A Nearly Neopolitan NOTD with Eve Snow London

Posted by Lipglossiping On May - 9 - 2013

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!

eve-snow-london-nail-polish

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


That beautiful moment when makeup does what it’s supposed to…

Posted by Lipglossiping On February - 27 - 2013

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.

a skin transformation_01

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.

a skin transformation_02

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.

a skin transformation_03

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.

a skin transformation_04

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.

a skin transformation_05

a skin transformation_06

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.

a skin transformation_07

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.

a skin transformation_08

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.

a skin transformation_09

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

Win it! 3 EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brushes to win!

Posted by Lipglossiping On November - 13 - 2012

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.

Got Jowls? Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 23 - 2012

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

Sorry ladies, don’t mean to play chief enabler on a Wednesday afternoon but I know that many of us are starting to think about Christmas pressies and the like and this seemed like too good an offer not to shout about.

Debenhams are offering an online Elemis exclusive collection which includes some thoroughly lovely products in travel sizes, some of their most popular infact… for only £23.50.

Award winning Elemis collection in travel sizes! Beautifully presented in a silver cosmetics pouch:

  • Pro-Collagen Marine Cream 30ml
  • Papaya Enzyme Peel 15ml
  • Frangipani Monoi Body Oil 35ml
  • Exotic Frangipani Monoi bath & shower cream 50ml
  • Pro-Radiance cream cleanser 30ml

The entire set is worth in the region of £74, that’s a saving of ALMOST 70%!  Debenhams are also currently offering 1000 bonus beauty club points on spends over £50.

How’s your Christmas shopping going?

Essential Care Mineral Concealer in Medium

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 16 - 2012

Remember Rimmel’s Hide The Blemish? Surely a handbag staple for teenagers around the world if ever we saw one?  Well, I have to admit… this is what I was reminded of when I received this concealer sample through the post.  I would call the packaging ‘charming’ but honestly, it just looks a little bit dated/only-three-kids-allowed-in-the-shop-at-the-same-time (our local chemist and Rimmel counter was on the school route home!)

But that’s where the similarities end.  Completely.

Essential Care’s Mineral Concealer is really hydrating and offers a lot of slip during application.  Infact, I was positively convinced that it would slide straight off any blemishes that it initially concealed, but it didn’t – at least not for the couple of hours that I was able to test it.  The shade was sadly a little too dark for me so I couldn’t leave the house with it on and had to reapply my usual liquid concealer before picking Leila up from the nursery.

Application is precise and full, you can blend out the edges with your ring finger, as I normally do but because this formula is so soft, I used a brush in this instance and it worked beautifully.  I’m very tempted to pick one of these up in “fair” for the winter as my usual bugbear with blemish concealers is that they cling to all my dry bits… ultimately rendering themselves less useful than a solar-powered torch in a black hole.

Ingredients

COCOS NUCIFERA OIL*, RICINIS COMMUNIS OIL*, CERA ALBA*, OLEA EUROPAEA OIL*, ZINC OXIDE, TAPIOCA STARCH*, CANDELILLA CERA*, HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED CERA, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES FRUIT EXTRACT*, CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT*, ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS EXTRACT*. May contain +/- CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499, CI 77891, CI 77007, mica, silica *Organically grown/produced (minimum 76%).

It’s pricy (in my opinion) at £17.50 but I may try mixing it on the back of my hand to create a customised tinted moisturiser.  I’m really quite enthusiastic about how utterly non-drying it is.

Essential Care Mineral Concealer is available to buy online from essential-care.co.uk

Do you have a favourite hydrating concealer?

Pink Week! Estee Lauder’s Evelyn Lauder Dream Pin 2012

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 7 - 2012

What is it?

An elegant pink pin in the iconic pink ribbon design with one pink, and one blue stone.  The blue stone represents male sufferers of breast cancer, currently affecting around 1% of all those diagnosed with the disease.

How much is it?

£10.00

How much of the money goes to supporting PINK projects?

All of it.  The whole kit and caboodle.

How do I get it?

Available now on counters nationwide and online at www.esteelauder.co.uk

Meet Elizabeth Hurley in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Posted by Lipglossiping On October - 6 - 2012

Elizabeth Hurley is known for her work as Estée Lauder spokesperson and Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign Ambassador, and just as in past years… she’s putting in some personal appearances once again to help raise awareness for the annual campaign.

To celebrate the 20 year anniversary for BCA Month, this year Elizabeth will be making two in-store appearances:

Monday 8th October

1pm – 2pm: Elizabeth Hurley will be at Selfridges Oxford Street in London for a PA to meet and greet customers and sign BCA limited edition purchases.

Thursday 11th October

1pm – 2pm: Elizabeth Hurley will be at Selfridges Trafford Centre in Manchester for a PA to meet and greet customers and sign CA limited edition purchases.

7:30pm: Elizabeth Hurley will make an appearance at Selfridges Exchange in Manchester, and turn the store façade a spectacular shade of pink

 

Will you be there?

Incoming! Get ready for another Elemis TSV on QVC this Saturday!

Posted by Lipglossiping On August - 28 - 2012

I know you ladies appreciate great British brands, good skincare, and a bit of a bargain.  Wanna hit the jackpot?  Well, Elemis have just announced another TSV (today’s special value) to be aired on QVC this coming Saturday, 1st September.  What better way to see in a new month than with a new skincare regime?

As always, the full contents are a bit of a closely-guarded secret but in true photo-fit fashion, let’s play “guess the missing products!”

The “known” contents of the TSV are:

Elemis Pro-Intense Lift Effect (worth £55)

Elemis Pro-Intense Eye and Lip Contour Cream (worth £58.20)

Elemis Limited Edition Papaya Enzyme Peel (worth £28.60)


…and two other “mystery” products to be revealed on the day.

 

The price of this collection is also being kept schtum until the deal goes live on air, but I’ve been reliably informed that the entire set represents a saving of over £70!

I’m good for a bit of sleuthing!  I reckon that one of those mystery products will be a 30ml of PCMC (isn’t it always?) and the other…. it’s gonna be a travel-sized something or other, one of these probably.

 

Will you be tuning in to QVC this Saturday?  Ignore me if you want to keep it a surprise – I was the same as a kid, my Christmas presents were always the ones with peep-holes on the corners!

Elemis Fresh Skin launches new Clear Skin range for troubled skin

Posted by Lipglossiping On August - 8 - 2012

With the Elemis Freshskin range now offering greater accessibility nationwide at Superdrug, it was only a matter of time before the brand expanded on the popular 10-piece collection aimed at a younger market.  Skin Clear has been developed with blemish-prone skin in mind and combines a combination of active ingredients from the highest quality essential oils, promising to re-balance, regenerate and renew oily and problem skin.

I definitely envisage the new introduction appealing to more than just teenagers, who says that spotty skin stops when you hit your mid-20s!?

At the heart of each skin clear product is an Iris Complex – a potent blend of 3 active (Iris, Zinc Salt and Vitamin A), anti-blemish ingredients that work in synergy to maximise the individual benefits of each ingredient and deliver a more powerful treatment to the skin.

If you want to see how my guest reviewer fared with the original Freshskin lineup, click through to read Gem’s comprehensive review on the products that she felt hit (or fell short of) the mark.

The full Skin Clear range will be available from September in selected Superdrug stores nationwide and on www.timetospa.co.uk or by calling 0117 316 1888

The “only” place in town to get your nails did?

Posted by Lipglossiping On July - 4 - 2012

Sadly not my town, or my country but Essie Weingarten, she of polish conoisseur’s Essie fame has just opened the brand’s first nail salon at hair salon Samuel Shriqui in New York.

Purdy ain’t it?  The couches are even dyed in shades that match the polishes!  The salon carries a staggering 250 shades, which may well sound like a dream come true for some.  The indecisiveness would actually kill me (if the nail techs didn’t kill me first).

In my town, the only place to be seen getting your nails did is McDonalds, while your mate tenderly feeds you your McChicken Sandwich to prevent smudges, at least… that’s how it appeared to be going down last weekend in So’ton town centre.  Who says us Brits aren’t a classy lot?

If you’re lucky enough to find yourself pounding the streets of the Upper East side, you can find the new Essie flagship salon at Samuel Shriqui, 35 East 65th Street, N ew York.  Manicure prices start from a very reasonable $32 (£20).

Limited Edition Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel

Posted by Lipglossiping On July - 3 - 2012

Nana called, she wants her curtains back and she can’t get ITV any more.

I just don’t know… I mean, I’m not into design and I’m just about the least fashionable person I know, but this limited edition packaging by Laura Oakes just isn’t doing it for me.  What IS doing it for me, is the fact that it’s celebrating Elemis’ award-winning Papaya Enzyme Peel’s 10th Anniversary by funding vaccinations for children in Africa.

For every product sold, Elemis will provide a 5-in-1 Pentavalent vaccine to immunise a child in Africa against 5 leading diseases and they hope to donate 50,000 vaccines through this programme in partnership with charity SOCO.

Nana would totally approve.

Buy it on counter or online at TimetoSpa.co.uk, priced at £28.60

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