A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

So, after reading this kind comment from Ceona on my last FOTD post:

I love this palette and the way you’ve used it. So tempted to get one myself. I’m not sure about that blue though, how would you use it with the other colours? I am stuck in a brown/bronze/gold eyeshadow rut.

I realised that I too was mostly stuck in a bronze/gold shadow rut… but I’m loving it and don’t wanna leave, especially now Autumn is drawing near with all it’s bronzey shades! So, instead I thought I’d spice it up a little by using the blue in the palette foiled (wet) as a liner.

I *think* it works, although I’d probably use the same gold on the lower lashline as I did on the lids next time.

Used:

Kryolan Shades Palette in Santiago

Hope the shadows aren’t too distracting, I did this quite late at night and had to use my (bounced) flash to light my face.

Happy roast dinner day! (although I’ve got baked potato, so I dunno why I’m getting all excited..)

A couple of weeeks ago whilst killing some time waiting to head off to the Maybelline event… Myself, Sian, Sophie, Lydia & Leanne spent a little time browsing Charles Fox in Covent Garden.

I spied upon this little palette and loved it’s metallic sheen  and wearable Autumnal shades.  Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a Kryolan “Shades” Palette in Santiago.

Pretty no?  I love the inclusion of the dark blue over there on the right… great addition.  And the brush that comes with the palette isn’t completely useless either which is more than refreshing!  I can’t remember the exact price but it was around £15.

Here’s yesterday’s FOTD using the above palette.  Apologies for focusing on the wrong eye & then being too lazy to retake.

Products Used:

Eyes:

~ Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
~ Kryolan Santiago Shades Palette (palest gold on lid/khaki gold in crease)
~ MAC Fluidline in Sweet Sage on upper lid
~ MAC Fluidline in Waveline on lower lashline
~ Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara

Face:

~ Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation (still giving this some love… review to come soon)
~ Silk Naturals Maybe Baby Blush (Mac Blushbaby Clone)
~ MAC Blush in Honour (swept gently over the top of Maybe Baby)

Lips:

~ Urban Decay Lip Primer Potion
~ GOSH Darling Lipstick

Do you own any Kryolan goodies?

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

When I got up this morning, I was determined to brave this adventurous (for me) lipgloss, so here we go!

You can probably tell that this is a sheer application.  It’s applied over the top of Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Lily-Rose.

It’s consistency is sticky, but not as sticky as MAC’s lipglasses.  Longevity is good, it hasn’t faded much at all throughout the day so far.

Galactic is a really lovely item to have in your kit, glamour in a tube!

[starreview tpl=14]

It was a real treat to be invited to tonight’s Dystopia preview event at Kettners in the heart of Soho, a fab venue which perfectly complemented the informality of the evening ahead.

There were around 30 bloggers present (Tali counted. Real Slow. She had to use her fingers once she got past 10.) and we were treated to delicious cocktails and a Guinness/champagne medley which was surprisingly delicious!

OK, enough about the booze already!  On to the makeup!

Illamasqua are still a very young brand, and it’s clear that they’re having to evolve and grow very rapidly thanks to the huge global success that they’re currently enjoying.  Since their launch nearly a year ago, they’ve become synonymous with bucking the mainstream trends.  They have strived to create a brand intent on celebrating and encouraging one’s alter ego.  But how does this translate for mere mortals like me living in Bobbi Brown land?

I will be truly honest and say that I went to this event with certain preconceptions.  I believed that whilst being very beautiful to look at, the brand and collection would hold little for me that I would consider wearable in my safe little world of boring neutrals.

Hands up, I was wrong.

Dystopia has something for everyone regardless of your attitude toward what (on the surface at least) seems to be a brand and collection that caters to a niche market.  Hand on heart, out of the 6 products I had the opportunity to play with and swatch, 4 of them are now on my shopping list (and 1 of them I received in my goodie bag).  Not bad going from a brand that I thought would have minimal appeal to me in the flesh.

My Must Haves: (I don’t know the names of most of these products but will update when the collection is released on Illa’s website)

~ Pure Pigment – Static – a beautiful iridescent lilac/pink which was met with “oohs and ahhs” from everyone who swatched it.  A real Christmassy affair for the little girl in all of us!

~ Nail Polish – Velocity an on-trend muted purple

~ Eyeshadow in Synth, a beautiful shimmery pale pink shade – gorgeous for highlighting.

~ Intense Lipgloss in Galactic – the most awesomely pigmented silver lipgloss that scared the crap out of me in the tube.  On the lips, it’s pure love.

Here’s a couple of images:

Intense Lipgloss in Galactic – how beautiful is this?  Non sticky and blends out so well that I will be finding more uses for this aside from being a lipgloss. 

Eyeshadow in Machine, a soft nicely pigmented black with a little sparkle.

A huge thank you to Illamasqua for hosting the evening and an even bigger thanks to the whole team for being so approachable and friendly!  It was really lovely to witness how genuinely passionate and proud the Illamasqua team are about their company and to hear how all our feedback (both good and bad!) is being taken on board and used to improve the brand for our future enjoyment.

I had a lovely evening (despite not getting home ’till nearly gone midnight thanks to a signal failure!) and it was great to meet some of my fellow makeup addicts, you’re all fab and I can’t wait to see you all again soon!

Continuing with my mascara series (check out the others by clicking here)…

I actually don’t know too much about L’oreal Lash Architect Mascara… I bought blind, not being aware of the general consensus on this one.

Lovely, sleek black packaging with a nice tapered wand handle.  Sounds silly to place such emphasis on packaging… but it really does have nice ‘curb appeal’.

This is the ‘Carbon Gloss’ variety, which is deemed to be L’oreals ‘glossiest blackest mascara yet’.

It’s a standard bristle brush, with a relatively small head when compared to the big boys (Bad Gal et al.)  To my eye, the brush narrows slightly in the middle, but I’m not sure if this is a design feature (a la sexy curves) or just a flaw in the manufacturing process.  Anyone else have one to compare?

The formula is nice and non-gloopy on the wand which is an absolute must for me.  There’s nothing worse than trying to battle huge globs of mascara off the wand and back into the tube.  Yes, I know some people just wipe the wands with tissue… what you think I have money to burn?  You should see me trying to shoehorn the excess back down that narrow tube… Just call me ‘Arkwright’ (please don’t all be too young to know Open All Hours)

It applies evenly and builds up nicely with no clumping at all (which I find can be a problem with L’oreal mascaras).

This is after 2 coats.  Some nice length and some volumising.  I honestly don’t think that this formula is THAT black, I have others in my arsenal far darker than this one.  Surprising considering this is the USP of this particular mascara.  I think that it’s clear that the real strength in this mascara lies within it’s defining properties a.k.a The False Lash Effect.  My lashes are really separated and each one is individually emphasised.  I really like this mascara, the look is fairly natural which makes for a great day time product.  For the evenings, I’d love something which provides this much definition with a little more va va voom!

[starreview tpl=14]

L’oreal’s Voluminous Mascara in good ol’ black.  It’s one of those purported ‘oldies but goodies’ thought of in the same way as Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie.

An unassuming rather plain tube greets you, indeed much like Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie.  Don’t let that put you off… as they say, appearances can be deceptive.

The wand is your standard bristle affair and rather large (although not as large as Bad Gal’s which seems to be the benchmark for chunky wand heads).  It’s a little longer than standard which can make for tricky application on the outer lashes, but it’s not a major problem on my longer lashes.  One thing I really like about this wand is the density of the bristles.  They’re really packed in there which makes for some great separation.

And here’s your comparison shot.  No mascara on the left, L’oreal Voluminous on the right.  It’s a nice deep black which offers some great volumising (as the name would suggest).  I would say that there are better lengthening mascaras out there, but I could imagine that this would work great paired with one of them.  I experience no flaking or smudging with this and it lasts all day long.

My only gripe with this mascara is that the neck doesn’t fit too snugly around the wand, which creates two potential problems.  Sometimes when I pull the wand out, there is a little too much product on the head and I also find that this mascara dries out a little quicker than my others.  Not sure if this is down to the tube design or the formula itself, but it’s something to be aware of.

Overall, it’s a nice solid mascara.  I prefer 2000 Calorie over this (as long as I pinch my nose whilst applying the Max Factor) but Voluminous is very buildable thanks to a formula that isn’t too gloopy or clumping – if you haven’t already, check it out!

[starreview tpl=14]

Check it out!  Click the image below for more details…

Available to purchase online and in selected stores from 18th August 2009.

I know it’s already available at some Debenhams stores (and I can browse the Illamasqua range on the Debenhams website already…) So I hope this means they’re rolling the brand out to additional instore locations.  Anyone any more clued up than me?

Fingers crossed my provincial local store is one of the lucky ones!

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)

Welcome to my world of boring but wearable neutrals.  I love colour, but I’m not sure it loves me – I’m still experimenting though so hopefully my FOTDs will get a little more adventurous over time!

Face:
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
Grimas Concealer – Shade G0
Bourjois Lilas D’or Blush – (I was a bit too light handed)
Lavshuca Blush/Highlighter Duo – PK1
SK-II Airbrush Foundation Shade OP1 – (my first test with it! ‘citing!)

Eyes:
Revlon Brow Fill in Powder
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Sleek i-Divine Eyeshadow Palette – Storm
Stargazer Cake Eyeliner – Brown (Upper) – still loving it!
Some random Boots No7 Brown Kohl (Lower)
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara

Lips:
Art Deco Waterproof Lip Liner #17 – used as base and liner
Elizabeth Arden High Shine Lip Gloss – #10 Pink Champagne

My bargainous baked bronzer turned up today, hoorah!  Bronzer is something that scares me.  Being so pale and uninteresting I screw it up on a regular basis.  This one seems really light and shimmery though (shade 01), perhaps a little too light actually judging by the swipe I just made on my fingertip.

First impression is that it seems as cheap as it was.  The lid nearly splintered into 2 halves trying to open the damn thing to take a picture.  Texture seems soft though, not gritty or particularly chalky.

Will let you know how I get on with it.  It’s pooh.  See below*:

Oh, *psst* – by the way, that Baked Bronzer I got… the one by La Femme with all the pretty gold and white veining… load of pooh, really.  I can’t get the product to show up on me.  It doesn’t bronze, brighten or even highlight.  I was hoping for subtle, but existent would have been nice.  Perhaps a darker shade would be more evident, but my opinion of it is so… *meh*… that I can’t be arsed to order another.

*taken from this post