A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

…Bargain hunters may not want to miss this quick public service announcement!

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Liz Earle’s cult Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and for one day only you can purchase Cleanse & Polish for the original launch price of £9.50, saving over 25% off today’s retail price of £13!

“Quick, tell me how!” I hear you ask…

You can purchase it at this special price online through the Liz Earle website on Tuesday 15th June.  Set your alarms!

Multi-use products often don’t provide the results that they claim.  The innovation is there, but the performance generally isn’t.

Not so with Jemma Kidd Pro Lip Perfector I was sent last month.

Jemma Kidd Pro Lip Perfector is a product clearly designed to fulfill three uses: Anti-feather, Prime and Plump… all housed in a single double ended pen-esque container.

I am terribly dubious about most primers (excluding my beloved UDPP) and it wasn’t too long ago that I tried the new Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion, which went a long way to solving my pigmentation issues but was a drag (literally) to apply and left my lips feeling a little dry.

I expected something similar from this.

One end houses the anti-feather ‘nib’.  A waxy translucent lip liner that creates an impenetrable barrier in the same way you would Vaseline your hairline to stop your hair dye from seeping down towards your eyebrows.  The other end holds a concealer-coloured bullet which claims to ‘prime & plump’.  And it does so nicely.

The primer glides on in comparison to the Urban Decay version… it’s a joy.  The concealer colour that it imparts blanks out the colour from my lips and allows for a neutral base.  I would recommend blotting the primer before applying a lipstick ontop just to remove the excess product but keep the neutral colour base.

It does indeed tingle like a true plumper should and doesn’t leave my lips feeling any dryer than normal.  Infact, I applied the primer to one half of my mouth before using a lipstick… and in all honesty, couldn’t see a massive difference in application BUT the primer’ed half felt far more comfortable 10 minutes later, whilst the non primer’ed side began to feel a little dry and tight.

The photo above shows my lips wearing just the Jemma Kidd Pro Lip Perfector with nothing ontop.  You can see that it blanks out all natural pigmentation successfully.  I would recommend this over the Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion because it is so good at creating a blank canvas without drying.  I’m not convinced it gives me any extra wear from my lipsticks, but the addition of the anti-feather product makes this an extremely useful tool to own.

The Jemma Kidd Pro Lip Perfector is £15 and available from QVC online.

Well, if you wanna be… get in there quick!  Entries close at 9am on the 7th June.

British brand Illamasqua are looking for a fresh face to front their Autumn/Winter collection and it could be you!

Check out the casting page to find out more and apply (men welcome too!)

Good luck if you’re applying!

From the 1st June 2010, staff from Lush Cosmetics are embarking on a nationwide cycle journey that will encompass each and every Lush store in the UK.

They’re doing it in aid of the Change Your World campaign – a movement that encourages people to consider alternative, sustainable modes of transport for local journeys.  And this, is where the Cyclists Repair Kit comes in…

In conjunction with this journey, Lush has launched a limited edition Cyclists’ Repair Kit (£9.95) that contains six fresh handmade cosmetics to repair and rejuvenate tired cyclists.

Available throughout the month of June only, the kit contains a 10g sample tin of Lush’s NEW Ultrabalm, a sample sized Ultralight SPF 10 moisturiser; one 10g pot of Kings of the Mods styling gel to keep hair smooth under cycle helmets; one Aromaco deodorant with patchouli; one sample sized Handy Gurugu hand cream; and a Wiccy Magic Muscles cinnamon and mint massage bar to rub onto aching muscles to help dispel tension and possible inflammation.

I reckon it’d make a great little festival kit for the summer!

Talking of which, any of you ladies take part in the festival circuits?  I’ve never been to one!

Last week while I was up in London, I was invited along to the Liz Earle store just off Sloane Square to experience one of their Skincare Tutorials.

Despite being completely addicted to all things beauty, I was genuinely surprised when I found myself struggling to answer the first question that Jo (the Treatments Manager) posed me.

“What do you like least about your skin?”

It’s not that I don’t have problems with my skin… it’s just that after 28 years, I’ve made peace with them.  Or so I thought…

She waited patiently as I desperately scoured the confines of my psyche searching for a string of nouns and adjectives that I could string together in a suitable response.  When suddenly, something shifted and before I knew it, I couldn’t stop myself as issue after issue spilled from my lips and damn near flooded the treatment room.

“Redness!  Uneveness!  Dry Bits!  Oily Bits!  Dullness!”

Woah there Nelly!  Jo looked slightly bemused but remained completely composed as I leaned in to show off the redness across my cheeks and nose.

“Ilooklikeadrunk, isitrosacea? OMGamIgonnagetrosacea?” I gasped, suddenly panicked at the thought of replacing all my lovely creamy concealers with industrial tattoo coverup.

By this point, I was probably flaring at the nostrils like some over-tried, sweaty race horse.  To her credit, Jo remained ever-relaxed and soothing as she examined my skin closely.

I was ‘diagnosed’ with ‘diffused redness’ and was assured that this was NOT the same as Rosacea and nor was it necessarily a sign that I was gonna develop the common skin problem, especially as I have no family history of the condition.  It did, however, mean that my skin is in a state of sensitivity, irritation and inflammation.

“OMGLIKE… WHATCANIDO?” I wanted to exclaim… though I think I retained a teeny bit more street cred that that would imply.

Jo gave me a 1 month action plan to kickstart some serious healing… and I was all ears:

1) Drink plenty of water and Green Tea (anti-oxidants)

2). Include some anti-inflammatory foods in my diet (Salmon, Turmeric, Papaya, Brocolli, Sweet Potato) and perhaps even supplement with something like garlic tablets (a well known anti-inflammatory).

3). Aim to use skincare that contains vitamin E, which she described as the best anti-oxidant available.

4). Make sure the water I use isn’t too warm, be gentle and use as little water as possible in my cleansing routine.

Ok, I need to interject here….  Ahem.  A proposition nightmares are made of for me!

5). Be GENTLE with my skin when cleansing and don’t over stimulate the areas affected by redness

I’m gonna give her advice a go and see if I can get my skin happy with me again.

She also highlighted a few Liz Earle products that she believes will be beneficial to my particular concerns and demonstrated exactly how best to make them work for me.  There was no hard sell, and infact… Jo focused upon my lifestyle choices that may be triggering my skin sensitivity more than anything else.

I really enjoyed the skincare tutorial, a personal service that allowed me to discuss my concerns was a truly welcome experience.  It’s priced at £45 for 45 minutes and I think it would make a fantastic birthday gift for a sister, daughter or other close relative.  Infact, how much would I have loved this as a teenager?

I still have the Nokia 5110 that my parent’s gave me for my birthday back in 1998.  I wonder if they’d mind exchanging it for another session with Jo… I could have chatted for hours!  You can read some of Jo’s skincare tips here.

…for pale, pasty types.

So, another thing I often reach for in the summer is a bit of powder foundation.  I don’t use it all over, just on the t-zone as an alternative to pressed powder.  It gives me that extra bit of coverage for areas where I suffer from a bit of redness.

I thought this quick photo comparison between a couple of the Illamasqua Powder Foundations that I own might be useful to some.

PF120 and PF145 are both fair shades.  Of the two, PF120 is paler and pinker.  PF145 is a fair, slightly more neutral shade.  I can wear both quite easily without fear of going too dark or too orange.

I love the packaging, although some may find it a touch cumbersome.  Whilst I am enjoying using these, I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing… there’s nothing about them that particularly stands out to me over other great coverage powders.  Infact, I prefer my MAC MSF Natural to both of these.

Illamasqua Powder Foundation is a sheer/medium coverage powder.  If pressed (no pun intended) my favourite thing about this product would be it’s ‘softness’.  It feels forgiving to any drier patches I have on my skin and never seems to go cakey, no matter how heavy-handed I get.  But for me, the coverage and longevity doesn’t live up to my MSF Natural.

Anyway, that was short but (hopefully) sweet.  Illamasqua Powder Foundation is priced at £21 each and available from counters nationwide or online at ASOS and Debenhams.

What are your favourite Powder foundations?

So a few of you asked for some tips and to see a FOTD with the Illamasqua Halcyon Illuminator that I swatched in this here post so I made sure to dig it out this morning.

I hope you can make it out!  It’s more apparent in the right hand photo… a fairly neutral champagne shimmer.  My only issue with it (that I was reminded of when applying today) is how quickly it dries.  You gotta blend quick!

I usually squeeze a little onto my finger tip, tap 3 dots across my cheekbones and blend, blend, blend!  I tend to struggle a little with liquid highlighters as they settle in and accentuate my pores (I’m looking at you Eyeko cream thing) but this doesn’t.

Anyway, hope that helps!

I love this packaging!  It allows me to dispense just the right amount of product.

And *what* a product it is…

Illamasqua‘s Halcyon Illuminator is a creamy ivory highlighter that would suit both dark and pale tones beautifully.  It’s just about neutral enough to be kind to most complexions and imparts a “lit from within” shimmer.

With a smooth texture, it blends effortlessly wherever it’s placed.  This is (if you haven’t already noticed!) one of my favourite highlighters in my collection and I reach for it often.  Which reminds me, next time I’m near a counter I need to pick up Poised (it’s cool pink counterpart!)

Priced at £13, I consider this to be good value for money when you realise just how little you need to use to achieve a great result.

Illamasqua’s Illuminator in Halcyon is available from counters nationwide or online.

Despite the ill-thought out blog name… I’m not actually a big fan of lip gloss.  There, I’ve said it.

For one… is there anything more irritating in life than battling the sticky gloss/errant flyaway hair pairing from hell when you’re doing your utmost to look nonchalant and breezy?

No.

What about when you see a hawt lipgloss shade and apply it only to see ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER.

So it was with curiosity that I accepted this Jemma Kidd Lip Gloss Trio from their PR recently.  I mean, not everything I get sent ends up on here… I like to have an opinion about a product one way or another if I’m going to feature it on Lipglossiping.  We all know that there are many, many ‘meh’ products out there…. and if something is so utterly ‘meh’ that I can barely bring myself to photograph it… then I don’t.

And in my world… lipgloss is kinda ‘meh’.

But wait!  This Jemma Kidd Air Kiss Gloss Trio is kinda caaaa-ute!  It’s a trio of mini lipglosses that snap into a handbag-sized holder.  I’m not sure why you’d need to carry 3 lipglosses around with you… but shush, I don’t like to be caught up in practical details when I’m presented with cute cosmetic presentation.

You slide the chosen gloss up and out of the holder…. no wait, I’m gonna call it a ‘holster’.  Like a gun… it sounds wayyyy cooler now right?

So, you slide the gloss up and out of the holster and it’s primed and ready for action!

Jemma Kidd have chosen three of their best-selling shades to include in the Air Kiss Gloss Trio and I like 2 of ’em.  I think the 3rd should have been a red… but that’s personal preference.  Do you like the colour combination?

The shades are sheer… not so sheer as to be un-noticeable, but they’re more for layering than wearing alone unless you’re going for a natural, simply polished look.  Which actually, is probably pretty apt for the Summer season no?

I’m wearing Rendezvous (on bare lips) in the above photo.  Once applied, the name makes sense… these glosses feel very lightweight on the lips.  They’re not gloopy and they’re not sticky, they’re just shiny with a hint of colour.  Oh and they smell ah-mazing too.

I’m also pretty impressed with the price too!  Ever since the Jemma Kidd line left the shelves of Boots many moons ago, it’s been a brand that has steadily risen in price.  So £9 for a trio of lip glosses makes pretty good financial sense.  Alsooooooo… they’re $19 in the US, so let’s celebrate in a very rare occurence.  Something’s cheaper over here! Woohoo!

Jemma Kidd Air Kiss Gloss Trio is priced at £9 and available from ASOS.

… Rachel! (QueenofTurquoise)

Thanks for offering your self up in the name of beauty Rachel!

I’m sorry I don’t have more things available for you lovely guys to review, it’s wonderful to get some alternative opinions on Lipglossiping!  Stick around, I’ll hopefully have something else for you guys soon.

Rachel, please email me your address details and I’ll pop the kit in the post.  Can’t wait to hear your experiences with it!

…introducing INM’s Out The Door quick-dry top coat.

Recommended to me by the lovely Jamilla from Makeup for Professional Asian Women which, btw is a must-read for her inspiring and regularly updated posts.

INM’s Out The Door is a serious contender to the Seche Vite crown… firstly, I’m gonna come right out and say that this stuff doesn’t dry my nails as fast as Seche Vite.  I’ll be surprised if anything does.  But, it does dry them respectably quickly.  I also find the texture of the product makes it far easier to apply.

I know that Seche Vite suffers from thickening, but even comparing this to a new bottle of the Seche, INM’s Out The Door applies beautifully smoothly… it’s as if I’m coating my manicure with water rather than polish.

In the time it takes me to ‘top coat’ all my nails, the first will be touch dry by the time I’m finished.  Not dent-dry however…  this takes about another 10-15 minutes to fully harden.  Which is fine for me, I just take a little more care and haven’t had any problems yet.

Where the INM Out The Door blows Seche outta the water is with shrinkage.  I haven’t experienced even a millimetre of unnecessary tip wear with this top coat.

Less pungent smelling and easier to apply makes for a happy Lipglossiping.  I often decide to paint my nails about half an hour before bed, and I haven’t had any problems with duvet imprints!

Availability and price is also an issue as this seems to be a little easier to get hold of in the UK than Seche Vite.  Price varies but I’ve found it here for a bargain price of £3.95.

Have you tried it?

Following on from the roaring success of Ali’s guest review, I’d really like to do it again…

I have a rather lovely Liz Earle Young Skin Try-Me-Kit here that I’m dying to break into myself but know that at 28 years old my skin doesn’t really qualify as “young” anymore.  I hope you can hear me sobbing at the back!

I’m looking for a guest reviewer aged between 17-25 to test this kit out for me*

If you’re interested please leave your name below and remember to put your email address in the bit where it asks for it so I can contact you!

I’d ideally like you to give it a full 3/4 week test period before letting us know your thoughts on the kit…. so if you can commit to a new skincare routine for that period and are happy to share your thoughts with my readers then let me know in the comments below!  I’ll chose a reviewer on Wednesday 5th.

*UK only, sorry chaps I gotta think of the postage!