-times-out-of-ten, I just don’t get an even distribution of product across the brush head.  It’s not unusable but it’s definitely a step down from the usual application method.

Not to put an entire downer on the product, I truly can’t deny that it’s really convenient for travel and I haven’t discovered any spillages or leaks in my handbag.  The dispenser locks securely when not in use and it is a pretty neat solution for taking down the shine on a midday face.

Ultimately, it’s a great idea but it needs fine-tuning… I’d love to see this product return as a permanent (refillable) item after a little product development.

The bareMinerals Limited Edition 15th Anniversary Mineral Veil Finishing Powder will be available from next month instore in bareMinerals boutiques, on the website, and at Boots, priced at £22.00

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Most people are familiar with the practice of prepping oily skin before applying foundation but less is said about those of us with dehydrated or dull complexions.  Many, many paragraphs are given over to the subject of tailoring skincare to battle dehydrated skin… but what about makeup application?

Just as someone with oily skin can’t go slapping their base product onto a freshly moisturised face without thought of how their foundation will look in 3hrs time, I have to take care to prep my skin in advance of foundation application.  If I don’t, my skin will simply look tired, a little crepey, and incredibly dull within hours.

Once I’ve moisturised and primed with a moisturising primer, I always add some radiance to my foundations.  Wearing so many layers of product means that I have to give consideration as to how they work together, they have to be compatible and finickity products are always the first to find themselves in the reject pile.

One of my favourite methods of customising a foundation to suit my dehydrated skin involves giving it a little boost of radiance, usually in the form of a liquid luminizer that I can mix directly into the foundation.  The one I’m currently using is a purchase from last year, the Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base in 01 Nude Radiance.  I’ll be honest, I made a mistake… I actually bought this thinking that it was a foundation… albeit a sheer one.  Doh!

It’s not, it’s definitely a luminizer.  Unless you have the most perfect skin in the world, you’ll need something applied over this to provide a bit of a backbone if you want it to even-out your skintone.

You’ll never need more than one pump-per-application, so its 30ml packaging size is going to last you a fairly long while, which is just as well… being Burberry after all, it’s not the cheapest makeup purchase I made last year.  I take great solace from the fact that I generally tend to get on really well with high-street (priced) foundations though, so a little splurge here and there on a different kind of base product won’t do me too much harm.

To use it, I simply pump a single “splodge” (technical term, obv.) on the back of my hand before pumping my required amount of foundation ontop.  At the moment, I’m very much in favour of using my hands to apply my foundation, so I’m happy to mix the mess up on the back of my hand with a clean finger before spreading the product onto my face.  It’s a fuss-free method of application and I find that the warmth transferred from my fingers works well for spreading product smoothly over my dry skin.

The radiance boost that the Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base delivers is subtle but effective.  It doesn’t leave obvious shimmering particles on my skin, not that I’ve anything against more in-yer-face luminizers – I loves ’em, but sometimes they’re not wholly appropriate.  The Nude Radiance shade is a neutral-toned champagne that would suit many, many skintones… I’d always check before buying but in my opinion, it’s far too translucent to appear ashy, particularly as it will be so heavily influenced by the foundation shade you mix it with.

For me, mixing a luminizer into my foundation is a step in my makeup routine that I wouldn’t be without.  It allows me to get more use from the many, many foundations I’ve purchased that haven’t been “quite right” for my skintype.  It keeps my skin looking fresher and more radiant as the day progresses without having to over-moisturise and risk having it slide from my t-zone by lunchtime.

Of course, sometimes I’ll follow up this radiance-boosting step with a little powder highlighter also… though I mostly only bother if it’s something very subtle or I’m going out in the evening.

Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Base in 01 Nude Radiance is priced at £34.00 and available to buy on Burberry counters nationwide and online from John Lewis.

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Ey up!  I’ve got a guest review on the blog today!

Kenzie hails from Kenzie Benali Beauty & Fashion, a blog that the Southampton-based student enjoys updating during her spare time from a busy Multimedia Journalism degree.  She kindly took charge of guest reviewing the new Dermalogica Clear Start Range* for me, as her younger skin is more suited to the range’s active ingredients and target audience than mine!

Take it away Kenzie…

For the last month and a half, I have religiously been using all of the products from the Dermalogica clear start range.

With a history of problematic skin and having tried what feels like every product on the market I was excited to find out what the hype surrounding Dermalogica was all about.

Here is how I got on with them!

Breakout Clearing Foam Wash (£13.00) – I used this product twice daily and I have to say I loved it. It has quite a thick, gel like texture, which at first was a little hard to take to, but it really left my skin feeling cleansed and fresh and smelt beautiful.

Breakout Clearing All Over Toner (£13.00) – This is a unique toner because of its mist form. Prior to using this, I had never tried any spray toners. At first it felt slightly uncomfortable as it leaves the face feeling a little damp but once you get used to the sensation and allow it to sink into the skin it is extremely refreshing and effective. If you can not take to the spray however, I often applied the toner onto a cotton pad and then to my face to avoid the feeling of residue on the skin. This product can also be applied onto other areas of the body that are prone to breakouts.

Blackhead Clearing Pore Control Scrub (£13.00) – My skin is extremely prone to dryness, so out of all of the products this was one of the most effective for me. I used this 3 to 4 times a week and it made a visible difference to the way my foundation sat on my skin. Often my skin would become flakey and applying foundation on to my skin can just worsen this but using the scrub prior to doing my make up really helped to smooth the skin and provide a clean and soft base. The only trouble I did have with this was that I found the microbeads perhaps a little too harsh, that being said I have very sensitive skin! To combat this, I just used a tiny amount each time and rubbed it in extremely gently.

Breakout Clearing Daytime Treatment (£16.00) – This moisturiser was lovely to put on after my morning routine. However, I did find that I had to leave a substantial amount of time in between applying this and doing my make up, (about 30 minutes) because it took sometime to really soak into the skin.

Oil Clearing Matte Moisturiser SPF15 (£16.00) – This moisturiser promises to provide all day shine control and although it didn’t completely eliminate all areas of oiliness, it certainly helped to improve it. Often, a few hours after applying my make up, I start to get shine on my face so this was a great product for me.

Breakout Clearing Emergency Spot Fix (£13.00) – I used this at the first signs of any breakouts and it made a very obvious difference. I usually applied the cream before I went to bed so that when I woke up the redness had noticeably gone down. My only criticism would be that it comes in an extremely small tube and I went through it very quickly.

Breakout Clearing Cooling Masque (£16.00) – This masque was extremely successful in unclogging pores but most notably for hydrating my skin. I used it about 3 times a week whenever my skin was looking slightly dry. As my skin is so sensitive I only kept this treatment on for 5 minutes, rather than the 10 suggested but it still did exactly as the packaging promised and soothed away irritations.

Breakout Clearing Overnight Treatment (£13.00) – This invisible treatment really improved swelling and redness and felt extremely soothing before bed. This product also seemed to greatly reduce dryness and kept my skin hydrated until the morning.

Over all I found the clear start range very true to its word, “a clear winner for teenagers.” I definitely noticed fewer breakouts and improved clarity in the skin which I think in the longer term could potentially completely clear affected areas. All of the products smell gorgeous, with a very fruity and fresh theme running throughout and left me feeling completely cleansed. I would not hesitate to purchase anything from this range again!

Lots of love, Kenzie xxx

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As a simple lady (in more ways than one), I’m just not interested in painting my eyes with a rainbow of colours anymore.  It makes me feel conspicuous, something that I don’t enjoy being at the best of times.  Whilst I may be getting past the whole idea of using makeup as a way to be creative, I don’t think I’ll ever get over its abilities to make me look more refreshed, and leave me feeling more confident in my own appearance.

Truth be told, nowadays… I rarely stray from wearing anything other than a highlighting shade across my eyelids.  I need something that puts luminosity into a part of my face that is often the first to express just how little sleep I’ve gotten in recent weeks.  I know that many of you will be the same as me, “boring” though it is…

I thought I’d share my favourite luminosity-delivering eye shadows for a quick morning post… these are the ones that I use in constant rotation… whichever is closest to hand, I’m happy to use that morning.

Top row, left to right: MAC Vanilla Pigment, MAC Femme Fi, MAC Phloof!

Bottom row, left to right: Becca Vicuna, The Body Shop Colour Crush 101, Shu Uemura IR Beige 800

I rarely feel makeup guilts about purchasing a highlighting shade, which is silly… because six, used in rotation, is more than enough for anyone.  However, I know that as part of my daily staple, I’ll get through them… eventually.  In a pinch, most of them can also be used as a skin highlighter across the cheekbones, I do this particularly with The Body Shop Colour Crush 101 eyeshadow when I can’t find my NARS Albatross.

Of the six, MAC’s Vanilla Pigment delivers the most intense light-reflection, it’s wonderful for the inner corner but my skin is a little too mature to wear this as an under-the-browbone highlighter, it makes me feel like I’m in drag to be honest… not really a good thing, when err… you’re not actually in drag.  I do love this one as an allover lid colour, I just make sure to blend it well and combine with some black liquid liner for a simple-but-polished look.

If you were to push me, I’d probably call out MAC’s discontinued Femme-Fi as my ultimate favourite.  It just has such a lovely quality that never looks chalky or stark across the lids, sometimes the cooler-toned, more frosty Phloof! can look a little too highlightery across the lids.  Whenever I spot Femme-Fi in someone’s blog sale, I always succumb to the purchase.

Becca’s Vicuna is also a beautiful one-shade option, I probably reach for it the least out of the six just because it’s in a cream format… but when I get my head around working outside the box, I’m always pleased with the result.

Finally, the discontinued Shu Uemura IR Beige 800 and The Body Shop Colour Crush 101* are really similar to each other in tone.  The Shu Uemura is a little more refined in texture, but once both are blended, you’d be hard-pushed to notice a difference between them.  These are both perfect for the inner corner but when worn across the lid, I try to combine them with a more golden-toned crease colour as opposed to my usual taupe.

What are your favourite luminosity-delivering eye shadows?

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I simply cannot over-stress the importance of amazing eyebrows.

Well err, scratch that because obviously I could… I could suggest that they were more important than something like world peace or the need for a Krispy Kreme stand on every corner.  But what I’m trying to explain, dear reader, is that I do place an emphasis on how my brows look.  Mostly because, without intervention, they’re an embarrassment to my face.  The saddest thing about this, is that my eyebrows, despite all this extra attention (I spend more money over the course of a year on my eyebrows than I do my hair), are still not amazing.

I have been cursed with the worst affliction that any brow-wearer could suffer from.  Curly eyebrows.  My threader always has a little giggle to herself (she thinks I don’t notice) when she gets the scissors out.  I try and make light of the situation by suggesting that she might have better luck with a pair of straighteners, but then her wry smiles turn to a look of pity, so I shut up and let her get on with it.

Benefit’s Gimme Brow* promises to be an all-in-one solution for badly-behaved brows, delivering a natural-looking finish and a long-lasting hold.  It’s a gel formula, packed with tiny fibres that adhere to both skin and hair to help fill in any bald spots and volumise (yes, volumise!) the brows you already have.  Imagine the brand trying to sell this back in the days when “big” lady brows were frowned-upon!

My biggest bug-bear with this product is a usual Benefit complaint.  You’ll leave the counter feeling much, much lighter of pocket… and for not a lot of product.  Infact, you get just 3.0g of product for your £17.50 outlay and when you’re dealing with something that you need to “build up” for maximum effect, and will most likely be using daily… I really think that Gimme Brow will quickly become a rather expensive addition to your beauty routine.

The wand inside the tube reminds me of those bottom-lash mascara wands… it’s very, very small and very, very tapered.  It’s been nicely designed to allow for precision application but I still find it a little too big for my few straggly hairs at the outer tips of my brows.  I did read someone say that they wished the wands were bigger, to cover a greater area with more speed… I’m just LOL’ing to myself at just how big this person’s brows must be!  Spare a thought for us with spindly face slugs, love!

Benefit Gimme Brow is available to purchase in two shades: Light/Medium and Medium/Deep – not only is Light/Medium obviously the paler of the two, but it looks a little warmer also…

I’ve included a before/after shot below.  This is how I use the product, though I’m aware that some have taken the “adhere to skin” advice quite literally and have used the product to *really* fill in the brows, as one would with a pencil or a shadow.  I can’t quite bring myself to do this with Gimme Brow, I’ve tried… but I just don’t like how it looks.  Perhaps if my brows were shorter, but I struggle to keep it looking natural once I start painting my skin with the product.

The best side-effect I’ve noticed with Benefit’s Gimme Brow (and I’m using the Medium/Deep shade in the photos below) is its ability to transform my two white eyebrow hairs into naturally-coloured versions of their neighbours.  Thank christ for that, I’ve never been so horrified to discover a white hair since… well… since I discovered one somewhere else you really don’t want to discover one.  Other than that, although I do like it for its ease-of-use and convenience (it’s a lot less faff than a pencil or a powder)… I’m not sure I’m in love with it, especially at its current price.

My biggest problem is that it just doesn’t seem to have a huge amount of staying power… and if I’m gonna ditch the powder for an all-in-one brow solution, I really need that perk.

If you’re in need of some serious eyebrow SOS, now would be a great time to head down to the Benefit counter at your local Debenhams store.  The brand are partnering with cancer charity Look Good Feel Better for the month of March and are offering a complimentary brow arch service (worth £11.50) for a requested minimum donation of £5, with all proceeds going directly to the charity.

Benefit Gimme Brow is priced at £17.50 and available to buy instore at Benefit counters nationwide and online at benefitcosmetics.co.uk

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This sparkly little number from Butter London looks great in the bottle.  A blitz of golden glitter, suspended in a clear base.  But when all is said, done, and painted… I’m left feeling distinctly underwhelmed by this one.  Take a look for yourselves…

Now, I’m all for a bit of understated glamour, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I need it to look like the interior of the Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Strictly nights before I coo over a bit of sparkle.

However… let’s be honest, I could have snorted from Leila’s stash and phyically sneezed more glitter in a single coat.

Sponging the polish on results in a slightly-more-mpressive topper but with the number of golden glittered top coats available across the market, this is one I’d leave on the shelves.

Butter London Stratford Honey is available to buy online, priced at £11.95 from powderrooms.com

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