A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Still on the hunt for an easier to blend alternative to UDPP, I decided to give Art Deco’s Eyeshadow Base a go.

I’ve tried Art Deco products before and on the whole, I’ve been impressed.  I’m a fan of their eyeshadows and camouflage concealers in particular.

Art Deco are a German brand established in 1985 and they’ve been trying to make an impact on this side of the channel for a couple of years now.

I often spy “z”elebrities pictured in the likes of Heat magazine clutching their little Art Deco shopping bags.  You can find the brand stocked in beauty salons and the like, but they’re mostly still trying to find a way into the mainstream market.

Packaged in a sleek little black pot… nice and sturdy.  Honestly though, this is my least favourite style of packaging… especially with these long nails of mine.  HATE digging product out from under these talons.  Yes, I could use a brush, but most of the time I can’t be bothered.

The actual product is a warm flesh-toned creme with shimmer.  If you’re in too much of a hurry for full eye makeup, I have used a touch of this to even out my lids with a slick of eyeliner and I’ve been pleased with the effect.  The shimmer kicks it up a notch, and aids in making me look a little more awake than I feel.

It glides onto the eyelids smoothly and blends (with my finger) to an almost powdery soft finish.  No stickiness or greasy residue is left on the lids.

Shadows glide easily over the base, and blending is much more fluid than I find with UDPP.  Still a little trickier than with no base or the Kryolan Supracolor, but it’s fine.

The million dollar question… does it keep my eyeshadow crease free?

UDPP keeps my shadows glued to my lid like me to Eastenders on Christmas Day, they just don’t budge till the last duh, duh, duhs.

Here’s how my eyeshadow looked after 8hrs with Art Deco’s Eyeshadow Base:

That’s not bad huh?

It actually looks worse in the picture than it did in the mirror, I think the flash from the camera really makes the imperfections stand out.

On the plus side…

It’s creamy, non-drying, makes a good base when worn alone.  It’s easier to blend with than UDPP and it does a thoroughly stand up job at keeping shadows in place.

On the down side…

I don’t think I get quite so much longevity from it as I do with UDPP, but a minimum of 8hrs decent wear is probably all I really need.  I’ve just been spoilt by UDPP still wowing me at bedtime.

On the fence…

It seems to make the shadows just as vivid as UDPP and doesn’t appear to alter the original shades any more than UDPP does, but I’m not really that adept at noticing subtle changes which may well drive other people crazy with frustrations.

Overall, I’m hugely impressed.

It’s also substantially cheaper than UDPP… from memory, I think I paid around £6-£7 for my pot.

You can check out stockists on the UK Art Deco website

[starreview tpl=14]

Continuing with the nail theme today…

My first Ciate!

I (like many others) am in love with the packaging…

Look at that gorgeous little bow, such a simple but instantly recognisable addition.  Whoever came up with that idea at Ciate deserves to be on far more money than everyone else.

However, one of my bows on another bottle has come undone and I CAN’T DO IT UP AGAIN!  This shouldn’t frustrate me.  At the age of 28, wife of 1, mother to 1 and regular tax filer I should be able to rise above this… BUT I CAN’T!

Someone with more dexterity than me come round my house and do my bow up for me please, it’s making the bottle look sad and ugly.

Anyway… look at this shade, a lovely metallic purple-blue combination – stunning!

Application was ok… not the best as it’s quite a thick formula and dries very quickly (both a blessing and a curse – are all Ciate’s like that?)

Once applied though (2 coats) – this stuff just lasts and lasts… I’m on day 5 now with minimal tip wear.  Very good!

Do you have any favourite Ciate shades?

Fellow dark-haired lovelies, RUN to your nearest stockist for Batiste’s latest brainwave (it’s a good’un!)

Batiste Coloured Dry Shampoo!

This promises to solve the only problem I’ve ever had with dry shampoo!

Props where it’s due, Batiste have done so well to revamp their image in recent years and have become a cult favourite the world over.

I’m all for quick starts in the morning and since discovering Batiste I can’t remember the last time I had to scrape my hair back in a ponytail.

Just one thing… what about the redheads?

Are you a dry shampoo fanatic?

On Saturday, I headed to London with my sister-in-law Helen and my cousin Angela.  We were excited to hit the shops, mainline some hazelnut lattes and experience some serious pampering Aussie Style!

By the time we arrived at Adee Phelan’s salon in Covent Garden we were shattered!  Within minutes of getting through the door we were sipping champagne and relaxing on comfy sofas.  A total oasis in a bustling area of central London.

The ladies (and Tom!) from 1000 heads were so friendly and welcoming, we arrived 15minutes late thanks to not being able to find a taxi after our Selfridges rampage and I was worried we’d get some disapproving looks, I needn’t have worried at all!

The lovely Emma & Lauren from 1000 heads – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Adee Phelan’s salon has one funky interior, very french and beautifully baroque chic… stunning mirrors, gorgeous chandeliers and fab decor.  The ideal setting for a bit of spoiling!

I was a little nervous and as the taps were turned on at the sink, I could feel that I was tensing my neck…  Not for long!!  My lovely stylist had magic fingers!  Despite myself, I could feel my neck relaxing and my head feeling heavier as the gorgeous bubble-gummy scent of Aussie Miracle Moist enveloped me!

After *the* most amazing head massage I was led over to a mirror to let the styling begin!  My gorgeous stylist blow dried my hair using just the teeniest amount of smoothing serum.  Hand on heart, I’ve never seen it look so shiny without using straighteners.  She also rediscovered where my proper parting should be hoorah!  I thought I’d lost that forever LOL!

Once I was done, I was greeted with lots of oohs and ahhs from Angela & Helen which I returned with enthusiasm whilst admiring their glossy locks!

Angela & Helen lovin’ the new ‘dos!

We had (lots) more champagne, and caught up with the other lucky Angels enjoying Aussie’s hospitality.  Amongst us were the lovely Natalie and Yinka.  It was fab to be able to have a chat with Natalie, can you believe we barely mentioned football?! – the evening was far too glam for that.  Yinka, Natalie and I had a good natter about all the draaaahmas occuring in the Beauty community – Sunlove anyone?  Our guests looked suitably bemused “What the hell are they talking about? Geeks.”

Moi! photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Mr. L tried to psychoanalyse this photo and reckons I’m doing “nervous hand things” – I reckon he needs to shut up and make my tea.

1000 heads were very organised… even arranging the Angels in order of height…

After we’d been preened and pampered to within an inch of our lives, we were taken to the nearby Dial Bar to enjoy a cocktail or 2 (who’s counting) before stumbling heading back to the car in the hope of pointing it in the general direction of Southampton!  Thank goodness for designated drivers!

The three of us had a wonderful evening and were treated by Aussie in a manner to which our partner’s hope we don’t become *too* accustomed!

If you haven’t caught up with Project Angel, you can read more about it here – and don’t forget to have a look at my previous experiences here!

Here’s a few more photies of the evening…

Angela – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

Cheese! – photo courtesy of 1000 heads

glamming it up!

THANKS AUSSIE!!

I bought the Kryolan Supra Color to use as a base for my mineral eyeshadows which tend to apply sheerly without a solid base not to mention the fall out if they don’t have something to sitck to!

It’s basically a black grease paint.  Upon opening, it has a clear layer of grease ontop which I ‘patted’ off with a piece of kitchen roll until I got to the black stuff below!

As you can see by the swatch above, it’s a very deep and pigmented black which applies smoothly.  You can use a brush or your finger to apply, I’ve been using a synthetic flat shadow brush to apply which seems to work really well.

I then pat my mineral/loose eyeshadows ontop of a thin layer of the Supra Color.  The shadows stick really well to the Supra Color with minimal fall out and even more impressively, I’ve discovered that I actually do have some blending ability!  It is SO much easier to blend out eyeshadows over this base than it is over UDPP.

Here’s the finished result:

Unfortunately (and as I mentioned yesterday) my eyeshadows start to crease after a mere 3 hours 🙁  UDPP holds them firm for at least 9 hours on me.

The picture below was taken after 3 hours wear:

What a shame huh?

JoBetterDays & GraceLondon both recommend I try it over a little UDPP.  I’m really hopeful that’ll make the difference because my GOD I don’t want to give up my new-found blending abilities!  Imagine… colour that lasts AND looks fantastic!

Not too much to ask… is it?

Exclusive ASOS Paints by Ciate are now available on the ASOS website and I am beyond excited to see them!

Look, they’re cutesy Ciate but with an edgy twist!

Available in 10 ultra glossy celebrity-inspired shades, see below:

ASOS Say:

Paris (Hilton) – Super girly and, like, totally hot!
Chloe (Sevigny) – Avant garde and oh-so-cool
Daisy (Lowe) – Cooler than cool grungy-glam
Gwen (Stefani) – Racy and made to get noticed
Sienna (Miller) – A natural beauty with an earthy edge
Alexa (Chung) – Off-beat, quirky cool
Cheryl (Cole) – Everyone’s favourite – cheerful and (colour) pop-tastic
Katy (Perry) – Flirty forties glamour with a retro vibe
Kate (Moss) – Classic and always on-trend
Victoria (Beckham) – Sexy and vampy with a glossy finish

Sienna, Chloe & Kate are on my must have list!

Available at £6 each from ASOS.

Will you be trying any of these? Which shades are on your list?

I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the quality of BarryM’s polishes.  I know that some people find them not as long lasting as the likes of Nails Inc and O.P.I (out of curiousity, do YOU pronounce it Oh Pee Eye, or Ohpee?) but I simply get equal wear out of these polishes with a fantasticly smooth formula and I can’t argue with that.

I’m on a bit of a “grey” kick at the moment and picked 2 of these shades up in Boots this week:

This is a real true “concrete” grey which I thought would look hideous on my pale pink toned skin.  I was wrong! That never happens! (no it doesn’t).

The photo makes it look slightly darker than it appears in daylight (picture was taken under flash conditions) – but the tone is true to life.  It’s nice and glossy and I’m really enjoying catching some admiring glances at my fingertips whilst out and about.

I am desperate for BarryM to release some more shades!  Duotones anyone? Do you have a favourite BarryM shade?

BarryM is currently on a 3for2 in Boots and these polishes are priced at £2.89 ea or £2.95 from the BarryM website.

So, this is it…

The Holy Grail of cleansers.. used by celebrities, models, MUA and now me.

Does it live up to the hype?

Actually it is pretty awesome.

However, let’s be clear – this ain’t some miracle “1 swipe all makeup gone” cleanser… which although tempting to imagine, is utter nonsense.  Infact, I don’t find it as effective on my eyes as my Boots Botanics eye makeup remover (the dual phase one) but let’s not forget that Bioderma is working it’s magic without the help of various oils.

This stuff is plain Jane. If it didn’t have a label on it announcing the contents – I could easily mistake it for half a litre of Evian.  It’s odourless and colourless with a texture just like water.

And this is where it’s greatest strength lies, it is incredibly gentle on the delicate eye area and does a good job at removing all sorts of makeup including waterproof mascara.  I still cleanse afterwards with water and whatever happens to be “cleanser of the month” sitting by my sink… but this is just so handy to dip a q-tip into to neaten up your eyemakeup or lipline.

There’s gonna be someone out there who’s skin is sensitive to this stuff… but I’d be happy to bet they’re few and far between.  After cleansing, my skin feels clean, non-tacky, non-oily and surprisingly soothed and moisturised.  If I ever go camping or backpacking (heaven forbid) I’d make sure this was safely packed before I’d even think about packing knickers.

Bioderma have recently rebranded this from “Crealine” to “Sensibio” so if you’re after a bottle, make sure you look out for either name – they’re the same product.

You can purchase a 500ml bottle from the UK at LeGuideSante for a reasonable £8.45 however shipping is a prohibitive £6.50.  Better yet, bribe someone holidaying in France to look it up for you and bring it back as a pressie (like I did – fanks Mum!)

[starreview tpl=14]

Are you an organic kinda gal? If so, you’ll be particularly interested to hear about Cargo’s new Plant Love Collection which will be available in the UK exclusively from organic beauty boutique Puresha from the 30th September onwards.

Plant Love is the first Ecocert™ premium makeup line to be launched in the UK, and Puresha are (understandably) rather excited about it!

They say:

PlantLove™ combines earth-friendly formulations and packaging with CARGO’s dedication to creating professional-grade make-up, for a line of cosmetics that represents true beauty with conscience. One brand, with so many benefits. The entire PlantLove™ Collection is natural in origin. 

PlantLove™is free of parabens, phthalates, petro-chemicals, synthetic dyes and fragrances.  The cosmetics are only manufactured in countries with solid environmental and product labour records.  This means that PlantLove™ is entirely in harmony with the Earth.

The collection includes:

Natural Origin Lipstick – £12 (available in 20 shades, 11 of which are celeb-designed)
Natural Origin Loose Powder Foundation – £16 (Talc-free and infused with natural oils – 5 shades)
Natural Origin Pressed Powder – £16 (infused with organic olive fruit extract – 2 shades)
Natural Origin Bronzer – £15 (made with all natural terracotta ingredients and baked for eight hours)
Natural Origin Baked Illuminator – £15 (a blend of blush, bronzer and highlighter in one – 3 shades)
Natural Origin Blush – £14 (rich in natural Karanja Oil, Argan Oil and Grape Seed Oil – 6 shades)
Natural Origin Lip Gloss – £12 (high-shine in a non-sticky texture – 8 floral inspired shades)
Natural Origin Lipliner – £10 (formulated with Organic Beeswax and Jojoba Oil – 2 shades)
Natural Origin Lip Balm – £8 (infused with Organic Cocoa Butter, Beeswax & Grapefruit Extract)
Natural Origin Eye Shadow – £11 (available in 18 shades inspired by tropical gardens)
Natural Origin Eye Liner – £10 (available in six easy-to-wear shades)
Green Goddess Collection – £22 (A collection of 4 eye shadows and 2 blushes)

The lippies hold particular interest for me, 11 of the available 20 shades have been celebrity-designed.  “Celebrity-designed” products usually make for popular choices, so I’ll be very interested to hear how these fare.

I’ve scoured the net for some images to get more of a feel for the collection, and would like to share what I’ve found with you!

How cute does this look?

Cargo Plant Love Baked Illuminator in Fire (£15)

I’m a total sucker for baked products and this looks like it might flatter my pale skin-tone really nicely without just being a highlight product.

Pretty! This is Cargo’s Plant Love blush in Peony.  I’m fairly new to Cargo products in general, but am already a fan of their blush formula which is finely-milled and long lasting.  I hope these live up to their parent company’s existing line!

The last product I’ll show you is the Green Goddess Collection, I love the convenience of palettes, but they often disappoint by usually containing 1 or 2 bogey shades!

This one certainly doesn’t seem to be suffering from that problem with a selection of lovely, easy-to-wear shades.

Hand on heart, I can’t say that I get particularly excited by the word ‘organic’, if anything I’m usually a little sceptical as to whether the products may sacrifice quality in return for their ECO-credentials but CARGO Cosmetics are a well-respected Canadian brand that have already achieved a good reputation for quality cosmetics.

Not only that, but the more I’ve read about and dribbled over the images of the products in the collection – the more hopeful I’ve become that these won’t disappoint.  I’m already in love with the cute retro yet modern packaging – which incidentally is made from a special plastic manufactured entirely from plant materials (not petroleum).  Now, that’s what you call innovation!

Available from the 30th September exclusively from Puresha.com

I didn’t realise that it had been so long since my last FOTD back in the middle of August!

You may be able to tell from today’s look that I’m having a hard time saying goodbye to summer.  I was gonna do an Illamasqua FOTD featuring 2 products from the Dystopia Collection, but with this mini indian summer we’re currently enjoying I’m gonna postpone that for another week or so.  Hopefully by that time I’ll have my Phenomena  Liquid Metal too!

Anyway, back to this Blue and Bronze look…

Products Used:

Face:

Miss Sporty Light Energy Foundation in Shade 01 (This was an emergency purchase whilst on holiday, beware if you put it on even a tiny bit too heavily the texture is revolting and it goes all flaky.  I mix a little in with my moisturiser for this ultra sheer coverage.)
Body Shop Blush Trio in Cool Dusk (I thought I’d like this when I bought it, but I didn’t realise just how perfect a pop of pink this is for my ultra cool, ultra pale skintone.)

Eyes:

UDPP (of course)
NYX Loose Pearl Eyeshadow in Ocean Blue
Boots 17 Solo Eyeshadow in Mardi Gras lightly applied over the top of the NYX to tone it down a little
Barry M Dazzle Dust in #44 Bronze in crease
MAC Fluidline in Waveline on top lid
L’oreal Voluminous Mascara

Lips:

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in 112 Ambre Rose

I received a curious invitation a few weeks ago inviting me to take part in a 3 part Aussie event, the first involving a “Secret Silos Treasure Hunt”.  I was left feeling slightly confused by the invitation – but as a nerdy geocacher, there was simply no way I was going to be able to resist a ‘treasure hunt’.

Roll forward a couple of weeks and I received a strange purple envelope in the mail… upon opening it, I saw this:

There was also a solitary silver key rattling about in the bottom of the envelope… hmm, curiouser and curiouser!

Come Saturday morning, there was I, eager eyed and bushy tailed.  I dragged my husband and daughter down to the train station to come along with me for the day.  She’d never been to the “big smoke” before.

Here she is, looking like a little troll waiting for the train:

Upon arrival, I knew exactly where I was headed to find the Secret Silo.  A couple of years ago I’d had to make my way to The Strand to get a last minute visa for a trip to Sydney… so when we got off the train at Victoria, we marched straight to Australia House!

Here’s one for the fact fans, Australia House was the setting for Gringotts Bank in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – ooh! Didn’t know that did you?

As we rounded the corner, I saw a couple of silver trunks and a solitary figure suspiciously hanging about under the “Australia House” sign that you can see in the above pic.  I approached him cautiously incase I had got the location completely wrong, but when I saw the Aussie Roo logo on one of the trunks I gave him a big smile and waved my key about under his nose!

The suspicious man turned out to be a rather nice fellow called Tim, who chatted to me about the event whilst Leila tried to work her charms on him.

Using my mysterious silver key to open up the trunk, he pulled out this rather lovely (and big!) box which he said was full of some lovely goodies – woo hoo!

Before leaving, he took a piccie of me holding my ‘goodie box’ under the “Australia House” sign (I looked a complete state!)  Paul and Leila ran away when the camera was produced – scaredy cats!

After all that excitement and adventure we scooted off to Soho to get a coffee and do some window shopping before a very weary trio headed back home to Southampton on the train.

Once home, I was barely through the door before I was pulling off the cover and opening my Aussie goody box!

Ooh…

Aah… look!

Lovely things!

Lots of Miracle Moist (I already have a bottle of the shampoo, so know I lurve this stuff!), A mini bottle of the 3 Minute Miracle – I know this is cult, but I am ashamed to admit that I’ve never tried it – can’t wait to give it a go and you can expect a review soon! I also got a huge bottle of 3 Minute Miracle Frizz Remedy (will it tame my flyaways I wonder?)

Now, as if that weren’t enough.  There was also a £25 Topshop gift card lurking in the bottom of the box! Wowee!  I’ve already planned my shopping spree – thanks Aussie!  I believe some ladies were also lucky enough to get a £50 spa voucher!  But my box didn’t have one of those (boo!) so I’m not sure if they were prizes for being ‘first finders!’ I should have got my brood up earlier!

Last but not least, there were some little cards for me to hand out… so here we go, a virtual handing out!

YES, that means YOU! Go check it out!

Thanks for a super and VERY original afternoon Aussie!

Green, not the best colour choice for me… typically one of my favourites – boo hoo!

I’m still showing the I-Divine Original palette some love…

Face:

Revlon Colorstay in Ivory
Silk Naturals Blush in Climax (Orgasm Dupe)

Eyes:

Sleek I-Divine Original Palette (Green and Gold shades)
Shu Uemura Painting Liner in M Brown
Ruby & Millie Metallic I-Writer in Green
GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Green Grass
Kanebo Kate Enamel Glow Waterproof Mascara in Black

Lips:
Avon Glazewear Lipstick in Pink Kiss (shade now discontinued)