A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Ok, I’m finishing up with the review of the bits that I was sent last month.  Click here to read my other posts on the brand.  I’m battling a bit of a backlog at the minute thanks to the frustrations of losing the site over Christmas.  Bear with me!

Milky Lips in 602 (£4.44) is a pale cool-toned pink gloss that does what it says on the tin!

It’s a bit “Barbie” for me but I can imagine it being a hit among a younger crowd.  It’s tacky and long-lasting but prone to sinking into the furrows in your lips as these milky type glosses and pale lipsticks tend to do.

Moving on…

The Eyeshadow Trio Dancing Queen in 803 (£4.24) whilst nicely pigmented is frosty as hell.  It’s just too much for me though I was impressed at the texture which was a lot softer than I would have expected considering the amount of glitter these shades hold.  Fall-out is an issue when using these so be prepared to deal with it!

The darkest charcoal/blue shade in the trio is particularly nice but like I said, it’s all a bit too sparkly for me I’m afraid.

On with the next product…

I was VERY pleased with the Paese Pen Liner (£6.08) which I’ve been using daily ever since I received it.  So far (in over a month), it hasn’t dried out at all.  It could do with a little more pigment… as it stands, you do need to go over any lines you draw twice to get a solid, opaque finish.  So why am I holding it in such high esteem?

I love pen liners, I find them the quickest, easiest way to accomplish a simple black line along my upper lashline.  You can’t beat gel for pigmentation but I’m pretty cack-handed and keep falling back on these felt-tip type pens when I don’t have all day to get a perfect line.  The tip on this is a cracker.  Not even remotely scratchy and with a fine point that allows for a nice thin ‘flick’.  There’s a bit of bounce in the tip and it never skips as I draw along my lashline.  It’s solid and dependable… something I want in my eyeliner.

And finally…

Paese Blusher in 25 (£3.32) didn’t do anything to impress I’m afraid.  It’s a nice enough peachy/rose shade with a lovely, soft texture but it’s dusty as hell.  A real shame because it also happens to contain one of the nicest and most delicate shimmers I’ve ever seen in what is essentially a drugstore blush.

It’s very pigmented and a little goes a long way but if you take more than a couple of swipes during blending you’ll notice that you start to blend the blush into oblivion and will be left wondering where the hell it went.  One of those blush on, blush off blushers!

Final Thoughts on Paese Cosmetics

I have some concerns about the website which has those horrible block swatches that don’t give a great indication of the shades available.  There seems to be some mis-labelling amongst the categories and it all seems a bit like a work-in-progress rather than a finished consumer-ready website though I can’t emphasise enough how refreshing it is to see such reasonable shipping charges within the UK!

It’s a brand worth exploring with some little gems hidden among the standard less-impressive drugstore-esque fare.  In particular, I’d recommend the eyeliner and primer as well as the nail polish.  These are the products that I would personally re-purchase.

Are you planning to give Paese Cosmetics a try?

Ahhh, that catchy #105…

O.P.I-esque shade naming this ain’t!  But the sample they sent me is a raspberry fire cracker regardless!

The above ladies… is one coat.  Swoon, go on… I’ll catch you.

Intensely pigmented and glossy enough to do without a top coat… consider me impressed.

For some reason, #105 is listed on the website under “glitter polishes” which as you can see, this isn’t.  I’m wondering if perhaps the webmaster still has some re-jigging to do.  If you’re thinking of ordering, keep this in mind and perhaps email them for confirmation about that ‘glitter’ category.

Wear has been consistent with the majority of polishes I use… nothing major to report, although in all honesty I often wonder if it’s even worth me commenting on longevity because I just don’t seem to suffer the same chipping problems that lots of you do – sorry about that!

This would make a cracking pedicure shade… infact, I think it’ll be gracing my toes before the week is out!

Paese Cosmetics Nail Polishes retail at a bargainous £3.37 each.  I’ve already got my eye on #110 and #120 aswell as some of the treatments that seem to cover every nail problem known to man!

… collect all the new Nails Inc./Diet Coke promo shades!

I’m actually off Diet Coke at the minute… not out of choice I hasten to add.  This is one of those dietary reasonings *rolls eyes*.

However, I’m not going to let a silly little thing like that stop me from getting my hands on all four of the limited and exclusive Nails Inc. shades!

Each bottle is full size (10ml) and to get your grubby hands on one you need to buy two 500ml bottles of Diet Coke from a participating Boots store (the polishes are usually located on display stands nearby).  The promo started on Wednesday but I haven’t noticed these in my local store yet which makes me think I may have to travel into town to take advantage.

They don’t call me Dora the Explorer for nothing!  Or… actually… at all.

Which one will you be going for first?

Available today while stocks last you can purchase 5 full size Nails Inc. products for only £10! (shipping £3.95)

Your Lucky Dip order will include:

~ 1 full size Chelsea Park Gardens polish (iridescent hot pink)
~ A top or base coat polish
~ 3 additional polish shades selected at random

Click the image below to go to the deal…

If you were to buy these items separately, they’d set you back £55 – quite a saving!  Also try promo code JAN20 for 20% off non-sale items.

But that’s not all… remember October’s 10 bottle mega deal?  Well… I’m spotting another one of those in the SALE section called The Red Carpet Colour Collection.  Different colours (bar one), same deal!  10 full-size bottles for a bargainous £25!

Shop, shop, shop, shop, shop…

The timing of MAC’s Wonder Woman collection seems a touch premature to me, with the long-awaited release of a Warner Bros movie slated for 2013, I’m surprised that they didn’t hold out a couple more years and ride that cash cow all the way to the bank!

Regardless, the new collection will be arriving in stores much sooner than that.  Temptalia has the lowdown on the collection which is due for an international (non-US) release of March 2011.

image courtesy of. Temptalia.com

The 32-piece collection (yes, I counted em – anyone wanna check my maths?!) is already kicking up a storm amongst beauty-loving MAC fans worldwide.  The biggest bone of contention?  The packaging…

Temptalia readers have been showing their contempt for the design with comments including:

“…reminds me of the toy makeup I used to beg for when I was a kid.” – source

“…this packaging is actually so horrible that I doubt I’ll be purchasing much (if anything) from this collection.” – source

“…I don’t like the packaging.  The packaging looks verry childish.  I’m gonna buy nothing.” – source

“…I wouldn’t be caught dead taking them out in public.” – source

Of course, there are many protesting in defence of the packaging too…

Me?  I’m not ashamed to admit that I love it.

Sure, I love my Guerlain palettes and the sleek lines of my Rouge D’Armani lippies which always make me feel a little bit posher than I really am when I flash them about infront of people (I totally do that).  But… I really think MAC have pulled the “Wonder Woman” theme off magnificently!

image courtesy of. Temptalia.com

Look at those contrast gold-rimmed pans!  Love. It.

I do understand people’s disappointment… if the theme isn’t for them, it simply isn’t for them and if we all shared the same tastes, wouldn’t the world be a boring place?  But I can totally appreciate that for the theme… this packaging is ticking ALL the right boxes.

As an aside, it’s something that I didn’t think MAC achieved with the Disney VV collection which left me feeling that they hadn’t put any real effort into doing Disney (and it’s fans) justice.  There’s no denying that if a brand can “plug-in” to a much-loved theme and capture it’s essence within the collection, then the tills won’t stop ringing until the last lipstick has been sold.  Easy money if you can get it right.

image courtesy of. Temptalia.com

Kudos.

What do you guys think of the packaging for MAC Wonder Woman collection?  Adorable or Deplorable?  Vote!

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Paese Cosmetics is a Polish cosmetics brand new to the UK market.  Currently only available online from http://paesecosmetics.com, the brand encompasses a wide selection of products from primers through to nail polishes and most things inbetween.

Paese Cosmetics’ price point aligns it with the drugstore market, infact… slightly cheaper.  A foundation will set you back just under £10.

I was sent some samples to put to the test, read on for images and my thoughts on the base products I received.

Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t forget to pick up the News of the World today if you want to take advantage of the free makeup kit in conjunction with Models Own.

The kit includes: liquid eyeliner, tweezers, an eyelash curler, mascara and eyeshadow with all items housed in a clear plastic makeup ziploc bag.

I’ve had a play with the kit I was sent as a preview and the runny mascara and scratchy eyeliner aren’t gonna get any love here.  The tweezers weren’t half bad and the eyelash curlers (although not the most precise bit of mechanical engineering) do a decent job and fit my eye shape well.

Finally, the eyeshadow duo features a pair of wearable shades with a soft, blendable (if slightly dusty) texture.  I wouldn’t pay £24 for it but for the price of two Sunday papers, I think it’s worth a punt particularly as both tools included were completely usable.

To take advantage of the offer, collect TWO tokens from Fabulous magazine found within Sunday’s News of the World.  Tokens are available today, Sunday January 16 and Sunday January 23.

Once you have collected two tokens, take them to a participating Tesco store to redeem for the Models Own makeup kit.

For more info, check the website here.  Will you be picking one up?

For someone who’s scared of bronzers… I own a few.  I’ve also ditched many more.  The ones that I’ve kept work for me, though not without effort.  This isn’t a fault of the products… it’s my unconfidence with application and with wear.

The ones that I’m showing you are my current favourites based on their tone.  With my (admittedly) untrained eye… they all complement cool-toned skin.  I should also point out that I’m not talking bronzer for contouring – these are all the products I use to mostly just warm up my complexion and give it a sunkissed look.

Swatched in the same order from left to right (note that swatches are to show tone, not intensity… some are VERY heavily swatched):

1. Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder in Maui (£23.50)

Is it a blush, is it a bronzer?  Well… it looks a bit like a blush but if Bobbi says it’s a bronzer, who the hell am I to argue?  Maui is a warm pink shimmer that’s shot through with golden sparkle.  It’s an incredibly easy-to-use bronzer because it never looks muddy and on the rare ocassion that I actually do catch a bit of genuine sunlight… it’s much closer to how my skin would naturally colour than the more traditional golden browns available.

2. NARS Blush in Douceur L.E. (£19.50)*

Being a limited edition item <–ignore, am stoopid – it’s not Limited Edition!  I wasn’t going to include this one.  But it’s still available online at HQHair… so I figured it couldn’t hurt?  Now… this is a blush (if I’m not gonna argue with Bobbi, I’m certainly gonna agree with Francois!) but on my skintone, this matte blush works very nicely as a light pink/brown bronzer.  Although it looks dark in the pan, it’s the 2nd sheerest that I’m showing you.  Even I can’t mess this one up.  Just perfect.

3. Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder in Princess (£30)

Again, not a bronzer per se, Becca’s PSP in Princess is just lovely.  It’s shimmery but not AT ALL glittery… it’s very well behaved and grown up about things.  Smooth in texture, it imparts a subtle sun-kissed glow to my cheeks that is never overcooked.  Pricey, but worth it.

4. Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Rumour (£16)

If there were one black sheep in the set, this would be it (being Illamasqua, it had to be the naughty one didn’t it?)  The tone is perfect – devoid of any orange… and being so matte, it makes the best contour shade I own.  The problem is, that’s not saying a lot because it’s the ‘only’ contour shade I own.  I find Rumour a little hard to work with due to it’s heavy pigmentation and it can end up looking a bit muddy.  I want to love it and I feel that it’s my inexperience that stops me rather than the product itself.  Any tips for this one ladies?

5.Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in Blondes (£31.50)

Finally, a classic.  The sheerest of the lot (and the most expensive!)  Blondes is the lightest of the three shimmery bronzer options from Guerlain.  I also own the lightest in the matte version but reach for this one more often.  I would defy anyone to overdo this… it’s a must-have for pale skintones.

Other honourable mentions: Bobbi Brown Antigua, Bobbi Brown Bali Brown, The Body Shop Warm Glow, Guerlain Terracotta 01 (matte)

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I know that all my bronzers are at the higher-end of the price spectrum… but experience has shown me that if I want to rid myself of orange-toned monstrosities, this is where I have to look.  Please do comment and let me know if things have improved in that respect on the high street because I’ll be one of the first out the door to go check out a bargain alternative!

What are some of your favourite bronzers?

* denotes PR sample.

First and foremost… this ain’t my find!  The delightful Virtues of Beauty told me to try this out when I asked for some brow gel recommendations on Twitter.

I hate the normal Great Lash mascara.  Hate. It.  This stuff though?  It’s good!  Especially for the money (I paid £2.99 on eBay).

I’ve been using it to hold my CURLY (yes, curly – thanks gene pool) eyebrows in place now that I’ve finally decided that I should pay them more attention.  There’s not a huge amount to say about this product except that it works.

The bristles do a good job of combing through and coating the hairs.  I’m not keen on how long this stuff takes to dry and for that reason, it means that I have to make using this… the very last step in my makeup routine.  I’d say that it takes a good 3/4 minutes to dry fully.  Until then, you have wet brows.

Once it has dried… it thankfully doesn’t leave my eyebrows crusty.  Just sets them nicely in place and stops me looking like Dennis Healy‘s lovechild.

What do you use to keep your brows in place?

I’ve always thought that The Body Shop Golden Pink blush (04) was considered as a reasonable dupe for NARS Orgasm?  But when I swatched the two… they were quite different.  TBS’ Golden Pink seemed a darker and far more intense.

Then I dug out my NARS Deep Throat blush and got a much better match!

What d’ya reckon ladies?  Dupe or Poop?

Day 3 brings a classic – MAC Russian Red.

It’s the truest red of the lot so far… and the most matte.  I chose to break into it today simply because my lips are in good condition at the moment thanks to some extra special recent care when I decided I was going to be doing this series.

To wear this one, I made sure my lips were well-exfoliated with a flannel, then I applied a thin coat of Lanolips 101 to work it’s magic whilst I got ready and did the rest of my makeup.  A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to wear this lipstick… my lips were always cracked.  They used to actually CATCH on my clothes when I undressed at night… such is the power of Lanolips.

I didn’t want to keep reapplying this one so I used my Jemma Kidd Lip Perfector to lock the colour into the lip line and prevent bleeding.  Then I used a lip brush to apply a thin coat of Russian Red… blotted and reapplied.  I was tempted to blot again, then do the tissue/powder trick before a final coat.  But I couldn’t be bothered.  L.A.Z.Y.

You need a lip brush with this one if you want clean edges.  It’s a faff… but if you get the application right, you’re rewarded with many, many hours of good, solid wear.  I managed around 6 hours before I grabbed the bullet and just swiped to reapply.

I think it’s my favourite… and you’re right… now that I compare this to Cockney, I think Cockney is a little too warm for me.  Perhaps a bit… clown-like by comparison.

Once I get to day 7, I’ll do an arm swatch of all the ones I’ve worn that week so that you can compare tones and I’ll be uploading the collage of all your lovely reds!

Thank you to those of you who have sent through pictures so far, looking GOOD ladies!  I’m not gonna do a Red Lips day tomorrow (I’m a bit sick of seeing my face tbh!)… but will be posting them up maybe every 2nd or 3rd day from now on.

Last week, I was invited to the Savoy hotel in London to meet Pantene ambassador Cat Deeley and to learn a little more about the new Pantene range for coloured hair.

Before heading up to London, I was asked if I had any questions I wanted to put to Cat.  Without hesitation I wanted to ask who her ‘Tonight Matthew, I’m going to be….” would be?  Then I remembered that I write a beauty blog, not a StarsInYourEyes fan blog.  So more on what I actually did ask her later…

I’ve talked before about the new Pantene Colour Protect range and you can read this post for further details on the products that are currently available in the UK… but tonight, we focused on meeting the brand’s ambassador and seeing the differences between virgin hair (uncoloured), coloured hair and coloured hair once treated with the new Pantene Colour Seal Concentrate (not released yet).

The results were surprisingly tangible.  We watched a demonstration of hair porosity…. and as someone who has (many times) in the past coloured her hair without giving any thought as to what long term affects this might have, perhaps a little sobering aswell.

The hair in the bowl on the left is virgin (uncoloured) hair, whilst the bowl nearest to the camera contains a sample of coloured hair.  Can you see how the virgin hair retains it’s waterproofing abilities that allows it to float whilst the coloured hair has literally swelled with the water and is no longer resting on the surface?

Well who cares right?  Well, me… because hair porosity is important to how hair looks and feels.  Frequent colouring can encourage the hair cuticle layers to stay raised… allowing more moisture in and ultimately letting more out, which leaves your hair feeling dry, brittle and pretty rubbish.  The rougher the cuticle, the less shiny your hair will appear and if you want silky, smooth locks?  Forget it.  You’re only getting those with a nice smooth hair cuticle.

The new Pantene Colour Seal Concentrate creates an artificial protective layer over our hair’s natural cuticle that mimics how our hair should be if we didn’t mistreat it.  I felt the difference between untreated and treated coloured hair and one was considerably smoother in texture.  The other good thing about the Pantene Colour Seal Concentrate is that you only need to use this about once a week as it’s effects will last a few washes before you need to reapply.

I haven’t tried this on my own hair as it’s not released until next month but I’m all for quick fixes and this seems like it could be just the ticket.  If it’s good enough for Cat Deeley (who happened to let slip that from the entire range, it was the Colour Seal Concentrate that was her favourite – shh), it’s good enough for me.

Once Cat had said her hellos and kicked off her beautiful (but killer) Louboutins, she got straight to answering some questions that we’d posed.  Here’s a few highlights from the Q&A:

Finally, Cat answered my question “Who has more fun, blondes or brunettes?”

Her eyes twinkled as she took in the words, and she grinned… aware that she could potentially offend half the room in one fell swoop!  Her answer was clear though… “Blondes!”  Cat followed up by explaining that you can only have fun when you feel comfortable in your own skin (or hair colour!) and that for her, that was her tried and tested honey blonde.  Nice save!

I spent a few minutes appreciating the newly refurbished Royal Suite at the Savoy… check out the view from pretty much every room.

I wouldn’t grumble about having to clean those windows.  Well… actually, I probably still would.

After this, I headed straight for hair stylist, James McMahon to pump him for extra tips on the perfect blow dry that we’re all so desperate to recreate.  James was straight to the point, reiterating how hard it was to achieve by yourself simply because the angles are all wrong!  I was happy to let him demonstrate on me what a perfect blow dry should look like.  I know, I’m too good to you… SELF-LESS.

Look at me, taking one for the team… I hope you’re grateful.

So, with my blow-dry questions exhausted, James talked a little about coloured hair.  I asked him if he felt it was really necessary to use specialist shampoos and conditioners for coloured hair?  He told me that nothing damages your hair more than the thing that you do ‘most’ to it.  In the majority of cases… that would be washing our hair and that if our hair is already fragile from over-processing then we should ensure that we’re using a shampoo and conditioner designed to care for our coloured hair.

I then asked James if you could pick and choose from a set range.  I explained that my scalp is ridiculously sensitive and that I generally prefer to stick to tried and tested shampoos that I know won’t aggravate my picky scalp.  He said that there would be nothing wrong with just choosing to use the treatments from a range or intensive conditioners if you didn’t want to change over your entire haircare regime.

With those wise words ringing in my ears, I’m swapping out my usual conditioner for Pantene’s 2 Minute Damage Rescue Treatment and after feeling the difference between the hair samples demonstrated earlier in the evening… I’m impatient for the Pantene Colour Seal Concentrate to become available too!

I’mma gonna get those bloody hair cuticles flat if it kills me!  I want Cat hair!  That’s it.  The gloves are off… only I’m fighting in the brunette corner.

‘Cos brunettes have more fun.  Innit!