A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Must-Have Monday.  Not a new feature on the blog, I’m just pretending like it’s always been there ok?  You probably won’t see it again… I’m not that organised.

But you need to know something.  This isn’t like all the other “must-haves” we all read about, the beauty essentials that are completely and utterly essential until the next. best. thing. comes along and takes its place.

The simple fact of the matter is that if you don’t swim the Channel immediately, drag yourself into the first E. Leclerc that you come across and buy this item, you might aswell not bother buying anything else ever again.

Are you hyperventilating yet?  Because you should be.

Le Petit Marseillais Huile Seche Sublimante is a dry body oil that has obviously been sent down from above.  Infact, it’s not just a dry oil… it’s the driest of dry oils.  I just tested that claim to the max by spritzing my arm, rubbing the oil in with my hand and then proceeding to wipe my hand all over my t-zone.  Not a single fuck did I give about wiping my oily hand all over my face, that’s how dry this oil is.

Yet despite this scientific anomaly of how oil is supposed to work, it still leaves the kind of healthy sheen on the skin that suggests you’ve just disembarked the yacht after your Summer tour of the Med.

And don’t even get me started on how it smells.  As I’ve previously hinted… this stuff has clearly been borne from the wings of angels.  Spritz it onto your skin and it smells as if you’ve walked through a tropical rainforest with that classic tiare monoi-esque smell.  Now, don’t get me wrong…. gushing as I am, you should know that this isn’t packed with the most beautiful natural oils on earth.  Here’s the ingredients list…

Isopropyl myristate, sesamum indicum oil, isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl laurate, PEG-40, sorbitanperoleate, argania oil, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, butyrospermum parkii butter, BHT, propylparaben, parfum, hexyl cinamal, linalool.

Mineral oil, Sesame seed oil, palm oil… only a slight nod toward the argan, shea butter, and sweet almond oil emblazoned as if they were key ingredients on the front.  Basically, the ingredients list reads like a whos-who of “stuff that kills the environment and gives you pore cancer while it’s at it”.

But what can I tell you?  It softens even the most parched areas of my skin with the least amount of fuss and hassle on a cold, Autumnal morning whilst making me want to lick myself all the way to school.  I’ve also started spritzing it on the ends (only the very ends) of my hair post-wash.  I heart it.

Did I also mention that it only costs a fiver?  Oh, I didn’t?  My bad.

Le Petit Marseillais Huile Seche Sublimante is priced at around €6 and is available from most supermarkets… in err, France.  That stretch of water never seemed so wide as it does now.

I do love a cheap n’ cheerful polish pick-me-up. No guilty spend and the sense of satisfaction that you got something purdy for a few pennies… in this case, I think it was about 99 pennies.

Here’s a little something I dug out from the bottom of my stash, I think I bought it a couple of years ago on a trip to Beauty Base in Whiteleys at Queensway.  I still have a couple more LA Colors shades that I haven’t blog-swatched.  That’s the technical term for “worn” dontchano?

Morning Glory is a blue-toned purple with a strong electric-blue micro shimmer running through the base colour.  It has a fairly watery consistency, the kind you think will never reach full opacity… when all of a sudden, it does.  In this case, it took three coats to achieve the coverage you see above.  I didn’t think we were gonna make it after two but it came good in the end!

I’m not sure if this is still available to buy in-store but I’m pretty sure you’d be able to pick a bottle up from eBay for next to nothing…

What was your last inexpensive beauty find?

Since when have a good pair of tweezers not been a beauty essential? Even before I got into makeup properly, I was well-versed in the art of tweezing… that’s not to say I was any GOOD at it. I was just, proficient at trying. Or in my case, over-trying… as my sparse brows proved.

You’d think that buying a pair of tweezers would be as simple as popping down to your local chemist and grabbing whatever’s on the shelf, right? Wrong. There are so many different styles of tweezers…

Let’s start with the tips…

The most popular style of tweezer tip is the slanted, and for good reason. Slanted tweezer tips offer a great compromise between the precision of a pointed tweezer tip and the grab-all approach of a straight tweezer tip. Slanted tips generally work well on ingrown-hairs without the risks of skin-damage that pointed tips can cause when used by inexperienced tweezers.

So now that you’ve chosen a good all-round tweezer tip, you should know that not all tweezers are created equal. I’ve owned some shockingly bad bought-on-a-whim tweezers in the past. The worst of them are the ones that simply don’t grab the hair properly… and if they do, warp or twist as you press the tweezer together!

All of the tweezers below come from quality brands, none of these will let you down when it comes to tweezing!

01: Tweezerman have been my brand of choice for the last 10-years. They offer a variety of styles, colours and patterns, often with limited-edition releases. They’re not the cheapest brand on the block but they’re pretty accessible and also offer free sharpening for the lifetime of your tweezers, though you do have to send them off to the U.S. for this service. (£22.00 / selfridges.com)

02. Sigma have recently launched their Beauty Brow Tweezer which incorporates some funky angles designed to improve accuracy and ease of use. The hot pink colour should also ensure that they’re easy to spot inside your makeup bag! (£9.95 / cloud10beauty.com)

03. Laura Mercier’s tweezer uses the classic Tweezerman design, indeed these are made for Laura Mercier by Tweezerman. This is the style of tweezer that I’ve used for the past 10-years, the rounded handle ensures that your grip is rock solid and shows those errant brow hairs who really is boss! (£18.50 / spacenk.com)

04. Glamtech’s offering is a multifunctional tool that not only delivers the sharpest of hand-honed tips but also a rather innovative brow comb on the other end. If like me, you’ve been “blessed” in the brow-length department, you’ll find this extra a useful addition in the quest to tame those brows. (£6.00 / glamtech.co.uk)

05: Mister Mascara’s Japanese Style tweezers are another pair to consider if you need a little more security in the grip. The wider handles ensure that you keep utmost control while navigating toward even the most baby-fine of hairs. (£8.95 / urbanretreat.co.uk)

06. For some super kerb-appeal, Shavata’s Heart Tweezers win the prize for cutest eyebrow accessory! Described as both fun and practical, they even come complete with a magnifying mirror, making them ideal for travel. (£18.90 / beautybay.com)

Once you’ve found your perfect pair of tweezers, it’s time to look after them. Baby these things like they’re your first-born. If you drop a pair of steel tweezers on a bathroom floor, more likely than not… when you close the grip, that precision-engineered tip is not going to close squarely anymore and if they don’t close in perfect alignment… you may aswell attempt to pluck your stray hairs with a pair of BBQ tongs for all the good they’ll now be.

You’ll also need to keep the tip as sharp as possible, a pair of blunt tweezers will struggle to grab hairs effectively and can often end up snapping the hair as you pull them away from the skin. Most of the pricier brands include little caps to protect the ends of the tweezers. Use them, don’t just throw your tweezers in your makeup bag without some kind of protection or you’ll end up having to sharpen them on a regular basis.

Now tell me…

Do you have a favourite pair of tweezers, and if so… how old are they? Mine are 7-years old!

“It’s cold!”

“I’m putting the heating on!”

These are two sentences that I read on my Twitter timeline yesterday, truly signalling the advent of September and the end of Summer.  There are many things to feel gloomy about… the darker evenings and shorter days will always be at the top of my list but let’s not get too disheartened.  There is nothing that a chunky knit, leather boots, and an Autumnal lipstick can’t make better.

Seeing as I’m not a fashion blog, I’ll let you go elsewhere for your style fix but hang around for a little while longer while I show you a lovely transitional lipstick that should guide you gently from one season to the next.

Today, I’m looking at a lovely chunky lip pencil from Aussie brand Lipstick Queen.  You’d be forgiven for thinking that the brand have only recently joined the pencil love in, but oh no… The Chinatown Glossy Pencils are the forefathers of the trend, Poppy King released these back in 2009… long before you couldn’t move for chubby lip love.

There are eight shades available and of these, I’m showing you Thriller… the closest to a traditional red.

The package comes complete with an oversized pencil sharpener, I like to think that were these put into production today, Poppy would have designed them as twist-up crayons… having to sharpen pencils is an irritation.

The formula is soft but firm enough to apply withut any issues, the tip glides across the lips and delivers a sheer-but-buildable amount of colour.  Although glossy, the overall effect isn’t one of “gloss”… there’s no “wet-look” lips here and no stickiness either, thankfully.  The product wears comfortably over a decent-enough time period, around 3 hours, needing a topup after drinks or lunch.

The fomula doesn’t dry my lips out but leaves them in the same condition prior to application, a good choice for any dry-lips sufferers in the coming colder weather.

The colour is a sheer, berry red with a hint of pink.  It’s a really comfortable in-between shade for anyone who isn’t quite ready to go all out Autumnal vamp.  I know I always need a little bit of gentle easing into the season… and Thriller is a great shade choice for anyone who wants to explore a red lip without having to commit to full-blown colour.

Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Lip Pencils are priced at £22 each and available to buy online from SpaceNK.com

* press sample

I’ve only been in to a Kiko store a couple of times but when I do, I tend to do some serious damage in an effort to make-up for the fact I can’t ever just “pop in”. Truthfully, I haven’t been hugely blown away by the things I’ve bought, with the exception of a couple of matte eyeshadows, they’ve mostly been neither here nor there in terms of eliciting any major makeup-excitement.

Having said that, I am rather fond of this softly muted sage green. I’m not actually sure if it’s still available to buy… huge apologies if it isn’t. It should be, it’s lovely.

#349 (I hate numbers for names!) is a soft green in a greyed out base, it’s perfect for year-round wear and always looks beautiful when topped off with glittery tips… you can imagine how lovely gold-flakies look applied to the tips, no?

The formula is ok. It’s not completely smooth and as time’s passed, my bottle has thickened slightly. The above shows three coats but two would probably cover it if you were careful during application.

KIKO Cosmetics can be found online at kikocosmetics.co.uk

Well, I should probably start this review by saying that I have never been a big fan of Issey Miyake’s scents. I’d even go so far as to say that I have been completely bewildered over the years by the brand’s following and their flanker after flanker release strategy that would have even the most ardent fan spinning with confusion.

Pleats Please is the designer’s latest fragrance launch that celebrates his iconic 80s fashion line of the same name.  The Japanese designer’s interpretation of East meets West has had many women flailing over his knife-edge pleats, created by specialist pleating techniques (no, really!) that make his designs both ready-to-wear and long-lasting.

Both of those descriptions could equally be applied to the brand’s new scent.

At first spritz, I felt a huge sense of deja vu.  The initial note of Asian Nashi pear (an apple/pear hybrid) instantly put me in mind of a hugely generic synthetic, clean and fruity opening.  It’s sweet and thoroughly 2D, nothing like the designer’s wonderfully structured catwalk creations.  I was disappointed but not surprised.

And then I went about my day.

It was about 30-minutes later that I found myself tentatively sniffing at my wrist again.  The sweetness was still there but it had blossomed into a big floral.  Big in an unabashed 80s way (can I have some shoulder pads to go with my pleats?).  I’ll admit that I have a soft spot for big florals, giant bouquets that envelop you in their heady bosoms.  The kind that you wouldn’t want to escape from even if you could.  My use of the word “bosom” isn’t accidental… there’s a skin warmth in there among the flowers, unwashed but definitely not unpleasant.  Undoubtedly all this “scent” will prove too much for some but I’m rather taken by the way Pleats Please deceived me.

I hate the bottle, I think it’s a monstrous creation… but I will admit that it feels gorgeous in the hand.  Modelled on Miyake’s famous Bao Bao bag with a “pleated” white plastic top, it reminds me of a feminine Marc Jacobs Bang (without the toppling over issues).  As far as longevity and silage are concerned, providing you’re a fan of how this creation actually smells… you should be pleased with its performance on both counts.  Lingering enough to last the day, excellent for an EdT and conspicuous enough in its presence to elicit an “I can still smell you” from my husband as we lay in bed that night.

Issey, you have won me over.  Well, almost.  I still really dislike the opening… but I will persevere just so that I may appreciate the addictive, powerhouse of a dry-down.

Issey Miyake Pleats Please is priced from £33 for 30ml and available to buy instore or online at Boots, Superdrug, Debenhams, and online (from £28) at escentual.com

* press sample

I love wearing warm colours on my cool skintone.  They impart a sense of vitality and freshness that I just don’t get from my more traditional cool-toned favourites.  It can be tricky to paint a “cool” face with “warm” colours and unless you’re also blessed with plenty of freckles and red hair, there can be an immediate juxtaposition between face and hair/face and makeup.  I must admit that I generally only go for a warm face when I’m having a good skin day (which I wasn’t!).  The creamier my complexion (read: less ruddy), the more success I have with painting a warmer canvas.

When I first started wearing makeup, I adored all warm-toned eyeshadows… gold being the pinnacle of that adoration.  Infact, I still have so many beautiful gilded shades that just don’t see much love because as I’ve gotten older, the redness in my complexion has increased and I’m less concerned about making my blue/green eyes “pop” against the shadow and more concerned about not looking like I have a drinking problem.

I find that nowadays, if I do go for a wamer look, I tend to stick to soft peaches (never apricot), guavas, and rose-gold.  Anything that has a slightly pink base is a winner… it can be shot through with a ton of golden sparkle just so long as it has that complimentary base.  Orange and brown-toned golds rarely wear well though I love a good champagne-gold (think NARS Albatross/MAC Femme-Fi).

I’m completely in love with Boots No7 Stay Perfect Foundation* (I’m shade Calico – link) at the moment.  I’m a late-comer to this one and assumed that it would be too drying on my combo/dry and dehydrated skin… most things that claim any kind of longevity, usually are.  I find that aslong as I’m well-moisturised (which I always am anyway), I can wear this one without exacerbating any flakiness.  I haven’t tried it in the Winter yet… but I’ve been wearing this around 70% of the time since mid-June and it delivers a confidence-boosting super-smooth look if I wear it with a primer underneath. I didn’t wear a primer in the photos below because it was ridiculously hot yesterday and I just wasn’t up for all those layers!

One of the reasons that I’m loving it (and it seems like the faintest of praise) is down to the simple fact that the pump dispenses exactly the perfect amount.  Do not underestimate the power that getting the right amount of coverage can have.  Although I love my lovely Bourjois Healthy Mix, it dispenses far too much and I always have to physically restrain myself from applying the entire pump’s worth.  I’ll try to remember to do a before/after foundation and primer routine with the Stay Perfect soon because it really has been one of those rare “ohhhh SKIN LOOKS GOOOOOOD!” revelations.

Other products included in the FOTD run with the rose-gold theme…

Dainty Doll Cream Blusher 002 – link (or try NARS Deep Throat or Sleek Rose Gold)
MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot – link (or try Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold or Benefit Slippin’ n’ Dippin’)
Laqa & Co Fairyblood Lip Pencil* – link (or try MUA Shade 7 or Avon Ultra Colour Rich Lipstick in Sparkling Warm Rose)
Estee Lauder Intense Kajal Eye Crayon* – discontinued (any black liner will do)
No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara – link (any mascara will do)

Also…. only six products, check me out being all minimalist n’ stuff!  Or that other word for it… lazy.

Are you a Rose Gold fan?

* press sample

You can’t eat cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without getting porky.  You can’t put in zero effort and reap all the rewards (unless you’re a cow).  And you can’t wear a kickass, uber-matte lipstick without it all going wrong… eventually.

This is how I feel about the Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet.  I’d held off buying for ages, I’m not a fan of the way the brand has conducted itself in the past and to be honest, I haven’t been a fan of the products that they’ve released either.  But the swatches have been amazing.  Screw the fact that I’m in the 30+ category and “really” shouldn’t be wearing uber matte lipsticks, seriously… screw that!  Red Velvet has been on my radar as a must-have for a long while.  I had to try it, I just had to, didn’t I?

The packaging is rather nice actually, less unicorny and more sophisticated girlie… I do like the frosted glass container but there’s one irritation that bothers me each time I use it.  Why is there no inner ridge in the tube where I can scrape off the excess product?  Peering inside, it’s like looking into the Black Hole of Calcutta and when something is this frighteningly pigmented, you need absolute control over the amount of product on the wand.

Without smearing this around the opening, I don’t have that control and it balls up pretty quickly at the top, threatening to make a holy mess.

But the one thing you can’t deny is that once applied, Red Velvet is in a league of its own.  Richly pigmented, deeply opaque, and velvet-textured… it’s a cracker.  I’ve found it best to apply in two thin layers… once to get perfect outline and once to fill in for complete coverage.  The formula is very wet to begin with and I inevitably end up with some of it on my front teeth.  However, within 60-seconds it dries to an almost powdery finish.

The texture is lightweight but you can “feel” it on your lips because of the apparent dryness it imparts.  It’s not actually that drying in terms of what it does to the condition of your lips but it will happily settle into all of your lip furrows and stick like the proverbial to the outer lip-line.  It’s colour-depth and downright vampiness makes this the perfect choice for a night out… except, you might not want to choose it…

Let me explain…

On me, it wears U-G-L-Y.  I have a large bottom lip and the first place that this disappears is toward the inside of my lip, leaving a horribly apparent ridge of colour.  This colour-ridge narrows as the colour slowly disappears from the centre of my mouth, eventually leaving me with a rather impressive ring around the lower lip-line.  And this is without eating, only drinking.

Compared to some red lipsticks, I actually found this to be relatively transfer-proof, there’s a little left on my glass after drinking but nowhere near as much as most lipsticks.  It also resists transferring to my teeth once it has set on the lip, so it’s a real shame that I experience such horrible overall wear.  You can see the kind of wear I get in this photo on my Tumblr.  You should note, however, that this may be a peculiarity on me… many other bloggers report great wear from this product.

Ultimately, it’s a gorgeous red but I probably won’t wear it without a serious case of paranoia, and when you’re braving a lip this ka-pow, that’s not a great combination.

Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet is priced at £11.50 and available to buy online from love-makeup.co.uk and cutecosmetics.co.uk

Do you own one of the Velvetines?  What are your thoughts on them?

The historic town of Grasse in the South-Eastern corner of France is widely considered as the world’s capital of perfumery. The area enjoys a climate ripe for growing and harvesting flowers and it’s reported that over twenty-seven tonnes of jasmine alone are harvested in Grasse annually!  The town is also home to many of the world’s oldest perfumeries and most of the industries most famous “noses” have trained there at some point in their career.

L’Occitane have recently released a collection of fragrances that pay tribute to the area’s rich history of “scentsory” creation and the set* that I’m reviewing today offers a generous insight into each of the new offerings in 7.5ml form.  You should note that this addition of miniatures is a limited release and according to the L’Occitane website, there are only a few left available to purchase.

Each fragrance is contained in individual, fully-resealable bottles.  I mention this because I shall never purchase another L’Artisan Parfumeur set whose miniatures evaporate their ridiculous packaging within weeks.  Take your time enjoying these… at £28 for a total of 30ml, you’re getting good value that will give you plenty of opportunity to discover your favourite(s).

The lady behind the collection, Karine Dubreuil, has created for L’Occitane before and is fully in-tune with the brand’s ethos and love for natural extracts.

I immediately recognised myself in this clear, pure style of authenticity associated with L’OCCITANE.  This vow of sincerity is captured in their fragrances, which expresses the beauty of nature in all its transparency. – Karine Dubreuil

The collection plays around with the idea of capturing a pair of players in the fragrance world and weaving their simplicity into something a little more meaningful.  Whether a chance encounter, or destined to be together… the ingredients are chosen and combined expertly under Karine’s care.

Jasmine & Bergamote

Bergamot discreetly lights up the scent and continues to retain a lingering presence. Contrasts blend with ambivalence as jasmine reveals all its facets. To convey this ambiguity, at least two types of jasmine would be needed: a jasmine from Grasse and a jasmine from Egypt. The balance fluctuates between petals and leaves, freshness and sensuality, day and night.

Top notes: mandarin orange, BERGAMOT
Heart notes: JASMINE, lemon leaves
Base notes: sandalwood, cedar

Magnolia & Mure

Between flower and fruit, the magnolia essence provides the prelude to wild and slightly musky blackberry notes. Present throughout the fragrance, blackberry gives a tenderness to the woody structure. Its velvety seeds soften the solemnity of patchouli. Over time, the fragrance asserts its chypre character.

Top notes: bergamot, BLACKBERRY
Heart notes: MAGNOLIA, rose
Base notes: patchouli, moss

Vanille & Narcisse

Discreet at first, the scent of narcissus swells to reveal a bouquet of white flowers and spicy heart accords. Finally, rich and radiant vanilla borrows the wilder, untamed notes of narcissus that give it spirit.

Top notes: blackcurrant, bergamot
Heart notes: NARCISSUS, gardenia
Base notes: VANILLA, tonka bean

Thé Vert & Bigarade

This great classic from L’OCCITANE joins La Collection de Grasse. Refreshing, essential and aimed at both men and women, it has a thirst-quenching effect from the very first contact, when sparkling citrus notes burst forth in an accord of sweet and bitter orange. Hints of green tea, yerba mate and hay give a reassuring touch before drying down into an aromatic trail.

Top notes: orange, BITTER ORANGE
Heart notes: GREEN TEA, yerba mate
Base notes: cedar, thyme, musk

From the collection, Thé Vert & Bigarade is my pick of the bunch.  An uplifting citrus without any of the prickliness that one might usually associate with the genre.  It’s both refreshing and warming with a hint of the oriental that softens the edges of the bitter orange and evokes a feeling of comfort and well-being.  In all honesty, there’s not an awful lot more to it than that… there’s no great complexity or layer upon layer of twists and turns to excite your senses.  Thé Vert & Bigarade simply displays a beautiful pairing of notes that were clearly meant to be together.

There’s a fantastic interview with the perfumer Karine Dubreuil which I’ve embedded below, it explains more about the inspiration behind the collection and gives a little insight into the region and it’s rich wealth of fragrant history.

The Petit Grasse Fragrance Collection is available to buy instore and online at uk.loccitane.com, priced at £28 for the boxed selection (3oml total)

* press sample

Just a quickie post to give you a heads up (if you didn’t already see my tweet) about the Love Makeup sale that’s currently ongoing.  There are some real bargains to be had… not those faux 10% off rubbish ones but proper, bonafide, hide-your-purse-before-you-spend-next-month’s-rent extravaganzas.  I was pretty good about it tbh, grabbing a couple of things that I’d wanted for a long time and dipping my toe into waters unknown with a stonking red eyeshadow (I have a weird little “thing” for red eyeshadow).

Anyway, here’s what ended up in my basket, with a couple of swatches thrown in for good measure.  What can I say?  I’m a horrible enabler.

I already own a couple of products from Beaute in the form of one of their Weightless Lip Cremes in Masochist (don’t bother searching, to my shame it’s not been blogged yet) and also the Beauté Liqui-Gel Lip and Cheek Stain in Fluoron which HAS been blogged, and you can read about it here.  To add to my Beaute collection, I picked up the Weightless Lip Creme in Girlina… ever since I saw Bubblegarm modelling it a billion years ago, it’s been on my wishlist.  The other item that has found its way into my lipstick drawer is the Beaute Liqui-Gel Lip and Cheek Stain in Harlot… a rich, blood-red.

I’ve since spoken to Cami on Instagram, who is shamelessly trying to tempt me into going back for the Beaute Liqui-Gel Lip and Cheek Stain in Fever.  I can’t take the pressure!

Going somewhat against my principles, I bought one of the much-lauded Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet… there were too many beautiful swatches on the interne that made me think this could be my ultimate Snow White red… I coudn’t resist the temptation.

And finally, to re-balance the good/evil in this world (you know I’m being overly dramatic again right?), I picked up a stunning, limited edition, sparkly red eyeshadow from Sugarpill.  Isn’t it gorgeous?  Swatches below…

How nice do they all look lined up like that?  I’m in makeup heaven right now.

Anyway, I shall try and do proper reviews in due course… give me a slap if there’s something from the above that you’d really like to see and I’ll keep it out near my PC… if it goes in one of my drawers, chances are… it’s gone FOREVER.  Well, in terms of reviewing promptly!

Have you been tempted into indulging in the Love Makeup sale?  Gotta love a “new makeup buzz”!

Layla, Leila… what’s a few letters between friends… I’m pretty excited for these new Summer shades from child-friendly nail polish brand: Little BU.

Of course, I should be more excited for the actual colours than their names but heck, I can’t help it. I’m just a big kid at heart. *buys all the everything with Charlotte on it*.  And don’t think I don’t see you trying to look all cool as you scramble around the fridge for a Coke bottle with your name on it.

So anyway, I’ve got two new Little BU shades to show you (but not the Charlotte, they’re messing with me!)  My mini-model even agreed to wear one at super-short notice, which was nice… considering she was in a head-spinning foul mood brought on by the fact that we only had Biscuit Dairylea Dunkers and not Tube Dairylea Dunkers. There’s a difference (apparently).

Carolina is a sheer peach with a hint of subtle sparkle and Layla is a sheer (but buildable) lilac with a myriad of multi-coloured glitter.  No prizes for guessing which one was my little Leila’s favourite?

She made me do three coats… I thought it looked better with two… but you know, she’s four.  She doesn’t know when to stop gilding the lily.  MOAR GLITTER.  MOAR.

I sealed the final layer with a slick of the Little BU top coat which keeps everything pinned down for around 24hrs or until you chuck them in a bath to soak.  These really give off absolutely no scent at all during application, they apply without any frustration, and I’m happy in the knowledge that they contain no harmful toxins.

Little BU polishes (9ml) are priced at £9.95 each and are available to buy online at iluvlittlebu.com and instore at Harrods and Selfridges.

* press sample

“I have found men who didn’t know how to kiss. I’ve always found time to teach them.” – Mae West

Whatever you forget to do this morning, don’t forget to brush your teeth.  Twice.

You see, today is National Kissing Day.  The one day of the year where I think it’s practically legal to demand kisses and if you don’t get enough?  Stand your ground, stamp your feet and demand some more!  Failing that, take a look at some of the lovely things below that practically guarantee to make your pout as irresistible as a sugar-coated crumb on National Doughnut Day.

There is a national doughnut day right?

01: BareMinerals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish (£18, bareminerals.co.uk)

Take your pick from a total of over 20 shades of lip-boosting gloss.  From the sheerest of pinks to the sparkliest of corals, the tingling formula of BareMinerals Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish will ensure a knee-trembling rush of blood to the hea pout.

02: LUSH Bubblegum Lip Scrub (£5.35, lush.co.uk)

Smells and tastes so damn good you’ll be hard-pressed to divert your attention away from this little pot of lip-smoothing scrubbiness.  But divert you must!  You have 24-hours to secure a lip-smacking partner, don’t delay.

03: Carmex Strawberry Moisturising Lip Balm (£2.55, asos.com)

With Wimbledon just around the corner, how could you resist this strawberry-scented offering from Carmex?  If it’s a slightly less tremendous tingle you’re after, this cult classic balm with leave you feeling suitably nourished and prepped for a good ol’ smooching session.

04: L’Occitane Rose Aurore Radiant Lip Gloss (£8, uk.loccitane.com)

If subtlety is more your thing, L’Occitane have got your back with their Rose Aurore Radiant Lip Gloss.  Adorn your lips with a pink, delicate shimmer and let your natural radiance shine through while the moisturising formula ensures you’re well nourished enough to still be in a lips-locked position this time next year!

05: Lipstick Queen 3 Piece Lip Nouveau Collection (£30.96, qvcuk.com)

When is just one lipstick not enough?  Always!  Have your cake and eat it with this collection of colour from Lipstick Queen.  A classic high-voltage red, a shimmering pink and a sheer deep crimson, this trio will see your lips looked-after from dawn-to-dusk, prepped for every occasion with a variety of texture.

One final piece of advice from the lip queen herself, Poppy King: “Most importantly, smile!  It has been suggested that simply smiling increases endorphins which are the most flattering thing for natural glow ever.”

Have a great day lip-lovers, whoever you may be smooching!