A Makeup & Beauty Blog – Lipglossiping

Well, not entirely monstrous, but green is not a colour that I can pull off with much success.  Mr. L, who never comments on my makeup (other than to tell me I look lovely when I drop enough hints that he ought to be saying something), readily agrees that green is not a colour I should allow into my makeup-playing repertoire too often.  About halfway through the day I asked him, “Have you noticed that I’m wearing green on my eyes today?”.

“Yes. *pause* It doesn’t look too bad does it?”

And that ladies, clearly means that it looks amazing.  Or not.  I’ll go with the former.

Do you ever get the feeling that you’re getting a bit old to wear bright colours on your eyes?  I do.  I mean, when I was 27…. I thought I was getting too old, but now that I’m 30 and I’m looking at the photo thinking, “I think it doesn’t look too weird” but, I surround myself (online) with beautiful women who love to have fun and enjoy a passion for makeup.  What must women who don’t share our creativity when it comes to slap think?

Of course, one totally shouldn’t care what other women think and I’m neither fishing nor asking for validation here, it’s just that being on the cusp of the wrong side of 30 makes me hesitate.  Nothing more and nothing less, I guess it comes down to the fact that you can’t really pull off the “cute” thing once you reach your thirties, and so there’s no room for error in the same way as when you were younger.

“Should know better”.  I’d like that on my headstone… along with “One Day”, a long-held shot at faith.

I usually only have time in the morning for the basics when it comes to makeup but Mr. L has been super-generous with his time in the run-up to releasing his next game, so you can expect a few more FOTDs than normal simply because it feels lovely to walk out of the house in a proper made-up face once a week you know?  The type where you’ve played and pontificated over choosing what to apply rather than reached for the quickest, most fool-proof things you own.

Anyway, I’m really rambling.  I’ll do a quick product breakdown.

Face

Face Atelier Ultra Foundation in Ivory
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage SC-1
Guerlain Terracotta Moisturising Bronzing Powder in 00

Eyes

GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Green Grass on the upper lashline
Purple Eyeshadow from the Smashbox Muse Artist Eye Palette on lower lashline
Clinique High Impact Curling Mascara*
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Gaze

Lips

Bourjois Sweet Kiss Natural in 09 Sienne Kiss*

What’s your colour nemesis?  Do you hesitate when it comes to colour?

* press sample

Smashbox is a brand that just isn’t that easy for me to lay may hands on – sure, it’s in Debenhams but my local Debenhams is situated a 10 minute walk from the main shopping area, making it a bit of a black hole as a far as I’m concerned.

Smashbox Bionic Mascara in Jet Black is currently available at CheapSmells.com — who knows for how long, they have a pretty rapid stock turnover — and they sent me a sample to put to the test.

The mascara has a “wet” formula, something which I noticed immediately because I can never help but worry when buying from online cosmetic ‘discounters’ that I might be getting very old stock… and in the case of mascaras, old stock = dry mascara.

I needn’t have been concerned as the Smashbox Bionic Mascara I received is most definitely wet, any wetter and it would have been an instant fail, like the Bourjois 1001 which I hated until it began to dry out.

You can see from the before/after that the Smashbox Bionic Mascara (on the right!) offers decent lengthening if not much volumising.  I like the inky black shade and the fact that it left my lashes feeling soft and flexible.

It’s not the showstopping mascara I’d have liked to see from Smashbox but it’s a better-than-natural daily mascara (I hate ‘natural’ mascaras) which won’t dry out any time soon and offers genuine single-sweep lash boosting.  Maybe not for nights out on the tiles but a really, very good daily choice for work.

Smashbox Bionic Mascara in Jet Black is priced at £12.95 (a £16.50 value, 22% discount) and available from CheapSmells.com

What’s your favourite ‘daily’ mascara?

* press sample

I fished the Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner in Gunmetal out of a press day goody bag a couple of months ago and promptly fell in love.  Deeply pigmented with a lovely hint of sparkle, it ticked many of the boxes that the Guerlain powder liners have never been able to do for me — number one being a soft, flexible tip that doesn’t fill me with fear everytime it comes within 2 inches of my eyeball.

I think that these powder eyeliners are a love ‘em/hate ‘em type affair and after buying and giving up on the Guerlain Kohl, I thought I was in the latter camp along with all the other haterz.

Not so.

Yes, there’s fall out.  Obviously more so than any other kind of liner but I remedy this by applying before foundation and it doesn’t bother me.  You can (if you’re careful), apply without dropping a speck but if you manage it consistently, you’re a better woman than I am.

The ‘nib’ of the wand is a flexible, soft sponge that holds enough rigidity to run along the waterline but is also soft enough to provide a good application to the lashline.  I feel that the Smashbox shades are inferior to Guerlain’s which are generally, simply beautiful — but I can work with these happily.

The Gunmetal on the left contains more sparkle than the Black.  The fall out is visible and I didn’t take any care here to minimise it.   I went out and bought the Black because I loved the smoky definition that the Gunmetal provided but wanted something a little more dramatic to wear in the evenings.

My favourite thing about the Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliner is the way they wear after a few hours, the line fades evenly and cleanly – if you want something sharply defined that will look the same at 6pm as it did at 8am, these won’t be for you.  Over the course of the day, they soften and melt without straying too far and give a nicely ‘lived in’ look, not as dramatic as the whole rock-chick thing but heading in that direction.

The Smashbox Soft Focus Powder Eyeliners are priced at £19.50 each (yes, expensive) and are available instore at Debenhams, or you could save a few pennies and buy online from JustBeautyDirect.

Do you wear loose powder eyeliner?  Love it or Hate it?

Fifty quid is a lot of money to spend on an eyeshadow palette when you’ve got brands like Urban Decay banging ‘em out for under £40 but I came across some photos of this Smashbox palette from a press day when I was archiving some pictures and thought I’d tell you a bit about this rather pretty offering from Smashbox.

The potential to be a neutral lovers dream, the Smashbox Softbox Nude Eyeshadow Palette is a good choice for everyday looks with a few matte inclusions to encourage a broad appeal.  It features nine muted eyeshadow shades and two cream liners (one on each end).  Also included is a double ended brush making it an attractive proposition for those who are looking for a single set of wearable shadows in one compact package.

At fifty pounds, it’s not cheap but that is also one of the reasons I’m posting about it today.  The Smashbox Softbox Nude Eyeshadow Palette was released as a limited edition Summer launch so if it is catching your eye, keep an eye out for potential bargains on this palette across the web or perhaps even instore at Debenhams as the Autumn/Winter products supercede.

Kirstie at Beaut.ie has a great, indepth review on the palette here.

The Smashbox Softbox Nude Eyeshadow Palette is available to purchase online at Debenhams.com priced at £50.00

EDIT: £30 online at QVC – what did I tell ya?! (thanks for the spot Joanne!)

Lip stains are generally pretty cack aren’t they?  That Max Factor Lipfinity one?  Cack with a capital C, it tastes revolting too.  The Revlon Just Bitten version is only mildly more tolerable but horrendously drying on my lips.

And so, it was with a certain amount of “here we go again…” that I took this Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm* away with me after a recent blogger event.  My previous experiences were definitely playing heavily on my mind.

The Smashbox stain is a dual-ended affair with a liquid-dispensing felt tip on one end and a stick of balm on the other.  The shade is Sangria, a bold wine-red… as you may have guessed from the name.

The felt tip is the best I’ve used… it’s non-scratchy and dispenses an even amount of stain across the surface of my lips regardless of the angles I’m using to apply.  These would probably go down really well in outer space for that reason alone.

The other end offers a chunk of barely-coloured balm designed to match the stain in a hydrating formula.

Some lip stains that I’ve used have had the tendency to be wishy-washy, needing many coats to build up the colour.  Not so here… the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm in Sangria (I haven’t tried the other shades) is bold.  Very bold.  Vampy bold even.

Unfortunately, it all starts to go a bit wrong from here.

Once applied, I liked it a lot… infact I decided that I loved it.  2 hours in and the colour was holding fast without my lips being painfully dehydrated as a result.  I had even decided that I would look past the £21.50 price tag for something that was such a WIN at being awesomely long-lasting and beautifully powerful.

Then suddenly at around the 4hr mark, things went awry and the colour slipped VERY quickly.  I should also point out that I hadn’t eaten anything (just sipped at the usual 56 cups of tea over the course of the morning).

This is how it looked when I first applied it.  Lovely innit?  I was full of “OMG, I <3 Smashbox” at the time this photo was taken.

Problem is that when this thing fades, it fades UGLY.  Mr. L was adamant that I was bleeding from the mouth.

It was looking not so hot after 4 hours but I left it another hour before taking the photo.  I don’t want a lip colour that’s gonna scare the crap out of people around me.  I don’t need that kind of hassle in my life and I don’t want people stopping me in the street asking if I need a paramedic.

On the plus side, the Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm does not feather, isn’t horrendously drying and looks amaze when first applied.  If you can remain no more than 4ft from a mirror at all times when wearing it for re-application checks, you’re gonna be in heaven.  Me?  I’m a bit scared of it.

Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain and Colour Seal Balm is available in 6 shades and is priced at £21.50 from Debenhams.

* press sample

Next up doing their bit for Breast Cancer Awareness Month is…

What is it?

The Breast Cancer Care Smashbox Smile Brightening lipstick duo from QVC – in luscious pink!

Light up your smile with this Smile Brightening Lipgloss Duo (each 6ml) from Smashbox. Each lipgloss is packed with light-reflecting particles for a gorgeous shimmering pout, as well as specially coloured pigments designed to reveal your brightest smile. It’s also infused with a cool minty flavour that will make you feel fresh and ready for the day or evening ahead.

Price

£13.31

Donation

QVC will donate all net profits to Breast Cancer Care

Availability

Online at QVC throughout October

The Smashbox Muse palette is from the 2009 Spring Collection.

10 positively creamy shades… pastels on top, stronger shades on the bottom.

The brush that it comes with is surprisingly soft and useable… the top row shades are gentle and spring-like, whilst the others comple the more dramatic pairing.

I’m delighted that I picked up this palette and right now, it’s an absolute steal over at Just Beauty Direct priced at £13.74

Do you wear pastels?

I was on the lookout for a replacement for my beloved DHC Deep Cleansing Oil (which at £16 a bottle is a touch rich for my blood whilst currently hemorrhaging money in preperation for my new arrival)… when I came across Smashbox Cleansing Oil on eBay for £5 a bottle.

I’ve been trying it for 3 weeks now and thought I’d give my verdict on how it compares to DHC.

It’s a huge bottle in comparison to most branded Cleansing Oils weighing in at 345ml and is definitely thinner and lighter so a little really goes a long way!  It doesn’t cause me any sensitivity – even practically rubbing it into my eyes (and I often react to the mildest of products).  It removes all that DHC does and removes everything perfectly – so far top marks…

I’m not a huge fan of the smell, it’s slight cucumber-ey in a cheap rather than refreshing way, but it’s not terribly noticeable.  The real problem though…

…It just doesn’t emulsify well at all (which DHC does brilliantly), this stuff sticks to my face-cloth and skin like tar no matter how many times I rinse in hot water.  Which means that even after the next step of washing my face with my favourite cleanser/mild soap I can still feel the oil on my skin thanks to it transferring back from my face-cloth. 

I also have to scrub the sink everytime I wash my face as it leaves a ring of make up on the sink – not really a problem (infact it’s quite satisfying looking at all that makeup grime in a gruesome sunburn-peeling kinda way) but worth mentioning.

This ‘problem’ as I see it might not bother you if you’re used to traditional OCM, but if you’re prone to breakouts – you need to be extra vigilant to ensure your skin is free from the product after cleansing.

I bought my Smashbox Cleansing Oil from this seller, it’s available from other sellers and also some of the discount cosmetic websites have it in stock at a good price as it’s now a discontinued Smashbox skincare item.

However, I won’t be buying it again – I just don’t have the patience last thing at night to meticulously go over my skin a 100x to ensure all the oil is removed.  Such a shame, ‘cos everything else about it is truly spot-on.

I can’t bring myself to bin it either seeing as it does work so well in all other aspects.  I shall have to invest in some more face cloths and ensure I only use one for the oil and refill the sink a couple of times inbetween cleansing… makes it all a bit high maintenance though!

Oh, I hate to give it such a low score - but that singular problem is a BIG deal for me.

[starreview tpl=14]

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