A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

So, what does natural beauty mean to you?

Is it poreless skin without the help of foundation?  Laughter lines that show a life well-lived?  Perhaps it’s simply the beauty of an unspoilt vista lifting your soul in a way that city-life never could?

St. Ives – creators of iconic skin-scrubbiness – recently approached a selection of bloggers with a creative challenge which celebrates the company ethos of imparting confidence and exploring the radiance of natural beauty.

The brand, who have been around for over 25 years now, are dedicated to harnessing the power of nature within their skincare range.  To this end, their formulas do not contain parabens or phthalates, the brand use sustainably-sourced ingredients wherever possible, cut waste, and employ eco-friendly packaging for all their products.

The brief itself was simple: “capture and share an image of natural beauty”.  So simple in fact that it left a lot of room for interpretation, perhaps too much for a procrastinator like me!

I’m incredibly fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the world with the New Forest on my doorstep, beaches a few miles down the road and the rolling hills of the South Downs only a stone’s throw away.  But the problem was, that despite a wealth of inspiration surrounding me… beauty that I was itching to go and photograph.  I couldn’t get over one small detail…

The greatest source of natural beauty was sitting right next to me.

A brush through the tangles, a crown of flowers, and a couple of “knock knock” jokes later and I had all the inspiration I could have ever needed.

Despite the rather obvious fact that she’s not pumping half a gallon of Double Wear onto her face every morning, Leila’s natural beauty lies in the fact that she is so wonderfully oblivious.  Every inner thought and feeling, like most children, is reflected upon her face: from the doughnut she can’t get enough of to the wonderment of seeing Sleeping Beauty’s castle.  From the pride that correctly identifying her ABCs brings her to the chutzpah that follows when she utters the words “I am rather marvellous, aren’t I?”

Her eyes are not only a window into her soul but a porthole, skylight, dormer, and sunroof… all untainted by the self-consciousness that adulthood brings with it.  She feels no need to mask her feelings or to “tone-down” her excitement, fearful of looking too eager or heaven-forbid, uncool.  If only we could all recapture some of that day-to-day, unbridled honesty in our faces.

And that is why she, and other children of a similar age, are such a joy to be around (in moderation, of course!) and for me, an unparalleled definition of natural beauty.

Do you allow your natural beauty to shine through in certain company or are you focused on maintaining a facade? 

If you fancy talking about what “natural beauty” means to you, feel free to use the dedicated #StIvesNaturalBeauty hashtag on Twitter.

* In the interests of full-disclosure, all photographic entries will be judged by beauty photographer Claire Harrison on behalf of St. Ives and displayed at a gallery-style event in London next month.  The eventual winner will receive a fabulous prize (and one to give away to a reader!) 

** On a plate beside Leila, sat a sausage roll… looking particularly beautiful.  To be honest, it was a close-run thing.

A big welcome to Anna from It’s A Bloggers World who is guest-posting on Lipglossiping today.  Anna is an Italian, living in Manchester.  Today, she is talking about a rather unusual-looking makeup brush and I’m sure I can feel the stirrings of a new desire already!

I am sure that every one of you, as makeup-addicts have faced, at least once, THAT question: “Are you a foundation brush or a sponge person?”

Dilemma.

I have been through all the different stages: fingers, flat brush, stippling brush, latex sponges (in every shape created), wet or dry, everything!

Then I realized it was more a matter of what effect I wanted to achieve from my foundation than finding the perfect tool; most of the time, I’ll use a stippling brush if I want to go for medium, natural coverage or I’ll choose a flat brush with the addition of a sponge if I need a full coverage “hide-those-spots-please” finish!

This is why I couldn’t help myself from buying this little jewel.  Enter the Sonia Kashuk Complexion Perfector Brush.

I had the opportunity to purchase this last summer while in Chicago as I casually found myself walking near a Target (don’t look at me like that, of course it was planned and of course I knew where the shop was before even landing in the USA!)

As you can see, it’s a dual-ended brush with an oval sponge on one side and a brush on the other.

The brush is synthetic and has a domed shape. It’s quite firm but no worries, it doesn’t scratch your skin at all, it just does the job of keeping a well-defined shape.  The sponge is oval-shaped and quite similar to the iconic sponge that Sonia Kashuk is famous for.  It can be removed to for washing, clever isn’t it?

I basically use both parts: I first apply foundation with the sponge and work it out all over my face.  Then, I use the brush for the sides of my nose, the under-eye area and any small details (see “detail” as that spot that decided to rise like a volcano on your chin without being invited).

As you can see on the instructions, it can be used the opposite way as well, using the brush first before blending all over with the sponge, but I find it easier for me to use the first way.

Sometimes, if I am lazy, I use the brush to apply my concealer as well and it works pretty good.

I didn’t have any problem when I washed it, no loose hairs or changes to the shape (doesn’t it get on your nerves when this happen? I go mad!)

It’s part of the “Kashuk tools” and costs about £15.50. Unfortunately my dear Sonia is not sold in the UK, so you have to count on ebay, an old friend that just moved to USA or that holiday that you really need…

Are you ready for a trip to the USA then?

In recent years, Superdrug have been ahead of the game with some great budget beauty launches. From MUA Cosmetics to FashionistA, Look Beauty to Accessorize, there’s always something new to check out with the confidence that our wallets won’t suffer too heavily as a result.

The latest beauty launch at Superdrug is from a brand simply titled B., a name which I’m certain will ensure a total nightmare when it comes to searching the web for products and reviews.

The range is comprehensive and includes face products, nail polish, and skincare.  Don’t be fooled into thinking this is just a tween brand either… a quick look at some of the skincare products tells me that they’re casting a much, much wider net over their potential audience with products ranging from B. Quick 4-in-1 Cleansing Wipes to B. Flawless Targeted Wrinkle Filler which you choose according to your “skin phase”.

A small selection of the colour cosmetics currently available from B.

When it comes to colour, the brand are set to make an impact on our cosmetic bags.  Not afraid to keep up with the competition, the brand will be offering their own BB Cream, Colour Corrector, Pure Micellar Water, Gel Eyeliner, and a full range of foundation and primers.  Each store will have a trained point of sale personnel to advise consumers on making their choices from this new brand and I for one, cannot wait to see the feedback on this new high street addition.

Have you spotted anything from the new range that takes your fancy?

The new range lands instore at Superdrug from the 1st of February, is available to buy online now (and is also available to view online at bisforbeautiful.co.uk)

What with it being the season of goodwill and thinking of others, spare a thought for your BFF (best friend forever!) and invite them along to your local Smashbox counter for a no-holds barred, makeup play-date!  Whether you’re looking for advice on a cool smoky eye or hot tips to create the perfect statement lip, the beauty crew at Smashbox will demonstrate how to up the beauty ante this party season.

Whilst you’re there, register both your details with the Smashbox team and you’ll both be treated to a free Smashbox Try It Kit * containing some of the brands most talked-about products.

The Smashbox Try It Kit contains:

Photo Finish Foundation Primer 7.1ml
Photo Finish Lid Primer 0.5ml
Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx 0.8g
Hyperlash Mascara in Blackout 4ml
Lip Enhancing Gloss in Illume 4.2ml

…and is available on counter**, exclusively at Boots, from 1st – 31st December 2012

In London last week, I got my makeup done at a Smashbox event whilst catching up with blogging BFFs: @vexinthecity and @makeuptomakeout, the girls were on top form and Lina in particular was sporting a rather incredible hot pink lipstick from the LA brand. Check it out:

But for me, when it comes to Smashbox, it’s got to be all about the face – the brand are renowned for their primers and base products, so when I was offered the chance to be made over by the lovely Janine Bird, Smashbox’s National Make Up Coach, I was keen to see how their base products would perform on my dry skin.  Here I am… looking all “speshul”, consider it a before/after…

Janine used their HD foundation on me and it felt extremely comfortable on my skin, not at all heavy or drying, which is what I was expecting following dalliances with other HD foundations.  Having said that, I also felt that the lightest shade was too yellow-toned for my complexion, I got away with it… but the match was definitely not 100% for me.  Still, flawless skin ahoy and it did. not. budge. an. inch. all evening.

If you’re curious about the line, now’s the time to head into your nearest participating Boots store and check it out.  Don’t forget to take a friend!

* press sample

**Customer registration required (including postal address) following a makeup session. One Try It Kit per customer, whilst stocks last. Closing date 31^st December 2012. Your Try It Kit will be delivered within 6 weeks of the closing date.

They say that the best things in life are free… rubbish.  When was the last time you didn’t pay for an apple turnover?  Having said that, I was recently sent this innocuous-looking tube of salve from a Swiss-based company called Selexir.  The brand only make the one product, and it’s this:

I’m gonna cut to the chase.  The Selexir Peace Balm is the most moisturising product that I’ve used on my skin.  Ever.  If you take all the good points from something like Elizabeth Arden’s 8hr cream and dispense with the greasiness, the stink, and the overwhelming feeling that you’re slathering your skin in something that you should be polishing your horse with instead… you come close to what Selexir have created.

If you’re aggravated by dry skin… and I don’t mean “mildly irritated”, but if extremely dry skin is something you have to deal with on a daily basis, then you need to go and buy yourself the travel-sized tube of this balm. Stat.

It’s free from parabens, paraffin, silicones, mineral oils, petroleum or synthetic dyes and fragrances.  The balm melts into the skin under the heat of your fingertips and you only need the smallest, smallest amount to see results.  You know that I particularly suffer from flaky skin this time of year which plays havoc with how my foundation looks and feels on my skin.  I’ve been adding just the tiniest amount of balm to the areas of my face that see these problems, this stuff literally transforms the texture of my skin in an instant, and it stays that way all day.

It’s also great for grazes, elbows, shins, knees blah blah blah but to be honest, I wouldn’t pay that much money for something I use on my body when I’m not a major sufferer of eczema, I usually only feel the temptation to splurge mega-bucks on products for my face.  I also wouldn’t get through the largest size tube in anything less than about three-years, so I am pleased that the brand have smaller, more affordable sizes available.

I rarely ga-ga-gush over a product unless it’s really made a difference for me and it’s so rare that a skincare product does have such a tangible, profound effect that can be experienced so rapidly.

I’m really excited by this and although I’m loathe to pass it on, I’m going to pay it forward and give my tube to my Dad who suffers from terrible eczema, usually (poorly) controlled by immunosuppressive meds and topical steroid creams.  Of course, I’m not in a position to medically assess how he gets on with it but I promise to come back and let you at least know how he feels it’s working for him.

Selexir Peace Balm is available to buy online, priced from £20 for 15ml

* press sample

I missed the Sigma brush hype a couple of years ago, because I was fixated instead on building a collection of Trish McEvoy brushes.  Nowadays, I’m skinter than a skint thing and I’ve come to the realistic conclusion that I’d be a moron not to reign my makeup budget in a little a lot.  I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t have any major hobbies that consume my monies so whilst I’m still totally commited to being buried with my makeup collection, I’m more open to the idea of not making myself destitute at the same time.

The Sigma range (some of them) have been renowned for offering great quality at a slightly lower price point and in particular, I was looking for a multi-tasking brush.  Step in the Sigma F84 Angled Top Kabuki Brush with its densely-packed head and stubby handle, I’ve found what I was looking for.

Creams, liquids and powders all work flawlessly with this brush which buffs the product firmly but gently onto the face.  The synthetic fibres withstand daily usage and wash like a dream, even if they do take a little longer than I’d like to dry.

The angled brush head makes light work of facial contours and allows me to work the product into every nook and cranny.  Not that my face has nooks and crannies just yet, but you know what I mean.  I also love the chunky handle which gives me maximum control over direction and pressure.

I’ve recently begun using it to apply my cream blushes, and it works great for that too – allowing me to really blend out the edges to give a polished finish.

The only problem I’ve encountered with the brush is that it basically has too many uses and I’m gonna need more than one.  Which kinda defeats my money-saving attitude somewhat no?

The Sigma f84 is available to buy online in the UK from Cocktail Cosmetics, priced at £14.95

The beautifully illustrated Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura collection celebrates everything there is to love about Summer, from the greater clarity of colour on the landscape to the striking fauna and flora that spend the colder months hiding away.

The contemporary Japanese Kimono Artist has taken inspiration from some of Japan’s most beloved Spring floral wonders including: Fuji, Sakura, Botan, and Ume and these elegant designs grace the packaging of both the iconic Cleansing Oils and UV Under Base Mousse primers.

At the core of Shu Uemura’s well-tested philosophy lies the words: “Beautiful make-up starts with beautiful skin” and our skin is in for a treat today because I have FIVE Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and UV Under Base Mousse sets to give away to lucky Lipglossiping.com readers.

Want to be in with a chance of winning one of these limited edition sets worth £85.50 each?  Read on…

Shu Uemura is globally renowned as a pioneer of cleansing oil after introducing the first oil-based cleanser to the Japanese market back in 1967.  The following short video explains a little more about this iconic product (and also reveals the answer you need to enter today’s giveaway nestled just below – you may need to wait a second or two for it to load)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

T&C
1. Start date for this competition is 10th August 2012 at 00.01 BST
2. Closing date for this competition is 17th August 2012 at 23.59 BST
3. There are five prizes to be won, each comprising of a Mamechiyo for Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil & UV Under Base Mousse Set.  Cleansing Oil/UV Under Base Mousse varieties will be chosen at random and specific product requests cannot be accomodated. No cash alternatives.
4. UK entrants only. (sorry)
5. Lipglossiping.com is the sole promoter of this competition.
6. Only one entry per email address will be accepted.
7. Personal details will not be kept or forwarded and are only used in the context of this competition to inform the winner(s) of their prize status.
8. Five winners will be selected at random from all entries received.
9. Winners will be notified within 5 working days and will be expected to reply to an email sent to the address used to enter the competition within 5 working days or risk forfeiting the prize.

Good luck!

To keep up with the latest news from Shu Uemura, you can follow the Shu Uemura UK team on both Twitter and Facebook.

Or is it vol. 533493491?  With over 2250 posts under my belt, you can appreciate that I’ve loved and fell out of love with all manner of things, such is the fickle nature of beauty and such is the fickle nature of “ooh shiny”.  I’m always reticent to admit to Holy Grail products because I’m not really the kind of person to stick to one thing for life (except perhaps for Mr. L and Boost bars).  If I repurchase something, that’s pretty damn good going when there’s all manner of other lovely things that promise the earth and deliver about 2 continents worth instead.  As beauty lovers, we’ve grown to expect a certain amount of over-selling when it comes to product claims and I guess that’s why blogs are so useful, they simply provide the experiences of peers who generally have the same expectation levels as yourself.

With that in mind, these are the things that I’ve been currently loving long time.  Well, about two weeks – which, in the coquettish world of beauty, is literally, forever.

1). Calling all mermaids!  VOYA Ritzy Spritzy* hails from the salty depths, quite literally!  The hero ingredient to this refreshing toner is hand-harvested seaweed, packed with vitamins B1, B2 and B12 (sounds like Bananas in Pyjamas), plus polysaccharides and alginates, all of which combine to offer a tonic that delivers a moisturising, oil-free formula.  I’m an toner-nut and after using it continuously for a week in-place of my usual variety, this one is particularly efficient in cooling the skin, making it a great holiday choice for those jetting off to far-flung beaches. £23.00 from Look Fantastic.

2). Hello Glow! Hello indeed to this budget-friendly alternative to a particularly well-known Dermalogica favourite!  If you’re a Daily Microfoliant addict, you might want to give Hello Glow‘s Whitening Plus Facial Polish* a spin.  Released just last month, the powder formulation mixes with a little water to create a mildly exfoliating paste that leaves my skin feeling incredibly soft.  It contains a 100% natural blend of coconut milk powder, potato starch, milk, honey, rice and essential oils and is suitcase friendly too! £9.99 from RoseLinkUK.

3). It wouldn’t be Summer without a fresh, summer fragrance to distract myself from the necessity to build a replica Ark and Prada’s Infusion d’Iris offers maximum distraction.  A classic, green scent which despite the name offers a more sensual, woody edge than I’d expect.  The floral is clearly there, along with a burst of Italian-inspired citrus zings that never smell too sharp but it’s the drydrown that leaves my mouth watering in it’s pure cleanliness that leaves me feeling like I’ve just stepped from the shower (minus the cheap soap!).  A perfect balance of floral, fresh and woody that simply works very nicely on my skin.  From £40.00 at Debenhams.

4). From one classic to another, in the form of Trilogy’s Certified Organic Rosehip Oil, which I purchased as a little moisture-booster to my current skincare routine.  I use it while my skin is still wet from the shower (water really makes my skin feel tight), and massage it in to my elbows, knees, heels and any little eczema patches that have flared up overnight – what’s left on my hands after this, goes straight on my face.  In the winter, I may use it more often but a couple of times a week at the moment is enough to keep my skin supple and happy. £16.50 from Boots.

5).  Another one for the holiday bag is Laqa & Co’s Nail Pen in Incestuous*.  Hate the name, love the colour!  This muted lavender nail pen is one of those products that you think will never work.  Nail polish in a pen?!  But work it does… though I discovered that painting with your “wrong” hand is significantly more tricky than when using a regular polish brush – it’s just like writing or drawing with your weak hand!  The polish dispenses easily and is fluid enough to work with without too much fuss.  5ml for £11 makes it an expensive option, but it’s great for travel and is a real conversation starter as I discovered on the train the other day! £11 from PowderRooms.

6). There’s lots of classics on my list today and Olay’s Classic Care Nourishing Beauty Fluid (Sensitive) is perhaps the consummate defintion of the word.  My day moisturiser recently ran out, and being on a no-buy meant that I had more chance of a sunny day than guiltessly hot-footing it to the Elemis counter, so I settled for Asda instead and picked up this one to tide me over.  I actually meant to pick up this one but couldn’t find it on the shelves.  That being said, it’s doing a sterling job at leaving my skin feeling hydrated with a non-greasy finish.  I’m not sure I’ll repurchase, because I’ll hopefully be off my no-buy when this one runs out and I’ll try and pick up the one I meant to get next time.  Still, £4.69 from Boots – mustn’t grumble!

7). Can you tell I’m not going on holiday until September?  My goodness am I packing in these travel essentials this month!  The St. Tropez Bronzing Gel* is a great option for pasty legs that demand a streak-free finish!  Creams are all well and good but this dark gel will ensure you leave no patches un-tanned!  Combine it with an applicator mitt and really work the formula into your skin to ensure an even tan.  I like the gel formula because it looks a bit scarier, thus making me less complacent with my application – it’s all in the mind folks and this one just makes me work harder (in a good way!). £21.99 from Boots.

8). Last but by no means least!  Benadryl Allerfy Relief (Acrivastine) keeps both myself and Mr. L free from hayfever.  I’m fortunate to only suffer from mild symptoms but when the pollen count reaches the top of the charts, I reach for one of these and it knocks all symptoms on the head within half an hour.  I do sometimes have to take another tablet later in the day and they’re not the cheapest (I don’t think you can get generic versions) but they’re the best I’ve found for controlling the summer sniffles!  £3.80 from Tesco.

What are you loving so far this month?

* press sample

This weekend is set to be the hottest of the year and with a bank-holiday rapidly approaching, you may forgive me for living life through a pair of rose-tinted spectacles at the moment. If you’re feeling as much “in the pink” as I am, you might appreciate these two fragrances to indulge your fervor for all things fuchsia.

Salvatore Ferragamo’s Signorina and Jo Malone’s (limited edition) Plum Blossom are lovely choices for Summer, they both wear delicately – employing some seriously fruity notes without ever becoming syrupy or cloying on the skin.

In the case of Signorina*, the Italian label’s latest scent is clearly aimed toward the younger market. The beautifully presented bottle is adorned with blush-coloured ribbons and a rose-gold lid, making it an unapologetically pink offering that should appeal to girly-girls of all ages.

Signorina opens with a juicy blackcurrant, lightly spiced with the standard pink pepper note that appears in many of the current mass-market perfumes. The voluptuousness quickly develops into something more skin-like as the florals come to the fore: jasmine, rose, and peony all combine to create a light, almost-floaty interpretation of what it must feel like to be simultaneously impossibly young and chic. On me, the scent wears close to the skin, as if grounded by the creaminess from the unexpected source of pannacotta. The creamy Italian dessert lends a softness and delivers the gourmand quality that contributes to the addictive characteristic that keeps my nose buried firmly in my wrist.

It reminds me somewhat of Dior’s Miss Cherie but I find this one more compatible with my skin chemistry and less cloying in this warm weather, it doesn’t project as loudly and feels slightly more elegant in it’s youthfulness.

Jo Malone’s latest limited-edition scent is already sold out online but still available in many stores nationwide while stocks last. Plum Blossom* is a greener interpretation of the same qualities found in Signorina. Not quite so playful in composition, it delivers a sweetness that will appeal to those who like their fruity florals to avoid the foodie notes whilst keeping sensuality at the fore. The florals up the ante, as you’d expect from the iconic British brand and with a base of sandalwood and white musk, Plum Blossom remains a clean and delicate fragrance from start to finish.

There’s something eternally romantic about blush hues and both scents make the perfect accompaniment to the wedding season.

* press samples

Whilst my inbox is currently being inundated with bronzing solutions for the current heatwave, I’m slathering on the SPF (broad spectrum of course) and shading myself courtesy of the nearest tree.  Whilst bronzed skin is undoubtedly beautiful, it always makes me feel rather conspicuous.  I simply don’t tan naturally… not at all, my family enjoy a long-running joke that focuses on the fact that I went to Australia to live for a while and returned home paler.

I’d like to say that I’m one of those porcelain-skinned types, milky white with a lit-from-within glow… but I’m best described as blotchy pink/white with more than my fair share of orange freckles.  Throw in a few thread veins and Kate Winslet, I ain’t.  Praise the lord for foundation and highlighter.

St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose* is a highlighter that is perfect for us blue-veined types.  Generously packaged in a 50ml tube, it’s a great solution for holiday packing… you know, those rare times (unless you live in Essex) when it’s practically illegal to have a greater clothes to bare skin ratio.  It effortlessly dispenses a pink-toned sheen to emphasise sharp collarbones, chiselled cheekbones and shapely shins!

Non-greasy and buildable, the St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose has a slight fruity scent which dissipates quickly once on the skin.  The packaging is simplistic but hygenic and reflects what I consider to be a very reasonable price point.  For a full 50ml of product, you’ll pay only £12.26.

You can see that the sheen it imparts is definitely cool-toned, which is what makes it far more natural-looking for us cool-skinned paleys than the more usual summer offers from cosmetic companies.  The above photo shows two layers of product to ensure that the camera picked up on the swatch.  It feels light-weight on the skin but I wouldn’t recommend it as a luminizing all-over type highlighter, this is definitely more for spot-highlighting.  I’ve also found that the formula is happy to be applied over foundation, important to me because it’s nearly always something I forget to do until AFTER I’ve applied my blush!

St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Rose is available to buy online from st-tropez.com and Boots.com (where it’s currently only £12 AND on a 3for2 across selected ‘summer products’).

* press sample

Back when I purchased my beloved Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in Peach Flush, I was torn – too many pretty shades and not enough pennies in the purse for all of them.  Sure, I spend too much money on makeup and skincare but I get the guilts like everyone else and sometimes you just can’t twist it enough to justify it, not even to your spendy-self.  Fast forward twelve months and I found myself once again perusing a Shiseido counter.  Just for old-times sake, I reswatched the color sticks and instantly fell in love (again) with Champagne Flush.

From a completely superficial point of view, I love how these things feel so luxurious.  They’re glossy, sexy, and have some beautiful symmetry going on – I realise that I sound a bit crazy right now.  Champagne Flush is one of the most subtle highlighters that I own, which makes it a-ok by my standards.  I’m always looking for a highlighter that I can really luminise my face with and this ticks the boxes on that score.

It’s a pale champagne shade with slightly pink leanings that don’t turn it too silvery, though I would say that it’s definitely best-suited to similar-toned complexions as mine.  It contains no glitter or shimmer particles, it just imparts an allover, barely-there glow.  It doesn’t even really catch the light when you turn your face in the same way that other highlighters do… it just, somehow lifts a tired and dull complexion, giving the illusion that you are far more fresh and alert than you feel.

This is an awful swatch photo but you should be able to make out the pale highlight that runs from the crease where my thumb and index finger meet, backward towards my wrist.  It looks like a ghostly silver and that’s only because I’ve had to build it up quite heavily for the swatch.  I wouldn’t wear it this heavy on my face.

My only wish is that it weren’t in stick form because I’d love a liquid this subtle that I could blend into my foundation directly.  This, would infact, be my holy-grail highlighter if only I could find it – please Shiseido, make a liquid version!

Shiseido Accentuating Color Stick in S6 Champagne Flush is available to buy on counter, priced at around £26

Fourteen days, that’s approximately 336 hours, or 20,160 minutes.  In other words, a fair amount of time.  In the world of long-lasting manicures, just what you do with that time is almost as important as the duration spent doing it.  For me, that time was spent typing, packing, cooking, swimming, running, playing at Butlins, and chasing ants in the dark.  I like to think that this manicure has been put through its paces over the last fortnight.  The question is, did it survive?

See for yourself…

I think that it’s coped fairly admirably no?  There is a small chip on my index finger but that was it for the tips… across the entire manicure – spending that extra time to ensure that I had capped all my nails really paid off in this instance.  Infact, you can see that most of the ‘damage’ actually comes from the other end of the nail bed where I’ll happily admit that I didn’t do quite so well at applying with the kind of precision one needs.

I suffered some pooling in the cuticles with the base coat and on a couple of nails this led to a small amount being cured over the cuticle so I wasn’t particularly surprised when I experienced a little bit of lifting after a few days in those areas.  What I was surprised at though is that despite the lifting, I was able to gently clip those areas off without causing any further damage to the manicure.  Most of what you see in the photo above is actually new growth at the base of the colour.

Now, whilst this is a glowing report so far, I do have one issue that I’d like to talk about… removal.

Damn, this stuff is a bitch to remove without damaging your nails.  I lightly buffed the surface of my nails firstly to remove the shine and create a penetrable layer for the remover to do its work before soaking pre-cut cotton pads in acetone remover (where acetone is the primary ingredient) and laying them down over the nails.  Wrapping the tips in foil, I gave it a full 10-12 minutes before sliding the foil tips off my fingers, expecting to see the gel slide off with them.  Uh, not a chance.  The surface had bubbled and warped and the edges had further lifted but it wasn’t giving up without a fight.  I ended up using an orange stick to (as gently as I could) scrape off the gel polish before buffing the surface of the nail to remove the residue.

My nails are definitely in worse condition post Sensationail but seemingly nothing that a hefty dose of almond oil (thanks Squarrell) can’t sort out – I’d say that they’re halfway back to feeling “normal” within a day of diligent oiling.

Hopefully that’s provided an indepth (enough) review for you from application, to pricing, to wear and finally removal.  I’d be really interested to find out what you think about the product in terms of value, I’m confident that it provides the kind of long-lasting, salon-quality manicure that we pay £20+ a time for – but despite knowing that, I’m curious if the initial price tag would still put you off?  I think that this is probably a great bit of kit for a group of friends to pool together and purchase, otherwise – you’ve got to be a very dedicated nailista – know any of those?

The Sensationail starter kit is available to buy online from Boots, priced at £85, additional shades are available at £15 each.  You can get more tips and tricks from the brand’s facebook and twitter pages.