A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

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

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?

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?

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

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?

What is it?

A mud mask that promises the highest quality ingredients and exceptional results to deliver everything you need for great skin, whatever your skin type.

How much is it?

£49.99

How much of our money goes to supporting PINK projects?

25% of profits from the sale of CURE SEXY will be donated to the Pink Ribbon Foundation.

How do I get it?

www.glamglowmud.co.uk

If you’re tired of being the pumpkin at Halloween parties, it’s time to act with a little more refinement and finesse. Throw out the polyester costumes and build a new look from the face down.

Face Lace have some new designs available which may well fit the bill and get your brain working overtime in a bid to shake things up a bit in the costume department.

I’ve enlisted the help of three brilliant bloggers (@RobynHeartsSlap, @MsBudgetBeauty, and @TheBlackPearlB, each of whom will create a FOTD using one of three Eye Laces that I’ve posted out to them. You’ve already seen how they look on my ugly mug so I thought I’d get someone else to hopefully inspire!

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see what they come up with!

Stay tuned….

Do you know what are stupidly expensive?  GHDs.

Also, everything else that I currently want but cannot afford… like a KitchenAid.

Still, if you are in the market for a new pair of hair straighteners but have been holding out for a better deal, you might be interested in this week’s offerings at BrandAlley.co.uk.  The private sales website will be holding a flash sale on the following discounted GHD goodies at up to 40% off from now until Sunday 30th September.

Starting with (1) the GHD Style and Protect gift set (RRP: £39 / BA Price: £23), (2) GHD Peacock Purple Standard Iron (RRP: £119 / BA Price: £95), (3) GHD Peacock Green Standard Iron (RRP: £119 / BA Price: £95) and finally (4) GHD Scarlett Deluxe Iron (RRP: £149 / BA Price £90).

If you’ve spotted something on your Christmas list, you might want to point your nearest and dearest in the direction of brandalley.co.uk this week.  Now, where can I get 40% off a KitchenAid?

Don’t hit me.  I’m not about to start my Christmas gift lists… but if you are the kind of sick puppy who’s so damn organised that they’ve already budgeted, drawn up initial Christmas lists, and scoured the loft for last year’s leftover Christmas cards, you might quite like this potential gift idea.

From September 16th, Harrods are holding an exclusive event in partnership with Guerlain, featuring renowned calligrapher Paul Antonio.  The above image shows the original Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire bottle, alongside a trio of alternative “little black dresses” which will be featured on limited-edition bottles of the brand’s freshly re-worked fragrance, known as “Ma (my) Petite Robe Noire”.

Simply choose which of the three dresses matches your (or your lucky gift recipient’s) taste in evening wear and have the limited-edition bottle personalised with their name or initials.  The perfect fusion for a fragrance-loving fashionista!

The complementary calligraphy sessions will be available only on the following dates:

Friday 21st September: 16.00 – 20.00
Saturday 22nd September: 14.30 – 18.30
Sunday 23rd September: 14.30 – 18.30
Friday 28th September: 16.00 – 20.00
Saturday 29th September: 14.30 – 18.30

If you’d like to read my review of Guerlain’s La Petite Robe Noire, please click through to this page to hear my thoughts on the fragrance.

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!