A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Beauty dosing. What’s that all about then?

We’re all too aware of the importance that a healthy diet can play when it comes to promoting clear skin, strong nails, and shiny hair and sometimes you only need to make the simplest of changes on the inside to see a profound effect on the surface.  But, let’s say that you’ve upped your water intake, ditched the junk food, and cut down on the booze… what next?  Well, the beauty industry have some clever concoctions up their sleeve to tempt you into exploring some potential shortcuts to a new, even-more-beautiful you!

Let me show you a few that have caught my eye recently:

01:  You don’t need to spend a fortune to take your first, tentative steps into the world of supplementing your standard beauty regime.  Beauty’in Beauty Drink B Focused contains: Vitamin A, C and E, B2, B6,PP, B12, zinc, selenium, guarana and acerola, all of which promise to stimulate the brain and metabolism to help fight fatigue.  The 340ml bottle contains only 8 calories, so dose-up safe in the knowledge that the only thing you’re beefing up is your levels of concentration!  £3.50, selfridges.com

02:  As William Gladstone once said: “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.” Tea.  It’s everything.  And if you drink as much of it as I do (milk, no sugar), you might aswell make that afternoon cuppa work a little harder!  Viridian Nutrition describe their latest Ultimate Beautea as a “refreshing and cleansing blend of hibiscus flowers, rose petals (rosa damascena), calendula petals, chamomile flowers, licorice root and cleavers leaf.”  £12.00, nutricentre.com

03:  If you’re fretting over the recent appearance of the sunshine and what it means for those “bikini bodies” we’re all supposed to be unveiling (to great applause), I’m on your side.  I somehow haven’t found the motivation to jump out of bed, straight into 400 crunches every morning.  Until that motivation strikes, there’s always the promise of some serious body toning courtesy of Functionalab whose Body Toning Beauty Dose assures a significant improvement in the appearance of cellulite.  The 30-day program contains Grape seed polyphenols which contribute to fat metabolism and the appearance of smoother and firmer body skin. £33, functionalab.co.uk

04:  Planning a heavy night out this weekend?  Been burning the candle at both ends too ferociously?  Faust’s Potions offer something a little bit quirky to help boost your morale and aid in the recovery of the dreaded hangover.  These 25ml vials deliver a much-needed blend of vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts just when your body needs it the most.  If the reviews on Cult Beauty are anything to go by, these should make essential packing for festival goers nationwide this Summer.  £5.99, cultbeauty.co.uk

05:  If beauty comes from within, this Skin Clear supplement program from Perricone MD is bringing out the big guns.  The 30-day regime delivers an impressive 7 tablets a day which include: B-Complex + Vitamin C, Evening Primrose Oil, Tocospan Vitamin E, and Omega 3.  It offers a convenient and no-fuss way to ensure you supplement your skin efficiently with a system formulated to help improve skin’s clarity while providing toning benefits and improving skin’s texture.  £69.50, uk.spacenk.com

06:  Hailing from the oddest-looking tree in the world comes the much-revered Baobab Fruit.  So revered infact, that this fruit – which has three times as much vitamin C as an orange – has long been heralded as a bit of a cure-all for many health complaints.  Containing almost fifty-percent fibre and fourteen essential vitamins and minerals, it knocks spots off many of the other so-called super fruits in existence.  It’s simply not difficult to see the potential beauty benefits from a fruit with almost five times the antioxidants of fresh acai berries!  Aduna’s Baobab Fruit Pulp Powder provides a convenient way to supplement your diet by sprinkling it on your morning cereal/porridge/smoothies and reaping the beauty benefits!  £17.99, aduna.com

Do you beauty dose?

Ice Cream.  That’s all I’ve been able to think of since painting my nails in these pastel hues from Eve Snow London’s new range of nail polishes.  It’s not as if I need much motivation to daydream all day about a 99 with a flake, but this is just silly.  I can’t look down without wanting to lick my nails, send help!

I’m missing my favourite flavour from my “nearly neopolitan” though.  Sad face.

British-made Eve Snow London launched last month, and is the work of Yvette Snowden who wanted to create a range of beauty products with added blends of vitamins and nourishing ingredients.  These added ingredients include: vitamin E, argan oil, and ginkgo biloba whilst the formula remains free of formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate.  It should be noted, however, that this isn’t a Big Three Free formula as these nail polishes unfortunately contain both toluene and formaldehyde resin.

I found that both of the colours I tried (Opium & Pixie*) applied smoothly and dried quickly to a shiny finish.  The 10ml polishes also behaved kindly to my attempts at a bit of nail art without dragging and achieved opacity in a couple of coats.

Eve Snow London colour nail polishes are priced at £12 each and available to buy online at www.evesnow.com

* press samples

When it comes to enticing us into a purchase, beauty brands fully understand the power of gluttony. When was the last time you bought a shower gel from a supermarket without giving it a good sniff first?

Foody smells in beauty products have always been one of the most popular experience-enhancers available to the industry and I’ve been trawling my bathroom cabinet in the quest to find some of the most deliciously scented products around.

Things are about to get tasty!

Milkshake Conditioning Whipped Cream* even sounds completely edible!  This tasty product from Milk_Shake contains some great natural ingredients, including a milk protein that promises to leave your hair soft, shiny and thoroughly swishable.  But the best thing about it?  It smells like a bonafide strawberry milkshake.  Make no mistake, you won’t know whether to stick a straw in it and lap it up or smoothe it through the ends of your locks.  £14.79, www.specialisthairsupplies.co.uk

Radox Berry Burst Shower Cream is a fruity reinvention from a high-street classic.  Packaged rather snazzily in hot pink, you won’t miss this in the back of your bathroom cabinet.  The scent reminds me of a cross between Starburst (I nearly said Opal Fruits – I AM OLD ALRIGHT?) and a fruit salad, ensuring that the blend between completely synthetic and somewhat natural is fairly well balanced.  The scent doesn’t last long on the skin but the cream itself is pretty moisturising for an el-cheapo! £1.99, www.boots.com

Who thought that Roger & Gallet was the kind of brand you’d buy your Nan for Christmas?  Yeah, me too.  But things are getting modern with the Roger & Gallet Fleur de Figuier* range and this Body Lotion punches well above its weight with a tantalizing blend of: mandarin, grapefruit, fig pulp, and musk.  Still not convinced… how about when I reveal the little-know-fact that the fragrance for this new range has been created by none other than fragrance maestro Francis Kurkdjian.  Got your attention now haven’t I?  Seriously.  Lap this beauty up.  £12.50, www.marksandspencer.com

Another super-cheapy here in the form of Lidl’s very own Cien Nail Polish Remover, oh the glamour!  I’m not sure we’re supposed to be sniffing our nail polish removers (pack it in at once!) but this bargain-hunter’s dream purchase puts me in mind of a bakewell tart with its almondy-goodness.  It’s a pretty decent nail polish remover too!  Also… it’s got that pro-dispenser pump thing going on up top, and anything that makes removing your nail polish just a weeny bit more fun is ALL good in my books.  £1.49, Lidl

Finally, what else would you expect from a brand named Fudge than some foody-related shenanigans?  Fudge were one of the first hair brands I reviewed on this here blog so I’m pleased to be adding the Fudge Urban Iced Coconut Cocktail Hair Spray* to my list of tempting treats.  It makes sense for hair spray (which is notoriously noxious) to be made more pleasing to the senses and I’m delighted to report that Fudge have done the business nicely with this offering.  A mega-strong hold and lasting scent in a compact can ensures that my hair will be smelling delicious for the foreseeable!  £4.99 (currently £2.99), www.superdrug.com

What are your favourite foody-scented products at the moment?

* press samples

I love many things… the smell of freshly-cut grass, Leila telling me that my dress looks pretty, a slice of bread devoured hot from the breadmaker, looking back through old photos, and choosing the perfect gift are among my favourites.  Life is made up of a million tiny pleasures, and I know that many of you will agree with me when I say that a little bit of sparkle definitely counts as a tiny pleasure.

Well, I hope that today, I can bring you a little pleasure as I have not one, not two, but THREE sparkly holographic Glitter Gal nail polishes to give away courtesy of PowderRooms, the UK’s new and exclusive stockist for the Aussie brand.

These polishes have long-created a blogging sensation thanks to their rainbow hues and linear holographic awesomeness, and it’s about time the brand found a reliable UK supplier.

Want to win your own Glitter Gal polish?  All you have to do is click through to PowderRooms and tell me which one you’d like to win, simples!  Enter and earn extra entries by following the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C

1. Start date for this competition is 11th March 2013 at 00.01 GMT
2. Closing date for this competition is 18th March 2013 at 23.59 GMT
3. UK residents only please.
4. There are three prizes to be won, each prize consists of your choice of Glitter Gal nail polish. No cash alternative.
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per IP address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will only be used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. Three winners will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winners will be notified within 7 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter your comment within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.
10. In the unlikely event that your chosen shade is out of stock, Powder Rooms will request that you choose an alternative shade.

We wear makeup for many different reasons. Some of us like to experiment with colour, some of us like to improve upon our natural beauty *cough*, and some of us enjoy piling on everything we own just because we can.

At the moment, I’m somewhere between number two and a facefull of slap. Whenever I’m sick (is she still going on about that?), my skin is the first place it shows and the last place it recovers. Flaky, blotchy, purple under the eyes, and spots a-plenty are the order of the day. Which is exactly what one needs when you already feel like shit, of course.

Whilst I’d love to tweak my skincare routine to improve my natural radiance and rebalance my complexion from the inside out… I’d also like to be able to sprout a pair of wings and crap on the EDL headquarters from a great height. Sadly, neither are happening any time soon, and so instead, I turn to my makeup routine for the answers and pray that it won’t fail me.

This isn’t a tutorial as such, I’m no bleedin’ make up artist after all… but I thought I’d go into some real depth about the products that I’m using to work, what is basically, a skin miracle at the moment.

First things first, skin prep. If your skin is suffering, you can’t ignore this step in the routine. It’s imperative that you give your makeup the best possible base upon which to sit. It may be that you’re fighting an oil-slick or something akin to moon craters, or perhaps like me… you’re battling dryness of epic proportions. Take an extra five-minutes to target these concerns before you even go near your face with foundation, the finished result will be worth the effort.

Starting with a cleansed, exfoliated, and moisturised face… I deal with the dryness that has been causing my foundation to cling in patches. Upon Caroline‘s advice, I’m treating my skin to a moisture sandwich of oil and cream, first with an Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss (£62.00) capsule which delivers an antioxidant-rich hydration boost in the form of moringa oil, followed immediately by a generous layer of La Roche Posay’s Nutritic Intense Riche* (£14.00)

And then I wait. A couple of minutes later, I can tell where I need additional hydration, so I work a little more of the LRP into the skin, avoiding the areas that are prone to midday oiliness. That done, I move onto the one product that generally replaces “primer” for me during the colder months.

Maqpro Makeup Mixer (from £8.00) is a makeup artist’s trick taught to me by the wonderful Kenneth Soh who recommended it to me a couple of years ago as a great base for mineral products on drier skins. It’s a tip that continues to save me whenever my skin is behaving badly. Not only is it a wonderful mixer for sheering out heavier foundations, it also does wonders for improving how a product applies over, and sits ontop of dry skin without compromising the moisture levels underneath.

At this point, I use a brush to apply the Maqpro but I don’t work it fully into the skin, preferring instead to dot the product allover with the brush and only lightly blend. This way, it combines easily and increases the glide of the next layer of product.

Before even contemplating foundation, I still want to improve the radiance levels of my skin. A lot of the time, I reach for a liquid illumintor that I can apply allover and then “tone down” with foundation. I’ve been trying something a little different recently in the form of this rather splendid Lyster Cream Bronzer* (£36.00) from Swedish brand Manasi Makeup.

The pot contains far more product (55g) than I could ever see myself using and as such, I do wish they offered a smaller-size for less money but I can’t deny that the product itself is beautiful. Free from mineral oils and parabens, it delivers something inbetween a bronzer and a luminizer that works very nicely against my pale skintone. If you’re blessed with naturally great skin, I could see something like this being your one-pot wonder for sunkissed, healthy-looking skin without fear of looking orange or overdone.

I tap my brush lightly on the top (you don’t need much) and work the bronzer all over my skin using a circular motion, it blends nicely… but even more beautifully with my layer of Maqpro beneath it.

Finally, it’s time for foundation! At the moment, I’m alternating between my Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in shade 4.5 (£34.50) and my beloved tube of Clinique Supermoisture Makeup* (£19.35) which is a better option for when I don’t have the time to do this kind of skin prep. If I am using the Clinique, I skip the Maqpro in this next step as it’s an exceptionally moisture-rich foundation on its own merit.

When I’m using anything other than the Clinique, I reach again for the Maqpro (as shown below). One blob of each and using the same face brush as I’ve been using all along, I give the products a little mix on the back of my hand before working into my skin lightly.

I never apply foundation heavily or in more than one layer when my skin is playing up because it doesn’t matter how much preparation or effort I put into the application, after a few hours… my foundation will clump over the dehydrated patches if it’s too heavy. Which is why, I always reach for concealer as the last step despite usually being a bit of a concealer-phobe when my skin is less fussy.

Bare Minerals SPF 20 Correcting Concealer* (£21.00) is the perfect choice for dry skin-types thanks to a light texture and a lot of slip. It’s very creamy and offers a good amount of coverage, making it a great choice when your aim is to keep your layers as thin as possible. The final step is a little precision highlighting with something like the iconic YSL Touche Eclat (£25.00).

Now, that’s quite a lot of product but use my “how-to” as a guide rather than a manual. The principles are simple and you’ll already have certain products in your collection that you know you can substitute…

1. Make a real effort to get your skin in the best condition possible before you go near it with colour.
2. Work in thin, lightweight layers.
3. Add additional moisture or “slip” as you go.
4. Now isn’t the time for powder, keep things creamy.
5. If you’re nervous about being too heavy-handed with illuminator or bronzer, apply it before your foundation.
6. Leave concealer until the last possible moment, you’ll end up using less product as a result.

How’s your skin behaving at the moment and what trickery are you employing to get the best from your complexion?

* press sample

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen my “look what I’VE got bitches!” photo that I put up last night.

I don’t usually show-off press samples and I’m sorry if it made you want to stab me in the face with an eyeliner (here, use mine) but the simple truth is that when you get a red lipstick with your name engraved on it, it’s quite hard to keep it to yourself, especially when your husband is getting more excited over the football than admiring your new red lipstick that has your freaking. name. on. it.

The thing is… I haven’t actually worn it. Or even put it to my lips yet. I mean, it’s beautiful, it’s pristine, did I mention that it has my name ENGRAVED on it?

What if I don’t like it? What if it gives me cat-bumhole lips? What if it’s the kind of red that makes me look like Ronald McDonald’s ugly lovechild? When something seems so utterly perfect, sometimes it’s better to just leave it alone. The disappointment would be akin to discovering that Bradley Cooper’s packing a teeny-tiny penis. Who wants to make that discovery?

Oh, who am I kidding? I give myself two-weeks before curiosity gets the better of me. I’m talking lipsticks, not Bradleys.

Lash lines.  Is it just me, or are they getting a little bit silly?  I’m all for a bit o’ flutter but what is with the false lash ALL OF THE TIME trend that I’m seeing everywhere?  It genuinely catches me by surprise when I’m in the supermarket, rooting around for my loyalty card, only to look up at and be greeted by a pair of ridicu-lashes courtesy of the cashier.  Nothing else, just lashes… the face is completely obscured by a pair that look like they’ve come straight out of Priscilla’s desert.

It’s about finding balance.  Sure, I don’t want “au naturel” lashes, if I did… I’d go and buy Maybelline Great Lash and maybe after seven coats I’d have something that resembled me not wearing any mascara.  I want volume, definition and a bit of lengthening.  Curl is always an added bonus.

Guerlain Cils d’Enfer Maxi Lash Mascara

Guerlain have released a new mascara: Cils d’Enfer… or “lashes from hell” as the literal translation suggests.  Not quite sure where they’re going with that one but thankfully Cils d’Enfer* produces rather lovely, non-hellish lashes.  The packaging is interesting, when I first picked it up, I expected it to feel much weightier… it looks chunkier than it is.  Perhaps I’m so used to my gorgeous Guerlain lipsticks that I expected something similar in feel.

A standard-looking brush with fibre bristles

The brush is your standard old-skool bristle affair, the brand have focused the majority of effort into perfecting the formula of this mascara, the press release states:

The secret is in the combined action of three remarkable polymers.  The first one wraps the lashes in extremely adherent oils, coating and thickening the lashes.  The second one, made with supple waxes, acts like a conditioner, softening the lashes so you can sculpt them into just the right shape and style.  The last one forms a thin film, coating the lashes to trap the wax and set the amazing curve.

Va Va Voom lashes (on the right obv!)

The formula glides through my lashes nicely and does indeed coat them evenly with the minimum of effort on my part.  The above photo shows one coat, I did go back in for more but you need to be careful about clumping as this one definitely leans more toward the dramatic rather than the natural look.  I think that with the aid of a metal lash comb, you could achieve some serious party lashes from this product.  For me?  One coat is plenty.

I appreciate the inky black pigment and the fact that it doesn’t leave little splodges attached to the tips of my lashes.  It also dries rapidly, ensuring that only the most of violent of mid-application sneezes will catch me out.  I don’t have terribly watery eyes but didn’t experience any longevity issues, transfer or flaking… and you would think not, Guerlain’s Cils d’Enfer is priced at £22.00 – a premium price, for a premium product.

Guerlain Cils d’Enfer is available on counter now in two shades, 01 Noir and 02 Violet.

* press sample

There’s nothing like an impulse purchase to get your blood pumping. And this was nothing like an impulse purchase.

I umm’ed and ahh’ed over the Guerlain Rouge G L’Extrait(s) for a good few weeks before taking the plunge. As much as I adore a wonderful red lipstick, I wanted something a bit different to the usual red.

Once I saw a swatch of Orgueil worn by the beautiful Christine from Temptalia, I knew that I’d found my next prey!

The packaging is as beautiful as you’d expect from something in the Guerlain Rouge G range. Sleekly-housed in a heavyweight silver case that works in a similar way to the Rouge G lipstick range, the mirror serves a genuinely useful purpose when it comes to applying product on the go.

The formula is light and the pigment rich. It’s a fairly traditional liquid lipstick with a velvety texture and a softly matte finish once dry.

Longevity is good and transfer fairly minimal, especially if blotted softly a few minutes after applying. I was able to wear this through multiple drinks, and only needed to reapply a little in the centre if the lips after a meal.

As the day wore on, it began to feel slightly less comfortable so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this for those with extremely dry lips – but you probably know to steer clear of liquid lipstick formulas anyway…

The colour is beautiful. It’s rich, sumptuous, and velveteen with a luxurious depth. Vampy without crossing the line into gothic. A winter must-have.

Guerlains Rouge G L’Extrait in Orgueil is available to buy on counter (or cheaper online) at Escentual.com, priced at £26.55

I’ve written about these before, you know I love them, I want you to love them too!

So why not have a go at winning your very own EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush…

I have three to give away (worth £9.99 each), so read on and find out how you can score yourself your next favourite face brush!  Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C

1. Start date for this competition is 13th November 2012
2. Closing date for this competition is 20th November 2012
3. There are three prizes to be won, each comprising of an ECOTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush (worth £9.99 each). No cash alternatives.
4. Competition open worldwide.
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per email address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will not be kept or forwarded and are only used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. Three winners will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winners will be notified within 5 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter the competition within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.

GUYS! See how cute saggy jowls are?  Don’t you just wanna grab, pinch and shake?

Y u no look this cute on humans?

Those gorgeous pups might be part of the anti-botox brigade but only in the animal kingdom is this kind of ground-dragging sagginess acceptable.  Boobs, jowls, ear-lobes and bums – you gotta keep ‘em pointing at least 90 degrees from the vertical – well.. maybe not ear-lobes but you know what I’m trying to say!

Elemis have recently released Pro-Intense Lift Effect, a cream which promises to be the latest non-surgical solution to help improve firmness, tone and elasticity for a more lifted, sculpted facial contour.

I really think you need a couple of stitches and a scalpel to get the kind of lift that most women want to see but if you’re in your early thirties like me, and you’re just starting to see a loss of definition around the jawline and neck, it might be an area that you’d like to focus your skincare and attention without the drama or cost that having surgery creates.

Or you could just do what I plan to do and tie a couple of bells to your jowls in celebration of the “alternative to getting older is being DEAD” kinda thing.

It’s a nice enough formula that sticks to Elemis’ ethos of mixing natural products with cutting-edge science and it does indeed deliver an instant tightening sensation to the area which is strong enough to give me an “ooh it’s working” reassurance but not enough to send me screaming to the bathroom to check that it hasn’t shrunk my head.  It doesn’t deliver enough hydration to my combo/dry skin to use in place of my usual moisture so this would most likely be a “booster” to your usual skincare.  I’m sitting on the fence with this one.

Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect is available to on counter and online, priced at £55 for 30ml

* press sample

When I received samples of Phyllis Cohen’s latest creations for Face Lace, I thought that rather than visualise them on me again, it would be a neat idea to let some other bloggers get inspired by the intricate designs too! With Halloween coming, let’s face it – there’s plenty of opportunity to get creative…

Sandra from The Black Pearl Blog modelling Frou Frou

Khila from Ms Budget Beauty also modelling Frou Frou

Robyn from Eyeliner and Spraypaint modelling Tribaldelic

Thank you so much ladies, what an amazing demonstration of looks: alluring, mysterious and FREAKIN’ GLITTER EYEBROWS!!!

Face Lace, would you?

* press sample

I received a few Fudge bits and pieces through the post a couple of weeks ago and among them was this, which I initially mistook for hairspray…

We all have the capacity to become a bit green-eyed about certain traits other women may posess, things that we find ourselves lacking in, and one of those for me, is glossy hair.  The sort of hair that looks as though it’s made of one solid piece of polished-to-hell shine.

I might be sitting opposite a lady on the tube who runs her fingers through her hair and each piece falls back into place, as though she’s parted a wave… before the tide returns to reclaim the individual droplets.  If I do that with my hair, each strand happily stays at a 90 degree angle to my scalp.  Frizzies, I has ‘em.

Well, while the spray doesn’t do enough to tame them completely when I’m wearing my hair down, I’ve discovered a specific and useful application for it… you might find it useful too…

You know when you put your hair up… a bun, some cute plaits?  Anyway, those shorter strands… the slightly frazzled ones that won’t lie flat to your head and instead give the illusion of an explosion in a mattress factory.  Yeah, you know the ones I mean.  Shake the can, give it a quick blast over your head and then gently smoothe/flatten any frizzies with your palms and they do not spring back up.  More importantly, thanks to the super-matte formula, you don’t get the hairspray “look” that doing this with hairspray creates, I’ve tried both – this looks a lot more natural and far less “heavy” on my fine hair.

It’s quite a specific benefit but if you’re a fan of the Croydon facelift, it might be a very useful tool in your arsenal!

Fudge Matte Mineral Textures Anti Frizz Deconstruction Spray is currently priced at £8.60 online at BeautyBay.com

* press sample